Campus clips

The sticker price of a Yale College education will top $50,000 next year, for the first time. The university announced in February that the 2011–12 term bill—including tuition, room, and board—will be $52,700, up 5.8 percent from this year. But 57 percent of students will get financial aid awards, averaging $36,000.

A group of volunteer docents at the Yale University Art Gallery were upset to learn in November that they were being let go. The gallery is eliminating the docents and expanding a program in which undergraduate and graduate students train as gallery guides. The 17 docents, some of whom have been volunteering for 25 years, complained to the New Haven Register that the situation was poorly handled.

A record 27,230 candidates applied to Yale College this year, a 5 percent rise over last year. The other Ivy schools also saw increases in applications of up to 15 percent. The Graduate School had 10,774 applications, an increase of 3 percent over last year.

“Food desert” no more: downtown New Haven and the Yale campus have been without a supermarket for a year, since the Shaw's market on Whalley Avenue closed, but that's changing. The Stop & Shop chain announced in February that it will open a store in the Shaw's location sometime this spring. And Elm City Market, a member-owned co-op specializing in natural and organic foods, will open soon in the new 360 State apartment building at Chapel and State streets.

Making it from labor day to Thanksgiving will be a little easier for undergrads (and their teachers) starting in 2012–13. The Yale College calendar has been rearranged to permit a five-day fall break (three weekdays plus a weekend) in mid-October, while still retaining a week-long Thanksgiving break. Reading and finals periods will be trimmed to make time for the new break.