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YALE DAILY NEWS · FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022 · yaledailynews.com
FROM THE FRONT
" Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self." MAY SARTON BELGIAN-AMERICAN POET
Yale College Dean to leave post in June CHUN FROM PAGE 1 University mental health services that offers short-term treatment with licensed mental health clinicians as well as wellness specialists. The change came after student pressure to expand Yale’s mental health offerings, which have struggled to keep up with student demand. “I feel really good about what my team — my colleagues, the faculty, the students — what we’ve all accomplished across the duration of my term,” Chun said. “President Salovey will generously describe a lot of them
and I feel very good about what has been achieved over the past through years, including getting through this pandemic.” In addition, Chun emphasized the responsibility he felt to return to his cognitive neuroscience laboratory, explaining that while Yale College could be run in his absence, his lab required his personal attention. Finally, Chun told the News that he was hopeful that public health conditions would allow for a return to in-person classes and campus life this semester, which returned in full force in the fall 2021 semester before an interna-
tional surge in cases of the Omicron variant necessitated a check on in-person gatherings. “I know things are difficult right now with Omicron, but I actually feel pretty confident that we're going to get through this within this semester,” Chun said. “Knowing that there's an end to this difficult period also makes it easier for me to think about stepping down.” Nevertheless, Chun told the News that leaving the post had been a “difficult decision.” Chun emphasized the sense of “purpose and reward” he felt working alongside administrators, faculty and students as dean.
YALE NEWS
Chun will not seek reappointment as his five-year term as dean comes to an end.
“Everyone is so dedicated to our mission, everyone is really good at their jobs and all my colleagues are so good natured,” Chun said. “I actually love the day-to-day being in meetings with them. I always learn from my colleagues and running the college together with so many smart people has been a really rewarding part of the job. The faculty are extraordinary, and they're creative and they care so much about students that I just am inspired by working with them. And, of course, I love working with students.” Salovey also wrote to students on Thursday, emphasizing his appreciation for Chun’s commitment to the University in his time as dean. In particular, Salovey emphasized Chun’s development of support systems for students through the expansion of peer mentoring programs and leadership throughout the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am grateful for Dean Chun’s steadfast championing of Yale’s educational mission and his commitment to the success of our students,” Salovey wrote. “Although this is bittersweet news, I am excited for the many students who will benefit from his award-winning teaching. I am also happy for all the cognitive neuroscientists who will begin their careers in his internationally renowned laboratory, which has advanced the use of brain imaging to study the mind and behavior.” Dean of Student Affairs Melanie Boyd described Chun’s enthusiasm as the “hallmark of many of his signature projects,” specifically pointing to events like the Bulldog Bash and the Sophomore Brunch. Initiatives like financial aid expansion and the addition of YC3, Boyd said, were evidence of Chun’s broader investment in student well-being. “Working for Dean Chun has been wonderful — I’m sorry that won’t continue past this year, but I’m so grateful to have already benefited from years of his mentorship and leadership,” Boyd wrote in an email to the News. “Even in these difficult pandemic times, Dean Chun brings an optimistic energy to every conversation. He has been determined to create the best conditions possible for undergraduates to thrive, and to have fun along the way.”
Students echoed Salovey and Boyd’s sentiments, and pointed towards qualities they hoped to see in the next dean. Mahesh Agarwal ’24 told the News that he thought Chun would be “remembered positively” as a dean who took a meaningful interest in student perspectives, pointing to his enthusiasm for Credit/D/Fail grading policies. “I definitely see him as someone who cared a lot about students, and at least wanted to try to listen to students as much as possible,” Agarwal said. Rhayna Poulin ’25 also emphasized Chun’s support for Credit/D/Fail grading policies, adding that “he seemed to really listen to what the student body was asking for.” As the University begins the process of appointing Chun’s successor, Poulin suggested that the University prioritize finding a dean who is accessible to students, and who has experience in the classroom. “I think, ideally, the dean should strive to make academic life more accessible and accommodating for students and a huge part of that is actually listening to us when we express our needs,” Poulin said. According to Salovey’s email, the process of selecting a new dean of Yale College has already begun, and students should expect updates about the appointment of an advisory committee. Although Chun told the News that he was not involved with the search for a new dean and did not know when someone would be selected, he noted that he had been named as dean in April 2017. In the remainder of his term as dean, Chun reiterated his commitment to resuming normal life on campus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I feel confident that we are going to get back to normal, but that’s my top priority, over break and now,” Chun said. “This announcement, of course, is about my stepping down in the summer, so it’s not like I’m stepping down and leaving next week or anything. I’m fully energized to bring things back to our normal, glorious state as soon as possible.” Chun was preceded as dean of Yale College by professor of history and African American studies Jonathan Holloway. Contact LUCY HODGMAN at lucy.hodgman@yale.edu .
“A very expensive podcast”: Students return to online classes ZOOM FROM PAGE 1 Although Poulin said that the absence of in-person events and classes meant that campus felt different, the atmosphere in Morse College, where she is living, felt similar enough to last semester that she would opt to take classes there rather than from home. “In reality, even though I can’t physically go to class I can still see my friends and walk around campus,” Poulin said. “I feel like being at home and having to do Zoom classes would be significantly worse than being here and having some semblance of normalcy.” Emma Polinsky ’25 concurred, explaining that while Branford College feels much quieter now than it did last semester, the sense of community is still palpable. Polinsky still sees friendly faces in the dining halls and in the basement, she said, emphasizing the warmth of the dining hall staff. But for students who tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival and were relocated to isolation housing, this sense of normalcy has been harder to maintain. Emily Zenner ’24 tested negative when she first arrived on campus, but she received a positive test a few days later — she hypothesized she contracted COVID-19 while traveling. In isolation housing, Zenner said, she receives a daily delivery of frozen food and is sometimes allowed to go outside in a fenced-off yard that she compared to a “zoo exhibit.” The Yale COVID-19 dashboard reports that isolation housing is currently at 76 percent availability, and Zenner and Suzanne Brown ’23, who is also isolating in McClellan Hall, both
said that isolation housing feels relatively empty. “I can tell that a couple of people have moved into my floor over the past couple of days that I've been here, but for the most part, it's silent,” Brown said. “It's almost eerily silent. I could hear when people were in their Zoom classes earlier today.” Zenner agreed that social connection was limited in isolation housing, expressing her concern for students, particularly first years, who might not have close friends checking in on them in isolation. For Zenner, attending online classes from isolation housing has been “kind of a blessing” because she has ADHD and might be more distracted in her own room, she said. However, she emphasized that remote learning apart from other students could heighten feelings of loneliness. “There really isn't anybody to get out the nervous jitters with,” Zenner said. “I'm kind of just alone in the room with my classes and scary thoughts.” The first week of remote learning has also been trying for students who are not in isolation housing. For Poulin, who lives with four other people, coordinating schedules with suitemates has been the greatest challenge of remote learning so far. Poulin said that her suitemates were on completely different schedules, and sometimes had to leave the suite so that others could take participation-based classes. Karley Yung ’25 has faced similar challenges. She lives in Lanman-Wright Hall, where all four of her and her suitemates’ desks are in the common room.
“One of my suitemates is still at home, so another one of my suitemates stays in the common room, and my roommate and I have gone out when we have seminar or discussion-style classes,” Yung explained. “My roommate and I are both in a lecture together so it's been funny sitting next to her and reacting at the same time like when the Zoom freezes.” For other students, taking classes online has made staying present in class and engaging with course material more challenging. Tang, who compared his experience of remote learning to “a very expensive podcast,” has struggled to stay focused in classes, especially because he finds it hard to pay attention when learning from his bedroom. “Zoom classes are really, really bad,” Tang said. “I cannot focus. I do literally every single thing they recommend: I take my meds, I find something to fidget with with my hands, I turn all of my devices, except what I’m Zooming in on, onto airplane mode. But I don’t know. I still can’t pay attention.” Mahesh Agarwal ’24 also added that remote classes have the isolating effect of discouraging students from leaving their suites and moving around campus. When classes are in session in-person, Agarwal said, campus social life is often spontaneous, driven by unexpected run-ins. But the switch to Zoom has temporarily halted that aspect of social interaction, especially because the cold weather discourages students congregating outdoors. “I think it’s the combination that it’s winter, there’s some people that are on campus and some people that
aren't, and the two places where you usually see people — in classes and dining — are not functioning as normal,” Agarwal said. “I think that makes it definitely feel isolated.” During the first week of classes, many residential colleges began permitting students to assemble their own grab-and-go meals rather than picking them up from dining hall staff, which Agarwal said had felt “a little Oliver Twist.” Nevertheless, such a drastic change to dining routines can still pose a challenge to many students as they return to campus. “Even first semester, it was hard for me to finish all my food or tell myself to eat,” Tang said. “Now, with the takeout containers, it's sometimes borderline impossible. I have to put on a Netflix show, and as a result, I kind of cannot have a social meal even with my suitemates because it'll distract me and I end up not eating anything.” Miriam Kopyto ’23 noted that other students might rely on dining with their friends to maintain a healthy eating schedule. Grab-and-go dining, Kopyto suggested, could pose challenges to students who struggle with disordered eating or getting enough nutrition in their diets. Kopyto, the director of the Yale Student Mental Health Association, emphasized the toll that limits to in-person engagement can take on student mental health. “I feel like at this point, Yale is taking away from the opportunity to have meaningful social interactions, especially at the beginning of the semester when a lot of the time you rely on friends to help you organize your classes and help you be on track and you just don't have that right now,” Kopyto said. “It’s a million times harder to be alone.”
Kopyto suggested that the University provide students, especially those in isolation housing, with available mental health resources, suggesting that students automatically be granted an appointment with Yale College Community Care upon their admission to isolation housing. Looking towards the rest of the semester, students’ outlooks were largely divided between anxiety and cautious optimism. “I cannot confidently say that we will return to in-person classes on the scheduled date, but I can confidently say that the University is working towards that goal as best they can,” Polinsky said. Polinsky also said that the vaccination and booster requirements at Yale generally made her feel safe on campus, especially when compared to her home state of Florida. Zenner, however, pointed to how easily she had contracted COVID-19 before coming to campus and worried that courses would remain remote if cases in the Northeast increased. Changing positivity rates, Zenner said, would be the only way to predict the rest of the semester. “I do feel fairly confident that classes will go back to in-person,” said Poulin. “However, I do sometimes worry that the administration will announce another two weeks of virtual learning at the end of this period and that pattern will just continue until most of our semester is online. I don’t see that happening, necessarily, but I do worry about it.” In-person classes are set to resume Feb. 7. Contact LUCY HODGMAN at lucy.hodgman@yale.edu .