September 24, 2018
CALENDAR Items in red are of primary academic concern
Monday, September 24
5:15pm IM Coed Soccer vs DC (IM Fields; buses depart PWG 4:45 and 5:00)
9-10pm Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake study break, South Court
Tuesday, September 25
12-1:30pm Drop-in lunch with Dean B (Swiss Room; no signup, just show up!)
5:15pm IM Coed Football vs DC (buses depart PWG 4:45 and 5:00)
8:00pm IM Coed Table Tennis vs GH (Payne Whitney 5th Floor)
Wednesday, September 26
4:00pm IM Golf (buses depart PWG at 3:00 and 3:15)
Evening Fellows meeting: Vincent Ni, “Rethinking Media Censorship: The China Case,” Swensen House. Interested students can sign up here to attend.
Thursday, September 27
1:30-3:30pm Dean B drop-in hours I (Entry F, first floor)
2-5pm Brie’s office hours, Entry F
10:00pm IM Coed Table Tennis vs MC (Payne Whitney 5th Floor)
Friday, September 28
12-1:30pm Drop-in lunch with Dean B (Swiss Room; no signup, just show up!)
2-4pm Dean B drop-in hours II (Entry F, first floor)
6-pm SENIOR Oktoberfest, Swensen House Garden, followed immediately by:
8-11pm BK Film Society sing-along: The Sound of Music
Sunday, September 30
4-5pm BKCC meeting (Mendenhall Room; open to all)
Looking ahead
5-7 Oct Family Weekend
HEADLINES
Dear Berkeley,
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋節快樂！ Tonight we celebrate the harvest (full) moon with a study break outside the Laz (South Court) from 9 to 10pm. Assoc Head Lely will present mooncakes, which are the principal snack item for this occasion. We will also have hot tea available, so please bring your own mug to reduce material waste at college events. Or, if you don’t have your own mug and would like to purchase some BK swag, our new black & red designer mugs will be on sale for $5.
This Wednesday, Berkeley’s designated World Fellow, Vincent Ni (Senior Journalist at the BBC) will present “Rethinking Media Censorship: The China Case.” As always with Fellows’ Meetings, BK students are invited to attend, but you must pre-register here so that we can send you the relevant detailed information.
On Friday night we have an ausgezeichnet doppel-header event in the Swensen Haus Garten. From 6pm, Senior (i.e. BK’19) Oktoberfest will fill the evening air with the scents of sizzling bratwurst (and vegan options, of course!). Amber liquids will flow into customized glass steins designed by Jason Hu. Don’t be surprised if spirited choral rounds of Ein Prosit ensue! Immediately thereafter, starting at 8pm and open to everyone, the BK Film Society is proud to present its first sing-along to The Sound of Music. For both events, please enter through the North Court garden gate – if unsure of directions, just follow your nose and ears.
With lots of Yale-related issues in the news this week, I’d like to remind everyone of your rights when it comes to media attention. Referring to the email that Dean Chun sent to all students on August 31st, recall that if you are approached by a reporter in a public space, you are free to talk with them but are not obligated to do so. Your express consent is required for a member of the press to photograph or record you. Lastly, “members of the media may not enter a Yale building or gated courtyard without OPAC’s [Office of Public Affairs and Communications] permission and escort . Although the media should not enter Yale property without permission, there may be circumstances where the members of the media are either not aware of OPAC policy, or are acting without regard to OPAC policy. If you encounter unescorted reporters or film crews in a location that you oversee, please ask them to leave, or call OPAC for assistance. You may also call the Yale Police at (203) 432-4400, if media presence is creating a disturbance.” In sum, you have the right to carry out your studies without media scrutiny.
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! Yale Repertory Theater presents El Huracán by Charise Castro Smith, directed by Laurie Woolery, Sept 28-Oct 20. An epic hurricane threatens Miami. A mother and daughter ready themselves for the storm as Abuela takes shelter in a world of memory, music, and magic. A powerful tale of family and forgiveness, El Huracán reveals what can be rebuilt in the aftermath of life’s most devastating tempests––and what can never be replaced. Enter here by Wednesday Noon for a chance to win a pair of tickets to a performance date of your choice.
Peace, HoC Evans
DEAN’S CORNER
Dear Berkeleyites,
This week, I’ll continue to host drop-in lunches as an informal way for us to get to know each other over a shared meal. The lunches will be held in the Swiss Room from 12:00-1:30pm on Tuesday and Friday. The schedule is also 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 to the Swiss Room (access via the balcony-level of the dining hall). I will be at each lunch for the entire time, but you are welcome to drop-in at any point during the 12:00-1:30pm window and leave whenever you like.
Berkeley est optimus!
Dean B
DROP-IN HOURS for the next two weeks are as follows:
- Thurs., Sept. 27: 1:30-3:30pm
- Fri., Sept. 28: 2:00-4:00pm
- Wed., Oct. 3: 1:30-3:30pm
- Fri., Oct. 5: 1:30-3:30pm
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!!
We have another busy week of games ahead of us, so get excited! This week is your one and only chance to represent BK on the golf course, so be sure to make it out on Wednesday if you’re interested (buses leave from the front of Payne Whitney at 3:00 and 3:15pm). For soccer and football, buses to the IM fields leave every 15 minutes from Payne Whitney and take 15 minutes to arrive, please try to get to the fields 15 minutes before the listed start time if possible! The schedule for this week is:
Monday, Sept 24th, 5:15pm - Coed Soccer vs Davenport
Tuesday, Sept 25th, 5:15 pm - Coed Football vs Davenport
Tuesday, Sept 25th, 8pm - Coed Table Tennis vs Grace Hopper
Wednesday, Sept 26th, 4:00pm - Golf (Buses leave PWG at 3:00 and 3:15)
Thursday, Sept 27th, 10pm - Coed Table Tennis vs Morse
Hope to see you out there!
Your IM secs,
Ryan, Amelia, and Owen
BKCC
Greeting, BK.
Loved seeing you Berkeleyites at our BKCC Trivia Night! We had a fantastic time thanks to a superb turnout and a more than extraordinary host – Jason Hu is a MASTERMIND. Truly one of a kind. La creme de la creme. A special shout out to all our question-writers, especially Kaveri and our wonderful first-years Marla and Adoma! Y’all did a phenomenal job. (And, of course, a congratulations to our winning team: Los Ochos menos Cuatro!)
Also, we know we’re a million years away, but mark your calendars for October 26th: Thunderball is coming! More details are forthcoming, but we hope u get revved up and ready 2 go!
Finally, BKCC is reviving the Family Night Slideshow! Go add @berkeleycc on Snapchat and send us snaps of ur friends if u want to see them go up on the TV by the dining hall. Gr8 tims all around. BONUS: HoC Evans’ bitmoji will bring life to your Snap. EXTRA BONUS: brownie points if u manage to start a streak ;)
Stay fresh,
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
Thinking about medical school? Then consider attending the medical school interview prep session on Thursday, September 27, at 7:00pm in WLH 117. Daniel Wiznia, MD (YC ’06), Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, will talk about how to succeed on the interview trail. The discussion will include an overview of the medical school interview process from the mindset of the interviewer; a review of common questions; an assessment of frequent pitfalls; and a question and answer period.
Are you a first-generation and/or low-income student? Do you want to know how to access Yale resources and become part of a close-knit community on campus? If so, consider joining A Leg Even, which meets on Thursdays at 8:00pm in the Founder’s Room of the Afro-American Cultural Center. For more information, contact jordan.young.jcy27@yale.edu or timothy.ryan@yale.edu.
Student Advisory Committee for the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life
Apply online: https://secretary.yale.edu/student-advisory-committee
Kim Goff-Crews, Secretary and Vice President for Student Life, is looking for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to join her Student Advisory Committee. Student members share their experiences at Yale and offer advice on important campus-wide issues.
This is an opportunity for students to develop insight into the functioning and management of the whole university and to convey their vision of what Yale is and can be.
Secretary Goff-Crews is seeking students with a broad range of experiences. Perhaps you’re a graduate student with a family? An undergrad committed to conservative causes or dance or coding? A member of F&ES’s Forestry Club? A varsity athlete? A (very) amateur poet? Perhaps you’re always found in a coffee shop or bar, or at your desk in Rudolph Hall or carrel in Sterling? Whoever you are, and however you spend your time at Yale, please do apply!
You’ll come together to learn and advise, two evenings each semester. At one meeting, you might get a briefing on Yale’s budget from the Provost, Ben Polak. At another, deans might bring you into their ongoing conversations about how to enhance teaching and learning in a leading research university. Or Secretary Goff-Crews might lead a broad-ranging discussion on campus free expression or the developing plans for the Schwarzman Center.
Current dates for meeting are October 11, 2018; November 26, 2018; January 10, 2019; and March 5, 2019. Meetings are from 5 to 6:30pm. Dinner is provided.
Applications close on October 1, 2018. If you have any questions, contact Andrew Forsyth, Assistant Secretary for Student Life: andrew.forsyth@yale.edu
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 for Tuesday, October 2, 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
Editor’s note: apologies for only listing one of Berkeley’s three personal librarians this year. In full force, they Anna Arays, Scott Matheson, and Yukari Sugiyama. All three are loyal BK Fellows!
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.