Head of College Welcome - Class of 2024

Dear Berkeley Class of 2024:

With greatest pleasure, I welcome you to Berkeley College, the best residential college at Yale (other colleges may claim this title, but we know the truth!).  As Head of College, I am responsible for our community’s intellectual, social, athletic, artistic, and cultural life. I work closely with several colleagues and students to make Berkeley College and hence, Yale, a special place.  I am delighted to know that you will be joining us.

As you surely know by now, the residential college system is one of Yale’s trademark institutions.  More than mere dormitories, the colleges are true communities where students and faculty live, eat, work, and socialize together.  Your college and class affiliation (BK’24) will identify you throughout your Yale career and beyond. “What college are [were] you in?” is often one of the first questions in any Yale introduction.  From this point forward, you may now proudly reply: “Berkeley!”

You have every reason to be proud.  Beyond its fantastic location nestled on Cross Campus between Sterling Library and Bass Library, its classic Yale look, and comfortable housing, we Berkeleyites also take pride in having the best dining hall food (even during Covid times!), an enviable array of exciting college events, and, most importantly, a thriving, friendly community of spirited students and devoted staff.  Look for numerous architectural references to Bishop Berkeley’s mitre around our beautiful college.

It is likely that some of you, in the midst of all the excitement of coming to Yale, may harbor some complicated anxieties about what lies ahead, especially this year.  This feeling is entirely common, healthy, and natural—and you should know that you are not alone. Please be sure to consult the letter from Dean Brianne Bilsky.  She is devoted to your academic success and well-being, and you will quickly find her to be one of the most important and helpful people with whom to become acquainted at Yale.

The College Office staff members love Berkeley students, so please make a point to introduce yourself to them soon after you arrive.  They handle many of the day-to-day matters around the college and can resolve all kinds of problems.

Berkeley College is your community.  During normal years, and we hope soon to resume after development of a Covid-19 vaccine, students can enjoy numerous Berkeley events such as our famous study breaks (e.g., winter firepits with s’mores, Thunder Brunch – recognized by the Yale Herald as the best meal in Yale Dining, exclusive to Berkeley), a black light dance party, and movie nights.  Berkeley College Council (BKCC) leads many of these activities, representing student input on a wide range of college business and expenditures. Separate from BKCC, individual Berkeley students organize poetry readings, a knitting club, artistic displays, musical performances, photography contests, and theatrical shows.  Furthermore, any student is welcome to partner with me to invite inspiring College Tea guests to Berkeley. Popular guests in recent years include US Treasurer Rosie Rios, Time Magazine Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs, Miss America Nina Davuluri, actor John Cho, Proctor and Gamble former CEO John E. Pepper, Jr., global adventurer Roz Savage, musician/writer Patti Smith, and former President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell.

My active role in Berkeley life is facilitated by the fact that I live in the college together with my family.  My wife, Lely Evans, is the Associate Head of College, by day a Chinese language teacher, but skilled in music and many other artistic endeavors.  This coming year, Lely will be in Taiwan with our teenage children to enjoy a “gap year” of the culture of her upbringing; Lely is publishing a vlog series about their adventures.  We have a “cavachon” dog named Brie who is hypoallergenic and growls only when she hasn’t received the proper amount of petting.  Beyond my administrative role as head of college, I direct a paleomagnetism laboratory in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, measuring magnetic properties of ancient rocks to reconstruct past positions of continents and supercontinents across the Earth’s surface.  I also teach introductory Earth-science classes, and I always love seeing the familiar faces of Berkeleyites in that venue.

We are all looking forward to meeting you during the August week of Move-in.  In the meantime, I encourage you to have a look at our website for all sorts of other useful information.  Again, I am most delighted to welcome you to Berkeley College, and I eagerly look forward to meeting you!

With best wishes,

David A.D. Evans, Ph.D.

John B. Madden Head of Berkeley College

Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences