Matriculation

Matriculation was actually really really awesome. We started the day at HGS (Hall of Graduate Studies) for breakfast, then we processed - they closed the street and followed a cop on a bicycle - to Sprague Hall. The University President and Dean of the Grad school kept their speeches quite short, and then a grad student acapella group perform. It was great fun - the faculty in academic regalia and the whole nine yards. We then (and we is like 300 people) processed to the President's house, which is filled with art from the Yale art gallery (a Lichtenstein! a Matisse! insanity!), and into the backyard where we shook some hands, were formally welcomed to Yale, then signed the matriculation book.






After we signed the book (and picked up our pins with the grad school shield), we headed back to HGS for lunch. As we were leaving, President Levin left at the same time we did and we encountered him at his gate. He said we caught him leaving his own party, then joined me and Anna's conversation about whether or not hiking would be possible this weekend with some suggestions about hiking trails in the area. We ran into him *again* later...in one day I saw him more times than I ever spoke to Oblinger or Fox. Too cool.

At lunch, they had grad school-shield embellished chocolate coins, though we imagine we can't redeem them for anything valuable, even if Chris does slay a dragon that clearly must live somewhere around HGS.



Tonight was great fun as well - we went to BAR, had some pizza, then to GYPSY.