Olivia DrakeMay 1, 20086min
Nietzsch Factor co-captain Philip Benjamin ’09, left, watches teammate Karl Nagy '09, right, reach for a flying disc during an Ultimate game. Wesleyan has had Ultimate teams since 1975. Posted 05/01/08 They play seven to a team, run continuously across a turf field, intercept passes and block their opponents and score in an end zone. Although their game could be considered a hybrid match of soccer, football and lacrosse, all it really takes to play is one piece of equipment – a flying disc. The club sport, known as “Ultimate,” dates back to 1975 at Wesleyan and has grown more…

Olivia DrakeMay 1, 20086min
At left, Deborah Sierpinski, administrative assistant in classical studies, medieval studies and archaeology, donates a quilt she made to Roslyn Carrier-Brault, co-chair of the Friends of the Davison Art Center Picnic and Auction 2008 and administrative assistant in chemistry. The quilt is one of several art and antique items up for bid at the auction-picnic, to be held May 17 at Wesleyan. Posted 05/01/08 Artist Samuel M. Green’s oil painting of a breezy shore is a masterwork, and its next home could be yours. The painting by the accomplished artist and professor emeritus of art at Wesleyan is up for…

Olivia DrakeMay 1, 20086min
Iwan Djanali is the recipient of a Hartford Area Business Economists scholarship. Posted 05/01/08 Iwan Djanali '09 says by studying economics, he's not only gained a firm understanding of the market, but also an understanding of people’s behavior. "Some of the best conversations I have had with professors and fellow economics students and friend, revolve around the world of economics; from crime to credit crunch, from pollution to public policy, from mini markets to money markets, I am always ready to offer my opinions as an economics student just about everything in life," says Djanali, who is majoring in economics…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20086min
Molecular biology and biochemistry majors Noah Biro ’09, above, and Alison Ringel ’09, below will conduct independent research next year with help from a Goldwater Scholarship. Posted 04/21/08 Alison Ringel ’09 and Noah Biro ’09, both molecular biology and biochemistry majors, will conduct independent research as Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program fellows in 2008-09. The two students were among 321 juniors and seniors nationwide selected for highly competitive undergraduate scholarship in science, math or engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is applied to their undergraduate studies. Next year, they will receive up to $7,500 each to help defray…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20084min
  Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, is a Guggenheim fellowship recipient. Posted 04/21/08 Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, was awarded a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. According to the foundation, the "fellowships are appointed for stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment." Schiff’s fellowship was awarded in the "Fine Arts" category in recognition of his work in sculpture. The program provides funds to permit fellows to work with "as much creative freedom as possible." The fellowships are without conditions or stipulations, allowing recipients the liberty to spend the awarded funds in the way they…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20085min
Posted 04/21/08 Eight individuals and three teams have been selected into Wesleyan’s newly-established Athletics Hall of Fame. The seven prominent Wesleyan graduates, one long-time athletic coach, and a series of three football teams will be inducted during a ceremony May 23. “The inaugural class of the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame is comprised of many great athletes, coaches that have accomplished much while at Wesleyan, or in their post graduation careers and, for some, in Olympic competition,” says John Biddiscombe, director of athletics. “The standard that this group establishes for future hall of fame recipients insures that being inducted into…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20087min
Sporting a blue sweatshirt, Janis Astor del Valle, director of the Green Street Arts Center, gathers with others featured in the film, "Marriage Makes a Word of Difference,” which promotes marriage equality in Connecticut. Astor del Valle's wife, Amy Myers, is pictured in the brown sweatshirt. The film's director Fran Rzeznik is on the far right. Posted 04/21/08 When the Hartford-based organization Love Makes a Family (LMF) was looking for interesting stories about how same-sex couples met, Green Street Arts Director Janis Astor del Valle’s wife Amy Joy Myers sent in the unique story of their first meeting as childhood…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20085min
At right, Paiki Muswazi, deputy client services librarian at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, meets with, from left, Jody Schenker, library assistant; Barbara Jones, the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian; Graziano Kratli, international program support librarian at Yale University; Alec McLane, music librarian and director of the World Music Archives; and Diane Klare, head of reference, during his visit to Wesleyan April 14. Posted 04/21/08 A librarian has traveled from the other side of the world to experience ways librarians in the United States aid researchers. Paiki Muswazi, deputy client services librarian at the University of…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20083min
Wesleyan's Long Lane Farm originated in 2004 as a place students could learn about food security issues and grow their own produce. It recently won an award from the Department of Higher Education. Posted 04/21/08 Wesleyan’s student-run Long Lane Farm received a Higher Education Community Service Award from the State of Connecticut for sustaining community-supported agriculture and providing needy families access to fresh, locally-grown produce. The award was presented by Michael Meotti, commissioner of the Department of Higher Education, and State Representative William Dyson, chair of the Connecticut Commission on Community Service, during an award ceremony April 1 in Cromwell,…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20084min
Ayanna Perez, 11, is “DJ Ferrell”  for the Middletown Youth Radio Project. Posted 04/21/08 The Middletown Youth Radio Project (MYRP), Central Connecticut's premier youth radio training program, aired its 25th live broadcast April 18 on Wesleyan’s WESU 88.1 FM. From 6:30 to 7 p.m., two young DJs hit the airwaves and play their newest original songs, stories, poems, and commentaries, interspersed with anecdotes and their favorite tunes of the week.MYRP is a weekly radio program written, produced, and hosted by kids ages 10-17. The first live broadcast aired on Sept. 10, 2007. The youth, many of whom live in the…

Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20082min
In the dry, Rift Valley province of Kenya, communities are struggling with deforestation issues and infertile soils for farming. This rural area relies heavily on firewood for cooking and warmth, however locals are being forced to travel further for resources, limiting the time spent supporting their families.As Davis United World College “Projects for Peace” recipients, Robert McCourt ’08 and Nyambura Gichohi ’08 will help this community create alternative energy through biogas this summer. They will work with the Noontoto Women’s Project, a group of 25 women that have come together to aspire to improve their livelihood. As one of 100…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20087min
Above, Liz Demakos '09 of Amherst, N.Y. was named a New England Small College Athletic Conference All-Academic selection for Women's Squash. Below, Sean Watson '08, was named an All-Academic for Men's Indoor Track and Field. Posted 04/04/08 The New England Small College Athletic Conference announced its 2007-08 Winter All-Academic selections March 19 with 407 student-athletes that participated in a winter sport earning All-Academic recognition. To be honored, a student-athlete must have reached junior academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35. A transfer student must have completed one year of…