Olivia DrakeThe 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,…
Francisco Rodríguez, assistant professor of economics and Latin American studies, worked as the chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly prior to coming to Wesleyan. Posted 11/16/05 In the recent Summit of the Americas in Argentina, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez openly defied President George Bush by reportedly declaring that the meeting would mark the end of Bushs push for free-trade era in Latin America. However, the meeting marked another step in the contentious relationship that Chávez has staked out with the American president. According to Assistant Professor of economics and Latin American Studies, Francisco Rodríguez, this increasingly vocal and confrontational…
Brandon Buehring, area coordinator for Residential Life, helped develop a campus-wide anti-racism discussion board. He also works with the student residents of West College, Clark Hall and Fauver Apartments. Posted 11/16/05 Growing up in southern Texas, Brandon Buehring was taught by his elders, teachers and textbooks that he was living in a post-Civil-Rights-movement racial utopia. Meanwhile, all of his Mexican-American classmates, whose family trees stretched down at least three centuries in to Americas soil, were struggling with the states educational system and government. They were treated, he explains, like invaders. At the time, Buehring chose to believe that these…
Lennie Sweeny, top, and Maureen Tosto, left, have worked for Wesleyan's Campus Dining Services for more than 35 years combined. Sweeny works as a cook in Summerfields and Tosto is a cashier at the Davenport Campus Center. Posted 11/16/05 Q: What is your job title?Lennie Sweeny (LS): Second cook. I do the prep work for the first cooks. Theyre the ones who are in charge of everything. You could call me the soup lady, because I make all the soups and chili.Maureen Tosto (MT): Im a cashier.Q: How many years have you worked in food services?LS: Ive been…
Dan Michaud has been appointed as the interim associate vice president for Human Resources to manage a new department including Payroll, Benefits and Human Resources. Posted 11/16/05 A recent reorganization of services has combined the Human Resources Department with the Payroll and Benefits Offices. The reorganization became effective on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and was announced by John C. Meerts, interim vice president for finance and treasurer and vice president for Information Technology Services. The intent is to create a single, one-stop office that handles compensation, benefits, personnel information, transactions and recruitment. "By merging the two areas we've created a more…
At top, fifth grader Taylor Spencer learns about the hydrogen make-up of vinegar, club soda and ammonia with Manju Hingorani, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at Spencer Elementary School Nov. 10. (Photo by Olivia Drake) Posted 11/16/05 When 18 fifth graders from the Spencer School in Middletown came home on Nov. 10 and were asked, What did you do in school today? they had a few ready answers: We extracted DNA from wheat germ, checked hydrogen levels in household products and stripped-away pigments from M&M candies. Probably a little different from the responses parents had heard the day…
The Susan B. and William K. Wasch Center for Retired Faculty at 51 Lawn Avenue held its Open House Nov. 5 during Homecoming/Family Weekend. The Center is named for Susie and Bill Wasch '52, P'84, who contributed their vision and support for the project. This new center creates a shared intellectual and social community where retired faculty members can continue their scholarly activities and participation in university life. Trustee Emeritus Bob McKelvey '59 believes the Wasch Center for Retired Faculty will provide invaluable connections between different generations of Wesleyan faculty. In supporting this project, he honored former first lady Katharina…
Posted 11/02/05. Updated 11.07.05 Several Hollywood female stars were introduced to Middlesex County women and girls during a benefit dinner Nov. 6, titled Stardom Then and Now. The presentation, by Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film studies and chair of the Film Studies Department Jeanine Basinger, provided an insiders look at the star system in Hollywood and how it has evolved through the years. Basinger, who is also the curator of Wesleyans Cinema Archives, offered an exploration of the power and limitations female stars dealt with in the early Hollywood years and the influences that changed the nature of stardom into its…
Lucy Diaz, administrative assistant to the academic deans, is co-chair to the Administrators and Faculty of Color Alliance (AFCA). Posted 11/02/05 Q: When were you hired as the administrative assistant to the academic deans?A: I started at Wesleyan in October 2001.Q: What are some of your duties?A: The majority of my day is spent on the phone responding to inquiries from faculty and staff, reconciling accounts, gathering financial data, and maintaining various files and databases.Q: What goes on during a day in the Office of Academic Affairs? A: My job is a little different each day and I really…
Lisa Gates, dean of the class of 2007, holds a photograph of her class inside her office in North College. Gates monitors the academic performance of 760 students. Posted 11/02/05 Steering students toward success is Lisa Gates top priority. As dean of the class of 2007, shes constantly helping students meet or exceed their academic goals on the way to graduation. Gates meets with many of her 760 students during the academic year. As a class dean, she is responsible for monitoring the academic performance of her class and ensuring students are making appropriate progress toward earning their degrees.…
Posted 11/02/05 Kelly Greenhill joined the Government Department as an assistant professor in July. Greenhills current research focuses on non-traditional coercion, counterinsurgency operations and barriers to conflict resolution. Such research has appeared in a variety of books and journals, including Security Studies, International Migration, and Polity. This semester, Greenhill is teaching a course on civil wars and international conflict management and another on geography and international conflict. In the spring, she will teach an introductory international relations course, as well as another that offers a more in-depth exploration of international relations theory. I was attracted to Wesleyan for myriad reasons,…
Donna Wright, women's ice hockey head coach, learned to play hockey on a pond. Posted 11/02/05 Q: How many years have you been the womens ice hockey head coach? A: I began my coaching career at Wesleyan in September 1995. I was hired as the head womens hockey coach and assistant lacrosse coach. Because the position was not an adjunct faculty position at that time, I also took a part-time position in the Physical Plant as a network desktop support person. It enabled me to be at Wesleyan full-time.Q: When does the season begin and end? A: Our season…