Residential colleges: not just dorms, but microcosms of Yale's community

During your first weeks at Yale, you'll surely be bombarded with three questions: What's your name? Where are you from? What college are you in? The first two questions are pretty easy, but the third one often is not. What does it really mean when someone answers "Pierson" or "Silliman"?

Each residential college has a different character that students pride. Modeled after the college systems of Oxford and Cambridge, the residential college system is designed to make the large community of Yale University more intimate. Residential colleges provide a close-knit structure within the broader Yale environment.

You're randomly assigned to a college before you arrive, unless your sibling or parent went to Yale, in which case you can choose whether to be in his or her college. The random mix of students created allows each college to represent a cross-section of the campus. Yalies often find that their memories and identities center around their residential colleges during their four years as college members.

The Master and Dean of each college are faculty members who often put academic careers on the back burner in order to concentrate on sustaining the life of their residential college. They're always available to answer questions or just to talk. Masters and Deans also hold study breaks in their homes during reading and exam periods.

Masters oversee the college and distribution of funds for improvements and parties. Masters also hold "Master's Teas" with famous poets, artists, and politicians as guests. The Dean provides academic advice and support, signs schedules, oversees the housing process, and makes sure that you fulfill distributional requirements. Deans listen to your complaints and have the power to give "Dean's excuses," which override any academic deadlines.

Most colleges are equipped with a common room, squash courts (makeshift basketball courts), a weight room, computer room, darkroom, TV room, snack shop, laundry room, printing press, game room, student kitchen, and music practice room. Each college has a library--perfect if you have erratic study habits or loud roommates.

At the heart of every college is its dining hall. It is a social site for the approximately 400 students in the college (except during a rare spell of good weather, when many people hang out in the courtyard). Students use the dining halls to eat, naturally, but also to meet friends, have discussions with professors, and, of course, to procrastinate. Freshmen often eat lunch in Commons and dinner in their colleges, though all dining hall are open to frosh.

Each college provides its students with a broad base of social options through social activites committee, intramural teams, and a college council made up of elected students. Colleges also host barbecues and dances, design T-shirts and sweatshirts, and carry on individual college traditions.

Students in Berkeley (BK) are the most centrally located Yalies on campus. BK frosh may be surprised to find their residential college split in two, as Cross Campus Lawn divides Berkeley's North and South courts. In addition to the easy access to the main campus libraries, Berkeley's central location provides a prime spot for sunbathing, or frisbee. During Bulldog Days Berkeleyites have been known to streak for prefrosh during a daring run from Old Campus to Cross Campus.

During the 1998-99 school year, Berkeley College will undergo major renovations. Berkeley upperclassmen will be the first Yalies to be housed in the "swing space," otherwise known as Boyd Hall, on Tower Parkway while their college is renovated.

The entire basement of Berkeley will be reconfigured. The squash court and weight room will be converted into a two- story, multipurpose activity room for events such as lectures, theater productions, and basketball games. The basement will also have an informal lounge and snack area, a student kitchen, and laundry facilities. The dorm rooms will be made more flexible and accommodating, and will also include air-conditioning. Also, the Berkeley dining hall is being improved by extending the space of the serving area and adding self-serve islands.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH In the springtime, Professors often have class on the Brandford lawn

Branford also contains Harkness Tower, one of Yale's most prominent landmarks. The carillon bells in the tower ring periodically throughout the day, treating Yalies all over campus to an eclectic variety of musical selections, ranging from Bach to the Beatles. Branford also lays claim to Harkness Memorial Gate, which is opened only once a year when all Yalies pass through it on their way to the graduation ceremonies on Commencement Day.

Branford College is known for its social functions. The God Quad is an oversized Branford suite which provides nighttime festivities, and the Golden CAF is a weekend devoted to celebrating uninhibited artistic expression. At football games, Branfordians are known for the simple style to their cheers such as "Everybody sucks except for Branford!" and "Suck our tower!" The College flag has been the subject of many attempted thefts by rivals in Jonathan Edwards and Saybrook Colleges.

Currently boasting two new pianos and a newly-furnished common room, Branford is the next college in line for full renovation, which means that Branford frosh will be living in the swing space dormitories as sophomores.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Calhoun boasts a tire swing in the middle of its courtyard.

'Hounies are also fond of their courtyard tire swing and their location. Students have easy access to Sterling and CCL libraries, classroom buildings, and Naples Pizzeria. Calhoun's courtyard closely resembles a quaint European Gothic residence, and its small size helps ensure intimacy among its residents. Each spring Calhoun hosts 'Hounfest to celebrate the end of classes, with themes such as reggae and soul, and a staging of gameshows such as "Singled Out."

In Davenport College (DC), you can always find a game of soccer, ultimate Frisbee, or volleyball in the two spacious courtyards. Intramurals (or "Davensports") are popular in this high-spirited college. Davenport's architecture is rather schizophrenic--a Gothic facade of pointed arches and stone tracery is juxtaposed with an interior of Georgian red brick buildings and colonnades.

On either side of the Davenport tower is a depiction of a mythical beast, the Yale. One of the Queen's 12 beasts, the Yale is akin to the unicorn but has two horns and two tails instead of only one. D-port has a large, beautiful common room and dining hall, with the only Waterford chandelier on campus. (Rumor has it that a former University president moved the chandelier to his house, but sheepishly returned it once the donor found out.)

Davenport facilities have been upgraded recently with the addition of a new weight room and buttery and the renovation of its library and darkroom.

Susan Wennemyr, the current Dean, will be on maternity leave until next spring and in the meantime, Larry Lyke will serve as the acting Dean.

The small, beautiful courtyard of Timothy Dwight (TD) makes the college friendly and intimate. Because TD freshmen live in the college, upperclassmen are always eager to meet them. This unity creates a fierce and perhaps unrivaled sense of college pride. Despite being the smallest college, TD consistently excels at intramurals, and their section at football games is always one of the loudest. In addition, TD has won the Gimbel cup (awarded for highest GPA standing) the last three years in a row. Still, TDers also know how to party--the college is known for its wild "Exotic Erotic," a dance where "the more risqué, the less you pay."

TD's master, Robert Thompson, BR '55, known for bringing funky bands and hip-hop dancers from New York to the Yale campus, was reappointed this year to serve as master for another five years. Dean John Loge, known for his fireside chats and love of nature, was also recently reappointed for another term.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH JE's courtyard may be small, but it is one of Yale's most beautiful.

JE residents enjoy making fun of themselves. The college motto "JE Sux!" can be heard from their section at all football games and other spirited affairs. This beautiful college is also rich in tradition. Several times a year, freshmen greet the rest of Old Campus with a loud, musical ritual known as "COMA" (Coalition of Midnight Assholes), and the day after Easter is Wet Monday for JE residents--beware of the midnight charge of semiautomatic water weapons.

Last year Gary Haller, Chair and Becton Professor of the Applied Sciences, took over as the new Master of JE.

The architecture in Morse College (MC) isn't Gothic. It isn't Georgian. It is unlike anything most people have ever seen before, much less lived in. Morse is one of Yale's two "new" colleges--with Ezra Stiles--built in the early 1960s under the instruction of famed architect Eero Saarinen, who died while the buildings were under construction. Rooms are spacious, with walk-in closets and built-in desks. Morse used to be solely comprised of singles, but recent renovations have created walk-through doubles and common rooms.

Located right across the street from Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Morse is especially convenient for athletes who have to make early practices. Plus, it boasts a student kitchen and a student lounge with a large-screen TV. Many Morsels take pride in their spacious dining hall with its big windows and friendly workers.

Morsels are also proud of their recently-installed recording studio, their famous Morsel grilled-cheese sandwiches and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup chocolate shakes served in the buttery.

Pierson College (PC), located next to Davenport and accessible from York Street by a walkway, has beautiful Georgian architecture and a picturesque clock tower capped with a gold dome.

This year the Pierson dining hall instituted a new "self-serve" policy, eliminating dining hall servers--a policy which many students believe improves the dining hall by making the serving line shorter and allowing picky eaters to serve themselves as little or as much as they want. Pierson also refurbished its TV room this year.

Among the eclectic activities that Pierson students participate in are the Tuesday Night Club (which hosts a keg party every Tuesday night), Jell-O wrestling on Pierson Day, Niko's café poetry readings, and the Inferno (a Halloween night costume party which truly raises hell).

While Piersonites really know how to get down and party, their consistently low standings in the competition for the Gimbel Cup (the prize given to the college with the highest collective GPA) has earned them the reputation of being somewhat, well, special. Their football cheer goes, "P is for the P in Pierson College, I is for the I in Pierson College, E is for the E...."

FABIÁN ROSADO/YH Saybrook's stone courtyard has a basketball hoop for pickup games.

Saybrook is separated from Branford by a locked gate; four years ago, a group of Saybrugians, tired and bored with their senior essays, began a "Take Back the Courtyard" campaign in an attempt to gain access to the beautiful Branford courtyard. After classes end in the spring, Saybrook holds Saye and Sele Day, which includes events such as T-shirt dyeing, a barbecue, and a courtyard party.

No reference to Saybrook would be complete without a mention of the Saybrook Strip, performed at the end of the third quarter of home football games.

Silliman College (SM) is the largest college at Yale. It has the most panoramic courtyard on campus,where Sillimanders love to play stickball (hit the Master's house, earn a home run). It also has the biggest residential college dining hall, a beautiful Georgian room with wood paneling, columns, and chandeliers.

Despite the size of the college, Sillifolk have a strong community spirit. Because students live in the college all four years, freshmen get a head start on bonding with upperclassmen.

The Sillifrosh experience begins the second week of the year with the Frosh Olympics, a contest between entryways with events ranging from pickle eating to a scavenger hunt. After the first snowfall, Sillimanders storm across Temple Street for the traditional SM-TD snowball fight. Silliman also hosts the annual Safety Dance, a return to the '80s held in Commons.

Silliman's enormous underground tunnel system has a weight room, art room, and game room, as well as a darkroom, a climbing wall, aerobics rooms, a renovated buttery, and a movie theater known as Silliflicks. The college's most recent addition is
The Sillidome, a newly resurfaced basketball court.

FABIÁN ROSADO/YH The architecture of Stiles(as well as Morse) sets them apart from the other 10 colleges.

Stilesians are also proud of their athletic prowess. They have won the coveted Tyng Cup, awarded for intramural excellence, six times in the past decade. Stiles and Morse co-host "Casino Night," a formal dance and gambling extraganza which is always crowded, smoke-filled, and lots of fun.

Every spring, Stiles sponsors an Arts Week that features student performances and exhibits and draws professional artists to the college. Each month, the college holds "Musical Stiles," an opportunity for anyone to perform anything. The colleges's basement holds the Stiles Little Theater, which hosts improvisational comedy groups and other dramatic shows throughout the year.

With three small courtyards, Trumbull (TC) has a cozy feel, and the fire doors that connect all the rooms ensure there are no secrets among the 'Bulls. The college carries on many traditions, including annual repainting of the gargoyle in Potty Court by the graduating class. Some say Trumbull has the best food of any residential college, but it may actually be Mary, who swipes ID cards before meals and is always ready with a smile, who makes the dining hall.

Trumbull houses a small theater, a weight room, and a popular practice room which is in demand by everyone from indie rock bands to opera singers. Now that construction on the adjacent part of Sterling has ended, 'Bulls are free to use the tire swing in Main Court once again. The Trumbuttery, or "The Butt," provides a perfect setting for late-night procrastinating, and is home to the world famous Butt-shake drink.

Peter Novak, DRA '98, will take over next year as Trumbull's new Dean, joining Dr. Janet Henrich, a professor in the medical school and Yale's only current female Master, to lead the 'Bulls.

Contributors: Albert Chen, Meredith Gordon, Jason Heller, Liz Oliner, Sangeetha Ramaswamy, and Soraya Victory.

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