Five months have passed since we published a three-part article alongside alumnae from the women’s cross country team exposing the toxic culture they experienced during their time with Head Coach John Crooke. Today the story was brought to new attention when it was published in the New York Times.
Immediately after our article was published on March 2nd an investigation was opened and Crooke was placed on leave. Michael Roth ’78 sent out the following all-campus email:
Two weeks before school started, the Wesleyan Athletics Department came out with a redesign of the athletics mark that attracted quite some attention online, from the funny;
to the weird;
and to the envelope-pushers…
This development continues a controversy ignited last year by the spontaneous rebranding adopted by the administration, which brought a redesign of the website and a completely new visual style guide that included, most infamously, a new logo that later got scrapped (highly recommend checking those links out before continuing if you weren’t here last year).
The press release about the new athletics mark states:
This is an update of my short update of D‘s mostly repost of previous athletics unofficial orientation series posts.
This is part of our 2017 Unofficial Orientation Series. A quick reminder that you can check out the welcome post here and past years’ series here.
Some of you frosh probably don’t know that WesTech competes in the prestigious NESCAC—the most competitive D3 conference in the country. Despite the throngs of news outlets that flock to many of our sports games, you will never have to enter a lottery system or wait in a line overnight to obtain tickets. We also aren’t like these fans, and we never will be. That’s okay. Do not believe the naysayers who claim that Wesleyan students do not support or appreciate athletics. I have personally witnessed Wes students get so fired up after a basketball loss to Trinity that we started a “safety school” chant. Not our best moment but definitely an example of caring!
Whether you’re attempting to relive your high school glory days, looking to get or stay fit (the freshman fifteen is real), or trying out a new sport, Wesleyan has what you are looking for!
This is mostly an updated repost of previous athletics unofficial orientation series posts.
Some of you frosh probably don’t know that WesTech competes in the prestigious NESCAC—the most competitive D3 conference in the country. Despite the throngs of news outlets that flock to many of our sports games, you will never have to enter a lottery system or wait in a line overnight to obtain tickets. We also aren’t like these fans, and we never will be. That’s okay. Do not believe the naysayers who claim that Wesleyan students do not support or appreciate athletics. I have personally witnessed Wes students get so fired up after a basketball loss to Trinity that we started a “safety school” chant. Not our best moment but definitely an example of caring!
Whether you’re attempting to relive your high school glory days, looking to get or stay fit (the freshman fifteen is real), or trying out a new sport, Wesleyan has what you are looking for!
Photo by Nikita Rajgopal ’17
This morning, the Wesleyan Track Team boycotted their track meet at Amherst to protest an unfair scheduling change. The J. Elmer Swanson Invitational, an annual track meet hosted at Wesleyan, was abruptly cancelled so that the Men’s Lacrosse team could play on the turf field (the turf field was built in the middle of the track a few years ago). Members of the track team claim that the cancellation was due to the fact that many lacrosse team parents are big donors while the track team is comprised of many students receiving financial aid. Thus, the track team does not have the same financial clout. The track team sent an open letter explaining their reasoning as well as their demands for the future. I also reached out to the athletic department for comment and Athletic Director Mike Whalen’s response is below.
In my dad’s email to me about Parent’s Weekend activities, he mentioned that he definitely wanted to catch part of the football game at 1 PM on Saturday. I imagine that many students are in this position this weekend so, for those of you who are less up-to-date with the Wesleyan Cardinals, here’s a brief cheat sheet of what to talk about on the bleachers.
Some of you frosh probably don’t know that WesTech competes in the prestigious NESCAC—the most competitive D3 conference in the country. Despite the throngs of news outlets that flock to many of our sports games, you will never have to enter a lottery system or wait in a line overnight to obtain tickets. We also aren’t like these fans, and we never will be.
That’s okay. Do not believe the naysayers who claim that Wesleyan students do not support or appreciate athletics. Not only do we have the most watched baseball games in the NESCAC; last fall we hosted the ‘CAC’s first night football game and had over 5,000 students, alumni, and Middletown residents attend, shattering all previous attendance records.
Whether you’re attempting to relive your high school glory days, looking to get or stay fit, or trying out a new sport, Wesleyan has what you are looking for!
From Lizzie “Shack Attach” Shackney ’17 and Key “I’m a Boss” Session ’17:
Gather your student group, sports team, house, hallway, and friends to sign up for the WSA Kickball Tournament! It’ll be at the Bacon Field House starting at 12 pm on Sunday, April 6th and it’s totally free. Sign up and get your friends to come cheer for you. There will be music, excitement, and $100 for the winning team, bobble water bottles for the runners up, as well as the pride of being able to say that your student group/friend group/whatever is the best (at kickball).
Sign up HERE by Friday, April 4th.
Date: Sign up by Friday, April 4th (Actual kickball tournament is on Sunday, April 6th!)
Time: 12pm-6pm on April 6th
Place: Bacon Field House
Sign Up: HERE HERE HERE
This is another installment in our series of interviews with student groups at Wesleyan.
For this interview, I sat down with Axel Schlossberg ’15 of WesClimb to talk about the group today, its history, and what climbing competitions actually entail.
What types of climbing does WesClimb do?
There are three main types of climbing. One is called top-roping. Top-roping is where you are climbing and someone on the ground is belaying you. In top-roping, you have the security of the harness and rope, which is attached to the top of the wall. The second type is called bouldering. This is usually short climbing without a rope, and you usually go up around 12-15 feet. Bouldering emphasizes power rather than stamina, and tends to be harder. But at the same time, you do your own thing; you can mark your own pace. The third type of climbing is called lead climbing, which is height climbing similar to top-roping, but you don’t have the security of the rope coming from the top; you are actually carrying the rope with you. As you go up, you attach it to clips on the wall. If you fall, you fall only as far as the last clip you’ve reached.
Most of the people on WesClimb primarily do bouldering, but we have about five or six people who do top-roping.
Alec Harris ’14 can jump really, really high. Come and see for yourself.
The Wesleyan Men’s Club Volleyball team is looking for players!
The team is seeking players to compete in tournaments as a part of the New England Club Volleyball League. Experience is a plus but not required. Fun will be had by all. It’s not that big of a time commitment and you’ll be in good company. Actually, you’ll be in stellar company. (Note: This was an editorial addition and not Alec himself saying he is awesome. But he is.)
If you have any interest in playing or have any questions, do not contact Alec. Please contact Chris Skypeck ’14 at cskypeck(at)wesleyan(dot)edu. Go team!
