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“Because of the continuing existence of the SIC, I am constantly stressed about applying to medical school, for I know that my wealthier peers have taken full advantage of their time here at Yale in volunteering, taking unpaid lab positions, and making studying for the MCAT their full time job.”

In order to cover my SIC, I have had to work between 17 and 19 hours every week for each of my three years attending Yale University both on and off campus. I had to quit club water polo my Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“When I did receive treatment, it was not with someone who could fully understand or relate to my complicated experiences with race and belonging as a half-Asian woman. The COVID-19 crisis is leaving behind Yale’s most vulnerable students in their time of need.”

It took a total of 7 months of self-advocacy to be able to see a therapist at Yale. I started in August, and wasn’t seen until February. It took me going to Yale Health in person to demand care in Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a job due to the pandemic and I have been reaching into my savings originally budgeted for the SIC to cover expenses. This university has already demonstrated they are committed to assisting their students in times of crisis and financial uncertainty through expanding this summer’s DSA. Eliminating the SIC is the next logical step.”

“I support the demand of eliminating the student income contribution.   I was very thankful that Yale extended the DSA this summer, as my original plans were canceled due to the COVID-19 situation.  The summer 2020 expansion of the DSA allowed Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“I would have felt better understood and like I could verbalize things I had struggled with my entire life, which I instead had to learn by myself. Yale should not only make an effort to diversify its therapists, but also make it publicly known that low income students of color and LGBTQ+ students have every right to ask for them.”

Being from a family of Middle Eastern refugees has always been a foundational part of my identity. But, when I sought out mental health services at the beginning of my first year and I was asked if I had any Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“A larger Black staff at YMHC would be a step in transforming the campus from one that values the image of Black students to one that truly values their ideas, experiences, and lives.”

As a FroCo and Peer Liaison, I often felt conflicted recommending YMHC to my first years, knowing that they would likely encounter large wait times and potentially be placed with a professional who was dismissive or culturally uninformed. Although wait Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“Being a Black womxn at Yale already comes with the burdens of existing as a minority at a predominantly white institution. On top of that, I must also grapple with the racial trauma that is constantly being exposed and exacerbated because of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Yale’s insistence on maintaining the Student Income Contribution directly harms it’s low-income students of color. Being a Black womxn at Yale already comes with the burdens of existing as a minority at a predominantly white institution. On top of that, Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago

“I constantly ask myself If the student effort was really about making all students contribute to their education costs, why is that Yale’s SIC policy allows one’s socio-economic status to make the SIC an option for some while others have no alternative but to work? Is this really Yale’s vision of inclusivity?”

Being FGLI has always meant that I worked a job whenever I could in order to make the most of the situation financially to help cover my expenses and my family out. However, the biggest toll of the SIC isn’t Read more…

By Students Unite Now, ago