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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, APRIL 10, 2013 · VOL. CXXXV, NO. 118 · yaledailynews.com

INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING

RAINY RAINY

57 66

CROSS CAMPUS

SMILOW HOSPITAL TREATING CANCER WITH ARTWORK

ENDORSEMENTS

INTRAMURALS

HEAVYWEIGHT CREW

The News picks winners in this year’s Yale College Council elections

NEW APPS HELPS COLLEGES FILL THEIR TEAMS

Internationals dominate the team, representing six different countries

PAGES 6-7 CULTURE

PAGE 2 OPINION

PAGE 3 NEWS

PAGE 12 SPORTS

Fans look for support

Madam President. Yalies excited for the upcoming Yale College Council elections have nominated their own dark-horse candidate for YCC president: Jodie Foster ’85. Yes, the Academy Award-winning actress. According to Foster’s alleged Facebook campaign platform, she vows to “make Contact with every Inside Man and Taxi Driver on campus.” As of press time, the Facebook page had 12 “likes.”

PAYNE WHITNEY RENOVATION SET FOR NEXT TWO YEARS BY SOPHIE GOULD STAFF REPORTER

tion and a meal for $50 per game. Fifty tickets will be available for each game, and the package will be subsidized by the Council of Masters and the Yale College Dean’s Office in addition to the YCC. “I think the initial price of the ticket was really too high,” Athletics Director Tom Beckett said prior to the YCC announcement. “We probably misread the interest of the fans, and the price of going was just too expensive. So we subsidized the ticket by half, and that still was too difficult because the transportation

Payne Whitney Gymnasium will finally shed its blue scaffolding within the next few years, but other construction projects on campus remain suspended indefinitely. This weekend, members of the Yale Corporation approved $20 million for the completion of the exterior renovation of Payne Whitney over the next two years, Provost Benjamin Polak told the News. Though the renovation has now become a priority “for safety reasons,” Polak said, many of Yale’s other major construction projects that were suspended during the recession — including the two new residential colleges — have yet to be revived. When the Corporation approved a $375 million capital budget this weekend for the 2013-’14 fiscal year, they intentionally did not include funding for these projects to refrain from burdening President-elect Peter Salovey with major financial commitments before he assumes the presidency. “We’ve made decisions just for next year,” University President Richard Levin said. “There’s some safety-driven projects [like] some of the repairs on Payne Whitney Gym, [but] for the most part, the basic idea was not to make priority choices among major projects until the new president and provost have had a chance to review the options and consult with faculty to decide.” Administrators decided to propose a oneyear budget plan rather than the usual fiveyear plan to give Salovey time to make decisions about how much the University can afford to spend over the next five years on capital projects, Polak said. Proposed major projects such as the new residential colleges and the new research building at the Medical School were not discussed at length at April’s Corporation meeting, and their time-

SEE FROZEN FOUR PAGE 4

SEE BUDGET PAGE 4

New Haven to Philadelphia.

Peter Ammon GRD ’05 SOM ’05 has been named the University of Pennsylvania’s new chief investment officer, replacing Kristin Gilbertson, who announced last October that she would step down from her position. Ammon has worked at the Yale Investments Office since 2005 and will begin overseeing Penn’s endowment — which was valued at $6.8 billion as of June 30 last year — on July 1. Okay. An astute Business Insider article published Tuesday aimed to compare Yale and Harvard across six categories: cost, academics, job prospects, campus, student body and student life. Though the article found that Yale edged out Harvard on student life, and that the two schools were roughly equal on academics, it concluded that Harvard had the advantage in cost, job prospects, campus and student body. We call BS. Have you seen Harvard’s student body? Speaking of Harvard, the

school’s College Events Board and the Harvard College Concert Commission announced that they will retain Tyga — best known for his song “Rack City” — as the school’s spring concert headliner despite criticism that the rapper’s lyrics are misogynistic and “wholly inappropriate.” Instead, organizers said they would push back the start time of his performance to accommodate dissatisfied students.

Being quirky. Three Yale

alumni have teamed up on Kickstarter to raise funds for a Web series called “Me & Zooey D.” that would launch on YouTube on May 30. The online television show, which features a girl who moves to Los Angeles to become best friends with indie favorite Zooey Deschanel, was put together by Ari Berkowitz ’12, Hunter Wolk ’12 and Carina Sposato ’12, and promises “lots of cupcakes and polkadots” for backers. As of press time, the project had 15 backers pledging $510 in total.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1968 University President Kingman Brewster Jr. affirms Yale’s commitment to “do more” about the problems facing the Elm City’s minority community. Brewster issued a memorandum the previous night announcing plans to establish a new Yale Council on Community Affairs and provide the group with $40,000. Submit tips to Cross Campus

crosscampus@yaledailynews.com

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Construction on campus still stalled

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Student ticket sales have been sluggish for the men’s hockey team’s Frozen Four debut in Pittsburgh this week. BY ASHTON WACKYM STAFF REPORTER Steven Morales ’13 has been to almost every men’s hockey game at Yale over the past four years and has traveled to each of the Elis’ NCAA tournament games east of Ohio during his time at Yale. This week, he will make the journey to Pittsburgh to support the Blue and White as they take on UMass-Lowell, but when he gets there he may find himself part of one of the smallest student sections at the Frozen Four. While other schools with teams going to Pittsburgh have heavily

subsidized student tickets, travel and lodging, Yale has offered only last-minute price reductions and travel options for students looking to support the Bulldogs this week. Student tickets went on sale at the Yale Ticket Office on Wednesday at the NCAA-listed price of $200. On Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the deadline to purchase tickets, the Yale Ticket Office reduced the price of tickets to $100 in response to low student demand. On Tuesday night, the Yale College Council announced a plan to offer students a package including single-game tickets, bus transporta-

NHPD reinstates SVU unit BY LORENZO LIGATO STAFF REPORTER In an ongoing effort to rebuild and strengthen the city’s police force, the New Haven Police Department has reinstated a unit dedicated to sexual and elderly assault. As the newest addition to the city’s police department, the Special Victim’s Unit will operate as a section of the Investigative Services Division, which focuses on violent cases. SVU will be tasked with conducting investigations into sexual assaults, domestic violence cases and crimes committed against the elderly, as announced by NHPD Chief Dean Esserman during an April 5 press conference at the NHPD’s 1 Union Ave. headquarters. “What I would say to the detectives who are here is that we need the best work you have, to bring justice to those who are offended,” Esserman said. The department had a unit dedicated to special victims until a year ago, but the unit was disbanded due to staffing concerns. After a year without a formal SVU, it became clear that the department needed officers specially trained to handle cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, Esserman said. The new unit currently employs one sergeant and three detectives, according to the unit’s commander Detective

Charter revision groups issue recommendations

Sgt. Al Vazquez. He added that plans are underway to expand SVU in the future. “A lot of people, especially children, are affected by cases of domestic violence and sexual assaults almost on a daily basis,” Vazquez said. “This problem deserves due attention.”

We’ve missed the presence of a Special Victim’s Unit in the department, and we’re thrilled to have it back. BARBARA BELLUCCI Advocate, Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven DIANA LI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Esserman said the unit was reinstated under the aegis of Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and other agencies dedicated to preventing violence against women, children and the elderly, such as the Yale Child Study Center and the Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven. Psychiatry professor Steven Marans, who serves as the director of the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at the Yale Child Study SEE NHPD PAGE 4

The charter commission will now draft final recommendations to send to the Board of Aldermen. BY DIANA LI STAFF REPORTER New Haven’s once-a-decade charter revision commission entered the next stage of updating the city’s constitution on Tuesday. After splitting into three working groups to develop potential changes to the charter, commission members reconvened to share each group’s recommendations, which included increasing term lengths for elected officials, adding elected members to the Board of Education and institutionalizing

the Civilian Review Board. The commission must now send its final recommendations to the Board of Aldermen by May for approval before the measures head to the November ballot for a city vote. Group B recommended increasing office terms for mayor, city clerk and aldermen from two to four years, to be effective Jan. 1, 2016. “Two years doesn’t seem to be a long enough time, and it actually does take that long to get yourself oriented and to learn SEE CHARTER PAGE 4

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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

OPINION

.COMMENT “I don't think there's bound to be much interest in leading the salad yaledailynews.com/opinion

committee … ”

'ALONNINOS' IN 'YCC CANDIDATES UNOPPOSED IN RACES'

NEWS’

VIEW

Yale College Council Endorsements The first step toward legitimacy

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he Yale College Council has nothing to lose and everything to gain from this election. So do Yale students. At a point when our faith and interest in student government seems to have ebbed to its lowest point, we look forward to turning a new page this week. We deserve legitimate student representation. We are disappointed by the three uncontested races for executive board — especially the race for the presidency. For better or for worse, the YCC president serves as the face of the student body to the Yale Corporation and our administration. It is a position with

plenty of potential, and it deserves a vigorous campus competition each year. Through elections, candidates are forced evaluate and refine their platforms, better positioning themselves to lead should they win. We hope the uncontested candidates will take the opportunity to critically examine their own platforms even without provocation. The News will not be endorsing candidates in the three uncontested races. Our lack of endorsement should not read as a vote of no confidence. Instead, we hope to give the candidates’ platforms the public evaluation they would have received in contested races.

We are cautiously optimistic about the candidacy of Danny Avraham ’15. He is respected around campus, and his choice to launch a small-scale campaign in the absence of a competitor has impressed us. Avraham has rightly recognized the structural issues that have plagued the YCC, particularly the lack of overlap between YCC committees and analogous groups within the Yale administration. He says he will work to move student selection for these committees later, and he will need to find a way around the confidentiality that makes administrative committees difficult partners. But Avraham has already had success as YCC vice president, reorganizing the council around projects,

SECRETARY

rather than committees, during his tenure. We remain unconvinced, however, that the Yale College Council needs three new executive board positions — one of Avraham’s central goals — especially when the council already has trouble recruiting candidates. We hope to see Avraham achieve within the current structure, rather than attempt to reform the council with unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. We hope Avraham will remember that the most successful Yale College Councils develop productive relationships with administrators. Avraham must realize the art of conversation will be his most useful tool; he cannot only arrive with a survey. Avraham’s own ideas

range from the ambitious to the easily achievable. Moving forward, we hope he will not forget to look outside the YCC for inspiration, enabling the YCC to serve as truly legitimate form of student representation.

WE MUST STILL EVALUATE OUR CANDIDATES We are excited about the candidacy of Kyle Tramonte ’15. Tramonte seems prepared to be a proactive leader, rather than to resign himself to the reactive attitude this year’s council has embraced. He understands that reforming the YCC means not only repairing

the council’s relationship with the student body as a whole, but also by cultivating a more motivated, more efficient and more effective YCC internally. He will be a listener, and we hope Avraham will consistently turn to him for advice. We are satisfied with the candidacy of Eli Rivkin ’15 for events director. Event planning is already the YCC’s stronger suit, and we expect consistency under Rivkin’s leadership. He has proved creative throughout his time on the YCC, and we look forward to seeing him develop new events for the student body. And with the right choice for Spring Fling Committee chair, Rivkin will be able to build upon the greatest success of this year’s YCC.

TREASURER

Andrew Grass ’16 Leigh Hamilton ’15

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oth of the candidates for secretary hope to join the YCC executive board, but only one seems truly interested in the specifics of his chosen position. For that reason, the News endorses Andrew Grass ’16. Grass comes to the table with an extensive series of proposals to communicate with the student body. Grass also clearly understands the need for YCC executive board members to develop strong relationships with administrators. This past year, the YCC sent out numerous surveys of questionable statistical merit; Grass’s plan to partner with the Office of Institutional Research to improve the YCC’s fact-finding capabilities will legitimize the council’s role as an aggregate of student opinion. And Grass’s impressive campaign website demonstrates he has the social media savvy to carry out his proposals to improve the YCC’s online presence without bombarding the student body with needless emails.

The Freshman Class Council is often limited to serving as an party planning organization. But under Grass’s leadership as chair, the FCC organized a Day of Relaxation. Grass explained that the Day was an event-based way to tackle a campus policy issue, mental health, enabling the FCC to make an impact while staying within its mandate. We appreciate this unique approach, and hope Grass’s tenure will be similarly defined by creative solutions to common problems.

Grass will excel at fulfilling the actual responsibilities the secretary position entails. Grass understands the position of the secretary not as he wishes it to be, but as it needs to be to ensure competent communication.

SPECIFICS FOR SECRETARY Rohan Goswami’s ’15 platform of policy proposals is worthwhile, but he should be running for president or vice president if he is more interested in crafting policy than fulfilling administrative tasks. Though Goswami would be a competent secretary, we believe

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Executive board members must fulfill their designated duties before they can move on to larger tasks. We have confidence Hamilton will do just that.

THE CLEARER VISION FOR THE POSITION We admire Eugene Yi’s ’15 commitment to working with a broad range of students and restarting the YCC’s relationship with our university's president and the New Haven community at large. We hope the YCC executive board will embrace these communityoriented ideas, and that Yi will help implement them as a continued member of the council. But in choosing a YCC treasurer, we defer to the candidate with stronger budgetary proposals.

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Brian Lei ’16

ONL. BUSINESS. MANAGER Yume Hoshijima ONL. DEV. MANAGER Vincent Hu

$10K Challenge. Selecting project winners before winter break is a practical solution that will lead to greater accountability during the year.

UNDERGRADUATE ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

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EDITOR IN CHIEF Tapley Stephenson

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he two candidates for the position of treasurer would both be assets to the YCC executive board. They are competent and qualified members of the current council — personable and known on campus. However, one offered a more clear vision for the role of the treasurer for next year’s YCC. For that reason, we endorse Leigh Hamilton ’15 for treasurer. Hamilton understands that the broader YCC must have input into the year’s budget before launching into the year. Hamilton's plan to have YCC members approve a budget before spending commences is a simple and feasible reform that will force the council to prioritize budget items early on. Increasing the transparency of the budget process will allow Yalies to approach their representatives about the council’s priorities. Hamilton also has tangible proposals to fix and reform the

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ut of the four candidates for the position of Undergraduate Organizations Committee chair, three were unable to demonstrate the kind of familiarity that would enable them to lead the UOC on day one. For that reason, the News endorses Brian Lei ’16. Unlike the other candidates, who lack any firsthand UOC experience, Lei’s familiarity with the committee is extensive. As UOC chair, Lei will be able to build upon the relationships with administrators he developed as a member of the committee, as well as Capital Equipment Director for the first semester. A candidate without formal UOC experience will be unable to learn the nuances of the committee in time to effect real change; forcing the UOC to begin anew each year would be a disservice to campus organizations. We doubt the Yale College

Council would be well served by a candidate with no experience on the council; the same should stand for the UOC.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS IN UOC RACE We appreciate Lei’s practical approach. Lei best understands that the UOC must work within the confines of its mandate and its budget. His firm understanding of the committee’s discretionary role will enable him to make smart and consistent decisions in order to fairly fund student organizations. The biggest roadblock to a successful UOC is a failure to coordinate budget matters with University administration; we trust this

will not be an issue with Lei. We look forward to Lei’s work to bring transparency and feedback to the funding process — something he is uniquely qualified to do from his detailed knowledge of UOC policy. His idea to restructure the UOC bank account will enable student groups to access their funding more easily. And we hope to see Lei combat the committee's flaky reputation and repair shoddy equipment through his plan to establish paid positions for UOC members to help with undergraduate events. Grant Fergusson ’16 is charismatic, Ben Ackerman ’16 energetic, Zenas Han ’15 innovative — but none seem to have done the necessary research. We hope they will remain involved with the YCC next year, so that they can translate their passion to the council’s numerous other projects. Lei will need to incorporate their engaging styles into his

own leadership next year. We look forward to seeing Lei lead the UOC into its second year with capability, confidence and experience.

MARIA ZEPEDA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

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NEWS

“Athletics: it’s a wonderful thing, it’s a spellbinding thing, nothing in life has quite as much pageantry, as much emotion within a finite time frame.” H. G. BISSINGER AUTHOR OF “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”

SOM hosts first integrated case competition BY ALEKSANDRA GJORGIEVSKA STAFF REPORTER Last Saturday, students from four U.S. business schools participated in the School of Management’s inaugural integrated leadership case competition, in which students attempted to solve a simulated scenario of a problem that could arise in the business world. In teams of four, competitors from the Wharton School of Business, Penn State Smeal College of Business, New York University Stern School of Business and SOM had to analyze a “raw” case — a type of online, interactive case with several multimedia elements, pioneered by SOM. Unlike traditional cases, which are narrative and ask students clearly defined problems, “raw” cases require students to locate the problems themselves after analyzing various primary sources. SOM students, professors and administrators said the case competition — the first one at SOM to include peer business schools — exemplified SOM’s interdisciplinary approach to the business world and highlighted elements of the school’s core curriculum, which aims to combine academic course work and practical experience. “[SOM] Dean [Edward] Snyder and I were on board with the project from the beginning, in part because the competition picks up on SOM’s distinctive features,” said Senior Associate Dean for the full-time MBA program Anjani Jain. “Alongside showcasing SOM’s living, breathing raw case, the competition posed a problem that cut across disciplinary boundaries and business sectors to truly expose students to all of the realities of the business world, which is what we do here with the core curriculum.”

In last weekend’s competition, participants were expected to find a creative way to boost recruitment at a fictional bank facing a drop in MBA recruiting while also considering the problem’s ethical implications. The case did not have a “black-orwhite” answer in part because the competition emphasized that leadership in the business world should transcend sectors and industries — teams were required to include students from different disciplines and professional backgrounds, said Caitlin Sullivan SOM ’13, who came up with the idea for the competition. Participants were encouraged to think about the problem’s ethical dimensions, she said, adding that competitors were challenged to find ways to spur ethically sound behaviors at all levels of management.

The competition posed a problem that cut across disciplinary boundaries and business sectors to truly expose students to all of the realities of the business world. ANJANI JAIN Senior associate dean, SOM’s full-time MBA program Teams were judged by four members of the SOM community and received feedback from a group of eight SOM students trained to assess the teams according to techniques taught in the school’s leadership development program — which focuses

on teaching business students leadership skills through interdisciplinary learning and realworld experience — said Thomas Kolditz, head of the leadership development program. The SOM students evaluated the teams’ leadership skills as they were working, and the feedback participants received about their performances did not factor into the judges’ final decision. “Participants were observed while doing the types of work they will do in the future — I don’t think that has been done in a case competition anywhere, ever,” Kolditz said. “People usually judge only the teams’ final presentations, not the leadership demonstrated during the teamwork.” Given the strong connection between the goals of the competition and those of the SOM’s core curriculum, Jain said he thinks SOM professors could use some of the participants’ analyses and conclusions in their courses. He said SOM administrators look forward to including even more students and schools in future competitions. SOM professor William Goetzmann, one of four judges for the competition, said that the competition emphasized teamwork and the ability to solve problems — two crucial aspects of an SOM education. He added that he thinks students from peer business schools seemed to appreciate the challenges of a raw case. The Wharton School of Business team won the competition in front of an audience of approximately 40 members of the Yale community.

MAP INTEGRATED LEADERSHIP CASE COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS

Yale School of Management

NYU Stern School of Business Penn State Smeal College of Business Wharton School of Business

Contact ALEKSANDRA GJORGIEVSKA at aleksandra.gjorgievska@yale.edu .

City rallies behind immigration

New intramural website debuts BY J.R. REED STAFF REPORTER

MONICA DISARE/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Approximately 50 Yale students and hundreds of New Haven residents called for immigration reform in a citywide rally. BY MONICA DISARE STAFF REPORTER Cries for change echoed from Beinecke Plaza to the New Haven Green Tuesday as hundreds rallied across New Haven for comprehensive immigration reform. Yale students began rallying at approximately 5 p.m. in Beinecke Plaza, where students shared personal stories before heading over to the New Haven Green. Signs in hand, the group of about 50 students met hundreds of New Haven residents at the Green carrying signs with messages such as “Treat others the way you’d like to be treated” while chanting “Ahora! Ahora!” The group walked the perimeter of the New Haven Green and ended at a stage next to City Hall where Mayor John DeStefano Jr., State Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield and representatives from various political offices throughout New Haven gave speeches on the importance of immigration reform. Those marching consider themselves to be part of a movement for comprehensive immigration

reform across the country that is working toward goals such as offering undocumented residents a path to citizenship. The larger movement also included Tuesday rallies in Danbury and Bridgeport. “The system now is broken and demonizes a lot of people,” said Christofer Rodelo, the political action chair of the Yale hispanic advocacy organization MEChA. “There needs to be a more humanizing effort.” Protesters cried for a host of changes to the United States immigration system, which was criticized for not respecting human rights. Many spoke for the need to prevent families from being torn apart and to allow undocumented workers to obtain driver’s licenses. Students interviewed said the rally eliminated distinctions between the Yale community, the immigrant community and the New Haven community. Juan Carlos Cerda ’15, who was undocumented until last year, said that being undocumented at Yale “was not the most pleasant experience.” Katherine Aragon, the moderator

of MEChA, explained the connection between Yale students and the immigrant community. “Yale is here today. We are standing with New Haven and with immigrants,” Aragon said. “This is not the first time we have rallied and it’s not the last time we will rally.” MEChA was not the only student activist group at the rally. Representatives from many cultural groups that support political activism were present. Nia Holston ’14, the political action chair for the Black Student Alliance at Yale spoke of the need for African Americans and Hispanics to stand together to push for immigration reform in order to promote human rights. “The first wave of illegal immigrants in this country came in 1492,” said Sebastian Medina-Tayac, the events coordinator of the Association of Native Americans at Yale. Today there will be a march for immigration reform in Washington, D.C. Contact MONICA DISARE at monica.disare@yale.edu .

Thanks to a new website designed by Calhoun Intramural Sports Secretary Ben Sherman ’13, aspiring Yale athletes no longer have to make the long trek up to the IM fields to find that their team has forfeited. The new website allows students from every college to sign up for intramural games they can attend and sends two email alerts to confirm their participation. Sherman started developing the website during the studentrun Hackathon on Feb. 23 and 24 — one week after two Calhoun IM teams he captained were forced to forfeit games — and received positive feedback on the website after he submitted it to the YCC’s App Challenge on March 1. Sherman said he designed the website to encourage greater participation in IMs because he thinks more students will participate if they are assured there will be enough players. “One of the challenges of being a captain of an IM sports team is convincing people to play,” Sherman said. “People at Yale are busy, and they only want to come if they are sure they’re going to have the opportunity to play.” Sherman said he believes poor attendance in IM games is caused by a lack of communication, adding that the website would help improve communication by consolidating player information. After students sign up for games, they are sent one email 45 minutes before the start time to confirm their attendance and another 30 minutes before alerting students that their college has enough players for the game. The website also notifies players if games are rescheduled or canceled, he added. Sherman said that Head IM Secretary Michael Garn ’15 has stated he would like the website to replace the current IM website officially next fall. In the meantime, college captains can use the site to organize their own IM teams. Silliman IM Secretary Daryl Hok ’14, who has already used the website to recruit players for a badminton game on Monday, said that Sherman did a good job addressing the problems IM teams face. “I’ve heard a lot of feedback from people saying this should have been here a lot earlier,” Hok said. “It makes things very simple for captains.” The website does not indicate players’ genders, Hok added, which is a necessary feature for sports that

require a certain number of girls and boys. But Hok said Sherman had indicated to IM secretaries that the problem would be fixed shortly. Trumbull IM Secretary Lindsey Mischner ’13 said she likes that the website can specify her own college’s schedule of games and gives the option to export the schedule to iCal or Google Calendar. “I think it could be a very useful tool, especially on the administrative side of the IM secretary job,” she said. “One of the duties of an IM secretary that is purely organizational — and, frankly, tedious — is creating the college’s calendar at the beginning of each season, so that will definitely be a boon to IM secretaries across the board.”

One of the challenges of being a captain of an IM sports team is convincing people to play. BEN SHERMAN ’13 Intramural sports secretary, Calhoun College But Mischner said she was not sure how the new IM website would impact sports participation because the website’s automation may not be able to provide the personal contact that incentivizes players to participate. She has found success in getting people to play partially through advertisement but also through the establishment of personal connections and friendships, she added. Mischner also said she thinks a potential player might be “more likely to flake” when the person sees that a team has enough people to avoid forfeiting. Pierson IM Secretary Alexander Haden ’14 said he thought the website would be effective in keeping dedicated IM athletes informed, but he added that he did not know if it would motivate students who do not usually attend IMs. “I think [the website] could work for some people, but for the first few years, I think we will stick to the same process we use,” he said. Spring IM sports include dodgeball, softball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, golf, Ultimate Frisbee, billiards and croquet. Contact J.R. REED at jonathan.t.reed@yale.edu .

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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

FROM THE FRONT

“I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.” RODNEY DANGERFIELD AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR, KNOWN FOR THE CATCHPHRASE “I DON’T GET NO RESPECT!”

Commission suggests longer terms CHARTER FROM PAGE 1 these positions,” commission member Elizabeth Torres said. “We thought that if elections happened every two years, then people would be campaigning more often. We also learned that we can save the city some money by doing fewer elections — it’s something like $100,000 every few years.” Torres said Group B also suggested increasing the salary of aldermen, though the group could not reach an agreement for a formula to determine the specific amount. Commission member and Community Foundation for Greater New Haven President Will Ginbserg said the current stipend for aldermen is “inadequate” given the work they do, and the group recommended that the entire commission discuss the issue further. Group A suggested instituting a hybrid Board of Education, Melissa Mason said. Currently, all positions on the board are appointed by the mayor, who also sits on the board. In the new plan, the board would include two elected members in addition to five members appointed by the mayor. Additionally, the group recommended including two nonvoting student members on the Board of Education.

Two years doesn’t seem to be a long enough time, and it actually does take that long to get yourself oriented. ELIZABETH TORRES Member, Charter revision commission Commision member Joelle Fishman presented Group C’s recommendations, which included estab-

SVU to return after hiatus NHPD FROM PAGE 1

of having a high alderman-resident ratio. After the commission sends its final recommendations to the Board of Aldermen, the Board will have a period of 60 days to review the recommendations and make its own suggestions based on the draft. The Board will ultimately decide what suggestions head to the ballot for voters to decide in November. The charter revision commission was established in November of last year.

Center, said he has been working with NHPD for over 20 years to meet the needs of children and families affected by violence. “I’m delighted by the announcement [of the unit], and I can say with great pride that this department is the leading edge of policing in this country,” said Marans, who will now partner with the Special Victim’s Unit. “The department went a long way to extend the outstanding services that are already available.” Barbara Bellucci, a family violence victim advocate with Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven, also applauded the return of a unit for domestic violence within the city’s police department. “We’ve missed the presence of a Special Victim’s Unit in the department and we’re thrilled to have it back,” Bellucci said. DeStefano said the addition of SVU is in keeping with many of the new NHPD initiatives since Esserman took the helm of the city’s police department in November 2011 — from putting police officers on walking patrols throughout the Elm City to strengthening New Haven’s 10 police districts. “People pay a lot of tax dollars and they should get the services they deserve,” DeStefano said. According to police records, the city has received six reports of felony sexual assaults so far this year, compared to eight at this time last year.

Contact DIANA LI at diana.li@yale.edu .

Contact LORENZO LIGATO at lorenzo.ligato@yale.edu .

DIANA LI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Working groups have suggested increasing aldermanic salaries and implementing gender-neutral language in the charter. lishing the Civilian Review Board, which provides oversight of police complaints, within the charter. “We examined the testimonies of people about the Civilian Review Board and in doing so, we learned about many concerns that are beyond the scope of this charter,” Fishman said. “But we have notes and we are going to provide them to the Board of Aldermen for further examination.” Fishman added that the group decided that the Board of Aldermen should handle changes to the Democracy Fund instead of enshrining the insitituion within the charter. She said that while the Fund is

“important,” it is still in its development stage and should thus be handled by the Board. Commission members from Group B recommended implementing gender-neutral language in the charter, changing “alderman” to “alder” throughout the document, an idea about which Ward 9 Jessica Holmes and Ward 7 Alderman Doug Hausladen ’04 have testified at public hearings in the charter revision process. Group A also concluded that the Elm City should continue with its structure of 30 aldermen and wards, explaining that individuals who testified emphasized the importance

Corp funds oneyear capital budget BUDGET FROM PAGE 1 frames will depend on factors such as alumni gifts and the University’s debtto-endowment ratio, he said. While most projects can wait for Salovey’s consideration, Levin said it made sense for a handful of projects already in the works, including the renovation of Payne Whitney, to move forward next year. Though construction on the gym’s exterior began in 2007, it was halted during the recession because of budget cuts and has remained half-finished and covered in scaffolding over the past several years. “Conditions up there [on Payne Whitney’s exterior] under the wood are dangerous, and it needs to be made safe,” Polak said. Levin told the News in September that it was necessary to leave the scaffolding on Payne Whitney to prevent the stonework from falling off the building. The one-year capital budget plan approved last weekend also includes funding for the renovation of the Sterling Library nave, the completion of the School of Nursing’s new building on West Campus and the replacement of the gas turbines at the Yale Power Plant. But many of these projects will take more than one year to complete, Polak said, so Salovey will automatically inherit some capital budget commitments. The gas turbines, for example, will cost about $50 million over a period of several years, said Thomas Starr, the manager of the Yale Central Power Plant. Including only these new projects and continuing projects, the University has already committed to spending $624

million on capital projects over the next five years, Polak said, adding that this figure excludes all the projects still waiting for Salovey’s consideration. Some of the projects that remain on hold continue to receive “planning” funding under the approved capital budget. Funding planning initiatives, which include working with architects and preparing sites for construction, does not commit the University to go through with any given project, Polak said, and the capital budget includes $2.4 million to plan for the upcoming renovation of the Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscripts Library. Salovey said the University’s goal at the moment is to keep various projects, “from Science Hill to the Hall of Graduate Studies,” moving forward while restarting stalled projects like Hendrie Hall, which Polak said can progress because it is almost entirely funded by gifts. Levin said in February that the renovation of Hendrie would begin in 2014. Polak said Salovey will have to consider how to keep costs down in future capital projects. “The last time we were building a lot was the 2000s, during the ‘bubble era,’ and we weren’t thinking tremendously about costs,” Polak said. “We can’t do that now. We’ve got to be a little bit more careful about how we build and the level at which we build. Which buildings will be iconic buildings of Yale and which will just be good buildings?” Capital spending on facilities in fiscal year 2012 totaled $284.5 million. Contact SOPHIE GOULD at sophie.gould@yale.edu .

BY THE NUMBERS YALE’S CAPITAL PROJECTS $375m $624m $20m $50m $45m $2.4m Size of the capital budget the Yale Corporation approved for the 2013-’14 academic year

Total amount of money committed over the next five years to pre-approved capital projects

Approved total funding for PWG renovation, to be spent over the next two years Estimated total cost of the approved replacement of the gas turbines at the Yale Power Plant Estimated total cost of Hendrie Hall renovations

Approved 2013-’14 funding for planning the proposed renovation of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscripts Library

YCC offers $50 package FROZEN FOUR FROM PAGE 1 was still too difficult.” The late YCC package aims to remedy the problem of finding transportation, but leaves students little time to plan with the Thursday game less than two days away. And students like Morales who have already made plans may be stuck with the cost of travel and lodging. Meanwhile, the UMass-Lowell Athletics website advertised a $150 sold-out package including an allsession ticket to both the semifinals and the national championship game, bus transportation and two nights at the Residence Inn in Pittsburgh. Beginning on Thursday, Quinnipiac offered on its website all-session tickets for students at a reduced rate of $50 and free bus transportation to and from Pittsburgh on both Thursday and Saturday. Quinnipiac sold out all 600 tickets allotted to it by the NCAA for sale to both students and fans. Yale earmarked 100 of its tickets for student sale, and Beckett said that Yale has sold over 400 of its allocation in total. Goaltender Nick Maricic ’13 said that the team hopes to see its fans in the arena cheering the Bulldogs on when it takes the ice on Thursday.

NCAA regionals in Wooster, Mass., and Bridgeport, Conn., and many Yale students traveled to the nearby venues to attend. Each time, the Elis fell in the finals, before advancing to their first Frozen Four since 1952 this season. The gravity of this week’s game has not eluded students like Morales. “[Hockey is] the only major sport where Yale has that elite status, so

going to the Frozen Four is something that we as a campus should really rally around,” the senior said. “I would really love to see that happen.” The puck will drop in Yale’s semifinal game against UMass-Lowell at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Contact ASHTON WACKYM at ashton.wackym@yale.edu .

We are thrilled with all the support we have had so far and would love to see it in Pittsburgh. NICK MARICIC ’13 “We are thrilled with all the support we have had so far and would love to see it in Pittsburgh,” he said. “When it comes to this weekend, the more the better.” Beckett said that the University’s experience with the NCAA regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., contributed to its misunderstanding of students’ willingness to purchase the $200 tickets. He noted that hundreds of students attended the viewing party in John J. Lee Amphitheater for both the regional semifinal against Minnesota and the regional final against North Dakota. “We thought there would be a line of students out the door [for Frozen Four tickets], and we misread that,” Beckett said. “We’re trying to make adjustments now to see if we can get students there to make this trip and come back to campus after the game.” In 2009 and 2010 Yale played in the

TORY BURNSIDE CLAPP/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Yale has offered last-minute price reductions and travel options to students looking to support the team in Pittsburgh.

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

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NEWS

“In Latin America, even atheists are Catholics.” CARLOS FUENTES MEXICAN NOVELIST AND ESSAYIST

Former president looks to growth in Latin America BY EMMA GOLDBERG STAFF REPORTER Following the recent appointment of Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church, the region is becoming increasingly important in the sphere of global politics, according to former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández. Fernández, who led the Dominican Republic from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2012, addressed a crowd of roughly 100 students and faculty at the Yale Law School on Tuesday. Fernández spoke about Latin America’s economic growth in recent years and touched on the importance of the Latino community in the United States.

Latin America is a region of enormous contrasts — it is not wealthy enough to become the center of global financial transactions, but it is not poor enough to produce worldwide pity. JENNIFER CHEUNG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

LEONEL FERNÁNDEZ Former president, Dominican Republic “Latin America is a region of enormous contrasts — it is not wealthy enough to become the center of global financial transactions, but it is not poor enough to produce worldwide pity,” Fernández said. “It is also not dangerous enough to evoke global fear.” Comprised of 33 sovereign nations, Latin America is a diverse and complex area of the globe, Fernández said. He discussed some of the challenges facing the region, including drug trafficking and the illegal weapons trade. Latin American coun-

Former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández offered an optimistic view of Latin America’s future at a Tuesday talk. tries, though, have made significant economic progress in the past decade in areas such as poverty reduction and improved income distribution, he said. Fernández stressed the importance of education and technology in promoting economic stability in Latin American countries. While he said nations such as the Dominican Republic still have to overcome several obstacles to integrate with the global economy, reflecting on the past decade makes him hopeful about the region’s future. “For the first time in the region’s history, access to educa-

tion has broadened,” Fernández said. “In terms of infrastructure, changes in nearly every country have been astounding.” Though Fernández said Internet and mobile phone access is growing across Latin America, its nations would benefit from investing further in new technologies and innovation. Latin American countries have spent the past decade educating their populations about marketing and finance, he said, but they now need to focus on engineering and sustainable resource development. With media attention turned

to the upcoming election in Venezuela, Fernández said many are questioning the strength of democracy in the region. Most Latin American populations have a new appreciation for the benefits democratic governments have brought to the region, he said, adding that left-wing movements are flourishing and challenging free-market policies. Fernández named well-known Latinos, such as Jennifer Lopez and Carlos Santana, who have played an important role in American society. He said 52 million Latinos currently live in the United States, though the pop-

ulation will grow to 150 million by 2050. The significance of this numerical growth, he explained, is that Latinos are increasingly wielding influence over U.S. elections — particularly the 2012 presidential election of Barack Obama. Students and faculty who attended the lecture said Fernández was accessible and they appreciated his optimistic view on Latin American politics. “I appreciated that he was down-to-earth and catered to a broad range of interests,” said Jean Silk, program manager of Latin American and Iberian

Studies. “I think anyone could find something in his presentation to engage with regardless of their areas of expertise.” School of Medicine professor Aryan Shayegani said she enjoyed Fernández’s speech because he discussed the politics of the entire Latin American region rather than focusing specifically on the Dominican Republic. Fernández was the 51st and 53rd president of the Dominican Republic. Contact EMMA GOLDBERG at emma.goldberg@yale.edu .

Inflammation research receives $10M donation BY PAYAL MARATHE STAFF REPORTER The Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Immunobiology, which Dean Robert Alpern called one of the best in the country, just got stronger — on Monday, the program received a $10 million contribution from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. This gift, which Alpern said is one of the largest the Department of Immunobiology has ever received, was donated specifically to the laboratories of Department Chair Richard Flavell and immunobiology professor Ruslan Medzhitov. Flavell and Medzhitov are currently investigating the relationship between inflammation and prevalent human diseases. While inflammation has been studied for

almost a century, Medzhitov said that up until roughly six years ago, the symptom was only studied in the context of acute infections. Now, the scientific community has realized that almost every human disease, including obesity, diabetes and cancer, is inflammatory, he added. “This is a new development — that inflammation applies to the pathology of many human diseases — and we don’t have the knowledge yet to explain why that is,” Medzhitov said. To pursue this question, Medzhitov said he plans on studying the fundamental mechanisms of inflammation in animal and human models and on exploring why the normal, homeostatic state is suppressed when the inflammatory, emergency state is activated. His goal

is to determine why inflammation is such a prominent symptom in chronic human diseases, he added.

What we’re really trying to understand is how inflammation is caused in very common diseases that affect people in the developed world. RICHARD FLAVELL Chair, Immunobiology Department Flavell said he thinks the foundation was interested in his and

Medzhitov’s research because both projects are “at the forefront” of studying a common symptom in human diseases. Flavell’s research is focused on identifying the inflammation-causing bacteria found in humans suffering from conditions such as Crohn’s disease, childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, he said. So far, Flavell said he has shown how harmful bacteria cause inflammation in mice, adding that he plans on using the extra funding to sequence the DNA of bacteria-causing inflammation in humans. “What we’re really trying to understand is how inflammation is caused in very common diseases that affect people in the developed world,” Flavell said, adding that he has noticed increased awareness within the

research community that most human pathologies are in some way associated with inflammation. Alpern said Flavell and Medzhitov are “outstanding researchers with outstanding ideas for how to transform our understanding of inflammation,” adding that the Blavatnik Family Foundation has chosen the best people to advance the field of immunobiology. The Blavatnik gift is important to the field of inflammation research because the problem has to be addressed from multiple angles and thus requires a greater level of funding, Medzhitov said. Given budget cuts in the National Institutes of Health, this research would be impossible under the normal mechanisms of funding alone, he added.

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Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist and philanthropist who heads the foundation, said in an April 8 Yale News press release that he is excited by the theory presented by Flavell’s and Medzhitov’s labs. The theory “represents a paradigm shift in the science of chronic diseases and may lead to new prevention strategies, treatments and even cures for many disorders,” he added. Medzhitov received an award for young scientists from the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007, and he and Flavell were jointly awarded the 2013 Vilcek Prize for Biomedical Science in February. Contact PAYAL MARATHE at payal.marathe@yale.edu .

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CONTACT KAREN TIAN AT karen.tian@yale.edu

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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air.” WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE SPOKEN BY THE WITCHES IN HIS PLAY “MACBETH”

Something electronica this way comes

At Smilow, healing through art

JACOB GEIGER/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The show “Blood Will Have Blood,” written by a Yale undergraduate, deconstructs the world of “Macbeth” by placing Shakespeare’s masterpiece in a 21st-century context. BY RAYMOND NOONAN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

SARI LEVY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale includes an art collection of over 700 pieces that are intended to promote healing, comfort and relief.

SARI LEVY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Depictions of flowers, mountains and the hills of Tuscany are among the more popular paintings. BY ERIC XIAO STAFF REPORTER The Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale treats its patients through more than just clinicians and medical equipment — it also heals them through its artwork. Smilow, which was recently listed at No. 35 in a U.S. News and World Report ranking of the 900 best cancer hospitals in the United States, boasts a large art collection. Named “The Art of Healing,” the collection includes over 700 pieces of art and has been a part of Smilow since the

building’s opening in October 2009. Roughly one year before, clinicians, patients and art consultants began a collaborative process to ensure that each piece in the collection was selected specifically to promote healing, comfort and relief in patients and their families. This emphasis on the role of design in health care facilities has made Smilow a pioneer in what has become a national trend in recent years. “Many health care facilities just clog up the walls with art,” said Abe Lopman, senior vice president of Smilow. “Smilow took a leading, cutting-edge

role in this regard.” Smilow’s architectural and administrative divisions consulted Rosalyn Cama, president and principle interior designer of Cama Inc., on the types of artwork that would create a therapeutic atmosphere, while administrators like Lopman supervised the financial aspects of the project. Cama said hospital administrators’ goal was to create an environment that reduces stress and anxiety in patients and their families. Cama explained that much of the artwork depicts scenes of nature because these themes

trigger memories of different places around the world, which distracts patients from the pain of their illnesses. Elaine Poggi, founder of the international Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals, also emphasized the important role nature plays in hospital art, noting its ability to lessen depression and relieve stress. She added that photographs of flowers, mountains and the hills of Tuscany are the most commonly purchased items from her foundation. Lopman said Smilow sees art as an essential piece of the healing environment, though also acknowledged that not every hospital agrees with this view. But many institutions have begun to realize that the consequences of ignoring the patient

environment are not as harmless as one may expect. Poggi recalled speaking with a woman suffering from depression who experienced a feeling of darkness and despair whenever she was in a hospital waiting room, and felt that her condition was actually worsening because of it. Physician in Chief Thomas Lynch ’82 MED ’86 said Smilow has focused on creating a nurturing and welcoming atmosphere so patients would not feel uncomfortable. “Patients tell me how warm it makes them feel, [and] how they feel they are entering a place that is not like a sterile hospital,” Lynch said. While the amount of scientific data on art’s therapeutic effects has greatly increased over the past decade, individual

patient testimonials continue to be influential in the realm of hospital artwork. Lopman said a committee was formed during the art selection process to offer suggestions to Cama, and noted that the largest group within the committee was patients. Cama said these patients’ suggestions led to the inclusion of “conversation-starting” artifacts from around the world at Smilow. She explained that one patient had told her about the exhaustion and solitude that patients feel in hospitals, noting how such feelings only go away when patients begin to connect with each other. Poggi, whose foundation has provided photographs to over 200 facilities across six continents, was inspired to dedicate herself to hospital art after seeing

Undergraduate poets present in Beinecke BY CYNTHIA HUA STAFF REPORTER

BLAIR SEIDEMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ten undergraduate poets were nominated by Yale’s creative writing faculty to present their work at the annual Yale Student Poets reading.

Champlin, Hernandez, Kahn, Kofman, Mandel, Matthes, MercerGolden, Ritvo, Sullivan, Urry. At a poetry reading Tuesday, Nancy Kuhl, curator at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, ran over the list of names in one breath — these were the 10 undergraduates nominated by Yale’s creative writing faculty for the annual reading of Yale Student Poets. In front of an audience of roughly 50, each student moved through his or her allotted two poems quickly, delivering nearly 20 pieces in a little over half an hour. The 10 are already close-knit, Kuhl said, familiar with each other’s works through creative writing courses and campus literary publications. “You can tell by the way they introduce each other — they’re a fairly tight group,” Kuhl said. Nikola Champlin ’13 said that while the poets collectively leaned toward free verse, without strict traditional meter or rhyme, some focused on structure more than others. “Take me and re- / cede. Break con- / text,” read Orlando Hernandez ’13, enunciating each syllable. Hernandez used line breaks to cut his poem from “Missive” into twoor three-word fragments that ran down the page in a long column. Upon closer examination, each line of Hernandez’s poem can fold in on itself, Champlin said, allowing for multiple interpretations, such as the possibility of reading either “concede” or “recede” in the poem’s opening lines. Other poems offered a more traditional focus. Eli Mandel ’14 selected a pastoral piece — “Town and Country” — for his second recitation, evoking bucolic sentiments of summer berries, a house cat and the passing of seasons.

“Now for a while life won’t / change much,” Mandel said, pausing as his words echoed around the Beinecke. Andrew Kahn ’14 delivered an ekphrastic poem — “Six Swans” — inspired by his discovery of the 19th century Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler at the Neue Galerie in Manhattan over winter break. “A person can see six swans when they look / to the edge of the wasabismeared lake,” Kahn read. After the recital, Max Ritvo ’13 said he admires Kahn’s ability to “volumize the two-dimensional image” by injecting his own voice into descriptive language. Ritvo said Kahn presents a clear image of the painting itself, but then expands his commentary outwards, creating a “mirage-like” impression of the original artwork. Members of the group are acquainted with each other’s writings as part of the poetry community at Yale, Kahn said. Six out of the group are current or previous members of the Yale Literary Magazine’s editorial staff, he added. Sam Sullivan ’13 said that one of his favorite lines in his poem “Bobhouse” was “stolen” from Hernandez. “‘What?’ — what in this way” is precisely the sort of thing Hernandez might say, Sullivan said. Over the course of the reading, some poets — Sarah Matthes ’13, Ava Kofman ’14, Zoe Mercer-Golden ’13 and Ritvo among others — went offbook, reciting poems not included in the event’s agenda and surprising readers who shuffled rapidly through their printout booklets. This spring, Yale is offering creative writing courses in poetry taught by Kimberly Andrews, Sarah Stone GRD ’15 and J.D. McClatchy GRD ’74. Contact CYNTHIA HUA at cynthia.hua@yale.edu .

This weekend, Shakespeare’s King of Scotland will sing over electronica. “Blood Will Have Blood,” an independently produced opera written by undergraduates, deconstructs the world of “Macbeth.” The opera abandons “Macbeth”’s linear narrative to explore the tragedy’s twisted moral logic through monologues by the play’s characters — Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff and the three witches — which will be presented as sung poems and recitatives, during which singers will respond to improvised electronic music by the conductor. “Blood Will Have Blood” will use a 16th century art form to create a 21st century adaptation of the timeless tragedy. “‘Macbeth,’ since it’s been in our history for so long, is now

the comforting effects of nature photographs on her mother, who was hospitalized for three months. Clinicians, administrators and artists involved in creating the collection said that to this day, they are still receiving consistently high amounts of positive feedback about the artwork from patients and their families. “Based on patients’ responses, we realize that the artwork at Smilow has made a major contribution to how people are feeling when they are in the building,” Lopman said. “The Art of Healing” is the third largest permanent art collection in Connecticut. Contact ERIC XIAO at eric.xiao@yale.edu .

more than just the text,” said Baldwin Giang ’14, who will direct the opera and composed its music. Most traditional operas have recitatives, quasi-spoken segments that advance the plot, and arias, moments frozen in time allowing the characters to sing. “Blood Will Have Blood” inverts this structure by chronologically putting its arias first, using them to drive the plot, Giang said. In this inverted structure, the recitatives will present original language from past “Macbeth” productions. The arias include original poems written by six Yale undergraduates. The music will be performed by a chamber orchestra, and the arias are arranged to reveal themes of “Macbeth” that may not be as apparent when the play is read front to back, Giang explained. During the recitatives, the conductor will use a MIDI key-

board — a handheld grid that allows musicians to play electronic music samples — to incorporate clips from more traditional productions of “Macbeth.” The singers will then improvise to the noises they hear, to which the conductor will respond with more sounds. Giang saw this as an opportunity for the singers to engage with past interpretations of Shakespeare’s work and explore modern music’s possibilities. “I’m really interested in the way electronics can represent processes in human life,” Giang said. Terrence Chin-Loy ’14, who plays Macbeth, said works like Giang’s challenge the idea that opera is a remnant of high society by providing new music that audiences can identify with. He said modern operas like “Blood Will Have Blood” do not use the tropes that many classical ones rely on, allowing modern audi-

ences to connect more easily with the work. “If we’re going to attract new people to the opera houses, new works are going to get people there,” Chin-Loy said. “It’s how you keep opera alive.” Steffi Weinraub ’12, who plays Lady Macbeth, said she thinks “Blood Will Have Blood” is different from other opera performances on campus. She explained that the Yale Opera, comprised of School of Music students, usually performs classical works, especially Mozart, because his works stretch the limit of what young voices can do. Weinraub added that “Blood Will Have Blood”’s many discordant tritones are the most difficult notes for the human voice to sing, and therefore parallel the work’s deconstructive themes. She said her aria’s music explores Lady Macbeth’s psyche, and particularly her conception

of gender and power, noting that the highest note she sings is on the word “mother.” “All of her imagery is fraught with frustration regarding the exploitation of her gender,” Weinraub said. Ashby Cogan ’14, the managing director of the undergraduate Opera Theatre of Yale College, said many modern operas have become shorter and incorporated electronic music — “Blood Will Be Blood” will be only 35 minutes long. She said that while she thinks opera is a versatile art form, she sees this as part of a larger trend to cater to short attention spans and students’ busy schedules. “We like our sitcoms to be 25 minutes,” Cogan said. “Blood Will Have Blood”’s last performance will be on April 13. Contact RAYMOND NOONAN at raymond.noonan@yale.edu .

Expressing the human condition through color BY SARAH SWONG STAFF REPORTER Contrary to his appearance, an artist dressed in a monochromatic scheme of dark blue denim spoke about the expressive range of color at an Ezra Stiles Master’s Tea on Tuesday. Painter Odili Donald Odita, former visiting critic in painting at the School of Art, spoke to an audience of roughly 20 about his ideas on color and art, and how they have evolved through his life experiences. Color, in its pure form or transformed by shapes and patterns, can express the diversity of human experiences and cultures, Odita said. He explained that he paints to explore how to negotiate the coexistence of those who are different in ethnic, emotional and other ways. Odita’s paintings feature bright blocks of color in various patterns, from zigzagging parallel lines to triangles and other geometric patterns, he said. Odita said he sees color as a way to express diversity. Black and white can be a binary way of looking at the world, with shades of grey as subtle but more “noncommittal” than color. Color is another layer of expression that introduces the identity of an object — the red color of an apple, for example, which can be transformed by its relationship to other colors in the environment. Through color, Odita proposes that multiple cultures can coexist in one space, whether in harmonious or disruptive ways. “The color bands are the voices, energies and thoughts of people,” Odita said. “The separate colors are people themselves.” Odita told the audience of childhood experiences that

influenced the primary themes in his artwork. As a native Nigerian who fled to Ohio before the Nigerian civil war, Odita said he developed a dual identity that displaced his sense of home and made him think about how to reconcile his African and American cultures. Going to flea markets and garage sales exposed him to the texture of ephemera and the nature of time, memory and nostalgia, a sensitivity he said he uses in his approach to color. He added that in Columbus, Ohio, he saw many houses painted in colors like pink and purple, which he took for granted until he saw primarily white houses while in college in Vermont.

You can get anxious about resolving a work, but [Odita] works in a way that’s open to space, changes and human interactions. LUCA LUM ’14 “Every house was painted white with green or black shutters [in Vermont],” Odita said. “That was like seeing a meteor in the ground.” Odita also said he has learned that edges and frames shape understandings of reality, both artistic and political. In the Western modernist aesthetic, the reality of a painting typically stays within its four edges and anything outside the frame does not exist, he said. Odita said he wonders whether the modernist rejection of reality outside the

borders of a painting by extension denies the reality of people outside the Western world, such as Africans, adding that he attempts to prompt viewers to think about the world beyond the canvas by depicting thick slanting lines of color that appear to extend beyond the four edges and considering the architecture of the buildings in which he displays large-scale installations. Odita also spoke about the architectural revisions of Ezra Stiles College, commenting that the new design pays tribute to the original architecture while adding a playful character through angles and allowing light and air in places such as the music practice rooms and dance studio. “Those cubicles could be traps if not for those new passages that allow for sound, energy [and] life to go through those places,” Odita added. Luca Lum ’14, a visiting student from Singapore, said she found Odita’s artistic process informative for her own photography. “You can get anxious about resolving a work, but [Odita] works in a way that’s open to space, changes and human interactions,” Lum said. Ryan Cavataro ’14 said he was impressed by Odita’s inclusive approach to the artistic process, explaining that he considers all influences from the architecture to the sociopolitical implications of the art itself and the space that contains it. Odita’s work has been most recently featured at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the 20th Avenue subway station in Brooklyn. Contact SARAH SWONG at sarah.swong@yale.edu .

JACOB GEIGER/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Painter Odili Donald Odita discussed how color can express different racial identities at an Ezra Stiles Master’s Tea on Tuesday.