TD Notes and News – Week of 10/24
Head of College’s Pieces
Dear Red Lions,
I hope everyone had a great fall break catching up on work and sleep! If you were on campus this break you were treated to some gorgeous weather. I caught this happy crew of freshfolk (Natalie Leitman, Gabe Malek, and Ramiz Colak) working on their latest P-Set in the courtyard. Don’t worry – they didn’t spent the entire break working. They took off for NYC the next day to have some down time.
And if you spent your break watching the baseball playoffs – like some of us with deep ties to Chicago – then you had cause for celebration this past Saturday night when the Cubs made it into the World Series! As Head of College I usually aspire to maintain neutrality on all matters, but this is simply HISTORIC folks! It’s been 71 years since the Cubs have been in the series and more than a century since the last time they won the title!!! Can’t wait for game 1 on Tuesday night!
If pennant fever isn’t for you, we have a few great events this week:
Wednesday October 26th 4:30pm “Who Leads Us?” Head of College Tea with Brenda Carter (TD House)
Brenda Carter heads up the Reflective Democracy Campaign, an initiative of the Women Donors Network dedicated to creating a democratic political system that reflects the American electorate. The initiative specifically focuses on increasing opportunities for women and people of color to elected leadership. This should be a great conversation as we head into the election!
Friday October 28th 3-5pm TD Pumpkin Carving (TD Upper Courtyard)
A very fun – if messy – TD tradition. We provide the pumpkins of all sizes and carving tools and you supply the imagination and skilled hands. The carved pumpkins will be lit and remain in the courtyard for the long Halloween weekend for all to enjoy!
For next week, here are some important dates to note:
Tuesday 11/1 5:30pm Senior Mellon Forum (TD House)
Class of 2017 get ready for the start of the Senior Mellon Forum. We have five seniors lined up and ready to share their work. This semester, the forums will take place on 4 Tuesday evenings – 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/28. All fall presentation spots are now full.
Friday 11/4 7:30-9:30pm Friday Game Night (TD House)
Another fun night of bluffing and outwitting your friends. Learn to play new board games like Get Bit, Coup, or Codenames. Or just have fun with the classics like Scrabble. Snacks and drinks as usual.
Without further ado, here is a word from Dean Mahurin…
Áshe,
HoC Lui
***
Dean’s Domain
“A wee child toddling in a wonder world, I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan.”
-Zitkala-Sa
(Stay tuned: the next meeting of the TD Reading Group will consider the Sioux writer Zitkala-Sa. This would be a repeat for a few of you, but she’s very much worth rereading!)
DEADLINES
October 28 Midterm. Last day to withdraw from a full-term course without the course appearing on the transcript. Withdrawal from Yale College on or before this date entitles a student to a rebate of ¼ of the term’s tuition.
November 11 Last date to convert from the Credit/D/Fail option to a letter grade in a full-term course. Last day to withdraw from a course offered in the second half of the term without the course appearing on the transcript.
November 30 Last date to relinquish on campus housing for the spring term without charge. If you’re thinking about taking a Leave of Absence next semester, this means you!
TiDbits
Please join The Women’s Leadership Initiative for our first-ever Women in Athletics panel on October 27th at 7pm in the Pierson College Common Room. Even in this day and age, athletics remain a male-dominated field and female athletes are widely underrepresented and under-celebrated in many sports. This special event will bring together campus leaders in the field of athletics to engage in a dialogue on the status of female athletes at Yale and beyond. Our panel will feature Jessica Chrabaszcz, Yale Associate Athletic Director; Erin Applebaum, Head Coach of Yale Volleyball; Camrynn Fausey, Assistant Coach for Yale Cross Country and Track; Katherine Miller ‘17, Yale Women’s Fencing; and Jenny Scherl ‘17, Yale Women’s Squash. Discussion will be moderated by Alexandra Maund ‘19, Yale Women’s Basketball. All five panelists will share their personal experiences as female athletes or women working in athletics and discuss any issues they believe women face in the field, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Undergraduate Physics Research Fair, facilitating research experience for undergraduates with physics interest (and facilitating faculty in their search for capable undergraduate researchers!). Friday, November 4; 1:30-3:00 p.m.; Sloane Physics Lab, 3rd floor lounge.
In celebration of the Yale Peabody Museum’s 150th anniversary, the Museum will award Verrill Medals to four distinguished scientists in a public ceremony on November 4th at 4:00 pm in Levinson Auditorium at the Yale Law School. The Verrill Medal is the highest honor bestowed by the Curators of the Yale Peabody Museum, and only 18 have been awarded since its inception in 1959. The 2016 medalists are:
May Berenbaum (‘75), Swanlund Chair and Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Naomi Pierce (‘76), Hessel Professor of Biology; Curator of Lepidoptera, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy; University of Chicago
Geerat Vermeij (PhD ‘71), Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California at Davis
Then, on Saturday, November 5th, the Museum is holding the Verrill Medal Symposium – a full day of talks about the role of the Peabody Museum, and natural history collections in general, as enduring engines of discovery and important sources of knowledge generation and dissemination. The symposium will feature the 2016 Verrill Medalists along with ten scientists in earlier stages of their careers, all of whom who are Yale alumni or current students. The talks will highlight the groundbreaking scientific discoveries being made by museum-based researchers. The symposium is free, but registration is required – see link on the symposium web page.
Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Individual Academic Strategies Consultations
Our peer mentors are trained to help you set academic goals, find strengths to build on, and develop new strategies for approaching your academic work. Request an individual session at a time that works for you—email academicstrategies@yale.edu.
Upcoming Academic Strategies Workshops
Time management:
Set a weekly routine, plan major assignments, and make time for yourself.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 @ 7:30 pm, Afro-American Cultural Center
Thursday, Oct. 27 @ 7:30 pm, Trumbull College Fellows Lounge
Succeeding in Seminars & Lectures:
Learn effective class prep, class participation, notetaking and review strategies.
Sunday, October 30, 2-3 pm, Yale College Writing Center (35 Broadway, rear entrance behind Toad’s)
Managing a Heavy Reading Load:
Read with purpose and efficiency.
Tuesday, October 25 @ 4 pm, Yale College Writing Center (35 Broadway, rear entrance behind Toad’s)
Tackling Problem Sets:
Complete problems sets efficiently and with maximum learning.
Wednesday, Oct. 26 @ 6 pm, Ezra Stiles College Fellows Lounge
Thursday, Oct. 27 @ 7:30 pm, Davenport College Common Room
Tuesday, Nov. 1, @ 6 pm, Yale College Writing Center (35 Broadway, rear entrance behind Toad’s)
Working with Faculty:
Build academic and professional relationships with Yale instructors.
Tuesday, November 8 @ 6 pm, Yale College Writing Center (35 Broadway, rear entrance behind Toad’s)
Exam Study Strategies:
Reduce exam stress with new strategies for midterms and finals.
Tuesday, Nov. 1 @ 7:30 pm, La Casa Cultural
Wednesday, Nov. 2 @ 6 pm – Ezra Stiles College Fellows Lounge
See http://ctl.yale.edu/tutoring/academic-strategies for updates!