School Notes: Yale College
May/June 2013

Inauguration poet visits campus

Poet Richard Blanco gave a master’s tea at Ezra Stiles College on February 5, making his first public appearance since reading an original poem at President Obama’s second inauguration. As the first Hispanic, first openly gay, and fifth inaugural poet in history, Blanco attracted a large audience of students, faculty, and members of the Yale community to the event.

Before reading the inaugural poem “One Today,” Blanco spoke on the piece’s themes of continuity and universality. “Everyone is connected, not just spiritually, but in a practical way,” Blanco told the audience. “Respect is respect.” For Blanco, the inauguration and poem were about identity. “I never embraced America fully until that moment,” he said. Only after witnessing the event in person did he realize: “This is what common ground means.”

New York choreographer leads dance laboratories

Choreographer Reggie Wilson and 16 undergraduate members of Yale Dance Theater (YDT) gave two lecture demonstrations on March 6, as part of an ongoing series of laboratories that lets students investigate choreography and its historical context through a rigorous, semester-long rehearsal process that culminates in a final performance. 

Wilson, known for critically acclaimed work with his Brooklyn-based Fist and Heel Performance Group, draws from the culture of the African diaspora, South African gumboot dance, downtown postmodern dance of the late twentieth century, classical ballet, and more. As part of their research, YDT dancers regularly post blog entries about their experience: http://ydt.commons.yale.edu/. The YDT project is led by faculty member Emily Coates.

New summer bridge program

A new five-week summer program designed to introduce college life to approximately 30 incoming first-year students will begin in July 2013, as a three-year pilot initiative by the Yale College dean’s office. The program, open by invitation, is designed to shorten the time needed to acclimate to college life by bringing students to campus over the summer, housing them in residential colleges, introducing them to Yale’s many resources, and allowing them to enroll in a class that earns them credit. The program covers the cost of tuition, room, board, and round-trip transportation.