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Opening Yale, closing three centuries

By Nishant Kumar

Bulldog slobber, 300 pounds of Old Campus-shaped cake, and a University crammed with about 35,000 people made this year's Parents' Weekend like no other as Yale kicked off its Tercentennial celebrations on Sat., Oct 21.

The University strutted its stuff to Yalies, alumni, and New Haven residents in a flurry of activities and events throughout the day. The celebration started at 10 a.m., when students surprised everyone—and probably themselves, too—by gathering in the courtyards of their residential colleges, grabbing self-designed t-shirts, and marching in the parade down to Beinecke Plaza to the sounds of the Yale Precision Marching Band. While hearing the Timothy Dwight students cheer "TD motherf**kas!" probably didn't take some of the older alumni back to their own bright college years, all the sons and daughters of Eli could sing along to Cole Porter's, Class of 1913, "Bulldog."

University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, cleared up the mystery of Boola Boola with a musical tour of Yale's history in his speech. He also tried to emphasize the common history of the college and New Haven, despite an often-tumultuous town-gown relationship. "New Haven invited us here," he said.

Afterward, Yalies, their families, and members of the community were treated to a day of tours, performances, and discussion panels. Visitors could learn how to sing a psalm at the Divinity School or find out about the whimsical carvings in Sterling Memorial Library. They could see special exhibits at the Yale University Art Gallery, or head over to Hillhouse and see the paintings in the President's house, where Levin entertains guests. Throughout the day, New Haven restaurant booths on Wall Street provided a welcome alternative to students tired of Yale food.

There were, however, small disappointments. Some students who were looking forward to stepping inside a secret society or exploring the fabled steam tunnels found out that stories of such opportunities were only rumors. Also, some complained that the true Tercentennial would fall a full year from the initiation of celebrations. "Yale was founded in 1701, right? So why the heck are we celebrating our Tercentennial in 2000? But, then again, the school is known for its humanities, and not its sciences," Jeremy Licht, BK '04, joked.

For administrators, though, the day was a huge success. "I think the response to the event exceeded all our expectations," Levin commented. "Response among our employees and the New Haven community has been extraordinary. People were just delighted to have the opportunity to see many parts of campus. The beautiful weather and the festive atmosphere of the whole idea contributed to the celebratory mood."

—Nishant Kumar

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Photos by David Gest, Kathy Gest, and Allen Dodson.

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