Campus News & Events

One of Davison Art Center’s most important works – an early 19th century Francisco Goya lithograph – will be shown in a major art exhibit in Boston this fall. The print, a portrait of the printer Cyprien-Charles-Marie Nicolas Gaulon, was made at the end of Goya’s life, between 1825 and 1826, and is one of only two known “first state” copies of the work (the other is in France's Bibliotheque Nationale). Gaulon taught Goya lithography during the artist’s senescent exile in Bordeaux. “It’s a portrait of a friend, the man who taught him this technique, towards the end of his life,"…

Wesleyan students at Long Lane Organic Farm are preparing for the annual Pumpkin Fest, hosted by the College of the Environment on Oct. 25. The event celebrates the annual fall harvest at the farm. This month, students are harvesting pumpkins, eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce, turnips, potatoes, squash, herbs and many more vegetables. (more…)

Visiting Writer Charles Barber, director of The Connection Institute for Innovative Practice, will be the principal investigator, along with David Sells of Yale University, on a study peer mentoring of prisoners, thanks to a $295,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The study is a two-year randomized trial involving 110 ex-offenders in New Haven, Bridgeport and other Connecticut cities — 55 will receive mentors, and 55 will not. "We will recruit clients from prisons, where mentors— who are former prisoners themselves, with at least five years of stability behind them — will meet with them two to three times, pre-release. Mentors will then…

Alex Gilvarry, visiting writer in English, was named a "5 Under 35" award recipient from the National Book Foundation. Gilvarry is the author of From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant, published by Viking/Penguin Group in January 2012. He was selected for the award by 1993 National Book Award Finalist Amy Bloom, the Distinguished University Writer-in-Residence and Director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing. Gilvarry was born in Staten Island, N.Y. in 1981. He holds an MFA from Hunter College and has been a Norman Mailer Fellow and a visiting scholar at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin. His first novel,…

Sixty-six million years ago, a meteorite struck the Earth with enough force that the ensuing environmental changes, including floods, earthquakes, variable temperatures and light-obscuring dust clouds, possibly wiped out dinosaurs and other pre-historic life. Scientists believe this opened a path for mammals, and ultimately humans, to evolve. A new study by Dana Royer, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, and colleagues from the University of Arizona and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science suggests that the chaos in the wake of the space rock's impact changed the Earth's plant life as well. Deciduous plants survived and flourished to a…

On Sept. 22, President Michael Roth '78 and Joshua Boger '73, P'06, P'09, chair of the Board of Trustees, sent the following message to the Wesleyan community: To the Wesleyan community: As you may know, we have been considering the future role of Greek life at Wesleyan, and over the summer a great many Wesleyan alumni, students and faculty offered their views. Some have urged that we preserve the status quo; others have argued for the elimination of all exclusive social societies. (more…)

President Michael Roth discussed "The Future of Education" at the 92nd Street Y's Social Good Summit on Sept. 21. The event is the focus of his popular MOOC on the Coursera platform, which will be offered again starting in Nov., 2014. In his second appearance at the annual two-day festival of ideas, Roth discussed why education is still the best vehicle for social change, even while it has become more controversial then ever. Watch the video of his talk. "Education remains the most potent tool for changing the world, " he said. "And training teachers who can help students acquire the…

In 1961, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic began constructing a 96-mile-long dividing wall in attempt to prevent Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state. The Berlin Wall, made of concrete and barbed wire, prevented emigration and more than 170 people were killed trying to cross or get around the wall. On Nov. 9, 1989, the head of the East German Communist party opened the checkpoint, allowing thousands of East and West Berlin residents to pass through. Elated residents, later known as "wallpeckers" used hammers and picks to break apart the wall. In 1990, East and West Germany reunified…

Five notable Wesleyan athletes and one long-time coach will be enshrined in the seventh class of the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame. In total, the Hall, established in 2008, now includes 37 individuals and 11 teams. Joining the Hall of Fame Oct. 17 will be: Joe Barry Morningstar '39, a three-sport standout (football, basketball and baseball) for whom Wesleyan's annual men's basketball outstanding player award is named; Cochrane Chase '54, a tremendous football and wrestling talent during his undergraduate career; Marion J. Stoj, M.D. '74, a high-scoring forward in men's soccer who earned All-America honors; Thomas Vincent Reifenheiser III '94,…

It was called "the war to end all wars." Causing the downfall of three major empires, and eclipsing all previous wars in its destruction, World War I changed the course of global history. And decades before television and sophisticated print advertising, it changed the way conflict was marketed to the American people. A new exhibit, Call to Action: American Posters in World War I, at the Davison Art Center, displays dramatic posters that recruited soldiers, celebrated shipbuilding, called women for war work and even urged homemakers to prepare alternative foods in support of the war effort. "The best illustrators of the day were…

The following message was sent to members of the Wesleyan community on Wednesday, Sept. 10: To the Wesleyan Community: We write to announce that the Beta Theta Pi residence at 184 High Street will be off-limits to all Wesleyan students effective Monday, Sept. 15, 2014. The students currently living there will be provided with alternative university housing. The decision to prohibit students from using the Beta house is based on the long history of incidents there. Most recently, during a party at the house a student fell from a third floor window and was seriously injured. We have lost confidence…

Uncover the hidden stories of East Asia’s religion and folklore at a new exhibit, "Not of This World," at the College of East Asian Studies' gallery. To inaugurate the new College of East Asian Studies, students curated this exhibition of the most compelling artworks from the college's collection. "Not Out of This World" is on display Sept. 10-Dec. 5 and features aesthetically pleasing pieces that reveal spiritual worlds filled with love, betrayal and faith. A ghost woman who searches for her husband, an immortal trapped in a peasant’s body, and a wheel that spins prayers are examples of the East Asian artwork displayed that weave the supernatural with mystical elements.…

Davison Art Center’s 19th Century Goya Print Exhibited in Boston

Students Prepare for Fall Harvest at Long Lane Farm

Barber Receives DOJ Grant to Study Peer Mentoring of Prisoners

Gilvarry Named “5 Under 35” Award Winner from National Book Foundation

Royer’s Study Suggests that the Meteorite That Wiped Out Dinosaurs Changed Forests

Residential Fraternities Required to Become Co-Ed

Roth Discusses “The Future of Education” at Social Good Summit

Faculty, NPR Reporter Speak at Berlin Wall Commemoration

5 Athletes, 1 Coach to be Enshrined in Wes Athletic Hall of Fame

WW I Posters Shine at Davison Art Center Exhibit

Beta Residence to Be Closed to All Students

East Asia’s Religion, Folkore Shared at New Student-Curated CEAS Exhibit