And you thought you were old. Today, Yale celebrates its 311th birthday. Since its founding in 1701, the University has granted 261,657 degrees and served as the alma mater for numerous actors, novelists, playwrights, federal judges and United States presidents. Happy birthday, Yale!

Our neighbors up north. The Pierson College dining hall filled with Canadian undergraduates, graduates and faculty members on Monday night in celebration of the 19th annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by Pierson College Master Harvey Goldblatt GRD ’78. Though Goldblatt has hosted this event for nearly two decades, the Monday spectacle will mark his last: Goldblatt announced he would step down from his position as master of Pierson College at the end of the 2012-’13 academic year.

The shellfish are okay. After a shellfish truck crashed into the Loria Center last week, shattering the glass door and denting the metal paneling, employees of the center say the University has ordered a customized replacement door that is expected to arrive in a few months. In the meantime, the hole in the Loria entrance has been covered with wood paneling and painted to blend in with the entrance’s stainless steel foundation. Both the adjacent door and handicapped entrance are fully functional.

Cameras for cops. The East Haven Town Concil has approved $115,000 to install dashboard cameras in East Haven police cars in an effort to monitor officers’ behavior while they are out on patrol. The move comes after East Haven became the subject of national news after several officers were accused of alleged racial profiling against Latinos.

Weighing affirmative action. Yale Law School Dean Robert Post LAW ’77 wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post discussing the merits of race-based affirmative action in law school admissions. He stressed the importance of attracting a diverse group of students with various perspectives. Thirty-two percent of Yale Law School’s Class of 2015 identify as students of color, according to the school’s website.

Teaching history in the streets. Eleven students from High School in the Community hit the Elm City streets as part of a “Discover New Haven” class to learn about the city and update an outdated history text about New Haven’s neighborhoods. The students began downtown and Wooster Square before venturing out to a housing complex they call the “Skittles.”

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY 1701 Yale is founded after the General Court of Connecticut votes for an “Act of Liberty to erect a Collegiate School.”