Yale Daily News
New Haven, Connecticut •
Friday, March 29, 2024 •
Vol. CXLVI
We want to make it easier for students with significant financial need to participate in the YDN. Our goal is to remove financial circumstances as a barrier to serious involvement with the Yale Daily News.
Why does this program exist? The stipends allow low-income students to allocate more time to the News, reduce their need to work campus jobs and mitigate their financial stress. By creating an environment that is welcoming to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, the YDN can recruit and retain a staff that reflects the breadth of the undergraduate population.
How much are the awards? Stipends for each student range from $1,000 to $3,000 per board year.
When did this start? The stipend program launched in 2016.
Who funds this? The YDN Foundation — the alumni group that provides financial and other support to the News.
Students whose annual “expected family contribution” amounts to $35,000 per year or less. This number can be found on your Yale College Financial Aid Award Letter. (Learn more about the award letter here.)
Students must hold certain positions within the News to qualify. For the purposes of the stipend, positions at the News are divided into three categories in regards to stipend eligibility: most-intensive, less-intensive, and not eligible.
Most-intensive positions include but are not limited to: the Editor in Chief & President, the Publisher, all Managing Editors, Directors of Internal and External Affairs, staff reporters covering large beats, and editors of large desks — all A-section desks, WKND, Podcast, Magazine, Audience, and Tech — as well as editors of production desks and other teams that carry out significant administrative duties.
Less-intensive positions include but are not limited to: managing board positions that do not have administrative duties as well as managing editors of the Magazine, opinion writers, the directors of operations and finance and lead producers or staffers on multimedia desks.
Staffers other than beat reporters are generally ineligible.
Stipend-eligible positions will be re-evaluated by each incoming Board.
First-year staffers are not eligible. Seniors are eligible only if they will be holding stipend-eligible YDN positions throughout their senior year.
Can I apply for the stipend for more than one year? Yes — as long as your position within the News and your financial situation render you eligible, you may apply again.
Can I apply in the spring? At least for now, unfortunately stipends are only allocated in the fall.
If you meet the qualifications and think the money could help you, then you should apply!
We’re looking at two main factors: Student’s financial need and their level of participation in the News.
Extenuating circumstances: We will also consider other factors that a student may outline in their application.
How much can I expect, if I’m eligible? We can’t guarantee a certain amount of money per student; decisions are also dependent on the number of applicants and available funds each year. But here are a few hypothetical examples, to help students understand the range of what’s possible:
A sophomore copy editor with a family contribution of $5,000 received a $2,000 stipend.
A sophomore beat reporter with a family contribution of $2,000 received a $3,000 stipend.
A junior podcast staffer with a family contribution of $30,000 received a $1,000 stipend.
A junior desk editor with a $0 family contribution received a $3,000 stipend.
Who’s making the decision? Stipend award decisions are made by the YDN Foundation’s four-person stipend committee, composed of YDN alums.
Are current students involved in the process? Current undergraduates are involved in finalizing the eligibility criteria, but are not involved in reviewing stipend applications. The alumni committee also consults with the outgoing editor-in-chief to verify applicants’ participation in the News and the demands of their positions.
Is this process confidential? Who will know if I apply to or receive the stipend? Only Emad Haerizadeh (the News’ professional business manager) and the selection committee will know the full list of applicants. The selection committee alone will view applicants’ financial aid information. Any financial aid letter submitted to the stipend committee will not be shared. The selection committee will inform the YDN board and staff of how many stipends have been awarded and in what amounts, but the recipients’ names will remain confidential. The current and previous editors-in-chief will know the recipients’ names and may be consulted during the year if questions arise, but they will not know how much each student has received.
Where can I find the application? Here. As part of the application, students submit their Yale College Financial Aid Award Letter for the 2022-2023 academic year, as well as a short statement with details on what you expect to do in your role.
When is the application due? Applications must be returned to Emad Haerizadeh (emad.haerizadeh@yale.edu) by October 14th, 2022.
When will I hear if I received a stipend? We expect to inform applicants of the committee’s decisions on or around October 31st, 2022.
When will I receive my stipend? The stipend will be paid in four installments over the course of a board year: the first in November, the second after winter recess, the third after spring recess and the last at the beginning of the new academic year.
What if I quit the News? Quitting the News would void your eligibility for the stipend program. Therefore, you would forfeit the remaining money in your stipend.
Can I still have a campus job? Yes, you may still have a campus job. Though we hope the stipend provides adequate financial support, we understand that students may still choose to work. Many students have reported that the stipend enables them to only work one campus job rather than two or three, and to take on fewer shift hours.
Will the stipend impact my financial aid? No, the stipend will not impact your financial aid from Yale. The stipend intends to fulfill the student share of the term bill, which can be met by outside scholarships, loans, parental help or work earnings, without affecting Yale’s contribution.
Should I report the stipend as income to the IRS? No. Based on legal advice, the YDN Foundation has concluded that under IRS rules these stipends qualify as scholarships, which are not subject to income tax. Therefore, the YDN Foundation will not report the stipend to the IRS on Form 1099 and will list the stipends as scholarships in its annual IRS information report. We understand that similar programs at other Ivy newspapers have reached the same conclusion.
Are international students eligible? Generally, yes. International students have received the stipend, which is a tax-ineligible scholarship, without issue in the past.
What other support does the News offer to students from non-traditional backgrounds, first-generation and/or low-income students? FGLI students may join the FGLI affinity group, which consists of other FGLI students within the YDN. There is also funding from the YDN for unpaid or underpaid summer internships, as well as for ambitious reporting projects. Additionally, we encourage students to apply for the the annual Scot Haller Prize, which recognizes the most outstanding student journalism published, in any form, by the Yale Daily News during the academic year.
Who can I contact if I have more questions? YDN Foundation Chair Melinda Beck ’77 (melindabeckny@gmail.com) and Stipend Committee Chair Martine Powers ’11 (martine.powers@gmail.com).
If you would like to make a donation to this vital program, please click here.