Olivia Drake(more…)
Lauren RubensteinOver spring break, University Protestant Chaplain Rev. Tracy Mehr-Muska led an interfaith student service trip to Harrisburg, Pa. Six students, representing Christian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic traditions, as well as intern Jon Heinly from Yale Divinity School, and a service dog participated. The group also included international students from Ireland, Ethiopia and Jamaica. The group stayed at a Mennonite camp and worked on a number of service projects, including volunteering with a class for refugees learning English, sorting donations for refugee resettlement, doing construction on apartments for single mothers and their children, and cleaning campgrounds and facilities at the camp.…
Frederic Wills '19Chabad at Wesleyan, an organization dedicated to allowing students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their Jewish heritage, hosted a Challah braiding event on Feb. 6 in Usdan University Center. Students from all religious and spiritual beliefs were welcome. While there are a few explanations to the importance of braiding Challah, the three braids are thought to be in accordance with the commands that appear in the Ten Commandments: one for “Zachor,” remember; another for “Shamor,” guard; and the third, “b’Dibbur Echad,” which represents the words “guard” and “remember” together as one unit. Rabbi Levi Schectman coordinated the event and leads…
How do faculty help students, and themselves, thread a path through an ever-growing body of information? What practices can faculty and students find that enable them to bring a clear and sustained focus to their work in the classroom and the laboratory? Through two workshops and discussions, held Feb. 19, participants can consider how one might approach teaching from a contemplative perspective, in both the long and short term. Faculty and students will experiment with the adaptation of several traditional contemplative practices to classroom situations including “stilling” (breath and body awareness), contemplative writing, “beholding,” and explore how these might be instantiated in a classroom, laboratory or personal…
In this Q&A, meet Tracy Mehr-Muska, Wesleyan's Protestant chaplain. Q: Rev. Mehr-Muska, how long have you been Wesleyan’s Protestant chaplain, and what did you do before this? A: This is my third year as a university chaplain at Wesleyan. Like many, my professional journey was not a direct route. After graduating from the Coast Guard Academy, I served as a Deck Watch Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. My love of the sea and my degree in Marine/Environmental Science led me to subsequently work as a marine scientist, conducting oceanographic surveys and engineering subsea cable routes for a company that…
On Oct. 19, members of Wesleyan's Jewish community gathered to celebrate a fundraising effort spearheaded by David Rabban '71 to raise gifts in memory of Rabbi George Sobelman. Sobelman was Wesleyan's first Jewish Chaplain from 1969-1973. In addition, the Sobelman family is donating 43 volumes of the Babylonian Talmud with translation and commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz to Olin Library. Rabbi Sobelman died Sept. 11, 2010 in Rehovot, Israel. During his time at Wesleyan Sobelman taught Modern Israeli Literature. The event was hosted by University Relations. (Photos by John Van Vlack) (more…)
From Sept. 18-26, Wesleyan's Jewish community will observe the holiday of Sukkot by living, studying, holding classes, meditating, eating and socializing in a structure made completely of bamboo and steel rods. On Sept. 9-11, four members of Wesleyan's Physical Plant staff worked full days to assemble the massive temporary structure on the lawn of Olin Library. (more…)
Through the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, Wesleyan's Muslim Chaplain Marwa Aly is engaging with experts in various fields and is articulately developing a vision and purpose in her work as a chaplain. As one of 22 prominent Muslim Americans who received a 2011-2012 Civic Leadership Fellowship, Aly is connecting to a network of civic leaders across the country and facilitating a forum for constructive intra-Muslim dialogue. She's learning how to identify leadership needs, ways to guide the development of projects, partnerships and resources and gaining practical skills in communication, community mobilization, leadership, advocacy and organizational management. "I am looking…
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