NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · VOL. CXXXVIII, NO. 44 · yaledailynews.com
INSIDE THE NEWS MORNING EVENING
CLOUDY CLOUDY
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CROSS CAMPUS
Fabled Food
Restaurant Week 2015
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ELM CITY EATS RESTAURANT WEEK OFFERINGS
SHHH
DRINKS ON NUS
Yale Security works with Secret Service to plan for high-profile guests
YALE-NUS ALCOHOL POLICY GETS MIXED REVIEWS
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GETTING ACROSS New “crossbikes” ensure saftey at Elm St. intersections PAGE 5 CITY
Students demand admin response to racial controversies
Let’s talk about it. This week,
students across campus have made themselves clear: We have to talk about race at Yale. With Wednesday’s forum at the Afro-American Cultural Center and Thursday’s chalking on Cross Campus, the conversation has begun, but it isn’t over. Below are several events — taking place this weekend and next week — that aim to contribute to the racial dialogue on campus.
Where is the Dharma? The
Afro-American Cultural Center will host Rod Owens, a Buddhist Lama, activist and Dharma teacher, in a talk about systematic racism on Sunday evening at 4 p.m. The event, “Wounds of the Colored Body: Exploring Dharma and Racial Trauma,” aims to introduce Dharma as a force of liberation.
What’s in a name? The
Asian American Cultural Center will host a discussion Sunday evening at 5 p.m. on the renaming of Calhoun College and the naming of the two new residential colleges titled “Cultural Centers in Conversation.” The forum will aim to address how the four cultural centers can build a unified front to effect change in the naming process.
Intersecting identities. The
Native American Cultural Center and the Afro-American Cultural Center will jointly host “Afro-Native American Heritage,” a discussion about the intersections between black and native identity. The event, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, aims to strengthen the connection between the two communities.
To the nines. The Afro-
American Cultural Center invites students to an information session and mixer with “The Divine Nine” — nine historically black Greek organizations. The panel will be hosted in the Af-Am Founders’ Room at 5 p.m. this evening.
Reactions and reflections.
The Asian American Cultural Center is organizing “SPEAK: A Community Forum on Campus Climate” to provide a space for Asian-American students to reflect on the past week’s campus debates on race relations. The discussion will address how Asian-American community members fit into the conversation.
Speaking about gender. The
Yale Women Faculty Forum invites students to a lecture and Q&A at noon today in Luce Hall with Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka, the UN under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women. Mlambo-Ngucka was closely engaged with activism efforts to address racial segregation in South Africa, her home country.
YALE DAILY NEWS
Three hours of confrontation on Cross Campus culminated with a speech by Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway. BY NOAH DAPONTE-SMITH, MONICA WANG AND VICTOR WANG STAFF REPORTERS Surrounded by a sea of upturned faces and fighting back tears, Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway stood on the Women’s Table Thursday afternoon before a crowd of more than 200 students to break the
administration’s silence on allegations of racial discrimination that shook campus this week. “It is painful for me — as someone who has a vested interest in supporting you — to hear what you have just told me, but I am glad you did…” he said. “I’m here for you. I do have your back. Please know that I have heard your stories and I’ll leave
University searches for five new leaders BY DAVID SHIMER STAFF REPORTER University President Peter Salovey’s cabinet — composed of academic deans, Universitywide vice presidents and the provost — will soon welcome five new faces. Searches are currently underway to hire replacement deans for the Schools of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Art and Public Health, as well as the inaugural vice president for communications and senior vice president for operations. Salovey said he expects the new dean of art to be announced this semester and the other two deans to be announced by the end of second semester. The timing of the vice-presidential announcements is more uncertain, he said. While deans’ and vice presidents’ responsibilities differ, together they make up Salovey’s cabinet — a body that meets with him at least once a month and has two to three daylong
retreats per year. In selecting members of his cabinet, Salovey said he has four major criteria. “I like cabinet members who are first and foremost experts in their domain — we are not going to compromise core expertise,” Salovey said. “Second, I like people who are willing to speak out and are not afraid to challenge my views or the provost’s views. Third, I like cabinet members who have some emotional intelligence, because so much of working in a missiondriven environment like a university involves building consensus, persuading people of one’s positions and managing teams. I also really want people who can collaborate with each other.” Salovey established the 25-person cabinet upon assuming the presidency in July 2013, calling it an “academic brain trust” whose purpose was to bring University leaders together to foster communicaSEE SEARCH PAGE 6
here changed.” The speech came after three hours of emotional confrontation on Cross Campus, as hundreds of students of all races encircled Holloway, who remained solemn as he listened to their stories and their calls for him to use his administrative position to advocate for marginalized groups on Yale’s cam-
pus. The impromptu gathering, which ballooned out of a chalking event on Cross Campus in support of Yale’s people of color, which Holloway had attended, came days after alleged racist behavior at a Sigma Alpha Epsilon party and an email from Silliman College Associate Master Erika Christakis criticizing over-sensitivity to cultural
appropriation. Crowd members expressed their frustrations and anger at the current status of minorities on Yale’s campus. In addition to voicing their outrage and disappointment at the administration’s perceived inaction, minority students asked Holloway a question: To SEE CROSS CAMPUS PAGE 4
Buyer makes Church St. South offer BY JIAHUI HU STAFF REPORTER Preservation of Affordable Housing — a national nonprofit that renovates and redevelops affordable housing — offered to purchase Church Street South last week from current owner Northland Investment Corporation.
POAH frequently purchases derelict affordable housing projects, often funded by mid-20th century housing grants, and restores them into mixed-income complexes, POAH Managing Director Bart Lloyd said. The organization proposed to buy and rebuild Church Street South’s 300 Section 8 units — federally funded living
spaces for low-income families — into a complex with 300 to 400 mixed-income units, Lloyd said. Roughly 50 percent would be Section 8 units. But Northland has not yet responded to the letter, Lloyd said. Northland did not disclose SEE BUYER PAGE 6
JIAHUI HU/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Preservation of Affordable Housing has offered to purchase Church Street South.
New colleges bring potential for growth in athletics
THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY
1923 Renowned physicist Niels Bohr gives a lecture at Sterling Chemistry Laboratory. Follow along for the News’ latest.
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BY DANIELA BRIGHENTI STAFF REPORTER Despite the upcoming 15 percent increase in Yale’s undergraduate student body, it is still unclear whether Yale’s studentathlete population will see a similar increase, or any at all. With an increase of roughly 800 more undergraduate students beginning with the class
of 2021, various Yale athletic coaches and administrative staff see a potential for increasing the pool of student-athletes recruited each year. For the class of 2015 — the last class for which recruitment statistics have been disclosed by Director of Athletics Tom Beckett — 13.1 percent of the student body, or 177 out of 1,351 students, consisted of recruited student-athletes.
In the fall of 2017, approximately 200 additional Yale undergraduates will arrive in New Haven. If the University were to maintain that same percentage, the number of student-athletes would increase by about 26. However, at this time the administration is still in the process of determining if and how Yale’s recruitment policy will change in accordance with
the uptick in the student population. “Currently no decision has been made about how the expansion of Yale College will impact the number of recruited athletes on campus,” Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan said. A steering committee, led by Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway and composed
of four undergraduate students, four staff members, four recent alumni and four faculty members, has been tasked with assessing how the new colleges will impact Yale’s campus culture. The committee, of which Beckett is a member, will discuss multiple issues regarding student life, including potenSEE RECRUITING PAGE 6
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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
OPINION
.COMMENT “If you say racism exists in the entity as a whole, then boycotting is yaledailynews.com/opinion
NOT the solution.”
The helpful test T
wo summers ago, I shared many of my meals with two kids, five and eight. I was working in Boston, and my sublet search led me to a family of four who were somehow crazy and warmhearted enough to let me live in a spare room in their home. Some of our meals were funny. Other times, there was teasing. The eight-year-old might say something insensitive to the five-year-old, and then the five-year-old would give it right back. Meals would sometimes end in tears or storming off. In these instances, the siblings’ father, Adam, would ask a simple question. “Was that helpful?” Now, I’m not an early childhood specialist by any means, but I found this technique ingenious. It allowed for reflection. Rather than delivering an outright reprimand, Adam placed the burden on his children to decide what was helpful. Teasing, it turned out, was not. The “helpful” test, as I will call it, can help us work through the controversies and comments that have embroiled our campus conversations over the past week. I’ll start chronologically. On Oct. 28, Dean Burgwell Howard and the Intercultural Affairs Committee wrote an email that expressed the “hope that people would actively avoid … circumstances that threaten our sense of community or disrespects, alienates or ridicules segments of our population based on race, nationality, religious belief or gender expression.” Was that helpful? Yes. The email itself employed the helpful test by allowing students to decide for themselves whether or not their costumes would be offensive in some way. There was no coercion, and no one’s freedom of expression was violated. It passed the muster of the helpful test. At a school where “being a decent human being” is not a distributional requirement, the email offered a crash course. Not long after, Silliman Associate Master Erika Christakis offered her own views in an email to her college, claiming that Howard’s email was a potential threat to free thinking. “Free speech and the ability to tolerate offence are the hallmarks of a free and open society,” she claims. Was that helpful? Free speech is important to introducing new ideas, challenging norms or assumptions and cultivating leaders who can think for themselves. It should go without saying that everyone at an institution of higher learning is guaranteed the right to free speech. But Christakis’ email marginalized the very segments of our population who are, in fact, hurt by costumes based on racist tropes
and stereotypes. In that sense, it was unhelpful — under the helpful test, she shouldn’t have pressed AUSTIN BRYNIARSKI “send.” Folks who don’t underGuns & stand that racism and butter misogyny can operate in very small, often hardto-see ways allege that trigger warnings and “safe spaces” threaten free speech. They act as though students claiming to feel “uncomfortable” at places like Yale are calling for the entire campus to be covered in foam, rather than for basic decency. But a trigger warning for sexual assault doesn’t stop a movie from portraying violence. Being cognizant of microaggressions doesn’t mean that a productive and open discussion cannot take place. Sensitivity is not censorship. These tools don’t keep people from saying whatever they want. They offer a better way to conduct oneself, one that recognizes how power and privilege operate through our everyday interactions with each other. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should. The helpful test sets a higher bar. We can apply this test across campus. Is it helpful that predominantly white, male spaces have a monopoly on the campus social scene? Is it helpful that Nicholas Christakis is tweeting about the controversy, and then retweeting those tweets from Silliman’s official Twitter, effectively preempting any conversation a student might want to pursue with the head of her residential college, her home? Is it helpful that faculty members of color in African American Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration have left over the past few years because it has taken Yale until just now to invest in faculty diversity initiatives? As a white male, I had to ask myself when writing this column — is this helpful? I hope it will be. The helpfulness test can’t solve all our problems, but it can keep us from saying dumb stuff and make our conversations more productive. The right to say stupid stuff does not mean stupid stuff is right to say. Even eight-year-old Ezra had the capacity to understand whether or not his words were helpful. “Was that helpful?” is a simple question. And that’s why it’s so brilliant.
NEWS’
VIEW No more silence In the middle of Cross Campus on Thursday afternoon, something powerful happened. Hundreds of students formed concentric circles around Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway, and through a combination of moving rhetoric, choruses of snapping and the fighting back of tears, they spoke. People of color recalled countless racial slurs they endured on campus. A tour guide expressed his discomfort promoting an institution where he and others continue to feel unprotected and unsupported. Another simply posed a question to Holloway: “Do you have our back?” “It’s clear that what I've been trying to do quietly is just not enough,” Holloway told the students at the conclusion of the demonstration. “I want you to know that I will try my damnedest. And I really want you to know that I need your help.” But, where one University leader stepped up, many others failed. One student asked: “Where are the white admin-
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do more for people of color — especially women. The student body remains divided, and too many feel like they do not belong. And it should not take students sobbing at the entrance of Sterling Memorial Library to make this clear. At the Yale Daily News, we share in the responsibility to be educated on the problems that plague all members of our community. And we recognize that we have fallen short: We were too slow to report on the condition of Yale's cultural houses last year, we have run stories and headlines that marginalized the voices of others and our recruitment and retention of diverse staffers needs to be better. These are just to name a few. It is our mission to be informed on the struggles many of us are fortunate enough not to face; it is our job to share the very real and valid stories that need to be told. Some students feel their voices are not welcomed in our paper. That is our fault. We have tried, but we must do better. We as a campus have been
given a chance to address the concerns of our fellow students. Our discussions of race relations have reached a critical mass and we as a community must now, more than ever, examine the underlying forces that have created these divisions at Yale. Whether implementing racial-sensitivity training for faculty and students or improving mental health services for students of color, it is imperative we listen to the suggestions of others and explore a wide range of initiatives to begin mending a broken campus. We should also do everything in our power to have a constructive dialogue. Ad hominem attacks do not change minds or promote progress. We must understand that not everyone will always agree on such complex and emotional issues. But the prospect of disagreement is no excuse for silence. “Please know I've heard everything you’ve said,” Holloway concluded before asking to be excused. “I’ll leave here changed.” We must too.
GUEST COLUMNIST AMELIA NIERENBERG
A bark without bite O
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istrators? Why aren’t they here?” We commend Holloway for his willingness to engage students with honesty and candor. He met three hours of student criticism with words of sincerity and poise, despite having no remarks prepared. It takes bravery to come alone and simply listen. But in a week following two major racially charged controversies, it is unacceptable that the University has not issued a formal response. If there were ever a time for the University to come out as an ally for students who continue to feel as though they occupy a space not meant for them, it is now. When a swastika was drawn on Old Campus last year, it took the University less than 24 hours to condemn this act of hate. “There is no room for hate in this house,” Holloway wrote in a campus email at the time. The same truth applies today. Irrespective of one’s view on Erika Christakis’ email or the events that occurred last Friday on the steps of SAE, it is evident our campus must
DAN GORODEZKY/CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
AUSTIN BRYNIARSKI is a senior in Calhoun College. His column runs on Fridays. Contact him at austin.bryniarski@yale.edu .
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'ALICIA' ON 'ALLEN, GOLDBERG: BOYCOTT SAE'
ver break, I enjoyed the distinct displeasure of nervous parents of highschool seniors asking about my college process. Over time, my response has become a script. One: “Yale is a place where people are interested and interesting — a place where people actually Talk about Things.” Two: “Yale has the best Art Department of its peer institutions, save Brown, and my music taste is NOT good enough for me to go to Brown” (light chuckles from listeners). Three: “Yale is closer to home than Harvard, and Nana is getting old,” which garners the most smiles from my mother. Quips aside, it’s been easier to deliver this spiel than to actually probe what that identity means to me now. The old Yale identity — the Yale Man — has been fossilized as an aesthetic. He worked hard, played harder and was slightly less WASPy than our Crimson frenemies up north — Sherman McCoy or Tom Buchanan. To let Charles McGrath sum it up in the New York Times Style section, he was “a Cole Porter-ish sort of fellow, stylish and well connected, who spoke with just a hint of a lockjaw accent. He was John Lindsay ’44 LAW ’48, to pick a single, perfect example.” Lindsay, however, transcended his aesthetic: He was a veteran, a politician and even a journal-
ist. Aside from the Good Old Boys fashion sense, old Yale Men like Lindsay were civic-minded, elites and winners, but also crusaders for the public good.” Today, we are not these Yale Men, much though some of my blazer-wearing, coffee-decanting, oxford-comma-venerating peers would like us to be. Instead, we are Yale students. But what does that mean? Scott Stern ’15 painted a rather scathing portrait of the “New Yale Man” in this very publication last year (“The New Yale Man,” Feb. 2). “The New Yale Man is born choking on a silver spoon in a New York hospital,” he writes. An economics major, a bit of a handsome slacker who “joins a society to make connections, or, as he calls them, friends. He takes Grand Strategy, or something like that.” Stern’s portrayal becomes more attractive as the sheen of the admissions booklet fades with time. We eventually realize Yale students are not, each and every one, a Harkness Tower pillar of intellect, morality and thoughtfulness. Yes, 25 percent of our classmates will go into finance. Yes, some nights we [Talk About Literature In Ivy-Lined Gothic Architecture]. But some nights we also go to Toads. This is a real place, and our Yale identity is also that of 20-year-old students
having fun, slacking off, raging against some invisible machine. Stern’s superficial assessment of an inwardly focused, self-serving student fails to probe the “why” behind this perceived careerism. Let’s return to my first reason for coming to Yale: stimulating dialogue. Being here for a year has given me some perspective, and unlike Stern, I don’t think we are vapid pre-professional cogs in a corporate machine. Yale is a place of discussion, in many ways more than some of the peer institutions. We actually talk to each other here, and our discourse is a huge part of our identity as the new Yale students. In many ways, our own microcosm of a functioning public sphere plays out on the comments threads of “Overheard at Yale,” our civic agora. But more than a place for coy updates about Sasha Pup, campuswide dialogues sometimes blossom out of conversations happening between people who may not know one another personally. The lusty exchange on Saturday night in response to Erika Christakis’ email is just one example of a rare, but worthwhile, totem to our shared identity of discussion. Yet even though we talk, we don’t act. Calhoun is still “Calhoun,” with few people weighing in either way; mental health services here are still complicated,
classist and confusing; and people wear the orange divestment “Y” as an afterthought while drinking bottled water. Perhaps this is what Stern meant when he wrote, “now, the rich, the privileged, the Yale Men, have lost any sense of social responsibility.” That is why I hesitate to use the word “deliberation” — what our own Seyla Benhabib GRD ’77 defined as “an alternative model of institutional decision-making [that is] nevertheless a decisionmaking process … [and not] just having a conversation.” Maybe we once were a campus of deliberators, but now it seems that we are more a campus of conversers, of dialoguers, of talkers. Deliberating is its own form of activism, and birthed so many action-based men of letters like Lindsay and Henry Luce ’20 of Time Magazine. Ours is an intellectual probing instead of a mattress-carrying campus, and there’s something valuable about that dialogue. The next iteration of our speech-act identity must actually act. That’s what our generation of Yale students must overcome: Ours is an identity of erudite barkers, without any civic bite. At least for the time being. AMELIA NIERENBERG is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College. Contact her at amelia.nierenberg@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 3
NEWS
“At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.” JODI RELL AMERICAN POLITICIAN
Yale-NUS loosens alcohol policy
CORRECTIONS THURSDAY, NOV. 5
A previous version of the article “Yale welcomes Brown on Senior Day” incorrectly stated that Evagelia Toffoloni ’19 scored in a field hockey game against Columbia. In fact, Katerina Toffoloni ’19 scored.
Police forms coordinate for high-profile guests
YALE DAILY NEWS
Every year, several high-profile figures who come to Yale require U.S. Secret Service protection. BY DAVID SHIMER AND SARA SEYMOUR STAFF REPORTERS Several high-profile figures have come to Yale over the past year — from national security officials to the vice president — requiring complex security coordination in the process. Every year, visiting dignitaries who require U.S. Secret Service protection travel to New Haven for a variety of reasons, from closed meetings to public talks. Just last week, National Security Advisor Susan Rice visited to give an open talk at the Yale Law School and attend a private dinner at Timothy Dwight College. Each such visit requires coordination between the Yale Police Department and several other law enforcement agencies in an effort to keep those on campus secure. These measures range from using Yale’s own bomb dog to completely closing off of certain areas of campus.
Resources dedicated to some of the visits may not necessarily be visible to others. STEVEN WOZNYK Assistant Chief, Yale Police Department “I want them to feel comfortable and safe on our campus,” University President Peter Salovey said of the high-profile visitors. “We do everything we can to be cooperative and, I would say, the integration of different security services — Secret Service, Yale Police, sometimes the FBI and New Haven police if we’re on city streets.” Mike Patten and Steven Woznyk, Yale Police Department assistant chiefs, receive primary requests for dignitary protection and then coordinate with each YPD officer and U.S. Secret Service agent put in charge of each specific case. YPD provides police resources, such as personnel from patrol, investigative services and emergency services, as well as local expertise. Woznyk said he could not discuss specific details surrounding high-profile visits to campus due to security reasons. According to Woznyk, the challenges associated with these visits include logistics, venues, movements on and off campus
and whether the visiting dignitary stays overnight. Senior Advisor to the President Martha Highsmith said in working through these difficulties, the first priority remains keeping members of the Yale community safe during highprofile visits. “There are always challenges, but they are what they are every day: keeping the campus safe,” she said. “When you have highprofile visitors who maybe attract additional attention to the campus, it’s always the safety and security of our population first and foremost. We have our own police bomb dog, and New Haven has bomb dogs as do the state police.” Students gave mixed reports about seeing the Secret Service on campus. Eleven of 21 students interviewed said they had noticed the Secret Service at Yale, noting black SUVs, men in sunglasses and entourages following high-profile figures such as former President Jimmy Carter, who spoke at a campus forum in December 2014, and Malia Obama, who was on campus last month. In May, students were not permitted to be in Old Campus dorms from early morning to late afternoon on the day Vice President Joe Biden spoke at Commencement. Dustin Nguyen ’18 said while at Yale over the summer, he noticed a number of Secret Service agents standing outside of Jonathan Edwards College. “I saw a car that said U.S. Government on the license plate, and I walked over to them to look at them closely, and they had pins on them that has the Secret Service logo,” he said. Still, 10 of 21 of students interviewed said they had never noticed the Secret Service on campus. Woznyk explained that not all U.S. Secret Service visits entail visible security. “Assigned resources vary depending on the visitor and activities on campus,” Woznyk said in an email to the News. “Resources dedicated to some of the visits may not necessarily be visible to others, whereas the opposite would take place with a more high-profile visitor and be more noticeable to others.” The Secret Service was founded in 1865. Contact DAVID SHIMER at david.shimer@yale.edu and SARA SEYMOUR at sara.seymour@yale.edu .
BY QI XU STAFF REPORTER You must be 21 or older to drink in the state of Connecticut — but not in Singapore. In Singapore, where YaleNUS makes its home, the legal drinking age is 18. But that does not mean that drinking on Yale-NUS’ campus is simple: a survey distributed by the YaleNUS Student Government earlier this semester found that barely over half of students — 51.9 percent — were satisfied with the school’s alcohol policy, with 46.8 percent declaring it too strict. Only 1.3 percent of students believed it was too lenient. Based on this student feedback, as well as students’ concerns that the policies are too nebulous, the student government is pushing for a clearer and more lenient alcohol policy at Yale-NUS, though the school already loosened its policies this fall. According to Yale-NUS’ General Housing Guidelines, “alcohol may not be sold or consumed on campus unless otherwise approved, such as in approved food outlets on campus or during approved events and programs.” Although the policy prohibits drinking on campus, students interviewed said their Dean’s Fellows and graduate advisors have told them they need not gain approval for drinking in private spaces such as informal suite parties, but only in public. Previously, when Yale-NUS did not have its own campus but occupied a single building on the National University of Singapore’s campus, students had to abide by NUS’ “dry campus” policy, meaning that drinking was banned in any setting, private or public, according to Dave Chappell YNUS ’18, a member of the student government’s Community Living Committee. But after Yale-NUS moved to its new campus this fall, he said, the policy was relaxed. Under the current policy, students planning to host events with alcohol need to gain approval from the Office of the Dean of Students, and additional consent from their rectors if the event happens in a residential hall. “[Requiring approval] is a relatively new part of the policy, so it’s still under development,” Chappell said. “As such, events are generally given approval on an ad hoc basis, at least from my understanding. This is an area the student government is hoping to work with the Dean of Students’ Office on, as we have received some feedback that guidelines are unclear.” In April, Chappell gave a presentation to the administration on the results of a separate Community Learning Survey the student government had distributed earlier that year, in which 64 percent of the 210 respondents voted in favor of a “wet campus.”
Interim Dean of Students Brian McAdoo said the process for getting approval involves submitting a form with the event’s details to the Dean of Students’ Office. A member of the office’s team will meet with the student organizers to run through the event details and provide advice on event management, McAdoo said, adding that students seeking to register an event with alcohol must also have completed the school’s comprehensive alcohol safety training program, “Raising the Bar,” which focuses on the skills and tools needed to host healthy, safe and responsible events on campus. McAdoo did not specify the guidelines for approved events. “As an educational institution, our priority is to create a community of learning,” he said. “Hence, the Dean of Students’ Office conceptualized an alcohol policy which is tailored for the needs of the YaleNUS community, while complying with Singapore’s laws.” Compared to its peer institutions in Singapore, YaleNUS treads a middle ground in terms of the strictness of its alcohol policy. At NUS, alcohol consumption is prohibited except at designated beverage outlets and university events. But Nanyang Technological University does not have specific rules limiting on-campus drinking, so long as the individual is “socially responsible” when drinking, according to the school’s Student Code of Conduct.
Yale-NUS President Pericles Lewis said the lower drinking age in Singapore frees the school from many alcoholrelated problems such as the binge-drinking facing American universities today. Because the drinking age is lower, he said, college events can offer alcohol to students and allow them to drink in a regulated environment, whereas students under the drinking age in the U.S. usually consume alcohol in unregulated spaces off campus and are more likely to engage in dangerous drinking behaviors. While approved Yale-NUS events are allowed to serve alcohol, Chappell said this does not occur frequently. Based on his memory, Chappell said, only three official events so far this semester have had alcohol, and those events were closely regulated. He added that Yale-NUS’ cafe, which will open soon, will likely serve alcohol during specific hours. Besides advocating for more leniency and clearer alcohol approval guidelines, the student government is also looking at the expansion of YaleNUS’ student insurance to include alcohol-related injuries. According to Lewis, the school has not yet had a single alcohol-related hospitalization. Of nine Yale-NUS students interviewed, seven said they seldom party or drink and declined to comment further. The remaining two students said they are satisfied with the school’s current alcohol policy.
Jonas Do Ung Yun YNUS ’18 said the alcohol policy is appropriate because while it allows students to drink on campus for the purpose of building a community and celebrating cultural holidays, it is also restrictive enough to maintain the proper atmosphere of the campus as a place of learning. “We definitely have rights to drink alcohol and forge a community together as a college,” Yun said. “We have the right to enjoy and indulge. However, we also have the duties as a student that we have to fulfill. And often, these duties and rights come into a conflict. Such is why I am in favor of a policy that is neither strict nor lenient.” Melody Tay YNUS ’19 said she is satisfied with the alcohol policy, adding that it is “reasonable” for the school to restrict drinking to private confines. Tay added that the most common drinking space at Yale-NUS is students’ suites, and most students buy alcohol from nearby grocery stores, or duty-free shops during their travels because of Singapore’s heavy tax on alcohol. The duty rates are 60 Singapore dollars ($42.66) per liter of alcohol for beer, stout, cider and perry — an alcoholic drink made from fermented pears, and S$88 per liter of alcohol for other types of liquor, according to Singapore Customs. Contact QI XU at qi.xu@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
Yale-NUS’ student government is seeking a more lenient, clarified alcohol policy.
CrossFit to open in Science Park BY MICHELLE LIU STAFF REPORTER A new CrossFit gym will arrive in Science Park just in time for New Year’s fitness resolutions. University Properties announced last week that CrossFit Science Park will be the newest addition to a slate of residential and retail offerings the University has brought to the development area. The gym will provide new fitness options to the Yale and New Haven communities — including group workout classes, yoga and personal training. CFSP is slated to open in Science Park in early December, according to co-owner Trish Cleary. “We are committed to providing education and training in fitness, nutrition and lifelong health, and we are excited to bring that to our friends in New Haven,” Cleary said in a statement. Cleary, who is also the head coach of the gym, will work with an investor, a programming designer and three other
coaches to run CFSP. To kick off the gym’s opening, CFSP is offering a “Founders Club” deal, which offers one free month of classes for the first 50 people who sign up. She said that over 20 people had already registered on the website. Cleary added that she aimed to have 200 registered gym members within the first six months of CFSP’s operations. Cleary stressed that the gym is open to all community members, including Science Park employees, Yale students and faculty, and nearby residents of the recently opened Winchester Lofts apartments. As part of CFSP’s community outreach, the gym will offer free classes for “underprivileged honor roll students” from the ages of 12 to 17, Cleary said. Cleary, who began participating in CrossFit three years ago, chose to establish the gym in Science Park because of the recent housing development in the area, she said. She noted the 3,000 people who work in the area, adding that the gym
was accessible to employees and students who use the University shuttle system to reach Science Park. But some students interviewed were hesitant about going to CFSP, citing lack of accessibility as a factor.
I don’t think I would be inclined to go to CrossFit if it is farther than Payne Whitney Gym. CARLEEN LIU ’16 “I don’t think I would be inclined to go to CrossFit if it is farther than Payne Whitney Gym,” Carleen Liu ’16 said. Still, others highlighted the benefits of the gym. Eden Murray ’18 said that CrossFit is a good option for non-athletes and athletes alike. Murray said that students could easily incorporate CrossFit as a study break or a stress reliever,
given that most of its workouts last less than half an hour. Cleary stressed that CFSP accommodates gym-goers of any fitness level because the workouts can be tailored to individuals. She added that gym-goers can develop a support system through group workouts. CrossFit is able to work in tandem with other gyms because its unique program offers training that members need to succeed in other sports, Cleary said. She intends to partner with a nearby rockclimbing gym to offer discounts, she added. “[CrossFit] is expensive, but you pay for what you’re getting,” Cleary said. “You get a lot of personalized attention and help with training, nutrition and lifestyle. [CrossFit is] almost like a personal trainer, so if you think about it you can’t even put a price on that.” CFSP will be located at 310 Winchester Ave. Contact MICHELLE LIU at michelle.liu@yale.edu .
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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT
“Where there is unity there is always victory.” PUBLILIUS SYRUS LATIN WRITER OF MAXIMS
Students criticize admin on Cross Campus
RAZVAN AZAMFIREI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
At the gathering, which lasted three hours, students told Holloway their personal stories and asked for change. CROSS CAMPUS FROM PAGE 1 whom in the University administration can they turn for support? Highlighting Holloway’s historic role as the first AfricanAmerican dean of Yale College, students called on him to take action in support of racial minorities, especially women of color. They said they respected Holloway and the weight of his responsibilities, but they were disappointed in him both as a black administrator and as a black man. While it is challenging for minority students to make their voices heard by the entire community, they said, it is easy for Holloway to do so simply by sending out an email in his capacity as dean. Many students burst into tears as they spoke. Holloway, who remained largely silent throughout the three hours he stood in
the center of the crowd, was visibly moved, turning to face each student who spoke. Students’ remarks extended far beyond the incidents involving SAE and Christakis, although they have served as the catalysts for an onslaught of discontent this week. Students called for sweeping administrative change, including the improvement of mental health infrastructure for minority students and the provision of Dean’s Excuses for students suffering from traumatic racial events. At the end of the gathering, Holloway stood atop the Women’s Table to address the crowd in an emotional speech in which he promised to more fully embrace his responsibilities as a prominent black administrator and professor of African American Studies. “Professor Holloway has a voice, but it’s harder for Dean
Holloway to have the same voice,” he said. “[That’s] probably wrong. And I’ll do better.” He also responded to students’ criticisms of administrative silence on racial issues, acknowledging that students may not always agree with his decisions. “It is clear that what I’ve been trying to do quietly and behind the scenes has not been enough, and I acknowledge that,” he said. Shortly after the gathering on Cross Campus, a crowd of students moved to the Silliman courtyard to continue chalking there. “Our culture is not a costume,” they wrote in bright colors on the ground. Shortly after, Silliman College Master Nicholas Christakis appeared before the crowd. A conversation ensued, in which many in attendance demanded an apology for the email his wife sent last Friday. They criticized her
RAZVAN AZAMFIREI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Over 200 students gathered on Cross Campus to demand administrative acknowledgement of racial issues.
for admonishing the Intercultural Affairs Council’s discouragement of culturally appropriative Halloween costumes. They also denounced Erika Christakis’ behavior during an open forum at the Afro-American Cultural Center Wednesday night. Students particularly disapproved of her attempt to leave the room before speaking or answering questions directed toward her, although she explained that she had a class waiting for her. The tone of this confrontation differed markedly from the earlier discussion with Holloway. While the interaction with Holloway ended in applause for the dean, the large gathering around Nicholas Christakis abruptly dissolved when students walked away in frustration. “I apologize for causing pain, but I am not sorry for the statement,” Christakis, whose wife was not present, told the crowd, his voice raised. “I stand behind free speech. I defend the right for people to speak their minds.” The gathering quickly became tense and confrontational after his shouted response. Several students told Christakis they do not feel welcome in Silliman, noting that students usually look to their masters to advocate for them, but they are now unwilling to even receive their diplomas from him at graduation. Many said he should be removed from his post. Christakis continued to defend his wife’s email, even jabbing his finger toward the individual students he was addressing. The conversation soon became a shouting match as both Christakis and the students tried to make themselves heard. Disillusioned, about half of the crowd left the gathering within the hour, finding their demands for an apology from the couple unanswered. Those who stayed continued to express their frustration. Later Thursday evening, Christakis hosted a Master’s Tea with Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonprofit organization committed to defending individual rights on American college campuses. At
RAZVAN AZAMFIREI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Holloway asked students to hold him accountable for his role as their advocate. the tea, which has been planned since July and is not in response to this week’s events, Christakis said recent discussions have redoubled his resolve and appreciation for the value of free speech. While the tea was occurring, Holloway, University President Peter Salovey and several other administrators met with student leaders from various cultural groups. After the conclusion of the nearly five-hour meeting, Salovey told the News he is grateful that students have shared their experiences and time to make the University a better place. “We had a very honest interchange, and I am working now with my leadership team to plan
concrete steps for us to take to act up on concerns the students shared with me,” Salovey wrote. Dean of Student Engagement Burgwell Howard — who was present at the gatherings with both Holloway and Christakis — emphasized that listening before taking action is the best way to advance the current situation. “Dean Holloway listened,” he said. “He needed to listen and hear people’s pain first, before he is in a position to speak.” Contact NOAH DAPONTE-SMITH at noah.daponte-smith@yale.edu, MONICA WANG at monica.wang@yale.edu and VICTOR WANG at v.wang@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS
The gathering grew unexpectedly out of a chalking event where students wrote words of support and affirmation for Yale’s minorities.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 5
NEWS
“Relationships are like traffic lights. And I just have this theory that I can only exist in a relationship if it’s a green light.” TAYLOR SWIFT AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER
Crossbikes promote traffic safety BY NATALINA LOPEZ CONTRIBUTING REPORTER New Haven gave intersection safety a green light when they installed “crossbikes” Wednesday. The crossbikes — green safety markings much like crosswalks — define bike lanes as they traverse through intersections. The crossbikes were completed on the intersections of York and Elm streets, Elm and High streets and Elm and College streets as part of the Elm Street pilot, an initiative to install crossbikes on Elm Street intersections. Doug Hausladen ’04, City Hall’s director of transportation, traffic and parking, said the city is testing these on Elm Street since there is a higher volume of traffic and accidents. “We want to test some newer styles of bicycle infrastructure in order to solicit feedback and help provide planning teams,” Hausladen said. “These are not inexpensive. However, we were able to — in a pilot — test these in on Elm Street.” Hausladen said implementing the pilot took a number of months because designing the green pavement markings relied on a company in New Jersey to assist with shipping the material. He explained that the city’s building crew ran out of material with which to paint the intersection, and had to wait on new materials before it could finish the Elm Street pilot.
Hausladen said while he and many cyclists deemed New Haven intersections a safety concern for cyclists, the new Elm Street bike lanes are ready for cyclists to test. Student and professional bikers said they think the intersection safety markings are an innovative idea. Hausladen said he hopes to solicit feedback from riders over the winter. Hausladen emphasized that the crossbikes are a step in the right direction for Elm City transit. He added that the city has also undertaken other transportation improvement projects, including the two-way cycle roads that connect downtown to the western part of New Haven. Bob Jacobson — a cyclist and employee at College Street Cycles — said he rides his bike as often as he drives and feels that the crossbikes benefit bikers as much as they do drivers. He added that the green markings on the intersection “calm the driver down” because drivers are forewarned that a cyclist may be crossing. “I’m not a gung-ho biker, but I do feel like awareness is part of the battle.” Jacobson said. “It’s really just paint on the road, but it does cause awareness.” Portland was the first city to use crossbikes. Contact NATALINA LOPEZ at natalina.lopez@yale.edu .
IRENE JIANG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The green markings on Elm Street intersections warn drivers that bikers may cross their paths.
Yale students prominent in national sexual assault campaign BY PADDY GAVIN CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
IRENE JIANG/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
100 Voices Strong campaign invited students to record anonymous views on sexual assault as audio messages.
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A nationwide social media campaign against sexual assault has drawn significant participation from Yale students relative to the participation of other universities. The 100 Voices Strong campaign, which began in October, invited college students to record their views on sexual assault as audio messages and to anonymously post these online using an iPhone application called “Flyy.” The campaign, which was organized by Flyy staff in conjunction with college students across the country, yielded messages from students at over 100 colleges and universities in the United States, according to Serena Pham, one of the campaign’s organizers and a student at the University of San Francisco. Jared Wolens, one of the principal organizers of 100 Voices Strong and a senior at Stanford University, said that the campaign was created to encourage survivors and opponents of sexual abuse to publicly voice their individual feelings on the subject. Wolens described the concept of recording one’s feelings and anonymously sharing them with the world as a personal and powerful experience. He added that the organizers felt that the anonymity of messages uploaded
by the application would encourage participation from students who lack the encouragement of others to speak up in person. “[The campaign] was a way to give people a voice but maintain anonymity and not feel the need to associate identity with oneself,” Wolens said. He added that organizers wished to break down the “herd mentality” of speaking out about sexual assault — the feeling that one can only share their experiences of assault when others do the same. He added that the organizers of 100 Voices Strong decided to primarily target the colleges and universities in the U.S. that were under federal investigation for sexual assault, and began to contact student activists and publications at these campuses to make them aware of the campaign. Wolens said Yale students were among the most participative in the campaign and that the newly-formed Yale student group United Against Sexual Assault Yale was particularly helpful in raising awareness of 100 Voices Strong on campus. He added that the messages left on the Flyy application by Yale students were often more thoughtful than those from students at other universities. According to Wolens, while posts at many universities carried a sense
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of individual immediacy, the posts of Yale students focused on the bigger picture of sexual assault and its prevention. “A lot of Yale students would preface their stories with a piece of thought,” Wolens said. “Yale students were more concerned with helping to spread awareness, as opposed to other schools where [the messages were] more personal therapy.” Helen Price ’18, cofounder of USAY, said that the organizers of 100 Voices Strong asked USAY to be its representative organization at Yale. She was positive about the way in which the campaign encouraged empathy with survivors of sexual assault without forcing students to do so publicly. “Given that Flyy is anonymous, we don’t know how many Yale students participated, but we have been very happy with the awareness and response on campus,” Price wrote in an email to the News. Anthony D’Ambrosio ’18, co-founder of USAY, said that, to his knowledge, all messages published by Yale students as part of 100 Voices Strong were posted by students affiliated with USAY. He added that the group intends to keep in touch with the staff of the Flyy application and the organizers of 100 Voices Strong with the intent of possible collaboration on future projects.
“We plan to publish all of the messages that USAY participants posted [as part of 100 Voices Strong] when our Facebook page goes live next week,” D’Ambrosio said. “Look at what members of the Yale community want to verbalize … and want to share.” When asked about the effect on 100 Voices Strong of Flyy’s relative obscurity in comparison to other social media platforms, Pham acknowledged that while the campaign’s use of the application restricted its overall reach, its anonymity made the messages more personal and empowering. “[Flyy allows you] to talk about feelings and opinions you might not even want to talk to your friends about,” Pham said. “It gives more of an anonymous and personable feel because you can change your voice if you need to.” Pham said that the application’s facility to anonymously comment on anonymous posts makes it communicative in spite of its anonymity. She added that the campaign brings to the forefront an issue that, although very serious, is not widely discussed across the country. The Flyy application is published by the company Voice Urself, LLC. Contact PADDY GAVIN at paddy.gavin@yale.edu .
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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT Church Street South sees new buyer BUYER FROM PAGE 1 to the News what they intend to do with the failed project. But they voiced plans to redevelop the location into a new apartment complex in a September meeting with tenants. “We made an offer and we’d be very interested in buying the building,” Lloyd said. “It’s hard to tell whether it will work out. But Northland has indicated they have no interest in selling.” When residents are given vouchers to fund their move from failed projects, Lloyd said, their former homes often become unaffordable. He added that residents with vouchers typically move into neighborhoods with greater or equal rates of crime and poverty. Lloyd said directly funding redevelopment is preferable to giving residents vouchers to move because these can expire and there is always the risk of them being cut due to budget restraints. He said direct development funding also contributes to a long-lasting supply of affordable housing. “In our experience in Chicago and elsewhere, when you have a potentially gentrifying neighborhood, those tenants never come back,” Lloyd said. “I have a true belief that Northland is sincere and wants to bring tenants back, but we would make sure that happens.” POAH’s offer to ensure at least 50 percent of their new units are classified as Section 8 contrasts with Northland’s 2011 agreement with former Mayor John DeStefano to rebuild Church Street South and keep just 20 percent as affordable housing units. DeStefano convinced Northland to buy and renovate the
already dilapidated property in 2008, noting Church Street South — which is located opposite Union Station — stands in an important location in New Haven because it connects the station to the downtown area. The 2011 deal to redevelop the complex fell through in 2012 — before any major construction work could begin — after the Board of Alders requested the proportion of affordable units increase from 20 to 28 percent. Northland could not do so profitably, said Northland Chairman Lawrence Gottesdiener in a Thursday email to the News. Gottesdiener noted that though Northland purchased a property they knew was in very bad condition, they invested in improving the building. From a 2003 housing inspection score in the low 30s out of 100, Gottesdiener said, the complex’s score rose to 81 in November 2014. He added Northland achieved this score right before a particularly harsh winter that significantly damaged the building. “While Northland did not create the problems at Church Street South, and did our best to mitigate them, we do understand that we are stewards of the property and it is our responsibility,” Gottesdiener said. This is not the first time POAH has encountered hesitant sellers, Lloyd said. Lloyd said tenants in a Chicago project that POAH later purchased protested outside their local Department of Housing and Urban Development office against a contract for the sale of their apartment complex to a for-profit developer. Several attorneys representing Church Street South tenants have asked him to consider pur-
chasing the complex, he added. As Northland considers its options, the organization continues to move families out of Church Street South, with the help of HUD and the Housing Authority of New Haven. Over the past week, HUD approved the first three housing units that Church Street South families will be relocated to, HUD spokeswoman for the New England Region, Rhonda Siciliano, said. HUD will inspect dozens more across the city in the upcoming week, she said, adding that HUD aims to move all Church Street South tenants who have been moved into temporary housing into a permanent home by Thanksgiving. Siciliano said it took longer than expected to relocate tenants in temporary housing into permanent housing. The Church Street South project is unlike any other in terms of the number and the size of families. Siciliano added that the New Haven housing market is particularly limited for a city of its size. Five-bedroom units, that could accommodate the many large families in Church Street South, are particularly difficult to find, she said. Around 200 apartment units in New Haven and surrounding areas have been identified as potential homes for former Church Street South tenants, Siciliano added. “This came out of an initial reach out to landlords, the state and other groups,” Siciliano said. “There has been a real outpouring of support.” Church Street South was built in 1969. Contact JIAHUI HU at jiahui.hu@yale.edu .
“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” TOM PETERS AMERICAN WRITER
Growth to affect recruitment RECRUITING FROM PAGE 1 tial changes to Yale’s recruitment policy. Holloway said the number of recruited athletes cannot grow at the exact same rate as the increase in the student population due to the new colleges, but recognized that the current cap for studentathletes set by Yale President Peter Salovey is lower than the absolute cap of the Ivy League. Holloway added that there is potential for a few — “maybe half a dozen” — extra spots for athletic recruitment when the two colleges open. According to an Oct. 2013 article in the News, Yale had a cap of 180 student-athletes at the time that could be admitted to the college each year. The Ivy League quota currently stands at 230, though Quinlan said in that same article that no Ivy League school fills all 230 spots. Beckett added that the number of recruited athletes are very similar across the eight colleges. Under former President Richard Levin, Yale admitted fewer student-athletes than the cap and fewer student-athletes than other Ivy schools due to what Levin described as an increasingly selective applicant pool as well as a higher “opportunity cost” for each admitted student, according to a Sept. 2012 article in the News. “The more spots you have the better the chances you have of succeeding during recruitment,” Yale women’s soccer head coach Rudy Meredith said. “If the policy changes, it would help us
because we would have more chances to recruit more athletes.” Meredith added that more recruitment slots provide coaches with a larger margin for error, explaining that athletes sometimes do not adapt to their team or suffer season- or career-ending injuries. More athletes on the roster, he said, could significantly decrease the possibility of such circumstances having a negative impact on the teams.
I think the expansion of the colleges will be positive. It might mean slightly more recruits, but it also means a larger pool of potential walk-ons. HENRY HARUTUNIAN Head Coach, Women’s Fencing
Meredith added that if Yale were to increase the number of its recruitment slots, that would also mean plucking athletes away from other Ivy League schools. “If I have seven spots, I will recruit seven kids,” Meredith said. “If I only had six spots, that [seventh] kid is going to go play for another Ivy League [school], and we will probably end up playing against that very good player.” Women’s soccer has a
defined number of recruitment spots each year, according to Meredith, which tends to vary between five and seven. However, that number may vary for other teams. Women’s fencing, for example, has very few recruitment spots and depends to a large extent on walk-ons, according to head coach Henry Harutunian. Despite this lack of recruited athletes and resulting reliance on walk-ons, Harutunian, like other coaches, also saw the completion of the two new residential colleges as a beneficial factor for his team’s development. “I think the expansion of the colleges will be positive,” Harutunian said. “It might mean slightly more recruits, but it also means a larger pool of potential walk-ons.” Although no decision has yet been made, Beckett recognized that it would make sense for the University to consider increasing the number of recruited student-athletes each year. He added that he hoped to see increased flexibility in the numbers that Yale provides for its varsity teams, something which would advantage the athletic department, the teams and all of its coaches. Over the coming months, recruitment policy will be discussed between Salovey, Holloway and Quinlan, among others, Beckett said. He was unable to provide a specific timeline for when any decision will be made. Contact DANIELA BRIGHENTI at daniela.brighenti@yale.edu .
Searches underway for five University leaders SEARCH FROM PAGE 1 tion between top-level officials and the deans of Yale’s various schools, as well as to discuss large-scale policy issues and the grander University mission. Prior to its creation, there existed a Deans’ Cabinet and Vice Presidents’ Cabinet, but the two bodies did not formally collaborate. While Senior Advisor to the President Martha Highsmith said having five senior searches at once is unusual, she dispelled the idea that the upcoming changes are a result of Salovey wanting to install his own generation of campus leaders. “None of the positions have been filled as a result of the president deciding to clean house,” she said. “They are all on the basis of attrition … It’s unusual that we have so many positions changing at one time, but it’s just coincidental.” Interviews with Salovey, administrators and faculty indicate that the search processes — all of which are being coordinated by Highsmith — for vice presidents and deans differ slightly. While faculty-run committees are leading the searches for the three new deans, outside firms are taking charge in hunting for the inaugural vice presidents for communications and operations. The results of both will further shape Salovey’s leadership team.
SEARCHING FOR THREE NEW DEANS
The ongoing searches for the three deanships follow the recent hiring of new deans of architecture and nursing. Paul Cleary, the current dean of the School of Public Health, will step down at the end of his term in June 2016 but remain at Yale, while Dean of Forestry and Environmental Studies Peter Crane will leave Yale at the end of this academic year to become the inaugural president of Oak Spring Garden Foundation — an estate that includes gardens, as well as a library of landscape history and plant science. Robert Storr, the dean of the School of Art, will also be leaving his deanship by the end of this year. Highsmith said searches for deans involve a search advisory committee composed of a chair and five to nine faculty members drawn both inside and outside the specific school. Committees begin by speaking with students,
faculty and alumni groups during a “listening” phase through which committee members outline the characteristics the dean in question should possess. Highsmith said the committee then embarks upon its most time-consuming responsibility: using contacts, peers and professionals to gather the names of potential candidates. The committee interviews 10 to 20 individuals, after which it recommends three to five to Salovey. Salovey then conducts his own set of interviews and makes a decision, Highsmith said. “The president may ask other people on campus to meet with the candidates,” Highsmith said. “For example, the provost almost always meets candidates for deans. Other deans might as well. But ultimately it’s his decision. He might bring a candidate back two or three times.” Faculty involved in the searches all spoke positively about the search process, but others questioned the committee’s transparency and expressed their own views about what attributes prospective candidates should possess. According to Highsmith, the search committee for a new dean of public health is currently in its listening phase, led by Professor Susan Busch, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. Professor of public health Heping Zhang said he believes the selection of the committee’s members should have been more transparent. “There was no discussion as to who should be on the committee — we just one day got an email about who was on it,” Zhang said. “But if we take this dean position seriously, then we should take the formation of the committee seriously too. The rationale behind the selection of the committee should be clear — do those people have a vision for the school, are they more respected by the school, do they represent the diversity of the school?” Zhang said he would like the new dean of public health to first and foremost be a respected scholar, and secondly to possess strong management and leadership skills. He added that were he and other faculty to share their views with the committee, he would like to receive assurances that those views are being taken seriously.
While Busch said she has no insight into how the members of her committee were chosen, she said Robert Alpern, dean of the Yale School of Medicine, was the one who asked her to serve as chair. She added that while soliciting the opinions of all public health faculty members is not a stated goal of the committee, she still sent an email to all faculty in an effort to be inclusive. Meanwhile, she said, the committee is moving forward in its search. “It is hard to predict how many finalists there will be, but I expect we will invite two to five candidates to campus this winter,” she said. “We have already met with several groups of YSPH faculty and spoken or met with many individuals across the University. We still plan to meet with YSPH students and a group of alumni this fall. These discussions focused on opportunities in public health research and education both generally and specific to Yale.” Cleary said other than meeting with the search committee to discuss his position and the future of the School of Public Health, he is not involved in the search. He added that the search committee has the ability to look at the school with a fresh perspective and form its own judgments. The chair of the search committee for the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has not yet been chosen, Highsmith said, as the search is just beginning. Oswald Schmitz, professor of population and community ecology at FES, said he would like the committee for FES to search for individuals who are not only respected scholars, but who are also trained in environmental policies and appreciate the importance of all sciences. He said while Crane is an excellent scholar, he lacks a strong understanding of environmental policy, as his training focused in botany. Schmitz added that whomever the committee selects will face various challenges exacerbated by the unusually varied interests of those at the school. “It’s probably one of the hardest deanships at Yale because we have such a broad constituency of scholars to begin with and an even broader constituency of students. The new dean needs to
PRESIDENT SALOVEY’S CABINET SEARCH FOR FIVE POSITIONS = VICE PRESIDENT
= EMPTY POSITION
= DEAN
NEW HAVEN & STATE AFFAIRS & CAMPUS
GENERAL COUNCIL
SECRETARY & STUDENT LIFE
MUSIC
DRAMA
FORESTRY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
GRADUATE SCHOOL
FAS
COMMUNICATIONS
DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONS
YALE COLLEGE
LAW
MANAGEMENT
DIVINITY
ARCHITECTURE
WEST CAMPUS
FINANCE
HR & ADMIN
ART
ENGINEERING
MEDICINE
NURSING
PUBLIC HEALTH
QUINN LEWIS/PRODUCTION & DESIGN ASSISTANT
be someone able to juggle many balls, keep them in the air — it’s a challenging job.” Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, director of graduate studies in graphic design, is serving as chair of the search committee for the School of Art. She said committee members were drawn from the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as from the Yale University Art Gallery. She added that the committee is working to solicit the opinions of all members of the art community. “As part of our work, we invited the School of Art community — faculty, students, staff and alumni — to offer input about the future of the school,” she said. “Our committee participated in meetings open to all faculty, and one with all staff and another one open to all students as well.”
TWO INAUGURAL VICE PRESIDENTS
The University is also working to select the inaugural holders of two vice-presidential positions in communications and operations. Salovey said the searches are in their initial stages, including preliminary vetting, and that their timelines are flexible. Because he wants to find “the right people,” Salovey said he is in no rush to make hiring decisions. Unlike in the searches for the new deans, Highsmith said the University hired search firms to identify prospective vice-
presidential candidates, as it did in the search for a new general counsel last year. The search consultants first met with Highsmith and Salovey to discuss their visions for the roles, the types of people they want and how those people can best be identified, she said. As the firms identify candidates, they will gather background materials and assess their interest and suitability for the position, after which Highsmith said she will interview the candidates while updating Salovey. Highsmith and the firms will then present a list of finalists to Salovey who will conduct interviews of his own and ask other University officials to do the same before making final decisions. Traditionally, the top communications position at Yale has been the chief communications officer. Elizabeth Stauderman filled the role from 2012 until last spring when she accepted the position of vice president for communications at the University of Rochester. Salovey said her departure was the only “surprise” of recent top-level changes and that he would have been happy to work with her. Stauderman did not respond to a request for comment. The goals of establishing a vice president for communications are to increase strategic thinking and to have a member of his cabinet focused on honing Yale’s image, Salovey said. “We operate in an environment that is very competitive for
getting the very best faculty and students,” Salovey said. “So we have to be mindful about how we represent Yale, how we position Yale, how we enable faculty and potential faculty and students. I’m confident we could do that in a better way. I think you need a person who is in charge of communications — a chief of communications — who is sitting at the table with the rest of the cabinet in order to do that.” Highsmith said that while debating whether to establish a vice president for communications, she and Salovey examined the leadership structures of peer institutions, most of which had such a position. They decided to create one at Yale to be competitive with those universities and to convey the importance of communications to the overall functioning of Yale. The new senior vice president for operations will have authority over all business-related areas of the University, including finances, budget and business operations. Establishing a vicepresidential position in this area reflects the increasing complexity of the operations of the University, Highsmith said. “We want to be able to attract someone who is really outstanding, who can fit well in an academic culture, while still maintaining an endless focus on efficiency and the bottom line,” she said. Contact DAVID SHIMER at david.shimer@yale.edu .
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 7
NEWS
“Water, air and cleanness are the chief articles in my pharmacy.” NAPOLEON BONAPARTE FRENCH MILITARY AND POLITICAL LEADER
Partnership to elevate YNHHS specialty pharmacy care BY ROBBIE SHORT CONTRIBUTING REPORTER A recently announced partnership between the YaleNew Haven Health System and Excelera, a national specialty pharmacy network, aims to provide YNHHS pharmacy staff with the tools to more safely treat patients with complex care needs — including the prescription of hard-to-find drugs — in a local setting. Excelera, which made the announcement Oct. 12, is a national network that now consists of local specialty pharmacies owned by 12 health systems and academic medical centers throughout the U.S. According to Excelera President and CEO Jim Fox, the network provides its members with a national platform for the collaborative development of best practices for patient care, as well as the industry clout necessary to secure access to limited-distribution drugs, which drug companies distribute only to a small number of pharmacies or wholesalers largely because they are expensive and demand for them is low. “Right now we have access to many specialty medications, but probably very few what we call limited-distribution drugs … Because of the prestigious nature of some of the people within Excelera, that allows us to get more focus and attention,” said Lorraine Lee, YNHHS executive director of pharmacy services. “That means our patients will be able to come to our local pharmacies here, within the Yale-New Haven Health System, and fill their medications kind of close to home, so to speak, as opposed to having to go to some other pharmacy that could literally be in another state.” According to Fox, the dialogue that led to YNHHS’ entrance into the Excelera system started last
AMANDA LU/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Excelera provides YNHHS with access to a wider range of drugs and the expertise of health professionals within other Excelera systems. spring when YNHHS representatives approached Excelera about joining the network. YNHHS began to roll out its internal specialty pharmacy about six months ago, according to Kerin Adelson MED ‘00, chief quality officer and deputy chief medical officer of the Smilow Cancer Hospital. Though the number of YNHHS patients who require limited-distribution drugs is quite small relative to the system’s population, Lee said the figure is higher than those of non-academic health systems because YNHHS treats more patients who require tertiary care
— consultative care that normally comes on referral from another medical professional and requires more advanced treatments. Additionally, Lee said, limited-distribution prescriptions are often more complicated and carry more risk than non-specialty drugs. Because of this, patients normally require more education from health professionals in how to administer limited-distribution drugs, Adelson said. When local education is unavailable, patients run the risk of misusing the drug with potentially serious side effects. This was the case within YNHHS before it established its specialty pharmacy.
Congress bill threatens Yale research BY MIRANDA ESCOBAR CONTRIBUTING REPORTER After receiving a total of $4.5 million in fetal tissue research grants from the National Institutes of Health in 2014, Yale School of Medicine researchers’ work on the tissue could be threatened by recent initiatives in Congress. After the release of several controversial anti-abortion videos over the summer, fetal tissue research has come under attack from Republicans in Congress, with a bill created last month to outlaw conducting research on all fetal tissue obtained as any product other than stillborns. The videos, which surfaced this past July, alleged that Planned Parenthood was selling research materials from aborted fetuses for profit. The accusations sparked a bill to prohibit research conducted on tissue acquired from aborted fetuses, as well as the establishment of a 13-person committee to investigate the practice of fetal tissue research. According to Maurice Mahoney, co-chair of Yale’s Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee and other Yale researchers interviewed, the bill has the potential to hinder research being conducted at the Yale School of Medicine if passed.
“We’ve had ups and downs of the political efforts to influence medical research in this realm,” Mahoney said. “When the restrictions [on fetal tissue research] are very tight, it has inhibited some development of what investigators [at Yale] have wanted to do.” In 2014, the Yale School of Medicine was awarded over $4.5 million to fund fetal tissue research projects, including investigations concerning brain development, HIV immunity and hepatitis B, according to NIH grants. In total, Yale received funding from the NIH for six separate projects incorporating fetal tissue in 2014. Of the five lead researchers who received the six NIH funding grants to conduct fetal tissue research, three declined to comment on the issue of future funding and two could not be reached for comment. “For research purposes, people have to study tissues all the time and [fetal tissue] is a huge potential scientific asset,” said Yale School of Medicine psychiatry professor Eugene Redmond. In his investigation of cures for Parkinson’s disease at Yale in the mid 1980s, Redmond was one of the first scientists to utilize fetal tissue for research. Redmond was also heavily involved in the efforts to legalize fetal tis-
YALE DAILY NEWS
In 2014, the Yale School of Medicine was awarded over $4.5 million in NIH funding for fetal tissue research projects.
sue research. Though he no longer conducts fetal tissue research, Redmond said fetal tissue continues to play an important role in medical research today. According to Redmond, the recent controversy regarding fetal tissue research was both upsetting and baseless. He pointed specifically to the video that sparked the current argument over the issue, stating that the clips included were highly edited, and the claims made against Planned Parenthood were untrue. Redmond added that even if the accusations had been true, Planned Parenthood still would not have been violating any laws. “Even in the edited material, I don’t think there was anything that I heard inconsistent with the laws that stand for the use of fetal tissue,” Redmond said. Debate surrounding the antiabortion video has led to the proposal of the “Safe RESEARCH Act” in the House of Representatives, which states that “human fetal tissue may be used in research … only if the tissue is obtained pursuant to a stillbirth.” By imposing this limitation, the proposed bill would not halt fetal tissue research entirely, but would prohibit any research conducted on tissue obtained by means of aborted fetuses. The bill also raises the question of whether fetal tissue research is actually necessary among all the alternative methods of conducting similar research that exist today, and do not require the usage of fetal tissue, Mahoney said. An alternative to fetal tissue research, Mahoney pointed out, is research with induced pluripotent stem cells, which can differentiate into virtually any type of tissue desired by scientists for purposes of research. “Do we need [fetal tissue] in the same sense that it was useful a few decades ago, or even 10 years ago? We have methods that let us use less and less [fetal tissue] — sort of a parallel to the methods that have let us use fewer animals in research than we have in the past,” Mahoney said. As of Oct. 13, Planned Parenthood no longer accepts reimbursement for fetal tissue it provides to medical researchers. Contact MIRANDA ESCOBAR at miranda.escobar@yale.edu .
“We had patients that had continued taking the drug after we believed it had been stopped, because these specialty pharmacies kept sending refills,” said Adelson, who oversees the administration of many complex treatment plans in her role at the Smilow Cancer Hospital. “We had patients who didn’t understand how they should take their drug — so, for example, if you’re supposed to take a drug for two weeks on, followed by one week off, they might take it continuously and then have higher levels of toxicity — because we really didn’t have a way to monitor it [locally].”
Lee and Adelson cited the elimination of some of this risk as a major advantage of both YNHHS’ creation of a specialty pharmacy, which jump-started the improvement process, and its entrance into the Excelera system, which they said will continue it. The Excelera partnership will do this by providing YNHHS with access to a wider range of drugs, as well the expertise of health professionals within other Excelera systems who are dealing with the same challenges YNHHS professionals are. That, Fox said, is exactly
Excelera’s goal. “It’s really what makes [Excelera’s member networks] great, is [that] they’re committed to patient care, and they’re committed to working with a network on a national level to really make it the premier network from a patient care and specialty pharmacy management point of view,” he said. YNHHS is the largest healthcare system in Connecticut and includes three hospitals, several specialty networks and a nonprofit medical foundation. Contact ROBBIE SHORT at robert.short@yale.edu .
PAGE 8
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
SPORTS
“Rivalry adds so much to the charms of one’s conquests.” LOUISA MAY ALCOTT AMERICAN NOVELIST
Bulldogs and Bears to clash at the Bowl KEYS TO THE GAME BY MAYA SWEEDLER STAFF REPORTER The Yale football team will remain in the Bowl this week as Ivy opponent Brown comes to town. However, seeing as the Yale-Brown series has been won by the visiting team for 14 of the last 19 matchups, home-field advantage might not help the disheartened Bulldogs, who are looking to recover from two straight conference defeats. If the Elis can force the Bears’ quarterback to throw early, attack Brown’s weak secondary and focus on moving the chains, they can stop their slide and get back on track.
FORCE FULLER TO THROW EARLY
The scouting report on Brown is simple: the Bears really like to throw the ball. Nearly 58 percent of the team’s offensive plays are passes, which contextualizes quarterback Marcus Fuller’s inflated numbers. Fuller, who throws for a leaguehigh 311.3 yards per game, will face a Yale defense that allows an average of 243.4 yards through the air. Unlike the last two quarterbacks the Bulldogs have faced, Alek Torgersen of Penn or Skyler Mornhinweg of Columbia, Fuller is more of a pocket passer than a dual-threat option. That bodes well for an Eli defensive line that has successfully pressured quarterbacks throughout the season. If the front seven can collapse the pocket, get to Fuller and force him to release the ball early, the team can shut down Brown’s potent aerial attack and severely cripple its offense.
EXPLOIT A WEAK SECONDARY
Despite his recent issues, quarterback Morgan Roberts ’16 is still capable of picking apart any defense. Especially with so many running backs sidelined by
FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 10
injury, Yale might be able to kickstart its offense by emulating Brown and emphasizing its passing game. The Bears’ secondary allows 269.0 yards per game — third-worst in the conference. Robert Clemons III ’17, Christopher Williams-Lopez ’18 and Ross Drwal ’18, last week’s starting wide receivers, in conjunction with veteran tight end Stephen Buric ’16, form a formidable receiving corps despite a slew of injuries. With Clemons and Williams-Lopez back from ailments that sidelined them at various points of the season, the four players have combined to play 23 of a possible 28 games this year. The group is more than capable of resuscitating an offense that put up five total first downs last week.
MOVE THE CHAINS
First downs are an area in which the Bulldogs have struggled immensely. Yale’s third-down conversion percentage, last in the Ivy League, bottomed out with an 8 percent conversion rate against Columbia in a 1–13 effort. With Roberts averaging 6.0 yards per attempt and only one running back — Deshawn Salter ’18, whose status this week is unclear after not playing last week — averaging more than 4 yards per carry, the team cannot afford to gamble on first or second down and put itself in third-and-long situations. The Elis should rely on their uptempo offense to spread the ball, utilize the width of the field and drive down the gridiron with short-yardage plays. This year’s team does not have the same deep threats that last year’s offense possessed, and the team needs to be judicious with its play calls. Contact MAYA SWEEDLER at maya.sweedler@yale.edu .
first-string running back Candler Rich ’17 and third-stringer John Barton ’19 out for the season, and second-, fourth- and fifth-string runners Deshawn Salter ’18, Austin Reuland ’16 and Andrew Johnson ’18 sidelined with injuries of their own, sixth-string running back Jamal Locke ’18 ended up taking four snaps against Columbia. “We’ve put the ‘six running backs deep’ to the test,” Reno said. Inexperienced wide receivers have seen playing time as well, with the team’s top two slot receivers on the depth chart — Myles Gaines ’17 and Bo Hines ’18 — as well as the Elis’ leading wideout, Michael Siragusa Jr. ’18, injured. Reno complimented the play of Christopher Williams-Lopez ’18, who ranks second on the team with 24 receptions, though he has played in just four games due to injuries of his own. Iconic former Yale football coach Carm Cozza said at the team’s weekly media luncheon on Tuesday that he had never coached through a season that had so many injuries in his 31 years at the helm of the program. At most recent count, 13 Elis are out for the season and 42 players — 27 of whom are considered “regulars” on the field — have been injured, sick or sidelined at some point this year. Luckily for the banged-up Bulldogs, they are facing a much weaker defense than the Lions. Statistically speaking, Brown ranks seventh in the league in several defensive categories, including points allowed per game (33.0), rushing yards allowed per game (146.1) and total sacks (11). That last statistic in particular should be of some comfort to the Elis, who saw their quarterbacks get sacked a season-high six times against Columbia. Less comforting is that Brown has also snagged seven interceptions, good for fourth-most in the Ivy League. With Roberts already having tossed 10 picks through seven games, worst in the league and in his
Princeton, Penn pose challenge VOLLEYBALL FROM PAGE 10 Princeton is not the only formidable opponent the Bulldogs will face this weekend. Although Penn sits in sixth place in the conference standings, just three games separate the Quakers from the first-place Crimson as a result of the overall parity of the league. Additionally, Penn enters the weekend on an upswing, having dismantled second-place Dartmouth in straight sets at home. The Elis made fairly quick work of the Quakers in their first matchup, pulling out to a 2–0 lead before dropping
a frame and closing Penn out in a tight fourth set. Yale will need to contend with Penn’s star duo of setter Ronnie Bither and outside hitter Alexis Genske. Bither was awarded a spot on this week’s Ivy League Honor Roll after recording 26 digs and 61 assists over the weekend, and she had a match-high 21 digs and 36 assists in October’s loss to Yale. Genske also caused the Bulldogs problems, putting up a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs in the four-set match. To defeat both Princeton and Penn, the Bulldogs will rely on their depth. Yale had three players, led by a pair of
YALE DAILY NEWS
Five teams, separated by two games, remain in contention for the Ivy League crown with four games to play.
freshmen, named to the Ivy League Honor Roll — libero Kate Swanson ’19, outside hitter Kelley Wirth ’19 and Ebner. “Our team is incredibly deep and talented,” captain and outside hitter Karlee Fuller ’16 said. “Everyone is fired up for this weekend and ready to step up to the plate. No matter what six girls are on the court, it’s a team effort — everyone has a role and is involved in every point.” If Yale can get past these two teams, the Bulldogs will control its own destiny in their quest for another Ivy League championship. The Elis are one of five teams still on the hunt for the title and remain one game behind the conference-leading Crimson. In the final weekend of the season, Yale will play host to Harvard and Dartmouth, with the opportunity to lock down at least a share of the conference title. “It will be a great opportunity to return home with a great crowd for the Harvard-Dartmouth weekend, but we need to make it through Penn-Princeton for that weekend to mean anything,” Ebner said. Yale travels to Princeton for a 7 p.m. start Friday night before facing Penn at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Contact JONATHAN MARX at jonathan.marx@yale.edu .
ROBBIE SHORT/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Running back Jamal Locke ’18 had his first four rushes of the season last week. career, an able secondary spells potential trouble for the Bulldogs. “Brown is a big, physical team,” Chapple said. “They play hard. They’re probably banged up, though not as much as we are. They run a good scheme and have good coaches, so we know it’s going to be a tough game.” The Bears’ unbalanced offensive attack offers a unique challenge for Yale’s defense. Quarterback Marcus Fuller and Brown’s aerial offense comfortably sit atop the league with 355.1 passing yards per game, over 50 yards per game more than the next-highest team, but the ground game, which averages 105.0 yards per game, is at the bottom. Fuller, who leads the league with an average of 42.6 pass attempts per game, has three main targets, all of whom have caught at least 40 balls. Wide receivers Alex Jette, Troy Doles and Brian Strachan rank first, second and fifth, respectively, in the Ivy League in receiving yards per game. Doles also ranks second in the league with five touchdown receptions. “In the film, they’ve got some good wide receivers, a good QB,” Alessi said. “When we played them 10 weeks ago, it was kind of the same thing. They haven’t changed too much from last
year as well. They execute. They’re tough.” Alessi, who had been starring on special teams for the majority of the season, stepped into one of the starting cornerback positions against Brown last year, tallying a team-high 12 solo tackles in the game. The Bears racked up 42 points that day, but that was not enough to overcome the high-octane Bulldogs of 2014, who tallied 45 points behind a 204-yard effort from running back Tyler Varga ’15. While Yale’s offense has taken a step back in its production, the Eli defense has made positive strides and has yet to allow more than 35 points in a game this season. “From last year, we’ve grown a lot,” Alessi said of the defense. “We didn’t lose anyone. Our captain, safety Cole Champion ’16, is doing an unbelievable job, and [cornerback Spencer Rymiszewski ’17] came back … We try to limit the big plays as much as possible, through game-planning and technique.” Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be available for streaming on FOX College Sports. Contact MAYA SWEEDLER at maya.sweedler@yale.edu .
Yale looks to remain undefeated MEN’S HOCKEY FROM PAGE 10 the two games and contributed to the 6–1 win over UMass in the championship match. Snively was named ECAC Rookie of the Week after an impressive showing, knocking in the game-winning goal against Princeton. Additional weapons in Yale’s arsenal include forward Chris Izmirlian ’17, defenseman Ryan Obuchowski ’16 and Hitchcock, who all found the net in Trenton, New Jersey. In light of the previous weekend’s offensive success, the lines will not change for the series this weekend, according to Allain. Acknowledging the impressive scoreboards, Hayden notes that the team’s dedication to its systems was key. “[Against Princeton], our goals didn’t come right away,” Hayden said. “We had to stick to our systems until the very end, knowing in the end they will pay off. We definitely broke out against UMass, and we will carry that offensiveness into this weekend [to hopefully] find some more success.” On the defensive side of the ice, the main challenge will be shutting down Crimson forward Jimmy Vesey, who has five points this season in just two games. The senior from North Reading, Mas-
sachusetts led Harvard’s roster and the entire ECAC last season with 58 points and 32 goals. A 2015 CCM Hockey AllAmerican, he was awarded ECAC Player of the Week for his performance against Dartmouth last weekend. Up for the challenge is Yale goaltender Alex Lyon ’17, last week’s ECAC Goalie of the Week, who stopped 53 of 55 shots on goal. On Saturday, Yale will continue its journey north to face the Big Green, which opened their season with a home-and-home series with Harvard, resulting in 7–0 and 5–2 losses at the hands of the Cantabs. While the Bulldogs are focusing foremost on the Crimson, Dartmouth is also an important contest on the path to a winning ECAC record. “With the way this league works, as excited as we are about Friday night’s game — win, lose or draw, you’ve got to gear it up for Saturday night,” Allain said. “I expect our guys to play to 100 percent of their ability every time we play.” The puck will drop at 7 p.m. at the Bright Hockey Center, with winning streaks on the line. Contact HOPE ALLCHIN at hope.allchin@yale.edu .
Brown visits Reese Stadium MEN’S SOCCER FROM PAGE 10 the past month — Yale’s last five losses have been by a one-goal margin. Despite the team’s lackluster record, Stannard has seen some positives from this group and hopes his team can appreciate those same takeaways. “I think we have to keep doing the things we are doing because this group is doing really well in really all areas outside of finishing our chances,” Stannard said. “Some defensive situations can improve, but I think the main thing is making sure these guys know that they can do it.” The Elis are coming off a tough 1–0 loss to Central Connecticut State on the road on Tuesday night. This midweek, non-conference game was indicative of the team’s progress in creating more opportunities to score, but also of the inability to finish that Stannard highlighted. The Bulldogs outshot the Blue Devils 14–9, but ulti-
mately it was CCSU that found the back of the net and earned the victory. While Yale will need to translate those opportunities into goals on the scoreboard against Brown, defense will be a major component for their success. The Bears’ offense is tied for the second-most potent in the league, with 20 goals scored. Heading that scoring attack is freshman defender Jack Hagstrom, tied for second in the league in goals, who has scored five times on the season. Yale will also need to effectively mark midfielder Tariq Akeel and forward Matthew Chow, who each have netted three goals this year. In a game with few practical implications for the Elis, Saturday’s contest is the final home game for the team’s six seniors — a factor of which the Bulldogs are well aware. “The biggest thing [about the game] is that this Saturday is Senior Day,” goalkeeper Ryan Simpson ’17 said. “So
you can expect a top effort from the entire team, to try and leave the seniors on a good note.” Despite the disparity in records, Kirby believes the team’s underdog role might play to the team’s advantage. Added motivation stems from the Elis’ six-game winless streak against the Bears, including a 1–0 loss last year after conceding a late secondhalf goal. According to Stannard, the key to success moving forward will be poise and execution, as Yale attempts to salvage some positive momentum with the offseason not far away. “Right now it’s just about trying to get these guys to be confident to be able to make the plays when they need to,” Stannard said. Kickoff at Senior Day is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday. Contact MADDIE WUELFING at madeleine.wuelfing@yale.edu .
BRIANNA LOO/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
The Bulldogs scored nine goals last weekend, more than they netted in any two-game stretch last season.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE 9
BULLETIN BOARD
TODAY’S FORECAST
TOMORROW
A slight chance of showers after 10am. Widespread dense fog, mainly before 10am.
SUNDAY
High of 62, low of 41.
QUAIL UNIVERSITY BY LUNA BELLER-TADIAR
ON CAMPUS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 12:00 PM (Re)Imagining an Empire: the Impact of Religion and the Quest for Power in the Portuguese Atlantic. This conference examines the role of eschatological speech — prophetical, millenarian and apocalyptic — in the early modern process of colonization of the Portuguese Atlantic. It explores the impact of the discovery of the New World, and the finding of new peoples in the broader context of European eschatological projects, namely within the Portuguese world. Hall of Graduate Studies (320 York St.), Rm. 116. 1:30 PM Picture Titles: How and Why Western Paintings Acquired Their Names. A painting’s title is often one’s first guide to understanding the image. Yet paintings did not always have titles, and the titles of many works in museums and elsewhere originated with persons other than the artists. Ruth Yeazell GRD ’71, English professor and director of the Lewis Walpole Library, marks the publication of her new book by previewing some of what she has discovered about the history of painting titles in Western art from the Renaissance to the present. Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St.).
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 2:00 PM Revealed! Secrets of a Samurai Box. A large, leather-covered box was acquired by The Barnum Museum in 2003 following a long period of storage. The Barnum has never opened the box and there are no records from the previous owner that describe the contents. On Nov. 7, you are invited to watch as the mysterious contents are revealed by experts. Witness the discovery process firsthand as the artifacts are examined for physical clues about their age, origin and utility. Peabody Museum of Natural History (170 Whitney Ave.).
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 2:00 PM Treasures from the Yale Film Archive: “The Train.” John Frankenheimer’s electrifying film “The Train” tells the story of the French effort, led by the station manager Labiche (Burt Lancaster), to sabotage a Nazi plan to smuggle a trainload of art treasures out of France at the end of World War II. Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St.), Aud.
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Questions or comments about the fairness or accuracy of stories should be directed to Editor in Chief Stephanie Addenbrooke at (203) 432-2418. Bulletin Board is a free service provided to groups of the Yale community for events. Listings should be submitted online at yaledailynews.com/events/ submit. The Yale Daily News reserves the right to edit listings.
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LUNA BELLER-TADIAR is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College. Contact her at luna.beller-tadiar@yale.edu .
202 York St. New Haven, Conn. (OppositeFOR JE) RELEASE NOVEMBER 6, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
CLASSIFIEDS
CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 They’re bought and soled 6 Educational foundation 10 Lowest part 15 Make like a tree, facetiously 16 “Uh-huh” 17 Butyl acetate, e.g. 18 AAEGIMRR 21 Balkan region 22 Wild period 23 Edible tuber 24 __ Plantation, site of the world’s largest maze 26 Sun Valley locale 28 AACDEINNV 35 Sea sound 36 One of Suetonius’ “Twelve Caesars” 37 Actor Hawke 38 Youngest March sister 39 Sent away 42 Make a selection 43 “I’ve got this one” 45 Wax on an envelope, say 46 Robert of “The Sopranos” 47 ADEHLNRTUY 51 Structural opening? 52 Angler’s prize 53 Lack of continuity 55 Old painting sites 58 More pinlike? 62 ILST ... and each of three other puzzle clues 65 Not hold one’s peace 66 Domain 67 Of few words 68 Game that may involve complicated shots 69 Mediterranean feeder 70 Three-layer treats DOWN 1 Thick mass 2 Rescuer, often 3 Marine propulsion aids
11/6/15
By Victor Barocas
4 Heavyweight champ between Buster and Riddick 5 __ citizen 6 Mate’s affirmative 7 Garden spots 8 Like-minded group 9 Islamic law 10 Mourning 11 “Take me __ am” 12 Wait for help, perhaps too long 13 Genesis creator 14 Home of Utah Valley University 19 Lead ore 20 Comedian Foxx 25 First place? 27 Porkpie, for one 28 Advanced tests 29 “What light through yonder window breaks?” speaker 30 Other side of “We Can Work It Out” 31 Like Jameson whiskey 32 Long time ending? 33 Heist, say 34 Contest form 39 “Magic Mike” feature
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40 “ ... on the sand, / __ sunk, a shattered visage lies”: “Ozymandias” 41 Paige of British musical theatre 44 Map feature with an elev. 46 Asthma sufferer’s relief 48 Boring 49 Ale seller
11/6/15
50 No longer bothered by 53 Severe wound 54 Dinner for Spot 56 Little case 57 Window frame part 59 Weary 60 Canadian gas brand 61 GPS info 63 Is down with 64 Zipper opening
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SPORTS YALE FENCING EN GARDE Both the Yale men’s and women’s facing teams open their seasons this weekend, when they will travel to Penn State to compete at the Garret Penn State Open. Three other Ivies will also be in attendance — Brown, Harvard and Penn.
YALE SWIMMING AND DIVING BULLDOGS DIVE IN Both the Yale men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams make their season debuts this weekend when they host Brown at Payne Whitney Gymnasium. Both teams will seek to replicate last year’s results, as each team defeated the Bears.
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“We’ve put the ‘six running backs deep’ to the test.” TONY RENO HEAD COACH, FOOTBALL
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
Elis on brink of elimination
Yale begins ECAC play MEN’S HOCKEY
BY MAYA SWEEDLER STAFF REPORTER Fresh off of two straight Ivy League losses — the first time the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive conference games since 2013 — a reeling Yale football team looks to rebound against a visiting Brown team.
FOOTBALL
KEN YANAGISAWA/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
The Elis, behind goaltender Alex Lyon ’17, swept their regular season series against the Crimson last year. BY HOPE ALLCHIN STAFF REPORTER After a clean sweep in the Capital City Classic, the No. 12 Yale men’s hockey team will take to the ice on Friday with one goal: to hand No. 7 Harvard its first defeat of the season. The Bulldogs (2–0–0, 0–0–0 ECAC) will open their conference season this weekend with two games on the road. First on the schedule is a rivalry contest with the Crimson (2–0–0, 2–0–0), followed by an Ivy League matchup against Dartmouth (0–2–0, 0–2–0). With a flawless opening record, the Elis are seeking two conference wins to place themselves at the head of the ECAC pack. “Our primary focus right now is
the game on Friday,” head coach Keith Allain ’80 said. “[Harvard is] a really good team. They’ve got a tremendous collection of forwards … They’re going to be a real challenge for us, but I think we know what we’re getting. It’s a team that we know pretty well.” Like all Harvard-Yale competitions, the tensions are high, but for the Bulldogs, this time there is even more to prove. The Crimson and the Elis faced each other three times in the 2014–15 regular season, all matches resulting in Yale victories. Yet the most recent meeting between these rivals ended in a devastating loss for the Bulldogs. In the ECAC Quarterfinals, Yale dropped two of three to the Cantabs, including a 3–2 double-overtime loss in Game 3 ending the Elis’ bid for a conference title.
This time around, the Bulldogs are convinced that with new additions to the roster, a fresh slate and a strong desire to win, they can put last year’s postseason behind them. “The playoffs aren’t a reason not to be confident,” forward Ryan Hitchcock ’18 said. “Our seniors over the years have had tremendous success against Harvard. We have all the confidence in the world … This is going to be a great game.” One goal for the Bulldogs will be to maintain the offensive success seen during the Capital City Classic, where a trio of Elis — forwards Mike Doherty ’17, John Hayden ’17 and Joe Snively ’19 — each scored a pair of goals over SEE MEN’S HOCKEY PAGE 8
Men’s soccer hosts Brown BY MADDIE WUELFING CONTRIBUTING REPORTER As Yale men’s soccer enters their final two contests of the season, the Bulldogs must win at least one in order to finish the 2015 season with an improved record compared to 2014 — a potential consolation in what has been an overall disappointing campaign.
MEN’S SOCCER On Saturday night, Yale (1–13–1, 0–4–1 Ivy) hosts Brown (9–5–1, 3–1–1) at Reese Stadium. Playing on its home turf for the first time since a
2–1 overtime loss to Cornell on Oct. 17, Yale is hoping to end its three-game losing streak and earn its first victory since a Sept. 19 triumph over Quinnipiac. “We plan to leave absolutely everything we have on the field on Saturday and again the following week against Princeton,” midfielder Lucas Kirby ’19 said. “Finishing the season with two massive wins would add tangible results to the development of the program that has taken place this season.” While Yale sits at the bottom of the Ivy League table, Brown is in second place — five
points away from first-place Dartmouth with two games remaining. Whereas the Bears find themselves still holding onto a sliver of hope for an Ivy League championship, little has gone right for the Bulldogs this season. Yale entered the year with notable excitement surrounding the hiring of new head coach Kylie Stannard, who spent six seasons on the coaching staff at Michigan State. However, Stannard’s squad struggled early on and has not been able to close some tight games over SEE MEN’S SOCCER PAGE 8
ROBBIE SHORT/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Yale will look to snap a 10-game winless streak that includes one draw and six one-goal losses.
STAT OF THE DAY 96.4
The Elis looked lifeless last week against Columbia as the offense posted just 120 total yards and zero points, with defensive back Jason Alessi ’18 providing the only Yale score with a punt return touchdown. Quarterback Morgan Roberts ’16 came off the field and was replaced by Rafe Chapple ’18 twice in the offensive debacle. With three games remaining, a Harvard win or a Yale loss will officially eliminate the Bulldogs from Ivy League title contention. “All of us were disappointed with the outcome of Saturday’s game,” head coach Tony Reno said. “It came down to some missed opportunities and lack of execution, particularly on the offensive side … We didn’t do enough to give ourselves a chance to win. We regrouped on Sunday and are looking forward to getting back
on the field on Saturday.” Despite Chapple’s brief stints in last week’s action, Roberts will start against Brown, according to Reno. This week’s matchup is actually the second time Yale (4–3, 1–3 Ivy) and Brown (4–3, 2–2) have gone head-tohead this season, as the teams scrimmaged in August. However, the Elis will be starting a very different set of players, as injuries have become the dominant theme of the season. “Do we have a lot of injuries?” Reno said. “Yes. I told the team on Sunday, are we really banged up, worse than we could’ve thought? Yes. But we can do one of two things: we can cry in our soup or we can embrace the opportunity and move forward.” Reno’s “next man up” mentality, one of his staple phrases throughout the season, has been on full display this season. Injuries to skill players, particularly on the offense, have created opportunities for a wide variety of players to step up. Before facing Dartmouth three weeks ago, Reno explained that he always keeps six running backs on the roster who are prepared to play. Yale has burned through all six of its running backs this year: with SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 8
ROBBIE SHORT/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Quarterback Morgan Roberts ’16 threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns against Brown last season.
Crucial weekend for Bulldogs BY JONATHAN MARX STAFF REPORTER Heading into the season’s penultimate weekend, the Yale volleyball team travels south to Princeton and Penn, looking to snag two wins and remain in contention for a sixth consecutive Ivy title.
VOLLEYBALL Three weeks ago, the Bulldogs (11–8, 6–4 Ivy) dominated the Tigers (11–8, 6–4) and Quakers (10–12, 4–6) in New Haven, sweeping Princeton and defeating Penn by a score of 3–1. Over the past two weeks, however, both opponents have produced impressive results and will present difficult tests for Yale in a hostile road environment. “As the season progresses, every team gets better,” setter Kelly Johnson ’16 said. “We have to come out with the same intensity and focus we had the first time we played them, and we will be successful.” Princeton has played particularly well during its three-game winning streak since losing to the Elis. The Tigers traveled to Philadelphia and beat Penn in four sets before sweeping both Harvard and Dartmouth, two of the Ivy League’s top teams.
YALE DAILY NEWS
The Bulldogs’ four conference losses this season is more than the last three years combined. As a result of those victories, Princeton moved to second place in the conference, tied with the Bulldogs and the Big Green. A schematic change to the team’s formation has had a significant impact in transforming Princeton into a championship contender. “They’ve switched their offensive system around, and they’ve gained a lot of confidence,” middle blocker Jesse Ebner ’16 said. “They’re playing consistently well, and they’re fired up. We have to counter that and do the same. At this point in the season, it’s all about which team wants it more.” In order to take down the
Tigers, Yale must neutralize their opponent’s main offensive threats. Outside hitter Cara Mattaliano, who was voted Ivy League Co-Player of the Week, recorded 30 kills in last weekend’s pair of three-set wins. In her last meeting with the Bulldogs, she notched eight kills and 12 digs. Freshman setter Claire Nassbaum has also emerged as a star for Princeton, totaling a whopping 77 assists this past weekend and helping the Tigers overwhelm both opponents en route to receiving the Ivy League Rookie of the Week award. SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 8
THE PERCENTAGE OF SHOTS SAVED BY MEN’S HOCKEY GOALIE ALEX LYON ’17 LAST WEEKEND AGAINST PRINCETON AND UMASS. Lyon’s stellar performance in net earned him ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week honors.
WEEKEND // FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015
Fabled Food
Restaurant Week 2015
POEMS
B2
PURSES
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PEOPLE
//Page B3
B10
A WORLD WITHOUT
REAL OR FAKE
CHA-CHA-CHANGE
Hayley Byrnes reflects on what it means to lose and to yearn (and has a hypothetical conversation with poet Tony Harrison).
Nitika Khaitan’s short story turns an afternoon at the mall into a high-stakes encounter.
Daphne Martin sits down with Gemma Mortensen, soon to be Chief Global Officer of Change.org. //ELIZABETH MILES
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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
WEEKEND VIEWS
CHUA
NOT EVERYONE HAS A STORY // BY JUN YAN CHUA
//DELEINE LEE
BYRNES
What’s your story? We have all been confronted with this question in one form or another: through a college application essay, at an initiation event for an extracurricular or during a heart-to-heart with a suitemate. If you can’t quite find the words to tell your own story, that’s okay, too. Upload 24 hours’ worth of pictures and Snapchat will create one for you. I have no doubt that some people genuinely think of their lives as narratives (of triumph, struggle or something in between). But I am just not one of them. And I suspect most people aren’t, either. Of course, I have full knowledge of my biographical particulars. I know (or at least I think I
know) where I was born, who my parents are and what schools I went to. What I dispute, though, is that these details constitute a coherent story with explanatory power. To conceive of our lives as stories is to impute them with a unity and linearity that do not exist. For one, our “stories” would be very boring if they were to be published, since they all end the same way. No suspense there. I am not sure they would have easily discernible themes, either — my story would be more Virginia Woolf than Aesop’s Fables. Moreover, we would always be trying to close chapters in our life, only to find that the writing keeps spilling over. And just as we thought we had a good outline, we’d find ourselves with
too many plot twists. Plagiarism would pose a problem too. We like to think of ourselves as unique, but I know I probably have hundreds, if not thousands, of doppelgangers, with similar interests, personalities and experiences. In curating our lives, we often find ourselves professing a certainty in causality, when that certainty does not and should not exist. For instance, why do I get so worked up when people don’t reply to my text messages? Childhood experiences of rejection? Genes? Or are these just after-the-fact explanations for parts of myself I don’t like? If our life stories were fictitious, but served practical functions, they might still be worth crafting. Unfortunately, the idea
that life is a story is damaging for a number of reasons. Whenever I think chronologically about my life, I end up having an existential panic attack. How does the time I waste watching YouTube videos fit into my “grand narrative?” Where will losing my sock while doing the laundry on Tuesday feature in my autobiography? Type A personalities might argue that this preemptive “writer’s block” helps me focus on what truly matters. But maybe there should be room for meaningless moments where the mind can simply wander, or for the idiosyncratic routines that serve no apparent purpose. And perhaps the best moments in our lives are fleeting and spontaneous — climaxes with-
out rising actions or denouements. There are also ethical risks for the narrativists to consider. If I see myself as the protagonist in my Life Story, it becomes all too easy to cast anyone who obstructs my happy ending as the evil stepmother. We can become too glib and too slick in telling and re-telling our origin myths, until we use them to justify our shortcomings and mistakes. A story creates the illusion of inevitability, removing personal agency and thus absolving us of guilt. In the process, stories become the dominant mode of moral reasoning, replacing principles and virtues. Whenever I tried to tell my freshman suitemate about my day, he would tell me that my
stories had no plot. That taunt no longer bothers me. Organizing my life into neat, readable volumes simply takes too much effort. Time after time, my reality is but a parody of the fantasy I invent. Far better, I think, to ditch the narrative genre, and treat every moment as its own beginning. Make an impact on something, rather than making fragile meaning out of nothing. In the end, no one really cares about the story of your life except you, who won’t be around to read it when the tour de force is complete. A selfpublished novel you spend your whole life writing goes unread: that would be the real tragedy. Contact JUN YAN CHUA at junyan.chua@yale.edu .
A Voice from the Backseat // BY HAYLEY BYRNES We didn’t call it anything, but my mother and I played a game when I was a child. She got the idea from “Sliders,” a television show we watched on the couch at dinner about a man named Quinn who travels to parallel universes. From episode to episode, he flits from one world to the next. The series is a string of taglines. If only, they all begin: … the Brits won, … the Cold War never ended. We imagined other worlds compulsively. The game always began with a question. If you had to live in a world without something, she’d say, and then she’d trail off, her hands in my memory tightening on the steering wheel. The action of loss was the crucial part. The other worlds, whatever we imagined them to be, had to lose something that was present in our own. We argued over the precise mechanics of this removal. Would a world without red mean no blood? (Religion tells us there would still be blood. Adam and Eve left the garden. We don’t know if they looked back.) Like any game, the folly was the arbitrary rules. The limit for each round was one subtraction. But the nature of loss is that it spreads. We had different ways of defining the scope of each loss. Mom aired on the side of optimism, I on melodrama. A world without mosquitoes meant for her fewer scratches, for me a bothersome disruption of order. Whenever I read, I still play
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the game. I get some comfort when I imagine what these other people who live in the ink of a page imagine. In these moments, I am my mother driving the car on a foggy morning, turning my head back to Iago or Miss Havisham in the back seat, and I am asking them, If you could live in a world without something, what would it be? They all ask for the same thing. In fairy tales, the world returns to perfection once someone — the wolf, the stepmother — dies. In the tragedies, villains still exist, but their death grants no absolution. Hamlet thinks that without Claudius, everything will be fine. Tony Harrison wrote in his poem “V” about a time he caught a skinhead spraying with a can of graffiti his parents’ tombstone in Leeds. The angry young man wrote the letter “V,” as in “versus,” along with profanities. As we read, the man lobs insults at us. When I asked Harrison, in the back seat, he did not have an answer. At first he told me maybe a world without spray paint, because then maybe the graves were safe. But in that world, maybe the skinhead used paint instead. It might be best to live in a world without paint. He said: I read somewhere that cavemen, in fits of desperation, used the leftover blood from animals to write on the walls, so perhaps we would have to do without animals, too. Certain plants, like milkweed, if you squish them
//YANNA LEE
with enough strength, ooze a painterly paste. He asked me: Is this enough? I thought, in a world without pens, Harrison would stand a chance at finding the tombstone unscathed. That world would also be a world without the poem. We could not settle on anything. Later, I figured out why. When I ask, he tells me, breathlessly, in a soft accent that I sometimes don’t understand,
DIWALI CELEBRATION Commons // 7 p.m.
When life gives you Diwali, you take it.
that all he wants is a world without bloody skinheads. He won’t tell me that he wants a world without death, or war, in which his parents are still alive. Maybe that should surprise me, but somehow I understand it. Harrison just wants to grieve. He wants above all else to feel grief. We don’t have a word for this feeling. Maybe we don’t want to recognize that it exists, or we fear that we are monsters for feeling it. It is a strange desire, because
even if we talk about grief as catharsis, we still think of it as a process we must thrust upon ourselves with faith that the sting of remembrance will soon yield relief. But the yearning to grieve is not the same as the desire to lose. It’s true that it requires a certain realism to accept that loss is a part of life, but if you do, maybe it’s inevitable to desire a way to recognize loss. When I was five and my
mother told me my father had gone to heaven, I told her she must be wrong because his car was still in the driveway. The tragedy for my mother was watching a child incapable of grieving for the death of her father. Like all games, eventually we tired of it. It became apparent that we would never agree on the point of the exercise. But imagine a world without water, I said once, after my mother told me about a flood in our basement and said she would like to live in a world without water. What I meant was: In a world without water, we could not feel gratitude for living in a house without a flood, because we could never imagine the possibility of a flood. She shook her head. The quandary is almost too familiar to mention when we apply it to people. People leave us, and when they do, we question whether their presence was worth the grief we feel in their absence. I saw the relief the game granted her. My mother’s worlds were all places she would rather go. Her idea was: We’re better off without certain things. I think sometimes about her closet, full of his pinstriped shirts still stiff the last time she ironed them, years ago, in late October, and it strikes me that sometimes we play games to convince ourselves of the things we want to be true. Contact HAYLEY BYRNES at hayley.byrnes@yale.edu .
WKND RECOMMENDS: Camel.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
WEEKEND OUT
PAGE B3
TO LUNCH
GOOD EATS NOT PLAIN IN SPAIN I had diarrhea a couple of hours before I went to Barcelona for its New Haven Restaurant Week event. Needless to say, I was ready for some light fare, some food that would allow for more conversation — and that’s the definition of a Spanish tapa. I’ve traveled to Barcelona, Spain, twice in the past two years. Whenever I return to the States, I seek to recreate the sensationalism of Spanish tapas — those light snacks that strike a perfect balance to a midnight dinner. Spanish restaurants here usually leave me dissatisfied. No one
makes croquetas like my host mom did, and I am certain nothing is comparable to the endless patatas bravas that revived my stomach — and feet — after long nights of dancing. However, the restaurant Barcelona brought Spain right to the table. The entire meal was scrumptious. It was savory. Confident. The room itself was terribly cozy. When the lights dimmed at 6:45 p.m., the chic interior became a scene from a Woody Allen movie, musky and intimate, with sangria and wine flowing everywhere. Music added to the ambience, though we were certain it was XM AltNation, creating a subtle indie vibe for the
younger demographic. Our friendly waiter guided us to the best tapa dishes. His recommendations did not disappoint. The Spanish tortilla reminded me of breakfasts on the Camino de Santiago with an inventive addition of chive sour cream. The pulpo gallego (octopus) and the chorizo with sweet and sour figs both stole my heart. I’m a sucker for good octopus, and this dish, with its pimento and celery, had as much flavor as Spain’s salty waters. If the chorizo and figs tapa had been my main course, I would’ve left the restaurant utterly satisfied and craving more. I’ve never experienced figs that sapid, rich and melodious, and they provided the perfect complement to the chorizo that seeped in the balsamic glaze. (I continued to dip my bread in this leftover glaze, as a Spaniard would.) My sangria, which seemed to soak in the colors of that day’s fall leaves, had a delectable herbaceous taste. The drink left a pleasant taste in my mouth down to the last sip. Just as my boyfriend and I finished a small plate, the service placed new tapas on the table with impeccable timing. The fast service, unlike that which you might find in a restaurant
in Spain, left me stuffed by the end of the night. In America, a fast meal is a reliable one (especially with our endless chores). Although I reminisced about the leisurely Spanish meals that lasted for hours, I appreciated the attentiveness of the waiters. Our second round of tapas — we were hungry — included tuna carpaccio, topped with pickled onions, lemon aioli and cucumbers, and grilled hangar steak, with a truffle vinaigrette. Though I admit I was dubious about these dishes’ toppings, the ingredients harmonized into exciting bursts of flavor. One of my favorite dishes in the world might be croquetas — or, in real Spanish, croquetas de jamon. I’ve tried making them before. It’s difficult. The fry has to be just so, and the inside of the roll takes a while to complete. To my surprise, the restaurant perfected its croquetas. They completely satisfied me. And the flan for dessert? Amazing. I would go back just to have that soothingly sweet pastry again. Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar is the only substitute to the city itself. Contact NATALINA LOPEZ at natalina.lopez@yale.edu.
//ELIZABETH MILES
THE ROIA TREATMENT If I wasn’t the only person in the restaurant wearing a t-shirt, it was close. ROIA is a fancy establishment with an ambiance more suited to sweaters and loafers than to my usual ratty ensemble. The funny thing is that, despite appearing out of place, I didn’t feel it. With its high ceiling, bluejeans-clad waitstaff and unpretentious menu, ROIA was a nice restaurant that still felt welcoming to college kids. Named for the river that separates France from Italy, it goes out of its way to cross borders in more ways than one, straddling the Yale Bubble and the Real World, French and Italian
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culinary traditions, haute cuisine and relaxed atmosphere. But for all this blending of traditions and identities, the food didn’t feel like a compromise. My former co-editor Andy and I, however, did feel like compromise: As we read over the menu, we couldn’t decide what to order and so agreed to share two entrees, duck ragu pasta and panseared tuna with squid ink risotto. Our third co-editor, Jane, ordered squash pasta. For appetizers, Jane went with minestrone soup, I ordered mussels in broth and Andy chose caramelized fennel. While we awaited our appetizers, a small plate bearing three spoons appeared on our table.
Each spoon held a small slice of brie and a dollop of fig jam, to be eaten together in one bite. An unusual presentation but a delicious result: the subdued but distinctive flavors of the cheese and jam blended nicely, foreshadowing the meal to come. As advertised, when our appetizers arrived it was hard to tell what culinary tradition might unify them all. Jane’s minestrone was the one clearly Italian dish on the table, and my mussels had been billed not as mussels but as “moules,” the French word. Whatever you called them, though, the “moules” were “tres delicieux,” as they say. I was a fan of the idea of shellfish long before
THE PILLOWMAN
Saybrook Underbrook // 8 p.m. Dystopian future and brutal murders — it’s an upper.
I was a fan of shellfish, and when I was younger I was always sure to disguise the flavor of a clam or mussel with broth, butter or bread. But the mussels at ROIA, cooked in a light yet substantial lemon and ginger broth and topped with sea salt and garlic aioli, needed no such treatment. The result was a dash of seafood saltiness against a background of more mellow flavors, a perfect balance and a delicious appetizer — some of the best mussels I’ve had. This probably wasn’t the case for the ginger and lemon in my appetizer, but ROIA sources much of their produce from the Yale Farm, spanning the gap between
the world of fancy restaurants and the world of earnest student endeavors. So if you work at the Yale Farm and something you grew ended up in my dinner Friday: Thanks. I doubt, though, that the Yale Farm grew the risotto, tuna or squid ink that constituted my entree. A plate of squid ink pasta is a rather intimidating sight — jet black isn’t a normal color for food. Combine that with the fact that I had never eaten squid ink pasta before, and I was second-guessing my selection as our waitress placed the bowl before me. I shouldn’t have worried: the flavor was intense but enjoyable, and I was happy not to have simply
ordered pasta. That is, until I had a bite of Andy’s duck ragu. Next time, he can order the squid ink and I’ll have the duck. The tuna on top of my risotto, however, was delicious — still pink inside, dusted with just enough spice. Its subtle flavor was a good pairing with the bold squid ink risotto. All in all, ROIA offers everything a good restaurant should, and its atmosphere won’t scare anyone away from enjoying a unique, satisfying and refined meal. Contact DAVID WHIPPLE at david.whipple@yale.edu.
SEE OUT TO LUNCH PAGE B6
WKND RECOMMENDS: Marlboro.
PAGE B4
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
WEEKEND STORIES
THE FAKE // BY NITIKA KHAITAN Before that moment, Mrs. Anjali Kapadia had never ever considered buying a fake. Why would she? Only wannabes carried fakes, and Mrs. Kapadia was too rich to be a wannabe (which is to say, her father and husband were too rich, but well, same thing). Her mother always said that carrying designer bags just to show off was something only new money did. If you were old money, you wouldn’t need to drop four lakhs on a Lady Dior to show everyone you were rich— they’d already know it. Instead, you’d buy the bag because where else could you get that
stores in the mall put together, with ceiling-high stacks of shoeboxes crowding the store. She’d found the perfect pair of stilettos, but the annoying shop owner had insisted she also look at his new shipment of “top-quality maal, straight from China!” The maal turned out to be a dazzling array of gold Tory Burches and black Chanel cross bodies, each more obviously fake than the last. She had been on her way out when, after frantically rummaging through his bag of maal, the owner pulled out the long zipped monogram wallet. Mrs. Kapadia had wanted that exact wallet
SHE WAS 40 YEARS OLD, AND CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, DIDN’T OWN A SINGLE LV MONOGRAM? SHE’D ALWAYS FEARED COMING OFF AS TOO LOUD. quality, that leather, that finish? But the fake Louis Vuitton wallet in front of her, it was certainly tempting. She’d come to HydeOut, braving the urine stench and stray dogs of Lok Nayak Market, because she had to go to the Chadha wedding that night, and not one pair of shoes at the mall matched her new sari. HydeOut was a suffocating size, permeated by the smell of musty carpets and fake leather, but it was rumored to have more shoes than all the
for months, and so she stopped, to contemplate for the first time the possibility of owning a fake. She set her yellow Prada down on the store’s scratched glass countertop, and picked up the fake wallet. She was 40 years old, and can you believe it, didn’t own a single LV monogram? She’d always feared coming off as too loud, too much like one of those women who bought a bag that practically screamed its brand name, because they couldn’t appreciate the under-
stated elegance of a Tod’s or a Bottega. She saw these women everywhere: once in the Bottega store at the Emporio mall, she heard one such woman exclaim: 1 lakh for this bag?! But it doesn’t say what brand it is on the outside! Mrs. Kapadia, on the other hand, had been featured in Time Out as the proud owner of Delhi’s most extensive collection of Bottegas, with everything from ciel blue totes to tangerine orange hobos in the company’s signature, logo-less weave. But wallets were different. An LV wallet would do no obnoxious brand-screaming from inside her tasteful bags, emerging only briefly when she had to settle bills. And the monogram—everyone had to have at least one. “Madam, only five thousand madam, cheapest price in whole of Delhi.” Mrs. Kapadia nodded in response, running her finger over the wallet’s surface. The leather was smooth enough to feel real, the monogram was properly spaced, and she wouldn’t have to shell out 50 grand for something people would see on her only thrice a day. She stopped herself, horrified at the thought she’d just had. Quality mattered, not the new-money need to be seen! And what difference did it make to her if quality cost fifty grand instead of five? No, she would leave HydeOut now, tell Anil she was the only woman in Delhi who didn’t own an LV monogram, and get cash to go
to Emporio and buy the same wallet from the real store. She’d make a day of it—check out the Ferragamo sale, get her Brazilian at the mall next door, go for coffee at the Hyatt afterwards. But oh ho, asking him for money nowadays had turned into such a pain. “Is your AC working? It’s as hot in here as outside,” she snapped at the shopkeeper. He withdrew mumbling that he’d get it fixed right away ma’am. The rupee was at an all timelow, 69 rupees for one dollar. Of course they were completely fine--they were the Kapadias--but Anil had lost some money in the stock market, and his value-of-a-rupee lectures were now longer. He’d get his credit card bill and start his usual, “More than half your bags just lie in the closet, and you go buy another one! Don’t you already have three Ferragamos!” Mrs. Kapadia would try to explain “But they’re different styles, jaanu, and I do use all my bags--” and Mr. Kapadia would interrupt, “One has a zip, one has a button and they become different styles!” Nowadays, he had a new line to add, “And how many times do I explain! The rupee is falling…” Mrs. Kapadia would tune out, try to look suitably repentant, then put her hand on his and say, “Sorry jaanu, last time I promise. Do you want chai?” The mere thought of going through this routine again gave her a headache. She sighed, turning the wallet over in her
hands. The AC suddenly started again, blowing gusts of cool air. What if she bought the fake for now, waited till the rupee went up, and then asked Anil to buy her the real one? “AC better now, Madam? And wallet, you like?” “Haan, better. But yeh metal zip, looks like plastic no?” Mrs. Kapadia frowned, trying to find reasons to not like it. What if someone noticed, and realized she was carrying a fake? “No ma’am, it’s real metal! Don’t worry, you use for few days and you see, it look totally fine. Everyone think it LV only.” He was right. No one would notice the tiny metal zip. And even if they did, no one would suspect it was a fake if they saw it on her. But what would… enough! Mrs. Kapadia was running late for a coffee date. She’d never thought this much before buying a real bag, and this wallet was barely the cost of two dinners at any hotel. “Haan, I’ll take it,” she announced, handing him five crisp thousandrupee notes from her Prada tote. “Yes, ma’am!” The shopkeeper’s day had been made. “Good, good, madam, wallet look very good. You very happy with it.” He took out a brown dust cover and black LV shopping bag from under the counter. “I get this especially from real Lewis Vittawn store madam,” he said, clearly proud that he could give his customers authentic LV dust covers for their fake wallets. Mrs. Kapadia picked up her Prada, LV packet and the
HydeOut shopping bag with her stilettos, and walked out. *** Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in the new cafe Chez Nini, sipping a much-needed fresh lime soda and waiting for her friend Pooja. She’d crossed two streets from Lok Nayak to enter its far more upscale neighbor, Khan Market. Khan had its fair share of stray dogs too, but was India’s most expensive shopping street. A few more minutes passed. Pooja was obviously running on Indian Standard Time. The drink was helping ease Mrs. Kapadia’s headache, but she couldn’t get that damned fake out of her mind still. She sat tersely, trying to figure out if she wanted to use the wallet or keep it locked away, when Pooja arrived, carrying multiple shopping bags as usual—this time, a silver packet from Gucci, an orange one from Hermes, and a tiny black one from LV, the same as Anjali’s. Anjali flinched. “Hiiiii, been such a long time yaar, how have you been?” She rose up to air-kiss Pooja on both cheeks. “Haan Anj, I know, what to do, been so busy with this wedding you know.” Pooja sat down, making an exasperated noise. “Arjun’s niece is getting married, and all I did today is buy gifts for the groom’s mother and his sisSEE STORIES PAGE B7
//ZISHI LI
FRIDAY NOVEMBER
6
TANGERINE
LORIA 250 // 7 p.m. Just an average movie about your average trans sex worker and her best friend. The screening will be accompanied by a discussion with producer Darren Dean.
WKND RECOMMENDS: Havana.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE B5
WEEKEND ARTS
PERCEPTION AND PROVISIONALITY: WILLIAM KENTRIDGE IN THE YUAG // BY TÉA BEER I have been captivated by the work of South African artist William Kentridge since I first encountered him years ago and have never stopped looking. I fell in love with his stop-motion animations, his use of charcoal drawings on a single piece of paper, the way he allowed erasure marks to bear as much weight as the charcoal itself and his willingness to allow his work to develop slowly, without fixed conclusion. A number of his works are currently on display in the Yale University Art Gallery, where Kentridge will be speaking this Sunday. Additionally, two performances of his multimedia chamber opera “Refuse the Hour” will run at the Yale Rep this weekend. Kentridge’s art is renowned for its ability to integrate both his formal studio practice and his passion for performance art, includ-
ing theater, music and dance, as exemplified in “Refuse the Hour.” The pieces in the YUAG demonstrate Kentridge’s facility with varying media, as well: included in a single room are prints, installations and animations. His work revolves around uncertainty, or what the artist calls “provisionality.” While his art often bears political themes, Kentridge resists political agendas, and instead maintains that his work presents political reflections without suggesting answers. In the front corner of the gallery, concealed by a black curtain, is “What Will Come,” an installation that includes a table, a cylindrical mirror and a rotating projection. At first glance, the piece is remarkable for the technological skill with which it is executed. Looking down on the table, one sees a drawing of a distorted kid-
ney bean; when it is reflected onto the cylindrical mirror, it becomes Earth. The subject matter is the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Music plays through the speakers; the popping of guns punctuates one of Mussolini’s favorite marches, a Shostakovich reflection on a Jewish song about loss follows, referencing the migration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Margaret Koerner, an art historian who gave a talk on Wednesday at the YUAG on the exhibit, explained, “Kentridge is concerned with dictatorial regimes and forced migration, and how they will repeat.” This is especially compelling in the context of Kentridge’s familial history: Born to a family of Lithuanian Jews in South Africa, the artist’s father, Sydney Kentridge, was a white South African lawyer who defended such
figures as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Albert Luthuli. The series of prints on the right side of the gallery is called “Zeno at 4 a.m.” Koerner suggested that this body of work may reflect how Kentridge identifies with Zeno, the titular character in Italo Svevo’s “Confessions of Zeno,” who was instructed by his analyst to keep a diary. Instead of writing, Kentridge works through his thoughts and dreams in the studio, sometimes late at night. Working without a preconceived plan of the outcome, his work, as in this case, can have fantastical or dreamlike features. “General” is a large drypoint and watercolor work on paper striking for its use of color. Except for brief flashes in the next work, “NO, IT IS,” “General” is the only piece in the gallery that features color prominently. Kentridge’s
work is known for being primarily black and white; in “General,” color begins to assume a symbolism — such as a splash of red at his collar indicating blood, an obvious critique of military authority — that the artist tends to avoid in his other pieces. “NO, IT IS” is a three-part video installation at the back wall, and my personal favorite of the pieces in the gallery. The work was originally meant to be an element of “Refuse the Hour,” and Koerner explained that certain fragments of the animation will be projected at the back of the stage in the opera. Each video shows animations of drawings on book pages that flip like a video reel. As the artist does somersaults in one animation, on the next a telephone becomes a voluptuous female body and in the last screen a raven emerges from a nest of black ink
streaks. Of the works on display in the gallery, “NO, IT IS” most reflects Kentridge’s current fascination with the concept of time as it anticipates “Refuse the Hour.” As Koerner said, “Hopefully Kentridge will be doing somersaults here, long after he is gone.” I have loved Kentridge’s work for years, and I am now discovering that his writings and lectures are no less elegant and powerful than his art. As I begin to develop layered and moving images in my own work, I return to Kentridge and his humorous, beautiful and heartbreaking art again and again and again. It is remarkable to finally see his work in person at the YUAG, and it is a well of inspiration to whomever will take the time to engage with it. Contact TÉA BEER at tea.beer@yale.edu .
Don’t go to Soads, go to Yaledancers // BY ANDREW RUYS DE PEREZ
Instead of getting down at Woad’s this week, I decided to find out where the Yalies who actually can dance hang out. Little did I know that my search would take me to a place where I was obviously the worst dancer in the room — the dress rehearsal for the Yaledancers’ fall show. You know that you will have a good time when the first thing you hear is Queen Bey’s “Partition” blaring through the theater’s sound system. I wanted to get up and dance in the complete darkness. However, I exercised self-control and waited expectantly for the first dance to begin. The evening unfolded with a diverse, enthralling collection of choreographies. From jazzy numbers and Broadway pieces to hip-hop and more contemporary works, there is certainly something for everyone at the Yaledancers show. The group is uniformly talented. And what is more fun than watching that kid in your section nail a midair split? The Yaledancers slay a wide variety of styles. Group dances are interspersed with solo pieces; ballet is immediately followed by hard-hitting hip-hop moves. Each dance conveys a specific emotion, and the performers demonstrate that one can inspire and uplift others simply through the art of movement. There were many highlights from the evening. The first act ends with a solo acrobatic performance, “New Heights,” by Gracie White ’16, who hangs from a huge hoop suspended from the ceiling. In contrast, the second act begins with a modern, more experimental ensemble performance entitled “Tentatively.” Choreographed by Laura Wilson, visiting from the California-based dance company The Assembly Dance, this unique number — along with its accompanying futuristic, science-fiction-inspired music — is striking. My favorite part of the evening occurred during this dance, when the performers rolled themselves together into a cinnamon roll-esque hug. Another standout is White’s “The Room is Too Quiet,” a warriorlike group dance full of high kicks and powerful leaps. “Steam Heat,” restaged by Rebecca Brudner ’16, is surprising: the dancers sing throughout a comedic — and seemingly exhausting — Broadway performance. Almost every piece includes some sort of dazzling, intricate maneuver. Complicated lifts, perfectly rotated spins and energetic synchronized choreography are the norm for Yaledancers. I guarantee that audiences will question their own health and fitness levels. I did. Why can I barely touch my toes? Why do I have trouble lifting up my own backpack or pushing the doors at Commons open? Why do I need complete darkness to confidently dance? The sole risk of going to a performance with such talented dancers, frankly, is the chance that you will cry alone in your room afterwards. You will never be as flexible, strong and skilled at dance as your peers. In the end, the Yaledancers’ many seamless changes of direction and variety of styles ensure that no viewer will leave unsatisfied. The dances are not only executed well, but are emotive and entertaining as well. Yaledancers provide motivation to work on your own dance moves, because we sometimes forget that dancing is more than bumping and grinding on the Toad’s dance floor. //MATTHEW LEIFHEIT
SATURDAY NOVEMBER
7
DISCOVERING BRITISH CHORAL MUSIC
WKND RECOMMENDS:
Marquand Chapel // 2 p.m.
Studies show singers of British choral music are the sexiest demographic at Yale.
Contact ANDREW RUYS DE PEREZ at andrew.ruysdeperez@yale.edu .
Virginia Slims.
PAGE B6
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
WEEKEND OUT
TO LUNCH
FOOD FOR THOUGHT OUT TO LUNCH FROM PAGE B3 FUN AT JUNZI I walk into Junzi from the leafsodden sidewalk of Broadway and York, leaving the messy Gothic overcompensation of campus far behind. The bright and elegant interior is filled with an air of casual chic, and its stripped-back and clean decor feels effortlessly composed in a way that shrugs, “I woke up like this.” The little seating area is strewn with low stools for the timepressed student to perch upon as he or she digs into one of the various bite-sized meals that Junzi offers. Ideal for a quick pit stop between classes or a long night of studying, the fiery spices and crisp flavors make Junzi’s classic chun bing and noodle bowls an invigorating delight. Junzi’s philosophy strikes a careful balance between loyalty to the founding concept of a joint serving chun bing — spring pancakes in the Northern Chinese street food style — and bold creativity in finding new ways of catering to Yale and New Haven
as a whole. And recent grad and head chef Lucas Sin ’15, who grew up cooking at home and went on to be a pop-up restaurant pioneer on the streets of his native Hong Kong, knows exactly how to please his captive audience. “I just want to eat all the time!” he tells me with a guilty smile as he neatly folds a thin pancake around a succulent assembly of shredded beef, seasonal vegetables and chili oil. “So the kind of food I want to make for myself and others is basically just … hedonistically pleasurable.” Sin is just as true to his own word as he is to the core ideals that Junzi aims to serve to every customer. Its palate steers clear of the typical “American” preconception of Chinese food: General Tso’s chicken and the fare you might find at Panda Express. Instead, an abundance of clear vegetables, rich meats and tofu, and sharp chili spice on a bed of your own choosing — either the chun bing pancake or a bowl of flat rice noodles — stands out as popular staples on the Junzi
menu, all of which prices at $9 or less apiece. And the selection doesn’t end there. Walking me around the counter, Sin points out the daily selection of salads and tofu dishes, devised daily by his colleagues. Stacked nearby are dozens of bright cartons, containing juices, tea and soy drinks — all everyday refreshments that Sin grew up drinking in Hong Kong. Even this doesn’t touch upon the full extent of Chef Sin’s plans for Junzi over the coming months. The chun bing and noodle-bowl fillings of vegetables and garnishes will change regularly as the year goes on, he tells me, keeping apace with the fresh seasonal produce that gives Junzi its mouthwatering flavors. Drawing upon his time serving students in the Davenport Dive, Sin hints excitedly at his own big ideas for a new Late Night Menu, which grew out of a Junzi team tradition in which staff members used whatever supplies were left in the kitchen to make whatever they wanted.
Tim Lind ’16, former member of the Whiffenpoofs and the Yale Alley Cats who now also works for Junzi, puts this down to the work ethic: “There’s this great sense of community among the staff here, including the management.” Chef Sin plans to develop this fun and casual approach into a means of offering students some more familiar snack options in the small hours — nachos being the first point of order. Perhaps most importantly of all: “On late-night weekends, we’re open when Toad’s closes,” he adds pointedly. With its bombshell new flavors and creative entrepreneurialism, Junzi has set itself well on course to join the ranks of Yale students’ classic late-night snack haunts. I, for one, predict that the path to Junzi will become a well-trodden favorite of both Yalies and New Haven at large before the spring rolls around. Contact LAURENCE BASHFORD at laurence.bashford@yale.edu.
//TARNA ZANDER
//TARNA ZANDER
ZINCIN’ ABOUT ZINC I was stoked to snag a Restaurant Week dinner at Zinc. Not Kitchen Zinc, but its fancier counterpart located frontand-center on Chapel Street. I couldn’t wait to eat like an adult who has more than $14.20 in her bank account. After my two dinner companions and I were seated in the back corner of the restaurant, we scanned the prix fixe Restaurant Week menu, determined to cover as much territory as we could. We ended up sampling eight of the 12 first-course, second-course and dessert options available. I chose the Belgian endive and radicchio salad, the butternut squash ravioli and the carrot cake parfait. My friends, meanwhile, ordered the grilled shrimp, grilled chicken and fennel sausage with apple cider butter sauce, salmon risotto with pancetta, pumpkin cheesecake and apple and cranberry crumble. After our server finished taking our order, she uttered the three words every girl dreams of hearing: “Here’s some bread.” THE CUBAN SOUL OF NEW HAVEN I’m forced to admit that as a result of my laziness and my living over a block away, I had never visited Soul de Cuba, which is located at 283 Crown St. The walk, however, was worth it. My first memory of Soul de Cuba actually took place during Bulldog Days 2014. After spending the day together, my parents and I split ways. Not long after, my dad texted me, “Who are you walking with?” And then I realized that even 1750 miles away from home, I would never be free from my parents. They later
FRIDAY NOVEMBER
6
Sadly, the corn and fennel flatbread was a major disappointment. Picture a toasted rubber eraser about the size and shape of a Starburst, and you get the idea. I almost regretted not picking up that loaf of free bread I saw hanging out on the sidewalk outside Atticus on the way over. Fortunately, the meal could only get better from there. The grilled shrimp was mouthwateringly juicy, the poached pear salad crisp and refreshing. The sweet, creamy, cheesy butternut squash pasta had me like, “Ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli.” There were some seriously tender peas and farm-fresh spinach all up in there. The salmon and the chicken sausage were good. They were flaky, savory, smooth and crisp in all the right places, prepared and served with the finesse I expected from Zinc, and yet … they felt oddly uninspired as a whole. Interesting spices and fresh ingredients added a nice twist here and there — the date and lemon relish on the salmon, for example, or the harissa in the ravioli — but the majority of dishes lacked any element
of surprise. The desserts were Zinc’s saving grace. The pumpkin cheesecake, set off by just a smattering of gingerbread crumble, was delightfully light and airy. The carrot cake parfait was to die for. I could wax poetic about the fresh whipped cream custard plugging up the top of the miniature mason jar, the giant candied pecans underneath, the fluffy spiced cake, freshly grated carrots and best of all, the generous smear of local honey coating the bottom. Perhaps the cake and the whipped cream could have been layered more uniformly, but I think I enjoyed not knowing what I would taste each time I pulled up my long parfait spoon. Overall, for the price tag, I expected to be blown away by fresh and inspiring dishes. Alas, the only surprising thing about Zinc is the fact that it’s simply not very surprising at all. Maybe next year, Zinc. Until then, I’ll be thinking of your carrot cake parfait, and trying to forget your “bread.”
informed me that they had seen me from the window of Soul de Cuba, which did little to mitigate my confusion. Soul de Cuba has been at the back of my mind since then, and while I’ve wanted to go for a while, the closer options on Chapel Street usually win out. Accompanied by a friend who compromised her veganism for a first taste of Cuban food, I made my way to the restaurant. Its small size creates a homey atmosphere, but the prices immediately make it very clear you’re in a fine-dining establishment. The prix fixe Restaurant Week dinner menu includes an appetizer,
entree and dessert for $32. The regular dinner menu has entrees ranging from $17 to $24. In our quest for a food coma, my friend and I both ordered from the Restaurant Week menu. My tostones con camarones featured a green plantain with bruschetta and shrimp. While the shrimp and plantain were flavorful, the bruschetta felt hastily thrown on. The lettuce, in particular, was overabundant and unripe. My friend ordered the yuca frita, which is normally one of my favorite dishes. Here, however, in both and look and taste it felt like Tater Tots from an elementary school cafeteria. The
Contact ERIN WANG at erin.wang@yale.edu .
YALE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT
//JEN LU
//JEN LU
usual bitter yuca taste was nonexistent, and without the menu, I couldn’t have guessed the dish. The appetizers, unsurprisingly, left us desiring more. Luckily, the dinner continued on an upward trend. My entree, which our waiter recommended, was pargo a la cubana, a tender red snapper filet lightly simmered with cilantro, onion, tomato, white wine and garlic. Cooked to the perfect degree, the fish was soft and each bite tried to outflavor the previous. The fish was placed upon a bed of rice and accompanied by beans, a Cuban staple. My friend opted for the motofu, one of two vegetarian
entrees. It was essentially fried tofu served with an assortment of vegetables, rice and plantain drizzled in balsamic reduction. She noted that in comparison to other tofu dishes, this one was “smoky and well-seasoned.” Dessert came in the form of tres leches and flan. We waited a while, so it was all the more rewarding when, topped with a ton of whipped cream, the spongy cake arrived. The cake was light and fluffy without being too sweet, and did not overshowcase condensed milk, as tres leches often does. The flan, albeit small, also elevated the level of sponge cake. The caramel syrup
Contact ROHAN NAIK at rohan.naik@yale.edu.
WKND RECOMMENDS:
School of Management // All day If you care about the environment.
seeped through to the bottom, so every bite was equally delicious. At the end of the meal, our quest for a food coma was more than surpassed. Overall, I left happy that I had made the trek. Was the three-course meal at Soul de Cuba worth the full $32 (minus tax) prix fixe? Not really, but it was a satisfying experience. If you’ve just gotten a job offer, want to celebrate your anniversary, or want to try something new, it’s a great place. For a broke college student, there are other options in the city.
Old Gold.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE B7
WEEKEND STORIES
THE FAKE // BY NITIKA KHAITAN
//ZISHI LI
STORIES FROM PAGE B4 ter and his grandmother.” She gestured at her shopping bags, sighing, “It’s like a full-time job, I tell you. Oh, look! Same to same!” She pointed at Anjali’s LV packet and her own. “You went to LV today too?” “Oh, yeah, I… “ “What did you get!” “Nothing special, just a wallet. Anyways, should we order—” “Haan? Me too! Which one?” Why was Pooja so obsessed with shopping? She could be so irritating at times. “Bas, the monogram one.” “Really? I got the same one! Show me yours? Did you get the zip one or the button? All their monogram stuff looks so good no?” Anjali froze. She was not ready to show Pooja the wallet. What if Pooja picked it up and saw the plasticky zip and realized it was a fake? What if Anjali hadn’t noticed an even more obvious give-away? What if the monogram flowers hadn’t been printed or spaced properly, or what if one of the LV’s was cut at the edges? Pooja meanwhile reached into her packet and took her wallet out in its dust cover, saying, “I toh got the zippy one.” She looked up. “You okay na? You seem drained.” “Haan, it’s just this heat,” Anjali managed to mumble. Uff, she was freaking out over tiny things for no reason. It’d be fine; she just wouldn’t take hers out and the conversation would move on. But Pooja had asked her directly, and ordinarily even she would be excited to show Pooja what she’d bought. What if not taking it out made Pooja suspicious? Pooja opened the dust cover to reveal her wallet. Anjali’s heart sank. How could she have thought her fake wallet almost looked real? There was no substitute for real cowhide or LV bags. The leather on Pooja’s wallet looked so much richer, the monogram color so much more golden, the zip so much more like silver… “Nice, no? What’s yours like?” There was no way out. She had to show Pooja the wallet. She reached down into her packet, trying to calm herself. Maybe it’d be fine; maybe she was just exaggerating the
SATURDAY NOVEMBER
7
differences in her head. Pooja didn’t know half as much about bags as she did, maybe she just wouldn’t notice. Anjali’s hand trembled slightly as she put the wallet on the table and started to open the dust cover, revealing her miserable counterfeit. Pooja reached out to touch the metal zip. Anjali stopped breathing. “Yours is a zip one too! Yours also looks so good Anj.” Was there a bit of a smirk in Pooja’s smile? Why had she emphasized that Anjali’s wallet also looked good, if she had bought the exact same wallet? Was she touching the zip to signal she knew it was a fake? But how dare she assume it was a fake based on a zip? Didn’t she know Anjali’s family background? Anjali tried to silence her thoughts. You don’t actually have a reason to think Pooja knows, she told herself. Pooja picked up the wallet, and opened the zip. “Your zip works so well, yaar! Mine was a little stiff at the store, but the guy said it’d become smooth after I used it a few times.” That was it. Pooja definitely knew. Why else would she examine the zip? And then specifically point out that her wallet was stiff? Were new wallets supposed to have stiff zips? Did real leather wallets have to be broken into, like shoes? No, that was absurd, that had never happened with any of Anjali’s bags. Pooja closed the zip. Even if she wanted to check the zip, why had she opened it all the way? Was she checking the inside—oh god! Anjali had completely forgotten to examine the inside label! What if it was all messed up? That had to be it. Pooja already knew what the inside of the wallet looked like; why else would she look in? Pooja put the wallet back down. Anjali immediately grabbed it and reopened the zip, mumbling something about how yeah, the zip did open really well, expecting to see something horribly wrong with the label. The inside was a plain dark brown, with even darkerbrown, tiny letters spelling out “LOUIS VUITTON. PARIS. made in France” in a small
BOOK SIGNING
Barnes & Noble // 8 p.m. Get your #celebfix from Yale/local authors.
3-line re c ta n g l e — exactly the way it should be. Anjali began to calm down slightly. Get a grip on yourself, she thought. It shouldn’t have been obvious to Pooja that it was a fake, and Anjali didn’t have any reason for suspecting she knew. “You really look low-energy, Anj. Want to order something more to drink? It’s so important to stay hydrated in the summer.” Anjali nodded, and they called the waiter. Pooja wasn’t trying to mock her, was she, show Anjali that she’d noticed how the fake wallet was making Anjali uncomfortable? Uff, why can’t you stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts? The waiter arrived and Pooja ordered a Make it Light™ banana berry smoothie.. Anjali decided she was stressed enough to break her nutritionist’s recommended diet, and ordered a double chocolate layer cake. “Haan and before I forget, I’ll quickly show you the other stuff I bought too. I really need a second opinion yaar, this groom’s side of the family is so fussy, god only knows what they’ll like.” Pooja pulled out an alligator skin Hermes, and a shiny red Gucci with tassels. “Oh, how lovely! Especially the Gucci, it’s so stunning, yaar! I’m sure they’ll love both.” They were both hideous. The Gucci was so in-your-face, and it had actual tassels hanging off its side! And the alligator leather was probably the single ugliest wallet Hermes had ever manufactured. “Hai na?” Pooja said, “That’s why I stuck to the classic stuff, you can toh never go wrong with these. Accha did I tell you the gossip with the bride? Super dramatic. She basically said no to the grandmother when she asked her to…” Classic stuff? How could anyone think alligator skin was Hermes’ signature, or that you could ever go right with tassels, or that either of these two wallets deserved the same “classic” label as the monogram? And to think this woman had gone and bought the LV, with no appreciation for the feel of the
leather, or the simple elegance of the label inside, or the carefully proportioned flowers with the LV logo! Anjali had no reason to worry. Pooja probably wouldn’t be able to tell a fake if it hit her in the face. “—and so then the grandmother put her foot down, and said no way, the bride had to wear red, how could…” Anjali nodded along, making hmm noises from time to time to show she was interested. Pooja couldn’t tell it was a fake but that didn’t mean much because Pooja clearly didn’t know anything. But what about her other friends? Would they be able to? Anjali couldn’t bear the thought of going through the same sequence of doubts and fears every time she pulled it out to pay. The waiter arrived with their cake and coffee. And if even one of her friends realized it was a fake, everyone in the city would know by the end of the day. And then what rumors people would come up with, whispers spreading from one drawing room to another. She could imagine her friends smiling secretly at each other whenever she entered the room, giving all her bags an extra-long stare. Then they’d tell their husbands, and their husbands would gossip about whether that meant Anil’s business was doing badly. If Anil somehow found out, or God forbid, her mother… Anjali tried to concentrate on relishing her dessert. She’d have to go off chocolate for days, now that she’d exceeded her sugar quota. Her mother lived in Calcutta but she had enough friends in Delhi to eventually hear something. Knowing it was unfathomable for her own daughter to do something like this, her mother would pooh-pooh all such gossip, and shout at Anjali over the phone to tell the LV people their wallet looked like a fake and they had to replace it. Don’t you know how much people talk, Anju, and by God’s grace, we got you such a good match in the Kapadia family,
you have to take more care of appearances. “—but yeah, all this drama toh keeps happening day in day out,” Pooja concluded her story. Anjali shook her head in sympathy. Even if she managed to use her fake for several days with no one realizing, she herself would always know, always focus on the stupid zip and cringe at the rougher leather. Maybe she should just keep it locked away in a drawer, or give it to some maid. “Anj, that cake looks delicious!” “Yeah, this is definitely better than what we had that day at Tres.” But uff, Anjali really really liked the LV monogram. She’d anyway wanted it for so long, and especially now that she’d seen the LV Pooja bought, she just wished she could start carrying it right away. “Better than Tres? Should I get one too? My dietician is going to be so mad if she finds out, but one day doesn’t make a difference na? Actually, do you think they’ll have a chocolate eclair? I’ll just go see their selection.” Pooja got up and walked over to the far side of the restaurant, to the glass case displaying the baked goods for the day. Mrs. Kapadia watched her go. Pooja’s back was turned firmly to their table and she was pointing at different items in the case. Mrs. Kapadia looked around briefly, took off one of her earrings and discreetly dropped it to the floor. She bent down to pick it up, switched the two LV packets under the table, put her earring back on, and went back to finishing her cake. Pooja came back a few minutes later with a mille feuille. “Arre, all the energy’s come back to your face, Anj. The dessert here really does wonders haan?” “It really does,” Mrs. Kapadia replied, “it really does.” Contact NITIKA KHAITAN at nitika.khaitan@yale.edu .
WKND RECOMMENDS: Philip Morris.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
PAGE B8
WEEKEND COLUMNS
POMPOS PICKS // BY NATALIE POMPOS Dimitri Lippe ‘18 Buffalo, NY
Stephanie Tomasson ‘16 New York City, New York
Countless individuals wonder why there is so much excitement concerning Yale Symphony Orchestra concerts. Truth is, it has little to do with the musical arrangements or even the skilled musicians. In reality, all the overwhelming interest revolves around the chance to see Dimitri Lippe. Ticket sales prove Dimitri could sell out Woolsey Hall on his exquisite sense of style and audaciously good looks alone. Unfortunately, to the detriment of others, this performer’s style is so fortissimo marvelous, he makes all around him appear rather flat. Even when this charismatic inamorato is not showcasing his musical prowess, he tugs on all heart strings around campus. With a fashion sense he describes as “classically colorful,” one glance his way, and you know you have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He elaborates on his style remarking, “My outfits are simple, but there is usually a nice splash of color, often in my khakis, chinos or jeans. I think this aspect makes my style a little out of the ordinary.” Similar to his musical talents, Dimitri’s fashion sense has beautifully crescendoed over the years evolving into a vibrantly sophisticated composition. It is simple to conclude no matter where this heartthrob ends up working in life, he will certainly be the sharpest on the staff.
It is not even the slightest bit surprising that when Stephanie Tomasson conducts tours in the Yale University Art Gallery, visitors often credit her outfits and ethereal beauty as the must see exhibit. This fashionista has always been a walking work of art. In regard to her early style she recounts, “My mom tells me I could often be caught wearing fairy wings, overalls and a firefighter’s helmet … all at once. I thought I looked great, but I’m not sure everyone would agree.” Even the most esteemed works of art have their critics. While her present wardrobe masterpieces are predominately inspired by her mood, and she has yet to become re-inspired to put out fires for mythological creatures on farms, she credits her appreciation for some of her preferred artists’ works, aesthetics and color usages as definite influencers to her sense of style: “Abstract Expressionism, particularly the New York School is my favorite era — Motherwell, Rauschenberg and Rothko are also some of my favorites.” Her integration of attire encompassing artistic principles led to her interest in the Rialto Jean Project: “Erin Feniger handpaints vintage jeans, jackets and shirts with unique designs that are all one-of-a-kind. The best part is that the proceeds go toward supporting innovative art therapy programs at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Presbyterian Hospital New York. I am an avid believer in the importance of art education/therapy in childhood development.” Impressive to note that stunning Stephanie possesses a remarkably generous spirit. So generous, she has agreed to donate her Yale Student ID upon graduation to the YUAG, where it will be framed and on display in their permanent collection.
Amanda Hu ‘19 Scottsdale, Arizona
Leonard Galmon ’18 New Orleans, Louisiana
A master of uniting comfortable attire into fashionable ensembles, Amanda Hu’s style is as hot as the Arizona sunshine — not to mention, Amanda is even hotter. However, there was a time when her outfits did not always heat things up: “I’m not going to lie, in middle school I was a die-hard Abercrombie girl.” Such a travesty she was not placed in Ezra Stiles and allowed to continue on wearing mooseembellished apparel. Due to spending most of her childhood wearing a uniform to class, she professed, “I’ve always loved having the chance to dress up and show off my own personal style!” A style she best describes as “comfy-casual,” and mostly consisting of solid-hued shift dresses, leggings and oversized sweaters. In case you’ve ever wondered how to get so hot you cause blazing heat waves like this girl, she recommends, “Wear what makes you feel good! I love oversized sweaters and loosefitting dresses, which might not be considered the most ‘flattering’ of outfits but are definitely the most comfortable. If you wear anything with confidence you will always rock an outfit!” Somebody call 911 shawty fire burning!
If you lose all sensitivity to your countenance when you encounter Leonard Galmon, do not be alarmed. Just tell him you can no longer feel your face in his presence, and he’ll repeatedly respond, “Don’t worry about it … Don’t worry no more.” Inquire how frequently Leonard merely rolls out of bed, throws on nearby garments and showcases an effortlessly stylish outfit and he’ll remark “often.” Seriously, ask him how he do this everyday, he’ll say “often.” While he confesses some days he does pay special attention to his outfits, most selections from his wardrobe flow as free as his artistic hand when he paints. With the tendency to incorporate soft fabrics with hard materials such as blending sweatpants and leather jackets, his selections are true originals. It’s only a matter of time before The Weeknd’s lead singer begins copying more than just Leonard’s hairstyle. When the singer was most recently questioned regarding mimicking part of Leonard’s signature look, his only comment was, “but I love it, but I love it.”
//NATALIE POMPOS
Contact NATALIE POMPOS at natalie.pompos@yale.edu .
Secrets in Seattle // BY MADELINE KAPLAN Some books matter because of who’s written them. Some books matter because of the universal truths they convey. And some books matter because they’re really damn funny. “Where’d You Go Bernadette,” Maria Semple’s best-selling 2012 novel, falls mostly into the last category. It makes cogent points, sure — about parenting, about success, about anxiety. But the book never takes itself too seriously. “Where’d You Go Bernadette” paints all its contents with a shiny veneer of absurdity. The result is a brilliant novel that is well crafted, astute and always hilarious. As the novel opens, 15-yearold Bee is planning a trip to Antarctica, a trip long-promised by her mother, Bernadette. Once an architectural phenom, Bernadette is now a borderline recluse after a mysterious event derailed her promising career. Precocious Bee
does much of the planning for the trip, while Bernadette makes enemies of the mothers who dominate the social scene at Bee’s Seattle prep school. But as the Antarctic adventure nears, Bernadette goes missing — and that’s when things get really interesting. “Bernadette’s” plot and characters are certainly unusual, but the book’s real freshness comes from its form as much as its content. Much of the story is relayed through documents — report cards, diary entries, an extended email correspondence between Bernadette and her virtual assistant, Manjula, who works from India. These pieces of the story never stray too far from Bernadette and Bee, and the book reads much faster and snappier for them. Semple, who wrote for “Arrested Development” and “Saturday Night Live,” clearly knows how to construct a good
joke. The book often approaches sitcom-level ridiculousness, especially when dealing with the pretension of Seattle’s upper-class tech culture. (Bee’s father Elgin, a Microsoft hotshot who loves juicing and hates wearing shoes, is a particular delight.) Here is my plea to you, person who hasn’t yet read “Where’d You Go Bernadette”: I know finding time to read for pleasure is difficult in college. I know it requires far less concentration and effort to get through an episode of New Girl. But this book is worth the minor triumph of willpower required to read it. It’s funny. It’s inventive. It’s as entertaining as any piece of humor writing I’ve encountered. You can binge-watch a sitcom on Netflix later. Binge-read “Where’d You Go Bernadette” now. Contact MADELINE KAPLAN at madeline.kaplan@yale.edu . //CHAI-RIN KIM
SATURDAY NOVEMBER
7
12TH AND DELAWARE
Berkely Mendenhall Room // 4 p.m. RALY’s sponsoring this screening: of a film featuring one abortion clinic, one crisis pregnancy center and one street corner.
WKND RECOMMENDS: Windsor Blue.
YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
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WEEKEND THEATER
LOVE AND LONGING IN TWELFTH NIGHT
TWELFTH NIGHT
// BY LOGAN ZELK
For your mind’s eye, let the filter be known: this play was through my eyes seen, and my ears heard; the words here are my experience. There were dozens of others in the room, and the sound may have echoed ever slightly more high or low to them. Nonetheless, there is spectacle in recanting, and truth in subjectivity, even if just a glimmer. This play was Twelfth Night. Regarding the idea of subjectivity, every time I see a play of Shakespeare’s in its newest rendition, his image becomes more clear. In this case of this play, what seemed most alive was Shakespeare’s love for his own witty banter and wit itself. One wonders whether Shakespeare had any idea his visage would cast a shadow on the literary world for all humans to come; this play nudged me a bit more toward the idea he certainly had an inkling. The word “wit” and its family of
derivatives were uttered over 20 times, enough to leave a cacophony in my ears. The word is brief, but the storm is not. Beyond the words themselves is the acting of them. The actors themselves were fantastic — understatement and overstatement made their appearance in good measure, and at no point did I feel them out of place. The play itself is obviously old; Shakespeare no doubt has the language of a most complex individual, and of a place a few centuries back. Naturally, this lends itself to an old and archaic sense in the play. Tonight’s rendition used this language in tandem with 1920s style clothing to emphasize both. What is the 1920s for us contemporary folk but a key section of the wondrous modern American mythology, a place both mystical yet rooted in the ground we walk on still? People of ages far-removed still
tell us of those times, a weird and enticing flicker in the dark hallway behind us. In sense, the 1920s are one of those special times that inhabit both familiarity and distance in our memory, and so use the archaic language to its benefit. Like the 1920s, Shakespeare’s thick and hearty blank verse is distant, but still the ever-familiar English we use day in and day out. Another note of jovial intrigue was the extensive use of women to play male roles. Some of this may have been to emphasize that Shakespeare used boys for his girl parts in his day. Some of this may have been comedic: the only men in the play were in the most ridiculously humorous roles of the play. Most important, I found, was the reaffirming of Shakespeare’s internal philosophical suggestions beyond the comedy. Twelfth Night is a play that
revolves around the idea of image and identity — how does one’s public image differs from those around them, and how does the image we perceive of others match their true character? Certainly a play about twins, a boy and girl, causing strife through their identical appearance plays on the idea of image quite a bit; this is stressed further when the twin boy is played by a female actor who, no doubt, looks very much like her female partner. The play also tackles the images we present to others, the unfaithful front that shuns our true ideas, thoughts and impulses. This truth is revealed in the play most starkly when the wealthy countess Olivia declares her most irrational love to Viola, who is disguised as a man named Cesario. Up to this ironic and peculiarly funny moment, Olivia had played a long cat-andmouse game, having Viola come
back and forth repeatedly so each time Olivia may better entreat her affections. These attempts all fail and, in desperation, Olivia buckles and outpours her truth. A most memorable and reflective image of the play is when Malvolio wears yellow stockings with crossed garters in an attempt to woo Olivia, and here I think it represents how apt our outer facades are — ugly in falsity but ever fair in intent, to gain those we desire. A once far-off quote collected and paraphrased in the vestiges of my mind said something like this: “Tragedy is perspective upclose, and comedy is perspective in the grand scheme.” Similarly, I could taste the tragedy in this play, and I sense the director had the same good sense. As the play closes out, one can see the three happy couples, some having shed their false exteriors and others embracing their ever-
faithful ones, cavort off into the distance to the tune of the Fool. The final scene is that of the four lonely characters of the play, the ones without love in this jocund tale. They stood at the four corners of the stage, stared blankfaced, perhaps with a hint of doleful longing. They faded with the closing of the lights and the roar of applause. And with this good ending, I realized I had not laughed once the whole play. I chuckled here and there with quickly exhaled gusts, but not once did I really laugh. It was no fault of the actors, but rather I think a hidden aspect of the play. I saw a universal laughter expressed by my fellow man, one that did not rise in me, and I fear it was because I saw familiarity split four ways vanish in the dark and the roar. Contact LOGAN ZELK at logan.zelk@yale.edu .
//ELIZABETH MILES
SATURDAY NOVEMBER
7
THE COMMENCEMENT OF WILLIAM TAN
WKND RECOMMENDS:
Yale Cabaret // 8 p.m.
The end of high school, the beginning of life.
President Salovey’s tobacco email.
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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 · yaledailynews.com
WEEKEND BACKSTAGE
CURIOSITY WITH GOOD INTENT // BY DAPHNE MARTIN
//COURTESY OF GEMMA MORTENSEN
O
n a lovely fall evening, WKND sat down at a table in the common area of the Yale School of Management with Gemma Mortensen. She’s a 2015 Yale World Fellow, one of CNN’s inspirational women of 2014, Chief Global Officer for Change.org, and former director of Crisis Action. The conversation was lively and engaging, and Ms. Mortensen shared her ideas on social change, curiosity, and doing work that matters.
Q: So you studied PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at Oxford for your undergraduate degree. How do you think studying that specific course has influenced your overall “life path”? A: Massively. I don’t think I realized it at the time but it is the root of all I’ve done since, I think. In terms of trying to understand structures of power, having the philosophical underpinnings to think about what power means and how to wield it. I think it has massively increased my ability to be curious with purpose and to think critically. I’m so glad I did that degree. Q: What does it mean to be curious with purpose? A: To feed your curiosity with questions and problems that, when answered, will go some small way to contributing to useful solutions or improvements for the world. Curiosity with good intent! Q: So you are currently in a transition period before starting as Chief Global Officer for Change.org in January. What sparked this transition? A: I had taken Crisis Action to where I wanted to take it and with an amazing group of people. It was almost like that sense of completion, actually, and a realization that if I stayed I would suppress — in some ways — the potential of the organization to reinvent itself. So I didn’t want to be like a champagne cork, keeping all these bubbles captive. And, yeah, it was the right moment for me as well. I felt that it was the right moment to go. Q: Crisis Action itself tends to stay relatively anonymous. Why is that and how do you think that affects the work Crisis Action does? A: So that’s one of the things which is really, really important. It was designed like that for a number of reasons. One: because if you want to get people to work together well and play nicely together, you can’t be in any way competitive with them. You have to be part of the salve that enables them to cooperate. And so, by working behind the scenes, you are not competing for publicity. The first-person narrative is never you. I think it means that there is something very altruistic built into the DNA of the organization because you have to serve this network, this community. You help people come together and have more impact on policymakers together than they would alone. The behind-the-scenes role is one of the, if not the most, important practices of the success of the organization. Q: And do you think that will be different from how your experience will be at Change.org?
What are your hopes now that you are moving on to this new stage? What do you hope to achieve? A: So I do and I don’t think it’s different. It’s obviously different in that Change.org is a big public brand. People know what it is. Hardly anyone knows what Crisis Action is [and that is] by design. Change.org provides a platform to enable people to make effective change. And in some ways, so does Crisis Action. The nature of the platform is very different, but they are both about empowering and enabling other people as opposed to doing it themselves. While Crisis Action was looking at big intergovernmental policy and change, Change.org is saying, “Well, how can you empower individuals to make change?” That starts to happen systematically; then you start to change the structure by which people interact with the people who represent them and that adds up in aggregate to big institutional change as well. So one is quite bottom-up, and the other is quite top-down. I really wanted to get fully acquainted with both those things. Q: Why do you think that people and governments adopt a sort of apathy on occasion when faced with these types of issues? Everyone knows about many of them — like the European migrant crisis — but very few people actually move beyond words about what’s going on. A: I think for governments, it’s really, really difficult to gain traction and make a big difference in some of these problems. I don’t think a lot of people in power are doing quite enough, but I don’t think it’s legitimate to say it’s easy to fix it. That you can do it in a heartbeat. You can’t. The other reason why, I think, is just [that] the process of trying and the obstacles they confront are incredibly wearying and demoralizing. And I think it very much depends on the conflict, the degree to which it is immediate or not. Definitely, some of it is due to the drip-drip-drip, the constant erosion of the issue to the point where you get desensitized to it. And partly, I think it is just the sense of — certainly for something like Syria — “What can you do about it?” It’s an absolute loss of faith that there is a clear path through the issue. I don’t think any of them are insurmountable, but they’re really tough. Q: And in your opinion, what are the crises and conflicts that people should be most aware of right now? A: There should not be a person at this university who is not aware of the magnitude of the Syria crisis and the extent to which it will define the geopolitics of the world for
“THERE SHOULD NOT BE A PERSON AT THIS UNIVERSITY WHO IS NOT AWARE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SYRIA CRISS AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT WILL DEFINE THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE WORLD FOR YOUR GENERATION AND THE GENERATION BEYOND YOU.”
your generation and the generation beyond you. And I don’t just mean Syria — I mean what’s happening in the Middle East. This is tectonic plates shifting — it’s big stuff. And just in terms of our moral reaction to what is happening, we will be judged by how we act in this moment of history. We will be judged. This is huge. This is the biggest refugee crisis since World War II and we should deal with it accordingly. On the other hand, you look at something like the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar which is very, very underreported. There was something on the Yale News saying that a lab at Yale had found evidence of genocide against the Rohingya. We’re talking serious, serious persecution. Getting onto boats and fleeing the country and being repelled by many of their neighbors. I think that is a terrible conflict which the student body should know about. Particularly because Aung San Suu Kyi is such a moral hero for so many of us interested in social change. And there I think you have a very exceptional, brilliant leader in many ways, who by merit of who she is and where she comes from may not necessarily be the person who is going to provide the moral leadership on this issue. And therefore, it must come from elsewhere. I think the student body around the world, including Yale, is an important moral force in this aspect. Q: What are your words for students seeking to work on those matters? What can they do? A: I’d say there are two things. One is to be conscious of your own journey toward becoming somebody who is truly engaged in social change. And it doesn’t matter how you start. It doesn’t matter how micro — how small the issue. The most important thing is giving yourselves those experiences where you feel an agency. You feel that you’re part of making things better. It doesn’t matter how small the thing is. The second is to stay connected to the world on a human basis, whether you raise money for the Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services here in New Haven, which helps a lot of refugees and will help the Syrian refugees resettle, or sign up for something like thesyriacampaign.org, which is a really easy way to do clever targeted cam-
paigning online. [It] doesn’t take up a lot of your time but will help you stay connected to the narrative of what’s going on and how you can react against it. For example, people made micro-donations to buy ambulances for a self-organized civil defense force in Syria. That saves lives. You can feel the tangible connection to something. The politics are terrible but you can still contribute pieces that are clearly part of the public good. Have the sense that you are all actual and moral leaders of your own generation already. Make sure you are conscientious in how you think about refugees, that you think about how you will welcome these people to your community and your country. All of that matters. There’s a lot that you can do here without going too far beyond your daily experience. Q: What is it like being a World Fellow? What do you like about being here? A: I feel so grateful. I feel very grateful to Yale and the program team that gave us this opportunity. I feel very grateful to all of you guys. I feel very grateful to talk to students. I haven’t spent time with 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds for — well, I don’t know. And it’s so important. I think it’s so important to be in conversation with 360 [degrees] on each side of the argument. That includes your generation. It’s so inspiring. And I think it’s very reinvigorating to be surrounded by such incredibly brilliant young people. And the World Fellows are just an amazing group of people. Just to be given the opportunity in my adult life to come and spend time here, it’s like going back to university… Q: Like doing undergraduate studies again? A: Yes, it’s like four months of accelerated, intensive learning — that feeling of “Oooh, what wonderful people I get to make friends with and learn about life with.” So yeah, brilliant. I’d recommend it to anyone. (Laughs.) Contact DAPHNE MARTIN at daphne.martin@yale.edu .