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…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20083min
Amanda Shapiro '08 was named a New England Small College Athletic Conference All-Conference winner for Swimming and Diving. Posted 04/04/08 The New England Small College Athletic Conference announced the Winter and Fall All-Conference winners for each sport.All-Conference is an honor given to athletes who are voted by the NESCAC coaches in their team sport as the best players in the conference or, for individual sports, who finish high enough in the conference championship.The 2008 Wesleyan NESCAC Winter All-Conference winners are: Women's Basketball - Ali Fourney '09, first team and Lucy Sprung '08, second team; Men's Swimming and Diving - David…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20083min
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy will present “Meeting the Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century" at 8 p.m. April 22 as part of Wesleyan's Earth Day observance. Posted 04/04/08 Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy will present the 2008 Earth Day Keynote Address at Wesleyan titled “Meeting the Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century.” This free event will be held at 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 22 in the Memorial Chapel. A reception will immediately follow in the Zelnick Pavilion. Appointed by Governor M. Jodi Rell on Dec. 10, 2004, Commissioner McCarthy came to the Connecticut…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20089min
Posted 04/04/08 Tough, entrepreneurial, family-oriented and successful. This is how Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Associate Professor of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Gina Ulysse describes the Jamaican women who work as informal commercial importers (ICIs), who she has spent 15 years studying. Her unique, groundbreaking research has lead her to publish the book Downtown Ladies: Informal Commercial Importers, A Haitian Anthropologist, and Self-Making in Jamaica, which is the first broad analytic work to examine ICIs.The study was inspired by a talk given by well-known Jamaican businesswoman Mabel Tenn at the University of…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20084min
Posted 04/04/08 The Wesleyan University Board of Trustees awarded tenure to five members of the faculty in March. These appointments do not conclude tenure announcements for the 2007-2008 academic year, and more will be forthcoming. The faculty members who were awarded tenure in March by the Board are: Christiaan Hogendorn, associate professor of economics. Hogendorn's scholarship concentrates on applied microeconomic theory in the field of industrial organization. His course offerings include Microeconomics, Introduction to Economic Theory, Economics of Technology, Regulation and Anti-trust and Industrial Technology. Allan Isaac, associate professor of English. Isaac's area of specialization is Asian American literature and…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20083min
Posted 04/04/08 An award-winning writer, a college president known for his expertise in the economics of higher education, and a critically acclaimed photographer will be honored at Wesleyan University's 176th commencement ceremonies this year. Jamaica Kincaid, Morton Schapiro and Philip Trager of Wesleyan's Class of 1956 will receive honorary doctorate degrees from Wesleyan on May 25, 2008. "We are delighted that these talented and accomplished individuals have agreed to honor us by participating in our commencement," said Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth. "Each exemplifies the qualities of courage and engagement, discernment and discipline that are essential to innovation and to…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20083min
Posted 04/04/08 Wesleyan University will increase its fees by 5 percent for the 2008-2009 academic year. The increase, equal to the lowest percentage increase in seven years, is attributable to growth in salary and benefits costs, as well as energy and other costs that outpace general inflation. The Board of Trustees approved the fee increase at its meeting on March 1. Tuition will be $38,364 for all students in 2008-2009. For freshman and sophomores, the residential comprehensive fee will be $10,636. For juniors and seniors, the fee will be $12,088. The higher residential comprehensive fee for juniors and seniors reflects…

Olivia DrakeApril 4, 20088min
Joshua Boger ‘73, P’06 P’09 speaks about “Building a 21st Century Pharmaceutical Company” during the student-organized Graduate Student Career Retreat March 29. Posted 04/04/08 Students pursuing degrees in biology, molecular biology and biochemistry fields had the opportunity to discuss their future careers with Wesleyan alumni during the Graduate Student Career Retreat March 29. The first-ever event, held at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, allowed alumni to deliver a series of brief talks on their own careers and participate in panel discussions. In addition, graduate students held a poster session to share their own research with the invited guests. “I consider…