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Olivia DrakeSeptember 26, 20162min
Students enjoyed a late-night snack/early breakfast Sept. 24 at “Pancakes with Public Safety.” At midnight, Wesleyan’s Public Safety Officers ventured to Bennet Hall where they prepared a meal and spoke to students about safety issues on campus. “Students often see us as enforcement, so we want to have conversations with students so they see us in a different light,” said Public Safety Supervisor Lt. Fred West, who created the series of Residence Officer Programs in 2013. Past programs include “Pistachio Ice Cream with P-Safe” and “Pasta with P-Safe," whereas "Potatoes with P-Safe" may be next in line. (more…)

Olivia DrakeSeptember 26, 20161min
The following employees received Cardinal Achievement Awards during the month of August for their efforts in demonstrating extraordinary initiative in performing a specific task associated with their work at Wesleyan University. This special honor comes with a $250 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for their extra efforts: Robert Chiapetta, manager of intercollegiate operations, Physical Education Melissa Sullivan, lead video producer, Information Technology Services Henk Meij, manager of Unix systems group, Information Technology Services

Olivia DrakeSeptember 22, 20161min
David Kuenzel, assistant professor of economics, is the co-author of a new paper published in the Canadian Journal of Economics titled "The Elusive Effects of Trade on Growth: Export Diversity and Economic Take-off." In the paper, Kuenzel and his co-author, Theo Eicher from the University of Washington, investigate whether the diversity of countries' export portfolios affects their economic growth performance. In the paper, Kuenzel and Eicher propose a structured approach to trade and growth determinants based on recent advances in international trade. The results show that export diversity serves as a crucial growth determinant for low-income countries, and the effect…

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Olivia DrakeSeptember 22, 20168min
Two Wesleyan alumni are recipients of the 2016 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, commonly known as the “genius grants." Vincent Fecteau '91 and Maggie Nelson '94 received a no-strings-attached $625,000 grant for their exceptional creativity and potential for future contributions to their fields. They're among 23 fellows in the country to receive the honor. “While our communities, our nation, and our world face both historic and emerging challenges, these 23 extraordinary individuals give us ample reason for hope” said MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch. “They are breaking new ground in areas of public concern, in the arts, and in the sciences, often in unexpected ways. Their creativity, dedication, and impact inspire us all.”

Olivia DrakeSeptember 19, 20163min
Nancy Ottmann Albert’s (MALS '94) evocative photographs of vanishing New England structures and landscapes will be featured in “Documents in Black and White,” a new exhibition opening in Olin Library on Oct. 5, 2016. The show is being presented in conjunction with the formal announcement of Albert’s gift of her papers to the library’s Special Collections & Archives (SC&A). Albert will speak about her work at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in the library’s Develin Room. Selected by the artist, the works span the 30 years she spent documenting New England’s built environment. Inspired by Walker Evans and the 1930s Farm Security…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 16, 20162min
On Oct. 1, Wesleyan students will publicly present their research from the American studies course, Anarchy in America: From Haymarket Riot to Occupy Wall Street, taught by J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, chair and professor of American studies, professor of anthropology. The course focused on anarchism as a political philosophy and practice — a little known, aspect of American culture and society. Students examined select aspects of anarchist political thought and praxis in the United States and the ways that anarchism has been represented positively, vilified or dismissed. The course explored a range of diverse political traditions including: individualist anarchism, socialist anarchism,…

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Olivia DrakeSeptember 16, 20162min
The student-run Wesleyan Local Food Co-op sources a large variety of fresh foods and distributes them on campus. The co-op offers locally grown produce, fresh dairy products (cheese, milk, yogurt, butter and ice cream), meat, eggs, tofu, seitan, preserves, bread and coffee. Sign up for the co-op online by Sept. 21 and pay from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 28 in Daniel Family Commons. The program began solely for students but is now open to staff and faculty participation in the wake of expressed interest. More than 500 members of the Wesleyan community are part of one or more co-ops. Participants…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20162min
Miss You Like Hell is a new musical written by the Shapiro Distinguished Professor of Writing and Theater, Quiara Alegria Hudes. Focusing on what it means to be a family in an ever-changing American society, Hudes’ work follows the story of a “whip-smart, deeply imaginative teenager and her free spirited Latina mother, as they embark on a road trip.” Commissioned by Christopher Ashley, the artistic director at La Jolla Playhouse, in La Jolla, California, the production is a new piece that embraces the idea of changing identities. Ashley states in an a broadwayworld.com article, “this is exactly the right time…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20163min
Scott Higgins, chair and professor of film studies, delivered the keynote address during the 2016 SERCIA Conference, held Sept. 8-10 in Paris, France. The topic of his talk was “Benefits of Incoherence: Seriality in the Studio Era," largely based on book, Matinee Melodrama: Playing with Formula in the Sound Serial (Rutgers, 2016). SERCIA, an organization established in France in 1993, encourages teaching and research in English-speaking cinema. During the 22nd annual conference, Higgins joined film scholars from all over the world to explore links between the filmic form and seriality. "I argued that American sound-serials in the 1930s and 1940s, with incoherent…