'Robot Chicken' Co-Creator, Wes Alum Highlight WesFest

Refusing to succumb to final tests and long papers that loom with the end of the semester, Wesleyan students have continued to embrace many campus events and happenings in an active April.

Last weekend, Wesleyan celebrated WesFest, an annual weekend in which the university invites all admitted students (“pre-frosh”) and their parents to campus for a frenzy of activity. The weekend features a microcosm showcase of many Wesleyan events, specialties and academic offerings.

With beautiful weather, both current students and pre-frosh swarmed Foss Hill at the center of campus for a kick-off barbecue on April 15. Student bands performed at the bottom of the hill, while curious admitted students examined student group offerings at the outdoor club fair.

“It's great to be back on the hill again with this weather…these pre-frosh are getting the best image of Wes,”  noted Will Dubbs, ’14.

One of the highlights of the weekend was Wes alum Matt Senreich, ’96, co-creator of Cartoon Network’s "Robot Chicken," a sketch-comedy claymation cartoon.  Senreich screened excerpts from his show, and then fielded questions from the thrilled audience. 

For the dedicated fan, Senreich also featured a special midnight screening in which he showcased unreleased footage of the show. He also phoned his more renowned co-creator Seth Green ("Family Guy," "Without a Paddle," "Austin Powers") to speak with the captive audience. 

Civil rights activist Ted Kennedy Jr., '83, and slam poet champion Buddy Wakefield also presented on Saturday to much fanfare.

“This is my last WesFest,” said senior Aaron Stern, ’11, “I hope the pre-frosh enjoyed it as much as I did.”

Meanwhile, Wesleyan students have continued their entrepreneurial efforts both in and around campus. The Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, a new Jewish campus organization, recently spread its philanthropic efforts to Middletown’s North End Action Team's new offices. After helping NEAT recarpet in March, the organization’s philanthropy chair, Jake Barack, explained the group’s latest goal.

“Community service is an important value to our fraternity. To reach out to the Middletown community just off of campus, we decided to further develop our relationship with NEAT and help them repaint the outside of their building.”

In other campus news, residents of campus dorm Nicolson 5.5 and 6 received an ice cream party with president Michael Roth by winning Wesleyan’s first Energy Saving Competition. Spearheaded by Bingxin Wu ’13 of the university’s Environmental Organizers Network, the contest represented continued efforts to cut down energy waste on campus. The winning dorm was measured by the biggest reduction in overall energy consumption, as indicated by energy use monitors throughout campus dorms.

Finally, the Wesleyan student body elected new leaders for the Wesleyan Student Assembly this past weekend. Rising Junior Zach Malter, ’13, and rising senior Meherazade Sumariwalla, ’12, won the president and vice president elections respectively through convincing margins, nearly doubling the next highest vote-getters. The two will take office in the fall.

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