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NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · VOL. CXXXVI, NO. 11 · yaledailynews.com

INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING

SUNNY SUNNY

77 84

CROSS CAMPUS In memoriam. Today is the 12th

anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

ART GALLERIES FRESHMEN TOUR YUAG AND YCBA

SYRIA

ORIENTATION

MEN’S SOCCER

International relations experts weigh pros and cons of U.S. intervention

NEW PROFESSORS EXPERIENCE THEIR OWN CAMP YALE

Peter Jacobson ’14 records a hat trick in first victory of the season

PAGES 6-7 CULTURE

PAGES 3 NEWS

PAGE 3 NEWS

PAGE 12 SPORTS

And then there were two 49.8%

23.2%

Harp

Elicker

Attention, seniors. Your last fall semester course schedules ever are due today at 5 p.m.

Cross your t’s and dot your i’s, and don’t get fined.

Still made the podium. Yale came in third in U.S. News’s latest college rankings, which ranked more than a thousand U.S. universities on factors including graduation rate, selectivity and competitiveness of the incoming class. Princeton came in first, followed by Harvard in second and Columbia in fourth. Stanford and the University of Chicago tied for fifth place. Looks like having a social life wasn’t a factor for U.S. News.

BY LARRY MILSTEIN AND ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER CONTRIBUTING REPORTER AND STAFF REPORTER

18.9%

8.1%

Fernandez

standing tough with me,” Harp said to a crowd of supporters Tuesday night at her victory party. “Each and every one of you gave me your blood, sweat and tears. Each and every one of you want a new New Haven.”

Elicker held his election party at O’Toole’s on Orange Street. He

Ward 7 Alderman Doug Hausladen ’04 defended his bid for re-election to the New Haven Board of Aldermen on Tuesday, withstanding a Democratic primary challenge mounted by Ella Wood ’15.

The final count gave 331 votes to Hausladen and 232 to Wood, dwarfing 2011’s turnout levels and delivering a victory to the incumbent.

On his way to a post-returns party hosted by mayoral hopeful and Ward 10 Alderman Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10, Hausladen said he felt “terrific.”

“The voters of Ward 7 have made their votes count,” he said. “They’re going to have a strong independent voice on the Board, and I’m looking forward to the Democratic Party supporting me in the general election.”

Wood, an Ezra Stiles junior from Albuquerque, N.M., filed paperwork to oppose Hausladen in early August, two days after moving from her apartment in Ward 2 to Ward 7. Simultaneously, she filed to run as an Independent in the general election pending a loss in the primary.

In the wake of Tuesday’s results, Wood said she is “not sure” whether she will stay in the race through November, a decision that she added will be based on “conversations with all of my supporters.”

Many of those supporters crowded into the New Haven Hall of Records to await the announcement of the vote count at Wood’s side. She said Tuesday afternoon that she had amassed a volunteer staff of roughly 35 people, comprising both Ward 7 residents

SEE MAYORAL RACE PAGE 4

SEE WARD 7 PAGE 4

Carolina

127 hours of egging. Before

the world famous actor James Franco, formerly GRD ’16, began his illustrious English career at Yale, he made a name for himself in Palo Alto, Calif. egging houses and causing ruckus. An apology letter written by the 14-year-old miscreant recently surfaced online thanking the victims of Franco’s pranks for not involving the police. “It will never enter my mind to do something like this ever again,” Franco wrote. Good thing the cameras weren’t rolling.

Race in Russia. Though 2010 World Fellow Alexei Navalny received international attention for his anti-Putin campaign and race to become Moscow’s next mayor, he did not garner enough votes in Sunday’s election to keep vying for the position. Election officials announced that Navalny received 27 percent of the vote, far more than his supporters expected, but not enough to overtake Sergei Sobyanin, who won 51 percent of the vote.

Cutting law school short.

In a recent Washington Post op-ed, law professor Bruce Ackerman LAW ’67 repudiated President Obama for saying law school should last only two years rather than the standard three. Ackerman argued that the third year of law school is not just an “expensive frill,” but rather an essential year for budding lawyers to understand the cross-applications of economics, statistics and psychology in law. Still, one can imagine that many law students would not mind saving a year of tuition.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1991 More than 300 students join together in a cake-eating protest against dining hall budget cuts and what they call a “declining quality in student life.” The protesters, who feasted on a cake shaped like Commons dining hall, denounced then-President Benno Schmidt’s decision to close Commons for dinner.

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Hausladen fends off Ward 7 challenger

FERNANDEZ AND CAROLINA DROP OUT OF THE MAYORAL RACE AFTER HARP CLAIMS VICTORY IN THE PRIMARY

BY DIANA LI STAFF REPORTER After a months-long campaign and a final day of get-out-the-vote efforts, two candidates remain following Tuesday’s Democratic primary election.

State Sen. Toni Harp ARC ’78 took home 49.8 percent of the votes, followed by Ward 10 Alderman Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10 with 23.2 percent, former city economic development director Henry Fer-

nandez LAW ’94 with 18.9 percent and Hillhouse High School Principal Kermit Carolina with 8.1 percent. Shortly after the results were finalized, Fernandez and Carolina announced that, despite being eligible to run as Independent candidates in the general election, they would not run again. Their withdrawals narrow down the field to two aiming to replace retiring Mayor John DeStefano Jr. after 20 years in office.

“My family has taken it on the chin, and I want to thank them for

Unions poised to expand control

MORE INSIDE For more on the New Haven elections, see pages 4 and 5.

President’s house undergoing renovation

CANDIDATES BACKED BY UNIONS RETAIN MAJORITY ON BOARD OF ALDERMEN

BY MATTHEW LLOYD-THOMAS STAFF REPORTER When the Board of Aldermen begins its next session in January, the balance of power will have barely shifted from its current political state, leaving much of the decision-making in the hands of union-backed legislators.

Tuesday’s Democratic primary showed that 2011, when union-backed candidates swept into power, was no fluke.

The city’s unions exerted their strength on Tuesday, capturing a decisive victory in the mayoral primary while maintaining their majority on the Board of Aldermen. The results pave the way for an even greater presence of organized labor in the city’s policy-making. At the same time, the hopes of candidates running to dent the union “supermajority” are dimmer after Tuesday’s vote count, when New Haven voters expressed satisfaction with the present dynamics of the board.

“We’re going to work in collaboration,” Ward 22 Alderman Jeanette Morrison said of the Board’s relationship with the mayor. “It’s no more us versus them because Toni Harp buys into the board’s agenda.”

In 20 of the 30 wards, the

aldermanic races were uncontested. In 18 of those wards, the incumbent alderman ran unopposed, while in Wards 10 and 13 Anna Festa and Rosa Santana ran without challengers. Of the 10 contested races, seven included incumbents, all of whom emerged victorious after election officials announced the results Tuesday evening.

Currently, union-backed aldermen hold 20 seats on the board. Although affiliations between candidates and unions do not always come in the form of formal endorsements, Tuesday’s results suggest that number is likely to remain materially the same.

And after labor-friendly mayoral candidate Toni Harp ARC ’78 took the Democratic nomination with a wide margin of victory, the dynamic between the Board of Aldermen and the mayor’s office is likely to change come January. Current Mayor John DeStefano Jr.’s relationships with the board and the city’s unions were often contentious throughout his 20-year occupancy of the top seat in City Hall, and the mayor was frequently criticized for stepping over the Board.

Ward 1 Alderman Sarah SEE UNIONS PAGE 4

CHARLOTTE LOVEJOY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A $17-million renovation of 43 Hillhouse will include updating electrical and mechanical systems.

BY JULIA ZORTHIAN STAFF REPORTER Though the President’s House at 43 Hillhouse Ave. showcased University Art Gallery pieces and hosted over 150 events a year, the Victorian gothic mansion — which has not undergone renovation since 1937 — had long required updates and was not ready for newly appointed University President Peter Salovey.

The University planned to renovate the house even before Salovey told the News in April that he would move into the residence,

which has not been home to a Yale president since Bartlett Giamatti left in 1986, so the building has been undergoing a series of renovations to be completed in fall 2014, said Provost Benjamin Polak, who is overseeing the project. Woodbridge Hall Chief of Staff Joy McGrath said she is working to relocate the events normally held in the space during the $17 million project, which will include adding handicap accessibility and updating electrical and mechanical systems.

SEE SALOVEY PAGE 8

PAGE 2

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

OPINION

.COMMENT “TYCO has needed to GTFO for a while.” yaledailynews.com/opinion

'GOLDIE '08' ON 'FORUM: SHOPPING PERIOD'

Salovey, speak The irony of ‘justice and development’ out on drinking G U E S T C O L U M N I S T S E R A T O L G AY

L

ast April, when the Yale College Council asked then-President Richard Levin to publicly support lowering the drinking age, the student body laughed. It was absurd, silly, ill-timed. It wouldn’t happen, we thought — and if it did, our voice would certainly sink in the big pond of national politics.

But after the inauguration of Peter Salovey — who has since used his pulpit to speak out on federal issues like immigration, research funding and wealth inequality — we should no longer laugh too hard. The YCC’s proposal was not preposterous; in fact, it is now right. If our president is indeed serious about making Yale “a leader in reducing high-risk drinking” — which he said just this past week — then he cannot duck when it comes to fully committing our school to the big fight on the national stage.

The merits of lowering the drinking age are relatively clear.

We know that college students drink. But the current law drives college students “underground” to consume alcohol, like when students take shots in quick succession in dorm rooms. The current drinking age also edges students toward other illegal activities, such as purchasing fake IDs in order to enter bars and clubs. What’s more, 21 is a false threshold for maturity, if such a threshold even exists. Last year’s alcohol report, which surveyed over 2,000 Yale students, found that upperclassmen actually drink more irresponsibly than younger students. Seniors, the report found, more frequently engaged in binge drinking than any other class.

It is telling, then, that Yale acts as if all students were able to openly drink. Our programs are created with the purpose of mitigating the dangers of drinking, not stopping alcohol consumption itself. Freshmen take a skit-based online course before they arrive, as well as attend orientation meetings designed to acclimate them to the drinking scene. For all current students, the Dean’s Office even offers a “bartending class” to teach us how to serve alcohol and intervene effectively.

If we already act as if all of campus were of drinking age, why wouldn’t we support a change in the law? Our effort to deal with the reality of underage drinking clashes with our duty to teach students to respect existing laws. Indeed, one cannot wholly advocate for both abstinence and protection.

An 18-year-old drinking age — or 19-year-old, in order to avoid legal drinking by high school seniors — would complete the circuit in our “safety first” alcohol strategy. If we do choose to go ahead and announce our support for change, it would not be hard.

Our school will not be alone.

In fact, we would be joining a group of 136 colleges, includGENG ing DartNGARMmouth and BOONANANT Duke, who are signatories of the Geng’s Amethyst All Here I n i t i a t i ve .

Amethyst — which means “not intoxicated” in Greek — is a coalition of college presidents who urge a reconsideration of the national drinking age. They may not be able to battle Mothers Against Drunk Driving singlehandedly, but it is certainly a beginning.

While there are limitations to what a university can do, we have seen that Yale’s half-amillion lobbying budget can change things. In 2007, Richard Jacob, the University lobbyist, led the opposition against proposed academic research restrictions on international students, which had been discussed in the Bush administration as a potential response to the 9/11 attacks. Jacob, along with a coalition of universities, orchestrated a campaign against the proposal, which included phone calls, mail, policy statements and meetings.

In the end, the proposal never became law.

To say that we are ineffective — that our words don’t matter, especially when joined by hundreds of peer schools — is a vast understatement.

The time is perfect for change. This fall, the University Council Committee on Alcohol, which is made up of five university officials and five alcohol experts, will recommend major reforms to our school’s alcohol policies and programs. Among these recommendations should be public University support for a lower drinking age. Otherwise, the inherent contradiction in our alcohol strategy will never be fully resolved.

In the end, the drinking age is not simply an issue of our right to choose. It is a matter of policy inconsistency. In this country, a 19-year-old can choose to risk her life on a battlefield but cannot take a sip of beer. At this school, the law prohibits us from fully enforcing alcohol safety, no matter how effective our program. As all economists know, inconsistencies lead to real costs. In this case, the biggest cost is not financial — it is personal, and it results in injuries, hospitalizations and damaged lives.

GENG NGARMBOONANANT is a junior in Silliman College.

Contact him at wishcha.ngarmboonanant@yale. edu .

T

ens of thousands — bridging left and right, pious and secular — spontaneously came together for the first time in Turkey’s history this June. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongman politics and megaprojects, notably the demolition of Istanbul’s Gezi Park to make way for yet another shopping mall, were met with the strongest critics yet. Protests cropped up across cities as the sit-in against the park’s demolition snowballed into a demonstration against the Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s increasing authoritarianism.

Yesterday, anti-government protests were revived as demonstrators clashed with police in Istanbul, Ankara and southern Turkey following the funeral of a 22-year-old protester. Though the Gezi protests are old news for the global media, “Gezi” remains the point of reference in Turkish politics. Public forums have sprung up in parks throughout Istanbul to fill the void of parliamentary opposition.

A month ago, verdicts for the Ergenekon trial, which tried alleged coup plotters, were handed down in a purpose-built courtroom outside Istanbul. Only 21 of the 275 accused, including a former chief of staff, lawyers, journalists and academics, were acquitted. But defense lawyers have long claimed that much of the evidence was doctored. Families of the accused were not allowed into

court and the police teargased the thousand-strong group outside.

The trial is seen as AKP’s witchhunt for critics — using conspiracy to quash dissent and reinforce AKP’s moral superiority as a democratically elected party persecuted by ex-military personnel and allies.

In the meantime, AKP leaders are constructing the world’s biggest courthouse in Kartal. This is the way they have chosen to implement the party’s vision of “justice and development” — megaprojects complimented by increasing control of the judiciary, the arrest of lawyers and judges, the highest number of imprisoned journalists, harsh tax fines on businesses thought to be supporting dissenters. AKP has not only revived but also intensified the tactics of the old state it once used to abhor.

As of late August, at least 60 journalists have been fired or forced to resign for covering the protests, indicating that the Turkish media moguls have only gotten better at self-censorship. Erdogan recently threatened to sue the British Times for publishing a letter by the likes of Sean Penn and David Lynch, who condemned his “dictatorial rule.” The Turkish Minister for EU Affairs called the letter “a crime against humanity.” AKP leadership has been keen on using such Orwellian doublespeak, appropriating the language of human rights whilst violating human rights.

In the absence of an indepen-

dent media, the majority in Turkey, who are excluded from international coverage and social media, are solely exposed this kind of rhetoric. “Every four years we hold elections and this nation makes its choice,” Mr. Erdogan had said in response to the protests in June. “Those who have a problem with government’s policies can express their opinions within the framework of law and democracy.”

That very framework of law and democracy is corroding while AKP keeps preaching democratic values; therein lies the irony of AKP’s “justice and development.”

Turkey has been hailed as a model democracy for the rest of the Middle East. After all, GDP growth averaged over five percent a year since the AKP took office in 2002. Justifiably, many were taken by surprise by the excessive police brutality against protestors, which left 7,478 injured and five dead.

Yet instead of engaging with the protestors like a “model democracy,” AKP did its best to criminalize protestors and threatened to gather AKP supporters against demonstrators. In a country that prides itself for being a “cultural mosaic,” the AKP’s aggression only served to further divides.

Party officials have traced the protests’ roots from domestic terrorist groups to the mysterious “interest rate lobby” with tentacles reaching Brazil, but to none of AKP’s own policies.

The U.S.’s grand strategy in the Middle East, working with mod-

erate Islamist groups like Turkey's AKP and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, was forecasted to make the region more democratic by supporting the moderates and isolating the radicals. Yet the political maturity of many of these moderate groups was overestimated. In an interview with Corriere della Sera in 2011, President Obama had described Turkey as “a great Islamic democracy,” but not as “a democracy.” It almost reads as if “moderate” Islam is a euphemism for “moderate” democracy; it is democracy bon pour l’orient, or “good enough for the Orient,” as the French used to stamp their diplomas for colonial students.

The Gezi protests cannot be reduced to the rise of a global middle class and an alienated youth in search of more liberties, as suggested by columnists like Francis Fukuyama. The protests, rather, point to the corroding foundations of a republic where fundamental rights for political participation and consultation, the right to a fair trial and free speech are eroding.

Despite the absence of a popular, all-encompassing political party, Gezi has come to represent a democratic catharsis, a re-awakening of political discussion outside of a parliament that may be good enough for the Orient, but has failed to deliver for the thousands who have taken to the streets.

SERA TOLGAY is a senior in Branford College. Contact her at sera.tolgay@yale.edu .

G U E S T C O L U M N I S T E M M A FA L L O N E

For the sophomores M

oving in for the second time is a strange experience. There’s no longer the blind dash of freshman year, the absolute, terrifying newness of everything, the flurry of names and faces and events. Coming to campus as a sophomore is different — it’s no longer an arrival, but a return. Entering the courtyard of a residential college, the memories of so many leisurely meals and afternoons lying out on the grass come rushing back. Instead of anxious, we are excited to reconnect with our friends and begin again the crazy, exhilarating whirlwind that is Yale.

Some things have changed this year, of course. There are no advising meetings, no consent workshops, no special convocations or masters’ receptions. We don’t have freshman counselors and big sibs and peer liaisons giving us guidance at every turn — and that’s okay. We don’t need that level of support; after all, we’ve done this before. We know what we’re doing.

But at the same time, we really don’t know it all. One year is far too

short a time to figure out what college is all about, and sometimes, it seems as if even four years is hardly enough time for that.

This reality truly hit me a few days ago, as the panlists for clubs and activities came roaring back to life. Emails flooded my inbox from all of the extracurriculars that I’d committed myself to last year, and all of a sudden, my iCal turned into an impossible sea of multicolored, overlapping blobs. A wave of exhaustion came over me, as I remembered the long, frantic nights of last year.

Everyone knows that baby ducks need to be pushed out of their nest so that they can learn to fly. But I pity the duckling — in that first stomach-dropping moment of freefall, it can be hard to believe that you won’t just splat on the ground.

Last year, we were told to try everything: explore new fields!

Discover your passions! Visit every table at the bazaar! Well, now we have. We overloaded our schedules with meetings and IM practices and rehearsals and that one extra activity that we weren’t

really interested in but all of the successful people seemed to do it so we figured we might as well join, too. We found ourselves donning suits and blouses and going to conferences about leadership and enterprise and networking, although sometimes we weren’t quite sure what those terms even meant. We ran for positions, planned community service projects and designed web pages.

And some of it was amazing.

But not all of it. And though we discovered much about our interests, we learned other things as well: the bone-deep fatigue of starting homework at 1 a.m. after a night full of meetings, the painful slowness of hours spent doing something that you don’t enjoy but thought would look good on your resume and now have an obligation to continue.

If freshman year was the time to explore, then sophomore year is the time to reevaluate.

A few nights ago, instead of heading out to those endless meetings, I spent the evening cleaning out my email inbox. From the unreasonably long list of extracur-

riculars I was somehow involved in, I chose a few that I would be willing to trek across campus in the pouring rain in order to attend.

I also picked one or two new activities to try, ones that I wasn’t aware of last year or wasn’t bold enough to audition for. And then I took a deep breath and deleted everything else. Even the clubs that might have looked good on my resume, even the positions that I had flaunted proudly as proof of my place as a well-rounded and successful college student.

And yes, it was a bit unnerving. And yes, it went against most of what we had been told as freshmen. But you know what? It’s a new year. We’re not newbies anymore — we’ve had a year to explore and discover and exhaust ourselves. It was fun, and it was crazy, but now it is done. And now is the time to focus on what we love, and have faith that it will carry us aloft as we step into the air.

EMMA FALLONE is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College. Contact her at emma.fallone@yale.edu .

GUEST COLUMNIST ADAM WEINER

Jewish life and compassion at Yale

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T

he High Holy Days are upon us, a time for Jews to reflect and to atone for any wrongs they’ve committed. During my time at Yale, the Jewish holidays felt incomplete without the presence of Yale’s leader in Jewish life.

For over 30 years, Rabbi James Ponet has been the Jewish chaplain at Yale, and has inspired generations of Yalies with his unending, compassionate wisdom.

Last month, news reached students and alumni that Ponet will retire at the end of a yearlong sabbatical he will begin in January. On a recent visit to my alma mater, I made sure to stop by the Slifka Center to catch up with my former mentor, whose vigilant dedication to helping students made a strong impact on my time at Yale.

His role in my college life had gone beyond the call of duty. When I was growing up, I never had the opportunity to undergo the most important event in a young Jew’s life: a bar mitzvah. Then, one night during the fall semester of my freshman year, my friend dragged me to Shabbat dinner at Slifka. My stubbornness caused us to be late to the festivities, and by the time

we arrived, the only seats left were at the “adult table.” There I met Rabbi Ponet for the first time as he broke challah for me.

I grew up without a Jewish community around me, and had always felt ostracized from those sharing my faith. However, sitting next to Rabbi Ponet, I sensed the warm and inviting nature of the culture at my table. By the end of the meal, I had built up the courage to ask Rabbi Ponet if it was still possible for me to have a bar mitzvah.

“Of course!”

I took free Hebrew classes at the Slifka Center and met with Rabbi Ponet regularly to discuss reading material that he provided. On April 25, 2009, with family and friends in attendance, I had my bar mitzvah outside on the Slifka Center veranda. It was a beautiful spring day. It was also the first bar mitzvah ever conducted at Yale.

For the first time ever, I felt I was a part of the Jewish community.

Since then, I’ve returned to Rabbi Ponet’s office to grab some tea and advice. My recent visit was no exception. We caught up briefly. He spoke about plans for

his sabbatical and I described my first year at medical school in Chicago. At one point, I expressed my desire to foster candid, compassionate conversations, just as we were currently having, with my future patients. I told him I didn’t want to become desensitized to the plights of others, even as my career advances.

Just as he did during those many meetings freshman year, Rabbi Ponet sprang into action and saved me from entering a sand trap of concern. Compassion fatigue, he explained, is something people claim to experience after long-term exposure to the misfortune seen in others. However, Ponet told me, compassion begets compassion.

He described the phenomenon using a story from the Midrash, an important book in Judaism. In the story, one man believed that using his candle to light that of another man might diminish the brightness of his own flame. But just as we know that lighting another candle actually creates more light, we should also know that interacting with others in a compassionate manner does not deplete our com-

passion. In fact, it inspires more compassion. I thanked him for the lesson, and in return, he thanked me for helping him remind himself of that important story.

I left Rabbi Ponet’s office feeling lighter than when I entered, a sensation that reminded me of my college days. Mentors like him have an important place on Yale’s campus. They fulfill their job’s obligations and then continue to work by shaping young students into compassionate citizens. In turn, we pay their compassion forward in our own actions.

Thank you, Rabbi Ponet, for the years of service to the Yale community. Your words have inspired countless students and your contributions to Jewish life on campus have been invaluable. I urge students and alumni to reflect on a career dedicated to promoting compassion. Just as one candle has given light to countless young Yalies, those inspired people will continue to spread compassion for years to come.

ADAM WEINER is a 2012 graduate of Silliman College.

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 3

NEWS

“I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.”

BASHAR AL-ASSAD SYRIAN PRESIDENT

Faculty orientation revamped

WHAT’S ON TAP?

BY SOPHIE GOULD AND JANE DARBY MENTON STAFF REPORTERS

PETER SUWONDO/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

YALE A CAPPELLA WELCOMES FRESHMAN TAPS Mere mortals spend their freshman fall forming frienships and fumbling through classes. Those rushing a capella, though, have that and so much more. On Tuesday, Old Campus was stormed by singing, half-dressed upperclassmen eager to usher in the latest class of freshmen crooners who will bid goodbye to their suitemates and disappear forever.

Though there were no hiking boots or FroCo ice cream socials, new faculty members across the University experienced their own version of “Camp Yale” this year.

Before most students arrived back in New Haven this fall, 64 new faculty members took part in a revamped two-day orientation program on Aug. 20 and 21.

Provost Benjamin Polak said the University “experimented” with the format of faculty orientation this year in an effort to emulate the success of Yale’s freshman orientation program and prepare new professors for life at Yale and in New Haven. This year’s orientation, which was extended to two days instead of one, featured new workshops on topics such as Yale’s library system and teaching methods. New professors interviewed said the program provided a helpful introduction to the University.

“Whether a person chooses to stay at Yale or not, their time at Yale should be formative — it should be the kind of experience as a faculty member that really helps them launch their career, hopefully here,” said associate provost Jim Antony, who organized the new orientation. “This is one of those inaugural types of act that I think sets that tone.”

Antony said one popular addition was a panel entitled “Understanding Review, Promotion and Leaves,” which gave a detailed overview of Yale’s tenure process, which was overhauled in 2007. Yale College Dean Mary Miller, who helped lead a panel for new professors in the arts and humanities, said the orientation sought to “demystify” processes at Yale that can be confusing or daunting to new faculty members.

This year’s orientation also

placed a greater emphasis on teaching practices. Bill Rando, director of the Yale Teaching Center, helped lead several workshops that discussed topics including syllabus writing, Yale’s grading system and library and collection resources.

Rando said both he and Antony hope to broaden the scope of the workshops to emphasize different techniques to enhance classroom teaching in future years.

Whether a person chooses to stay at Yale or not, their time at Yale should be formative.

JIM ANTONY Associate provost, Yale University “We want to prepare people for shopping period and the role of the deans and all of that … but what we really want to do is start a conversation about effective teaching, and so I think we should focus more of our time on that,” Rando said. “I think it’s important to start off a faculty member’s experience with a focus on teaching because a lot of these folks love to teach, and everybody who teaches wants to be a good teacher.”

Though Antony said he is just beginning to review feedback from orientation participants, he said next year the orientation might include more information about Yale’s online resources and technological capabilities that can be utilized in the classroom.

Antony said the orientation aimed to foster community both within the cohort of new faculty and to build relationships between those arriving on campus for the first time and current faculty members and adminis-

trators.

“A lot of time when junior faculty come to new place, they’re really anxious,” Antony said. “To sit down and hear from people who have been successful here talk about loving the place and loving students, that sends a really great message.”

Daniel Greco, a new philosophy professor, said the orientation program gave him a chance to meet new faculty in other departments with whom he would not have interacted otherwise.

Music professor Rebekah Ahrendt, who also joined the faculty this fall, said she particularly enjoyed the sessions on teaching. A lot of professors feel nervous about stepping into an unfamiliar classroom, she said, adding that it was helpful to learn about Yale policies on syllabi and shopping period ahead of time.

“The panelists discussed a lot of aspects of undergraduate life that might be particular to Yale that it’s good for us to learn about and familiarize ourselves with so we can also support the students,” said Anne Eller, a new history professor.

Eller said Yale’s faculty orientation was similar to that of the University of Connecticut, where she taught prior to coming to Yale.

“Schools have their own philosophies and approaches, and [an orientation program] helps you feel like part of the university,” she said.

Thirty-seven of the orientation attendees were new tenured or tenure-track professors in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and 27 were non-ladder faculty or faculty in the professional schools.

Contact SOPHIE GOULD at sophie.gould@yale.edu .

Contact JANE DARBY MENTON at jane.menton@yale.edu .

International relations experts debate strike on Syria

BY ANNA SOPHIA YOUNG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A group of international relations experts discussed the effects a possible U.S. military strike on Syria could have on the political climate of the Middle East and U.S. global supremacy at a Tuesday evening panel.

At the talk, the panelists — Yale World Fellow and Egyptian diplomat Mohammed Elfayoumy, University of Jordan professor Hassan Barari, political science professor Ellen Lust, history professor Charles Hill and Jackson Institute senior fellow Emma Sky — said the United States must be careful in its negotiations with Syria.

Recently, the United States has been debating taking military action in Syria following a discovery that the country’s government allegedly used chemical weapons on the civilian population. The panelists discussed ways that the United States can maintain its role as an international police force without disrupting the political balance in the Middle East and causing uprisings from insurgent groups.

“We [in the Middle East] have an intrinsic skepticism towards any U.S. attempt to intervene in the region,” Elfayoumy said. “We are just doing [accepting aid] out of despair.”

We [in the Middle East] have an intrinsic skepticism towards any U.S. attempt to intervene in the region.

MOHAMMED ELFAYOUMY Yale World Fellow and Egyptian diplomat U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to meet in Geneva on Sept. 12. The United States insists that Syria must create a plan for the transfer and destruction of its chemical weapons, while Putin says Russia will only facilitate the turnover of the weapons if the United States agrees not to use

JOYCE XI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

On Tuesday evening, a group of international relations experts — from left, Mohammed Elfayoumy, Emma Sky, Hassan Barari, Charles Hill and Ellen Lust — discussed the situation in Syria. force.

Hill said U.S. withdrawal from the region would leave a vacuum of influence that countries such as China and Russia could fill.

Lust said President Barack Obama’s stated position that there will be “no U.S. boots on the ground [in Syria]” is too limited a strategy to have a lasting effect on the region.

The effect of half-hearted intervention in Syria could result in a shift in the balance of power

in the region toward countries such as Iran that are hostile toward the United States and Israel, panelists agreed.

“If deterrents work for a short period of time, it’s a message to Iran that Americans aren’t serious about deterrence and they will start with nuclear weapons,” Barari said. “Israel cannot stand aside and watch Iranians develop nuclear capability. Maybe acting now could avert another big problem in the Middle East.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the Syrian government said it is willing to reveal the location of their chemical weapons to Russian and United Nations officials.

During the panel, Hill read a topsecret internal message to Russian President Vladamir Putin leaked by Edward Snowden earlier on Tuesday. In the message, a Russian diplomat said if Syria released information to Russia instead of the United States, it could potentially damage the

United States’ influence on the international community.

“The U.S. is close to locking itself into a state of permanent ineffectiveness,” the diplomat said. “The country is politically fragmented and Obama is regarded as confused and vulnerable.”

Sarika Padrangi ’17 said she found the discussion informative because it incorporated voices from both the United States and the Middle East.

“It’s important that we try to assess the effects and implications of U.S. intervention not only from the American perspective, but also from the Syrian perspective and that of the entire Middle East,” Padrangi said.

On Sept. 4, Obama asked for Congressional approval for a drone strike on Syria.

Contact ANNA SOPHIA YOUNG at annasophia.young@yale.edu .

PAGE 4

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SETPEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

FROM THE FRONT

“The years teach much which the days never know.” RALPH WALDO EMERSON AMERICAN ESSAYIST

Harp lands half of primary vote

LEFT: MATTHEW LLOYD-THOMAS/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT: DIANA LI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Toni Harp ARC ’78, left, and Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10, right, will continue on to the November mayoral election after placing first and second, respectively, in the Democratic primary.

MAYORAL RACE FROM PAGE 1 encouraged his supporters to refocus their efforts on the upcoming general election in November.

“I called [Harp] about a half hour ago and congratulated her on her victory tonight … I told Toni that she ran a great campaign, but what I didn’t tell her is that we’ll see her in November,” Elicker said to a cheering crowd.

In addition to the mayoral race, the Elm City saw another citywide election in the race for city clerk between Aldermen Michael Smart and Sergio Rodriguez. Smart came out on top with 52.9 percent to Rodriguez’s 47.1 percent. According to Michael Hayden, a poll worker in Ward 1, about 15 people showed up to vote each hour.

Hayden said it was a “pretty slow day,” attributing the pace to the fact that Tuesday was not the general election.

Though Fernandez spokesman Danielle Filson told the News on Sunday that the candidate’s campaign would continue through November regardless of the primary results, Fernandez, alongside Carolina, dropped out of the race Tuesday evening.

“I believe that the people of New Haven deserve a run-off between the top two candidates, and I’m not one of those candidates,” Fernandez told his supporters at Michael’s Trattoria on Court Street at his post-election party. “I wish I had been able to pull it off for you guys. Any shortcomings in this race were mine, not yours … I’ve given this thought, and I won’t be going forward in this election, and I do believe this is a beginning.”

Julie Anistasio, one of Fernandez’s campaign workers, said she was “surprised” that Tuesday’s race was not primarily between Fernandez and Harp, adding that she told Fernandez that he should not pull out of the race. Still, both Fernandez and Carolina took Tuesday’s results as the end of their mayoral prospects this election season.

“The numbers have pretty much spoken for themselves,” Carolina said at his post-election party. “I submit to the will of the people of the city of New Haven.”

Carolina adviser Michael Jefferson said the candidate’s choice to participate in the Democracy Fund, New Haven’s public finance

system, put him at a disadvantage. The Fund, in which Elicker also participated, provides public funds in exchange for limiting the size of donations to $370 and requires that participating campaigns not accept donations from political action committees or lobbyists.

When news surfaced that Fernandez and Carolina were dropping out of the race, Elicker election party attendees erupted in cheers and began chanting “Justin” as they waited for Elicker to appear.

“I’m actually surprised [Fernandez and Carolina] dropped out so soon,” Elicker volunteer Laura Snow said. “Someone needed to drop out because a lot of the wards were splitting 200 votes for Harp, 100 for Elicker and for 100 for Fernandez, and all summer long we discussed the risk of splitting wards.”

With two campaigns remaining, each candidate can now focus on the other without having to worry about the calculus of other candidates in the race. Harp, widely considered the frontrunner leading into the primary, has been endorsed by the Demo-

cratic Town Committee, many of the University and city’s politically powerful unions, a majority of the Board of Aldermen, Conn.

Gov. Dannel Malloy and State Sen. Majority Leader Martin Looney.

On Tuesday night, Looney and Malloy joined Harp on stage.

“Toni Harp has worked diligently on behalf of the people of New Haven: She has paid her dues and she has come back with the bacon,” Malloy said. “If you believe in a more prosperous New Haven, then Toni Harp is your candidate for mayor.”

In her speech, she pointed to the fact that her campaign gathered 4,000 signatures in four days. Harp spoke to the need to include communities that feel they are underrepresented and the need for improving public education.

“No children in this town should go to bed afraid that a stray bullet goes through their bedroom,” Harp said at her speech on Tuesday night. “The buck stops here. We are taking this city back.”

While Harp points to 20 years in the state legislature as evidence of her political experience, Elicker has often accused Harp of

practicing “pay to play” politics due to the large percentage of her fundraising from lobbyists, PACs and non-New Haven residents.

Elicker, meanwhile, has worked to define himself as an independentthinking candidate free from the political chains of machine politics.

Elicker joked to a spirited crowd at Tuesday night’s post-election party that the only endorsement his campaign has received has been that of Ward 7 Alderman Doug Hausladen ’04, calling this is a sign of the Elicker campaign’s departure from typical New Haven politics. He mentioned “folks from West Hartford” who were paid to canvass for Harp when contrasting the two campaigns.

Elicker has said that, despite no longer being bound to the Democracy Fund following the primary, he will still follow the rules of the Fund into the general election.

Although Harp won the Democratic primary by a significant margin — receiving almost 4,000 votes more than her November challenger — Elicker’s hopes for November rest on winning over a significant portion of Fernan-

dez and Carolina’s voters, as well as a majority of the Independents and Republicans who will be eligible to vote in the general election.

Elicker said on Tuesday that out of 20,000 registered voters who are not Democrats, he expects about 4,000 of them to vote in November.

“And who do you think these people are going to vote for? Why are they unaffiliated?” Elicker asked his supporters Tuesday night. “Because they are tired of politics as usual: They don’t want to be associated with some political party that’s going to scratch your back if you scratch theirs …

Those people are ours.”

Ultimately, 14,723 votes were cast Tuesday for the mayoral candidates, not including absentee ballots.

Sarah Bruley, Monica Disare, Michelle Hackman, Lorenzo Ligato, Matthew Lloyd-Thomas, Larry Milstein and Nicole Ng contributed reporting.

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

Ella Wood ’15 falls to Ward 7 incumbent WARD 7 FROM PAGE 1 and Yale students. Many of her volunteers were affiliates of the city’s unions, principally UNITE HERE Locals 34 and 35, which represent pink- and blue-collar workers at the University.

We’ve seen how hard it is to be an independent voice if you don’t have a machine out there behind you.

DOUG HAUSLADEN ’04 Incumbent alderman, Ward 7 Wood worked over the summer for UNITE HERE in New Haven and is a member of Students Unite Now, an undergraduate affiliate of UNITE HERE’s Locals 34 and 35.

In the weeks leading up to the primary, Wood won the support of a series of union-backed city politicians, including Democratic mayoral primary victor Toni Harp ARC ’78, Ward 1 Alderman Sarah Eidelson ’12, Ward 22 incumbent and Democratic primary victor Jeanette Morrison, Ward 9 Alderman Jessica Holmes, Ward 6 Alderman Dolores Colon Ward 29 Alderman and Local 35 Vice President Brian Wingate, many of whom spent the afternoon canvassing voters or standing outside the polling place urging Ward 7 residents to vote for Wood.

Eidelson, whose High Street apartment served as Wood’s headquarters throughout the day, delivered phone messages to Ward 7 residents encouraging them to come to the polls.

“It’s extremely, extremely close out there so we really need you to vote as soon as possible and to bring the people you live with,” Eidelson said in a voicemail message to a resident of High Street.

Both candidates said they knocked on every door in the ward in the final days before the primary — and said their volunteers re-knocked every single door on the day of the primary.

Hausladen said he was disappointed by a number of Wood’s vote-pulling tactics, which he said relied on “dragging people to the polls.”

“I’ve seen five different vehicles, most with New York license plates, driving by all day,” Hausladen said.

Wood countered that all of her volunteers were residents of New Haven and that the car with New York plates was a rental.

Shortly after the votes were tallied and announced, Wood said she was not surprised by the results given the amount of time — five weeks — she had to campaign.

“We brought a phenomenal number of people to the ballot box, and, in five weeks, made a huge difference in what was previously an uncontested race,” she said. She told her supporters that “we have all run this campaign.”

Hausladen ran as part of a slate of aldermanic candidates called Take Back New Haven, a group aiming to counter the supermajority of city lawmakers backed

by Yale’s unions. That supermajority emerged in 2011 when 17 of 18 union-supported candidates won election. Hausladen said he had 10 to 15 supporters volunteering for him on Election Day, and ran his campaign out of the

YDN

Doug Hausladen ’04, the incumbent alderman of Ward 7, shakes hands with Ella Wood ’15 after defeating her in the Democratic primary.

Luck & Levity Brewshop on Court Street.

If he is challenged in the general election, Hausladen said, his strategy will not change. He said he is confident in a second victory — and confident he will also win the votes of many of the ward’s Independents.

“We’ve seen how hard it is to be an independent voice if you don’t have a machine out there

behind you,” he said.

A number of Yale students — including Travis Hutchinson ’15, who lives in Rosenfeld Hall — said they voted for Wood because she reached out to them in their dorms. But one student, Mary Jo Medina ’15, said it was precisely the extent of Wood’s outreach efforts that turned her off. She said Wood approached her in the dining hall and later that night at

her dorm, where her campaign “had people on every floor.”

Dallas Davis, a Ward 7 resident, said he voted for Hausladen because of the alderman’s help in shoveling out neighborhoods following the snowstorm in 2012.

History Department Chair Naomi Lamoreaux and her husband, David Lamoreaux, said they both voted for Hausladen because of his depth of knowl-

edge of the ward, though Brooks Kelly, a middle school teacher in Danbury, said he voted for Wood because he had “never seen the other guy.”

There are 1,700 registered Democrats in Ward 7.

Contact LARRY MILSTEIN at larry.milstein@yale.edu . Contact ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER at isaac.stanley-becker@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 5

ELECTION 2013

“I didn’t run for mayor to be the caretaker of the status quo.” MICHAEL NUTTER MAYOR OF PHILADELPHIA

Elicker wins over Ward 1 voters

Morrison defeats two Ward 22 challengers

BY MICHELLE HACKMAN AND NICOLE NG STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Despite Toni Harp’s ARC ’72 overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary, Justin Elicker FES ’10 SOM ’10 decisively won over Ward 1’s Yale voters.

Elicker, who currently represents East Rock on the Board of Aldermen, won 108 of 223 votes within the Yale-dominated ward, also beating out former city economic development administrator Henry Fernandez LAW ’94 and Hillhouse High School principal Kermit Carolina. His victory follows high visibility and a sophisticated get-out-the-vote effort on campus, which featured teams of Yale for Elicker staffers passing out campaign literature on campus all day.

Following his second-place finish in Tuesday’s primary — and the withdrawals of Fernandez and Carolina — Elicker stands as the lone candidate to challenge Harp in November’s general election. Although Democratically endorsed candidates typically win general elections in New Haven, Drew Morrison ’14, the head of the Yale for Elicker group, said that his candidate stands a fighting chance, as he will likely gain many of Fernandez’s and Carolina’s voters along with the support of 20,000 unaffiliated and Republican voters in the city.

Given his candidate’s overwhelming victory within the Yale ward on Tuesday, Morrison said that Ward 1 will figure largely in Elicker’s election strategy for the next two months.

“I think it means a lot that we won Ward 1,” Morrison said. “We will have a lot higher turnout among Yale students [in the general election] because of the aldermanic election.

So that will be a really crucial part of our strategy for November.”

But higher turnout on campus may not necessarily mean increased support for Elicker in November. Nailah Harper-Malveaux ’16 said she deliberated between Elicker and Harp, but ultimately voted for Harp in the primary.

“Toni Harp had the most experience and had done so much more for the state already,” Harper-Malveaux said, “I think it’ll be great if she is elected because she’ll be the first woman mayor of New Haven.”

Harp’s gender also influenced voter Stephen Marsh ’13, who was passing through New Haven this week and stopped by Ward 1 to vote. He voted for Harp, he said, because he “[doesn’t] vote for men.”

Former News editor Eli Markham ’13, who works for Harp’s campaign, declined to comment on whether the Democratic candidate would alter her Yale strategy in the general election. Harp campaign manager Michael Harris ’15 could not be reached for comment.

As the results for Ward 1 were announced at the Harp post-election party, one person in the crowd shouted, “That’s the Yale ward!

We don’t need them! They’re not part of New Haven!”

In the weeks leading up to the Democratic primary, Elicker has made numerous appearances on campus, participating in debates and showing up at casual events such as the Slifka Center’s bagel brunch to introduce himself to

BY MONICA DISARE STAFF REPORTER In one of New Haven’s most eclectic areas, incumbent Jeanette Morrison, the alderman who represents four of Yale’s residential colleges, clinched the democratic nomination for Ward 22 in Tuesday’s primary.

The ward is home to students who live in Ezra Stiles, Morse, Silliman and Timothy Dwight colleges and also residents in the Dixwell community, a traditionally lowerincome neighborhood. Morrison secured 264 votes, more than her closest challenger, Helen Powell, a retired staffer in the New Haven Registrar of Voters, who received 110 votes. Also in the race was Cordelia Thorpe, a former state Department of Corrections employee who has run unsuccessfully in every Ward 22 election since 2005 and received 84 votes.

“I really like doing the job of an alderperson and making sure that my ward and the city is taken care of,” Morrison said after her victory. “I’m so pleased that my constituents are pleased with me.”

In her previous work as alderman, Morrison sponsored initiatives such as reintroducing the Q House — previously a community and youth gathering center — and promoting the Jobs Pipeline — a program to streamline the job search process for New Haven residents. She said that two of her top priorities for her coming term will be youth and safety.

But her, “ultimate goal” she said, is to bridge the gap between the Yale students and permanent residents that live within her ward.

Those deep town-gown divisions were on display today at the Ward 22 polling location.

“If it wasn’t for Yale students, she wouldn’t have won.

It’s not fair,” said Louise Pierce, a Ward 22 resident. “The only time we see her is at the election.”

Morrison’s opponent, Powell, for example, said that freshmen, who are not yet acquainted with the city, should refrain from voting, and that upperclassmen should take time to familiarize themselves with the issues before heading to the polls. Newcomers to the Elm City, Powell said, lack sufficient community knowledge to make an informed decision on whom to support for the alderman role.

Bruce Alexander ’65, another Ward 22 resident and Yale’s vice president for New Haven and state affairs, was also at the polls. While he would not say who he voted for in the aldermanic or mayoral races, he said that he supports students’ involvement in the election.

“Yale students are very capable people,” Alexander said. “The notion that they can’t get involved is fallacious.

Students ought to be active and engaged.”

At least 25 Yale students were transported to the Ward 22 polling location, said ward co-chair Josef Goodman ’14.

More students could have gotten their own rides or walked to the polling location at Wexler Grant School, he added.

One Yale student who made it to the polls, Edmund Downie ’14, said he voted for Morrison because he worked for her campaign last year and thinks she “did a good job and is committed to sticking to it.”

Morrison is a social worker with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Contact MONICA DISARE at monica.disare@yale.edu .

students.

At 5:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, seven students — known as the “no sleep” team — met in Morrison’s suite to gather campaign literature and strategize for the day. Immediately afterward, Morrison said, they fanned out across campus, canvassing each of the 12 residential colleges, making phone calls, passing out literature and, in Ward 22, driving students to the polls. In all, he added, 14 Yale students participated in the get-out-the-vote effort on campus.

Elicker is really visible on Yale’s campus. He’s a smart guy who likes data-driven solutions.

RACHEL MILLER ’15 Member of Elicker’s “no sleep” team Rachel Miller ’15, a member of the “nosleep” team, said energy and support for Elicker has been palpable on campus.

“Elicker is really visible on Yale’s campus. He’s a smart guy who likes data-driven solutions and keeps calling for more data and analysis when it comes to implementing policy, as opposed to just rhetoric,” she said.

“That’s something that really resonates with Yale students who want sensible solutions.”

Throughout the day, Elicker supporters maintained a presence outside the New Haven Free Public Library — the polling place for Ward 1 — making it the only mayoral campaign to do so.

But not everyone on campus seeking a Harp alternative turned to Elicker. Jonathan Esty ’17, a Connecticut resident, called Harp a “vanilla liberal” who failed to define her views

WARD 2

WARD 7

WARD 22

Douglass: 279 Smith: 121

Hausladen: 331 Wood: 232

Morrison: 264 Powell: 110 Thorpe: 84

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Harp

beyond a standard progressive agenda. Still, he voted for Fernandez over Elicker.

“Both Elicker and Fernandez bring interesting ideas and are more likely to be collaborative rather than combative with Yale as an institution,” he said. “That being said, between Elicker and Fernandez, while Elicker has more support, Fernandez has organizational experience that Elicker, despite his work in East Rock, lacks.”

Although he came in third in the city overall, Fernandez topped Harp in Ward 1, winning 61 votes to her 47. Elicker is expected to pick up a significant portion of Fernandez’s support throughout the city in the general election.

Still, Ward 1’s final makeup remains to be seen. Just 223 of 1,345 eligible Democratic voters cast ballots Tuesday, and Michael Hayden, a poll worker at the Public Library, said he expects many more voters to participate in November’s election, in large part due to the aldermanic race between Democrat Sarah Eidelson ’12 and Republican Paul Chandler ’14.

“It’s been a pretty slow day, but it’s a primary so not many people come out to vote for that,” Hayden said. “The general election will be much larger.”

On Tuesday night, Chandler said he was “pleased to hear” that Elicker will continue to the general so New Haven residents can “continue to be formally engaged about the issues that matter.”

The general election will take place on Nov. 5.

Matthew Lloyd-Thomas contributed reporting.

Contact MICHELLE HACKMAN at michelle.hackman@yale.edu .

Contact NICOLE NG at nicole.ng@yale.edu .

ALDERMANIC RESULTS:

MAYORAL TOTALS: 3251

YDN

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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

ARTS & CULTURE

“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.”

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AMERICAN ARCHITECT

In ‘Still Life,’ beauty of everyday objects

Galleries welcome freshmen

ALEXANDRA SCHMELING/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

“Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” — a new exhibit at the Yale University Art Gallery — is bringing the art of photorealism back by way of scultpures and paintings.

BY SARA JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

BY YANAN WANG STAFF REPORTER This fall, the class of 2017 became the first group of freshmen to arrive on campus to a newly renovated Yale University Art Gallery and a Yale Center for British Art that is undergoing refurbishment.

During the second annual Freshman Night of the Arts, hosted jointly by the YCBA and the YUAG last Friday night, first year students were given a glimpse of the museums’ new offerings, with introductions and tours led by each institution’s student guide groups. The art museum receptions were part of a larger roster of orientation arts events for freshmen. In the past, these events have been consolidated into larger art showcases spanning several hours, said Associate Dean for the Arts Susan Cahan. This year, the introductory activities — which total 92 programs on the online Calendar of Opening Days — were hosted individually to allow students to select and attend the ones which interested them the most.

The art gallery receptions, formerly a mandatory event for all firstyear students, were made voluntary this year. Cahan explained that given the number of obligations most Yale students have, it no longer seemed reasonable to force them to participate. Still, nearly 400 students attended events hosted by the YCBA and the YUAG over the course of two hours.

In the past, there would be a situation where a Yale student was in their senior year and had never gone to the galleries.

KATE EZRA Curator of education and academic affairs, YUAG “I have very little experience going to museums,” said Daniel Leibovic ’17, who visited the YCBA with his freshman counselor group. “So I was pleasantly surprised to see that we

have this gem on campus, and very impressed by how fluent and insightful the guides were.”

Kate Ezra, the YUAG’s curator of education and academic affairs, said the goal of the Freshman Night of the Arts is to make students aware of the University’s collections and arts resources early on in their college careers.

“In the past, there would be a situation where a Yale student was in their senior year and had never gone to the galleries,” Ezra said. “Then they realize what a shame it is that they’ve spent four years at this institution with two world class art museums — ones that are pilgrimage sites for people who are knowledgeable and love art.”

The YCBA experienced a lower turnout, with 50 recorded visitors as of 8 p.m. compared to roughly 200 at the YUAG, gallery employees at both institutions said.

Due to ongoing conservation efforts, the center’s second and third floors were inaccessible, and freshmen were given tours of the permanent painting collection on the

fourth floor. The YUAG was faced with a similar situation during last year’s event, when visitors were barred from Street Hall and had limited access to the Kahn building and the Swartwout building.

Employees from both museums said hosting the gallery receptions independent of other arts orientation events has had a positive impact on orientation programming.

“The calendar is a lot more comprehensive [now],” Cahan said.

“Freshmen can choose which events they want to attend — logistically, it’s a dream come true.”

For those who were seeing the YUAG’s renovated spaces for the first time, the expansiveness of the facilities came as a surprise.

Daniel Hoogstraten ’17, a Chicago native, said he was surprised by the size of the collections, comparing them to those on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The YCBA’s conservation project will be completed in January.

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

CARLY LOVEJOY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

After more than a decade of neglect, the Yale University Art Gallery is bringing photorealism back.

A new exhibit — “Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” — features 22 paintings and three sculptures that exemplify the movement’s dedication to meticulous verisimilitude. According to the exhibit’s materials, the photorealists are typically seen as a lesserknown outgrowth of ’60s Pop Art, with its similar focus on dazzlingly accurate reproductions of preexisting images. That said, the group tended to shy away from Pop’s overtly commercial bent, forgoing the advertisements and comic strips of their predecessors in favor of the everyday, as evidenced by the works on display at the YUAG. Set against whitewashed walls, the paintings run the gamut from floral arrangements in jarringly vivid colors to retro diners, neon signs and oxidized shells of Chevrolets that nod to bygone, post-war Americana. On tap as well are several token examples of macrophotography, at least one magazine cover and more than a few depic-

tions of garbage, a subject which, curator Cathleen Chaffee added, always seemed to fascinate the photorealists.

Our relationship with hyperrealistic images has been revolutionized in the past few years.

CATHLEEN CHAFFEE Curator, “Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” She mentioned that one of her exhibition favorites is Bruce Everett’s “Gum Wrapper” (1971—’72), an oilpaint rendition of a scrap of crumpled metallic candy packaging that takes up the greater part of a wall. An incredible exercise in detail, the painting translates the camera’s optical effects — and shortcomings — onto canvas, visibly demonstrating its limitations as a technological device, she explained.

More of the curator’s personal highlights include the juxtaposition between Robert Bechtle’s “Sacramento

Montego” (1980) and Ralph Goings’ “Walt’s Restaurant,” (1978-’79) which share a wall. Chaffee recalled that in a fateful twist, Goings is actually the figure featured in Bechtle’s painting, a fact discovered only after Goings came to visit the exhibit.

As commonplace as the subject matter of these works may seem, the breadth of photorealist work the exhibit features is anything but everyday. Chaffee noted, for example, the rarity of seeing more than one ”hyperreal” — simply another term for the movement broadened to include 3D media — sculpture in any one exposition. Most museums, she said, have at most two, making Yale’s collection of three particularly extraordinary.

And Chaffee was not the only one impressed by these astoundingly lifelike creations — throughout the exhibit, spectators marveled at their authenticity.

“We have a lot of people come up and actually ask us if they’re real,” one security guard explained. “That’s how accurate they are.”

Another viewer, Evangeline Cadieux-Mauro, cited this incredible realism as well, saying, “[The paint-

ings] are so lifelike, it’s really amazing.”

Drawn predominantly from the University’s own holdings, many of which — not unlike photorealism itself — have long been shelved, the work has, in Chaffee’s eyes, poignant contemporary resonance.

“Our relationship with hyper-realistic images has been revolutionized in the past few years,” Chaffee said.

“Today, we’re constantly subjected to this barrage of pictures, via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text messages and so on.”

The movement, she pointed out, is very much a presentation and exploration of the relationship we have with images, and — particularly for modern viewers — toys with our expectations and definitions of what constitutes photography or realism.

So call it the 70s’ answer to Instagram, the average Joe to Pop Art’s Marilyn, or whatever you please: Photorealism is here to stay — until next March, at least.

The exhibition opened on Aug. 30 and runs through March 9.

Contact SARA JONES at sara.l.jones@yale.edu.

The Yale University Art Gallery completed its 14-year renovation last December.

‘Everything Loose’ has landed in New Haven

BY SARA JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER By way of Yale’s School of Architecture, a little piece of Los Angeles has taken up residence in New Haven.

“Everything Loose Will Land,” which opened on Aug. 28, utilizes an eclectic mix of media to present an “archive of architectural ideas,” according to the exhibit’s wall text.

Originally designed by Johnston Marklee Architects and curated by Sylvia Lavin for the MAK Center in Los Angeles, it was adapted for the School of Architecture’s space

by Brian Butterfield ARC ’11, the school’s director of exhibitions. The exhibit focuses in particular on the relationship between architecture and the visual arts during the 1970s, as well as the developments in each field fostered by their union.

Employed to this end are disparate objects including Jef Raskin’s “Bloxes.” The “Bloxes” include sculptural assemblages of cardboard blocks; a piece of playground equipment in clear polycarbonate plastic and stainless steel; Bruce Nauman’s massive triangular structure covered in black asphalt paper, “Untitled [Equilateral Triangle]” (1980); and graphite sketches by Frank Gehry on tracing paper that is thin to the point of luminescence. The exhibit also features bright, graphic collages and brilliant azure glass façade tiles, as well as exhibition posters and geometric swirls of neon light tubing that dangle from the ceiling like mod chandeliers.

All have little in common aside from serving as placeholders for a decade School of Architecture Dean Robert A.M. Stern described as “a very fruitful period” in Los Angeles’ history when explaining his decision to bring the exhibit to Yale.

“The exhibition is true to its name, offering a window of insight into a significant decade and place,”

echoed Meg Haron, a spectator at the exhibit.

Upon closer examination, however, it becomes clear that while LA might have been the epicenter of innovation during the 70s, it was by no means the only area to foster advancement in the field, Butterfield said. He added that the exhibit, while certainly focused on LA, is also about “the idea that architects could be artists, and artists could be more interested in architecture.”

Because the exhibit’s theme is linked more closely to a specific decade than to a geographic area, he continued, “Everything Loose” fits well in the Rudolph Hall space, as comfortably situated in the Elm City as in its Southern Californian home.

The exhibit also fits well with Stern’s hopes for a new direction within the school.

“We’ve lost the intimate connection that once existed between art and architecture — both in LA and in this school,” he said. “Since the two disciplines have become more distant, I am hoping that the exhibit might rekindle that connection.”

Stern pointed out an additional connection between the University and five of the featured artists. This influential group includes Charles Moore, head of the School of Architecture from 1965-1970; Cesar Pelli, head of the School of Architecture from 1977-1984; Peter de Bretteville ’63 ARC ’68, a member of the School of Architecture faculty since 1990; Sheila de Bretteville ART ’64, director of the Yale School of Art’s graphic design program since 1990; and Frank Gehry, a regular visiting professor since 1979.

“Everything Loose Will Land” will be on display through Nov. 9.

Bollywood invades South Asian dance

BY PIERRE ORTLIEB CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

Contact SARA JONES at sara.l.jones@yale.edu .

AMRA SARIC/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“Everything Loose Will Land,” now on display at the School of Architecture, explores the dynamic between architecture and the visual arts in Los Angeles during the 1970s.

A new era in Yale’s South Asian dance scene has risen from the ashes of its traditional past.

Yale’s South Asian dance groups have experienced a shift in their musical and artistic styles over the past few years. In particular, interest in Yale Anjali — the only remaining Indian classical dance society on campus — has declined dramatically, said Krisha Desai ’14, a member of Rangeela, a “fusion Bollywood group.” In its place, a batch of new, more pop-oriented clubs have emerged, replacing the styles of old, such as Bharata Natyam and Kathak with a refreshed fervor and penchant for entertainment, said Shona Hemmady ’16, a member of Yale Jashan Bhangra.

“Anjali [performed] a very classical Indian dance,” said Hemali Shah ’16, a member of the two-year-old dance group MonstRAASity, which blends

customary folk songs with a distinct modern playfulness. “It was very focused on technique, form and posture — it’s more about the beauty of the dance than the entertainment.”

Shah added that Anjali’s goal — the preservation of a centuries-old art of expression — may have eluded viewers.

Tobias Kühne ’12 GRD ’18, a member of Sur et Veritaal, Yale’s only South Asian a capella organization, agreed.

“Traditional dance tells a story based on subtle hand and feet movement, which, while beautiful, can be hard to understand for non-South Asians,” Kühne said.

Bhangra, on the other hand, is a “really loud, energetic, big sort of dance,” according to Hemmady, who is one of the Jashan Bhangra team’s newest members. Established at Yale in 2009, the style is “far more accessible.”

Kühne attributed the popularity of Bhangra to its “stronger visual signals,” which are far easier for viewers to pick up on. He added that at Roshni,

an annual South Asian cultural showcase on campus, bhangra has always yielded the most enthusiastic reactions from the crowd.

“Bhangra doesn’t have to be decoded,” Kühne said.

Celebrated after the yearly harvest in India, bhangra is considered a party dance, an exuberant and explosive celebration of hard work, making it far “easier on the eye” than the complex intricacy of Anjali’s ancient ritual movements once were, Hemmady said.

Classical dance, requiring a lot of mental and physical strength and emphasising the perfection of every movement, “just doesn’t have the same obvious outward pop that Bhangra, Raas and Rangeela do,” she added.

But simplicity and energy are not the sole reasons for the increasing appeal of these groups.

The sheer difficulty of mastering Indian classical dance, a process which Hemmady said can take many, many years — sometimes even a lifetime —

stands in stark contrast to the ease with which one can now join Bhangra, Raas, Rangeela and other groups. Desai claimed that no experience is necessary for joining the groups outside of a sense of rhythm. More contemporary forms of dance are thus open to students previously perplexed by the complexity of traditional dances, which has contributed massively to the expansion of the groups’ presence, as has the growing popularity of Bollywood on campus, Desai said. The occasional “American song mixed in” certainly does not hurt, Hemmady noted, adding that the “flairs and flourishes from American dances” they often include have been crucial in reviving the public’s interest in South Asian dance.

Roshni, the cultural showcase of Yale’s South Asian microcosm, will take place on Nov. 8.

Contact PIERRE ORTLIEB at pierre.ortlieb@yale.edu .

PAGE 6

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

ARTS & CULTURE

“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.”

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AMERICAN ARCHITECT

In ‘Still Life,’ beauty of everyday objects

Galleries welcome freshmen

ALEXANDRA SCHMELING/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

“Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” — a new exhibit at the Yale University Art Gallery — is bringing the art of photorealism back by way of scultpures and paintings.

BY SARA JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

BY YANAN WANG STAFF REPORTER This fall, the class of 2017 became the first group of freshmen to arrive on campus to a newly renovated Yale University Art Gallery and a Yale Center for British Art that is undergoing refurbishment.

During the second annual Freshman Night of the Arts, hosted jointly by the YCBA and the YUAG last Friday night, first year students were given a glimpse of the museums’ new offerings, with introductions and tours led by each institution’s student guide groups. The art museum receptions were part of a larger roster of orientation arts events for freshmen. In the past, these events have been consolidated into larger art showcases spanning several hours, said Associate Dean for the Arts Susan Cahan. This year, the introductory activities — which total 92 programs on the online Calendar of Opening Days — were hosted individually to allow students to select and attend the ones which interested them the most.

The art gallery receptions, formerly a mandatory event for all firstyear students, were made voluntary this year. Cahan explained that given the number of obligations most Yale students have, it no longer seemed reasonable to force them to participate. Still, nearly 400 students attended events hosted by the YCBA and the YUAG over the course of two hours.

In the past, there would be a situation where a Yale student was in their senior year and had never gone to the galleries.

KATE EZRA Curator of education and academic affairs, YUAG “I have very little experience going to museums,” said Daniel Leibovic ’17, who visited the YCBA with his freshman counselor group. “So I was pleasantly surprised to see that we

have this gem on campus, and very impressed by how fluent and insightful the guides were.”

Kate Ezra, the YUAG’s curator of education and academic affairs, said the goal of the Freshman Night of the Arts is to make students aware of the University’s collections and arts resources early on in their college careers.

“In the past, there would be a situation where a Yale student was in their senior year and had never gone to the galleries,” Ezra said. “Then they realize what a shame it is that they’ve spent four years at this institution with two world class art museums — ones that are pilgrimage sites for people who are knowledgeable and love art.”

The YCBA experienced a lower turnout, with 50 recorded visitors as of 8 p.m. compared to roughly 200 at the YUAG, gallery employees at both institutions said.

Due to ongoing conservation efforts, the center’s second and third floors were inaccessible, and freshmen were given tours of the permanent painting collection on the

fourth floor. The YUAG was faced with a similar situation during last year’s event, when visitors were barred from Street Hall and had limited access to the Kahn building and the Swartwout building.

Employees from both museums said hosting the gallery receptions independent of other arts orientation events has had a positive impact on orientation programming.

“The calendar is a lot more comprehensive [now],” Cahan said.

“Freshmen can choose which events they want to attend — logistically, it’s a dream come true.”

For those who were seeing the YUAG’s renovated spaces for the first time, the expansiveness of the facilities came as a surprise.

Daniel Hoogstraten ’17, a Chicago native, said he was surprised by the size of the collections, comparing them to those on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The YCBA’s conservation project will be completed in January.

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

CARLY LOVEJOY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

After more than a decade of neglect, the Yale University Art Gallery is bringing photorealism back.

A new exhibit — “Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” — features 22 paintings and three sculptures that exemplify the movement’s dedication to meticulous verisimilitude. According to the exhibit’s materials, the photorealists are typically seen as a lesserknown outgrowth of ’60s Pop Art, with its similar focus on dazzlingly accurate reproductions of preexisting images. That said, the group tended to shy away from Pop’s overtly commercial bent, forgoing the advertisements and comic strips of their predecessors in favor of the everyday, as evidenced by the works on display at the YUAG. Set against whitewashed walls, the paintings run the gamut from floral arrangements in jarringly vivid colors to retro diners, neon signs and oxidized shells of Chevrolets that nod to bygone, post-war Americana. On tap as well are several token examples of macrophotography, at least one magazine cover and more than a few depic-

tions of garbage, a subject which, curator Cathleen Chaffee added, always seemed to fascinate the photorealists.

Our relationship with hyperrealistic images has been revolutionized in the past few years.

CATHLEEN CHAFFEE Curator, “Still Life: 1970s Photorealism” She mentioned that one of her exhibition favorites is Bruce Everett’s “Gum Wrapper” (1971—’72), an oilpaint rendition of a scrap of crumpled metallic candy packaging that takes up the greater part of a wall. An incredible exercise in detail, the painting translates the camera’s optical effects — and shortcomings — onto canvas, visibly demonstrating its limitations as a technological device, she explained.

More of the curator’s personal highlights include the juxtaposition between Robert Bechtle’s “Sacramento

Montego” (1980) and Ralph Goings’ “Walt’s Restaurant,” (1978-’79) which share a wall. Chaffee recalled that in a fateful twist, Goings is actually the figure featured in Bechtle’s painting, a fact discovered only after Goings came to visit the exhibit.

As commonplace as the subject matter of these works may seem, the breadth of photorealist work the exhibit features is anything but everyday. Chaffee noted, for example, the rarity of seeing more than one ”hyperreal” — simply another term for the movement broadened to include 3D media — sculpture in any one exposition. Most museums, she said, have at most two, making Yale’s collection of three particularly extraordinary.

And Chaffee was not the only one impressed by these astoundingly lifelike creations — throughout the exhibit, spectators marveled at their authenticity.

“We have a lot of people come up and actually ask us if they’re real,” one security guard explained. “That’s how accurate they are.”

Another viewer, Evangeline Cadieux-Mauro, cited this incredible realism as well, saying, “[The paint-

ings] are so lifelike, it’s really amazing.”

Drawn predominantly from the University’s own holdings, many of which — not unlike photorealism itself — have long been shelved, the work has, in Chaffee’s eyes, poignant contemporary resonance.

“Our relationship with hyper-realistic images has been revolutionized in the past few years,” Chaffee said.

“Today, we’re constantly subjected to this barrage of pictures, via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text messages and so on.”

The movement, she pointed out, is very much a presentation and exploration of the relationship we have with images, and — particularly for modern viewers — toys with our expectations and definitions of what constitutes photography or realism.

So call it the 70s’ answer to Instagram, the average Joe to Pop Art’s Marilyn, or whatever you please: Photorealism is here to stay — until next March, at least.

The exhibition opened on Aug. 30 and runs through March 9.

Contact SARA JONES at sara.l.jones@yale.edu.

The Yale University Art Gallery completed its 14-year renovation last December.

‘Everything Loose’ has landed in New Haven

BY SARA JONES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER By way of Yale’s School of Architecture, a little piece of Los Angeles has taken up residence in New Haven.

“Everything Loose Will Land,” which opened on Aug. 28, utilizes an eclectic mix of media to present an “archive of architectural ideas,” according to the exhibit’s wall text.

Originally designed by Johnston Marklee Architects and curated by Sylvia Lavin for the MAK Center in Los Angeles, it was adapted for the School of Architecture’s space

by Brian Butterfield ARC ’11, the school’s director of exhibitions. The exhibit focuses in particular on the relationship between architecture and the visual arts during the 1970s, as well as the developments in each field fostered by their union.

Employed to this end are disparate objects including Jef Raskin’s “Bloxes.” The “Bloxes” include sculptural assemblages of cardboard blocks; a piece of playground equipment in clear polycarbonate plastic and stainless steel; Bruce Nauman’s massive triangular structure covered in black asphalt paper, “Untitled [Equilateral Triangle]” (1980); and graphite sketches by Frank Gehry on tracing paper that is thin to the point of luminescence. The exhibit also features bright, graphic collages and brilliant azure glass façade tiles, as well as exhibition posters and geometric swirls of neon light tubing that dangle from the ceiling like mod chandeliers.

All have little in common aside from serving as placeholders for a decade School of Architecture Dean Robert A.M. Stern described as “a very fruitful period” in Los Angeles’ history when explaining his decision to bring the exhibit to Yale.

“The exhibition is true to its name, offering a window of insight into a significant decade and place,”

echoed Meg Haron, a spectator at the exhibit.

Upon closer examination, however, it becomes clear that while LA might have been the epicenter of innovation during the 70s, it was by no means the only area to foster advancement in the field, Butterfield said. He added that the exhibit, while certainly focused on LA, is also about “the idea that architects could be artists, and artists could be more interested in architecture.”

Because the exhibit’s theme is linked more closely to a specific decade than to a geographic area, he continued, “Everything Loose” fits well in the Rudolph Hall space, as comfortably situated in the Elm City as in its Southern Californian home.

The exhibit also fits well with Stern’s hopes for a new direction within the school.

“We’ve lost the intimate connection that once existed between art and architecture — both in LA and in this school,” he said. “Since the two disciplines have become more distant, I am hoping that the exhibit might rekindle that connection.”

Stern pointed out an additional connection between the University and five of the featured artists. This influential group includes Charles Moore, head of the School of Architecture from 1965-1970; Cesar Pelli, head of the School of Architecture from 1977-1984; Peter de Bretteville ’63 ARC ’68, a member of the School of Architecture faculty since 1990; Sheila de Bretteville ART ’64, director of the Yale School of Art’s graphic design program since 1990; and Frank Gehry, a regular visiting professor since 1979.

“Everything Loose Will Land” will be on display through Nov. 9.

Bollywood invades South Asian dance

BY PIERRE ORTLIEB CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

Contact SARA JONES at sara.l.jones@yale.edu .

AMRA SARIC/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“Everything Loose Will Land,” now on display at the School of Architecture, explores the dynamic between architecture and the visual arts in Los Angeles during the 1970s.

A new era in Yale’s South Asian dance scene has risen from the ashes of its traditional past.

Yale’s South Asian dance groups have experienced a shift in their musical and artistic styles over the past few years. In particular, interest in Yale Anjali — the only remaining Indian classical dance society on campus — has declined dramatically, said Krisha Desai ’14, a member of Rangeela, a “fusion Bollywood group.” In its place, a batch of new, more pop-oriented clubs have emerged, replacing the styles of old, such as Bharata Natyam and Kathak with a refreshed fervor and penchant for entertainment, said Shona Hemmady ’16, a member of Yale Jashan Bhangra.

“Anjali [performed] a very classical Indian dance,” said Hemali Shah ’16, a member of the two-year-old dance group MonstRAASity, which blends

customary folk songs with a distinct modern playfulness. “It was very focused on technique, form and posture — it’s more about the beauty of the dance than the entertainment.”

Shah added that Anjali’s goal — the preservation of a centuries-old art of expression — may have eluded viewers.

Tobias Kühne ’12 GRD ’18, a member of Sur et Veritaal, Yale’s only South Asian a capella organization, agreed.

“Traditional dance tells a story based on subtle hand and feet movement, which, while beautiful, can be hard to understand for non-South Asians,” Kühne said.

Bhangra, on the other hand, is a “really loud, energetic, big sort of dance,” according to Hemmady, who is one of the Jashan Bhangra team’s newest members. Established at Yale in 2009, the style is “far more accessible.”

Kühne attributed the popularity of Bhangra to its “stronger visual signals,” which are far easier for viewers to pick up on. He added that at Roshni,

an annual South Asian cultural showcase on campus, bhangra has always yielded the most enthusiastic reactions from the crowd.

“Bhangra doesn’t have to be decoded,” Kühne said.

Celebrated after the yearly harvest in India, bhangra is considered a party dance, an exuberant and explosive celebration of hard work, making it far “easier on the eye” than the complex intricacy of Anjali’s ancient ritual movements once were, Hemmady said.

Classical dance, requiring a lot of mental and physical strength and emphasising the perfection of every movement, “just doesn’t have the same obvious outward pop that Bhangra, Raas and Rangeela do,” she added.

But simplicity and energy are not the sole reasons for the increasing appeal of these groups.

The sheer difficulty of mastering Indian classical dance, a process which Hemmady said can take many, many years — sometimes even a lifetime —

stands in stark contrast to the ease with which one can now join Bhangra, Raas, Rangeela and other groups. Desai claimed that no experience is necessary for joining the groups outside of a sense of rhythm. More contemporary forms of dance are thus open to students previously perplexed by the complexity of traditional dances, which has contributed massively to the expansion of the groups’ presence, as has the growing popularity of Bollywood on campus, Desai said. The occasional “American song mixed in” certainly does not hurt, Hemmady noted, adding that the “flairs and flourishes from American dances” they often include have been crucial in reviving the public’s interest in South Asian dance.

Roshni, the cultural showcase of Yale’s South Asian microcosm, will take place on Nov. 8.

Contact PIERRE ORTLIEB at pierre.ortlieb@yale.edu .

PAGE 8

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SETPEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

FROM THE FRONT

“Home life is no more natural to us than a cage is natural to a cockatoo.”

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW IRISH PLAYWRIGHT

LEFT: SARAH BRULEY/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT: YDN

Henry Fernandez LAW ’94, left, told supporters at Michael’s Trattoria on Court Street that he wanted to give voters a chance to choose between the top two candidates in the general election.

3 of 4 Take Back New Haven candidates lose UNIONS FROM PAGE 1 Eidelson ’12, who endorsed Harp and canvassed with the eventual primary winner, said that she expected the next mayor to regard the board as a set of partners. Harp served on the Board of Aldermen before joining the Connecticut state legislature in Hartford, which several Harp supporters and aldermanic candidates said would facilitate a productive dynamic between the city’s executive and legislative bodies.

The new relationship, Eidelson emphasized, would allow the board to move forward on the three issues that have come to dominate its agenda over the past two years: jobs, youth issues and public safety.

Although some have criticized the unions’ dominance of the board, Eidelson said that the dynamic that emerged after the 2011 election allowed significant progress to be made. She pointed to previous iterations of the board, which had few legislative accomplishments, as contrasts to the current state. Prior to 2011, when union-backed candidates unseated most of them, allies of DeStefano controlled much of the board, allowing the mayor to set the agenda in City Hall.

The force that aimed to shift control of the board away from the union “supermajority,” Take Back New Haven, was largely unsuccessful. Of the four candidates the group fielded, only one, Ward 7 incumbent and

Take Back New Haven founder Doug Hausladen ’04, emerged victorious. Hausladen faced Ella Wood ’15, who, while not officially endorsed by UNITE HERE, maintains significant ties to the union.

“I’m a political neophyte,” a visibly exhausted Hausladen said Tuesday evening. “Politics isn’t rocket science but it’s a lot of shoe leather.”

After running unopposed in 2011, Hausladen’s challenge from Wood came as a late-summer surprise. Although Wood says her candidacy came out of a desire to provide better representation for residents of the ward, several observers have suggested that she was encouraged to run by the unions after Hausladen sought to challenge

their dominance on the board.

The group’s three other candidates — Greg Smith in Ward 2, Peter Webster in Ward 8 and Patty DePalma in Ward 11 — lost by nearly 40 points on average.

All three had sought to bring diversity of thought, which they claim the unions’ dominating presence discourages, to the Board.

Despite his loss, though, Webster remained upbeat Thursday night, saying that he had succeeded by bringing residents of his ward into the democratic process. He emphasized that he will continue to serve his community by keeping the Board’s activities in focus.

“I intend to sting the butts of the people who were elected,” Webster said of his future plans.

“They are going into an aldermanic council where everyone votes the party line and nothing gets done.”

Already resigned to losing by the early evening, Smith expressed a similar sentiment to Webster, saying that he planned to run again. Although he remained uncertain as to whether he would run in the general election as an independent, he said that he would attempt to run again in the next cycle.

Smith’s opponent, incumbent Frank Douglass, enjoyed significant support from organized labor, whose resources allowed him to drive voters to the polls far more effectively than Smith.

On Tuesday, union members, including Douglass’ wife Con-

nie, drove Yale students and city residents in Ward 2 to the polling place on Edgewood Avenue as Smith stood by watching.

Other candidates not part of Take Back New Haven but also running against union-backed candidates experienced similar defeats. Cordelia Thorpe, who challenged Morrison in Ward 22, received nearly 40 percent less of the vote than Morrison.

Elm City residents cast a total of 5,185 votes in the city’s 10 contested aldermanic races.

Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed reporting.

Contact MATTHEW LLOYD-THOMAS at matthew.lloyd-thomas@yale.edu .

Anonymous donor funds 43 Hillhouse project SALOVEY FROM PAGE 1 Penelope Laurans, Jonathan Edwards College Master and special assistant to the president, said the house was certainly due for a major renovation beyond just handicap accessibility.

“As far as comfort for a modern family, handicapped accessibility or the building’s systems,” Laurans added, “I am guessing one would not have wished to look much farther than the art on the walls.”

Vice President for Global and Strategic Initiatives Linda Lorimer said the Yale Corporation has been planning this renovation for over a decade, and

had decided to schedule the construction for the next presidential transition.

An anonymous donor fully covered the renovation, said Vice President for Development Joan O’Neill. But the University scaled back the original size of the gift, Polak added, because he and the Facilities Department were able to cut about $5 million from the project costs by toning down the original 2010 renovation plans.

For example, Polak said, the original plan included an elaborate, geothermal heat and energy system that he ultimately decided was not necessary. It was more cost effective to purchase an energy-efficient, regular heat-

ing system to replace the current system of “greenhouse gases,” he added.

Polak said it is important to establish the precedent of using donors’ money wisely because then they will be more inclined to give again in the future.

Ninety percent of the costs for the $17 million budget, Lorimer added, are associated with upgrades to bring the building up to code and make it more accessible for public events, such as electric rewiring and installing fire sprinklers.

Salovey said he has not been involved with the project because of a conflict of interest in spending money for his new home, so

the Yale Corporation authorized the renovation. He has not seen the plans, he added, but he and his wife are looking forward to moving in with their dog, Portia, next fall.

In addition to updating more practical aspects to the house, such as the security system and the old-fashioned heater for hot water, the University has hired prominent designer Thomas Jayne to spruce the space up.

New York City-based Jayne Design Studio, which emphasizes design with a “strong connection to history and space” on its website, confirmed Jayne is working on the project. Jayne could not be reached for comment while

he worked on-site for a project in Montana.

Jayne has been quoted in magazines, such as Elle Décor, about his work on the President’s House.

Until the house is up to code and ready for the new president, McGrath said she will continue to find spaces across campus to host the different receptions and dinners traditionally held in 43 Hillhouse. For example, the reception after the Freshman Assembly usually held at the house took place inside of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and outside on the adjacent plaza instead. The dinner for new faculty next week will take place

in the Refectory at the Divinity School.

Other relocated events will be moved to the Greenberg Center on Prospect Street, various local restaurants and Yale College Dean Mary Miller’s house.

Salovey and McGrath have not yet located a place for the students’ Halloween reception, though McGrath added she plans to keep the event close to Woolsey Hall where the Yale Symphony Orchestra performs.

Henry Farnam bequeathed the President’s House to Yale upon his death in 1883.

Contact JULIA ZORTHIAN at julia.zorthian@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 9

BULLETIN BOARD

TODAY’S FORECAST Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 89.

TOMORROW

FRIDAY

High of 82, low of 65.

High of 74, low of 51.

OVER AND OVER BY A. CAMP

ON CAMPUS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 6:30 PM Yale Entrepreneurial Institute Kickoff. YEI will host its annual Kickoff event at the YEI Incubator. Whether you’re a techie, a budding venture capitalist or simply curious about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, all Yalies are invited to attend to learn about YEI’s resources. Refreshments will be served. YEI Incubator (55 Whitney) 7:00 PM Film: Enjoy Poverty. The film, Enjoy Poverty (Netherlands, 2009), will be screened Wednesday as part of the Yale World Fellows Program. Direcotr Renzo Martens will introduce the film and hold a discussion afterwards. The film is 90 minutes long. Email uma.ramiah@yale.edu for more information. Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Auditorium

ANTIMALS BY ALEX SODI

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 3:00 PM Yale-China Open House. All are welcome. Come meet the staff of the Yale-China Association and learn more about how you can get involved. Learn about Yale-China’s 112-year history of U.S.-China work, sign up to receive invitations to Yale-China’s events for the community, and meet and connect with individuals in the Yale-China community, including U.S.-China experts, YaleChina Fellows from China, overseas Chinese, and past program participants. Yale-China Association (442 Temple St.), John C. Bierwirth Rm 7:00 PM Real Life with Yale Students for Christ. Join YSC for our weekly large group meeting! The current series is called Nuancing Conceptions of Christianity, and the topic for this week is “Christianity is a Crutch.” For information about Bible studies and other resources, visit www.yalestudentsforchrist.org. All are welcome. Battell Chapel (400 College St.), Rm. 119

THAT MONKEY TUNE BY MICHAEL KANDALAFT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 7:30 PM Yale Anime Society Presents: Cowboy Bebop.

Cowboy Bebop follows the escapades of three bounty hunters (and a tag-along little girl who happens to be an expert computer hacker!!) aboard the spaceship Bebop in the year 2071. William L. Harkness Hall (100 Wall St.), Rm. 119

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CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 Chiang Mai native 5 Dance moves 10 Cheerful 14 Mint, e.g.

15 Ira Gershwin contribution 16 Indiana neighbor 17 Palindromic fashion mag 18 More aloof 19 “Walking in Memphis” singer Cohn 20 Accommodating work hours 23 Large amount 24 “O Sole __” 25 Harper’s __ 28 Chewie’s shipmate 29 Béchamel base 31 Monopoly deed abbr.

32 Market research panel 36 Laundry cycle 37 Fairway boundary 38 Part of i.e.

39 Biblical prophet 40 “Yikes!”

41 Frito-Lay is its title sponsor 43 Mark of Zorro 44 Action on eBay 45 USN rank 46 Acquirer of more than 1,000 patents 48 It includes mayo 49 SUV part: Abbr.

52 Culinary combination 56 Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny 58 Heart of Paris?

59 Old Norse poetry collection 60 Bring in 61 Rockne of Notre Dame fame 62 Look slyly 63 Multitude 64 “Bullitt” director Peter 65 Company that manufactures the starts of 20-, 32-, 41- and 52Across DOWN 1 Taking the wrong way?

2 Nametag greeting

“A CHILD’S TEAR” Leo Tracy Amazon.com Books

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3 “Over the Rainbow” composer 4 Wild mountain goat 5 Deli worker’s chore 6 Danish astronomer Brahe 7 Toledo’s lake 8 Mottled 9 Prepare for surgery 10 Lefty in Cooperstown 11 Small Asian pooch bred as a watchdog 12 Balloon filler 13 Medical nickname 21 Big success 22 Lenient 26 Miller’s “__ From the Bridge” 27 Kidney-related 28 “Les Misérables” author 29 Derby prize 30 Ways of escape 32 Succumbed to stage fright 33 Wondered aloud?

34 Babylonian writing system

HELPING HANDS THRIFT STORE has Quality used Furniture; 25% Discount to Yale Faculty and Students; Free Curbside Delivery in Greater New Haven. www.helpinghandsctfb. com. 334 Boston Post Road, Orange; 77 State Street, North Haven. Tel: 203-298-0499.

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

35 Senate majority leader since 2007 36 Weeps convulsively 39 Capital west of Haiphong 41 Hard to please 42 Grants permanent status to, as a professor 44 A.L. East team 47 Golf-friendly forecast

SUDOKU MEDIUM

9/11/13

48 Like the accent in “entrée” 49 Wedding memento 50 Rear-__ 51 Found out 53 Chaplin’s last wife 54 Neither masc. nor fem.

55 Narcissist’s love 56 Darjeeling, e.g.

57 Scull propeller

6 9

3 8

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

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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

NATION

T

Dow Jones 15,191.06, +0.85%

S NASDAQ 3,729.02, +0.62% Oil 107.12, -0.25%

S S&P 500 1,683.99, +0.73% T T

10-yr. Bond 2.959, +2.14% Euro $1.327, +0.06%

S

Obama delays Syria vote, says diplomacy may work

BY DAVID ESPO AND JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told a war-weary nation Tuesday night that diplomacy suddenly holds “the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons” in Syria without the use of force. But he also vowed the U.S. military will be ready to strike against President Bashar Assad if other measures fail.

For now, Obama said he had asked congressional leaders to postpone a vote on legislation he has been seeking to authorize the use of military force against Syria.

In a 16-minute speech, the president repeatedly offered reassurances that even the failure of diplomacy - in promised talks at the United Nations or elsewhere - would not plunge America into another war.

“I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria,” he promised. “I will not pursue an openended action like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya or Kosovo.”

“This would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective: deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad’s capabilities,” he said.

The speech capped a frenzied 10-day stretch that began when he unexpectedly announced he was stepping back from a threatened military strike and instead asking Congress first to pass legislation authorizing the use of such force against Assad.

With public opinion polls consistently showing widespread opposition to American military intervention, the White House has struggled mightily to generate support among liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans alike who have expressed fears of involvement in yet another war in the Middle East and have questioned whether U.S. national

security interests were at stake in Syria. Obama had trouble, as well, building international support for a military attack designed to degrade Assad’s military.

Suddenly, though, events took another unexpected turn this week. First Russia and then Syria reacted positively to a remark from Secretary of State John Kerry indicating that the crisis could be defused if Damascus agreed to put its chemical weapons under international control.

The president said he was sending Kerry to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, and he added, “I will continue my own discussion” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has said he had been discussing ways out of the Syrian predicament for some time.

At the same time, he said the United States and its allies would work with Russia and China to present a resolution to the United Nations Security Council “requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control.”

“It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments,” he said.

Acknowledging the weariness the nation feels after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama said, “America is not the world’s policeman.”

And yet, he added, “When with modest effort and risk we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act. That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”

“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security, are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used,” he declared.

EVAN VUCCI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Barack Obama addresses the nation in a live televised speech from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.

Obama recounted the events of the deadly chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 that the United States blames on Assad.

I believe we must give diplomatic measures that could avoid military action a chance to work.

ED MARKEY Senator, D-Mass.

“When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until

De Blasio leading in primary

BY JONATHAN LEMIRE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Bill de Blasio held a clear lead Tuesday night in New York City’s mayoral Democratic primary as polls closed, according to early and incomplete voting returns. It was unclear, though, whether he would top the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

De Blasio’s rise was as sudden as it was unexpected.

Not even two months ago, he was an afterthought in the campaign but surged in part thanks to an ad blitz that centered on his interracial family, his headlinegrabbing arrest while protesting the possible closure of a Brooklyn hospital and the defection of excongressman Anthony Weiner’s former supporters in the wake of another sexting scandal.

With 45 percent of precincts reporting, de Blasio, the city’s

public advocate, has about 39 percent of the total vote. Former city Comptroller Bill Thompson has 26 percent, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has 15 percent.

They were followed by current city Comptroller John Liu at 8 percent and Weiner at 5 percent.

Exit polling showed the appeal of de Blasio, the city’s elected public advocate, to be broadbased: He was ahead in all five boroughs; was ahead of Thompson, the only African-American candidate, with black voters and ahead of Quinn, the lone woman in the race, with female voters. He also led Quinn, who is openly gay, among gay voters.

The voter interviews were conducted by Edison Media Research for The Associated Press and other news organizations.

If no candidate surpasses 40 percent of the vote, the top two finishers advance to an Oct. 1 runoff.

BEBETO MATTHEWS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray leave after casting their primary votes on Tuesday at the Park Slope Public Library.

The winner of that contest would face the Republican nominee in the Nov. 5 general election.

Joe Lhota, ex-MTA chairman and former deputy mayor to Rudolph Giuliani, was battling billionaire grocery magnate John Catsimatidis for the GOP nominee. Exit polling was not available in that race.

In the closely watched race for city comptroller, exit interviews show Manhattan Borough President Stringer running ahead of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who was seeking a return to politics after resigning New York’s governor’s office in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal.

The winner of the mayor’s race in November will assume the helm of the nation’s largest city at a critical juncture, as it experiences shrinking crime rates yet widening income inequality, and as the nearly completed One World Trade Center building symbolizes a new era after the terrorist attacks of 2001.

Bloomberg, the businessman Republican-turned-independent, is completing his third term.

While the city’s registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 6 to 1, the GOP’s recent success in mayoral elections has been largely attributed to a crime epidemic, the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks or other extraordinary circumstances.

Nearly three-quarters of Democratic primary voters say the next mayor ought to move away from Bloomberg’s policies, according to the exit polls.

And De Blasio, 52, has fashioned himself as the cleanest break from the Bloomberg years, proposing a tax on the wealthy to fund universal pre-kindergarten and changes to city police practices he says discriminate against minorities.

“I’m a lefty and I’ve had enough of the righties,” said Jessica Safran, a business consultant from the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn who voted for de Blasio. “Even if de Blasio moves to the center if he gets elected, he’ll be closer to the positions I want than the others.”

De Blasio, who worked in Bill Clinton’s White House and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate campaign before being elected to the city council and then public advocate, the city’s official watchdog position.

these horrifying pictures fade from memory. But these things happened. The facts cannot be denied,” he said.

The president said firmly that Assad’s alleged attack was “not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security.”

If diplomacy now fails and the United States fails to act, he said, “the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons” and “other tyrants will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using” it.

Over time, he added, U.S. troops could face the threat of chemical warfare, and if fighting escapes Syria’s border, “these weapons could threaten allies like Turkey,

Jordan and Israel.”

In the run-up to the president’s speech, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pointedly told a congressional hearing it was not time to let the threat of military retaliation lapse. “For this diplomatic option to have a chance at succeeding, the threat of a U.S. military action, the credible, real threat of U.S. military action, must continue,” he declared.

At the same hearing, Kerry said any diplomacy “cannot be a process of delay. This cannot be a process of avoidance.”

He later added that any agreement must include binding consequences if Syria fails to comply, and lawmakers moved to rewrite pending legislation along the same

lines.

The president readied his speech as a small crowd of antiwar protesters, some waving signs, gathered outside the gates of the White House.

U.S. officials say more than 1,400 died in the Aug. 21 episode, including at least 400 children, and other victims suffered uncontrollable twitching, foaming at the mouth and other symptoms typical of exposure to chemical weapons banned by international treaty.

Other casualty estimates are lower, and Assad has said the attack was launched by rebels who have been fighting to drive him from power in a civil war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 100,000 civilians.

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 11

WORLD

“I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.” OGDEN NASH AMERICAN POET

Syria plan faces challenges

‘Significant progress’ in Congo, M23 talks

BY SALEH MWANAMILONGO ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOCAL COMMITTEE OF ARBEEN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of the UN investigation team take samples from the ground in the Damascus countryside of Zamalka, Syria.

BY ZEINA KARAM ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIRUT — Russia’s proposal to place Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile under international control for dismantling would involve a lengthy and complicated operation made more difficult by a deep lack of trust — not to mention the lack of an inventory.

Syria is believed by experts to have 1,000 tons of chemical warfare agents scattered over several dozen sites across the country, and just getting them transferred while fighting rages presents a logistical and security nightmare.

Very few details are known so far about the plan announced Monday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at averting U.S.-led military strikes in retaliation for a deadly Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus.

Syria swiftly accepted, and the initiative was endorsed in quick succession by Britain, France and the U.S. as an idea worth exploring. Russia, Syria’s most powerful ally, says it is now work-

ing with Damascus to come up with a detailed plan of action.

But the process is rife with challenges, taking place to the backdrop of a raging civil war and an opaque regime that until now has never formally confirmed that it has chemical weapons.

Lack of trust between the regime’s chief supporters and opponents in the international community is likely to complicate the operation.

This situation falls outside anything that we’ve known so far.

JEAN PASCAL ZANDERS Indpendent chemical weapons consultant “This situation falls outside anything that we’ve known so far,” said Jean Pascal Zanders, an independent chemical weapons consultant and disarmament expert.

President Bashar Assad’s regime is said to have one of the world’s larg-

est stockpiles of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve gas sarin. There have been longstanding concerns that the embattled leader might unleash them on a larger scale, transfer some of them to the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group, or that the chemical agents could fall into the hands of al-Qaida militants among the rebels.

Many are skeptical that the Syrian regime would follow through on its commitments. The government has typically accepted last-minute deals with the international community to buy time, then argued over the details or fell back on its promises. Most recently, Syria called for an immediate U.N. investigation into an alleged chemical attack near Aleppo in March.

Negotiations then dragged on until August before a deal was struck.

“The devil is in the details,” said Ralf Trapp, a disarmament consultant who worked for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons from 1997 to 2006. “Neither side (of the Syria conflict) has a reputation for sticking to deals for long periods of time.”

KINSHASA, Congo — The Congolese government and a rebel group that is ensconced in the hills above one of the country’s largest cities have made progress in talks organized by neighboring nations, according to a statement issued Tuesday.

“Significant progress has been made in the dialogue,” said the statement from the Office of the Facilitator of the International Conference of the Great Lakes, which is hosting the mediation effort in the capital of neighboring Uganda.

Late last month, Congolese troops exchanged heavy fire with the M23 rebels, who occupy positions just outside the strategic eastern city of Goma.

Aided by U.N. forces who pounded rebel positions with combat helicopters the Congolese were able to reclaim several areas that had been occupied by the M23, until the rebels unexpectedly declared a cease-fire, saying they wanted to resume talks.

The M23 is primarily made up of fighters from a now-defunct rebel group which signed a peace agreement with Congo on March 23, 2009.

The deal paved the way for the rebels to join the regular Congolese military.

For the next three years Congo enjoyed a relative period of calm in its troubled and lawless eastern province.

However many defected in 2012, claiming Congo had not held up its end of the bargain by failing to implement the signed agreement. Rebels invaded and briefly held Goma, one of Congo’s largest cities late last year, before retreating to positions just outside the city.

The international community, bolstered by several reports by the U.N. Group of Experts, has accused Rwanda of backing the M23, using it as a proxy force to secure access to eastern Congo’s lucrative mining trade.

Tuesday’s statement from the office of the facilitator in Kampala says the

two sides agreed that 65 percent of the provisions in the 2009 accord have been implemented, while 35 percent have not. “The parties have expressed determination to ensure that the balance of the agreement will be implemented as well,” it said.

Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the statement is further proof that the M23’s rationale for war is unfounded.

The parties have expressed determination to ensure that the balance of the agreement will be implemented as well.

OFFICE OF THE FACILITATOR IN KAMPALA “First of all, this confirms what the government has always said — that the non-execution of the March 23, 2009, accord is not the real reason for the war that was imposed on us because the majority of the measures were already implemented. This war comes from elsewhere,” he said.

“The Congolese government is thinking of Rwanda, which does not want to respect the promises it has made.”

Showing the extent of international concern, the talks were attended by the presidents of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania, as well as by the U.N. special envoy to the region, and Sen. Russ Feingold, the special envoy from the United States.

In recent days as fighting between the M23 and Congo escalated, a convoy of military vehicles was seen leaving the Rwanda capital for the Congolese border, heightening fears the two nations, which have gone to war twice before, might be heading for another confrontation.

Indian court convicts 4 in fatal gang rape case

BY KATY DAIGLE AND SHIVANI RAWAT ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DELHI — An Indian court convicted four men Tuesday in the deadly gang rape of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus, a brutal crime that galvanized public anger over the widespread — yet widely tolerated — sexual violence faced by Indian women.

As word of the verdict filtered out, protesters outside the courthouse chanted “Hang them!

Hang them!”

The men were convicted on all 11 counts against them, including rape and murder, and now face the possibility of hanging.

The sentences are expected to be handed down Wednesday.

Judge Yogesh Khanna said in his verdict that the men, who tricked the 23-year-old rape victim and a male friend of hers into boarding the bus they were driving, had committed “murder of a

helpless person.”

The parents of the woman, who cannot be identified under Indian law, had tears in their eyes as the verdicts were read. The mother, wearing a pink sari, sat just a few feet from the convicted men in a tiny courtroom jammed with lawyers, police and reporters. The hearing lasted only a few minutes, and the four men were quickly led from the courtroom by policemen after the verdicts were read.

Speaking before the convictions, the father of the victim called for the four to be executed.

“For what happened with her, these brutes must be hanged,” he told reporters as he left home for the courthouse. “Nothing but the death penalty is acceptable to us.”

Protesters called the Dec. 16 attack a wake-up call for India, where women have long talked quietly of enduring everything from sexual comments to public groping to rape, but where they

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would often face blame themselves if they complained publicly.

“Every girl at any age experiences this — harassment or rape. We don’t feel safe,” said law school graduate Rabia Pathania. “That’s why we’re here. We want this case to be an example for every other case that has been filed and will be filed.”

These accused have been framed simply to please the public.

A. P. SINGH Lawyer Lawyers for the men have insisted they were tortured — a common occurrence in India’s chaotic criminal justice system — and that confessions, which were

later retracted, were coerced.

A.P. Singh, who at times has worked as a lawyer for all the men, said they were innocent.

“These accused have been framed simply to please the public,” he told reporters. “This is not a fair trial.”

The men were identified by the young woman’s friend, and police say they could be seen on security cameras near the bus.

The men, most of them from a crowded New Delhi neighborhood of hand-made brick shanties filled by migrants from poor rural villages, were joy-riding around the city in an off-duty bus when police say they came across the woman and her friend waiting at a bus top. The pair — by most accounts they were not romantically involved — were heading home after an evening showing of “Life of Pi” at a high-end mall just a short walk from the courthouse where Tuesday’s verdict was read.

It wasn’t late. It wasn’t a bad neighborhood. The bus, by all appearances, was just a way for the two to get home.

Instead, the attackers beat the friend into submission, held down the woman and repeatedly raped her. They penetrated her with a metal rod, causing severe internal injuries that led to her death two weeks later.

The woman, who was from another poor migrant family, had recently finished her exams for a physiotherapy degree. Her father earned a little over $200 a month as an airport baggage handler. She was, the family hoped, their path to the bottom rungs of India’s growing middle class.

The defendants also came from poor and ill-educated families.

One, Mukesh Singh, occasionally drove the bus and cleaned it. Another, Vinay Sharma, was a 20-year-old assistant at a gym and the only one to graduate from high school. Akshay Thakur, 28,

occasionally worked as a driver’s helper on the bus. Pawan Gupta, 19, was a fruit seller.

With them were two other men. Police say Ram Singh, 33, hanged himself in prison, though his family insists he was murdered. He was the brother of Mukesh Singh, who was convicted Tuesday. Another man - an 18-year-old who was a juvenile at the time of the attack and cannot be identified under Indian law was convicted in August and will serve the maximum sentence, three years in a reform home.

Facing public protests and political pressure after the attack, the government reformed some of its antiquated laws on sexual violence, creating fast-track courts to avoid the painfully long rape trials that can easily last over a decade. The trial of the four men, which took about seven months, was astonishingly fast by Indian standards. The men can appeal their convictions.

IF YOU MISSED IT SCORES

SOCCER Spain 2 Chile 2

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SPORTS QUICK HITS

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y

GENY DECKER ’17 FRESHMAN GARNERS IVY HONORS The midfielder tallied the first two goals of her collegiate career in Sunday’s win over UMass-Lowell, earning her a spot on the Ivy League weekly honor role and recognition by CollegeSportsMadness as the Ivy League Player of the Week.

KELLY JOHNSON ’16 ELI NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK After earning first-team All-Ivy recognition and the 2012 Ivy League Rookie of the Year award last season, Johnson was named the Ancient Eight’s first Player of the Week of the 2013 season.

She hit .377 with 27 kills and 54 assists in three games this weekend.

SOCCER Italy 2 Czech Republic 1

FOR MORE SPORTS CONTENT, VISIT OUR WEB SITE yaledailynews.com/sports

“We knew we had the ability … to score this many goals, but it feels good to prove it.”

PETER JACOBSON ’14 FORWARD, MEN’S SOCCER

YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 · yaledailynews.com

Second-half run lands first victory for Bulldogs

BY FREDERICK FRANK STAFF REPORTER After struggling to score goals for much of last season, the men’s soccer team’s offense came alive on Tuesday with a four-goal effort propeled by a hat trick from forward Peter Jacobson ’14. This marked the first time that a Yale player scored a hat trick since Alex Munns ’07 tallied three goals, also against Sacred Heart, in 2004.

The senior’s strong performance helped the Bulldogs improve to 1–1–0 on the season with a 4–1 thumping of Sacred Heart in Fairfield.

“It was great to see our hard work translate into goals on the offensive end,” captain Max McKiernan ’14 said. “The win tonight was just the next step in building on the work we’ve done since we started preseason. We still have a lot more to improve on and a lot more to prove.”

The Elis, frustrated last week in a 2–0 loss to Fordham, came out firing against the Pioneers (2–4–0). Within the first 15 minutes, Yale had four corners, saw two of their shots saved by Sacred Heart goalkeeper Dylan Strachan and a further shot blocked by a defender. However, unlike last week, Yale took advantage of

its early pressure and in the 20th minute Jacobson got on the end of a Henry Albrecht ’17 free kick and buried his header in the back of the net.

The Bulldogs kept attacking and forced Strachan into two more saves inside 10 minutes. But the Pioneers would not buckle and equalized in the 40th minute with a free kick from 25 yards out.

Sacred Heart built off the momentum from their goal and won two consecutive corners followed by a shot that Yale goalkeeper Blake Brown ’15 had to parry away in the 43rd minute.

The half time whistle blew before any further action, and the teams went into the break tied at 1–1.

Midfielder Cameron Kirdzik ’17 started the half brightly for the Elis, forcing Strachan to block his shot away, with less than a minute gone in the seond half. After a pair or Yale corners in the 65th minute, Sacred Heart was whistled for a foul inside its own box, giving Yale a penalty kick opportunity.

Jacobson stepped up and slotted the ball past Strachan to put the Elis up 2–1 in the 66th minute.

This offensive breakthrough did not satiate the Bulldogs’ appetite for goals and in the next attack Kirdzik met Jacobson’s ball into the six-yard box and redirected

it into the goal for a 3–1 lead. The Yale offense was firing on all cylinders and just over five minutes later, in the 71st minute, forward Jenner Fox ’14 slid his ball into the box where Jacobson turned it into the net to complete his hat trick. This completed the scoring, despite two more shots from Yale, and Jacobson ended the day with three goals and an assist.

“We knew we had the ability and talent to score this many goals, but it feels good to prove it,” Jacobson said. “Everyone played very well tonight, and we’re going into the Fairfield game with a lot of confidence.”

The strong performance was an important rebound after the Bulldogs were shut out last week against Fordham.

Yale scored three goals in a sixminute period in the second half to break a 1–1 tie and put the match out of reach. The Elis finished the match with a total of eight shots and nine corners, while Brown recorded three saves. Yale submitted a complete team performance that featured 20 out of 25 squad members.

“Today we focused on improving the intensity of our defensive pressure,” Nick Alers ’14 said. “I think that pressure gradually wore Sacred Heart down, and we were

Rogers ’15 talks volleyball

BY DIONIS JAHJAGA STAFF REPORTER Outside hitter Mollie Rogers ’15 is a twotime member of the All-Ivy First Team and the 2011 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Last season, when the Bulldogs finished with an undefeated Ivy record, she was ranked in the top 10 in multiple categories within the Ivy League, including fifth in points, sixth in kills and sixth in digs.

She also led a strong Eli offense in kills per set.

The News sat down with Rogers to discuss her role on the team and prospects for the season. long have you been playing volleyball, QHow and how did you get started?

A

I’ve been playing since fifth grade. I’ve played on a travel team since sixth grade.

My mom played tennis in college, my dad surfed. I actually played on a rec softball team, but I fell in love with volleyball and ditched softball.

A

It’s always hard to predict how the other teams will do, but we only lost one senior [team captain Haley Wessels ’13]. She was very talented, but, luckily, we have four freshmen coming in at the same position and so far we’re all getting along. The team seems really talented. It looks good.

Without getting too technical, what is “Yale volleyball?” What kind of philosophy or style of play does Coach Appleman teach?

Passing is very important for us. We emphasize being aggressive and playing as a team. You really have to work within your team — you can’t do it all by yourself. Obviously, we all know how to play volleyball. It’s more about trusting your teammates, staying focused and being encouraging after good and bad plays.

Q

A

Q

It’s now your third year playing volleyball for Yale. What changes have you noticed within the team?

The team gets closer and closer every year.

I never get tired of them. They really are like family. Even throughout the year, relationships get stronger. We’re always fighting for this one goal, but we can come off the court and be normal friends. We don’t even always have to talk about volleyball.

someone who’s never seen you play, A QFor what do you bring to the team? What kind of player are you?

I’m pretty vocal on the court. I cheer really loudly, and I try to stay positive. I bring a lot of vocal energy to the team.

A

did you develop your playing style?

How do you integrate new players onto the QHowWhen I started playing, I was one of Qteam?

A

the taller girls. So, of course, I started in the middle. One of my very first coaches had us practicing passing all the time. Eventually in eighth or ninth grade I became an outside hitter. Just having the ability to pass helped me progress to outside hitter.

view, why has the volleyball team QInbeenyour so successful, particularly last season?

A

Obviously, everyone on the team is talented. There’s something more that contributes to our success. We spend all of our time together. We develop good team chemistry. We’re all really good friends on and off the court and we respect each other. I think that’s one of the biggest factors, if not the biggest factor.

Q

What do you think the team’s prospects this season are?

A

After every practice, we have team dinner. We don’t do any sort of hazing. There are no freshman-only tasks — everyone takes turns counting the balls, putting up the nets, etc. Basically, everyone does their own share.

It’s nice because as a freshman, you have freshman orientation, and then you get your own orientation from us.

someone who does not know anything QFor about the volleyball team, tell us why we should come and see you guys play.

It’s really fast-paced — something’s always happening. Every point is usually a really exciting play. There’s a lot of drama. It’s a great, high energy sport.

A

Contact DIONIS JAHJAGA at dionis.jahjaga@yale.edu .

able to capitalize on their mistakes and turn defensive into offense in the second half. Also, our finishing was more clinical today — Peter Jacobson was a great finisher around the box.”

The game also saw a very impressive performance by Kirdzik in his second match for the Elis. The freshman from Flemington, N.J., ended his day with a goal and an assist in his 65 minutes on the field.

“Cam is a beast,” McKiernan said. “Athletically he will create a lot of problems for our opponents this season. He played great tonight but I still think we have yet to see his best. He should be a force for us moving forward.”

Another freshman, Albrecht, made his presence known with his first career assist on Jacobson’s first-half goal.

Both McKiernan and Alers both noted that the win was an important stepping-stone for the rest of the season but stressed the team’s continued need for improvement.

Nonetheless the Bulldogs will go into their home opener against Fairfield with a weight lifted off their backs after nearly halving last year’s nine-goal scoring total in a single contest.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs have only given up one of

MEN’S SOCCER

GRAHAM HARBOE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Though the men’s soccer team went into halftime in a 1–1 tie, the Bulldogs defeated Sacred Heart 4–1 . their three goals conceded so far this season from free play. While work is needed on defending set pieces, Yale’s new back five has performed well together despite the absence of last years’ key members Bobby Thalman ’13 and Milan Tica ’13.

“I think we are becoming more comfortable with our system and

playing with each other,” Alers said. “Now the important thing is to take another step in our home opener.”

Yale takes on Fairfield this Friday at Reese Stadium at 7 p.m.

Contact FREDERICK FRANK at frederick.frank@yale.edu .

Coaching with empathy

BY CLINTON WANG STAFF REPORTER To the 11 members of the women’s golf team, Chawwadee Rompothong ’00 has been, at varying times, a coach, a mother and an older sister.

WOMEN’S GOLF Since becoming the team’s head coach in 2006, Rompothong has guided the Bulldogs to two Ivy League titles and two second-place finishes. But her team appreciates her as much for her expert guidance as they do for her warmth and empathy. The players say Rompothong’s ability to understand and relate directly to their college experiences set her apart from many other coaches at Yale and across the nation.

“I cannot love her enough,” Marika Liu ’15 said. “She’s been a shoulder to lean on, kind of like an elder sister who gives you advice without judgment. She understands all our needs, both as students and as athletes.”

Rompothong said she emphasizes excellence “both on and off the golf course,” allowing golfers to do schoolwork as necessary during the team’s daily three- to five-hour practices. It is a privilege that has boosted the team’s GPA to the 11th highest among Division I teams this past year, at 3.636.

Beyond academics, Sunny Park ’14 said Rompothong often asks about her family or school life. Park adds that she never hesitates to vent to her coach or seek her advice, whether about roommate issues or balancing golf and academics with her social and extracurricular life.

Rompothong’s ability to be both a respected mentor and a close friend and cheerleader has also endeared her to the athletes, some of whom call her by her nickname “Diddy.”

“We always tease her to come with us to Toad’s to relive the experience,” Park said. “Hasn’t happened yet, but hopefully we’ll get her to come this year.”

TOP ’DOG PETER JACOBSON ’14

As a former member of Yale’s varsity golf team, Rompothong was named an All-Ivy golfer three times and helped the Bulldogs to three Ivy titles. But she said the women’s golf scene has become much more competitive since her college years, when the women’s golf coach was only a part-time position.

“I was involved in ASA as the president of the Thai Club, I was involved in YPU,” she said. “We were still serious with golf … but the level of competition is much higher today.”

Upon graduating with a degree in economics, Rompothong was initially drawn to “conventional” jobs such as banking and consulting.

But when she opted instead for a career in professional golf, she realized that coaching would allow her to combine her passion for golf with her enjoyment and skill at mentoring others.

She’s been a shoulder to lean on, kind of like an elder sister who gives you advice without judgment.

MARIKA LIU ’15 Women’s golf Before becoming a coach, Rompothong had entertained the idea of attending business school to expand her networking opportunities. But since returning to Yale she has established a healthy network in the Yale community with professors who enjoy golfing, including School of Management Dean Edward Snyder. Park and Shreya Ghei ’15 said Rompothong has introduced them to many residential college fellows, faculty and former classmates now working in a range of industries.

Even as a coach, Rompothong still enjoys aspects of the Yale undergraduate experience. For three years, she was a resident fellow of Berkeley College, where Park

YALE ATHLETICS

Chawwadee Rompothong ’00 has been the head coach of the women’s golf team since 2006. said she would play Ping-Pong in the buttery with the team. She has also audited a number of classes including a School of Management course on sports statistics and Kelly Brownell’s “The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food.”

Although described by her players as fiercely competitive — even over a casual game of Ping-Pong or charades — Rompothong said she loves golf for its collegial atmosphere and emphasis on sportsmanship.

“When you spend five hours on the course, you get to talk to some of the people you’re playing with, even in a competition,” she said.

“You don’t see that in other sports.”

But within this collegial atmosphere, Rompothong hopes her team rises to the highest stage and becomes the first Ivy League team to reach the national championship tournament.

“I want them to own their time here and to know what legacy they want to leave,” Rompothong said.

“If they push themselves a bit harder they can accomplish a lot of things. They could make history.”

Contact CLINTON WANG at clinton.wang@yale.edu .

THE MEN’S SOCCER TEAM FORWARD RECORDED A HAT TRICK AND HELPED THE TEAM DEFEAT THE SACRED HEART PIONEERS 4-1. Forward Cameron Kirdzik ’17 also scored his first season goal.