Calhoun College is a residential college of Yale University. Yale redirects here. ...

Early history

In 1641, John Brockton established a farm on the plot of land that is now Calhoun College. After the Revolutionary War an inn was constructed that would later become the meeting place of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an honor society which considers its mission to be fostering and recognizing excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. ...

From 1863 until 1874 the land was home to Yale's divinity school.

In 1933, with the institution of the new residential college system at Yale, the dormitory at the corner of College and Elm Streets became Calhoun College, named for John C. Calhoun, B. A. 1804, alumnus, statesman, and orator. His statue stands in Yale's Harkness Tower. It should be noted that Calhoun College was so named, as were many of the other residential colleges, for illustrious sons of Eli. There is no direct connection between the college and the man, and he is neither founder nor patron. John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a leading United States Southern politician and political philosopher from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century, at the center of the foreign policy and financial disputes of his age and best known as a spokesman for... Harkness Tower Harkness Tower is a prominent Gothic structure at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, built from 1917 to 1921. ...

Like all other residential colleges at their inception, Calhoun had twenty-four hour guard service and the gates were never locked. Jacket and tie was the necessary attire in the dining hall and meals were served at the table.

At first, Calhoun was considered an undesirable college because of its location at the corner of College and Elm, where trolleys frequently ran screeching around the corner. This perception of Calhoun changed under the popular Master Charles Schroeder, who once remarked that if the despicable trolley service were ever removed he would purchase a trolley car, put it in the courtyard, and hold a celebration to commemorate the event. The trolley system was indeed removed in 1949, and though a whole car proved unfeasible, Master Schroder secured the fare collecting machine from a trolley and made good on his promise to celebrate. Thus was born Trolley Night, a proud tradition of the college.

The coat of arms designed for Calhoun College combines the university arms, set atop the Cross of St. Andrew. The college colors are black, navy blue, and gold. The Saltire (or St Andrews Cross) is the national flag of Scotland. ...

Recent events

Calhoun College

In 1989, Calhoun was the first residential college to be renovated. The renovations, mostly funded by alumnus Roger Horchow, were done quickly and over the summer to minimize disruption to student life. By 2000, the physical plant began to show wear and tear again. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 430 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 550 pixel, file size: 250 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Calhoun College at Yale University File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 430 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 550 pixel, file size: 250 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Calhoun College at Yale University File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Samuel Roger Horchow (born July 3, 1928, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a catalog entrepreneur and Broadway producer. ...

2005 saw the retirement of William and Betsy Sledge as Master and Associate Master of Calhoun. They were succeeded by Dr. Jonathan Holloway (PhD '95) and his wife Aisling Colón.

In the same year a limited window replacement was commissioned amid Calhoun's controversial exclusion from the most recent campus-wide renovation effort.

Though partially renovated in 1989, Calhoun College is scheduled for a full-scale renovation in the 2008-09 schoolyear.

Stephen Lassonde stepped down as the Calhoun Dean in June 2007 thus ending the longest tenure of any dean in the College's history. Within the Residential College system at Yale, deanships normally last only a few years, but Stephen Lassonde served as Calhoun Dean for fourteen years. In late April of 2007, he made the official announcement that he would be leaving Calhoun to serve as Deputy Dean of the College at Brown University in nearby Providence. The new dean of Calhoun is Leslie Woodard. Until June 2007 Dean Woodard was the director of the undergraduate creative writing program at Columbia University. A published author of short stories, Dean Woodard also has a history in the performing arts. She was a professional dancer in the Dance Theater of Harlem for a decade.

In late June 2007 Calhoun's mighty elm--host of the college's famous tire swing and shade provider for literally every Calhoun student since the college's founding--was felled. The tree was rotting from the ground up and was beginning to lean dangerously. Given the fact that the tree was actually taller than Calhoun (itself a five and six story building in different places), the tree posed a real danger to the college structure and Calhoun students. Plans are already afoot to plant another elm tree in the courtyard during the 2008-2009 renovation.

Controversy

A debate over the appropriateness of the college's name has waxed and waned, as John C. Calhoun's involvement in antebellum pro-state's-rights politics and protection of the institution of slavery has been reconsidered. Calhoun never had significant involvement in Yale after his student years and was never a benefactor, though at the time the college was named, the prevailing view of Calhoun was that of an exceptional statesman and principled Senator. In 1992, the graduating seniors commissioned a plaque noting the unfortunate reality of John C. Calhoun's legacy, but at the same time supporting the notion that the college retain its name for historical purposes.

Unique features

The courtyard used to have a popular tire swing, which stood in stark contrast to the stunning gothic architecture. In the Fall of 1990, newly appointed master Turan Onat made it his first priority to remove the tire swing as he sought "to restore the courtyard to a grassier state." The seniors immediately reinstalled the swing overnight and Onat quickly reversed his policy.

Calhoun used to be the only residential college with its own sauna. 1 Unfortunately, the sauna was removed from Entryway B/C during the 2005-06 school year. For the music festival in Finland, see Sauna Open Air Metal Festival. ...

Though Calhoun has not recently been a serious contender for the Tyng Cup (awarded each year to the college that accumulates the most points in intramural athletic events), Calhoun freshmen have won 4 of the last 6 Freshmen Olympics, held each spring on Old Campus.

Masters and deans

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Calhoun College

Matthew Arnold Caricature from Punch, 1881: Admit that Homer sometimes nods, That poets do write trash, Our Bard has written Balder Dead, And also Balder-dash Family tree Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic, who worked as an inspector of schools. ... Richard W. B. Lewis (1917- June 13, 2002) was an American literary scholar and critic. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

External links

• Calhoun College, Yale
• The Beginning of Yale Residential Colleges