WeSLAM
-What they want you to know: We are a group of students who are passionate about poetry—poetry that exists as much in person, space, and sound as it does on the page. We host poetry events around campus, including competitive slams. These competitive slams form a new slam team every year [that] slams around the region and nation.
-What/where/when is your event? WeSLAM is hosting an intercollegiate poetry slam, featuring Wesleyan vs. SUNY Oneonta vs. Yale vs. NYU, 8 p.m. on Saturday night in the Center for the Arts Hall.
-What should new students know about your group? Last year, which was Wesleyan’s first year having a slam team, we took 7th place at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI), the largest college poetry slam in the nation. We also won the prestigious Spirit of the Slam award. We’re heading back to nationals this Tuesday!
-Why should pre-frosh come? Pre-frosh should come see what the Wesleyan slam poetry scene is all about. We have an extremely supportive community of poets on campus that goes far beyond the members of the team. Whether or not you are a poet, you should come; poetry slams are fun to watch. Pre-frosh should expect to participate—a poetry slam is not your average poetry reading. The audience gets loud. Very loud. You are encouraged to cheer, snap, howl, and express how you feel about the poems. We would also love for some pre-frosh to participate as one of the five judges in the slam!
-What is special about your event? This will be the first time in WeSLAM’s two years that we will be bringing such a large number of poets to Wesleyan, making it the biggest slam Wesleyan has ever seen.
-Why did you want to do this event? A big part of WeSLAM’s mission is to spread the love of the poetry slam to as many people as possible. If you’ve never been to a slam before, you are in for a surprise. What better way to attract new students to Wesleyan than to have people pour out their hearts and souls to an audience of strangers and then have their poems judged for the world to see? The competition is silly, but when the pre-frosh feel the vibe, they will definitely be attracted to Wesleyan.
-Any surprises in your event? There will always be that one poem which catches you off-guard and makes you laugh, cry, or think differently. We hope to see you there. It is a guaranteed excellent time.

The Wesleyan Ampersand
-What they want you to know – The Wesleyan Ampersand is the humor section of The Argus, the school’s newspaper. I don’t know when it was founded.
-What/where/when is your event? Our event is blind dating for pre-frosh. It is in the Usdan multi-purpose room. From 5:45-7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14. We’re going to pair visiting prospective students with other visiting prospective students in the hope that they can get together and find any common interest they may have, and see if there’s a spark there— something happening, something romantic. They are about to start a new life here, and what better way to start a new section of your life than with a budding romantic interest? That’s what we’re hoping to do for people.
-Why should students come to participate? Well, I would say that current students who have pre-frosh should bring them, because often you don’t know quite what to do with them between, say, Zonker Harris Day and the film series—this fits nicely in between the two. So it’s good for hosts, so they can have something to do. And it’s good for visiting students because it’s a great way to meet people. So you can meet a new friend, a new romantic interest. You know, have a good time. That kind of thing.
-What is special about your event? I would say there’s probably no one else on campus who’s hosting pre-frosh blind dating on campus. The people who come to this event will be the intrepid souls willing to try something outside of their comfort zone. If you are that type of person, you will find people with that kind of shared interested in pre-frosh blind dating.
-Why did your group decide to do an event, and why this event in particular? There’s currently no one doing any pre-frosh blind dating event. We decided to fill that niche. We thought it was a good thing to do. Often you’re a pre-frosh and you’re visiting, and you have these awkward stilted interactions, like ‘where are you from, what are you studying,’ and this awkward hinting at where you got into college. I think it’s an uncomfortable thing to do. We are trying to get around that, having a better time with people.
-How do you think your event will attract new students to Wesleyan? Well, if you meet something at this thing that you think you might become romantically involved with, you could both agree to attend Wesleyan, and then work on that. That’s one reason. Maybe also people will have a good time. You know, the main thing is the romantic interest fostering but you could meet some non-romantic friends probably. Which everyone has.

Muslim Student Association
-What they want you to know: We’re the group for you if you’re interested in Islam, Muslims, or Muslim cultures. We’re super open to people of all backgrounds, levels of religiosity and interests, and we’d love to meet you!
-What/where/when is your event? We’re hosting Friday jummah prayer in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (169 High) at 1 p.m., followed by ice cream sundaes at Turath House, the Middle Eastern/Muslim program house (22 Lawn) at 2 p.m.
-Why should pre-frosh come to participate? College is the perfect time to dive into new interests, and develop parts of yourself you may not have had the chance to before. The MSA gives you a chance to learn about a religion and a culture not everyone is familiar with and offers a great network of people you can talk to about Muslim-ness and all things Islam-y. Friday jummah prayer is just a taste of the kinds of events the MSA has—from social events to film screenings and lectures to personal spiritual study circles—we do lots. Come to Wes and enjoy everything else we have to offer throughout the year!
-Any surprises planned for the pre-frosh? A well-kept secret around campus—the MSA events always have the best food.

The Wesleyan Democrats (Wesdems)
-What they want you to know: We don’t just talk politics. Our efforts are focused on spreading the good word of the Democratic Party and electing Democrat leaders. Last semester we worked very diligently to elect our new mayor, Daniel T. Drew.
-What/where/when is your event? Mayor Dan Drew will be giving a speech in Usdan 108 on Friday the 13th from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.. Students and parents will have the opportunity to hear the mayor speak about the future of the Wesleyan-Middletown relationship and opportunities to get involved in the wonderful Middletown community.  Any questions afterwards will be welcomed.
-Why should pre-frosh come? It’s important to get a good feel for the community relationship when choosing a university.  We as members of the Wesleyan Dems feel very lucky to have such a close relationship with our new mayor and are excited to see what engagement opportunities are available in the future.
-What’s so special about your event? This is the first time Mayor Drew will be on campus for an official event since the election.  If you’re interested in city government and politics, this is an event you cannot miss! We thought it was important to give pre-frosh an idea of political life on campus and decided the best way to do it was to combine politics and actual governance.  We are honored that Mayor Drew accepted our offer!
-How do you think your event will attract new students to Wesleyan? Wesleyan has a vibrant political atmosphere and hopefully this event will give students who are interested in politics an opportunity to experience what we’ve done so far and what we have left to do.
-Any surprises planned for the pre-frosh coming to your event? We in politics try to avoid surprises, if at all possible!

Brighter Dawns
-What they want you to know: Brighter Dawns is a non-profit committed to improving health conditions in slums in Bangladesh. Although we have been operating for just a year, Brighter Dawns was able to complete its first project in the summer of 2011, constructing 15 wells, 20 latrines, and three bathrooms in Ward 12, Khalishpur, Bangladesh. However, there are still thousands of people in Ward 12 who are placed at risk of deadly water-borne diseases every day. We aren’t your average nonprofit… Any given night you can catch us cooking in the kitchen at 5 a.m.; what can I say… We love to eat!
-What/where/when is your event: Our 2nd annual 5k for Brighter Dawns. Registration is $10, and pre-registration can be complete at our website: www.brighterdawns.org/5k. Check-in at Long Lane Farm at 10:30 a.m., the race at 11 a.m. Walk, jog, or run with us to give impoverished people in Bangladesh the opportunity to live healthier lives! There will also be yummy baked goods.
-Why should pre-frosh come to participate? The 5K for Brighter Dawns offers pre-frosh the opportunity to interact with current Wesleyan students, professors, fellow pre-frosh, and Middletown community members. There is no better way to get a feel of the Wesleyan community than uniting for a common cause and getting some exercise!
-Why did your group decide to do an event, and why this event in particular? The 5K for Brighter Dawns is an annual event, which we decided to create in order to provide pre-frosh a glimpse of social entrepreneurship on campus.
-Any surprises planned for the pre-frosh coming to your event? Would you like to divulge? No. We like to keep the surprises… well, surprises.