TrumBulletin 10-18-17

October 18, 2017

It’s fall break.  I imagine many of you feel as do I which is, simply:   We need this.  If there’s anything true of Yalies, it’s that you are committed to many activities – academics, of course, but also extracurricular groups, social activities, athletics, etc.  Your daily schedules are packed; commitments sometimes even overlap.  So, whether you’ve remained on campus, are at home, are at a friend’s family home, or are traveling a bit, sleep a bit longer than usual, linger a bit over meal with friends, catch up with family members (even if it’s over the phone), and do at least something enjoyable spontaneously just because you can.

Also use this as a catch-up-on work time if you need to do that.  Dean Chandhoke and I met with all first-year students a week or so ago in the evenings.  Mid-terms were happening, p-sets were due, papers deadlines were looming.  Indeed, some students arrived at the meetings late because they were taking mid-terms just beforehand.  We asked questions of everyone using clickers to keep things anonymous. One was, “Are you ahead on work, caught up, or behind?” The majority of every group answered, “Behind.”  (This means if you are behind, you have lots of company.)  It’s easy to understand how this occurs.  As one mid-term or problem set or paper is faced and you focus intensely on it, work in other classes is neglected.  It’s normal but get yourself back on track.  (Indeed, I’m doing catch up myself over break.)  When you’re back we’ll be adding more Trumbull quiet study sessions and breaks as well as receptions for each class in the House (aka study breaks in disguise).  

                                                 Special Trumbull Fall Break Events

Many of you have remained on campus.   You may find yourself to be the only one in your suite or even floor which can feel lonely.  (That’s normal too.)   If you’re over in Bingham, do come on over to Trumbull and use our Common Room and Buttery.  Also, be sure to join us for two dinners that our Dean and our graduate affiliates will host.  Here’s when these dinners will happen:

TOMORROW, THURSDAY, OCT. 19, 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.  Dean Chandhoke hosts dinner in the Buttery with food from Yorkside.  This event is open to all Trumbull students.  (Please reply to the survey https://yalesurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PSrI5A9rJAdf7L if you have not done so already.  Do that today by NOON.  We need to order the right amount of food.)

Then at 8:30 PM in the dining hall, Trumbull’s Peer Liaisons, Diana Saavedra and Uzo Biosah, are hosting a movie and ice cream social study break.  They will be showing the movie “Get Out”.

FRIDAY, OCT. 20, 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. in the Buttery.  Graduate Affiliates Staci Hill and Margaret Douglas host a dinner with food from Tikka way.  Again, please reply to the survey https://yalesurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PSrI5A9rJAdf7L if you have not done so already.  Do that today by NOON.

                      COMING UP RIGHT AFTER BREAK:  A very special Trumbull Tea,

MONDAY, OCT. 23 AT 4PM IN THE TRUMBULL HOUSE

“RESTLESS CREATURE”

5:30-6:30 Master Class, 294 Elm St., Broadway Rehearsal Lofts; Reservations required: email ashna.gupta@yale.edu

7:30 Screening of Restless Creature followed by Q&A, Whitney Humanities Center Auditorium, 53 Wall St.

Wendy Whelan was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and is a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and the Kirov Ballet and has performed all over the U.S., South America, Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential guest artist with Morphemes/The Wheel don Company.

Sponsored by the Theater Studies/Dance Studies curriculum, Film and Media Studies, Public Humanities, Films at the Whitney, and Trumbull College.

I thank Emily Coates, dance professor at Yale and former New York City Ballet dancer for her (big) role in arranging this.

Game Night in the Buttery will be Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 8:30 to 10:30 pm.  Peruvian food and games sponsored by our graduate affiliates.

                                          A visit to the other Tyng Cup at the Yale Art Gallery

If you’ve stayed on campus over break, you might consider visiting Yale Art Gallery and/or the British museum.  Admission is free.  The museums are very close to Trumbull.  They are wonderful.  Yet, many Yale students haven’t visited.  Fall Break is a terrific time to stop by.

I, myself, along with Trumbull Aide Shah Kahn, made a visit there two days ago.  Here is how our visit happened:  Edward Cooke, the Charles Montgomery Professor of American Decorative Arts at Yale and John Stuart Gordon, the Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Art Gallery are teaching an undergrad seminar on American silver this semester.  They wanted to show their class members the original Tyng presentation cup made in 1744 by Jacob Hurd.  It is part of their permanent collection (and it is definitely not let out of their sights) AND its copy made in the early 1930s by Wallace Silversmiths.  It’s that copy that you know as the Tyng Cup and which, thanks to all of you and your terrific skills and efforts, the cup that resides in Trumbull this year. 

I said fine, but could I please come along with the cup and attend the class?  They said yes.  So, Shah (who was working in the office) and I took the cup to the class. Shah carried it clothed in pillow cases (because way too many people want that cup for scavenger hunt purposes and I definitely do not want to be the Head who loses or drops the cup.  I figured Shah would defend it and was the man for this job).  We then were escorted into the gallery and put gloves on (so we could touch the real cup).  

That original cup, we found out, is one of the gallery’s true treasures given its history as a “presentation cup” and the fact that it was made in 1744 by a famous silversmith from Boston – Joseph Hurd (1702-1758).  It was originally made to honor British Commodore Edward Tyng (1693-1755).  We put the “new” one next to it.  They look the same save that the real one (the early one) has a top (now I want a top for our cup too!) and engravings depicting war whereas the new one is top-less and has engravings of sporting items and events engraved in the same fashion as the earlier war engravings.  

The original donor wanted copies to be made of the items he donated to the gallery and he wanted the copies to be used for ceremonial occasions at Yale.  Some wealthy Yale alums paid for just that to happen in the case of the Tyng Cup during the 1930s and the copy is the Tyng Cup we all know. I don’t believe copies of other objects in that original collection have been made. John Gordon says more copies of items in his collection should be made. The donor gave permission for that to happen and wanted it to happen.

This was a fun outing.  The second Tyng Cup is back at Trumbull.  (Please keep working to make it stay here!)   The visit made me want to go back to the collection of American Decorative Arts and see and hear more about what they have.  The fact that admission is free and it’s so close makes it easy to stop by even if just to see one item.  Consider a visit there as one of your spontaneous things to do this weekend.