Provost Shennan Stepping Down
Andy Shennan, Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College, announced in an email on September 14, 2023, that he will be stepping down after 25 years in the Dean’s Office and 20 years as the College’s provost and Chief Academic Officer. He will end his term on June 30, 2024. As Provost, Shennan worked collaboratively with 3 presidents, 9 academic deans and the members of the Wellesley College faculty and staff. Shennan will not be leaving Wellesley permanently, but will be taking a sabbatical, after which he will return to the History department as a professor. Shennan and President Johnson are starting the internal search process to select a member of faculty to take his position of Provost, hoping to find a candidate by the end of January 2024.
Lake Day Fall 2023
Lake Day was held on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. As per tradition, students received an email from President Johnson at 7:30 am on Lake Day, excusing them from all classes for the day and encouraging them to rest and enjoy the nice weather. This year, students also received notes, slipped under their door by SBOG members, with a graphic of the SBOG frog at midnight, hinting that Lake Day was coming. SBOG hosted a Lake Day Carnival on Severance Green, featuring food, games and rides. The lake path was open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., giving students a chance to walk the full loop around Lake Waban. Finally, Health Services hosted a flu vaccine clinic at the Davis Plaza.
Heat in the Halls
As temperatures drop, Facilities has reported that the radiators will be turning back on. Residential Life and Student Housing has noted that we are currently in “shoulder season,” meaning that the fluctuation of temperature in the halls might cause uncomfortable room conditions for the time being and banging noises in the pipes. The noises and heat will stabilize once temperatures remain below 60 degrees Fahrenheit consistently. The Office of Sustainability has visited the residence halls, delivering a “Radiator Guideline” sticker in hopes that students will put their radiators to use properly once the time comes.
Walktober
Starting October 1, 2023, students at Wellesley began the annual Walktober challenge. Walktober, according to the Wellesley Recreation Newsletter released on Sept. 27, 2023, is a 42 day fitness program wherein students, faculty, and alumni are encouraged to get more exercise. The Walktober app, found on the app store and google store, features a step converter that converts various activities, like dancing, swimming and yoga to steps, which are used to create friendly competition between teams or individuals.
