When joining the Argus in his sophomore year, Joel Ostrow '87 noticed something missing from the newspaper. "The campus news section did not interest me enough, and I noticed there was no opinion editorial section," Ostrow said. "So I thought that [an opinions section] was necessary in a place as opinionated as Wesleyan."
It's a Friday night at the CFS Cinema, and David Byrne has got a tape he'd like to play us. The Talking Heads frontman clicks on a drum machine cassette, bobs his head meekly, and strums the first chords of the band's classic, "Psycho Killer."
This is my first year on the film series board, and I have to be honest: I felt a tiny twinge of disappointment when the new calendar finally arrived. There are always alterations, retractions, and miscalculations in the schedule: you’ll argue for twenty minutes that a film should be included, and succeed in convincing the rest of the board, only to find out the print’s not available.
As the University’s Nov. 15 Early Decision I (ED) deadline approaches, prospective Wesleyan students across the country begin what for many is a scramble to re-draft college essays and puzzle over the FAFSA. ED has recently come under criticism by peer institutions such as Yale, Stanford, and Harvard, all of which have discontinued their Early Action programs, arguing that not only does the process favor students of more affluent backgrounds, but also contributes to what has been described as a U.S.-News-obsessed rankings "rat race."
Now that the long lines at Usdan University Center have subsided somewhat, students are complaining about a new element of their lunchtime experience: Bon Appétit’s food is simply too expensive. "I think the prices are absurd," said Rahel Haile ’10. "[Bon Appétit] thinks this is a New York City restaurant. I mean, the food is good, but this is our only option and the prices are too high."
At a university that has been dubbed number twelve on Princeton Review's 2008 "Reefer Madness" College Ranking list, one sophomore's arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and less than two grams of marijuana after a Tuesday night Nicolson fire drill may come as a shock to some.
Undergraduate schools across the nation originally debuted Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) admission programs in the hopes of attracting student applicants who were most interested and most likely to matriculate, before the rush of moderately to slightly interested applicants in the spring.
Ever since my first year as a student way back in 1989, there was talk of the need for a new campus center. Davenport was seen as too awkward, too vertical, not central enough. A new campus center would give Wesleyan focus, improve the social lives of its students, and help bring everyone (students, professors, and staff alike) together.
Over the first two weeks of the semester there has been much discussion about the opening of the Usdan University Center and the dining program operated by Bon Appétit Management Company in this new facility. I am writing to remind you what Bon Appétit promised the students and staff who made up the Dining Review Committee on whose recommendation we hired Bon Appétit, and to offer my own perspective about how well they are delivering on these promises.
I know all we do is complain about how horrible the new campus dining is. But seriously, is Usdan for real with the late night options? Not that I have been or now ever plan to go. But there is nothing on the late night menu that would satisfy me and various other students in any way. To get to the point, I crave cheese at night and to my knowledge there's nothing to satisfy my craving.
Bon Appétit made a number of important commitments to the Wesleyan community when we agreed to provide dining services to you. These included commitments about the quality of the food, about our flexibility in providing service that meets the varied needs of the community, about the environmental integrity of our operations, and about our relationship to our new employees, who are valued members of the Wesleyan community.
This week the reputation of Bill Belichick, Wesleyan’s most famous graduate, was severely damaged. His team, the New England Patriots, was found guilty of stealing signs in violation of NFL rules.
The men's soccer team dropped a 3-2 decision to Springfield College on Jackson field Wednesday, despite a 2-1 halftime lead. Austin Woolridge '11 and Mark Murphy '10 each had their first career collegiate goals in a first half dominated by the Cards. The Pride responded with two second-half goals off of headers, the game-winner coming in the 69th minute. The loss was the Cardinals' first to Springfield in the teams' past seven contests.
Wesleyan Football is now a full season removed from its abysmal showing in 2005. The overhaul conducted by Coach Hauser and his coaching staff has now had a year to sink in and expectations and hopes run high throughout the locker room. The team is returning thirteen starters and thirty-six letter winners from last year’s 3-5 season.
The Cardinals bounced back from their disappointing season opener loss to Williams with a 4-0 romp at Mount Holyoke Wednesday night. The victory should help the tone for a high level of play for the rest of the season as Wesleyan overwhelmed Mount Holyoke from the start, playing with intensity and sharp form.
This year, the Cisco Clean Access Agent was instituted to make Internet access faster and more secure around campus. Around 90 percent of the 2,804 undergraduate students rely on wireless Internet, ITS employees say.
One year ago, Silverio Vasquez '08 was forced to resign from the University after failing two academic courses. The circumstances surrounding Vasquez's departure, including his family's financial situation and his active involvement in the University, led to a wide range of student protests. Now, one year later, Vasquez has returned to campus.
The Dining Committee had its first meeting of the academic year on Tuesday to address student concerns and find ways to improve the dining experience for the campus community. Among the issues discussed were the major problems of lines, labeling and limited vegan options.
The first thing most people notice in a restaurant usually isn’t the floor. But according to Ed Thorndike ’89 and Karen Kaffen, founders and owners of WesWings, that’s what most students have been raving about following the chicken standby’s summer-long makeover. "We were going for an urban-chic look," said Kaffen.
Following in the footsteps of presidents from Trinity College, Washington University, Townson University and Colorado College, first-year President Michael Roth debuted his blog, entitled "Roth on Wesleyan," on Aug. 31. The blog has raised hopes of improved communication between the administration and the student body, while eliciting praise for the popular president.
It's now the second week of the academic year, and in addition to most freshmen successfully befriending everyone on their halls, guys have become girls, girls have become little boys, and those who were on the fence about sex either stayed there and now declare themselves gender-neutral, or they drunkenly lost their v-cards to someone with a nice smile and low standards.
Every afternoon in the WESU office, Jess Jones '08 and Mu Abeledo '09 coax ideas from spunky Middletown kids. The children gain hands-on experience with radio broadcasting, learning how to produce and record their own WESU show.
In recent years, theater inclined University students have turned to popular films from the 1970s for inspiration. Meanwhile, the musical theater culture of Wes stagnates. The trend at Wes has been to showcase one musical per semester, all of which have been written and produced by students for the past three terms.
Math rock is dead. Such a statement may sound harsh, especially in reference to an underground genre that has barely found its footing, but it isn't meant as an insult. After twenty years, the strongest descendants of Slint and Genesis have finally taken their spots in the indie and prog-rock canon.
I can't remember where I learned to swim. Maybe in the pool at summer camp, or maybe during my endless number of pre-kindergarten swim lessons, paddling around the shallow end at the YMCA with my neon orange water wings (you grew up in the '90s; you had them too). Wherever it was, I did not learn to swim in a bowl of water on my kitchen floor.
There are many sides of Jackie Chapman '08 — Alpha Delt Critic, Senior Interviewer, unofficial Second Stage historian. There were no tea or wizards or wizards making tea during our conversation, but I wish there had been. Also, in the ultimate mark of Wescelebdom, she has her own Facebook group for people devoted to hunting her down.