Olivia DrakeJohn Crooke, adjunct professor of physical education, is Wesleyan's cross country and distance track coach. Posted 12/19/05 Q: How many years have you been the cross country coach and distance track coach at Wesleyan?A: I just finished my 6th fall at Wesleyan.Q: What have been the cross country teams' key meets of the year?A: The New England Regional meet was the major highlight for both mens and womens teams. The women placed 7th in the toughest region in the country and the men placed 2nd to qualify as a team to the National Championships. The men ended up placing…
Hari Krishman, dance artist in residence, presented a lecture demonstration on South Indian Court dance and the grandeur of the Tanjavur Quartet in India Dec. 31. (Photo by Cylla von Tiedmann) Posted 12/19/05 Q: Hari, when did you come to Wesleyan as an artist in residence in dance?A: July 1, 2001. I teach courses on not only traditional Bharatanatyam dance technique but also lecture on the post colonial experience as well as on the global contemporary manifestations of the South Asian dance. Bharatanatyam is the classical dance from South India. Bharatanatyam historically evolved in the royal city of Tanjavur,…
Richard Slotkin, Olin Professor of English, professor of American Studies, studied the 369th Battalions and 77th Divisions roles in France for his latest book, Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality." Posted 12/19/05 In 1918, the United States loaned its all-black 369th Infantry Regiment to fight under the French flag in World War I. These soldiers, rejected for combat duty by their own country because they were black, fought for 191 days, longer than any other American unit in the war. The Harlem Hell Fighters, received an honorable award for bravery from the French. In their…
Shirley Lawrence, program coordinator for the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, relaxes in the center's Japanese-style tatami room. Posted 12/19/05 Growing up in Massachusetts, Shirley Lawrence never gave much thought to customs in Asian countries. But during her 18 years as program coordinator for the East Asian Studies Program, Lawrence has acquired not only knowledge, but a deep appreciation for Asian art, music and culture. Being here 18 years, I feel as though the program continually evolves, Lawrence says. I thoroughly enjoy it, and the environment is so stimulating. Its never the same one year to the…
Geoff Wheeler, men's head soccer coach, led Wesleyan to its first New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship this fall. Posted 12/02/05 Q: Just incase our audience hasnt heard the big news, can you tell us why you and the mens soccer team has been celebrating recently? A: Wesleyan captured its first ever New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship in any sport when the mens soccer team defeated Amherst and Williams in the same weekend. As the No. 7 seed in the tournament, we upset No. 2 Bowdoin in the first round before going on to defeat…
Posted 12/02/05 Wesleyan will reduce its budgetary reliance on endowment over the next five years as part of a strategic effort to increase the size of the endowment. At the same time, it will spend more on fund-raising activities with the expectation of substantially increasing revenues, and it will invest a higher proportion of new gifts in the endowment. According to "Engaged with the World," the strategic plan adopted by the trustees last spring: "One of our highest priorities will be to support a growing proportion of essential and predictable costs (faculty salaries, financial aid) through the endowment. Over the…
Monica Baik, technical sales specialist, taught herself the technical knowledge needed to research merchandise for the Computer Store & Service Center. Posted 12/02/05 Q: How many years have you worked at Wesleyan as a technical sales specialist? A: Ive been with Wesleyan for five years, four of those as the technical sales specialist. Before that I worked for a year as an administrative assistant in Finance and Administration.Q: What is the purpose of the Computer Store & Service Center and who does the store service?A: The Computer Store & Service Center is here to provide technical products and services…
Posted 12/02/05 Spencer Berry, professor of biology Emeritus, died Nov. 19 at his home in Middlefield, Conn. at the age of 72. His career at Wesleyan spanned 35 years. Berry joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1964 and retired in 1999. He earned a bachelors of art in biology from Williams College with a minor in art history; a masters of arts in biology from Wesleyan; and a Ph.D at Western Reserve University. An expert in the mechanisms of insect development, he held a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award from 1971 to 1976 and received several research grants…
Ruth Striegel-Moore, professor and chair of psychology, is leading a binge-eating study. Posted 12/02/05 The largest, most comprehensive binge-eating study ever undertaken has been initiated in Portland, Oregon, and the primary investigator is Ruth Striegel-Moore, professor and chair of psychology. Striegel-Moore, an internationally-recognized expert on eating disorders, says the study will last four years and include male and female subjects between 18 and 50 years of age. People participating in the study who present with eating disorders will be offered treatment options. The study is being funded by National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and…
Red & Black Society member Megan Lesko '06 talks to alumni while raising funds for the Wesleyan Annual Fund for Excellence. Pictured below is Allie Joe, '05 and Joshua Atwood '08. Lesko and Joe are both student managers for the society. Posted 12/02/05 Emily Frost 06 knows it takes courage to call and speak with strangers. As a member of Wesleyans Red & Black Society, she is learning how to transform what could be an awkward conversation into a more meaningful exchange. Frost is among 60 Red & Black Society members who call alumni and parents requesting gifts to Wesleyan…
BOOK SIGNING: Ethan Kleinberg, associate professor of history and letters, held a book signing event Oct. 26 at Broad Street Books. Kleinberg is the author of Generation Existential; Heideggers Philosophy in France, 1927-1961, which focuses on the initial reception for Heideggers philosophy had on those who encountered it. (Photo by Olivia Bartlett)
The McNeil family will celebrate Thanksgiving in their new home built by more than 250 students, faculty and staff and community volunteers. Posted 11/16/05 Wesleyan University and Northern Middlesex Habitat for Humanity formally welcomed Jennifer McNeil and her family into their new home on 34 Fairview Avenue on Nov. 13. Wesleyan donated the four bedroom, white colonial to Habitat for Humanity last year and faculty, staff, students and other members of the Wesleyan community assisted with the home's renovations. McNeil is looking forward to cooking Thanksgiving dinner next week with extended family members and her five children, Darryl, Tyquan,…