A handcrafted quilt, pictured at left, made by library staff members will be raffled off during a book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Wesleyan Library May 13. Posted 05/04/06 The Wesleyan community can book some time at a library benefit this month.Friends of the Wesleyan Library, a volunteer group dedicated to supporting the library, will hold a book sale in the Exley Science Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13. The center will be filled with over 10,000 books for sale. “It's a perfect opportunity to find research, pleasure, gift or treasure books at a great…

Posted 05/04/06 Interim Vice President for Finance John Meerts has become Wesleyan's permanent vice president for Finance and Administration effective May 1. Meerts has responsibility for the Offices of Finance, Human Resources, Facilities and Legal Affairs. The Board of Trustees will act on a resolution to appoint Meerts as treasurer of the university at its annual meeting this month. In addition, he will continue his oversight of the Office of Information Technology Services, which he has led since coming to Wesleyan in 1996. "In his interim role, John quickly demonstrated the ability to manage a complex budget situation," says Wesleyan…

Wesleyan's new turf field, located behind Physical Plant on Long Lane, was dedicated April 29 during a ribbon cutting ceremony. It is expected to be available for use later this month. Posted 05/04/06 Wesleyan athletes will be breaking new ground this month on their new synthetic turf field. The field, dedicated April 29 during a ribbon cutting ceremony, will be put to use in May. Men’s and women’s soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams will use the outdoor field regularly, and it will be available for several other activities, as well. John Biddiscombe, director of athletics and chair of physical…

All alumni of color are invited to a reunion April 21-23 on campus. The reunion will coincide with WesFest so alumni have the opportunity to mingle with prospective students. Posted 04/17/06 Wesleyan's alumni of color will have the opportunity to reconnect with each other and meet the newest generation of students of color during a reunion on campus on April 21-23. "We Are Family: Wesleyan through the Years" will allow fellow alumni of color to reminisce about five decades of Wesleyan's distinctive history. It will also provide an insider's glimpse of Wesleyan today and all of the renovations, enhancements and…

Above, Midge Bennet chats with men's basketball coach Gerry McDowell during the Winter Athlete Reception April 13 in the Freeman Athletic Center. At right, President Doug Bennet speaks to winter athletes during the reception. Below, wrestling coach Drew Black, pictured on left, shakes hands with John Biddiscomb, director of Athletics. Posted 04/17/06 President Doug Bennet, Midge Bennet and John Biddiscombe, director of Athletics and chair of Physical Education, honored winter athletes at a reception in the Freeman Athletic Center's Bridge Lobby April 13.   “The positive spirit and enthusiasm of the teams seemed very strong this winter,” President Bennet said.…

Rebecca Gordon ’06 and her thesis advisor, John Seamon, professor of psychology, professor of neuroscience and behavior, pose with brain scans used in a recent study. Posted 04/17/06 For psychology major Rebecca Gordon’ 06, developing a research project idea was practically a no-brainer. Well, except for the fact that she had to study brains. By examining functional magnetic resonance images, known as fMRIs, Rebecca Gordon ’06 was able to see how the brain reacted on a cognitive and emotional level with healthy subjects and subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her study “The Mere Exposure Effect and Schizophrenia: An fMRI Study” was…

Pictured at top, Wesleyan students and staff  walk down a street in Istanbul on their way to the mosque during a trip to Turkey and Israel March 12-23. Pictured at right, the group takes a break in the Teldan Nature Preserve in Golan Heights, Israel with their tour guide. The Wesleyan students are Ben Sachs-Hamilton, Avi Smith, Phil Zegelbone, Jamal Ahmed, Mike Figura,  Kulsoom Hasan, Maggie Mitchell, Tussy Alam, Rachel Berkowitz, Aaron Tabek, Jessica Eber and Joel Bhuiyan. Wesleyan Rabbi David Leipziger Teva and Abdullah Antepli, pictured in center in purple and black shirts, coordinated the overseas trip. Posted 04/17/06…

Gary Yohe, the John E. Andrus Professor of Economics, suggests that the government place a growing tax on the cost of carbon during a hearing March 30 in Washington D.C. Posted 04/17/06 When Gary Yohe, the John E. Andrus Professor of Economics, received a call from Senator Joseph R. Biden's office to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., he didn't hesitate. In fact, he hurried. Yohe, who was the sole expert, recommended by both the Environmental Defense Fund and Pew Center on Global Climate Change to Senator Biden's office, had only a few days…

Posted 04/17/06 The Wesleyan community will celebrate Earth Week April 16-April 22 with a series of activities, lectures and observations. Events include:  Lecture on "The Purpose of Nature" Verlyn Klinkenborg, a writer and professor of literature and creative writing at Fordham University and Harvard University, will deliver the Earth Day address “The Purpose of Nature” at 8 p.m. April 20 in Memorial Chapel. A reception and book signing immediately follow in the Zelnick Pavilion. Verlyn Klinkenborg is the author of Making Hay, The Last Fine Time, The Rural Life, and Timothy: Or, Notes of an Abject Reptile, and many magazine…

Rachel Ostlund ‘08 sprinkles seedlings inside a shelter at Long Lane Farm. The farm is expanding this spring to a full acre. Pictured below are vegetables grown last year by the Long Lane Farming Club. Posted 04/17/06 Although Wesleyan’s Long Lane Farm Club uses organic methods to grow its produce, a little “Miracle Grow “ has been sprinkled on one aspect of their garden: its progress. The Long Lane Farm Club was created in 2004 so students would have a place to come together and learn about food security issues. What began as a 50-foot plot of flowers and vegetables…

Baseball player Jeff Maier '06 has received national media attention this month for breaking Wesleyan's career hits record. Posted 04/17/06 Jeff Maier '06 a government major and third baseman on the varsity baseball team set the all-time record for most hits in a career against Bates College on April 12. During the game he finished 2-for-3, doubling twice, to give him 170 career hits. Prior to the game he posted four of the Cardinals' 13 hits during a double-header with Middlebury at home April 9 to tie Bill Robinson '03 for the team lead in career hits with 168. Maier's…

Posted 04/01/06 Wesleyan will commemorate its 175th anniversary of its institutional charter during the 174th Commencement Ceremonies May 25-28. Wesleyan’s charter was granted on May 26, 1831. John Hope Franklin, professor of history, emeritus at Duke University will give the principal address at commencement and will be awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree during the ceremony. In addition, Wesleyan will award honorary doctors of letters to Mary O. McWilliams '71, president of Regence BlueShield, pioneering alumna and trustee emerita. Franklin is an internationally-renowned historian, intellectual leader and lifelong civil rights activist. He has served on the National Council on…