"Life off the Hill:" The Health Plan and You

I’m going to preface this post with a disclaimer: I’m not expert on the Yale Health Plan (YHP). In fact, when I was in your shoes, I knew that I was waiving the plan for my first year, so I didn’t educate myself about it at all. For the record, that’s not a good idea, because unless your spouse or partner has awesome insurance, you’re probably going to end up like me and switch onto the Yale plan with no idea what it’s like. So, consider this my gift to you: the YHP translated into simple English (since I need to read the stuff anyway).

So, when I first went on the Health Plan Website, I found this amazing sounding-plan. However, that plan was for employees, so I won’t taunt you with it. Since we’re not employees (although now I really want to be), you and I will be signing up for this plan, which is still pretty good. The YHP is available in two different areas of coverage, Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage and Prescription Plus Coverage, which must be purchased separately. An entire year of single-person coverage on both plans costs $1836.

At first, I thought this was ridiculous. The only job I’ve ever had that offered health care was at a hospital, so I got good health insurance cheaply (since everything was done in-house). I also got vision and dental (which isn’t included in the YHP, more on that later) for a ridiculously low price. However, my old health insurance had much higher co-pays than the YHP. YHP’s co-pays are ridiculously low—there’s no co-pay for a hospital visit (whereas my old plan featured a $400 co-pay for the first day and a $200 co-pay for the next four, which, given how expensive the equipments in those rooms are, isn’t bad), and the prescription plan only has a $100 deductible (I had a higher deductible for ambulance coverage on my old plan). So, in perspective, while I paid less for my old insurance than I will for the YHP, I paid more if I had to use it. So, for example, the concussion* that resulted in an ambulance ride and five hours in the hospital, which cost me over $300 (no including a $25 co-pay to have my primary care physician remove the surgical staples), would have been free on the YHP (since it would have been urgent care, which is fully covered).

So, here’s the break down of benefits:

Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage provides

• full outpatient coverage, full inpatient coverage
• thirty days of rehabilitation
• sixty days of psychiatric or substance abuse treatment
• full in- and out-of-network emergency coverage
• $5000 of dental surgery following “traumatic accidental injury” (which, for the record, does not include chewing injuries, although I can’t imagine what you’d have to chew to result in a dental trauma [nor do I want to])
• 90% coverage (up to $5000) of medical equipment rentals
• $5000 of infertility services (this is lifetime benefit, not a yearly benefit)
• full organ transplant coverage
• and coverage for podiatric, prosthetic, and speech therapy services in some circumstances.

Prescription Plus Coverage provides “excess coverage.” That means that it can be used to cover expenses not covered in the Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage, but will not be applied until any other discounts/reimbursements have been deducted. It provides 80% reimbursement (up to $15,000 per member per year) after a $100 deductible for the following services:

• inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse services beyond those covered in the Hospitalization/Specialty coverage
• pharmacy items (including diabetic supplies)
• and vaccinations.

However, even if you choose not to purchase either of the YHP’s plans, you’ll still receive full primary care coverage through the YHP, which includes routine check-ups, laboratory services, and standard preventive care.

Beginning this fall, Yale is offering vision and dental plans to graduate and professional students (that’s you). The plans were recently finalized, and I can’t find any Yale websites that have the information yet. As such, I’m going to attempt to link to two attachments (Dental and Vision that were sent out to current graduate and professional students last week.

If this all seems confusing and overwhelming, don’t worry; we’ll have someone speaking to you about your healthcare options during BTFO. Just don’t get a concussion before you get up here; it’s really embarrassing and it kills an afternoon. Plus, it will be a much cheaper experience once you’re on the YHP.

*The concussion is a funny story, actually. While I was in the ambulance, the paramedics were trying to determine if I was oriented to person, time, and place (I wasn’t). I couldn’t answer any of their questions, but each time I failed to answer, I told them that I wasn’t really stupid because I was going to Yale in a month. I don’t think they believed me.

"Village on a Hill: Introductions: Micah Luce"

Well, the last full week of Hebrew is complete. My last quiz has been taken, my last test as well (except the Final Exam of course…that’s on Tuesday/Start of My Summer). But in the meantime, Ghana just lost a heartbreaker, so the joyful me has turned despondent. To make myself feel better... I get to post my interview with the great man Micah Luce.

Micah Luce. Also known as “The Funny Man”. 250 points if you can name the movie with a character by that name before the link appears later in this post. He is the manager of the Student Book Supply, the YDS bookstore. Micah is one of the first lines of defense whenever there is a perceived laughter deficiency in the halls. He hails from Memphis, Tennessee, where he went to Rhodes, one of my alma mater's rival schools. A graduate of the Divinity School, he is still very much invested in the life of the Div School outside of the hallways. Below: an excerpt from an interview with the Funny Man himself:

Q: Micah, you’re the manager of the Student Book Supply. How did you get to be where you are?

A: I stumbled into this job as a surprise. I completed an MDiv at a school down South and only headed to New Haven after a 2 year detour in Brooklyn. Believing that I came to YDS to further strengthen my work towards a PhD somewhere, I freed myself from that ball and chain by having the MAR and STM degrees here convince me to do otherwise. Upon graduating in 2008 with the STM, I wasn't quite ready to leave New Haven in search of my true love: cinema management and ownership. While looking for a job in the area, a former YDS employee gently reminded me that the Student Book Supply manager position was going to be vacated by Lisa Huck as she would be taking over the position of registrar. Having appreciated her amazing 20 years of service as the SBS Manager, I hoped to give back to YDS in the same way (Lisa is an MDiv graduate of YDS). Being a generally social creature, I figured the Student Book Supply would be a place that I could learn business and management skills while having the joy of being around such a great group of students day in and day out.

Q: So what is the Student Book Supply?

A: The Student Book Supply is the last student co-op bookstore in the Ivy Leagues. Located right inside the Divinity School doors, we carry textbooks for classes as well as books by Yale profs, Div School merchandise, and thousands of titles on religious and non-religious topics.

One of the greatest things is the membership discount. Students who join the co-op for a yearly $25 fee receive 15% off of all purchases (except clearance items which are already discounted way beyond 15%).

Q: Back to you personally. MDiv, MAR, and STM. That leaves you in a unique position to give thoughts on the three degrees. What did you like best, or how would you rank them?

A: I would say each degree came at a perfect time in life for me and fulfilled different purposes along the way. While each focused on different aspects of Christianity, they were so very different. My MDiv was at a smaller, much more conservative school just outside of Memphis, TN when I was quite a bit younger and thinking I wanted to pursue a life in ministry. I was able to understand the serious giftings, calling, and devotion that must accompany such a life. The MAR was my final crack at strengthening my PhD applications and preparation, but after a year and a half of that degree, I also realized that a life of academics would require the same 3 qualities as a life of ministry. Both of these degrees effectively convinced me that I wasn't ready for either ministry or academics as a lifestyle. Finally, my STM degree allowed me to calm down a bit, think about interests closest to my heart (religion and cinema), and focus on some serious academic work without the pressure of wondering if it was going to be 'good enough' to get me into this school or that school for PhD work. It was a sort of culmination of what I had thought about up to that point, and it continues to be my fondest memories of reading, writing, studying, and conversing in classrooms. The STM was perhaps my favorite, but this couldn't have come without first knowing what I did NOT want. I guess the MDiv and MAR degrees were apophatic education for me. It's also worth noting that the MAR and STM were also strongly influenced by the two years I spent completely apart from academics after finishing my MDiv. Working for a magazine in New York and resting my head in Brooklyn among brilliant and thoughtful friends was an education every bit as important and formative as any time I spent in the classroom.

Q: What a great politician's answer: something nice about everything. What is it like having been a student and now a staff member? Are the two worlds exclusive?

A: They can be as exclusive as one wants them to be. I know that's not what I desire, however, and I'm grateful that school-wide events such as community dinners or daily chapel in Marquand are focused on providing situations where the tenured professor, fourth year staff member, or first year student are all involved in worship, discussion, or eating together. Isn't that more in line with the Christian concept of equality? Neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek? It may be frustrating at times to live as though the 'walls of division' have been broken down among us, but the hard work of inclusivity can really have moments of gorgeous payoff. Hopefully, the two worlds of 'student' or 'staff' are likewise equalized at such moments. One other equalizing force for me may sound banal, but it's actually quite meaningful: the Divinity School Paracleat soccer team. Once we're all out on the field (or 'pitch' for you soccer hipsters), there's a real sense of purpose, fun, and energy. Having played on the team for 9 seasons now, this is a really great part of my experience at YDS. We definitely look forward to defending our championship this Fall.

I find that as the students with whom I shared classroom space are almost all graduated now, these worlds become more apparent for me. Thus I find myself adjusting in relationships among different peoples at YDS, but I would in no way say that this change makes the experiences 'exclusive.'

Q: What advice do you have for new students?

A: You are going to be overwhelmed both at the offerings YDS, Yale, and New Haven have to offer. Take your time and don't let this discourage you. One of the things I find most freeing as I grow is learning to say 'no.' It makes my 'yes' much more powerful. Don't just serve on committees or take classes on a whim. Be patient and thoughtful about how you are involved. But, by all means, get involved! It took me a year and a half to realize that "Cinema at the Whitney" with Yale's film studies program downtown was my absolute favorite thing about all of New Haven (though budget cuts last year brought it to a hopeful temporary end). Take some courses downtown. While life on the hill at YDS can potentially become isolating, you have a chance to get downtown and meet a hundred different people in art, history, science, politics, law, or business programs who are every bit as interested in being ministers as we are at the div school.


Q: Do you have any fashion tips for the new student in search of proper attire? Are man-pris on the comeback?

A: I have no idea why I would be asked about fashion. I find this a bit ridiculous, as my first year and a half at YDS were in full, sloppy revolt of having to dress up for work every day in New York. I also get made fun of for my blue pants, tie clips, and man-pris here at YDS. I guess my advice is 'don't dress like I do.' However, maybe that leads to the best fashion advice, which is dress like you do. I think you should probably save this question for the likes of Jeremy Hultin, Tom Troeger, or Andrea Hart, who all have far superior sense of fashion than I do.

Q: Tell us more about the Student Book Supply, especially if anything new is coming up.

A: One of my favorite things about the job is the freedom that Dean Attridge and Sandy Lynch give me. I have been able to have a really good time giving the SBS a flavor that is somewhat reflective of my own personality while also being able to build on the amazing success that Lisa Huck had during her time as Manager here. We've changed a bit of the look of the place in the last year, but we've also had new offerings (including free popcorn on Fridays, sidewalk sales, and updated clothing styles). I have a few plans in the works this year to also improve our used book selection, a textbook buyback program that will kick off this year, and a few other long-term improvements that are in the works (read: surprises). While I'm always open to suggestions, improvements, and applications, our staff for next year is pretty much established with the fantastic additions of Terry Archambeault (left), Willie Barnes, and Stephen Scarff to the already-brilliant Bebe Dwyer. Each of these students working at the SBS will be a fantastic part of our staff ready to help you the moment you walk into the bookstore, unless, of course, we happen to be having a little too much fun of our own.

p.s. Answer to where "Funny Man" is from: this movie of course!

Congratulations Overachievers!

Melissa Pucci has just told me that fifty-nine of you have already registered for BTFO, an incredible accomplishment, since registration only went live yesterday.

For those of you who haven't registered yet, you can do so here. Go ahead, you know you want to!

"Life off the Hill:" Flying

I’ve received several e-mails about area airports recently, so I figured that would make a great topic for this week’s blog post. After all, as you may have realized, YDS’ academic calendar is full of weeks off (which we like to call “reading periods,” even though very few of us do any reading until the last day off), which gives you plenty of opportunities to visit home, visit friends, or vacation in the south of France (for the record, I’m a great travel buddy if you settle on that last option).

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is the closest choice, and it’s served by local public transportation. However, only US Airways flies to and from Tweed, so you can’t use it if you’re shopping around for cheap fares.

Personally, I’m a loyal Southwest Airlines customer, so the majority of my trips to the airport involve going to Bradley International Airport, which is located in a suburb of Hartford. (Southwest also services La Guardia, for the record). Bradley is located about an hour’s drive from New Haven, and you can get a ride there from Connecticut Limo [http://www.ctlimo.com/], which offers a Yale discount. (The downside of Connecticut Limo is that they only pick-up and drop-off at Phelps Gate, so you’re going to have to find your way to and from downtown New Haven.) Bradley is serviced by most major airlines.

Farther afield, you can get to both LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport via public transportation. However, carrying suitcases on subways and busses can be a hassle; luckily, Connecticut Limo will also take you to both airports.

Some people choose to fly out of airports in Boston or New Jersey, but travel to and from can become problematic or expensive. You’d likely be depending on the generosity of your fellow YDS students (who are a generous bunch), but it might be worth it for a good deal on your airfare.

Div Dictionary: Dale Mail

Dale Mail (n): A clearinghouse for communication to YDS staff and students from…well, just about anyone it seems. The primary means for sending and receiving information as mass emails.


Our dear and beloved Dean Peterson (at left), is in charge of many things. First and foremost, the Candy Bowl. Secondly, Dale Mail. Third in my hierarchy of Dale’s jobs is being Dean of Students. But that’s for another day perhaps.

Dale Mail, in short, is a sort of free-for-all communication device. People can send information to Dale that they want passed out. He screens it (I assume) and then passes it along to all of our @yale.edu accounts. Sounds great, right? If someone hears about how to get cheap tickets to the Yale Rep, if financial aid information needs to be passed along, info on a new program, a speaker coming to town, etc, then they send info to dalemail@yale.edu, and almost as if by magic we all share in the good news.

Now when I heard about this last year, I had two thoughts: 1. greatest thing since Nebraska’s last national championship, and 2. I need to sign up! Now, while it may be the first, there is no worry about the second: you will automatically receive Dale Mails.

In fact, you may sometimes wish you didn’t receive so many. It can be overwhelming at times. If you don’t check your email for a day or two, you may find 132 Dale Mails about the upcoming All School Conference, the joint Lutheran/Taize/Episcoterian service, and threads of the “Lost tote bag” and “Bag found, thanks” variety. Some people find it best to have Dale Mails sent to Gmail or sent as one email once a day. Great idea, but sometimes you miss out on timely info if you don’t get it until 12:00 that night. It’s also easy, with so many Dale Mails, to either glance over or delete them without reading. I would not in any way recommend this, and actually strongly advise against it. Info on scholarships, jobs, lectures, prayer requests, and other things that are quite important get announced through Dale Mail. Dismiss them too easily, and you miss the info (and “but I didn’t get the memo” doesn’t work when everyone knows you automatically receive Dale Mail).

So never fear, when you arrive and get email set up, you will soon be receiving the same insider information we currently get…just one of the many perks of this Village on a Hill.

"Life off the Hill:" Yale Locations You Need to Know

While YDS is a wonderful place, every once in a while you’ll need to venture down the hill to mingle with other Yale students. While it can be frightening at times to leave our “holy hill,” many essential Yale services are located downtown. Here are just a few to keep on your radar.

The Payne-Whitney Gym (70 Tower Parkway) offers free admission to all Yale students with ID. Remember the freshman fifteen? Well, now that you’re starting grad school, you’ve got more reading, more stress, and less free time, so your weight gain could be exponentially more. Plus, working out increases endorphin production, which means that you’ll feel happier.

The Yale Health Plan (17 Hillhouse Ave) provides free primary-care coverage to all Yale Students. For those of you enrolling in Yale’s health insurance program, the pharmacy here will provide your medicine co-pay free. Additionally, all Yale students receive twelve free counseling sessions an academic year through the Health Plan’s mental health services.

246 Church St (Yale likes really creative building names) houses the Student Employment Office. If you’re planning on being employed by Yale, you’ll be stopping by here to fill out forms and get on payroll.

Sterling Memorial Library (120 High St) is Yale’s central library, and the second largest library in the world. While you can have any books you need delivered to the circulation desk at the Divinity School Library, you should go see Sterling. It’s pretty.

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (121 Wall St), houses, you guessed it, most of Yale’s rare book and manuscript collection. Items in the Beinecke aren’t in general circulation, so you’ll have to visit this architecturally-significant building yourself.

Finally, the majority of your course packets will be available at Tyco Printing and Copying (262 Elm St), a local Kinkos-alternative. For the record, whenever you buy a course packet from Tyco, you get a 20% off coupon for any other printing needs you may have.

"Village on a Hill": Introductions: Patricia Ojeda



It’s the end of the week. For you, that could mean many things. For me, it means the end of week four of my Hebrew Intensive class. I am pleased to report that I am alive, and—despite some claims—actually capable of smiling still. Being Presbyterian, Hebrew and Greek are required for ordination. Some claim it’s to encourage lifelong personal education of the Bible. Some claim it’s just so Presbyterians have one more reason to feel superior to others. All I know is that one of my classmates is in the class b/c as a UCC member, he doesn’t like the thought that a Presbyterian would “one-up”/know more than him. While I am still very excited to learn Hebrew, at times I do find myself thinking about some simple solutions that would allow me to be more rested this summer. Usually this involves dropping Hebrew, changing denominations, and taking up tree-hugging. Then I remember that Hebrew used to be required for all Yale freshmen, my Puritan guilt comes into play (which Google must feel that I learned reading this book), I feel that I’m not living up to the standards of the school, and back to Hebrew I go.

All that goes to say that I’ve been busy of late, and so am only now starting another part of “Village on a Hill”. When I was a prospective/incoming student, the YDS website was helpful for finding pictures of various smiling professors and staff members. Very professional. But they pages didn’t tell me about the people as much as I would have liked. Take Jeremy Hultin for instance. He’s interested in “discourse” and is working on “obscene speech”. He went to Ohio State, the site says (which is INSANE because everyone knows it’s The Ohio State University. But what about his passions outside of the classroom? I didn’t know that he was an avid sportsman, loves to bike (and has a bike so great that even someone with no knowledge of bikes can see it’s pretty stellar) and all-around swell guy until I got here. Yale, take note: I think that’s important stuff to know!

So I’m on my one-person crusade to let you meet these people as people, not just as Deans, professors, custodial staff, IT specialists, etc. The first person I’m introducing you to is the one and only Patricia Ojeda. If you have been lost at YDS, chances are you’ve sought her services. She is the smiling, bubbly, ever-so-slightly-snarky-when-she-arches-her-eyebrow-because-you-did-something-silly woman at the front desk. Her actual title is “Office Assistant/Receptionist/Mailroom Director”. Really, she knows it all. So, below, a few extracts from an interview with THE Patricia Ojeda…


Q: How did you get to YDS, and why are you still here?
A: As part of a program from New Haven—which is now expired—called New Haven Resident Training Program. I graduated with a 2-year degree from Gateway. This (YDS) was one of the first places to pick from the program and I’m still here. I got here five years ago, and I love it. I love this environment, I love working directly with the students.

Q: Many people see your face first when they come to YDS. Does this make you the “Face of YDS”?
A: Am I the face of YDS? I feel I’m the first face, I have that connection of face-to-face. I’m not a teacher or dean so students can feel free and talk. Students will ask for help getting somewhere—getting ANYWHERE—and the staff is always here to help…even asking people where their shoes are*. So I’m not the “Face of YDS” but I am here to help and be a friendly face.

*remember the arched eyebrow look I mentioned? I hadn’t been wearing shoes for a few weeks, and so I earned the look. If you ever get the look, just remember that it comes from love.



Q: What advice do you have for students coming to YDS?
A: This is like a family. A big community, but a small family, and we help each other. Even though this is a work place for many of us, we’re still part of the family. Does the family always get along? Huh, no, you kidding me! There are some characters out there. But we’re still a family. Also, my favorite yogurt is Yoplait Light Orange Crème, and I recommend it.
Q: Following that up, what specific fashion advice would you give the incoming student who needs wardrobe assistance?
A: If you want to fit in, just be yourself. We like fashion statements. Wear a bright yellow mid-winter. Be you. Please don’t use shorts in the winter, or sandals in the middle of the winter. It’s cold.

Q: What should people call you during BTFO?
A: The Lady (laughs), or Pat or Patricia.

Q: What is the most pressing thing people need to know from you?
A: I am in charge of the mailroom and the lockers in the Commuter Lounge. Every student will get a mail box, and keys will be given out during BTFO. Keys are returned each summer, and there is a $25 fee for lost keys. For lockers, we have a limited number available, so priority is given to commuter students for lockers. We provide a padlock for them, and the lockers will be ready for pick the week of BTFO.

Q: Do you know everything?
A: Yes, and if I don’t then I find out. I got some connections…I always find the answer. Or if not, I can direct you.

Q: It seems that people come to you for assistance of any kind. What does your job NOT entail?
A: Checking final papers. People have asked, and I’m like ‘no, thank you’ and direct them to Micah Luce (of the Student Book Supply) instead. I’m more than happy to help you with The Spanish, though. Spanish is good. If you need help, people kinda practice their skills with me. The people who went to El Salvador, I had them on target. If they want to practice with me, or if not, I am here to help.
How good is your Spanish Alex?

Q: Muy mal. So what is the most odd question you have ever been asked?
A: Someone recently asked me where to get girls’ clothes for a guy.



Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What makes you you?
A: I have been married 11 years as of June 2, I have two sons- David and Dylan (4 and 5). David is the “I got things to do” kid and Dylan will be a heartbreaker. I was born in Puerto Rico, am ½ Cuban and Puertaricana, and have been here in New Haven 11 years.

Q: I have noticed that this summer you always have a bowl of Jolly Ranchers available. Usually, our Dean Peterson tries to have a lot of candy in his for people who need a pick-me-up. His is called The Candy Bowl (thus the name of this blog). But his has been empty of late. Are you a better bearer of the candy?
A: I will always try to have my candy bowl filled. I don’t want to be seen as competition for Dale’s Candy Bowl.
Q: But your bowl is filled and his is not, correct?
A: It’s that time of year, budgets start to get crunched.
Q: So are you saying you have better candy-budgeting skills than our Dean Peterson?
A: (an arched eyebrow and) You’d be surprised. I still got Jolly Ranchers.