Civic Engagement – Class of 2021

Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03 Social Justice Employee Recognition Award  – Nominations Due by 3/31

March 12, 2021 by tleathers

Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03 Social Justice Employee Recognition Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03 Employee Recognition Award. Eligible Wesleyan employees include custodians, dining staff, grounds crew, and building maintenance staff (e.g., electricians, plumbers). The award is to honor and thank the people whose everyday work is central to student life at Wesleyan. Nominators may submit only one person for consideration; you are welcome to nominate yourself. The winner will receive an award of $1,500.

The Peter Morgenstern-Clarren ’03 Employee Recognition Award was created in memory of Peter Morgenstern-Clarren, who pursued social justice as a student at Wesleyan.  His activism included securing benefits for Wesleyan custodial staff, participating in the United Student and Labor Action Coalition, and contributing his leadership to the campus chapter of Amnesty International.  We are grateful to Dr. Hadley Morgenstern-Clarren and The Honorable Pat Morgenstern-Clarren for their generosity in sponsoring this award that honors their son’s activism for the public good and his care for the staff community at the university.

To nominate a staff member (you may nominate yourself) for this award, please submit a letter or essay that explains how the nominee contributes positively to student life at Wesleyan. If possible, please share specific examples. Please be sure to include the nominee’s name and job on campus. The document you submit should be no longer than 750 words and may be much shorter.

Submit nominations to inclusion@wesleyan.edu by 5:00pm ET on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. ** Please use the subject line “Employee award nomination” **

If you have any questions, please contact April Ruiz, Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion, & Success at aruiz01@wesleyan.edu

MLK Celebration 2/12

February 3, 2021 by tleathers

At the start of every Spring semester we come together as a community to honor the civil rights legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s MLK Commemoration will be held on Friday, February 12th from 12:15 pm -1:15pm on Zoom. This year our keynote speaker will be Civil Rights activist, organizer, author, and educator, Ruby Sales.

Ruby Nell Sales looks at her work as a calling rather than a career. She answered the call to social justice as a teenager at Tuskegee Institute where she joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and worked on voter registration in Lowndes County, Alabama. Sales received a B.A. degree from Manhattanville College and attended graduate school at Princeton University. Sales received a Masters of Divinity degree from the Episcopal Divinity School where she was an Absalom Jones Scholar. While there, she developed a reputation as a preacher and has preached at churches and cathedrals around the nation. After divinity school, she founded and still directs a national nonprofit organization, the SpiritHouse Project (link).

This is event is sponsored by The Resource Center, Office for Equity and Inclusion, Department of African-American Studies and the Center for African-American Studies, Fries Center for Global Studies, and the Wesleyan Library. If you have any questions about the event, please donâ€™t hesitate to contact Demetrius Colvin at dcolvin@wesleyan.edu.

Wesleyan Habitat for Humanity Webinar with Phylicia Adams Tomorrow – 11/19

November 18, 2020 by tleathers

Wesleyan Habitat for Humanity is hosting another webinar on housing and community partnerships (open to anyone!) this Thursday at 6PM, EST.

https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/97884905093?pwd=N2c5bW5wUXg5N1lUUnMxcjlOWUc2Zz09

Meeting ID: 978 8490 5093
Passcode: 313869

Wesleyan Habitat for Humanities Phylicia Adams Webinar Flyer

November 16-20 is International Education Week

November 11, 2020 by tleathers

November 16-20 is International Education Week!

http://bit.ly/wesiew2020

Units and student organizations on campus have come together to organize these events before we depart for the semester!

From discussions about activism and life during a pandemic to info sessions about international fellowships and study abroad, come celebrate IEW with us!

… and if you don’t want to Zoom in from your room, come to Fisk 201 to tune into any of these events!

International Education Week 2020 Poster

Self-Care Resources for Stressful Political Times

November 2, 2020 by tleathers

This is a repost of the message sent by Johanna DeBari on 11/2.

Hi Everyone,

I gathered a few self-care resources surrounding coping through stressful political times, and posted them on the SHAPE Office’s blog. Thought I would share here too in case anyone was interested.

https://shape.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2020/11/02/seeking-nourishment-self-care-surrounding-the-election/

Sending light and positive energy your way!

Take care,
Johanna DeBari

Election Day Reminders for Tomorrow – 11/3

November 2, 2020 by tleathers

This is a repost of the message sent to the campus community on 11/2.

To the campus community:

We write with a few important reminders for Election Day tomorrow.

Voting Locations and Hours

Voting will take place between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. in Wesleyan’s Beckham Hall in Fayerweather (55 Wyllys Ave.). Most students and Middletown residents registered in Voting District 14 may vote there. If you have not yet registered, you can both register and vote at the Election Day Registration tent behind Freeman Athletic Center, open during the same hours.

Masks and social distancing will be required at both locations, and everywhere on campus. Signage will be posted to remind everyone of Wesleyan’s COVID safety protocols.

More information is available on the Jewett Center for Community Partnership’s website.

Parking

E Lot overflow (small lot) will be reserved for voters. E Lot (large lot) will be reserved for staff at the COVID testing tent as well as any employees who are driving in for a test. Employees (including workers in Usdan) should leave the lot when they are done testing and park elsewhere for the day. Both E lots will be closed for general parking.

Events

Students are invited to an In-Person, Pre-Election Fireside Chat and S’Mores tonight at 7 and 8 p.m. (RSVP required). On Election Night, all students are invited to drop in to a casual Election Night watch party on Zoom (Meeting ID: 984 2122 0573, Passcode: E2020) hosted by the Wesleyan Democrats student group.

Make a plan, and vote!

In-Person Pre-Election Fireside Chat & S’mores Tomorrow – 11/3

November 2, 2020 by tleathers

Fireside Chat and Smores on Election Day Flyer

In-person, Pre-Election Fireside Chat & S’mores

Monday, November 2 | 7 pm

Fire is a place for warmth, survival, and renewal. We’re living in tumultuous times: join a caring community of your fellow students to find solace around the fire. Get ready to socialize and make s’mores with your Wesleyan peers. Come with your friends or make new ones there!

RSVP, masks, and social distancing all required.

RSVP HERE for in person

Remote student? Click HERE for more information.

Facilitated by ORSL, and student leaders in collaboration with other campus departments

For more info contact Megan Perkins’23 mperkins@wesleyan.edu

The Lesser of Two Evils?: Survivor Solidarity and Voting Choice – 10/17

October 13, 2020 by tleathers

The Lesser of Two Evils?: A Conversation on Voting and Survivor Solidarity in the 2020 Elections

Join The Resource Center and the SHAPE Office to reflect on some tough conversations surrounding the 2020 ELECTIONS. On Zoom 2-3pm on October 17th (Facebook link, zoom link)!

This event is a discussion space to think about survivor solidarity and self-care in an election cycle where both presidential candidates have been accused of sexual assault and violence. Making the decision of voting / who to vote for / not voting at all is one that can be tough and triggering for survivors. This discussion-based event (guided by questions) will give people the tools to talk and think about these tough decisions and plan out care plans, for themselves and their loved ones. We will also be discussing what survivor support and survivorhood means to us and how that shapes our experiences. In the end, we hope to hold space for participants who might need to chat after what might be a very reflective discussion.

The event may touch on some triggering topics and to make the space and experience as comfortable as possible, some rules are:

1. Cameras don’t need to be on. people can take a break if/when they need. anyone can leave the zoom meeting whenever they like and will be let back in at any time.
2. Respect the confidentiality and vulnerability of participants. what is spoken about in the zoom meeting stays there.
3. Resources will be provided in the chat for survivor support groups, crisis hotlines, self-care tips, and other info.
4. This is not a space to place blame or judgement. goal of this event isn’t to feel validated, it is to feel comfortable and gather tools to make the decision.
5. Trigger warnings will be provided when discussing the accusations.
6. Respect different experiences and perspectives
7. There will be a chance for participants to chat with someone after the event to ask for support in any way or talk through discomfort they might be feeling (as mentioned above).

THE ZOOM LINK (2-3pm Oct 17th): https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/91003710354

For further concerns and/or questions, email:
jmehta@wesleyan.edu (Host & Social/Political Activism Intern at the Resource Center)
dcolvin@wesleyan.edu (Director of the Resource Center)

Wes Habitat for Humanity Affordable Housing Webinar – 10/8

October 4, 2020 by tleathers

Wesleyan Habitat for Humanity will be hosting a webinar with guest speaker and Wesleyan alum, Shola Olatoye ’96, on Thursday, October 8th at 7 PM via Zoom. She will be discussing public service careers, her path working in affordable housing, and the effect of the pandemic on affordable housing. It is open to everyone, the Wesleyan community and beyond!

Zoom Info:

https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/98222019345?pwd=ZUNpajhXQnkxWm4zdkJsWTA4a1JBZz09

Meeting ID: 982 2201 9345

Passcode: 710116

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/affordable-housing-webinar-tickets-123526782933

Wes Habitat for Humanities Housing in a Pandemic Webinar Flyer

Post Presidential-Debate Discussion, Tomorrow! – 9/29

September 28, 2020 by tleathers

Flyer for Post Presidential Debate Discussion on 9/29

Wesleyan students are invited to join Government Professors Logan Dancey and Alyx Mark for a post-debate discussion following the first presidential debate on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The event will start at 10:30 p.m. et (immediately following the debate) on Zoom and conclude by 11:30 p.m. You can join the discussion via this link: http://bit.ly/wes_postdebate. You will need to sign in through your Single Sign On to join the meeting.

The event is meant as an opportunity for students to engage in a dialogue with one another about the debate. Professors Dancey and Mark will pose some initial discussion questions and help facilitate the conversation.

The discussion is sponsored by the Allbritton Center and is part of the Commission on Presidential Debate’s DebateWatch initiative and Wesleyan’s E2020 initiative.