Students – Page 20

By grounding oneself in the present moment, mindfulness can help create a free, calm, and content space without any judgment. Tyla Taylor '21, the mindfulness intern for Wesleyan's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, is working to share the practice of mindfulness with the campus community and beyond. "Our minds are often going at full speed planning the next move, and the one after that," Taylor said. "For me, mindfulness is paying attention to whatever is happening in the present moment, with compassion and non-judgment. From my own practice, I've seen how it's made me a kinder friend, a more…

On Oct. 5, hundreds of Wesleyan and local community members celebrated the early fall season at the 16th annual Pumpkin Fest at Long Lane Farm. Participants were treated to farm tours, crafts, a pie-eating contest, free veggie burgers and cider, prizes, and a baked goods sale benefiting New Horizons Domestic Violence Shelter. Lopii, Iris Olympia, Barry Chernoff, Emcee Elvee, Rebecca Roff, and Skye Hawthorne provided live music throughout the event. Representatives from Wesleyan's Office of Sustainability, WesDivest, Bread Salvage, Wesleyan Climate Action Group, the Wesleyan Resource Center, WildWes, Natural History Museum, Sunrise, Outing Club, Wesleyan Refugee Project, Uslac, Veg Out,…

Students in a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems class recently stepped out of the classroom ... and into beekeeping suits. The buzzworthy hands-on experience was part of a field trip to an apiary in Norwich, Conn. "The course explores strategies to create a sustainable agriculture and food system," said Rosemary Ostfeld '10, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies, who teaches the class. Her students have already been gaining an understanding of some of the key environmental impacts associated with our agricultural system, and read Rachel Carson's seminal Silent Spring. The purpose of the field trip on Sept. 18 "was to…

On Sept. 20, members of the Wesleyan community—including students, faculty, staff, and Middletown community leaders—joined millions of young people around the world by participating in the Global Climate Strike. Taking place in more than 150 countries, the Global Climate Strike (held Sept. 20-27) amplifies a chorus of concern about the catastrophic dangers of climate change. The on-campus strike included speeches by students, faculty, and a community member, and concluded with a march around campus. Boldly displaying handcrafted signs, students paraded around campus chanting, "No coal, no oil, keep the carbon in the soil," and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels…

Inspired by Fête de la Musique (also known as Make Music Day), the eighth annual The MASH festival on Sept. 6 highlighted Wesleyan's student music scene, with multiple stages on campus featuring everything from a cappella ensembles to student and faculty bands. More than 15 musicians or groups performed, including gonzo, sweetburger, Jackie Weo, g.flores, Mattabesset String Collective, Quasimodal, audrey mills, the basukes, Rebecca Roff, la media chulla, Lopii, Baby Leelo, livia wood, Pablo lee-davis, iris olympia, Philippe bungabong, ian etc., and Lily Gitlitz. Photos of The MASH are below: (Photos by Preksha Sreewastav '21) (more…)

Equipped with 3-D printers, water-jet and laser cutters, computer-operated milling machines, and high-tech drills, saws, and workstations, Wesleyan's new IDEAS Lab is on the "cutting edge" of digital fabrication. This fall, the College of Integrative Sciences opened the adjoined classroom and makerspace in Room 40 of Exley Science Center. While it is currently used by students in the IDEAS (Integrated Design, Engineering & Applied Science) program, by spring 2020 the space should be open to the entire Wesleyan community. "The space is the heart of our efforts to provide students with a facility to explore their ideas and create new…

Representatives from 100 student-run groups participated in the annual Student Groups Fair Sept. 6 on Andrus Field. The fair is sponsored by the Wesleyan Student Assembly. Wesleyan has more than 300 student-run groups, focusing on activism, identity, sports, publications, performance and visual arts, community service, religious affiliations, cultural interests, and more. Among them are the Wesleyan Film Board, Wesleyan Bellydance, the Math Club, Women in Business, Fusion Dance Crew, Men's Water Polo, TEDxWesleyan U, WesClimb, Wes Cheerleaders, Climate Action Group, Wesleyan Beekeepers, Interfaith Council, Middle School Tutoring Partnership, and the United Student Labor Action Coalition. View all student groups online…

A paper written by Kaitlyn Thomas-Franz ’20 was the recipient of the 2018–19 Lebergott-Lovell Prize for the best paper written for a course that uses empirical techniques to analyze an economic problem. Thomas-Franz wrote the paper “The 1918 Influenza Epidemic and U.S. Female Labor Force Participation" while she was taking Macroeconomic Analysis during the spring 2019 semester. The class was taught by Gillian Brunet, assistant professor of economics. Honorable mentions included Qiyuan Zheng ’20 for a paper titled “FPI in Emerging Markets: Does the Equity Home Bias Theory Extend?” and Dominic Oliver ’19 for a paper titled “The Determinants of…

The Class of 2023 gathered in Memorial Chapel on Aug. 29 for a Getting Good Advice workshop presented by Wesleyan's Academic Peer Advisors and Deans Laura Patey and Jennifer Wood. Academic Peer Advisors are juniors and seniors who work during New Student Orientation and throughout the academic year to enhance student access to academic resources and academic life. They meet one-on-one with students to provide peer advice regarding topics such as time management, organization, study strategies, and other academic skills. In addition, peer advisors lead workshops in residence halls and with student groups on topics such as metacognitive learning strategies, public…

On Aug. 28, 781 members of the Class of 2023—along with their families—flocked to campus for Arrival Day. Hauling armfuls of personal belongings and comforts from home, students settled into their new home-away-from-home amid fond (and a few teary) farewells. President Michael Roth '78 provided a personal welcome, helping carry students' belongings into residence halls and offering warm greetings to the new members of the Wesleyan family. Athletic teams also helped carry the load, hoisting plastic tubs of cold-weather clothing and draped bedding over their shoulders. Clark Hall volunteers had organized their sidewalk space, chalking it into squares labeled with…

This fall, Wesleyan welcomes 140 first-year international students to campus. They hail from 37 countries including Ghana, Austria, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Iran, Zimbabwe, China, and Senegal. This year, for the first time in Wesleyan's history, the University welcomes students from Burundi and Cambodia. (more…)

Wesleyan welcomes 162 graduate students to campus this fall, of which 60 are new. Of these: 23 new students are enrolled in the BA/MA programs in biology, chemistry, computer science, molecular biology and biochemistry, neuroscience and behavior, physics, and psychology. 13 new students are enrolled in a two-year MA program in astronomy, earth and environmental sciences, and music. (more…)

Taylor ’21 Speaks to Choate Juniors on the Importance of Mindfulness

Pie-Eating Contest, Benefit Bake Sale, Live Music at 2019 Pumpkin Fest

What’s the Buzz About Pollinators? Class Visits Local Apiary to Find Out

Wesleyan Community Participates in Global Climate Strikes (with Photo Gallery)

Bands, Soloists Perform at the 8th Annual MASH Festival

New IDEAS Lab Offers State-of-the-Art Digital Fabrication Tools

Campus Groups Showcased at Student Activities Fair

Paper by Thomas-Franz ’20 Wins Economics Department Prize

Peer Advisors Offer Good Advice Workshop for Class of 2023

Wesleyan Welcomes 781 Students on Arrival Day (with video and photo gallery)

New International Students Hail from 37 Countries

Wesleyan Welcomes 60 New Graduate Students