issue 2.9 | 04.01.2008 | http://www.wesleyan.edu/deans/fym/
The First Year Matters newsletter is published by the Deans' Office and features information about academic and community life at Wesleyan; news about events and happenings on campus; and profiles of people and their work.
Academics
SARN Peer Advisors are available to answer questions about planning and adjustment period during course registration. Visit them during their drop in hours or write to them at sarnadvisors@wesleyan.edu, to set up an appointment.
There are about five weeks left of classes – seven until the end of the semester. Making sure that you do a weekly review of course information now can greatly increase your success at the end of the semester. If you figure out now what you need to understand better, then you will have an opportunity to meet with your professors or TAs to clarify your understanding. Very importantly, you should practice writing essays, answering questions, and taking multiple choice tests. Every performer recognizes the benefit of rehearsal and practicing in order to have successful performances. It is the same for writing tests. You must break down information and practice it is small bits. Then you can practice taking full tests. It is even helpful to answer homework assignments a second time without looking at the textbook to test yourself. Professors often have old tests or practice questions on-line. Take them to the room where you will have your test and work on them there.
Here is a planning calendar you can use to map out the rest of your assignments, quizzes and exams. Remember to write in when you will begin studying what material for each class and write in which stages of papers you want to have accomplished by what date. If you find it helpful to write out your weekly schedule, hour by hour, then here is the weekly planning calendar.
Fall 2008 Pre-registration is Underway!
- Planning: 8:30 a.m., Monday, March 31 through 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 10
- Scheduling: Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13
- Adjustment: 8:00 a.m., Monday, April 14 through 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 18
Please make sure that you schedule time in advance to meet with your faculty advisor to discuss your academic plans. Your class dean is also available to provide general academic advice and support.
Events
All films will be shown at the Center for Film Studies, Room 190
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Monday, April 7 (7:00 - 9:00 p.m.) The Key of G (2007). The Key of G is an award-winning feature documentary about disability, caregiving and interdependence. The film follows Gannet, a charismatic 22-year-old with physical and developmental disabilities, as he leaves his mother's home to share an apartment with a close-knit group of artists and musicians who support him, not only as paid caregivers, but also as friends. Together they create a uniquely successful model of supported living, and a compelling alternative to institutionalized care.
Friday, April 18 (4:00 - 6:00 p.m.) Boys of Baraka (2005). African-American boys have a very high chance of being incarcerated or killed before they reach adulthood. In Baltimore, one of the country's most poverty-stricken cities for inner-city residents, the Baraka School project was founded to break the cycle of violence through an innovative education program that literally removed young boys from low-performing public schools and unstable home environments.
Tuesday, April 22 (7:00 - 9:00 p.m.) All About My Mother (1999). Manuela promises to tell her son who his father is. But, he is killed by a car while he is pursuing an actress for her autograph. Manuela works at the local hospital where she teaches in the art of approaching patients' relatives to get permission for organ donation. Now she must prepare herself for the process of allowing her child's organs to be removed while also tracking down the boy's transsexual father.
Monday, May 5 (7:00 - 9:00 p.m.) The Imam and the Pastor: A Documentary from the Heart of Nigeria. The Imam and the Pastor depicts the reconciliation between Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, and the peace-making initiatives which have flowed from it. The film, narrated by Rageh Omaar, traces their remarkable story. It depicts the dynamics of personal forgiveness, and highlights some of the difficulties that arise in Christian-Muslim partnership and how they can be tackled.
The Usdan University Center, in partnership with the Deans' Office, is sponsoring a series of faculty talks this April. Students attending the faculty talks will be able to join other staff and faculty for an upscale dinner in the Daniel Family Commons for free. Space is limited so please RSVP to lbonaldi@wesleyan.edu. All lectures will be held in the Daniel Family Commons, Usdan Community Center. Topics for the events are below:
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History of Co-Education at Wesleyan: Tuesday, April 15, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Suzy Taraba, University Archivist and Head of Special Collections, Wesleyan University Valerie Gillespie, Assistant University Archivist, Wesleyan University.
Hate: Testing the Boundaries of Free Speech: Tuesday, April 22, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Nicholas B. Dirks '72, Vice President for Arts and Sciences and The Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology and Professor of History at Columbia University will address the collision between the tenets of free speech and hateful expressions by reflecting on Columbia's recent visit of Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Presidential Election Forum: Monday, April 28, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Richard Grossman, Don Moon, Melanie Price, Peggy Carey Best, Sarah Lazare. A panel of Wesleyan faculty and staff will lead an interactive discussion about the platforms of the current presidential candidates. The panel will answer questions and provide a viewpoint on the topics of immigration, health care, free trade, climate/environment, and the economic outlook of the country.
Many campuses across the country choose to set aside weeks or months in celebration of Arab, Arab American, Middle Eastern, Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Queer communities and cultures. Traditionally at Wesleyan, all of these communities are celebrated together in the month of April. Not only has the April Planning Committee planned separate events for each community, they have intentionally planned multiple events this year that show the important intersectionality between race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and many other important identities represented in the month. Please join us at the April Convocation on Friday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. at X-House, to learn more about this year’s April Calendar and to explore the meaning of the month at Wesleyan. Click here to see the calendar of events.
Unless you've applied and been accepted to a program house, you need to participate in the General Room Selection (GRS) process for your fall housing. You enter the process through your e-portfolio, click on Campus Life, and then Room Selection. At this site, you will see your class rank/point value. The GRS Guide has helpful information about the entire process. To participate in the GRS process, you must first agree to the terms of the Housing Contract.
To select a room, you must be in a GRS group by Monday, April 14th. Groups of rising sophomores (current first year students) may be 1 or 2 people. On April 15th, all groups are assigned a random rank that will determine the order in which they will choose rooms on Room Selection Nights.
Bookmarking also begins on April 15th. This is when you can "bookmark" specific places where you would like to live. These bookmarks are then able to be retrieved by you. You MUST bookmark a room in order to choose it during the room selection process.
Community
Feet to the Fire Festival - May 10, 2008
Each of us has an impact on the world around us. We leave footprints and our footprints are changing the planet. How can we impact these changes and imagine a sustainable future?
A campus/community eco-arts festival for all ages at the grassy, former landfill on Middletown's North End Peninsula. Experience the rich beauty and spectacular views of the Mattabesset and Connecticut Rivers, enjoy performances and art installations by campus and regional artists, while learning about the impact of climate change on our community and our world. Trailblazing land-based artist, Ann Carlson, will premiere a new work commissioned by the Festival. Co-sponsored by the Environmental Studies Certificate Program and the Jonah Center for Earth and Art, the festival also features interactive displays and exhibits on energy conservation and sustainability, a farmer's market and local organic food vendors. The festival is a part of an eighteen-month project, Feet to the Fire: Exploring Global Climate Change from Science to Art, funded in part by a grant from the Creative Campus Innovations Program of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Trusts.
The Feet to the Fire Festival will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. If you are interested in participating in the Festival as a volunteer, please contact Adrian Nieves, or call 860-685-2696 by April 15. Click here for additional information.
The sun is starting to shine a little brighter, crocuses are popping up from the ground and the buds on the trees are ready to pop. It’s hard to miss the signs of spring and with it, comes a new sense of energy and excitement in the air. After spending months cooped up inside, it’s easy to understand the desire to be outside as much as possible. As you stroll through the campus, please be mindful of the policies regarding noise, particularly late at night. We share this community with our Middletown neighbors and the noise that we generate can be disruptive to both Wesleyan and Middletown community members who may be trying to sleep.
As the semester winds down think about the prevention services you might need at the Davison Health Center before leaving for summer break. Due to the turn-around time for laboratory results, the last day to schedule a full annual gynecological exam and sexual health and wellness testing will be on April 30. Plan ahead especially if you need to refill your birth control pills. Call 860.685.2470 to schedule your appointment. All other laboratory testing will be available until the end of the semester. Drop-in HIV testing is available each Wednesday from 11:00am to 2:30pm through May 7. Please check with your provider if you have specific concerns about testing.
Students who might need immunizations or a travel consultation for travel abroad should schedule an appointment immediately in order to benefit from timely vaccinations. Call 860.685.2470 for your appointment.
All students are required to show proof of existing insurance or enroll ANNUALLY even if coverage has not changed from last year. Please be on the lookout for an email before the end of the semester and a mailing sent to home addresses in mid-June with information on how to show proof of insurance (waive) or enroll online by August 15. Call Health Services at 860.685.2470 with any insurance-related questions.
People
Candace Buckner is a junior from Snellville, GA. She’s pursuing double major in Classics and the College of Letters. Candace is an ’09 class representative on the WSA. As a WSA member she sits on the Student Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee, Sexual Misconduct Committee and the Student Life Committee. (Click here for more information.) Candace is also an RA in the Butterfields, and next year she will be a Head Resident for Washington Street, William Street and Senior Housing.
Of her many accomplishments at Wes, Candace is quick to mention that she’s learned the Wesleyan Fight Song by heart as it is sung at the beginning of every WSA Meeting. She’s also been instrumental in helping to formulate several policies and procedures affecting student life. During the summer, Candace will be partaking in a 6-week study abroad program in Rome, Italy. She’ll be studying Italian language and starting her thesis research, looking at the importance of “saints in literature.” As for spare time? Believe it or not, she does find it, and enjoys taking advantage of the different shows, activities and films on campus.
When asked about words of advice for first year students, Candace says “Don’t be afraid of trying something new, but don’t be afraid to say “no” either – you don’t need to justify to others why don’t want to do something.” If you see Candace on campus, be sure to say hello and ask her where you might find the “only flying buttress in Connecticut.”
Santos Cayetano is the Associate Director of the Wesleyan McNair Program. This program assists students from underrepresented groups, first generation college students from low-income families, African-American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or Native American, in preparing for, entering, and progressing successfully through post-graduate education. His role is to help Frosh and Sophomores Scholars learn more about PhD options, how and why one might go about earning one, choosing a direction, and helping them to prepare for research.
He is a graduate of Buffalo State College, with a degree in Sociology. Most recently, he was the senior program director of the Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA in Bridgeport. Prior to the Taylor Center, he was a regional director at Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters were he worked closely with students volunteers from University of Connecticut-Waterbury, Post University, and Naugatuck Community College in becoming mentors and community leaders. At Great Hollow Wilderness School he worked with Wesleyan students on team-building, and getting them to confront challenges that were at the outer limits of their confidence.
He enjoys spending time with his two children, Hazanni, 7, Izabella, 2, playing soccer, sitting by the ocean or a stream, reading a socially focused book, talking with friends, and exploring the social structure of our society through social events, trips, conversations, literature, movies, and observation.