Homecoming / Family Weekend

Homecoming / Family Weekend starts today.

Check out the load of stuff happening and find something interesting to do over the next few days.

Highlights from this year's weekend include:

20 WESeminars featuring alumni, parents, faculty, staff and students. Topics range from the 2008 presidential election to climate change, from writing thrillers to tackling the New York Times crossword puzzle. All WESeminars are free and open to everyone, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wesleyan Football, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, and Field Hockey vs. Amherst, plus Men’s and Women’s Rugby matches.

The Eighth Annual Taste of Middlesex County Lunch where Andrus Field becomes a showcase of the delicious, diverse food in the Middletown area. Enjoy Indian, Jamaican, Thai and Italian cuisines, plus soups, sandwiches, homemade desserts and more.

The 16th Annual Dwight L. Greene ‘70 Symposium: “Enough: The Future of Black America” featuring NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams.

A benefit concert for the Green Street Arts Center featuring Wesleyan A Cappella groups.

from the Wesleyan Connection

Weather seems to be looking better than last years.

Magic: The Gathering event this weekend

Jared Gimbel '11, president of Pentagon, Wesleyan's society of Magic: The Gathering players, writes:

We've had a number of successful events recently, most notably one to celebrate the release of the new expansion Shards of Alara. We still have 24 spare boosters, so if you missed the original release events, contact me at jgimbel@wes to participate in the post-release—or, if you just want to know more about events or become a member.

It will be lots of fun! Remember those wonderful sets of "Invasion" and "Ravnica: City of Guilds"? "Shards of Alara" is going to be like that! It's free, and you don't need any cards to participate.

Also from the Pentagon corner is our Homecoming Game! At 12:00 noon this Sunday in the Butt C lounge! Bring whatever decks you like (or speak to me to get one, if you don't have one), bring your friends, siblings, and rabid badgers and enjoy as we have a magical experience of mythic proportions!

Date: Sunday, Oct. 19
Time: 12:00 PM
Place: Butt C lounge

Students Build Audubon Bird-Watching Platform

Students in Professor Elijah Huge's Architecture II class last semester were commissioned by the Mattabeseck Audubon Society to design and build this split-level bird-viewing platform over a former cranberry bog in the Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary in Portland, CT.

“We had been struggling with a way to provide an optimal experience at our sanctuary, especially since a colony of beavers had changed the site to such a degree that access was a serious challenge,” says Mattabeseck Audubon Society President Alison Guinness.

“This also became the challenge for Elijah Huge and his students, who have not only created a sustainable project but put in long hours under adverse conditions. When other students were enjoying the spring season, the architecture class was knee deep in mud and water, swatting mosquitoes, and dripping with sweat or rain. We were impressed by their architectural skills, professionalism and dedication to the project, and we are very grateful that our sanctuary is once again available for a unique environmental experience.”

It's called "SplitFrame", and there will be a reception for the project this weekend at the sanctuary if you are interested in the prospect of viewing such local birds as "Redwing Blackbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Hooded Mergansers, and the occasional Great Blue Heron."

Read more about the project at the Wesleyan Connection.

SplitFrame Reception
Date: Sunday, October 19
Time: 2 pm
Place: Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary (directions here)