Events
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Usdan University Center Hours of Operation
Usdan University Center is the primary gathering spot for everyone, creating a hub in the heart of campus during Reunion & Commencement Weekend. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a comfortable, convenient place to peruse the RC schedule, connect with classmates and/or family members, meet new friends… or simply hang out while enjoying assorted refreshments.
Office of Admission Information Session
McKelvey Room, Stewart M. Reid House, Office of Admission
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for nametags, meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more. Reunion alumni: please be sure to purchase your reunion class dinner tickets at registration at any time during the weekend. Tickets are not available at the dinner site.
Note: As a result of our continuing efforts to be environmentally responsible, we are not handing out a printed brochure/schedule of events. The schedule can easily be found online during the weekend by using your phone or tablet or check in with any of our student workers during the weekend.
If you feel you need a printed schedule, please print out in advance and bring with you during the weekend.
Exley Science Center Lobby
Friday, May 25, 2018
Usdan University Center Hours of Operation and Cardinal Connection Cafe
Usdan University Center is the primary gathering spot for everyone, creating a hub in the heart of campus during Reunion & Commencement Weekend. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a comfortable, convenient place to peruse the RC schedule, connect with classmates and/or family members, meet new friends… or simply hang out while enjoying assorted refreshments.
Usdan Cafe Hours
Food and beverages available for purchase on site.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
Senior Films
- Digital: 9-11 a.m.
- Digital and 16mm: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Digital: 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
- Digital and 16mm: 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Goldsmith Family Cinema
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for nametags, meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more. Reunion alumni: please be sure to purchase your reunion class dinner tickets at registration at any time during the weekend. Tickets are not available at the dinner site.
Note: As a result of our continuing efforts to be environmentally responsible, we are not handing out a printed brochure/schedule of events. The schedule can easily be found online during the weekend by using your phone or tablet or check in with any of our student workers during the weekend.
If you feel you need a printed schedule, please print out in advance and bring with you during the weekend.
Exley Science Center Lobby
Senior Class Diploma Pick-Up
Members of the Class of 2018 may pick up their diplomas in the Registrar’s Office, North College. Graduates should be prepared to show a photo ID.
Registrar’s Office, North College (show in map)
Welcome Lunch
Join friends, classmates, and family members for lunch when you arrive on campus for the weekend.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. If you are unable to purchase tickets in advance, lunch tickets may be available for purchase at Registration in the Exley Science Center. Ticket sales are not available at the lunch location-- please plan accordingly.
Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th Reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for post-50th alumni (Classes of 1940 through 1967) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are members of the post-50th group plan to attend this lunch. Please click on the Friday lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes and parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following for lunch:
$20 per person for all other adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Marketplace, Usdan University Center
WESEMINAR This Place Matters: Student Research on Middletown’s African American History commemorates 50 Years of AFAM at Wesleyan
In the 1820s, as northern slavery ended and the political battle over southern slavery intensified, free African Americans formed a remarkable property-owning community on what is now the western edge of Wesleyan’s campus. These men and women transformed Middletown, a slave trading river port during the 18th century, into a center of the antislavery movement. Here they sheltered those escaping on the Underground Railroad, hosted renowned abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, and owned homes that demonstrated free African Americans’ independence and fitness for freedom in a slave society skeptical of both. Join Professor Jesse Nasta and the students in his African American Studies/service learning course as they share their research on Middletown’s nationally-significant African American history. Through the efforts of the Vanguard Class fifty years ago in establishing the Center for African American Studies, the relationship of this community to Wesleyan can be told.
Presenter: Dr. Jesse Nasta '07 is a Visiting Assistant Professor of African American Studies. His Black Middletown Lives service learning course draws upon his 2007 Wesleyan honors thesis, “‘Their Own Guardians and Protectors’: African American Community in Middletown, Connecticut, 1822-1860.”
Student presenters: Samantha Aibinder '18; Tatiana Ettensberger '18; Tedra James '18; Rose Johnson-Brown '18; Henry Prine '18; Jess Wachtler '18; Catherine Wulff '18
Room 116, Judd Hall
Champagne Reception for Graduating Seniors and Their Families
Join graduating seniors and their families and friends, as well as other members of the Wesleyan community, for champagne and light hors d’ oeuvres at this casual reception.
Andrus Field Lawn (tent)
President’s Reception Honoring Leadership Donors and Volunteers
Please join President Michael Roth '78 and the Wesleyan Board of Trustees at a reception celebrating members of the Wesleyan Leadership Societies. Wesleyan Leadership Societies—the Wesleyan Circle, the 1831 Society, the Olin Associates—recognize the extraordinary commitment and support of Wesleyan leadership donors and volunteers. By invitation only.
President’s House Lawn
Red, Black, and Green! All-College Dinner
Join friends, classmates, and family members for an informal, eco-friendly buffet dinner in the Marketplace at the Usdan University Center.
TICKETS: This event requires advance purchase/registration. If you are unable to purchase tickets in advance, dinner tickets may be available for purchase at Registration in the Exley Science Center. Ticket sales are not available at the dinner location-- please plan accordingly.
Dinner is included in the registration fee for post-50th (Classes of 1942-1967) and members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are members of the post-50th reunion group plan to attend this dinner. Please click on the Friday Red, Black, and Green Dinner option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following when they register:
$20 per person for adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Marketplace, Usdan University Center
Shabbat Services
Please join Wesleyan’s Jewish chaplain, Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, and the Wesleyan Jewish community for Shabbat services. All are welcome. No reservations necessary.
The Bayit, 157 Church Street
Quasimodal 35th Anniversary Concert and Celebration
Start your weekend off right by reminiscing about the good ol’ days with Wesleyan’s oldest co-ed A Capella group, Quasimodal! Sing some songs, hear tunes new and old, and join us for an evening of beautiful music and reconnecting with other Quazzles.
Location: Tent with red flag, McKelvey Green
Shabbat Dinner
At this special dinner for returning alumni, graduating seniors, and their families, we will welcome Shabbat with song, food, and joyful fellowship.
TICKETS: This dinner requires advance purchase/registration.
$20 per person for all and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center
Friday Night Annual Reunion Party
All are welcome! Come dance the night away and mingle with classmates, fellow alumni and graduates. Featuring Bronson Rock, with band members: Gary Mezzi ’83 (vocals & guitar), Eric Bloomquist (bass), Tom Smith (drums), and Lou St. John (keyboards); and Brothers of Others band members: Joshua Stedman '98, Derek Cintron, and Vic Kingsley.
200 High Street (Eclectic)
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Usdan University Center Hours and Cardinal Connection Cafe
Usdan University Center is the primary gathering spot for everyone, creating a hub in the heart of campus during Reunion & Commencement Weekend. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a comfortable, convenient place to peruse the RC schedule, connect with classmates and/or family members, meet new friends… or simply hang out while enjoying assorted refreshments.
Usdan Cafe Hours
Food and beverages available for purchase on site.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for nametags, meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more. Reunion alumni: please be sure to purchase your reunion class dinner tickets at registration at any time during the weekend. Tickets are not available at the dinner site.
Note: As a result of our continuing efforts to be environmentally responsible, we are not handing out a printed brochure/schedule of events. The schedule can easily be found online during the weekend by using your phone or tablet or check in with any of our student workers during the weekend.
If you feel you need a printed schedule, please print out in advance and bring with you during the weekend.
Exley Science Center Lobby
Annual Family Swim
Enjoy a morning swim in the Freeman Athletic Center pool. Towels will be provided.
Freeman Athletic Center (show in map)
Cardinal Loop Fun Run (2.1, 3.2, 4.3 Mile Courses)
Start the day off with an exhilarating run through campus.
Meet at the base of Foss Hill (show in map)
Tennis Mixer
Kick the morning off with a tennis mixer and check out the new tennis facilities! All tennis levels are encouraged and welcome. Interested in joining? Contact Zach Stanton ’98 (Text 917-434-5322 / email: stano1@hotmail.com).
John Wood Memorial Tennis Courts, Vine Street
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
ART AND ART HISTORY: Center for the Arts Green
COLLEGE OF FILM AND THE MOVING IMAGE: Lobby, College of Film and the Moving Image
MUSIC: Center for the Arts Green
WESEMINAR The Transgender Body and Undoing the Male Gaze
This Capstone project presents the work of master photographers Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and Ruth Bernhard and how their work inspires and informs the portrait photography of the author. The project also includes the book Transfiguration: How Bright Is the Light, a collection of 45 photographs of the author's wife, Brianna Johnston, a trans woman. The paper and the photographs delve into the challenges of being transgender in society, how the gaze -- male and female -- influences photographs of women, and the radiant beauty of a woman simply being her true self. *Please note: nude photographs are included in this presentation.
Presenter: Sharron Emmons holds an MBA and MS in Industrial Relations from the University of New Haven and will receive a MALS degree this weekend from Wesleyan University. She is a retired energy industry professional who actively participated in the Marriage Equality movement and continues to work on other social justice efforts.
Room 208, Fisk Hall
Senior Films
- Digital: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- Digital and 16mm: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Goldsmith Family Cinema
Athletics Alumnae Gathering
Find more information about the gathering here and register here.
Woodbridge Classroom, Freeman Athletic Center
WESEMINAR College of the Environment
Regardless of one's opinions about issues such as climate change or carbon taxes, it is clear that environmental issues will dominate national and international politics and news over the next century. To fully prepare students to participate effectively in these important discussions, Wesleyan has taken a major step to support environmental research, communication, teaching, and policy development, with its Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment (COE). Come listen to the exciting details of the Environmental Studies Program and the College of the Environment by Professor Barry Chernoff, Chair of the Environmental Studies Program. Then join us while the Class of 2018 presents their senior capstone projects during our poster session.
Woodhead Lounge, Exley Science Center
Crew Reception and Alumni Row
Relive good times on the water. All former oarsmen, oarswomen, and friends are invited to gather at the boathouse for an afternoon row and refreshments.
Macomber Boathouse, 35 Harbor Drive
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
AMERICAN STUDIES: Center for the Americas
ARCHAEOLOGY: Lounge, Downey House
CLASSICAL STUDIES: Lounge, Downey House
DANCE:Cross Street Dance Studios
FEMINIST, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES: Allbritton 311
LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES: Center for the Americas
MEDIEVAL STUDIES: Lounge, Downey House
PHILOSOPHY: Allbritton 311
SCIENCE IN SOCIETY: Allbritton 311
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES: Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies
EAST ASIAN STUDIES: Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies
Assemble for the Annual Parade of Classes
Seniors and their families are invited to join alumni for this traditional Wesleyan festivity featuring a live Dixieland band. The parade is scheduled to begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. rain or shine, and is followed immediately by the Assembly and Annual Meeting. Look for the class year signs and line-up beside the sign with the year you graduated. The parade begins on Huss Courtyard (behind the Usdan University Center) and parades around the Memorial Chapel onto McKelvey Green. All parade participants are encouraged to parade into the Memorial Chapel for the Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting.
Huss Courtyard, Usdan University Center (show in map)
Taiko, Sushi, and Japanese Garden Tour
Come join us for Taiko at 11:30, Sushi at noon, and a tour of our Japanese garden with Garden Curator Stephen Morrell at 12:30.
Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies
Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting
Featuring President Michael S. Roth '78 on Liberal Education: Protected or Connected?
The 2018 Distinguished Alumni, McConaughy, and Outstanding Service Awards are presented at this time.
Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of achievement in their professions.
Robert (Bob) Crispin ’68
Brian Frosh ’68
Robert (Bobbito) Garcia ’88
Paul Weitz ’88
Jessica Rosenworcel ’93
Maria Santana-Guadalupe ’98
The James L. McConaughy Jr. Award was established in 1959 by the class of 1936 in memory of James L. McConaughy Jr. '36, the James L. McConaughy Jr. Memorial Award recognizes a member of the Wesleyan family (including students, faculty, alumni, parents, and members of their respective families) whose writing, or other creative achievement, conveys unusual insight and understanding of current and past events.
Hannah Dreier ’08
The Outstanding Service Award is presented to alumni, parents, or other members of the Wesleyan community in recognition of outstanding volunteer service to Wesleyan, their community, or the nation.
Alexander (Sandy) See ’68, P’98
Megan Norris ’83, P’17
Memorial Chapel
WESEMINAR Reclaiming the Gaze: African American Prints and Photographs, 1930 to Now
Reclaiming the Gaze presents a dynamic survey of African American prints and photographs from the 1930s to the present. These striking works range from the expressionist style of Hale Woodruff to the photographs of the Civil Rights movement by Ernest C. Withers, and from feminist interventions by Betye Saar and Faith Ringgold to postmodern commentaries on identity by Glenn Ligon ’82 and Robert Pruitt. The exhibition highlights forty-two prints and photographs from the Davison Art Center collection, representing a wide range of styles and subject matter, and created across nine decades. Each artist claimed his or her vision as an African American, intervening in the artistic conventions that assumed a white male gaze. Reception to follow.
Presenters: Peter A. Mark, Professor of African and African-American Art at Wesleyan University and Rielly Wieners ’18, student curator of this exhibit.
Gallery, Davison Art Center
Wesleyan Posse Veteran Pre-Graduation Celebration
Celebrate the first graduating class of Wesleyan Posse Veterans! This event will honor veteran students in the Class of 2018 who have paved the way for the continuing success of the program. Members of the graduating class will play music, sing, and present remarks. Food and drinks will be served.
The Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall
Pa’lante! Ceremonia de Graducíon
Sábado 26th, Mayo 2018
Les invitamos a Pa’lante! una ceremonia de graduación en español de Wesleyan! Pa'lante! será una ceremonia íntima en honor a los graduados de la comunidad Latinx y sus queridos para reconocer sus logros en Wesleyan. Se servirán comida y bebidas.
We cordially invite you to attend Pa’lante! the second annual Spanish language graduation ceremony intended to provide an intimate ceremony for non-English speaking families. Pa’lante! will honor Latinx identifying students in the Class of 2018 and recognize their achievements in the Wesleyan community. Food and drinks will be served.
Tent, Center for the Arts Lawn
Strolling Magician and Magic Show
For children of all ages!
Andrus Field (show in map)
Freeman Asian Scholars Reception
Freeman Asian Scholars and their families, friends, and alumni are invited to a program honoring the Freeman Asian Scholars of the Class of 2018.
Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center
Picnic and Festival on Foss Hill
This lively festival of entertainment and games is a great place to connect with friends and family members between WESeminars and other weekend programs. Don’t miss the magic show, tattoos, and more. Lunches are portable and can be picked up on your way to Foss Hill, afternoon WESeminars, or other events and destinations.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. If you are unable to purchase tickets in advance, picnic lunch tickets may be available for purchase at Registration in the Exley Science Center. Ticket sales are not available at the lunch location-- please plan accordingly.
Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, 50th and the post-50th reunion classes of 1942 through 1967). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee plan to attend this lunch. Please click on the Saturday Festival on Foss Hill lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, graduates, and parents and families of the graduates will be charged the following for lunch:
$15 per person for adults and children (including graduates)
Tent, Andrus Field and Foss Hill (show in map)
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
COLLEGE OF LETTERS: COL Library, Boger Hall
ECONOMICS: Tent with Red Flag, North College Lawn
GERMAN STUDIES: Room 403, Fisk Hall
GOVERNMENT:Tent with Red Flag, North College Lawn
HISTORY: Tent with Red Flag, North College Lawn
PSYCHOLOGY: Allbritton 311
RELIGION: Tent, Religious Studies
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSE
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL STUDIES SENIORS RECEPTION: CSS Lounge, Public Affairs Center (PAC)
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSE
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES: Center for African American Studies
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
ANTHROPOLOGY: Anthro Room 6
BIOLOGY: Terrace, Exley Science Center
CHEMISTRY: Terrace, Exley Science Center
COMPUTER SCIENCE:Terrace, Exley Science Center
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES: Terrace, Exley Science Center
MATHEMATICS: Terrace, Exley Science Center
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY: Terrace, Exley Science Center
NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOR: Terrace, Exley Science Center
PHYSICS: Terrace, Exley Science Center
ROMANCE LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES: Highwaymen Common Room
RUSSIAN, EAST EUROPEAN, AND EURASIAN STUDIES: Highwaymen Common Room
THEATER: Theater Lounge, Theater Studios
Alumni of Color (AOC)/ Students of Color (SOC) Reception
Please join us at a reception honoring Alumni and Students of Color. All are welcome.
Center for African American Studies
Athletic Department Senior Awards Presentation
Come celebrate the accomplishments of our senior student-athletes as they gather together one final time as undergrads in Silloway Gymnasium.
Silloway Gymnasium, Freeman Athletic Center
ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSES
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL STUDIES ALUMNI RECEPTION: CSS Lounge, Public Affairs Center (PAC)
WESEMINAR Curatorial Walkthrough: Thesis Art Exhibition
Join Sara Kim '19 and Rachel Rosin '19, student curators of the Thesis Art Exhibition, for a guided curatorial walkthrough led by Tula Telfair P'13, Professor of Art. Curators will share personal highlights of the exhibition and the exhibition-making experience. Reception to follow this session. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Arts and University Relations.
Note: The Gallery is open from 12 noon- 5 p.m.
Main Gallery, Ezra & Cecile Zilkha Gallery
Wesleyan Spirits Concert
Come hear Spirits past and present come together and sing a few songs from the repertoire of Wesleyan's oldest all male a cappella group.
Lobby, Exley Science Center
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Alumni Reception
Please join members of the LGBTQ Alumni Network, parents and friends as we welcome graduating seniors to the alumni community.
The Resource Center, 167 High Street
Phi Beta Kappa Initiation
Please find a list of the seniors who have been elected into Wesleyan University’s Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Spring 2018 here.
Featured speaker: Alford A. Young Jr. '88, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan
Memorial Chapel
Cardinal Connection Cafe
This is the place to meet-up with classmates, relax between events, charge your phone, enjoy a game of pool, or just take in the scenery. Snacks, beverages, beer and wine are available for purchase.
Usdan University Center
Professional Network Mix-n-Mingle
Grab a drink and connect with fellow Cardinals working in Arts & Entertainment, Digital Media, Education, Finance & Banking, Law, Philanthropy & Public Service and Real Estate. The Cardinal Connection Café will have snacks, beer, wine and other beverages available for purchase.
Cardinal Connection Cafe (Usdan Cafe), Usdan University Center
Anugerah
Performing arts showcasing the diverse talents of the international student body at Wesleyan.
World Music Hall
Senior Voices (Baccalaureate)
Come join the class of 2018 as they reflect, share and recap some of their unique and transformative moments from their years at Wesleyan. You don’t want to miss this. All are welcome.
Faculty speaker: Danielle Vogel, Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in English
Reflections by: Natacha Bielikoff'18; Taisa Vasilkova'18; David Machado'18; Sara Eismont '18
Sponsor: Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
Memorial Chapel
All-Campus Tent Party
Don't miss this year's annual All-Campus Party featuring DJs Ben Resnick '13 and Clément Guerner '13. Since graduating, they moved to Berlin where they DJ in their free time. For the tent party they have prepared a mix of their favorite tracks, both old and new, and look forward to seeing you on the dance floor! Open to all. Cash bar. ID required. Bar closes at 12:45 a.m. No outside alcohol permitted. Tent, Andrus Field
New Group 30-Year Anniversary Concert
After thirty years of hopping between genres (but never straying far from Toto's "Africa,") current members and Alumni of Wesleyan's self-proclaimed Sexiest A Capella Group will take the stage to sing through their catalog of crowdpleasers. Join us for a night of spontaneous fun and music!
Memorial Chapel
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Usdan University Center Hours
Usdan University Center is the primary gathering spot for everyone, creating a hub in the heart of campus during Reunion & Commencement Weekend. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy a comfortable, convenient place to peruse the RC schedule, connect with classmates and/or family members, meet new friends… or simply hang out while enjoying assorted refreshments.
All-Campus Brunch Buffet
Wrap up a great weekend with a hearty brunch in the new Usdan University Center.
Tickets: This event requires ticket purchase at time of registration. If you are unable to purchase tickets in advance, brunch tickets may be available for purchase at Registration in the Exley Science Center. Ticket sales are not available at the brunch location-- please plan accordingly.
Brunch is included in the registration fee for Post-50th Reunion alumni (Classes of 1942-1967) and members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we’d like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee plan to attend this brunch. All other reunion classes, graduates, parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following when they register: $20 per person for all other adults (including graduates) and children over age 12, and $10 per person for children 12 and under.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
Graduate Student Breakfast Celebration and Rehearsal
The Graduate Marshal will prepare the graduating MA and PhD students for the Commencement Ceremony.
Lobby, Exley Science Center (show in map)
GLS Graduates' Commencement Preparation
GLSP staff will prepare graduating students for the Commencement Ceremony.
GLS Office, 74 Wyllys Ave.
Parent and Grandparent Educators Assemble for Commencement
Parents and Grandparents of graduating seniors who work in the field of education are invited to march as a division in the Commencement Ceremony. Educators are then welcome to sit as a division, along with a guest, or may choose to sit in general seating following the procession. Educators must supply and wear their own regalia. Please respond to Dana Coffin via email at dcoffin@wesleyan.edu, or by phone at 860/685-3756 by May 15 if you would like to participate.
Top of Foss Hill
186th Commencement Ceremony
The ceremony will take place in the center of campus, rain or shine, and will last approximately 2–2½ hours. The ceremony may also be viewed online.
Tickets: All are welcome to attend Wesleyan's 186th Commencement Ceremony. Tickets are not required to attend the ceremony. The 5,000 chairs on Andrus Field (some are outside, some under the large tent with full view of the podium) are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is additional room for seating on Foss Hill (bring a blanket or folding chairs).
Accessibility Seating and Parking: Visitors needing accessible parking may utilize any of the designated spaces on campus with a properly displayed state-issued plate or placard from any state. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The ceremony takes place on Denison Terrace, which is parallel to the back of Olin Memorial Library. Mobility impaired guests may park in the “C” lot off of Church Street or the Office of Admission parking lot. University staff and students driving golf carts will be available at each lot to assist in transporting guests to-and-from the accessibility section on Andrus Field. Drivers may also drop of guests on Wyllys Avenue and then park elsewhere. Each disabled person may be accompanied by two family members in the accessible section (located on the area adjacent to the Zelnick Pavilion and Public Affairs Center). You can sign up for seating in the accessibility section and find more details pertaining to accessibility accommodations here.
Water: Wesleyan is proud to announce a bottled water-free Commencement. Reusable bottles and water stations are available to keep guests hydrated. If you do not wish to take your reusable bottle home with you, please leave it under your chair or place in one of the clear recycling containers located on Andrus Field or at the President’s Commencement Celebration so that we can reuse bottles for future occasions.
Andrus Field (show in map)
Inclement Weather Plan
The Commencement Ceremony is held outdoors, rain or shine. Under certain weather conditions, the ceremony may be shifted from the open field, where seating is unlimited, into the large tent on Andrus Field. Although the tent accommodates numerous spectators, seating is limited. In this scenario, we respectfully request that each graduate limit his/her guests to 3 seats under the tent. Please come prepared with raincoats, umbrellas, and appropriate footwear.
Information will be posted on the Wesleyan homepage and the Reunion & Commencement website, and graduating seniors will be notified via email. Details will also be available at Registration (Usdan University Center). The ceremony will be simulcast in the Memorial Chapel, Patricelli ’92 Theater, Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, and Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150) at Exley Science Center, rain or shine. The ceremony may also be viewed online. Please check the Reunion landing page or the WesCast (webcast) page for details the week of May 21, 2018.
Tent, Andrus Field (show in map)
Following the ceremony
President’s Commencement Celebration: A gathering celebrating the Class of 2018 will take place immediately following the Commencement ceremony. Due to the large crowds at the gathering, families and students who wish to meet are encouraged to identify a place in advance (e.g., one of the buildings on College Row). Light refreshments will be available.
McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row) (show in map)
GLS Champagne Reception and Diploma Distribution: GLS graduates and guests are invited to this reception. We will distribute diplomas and raise our glasses in a toast to the graduates!
Tent, Davison Health Center