First Year Matters (FYM)

Weekly Roundup – 2.15.22

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Happy Tuesday, Class of 2025!

Here is a weekly roundup of some upcoming dates and/or events that may be of interest to you:

  • Grading Mode Option:  The deadline to choose grading mode option (for courses that have the student option) is Wednesday, 2/23 at 5:00pm EST. Please remember that selecting a specific type of grading mode is about determining your strategy early on in the semester for how you wish to approach a course. Take stock of the assignments completed in the course so far; comparing the effort you’ve put into these assignments and the feedback returned to you can provide some good insight into determining if A-F or CR/U is the best approach for you in a particular course.
  • First Things First: Spring 2022 programs for our FGLI population are here – be sure to view the flyer (here) to get more details on upcoming events. The Resource Center is also seeking applications for Summer 2022 First Things First (FTF) interns. Learn more about the job description on Handshake. Applications are due 2/17.
  • Metacognition Workshops: Every Wed from 6-7pm in Usdan 108, staff and faculty lead workshops to help students discover new approaches to studying and learning (flyer here). These workshops are open to all and attendance is highly encouraged for students seeking a STEM major. Feel free to grab dinner and head to the workshop with friends or attend solo and meet other students like you who wish to maximize their academics while at Wesleyan.
  • Clubs and Organizations: There is so much to do on campus! The COVID alert level has dropped to green with some relaxed restrictions due in large part to the great work you are doing keeping our community safe – with more relaxed restrictions, you can find all sorts of programs and events hosted by our clubs and organizations as well as our Student Involvement staff. Check out WesNest today to learn more about upcoming opportunities. 

Have a wonderful rest of your week – stay warm out there!

Dean Dunn 

First Things First

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No matter whether you participated in First Things First Pre-Orientation, we invite FGLI students from all class years to come together for the First Things First: Next Steps series!

Our next session, Fresh Start, is TODAY, MONDAY (February 14th) from 4:30-5:30pm in The Resource Center! Did Fall term not unfold as gracefully as you hoped? Are you hoping to “get on track” for Spring? We will reflect on how to carry forward lessons from last semester, and how to build on these in ways that serve us and show ourselves care in the months ahead. We will review resources we vaguely remember hearing about once upon a time, and we will discuss how to move into 2022 with a sense of positive possibility. A fresh start.

Join us for conversation, reflection, information, and validation. And for snacks. There are always snacks.  Full series schedule below! Put them all in your calendar!

The Resource Center Spring Hours

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The Resource Center’s (website link, facebook link, instagram link) Spring 2022 hours begin on Monday, January 31st. 

Mon-Thurs (10:30am-9:30pm)

Fri (10:30am-6:30pm)

Sun (12:30pm-9:30pm)

We are located at 167 High Street (on the corner of Church and High Street across from 200 Church and Star and Crescent). The Resource Center (RC) was created to support, empower, and engage students with underrepresented identities at Wesleyan University.

The areas of focus for the center include promoting dialogue and coalition building around the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, sexuality, sustainability, spirituality, and social and political activism.  We have homey study spaces, an awesome computer lab with free printing, the best kitchen and pantry on campus with free coffee, tea, and ramen, and a dynamic group of student leaders who make the RC operate, live, and breathe- so please stop by and be part of the community!

Green flyer that lists Resource Center Hours (also included in text above flyer).

First Year Matters Common Reading “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together”

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Dear New Students,

Each year the First Year Matters (FYM) Committee selects a common reading for the incoming class as an intellectual introduction to Wesleyan. Last fall we solicited from the community, texts and other media addressing the issues of race, ethnicity, or nationality. I’m pleased to announce that the committee has unanimously selected The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. McGhee is a Distinguished Senior Fellow and immediate past president at Demos, a non-profit progressive US think tank.

Intertwined with poignant personal stories, and meaningful conversations with Americans from across the United States, “The Sum of Us” offers a wide-ranging perspective about economic and sociological issues and how money influences policy making in Washington. “McGhee examines the role that greed and racism play as it relates to the zero-sum game paradigm—the idea that progress for some comes at the expense of others” (Random House). From the diminished stature of unions to the inability of the wealthiest nation on earth to embrace universal healthcare, McGhee explains that ultimately the “solidarity dividend”—the gains that are realized when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own—is one surefire way to move us forward…together.

You will receive the ebook through your portfolio in the coming weeks as well as your first assignment–4 questions that you are required to answer. The Common Reading response is designed as a tool for you to begin articulating your synthesis of the book and will be made available to the faculty, staff, and student leaders that will be leading the group discussions during orientation. The submission deadline for the Common Reading responses is 5:00 pm on Friday, August 20. You will need to read the book and submit your response by this date in order to be fully prepared to engage with the material and get the most out of orientation.

If you have any questions, please be in touch with Tanesha Leathers, Dean for the Class of 2025, via classdean2025@wesleyan.edu or the Orientation Interns via orientation@wesleyan.edu. We hope that you enjoy this summer “reading” and we very much look forward to discussing the film with you. We are thrilled that you will be joining this wonderful community.

Sincerely,

Nicole Stanton
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Kevin M. Butler
Assistant Dean & Common Reading Chair

Directions for Accessing the FYM Common Reading, “The Sum of Us”

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Here are the directions for accessing The Sum of Us:

  • Redeem through Google Play – visit help center for more info
    • Once redeemed, the book will appear in the Google Play account for that End User
  • End User will need a Google account (Google.com, Gmail.com, YouTube.com, etc.)
  • Once redeemed, user must be logged into Google Play with the same email they used to redeem the book (check icon on top right  to toggle between accounts if needed)

Please don’t hesitate to contact classdean2025@wesleyan.edu if you continue having difficulty.