New Haven Independent

That message came from Michael Morand (pictured), Yale’s associate vice president for New Haven & state affairs. He spoke Thursday night at the monthly NAACP meeting at St. Luke’s church on Whalley Avenue.

Morand was there to fill in members on all the development projects the university has undertaken, and the 25 percent of jobs that go to city residents and to minorities. (The two categories overlap.)

He also told them about the increasing enrollment in Yale College (the undergraduate school) of African-Americans (10 percent) and all racial minorities (one-third).

Then he said, “It’s a tough place to get into, there’s no doubt about that. But I hope everybody knows that Yale College, from a financial perspective, is truly accessible to everyone. If you come from a family with $60,000 or less in income, how much do you think you have to pay?”

The answer: zero.

Of course, Morand pointed out after an audience member misunderstood the statement,”first you have to be admitted.” He reiterated his first statement about how tough that is, since Yale picks only the students who are tops academically and have other accomplishments to round out their applications.

He added that the university’s commitment to financial aid is “sacrosanct” and won’t be affected by the economic downturn. Yale’s endowment hit $23 billion earlier this year. He said Yale invests for the long term “and blends many years of ups and downs,” helping to buffer the endowment somewhat from tough economic times.

Morand also mentioned several of the programs run by the university or independently by student groups to mentor or otherwise provide enrichment experiences for New Haven public school students, to boost their chances of getting into Yale, if that’s their goal. He brought a booklet outlining educational partnerships. Click here for more information.

Morand said construction projects at Yale are moving forward despite the rocky economy, including two new residential colleges, a new building for the School of Forestry, and an expanded School of Management, among others. He said projects will continue unless the economy completely tanks, which may require some adjustments.

Jerry Poole (pictured) asked how many retail jobs might result from all the construction.

Morand said the two new residential colleges will bring in about 850 more undergraduates. “That will be 850 more shoppers, 850 more students who will have parents coming to visit and stay in hotels.” He added, though, that the students will be eating most of their meals in the schools’ dining halls, not generating a huge new market for local eateries.

He touted the city’s workforce development program as a way to train local people for unionized construction jobs with good pay and benefits, and noted that the percentage of such workers in New Haven is double that in Bridgeport or Hartford. Click here for a story about that.