What’s New

In a much-needed change of topic from all those rankings, let’s see what we have to look forward to on campus.

Here’s an overview:

  • MoCon is gone.
  • More meal points!
  • ResLife is going to introduce Hall Councils…
  • The Allbritton Coffee Shop should finally open.
  • Moodle is replacing BlackBoard.
  • Easier access to (prescription) drugs.

UPDATED dining information from WSA Dining Committee Chair Zach Malter ’13.

For a long list you might not want to bother with, click to

Changes to the Map

  • MoCon is gone…
  • The top of Van Vleck observatory has been repainted and Roth says it “shines anew atop Foss Hill.”
  • The College of the Environment has moved to 284 High Street (where the GLSP used to be).
  • The Graduate Liberal Studies Program (GLSP) is now next door to the Admission Office.
  • The Investment Office has moved back to North College.  If I remember correctly, that’s where it had been until the now infamous Thomas Kannam had it moved away from watchful administration eyes.

ResLife

  • Housing renovations have created 30 40 new ‘beds’ for undergraduates.
    • 156 High Street has a brand new suite of 10 beds on the main floor.
    • 162 Church Street (which used to be the Community Service Office) and 109 Cross Street are now senior housing. 260 Pine Street is now a 6-bedroom house for seniors.
    • Womanist House is moving to 44 Brainard Avenue, and German Haus is moving to 65 Lawn Avenue.
    • Dorm buildings now have a new energy metering and monitoring system that will display real time data on energy consumption.  Apparently, this means that the Do-It-In-the-Dark program is going to be expanded.  Do-It-In-the-Dark is a sort of energy waste reduction program the houses have had, not an excuse for Psi U hookups.
    • ResLife is going to try a Hall Council program to encourage community in the dorms, like the WestCo Guidance program.  RA’s are going to hold elections for dorm presidents in the beginning of the year.
    • The Butts now feature segregated all-freshman and all-sophomore halls.
    • New card readers for laundry are being installed.
    • Laundry baskets are going to be introduced to help with waiting for available machines in the laundry rooms.

Food

  • Meal points have increased 4.4%, although a lot of us will still probably run out.
  • The administration is considering changing Summerfields hours to serve dinner from 5:30-9 PM instead of 5-8 PM as well as eliminating the “extended lunch” at Usdan (from 2-3 PM).  The two do not necessarily relate.
  • The long awaited coffee shop in the basement of Allbritton should finally open.

Transportation

  • M*Link. The M*link bus now stops at Williams Street and High Street six days a week.  For $1.25 fare, we can get to the Meriden Amtrak station or various shopping centers.  This took effect a couple of weeks before the end of last semester.
  • Wesleyan Bike Rental Program (WesBikes) We’ll be able to borrow a bike, helmet, and U-lock at a cost of $15 for 6 weeks or $25 for 10 weeks.

Academics

  • Hopefully the WSA’s effort to restore E-Squid, the Wes-specific version of RateMyProfessor.com, has come to fruition.
  • New Certificates: Writing Certificate, South Asian Studies Certificate, Social, Cultural & Critical Theory Certificate, Middle Eastern Studies Certificate, and the College of the Environment (linked-major/program)
  • The deadline to withdraw from a class will be moved to the last week of classes.
  • Oversubscription: Every student will be allowed a maximum of 16 credits in a given department irrespective of course level, or whether or not the student is participating in a senior project or thesis.

Technology

  • Lab computers are going to be upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7, but Macs won’t get an upgrade “until more testing has been done.”
  • Bye, bye Blackboard.  Moodle is taking over as the classroom management service, although this year is supposed to be a transition period.

Prescription Drug Pick-up

  • The SAC is introducing a system where students can have their drugs sent directly to the Wesleyan Student Health Center from CVS.

Of course, since I haven’t been on campus yet, this is all subject to implementation. Malter notes that “the WSA drafted its final year report with the knowledge that some of the information would be modified as the administration assessed policy over the summer.”

[Sources: WSA End of Year Report; Roth Blog]

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36 thoughts on “What’s New”

  3. anon

    @16, i requested all freshmen housing without knowing anything about the dorms at wes. i got placed in the butts. by the end of the year, i loved the butts. just saying not everybody makes that selection because they want fauver or clark.

  4. anon

    @16, i requested all freshmen housing without knowing anything about the dorms at wes. i got placed in the butts. by the end of the year, i loved the butts. just saying not everybody makes that selection because they want fauver or clark.

  5. Anon

    Somehow I suspect that a) most freshman don’t really know wtf they’re talking about or what they really want, and b) even if they do, when they say all-freshman, what they really mean is “Fauver or Clark, please oh please not the butts.” It’s not that they necessarily care about being surrounded by dumb freshmen, but that they want the “nicer” dorms.

    Butts FTW.

  6. Anon

    Somehow I suspect that a) most freshman don’t really know wtf they’re talking about or what they really want, and b) even if they do, when they say all-freshman, what they really mean is “Fauver or Clark, please oh please not the butts.” It’s not that they necessarily care about being surrounded by dumb freshmen, but that they want the “nicer” dorms.

    Butts FTW.

  7. Syed Post author

    There’s already a link there. Click “Middletown” on the sidebar and then click “Middletown Area Transit” for their website. “M-LINK” is there on the middle of the navigation bar.

    And for those of you interested in the changes to the Butts, here’s what the WSA said exactly:
    “In addition to the Copenhagen GRS feature, the housing distribution for class years in the Butterfields was significantly changed for next year. Two-thirds of incoming freshmen students have typically requested to live in all-freshmen housing, yet the Butterfields houses nearly half the freshmen class and is mixed. For next year, entire halls have been reserved for the incoming freshman class so that students who live in the Butterfields can still live in all-freshmen housing. This will also provide more all-sophomore housing for the sophomore class.”

  8. Syed

    There’s already a link there. Click “Middletown” on the sidebar and then click “Middletown Area Transit” for their website. “M-LINK” is there on the middle of the navigation bar.

    And for those of you interested in the changes to the Butts, here’s what the WSA said exactly:
    “In addition to the Copenhagen GRS feature, the housing distribution for class years in the Butterfields was significantly changed for next year. Two-thirds of incoming freshmen students have typically requested to live in all-freshmen housing, yet the Butterfields houses nearly half the freshmen class and is mixed. For next year, entire halls have been reserved for the incoming freshman class so that students who live in the Butterfields can still live in all-freshmen housing. This will also provide more all-sophomore housing for the sophomore class.”

  13. anon

    @4 that was kinda my thinking, not sure how I feel about creating opportunities for power plays in every single dorm

    @9 nobody in westco thinks they’re unique, they’re just pumped on living in the best dorm. they also signed up for the only dorm (until now) with guidance meetings.

    hate the butts idea. hilarious that it’s described as “segregated.” having sophomores in my hall as a freshman was great and i remember the all-frosh dorms as hellholes. but it’s probably the most popular option.

  14. anon

    @4 that was kinda my thinking, not sure how I feel about creating opportunities for power plays in every single dorm

    @9 nobody in westco thinks they’re unique, they’re just pumped on living in the best dorm. they also signed up for the only dorm (until now) with guidance meetings.

    hate the butts idea. hilarious that it’s described as “segregated.” having sophomores in my hall as a freshman was great and i remember the all-frosh dorms as hellholes. but it’s probably the most popular option.

  15. anon

    Which halls in the butts are all sophomores? During GRS I’m pretty sure most halls still had rooms reserved for frosh

  16. anon

    Which halls in the butts are all sophomores? During GRS I’m pretty sure most halls still had rooms reserved for frosh

  17. anon

    The Butts are lonely. A lot of the sophomores there aren’t there by choice, and get lumped in with a bunch of frosh who bond…without them. Having them be grade specific might help with fostering more community (or at least less loneliness) then the current setup.

  18. anon

    The Butts are lonely. A lot of the sophomores there aren’t there by choice, and get lumped in with a bunch of frosh who bond…without them. Having them be grade specific might help with fostering more community (or at least less loneliness) then the current setup.

  19. to westco

    i hate how most people in westco think they’re so fucking unique, and just shit on fauver for no reason.

    and yeah, moodle > blackboard

  20. to westco

    i hate how most people in westco think they’re so fucking unique, and just shit on fauver for no reason.

    and yeah, moodle > blackboard

  27. anon

    Moodle sucks, but it’s free, so obviously the school’s going to jump on that. With all that money we save, we now get more meal points!

  28. anon

    Moodle sucks, but it’s free, so obviously the school’s going to jump on that. With all that money we save, we now get more meal points!

  29. westco

    I’m not sure why reslife thinks that guidance will work in every other dorm. Most people choose Westco because it is community based living. Its hard to even get them to show up for a dorm meeting. Good luck with fauver “hall council”

  30. westco

    I’m not sure why reslife thinks that guidance will work in every other dorm. Most people choose Westco because it is community based living. Its hard to even get them to show up for a dorm meeting. Good luck with fauver “hall council”

  31. .

    The Butts now have segregated all-freshman and all-sophomore halls.

    ^ STUPID

    Wesleyan Bike Rental Program (WesBikes) We’ll be able to borrow a bike, helmet, and U-lock at a cost of $15 for 6 weeks or $25 for 10 weeks.

    ^ AWESOME

  32. .

    The Butts now have segregated all-freshman and all-sophomore halls.

    ^ STUPID

    Wesleyan Bike Rental Program (WesBikes) We’ll be able to borrow a bike, helmet, and U-lock at a cost of $15 for 6 weeks or $25 for 10 weeks.

    ^ AWESOME

  33. ccc

    blackboard is sooo much better than moodle. i had to use it this summer when i was taking courses at another school

  34. ccc

    blackboard is sooo much better than moodle. i had to use it this summer when i was taking courses at another school

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