Gianna Palmer is a senior English and Sociology major from Eugene, Oregon. At Wesleyan, Gianna has written for the Argus and Wesleying, and tutored through the Writing Workshop. Outside of Wesleyan, Gianna has interned/written for Preservation Magazine in Washington, D.C. and the New York Daily News. Besides heading up the Blargus, Gianna is keeping busy her senior year by doling out funds as a member of the Student Budget Committee, dancing in student-choreographed pieces and scoping out the class of 2014 as a senior interviewer in the Admissions Office.
Amidst the stacks of textbooks, paperbacks and course readers that come with the start of every new semester at Wesleyan, it is easy for me to forget that printed works are in any sort of danger.
Anyone who arrived at the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies last Thursday at 4:30 p.m. expecting to hear a lecture titled "Detroit’s Twilight" was confronted with a dramatic change in topic. Min Hyoung Song, Associate Professor of English at Boston College still spoke as planned, but he decided not to give a lecture on Asians and Asian Americans in Detroit. Instead, Professor Song chose to speak about the April 17 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead, including the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho.
Along with the arrival of spring weather, Thursday brought hundreds of prospective freshman and their parents to campus for WesFest 2007, designed to showcase the University to admitted students and encourage them to matriculate. 464 prefrosh attended this year's event, up slightly from last year's 453.
Even as she stressed the importance of student involvement in local politics, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) witnessed a strong display of student activism in a Saturday discussion. A representative of Students For Ending The War In Iraq (SEWI) presented DeLauro with 155 signed letters from students urging immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
After starting her lecture by singing a greeting in Hawaiian, Professor Noenoe K. Silva, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, thanked the audience, which packed the Mansfield Freeman Center on Friday in order participate in the Symposium on Indigenous Politics. Looking across at the students, faculty, and staff filling the room, Silva acknowledged those present for participating in the Symposium, sponsored by the Center for the Americas.
Alumni, faculty, staff, and students now have the opportunity to publicize everything from book releases to time-shares to members of the University community, thanks to Office of University Relations' recently debuted online service, WesLink.
Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior and Biology David Bodznick has been appointed as dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. While dividing his time between classroom, lab, and administrative duties, Bodznick hopes to increase the visibility of the University's math and science departments.
The University was recently honored for excellence in addressing a topic of timely concern on campus: social justice. The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) awarded Residential Life (ResLife) the Connecticut award for Program of the Year for its Social Justice training program.
Four presenters spoke on the subject of "Global Climate Change and Vulnerabilities: A Perspective for the Future" at the Third Annual Robert Schumann Environmental Studies Symposium, held Saturday in the Exley Science Center.
Aside from spending time with family members, eating food at the Taste of Middlesex County on Foss Hill, and attending various athletic events, one of the annual Homecoming/Family Weekend’s biggest draws is the WESeminar series. Pundits, scholars, and University faculty, alumni amongst them, present a variety of seminars throughout the weekend.
Russell House was filled with students and adults alike on Tuesday, Oct. 10 as Israeli poet Agi Mishol spoke on the subject of "How Poets Think." The Jewish and Israel Studies Department sponsored Mishol, 2002 winner of the prestigious Yehuda Amichai Prize, as part of the "Contemporary Israeli Voices" series.
Presenting "Regulating Sex, Love, and Marriage" on Wednesday, Robert A. Burt, Alexander M. Bickel Professor of Law at Yale University, explored the parallels between interracial and same-sex rights.
Approximately 25 Wesleyan students joined 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators for peace in Darfur in New York City's Central Park on Saturday. The students represented WESTAND, the Wesleyan chapter of the national movement Students Taking Action Now for Darfur (STAND).
Downtown Middletown was abuzz this past Saturday as area families spilled onto Main Street for the annual Middletown Kid's Health and Safety Day. The event, which began six years ago, is a collaborative effort between the Middletown Police, Health, and Safety Departments.
