NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 · VOL. CXXXVII, NO. 12 · yaledailynews.com
INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING
SUNNY CLOUDY
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GOING GREEN
GRAD SCHOOL
BIOLOGY
THE STATE OF YALE ENVIRONMENTALISM
New interdisciplinary programs explore philosophy, ancients
DEPARTMENTS REEVALUATE NEW MODULES
PAGES B3 WEEKEND
PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
CROSS CAMPUS article, Forbes attempted to explain the differences between its own arbitrary list of top colleges and U.S. News and World Report’s arbitrary list of top colleges. In fact, according to Forbes, their rival publication uses many metrics that are “purely subjective.” “These are the same qualms we have always had, and will likely continue to have with the U.S. News ranking,” the article said.
The Daily Nutmeg published a piece yesterday exploring the many archways on Yale’s campus. The article points out the Tudor and Gothic arches in the nave of Sterling Memorial Library as well as the unique tunnel of Phelps Gate. The entrance to Mason Laboratory is composed of nine layers of arches in a mix of materials, according to the piece.
No treble. The Women’s
Center held a discussion on body politics in pop culture last night that touched upon “All About That Bass,” “Anaconda” and other summer radio staples.
MVP. Six-year-old Dante
Chiappette of North Haven took part in a mock draft at the Yale Bowl on Thursday, an event organized by Bostonbased charity Team IMPACT. Dante lined up alongside Yale football players and signed a letter of intent to join the team, in front of Head Coach Tony Reno. Dante has been diagnosed with cortical visual impairment and cerebral palsy.
Eat like a local. Connecticut’s annual Farm-to-Chef week kicks off on Monday. More than 40 restaurants have created special, locally inspired menus that are meant to raise awareness of stategrown produce. Jumping on the bandwagon.
An introductory course in computer science at Harvard received a record-breaking 818 registrations this semester. That number of Zuckerberg wanna-be’s is equivalent to 12 percent of their undergraduate population. Too good for Tinder?
According to the Huffington Post, a new matchmaking app, exclusive to top-tier schools, called The League will soon be available. Over 300 people — who do not realize that no one is too good for Tinder — are already on the waitlist.
THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY
1946 The largest freshman class to date arrives. Submit tips to Cross Campus
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PAGE 5 CITY
BY ADRIAN RODRIGUES STAFF REPORTER
Money talks and not just to
Introduction to Archery.
Social media more important than ever in governor’s race
Swensen addresses climate change
9/11 REMEMBRANCE
Shots fired. In a Thursday
your friends going into finance. A sociology symposium is being held today called “Money Talks,” to examine the social implications of money. Topics include money in the context of morality, relationships and psychology.
LARRY MILSTEIN/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
A
t 8:30 a.m., over 100 members of the Yale community gathered at Beinecke Plaza to pay tribute to those who perished in the Sept. 11 attacks. The event was organized through the Yale Student Veterans Council, in conjunction with Yale ROTC. Though over a decade since the attacks, emotions remained fresh as students, faculty and alumni grieved for lost loved ones and fellow countrymen — including at least nine Yale alumni killed on this day.
In the debate over whether or not to divest from fossil fuels, the written word may speak louder than protests. Two weeks ago, when the Yale Corporation’s Committee on Investor Responsibility (CCIR) voted not to divest the University’s holdings from fossil fuel companies, Chief Investment Officer David Swensen sent a letter to all of Yale’s active external investment managers. The letter, obtained by the News, asks these money managers to consider the consequences of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions when making investment decisions. But while Swensen emphasized the letter’s potential for substantive impact, student members of Fossil Free Yale criticized it as a “show tactic.” Swensen said he believes the letter is based on economic principles and will affect the UniSEE DIVESTMENT PAGE 6
Amidst budget cuts, labor relations teetering BY MATTHEW LLOYD-THOMAS STAFF REPORTER There is a common topic of discussion in dining halls, administrative offices, facilities trucks and elsewhere these days: budget cuts. While the University works to slash its budget deficit with Uni-
versity-wide cuts, staff members across Yale grow increasingly dissatisfied. Eight union members interviewed — from both Local 34, which represents many of Yale’s white- and pinkcollar staff, and Local 35, which represents primarily blue-collar Yale employees, including custodial, dining and maintenance
workers — said that the relationship between the University and the unions has deteriorated, with five members adding that they expect the unions will go on strike within the next year or two. “I’ve been a 23-year employee of the University, and this is the worst that I’ve
Democracy Fund agenda in flux BY ISAAC STANLEY-BECKER STAFF REPORTER The Democracy Fund has a new lease on life. With power — or, in this case, the requisite staff to conduct business — comes responsibility, which means New Haven’s public campaign finance system is preparing to analyze potential tweaks, clarifications and even overhauls of the opportunities local politicians have to capitalize on public funds. The aim is to ensure the fund remains relevant
after a banner election season last year when four mayoral candidates opted into the system. But the candidate ultimately crowned in last year’s race, Toni Harp, did not take advantage of the fund, instead delivering several pointed criticisms of its operations. Chief among her objections was that a publicly financed candidate could lose the primary in September and then run again in the general election, freed of the fund’s constraints while SEE DEM FUND PAGE 6
Anti-Ivy League book triggers dissent BY YUVAL BEN-DAVID STAFF REPORTER On Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway’s desk rests a copy of “Excellent Sheep,” the controversial book by former Yale English professor William Deresiewicz that attacks the culture of America’s elite universities. In recent weeks, Deresiewicz — who authored a July cover story in The New Republic titled “Don’t Send Your Kids to the Ivy League” — has been in the spotlight for his
withering criticism of Ivy League students as “trapped in a bubble of privilege, heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they’re doing but with no idea why they’re doing it.” He is scheduled to speak at a Morse College Master’s Tea on Sept. 24. Holloway expressed sympathy to some of the book’s points but criticized its larger resentment of Ivy League schools. The wider reception of Deresiewicz’s arguSEE DERESIEWICZ PAGE 4
seen it,” said one member of the Local 34 union who works in an academic department and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his job. “Even back in the 90s it wasn’t this bad.” University President Peter Salovey said the University has done its best to protect union
employees from the budget cuts, and that other Yale constituencies have felt more of an impact. One Local 35 member echoed Salovey, saying that managers have felt the brunt of the budget cuts because they do not have the protection of a union. SEE LABOR PAGE 4
Faculty scrutinize West Campus BY JENNIFER GERSTEN AND ADRIAN RODRIGUES STAFF REPORTERS Science Hill faculty grappling with budget cuts and deficits have turned their magnifying glasses towards a plot of land ten miles away: West Campus. In 2000, under former University President Richard Levin, Yale made a $1 billion commitment to improving science teaching and upgrading its research facilities. The largest addition came in 2007, when Yale acquired West Campus from Bayer Pharmaceuticals for $109 million — a bargain for 136 acres in West Haven of fully furnished modern research and office facilities. Levin called the property Yale’s
“Louisiana Purchase.” When the endowment lost nearly a quarter of its value a year later, West Campus suffered with the rest of Yale. In the wake of the recession, the University’s faculty hiring and lab growth for West Campus was substantially reduced, said Scott Strobel, vice president of West Campus planning and program development. But, he said the University has nevertheless remained committed to seeing the development of West Campus as a preeminent crossdisciplinary, cutting-edge scientific research facility play out at a manageable rate. Indeed, over the last few years, progress has arrived. Last year, the campus filled its sixth and final institute
directorship, played host to over 1,000 college students from across the country and Canada during the University’s first hackathon, Y-Hack, and became the new home of the Yale School of Nursing. But some faculty in the chemistry and molecular, cellular and developmental biology departments say Yale’s interest in the campus is misdirected. Several faculty members have labeled West Campus a “budget sink,” and say the administration has not been transparent in developing West Campus. “We’re just not told how much money is being spent there or where it comes from,” said Sidney Altman, SEE WEST CAMPUS PAGE 4
CLINTON WANG/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The West Campus property was acquired in 2007 from Bayer Pharmaceuticals for $109 million.