Seniors look to Elm City for essay inspiration

When it comes time to write their essays, most seniors look all over the globe for ideas. Topics run the gamut, from economics research to studies of foreign affairs to examinations of ancient art. But for some seniors, the search for a topic led to a place much closer to home--the Elm City.

MELANIE SCHOENBERG/YH

An array of senior essays for departments such as history, sociology, and American studies are focusing on New Haven. The topics address a diverse range of issues, from Stacy Atlas', JE '98, project on the history of the New Haven area, to David Garlick's, JE '98, investigation into interactions amongst the city's homeless. Among the reasons seniors chose to write about the Elm City are the abundance of primary resources, the experience of working with community service organizations, and the convenience of having a local case study.

While researching her paper on the history of the Broadway area, Atlas discovered that the building on 296 Elm St., which now houses Trailblazer and Yale University Dining Services, was a showroom for REO Speedwagon when they first started to make cars in the early 20th century. As a resident of Orange, Conn., a former city editor for the Yale Daily News, and a leader of community service projects, Atlas' interest in New Haven grew over her years as a resident of the area and her time at Yale. She believes that people who are involved in community service projects around the area are more likely to investigate issues at play in New Haven. The most interesting part of the project for her, however, was the unique history of the city, and its relationship to Yale.

"New Haven has had a fascinating history, and then sort of petered out," Atlas said. She found that the Broadway area was the "perfect area where [many] issues came together." These issues include the dichotomy between the wealth of Yale and the urban problems of New Haven, and New Haven's gradually realized dependence on Yale.

Whereas Atlas focused on the unique history of New Haven and Yale, other seniors used the city as a case study for issues which affect not only New Haven, but all American cities. Daniel Schwartz, JE '98, a history major, used the Elm City to examine the attempts made by the Civil Works Administration to improve conditions during the Great Depression and also how the average citizen responded to President Franklin Roosevelt's brash new programs.

Schwartz chose New Haven as a case study to "make things a little easier," and also to "put a little relevance on my being here [in New Haven]." He said that his interest in New Haven extended well beyond the writing of the senior essay. "This is a city with an incredibly rich history,"
he said.

Garlick, a sociology major, also found a good local case study. The interactions between Yale and the city piqued his interest in the problem of homelessness, which eventually became the subject of his senior essay. He focused on how the homeless establish relationships with shelter staff, and the stratification within the homeless community.

"New Haven is interesting because it's in the richest state in the nation, houses an elite university, but has one of the poorest populations [in the country]," he said. After noticing this obvious contrast, Garlick volunteered at a shelter while observing its inhabitants for his paper.

There are many more topics related to New Haven in this year's batch of senior essays. Professor Jay Gitlin, a history senior essay advisor, found more than 10 while going through a partial list of the topics, on everything from Italian-Americans in New Haven to Edwin Edmonds, a civil rights and religious leader in the Dixwell area. Gitlin feels that New Haven has been chosen for so many topics because of its capacity as a "fascinating social workshop and social library." He pointed out that there are not many secondary sources on New Haven, and that Yale has not always done the best job in providing scholarship on subjects about the city.

"Some of the absolute best history [work] is being done in these essays," Gitlin said. Some essays, like Atlas', will provide New Haven with historical scholarship. Others, like Garlick's, have provided services to the community by investigating their chosen topics. All the essays have provided their writers with much more of an insight into our environment, into a sometimes typical, sometimes unique city.

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