Branford College

Branford College
Residential college at Yale University

Coat of arms of Branford College
University Yale University
Location 74 High Street
Coordinates 41°18′35″N 72°55′47″W / 41.3098°N 72.9298°W / 41.3098; -72.9298Coordinates: 41°18′35″N 72°55′47″W / 41.3098°N 72.9298°W / 41.3098; -72.9298
Nickname Branfordians
Motto Si id vis, haud somnium est.
Motto in English If you will it, it is no dream.
Established 1933
Named for Branford, Connecticut
Colors Blue, Green, Gold, White
Sister college Quincy House
Pembroke College, Oxford
Christ's College, Cambridge
Master Elizabeth Bradley
Dean Sarah Insley
Undergraduates 461 (2013-2014)
Mascot Squirrel
Fellows 209 (2013-2014)
Website branford.yalecollege.yale.edu

Branford College is one of the 12 residential colleges at Yale University.

Founding

Branford College was founded in 1933 by partitioning the Memorial Quadrangle (built in 1917-21) into two parts: Saybrook and Branford. According to Robert Frost, it is "the oldest and most beautiful" of the Yale residential colleges, though it shares a building and was founded simultaneously with Saybrook. In the start of the academic year in 1933, Branford College opened its doors. Clarence Whittlesey Mendell, Dean of Yale College, had been named Master in 1931 and he held the post until 1943. What impressed quite a few visitors to Branford was the calm and subdued character of the College. Chauncey Tinker commented that Saybrook was like an anthill, but Branford was like an oyster bed. In records of the time, the main thing that stands out about Branford is the activity among its students, and of encouragement of activity on the part of Master Mendell, who commented that oyster beds produce pearls.

Branford College was named for the nearby town of Branford, Connecticut, where Yale was briefly located.[1] The base of Harkness Tower, one of the university's most prominent structures and one of the tallest free-standing stone structures in the world, forms one corner of Branford's main courtyard. The tower contains a 54-bell carillon. Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have been asked where he would choose to be if he could be anywhere in the U.S. and responded that he would pick Harkness Tower so he would not have to look at it.[2] Since Branford's courtyards have many squirrels, the college adopted the squirrel as its mascot.

Branford College courtyard with Harkness Tower in the background.

The college has a longstanding rivalry with neighboring Jonathan Edwards College as well as a less formal one with Saybrook, both of which frequently attempt to steal Branford's college flag. Branford is the sister college of Quincy House at Harvard, Pembroke College at Oxford and Christ's College at Cambridge. It is tradition for Branfordians to host members of Quincy House when Yale hosts Harvard during The Game.

Facilities

Branford Court towards Wrexham Tower, spring

There are two "common rooms" in addition to the primary common room (located underneath the Dining Hall). Located between Linonia and Branford Courts is the Fellows' Lounge, where the Fellows of the College meet. This room is called the Trumbull Room, in memory of the first art gallery at Yale, which was built to house the paintings of John Trumbull.

The Branford Dining Hall is located above the common room parallel to York Street. The large, vaulted main dining hall contains a 15th-century Burgundian fireplace. A smaller, cozier room called traditionally called The Pit also known as the Small Dining Hall is frequently reserved by student groups for dinner meetings.

The other "Common Room" is the Mendell Room, named for Branford's first master, Clarence Whittlesey Mendell. Confusingly, this room also had several other names. It was originally dubbed the "Cabinet Commons" when it was constructed. It quickly came to be known as the "Ship Room" after the carving over the mantle, which depicts the phantom "Great Ship" lost at sea off of New Haven. During the early days of the College, it was used as a "Music Room", and a record player was installed for the use of College students. It was only after the death of Master Mendell that the room was renamed in his honor. The room, which is located between the Branford and Brothers in Unity Courts (joined by the Jared Eliot gateway) is used for seminars and meetings of small student organizations.

Calliope Court

The Branford College Library is located in the middle courtyard of Branford College, named Calliope Court. The student rooms and common areas are decorated with stained glass by G. Owen Bonawit. Branford's architect, James Gamble Rogers, required that at least one pane on every window be broken and then soldered back together, resulting in a Y-shape in many of the windows.

The student-led committee, Branford College Council (BCC), coordinates events around Branford College.

The basement of the College houses the College's student-run buttery, a computer cluster, a small weight room, two squash courts, a dance studio, a basketball court, a digital media center, a game room, a student kitchen, a pottery studio, a printing press, and laundry facilities. The basement was remodeled just more than a decade ago, with the rest of the college. Freshmen Branfordians live in entryways A through C of Vanderbilt Hall on Old Campus and share the building with the freshmen of Saybrook College, who live in entryways D through F of the same building. The college was renovated in 2000 as part of the University's renovation of all the residential colleges.

Masters and Deans

East end of Branford Court

Masters of Branford College Term
Clarence Whittlesey Mendell 1931–1942
Norman Sydney Buck 1942–1959
George Alfred Schrader, Jr 1959–1966
John Philip Trinkaus 1966–1973
William Zinsser 1973–1979
Phyllis Curtin 1979–1983
John M. Merriman 1983–1991
Worth David 1991–1996
Steven B. Smith 1996–2011
Elizabeth H. Bradley 2011–present
Deans of Branford College Term
Richard Ralph Shank 1963–1964
Michael Heath Cowan 1964–1966
Thomas Kennedy Edwards 1966–1969
Barry Lydgate 1969–1973
Carlos Hortas 1973–1975
Lorenzo Simpson 1975–1976
Margarita Egan 1976–1983
Marion F. Freeman 1980–1981 (Acting Dean)
Rory Browne 1983–1990
Mark Schenker 1990–1996
Nicole Parisier 1996–2003
Thomas F. McDow 2003–2007
Daniel Tauss 2007–2010
Hilary Fink 2010–2015
Sarah E. Insley 2015–present

Notable alumni

Fictional

References

  1. ↑ Branford College Home Page Archived February 14, 2011, at WebCite
  2. ↑ Duncan, Lloyd (2006). Just Getting There: An Autobiography. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation. p. 78. ISBN 1-4257-1518-4.
  3. ↑ O'Rourke, Meghan (13 November 2015). "Yale's Unsafe Spaces". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

External links

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