2017’ers–
WE’RE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!
WELCOME AND ENJOY ORIENTATION!!
Dean Brown
on behalf of Student Affairs
New Course this Fall: DANC374: Blood, Muscle, Bone: The Anatomy of Wealth and Poverty
This fall, choreographers Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Liz Lerman combine their artistic methods to teach students interested in bridging academic and artistic research in DANC374: Blood, Muscle, Bone: The Anatomy of Wealth and Poverty. Zollar and Lerman are asking new questions about how these conditions are defined and will explore issues surrounding wealth disparity and its impact on the body. This course is multi-disciplinary and will culminate in a performance-based teach-in. Guest faculty include: Bill Arsenio, professor of Psychology, Yeshiva University; Lois Brown, professor of African American Studies and English; and Wendy Rayack, associate professor of Economics.
Non-traditional course consisting of three weekend intensives. No dance experience required. Contact eroosbrown@wesleyan.edu for PIO details
Non-traditional course consisting of three weekend intensives. No dance experience required. Contact eroosbrown@wesleyan.edu for PIO details.
Class on Mindfulness offered by ORSL: A Resource for Students
Join this “Wesleyanized” MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) class. The next 6 week class will start on 9/30 and continue for 6 Mondays from 6-8pm. You can find more info at the link below.
Students can apply at:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/orsl/jewish/PMW.html
If you have any questions, please contact Rabbi David at dleipziger@wesleyan.edu.
ENGL150–Second Section Added
Professor Sean McCann would like you to know that a second section of
the FYS ENGL 150—American Crazy: Five Myths of Extremism, Violence, and National Identity– has been added to WesMaps. The seminar will look at five prominent cultural explanations for the high rates of personal violence in American history. We’ll read some classic works of American literature and related texts, and students will conduct an independent research project. The course will be writing intensive.
Note from Dean Brown
Hey 2017’ers,
Welcome and Orientation:
I hope this note finds you as excited about coming to Wes as we are about your arrival! The orientation interns and Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development have organized a great orientation that will introduce you to Wesleyan’s academic and community expectations and values, and give you the opportunity to connect with other students in the class. You will be meeting with your faculty advisor to discuss your plan of study and course selections, and be able to meet with a peer advisor who can help with questions in preparation for those meetings. The First Year Matters program and its theme of access is thought-provoking, so I hope you have done the readings and will bring an open mind and questions to your seminar and the Common Moment. You should take advantage of everything that the orientation and extended orientation program offers.
Matters of Business:
ASAS & ASRE: If you have NOT submitted your Academic Skills Assessment Survey, please do so to avoid having to do it when you check in at registration. Thanks to all those who have written in; if you submitted the survey already, then you’re all set. Make sure that you also have done your Academic Self-Reflection Essay.
LANGUAGE/MATH PLACEMENT EXAMS: Language and math placement exams are required to move forward with those courses and the latter is required for those interested in ECON110, so make sure you do them, if you have NOT already.
I.D. PHOTO: If you have NOT sent in a photo for your Wes I.D., please upload it immediately to “WesCard Photo” in your portfolio (under Orientation News and Checklist). Also check a meal plan. Otherwise, you will not be able to eat or get into your residential hall. Problem!
I-9: Make sure to bring the appropriate documentation for the I-9 that ALL students need to complete, regardless of whether they plan to work on campus. Appropriate documentation is a 1) valid passport OR 2) social security card & driver’s license OR 3) driver’s license & birth certificate—original documents only.
Getting Involved:
2017 Class Council: Be the ones to organize for the Class of 2017. The 2013 Class Council brought their class together with, among other things, the sophomore Fallapalooza, an end-of-the-semester junior Cinco de Mayo dinner, the Senior Barbecue with bands, and an annual dodgeball tournament for all the classes that raised $$ for a charity of the council’s choice. Let me know if you’re interested in doing this kind of thing for the 2017’ers.
Community Engagement and Student Activities Fairs: Learn about the different ways to volunteer for community groups in Middletown on Wed., Sept. 11 and the many different WSA student groups on Fri., Sept. 13, and make sure to get involved in at least one activity/group. There are a ton from which to choose. It’s a great way to pursue your interests, meet people, make connections, and hone different skills.
The Connections Program:
Soon you will receive an invitation to join this network that connects you with a faculty or staff mentor and an upper-level student so that you have an “in” to the Wes community and people to help you navigate your way around. Definitely something to check out.
The Class Blog:
While email is the official mode of communication (so check your email daily), I will also communicate with you through the Class of 2017 blog— www.classof2017.blogs.wesleyan.edu . You can also send me announcements about events and I would be happy to post them.
In Closing…:
I truly look forward to meeting and working with each one of you over your next four years at Wes. As your class dean, I am here to support your academic success and intellectual development as well as to help you work out situations that get in the way of that success, whether they be academic, personal or social. If I cannot help you directly, I will connect you with someone who can. Wesleyan has an array of resources for this very reason. You are joining a wonderful community and as a member of that community now, you will enhance it by your participation in the classroom, in the labs, in the studios, on the fields, and in the community. There are many interesting and challenging opportunities ahead of you over the next four years, so get ready for a great ride!
Best, Dean Brown
Faculty/Student Handbook
Check out the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook. The Handbook is designed to help you achieve your educational goals by providing advice on how to get the most out of your relationship with your faculty advisor as you build your program of study over the course of your Wesleyan career. The Handbook also provides information about academic departments and programs, academic regulations and graduation requirements, study abroad, the major declaration process, academic support services for students, and the procedures of the Honor Board and the Student Judicial Board. It is important that you know all this when you start Wesleyan!
First-Year Seminars — Writing Intensive
To Members of the Class of 2017,
This year, Wesleyan has greatly increased the number of first-year writing seminars (FYS) for its first-year class. These classes will introduce students to a variety of topics ranging from volcanoes to music in downtown NYC. Some of these classes are quite focused; others provide a sweeping introduction into an interdisciplinary area of study that may be new to first-year students (e.g., Environment and Society in Africa). All of these classes, however, will emphasize the importance of writing at the university level.
These classes have been designed with you in mind. Students in first year seminars will become familiar 
with the methods used to collect, interpret, analyze, and present evidence as part of a scholarly argument. Faculty teaching these classes will also highlight the type of writing associated with their respective disciplines, and help students develop, compose, organize, and revise their writing. All first-year seminars will have assignments totaling at least 20 pages, and will feature oral or written feedback on student writing; many will also employ peer-mentoring and writing tutors. FYSs are limited to 15 students.
FYS classes can be found at: https://iasext.wesleyan.edu/regpro/!wesmaps_page.html?crse_list=FYS&term=1139&offered=Y#fall
Some new ones will soon be added, so you may want to check on the list from time to time. There are also other first-year seminars and gateway courses offered, so you have a wide range of classes from which to choose.
Sincerely,
Professor Andrew Curran, Dean for the Humanities and Arts and Coordinator for the FYSs