Campus Life – Page 16

President Michael Roth '78 announces that Wesleyan University will recognize three extraordinary individuals during the 190th Commencement on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The honorary degree recipients will be Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who will also deliver the Commencement address; Joseph J. Fins ’82, physician and professor of medical ethics and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College; and Gloria Steinem, a trailblazing leader of the American feminist movement in the late 1960s, award-winning journalist, and political activist. Unfortunately, Rita Moreno, who was previously announced as a recipient of an honorary degree,…

By Maia Dawson '24 Ivanie Cedeño '22, a lauded entrepreneur, remembers a metal container her grandmother, Eurania, used to have. Cedeño recalls how she would watch her sew. “When she would put clothes away they were all pressed and everything had its spot, everything fit perfectly,” Cedeño said. She is cautious about the precision of the memory, though. Perhaps her love for her grandmother has idealized her recollection. Cedeño’s startup, Sol Blossom Crochet, honors these memories. The company won first place at a presentation to Middletown’s Board of Commissioners, the final stage for a Startup Incubator class she took this…

A new Jewett Center for Community Partnerships project hopes to encourage young people to see themselves as not just bystanders to the historical events shaping our world, but as having an important perspective on it worth preserving. The project, called “We Make History,” collects the personal expressions of Wesleyan students and local young people about the landmark events of the last several years, including the global COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. The students’ submissions, which could be pieces of writing, artwork, or video and audio recordings, will be archived at Olin Library and the Middlesex County Historical…

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…

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…

Although Kati Koerner majored in government, she spent the majority of her career working in the theater arts. The Class of 1990 Wes alumna now teaches a graduate seminar on the pedagogy of drama at the Juilliard School and serves as director of education at Lincoln Center Theater. And she's more than happy to talk about her experience with other budding theater-makers. On Jan. 14, as part of the Gordon Career Center's WEShadow Externship Program, Koerner met with a dozen current Wesleyan students on Zoom to discuss her experience in arts education, applied theater, arts integration, and also grant-writing and budgeting. She's…

Khaled, a child who recently came to the US from Syria, logs on to every English language tutoring session with Ben Levin ’23 with his face as close to the camera as possible, sporting a huge smile. “What’s up BRO!” Khaled says each time. “Khaled is a sweet, energetic, and enthusiastic eight-year-old who uses his bed as a bouncing-off spot for both his ideas and his body,” said Levin, Khaled’s tutor through Elizabeth Ann Hepford’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) class, held in Fall 2021. Levin had worked with children in a camp setting, but hadn’t had…

Looking back over Martin Luther King Jr.’s four visits to Wesleyan between 1962 and 1966, one is struck by how many of his concerns still exist today. He saw hatred on the march throughout the country, and believed that the only way to combat it was through non-violent means. “Moral ends will be achieved by moral means,” King told the Wesleyan crowd during his first visit to Wes, 60 years ago. King, who received an honorary degree from Wesleyan in 1964, spoke about the injustice of racial segregation. He urged people to move away from materialism towards a higher plain…

Wesleyan University has begun the process of constructing a new home for Neighborhood Preschool (NPS), located at 60 Long Lane near the softball fields. Work on the project, designed by Patriquin Architects of New Haven, began in December and should be complete by the end of 2022. The current facilities, located on Lawn Avenue and High Street, will be demolished to make way for the new science building. “Our new NPS is a significant upgrade on our current facilities and will accommodate 52 youngsters in multiple classrooms and outdoor play yards. The approximately 7,000-square-foot facility was designed in consultation with a committee…

September Johnson, Wesleyan’s alcohol and other drug specialist, acknowledges that Wesleyan's move to becoming a tobacco and vape free campus will be a big change for the community. The policy went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. And Johnson said that there will be plenty of support measures in place to help. “We, as a community, are here to support each other through this change,” Johnson said in a campus all-staff meeting on Nov. 29 where the policy change was announced. No tobacco products will be allowed anywhere on campus. “Tobacco use continues to be a leading cause of preventable…

(By Maia Dawson '23) From defining their core values to marketing a final product, Wesleyan’s Startup Incubator class unveiled their final projects to Middletown’s city commissioners this week. Throughout the evening of student presentations, a trend emerged – these students were not only ready to enter their respective markets, they had blended their values of ethics, sustainability, and creative growth with business models that aimed to challenge some of the core mechanisms of our economy. Rosemary Ostfeld, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies and instructor of the CSPL 239 course Startup Incubator: The Art and Science of Launching Your Idea…

During their three-and-a-half-years at Wesleyan, Charlotte Babbin '22 worked as a research assistant for a plant epigenetic lab, directed the pit orchestra for a Second Stage production, taught sex education workshops for area adolescents, served as a social programming and social justice co-chair for Wesleyan's Jewish community, worked on a research project with a local domestic violence service center, and served as an eco facilitator for the Sustainability Office—all while pursuing a double-major in biology and science in society. And, they managed to do it all while maintaining a 96.8 Wesleyan grade point value. For these reasons, Babbin, who hails…

Wesleyan Announces Commencement Speaker, Honorary Degree Recipients

Solarpunk, Operation Bootstrap, and Cedeño’s ’22 Sol Blossom Crochet

JCCP’s ‘We Make History’ Project Seeking Entries

Vann Remembered for Being a Bold Thinker and Demonstrating Respect

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

Students, Alumni Make Career Connections through WEShadow Program

TESOL Class Helps Tutor Syrian Refugees

MLK Left Influential Impact on Wesleyan Community

Construction Begins on New Neighborhood Preschool at Long Lane

Wesleyan Becomes Tobacco, Vape Free Campus

Student Entrepreneurs Share Startup Business Ventures with the Public

15 Seniors Honored for Academic Excellence