Covid-19 has closed Yale’s campus, and shifted its student council president’s thoughts on the true state of town-gown relations.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities’ “The Municipal Voice” spoke with Kahlil Greene, president of the Yale College Council, on town-gown relations and how the pandemic has changed higher education.
Greene’s decision to come to Yale, join the council and eventually run for president was not pre-planned. He described Yale as a “reach” school. When he did get in, the campus settled his acceptance.
It wasn’t until Greene got to New Haven that he realized there was a whole city outside of the “Yale bubble.” Volunteering at a local public school helped him meet people who knew about the restaurants and local flavor of the Elm City.
As for what Yale brings to the Elm City’s table, Yale could be doing more, Greene said.
While he believes the onus is on the city to be fiscally responsible, he said, Yale could reassess how much financial assistance it gives.
Another area for investigation is why Yale did not immediately make rooms available to first responders during the Covid-19 crisis when requested to do so –- a story that made national headlines. Greene said that he told the head of his college, “If you need my room, take it please.”
(Click here for a list of Yale’s efforts to support New Haven during the Covid crisis, as published by the university’s Office of New Haven Affairs.)
Moving away from campus has changed everything for Greene as president of the Yale College Council. His top priorities before –- divestment of fossil fuels, financial aid assistance –- have been pushed aside.
Greene has turned his focus to equity for all Yale students. Greene said that he has been communicating with his dean about making all classes this semester pass/fail, as increasingly supported by the Yale community. (Yale College Dean Marvin Chun announced on Tuesday that Yale has decided to implement this policy for undergraduates.)
Greene said that many students are no longer in the same time zone, which makes attending class difficult. A universal pass/fail policy means that no student will be stigmatized for opting out of grades for a particular class, as was possible before.
“Students shouldn’t be desperate for an A,” Greene said. Instead, they should be focused on their own health.
Greene expects to see courses in the future on this time at Yale. More immediately, however, he has another year to look forward to and has more goals to complete.
“We’re going to assess equity on campus,” he said, “[Covid-19 is] exposing the hidden inequalities.”
“The Municipal Voice” airs every other Wednesday, the next episode airs on April 15. Listen to the latest episode by clicking on the video above in this story.
Grades at Yale are a joke anyway. Nearly everyone, especially in non-STEM, gets A's. There is zero attempt by the faculty to distinguish outstanding work.