Yale Daily News — Week of Sept. 17

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

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · VOL. CXLIII, NO. 30 · yaledailynews.com

Students criticize lack of policy on coursework in quarantine three students stated that while they felt supported by their professors and deans, the lack of standardized protocol regarding how students should keep up with coursework while in isolation was frustrating.

“I would say any support received was entirely from professors on a case-by-case basis,” a student who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first week of classes wrote to the News. “My dean and head of college reached out, but checking in with how I am feeling is different from administrative support or protocol so that I don't fall behind in my very expensive classes.”

Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun told the News that he advises that students who test positive for COVID-19 stay in close communication with their instructors and residential college deans to create a plan for keeping up with coursework.

He explained that instructors have a variety of options for help-

BY JULIA BIALEK STAFF REPORTER With classes largely returning to in-person learning this semester, the question of how students who test positive for COVID-19 should keep up with classwork remains uncertain.

Last semester, students who tested positive for COVID-19 were able to continue their classwork while in isolation because classes were remote. However, the return to in-person classes creates a challenge for students who test positive for COVID-19 and have to miss in-person classes while in quarantine. There is no standard University protocol for how students should continue their learning in such situations; rather, it is up to students to make individual arrangements with professors.

The News spoke to three students who tested positive for COVID-19 this semester about their experience keeping up with coursework while in isolation. All

YALE DAILY NEWS

After testing positive, students must make individual arrangements with instructors to keep up with classes. ing students who have to miss in-person instruction, which include recording lectures, using Canvas to post material or creating peer support teams. Seminars, however, cannot be recorded

because of default Faculty of Arts and Sciences policy.

“Classes have different formats, so instructors are in the best position to recommend the best approach for students to keep up

with missed class time,” Chun wrote to the News. “Students who need to make up examinations or postpone deadlines for courseSEE QUARANTINE PAGE 4

New Haven preps for Afghan refugees Classes of 2024 and 2025 set record for enrollment

YALE DAILY NEWS

Local and statewide organizations and officials prepare for 1,000 refugees from Afghanistan, many to resettle in the Elm City.

BY ZAPORAH PRICE AND GRACE RANGEL STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Over the next year, nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees are set to arrive in Connecticut, many to New Haven.

Chris George, the executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services, said at a Monday press conference that the organization expects refugee arrivals to be spread throughout the coming year. Alongside George,

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and representatives from other resettlement organizations across the state said community support will be required in local efforts to offer integration services for those arriving.

Aid organizations like Elena’s Light, which provides English instruction to refugee women, and Sanctuary Kitchen, which employs immigrants and refugees to lead cooking classes and culinary events, are also preparing to offer

legal, social and economic support to the city’s newest residents.

“We are ready, we welcome you with our arms open,” Elicker said in a broad message to refugees at the press conference, which took place outside of the First and Summerfield Church in Downtown. “We as a city are so grateful of the partnership that we have with so many leaders, whether it’s our federal delegation, nonprofit partners or church partners, to say that New Haven is your home and we welcome you here.”

With the impending influx of refugees, Elicker urged residents to reach out to organizations like IRIS, with whom the city is partnered, to find a way they can contribute — such as donating furniture or basic necessities.

George agreed. New Haveners, he said, can help arriving Afghan refugees by volunteering with local organizations, or donating winter clothes as the weather cools.

“The response to this crisis has been just overwhelming, and we’re going to need all the help we can get. And it looks like Connecticut is, once again, going to step up and help SEE REFUGEES PAGE 4

BY JULIA BIALEK AND AMELIA DAVIDSON STAFF REPORTERS For the 2021-2022 school year, Yale’s student body is bigger than ever, leading to the question of whether a larger Yale is the new normal.

The class of 2025 entered Yale as the College’s largest incoming class since World War II, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. With a population of 1,789, the class is about

240 students larger than a typical incoming class. The admissions office attributed the increase to a record-high 335 students who opted to take gap years after originally being admitted to the class of 2024. University administrators told the News that the larger class sizes have led to course registration and housing adaptations.

“Over the past 18 months, the faculty and staff of Yale ColSEE ENROLLMENT PAGE 4

YALE NEWS

The Yale College population hit a record high for the 2021-2022 school year, posing issues for housing and class sizes.

Farmington Trail expanding Local teachers union race contested to New Haven Harbor

BY ANASTASIA HUFHAM CONTRIBUTING REPORTER On Monday afternoon, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker joined city officials, representatives and stakeholders to break

ground on the fourth and final phase of construction on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in New Haven.

After the final phase is comSEE FARMINGTON PAGE 5

ANASTASIA HUFHAM/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The 80-mile trail will extend another four miles through Wooster Square to its new endpoint at the Canal Dock Boathouse.

BY CHRISTIAN ROBLES AND PIA BALDWIN EDWARDS STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

Dave Cicarella, the 15-year incumbent president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, will face a challenger in this December’s election.

The challenge comes from Leslie Blatteau, a social studies teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy, who announced her campaign last week at Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue in Fair Haven. Blatteau joins the “Fighting for Our Future” slate of candidates, a group of incumbent and newcomer teacher candidates looking to take charge of the union’s hierarchy. The group has championed itself as an advocate for educators who would prioritize increased teacher engagement and organizational transparency.

Cicarella is running for a sixth three-year term and also intends to

CROSS CAMPUS

INSIDE THE NEWS

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY, 1974.

JEOPARDY

Yale Law School Students circulate a petition calling for Congress to take corrective actions against Gerald Ford, a YLS alumnus, for his "arbitrary" pardon of President Nixon. More than a third of the school's students sign the petition.

Matt Amodio GRD ’23, a fifth-year computer science Ph.D. candidate at Yale, currently has the third-highest total winnings from regular-season play in Jeopardy! history.

Page 3 SPORTS

LITERARY

COURTESY OF DAVE CICARELLA AND LESLIE BLATTEAU

A social studies teacher challenges the current teachers union president on a platform of increasing teacher and community engagement. do so on a slate, but the list of candidates on that slate is not yet finalized, he told the News. Cicarella has contested and won the presidency three times since 2018, after legal challenges led to two court-mandated special elections.

“Now is the time when there are a lot of shifts happening locally, statewide, nationally, obviously, and I wanted to put my expertise

The annual WindhamCampbell Festival hosted by the Beinecke will be virtual this year, but it will include unique content and span two months.

Page 6 ARTS

MASKS

The first-ever randomized trial on masking — a 300,000-person study in Bangladesh led by School of Management researchers — affirms its efficacy.

Page 9 SCITECH

to use,” Blatteau said. “To see if we could continue this work and really look into the future and build an even stronger union.”

Blatteau emphasizes relationships, engagement If elected, Blatteau said she would continue her long-standSEE NHFT PAGE 5 WIFI

Amid a $50 million project to renovate the University's networks, students are reporting Wi-Fi problems, although no internet-related IT tickets have been filed this fall.

Page 11 UNIVERSITY

PAGE 2

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

OPINION My People I

t’s 1 a.m. on a Thursday morning, and faithful to the optimistic spirit of the first weeks of school, there’s a problem set pulled up on my laptop — but for the past hour, I’ve been draped across the back of my chair, talking with my suitemate about how we see friendships, acquaintances and interpersonal relationships.

We didn’t set out with such poetic intentions, but rather with honest reflections about what our friendships had been in the past, how they had developed recently and what they would probably become in the days, weeks and maybe years to come. We had been back on campus for less than two weeks, and already huge changes had been set in motion.

We now knew to some extent who we got along with and who would remain casual acquaintances, and we no longer crowded out to form huge circles in the courtyards. We were more confident in who we were, but we still had questions as we tentatively felt out the new school year. Recently, I had had doubts about the new dynamics of our friend group: last year, we had hung out constantly due to online classes and college quarantine, but with the second year of Covid Yale, we were busy with classes and meeting new people. At moments, I found myself questioning whether our friendships were only thanks to the circumstances of last year, and how our friendships would fare in the face of diverging majors and widening social circles.

What helped set off my thoughts further were the times I would bump into people from the summer or classes, and immediately hug each other and excitedly catch up, and sometimes introduce each other’s friends. One time, my friends waited for me to say my hellos and, after they had left, wondered out loud about the meaning of those friendships. This started a conversation around the dinner table about how, at Yale, the go-to conversation ender was “We should get lunch or coffee sometime,” and how in a lot of cases these statements weren’t followed up on. This conversation continued later that night with my suitemate, one of my dearest friends.

At first thinking on a surface level, I suggested that it was hard setting up a date when both people involved were full-time students with multiple engagements — which is probably very true, at least for me. But as the conversation continued, we started questioning the depth of the friendships that formed from briefly meeting people at parties or classes and saying hi to them on the street.

If I’m being completely honest, there are some people at Yale that I have spent more time greeting on the street like old friends than the time I spent with them when I met them for the first time.

What, then, does it really mean when I greet people I honestly hardly know as if they were childhood friends? I genuinely feel a rush of happiness when I bump into them, and I am genuinely excited to talk to them. And when their names are brought up in conversation elsewhere, it is instinctive to vouch for

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

Ready or not

them as if they were family.

But one thing I can’t deny is that the word itself, “friend,” rarely comes out, even as I write this. The BIANCA words I choose NAM are something along the lines of Moment’s “I know them,” “they’re so chill,” Notice “they’re great, I had them for so-and-so class.” So somewhere in my head is the distinction between friend and… acquaintance? Is that the right word? It seems too clinical for somebody I am so happy to see and talk to, somebody I am excited to get to know better every time I meet them — somebody who is a precious person to me.

I’M ALONE, SOMETIMES IN BODY AND ALWAYS IN SELF, AND YET I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE SECURE IN THE CAMARADERIE OF THE FRIENDS AND PRECIOUS PEOPLE WITH WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN TO POPULATE MY BEAUTIFUL WORLD. I think in the end, I came to realize and accept how alone — alone and not lonely, because there is a difference — I was. My friends and my precious people will always be immensely precious to me, but at some point I had started relying on them for my sense of self and completion, and that wasn’t healthy for me; it only left me feeling emptier when I was by myself.

After these realizations, I realized a newfound peace in solitude and independence, in self-determination. I’m alone, sometimes in body and always in self, and yet I’ve never been more secure in the camaraderie of the friends and precious people with whom I have chosen to populate my beautiful world. And honestly, I like the place where I’m at. I feel like now, having come to terms with and begun to transform a core need of myself, I am one step closer to who I am meant to be.

HYERIM BIANCA NAM is a sophomore in Saybrook College. Her column, “Moment’s Notice,” runs on alternate Wednesdays. Contact her at hyerim.nam@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 & PRESIDENT Mackenzie Hawkins

CITY Emiliano Tahui Gómez Meera Shoaib

MANAGING EDITORS Jose Davila IV Phoebe Liu

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Charlotte Zimmer

PUBLISHER Susan Chen OPINION Miranda Jeyaretnam Rabhya Mehrotra NEWS Valerie Pavilonis Kelly Wei

ARTS Freya Savla SPORTS Margaret Hedeman William McCormack WEEKEND Ella Goldblum Elizabeth Hopkinson Andrew Kornfeld

YTV Sevi Burget-Foster Natalie Kainz Maya Weldon-Lagrimas Nicole Westfall

COPY Erin Bailey Maya Geradi Ako Ndefo-Haven Natalie Simpson Katie Taylor

PODCAST Allison Park

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Zully Arias Megan Graham Isabella Huang Louie Lu Annie Yan

DATA Darwin Do Ashley Qin MAGAZINE Macrina Wang Isabella Zou DIR. OF FINANCE Graham Hardcastle

PHOTOGRAPHY Zoe Berg Ryan Chiao Lukas Flippo Vaibhav Sharma Amay Tewari

ILLUSTRATIONS Dora Guo Anasthasia Shilov TECH TEAM Julia Burgiel Yaa Owusu OUTREACH John Besche Crystal Cheung Lucy Wilkins DIGITAL William McCormack Laura Nicholas Eric Wang Maya Weldon-Lagrimas Lucy Wilkins Christie Yu Daniel Zhao

THIS ISSUE COPY STAFF: Mikayla Barber, Marissa Blum, Meg Buzbee, Olivia Fugikawa, Joshua Gonzalez, Chris Lee, Adam Levine, Alexa Jeanne Loste, Hailey O’Connor, Alex Ori, Caroline Parker, Christopher Sung, Sydney Zoehrer, Yingying Zhao COPY ASSISTANTS: Rashel Chipi PRODUCTION & DESIGN STAFF: Jose Estrada, Rachel Folmar, Karen Lin, Naz Onder, Stephanie Shao, Isaac Yu PRODUCTION & DESIGN ASSISTANTS: Chris de Santis EDITORIALS & ADS

The Editorial Board represents the opinion of 12-15 members of the Yale community.

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

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

damages arising from any ad. The Yale Daily News Publishing Co. ISSN 0890-2240

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

(203) 432-2424 (before 5 p.m.)

(203) 432-2400 (after 5 p.m.)

Direct all letters, columns, artwork and inquiries to: Miranda Jeyaretnam and Rabhya Mehrotra Opinion Editors opinion@yaledailynews.com Direct all comments regarding the fairness or accuracy of stories to: Mackenzie Hawkins Editor-in-Chief (203) 432-2418 Mary Chen, Serena Cho, Talia Soglin, Asha Prihar Public Editors public@yaledailynews.com

COPYRIGHT 2021 — VOL. CXLIII, NO. 30

“Y

ou’re real!” my friends would say after meeting me for the first time off Zoom. And after a conversation, “You’re exactly the same person you were online.”

Could I belong here, as I have belonged online in the past year?

I don’t quite remember how the fall 2020 semester ended. It could have been a Directed Studies seminar at 1 a.m., a lecture in Canvas I never watched or a loving “happy holidays” text from a friend I have never met. What I do remember is closing my laptop after a long night, watching the sunrise through the pink, tinted window of my childhood bedroom in Suzhou, China. One by one, these incoherent moments settled into a routine that no one has ever lived through before. By the time the semester ended, I was sure that this was the way it would always be.

In many ways, it is impossible to understand the remote semester, even as a memory. I was a student in college, I was living with my parents, I was 18 and eager to learn. But I was also not there, I was always talking to screens.

I was on a 12-hour time difference, I was 7,000 miles from New Haven, half a world away. Zoom backgrounds of campus landmarks and classmates’ Instagram accounts became the sum total of the Yale I knew. But college itself was nowhere and no place.

Despite all my friends, all the Zooms and all the passing hours, I still thought to myself every once in a while: “None of this is real, none of this really happened.” Weeks passed, and the entire semester seemed to melt into the same autumnal, overcast day. I stopped imagining what college would be like: I was sort of there already.

I moved into Yale on an unseeming, cloudy day in early July. No one was on Old Campus; I had the whole of Bingham Hall to myself. During my first night, I battled insects with a can of Lysol, drank straight from a gallon of Poland Spring, and wondered if the fireplace was real. It’s not.

Jetlagged, bemused and gleeful, I sat on the bench eating a sandwich from GHeav and watched the sunrise. Most first years live on Old Campus before moving into their residential colleges as sophomores, but there I was on Old Campus, watching my day-long first year disappear into a hot, gray morning. I was going to attend Yale Summer Session after taking a semester off, and after many tribulations, I was here at last.

In the coming days, I would move into Hopper and meet all my “internet friends.” I would go to Koffee? five times in my first week and see all the moving faces I know, now that I’m here, now that we’re all here. My friends would give me tours of Sterling and Bass and tell me the details of where to go and when. I would put names to places and faces: New Haven Green, Harkness Tower, Cross Campus.

Things were slowly becoming true all around me. I couldn’t help but feel slightly fearful: Yale was suddenly physical and manifest. At times, it was difficult to believe I have never lived here before.

Being here in the summer meant that I had plenty of time to gawk and wonder. I stood beneath the entrance to Sterling and searched for the figurine carving that bore my mother tongue.

I would bring my boxed dinner to Cross Campus and watch the students, the dogs, the tourists and the occasional bride. At night, I walked under the string lights in

the Hopper courtyard as laughter broke out from a tall window. Like a tourist, I took pictures of everything, and like a tourist, it felt difficult to believe that I was here at all. It’s true that I caught Yale in its sleep, but I also caught Yale as a friend. We had the entire summer to make our peace with each other. This university and I, we were both rehearsing for the fall.

But it didn’t feel real.

Before coming to New Haven, I kept asking myself if I was ready.

I didn’t feel ready to be seen and perceived again, to study again, to think of the future without putting it on hold.

Now that I’m here, I have no doubt that we are all ready to plunge into the fullness of college again, but I’m not sure if we are all ready to accept the past year as a year of our own. Everything we have experienced about college in my Zoom rectangle was already real: we have made these friends, taken these classes and came into a place of our own. Whether it was a year of rest and relaxation, of grief and confusion, a year enjoyed, a year lost, wasted, thrown, it was nonetheless a year that occured, and thus a year that made us who we are. Remembering and talking about 2020, albeit painful, is a duty to our future selves.

Young as we are, we might not understand this period of our youth for years to come. But we cannot let 2020 become a euphemism of itself. This was the year I came of age, in all my pain and complexity. And coming out of 2020, this will be the year I think of when I face all the future unknowns to come.

JEAN WANG is a first year in Jonathan Edwards College. Contact her at jean.wang@yale.edu .

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

The ethics of the COVID-19 vaccine booster I

n the Aug. 26 town hall, President Peter Salovey made it clear that booster shots for low-risk members of the Yale community will be available as soon as they are recommended by the CDC. According to a recent email from Dr. Paul Genecin, this is anticipated in the coming months.As members of the Yale community, I trust that we all place a high value on outstanding teaching, learning and research. And, as President Salovey put it so memorably in his Aug. 16 email, there is undeniably a “palpable energy and … catalytic potential we create when we study and work in person.”

However, I ask the Yale administration to consider the ethical implications of their planned course of action. Is ensuring an in-person semester more valuable than the lives of systematically disadvantaged people around the globe?

There are over 5 billion people over the age of 15 currently living on our planet, and most of them have been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. 3.3 billion people are currently at least partially vaccinated, leaving almost 2 billion people in eligible age groups completely unprotected.

The global poor are suffering from COVID-19, perhaps especially so because they tend to be less able to reliably access hospitals, ventilators, oxygen and antiviral drugs.

Vaccine distribution has been extremely unequal, with rich countries controlling access.

As of Sept. 13, only 5.8 percent of Africans are fully or partially vaccinated; the majority of these vaccine doses are concentrated in a small number of countries.

A lack of even partial vaccination is seen in much of the Middle East, south and southeast Asia and parts of Central and South America as well as a number of post-Soviet countries. Over 90 percent of the Yale community, by contrast, is fully vaccinated.

In the immediate future, preserving our academic environment and saving the lives of people around the globe is not a both-and situation. Vaccine production capacity is finite, and every dose of a COVID-19 vaccine administered by Yale could have gone to a population in desperate need. This raises ethical questions about our duties toward people in far-off places. Do we owe it to people in other countries to prioritize their access to vaccines right now over our own? I think we do.

Some moral philosophers argue that we have no greater duty to a person living in New Haven than we do to a person living in India.

One argument for this position goes like this. We have certain moral obligations or duties towards other people because their lives have objective value, and where a person lives does not change the objective value of their life. Therefore, we have the same moral obligations to people living in far-off places as we do to people living in our own area.

Philosophers who subscribe to this kind of view might suggest that we should not have prioritized fully vaccinating the Yale community in the first place. After all, what does being a Yale student or staff or faculty member have to do with deserving protection from COVID-19?

Most people, however, have an intuition that we do have special duties to the communities that we are embedded in. At Yale, we live together, support one another in our personal and academic pursuits and look out for each other. When COVID-19 seemed to pull us apart, we did what we could to stay connected and rebuild, which included taking vaccines. Placing a special value on interpersonal relationships and helping the people right in front of you who are in need is not unreasonable. This supports the decision made by the Yale administration to prioritize fully

vaccinating the Yale community.

But upholding these values does not mean that any good, no matter how small, for the Yale community should be prioritized over any bad that happens in other communities. In this case, the good is an in-person academic environment and the bad is loss of human life.

One might argue that we have to do everything we can to eliminate breakthrough infections among healthy people at Yale because these infections can still threaten the health and lives of vulnerable people who have had boosters, such as people who are immunocompromised for whom vaccines are less effective. The lives of at-risk individuals in our community are not disposable, and I do not suggest that we put them at risk by exposing them to the breakthrough infections that seem to be inevitable.

However, we have ways to protect vulnerable members of our community without hoarding vaccines. Offering hybrid or fully online classes allows at-risk individuals to protect themselves — some may want this option even if many people receive boosters. Online classes are far from ideal, but what would it say about us if we treat classes as more important than the deaths of people who have no vaccination access because their countries are less economically developed and/or are marginalized on the global stage?

While most of us will feel comfortable that our community was protected from severe illness as soon as vaccines were available, we should not feel comfortable prioritizing our own convenience and preferences over the lives of people suffering in far-off places.

MARISSA WALLIN is a graduate student in the Department of Philosophy. Contact her at marissa.wallin@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

NEWS

PAGE 3

“I got the whole band set up in the basement and we are jamming.” SEBASTIAN BACH CANADIAN SINGER

Second annual Elm City LIT Fest celebrates art from African Diaspora

BY BRIAN ZHANG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Over the weekend, the city’s second annual Elm City LIT Fest was divided into two days of programming that celebrated the multidisciplinary artists and culturalists of the African Diaspora. LIT stands for literature, literary arts and literary artists.

Organized by native New Havener and cultural curator IfeMichelle Gardin, who credited Social Ventures Partners of Connecticut for making the events possible, the festival’s schedule featured in-person readings, performances, speaker presentations and panel discussions that were also livestreamed on Facebook.

The events and discussions, which were primarily led by Black content creators largely from New Haven, offered a first-hand perspective of what it is like to navigate the art community as a person of color.

“If I can inspire just one person today to believe in themselves a little bit more, to understand just how valuable they are, then I’ve done my job,” said Tiffany Stewart, author of “No Saving Me For Later” and a panelist at the event “Authors Sunday.”

For her and many other invitees, what seems to be a positive celebration simultaneously reveals just how

much Black and other marginalized artists have been left out of societal status quos. The event aimed to provide the opportunity for the artists to use their words and presentations as a way to “give light” to those who identify with the same backgrounds and struggles as themselves, Stewart said.

The festival, held behind the Old Stetson Library on Saturday and at the People Get Ready Bookstore at 119 Whalley Ave. on Sunday, started with an ancestral vocal and drumming performance by the Bregamos Community Theater. Both days saw the discussion of the works of African artists, writers, performers and historians, with opportunities to interact with speakers at the conclusion of any given event in the form of individual Q&As and book signings.

The festival was more than a celebration of the richness and diversity of African heritage. Panels offered writing advice from professionals and stressed the importance of nourishing the city’s community and its local authors. Stewart explains that she was in part motivated to participate due to the opportunities the community events afforded for collaboration and learning.

“You can read about something, you can study a subject … [but] the best way to experience something

is to be at the heart of whatever’s happening,” Stewart said.

Stewart said that although all communities are suffering the economic and medical challenges that come with COVID-19, systemic oppression maintains the reality of a status-driven world where the marginalized do not always have the privilege to put themselves on their own creative schedule.

Stewart added that particular minority groups — including groups with lower socioeconomic status — are forced to balance their work with being treated in the professional sector as second-class citizens.

Though the festival was geared toward the Black community, its program welcomed all to attend.

In addition to giving local communities the inspiration and physical spaces necessary for collaboration, the festival also aimed to expose people to literature and media they would not normally interact with.

For example, Saturday’s “Children’s Author Presentation” featured Anna Nyakana’s discussion of a need for multiculturalism in children’s books. Nyakana said that books are an important source of information and inspiration when kids are young — a time when individuals are

highly impressionable and working to develop a sense of identity.

Additionally, Marian Huggins, a speaker at the “Significance of Black Book Clubs” panel, explained that gender disparities can spawn misleading attitudes and a hesitation to educate ourselves. Men regard book clubs “as a traditionally ladies’ event,” Huggins said, alluding to her own observations and experiences as the leader of the Urban Life Experience Book Discussion Series at the Wilson Branch Library.

Together, the artists, performers and educators at the festival communicated that celebrating Black-

ness and engineering a more inclusive next generation require more than picking up Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” at the library or attending this event. Similarly, an education system is not antiracist simply because the students are asked to read books by African American authors during Black History Month or encouraged to make a selection from Oprah’s reading lists, they said.

Last year’s events can be found in an archive on the Elm City LIT Fest website.

Contact BRIAN ZHANG at brian.zhang@yale.edu .

AMAY TEWARI/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The festival featured in-person readings, performances, speaker presentations and panel discussions that were also livestreamed on Facebook.

Low incidence of breakthrough infections at YNHHS

BY MARIA FERNANDA PACHECO STAFF REPORTER As vaccination rates continue to increase in Connecticut and hopes for achieving herd immunity get closer to materializing, Yale New Haven Health system officials hammered home a resounding message: the best way to protect yourself and those around you is to get vaccinated.

In a Thursday press conference, Yale New Haven Health system President Christopher O’Connor, Chief Medical Officer Thomas Balcezak and Senior Vice President and Chief Policy and Communications Officer Vin Petrini discussed hospital admission rates due to COVID19, breakthrough infections and health system-wide vaccine mandates in light of the Delta variant.

The Delta variant’s propensity for immune evasion has been raising questions over the protective longevity of vaccines, but YNHHS officials stressed that occasional hospitalizations due to breakthrough infections do not mean that vaccines are not doing their job.

“Six percent of our COVID admissions are among individuals that are fully vaccinated,” Balcezak said, referring to people who were admitted to YNHHS for COVID19 symptoms. “That 6 percent is usually in folks that are older, have compromised immune systems and have other comorbid, particularly respiratory, conditions.”

O’Connor added that COVID19 numbers for YNHHS “are extraordinarily different from when we first started the pandemic a year and a half ago””, which is a testament to “the efficacy of the vaccine.” According to Balcezak, the system peaked at “almost 900 patients on a given day” in early 2020, whereas as of Thursday, YNHHS had 132 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Balcezak explained that over 99 percent of COVID-19 cases currently coming into the health system are due to the Delta variant, which is notorious for its greater viral load and higher transmissibility compared to other coronavirus variants.

YNHHS is currently testing all incoming patients for COVID-

19 upon entry into the hospitals regardless of whether or not they are experiencing the associated symptoms. But in the process of testing, COVID-19 is also being detected in asymptomatic patients who are coming into the hospital for other reasons such as traumatic accidents or emergency procedures.

Around 30 percent of all patients who are hospitalized and test positive for COVID-19 have been vaccinated, according to Balcezak. However, only six percent of all patients who test positive for COVID-19 upon hospitalization are exhibiting symptoms. The remaining 24 percent are asymptomatic and typically come into the hospital for other health concerns and find out of their COVID-positive status upon admission.

“I think it’s important to underscore these statistics because there is no question that [the] vaccine works,” Balcezak said. “Those facts need to be out there so that folks don’t think that the Delta variant emergence is a reason not to get vaccinated.”

According to Balcezak, while the asymptomatic 24 percent will not

need any treatment for COVID19, they should still be isolated and properly cohorted according to their infection status while they address the health concerns that brought them to the hospital in the first place.

This is meant to avoid unnecessary exposure for staff and other nonCOVID-19 patients, he said.

To ensure the safety of those within YNHHS hospitals, the system has also implemented a vaccine mandate — or “progressive discipline process,” as described by O’Connor — for employees. Under the mandate, employees who have not been vaccinated by October without having acquired an exemption will have their employment terminated.

“As healthcare providers, it is our responsibility to provide a safe environment for patients and their families, and this is just one way we’re doing that,” Balcezak said.

“If you work in healthcare, I think it’s incumbent upon you to do so in a way that protects people, and that’s certainly the motivation behind doing what we’re doing.”

YNHHS is holding COVID-19 vaccine “fairs” to give employees

an opportunity to get vaccinated, Balcezak said. Since the institution of the mandate, vaccination rates among their staff have been “moving pretty aggressively in a positive direction,” according to O’Connor.

The mandate parallels an Executive Order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont, whereby Connecticut state employees working in childcare facilities and preK-12 schools, in addition to state hospital and long-term facilities staff, will need to be vaccinated by Sept. 27.

“I’m pleased that Connecticut, because we’re 84 percent vaccinated, is relatively flat,” Lamont said after a press conference in late August, as reported by CT Insider.

“Doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods but we are what they used to say — remember in the early days of COVID — flattening the curve.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75.3 percent of Connecticut’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated.

Contact MARIA FERNANDA PACHECO at maria.pacheco@yale.edu .

Amodio GRD ’23 continues Jeopardy! win streak

COURTESY OF JEOPARDY! YOUTUBE CHANNEL, SEPT. 12

Currently, Amodio has the third-highest total winnings from regular-season play in Jeopardy! history.

BY JAMES RICHARDSON, DEAN CENTA AND LOUIE LU STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS As quiz game show “Jeopardy!” continues its 38th season, a Yale Ph.D. student will return to the leftmost podium on viewers’ television screens looking to extend his 20-game winning streak.

Matt Amodio GRD ’23, a fifth-year computer science Ph.D. candidate at Yale, currently has the third-highest total winnings from regular-season play in Jeopardy! history, with a total of $678,801. He trails James Holzhauer, whose regular-season winnings on the show totaled $2,462,216, and Ken Jennings, who won $2,520,700 over the course of a record 74 games. As Amodio continues to win games, the attention

around his streak has grown — even as he continues his Ph.D. work.

“It’s been remarkably normal in some ways, as my work itself has gone on as normal,” Amodio said of how the “Jeopardy!” run has affected his Yale experience. “I think the most surreal part is that I’ve entered [Zoom] meetings about serious work, and had the conversations drift towards me and Jeopardy prior to getting back into the work discussion. It’s wild to be the person people want to talk about; that’s totally novel to me.”

Although his total winnings rank third-highest in the regular season, Amodio’s 18-game win streak is the fifth-longest streak. He is known for his constant use of “what’s...” when initiating responses to the show’s clues in order to eliminate unnecessary decision-making as the timer

runs. The practice generated controversy within the “Jeopardy!” community, but producers defended it as within the rules despite not always being grammatically correct.

At Yale, Amodio works in the lab of Smita Krishnaswamy, assistant professor of genetics in the Yale School of Medicine and computer science in the Yale School of Applied Science and Engineering. In an interview with Yale SEAS, Amodio described his focus as artificial networks and deep learning. In a 2019 News article, he and Krishnaswamy detailed their work developing a neural network to analyze a dataset of 11 million dengue fever cells.

Fast forward to 2021, and in addition to collaborating with him on work projects, Amodio’s lab mates are cheering him on via Slack. Others outside his lab are also interested in getting to know Amodio. On Aug. 30, the Department of Computer Science hosted a meet and greet event featuring Amodio. The event, titled “What is Matt Amodio?” took place over Zoom and was open to the Yale community.

In an email to faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate majors in the department reminding them of the event in late August, Holly Rushmeier, John C. Malone professor of computer science, called Amodio’s 18-game run “one of the bright spots for many of us this summer.”

Amodio told the News that he reads “voraciously,” but for many of the topics he showed prowess in on the show, even the Medina, Ohio native does not know where he orig-

inally learned the material.

While his reading has helped him form a more academic knowledge base, he told the News he has “spent a lot of time” shoring up his knowledge of pop culture in between the last season of the show and the new one that debuts Monday night.

To do this, Amodio has “studied” modern movies, television shows and music, he said.

“It was a unique opportunity to be sitting there watching TV and saying to myself ‘yeah, you’re being productive right now, good for you.’” Amodio quipped.

During the transition between seasons, Amodio has also appeared on events outside the Yale community. Gov. Ned Lamont hosted a three-and-a-half-minute trivia video with Amodio, who communicated with the governor via video call.

“Matt, I can tell you, I think there’s about 3.6 million folks from Connecticut, you’re doing us really proud,” Lamont said on the call. “Showing how smart we are in Connecticut, and we’re cheering you on.”

Amodio recalls his first game — the game that put his name into the history books as a “Jeopardy!” champion — as one of his favorite moments on the show thus far. Going into the “Final Jeopardy” round of the game televised on July 21, Amodio had $20,200 — a slim $400 lead over then-three-day champion Josh Saak.

While Saak wagered a modest $5,005, Amodio wagered his full $20,200.

“Since I was in the lead and bet it all, I knew that if I got it right, I win,” Amodio explained. “And I

knew I knew [the answer] right away, and so that was the first time I thought of myself as a “Jeopardy champion. And that’s really an unforgettable experience.”

Even with 18 consecutive wins under his belt, he remains cautious and admits that he has not gotten more comfortable with the buzzer over time. On the contrary, he feels more nervous as his streak goes on and expectations rise.

Amodio’s run on “Jeopardy!” comes amid a transition period within the show, after the legendary Alex Trebek — host of the show since its revival in 1984 — died in November 2020. Since Trebek’s passing, the duties of hosting the show have been rotated around an array of guest hosts from a variety of backgrounds.

Amodio himself has played the game under four different guest hosts so far: television broadcaster Robin Roberts, actor and director LeVar Burton, journalist David Faber and sportscaster Joe Buck.

When asked about the upcoming season, Amodio revealed little about his own performance, as per show policy, only commenting that he “look[s] forward to a whole new season of clever clues and fun challenges [for] viewer[s].”

Amodio attended Ohio State University for his undergraduate degree.

Contact JAMES RICHARDSON at james.richardson@yale.edu , DEAN CENTA at dean.centa@yale.edu and LOUIE LU at louie.lu@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 4

FROM THE FRONT

“Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.” GRETCHEN RUBIN AMERICAN AUTHOR

No standard policy on keeping up with class after a positive test QUARANTINE FROM PAGE 1 work because of incapacitating illness — and this includes isolation and quarantine for COVID19 — should talk with their residential college deans about dean's excuses, which provide those accommodations specifically.”

The student who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first week of classes but requested anonymity for fear of revealing private medical information explained that two of their classes were recorded, one of their seminars did not meet during the time they were in isolation and one class they simply missed. They explained that the support they received regarding keeping up with classwork came entirely from professors and not from the University at large.

“It was stressful to coordinate, but my professors were understanding about my having COVID so they themselves were not hard on me for missing anything,” the student told the News. “But the University did not have any protocol set up, and I was entirely at my professors’ mercy.”

Amy Zhou ’23 also spoke to the News about her initial confusion and stress about how to proceed

with classes while in isolation after testing positive for COVID19 during the first week of school.

She explained that her dean was incredibly supportive, and that she eventually took it upon herself to reach out to her professors to make individual arrangements for recording lectures and Zooming into seminars — a request which some of her professors, but not all, granted.

“I was basically given no instructions at all after testing positive about how to continue my studies,” Zhou told the News. “I was very confused about whether I would receive official instructions or if I should just take it upon myself to reach out to my professors, which I eventually did.”

Collin Robinson ’24 shared a similar experience with the News, having tested positive at the beginning of the semester and getting out of quarantine during Labor Day weekend.

He explained that because he tested positive at the beginning of the add/drop period, solidifying his course schedule was made more difficult due to his inability to meet his professors and classmates in person until after his quarantine.

“It felt kind of lazy compared to the support they gave last spring

YASMINE HALMANE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

All three students independently suggested mandating that all lectures be recorded and sent to students in isolation. semester when everyone was on Zoom,” Robinson said of the support he got from the University after testing positive. “Yes, I was an individual case, but I felt kind of tossed aside.”

All three students noted that their timing of getting sick was lucky, since it was a relatively less busy time of year. But they all expressed concerns that the students who test positive during

midterms or other periods of heightened academic stress may fall behind more quickly and struggle with a lack of support since the University does not have any standardized protocols for how students in isolation should keep up with coursework.

One standardized solution that all three students independently suggested was mandating that all lectures be recorded and sent

to students in isolation, since COVID-19 remains an active threat in the community.

At the time of publication, 99 percent of undergraduate students are vaccinated and five undergraduate students have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week.

Contact JULIA BIALEK at julia.bialek@yale.edu .

Local nonprofits readying for Afghan refugees REFUGEES FROM PAGE 1

VAIBHAV SHARMA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Nonprofit organizations prepare to meet the needs of Afghan refugees resettling in New Haven.

refugees at a time of historic crisis,” George told the News.

Over the past months, George said that IRIS has helped eight to 10 Afghan families settle into the Elm City. The number in need is expected to rise sharply over the coming weeks.

Most recently, IRIS has worked to find incoming refugees affordable housing, with the hope of having preparations in place before arrivals increase. George said the organization also expects to look for more staff.

Organizations in New Haven, such as Sanctuary Kitchen, will share in the responsibility of supporting refugees.

Sanctuary Kitchen currently maintains a staff of more than

10 refugee and immigrant chefs — two from Afghanistan — employed through the organization’s catering program.

Central to the organization’s organizing beliefs, said Program Director Quynh Tran, is to use food as a way to connect those refugees with the broader community.

“Sharing a meal and sharing stories is a genuine way to acceptance and welcoming people,” Tran told the News.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Sanctuary Kitchen has run a curbside pick-up service, with meals cooked by refugee and immigrant chefs.

Tran also hopes to remain active in spreading local awareness over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a situation which

she said has left her “heartbroken.” Collaborations between Sanctuary Kitchen and IRIS, which included a virtual fundraising dinner last month, have helped stimulate local conversation on the crisis abroad and resettlement efforts in the city.

According to Tran, Sanctuary Kitchen hopes to host community building events, like cooking lessons, and is encouraging New Havners to donate to IRIS or volunteer with Sanctuary Kitchen in the coming months.

Sanctuary Kitchen was founded in 2017.

Contact ZAPORAH PRICE at zaporah.price@yale.edu and GRACE RANGEL at grace.rangel@yale.edu .

Class of 2025 largest since WWII ENROLLMENT FROM PAGE 1 lege have shown ingenuity, perseverance, and commitment to providing a Yale undergraduate education in challenging circumstances,” Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun wrote in a press release welcoming the class of 2025. “They are all looking forward, as I am, to welcoming this large and diverse group of new students to campus.”

Meanwhile, the class of 2024 also experienced a significant spike in population due to the large portion of the class of 2023 taking time off during the 2020-2021 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, the Registrar’s Office reported that 1,759 students were considered members of the class of 2024, due to 568 members of the class of 2023 taking a leave of absence.

The original class of 2023 consisted of 1,550 students. The Registrar’s Office declined to provide updated numbers for this school year when asked for comment.

Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jeremiah Quinlan told the News that the current size of the undergraduate student body will not impact the size of future classes and that the admissions office is expecting to admit a typically-sized class of 2026. Forty-five students admitted to the class of 2025 took a gap year, which is on par with a typical year, so the admissions office is not expecting the class of 2026 to be larger than normal.

Administrators told the News that the increased student population has created larger demand for classes and complicated last year’s housing allotment process.

Classes Chun told the News that “planning was already underway

last year that anticipated this year’s expanded class.” Yale faculty prepared for the increased student population and the larger demand for first-year and sophomore classes prior to the start of the semester. Actions the University took include hiring postdocs for some upper-level seminars, hiring additional instructors, adding additional sections for courses and shifting more resources into intro level classes such as English 114, the introductory mathematics sequence and the L1 to L4 language sequences.

“Even in the most typical of years, student interest is impossible to predict, so the first few weeks of term often involve the addition or movement of instructors across sections, particularly in multi-section courses,” Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences Tamar Gendler wrote to the the News.

“Given how unusual this year is – we have the largest group of firstyear students in Yale’s history by quite some measure – I would say that, despite some glitches (like last Thursday’s hurricane-caused flooding and power outages), things are going as smoothly as anyone could have hoped.”

Gendler explained that even with the careful planning amongst a wide range of offices, from the FAS Dean’s Office to the Registrar’s Office to the Yale College Dean’s Office, some last-minute adjustments were made in response to student interest in certain courses. Gendler cited as examples hiring two additional lecturers in Chinese to open up sections across multiple levels, adding two more sections of American Sign Language and adding additional spring 2022 sections of ENGL 114 after unexpected student demand arose in late August.

Still, there are enrollment caps on lectures, including large introductory classes like ECON 115, ARCH 160 and GLBL 392 — although most capped lectures were able to find additional teaching assistants to increase capacity.

Housing The increased student population also created problems during the housing process last spring as increased demand for on-campus housing exceeded beds in some residential colleges. And due to the historically large size of the class of 2025, rather than living on Old Campus together like first-year students have historically done, this year’s first years are divided across campus, with some living in their college and others living on Old Campus.

Benjamin Franklin, Pauli Murray, Silliman and Timothy Dwight

have long housed their first-year students in the college proper and will continue to do so. But this year, Branford, Davenport, Morse and Saybrook are also housing their years in the colleges, breaking with tradition and placing the sophomores on Old Campus instead.

“Living in Davenport, I would say there's a bit of a bubble,” said Ken Hyunh ’25, a first-year student in Davenport. “It's very strange sometimes when you only know people in one of the colleges.

Sometimes it feels like we're missing out on the events that happen on Old Campus, and that people on Old Campus are getting to meet more people in other colleges.”

But Huynh added that because eight residential colleges are housing first-year students in their college, many other students in class of 2025 are likely experiencing

similar feelings and may begin to branch out soon.

In addition to living space, the expansion of Yale’s student population has created a need for more dining spaces and study spaces, Chun said.

Chun explained that the opening of the Schwarzman Center has increased capacity for dining and programming, and the opening of new classroom spaces on Science Hill and in the Humanities Quadrangle has created more space for learning.

Following a series of temporary closures over the years, Commons dining hall closed for a final time in 2017, opening this fall as the Yale Schwarzman Center.

Contact JULIA BIALEK at julia.bialek@yale.edu and AMELIA DAVIDSON at amelia.davidson@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS

This year's first years are spread across campus, with some living in their college and others living on Old Campus.

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 5

FROM THE FRONT

“My brothers and I always did improv stuff in our basement with our friends; we're super nerds, and that was our way of spending a Friday night.” TATIANA MASLANY CANADIAN ACTRESS

New Haven breaks ground on final phase of Farmington Canal Trail

LOUIE LU/PRODUCTION AND DESIGN EDITOR

FARMINGTON FROM PAGE 1 pleted, likely in December 2022, the trail will be one step closer to connecting New Haven to Northampton, Massachusetts, with New Haven Harbor as its terminal point — a distance of 84 miles, compared to the trail’s current length of 80.2 miles.

Speakers at Monday’s press conference emphasized how the trail will benefit commuters, the environment and recreation in New Haven.

“For me, the most essential infrastructure is our parks and trails,” said Aaron Goode, a board member for the Farmington Canal Rail-to-Trail Associ-

ation. “They let us exercise our bodies and clear our minds, they take us to interesting places and teach us about our cultural heritage. They create a sense of place and they bring us joy.”

The Farmington Canal opened in 1828 but was replaced with a rail line soon afterward, which remained in use until the 1980s.

In 1986, members of the Farmington Valley Trails Council and the Farmington Rail-to-Trail Association campaigned to construct a paved trail over the former canal route. Now, the trail is primarily used by pedestrians and cyclists.

The overall trail is currently 90 percent complete, Goode wrote to the News, and the majority of the trail in New Haven was completed in 2009, stretching from Hillhouse Avenue to the Hamden Line. Phase four will conclude the trail’s construction in New Haven, but there are still portions of the trail in other parts of Connecticut that have yet to be completed. For example, in Southington, Connecticut, one 8-mile section has been fully designed but has not received a bid for construction, Goode said.

Another 5-mile gap in Plainville, Connecticut, has been fully designed, but its three phases of construction are not expected to begin until spring 2023.

The section of the trail already completed in New Haven ends at the Temple Street Bridge. The new phase will extend the trail through Wooster Square, under Temple Street and under Whitney Avenue to end at the Canal Dock Boathouse. The trail will cross the Orange and Grove Street intersection before following Olive Street, Water Street and Brewery Street to the waterfront. While the path of the original Farmington Canal goes through the New Haven’s FBI office on State Street, the trail will follow city streets toward the boathouse.

According to Michael Piscitelli, economic development administrator, phase four is “more complicated” than previous phases of the trail, as it passes through a parking garage and under roads.

Piscitelli said that as there are 20,000 jobs centralized in downtown New Haven, he hopes that the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail will enable pedestrians and cyclists to commute safely and sustainably to work.

“It activates space, enables safe, sustainable transportation, serves history and provides beautiful spaces in spots that feel very rural and in other loca-

tions, like here, has the vibrancy of an urban setting,” said Ward 7 Alder Abby Roth.

Elicker — a cyclist himself — said he has been waiting for the completion of the trail for “a long, long time.” He also emphasized that in addition to its environmental benefits, cycling is a less expensive means of transportation when compared to driving. For those who already cycle, Elicker said, they will now be able to do it in a safer environment.

At the press conference, city officials also noted that the popularity of the Farmington Canal Trail is spiking considerably. The Connecticut Trail Census uses infrared counter technology to track usage levels on trails across the state. It released a report last summer that boasted significant hikes in usage for most segments of the Farmington Canal Trail. According to the report, the Cheshire branch saw the biggest spike, with a 177 percent increase in usage in 2020 compared to 2019, while the New Haven branch was the only one not to change significantly, with a usage increase of 1 percent.

New Haven’s portion of the trail currently includes the William Lanson Statue, which honors the Black engineer, entrepreneur and activist who was pivotal in the construction of the original Farmington Canal.

This section of the trail is also on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, which highlights Black history in the state.

“Lanson did not just do this for personal economic gain — he actually did it out of financial loss — but he did it with zeal and great respect because he understood [the canal] was for the benefit of the citizens of New Haven,” Charles Warner Jr., chair of the William Lanson Statue Dedication Ceremony, said on Monday.

Warner also serves as chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail.

Milone & MacBroom, Inc., now SLR, designed the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail with Dean Sakamoto Architects. C.J. Fucci, Inc. served as the general contractor for the project.

Contact ANASTASIA HUFHAM at anastasia.hufham@yale.edu .

Teacher on activist slate to run for NHFT president NHFT FROM PAGE 1 ing fights against school privatization, budget cuts and an overreliance on “high-stakes testing” — exams that carry a high impact on students’ futures, affecting major steps such as promotion to the next grade level or graduation.

Blatteau said that she does not have the administrative experience that her opponent has but stressed her other strengths: her ability to build strong relationships with district families, her skill for sourcing concerns and her familiarity with the everyday functioning of schools.

She hopes to “breathe new life and energy” into the union’s long-dormant labor, community action, and legislative committees, among others. Restarting these committees, she said, is meant to engage more NHFT members in the day-to-day activities of the union.

The union, according to Cicarella, puts out a call for committee signups every year, and receives little response. He added that he does not blame teachers for lack of participation on committees. Busyness, he said, is a “product of 21st-century life for teachers.”

Still, Blatteau stressed the need to create more opportunities to directly listen to teachers and educators. To do so, she plans to create focus groups designed specifically for that purpose.

“I think we can do more to collaborate with the community to engage on more political issues, whether it be related to climate justice education to Black Lives Matter at school,” Blatteau said. “So let’s be proactive and come stronger on these issues, so the community knows we stand with them.”

Cicarella leans on experience, pandemic response record “I think the work is important,” Cicarella said about his decision

COURTESY OF DAVE CICARELLA

Cicarella, the 15-year incumbent, emphasized his experience and pandemic response record as his strengths. to run for a sixth term. “I think I’m still effective at it. And I think now more than ever, this would be a bad time to change.”

In an interview with the News, Cicarella touted his ability to lead teachers amid the most uncertain points of the NHFT during the pandemic. It was in part due to the union, he said, that schools were equipped with the air filter infrastructure and personal protective equipment necessary to reopen schools safely. Cicarella said that his decade-plus of experience helped

make those changes possible. An understanding of stakeholders and district operations made him a strong collaborator, he said.

Cicarella also pushed back on criticisms about the union’s lack of transparency.

“We can’t be any more transparent,” Cicarella said. “Everything done at the executive board is voted on, minutes are posted, we put [out] communication.”

According to Cicarella, the union has streamlined its communication with members since he

took office. In the past, he said, the union released about five lengthy newsletters a year, occasionally with outdated information. Now, he said, union officials focus on providing shorter, more frequent updates of the most pressing issues, with multiple per month.

In response to criticism from Blatteau’s slate that NHFT is isolated from the broader currents of New Haven’s labor movements, Cicarella pointed to NHFT’s partnerships with other New Haven unions. Over the last two years,

Cicarella said, the teachers union has worked with local police, fire and public works unions to secure an agreement that gave members more choices for their individual retirement account and health savings account contributions.

The American Federation of Teachers was founded in 1916 in Chicago.

Contact CHRISTIAN ROBLES at christian.robles@yale.edu and PIA BALDWIN EDWARDS at pia.baldwinedwards@yale.edu .

PAGE 6

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

ARTS 2021 Windham-Campbell Festival to take virtual format, span two months

BY MARISOL CARTY STAFF REPORTER

COURTESY OF PAUL ABDOO

COURTESY OF JOHN BALK

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, a virtual take on the Windham-Campbell’s Prizes’ annual festival will begin with a presentation by prizewinner Michael R. Jackson.

The Windham-Campbell Prizes are prestigious literary awards administered annually by the Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscripts Library to English-language writers. This year’s prize recipients were announced last March, but the festival will take place virtually from Sept. 15 to Nov. 10. During the festival, writers talk about their works in greater detail through a series of pre-recorded presentations and question-and-answer sessions. The sessions will be streamed at 12 p.m. each Wednesday during the twomonth period.

“You could call it a combination of simu-live, live and on-demand events,” said Michael Kelleher, program director of the Windham-Campbell Prizes.

Jackson, who is a playwright, composer and lyricist, will kick off this year’s series with a 30-minute presentation in which he sings original songs, performs a dramatic reading and describes his artistic influences. Jackson is the first musical theater writer to receive a Windham-Campbell Prize, and

his presentation will reflect his multi-artistic background.

The festival’s presentations vary in style and format, driven by writers’ artistic styles and interests. Playwright Nathan Alan Davis will read a monologue that was cut from his play called “Nat Turner in Jerusalem,” translator Kate Briggs will convene a panel of translators and poet Natalie Scenters-Zapico will discuss borders while painting postcards.

“I’m most excited to share the importance of the domestic sphere to my writing with viewers,” Scenters-Zapico said. “With the pandemic we have all been confined in the domestic and experienced both the power of such a space and the oppression of such a space.”

Kelleher explained the virtual format is not meant to replicate an in-person experience onscreen, but create an event that can only be produced on camera. The festival’s live offerings, which will be accessible online starting Wednesday, are complemented with on-demand video content featuring the writers.

For example, in an on-demand video titled “Peer-to-Peer,” writers ask each other questions such as “what are your top three songs not in a musical?” and “what is your favorite line from a piece of poetry or prose?”

In other videos, curators at Yale collections — including the Yale Cen-

ter for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Irving S. Gilmore Music Library and Beinecke — select miniature objects to inspire writers to share personal experiences with art. “[The on-demand content is] really about art making and what it means,” Kelleher said.

Scenters-Zapico noted that a virtual event allows a larger audience to engage with writers, but gives artists less control over the final product.

“There are so many people involved in creating this kind of a work that it really becomes a group effort more than an individual work like writing is,” she said.

The festival will end with its trademark “Why I Write” keynote, delivered this year by United States poet laureate Joy Harjo. The last two years’ keynote speakers were science fiction author Samuel R. Delany and poet Eileen Myles.

Last year’s festival, which was organized during the pandemic, took a written form as a special issue of the Yale Review. According to the festival’s press release, the Windham-Campbell Prizes plan to reprise last year’s celebratory edition of The Yale Review with new works by 2021 Prize recipients.

All of the festival’s events are free and open to the public.

Contact MARISOL CARTY at marisol.carty@yale.edu .

Yale Drama Coalition prepares for in-person theater with some restrictions

BY TANIA TSUNIK STAFF REPORTER This semester, the Yale Drama Coalition is preparing to transition back to in-person theater after a year of online operation — all while adhering to the university’s COVID-19 guidelines.

The YDC is an umbrella organization that connects students with performance groups at Yale while promoting accessibility, fairness and community building. This fall, YDC members hope to return to in-person performances, even if still limited by safety constraints.

“Everyone is very excited to get back to the way things were.

I’ve talked to so many people that are just itching to get into an actual rehearsal room, to touch the soundboard and the lights, to interact with other actors faceto-face without the screen barrier and Zoom lags,” said Beza Tessema ’24, a YDC first-year liaison.

The YDC ensures that Yale’s performing groups follow safety guidelines and receive sufficient support from the administration.

According to YDC Vice President Catherine Alam-Nist ’24, the organization’s foremost priority is “the safety of the community.”

Safety regulations include indoor masking, social distancing and capacity limits for indoor spaces. As of now, there can be up to 20 performers on stage and 30 audience members in the same room — all masked.

Tessema noted that despite “a whole bunch of hurdles,” the YDC is hopeful that restrictions will gradually loosen up, so that larger

audiences could enjoy the shows.

The YDC also supervises organizations’ casting cycles. A show’s directing team can determine their casting cycle format, and can choose between in-person or Zoom rounds.

According to YDC President Eliza MacGilvray ’23, the group has “a solid setup’’ for virtual events in case they need to revert to this format. For example, the YDC decided to host their annual season preview — showcasing the season’s shows and audition information — online, since prospective attendees exceeded the 50-person limit.

“Since [the season preview] is a time when the whole theater community comes together, we would love to have it in person,” MacGilvray said. “We even came up with an elaborate set of scenarios where we could split everyone into small groups or use a walkie-talkie. But eventually we realized that we just couldn’t abide

by COVID guidelines because of so many people interested.”

Still, community building is central to the YDC’s agenda. This semester, they plan to actively involve both first years and sophomores who did not have a chance to engage with theater in person. On Aug. 31, Tessema and her co-first-year liaison Hank Graham ’24 sent out an email to both classes outlining how to navigate and participate in the world of Yale theater.

According to MacGilvray, the YDC hopes to ensure that students are aware of the theater opportunities and resources available to them. Among these opportunities are the YDC big sib/little sib pro-

gram and various workshops on topics such as theater safety, writing a CPA grant and transitioning back to in-person operation.

YDC executive board members noted that the previous year’s virtual theater programming sparked student creativity and produced several original works with new formats. Alam-Nist added that the virtual format spurred the YDC to “double down on their core values” and create a more open and inclusive environment.

Still, YDC members expressed excitement for the return to “normal” operations and a revival of the social side of theater.

“The core of the theater is the relationship between the performers and audience, which you just can’t get in a virtual setting,” MacGilvray said. “It is a special feeling of being in a space with people who are as excited about the show as you are and meeting new people who are interested in theater. No one really knows what to expect this year but we’re all hoping for the best.”

The Yale Dramatic Association’s first fall production, “Not About Kyle,” is expected to premiere on Oct. 7.

Contact TANIA TSUNIK at tania.tsunik@yale.edu .

COURTESY OF ELIZA MACGILVRAY

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 7

ARTS Yale University Art Gallery curates special exhibition honoring female alumni artists

BY ANNIE RADILLO AND SELIN NALBANTOGLU STAFF REPORTER AND CONTRIBUTING REPORTER On Sept. 10 — a year after the originally scheduled date — an exhibition called “On the Basis of Art: 150 Years of Women at Yale” went on view at the Yale University Art Gallery. The exhibition showcases art from the mid-1880s to present created by Yale-trained female-identifying artists.

The exhibition commemorates the 150th anniversary of the first female students at Yale University as well as the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Yale College. Several artists featured in the exhibition are alumni of the Yale School of the Fine Arts, which became the first Yale school to admit female students upon opening in 1869.

The exhibition contains six thematic sections, each spanning a variety of artistic mediums, styles and time periods.

“The exhibition demonstrates how these Yale-trained female artists brought an unwavering determination, bold experimentation and a spirit of risk-taking to their practice — qualities that were critical to their success in the international art world,” said YUAG Director Stephanie Wiles in an email to the News. “These talented women artists made our world a more exciting, rewarding, and thought-provoking place through their art and I am delighted to share their extraordinary work with our visitors.

E l i s a b e t h H o d e r m a rs k y, YUAG’s curator of prints and drawings and lead curator for this exhibition, worked with other students and a team of curators: Judy Ditner, associate curator of photography and digital media; John Stuart Gordon, curator of American decorative arts;

Keely Orgeman, associate curator of modern and contemporary art; Sydney Skelton Simon, assistant curator of academic affairs; and Molleen Theodore, associate curator of programs.

broader thematic sections. Each section simultaneously displays themes of realism, abstraction and figuration while highlighting several artistic mediums including painting, sculpture, photography and video.

graduate students and fellows largely conducted these recordings, parts of which were then incorporated into the exhibition’s audio guide.

“My practice has evolved and takes multiple scales and forms,

COURTESY OF YUAG

Audrey Flack (B.F.A. 1952), Lady Madonna, 1972. Lithograph. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Samuel S. Mandel, M.D. ©, Audrey Flack (B.F.A. 1952)

The exhibition highlights the works of 79 female artists, including Emma Bacon, who completed her studies in 1885, Audrey Flack ART ’52, Eva Hesse ART ’59, Sylvia Plimack Mangold ART ’61, Howardena Pindell ART ’67, Roni Horn ART ’78, Maya Lin ’81 ARC ’86, Sarah Sze ’91, An-My Lê ART ’93, Mickalene Thomas ART ’02, Mary Reid Kelley ART ’09 and Njideka Akunyili Crosby ART ’11.

The exhibition is not curated according to a single stylistic approach; rather, it consists of six

According to Hodermarsky, these begin with a section called “Carving a Presence.” The remaining sections touch on topics such as myth and legend, two and three-dimensional space and identity. The final section, “Casting History, Etching Memory,” includes studies for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin and other pieces exploring memorializations and reflections of the past.

As part of the project, curators also wanted to record oral histories of the featured artists. Graduate and under-

always in response to the conditions and questions evoked by the place where I’m working,” artist Ann Hamilton ART ’85 narrates in the audio guide.

In addition to the exhibition, contributors wrote an accompanying book by the same title.

The book includes an introduction written by Hodermarsky, essays by curators Helen A. Cooper, Linda Konheim Kramer and Marta Kuzma, quotes from featured artists and artwork images.

Hodermarsky said the book

makes art its focal point, rather than the editorial writing, and features a full spread for each of the 79 featured artists.

Hodermarsky called this book the project’s “lasting monument,” and said it is Yale’s first history of visual art that centers the female perspective.

“All the other histories of the visual arts at Yale have either been written or heavily quoted from past histories of the School of Art told by men,” Hodermarsky said. “This really is giving primacy to female voices about their experiences.”

The book contains three sections, each corresponding to a historical period: the School of Art’s first years between 1869 and 1949, between 1950 and 1969 — the period during which German artist Josef Albers, chair of the school’s Department of Design from 1950 to 1958, modernized the then-antiquated School of Art’s curriculum — and the period leading up to the present day.

Each section contains a historic timeline highlighting important international, national and local events during these time periods.

Hodermarsky noted that these are meant to ground the reader in that period’s art world.

Hodermarsky said the exhibition’s yearlong delay has allowed the public to view the show in-person, which was not possible last fall. She also recognized that the extra year enriched the accompanying book.

“It is kind of triumphant that it is happening,” said Hodermarsky.

“Even if it is a year late.”

“One the Basis of Art: 150 Years of Women at Yale” will remain on view until Jan 9, 2022.

Contact ANNIE RADILLO at annie.radillo@yale.edu and SELIN NALBANTOGLU at selin.nalbantoglu@yale.edu .

Yale dance groups return to in-person auditions after 1.5-year hiatus

BY MAIA DECKER STAFF REPORTER As some students return to campus for the first time in nearly 18 months, dance groups are welcoming new and returning students to their cohorts. Last week, groups began auditions in a hybrid format, with some held in person and others virtually.

Although the digital format allowed groups to stay connected during the pandemic, many dancers missed in-person aspects of dance.

“Ultimately co-presence and live, embodied transmission lie at the heart of dance,” Emily Coates, professional dancer and professor at the Geffen School of Drama, wrote to the News.

“We’re back!”

When Yale placed restrictions on in-person programming in spring 2020, dance groups transitioned to digital platforms. For example, Yale Undergraduate Ballet Company, or YBC, continued technique classes over Zoom in the fall, and worked with around 20 professional ballet dancers in a semester-long master class in the spring.

“Last year, we had virtual auditions where people could submit videos of their dancing,” said Grace Parmer ’23, dancer and publicity chair for the YBC. “We’re super excited to be able to see everyone in person.”

Parmer said YBC is most excited about dancing together and bonding with returning and new dancers. Due to Yale’s COVID-19 restrictions, YBC will

not hold a performance this fall, but members look forward to their spring performance.

Even though some groups — such as YBC — are not holding performances this semester, they conducted live tryouts while adhering to University COVID-19 guidelines by limiting the number of people in attendance.

According to Himnish Hunma ’22, co-president of Yale Danceworks, the company is preparing for in-person events while adhering to Yale’s guidelines. Yale Danceworks is a non-audition group and hosted an info-session on Sept. 15 to showcase members’ original pieces.

Throughout the semester, the company plans to hold workshops on “foundational” skills and choreography with a showcase planned

for the end of the semester that will be virtual or in-person depending on COVID-19 restrictions.

Katia George ’25 auditioned and was tapped for Rhythmic Blue, or RB, a group that dances in genres including hip-hop, tap, street jazz, contemporary African and more. George described RB as a “new challenge” in terms of genre, adding that she auditioned for RB to pursue her love for dance while meeting other dancers who share her passion for the art.

Kristen St Louis ’25 also grew up dancing and was largely drawn to Yale because of its robust arts community. St Louis was recently tapped for A Different Drum and is scheduled to audition for Taps, Yale’s tap dance group, later this week.

YALE UNDERGRADUATE BALLET COMPANY, COURTESY OF GRACE PARMER

“I need dance to balance my life,” St Louis said, noting that staying balanced is one of her big goals for the school year.

Both St Louis and George said their auditions included portions where auditionees had to learn new choreography and then perform it in front of the team.

“It felt like we were already in the family which made it so easy to enjoy the process. The energy was off the charts which only propels you to dance better,” George said. “It’s a beautiful process to watch your friends and new dancers hit moves they were just learning minutes ago.”

The Yale Undergraduate Ballet Company will hold auditions this Saturday, Sept. 18.

Contact MAIA DECKER at maia.decker@yale.edu .

PAGE 8

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY YSPH study examines high COVID-19 repeat positive test rates in nursing homes

BY SYDNEY GRAY STAFF REPORTER In a Yale School of Public Health study, researchers found that rates of repeat positive tests among nursing home residents prior to widespread COVID-19 vaccine rollout were higher than in the general population and community-dwelling elderly.

The study was conducted by doctoral student Jillian Armstrong GRD ’23, Head of Health Care-Associated Infections for the state of Connecticut Vivian Leung and associate professor of epidemiology Sunil Parikh.

The research indicated that approximately 2.6 percent of elderly nursing home residents tested positive after an initial positive test 90 days prior, and that 13 percent of those individuals died within a few weeks of the repeat positive test.

This study is one of many conducted in collaboration between the YSPH and the Connecticut Department of Public Health and was published in The Lancet Regional Health — Americas on Aug. 21. Study authors also commented on the reasons behind the higher rates of repeat positive tests.

“Nearly 13% of [nursing home residents studied] died within a few weeks of the repeat positive test, suggesting that these repeat positive tests may be associated with severe outcomes,” Parikh wrote in an email to the News.

“The implications are many. This data adds to a growing body of literature demonstrating the profoundly high risk of COVID-19 in nursing home residents.”

The study made use of Connecticut’s testing program for SARS-CoV-2 and collaborated with multiple state laboratories that had been compiling reports of positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic, Parikh described.

He wrote that researchers analyzed these results to identify nursing homes that were currently experiencing or at risk of experiencing outbreaks in their facilities.

With increased testing around the state by the spring of 2020, researchers were able to test all nursing home residents on a weekly basis, with the goal of identifying and preventing outbreaks while also gathering useful data on COVID-19 among this vulnerable elderly population.

“As the summer progressed, it became clear that many elderly in nursing homes were having multiple positive tests, often separated by weeks or months from one another,” Parikh described. “The question then became,

option is that these nursing home residents were indeed reinfected within the 90-day window.

“It’s really hard to tease those three things out, and we still don’t know,” Ko said.

Parikh also described some of the limitations of the study — namely, that researchers could not obtain patient samples for a process called comparative sequencing.

This meant it was not possible to demonstrate if the viral genome that caused the initial reported infection in a nursing home resident was equivalent to the virus that caused a repeat positive test, Parikh said.

“This just reflects the challenge and reality of doing research in the setting of a public health emergency,” Parikh wrote. “In these cases, one needs to explore other data that may further support whether these tests represent true reinfections.”

He noted that they did find some evidence to support the possibility of reinfection. For instance, 80 percent of participants who died during the study had one or more negative intervening tests.

But Parikh explained that while the researchers faced obstacles to collecting complete data, they do know that elderly individuals tend to be more medically frail and that living in highly congregated settings like nursing homes put them at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19.

When one considers this information with the facts of biological “aging” of the immune system and the possibility that reinfections can occur as soon as three months after an initial infection, Parikh explained, it highlights the need to continue with COVID-19 testing in ZOE BERG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR nursing homes.

“We can’t assume that because COVID“Why would somebody have a positive test after the 19 has come through a facility, or that a resident has first test? We know that people can remain PCR positive already had COVID-19, that they are no longer at risk,” [for COVID-19] for longer than … other viral diseases,” Ko Parikh wrote. “Indeed, we are also seeing that the durasaid. “The median is about 18 days.” tion of protection after vaccination (in addition to after Ko said that there are three probable reasons that natural infection), is less in the elderly, than in younger the researchers were observing repeat positive tests in populations.” nursing homes. The first option was the case of “perOn Aug. 8, Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order sistent positives” — residents that were only infected that all long-term care facility staff in Connecticut must once but were still showing up as positive even 90 be vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive their first days after the initial infection — because of weakened dose of the vaccine no later than Sept. 7. Any long-term immune systems due to age. care facilities that do not comply with this rule are subject The second option, Ko described, was that more “per- to a $20,000 fine per day. sistent positives” were recorded in nursing home residents than the general population because these individContact SYDNEY GRAY at uals were getting tested more often. The third and final sydney.gray@yale.edu .

‘Are these actually reinfections, or are they just lingering cases, or false positives?’”

He wrote that in the summer of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their recommendations, stating that any repeat positive tests within 90 days of an initial positive did not require a follow-up, as they “more likely represent[ed] persistent shedding of viral RNA than reinfection.”

Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health Albert Ko explained possible scenarios that would cause repeated positive tests when an individual has not actually been infected a second time.

Yale study examines effect of COVID-19 antibodies

BY RAHMA AHMED CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A new study from researchers at Yale School of Medicine’s Iwasaki Lab analyzed the protective capacity of antibodies generated by both the COVID-19 vaccine and natural infection.

The researchers examined the role of T-cells and B-cells in COVID-19 infections and differences in protection produced by vaccines and natural infection. When infected with COVID19 for the first time, both T-cells and B-cells play a role in combating the infection.

However, the researchers found that when mice that had been vaccinated or had recovered from a natural infection became sick again later, they were still protected from infection — even if the scientists had selectively removed the T-cell part of their immune response. This indicates that antibodies alone, produced by B-cells, could protect against reinfection.The study was published in the journal Science Immunology on Sept. 2.

“We saw that antibodies [generated from both vaccine and natural infection] were also sufficient to protect against the … Beta variant. That’s the variant that — at least until this point — had been shown to be the most evasive of antibody responses,” said Benjamin Goldman-Israelow, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Iwasaki Lab. “Even more so than the Delta variant.”

The results show that, despite the Beta variant’s ability to evade adaptive immune responses, there is still a large enough antibody response to protect against significant disease. These results are similar to those seen in humans who get reinfected or who contract COVID-19 after being vaccinated, according to Goldman-Israelow. Their infections are often less severe and the likelihood of their hospitalization or death is low.

The Delta variant is not as immune evasive as the Beta variant, as the variant has not altered

to evade adaptive immune responses as well, according to Goldman-Israelow. However, the Delta variant does seem to be able to transmit from individual to individual much faster than the Beta type. According to Goldman-Israelow, Delta has quickly become the predominant variant around the world.

“There has been some data that is starting to come out … that shows that you have a higher likelihood of getting infected from Delta the further out you are from your second dose of the vaccine, which would suggest there is some weaning of immunity,” Goldman-Israelow said.

It seems that vaccinated people are able to transmit the Delta variant because it has efficiently adapted to become highly transmissible, according to Goldman-Israelow. Providing booster shots might be able to further reduce transmission within the population. Such a move could potentially help protect those who are unable to get vaccinated or are immunocompromised.

One of the unique aspects of mRNA vaccines is that they are easily modifiable, according to Jon Klein, a graduate student at the Iwasaki Lab. Although mRNA vaccines are a relatively new technology, they have proven to be highly effective in prevention.

“A booster shot will likely be important in helping us [build] stronger immune protection against SARS-CoV2 and this will especially be required in the face of highly transmissible and potentially immune-evasive viral variants,” said Tianyang Mao, second author of the study and 5th year graduate student in the Iwasaki Lab. “One of the defining features of...immune memory, is [that] the quality … and the speed of the immune response is much stronger during reinfection.

Now we actually remember what the pathogen looks like and we are

much more equipped to actually fight against these pathogens.”

Although those who contract COVID-19 naturally generate antibodies that can protect against reinfection, the vaccine standardizes this protection, according to Klein.

Medical histories, genetics and other factors can all play a role in the quality of antibodies that people can produce through natural infection.

Some immune systems do not really make great antibodies while others do, according to Klein.

“I think my personal opinion is that the vaccine generates really high quality antibodies almost universally,” Klein said. “In terms of booster shots, viruses naturally evolve over time.

So in theory, booster shots may be required in the future. What we’ve seen now is that the vaccine produces pretty durable immunity.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53.4 percent of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Contact RAHMA AHMED at rahma.ahmed@yale.edu .

ZOE BERG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

PAGE 9

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Yale joins as research partner in $25 million Quantum Leap Challenge Institute There are also researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology involved in the project.

As of Sept. 2, Yale has been serving as a key “Though quantum computing is an emerging academic partner of the Quantum Leap Chal- technology … it is clear that it has the potenlenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simula- tial to let us do things that would not be postion, a project aimed at developing new tech- sible with classical computers. … [It could] be nologies by achieving a better understanding used for pharmaceuticals or designing catalysts … [or] cur[ing] diseases,” Childs said. of quantum systems.

The project was established thanks to $25 When asked about his personal motivamillion of funding from the National Science tion to participate in the project, Jeff ThompFoundation, or NSF, to expand its network son ’07, the leader of the institute’s branch at of three existing quantum institutes in the Princeton, cited the unique opportunities that United States. The project was created along- this collaboration afforded for “let[ting] a lot side a fifth institute that specializes in quan- of creative ideas be exchanged very quickly.”

In addition to being multi-institutional, the tum biological sensing.

Led by professor of computer science Andrew initiative is also multidisciplinary, bringChilds at the University of Maryland, the project ing together quantum scientists who identify currently consists of experts from several other with various branches of physics, computer academic institutions, including Yale, Prince- science and engineering. ton, Duke and North Carolina State University.

The collaborative logistics of the project emphasize meetings and workshops between participating research institutions, along with more specialized work designated to the team at each institution, according to Thompson and Childs.

Puri explained in an email to the News that her work for the project focuses on protecting quantum systems from exposure to various errors.

Other aspects of the project that researchers are currently exploring include the interaction of quantum simulators with the environment and possible ways to use this understanding for scientific or technological applications.

With each team of researchers focusing on a different area of quantum science, there is individual flexYALE DAILY NEWS ibility and freedom to pursue what they are each most passionate about — while maintaining the overarching Shruti Puri, assistant professor with the Yale thrust of the project, according to Childs.

It might even be helpful for the various teams Department of Applied Physics, is spearheading the University’s contributions to the institute. to “build the same experiment in several differBY BRIAN ZHANG CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

ent ways and make sure that you get the same answer across the different approaches” to reinforce better understanding and accuracy of the project’s endeavors, Thompson said.

But the Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation also encompasses an educational aspect that is evermore necessary with the increasing demand for quantum computation specialists in the technology and engineering sectors, according to Childs. Recognizing that not everyone has a doctorate in physics and the quantum sciences, a historical requirement for workers in the field, the project has sought to expand the field’s inclusivity and recruit workers from other backgrounds, Thompson explained.

Through education and career-readiness partnerships with Morgan State University and North Carolina Central University — both historically Black colleges and universities — the project offers relevant courses and research opportunities to students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. Thompson also referenced the extensive connections that the University of Maryland has with local K-12 organizations, explaining that the university may have plans to engage in developing and sustaining youth participation in quantum studies.

“The NSF is interested in really making these quantum leap challenge institutes broader than the universities that are currently members,” Childs said. “There’s a discussion going on now to make it possible for folks from other universities to get involved in research going on in the QLCIs.” The institute is in its budding stages, with its research partners filling up administrative staff positions. Childs emphasized that the leaders are deciding how to prioritize the $25 million in funds they will be receiving from the NSF, a number that he said matches their ambitious proposal.

The NSF has awarded $9.6 million out of the $25 million to the project thus far.

Contact BRIAN ZHANG at brian.zhang@yale.edu .

First randomized trial on masking affirms efficacy, Yale study says

BY MAYA WEITZEN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A new study coauthored by two Yale School of Management researchers affirmed that mask wearing reduced the spread of COVID-19 and that surgical masks, rather than cloth masks, were more effective in that reduction. The 300,000-person study was the first randomized trial on mask efficacy.

Yale professors of economics Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak and Jason Abaluck, alongside a team of researchers from Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, conducted a cluster-randomized trial in rural Bangladesh that tested the intervention of community-level masking promotion from November 2020 to April 2021.

The intervention reduced symptomatic seroprevalence — the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in the population — by 9.3 percent overall, 11.2 percent when surgical masks were used and more than 20 percent for individuals in the sample over the age of 50.

“Our study was organized in order to address two essential goals,” Mobarak said. “First, to identify strategies for us to consistently increase mask wearing in low- [and] middle-income countries, with Bangladesh being a representative example, and, second, to assess the impact of the initiative to increase mask wearing on symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.”

The study included 600 Bangladeshi villages and a total of 342,126 adults — 178,288 individuals in the treatment group and 163,838 in the control group, according to the paper. The intervention group was given free masks, information on the importance of masking, role modeling by community leaders and regular in-person reminders for eight weeks. The control group did not receive any interventions.

The researchers randomly assigned the different villages to the treatment versus control groups.

Within the former group, they further randomized which villages would be given cloth masks as opposed to surgical ones, the paper explained.

Mask wearing and physical distancing were assessed through weekly direct observation at high-traffic public locations. At five-week and nineweek follow ups, reachable participants were surveyed about COVID-19 symptoms as defined by the World Health Organization, according to the paper.

Mobarak, who is originally from Bangladesh, said the trial was conducted there to “continue a long standing tradition of Bangladesh teaching the world about how to improve health outcomes, especially among rural poor populations, in a cost-effective way.”

Mobarak also cited the abilities to carry out high-volume data collection, mask manufactur-

ing, blood sampling and COVID-19 testing in Bangladesh as additional motivators for conducting the trial in Bangladesh.

By the end of the study period, the researchers found that the promotion of masks increased proper mask wearing to 42.3 percent in the treatment villages, compared to 13.3 percent in control villages. This tripling of mask usage was sustained during the intervention period and for two weeks after, according to the paper. The impact of the intervention dropped to 26 percent after five months — the duration of the study — but remained

JESSAI FLORES/CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

10 percentage points higher in the intervention group. The treatment also reduced symptomatic seroprevalence by 9.3 percent overall, with villages randomized to surgical masks showing a relative reduction of 11.2 percent.

“A lot of conversation around mask usage previously had been that there had never been a randomized, controlled trial that demonstrated that masks were effective in both interrupting and preventing disease,” said Stephen Luby, professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University and a coauthor of the

study. “This really was a gold standard trial and was able to demonstrate just that.”

In addition to seeing a widespread effect of the implementation, the elderly were a particular subgroup that experienced a higher reduction of symptomatic seroprevalence with surgical masks — 23 percent for individuals ages 50 to 60 and 35 percent for those over 60. The higher reduction may be due to the elderly having smaller social networks, or simply because mask wearing lowered viral loads under the threshold that is susceptible to transmission in older subgroups, Abaluck said.

To conduct a study of this magnitude, researchers said that coordination between a variety of research specialties was especially important.

“It’s been a truly interdisciplinary project,” Laura Kwong, an assistant professor in environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley and fellow coauthor, said. “We were able to reach across fields to work with other professionals to really create something much bigger than one could create alone. It’s been great to have economists, public health specialists, engineers, behavioral scientists and biostatisticians, among others, collaborating on this effort.”

Moving forward, this research group is working to expand upon their work.

According to Abaluck, they are planning to conduct a close replication of the original study in order to test the effectiveness of masking against the delta variant and asymptomatic transmission.

“Our goal in the next couple of months is to reach around 100 million people,” Abaluck said. “But we hope to do even more than that. We are working on scaling up while maintaining some fidelity of the original intervention.”

His team is currently working with others to expand this study throughout South Asia and then to other parts of the world.

Given the study’s findings on the importance of masking, it is important to focus on using it in conjunction with other public health tools, according to Sydney Jones, a senior technical advisor in epidemiology at the global public health organization Vital Strategies.

“We need to use the tools available together,” Jones said. “We have the tool of vaccines. It’s vital that we vaccinate as many people as possible. But, we also have masking, social distancing and avoiding crowded spaces. We should be using all of these in a complementary way to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Yale University requires all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors while on campus.

Contact MAYA WEITZEN at maya.weitzen@yale.edu .

PAGE 10

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

SPORTS

“Once you've committed yourself to something, pace yourself to the finish line.” MEB KEFLEZIGHI ERITREAN-AMERICAN LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER

In-person club sports make comeback

VAIBHAV SHARMA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

During the 2020-21 season, club teams were unable to hold formal practices due to stringent pandemic protocols.

CLUB SPORTS FROM PAGE 14 ule because they have yet to hear back from the gym, which has been overbooked for the past few weeks. Furthermore, like Kravitz, Sinclair indicated that the 20 person gathering limit would require significant adjustments, such as increasing the number of shifts for tryouts.

Other team captains also expressed frustration with regards to the imbalances between club sport policy and varsity sport policy. For example, the current club sports policy limits fans at outdoor events to 50, all while Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications Mike Gambardella told the News that there is no capacity limit for spectators at the Yale Bowl, John J. Lee Amphitheater, Reese Stadium or Johnson Field.

“There is an obvious disparity between what the club sports policies are and what the varsity sports policies are,” Sorensen said. “Varsity sports have been practicing for six weeks while club sports haven’t

Kingman preps for first home game HANDSOME DAN FROM PAGE 14 him running from group to group of Yalies studying and relaxing in the University’s many courtyards, eager for playtime and pets. Quick to follow is Haro, sometimes carrying a pack of Handsome Dan stickers for the lucky students.

With Kingman, the goal is to get students to regularly experience the excitement of meeting Handsome Dan — and not just at athletic events, Haro said.

This has already come true for the residents of Silliman College, which Kingman and Haro call home.

“I saw Kingman a lot while living in Silliman this summer,” said Jeff Pham ’24, who attested to Kingman’s ability to energize people wherever he goes, especially when it is time for the big day at the Yale Bowl.

“A big draw of live sports is the crowd atmosphere, especially when everyone is cheering for

good solution for the long term, according to Bark Busters, “is to look for a root cause or trigger behind what causes symptoms of distress at the game and focus on that with positive reinforcement like treats.”

Haro already has a plan in place so Kingman can be his best self this Saturday. Between going on the field during warmups and meeting with fans in the stands, Kingman will have a cushy place to nap and rehydrate in one of the Yale Bowl’s air-conditioned luxury suites, if not his comfy outside bed Haro intends on bringing.

“We’ve done a lot of work on noticing cues,” Haro said. “So we’ll know when he’s tired or irritated, when we need to take him out. Kingman’s wellbeing is my top priority.”

The Saturday game will commence at 12 p.m.

Contact KYLIE VOLAVONGSA at kylie.volavongsa@yale.edu .

been allowed to go to the fields yet; it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

The fact that the Yale administration is willing to accept calculated risk with varsity teams but not with club sports is just disappointing.”

In response to these discrepancies in policies between varsity and club sports, Gambardella stated that Yale’s COVID-19 Response Team is requiring club sports and intramurals to follow University gathering limits. Varsity sports do not have to follow those rules.

Nevertheless, the upcoming season of club sports remains a source of excitement for club sports captains around campus.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to the barn,” Griggs remarked. “For members of our team, the barn is a great place to not only play polo, but also relieve stress and serve as a refuge from campus.”

For a full list of club sports offered at Yale, students can visit the club sport directory.

Contact ALEX YE at alex.ye@yale.edu .

COURTESY OF JESSIE CHEUNG

At Saturday’s game, Kingman will have a place to nap and rehydrate in one of the Yale Bowl’s air-conditioned luxury suites.

Cowles twins sail on SAILING FROM PAGE 14 ing on separate boats. Last weekend, the sisters raced in their first Yale meet at home at the Harry Anderson Trophy, where they took turns skippering on Yale’s second boat. Together, they placed fifth out of 18 teams.

But long before they started sailing for the Elis, the Cowles twins set their foundation in sailing with the “Opti.” As they grew out of the beginner boat, the two transitioned to the double-handed International 420 boat class — Carmen became the skipper, while Emma, who is slightly taller, took the role of crew.

They noted that by sailing together on the same boat, their parents did not need to maintain two boats or juggle two sailing schedules. To help distinguish between themselves on the water, Carmen began wearing a red hat, while Emma began wearing a black one. The colors stuck.

The sisters’ teamwork and chemistry on the water certainly paid off as they won the 2017 and 2018 420 Girls World Sailing Youth World Championships. Their talent in these events paved the way for their win of the 2018 U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, the first time the honor was awarded to a pair since 2004.

The Cowles are also the second youngest to win the award.

“One of the strengths that Carmen and Emma possess is an ability to learn from mistakes,” Steve Keen — the Cowles coach while they were sailing I-420 boats — told Sailing World in 2019.

While they spent their whole career sailing together, they were prepared to compete for separate schools when they began considering collegiate sailing options.

“We had both agreed that we were indifferent to whether [or

the same thing. Handsome Dan will definitely be an exciting and important part of gameday.”

Still, there will be a lot to learn from K ingman’s first big football game, which Haro sees as a “trial run” for future events. Even with his experience interacting with smaller groups of the Yale community on campus, it is impossible to replicate the gameday spectacle of horns blaring from the Yale Precision Marching Band, let alone the roar of a stadium packed with fans.

According to a representative from Bark Busters Home Dog Training, a company with dog trainers across the country including New Haven, a college football game can be a huge source of stress for young dogs.

Too many things happening at once can lead to high anxiety and a lack of focus, depending on how he has been trained so far. Should Kingman find himself uncomfortable or stressed, a

Yale cross country finishes third at HYP XC FROM PAGE 14

COURTESY OF CARMEN AND EMMA COWLES

The Cowles twins, natives of the Long Island Sound, have been sailing together since they were nine years old. not] we went to the same school,” they told the News. “We both wanted to be on a competitive sailing team in college so that narrowed down the list.”

As one of only 36 fully funded varsity sailing programs in the country, Yale’s team piqued the twins’ interest because of the liberal arts aspect of the University.

When the pair applied to Yale, they always planned on taking one gap year between high school and college, meaning they would have started in New Haven in the class of 2024. However, they took a second year off due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Sailing as a team at the U.S. Olympic trials earlier this year, they placed second. Only the top team qualifies for the Olympics.

Because of the pandemic, the sisters had to adapt their practice routine to minimize travel risks.

Between spring 2020 and early 2021, Emma and Carmen trained in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; and Vilamoura, Portugal, spending a few months in each location.

Because many international competitions were canceled due to COVID-19, it was difficult for the twins to compare themselves to their opponents.

“We also didn’t travel nearly as much for training camps,” they admitted. “[This] actually proved to help us be very productive in our training and ultimately exponentiate our learning curve.”

Now settled into New Haven — Carmen is in Silliman College, while Emma is in Trumbull — Emma noted that she loves the competitiveness of the Yale sailing program, which makes scrimmages in practice more fun.

Meanwhile, Carmen appreciates learning from the different sailors on the team.

The Yale sailing program competes at five tournaments this weekend: the Mens’ New England Singlehanded Championship, the Barnett Trophy, the Womens’ Regis Trophy, the Hatch Brown Trophy and a Tufts Invite.

Contact MELANIE HELLER at melanie.heller@yale.edu .

In the women’s race on Saturday, Princeton defeated Harvard 36–37, while Yale finished with 49 points, a total calculated by summing the final positions of each team’s first five runners. DeLay set the pace with a 16:10.8, running at a clip that likely would have lifted her to a new career best if the race was a full five kilometers. To start the 2019 season, she ran a career-record 17:28 in a five-kilometer against Harvard at the Yale Golf Course.

The Yale star and captain, who led the Elis in every race she ran in fall 2019, finished a comfortable 7.7 seconds ahead of Harvard’s Isabell Sagar in second. DeLay, who took a gap year last year, led the race consistently — she was in the lead pack after one mile and had jumped out to about a nine second lead by the time runners hit the 3.4-kilometer mark.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been two years since the beginning of the last cross country season,” DeLay said.

“After this year, I am just so grateful to even have the opportunity to defend my Heps title this season. I was fortunate to be able to race a bit

in the spring and summer, so coming back this past weekend was a bit less of a rust buster for me than it was for most.”

Zoe Nuechterlein ’22, a former managing editor of the News’ magazine, finished second for Yale and seventh overall with a 16:36.3 finish.

“HYP was our first race as a team in a year and a half, so we wanted to get out there, compete and get a feel for racing again,” Nuechterlein said.

“This was a rust-buster race, and we have a lot of training and racing to look forward to over the next couple of months.”In order, Maddie Ghazarian ’22, Jocelyn Chau ’22, Kosana Weir ’23, Julia Dvorak ’24 and Kylie Goldfarb ’25 rounded out the top seven for the Bulldogs. Ghazarian, who was running the first race of her Yale career after not competing in 2018 through 2020, finished in 10th, while Chau, Weir, Dvorak and Goldfarb came in at 15th, 16th, 19th and 21st, respectively.

Both the Yale men and women next compete on Sept. 24.

Contact MARGARET HEDEMAN at margaret.hedeman@yale.edu and WILLIAM MCCORMACK at william.mccormack@yale.edu .

YALE ATHLETICS

Harvard and Princeton bested Yale in team standings on both the men’s and women’s sides, as the Bulldogs finished third.

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

NEWS

PAGE 11

“Some men can live up to their loftiest ideals without ever going higher than a basement.” THEODORE ROOSEVELT 26TH U.S. PRESIDENT

Students report Wi-Fi struggles on campus

BY SARAH COOK AND ZACK HAUPTMAN CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS In Bass, Sterling Memorial Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the residential college libraries, Yale students quietly do their work on tablets, computers and, occasionally, paper.

But in recent weeks, some students have reported difficulties with Wi-Fi access and stability on campus.

Director of Foundational Technology Services Louis Tiseo said that he has not seen any Wi-Fi issues this semester as reported in IT tickets and he does not believe there are more Wi-Fi issues than in a typical year. Still, Tiseo mentioned potential lingering effects from hurricane-caused outages, an especially large uptick in the number of devices on campus and a $50 million campus-wide network replacement project that could possibly explain students’ struggles with campus Wi-Fi this fall. “[I’ve been] trying to watch a video for my math class on Canvas in the library, and the Wi-Fi refuses to cooperate,” said Clementine Rice ’25. “And the library is kind of an essential study spot, so one would expect the Wi-Fi would work well there.”

Internet access at Yale is broken into five networks: the Campus Network, Science Network, Public Safety Network, Facilities Network and Med Campus Network.

Within the Campus Network, there are three main Wi-Fi networks: YaleWireless, YaleGuest and YaleSecure.

These networks serve the 10,442 staff members, 12,021 undergraduate and graduate students and the nearly 5,000 faculty members at the University. The networks, which include 7,200 Wi-Fi units throughout campus, run throughout much of New Haven, Tiseo said.

YaleSecure is an encrypted network that utilizes students’ NetIDs for access. YaleGuest, on the other hand, is only intended for on-campus guests and is “insecure,” which means it is open and unencrypted, according to the Yale School of Management Information Technology Catalog. YaleWireless is an unencrypted network that is only accessible with a NetID. According to Tiseo, the networks on campus are being constantly monitored in the control center, and the IT department can also be notified of Wi-Fi issues through the problem tickets. If problems get significantly worse, people from IT are dispatched to restore service.

Tiseo said that there have not been any major Wi-Fi problems found in submitted problem tickets since move-in day. He added that he has “not seen the Wi-Fi being worse than any other year.”

Still, he added there could have been risks of long-term effects caused by the storm on Sept. 1.

“With every building outage, there’s always the potential of having hardware failures,” Tiseo said.

“It’s just like your computer if you just press the button and it goes off, you corrupt the database or something like that.”

Each year, there is also an uptick in devices on campus, Tiseo said, adding that due to many students opting to live off campus last year, this increase has been even larger this year.

This year, IT data collection has found that there are over 60,000 devices on campus, according to Tiseo. In the past five years, the Network Team has seen a 12 percent increase in devices due to not only more devices, but an increase in types of Internet of Things, or IoT, devices according to Tim Sheets, director of Network Services. IoT refers to the network of all devices that are connected to the internet in some way, from sensors to smart thermostats.

Currently, the University is undergoing a six-year $50 million project that began in 2019 called Next Generation Network to replace the 20-year old network. Once this project is implemented, it should be able to accommodate more devices, and the Wi-fi networks should be more resilient according to Tiseo.

“We continue to maintain our legacy network and provide basic stable service until we have the NextGen replacement in place,” Tiseo said.

Through the project, the five current networks will be consolidated into a Software Define Network, which is a software-motivated way to centralize networks that functions similarly to cloud computing. The project has already been implemented on the medical school campus starting in January 2020, and administrators are already seeing positive results in terms of increased resilience, speed and efficiency according to Sheets.

“We’re replacing hardware that’s antiquated and beginning at the end of its life cycle,” Sheets said. “So, we expect things to get a lot better as we go along. And we’ve already seen that on [the] med campus.”

Any outages that could occur due to the Next Generation Network project would be scheduled

weeks in advance, and they try to plan them for Sundays from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m., Tiseo said.

While this project is still under way, students continue to report Wi-Fi issues.

Supriya Weiss ’24 said she has not been negatively impacted by the Wi-Fi while on campus, but has noticed its poorer quality.

“I have noticed that when I’m walking to class, sometimes I’ll lose the Wi-Fi for, you know, a few blocks or something like that,” Weiss said. “I do think that it is Yale’s responsibility to make sure that we have secure Wi-Fi, because … having poor internet access puts you at a serious disadvantage when it comes to being successful in school.”

Bryson Weise ’24 told the News that “Yale should make sure that Wi-Fi is as easy to access as possible for all students.”

The Next Generation Network project that intends to improve the Wi-Fi will be finished in 2025 and is being presented at the upcoming education consortium.

Contact SARAH COOK at sarah.cook@yale.edu and ZACK HAUPTMAN at zack.hauptman@yale.edu .

Yale Law School cancels in-person reunion

BY JULIA BROWN AND AMELIA DAVIDSON STAFF REPORTERS Given the recent surge in the delta variant of COVID-19, the University is cancelling in-person components of many of its events that attract large crowds from outside New Haven, including the Yale Law School reunion.

On Sept. 9, Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken announced via email that the in-person Yale Law School Alumni Weekend, during which Law School alumni from around the world typically come back to New Haven, would be canceled. Virtual alternatives have not yet been announced; Gerken said that staff and alumni volunteers would “explore” options.

Executive Director of the Yale Alumni Association Weili Cheng ’77 told the News that this decision is “in line” with other University decisions about in-person gatherings in the near future. Other major in-person events that have recently been moved online include Yale College family weekend and the launch of Yale’s capital campaign.

“I write to you with the heartbreaking news that the Law School must cancel Alumni Weekend 2021 due to the delta variant surge,” Gerken wrote in her Sept. 9 email to Law School alumni. “In order to ensure that the campus can continue with on-campus teaching and

learning — which is core to the magic of this place — the University has had to shift plans for several highly-anticipated visitor events, including making its Campaign launch in October virtual … While we are deeply disappointed with the news, we appreciate everything the University has done to keep our community protected and to ensure we can hold in-person classes safely.”

The Law School had planned to hold two separate alumni weekends this year, given that last year’s reunions were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first weekend, originally scheduled for Oct. 21 through Oct. 24, was for alumni whose class years ended in 5s and 6s. The second, originally scheduled for Nov. 4 through Nov. 7, was for alumni whose class years ended in 0s and 1s.

“I’m so sorry to be the one to deliver this news, and I will miss seeing you all terribly,” Gerken wrote in her Sept. 9 email. “Thank you for your patience during this challenging time. I look forward to the day when we can all return to normalcy.”

According to the Law School website, Law School alumni who booked hotel rooms at the Blake Hotel, the Graduate New Haven, the New Haven Hotel, the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, the Study at Yale or the Courtyard by Marriott at Yale are able to receive a full refund if they

cancel their reservation by the hotel’s specified cutoff date — the earliest of which is Sept. 21.

Yale College and nearly all other Yale professional schools hold their reunions in the spring, and the Yale Alumni Association is tentatively planning for a series of in-person reunion weekends.

As spring reunions were held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the YAA hopes to be able to welcome all those who missed their reunions back to campus in May and June 2022.

“As for Yale College Reunions, we are at this time planning to hold in-person reunions in the spring,” Cheng wrote to the News. “We very much miss hosting our alumni back on campus. Of course, we will closely monitor the situation and make adjustments as warranted and as circumstances dictate.”

The two other major in-person events planned for this fall — Yale College family weekend and Yale’s capital campaign launch — have been moved online.

In an email to Yale College students and parents announcing the cancellation of in-person family weekend, Chun said the move was precautionary, as Yale’s COVID-19 rates have been low so far.

“Yale’s positivity rates are very low, and this precaution is intended to increase the chances that they

YASMINE HALMANE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Law School alumni whose class years end in 0s, 1s, 5s and 6s will have to wait to reunite together in New Haven. will stay low,” Chun wrote in his email. “I hope that you will understand and support this change, and that your family members will participate online.”

Yale’s capital campaign launch, which marks the beginning of University President Peter Salovey’s five-year fundraising campaign, was shifted to a virtual event in early September. Capital campaigns are held once during each university president’s tenure, and the last campaign, held between 2006 and 2011, brought in $3.88 billion.

The typically in-person launch of the major campaign will be held virtually on Oct. 2. The launch sign-up website advertises an “unforgettable online experience” to kick off Yale’s “bold, university-wide campaign.”

The University has over 130,000 living alumni, according to the Yale Alumni Magazine.

Contact JULIA BROWN at julia.k.brown@yale.edu and AMELIA DAVIDSON at amelia.davidson@yale.edu .

Negotiations over future of Union Station nearing conclusion

VAIBHAV SHARMA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

A new 35-year lease is in sight for New Haven Union Station as local and state representatives are nearing the conclusion of negotiations.

BY CARTER DEWEES CONTRIBUTING REPORTER In 2017, former mayor of New Haven Toni Harp told WNHH radio that the city would like to own New Haven Union Station. However, negotiations since then between the city of New Haven and Connecticut seem unlikely to end in New Haven owning Union Station. Still, city officials now expect greater transparency regarding the operations of the station and its future infrastructure developments over the next 35 years.

Representatives from New Haven and the Connecticut Department of Transportation have now tentatively agreed to terms for a 35 year lease of New Haven Union Station — a station that carried as many as four million passengers annually before the pandemic. The new lease is set to begin in July of 2022 and comes after extensive discussions that are closely connected to New Haven’s “Hill to Downtown Community Plan,” an economic development plan originally composed in 2014. Michael Piscitelli, the Economic Development Administrator

for New Haven, said he views Union Station as the “linchpin” for the Hill to Downtown Plan.

“The goal of the negotiations is to reimagine [New Haven] Union Station for the next 35 years,” Doug Housladen ’04, head of the New Haven Parking Authority, told the News. “We’re really anticipating federal dollars to support the private dollars that will be here, as well as state dollars if needed.”

The organizational structure of the station will remain relatively unchanged in the new lease. The station is still owned by the state of Connecticut, which they lease to New Haven. New Haven subcontracts the maintenance and staffing of the station to the New Haven Parking Authority.

According to Amtrak’s 2019 data fact sheet, New Haven Union Station is the busiest Amtrak station in Connecticut. Lines from Amtrak, MTA-North and CT-Rail have stops at the station, and several buses offer service.

“There should be housing put in and some more development [surrounding the station]. It shouldn’t be left open, like it is now,” said Evan Brooks of Newtown, Connecticut.

Brooks said he passes through Union Station often, and criticized the long lines of cars from rideshare services outside the station.

He said that building a new parking garage outside the station could be a solution to this problem.

During negotiations, representatives from New Haven and the state of Connecticut agreed to construct a 600 space parking garage with additional amenities and services at the site. This garage would increase parking capacity and build some “vertical development” near the station, Piscitelli said. He noted that the new developments will allow private companies commercial access to about four million people a year, following the station’s expected return to pre-pandemic ridership.

“We wanted to make sure that [the area around Union Station] wouldn’t be overloaded just with parking, but that it had services and amenities for the neighborhood and attracted development as well,” Piscitelli told the News.

Kafi Rouse, spokesperson for the Commissioner’s Office of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, expressed support for developing commercial infrastructure in the area around Union Station.

“Union Station’s customers have been the center of our Union Station negotiations with the City of New Haven,” Rouse told the News. “We are working to ensure Connecticut’s railroad stations center the needs of the communities they serve and the

plans for Union Station serve as a prime example of accessibility.”

Hausladen said he imagines Union Station becoming the center of multiple growth districts in the city, referring to the Downtown and Long Wharf neighborhoods. An important facet of the new lease, according to Hausladen, is the collaboration between city and state to “entice developers into a public-private partnership.”

Currently, the station has a Subway and a Dunkin’ Donuts, but Hausladen suggested that more options should be available to the station’s many customers.

Piscitelli agreed, and said that Union Station is no longer just a commuter station into New York but it is also a “welcome mat” for New Haven and Connecticut. Piscitelli said also he hopes to see more New-Haven themed features of the station.

Currently, infrastructure bill H.R. 3684 is moving through the United States Congress. If passed, the bill will likely provide funding for local projects around the country. Piscitelli said that one of the city’s requests for funding under that law would be related to Union Station.

New Haven’s Union Station first opened in 1920.

Contact CARTER DEWEES at carter.dewees@yale.edu .

PAGE 12

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

BULLETIN

ANASTHASIA SHILOV is a junior in Silliman College.

Contact her at anasthasia.shilov@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

THROUGH THE LENS

E

ntire generation(s), raised in the towers’ memorial shadow. Never forget, they say.

How? We were children (or not yet conceived). What of our children? Our graduation?

20 years now. In 50 years? A century?

Injustices upon injustices. Scars etched before birth.

What does it mean to be forgotten?

We must never forget. Who is “we”?

ISAAC YU reports.

PAGE 13

W SOCCER Binghampton 3 Cornell 1

W SOCCER (2OT) Harvard 2 Northeastern 1

SPORTS

M SOCER UMass Amherst 2 Dartmouth 1

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

FOOTBALL FIRST HOME GAME Yale football will host its first home game tomorrow at 12 p.m. against Holy Cross. The stands will be open to all spectators: unvaccinated attendees are required to wear masks, while those who are fully vaccinated may attend without a mask.

Club sports making a return both indoor and outdoor practices

Most sports held their last official in-person practices over a year ago, making this fall season highly anticipated. For many teams, last year’s guidelines made it impossible to practice at all.

“We tried to get guys together last year, but with the 10 person limit, it was obviously very difficult considering that the sport is 15 versus 15,” Mahlon Sorensen ’22, club men’s rugby president, said.

The return to in-person activities has many students around campus looking to get back in the action with club sports. Sorensen noted that compared to previous years, this year’s activities fair saw an increased amount of interest.

Vice president of club polo Hilary Griggs ’24 made similar remarks in an interview, stating that the club may have to be more selective this year due to more people trying out for the team.

Returning players also expressed optimism regarding the updated guidelines. Club swimming president Eliza Kravitz ’24 told the News that in-person club practices have “always been the highlight of my semesters at Yale.”

Despite the excitement, the current COVID-19 protocol is still concerning for many club sport teams, mostly because of the persisting restrictions.

“I was a little disappointed about the 20 person limit,” Kravitz expressed. “We want as many people to participate as possible, and it might be hard to replicate what we had in previous years.”

Another issue for some club teams is reserving gym time for practice. Zoe Sinclair ’22, co-captain of women’s club basketball, explained that the team is still waiting to set a practice sched-

YALE DAILY NEWS

After a year of virtual practices and canceled contests, club sports are finally anticipating a return to in-person activities.

BY ALEX YE CONTRIBUTING REPORTER For the first time since March 2020, club sports will be able to hold in-person practices and contests this fall. In the coming months, students will have the opportunity to try out, practice and compete in a variety of athletic activities ranging from figure skating and field hockey to spikeball and squash.

Since its founding 50 years ago, the William Clay Ford Club Sports Program at Yale has offered students an opportunity to play competitive sports on a non-varsity level. During the 2020-21 season, however, club teams were unable to hold formal practices due to stringent pandemic protocols. With the start of the new school year, however, updated guidelines have allowed a return to in-person activities.

According to the University’s Fall 2021 Club Sports COVID-19 Guidelines, which were updated Sept. 2,

were allowed to begin starting Sept.

7. Club sport competitions may start this Wednesday, with an indoor gathering limit of 20 people and an outdoor gathering limit of 50 people. The outdoor limit includes spectators, but fans are currently not allowed to attend indoor club sports events. The guidelines also require facial coverings to be worn during any indoor activities, unless actively hydrating.

Additionally, all students participating must be fully vaccinated.

Yale’s Director of Club Sports Tom Migdalski has sent at least four emails obtained by the News with increasingly updated guidelines to club leadership. Migdalski sent an early edition of the guidelines on Aug. 30, which stated that “violation of any of the guidelines below may result in the elimination of a club’s privileges including the loss of competition and practice or suspension of the club.

Individual students may also face university discipline.”

SEE CLUB SPORTS PAGE 10

Twin sailors continue success at Yale

BY MARGARET HEDEMAN AND WILLIAM MCCORMACK SPORTS EDITORS

XC

COURTESY CARMEN AND EMMA COWLES

Honored as the 2018 U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, first years Carmen and Emma Cowles ’25 are set to make a splash in the collegiate sailing world.

Instead of participating in more common sports like soccer or basketball, identical twins Carmen and Emma Cowles ’25 looked to the water.

SAILING The Cowles twins are natives of Larchmont, New York, a small town on the Long Island Sound, and their parents wanted them to embrace the nearby water every way they could. By the age of 9, the sisters started sailing at their local yacht club in the Optimist boat class — a small, single-handed dinghy used

by children. As they learned the ropes, they began racing in regional, national and, eventually, international competitions.

This fall, the twins are starting as first years competing for Yale’s sailing program.

“We both learned to really love the competition aspect of the sport,” Carmen and Emma Cowles wrote to the News in a joint statement. “Having a twin to compete with and against helped us improve really quickly.”

While they spent years racing in the same boat, the Cowles sisters are both skippering for the Bulldogs this season, so they will be work-

STAT OF THE WEEK

SEE SAILING PAGE 10

11.9

“I am trying to establish great relationships with all of the [women’s tennis] student-athletes and not only get to know their games but get to know them better in general as people.”

RACHEL KAHAN W TENNIS HEAD COACH

Handsome Dan XIX to debut at Yale Bowl

BY KYLIE VOLAVONGSA CONTRIBUTING REPORTER For the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Yale Bowl is ready to welcome old and new faces — and in some cases, snouts.

HANDSOME DAN Yale football’s home opener against Holy Cross this Saturday marks a new chapter not just for the team and the Bowl, but also for Kingman, who will be attending his first football game as Handsome Dan XIX. While he has made an appearance at a recent women’s soc-

cer game and a football scrimmage against Brown, an event of this scale is unfamiliar territory for the 8-month-old puppy. Still, Kingman and his handler Kassandra Haro ’18 are up for the challenge.

“He was born to be a mascot,” Haro said. “He loves crowds and people and watching sports — even at the risk of wanting to join in. But obviously, he’ll stay attached to me during the game.”

A proven natural with the fans, Kingman always draws a crowd making his rounds across campus. In fact, it is easy to find SEE HANDSOME DAN PAGE 10

COURTESY OF KASSANDRA HARO

Kingman, the Olde English Bulldogge who serves as Yale’s new mascot, will be attending his first football game as Handsome Dan XIX.

Yalies take first, team takes third at HYP In their first cross country meet since the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in November 2019, two Yale runners — Robert Miranda ’22 on the men’s team and reigning Ivy Heptagonal champion Kayley DeLay ’22 on the women’s team — each won their first race of the season last weekend.

BY MELANIE HELLER STAFF REPORTER

W VOLLEYBALL Lehigh 3 Penn 1

FOR MORE SPORTS CONTENT, VISIT OUR WEB SITE goydn.com/YDNsports Twitter: @YDNSports

SAILING OPENING WEEKEND SUCCESS Last weekend, the Elis won both the Pine and Harry Anderson Trophies and placed third at the Toni Deutsch Women’s Regatta.

Teddy Nicolosi ’24, Anisha Arcot ’23, Mia Nicolosi ’25 and Ximena Escobar ’25 all earned NEISA honors.

BY ALEX YE

M SOCCER Princeton 3 Fairfield 0

Running at the season-opening HYP meet against Harvard and Princeton at West Windsor Fields in New Jersey, Miranda and DeLay led the way for each Yale side, but the Bulldogs finished third in team standings for both the women’s 4.8-kilometer and men’s 8-kilometer. The race was the first of six meets in which the Elis compete before the Oct. 30 Ivy League Cross Country Championships, which will also take place at Princeton’s West Windsor Fields.

Miranda told the News he was happy with how the race unfolded.

“After not competing because of Covid it was important to see how our team is doing compared to our rivals in the Ivy League,” Miranda wrote to the News. “We knew before the meet that Harvard and Princeton would be tough to beat, and even though we didn’t have what it took on Saturday, we’re still hopeful for the rest of the season.”

Harvard and Princeton, the Bulldogs’ toughest competitors in the Ivy League, are nationally ranked in men’s and women’s

cross country, respectively. In the most recent national coaches’ poll, the Crimson ranked No. 28 on the men’s side, and the Tigers ranked No. 24 on the women’s side. Regionally, Harvard ranks No. 3 in the Northeast, while Princeton is No. 3 in the mid-Atlantic in men’s cross country. On the women’s side, Harvard is No. 5 in the Northeast, and Princeton is No. 2 in the mid-Atlantic. Yale is ranked 14th in the Northeast for men and ninth for women.

In the men’s event, Harvard’s Graham Rance led for almost the entirety of the race, yet Miranda made up 11.9 seconds in the last .77 miles to close with just over a four second gap between first and second place. Yale men’s cross country head coach Paul Harkins told Yale Athletics that this strategy was exactly Miranda’s original race plan.

“He tried to be as conservative as he could — hang back and

then run the second half really tough. He took over with 500 to go,” Harkins told Yale Athletics.

Sean Kay ’24 followed Miranda for the Blue and White, coming in 12th place overall with a time of 24:32.9. After Kay, Yale took places 14 through 20.

Eleven out of the 17 Yale men runners had not yet completed with the Blue and White before Saturday. Miranda highlighted their “encouraging performances.” “[The underclassmen] showed a lot of potential, and they’ll only get better throughout the season once they adjust to college races,” Miranda said.

Though there were only four Harvard runners who placed in between the top two Bulldogs compared to Princeton’s six, the rest of the field placed the Crimson on the top of the leaderboard by one point.

SEE XC PAGE 10

COURTESY OF YALE ATHLETICS

Cross country runners Robert Miranda ’22 and Kayley DeLay ’22 each won their respective races at HYP.

NUMBER OF SECONDS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER ROBERT MIRANDA ’22 MADE UP IN THE LAST 1.24 KILOMETERS OF HIS EIGHT-KILOMETER RACE TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE FIRST.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

WEEKEND // ANNIE YAN

Body-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody // BY MAYA WELDON-LAGRIMAS Real hot girl shit. Or at least that’s what we told ourselves. It was our mantra as we prepared for a year where we could no longer wear pajama bottoms to class, carefully curate Zoom lighting or turn off our cameras.

Where we would no longer exist as two-dimensional faces and instead, where our three-dimensional bodies would be thrown together, after 18 months of hiding, without any other choice but to be seen.

“Real hot girl shit.” We chanted quietly, this of course being a gender neutral state of mind. We manifested it desperately in Target’s dressing room mirror, at our hometown gym, or while we frantically browsed Savage x Fenty online before our flight to BDL. Maybe we believed that we really were hot shit. Maybe we didn’t. Either way, we were eventually thrown onto the violent catwalk that is a college campus.

As I walk down Prospect Street each morning, all I see is a body here, body there, body-ody everywhere. Legs in tiny shorts or thrifted jeans, shoulders exposed or covered, feet in Birkenstocks or boots. People that I’d known from Zoom class are taller or shorter than I’d imagined. Nails are painted, hoops dangle from ears and there is a watch on a wrist. I am both angered and awed by the sheer number of beautiful young adults around me. Skin glows. Hair blows. It’s truly a spectacle to behold.

Everything gets more real on nights out.

Being surrounded by people shifts from a passive viewing experience to one that is interactive and tactile. I am reminded that the bodies have a biological impulse to reckon with one another. At Woads or a frat,

I push my way through the body-ody-ody.

I bump a bicep, wade through waists and smell sticky skin. For many, a large part of the collegiate experience is engaging in the rituals of horny teenagers with all the confusion those can bring. Inevitably, the kissing, cuddling and fornicating ask a lot from our physical form.

Naturally, people have different responses to being a body. Some people revel in the idea of being seen. Others do everything they can to hide. A lucky subset don’t see themselves as characters on an infinite stage, constantly subjected to objectification by others. But I imagine that even for these individuals, it’s hard not to be reminded.

“He’s a skinny legend now.

“She glowed up.”

“I ate too much.”

“They eat too little.”

“Quarantine did him well.”

“Chloe Ting didn’t give me a bubble butt.”

“All I wanted was to hook up.”

“I never want to hook up.”

“The forbidden rice is forbidden because it’s cutting season.”

We hear these words slipped into conversation with harmless intent but the truth is that these casual tidbits are both the expression of and trigger for the often complicated, consuming and painful relationship many people have to their bodies. While many of us deal with disordered eating, self-esteem issues, body dysmorphia, sexual trauma and the plethora of other psychological burdens associated with being a physical being, these

comments are only a small fraction of the feelings that we choose to express.

So when I hear these cues, I am reminded to not only see bodies but to wonder about how people see theirs. Do people sit in lectures stressed, insecure or worried that they aren’t beautiful enough? In the dining hall do people feel judged for having a bad hair day or bitten nails? At a party, are strangers struggling with eating or afraid of physical touch? I also wonder if some people go throughout their day without worrying about any of this, and wonder how that might feel. I imagine it would feel good.

As a group of people known for the quality of our minds, it seems as though our bodies should be an afterthought. It seems as though we should spend all of our time burying our heads in history, or participating in politics, rather than calculating the calories in our lunch swipe. Alas, this is not the case. Perhaps it is because Yalies are not just intellectuals, but also high achieving, world-class conformists, who deeply internalize society’s expectations. Perhaps it is just because we are human.

The point is that our bodies are important to us and are thus worthy of deep and sustained consideration. As future leaders, thinkers and moralists, it is our responsibility to be conscious and critical of our bodies’ relationship to the world, each other, and ourselves. When we recognize that systems or behaviors help us more than hurt us, we have an equal responsibility to change.

For example, maybe over dining hall conversations we should talk a little bit less about our new diet. Maybe while walk-

ing down Prospect Street we should gently push ourselves to appreciate beauty rather than envying it, or find it in new places all together. Maybe, if we consistently struggle with our bodies, we should seek help from a friend or a therapist.

How we deal with the conundrum of having a physical form is complex, multifaceted and probably different for everyone. The purpose of this essay is not to lay out all the answers but to acknowledge that stepping out of the Zoom box and into the world of bodies is the same as facing any new frontier.

It is a novel, intrepid landscape that triggers fear, requires bravery, and begs the question of how we should move forward.

To read more about bodies and being back on campus I encourage these wonderful essays. h t t p s : // y a l e d a i l y n e w s . c o m / blog/2019/11/07/knight-when-healthhurts/ h t t p s : // y a l e d a i l y n e w s . c o m / blog/2021/05/06/169137/ h t t p s : // y a l e d a i l y n e w s . c o m / blog/2020/11/25/insight-the-dangers-ofthe-lockdown-slimdown/ h t t p s : // y a l e d a i l y n e w s . c o m / blog/2020/01/30/olurin-just-too-pretty/ h t t p s : // y a l e d a i l y n e w s . c o m / blog/2021/04/08/knight-transparency-referrals-and-mental-health-at-yale/ Contact MAYA WELDON-LAGRIMAS at maya.weldon-lagrimas@yale.edu .

PAGE B2

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

WEEKEND COLLEGE

// BY MICHAELA WANG “Which resco are you in?” I yelled over the deafening chatter of a first-year orientation event. A current sophomore had introduced me to the term earlier in the summer, so I relayed it with a sense of pride. Finally, a Yale abbreviation I successfully integrated into my daily jargon and a step towards sounding like the rest. But before the equally naive first-year could respond, an upperclassman interjected, shaking their head in disapproval: “It’s college or residential college.”

The portmanteau — a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others — isn’t the first of its kind at Yale. Just as resco blends “residential” and “college” to convey our hallmark housing system, FroCo loosely merges “freshmen” and “counselor” to describe the senior peer leaders, and L-Dub combines “Lanman” and the first letter of “Wright” to distinguish the cozy Old Campus hall.

For many, resco is more phonetically efficient than an otherwise mouthful. “It’s a lot easier than saying ‘residential college’ and it’s kinda catchy,” suggests Abby Davis ’24.

Resco is also more logical than the more arbitrary combinations. “Resco was easier to understand than any other abbreviations,” says David Zhou, a visiting student from Beijing. “When I first arrived at campus, I had

no idea what a FroCo was. Where does the o come from? Froyo? A frozen counselor?”

Despite its efficiency and logic, the portmanteau has not been added to the list of Yale lingo. Worse, resco has sparked upperclassmen attempts to eradicate the term, in favor of the strongholds “residential college” and “college.”

This trivial controversy brings to light the tension between preserving tradition and breaking it, as well as the way in which Yale language constantly changes to capture and better fit the circumstances of our time.

Most fingers point to the current sophomore class. An anonymous senior complained about how those “Zoom kids’’ paraded onto campus last fall, disseminating random terms without the supervision of wiser elders.” Before coming to Yale, Tori Sondeide ’25 remembers hearing the term spoken aloud by a sophomore explaining which resco he was in.

Some sophomores admit it themselves.

“We came onto campus during the pandemic year, when there was no one there to tell us what was right and what was wrong,” says an anonymous sophomore.

But the seeds of resco were actually planted far wider. Underclassmen report that they saw resco written in admissions

WKND RECOMMENDS Loving to learn.

advertisements, spoken aloud during admissions events and even passed down by current upperclassmen. Karla Ramos Gonzalez ’25 first heard resco said by a student ambassador during a Yale information session this past winter. Maya Alvear ’25 remembers reading resco in emails sent to prospective students and hearing it from Yale student YouTubers explaining the housing system.

Grace Bu ’24 thinks that resco existed before the class of 2024 set foot on campus.

Regardless of whether the portmanteau was born from current sophomores, the Admissions Office marketing, or even current upperclassmen, it has already grown popular among first years — particularly in the written form. By the spring of 2021, resco had rapidly spread across Discord, GroupMe and other social media exchanges between incoming members of the class of 2025.

Now, most first years waver between saying “resco” and “residential college”; others say “residential college” but write “resco.” Most are not aware that the term contradicts traditional lingo.

The question arises: Can upperclassmen eradicate the term from Yale lingo, as their time at Yale wanes and new generations follow?

During a FroCo meeting, Charlie Uchno

’22 warned his group to avoid the term. “I, as a FroCo, wanted to set up my FroCo-ees for utmost success. One of the ways to achieve success is to use historically normalized terms. I wanted to do what was best for them.” He isn’t the only advocate.

“If I heard one of my frosh say resco, I would say ‘residential college’ or ‘college’ in response to them and try to reinforce that none of the upperclassmen use resco,” says Kynzie Clark ’22, another FroCo. “There are just so many language disconnects between underclassmen and the graduating class, which is the only class to have a full year on campus. It’s strange to see how the virtual year last year has created such a divide between people that were on campus before last year and people who weren’t.”

Other upperclassmen surrender their control, acknowledging that language is dynamic even at a 300-year-old institution.

“I think it’s going to take another couple of years before the trend catches on,” suggests Mette Køchs-Nielsen ’23. But for now, Yale language is changing — whether upperclassmen have control over it or not.

Contact MICHAELA WANG at michaela.wang@yale.edu .

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

WEEKEND RECIEVING

Recieving Nightmares // BY ZOE BERG How long have you been waiting?

“50 minutes exactly. I came directly from class and I’ve been here since. I’ve been waiting for weeks. I come every day and it’s like this.”

-William Mathis ’25

WKND RECOMMENDS Learning to love.

PAGE B3

PAGE B4

YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 · yaledailynews.com

WEEKEND CENTER

“I got my email on the first and I’m still waiting” -Kennedy Odiboh ’25

“This is hell.”

-Marc Gonzalez ’23

WKND RECOMMENDS A growth mindset.