This Changes Everything Documentary Selected as First Year Matters Common Experience

As part of Wesleyan’s First Year Matters (FYM) program, the FYM committee selects a “common experience” for the incoming class as an intellectual introduction to Wesleyan.

Next fall, the Class of 2024 will watch and discuss the documentary This Changes Everything, directed by Avi Lewis and based on the award-winning book of the same title by environmental activist Naomi Klein.

“The film is an unflinching look at the disparate impacts of climate change on various communities around the world and highlights some fundamental conflicts between global economic systems and efforts to combat climate change,” said First Year Matters Committee Chair Kevin Butler, assistant dean of students and director of community standards.

The FYM committee is currently working to arrange a related keynote address during the New Student Orientation program.

Any faculty or staff who is willing to facilitate a small group discussion with incoming students on Thursday, Sept. 3 is asked to contact Butler at kbutler@wesleyan.edu.

The First Year Matters program is designed to help first-year students establish on-campus community connections, engage in shared learning experiences, explore new opinions and ideas, and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in Wesleyan’s rigorous liberal arts environment. In addition to the common reading, students attend lectures and presentations by faculty, residence hall discussions, and a major participatory arts event during New Student Orientation (NSO).