One of the biggest accomplishments of the WSA last year, at least from my perspective, was getting the M-Link to stop on campus. The “M-Link Middletown/Meriden Connection” is a bus service provided by Middletown Area Transit (MAT). For a town that’s loosely in the middle of New York and Boston, loosely in the middle of New Haven and Hartford, and even has middle in it’s name, you ironically can’t seem to get anywhere without a car.
With the introduction of M-Link, you can now easily access shopping areas like Washington Plaza, the Westfield Mall, and the ever controversial Walmart for $1.25 (in change). Thats a dollar less than in New York, 75 cents less than in San Francisco, and 25 cents less than on-board in Boston–more money to waste. If you really want to get away from Wes, you can get to the Meriden Station and catch Amtrak six days a week.
Because the MAT web site does not appear to have an updated schedule, below is the new timetable. Note that all times are approximate, and you should arrive five minutes early to be safe. [Please click 'Read More' if you're viewing this from the Wesleying homepage.]
[Schedule provided by WSA's Zach Malter '13]
Read More »
Posted by Syed
on August 24, 2010 at 1:12 AM
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Kennedy Odede ‘12— Shining Hope Executive Director and overall source of inspiration— wrote an Op-Ed published in yesterday’s New York Times. In it, Odede speaks out against slum tourism, which he has experienced firsthand at home in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya:
I was 16 when I first saw a slum tour. I was outside my 100-square-foot house washing dishes, looking at the utensils with longing because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Suddenly a white woman was taking my picture. I felt like a tiger in a cage. Before I could say anything, she had moved on.
When I was 18, I founded an organization that provides education, health and economic services for Kibera residents. A documentary filmmaker from Greece was interviewing me about my work. As we made our way through the streets, we passed an old man defecating in public. The woman took out her video camera and said to her assistant, “Oh, look at that.”
For a moment I saw my home through her eyes: feces, rats, starvation, houses so close together that no one can breathe. I realized I didn’t want her to see it, didn’t want to give her the opportunity to judge my community for its poverty — a condition that few tourists, no matter how well intentioned, could ever understand.
New York Times: Slumdog Tourism
Posted by Gianna
on August 11, 2010 at 11:18 AM
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I thought that when us 2010ers graduated, all the “do we publish this crazy thing about Mytheos or not, because if we don’t we’re ignoring a topic of genuine interest, but if we do we’re just feeding his egocentric love for campus drama” fuss here at Wesleying would go away. The realization that he really had been doing it in the name of controversy for controversy’s sake only solidified my relief that we wouldn’t have to deal with this again.
“Good job, Mytheos,” I thought. “You pulled off your insane media coup, dismissed liberal students’ lack of serious engagement with your columns as proof of political aloofness when really your arguments were so nonsensical that nobody knew where to begin, and inadvertently perhaps pulled off a weird kind of postmodern performance art.”
So I felt mildly amused when I saw that someone posted a link in the Shoutbox under the pseudonym “FUCK YOU MYTHEOS.” It leads to an article called “Elegy for Academia,” penned by the man himself and published as a guest article with Accuracy for Academia, a conservative nonprofit that “wants schools to return to their traditional mission–the quest for truth.” I don’t know what I expected. Maybe Mytheos got a full-time job in journalism and someone was jealous. Whatever, ha ha.
Then I actually read beyond the first few paragraphs, and it turns out that this article is annoying enough to drag me back from the proverbial grave. Read More »
Posted by MC Hall
on June 3, 2010 at 10:02 PM
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We always scuttle away from school after finals with sighs of relief and fist pumps of excitement, but it’s understandable to miss Wes after a couple of weeks. After all, we do spend the greater part of three seasons there. Depending on what exactly it is that you miss, there are probably things to do in your area that you can use to satiate those Wes-related cravings. Here are my suggestions for free activities, with some examples from my hometown, New York.
| I miss… |
So I’m going to… |
In New York… |
| WesPeeps |
Get in contact with any in your area. Form a Facebook group. Maybe get super-stalkerish and look up addresses in the directory. |
It’s not that hard. There is, however, a Facebook group for people in and around New York this summer. |
| Grassy spots like Foss or the butthole |
There’s got to be some grassy meadows and hills in your area. Or, since its summer, chill out at the beach instead. |
Any real New Yorker knows that there’s no scarcity of greenery here. There are plenty of parks—Central Park has plenty of hills to camp out on and I personally love the casual atmosphere of Bryant Park. |
| Hipsters |
You can be your own hipster. |
Brooklyn has a neighborhood or two. |
| Olin (yeah, right…or maybe to do something else in the stacks?) |
My local library |
The New York Public Library, 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, is a grand choice. |
| CFS Film Series |
Most cities have film series available, easily searchable online. Try major foundations or public parks. |
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, Central Park Film Festival, River to River, Summer on the Hudson |
| Theater (CFA, SecondStage) |
Public theater is everywhere. Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere there’s probably at least a school play. |
Shakespeare in the Park is free, and discounted Broadway is available through |
| Music |
There’s free music playing everywhere, from city subways to suburban centers. |
This could go on forever, so I’ll just mention that GMA and the Today Show are hosting morning concerts with acts such as Lady Gaga and Rascal Flatts. |
As for Freeman, while there’s some free services in cities, you just might have to get that gym membership. Read More »
Posted by Syed
on May 28, 2010 at 10:02 PM
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This notice from Brian Papish ‘10:
May 5th is the last day of classes. It is also bar night. It is a regional holiday in Mexico commemorating the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is also Sarice’s birthday.
To celebrate all these impressive milestones, Orquesta Fiebre and La Boca have teamed up to bring you an evening of margaritas and salsa–and yes, we know salsa isn’t Mexican, but it IS hot. Come for dinner and hear the Latin jazz rhythm section from 6-8, or the main event with the full 31-piece orchestra from 9-12:30. It will be hot hot hot!
Date: May 5th
Time: 9 PM
Place: La Boca
Also: It’s 21+, sorry!
Posted by sahm
on May 4, 2010 at 11:18 AM
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Let’s get real for a minute: The school year is coming close to an end. For many, this is reflected in a very declined balance of Monopoly money points on the ol’ Wescard. But as always, there are others who have found themselves with quite an excess, and have no idea how to spend it all before the semester ends (unlike M-town Ca$h, this Wes-specific currency won’t roll over from year to year).
In our busy lives of studying and reading Wesleying, it can be hard to find the time and energy to get rid of those pesky extra points. But worry no longer, comrades, for hope has arrived! There is now a quick and easy solution that feels just as great as a full work-out!
…And perhaps in this context: FOOD NOT POINTS.
Read More »
Posted by mickey
on May 3, 2010 at 8:50 PM
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From Sarah-Jane Ripa ‘02:
$5 Wes student tickets for a rare event – a full-length performance of Balinese Music and Dance, featuring the Wesleyan Balinese Angklung. Green Street is right behind Iguanas Ranas. Don’t Miss – may not happen again for quite some time!
Date: TODAY, April 30
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Place: Green Street Arts Center (51 Green Street)
Posted by Syed
on April 30, 2010 at 11:40 AM
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Our friends at Brown’s Blog Daily Herald designed this handy matrix guide to schools’ spring concerts. Notice who comes out on top, huh? Click to enlarge:
Posted by Zach
on April 22, 2010 at 7:34 PM
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Well, if you’ve got money to spare, love food, and love O’Rourke’s, you’re gonna love this:
Join us at O’Rourke’s Diner for a 4-course dinner and live music.
The menu consists of:
*Asparagus & Champagne Bisque
*Mixed Greens with Sweet & Sour Cabbage
*Grass-Fed Beef Stuffed Portabella Mushroom OR Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Portabella Mushroom
*Barm Brack Bread Pudding with Seasonal Fruit Topping
Only $35 per person (includes tax & gratuity!) SPACE IS LIMITED! Call us at (860) 346-6101 or e-mail us at orourkesdiner(at)gmail(dot)com for more information or to reserve your seat.
Date: April 22
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Place: O’Rourke’s Diner – 728 Main Street, Middletown, CT
On Sunday, April 25, Wesleyan and Conn College will be taking a bus down to Washington D.C. to attend an Earth Day Rally at the National Mall to demand that Congress enact climate and clean energy legislation in 2010.
The Climate Rally is the capstone of the Earth Day Network’s nine-day event on The National Mall with speeches from environmental stewards Reverend Jesse Jackson, film director, James Cameron, AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist, Billy Demong, producer, Trudie Styler and author, Margaret Atwood to bring the issue of climate change to an international stage.
The Climate Rally will also feature live music from:
Sting
John Legend
The Roots
Bob Weir
Patrick Stump
Mavis Staples
Passion Pit
Booker T
Jimmy Cliff
Joss Stone
Robert Randolph
Willie Colon
Honor Society
Tao Rodriguez-Seeger
We will be leaving campus around 5 am and returning around 11 pm. Best of all, its free!!! Please email weseon at gmail.com as soon as possible if you would like to attend or have any questions.
Posted by Alex
on April 17, 2010 at 3:33 PM
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Victor Cadilla ‘10 writes:
Do you want to do something meaningful this summer? Get out of the country? Volunteer or intern with Volunteer Kilimanjaro.
Placements include education, agriculture, and program development. Teach English, learn about sustenance farming from a local farmers, teach computer literacy to teachers, develop extracurricular activities for school children, and form lasting relationships with local community members in Tanzania.
A local organization in Tarakea, Tanzania at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Two week to three month placements. No previous experience necessary. Affordable, with lower rates for pairs and groups and discounts on Kili treks and safaris. You can stay with a host family or in Kilimanjaro cabins and eat and cook typical Tanzanian food. Learn about international development outside of the classroom!
Currently accepting applications for summer volunteers and interns. Contact volunteerkilimanjaro(at)gmail(dot)com or vcadilla@wes for more information.
Posted by Heather
on April 5, 2010 at 12:27 PM
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MGMT is streaming the entire new album now on its site. Thanks to Braille for the tip. 
There are some sweet moments on this record, much more in tune with Oracular Spectacular’s spacey latter half than “Kids” or “Time To Pretend” (and far more cohesive than “Flash Delirium” might have you believe). Dig the doo-wop and surf music flourishes, but don’t be expecting another “Kids.”
Posted by Zach
on March 20, 2010 at 6:02 PM
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Oh, spring break. Weather’s
getting warm, trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and birds are chirping. And taking a hint from those baby birds who are taking wing and flying from the nest, Wes bands Duchampion, The Last Minutes, Apache Kid, Metacomet, and Ishmael are using this break as an opportunity to sing their songs in new and exciting locations. For those of you in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia who are feeling a little homesick for Wesleyan already, check out the tour dates after the jump to see when you’ll have the opportunity for a little Wes love. I’m not listing college shows, as they might not be accessible… Oh, and Aural Wes put up a similar post with some more info on some of the bands, so if you’re curious about any of the individual bands you should check that out here. Read More »
Posted by Axelrod
on March 9, 2010 at 9:53 PM
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Tomorrow, Wednesday March 3, is the last day to buy tickets for spring break shuttles to New Haven, New York City, Boston, and Bradley Airport. All tickets for trips from and back to Wesleyan must be purchased in advance at the box office in Usdan.
For complete information regarding shuttle schedules and destinations, check out this post from February 10.
Update, 6:46: Also, don’t forget to check the Rideboard. You can find it under the “Student Life at Wesleyan” section in your ePortfolio. On the Rideboard you can find rides offered by other students, request a ride, or offer rides yourself. [Thanks Miriam!]
Posted by Becky
on March 2, 2010 at 4:52 PM
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Jon Stewart mocks a CPAC convention speaker’s mocking of GoPride on yesterday’s Daily Show—including a tongue-in-cheek reference to the “transgender glee chorus at Wesleyan.” See the last minute of the clip:
Posted by Zach
on February 23, 2010 at 3:46 PM
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