Over 300 students and administrators gathered Tuesday in the Chapel as a follow-up to the Dec. 8 forum in Crowell. The discussion centered around the document, "Response to Student Issues, which President Doug Bennet released last week in response to the first meeting. The hour and a half long forum consisted almost entirely of questions and answers, with audience members waiting in line to use a microphone for one minute, after which a panel member would respond.
The University radio station WESU will return to live programming in mid-February, pending a resolution between the Wesleyan administration and WESU station management regarding future changes at the station. Those changes will almost certainly include program feeds from NPR affiliate station WSHU, a new general manager, and the reorganization of the WESU Board, according to those close to the negotiations.
Because of a recent decision by the East Haddam Planning and Zoning Commission, Goodspeed Opera Company will remain in its original home. The unanimous approval of village district zoning codes reversed Goodspeed's June announcement that it would move to Middletown. Middletown officials were waiting for a memorandum confirming that Goodspeed would relocate to their city. "We're happy these regulations passed," said Dan McMahon, a Goodspeed spokesman. "It shows that East Haddam wants the theater to be there."
Spirituality Week, sponsored primarily by the University Chaplains, took place last week and included a plethora of events celebrating the different ways in which students define their spirituality. "The Chaplains and I are committed to showing students different aspects and expressions of spiritual life," said Jewish Chaplain Rabbi David Leipziger. "Some of these events are communal, some are meant to be transformative or contemplative."
The recent completion of Downey House marks the creation of Wesleyan’s Humanities District. This building contains one-half of the English department, the entire Classical Studies department, several Romance Language offices, and the Writing Workshop. Aside from Downey House, the Humanities District includes the Department of Romance Languages at 300 High St., the Women’s Studies Program (287 High), and the English Department building at 285 Court St.
"The Sleeping Father," written by Matthew Sharpe, Visiting Professor of English, is expected to become the talk of an entire Connecticut town in the next few months. This past October, Norwalk's book festival, The Festival of Words, selected Sharpe's second novel to be the official book of their "One Book, One Community" program. "Norwalk wanted a community of readers," Sharpe said. "This [book club] is a way of encouraging people to make literature a part of their lives."
Andrew Catalano ’05 awoke on Sunday to find the winter weather had moved into his basement. The bottom of his Church Street house was flooded and there was no heat or water pressure. Several senior houses and administrative offices have recently reported burst pipes and insufficient insulation. The Administration is attempting to both correct these problems as well as publicize ways of preventing such damage.
J.K. Rowling may not be featured on the English 201 reading list, and The Prisoner of Azkaban will probably never appear on the Film 391 syllabus. It’s also quite certain that a class called "The Sociology of Muggles and Wizards" will never grace the pages of Wesmaps. This does not mean, however, that Harry Potter fans have no academic outlet for their passion. In fact, it does not even mean that they won’t get a Wesleyan credit for it. Created by Jenny Mariaschin ’05 and Rebecca Goldstein ’05, "From Hogwarts to Wesleyan: An In-depth Exploration of Harry Potter, Literary Phenomena" arrived this semester.
Recent student appeals to the Administration have been based on the strategy of never budging an inch. Don't let the President kick you out of his office. Don't let the next speaker take away your microphone. Don't let the Administration avoid the issue you've presented before them. In a way, it has worked. The brash and powerful protests before winter break effectively conveyed an overwhelming sense of student discontent and garnered widespread media attention, though some of the more brazen tactics were criticized by students and administrators alike. Nothing is more powerful than seeing the many challenge the few.
This year, the United States will owe its creditors 7,554,179 nicely equipped Hummer H2s. Or, if they prefer, 12,203,486,710 Oster 12 speed blenders. Or, depending on just who these creditors are, 607,109,292,500 cans of Miller Lite. It's most likely, however, that these creditors will want hard currency, and that adds up to 427 billion U.S. dollars, according to White House estimates announced Tuesday. The U.S. budget deficit is expected to grow for the fourth straight year in 2005 and seems poised only to continue growing into the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday, we witnessed President Doug Bennet’s impressive "discussion skills" at the student forum. Pertaining to WESU: President Bennet failed to explain the critical dissonance between his rhetoric of "outsourcing" the station to NPR in the student interest and the abysmal lack of support for his plan. Indeed, in a prolonged exchange with one student on this point, he was essentially unable to respond in a coherent manner.
Despite growing concerns over the future of social security, Democrats have been slow to offer viable counter proposals to President Bush’s plan for Social Security reform. They have been unable to convince the American public that some form of Social Security reform is not necessary. Many Democrats, however, claim that there is no reason to offer a solution or response because the Bush administration has not offered a coherent policy and that there is no reason to stir up a response to, in Sen. Ted Kennedy’s words, a "nonexistent" problem.
I am very upset to hear that Wesleyan will be giving away WESU to NPR. When I was at Wesleyan I worked at WESU reading the daily news and producing my own stories for air. I even got to interview Bella Abzug when she visited Wesleyan. I learned a lot about production, editing, writing and on-air skills when I worked at WESU. I went on to work at a production studio for The American Red Cross in Washington D.C. My first task on the job was to edit an audio presentation, and I knew how to do it! Since then I have worked as a freelance video producer in the United States and in Africa. When I work in on-air television situations, I remember my start at WESU.
Kol Israel's outline of recent events in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, however accurate, does not provide a complete picture of the current situation. Sharon broke off all contact with Abbas' government before Abbas officially took power. Sharon only re-established ties after Abbas sent hundreds of troops to stop the Qassam rockets. Sharon's initial refusal to work with Abbas after a legitimate, democratic election was entirely uncalled for. These actions point to Sharon's real intentions.
While simplification of complex issues into snide, black and white comments is nice, using consumer-grade electronics in servers accessed by thousands of people at once is impossible and would crash in seconds. E-mail accounts are not a storage solution, they are a means of transferring information. While not instantaneous, the Wesleyan e-mail system is actually quite fast for its intended purpose, transmitting text messages and occasional attachments to over 40,000 subscribers, including faculty, staff, and alumni.
After Tuesday's forum, I overheard only negative comments coming from the protest groups; they thought that they deserved immediate results because they had staged a protest. But that is not realistic; the administrative board cannot make impromptu decisions. The protestors' disapproval of so-called "civilized" dialogue with an administration they believe has continually ignored them is leading them to overlook the benefits of all-inclusive student/faculty/administrative forums.
Most readers of John Leo's column, reprinted in Tuesday's Argus, are aware that the man is woefully ignorant as to the true character of our campus. Let us ignore for a moment that he has no real understanding of daily life here. Let us also disregard that his brilliant daughter (my former roommate), the one so concerned about the Democrats’ ability to reach out to the heartland, once told me that, being from Tucson, Ariz., I had no real comprehension of culture. "Arizona doesn't have any," she explained, with not a trace of irony. Let us get to the really pertinent question, if we may.
A tall wall of 1,344 white cardboard boxes winds across Zilkha as six speakers fill the gallery with a constant hum. This visual and audio installation greeted visitors Friday night at the opening reception of Zilkha Gallery's latest exhibition, "Sol LeWitt and Alvin Lucier: A Collaboration." Conceptual artist LeWitt's construction, "Curved Wall (Wesleyan)," accompanies Professor of Music Lucier's "Six Resonant Points Along a Curved Wall" in the Main Gallery of Zilkha to start off the Spring 2005 season in the Center for the Arts.
The unit is in effect. The unit is most certainly in effect. Quel unit? The Film Series Unit, obvs. What else would I be blathering about on these dirty newsprint pages? Yes, fine feathered friends: we've returned from our Van Winkle-esque mid-semester slumber. And we are refreshed, I think. Ready for another semester of wintry mix and springy step. For a number of peeps in the coterie, this is their first semester after adventures abroad. To them I say hello and have a pleasant stay.
While studying abroad in Italy, Kevin Haas '05 embraced the tourist stereotype, with a camera constantly around his neck. Some of what he saw is chronicled in the exhibit "Spettatori e Spettacoli (Spectators and Spectacles): Photographs of Italians in Public," now on view in the Zilkha Gallery. "I spent a good deal of time walking around and observing Italian society and culture on the streets and in the piazzas," Haas said.
Does optimism have a place in comedy anymore? Albert Brooks thinks so, but he could be dead. Though strife is not a sure bet either. Somebody should have euthanized "Spanglish." My tastes are firmly ensconced in the realm of cynicism. Secretly, there is no trait I admire more in people than optimism. I rationalize my own lack thereof by calling these individuals "deluded" or "drunk on half-full glasses of 120- proof bullshit." With all the Nietszche stuffed down my throat in class and other assorted dreariness that comes as a side order with life, I have come to believe there are three types of people: the soulless, the hopeless and the miserable.
If great teams win great games, then the Wesleyan women's basketball team is on their way to greatness. Tuesday, the Cardinals knocked off the Williams Ephs 65-64 in overtime, improving to an impressive 15-1 record and avenging their only loss on the season, a 66-45 disaster in Williamstown two weeks ago. That win followed a weekend of basketball that saw the Cardinals take out the Trinity Bantams in overtime on Saturday and demolish Little Three rival Amherst 64-54 on Friday.
Despite the snow and frigid temperatures, Wesleyan's taekwando team is getting into gear and making preparations for spring semester competition with practices beginning this week. Excited to return to competition, team members will get all they can handle at three major competitions this season. A popular sport in the Ivy League, Wes will do battle with a distinguished list of schools that includes Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, West Point, and Yale.
The Wesleyan Wrestling team got back on track Wednesday night in a packed Bacon Field House, edging out Coast Guard by a single point that came in the final heavyweight match of the night. Warren Clanton '06 gained an advantage over his opponent, ensuring the victory for the Cardinals. Also contributing to the team's success was Dave Bartlett '06 who won by pin and improved his dual meet record to 8-1. Co-captain Adam Jonas '04 continued his winning ways, earning a pin in the 157-pound weight class. Jonas' 21-1 (8-0 dual meet) record shows why he is currently ranked sixth in the nation in his weight class.
The New England Patriots will play in their third Super Bowl in four years in a little over a week. And there's a pretty good chance they'll get their third Super Bowl victory, a rarity in the National Football League these days. The Patriots are looking to become the first team since the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90's to win three Super Bowls with the same core group of players. Even more amazing is the fact that the Patriots have been able to win consistently despite injuries to several key players.