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NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 · VOL. CXLIII, NO. 2 · yaledailynews.com
Corp candidate Thomas reaches support threshold of women and other underrepresented groups are central to these critical conversations. The fact that over 4,400 alumni have signed to help me reach the ballot shows that the Yale community knows what’s at stake — and they’re willing to use every tool at their disposal to address the problem.” Thomas — a former climate policy advisor for the respective presidential campaigns of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Washington Governor Jay Inslee — will focus her platform on fossil fuel divestment, climate action and inclusive governance at Yale, according to her website. Individual donors from Yale alumni are funding her campaign. Yale Forward, Thomas’s primary campaign organization, works alongside Harvard Forward, a peer group that campaigns for candidates with goals similar to those of Thomas. In August, Harvard Magazine announced that three of the five candidates endorsed by Harvard Forward won seats on their
BY VALERIE PAVILONIS STAFF REPORTER Maggie Thomas ENV ’15 has gathered enough support to appear on the ballot of the 2021 Yale Corporation election. The Corporation — Yale’s highest governing body — typically gains new members after alumni nominate and vet candidates, but hopefuls can also seek another route: collecting signatures of support from alumni to run as a “petition candidate.” This year, that signature threshold was 4,394, a number that Thomas reached three weeks before the Oct. 1 deadline. While a third-party election services company is verifying the tally, Thomas told the News that she is ready to run a robust campaign. “In my lifetime, a woman has never qualified for the ballot via petition,” Thomas said in a Sept. 8 press release. “On the heels of the 50th anniversary of co-education at Yale, I hope we can continue to make Yale a more inclusive institution where the voices
Board of Overseers, which consists of 30 members and has operations that parallel those of the Yale Corporation. Harvard Forward co-founder Nathán Goldberg told the News he was excited about Thomas’ candidacy. "Yale Forward's success in placing climate expert Maggie Thomas on the ballot shows undeniable momentum for climate justice among Ivy League alumni, especially following Harvard Forward's big win in Harvard's board elections last month,” Goldberg wrote in an email to the News. “If it can happen at Harvard, it can happen at Yale, and we're confident that we'll soon see more schools use democracy as a tool to advocate for better governance and climate action." Until now, the only woman to land on the ballot for the Yale Corporation was Heidi Hartmann GRD ’74, who ran in 1985 as a petition candidate but lost the general election. Thomas said her status as the second
Demand spikes for off-campus housing
RYAN CHIAO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Typically, 84 percent of undergraduate students live in on-campus housing, or about 5,100 students. BY JOSE DAVILA IV AND TALIA SOGLIN STAFF REPORTERS The number of students living in off-campus housing spiked this year, following the University’s announcement of social distancing guidelines and restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Yalies held off on planning for the fall semester until President Peter Salovey’s allschool email about the University’s fall plan arrived in inboxes
on July 1, pushing their decisions on enrollment and housing until a much later date than usual. After Yale’s announcement that it would welcome only first years, juniors and seniors back to campus in the fall, many students quickly pursued off-campus housing in New Haven. Their reasons for doing so varied, including a desire to save money, set their own standards for coronavirus-related behavior and guarantee that they could live with their friends, after
being warned that some housing arrangements made earlier in the spring would be altered. In a typical year, 84 percent of undergraduate students live in on-campus housing, or about 5,100 students. This year, only 1,821 students are living on campus, meaning only 36 percent of on-campus housing capacity is filled, according to Yale Director of Media Relations Karen Peart. An additional group of about 1,530 enrolled students are living in off-campus housing, said Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun in an email to the News. Normally, only about 970 students live in off-campus housing. That works out to a 79 percent increase in students living off-campus when the estimated 200 unenrolled students who are also living in New Haven are included, according to Peart. The 79 percent increase does not include sophomores who are enrolled and living off campus in New Haven, because they are categorized by the university as being enrolled remotely. According to Peart, about 15 percent of SEE OFF CAMPUS PAGE 4
woman to reach this milestone is “pretty meaningful” for a young alumna such as herself. Thomas will run against a variety of candidates, includ-
ing former Knoxville Mayor and former United States Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe ’67, SEE THOMAS PAGE 4
COURTESY OF MAGGIE THOMAS
Maggie Thomas ENV '15 was a campaign advisor for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Faith groups adapt to social distancing guidelines BY SYLVAN LEBRUN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER From Saint Thomas More to the Slifka Center, Yale’s religious centers have reimagined a host of programming to comply with the University’s public health guidelines and meet the needs of students who are spread across the world this semester. After going remote in the spring, Yale faith leaders have had time to refine their approaches to pandem-
ic-era spiritual life. The University has closed physical prayer spaces on campus for the fall and restricted in-person gatherings. Similar to the latter half of the spring semester, religious programs will take place almost entirely online, with a few potential socially distanced exceptions. Religious leaders are working to prepare engaging online programming that recreates the traditions of in-perSEE FAITH PAGE 4
DANIEL ZHAO/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Yale’s religious centers have reimagined their programming this semester to comply with the University’s public health guidelines.
Grab and go dining options New Haven preps for election cause uptick in waste BY MADISON HAHAMY AND ROSE HOROWITCH STAFF REPORTERS Plastic waste overflowed from the tiny trash bin outside of Davenport’s dining hall, forcing the residential college to place a large dumpster beneath the tent that was set up in the courtyard. The COVID-19 pandemic
has forced Yale’s dining halls to switch to pre-packaged, graband-go meal options, leading to increased waste from larger meal portions and single-use containers. Students have less control over the food they receive, and many throw away some that does not fit their preferences. SEE FOOD PAGE 5
LUKAS FLIPPO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Residents can vote absentee by mail or drop their applications or ballots in drop boxes found at 200 Orange St. BY BRETT JENNINGS AND SEAN PERGOLA CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
COURTESY OF OLEKSII ANTONIUK
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Yale’s dining halls to switch to pre-packaged, grab-and-go meal options rather than the typical buffet-style dining fare.
CROSS CAMPUS THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY, 1991.
350 students and University workers protest dining hall budget cuts. They end their sevenday hunger strike by eating cake in the Beinecke Plaza. Two thousand students signed the YCC petiiton protesting the budget cuts.
As the November general election approaches in the midst of COVID19, New Haven residents and Yale students have the opportunity to cast their votes using absentee ballots or in-person voting. The state of Connecticut has
INSIDE THE NEWS BUSINESS After a quiet six months
in New Haven, local establishments are enjoying the business brought by the thousands of local university students returning to campus as area colleges reopen for the fall semester. Page 6 CITY
adopted new regulations governing voting to accommodate for public health and safety concerns, and the voting process in New Haven has shifted accordingly. Most significantly, the COVID19 pandemic has been added to the list of permitted reasons for requesting an absentee ballot, meaning that anyone registered
AACC RETREAT The Asian
American Cultural Center will attempt to cultivate the same meaningful conversations and connections that usually occur at their annual Asian Retreat online this year in early October. Page 7 UNIVERSITY
to vote in the state of Connecticut can vote absentee in this election. Although in-person voting will remain open, state and city officials have encouraged residents to vote absentee, if possible. “We do expect [absentee ballots] to be an uptick this year due to people’s concerns,” said New Haven City Clerk Michael Smart. “We are asking folks to download and return their applications soon so our office can get ahead of the rush.” Additionally, the Connecticut Secretary of State’s office intends to mail an absentee ballot application to all registered voters in the state. Residents can vote absentee by mail or drop their applications or ballots in drop boxes found at 200 Orange St. These drop boxes are regularly checked by the city clerk’s staff and have curbside and disability-accessible options. Absentee ballots can be requested as late as one day before Election Day, but to apply, a voter must register in advance. Although New Haven City Hall
WHIFFS & WHIM As COVID-19 reshapes performance and college extracurriculars, Yale’s two worldrenowned senior a cappella groups are trying to develop plans for the year. Page 9 ARTS
SEE VOTING PAGE 5 COVID DASH
Yale's COVID19 dashboard received an “A” from “We Rate COVID Dashboards," which judges universities’ COVID-19 dashboards in an effort to improve transparency for college communities. Page 10 UNIVERSITY