WEEK OF 12/11/2023
HL’S PIECES
I hope everyone had a festive long weekend! I received this “photo of the week” from junior lion Emily Zhang with fellow juniors Katelyn & Emily, and sophomore Borys all enjoying the midtown holiday decorations before attending the amazing Alvin Ailey performance at City Center.
Many thanks to our wonderful Dining staff for hosting a delicious and bountiful holiday dinner! Starting last night, the dining hall will be open for 24 hour Quiet Study.
Speaking of quiet study, here are our TD rules for the Reading Week/Exam Period to help all of us find time and space to work and sleep:
TD Quiet Hours (11pm-8am) will be in effect every night for the reading/exam period (12/10 to 12/19). We want all TDers to be able to work in their rooms. This also applies to the music practice rooms! Please note this is the minimum requirement, many students do study in their rooms so please be courteous and keep the noise down during all hours.
TD Quiet Study Spaces are designated for the TD Library, computer rooms, and dining hall. If you must do group work, please use the Buttery and TD Common Rooms or reserve the TD Lounge.
TD Dining Hall will open 24 hours for quiet studying only. Please respect the space – our staff needs to be able to wipe down the tables quickly at the start of breakfast service so it’s important that the clean up is easy for the staff. Please remember that the Dining Hall will close briefly at the following times for the staff to clean up:
7:30-8:30pm (after dinner service)
7:00-8:00am (before breakfast service)
We ask that you leave the DH at these times so that the staff can do their work. I repeat – you want to get up to stretch and take a walk… or perhaps grab a nap or shower… or call home or a friend. Either way, taking a break is a must!
Our TD Assistant Director of Operations, Samantha Gambardella, has sent out a closing of the college email with important information and directions. Please make sure to read it if you haven’t yet.
And now for our list of TD study breaks this reading week:
Monday 12/11 10pm SAC Insomnia Cookies (Thompson Room)
SAC will be serving up Insomnia Cookies for their first study break of the fall semester! We will also put out a new TD puzzle!
Tuesday 12/12 10pm SAC Study Break featuring Chipotle (Thompson Room)
Second study break features menu items from Chipotle. This one is popular so get here early!
Wednesday 12/13 9pm Garden Catering (Thompson Room)
Another popular study break to line up! The last TD SAC study break ends with chicken and vegetarian options from Gaden Catering! (Thank you SAC!)
Wednesday 12/12 9:30pm TD 10-Minute Courtyard Dance Party (TD Courtyard)
A favorite TD tradition! It truly only lasts for 10 minutes so come dance off some stress – and those Garden Catering nuggets! You will be re-energized to finish your papers!
Thursday 12/14 through Tuesday 12/19 10pm Pizza Study Break
Our TD Aides will serve up pizza from Town Pizza every night from Thursday night until the end of exams to make sure everyone has something extra to carry them through late night studying.
Friday 12/15 8am TD Special Breakfast (TD Dining Hall)
The TD Dining Hall will be adding eggs and pastries to kick off the start of exams. Whether or not you have a Thursday morning exam, the food will fuel you up for studying and exams.
We hope these study breaks will help to keep everyone fueled and in good spirits.
As always, you need to make sure to prioritize your health so please take good care of yourselves and one another. Don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or Dean if you need support! We are here to listen and help!
Without further ado, here is a word from Dean Mahurin...
Àshe,
HL
***
How Music Stays in the Body
Lee Herrick
Your body is a song called birth
or first mother, a miracle that gave birth
to another exquisite song. One song raises
three boys with a white husband. One song
fought an American war overseas. One song leapt
from fourteen stories high, and like a dead bird,
shattered into the clouds. Most forgot the lyrics
to their own bodies or decided to paint abstracts
of mountains or moons in the shape of your face.
I’ve been told Mothers don’t forget the body.
I can’t remember your face, the shape or story,
or how you held me the day I was born, so
I wrote one thousand poems to survive.
I want to sing with you in an open field,
a simple room, or a quiet bar. I want to hear
your opinions about angels. Truth is, angels drink,
too— soju spilled on the halo, white wings sticky
with gin, as if any mother could forget the music
that left her. You should hear how loudly I sing
now. I’ve become a ballad of wild dreams and coping
mechanisms. I can breathe now through any fire.
I imagine I got this from him or you, my earthly
inheritance: your arms, your sigh, your heavy song.
I know all the lyrics. I know all the blood.
I know why angels howl in the moonlight.
DATES AND DEADLINES
| Dec. 14 |
Th |
Reading period ends, 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 14 |
Th |
Final examinations begin, 7:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 14 |
Th |
Deadline for all course assignments, other than term papers and term projects. This deadline can be extended only by a Temporary Incomplete authorized by the student’s residential college dean. |
| Dec. 20 |
W |
Final examinations end, 5:30 p.m.; winter recess begins. |
| Dec. 20 |
W |
Deadline for all term papers and term projects. This deadline can be extended only by a Temporary Incomplete authorized by the student’s residential college dean. |
IMPORTANT NOTES ON END OF TERM
Remember that, in addition to being the last day of exams, December 20 is also the final possible date for the submission of term papers and term projects. Of course, individual instructors may set deadlines for earlier than this date, even as they have full discretion to set deadlines as late as this date. Beyond May 20, coursework may be submitted only with a Temporary Incomplete from me; your instructor cannot set deadlines or issue extensions for beyond December 20, even in graduate or professional school courses. Yale College considers such deadlines and extensions invalid, and the work will not be counted toward your grade.
As with Dean’s Extensions, the Academic Regulations permit Temporary Incompletes in only a limited range of circumstances; contact me right away if you anticipate needing one so that we can discuss your situation. Postponements of scheduled final examinations (via ABX: “All But eXam”) also require my intervention, and may be authorized under the same set of circumstances as Dean’s Extensions and Temporary Incompletes. As always, if you find yourself in any kind of trouble relating to the submission of work or the taking of exams, let me know right away – I’m very happy to consult on these points.
LIBRARY EVENTS DURING READING WEEK
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
STUDY BREAK: BAGELS, COFFEE, & TEA
- Tuesday, December 12 at 10 am, while supplies last | Marx Library
BUTTON MAKING WITH BOOK COVERS
- Tuesday, December 12 at 11 am | Haas Arts Library
Take one and make one! De-stress by learning how to hand-press buttons using images from discarded book jackets. Make a few to share with others, take one for yourself.
VIRTUAL PAINT WITH A WHALE
- Tuesday, December 12 at 1:30 pm | Marx Library, Young Family Study
Join us at Marx Library where we will have a live, private virtual painting session with a beluga whale from Mystic Aquarium.
HEIDI THE THERAPY DOG
- Tuesday, December 12 at 3 pm | Marx Library
COOKIES & QUESTIONS
- Tuesday, December 12 at 9 pm | Bass Library
Get answers to your most pressing questions (and a free Insomnia cookie!) from Library Peer Mentors.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
TAROT CARD READINGS
- Wednesday, December 13 at noon | Haas Arts Library
Get your fortune read and look at the materials in the special collections that are guided by the mysterious and invisible! Tarot cards read on a first come, first serve basis.
BUTTON MAKING WITH BOOK COVERS
- Wednesday, December 13 at 2 pm | Bass Library
Take one and make one! De-stress by learning how to hand-press buttons using images from discarded book jackets. Make a few to share with others, take one for yourself.
CHAIR YOGA WITH YC3
- Wednesday, December 13 at 2 pm | Marx Library
Join host Ricky Belizaire, a Community Wellness Specialist (CWS) within Yale College Community Care (YC3), who will be leading a chair yoga session. Healthy snacks will be provided, while supplies last!
MAKE A POSTCARD TO SEND HOME
- Wednesday, December 13 at 2 pm | Haas Arts Library
Send some snail mail to friends and family back home! Design your own postcard using discarded book jackets and craft supplies. Supplies and stamps provided.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14
MAKE A FINALS SELF-CARE KIT
- Thursday, December 14 at 11 am | Haas Arts Library
Take a break and make your own Finals Self Care Kit in the Haas Arts Library Great Hall. Decorate a reusable bag and fill it with a variety of items we’ll have to help you feel your best!
HEIDI THE THERAPY DOG
- Thursday, December 14 at 2 pm | Bass Library