Olivia DrakeWesleyan jazz musicians have been tooting their own horns to the local community. During spring semester, the 20-member band has performed six times at public elementary, middle and high schools in Middletown. They work under the direction of vibraphonist-composer Jay Hoggard, adjunct associate professor of music. "It's good for the Wesleyan students to get out of their little shell of the universe according to Momma Wesleyan, go a few blocks away and play for young people who may or may not have been exposed to this type of music before," Hoggard says. "We're representing jazz and we’re representing Wesleyan." The…
The 177th Commencement Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on Andrus Field. The ceremony will be simulcast in the Memorial Chapel, Patricelli ’92 Theater, Crowell Concert Hall, and Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150) at Exley Science Center, rain or shine. The ceremony also will be broadcast through a live video stream at http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/webcast/cast1.qtl. The latest version of Quicktime Player is required to view the webcast. The player can be downloaded for free, for both Windows and Mac, by clicking here. A high-speed internet connection is also necessary to view the broadcasts.
When one of Olin Library's books becomes tattered or torn, Preservation Services helps restore the book, making it again available for circulation. In April, the one-room shop located in Olin's basement received its own facelift. "We outgrew the space that we had," explains Michaelle Biddle, head of preservation services. "Our carpet was saturated with dirt and mold, and we needed more space and better lighting." The renovation included removing a wall between Preservation Services and a storage room formerly used by Special Collections and Archives. The storage area was merged with the current preservation lab, adding an additional 180 square…
By Brian Katten, sports information director The 2009 Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team did something that eluded each of the last eight Cardinals lax squads: winning a NESCAC tournament title and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Reaching the NESCAC playoff semi-finals for the seventh year in a row and the championship game for the fifth time in team history, Wesleyan finally realized its goal of a conference title on May 3 when the Cardinals downed the Tufts Jumbos, 14-10, for the NESCAC crown. Head Coach John Raba, who stands a remarkable 155-67 over his 13 seasons,…
Award-winning writers Amy Bloom, Andre Aciman, Katha Pollitt, Peter Cole and Roxana Robinson will join more than 20 writers, editors and agents at the 53rd annual Wesleyan Writers Conference, June 14-19 on campus. The conference offers advice for writers at every stage of their careers, featuring classes, workshops, manuscript advice, guest speakers, readings, publishing advice and talks with editors and agents. It welcomes new writers, experienced writers, and everyone interested in the writer’s craft. "Attending the conference gave me incredible confidence,” says past participant Dr. Mara Berkley, psychologist from Providence, R.I. who came to the conference to work on her…
Norm Daniels, who coached five sports in almost 40 years at Wesleyan, died May 11 at the age of 102. He coached baseball, football, basketball, wrestling and squash. Daniels, born March 25, 1907 in Detroit, Mich., came to Wesleyan as an instructor in physical education in 1934 and retired in 1973. He spent 33 years coaching baseball, and 19 years coaching football, which included a 25-game winning streak from 1945-1948. The Hillsdale, Mich. native graduated in 1932 from the University of Michigan, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He also earned a master's degree at Michigan in 1941. Among…
Dante, Bolognese poetry, Leonardo and Quattrocento were among the topics addressed at the Art and History in Renaissance Italy Symposium May 1-2 on campus. The event was held in honor of John Paoletti, Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, who is retiring in May. Paoletti is an internationally-prominent scholar in art history with much of his work focused on the Italian Renaissance. "This symposium is a unique one that honors John's 37 years of service to Wesleyan, and his foundational role in developing the university's program in Art History," says Joseph Siry, professor of art history. "The…
Anthropology and Science in Society major Kate Ottaviano ’09 has already immersed herself in several cultures. As a daughter of international educators, she attended school in Italy and Japan, built a concrete house in a Filipino slum, delivered school supplies to impoverished children in Romania, and taught English to imprisoned women in Peru. Ottaviano will continue her cultural immersion in 2009-10 as a Fulbright scholar, teaching English language in the European country of Macedonia. Administered by the Institute for International Education, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards full research grants to graduating seniors and young alumni after an extensive application…
More than 500 students and their families celebrated all-things Wesleyan during the annual WesFest April 16-18 on campus. WesFest allows all admitted students an opportunity to explore what Wesleyan has to offer. Attendees took campus tours, visited campus housing, attended classes, explored science laboratories, samples campus dining, visited with current Wesleyan students, viewed art, film and music performances, and much more. "WesFest benefits students by giving them the opportunity to engage with the Wesleyan community," says Stephanie Pruitt, program and events coordinator for the Office of Admission. "For many students, their time on campus helps them decide if Wesleyan will…
From the day Carl T. West ’11 arrived on Wesleyan's campus, he wanted to study the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Although reluctant at first, Tsampikos Kottos, assistant professor of physics, welcomed the eager frosh to his "Complex Quantum Dynamics and Mesoscopic Phenomena" research group. "To be honest, Carl was a kind of an experiment, for me," Kottos says. "I usually take sophomores and above at my group, but Carl was so confident on what he wanted, so I decided to involve a freshman in our research. It was a good and decision." In the past two years, West wrote an article…
Baltimore native Esther McCready grew up in segregated, discriminatory world and was denied admission to the University of Maryland School of Nursing. At that time, the school did not admit "Negros." With help from NAACP civil rights leaders like Thurgood Marshall, she sued for admission to the university, and in April 1950, McCready won her right to attend classes. In the spring semester course "Making the Science Documentary," molecular biology and biochemistry major Christopher Doucette '11 had the opportunity to interview and film McCready about being the first African American woman to attend Maryland's School of Nursing. He also interviewed…
Born and raised in Africa's largest slum, Kennedy Odede ’12 witnessed abuse, rape, domestic violence and general mistreatment of school-aged girls in his community. His own sister, at age 17, gave birth to a baby recently as a result of rape. Sadly, this is the norm. Without access to education, many of the girls are forced into commercial sex work at early ages. The Kenyan Government views the slum, named Kibera, as an illegal settlement and therefore does not provide any services or government-funded schools. "Girls in my community lose their hope of ever attaining an education and ever leaving…