All News – Page 205

Ákos Östör, professor of anthropology and film, emeritus, lectured and presented his latest film, In My Mother's House, at more than a dozen universities in India, Turkey and throughout Europe in 2016. On a random Thursday in 2005, Östör's wife, Lina Fruzzetti, opened a a startling email that read, “If this is your father, we are cousins.” In My Mother's House follows a decade-long quest to learn more about Fruzzetti's Italian father who died young in Italian-ruled Eritrea, and her Eritrean mother who does not dwell on the past. Above all, Fruzzetti strives to understand her far-flung African, European, and…

This February, in honor of Black History Month, Wesleyan is hosting a series of events including a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; discussions on current black issues and diaspora blackness around the world; a Black History Month formal celebration; a unconventional poetry performance; a black radical protest with a former Black Panther activist; a student of color art show and live performances; and much more. Ujamma, Wesleyan's black student union, is coordinating all events. (Click graphic below to enlarge).

Patti Cake$, the debut film from writer-director Geremy Jasper ’98, has earned the second-highest deal of Sundance so far this year, with a bid of $9.5 million for distribution rights from Fox Searchlight. Producers are Dan Janvey ’06 and Michael Gottwald ’06; Matthew Greenfield ’90 is senior vice-president of production at Fox Searchlight—all Wesleyan film majors. Jasper's film tells the story of Patricia Dombrowski, (played by Danielle Macdonald)—also known as Killa P and Patti Cake$—an aspiring rapper in New Jersey. In his review, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn called the film the “best hip-hop movie since Hustle & Flow.” The film premiered…

On Jan. 28, 35 local girls in grades K-6 celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day at Wesleyan. Several Wesleyan student-athletes and eight coaches led sports clinics in field hockey, lacrosse, crew, soccer, softball and volleyball. All participants were treated to a pizza party and discussion with Wesleyan student-athletes and were offered free admission to Wesleyan’s women’s athletic contests. Throughout the day, the female athletes celebrated the courage, confidence, and character gained as they participated in sports. Jennifer Lane, head coach of softball, coordinated this year’s event with help from Olivia Berry, assistant softball coach and Jeff McDonald, assistant football…

Laura Grabel, the Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, professor of biology, warns in a new op-ed that the progress of embryonic stem cell research in this country, always subject to the ups and down of politics, is currently under threat. Co-authored with Diane Krause of Yale University, the op-ed in The Hartford Courant notes that Tom Price, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is on record opposing embryonic stem cell research. They write: As stem cell researchers, we fear that this appointment would endanger human embryonic stem cell research in the United States…

From 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 11 in the World Music Hall, engage in a panel discussion on the diaspora of the Kurdish people, the largest ethnic group in the world without a country that they can call their own. The program focuses on the integration of the Kurdish people into Western societies as refugees, their trials and tribulations during their assimilation, as well as the current and the future position of the Kurds in the geopolitical landscape and the stability of the Middle East and the fight against terror. This program will be followed by a musical and dance performance…

Note: This event has been rescheduled for April 20. Linda Greenhouse, the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law at the Yale Law School, will present a talk titled “Writing the Truth in the Age of Trump” during the 26th annual Hugo L. Black Lecture on Freedom of Expression. The talk begins at 8 p.m., April 20 in Memorial Chapel. Linda Greenhouse covered the Supreme Court for The New York Times between 1978 and 2008 and writes a biweekly op-ed column on law as a contributing columnist. She received several major journalism awards during her 40-year career at…

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Arthur Reinhold Upgren, the John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus, died on Jan. 21, a month before his 84th birthday. Upgren received his PhD from Case Western Reserve University before coming to Wesleyan as an assistant professor in 1966. He was the Director of the Van Vleck Observatory from 1973 to 1993. He held his endowed chair from 1982 until his retirement in 2000. Upgren was an author or co-author of 285 publications in the astronomical literature, including one that appeared in 2016. His research interests were in the areas of parallax (distance measurement) of stars and galactic…

Bill Belichick ’75, head coach of the New England Patriots, will lead his team to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Super Bowl is the National Football League’s annual championship game. Belichick’s team has never lost to the Falcons, in fact, in his four games against Atlanta since 2000, he’s 4-0. Beginning his NFL career as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Colts in 1975, Belichick moved to the Detroit Lions in 1976, remaining there for two seasons before spending a year in the Denver Broncos organization before moving on the the New York Giants…

On Jan. 20, the Wesleyan men's ice hockey team welcomed its newest member to the team, 9-year-old Connor Albert from Team IMPACT. In April 2016, Connor was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that starts in the bones. The issues, however, started in January 2016 when a small limp continued to get worse. One day, while playing basketball, Connor fell on his hip and the pain increased drastically. Doctors found a tumor in his hip, which they thought was benign, until four different biopsies concluded it was bone cancer. He underwent hip replacement surgery in the fall and is…

After retiring from 46 years of teaching at Rutgers Law School, Paul Tractenberg ’60 has established a new nonprofit, the Center for Diversity and Equality in Education (CDEE), to continue pursuing major education reform projects. Tractenberg, who studied history at Wesleyan and earned a JD from the University of Michigan, has devoted his professional life to improving the educational opportunities of low-income urban students and others with educational challenges. The biggest reform project that CDEE is focusing on is the court-ordered integration effort of the Morris School District in New Jersey, which was the subject of a recent New York…

Östör Debuts New Film to International Audiences

Wesleyan Celebrates Black History Month

Jasper ’98 Writes/Directs Sundance Hit Patti Cake$

Local Girls Celebrate Women in Sports Day with Wesleyan Student-Athletes

Grabel Warns of Threat to Embryonic Stem Cell Research in Op-ed

J-Hoon Musical Ensemble Presents the Music and Dance of the Ancient People of Kermanshah

“Writing the Truth in the Age of Trump” Topic of Hugo Black Lecture April 20

Undergraduates Return from Winter Recess, Begin Spring Semester

Upgren Remembered for Protecting Night Sky from Light Pollution

New England Patriots Coach Belichick ’75 Leads Team to Super Bowl

Men’s Hockey Drafts 9-Year-Old Connor from Team IMPACT

Tractenberg ’60 Heads New Nonprofit on Diversity and Equality in Education