Olivia DrakeWesleyan head mens basketball coach Gerry McDowell, center, hangs out near the hoops with varsity players Eric Winters '08, left, and Jim Shepherd '07. McDowell has coached the team for 10 years. Posted 01/17/06 Q: When did you become the head mens basketball coach at Wesleyan, Gerry?A: I began coaching here in 1996, so this my 10th year at Wesleyan. Q: I understand you entered the season with a 113-103 record. Is it true you had a streak of seven consecutive winning seasons?A: Yes, it is true. However, our performance in the next game and our growth as a…
Janine Lockhart, financial planner and analyst in the Office of Academic Affairs, finds the best options for meeting the demands of Wesleyans five-year financial plans. Posted 01/17/06 Q: Janine, so you're the financial planner and analyst in the Office of Academic Affairs. A: Yes, although I usually am introduced as the budget person since thats a more familiar concept for most people.Q: When did you come here?A: I came to Wesleyan and this position in July 2004. Several others held the position before me, including Sun Chyung, with whom I work closely in her current capacity as the budget…
Posted 01/17/06 An unprecedented 14-year study by Wesleyan University researchers has revealed a phenomenon that may indicate the forming of new planets or perhaps even the existence of young planets orbiting young sun-like stars more than 1,600 light years away. The observations were presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Washington, DC. on January 11 by William Herbst, the John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy and chair the astronomy department (pictured at right), Gabriel Roxby 06, a Wesleyan undergraduate involved in the study, and Eric Williams, the systems manager of the Van Vleck observatory. The Wesleyan team…
The Memorial Chapel will host several Spirituality Week events between Jan. 27 - Feb. 2. Posted 01/17/06 The 10th annual Spirituality Week will take place Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 at various locations on campus. Spiritually Week is coordinated by the University Chaplains each year to emphasize weekly religious and spiritual programs on campus and to sponsor and recognize special events. "This is a good opportunity for people to understand the range of spiritually that happens on campus," says Rev. Gary Comstock, protestant chaplain. "The students will return to campus fresh and open to new ideas. We want them to…
College of Social Studies majors Angela Larkan 06 and Lindsey Reynolds 04 raise funds and awareness for orphaned pre-schoolers in South Africa through their non-profit organization, Thembanathi. Larkan's thesis at Wesleyan involved establishing a method of care for AIDS orphans using their school system. (Photos contributed by Maya Casagrande) Posted 01/17/06 Angela Larkan 06 was raised in an apartheid South African town knowing that she could have been born into a poor family just down the road. With an estimated one in three South African children expected to be orphans by the year 2010 due to the AIDS virus, Larkan…
AIDS AWARENESS: The Oasis Wellness Center of Middletown and the Green Streets Arts Center presented "Keeping the Promise: World's Aids Day and Beyond" at Olin Library Dec. 1. The event included an art show, singing, speakers who are HIV positive and a vigil. Students and community volunteers handed out HIV/AIDS health information and red ribbons in commemorating Worlds Aids Day. (Photo by Olivia Bartlett)
Shirley Lawrence, program coordinator for the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, relaxes in the center's Japanese-style tatami room. Posted 12/19/05 Growing up in Massachusetts, Shirley Lawrence never gave much thought to customs in Asian countries. But during her 18 years as program coordinator for the East Asian Studies Program, Lawrence has acquired not only knowledge, but a deep appreciation for Asian art, music and culture. Being here 18 years, I feel as though the program continually evolves, Lawrence says. I thoroughly enjoy it, and the environment is so stimulating. Its never the same one year to the…
Richard Slotkin, Olin Professor of English, professor of American Studies, studied the 369th Battalions and 77th Divisions roles in France for his latest book, Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality." Posted 12/19/05 In 1918, the United States loaned its all-black 369th Infantry Regiment to fight under the French flag in World War I. These soldiers, rejected for combat duty by their own country because they were black, fought for 191 days, longer than any other American unit in the war. The Harlem Hell Fighters, received an honorable award for bravery from the French. In their…
Hari Krishman, dance artist in residence, presented a lecture demonstration on South Indian Court dance and the grandeur of the Tanjavur Quartet in India Dec. 31. (Photo by Cylla von Tiedmann) Posted 12/19/05 Q: Hari, when did you come to Wesleyan as an artist in residence in dance?A: July 1, 2001. I teach courses on not only traditional Bharatanatyam dance technique but also lecture on the post colonial experience as well as on the global contemporary manifestations of the South Asian dance. Bharatanatyam is the classical dance from South India. Bharatanatyam historically evolved in the royal city of Tanjavur,…
John Crooke, adjunct professor of physical education, is Wesleyan's cross country and distance track coach. Posted 12/19/05 Q: How many years have you been the cross country coach and distance track coach at Wesleyan?A: I just finished my 6th fall at Wesleyan.Q: What have been the cross country teams' key meets of the year?A: The New England Regional meet was the major highlight for both mens and womens teams. The women placed 7th in the toughest region in the country and the men placed 2nd to qualify as a team to the National Championships. The men ended up placing…
From left to right, Cecil Apostol '08, Kristina, Kimberly Greenberg , Bobby and Carolyn go over math problems at the Davenport Campus Center. Kristine, Bobby and Carolyn are students enrolled in the Middlesex Transition Academy, which meets at Wesleyan daily. Pictured below are Jesse, Jessica Markowitz '08, Bobby and Lauren. Posted 12/19/05 The pizza served at McConaughy Dining Hall is prepared by a new member of the Wesleyan community. As part of a cooperative educational program for individuals with special needs, 19-year-old Kristina is learning hands-on how to work in food services. I prep the dough, oil the pans, and…
Posted 12/19/05 Wesleyan recently elected 15 seniors to the Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national scholastic honor society. Election to the society is based on fulfillment of eligibility requirements, including a grade point average of 90 or above and nomination by the students major department. Phi Beta Kappa is limited to 12 percent of the graduating class each year. The newly elected students are: Claire Nilsen Blumenson, a government, psychology and sociology major from Cambridge, Mass., is interested in child advocacy as it relates to academic failure and juvenile delinquency. Blumenson completed a semester abroad in…