Bill HolderWesleyan President Michael S. Roth and Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Whaley distributed the following announcement to the campus community today: To the Wesleyan Community: In the beginning of this semester, Wesleyan announced a series of changes aimed to make residential Greek organizations safer and more inclusive. Public Safety now has full access to the houses, and many fraternity members, like other students, are now participating in bystander intervention training and other programs to curb gender-based violence. In addition to these safety measures, in order to become more inclusive all Greek residential organizations are required to present a plan…
Brian KattenIn November, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston named Associate Head Football Coach Dan DiCenzo the Division III assistant coach of the year. In addition, NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year Jake Bussani '14 received a Joe Zabilski Award for being the top Division III defensive player in New England. The honor is annually awarded to New England's best collegiate players in Divisions II and III. Bussani was one of four NESCAC players chosen for the New England Football Writers Division II/III all-star team. The last Cardinal to grace the NEFW all-star squad was Shea Dwyer '10 during the 2010 season. Bussani is currently enrolled…
Olivia DrakeJesse Lieman-Sifry '15 received a $5,000 Undergraduate Directed Campus Scholarship from the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, funded by NASA. The award will be applied to his financial aid package and support his ongoing research in the Astronomy Department.
Eighteen Wesleyan students, research assistants, alumni and one professor attended the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting, held Nov. 15-19 in Washington D.C. The student group included Wesleyan lab technicians/research assistants Felicia Harrsch and Adam Lombroso and biology graduate students Kemal Asik, Jyoti Gupta, Swechhya Shrestha, Chris Chen, Nickesha Anderson, Meghan van Zandt, Chelsea Lassiter, Samantha Maisel, Julian Gal and Chris Suriano. The alumni group included XiaoTing Zheng '14, Eniola Yeates '10, Efrain Ribiero '10, Michaela Tolman '13 and lab tech/research assistant Katharine Henderson. Most of these alumni are enrolled in Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D neuroscience programs at other universities. Jan Naegele, professor of biology, professor of neuroscience…
During the 2014 Society for Ethnomusicology's 59th Annual Meeting, held Nov. 13-16 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Wesleyan graduate students collaborated to present the first panel dedicated to Taiwanese identity and music. The panel, titled "How Taiwanese Should I Be? Contesting Taiwanese Identities in Local, Regional and Global Contexts," comprised of Ph.D. candidates Joy Lu and Po-wei Weng, and graduate student Ender Terwilliger. Su Zheng, associate professor of music, chaired the panel. Covering Taiwanese opera, Pili Budaixi, and fusion performances, the panel explored the process of identity formation when promoting Taiwanese identity in politically delicate situations domestically and overseas. In addition, Ph.D. candidates…
Lauren RubensteinIt turns out that teaching language arts, math and science to fourth graders is not the same as manufacturing cars on an assembly line. That is, the microeconomics principle of economies of scale—or the cost advantages that businesses get by increasing the scale of production—do not always apply to educational interventions. Put another way, an intervention that works great in one specific educational setting cannot necessarily be “scaled up” to work in many other settings. This is the finding of a major new study funded by the National Science Foundation, on which Associate Professor of Psychology Steven Stemler collaborated with…
On Nov. 9, a group of Wesleyan staff and students visited the Veterans' Home in Rocky Hill, Conn. They participated in an interfaith service and the singing of patriotic songs in honor of Veterans Day. They also distributed certificates of appreciation to the veterans. "The engaged and caring students showed the veterans, the oldest of which was 100 years old, such incredible compassion and respect," said Tracy Mehr-Muska, the university Protestant chaplain. "I was so proud of our students and was incredibly glad that they took advantage of this opportunity to thank the veterans for their service during this special…
The Office of Human Resources reported the following new hires, transitions and departures for October 2014: Newly hired Samantha O’Neill was hired as marketing and outreach coordinator in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program Office on Oct. 1. Scott Rohde was hired as director of public safety in the Office of Public Safety on Oct. 1. Anya Backlund was hired as exhibitions coordinator/institute for curatorial practice in performance coordinator in the Center for the Arts on Oct. 6. Jonathan Farrar was hired as senior investment associate in the Investment Office on Oct.14. Roney Thomas was hired as post doctoral research associate in the Physics Department…
Kate CarlisleImagine a place where Wesleyan students with a panoply of interests – art, photography, architecture, graphic design, and theatrical design, to name but a few – can work together in a dedicated digital space. Where faculty and students can bridge the divide between traditional arts and humanities courses and the tremendous shifts taking place in the technological world. That place is no longer imaginary. A $150,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust will support a Digital Design Studio in the repurposed carriage house section of the Davison Art Center. Beginning with about eight classes taught by three or four faculty…
This fall, in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, Wesleyan employees are encouraged to participate in the university’s annual fundraising campaign to support the Middlesex United Way. The university’s goal this year is $130,000 in donations and 50 percent participation. Department representatives have already distributed informational packets and pledge forms to faculty and staff. Forms must be returned by Nov. 20. In an email to the campus community, President Michael Roth wrote, “When you give to Middlesex United Way, your dollars stay local. United Way’s local volunteers distribute your dollars to help neighbors in need—neighbors such as 60 Middletown families at risk…
As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, Information Technology Services launched a new security awareness campaign titled “Protecting You, Securing Wesleyan”. The campaign consists of security awareness training videos; tips and tricks provided on the ITS Facebook and Twitter pages; posters distributed around campus; and a new website about cyber security initiatives on campus. The information will help Wesleyan faculty, staff and students be safer online, at work, home or on the road. (more…)