tleathers

Testing Reminder

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Dear students,

I hope that you are settling into campus and getting back into your coursework!  First, let me offer a sincere thank you for your cooperation with our return to campus protocols.  I know, for many of you, getting a pre-arrival test was challenging but we believe the extra effort will help us get off to a safe and successful semester.   We had over twenty students isolate at home after receiving a positive pre-arrival test and conferring with Davison Health Center.   Despite high rates of positivity around the country, after almost a week of testing early indications are encouraging in that our on-campus positivity rate is under .30%.  The state mandated two-week arrival quarantine assists us in continuing to identify anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 prior to arriving on campus and reducing the likelihood of spread.  Wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distancing is critical to our success again this semester so please continue to pay careful attention to these measures particularly when getting meals around campus.

Each student is expected to test twice each week on either a Monday & Thursday or Tuesday & Friday schedule. Because frequent testing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID on campus, it is your responsibility to adhere to this schedule.  Please test either today or tomorrow and then starting next Monday, you will be allowed only 3 missed tests during the course of the semester after which you will be required to immediately leave campus for the rest of the term.  The importance of keeping to the testing schedule should be as important as attending your classes as we rely on everyone to keep the campus safe. If you must miss a test (for a reason such as a medical emergency or illness), it is your responsibility to alert the University to an upcoming lapse in testing via this form.

Please refer to the Testing web pages for the link to schedule your tests and the hours of operation. For the spring semester, the testing site will operate on Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Friday from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. It will be closed on Wednesdays and weekends.

Finally, the community standards board (CSB) compiled a report from the fall semester cases, many of which were related to COVID agreement violations.  The members of the CSB wanted to be sure that everyone was aware of the kinds of cases and associated outcomes during the fall semester in the hope that we can collectively work together to reduce the kinds of incidents that put the campus community at greatest risk. Thank you in advance for all of your efforts to Keep Wes Safe for all of the students, faculty and staff who make up this community.

Sincerely,

Dean Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Wesleyan University

Message to the Senior Class (From Your Senior Class Officers)

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Hello seniors! I hope drop/add has been treating everyone well. The Senior Class Officers would like to know what the senior class wants to see during Senior Week, whether it be in-person or virtual.

We have created a Google form to survey the class: https://forms.gle/JsEwd3q78mmq8r6B7. Please fill out the form, and tell your senior class friends to fill it out, too!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to: Pablo Wickham, President (fwickham@wesleyan.edu); Jake Kwon, Vice-President (hkwon02@wesleyan.edu); Carolina Montano, Secretary (cmontano@wesleyan.edu); Paulina Veliky, Treasurer (pveliky@wesleyan.edu).

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Jake Kwon

Student Employment Phishing Email Alert

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 Dear Student,

We have been made aware that students are receiving emails posing as the Financial Aid Department as well as emails advertising student employment opportunities that are not legitimate.  Given this increase in phishing emails, we wanted to provide you with some guidance on how to determine if a job opportunity is legitimate.

If an email appears to be strange in nature, confirm its authenticity before automatically complying with the request.  Emails that appear to be very vague in content and ask you to click on a link or to respond immediately without much detail for the purpose of the email would fit this description.  Even if an email is from a known source, but not someone ordinarily associated with financial aid or student employment (ex: a faculty member) should be questioned.

For student employment opportunities:  Handshake contains up to date information about student employment opportunities for students available directly through Wesleyan.  Jobs posted by Wesleyan University Student Employment on Handshake have been vetted by our office before being made available to students; therefore, it is the best way to search for legitimate job opportunities.  Students are welcome to seek employment outside of Wesleyan but should exercise caution when considering opportunities from other employers, particularly when seeking remote employment.  Students should always research any employer and/or offered job opportunity; if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. You should note that it is possible for a fraudulent email to come from a legitimate Wesleyan email address if the account has been hacked, so job opportunities sent to you from a Wesleyan email address should be researched as you would any other job.

When communicating with an employer, receiving emails from potential employers, or searching for a job, be on the lookout for the following “Red Flag” situations:

·         Makes an offer for a position without ever interacting/interviewing you

·         You receive an email from an employer you have had no interaction with offering you a job or to “make money quickly”

·         Offers a large sum of money for minimal work.  Remember that the Connecticut minimum wage is $12 an hour

·         Offers payment before you do any work or sends you compensation unexpectedly

·         Requests for you to make a payment upfront via transfer/wire money, money order or courier

·         Requests your personal information – social security number, credit card information, bank account number, copies of your license, passport, photograph, or other personal documents

·         Posting lacks all or some of the following information: company name, address, contact information, telephone number, domain email address, etc.

·         Postings with spelling and grammatical errors

·         Employer website without a clear description of the business, contact information, or job descriptions

If you suspect a posting is fraudulent, be sure to proceed with caution.  Do not provide any personal information and do not click on any links. End all communications with the employer immediately and, if Wesleyan University is mentioned in the email, contact the ITS Security group at security@wesleyan.eduASAP for assistance and advice on how to proceed.

You can find additional information regarding student employment on our website and additional information about fraudulent job postings here.  If you have any questions, please reach out to studentemployment@wesleyan.edu.

Sincerely,

Financial Aid Office
Student Employment Office
Jen Duncan, Associate Director of Financial Aid

Claudia Morrow, Associate Director of Financial Aid

Robyn Ewig, Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Allison Soden, Student Employment Coordinator

Ali McFadzen, Department Assistant

Wesleyan University
Office of Financial Aid
237 High Street
Middletown, CT 06459
Tel: (860) 685-2800
Fax: (860) 685-2801

Research-A-Palooza! – 2/13

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This event is scheduled for  Saturday, February 13th starting @ 12:30 pm (https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/96679368314).  It will start with an hour long panel on “How to get into Research,” followed by Q&A with departments and individual research labs (Chemistry, MBB, Bio, NSB, Psych, https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/91391685233; Astronomy, EES, COE, Physics, Math, CS, https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93954636251).

 

Research-A-Palooza Flyer
Flyer for Research-A-Palooza scheduled for Saturday, February 13th.

Service-Learning Courses – Spring 2021

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While service-learning courses this semester do not look quite the same as they do when we can be in person, they are being adapted to meet COVID circumstances.  Some courses still have seats open, and interested students should feel free to contact the instructor if the course is POI.  Note that students who are not Dance or Theater majors are welcome in DANC376,  The Artist in the Community, and that first-year students may enroll in THEA 114, Incarcerated Stories.

AFAM307-01

Black Middletown Lives: The Future of Middletown’s African American Past

CSPL277-01

Community Impact: Building Capacity to Support Educational Enrichment and Socioemotional Development

DANC376-01

The Artist in the Community: Civic Engagement and Collaborative Dancemaking

GOVT379-01

Access to Civil Justice

MUSC463-01

Teaching Music Lessons to Children in Local Schools

THEA114-01

Incarcerated Stories: Documenting In/Justice

Wishing you a very good start to the new semester,

Peggy

Peggy Carey Best
Director, Service Learning, Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life

Visiting Assistant Professor, Sociology
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459
Phone: 860/685-3726

Writing Workshop Reopens on 2/22

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The Writing Workshop is here for you this spring, whether you’re on campus or not! The Workshop officially opens on Monday, February 22nd. See our available appointments via “Writing Workshop Account” under the Academics bucket in WesPortal and come see a classmate trained to meet you at any part of your writing process.
Applications for the Writing Mentor program are open, too! Apply here by Thursday, February 18th at noon EST, and we’ll do our best to pair you with a Mentor to meet with each week throughout the spring semester. Bring a friend to one of our Zoom Info Sessions (RSVP/link here) to learn more about the program from current and past mentors and mentees–and to be entered into our raffle for a Wes T-shirt!

Notes from the Class Dean – 2/8

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Good afternoon!

I’m writing to clear up some confusion over where to find the “Enroll Me” button in WesPortal. There doesn’t appear to be a yellow banner with the information like there was last semester. Instead, you should be able to find the “Enroll Me” link under your “My Information” tab in WesPortal.

Additionally, everyone must be registered for at least 3.0 credits by the end of the drop/add period (February 22nd) to be considered full-time. Every student is required to maintain full-time enrollment so they are not withdrawn from the semester. The only exemptions are students approved for per-credit status with the completion of their thesis projects this spring.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. My response time is a little slower than usual, but I will respond!

Take gentle care,

Dean Leathers

Notes from the Class Dean – 2/5

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Dear members of the Class of 2021,

I hope that all of you have taken the time to rest and enjoy winter break. Classes begin on Tuesday, February 9th, and I’m writing to follow up with some additional information/resources to help you start the semester well and successfully complete the drop/add period. You may also access this message on our class blog.

Enrollment

Starting on Saturday, February 6th you are required to enroll in the University. To enroll, login to WesPortal, click through the yellow alert banner at the top of the page, then click on the “Enroll Me” button. Please be aware that you will not be able to participate in drop/add until you have enrolled in the University. You must enroll in the University by Monday, February 22nd, at 11:59pm, EDT. You must do this regardless of whether you will attend classes in-person or remotely this spring.

In addition to enrolling, you must resolve any holds in your list of Action Items. To access your list, go to:

WesPortal > Enrollment Checklist & Addresses > Hold/Enroll

Instruction(s) on how to resolve each action item are provided on the page. Many action items can be resolved with a simple click of the mouse.

All action items must be resolved within the first week of classes. Please be aware that you will still be able to participate in drop/add even if you have unresolved action items (as long as you have already enrolled in the University using the “Enroll Me” button).

Change of Grading Mode

The last day to change the grading mode for courses with the Student Option is Tuesday, March 2nd by 5pm, EDT.

Digital Learning Tips for Classes and Drop/Add

Remember there are resources to help you navigate our online and hybrid learning environments. You may access a set of tips and resources to navigate the upcoming drop/add period and online learning through our class blog.

COVID-19 Campus Protocol for Students on Remote Study Status & Leaves of Absence

Students on remote study status are not permitted to visit campus for any reason during the Spring 2021 semester. This includes attending in-person classes, events, practices, meetings or visiting with students on campus, etc.

Students on medical, academic or non-academic leave must also adhere to the COVID-19 mitigation protocol to not visit campus for any reason during the Spring 2021 semester.

Additionally, the state of CT has a mandatory quarantine order in place for those traveling to any part of CT from other states on their list. You may access that information here: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.

Senior Paperwork & Resources

I will begin sending reminders within the next few weeks to help you prepare to finish your last semester at Wes.

Please review the resources to help you prepare for completing your last semester and graduation. You may access the Senior Packet and more useful information on our class blog.

As of now, you should review your Credit Analysis Report, General Education Report, and Major/Minor Certification Forms in WesPortal. You may have already received an email from me about oversubscription. You may access more information about this here.

Check to make sure your full legal name is spelled correctly for your diploma. You may access information on how to confirm your diploma name here.

Additionally, don’t forget about programs and services offered by Gordon Career Center and the Cardinals Helping Cardinals program.

Commencement 2021

Commencement is scheduled for May 30th. Additional details about the format (e.g. in-person and/or virtual) will be available later this spring.

Class Dean Office/Appointment Hours

I am still working remotely until further notice, but I am accessible through email, appointment hours, etc. I will continue to conduct appointments through Zoom or Google Meeting, and my calendar is available through the following link for the duration of the Spring 2021 semester: https://tinyurl.com/deanleathers. I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Last year was difficult for so many of us, and we’re clearly not out of the woods yet. I’m hopeful for what is in store for us this year. And while uncertainty appears to be a hallmark of our present time, the love and care that we show for one another can be as well.

I wish you a wonderful start to spring classes, and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns moving forward.

All my best,

Dean Leathers

Keep Wes Safe Webinar – 2/12

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Please visit the Webinars page on the Keep Wes Safe website to find a listing of upcoming informational webinars on topics related to COVID-19.

The next webinar, scheduled for February 12, will feature Wesleyan’s medical director, Dr. Tom McLarney, MD, discussing COVID vaccines. Webinar details and log-in information, along with links to past webinar recordings, can be found on the website.

2021 Wesleyan Summer Grants Program Information Info Session – 2/3 , 2/9, 2/18

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Note: Graduating seniors who have not previously received a Wesleyan Summer Grant are eligible to apply. Please refer to the GCC website for more details (see below).

Looking for funding for your unpaid or low-paid summer experience?

The 2021 Wesleyan Summer Grants Program will be accepting applications from February 8th – February 26th, 11:59pm.

Wesleyan Summer Grants are funding resources awarded through the Gordon Career Center which allow students to pursue no- or low-paid career-related summer experiences such as internships, faculty-mentored research, language study, volunteer work, field study, and academic programs.

The Gordon Career Center will be holding three virtual information sessions which will cover funding opportunities, eligibility and requirements, navigating the application process, and what makes a strong application. All sessions will conclude with a Q&A. Please click the event links below to register.
February 3, 3pm EST
February 9, 5pm EST
February 18, 11am EST

The list of available grants and the application can be accessed on AcademicWorks through WesPortal. For more information about the application process, please visit the Gordon Career Center website.

Don’t know where to begin or need help with your application? Schedule an appointment to meet with a career advisor.