Government Major Sveen Promotes Political Diversity on Campus through the Wesleyan Republican Committee

In this Q&A we speak with Emmakristina Sveen from the Class of 2017. Q: How and when did you form the Wesleyan Republican Committee (WRC)? A: Meghan Kelly ’17 and I founded the Wesleyan Republican Committee this fall. The previous Republican student group on campus, which was started in 2009, gradually deteriorated after the 2012 elections and after their senior leadership graduated. We wanted to establish a club that served as a vehicle in which students with any level of affiliation with the Republican Party could discuss their political views in a safe environment. With the help of Meghan’s brother,…

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…

On Feb. 5, the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) Community Committee (CoCo) hosted a Student Activities Fair in Beckham Hall. This video documents the diverse range of clubs at Wesleyan, including activism, interests, identities, politics, publications, sports and more. The purpose of this fair was to create a centralized location where clubs could promote themselves to students who may not be aware of what this diverse campus has to offer. CoCo is chaired by Elizabeth Shackney ’17, who is featured in the video that can be seen below: [youtube]http://youtu.be/L5TG4T79yj0[/youtube]

Wesleyan's Winter Session, held Jan. 9-20, provided students with an opportunity to take a full-semester course in only two weeks. The immersion courses offer full credit and allow students to build a close relationship with faculty and each other. Students completed reading and writing assignments before class started. Pictured below are scenes from Winter Session's ENGL234: Jane Austen and the Romantic Age course (taught by Stephanie Weiner, professor of English) and GOVT311: United States Foreign Policy course (taught by Doug Foyle, associate professor of government, tutor in the College of Social Studies). (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

Students from Introduction to Environmental Studies (E&ES 197) presented their final projects Dec. 11 in Exley Science Center. The Project Showcase involved 80 students informally presenting artists books, GIS story maps, children's stories, fictional journals and other creative explorations. “All projects are related to environmental issues in the Connecticut River,” said course instructor Kim Diver, visiting assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences. The project is associated with the Center for the Arts' Feet to the Fire initiative. Several Wesleyan scholars and staff volunteered their time to demonstrate artist books to the students including Kate TenEyck, art studio technician and visiting assistant professor of art;…

On Dec. 8, approximately 1,000 students, faculty and staff participated in a Black Lives Matter March. The participants marched as a show of solidarity with national protests against discriminatory treatment of blacks in the criminal justice system and incidents of police brutality. The group started at Exley Science Center, marched across campus and proceeded down Washington Street to the intersection at Main Street in Middletown. They chanted "black lives matter," "hands up, don't shoot," and "we can't breathe." In The Hartford Courant, Abhi Janamanchi '17 said he he hoped the event would serve as a "dose of reality" about the racial issues…

Fifteen Wesleyan students were elected to early decision membership in Phi Beta Kappa during an initiation ceremony Dec. 3. To be elected, a student must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations, and must have achieved a grade-point average of 93 and above. For students elected in the fall, it is an especially exacting selection process because admittance is based on a student’s performance at Wesleyan only through their junior year. (more…)

#THISISWHY In this Q&A meet Colin Russell from the Class of 2015. Q: Colin, what are you majoring in? What have been your most instrumental courses so far? A: I am majoring in neuroscience and behavior while also on the pre-medical path. Two of the most instrumental courses in my journey through Wes have been Organic Chemistry and the Organic Chemistry Lab that is paired with the lecture course. The reputation of Organic Chemistry was extremely intimidating prior to taking the course, and I was nervous that I would not like this subject that is the basis for so much of the…

#THISISWHY In this Q&A, meet Lily Herman from the Class of 2016. Q: Lily, what are you majoring in and why did you choose Wesleyan? A: I’m a junior double majoring in government and sociology, and I hail from the semi-boonies of Jacksonville, Fla. I ended up at Wesleyan after my mom checked it off in a Fiske Guide to Colleges when I was a high school sophomore and I read all about it. After visiting Wes on a clear, sunny September day during my senior year of high school, I was 100 percent sold and applied Early Decision. Despite the fact that…

College of the Environment major Oliver James '14 is the author and illustrator of A Field Guide to the Birds of Wesleyan, published by Wesleyan University Press in November. This 48-page book, originally published in May by the student-run group, Stethoscope Press, was slightly revised and republished. Sixteen campus birds are featured in the book. James has been an avid birder since about the age of 5. One of his earliest memories accompanying his aunt, a field ornithologist, to Bodega Bay, where she was researching the vocalizations of a type of sparrow. The book features original color illustrations by the author in mixed…

Q: Angela, where are you from and why did you choose Wesleyan to further your education? A: I am from Nanuet, New York but I went to a boarding school called Phillips Exeter Academy. I chose Wesleyan because I was intrigued by how people were given the freedom to pursue their interests, no matter how different these interests might be. I was also attracted by the collaborative atmosphere and how people seemed to encourage and support their peers. Q: What are you majoring in? A: I'm double majoring in chemistry and English, and I hope to write a thesis on…

Government Major Sveen Promotes Political Diversity on Campus through the Wesleyan Republican Committee

Faculty, Students Invited to Workshops on Contemplative Pedagogy Feb. 19

Video: Wesleyan Student Assembly Hosts Student Activities Fair

Students Take Semester-Long Class in 2 Weeks during Winter Session

Art Books Illustrate Environmental Concerns, Lessons

Students Lead Black Lives Matter March through Campus, Middletown

15 Elected Early Decision to Phi Beta Kappa

Neuroscience Major Russell ’15 an A Cappella Singer, Organic Chemistry TA

BIology Students Learn about Summer Research Programs

Lily Herman ’16 Active in Online Media, Journalism

Wesleyan U. Press Publishes James’ ’14 New Field Guide

Chemistry, English Major Yoo ’15 Coordinates WesReads/WesMath Program, Korean Dance Group