Thank you all for submitting the academic skills assessment survey. Based on what you told us in the survey, we have recommended specific workshops to enhance or reinforce your academic skills in particular areas and to help you negotiate a smooth transition from high school to college. Do not be alarmed if some of you receive more 
recommendations than others. This survey was for your benefit and our recommendations, based on your responses, will connect you with resources to help promote your success and make your academic experience more productive and satisfying. You can access these recommendations through your e-portfolio in the “Wesleyan Career” bucket now and view a schedule of workshops that will be available during the first two weekends after classes begin.
lsbrown
Bicycle Security
Because of the rise in value of the average bicycle in recent years and the increase of bikes on campus, there has been an increase in the number of bikes stolen on campus. Most bikes that have been taken are either unsecured or secured with a cable lock, which is easily cut.
If you bring a bicycle to campus you should:
- Purchase and use a high quality U lock to secure it. When parked near other bikes, chances are a thief will take the bike with the least secure lock.
- If your U lock has a key at the end of the crossbar, position the lock with its keyway end facing down towards the ground to make it more difficult for someone to get at.
- Personalize the bike to make it less attractive to a would-be thief and easy to identify if recovered.
- Engrave an ID number on the bike (take advantage of Operation Identification).
- Register your bike with Public Safety.
On Wednesday, September 2, there will be a Safety Fair held at the Usdan Center courtyard. Public Safety will be registering bikes at that time and will also have U locks that can be purchased for $20.00.
Two helpful websites for further information are: www.nationalbikeregistry.com and www.BicycleSafe.com.
Lt. Paul Verrillo,Wesleyan Public Safety
Transitioning to Campus Life
College life, as exciting as it is, can be significantly different from your past experiences. New environment, new friends, new classes, new ideas, new experiences are yours for the taking! There is familiarity with being a student since you’ve been doing that most of your life, but you may need to adapt your study habits to a less structured and more demanding academic environment. And you may be living on your own for the first time, responsible for everything from getting up on time for class to doing your own laundry to budgeting your money. A few suggestions for managing the transition:
- Talk with friends and family members who have recently attended college about their experiences transitioning to campus life — the challenges, the joys, the things they wish they knew starting out. You may be able to glean some words of wisdom!
- Make a plan with your parents/guardians for how frequently you will talk and email. Strive for regular, but not daily, contact. It will help you concentrate on adjusting to Wesleyan while still reducing the likelihood of feeling homesick.
- Once on campus, seek out opportunities to get involved in one or two activities outside the classroom. Focus on quality, not quantity. You have plenty of time over the next four years to try out everything!
- Being a college student does not have to equal being unhealthy. Strive for balanced eating habits, a regular sleep pattern and a manageable workload.
- If you are of age and choose to consume alcohol while on campus, party with a plan! It will greatly reduce your risk for problems related to your own consumption. Learn more about how to do this with Randy Haveson during New Student Orientation.
- Keep up your exercise routine at Wesleyan’s great athletic facilities, with WesWELL’s non-credit fitness classes, or on your own. Physical activity greatly helps with reducing stress levels and with mental acuity.
- Ask for help if you need it academically or personally; it is a sign of strength, not one of weakness. We want to help you succeed!
More Suggestions about What to Bring…
A parent sent me this article by a rising first-year student for more suggestions about what to bring with you. Check it out at “Top 10 Necessities for High School Graduates”.
The WSA
In addition to the great leadership opportunities noted previously by Elisa Del Valle from the Student Activities Office and Dean Rick Culliton, new students should consider getting involved in the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA).
Joining the WSA is a great way to get to know Wesleyan. Members of the WSA focus on important issues and projects 
to benefit the student body. They are your representatives, but also work closely with the administration and get to know the ins and outs of the University. The WSA is a diverse body always looking for new members who truly want to make a difference at Wes. To learn more, attend one of their orientation sessions, listed below. Elections occur during the second week of classes, so whether or not you run, make sure you vote for your class representatives!
The full election timeline is: Information sessions Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Petitions due: Sept. 11; Elections open: Sept. 14 at 12 a.m.; Elections close: Sept. 18 at 11:59 p.m.; First WSA meeting: Sept. 20.
FYM’s Common Moment and Water Footprint
This year’s Common Moment promises to be a memorable experience! Produced by the amazing staff at Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts, it will include incredible drumming, rhythmic movement, Prometheus (Wesleyan’s fire spinners), a human histogram, and of course, ice cream.
As a class, you get to showcase drumming and dance movements from six different cultures—Korean, Cuban, West African, Japanese, Irish and South Indian—where water is an important component of their cultural traditions. Assigned to one of the six cultural groups, you will be taught a drumming and movement piece, choreographed by Nicole Stanton, chair of the dance department, and Bill Carbone, a graduate student in the music department. After spending about 20 minutes with a choreographer and student staff to learn the piece, each group will perform for the entire class.
The evening will culminate with the Class of 2013 forming a human histogram about its own water footprint. On Andrus Field, you will embody your responses to a survey that you completed in discussion groups the night before, which was developed from the information in the Water Footprint website in your Common Readings. It will be a night not soon forgotten!
Check out the Water Footprint website in Blackboard or at http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home . Complete the questions to find out how your water footprint measures up with the rest of the world’s!
Sarah Lazare: Assoc. Dean for Student Academic Resources
Sarah Lazare, the associate dean for student academic resources, works in several capacities to help students achieve academic success at Wesleyan. She administers Disabilities Services, oversees the Student Academic Resource Network (SARN) and SARN Peer Advisors, and works with the Class Deans to provide academic support to Wes students of all class years. There are so many academic resources available to students that when students find themselves stumbling, all they have to do is ask. The Deans’ Office or any other SARN program can help them find a solution.
Dean Sarah started working at Wesleyan in December 2006. She holds a bachelor’s degree in religion from Smith 
College; a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and a law degree from CUNY School of Law. She worked at Smith College until 2000, where she also provided academic support services to students among her other responsibilities. After graduating from CUNY School of Law, she served as their coordinator of Student Activities and Events for one year before practicing public interest law in Springfield, MA for two years. She found that she did not like courtroom trial work and missed working with students. After her two year appointment practicing law was up, she returned to higher education where she is again able to help students attain their dreams.
Come visit Dean Sarah on the garden level of North College (okay, the basement, really) in room 021. You can drop by or make an appointment by writing to slazare@wesleyan.edu or calling x2332.
CIRP Freshman Survey
You now have access through your e-portfolio to the very COOL CIRP Freshman Survey. Completed by thousands of incoming college students every year, it provides an important and interesting snaphot of the class of 2013 across the country. If you have not had a chance to complete the CIRP survey yet, PLEASE DO! It is administered to all first-year students at Wes and provides important information about your collective preferences, attitudes, accomplishments, political leanings, plans, goals, and so on. It’s fun to do. Hey, there’s nothing like clicking on bubbles on the ‘net.
Questions? Contact Rommel Guadalupe, rguadalupe@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-2530
Health Insurance Deadline — 8/15
The deadline of August 15 is fast 
approaching to comply with the student health insurance requirement. All students must annually show proof of insurance (waive) or purchase the university-sponsored plan ($786) by going to www.gallagherkoster.com.
You should have received the information below which was mailed directly to your home address in June. Please follow the instructions for accessing the web database by the August 15 deadline. Thank you, Joyce Walter, Director, Davison Health Center
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On-Line Enroll/Waiver Process: Go to www.gallagherkoster.com:
1) Select College and University Students 2) Select Wesleyan University from the dropdown box 3) First time users are required to create a unique User Account. To do this you will need to enter your first and last name, Wes student ID, date of birth and email address 4) Click on “Log In” to create or access an account on this website 5) Once logged in, click “Student Waive/Enroll Forms” on the left hand side of the page and select either the 2009-2010 Wesleyan University Undergraduate Annual Enrollment Form to enroll or Waiver Form to show proof of existing insurance 6) If waiving the student insurance, you will need your other health insurance information in order to submit the Online Waiver Form 7) Print your confirmation number page.
Questions? Contact Gallagher Koster at 800-499-5062 or WesleyanStudent@GallagherKoster.com.
Religious and Spiritual Life on Campus
As the religious and spiritual advisors for students on campus, we would like to welcome you to Wesleyan.
Spiritual life at Wesleyan is shaped by the wide range and depth of students’ questions and interests. Each of us five 
Chaplains/Advisors sponsors a weekly service. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend any and all of these services, for which students assume many of the responsibilities of planning and leading. The Chaplains also work together to sponsor multi-faith programming through the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL).
Students initiate and design many of the other religious and spiritual activities on campus through such organizations as the All-Campus Contemporary Gospel Worship, Wesleyan Jewish Community, Catholic Student Organization, Wesleyan Christian Fellowship, Muslim Student Association, Buddhist House, as well as many others.
In our role as Chaplains, we also serve as counselors, available to students to discuss personal, religious, social, academic, and vocational matters. Our offices are located at 169 High Street (near Church St.) on the second floor. A lounge is available for group meetings and quiet study. Feel free to stop by, and for more information, see http://www.wesleyan.edu/chaplains .
Blessings, Pastor Joan, Rabbi David, Sister Marwa, Father Hal, Advisor Jeff