Holidays, 2021

 

Despite continuing apprehension around new variants of CoVID-19, the Yale Club of New York does its part to boost holiday moods in 2021. The Club traditionally decorates itself inside and outside. Attached scaffolding this year gives it an excuse to surround itself with slim, glistening Christmas trees, as it joins its Manhattan neighbors in presenting the City at its decorative best. 

Return to School, 2019

(YWAA photos)

On campus at Yale in early September, first-year students have found a new college home. Older students have returned to campus to resume an intensity of study and extracurricular activity that came to a pause last May.  The campus has been revived again. Some will say it's one of the best times of year. Trees have leaves. Jackets aren't necessary. Snow isn't on the ground. Residential college courtyards provide comfort for residents who sit in huddles on the ground and contemplate course loads, majors and favorite fall events.

Fall, 2019, at Yale also features the celebration of women at Yale, which is highlighting two anniversaries--the 50th anniversary of women enrolling as undergraduates and the 150th anniversary of women attending as graduate students. The campus wears banners and signage to recognize the anniversary and pay tribute to important turning points in school history.

Yale Basketball: Back to the Dance

While hosting the third Ivy League tournament, Yale captured the men's basketball championship in New Haven with a handy win over Harvard (YWAA photos).

Yale men's basketball reached an apex Sunday afternoon Mar. 17, as the college basketball season heads toward March Madness. Yale hosted the third annual Ivy League tournament at the John L. Lee Amphitheatre at Payne Whitney Gym, treating house guests and League fanatics to a weekend basketball festival in an arena that looks more church-like than athletic venue. (The tournament included the top four teams in both the men's and women's leagues.)

While basking in host glory, the men's team grabbed the tournament trophy and an Ivy berth in the 2019 NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs surrendered leads to Princeton during the Saturday semi-final, but managed to squeak out an 83-77 win.  After Harvard's 66-58 win over last year's tourney winner Penn, Yale and Harvard faced off for the Ivy championship in front of a mostly jammed Payne Whitney. 

Sunday's championship was the third meeting between the rivals.  Harvard had won the previous two, most recently with a buzzer-beater from guard Bryce Aiken on Yale's home floor. 

In the third game, the Bulldogs and Cantabs traded leads--thanks to stop-and-pop jumpers from Yale's Alex Copeland '19 and thanks to Harvard's Aiken scoring just about anytime he wanted to and ending the game with 38 points.  

Yale eased ahead late in the game and coasted to a 97-85 win--thanks mostly to Copeland's 25 points and thanks to four off-the-bench jumpers from Azar Swain '21 (who finished with 15). Yale fans didn't storm the court, because, well, students were still getting back to New Haven from spring break.  Yale's Miye Oni '20, the Ivy League's men's player of the year and the focus of whispers about his NBA-level talent, had spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble

So for the second time in four seasons, Coach James Jones and crew head to the Dance, the Final 64. Four hours after the win, the team found out it will play SEC power LSU in Jacksonville in the Round of 64.  

Yale athletic officials embraced their roles as hosts. Payne Whitney was spruced up with banners celebrating the Ivy schools. Attendants urged out-of-town guests to taste the best of New Haven.  

During intermissions at the tournament, the League paid tribute to Yale players John L. Lee '59 '59 Eng and Barbara Liebowitz Bettigole '78, both one-time Westchester residents, and welcomed them into the club of Ivy legends.  

Harvard's band toots the Crimson as the team defeated Penn in the first round. (YWAA photos)

During an intermission of the Yale-Princeton game, the League paid tribute to one-time Yale scoring leader and Larchmont resident John L. Lee '58 '59 Eng. His no. 22 jersey above appears in a trophy case at Payne Whitney. His family accepted a plaque in his honor. (YWAA photo) 

Sunday Songfest in Chappaqua

The Spizzwinks of Yale greeted Yale alumni at the concert by singing the traditional Yale football medley at the a cappella concert in Chappaqua, Feb. 3.  They were joined in concert by Yale's New Blue and by Horace Greeley's Enchords and Quaker Notes (YWAA photos)

Yale singing groups, the Spizzwinks and the New Blue, made a Westchester stopover and joined groups from Horace Greeley High School for a Sunday afternoon a cappella songfest in Chappaqua, Feb. 3. 

The concert, held at the performing arts center at Seven Bridges Middle School, was jointly sponsored by YWAA and Horace Greeley. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the high school's clubs and other extracurricular events. Horace Greeley's Enchords and the Quaker Notes took the stage before the Yale groups sang after intermission. 

All groups performed familiar repertoire tunes, as well as their interpretations of popular songs.  The Spizzwinks of Yale even sang the Yale football medley. And alumnae at the concert joined the New Blue for the final song. 

The program was part of the YWAA music series of inviting Yale groups to perform in Westchester. The Spizzwinks sang in Westchester for the third time since 2013.  The Alley Cats, Red Hot & Blue and the Whiffenpoofs have also visited Westchester in recent years. 

At Horace Greeley, Enchords feature male and female voices singing in original arrangements.  The Quaker Notes is an all-female group on campus. At the concert, they both sang before an enthusiastic crowd of parents, classmates, and Yale alumni and friends. 

The Spizzwinks, who claim to be America's oldest a cappella group on campus (since 1914), sang renditions of "Once in My Life" and "No Regrets" (its traditional final song), as well as other popular songs and the football medley.  The group is headed to Iceland, Seattle and China later this year. 

The New Blue turns 50 years old this year and is Yale's oldest women's organization.  While members of the Spizzwinks and the New Blue hail from different parts of the country (from the Bay Area to Boston), the New Blue includes four from the Westchester area:  Laura Clapp '21 of Scarsdale, Anna-Sophia Boguraev '20 of Bedford, Alice Tao '20 of Tappan, and Allie Larocco '21 of Cold Spring. They had opportunities to sing solos before their own families and friends. 

Yale a cappella tradition calls for Yale a cappella alumni to join the groups for the final song.  In Chappaqua, Yale alumnae B.K. Munguia '75 and Sara Levine sang with the New Blue to conclude the concert. 

Horace Greeley, during the intermission, recognized Julia Rellou for her service to clubs and extracurricular activities at the school. YWAA board members Munguia, Levine, Regina Possavino-Serai '01, and Dan Leonard '76 helped organize the event.  Stacy Jacobs, Tom Witmer, and Priya Ma coordinated at Horace Greeley. 

See below photos of all four groups in performance:  

The New Blue of Yale is Yale's oldest women's organization

Enchords of Horace Greeley kicked off the a cappella songfest in Chappaqua.

Members of Horace Greeley's Quaker Notes and Enchords sang before an enthusiastic crowd of friends, teachers and classmates. 

Above, Enchords and the Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3 

The Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

Enchords and the Quaker Notes in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

Above, Yale a cappella alumni Sara Levine and Dan Leonard introduce the Yale groups

The Spizzwinks of Yale in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Spizzwinks of Yale sing in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Spizzwinks of Yale, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

The Spizzwinks of Yale, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

The Yale Spizzwinks in Chappaqua, Feb. 3

The Spizzwinks of Yale, Feb. 3

The New Blue of Yale will celebrate 50 years in 2019

Anna-Sophia Boguraev '20 of Bedford (above, top) sang a solo for New Blue during the concert

Yale's New Blue in Chappaqua, Feb. 3. Alice Tao '20 of Tappan is featured in a solo

The New Blue of Yale, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

Yale alumnae B.K. Munguia and Sara Levine joined the New Blue for the traditional final song

The New Blue of Yale, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

The New Blue of Yale, Feb. 3

Enchords and the Quaker Notes, Feb. 3

The Quaker Notes, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

The Quaker Notes, Feb. 3

Both a cappella groups from Horace Greeley posed as one for a final shot, Feb. 3, Chappaqua

Admitted Students Consider Yale

Current Yale students addressed Westchester admitted students at the annual YWAA, ASC reception in Bronxville, April 10. (YWAA photos)

Yale's Class of '22 is in formation.  After yet another hectic season of sifting through 35,306 applications (a Yale record) and making difficult decisions about the next four years for 17- and 18-year-olds around the world, the Yale Admissions Office becomes a marketing office. The 2,229 students admitted in late March must now make a decision about Yale. Yale is planning for 1,550 to enroll this fall (70 percent yield).

"Bulldog Days," a Yale-sponsored extravaganza inviting parents and admitted students to explore Yale in person before the May 1 deadline, is the culmination of the marketing effort. About 1,500 admitted students will attend one of two sessions.

Before prospective students invade New Haven, they may be invited to admissions events around the country. In Westchester, YWAA and the Yale Alumni Schools Committee promote Yale to admitted Westchester students, who reside just 60 miles down the parkway from New Haven, but are still seeking to learn as much as they can in three weeks about Yale's culture and academic offerings .

Yale Westchester's effort to promote Yale is the annual Admitted Students Reception in Bronxville. Debra Johns, a Yale admissions official, returned to Bronxville April 10 for the annual reception, accompanied by three current Yale students, all from Westchester. Admitted students, their parents, and Yale Westchester alumni interviewers attended the reception.

Once again, with the tide turned, Johns and her Yale student panelists happily explained how some of the Westchester applicants wowed admissions officials with not only glowing scores and GPA's, but with dazzling essays and unforgettable responses to "Why Yale?" or "What would you bring to a Yale suite?" or "What inspires you?"

Johns highlighted some of the clever Westchester-applicant replies to the question about individual contributions to a Yale suite, including one admitted applicant who claimed to have expertise in preparing sushi for suitemates. Johns also read short passages from impressive essays.

Admitted students, introducing themselves during the program, are graduating from such Westchester high schools as Edgemont, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Stepinac, White Plains, Scarsdale, and others. They also had a chance to hear about the experiences (good and bad, memorable and unforgettable) from current Yale students and ask questions about even some of the most mundane moments of college life.

David Shimer '19, a Chappaqua native and Horace Greeley graduate, shared stories and experiences of being the Editor-in-Chief at the Yale Daily News and of graduating in May with B.A. and M.A. degrees in history, but wishing he had taken the time to take more courses in the arts. Affiliated with Davenport College, he has also interned at the New York Times.

Johns reminded Shimer he forgot to mention another accomplishment.  In December, he was awarded a Marshall scholarship and will study international relations at Oxford next year.

Kaitlin Cardon '20, a White Plains graduate and current Timothy Dwight resident, talked about her study-abroad stint in Morocco last summer and her experience as a R.O.T.C student, which requires her to rise at 5 a.m. on some days. She recounted her extensive travels as a Yale student in Europe (from Denmark to Spain) and on the West Coast. She lavished praise on T.D.'s cheeseburgers.

The student panelists, at the urging of Johns and in response to admitted students' questions, debated (as they always do) which residential college was the best and discussed how they planned their days and strategized on getting appropriate amounts of sleep. 

With a rising trend among seniors in living off campus, the students rigorously argued the pros and cons of the off-campus experience. But they all concurred on the virtues and quality of Yale dining-hall food.  They reflected on the living experiences of first-year students. (With the construction of two new colleges, first-year students from four residential colleges now live away from Old Campus.)

The prospective students, attentive and on seat edges, asked questions not necessarily addressed thoroughly on websites and in social networks.  Many of them have already decided to attend Yale. One was already sporting a Yale sweatshirt. Some have tough decisions to make in three weeks.

Several Yale alumni interviewers attended the event. Bill Primps '71, head of the Yale Westchester Alumni Schools Committee, and Tim Mattison '73, YWAA president, greeted the guests.

Yale admissions official Debra Johns recounted some of the memorable passages from the applications of admitted Westchester students (YWAA photos).

Halloween Haven

(Yale Daily News photos)

Halloween has never been just another day at Yale.  Generations of alumni recall the Yale Symphony Orchestra's annual Halloween concert at Woolsey.  Many more recall treks up Hillhouse Ave. to the president's house, all decked out in macabre, many chanting as they make their way up Science Hill.

During Halloween weekend, 2016, Yale Daily News photographers decided to capture the haunted, dark imagery of the campus, Gothic buildings after a nightfall rain, illuminated by New Haven street lamps.

Recognize the sites above?  The front door of Harkness Tower?  Maybe the entryway of SSS? The ominous pathway to the opening gate at, shall we dare say it, Skull and Bones?

Back to School, 2016

(Yale photos, Michael Morand)

When September comes, Yale wakes up and is reborn. Another class of new Yalies, this time the Class of 2020, arrives on campus and partakes in campus traditions during a week of orientation, ceremony and introductions to heads of college, deans and online Blue Books. A familiar wide, white banner at Phelps Gate welcomed this new class, the last class that will number less than 1,360. 

With the completion of the two new residential colleges, the Class of '21 will include over 1,600 new students. Yale's undergraduate population will year by year begin to rise toward 6,000 (approaching the size of peer schools Harvard, Penn, Stanford, and Cornell).

But that's next year. This year, students returned to see the reopening of the refurbished rare-books Beinecke Library (above) and were reminded that residential-college rivalries are as intense as ever. 

The new Class of '20 includes those from about 1,000 different high schools from around the world--including Westchester high schools like Mamaroneck, Rye Country Day, Hastings, and Scarsdale.

Summertime Yale

(Yale photos, Michael Morand '87)

Summertime Yale is a peaceful Yale.

There is activity, but none of the frenzy of the school year when undergraduates, graduate students and faculty rush through courtyards and swarm up Hillhouse Ave. The campus takes a break from theater, debate, labs, all-nighters, pizza treks, protests, sign-posting, a capella, frisbee tossing, head-of-college teas, and crowds gathering in Bass Library.

Summertime calm is a chance to appreciate images and settings unique to Yale (above): Harkness Tower from any angle, the Divinity School courtyard, East Rock environs, the crown of Woolsey Hall, and the new tower at the new Pauli Murray '65 JSD College.