NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · VOL. CXXXVIII, NO. 11 · yaledailynews.com
INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING
SUNNY CLEAR
84 62
CROSS CAMPUS
ODD JOBS THE POPE’S MANY ROLES, EXHIBITED
MAKING BANK?
POSITIVE POLICING
Yale graduates make less money than alums from most Ivies, DoE finds.
WARD 1 CANDIDATES DISCUSS HOW TO IMPROVE POLICING.
PAGE 12 CULTURE
PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
PAGE 5 CITY
Ward 1 outreach met with backlash
Cheers. Real recognizes real, as they say — thanks for the shout-out yesterday, Bain. In service of our mutual respect, we’ll conveniently ignore the fact that every single one of your main competitors is also coming to campus over the next few days. ’Til next year.
Democratic Primary should serve as a nice opening act to the second Presidential Republican Primary Debate, which airs tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. For once, Woad’s might not be the most chaotic part of your Wednesday night.
latest numbers have Ben Carson ’73 polling as the GOP’s fastest riser and best threat to topple Donald Trump. The most recent CBS News/New York Times numbers among Republican Primary voters peg the former neurosurgeon as having “strong leadership qualities” and compelling views on major issues. Carson now has 23 percent of the vote, compared to Trump’s 27 — no other candidate is even close.
Musing on McKinsey. Pierson
College will host a discussion on the “buzz” surrounding entrepreneurship, drawing on the experiences of Alex Cavoulacos ’08, founder of career services site The Muse, and Camille Gregory, a McKinsey Social Initiative fellow. No comment, however, as to whether or not McKinsey is holding its own information session tonight.
In case you didn’t hear. Last
night, Yale’s a capella groups ran across Old Campus banging on doors and singing nonsense to alert their newest members to their musical fate: Another tap night has come and gone, so you should be able to sleep more easily tonight. That’s a new one. But the night
didn’t end without incident. At around midnight, Yale Police Department Chief Ronnell Higgins alerted the University community to a rather bizarre incident that involved “a group of teenaged females” attacking an undergraduate by spraying him “with an unknown substance.” Still more troubling is the fact that this took place at the heart of campus near the Wall StreetHigh Street intersection. Sterling-goers beware.
Bake and Saltfish. Much as
it sounds like the name of a society you’ve never heard of, “bake and saltfish,” along with curry goat, is on the menu for tonight’s Caribbean Cooking Night, to be held in Silliman.
THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY
2008 Grade point averages required to receive Latin honors at graduation increase slightly, continuing an upward trend over the previous two years. Among the requirements are 3.85 and 3.93 cutoffs for the magna cum laude and summa cum laude distinctions, respectively. Follow the News across campus.
Twitter | @yaledailynews
ONLINE y MORE goydn.com/xcampus
Freshmen Alozie and Griff start off strong on women’s soccer team. PAGE 14 SPORTS
Davis “master” decision came as surprise BY EMMA PLATOFF AND VIVIAN WANG STAFF REPORTERS
Similarly, Eidelson said dozens of students have knocked on doors for her campaign over the last two weeks, working alongside many of her fellow alders. Earlier this week, Eidelson announced endorsements from Mayor Toni Harp and state Sen. Martin Looney, as well as 19 current alders. Eidelson said she and Harp have been “effective partners” over the last four years, particularly in tackling youth issues in the city. But the candidates’ outreach efforts have left some students feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Of the 12 freshmen interviewed, eight described the canvassing efforts of the Stark and Eidelson campaigns in negative terms.
When Stephen Davis, professor of religious studies and head of Pierson College, asked his residential college community in mid-August to stop calling him “master,” his announcement surprised many Piersonites and members of other colleges. It may also have come as a shock to his colleagues on the Council of Masters, who had been planning all summer to have an internal discussion about the title once classes resumed in the fall. The result was a widespread campus discussion that has turned Davis’s personal announcement into a debate that has been rapidly gaining national attention — an outcome that Davis may not have anticipated when he sent his email. Ten days after Davis’s announcement, the Council of Masters announced it would hold a meeting in September to discuss the form of address. Individual masters have since begun soliciting student feedback through in-person meetings as well as on an online submissions form, which will close on Friday. “There was miscommunication amongst the masters and Professor Davis, certainly, but the conversation was going to be happening anyway,” Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway said. Davis may be uniquely situated to guide a conversation about the title among his fellow college leaders, as he was named chair of the Council of Masters just this spring. The leader of the council is chosen through a series of interviews between the Yale Col-
SEE ELECTION PAGE 4
SEE DAVIS PAGE 6
Round 2. The Ward 1
Separation at the head. The
ON TARGET
LEFT: STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT: FINNEGAN SCHICK/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Canvassers for Sarah Eidelson’s (left) and Fish Stark’s (right) campaigns have ramped up their efforts before today’s priBY NOAH DAPONTE-SMITH AND DAVID YAFFE-BELLANY STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As the two candidates make their final push for the Democratic nomination for Ward 1 alder ahead of today’s primary, their voter outreach efforts have generated backlash from students who say the campaigns’ on-campus canvassing has grown excessive. Today, polls are open for voters to elect the Democratic nominee for Ward 1 alder. The campaigns of the two Democratic candidates, Fish Stark ’17 and Sarah Eidelson ’12, quickly intensified as freshmen moved into their dorms in late August. Last week, they reached a fever pitch leading up to today’s primary. Canvassers for the cam-
paigns have knocked on every door on Old Campus and in the eight residential colleges in Ward 1 in order to convey their message to students across the University. But many freshmen, the primary targets of the outreach, have criticized the two campaigns, calling them “pushy” and “obnoxious.” Stark said his campaign has ramped up its canvassing efforts over the past week. In an interview with the News Tuesday afternoon, he said his representatives planned to canvass every suite on campus on Tuesday night. “We sent out as many canvassers as possible and we’ve knocked on the door of every registered Democrat multiple times,” he said. “Our strategy since March has been to have as many conversations with people as possible.”
Film finds its footing at Yale
W
hile widely regarded as a haven for the arts, Yale has historically been slow to embrace the study and making of film on campus — until last year, when the development of several new outlets indicated greater institutional support. Still, many question the administration’s commitment, and the viability of a Yale degree in the ever-challenging industry. CAROLINE WRAY reports.
BY CAROLINE WRAY STAFF REPORTER After his junior year, film and media studies professor Charles Musser ’73, then an aspiring filmmaker, left Yale College. Although he had engineered his own major in film studies as a special divisional major, he said that there was no one on campus to teach students even the most basic technical film skills.
UPCLOSE Musser returned to complete his Yale degree after two years, during which time he worked on an Oscar-winning documentary. He started teaching in the Film and Media Studies program in 1992, where he has since stayed. As the program has developed, Musser said he has tried to continually advocate for greater film offerings on campus. Several developments have taken place over the last year in an effort to fortify film resources: The art major added a filmmaking concentration, the Digital Media Center for the
Arts opened its access to all of Yale College, and a new student coalition, the Yale Film Alliance, hosted Yale’s first-ever Student Film Festival. Still, Musser said the Yale administration remains far from treating film as seriously as it does other art forms, such as music or theater. “Is Yale trying to start a filmmaking renaissance? I don’t know,” he said. “I’m eternally frustrated and optimistic at the same time.”
Schwarzman tours highlight building’s little-known spaces BY FINNEGAN SCHICK STAFF REPORTER In conversations about the new Schwarzman Center, Yale administrators and students are coming to a consensus on how to best utilize the space: Small, currently unused rooms on the first, second and third floors of Commons should be for students, not storage. During the first of two open house sessions, Senior Counselor to the President and Provost Linda Lorimer presented a vision of the Schwarzman Center on Tuesday that would turn many of the small rooms on either side of the Commons dining area into spaces for studying or small group meetings. The open house is the first stop in a series of “listening tours” organized by the Schwar-
zman Advisory Committee — a 27-member group of students, faculty and staff convened at the request of University President Peter Salovey — to solicit student feedback. Over the next 10 days, presentations similar to those made during the open house will take place in all the residential college dining halls. Both Yale students and members of the advisory committee said there is a lot of wasted space in the Schwarzman Center that most Yale students never get to see. “There is so much that could be done with the space that isn’t being done right now,” said Amy Nichols ’19, who went on the tour because she wanted to see the spaces before any renovations are made. One such space, the “Dome Room” on SEE SCHWARZMAN PAGE 6
BALANCING THEORY AND CRAFT
Alumni, faculty and students interviewed have noted that the academic community has been slow to recognize film’s scholastic value. Harvard University, for instance, did not add a “film studies” stream to their Visual and Environmental Studies concentration until 2004. Students wishing to study film at Brown University often concentrate in Modern Culture and Media, whose inception only predates that of Yale’s film studies program by a few years. SEE UP CLOSE PAGE 8
FINNEGAN SCHICK/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Open house sessions organized by the Schwarzman Advisory Committee showcase the building’s little-known spaces, such as the rotunda’s basement area, shown here.
PAGE 2
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
OPINION
.COMMENT “TL;DR: Gentrification moves northwest.” yaledailynews.com/opinion
'THEBURREN' ON 'YALE BRINGS
SMOOTHIE SHOP TO DIXWELL'
FOR SARAH EIDELSON
FOR FISH STARK GUEST COLUMNIST BREA BAKER
G U E ST C O LU M N I ST A L I NA A KS I YO T E
A new Ward 1
Crossing imaginary boundaries
N
ew Haven is 31.8 percent white, 35.4 percent black, 27.4 percent Hispanic/Latino and 4.6 percent Asian. More than 26 percent of New Haven residents are living below the poverty line with a median household income of $37,420 and only 32.6 percent of New Haven residents hold a bachelor’s degree. When contrasted with the predominantly white student body at Yale where approximately 69 percent of students come from families with annual incomes over $120,000, the socioeconomic disparities between New Haven residents and Yale students are striking. This has made it exceptionally challenging for Yale students and New Haven residents to form an organic relationship. It can be especially difficult to relate to residents when the Yale bubble often acts as a vacuum swallowing us whole so our interactions are limited to Ronnell Higgins emails and the occasional trip down Whalley Avenue. New Haven residents are not “townies.” They are not the scary people we clutch our bags around based solely on Higgins’ warnings. They are our neighbors and friends. We should be striving to make a more positive impact on the city and its residents. But how? Enter the Ward 1 alder. The Ward 1 alder is someone who is perfectly situated to serve as a means to this end. Unlike most other alders, the Ward 1 alder does not have to split his or her priorities with constituent demands such as better-paved streets and security. The Ward 1 alder has Yale to thank for a well-maintained and secure environment. Thus, the alder has much time to devote to bridging the gap between town and gown while introducing, implementing and furthering progressive policy relating to the New Haven educational system, social justice, housing and employment. But who is best for the job? Enter Fish Stark. Fish Stark is a current junior who is running for alder as a Democrat. Fish wants to bridge the gap between New Haven residents and Yale students while simultaneously producing real change in the New Haven community. On his campaign website, Fish has proclaimed that just as Yalies should be proud to call themselves residents of New Haven, Elm City residents should feel respected by Yale. “But this sounds like a lot of lip service,” you might be thinking. “Sarah Eidelson has said pretty similar things and I
O
haven’t seen much fruits of her labor in her two terms. What’s so special about another politician telling me everything I want to hear?” Fish Stark is no politician. He’s a representative. And more than that, he is passionate about New Haven. This is not a resume filler for Fish. Fish cares about New Haven and her residents. There is no other candidate, Democrat or Republican, who is as invested in New Haven as Fish is. Through his work with Squash Haven, Fish has been able to not just teach but also learn from New Haven students. He has his ear to the ground and is in tune with the needs of the community. Through his work with the Yale College Democrats, Fish has proven his ability to organize and rally Yalies towards progressive candidates and policies. Fish is a born leader and cares about impacting the community in positive ways such as by advocating for restorative justice, fighting the gentrification on Broadway, pushing for responsible outreach by Yale students, protecting the diversity of New Haven and making Yale a more positive presence in the lives of New Haven residents. In a community where many of our interactions with New Haveners can be ones where it is implied that we are the solution to their problems, Fish wants to change “us” and “them” to “we.” “We owe it to New Haven to get involved, because we gain so much from this city, but we also owe it to ourselves to break some of the inaccurate conceptions we have about this city and its citizens,” he told the News in an interview about his summer in New Haven. New Haven does not need judgmental students who stay for four or five years yet proclaim to be specialists. It does not need students who refer to anything outside of Old Campus as “sketchy.” It does not need students who are critical of everything and everyone but themselves. New Haven needs allies to aid in the fight against gentrification, violence, homelessness and social injustice. We can be those allies if we have an alder who is present, vocal and passionate about New Haven and giving the city a better future. Based on those running for alder this year, it is my belief that we can only hope to find that in Fish Stark. BREA BAKER is a senior in Saybrook College. Contact her at brea.baker@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS PUBLISHING CO., INC. 202 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 432-2400 Editorial: (203) 432-2418 editor@yaledailynews.com Business: (203) 432-2424 business@yaledailynews.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF Isaac Stanley-Becker
SPORTS Grant Bronsdon Ashton Wackym
MANAGING EDITORS Matthew Lloyd-Thomas Wesley Yiin
WEEKEND Jane Balkoski Andrew Koenig David Whipple
ONLINE EDITOR Marek Ramilo
YTV Michael Leopold Isabel McCullough Steffi Yuli
OPINION Rishabh Bhandari Diana Rosen NEWS Lavinia Borzi Adrian Rodrigues CITY J. R. Reed Pooja Salhotra
MAGAZINE Jennifer Gersten Oliver Preston COPY Eva Landsberg Adam Mahler Isabel Sperry Sarah Sutphin
CULTURE Eric Xiao
PRODUCTION & DESIGN Sammy Bensinger Alex Cruz Olivia Hamel Jilly Horowitz Carter Levin Marisa Lowe Aparna Nathan Amra Saric PHOTOGRAPHY Wa Liu Elena Malloy Alexandra Schmeling Ken Yanagisawa
PUBLISHER Abdullah Hanif DIR. FINANCE Yuanling Yuan DIR. ADVERTISING Gonzalo Gallardo ONL. BUSINESS MANAGER Steven Hee MARKETING & SALES MANAGER Eva Landsberg
PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER Misael Cabrera ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MANAGER Joanna Jin ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MANAGER Christopher Chute
ILLUSTRATIONS Thao Do WEB DEVELOPMENT Annie Cook Aaron Lewis Christopher Wan
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Hannah Schwarz
THIS ISSUE COPY STAFF: Martin Lim COPY ASSISTANTS: Flora Lipsky PRODUCTION STAFF: Ellie Handler, Tresa Joseph PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Dan Gorodezky, Amanda Hu, Lily Wu, Rebecca Yan, Tarna ZanderVelloso
EDITORIALS & ADS
The News’ View represents the opinion of the majority of the members of the Yale Daily News Managing Board of 2016. Other content on this page with bylines represents the opinions of those authors and not necessarily those of the Managing Board. Opinions set forth in ads do not necessarily reflect the views of the Managing Board. We reserve the right to refuse any ad for any reason and to delete or change any copy we consider objectionable, false or in poor taste. We do not verify the contents of any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co., Inc. and its officers, employees and agents disclaim any responsibility for all liabilities, injuries or damages arising from any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co. ISSN 0890-2240
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
SUBMISSIONS
All letters submitted for publication must include the author’s name, phone number and description of Yale University affiliation. Please limit letters to 250 words and guest columns to 750. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit letters and columns before publication. E-mail is the preferred method of submission. Direct all letters, columns, artwork and inquiries to: Rishabh Bhandari and Diana Rosen Opinion Editors Yale Daily News opinion@yaledailynews.com
COPYRIGHT 2015 — VOL. CXXXVIII, NO. 11
n a 90-degree New Haven afternoon this summer, I sat with eight other inspired teachers listening to the ideas and proposals of 65 New Haven middle schoolers. Sarah Eidelson was there with us. My fellow teachers and I in the U.S. Grant program had reached out to Sarah and asked her to lead a workshop on engaging in local politics. Rather than give a speech, Sarah listened to our kids speak, asking them what they thought were the biggest problems in New Haven, and what we need to do to solve them. Sarah treated my students like the experts they are, listening with such intent and urgency that you would think we were at a high-profile meeting. I later found out that Sarah brought these proposals to the Board of Alders, reading and re-reading them as a reminder of the work that needs to be done. After seeing her work with these kids, it’s easy to understand why Sarah has been so successful in serving New Haven’s youth.
Listening to the needs of young people has fueled her effort to bring $1.25 million into the city to fund groundbreaking and grassroots youth violence prevention programs. She has supported putting two students on the Board of Education in effort to make their voices heard. Sarah fights for these young people whom I care about deeply and has worked to fund the organizations that have saved many of my friends. In my three years here, I have struggled to find my place in this city. We all talk about finding our place on campus, finding our thing or our people, but have we all found our place in New Haven? It has been tricky to navigate the power of Yale as an institution and a name, difficult to meet people outside of the “bubble,” disorienting to come home to a gated castle. I love Yale and New Haven, and it is out of this love that I taught here this summer and fight for the changes I wish to leave behind. Sarah, only ever a phone call away, has supported me through every
step of this fight. Last April, I was in Woodbridge Hall with 47 other students, sitting in for the right to engage with the Yale administration on the issue of divestment. On the steps outside Woodbridge Hall was Sarah Eidelson, pounding on the locked door, demanding to be let in, refusing to stop until she was allowed to join us. At closing time, 19 of us stayed behind to risk arrest. I tried to act relaxed and positive, but I was pretty scared. As we were read the Undergraduate Regulations this phrase stood out to me: “risk permanent separation from the University.” As we learned of our infractions, Sarah was there to support us and make sure everyone was safe. That day I felt Sarah’s genuine anger and concern. It showed me that she will fight for us and for what we believe in, whether that means standing up to the Yale administration, corporations or our local government. How do I know? That day I saw her do it.
Sarah has helped change my understanding of what it means to be a student and a New Haven resident. A few days ago, I was sitting in her living room where volunteers were gathered before heading out to register voters and talk to people about the meaning of this election. It was standing room only, packed with people I admire: fellow student activists, community organizers, committed alders, inspired young people. We were all there because of the vision we share for a more just and inclusive New Haven. It has taken me a long time to find my place as both a Yale student and New Haven resident, and I have knocked on a lot of doors this week, possibly yours. The reason? You’re a New Haven resident too, and together we can cross the imaginary boundaries that divide us from our neighbors and make our voices heard. ALINA AKSIYOTE is a senior in Berkeley College. Contact her at alina.aksiyote@yale.edu .
Stepping back
ASHLYN OAKES/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A
few months ago, when “What are you doing this summer?” was a ubiquitous question, I was faced with a peculiar situation. I planned to work at a prison-reform think tank, and whenever I would tell some of my more conservative friends, I would be met with a bit of skepticism. In fact, back at home, when a neighbor heard what I was doing, he criticized Yale for turning me into a “liberal hippie.” While I’m not explicitly rejecting the label “hippie”— maybe being a philosophy major is enough to qualify me as one for most people — working in prison reform is certainly not the reason why that label should apply. Based on the facts alone, prison reform ought to be an apolitical issue. The prison system as we currently have it is broken, and that’s a simple fact. It’s expensive, and in the current system, re-entry and rehabilitation don’t work — recidivism rates remain incredibly high and the problem disproportionately affects particular minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics. The burden on taxpayers is huge, and cheaper, empirically substantiated alternatives remain underutilized. These problems should align squarely with the conservative stance. From a fiscal perspective, we’d simply be saving money, and lots of it, full stop.
From a social perspective, redemption is a central theme in all of the Abrahamic religions. This is actually a point LEO I heard this KIM summer from a conservaOn Us tive reformer from Texas, a state that is actually a leader in the prison reform field today. While it may surprise many to hear that Texas had problems in the past with the issue of criminal justice reform, the state is paving the way for nationwide reform. And yet, perfectly intelligent people, both liberals and conservatives, often fail to see prison reform through an apolitical lens. Liberals claim the issue and conservatives often cede this ground without a fight. I’m not saying this is universally true. There are obviously exceptional individuals on both sides who are trying to make criminal justice reform a bipartisan issue. But for an institution as self-reflective as Yale, the number of people who thoughtlessly label criminal justice as a liberal issue is disappointingly large. But why is this the case? Unfortunately, self-reflective people like Yalies may be more likely than most people to make
this kind of mistake. A few years ago, Dan Kahan, a professor at the law school, authored a study that showed how intelligence actually correlates to polarization on culturally colored issues. In other words, the more intelligent a person was, the more they could construe the same facts to fit their own worldview. And this makes sense. The smarter a person is, the more they can look at the same facts, and pick and choose the parts that fit their view in a convincing, even self-convincing, way. When you don’t have any preformed biases towards an issue, intelligence is helpful for guiding someone to the truth. But too many of our most important issues — from climate change to prison reform — have already been tainted by political association. In these cases, intelligence can be less than a tool for identifying the truth and more an instrument for reinforcing your existing biases. As much as we would like to deny it, our own perception of the world is colored with personal views and subjective opinions. Intelligence, an attribute we often value in and of itself at Yale, can be dangerous when not employed honestly. So what are we to do? While I’m sure cognitive scientists and psychologists have proposed remedies, the best piece of advice I can offer is
awareness. Take a moment to examine your views. It might be helpful to play devil’s advocate with your closely held assumptions. See if you can build a case against tax increases if you’re a card-carrying Democrat, or the case for gay marriage if you’re an evangelical conservative. Yale is politically active, and that’s commendable, but we need to make sure that this spirit doesn’t take away from rational consideration. All too often I hear the phrases “Why would I vote for him, he’s a Republican,” or “Isn’t that the project those crazy liberals support?” Categories help us navigate the world. It helps us make sense of things, and without them we’d be helpless. But we should be acutely aware of this and work to first define people and issues by their own merit, and then categorize them, rather than instantly ascribing a category to a person and letting that do all the explanatory and substantive work. To move forward, we first need to take a step back. We’re a group of fairly smart people, but unfortunately that only makes it harder to distance ourselves from our deeply rooted views. Yet, all the same, that makes it even more important that we do. LEO KIM is a junior in Trumbull College. His column runs on alternate Wednesdays. Contact him at leo.kim@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNSESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 3
NEWS
“The more they applaud, the bigger your salary will be.” ANNA HELD FRENCH STAGE PERFORMER AND SINGER
Yale grads earn more than most, less than Ivy peers BY TYLER FOGGATT AND VICTOR WANG STAFF REPORTERS Going to Yale just might pay off. According to data released by the Department of Education this weekend, Yale and other Ivy League graduates earn twice as much, on average, than alumni from other universities. While the national average salary 10 years after enrollment for graduates who had been on federal financial aid is $34,000, comparable Yale graduates take home a median salary of $66,000. Still, the study found that other Ivy League schools came with even greater monetary benefits — Yale ranked second-to-last in the Ivy League for alumni salaries. Harvard led the list, with comparable graduates earning a median salary of $87,200 10 years after graduation. The University of Pennsylvania and Princeton were the next highest-paying. Several students and professors said they were surprised by this finding, while others noted the complex issues underlying the findings. These issues ranged from the variety of each school’s major offerings to the fact that the numbers only encompass students receiving federal aid. “This finding [that Yalies rank second-lowest] surprised me to some degree,” economics professor Joseph Altonji ’75 said. “Part of the explanation probably lies in differences across the Ivy League schools in what students choose to major in, and in the occupations they wish to pursue.” Robert Kelchen, assistant professor in the Department of Education Leadership, Management and Policy at Seton Hall University, added that the cause may be the particularly diverse range of majors pursued at Yale. Some professors interviewed similarly said the data should be further divided by majors or job sectors in order to get a clearer sense of how the different schools match up. Economics professor Michael Peters said there is evidence that there are “huge” differences in the returns across the majors, adding that computer science or engineering majors get paid more on average than liberal arts majors. “My hunch is that there are strong differences across the different Ivy League [schools],” he said. “To ‘rank’ the Ivies it might be better to compare wages across schools by major.” Sherry Lee ’18 also said it would be more useful to separate the statistics by major, as Yale emphasizes the liberal arts
more than its peers. Moreover, Lee questioned the time frame of the study, saying that 10 years does not seem like an adequate bracket to see how successful alumni are. Director of Education Studies Lizzy Carroll said different schools may have an impact on their graduates’ career choices. She cited the education sector’s popularity among Yalies — the sector was the second-most popular destination for the class of 2014, after financial services — as an example. “Education is a far less lucrative field, so the large numbers of Yale students pursuing it probably skews the wages data down,” she said. Still, both Kelchen and Director of Financial Aid Caesar Storlazzi emphasized the fact that the data only applies to students receiving funding from the government. “The information is based on federal aid recipients, so it does not include information on those students at Yale who only receive institutional or outside aid,” Storlazzi said. But political science professor James Sleeper ’69 posited that the findings are evidence of the University’s “highly communal and humanistic orientation.” Yale has a long history of students graduating and dedicating themselves to building up the republic, Sleeper said, as opposed to simply accumulating wealth. “One of the greatest prides of Yale, as a graduate and now as a teacher here, is that so many people I know went into nitty-gritty efforts in order to build civil society and to make it stronger,” Sleeper said. Carroll said each school can send a different message about the value of public service — which will inevitably impact the number of students who pursue it after graduating. Sleeper, who taught at Harvard for three years as a graduate student, described Harvard’s and Yale’s cultures as vastly different, noting that so many Harvard students enter the university knowing very little about finance and corporate law, but end up entering both fields at a staggering rate post-graduation. “I think Harvard is really struggling with this problem — even more than Yale,” Sleeper added. Contact TYLER FOGGATT at tyler.foggatt@yale.edu and VICTOR WANG at v.wang@yale.edu .
Alleged killer still unable to stand trial BY ERICA PANDEY STAFF REPORTER For the second time this year, New Haven Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Keefe Jr. has ruled that alleged murderer Lishan Wang is incompetent to stand trial. Wang, who has been charged with the fatal 2010 shooting of former Yale-New Haven Hospital postgraduate fellow Vajinder Toor and the attempted murder of Toor’s wife, was first deemed not competent to stand trial by O’Keefe in April. Since that ruling, Wang has been receiving treatment at the Connecticut Valley Hospital, where doctors have been working to restore his competency. But based on a psychiatric evaluation of Wang conducted by Mark Cotterell and Lori Hauser of the Whiting Forensic Division at Connecticut Valley Hospital, O’Keefe ruled on Monday that Wang is still not competent to stand trial. In addition, O’Keefe appointed Gail Sicilia of the Connecticut Mental Health Center as Wang’s health care guardian. According to O’Keefe’s ruling, Sicilia has 30 days to evaluate Wang and file a report with the court detailing whether or not she suggests prescribing medication in order to help him regain competency. Within 10 days of the filing, O’Keefe will hold another hearing to decide whether or not the recommended drugs should be administered. “We oppose the appointment of a health care guardian, and we oppose any court-ordered forced medication,” said New Haven Chief Public Defender Thomas Ullmann — Wang’s defense attorney. Ullmann added that the probable outcome of Sicilia’s appointment is a court order for Wang to take medication to improve his psychiatric condition, an action that both Ullmann and his client oppose. Sicilia did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The defendant’s opposition to take medication is likely motivated by a desire to continue avoiding trial, said Kate Stith, criminal law professor at the Yale Law School who was familiar with the case. Stith added that, just as force-feeding defendants on suicide watch has been upheld in federal court, forced administration of medication is not unconstitutional. However, the court will only force medication in extreme cases and only in cases in which the judge is certain that the recommended med-
SARA SEYMOUR/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Alleged murderer Lishan Wang was again deemed incompetent to stand trial. ication will treat the defendant and make the defendant competent to stand trial, Stith said. “But it’s not clear to me whether psychosis can be treated with medication,” she said. “Or whether the defendant will be competent or seem competent in court.” According to The New Haven Register, Cotterell testified that Wang meets some criteria of paranoid personality disorder, but that there is a 50 to 70 percent chance that he can be restored to competency if he takes the appropriate medication. Cotterell declined to comment on Monday’s ruling. He and Hauser have each been issued a gag order regarding Wang’s case. State law mandates that a defendant must be able to understand the proceedings of the case against him or her and must be able to assist in
his or her own defense in order to stand trial. When O’Keefe deemed Wang unable to stand trial in April, Wang was also no longer allowed to defend himself in court, as he had been doing since the case was first brought to court. Wang is charged with murdering Toor outside his Branford home on April 26, 2010; he is also charged with firing at Toor’s wife, who was pregnant at the time. Wang and Toor were acquainted before the fatal shooting. Wang worked as a resident under Toor at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn; in 2008, the defendant was fired from his job there. Wang’s bond is currently set at $900,000. Contact ERICA PANDEY at erica.pandey@yale.edu .
Fox News interview on #BlackLivesMatter activist draws controversy BY FINNEGAN SCHICK AND VICTOR WANG STAFF REPORTERS When Aryssa Damron ’18 took a seat across from conservative Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson in a New York television studio on Saturday morning, she had no delusions about the backlash she would get from Yale students back on campus. “I expected [criticism], and I expect it to continue during my four years at Yale regardless of whether I’m on Fox again,” Damron said in an interview with the News. On national television, Damron criticized the Yale Divinity School’s decision to bring political activist DeRay McKesson to guest lecture a two-day course on leadership, claiming that McKesson is unqualified to teach at Yale. McKesson, a civil rights activist who has been involved with protests in Ferguson and Baltimore, is also credited with marshaling #BlackLivesMatter protestors using Twitter and other social media. After dismissing McKesson as a “random Twitter star,” Damron went on to portray Yale’s political climate as hostile to conservatives like her. McKesson is regarded by many activists as a national leader in the civil rights movement. Still, Damron and Carlson questioned his abilities as a teacher. The two criticized McKesson for inflaming racial tensions, using inflammatory language themselves. Carlson, during his interview with Damron, said McKesson was “not an impressive guy, just kind of a race hustler,” and added that McKesson makes “totally unfounded, stupid claims.” Within hours of the show’s airing, students on the Facebook page Overheard at Yale were calling for Damron to withdraw from Yale, and some commenters made personal attacks, including asking her to stay away from
ELENA MALLOY/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The Yale Divnity School was criticized on Fox News for inviting political activist DeRay McKesson to guest lecture a two-day course on leadership. campus. Others questioned her qualifications for even speaking on the matter. “I’m all for open debate on this man’s qualifications, but personal attacks on Aryssa based on her own opinion is something that has no place at any university, much less at Yale,” said Julie Slama ’18, a friend of Damron’s. “The Overheard at Yale post should have been taken down.” Others debated the merits and flaws of her arguments, both on
the Facebook post and in conversations afterward. Isaac Cohen ’16 said that while conservatives at Yale often receive uncharitable criticism for their viewpoints, Damron’s response should have been to argue back, not play the victim. “[Damron’s] complaints about Yale’s climate are almost certainly exaggerated. Yale students aren’t victims,” said Cohen, who recently wrote a column with a similar message in the News.
In the wake of the interview, Divinity School administrators reiterated their support of McKesson’s presence as a guest lecturer this fall. Divinity School Director of Communications Tom Krattenmaker said solving issues like civil rights, racial inequality and a discriminatory criminal justice system are the missions of Christian churches across the country. McKesson could not be reached for comment Monday
afternoon. “Working for social justice has a strong theological component, in our view,” Krattenmaker said, adding that the Divinity School prepares its students “by bringing in speakers with experience and expertise in a wide range of endeavors relevant to [their] interests and future career paths.” Divinity students who are taking McKesson’s course said his leadership record with the #BlackLivesMatter movement
and the religious applications of his work qualify him to teach the course. “The Divinity School’s leadership recognize that its students, many of whom worship a God of justice and love, have a lot to learn from such a man,” Samuel Ernest DIV ’17 said. Contact FINNEGAN SCHICK at christopher.schick@yale.edu and VICTOR WANG at v.wang@yale.edu .
PAGE 4
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNSEDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT
“Voting is a civic sacrament.” THEODORE HESBURGH PRIEST
Freshmen irked by Ward 1 outreach methods ELECTION FROM PAGE 1 “It’s a passive-aggressive kind of thing,” Michael Wong ’19 said. “If it was more of an optional thing rather than forced, I’d be more compelled to sign [voter registration forms].” Wong added that he decided not to register partly because he found the canvassers “annoying.” Nicole Mo ’19 said she and her suitemates alert each other if they see a canvasser nearby. “I once let a canvasser into our building, and I got a lot of [flak] for that,” Mo said. Four freshmen said they had registered to vote in Connecticut. Emil Beckford ’19, who registered through Stark’s campaign, said he “[wanted] to have a voice” in local politics. But Beckford said he remains unconvinced by the two candidates, partly because their campaigning strikes him as excessive.
If it was more of an optional thing rather than forced, I’d be more compelled to sign [voter registration forms]. MICHAEL WONG ’19 “They’ve been pretty pushy, and I still don’t know who I’m voting for … so it’s been ineffectual,” Beckford said. Sam Lee ’19 and Isa Magraner ’19 complained that canvassers from both campaigns attached fliers to their suite doors without requesting permission. Magraner, who is running for Calhoun representative on the Freshman Class Council, said she believes such tactics risk
alienating potential voters. Stark’s campaign has adopted policies that could address some of these concerns. Stark said he has instructed canvassers to respect the wishes of students who put do-not-knock signs on their doors or ask the campaign not to make return visits. Stark’s campaign tactics have faced administrative pushback in the past. On freshman move-in day, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Hannah Peck ordered Stark to move his campaign table off Yale property. Stark objected, saying he was simply registering voters, but he ultimately relocated to Elm Street. Eidelson also campaigned on movein day but was not asked to leave Yale property. Many students, including Sam Leander ’19, said they felt that campaigning on move-in day was inappropriate. The Republican candidate for Ward 1 alder, Ugonna Eze ’16, has also criticized his Democratic opponents’ outreach strategies. Earlier this month, Eze said his campaign, which has no election to contest until November, decided not to canvass during Camp Yale, because he believes the first days of freshman year are a special time that should remain unencumbered by politics. Eze’s campaign recently held its first major event: a gathering on Old Campus to play volleyball, eat pizza and discuss recycling and sustainability initiatives in the city. Students can vote in the Democratic primary today at the New Haven Free Public Library from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact NOAH DAPONTE-SMITH at noah.daponte-smith@yale.edu and DAVID YAFFE-BELLANY at david.yaffe-bellany@yale.edu .
STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Challenger Fish Stark ’17 and incumbent Sarah Eidelson ’12 will face off in today’s Democratic primary for Ward 1 alder.
Evensong
music of victoria, guerrero, parsons, and pärt
Yale Schola Cantorum david hill , conductor Saturday, September 19 · 5 pm Christ Church · New Haven 84 Broadway at Elm The Evensong service at Christ Church is open to the public. Yale Schola Cantorum is supported by Yale Institute of Sacred Music ism.yale.edu
Yale Institute of Sacred Music presents
GREAT ORGAN MUSIC AT YALE
photograph by patrick j. lynch
Renée Anne Louprette -53)# /& -!2!)3
s 6)%2.% s )3/)2 s !.$ -/2%
Sunday, September 20 7:30 PM 7//,3%9 (!,,
Free; no tickets required. ism.yale.edu
Fill this space here. JOIN@YALEDAILYNEWS.COM
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 5
NEWS
“No part of the education of a politician is more indispensable than the fighting of elections.” WINSTON CHURCHILL FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
Yale-NUS students create elections survey BY RACHEL SIEGEL STAFF REPORTER “Fifteen questions. Ten parties. Five minutes.” These six words greet visitors to electionaire.info, a website designed by five third-year Yale-NUS students leading up to Singapore’s most recent general election. In less than three weeks, the website, which consists of a 15-question survey addressing major political issues in this year’s election, went from conception to viral online resource, hitting 182,052 users in nine days. Electionaire’s success leading up to the Singaporean general election coincided with an equally pivotal moment in national politics. The parliamentary election, which took place on Sept. 11, was the first since Singapore’s independence in 1965 which saw all seats contested. It was also the first election since the death of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, in March. Lee’s death, coupled with Singapore’s 50th anniversary in August, raised questions in the public domain about whether Singapore has outgrown its paternalistic style of government, as a younger generation moves away from the country’s more conservative roots. Less than three weeks before election day, the five Yale-NUS students — Koh Wei Jie YNUS ’17, Maggie Schumann YNUS ’17, Sean Chung YNUS ’17, Rohan Naidu YNUS ’17 and Parag Bhatnagar YNUS ’17 — noticed that there was no centralized site where voters could find succinct party positions on various hotbutton issues. By digging through 10 parties’ manifestos, public statements and websites, the students hoped to create a platform where viewers could easily compare their own views to those of the parties. “We looked at all the manifestos and tried to look at common themes amongst them or issues that came up frequently,” Schumann said. “We wrote them into a series of questions that matched people to a final outcome, and then they could see the distance between their answer and the party’s answer.”
Each question on the survey can be answered either “Yes,” “Neutral,” “No,” or with a qualified “Yes” or “No.” Questions topics range from the expansion of civil liberties, government spending on health care and Section 377A, which criminalizes sexual acts between men. Once each question has been answered, the site generates the user’s results based on how precisely his or her views matched with those of each party. Bhatnagar said a main goal of the site was to start a discussion among students at Yale-NUS and in Singapore at large. Schumann added that through the team’s research, the students realized just how difficult it was to make an informed decision based on the views of every party. “No one goes out and thinks about exactly what you think on every issue and puts them on a spread sheet,” Schumann said. “I realized this was a resource for people.”
A lot of the policies will affect us in terms of the college and in terms of people who come here in the future. PARAG BHATNAGAR YNUS ’17
Each of the founders agreed that while it is not easy to distill an election’s main issues into 15 questions, there was a fear that a longer survey would cause users to lose their attention. Koh and Schumann spent the bulk of the website’s development researching various party platforms while Chung and Bhatnagar worked on the creation of the site itself. Survey questions were evaluated by a Yale-NUS sociology professor and the college’s executive vice president, Tan Tai Yong, who is also a nominated member of parliament but does not represent any political party. In the first five and a half hours
after the site was launched, 4,440 users took the Electionaire survey. That number jumped to nearly 126,000 in the first two days and to over 177,000 in the first six days. The students credited Electionaire’s success to mentions of the site on Reddit Singapore and local news channels, as well as Facebook promotion. Feroz Khan YNUS ’18, said that though his political views were already quite clear when he took the Electionaire survey, he thought the site served a unique purpose in Singapore. “Singapore has far too many opposition political parties with scattered-seeming agendas, and in some cases, almost indistinguishable agendas,” Khan said. “I didn’t have to do any soul searching to answer the questions, but what [the site] did clarify were the stances of each party.” Given the site’s popularity, Koh stressed the fact that the site does not violate Singapore’s Parliamentary Elections Act, which prohibits the collection of election surveys between Nomination Day, when prospective candidates present their nomination papers, and Polling Day, when votes are cast. Koh and his team maintain that Electionaire stays within the law’s guidelines because the website’s questions are solely focused on issues rather than support for political parties. Of the five students, only one is originally from Singapore, though all agreed that the outcome of the election bore consequences on their own lives as international students. “A lot of the policies will affect us in terms of the college and in terms of people who come here in the future,” Bhatnagar said. Naidu agreed, adding that one’s political motivations often extend beyond one’s own birth country and that Singapore is the students’ new home. The People’s Action Party, which has been the ruling party in Singapore since 1959, won 83 of the 89 contested parliamentary seats. Contact RACHEL SIEGEL at rachel.siegel@yale.edu .
Ward 1 candidates outline policing policies BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE STAFF REPORTER The first time Sarah Eidelson ’12 ran for the Ward 1 seat in 2011, the largest issue facing the incoming alder was how to approach education and help support the city’s youth. While these issues are still relevant for the aldermanic candidates, crime and policing have taken a newfound place in the spotlight in the race for Ward 1. In the past year, the role of policing in small cities has sparked national conversation surrounding the relationship between officers and citizens. The Elm City joined that conversation when city activists publicly protested the exoneration of police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014. In January, controversy arose when a Yale police officer pointed his gun at an African-American student, whom he suspected may have been the culprit of a series of on-campus thefts. On St. Patrick’s Day, the issue was again brought up when New Haven police officer Josh Smereczynsky was caught on video aggressively arresting a 15-year-old girl. “Police brutality, as we all know and have talked about, is an extremely urgent issue nationwide, and in New Haven, and also, as we’ve seen this year, on our own campus,” Eidelson said during the Ward 1 debate last Wednesday. President Barack Obama has presented community policing as the answer to these increasing tensions between police and residents, and the New Haven Police Department has been nationally recognized for its policies, which require every police officer to walk a beat in the city. NHPD Chief Dean Esserman has been tapped by Obama to be part of an adivsory board examining 21st century policing. Yet, both Democratic platforms for Ward 1 say they want to pursue “real community policing.” In an interview with the News, Eidelson said this means acknowledging that there are currently inconsistencies in community policing, with some neighborhoods receiving more resources than others, even when considering the proportional and different needs of the community. She also stressed that her work to help bring forward the Civilian Review Board is an important mission to continue pursuing. The Civilian Review Board, introduced by former Mayor John DeStefano Jr. in 2001, was formerly suspended in January for a procedural review. Its intention was to provide a space for residents to address complaints of police misconduct and have a say in how to best discipline officers who receive complaints. This power, Eidelson said, was previously solely held by the Board of Police Commissioners, and so, Eidelson said she wants to see a continued pressure from the Board of Alders to
determine who sits on that board. In the past few weeks, Stark and Eidelson have both impressed upon voters the need to see the Civilian Review Board make a formal return soon. However, neither candidate knew when exactly this would happen, or if there is a concrete timeline currently in place. As part of his platform, Stark said he wants to also see the Yale Police Department held accountable in a similar format. While he said he is not sure how this would work on a legal standpoint with the YPD being a private police department, Eidelson agreed that it was an option worth considering. But, both campaigns are advocating for specific policing initiatives, hoping to address the issue of crime more broadly in the city. Stark said that community policing is “on the right path,” but he expressed a desire to improve on it by expanding programs like Project Longevity and YouthStat, programs run by the city intended to deter young people from becoming involved with crime. “I think, more broadly, everyone having an opportunity to earn a living wage is going to be the strongest deterrent to crime,” Stark said. “I don’t think anyone holding a living wage job is going to be committing crime.” However, Stark and Eidelson’s challenger in the Ward 1 race, Republican candidate Ugonna Eze ’16 said even this focus is not practically thought out. Mentorship is the way forward, Eze said, when considering how to prevent youth from becoming involved with crime. His proposals will center around providing programs where students can mentor at-risk youths, and help them on a one-on-one basis. Speaking from his own experience in mentorship programs in New Haven and in his hometown of Highland Mills, NY, Eze said he is confident it will be a more efficient project than some of the others laid out by his challengers. He added that he believes his campaign distinguishes itself from those of the Democratic candidates by not focusing on these “flashy proposals.” Instead, Eze said his approach specifically to community policing is simple: encourage more Yale students to volunteer with the police department. “This city works through partnership, and community,” Eze said, adding that in his conversations with police sergeants working downtown, he has learned that the NHPD is definitely open to encouraging those volunteering partnerships. These mentorship programs have not been addressed in as much detail in either Eidelson’s or Stark’s campaign. Voting for the Democratic primary takes place today at the New Haven Public Free Library on Elm Street. Contact STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE at stephanie.addenbrooke@yale.edu .
BOE pushes for improved school, teacher support systems BY SHUYU SONG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As New Haven public school students transition back to school, representatives on the city’s Board of Education — including its two new student members — called for improved school support systems and increased student engagement at its meeting Tuesday night. This past June, New Haven students elected two student representatives, James Hillhouse High School junior Coral Ortiz and Sound School junior Kimberly Sullivan, to the city school board. At the meeting Tuesday, the two new representatives joined their eight other board members to discuss two major initiatives: providing more support for city teenagers and helping new teachers adapt to their schools. During the discussion, Superintendent Garth Harries ’95 also addressed what he considered to be the primary concern for New Haven public schools: low-attendance numbers. “One in four New Haven high school students miss 10 percent of school,” Harries said. “It doesn’t seem to be a lot on the spot, but, over time, it builds up and students lose a significant amount of time for study.” During the meeting, board members also discussed ways to improve school support functions and heighten the focus on reading skills in the classrooms. The board hopes to work to increase the graduation rate from the current four-year rate of 75 percent to an 85 percent four-year rate and a 95 percent rate of earning a diploma within six years. BOE President Carlos Torre underscored the importance of increasing the number of New Haven teenagers receiving a higher level of education, while also advocating for the promotion of health clinics in the city’s public schools.
DENIZ SAIP/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
New Haven Board of Education representatives called for improved school support systems and increased student engagement in public schools. The two new student representatives also played a major role in shaping conversation at the meeting, hoping to ensure students’ concerns are accurately communicated to the board. Sullivan underscored the need to decrease the dropout rate by pinpointing the reasons why young
students feel unsafe in going back to school, while Ortiz emphasized the importance of increasing teacher participation in orientations when they shift to new classrooms. “I think it’s important that, during the committee meetings, students’ perspective gets repre-
sented since it is their concerns that we’re addressing in the end,” Ortiz said. Like Ortiz, board member Alicia Caraballo emphasized the need to focus on providing support to new teachers. Thirty of 52 teachers who were recruited had less than two years of teaching experience,
and many of them come straight from college classrooms. Caraballo added that some of the resources that the city distributes each year to training youth talent — $14 million — could be redirected toward providing teacher training support for new teachers whenever they need it.
“We need to do a lot more, and we have the resource for doing it,” Caraballo said. The Board of Education’s teaching and learning subcommittee will next meet Sept. 28. Contact SHUYU SONG at shuyu.song@yale.edu .
PAGE 6
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” ERNEST HEMINGWAY AMERICAN AUTHOR
Schwarzman Center to make use of under-utilized rooms SCHWARZMAN FROM PAGE 1 the third floor of the Woolsey Rotunda, is a cavernous chamber that was never completed with the rest of the building in 1901 and is used to house the offices of the Yale Banner. Lorimer called the third floor of the center a “gem” with the potential to be used for something unique. Peeling paint, broken tiles and piles of dusty boxes pervade the Dome Room and many of the small side rooms throughout the center. “It’s this magnificent room … almost like the Pantheon,” said Yale College Council President Joe English ’17 in a promotional video about the center. Storage is also serious issue for Commons, where the long wooden tables and heavy chairs are cleared and stored with great difficulty and at a high price. By switching to furniture that occupies a smaller space when stored, Yale could turn many more storage rooms into spaces for student activities, said Executive Director of Yale Dining Rafi Taherian. While the President’s Room in the Woolsey Rotunda is frequently used for meetings and events, the second floor holds several other rooms that are in greater disrepair. For instance, the Secretary’s Room, across the hall from the President’s Room, is a poorly lit meeting space with a view of Beinecke Plaza. Lorimer and Director of Residential Dining Operations Bob Sullivan said spaces like these
WA LIU/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The “Dome Room” on the third floor of the Woolsey Rotunda was never completed with the rest of the building in 1901 and is used to house the offices of the Yale Banner. should be renovated. “Great view,” said Sullivan, peering out the window onto Beinecke Plaza. “A lot of pigeons.” Another underutilized space is The Squire’s Room, located at the far end of Commons on the first floor, and occupied by extra salad bars, stovetops and
wooden partitions. Lorimer called other Yale Dining food preparation and storage rooms below the main floor of Commons a “rabbit warren of spaces that can be cleared out.” Lorimer stressed that the Schwarzman Center will not detract from the original architecture of the century-
old building, while also adding space for student use. The brickwork, stained-glass windows and wood embellishments around Commons will remain, and the dining hall will continue to serve lunch. The Schwarzman Center may, however, add new technologies like video screens and audio systems to the out-
dated structure. “Mr. Schwarzman is keenly interested in a lot of technology,” Lorimer said. The Schwarzman donation is meant to change the function and facilities of the building, not alter the overall appearance, Lorimer said, adding that Yalies have a strong sense of loyalty to
Commons which should be preserved. The war memorial on the rotunda’s inside walls will be cleaned and restored during the renovations. Today there will be a second open house. Contact FINNEGAN SCHICK at christopher.schick@yale.edu .
“Master” discussion was inevitable, Holloway says DAVIS FROM PAGE 1
WILLIAM FREEDBERG/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Head of Pierson College Stephen Davis has sparked a widespread campus discussion about the use of the term “master.”
lege dean and the 12 masters, during which the masters describe what they would like to see in a council head. The dean then makes a recommendation to University President Peter Salovey, who has final approval. The current heads of the 12 residential colleges did not return requests for comment regarding the criteria that they take into consideration when describing a leader. Holloway said Davis had said from the start that he hoped to open a conversation about the title of “master.” Still, Holloway noted that he was surprised by the nature of Davis’s announcement, in which he not only renounced the title of “master” but also spoke at length of the deeply problematic racial and gendered connotations of the word. The way Davis framed his request “changed the tenor of the conversation,” Holloway said. “The title ‘master’ would come up every so often, just as the name
of Calhoun would come up every so often,” Holloway said. “Neither had the intensity in the past they do now.” Students expressed mixed opinions on Davis’ move, with all four Pierson students interviewed stating that it was fair for Davis to make the announcement before having a consensus from the other college masters. Alex Buhimschi ’17, a Pierson student, noted that Davis emphasized that dropping the title was his own decision. “He didn’t make it as if everyone should do it,” said Edward Kong ’16, also in Pierson. “I feel that people should be able to speak for their own hearts.” But three out of 10 students interviewed disagreed, noting that it would have been better if Davis had discussed the matter with his peers before speaking out. Some felt that Davis’ announcement did exactly what Kong said it did not: Perhaps inadvertently, Davis applied pressure to the other college leaders to
follow suit in dropping the title. “His announcement, especially the way he framed it, was as if he was forcing other masters to make changes as well,” said Grace Niewijk ’18, adding that Davis “absolutely” should have discussed the matter with his colleagues before making a public announcement. Davis wrote in his original announcement that any decisions about the title’s usage outside of Pierson lay out of his hands, but he promised to “advocate for change” where he could. Holloway also said that among the masters, there is no unanimity on either side of the debate. Hours after Davis’s announcement was posted to the popular Facebook forum “Overheard at Yale,” Trumbull Master Margaret Clark commented on the post that she was in complete agreement with Davis. But Silliman Master Nicholas Christakis said in an interview earlier this month that he thought excessive attention to the title itself would detract from produc-
tive conversation about underlying problems of racism and inequality. Yale students, Christakis said, have more important things to talk about. Christakis added, “I can’t think of a better title than master actually.” Alternatives that have been suggested, like magister, provost or warden, he said, do not seem workable. Still, in a survey of the student body which the News administered last week, 55 percent of the student respondents thought “head” was a feasible alternative. Davis declined to comment. The power to officially change the titles of the residential college heads lies with the Yale Corporation, though masters are free to ask students to call them by whatever nickname or title they prefer. Andi Wang contributed reporting. Contact EMMA PLATOFF at emma.platoff@yale.edu and VIVIAN WANG at vivian.y.wang@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 7
NEWS
“Roast beef, medium, is not only a food. It’s a philosophy.” EDNA FERBER AMERICAN AUTHOR AND PLAYWRIGHT
Beef, lamb to come from Australia BY DAVID SHIMER STAFF REPORTER This academic year, students will get a little taste of Australia in their dining hall meat. Yale Dining has transitioned to using Australian beef and lamb because animals there are treated more humanely. Silliman Chef Stu Comen said the transition will bring positive change to the Yale dining experience, and students interviewed expressed similarly positive sentiments. Casey Lincoln ’16 said she is more excited to eat beef and lamb this year because of their more sustainable source and improved taste. “The steak has been good in the past, but I think it tastes a lot better this year,” she said. “And it’s important that the cows are treated better. I would eat red meat regardless, but having that knowledge makes me feel even more comfortable about doing so.” Director of Residential Dining Cathy Van Dyke SOM ’86 said Yale Dining is opting to use Australian beef and lamb because it is sustainably raised — grass-fed and grassfinished, meaning that the animals remain on pastures throughout their lives. Comen said that because Australian products are grass-fed and
WILL FREEDBERG/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SUZAN SHOWN HARJO, A NATIVE AMERICAN scholar, author and legal advocate, visited Yale’s Native American Cultural Center after a student production of her most recent play. The play, “My Father’s Bones,” recounts the ongoing campaign to repatriate the remains of America’s greatest Native athlete, Jim Thorpe.
treated humanely, items served by Yale Dining this year, namely the burgers, taste “cleaner.” Even with the great distance between Australia and Yale, he said, the change is worthwhile. “Yes it’s coming from a long ways away, but the animal is treated better and in a more sustainable way,” he said. Xavier Westergaard ’19 said he too supports the transition to Australian beef and lamb, but he added that Yale Dining likely had ulterior motives in making the change. “I think that if it’s healthier for the students and if the cows are grass fed, it’s better for both sides — so I’m glad Yale Dining is willing to make the change,” he said. “But I’m not going to pretend like it’s 100 percent selfless. It’s a good plug to say we’re being healthier, so it’s good for us and a strategic move on behalf of Yale Dining.” All eight students interviewed said they supported using more healthy beef and lamb, but only four of those interviewed noticed a change in the quality of the products. Patrick Reed ’18 said Yale Dining’s lamb and steak have noticeably improved, adding that they were part of some of the best meals he has had at Yale. “The lamb was probably one of
the top three lambs I’ve ever had, and it brought a nice change of pace — absolutely delicious,” he said. “On steak night, I thought the preparation could have been a bit stronger, but the quality of the meat was markedly better than last year.” Paulina Kaminski ’18 said she too has found the steak to be improved, calling it “100 percent” better and commending its strong seasoning. Shireen Roy ’19 said the shift to Australian beef and lamb benefits Yale students as well as the environment, and Kyle Deakins ’18 said there is no situation in which using more healthy meat products is a bad idea. He added that he did not notice a difference in the taste of the products while eating them, but in hindsight he found the burgers to be more appealing than usual. Though Isabel Mendia ’18 said she was not informed about the shift to Australian products, she added that she is excited about the change and would expect others to feel the same way. “I haven’t noticed a difference in the quality of the beef, but more healthy beef is always better,” she said. “I don’t know of anyone who would say otherwise.” Contact DAVID SHIMER at david.shimer@yale.edu .
WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU. Bain brings together the brightest, most curious minds into one
We remind you that the resume submission deadline is Friday,
global team where anything is possible. Join us for an evening
September 18th, 2015. First round interviews will be held on
and find out how. We invite all Juniors and Seniors to attend:
Thursday, October 1st, 2015.
AN INTRODUCTION TO BAIN & COMPANY
Applicants must apply via joinbain.com and the eRecruiting.
• Wednesday, September 16th, 2015
Please include a cover letter, resume and unofficial transcript.
• 8:00PM • Omni Hotel
joinbain.com
recyclerecyclerecyclerecycle
YO U R
YD N
DAILY
PAGE 8
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT
“The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself.” PETER JACKSON NEW ZEALAND FILMMAKER
For Yalies, no simple path from New Haven to Hollywood UP CLOSE FROM PAGE 1 Faculty members, alumni and students agreed that part of what makes designing film and media studies curricula so difficult is the question of how to balance the oftentimes abstract study of film theory with the teaching of film production, which can be highly vocational in nature. Annette Insdorf GRD ’73 ’74 ’75, a Columbia film professor who taught at Yale from 1975 to 1987, and was then director of undergraduate film studies at Columbia from 1987 to 2014, noted that interest in film studies has risen across the board in American universities. She also said that the growing numbers of production-based courses in such programs is due both to increasing student demand and decreases in film equipment costs. Insdorf said film production and theory serve each other in film curriculum, and that no student should take courses in only one area. At Yale, film professors specializing in theory and those specializing in production agreed on the necessity of offering a strong mixture of courses in both areas. Currently, Film and Media Studies majors in the production track are required to take seven theorybased courses, making up half of their credits towards the major, and those in the theory track must take at least one production class. Still, a number of alumni, students and faculty have lamented the lack of craft-based courses in the Film and Media Studies program. Film director René Brar ’99 DIV ’04 said he recalls a number of his college professors looking down upon film production courses in favor of theory courses. “It is the worst kind of arrogance to think that you can understand film without ever having tried to make a film,” he said. “If you haven’t attempted that, you’re a fool who should not be talking about movies.” For many, extracurricular hubs like the DMCA have provided technical education in areas not covered by Yale’s academic offerings. Over the summer, the Yale College Dean’s Office announced that the DMCA would be restructured, resulting in the creation of a faculty director position and the elimination of the digital media specialist positions that Lee Faulkner and Ken Lovell, the DMCA’s former co-directors and co-founders, had previously held. While administrators said the restructuring was designed to better synchronize the center with other arts programs, hundreds of students and alumni expressed anger at the layoffs. Kyle McNally ’07, now the vice president of production and development at actress Lisa Kudrow’s production company in Los Angeles, was one of hundreds to sign an online petition decrying the restructuring. He wrote in a comment on his signature that he “would have been dreadfully underprepared for the real world” without the help of Faulkner and Lovell, who he said “stepp[ed] in where the Art & Film Studies curriculum failed.” “Yale College is not a trade school by any means, but the technical, analytic, problemsolving skills developed at the DMCA have been far more beneficial to my career in entertainment than a lot of the theoretical/academic Yale coursework,” McNally wrote alongside his signature. Still, all students and alumni interviewed said they chose to attend Yale for a liberal arts education, not a vocational training program. Many of them further argued that a Yale education has actually been more valuable in the industry than a degree from a technical film school. Sandra Chwialkowska ’05, who has written for eight different television shows, including “Rookie Blue,” said she has noticed a wide variety of educational backgrounds among television writers. She also recalled seeing academia come into play on set, noting that the lead cinematographer on the World War II period drama that she is currently writing for constantly talks about art history when planning film shots. “He is always referencing painters, not camera lenses,” Chwialkowska said. “I remember feeling very frustrated as a student, and wanting that techni-
cal education. But now, if I could go back and take a semester, I would take a bunch of art history classes, or that Cold War class I never took, because that’s the knowledge I could use.” In fact, students and alumni interviewed said that film schools — even top-ranked schools, like those at New York University or the University of Southern California — are inferior choices compared to a liberal arts experience. Sandra Luckow ’87, an adjunct filmmaking professor for the last 20 years in the School of Art, received an MFA in filmmaking at NYU after attending Yale. She said she had an extremely negative experience at NYU largely because of how positive her education as an undergraduate at Yale had been. Student filmmaker John Chirikjian ’17 said he has spoken to numerous friends and professionals who said that they regretted going to an undergraduate film school. Daniel Matyas ’16 noted that he got into and almost attended film school at USC, but his high school film teacher advised him against it. “He told me, ‘If all you ever do is study how to make movies, what do you have to make movies about?’” Matyas said. But Josh Stern ’06, the director of development at Protozoa Pictures — the production company behind films including “Black Swan” and “Noah” — said that he has noticed a certain industrysavvy amongst student interns from film schools like NYU that he worries Yale students lack. Film students, he said, seem to have better grasps on different paths within the entertainment industry and how to negotiate those paths. Stern said that, while he values the liberal arts model and learning how to think critically, he thinks Yale ought to incorporate some more pragmatic industry education to serve the students who want to enter the industry. “It’s a harsh transition without that kind of knowledge, and Yale ought to implement it,” Stern said. “So that students aren’t just sitting in the Ivory Tower thinking they’re the next Quentin Tarantino.”
STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
Still, most filmmaking on campus happens outside the realm of the classroom. A majority of the student filmmakers interviewed said that they were not Film and Media Studies majors. Six reported that their film-related experiences had taken place entirely outside of structured courses or extracurricular groups. “Harold,” which won “Best Narrative/Experimental Film” and “Best Cinematography” at March’s student film festival, was created entirely by students who are not Film and Media Studies majors. Jordan Plotner ’17, the film’s composer and co-producer, and Chirikjian, its director, also said that they have never taken a course in the Film and Media Studies program. But all but one of the 12 students interviewed also said they had utilized equipment at the DMCA to create their projects, and highlighted the very impressive quality that the center houses. As the cost of film equipment goes down with improved technology, which three Yale faculty members and one from Columbia all noted, the DMCA has acquired several new pieces of equipment, whose high quality was praised by users and has impressed many industry professionals. Matyas, a computing assistant in the DMCA, said that industry professionals are astounded when he tells them which cameras and recorders are available to undergraduates through the DMCA. He added that he has toured MFA programs in Los Angeles, where the quantity and caliber of student-accessible equipment are not as strong as what the DMCA offers. All 12 students interviewed agreed that the events of last year — including expanded access to the DMCA, the formation of the YFA and the implementation of the filmmaking concentration in the art major — indicate heightened administrative efforts to improve film-related infrastructure and unite a previously scattered community. Dara Eliacin ’15, YFA’s founder and producer of “Harold,” said she and several other filmmak-
ers on campus first proposed the idea of the YFA to the YCDO in spring 2013. The YCDO helped the founders develop their organization and brainstorm ways to enhance support for film at Yale, she added. In addition to building a website, where filmmakers can post screenings, jobs or acting and crew-related opportunities, the YFA launched the first annual Yale Student Film Festival in March, where 20 original films debuted. Benjy Steinberg ’17, who won “Best Documentary” and “Best Cinematography” in the festival, highlighted that the festival offered opportunities to engage with and learn from alumni and other filmmakers on campus, who came together for the weekend. But while the students interviewed said they were impressed by the recent growth in film resources on campus, they also maintained that there are still areas for growth on campus. Within the curricular level, Musser added that the University has not had a full-time filmmaker professor in several years, which he said put Yale behind peer institutions. He said both Harvard and Princeton have at least one full-time filmmaker as part of their respective faculties. “This has got to change,” Musser said. “There’s a certain kind of vision and leadership that only a full-time filmmaker can truly provide.” While Charlotte Juergens ’16, co-president of the Yale Film Society and an independent documentary filmmaker, noted that the support system has grown over the last year, she recalled being surprised by the difficulty she faced when taking out a Creative and Performing Arts grant in order to make her documentary, a historical feature on D-Day veterans returning to Normandy. She said she found this particularly frustrating as it seemed as though her friends in the theater community were receiving the means to put on performance after performance. “I understand that it will always be more expensive to make a high-quality film than a high-quality minimalist theater production,” Juergens said. “But my experience was that it was incredibly difficult to get even the amount of money that it would have taken to make a theater production.” Juergens said the money she received from the University for her project accounted for a small fraction of the cost of production, adding that she ultimately turned to external funding sources, such as Kickstarter and private donations. Four other students who said that they had been awarded CPA grants to make films expressed frustration with the program’s restrictions. Chirikjian and Matyas both said that, because the grant was designed for theater productions, it does not account for essential parts of filmmaking, including transportation.
BREAKING INTO THE INDUSTRY
Derek Webster ’99, the new Office of Career Strategy associate director for the arts, recalled graduating from Yale with career services that provided no viable connections to industries in the arts, leaving him and many others uncertain about the future. “I graduated from Yale a wideeyed film major with a script in my pocket and some vague idea that Hollywood was the place I ought to be,” Webster said. Webster assumed his position over the summer, taking the place of Katie Volz, who was hired three years ago to be the center’s first-ever arts career specialist. Webster said he hopes to ensure that students hoping to work in creative industries will do so “prepared to make more mature mistakes, and skip over the ones that are really better avoided altogether,” many of which he experienced first-hand during his 10 years as an Los Angeles-based literary manager and script consultant. Administrators and students interviewed pointed to the creation of the arts director position, and the appointment of a film industry veteran in Webster, as signs of a growing support infrastructure for film careers at Yale. Students and alumni can find another resource in Yale in Hollywood, a Los Angeles networking hub founded 12 years ago by
entertainment professionals Kevin Winston and Aaron Kogan ’00, who said that he noticed a lack of formalized Yale networks in the entertainment industry when he first moved to Los Angeles. The organization has grown over the last 12 years; it now includes a dozen subcommittees and is the Yale Alumni Association’s largest shared-interest group. It has also hosted three conferences with top entertainment executives, with more than 350 attendees each. It also includes a summer internship program that Winston said has helped more than 300 students find positions. Kogan pointed out that the group arranges both formal and informal networking opportunities in Los Angeles, adding that prestigious industry alums like Bruce Cohen ’83 (“American Beauty”) and Jeremy Garelick ’98 (“The Hangover”) have come to speak with interns at gatherings that YIH has planned. Student composer Jordan Plotner ’17 secured his first Los Angeles-based job — working for composer Chris Westlake — after a Yale in Hollywood representative connected them. Plotner, who has composed for commercials around the world and for multiple television shows on Fox and TLC, recalled scrolling through IMDB and sending hundreds of emails in an effort to forge connections, and described the necessity of orchestrating contacts in order to make crucial connections. Several alumni reported that the prestige that comes with a Yale degree can act as a catalyst for industry opportunities. Kogan said that while Hollywood is not widely considered an Ivy League hotbed, the Yale name causes industry professionals to pay closer attention. “The immediate reaction is a net positive, and then it’s immediately shaped in one direction or another by how you handle yourself,” Kogan said. “So if you tell someone you went to Yale and you come off as pompous or arrogant, it’s going to be even worse. But if you know how to treat people with respect, it only brings positive connotations.” Steinberg, who interned this summer for Sonar Entertainment and a Los Angeles-based production owned by Oscarwinning producer Dan Jinks, highlighted the similarities between Yale and the film industry. The people on the business side of the film industry, Steinberg said, are highly motivated, creative and intense — and, in that sense, quite like students on campus. Andrew Cohen ’99, who is currently preparing for his first feature-length directing role for the film “House,” a new comedy with Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, said that the Yale name played a huge role in landing essential connections. He said that he managed to break out of assistant jobs in the agency world, and ultimately into working for Judd Apatow — who would eventually help spring-
board Cohen into co-writing last year’s “Neighbors” — largely because he went to Yale. “[Apatow] was teasing me about going to Yale and being a ‘motivated student,’ i.e. geek, but he loved it,” Cohen said. “There’s a brand recognition with Yale that is shorthand for ‘This guy is smart and works hard.’” Even still, careers in the film industry are by nature unstable and insecure. Matyas has had six film industry internships in Los Angeles during the last three summers. Despite his experience, he said he does not have the job security going into his senior year as do his friends who work in industries like finance, where many are offered future positions a year or more before they graduate. “It’s the nature of creative industries,” Matyas said. “There’s just no guarantee that you’ll be able to return.” As an undergraduate, Stern interned first at Focus Features, a major film distribution company, and then at a management consulting firm. He recalled the then-CEO of Focus advising the interns against entering the film industry, which he warned was in decline. Stern recalled that the consulting company, on the other hand, constantly made him feel like a member of a secure and privileged group. He went into his senior year with a job offer, which he took; but, two years after graduating, he found himself missing film work. Stern said it was only when he then made the transition into film development, where he continues to work, that he realized there were more secure business tracks within the film industry. “At Yale, there’s this ‘vacuum’ into banking and consulting, and the security that provides,” he said. “You need to be really strong to not get sucked in, and you’re at an age where that’s tough.” The contrasts in daily life as a consultant versus an assistant in the film industry, Stern said, were striking. “I went from traveling widely, thinking about really complex, big-picture things, to focusing on ensuring that my boss was getting his lunch on time,” he recalled. Starting as an assistant, as Stern did, is widely considered the primary way into the business side of film. Many recent graduates who aspire to producing, distributing or development careers, or others who hope to someday direct, try to get a foot in the door by getting jobs in the mailroom of creative agencies such as William Morris Endeavor, International Creative Management or Creative Artists Agency. Typically, entry work in these agencies entails sorting mail and working as a “floating assistant” before eventually becoming an assistant. Dara Eliacin ’15, who is now working in the mailroom at WME, said she is enjoying her work so far. “Everyone who wants to go into the industry goes to work
in an agency first,” she said. “It’s kind of like film school.” But other alumni recalled unpleasant experiences in the agency world. Screenwriting professor Marc Lapadula said he has seen students turn away from the industry altogether after feeling exploited in grueling, unpaid internships. Cohen recalled working at CAA — the same agency where he is now represented — shortly after graduating. There, he said, he “learned how to be organized, deal with difficult people, work in a fast-paced environment and lie.” “I wanted to work in the belly of the beast,” he said. “But I was so bummed and bored about my job, and I thought, ‘I have to do something or I’m going to go crazy.’” He directed a “spec ad,” a fake commercial designed to show advertising agencies in hopes of getting hired, that he would use to show to Adrian Lyne, the director of “Flashdance” and “Fatal Attraction.” That job would propel him out of the agent world, which Cohen called a welcome change. Brar was also dissatisfied with his first industry job after graduation. Working for Ridley Scott’s feature development company, Brar said he grew restless with the “glacial” pace, which he said took more than three or four years to see a project from start to finish. At the same time, he said he felt stifled by the time commitment, which necessitated reading multiple scripts per week as well as keeping up with a seemingly endless stream of pitches, leaving no time for him to pursue his own projects. Rather than try to climb the development ladder, he said that he chose to go down the independent filmmaking path. Ben Boult ’14 is also pursuing the independent path, and said he graduated with enough savings to try his hand at freelancing for a year. While he noted that while he has been booking more and more shoots in the last few months, he felt quite alone and disheartened when he first started. “It’s starting to feel more viable, but there have been other days when it has felt less so,” Boult said. He added that he keeps a detailed spreadsheet with the names of every contact he has ever made in order to keep track of his own network — a necessity when trying to book shoots or find a pair of experienced hands on set. Several industry alums emphasized that regardless of the infrastructure that Yale provides, ingenuity and a dogged work ethic will lead students to create quality films on campus and beyond. “The thing is, if you want to make a movie that badly, you’re going to find a way,” Chwialkowska said. “Every project will be better than the one before. It’s really as simple and as difficult as that.” Contact CAROLINE WRAY at caroline.wray@yale.edu .
COURTESEY OF DMCA
The Digital Media Center for the Arts opened its access to all of Yale College last year.
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 9
NEWS
“We need role models who are going to break the mold.” CARLY SIMON AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER
Hazardous conditions drive tenants out of complex BY NOAH KIM STAFF REPORTER For over seven years, Natalie Rodriguez, her four children and her husband have tolerated the adverse health effects that came with living in an apartment complex infected with mold. Rodriguez’s family is just one of 22 that have been displaced from the Church Street South apartment complex in the past few weeks due to hazardous living conditions resulting from the mold. Located across from Union Station, the Church Street South complex has been a point of contention over the last few weeks since the Livable City Initiative condemned 19 separate buildings and ordered the relocation of 22 of the apartment’s occupants to area hotels. The Livable City Initiative, a city department charged with enforcing building code compliance, inspected the buildings last month after six different residents filed complaints of inhospitable living conditions. For several years, many tenants have been complaining to apartment management about health issues stemming from the rampant growth of mold in their buildings. “[Mold] was sprouting behind the washer and dryer, and whenever I smelled it, I’d get a headache and throw up,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said she had complained about the mold to apartment management in 2008 but had received no response. Northland Investment Corporation, the owner of the apart-
ment complex, has been paying for hotel rooms for the displaced families. The Church Street South complex was subsidized by the federal government — Northland received roughly $3 million a year in Section 8 rent subsidies from the federal government for the maintenance and upkeep of the 301 units in the complex. Starting this year, Northland will no longer be receiving Section 8 subsidies from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
[Northland has] put people’s lives at risk by not maintaining their property. Why would we want to trust them again? MAYOR TONI HARP Two weeks ago, Mayor Toni Harp condemned Northland on the WNHH radio show “Dateline New Haven.” Harp said she would be extremely apprehensive about collaborating with the company in the future. “They have put people’s lives at risk by not maintaining their property,” she said. “Why would we want to trust them again? It’s certainly the best example of how a company can come in, land bank and destroy a community.” Both Northland Investment Corporation and the Livable City Initiative declined to comment on the situation.
New Haven attorneys Yonatan Zamir and Amy Marx LAW ’00 represent the tenants. Zamir said he believes Northland has clearly not been using the government subsidy to preserve the complex, despite the company’s claims. Zamir said he and his firm are trying to get answers as to why buildings quickly deemed unsafe by city investigators had passed years of inspection by HUD. “For Northland to have continued to receive their subsidy from the government, the apartment complex had to have undergone yearly examinations,” Zamir said. “Inspectors typically assess a sample of 10 to 15 units, so it’s possible that they were simply analyzing the wrong ones, but it’s still puzzling that this happened year after year.” For the past few weeks, Northland has been negotiating with Elm City Communities, New Haven’s housing authority, to find rentals in the private market for displaced tenants. HUD has recently approved 50 Section 8 housing vouchers for relocated tenants of the complex to use for other housing . Under the voucher program, individuals or families find and lease a unit either in a specified complex or in the private sector. According to Zamir, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who represents New Haven, has written to HUD for an additional 100 vouchers. Before relocations began, over 280 families lived in the Church Street South complex. Contact NOAH KIM at noah.kim@yale.edu .
WA LIU/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Nineteen buildings in the Church Street South apartment complex have been condemned over the last few weeks.
Downtown welcomes district manager BY STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE AND CAITLYN WHERRY STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Only a week into his role as the New Haven Police Department’s newest district manager, Sergeant Roy Davis already knows where he wants to focus his efforts: the New Haven Green. Davis is replacing Sergeant Tammi Means as the leader for downtown policing. New Haven is divided into 10 policing districts, each of them led by an individual officer focused solely on one area. On Tuesday night, Davis was introduced to the Downtown Wooster Square Community Management Team during its monthly meeting. Davis encouraged the 15 community leaders present to express their public safety concerns, and he addressed his largest initiatives for the month ahead, namely managing disorderly conduct on the Green. “The homeless [are] a problem, but I don’t think they are what is causing all the vagrancy,” Davis said. “I think that’s a bigger problem.” Davis explained that vagrancy on the New Haven Green stems from deeper issues of mental health and drug sales. As district manager, Davis
recycleyourydndaily
recycleyourydndaily
recycleyourydndaily
told community leaders that he had already begun to assign officers to four-hour shifts for patrolling the area. He said the officers would help make citizens feel safer on the Green by addressing drug dealing, littering and drunkenness. Kevin Coughlin, chairperson of the Downtown Wooster Square Community Management Team, expressed excitement about Davis’s positive energy as well as the action he had already taken. During the meeting, Davis also discussed his project he called, “Project Green Thumb,” a name that plays on his focus on cultivating both beauty and business on and near the intersection of College and Chapel Streets. Through the program, citizens charged with disorderly conduct or public drunkenness on the Green could be charged with community service hours instead of a monetary fine. “Hopefully that ticket will be turned into a community service ticket that will benefit the city rather than a monetary ticket that benefits the city and the state,” he said. The Town Green Special Services District, which aims to improve the business environment in the city, had representatives at Tuesday’s meeting.
Matthew Griswold, the organization’s public space manager, told the News that Davis has been a “breath of fresh air” for the community, and that he is excited to work with him to address the issues on the New Haven Green. “He is willing to work with us: the eyes and ears of downtown,” Griswold said. Community leaders also praised Davis for his bravery in working undercover for the NHPD, overseeing drug busts on the Green. Moving forward, Davis said he thinks it is imperative to integrate the Yale community into his work as district manager. Project Green Thumb, he said, will benefit both Yale and residents of New Haven. “Any type of help that Yale is willing to give, I am willing to take,” Davis said. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in juvenile and family justice, as well as a master’s degree in criminal justice, both from the University of New Haven. He is also licensed as a United States Coast Guard Captain. Contact STEPHANIE ADDENBROOKE at stephanie.addenbrooke@yale.edu and CAITLYN WHERRY at caitlyn.wherry@yale.edu .
PAGE 10
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
SPORTS
“I’m fulfilling my dreams that I had as a kid every single day.” AARON RODGERS GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK
Alozie, Griff find their footing in short order W. SOCCER FROM PAGE 14 tion as a speedster — proven when she sprinted down the field and turned a defensive error into a goal against Sacred Heart — dates to her high school career, when she set program marks in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. But it was Alozie’s first career goal against UMass-Amherst that proved most pivotal, as it was the only goal the Elis could muster in a 1–0 victory over the Minutewomen. “I honestly had the biggest sigh of relief [after scoring that goal],” Alozie said. “I get really frustrated when I don’t score just because it is basically my [sole] purpose as a forward … After I scored my first goal I didn’t even really celebrate, I just hugged teammate Geneva Decker ’17 and said, ‘Finally.’” While Alozie starred for her high school, Griff made a name for herself on her club team. She was ranked No. 130 on the IMG Academy Top 150, a ranking of the top high school soccer players in the country, after leading the New York Rush Patriots 97 to the National Premier League championship. “She’s the little engine that could,” Meredith said when asked about Griff. “Sophia has a nose for the goal, so she always finds a way to do something around the goal. She is determined and really focused.”
Despite having to transition from high school to college, both Griff and Alozie have found success from the outset. Alozie has tallied at least one point in every contest so far, while Griff scored both the team’s first goal of the season against Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas as well as the Elis’ lone score in a 1–0 victory at Villanova last weekend. “The fact that freshmen have such an impact on our team’s success is an extremely positive thing,” said captain and defender Ally Grossman ’16. “Michelle and Sofia are young, and their impressive performances only prove that anybody on our team can be a contributor and take on a big role.” In recent weeks, that role has been ably filled by Alozie, who was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week in Weeks three and four, while Griff was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll for this week. It is the first time in program history that a Yale player has been given Rookie of the Week honors in backto-back weeks. Griff has assisted on two out of Alozie’s four goals, and Alozie has also assisted on two out of four goals Griff has scored. “Michelle and I have been combining a lot in the attacking half of the field,” said Griff. “She is a very talented player and I love working with her. Every time we play
together, we get more used to each other’s body language and the type of plays we like to make. As we get more used to each other, I expect our dynamic to improve a lot.” Alozie said she thought she and Griff are two completely different players that happen to work too well with one another. She also expects the on-the-field connection to grow between Griff and her as they count down the days to conference play. The Elis are split 3–3 in their record so far, and there are only two games remaining until the Bulldogs begin conference play with an away game against Princeton. According to Alozie and Griff, competition is one aspect that drives them to play with more intensity, and build themselves as soccer players. “My speed trainer from my past club team, Legends FC, would always yell to us ‘Pain is temporary, but pride is forever.’ So, sometimes when Rudy or Todd are telling me to make the 20 yard dash down end line halfway through the second half, even though I am physically dead inside, I remember my trainer’s saying,” Alozie said. “I think that this run may kill me now, but it can have an end result of a goal which would definitely be worth it.” Contact NICOLE WELLS at nicole.wells@yale.edu .
Michelle Alozie ’19 hails from Apple Valley, Calif. while her freshman partner Sofia Griff ’19 comes from Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
Slower start for sailing
Elis split HYP
SAILING FROM PAGE 14
CROSS COUNTRY FROM PAGE 14 line within 10 seconds of Dooney were Cameron Stanish ’18, Duncan Tomlin ’17, and Randon, who all placed within the top 10. Adam Houston ’18 also had a big finish, coming in 18th place with a time of 25:35, a seven-place improvement from this race last season. For Randon, the highlight came when he passed two Harvard runners at the end of the race, crossing the line just one second in front of them in a moment he described as “very sweet.” The Bulldogs were neck and neck with the Crimson, both ending the meet with 47 points with Yale taking the second-place finish in a tie-breaker. However, the Tigers broke out ahead, finishing the race with 31 points. “We’re not happy about not winning, but where we are is a good reflection of our training so far,” Dooney said. “This is by far the smallest meet this year. When it comes to those big races we measure ourselves against Ivy League competition. It’s important to see how we stack up against the League.” While the women’s team finished 14 points behind Harvard and 13 points behind Princeton, the Elis had 11 runners who completed the course in a personal best time. Dana Klein ’18 took the top spot for Yale, placing fourth overall, with personal best of 17:40, a more than 30-second improvement on her previous record time. The Bulldogs’ top five was rounded out with Emily Waligurski ’17, Frances Schmiede ’18, Andrea Masterson ’19 and Kelli Reagan ’18, who placed seventh, eighth, 13th and 18th respectively. Schmiede also showed significant improvement, shaving down her time by more than a minute from her 5k time last year. “HYP is a fun season opener,” Emma Lower ’19 said. “There’s a lot of pride on the line. It was a little disappointing to lose to Harvard, [but] it’s a long season and we’re looking at the long
KEN YANAGISAWA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
sailing successes were due in large part to the seniors who were integral to the team’s dynamic, and current members lamented the loss of some of their star upperclassmen. “We had an incredible season last year, and we are working hard to have another great one this year,” Claire Huebner ’18 said. “We lost several important members of our team, but we have a really talented group of sailors who are all practicing hard to perform as well as we did last year.” The top Yale contingent competed at the Pine Trophy in order to clinch a spot in the New England Match Racing Championship, but that meant that the second coed team was stretched for sailors. The B team was forced to borrow a skipper from the women’s team, and her unfamiliarity with the rest of the crew and the intricacies of coed sailing posed a challenge for the Elis, according to Nic Baird ’19. Yet many Yale sailors remained optimistic and
undeterred from the team’s results. Huebner said that it is hard to start thinking about next June’s national championship regattas after only one weekend of competition. Baird put a different spin on Yale’s finishes. “We are doing worse than we usually do, but it’s good for the freshmen,” Baird said. “The faster you bring the freshmen up, all of our practices and results will be better … It doesn’t really matter that we don’t have a great starting weekend. The fall season is experimentation period. Spring championships are what matters.” Claire Rossi de Leon ’19 agreed, adding that the slow start of the sailing team is simply a part of the process for the team to regain its sea legs. “Everyone does really well on nationals and then forgets everything over the summer,” Rossi de Leon said. “It takes us a while to pick up speed and to reach the level we were at before.” Given their groundbreaking performance last season,
this year’s sailing teams are undeniably feeling pressure to match last year’s successes. Rastengar, as a returning member to the sailing team, is acutely aware of the expectations placed upon her and her and her teammates. “There is always an element of pressure especially because we did so well. But we realize a huge part of it is our daily practices and routines and we take our regattas seriously every year,” Rastengar said. “We are very pleased with how we represented Yale last year and we would like to do it again. It’s more motivation than pressure.” This weekend, the coed team will be attending three different regattas: the 66th Nevins Trophy at King’s Point, the Hatch Brown Trophy at MIT and the Central Series 2 at Boston College. The women’s team will be traveling to Connecticut College in order to compete in the Stu Nelson Trophy. Contact CLAIRE VICTORIA ONG at clairevictoria.ong@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
The men’s cross country team finished second at HYP, defeating Harvard and falling to Princeton, while the women’s team came in third. term. I think everyone did a great job of running in packs and pushing each other together.” According to Lower, the team is also proud of the number of personal bests in the HYP, which she sees as evidence of a practice over the summer and potential indicator of the progress the team can achieve this season. In order to prepare for more intense races this fall, the men’s team has been increasing its speed in practice and adding hill workouts in order to become more fit for the more challenging meets to come, according to Dooney. Both teams will be traveling to New York for this Saturday’s
Iona Meet of Champions, which will feature 16 teams from across the country. Last year, Yale’s first finisher was Klein, who finished 10th overall. On the men’s side, Hale Ross ’18 took the best finish for the Elis, crossing the line 24th. Both proved themselves to be promising freshman additions to the roster. Yale is looking for another successful Iona race, although neither squad will send their full roster, instead resting runners who will be competing in major races the following week. Contact HOPE ALLCHIN at hope.allchin@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
After last season’s national championship finish, the Bulldogs got off to a slower start at their first regatta of the season.
What do we want from boxing? COLUMN FROM PAGE 14 ure in the sport. This is partially, and quite possibly primarily, due to his repulsive off-field persona — a convicted woman beater and gaudy braggart, surprisingly enough, proves hard to like. But certainly this distaste also concerns Mayweather’s boxing career itself. Many boxing fans feel that Mayweather, as the face of boxing, owed more than he gave. He fought a multitude of Hall of Fame fighters and
rising stars — Oscar de la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Saul Alvarez, to name a few. Still, fans complained that he picked these opponents when they were too old or too young and, moreover, demanded that he take on even greater challenges. The request du jour is for Mayweather, a small welterweight, to move up 13 pounds to fight wrecking ball Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight crown. Mayweather’s selection of opponents says nothing of his in-ring style. He possesses supe-
rior technique and defense, to be sure; he nearly perfected the boxing maxim of “hit and don’t get hit.” To many fans, however, this style left much to be desired. Mayweather was boring; he did not engage; he coasted when he could have sought a knockout. In short, while appreciating Mayweather’s technique, boxing fans resented Mayweather because he did not fulfill the warrior role that fans most want to see in their fighters. They did not see in Mayweather the bravery, brawn and violence they
want in a true champion. They resented Mayweather even more because of the risk that a fighter like Browne takes on. Residing somewhere on the border of club fighter and fringe contender, the Australian was best known for a technical decision loss to countryman and former world champion Billy Dib in 2009. Even die-hard boxing heads, however, would have been hard pressed to identify the fighter before this weekend. He fought for little money, fame or glory, yet gave his life for
the sport. Mayweather gained millions (700 million, by his estimate), uncountable headlines and exaltation, yet to the average boxing fan, gave very little. So, what did Mayweather truly owe boxing fans? And what could boxing fans have realistically asked of the fighter? Certainly not death, no matter how repulsive a man Mayweather may be. Heightened levels of violence and fighting bigger, stronger opponents? Doing so could lead to the slurred speech
and shattered memories that mark too many boxers’ old age. I do not know how to balance the thirst for violence in the sport with the health and wellbeing of the warriors that step inside the ring. Whatever the answer, however, the retirement of Floyd Mayweather and the too-early death of Davey Browne Jr. raise the question. ALEX EPPLER is a senior in Davenport College and a former sports editor for the News. Contact him at alexander.eppler@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS ¡ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 ¡ yaledailynews.com
PAGE 11
BULLETIN BOARD
TODAY’S FORECAST Sunny, with a high near 84. Light wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
TOMORROW
FRIDAY
High of 84, low of 60.
High of 82, low of 62.
XKCD BY RANDALL MUNROE
ON CAMPUS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 1:00 PM Yale Farm Workday. The Yale Farm will be holding open volunteer Farm workdays on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Fridays beginning Sept. 4; everyone is welcome. No gardening experience is necessary. Just bring a water bottle and wear weather- and work-appropriate clothing. Friday workdays end at 5 p.m. with pizza made in their hearth oven. Yale Farm (345 Edwards St.). 2:00 PM Open Life Drawing. This weekly class is open to all of the Yale community — no previous experience required! School of Art (1156 Chapel St.), Rm. G-01.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 5:30 PM Business Solutions to Poverty. Join us for a conversation with Will Warshauer ’86, President and CEO of TechnoServe, a nonprofit that works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. Kroon Hall (195 Prospect St.), Burke Aud. 6:30 PM Angles on Art Tour, Questioning Permanence. Explore the diversity of the collection through the eyes of the art Gallery Guides, undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines. These lively conversations address a range of topics and will inspire visitors to see the collection in new ways. Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St.).
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 7:00 PM Treasures from the Yale Film Archive: Being John Malkovich. Treasures from the Yale Film Archive kicks off its second season with a screening of Spike Jonze’s 1999 film Being John Malkovich, a relentlessly original comedy written by Charlie Kaufman. Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Aud.
y SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS ONLINE yaledailynews.com/events/submit To reach us: E-mail editor@yaledailynews.com Advertisements 2-2424 (before 5 p.m.) 2-2400 (after 5 p.m.) Mailing address Yale Daily News P.O. Box 209007 New Haven, CT 06520
Questions or comments about the fairness or accuracy of stories should be directed to Editor in Chief Isaac Stanley-Becker at (203) 432-2418. Bulletin Board is a free service provided to groups of the Yale community for events. Listings should be submitted online at yaledailynews.com/events/ submit. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit listings.
To visit us in person 202 York St. New Haven, Conn. (Opposite JE) FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 16, 2015
CLASSIFIEDS
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 Respectful title 4 Gnocchi sauce 9 First occurrence 14 Keats’ “__ to a Nightingale� 15 Stay away from 16 With 61-Across, Sri Lankan product 17 Pool user’s unit 18 Sweet sherry, e.g. 20 “__ Road to Glory�: Arthur Ashe history 22 Lip 23 Unbeatable hand 27 Hat worn with a kilt 30 “Romeo and Juliet� city 31 Laundry slide 33 __ Spumante 36 Here, to Henri 37 Album array 38 It happens four times a year ... and also in this puzzle’s circles 41 Comes to the point? 42 Have title to 43 Long basket, in hoops lingo 44 Clear the board 45 Daze 47 Only article in a U.S. state capital name 48 Square-bodied family autos 52 Burlesque wraps 54 Dot on a map 55 Pre-holiday mall indulgence 61 See 16-Across 62 Parenthetical remark 63 Piece of cake 64 Tach reading 65 Package sealers 66 Decorative pitchers 67 Critter in Egyptian art DOWN 1 Like some eclipses 2 One of three Hells Canyon states
Available now! Willow Street 2BR apartment - $1450 per month. Living room, ÀUHSODFH GLQLQJ URRP VXQ SRUFK ODUJH NLWFKHQ DQG EDOFRQ\ YLSDSDUWPHQWV#DWW QHW
9/16/15
By C.W. Stewart
3 Square things 4 Kayak mover 5 Night before 6 Distress signal 7 “Whether __ nobler ...�: Hamlet 8 Ukrainian port 9 Stops wavering 10 Dinnertime TV fare 11 Snow runner 12 Ages and ages 13 Place to start a hole 19 Cheer from the crowd 21 Steep-sided valleys 24 Wendy’s side 25 Maniacal 26 Military outfit 27 Private instructor 28 Square things 29 Like many a dorm room 31 Half a dance 32 Party organizer 33 Did one’s part? 34 Admonishing response to “Mine!�
Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved
SUDOKU HUMP DAY
8 9 1 5 6 3 Š2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
35 Spanish finger food 37 Tubular pasta 39 MBA hopeful’s test 40 Took a dip 45 Struggle 46 Old-time broadcasters 48 Crone 49 Extreme 50 Some execs 51 Passport image
9/16/15
52 __ one’s time: wait 53 Soda machine inserts 55 Nocturnal flier 56 NATO founding member 57 Chihuahua complaint 58 Handle without care? 59 Reuben bread 60 Slogan ending?
8 9 5 7
4 8
4 5 3 2 6 9 5 3 4 3 2 8 6 5 3 9 4 8 2
PAGE 12
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
ARTS & CULTURE Cabaret opens season with love-filled musical BY LINDSEY COMBS CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
COURTESY OF YALE CABARET
“We Are All Here,” the Yale Cabaret’s first show of the semester, opens tomorrow night.
With its first show of the semester, the Yale Cabaret will stage a musical filled with love, desire, jealousy and Amy Winehouse songs. “We Are All Here,” a romantic-comedy adaptation of American playwright and historian Charles Mee’s “Wintertime” by David Bruin DRA ’16 and Jiréh Holder DRA ’16, opens tomorrow night at the Cabaret. The show follows two lovers who plan a romantic vacation by the ocean, but find that two other couples have done the same, which leads to envy, hostility and rage. Bruin, who is also the show’s director, highlighted the number of surprises and plot twists in the production. “[The show is about] a group of people who all come to the same place hoping that their dreams will come true, and that plot is ... side-stepped and exploded in various ways,” Bruin said. “We Are All Here” begins with an empty stage and a huge white backdrop that Bruin said represents a blank slate. Brontë England-Nelson DRA ’17, who plays the character Ariel, walks into the open space on stage, and the first thing she says is, “I love it here,” an expression that Bruin and England-Nelson said was applicable to their experience at the Yale School of Drama. The new season is beginning with a blank canvas — a fresh start — where actors, writers, stage designers and choreographers all come together to create something meaningful in a space that they all love, England-Nelson explained. Bruin compared the theme of chaos in the storyline to the atmosphere of the Yale Cabaret itself, noting that this similarity was one of the reasons behind his decisions to adapt “Wintertime” for the Cab. “It’s a place where a lot of people come together, and all these personalities and aesthetics smash up against each other in really interesting and sometimes chaotic ways,” Bruin said. Ensemble members interviewed agreed that “We Are All Here” is
unique in having many production team members who are working outside of their areas of expertise. Vicki Whooper DRA ’16 is studying to be a stage manager, but she is acting in the production, portraying the character Bertha, a frank and matronly woman.
[This show is about] a group of people who all come to the same place hoping that their dreams will come true. DAVID BRUIN DRA ’16 Holder highlighted the choreographic component of the show, which comes in the form of a sudden dance break that is meant to surprise audiences with its abruptness. Sean Higgins DRA ’16, who plays Frank, described the British artist Amy Winehouse as the “patron saint” of the show, noting that many of her songs will be heard throughout the performance. The lovers in the show grapple with the challenges of love and with remaining faithful while still having the freedom of individuality, Whooper said. “It’s about people we love, how we treat them, and all the types of love,” said Chris Ghaffari DRA ’16, who plays a Frenchman named Francois. Bruin echoed this sentiment, adding that the recent passing of a friend makes him feel a personal connection to the show. “That event really shaped some of my thinking of the play, about the importance of people spending time together, and about the need to find something to say and do together to get through that experience,” Bruin said. Performances of “We Are All Here” will run through Saturday. Contact LINDSEY COMBS at lindsey.combs@yale.edu .
Artist presents abstract view of nature BY JOEY YE STAFF REPORTER For the next few months, the Yale Environmental Science Center will examine the Earth’s core elements with paper and paint. “Many Voices, One Song,” which opened Friday at the Yale Environmental Science Center, showcases the work of abstract painter Ava Orphanoudakis, focusing on her love for nature and her concern for the environment. Orphanoudakis said her primary interest rests on the internal connection between people and nature, a foundation complemented by her work in environmental education. “I’m interested in how the bits all communicate with each other in an ecological system,” Orphanoudakis said. “It’s a contemplative process where I try to feel internally the forces, music and patterns that connect everything together in nature.” Consisting of ink, oil and pastel works on recycled paper, the 23 pieces in the exhibition depict natural elements such as fire, earth, wind and water. The pieces are grouped by element, Orphanoudakis said. She added that she includes a general theme in all of her series, and the creative process for this collection consisted largely of introspection. Featured alongside the artwork are various quotes and poems from famous historical figures, including Aristotle and Albert Einstein, as well as personal friends of the artist. Orphanoudakis said this is the first time she has included textual accompaniments in an exhibition, adding that the poems serve as transitions between the natural elements that she explores in the show. She explained that the writings also provide hints to the viewers on her own perspective toward the artwork. “Most of the authors I’ve chosen are writers who have inspired me,” Orphanoudakis said. “Often many of the feelings and thoughts I get in my artwork are from not only nature, but from people, writing, music and philosophy that has inspired me, and I wanted to be able to share that with others.”
ALICE OH/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The exhibit “Many Voices, One Song” at the Yale Environmental Science Center showcases the work of abstract painter Ava Orphanoudakis, focusing on her concern for the environment. After moving to Greece in 1990, Orphanoudakis returned to the United States in 2000. Since then she became a member of both the Guilford Art League and the New Haven Paint and Clay Club.
“Her art is very spiritual, very much connected with ecological subjects,” said Sheila Kaczmarek, president of the Guilford Art League. “I really like the latest work in the Peabody, and I find the large pieces especially
compelling.” Having been an artist for more than 25 years, Orphanoudakis said her respect, love and concern for the environment has been the source of inspiration for all of her paint-
ings. Outside of her work as a visual artist, Orphanoudakis has also worked for the Peabody Museum of Natural History and was the project manager of a collaborative environmental education project between the
Peabody and the National History Museum of Crete. “Many Voices, One Song” will be on display through Dec. 18. Contact JOEY YE at shuaijiang.ye@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 13
“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.” POPE FRANCIS
Exhibit highlights papal influence beyond religion BY TERESA CHEN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, an exhibit at the Yale Law School aims to show that the job of the world’s most influential religious leader has not always been entirely spiritual. The church and the state come together in the Lillian Goldman Law Library’s exhibit titled “The Pope’s Other Jobs: Judge and Lawgiver.” Located in the library’s rare books Room, the exhibit, curated by history professor Anders Winroth and Rare Books librarian Mike Widener, aims to shed light on papal influence in areas such as politics and law throughout medieval European history. Widener said the exhibit aims to discuss the importance of the Pope’s historical role as an influential legal figure. “There was a time when the Pope was probably the single most important legal figure in the Western world,” Widener said. The books in the exhibit cover a number of artifacts that showcase the extent of the Pope’s legal influence throughout history, an example of which is a 1567 decree against bullfighting issued by Pope Pius V that is still referenced by many modern animal rights movements. Other pieces displayed include a papal decree that criticized members of the clergy for drinking too much. Alex Garland ’17, who visited the exhibition, said he was par-
ticularly interested in a manuscript from the 1300s, which includes an image of the Pope handing the Clementines — a book of codified laws — to four scholars. The exhibit also boasts Yale’s vast collection of valuable items in legal history, Widener said, noting that many pieces in the exhibition have been housed at Yale for years, while others have only been here for several months. Widener explained that the exhibit focuses on two specific areas that have seen significant developments in recent years: marriage law and human rights. He noted that many of the rights that are considered to be fundamental in modern times have their roots in papal decrees and commentaries by medieval-era legal professionals. “The freedom from self-incrimination, the presumption of innocence — all of these things come from canon law,” Widener said. “Most people don’t think of these things as coming from the Middle Ages. They think of the Founding Fathers … but the seeds actually go much further back.” Book monitor Phil Liscio echoed Garland’s sentiment, adding that the exhibition allows viewers to examine historical treasures in great depth. “The Pope’s Other Jobs: Judge and Lawgiver” will close on Dec. 11. Contact TERESA CHEN at teresa.chen@yale.edu .
SIDDHI SURANA/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The church and the state come together in the Lillian Goldman Law Library’s exhibit titled “The Pope’s Other Jobs: Judge and Lawgiver.”
Conference explores blockbusters BY VICTOR WANG STAFF REPORTER While “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Interstellar” have entertained millions on the big screen, some Yalies have found a new form of entertainment by engaging in scholarly discussions about the two films. More than 100 community members gathered at the Whitney Humanities Center on Saturday morning for “What a Lovely Day” — a conference centering on two recent films, “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Interstellar.” Although the crowd ebbed and flowed throughout the daylong event, history of art professor J.D. Connor said he thinks the event was successful both in terms of the audience turnout
and the diversity in the scholarship on the films that participants discussed. “I was surprised to see so many people come to a 9 a.m. movie showing,” Connor said. “This was also a chance for us to do real scholarship quickly and in response to recent films.” The conference began with a screening of “Mad Max: Fury Road” — a 2015 blockbuster centering on the conflict between the title character and a tyrant named Immortan Joe — and ended with a screening of “Interstellar,” in which space explorers travel to various planets to assess their potential to sustain human life. The first screening was followed by roughly a dozen short talks by Yale faculty and students on the two films, which discussed
themes ranging from the use of computer animation in modern cinema to the human survival instinct in film.
This conference shows that we can figure stuff out and produce serious scholarship quickly. J.D. CONNOR History of art and film studies professor, Yale University Connor highlighted the decision to combine discussion of the two films into the same conference, noting that he found a
number of overarching themes that were common to both films. “These are movies in opposite genres, at the opposite side of the world,” Connor said. “But the more we looked at them, the more we saw connections that could be drawn.” The conference featured 16 speakers, including doctoral students, alumni and faculty in Film and Media Studies. One speaker, Cristian Oncescu ’09 ARC ’14, compared the vehicles and interior designs in “Mad Max” with the opulence of Baroque architecture centuries ago in order to highlight the film’s critique of materialism and excess. Debra Fischer, an astronomy professor at Yale, discussed the various worlds explored in “Interstellar” and explained the scientific con-
cepts behind the different climates of each featured planet. Speakers and audience members interviewed said they found the conference to be educational and entertaining. Slavic Languages and Literature professor and Film and Media Studies chair John MacKay, the conference’s final speaker, said he was impressed by the academic diversity of the speakers and the highlevel discourse of the two movies. He added that he learned a great deal about Hollywood culture and production from the talks. Logan Zelk ’19 said he enjoyed having the opportunity to experience the featured movies as more than just entertainment products. “Movies are also tools for messages, which morph depending
on who looks at it,” Zelk said. “I have been at the conference for the whole day and I am not tired at all.” Connor said the conference, which was held only four months after the release of “Mad Max,” took an surprisingly short amount of time to organize, adding that such conferences typically take at least a year of planning. “Normally humanities conferences center around works that happened years ago, as opposed to science conferences,” Connor said. “This conference shows that we can figure stuff out and produce serious scholarship quickly.” Contact VICTOR WANG at v.wang@yale.edu .
IF YOU MISSED IT SCORES
NFL 49ers 20 Vikings 3
MLB Pirates 5 Cubs 4
MLB Nationals 8 Phillies 7
SPORTS QUICK HITS
KELSEY CRAWFORD ’18 AND KELLEY WIRTH ’19 TWO IVY HONORS FOR ELIS When the Bulldogs won their first collegiate tournament in the past four seasons, the Colgate Classic, two young members of the squad earned honors. Crawford earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors while Wirth won Rookie of the Week honors.
MLB Giants 5 Reds 3
y
MEN’S LACROSSE SIX ALL-AMERICANS FOR 2019 The men’s lacrosse program has 11 newcomers joining this years’ squad, including six All-Americans. Ten of the 11 players were captains prior to coming to Yale while two currently have siblings playing for the Elis and seven had family members play collegiately.
MLB Dodgers 4 Rockies 1
FOR MORE SPORTS CONTENT, VISIT OUR WEB SITE yaledailynews.com/sports
“We’re not happy about not winning, but where we are is a good reflection of our training so far.” KEVIN DOONEY ’16 CROSS COUNTRY YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
A dynamic duo develops on the soccer pitch SOCCER
Alozie and Griff are from completely opposite ends of the country. Alozie hails from Apple Valley, California, whereas Griff is from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. During Alozie’s high school career, she set a school record with seven goals in a single game and 44 for a full season. In addition, she was named an all-league selection. Her talent does not end on the soccer pitch, however. Her reputaSEE W. SOCCER PAGE 10
SEE COLUMN PAGE 10
KEN YANAGISAWA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Just one month after they first reported to campus for preseason training on Aug. 16, forward Michelle Alozie ’19 and midfielder Sofia Griff ’19 are already making a major impact on the Yale women’s soccer team. The Bulldogs have played six games since the start of the season, in which they have racked up 37 total points, including both goals
and assists. Alozie and Griff have contributed 22 of those points and have energized the team’s offensive attack with their proficient play. “I have never had two players have this many points this early in the season,” said head coach Rudy Meredith. “The 2005 season may have been the last time that a player may have even come close to Alozie’s and Griff’s numbers. Especially considering that Alozie and Griff are two freshmen, this is definitely a unique situation.”
In 2005, Meredith coached his players to a 15–4–1 overall record and a 5–1–1 conference record, good enough for an Ivy League championship. In addition, two of the team’s top three scorers — midfielder and forward Crysti Howser ’09 and forward Emma Whitfield ’09 — played all 25 games and totaled 25 and 18 points, respectively. Alozie’s four goals and four assists give her 12 points already on the season, while Griff has 10 points on four goals and two assists.
Cross country finishes second, third at HYP
Bruised and broken warriors Two boxing careers ended this weekend. In one corner, Floyd Mayweather, the undisputed pound-for-pound king of his generation, routed no-hoper Andre Berto on Saturday night to tack on the forty-ninth win of an undefeated career. In the ring after the fight, under the bright lights of Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Arena, he announced his retirement, as he had promised to do. Many boxing observers — this one included — suspect the retirement will be short-lived; for now, however, “Money” has declared himself spent. In the other corner, Davey Browne Jr. was knocked unconscious at the end of an unheralded fight in New South Wales on Friday night. He awoke in the ring shortly thereafter, but immediately lost consciousness again and never recovered. He died four days later in a hospital in Sydney. Browne’s death provides a visceral reminder of the violence boxing entails. Beyond the enormous tragedy of the event, however, it also raises necessary questions about the relationship between boxers and boxing fans when considered in concert with Mayweather’s retirement. Although Mayweather has been boxing’s face for the past decade, he also represents perhaps the most consistently reviled fig-
Michelle Alozie ’19 and Sofia Griff ’19 have earned 12 and 10 points respectively thus far in the 2015 season. BY NICOLE WELLS STAFF REPORTER
ALEX EPPLER
Elis off to a slow-but-steady start BY CLAIRE VICTORIA ONG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As the school year kicks off, both the coed and women’s sailing teams started off their fall seasons at a steady pace, competing in three different regattas this past weekend. Despite their national championship titles from last year, however, this year’s sailing teams started off at considerably lower rankings and are trying to regain their footing in the waters that they used to dominate.
SAILING
YALE DAILY NEWS
The women’s cross country team had 11 runners at the HYP meet who completed the course with a personal best time. BY HOPE ALLCHIN STAFF REPORTER The Yale cross country team kicked off its season this past weekend with a solid, though not stellar performance at the Harvard-YalePrinceton meet held in Boston.
CROSS COUNTRY The men’s team narrowly edged out Harvard, placing second after outscoring the Crimson in a tie-breaker, but fell to Princeton. The women’s team placed third at the race, trailing both Harvard and Princeton. Although neither team took home a first-place finish, both were satis-
fied with the performance of their top runners last Friday. “I think overall the guy’s team did well,” James Randon ’17 said. “We’ve come into the season a lot more conservative [this year]. We want to makes sure we’re really prepared for the long run. We didn’t have high expectations [for the HYP], but we still held our ground. We have a lot of room to improve.” Experience proved crucial for the men’s team, which saw its best four times come from its top four returning runners. Captain Kevin Dooney ’16 led the pack, finishing fifth overall in the 8k with a time of 25:04. Crossing the SEE CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 10
STAT OF THE DAY 11
The Bulldogs competed in three different regattas held all over the Northeast. At the Pine Trophy, held at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the coed sailing team placed third and successfully secured itself a spot to compete in the New England Match Racing Championship. But the other boats competing had less stellar results, with the coed team placing fifth at the Harry Anderson Trophy, held on home waters, and the women’s team placed at an even lower eighth place at the Toni Deutsch Regatta held at MIT. Despite the less-than-great results, Saman Rastegar ’16 refused to let the slow start cripple her enthusiasm for the season. “Regattas don’t define how we are doing as a team. We are all working really well as a team and I don’t think it’s any negative indication at all,” Rastegar said.
YALE DAILY NEWS
The Yale saling teams started off at considerably lower rankings this year and are trying to regain their footing after the loss of several graduating seniors. Last year, the coed sailing team dominated the collegiate sailing scene, placing first in the Gill Coed National Championship. This was just one of a series of three national championships wins for the Bulldogs last spring, with victories in the Wom-
en’s and National Team Championships, a feat that had been unheard of since 1991. But with a new season comes a new start, with new members and new challenges to face. Last year’s SEE SAILING PAGE 10
THE NUMBER OF RUNNERS ON THE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WHO RAN PERSONAL BEST TIMES IN THE HARVARD-YALE-PRINCETON MEET. Dana Klein ’18 finished first for the Bulldogs with a time of 17:40, nearly 30 seconds faster than her previous personal best.
PAGE 10
YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
SPORTS
“I’m fulfilling my dreams that I had as a kid every single day.” AARON RODGERS GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK
Alozie, Griff find their footing in short order W. SOCCER FROM PAGE 14 tion as a speedster — proven when she sprinted down the field and turned a defensive error into a goal against Sacred Heart — dates to her high school career, when she set program marks in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. But it was Alozie’s first career goal against UMass-Amherst that proved most pivotal, as it was the only goal the Elis could muster in a 1–0 victory over the Minutewomen. “I honestly had the biggest sigh of relief [after scoring that goal],” Alozie said. “I get really frustrated when I don’t score just because it is basically my [sole] purpose as a forward … After I scored my first goal I didn’t even really celebrate, I just hugged teammate Geneva Decker ’17 and said, ‘Finally.’” While Alozie starred for her high school, Griff made a name for herself on her club team. She was ranked No. 130 on the IMG Academy Top 150, a ranking of the top high school soccer players in the country, after leading the New York Rush Patriots 97 to the National Premier League championship. “She’s the little engine that could,” Meredith said when asked about Griff. “Sophia has a nose for the goal, so she always finds a way to do something around the goal. She is determined and really focused.”
Despite having to transition from high school to college, both Griff and Alozie have found success from the outset. Alozie has tallied at least one point in every contest so far, while Griff scored both the team’s first goal of the season against Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas as well as the Elis’ lone score in a 1–0 victory at Villanova last weekend. “The fact that freshmen have such an impact on our team’s success is an extremely positive thing,” said captain and defender Ally Grossman ’16. “Michelle and Sofia are young, and their impressive performances only prove that anybody on our team can be a contributor and take on a big role.” In recent weeks, that role has been ably filled by Alozie, who was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week in Weeks three and four, while Griff was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll for this week. It is the first time in program history that a Yale player has been given Rookie of the Week honors in backto-back weeks. Griff has assisted on two out of Alozie’s four goals, and Alozie has also assisted on two out of four goals Griff has scored. “Michelle and I have been combining a lot in the attacking half of the field,” said Griff. “She is a very talented player and I love working with her. Every time we play
together, we get more used to each other’s body language and the type of plays we like to make. As we get more used to each other, I expect our dynamic to improve a lot.” Alozie said she thought she and Griff are two completely different players that happen to work too well with one another. She also expects the on-the-field connection to grow between Griff and her as they count down the days to conference play. The Elis are split 3–3 in their record so far, and there are only two games remaining until the Bulldogs begin conference play with an away game against Princeton. According to Alozie and Griff, competition is one aspect that drives them to play with more intensity, and build themselves as soccer players. “My speed trainer from my past club team, Legends FC, would always yell to us ‘Pain is temporary, but pride is forever.’ So, sometimes when Rudy or Todd are telling me to make the 20 yard dash down end line halfway through the second half, even though I am physically dead inside, I remember my trainer’s saying,” Alozie said. “I think that this run may kill me now, but it can have an end result of a goal which would definitely be worth it.” Contact NICOLE WELLS at nicole.wells@yale.edu .
Michelle Alozie ’19 hails from Apple Valley, Calif. while her freshman partner Sofia Griff ’19 comes from Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
Slower start for sailing
Elis split HYP
SAILING FROM PAGE 14
CROSS COUNTRY FROM PAGE 14 line within 10 seconds of Dooney were Cameron Stanish ’18, Duncan Tomlin ’17, and Randon, who all placed within the top 10. Adam Houston ’18 also had a big finish, coming in 18th place with a time of 25:35, a seven-place improvement from this race last season. For Randon, the highlight came when he passed two Harvard runners at the end of the race, crossing the line just one second in front of them in a moment he described as “very sweet.” The Bulldogs were neck and neck with the Crimson, both ending the meet with 47 points with Yale taking the second-place finish in a tie-breaker. However, the Tigers broke out ahead, finishing the race with 31 points. “We’re not happy about not winning, but where we are is a good reflection of our training so far,” Dooney said. “This is by far the smallest meet this year. When it comes to those big races we measure ourselves against Ivy League competition. It’s important to see how we stack up against the League.” While the women’s team finished 14 points behind Harvard and 13 points behind Princeton, the Elis had 11 runners who completed the course in a personal best time. Dana Klein ’18 took the top spot for Yale, placing fourth overall, with personal best of 17:40, a more than 30-second improvement on her previous record time. The Bulldogs’ top five was rounded out with Emily Waligurski ’17, Frances Schmiede ’18, Andrea Masterson ’19 and Kelli Reagan ’18, who placed seventh, eighth, 13th and 18th respectively. Schmiede also showed significant improvement, shaving down her time by more than a minute from her 5k time last year. “HYP is a fun season opener,” Emma Lower ’19 said. “There’s a lot of pride on the line. It was a little disappointing to lose to Harvard, [but] it’s a long season and we’re looking at the long
KEN YANAGISAWA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
sailing successes were due in large part to the seniors who were integral to the team’s dynamic, and current members lamented the loss of some of their star upperclassmen. “We had an incredible season last year, and we are working hard to have another great one this year,” Claire Huebner ’18 said. “We lost several important members of our team, but we have a really talented group of sailors who are all practicing hard to perform as well as we did last year.” The top Yale contingent competed at the Pine Trophy in order to clinch a spot in the New England Match Racing Championship, but that meant that the second coed team was stretched for sailors. The B team was forced to borrow a skipper from the women’s team, and her unfamiliarity with the rest of the crew and the intricacies of coed sailing posed a challenge for the Elis, according to Nic Baird ’19. Yet many Yale sailors remained optimistic and
undeterred from the team’s results. Huebner said that it is hard to start thinking about next June’s national championship regattas after only one weekend of competition. Baird put a different spin on Yale’s finishes. “We are doing worse than we usually do, but it’s good for the freshmen,” Baird said. “The faster you bring the freshmen up, all of our practices and results will be better … It doesn’t really matter that we don’t have a great starting weekend. The fall season is experimentation period. Spring championships are what matters.” Claire Rossi de Leon ’19 agreed, adding that the slow start of the sailing team is simply a part of the process for the team to regain its sea legs. “Everyone does really well on nationals and then forgets everything over the summer,” Rossi de Leon said. “It takes us a while to pick up speed and to reach the level we were at before.” Given their groundbreaking performance last season,
this year’s sailing teams are undeniably feeling pressure to match last year’s successes. Rastengar, as a returning member to the sailing team, is acutely aware of the expectations placed upon her and her and her teammates. “There is always an element of pressure especially because we did so well. But we realize a huge part of it is our daily practices and routines and we take our regattas seriously every year,” Rastengar said. “We are very pleased with how we represented Yale last year and we would like to do it again. It’s more motivation than pressure.” This weekend, the coed team will be attending three different regattas: the 66th Nevins Trophy at King’s Point, the Hatch Brown Trophy at MIT and the Central Series 2 at Boston College. The women’s team will be traveling to Connecticut College in order to compete in the Stu Nelson Trophy. Contact CLAIRE VICTORIA ONG at clairevictoria.ong@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
The men’s cross country team finished second at HYP, defeating Harvard and falling to Princeton, while the women’s team came in third. term. I think everyone did a great job of running in packs and pushing each other together.” According to Lower, the team is also proud of the number of personal bests in the HYP, which she sees as evidence of a practice over the summer and potential indicator of the progress the team can achieve this season. In order to prepare for more intense races this fall, the men’s team has been increasing its speed in practice and adding hill workouts in order to become more fit for the more challenging meets to come, according to Dooney. Both teams will be traveling to New York for this Saturday’s
Iona Meet of Champions, which will feature 16 teams from across the country. Last year, Yale’s first finisher was Klein, who finished 10th overall. On the men’s side, Hale Ross ’18 took the best finish for the Elis, crossing the line 24th. Both proved themselves to be promising freshman additions to the roster. Yale is looking for another successful Iona race, although neither squad will send their full roster, instead resting runners who will be competing in major races the following week. Contact HOPE ALLCHIN at hope.allchin@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
After last season’s national championship finish, the Bulldogs got off to a slower start at their first regatta of the season.
What do we want from boxing? COLUMN FROM PAGE 14 ure in the sport. This is partially, and quite possibly primarily, due to his repulsive off-field persona — a convicted woman beater and gaudy braggart, surprisingly enough, proves hard to like. But certainly this distaste also concerns Mayweather’s boxing career itself. Many boxing fans feel that Mayweather, as the face of boxing, owed more than he gave. He fought a multitude of Hall of Fame fighters and
rising stars — Oscar de la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Saul Alvarez, to name a few. Still, fans complained that he picked these opponents when they were too old or too young and, moreover, demanded that he take on even greater challenges. The request du jour is for Mayweather, a small welterweight, to move up 13 pounds to fight wrecking ball Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight crown. Mayweather’s selection of opponents says nothing of his in-ring style. He possesses supe-
rior technique and defense, to be sure; he nearly perfected the boxing maxim of “hit and don’t get hit.” To many fans, however, this style left much to be desired. Mayweather was boring; he did not engage; he coasted when he could have sought a knockout. In short, while appreciating Mayweather’s technique, boxing fans resented Mayweather because he did not fulfill the warrior role that fans most want to see in their fighters. They did not see in Mayweather the bravery, brawn and violence they
want in a true champion. They resented Mayweather even more because of the risk that a fighter like Browne takes on. Residing somewhere on the border of club fighter and fringe contender, the Australian was best known for a technical decision loss to countryman and former world champion Billy Dib in 2009. Even die-hard boxing heads, however, would have been hard pressed to identify the fighter before this weekend. He fought for little money, fame or glory, yet gave his life for
the sport. Mayweather gained millions (700 million, by his estimate), uncountable headlines and exaltation, yet to the average boxing fan, gave very little. So, what did Mayweather truly owe boxing fans? And what could boxing fans have realistically asked of the fighter? Certainly not death, no matter how repulsive a man Mayweather may be. Heightened levels of violence and fighting bigger, stronger opponents? Doing so could lead to the slurred speech
and shattered memories that mark too many boxers’ old age. I do not know how to balance the thirst for violence in the sport with the health and wellbeing of the warriors that step inside the ring. Whatever the answer, however, the retirement of Floyd Mayweather and the too-early death of Davey Browne Jr. raise the question. ALEX EPPLER is a senior in Davenport College and a former sports editor for the News. Contact him at alexander.eppler@yale.edu .