Pre-College & Prospective Student Outreach
Not only does Yale’s AfAm House serve as a large network of support for our new students, we also welcome pre-college and prospective students to visit during their campus tours and admissions events so that they can get a glimpse of student life at the House and Yale. For information on any of these offerings, please read below or contact afamhousensop@gmail.com.
Campus Visits & House Tours
The House offers student panel discussions and center tours to pre-college and prospective student visitors on campus. To request a House tour, email afamhousensop@gmail.com. In case you can’t make it to campus, you’re also invited to view the House’s virtual tour and the Yale campus virtual tour (which also features the House!).
Be sure to check out the House’s social media (Instagram / Facebook) or our podcast to learn more about life at the House.
Prospective/Admitted Student Events
In addition to these tours, the House and our resident student organizations host about a dozen events for prospective and admitted students during Multicultural Open House and Bulldog Days, which the Office of Undergraduate Admissions coordinates over multiple days, to give prospective and admitted students a chance to experience life at the House and Yale.
New Student Programming & Support
The House coordinates events specifically for new undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the beginning of the academic year to welcome them to and get them connected with our community. We also offer mentoring through Yale College’s Peer Liaison Program.
Events
The House/YBAA Summer Send-off Receptions: Held in a few cities across the U.S. each summer, the House and the Yale Black Alumni Association (YBAA) coordinate send-off receptions for our incoming students and their loved ones to introduce them early to the spirit of the House, our resources, and our alumni community even before they leave home for campus.
“Black &…” First-Year Mixers: In addition to the events offered by the House’s resident groups for particular student communities, the House also coordinates affinity group receptions for newcomers to learn about related resources at the House and across campus, to network, and to build community. During the first month of the new year, the House offers these fun receptions for our international students, LGBTQIA+ students, student-athletes, multiracial and transracially adopted students graduate and professional students, and faculty and administrators/staff.
First Years Retreat: The House coordinates an off-campus retreat for its First Year college students to help foster long-lasting relationships, to provide a space to have open dialogue about the way Blackness across the Diaspora shows up in one’s college experience at Yale, and to familiarize participants with key resources on campus and local community that will support their growth and success.
Family & Friends Weekend: Every October, our students and their visiting families/friends are invited to an Open House at the Afro-American Cultural Center with staff and student leaders. Attendees are welcome to attend an informal reception and House tour to learn about our history as the oldest and largest Black cultural center in the Ivy League. Throughout this weekend, some of the House’s resident groups, like Shades of Yale and Yale Gospel Choir, hold their signature events. All are welcome!
Peer Liaison Program
Peer Liaisons (PLs) are upper-level students who help mentor and connect First Year students to the wealth of support and programming initiatives based in the Afro-American Cultural Center, the Asian American Cultural Center, La Casa: Latino Cultural Center, the Native American Cultural Center, the Office of International Students and Scholars, the Office of LGBTQ Resources, the University Chaplain’s Office; across the University; and New Haven.
In addition to holding individual mentoring sessions and “family” activities to help facilitate their mentees’ smooth transition to college, the House’s PLs work together coordinate events for our first-year students based around academic success and cultural/social engagement. Events include a semesterly blue-booking (course selection) party, mall trip for winter gear, movie nights, roller-skating parties, city outings, and tons more!