Olivia DrakeValerie Gillispie, assistant university archivist, holds a rare book, which was featured on PBS's History Detectives in July. The book is stamped with the name and address of a 19th century female anarchist and possibly belonged to a deceased Wesleyan alumnus. Posted 08/07/07 In June 2006, a book was discovered in the Wesleyan stacks related to the Chicago Haymarket Tragedy marked with an unusual stamp on the cover. The book, written by August Spies, was titled Auto-Biography, and appeared to be stamped with the name and address of Lucy Parsons, a 19th century bi-racial anarchist who promoted better labor conditions.…
Posted 08/07/ 07 Last year, Suzanne OConnell, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, attended a meeting with scientists from around the world. Out of the 40 participants, she was the only female. This was 2006, not 1973, and with an organization that had had a pretty good track record for involving women, she recalls. Its amazing to me that I was the only woman. It is this type of disparity that inspired OConnell, pictured at left, to undertake an initiative designed to retain more women in the geosciences. With support from a recent National Science Foundation award, OConnell co-created…
SNEAK PEEK: Rick Culliton, university center director and dean of campus programs, and Tim Shiner, director of student activities and leadership development, lead a private tour of the new Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center June 22. Pictured is one of the new dining areas. The newly-carpeted dining area on the third floor also has a lounge with a fireplace and a plasma television. Wesleyan Station's new student mail box center. Staircase between the ground and second floor. New student dining services. Main student lounge area. A student help-desk will be placed in the center of this room. A view from…
Posted 07/11/07 Q: Jeff, when did you come to Wesleyans Center for the Arts?A: I started my work as the CFAs events coordinator in the fall of 2005. Q: What is your role as an events coordinator? A: As events coordinator, my primary job is to help the Center for the Arts in planning the logistics and details of bringing high-caliber visiting artists and performing ensembles to Wesleyan, after they have been contracted. In this role, I help to make sure that our visiting performers have everything they need, so they can focus fully on their performances and residency activities…
Kim Savinelli, manager of restricted funds, oversees the accounting aspects of about 1,200 grants and monetary gifts given to Wesleyan for a specific - or restricted - purpose. Posted 07/11/07 When a donor specifies how his or her money should be spent at Wesleyan, Kim Savinelli makes sure the donors wishes are met. Savinelli, manager of restricted funds in the Office of Finance and Administration, insures that all special-case gifts, grants and endowments are spent properly. Restricted funds range from grants awarded by federal agencies to monetary gifts made by alumni for a specific purpose. Every gift needs to…
Posted 07/11/ 07 All-American track and cross country runner Ellen Davis graduated in May, but more honors just caught up to her. Davis, pictured in the lead at right, was honored by the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA) in June as she was named a CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine third-team Academic All-American after gaining first-team District I laurels in cross-country/track. The 10 first-team picks from each of the eight districts (80 total athletes voted upon by all the Sports Information Directors (SIDs) in their respective district) appeared on the national ballot with three squads of 15 named Academic…
Marcello Simonetta, assistant professor of medieval studies, romance languages and literatures, is the curator of a recent exhibit Federico da Montefeltro and His Library, in New York through September. Pictured in Simonetta's hand, and below, are portraits of the Italian Duke da Montefeltro. Posted 07/11/ 07 In 1475, the fully-armored Italian Duke of Urbino posed for a self-portrait in the ductal library with his son at his side. This famous oil painting, pictured at right, containing a 500-year-old mystery, is the centerpiece of a current exhibit, curated by Marcello Simonetta, assistant professor of medieval studies, romance languages and literatures. Titled,…
Todd Houle, Macintosh Specialist for Information Technology Services, says e-mail-related questions are the ones he gets asked most frequently. Posted 07/11/07 Q: Todd, when did you come to Wesleyan?A: I came to Wesleyan in the summer of 1997 as the Macintosh Specialist for the Information Technology Services Desktop Support Team. While different responsibilities have come and gone, Ive always been in our Desktop Support group. I also manage a couple of Mac servers such as our license server and file servers for a few departments.Q: Each academic and administrative department is assigned a Desktop Support Specialist. What departments do…
At left, cross country runners Owen Kiely '06 and Ellen Davis '07 were named NESCAC All-Academics. Kiley and Davis are among 64 athletes to receive the honor. Posted 07/06/07 Sixty-four Wesleyan student-athletes from 28 sports were named 2005-06 New England Small College All-Academic (NESCAC) honorees. To become an All-Academic, student-athletes must have met qualifying criteria, including holding at least junior status academically with one year's residence on campus; being a starter or significant reserve on a varsity team; and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher. Founded in 1971, the NESCAC is a group of 11 highly selective liberal…
Ellen Thomas, research professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, gathered evidence that Long Island Sound has been impacted by human activities. Posted 07/11/ 07 A Wesleyan researcher has discovered that nitrogen pollution may have altered the food chain in Long Island Sound. This can threaten habitats that support large commercial and recreational fisheries. Ellen Thomas, research professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has, together with Wesleyan undergraduate students, gathered evidence that Long Island Sound has been impacted by human activities, including effluents from wastewater treatment plants, waste disposal and urban and agricultural runoff. These…
Seven students, including Zoe Holder '08 (top, center) and Consuelo Gonzales 08 (center), traveled to Chuso, Peru this summer to volunteer at a local elementary school. Posted 07/11/ 07 Zoe Holder 08 returned from a Peruvian trip this summer with knowledge of a new culture, and well-callused hands from jabbing rocky ground with a pick-ax.She and six other Wesleyan students volunteered to go to Chuso, Peru June 1-17 to help the small village with a community identified need. They are members of Wesleyan Without Borders, a group dedicated to doing volunteer work in developing countries, and keeping the Wesleyan community…
Posted 07/11/ 07 Chris Summers, textbook coordinator at Broad Street Books, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 6. He was a resident of Middletown. Chris joined the team at Broad Street Books in January 2006. He was an enormous asset to our store. He was extremely diligent and detail-oriented, and he thrived on the ability to help both students and faculty with their needs. For his co-workers at the store, this is a tremendous blow personally. Everyone who interacted with Chris was aware of his quick wit, intelligence and humanity. Chris is survived by his mother, Helen Morris Summers, three…