2013: A Very Wesleying Year in Review

For those of you who Wesleying’d last year and saw our 2012 Year in Review post, brace yourselves: the 2013 Wesleying Year in Review is here. So, how does our Buzzfeed-esque list of all things Wesleyan work? In here, you’ll find the top ten biggest moments to hit campus during the 2013 year, along with a bunch of honorable mentions. For each point, we provide numerous links to Wesleying articles so you can become schooled if you missed anything during the year.

The big takeaway from this post is to remember that these issues are forever ongoing; just because something happened at the beginning of 2013 doesn’t make it any less important now that 2014 is upon us. We have a ton of bizarre, interesting, obnoxious, awesome, and freaky things happen on this campus, and it’s crucial to keep the institutional memory alive.

My usual disclaimer: Obviously, I didn’t get to everything. So instead of leaving us a snarky comment saying that we’re a bunch of  Internet-addicted hillbillies, feel free to leave your other big Wesleyan moments in the comments section.

In addition, these events are in no particular order of importance, severity, seriousness, or enormity. The order is seriously random.

Read after the jump to see what Wes events made the list!

1. Activism over de-gendering bathrooms on campus was huge.

If you have no idea what this is, you either live under a rock or don’t actually attend Wesleyan (and you apparently don’t read Newsweek, either). The movement to de-gender bathrooms at Wes was a slow burn over the past couple of years that erupted over the past four months. There were numerous events, fora, and meetings held on the question of whether or not to de-gender bathrooms on Wesleyan’s campus, and the debate still continues into the coming semester.

For further reading:

• “All Gender Bathrooms Now” – Pissed Off Trans* People on the DIY Gender-Neutralizing of Wesleyan’s…
• Liveblog: Open Forum on Gender-Neutral Bathrooms and Trans* Activism
• “Complete Bullshit”: An Update on the Trans* De-Gendering Bathrooms Situation
• Trans* Activists Face SJB Hearing Today
• Alums Circulate Petition in Solidarity With Trans* Activists
• University Reduces Fines Against Trans* Activists Amid Show of Force
• Newsweek: “Diversity U. Makes a U-Turn” on Activism and Ideals
  

2. USLAC fought for worker’s rights, and classism became a prominent topic of discussion.

USLAC worked with administrators, the WSA and fellow students to create better conditions for the Sun Service workers (and are working for better treatment of third-party workers on campus). Because of discussions about why workers’ rights matter, the topic of classism became a hot button issue this semester. Classism at Wesleyan isn’t a new concept, but there have been huge strides this year to make it a mainstream issue on campus.

For further reading:

• Wesleyan’s Custodial Workers Protest Working Conditions, Employee Cuts Outside Roth’s House on Lunch Break
• Unofficial Orientation Series: The Wrath Update, or Everything You Need to Know About All the Things People Have Been Getting Angry About Lately and Hot Damn This Is a Long Post Title
• This Is Why Not, Part 1: A Guest Post by Cesar Chavez ’15 about the Custodial Staff’s Situation
• Why Dorm Showers Aren’t Getting Cleaned: An FAQ About Wesleyan and Its Contracted Custodial Staff – Part I of III
• Why Dorm Showers Aren’t Getting Cleaned: An FAQ About Wesleyan and Its Contracted Custodial Staff – Part II of III
• Why Dorm Showers Aren’t Getting Cleaned: An FAQ About Wesleyan and Its Contracted Custodial Staff – Part III of III
• WSA Passes USLAC Resolution in Favor of Better Working Conditions for Custodial Staff
• This Is Why Not, Part 2: A Guest Post from Cesar Chavez ’15 about Poverty at Wesleyan
• Privilege & Policy at Wes, Part I
• Follow-up: Classism at Wesleyan
  

3. Spring Fling sucked majorly.

In one of the final pieces of his Wesleying tenure, Our Dear Leader Zach pumped out a 4,000-word article about what went wrong with Spring Fling 2013 (spoiler: everything). In addition, there has been a lot of debate about inclusivity in the music scene at Wesleyan, which was exacerbated by the fact that almost all of the acts at Spring Fling were male.

For further reading:

• Ice Rink To Be Converted Into Swimming Pool Full of Liquor for Kendrick
• Making Wesleyan’s Music Scene More Inclusive: An Interview with Molly Balsam ’14
• Who Killed Spring Fling’s Vibe?
  
• Gender & Music at Wesleyan: Personal Storytime

4. Senior Cocks got everyone really fucking angry and stuff.

Random national news outlets were stopping Wesleyan kids on the street for comment, the administration scrambled to cover their asses, and Wesleying articles about Senior Cocks got blown up with radical commentary. Whose fault was Senior Cocks? The world may never know (nor would we like to start up that debate again…).

For further reading:

• Here’s Why Senior Cocks Got Shut Down in Two Hours Last Night
• Senior Cocks: The Best of the Incident Report
• What’s Up With the News 8 Van?
• Wesleyan Media Blow-Up: Because Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity
• Statement: Senior Cocktails are Cancelled Forever, and No One’s Getting a Refund
• The Bridge on the Drina
• Senior Events To Make Sober Comeback During Senior Week
  

5. Need-blind continues to be a never-ending problem at the Bestleyan.

For those of you just joining the two-year struggle, here’s what up: Our endowment totally sucks, we haven’t been 100% need-blind for a year and a half, and no one can officially decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing (but people have very strong opinions either way).

For further reading:

• Budget Task Force Drops “Memorandum to the Community”
• Whatever Happened to that Need-Blind Thing?
• President Roth, I Expect Your Efforts Redoubled
• Need-Blind Wes Is Back
• Good News: The Endowment is Up 12%
• Need Blind: Alums Withhold Donations on Admin’s “Giving Tuesday”
• Josh Krugman ’14 Speaks at Senior Reception about Need-Blind
• The 68 Percent Figure: Where Did It Come From?
• Students Petition President Roth to Change Financial Aid Donation Policy
  

6. Nemo happened and everyone laughed at all warnings not to go out in the snow.

Enough said.

For further reading:

• If They Named Blizzards, This Shit Would Be Named Kanye
• Hold Yer Horses, Drunkards: Classes Not Cancelled Yet
• Snowing Commenced 8:06 A.M.
• Weather Recap/Update: Nemo Just Keeps Swimming
• The Morning After: Holy Crap, Where Did Everything Go?
• Introducing: Wesleying’s First Annual Michael Roth Snow Sculpture Contest
• Photos: Signs of Life In A Post-Snowpocalyptic Wesleyan
• Photos: Main Street and Beyond
• Acts of Heroism in a Snowpocalypse
• Classes Cancelled Tomorrow Morning (and Maybe Afternoon, Too?) Because Blizzard
• Classes Won’t Meet This Afternoon, Either
• Quick, Before It Melts: Snow Day To-Do List
• Because You’re Not Yet Tired of Campus Snow Photos That All Look Largely Indistinguishable From Each Other
• Introducing WestCo 5, The Little Igloo That Could

7. P-Safe can’t get its shit together.

P-Safe had a banner year this year (and not in a good way): Controversial director Dave Meyer retired, an officer was arrested for theft, several P-Safe officers were caught filming students, and there were huge questions about P-Safe protocol on multiple occasions. Will 2014 get any better? We sure hope so (but kind of doubt it).

For further reading:

• Public Safety Officer Arrested for Theft
• “Words Versus Actions”: Billinkoff ’14 Films Documentary about Public Safety Controversies
• P-Safe Alert: Assault
• Dave Meyer Retires
• #ThisIsHigh: Students “Choose to Protest Existing Marijuana Laws,” P-Safe Protests Students Protesting Existing Marijuana Laws
• Zonker Harris: A Belated Photo Celebration
• Liveblog: Public Safety External Review Student Session
  

8. Tour de Franzia disputes create yet another shit show.

Pretty much everyone knows the story of how getting caught during the Tour gives you more “judicial points” than sexually assaulting someone. Problem? Fuck yeah. Will the Tour ever disappear? Probably not.

For further reading:

• Dean Whaley: Administration to Ramp Up Tour de Franzia Charges, Whether or Not You’re Actually Drinking
• “What the Fuck Is The Administration Doing About Tour de Franzia?”: An FAQ
• Does the Administration Really Care More About Tour de Franzia Than Sexual Assault?
• Photos: “Chalk de Franzia” Lands on Wesleyan Sidewalks

9. The divestment debate continues.

WesDivest had a strong year (especially this past fall). The group met with administrators, passed a WSA resolution, and had a pretty cool installation about divestment during the last couple weeks of school. The question is, will we ever actually divest?

For further reading:

• Video: Pro-Divestment Student Group Interrupts Tufts Information Session
• Guest Post: Wesleyan Needs To Be On The Correct Side of the Climate Change Fight
• Photos: Students March on TD Bank, Rally Against Keystone XL
• Wes, Divest?
  

10. The potential bookstore move from last year could be the beginning of bigger questions about the University’s size and scope in Middletown.

Everything got resolved at the end of 2012, but there were still some questions about the move’s implications in January/February of this year. Why does it matter? Wesleyan is now scoping out which direction to move our campus in (towards Long Lane? Main Street? Wash?), and the bookstore debate was just the beginning.

• Complete Video: Tuesday’s Open Forum on the Washington Street Development
• It’s Official: Bookstore Is Staying Put
• Dueling Zone Change Proposals Control Washington Street Development
• This Is How: White Papers for Wesleyan 2020

Honorable Mentions

1. Our Dear Leader Zach retired (aka graduated) and left his final words in the tags of an event post. Touché, Zachary.

2. Also, a ton of other really awesome Wesleying staffers retired and it was very, very sad.

3. Joss Whedon ’87 gave the best goddamn commencement speech ever.

4. P-Safe Director Dave Meyer retired after a tumultuous three decades at Wesleyan.

5. Amanda Palmer ’98 visited campus and it was rad.

6. The 24-hour study space finally happened.

7. We have a winter session…finally.

8. For real though: Who the fuck thinks this is okay?

9. Wesleying launched its redesign and some people freaked out.

10. “But really,” asked a bunch of 2017ers, “what the hell is an Anwar?”