Living at Yale —
Cultural, Religious, and Athletic Resources

Two sources of information about the broad range of events at the University are the Yale Bulletin & Calendar (YB&C), a newspaper printed weekly during the academic year, and the Yale Calendar of Events, an interactive calendar that can be found online at http://events.yale.edu/opa. The YB&C, which also features news about Yale people and programs, is available without charge at many locations throughout the campus and is sent via U.S. mail to subscribers; for more information, call 203.432.1316. The paper is also available online at www.yale.edu/opa/yb&c.

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History contains collections in anthropology, mineralogy, oceanography, paleontology, and some aspects of geology.

The Yale University Art Gallery is known worldwide for its collections of American art, the Jarves Collection of early Italian paintings, the finds excavated at the ancient Roman city of Dura-Europos, the Société Anonyme Collection of early-twentieth-century European and American art, and most recently the Charles B. Benenson Collection of African art. The Gallery is both a collecting and an educational institution, and all activities are aimed at providing an invaluable resource and experience for Yale University faculty, staff, and students, as well as for the general public.

The Yale Center for British Art houses an extraordinary collection of British paintings, sculpture, drawings, and books given to the University by the late Paul Mellon, Yale Class of 1929. There are more than eighty endowed lecture series held at Yale each year on subjects ranging from anatomy to theology, and including virtually all disciplines.

More than four hundred musical events take place at the University during the academic year. These include concerts presented by students and faculty of the School of Music, the Department of Music, the Yale Concert and Jazz bands, the Yale Glee Club, the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and other undergraduate singing and instrumental groups. In addition to graduate recitals and ensemble performances, the School of Music features the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale, the Chamber Music Society at Yale, the Duke Ellington Series, the Horowitz Piano Series, New Music New Haven, Yale Opera performances and public master classes, and the Faculty Artist Series. The Institute of Sacred Music sponsors Great Organ Music at Yale, the Yale Camerata, the Yale Schola Cantorum, and numerous special events.

For theatergoers, Yale and New Haven offer a wide range of dramatic productions at the University Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Yale Cabaret, Long Wharf Theatre, Palace Theater, and Shubert Performing Arts Center.

Founded in 1971, the Graduate-Professional Student Senate (GPSS) fosters discussion and the exchange of ideas among the graduate and professional student population. All graduate and professional students are eligible to become senators. Senators are chosen each year by their respective schools. The GPSS meets every two weeks throughout the academic year, and meetings are open to the graduate and professional school community. Members serve on and make appointments to University committees, meet with University officials and Yale Corporation members, sponsor informational workshops and conferences, organize lectures and social events, and assist in community service events. Additionally, the GPSS oversees operation of the Graduate-Professional Student Center at Yale (GPSCY), at 203 York Street, which includes office and meeting spaces for graduate-professional student organizations, and the Gryphon’s Pub. For more information, please contact gpss@yale.edu or visit www.yale.edu/gpss.

The McDougal Graduate Student Center in the Hall of Graduate Studies provides space and resources for building intellectual, cultural, and social community among graduate students, and for enhancing professional development activities across the departments of the Graduate School. The Center houses the cooperating offices of Graduate Career Services, Graduate Student Life, and the Graduate Teaching Center, as well as the Resource Library. Graduate Career Services provides programs, counseling, and on-campus recruitment for academic and non-academic jobs. In the Student Life Office, McDougal Fellows, who are current graduate students, plan and organize socials; community service activities; arts, music, and cultural events; sports and wellness events; writing and literary events; events for women, international students, and students with children; and a student magazine. The Graduate Teaching Center provides pedagogical workshops, videotape consultation, and teaching forums led by the GTC student consultants and the director. The McDougal Center welcomes the participation of postdoctoral fellows, alumni/ae of the Graduate School, students from other Yale professional schools, and members of the larger Yale community. The Center houses a large common room with comfortable furnishings, a computer kiosk, wired and wireless Internet access, newspapers, and magazines, and the student-run Blue Dog Café, which serves coffee and light foods. Other resources include a large program room with AV equipment, a recreation room with a children’s corner, and a public computer cluster withITS laser printer and copier. The McDougal Center is open weekdays from 9 A.M. to

11 P.M. and weekends from 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. during the academic year. For more information or to sign up for weekly e-mail Notes, visit the Web site at www.yale.edu/graduateschool/mcdougal; tel., 203.432.BLUE e-mail, mcdougal.center@yale.edu.

The religious resources of Yale University serve all students, faculty, and staff. These resources are the University Chaplaincy (located on the lower level of Bingham Hall on Old Campus); the Yale University Church at Battell Chapel, an open and affirming church; and Yale Religious Ministry, the on-campus association of clergy and nonordained representatives of various religious faiths. The ministry includes the Chapel of St. Thomas More, the parish church for all Roman Catholic students at the University; the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, a religious and cultural center for students of the Jewish faith; Indigo Blue: A Center for Buddhist Life at Yale; several Protestant denominational ministries and nondenominational ministries; and student religious groups such as the Baha’i Association, the Yale Hindu Council, and the Muslim Student Association. Additional information is available at www.yale. edu/chaplain.

The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is one of the most elaborate and extensive indoor athletic facilities in the world. This complex includes the 3,100-seat John J. Lee Amphitheater, the site for many indoor varsity sports contests; the Robert J. H. Kiphuth Exhibition Pool; the Brady Squash Center, a world-class facility with fifteen international-style courts; the Adrian C. Israel Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art exercise and weight-training complex; the Brooks-Dwyer Varsity Strength and Conditioning Center; the Colonel William K. Lanman, Jr. Center, a 30,ooo-square-foot space for recreational/intramural play and varsity team practice; the Greenberg Brothers Track, an eighth-mile indoor jogging track; and other rooms devoted to fencing, gymnastics, rowing, wrestling, martial arts, general exercise, and dance. Numerous physical education classes in dance (ballet, jazz, modern, and ballroom), martial arts, yoga and pilates, aerobic exercise, and sport skills are offered throughout the year. Yale undergraduates and graduate and professional school students may use the gym at no charge throughout the year. Academic term and summer memberships at reasonable fees are available for faculty, employees, postdoctoral and visiting fellows, alumni, and student spouses.

During the year various recreational opportunities are available at the David S. Ingalls Rink, the McNay Family Sailing Center in Branford, the Yale Outdoor Education Center in East Lyme, the Yale Tennis Complex, the Yale Polo and Equestrian Center, and the Golf Course at Yale. Students, faculty, employees, students’ spouses, and guests of the University may participate at each of these venues for a modest fee. Up-to-date information on hours and specific costs at all these recreational facilities can be obtained from the Sport and Recreation Office (203.432.1431). Please check the Yale Athletics Web site (http://yalebulldogs.collegesports.com) for more information concerning any of these recreational facilities and programs.

Approximately fifty-five club sports and outdoor activities come under the jurisdiction of the Office of Outdoor Education and Club Sports. Many of these activities are open to graduate and professional school students. Yale faculty, staff, and alumni, and nonaffiliated groups may use the Yale Outdoor Education Center (OEC). The center consists of two thousand acres in East Lyme, Connecticut, and includes overnight cabins and campsites, a pavilion and dining hall, and a waterfront area with a supervised swimming area, rowboats, canoes, and kayaks. Adjacent to the lake, a shaded picnic grove and gazebo are available to visitors. In another area of the property, hiking trails surround a wildlife marsh. The OEC season extends from the third weekend in June through Labor Day and September weekends. For more information, telephone 203.432.2492 or visit the Web page at http://yalebulldogs.collegesports.com (click on Sports Rec, then on Outdoor Education).

Throughout the year, Yale University graduate and professional school students have the opportunity to participate in numerous intramural sports activities. These seasonal, team-oriented activities include volleyball, soccer, and softball in the fall; basketball and volleyball in the winter; softball, soccer, and volleyball in the spring; and softball in the summer. With few exceptions, all academic-year graduate-professional student sports activities are scheduled on weekends, and most sports activities are open to competitive, recreational, and coeducational teams. More information is available from the Intramurals Office in Payne Whitney Gymnasium, 203.432.2487, or online at http://yalebulldogs.collegesports.com.

(Updated June 2007)

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