Jean Wang, Contributing Photographer

If Daven Yadav ’25 is elected as Yale College Council president, he plans to dedicate his term to ensuring all students have the Yale experience they deserve. 

Through his experience in the Sophomore and Junior Class Councils over the past two years, Yadav told the News that he has learned that a lot of the issues about Yale he has heard his peers raise could be resolved by the YCC. 

“I have a lot of friends who are not in the YCC, and they don’t know what’s going on, or if they do then they don’t know how to get involved,” Yadav said. “I feel like this shows the disconnect between the two groups, and I really want to open up that communication a bit more.”

Yadav has centered community and transparency as key tenets on his policy platform. 

He believes that increasing lines of communication between the YCC and the student body will restore students’ faith in the council following the recent controversy surrounding whether or not to compensate the president and vice president.

“With the recent backlash and controversy the YCC has faced, that’s become a lot of people’s only idea or conception of the YCC, and it leaves a bad taste in their mouths,” Yadav said. “I want to change that.”

Although he is running without a vice presidential candidate, Yadav told the News that he is a strong enough candidate for students to split their ticket and vote for him. He had a high bar for his running mate, and said that none of the prospective candidates for the role met his expectations. 

“Before the deadline, I was asking people who I thought would be great candidates for Vice President … a lot of them were not able to dedicate themselves like I could dedicate myself,” Yadav said. “I couldn’t find a candidate who I thought was qualified enough for the student body who also had the time to do the work.”

Yadav believes that what truly sets his campaign apart is his focus on concrete promises that will directly translate to the well-being of the student body.

His platform focuses on multiple areas in which he thinks he can enact real change, including mental health policy, laundry accessibility and increased dining hall hours.

“I’m not making large statement[s] or large promises, I’m trying to focus on things that can be done and will be done if I am elected,” Yadav said. “I am focused on more practical and feasible ideas that will affect a large part of the community.”

The impetus for Yadav’s campaign was his appreciation of Yale. He said he cares deeply for the school community and wants to ensure that all students are able to experience a Yale that benefits them and that they too can love.

However, despite this passion for the Yale community, Yadav recognizes that there are changes that need to be made.

“I just want to focus on giving back to Yale, because I feel like Yale has done a lot for me and a lot for my friends,” Yadav said. “But there is still a lot of improvement to be done. I’m trying to give the people of Yale what they deserve.”

The election this year will run from Wed., April 12 at 9:00 a.m. to Fri., April 14 at 9:00 p.m. Results will be announced by Sat., April 15 at 9:00 a.m.