Kate CarlisleIt’s not small-town Texas, it’s not high school, and the organizers aren’t expecting any drama except for the kind that usually plays out on the gridiron; still, let’s call it Saturday Night Lights. The first night football game in the history of NESCAC will be played on Andrus Field on Sept. 21. Wesleyan will host Tufts in the season’s opening contest at 6 p.m., with an experienced Cardinal squad facing a Jumbos contingent of returning starters and some strong recruits. “It’s only fitting that the first night game be played on the oldest college football field in the country,” said…
Lauren RubensteinIn September, Wesleyan President Michael Roth will be a speaker at the Social Good Summit, to be held at the 92 Street Y in New York, Sept. 22-24. Fifty-five of today’s global leaders in new media, technology, nonprofits, international affairs and numerous other areas will explore “the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges.” The summit will be live streamed at new.livestream.com/mashable. It will also be shown in the Usdan University Center video lounge, for those on campus. At the conference, Roth will formally introduce a new massive open online course (MOOC) on the Coursera platform…
Olivia DrakeWhile students are away, there's no time for play, if you're on the Physical Plant – Facilities staff. "The day students move out of their campus residences, we get to work," said Roseann Sillasen, associate director and project manager for Physical Plant - Facilities. "We get as many projects done as possible while students and faculty are away for the summer." Summer projects began early with replacement of the 22-year-old Andersen track at the Freeman Athletic Center. The project included an installation of a new synthetic turf field for inclement-weather games and practice field, taking pressure off the grass practice fields…
Whether you’re a serious student of Joss Whedon’s oeuvre or your inner geek has just really, really wanted to see Buffy’s scythe close up, an exhibit on view in the Cinema Archives’ Nicita Gallery should satisfy every fan of the prolific ’87 Wes alumnus. “Joss Whedon: From Buffy to the Bard” is an intimate and charming retrospective of Whedon’s career, starting with a picture of Whedon shooting a student film at Wesleyan, continuing through souvenirs of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and winding up with a poster from his latest film, "Much Ado About Nothing," which he previewed during Reunion &…
This fall, Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies is offering classes on psychological measurement, portraiture, editing fiction and nonfiction, contemporary world politics, Tolstoy and other topics of interest. Classes begin Sept. 9. Students may take courses for personal enrichment, or to pursue a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) or a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (M.Phil). Classes are taught by Wesleyan faculty. An information session will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at the GLS office, 74 Wyllys Avenue. Courses and instructors include: “Jazz in the Sixties” will be taught by Jazz Ensemble Coach Noah Baerman from 6:30 to…
For young writers, the prospect of getting their work in front of a master (whether a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a prominent poet or a famous byline) can be both exciting and terrifying. Student scribes at Wesleyan will have that opportunity this academic year as two masters of the craft come to campus to conduct a series of noncredit workshops at the Shapiro Creative Writing Center. Poet and memoirist Mark Doty and novelist and screenwriter Michael Cunningham will each do a series of three, two-and-a-half-hour master classes for about a dozen students. Doty’s up first in the fall semester and Cunningham…
During the months of August and September, contractors are replacing the underground steamlines between Fayerweather and Foss 10. This process requires significant excavation, and unfortunately, two trees stood in the path of destruction. "These are perfectly healthy trees," said Dave Hall, ground and events manager. "We couldn't just let them die." On Aug. 6, Hall hired a tree specialist to remove the two trees from Foss Hill and relocate them to the Center for the Arts courtyard. The contractor used a mechanical tree spade to pierce the earth and extract the trees and their root-balls, which measure about 6-feet-wide and…
While their classmates spend the summer growing business contacts at off-campus internships, 10 Wesleyan students hope to cultivate something equally lucrative – sustainable agriculture. The “dirt in the nails” days are long but satisfying at Wesleyan's Long Lane Organic Farm, a student-run organic farm that gives students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals - environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. This summer, the students are cultivating two acres of land, the biggest plot they've ever farmed. They're growing cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, asparagus, basil, broccoli, lettuce, blueberries…
A flock of feathery friends will soon join the student staff at Long Lane Farm. Each year since 2006, Wesleyan's Architecture II course, taught by Associate Professor of Art Elijah Huge, has accepted a commission to work on a project, traditionally for a nonprofit organization. Past projects have included the Wesleyan Sukkah, a wildlife-viewing platform for the Audubon Society, and a pavilion for the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association at its headquarters. This year, the idea for the project came from Long Lane Farm and Bon Appétit: to design and build a chicken coop that would enable Bon Appétit to serve…
Miss the start of MOOC-mania earlier this year? Good news—it’s not too late to check it out! Wesleyan’s next round of massive open online courses (MOOCS) is starting on Coursera in the coming weeks. A brand new MOOC, “Social Psychology,” will be offered by Professor of Psychology Scott Plous starting Aug. 12. The course has generated enormous interest, with more than 170,000 students currently enrolled. “The goal of the course is to explore some entertaining and intriguing psychology findings that students can use to improve their lives, relationships, and work. More than 40 organizations have contributed free readings, video clips…
Wesleyan’s Microgrid Project – which would allow the university to keep the lights on even during a massive power outage – was one step closer to reality last week with the award of a state grant for work on a specialized engine. The grant, for $694,000, will pay to connect Wesleyan’s natural gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) reciprocating engines to the campus electrical grid. “The new microgrid will supply power to the campus 24-7,” said Joyce Topshe, associate vice president for facilities. “In the event of a power outage, the microgrid will power the campus in 'island mode,' enhancing…
Natalie Robichaud ’14In January 2014, the Dance Department will move from its space in the Center for the Arts to a new studio and office space on Cross Street. This will allow Dance Department faculty and students to be closer to the Bessie Schönberg dance studio on Pine Street. Construction at 160 Cross Street commenced July 9 with asbestos abatement and demolition of the interior finishes and walls. Interior framing begins Aug. 5. According to Alan Rubacha, director of Physical Plant, construction will be completed this fall. Dance Department faculty and students are currently using two studios and other shared spaces. Some dance faculty are…