All News – Page 45

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: In The Conversation, Robyn Autry, associate professor of sociology, responds to Whoopi Goldberg's recent controversial comments about the Holocaust. "As someone who writes and teaches about racial identity," Autry writes, "I was struck by the firmness of Goldberg’s initial claim, her clumsy retraction and apologies, and the heated public reactions." (Feb. 7) Autry also speaks to The New York Times about the popularity of Vaseline on social…

When Diane Goldstein Stein ’81, P’16,’21 traveled to Guatemala for the first time in 2018, she became acquainted with a non-profit that empowers indigenous female artisans. The organization, MayaWorks, helps girls, women, and their families achieve self-confidence and economic stability through various financial and educational initiatives. “Seeing the gorgeous and colorful tapestries and other items that they handcrafted wowed me,” Diane said. But so did their kind-hearted, warming personalities. “They're making lunch for us [while] we're meeting their friendly, polite, and affectionate children. They melted my heart. And that was just the start.” In 2020, Stein, who had befriended many…

Richard "Dick" T. Vann, professor emeritus of history and letters, died on Feb. 1 at the age of 90. Vann received bachelor's degrees from Southern Methodist University and Oxford University and an MA and PhD from Harvard University. He arrived at Wesleyan in 1964 and taught in the College of Letters and History Department until his retirement in 2000. “Dick was an intellectual force at Wesleyan for decades—a gentle and persistent force for creative, interdisciplinary work across the humanities and social sciences,” recalled President Michael Roth '78. “A gifted teacher, his History and Prophecy seminar was already legendary when I…

While scientific societies frequently approach diversity and inclusion efforts by supporting the professional development of historically underrepresented groups, data is lacking to evaluate the efficacy of these methods. As co-principal investigator I of a $701,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), Candice Etson, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, will help establish a network of experts who will collaboratively identify evidence-based inclusion strategies in STEM. The results will be reported and disseminated in open-access training materials and publications throughout the duration of the three-year project. The project, titled "Enhancing and Developing Biology (LED-BIO) Scientific…

Andratesha Fitzgerald exhorted the Wesleyan University community to use “power” as a way to lift each other up and honor one another. Fitzgerald, an activist, educational scholar, and international speaker, shared her personal experiences during Wesleyan's 15th annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Feb. 4. Wesleyan's 2022 celebration of MLK Day served as the concluding event of the second annual Equity and Inclusion Summit. During her talk, titled "Power and Empowerment: Honoring by Decision and Design," Fitzgerald explored the notions of power and empowerment that are made evident in our decisions, our designs, and our outcomes under the umbrella of…

Following WWII, droves of veterans returned home, determined to begin living "the American dream." With help of the G.I. Bill, veterans were able to purchase new homes for only $8,000 in newly-developed, sprawling subdivisions known as "Levittowns." But when Army veteran James Ladson returned from the war in 1943, he wasn't permitted to move his family to the bustling community situated on the northeast side of Philadelphia. Although he was financially qualified, there was one problem: he was Black. According to Clause 25 in Levittown’s covenant, “The tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be used or occupied by…

Michele Roberts '77 retired at the end of 2021 after seven and a half years as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). To honor her leadership and legacy, the NBPA Foundation has endowed a financial aid scholarship at her alma mater, Wesleyan University. Named for Roberts’ mother, the Clara Johnson Roberts Scholarship Fund is a fitting tribute to the woman who sparked her daughter’s law career by bringing her to observe trials at their local courthouse in the South Bronx. Like many of the players she worked with, Roberts came from very modest beginnings and rose to…

One of the first times Naomi Ekperigin ‘05 got laughs in public, it was during a 10-minute stand-up set at WestCo during her sophomore year at Wesleyan. “Obviously I did a lot of stuff about school. I was born and raised in New York City, the home of the Comedy Cellar, but it took me going to Middletown, Connecticut to feel confident and comfortable enough to give it a try,” she said. With a new Netflix special under her belt, appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Two Dope Queens on HBO, and film roles alongside Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart,…

NASA's new infrared telescope, which launched on Dec. 25, 2021, will help researchers like Wesleyan's Seth Redfield explore the universe in ways like never before. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is accessible to the worldwide scientific community, offers scientists the ability to explore the solar system, galactic evolution, the early universe, and the formation of stars and planets like never before. The telescope will also observe planets orbiting other stars, known as exoplanets. Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield, a member of the JWST's Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program (ERS), will work with scholars from around…

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: On MSN and Yahoo! News, Marc Eisner, Henry Merritt Wriston Chair in Public Policy and professor of government, speaks on how states across the country are ramping up efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. "Much depends on funding that [Gov. Ned] Lamont can’t control (for example, resources needed to replace diesel buses with electric vehicles, the building of charging stations),” Eisner said of the Connecticut governor’s recent…

A new Wesleyan University project funded by a three-year, $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will investigate Connecticut’s racial, industrial, and political history from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation—the nation’s largest funder of the arts, culture and humanities—awarded more than $16.1 million to 12 liberal arts colleges from across the nation, including Wesleyan, as part of its Humanities for All Times initiative. Humanities for All Times was created to support newly developed curricula that both instruct students in methods of humanities practice and demonstrate those methods’ relevance to broader social justice pursuits. Wesleyan’s “Carceral Connecticut…

At a recent public forum, Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 reiterated his commitment to a campus culture where freedom of expression thrives alongside efforts to cultivate open and expansive thinking. “I would try to change the debate from an individualistic approach to freedom of expression, which usually takes place on libertarian grounds, and emphasize the freedom to actively listen and to develop skills for listening rather than skills for screaming, tweeting, or posting,” Roth said. Roth participated in a virtual panel discussion on Jan. 25 titled “Students and Freedom of Expression on Campus.” The event was sponsored by The Chronicle for…

Wesleyan in the News

Alumni Collaborate on Tapestry of Music Benefit Concert for Guatemalan Women

Vann Remembered for Being a Bold Thinker and Demonstrating Respect

NSF Supports Etson’s Efforts to Develop Evidence-Based Inclusion Strategies in STEM

Power, Honor Themes of 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration

Critical Race Theory, Inclusivity on Campus Discussed at 2nd Annual Equity & Inclusion Summit

NBPA Foundation Honors Michele Roberts ’77 Retirement with Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Comedian Ekperigin ’05 Shines in New Netflix Comedy Special

NASA’s New Telescope Offers Redfield Opportunity to Expand Exoplanet Research

Wesleyan in the News

Mellon Foundation Supports Connecticut History Project at Wesleyan

President Roth Reiterates Commitment to Freedom of Expression Coupled With Open Thinking