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New York Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Bad Bunny (the College Course) Heads to the Ivy League
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga are among a handful of living pop artists who have amassed enough cultural clout to result in college classes being taught about them. At 31, the global superstar Bad Bunny is about to have (at least) his third, as Yale University plans to offer a course about him this fall. The Yale course, 'Bad Bunny: Musical Aesthetics and Politics,' was conceived by Albert Laguna, an associate professor of American studies and ethnicity, race and migration. The Yale Daily News was the first to report on the new course, saying that Professor Laguna was inspired to create the class by Bad Bunny's latest album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' which the artist has described as his 'most Puerto Rican album ever.' Bad Bunny was raised in the coastal town of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and has risen over the past decade to become a megastar of reggaeton and Latin trap, helping launch Spanish-language music into the contemporary pop mainstream. He has since netted three chart-topping Billboard albums, headlined at Coachella and become one of the most streamed artists in the world. But his new album, which was recorded in Puerto Rico, is a soulful ode to his roots and homeland, where he was born as Benito Martínez Ocasio. The Yale course intends to use the album to study the Puerto Rican diaspora, Caribbean politics and culture, colonialism and musical genres that Bad Bunny has experimented with, such as salsa, bomba and plena. In a phone interview, Professor Laguna described an experience with Bad Bunny's new album during a trip to New Orleans, which inspired him to design the class. 'I was walking around New Orleans listening to it, connecting with the Caribbean feel of the city in neighborhoods like the French Quarter, which can feel a bit like San Juan, and I just became struck by everything this album is doing,' Professor Laguna said. 'You have all these creative ways he's addressing Puerto Rico's colonial past and present in it and the current challenges the island faces. It's all over the album. And he's engaging these issues in music that's joyful.' The course, and its emphasis on a young Puerto Rican pop star, comes at a time when universities are under pressure from the Trump administration and conservatives to reshape themselves and to eliminate what could broadly be considered attempts at diversity, equity and inclusion. 'The intellectual right's perspective on classes like this is, they tend to pooh-pooh on them, seeing them as lacking rigor or even indoctrinating,' said Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, the author of 'Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America,' who cited previous criticism of courses on Ms. Swift. 'For the faculty teaching these classes, though, they take them dead seriously, as chances to view a topic through a critical lens.' 'The Ivies tend to make headlines,' Ms. Shepherd added. 'It can be easy to anticipate the Fox News headline banner, just because it's at the Ivies. But if it happened at a community college, it probably wouldn't even make a wave.' That response may come, but Professor Laguna believes the time is right to study Bad Bunny and the impact his music has already had on the world. 'I think we often mistakenly believe that to study culture we have to study the past, but that couldn't be more wrong,' he said. 'Bad Bunny is interesting for many reasons, and it's important for students to understand him in regards to the Puerto Rican diaspora, but he's also a global star, which isn't new. Music from the Hispanophone Caribbean has shaped the world before, and Bad Bunny is a link in a longer chain.' Professor Laguna said that the response to the course's announcement had been enthusiastic on Yale's campus. 'There are only 18 seats, and I've gotten notes from about a hundred students who want to get in,' he said. 'I've also gotten notes from Yale alums, some of them Puerto Rican, who appreciate we're doing this. There's really a hunger for this material.' Professor Laguna's course won't be the first of its kind. Wellesley College has offered a class taught by Petra Rivera-Rideau called 'Bad Bunny: Race, Gender, and Empire in Reggaetón.' And there has been one at Loyola Marymount University taught by Vanessa Díaz, titled 'Bad Bunny and Resistance in Puerto Rico.' Those professors launched an online resource, 'The Bad Bunny Syllabus,' dedicated to their scholarship of the artist and his cultural influence. A representative for Bad Bunny did not reply to a request for comment about the Yale class, but the artist was asked about the other courses during an appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' in 2023. 'Did you ever think you were going to be taught in a course at a school?' Mr. Fallon asked. 'That's a very crazy thing,' Bad Bunny said. 'I don't know, it feels weird. But I would love to take one of those classes.' 'You'd be really good,' Mr. Fallon replied. 'I think I would get an A,' Bad Bunny said. 'Totalmente.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pro-Israeli Students and Gaza Protesters Clash Verbally at Yale Encampment
Pro-Palestine demonstrators accusing Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza erected tents at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on Tuesday, April 22, one year after they first built an encampment on campus last April. Footage here posted by Sahar Tartak, a Jewish, pro-Israeli student at the university who considers accusations of genocide against Israel to be antisemitic, shows an interaction between himself and some of the protesters on campus, including one who repeatedly calls him 'scum.' 'After the students at Yale's encampment sat down, one encampment-goer shoves his camera in our face, but promises, 'don't worry, I don't want to touch that scum',' Tartak wrote on X. In the footage, a student can be heard saying 'Why are you scum? Because you're supporting scum.' According to the CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition and Yale Daily News, demonstrators were opposing the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's upcoming talk at Shabtai, a Jewish society based at Yale. Ben-Gvir, a far-right Jewish supremacist known for his support of violent settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, has repeatedly called for the severing of all humanitarian aid into Gaza, urged Israeli forces to shoot Palestinian women and children, and for Palestinians to be expelled from the enclave and replaced by Jewish Israelis. Protesters started gathering at Beinecke Plaza at about 6 pm, Yale Daily News reported, and the crowd had grown to more than 200 shortly before 9 pm. Organizers later announced, just before 11:30 pm, that the encampment would disband. Credit: Sahar Tartak via Storyful It's like an eye exam. It's very impressive. I have to. You might need your eyes checked. I'm not gonna lie. Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna I don't want to touch that scum. You're Jewish? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'd love if that was the case, wouldn't you? Why are we scum? What is that? Because you're supporting scum. Would you mind just like backing away from them I was actually told you that? I guess. Are you guys. Yeah, why are you taking a picture of her? Why are you taking a picture of her? Public space. I do. No No, no, I, I keep hearing why we're scum. Keep telling us why we're scum. You know why you scum then you're scum. I don't I? They're just like chill over here. I get you I get you I get you. Why are you thanking him? He's calling us scum and up in our face. You don't want that at your protest. And he's not a Yale student or affiliate, so why Who said I was a young student? Who said I was a I don't think we should be making assumptions. No one here is gonna tell you any information about themselves. Yeah. It's in my lunch care. You guys were doing, I'm standing.
Int'l Business Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Yale Students Stage Pro-Palestinian Protest Over Israeli Minister's Talk
On the evening of April 22, 2025, Yale University's Beinecke Plaza became the epicenter of a heated pro-Palestinian demonstration as approximately 200 students erected eight tents to protest an upcoming talk by Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, hosted by the Shabtai society near campus. The encampment, reported by WFSB and the Yale Daily News, aimed to pressure Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers tied to the Gaza conflict. By 11:30 p.m., the protesters dispersed, citing threats of "retribution" from university administrators, but their resolve to continue the fight remains unshaken. The protest began around 8 p.m., with students chanting slogans like "Free Palestine" and setting up what they called a "liberated zone." Organizers announced their intent to stay overnight, but the encampment lasted only a few hours before disbanding. "We're here, and we're staying the night," one organizer declared via megaphone, according to the Yale Daily News, before later urging students to rally again the next day. The swift dispersal followed warnings from Yale officials, though no arrests were reported, unlike previous protests that saw nearly 60 students detained. This was not Yale's first brush with pro-Palestinian activism. Since April 2024, students have repeatedly clashed with administrators over the university's $41.4 billion endowment, demanding transparency and divestment from companies linked to Israel's military actions in Gaza. A week earlier, 44 students were arrested after a three-day encampment on the same plaza. The recurring demonstrations reflect a broader wave of campus activism, with similar protests at Columbia, NYU, and MIT. The choice of Ben-Gvir, a controversial figure known for his ultranationalist views, as a speaker fueled outrage. Students, organized by groups like Yalies4Palestine, argued that hosting such a figure legitimizes policies they view as oppressive. "We're occupying this space to push Yale to disclose, divest, and reinvest in the New Haven community," an organizer stated, per the Yale Daily News. Community guidelines for the encampment emphasized Palestinian liberation and zero tolerance for discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. Yale's response has been measured but firm. A university spokesperson told the Yale Daily News that Yale and its police department have worked to minimize confrontations, but the administration has faced criticism for stifling free speech. Earlier this month, Yale rejected an offer to meet with protesters, prompting accusations of inaction. Meanwhile, Jewish student groups have raised concerns about antisemitic incidents tied to some protests, though organizers insist such acts are by "outside agitators," not representative of their movement. Hundreds of Yale students gathered at Beinecke Plaza to protest an upcoming talk by #Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the Shabtai society. Protesters set up tents and chanted calls for #Gaza divestment. — Fact Mirror (@fact_mirrorr) April 23, 2025 The protest's timing, just before Passover, added complexity. Rabbi Tuvia Brander of Young Israel West Hartford called for Jewish unity, while local police increased patrols for safety, per WFSB. Students like Brit Fleck, quoted in a prior WFSB report, emphasized the diverse coalition behind the protests, including students, healthcare workers, and union members united for Gaza. As Yale navigates these tensions, the broader question looms: Can universities balance free expression with campus safety? With students pledging to escalate their activism, Yale's response will likely shape the national conversation on protest and divestment. For now, Beinecke Plaza remains a battleground for ideas, with students determined to keep the spotlight on Palestine. Originally published on University Herald
Bloomberg
23-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Yale Signals That Private Equity May Have Peaked
As chief investment officer of Yale University for more than three decades, David Swensen redefined institutional investing. 'Because market players routinely overpay for liquidity,' he wrote in his seminal book, Pioneering Portfolio Management, 'serious investors benefit by avoiding overpriced liquid securities, and by embracing less liquid alternatives.' His conviction shaped Yale's strategy: By the time of his death in 2021, half the endowment was invested in illiquid investments, with private equity the largest component. Four years on, Yale is reportedly preparing to sell up to $6 billion in private equity holdings. ('The university is exploring a sale of private equity fund interests,' a university spokesperson told the Yale Daily News.) That represents almost 15% of the fund's $41.4 billion of assets, and around 30% of its private equity investments, based on data in Private Equity International 's 2024 rankings.
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Ivy League Admit Rates Increase For Class Of 2029 While Applications Generally Fall
The overall acceptance rates of many Ivy League universities widened for the Class of 2029 while application numbers generally declined. This reverses a trend of these selective schools receiving record-high numbers of applications, partnered with decreasing chances of getting admitted. Yale University accepted 4.59% of applicants, according to the student-run Yale Daily News newspaper, an uptick from the record-low 3.7% for the Class of 2028. Application numbers fell as well. The university received 50,227 applicants to become freshmen this fall, down from the 57,465 who applied in the last application cycle. Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science admitted 4.29% of applicants for the Class of 2029, according to the student-run Columbia Spectator newspaper. This is larger than the 3.86% admit rate for the Class of 2028. The number of applicants also declined with 59,616 students applying this admissions cycle, compared with 60,248 the year before. Brown University accepted 5.65% of students applying to become freshmen this fall, according to the student-run Brown Daily Herald newspaper. This compares with a 5.4% admit rate for the Class of 2028. In addition, the university received 42,765 applications, a significant drop from last year's 48,904. Dartmouth announced an admission rate of 6%, higher than the record-low 5.3% for the Class of 2028. In addition, the college received 28,230 applicants, lower than the record-high 31,657 the school got the year before. Cornell University announced that a total of 5,824 students had been accepted to the Class of 2029, which is 13.3% more than last year's 5,139 accepted students, according to the student-run Cornell Daily Sun newspaper. However, the school did not release the total number of applicants. Harvard University did not share Class of 2029 acceptance information, according to the student-run Harvard Crimson newspaper. The University of Pennsylvania disclosed it had received 72,000 applications, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian, up from last year's 65,000, but withheld more specific data. Information from Princeton University, at the time of writing, was similarly limited. These shifts highlight the evolving landscape of post-pandemic college admissions, shaped by the return of standardized testing, a projected decline in the youth population, and changing institutional priorities. Additionally, as concerns over the cost of a college degree grow, students are placing greater emphasis on gaining employability skills and securing a job after graduation when selecting schools. Other schools also recently disclosed their acceptance data, indicating mixed trends. According to the student-run Daily Trojan newspaper, USC expects an admit rate of around 10% for the Class of 2029, an increase from a record-low 9.2% for the previous class. The university's admit rates had remained in the mid-teens for the graduating classes of 2020 through 2026, before falling into the single digits for the first time with the Class of 2027, according to the newspaper. Meanwhile, MIT accepted 1,324 students out of an application pool of 29,282 students, or 4.52%. For the Class of 2028, the school accepted 4.55% of students from a total 28,232 applications. In contrast, Amherst College received a record-high 15,818 applications and accepted 7% of the total, a significantly lower rate than the 9% for the Class of 2028. The school also said that 25% of accepted students identify as the first in their family to attend a four-year college, which is also a record-high number. Early decision acceptance rates had risen at both Brown University and Williams College, two of the nation's top-ranked institutions, as application numbers declined. These shifts had suggested that the intense competition of recent years was starting to ease. For the Class of 2029, Brown accepted 18% of its early decision applicants, the highest rate in six years. Williams saw its early decision acceptance rate climb to 26.6%, up from a record-low 23.3% the previous year — the first increase since 2020. While applications to selective universities overall may be decreasing, it's possible interest in lower ranked schools that are less expensive could be rising as students seek value rather than prestige.
