Campus clips

Although Yale and Peru reached a tentative compromise in September over the fate of Yale’s collection of artifacts from Machu Picchu (see Light & Verity, November/ December), the Peruvians may be encountering some opposition at home. The final agreement had been expected by mid-November, but, as of mid-December, the parties had twice extended the deadline. Yale officials say they still expect to reach a settlement in accordance with September’s memorandum of understanding.

Yale’s police department has many of the same powers as the New Haven police—including arrest powers and citywide jurisdiction. But is it equally accountable to the public? A state public defender has filed aFreedom of Information Act request seeking personnel records of two Yale officers who arrested her client in May. The university is fighting the request, arguing that the Yale force is a private law enforcement agency not subject to FOIA. The state’s Freedom of Information Commission was expected to issue a ruling in January.

The new cancer center at Yale–New Haven Hospital will be named for former Playtex CEO Joel Smilow '54, who has made a major gift toward its construction. The amount of the gift was not disclosed, but officials said it was the largest in the hospital’s history. The $467 million Smilow Cancer Hospital, which is scheduled for completion in 2009, is a joint project of the hospital and the Yale School of Medicine.

Racism and hate were fraught topics on campus after the words "nigger school" and "drama fags" were found spray-painted on campus walls late last fall and students wore Halloween costumes incorporating blackface. Students organized a "Rally Against Hate" in the Woolsey Hall rotunda, and administrators launched a series of faculty panel discussions, open to all, examining the history and psychology of hate.