Olivia Drake(more…)
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…
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University Chaplain Rev. Tracy Mehr-Muska is the author of a new book titled "Weathering the Storm: Simple Strategies for Being Peaceful and Prepared," published by Wipf and Stock on April 19. The book offers simple and proven strategies to develop resilience that will be of benefit to anyone who is yearning to feel more peaceful and prepared. Mehr-Muska draws upon wisdom from different spiritual and religious traditions and from secular scholarship. "With enthusiasm and passion generated from personal experience, I present the reality that resilience is not inborn, but is instead a simple set of characteristics that can be cultivated," Mehr-Muska…
Cynthia RockwellIn this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Wesleyan in the News The New Yorker: "The Shapeshifting Music of Tyshawn Sorey" "There is something awesomely confounding about the music of Tyshawn Sorey [MA '11], the thirty-eight-year-old Newark-born composer, percussionist, pianist, and trombonist," begins this profile of Sorey, assistant professor of music. Sorey was recently featured in the Composer Portraits series at Columbia University's Miller Theatre. 2. The Register-Mail: "Video Slots Take Heavy Toll on Some Players" In this article exploring the expansion of video slot gaming in a region…
Wesleyan students and staff traveled to Johnsonburg, N.J., March 18-22 to participate in the fourth annual Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Interfaith Service Trip. The group had representation from the Protestant, Catholic, and Muslim communities. The student participants included Nacala Gadsden '21, Joy Adedokun '19, Fitzroy Pablo Wickham '21, Brynn Assignon '20, and Fatima Sepulveda '21. The trip was led by University Chaplain Rev. Tracy Mehr-Muska and Sandy Durosier '13, area coordinator for residential life. "The purpose of the trip was to engage in community service and learn about other faiths," Mehr-Muska said. The group stayed at the faith-based Johnsonburg Camp…
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Randi Alexandra PlakeThis summer, three students from Wesleyan’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) attended the International Young Leaders Assembly (IYLA) Global Leadership Summit as partners of the conference. (more…)
On May 12, the campus community expressed its solidarity with Wesleyan's Muslim community during a day-long event titled Common Ground. Common Ground began with a prayer (jumaa) on Andrus Field where non-Muslims and Muslims were invited to pray together or to bear silent witness. After a short ceremony, the community gathered to share Islamic Hallal pizza. Participants also attended presentations on the history of Muslim-non-Muslim friendship and solidarity around the world, including Jewish-Muslim relations in early modern Africa. Davison Art Center presented an open house to exhibit two recently acquired works that illustrate the Egyptian ”Arab Spring." “Common Ground” was co-sponsored…
Chabad at Wesleyan hosted a hamantaschen making workshop March 1 in Exley Science Center. Hamantaschen (also called ozney Haman or Haman’s ears in Hebrew) are tasty, flaky treats with fillings that are often made during the Jewish festival of Purim. Purim is celebrated on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/early spring). The festival commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman the Agagite’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther). The points on the…
Lauren RubensteinAnna Fox '19 wrote an essay in The Forward about Wesleyan's Jewish community and the campus political climate surrounding the Israel Palestinian conflict. Though, as a Zionist, she was anxious about coming to a campus with a pro-Palestine reputation, she was met with a pluralistic community, "diverse opinions" and "students exchanging ideas thoughtfully—though rarely in agreement—and leaving the conversations with respect, compassion and nuanced approaches to their ideas." She writes: The passion I see in my peers who engage with Israeli-Palestinian politics, regardless of their political affiliations, gives me so much hope about the future of the Holy Land. My voice is not…