Mission & History

Mission

The Yale College Council was created to ensure that undergraduate students have a legitimate voice in the way Yale is governed. YCC provides students with an opportunity to influence their academic and social experiences. The six Executive Board members are tasked with meeting weekly with members of the Yale College Dean’s Office and the President’s Office, thus serving as the primary liaisons between the student body and administrators. The remaining 24 council members are responsible for simultaneously representing the needs of their own residential colleges, which they do by sitting on their residential college councils, and the undergraduate population as a whole. The YCC vows to effect issues-based, salient change in promoting a wide variety of initiatives to improve student life, while simultaneously planning campus-wide social events such as Fall Show and Spring Fling. Most importantly, YCC is answerable to the students it represents, and will do everything in its power to make sure the daily and long-term needs of Yale undergraduates are met.

History

The Yale College Council was established in 1972, under the leadership of founding Chair Floyd Bradley. Over the years, YCC has evolved immensely, both in its scope and its responsibilities. In 1984, the YCC oversaw the development of the Ivy Council, and in 1989 it created a public service internet database. In 2001, the YCC hosted a town hall open forum with President Levin (something this year’s council is bringing back – See Announcement) in addition to spearheading the push for online course evaluations. In 2002, cubbies and two-ply toilet paper were introduced in Yale bathrooms, thanks to a YCC initiative, and more recently YCC sucessfully helped to implement financial aid reform and gender neutral housing. In 2008 YCC merged with YSAC (Yale Student Activities Committee). Since then the YCC has been responsible for putting on large-scale events such as Spring Fling and Fall Show. YCC members are thus tasked with both event planning and policy initiatives.