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Olivia DrakeJune 12, 20183min
President Emeritus Douglas J. Bennet ’59, P’87, ’94, Hon.’94 passed away on June 10 at the age of 79. "He believed that Wesleyan gave him so much, and he gave back unstintingly with deep affection," wrote Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 in a campus email. Bennet served 12 years as president, retiring in 2007. He oversaw the rejuvenation of the heart of the campus—from Memorial Chapel to Usdan University Center and Fayerweather—as well as the addition of the Freeman Athletic Center and the Film Studies Center. Bennet set an ambitious strategic direction for Wesleyan with two planning initiatives, the first of…

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Lauren RubensteinJune 12, 20187min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News The Washington Post: "Our Graduates Should Answer Cynicism and Insults with Inquiry and Reflection" In this op-ed, President Michael S. Roth '78 expresses his hope that this year's graduates will feel empowered, and their capacity for inquiry, compromise, and reflection will be enhanced by their college educations. 2. The New York Times: "Eleanor Roosevelt's Love Life, as Fodder for Fiction" "[Amy] Bloom’s [’75] lyrical novel, laced with her characteristic wit and wisdom, celebrates love in its fiery and…

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Cynthia RockwellJune 11, 20182min
On May 4, Wesleyan Baseball Coach Mark Woodworth ’94 inducted six new members into the Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame. Also inducted was a historical class of eight alums who graduated between 1866 and 1931 who were instrumental in the early years of the program. This year, a new brick backstop was built not only for the field, but to serve as an actual “Wall” for the Wall of Fame. (more…)

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Cynthia RockwellJune 11, 20184min
On May 26 Eudice Chong ’18, a member of the Wesleyan tennis team, did something that no other collegiate tennis player—in any division—had done before: She won her fourth consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association Singles Championship. And to add a twist to that already thrilling game, Chong, ranked number one on Wesleyan's team, played the final match against her teammate, doubles partner, and friend, Victoria Yu ’19, ranked second on the team. Back on campus following the victory, Coach Mike Fried reflected on the program and the experience. As an undergrad at Brown he had played on their tennis team…

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Cynthia RockwellJune 11, 20183min
On May 27, 2018, Wesleyan lacrosse won its first National College Athletic Association Championship, defeating Salisbury University, 8–6 at Gillette Stadium for the Division III title.  When Lacrosse Head Coach John Raba, a graduate of the University of New Haven, began at Wesleyan in 1997, he was 25 and an assistant coach with the football team. Lacrosse—now his sole focus as head coach—was something additional that first year. “If someone had told me back then that Wesleyan would win a national championship, I would've said, ‘Oh, great. What sport?’ Twenty-one years later, here we are. Congratulations, team!” In a Q&A,…

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Cynthia RockwellJune 11, 20183min
Final projects for Introduction to Design and Engineering (IDEA 170 in the Integrated Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences Minor) included a bicycle powered by a chainsaw motor; reusable, lockable shipping boxes requiring no tape; an electricity-producing dance floor; and the "solar rover"—solar panels with storage batteries mounted on wheels and designed for long-term use around the University as a mobile power source for events and solar power education. Taught by Professor of Physics Greg Voth, who chairs the department, and Assistant Professor of the Practice in Integrative Sciences Daniel Moller, the course offered 16 students the opportunity to work collaboratively on project-based studies…

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Olivia DrakeJune 8, 20182min
For 30 years, musicians such as Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Gerrard, Tom Paley, and Hedy West performed at a small café in upstate New York. The business's owner, Phil Ciganer, recorded the multiple musical acts on reel-to-reel tape and cassettes, and in 2004, he donated thousands of hours of material to Wesleyan's World Music Archives in hopes of the University making them available for education and research. For more than a decade, WMA was able to release small segments of the collection, but now, thanks to a $48,573 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), more than…

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Olivia DrakeJune 8, 20181min
Peter Frenzel, Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Studies, Emeritus, passed away on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at the age of 82. Frenzel arrived at Wesleyan in 1966 after receiving his BA from Yale, MA from Middlebury, and PhD from the University of Michigan. He retired in 2003. During his 37 years at Wesleyan, Frenzel served on virtually every major committee, including advisory and educational policy, and he served in a number of administrative roles, including associate provost, dean of arts and humanities, chair of German studies, director of the Wesleyan Program in Germany, and as the Commencement Marshal. In his retirement,…

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Olivia DrakeJune 7, 20182min
In response to an exhibit focusing on the Haitian Revolution of 1791, Gina Athena Ulysse, professor of anthropology, presented a commissioned work on March 16 at the British Museum. The exhibit, titled "A revolutionary legacy: Haiti and Toussaint Louverture," featured a selection of objects, artworks, and poetry from the 18th century to the present. Objects explored the legacy of the Haitian Revolution and its leader Toussaint Louverture. Louverture was one of the leading figures in the Haitian Revolution, which began in 1791 as an uprising of enslaved men and women in what was then a French sugar colony. It culminated with the outlawing…

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Olivia DrakeJune 7, 20183min
The 2018 spring season will go down as the greatest in Wesleyan University Athletics history. On May 26, Eudice Chong '18 of the No. 5-ranked Wesleyan University women's tennis team made history at the NCAA Division III Individual Championships in Claremont, Calif., as she became the first person to win four NCAA Singles Championships in any division of college tennis. She competed against her teammate, Victoria Yu ’19, in the finals while the duo also finished as runner-up in the doubles bracket. As a team, Wesleyan women’s tennis reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the first-time ever. Read a…