Calhoun College Newsletter

Calhoun in Review

         Fall 2010-Spring 2011         

It is with great excitement that I assume the role as Calhoun's Class of '59 liaison. I have already met a few members of the Class when I attended the Class Lunch at the Yale Club on May 13. As a member of the Class of 2013, I, happily, have two more years to explore the joys of Calhoun and look forward to meeting more members of the Class of '59. The 2010-2011 academic year saw a multitude of great events sponsored by our wonderful Master, Jonathon Holloway, graduate affiliates, fellows, Students Activities Council (SAC). Master Holloway is taking a sabbatical to finish writing his newest book and will return at the start of the 2012-2013 academic year. Master Amy Hungerford, professor of English and American Studies, will take the helm as Acting Master until Master Holloway returns and eagerly invites you all to visit. Thank you for you generosity that helps create a wonderful year, and I look forward to the year to come.  -Marj Berman, 2013  

IN Memoriam: Sadly, this Spring two members of Calhoun passed away, as both lost their fights with cancer. Mandi Schwartz and Daniel Siegel were each brilliant members of Calhoun before their disease forced them to take leaves of absence from the college.  Hounies remembered each with special services. Mandi, especially, will be remembered for her legacy of Bone Marrow Registration drives that sought to find her a marrow match and instead managed to save the lives of many others.  

Senior Awards:  Calhoun seniors shined at the awards ceremony this year. Congratulations to the following recipients:  

Endre Hudyù: Roosevelt L. Thompson Prize, awarded to two members of the Yale senior class for commitment to and capacity for public service;

Eleanor Hayes-Larson: James Andrew Haas Prize, awarded to the Yale senior whose "breadth of intellectual achievement, strength of character and fundamental humanity shall be adjudged by the faculty to have provided leadership for his or her fellow students, inspiring in them a love of learning and concern for others" and;

Annie Atura and Rebecca Russ: The Fellow's Cup, awarded to the two students with the highest GPA and achievement in Calhoun.

Joey Brink and Kiki Fehling: Athletic Awards, for recognition of outstanding contributions to Calhoun

Athletics, namely leading the undefeated IM water polo team;

Nafez Al-Dakkak, James Liggins, Rachel Morgan, Pritha Subramanyam, Sarah Sloan, and Jasmine Dyba Council Awards, in recognition for outstanding contributions to Calhoun College;

Amy Radding Brad Hoorn Prize, given to the student who best embodies the qualities cherished in Brad: honorable conduct, concern for his peers, unfailing good humor, and selfless devotion to improving life in Calhoun;

Hayley Carpenter, Alex Stein, Endre Hudy, and Vedant Seeam Vicki Jackson Award, given in recognition of extraordinary concern for the quality of life at Yale and Calhoun College;

Nia Roberts û Eustace Theodore Prize, award in recognition of a distinctive spirit of compelling creativity, sensitivity and caring on behalf of the community life of Calhoun;

John Wolff and Cory Finley Sledge Prize in the Performing Arts, for those students who best embody excellence in the performing arts, in addition to outstanding citizenship, loyalty, or participation in Calhoun;

Nate Glasser E Pluribus Hounum, awarded to that senior who embodies the ideal that the singular greatness of Calhoun is incumbent upon the spirit and humanity of all its citizens and their broad range of interests and talents; and

Joshua Esquivel, Tariq Mahmoud, and Eleanor Hayes-Larson Cogswell Award, the highest honor that Calhoun can bestow, is given in recognition of extraordinary service.

Welcoming the Class of 2015:  It may seem that we have just lost our extraordinary class of seniors, but we are very excited to welcome our new freshmen. While their experience in Calhoun is just beginning, we are eagerly looking forward to meeting the Class of 2015 this Fall. We have 104 students joining the college who hail from across the globe: Dubai, Romania, Tokyo, Michigan, Texas, and, even, New Haven, itself. Our excellent group of Freshmen Counselors, members of CC 2012, Elibet Jimenez, Margaux Calhoun, Taylor Gregoire-Wright, Aditya Kamdar, Samuel Helfaer, Julio Perez-Torres, and Peter Wilczynski, will lead the Calhoun Class of 2015 as they explore Yale this year.  

Calhoun Spirit  Calhoun tradition continues to thrive throughout the college as Calhoun hosted many Yale-favorite events. Our annual Trolley Night dance regaled with jazz music and Mardi Gras beads in an equally bedecked dining hall. We were also the envy of the other colleges with tailgate organized by SAC that featured a balloon artist and New HavenÆs newest resident and friend, the Kettlecorn Man. SAC also launched new events this year: game nights; an Oscar party; and Salsa Night. In addition, it ran our favorite event, Houn Olympics, which annually has the four classes compete to see who is really the best in the Houn.  

Class of '59 Lunch  The Class of '59 lunch at the Yale Club of New York City continues to be an important part of Calhoun culture. Students from all classes participate and greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit with and learn from members of the Class of '59. Hounies would like to thank the Class for coordinating such a great tradition.

A. Yale International Relations Association Balkans Cultural Study, The Balkan Peninsula - Zahra Baite CC'14 During Spring Break 2011, this group traveled through Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, where group members meet with political leaders, NGO officials, and community members to explore the greatest issues faced by the West Balkan Nations. The members considered the Balkan's process of European Union integration, post-conflict reconstruction, and religious and cultural diversity. Zahra received a portion of the funds for the trip after staffing YIRA's Model UN conferences and earning membership into the organization, but a grant from the Class of '59 Fund allowed Zahra to finance and take part in her trip.  

B. Introduction to Photography Course, New Haven, CT Jasmine Dyba CCÆ11 This spring, Jasmine took an Introduction to Photography course in the Art department. The class introduced the students to the technical and aesthetic uses of the photographic medium, and the end  product is a final body of work synthesizing what was learned throughout the course. The heart of the course is a monthly critique, which allows the class members to track everyone's progress in the technical and image making areas. This spring Jasmine, as a senior, had wanted to take this course since her freshman year. Thankfully, with the financial support from the Class of '59, Jasmine was finally able to take the class.  

C. Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC) Conference, Parnu, Estonia - Kevin Ho CC'12 Kevin traveled to Estonia to attend an international conference for AIESEC, an international internship exchange organization and the largest student-run nonprofit in the world. Over the of about a week, he met over 200 students and recent graduates from all over the world - over 40 nationalities were represented at the conference. With the rest of the American delegation, Kevin met with students from other nations to discuss internship exchange timelines, talent requirements, and future plans for cooperation. Most importantly, Kevin feels that he and the other students shared stories and aspects of our culture and formed friendships that will last a lifetime.  

D. Students For Free Culture Conference, (SFC) New York City Aditya Kamdar CC'12 SFC is a group that promotes the public interest in intellectual property and telecommunications policy. Aditya has been involved with the group for five years now and currently sits on its Board of Directors. He started a chapter at Yale three years ago, and it has sponsored events, including a Master's Tea last year with Chris "moot" Poole, that drew 100 attendees. Poole founded 4chan.org, an image based bulletin board. SFC held its annual conference in New York to gather students from its more than 40 chapters, which Aditya helped organize. The conference brought student leaders into conversation with each other as well as creators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and educators contributing to a more free, open, and participatory culture.  

E. Legal Aid Society Summer Internship, New York City û Rebecca Krumholz CC'12 This summer Rebecca served as an intern at the Legal Aid Society. The Law Reform Unit of the Legal Aid Society's Civil Practice seeks to enhance the lives of New Yorkers of modest means through a ôsystems-changeö orientation incorporating a variety of strategies including litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, and community education. In addition to representing New Yorkers in litigation, the Law Reform Unit provides back-up and support for advocates in the trial offices. Rebecca assisted attorneys with reviewing, analyzing, and managing discovery; interviewing and assisting clients; and performing other litigation-related tasks. Working with Legal Aid to represent minorities and underrepresented populations aligned well with RebeccaÆs education as a Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies major.  

F. YUNA Exchange Program, Hong Kong Amy Tsang CCÆ12 Amy's grant supported her travel to Hong Kong over spring break as part of the 2010-2011 Yale University-New Asia College (YUNA) Exchange Program sponsored by the Yale-China Association. Each year, YUNA connects 8 students each from Yale and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who travel to each other's campuses for a collaborative exchangeùthis  year around the theme Social Justice. During the trip to Hong Kong in March 2011, the group presented in a conference, met with various academic speakers, visited local NGOs, and visited various cultural sites in Hong Kong. The trip was an exciting and enlightening opportunity for Amy to explore social justice in both theory and practice, learn about Asian perspectives, and develop meaningful friendships with counterparts across the globe, invaluable experiences for which she is grateful.  

G. AIESEC Conference, Nottingham, UK - Dennis Wang CC'14 This past semester, I joined the AIESEC chapter at Yale. From March 9-13, 2011, Dennis attended the Western Europe and North America Leadership Development Seminar hosted by AIESEC UK in Nottingham. Over the course of five days, he met hundreds of people representing countries ranging from China, Tunisia, Iran, and Malta. He participated in a number of activities, such as team-building exercises and a global village, which benefitted Dennis both as an AIESEC member and as an individual. He would like to thank the Class of 1959 Fund, for providing a grant to make this all happen.  

H. NYC travel, New York City Maria Yagoda CCÆ12 This spring Maria worked at O, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine, headquarted in New York City. The magazine encourages confident, intelligent women to reach for their dreams and make choices that will lead to happier and more fulfilling lives. O addresses all aspect of a woman's lifeùthe material, intellectual, and emotional. Maria is very grateful for the Class of æ59 funding which allowed her to commute to NYC to work on producing an internationally read

magazine.