civic engagement

There are 68 million young people between the ages of 10 to 24 in the United States who will be entering the public sphere in the coming years, according to Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. This makes up nearly one-fifth of the current population in the nation, but a significant segment of this country’s future. This group must be taught how to become developed citizens at a moment of democracy when it is mired in misinformation and political handwringing on all sides. “Our challenge is developing effective citizens,” Vinnakota said while participating in the civic…

Sharing music. Teaching and advocating for sexual health and justice. Protecting the environment. Tutoring children. Wesleyan students are known for incorporating their own personal passions into work benefitting the wider community. A group of deeply involved students shared their civic engagement experiences at the latest Virtual WESeminar held on March 29. The conversation was moderated by Abigail Maymi ’22, Jewett Center for Community Partnerships Civic Engagement Fellow. Speakers included Annika Shiffer-Delegard ’23, Wesleyan Reproductive Advocacy and Legislation (WRAL); Blythe Guecia ’23, Adolescent Sexual Health Awareness (ASHA); Sam Multer ’23, Traverse Square After School Program; Imogen Frazier ’25, Food Rescue; Sarah Bank ’23, WESU Radio; and Lily Krug ’24, Sunrise. They spoke of…

On a Friday afternoon on Huss Courtyard, hundreds of students clustered around tables in long unbroken rows, asked questions—or, given the music thumping from the PA system, shouted them—grabbed flyers and stickers, and scrawled their signatures on sign-up sheets. Once again, this year’s Wesleyan’s annual Student Involvement Fair showcased the spectrum of athletic, creative, cultural, and social clubs and activities on campus at the dawn of the academic year. As students looked for community many gravitated toward organizations devoted to civic engagement in all its forms, providing a chance to direct their passion in ways that can make an impact,…

On April 9, Wesleyan hosted its 41st Annual Philip B. Brown ’44 Memorial Lecture. President Michael Roth ’78 led a conversation with featured speakers Colorado Senators Michael Bennet ’87 and John Hickenlooper ’74, MA ’80, Hon. ’10. Maria Santana-Guadalupe ’98, anchor and correspondent for CNN en Español, provided the introduction and moderated an audience Q&A. The speakers discussed leadership, civic engagement, immigration, gun safety, the COVID-19 pandemic, equity and anti-racism, coalition building, filibusters, and the paths both the senators have traveled from Wesleyan to Washington, D.C. (Watch the entire program online here.) (more…)

When hometown friends Michayla Robertson-Pine and Tessa Levenstein found themselves frustrated with online learning at the college level, they suspected school-aged children were also suffering in the world of online education, and that young people were actively looking for fun creative ways to engage with each other socially. That's when Wesleyan junior Robertson-Pine '22 and Amherst College junior Tessa Levenstein '22 decided to create a remote, project-based, community-oriented program with the intent of spreading joyful learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Named Tin Can Learners, the program aims to take the load off of parents and offer engaging and energizing after-school…

Taking place in a divided nation amidst a global pandemic, the 2020 election was marked by extraordinarily high levels of voting, with record-breaking early and absentee voting in many states. As of press time on the morning of Nov. 4, major news organizations were reporting that several battleground states still hung in the balance and neither candidate had secured the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the election. On campus Nov. 3, approximately 600 students, faculty, staff, and local residents voted at Middletown's Voting District 14, located inside Beckham Hall in Fayerweather, according to Diana Martinez, assistant director of…

Last March, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to plague the United States, Dr. Amy Fogelman '97 became engrossed in the country's lack of understanding about the virus, and even more so in the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. "At certain hospitals in Massachusetts masks were required, but in others, physicians were told that they were not allowed to wear masks, even if they personally supplied them, because administrators were afraid that the masks would 'scare' the patients," Fogelman recalls. "I watched as my colleagues on social media shared their fears for their lives, and their patients’ lives,…

This summer, 16 students will promote democracy and broaden their engagement with the public sphere through Wesleyan's Engage 2020 Initiative (E2020) Fund. The initiative is a comprehensive university effort to support student learning via civic engagement and liberal arts education. Wesleyan’s Civic Action Plan sets goals for building civic preparedness among students, faculty, and staff, and for enhancing the University’s role in public life. Summer E2020 Fund recipients receive grants to support costs associated with lodging, meals, computer software, project supplies, and phone and internet services. In addition, participants enroll in the quarter-credit course CSPL 494, Internship: Elections, which requires…

Wesleyan University will hold its 188th Commencement ceremony virtually at noon EDT on Sunday, May 24. The virtual proceedings will be led by President Michael Roth ’78 and will include remarks from award-winning author and Commencement speaker Jacqueline Woodson, pastor and social justice advocate Rev. Dr. William Joseph Barber II, and accomplished actor and political activist Bradley Whitford ’81, all of whom will receive honorary degrees from the University. The recipients were selected for their significant contributions to civic life in the United States, including the example they set in spurring others to productive dialogue and action and in keeping…

In preparation for National Vote By Mail Day on May 23, two Wesleyan alumni are pushing for a nonpartisan movement to make it possible for everyone in the United States to safely vote by mail in November. To date, only Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington offer vote-by-mail systems, while another 29 states and Washington, D.C., provide mail-in ballots at a voter’s request. "Americans shouldn't have to risk their health to vote," said Avi Stopper '01, founder and lead organizer of the web-based project Vote 2020 By Mail. Through Vote 2020 By Mail, Stopper is building a movement to persuade…

Shortly after returning home to New York City this spring amid the coronavirus pandemic, Walker Brandt ’22 was out for a walk near the Hudson River when he caught a glimpse of yellow tape in front of Brookdale, the senior living facility that had previously been his grandmother’s home. A sign on the sliding doors read, “No in-person visits are allowed at this time.” Brandt immediately appreciated the precautions the facility was taking to keep its residents safe, but also wondered what the seniors’ social lives would look like without visitors. With the suspension of in-person visitors also came a…

Civic Education Must be Made Priority for Young People, Panel Says

Wes Students Share Civic Engagement Experiences

At Student Involvement Fair, More Emphasis on Civic Engagement

Senators Bennet ’87, Hickenlooper ’74 Discuss Leadership during Brown Memorial Lecture

Students Launch Fun, Interactive Virtual Program for School-Aged Kids

Wesleyan Community Participates in Historic 2020 Election

WesWOW Participants Attend Virtual Speed Friending, Game Night, Club Fair

Wesleyan Alumni, Students Take Action during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Students Join Political Campaigns, Organizations for Summer E2020 Initiative

Civic Activists Headline 2020 Virtual Commencement Ceremony

Alumni Encourage States to Offer Vote-by-Mail Options

Students Form Connections with Senior Citizens Isolated by Pandemic