Trumbulletin 12-4-19

December 4, 2019

The end of the semester is upon us and many study breaks, wine and desserts for seniors, Dave and Buster’s for sophomores, laser tag for juniors and a very special holiday dinner for first years will happen soon.  (See details below). 

This year, the end of the semester feels more rushed that ever. Thanksgiving occurred late in November and is just one week between Thanksgiving break and the end of classes. 

I hope everyone had a good break, a chance to catch up a bit both with family and friends and with work, and that everyone is coping well with our snowy, rainy, cold weather.

As the semester winds down, I wish you all the best in getting those final papers in, finishing in class exams and preparing for finals.  Our Dean has sent out notices regarding quiet hours and I ask that you respect those. 

Once again beginning very soon we (meaning our Dean, me, our resident fellows, our graduate affiliates and our TCC) will be hosting many, many study breaks. I thank all those who host them and urge you all to take advantage of them.  Some are designed for quiet study (those hosted in the House and in the FARR room).  Some are intended as true breaks and times to socialize and have something to eat.  In addition to the “food” breaks, note that the sophomores (with Debbie Rueb’s crucial help) have put together a Dave & Buster’s break and that the juniors have requested a Laser Tag break which is being put together.  If you haven’t done so, come to the office and sign up ASAP.

Re-keying the college over winter recess.

Concentrate on finishing up your classes for now but I did wish to send out a “heads up” on something that will be occurring in Trumbull College (but not in Bingham Hall). 

It is this:  Over break the entire college (in Trumbull proper; not in Bingham Hall) will be re-keyed.  This is simply to insure continued security.  You do not have to worry about this right now.

Yet, immediately upon your return to college for the spring semester, it is important that you stop by the main office (room G103), return your present keys and pick up your new ones.  Debbie Rueb has worked hard in setting this up and making sure that we’re well staffed to do this efficiently.  You’ll be reminded before this actually happens but this is a “heads up” that it will happen.

Smoking in one entryway

I continue to receive complaints about smoking in one particular entryway.  I’ve been over there, experienced the smoke myself, and I have talked with people in the two relevant suites.  I believe some (but not all) smoking has stopped.  Know that this affects other people’s health, their ability to utilize their own spaces and it also violates Yale’s regulations. 

I’ll visit again.  If it continues I’ll need to report it elsewhere. 

Congratulations

I wished our football team well on their Yale/Harvard game.  Now it is time for congratulations both on winning The Game in amazing fashion and on winning the Ivy League Championship!

So too do I wish to congratulate all Trumbull members of the Yale Pep Band who supported them and our two Trumbull members of the Yale cheerleaders, Natalie Lord and Candice Mulinda, who also supported them along with all our Trumbull fans who showed up for the game. 

On the academic side of things, I want to also congratulate our senior Mellon Forum presenters who have all done a very impressive job so far in presenting their senior thesis work to us all.

Just a couple of days ago two of our biology students, Simon Doss-Gollin, Krista Chen, one of our physics students, P.J. Tuckman, and our Trumbull playwright, Carrie Mannino, all did fabulous jobs presenting their work.  (We also have a band of pretty funny Trumbull introducers whom we also greatly appreciate.)  Before them, and a bit earlier we heard great presentations by Heeral McGhee on education, Cameron Martel on psychology and fake news, and Kat Berman on climate change and energy policy.                         

(Thanks also go to Hannah Manz, Mitchell Mares, Karen Eisenman and Debbie Rueb for making the dinners which precede these talks special.) 

What’s not coming up (right away, anyway) in Trumbull!

Last year we had a wonderful Yule Ball in Trumbull largely thanks to Kat Berman. It was to have continued this year and expanded down High Street to include Saybrook, Branford, and JE.  Kat, Alexyss Lange and others put a great deal of work into it and I thank them. 

Unfortunately, largely due to many Yale requirements for security, for fire marshal approval, for traffic safety (crossing streets between colleges) and the tight schedule at the end of this particular semester, it had to be postponed.  I still thank Kat and the whole TCC and Deb Bellmore for their major efforts to make this happen.  They really worked hard on this.

What’s coming up in Trumbull

Thursday, December 5.   Trumbull’s Dining hall will shut a bit early for lunch (at 2:30 pm and will be closed for dinner due to a fellow’s event.  Hopper will be open for lunch until 3:00 pm and all other dining halls are open for dinner.  The common room will also be closed from 1:00 to 8:00 pm for this event.

Friday, December 6.   Seniors are invited to celebrate the end of classes in the Trumbull House at a senior reception with wine and desserts from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.

Friday, December 6.   PJ Tuckman will be hosting a late-night study in the dining hall from 8:30 to 10:30 pm.  With snacks.

Friday, December 6, from 6:15-9:30 pm Dave and Buster’s sophomore end of classes break.  Sign up (quickly) in the main office.

Friday evening, December 6.    Trumbull is very well represented in the Yale Concert Band.  For that reason, I want to let people know that there is a special concert Friday evening

Saturday evening, December 7.  Low Strung, a very special, all cello group with Trumbullians Dayle Chung (president) and Jerry Zhou will perform in Dwight Hall at 7:30 p.m.  It’s a great group.  The concert is free.  In honor of the weather this performance has been dubbed Snow Strung

Monday, December 9.  The juniors have planned a laser tag study break for December 9th.  Sign up has been slow so be sure to come in quickly and sign up if you are interested