Category Archives: Causes

FEATURED
LIVEBLOG: 2018 State of the School Address with President Michael Roth

the smiling face of our watchful overlord, peering over the masses from his perch on the newly redesigned website

President Michael Roth ’78 is holding the third State of School Address today at 3pm in the Memorial Chapel, and Wesleying is liveblogging the whole thing!

As in previous years, the event is co-sponsored by the WSA, the Argus, and the Ankh. It will consist of an hour-long Q&A, moderated by three students—a member of the WSA, a member of the Argus, and a member of the Ankh.  In an email to the student body about the event WSA president Emma Austin ‘19 shared links where students can submit their questions to President Roth or share a comment for student representatives to pass on to the Board of Trustees. After the State of the School there will be a student-only debrief in the Zelnick Pavilion.

Hot-button issues for this year’s State of the School include CAPS staffing, staff and student worker conditions, and, of course, the controversial website redesign.

In her email, Austin shared the history and intention of the State of the School Address:

“This event grew out of students’ desire for more transparency from the Administration. Scheduled at the beginning of the year and days before the Board of Trustees meeting, the State of the School is designed to ensure that student opinions are heard and heeded as they Administration plans for the years ahead.”

For an in-depth recap of the event in previous years check out Wesleying’s liveblogs of Roth’s 2015 and 2016 addresses. (Note: Due to low student turnout, Austin explained that the event was changed from an annual address to a biannual address, which is why there was no address in 2017.)

Read on for our liveblog of the event.

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All Campus Email: CAPS Update

On September 4, CAPS Director Jennifer D’Andrea sent an all-campus email alerting students of some alarming changes in CAPS staffing. Over the summer, there were “three unexpected departures from the CAPS team,” including Katie Scheinberg, the APRN that was hired in February 2017 as a direct result of the student-organized Wes Needs CAPS campaign of 2016-17, which had four major demands: 

  1. Hire two new, full-time psychologists.
  2. Raise our half-time therapist up to full-time.
  3. Approve the hiring of a full-time Advanced Practicing Nurse Practitioner (APRN).
  4. Increase the CAPS operating budget for the first time in six years.

The other two departures from CAPS this fall were Lisa Miceli, Ph.D. and Amber Jones, LCSW. These staffing changes leave Wesleyan with only 6 licensed psychotherapists (most of whom are part-time or have significant duties other than providing counseling services to students) and 6 externs. This is the smallest provider pool CAPS has offered since I began at Wesleyan in Fall 2015. At the same time, CAPS is now severely understaffed for the task of providing counseling and psychological services to Wesleyan’s ~3,240 undergraduate and graduate students (including the largest incoming class of students at Wesleyan in the past two years).

Further context for the CAPS staffing situation and the full text of the email can be found below the jump:

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EVENT
Just Food Dinner

Long Lane Farm, the North End Action Team and Bon Appétit are co-hosting a sit-down charity dinner to support the North End Farmer’s Market:

The North End Farmers Market is a wonderful and vital space in our community, and through its double dollars program it makes fresh, local, organic produce accessible and affordable for everyone! 100% of the proceeds from this dinner go directly to the double dollars program. Come enjoy some delicious food, generously catered for free by Bon Appétit, meet organizers from NEAT and Long Lane, discuss food justice, and support your local farmer’s market! Suggested minimum donation is $25 for adults, $15 for students and youth, cash or check. Donating gets you a three course meal, no extra charges! Check Facebook for the menu, vegan options available.

Date: Tuesday, May 8
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Place: Daniel Family Commons, 3rd floor Usdan (45 Wyllys Ave.)
Cost: $25 minimum donation for adults; $15 minimum donation for students/youth, cash or checks made out to “North End Action Team”
FB

If you can’t come, but still would like to support the Double Dollars program, you can donate at this You Caring page.

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Guest Post: Call for Action from the International Students Community

This guest post was co-written by Shizuha Hatori ’18 and Yao Ong ’18 and addresses proposed administrative restructuring of the Office of International Student Affairs.

As part of a restructuring of services for international students, Wesleyan is making two new hires: a “professor of the practice” position for an ESL writing specialist, and an entry-level administrative position for a person intended to be in charge of international student affairs and responsible for some of the clerical duties in the office. These two “new” positions are meant to play roles that Professor Alice Hadler has been fulfilling competently for many years. This reorganization, on which she was not consulted, was tantamount to forcing Professor Hadler into retirement.

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EVENT
Weed Dating at Long Lane Farm

From the farmers down at Long Lane comes an opportunity to get dirty and support a good cause:

This Friday, April 20, from 3-5pm, come down to the farm and weed with your sweetheart (or your wescam)! There will be a bake sale to support the North End Farmer’s Market’s Double Dollars program. Speed dating optional!

Date: Friday, 4/20
Time: 3-5pm
Place: Long Lane Farm (243 Long Lane, at the corner of Long Lane and Wadsworth)
Cost: however many baked goods you want to buy! cash and venmo ok

Busy this Friday, but want to support the North End Farmer’s Market? Check out this fundraising campaign in support of the Double Dollars program, which helps makes fresh food more affordable for people with low and fixed incomes, and supports Middletown-area farmers from late spring to early fall.

EVENT
Why this Is(n’t)?

Questions about queer activism? Wondering what’s up with sexual assault? Curious about campus history?

Come join us for a teach-in and skill-share on recent activist history at Wesleyan.
We’ll give a brief tour through the now-updated activist timeline and have time for Q+A :)

Date: Wednesday, March 7
Time: 8-10 PM
Place: 200 Church
Facebook Event

FEATURED
All Campus Email: Daniel Handler Withdraws as Commencement Speaker, Anita Hill to Speak

Around 4 PM today, President Roth sent out an email update notifying campus that Daniel Handler ’92 has stepped down from delivering the Commencement Speech for the Class of 2018. Dr. Anita Hill will instead be delivering the address at the event.

This decision follows Sarah Chen Small ’18‘s write-in as well as the her leading a student response which involved #CancelHandler posters put around campus earlier this week. This is a great example of how student activism can pressure the administration to check their actions. Honestly, this is amazing.

Read past the jump for the full text of the email:

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#CancelHandler18 Posters Appear All Over Campus

On Monday, posters like the one above were put up all over campus, including on most (if not all) senior house doors. The posters call for the removal of Daniel Handler ’92 as Commencement Speaker after repeated instances of racism and sexual harassment. They also call attention to the fact that Dr. Anita Hill, who is known for speaking out against workplace harassment, will receive an honorary degree (a lesser honor and a shorter speech) at the same event.

The poster also links to Wesleying’s Write-In: “Commencement 2018: Lemony Snicket, Anita Hill, and Silencing Women of Color in the Age of #MeToo” and a recent article in Pacific Standard by David M. Perry ’95 detailing Handler’s history of sexual harassment.

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EVENT
Lunch with Rabbi Jonah Pesner ’90

Talia Kaplan ’18 writes in:

Join Rabbi Jonah Pesner ‘90 director of the Religious Action Center (RAC), for a conversation about why pursuing social and economic justice is core to Judaism and how Jews can join with people of all faiths and no faiths to combat white supremacy, systemic racism, and transform communities to effect positive change. Recently, Rabbi Pesner has been involved in calls for a clean Dream Act: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rabbis-arrested-daca-protest_us_5a5f8b13e4b046f0811c6213

This lunch is a collaboration between the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the Wesleyan Jewish Community (WJC). All are welcome, regardless of religion and political views. Free, vegetarian food provided.

Date: Tuesday, February 27
Time: 11:50 PM
Place: Allbritton 311
Facebook Event

EVENT
A Conversation with Chelsea Manning

Join Wesleyan Democratic Socialists, Wesleyan Students for Ending Mass Incarceration, Wesleyan American Civil Liberties Union, Ujamaa, Students for Justice in Palestine, United Student Labor Action Coalition, and Jewish Voice for Peace for a very special event with Chelsea Manning:

This talk will be a wide-ranging conversation between Chelsea Manning and moderator Professor Margot Weiss, Chair of the Anthropology Department. Ms. Manning and Professor Weiss will focus on the impact of current and emerging military, police, and national security tactics and technologies on Americans, the international community, and the environment. Additionally, they will focus on how Ms. Manning’s life and experiences have shaped her politics, and how queer and trans people are impacted by international systems of surveillance and militarism.

The talk will be ticketed to deal with crowding. Tickets will be free and available to pick up at the Wesleyan Box Office starting on Monday, November 6th. Security will be provided by Wesleyan Public Safety. Ticket checking will be provided by Usdan Event Staff.

This event is co-sponsored by the Wesleyan Student Assembly Student Budget Committee, the Green Fund, the Adelphic Education Fund, the Sociology Department, the Anthropology Department, the American Studies Department, Friends of the Wesleyan Library, Center for the Americas, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and the Student Resource Center.

Date: Wednesday, November 15
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Place: Memorial Chapel
Cost: Free! (Tickets will be free and available to pick up at the Wesleyan Box Office starting on Monday, November 5th)
Facebook Event