September 17, 2018
CALENDAR Items in red are of primary academic concern
Monday, September 17
5:15pm IM Coed Soccer vs TC (IM Fields; buses depart PWG)
Tuesday, September 18
4:00pm IM Cross-country prelims (IM fields; buses depart PWG)
9:00pm IM Coed Table Tennis vs TC (Payne Whitney 5th Floor)
Wednesday, September 19
12:00-1:30pm Drop-in lunch with Dean B (Swiss Room; no signup, just show up!)
2:00-4:00pm Dean B drop-in hours I (Entry F, first floor)
4:00pm IM Coed Soccer vs JE (IM fields)
Thursday, September 20
2-5pm Brie’s office hours, Entry F
4:00pm IM Coed Flag Football vs PC (IM fields; buses depart PWG)
10:00pm IM Coed Table Tennis vs SM (Payne Whitney 5th Floor)
Friday, September 21
1:30-3:30pm Dean B drop-in hours II (Entry F, first floor)
8-10pm BKCC Trivia Night (Mendenhall Room; no signup, just show up!)
Sunday, September 23
4-5pm BKCC meeting (Mendenhall Room; open to all)
Looking ahead
Wed 26 Sept Fellows meeting: Vincent Ni, “Rethinking Media Censorship: The China Case,” Swensen House. Interested students can sign up here to attend.
Fri 28 Sept SENIOR Oktoberfest, Swensen House, followed immediately by:
(open-to-all) Berkeley Film Society “The Sound of Music” sing-along.
—[Rain date for both events: Sat 29 Sept.]
HEADLINES
Dear Berkeley,
Attention all new Berkeleyites! (BK’22, newly arrived Eli Whitney students, incoming transfer students, and YVISP) Tomorrow looks to be a bit of a soaker, so what better occasion to spend in the library? Or even more amazing, attend a free (and food-filled) reception in one of the world’s most distinguished rare book repositories with your own personal librarian? Yes, it’s all true: tomorrow late afternoon 3-5pm you can stop in to meet him, Scott Matheson, who is also a BK Fellow, in the Beinecke Library. If you’re interested, please RSVP here.
If you’re more of a runner than a reader, perhaps instead you can represent BK in the Intramural Cross-Country prelims, out at the IM fields at 4pm Tuesday. That is, if Hurricane Florence spares us her wrath. Make sure to get out to the fields early enough to run (boarding the Payne Whitney buses no later than 3:45). Our IM Secretaries will notify everyone who expressed interest in Cross-Country (on the Google survey) if the event is postponed due to rain.
Speaking of running, we have 3 spots left for Berkeley to pay for the $25 rego fee at the HAVEN 5k Run/Walk! The date is October 7th; the place is Edgewood Park in Westville. All proceeds go towards funding HAVEN Free Clinic. HAVEN is an entirely student volunteer-run clinic that provides free primary care to residents of the local community. To register, follow this link, select ‘Join Team,’ choose Berkeley College, and choose ‘5K Participant - Adult: $25.00.’ It’s recommended that you come to the BK Office to do this , so that we can ensure that your registration is among those first 10 that are reimbursable.
Think you’re smart, eh? Why not match wits with the best of them, i.e., your fellow Berkeleyites, at this Friday’s BKCC Trivia Night in the Mendenhall Room (8-10pm). Snacks and superfluous factoids will abound. Register your interest (whether as a team or looking to join a team) at the BKCC desk in the Common Room during this week’s dinners (at least W+Th).
Speaking of Common Room solicitation, I’d like to remind everyone of our college policy: with the exception of BK-sponsored events (BKCC, Intramurals, Film Society, BCO, etc.), solicitation in the Common Room during meal times is only allowed by prior arrangement with the College Office. Because of our central location on campus, many groups will understandably want to advertise their causes in front of a large and captive audience; but I feel strongly that y’all should not be hassled between your bedrooms and your dining room, just like inside your own house. But I can’t be everywhere at once to enforce this rule, so it’s in all students’ rights to ask any soliciting organization whether they have obtained permission in the proper way. If they haven’t, then they can be reminded that such permission is indeed necessary, and you can contact any of the college aides or staff, or me directly. There are also rules against calling out to attract attention; basically they must be in a specific spot, sitting quietly with a sign – and only after obtaining permission from the BK office.
With that stated, please scroll down this entire newsletter for the Dean’s Corner, and other interesting events and opportunities!
And finally, here’s the BK lottery! There’s a new thunderchook eatery in town, called Garden Catering on Chapel Street (between Vivi and Subway, across from Trinity Church on the Green). Who would like a $25 gift certificate? Enter the lottery here by Wednesday noon, in order to play!
Peace, HoC Evans
DEAN’S CORNER
Greetings Berkeleyites,
Congratulations on making it through shopping period! Now that everyone’s schedule—including mine—is starting to settle into a rhythm, I’m hoping there will be more opportunities for us to get to know each other. To that end, as I mentioned in my email at the end of last week, I’m rolling out a new initiative called “Drop-In Lunches with Dean B.” It’s my attempt to provide all of us with an informal opportunity to get to know each other over a shared meal. The lunches will be held in the Swiss Room from 12:00-1:30pm a few days each week, and the schedule will be posted to the Dean’s Office Calendar . All are welcome, and you do not need to sign up. If you’d like to attend, simply get your food in the dining hall as you normally would, and then bring it up to the Swiss Room (access via the balcony-level of the dining hall). I will be at each lunch for the entire time, and occasionally I may invite guests from other Yale College offices to join us. You are welcome to drop-in at any point during the 12:00-1:30pm window and leave whenever you like.
Looking forward to sharing a meal with you soon,
Dean B
DROP-IN HOURS for the next two weeks are as follows:
- Wed., Sept. 19: 2:00-4:00pm
- Fri., Sept. 21: 1:30-3:30pm
- Wed., Sept. 26: 1:30-3:30pm
- Fri., Sept. 28: 2:00-4:00pm
APPOINTMENTS: To schedule an appointment with Dean B outside of drop-in hours, contact Damaris (damaris.cardona@yale.edu; 203-432-0502). If you have a routine question that you wish to send by email, please send it to both Damaris and Dean B, and whoever can answer it first, will. Please remember that Damaris is at lunch from noon to 1:00 pm every day, so plan accordingly especially when calling / emailing to schedule an appointment.
DEAN’S EXCUSES
A Dean’s Excuse is a paper form signed by the residential college dean that authorizes the postponement of written work or exams during term-time due to the following exceptional circumstances as stated in the Yale College Programs of Study:
- incapacitating illness;
- the death of a family member;
- a comparable emergency;
- the observance of religious holy days;
- required participation in a varsity athletic event
Dean’s Excuses are limited in scope and only cover the postponement of assignments, quizzes, tests and other phenomena with a deadline that is ‘postponable.’ In all other cases of work missed during the term, only the instructor has the authority to decide whether or not the student is permitted to make up the work, so the student should contact the instructor directly.
If you ever find yourself in one of the exceptional circumstances listed above, contact Damaris as soon as possible to schedule a meeting with me.
INTRAMURALS
Hey Thundercoqs!
The rain cancelled all the outdoor games last week, but that didn’t stop us from having an amazing victory with a 5 game sweep in Table Tennis! Hopefully, this week will be the chance to finally get out on the fields, and show our Thundercoq pride!
As a reminder, the buses leave PWG every 15 mins to the IM fields and take 15 mins to arrive. (Try to get to the IM Fields 15 mins before start time!!)
Monday, Sept 17th, 5:15pm - COED Soccer vs TC (IM Fields)
Tuesday, Sept 18th, 4 pm – COED Cross-country prelims (IM Fields)
Tuesday, Sept 18th, 9 pm - COED Table Tennis vs TC (PWG 5th Floor)
Wednesday, Sept 19th, 4 pm - COED Soccer vs JE (IM Fields)
Thursday, Sept 20th, 4 pm - COED Football vs PC (IM Fields)
Thursday, Sept 20th, 10pm - COED Table Tennis vs SM (PWG 5th Floor)
The Coqs will rise again!
Your IM Secs,
Ryan, Amelia, and Owen
BKCC
Hola, y’all. We’ve got a lot on our plate for this week, so let’s get rolling:
First and foremost, Berkeley is still looking for another representative for The Undergraduate Student Title IX Advisory Board, and we’d love to have you apply! The Undergraduate Student Title IX Advisory Board is responsible for overseeing Yale’s efforts to address and prevent gender discrimination and sexual misconduct at Yale. In this role, you would help provide the student perspective on Yale’s policies and programs related to Title IX. Please fill out THIS FORM if you’re interested. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about how to make effective change and gain valuable leadership experience!
Next up is BK Trivia Night! Friday, Sept. 21 from 8-10 pm. That’s THIS Friday ppl!! Watch for BKCC reps in the BK Common Room at dinner time (5-7 pm) Monday through Friday to register! Registration is only $1, and the winning team takes the pot, so register with ur friends and get some monnaaaaeeeyyyyy B)
We’d also like to update y’all with info on Thunderball! We’ve officially set the date for Oct. 26th and are hoping for it to be a great time for all you bkeautiful thundercoqs. The venue is set to be Box 63, and there will b foooooood! It’s real early but get exc17ed and get ready to pull them whip’s and nae nae’s out of the storage closet :’)
Finally, the Bark-ley Wall is still open for submissions! Inspired by the one and only correct pronunciation of the name of our beloved Bishop George Berkeley, the Bark-ley wall features the dogs of all our bkeautiful students. Fill out THIS FORM with a pic of ur doge!
That’s it ppl! Love and treat urself right,
BKCC <3
Lauren Chapey (President), Safia Speer (Vice President), Ohshue Gatanaga (Student Activities Committee Chair), Qusay Omran (Secretary), and Charlotte Emerson (Publicity Chair).
BK TUTORS
Get help from Berkeley’s own Math/Science/QR tutor, Andrew Sparkmann ’19! Andrew is ready for drop-in tutoring twice per week. On Mondays 7:00-8:30pm, he will be at the Center for Teaching and Learning, officially room 116C (walk through Sterling Library to get there). On Wednesdays 9:00-10:30pm, he will be in the BK Walker Seminar Room, which is accessible from the tunnel just outside the buttery and computer lab, and next to the lower Laz. The Wednesday hours are particularly amenable to a tutoring session followed by a visit to the buttery. Right?
A message from BK WRITING TUTOR Cathy Shufro:
Any writer can benefit from the insights of a reader. Just as I depend on magazine editors to stand in for my readers, I will do the same for you.
So: Go to the tutoring sign-up page (using this link or via the search terms “college tutor Yale”). Under BK, choose a time slot from the “BK only” line or the “all students” line. I offer “BK only” hours in hopes of getting to know you and working with you from your first reading response to your senior essay.
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll get a confirmation email with directions to my office in North Court basement (near the big study room). That message will include instructions for sending me a draft.
You don’t need to have a draft, however. I’m happy to help you choose among prompts, to brainstorm with you about an assignment, or to talk over your writing process. Besides academic papers, you may bring in personal writing, cover letters, and application essays for fellowships, internships and grad school.
You are free to meet with tutors from other colleges—but not to bring the same draft to more than one tutor; the purpose of this rule is to leave time for other students. If you find you can’t come to an appointment, please cancel by the evening before.
OTHER EVENTS
Are you a proud member of Berkeley College who’s looking for a leadership role on campus? If so, you’re in luck! The BK FELLOWS PROGRAM is looking for an Associate Liaison to join our team and ultimately take over the student-led portion of the program once our senior leaders graduate.
What You’ll Do
- Assist in launching programming to build relationships between current BK students and our wonderful alumni network
- Organize communications to the BK community;
- Low time commitment (infrequent, as-needed meetings; ~2 hours/week of work)
- Run the student-led portion of the Program starting Spring of 2019
- Benefits: gaining leadership experience in the BK community, learning more about and connecting with our extensive BK alumni network, helping to establish new programming that will allow BK students to build meaningful connections with notable alumni
What We’re Looking For
- Second and third year students (‘20 or ‘21)
- Organized, pays close attention to detail and quickly responds to emails
- A passion for the BK community and the benefits of the Yale alumni network
If you’re interested, please reach out to Max (imani.george@yale.edu) or Varsha (varsha.midha@yale.edu) with the subject line BK Fellows Program Associate Liaison Position so we can chat about potentially bringing you on board!
Cheers to a great semester,
Max & Varsha
Call for Volunteers for Seed to Salad (S2S) Program
Every semester the Seed to Salad (S2S) program gives students the opportunity to spend an hour per week at the Yale farm teaching hands on lessons about plant anatomy, seed cycles, composting and nutrition to second graders from New Haven Public Schools. During that hour, you will get to plant seeds with kids, engage with them on the farm, encourage curiosity in their surroundings, and ultimately harvest and prepare a salad with the vegetables you helped them plant!
This semester the program will run for 5 weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:15-11:30 am, so you can sign up for whichever day works best with your schedule (or both!). It starts Tuesday, September 25 and ends Wednesday, October 31 (skipping the week of fall break). Please be sure to consult your schedules beforehand and plan to make it to all five weeks of the program.
There will be a mandatory training at 3:30 pm Friday September 21 (location TBD). Feel free to reach out to sarah.mele@yale.edu, soledad.tejada@yale.edu, or scarlet-marie.kilpatrick@yale.edu if you have any questions or would like to volunteer but can’t make this training session. You can also drop by the training session to learn more about the program, and food will be provided!
Our volunteers are indispensable to the program, so we really hope you’ll join us. You can sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/seed2salad
YALE ACADEMIC STRATEGIES PROGRAM
This semester, staff from the Center for Teaching and Learning will be running several academic strategies workshops on-site at Berkeley for our students. The first one is scheduled forTuesday, September 25, at 4:00pm in the Walker Seminar Room [South Court Tunnel access, next to the computer room and lower Laz], and the topic will be “Pathways for First-Years.” First-year students get a lot of advice from a wide variety of sources. But what do you really want to get out of your first year at Yale? This interactive workshop helps students identify goals and sources of satisfaction and offers strategies for avoiding common pitfalls like overextension and burn out.
CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is creating a volunteer Student Focus Group. This group will provide feedback and share new ideas about specific teaching and learning topics during four in-person meetings per academic year. The group will share and discuss personal experiences from the classroom and other learning environments. Diverse viewpoints and backgrounds will produce useful and out-of-the-box suggestions for the CTL to try out. You can apply to be a member of the CTL Student Focus Group by filling out a short form on their website. Sara Epperson, Director of Digital Education, and Patrick C. O’Brien, Communications Officer, will coordinate the CTL Student Focus Group.
PERSONAL LIBRARIAN
All new Yale undergraduates are invited to a library reception on Tuesday, September 18, from 3:00-5:00pm at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (121 Wall Street). Come meet your personal librarian and enjoy snacks and the beautiful collections at the Beinecke. Feel free to stop by the event any time between 3:00 and 5:00pm, and please RSVP here.
Each Residential College is assigned a personal librarian, and this year, BK’s is the wonderfully helpful Scott Matheson. Scott is also a loyal BK Fellow!
RESOURCES AROUND CAMPUS
Interested in study abroad, national or international fellowship opportunities, or career advice? If so, consider bookmarking the Center for International and Professional Experience’s Weekly Digest.
Contact the BK office with questions, comments, or submissions. Submissions are due by noon, Friday, for publication on the following Monday.