TD Notes and News – Week of 11-27-2023

WEEK OF 11/27/2023

HL’S PIECES 
 

Welcome back!  I hope everyone got some good food and rest over this break.  Many thanks to the Simon and Mbodj/Bei families for hosting dinners on Friday and Saturday nights when all fourteen dining halls across campus were closed. 

To put us in the winter festive spirit, our “photo of the week” comes from Dean Mahurin and features TD FroCo Sidney with her Frosh (Nick, Gabriel, Samara Deewa, and Emily) building gingerbread houses!  Love the one with the TD Crest!

Speaking of gingerbread houses… this week is packed with fun winter-themed study breaks as we begin the count down to the end of classes next Friday 12/8!  See below for the full list of activities.  

This year I am excited to bring back a favorite TD tradition of celebrating the end of fall semester classes with a trip to New York City!  We have 25 tickets for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and 10 tickets for the hit Broadway musical, “Six,” for Friday 12/8.  TD will be hiring a coach bus which means we’ll also have extra seats for any Red Lions who would like to visit NYC for the day.  To register for the lottery, please go to this link.  The form closes on Sunday 12/3 at 11:59pm.

In the meantime, there is lots of theater on campus!  Junior Lion Ishikaa Kothari will be presenting her TD CPA project, the classic dark comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace,” at the Saybrook Underbrook theater this weekend, Thursday 11/30 to Saturday 12/2.  For tickets, please go here. 

Here are some events and dates for this week:

Tuesday 11/28 5:30pm TD Senior Mellon Forum (TD House)

Our second and last session of the fall semester features Senior Lions Spencer Adler, Pranav Parakh, and Emma Wallner.  As usual, we have a catered dinner for the evening.  Dinner starts at 5:30pm with presentations beginning at 6pm. 

Thursday 11/30 3-5pm TD Holiday Decorating (TD Common Room and Thompson Rom)

Come help us get the TD Common Room ready for the holidays!  We will have home-baked cookies, a hot chocolate bar, and lots and lots of fun decorations to hang.  

Friday 12/1 4:15-5pm Mott & SAC S’mores Study Break (TD Courtyard)

Stop by and warm up by the fire and enjoy some gooey melty s’mores!  The Fire Marshals will be training our TD aides, FroCos, and leadership teams earlier in the afternoon from 2-4pm.  We anticipate having the study break start at 4:15pm. 

Friday 12/1 6:30pm Baroque Orchestra Recital (TD house)

Support our TD Baroque instrumentalists Francis Fedora, Nicholas Cerny, and Lila Schweinfurth as they perform on real Baroque instruments including a harpsichord!  The program will be about an hour in length followed by a dessert reception. 

Friday 12/1 7:15-9:30pm TD Ice Skating Trip (Ralph Walker Rink)

We have had to switch our skating outing to Friday evening due to a schedule conflict at Ralph Walker Rink.  So if you already signed up for Saturday, you will have to go to the form and sign up again for the event on Friday.  Please note that signing the registration form also serves as signing the waiver form.  So you must be registered to participate.  If we have room for non-TD guests to participate, we will raffle those off those spots.  All TDers skate for free and non-TD guests will be charged $5. The form closes on Wednesday 11/29 at 11:59pm.

Saturday 12/2 8-10pm Gingerbread House Making (TD Art Studio)

Our TD Art Studio Aides are carrying on the tradition of making gingerbread houses!  Your creations are yours to take back to your suite or put on display in the TD Thompson Room to join the festive decorations of the season.  Space is limited to 20 so please sign up through this Google Form to enter the lottery. 

Without further ado, here is a word from Dean Mahurin…

Àshe,
HL

***

“When I was your age, it was weird because I was weird.  I was not normal and I was okay with it because I didn’t know what else to do.  I didn’t know how to be anybody else.  And now I look back and I realize that’s just the way most writers grow up.  You know, now that I’ve met enough writers, I go, ‘Oh, no, all of us are incredibly bizarre and strange.’  Some of us hide it better than others, and I didn’t hide it terribly well when I was in college.  I think I was absolutely strange.  You know, I look back and I don’t have any disdain for who I am, or who I was… I think that’s something I really try to talk about as much as I can, because for what it’s worth, it could be a consolation to you being a bit different, being a bit odd and not doing things that other people around you are doing.”  (Min Jin Lee, Pulitzer Prize winner, Yale ’90).

DATES AND DEADLINES


 

FROCO INFORMATION SESSION

Join me and members of this year’s froco team for an informal information session in the TD Lounge on Tuesday, 12/5, at 7pm.  We’ll try to answer all your most pressing questions!  You can find more information about the gig, and about the application process, here.
 
SAS HOUSING ACCOMODATIONS REQUESTS
If you are requesting housing accommodations for the 2024-2025 academic year, please reach out to Student Accessibility Services (SAS) following the steps below. The deadline for housing accommodation requests is January 25, 2024 (including a completed SAS housing form from your treatment provider).
Steps to request housing accommodations for next year:

1. Complete an SAS accommodation request form in the Accommodate system.
2. Have your current provider that you have been working with this year complete the SAS housing form and return it via email to sas@yale.edu or secure fax at (203) 432-8250. Be sure to allow enough time for your provider to complete the form by the January 25th.
3. Schedule an appointment with SAS.

Please contact SAS with any questions at sas@yale.edu.

LIBRARY WORKSHOPS

FIRST STEPS WITH ZOTERO | Online
Wednesday, November 29 at 7:00pm | Register: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11436165
Join us for 30 minutes to learn about Zotero, free software to help you manage your research, create citations, and generate a bibliography.
 
LATTE WITH A LIBRARIAN | Thain Café, Bass Library
Thursday, November 30 from noon – 1:30pm | More info: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11204765
Meet with a librarian for a drop-in research consultation. Any student who asks a library or research-related question will receive a FREE Yale Library travel mug.
 
THERAPY DOG THURSDAY | Bass Library
Thursday, November 30 at 2:00pm | More info: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11314470
Join us for a chance to meet Heidi, a 4-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, whose sole job is to be a calming, comforting presence.
 
NEXT STEPS WITH ZOTERO | Online
Friday, December 1 at noon | More info: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11154544
For experienced users of Zotero, or anyone who has already attended ‘First Steps with Zotero’ and is ready to learn more. Topics include removing duplicates, adding tags and notes, creating a shared library, and integrating with Microsoft Word.
 
FIRST FRIDAY LIBRARY TOURS
Sterling Memorial Library | 2:00pm | Register: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11407433
Marx Library | 2:30pm | Register: https://schedule.yale.edu/event/11172960
Join us for a library tour to learn about library spaces, services, software, and more at various Yale library locations.