The Ethnic Counselor Program

The Ethnic Counselor Program began in 1972 and grew in response to the experience of various minority students, student groups, and administrators with particular problems encountered at Yale by many minority freshmen. Under this program, freshmen who self-identify as minorities are assigned an ethnic counselor in addition to their regular residential counselors.

Created to facilitate a smooth transition to Yale for entering freshmen, these ethnic counselors, who are all seniors specifically equipped to deal with race and identity issues, are responsible for providing academic and social support and serve as an additional resource for freshmen. The ethnic counselors are also liaisons for various cultural groups and events on campus.

2008-2009 Asian Ethnic Counselors

(From left to right): Mitchell Ji (Morse), Swetha Totapally (Silliman), Cecilia Ong (Davenport), Esther Lee (Saybrook), Samuel Ng (Branford).

For more information on these people, check out pages 32-33 of the Foundations 2007 issue.

Interacting with Ethnic Counselors

In addition to the Freshmen Dinner, throughout the year the ethnic counselors (along with the cultural houses) host leadership programs, movie screenings, game nights, and other activities focused on building community within the freshmen class. For example, at the end of this past semester, this year's ethnic counselors organized their own "White Castle" movie screening and study break.