Olivia Drake

Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which led to the forced relocation and internment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans. Among these were thousands of college students who were also discharged from their respective universities. In response, several university officials, church leaders, and active citizens formed the National Japanese Student Relocation Council in an attempt to return these Japanese American students—most of whom were U.S. citizens—back to college campuses, nationwide. "Japanese American WWII incarceration is a huge part of Asian American history that is not taught enough in schools," said economics major…

On June 18, several members of the Wesleyan community gathered at Smith Park in Middletown to participate in City of Middletown's second annual Juneteenth Liberation celebration. Wesleyan’s Office for Equity & Inclusion was a co-sponsor of the event. "Juneteenth is a time when we can reflect on the painful mistakes of our nation’s past and work towards racial reconciliation, honoring the day as a time for healing, learning and taking action," says Alison Williams '81, vice president for equity and inclusion. "It's also a time when we celebrate the significant contributions of African Americans to every aspect of American culture."…

In 2021 Wesleyan began construction on a reimagined southeast corner of Andrus Field. At the core of this work is an extension and gut renovation of the Public Affairs Center (PAC), and a new Davison Art Center gallery building. This latter project is part of a broader effort to expand the arts at Wesleyan beyond the Center for the Arts and to make them part of an inclusive, accessible, and interdisciplinary network of buildings at the core of campus. On June 4, as part of the Class of 2020's Weekend Celebration, Alan Rubacha, assistant vice president of construction and infrastructure…

While most universities value either pedagogy or scholarship, Associate Professor of Biology Joseph Coolon appreciates how—at Wesleyan—both are celebrated concurrently. "Wes is a truly unique place," he said. "Wesleyan faculty aim to be true scholar-teachers with each benefiting the other synergistically." Coolon, who joined the Wesleyan faculty in 2015 as an assistant professor of both biology and integrative sciences, has since co-authored 13 articles on ecological and evolutionary genomics in peer-reviewed publications such as G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics; Developmental Biology; and Insect Molecular Biology. Ten of these papers were co-authored by both his graduate and undergraduate students. Together, they…

When Dr. Andrea Grubb Barthwell '76 arrived on campus the summer of 1972, she was in the second full class of women admitted to Wesleyan. "I chose to become educated in a place that was undergoing change," she said. "One principle that guides my life is, embrace change, it is inevitable." Barthwell, who delivered the keynote address during the Spring 2022 Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony, graduated with a degree in psychology and went on to founding the health care policy firm Encounter Medical Group and directs Two Dreams, a comprehensive alcoholism and addiction treatment system. She previously served under President…

Growing up in a religious and conservative town in Colorado, it wasn't easy being a gay kid. Now 29 and a PhD candidate in biology, Zachary Drum—who identifies as a gay cisgender male—is hoping to garner public support for LGTBQIA2S+ equality so youth nowadays can find pride in who they really are. (LGTBQIA2S+ is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, and other ways in which people choose to self-identify.) On June 4, Drum joined a cohort of fellow Wesleyans for the City of Middletown's fourth annual PrideFEST, which included a Pride parade and…

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. In The Conversation, Benjamin Elling, assistant professor of chemistry, explains why Bisphenol A, or BPA, is so widely used to make plastics, despite its reputation for causing adverse health effects. Elling, a synthetic polymer chemist, says BPA-derived polycarbonates "are transparent, incredibly strong, light, and don’t begin to melt or lose structural integrity until they reach high temperatures." Polycarbonates, he says, are a ubiquitous part of modern life. "A major concern with designing new plastics is…

The votes are in! Luz Burgos-López ’09, Andrew Fairbanks ’90, and Kimberly King ’97 are the newest Wesleyan alumni to be elected to the University's Board of Trustees, and they will begin their three-year-term on July 1. Burgos-López, Fairbanks, and King join 33 other trustees who are responsible for making sure the University fulfills its mission, sustains its values, and appropriately balances its obligations to current and future generations. While many schools have some Alumni-Elected Trustee representation, Wesleyan is unique in that nearly one-third of the Board is elected by the alumni body. All alumni plus members of the class of…

Last fall, while working as the lead production assistant for WesWorks, a performance featuring Wesleyan facilities staff, Erin Byrne '24 became acquainted with Victor Ignacio Rosario— a custodian at Wesleyan who is contracted through SMG. Rosario, who primarily works in Exley Science Center and the Science Library, allowed Byrne to job-shadow him and in return, Byrne gained a deep appreciation for his day-to-day responsibilities. "Victor is a vital and enthusiastic member of the Wesleyan community," Byrne said. "Especially during the pandemic, keeping communal spaces on campus clean constantly was difficult and necessary, and Victor helped me realize just how much…

Although English major Angela Mae Yee '97 had wanted to be a writer and photographer since she was in Kindergarten, her entrepreneurial spirit led her towards a career in radio, juice-pressing, selling fair-trade coffee—and even hair extensions. After college, Yee immediately went to work for the Wu-Tang Clan, assisting the CEO with payroll, benefits, and meeting with record label personnel. She then spent six years at SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and eventually created her own show, The Morning After with Angela Yee. And in 2010, she became a host of New York City's Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club show, which currently…

Children enrolled in Wesleyan's Neighborhood Preschool (NPS) recently got a first glimpse at their new 7,000-square-foot daycare facility. The school is due to open next October at 60 Long Lane. During an early morning field trip on May 23, the students, parents, teachers, and caregivers met with project managers. Each child was given a safety vest and hard hat to wear into the construction zone. After a quick snack, the children were escorted to the site where they placed painted handprints on the exterior of the building. The new facility, which will accommodate 52 children, will replace the two current…

After 36 years teaching chemistry at Wesleyan and becoming an internationally-recognized expert on photoelectron spectroscopy, Joseph Knee, Beach Professor of Chemistry, is ready to retire. Knee, along with faculty colleagues Anne Greene, University Professor of English; Ann Campbell Burke, professor of biology, and Ronald Schatz, professor of history; received emeritus status during Wesleyan's 190th Commencement Ceremony on May 22. Joe Knee dedicated his career to developing time-resolved laser spectroscopy techniques that help determine the structure and dynamics of gas-phase molecules, molecular clusters, and ions. These methods provide insight into molecular behavior and influence the strength and structure of intermolecular hydrogen…

Bauerle ’24 Uses Library of Congress Fellowship to Explore Japanese American WWII Internment

Wesleyan Community Celebrates African American Culture on Juneteenth

Class of 2020 Alumni Receive a Perimeter Tour of the Renovated PAC, Art Gallery

Coolon, Ponce-Hegenauer, Ramírez Conferred Tenure; 11 Others Promoted

Phi Beta Kappa Inductees Advised to Create, Innovate the Future

Wesleyan Supports LGBTQIA2S+ Community at Pride Parade

Wesleyan in the News, June 2022

Wesleyan Welcomes 3 New Alumni-Elected Trustees

Employees, Students Honored with Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ‘03 Social Justice Awards

Alumni Honored for Outstanding Service, Achievement in Their Professions

Children, Parents Tour the New Neighborhood Preschool Facility on Campus

Wesleyan Honors, Celebrates Retiring Faculty Burke, Knee, Greene, Schatz