Campus News & Events

Wesleyan in the News 1. CNN: "How Coronavirus Has Reshaped Democratic Plans for 2020" This article on how Democrats are politicizing the government's response to the coronavirus crisis features research by the Wesleyan Media Project, which found that this past month has seen a huge drop in campaign advertising overall. "The messaging and the attacks that we've seen on [coronavirus] do feel louder ... in part because there are fewer messages overall," said Erika Franklin Fowler, associate professor of government, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project. She notes that health care was emerging as a top issue in 2020 advertising…

Steven Spinner P’15 is chairman/CEO of United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), the largest publicly-traded grocery distributor in the United States, with 59 locations in the U.S. and Canada. UNFI’s customers include natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers, and restaurants—meaning Spinner and his team have a comprehensive perspective on our food supply chain. Spinner recently spoke with us about how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting what we see (and don’t see) on grocery store shelves, and shared his thoughts on how the current situation might impact future consumer behavior. You gave an interview on Bloomberg TV in…

Norman Shapiro, Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation and Poet in Residence, formerly professor of romance languages and literatures, died April 3 at the age of 89. Shapiro arrived at Wesleyan in 1960 after receiving his BA and MA from Harvard University, completing a Fulbright Fellowship at Université d'Aix-Marseille in France, and returning to Harvard for his PhD. He stepped down from regular duties in 2017 but continued in his roles as Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation and Poet in Residence. In addition to his classes in Romance languages and literatures, Shapiro also taught American Sign Language and served as the…

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Wesleyan canceled all spring semester events, and courses moved to an online format. Wesleyan's Piping Performance course, however, welcomed the Wesleyan community to "attend" their midterm performances on April 7 through the Zoom platform. "Our organ class is thriving in spite of our transition to online classes," said course instructor Alcee Chriss, artist-in-residence and university organist. "It is a particular challenge to teach organ when none of your students have access to one. Many of the students have opted to give their performances on piano for this semester." Six of the 13 students wrote original…

Professor of Psychology Scott Plous is a social psychologist whose research focuses on prejudice and discrimination, decision-making, and ethical issues relating to animals and the environment. He has a long-standing interest in web-based research and teaching, and has taught a Social Psychology massive open online course (MOOC) on the Coursera platform since July 2013. We spoke to him about what social psychology can teach us in these challenging times. What are you teaching this semester, and how have you adapted your course for distance learning? I’m teaching an advanced seminar on the Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination. Because the class…

Throughout the month of April, the Office of Survivor Advocacy & Community Education (SACE) is hosting Survivor Solidarity Month 2020, a monthlong series of events focused on centering survivors of interpersonal violence. "The goal is to start conversations on our campus about how we support survivors in our community, and how to prevent interpersonal violence from happening in the first place," said Johanna DeBari, director of SACE. "While previously this consisted of many workshops engaging in community dialogue, we're moving to reimagine what this dialogue looks like in a world of social distancing and virtual classrooms." The month of events…

Wesleyan remains committed to serving the approximately 250 undergraduates who remain on campus and the faculty and staff who are working on campus or remotely during the COVID-19 epidemic. Information on the many resources that continue to be available may be found on Wesleyan's Coronavirus/COVID-19 website and below: Wesleyan Libraries Olin Memorial Library and the Science Library buildings are closed, but a large and growing amount of online resources are accessible. Access content by going to the library homepage and look for a title or topic in OneSearch. Use the "available online" option under "Refine My Search." Wesleyan also offers…

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently recognized Wesleyan University for completing the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) reporting process and earning a STARS Silver rating. STARS measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. "We primarily complete the STARS evaluation to have an objective, third-party view of ways that Wesleyan could be more sustainable," Kleindienst said. "It is helpful to see how we compare to other institutions as well, and useful to be able to learn best practices from other colleges and universities." According to Wesleyan's STARS report card, the…

In July, three faculty will begin new appointments at Wesleyan. Katja Kolcio will succeed Peter Rutland as director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life; Stephanie Weiner will succeed Sean McCann as director of the Shapiro Center for Writing; and Krishna Winston will succeed David Beveridge and Alex Dupuy as director of the Wasch Center for Retired Faculty. Katja Kolcio, associate professor of dance, received certificates from Free Ukrainian University and from Kyiv Institute of Art and Culture; and her PhD from The Ohio State University. Her work specializes in the role of creative physical engagement in…

Eighty-one seniors have been elected into Wesleyan University’s Gamma Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society during the 2020 spring semester. They join 15 other seniors elected during the 2019 fall semester. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of his or her major. The student also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations and must have achieved a GPA of 93 or above. The emblem contains the three Greek letters “Phi,” “Beta,” and “Kappa,” which are the initials of the Greek motto, Philosophia Biou Kybernetes, or “the love…

Abigail Chabitnoy’s debut poetry collection How to Dress a Fish, published by Wesleyan University Press in December 2018, has been shortlisted for the 2020 International Griffin Poetry Prize. The prize is given by The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry. In addition to the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Griffin Trust initiates and supports projects and ventures consistent with the mandate of the prize to further promote appreciation of Canadian and international poetry. The judges read 572 books of poetry from 14 countries prior to narrowing their selection down to seven shortlisted finalists. The two winners will each be awarded $65,000,…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78 announced that Wesleyan will delay its 188th Commencement Ceremony, originally scheduled for May 24, 2020. Wesleyan’s reunion gatherings, typically held during the same weekend, will be celebrated in alternate formats. “Although I’d been delaying this decision in hopes that we might still have an opportunity to gather together in late May, I’m writing now to let you know that we will have to find another time and place to celebrate the 2020 graduation. There is so much uncertainty about what the next few months will hold, and we don’t think…

Wesleyan in the News

Spinner P’15 Offers Insight on Food Supply Chain Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Shapiro Remembered for “Magnificent Translations,” Witticisms

Pipe Organ Class Hosts Midterm Performances Online

Plous: Learning from Social Psychology at a Time of Crisis

SACE Hosts Survivor Solidarity Month Activities, Offers Resources

Services, Resources Are Available on Campus During COVID-19 Pandemic

Wesleyan Receives STARS Silver Rating for Sustainability Achievements

Kolcio, Weiner, Winston to Serve as New Directors

81 Students from the Class of 2020 Elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Wesleyan University Press Book by Chabitnoy Shortlisted for Griffin Poetry Prize

2020 Commencement Ceremony, Class Reunions Postponed