After rocky year, Saybrook finds new Master

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH HOME SWEET HOME: Months after the arrest of former Master Antonio Lasaga, new Saybrook Master Mary Miller, GRD '78, and her family will call the college home.

If the walls in the Saybrook Master's House could talk, they just might utter a sigh of relief. On Thurs., Apr. 15, University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, introduced the college's new Master, History of Art Professor Mary Miller, GRD '78, to a crowded Saybrook dining hall.

An expert in Mesoamerican art and a former chair of the history of art department, Miller will officially take over as Master on Thurs., Jul. 1. Miller is married to Professor Edward Kamens, MC '74, GRD '82, the current chair of the East Asian languages and literatures department. Kamens was originally a Saybrook student before transferring to Morse during his undergraduate career. Their two children, Bill and Alice, will join them as members of the Saybrook community.

Miller's appointment caps off a tumultuous year for Saybrook. Students were caught off-guard by the sudden resignation of then-Master Antonio Lasaga on Fri., Nov. 6, because of an FBI investigation into allegations that Lasaga possessed child pornography downloaded from the Internet. Lasaga was quickly replaced by Harry Adams, who has served as acting Master for the past five months.

As Levin announced the college's new Master over a microphone, he was joined by several other Yale administrators, including Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '72, and Professors Cynthia Russett, Robert Apfel, and Jonathan Weinberg, who served as faculty members on the search committee. Students were appreciative when Levin personally thanked Adams and his wife Manette for their "spirit of warmth, reassurance and generosity in a difficult moment."

Saybrugians expressed satisfaction with the search committee's decision. "I think it's awesome. She seems really anxious to find out what Saybrook means, and it will be great having a young family in the college," said Catherine Hinsdale, SY '99, a member of the search committee. Elana Solon, SY '01, added, "I'm glad it's a woman, and I'm just happy there will be a female around." Saybrook will join Trumbull, with Master Janet Henrich, as the second
college that currently has a female Master.

Although there was much speculation concerning how the new Master would be selected in the wake of the controversy surrounding Lasaga, Sarah Cheeseman, SY '01, said, "We all really liked Master Lasaga, and I would say they picked a woman because there are not enough female or minority Masters, not because they were worried about having any sort of Lasaga repeat."

The continuing Lasaga scandal has caused its fair share of turmoil for Saybrook residents, especially upperclassmen. "It's been relatively okay for freshmen because they didn't really know the Master too well, but it has been hard on us seniors, who have gone through four Masters in our four years, three of them this year," said Freshman Counselor Karen Go, SY '99. At the same time, Go complimented Adams for "having study breaks, really trying to get to know freshmen in the dining hall, and making them feel at home." Branford Master Steven Smith also praised Adams. "Harry is one of the truly fine people at Yale," he said. "If there is anybody who could have come in and restored a community to residential college life, he could have done it. He was a great Master at Trumbull before, and he is really a class act."

Students seem to agree that the most important duty Miller will have to perform is to help Saybrugians make a smooth transition to the Swing Space. "The Swing Space has screwed up housing royally this year," Cheeseman said. "My class has had one Master for a year and a half, another for six months, and now we will have the last one for two years, only one of which will actually be in our college."

Hinsdale agreed, adding, "The most important thing will be the transition into the Swing Space and maintaining a sense of community outside the residential college building." Go, who is also a history of art major, said, "Mary Miller is a great professor, I've heard they are a great family, and they
will just be good for the feeling of the college. Adams did a great job, and I hope Saybrook is finally on the mend for now."

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