The YDN reports on the New Haven Student Fair Share Coalition's dramatically succesful call-in day yesterday to Bruce Alexander and John DeStefano, urging a fair share settlement between Yale and New Haven with a contribution that would narrow the gap between Yale's tax value and the PILOT money New Haven receives, a mechanism for indexing that contribution to Yale's growth, and a commitment from Yale to enter Community Benefits Agreements for future expansion: About 75 students gathered on Cross Campus throughout the day Monday to call Alexander and DeStefano's offices and urge progress on talks to increase Yale's contribution in lieu of taxes to the city. The campaign was organized by the New Haven Student Fair Share Coalition, a group of Yale organizations formed in April that claims there is a $10 million gap between the actual tax value of University property and the payments the city receives in lieu of those taxes...Any change in the status of Yale's contributions to the city would be the first change since 1990, when the Yale Golf Course was opened to taxation and the University began paying the city for fire services. Yale, like most nonprofits, is exempt from property taxes on its noncommercial buildings. Property taxes are the major source of funding for New Haven, which has faced budgetary problems in recent years. New Haven also receives about 65 percent of the money it would have obtained from taxing Yale through Connecticut's Payment In Lieu of Taxes program (PILOT). ...Josh Eidelson '06, a member of the Undergraduate Organizing Committee (UOC), one of the Fair Share Coalition's member groups, said that the launch of talks had encouraged the coalition. "The fact that these negotiations are happening now demonstrates the importance of pressure from students and the community in pushing Yale to have a more progressive settlement with New Haven," Eidelson said. In addition to the UOC, 13 other undergraduate student groups -- including The Black Student Alliance at Yale, Movimiento Estudantil Chicano/a de Atzlan, and Jews for Justice -- belong to the coalition. Ben Siegel '07, who is involved with Jews for Justice, said different groups had different motives for joining the coalition. "The highest principle of charity in Jewish tradition is to give in a way that facilitates other people becoming empowered and gaining control of their futures," Siegel said. "We hope that the University will live up to those principles." UOC member Helena Herring '07, who helped organize the phone calls yesterday, said there was a lot of support for the coalition's ideas. "People have been really receptive and excited by the idea and people who have been coming to make calls have not been inclusive of the member groups," Herring said. "It shows that there is broad-based support for this." Alas, the article makes no mention of the amazing pies Emily Jones baked for the event, which were as tasty as they were symbolic.