Accessibility Q&A

This event is for anyone who is curious about learning about a resource that can potentially help with your journey at Wesleyan! 

Curious about accessibility services? Want to learn about the accommodation process? Do you want to learn how to support your peers? 

Come learn about the accessibility and accommodation process with the Student Accessibility Interns on September 29th at 4:30-5:30 pm at Usdan 136. A peer advisor and peer technology specialist will be at the event if you have questions about accessibility that they can help with. This event is for the purpose of helping understand the accommodation process and is open to anyone who is interested in learning. Come learn for yourself, learn to support a friend or a classmate, learn to advocate for fair accommodations, or just meet us! There will be resources available at the event to grab. Feel free to come and go at any time! SNACKS PROVIDED!

Upcoming CAPS Workshops & Groups

Lots of opportunities to connect with the supportive team at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)!

  • Making Connections: Thursdays (9/15, 9/22, 9/29); 12pm – 1:30pm; Resource Center
  • Attuned Eating: Tuesdays (starting 9/27 for 4 weeks); 4:15pm – 4:45pm; CAPS Solarium
  • Healing Connections: Wednesdays; 12-1pm; WesWell 2nd Floor
  • Rewrite Your Narrative: Mondays (10/3, 10/10, 10/17); 5:15pm – 6:30pm; Downey Room 100
  • Slow Stitch: Mondays (9/26 – 11/14); 12:15-pm; WesWell 2nd Floor
  • Sleep 101: Thursday 10/20; 4:15-5:00pm; Usdan 114
  • Understanding Self and Others for Gender Diverse Folx: Wednesdays at 5pm; CAPS Solarium
  • Understanding Self and Others for Women: Thursdays at 5:30pm; Downey House 100
  • Understanding Self and Others for Men: Thursdays at 4:30pm; Downey House 100

Class of 2025 – First Week of Classes

Greetings, Members of the Class of 2025!

My hope is that your first week of classes has been enjoyable and you are excited for the remainder of the semester. As many of you recall from last year, I often send emails with information I believe you will find important (similar to the email I sent last week welcoming you back to campus).

Last year I sent weekly communications; however, during your sophomore year, I will send less frequent emails. You have completed at least one semester navigating Wesleyan and/or the college experience, so I do not want to crowd your inbox with the same type of content shared last year. This is not to say you won’t still need assistance from me or others on campus. In fact, the sophomore year may create even more questions than you’ve asked before; however, I imagine your questions will be more focused on your academic and personal goals. For these types of questions, please schedule a meeting with me or your liberal arts advisor. Additionally, our Academic Peer Advisors are a great resource for conversation.

I want to share with you the link to our university’s academic calendar which outlines important dates for you to mark down (e.g.: drop/add ends 9/16; grading mode deadline closes 9/30, etc.). The Student Academic Resources office created a nicely organized calendar you can download here. You can also access an electronic version you can import into your google calendar here (select ‘add the dates to your Google Calendar’ on the bottom right side of the webpage). If you wish to pick up a physical copy of this calendar, please stop by my office.

Sending you lots of luck as you get settled into the routines of this semester.

Take care! Dean Dunn

August Reflection

Happy First Day of August, members of the Class of 2025!

My hope is that you are enjoying summer and getting excited to return to campus this fall. I’ve conversed recently with some of your peers about major declaration and career trajectory. If you are a student who knows exactly what you want to major in and what you want to do for a career when you graduate, that’s great! If you are a student who has no idea what you want to major in or what you want to do for a career, that’s great too! Wesleyan’s open-curriculum encourages you to explore courses in many disciplines; this course exploration can often lead students to their passion.

Reflection is an important part of any journey, so I share some questions below you may want to consider now before the hustle and bustle of the fall semester. These questions are intended to evoke personal reflection as you progress through Wesleyan. There are no right or wrong answers; however, take stock of your feelings as you navigate these questions.

Sophomore year can be both exciting and overwhelming as you approach major declaration. I encourage you to share your thoughts with those in available support networks – this may include me, your pre-major liberal arts advisor, a faculty mentor, one of our Academic Peer Advisors, your friends and/or your family.

  1. In what ways have you grown intellectually over the last 12 months?
  2. What are your academic strengths?
  3. Which classes have been most challenging, and how did you handle those challenges?
  4. Are you comfortable sharing your thoughts and ideas with peers in class?
  5. Have you taken advantage of opportunities to learn outside the classroom? What are some examples of this?
  6. Is there a topic on which you might like to do research? How did you become interested in this topic?
  7. What campus resources can you use to navigate the topics addressed in these reflection questions?

If you’d like to chat about these questions with me, I welcome it! Please schedule a zoom meeting with me here to chat more.

Sending you good vibes as we close out the summer – take care! Dean Dunn

Questions borrowed from NACADA, the global community for academic advising.

Resource Center Summer Hours

The Resource Center (RC) will host summer hours of operation from 12noon-6pm Monday-Friday for students to pick up products from the pantry, use the library, and print as necessary. Community members are encouraged to drop off unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable food items (ramen, pasta kits, etc.) in the RC living room any time that we are open.

Please contact Demetrius Colvin at dcolvin@wesleyan.edu if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for community engagement on which you would like to collaborate. 

Summer Session at Wes

Summer session registration is underway for Summer Session I and II. Summer Session I will run Wednesday May 25 – Tuesday June 21, 2022 (exams June 22-23). Summer Session II will run Monday June 27 – Monday July 25, 2022 (exams July 26-27).

There are still seats available in certain classes including classes that often have waitlists during the academic year. Some examples include:

PSYC105Z Foundations of Psychology

QAC201Z Applied Data Analysis

FILM458Z Screenwriting: Short Film

IDEA185Z Digital Media and Design I

The full course list is on WesMaps and the Summer Session website. Register via WesPortal – the Summer form is in the Courses section. Email summer@wesleyan.edu for more information.

Final Weekly Roundup Email for the 2021-2022 Academic Year

Good morning, Class of 2025 –

I hope this weekly email finds you well. If you can believe it, there are only 6 more days until the last day of classes! For many of us, this year has been filled with lots of excitement and challenges. I am confident you will continue to experience this fluctuation as you progress through your Wesleyan career; however, my hope is that you are now more aware of resources that can help you during any part of your time here at Wesleyan.

Some upcoming dates and/or events that may be of interest to you:

  • Wellness Resources: End of the semester can cause stress as due dates quickly approach. Make yourself aware of both in and out-of-the-classroom resources to finish the semester strong. This includes but is not limited to meeting with your professors, talking with your course assistants, scheduling an appointment with an Academic Peer Advisor, reviewing resources offered through Student Academic Resources (SAR), meeting with me, visiting CAPS, WesWell and/or the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. If you need assistance navigating resources, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
  • Wes Day (5/5 from 12pm – 5pm): WesDay is a great opportunity to interact with the entire campus community. In addition to free carnival food, we’ll enjoy carnival rides, games, music, therapy dogs, wellness activities and novelties such as stuff-a-bear and pot your own succulent plant. Fried dough, popcorn, ice cream, and cotton candy provided at no charge to the first 1500 attendees. Food Trucks include Los Mariachi’s, Jackie’s Pizza the Pie, and Fryborg. Food truck tickets must be purchased at the Box Office in Usdan for $5 before the event and $10 on the day of the event. More info on Wes Day as well as other end of the year events can be found on WesNest on WesPortal.

You have what it takes to finish this semester strong. Pushing yourself to be successful academically does not have to happen alone. Take stock of the resources shared with you on this weekly email and think about what resources you used this year that worked to your advantage. If you didn’t use any resources, think about ways in which you can utilize resources in the future to get even more out of your courses.

You should be proud of how far you’ve come as you complete your first year of study at Wesleyan. I look forward to supporting you as you continue on this journey. If you’re up to it, feel free to send me an email sharing with me your favorite part about your first year at Wesleyan. I’d be delighted to celebrate with you all of your wins and successes this year.

Take care! Dean Dunn

Alumni Panel with Wesleyan Waston Fellows

The Watson Fellowship provides $36,000 plus support toward health coverage and student loan payments for fellows to undertake an independent project during a full year spent outside the US.

Join us Thursday 4/28 at 1:30pm on Zoom to hear about the Watson Fellowships from Wesleyan graduates who’ve completed their Watson year. Hear about their travels, get inspired about what you might do, and ask questions! Register here (bit.ly/390znZ2)

Wesleyan students are only eligible to apply for the Watson Fellowship in the fall of their senior year, so if you’re in the Class of 2023, now is the time to learn about the Watson Fellowship (If you’re in 2024 or 2025, you’re welcome to come hear about this opportunity and think ahead).

Questions can be directed to fellowships@wesleyan.edu.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Have you thought about applying for a Fulbright? Through the Fulbright U.S. Student program, U.S. citizens who hold a bachelors or Masters degree can travel to 140+ countries to undertake a graduate degree program, conduct independent research, pursue a creative or performing arts project, or teach English abroad.

The final Fulbright Info Session of Spring 2022 is coming up on Wednesday, April 27 at 12:15-1:15pm at the Career Center in Boger Hall. 

At this event, a general introduction to the program will be followed by advice and insight from students from Class of 2022 who have just recently been named English Teaching Assistants. They will offer tips on the application process for those who are planning an application for the September 2022 deadline.

The info session is open to all class years (it’s never too early to get inspired!) and we will serve pizza for lunch.

Any questions can be directed to Erica Kowsz at fellowships@wesleyan.edu.