Anyone know how safe Old Campus housing is?
Considered getting my son a small lockbox for valuables but is that even necessary?..
Another mom asked if my son had a lock for his laptop…the kind you attach to the laptop and desk. We use those at the school where I work but I would assume as long as suite mates are good about locking doors it should be fine…
We got a cheap plastic trunk from Walmart that could be locked with a padlock. It continues to be good for packing in general. But it is also a good place to keep meds, passport, etc.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-92-Qt-Footlocker-Set-of-2/16415912
A lot of the suites leave the doors to the suite unlocked, but lock the bedroom doors. They are not supposed to, but that happens. A key card is needed to enter the stairwell leading to the suite.
I have not heard of anything going missing from the dorms. DS did have a bike stolen from outside the dorm, but I would be surprised if it was by a student.
One word of advice. Your child should get a fracket (fraternity + jacket) for the winter. My son had his only winter coat stolen at a party. If you can find a cheap/serviceable coat at Goodwill/ARC, I would highly recommend it.
@momofmusician17 , not intending to be gross, but a characteristic of a fracket is that it be easy to clean, or inexpensive enough that it can be discarded if it becomes, uh, unsuitable.
Fwiw, your son might not have had his winter coat intentionally stolen, but it might have been taken by someone whose mental agility was impaired for a few hours.
The good news, imo, is that most kids get over the frat thing pretty quickly. It is good advice to inexperienced students to bring nothing to a frat party that matters to them.
@momofmusician17
Wow…a "fracket "…whole new vocabulary! Great advice…will certainly share with my kid.
When I’ve been sharing the advice gleaned from this thread with him he commented, “has anyone mentioned Camp Yale?”…
I said no…but for those of you who have not heard of it…get ready…apparently it is the fun hook-up period that exists before classes official begin…oh joy :-0
@Tonymom - most suites are like train stations - students walking back and forth between the fire doors all the time (they do not lock of course). Most students will leave valuables in their room, which they can lock while they are gone.I bought my D a lock box before freshman year. It has not been opened. But she did lock the door to her individual room while she was out.
In the libraries, one needs to exercise normal caution. Yale is still the real world and people do steal. Yale is as safe as anywhere is these days, probably more than most. Between Yale police and Yale security (who provide late night escorts from the library and lock out service), unless students decide to wander through New Haven unaccompanied in the middle of the night, they should be okay.
Yale does have a party atmosphere and maybe a “hook up” reputation. But there are plenty of students who don’t drink, hook up, indulge in drugs, etc. yet have a fantastic time while on campus. The wonderful thing about Yale is that most students find their tribe and settle in after awhile. There is generally no pressure to pull kids one way or the other.
Camp Yale is the period after the dorms open and before classes start. Not so for freshmen who are busy with orientation and getting settled in. Sophomores usually come back because it is their first time experiencing that week. I know this year my D is going back to school at the very last minute before classes start. She stated that hanging out on campus for a week without classes, dining hall, suitemates or activities has lost its luster.
@Tperry1982 Same here with a slight twist. Showing up the first day the dorms open to upperclassmen to drop off the “shared” suite property (futon, rugs, refrigerator, microwave, etc.) we stored over the summer so that S’s suite mates will be comfortable whenever they show up. Then, heading back home until Monday when S will really move in.
@tonymom S was in Vandy last year. No issues, kids typically use a hanger on the doorknob to keep the suite doors open. Suite common room would often have 4 macbook pros sitting out on the desks with the suite door open. Nothing ever went missing. One suggestion for move in: directly across from Vandy on Chapel sits Arethusa Farm Dairy. Huge scoops of home made inexpensive, delicious ice cream served in fresh made waffle cones. Don’t miss it on a hot August day.
@tdy123 - good idea for those that are close. We use Dorm Room Movers and they are delivering on August 26th. We will be on vacation, but a suitemate will be there to receive the boxes. We return on Saturday, August 27th so she’ll probably go back to school that Monday since she will need at least one day home to pack since she’s been out the country ALL summer.
“mental agility was impaired for a few hours.”
Sorry, I just LOVED that 
So, what are the party days at Yale? I am hearing that at many schools it is Wednesday and Saturday? I do not get Wednesday…enlighten me please…
Are there any electric kettles that are banned ?
I don’t think there are specific “party days” at Yale. Again, it will depend upon the friend group that your child develops. There is something going on at Yale everyday (and night) of the week. And there doesn’t have to be a formal party. The common areas in the suites can be very social places. Also, there is usually a suite designated the “party suite” in the the residential colleges and those upperclassmen that choose to live in it agree to throw parties that are subsidized by the residential college. Sometimes I don’t know how my child finds the time for it and she is neither a party person or a drinker.
One thing we can tell you. Once your child gets to school, knowing their movements will become very limited. I have a very good relationship with my D so we text daily, but even then I don’t know, or want to know, every detail of her social schedule.
I don’t think it’s common, but every year laptops do get stolen from open dorm rooms, especially early on in the semester, if the Yale Daily News is correct. I don’t think a lock box is necessary, but locking the bedroom door if the laptop is inside just seems sensible, especially if your kid (like mine) bought his/her laptop and can’t easily replace it.
My kid has a full size electric kettle. I couldn’t find any rules banning them.
I strongly recommend dorm insurance. $130/year was our premium.
@tonymom asked about a laptop lock which secures the laptop to the desk. I don’t think it would be very useful, knowing my own kiddo’s laptop habits. She simply locks her door. Can other parents chime in here? Have your kids used this sort of laptop cable/lock?
My daughter’s study position was on a bed or a couch with the laptop. I don’t think such a lock would be of much help.
I think the lock is/was called a Kensington lock. DS was in a double, and iirc, the door was rarely locked. The idea would be to lock up the laptop when not in use, and then use it without being tethered (on a bed, in a beanbag, in the library, etc). I am not sure that modern laptops are Kensington capable (they have a notch in the body that the lock attaches to).
Insurance is to cover the expense of a rare event. I think laptop theft is a rare event at Yale, and so is dropping it, spilling water on it, etc. I took the view that $130 covered the laptop, the phone, etc, and was a bargain (it was used for a lost phone).
@tonymom - Old campus was pretty secure. Kids did walk through each other’s suites but my daughter always had her door locked if she wasn’t there. We did give her a small fireproof safe but she never used it. She always had her laptop on her when she left the room so that was never an issue either.
I do like the idea of the insurance. I will look into that myself.
As for a “fracket” we bought her a winter coat from a consignment shop for this reason. Granted its a good one, but if it goes missing it wont hurt as badly. She also has a pair of shoes that she calls her “Toad’s shoes” because at all of those kind of events there is something nasty to step in. My kid is not a party kind of girl but she is social so she goes to them and tends to walk everyone home safely. There are plenty of other kids that do the same so even if your kid is going out, they may just be going simply to be social and included.
Re: Camp Yale. Its definitely a time when boys try to score and girls let loose. I wont lie. There are lots of stories I heard those first few weeks. On a positive note, it doesn’t last and it gets old really fast. It is not just a Yale thing. All of her other friends said the same thing about their various colleges. I think its just that its the kids first time without restrictions. I would not let it bother you so much because not everyone does it and it is a lot of how they learn who they do or don’t want to be while there. I do suggest keeping an open mind and communication flowing between the two of you. It made it easier for me to hear it because I was able to hear her reasons why she did or didn’t participate in events (i.e she dropped out of rushing the greek life and that seemed odd to me until I heard her honest reasons why). It also allowed her to call me for advice when she did get her first ever hangover. 