Instant Gratification

A successful sit-in is an unusual accomplishment. It requires thorough planning, excellent timing, an understanding of the media, and a group of students willing to stand up (or sit down) for their cause. Yale’s Undergraduate Organizing Committee (UOC) planned such a successful sit-in two Thursdays ago, when 15 students took over Yale’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions while 150 others protested outside. The students were spurred by concern over the welfare of fellow students who could not afford an Ivy League tuition under Yale’s financial aid policies.

In the few days since the protest, Yale President Richard C. Levin announced sweeping changes in the university’s financial aid packages. Yale will now match Harvard policy of reducing contributions from families that earn less than $60,000 per year. Yale has also guaranteed that it will not require contributions from families that earn less than $45,000 per year, up from Harvard’s threshold of $40,000.

Yale’s student body was right to pursue this worthy cause, and their pressure was at least partially responsible for Yale’s generous new aid package. While it’s unfortunate that the UOC had to resort to sit-in tactics, it was forced to do all it could to attract the attention of Yale administrators. To that end, the UOC’s sit-in was an effective and peaceful way to show its commitment to the issue at hand while simultaneously gathering needed attention.

Looking ahead, President Levin must use this protest and his recent presentation of new aid packages as an opportunity, not a hindrance, for his university—perhaps using student response as a tool to engage more alumni donors. In that way, the financial burden of the change could be offset by more alumni giving.

The UOC’s bold move was not the only pressure that Yale administrators felt while debating remaking financial aid. President Levin was due to announce a new aid package soon, in fact, regardless of the protest. That said, the UOC’s success in compellingly presenting student grievances bodes well for other student initiatives, whether at Yale, Harvard, or other schools. It proves that student voices carry weight when aired in the right way, at the right time. Many Harvard groups, from the Undergraduate Council to ethnically- and gender-based organizations, could stand to learn a thing or two about effective, confrontational lobbying from the UOC’s example.

Through a petition, multiple proposals, and a sit-in, Yale students publicized an issue they cared about. We applaud their tactics and their triumph in making a difference in the lives of thousands of future Elis.