Archive: 2015

  1. Genecin creates new deputy director position for Mental Health and Counseling

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    Director of Yale Health Paul Genecin appointed Howard Blue to the newly-created position of Deputy Director of Mental Health and Counseling at Yale Health last Friday.

    In a statement, Genecin said that Blue will have a prominent role in working with colleagues across the Yale campus to increase awareness of mental health issues and shape programs to address diversity and inclusion for Yale students.

    “[Blue] is well known for his work in the field of racial and ethnic identity and has long experience in teaching trainees and clinical colleagues about the impact of culture and diversity in mental health,” Genecin said.

    Genecin said that Blue’s new role will involve collaboration with Director of Mental Health and Counseling Lorraine Siggins in overseeing departmental operations and developing new programs and initiatives. He added that Blue will continue to work with students on the MH&C advisory committees and to work as a see patients at MH&C.

    Blue has served as associate chief psychiatrist of Mental Health and Counseling at Yale Health and as an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine since 1993.

  2. Residents safe after two-alarm fire

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    A two-alarm fire Sunday morning took three hours to extinguish, but no one was severely injured.

    Following a 911 call at 8:02 a.m., firefighters were called to a fire at a two-family home at 55 Redfield St., New Haven Police Department spokesman David Hartman said in a press release. The house is about a mile from central campus.

    Two patrol officers who were in the area were the first to arrive on the scene. They found that two of the residents had been forced out onto the second floor balcony of the front of the three story structure, Hartman said. One of the officers, Carlos Ortiz, along with the help of neighbor Delvin Prescod, used a ladder from the neighbor’s yard to help rescue the residents from the balcony. Meanwhile, the other officer, Vanessa Thompson, opened the first floor front door and called for anyone else inside to leave. Between these two rescue efforts, seven residents and two dogs safely escaped the house, Hartman said.

    The blaze was extinguished by around 11 a.m., Hartman said.

    “Our Firefighters did an outstanding job,” Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Marcarelli said. “This was an aggressive fire and I’m proud of our department.”

    Marcarelli, along with his command staff, supervised the operation at the scene, Hartman said.

    According to the press release from Hartman, five of the seven residents who were in the building at the time of the fire were taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital–less than a mile from the house–for treatment of smoke inhalation. One of them, a woman, was also treated for minor burns.

    The origin of the fire has not yet been determined, and according to Hartman’s press release, arson investigators and members of the Fire Marshal’s Office are still investigating.

    “It’s too early to speculate on what exactly started this fire,” Chief Marcarelli said. “We’re focused on safety at this point. What sparked this blaze will be under investigation for some time.”

    Hartman said power had been shut down to the block and that some homes will be without gas service for a while as a result of the fire. The home that was on fire will have to be demolished, and the multi family home next door at 51 Redfield St. suffered thermal and water damage during the fire, according to Hartman. The eight residents who live in the home were also escorted from their house during the fire as a safety precaution.

    Fifty firefighters fought this blaze with support from the American Red Cross, the city’s Livable Cities Initiative, Building Enforcement Department, Police Department, Southern Connecticut Gas Company and the city’s Office of Emergency Management, according to the release.

    “There were many heroes out there this morning,” Hartman said in the release. “Everyone there contributed to the effort. Lives were saved.”

  3. University pledges to hire 1,000 city residents

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    After negotiating with its two unions last week, the University pledged on Friday to hire 1,000 more New Haven residents in the next three years.

    The agreement comes one week after a labor protest on Yale’s campus called on Yale-New Haven Hospital to help solve the city’s jobs crisis and employ a greater number of city residents. At last week’s protest, 134 graduate students, union members, and city residents were arrested in an act of civil disobedience targeting YNHH. The new commitment announced Friday builds on Yale’s August pledge to hire 500 additional New Haven residents in the next two years.

    “[Yale] is moving in a very, very positive direction,” Reverend Scott Marks, co-founder of the grassroots labor organization New Haven Rising, said at the protest last week.

    The agreement represents a partnership between Yale and New Haven Works, a jobs pipeline program started in 2013 that helps city residents find employment. According to the most recent United States Census data, 9 percent of New Haven is unemployed while 25 percent live below the federal poverty line.

    On the night of Dec. 11 — the day before the labor protest — the Yale administration held a closed-door meeting with union officials from Local 34 and 35. In this meeting, Yale promised to address the jobs crisis and hire more city residents, Marks told the News last week.

    In the agreement, Yale specified that it would target city neighborhoods with the highest rates of unemployment and poverty when hiring.

    New Haven Works Executive Director Melissa Mason said that of the 1,000 full-time, permanent jobs promised by Yale, 500 of those will be directed towards residents of the Hill, Dwight, West River, West Rock, Newhallville, Dixwell, and Fair Haven. The three-year timeline for this agreement will begin Jan. 1, Mason said.

    Union leaders had criticized the previous agreement made in August because they said it failed to focus hiring from New Haven’s poorest neighborhoods.

    University President Peter Salovey said in a statement Friday that hiring New Haven residents is essential to improving the city economically.

  4. Over 9,000 sign online petition to rename Calhoun College

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    More than 9,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the renaming of Calhoun College.

    The petition is entitled ‘Rename Yale’s racist Calhoun College!’ and is open to the public. Launched in late November by three Yale Divinity School students — Heaven Berhane ‘18, Nathan Empsall ‘18 and Nicole Tinson ‘16 — the petition demands that University President Peter Salovey and the Yale Corporation change the name of Calhoun College, which honors white supremacist and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun, class of 1804. In a written statement provided to the News, Empsall said the goal of the petition is to give individuals outside of the Yale community the chance to voice their support for the potential renaming.

    Thousands of students and alumni from across every Yale school have already spoken out. Our Care2 petition shows that thousands more members of the public from around the world are watching this leading institution, hoping and waiting for even more leadership on this important issue,” he wrote.

    The petition states that John C. Calhoun’s legacy is “one of racism and blood” and that today he is most remembered for one reason: his expansion and defense of slavery.

    Empsall wrote that while Calhoun may have been perceived to be politically successful when the college was first named, his continued presence on campus is having a negative impact on Yale students.

    Every day we leave the name Calhoun on that college, we are declaring that it’s more important to us to honor a defender of slavery who died 165 years ago than it is to stop hurting our brothers and sisters,” he wrote.

    In July, a separate petition advocating for the renaming Calhoun was circulated in the Yale community. It currently has 1,468 signatures.

  5. Yale accepts 17 percent of early applicants

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    Yale admitted 795 students, 17 percent of its 4,662 early applicants, to the class of 2020 Tuesday evening. 53 percent of applicants were deferred for reconsideration in the spring, 29 percent were denied admission and 1 percent withdrew or submitted incomplete applications.

    This year’s early acceptance rate is a slight increase from last year’s rate of 16 percent, and 15.5 percent for the class of 2018 two years ago. The number of early applicants has remained fairly consistent over the past two years, dropping just 0.6 percent this admissions cycle.

    The Office of Undergraduate Admissions plans to accept between 1,200 and 1,300 students during the regular decision round, aiming for a freshman class of around 1,360. The class of 2020 will be the last cohort of this size, as the number of students in each subsequent class is set to increase by about 15 percent with the opening of two new residential colleges in fall 2017.

    Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan said this year’s group was one of the most diverse his office has ever considered. He added that admissions committee members take care to admit students in the early round only when they are confident the students would be accepted during the regular admissions cycle.

    “The Admissions Committee was impressed with the strength and diversity of this year’s early applicant pool across every dimension, and we are thrilled to offer early admission to this remarkable first group of students in the Class of 2020,” Quinlan said in a statement.

    In recent years, the diversity of Yale’s applicant pool has grown significantly. Quinlan said applications from students who identify as members of underrepresented minority groups have increased 15 percent over the past two years, while applications from international students have grown 12 percent.

    Director of Outreach and Recruitment Mark Dunn ’07 said connecting with a diverse group of prospective applicants is a priority for the admissions office. He said that in order to reach members of underrepresented groups, Yale sends out mailing letters and brochures, assigns representatives to travel around the world and maintains an active student blog and social media presence, among other endeavors.

    Last month, Dunn speculated that two programs — the Yale Ambassadors program, which sends current students to high schools to speak with standout students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and the Multicultural Open House, which invites students and their families to campus to learn about Yale’s academic and cultural offerings — may also have contributed to the increase in diversity.

    “In all these efforts, our goal is to reach a diverse audience with an authentic message about the Yale undergraduate experience that we think will appeal to students from all backgrounds,” Dunn said.

    In addition to the nearly 800 students accepted Tuesday through early action, Yale admitted 51 students through the QuestBridge National College Match Program.

    Quinlan said he is looking forward to reviewing more applications from QuestBridge finalists in the regular round, adding that the number of finalists who enroll as freshmen will likely be the highest in Yale’s history. Last spring, Yale made a commitment to the White House to increase college opportunity and socioeconomic diversity, including a promised increase in the number of QuestBridge finalists enrolling at Yale.

    Harvard and Stanford, which have early action programs similar to Yale’s, released their early admissions decisions last week. Stanford admitted 9.5 percent of its early applicants, while Harvard admitted 14.8 percent, the lowest rate since it reinstated its early action program in 2011. Both Harvard and Stanford, as well as Princeton — which will release its early admissions decisions Wednesday afternoon — reported increases in the number of early applications they received.

     

    Correction, Dec. 16: An earlier version of this article incorrectly counted QuestBridge applicants as part of the group admitted through early action. They are in addition to the 795 early action applicants who were admitted. 

     

  6. YCDO updates Buckley investigation

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    Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway announced Tuesday an updated account of an investigation of alleged spitting at a November William F. Buckley, Jr. event, days after some students criticized his office’s investigation process.

    In order to bring closure to a fall term dominated by racially-charged controversies and discussions, Holloway informed the Yale College community last week of the results of investigations into two incidents: an alleged “white girls only” entrance policy to an Oct. 30 part at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, and accusations that student demonstrators had spat on attendees of a Buckley conference about free speech. The YCDO concluded that it would not seek disciplinary actions as the investigations did not find evidence of either incident.

    But student leaders of the Buckley program found the investigation of the spitting allegation unacceptable, stating that they had not been made aware of the investigation. Holloway’s Dec. 15 email acknowledged this response and affirmed that a student attendee had said he was spat on, correcting his original email, which wrote that no direct accounts of spitting had been provided. Still, his update made no mention of disciplinary actions for anyone involved. Holloway told the News that since no complaint about the spitting incident had been reported to the YCDO previously, his office had not engaged in an active investigation.  

    “We had several Yale Police officers and YCDO staff members at the Buckley event and no one reported an incident of spitting,” Holloway said. “There was also no complaint filed to the Dean’s office or to the police. We can only act on things that are reported.”

    Following Holloway’s original email, Buckley program president Zach Young ’17 and Buckley member Misael Cabrera, who said he was spat on, contacted Holloway and said they were unaware of the investigation and had not been contacted. Holloway directed the students to Dean of Student Engagement Burgwell Howard, who heard the students’ accounts.

    In his update Tuesday, Holloway said Buckley leaders had brought to his attention an incident of spitting reported by one student attendee. Holloway stressed that spitting violates the university’s policy on free speech and is an unacceptable form of protest.

    Young told the News he is glad that there is a community-wide update and that the YCDO has taken steps to correct the investigation. But he noted that Holloway’s email did not contain an apology or an acknowledgement of the investigation’s mishandling, adding that he has mixed feelings on the update.

  7. Lizarríbar named Dean of Student Affairs

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    Camille Lizarríbar, the current Dean of Ezra Stiles College and also the Dean of the Freshman Scholars at Yale program during the summer, will fill the position of Dean of Student Affairs starting Feb. 1, 2016, Holloway announced in a college-wide email on Monday afternoon.

    Lizarríbar’s appointment comes after a semester-long search for a new Dean of Student Affairs — a position which has been empty since Marichal Gentry left the role to serve as dean of students at his alma mater, Sewanee: the University of the South this past summer. A search committee led by Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan — which included students, a residential college master and dean and University administrators — assembled a strong pool of candidates for the position, Holloway wrote, but Lizarríbar still stood out among her peers. In her new role as the Dean of Student Affairs, Holloway added, Lizarríbar will develop and implement a vision for student life that focuses on the campus climate, alcohol policies, student well-being, counseling, discipline, student organizations, housing, orientation, freshman counselors and other aspects of student activities at Yale.

    “As the committee concluded its work, Dean Quinlan reported that finalists for the position brought tremendous experience, dedication, and vision with them,” Holloway wrote this afternoon. “In the end, the committee found that Dean Lizarríbar stood out even among this exceptional list of candidates because of her long experience with Yale College, her outstanding record of collaborating with students and administrators alike and her own vision for the position of Dean of Student Affairs.”

    In addition, Holloway noted, Lizarríbar will oversee the Office of Gender and Campus Culture, serve as liaison to the Women’s Center and participate in the Provost’s Title IX Steering Committee.  

    Holloway cited Lizarríbar’s diverse experiences as a residential college dean, a leader of the Freshman Scholars at Yale program, her time as an instructor in literature at both Harvard and Yale and her work as an attorney both in government and in private practice as some of the reasons for his confidence in Lizarríbar in her new position as the Dean of Student Affairs.

    “Her contributions to shaping Yale College policy are just as extensive, and include service on committees on admissions and financial aid, alcohol and other drugs, racial and ethnic harassment, and privacy of student records,” Holloway wrote.

    This announcement follows another college-wide email sent by Holloway last Wednesday that detailed the findings of two investigations into an Oct.30 Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity party and a Nov. 6 student demonstration at a William F. Buckley, Jr. conference on free speech. The new Dean of Student Affairs, Holloway wrote last Wednesday, will work with Dean of Student Engagement Burgwell Howard to provide training and guidance to student groups hoping to host events as well as to protest peacefully. Both deans will be tasked with identifying ways to promote a respectful and inclusive climate on campus, including spaces for socializing that are open to all Yale College students.

    Lizarríbar earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and French Language and Literature from Brandeis University, a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She speaks four languages: Spanish, English, French and Italian.

  8. Over 120 arrested in labor protest at hospital

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    Over 120 Yale students, employees, and New Haven workers were arrested Saturday for an act of civil disobedience on the outskirts of the Yale-New Haven Hospital to draw attention to the jobs crisis in New Haven and call on the hospital to secure more jobs for city residents.

    A crowd of over three hundred union and labor organizers convened on Cross Campus at 12 p.m., marching through West River and stopping at Howard Street. The New Haven Police Department gave a group of the protestors three warnings to clear the street before handcuffing them and writing each of them citations for $103.

    “We aren’t here to be arrested…but we are willing to risk arrest,” New Haven Rising co-founder and Reverend Scott Marks said. “We are confident that Yale is taking the jobs crisis seriously.”

    Police Chief Dean Esserman said New Haven Rising — a grassroots labor organization — had been warned of the strong possibility of arrest prior to the protest. New Haven Rising reached out to the police department about staging an act of civil disobedience, Esserman said. The citations were written beforehand and were distributed to protesters upon arrest. Marks called civil disobedience a “powerful tool” for achieving social justice and change.

    The protest followed a closed Friday night meeting between the Yale administration and leaders of Yale’s two unions, Local 34 and 35, in which Yale — according to Marks — offered its support of the goal to hire more city residents, and pledged to address the jobs crisis.

    Saturday’s rally turned the focus of New Haven Rising’s two-year-long jobs campaign on YNNH, criticizing the second largest employer in New Haven for failing to commit to hiring locals. Union leaders repeatedly declined questions about the content of the meeting with Yale.

    The private meeting was coordinated after a Wednesday vote by Local 34, which according to Local 34 President Laurie Kennington aimed to prioritize “securing” 986 union jobs at the Yale School of Medicine that were believed to be at risk of being subcontracted. Union leaders voiced concern that Yale was trying to outsource these 986 union jobs at the Medical School to Yale-New Haven Hospital, whose workers are not unionized. Medical School Dean Robert Alpern denied that such relocation plans were in the works.

    “[The hospital] has not agreed to meet with New Haven Rising,” Marks said at the protest. “Yale-New Haven Hospital, we want a partnership and we want to work together.”

    Mayor Toni Harp and several Alders attended and spoke at the gathering on Cross Campus. Ward 1 Alder Sarah Eidelson, who works in communications and graphic design for Locals 34 and 35, said details of the meeting would be released later next week.

    Unlike previous New Haven Rising protests, like the June 12 rally on the steps of City Hall that called on both Yale and YNNH to address the jobs crisis, Saturday’s protest was directed solely at the hospital. University spokesperson Tom Conroy and Vice President for Human Resources and Administration Michael Peel did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

    “[Yale is] moving in a very, very positive direction,” Marks said. “We’re focusing on the hospital.”

    In August, Yale committed to hire 500 additional New Haven residents in the next two years. Alexander said some of those jobs would be for construction work on the two new residential colleges. In a letter to Harp and the Board of Alders, Vice President for the Office of New Haven and State affairs Bruce Alexander ’65 said Yale would make those hires through New Haven Works, a job pipeline program helps qualified city residents find work.

    At the protest, Harp said she was excited that New Haven Rising was asking the hospital to engage with Yale and the city in solving the jobs crisis. New Haven Rising was joined in the protest by members of GESO, the unrecognized graduate student union at Yale, and Students Unite Now, an undergraduate activist organization.  

    Isabel Bate, an 18-year old New Haven resident who spoke to the crowd, said the jobs crisis also extends to the city’s youth. Bate described an environment of desperation among Bate’s fellow teenage friends, many of whom look forward to moving out of the city when they graduate high school.

    “They can’t wait to leave this city,” Bate said. “They feel like they have nothing, like they are nothing. I think of a New Haven where young people have a chance to thrive.”

    New Haven Rising was formed in 2012.

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    Four more Rhodes. Tim Rudner ’16 has joined the three other Yale seniors who won the 2016 Rhodes Scholarship. Rudner, who is a double major in applied mathematics and economics, plans to earn masters in applied statistics and mathematical modeling and scientific computing at Oxford to pursue his goal of conducting research in economics.

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    What else is new? According to the results of a poll conducted by CBS and the New York Times, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton LAW ’73 maintains her lead in the race for the Democratic nomination. With 52 percent support, Clinton leads runner-up Bernie Sanders by 20 points. Voters also expressed 81 percent confidence in Clinton’s ability to handle both the economy and terrorism.

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    So tell me what you want, what you really really want. The Harvard Institute of Politics conducted a national poll to gauge the preferences of millenial voters, and the results were released yesterday. The survey of 2,011 young adults, age 18 to 29, showed that 56 percent would like to see a Democrat in office, while 36 percent prefer a Republican candidate.