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Subsections

5.1 The McDougal Graduate Student Center

Much of graduate student life is based in the various departments and in dormitories or apartment complexes. The new McDougal Center is a place where graduate students from across the campus regularly meet and share interests. It is located in the Hall of Graduate Studies (HGS), 320 York Street (432-8273, mcdougal.center@yale.edu, http://www.yale.edu/mcdougal.

Mission

A generous gift from Mr. Alfred McDougal, a Yale alumnus, and his wife, Ms. Nancy Lauter, enabled Yale in 1997 to create the McDougal Graduate Student Center. The McDougal Center provides space and program funding for building intellectual, cultural, and social life, and for facilitating professional development activities across the departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The McDougal Center warmly welcomes the participation of students from other Yale Graduate and Professional Schools, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, staff, alumni/ae of the Graduate School, and members of the larger Yale community. Its web site (http://www.yale.edu/mcdougal) provides all kinds of information relating to graduate student life. The Center provides members of the graduate student community with a place of their own on campus.

Facilities

The facilities of the McDougal Center enhance student life in many ways. The magnificently restored Common Room has been transformed into a lounge with comfortable furnishings, internet ports, newspapers and magazines, and a student-run cafe serving coffee and light food throughout the day. In an adjacent wing on the first floor of HGS the Center has a large multi-purpose Program Room (HGS 119) with a portable stage, seating for up to 100, and advanced video and sound projection equipment. The Program Room provides space for lectures, conferences, performances, film series, workshops and other events by and for students. The Center also has smaller conference and meeting rooms. Graduate student groups and departments may request to reserve space by contacting the center office at 432-8273, stopping by HGS 123, or filling out a request on line at www.yale.edu/mcdougal/rooms.htm. There is a public computer cluster supported by Academic Computing Services, a public copy machine, a public phone, bulletin boards and information kiosks as well. The lower floor also offers offices for the Assembly of Graduate Students, graduate student organizations, rooms for Teaching Fellows to meet with students, lockers for graduate student use and vending machines. The McDougal Center is open days, evenings, and weekends.

Student Life Programs

The Center offers a variety of activities open to the Graduate and Professional community. These include weekly movies on the Really Big Screen, coffeehouse musical evenings, happy hours, poetry readings, student research presentations, health and wellness workshops, teas with campus and community figures, and service opportunities such as blood drives. It hosts activities organized by student groups and departments, including cultural festivals, movies, lectures, receptions, and conferences. Activities are publicized in campus publications, in McDougal Notes calendar, on the web site, and via email lists. Find out what's going on at your Center today! Lisa Brandes, Director, 123 HGS, 432-8273.

Graduate Career Services (GCS)

Graduate Career Services was established to guide and educate graduate students about academic and non-academic career opportunities and job search strategies. The office offers programs such as professional career development workshops, seminars, resume/CV reviews, individual counseling, on campus interviews, dossier service and current job listings. 123 HGS, 432-8850, www.yale.edu/gcs.

The Office of Teaching Fellow Preparation and Development

The mission of the Teaching Fellow Preparation and Development Program to help improve the teaching skills of Yale graduate students and to contribute to their professional development as teachers. Dr. Rando directs the teacher preparation programs within the McDougal Graduate Student Center, and also works with faculty and graduate students to enhance teacher preparation programs in departments. He advises the Working at Teaching program (www.yale.edu/wat). WAT offers peer-led training workshops for beginning and advanced teaching fellows each semester, promotes dialogue in the Yale community about all aspects of pedagogy through forums and lectures, and supports teaching fellows by publishing a handbook, maintaining a resource office, and conducting classroom consultations. Bill Rando, Director, 123 HGS, 432-7377.

Resource Library for Fellowships, Careers, and Teaching

This is a self-service reference library intended to assist Yale graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in finding fellowships, pre-dissertation, dissertation, travel and research funding. Teacher training and career services books are being added. It contains a physical site (Room B44) of grant and funding books, announcements, and files on programs and topics, and a virtual site of links, announcements and searchable databases. For room access, check out the key from the Center office, Room 123 HGS, or ask the night program attendant on duty to let you in. Handouts and the web can explain to you how to use the materials, but the actual research is up to you. B44 HGS, McDougal Center, www.yale.edu/mcdougal/resource.htm.
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Next: 5.2 New Haven Up: 5. Graduate Student Life Previous: 5. Graduate Student Life Drew McDermott
2000-01-18