FAS Dean’s Office Holiday Celebrations and Raffle Winners

A snowy pathway leads into Branford College.
December 21, 2020

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

As the fall semester draws to a close, I write again with my gratitude and good wishes. While we were unable to gather in person to celebrate the season, I am delighted that we can join virtually in supporting our community.  

FAS Donation to Community Organizations

Thank you to the 364 of you who cast a vote in our holiday poll! As you know, this year we will be donating the funds ordinarily spent on the FAS Dean’s Office winter party to three New Haven-based organizations who do vital work to help our local community thrive. Based on your votes, we will be directing 51% of our donation to the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, 29% to IRIS: Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, and 20% to New Haven Reads. We are grateful to be able to support these extraordinary organizations. 

FAS Raffle Winners

In addition, as a personal gift to the FAS community, I am pleased to support a number of local small businesses through the purchase of gift certificates. These form the basis for this year’s FAS raffle, with winners below. If you are still shopping for holiday gifts, I hope you’ll consider supporting these or other local businesses that help make New Haven a vibrant community. 

Food and Drink

  • Drinks for two from New Haven’s very own Anchor Spa. Winner: Brian Scassellati, Professor of Computer Science
  • Ice cream treats from Arethusa Farm Dairy. Winners: Helen Caines, Professor of Physics; and Jody Sindelar Professor of Public Health and Economics
  • A one-month subscription to the Atticus Bookstore and Café bread club. Winner: Stephanie Lazzaro, Lecturer in Psychology
  • A book of your choice and steaming cup of coffee from Book Trader Café. Winner: Robyn Lisone, Senior Administrative Assistant in Astronomy
  • Home delivery of Haci’s Napoletana Pie from Brick Oven Pizza. Winner: Jay Gitlin, Senior Lecturer in History 
  • Delectable barbecue delivered to you from FISHERS Catering. Winner: Sara Dalrymple, Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts Development 
  • Decadent baklava or crispy falafel delivered to your door from Havenly Treats. Winner: Jianhua Shen, Senior Lector in East Asian Languages and Literatures  
  • Carefully crafted Indian cuisine from Lazeez Restaurant. Winner: Phil Bujalski, Manager, Financial Analysis, FAS Business Operations 
  • A healthy and delicious vegan Caribbean meal from Ninth Square Market Caribbean. Winner: Marta Wells, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 
  • Tasty Indian street food from Sherkaan Restaurant. Winner: Nick Bernardo, Research Development Technician, Mason Lab 
  • Coffee and a baked treat from Willoughby’s Coffee and Tea. Winner: Ann Minton, Chair’s Assistant/Senior Administrative Assistant, Anthropology 

Stores and activities

  • Shoe repair or shoe shine from Christhian Shoe repair. Winner: Edith Rotkopf, Financial Assistant and Senior Administrative Assistant, Lamar Center and Women Faculty Forum 
  • A personalized crepe-making class (by zoom) with the chef of Crepes Choupette. Winners: Marcia Inhorn, Professor of Anthropology; and Julie Sweigard, Director of Administrative Affairs, Yale College 
  • A hand-made gift from East Street Arts. Winner: Sybil Alexandrov, Senior Lector in Spanish and Portuguese 
  • A book to transport you from Grey Matter Books. Winner: Janice Zocher, Senior Administrative Assistant, FAS Business Operations
  • Art supplies from Hull’s Art Supply, for some indoor fun on cold winter days. Winner: Constance Sherak, Senior Lector, French 
  • A personalized class to teach you to knit something cozy at Knit New Haven. Winner: John Donatich, Director, Yale Press 
  • A gift to bring good cheer from Walker Loden Gift Shop. Winners: Nancy DaSilva, Neuroscience Program Coordinator, Department of Psychology; and Denise George, Senior Administrative Assistant, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology  
  • A chance to have your dog (or a dog of your choice!) take a test at Yale’s Canine Cognition Center. Winner: Andrew Nietzke, Associate Professor of Mathematics 

Signed books by FAS faculty

Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to all who participated.  

Warmest holiday wishes to you and your family, 

Tamar 

Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science
 

***
 

From: Dean Tamar Gendler
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2020 3:13 PM
Subject: FAS Dean’s Office Holiday Celebrations

[Summary: This message invites you to take part in the FAS Dean’s Office’s holiday celebrations. The FAS Dean will make a donation to local community organizations, and you are invited to vote for your favorite cause. All those who vote will be entered in a raffle for prizes including signed copies of prizewinning books by FAS faculty, and gift cards to support New Haven small businesses.]

Dear colleagues and friends,

The many celebrations that happen on campus each December are a highlight of my year. With in-person gatherings impossible, connecting with our community feels all the more urgent. I invite you to join the FAS Dean’s Office in celebrating virtually by giving back to our community.

This year, the FAS Dean will donate the funds that would ordinarily have been spent on the FAS Dean’s Office winter party to three New Haven-based organizations who do vital work to help our local community thrive. We’d like your input on how to share this gift: we invite you to vote and choose your favorite cause. Our donation will  be divided among the following three organizations based on the proportion of votes:

  • New Haven Reads: Increasing literacy through tutoring, educational family support, and a community book bank.
  • Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen: Serving people who are experiencing homelessness or living in poverty by providing food assistance and services that promote health, community, and equity.
  • IRIS: Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services: Helping refugees and other displaced people on the road to self-sufficiency by providing lifesaving support during their transition to life in the United States.

You can cast your vote online.

We are also delighted to host a holiday raffle with prizes that celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of our faculty and community. This year, anyone who votes in our donation poll will be entered to win a raffle prize. Prizes will include signed copies of prizewinning books by FAS faculty and gift cards for treats, experiences, and more from favorite New Haven-area small businesses that we are eager to support, including Crepes Choupette, Atticus Bookstore and Cafe, Anchor Spa, Book Trader Cafe, Hull’s Art Supply, Walker Loden, Christian Shoe Repair, and many others.

Voting will close at 12:00 PM on Friday, December 18, and we will announce the holiday raffle winners soon afterwards.

With warmest holiday wishes for you and your families,

Tamar

Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science