Charles and David Puelz, identical twins from Dallas, are doubly Other at Wesleyan. Fascinated, The Argus sat down with them to talk about their psychic bond, where people keep guns on campus, and which twin hogged the placenta.
If President Michael Roth were a student, he would be graduating in the coming weeks after coming to Wesleyan in 2007. Instead, he has signed a seven-year contract with the University.
Wordsmith & The Concert G’s and Mad Wow have had a good run. The live hip-hop band and the soul orchestra (who happen to share seven members) have been performing on campus for three years.
Brother Hamill possesses a keen mind and reason aplenty, but I fear he makes Roman idols of men and things and walks the fatal path of Popery. Isaiah does not say “make an easy road for men to walk upon,” but rather instructs us to “make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord.”
Radiohead, who dropped their eighth record, “The King of Limbs,” last Friday, have gotten a lot of attention in recent years for being very perceptive about the way we consume pop music today.
Zuleikha Hester is a busy woman. Taking a break from filming documentaries and spearheading campus efforts towards flood relief in Pakistan, Hester sat down with The Argus to talk about Halal, Middle Eastern politics, and making movies.
Last semester, following a dramatic increase in the premiums that Wesleyan’s clerical staff paid for health insurance, members of the clerical union and the United Student Labor Action Coalition proposed that the university institute a tiered payment plan in which employee contributions would be scaled according to salary.
Diego Glusberg is one of the leading lights of Wesleyan’s banjo-playing radical community. We sat down with him for a chat about his signature instrument, Zonker Harris Day, the role of radio in contemporary society, and his philosophy of “Lardcore.”
Since debuting in 2008, New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus has built up a sterling reputation as a live band, bringing their gloriously shambolic, Springsteen-tinge take on punk rock to mid-sized theaters and tiny DIY collectives throughout the nation.
Robert Alvarez is a busy man. So busy in fact, that he didn’t have time to sit down for a regular interview.
If you haven’t seen Davy Knittle ’11 around campus, it’s probably because he’s too busy writing to be seen. A leading light of the campus poetry scene, he has a hand in most student-run writing initiatives and recently spent the summer writing a collection of poems with an Olin and a Davenport grant.
The case against former Wesleyan Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Tom Kannam took a new turn on Aug. 23, as Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed his own civil lawsuit against the ex-administrator.
“The problem is choice” – Neo
Last night in the Nicholson Lounge during the opening performance of “Shoot The Duke,” a Second Stage sponsored play, the writer and director, who also performed, was accidentally stabbed with a prop sword during a stage fight.
On March 8, the Judge Richard Holtzberg suspended court proceedings in the University’s lawsuit against former Chief Investment Officer, Thomas Kannam, while an arbitrator decides whether the case will be resolved out of court.
Remember the good ol’ days of having a dream and having to prove your worth in the kitchen?
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has opened an investigation into the alleged misconduct of the University’s former Vice President for Investments, Thomas Kannam.
Wesleyan University has brought a lawsuit against former Vice President of Investments and Chief Investment Officer Thomas Kannam and nearly 20 other defendants, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, breach of contract, fraud, statutory forgery, and unjust enrichment, among other charges.
Wesleyan University has brought a lawsuit against former Vice President of Investments and Chief Investment Officer Thomas Kannam and nearly twenty other defendants, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, breach of contract, fraud, statutory forgery, and unjust enrichment, among other charges.
The Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) passed a resolution on Sunday night overruling a provision of its constitution in order to allow elections to take place before the end of this semester.
Back in the ’90s, during the heyday of rave culture, a few educated scenesters developed an interesting idea, casting the dance club as something Foucault had called a “heterotopia.”
In light of the recent controversy surrounding one of our more prolific writers and face of Swine Flu on campus, it’s the least we can do to bring to light other terrifying epidemics that have been created either by the media or by super-villains.
Red Wire Black Wire is an indie band founded at Wesleyan and based in Brooklyn that slings antiquated synths and just put out its first LP, “Robots and Roses.”
Alright, first of all, there’s a pretty basic taxonomic issue we have to address before we discuss zombies.
While it is statistically true that there are other great horror movies, we have been unable to find any totally magnificent death outside of the Final Destination franchise—aside for the brilliant decapitation of Paris Hilton in House of Wax.
So back in the late 70s and early 80’s there was this young Boston band called Mission of Burma that basically invented indie rock (read about it in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life if you’re interested
Jon may be a motorcycle-toting, incredibly potent, jerkoff, Kate could probably murder him, stow the body in a vat of acid, pour the acid in a river, and feed her eight children without a single person in the world knowing.
I’ve been given the unenviable task of defending the modern world’s favorite punching bag, supposed arbiter of hipster elitism, Pitchfork Media. But really, why does everyone feel the need to beat up on Pitchfork.
Music suggestions from Sir Rob Wohl.
Every June, we pop-watchers get excited for the appearance of summer jams: eminently catchy nuggets o’ fun that get overplayed egregiously without anyone minding.
Since 2004, Stephen Oleskey ’64 has been one of the lead attorneys for six men held at Guantanamo Bay in their struggle to challenge their status as “enemy combatants” in U.S. Courts.
Few students at Wesleyan realize that this fine publication actually has a namesake in Greek mythology.
In the wake of public confusion over Fire Safety policies, the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA), the Office of Residential Life, and Physical Plant have agreed on new procedures for fire safety inspections.
Bracket brackness.
Pretty predictions.
Barring a late-season rally by Giant Joint or some other popular write-in candidate, the incumbent Mike Pernick ’10 will be the President of the WSA again next year. But how much do we really know about the man who represents students to the administration and the Board of Trustees?
Gabe Ezra: Dude, what could possibly be better than the Falafel Cart? Rob Wohl: Nah man. Nah. You clearly lack understanding.
How could anyone possibly be more of a badass than Professor Henry Jones Jr.?
Come on, Gabe. Just three Death Matches ago you were decrying America’ss loss of class (ìn Death Match: Taylor Swift, Feb. 13th, 2009, Vol. CXLV, No. 5). And now look at you: you’re shamelessly attacking our nation’s greatest spokesmen for designer scarves, well-tailored suits, and elegant haircuts, the Jonas Brothers. While Zac Efron is certainly a talented young actor and gifted dancer, the Jonases are our last and best hope to introduce today’s youth to the finer things in life.
Which is better: Millennium or Willennium?
This week marks the 40th anniversary of a watershed moment in the University’s history when black students had requested that classes be cancelled on Feb. 21, 1969 in recognition of a memorial service for Malcolm X.
Originality is the modern pop critic’s white whale. Someone out there has condemned just about every good album of the last decade as “derivative.”
Michael Bennet ’87, the new junior Democratic senator for Colorado, may currently be the University’s busiest alumnus.
“Fearless” does everything a pop record should do. It follows every rule of songwriting, and demonstrates that those rules were made for a goddamn reason.
“Contra Dance? It’s awesome,” said Morgan Hamill ’11. “It’s like the only tradition New England has left—that and town meetings”
The Terpsichore Dance Troupe has their fall concert this weekend in the World Music Hall.
How does it feel to attend The [unofficial] Hippest University in America? “What’s that?” you say. “Who says?” you ask. Well, dear reader, the New Musical Express (NME), the UK’s most influential music magazine, says.
Hooray, it’s finally getting cold! I think we all know what this means — time to break out our bleakest music and curl up in a fetal position until May!
Event Picks: Trash American Style, Expresiones de Latinos
Marnie Stern’s unfortunately-titled new album, “This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and That Is That” (which I will never type again), is something of revelation.
Stern is one of the rare guitar gods (goddesses?) whose virtuosity is employed to engage and surprise listeners rather than to masturbate into our ears. The fact that she taught herself guitar at the age of 23 after hearing Sleater-Kinney for the first time is as remarkable as it is unsurprising in light of her music. Her work, while often hook-laden, is built differently from anything else you’re likely to hear these days.
Russell House Speaker Series Presents Michael Ondaateje
The conventional wisdom about Fucked Up is that they’re not your daddy’s hardcore band.
If you didn’t know, Wesleyan is in. Our musical alumni have conquered the world, or at least Brooklyn. Bear Hands and Boy Crisis are two of the leading lights of the post-Wes music scene. Both have garnered a fairly huge amount of buzz, especially across le pond. Boy Crisis just got back from England and is heading off to Iceland this weekend, while Bear Hands is about to head out on their first UK tour. But luckily, being slobbered all over by New Musical Express and that newfangled blog-o-sphere hasn’t made these proud sons of the Red and Black forget their roots. They returned once more to Eclectic last Friday to play for a capacity crowd.
This weekend, fans of South Asian music and dance will flock to the Center for the Arts (CFA) for the University’s internationally renowned Navaratri Festival. The annual festival is one of the World Music Program’s oldest and most beloved institutions.
Everyone knows that Disney animators tried to hide penises in all of your favorite kids’ movies. Here are some examples from last Friday’s installment in the Film Series:
Good news, everybody: rock is back. This past week, our friends over at the Eclectic Society finally started doing their duty and supplied the Wesleyan campus with some kick-ass music. The Argus had a lot of homework and didn’t make it to see experimental art-poppers AU, who gave the first Eclectic show of the year on Tuesday night. But we made time to see An Albatross.
Film Hall faces an uncertain future due to intellectual property laws after an illegal public screening of “Black Snake Moan.” Problems began after Rose Agger ’10, Film Hall’s house manager, posted an advertisement for the screening on the popular student-run Wesleying blog on Sept. 11, 2008.
Calexico is not a rock band, and it’s gratifying that the Tucson, Ariz. collective is finally ready to acknowledge it. Since 1996, Joey Burns and John Convertino, the core members, along with a crack team of studio musicians, produced four increasingly great albums, peaking with 2003’s “Feast of Wire,” which drew from American folk, Mexican mariachi and tejano, cool jazz, Ennio Morricone-style film scores, surf, Jamaican dub and a wide variety of Latin American and Caribbean styles, as well as their own classical training.
We’ve been hearing a lot about this Estelle character lately. Some seem to believe “American Boy” is this year’s official Summer Jam, following in the footsteps of such illustrious works as “Crazy” and “In Da Club.” We disagree.
Why did 17 University students get up early Saturday morning and drive two and a half hours to spend the weekend in Milford, a small town in Pennsylvania? “To win,” said Dan Levine ’11.
After a summer of preparation, Annie Paladino ‘09 is ready to be buried in the ’92 Theater next week. Paladino won’t be engaging in an act of escapism or some Blain-ian feat of endurance, though her task is about as challenging. She will be playing Winnie, the central character in Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” as part of her senior acting thesis.
It’s never been clear what kind of band Bloc Party wants to be, and their latest album, "Intimacy," makes it even harder to tell.
Dear Class of 2012:
Welcome to Wes. Surely you are all eagerly anticipating the top-flight education you are about to receive from this fine institution of higher learning. But we here at The Argus want to make sure you are also aware of the sheer awesomeness of the arts you are going to see, hear and hopefully participate in on campus. To that end, here are just some of the arts highlights of the 2007-2008 academic year
In his last column (“Mytheology: ‘Wesploiting’ our bleeding hearts,” April 29, Volume CXLIII, Number 44), Mytheos Holt decided to apply something he called “scrutiny” to the article I had written about the Physical Plant march (“‘No Wesploitation’: Physical Plant workers protest contract,” April 22, Volume CXLIII, Number 42) and decided that he had revealed that, and I quote, “if one actually examines the union’s arguments, one finds gaping holes which make the arguments smack more of a cynical appeal to Wesleyan students’ predisposition towards ‘social justice’ than of a principled fight against exploitation.”
Beginning this summer, President Michael Roth will be joined by another veteran of the California College of the Arts (CCA): Sonia BasSheva Mañjon. Dr. Mañjon will become the University’s first Vice President for Diversity and Strategic Partnerships.
The Physical Plant workers’ campaign for a revised contract became even more visible on Wednesday, when a large group of Physical Plant workers, secretarial and clerical employees and students marched through Usdan’s Marketplace during the busy lunchtime period, holding signs and chanting "Contract now!"
WesFestivities were briefly interrupted on Saturday by a demonstration of Physical Plant workers for a new contract. Members of Physical Plant’s union, the Office and Professional Employees’ International Union (OPEIU), were joined by members of the dining workers’ union, the secretarial and clerical union, students and even a handful of prefrosh. The group gathered in front of North College, where Physical Plant workers aired their grievances with the new contract that the University has offered them.
Now that members of the Class of 2008 have finished their theses, they can begin to think about the future of the University. Since current seniors will be alumni by the time three new people join the Board of Trustees this summer, they are eligible to vote in the election that will choose the new members.
Last year some pictures of everyone’s favorite gypsy art-rockers, Man Man, circulated around Internetland. The boys, hard at work on the their new album, were out in the street trying to record fireworks. I figured that it was all some stunt to come off as wacky, and that fireworks would never appear in a Man Man album.
On Sunday night at PAC, members of El Kilombo Intergaláctico, a radical community collective from Durham, N.C., spoke to students about the lessons that activists around the world can learn from Mexico’s Zapatista revolutionary movement. Members of the collective recently held a long interview with the masked Zapatista spokesman known internationally as Subcomandante Marcos and published it independently in a new book “Beyond Resistance: Everything.”
Last Sunday, Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) President Matt Ball ’08 introduced a plan to create an endowment financed and managed by the student government. The authors of the proposal believe that this program would be the first of its kind. “It’s an innovative idea and it’s financially prudent,” said University Vice President for Finance and Administration John Meerts.
Despite the setback posed by a ban on the name “Zonker Harris Day,” WestCo still plans to hold its traditional music and arts festival during WesFest weekend. In late February, the administration decided that the festival could no longer use its historic title because of its association with drug culture.
Many students may be surprised to know that the University owns works by Durer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Renoir, Pisarro, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Miró, Ernst, Arp, Magritte, Kandinsky and many others—all of which are stored in a vault in the basement of the Davison Art Center.
A recent study by four Wesleyan students called into question the student body’s commitment to activism. Researchers Nicole Gray ’08, Anthony Le ’09, Jermaine Lewis ’09, and Marika Tabilio ’09 found that the University’s reputation may exaggerate the level of on-campus activism. The results expressed concerns that “apathy has taken over what used to be one of the most politically active campuses in America.”
The University’s Catholic community is well into its second year as a flock without a shepherd. The Catholic chaplaincy has been vacant since the retirement of Father Louis Manzo in the spring of 2006. As the University searches for his replacement, Catholic students have endeavored to maintain a lively spiritual community on campus. But the struggle has been taxing.