Sex, rankings, and beef: Yale's year in review

Another unforgettable year at Yale began with news that merely confirmed what all Yalies already knew: for the first time since 1987, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University number one, in front of Princeton and Harvard, in their annual college rankings. The rankings caused more controversy than usual, however, and students at Stanford established the "Forget US News" Coalition in an attempt to discredit the rankings. Sour grapes.

The announcement of two major projects aimed at the revitalization of downtown New Haven were also announced in September: the development of the Omni Hotel at Yale and the construction of a mall along the waterfront. The Omni will be a four-star, 270-room hotel catering to Yale parents, visiting academics, and tourists. Mayor John DeStefano said the new mall will boast 150 shops and restaurants and four department stores. The mall will open for business by the year 2000.

The University's top financial officers then announced that they plan to eliminate the running deficit in Yale's operating budget by the fiscal year 1997-98. Although the budget will be balanced for the first time in several years, the University has actually increased spending in key areas affecting student life on campus, including capital maintenance and financial aid in both the undergraduate and graduate schools. Officials pointed to this as evidence of the University's economic stability as it heads towards its 300th birthday in 2001.

The University took advantage of this stability by announcing several major renovation projects for Yale's aging infrastructure. The first large-scale project will be the renovation of Berkeley College, due to take place during the 1998-99 academic year. While their college is being renovated, Berkeleyites will live in a newly constructed "swing space" dorm on Tower Parkway. Branford and Saybrook are next in line for the renovation projects.

The fall also featured a dramatic change in one of the nation's oldest campus political institutions. A sixth party was added to the Yale Political Union-- the Conservative Party. The new party looked to rejuvenate a lagging Union whose participation and activism during the year continued to be disappointingly mellow.

Politics were, however, on the minds of many Yalies in November, as students contributed to President Clinton's, LAW '74, landslide victory in Connecticut. Sophomore Peter Dziedzic, ES '99, was unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat in the State Legislature.

After the Yale-Harvard football game, which Harvard uncharacteristically managed to win, head coach Carm Cozza stepped down as the winningest coach in Yale football history. He was replaced by Jack Siedlecki who, during his four years at Amherst College, turned a losing football program into a conference champion.

The scandal of the year surfaced in the fall when a sophomore filed a sexual harassment suit against math professor Jay Jorgensen. Jorgensen, who was accused of participating in a sexual relationship with the student while she was a student in his class, was reprimanded by a Yale sexual harassment grievance board and subsequently lost a teaching position at Ohio State. Jorgensen, who maintains his innocence, currently works at Princeton.

In December, the Federation of University Employees and the Yale Administration put an end to the long and agonizing contract dispute, finally settling on a contract after over a year of conflict.

In another union conflict, the National Labor Relations Board filed suit against Yale alleging that the University infringed on the rights of its workers by threatening to discipline striking TAs. Yale countered that it would continue to treat graduate students as students, not employees. The issue remains unresolved.

With its lease nearing expiration, the Yale Co-op's future was placed in grave jeopardy when Yale announced plans in December to allow Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, Inc. to take over the space currently used by the 111-year-old Co-op. Barnes & Noble has pledged to invest one-and-a-half million dollars for renovations of the current Co-op building. The Co-op has subsequently relocated to Chapel Square Mall.

In another move stirring campus-wide interest, the Yale administration delayed renovations and relocations of cultural centers for yet another year. With many of the buildings in very poor condition, groups affected by the decision protested and some on campus questioned the Administration's commitment to cultural diversity. Minority groups rallied in April and promised to continue their protests in the fall.

Spring Fling, an annual party held before second semester finals, gave students a chance to celebrate after an exhausting year. Entertainment and edibles were supplied by Yale. The Lemonheads were the featured band at this year's festivities. Many students were angered, however, at the Yale College Council's decision to ban the serving of beef at the Fling due to environmental concerns. Students opposed to the ban formed the Yale Carnivore Council and promised to fight the ban at next year's Fling.

Chelsea Clinton raised hopes that she would choose to attend Yale in the fall when she visited the campus in late April, but the First Daughter soon announced she had chosen Stanford.

Finally, after last year's controversial decision to name Henry Winkler, DRA '70, as Class Day speaker, the senior class announced that historian David McCullough, DC '55, would help the Class of 1997 say goodbye to Yale.

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