Olivia Drake – Page 6

This month, the Center for the Arts is hosting three virtual opening receptions for 19 graduating art studio majors to showcase their work as part of the Senior Thesis Exhibition. Since Zilkha Gallery is only open to Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff during the pandemic, the virtual format allows alumni, parents, friends, and other members of the Wesleyan community to view the students' work. "We're hoping to create access—especially for those of you who are not on campus—to see these shows in person and see what [the artists'] work looks like in space and scale," said Benjamin Chaffee, associate director…

On April 17, Wesleyan's Japanese community gathered outside the College of East Asian Studies to celebrate Ohanami, or “flower viewing." In early spring, three sakura—or cherry blossom trees—are blooming near the Japanese Garden. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual gathering was restricted to current students studying Japanese and CEAS faculty members. The cherry trees were donated in the mid-70s by Nobel Laureate Satoshi Omura, who received an honorary degree from Wesleyan in 1994. "The cherry blossoms’ timing was perfect," said event coordinator Naho Maruta, associate professor of the practice in East Asian Studies. "We had fallen cherry blossoms all…

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: April 7 The Boston Globe - She Loves Theater, Dessert, and New Zealand — and Can’t Wait to Get to Japan. Features HowlRound director Jamie Gahlon, who is currently completing her master's degree in performance curation at Wesleyan. US Lacrosse Magazine - Behind the Whistle: All in the Family. Features Carly Randall, assistant lacrosse coach at Wesleyan. Street Insider - Avalonbay Communities news. Mentions Richard Lieb '81,…

In the spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading, Wesleyan students hosted the third annual TEDxWesleyanU conference on April 16–17. Titled "(Un)Knowing," the event's speakers included: Alford Young Jr. '88, professor of sociology, Afroamerican and African studies, and public policy at the University of Michigan Field Yates '09, NFL Insider for ESPN and co-host of "Fantasy Football" Emily McEvoy '22, College of Social Studies major, 2021 Student Speaker Competition Winner, and Middletown Mutual Aid organizer Gato Nsengamungu '23, physics and government double major from Rwanda Doug Berman '84, two-time Peabody Award-winning producer of NPR's "Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell…

Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 will be the featured speaker during the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce's annual Business and Education Partnership and Hal Kaplan Middletown Mentor Program Recognition Luncheon. President Roth will speak from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27 via Zoom. The talk, which will focus on Wesleyan's pandemic response, is open to the public. To join the meeting, log into: https://zoom.us/j/99052690757 (Webinar ID: 990 5269 0757)

Next fall, Wesleyan will require all students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to returning to campus. Every student (with the exception of those who have approved medical or religious exemptions) will need to verify with the University that they are fully vaccinated prior to their arrival. For students who are currently studying on campus, Wesleyan, in partnership with the Community Health Center, is offering a Pfizer vaccine clinic on April 24 and 25 (first dose), and again on May 15 or 16 (second dose). Nearly 2,000 students have already registered for an appointment. The University highly encourages faculty and staff to…

As part of a class assignment for the spring 2021 course Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction, students were tasked with writing short essays on the continuing battle for normalcy while attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The class is taught by Daniel de Visé '89, Koeppel Journalism Fellow. After graduating from Wesleyan and Northwestern University, de Visé spent 23 years working in newspapers. He shared a 2001 team Pulitzer Prize and garnered more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards. He's also the author of three books. Journalistic nonfiction, de Visé, explained, uses…

Patrons of Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore can soon sip while they shop. This month, the bookstore partnered with Hartford-based Story and Soil Coffee Co., which will open its second location inside Wesleyan R.J. Julia on May 1. Story and Soil Coffee Co., a multi-roaster specialty coffee shop, opened for business in July of 2017 "with a vision to create a supportive and positive culture, celebrate our vibrant community, and build relationships through coffee," according to the company's website. The company's founder, Michael Acosta, became interested in coffee while running Trinity College's Underground Coffeehouse as a student. He later launched his…

On April 9, Wesleyan hosted its 41st Annual Philip B. Brown ’44 Memorial Lecture. President Michael Roth ’78 led a conversation with featured speakers Colorado Senators Michael Bennet ’87 and John Hickenlooper ’74, MA ’80, Hon. ’10. Maria Santana-Guadalupe ’98, anchor and correspondent for CNN en Español, provided the introduction and moderated an audience Q&A. The speakers discussed leadership, civic engagement, immigration, gun safety, the COVID-19 pandemic, equity and anti-racism, coalition building, filibusters, and the paths both the senators have traveled from Wesleyan to Washington, D.C. (Watch the entire program online here.) (more…)

As part of Wesleyan's Admitted Student Events, the Office of Admission hosted its 2021 WesFest in a virtual platform April 7-9. Class of 2025 admitted students and their families were able to log into 121 events and informational sessions on topics such as financial aid, academic resources, student activities, studying abroad, student technology, residential life, and religious life. Of the 13,145 applications received for a spot in the Class of 2025, 2,544 were admitted. View the full Class of 2025 profile online here. During WesFest, more than 890 of the admitted students attended at least one session. In addition to…

As temperatures rise and campus blooms to life, students continue to follow safety measures this spring by practicing social distancing and wearing masks. For more information on Wesleyan's efforts, visit the Keep Wes Safe website. (Photos taken by Willow Saxon '24 on April 8 and 10) (more…)

On April 7, poet John Murillo, assistant professor of English, was named the 2021 winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award for his recent collection Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry (Four Way Books, 2020). Murillo’s collection offers "a reflective look at the legacy of institutional, accepted violence against Blacks and Latinos and the personal and societal wreckage wrought by long histories of subjugation." The Kingsley Tufts Award is awarded to a mid-career poet and comes with a $100,000 prize. Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry also was nominated for the 2021 PEN Open Book Award and the 2021 NAACP Images Awards in the Outstanding Literary Work…

Art Studio Seniors Display Thesis Exhibitions from the Art Studio Program in the Zilkha Gallery

Japanese Community Celebrates Spring with Cherry Blossom Festival

Wesleyan in the News

Alumni, Experts Discuss “(Un)Knowing” at 3rd Annual TedXWesleyanU

Roth to Speak During Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

Wesleyan to Require Students to be Vaccinated for the Fall 2021 Semester

Nonfiction Journalism Class Explores the Continuing Battle for COVID-19 Normalcy

Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore to Partner with Story and Soil Coffee Co.

Senators Bennet ’87, Hickenlooper ’74 Discuss Leadership during Brown Memorial Lecture

Admitted Students Explore Wesleyan during Virtual WesFest

Students Enjoy Spring Weather

Murillo Honored with $100,000 Kingsley Tufts Award for Poetry