Yale's financial aid decision

This week, Harvard announced an additional $2,ooo grant for students on financial aid. The momentous step came on the heels of a decision by Princeton to eliminate student loans. But the real news was at Yale, where the Administration refused to even suggest that a similar revolution might be in the works, only that it is "looking very closely and more frequently in regards to its philosophy on financial aid," as Associate Vice President for Student Financial and Administrative Services Ernst Huff put it.

And what philosophy is that? Well, Caesar Storlazzi, associate director of University financial aid, told the Herald last semester, "We believe students should contribute to their own education." Or, as University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, put it last week, "Yale's financial aid policy has historically been geared toward the sharing of the burden among the institution, the students' families, and the students themselves."

The key word here is "historically"—the same institutional memory that Yale lauds is the only rationale Huff offers for any current philosophical inconsistencies. It seems to be the same inertia that Paul Bass in last week's New Haven Advocate quoted Mazarin Banaji quoting Dan Oren about: "By active prejudices and passive ones, [Yale] slowed the speed of democracy by opening its gates slowly and reluctantly to each of many groups."

If students should contribute to their educations, why shouldn't work-study be required of all students, not just those without wealthy parents? Doesn't work-study create, as Grace Rollins wrote in last week's Herald, second-class citizens? Huff responded, "I think probably a lot of the current philosophy is based upon history."

In the past, Ivy League institutions colluded and made similar offers. Specifically, Huff said, "It's just now becoming in the forefront of thought. I think that the notion that there will be a work component in a financial aid package is part of history, and times change and institutions have to respond to change."

The Crimson reported Harvard administrators have been working on the plan for some time, "motivated by concerns that students' obligations to fill the self-help requirement of their packages might be detracting from their college experiences as well as their future career choices." Immediately following Princeton's announcemnt, a Harvard spokesperson told the Crimson, "We are concerned about what is going to be best for Harvard students."

Compare to Storlazzi last week: "If Yale feels there will be a threat, it will obviously react." In fact, no Yale Administrators have been proactive or apologetic in the way Harvard has. "I don't know whether I'd classify it as unfair," Huff said of the burden financial aid packages place on students. "Everybody makes choices in life."

Back to News...