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WesConnects: History, Purpose, and Impact
WesConnects is a Student of Color mentoring program designed to cultivate the sharing of knowledge, experiences, strengths, and aspirations between incoming and returning students as well as faculty, staff, and alumni.

In 2007, Wesleyan started a commencement tradition in which seniors can wear personalized graduation stoles with their caps and gowns. Why personalized stoles? The idea for including stoles was developed out of the Dwight Greene ’70 internship’s mission to illuminate the history of diversity at Wesleyan and foster the engagement of diversity as an essential educational commitment and resource. Graduation stoles provide a way for the Senior Class to express Wesleyan’s commitment to “pluralism within unity”. The sea of red and black commencement regalia symbolizes students exiting their undergraduate experience to join the ranks of Wesleyan alumni – leaders engaged with and responsible to the world. This unity is in turn complemented by the personalized stoles, which emphasize the diversity of individual histories and achievements that make Wesleyan’s rich educational environment possible. All seniors were eligible for a FREE personalized stole so long as they submitted responses to questions, which ask about their own experience at Wesleyan and how it has been shaped by the Wesleyan community, particularly in relation to ideas or action concerning social justice.

Stole Stories from Class of 2007	Stole Stories from Class of 2008
Sean Corlett '07 Sasha Endo '07 Kimberly Greenberg '07 Nathalie de Los Angeles Hodge '07 Oni Tongo '07	I-Hsiao Chen '08 Tameir Holder '08 Sandra Manzanares '08 Grace Overbeke '08 LaShawn Springer '08 Virginia Weihs '08

Diversity and Academic Advancement Fund
Since Fall 2007, the Office for Diversity and Academic Advancement has provided a fund in which the campus community can submit a proposal to assist with initiatives to enhance the campus educational climate. Selected proposals are required to submit an impact story. The story must engage the following questions:

1. How will you achieve the objectives of the grant?
2. To what extent did you engage three segments of the university and strengthen intergroup relations at Wesleyan?
3. What impact did your event have on participants and the general Wesleyan community?

Selected funded proposals and their impact stories are provided below.

Sample Funded Proposals:

1. Para La Familia Proposal Oct 2006
2. Women of Color Retreat Oct 2006
3. Mabuhay Spring 2007 (which means “long life” in Tagalog and is the annual Asian/Asian American show that is held in April)
4. CRAWPP Spring 2007 (which stands for Confronting Racism and White Privilege Project)
5. Para La Familia Proposal Fall 2007
6. Traverse Square Tutoring Program Fall 2007
7. Women of Color Retreat Fall 2007
8. Imprint Dinner Fall 2007
9. Mabuhay Fall 2007
10. Cultures Across the Continent Fall 2007

Sample Impact Stories

1. Women of Color Retreat Oct 2006
2. Para La Familia Presentation
3. Mabuhay Video Project
   This video was shown at Mabuhay 2007 during April Awareness Month and WesFest, and a follow-up viewing and discussion was held at AAA house.
4. CRAWPP Spring 2007
5. Para La Familia
   This PowerPoint presentation was used to gain additional support for the program in Fall 2006.
6. Imprint--Asian American Dinner
7. Cultures Across the Continent
8. 365Days
   Wesleyan University’s production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays