Calhoun College
Encyclopedia
Calhoun College is a residential college
of Yale University
.
an inn was constructed that would later become the meeting place of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
From 1863 until 1874 the land was home to Yale's divinity school.
In 1933, with the institution of the new residential college system at Yale, the dormitory at the corner of College and Elm Streets became Calhoun College, named for John C. Calhoun
of South Carolina
, B. A. 1804, alumnus, statesman, and orator. His statue stands in Yale's Harkness Tower
.
Like all other residential colleges at their inception, Calhoun had twenty-four hour guard service and the gates were never locked. Jacket and tie was the necessary attire in the dining hall and meals were served at the table.
At first, Calhoun was considered an undesirable college because of its location at the corner of College and Elm, where trolleys frequently ran screeching around the corner. This perception of Calhoun changed under the popular Master Charles Schroeder, who once remarked that if the despicable trolley service were ever removed he would purchase a trolley car, put it in the courtyard, and hold a celebration to commemorate the event. The trolley system was indeed removed in 1949, and though a whole car proved unfeasible, Master Schroder secured the fare collecting machine from a trolley and made good on his promise to celebrate. Thus was born Trolley Night, a proud tradition of the college.
The coat of arms designed for Calhoun College combines the university arms, set atop the Cross of St. Andrew
. The college colors are black, navy blue, and gold.
In 1989, Calhoun was the first residential college to be renovated. The renovations, mostly funded by alumnus Roger Horchow
, were done quickly and over the summer to minimize disruption to student life. By 2000, the physical plant began to show wear and tear again.
2005 saw the retirement of William and Betsy Sledge as Master and Associate Master of Calhoun. They were succeeded by Dr. Jonathan Holloway (PhD '95) and his wife Aisling Colón.
In the same year a limited window replacement was commissioned amid Calhoun's controversial exclusion from the most recent campus-wide renovation effort.
Though partially renovated in 1989, Calhoun College was fully renovated over the 2008-09 school-year.
Stephen Lassonde stepped down as the Calhoun Dean in June 2007 thus ending one of the longest tenure of any dean in the College's history. Within the Residential College system at Yale, deanships normally last only a few years, but Stephen Lassonde served as Calhoun Dean for fourteen years. http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2004_11/milestones.html In late April 2007, he made the official announcement that he would be leaving Calhoun to serve as Deputy Dean of the College at Brown University in nearby Providence. The new dean of Calhoun is Leslie Woodard. Until June 2007 Dean Woodard was the director of the undergraduate creative writing program at Columbia University. A published author of short stories, Dean Woodard also has a history in the performing arts. She was a professional dancer in the Dance Theater of Harlem for a decade.
In late June 2007 Calhoun's mighty elm—host of the college's famous tire swing and shade provider for literally every Calhoun student since the college's founding—was felled. The tree was rotting from the ground up and was beginning to lean dangerously. Given the fact that the tree was actually taller than Calhoun (itself a five and six story building in different places), the tree posed a real danger to the college structure and Calhoun students.
Calhoun used to be the only residential college with its own sauna
. 1 The sauna was removed from Entryway B/C during the 2005-06 school year.
Residential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Early history
In 1641, John Brockston established a farm on the plot of land that is now Calhoun College. After the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
an inn was constructed that would later become the meeting place of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
From 1863 until 1874 the land was home to Yale's divinity school.
In 1933, with the institution of the new residential college system at Yale, the dormitory at the corner of College and Elm Streets became Calhoun College, named for John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, B. A. 1804, alumnus, statesman, and orator. His statue stands in Yale's Harkness Tower
Harkness Tower
Harkness Tower is a prominent Collegiate Gothic structure at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.The tower was constructed between 1917 and 1921 as part of the Memorial Quadrangle donated to Yale by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her recently deceased son, Charles William...
.
Like all other residential colleges at their inception, Calhoun had twenty-four hour guard service and the gates were never locked. Jacket and tie was the necessary attire in the dining hall and meals were served at the table.
At first, Calhoun was considered an undesirable college because of its location at the corner of College and Elm, where trolleys frequently ran screeching around the corner. This perception of Calhoun changed under the popular Master Charles Schroeder, who once remarked that if the despicable trolley service were ever removed he would purchase a trolley car, put it in the courtyard, and hold a celebration to commemorate the event. The trolley system was indeed removed in 1949, and though a whole car proved unfeasible, Master Schroder secured the fare collecting machine from a trolley and made good on his promise to celebrate. Thus was born Trolley Night, a proud tradition of the college.
The coat of arms designed for Calhoun College combines the university arms, set atop the Cross of St. Andrew
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
. The college colors are black, navy blue, and gold.
Recent events
Roger Horchow
Samuel Roger Horchow is a catalog entrepreneur and Broadway producer.In 1971, Horchow started , the first luxury mail-order catalog that was not preceded by a brick-and-mortar presence...
, were done quickly and over the summer to minimize disruption to student life. By 2000, the physical plant began to show wear and tear again.
2005 saw the retirement of William and Betsy Sledge as Master and Associate Master of Calhoun. They were succeeded by Dr. Jonathan Holloway (PhD '95) and his wife Aisling Colón.
In the same year a limited window replacement was commissioned amid Calhoun's controversial exclusion from the most recent campus-wide renovation effort.
Though partially renovated in 1989, Calhoun College was fully renovated over the 2008-09 school-year.
Stephen Lassonde stepped down as the Calhoun Dean in June 2007 thus ending one of the longest tenure of any dean in the College's history. Within the Residential College system at Yale, deanships normally last only a few years, but Stephen Lassonde served as Calhoun Dean for fourteen years. http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2004_11/milestones.html In late April 2007, he made the official announcement that he would be leaving Calhoun to serve as Deputy Dean of the College at Brown University in nearby Providence. The new dean of Calhoun is Leslie Woodard. Until June 2007 Dean Woodard was the director of the undergraduate creative writing program at Columbia University. A published author of short stories, Dean Woodard also has a history in the performing arts. She was a professional dancer in the Dance Theater of Harlem for a decade.
In late June 2007 Calhoun's mighty elm—host of the college's famous tire swing and shade provider for literally every Calhoun student since the college's founding—was felled. The tree was rotting from the ground up and was beginning to lean dangerously. Given the fact that the tree was actually taller than Calhoun (itself a five and six story building in different places), the tree posed a real danger to the college structure and Calhoun students.
Controversy
A debate over the appropriateness of the college's name has waxed and waned, as John C. Calhoun's involvement in antebellum pro-state's-rights politics and protection of the institution of slavery has been reconsidered. Calhoun never had significant involvement in Yale after his student years and was never a benefactor, though at the time the college was named, the prevailing view of Calhoun was that of an exceptional statesman and principled Senator. In 1992, the graduating seniors commissioned a plaque noting the unfortunate reality of John C. Calhoun's legacy, but at the same time supported the notion that the college retain its name for historical purposes.Unique features
The courtyard used to have a popular tire swing, which stood in stark contrast to the stunning Neo-Gothic architecture. In the Fall of 1990, newly appointed master Turan Onat made it his first priority to remove the tire swing as he sought "to restore the courtyard to a grassier state." The seniors immediately reinstalled the swing overnight and Onat quickly reversed his policy.Calhoun used to be the only residential college with its own sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
. 1 The sauna was removed from Entryway B/C during the 2005-06 school year.
Notable alumni
- Angela BassettAngela BassettAngela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
, actress - John R. BoltonJohn R. BoltonJohn Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
, US ambassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, attorney - Jonathan CoultonJonathan CoultonJonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
, singer-songwriter - Mark DaytonMark DaytonMark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
, 1969, Governor of Minnesota - Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
, 1985, actress - Paul KrugmanPaul KrugmanPaul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
, economist, winner of the Nobel Prize in EconomicsNobel Memorial Prize in Economic SciencesThe Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics, but officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel , is an award for outstanding contributions to the field of economics, generally regarded as one of the...
, 2008 - John HodgmanJohn HodgmanJohn Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in...
, comedian - Roger HorchowRoger HorchowSamuel Roger Horchow is a catalog entrepreneur and Broadway producer.In 1971, Horchow started , the first luxury mail-order catalog that was not preceded by a brick-and-mortar presence...
, Tony Award-winning Producer and founder of The Horchow Finale - Demetri MartinDemetri MartinDemetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
, comedian - George PackerGeorge PackerGeorge Packer is an American journalist, novelist and playwright.-Biography:Packer's parents, Nancy Packer and Herbert Packer, were both academics at Stanford University; his maternal grandfather was George Huddleston, a congressman from Alabama. His sister, Ann Packer, is also a writer...
, journalist, author, playwright - Aleksey Vayner, self-proclaimed success guru and creator of Impossible Is Nothing (video résumé)Impossible Is Nothing (video résumé)Impossible is Nothing is a 2006 video résumé by Aleksey Vayner which became an Internet meme.- History of job application :...
- Robert Curtis Brown, actor
- Kurt Hugo SchneiderKurt Hugo SchneiderKurt Hugo Schneider is an American film director, producer, singer and songwriter, who is noted for his production of YouTube music videos in collaboration with other musicians...
, internet celebrity
Masters and deans
| Masters of Calhoun College | Term |
|---|---|
| Arnold Whitridge (grandson of poet Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator... ) |
1933-42 |
| John Charles Schroeder | 1942-54 |
| Archibald Smith Foord | 1955-64 |
| B. Davie Napier | 1964-66 |
| R. W. B. Lewis R. W. B. Lewis Richard Warrington Baldwin Lewis was an American literary scholar and critic. He gained a wider reputation when he won a 1976 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the first National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, and a Bancroft Prize for his biography of Edith Wharton... |
1966-72 |
| Charles T. Davis | 1973-80 |
| B. Davie Napier | 1980-84 |
| Ramsay MacMullen Ramsay MacMullen Ramsay MacMullen is an Emeritus Professor of history at Yale University, where he taught from 1967 to his retirement in 1993 as Dunham Professor of History and Classics... |
1984-90 |
| E. Turan Onat | 1990-95 |
| William H. Sledge | 1995-2005 |
| Jonathan Holloway | 2005-2011 |
| Amy Hungerford | 2011-present |
| Deans of Calhoun College | Term |
|---|---|
| Stephen Windsor Reed | 1963-66 |
| Jefferey Barnouw | 1966-69 |
| Robert Wilhelm | 1969-72 |
| Eustace Theodore | 1972-81 |
| Nancy Baker | 1981-82 |
| David Spadafora | 1982-85 |
| John Godfrey | 1985-89 |
| Chris Taylor | 1989-91 |
| David Schwartz | 1991-1993 |
| Stephen Lassonde | 1993-2007 |
| Leslie Woodard | 2007-present |