E2020

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…

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…)

Alumni and staff who have met with success in the November 2020 elections include: Amy Bello, administrative assistant for the African American Studies Department, won her first term as a State House representative for Connecticut's 28th District. Bello, a Democrat, is serving on the Wethersfield Town Council and is the former mayor. Read more in this Nov. 5 Hartford Courant article or in this past Wesleyan Connection article. Michael Demicco ’80 won his second term serving as a State House representative for Connecticut's 21st District. Demicco, a Democrat, represents Farmington and Unionville, Conn. Read more here. Former two-term Democratic Colorado…

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…

On Nov. 2, more than 65 students gathered at one of four locations on campus for a pre-election fireside chat and s'mores. "The event provided students an opportunity to socialize under the stars, meet new people, and showcased the compassionate and empathic community that Wesleyan can be," said Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, University Jewish Chaplain and director of religious and spiritual life. The event was sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) and several student leaders from different campus communities. "Fire is a place for warmth, survival, and renewal. We're living in tumultuous times; join a caring…

By Annie Roach '22 and Olivia Drake MALS '08 After the whirlwind of 2020, Wesleyan students—many of them first-time voters—were particularly eager to exercise their right to vote in the presidential election. While several students cast absentee ballots in their home states weeks ahead of time, others voted in person on Nov. 3. Marangela James '24 decided to vote in person in Connecticut, here on campus at Beckham Hall. She registered at Wesleyan earlier this semester, when some students had set up a voter registration table in front of Usdan. “It was a little bit hard navigating how to vote…

Led by the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP), the University launched its new Engage 2020 (E2020) Initiative last fall to deepen Wesleyan’s commitment to civic engagement. To date, 33 students have already received funding to support the development of their civic literacy and their preparedness to engage in political life through hands-on experiences such as working to register voters, issues advocacy, and volunteering on political campaigns. E2020 encourages participation regardless of political affiliation or stances on specific issues. Since the initiative's inauguration, Wesleyan has joined forces with colleges and universities across the U.S. to reaffirm the University's collective responsibility…

As a lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships is sponsoring an Engage 2020 (E2020) Speaker Series featuring an array of public figures from diverse backgrounds, all with compelling messages about the urgency of this moment, and the power of students and young people to affect change. Topics for this ongoing series include voter education and registration in battleground states; elections under threat; post-debate conversations with Wesleyan faculty; religion, diversity, and democracy; strategizing politics; discussing the election and staying friendly; young voters; criminal justice and the 2020 elections; and more. The E2020 Speaker Series is…

The E2020 Speaker Series features an array of public figures from diverse backgrounds, all with compelling messages about the power of students and young people to affect change amid the urgency of this moment. The E2020 Speaker Series is a centerpiece of Wesleyan's E2020 Initiative, the University’s comprehensive effort to support student learning and civic participation, while engaging the public around the electoral process and broader questions related to civic life. Upcoming E2020 Speaker Series events include a vice presidential debate watch party with Logan Dancey, associate professor of government; "Don’t Hate, Communicate: Discussing Politics and Maintaining Relationships"; "Our Country…

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…

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…

Associate Professor of Government Logan Dancey foresees many important opportunities for students to get involved and make a difference with upcoming local elections this fall—and the Engage 2020 (E2020 initiative) will be a prime vehicle for that work. Dancey recently gave a presentation via Zoom video webinar to Wesleyan faculty and staff about his research on American electoral politics and his work with students on this topic. Featured as part of the regular staff luncheon series, Dancey’s talk was titled “Student-Centered Elections Research: From the Middletown Mayoral Race to E2020." (more…)

Wesleyan Earns Top Honor in Campus Democracy Challenge

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

Wesleyan Alumni, Staff Win Local, National Elections

Wesleyan Community Participates in Historic 2020 Election

Students Discuss Politics at Pre-Election Fireside Chat

Students Reflect on Presidential Election Voting Experience

E2020 Experiences Shape Students’ Views of the Election

Watch Engage 2020 Speaker Series Recordings

Criminal Justice and Election Discussed at E2020 Speaker Series Event

Students Join Political Campaigns, Organizations for Summer E2020 Initiative

Alumni Encourage States to Offer Vote-by-Mail Options

Dancey Engages Students in Elections Research, E2020 Initiative