National Depression Screening Day

Just finished the final preparations for National Depression Screening Day to be hosted by Student Counseling Services on Thursday October 6^th from 10 am to 7 pm in the Student Center Atrium. In years past we’ve enjoyed getting to know many of our students at this annual event and were able to offer information about common mood concerns. We will have lots of informational pamphlets, screenings and even some treats! So come by and have your mood checked.

Diversity, Dialogue and Desserts!

The Diversity, Dialogue and Desserts (DDD) Series is a great program that allows students and other members of the Hofstra Community to dialogue about diverse social issues in a safe and welcoming environment. So many topics are covered in these programs including issues revolving around race, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation to name a few. The Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs collaborates with many of our student groups to coordinate and facilitate these programs. They are informative, insightful and a great way to meet others! What’s even more amazing about it, is the delightful and delicious desserts served! Yes desserts! We recently teamed up with The Pride Network for our most recent DDD entitled “Let’s Take A Deeper Look At Gender!” which was fantastic! Stay tuned for our next Diversity, Dialogue, and Desserts Series event in collaboration with Hofstra’s Organization of Latin Americans (HOLA) entitled, “Latino or Hispanic… What’s The Difference?” on October 12 , 2011 at 2pm in Room 141 Student Center.

The Secret's Out - Networking Works!

Last night, in Studio A at Dempster Hall, the School of Communication and The Career Center hosted the Annual "Real World - Alumni Event" where over a dozen recent Alum's chatted about their lives after Dempster Hall. The majority of SOC majors were represented amongst the group: Film, PR, TV, Radio, SPCM, and Broadcast/Print Journalism.

In case you weren't there, here's what you missed:

- Carolyn Gierer, Account Associate at Emanate PR advised students to keep up with your Hofstra Connections - ATTEND NETWORKING EVENTS - 'Cause that's how she got her job!

- The common theme was to Intern, Intern, Intern! More than one internship is key and if you intern closer to your senior year, you may get HIRED. It happened to Brittany Forgione who is now the Publicity Coordinator at LIVE! with Regis and Kelly.

- Use social media wisely! Your LinkedIn profile should be up to date and connect with Hofstra Alumni Groups!

- Be humble in your job/internship process and once AGAIN take advantage of attending the networking events that The Career Center and The School of Communication organize.

By the way, Alumni tend to recruit for interns, which of course happened last night. So if you missed out, make sure you mark your calendars for future events!

Come to "How to Be a Great Magazine Intern," next Thursday, October 6th from 6-9pm at 245 East Library Wing! All majors are welcome! ~Kat Castro, Assistant Director at The Career Center

Word on the Street

Many of you are still lurking... vote in this week's poll!

Accounting and Finance Fair - Were You There?

Last night close to 400 students attended the Accounting & Finance Fair! Were you there? Share your comments below.

Over 40 employers were recruiting students looking for internships and jobs. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive from both employers and attendees!

Check out our website for more career fairs this semester!

RSA? What's that?

Hi all! As the current Advisor for Hall Council and Co-Advisor for RSA, a common thing I hear is that RSA tends to be overlooked as a resource for residents to get what they want out of living on campus.

Many students living on campus don't understand what RSA is and how hard their members work to make living on campus a really fun experience.

RSA stands for Resident Student Assocation and consists of students who really care about what they and other students want to happen in their residence halls. Do you and your friends really want a program to learn how to cook authentic Korean food? Do you think it would be awesome to have a Karaoke night in your residence hall? Bring it to your Hall Council or to the next RSA meeting! These organizations want to make these kinds of programs happen for you.

You can also look forward to the many events that RSA plans each year like our Annual Snowball Semi-Formal Dance (in early December - get out your dancing shoes!), Weekend Movie Events (Partnered with Entertainment Unlimited),Relay for Life, as well as community events facilitated by area hall councils.

For more information on our meetings and events, please follow us on Twitter @HofstraRSA and "Like" us on Facebook. You can also find more information on RSA here.

I look forward to a fun year working with RSA and Hall Council and can't wait to see you at our events this year!


-- Stacie Mitchell, Assistant Resident Director of Colonial Square

Fall Festival Commuter Fun

Hello Everyone!

This was an amazing weekend, don't you think? The energy around campus was just flowing. I thought this was a great fall festival. I was so happy to see so many students enjoying themselves, and I was especially glad to see almost 1,000 commuting students taking part in the fun! Now, I guess it's back to the books for a majority of you since it's important to find balance between your social life and academic studies. Shout-out to the new best way to get to campus, the Scooby-Mobile.



-Anita Ellis
Director of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services

What a Fall Festival!

Who doesn't like concerts and stand-up!? Hofstra Fall Festival this year was the perfect combination for a good time. As a Hofstra alum and a current Hofstra grad, I couldn't wait for Fall Festival 2011! Music, food, laughter, new friends and old friends, tied in with some Hofstra Pride really made it an awesome weekend!

The icing on the cake for me was Fall Festival King and Queen. I am proud to say that the King, Nicholas Schweers, and Queen, Nicole Burke, are Resident Assistants and are a great representation of what Residential Programs has to offer. Both Nick and Nicole (check out their pic!) are highly involved and I think, truly deserved the win. It's great to have both of them on my staff in the Netherlands and I can't wait to see what they, and the rest of Fall Festival Court, bring to the table in regard to the Senior Class Challenge!

So a big congratulations to everyone who put on such an awesome Fall Festival weekend, I can't wait to see what happens next year!

Go Pride!

Erica Serrazina (ARD Netherlands)

Glitter and newspaper and chicken wire, oh my!

For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, I’ll give you a hint: I’m referring to a longstanding Hofstra fall tradition……Okay, before your attention “floats” away, I’ll tell you…..I just came from the Fall Festival float building that’s currently going on in the Multipurpose Room in the Student Center. Every year I am amazed at how our students take a simple idea and some everyday items and turn them into masterpieces for us to marvel over during the Parade of Floats. I’m always blown away by the creativity you all bring to this process, and I’m sure this year will be no exception. For 2011, the theme is “90s Television Shows.” Though I must admit, I didn’t watch most of the shows that the teams selected (I was more of a 90210/Melrose Place/Friends/Seinfeld fan myself), I’m excited to see how the student groups will bring these TV shows to life through their floats.

As co-chair of the 2011 Fall Festival committee, I’m really excited for ALL of the events that will be going on throughout the weekend. From the King and Queen Showcase, Hofstra’s Got Talent, athletic events, Vibe Live Concert and Carnival, Grucci fireworks, to the Out Loud Comedy Show with Louis C.K., there is sure to be something for everyone. This is a great time for all of us within the Hofstra community- students, family members, alumni, and staff - to come out and show their Hofstra PRIDE! I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Word on the Street

Many of you are peeking at our weekly poll, but we're hoping more of you will start to cast a vote. Here's your next chance, leading up to this weekend's Fall Festival (click on the question to view all results)...

Events, Events and More Events!

The semester is in full swing and Hofstra has tons of activities going on! Since classes started I personally have been to Convocation, The Student Center Game Room Opening, Welcome Back Celebration, Second Chance Prom, 9/11 Memorial, Circle of Remembrance, 9/11 Panel, the Equalogy performance, Meet the Greeks, and the Float Lottery for Fall Festival. Going to the Float Lottery was a great sneak peek to the 90s TV themed Parade we will have on Saturday September 24th beginning at noon. If you missed the lottery I have the outcome below :)

1. WRHU & The Chronicle : Total Request Live (MTV)

2. Tau Epsilon Phi and Alpha Phi: Adamms Family

3. Alpha Theta Beta, SGA and Theta Tau: Slime Time Live

4. Sigma Delta Tau and Sigma Alpha Epsilon: Fresh Prince of Bel Air

5. Delta Chi and Alpha Epsilon Phi: Rocket Power

6. Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Kappa Psi and Phi Sigma Sigma: Scooby Doo

7. Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta: Sponge Bob

8. Pi Kappa Alpha and Danceworks: Real Monster

9. Delta Gamma, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Not For Sale: Power Rangers

10. Sigma Pi and Phi Epsilon: Rug Rats

Hopefully you have also seen the list of Beyond Welcome Week events we have going on, not just for new students but, also for returning students. It is a full list of events to help you stay connected this semester. Many students have been attending a variety of events so, hopefully you have been getting out there as well.

As I write this I am getting ready to head over to Hof USA for the 4pm Grand Re-Opening followed by the 7pm Beetles Karaoke Night and then the Alpha Phi Alpha party! Tomorrow I hope to see you all between 8pm and 11pm enjoying the Now That's What I Call Pride! event highlighting some of our Hofstra student bands. Say hi if you see me!

Exciting Opportunity!

Right about now you should be receiving an exciting email from us. That's right, a chance to attend a meet and greet with Rick Ross! Thirty (yes 30!) current students will be randomly selected and will meet Rick Ross before his performance at the Vibe Live concert during Fall Festival. Follow your email for the info on how to enter. To be eligible, you must be a current Hofstra student and must respond by the times listed.

Good luck!

Welcome Week at Hofstra

What a busy couple of weeks it has been in Student Affairs but we certainly have “survived the storm.” Our class of Discovery students moved in and became the third group to participate in and complete this program. The program was a big success, no doubt we will be seeing many (if not all) of these students in future leadership roles on campus.

No sooner than Irene moved out did our new international students arrive on campus. Hailing from across the globe we are confident they will find Hofstra a warm and welcoming place.

The Class of 2015 and new transfer students kicked off Welcome Week with move in and the President’s welcome where over 2200 were in attendance. Programs and events continued on Thursday and Friday and included BBQ’s, mini-golf in the Axinn Library, their first late-night breakfast, American Voices, and of course, Professor Dumbledore…I mean Provost Berliner’s welcome.

The holiday weekend provided numerous opportunities for students to “Explore Next Door” on bicycles in Central Park, at Yankee Stadium, searching for ghosts at the Met, and learning the landscape of Greenwich Village, to name a few of the E.N.D. trips planned for new students.

Tracey Kidder, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, (the class of 2015 common reading) was in attendance on Monday morning, answered questions, and stayed around to sign books. Welcome Week wrapped up Monday with the Club Carnival where new students had a chance to meet with our continuing student leaders and learn first hand about all of the ways to get involved in the life of this great University.

So, what was the favorite event? New students casted their votes and the highest rated program for Welcome Week 2011 was (drum roll, please)…SEX RULES. More importantly, students reported they felt a strong sense of connection to their new identity as a Hofstra student!

Welcome Hofstra Class of 2015 and our new transfer students.

All the best,

Sandy Johnson

Vice President for Student Affairs

Hof USA Celebration

Join the Hofstra community this Friday at 4 p.m. as we celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Hof USA! The first 250 students to arrive will receive a Hof USA t-shirt. All students arriving before 4:30 will have a chance to win an iPad, Xbox, iPod and more!

Hof USA underwent major renovations throughout the summer and is now an on-campus restaurant and student activity center located on the north side of campus. This venue provides a great place for all students to make connections, dine and socialize (and is even open late). Some highlights of this space include an all new menu, new seating and TV's, billiards tables, air hockey, pinball, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), a digital internet jukebox and much more!

Celebration highlights include a welcome from President Rabinowitz, a wing-eating contest, a DDR competition and a billiards tournament. We will also hear from student performers. The celebration will run through 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by Friday night Karaoke (7-10 p.m.)!

Email studentaffairs@hofstra.edu or call 516-463-6614 for more information.

Word on the Street

Last week we asked what your favorite Welcome Week program was, and "Sex Rules!" won with a whopping 80% of the vote. Here's this week's poll (click on the question to see all results):

Seniors! Want to be a part of Hofstra royalty?

It is that time of year again, Fall Festival is just two weeks away and that means good food, live music, parades, comedy, and the crowning of the new Hofstra King and Queen for 2011! This year the Office of Student Leadership and Activities is shaking things up with a new event that will be more engaging for not only the Fall Festival Court but for undergraduate students as well. This event is the King and Queen Showcase. During the showcase every member of the Court, 5 finalists for Queen and 5 finalists for King, will give a creative performance to showcase their talents before a live audience of their peers. During the performance, the Court would be wise to share with the audience why they should be the next Hofstra King or Queen because directly after the showcase students will be casting their ballot! That’s right, no more online voting! To vote students will have to attend the showcase in the Student Center Theater on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 7 PM. The change was made to allow voters to gain a true sense of the Court and to be able to make a more informed decision as to who they would like to vote for. It’ll be a win-win for both the Court and the student voters who now have a chance to interact with one another.

So Class of 2012, do you think you have what it takes to be a part of this year’s Fall Festival Court? Would you like the opportunity to represent Hofstra as this year’s King and Queen? Then fill out an application today! The Court will be chosen by a panel who will be looking for student leaders who have been involved during their time here at Hofstra and who will be a positive role model for the entire community. To apply, please visit hofstra.edu/OSLA, Collegiate Link, or stop by 260 Student Center to pick up your application. Applications are due no later than 5 PM on Thursday, September 15th and must be dropped off to the Student Leadership and Activities Office in the Student Center room 260. For more information, please contact OSLA@hofstra.edu.

Hofstra Remembers the 10th Anniversary of September 11th

This Sunday will be the 10th Anniversary of September 11th and we would like to invite you to the September 11th Memorial Service on Monday, September 12th at 12 Noon at the C.V. Starr Labyrinth. If you are unable to make it to the Memorial Service, please join us around 12:45 PM at the Circle of Remembrance which is located in Memorial Quad (behind Hofstra Hall). We will be holding a short ceremony and asking those who have yet to do so to plant a flag inside an outline of the United States on the quad. Together the Hofstra community will unite in this visualization of our common patriotism.

Later in the evening on Monday, September 12th, in the Cultural Center Theater at 6:30 PM the University will be hosting a 9/11 Commemoration Panel on Changes in the American Conversation since 9/11. Join a panel of Hofstra faculty in an open discussion of the ways our language, thinking and politics have been changed by 9/11 and the many consequences that have flowed from it. After panel members present initial observations the bulk of our time will be spent in conversation with audience members about transformations that we have seen and that may still be underway. Panelists include: Ann Burlein, Religion; Paul Fritz, Political Science; Andrea Libresco, Teaching, Literacy and Leadership; Shawn Thelan, Marketing and International Business; Mary Anne Trasciatti, Speech, Rhetoric, Communication and Performance Studies; and Kathleen Wallace, Philosophy. The discussion will be moderated by Warren Frisina, Dean, Honors College, Religion.

Word on the Street- September 7

We hope that our new students enjoyed Welcome Week and that everyone is settling into classes. This week's poll is for our new first-year students only.

It Was Worth It

All our preparation and hard work for Welcome Week paid off when first-year and transfer students and their families came to start the new semester. Upper class students were on hand to assist with move in and to ease the anxiety that comes with a new experience.

Welcome Week Staff at Check In

The campus was a sea of blue shirts as members of the Class of 2015 took over the plaza in front of Hofstra Hall. Our staff members and a photographer had to coordinate the group photo from the tenth floor of the Axinn Library with the hundreds of students on the ground.

Class of 2015 Group Photo

Administrators were on hand to serve breakfast to new students at the Late Night Breakfast.

Dean of Students Peter Libman serves Late Night Breakfast

The highlight of Welcome Week was taking a great group of students to Little India in Jackson Heights, Queens as part of our Explore Next Door trips.

Eating Tour of Little India

All of this wouldn't have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our Welcome Week coordinators.  Dennis, Kaitlin, Francis and Liz - job well done!

Dennis Foley, Kaitlin Frisch, Francis Humes, Liz Weeden and Christopher Botti