Notes & News - Week of March 2nd, 2014

March 2, 2014

confirm: baraboo

MASTER’S PIECES

Here we go, you mid-term adrenaline fiends, the annual sprint for spring break. I like Dean’s basic thinking about testing. Put in my own way: it’s over when it’s over, and then you should treat like it’s over.

Before it’s over, though, we DO have a couple of things this week that would be truly worth your while to consider before you crank that work out and wing off to the stars:

Pitnacree and The Trio appearing together on Monday, March 3 at 9:30 pm in the TD Dining Hall   Our very own Justine Cefalu will bring her quartet of fiddlers, bass and lute back to TD for a terrific opening performance of traditional folk music from Quebec, the U.S., Ireland and Scotland, followed by an appearance from an outstanding touring group of young professional musicians, who are doing some of the most exciting contemporary improvisational music rooted in these same traditions. To sample Pitnacree, go here: To sample the The Trio go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxqmjEAE9o. You will hear from me tomorrow morning about The Trio’s musical pedigree – incredibly impressive and we are lucky to be hosting them here for this one time only performance.

Thursday, March 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Thompson Room: TD Mott Woolley Council open town meeting on Yale College alcohol initiatives   Dean Mary Miller messaged the University last Monday about the extensive reviews of Yale’s alcohol policies, communications and training. On Thursday, your Mott Woolley Council will host a public discussion with two members of the Implementation Committee that’s been charged with overhauling Yale’s policies and practices surrounding alcohol related matters. This special Mott meeting is open to the entire college, so if you are interested in hearing what’s going on or offering up some thoughts, join the Mott members in the Thompson Room for the dinner/discussion at 5:30.

Final shout out to SAC chair Kate Spooner and all her SAC friends and partners for a terrific TD Winter Dance at Elevate on Friday night. Anyone who fought the cold to get over there (I did!) had an excellent time. Perfect club for a private Lion dance party and a good send off for midterms and spring break.

TIMOTHY DWIGHT

Spring Break Meals Available:  Yale Dining will offer lunch and dinner at Davenport dining hall from Saturday, March 8th through Saturday, March 15th and at Silliman dining hall from Sunday, March 16ththrough Saturday March 22nd for $7 per meal when swipes are purchased in advance.  Meals purchased at the door using Eli Bucks, credit or debit cards will be at the regular guest rate.   One does not have to be a current meal plan holder to purchase meal swipes under this program.  Those with a valid Yale ID can purchase two to sixteen swipes for each week at $7 eachThe link to purchase meals is : Spring Break Meals .  Questions to cathy.vandyke@yale.edu (203) 432-0407

Information Meeting for TD Freshmen about TD Room Draw, which begins after spring break:  Tuesday, March 4, 10 PM, Thompson Room.  Information about and rules for the room draw will also soon be posted at www.yale.edu/td.  TD Housing Committee comprises Cory Combs, Shelby Davis-Cooper, Alexandra Krause (co-chair), Eugene Yi (co-chair), Kelly Wu, Alexander Petros, Blake Mueller, and Adam Mahler.   

ACADEMICS

Deadline: March 5

Deadline to apply for a full-term 2014 Term Abroad or a 2014-2015 Year Abroad.  Information and applications at http://cipe.yalecollege.yale.edu 

Deadline: March 7 MIDTERM

Last day to withdraw from a spring-term course without the course appearing on the transcript.  The form is available in your TD dean’s office.

Deadline to apply for double credit in a single-credit course.  Information and form available in your TD dean’s office.

Deadline: April 4:  Last day to convert from the Credit/D/Fail option to a grade in a spring-term course.  This conversion may be done online through SIS or by using a form in your TD dean’s office.

FRESHMEN

Information Meeting for TD Freshmen about TD Room Draw, which begins after spring break:  Tuesday, March 4, 10 PM, Thompson Room.  Information about and rules for the room draw will also soon be posted at www.yale.edu/td.  TD Housing Committee comprises Cory Combs, Shelby Davis-Cooper, Alexandra Krause (co-chair), Eugene Yi (co-chair), Kelly Wu, Alexander Petros, Blake Mueller, and Adam Mahler.   

FRESHMAN WRITING WORKSHOP – ‘Yale 101: Your Best Essay in 3 Easy Steps’. Attention freshmen … on Tuesday, March 4, come to a writing workshop led by Dean Alfred Guy, Director of the Writing Center and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. Dean Guy will discuss the three most important changes you can make to take your papers to the next level. After the workshop, Writing Partners will be available to help you with any writing assignment you’re working on right now. If you have a draft, bring it with you, or just bring the assignment and some of your ideas. The workshop starts at 7pm in WLH 207.

JUNIORS

Franke Fellowship in Science and the Humanities

Supports senior essay, research, and art projects that explore intellectual connections between science and the humanities Eligible: Yale juniors  http://studentgrants.yale.edu   Deadline: March 4, 2014

Study, research, or teaching abroad after graduation* —come hear about terrific opportunities beginning in 2014-15, with application deadlines beginning in August:

Fulbright Grants for Study/Research or for English Teaching Assistantships (2 of 4 planned before fall deadlines)Monday, March 3 at 4:00pm CIPE, 55 Whitney Avenue, room 305 (While you must be a US citizen to apply for Fulbright, international students at Yale—as well as US students—are encouraged to consider applying for postgraduate fellowships funded by Yale, like the CIPE Year-Long Fellowshipsand the Fox International Fellowships; info sessions for these will be held next fall.)

*Attendance at an information session is required before a one-on-one meeting with an adviser, so don’t miss out!  See our calendar for more events—but note that there are only a few of these info sessions offered each spring.

SENIORS

North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain

Positions are available in K-12 schools throughout Spain for the  September- June academic year, to help to increase Spanish students’ knowledge of English (or French) and North American culture.

Eligible: seniors and recent alumni  who are Canadian or US native speakers of English (or French), and who have intermediate-level Spanish; previous teaching experience or experience living abroad may be an advantage. 

http://www.mecd.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/auxiliares-conversacion-eeuu.html

Deadline: April 1, 2014

NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (Postbac IRTA/CRTA)

Provides recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional (medical/dental/pharmacy) school an opportunity to spend 1-2 years performing full-time research at the National Institutes of Health. Postbac IRTAs/CRTAs work side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.

Eligible: seniors and recent alumni, U.S. citizens & permanent residents who plan to apply for graduate/professional school during their tenure in the IRTA/CRTA program

https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta

Deadline: rolling; application should be made 3-6 months before hoped-for start at NIH

The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant for Artists

Supports artists (specifically those working in a representational style in painting, sculpting, drawing, and printmaking) who are in the early stages of their careers to develop and refine their skills by awarding unrestricted grants of approximately $15,000.

Eligible: those aiming to make art a lifetime career

http://www.elizabethgreenshieldsfoundation.org/

Deadline: None (applications accepted throughout the year)

Study, research, or teaching abroad after graduation—come hear about terrific opportunities beginning in 2014-15, with application deadlines beginning in August:

Fulbright Grants for Study/Research or for English Teaching Assistantships (2 of 4 planned before fall deadlines)Monday, March 3 at 4:00pm CIPE, 55 Whitney Avenue, room 305 (While you must be a US citizen to apply for Fulbright, international students at Yale—as well as US students—are encouraged to consider applying for postgraduate fellowships funded by Yale, like the CIPE Year-Long Fellowshipsand the Fox International Fellowships; info sessions for these will be held next fall.)

*Attendance at an information session is required before a one-on-one meeting with an adviser, so don’t miss out!  See our calendar for more events—but note that there are only a few of these info sessions offered each spring.

SUMMER

Summer 2014 Science and Engineering Research Fellowship Application Deadlines:

Freshman Summer Research Fellowship in the Sciences and Engineering: March 25

Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship (sciences and engineering): March 25

For details of all of these, see http://science.yalecollege.yale.edu/fellowships-grants

CAREER SERVICES

UCS Calendar of Events for a full list of upcoming events. Log in to Yale UCS Symplicity under Events/Employer Information Sessions to RSVP.

Mock Interviews

Use the online Mock Interview tool in Yale UCS Symplicity to build mock interviews from prerecorded questions. Record your interview and save your interview for feedback. There is a Student User Guide in the Document Library with instructions and screenshots. 

Off-Campus Job Search
Monday, March 3, 4:30-5:30pm, CIPE/UCS Room 369

STUDY ABROAD

Yale Summer Session courses abroad – Extended Deadline for select programs.

Students still have time to apply for a Yale Summer Session course abroad with several different program options. Applications are due at 11:59 PM on March 3; a full list of reopened courses is available here.

Designated (non-Yale) Summer Abroad Programs

Students interested in attending a designated program abroad in summer 2014 must apply by March 1. Click here for more information about the application process.

Year or Term Abroad

Students who plan to study abroad either in Fall 2014 or for the 2014-15 academic year should review the application process and submit their application by March 5.

FELLOWSHIPS

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John E. Linck & Alanne Headland Linck Fellowship

Supports internships and projects of educational value or humanitarian service to others

Eligible: Yale freshmen, sophomores, and juniors

http://studentgrants.yale.edu/grant_detail.asp?gid=230

 Deadline: March 3, 2014

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

Supports up to a year of study abroad in any discipline Eligible: U.S. citizens and nationals who are Pell Grant recipients www.iie.org/gilman Deadline: March 4, 2014 (for summer and fall 2014 study)

Undergraduate Fellowship for Engagement in the Arab World

The fellowship, sponsored by the Yale Arab Alumni Association (YAAA), grants up to $3,000 (with possible additional funding based on need and YAAA capacity) to support Yale undergraduate projects that foster direct engagement with local communities and organizations in the Arab region for a minimum duration of 6 weeks. Preference will be given to undergraduate students with an academic interest in the Arab world and who have proven Arabic language competency, though all may apply. (Final decisions will be announced on April 15, 2014.) Applications can be obtained by writingfellowships@yalearabalumni.org Deadline: March 15, 2014 (note the new date)

Amy Rossborough Fellowship Program
Currently accepting applications for the 2014-2015 academic year, the program awards up to $1,500 to Yale undergraduate students to complete a semester or year-long social justice project in the New Haven area.  http://amyrossboroughfellowship.commons.yale.edu/ Deadline: March 28, 2014

NOTES

As I have written before at this time of year, winter seems to be holding on – letting us know with forecasts of more snow..  And I imagine many of us feel like we are holding on – barely, perhaps.  I also imagine that with a vacation arriving soon, many of us are thinking of family and friends and places to go.  Whatever our plans, I think it is important that we take some time away from campus (even and especially seniors who plan to work on their essays and projects over spring break).  Whatever our plans, our extra efforts to hold on and to complete our work by Friday will pay off with more time to rest when vacation arrives and with this thought, “I did the best I could.”

As I often say before a break, a valuable catching up over vacation will need your attention – catching up with yourself. Take time to fall away from the familiar Yale routine and to look on a different sunrise and moonrise. Vacation is a time to let the work go if you can. On our vacations, we must try to resist the apprehension that can accompany the doing of nothing at all.  Milne said about Pooh:  “Pooh just is.” An honorable estate, “just is.” During this vacation I hope you will take the time you need in the way you need it in order to refresh who you are. Who we are, after all, means the most to each of us and to others who know and love us.

These are important points to remember as we now work hard, even with the inevitable mix of success and disappointments that we must just accept and adjust to.  On vacation put that mix behind you.  Spring into a different abode.  May each of us have the restful and self-indulgent vacation that each of us needs.  When we want to play, play.  When we want to rest, rest.   When our minds wander, let it be so. Put aside that access card, go to bed before 3 AM, and check that internet device less often.   Get some sleep, daydream at will, and awake in the night to different sights and sounds. Put “vacate” back in “vacation.”  After break, we will all see each other again, more rested and happier, around our courtyard.  Dean Loge