Generation digital

As the world welcomed the year 2001, Yale jumped head-first into the digital era with the launch of two high-tech extracurricular organizations: YaleStation.org and Teli.tv.

Founded by computer whiz-kid Alexander Clark, PC '04, who cut his teeth programming for Microsoft as a young teen, YaleStation.org bills itself as Yale's online portal, a "non-profit undergraduate organization dedicated to the simplification of Yale College information access online." The site provides news, weather, stock quotes, dining hall menus, and a searchable guide to New Haven services and businesses. YaleStation also offers calendars, mailing lists, membership tracking, and other interactive services to simplify student organizations' online affairs.

In recent months, the group has developed strategic partnerships with The Used Book Agency (TUBA), the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and the Yale University Library, and has launched a smaller subsidiary, BulldogDays.org, which provides resources for the incoming Class of 2005.

In March, YaleStation.org teamed up with Beth Deters, TC '04, to found Teli.tv, the nation's first student-run digital television station. Teli streams original content, Yale Political Union speeches, and sketch comedy shorts to students via the University's high-speed computer network.

Most students became aware of Teli after a group of Trumbull freshmen filmed a prank they pulled on the pre-frosh they were hosting during Bulldog Days. The students convinced their pre-frosh that one of their suitemates was also an incoming freshman and that no one had ever ventured into their mysterious hallway bathroom. After some exploring, though, the fake pre-frosh and the real one made their way into the bathroom, where they were greeted by a screaming, naked Yalie who charged the petrified pre-frosh and drove him back into the hallway.

After the prank was explained, the pre-frosh took it with good humor. Next year, Teli plans to air a "Director's Cut" of the prank which will include an interview with him—despite (or perhaps because of) his experience, he still plans to come to Yale.

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