Although bushmeat hunting provides a livelihood for some hunters in Africa, the biological costs to humankind arguably outweigh these benefits. Many animals that are poached carry diseases that have been proven to be disastrous to humans; HIV spilled over from hunted primates while Ebola and COVID-19 are alleged to have come from poached bats. Today, […]
From “Yersinia Pestis” in the 14th century to COVID-19, death due to infectious disease is a prevalent and persistent threat to society. These diseases have the potential to affect everyone and even can kill humans as they spread, mutate, and replicate through communities like Wesleyan’s. This danger has been contested through a wide variety of […]
In mid-September, Mackenzie Wiley got a call from Dr. Tom McLarney, Wesleyan’s Medical Director and on-campus COVID-19 specialist, informing her that one part of her two-prong PCR test had come back positive. The situation was familiar; after all, last year, one of her housemates had tested positive and Mackenzie had to quarantine for fourteen days. […]
Every year once November hits, I start to feel a lingering sense of dread. Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter season—I’m always down for a snowball fight, I know all the words to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, I’m first in line to try the new Starbucks holiday drinks, and I’ve been skiing almost […]
This past week, the University experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases. While the case level on campus has remained at zero the majority of this semester, at least 18 students have tested positive as of Nov. 10. With the on-campus vaccine requirement and the indoor mask mandates that have remained in place since the beginning […]
Last year at Thanksgiving, I took a really careful look at the turkey. Even though it was only my family of four gathered to celebrate with relatives over Zoom, the bird was enormous, shiny, golden, greasy, bare. As usual, I took a helping of dark meat and sat down at the table to eat. The […]
For many people, the sole purpose of attending college is to have their own taste of the “college experience.” Frat parties, game days, and a huge community that feels both like a small town and a huge city at the same time can be appealing. Others seek the quieter, less rah rah atmosphere of a […]
Every year of college, someone I love dies. Freshman year, my grandfather succumbs to lymphoma. Sophomore year, my grandma has a heart attack and is gone in hours. Just last month, Henry dies, but this time it is different. Henry is 21, just two weeks older than I am. Henry, Alia, Simone, and I meet […]
Earlier this week, during an after-class stroll in the CFA, my friend turned to me and called the first semester of college a “liminal space.” I’d never heard the word “liminal” before. When I asked what it meant, she went on to explain that liminality refers to those ambiguous and empty spaces in the middle […]
The class of 2025 is made up of 919 students. Compared to years before us, this makes the grade a particularly large one. But, what truly sets my grade apart from others is that it is made up of people from all walks of life. During orientation week at Wes, I conversed with multiple 17- year-olds, […]