Amanda Schwartz

47 Articles

MoCon: Mixed Motives, Memories

In the wake of the recent announcement that the former campus dining center MoCon is set to be demolished this summer, the University blogosphere has been flooded with impassioned responses from all sides of the debate.

Response on Holt on New Internship Coordinator Position

Next time Holt takes the time to write a 1,000 word diatribe, he should make sure his argument is at least mildly legitimate.

Commencement Speaker Announced

Denver Mayor and Colorado gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper ’74 was announced as Wesleyan’s 178th Commencement speaker for the class of 2010 this May in campus-wide e-mail sent out yesterday.

Injured Workers File First Lawsuit in Kleen Energy Explosion

Following the sixth reported death from the Feb. 7 gas-fed explosion at the Kleen Energy facility in Middletown, the New Haven law firm, Stratton Faxon, filed the first lawsuit on behalf of two men injured in the blast.

Explosion Update

In the wake of the Feb. 7 explosion that killed five and injured at least 20 at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, environmental clean-up crews began burning off 40 damaged fuel tanks at the site on Saturday morning.

New Certificate To Encourge Civic Engagement Among Students

From service-learning courses suchas Activism and Outreach Through Theater to tutoring programs at Middletown schools, Wesleyan provides students many opportunities to get involved outside the Ivory Tower.

MoCon Demolition Set for Summer 2010

Idle since its closure in 2007, the former campus dining center MoConaughy Hall has been scheduled for demolition this summer, according to Associate Vice President for Physical Plant Facilities Joyce Topshe.

Eco-To-Go Gets a Later Lights Out

After their debut last March at Summerfields and their lunchtime launch this past fall at the Usdan Marketplace, Eco To-Go containers are pulling their first all-nighter at Usdan, or at least staying up until Late Night closes.

Cocktails Go Forward After Survey Controversy

Following a series of heated debates that spilled onto Wesleying and the Wesleyan Anonymous Confession Board, the senior class officers have dropped their proposal to cancel the February Senior Cocktail event and donate the funds to the Haiti relief efforts.

Demand for H1N1 Vaccine Calms as Illness Decreases

The presence of H1N1 and other influenza-like illnesses appears to have subsided on campus according to the University Health Center.

State Grants University $2 Million For Long Lane Environmental Clean-Up

As part of the demolition and environmental cleanup of the former Long Lane School site, located less than a mile northwest of the campus center, the state will reimburse the University $2 million.

Reading Week Refashioned For Fall

In response to student and faculty dissatisfaction with the two-days-on, two-off reading week schedule for fall semester final examinations, the University’s academic calendar will return to a consecutive four-day reading week starting in fall 2010.

WesWELL Classes To Take New Shape Next Semester

From Cardio Dance to Five Animal Kung Fu, non-credit classes on campus have provided students a healthy way to unwind from academic stressors for over a decade. Starting next semester, though, the classes will no longer be offered through WesWELL, the University’s Office of Health Education.

M-town Unemployment On The Rise

Although the national unemployment rate grew to 9.8 percent in Sept., Middletown’s unemployment rate has remained below the national average at 7.5 percent, according to the City’s Statistics Report.

Former Student Accesses Rare Holocaust Archives

Sarah Wildman ’96, a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, returned to campus over Homecoming weekend on Saturday to speak about gaining access in the summer of 2008 to the 60 million pages of unexamined archival material stored by the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany.

Giuliano Beats Drew, Begins Third Term as Mayor

On Tuesday, the Republican incumbent Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano beat his Democratic challenger, Dan Drew, to enter his third term.

200 Hand Sanitizer Dispensers Installed

In an effort to counteract the spread of H1N1 and other strains of influenza, Physical Plant hopes to install 200 new hand sanitizer dispensers throughout campus by Homecoming Weekend.

Preparing for Pandemic: H1N1 Vaccine Arrives on Campus

On Tuesday, the University received 100 doses of the H1N1 vaccine from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

H1N1 Fears Close Middletown Schools

On Monday, Oct. 26, Middletown health and school officials decided to close Keigwin Middle School for the remainder of the week due to the high number of students exhibiting influenza-like symptoms. According to Middletown School Superintendent Michael J. Frechette, 40 percent of students were absent on Monday due to illness.

Expanding Eco To-Go

Following the success of last year’s Eco To-Go program at Summerfields, the eco-friendly reusable containers will now be available for use at the Usdan Marketplace during lunch.

Publication of 147 Year Old Yearbook Discontinued

After 147 years of publication, the Student Budget Committee (SBC) of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) will discontinue funding the University’s Olla Podrida Yearbook in its current print form. The decision was made in response to a declining purchase rate over the past several years, although Olla Podrida members dispute some of the WSA’s arguments for canceling funding.

Fast-a-Thon Raises Record Sum

With over 1,360 participants, the third annual Fast-a-Thon and Ramadan Banquet raised $17,061.91 for St. Vincent DePaul’s Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown this year.

Meal Plan Welcomes Guests To Campus

Following complaints from students, along with their visiting family and friends, Bon Appétit, will now grant students with four guest meals each semester.

Tackling Tenure: A Look Inside the Tenure Process

The announcement last May that Adjunct Associate Government Professor Melanye Price would not be offered tenure called into question the criteria required for tenure and highlighted the misconceptions surrounding the process.

Transfers: Starting Fresh But Not as Frosh

For junior and sophomore transfers, the medley of meet-and-greets, workshops, and how-to sessions evokes a sense of déjà-vu, despite their new surroundings.

University Sprouts Fresh Environmental Commitments

From greener dining practices to a new linked-major program, students, faculty, and administrators have recently intensified efforts to make campus life more eco-friendly.

Faculty to Vote on "College in Prison" Initiative

This Wednesday, faculty members will vote on the proposed Wesleyan Center for Prison Education (WCPE) pilot program.

After 37 Years, Honor Code Is Updated

During these final weeks of the academic year, the Honor Board is revising the University’s Honor code for the first time since 1972.

Financial Issues Delay New Camera Installation

Despite the Wesleyan Student Assembly’s (WSA) approval of camera installation last summer, there are currently no surveillance cameras monitoring the Vine Street parking lot.

Construction Disrupted: Dept. of Labor Issues Davenport Work-Stop Order

Last Wednesday, representatives from the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) found two of the subcontractors running the Davenport construction project to be in violation of proper worker’s compensation practices.

Faculty Searches Continue Despite Economic Downturn

Despite its recent financial difficulties, Wesleyan will not follow a large proportion of American colleges and universities in freezing faculty hiring. According to President Roth, the University has no plan to implement a hiring freeze for the 2009-2010 academic year.

New Initiative Pushes Profs to Take on More

To overcome the growing budget shortfall and improve course access for students, the University is expanding professors’ course loads for the next academic year.

Amidst Recession, Study Abroad Fees Acquire New Meaning

While nearly 45 percent of juniors study abroad each year, students have often expressed frustration over the University’s policy of “Wesleyan tuition for Wesleyan credit,” or home-school tuition.

CT Attorney General Investigates University

Since January 2008, the Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, has been leading an ongoing investigation into college and university study-abroad deals with program providers.

Wesleyan Secures Spot on iTunes U.

Through a collaboration between the ITS New Media Lab (NML) and University Communications, Wesleyan now has a presence on iTunes U, the academic sector of Apple’s digital media player application, iTunes.

Alsop House Declared National Landmark

The Richard Alsop IV House, home to the Davison Art Center and Davison’s print collection, has been formally designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Program Houses May Lose Daily Cleaning Assistance

In its efforts to decrease spending, the University is considering a potential cut that, if approved, would reduce the amount of cleaning provided for smaller program houses.

Staff discusses Bon Appétit sustainability

In tandem with other endeavors to make the University more friendly to the environment, Bon Appétit and various faculty members are working to improve the sustainability of catered events and campus-wide eating habits.

Video contest invites students to ask

While Tuesday night marked the conclusion of the 2008 national elections, University Communications and the New Media Lab are offering students a chance to participate in their own competition. The “Minute with the President-elect” Video Contest asks students to combine political activism and their command of the video camera to create an original short for YouTube.

Friedländer on Holocaust

“What mattered most to me in my own project was the inclusion of the Jewish dimension, along all others, within an integrated historical narrative. There is more, however, to this concept of integrated history.”

Alcohol-related hospital visits rise this semester

This September marked an over 50 percent increase in the number of students hospitalized due to alcohol consumption, according to Public Safety (PSafe).

Senior thesis carrel waiting list shrinks

Despite high demand for Olin Library senior thesis carrels in past years, this fall marks a 60 percent drop in the number of students on the waiting list for a carrel. Those on the waiting list have the option of claiming space in the microforms center—a new room for thesis writers that has drawn mixed reactions from students.

University continues work towards a smaller footprint

The Sustainability Advisory Group and Environmental Stewardship (SAGES) published The Green Report last May, a review of the University’s environmental sustainability, which placed the University on a path to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.

PSafe allows anonymous tips

While the term “anonymous tip line” may bring to mind a detective agency, Public Safety (PSafe) is currently trying to publicize a recent project with just this title. According to Director of Public Safety David Meyer, a lack of specifics regarding a graffiti incident in Clark Residence Hall during the spring of 2007 prompted PSafe to reconsider the ways they collect information from students. After reviewing their options, PSafe created a web page that allows students to anonymously submit information regarding criminal incidents on campus.

Wesleyan Democrats and Republicans revamp the vote

With the approach of November’s presidential elections, both the Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems) and the Wesleyan Republicans (WesRepublicans) are gearing up for this year’s pivotal election day. While the University is often known for its students’ political activism, it will be particularly heightened in the months leading up to November.