Dear parents and guardians of Yale College students,

With midterm approaching, President McInnis has just sent a mid-semester update to the Yale community, and I wrote this morning to students in Yale College. You can read President McInnis's message here; mine follows, below.

It was such a pleasure to see so many of you on campus last month during family weekend. And whether or not you were in New Haven then, many of you have stayed engaged with campus news and events through Yale News, the Yale Arts calendar, or social media.

Fall recess begins at the end of the day today, and classes resume on Monday, so students will have a few days to relax and unwind after these busy first weeks of the start of the academic year. As they do, I send you my best wishes from campus.

Sincerely,

Pericles Lewis 
Dean of Yale College 
Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature Professor of English

October 15, 2024

Dear students,

As we near midterm, I hope you are well into the swing of the academic year. Some of you will be visiting family over the October recess, others are staying on campus, and perhaps a few of you will take the opportunity to visit another part of the Northeast (or even Eastern Canada, which is only a six-hour drive!). Wherever you spend the recess, I hope you have a chance to relax and unwind.

Thank you to everyone who greets me (and my dog, Maggie!) on campus, sometimes even stopping for a selfie. More than ever, this campus feels like home to me, and I hope it also feels that way to you. While we all come from a variety of viewpoints—cultural, religious, or political—we have wonderful opportunities to learn together. One of the highlights of my term so far this year was meeting many of your parents and other family members last month during Family Weekend, which was capped by a fabulous Dance Showcase.

Dean’s Dialogues

Thank you to everyone who has turned out for the first two dean’s dialogues on issues in the coming election and on the forces contributing to polarization in our society. I hope many of you will be able to join me and political scientists Alan Gerber, Greg Huber, and Christine Kinane for a discussion of the election results (to the extent we know them) at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, in the President’s Room at the Schwarzman Center. In the meantime, remember to vote.

Athletics

We’ve had some beautiful autumn days, and I’ve enjoyed attending women’s and men’s soccer and football games. Please consider coming out to support your classmates. Learn more at https://yalebulldogs.com. You will often see Handsome Dan at the games—and our wonderful new President Maurie McInnis, who is a serious Bulldogs fan.

Registration

Remember that preference selection for some courses starts on October 30 and registration for next semester begins on Monday, November 18.

→ Here are other relevant dates

I had a visit from a Singaporean friend last week and was reminded of last month's Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. At this time of year, I like to reread the poetry of Tang dynasty poet Li Bo (also known as Li Po or Li Bai). Perhaps you will enjoy this short poem “Sitting Alone by Jingting Mountain,” translated by Stephen Owen:

The flocks of birds have flown high and away,
A solitary cloud goes off calmly alone.
We look at each other and never get bored—
Just me and Jingting Mountain.

Wishing you a restful October recess.

Sincerely,

Pericles Lewis 
Dean of Yale College 
Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature Professor of English

Pericles Lewis
→ Follow me on Instagram