David PesciPeter Rutland has mentioned in the past that many Americans know little about the European Union (E.U.), and what they know may be more based on myth than fact. With a major debt crisis threatening the E.U.’s very existence, 5 Questions thought it might be a good time to discuss some of these misconceptions with Professor Rutland who is Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, professor of government and professor of Russian and Eastern European studies. Q: What is one of the more significant myths many Americans believe is a “fact” about the E.U.? A:…
Olivia DrakeAn unprecedented October snow storm wreaked havoc on Wesleyan's campus and throughout Connecticut Oct. 30. The university was among the more than 800,000 electrical utility customers who lost power. Electricity was restored to the central campus area on Nov. 1, but many program and wood-framed student houses that are supplied by electrical grids in Middletown remained without power. With the restoration of power to the core of the Wesleyan campus, the university re-opened and resumed classes on Nov. 2. "By resuming classes we aim to return to the normal rhythms of our educational mission," said Wesleyan President Michael Roth in an…
All Wesleyan students, alumni, parents, families, faculty and staff are invited to Homecoming/Family Weekend Nov. 4-6. This year, campus guests can participate in an array of academic, cultural and athletic events. Students’ families gain a sense of the undergraduate experience by sitting in on regularly scheduled classes, attending WESeminars, and by meeting faculty and administrators in both academic and social settings. Alumni can reconnect with Wesleyan and with each other at a host of special seminars and social gatherings. “We welcome all members of the Wesleyan community to take advantage of the rich schedule," says Makaela Kingsley '98, associate director…
Like all eating disorders, binge eating only affects women and teenaged girls, right? Wrong. An extensive new study that examined the eating habits of 21,743 men found that binge eating affected 1,630 of them. The rate, while slightly less than the number of women in the same study who experienced binge eating, reveals that this behavior is not limited to female populations. The results argue strongly for including men in future studies and treatment strategies. Published in the Sept. 2011 issue of International Journal of Eating Disorders, the study, titled “Why Men Should be Included in Research on Binge Eating:…
Six Wesleyan researchers, including a graduate student, were authors or co-authors of papers chosen for presentation at this year’s annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 9-12. It is the largest annual meeting of the preeminent scientific association in the geologic and earth science fields. Johan Varekamp, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Sciences, professor of earth and environmental sciences, presented two papers. The first, “Wethersfield Cove, Hartford, Conn. – A 300 Year Urban Pollution Record,” detailed a study of the sedimentary record of the cove, which revealed unusually high levels of Mercury. The…
On Nov. 5, two energy experts will speak during the annual "Where On Earth Are We Going?" symposium. The event is sponsored by the Robert Schumann Lecture Series in the Environmental Studies Program. At 9 a.m., Lisa Margonelli, director of the Energy Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C., will speak on "The Energy Revolution Will not be Tweetable: the Energy Puzzle in More than 140 Characters." Margonelli is the publisher of The Energy Trap and blogs frequently at The Atlantic web site. Her book Oil On the Brain: Petroleum’s Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank follows the oil supply chain…
This issue we ask "5 Questions" of Anne Mariel Peters, assistant professor of government who specializes in the Middle East. Her research interests include the durability of Middle Eastern Authoritarianism. Q: We all saw the stirring images from Egypt in the spring, but there’s been very little coverage of what is happening there since. What happened in the days and weeks after the protest ended? A: The Egyptian protesters were a diverse group of people with varying levels of policy goals and political sophistication who all coalesced around the need to remove the President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. That we now…
The Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholars Program welcomed 11 new students to the program during a Freeman Scholars Dinner Oct. 6. The program enables qualified young men and women from each of 11 countries or regions – The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam to come to Wesleyan on full tuition scholarships. "I am fortunate to work with the Freeman Asian Scholars Association; so many are friends. I love their energy, good spirit and their wonderful creativity and culture they inject into the community," says Gina Driscoll, associate director…
Bill HolderThe internationally lauded novelist and journalist Amos Oz will speak on “Israel Through Its Literature," at 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3 in Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the campus community. Amos Oz, Israel’s best known writer, is the author of novels, novellas, short stories, children’s books, literary and political essay collections, and the moving memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness. Oz’s most widely acclaimed novel, My Michael (1968), was an immediate artistic and political sensation. It has been published in over 30 countries and in 1975 was made into a popular film. Among many other…
The campus community can browse university information through their smart phones and tablets through a new mobile web site developed by Information Technology Services. The Wesleyan mobile web site, launched Oct. 25, provides quick links to university news, events, academics, map locations and directory. Mobile device auto detection is built into the Wesleyan home page, so smartphone users (iOS, Android or Blackberry Torch) can view either the full web site or the mobile version on their handheld device. "A mobile web site is really designed for a broad audience," says Melissa Datre, director of ITS's New Media Lab. "Students, staff and faculty…
Since January, Middlesex United Way has helped keep more than 170 families from becoming homeless, and its support of area food pantries and soup kitchens has helped them provide more than 780,000 meals to hungry Middlesex County residents. And since 1935, Wesleyan employees have responded to the needs of the community by participating in the annual United Way Employee Campaign. This year's goal is to top $135,000. "It is more important than ever for us at Wesleyan to show support for the larger community of which we are a part," said President Roth in an all-campus e-mail. "In today’s economy,…
David LowThis fall, Wesleyan University’s Center for Film Studies will sponsor a special film and speaker series titled WOMEN AND FILM. This series is dedicated to work made by women. Each installment of the series will feature a movie helmed by a female filmmaker, to be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker herself. Made possible by special support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, WOMEN AND FILM will comprise a wide variety of cinematic experiences, including short films, documentaries and a romantic feature film. “I am thrilled that the Academy is sponsoring WOMEN AND FILM because I’ve…