Introduction
The Interest Behind Yale
[Image 1: Yale's Outline, Vector]
As one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the United States, Yale University has long captured people’s curiosity.
[Collage 1: Yale's Presence in Media, Interactive]
Image A: New York Times (1900s Article)—"From the largest, oldest newspapers of the United States..."Image B: NBC News (Image of Al Gohr vs. Bush)—"...to news stations!"Image C: The Beijing News (Article)—"And, not limited by geography..."Image D: YouTube "73 Questions with a Yale Student" (2020)—"...or medium, too!"
Causing many to ask: What happens behind those Ivory Towers?
[Collage 2: Yale Students on Campus, Interactive]
Image A: Students working in SterlingImage B: Musicians performing in PragueImage C: Students walking and playing outside of Old Campus
Yet, to answer what happens at Yale, one must first find out where, first?
The Where of Yale
[Map 1: United States Outline, Vector]
[Map 2: United States Outline + Point, Vector]
The dot here represents the location of Yale University
[Map 3: Yale Campus, Vector]
…with this being the campus of Yale, at least according to the webpage…
[Map 4: Yale Campus + Gym, Vector]
with the gym…
[Map 5: Yale Campus + Bass, Vector]
one of the most popular libraries…
[Map 6: Yale Campus + Residential College, Vector]
and all the residential colleges.
Yet, this is Your Yale!
[Image 2: The "It's Your Yale" Webpage, Raster]
…of tourists and students.
The Actual “Where” of Yale
The campus does not live in an abyss.
[Image 3: Blank Space, Raster]
It lives within a small city in Connecticut, New Haven.
[Map 7: New Haven, Vector]
The Other View of Yale
And, the experience of Yale can be very different from those who are not tourists or students…
[Image 4: Yale's Cross Campus, Raster]
…which its story can be explained through the campus’s blue lights—these seemingly simple objects.
Blue Lights
The Description of Blue LIghts
[Map 8: New Haven + Blue Lights, Vector]
Scattered throughout the campus are over 500 blue lights.
They look a little like this…
[Diagram 1: Yale Blue Lights Diagram, Interactive]
Image A: Full Blue LightImage B: Full Blue Light + Help—"There is the red emergency button, allowing you to call YPD (Yale Police Department)"Image C: Full Blue Light + Light—"There is also the visible light, helping students and others find it in the dark"
The Measures of Safety
They speak on the issue of safety, just like the:
[Collage 4: Yale Safety Collage, Interactive]
Image A: Yale Public Safety Advisory Emails—"Emails"Image B: Yale Alert—"Text Messages"Image C: Yale Public Safety Security Car—"Patrol"
Or even…
[Image 5: Yale's Police Union Flyer (2023), Raster]
…like the time the Yale’s Police Union gave out the flyer, warning students from the “dangers” of the city
[Image 6: Yale Daily News Safety (1900s), Raster]
The conversation between safety from New Haven has stood the test of time, especially for Yale
But one event, in particular, further fueled this sense of fear on campus, eventually leading to the blue lights we see today
[Map 8: New Haven + Blue Lights, Vector]
[Image 3: Blank Space, Raster]
Fear from New Haven
The Background of Christian Haley Prince
[Image 7: Christain Prince Picture, Raster]
Christian Haley Prince was a sophomore at Yale College and was a member of the the Class of 1993.
[Image 8: Chevy Chase, Maryland, Raster]
Born and raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland, he grew up as a passionate Washington Redskins fan, a natural explorer of the environment, and an avid lacrosse player.
[Image 9: Family Photo, Raster]
Besides playing for the university, he came from a long line of Yalies, from his great grandfather to his siblings
The Tragedy
On February 17, 1991, however, one of Yale’s saddest moments occurred.
After a late-night dinner at Mory’s, he went to…
[Map 9: Yale Campus + Mory's, Vector]
Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall to enjoy a party from one of the senior secret society’s, Aurelian Honor Society.
[Map 10: Yale Campus + Aurelian Society, Vector]
After a long night, Christian and his friends decided to split up.
[Image 10: Blank Space, Raster]
The following morning, he was found stabbed and on the stairway of St. Mary’s Church New Haven
[Map 11: Yale Campus + St's Mary's Church, Vector]
The Repercussions
The campus and the country—as a whole—was in chaos…
[Image 11: New York Time's Article, Raster]
Thousands of people in Washington D.C. attended his funeral…
[Image 12: Funeral Photo, Raster]
…with many mourning his lost on campus, too.
Yale was affected significantly too…
For the following couple of years, admissions dropped dramatically, viewing
[Graph 1: Admission Rates YoY After Event, Vectoe]
…from on campus, as well.
Many were trying to find the culprit of the murder—which they believed was James (Duncan) Flemming”
[Image 13: New York Times Article (1991), Raster]
Fear from Yale
The Background of James (Duncan) Flemming
[Image 14: James (Duncan) Flemming, Raster]
James (Duncan) Flemming was a high school student at New Haven Cooperative and 16 years old at the time.
[Map 12: Yale Campus + New Haven Cooperative, Vector]
More personal information is needed on his background as a person—little is available online. For the future, please read Dead Opposite, which may have more information: https://schoolcat.fivesystems.org/node/307356
The Tragedy
[Map 11: Yale Campus + St's Mary's Church, Vector]
On the same night, as his murder, a testifier witnessed him shooting Christian Prince at point-blank range.
[Image 15: Yale Daily News Article (1991), Raster]
Afterwards, he would be arrested and tried for murder.
However, a year later afterward, the testifier gave a completely different account, stating he was no where near the scene of the crime.
[Image 16: New York Times (1991), Raster]
Regardless, he still served nine years in prison for conspiracy of robbery.
The Repercussions
[Map 8: New Haven + Blue Lights, Vector]
The lights flickering provide us a stark reminder of the positionality between New Haven and Yale
After the murder of Christian Prince, Yale faculty members began investing significantly in safety.
The following year, all of the blue lights were added
[Image 17: Blue Lights, Vector]
Surveillance continues too…
[Image 17: Blue Lights on Car Vehicles, Vector]
[Map 10: Tracking of Patrol Path, Vector]
Today in Age
Nationwide, the number of blue light and other similar security systems have increased significantly, from four (prior to Yale) to about [insert number].
[Graph 2: Summation over Years, Interactive]
Regardless, the ways we envision place and set boundaries—the where—help determine how we experience place.
[Image 4: Yale's Cross Campus, Raster]
Yet, we ought to remember the boundaries and ideas we set of place are always situated in larger contexts—those that we may not think of at first.
Need to brainstorm a better closing statement, as well!
Credits
- The HTML was made possible through the R Markdown package, prettydoc, using the Architect theme, and RStudio