Olivia DrakeRuby-Beth Buitekant 09 and Rebecca Chavez 08 read from the Torah for the first time as part of their Adult B'nei Mitzvah ceremony April 29. Posted 05/16/06 In Jewish tradition, when a child reaches the age of maturity (12 years for girls, 13 years for boys) that child becomes responsible for following Jewish law. The Jewish families hold celebratory ceremonies Bnai Mitzvah for boys, Bnei Mitzvah for girls which acknowledge that the child has become son or daughter of the commandment. Nowadays, however, not everyone follows these traditions and some Jewish children go on to adolescence without going…
Lirra Schiebler '07, right, speaks on her community research project at "From the Field: First-Hand Reports of Wesleyan Service-Learning Projects" May 12 in the Center for Community Partnerships. Rob Rosenthal, center with blue shirt and tie, is director of the Service-Learning Center. Posted 05/16/06 As part of a Service-Learning project, Lirra Schiebler 07 learned that some residents in Middletown's North End spend about 47 percent of their monthly earnings on heating and electric bills during the winter season. Schiebler presented her group's study, "Energy Costs in the North End: The Rise in Utilities and its Effect on a Low-Income Community"…
John Meerts, vice president for Finance and Administration, has been working with budgeting, energy-saving initiatives and people management issues from his office in North College. Posted 05/16/06 John Meerts is a technical guru. He loves computers. He loves numbers and budgeting. But most of all, he loves people. These are all reasons Meerts was promoted to Vice President for Finance on May 1. I love managing people, Meerts says from his office in North College I love helping them overcome obstacles, make decisions, offer advice about projects and being there to answer questions. In this position, Meerts has responsibilities…
Holly Wheeler, head women's lacrosse coach, also coaches women's soccer. Posted 05/16/06 Q: Holly, what year did you come to Wesleyan as a lacrosse coach?A: I arrived at Wesleyan in the fall of 1999, as the part-time coach of the womens lacrosse team, directly after graduating from college. I had a couple of other jobs until the lacrosse season started in February. The next year, I got the full-time job as the head soccer and lacrosse coach.Q: Wesleyan ended its lacrosse season April 30 with a winning 9-8 overall record. How does this record compare to the other seven…
Gay Smith, professor of theater, speaks about upcoming art events during the 2006-07 Center for the Arts season in World Music Hall May 9. Pictured below, far right, Nina Felshin, curator of exhibitions and adjunct lecturer in art history, speaks with guests following the CFA's season announcement. Posted 05/16/06 A fusion of Japanese drumming and jazz, clown-theater, Brazilian guitar, creative conversation and West African dance are all in the Center for the Arts (CFA) pallet for the 2006-07 season. During the CFAs annual Season Announcement May 9, Pam Tatge, CFA director, announced the centers upcoming highlights. We are very proud…
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen 09 is the co-author of the book The Notebook Girls published in April. Posted 05/16/06 Sophie Pollitt-Cohen 09 is co-author of The Notebook Girls by Warner Books. The book began the journal with her friends, Julia Baskin, Lindsey Newman and Courtney Toombs at Stuyvesant High School in New York City in 2001. The journal provided a way for the high school freshmen to stay in touch despite demanding class schedules, extracurricular activities and busy social lives. Formatted as a reproduction of the girls journal, the book is stocked with hand-written notes on lined-notebook paper, doodles and pasted-to-the-page photographs.…
Posted 05/04/06 Wesleyan President Doug Bennet will conclude his presidency at the end of the 2006-07 academic year, he informed faculty, students and staff on May 4.Bennet, who became president in April 1995, led Wesleyan's historic $281 million capital campaign, expanded the size of the faculty, launched an ambitious campus building program, and shaped the universitys first comprehensive strategic plan. "Wesleyan is doing well, both institutionally and in its daily pursuit of excellence," Bennet said to members of the campus community gathered at the steps of North College. "The university is prepared well to engage new leadership, and the time…
Posted 05/04/06 Professor of Chemistry Joseph Bruno will become Wesleyan's vice president for Academic Affairs, effective July 1. Bruno has served as dean of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics since 2003. Bruno will serve as chief academic officer for the university, responsible for attracting and retaining faculty and for supporting their research and teaching activities. In February, after Vice President for Academic Affairs Judith Brown announced her intention to step down, Wesleyan President Doug Bennet began extensive consultations with faculty on the characteristics to seek in her successor, as well as nominations. Bennet decided to seek a Wesleyan faculty member…
Wesleyan's new turf field, located behind Physical Plant on Long Lane, was dedicated April 29 during a ribbon cutting ceremony. It is expected to be available for use later this month. Posted 05/04/06 Wesleyan athletes will be breaking new ground this month on their new synthetic turf field. The field, dedicated April 29 during a ribbon cutting ceremony, will be put to use in May. Mens and womens soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams will use the outdoor field regularly, and it will be available for several other activities, as well. John Biddiscombe, director of athletics and chair of physical…
Head Women's Crew Coach Beth Emery and her crew team pick up litter along the Connecticut River shoreline during their off season. Posted 05/04/06 Q: Most of us know little about crew except that very strong people move amazingly fast in tandem in a thin boat and look like water spiders dancing on the surface. Would you mind briefly defining the sport? A: Rowing can be done competitively or recreationally. Most of the rowing taking place out of Wesleyan's Macomber Boathouse is done with collegiate competition in mind. We race in eights and fours. In eights there are eight…
Stanford Forrester, coordinator of the Freeman Asian / Asian American Initiative, displays photographs and haiku in the Asian / Asian American House. daylight . . . no one notices the firefly Haiku by Stanford Forrester Posted 05/04/06 Since he was 12, Stanford Forrester had a strong interest in Asian culture. Growing up in New York, watching Kung Fu on TV, taking karate and judo lessons, and studying Asian philosophy were his fondest pastimes. For the last four years, Forrester has been the coordinator of the Freeman Asian / Asian American Initiative, a position that has allowed his interest…
A handcrafted quilt, pictured at left, made by library staff members will be raffled off during a book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Wesleyan Library May 13. Posted 05/04/06 The Wesleyan community can book some time at a library benefit this month.Friends of the Wesleyan Library, a volunteer group dedicated to supporting the library, will hold a book sale in the Exley Science Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13. The center will be filled with over 10,000 books for sale. It's a perfect opportunity to find research, pleasure, gift or treasure books at a great…