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By Maia Dawson '24 A philosophy student writes an essay, pen to paper. He then hands it through the bars of his cell to a passing Corrections Officer. That CO gives it to a liaison, who gives it to a staff person, who gives it to Lori Gruen, William Griffin Professor of Philosophy at Wesleyan. It’s Spring 2020 and there is no Zoom in Cheshire Correctional Institution. After pandemic hiatuses, Wesleyan's Center for Prison Education (CPE) is planning to return to in-person teaching this summer. The program currently operates in Cheshire and York correctional facilities, both in Connecticut. Gruen has taught…

Wesleyan University will recognize three outstanding faculty members across the fields of biology, Spanish, and history at the 190th Commencement ceremony with the awarding of the Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching. Frederick M. Cohan, professor of biology; María Ospina, associate professor of Spanish; and Victoria Smolkin, associate professor of history, were selected by their peers after receiving strong recommendations from alumni of the last 10 graduating classes, as well as current juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Underscoring Wesleyan’s commitment to its scholar-teachers, these annual prizes are made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger…

The Vietnam War, the murders of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the civil rights movement, the Student Strike of 1970 – to hear the graduates of the Classes of 1970 and 1971 talk, it was as if this all happened yesterday. Most of them can still remember their draft number. “These were combustible years of high drama in every setting,” Steve Ingraham ’70 said to a collection of his classmates at Memorial Chapel at an assembly last Friday morning. The 50th reunion took place April 28 through May 1. For alumni, it was a makeup for a…

A common observation about Wesleyan is that each student experiences a different Wes than the next. What is shared across all generations of Cardinals, however, is a sense of responsibility to make the world a better place. For Trustee Nominating Committee Chair Ellen Glazerman ’84, P’26 and David Hill ’86, Chair of the Alumni Association, voting in the election for Alumni-Elected Trustees is one of the most important—and easiest ways—to help continue to make Wesleyan a special place. Each year, Wesleyan alumni elect three of their peers to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees for a three-year term. While many schools have some Alumni-Elected Trustee representation, Wesleyan…

Wesleyan has successfully launched a pair of online mini-courses this spring as a way for the university to further explore opportunities in online learning. The new initiative, which started the spring semester, featured two popular undergraduate courses: Living a Good Life, taught by Stephen Angle, Jennifer D’Andrea, Steven Horst, and Tushar Irani, and Black Phoenix Rising, taught by Anthony Ryan Hatch. Living a Good Life was a seven-week exploration of how philosophy and psychology teach us how to live lives of meaning and fulfillment. Black Phoenix Rising was a multimodal project that explores Black people’s practices of resisting death and…

Every year, as Wesleyan students empty their rooms at the end of the Spring semester, they fill dumpsters with usable items – everything from clothing and room décor to small appliances. “There was still more waste generated than we like,” said Hayley Berliner, temporary sustainability director. “We want to divert as much as we can.” Debbra Goh ’24 and Annie Volker ’24, both eco-facilitators for Wesleyan Sustainability, have come up with an idea on how to lessen the waste. The duo will launch WesThrift at 284 High next fall, a free store for clothing and dorm essentials located in the…

By Maia Dawson '24 TEDxWesleyanU returned to campus April 23 with authors, entrepreneurs, and other accomplished professionals sharing stories of revivification and curiosity. Organized by students and held in Beckham Hall, the TEDxWesleyanU gathering was the first live event since 2019. The brochure pictured a martini glass overflowing with a string of pearls, in line with the theme "Re-roaring Twenties." Ritu Chhawal ’88 and Raquel Graham ’90 spoke to the audience about resilience emerging from illness. Chhawal introduced her vegan startup as an effort to spur a food revolution, and Graham described her success on Shark Tank and finding her…

For "all 22 years of [her] life," Elim Lee's been writing a story, and it wasn't until April 14— the deadline to submit a senior honors thesis—that her narrative finally was published. Lee '22, an English major who is minoring in IDEAS and data analysis, ended up completing an original children's book as part of an art studio thesis called Needle and the Too Big World. "I told my advisors that I wanted to write a children’s book and build it," Lee said. And Lee did just that. Inspired by a library exhibit in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia that commemorates…

During a recent meditation, Katja Kolcio pondered the question, 'What do you wish for the world?" Without much premeditated thought, Kolcio determined that she'd want all humans to have the kind of optimism and inner strength that Ukrainians have during the current war. "Nobody would defend one's rights with that kind of veracity without undaunted optimism and faith in our individual capacity to make a difference in the world. With everything horrible happening, there's something that's at a base level inspiring," she said during Wesleyan's sixth Livestream Conversation with Ukraine discussion on April 22. "I can't thank you enough for…

It's been almost three years since the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble was able to perform in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But on April 21, the group, directed by University Professor of Music Harjito, played to a full house in World Music Hall as part of a Javanese shadow puppet play. The puppet play, called "Wayang Kulit" was directed by puppet master (dhalang) and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam. The play was attended by a distinguished guest, Arifi Saiman, Consul General of Indonesia in New York, and his guests. Saiman presented a brief speech and provided the performers with Indonesian…

Maaza Mengiste, professor of English, has found that sometimes the scariest thing a writer can do is start over. It’s a hard-earned lesson she had to experience herself, but a vital one that she passes on to her students. Mengiste believes that the benefits of a fresh start are immeasurable. It can be a period where ideas coalesce and, perhaps more importantly, experimentation begins. When asking her students to start over, “They would look at me with sheer terror,” she said. But eventually “they would come back with these spectacular pieces of writing. It was hard to convince them sometimes,…

Ori Cantwell '22 has been looking forward to this moment since his freshman year at Wesleyan. On April 14, he joined dozens of his classmates on the steps of Olin Library to celebrate the completion of their senior honors theses—at a ceremony that included a champagne toast and accolades from friends and faculty advisors. During this traditional festivity known as "Thesis Day," the thesis-writers take turns popping bottles of champagne while their friends and faculty advisors congratulate them on their efforts. This year, 254 seniors pursued honors this year. "The champagne toast was a blast," Cantwell said. "And I learned…

Center for Prison Education Returns to In-Person Classes This Summer

Wesleyan Announces 2022 Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching

Groovy Wesleyan: Fifty Years Later

Voting For Alumni-Elected Trustees Way to Engage in Campus Life

New Mini-Courses Explore Online Learning

New Campus Free Store Planned for Fall Semester

TEDxWesleyanU Breaks its Covid Hiatus with Stories of Innovation and Creativity

Lee ’22 Creates ‘Living Book’ Exhibit for Senior Honors Thesis Project

Wesleyan Community Continues Dialog about War in Ukraine

Gamelan Ensemble Performs Live during Javanese Shadow Puppet Play

Mengiste, Newly Named Guggenheim Fellow, Encourages Risk Taking

Seniors Celebrate “Thesis Day” at Olin with Champagne Toast (With Video, Photo Gallery)