Campus Resources

Notes from the Class Dean – 8/30

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Dear members of the Class of 2021,

I hope that all of you are well and settling into your plans for the fall semester. Classes begin tomorrow, Monday, August 31st, 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.

Digital Learning Tips for Classes and Drop/Add

Attached is a set of tips to help you navigate the remainder of the drop/add period, along with digital learning resources. You may also access this information through our class blog.

Refunds (RCF refunds and transitioning to remote study status)

Students have asked about RCF refunds with any transition to remote study moving forward. Remote study status entails pursuing courses entirely online from outside of campus, Middletown, CT (and the U.S. if a student is studying at Wesleyan on an F-1 visa).

Please see the note below from Student Accounts:

“[Student Accounts] will refund the RCF in full for any students who update their enrollment status to Remote (i.e. all online coursework, not living on campus or commuting to campus] during the drop/add period who have not moved into on-campus housing. Those who do move into on-campus housing and then decide to leave and finish the semester as a Remote student will be eligible for a prorated RCF adjustment based on their change of status date/date they leave housing and meal plan usage.”

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 Fall 2020 semester. This includes attending in-person classes, events, meeting 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 Fall 2020 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.

Honors Thesis Tutorial Registration

Some of you have asked how to submit your thesis tutorial form for registration. You may do this online through the end of the drop/add period. Instructions on how to submit the appropriate form online can be accessed on our class blog here.

Class Dean Office/Appointment Hours

I am working remotely until further notice, but I am still accessible through email, appointment hours, etc. I will continue to conduct appointments through Google Meeting and Zoom, and my calendar is available through the following link for the duration of the Fall 2020 semester: https://tinyurl.com/deanleathers. I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Academic Programming/Support Suggestions

I plan to offer a brief survey for you to make recommendations for academic programming that will suit your needs this fall. Details are forthcoming!

This year has challenged us all in myriad ways, but I’m heartened by the conversations I’ve had with so many of you and I’m hopeful for the days to come. I wish you a wonderful start to fall classes, and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns moving forward.

 

All my best,

Dean Leathers

Public Health Update – 8/28

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This is a repost of the email Dr. McLarney sent to students on August 28th.

The fall semester has arrived. It is wonderful to see students, faculty, and staff on campus. Health Services has been busy at the testing tent on Andrus Field this week assisting as members of the campus community take their COVID-19 tests. So far everything is going smoothly, and we thank everyone for their cooperation and patience as we all get accustomed to this process.

To date, we have received results for 1,875 tests, with only one positive test result for an employee, who was immediately isolated. To remain informed about our testing results and procedures, visit Wesleyan’s COVID-19 Dashboard, which will be updated regularly. On the dashboard, you will find an alert level for the University, which provides context for the situation on campus, as well as a tally of active cases, cumulative results to date, and test results by week for all students and employees who are tested on campus.

We are also aware of several students who received positive COVID test results when they took a test prior to leaving home. These students have delayed their arrival to campus until they are medically cleared, and Health Services will remain in touch with these students to track their recovery.

As a reminder, we’ll be testing all students twice per week to allow us to detect COVID in the pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic stage and to isolate any infected students and their close contacts in order to stop the spread of the disease. We’ll also be testing faculty and staff who are working on campus. More information on testing frequency and schedules is available on our Testing website.

I feel confident in the safety precautions and community guidelines Wesleyan has put in place to make this the safest possible campus. That said, we expect to see some number of positive COVID cases in our testing, and are fully prepared to address this situation when it arises. You can read on the website about our protocols for isolation, quarantine, and care for students and employees who test positive, as well as our contact tracing procedures. Wesleyan has capacity to isolate at least 200 students in a combination of rooms we’ve reserved at the Inn at Middletown and additional rooms on campus.

It’s important to note that the isolation of a person who has received a positive COVID test is different from the self-quarantine that all students are required to take part in upon arrival to campus. Whereas those students in quarantine can leave their residence to pick up to-go meals and get their twice weekly COVID test done, students with COVID and close contacts may not leave the premises at all until they have been medically cleared.

A word on close contacts: Living on campus often means living with others—thus it is unavoidable that you will be considered a close contact if your roommate or housemate contracts COVID. But being the person who is “less than 6 feet apart for 15 minutes or longer” is preventable, and should be avoided as much as possible. Similarly, I must note that intimacy with others will put one at risk for contracting COVID. Please think twice about potentially exposing someone you care about.

If we all consider ourselves potentially infected and contagious in a pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic stage, we will act accordingly. When we get that negative test back, we will breathe a sigh of relief (wearing a face covering, of course) and then must consider ourselves potentially infected and contagious until the next test is back.

Finally, an important reminder that classes begin Monday, and will be delivered remotely for the first week, beginning August 31, in order to allow all students on campus to complete the required two-week quarantine. For those courses being taught on campus, in-person instruction will begin on September 7.

As we enter the fall semester, I invite you to continue sending your questions to me. We are all in this together and all learning more every day. Be safe!

Tom McLarney, MD

Tips for Drop/Add and Learning in A Digital Environment – Fall 2020

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Some students have asked about approaches to managing attending classes remotely during the initial period of quarantine on campus. Specifically, students who share a room with a roommate have asked about how to best approach learning when both roommates have a class at the same time.  Several options exist for students who have these schedule conflicts. Some students will plan to use noise-cancelling headphones while attending classes, while others have asked about alternative spaces that may be available. While we expect students to remain in their residences during the two-week quarantine, you may use lounges or study rooms in your residence, or sit outside your residence by yourself when these conflicts arise.  We understand that this may be challenging during the first week of classes, we are hopeful that as campus opens up following the initial quarantine students will be able to manage these situations more easily.

Student Academic Resources has also put together some resources and tips for students specific to learning in a digital environment. We would like to highlight the recommendation that students pay attention to building a balanced schedule that includes no more than two Zoom lectures in one day. Be sure to be attentive to giving yourself breaks from sitting in front of a screen and build in time to move around.

Check out the Semester Planning Calendars that are available on the Student Academic Resources page!

DROP/ADD

Fall 2020 Drop/Add opens in WesPortal at 8:30am ET on Monday, August 24th and closes at 5:00pm ET on Friday, September 11th.

You must enroll in the University to participate in Drop/Add. Please do so even if you have holds. You can follow-up with the holds after you’ve enrolled.

Instruction Modes:

  • Be mindful of the instruction mode of your classes. If you are a remote student, be sure your classes are either: Online, Hybrid with Remote Students, or In-Person with Remote Students.

Full-credit course limit:

The four-credit course limit cannot be raised in the first week of drop/add. This will be an option starting on the first day of classes, Monday, August 31st. A full-credit course is any course with 1.0 or higher credit, excluding private music lessons.

Time Conflicts:

Drop/add ignores time conflicts. If a student plans to consider two courses with overlapping times, they will need to touch base with both professors to confirm they can meet all commitments and expectations of both classes.

Browsing Courses during Drop/Add:

For Online Courses: Faculty may allow students to browse their remote courses.

  • To do so, go to WesPortal > Courses > Drop/Add Course Access, then input the zoom or moodle link to your course.
  • Students can see these links in their WesPortal > Courses > Drop/Add Course Access.

For In-Person Courses: Students should not attend in-person classes they are not registered for unless they have retained explicit permission from faculty during drop/add. This is due to strict requirements for Covid classroom capacity compliance.

One-week grace period for student attendance:

Normally, faculty may drop a student who does not attend the first class meeting. For fall 2020, EPC has revised this policy: “Any registered student who cannot participate in the first scheduled class meeting must contact the instructor (in advance, or as soon as possible thereafter) to explain the absence. After the first week of classes, faculty may drop any student who has not done so. Browsing for other classes is not an acceptable reason for students to miss any class in which they hope to remain enrolled.”

Auditing of in-person classes:

The reduced classroom capacity due to social distancing means that it may not be possible to allow students to audit in-person class meetings. Community auditors may only participate in a class remotely; they may not come to campus.

For Instructors Meeting in Classroom Space:

Classroom assignments are based on strict Covid-capacities. Do not overenroll a course beyond your listed enrollment capacity, unless you have explicitly confirmed you will still be within the mandated Covid-capacity. The Covid capacities are available in EMS.

Detailed information is available on the Registrar’s website.

Drop/Add for Fall 2020 will open one week before classes begin

Additional Schedule Changes Due to Saturday (8/29) Forecast

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The following is a repost of the email Dean Culliton sent to students on August 28th.

 

Greetings!

Thanks to everyone for your cooperation in adjusting to the changes we needed to make yesterday due to weather.   Testing/Dining and Residential Check-in will return to their outdoor locations and times for today (Friday) and we were able to accommodate close to 800 tests yesterday despite the shortened testing day.  For anyone who missed a scheduled test yesterday afternoon please proceed to the testing tent today.

As we enter the first weekend of the semester, I’d like to remind you that we remain in a period of campus-wide quarantine, in which students must remain in their residence with exceptions only to pick up meals, receive COVID tests, retrieve mail, and sit or walk/jog outside on campus property. Until conditions improve, social events and parties with others outside of family units are not permitted. You can find more information on the Residential website. We’re all in this together, and we are each responsible for doing our part to keep our Wesleyan community safe.

With heavy rain forecast for Saturday,  we will again enact our rain plan for Saturday August 29 as follows:

Student Dining

Saturday lunch and dinner will move indoors for everyone’s safety.  Dining will still be grab and go and we ask that if it is safe to return to your residence hall, please do not congregate indoors at the dining pick-up locations for extended periods of time.

Please pick up your meals at your assigned locations with the following modifications:

Summerfields Patio will move inside the Summerfields dining room.

Pi Cafe patio will move indoors at the Exley Science Center Lobby (Enter through the Church Street side).

HiRise will be in the entry way of the HiRise building.

Usdan/Labyrinth will move to the inside on the first floor of Usdan (Enter through the West entrance by Fayerweather).

COVID-19 Testing

Saturday testing schedule will be truncated to 10AM-3PM.  Anyone with a scheduled appointment outside of those hours on Saturday has been contacted and asked to reschedule.   For those who had scheduled appointments and are able to come to the testing tent between 10AM-3PM, please do so. No need to reschedule online, simply arrive on site and we will work to accommodate you.

If you are scheduled for a test later Saturday and IT IS NOT YOUR FIRST TEST, please go online and reschedule for Sunday or Monday. You can click the link sent to you with your confirmation email and cancel/reschedule as needed.

If you are arriving Saturday and have not yet been tested on campus, you may proceed to the testing tent between 10AM-3PM.  As long as it is safe to operate we will be conducting testing under the tent. If it is determined that we need to suspend operations, we will close the tent. You may wait nearby in the adjacent Fayerweather Building/Beckham Hall (second floor) or in the Exley Science Center (lobby) until the weather passes or you may proceed directly to get your key at your assigned key pick-up location.

Residential Life Key Pick-Up Locations

Please review the information that has been sent to you about checking in to Residential Life and picking up your keys. Due to the inclement weather, the key pick-ups on Saturday will be moved under cover as follows:

Butterfield check-in moved to Butterfield A Lounge.

Clark Hall check-in moved to Clark Hall Lobby.

HiRise check-in moved to the HiRise Lobby.

Rear of Hewitt 8/Mocon Circle check-in moved to Hewitt 9 Lounge.

Foss Hill Drive check-in moved to Fauver Lounge.

Please note that Residential Life Check in hours on Sunday will now be 10AM-4PM.

We’ve made all of these changes in the interest of safety. Thank you for your understanding. Please pay attention to any additional weather reports for any changing conditions.  At this point today and Sunday look like beautiful days and we expect to operate our full days at the outdoor locations.

 

Best,

Rick Culliton, Dean of Students

Wesleyan University

COVID-19 Bystander Intervention Workshop TODAY – 8/28

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This is repost of an email by Dean Whaley to students on August 28th.

 

Dear Students,

This is a reminder that WesWell (Wesleyan’s Health Education Office) will be hosting a COVID-19 Bystander Intervention workshop via Zoom on Friday at 3pm EDT.

Originally developed to teach students how to safely intervene to reduce sexual violence and high-risk drinking, this skill set can be used to address many potential harms.  Our ability to have an in-person semester together on campus during the pandemic will rely on each of us intervening to keep the community healthy and safe.  This virtual workshop will serve as an introduction for those not familiar with bystander intervention or as a refresher for those already using these tools.

Please join the discussion!

Anna Nguyen ‘22, WSA Student Life Committee Chair

Dean Mike Whaley, Vice President for Student Affairs

COVID Testing Follow Up

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This is a repost of the message Dean Culliton sent to students on August 26th.

 

Dear Students,

I am following up my message from last week about testing with a reminder for all of you.  Please use this link now to schedule a test for your arrival date/time to campus.  If you are planning to arrive over the coming days, it is essential that you schedule your test so we can anticipate the volume of tests on each day.

(Tips to troubleshoot scheduling link: Make sure you aren’t logged in as another user, log out of any browser that you may be in, log back into the Wesportal using your Wesleyan credentials, once on the testing page make sure you are using Eastern Standard Time

Additionally, for those of you who are already on campus, please go into the portal and schedule your 2nd and 3rd tests at this time.  This week you should be using the following possible frequency(Monday-Thursday) (Tuesday-Friday) (Wednesday-Saturday)(Thursday-Sunday)

We will have testing hours from 8AM-5:45PM Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week.

Beginning on August 31, we would like for each of you to shift to either Monday-Thursday or Tuesday Friday as we won’t have weekend hours the following weekend. You can also schedule your tests for next week at this point as well.

Read below for more details on the testing process.

Best, Dean Rick

From: Rick Culliton <announcement@wesleyan.edu>
Reply-To: “announcement@wesleyan.edu” <announcement@wesleyan.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Subject: COVID-19 Testing and Next Steps

Dear students,

I am writing with information about your return to campus and the University’s plans for COVID-19 testing.

Students, faculty, and staff will schedule their tests for COVID-19 at covidtesting.wesleyan.edu or within their WesPortal in the COVID-19 Resources bucket. Users can select a preferred date and time for testing and once a test has been booked, the user will receive an email confirming the upcoming appointment.

Wesleyan, along with more than 50 other colleges and universities, had planned to use software developed by CoVerified to assist with scheduling tests, delivering results, and more. This software is not yet ready to be used. Wesleyan will deploy CoVerified if and when we are confident that it will meet the expectations of our students, faculty, and staff.

The Testing Process

All of the testing will take place under a large tent on Andrus Field, with six-foot distancing enforced. We will have medical staff on site to assist with the testing process. The testing processinvolves a self-administered nasal swab that should take three to five minutes to complete. Please be patient as we expect there may be some delays in getting everyone accustomed to the process. Learn more about our testing partner, the Broad Institute.

Here are the next steps for you:

  • Read and consent to participate in COVID-19 testing on campus via your WesPortal as a condition of returning to campus for the fall semester. You will receive email confirmation after you submit your consent form. Please be prepared to show testing staff an electronic or a paper copy of this confirmation the first time you come to the testing tent.
  • Where possible, complete a COVID-19 test at home within 72 hours of returning to campus. Email a copy of your result (a photo is fine) to healthforms@wesleyan.edu. If your test comes back positive, you have symptoms, or you have a known COVID-19 exposure, please stay home. Contact your primary care physician, and inform Wesleyan’s Health Services medical staff. You will not be permitted to come to campus until you have been medically cleared.
  • Update your personal contact information and emergency contact information in WesPortal. We need to be sure that the mobile number we have on file is correct.
  • Schedule an appointment for your first test upon your arrival to campus. To do this, please visit covidtesting.wesleyan.edu. You will be prompted to log in to your WesPortal. (If you are already logged in to your WesPortal, you can get to the site by clicking “Schedule COVID-19 Test” in the COVID-19 Resources bucket.) You can select a preferred date (it should be the day you arrive on campus) and time for testing. Once a test has been booked, you will receive an email confirmation of the upcoming appointment.
  • Please remember that while we have staggered the arrival of students over the week of the August 24 to reduce congestion on campus, there are a limited number of testing slots each hour, so please be patient if you aren’t able to schedule an appointment at your preferred time.  You will need to complete the test prior to going to your residence hall to pick up your key.  (If you arrive after the testing site closes for the day, you will be directed to Public Safety to pick up your key and you will be required to get your first test when the testing center opens the following morning.)
  • Students will be tested twice per week. Tests should be scheduled at least three days apart, and individuals are encouraged to adhere to a regular testing cadence (e.g., Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday). Appointments are scheduled for 15 minutes.
  • The expected turnaround time of test results is 24 to 36 hours. You will be able to access your test results through a portal on the Broad Institute’s website. When your results are ready, you will receive an email containing a link to click, which will take you to a login on the Broad Institute’s website. The first time you log in, you will need to verify your local address and phone number (mobile number, if you have one). Once you complete authentication, you will set up a password and be able to access your test results.
  • Any student who receives a positive test result will be contacted by a member of Health Services to inform them of the result, assess how they are feeling, and guide them through the next steps. In the rare instance that the student is having worrisome symptoms, they will be transported to Middlesex Hospital for further care. Otherwise, they will be asked to stay in place until arrangements for isolation can be made. The student will be isolated for at least 10 days from the time that the test was conducted and/or the onset of symptoms. Food will be delivered twice daily, and Health Services staff will conduct daily wellness checks.

We know you may have additional questions about testing. Dr. McLarney and I are hosting a Testing webinar for students today at 1 p.m. to answer your questions. Learn more about our plans for testing, and see a checklist of everything you should do before arriving on campus.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dean Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Chair, Pandemic Planning Committee

Wesleyan University

Important Move In Process Information: Check In Locations and More!

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The following is a repost of the email sent from Kieran Duffy of Residential Life on August 21st.

Hello!

The move in process is quickly approaching and we want to make sure you have as much information as possible so that you are prepared for how the process will work this semester.

Please take some time to read through the Move In Overview at this link:

https://sway.office.com/5Z6vKEReuoAUUZtu?ref=Link

It covers the Move In process step-by-step and includes details for where you should check in.

We look forward to welcoming you back to campus!

Best,

Kieran

Kieran J. Duffy ( He, Him pronouns)

Assistant Director of Residential Life

Wesleyan University

237 High Street

Middletown, CT 06459

(860) 685-3429

Pre-Arrival Checklist – Fall 2020

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The following is repost of the message sent by VP Whaley on 8/15/20.

Dear students,

We are looking forward to welcoming you back to campus.  As you know, your arrival to campus this year will be quite different than usual. In addition to packing your bags (which we’d advise keeping light), please remember to complete the following steps:

Pre-Arrival 

  • Self-quarantine during the two weeks leading up to your arrival on campus. (You should already be doing this!)
  • Complete your COVID-19 test within 72 hours of returning to campus, if possible, and upload a negative test result to the CoVerified app (more on that in a moment). If your test comes back positive, if you have symptoms, or if you have a known COVID exposure, please stay home until medically cleared.
  • Read and acknowledge the student Code of Conduct in your WesPortal. (This must be done in order to pick up the key to your campus residence). This document clearly states expectations for student conduct, and non-compliance will result in a student being immediately asked to leave campus in order to protect the health and safety of others.
  • Read and consent to participate in COVID-19 testing on campus via your WesPortal as a condition of returning to campus for the fall semester.
  • Download the CoVerified app. (You will receive an email prompting you to do so). Wesleyan will use this app to manage scheduling of COVID testing appointments on campus, deliver test results, facilitate reporting of symptoms, and enable contact tracing when cases arise.
  • Update your personal contact information and emergency contact information in WesPortal. We need to be sure that the mobile number we have on file is correct.
  • Be sure to pack your thermometer and fever-reducing medications to monitor your temperature or in case you become ill.
  • Bring your Wes ID. If you have lost your ID, email wescard@wesleyan.edu to request a reprint. The WesCard Office will have your replacement ID available with your residence keys upon your arrival.


Arrival on Campus

  • Plan to arrive on campus on your assigned day and time. We are staggering arrival days in order to minimize crowds and allow for appropriate physical distancing. Only students may enter residences during move-in.
  • Visit the COVID-19 testing site (in a tent near Fayerweather) before proceeding to your assigned residence. Every student must be tested the day they arrive on campus and again a few days later.
  • Pick up your keys from ResLife at your assigned key distribution site and move into your residence.


Arrival Quarantine Specifics

  • Wesleyan must observe a state-mandated, campus-wide quarantine between August 24 and September 7. During this period, students may only leave their residences for these purposes:
    • To pick up meals from conveniently-located sites near residences.
    • To visit the COVID testing tent.
    • To retrieve mail/packages at WesStation.
    • To go for a walk/jog (solo or with others in your family unit) outside on campus property.
    • To do laundry on campus.
    • To sit outside your residence for class.
  • Once a student receives two negative on-campus test results, students living in residence halls will be able to interact with others living on their residence hall floor or with similar-sized groups of neighbors, as designated by the Office of Residential Life, for the remainder of the quarantine period.
  • If you are coming from an affected state or from outside of the U.S. and arrive on campus after August 24, you must remain in campus quarantine for a full 14 days.
  • The first week of classes will take place virtually due to the campus-wide quarantine. Faculty members are aware that some students may need to quarantine longer, and are prepared to accommodate them.
  • The drop/add period has been extended to run from August 24 to September 11. Details are available here.

For additional information on preparing for arrival, please visit this webpage. With any additional questions, you may call (888) 675-2011 between noon and 4 p.m. EDT, or email Covid-19Info@wesleyan.edu.

 

Wishing you safe travels!

Dean Mike Whaley, Vice President for Student Affairs

Latest Vlog Post from Dr. Visalli: Returning to College During a Pandemic/ Taking Care of Your Mental Health

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As we get closer to the end of summer, many folks are making the difficult decision whether or not they will return to their University, engage in online courses remotely, or take some time off. I hope to share some tools for navigating your mental health during this difficult time, as well as NORMALIZE ALL THE FEELINGS that are coming up for you. It can feel like a whirlwind- maybe one day you feel confident, the next you feel scared and confused. As we navigate this difficult period, I hope that we can continue to find people to lean on and offer support. Check this video out for some ideas. 🙂

kvisalli@wesleyan.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Postdoctoral Fellow, Counseling and Psychological Services

Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459
P: 860-685-2910; F: 860-685-3961
Wesleyan.edu/caps

CSPL/CGST 480 Engaged Projects Info Sessions for Students – 8/3 – 8/12

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CSPL/CGST480 ENGAGED PROJECTS is a new 1-credit course in which students study a topic of their choice and produce a final project for a public audience. EPs respond to this critical moment in history by empowering students to connect their academic pursuits to what is happening in the world around them. They deepen student learning and self-reflection, ease the undeniable challenges of online learning, and introduce students to their own agency and positionality in society. Full details are at https://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli/engaged-projects.html.

There are three information sessions for students coming up:

August 3, 12-1PM Eastern Time, https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93776440979

August 6, 9-10AM Eastern Time, https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93776440979

August 12, 6-7PM Eastern Time, https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93776440979

Questions? Contact Makaela Kingsley at mjkingsley@wesleyan.edu or by appointment at http://calendly.com/mjkingsley.