Campus News & Events

Professor of English Typhanie Yanique writes in The New York Times on how the news media's coverage and the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Irma's devastation in the U.S. Virgin Islands reflects a bigger failure of America to fully embrace and grant rights to the citizens who reside on the islands. In an essay titled "Americans in a Battered Paradise," Yanique explains that 2017 marks 100 years since the transfer of the Virgin Islands from Danish to American rule. Yet this major anniversary has been scarcely noted in the continental United States. Virgin Islanders were granted American citizenship a decade after this transfer, yet…

Seeing a need and filling it—that’s the story behind the creation of Wespañol, a newly launched online program that uses original video to help people who want to review and supplement their previous knowledge of Spanish without taking an actual class. The program’s launch coincides with the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15). (more…)

The availability of sufficient dissolved oxygen in seawater is critical for marine life, and places where oxygen falls below a critical concentration — or "dead zones" — are often associated with mass die-offs of fish, shrimp and other creatures. With future global warming, the oceans are on course to see progressively less dissolved oxygen available. Scientists currently use often not well-tested computer models to predict the expansion of dead zones, but a team of researchers from Wesleyan, University California Riverside and Syracuse University are hoping to use oceanic sediment samples to better predict where die-offs may occur next. Their study,…

Ann duCille, professor of English, emerita, will deliver the third annual Richard Slotkin Lecture in American Studies titled "TV and the ‘Thug Default’: Why Racial Representation Still Matters." Her talk is open to the public and begins at 4:30 p.m., Oct. 26 in the Powell Theater. “TV and the “Thug Default”: Why Racial Representation Still Matters” revisits such constructs as the “superpredator” and such cases as the “Central Park Five” in tracing the meaning, use and blackening of the term “thug.” Arguing that image is ideology—that what we see on the TV screen colors how we see black boys on the street—the…

A new collaborative research hub, supported by Wesleyan's Quantitative Analysis Center, provides faculty and students with the tools to prepare, analyze and disseminate information on movement, travel and communication in easily-accessible formats. The Traveler’s Lab, developed by faculty members Gary Shaw, Jesse Torgerson and Adam Franklin-Lyons at Marlboro College, connects the faculty with each others' projects, but also with students who are interested in an interdisciplinary approach to historical research. (more…)

Fred E. J. Linton, professor of mathematics, emeritus, died Sept. 2 at the age of 79. Linton was born in Italy to parents who were escaping to the United States from Hitler’s Germany. He studied mathematics at Yale and received his PhD from Columbia, then came directly to Wesleyan as an assistant professor in 1963. He became a full professor in 1972 and continued to teach mathematics here until his retirement in 2006, after a total of 43 years at Wesleyan. Linton supervised seven PhD students at Wesleyan, including one of the first Wesleyan doctoral students. Linton was a highly…

This fall, get a front seat to Wesleyan sporting events by downloading the Athletic Department’s mobile app. Wesleyan Front Row gives Cardinal fans the ability to enable notifications to access game schedules, score updates, statistics, game recaps and photo galleries. For some events, a live stream of the game is available through the app, giving unprecedented access to off-campus fans, including parents and alumni, who still want to cheer on their favorite athletes from afar. “The mobile app allows fans, parents, alumni, prospective students and current students to get information about their favorite teams instantly,” said Mike O’Brien, assistant athletic…

This year, Wesleyan's four home football games each offer a highlight to draw fans from near and far to Corwin Stadium on Andrus Field. The first home game, Saturday, Sept. 23, against Tufts, is a night game — "The second home night game in Wesleyan's history," notes Athletic Director Mike Whalen ’83. "I'm thinking of it as our time to focus on Middletown, and we're reaching out to local high schools. Dario Highsmith ’20, a sophomore running back—an outstanding player—graduated from Middletown High. He's a former Gatorade High School Player of the Year, and someone to watch." On Saturday, Oct. 7,…

This summer, high school students from Middletown and surrounding areas were immersed in college life, often collaborating with faculty and staff across campus, during the summer session of Wesleyan’s Pre-College Access Program. From an overnight stay on campus, to a field trip to Philadelphia to visit colleges, opportunities to get a feel for college life were plenty. Wesleyan University’s Pre-College Access Program is application-based and is developed to enhance the academic skills and preparation of talented high school students who have an interest in pursuing higher education. “Our programs tailor to low-income and first-generation college students,” explained Miguel Peralta, director…

On Sept. 7, the Wesleyan community celebrated the tenth anniversary of the opening of Usdan University Center. “Usdan is Wesleyan’s central gathering location for students, staff, faculty and the larger community," said Frank Marsilli, facility and events manager for Usdan. "It's a place where the campus community comes together—whether that be for a meeting, program or meal. We're proud to celebrate a decade of success!" During the daylong celebration and open house, students were offered a “passport,” encouraging them to visit various areas of the facility and receive a stamp. The event also included a prize wheel at the Usdan info desk; updated…

https://youtu.be/ZnXPMx1Bow8 While still undergraduates, Julie Magruder ’17 and Jackson DuMont ’17 began filming The Face of Kinship Care, a documentary highlighting the important role that familial, but non-parental, caregivers provide in the lives of children. The documentary will be will be shown at Wesleyan—as well as more widely—at 8 p.m., Monday, Sept. 18, at the Powell Family Cinema. September, notes Magruder, is Kinship Care Month in a number of states. Through her work on this film, Magruder has become an advocate for highlighting the importance of kinship caregivers in all states. The project began more than a year ago, when Christine…

Wesleyan has developed a competencies framework to help students describe the skills that they can develop through their academic and co-curricular experiences, according to Joyce Jacobsen, provost and vice president for academic affairs. Certification of skills is a trend in higher education nowadays, particularly among providers of online education. While recognizing the importance of acquiring career—and life-building—skills, Jacobsen says Wesleyan's approach also emphasizes the importance of helping students build a personal narrative about their Wesleyan experience. “Competencies tie into current trends in higher education, regarding certification and acquisition of specific skills,” she adds. “We’re saying, however, that competencies should be…

Yanique: Hurricane Irma Response Reflects Unresolved Feelings on U.S. Virgin Islands’ “Americanness”

¡Bienvenidos a Wespañol!

Thomas Awarded NSF Grant for Paleoceanographic Research

Emerita Professor duCille to Lead Slotkin Lecture on Racial Representation

Scholars Discuss Digital Methods in Research and Teaching

Linton Remembered for Teaching Mathematics at Wesleyan for 43 Years

Download Athletics Mobile App for Game Schedules, Results, Photo Galleries

4 Home Football Games Highlight Community, Athletes, Service, Alumni

Wesleyan’s Pre-College Access Program Wraps Up Summer Program

Campus Community Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Usdan University Center

Documentary by Magruder ’17, DuMont ’17 to be Screened Sept. 18 on Campus

Competencies Framework Will Help Students Build Personal Narratives