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The Usdan Center is looking for student leaders!

If you are looking for on campus employment this Fall, the Usdan Center is now accepting applications in the following areas:

Student Managers

Usdan / Chapel Event Staff

The Usdan Operations Department* believes that we are not the average on campus employer.  We invest time in our students.  We value and encourage their feedback.   Our student employees are involved in decisions concerning how the Usdan Center functions.  We’re looking for students who want to be part of a dynamic environment, who want to make a difference on campus, and who are willing to learn while gaining valuable skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving.  Critcal and active thinkers are encouraged to apply!

Click here to learn more and to fill out an application.  Applications are due by February 15th

*Usdan Operations is a department within Student Affairs.  Not to be confused with Bon Appetit Dining Services which is a separate department.  Learn more about us here!

There will be a coat drive on Friday, Feb 12, 2016

Anyone who needs a coat should stop in to see Myers-Brown, Michelle <mmyersbrown@wesleyan.edu> in the Usdan Administration Hall. If you miss this date, send an email or stop in on another day.

Program House selection has begun, and House Hopping Day is this Sunday from 1:00-4:00.  I wanted to share with you Recess House’s expanded mission statement, which hopefully will appeal to First Class students: 

Recess House is for student groups who historically have remained on campus during school breaks, including low income, first generation and international students, for reasons of employment or the costs or time related to travel.  Residents benefit from not feeling isolated during times when there are few students on campus, having use of the large kitchen and common spaces that are shared with Full House, and being connected to supportive resources on campus. 

If there is a critical mass of First Class students in the house next year, it provides a wonderful opportunity for programming that addresses and supports their needs.  Please encourage students who might benefit from living in Recess House to apply, and if possible, to stop by the house (202 Washington Street) on Sunday to check it out.  The first round of applications are due February 17.   

Long Lane Farm Summer Farming Job Description and Application

“Long Lane is a collectively worked and collectively organized farm that uses ecological growing practices to nourish the land and people of the Middletown and Wesleyan community. We strive to collapse the boundaries between theory and practice, work and play, productivity and creativity, through experiential learning. Long Lane Farm is a site of open collaboration within our local community that demonstrates the vital importance of small farms in a just and sustainable food system.”

Job Description

Long Lane Farm is seeking six self-motivated, enthusiastic, creative, and hard working applicants for our summer farm positions.

Time Commitment

Preference may be given given to applicants who are able to commit to the full summer, but partial applications are also welcome.This is a minimum 40 hours of work per week position, though it should be noted that the demands of farming do not always align with the traditional work week. A mandatory orientation will take place near the end of the academic year.

Responsibilities

1. Small-scale cultivation of vegetables and poultry (chicken and duck) management, with weekly harvests for Wesleyan’s dining hall and donations in the local community
2. Collective organization and communication
3. Maintaining and running weekly Community Food Project (CFP) sessions, usually on Saturday mornings, which involves engaging with community members, especially young kids
4. Operating a stand at the North End Farmer’s Market in Middletown each week, beginning at the end of June on Fridays from 10am to 2pm
5. Engagement with local farmers, including opportunities to volunteer at Wellstone Farm in Higganum

In addition, you can be expected to be exposed to and responsible for the following:

• vegetable seeding, transplanting, cultivation and harvest
• washing and post harvest handling
• hoophouse management
• poultry care including pasture management
• field preparation through broadforking, hoeing, and raking
• seeding in flats for fall transplanting
• taking care of and maintaining tools
• pest and weed management
• irrigation, especially in the hoophouses
• soil fertility
• finance and record keeping
• small maintenance and construction projects
• maintaining the appearance of the farm
• cultivating community relationships

Once you have been hired for this position, you are expected to work regularly at the farm during the spring semester, attend weekly meetings, and attend a mandatory summer farmer orientation in May.

Calendar

A schedule of tasks includes, but is not limited to:

Late May/Early June:

• finishing field preparation through broadforking, hoeing, and raking
• transplanting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and other solanaceous crops
• trellising tomatoes and pole beans in the field and hoophouses
• transplanting and seeding squashes and melons
• seeding beans and other legumes
• harvest for Bon Appetit and regular donations
• poultry care, including rotational management of the ducks (throughout the summer)
• weed management – hoe! hoe! hoe!
• mowing grass up to fifteen feet from vegetable plots (throughout the summer)
• setting up any irrigation deemed necessary

Midsummer (Late June to Late July):

• selling at the North End Farmer’s Market when it begins in late June
• beginning the CFP at the end of the kids’ school year in late June
• succession planting of bolted greens
• start fall greens and brassica for transplant in flats in early July
• harvest for market, Bon App, regular donations, and CFP
• slope management, including a midsummer scything of grasses
• weed management – hoe! hoe! hoe!

Late Summer (August):

• selling at the North End Farmer’s Market
• continuing the CFP
• transplanting fall greens and brassica in early August under row cover for flea beetle protection
• harvest for market, Bon App, regular donations, and CFP
• weed management – hoe! hoe! hoe!
• establishing and beginning to implement fall cover crop plan
• beginning to prepare hoophouse plots for seeding of fall greens in late August

Finances and Compensation

Applicants are responsible for applying for grants to stay over the summer. Applicants should be in conversation with the collective about which grants they are applying for, and should apply to as many as possible. The first round of Grant applications are due in mid-February. The collective will assist in writing these grants. Grants are historically for $4,000 each and the summer farmers will also be compensated with vegetables grown at the farm and eggs from our birds. Each farmer is entitled to two weeks vacation.

Some possible funding sources include:

(however there is no guarantee that members of the collective will receive these grants)

College of the Environment Grants (applications due in mid-late February)

2 Positions provided by Bon Appetit

Summer Experience Grant (work-study and rising juniors/seniors only) due in March

Green Fund

Davis Projects for Peace: http://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli/grants/peace.html

Other possibilities via the Career Center: http://www.wesleyan.edu/careercenter/students/grants-and-fellowships/index.html

Past summer farmers have also received grants from The Rockfall Foundation.

A “Summer Experience Grant”  is available from Wesleyan for individuals with work study designation.

Options regarding can be discussed further by reaching out to Makaela Kingsley in the Patricelli Center (mjkingsley@wesleyan.edu)

Those staying over the summer are responsible for obtaining housing, although the collective will assist with suggestions and will help to locate adequate housing.

Application

Please answer the following questions as thoroughly but concisely as possible. A few sentences in response to each question will suffice. Priority application deadline is February 7th, 2016. They should be submitted to weslonglanefarm@gmail.com

1. What prior work or farming experience do you have that might help you fulfill your responsibilities as a summer farmer?
2. Why are you interested in this position and what would you contribute to Long Lane Farm (specific farm knowledge, experience with tools, market experience, working with kids, etc.)?
3. What experience do you have working or living in a collectively structured environment?
4. Are there any projects you would like to implement on the farm?
5. What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses relative to this work?
6. What are your personal goals as a farm worker?
7. Can you commit to staying the whole summer (with about two weeks vacation time)? Will you need to take your vacation at a specific time?
8. Do you have a car?

Mission Statement

Attention: Class of 2018 & Class of 2019 Wesleyan Career Center & Class Deans Open House

Wednesday, February 3, 2016 4:30 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. 41 Wyllys Avenue

An opportunity to learn about resources that can enhance your career and professional development  Assessment tools, Internships, Networking Opportunities, and much more

 

Students requesting a specific housing accommodation due to a disability for 2016/17 must complete a Housing Accommodation Request Form and submit it to Dean Patey, Disability Resources, (North College – Room 021), no later than Thursday, February 5, 2016. This includes students who have previously requested and been approved for a housing accommodation in the past.

Housing assignments which are provided as an accommodation are only provided to students with documented disabilities.  Please note that housing accommodations do not include current or potential roommates.  Housing offers may not necessarily be considered class appropriate, or represent your first choice in housing, but will address your needs.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Dean Patey at lpatey@wesleyan.edu or 860.685.2332.

Save-the-Date for How-To-Get-Into-A-Lab Poster Session

Sat, Jan 23, 2016

An afternoon event in the Exley Lobby where undergraduates from the NSM research groups will be presenting posters highlighting opportunities for first and second year students. 

For more information contact: Professor Francis Starr <fstarr@wesleyan.edu> or Professor David Westmoreland <westmoreland@wesleyan.edu>

Study Abroad Information Sessions

A representative from each program will be on hand to discuss the program and answer any questions. Students can drop in for the session, no appointment is required. 

Tuesday, February 2 – 12:00-1:00–ISA Euroscholars Program—Fisk 302

EuroScholars offers research opportunities in all fields of study. Additional areas of interest are honors programs and undergraduate research offices. Please see list of pre approved programs on the Study Abroad website

Tuesday, February 9 – 12:00-1:00–The Swedish Program—Fisk 302

The Swedish Program is sponsored by a consortium of American colleges and universities and is affiliated with the Stockholm School of Economics, one of the most prestigious universities in Europe for the study of economics, finance, and business.   The Swedish Program offers a full range of liberal arts courses each semester.

Fall, spring or full year. Range of courses taught in English; especially strong in public policy, PSYC, ENGL, FGSS, GOVT/IR, SOC, Swedish language.

Wednesday, February 10 –12:00-1:00– IFSA-Butler—Fisk 210

IFSA-Butler provides quality study abroad opportunities, plus academic and personal support services, for qualified North American undergraduates seeking to earn academic credit through study abroad. IFSA-Butler currently operates programs in Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Peru, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Wales. Please see list of pre approved programs on the Study Abroad website

Thursday, February 11 – 12:00-1:00–IES—Fisk 302

More than 130 academic programs Programs in 35+ cities and 21 countries. Please see list of pre approved programs on the Study Abroad website

Thursday, February 18 – 12:00-1:00–CERGE-EI UPCES in Prague—Fisk 302

UPCES is the undergraduate study abroad program of Charles University and CERGE-EIin Prague, Czech Republic. Classes meet in the Schebek Palace, a historic building in the center of Prague. Courses bring together European and American students in a small and interactive classroom setting. Outside the classroom, UPCES students explore the cultures of Central Europe firsthand. Program trips, excursions, internships, and immersion activities offer opportunities to discover new places, people, and perspectives.

Fall, spring, or full year. Czech language course plus four courses in social sciences and humanities, primarily related to area studies

Wednesday, February 24 – 12:00-1:00–SIT—Fisk 210

SIT offers more than 70 programs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations. Please see list of pre approved programs on the Study Abroad website. All SIT Study Abroad programs, regardless of type, grapple with the complexities of critical issues and offer students a high level of access to experts and stakeholders relevant to the issues being examined. Learning on SIT programs extends beyond the program center to provide students with holistic, multifaceted, field-based experiences.