Wesleyan in the News

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below:

In The Washington Post, William Griffin Professor of Philosophy Lori Gruen is quoted in a story about neutering. In her early career, Gruen, who specializes in animal ethics, worked in shelters where she witnessed “perfectly healthy dogs destroyed” and the toll it took on employees. “The overpopulation issue sounds abstract,” she said. “But these are dogs whose lives end and the people who have to bring those dogs’ lives to an end often can’t get certain dogs out of their minds.” (Aug. 5)

In The Hartford Courant, Jhanelle Oneika Thomas ’18, MA ’19 and Royette Dubar, assistant professor of psychology, are featured for their investigation of the motivation and psychological impact of ghosting in the age of social media and hypervisibility. “From the ghoster’s perspective, choosing to ghost was a little bit nicer than a more blatant rejection approach,” Dubar said. ”Individuals may choose to ghost out of concern for the ghostee—that is, to shield them from hurt feelings.” (Aug. 8)

Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78 reviews Charles King’s Gods of the Upper Air in Los Angeles Review of Books. Gods of the Upper Air explores the career of Frank Boas, “the father of 20th-century anthropology” in America. “Gods of the Upper Air is gracefully written, and it succeeds beautifully both as intellectual history and group biography,” Roth writes in the review. (Aug. 13)

Wesleyan University’s Center for Film Studies is mentioned in The Hollywood Reporter for being one of 2021’s top 25 American film schools. The article states “in keeping with this institution’s liberal arts identity, its film curriculum is focused on formal analysis and theory. And what it doesn’t provide in production experience, it makes up for in strong industry connections, with a network that includes 2006 grad and Nomadland producer Dan Janvey [’06].” (Aug. 13)

Also:

A new podcast titled “Forever is a Long Time” by Ian Coss ’11 is featured in The Guardian. In this podcast, Coss interviews every member of his family who has been divorced. “Coss is a lovely producer, with a lyrical touch, and his interviews – with his parents, his granny … and his uncles and aunts – are sensitive and revealing. As a sweet bonus, he writes and plays a song at the end of each episode.”

Peter Rutland, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, writes about the Russian Olympic Committee cementing Olympic victories in The Moscow Times. (Aug. 2)

Beanie Feldstein ’15 is featured on NBC CT for leading the revival of the 1964 musical “Funny Girl” on Broadway. Producers announced that Feldstein, the “Booksmart” and “Lady Bird” actor, will star as Ziegfeld Follies comedian Fanny Brice. “The first time I played Fanny Brice was at my third birthday party, in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me. So, it’s safe to say that stepping into this iconic role, on Broadway and not in my family’s backyard, is truly my lifelong dream come true,” she said. Feldstein also appears in The New York Times in an article titled “‘Funny Girl on Broadway.” (Aug. 11)

Two articles written by Susanne Fusso, Marcus L. Taft Professor of Modern Languages, are featured by Cornell University Press: A Poet In Love in Moscow, and Mikhail Katkov, the Publisher of the Great Russian Novel. (August 2021)

A new book written by Susan Feinstein Barry ’76, titled Coming to Our Senses, is reviewed in The New York Times in an article titled “The Struggles of Those Who Regain Sight and Hearing.” (June 29)

Kirsten Delegard ’90, who leads the University of Minnesota’s Mapping Prejudice Project, was on PBS NewsHour in a segment about the difficulty that people of color are experiencing in achieving homeownership in the Minneapolis/Twin City area. (Aug. 13)

A group of political scientists, including Professor of Government Erika Franklin Fowler is mentioned in The Columbian for quantifying the use of Facebook by political campaigns. In a recent study based on data from the 2018 campaigns that included ads from more than 7,000 candidates, Facebook ads were determined to be less likely to be negative but were more likely to be ideologically polarizing. (Aug. 4)

In The Cheshire Herald, high school student Jason Raba praises his father, John Raba, who has coached lacrosse at Wesleyan for the past 25 years. Jason’s older brother, Jack Raba ’22, now competes at Wesleyan. “My dad has been my biggest coach throughout my life. If I have any questions, he can help me,” said Jason Raba. “Jack has always tried to push me in the right direction. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from watching my brother play.” (Aug. 5)

Groundbreaking for Wesleyan’s new art gallery is featured in Archinect. The new facility will add “new cultural facilities to the Connecticut liberal arts institution for the first time since the mid-70s in an expansion of the university’s existing Art Center designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Kevin Roche.” (Aug. 5)

In The Los Angeles Daily News, economics major Kehan Zhou ’15, discusses Terrascope, “the first A.I. real estate agent for finding and browsing rural properties online.” (Aug. 15)

In The Middletown Press, Wesleyan is mentioned for mandating that masks be worn in all campus buildings. The announcement applies to everyone regardless of their vaccination status, according to a statement from President Michael Roth and other academic officers. “The preventative measures we are taking now should enhance the safety of everyone on campus. We believe that a fully in-person semester can begin in September,” Roth said. (Aug. 9)