First semester freshman year:  Yale’s goodbye to Columbus

First semester freshman year:  Yale’s goodbye to Columbus

The day before Columbus Day, 1965, Yale University press almost put Columbus himself out of business.  Publication of The Vinland Map and Tartar Relation made the case that a map inscribed on very old parchment showed that someone else discovered the New World some 400 years earlier.  The New York Times broke the story which, back then, was hardly fake news.  It was, in fact, to the world and at least this Yale Freshman, a big damn deal.

Yale May Consider Exiting Private Funds in Social Investment Shift

Yale May Consider Exiting Private Funds in Social Investment Shift

from Bloomberg News:  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-11/yale-opens-door-to-exit-private-funds-in-social-investment-shift By Janet Lorin Oct. 11th, 2018 Yale, which has about 60 percent of its $29.4 billion endowment in such alternative assets, made the statement as part of its ethical investment policy. The Ivy League school said it will work with its outside managers to adhere to its standards. “In addition to attempting moral…

Captain Grace Hopper’s Lessons

Captain Grace Hopper’s Lessons

When Yale decided to rename one of its residential colleges, my college, from Calhoun to Grace Hopper, I was annoyed. Then I remembered that I had met Captain Grace Hopper, had heard her deliver a speech, and had written an article about her back in 1983, when I worked for DEC, the minicomputer company.  Here’s what I learned and what I’ve come to think about her, the computer and internet revolutions and what it may mean to education at Yale.

Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

The Lunatic Fringe was one of several Yale rock bands that played the songs we could drink and dance to at our Saturday night mixers. The women bussed in from what we called the “girls’ schools” were always the main event of course, but the Fringe did their part to get everyone on the dance floor, playing the hits at juiced up tempos.

Nordhaus Wins Nobel Prize

Nordhaus Wins Nobel Prize

Editor’s Note:  Not technically News from our Class, Nordhaus was on the faculty from 1967 on.  If you studied under him, please leave comments below. (Source: New York Times, Oct. 8, 2018)
WASHINGTON — The 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science was awarded on Monday to a pair of American economists, William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer, for their work highlighting the importance of government policy in fostering sustainable economic growth. Mr. Nordhaus was honored for pioneering the assessment of the economic impact of climate change, including his advocacy for governments to tax carbon emissions.

Yale’s Swensen Invests in $400 Million Crypto Fund

Yale’s Swensen Invests in $400 Million Crypto Fund

from CNBC. The most influential endowment manager just jumped into crypto with bets on two Silicon Valley funds Swensen, who manages Yale’s $29.4 billion endowment, has invested in two funds dedicated to cryptocurrencies, sources tell CNBC. The funds are run by Andreessen Horowitz and Paradigm, which was started by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam and former…

I’m Seeking Names Of Some Draft Resisters

I’m Seeking Names Of Some Draft Resisters

Classmates, do any of you remember or have information about a small anti-draft demonstration on Beinecke Plaza one wintry morning in early 1968, our junior year? Three seniors handed their draft cards to Bill Coffin in an act of civil-disobedience, stating that they would refuse conscription into the Vietnam War. I came across the gathering…

Online Search Tool ‘Lifting a Veil’ on Yale’s Collections

Online Search Tool ‘Lifting a Veil’ on Yale’s Collections

Archives at Yale, a new software tool launched in early September, allows students, faculty, and other researchers to search more precisely across and within more than 5,000 collections held by 10 Yale libraries and museums. The new tool is based on a widely used open-source web application — which means that Yale’s investment in developing…

Yale Is New Target Over Alleged Anti-Asian Bias

Yale Is New Target Over Alleged Anti-Asian Bias

U.S. Education and Justice Departments are investigating. University says its practices are legal. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/09/27/us-reveals-investigation-alleged-anti-asian-bias-yale By Scott Jaschik September 27, 2018 The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice revealed Wednesday that they are conducting an investigation into whether Yale University discriminates against Asian American applicants. The investigation comes as a lawsuit making similar claims against Harvard University — and backed by…

Submit New “Books By Classmates”

Submit New “Books By Classmates”

According to the Class Survey, 49 percent of us have published a book or an article in a scholarly journal. So, to showcase our work, Yale1969.org hosts are section called Books By Classmates, a searchable and sortable library showing ALL the books we’ve authored or edited.  Check it out! 

Send us information about YOUR books by using the contact form or emailing support@Yale1969.org   Send only the ISBN or ASIN number OR links to the books on any website, and we will …

The Long Decline of DKE, Brett Kavanaugh’s Fraternity at Yale

The Long Decline of DKE, Brett Kavanaugh’s Fraternity at Yale

By Eren Orbey September 25, 2018   Last week, after Christine Blasey Ford went public with an allegation that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in high school, the Yale Daily News published an old photograph that directed scrutiny to the Supreme Court nominee’s college years. In the black-and-white image, two brothers of…

alternative: Crisis at Columbia

alternative: Crisis at Columbia

Here is a scanned copy of a May ’68 issue of an “underground” journal that frankly I had forgotten about: the alternative. This issue drilled into the “Crisis At Columbia,” as reported by a ’67 Yalie who was a grad student at Columbia at the time. Re-reading this now was eerie — partly because it was more complex than I remember, and the threat of violence was …

Rick Drost

Rick Drost

Branford College’s Rick Drost has been a lifelong singer but in recent years has become a much-sought-after singer/songwriter/guitarist. With the release of his solo album, Turning the World, he has begun performing in national venues such as Passim in Cambridge, MA.

Friday Night Plans for Yale-Harvard Weekend Finalized

Friday Night Plans for Yale-Harvard Weekend Finalized

Tickets to the Yale-Harvard Game in Boston on Saturday, Nov. 17th, are over 90% sold out.  We’re now happy to confirm the details for the Friday evening festivities, which are composed of a dinner at Henrietta’s Table, a superb Cambridge restaurant that is a short walk from where the Yale-Harvard Glee Club concert will be held. Note: Limited ticket availability. It should be a fun evening!