Wesleyan in the News

Wesleyan in the News

1. USA Today: “America Has a History of Lynching, but it’s Not a Federal Crime. The House Just Voted to Change That”

Benjamin Waite Professor of the English Language Ashraf Rushdy is interviewed on the topic of legislation that would make lynching a federal crime. In the interview he called lynching “the original hate crime.” “Lynching is a blot on the history of America,” he said. “But it’s never too late to do the right thing.”

2. The New York Times: “Starbucks Baristas Accuse Service Company of Abuse and Pay Gaps”

Associate Professor of Sociology Jonathan Cutler is interviewed about transgender issues in labor organizations as immigrant, transgender, and black baristas face discrimination at airport Starbucks. “Organized labor often lives or dies by its ability to tap into broader social movements,” he said. “In this case, you’re seeing the most public effort to organize around transgender issues.”

3. The Washington Post: “Does Money Even Matter? And Other Questions You May Have About Bloomberg’s Half-Billion-Dollar Failed Candidacy”

Associate Professor of Government Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, is interviewed about ad campaign spending. The article posits: “Campaign advertising matters at the margins.” She explained, “It is a very nice illustration for the public and other people who thought that [Bloomberg] might be able to buy his way through the election.”

4. Inside Higher Ed: “Wesleyan Will Stop Investing in Fossil Fuels”

Wesleyan trustees announced that the University should stop investing in fossil fuels. President Michael Roth ’78 and Chair of the Board of Trustees Donna Morea said, “There was broad agreement among trustees not to make new fossil fuel investments and to wind down current investments in this sector as quickly as possible while minimizing the negative impact to the value of the endowment.”

Alumni in the News

1. CBS Baltimore: “‘Hamilton’ National Tour Returning to Kennedy Center for 14 Weeks”

The two-act show Hamilton will run for 14 weeks this summer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “Lin-Manuel Miranda’s [’02] epic production has long been the most coveted ticket since it debuted on Broadway in 2015, pulling in more than $633 million in ticket sales during that time.”

2. Animation World Network: “Brooke Keesling and Caitlin Winiarski Join Bento Box”

Caitlin Winiarski ’10 has been appointed creative executive at Bento Box Entertainment, the animation production studio behind Bob’s Burgers, Duncanville, and the upcoming The Great North. Winiarski, an improv performer, previously worked at Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions.

3. NBC Sports: “Bill Belichick’s Hometown Picked the Perfect Way to Honor Patriots Coach”

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick ’75 will be presented with the key of the city of Annapolis on March 14 at half-time during the Navy-Johns Hopkins Lacrosse Game. The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach grew up in Annapolis.

4. WFSB: “Middletown’s Youngest Mayor Talks About His First 100 Days in Office”

Elected into office at 27, Ben Florsheim ’14, a Democrat, conducted an exclusive interview with WFSB Channel 3 to chronicle the ups and downs of his first 100 days in city hall.