Class of 2012

You don’t have to be a “writer” to be a blogger.

Join Katherine Bascom ’10 and Lily Mandlin ’10 for a workshop that will focus on how to be successful on-line contributors or blog-entrepreneurs.  Blogging is becoming an integral part of how we communicate.  The informal setting of this workshop will allow you to talk about topics that you might want to blog about, concerns you may have about getting started, and to figure out what kind of “blogger” you want to be.  Activities will be discussion based with a few selections of interesting blogs to get the conversation going.

Home-baked brownies will be in attendance and you should be too!

Monday, November 23rd, 8:00 p.m.,  Shapiro Center Lounge

Wesleyan will be offering an intensive Summer Session June 7-July 9, 2010  in which students can complete semester-long courses in five weeks.  Twenty-five courses, taught by Wesleyan faculty, will be offered during the 2010 Summer Session.  These courses include some highly popular courses that always have more interested students than space during the regular academic year, as well as some new and advanced courses, and some new thematic institutes.

More information at http://www.wesleyan.edu/summer/.

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary, two of the members that founded Ajúa Campos 40 years ago will be returning to Wesleyan for the first time to discuss the beginnings of Ajúa Campos and current issues facing the Latino Community.

Friday, November 20 at 6:00pm
Woodhead Lounge
Light Refreshments will be served

Brief Bio’s on two of the Founders, Roberto Rivera and Lad Santiago.

Roberto Rivera

Was supposed to be a part of the class of 73 but left Wesleyan in 1972 and transferred to the University of Wisconsin where he attained a BS in Educational Psychology in 1974. He then attended Boalt Hall School of law at the University of California. For the past 30 years he has worked in various capacities with a focus on programs that ensure educational equity and access for first generation, low-income and students of color to the University of California. He currently works for the Puente Project, a program that assists first generation students in the transfer process from California community colleges to the 4 year university systems.

Lad Santiago

Lad Santiago is of Puerto Rican descent, born and raised in New York City. He received his B.A. degree in Molecular Biology from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1974. He completed his premedical education at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1979, he received his doctorate as a healthcare provider in South Carolina. Thereafter, he completed his postgraduate education in Preventive Medicine in Florida. He is Board Certified in Integrative Medicine and holds Diplomate status with the College of Clinical Nutrition. He served as a healthcare provider to a disenfranchised community in the City of Atlanta for many years.

In recent years as a result of his love for the arts and humanities, he underwent additional graduate education in the arts. He has been conferred an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing, and another M.F.A. degree in Digital Cinema. Presently, he is a candidate for the Ph.D. degree in Creative and Critical Writing, American Literature, Cinema Studies, and Cultural Studies at the University of Wales – Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom.

In years past, he served as a health manpower consultant to the Office of Health Manpower Opportunity at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He was also a key organizer of the first National Latino Health Manpower Conference held in Chicago, Illinois; a national conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. He has also served as an executive director of a national Boricua health manpower advocacy organization known as the National Boricua Health Organization. He has been honored as an Outstanding Young Man of America, and has been noted in Oxford’s Who’s Who in America.

At the present time, he serves as president of the South Carolina Hispanic Leadership Council, an organization serving the health, education, socio-economic, legal/legislative, artistic needs of the South Carolina Latino community statewide. He is presently serving a three year term as commissioner and chairman of the Human Relations Commission of the City of Spartanburg. Through this commission, he is addressing issues of injustice related to social, economic, health, and educational concerns in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Currently, he is a board member of the Community Advisory Council of the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. In this organization, he addresses the issue of inclusion and participation of the minority community in artistic endeavors such as theater, dance, visual arts, music, as well as other artistic disciplines. Recently, he served as the keynote speaker for the South Carolina Statewide Hispanic Conference held by The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs. He recently served on a health panel at the Statewide Native American Conference also held by The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs. He is a member of the American Association of Integrative Medicine, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Pen American Center, and National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

The Writing Programs have just learned that they will be able to hire several more writing tutors and mentors to work in the spring semester. The new tutors will serve in either the Writing Workshop, the Writing Mentor program, or as tutors in courses across the curriculum. If you would like to improve your own writing while also helping out your peers, please apply immediately!

To apply, deliver a hard copy of your application to Professor Anne Greene’s office: Downey House, Rm. 207. Include an info sheet with your name, class year, phone number, major, any second languages you speak, and a brief explanation of why you’re interested in the position; an unofficial transcript, the academic history page from your e-portfolio; and a recent writing sample, preferably with the grade and your professor’s comments.

Writing Tutors in the Workshop:

As a writing tutor in the workshop you will work four hours a week, 7-11pm, at one of our offices: Olin, SciLi, or the Shapiro Center. You will also attend the one hour Ford Teaching Seminar (ENG 492) that meets on Tuesdays at noon. Compensation for this position includes one full credit in English and $400 stipend.

Writing Tutors in Academic Courses:

Tutors in courses work with students to generate paper topics, they revise drafts, host occasional discussion sessions, and help students review and incorporate professors’ comments on writing assignments. This position has the same compensation as above and tutors attend the Ford Teaching Seminar.

Writing Mentors:

Mentors work one-on-one with three to five students for an entire semester. They too attend the Ford Teaching Seminar and receive the same compensation.

These positions are filled every semester and students can work as many semesters as they wish; returning tutors enroll in the Veteran Ford Teaching Seminar.

For more info, please feel free to contact us at Writingworks@gmail.com or Professor Anne Greene at agreene@wesleyan.edu.

As you prepare for the Thanksgiving Holiday, remember to lock all doors and windows whether you will be remaining on campus or leaving for the break! Also, please consider taking home your bikes and other belongings that you will not need through the winter. If you are staying on campus over the break period, remember to walk in well lit areas after dark, preferably in groups, and report suspicious people to Public Safety immediately at 860-685-3333 or x3333 from a campus phone line. Although the RIDE program will not be operating Thursday through Saturday, Public Safety will provide escorts for individuals upon request. Public Safety’s general phone number is 860-685-2345.

As you finalize your travel arrangements for the winter break, remember that the residential units will close for the fall semester at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, December 23, 2009. All residential units, with the exception of the wood frame houses, will close at this time. Students can return to campus at 9:00 am on Sunday, January 17, 2010.

There will be a limited number of employment opportunities for students looking for work on campus during winter break. Students wishing to do so must request housing with Residential Life by December 2, 2009. Requests should be made through the Winter Break web site at http://www.wesleyan.edu/reslife/ugrad_housing/winter_closing.html. Please note: Housing is not guaranteed during the winter break period, students who are granted permission to live in their units during the break will be notified by December 11, 2009.

The Health Center will close for Thanksgiving Recess on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. and will reopen on Monday, November 30 at 9:00 a.m.

An On-Call Provider will be available during recess for urgent concerns by calling (860) 685-2470 and selecting option 2. Students in need of medical assistance when Health Services is closed may contact:

Community Health Center*
635 Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 347-6971
$5.00 co-pay for students with University Insurance
(*Please alert CHC staff that you are a Wesleyan student)

Preferred Walk-In Medical Center
(next to Super Food Mart)
842 Washington Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-4484

Middlesex Family Physicians
400 Old Saybrook Road
Middletown, Ct 06457
(860) 346-7738

If the above facilities are closed, students should access the

Middlesex Hospital Emergency Department
28 Crescent Street
(860) 344-6000.

In case of Emergency, call 911

The Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03 Social Justice Award was created in memory of Peter Morgenstern-Clarren who pursued social justice while a student at Wesleyan.  His activism included securing benefits for Wesleyan custodial staff, participating in the United Student and Labor Action Committee, and contributing his leadership to the campus chapter of Amnesty International.  We are grateful to Dr. Hadley Morgenstern-Clarren and The Honorable Pat Morgenstern-Clarren for their generosity in sponsoring this award that honors their son’s activism for the public good.  A committee will select the sophomore or junior who best embodies the pursuit of social justice.  The application process is described below.

Any sophomore or junior in good standing may submit an application statement that addresses the following:

• Describe in detail the most influential social justice effort in which you played a leadership role that sought to make our society more equitable. (The effort could have a direct affect on the Wesleyan campus or on external communities.)
• Indicate how you effectively worked across different social identity groups (such as identity-based student organizations, program houses, faculty, administrators, and staff) in the pursuit of social justice

In addition to your application statement, you must include a letter of support from a faculty or administrator involved in your effort and submit evidence of impact that the social justice effort had on making our society more just by contributing testimonies from individuals directly involved, artifacts from your social justice effort (e.g., past printed programs, presentations, and articles), and/or your work from courses.  You may include non-print items, such as DVDs.

You must include at least four copies of the non-print and printed items and drop them off to Dean Marina J. Melendez, North College, 2^nd floor, Room 215 by 5 p.m. on February 26, 2010.  All application letters, letters of support and printed items must be in by the deadline.  By submitting your application, you agree to allow the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Strategic Partnerships to use it (or excerpts from it) for assessment, archival, and promotion purposes.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Dean Marina J. Melendez, Ph.D., x.2765, mmelendez@wesleyan.edu.

As you may have heard, the Sophomore class won WesWars 2009.  The seniors were in the lead for most of the week but at the Scavenger Hunt on the last day, the sophomores found the Douglas Cannon at the base of Foss Hill and won the entire game.

Michael Roth announced the winners at halftime of the football game and presented the Class Key to AhDream Smith ‘12 at the 50 yard line.

Check out this photo of the Douglas Cannon and a link to the Blargus video that really captures the excitement of the day.

The Freeman Foundation is funding nine-week summer internships (mid-June to mid-August) in Indonesian non-profit organizations for rising juniors and seniors at U.S. colleges and universities. The interns will be paired with Indonesian students studying in the U.S. , with whom they will be assigned to organizations in Jakarta, Bandung, or Yogyatarta. Application to the Institute of International Education must be made by February 15. Upon their return, the interns will be expected to share with their peers what they have learned, and to consider how to integrate their experiences into their academic and professional careers.

For more information, go to http://www.iie.org/programs/finip.

There will be shuttles from Usdan to Union Station in New Haven on Tuesday 11/24 at 10am and 2pm and on Wednesday 11/25 at 10 am. Shuttles will run from Union Station to Usdan on Sunday 11/29, at 11am and 4pm. The cost is $9 each way – tickets can be purchased at the box office.

Additionally, there will be shuttles to Penn Station in New York City and South Street Station in Boston departing on Tuesday 11/24 at 5 PM and leaving those cities at 3 PM on Sunday, 11/29. The cost is $20 each way – tickets can be purchased at the box office.

Also–check the Rideboard in your Wes E-Portfolio under “Student Life At Wesleyan.” The Rideboard is a free service where you can offer or request a ride to different locations in the country with a fellow Wesleyan student. It’s a great way to get home.

New Haven Shuttle, $9 each way

• Tues, 11/24: To New Haven, 10am & 2pm
• Wed, 11/25: To New Haven, 10 am
• Sun, 11/29: From New Haven, 11am & 4pm

New York City and Boston, $20 each way

• Tues, 11/24: To NYC (Penn Station) or Boston (South Street Station), 5pm
• Sun, 11/29: From NYC (Penn Station) or Boston (South Street Station), 3 pm

Bradley Airport, $25 each way

• Tues, 11/24: To Bradley, 5:45am, 12pm & 4:30 pm
• Wed, 11/25: To Bradley, 5:45am & 12pm
• Sun, 11/29: From Bradley, 1pm, 6pm & 10pm

The residential units will close for the fall semester at 12:00pm on Wednesday, December 23, 2009.  All residential units, with the exception of wood frame houses, will close at this time.  The residential units will officially open for the spring semester at 9:00am on Sunday, January 17, 2010.  Some units will open prior to this date to accommodate student athletes, international students and other students who are required to be on campus during the break.

Due to the limited services available for students during the break period, the University’s efforts to conserve energy and heightened concern for students’ safety, it is extremely important that students be employed for essential services only.  If you do need to hire a student to work during the break period, the student must submit a request for housing to the Office of Residential Life prior to December 2, 2009.  All students must apply online at www.wesleyan.edu/reslife and click on “Winter Break Closing Information” on our web page.  Residential Life will NOT be able to accept any requests for winter break housing after this date.  Furthermore, all employers should notify Sean Martin in the Financial Aid Office if they need to hire students during winter break, regardless of whether or not the student will be receiving financial aid.

Once we identify all of the students who need to stay in housing during the break, we will determine which residential units will open prior to January 17, 2010.  Please keep in mind that although a student may be working for you, they are not guaranteed housing during this time, and may need to make alternate accommodations.  We will notify all students of their status by December 11, 2009.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Melissa Powers at x3429 or by e-mail at mpowers@wesleyan.edu.

Mandatory 10-Digit dialing for local calls will begin November 14, 2009, in preparation for next year’s implementation of new area codes.

Some Quick Facts about this change and its impact in the way we dial local calls in Connecticut:

• You should start dialing 10 digits for local calling now.
• You still need to dial “9″ for calls outside Wesleyan
• 10 digit dialing will have no impact on the cost of calls.
• There is no change to making calls within Wesleyan (extension to extension)
• There is a change to calling our local associates once this change takes effect.
• For example, if you formerly dialed “523-xxxx” to reach a local number, you’ll need to dial “860-523-xxxx” to complete the call.

The Department of Public Utility Control adopted the dates and procedures for the beginning of a switch to 10-digit dialing for local telephone calls. The switch to 10-digit local dialing is necessary in advance of the need for new area code(s), which will shortly be necessary in Connecticut. TEN-DIGIT DIALING FOR LOCAL CALLS REQUIRES THE USE OF THE AREA CODE BEFORE THE TELEPHONE NUMBER. Callers will continue to dial 1 for toll calls only. No calling areas, rates or charges are affected by this change. Mandatory 10-Digit dialing for local calls will begin November 14, 2009, in preparation for next year’s implementation of new area codes.

Tonight English comes to Fauver (the newest building on Foss Hill, behind Westco and by the observatory).  Professor Joel Pfister, Professor Matt Garrett, Professor Joe Drury and two talented alums of English 201 (the seminar gateway to the major) are going to say a few words about why literary studies and English 201 rock in Fauver, 7:00-8:30.  We hope that all sophomores and frosh even considering the possibility of majoring in English and taking English 201 will come.  Treats will be served!

While it is often asserted that leaders use foreign policy to domestic advantage as elections approach, the scholarly findings on this subject defy simple characterization. My project examines the extent to which U.S. presidents adjust their foreign policies during an election run. I contend that while elections do affect foreign policy decisions, presidents do not seek political advantage from foreign policy and instead see foreign policy only as a potential threat to their political objectives.

Friday, November 20
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
Butt C Lounge

It has been twenty years since the fall of the Berlin wall. This talk investigates the legacy of the incorporation of East Germany. The influence of the former East Germany is manifested in two ways in the elections of 2009. First, the continued presence of a new party representing eastern interests is making coalition building more complicated. Second, the incumbent Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is originally from East Germany. Her identity as a female candidate interacts with her identity as an eastern candidate in ways that both help and hinder her ability to win election.

Friday, November 13
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
Cafe on the top floor of the Allbritton Center