Trumbulletin 11-5-21

November 10, 2021

TrumBulletin for November 5, 2021

There’s lots going on in Trumbull today, next week, and through the weekend prior to Thanksgiving as well as on Thanksgiving itself.  (In addition to all the academic work I know you are all doing.)

Rumbull in Trumbull; Today, Friday, November 5

Today in our courtyard our Fall Festival will take place sponsored by our wonderful TCC.  It will be going on from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.   Come for cider donuts and games.  We’re lucky.  It’s November. (Already?  How did that happen?) But the weather forecast is for a clear, sunny, day.  The temperature will be about 50 degrees.  So, wear something warm and come and enjoy the festival.

Family Dinner in Trumbull this Sunday evening, November 7th.

You all received a notice via email that there is a Trumbull Family Dinner this Sunday evening in our dining hall.

But we’re aware that some of you (particularly our pandemic-affected first year students and sophomores) may be wondering, “What in the world is a family dinner?”  Let me explain!
On family dinner nights, our dining hall is restricted to hosting only Trumbull students.  (Transfers are gently directed elsewhere.)

We cover the cost of the dinner for those without a dining contract.  So, all you off-campus folks without a dining contract are invited back.  (You’ll need to provide your name and show an ID so we know you’re a bona fide Trumbullian.) 

We also hope to show Trumbull slides on our big screen during dinner. 

Tuesday, November 9th, A very special tea with ballet dancer Virginia Johnson.

I am very excited that Trumbull College (jointly with Theater and Performance Studies, the African-American Cultural House, and with the Schwarzman Center) is hosting a visit to Yale by Virginia Johnson, legendary dancer and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.  

There will be a Trumbull Tea for Ms. Johnson in the Trumbull common room.  During the tea we will show film of her dancing and she will be present to answer your questions.  The tea will be live streamed in the Schwarzman Center.  Trumbull students are invited to be there in person (but know that it will be filmed so you should be comfortable and agreeable to being included in the live stream!).   You sign up by contacting Deborah Bellmore, our Operations Manager.

If you sign up, please send me questions you would like to ask of Ms. Johnson.  (Spontaneous questions will also be fine, but I’d like to have questions posed beforehand as well.  Submit questions directly to me (margaret.clark@yale.edu).  The way this will work is that either I or Prof. Emily Coates will invite you to ask your question during the tea. 

You may wish to look up information online about Ms. Johnson’s career and you’ll be able to find recordings of her dancing there too.  Her fame is widespread.  She is well known for her performances in ballets such as Giselle, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Fall River Legend and has received many, many awards.

I so wish that we could make this a big tea but we’re having to go with small ones this year due to the continuing pandemic.    Everyone will be vaccinated; in this case we’re grateful to Ms. Johnson for coming and also want to be very careful about her own health.  That means we’ll have the film of the whole event but won’t be able to allow pictures of you standing right next to her as we usually would.

Gurney, Broaden-Your Horizon’s, Travel Fellowships for Trumbull students only, Information session, Thursday, November 11th from 3 to 4 p.m.

Next Thursday, November. 11th from 3 to 4 p.m. I’ll be hosting an information session in the Trumbull House to tell all our juniors (and fall fourth term sophomores – the pandemic made things complex!) about a very special fellowship for which Trumbullians can apply.

It’s for students to broaden their horizons and enrich their lives specifically in ways that have nothing to do with their majors or planned career paths.  Interested?  Come to this session.

Steve Gurney who has been a major supporter of this program will be present as will some past recipients.  You can ask questions about it, hear about what others have done, and float some of your own ideas to use for our initial reactions.  (We’ll have snacks available too.)

Spread throughout next week, Nov.  Fireside Chats with Dean Chandhoke and Head Clark.

Dean Chandhoke and I will be hosting our traditional “fireside” chats with many sessions spanning three different evenings.  We look forward to seeing all our first-year students during these sessions.   Your first-year counselors will be letting you know when you are scheduled and will come along.  (There will be food!).

Coming up, Plans for the the Game (at Yale this year) and then Thanksgiving.

First, “the Game”. 

The Game, as everyone undoubtedly knows, will be played at Yale this year. 

Each of you (after showing your ID) may receive one complimentary Yale Student Tickets and, you can purchase guest tickets (limited to 2) for $15 a piece.  There are some accompanying rules.  Youths 11 and under are currently prohibited.  All those in attendance must be vaccinated.  All must wear masks during the game.  (Think about this we’re keeping your warm as well as CoVid-safe!).   You won’t be allowed to bring outside food into the stadium.

Beginning on November 9th (that’s next Tuesday) you can pick up tickets at the Payne Whitney Gym Box Office.  Cash and electronic payments will be accepted.  Tickets will not be sold there on game day.  In addition, the athletics department will be making tickets available at other athletic events occurring prior to the game.

If you go to the Men’s Basketball game vs. Vassar at 7:00 p.m. next Tuesday OR the Women’s Basketball game vs. Northeastern at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 12th, for instance, you can get tickets, the first 100 students will also receive a free BEAT HARVARD AGAIN T-shirt and be entered into a raffle (but I don’t know what it’s for!).  Student tickets will be distributed at half time. 

Second, Thanksgiving Dinner for our Trumbullians staying here over break.

Many of you will travel home to be with your families over Thanksgiving and others will join friend’s families.  But we are well aware that some of you have homes that are very far away, and others won’t be returning home for other reasons.   We want you all to enjoy Thanksgiving and to have a proper, and delicious, U.S., Thanksgiving experience.

Thus, there will be a (very nice) Thanksgiving Dinner provided to those Trumbullians who wish to attend held at the Omni Hotel from 12 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. It will be buffet style, there will be lots of food options, and it will occur in the ballroom of the Omni Hotel.

Trumbull is funding this dinner by paying for each Trumbullian who goes so you must RSVP.
Our Operations Manager, Deborah Bellmore, will be sending out information about how to sign up very soon.  This dinner that will cross-cut colleges (so sign-up is being centrally organized).  Yet still do let us know directly (with “us” being Deborah Bellmore and Margaret Clark, if you’re plan to go, don’t do so until you’re sure that you will be going and do let us know if something will prevent you from going. 

One big announcement and some thanks are due to lots of people.

We have one active (very active!) Trumbullian who has been here far longer than any of the rest of us knows our history and traditions better than anyone.  It’s Debbie Rueb, the Senior Administrative Assistant for my office in Trumbull.  She oversees all our college aides.  She keeps me on track.  She is always ready to help other staff members.  She’s wonderful.

It’s with both tremendous gratitude to Debbie as well as with joy for her (and sadness and slight terror for myself), that I announce to all that Debbie Rueb will be retiring at the end of December. 

We celebrate you, Debbie!  We’ll miss you (a lot)!   We’ll have a proper party to honor you. (We may have to do it in shifts. And I know that there will be  many, many people who will wish to honor you.  And I know that will mean there will be lots of shifts.)

Meanwhile, in true Debbie-Rueb-fashion, she has let me know that she is willing to return as she is able after December to help as we transition to having a new Senior Administrative Assistant in Trumbull.

Please join me in congratulating Debbie on a wonderful career and a well-deserved upcoming retirement.

And some thanks

So very many people deserve thanks for their support of Trumbull.  This week, though, I want to give special thanks to all our graduate affiliates who have voluntarily hosted many activities in Trumbull and to Deborah Bellmore who has helped to coordinate the graduate affiliates and organize these activities. 

Just last night in our student kitchen, grad affiliates Jordan Taylor and Dena Sheng hosted a baking night in our student kitchen.  Many pumpkin cookies were made.  I attach a picture of the group and the finished cookies.  Thanks!