Yale President on Hot Mike Talking About “Pissed-Off” Student

Yale President Maurie McInnis and the dean of Yale College, Pericles Lewis, were overheard on a hot mike at a recent event discussing students and trustees.

On a public live stream of a university update for parents and families on Oct. 10, a microphone picked up McInnis telling Lewis she was “sort of ambush journalisted” by a student from Democratize Yale at an earlier event for the institution’s annual family weekend. “You know we’re doing the selfie photo, but they turned on video,” McInnis said. “I didn’t say anything … after they took the camera down I did sort of say, you know, ‘I’ve clearly articulated my principles. We’re not deviating.’”

She said of the student, “She was just one of those students who shows up pissed off.” Lewis replied, “Well, those are a little hard to avoid. We might see some in Commons on Monday.”

Democratize Yale, a self-described coalition of students, staff, faculty and alumni, confirmed that student Siena Grouf approached McInnis at Yale’s 325th anniversary celebration on Friday, Oct. 9, and asked her to end negotiations with the Trump administration to settle the government’s claim that Yale’s admissions practices are discriminatory.

In a statement, Grouf said it’s “extremely disappointing to hear Yale’s president privately deride students for asking for a more democratic university while refusing to engage with us publicly in the spirit of open dialogue she seeks to cultivate.”

“Students should not need to wait for a photo op … to ask the president about an incredibly urgent concern shared by a growing coalition of students, staff, faculty, and alumni,” she said. 

In the recording, McInnis said Democratize Yale hadn’t asked for a meeting with her but that she had met with two of its members, Alex Chen and Elias Theodore. 

In an email to Inside Higher Ed, Democratize Yale confirmed Chen and Theodore have supported the organization and had met with McInnis in August and September, respectively. 

McInnis and Lewis also discussed the scheduling of the family weekend and the university update. In a previous year, the event was held on the same day as a meeting with trustees. “That was a painful day,” she said. “Trustees are exhausting. Although it will be better without Josh, I can already tell.”

McInnis could have been referring to Joshua Bekenstein, a senior trustee who left the Yale Corporation in 2025 after joining in 2013, or Joshua Steiner, who served as a successor trustee from 2018 to 2026. Yale did not respond to Inside Higher Ed’s request for clarity.

In a statement emailed to Inside Higher Ed, McInnis said she was recorded during a private conversation and “said things that I very much regret.”

“My words did not reflect how I’ve spent the last two years meeting with students, faculty, staff, and alumni to hear their ideas, concerns, and aspirations for our university. Nor were my words reflective of my deep gratitude for our trustees, alumni volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to help strengthen this institution,” she said.

“Going forward, I’ll continue to meet with members of the Yale community and hear their wide range of perspectives. And I’m committed to continue working with my colleagues to steer the university we all love through this moment of unique uncertainty for higher education.”