Buley Library: Then and Now

Note: This post has been as part of a project written for my JRN 225 class. 
Hilton C. Buley library has undergone some major transformations over the past few years. These photos demonstrate it's evolution from the original building to it's current state today. The library has received a major facelift and has opened its doors to students in March 2015. This GIF demonstrates the transformation.

Creative Commons Photo

This photo can be found at Phil Monger's page on Flickr.

Seniors Say Goodbye to Hamden High School

Published in the Hamden Journal on 6/19/2015

On June 22 2015, the Hamden High School class of 2015 will file onto the football field, with green and gold caps and gowns and officially become high school graduates.

The class of 2015 will fill the high school’s football field at 4:00 p.m. The day will be a day of mixed emotions for graduates as they enter the next phase of their lives, while leaving behind high school.

For YooJin Yoon, one of the hardest things she’s leaving behind is the support system of classmates and teachers. Yoon is an active member of the Hamden High School community, from being the Class of 2015 treasurer to being involved in clubs such as National Honor Society and Student Council. Yoon is also captain of the Varsity badminton and tennis teams. Yoon will be attending Tufts University in the fall and will be majoring in Biopsychology and Biotechnology.

One of the things she says she’ll miss the most about Hamden High School is her classmates and “the unlimited support” from teachers.

“Teachers are the most supportive of anything positive that a student does. With friends, they're the ones who help keep you in check and encourage you to succeed in school,” said Yoon. “When I have a subject that I dislike and am taking it with my friends, we're always able to stick together, support each other and get good grades.”

Other students, such as Helena Burgueno, is also sad to leave friends and beloved teachers. Burgueno will be attending Amherst College in the fall, but will “miss how comfortable and happy” she is at Hamden High School.

“Hamden High School has been very good to me,” said Burgueno. “It seems as though I was just getting my footing here and now I have to leave.”

Burgueno is involved in several Hamden High School extracurriculars as well-from concert and jazz  band, National Honor Society, STTOP (Students Teaching Tolerance Openness and Pride), co-captain of the badminton team and scenic artistic for the Mainstage Ensemble.

Due to her involvement in those activities, she learned “how to have a voice and be a leader” as well as “the value it is to be a part of team.” She said one of the hardest parts about leaving is the friends she’s made through those activities.

“My closest friends and allies are at Hamden High and the idea of not seeing them anymore really breaks my heart,” said Burgueno. “I'll miss the families I made on the Badminton team and in the theater program - those are people I worked closely with for long amounts of time and I love them lots.”

    Although many of her classmates are sad about graduating, Bethany Keyl is optimistic about her future. Although Keyl said she was sad about leaving her favorite teachers behind, she is excited about her future. She’ll be attending Augsburg College in the fall.

    “I’m looking forward to a more socially liberal and accepting community,” said Keyl. “I’m looking forward to learning about things I’m passionate about with people who are passionate.”

Helpful or Hurtful? LGBTQIAA in the Media

Published in the Southern News on 4/29/2014

In the past 30 years, the LGBTQIAA community have made progress as becoming a respected and a permanent community in our society. Gay marriage is legal in 36 states, and gay relationships are now more accepted than in generations past. And of course, there is the issue of whether or not transgender people are represented right, or at all.

Although we have made great lengths in equality, the stereotypes of those who are gay, transgender, bisexual, the androgynous, and lesbian still manage to exist in media whether its on the silver or television screen.

On the screen, queer people seem to fit into one of three boxes. Gay men often are flamboyant and sassy. Lesbian women are often portrayed as having short hair, and are as tough as nails. Bisexuals are often shown as being promiscuous with multiple partners. Transgenders are often shown as wearing wigs and makeup, as well as trying to prove how they fit into their birth-assigned gender. And of course, there are the non-binary people who are not a man or a woman and rarely make an appearance in shows and movies.

Don’t believe me? Well here’s some examples to chew on. There’s Jack from ‘Will and Grace’ and Kurt from ‘Glee’ who fit the stereotype to a T.  There’s also Samantha Jones from ‘Sex and the City’, a bixsexual who is willing to have sex with anyone. Wade “Unique” Adams from Glee also wears wigs and dresses. All of these are examples from the television screen of queer people being showcased as a stereotype. These are stereotypes that aren’t always true.

As an ally to the LGBTQIAA community, I can say that these stereotypes aren’t true. In fact, these are hurtful, because many don’t even meet them. Many instances media portrayal of LGBT often have them in a single box, despite the fact that members of the community differ.

Believe it or not, LGBTQIAA  people come in many different forms. Sure, gay men sometimes can be extremely outspoken, but that’s not the case of every gay man. Yes, bisexuals can be promiscuous, however that’s not the case of every bisexual person. And some lesbian women tend to have shorter hair and a more masculine appearance, but that’s not the case of every lesbian.

And then there’s the issue for transgender people. It’s no secret that they are confused about their gender and try to figure out what their place is in this society. And of course, there is the issue of the non-binary people who are rarely present in media. Why can’t they have a more permanent place in modern media, that portrays them correctly? Is it because media want to stick out the fact they are gay or queer?

So, therefore, there’s nothing better than a stereotype to help do so. That can be hurtful, as you can imagine because your community is showcased in a way that may or may not ring true. Although its good that they are being portrayed and a part of the story lines, we do need to make sure that their sexual orientation isn’t a part of their personality.

But not all media is hurting the LGBTQIAA community. In fact, there are several instances of it actually helping.

In recent years, however, the portrayal of the queer community has slowly begun to change for the better. In the 2007 movie ‘Shelter’ gay couple Zach and Shaun are surfer boys, not flamboyant. In Glee, Brittany isn’t the promiscuous bisexual. In Pretty Little Liars, Emily isn’t the stereotypical lesbian. In ‘Ugly Betty’, Alexis Meade is one of the more powerful people in the Meade empire, despite her father telling her that she’s dead to him. These are only a few instances of the media showing LGBTQIAA in a more truthful manner.

The media has gotten better in showcasing the fact that members of the queer community come in all shapes and sizes. After all, it is 2015. We’ve come so far in the past 30 years to make the community a more equal place in our society as it should be.

But what we have to remember is that they are human. They come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. However, by giving them a stereotype, we are basically saying that they come in one form.

We really need to ditch all of these stereotypes that we have for them. We need to put more non-binary characters in the media, and represent them correctly. The stereotypes that are portrayed really need to go.

They are so last season and are going out of style rapidly. The new trend? Being more and willing to accept that just by the fact that someone is queer, doesn’t meant that they are automatically checked into a stereotype.

New Haven's Little Piece of Home.

The following post is a paper written for my JRN 320: Magazine Writing Class.

Every Sunday at 5:00 p.m, Yale student Stevie Roets walks up the steps of 27th High Street in New Haven, Conn. After opening the white door, he is greeted by the sounds of hymns accompanied by a piano in the background and the mouthwatering scent of the dinner following the service getting prepared in the kitchen-this Sunday it’s pasta. As he enters the worship space--which is the living room in the home--he see the group sitting in a circle. They are  gathered around a table containing two candles that have just been lit. Golden brown bread and wine the color of blood are in between them, signifying the body and blood shed for Christ. Stevie sits down and begins to join the chorus of the opening Hymn.  Rev. Kari Henkelmann Keyl smiles at him as she welcomes him to Sunday night worship at Luther House.

After the worship service ends, Stevie exchanged hugs with others who have come to worship because the peace offering was saved at the end. Some of them have come to Luther House for the first time, while he recognizes some of the familiar faces of the regulars. This weeks' group is composed of undergraduates, graduate, Divinity School students and even interested New Haven community members who just wanted to stop by to see what Luther House was all about.

Roets, a sophomore double majoring in Ethics, Politics and Economics and Art with concentration in painting and printmaking, attends Luther House regularly. He has attended Sunday night worship every Sunday since the second semester of his freshman year, as well as regularly participating in other events that Luther House sponsors such as tutoring and Bible Study. “It's a really great community. We all care deeply about the world and people around us,” says Roets. “We all support each other, can recollect about things in our past, and be open with each other.  It is a community that I can feel comfortable in.”

Luther House, which is Yale’s Lutheran Community, is one of Yale’s 30 plus religious communities which strives for diversity and social justice. According to the Yale Religious Ministries Chaplin’s page, these communities are dedicated to “the spiritual, ethical, intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students, faculty, and staff.” The site goes on to say these religious communities are “committed to strengthening the University in its task of educating students and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge” as well as being “committed to strengthening the University in its task of educating students and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.”

Located on 27th High Street, right across the street from Fro Yo World, the community does several things to help with its' desire for social justice. For starters, the space is a LGBTQIAA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Asexual and Agender) friendly space and devotes to making sure that no matter what sexuality someone is, they feel they are welcome. The space also houses residents, which include a variety of Yale students, all of which have a passion for justice. There’s a garden out in its backyard, which the residents tend to and then donate its contents to local soup kitchens.

Luther House’s current Pastor is Rev. Kari Henkelmann Keyl. Keyl has been an ordained ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of American) pastor since 1990. She has been the pastor at Luther House since 2011. Keyl is committed for Luther House to be a space for those who are not only “curious” but also “have a passion for justice.”

On the Luther House website, Keyl encourages those who have questions to reach out to her (as she leaves her personal cell phone number and email address on there), and is willing to meet with those who need to talk by treating them with a “cup of coffee or tea at Starbucks” as well as “a frozen yogurt from Fro Yo.” Although Keyl has worked in more traditional congregations, she enjoy how Luther House is a non-traditional aspect to connect with students. “I really like the opportunity to engage with students,” she says. “I look for ways to connect with what you’re learning at school to real life.”

Keyl wears many hats at Luther House. She preaches every Sunday and leads the service, but she also tends to the Community Garden and keeps up with the upkeep of the house. However, her biggest goal is to create an environment where students can feel at home and welcome in. "You just have to be someone who is asking questions and want to be with others who like to ask questions," says Keyl.

Although Keyl is in the process of finding out more about the history about Luther House, she can confirm that the community started in the 40s. Back then, it was called the Lutheran Student Association. "It was a group of Lutheran students and faculty," says Keyl. In 1968, the building which would later become Luther House. "The building was a place for the pastor to live," says Keyl. According to Keyl, in the 1970s, the house was remodeled to house a community of Christian students and in the 1980s the invitation to live at Luther House expanded to those outside the ministry. In 2014, she says it became a social justice based community.

Luther House’s main event is Sunday Worship which occurs at 5:00 p.m. every Sunday during Yale’s semester. Worship consists of prayers, bible readings, communion, singing and listening to a sermon usually given by the pastor or the current intern. After the service is done, dinner is served. It’s provided by a local member in the community. Once every member of the group fills their plate, they sit down on the couches and enjoy their meal together.

Luther House sponsors more activities than just Sunday night worship. Tuesday nights at 9:15 p.m. is Taize Prayer which is held in the historical Dwight Chapel. Taize Prayer, which is a combination of prayer and song modelled after a community in Taize, France. Thursday nights from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m members go to tutor struggling students at Resurrection Lutheran Church also located in New Haven.

In addition to its regular events, Luther House hosts a Theological Coffee House. This event discusses issues at hand, and varies in topics--from mental health, peace in the Middle East and race---just to name a few.  

Some of the recent guest speakers  include the Bethesda Lutheran Church Pastor, Rev. Tim Keyl who talked about the Middle East Crisis and how Lutherans can get to be more involved in the efforts for peace. The most recent guest was Yale Divinity School Professor Jan Holton, who talked about faith and the mental illness.

Students around Yale enjoy the community that Keyl has created, as well as her efforts to make Luther House run smoothly. “Kari is just a very genuine and open and welcome. She's a quiet spirit. She allows students to make their decisions. She's a very calming presence for a lot of people,” says Brad Abromaitis, who is on the directing committee of Luther House. The Directing Committee, according to Abromaitis, is “the support for Kari and what she does.”   

Abromaitis has been attending Luther House regularly for the past three years. He’s currently getting his PhD in History, however he got his Masters in Divinity in 2013. As a former Yale Divinity School student, Abromaitis says there’s a “good engagement with Luther House and the Divinity School.”  Abromaitis believes this because of the fact many Master of Divinity students “are involved with services on Sunday so they can come to worship at night.”

Luther House is also a place where many students who are in the process of getting their Master’s in Divinity come to do their internships. Former intern Miriam Samuelson, who is scheduled to graduate May 2015, was the intern for the 2013-2014 school year. However, she has been involved with the community for almost three years. “When I first started going to Luther House I liked the almost family like dinner both in worship and in dinner. It's very intimate,” she says. “I felt like I got to get exposed to a broad diversity to ways of being with church. the tutoring is more like an outrage ministry, bible study  was more of an intellectual ministry, and taize was a spiritual ministry.”

She first started attending the Sunday night worship while her friend was the intern. One of her favorite parts about being a part of the Luther House Community is the Taize Prayer service. “It's a really powerful experience. You go in with very little instruction,” she says. “You have a song booklet and the whiteboard with the hymn numbers. The leader starts singing it and over and over. These songs become a part of you from singing so much. The idea is that the song is a part of your body and a part of your bones.”

Although Samuelson is graduating from the Divinity School, she says she’ll miss Luther House. “I felt like whoever shows up that day is my community, and I feel like we always things to talk about and things to connect about,” says Samuelson. “Sometimes it's little things and big things. I spend so much of my time surrounded with people who are doing the same things as me, and it's a really amazing sense of diversity.”

When to Break Up With Someone

Published online at the Southern News 3/29/2015

Love can be good for a while, especially at the beginning. When relationships begin, it’s easy to think that there will be nothing but fair weather and cloudless skies for as far as the eye can see. Once the honeymoon phase wears off, however, that can change things. Soon, things that were once found cute about that person soon become annoying. The question is, when is time to throw in the towel for a relationship?
For starters, if this relationship is abusive or unhealthy, then it’s not good to stay with them. This can be as simple as a constant insult about appearance or as drastic as being punched in the face. If this sounds familiar then run as fast as possible. No one deserves abuse-plain and simple.
According to the Domestic Abuse Shelter, one in three women will be abused in their lifetime. However, women aren’t the only victims. Studies show that 48% of men are abused, physically or mentally, by their partners.
All relationship go through ups and downs, but if it’s more down than there’s a problem. It’s the constant feeling of a rut or because it’s a continuous argument, and the feeling of being unhappy is consistent. If this is the case, then maybe take a break to figure out why the constant fight. If things have been a constant struggle of trying to work things out, then maybe its better to let that person go.
I’m not saying that if a relationship has reached a rough patch than it should be thrown out faster than last season’s boots; I am saying that if the relationship has reached a point where both parties are unhappy with the way things are going where it reaches the point that there is more bad than good things about it. Every couple has fights and spats, but the key thing is that if there’s no desire for improvement then it might be time to move on.
It’s my belief that many often settle into relationships for the sole purpose of them believing that there’s no one else out there. The fear of being alone then comes with someone holding onto dear life to a relationship that may or may not be good for that person. This leads to suffocating the person, for starters. In addition to that, it leads to someone being too blind to recognize the signs of the relationship heading south.
I’ve had a friend who was in a toxic relationship. The person was constantly undermining her values and really didn’t care much about her emotions She was constantly upset and crying at the hands of her significant other. Even though she knew that this was a problem, she stayed in the relationship for the fear of being alone. This isn’t healthy. Although the grass can not always stay green when having a partner, if it is causing more pain than happiness than that’s a huge problem.
For those who are contemplating staying or leaving, let me leave you with a contemplating thought. Ask yourself if you’re gaining respect for your partner, and yourself. Are you truly happy? When telling your partner about how you feel, what is their response? At the end of the day, you deserve respect, love and happiness. That’s what relationships should be composed of, and if you’re not getting maybe it’s time to leave.

Workload: When is It Too Much?

Originally published in the Southern News on 2/1/2015

Five classes, two jobs and zero free time. No, you’re not suddenly finding yourself back in math class, but rather that’s my life story in 140 characters or less.

However, I am not the one whose working multiple jobs as well as being a full time student. Many of my fellow classmates work either full time, or have multiple part time jobs as well as being a full time student. Some of them are also in Greek life, which as you can imagine has a lot of commitments as well.

Needless to say, many students have a lot going on in their lives. And of course, there’s this little thing called a life.
Sleep, what is that again?

This generation could be also known as “generation busy”. What does this mean? Well, we have to put multiple things on our plates that push us to the limit and when we’re not busy we feel terrible about ourselves. Therefore, the feeling of guilt when you finally take a moment for yourself occurs. This is also the motivation why we must push ourselves to the ultimate limit.

But, how much is too much?
I think that it’s when you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed about your schedule and you begin to feel suffocated by your schedule. You don’t know when you’re going to have time to do anything, such as your homework. You feel like you’re going to burst out crying at any moment, and you feel like it is finals season all semester long.
Sound familiar?

If you’re feeling stressed, the first thing that you can do is to find a few minutes to set aside for you time. During this time, you can make time for things that you enjoy, such as reading a book for pleasure (such as “Fifty Shades of Grey”-the movie is coming out in a few weeks), catching up on your favorite television show or doing a craft. You can even use this time to go to bed early, because let’s face it; some extra sleep can never hurt.

A friend recently told me ‘It’s important to take 20 minutes to do yoga everyday. If you don’t have time for that, take an hour out for tea.’ At first, I didn’t understand what he was saying, but basically it means that it’s important to take time out for you, and for those who don’t have time should take even more time for themselves.

You must be arguing with me saying all of your commitments. It’s important to go to class, because that will take you to where you are in the future. It’s important to work, because we all need money. However, if you’re starting to feel completely overwhelmed, then evaluate your life and commitments. Can you afford to drop a class this semester, if your course schedule is overwhelming you? Or, where can you fit a few minutes to do something that makes you happy, such as a craft or to read a book?

If you’re truly feeling anxious about your schedule, then talk to a trusted adult or friend about it. Maybe they can give you advice as to what you can do about your packed schedule. It’s okay to be busy, but the line is crossed as soon as you feel anxious about your schedule.

The bottom line is that you really don’t have to run yourself thin. You’re only in college once, and let’s face it; you don’t want to spend it stressed out. Take some time away from classes to breathe, treat yourself to a movie night or just to chill out with your dog. Your mental health depends on it.