Vocabulary Lessons

Every community has its own jargon, words that serve as shorthand for commonly discussed ideas, places, etc. But as with any jargon, it takes some time getting used to, and can be very confusing at first. By now, you should realize there are a lot of specific terms thrown about: Refectory, GPSCY, Divvies, Marquand, BTFO. To give y'all a leg up, here are some key words or phrases that you'll hear said a lot around the Divinity School that we haven't really touched upon already.

Do read this carefully, there will be quiz.

SDQ

the Quad/SDQ — the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle, the buildings and lawn that comprise Yale Divinity School. The Quad doesn't just refer to the green space in between the buildings, but the whole complex. You can see this in YDS's newsletter, "Around the Quad."

the Hill — specifically, Prospect Hill. The div school is in many ways a "city on a hill." It is designed after Thomas Jefferson's "academical village" at the University of Virginia, and is one of the highest points in the city. You can  see the steeple on Marquand Chapel throughout East Rock and parts of New Haven, even from Lighthouse Point across the New Haven Harbor and from several look-out points on Sleeping Giant. Further down the hill, towards the rest of campus, lie the Kline Biology Tower, physics and chemistry labs, and the School of Forestry and Environmental Science (FES)—leading to the area also being known as "Science Hill."

Downtown — the part of Yale's campus down the Hill from the div school, particularly in the actual downtown area of New Haven, where Yale College and the Hall of Graduate Studies are, but often Divvies will sometimes use the term to refer to anything other than the div school. This is most often used in conjunction with the idea of "taking a class downtown," specifically classes through the Graduate School, perhaps in the Departments of Religion or Sociology. Sometimes courses taken at the Schools of Management, Drama, or Forestry will be referred to as "downtown" classes as well, which can be confusing since their buildings are not located in the geographical downtown of New Haven. Other schools do not use this terminology, so expect some blanks stares if you use it with students from other parts of the university.

the Candy Bowl — if you are reading this blog, you have already encountered this term. The Candy Bowl sits at the end of the cluster of offices on the north wing of the Quad right past Niebuhr Hall (this will mean nothing to you until you're here). What's important about the Candy Bowl, other than that it is full of candy for when you need it, is that it sits outside of Dale Peterson's office, and is surrounded by the offices of other important student support staff (i.e. Julie Kelsey, Lisa Huck, Doreen Generoso, and their assistants).

PWG, the "cathedral of sweat"

PWG — Payne Whitney Gymnasium, or the "Cathedral of Sweat." Yes, that huge neo-Gothic cathedral-looking building is a gym. In fact, it is the second largest gymnasium in the world, after the Olympic Gym in Moscow. PWG is a somewhat confusing building to navigate, especially with all of its half-floors that allowed it to get around building codes that limited the height of buildings in New Haven.

CPE — Clinical Pastoral Education; this is a requirement in a great many denominations for ordination. This is either a summer- or year-long program that places divinity school and seminary students in hospitals as chaplains. The program is known for its intensity and the ways it challenges and develops those who go through it. Many 2nd and 3rd year students will often speak about how things have changed, "since I went through CPE."

Dale Mail — the all-school listserv, moderated by Dale Peterson. Lots of things go out over Dale Mail, from important official announcements, to advertisements about free furniture, to reports of lost sunglasses. You can expect on average 10-15 Dale Mails a day, leading some people to opt for a daily digest instead of receiving each email separately. If you want to know when free food pops up across campus, you should keep a sharp eye on Dale Mail in the afternoons.

ISM — the Institute of Sacred Music, one of our "partners on the Quad." The ISM is a joint venture of the Divinity School and the School of Music, which provides an opportunity for emphasis on the religion and arts in curriculum and community life. ISM students themselves are a mix of students from the div school and the School of Music, but courses offered by the ISM are open to all. The ISM also provides much of the support behind Marquand Chapel services, as well as offering artist receptions, talks, and concerts throughout the year.

SML/Sterling — the Sterling Memorial Library, Yale's main library. Lots of people use "Sterling," but the Sterling family have been Yale's largest donors through time, so there are approximately 8 billion things on campus with "Sterling" in the name, which can get confusing. You will often find SML listed on Orbis, the library's card catalog.

Berkeley, or BDS — Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Berkeley is an Episcopal seminary attached to YDS. The exact divisions are somewhat difficult to discern, as all Berkeley faculty are YDS faculty, and all Berkeley students are YDS students. Berkeley offers formation for students seeking ordination in the Episcopal/Anglican traditions, as well as programs available to all, including a weekly community Eucharist and dinner on Wednesday nights, Morning Prayer every morning, and the Annand Program for spiritual direction. Berkeley is also the name of one of the undergraduate residential colleges.

the Whale — known by many names other than the Whale (Esther thinks it looks like a Viking helmet, which is probably the closest to reality, given that a Swedish dude designed it), the Ingalls Rink is home to Yale Ice Hockey (who have had amazing seasons recently), but also is the location of the food carts closest to the div school. This location is often just called "the Carts," which adds to the confusion.


Have you heard us toss around a phrase or two that you don't understand? Let us know, and we'll make an addition!