Ezra Stiles College Explained

Ezra Stiles College
Type:Residential college at Yale University
University:Yale University
Colors:Black, Gold
Nickname:Stilesians
Mascot:A. Bartlett Giamatti Memorial Moose
Named For:Ezra Stiles
Established:1961
Sister College:Currier House, Harvard
Queens' College, Cambridge
Head:Alicia Schmidt Camacho
Dean:Murphy Temple
Undergraduates:478 (2013-2014)
Location:19 Tower Parkway
Coordinates:41.3125°N -72.9306°W

Ezra Stiles College is one of the fourteen residential colleges at Yale University, built in 1961 and designed by Eero Saarinen.[1] The college is named after Ezra Stiles, the seventh President of Yale. Architecturally, it is known for its lack of right angles between walls in the living areas. It sits next to Morse College.

Origin

In his report on the 1955–56 academic year, Yale President A. Whitney Griswold announced his intention to add at least one residential college to Yale's two-decade-old system. "We have the colleges so full that community life, discipline, education, even sanitation are suffering," he said.[2] After several years of speculation about the possibility of four or five new colleges, the university confirmed the construction of two new colleges in spring 1959, choosing Eero Saarinen '34 as the project architect and the Old York Square behind the Graduate School as the site. The Old Dominion Foundation, established by Paul Mellon '29, provided funding for the construction of Stiles and Morse, calling for the building of two "radically different" Yale colleges in order to reduce over-crowding.[3]

Design

The college is built of rubble masonry in the style of pre-Gothic Tuscan towers, similar to those in the medieval Italian hill town of San Gimignano. Many architecture critics regard the college as a "masterpiece of American architecture,"[4] [5] though it is considered one of the "ugly ducklings" of Yale.[6] The college consists of many single rooms and suites, and in a modern attempt to capture the spirit of Gothic architecture, Saarinen eliminated all right angles from the living areas.

Stiles' adjacent "twin" residential college Morse is architecturally similar, was built at the same time, and has an adjoining dining room with a common kitchen. Architecturally, Morse and Stiles differ from older colleges by having more private space per student and the lowest ratio of natural light aperture to wall surface.

Saarinen wrote in a description of the architectural plans: "Somehow, the architecture had to declare them as colleges, not dormitories."[7] Saarinen continued: "We have made the buildings polygonal—their shapes derived in order to provide the diversity of student rooms, to answer the needs of the site, and to give variety and sequence of spatial experiences in the courts. We conceived of these colleges as citadels of earthy, monolithic masonry - buildings where masonry walls would be dominant and whose interiors of stone, oak, and plaster would carry out the spirit of strength and simplicity. Since handicraft methods are anachronistic, we found a new technological method for making these walls: these are 'modern' masonry walls made without masons."[8]

Because none of the interior walls make right angles, many of Stiles' dorm rooms are furnished with built-in desks and bookshelves. The college was once heated by a system that warmed the stone floors, but maintenance troubles led Yale to abandon it and install radiators.

The back of the Yale University bookstore acts as a wall in the courtyard.[9]

In fall 2010, the refurbishment of adjoining Morse College gave Stiles students access to a new gym, dance studio, and the Underground Crescent Theater. Work on Stiles itself began in summer 2010, and was complete by August 2011. Among other things, it added suites to the college and refurbished several massive lighting fixtures designed by UCLA sculptor Oliver Andrews, meant to be abstract and contemporary versions of "the sort of thing you'd find in an ancient castle".[10]

Student life

The mascot is the A. Bartlett Giamatti Memorial Moose. Ezra Stiles students presented the college with the taxidermy moose head in 1972 when they found out that the then College Master A. Bartlett Giamatti would be leaving the role with instructions not to hang his picture in the college, as had been the custom.[11] Giamatti in 1977 became Yale's youngest president, and in 1989 was named Commissioner of Baseball. Giamatti's son, actor Paul Giamatti, lived in the Head of college's House on the Ezra Stiles College grounds from birth through age five. The moose appears on much of the Ezra Stiles apparel and is part of the Ezra Stiles cheer.[12]

Stiles has had success in Yale's intramural sports program, winning the Tyng Cup - presented to the residential college with the best intramural sports performance - in 1964, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004, and 2005.[13] This 10-cup total places Stiles just one behind leaders Pierson College and Timothy Dwight College. More recently, the college has taken second place behind Silliman College, which won the Cup in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Stiles also won the intramural water polo championship in 2020, making it the first major Stiles intramural win in a several-year-long drought.

Ezra Stiles and Morse used to co-host an annual Casino Night since the early 1990s, until it was shut down due to legal concerns. A formal affair, the event featured casino-style games and live music.[14] Stilesians also host an annual "Medieval (K)night." For one night in April, the dining hall is transformed into a medieval banquet hall, and students enjoy medieval fare and dramatic re-enactments of "Beowulf" and dragon battles after besieging and pillaging rival colleges.[15] In addition to raiding other colleges, Stiles has historically also pranked their fellow residential colleges. In 2019, the "Morse" banner in the Morse dining hall was edited overnight to read "Moose". While the culprits were never caught, Stilesians were the prime suspects.[16]

The college is well known for a robust arts community, maintaining a student-run art gallery, and holding "Stiles Arts Week" for over 40 years. During Arts Week, the college hosts study breaks and activities which have included painting pots for succulents, workshops in stop-motion animation, and open mic nights. For Arts Week 2020, the week kicked off with a 12-hour knitting marathon called "The Great Knit."[17] Recently Arts Week has included the Stiles Student Film Festival, a formal affair featuring films from all Yale students regardless of major or residential college affiliation. Arts Week culminates in a "classical brunch," in which Stiles musicians perform classical music during brunch.[18]

Heads and deans

Heads of Ezra Stiles College Term
1959[19] –1970
1970–1972
1972–1980
1980–1986
1986–1995
1995–2002
Traugott Lawler 2002–2003 (Acting)
2003–2008
Stephen Pitti (as Head of college after April 27, 2016)2008–2020
Alicia Schmidt Camacho 2020–present [20]
Deans of Ezra Stiles College Term
John Wilkinson 1963–1964
Ernest Thompson 1964–1973
Herbert Atherton 1973–1982
Rita Brackman 1982–1991
Susan Rieger 1992–2002
Jennifer Wood 2002–2010
Camille Lizarribar 2010–2016
Michelle Morgan 2016 (Interim)
Nilakshi Parndigamage 2016–2020[21]
Murphy Temple 2020–Present[22]
In 2016, the title of "Master" was changed to "Head of College".[23]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Ezra Stiles - Ezra Stiles College. ezrastiles.yalecollege.yale.edu.
  2. Web site: About Us. . morse.yalecollege.yale.edu/about-us. May 10, 2019.
  3. Web site: About Us. . morse.yalecollege.yale.edu/about-us. May 10, 2019.
  4. Web site: Yale Ezra Stiles College Restoration Progress. 2020-06-08. Grand Light. en-US.
  5. Book: Yale Daily News.. The Insider's guide to the colleges, 2006. 2005. St. Martin's Griffin. 1035649863.
  6. Web site: Renovations abandon Saarinen's philosophy. www.yaleherald.com. 2014-02-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20130517005615/http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xix/2.24.95/news/saarinen.html. 2013-05-17. dead.
  7. Web site: About Ezra Stiles Ezra Stiles College. ezrastiles.yalecollege.yale.edu. 2020-05-16.
  8. Saarinen. Eero. 1961. Eero Saarinen. Perspecta. 7. 29–42. 10.2307/1566864. 1566864. 0079-0958.
  9. Web site: Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges . New Haven Modern Architecture - New Haven Preservation Trust. en. 2020-05-16.
  10. Web site: Yale Ezra Stiles College lighting restoration in progress; AE1 fixtures complete - Grand Light . 2010-10-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713204915/http://lightrestoration.com/blog/2010/10/286yale-ezra-stiles.html . 2011-07-13 . Yale Ezra Stiles College lighting restoration in progress; AE1 fixtures complete
  11. News: Henry . Diane . 18th Leader of Yale . 21 August 2020 . New York Times . December 21, 1977.
  12. Web site: Ezra Stiles Merchandise . 20 August 2020.
  13. Web site: Archives. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090419031140/http://www.yale.edu/intramurals/pasttyng.htm. 2009-04-19.
  14. News: Yee . Vivian . In blow to tradition, Casino Night canceled over legal concerns . 21 August 2020 . Yale Daily News . November 8, 2009.
  15. Web site: Medieval (K)night . Ezra Stiles College . Yale College . 21 August 2020.
  16. Web site: Alden Branch . Mark . Moose code . Yale Alumni Magazine . 21 August 2020.
  17. Web site: Clubs and Committees . Ezra Stiles College . Yale College . 21 August 2020.
  18. News: Turner . Rianna . Stiles Film Festival to screen student-produced films . 21 August 2020 . Yale Daily News . February 6, 2019.
  19. Correct date, though three years before the opening of the college. See News: Richard Sewall dies, was first master of Ezra Stiles College. July 8, 2016. Yale Bulletin and Calendar. 27. Yale University. April 25, 2003. 31. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160625041805/http://www.yale.edu/opa/arc-ybc/v31.n27/story17.html. June 25, 2016.
  20. Web site: Alicia Schmidt Camacho appointed head of Ezra Stiles College. YaleNews . 21 August 2020 . 17 April 2020 .
  21. News: Sweedler. Maya. Parndigamage '06 named new Stiles dean. July 8, 2016. Yale Daily News. May 5, 2016.
  22. Web site: Stiles dean settles into a student-less college. 3 April 2020.
  23. Web site: "Master" to become "head of college" Yale Daily News. yaledailynews.com. 28 April 2016 . en-US. 2018-10-24.
  24. Web site: Notable Alumni | Ezra Stiles College.