Say what?
The past few days have been rather event-filled. We had our freshman assembly, which is the first time all the freshmen of Yale College came together; the next time will be commencement. We've also had various gatherings for lunch and dinner and such; lunch two days ago was at Saybrook's dining hall, and dinner was a picnic in the grass courtyard. Both meals were excellent. Today we had a formal dinner at Saybrook. Dinner consisted of salad and rolls, mango chicken with rice and beans, and then cookies and other sweets.
Meals here are eaten with actual silverware and ceramic plates and such. They're pretty heavy to carry on the trays, and I'm always wondering how many people per year drop their trays bumping into people or whatnot. Is this the same at other schools?
Our dorm finally looks like a real dorm room, including the messiness. It's already messy with all the stuff we have. It looks like we'll have to do some cleaning. I also need to do the laundry, even though it hasn't even been a week yet.
The roommate/suitemate situation is going really well. We all get along fine with each other, and I get along pretty well with my roommate, John. Jeff and Mikkel get to have their computers in their bedroom, while we have to have ours in the common room, but that means that the common room sort of belongs to us, which is nice. I'm sure that'll change later on, though, as we get more into the routine of being college students and having to go to class.
John, since he's from New Jersey, was able to bring a lot of things with him, which makes life so much easier. Microwave, TV, fan, and lamp were all brought by him, along with plenty of snacks and such, which is proving to be very useful, as dinner here is really early: 5 to 7 pm.
The other people in L-Dub have also been pretty good. I now know everyone on my floor of entryway B, along with some people on the fifth floor, the third floor, and the fourth floor of entryway C. People are from all over the country. My suite has people from Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Denmark; B42 has people from California, Delaware, New Jersey, and the Bronx (I think); B41 has people from California, Colorado, Texas, and somewhere else (this fourth person is in very big trouble with the Dean because he asked permission to miss orientation for some sort of thing at Stanford, was refused permission by the Dean, and went anyway; we've yet to see him). I've also met people from Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Washington, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and DC.
Saybrook happens to be really good at both intramurals and academics. We've won the Tyng Cup (awarded to the best college in IM) for three years in a row a few years ago; since then, we've been in second place every time behind Ezra Stiles College. We've also won the _____ Cup (I don't remember the name) recently, which is awarded to the college with the highest average GPA. The title of this entry is in reference to the motto or chant of Saybrook: "Say what? Saybrook!" Apparently, Saybrook is actually one of the largest colleges in terms of the number of students, even though it's rather small physically. I think it's tied in the number of people with two other colleges; I'll probably email the Master, since I'm curious about it.
You wouldn't believe how incredibly loud the area is. On average, there must be something like six sirens a day that pass by our window. Although we are on High St., we're close to Elm St., which happens to be a rather busy road and is the road on which all the emergency vehicles go. In addition, there has also been lots of noise coming from Trumbull College because it's being renovated this year; jackhammers at three am, rocks falling four stories constantly, etc. There are also the mail trucks that come in around 6 am or so, but I haven't been woken by them, though John has. And then there are the parties and the people. While most of the parties so far are frat parties, which are not too close to L-Dub, there are still lots of people walking along High St. and yelling and such. L-Dub has its own courtyard though, so there are always people just hanging out on the benches and near the doors and such, and the fifth floor has been generally known as the party floor over the years because it's connected as one hallway across the fifth floor. (Nothing has happened yet.) And then there are people already planning to have parties and such downstairs. I actually heard somebody (I'm guessing from Saybrook) telling somebody in L-Dub to close their windows or turn off the music because it was too loud.
Oh yeah. We got this email earlier today:
"Dear Students,
I am distressed to report that four Yale students were victims of crime in two separate robberies early on Sunday morning. While crimes like this are not common in the areas around campus, we are very concerned about the serious nature of these incidents. One robbery occurred near the intersection on Elm Street past Dwight toward Kensington Street and the other occurred on Lake Place. While we do not know if the crimes are related, a handgun was used in both, and one student received a flesh wound in the hand when the gun was discharged. Thankfully, the student will be okay.
The Yale Police and the New Haven Police have already increased patrols in these areas. I urge you to use caution when you need to be out and about, especially in the evenings. Please use the mini-bus (2-6330) or the security escort service (2-WALK or 5-5555). If you are confronted by a criminal, it is wise to cooperate rather than risk serious injury from someone who could do you harm.
I also suggest that you take a moment right now to program the phone number of the Yale Police into your cell phone: (203) 432-4400. Please do not hesitate to call us at any time. There is nothing we take more seriously than the safety and security of our Yale community.
Chief James Perrotti"
This yet contributes more to the image that New Haven is a dangerous city. Harvard, though, is actually twice as dangerous as Yale, and both Penn and Brown are also more dangerous than Yale. New Haven isn't that bad at all, though obviously you should avoid the shady parts of the city, just like in any other city. Near the campus, it's very urban, just like Ann Arbor or Cambridge. On Broadway, which is two blocks to the left of L-Dub, there are stores like J. Crew (contributing to the traditional preppiness -- that is, New English prep school preppiness -- of Yale; I've already seen plenty of blazers and Lacoste) and Urban Outfitters, along with the Yale Bookstore. Also bordering the campus are office buildings and skyscrapers, restaurants, boutiques, and churches, along with a park, the New Haven Green, right in downtown.
I'm hoping to take some pictures tomorrow. Good night.
Meals here are eaten with actual silverware and ceramic plates and such. They're pretty heavy to carry on the trays, and I'm always wondering how many people per year drop their trays bumping into people or whatnot. Is this the same at other schools?
Our dorm finally looks like a real dorm room, including the messiness. It's already messy with all the stuff we have. It looks like we'll have to do some cleaning. I also need to do the laundry, even though it hasn't even been a week yet.
The roommate/suitemate situation is going really well. We all get along fine with each other, and I get along pretty well with my roommate, John. Jeff and Mikkel get to have their computers in their bedroom, while we have to have ours in the common room, but that means that the common room sort of belongs to us, which is nice. I'm sure that'll change later on, though, as we get more into the routine of being college students and having to go to class.
John, since he's from New Jersey, was able to bring a lot of things with him, which makes life so much easier. Microwave, TV, fan, and lamp were all brought by him, along with plenty of snacks and such, which is proving to be very useful, as dinner here is really early: 5 to 7 pm.
The other people in L-Dub have also been pretty good. I now know everyone on my floor of entryway B, along with some people on the fifth floor, the third floor, and the fourth floor of entryway C. People are from all over the country. My suite has people from Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Denmark; B42 has people from California, Delaware, New Jersey, and the Bronx (I think); B41 has people from California, Colorado, Texas, and somewhere else (this fourth person is in very big trouble with the Dean because he asked permission to miss orientation for some sort of thing at Stanford, was refused permission by the Dean, and went anyway; we've yet to see him). I've also met people from Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Washington, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and DC.
Saybrook happens to be really good at both intramurals and academics. We've won the Tyng Cup (awarded to the best college in IM) for three years in a row a few years ago; since then, we've been in second place every time behind Ezra Stiles College. We've also won the _____ Cup (I don't remember the name) recently, which is awarded to the college with the highest average GPA. The title of this entry is in reference to the motto or chant of Saybrook: "Say what? Saybrook!" Apparently, Saybrook is actually one of the largest colleges in terms of the number of students, even though it's rather small physically. I think it's tied in the number of people with two other colleges; I'll probably email the Master, since I'm curious about it.
You wouldn't believe how incredibly loud the area is. On average, there must be something like six sirens a day that pass by our window. Although we are on High St., we're close to Elm St., which happens to be a rather busy road and is the road on which all the emergency vehicles go. In addition, there has also been lots of noise coming from Trumbull College because it's being renovated this year; jackhammers at three am, rocks falling four stories constantly, etc. There are also the mail trucks that come in around 6 am or so, but I haven't been woken by them, though John has. And then there are the parties and the people. While most of the parties so far are frat parties, which are not too close to L-Dub, there are still lots of people walking along High St. and yelling and such. L-Dub has its own courtyard though, so there are always people just hanging out on the benches and near the doors and such, and the fifth floor has been generally known as the party floor over the years because it's connected as one hallway across the fifth floor. (Nothing has happened yet.) And then there are people already planning to have parties and such downstairs. I actually heard somebody (I'm guessing from Saybrook) telling somebody in L-Dub to close their windows or turn off the music because it was too loud.
Oh yeah. We got this email earlier today:
"Dear Students,
I am distressed to report that four Yale students were victims of crime in two separate robberies early on Sunday morning. While crimes like this are not common in the areas around campus, we are very concerned about the serious nature of these incidents. One robbery occurred near the intersection on Elm Street past Dwight toward Kensington Street and the other occurred on Lake Place. While we do not know if the crimes are related, a handgun was used in both, and one student received a flesh wound in the hand when the gun was discharged. Thankfully, the student will be okay.
The Yale Police and the New Haven Police have already increased patrols in these areas. I urge you to use caution when you need to be out and about, especially in the evenings. Please use the mini-bus (2-6330) or the security escort service (2-WALK or 5-5555). If you are confronted by a criminal, it is wise to cooperate rather than risk serious injury from someone who could do you harm.
I also suggest that you take a moment right now to program the phone number of the Yale Police into your cell phone: (203) 432-4400. Please do not hesitate to call us at any time. There is nothing we take more seriously than the safety and security of our Yale community.
Chief James Perrotti"
This yet contributes more to the image that New Haven is a dangerous city. Harvard, though, is actually twice as dangerous as Yale, and both Penn and Brown are also more dangerous than Yale. New Haven isn't that bad at all, though obviously you should avoid the shady parts of the city, just like in any other city. Near the campus, it's very urban, just like Ann Arbor or Cambridge. On Broadway, which is two blocks to the left of L-Dub, there are stores like J. Crew (contributing to the traditional preppiness -- that is, New English prep school preppiness -- of Yale; I've already seen plenty of blazers and Lacoste) and Urban Outfitters, along with the Yale Bookstore. Also bordering the campus are office buildings and skyscrapers, restaurants, boutiques, and churches, along with a park, the New Haven Green, right in downtown.
I'm hoping to take some pictures tomorrow. Good night.