Collections

After the Wesleyan centennial celebration in 1931, a few alumni began documenting their memories of Wesleyan. In 1939, the Alumni Council set up a Committee on the Collection of Recollections, which canvassed alumni for memories of faculty and anecdotes about Wesleyan history.

In the 1970s, Wesleyan University students became active against national nuclear arms polices and practices, especially those in New England. The groups of Wesleyan University students involved were the Committee on Environmental Awareness, Connecticut Citizens Conference, Nuclear Resistance Group and Students Opposed to Nuclear Arms Race. These groups organized campus wide informational meetings, showed films and actively participated in walking onto a nuclear arms site in Seabrook, New Hampshire, on April 30, 1977. Around forty Wesleyan Students, along with other activists, were arrested, and some were convicted of criminal trespass due to the April 30 protest.

The Broadside Case Collection contains many oversized documents from a variety of sources. Included are photographs, architectural drawings, posters, maps, and other material related to Wesleyan University.

Wesleyan University's Memorial Chapel was built and dedicated in 1871. It was intended to commemorate those Wesleyan students and alumni who fought in the Civil War, and later additions of stained glass windows acknowledge student service in other wars. The Memorial Chapel has been the main site of religious ceremonies at Wesleyan since 1871. The services were primarily Methodist.

Class Day was an annual celebration related to the commmencement exercises at Wesleyan University, and usually occurred in June. Programs often included speeches, musical performances, poetry, and the awarding of prizes. The programs were arranged by members of the graduating class and featured their fellow senior students.

The class of 1873 Boat Club was organized on October 4, 1870, by 19 members of the class of 1873. It participated in the first Wesleyan regatta, which was held July 19, 1871, with the clubs of the classes of 1872, 1873, and 1874 competing.

Wesleyan University began holding reunions for its alumni in the late 1860s. Prior to that, alumni stayed in touch with one another through correspondence. The University began compiling news and events related to its graduates beginning in the 1850s, and these collections of updates were frequently gathered into volumes distributed to class members.

The commencement orations given by 19th century Wesleyan students reflect their studies in classics and their interests in philosophy, literature, and politics.

The Davison Art Rooms were created at the opening of Olin Memorial Library in 1928 as a tribute to George W. (Wesleyan class of 1892) and Harriet Baldwin Davison. The Davison Art Rooms were closed and their contents transferred to the newly-constructed Davison Art Center for its opening in 1952.

Wesleyan University exams reflect the changing curriculum between 1868 and 1970. The nineteenth century Wesleyan curriculum allowed students to major in general areas of knowledge, while the twentieth century curriculum saw the rise of numerous departments. The use of entrance examinations, a standard in the 1800s, were eliminated.