 | The first thing Betty Trachtenberg says she will do after retiring as dean of student affairs is to take off her watch. |
When Betty Trachtenberg, dean of student affairs and associate dean of Yale College, announced in the fall that she would retire at the end of this academic year after two decades in her post, messages began flooding her e-mail inbox.
They came from Yale colleagues, faculty and administrators at other schools, alumni and current Yale students, and they were all complimentary. Many asked how Yale would survive without Trachtenberg and called her departure "the end of an era." Others hailed her for being a role model and advocate for students. Still others praised the qualities the dean brought to her job, including "candor," "equanimity," "spunk," "progressive thinking," "dedication," "grand humor," "evenhandedness" and "unflappability," among others.
Announcing Trachtenberg's retirement last November, Yale College Dean Peter Salovey attempted to describe -- but acknowledged it was "impossible in a single message" to do so -- her myriad responsibilities as dean of student affairs. These ranged, he said, from the condition of the plumbing on Old Campus to safety and security, to oversight of all undergraduate student organizations (there are more than 300), to disciplinary, mediation and grievance procedures, including sexual harassment issues. She also had responsibility for the Women's Center and the cultural centers for students of color.
A native of Philadelphia, Trachtenberg came to New Haven in 1969 when her husband, Alan Trachtenberg, began his long career as a teacher in Yale's English and American studies departments. She joined the Yale administration in 1974, with responsibility for admitting non-Yale students to the University's summer term. Her career at Yale has included service as associate director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; the first director of admissions for what is now the Eli Whitney Students Program for students of non-traditional age or background; and director of freshman affairs. In 1987, Trachtenberg was appointed as dean of student affairs when her predecessor, J. Lloyd Suttle, moved to the Provost's Office.
Trachtenberg's career has taken her through the early years of campus co-education to Yale's prominence as an increasingly international university.
A celebration was held last month in Trachtenberg's honor, which her colleagues lightheartedly called "Betty T from A to Z." While genuinely surprised by all the attention her retirement has inspired, Trachtenberg recently agreed to an interview with the Yale Bulletin & Calendar. An edited version of it follows.
I was a pianist and had, in fact, taught piano at a music school in Philadelphia. Later, I and another piano teacher started a music school when my husband went to Penn State University for his first teaching job. We shared the directorship of the music school because both of us had very young children.
I guess being the director of the music school -- hammering out all of the administrative problems -- whetted my appetite for administration. Later, when my husband came to Yale, a person we knew who was working for Kingman Brewster mentioned the job admitting non-Yale students to the summer term. From there I attribute a lot of my career moves as a Yale administrator to being in the right place at the right time.
No -- absolutely no! I had some idea what my predecessor Lloyd Suttle did because we were both working in the Dean's Office. I learned a lot from Lloyd. I read every single word he had written in his job as dean of student affairs, and I'm deeply grateful to him. When I was first in this job, I thought I was on some other planet, and I was always calling Lloyd for help. But I started to learn what the job was about, what it should be about, and what my own interests were.
I had already worked with freshman issues as director of freshman affairs, so that part of the job was easier for me. Little by little, I took on other projects as people came into the office and left. There's a lot of fluidity in the dean's office here; we take on projects for which we have special interest. In this manner, over time, my responsibilities just expanded.
I don't really do anything unilaterally. I collaborate with other deans in this office and with Yale lawyers and police, the Secretary's Office and other offices and departments.
Of course, my days are completely filled. But I don't want to seem a hero. Other people here work long days and have days that are also utterly filled. The thing that makes this job fascinating for me is that I do so many things. I could be on the phone with a parent, or with a student who wants to start an organization, or with someone who wants me to stretch the rules. One day can involve so many different things. It doesn't get stale, it doesn't get boring, and it continually keeps me on my toes. It keeps me from ever taking anything for granted.
Always when someone new comes into a job, they bring his or her own interests. They bring new ideas. The one quality I think you absolutely need is a deeply abiding concern for undergraduate student life.
I think it's apt. I deal with issues of sexual harassment and assault and with matters related to alcohol and drugs. And the "rock 'n' roll" refers to my involvement with undergraduate organizations -- although student musical life here is much more diverse than that, including classical, jazz and other genres.
The growth in the number of student organizations has been remarkable. We all talk about the competitiveness of students applying to Ivy League colleges, and -- whatever that means in terms of the world that we live in -- what we see for sure when the kids we admit come here is that many of them are leaders. They want to lead, so they start their own organizations.
When I started this job 20 years ago, we had about 100 student organizations. It has steadily grown. Our students come from all over the world with varying experiences and expectations, but they are all enterprising and committed, and they take on leadership roles.
The face of the study body has changed a lot. If you look at the statistics of the people who have come here over the past 20 years, it's a very dramatic change. We see this even in relation to subgroups: If you look at the Asian-American Student Association, for example, the number of groups affiliated include students from Samoa, the Philippines, Malaysia and Pakistan, to name just some. So we not only have increasing numbers of students of color, but an increasing number from places all over the world.
Trying to change the culture of some of the student organizations on campus. For instance, we have a traditional Tap Night for the singing groups, when they select their new members. Tap Night used to start at midnight. Over the course of several years, Tap Night became more and more dangerous to the students who were doing the tapping and for the freshmen who were being tapped. Students would bring water guns and they would wet the stairs, and then singers would run up those same stairs to tap the freshmen singers being admitted into their groups. The wet stairs caused accidents, and some students were taken to the hospital.
Eventually, in consultation with the student singers, we changed the time of Tap Night to 10 p.m., just two hours earlier. Some students didn't like the new time, but I had a lot of support from others. The new schedule cut out a lot of the hurly-burly of Tap Night and made it less dangerous. But there was a lot of convincing to be done due to the resistance of some students.
Kids brought the Super Soakers to Tap Night, and I went around taking them away. I got in trouble with the students, but we didn't have any accidents!
I haven't done it for two years, but for 18 years I did, even when it was at midnight. For the past two years, I've talked with members of the Singing Group Council (which has representatives from the different singing groups), and I said, "If you need me to be there to keep the peace, then this [Tap Night] shouldn't happen." For the past two years, things have been fine.
I think one of my greater accomplishments is that the students call me Betty T, rather than Dean Trachtenberg.
Well, I keep telling them that I can't be their mother or their father. But, I am who I am. I don't try to be anything other than who I am. And that may be a fault. I'm straightforward with my colleagues and I'm straightforward with the students. I don't tell them one thing and think another thing.
The kind of relationship I like to have with students is to have a dialogue, not a confrontational situation. I think there's only been four or five times that I couldn't convince a student that what he or she was doing was not the right thing to do in regards to the law or the culture of this place. And when a student is being persistent, and says to me "Why not?" I have had to say, "Because I said so." That's a mother thing to say. I consider that a kind of accomplishment: not the "I said so" part but being able to create a dialogue with individual students and student groups while maintaining my own integrity.
The death of any young person -- whether an accident or a suicide or a murder -- is a tragedy. Whatever the situation, there is a feeling of great pain. We try to work with people who have survived these incidents and help them through. It's a part of my job that I've never gotten used to; you don't ever get used to it.
Truthfully, you also never get used to insults. I've read some awful things about myself. Even if you have a tough skin, there is a person underneath. Your critics can't say "Well, it's okay to say this, she has a tough skin." None of us have skins that are so tough we're not affected. There is some criticism that is well deserved, but I would rather talk these things through than have something hurled at me.
Maybe. But basically, I try to be as honest and open as I know how to be. That may appear to some people as being tough, and to others as being okay. With students -- who all have different backgrounds, ideas and opinions -- sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't.
I'm a marshmallow at heart.
No. We have students from so many different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions and so forth -- people who come with their own understanding of themselves to a place like Yale, where, if they take advantage of everything that is offered to them, they are enriched immeasurably. They all bring their past, what Yale does is to enrich them to become better human beings. It sounds cliché, but it's true: they become more responsible citizens of the world.
The first thing I want to do is take my watch off. A friend told me this story: She has a friend who was retiring, and my friend asked the guy what he was going to do when he retired. He said "I'm going to finish my book." She responded, "Oh, I didn't know you were writing a book." And he replied, "I'm not. I'm going to finish the book I started to read before I took my job." That, in a nutshell, is what I am going to do.
It will take a little while for me to sort things out. I have lots of interests and I may pursue them. I used to make pottery, so I might do that again, maybe play the piano again. I have a son in Oklahoma who I'd like to spend more time with. My husband and I are talking about traveling to Europe. But for the moment, if I want to get up late, I can get up late. As I've told others who have asked me my retirement plans: If I want to just sit and stare out the window, I'll just stare out the window. I won't be looking at my watch.
-- By Susan Gonzalez
T H I S
Trachtenberg reflects on
her 20 years as 'Betty T.'
You were trained as a classical pianist. How did you end up as an administrator at Yale?
Did you have any idea how broad your job responsibilities would be when you took on the job as dean of students?
Your job entails everything from enforcing rules about student behavior to overseeing some 300 student organizations to helping the campus cope with tragedies. Is all of that hard for one person to manage?
Your colleagues have noted that it will be hard to fill your shoes. What qualities are required of a dean of student affairs at Yale?
You've jokingly described yourself as the "Dean of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll." Why?
How has student life changed during your time here?
How has the student body changed in terms of diversity?
What have been your greatest challenges as dean?
There is a now-legendary story about how you wielded a Super Soaker water gun yourself at Tap Night. How did that come about?
Were you present at every Tap Night?
What are your greatest accomplishments as dean?
So it's that you have been a nurturing influence for students?
You've had to deal with some very sad events here on campus, including the murders of two students, the 9/11 terrorist attacks that affected many on campus and the accidental deaths of several Yale students. What was the most difficult moment for you while helping the campus cope with these events?
How do you deal with the very public criticism when you've initiated a rule or policy that students oppose?
Students describe you as being a tough enforcer of certain rules and laws, such as those governing drinking on campus. Yet, you have mentioned in press articles that you actually favor lowering the drinking age to 18. Do you think students have sometimes had wrong impressions of you?
Is there anything you want students to know about you that you think would surprise them?
Do you have any particular advice for college kids? Is there a must-read book or a must-see movie, for instance?
How will you spend your time in retirement?
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
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Bringing a philosophical perspective to palliative care
University breaks ground for its 'most green building'
Child Study Center recognized for leadership in autism research
Yale senior Rebekah Emanuel wins Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose
Using molecular 'nanosyringe,' researchers demonstrate . . .
Irish writer's play about Siamese twins wins Yale Drama Series award
When it comes to grades, giving is no easier than receiving, says panel
Talents of drama students showcased in Carlotta Festival
Biophysicist Steitz honored for ribosome research with Gairdner Award
CCL renovations on schedule; lawn to be used for Commencement
Project aims to improve financial services for those living in poverty
Pastoral leadership skills are focus of Center for Faith and Culture event
MacMillan Center honors the work of three Yale faculty members
Yale has highest number of sports teams honored . . .
WORKSPACE ENHANCEMENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Adding some sunshine to a windowless office
Creating a tranquil space for nursing mothers
Decking the hallways with quilted artworks
Campus Notes
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