Below are the old updates about some of the UOC's past (and, in many cases, ongoing) projects. See What's New and In Other News on the main page to read about our more recent undertakings.

Winter '04-'05

Unfortunately, the open forum with President Levin to discuss financial aid issues proved not to be the road to financial aid reform. Levin misrepresented the UOC's platform, didn't know answers to questions about financial aid, and presented no plan for reform. Join us as we continue the fight for diversity and equality at Yale. Check out the new blog for financial aid reform at Yale for updates.

Sign the UOC's petition for financial aid reform. Read the UOC's financial aid platform here.

Valentine's Day at Yale saw the road to financial aid reform on Cross Campus. Hundreds of valentines to President Levin featured hundreds of students' commitments to attend the open forum on Feb. 22nd and questions for Levin. Visit the road to financial aid reform here.

125 students attended the rally to support financial aid reform on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, showing their support for the UOC's platform. President Levin declined our invitation to speak at the rally. Nevertheless, more than 1000 undergraduates, in addition to supportive alumnae/i, faculty, professional students, and union members, have currently signed on to the platform. In light of this broad support, we are together calling on Levin to provide a comprehensive response to the platform and to meet with students about the platform. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rally was not an end, but a starting point, so join us at our Wednesday meetings to continue the push for economic justice at Yale. Photos are here.

Levin responds, as do we
President Levin responded to the UOC's letter seeking a meeting about the financial aid platform, refusing to meet with us before our deadline of Martin Luther King Day. The UOC replied, promising that until Levin meets with us, "we will continue building support to ensure that our voices as students are heard and our ideas represented." And in fact, that support now incudes the YCC, which unanimously passed a financial-aid-reform resolution strongly echoing our platform on Jan. 11th.

GESO majority!
On Tues., Dec. 14th, Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz certified that 60 percent of Yale TAs have chosen GESO as their union and are seeking recognition from the University. The UOC stands with GESO, calling on Yale to recognize our teachers' union. Undergrads, read more about GESO here.

40 undergrads join the CORD neighborhood convention
On Mon., Dec. 13th, 40 undergrads were among the 400 New Haven residents attending the convention at which Community Organized for Responsible Development (of which the UOC is a member) approved a community-benefits platform to be presented to Yale-New Haven Hospital. A majority of the New Haven Board of Alderpeople and state Congress delegation were present at the convention and went on the record supporting community benefits negotiations. The UOC is excited about continuing its work as a part of CORD to ensure that the community benefits from the Hospital's proposed expansion.

Fall '04

Financial aid update
On Dec. 2nd, having not heard back from any administrators to whom the financial aid platform was given, the UOC sent a second copy of the platform to President Levin. Accompanying the platform was a letter asking for a meeting about the financial aid platform before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 17, 2005.

Also on Dec. 2nd, several dozen students expressed their reasons for financial aid reform in the form of "I want the chance to _____ and _____." Students shared their commitments to financial aid reform at a speak-out on cross campus. The written student responses were delivered to Levin, along with the letter and platform.

UOC joins CORD
On Nov. 17th, the UOC officially became a member of CORD (Community Organized for Responsible Development), standing with other community organizations and citizens to fight for community benefits in the Hill and throughout New Haven.

UnFarallon national day of action on Nov. 16th
On Yale's campus, the UnFarallon day of action included a panel featuring Dr. Walter Corey, a director of the Phoenix Foundation, Vanessa DiCecco, a Mount Holyoke College student leading a community investment campaign at her school, and Anastasia O'Rourke, a Yale Forestry student knowledgeable about shareholder activism. Students delivered a petition asking for increased disclosure, signed by 175 students, to Yale Chief Investment Officer David Swensen. The delivery was accompanied by investment-transparency street theatre outside the Invesment Office.

Financial aid platform
On Oct. 27th, the UOC adopted a financial aid platform focused on a vision of "better ensuring equality of access, opportunity, and experience for all Yale students." The platform proposes concrete changes in three larger areas many students have identified as in need of improvement: economic diversity, the financial burden on students and their families, and the transparency and accountability of the financial aid office. Platform points include not requiring a family contribution for low-income students, as Harvard began doing in early 2004, facilitating summer and termtime employment for financial aid students that is more similar to the non-paying activities in which non-financial aid students have more time for participation, and releasing more data about the economic makeup of the Yale College student body.

On Nov. 9th, UOC members delivered copies of the platform to Yale administrators.

Read the platform in its entirety, and read more about our ongoing campaign for financial aid reform. Check out the Yale Daily News editorial board's support for our platform. If you'd like to get updates about our financial aid campaign or to be involved, email .

UnFarallon petition
Sign the online petition asking for dialogue about investment disclosure. Join us on Nov. 16th for a panel about investor responsibility and a delivery of the petition to David Swensen.

New photos!
Fair Share Call-In
Fair Share Postcard Day of Action

Fair share postcards
On Oct. 25th, 250 students signed postcards to Yale VP Bruce Alexander and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano as part of a fair share postcard day of action. The 500 postcards, asking for a substantial, reliable fair share contribution accomapnied by community benefits, were displayed on Cross Campus throughout the day. Representatives of the Fair Share Coalition delivered the postcards to Alexander and DeStefano at the end of the day. Alexander himself accepted the postcards and expressed interest in meeting with the Fair Share Coalition in the near future.

In addition, on Oct. 28th, the Fair Share Coalition, along with the Yale College Democrats Executive Board, sent a letter to the New Haven Revenue Commission asking for a public hearing regarding a fair share contribution.

Campaign for financial aid reform
In early October, the UOC canvassed 300 students about Yale's financial aid policies and socioeconomic diversity. Following the canvass, on Oct. 20th we hosted an open meeting with four Student Financial Services representatives and a room full of undergrads. Students asked about several of the many issues that arose during the canvassing--socioeconomic diversity on campus, the family contribution, international student concerns, and equality of experience for all students. Check back for more info in the coming couple of weeks, as we finalize our platform and move the campaign forward.

If you'd like to get updates about our financial aid campaign or be involved, email . For the moment, read more about our general vision of financial aid here, or check out this op-ed by Sofie Fenner '07, or this one by Chris Ashley '05.

UnFarallon letter to David Swensen
On Oct. 12th, representatives of the UnFarallon Coalition, of which the UOC is a member, delivered a letter to David Swensen asking for dialogue about Yale's investment disclosure policies. Swensen has not yet responded.

Fair Share campus call-in
On Sep. 27th, the UOC, along with the other groups in the New Haven Student Fair Share Coalition, held a campus call-in urging the University and the city to agree to a substantial fair share contribution in their current negotiations. 75 students call Yale VP and Office of New Haven and State Affairs Director Bruce Alexander and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and expressed their support for a contribution that would substantially account for the $10-15 million New Haven loses each year on account of Yale's tax-exempt status, be pegged to Yale's future expansion through the length of the agreement, and be accompanied by community benefits negotiations.

Read more about the Fair Share Coalition and background about a fair share contribution, and make some calls yourself:
Bruce Alexander – (203) 432-8613
John DeStefano – (203) 946-8200

UnFarallon update
On Sep. 15th, the UOC furthered its involvement in the national UnFarallon Coalition, which fights for investment disclosure both by campus investment offices and by the socially and environmentally irresponsible hedge fund Farallon, in which many colleges, including Yale, invest. The UOC signed on to a letter from the UnFarallon Coalition to the SEC in support of an SEC proposal that would increase oversight and regulation of hedge funds.

Canvassing for CORD
UOC members are joining with New Haven residents and workers and other students to canvass for the new organization Community Organized for Responsible Development (CORD). CORD is organizing to ensure that the Community Benefits Agreement passed unanimously by the Board of Aldermen will, in fact, be enacted such that the planned expansion of Yale-New Haven Hospital will directly benefit local residents. Join us in talking to residents of the Hill neighborhood about their visions for the community.

Email if you'd like to come with us!

Update on Dr. Connie Allen
In the spring of 2004, the UOC joined Chemistry Prof. Connie Allen, one of the few women of color teaching at Yale, especially in the sciences, in her fight to keep her job (background). Over the summer, students attempted twice to meet with President Levin, and Dr. Allen attempted to file a grievance, only to be told that she had nothing to grieve. Dr. Allen did not succeed at preserving her job at Yale. She is now serving as Dean of Students and teaching chemistry at Mount Holyoke College. Before leaving, she wrote a letter (full text) to Provost Hockfield outlining her complaints, including:

In my experience at Yale, what may be viewed as an opportunity for a department to be flexible in building its ranks, serves as exploitation and 'duplicitous remuneration' for many. Only when Yale values excellent teaching, diversity, and mentoring in the sciences can we expect the hiring and promoting of non-ladder faculty to be fair and respectful.

In her brief response, Provost Hockfield noted, "As you have so ably demonstrated, our non-ladder faculty contribute significantly to the strength of our academic environment," but did not address any of Dr. Allen's grievances about the treatment of these significantly-contributing faculty. Yale's new provost appointee, Andrew Hamilton, has recently expressed his intention to work to increase faculty diversity. This is the same administrator who told students last spring in a meeting regarding Dr. Allen that "students do not have a say in who teaches them," and that concerns about research necessarily trump concerns about teaching and mentorship.

Panel about the New Haven social movement
On Sept. 3rd, a UOC-sponsored panel featuring Rev. Scott Marks, New Haven Director of the Connecticut Center for a New Economy; Mary Reynolds, Chair, Graduate Employees and Students Organization; and Phoebe Rounds '07, UOC member, attracted around 50 undergrads. The panelists discussed graduate employee organizing, undergrad financial aid and a fair share tax contribution, and the community-wide social movement for a better partnership between the University and the city. Attendees left the panel inspired to start organizing and canvassing in the Hill.

And also, a big welcome to the class of 2008! We'd love to have y'all with us in the fight for a University that is a more just partner with its students, its teachers, and its community. Read more about the UOC and the social movement in New Haven of which we are a part, and join us at our next weekly meeting!

In the meantime, we'd love to talk – please contact someone!

Spring '04

8/15 Summer Update:
Community-Benefits Victory
In July, the Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a Community Benefits Resolution, urging businesses, government agencies, and non-profits developing in New Haven to "guarantee living wage jobs, local hiring and training, direct benefits to schools, affordable housing, neighborhood preservation and community stabilization, park and recreation space, residential parking and responsible contracting." This resolution represents a major step toward fully implementing a social contract between the University and the city and, more broadly, ensuring that all development directly benefits and is responsive to the community.

Yale-New Haven Hospital's planned new cancer center is providing an excellent opportunity to put the resolution into practice: residents of the Hill neighborhood, along with clergy, elected officials, and community leaders, have come together as Community Organized for Responsible Development to make sure that the YNHH expansion is driven by community input.

Read the New Haven Register's coverage of community benefits, CORD, CORD's request to meet with Hospital President Zaccagnino, and canvassing in the Hill.

Read the NLRB press release and the text of the NLRB decision.

UOC joins Chemistry Prof. Connie Allen in fight for her job
This spring, UOC members have come together with former students of Chemistry Lecturer Connie Allen to fight alongside Dr. Allen for her job. Despite being a mentor to dozens of students, an excellent teacher, and one of the few black women faculty at Yale, especially in the sciences, Dr. Allen was told in December that her contract would not be renewed. Dozens of students have written letters, and on Apr. 29th, more than 20 students and employees walked in to the Provost's Office with Dr. Allen, demanding a meeting with an administrator. On May 6th, the students met with Deputy Provost of the Sciences and Technology Andrew Hamilton, who told students that "Yale does not appoint its ladder faculty based on student demands."

Dr. Allen, her students, the UOC, and other concerned members of the Yale-New Haven community are not backing down. Students have attempted twice to meet with President Levin. Dr. Allen is pursuing a departmental grievance procedure. Check back over the summer for updates. For more information about Dr. Allen and the fight for a diverse faculty, go here.

New Haven Student Fair Share Coalition demands fair share tax contribution
On Apr. 15th (Tax Day), the New Haven Student Fair Share Coalition, a growing alliance of 16 undergraduate organizations and supportive high school and graduate students, launched with a press conference outside Woodbridge Hall. Representatives from 13 Coalition organizations, including Marissa Levendis '07 from the UOC, spoke about why their organizations are asking Yale to pay a fair share tax contribution to New Haven. Following the press conference, representatives delivered to President Levin letters demanding a fair share contribution from 15 groups in the Coalition.

During Bulldog Days, Coalition members distributed fair share leaflets to prefrosh and their families.

On Apr. 20th, half of the member organizations voting at the Dwight Hall Cabinet meeting voted in favor of Dwight Hall signing on to the Fair Share Coalition, demonstrating widespread student support. UOC member Helena Herring '07 and State Rep. Bob Megna gave an inspiring presentation on behalf of the Fair Share Coalition. Many students from a range of organizations spoke in favor of fair share during the question-and-answer period.

Read more information about Yale's fair share tax contribution and the Fair Share Coalition.

Rally for Partnership
On Apr. 26th, the UOC several hundred Locals 34 and 35, District 1199, and GESO members; community members; professional students; and others for a rally on Beinecke Plaza around the theme of "Yale, why not work together?" Rebecca Livengood '07 spoke on behalf of the UOC, while everyone present completed a card for President Levin, "If Yale worked with us. . . Yale, why not work together?"

Investment Disclosure
This spring, the UOC joined the UnFarallon Coalition, calling on Yale to increase transparency regarding its investments in the socially and environmentally irresponsible hedge fund Farallon and to engage in dialogue with concerned students and community members. On Feb. 10th, UOC members joined students from a range of organizations in an attempt to deliver a letter requesting dialogue to Yale's Chief Investment Officer, David Swensen. The Investment Office was put in "secure mode" – elevators were shut down, police were called – and students were not allowed upstairs to deliver the letter. On Apr. 2nd, UOC members addressed their concerns to Swenson, in person, at the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility.

On Mar. 3rd, UOC members participated in street theatre in front of Yale's Investment Office, protesting the environmentally disastrous Baca Ranch investment (photos). On Apr. 16th, UOC members and a broad coalition of Yale students joined individuals on 70 campuses across the country for a national Day of Action against Farallon. The tongue-in-cheek group Yale SHAME (StakeHolders for Aggressive Management of the Endowment) acted out what would happen, were Farallon's unconscionable investment strategies employed on Yale's campus (photos). Investment research will continue over the summer.

Check out the site of the national campaign against Farallon.

Ethical business at the Hospital?
On Mar. 31st, over dinner at Slifka, UOC members confronted Marvin Lender, prominent Jewish philanthropist and member of the Board of Directors of Yale-New Haven Hospital, about the contradiction between Lender's supposed emphasis on "business ethics" (the stated subject of the dinner) and the unethical business at the Hospital. Lender dismissed students' concerns as "irrelevant" and "day-to-day," exclaiming in frustration, "I didn't come here to talk about the Hospital; I came here to talk about business ethics!"

Reshape class participation!
In conjunction with GESO's "Take Back the Academy" rally on Mar. 4th, the UOC held "Reshape Class Participation" on Beinecke Plaza, educating students about three issues pertaining specifically to undergraduates: faculty diversity, teaching, and financial aid. An installation of 800 paper plates represented the racial and gender makeup of Yale's tenured faculty (more info). In a mock classroom, UOC members discussed who's teaching undergrads (more info). Juggling lessons demonstrated the differences between Yale's financial aid policy and those of Harvard and Princeton (more info).

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Winter '03-'04

On Feb. 11th, the UOC organized forums in all twelve residential colleges to discuss graduate-student employee issues and Yale's fair share tax contribution. More than 100 students turned out to talk with UOC and GESO members about these issues and their impact on undergrads. The following week, dozens of undergrads joined GESO members at a speak-out about TA pay inequity and delivered a letter to Dean Salovey.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day speak-out – On Jan. 21st, after a community-wide interdenominational religious service and march on New Haven Savings Bank, more than 50 students, labor leaders, religious leaders, and community members gathered in Woolsey Rotunda for a UOC-organized speak-out. Participants shared their visions of justice, equality, and partnership for the Yale-New Haven community.

December's civil disobedience – 14 brave and beautiful undergraduate women engaged in symbolic disobedience on Dec. 10th, standing up for the rights of women and minorities in the Academy. Pictures are here. See the Diversity section of YaleUOC.com and read GESO's report on diversity: The Few, The Proud: The State of Diversity at Yale.

New Haven Savings Bank under fire – Undergraduates turned out in force to protest the demutualization of New Haven Savings Bank, the city's only community-owned bank. NHSB's discriminatory lending practices and desire to profit by selling out the community pose a serious threat to working families in the city.

Homebuyer Program extended! On Dec. 9th, the Yale Corporation agreed to expand the Yale Homebuyer Program to include all of Fair Haven, as well as West Rock. This comes after a two-year fight involving community members, clergy, undergraduates, and labor unions. Most recently, the UOC helped form a broad coalition of undergraduate organizations urging the University to end its policy of urban redlining. Together, we've created real opportunities for families in one of New Haven's struggling neighborhoods.

Click here for more information on the Homebuyer Program. Read the letter delivered to President Levin in November, and check the photos.

Yale-New Haven Hospital continues its refusal to grant decent contracts to its dietary employees. 150 people are holding out for an across-the-board raise. In December, 15 UOC members met with Vice President for Public Affairs Vin Petrini (along with a representative from Human Relations) to voice our concerns and assure the Hospital administration that the problem wasn't going to go away. Here's a comparison of Hospital and University benefits.

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Fall '03

Graduate students recently released a report on the effect of transient teachers and casualized labor on undergraduate education at Yale [summary]. In response, the UOC planned forums for parents and prospective students in seven cities around the country. As a result, parents, alums, and prospective students have begun to engage the University in dialogue on the necessity of addressing these issues.

Yale sent 75 students to the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride on Oct. 4th in Flushing Meadows, Queens. More news here.

Yale settled! On September 18th, after 21 monts of negotiations and three weeks of unprecendented solidarity between workers, students, elected officials, clergy, and community members, 4,000 Yale employees won terrific contracts. Here's a contract summary. You can also find details for the individual Local 34 and Local 35 settlements.

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