The Buttery
The Multi-Purpose Room
The Multi-Purpose Room offers Berkeley students the chance to escape from the rigors of academic life and relieve stress through physical activity (whether it is a game of basketball or a session of yoga).
The space may be used by Berkeley students if not otherwise reserved. The court is always reserved for spontaneous Berkeley basketball eruptions after 9:00 p.m. Use of this space is scheduled through the Head of College’s Office and may only be arranged for Berkeley events by Berkeley students or Berkeley student groups. Please contact Naomi DiGioia (naomi.digioia@yale.edu) if you would like to reserve the Multi-Purpose Room.
The Dining Hall
The Joseph G. Fogg III Dining Hall is perhaps the most envied on campus. Berkeley College is proud of its role in founding and developing the Yale Sustainable Food Project, which revolutionized food service at Yale with national acclaim. Following the philosophy of Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters, the dining hall offered a menu composed entirely of sustainable and, when possible, organic ingredients. The Sustainable Food Project under former Master John Roger’s leadership has been so successful that the university has extended it to the other residential college dining halls. To learn more about the Yale Sustainable Food Project, visit their website at www.yale.edu/sustainablefood.
The dining hall is the social center of Berkeley. Throughout the year, Berkeleyites celebrate their college pride through various events organized jointly by the Berkeley College Office and the dining hall staff. From the Freshman Dinner and the Holiday Banquet to the Berkeley Bishop Bash Banquet and Senior Dinner, members of the College relish the many opportunities for exquisite food and engaging company in the dining hall.
One of the most handsome at Yale, the dining hall is built in the Tudor style of hammerbeams, with leaded panes between the Hall and the Common Room. Portraits of former Heads of Berkeley College line the walls, while a copy of the famed Smibert Bermuda Group (which included Bishop Berkeley) hangs above the Great Fireplace.
(Photo by Volkan Doda ‘12)
The Music Room
Located in the basement of North Court (directly below entryway H), the Samuel Hemingway Music Room - named after the second Head of College of Berkeley - is equipped with a Steinway grand piano, a music stand, and chairs. All Berkeley students are welcome and encouraged to use this beautiful space. Berkeley students should submit an access request form here. After you recieve approval email, please email bkcollegeaides@gmail.com to make a reservation. Please allow up to 2 business days (Monday - Friday) for your request to be processed. Requests are processed during regular business hours. Requests submitted on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day. Please plan accordingly.
The music room is available for use from 9a.m. -11:00p.m.
The Student Kitchen
Want to stretch your culinary muscles? Eager to impress your friends with a home-cooked meal? Want to bake your roommate a birthday cake? Then check out the Berkeley Student Kitchen (located behind the buttery kitchen). The kitchen is available to all students in Berkeley who want to do a bit of their own cooking and is available by reservation with the Berkeley College Office. To book the kitchen, first check availability on the reservation schedule or visit the Berkeley College Office during regular business hours, then fill out a kitchen request form with the specific date/time. Room reservations should be made at least 24 hours in advance. If a room reservation is made after 4pm on Friday for a room that same weekend, we will not be able to accommodate your request. After cleaning the kitchen and before you leave, fill out a kitchen check-out form. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the student kitchen rules before requesting to use the space.
Please respect this space and clean up after yourselves. Happy cooking :)
Rules:
- Access. The Kitchen is generally locked and can be accessed with a key from the Head of College’s Office. A $20 deposit is required.
- Keep it clean! To keep the kitchen usable for all, we ask that you please clean up and wash all your dishes after you’ve used it. If you leave the kitchen dirty, your kitchen privileges will be revoked.
- Food. If you plan on leaving food in the fridge or freezer, please label it with your name and the date. Perishable food that is left unattended for over 2 weeks will be thrown away.
Need something?
If there is an item you believe the kitchen desperately needs (utensils, small appliances, etc.), please contact Naomi DiGioia (naomi.digioia@yale.edu) to make a request. We will do our best to acquire these items quickly.
Thank you for respecting this space and following these rules! If you have any questions, you can email us. If you have comments/suggestions, you can either email us, or write in the “suggestions” box in the check-out form!
The Berkeley Gym
The Berkeley Gym (basement, B and C) is one of Yale’s finest residential college weight rooms. Swipe access is granted to all Berkeley Students with their normal ID card and is available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A supplemental gym is located in North Court, and keys to that gym can be checked out in the Berkeley College Office and kept for the duration of the academic year. Questions and requests regarding the weight room should be addressed to the Head of College’s Office.
The Berkeley Lazarus Library
The George and Shelly Lazarus Library, located in South Court, comprises the intellectual heart of Berkeley College and whether students are looking for a place to read or sit quietly, the Laz Library delivers where it counts. In addition to an unmatched collection of expertly organized novels and reference volumes, students may browse the collection of current periodicals, like the New Yorker. Find students working here throughout the day, especially in the evening hours.
The Berkeley Reading Room, located directly beneath the Berkeley Library, houses the remainder of Berkeley’s vast literary collections and is the most popular site for those seeking to learn by osmosis. A quieter space for study and reflection is not to be found on campus.
Both are available for use 24 hours a day and may be accessed with your ID. Books may be used without restriction, but they may not be removed without permission from the Head of College’s Office.
The Swiss Room
The Swiss Room is a sixteenth century transplant from Switzerland located right above the balcony in the Dining Hall. Warm and intimate, this beautiful all-wood room is full of history and ambience. The room is priceless and, for preservation purposes may be reserved exclusively by Berkeley Fellows.
The Seminar Room(s)
The Charles A. Walker Seminar Room is next to the Reading Room and is a gorgeous room where many of our Fellows hold classes. The room has been refurbished in honor of former Master, Charles A. Walker.
The North Court Seminar Room is next to the Woodshop and is available for meetings through the College Office.
Common Rooms
Berkeley College has two common rooms that may be used for studying, watching a movie or simply relaxing.
The Charles Seymour Common Room over looks the south courtyard and is located adjacent to the Dining Hall. The Common Room is always bustling with students and features a grand piano.
The Thomas Mendenhall Common Room in North Court faces William L. Harkness Hall, and it is conveniently located next to the Bass Library entrance. A peaceful place to relax and unwind and is always open to Berkeley Students. The Mendenhall Rooom is also home to the Berkeley College Commonplace Society. This space is not available for reservations.
The Tunnel
The Tunnel connects North Court and South Court, linking the two grand courts of Berkeley. The Berkeley tunnel’s murals continue to amaze and delight Berkeleyites and non-Berkeleyites alike. What may not be well-known is the story behind the initials “RLC ‘91.” The refer to Rebecca Louise Crane ‘91, who was the artist of the entire procession of knights, ladies, and horses on the northwest side of the tunnel. Her classmates enthusiastically collaborated with her, resulting in a variety of whimsical paintings, including a portrait of Master Robin Winks with the Pink Panther, a life-size painting of a Berkeley student (dressed in jeans) leaning by a painted partially open door at the corner of the wall from South to North (down the corridor from Master Winks’ portrait), and a cartoon of Bart Simpson. As astounding as the murals are, equally astounding is the fact that the constructions crews took great care to preserve them in their entirety during the renovation of the College in 1998. Berkeley students may continue to create or restore murals with permission from the Berkeley College Office.