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Common Moment
2008
Wesleyan University’s First Year Matters program embraced the theme of Feet to the Fire for the incoming class of 2012. Over the summer, students received readings including scientific articles, prose and poetry that examined issues of climate change. During their orientation week, students attended lectures given by faculty in the social sciences and in the humanities about climate change. These were followed up by intimate conversations in residence halls led by faculty and staff. Students voted on the most critical threats to the planet and the most important actions that can be taken to ameliorate climate change (derived from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings). The next day, 550 students went to Foss Hill on the Wesleyan campus where they were led by upperclassmen and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in dances that embodied aspects of climate change. As part of the performance, the students assembled in the shape of a histogram that outlined the results of the poll they had taken, physically demonstrating what they as a class can do to address global warming. The night concluded with a performance of fire-dancing by the Wesleyan student group Prometheus.
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