Yo Sophomores! Declare Your Future!

As most of you know, major declaration has begun and ends March 6th. So as you contemplate your future, your friendly Peer Advisors of the SARN has compiled a few resources that can help you decide. Dean Garrett, 2011 Class Dean, will offer his advice, the CRC will have info on possible careers, and there will be a instructions on how to add a major online. Snacks will be served as you ponder whether Econ or Religion is your calling.

What: Major Declaration Workshop
When: Sunday, February 22nd 7-8 PM
Where: Usdan Multi-purpose Room (Basement)

VDay Lecture and Dinner at Buddhist House

"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" is a celebration of love
in all its forms. Professor Jan Willis, Bill Johnston, Chaplain Hal Weidner and three
students will be presenting on love in different spiritual practices.

Yummy free dinner from Udupi to follow. We will set aside our individual religious
identities and join together in the common experience of loving and eating.

What? Lecture About Love, Dinner
When? Saturday, February 14th 4:30
Where? Buddhist House (356 Washington)

Career advice, free food, microfinance panel

The Community Advisors from the CRC are hosting two programs this Friday, Dec. 5.

Are you stressed out by the former (the future) and relieved by the latter (free food)? Come to the CRC to simultaneously start/continue planning your life after Wesleyan and eat free food from Sweet Harmony! There will be time to meet with CRC counselors for fifteen minutes: you can meet one on one or in groups of two or three. You can get your resume and coverletter checked. There will also be counselors answering questions in the main area. Finally, there will be
mini-talks at 12:15, 1:15, and 2:15 concerning major concerns (the state of the economy, for example).

Date: Friday, Dec. 5
Time: 12:00 – 3:00 PM
Place: Career Resource Center

Microfinance panel discussion: The panel is being co-sponsored by the Career Resource Center and the student group IMPACT (Integrity and Mobility for the Poor through Access to Capital today). The panel will host a discussion between 3 experts on the theme, 'Microfinance and the empowerment of women'. We have decided to focus the panel discussion on women as they are the targets of many microfinance programs and thought to be a agents of sustainable development. The panel will be followed by dinner from Tandoor and discussion.

Date: Friday, Dec. 5
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Place: PAC 001

Queer Safer Sex workshop on Thursday

Zak Kirwood '12 writes to let us know that there will be a Queer Safer Sex workshop on Thursday.

It'll be facilitated by Planned Parenthood community educator T. R. Richardson, who I happen to know is extremely groovy and exciting. From what I know, she runs the workshop based on the interests of the group. There will be Thai food.

Zak also shares a fun fact: apparently, the penis shoots semen at 25 mph! Buckle your seatbelts, sexually active readers!

Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Time: 6:00 PM
Place: Usdan 110

EON Week

EON has put together a week of events/activities because, well, we did some stuff this semester and we wanted you to know about it! Here's what we have planned:

Waste Awareness: Trayless Week at Usdan
ALL WEEK, 12/1-12/6 [EDIT: probably not happening Monday, but look for it sometime later in the week]
lunch and dinner, Usdan Marketplace
Currently, we throw away 150 lbs of food waste every day at lunch. Food waste will be collected and measured at each meal during the week of 12/1-12/6. Let’s see how much waste we can reduce by not using trays! *trays will be available for those who absolutely require them.

Film Series: Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest
TUESDAY, 12/2, 8 pm
PAC 002
Fern Gully is a childhood classic not to miss. With such talent as Tim Curry, Robin Williams, and Christian Slater, Fern Gully just might be the cutest and most hilarious representation of deforestation and pollution out there.

Film Series: Double Feature: “Is God Green?” And “Gimme Green”
WEDNESDAY, 12/3, 8 pm
PAC 002
“Is God Green?” is part of the PBS series Moyers on America. It “explores how a serious split among conservative evangelicals over the environment and global warming could reshape American politics.”
“Gimme Green” is a short documentary “that examines the American obsession with the residential lawn.”

What is Sustainability at Wesleyan? Dinner and Discussion
TUESDAY, 12/2, 5:30 pm
Usdan 108
A dinner and conversation about the current state and future of sustainability efforts at Wesleyan. Bill Nelligan, Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability will give a presentation on Wesleyan’s Green House Gas Report. Discussion and brainstorm to follow.

Flower installation in Usdan
THURSDAY, 12/4
lunch and dinner, Usdan ground level table
Learn about a proposal we’re writing to replace grassy areas on campus with native plants.

Pi Café cups interactive art installation
SUNDAY, 12/7
afternoon, Pi Café
Experience how many cups we use each week at Pi Café. Reusable mugs will be available and there will be a discount for those who purchase drinks with a reusable mug.

We hope to see you there! Feel free to email weseon at gmail with questions, etc.

EDIT (Ben, 5:26): Fixed Monday and Tuesday dates.
EDIT (Alex, 6:50): Fixed dates again, because I put them in wrong in the first place, and added locations for the movies, because I forgot those, too. Oooopsies.

"Sand and Sorrow" Screening

Come see Sand and Sorrow, a film about the conflict in Sudan and the genocide in Darfur, directed by Paul Freedman and narrated by George Clooney.
The movie will be followed by a discussion with members of WeSTAND, baked goods will be provided for FREE!

Date: Thursday, November 20
Time: 7 pm
Place: Shanklin 107

Election Night Extravaganza at Usdan

The creatively-named Election Night Extravaganza, hosted by the administrators of Usdan, the WSA, UCAB, and Bon Appétit, will be happening tomorrow night.

Swing by Usdan starting at 7:00 PM and you'll find three "giant-screen" TVs, along with several less-than-giant-screen TVs, tuned to the various news networks. Watch the votes (for Obama, for McCain) roll in and indulge in free food, hot chocolate, and hot cider. Bon Appétit will also present a special Late Night menu for the event.

Asst. Professor of Government and blogger Elvin Lim will also be giving a talk about the election, at Usdan, at around 10:00 PM.

Arabic Night, with food and music

Satrio Wicaksono '10 writes:

Turath House and the Arabic Language Program are cosponsoring Arabic Night. We will serve lots of pita bread and hummus, Tunisian tagine, Arabian coffee, and shisha! You can also sing and dance along with some Middle Eastern tunes. Come, it’s free!

Date: Saturday, Nov. 1
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Place: 47 Brainard

Watch "Gremlins" This Friday Courtesy of the UCAB

The Usdan Center Activities Board will host a screening of Gremlins this Halloween night. In addition to the screening, the UCAB will provide food, drinks and even prizes! They will also host a raffle, so dress up and bring your Halloween spirit!

Date: Friday, October 31st HALLOWEEN 
Time: 7 pm 
Place: Beckham Hall, Fayerweather FREE 

Oktoberfest at German Haus

David Zhu '09 writes:

German Haus will be hosting Oktoberfest. There will be home-cooked wurst, pretzels, sauerkraut, and various beverages... and we'll be playing German music.

More information is available on Facebook.

Date: Thursday, Oct. 30
Time: 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Place: German Haus (135 High)

Remember the "freshman 15"?

The Freshman 15 Research Group is looking for volunteers--both freshmen and seniors. Ellie Healy '10 writes:

Please come participate in our focus groups for our research project!! We are a group of students studying opinions and facts about the freshman 15. We would love for you to participate in a non-invasive discussion about your feelings on the freshman 15 and how the freshman 15 has influenced, if at all, your college experience.

Please come participate! Our focus groups will be held in the psychology lounge of Judd Hall. Baked goods will be provided!!!

Dates and times are as follows:

Freshman women: Thursday, Oct. 30, 5:00-6:00 PM

Freshman men: Sunday, Nov. 2, 1:30-2:30 PM; Wednesday, Nov. 5, 5:00-6:00 PM

Senior women: Thursday, Nov. 4, 5:00-6:00 PM

Senior men: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8:00-9:00 PM; Sunday, Nov. 2, 1:30-2:30 PM

Contact Ellie (ehealy@wes) or Katie Grogan '09 (kgrogan@wes) if you're interested.

Film Hall Screenplay Session

Share screenplays at Film Hall:

Screenplay Writing Session!!!

Film Hall and Film Co-op are sponsoring a screenplay session where people are free to come and get their screenplays peer-edited, learn about screenplay formatting, brainstorm ideas, or just talk about film (It's a great place to get ideas or edit a screenplay for the Film Co-op's Screenplay Contest!). Desserts will be served.

Hope to see you there!

Date: Wednesday, October 22
Time: 7-9pm
Place: Film Hall (basement of Nic 6)

Professor Barry Chernoff To Speak on Global Warming and Fresh Water Fish

Katie Boyce-Jacino '10 writes in about Professor Barry Chernoff's lecture detailing global warming and its effect on fresh water fish.

Date: TOMORROW, Monday October 20th
Time: 8 pm
Place: Science Hall

Cookies will be served. The event is sponsored by WesAID and Science Hall.

Qawwali

Help kickoff the annual Navaratri celebrations! Listen to Wesleyan students perform classical North Indian music and eat delicious Indian snacks. And it's FREE!

Date: Monday, September 29 (Today!)
Time: 9:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Olin Library lobby

M-Town Focus Group on Drug Issues

WesWell reports that the Middletown Substance Abuse Action Council is looking to hold a focus group with a group of students from Wes and Middlesex Community College about drug issues:

This is more about personal concerns, as they describe below:

We are looking for a diverse group to participate in a confidential hour long discussion on their experience with drug use on campus and in the Middletown community – among their peers, use that may be impacting their family, concerns that they have about the future. The group will be lead by Kent Alexander, a professional facilitator.

There will also be 5 Middlesex Community College students in the group so we thought that the MCSAAC office (located at 393 Main Street) would be a nice in-between location to meet at one evening. As an incentive we’ll have pizza dinner for participants and a raffle of a gift certificate.

If you are interested in participating, please email your name and phone number to lcurrie@wesleyan.edu by Monday, September 29. I will share your contact info with MCSAAC and one of their staff members will then contact participants with scheduling details.

Please note: This is NOT connected to any Wesleyan initiatives. The University will not receive information back from these sessions.

Smoothies at Well-Being House

Free smoothies at Well-Being House!

Smoothie Party!

End your week with our delicious combinations of bananas, pineapples, apples, yogurt, and delicious goodness. We'll be keeping our doors open from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm this Friday. All are welcome!

Questions? Want to know how to get here? Contact: etroll@wes

Date: Friday, September 26

Time: 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Location: Well-Being House (250 Court Street, down the street from Downey house)

Peer Health Advocate Info Session

Become a Peer Health Advocate:

Interested in becoming a Peer Health Advocate? Have no idea what the PHAs do, but are intrigued by this giant penis? Come to the info session, there will be FREE FOOD.

Peer Health Advocate Info Session
Date: Thursday, September 25th
Time: 7 pm
Place: WesWell Solarium (2nd floor of Davison Health Center)

John E. Andrus, Come On Down!

Wes football is looking for someone to serve as PA announcer for its four home games this year (Sept. 27 vs. Hamilton at 12:30; Oct. 18 vs. Amherst at 1:00; Oct. 25 vs. Bowdoin at 12:30; and Nov. 8 vs. Trinity at 12:00). No prior experience is necessary, though a basic knowledge of football would help. (The announcer is responsible for the starting lineups, the result of every play, and halftime scores and stats.) The job pays $25 per game, and you also get free food from the pressbox.

For the record, I think we're also looking for someone to do men's and women's ice hockey, and probably men's and women's basketball, too ($25 per game again).

If you're interested, or if you want more information, contact our Sports Information Director, Brian Katten '79 (bkatten@wes).

EDIT (8/29, 2:12 PM): We think we've found someone for football. Feel free to inform us if you're interested, but keep in mind the position is most likely filled. That said, there are still openings for ice hockey, basketball, and possibly also wrestling.

Free pizza + film screening tonight: Fifth Element

It's the Hughes Summer Film Series again, this time with free pizza added (yum!). Check it out:
What: Fifth Element screening + pizza
When: 8:30 pm, tonight, July 17
Where: Shanklin 107

The ultimate ethical meal: grey squirrel

"It's low in fat, low in food miles and completely free range. In fact, some claim that Sciurus carolinensis - the grey squirrel - is about as ethical a dish as it is possible to serve on a dinner plate.

The grey squirrel, the American cousin of Britain's endangered red variety, is flying off the shelves faster than hunters can shoot them, with game butchers struggling to keep up with demand. 'We put it on the shelf and it sells. It can be a dozen squirrels a day - and they all go,' said David Simpson, the director of Kingsley Village shopping centre in Fraddon, Cornwall, whose game counter began selling grey squirrel meat two months ago.

Simpson likens the taste to wild boar. Ridley thinks it is more a cross between duck and lamb. 'It's moist and sweet because, basically, its diet has been berries and nuts,' he said.

Both believe its new-found popularity is partly due to its green credentials. 'People like the fact it is wild meat, low in fat and local - so no food miles,' says Simpson. Ridley reckons that patriotism also plays a part: 'Eat a grey and save a red. That's the message.'

'People may say they are buying it because it's green and environmentally friendly, but really they're doing it out of curiosity and because of the novelty value. If they can say, "Darling, tonight we're having squirrel", then that takes care of the first 30 minutes of any dinner party conversation. I see it remaining a niche. There's not much meat on a squirrel, so I'd be surprised if farming squirrel takes off anywhere some time soon.' "

Full, suggestive article here

Do I smell senior week barbecue?

Edit: the disturbing fact that the "ultimate ethical meal" happens to involve killing lots and lots of innocent, fuzzy cutelings is not lost on me. DO NOT GO AND KILL THE SQUIRRELS. (I'm fairly sure you'd get some VDS commando team on your ass...)