Campus News & Events

Haley Brumberger BA/MA ’21 captured an image through a microscope of tiny crustaceans called ostracods in sediments of a volcanic lake in Oregon during the 2019 program for Wesleyan Summer Research in the Sciences, which she participated in as a summer research fellow through the College of Integrative Sciences. The image first won the Summer Research in the Sciences Image Competition for 2019 before winning this year’s image competition for The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS). They announced her win on Twitter, as well as through the RedBubble merchandise they’re selling of the image. Brumberger, who majored in earth and environmental sciences…

"Benedetta," a film based on the book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (Oxford University Press, 1986) will debut Dec. 5 in Middletown. Tickets are free of charge and available from the Usdan Box Office. Written by Judith Brown, professor emerita of history, Immodest Acts shares the documented story of Sister Benedetta Carlini, Abbess of the Convent of the Mother of God, who had a lesbian affair with another nun, Bartolomeo. Brown will discuss the film and her book at 5 p.m., Dec. 7 in Russell House. More information is below:

(By Madi Mehta '24) A group of students came together for a unique picnic on the Alpha Delta Phi Lawn on Saturday Nov. 20. On the menu: bugs of all types. Welcome to Wesleyan’s first-ever Bugsgiving. Bugsgiving brought students together for tasty bug dishes prepared by Brooklyn Bugs Chef Joseph Yoon and a host of activities and presentations surrounding the benefits of entomophagy - the scientific term for eating insects. The event was led by Megan Levan ‘22 and sponsored by the Green Fund, the College of the Environment, and the Office of Sustainability. Levan, environmental studies and South Asia…

One of the archetypal images of the college experience is a student, toting bags of laundry, waiting for a train or a bus to get home for break. For many Wesleyan students, at the least the first leg of that journey can be free. Starting this semester, Wesleyan students are able to use their college ID cards to ride all local Middletown Area Transit (MAT) and 9-Town Transit buses for free via the WesPass program in a collaboration between the University and Middletown Area Transit taking place during the 2021-22 academic year. Funded through Wesleyan’s Finance Office, Allbritton Center for the Study…

Math doesn’t always come easily to every student, but this semester, Professor of Mathematics Ilesanmi Adeboye relaunched Math Jam, a supportive space for students to seek peer assistance for their math-related school work. “Math Jam is an additional resource for students taking math classes intended to complement the Math Workshop, CA sessions, and professor's office hours,” Adeboye said. “The difference is in the set up. Space is available for students to come on their own, or in a group, to work on homework sets or study for exams. Experienced tutors are available to answer questions as they come up. One…

While it's considered acceptable, or even expected, for women to cover fine lines and wrinkles with makeup, creams, injectables, or undergo cosmetic procedures like facelifts as they age, the idea of altering skin tone—especially for Black and brown people who are the most likely to face colorism—is a newer, and oddly popular, skincare craze. "For [some] Black people it’s not about whether our skin is dewy, glowing, or glassy, or whether we're trying to conceal acne scars or minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It’s about whether we're trying to appear closer to white," said Robyn Autry, associate…

Members of the campus community played Italian Tombola Bingo, ate Spanish Polvoróns, learned how to pronounce their names in Chinese, savored snacks from South Korea, danced to Afrobeats, and learned about study abroad opportunities all during Wesleyan's annual International Education Week (IEW) celebration. "International Education Week is a dedicated time for students, faculty, and staff to recognize the many ways in which we can engage meaningfully in intercultural learning and understanding at Wesleyan," said Hannah Parten, assistant director, study abroad, for the Fries Center for Global Studies. "The 2021 event focused specifically on ways to emerge from the pandemic with…

Seventy-seven percent of Wesleyan students who were eligible voted in the 2020 presidential election, earning a Gold Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an increase of 10 percent from the previous presidential election. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national, nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, which strives for a more inclusive democracy. While civic participation is embedded in Wesleyan’s DNA, this level of turnout is due to a sustained voter registration effort, said Diana Martinez, Assistant Director, Jewett Center for Community Partnerships. “We are always looking for ways to bring the students together,” Martinez said. In…

(By Madi Mehta '24) The crowd of students, nestled on the Exley patio, buzzed in anticipation to awaiting the start of the Dramathon, a performance of student-created 10-minute plays based on the prompt “the unknown persists.” The event, which took place on Nov. 7, is similar to MonoLogOn, which was performed last year on Zoom due to the pandemic. Dramathon began when the music faded and the audience watched intently as the first set was built: a couple of chairs, a spattering of empty food containers, and assorted plastic bags. As the actors entered and positioned themselves, Exley disappeared and…

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below: Glenn Ligon '82, Hon. '12 is prominently featured in New York Times Magazine's 2021 "Greats" issue, which celebrates those who have helped make and change the culture. For over 30 years, Ligon has been making work that speaks to American history—ambiguous, open-ended, existentially observant. "Ligon’s art is often both an indictment and a kind of reframing of American history. He has worked across a wide range of…

A 7-foot-long extinct marine crocodile has finally found a permanent home on Wesleyan's campus—exactly 150 years after it arrived. Known as a Teleosaur (Macrospondylus bollensis), the sea-dwelling lizard lived during the early Jurassic period, approximately 180 million years ago. A cast was gifted to Wesleyan in 1871 by chemist Orange Judd of the Wesleyan Class of 1847, and the namesake of the University’s Orange Judd Museum of Natural Sciences. When the museum closed in 1957, more than 900 animal casts, including the Teleosaur, were moved into storage in random locations throughout campus. Over sixty years later, the Teleosaur cast was…

"We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day. Keep smiling through just like you always do ‘til the blue skies drive the dark clouds away.” These lyrics, sung by Vera Lynn in the 1939 song "We'll Meet Again," are especially moving for Donna Brewer, director of employee benefits at Wesleyan. They'd be even more meaningful for her uncle Jim, an avid maple syrup maker and World War II vet, who died of COVID-19 in May 2020. "Uncle Jim passed away early on in the pandemic and at that time, we…

Microscopic Image Taken By Brumberger ’21 Wins Multiple Science Contests

Film Inspired by Brown’s Immodest Acts Debuts Dec. 5

Wesleyan Hosts Its First Bugsgiving

Free Bus Passes Available for Wesleyan Students

Math Jam Offers Supportive Peer-Tutoring Space For Students

Autry Discusses the Use of Skin-Bleaching Agents During Luncheon Talk for Staff

Intercultural Learning, Study Abroad Celebrated during International Education Week

Wesleyan Earns Top Honor in Campus Democracy Challenge

Students Perform a Series of 10-Minute Plays during Dramathon

Wesleyan in the News

Sea Dwelling Teleosaur Restored and Displayed in Exley Science Center

Wesleyan Community Honors Pandemic Loss through Movement, Dance