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T H E O L D E ST C O L L E G E DA I LY · FO U N D E D 1 8 7 8

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · VOL. CXXXV, NO. 78 · yaledailynews.com

INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING

CLOUDY RAINY

46 51

LANDMARK YALE CLUB WARY OF DEMOLITION

BEINECKE

TOWN HALL

EGU

Library faces space, access issues 50 years after its construction

SALOVEY MULLS STAFF CONCERNS, DEVELOPMENT

Top recruit reneges on his commitment to Cal, heads to Yale

PAGE 6-7 CULTURE

PAGE 3 NEWS

PAGE 12 SPORTS

DESTEFANO DECADES COME TO AN END

EMILIE FOYER/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Mayor John DeStefano Jr., New Haven’s longest-serving mayor, announced on Tuesday that he does not plan on running for re-election. He has served as the Elm City’s mayor for two decades.

AFTER 20 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP, MAYOR JOHN DESTEFANO JR. WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION BY DIANA LI STAFF REPORTER With just under a year left in his tenure, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will go down in history as the Elm City’s longest-serving mayor.

DeStefano announced Tuesday evening at the Russian Lady on Temple Street, where he has celebrated previous election nights, that he does not plan to run for re-election this November. With his family on stage, DeStefano described the transforma-

Town-gown thrives under partnership

tion New Haven has undergone in the past two decades and told the audience that his decision not to run does not mean “goodbye.” “Why now? A lot of it had to do with being, frankly, 57. I want to do something else and I want to do it vigorously and for a period of time,” DeStefano said. “Two years ago, with the violence in the city where it was, and school reform just getting off the ground, it

didn’t make sense to me. Now I feel better about both.”

THE END OF AN ERA

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro introduced DeStefano at Tuesday night’s event, describing his legacy as “progressive,” “deep” and “broad.” “When I think about the city of New Haven, it is unimaginable that it would be such a vibrant

place but for the leadership of Mayor John DeStefano,” DeLauro said. “He takes big gambles, big risks — and those risks have paid off for people.” In his speech, DeStefano drew a stark contrast between the New Haven of 20 years ago — when large swaths of downtown sat empty, crime rates were high and town-gown relations were strained following the murder of

Christian Prince ’93 — with the city of today. He cited infrastructure like Gateway Community College, Science Park and State Street rail station as well as progressive initiatives like the Elm City Resident Card, which provides identification to undocumented immigrants, as examples of how far New Haven has come SEE DESTEFANO PAGE 9

Following mayor, superintendent to retire BY ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER STAFF REPORTER New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Reginald Mayo will retire as early as this June, a city official told the News Tuesday afternoon. City Clerk Ron Smith, who said he talks with Mayo daily, said the superintendent called him Sunday to share news of his planned retirement. Mayo’s decision, Smith said, is linked to Mayor John DeStefano Jr.’s announcement that he will not seek reelection this fall after over 19 years in office, the longest mayoral ten-

ure in the city’s history. Mayo was first appointed as superintendent in 1992, the year before DeStefano was first elected, and the pair has overseen a multi-million dollar investment in the city’s public schools over the past two decades. “You have to look at the sacrifices both of these men have made,” Smith said following DeStefano’s official announcement. “I think it’s mainly for family reasons. Mayo’s been working for the city for over 30 years. It’s time.” Prior to his appointment as superintendent, Mayo was a science teacher and then an adminis-

trator at Troup Middle School. His 1981 promotion to the position of K-8 Director of Schools marked the beginning of his tenure in city government. He became executive director of school operations in 1984 before being appointed as superintendent by then-mayor John C. Daniels, New Haven’s first black mayor. Mayo declined to confirm reports of his planned resignation at DeStefano’s announcement. “I won’t say anything at this time — this is his night,” he said. Assistant Superintendent Garth Harries and NHPS spokeswoman Abbe Smith both declined

requests for comment on the superintendent’s plans, saying only that Mayo was not taking phone calls or doing interviews. Ron Smith, meanwhile, said he was surprised when Mayo told him he would be retiring in a matter of months. “I was shocked and disappointed,” he said. “I know a lot of people were shocked.” With Mayo at the helm, the school district saw the renovation of nearly all of the city’s schools, which paved the way for an ambitious school change intiaSEE MAYO PAGE 8

Mayoral race wide open without DeStefano EMILIE FOYER/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Richard Levin and John DeStefano Jr. worked closely together to improve town-gown relations. BY MONICA DISARE STAFF REPORTER University President Richard Levin and Mayor John DeStefano Jr.’s historic 20-year partnership, which has been praised for substantially improving the relationship between Yale and the city of New Haven, will officially come to an end this year when the two men step down from their posts. DeStefano’s decision not to seek re-election SEE TOWN-GOWN PAGE 8

BY MATTHEW LLOYD-THOMAS STAFF REPORTER John DeStefano Jr.’s decision not to seek re-election after 10 terms as the city’s mayor leaves a vacuum in New Haven politics far larger than the space normally reserved for his name on the ballot. Several candidates, transformed overnight from unlikely challengers to serious contenders, have already emerged to replace DeStefano when the next mayor will be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2014. Although only three — Ward 10 Alderman Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10, State Rep. Gary Holder-Win-

field and plumber Sundiata Keitazulu — have officially declared their candidacies, two others have strongly suggested the possibility of running. At least three more are considered possible candidates, making this year’s race the most competitive in more than two decades. Despite the plethora of potential candidates, individual policy priorities are unlikely to differ significantly, with contenders all emphasizing fiscal responsibility, education reform and crime reduction throughout the city. Rather, voters will choose between vastly different personalities and man-

agement styles. “The next mayor has to listen to his constituents more, has to listen more to his Board of Aldermen, and has to be more transparent,” Ward 29 Alderman Brian Wingate said. City officials interviewed said they hope the next mayor will capitalize on DeStefano’s successes, such as a revitalized downtown and improved town-gown relations, while avoiding issues that have become persistent stumbling blocks for the mayor. Several noted DeStefano’s often-tense relationship with the Board of Aldermen and a governance style Democratic Party activist and Board of Alder-

man candidate Charlie Pillsbury considered “one-party rule.” “I believe the person [who becomes mayor] has to be somebody that not only has a vision and passion for community, but also understands checks and balances,” Ward 16 Alderman Migdalia Castro said. Both Elicker, who announced his candidacy at an event last week, and Holder-Winfield, who told the News Tuesday night he planned to file paperwork to run for mayor on Friday, have emphasized transparency and connecting with constituents as major planks of their platSEE ELECTION PAGE 9

PAGE 2

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

OPINION

.COMMENT “Welcome to the club.” yaledailynews.com/opinion

O

VIEW Securing DeStefano's successes

A

s the DeStefano era ends, the News looks forward to the

upcoming mayoral race. accepting donations from city employees and contractors doing business with the city, has raised concerns for many in New Haven. And the appointment-based politics seen in government — most notably, with the Board of Education — must be reconsidered to build a more democratic New Haven. We need a mayoral race with candidates who present specific policy proposals that will build on the foundation carefully laid by DeStefano over two decades, while promoting the ideals of open government. It should not be enough for a candidate to campaign on the platform that he or she will be different from DeStefano. As Yale students, we want to know about the relationship between the potential mayoral candidates and President-elect Salovey — about their views on the relationship between Yale and New Haven. As residents of New Haven, we want to know how school change can continue, how our streets can be made safer and how the city can match up local residents with nearby jobs that require increasingly higher levels of education. If there has ever been a time to become involved in New Haven, this is it. With a slew of candidates sure to fight for the city’s votes in September’s primary election, and an ongoing charter reform process set to change the very constitution of this city, the uptick in participation seen during the mayoral and aldermanic campaigns of 2011 must be sustained. Yale and New Haven are about to undergo major leadership changes. We cannot sit idly by in our home city.

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The News’ View represents the opinion of the majority of the members of the Yale Daily News Managing Board of 2014. Other content on this page with bylines represents the opinions of those authors and not necessarily those of the Managing Board. Opinions set forth in ads do not necessarily reflect the views of the Managing Board. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason and to delete or change any copy we consider objectionable, false or in poor taste. We do not verify the contents of any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co., Inc. and its officers, employees and agents disclaim any responsibility for all liabilities, injuries or damages arising from any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co. ISSN 0890-2240

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WORKED, UNDERSTAFFED'

A visitor at home

NEWS’

We’re living in Mayor John DeStefano Jr.’s New Haven. After his 20-year tenure, a once-abandoned downtown department store is now home to a bustling community college. Schools that were falling apart stand rebuilt inside and out. The city that once saw a Yale student shot to death on Hillhouse Ave. now stands as the University’s greatest partner. As Yale students, we have many reasons to thank DeStefano. The mayor has unquestionably made our city safer and stronger. Downtown development has helped to provide a much-needed tax base, drawing resident back to the city. Amidst increasing violence, the recent return to community policing under New Haven Police Department Chief Dean Esserman has set the Elm City on the right track. We can especially appreciate how a stronger town-gown relationship has brought fortune to both city and University — a result of the close, constructive partnership between DeStefano and University President Richard Levin, who will also be ending a 20-year tenure this year. But as residents of New Haven, we have much more to do. New Haven simply cannot afford to backtrack on these twenty years of progress. Our city’s gains could be easily undone by a politician with less experience. But the next mayor must also succeed where DeStefano has fallen short, providing a more transparent leadership style than the Elm City has seen in recent years. The manner in which the mayor has fundraised,

'BAHSHO' ON 'COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OVER-

ver the last few weeks, I have had different iterations of the same conversation with many of my senior friends. We went home for break, some of us for the first time in a long time, some of us just as we always do. This time, going home was complicated, exhausting and left us feeling grateful (shockingly so) that we were back at school, starting class. Let me be clear: We love our parents and our siblings. Much of the time, we get along well with them, and look forward to spending time in their company. Going home to clean sheets, laundry service and regular nutritious meals is always a delight. At home, we get to see old friends and family members, eat at favorite restaurants, visit familiar places that remind us of what it meant to live in that place. As one year away from home became four, the dynamics changed. Friendships from middle and high school became less important — conversation space became harder to fill as interests and experiences diverged. Our grandparents got older and

quieter, while our siblings evolved from being annoying pests or superior know-it-alls to friends. Our parZOE ents — eterMERCER- nal, steadfast — grew more GOLDEN grey hairs and Meditations wrinkles. We are living in the shadow of these changing relationships in our families and communities, and also in the shadow of the changes to our hometowns and loved places. Home no longer is or can be the place it was when we were younger: We haven’t been home enough to watch changes as they unfolded. I am left a little melancholy in the wake of change that I can neither slow nor alter. For many of my breaks in college, the picture and experience of being at home has felt rosehued. This break, that experience and picture began to crumble in some troubling and unex-

pected ways, as it did for many of my senior colleagues. I’m trying to decide if I can go home again — for good — and discovering as I ponder that the answer may be no. This made this past break hard. My parents are sending eager emails about the job opportunities close to home. My grandparents make less-than-subtle remarks every time I call them. Even my cousins — bless them — who have graduated and moved to the area are waging their own quiet war of offhand remarks. It is wonderful to be loved, but the love is part of the reason why it is hard for me to go home. At Yale, I have found my own independence. I have worked and earned a wage, set and met my own deadlines, built a community from nothing and preserved that community despite incessant busyness and perpetual sleep deprivation. My space at Yale is fully mine in ways that my room at home or even a place near my parents’ house won’t be. I am worried that I will lose that sense of personal autonomy if I go home to the relationships that already exist there. I am wor-

ried that I will have to work to fit myself into the spaces and places that I outgrew while at college. Going home felt like a strange kind of goodbye to the self who had spent college pretending that home was still home. From now on, I will be a perpetual visitor in the place where I grew up, who drops in without the pretense of staying for long. Home has and will become less home: I will have to build a life somewhere else, both to protect the person I have become and to move towards the person I want to be. Some of us will be forced to move back home for financial or family reasons. Some of us will want to — the lure of food and laundry will be too strong. I hope, however, that wherever we go next year, the movement will be towards a home that we make and remake for ourselves. We no longer need define ourselves by our connection to one town or one institution: The choice is, at last, ours. ZOE MERCER-GOLDEN is a senior in Davenport College. Contact her at zoe.mercer-golden@yale.edu .

Life as a resume drop T

o whom it may concern, I hope this column finds you well. My name is Harry Graver, and as an undergraduate at Yale University I am writing to apply … Oh wait. Sorry. Certain habits are tough to shake. Over the last few weeks, I, like many students across Yale, have begun countless emails and letters in a very similar fashion. During the months of December and January, drafting a cover letter becomes a daily ritual akin to brushing one’s teeth, showering, eating — or, as some websites tell us, actually far more important than any of those three. It’s impossible to escape the climate of job season. The amalgam of uncertainty, deadlines and interviews creates an elephant in the room that — rather than sitting pleasantly in the corner — plays a loud, incessant game of paddleball on the back of your head. Attempts to outwit this beast with a long jog or riveting book are futile — sooner or later, you’ll hear the “ding” of Gmail app on your phone. Perhaps, though, the most meaningful aspect of the whole process is not the answer about your candidacy. It is the examination you are forced to do beforehand.

We are asked to put down our identity on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. On one hand, it’s quite jarring. On the other HARRY hand, it’s GRAVER quite revealing. As we Gravely are forced to quantify ourMistaken selves, we employ a set of value judgments which can only be made from the outside, looking in. What am I proud of? What have I done? How in God’s name am I already twenty? (Maybe not as much the last.) A lot of good, though, comes from this longstanding ordeal. It is not some arbitrary construct, passed down from generation to generation as a sort of intellectual hazing. There is a method to the madness, even if it is tough to see anymore after a third reading of Case in Point. Everyone has heard the advice to, “know your resume’s story,” before going into an interview. But, the genuine value of this suggestion is not as much revealed when a question is answered at an interview, as it

is in the hours worth of questions we pose to ourselves in the nights prior. That is not to suggest that our quest is all cheer and roses, without serious dangers. As we attempt to describe ourselves, the impulse arises to redefine. As we put ourselves before the prospect of failure, there is a defensive inclination to protect oneself by, in a way, creating a distance from oneself. In doing so, we can forget to shift gears at times, failing to return from the application to the applicant, and are thus left looking to the sum of our experiences, our passions in practice, as sterile, analytical means to an end. And these pitfalls seem particularly audacious at Yale, where our extracurricular groups are so fundamentally a part of both our college experience and personal character. It does not take long at the Extracurricular Bazaar, or after a few conversations with friends from other schools, to realize just how unique Yale’s emphasis on developing the mind outside the classroom fosters its students’ hopes and expectations of each other. This remarkable dynamic, though, can also lay the groundwork for a prevalent trap. We

look too often upon our resumes as a zero sum game — a tradeoff wherein we pay for each line of paper, each leadership title, with those memories’ sincerity. In the end, these wounds are self-inflicted, and understandable, given this overwhelming process. In fact, this is where its very virtue lies. As we craft our candidacies amongst our peers, we are afforded a reorientation to our surroundings — one without the fashioned persona we flirted with before. And naturally, as we come back to ourselves, the road is as littered with humility and fear as it is with esteem and fulfillment. What appears as a stack of resumes is really a profoundly shared endeavor. It is indeed exhausting at times to be one of the many in there — but it is also a tremendous blessing. If the process is done right, the pile can stare back at us like a mirror, as we gain glimpses of ourselves through those around us, be it dear friends or distant strangers. How this will all shake out is out of our hands. How we make and are shaped by this journey is entirely up to us. HARRY GRAVER is a junior in Davenport College. Contact him at harry.graver@yale.edu .

GUEST COLUMNIST AARON GERTLER

S

What we can offer

ome say knowledge is the only thing that increases when shared. I would include in that category infectious diseases and Gangnam Style, but it certainly is an impressive and exclusive list. Regardless of your health or your horse dance, every one of you reading this has immoderate skill in your strongest academic areas, as well as talent at applying to college you’ll never use again — unless you give it away. Each year in the United States, some three million people enroll as undergraduates for the first time. But many enter unprepared; they take remedial math and English courses, are overwhelmed by independent life or find themselves trapped for years in lecture halls without ever meeting a professor faceto-face. We, in a small way, can change this. Only 1350 freshmen entered Yale this year, and unless someone funds the new colleges tomorrow, that number will not change much before we graduate. Thanks to Adopt-a-Prefrosh and Bulldog Days, most of these future Yalies will know roughly what they are in for, and their own resourcefulness will take them far. However, most of

us come from high schools where juniors are preparing applications to every sort of school, and where seniors of all stripes are preparing to leave home. In my own school, there are at least one hundred students per class who head straight to college after graduating. Most of them spend very little time with a guidance counselor; many are completely unfamiliar with college academics and college life. When they arrive, many will panic, suffering unnecessary confusion as they are swallowed by a moreor-less impersonal state college system or struggle to find meaning in their coursework. We should adopt them. It’s likely that you know some high schoolers well, especially if you’re a freshman or sophomore. Maybe they’re siblings, old friends or teammates. When was the last time you spoke to them about college? Perhaps it was recent; if you’re at Yale, you probably had a strong role in your school’s community, and helped advise a group of kids who looked up to you for your mind or skill or personality. But what about those you didn’t know? Many might be going it alone. Maybe their parents will help with the Common App; maybe they’ll take

a pricey SAT course that will get them over that particular hurdle. But imagine the boost they’d get from an older student offering an extra set of eyes for an essay, someone to help them with a pre-college shopping list, someone to explain the virtues of small classes and office hours and whatever other lessons you’ve learned since you got here. Your contribution may be small, but thanks to the massive knowledge disparity between 17-year-olds and 20-year-olds, it could have an outsized impact. I taught SAT classes last summer, which made it relatively easy to find students interested in learning more about college than their parents could remember. Since then, a week rarely goes by when I’m not commenting on an essay, recommending books and blogs or just giving disaffected youngsters a glimpse of the light at the end of the high school tunnel. But even if you don’t have tutoring experience, you are a resourceful reader, and there are many roads to mentorship. One such road: Email your guidance counselor(s) or favorite teachers. Tell them you’re looking for students with college hopes who may need extra help along the way. Give them

your contact information. It will take five minutes and the upside is very high. Less formally, ask high school friends whether they know anyone who might want advice. Set up a Facebook conversation or phone call or email exchange. You’re two degrees of separation from dozens of people with questions you can answer. Final idea for now: Make a status, or a post in your high school Facebook group, along these lines: “If anyone from [your school here] wants help with a college or scholarship application essay, or has any questions about college they want to ask, I’m happy to help!” Tag some friends so they’ll spread the word. If you don’t have the time, that’s understandable. But I think of mentoring as a personal, flexible version of one of the dozen Dwight Hall programs that work with New Haven schools, but make you sign forms and set a consistent weekly time and all the rest. We live in a world where sharing knowledge is very, very easy. Take advantage. AARON GERTLER is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College. Contact him at aaron.gertler@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 3

NEWS

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” OSCAR WILDE IRISH WRITER AND POET

CORRECTIONS A N N I V E R SA RY

FRIDAY, JAN. 25

The article “The Yale Law School Wine Society: they came, they drank, they conquered” included a number of factual errors. The article failed to mention that during the interview, Tyce Walters LAW ’13 mentioned Lisa Granik’s LAW ’93 ’97 status as a Master of Wine and that Walters said, in response to question three, that “The law school has been very supportive of the team — we’re all very grateful.” In addition, the article did not clarify that Walters tasted 600 wines while writing wine books after college, instead suggesting that the team consumed that number of bottles in preparation for its recent competition in New York. The article also misquoted Walters in response to question five — the student who responded was not Walters but Joseph Pomianowski LAW ’15.

Fifty years later, Beinecke pushes access

TUESDAY, JAN. 29

The article “Gun hearing draws thousands” misidentified Nia Holston ’14 and Ashley Ison ’14 as members of Black Students at Yale, when in fact the organization is called the Black Student Alliance at Yale. TUESDAY, JAN. 29

The article “Pledge debate reignited, postponed” mistakenly stated that the full Board of Aldermen will vote on a Pledge of Allegiance proposal at its next meeting, when in fact the Board will vote on the proposal at its Feb. 19 meeting.

Salovey holds staff town hall BY JULIA ZORTHIAN STAFF REPORTER Over 500 staff members packed into the pews of Battell Chapel Tuesday morning for a town hall convened by President-elect Peter Salovey, who answered questions on staff development and acknowledged concerns he plans to address as president. Salovey, who will assume the presidency on June 30, opened the meeting by discussing his intention to create a more unified, innovative, accessible and excellent Yale — four goals he first outlined in his Nov. 8 speech delivered after the Yale Corporation announced that he willsucceed current University President Richard Levin. During the town hall, he noted his plans to respond to concerns by ensuring the staff feels integrated with other segments of the University, continuing to improve the University’s relationship with local merchants and creating opportunities for upward mobility for current staff members. “I know we have an excellent staff here, but I want Yale to be more than just a job for you,” Salovey said. “I want it to be a career path.” Salovey said he already reviewed over 20,000 comments from a workplace survey issued to staff in November, adding that a theme central to the survey’s responses was a general desire for the prospect of a more substantial career trajectory at Yale. He explained several ways he hopes to create a more career-oriented environment for staff, such as rewarding staff innovation with promotions and filling vacant positions with internal candidates instead of individuals from outside the University. Creating a more career-oriented environment for staff would require supervisors to be more flexible in encouraging staff members to change jobs within the University, he said, as well as allowing them to feel

that they can branch out beyond their initial area of expertise. Salovey also said he understands that staff are concerned about unity, both within the staff body and between staff members and the rest of the University. “I think we have far too many divisions — we talk much too much about main campus and the medical school. We talk much too much about Science Hill versus central campus,” Salovey told the audience. “All of that isn’t very meaningful. We’re all serving a greater university with a shared sense of mission.” Salovey discussed ways in which he would promote innovation throughout the entire University, including building the science and engineering programs “to the level of excellence that Yale has historically had, and will continue to have, in the humanities and in the arts.” He also cited Yale’s partnership with the National University of Singapore in the creation of Yale-NUS as an example of the University’s bringing innovations in liberal arts education to the global community. Four staff members interviewed said they enjoyed hearing Salovey’s plans for the upcoming academic year firsthand. Davenport College Operations Manager Carolyn Haller said she hopes Salovey acts on his words about staff unity soon after he enters office. “We used to be a family, but because of the economy and policies, I believe there’s friction,” Haller said. Silliman College Operations Manager KC Mills called herself “a cheerleader” for Salovey, and said she believes the staff as a community has the responsibility to share their concerns with him. Salovey announced the town hall in an email to staff on Jan. 16. Contact JULIA ZORTHIAN at julia.zorthian@yale.edu .

JOYCE XI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Fifty years after opening, the Beinecke’s collection continues to grow, and library curators have made acessibility to students a top priority. BY JASMINE HORSEY STAFF REPORTER Fifty years ago, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library opened to mixed reviews. “The whole thing’s built crooked,” one construction worker told the News in 1963. Many at the time felt the building was out of touch with Yale’s famous Gothic style, but nobody could deny that the architecture was groundbreaking. At a talk honoring the Beinecke’s 50th anniversary last week, Architecture School Dean Robert A.M. Stern described the Beinecke as “Yale’s new center of gravity” and “the jewel in the University’s new crown of modernity.” Since its opening, the library has become a pioneer in the collection of rare books and manuscripts, and is accessed by scholars from all over the world. Consuelo Dutschke, curator of medieval and renaissance manuscripts at Columbia University, said that the Beinecke’s collection is growing like none other. “It is absolutely — I can guarantee to you — the absolute premier institution in the U.S. for buying medieval manuscripts,” she said. “Their collection is growing more furiously, more grandly, than any other institution in the country.” But as the Beinecke begins its 50th year, the library is running into problems with its present facilities. Head of access services Steve Jones admitted the library has “been out of storage space for a while.” Due to the growing collection, materials are increasingly being sent to an offsite storage facility in Hamden, Conn. Access Archivist Michael Rush said there has been a “longstanding imbalance” between the library’s rate

of acquisition and the relatively slow speed with which librarians can catalogue new materials.

THE IDEAL CONDITIONS

Upon its construction, the Beinecke sparked controversy not only due to its unusual appearance but also for what students felt was a lavish display of wealth. Funded by a generous donation from the Beinecke brothers, all three of whom were Yale graduates, the Beinecke was commissioned in the wake of concerns that Sterling Memorial Library was no longer equipped to deal with Yale’s growing collection. Sterling lacked the air conditioning and humidity control needed to best preserve its documents, an obstacle that worked against Yale’s desire to become a leader in the collection of rare books.

It’s a building that, as you bring visitors in, they come to the door and their eyes light up. E.C. SCHROEDER Director, Beinecke The Beinecke was designed using state-of-the-art technology able to maintain the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity at 60 percent — the ideal conditions for housing fragile documents. Particular care went into choosing the best type of stone to line the walls, Stern said at his talk. The material needed to not only be sliced thin enough to allow sunlight to penetrate, but also robust enough to withstand the weather. The

translucent marble slabs chosen are often cited as the building’s most outstanding feature, Stern said. “It’s one heck of a building,” Beinecke Director E.C. Schroeder said. “It’s a building that, as you bring visitors in, they come to the door and their eyes light up.” The library celebrates the fact it has never undergone any major structural revisions since 1963, and it currently houses 180,000 of its rare books in a glass tower for all to see, with a further 320,000 kept below the plaza. Although the library has become integral to Yale’s campus, librarians interviewed expressed concern that the building is not equipped to deal with its rapidly growing collection and aims of increasing accessibility to its resources. At the top of the library’s targets is to increase accessibility for students, particularly with regards to teaching, Beinecke spokeswoman Zoe Keller said. This semester, an unprecedented five classes are taking place in the Beinecke, but Schroeder said he would like to see the number increase even further. “We could easily use at least one or two more classrooms,” Schroeder said.

INCREASING ACCESS

Despite its architectural restrictions, the Beinecke is taking a number of steps to encourage students, professors and the public to access its materials. Keller, the Beinecke spokeswoman, emphasized the library’s desire to broaden its outreach, and said students should not be intimidated by the library’s façade. “I’d say what’s different in recent years as opposed to recent

past is that the mission of accessibility is now forefront,” she said. “Because of the architecture, there is perhaps the illusion of exclusivity, but in fact any serious researcher can access incredibly rare materials as prime resources.” To encourage physical interaction with the materials, the library has implemented a policy change allowing students to handle manuscripts with bare hands and people to take photographs in the reading room for personal use. At the heart of the library’s desire to bring more students into its doors is its position as a pioneer in rare book and manuscript research. Barbara Shailor, deputy provost for the arts and a former Beinecke director, said that the research done by students working with manuscripts has the potential to spark discussion on a national scale. “In the field of medieval manuscripts we look for things that have potentially not been published, authors that are either unknown or not well-known,” Shailor said. “We look for pieces that really have the potential to change the discipline, and actively acquire items that might make a difference to the future of the field.” The move toward staging more exhibitions and increasing classroom teaching through a series of renovations is evidence of the Beinecke’s desire to combat its limited space, ultimately allowing the library to reach out to a broader audience. The Beinecke was designed by Gordon Bunshaft, winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, and opened on Oct. 14, 1963. Contact JASMINE HORSEY at jasmine.horsey@yale.edu .

Koh shares State Department experiences BY TIANYI PAN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER After spending four years serving as legal adviser to the State Department, former Law School Dean Harold Koh recounted his experiences working under Hillary Clinton LAW ’73 at a Davenport College Master’s Tea Tuesday. Koh, who was named a Sterling Professor of International Law last week, left his post at the State Department last Tuesday to return to teaching at the Law School after serving as its dean from 2004 to 2009. At the Master’s Tea, Koh explained policy decisions made by the current administration and discussed issues facing the inter-

national community, including human rights, climate change and Syria’s ongoing civil war. “It was a completely fascinating experience running an international law firm of 350 people, the finest in the world,” Koh said. As Clinton’s primary legal adviser, Koh said he simultaneously acted as the State Department’s general counselor, conscience and its defender — during his tenure, Koh represented the State Department before influential bodies such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Koh said that accomplishing goals while working with government officials can be difficult

because of the government’s process of collective decisionmaking as well as its constant efforts to achieve perfection. Koh said he dealt with the challenge of solving 21st century problems under 20th century laws. Because the law cannot be changed as quickly as problems arise, he had to identify which laws were relevant and translate them to current situations. “This translation, I believe, is what Montesquieu would call ‘the spirit of the laws,’” Koh said. Koh cited Clinton’s inclusion of LGBT rights in the broader framework of human rights — a moment that he called “incredibly powerful and pivotal” — as an example of translating laws to

present-day application. He said the American political system has also been slow to adjust to the 21st century, mentioning specific cases in which Congress rejected several international treaties that would have benefited American foreign relations. The current division of laws into public, private, domestic and international categories is a “construct,” he said, adding that some legal cases can straddle multiple categories, so transnational laws — ones between individuals and countries in which the individual does not reside — should emerge as the predominant legal form in years to come. Koh also touched on sev-

eral recent events, including the publication of classified information by the online organization WikiLeaks. While he criticized the actions of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Koh added that in general he favors government transparency and believes that certain materials are overclassified. “The release of the names of the human right activists could get them killed,” Koh said. “We had to devote huge amounts of U.S. government resources to apologies and damage mitigation.” Students interviewed said they appreciated that despite Koh’s background in government, he spoke directly and honestly to the audience.

Jimmy Murphy ’13 said that he found Koh not only approachable and funny but also “a tremendously thoughtful speaker.” “It was inspiring to see how much he focused on making sure that the U.S. was doing the right thing, instead of just defending what they did,” Murphy said. Jessica Leao ’16 said she appreciated Koh’s global perspective of law, which gave her insight into the workings of the U.S. government and international organizations such as the United Nations. Koh became a professor at the Law School in 1985 and has lived in New Haven since 1961. Contact TIANYI PAN at tianyi.pan@yale.edu .

PAGE 4

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

NEWS

“I did it! Angie just called, she’s pregnant. And it gets better. I just had a burrito.” TRACY JORDAN “30 ROCK” CHARACTER

Publisher talks admissions

CHIPOTLE FINALLY ARRIVES TO THE ELM CITY

KATHRYN CRANDALL/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

YALE STUDENTS FLOCK TO CHIPOTLE FOR GRAND OPENING HENRY EHRENBERG/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ron Unz castigated current admissions practices, including the use of affirmative action, for being oversimplistic. BY PAYAL MARATHE STAFF REPORTER Before a full Sudler Hall last night, American Conservative publisher Ron Unz called for Ivy League universities to admit 80 percent of their students randomly and eliminate undergraduate tuition — all in an effort to remedy an “outright corrupt” college admissions process. The Yale Political Union hosted Unz, who has publicly criticized racial quotas in college admissions, to debate affirmative action processes in American colleges. Unz decried what he described as the subjectivity in admissions to elite American universities, adding that admissions officers today work to fulfill two conflicting goals: meritocracy, which prioritizes ability with no regard to background, and diversity, which priotizes ethnicity and aims to fill racial quotas. Unz’s arguments were met primarily by hissing from members of the YPU, who said they found his statements controversial and radical. “We have to ask ourselves, ‘how do we select students without inherent favoritism?’” Unz said. “My plan would replace the pseudo-diversity enforced by a small group of people sitting in a room behind a closed door with actual diversity based on random selection.” Unz proposed that universities should admit 20 percent of students on purely meritocratic grounds, and randomly select the remainder of their students from the entire pool of applicants. Unz argued that under his proposed system, students who have a chance at making the top 20 percent would work very hard, but the majority of students would be able to spend high school exploring their extracurricular interests rather than chasing after a 4.0 grade-point average or a perfect SAT score. He added that the modern system of affirmative action creates “pseudo-diversity” by ignoring

the diversity that exists within broad racial categories. AfricanAmericans whose parents were once slaves have a different experience than Africans who have very recently immigrated to the United States, he said, but affirmative action overlooks this complexity and arbitrarily groups individuals together. A random admissions process is more likely than affirmative action to produce a “truly diverse student body representative of American society,” he said. Unz said the second prong of his plan, which proposes that college be free of charge, would encourage students to apply to schools they would otherwise not consider because of high tuition fees. At schools like Harvard, Princeton and Yale, “endowments are so enormously large that admissions are a tiny fraction of one percent of the existing endowment,” he said, adding that endowments exist primarily to help with tuition. Members of the YPU said they disagree with Unz’s claim that affirmative action is inappropriate for American society. While Unz said he believes affirmative action makes “negative factors a prevalent force in deciding admissions,” several audience members said they think affirmative action is a positive policy. “I would love to tell you that all the scars of American history have been healed, but I can’t,” Ugonna Eze ’16 said. “One day affirmative action will be irrelevant, but as of now it’s not.” Eight of 12 audience members interviewed after the debate said they think affirmative action positively contributes to Yale’s culture. Unz published his most comprehensive argument against affirmative action, an article titled “The Myth of American Meritocracy,” in The American Conservative in November 2012. Contact PAYAL MARATHE at payal.marathe@yale.edu .

Chipotle’s highly anticipated opening attracted students, faculty and the New Haven community eager to try the restaurant’s fare on Tuesday. The affordable and tasty chain, famous for its burritos and burrito bowls, opened its first restaurant in New Haven after persistent campaigning from students.

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 5

BULLETIN BOARD

TODAY’S FORECAST

TOMORROW

A chance of showers, then possibly a thunderstorm after 3 p.m.

FRIDAY

High of 48, low of 27.

High of 35, low of 20.

ANTIMALS BY ALEX SODI

ON CAMPUS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30 7:15 PM Bad Boys and New Waves: The Cinema of Susumu Hani. The films “Children in the Classroom” and “Children Who Draw” will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Screenings will be followed by a round-table discussion with director Susumu Hani. Co-sponsored by the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale and the Japan Foundation. Free and open to the general public. Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Auditorum.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 4:30 PM “Central Plains” Movie Screening with AIDS Activist Wan Yanhal. The documentary “Central Plains” is the story of how a blood plasma donation scheme led to the infection of thousands of Chinese people with HIV and hepatitis C. Come learn how the government business corporations, public health officials and activists such as Wan Yanhal were involved in this scandal. Wan Yarhal, who will lead a discussion after the screening, is the director of the Beijing Aizhixing Institute, the largest AIDS NGO in China. He has also organized a national compensation campaign for victims of HIV infection caused by blood transfusion or blood products. The documentary will be screened in English. William L. Harkness Hall (100 Wall St.), Rm. 207.

THAT MONKEY TUNE BY MICHAEL KANDALAFT

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 8:00 PM Super Night Shot by Gob Squad. Exactly one hour before the audience arrives, Super Night Shot begins. Four performers take to the streets armed with video cameras and embark on a set of comic and fantastical adventures that celebrate unexpected encounters with strangers. Once the 60 minutes are up, they return to the theatre, to a rousing hero’s welcome, and the footage is mixed live into a film. For two nights only, New Haven will become the set of Super Night Shot, as Gob Squad transforms the banality of everyday life into the glamour and glitz of a big-screen blockbuster. Moving, funny, and completely unpredictable, in Super Night Shot anything can happen — and usually does. University Theatre (222 York St).

SCIENCE HILL BY SPENCER KATZ

y SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS ONLINE yaledailynews.com/events/submit To reach us: E-mail editor@yaledailynews.com Advertisements 2-2424 (before 5 p.m.) 2-2400 (after 5 p.m.) Mailing address Yale Daily News P.O. Box 209007 New Haven, CT 06520

Questions or comments about the fairness or accuracy of stories should be directed to Editor in Chief Tapley Stephenson at (203) 432-2418. Bulletin Board is a free service provided to groups of the Yale community for events. Listings should be submitted online at yaledailynews.com/events/ submit. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit listings.

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CLASSIFIEDS

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Net help pages, briefly 5 County counterpart, in Canterbury 10 Boring 14 Longtime Stern rival 15 Little bits 16 Baltic capital 17 New Orleans team confused? 20 __ Who 21 Little bits 22 Silly 23 Musical quality 25 Chooses 26 New York team punished? 31 Fail to mention 32 Picky eaters of rhyme 33 Different 36 “Network” director 38 Old West mil. force 39 Andrea Bocelli, e.g. 41 Half a fly 42 More than a sobber 45 Small or large 46 Indianapolis team stymied? 48 Loads to clean 51 Person in a sentence, say 52 Convention pinon 53 Heroic poems 56 “Homeland” airer, briefly 59 San Diego team upset? 62 Hardly friendly 63 Go on and on 64 Take on 65 Golf rarities 66 Fur fortunemaker 67 Football positions DOWN 1 Punch source 2 Indian nursemaid 3 Being alone with one’s thoughts

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1/30/13

By Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

4 IRS ID 5 TV drama about Alex, Teddy, Georgie and Frankie Reed 6 Vagabond 7 News piece 8 X-ray units 9 Linguistic suffix 10 Pickled 11 Purple __: New Hampshire state flower 12 Word with travel or talent 13 Underworld 18 Zippy flavor 19 Most nasty 24 Bone: Pref. 25 NH summer hours 26 Quite a blow 27 Tall runners 28 Footnote ref. 29 Mount Narodnaya’s range 30 __ orange 33 Thin paper 34 Nap 35 Slave Scott

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

SUDOKU MEDIUM

1 8 3 5 6

37 Like many omelets 40 “Mi casa __ casa” 43 Gore and Hirt 44 Stock market VIP? 46 Casual wine choices 47 Not bad, not good 48 Modern witch’s religion

1/30/13

49 For this purpose 50 Old, as a joke 53 Goofs 54 Exam sophs may take 55 Colon, in analogies 57 Sheep together 58 Keats works 60 Org. concerned with greenhouse gas 61 Ally of Fidel

9 7 5 2 6 4 3 9 8 1 2 9 4 3 2 5 3 8 7 3 4 8 7

PAGE 6

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

ARTS & CULTURE

“But you can keep your magic flute, Amadeus. All this queen wants is a golden ticket to Yale!” GOSSIP GIRL “GOSSIP GIRL” CHARACTER

Yale Club of New York nears demolition

Professor’s sketchbook on display BY ANNA-SOPHIE HARLING CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

BY YANAN WANG STAFF REPORTER The Yale Club of New York may be the next landmark to line east Midtown’s skyline. Last fall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a rezoning outline that would allow for the construction of taller skyscrapers in New York’s East Side, specifically the area from 39th Street to 57th Street, where activity is centered around Grand Central Terminal. The New York Times reported in December 2012 that Bloomberg’s desired “upzoning,” which involves demolishing old architecture to make room for new buildings, threatens the preservation of some of the neighborhood’s historic mainstays. While the public process of certifying the rezoning proposal is not set to be completed until March, two conservation groups — the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Municipal Arts Society — have submitted landmark designation requests to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in the hopes of protecting buildings that could be torn down, including the Yale Club. “We’re trying to think about an alternate vision for 21st century east Midtown,” said Ronda Wist, vice president of preservation and government relations at the Municipal Arts Society. “That involves taking into consideration planning

and preservation issues.” Among the buildings in the rezoning area, the group’s proposals cited 17, the Yale Club included, that “convey historic, architectural and cultural significance.” The list also names hotels such as The Lexington and the Marriot East Side, as well as the Center for Fiction, which was formerly the 1820s-era Mercantile Library.

We’re trying to think about an alternate vision for 21st century east Midtown. RONDA WIST Vice president, Municipal Arts Society Among the region’s 587 buildings — of which 32 are already designated landmarks — the Yale Club is one of 38 that have been demarcated as “soft sites,” structures vulnerable to replacement because of new construction. Wist said that due to the club’s large lot size and central location, it fulfills the city’s criteria for development. “Designed by James Gamble Rogers 1889, the Yale Club is one of only eight buildings remaining from Grand Central’s original Terminal City district,” Wise noted. “That’s significant.” Andrea Goldwyn, director of

In an architectural landscape increasingly dominated by computer imaging, the latest exhibit at the Whitney Humanities Center gives viewers a glimpse into the practice of traditional sketchbooking. “Roman Sketches,” which opened Monday and will run until Jun. 28, is a display of pages taken from School of Architecture professor Alexander Purves’ own sketchbooks. Since 2001, Purves has led a group of 30 architecture students to Rome for an intensive drawing class. Although architects like Frank Gehry and Greg Lynn frequently employ digital modeling in their practices, Purves said he believes that an architect’s sketchbook is a vital tool for preliminary observation and design. “Nothing is more efficient and less restricted than when the hand and the brain work together,” Purves said, adding that an architect can accomplish this only with a sketchbook. The exhibition showcases scans of Purves’ own ink drawings and watercolors. The drawings, grouped by the structure depicted, are mounted on grey panels, while the watercolors stand alone behind glass. Some sketches feature floor plans juxtaposed with less technical renderings. The professor’s work demonstrates the versatility of sketchbooks. His strokes depict Rome’s buildings in a variety of ways; seemingly hasty scribbles are placed beside intricate drawings. In some cases, only portions of a building are shown — half a

public policy at the Landmarks Conservancy, said the building drew the group’s attention because it is a “fine example of neo-classical style that hearkens back to the City Beautiful Movement [in North American architecture].” In the Landmark Conservancy’s testimony to the New York City Planning Commission, Goldwyn cited Rogers as a prominent architect. Responsible for creating Yale’s trademark gothic revival style, he also designed Sterling Memorial Library, Harkness Tower and the original eight residential colleges. Wist said she has no estimate for how long the commission will take to process the Municipal Art Society’s proposal. While the Planning Commission’s website states that the review process typically lasts 20 to 30 working days, Director of Communications Elisabeth de Bourbon said there is no set timeline for decisions on proposals related to the rezoning study. De Bourbon declined to comment on the status of the application, adding that the commission has yet to decide whether to consider the 17 buildings individually or as a group. Founded in 1897, the Yale Club of New York moved to its current location on 30 West 44th St. in 1915 following an increase in membership.

dome or the delicate outline of a plaza. “Purves believes that you have to sketch a building fully in order to truly see it — to understand how all of its components work together to create the whole,” said Rob Bundy ARC ’13, who went on the 2012 Rome trip. He recalled how, over the course of four weeks, the students each filled three or four sketchbooks with their depictions of the city. Bundy said he learned that the sketchbook is invaluable for his work, and he sketches everything by hand before using the computer to render already concrete ideas.

critical eye. “You go [into the class] thinking that architectural drawing is very precise, neat and measured, but you quickly learn with Purves that this is not true,” Tramonte said. “The best drawings don’t just depict what a space looks like — they represent form

and shadow. They emote.” Purves became a faculty member at the School of Architecture in 1976. Contact ANNA-SOPHIE HARLING at anna-sophie.harling@yale.edu .

The internationally renowned Tokyo String Quartet gave a farewell performance to the Yale community last Tuesday evening, Jan. 23, in Morse Recital Hall. After serving thirty-seven years on the School of Music faculty, the quartet-in-residence has decided that its 20122013 season will be its last. Replacing two retiring quartet members would be a “Herculean task,” first violinist Martin Beaver explained, and so the group has chosen to come to a “graceful close.” The quartet breathes in unison with the natural ease that accompanies the rare combination of deeply understanding both the music and each other. Each member is irreplaceable. Dean Robert Blocker awarded a Sanford Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the School of Music, to each member of the quartet: Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola) and Clive Greensmith (cello). Peter Oundjian, current Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at the School of Music, also received the medal for his tenure as the longest serving first violinist of the quartet. In describing the quartet, Blocked praised: “They never lost their sense of passion and wonder about the music they create.” The program opened with the dynamic energy of the Haydn Quartet in G minor. Nicknamed the “Rider” quartet for its galloping licks, the violist captured the audience immediately with his bursting energy and excitement. As the music pressed forward, the quartet switched tempi with such effortlessness that it is hard to believe they have not known each other for their entire lives.

Sometimes you think too hard about drawings. [The sketches] help you loosen up your hands. CATHERINE SHIH ’15 Catherine Shih ’15, who intends to major in Architecture and took Purves’ introductory architecture class this fall, described how the professor expected his students to sketch alongside their notes. She said she felt the sketchbook was one of the most important themes of the class. “It brought together parts of architecture that I hadn’t thought about,” Shih said. “Sometimes you think too hard about drawing. [The sketches] help you loosen up your hands.” Kyle Tramonte ’15 said that by taking the class, he gained the ability to approach space with a

Contact YANAN WANG at yanan.wang@yale.edu .

EACH MEMBER IS IRREPLACEABLE.

Architecture professor Alexander Purves’s “Roman Sketches” depicts Rome’s buildings in hasty sketches, quick studies, and intricate drawings.

GRACE PATUWO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Forum mulls photography

The historic Yale Club of New York is the largest private clubhouse in the world. BY JOSEPHINE MASSEY STAFF REPORTER

Kersels talks performance through sculpture While most art galleries place security sensors on their sculptures, School of Art professor Martin Kersels’s exhibitions have served as stages for singers, dancers and even DJs. In a lecture he gave to roughly 15 students at the School of Art on Tuesday, Kersels discussed how the concept of “performance” has remained important to him throughout the projects he has undertaken during his decades-long career. Kersels progressed through a slideshow displaying his diverse work, includ-

ing dance performance images, photographs and multimedia sculptures equipped to play sound and video. “One could say I have a lack of follow-through, but I change what I do and I change my interests based on different times in my life,” Kersels said. Kersels spoke at length about his dynamic sculptures, some of which he has modified for different exhibitions. One such piece, “Tumble Room,” consists of a bedroom rotating vertically, with many objects falling as the room turns upside down. He explained that he has bought or created new furniture, collages and clothing in the sculpture for each

exhibition, partly because many of the objects are destroyed in each iteration. Kersels said he spent time envisioning and researching the objects likely to be found in teenage girls’ bedrooms and discovered that many of these rooms contain collage-type decorations. As a result, he said he created collages using pictures of figures like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Eminem and many others. “I enjoyed thinking like a young lady,” Kersels said. Aside from his mobile structures, Kersels has experimented with manipulating sound in his work. In a piece titled “Attempt to Raise

TSQ says farewell to Yale BY DANA SCHNEIDER GUEST COLUMNIST

CARLY LOVEJOY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

BY ERIC XIAO STAFF REPORTER

DANA SCHNEIDER

the Temperature of a Container of Water by Yelling at It,” Kersels said he placed an underwater speaker and temperature probe into a container of water. The speaker was attached to an audio device that played a 7 minute long tape of Kersels repeating the phrase “I am trying to raise the temperature of this water by yelling at it!” while the temperature probe was attached to a thermometer. Though Kersels’ recent works have been sculptures, his early career showed a different side to the artist. In the 1980s, he joined a group called “SHRIMPS,” which put on postmodern dance performances. Then, starting in the 1990s, Kersels worked

on creating photo series. For one, which sought to capture tripping and falling, Kersels said he tripped himself roughly 10 times to obtain the exact photographs he wanted.

There is a lot of performance in [Kersels’] lecture, and he uses a lot of humor. MAYA MANVI ART ’14 “I was interested in the failure of a body in a simple action like walk-

ing — something we feel like we have under control,” he said. All three audience members interviewed said they have worked with Kersels at the School of Art and have enjoyed having him as the Director of Graduate Studies in sculpture. “His art and lecture are more or less the same,” Maya Manvi ART ’14 said. “There is a lot of performance in his lecture, and he uses a lot of humor.” Kersels was awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008. Contact ERIC XIAO at eric.xiao@yale.edu .

On Tuesday, four photography department heads from the nation’s leading art schools debated the state of academic photography programs through a Museum of Modern Art Forum on Contemporary Photography. Roughly 20 students gathered at the School of Art’s Green Hall to watch the livestream of the forum, which attracted an audience of artists, teachers and students from universities across the country. Gregory Crewdson, the School of Art’s director of graduate studies in photography, joined Ashley Hunt of California Institute of the Arts, Stephen Shore of Bard and James Welling of UCLA to compare their respective programs. Topics ranged from understanding the purpose of a photography degree to balancing teaching and working as an artist.

Crewdson described the School of Art’s photography program as “small, intense and rigorous.” The two-year professional photography program, which accepts only nine students each year, is known for its challenging environment, featuring weekly critiques of student work by a panel of artists, curators and critics.

There’s not just one monastic view of looking at pictures. GREGORY CREWDSON Director of Graduate Studies, School of Art

“It’s very dramatic at times and very rigorous, but I think it’s a great way of applying pressure to the students’ pictures,” Crewd-

son said. “It’s also important to have a collusion of viewpoints so there’s not just one monastic view of looking at pictures.” The forum went on to discuss the value of a photography degree, the rising cost of an arts education and the academic side of photography education. Crewdson said he hopes students break out of a strictly academic approach in their work, and that he encourages them to connect their work to culture at large. Crewdson addressed audience questions about art school “branding” — when a school emphasizes a particular aesthetic — by explaining that he encourages a diversity of approaches and viewpoints, not one style based on his personal artistic work. After an audience member questioned the absence of women or minorities on the panel, the group discussion turned to gender and race disparity in high-level art

school administration. Another audience member pointed out a trend in photography education toward predominantly male faculty members and female students. After the event, five students expressed frustration while discussing their own experiences with gender disparity in academia. But Meghan Uno ’13, an undergraduate photography major, said she was surprised by the cynicism that came out at the forum. “I was expecting them to discuss different methods of teaching, but I was surprised people would think to criticize what was being presented,” Uno said. “I do feel like there is a lot of emphasis on feminine photographers and have had a lot of female photography teachers [at Yale].” The School of Art employs 26 photography faculty members. Contact JOSEPHINE MASSEY at josephine.massey@yale.edu.

To contrast the tonality of the first piece, Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 exhibited the brilliance of each member. Each voice navigated the virtuosic passages while still maintaining perfect cohesion with the whole. When all four instruments, each made by the famous Stradivarius family, were set down to play the pizzicatos in the fourth movement, each member smiled with anticipation. While Bartók’s complex rhythms traditionally have a disorienting tendency, the TSQ seemed to be having a wonderful conversation with each other. The opening of the Mendelssohn Quartet in E minor following intermission was the apex of the evening. The pure emotion of the floating melody expressed the passion each quartet member felt as they sang good-bye to the hall that they have learned to call home. Underneath the beauty of the melody an urgent rhythm served as an ominous reminder of the finality of the evening. After bringing the entire hall to its feet, the quartet gave its audience an encore: Mozart’s “Hoffmeister” quartet. It was impossible to understand what each musician was feeling as the concert progressed. The music moved through an extensive range of emotions: the energy of Haydn, the forward tones of Bartok and the rich sonorities of Mendelssohn. What shined through every note was a moving love for the wonderful music they created. Contact DANA SCHNEIDER at dana.schneider@yale.edu .