I recently attended my third Wesleyan Parents Weekend, and I wanted to thank the entire community for a fun and engaging opportunity to meet my child’s friends and see campus life on display. This year, in particular, I felt a stronger connection to the school. In addition to the administration-sanctioned, choreographed athletics and arts on display, I saw evidence of student leadership and activism—signs about the dangers of climate change and fossil fuels, sidewalk chalk messages, and a very inspiring and educational student-led rally calling to remove John B. Frank, a director of Chevron Corporation, from the Board of Wesleyan Trustees.

College life must encourage protest and activism, as well as so-called mainstream academic and athletic achievements. These students, once our children, are now our leaders, and we have so much to learn from them. When they succeed on the field or in the classroom, we cheer. When they call for change, we should listen. Just as we spotlight the more traditional achievements of college life, I encourage the Wesleyan community to amplify and uplift the voices of those students leading the way on the important issues of our time, even (or maybe especially) when it conflicts with the administration’s agenda. These students, our future, represent the very best in us. They should represent Wesleyan as well.

Jean Field is a parent of a member of the class of 2024 and can be reached at jeanwfield@gmail.com.