Word on the Street

December is upon us, with many end-of-year events to choose from. Which of these major programs do you plan to attend? If you want more information about any of them, send an e-mail to studentaffairs@hofstra.edu.

Gratitude

I’m just coming off of a great Thanksgiving and hoping everyone enjoyed their time with friends and family. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and grateful for what we have, who we are and those we have in our lives. Gratitude, or enduring thankfulness, is something we can incorporate into our lives year round. Taking time to feel and express gratitude is a tool that can be used to help increase happiness in our lives. Acknowledging the things we are grateful for reminds us to appreciate overlooked aspects of our lives. Here are a few gratitude exercises you can try to help enhance your happiness:

• Write down two or three people who have been kind to you. How do you feel when you review those memories?
  
• Write down three things that you feel good about and would like to see continue.
• Pick one person who has been helpful to you but who you never thanked. Write a letter of appreciation and read the letter to that person by phone or in person.
• Finally, if you feel more ambitious, start a gratitude journal and write in it daily about the things you are grateful for throughout your day.

Calorie Burning Before Thanksgiving

Last week was our "Fighting Spirit" event, which was co-sponsored by many departments within Student Affairs. Thanks to over one hundred and ten participants, we were able to donate about 400 cans of food and a turkey to Saint Martha's Outreach of Uniondale and Lady of Loretto of Hempstead.

Hofstra Alumni, Cara Castronuova '04, who was previously featured as a celebrity trainer on "The Biggest Loser," volunteered her time to make us sweat, through a fighter's fitness class. I want to give a shout-out to the student groups who sponsored the event, Newman Club, Hofstra Hillel, Sigma Delta Tau, Delta Gamma and Delta Chi. I had a hard time keeping up with the moves, but appreciated all of the positive energy in the room. It was a great night, which ended with a motivational speech by Cara that was appreciated by all.

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

Welcome Back Hofstra Cheer & Dance Alumni!

You know being a member of a team is important to Hofstra students when you can watch a large display of alumni participation at a Cheer and Dance Alumni Day event. Every year, the Cheer and Dance Team invite back their alumni for a special combined performance at an Athletic event. This year, our Cheer and Dance Alumni came back on Saturday, November 19th to perform with current team members in a combined halftime performance at the Men’s Basketball game.

It was quite a site to see, as our recent graduates came back, some of them now with a family, to perform in front of our community and even their own children. It was definitely a spirited performance and a memorable day for the Spirit Support Teams.

I’m sure Saturday’s performance will be the talk of the Thanksgiving table for many of our Cheer and Dance Alumni. As for our current team members, well, they’re just thankful for a short break with their families before they begin their home stretch of finals and National’s competition practice!

So enjoy the short break from classes, rest and eat up! We’re all in the fall semester home stretch!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Service @ Hofstra

This year the Office of Student Leadership and Activities has launched a new successful program called the Senior Service Day series. This series targets senior students and gives them the opportunity to participate in various service projects throughout the academic year. First-years, sophomores, and juniors are also encouraged to sign-up should there be any available spots not filled by seniors.

Our first project was on September 17th when we volunteered with the Nassau Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Fifteen students volunteered to help build a home for a local Mineola family who has devoted their lives to taking care of individuals who are mentally challenged. The home was still in the beginning stages and all day we helped build the outside wood frame of the home. It was a lot of hard work, but at the end of the day there is no denying that volunteering with Habitat for Humanity is a rewarding experience for everyone.

Our second service project for the Senior Service Day series was just this past Friday, on November 18th. In the Thanksgiving spirit, twenty students volunteered to go to The Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) to help cook and serve the guests of this local soup kitchen. Students also helped to sort both clothing and food donations. The INN has been an important community partner of Hofstra's since it first opened its doors almost thirty years ago. Hofstra students volunteer with The INN on a regular basis and we were glad we could make The INN a part of our Senior Service Day series. Seniors who are looking to get involved in this series, please keep an eye out for even more service projects in the spring semester!

Life Lessons from the Twilight Saga

How many of you are Twilight fans out there? Well, it might surprise you to know that there are a couple of us here at The Career Center, me included. The movie premieres tonight and I was lucky enough to have tickets to an advanced screening of Breaking Dawn Part 1 on Wednesday (the movie was amazing!). As you are watching and swooning over Edward and Jacob, don’t overlook the important lesson Bella teaches us about making choices. Yes, there is more to Twilight than vampires and wolves. There is an important message that life is about a series of decisions. Every day we are faced with decisions, big and small. We can weigh the pros and cons, ask our friends and family, postpone the moment as long as we can, but eventually we must choose.

As students, you are forced to make a lot of important decisions about your future: what classes to register for, what major to choose, and what career to pursue. As career counselors we can listen to you, provide you with resources, and give you assessments. However, the best advice we have to give comes from Bella Swan: trust yourself. We were all given the gift of intuition – an inner voice that guides us. This voice knows what is best for us; it is our truth. Yet somehow many of us have learned to ignore this voice and over think the decisions we have to make. We have let logic and reason, or even other people make decisions for us. Many of us are paralyzed by all the information available today that we let things happen to us rather than going with our gut.

So today I challenge you to take a page out of the Twilight series and make the decision to listen to your inner self. Today make a choice (a healthy choice) that just “feels right.” It could be as small as what to eat for lunch or as big as taking that art class you have always wanted to try. With every decision, you will begin to nurture and trust this relationship with yourself.

-Deanna Rodin, Associate Director, The Career Center

Sunday at MoMA

Last Sunday, I led 25 first-year students to the Museum of Modern Art as part of our Explore Next Door program.  We broke up into two smaller groups and participated in a guided tour that highlighted some of the museum's most famous pieces.  It seemed as if everyone was at the museum on such a beautiful fall day... including actor Bill Nighy (of Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean fame) whom I bumped into (see picture 3)!

Word on the Street

Is it just us, or did Thanksgiving come quickly this year? Classes are scheduled through Wednesday, but we know the break is on your minds. Tell us your plans, and if you are leaving campus, safe travels!

There won't be a poll next week, so we'll see you back here in two!

Congratulations to Hofstra Cheer

I WISH I was in Paris, France November 4-7. Why? Well for starters, I’ve never been to Europe and I hear the coffee and chocolate in France is divine! It certainly would have been cool to have been sipping some fancy coffee (caw-fee) while watching our AMAZING cheer team compete against many other European competitors. I am still glowing with PRIDE after I received the news from Head Cheer Coach, Christine Farina, that our team, was selected to represent our country at the European Open. Did I mention, they placed FIRST! Yeah, that’s right, that’s how we roll at Hofstra, NUMBER 1!

GET EXCITED, because both Cheer & Dance will be performing this Saturday, November 19th at the Men’s Basketball game vs. St. Francis College!

"Shake A Rake" A Huge Success!

Boy did we "Shake A Rake!" What a great day it was for Hofstra students and the Hofstra community alike. This past Saturday, we had 143 students volunteer to rake leaves for senior citizens and clean the streets of Uniondale. We raked 12 houses, cleaned up Martin Luther King Jr. Park and helped beautify Uniondale's library and Uniondale Ave. I was so impressed with the amount of students who showed up at 8am in the morning to participate in this event. Throughout the day you could see smiles and hear laughter from both the students and the members of the community. "I put lipstick on for these guys," said one Uniondale resident who had members of Hofstra's baseball team raking her leaves. I was really proud to be a member of the Hofstra Community.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our next two events, "Culture on Wheels," on Wednesday December 7 during common hour in Plaza Rooms Middle and West, and "The Fighting Spirit," on Monday November 21 at 7:30pm in the Mack Fitness Center, featuring Cara Castronuvoa.

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

RA of the Month for October

Each month the Office of Residential Programs awards outstanding staff members for their hard work and dedication to the students of Hofstra University. For the month of October, here are our winners!

RA of the Month Brianne Richards.

Brianne works in the Netherlands complex in Leiden House. Since opening, she has been so invested in her position, her residents and making her house the best possible community. She consistently goes above and beyond in every area of the job; especially in building community among her residents and serving as a support/resource for the other staff members. Brianne has assisted residents in meditations,helped them communicate their problems with friends and suitemates. She has shown great judgment and responsibility in her role as a leader for first year students.

Senior Resident Assistant of the Month: Candace Zito.

Candace is the Senior Resident Assistant for Bill of Rights Hall. Candace is always on a positive note at meetings and programs. She will interject points of how great the staff is doing in one area and then point out an area where improvement is needed. Candace has been great about mentoring her staff so they are learning to have an action plan before they call her with a question. Her staff has grown tremendously in their confidence and ability to handle situations thrown their way because of her mentoring abilities.

Program of the Month: Timothy Clark and Rebecca Gianarkis. Tim and Becca work in Liberty/Republic Hall and are a great programming team! They played "The Newlywed Game: Lib/Rep Style" with the students. This event was great because it got a large number of people to interact from all over the complex who may not have interacted with each other. The game paired roommates, couples, or friends off and they competed against other pairs to see who knew the most about each other. During the breaks of each round, HUHC faculty member Dr. Holly Seirup provided unique facts about college students. Tim and Becca did an extra special job by decorating the lounge and really making it feel like a game show.

Congratulations to all of our winners!!

We All Have Pet Peeves, including Employers....So Steer Clear of These!

Sometimes we get so busy with our lives, whether it be school, work, and family, that we forget about the important details that may cause us to get the internship or job. Over the years, I have experienced a few things that are real red flags for candidates. We also hear A LOT from the employers so please keep in mind that even though you may think they are "minor" mistakes, they actually will knock you out of the running.

So here is a short to what could be a very long list:

1) Check your voice mail! If an employer calls a candidate's cell phone to schedule an interview and they leave a voice mail, it is so imperative to check that message before just calling back and saying "Uhhh, I received a call from this number?" The employer took out the time to call and leave a message, so it's only fair that you check the message before calling back. There may be detailed information that you want to make sure that you know before communicating with the employer.

2) Spelling Errors on Resume! If there's ANY spelling mistakes on the resume, chances are there will not be an interview. Just a tip - spell check DOES NOT work on capitalized words. I have seen EUDCATION numerous times.

3) Keep track of what you applied for. If you don't keep track, an employer will call you and you will have no idea what job they are calling you about. RED FLAG right there!

4) Your cover letter has to be specific. I asked an alumna who posted an internship with us to let me know if she received any Hofstra applications. Her response: "Got a few bites. Most of them did not actually change their cover letters or resumes...We are not a 'Focus Features' internship and we will not help you with your objective to obtain an internship in the radio industry..." GULP! That should never happen!

5) Watch what you wear on an interview! I had an interview with a college grad that was actually a referral from someone I worked with at NBC. She wore flip flops to the interview. Granted, she did wear a suit, but just because she was referred from someone in the company, did not mean she was a "shoe in" for the job. If they don't allow flip-slops in the white house, then that's your hint for no flips flops at an interview.

So obviously this list can go on and on, so I would suggest you do a little more research before clicking that application button. Here's a good article to check out for more info:

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/interviewblund.htm

And of course if you visit us at The Career Center, you will be properly guided, so please stop by and we'll make sure we give you the Do's and Don'ts!

~Kat Castro, Assistant Director at The Career Center

Men's Basketball Tips-Off Tonight

Hey Hofstra fans….

The 2011-12 Hofstra Men's Basketball season tips-off tonight, Friday, Nov. 11 when the Pride take on defending NEC-champion Long Island University at 7:00 p.m. at the Mack Sports Complex.

Prior to the game, Capital One Bank will host the Pride Fan Fest in the Physical Education Center right next door. Show your game ticket to enjoy interactive games, face-painting, Hofstra Cheerleading and Dance Team performances, free food, giveaways, a pep talk from me, a performance by the cheer and dance teams, and much more! The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The first 500 fans will also get a Fan Fest t-shirt courtesy of Capital One!

Check out the Fan Fest flyer by clicking here.

Come pack the Mack for what’s sure to be an exciting night of Hofstra Basketball!

We are Hofstra!

-Coach Mo

Dinner & Discussion

Since the Fall of 2006, I have invited students to my home to share a meal and discuss important topics of interest to Hofstra, higher education, and the world in which we live, in a relaxed and informal setting.

To date, over 900 students have participated in one or more of the Dinner & Discussion programs. Last week, the invitation went out for the two programs scheduled for the Fall 2011 term. In less than 12 hours we had to close the guest list because we had reached the limit of my living room!

I will be sure to share the outcome of our discussions as they relate to the two topics:

STAYING INFORMED

Social media, email, the Hofstra website/portal… there are so many ways to stay informed. How do current students receive important information, and which methods work best? Join the discussion on ways to receive and strengthen communication here at Hofstra.

GETTING CONNECTED

Are you an active member of the Hofstra community? What is it that makes you call Hofstra your home-away-from-home? Are you looking for more ways to get involved on campus? Join us in a lively conversation about getting connected on campus.

More importantly—keep on an eye out on your email for the subject line D&D for the Spring 2012 term—you will want to hit reply fast!

The First Years Get Their Turn!

Anticipation, excitement and nervous energy were definitely in the air last Sunday night as Hofstra's First Year Students crammed into the Netherlands Cafe' for their Registration
Celebration! This now annual event was hosted by the Center for University Advisement for all First Year students wanting to register for spring 2012. The doors opened at 10:00 p.m. and by 10:45 the cafe' was packed. Volunteers from the Center for University Advisement were happily providing Alternate PIN's to previously advised students and offering last minute advice on course selection for those still in need. Also on hand this year to assist students were Teri Cox, Director of Student Financial Services, Professor Terry Godlove, Senior Associate Dean for First-Year Programs, Jessica Havery, Resident Director of the Netherlands, and Christopher Muller, Director of Residential Living Learning Communities, along with a multitude of upper class volunteers.

The hot cocoa flowed and music blasted as students crowded tables with laptops and waited on pins & needles for the clock to chime 12:01 a.m. so they could quickly press the "submit" button to see if they would successfully complete their mission of getting into their most desired classes. R.A.'s and last summer's O.L.'s had a good time sharing their top secret tips on how best to register with their fellow future alum. By 1:00 a.m. the majority of our First Year class had successfully completed their spring 2012 registration mission! Some managed to get all of their 1st round picks, others weren't so happy, but needless to say, everyone was relieved that they now had access to make their schedules and look forward to another great semester! Kudos to everyone that made this exciting event a success - especially the students that brought their great spirit and enthusiasm!

Word on the Street

This week, tell us about how you spend your time on campus...

Presidential Debate Returns to Hofstra!

I'm sure you have all heard by now but Hofstra will once again be hosting a Presidential Debate on October 16, 2012. And while the countdown clock may currently make it seem lightyears away, it'll be here before we know it. What does this mean for students? Opportunities. Yes, plural.

Although I wasn't here for Debate '08, three years have passed and the campus is still buzzing about it. I've heard so many amazing stories that I feel like I was in attendance (plus I was stalking every update about my alma mater leading up to the big day, from 3,000 miles away). I wanted to get involved. So when the announcement came last week, needless to say I was ecstatic! "What an amazing opportunity and experience?"

My hope is that all of you have the same thought and are welcoming this once-in-a-lifetime (well for some twice) opportunity and thinking about how you will get involved. Maybe you will participate in planning events, others may attend programs, and some

lucky students will win the golden ticket to be up close and live.

Either way, I can promise you there will be something for everyone. Take advantage of this. And when you land that first job interview, I can bet this will be a topic brought up for discussion, as it gleams off your resume.

Get psyched. Get stoked. Get (insert your version of excited here). And most importantly, get involved!

Stay tuned and check those emails (and of course your favorite FB and Twitter page) come spring...

Check out more pics from Educate 08 here.

It’s Never too Late to Get Involved!

Perhaps you’re a new student and you made it through the hustle and bustle of Orientation, Welcome Week, and your first couple months of classes. However, in the midst of all the craziness, you had hoped to get involved in some type of club or organization, but it got away from you. Now you’re thinking: It’s too late. I missed the club fair. The clubs have already been formed. The members have already gotten to know one another and are busy with their activities, right?

Or perhaps you are an upperclass student who has been here a couple years without getting involved on campus because you were busy with classes, work, internships, etc. You would like to get some campus involvement on your resume, but you’re thinking: I probably needed to join something my first year. It’s too late for me to join a club this late in my college career, right?

Wrong on both counts. Whether you’re a new student or have been at Hofstra for a couple years, it’s never too late to get involved. Clubs are always looking for new members to bring new energy and ideas to their group.

Okay, so we’ve established that any time is a good time to join a club. But now you’re thinking: The club fair was back in September. How can I learn about ways to get involved? Well, I’m glad you asked, because there are numerous ways to learn about opportunities for involvement.

1) Collegiate Link: Hofstra currently has 186 active clubs and organizations, including academic, pre-professional, cultural, religious, sports and recreation, performance, media, social, politically/socially active, and fraternities and sororities. One of the easiest ways to explore these organizations is through Collegiate Link, an on-line program (similar to Facebook) that allows you to search for and browse through club pages. You can access Collegiate Link from the comfort of your own home through the Hofstra portal by clicking on “my apps.” From there, a wealth of information is at your fingertips, including club mission statements, events, meeting times and locations, pictures, and club leaders and their contact information. If you see a club you’d like to join, shoot an email off to the president and let him or her know you’d like to attend their next meeting. If they don’t meet for a while, ask how you might get involved with them in the meantime.

2) Meet with an Advisor: Hofstra’s clubs are advised by the following offices: Student Leadership and Activities (osla@hofstra.edu), Multicultural and International Student Programs (international@hofstra.edu) and Recreation and Intramural Sports (recreation@hofstra.edu). You are encouraged to stop by any one of these offices and meet with one of the many advisors who can talk to you about the variety of different ways to get involved, as well as which opportunities might best fit your interests.

3) Atrium Tables: How many times a day do you swing through the Student Center atrium? You probably notice that there are clubs there every day promoting their events and activities. Stop by. Say hello. Check out what they’re doing and ask how you might get involved. It’s a great opportunity for some in-person browsing.

4) Attend Student Club Events: Almost every club event is open to all Hofstra students. See a program that interests you? Stop by and check it out. While you’re there, introduce yourself to other club members and see if it’s a group you’d like to connect with further.

Not only are clubs a great way to connect with other Hofstra students with similar interests, but they are also a great way to gain skills and experiences that will come in handy for the old resume and interview process. And did you know students who are more involved tend to be more satisfied with their college experience and more successful as students?

It’s a no-brainer then. Ready, set, get involved!

Word on the Street

Here in Student Affairs, we are beyond excited about hosting another a presidential debate. The day of Debate '08 still goes down as my favorite day of work ever. It was a ton of work, and I loved every minute of it. So how do you plan to get involved in Debate 2012?

Hofstra's First Fright Night!

Over 300 students were in attendance Halloween night for Hofstra's first "Fright Night." Those who attended this festive night on Adams Quad enjoyed free harvest treats, unlimited popcorn, a hayride, pumpkin carving and an outdoor movie showing of "The Shining!"

Were you in attendance? What was the best part of "Fright Night?" If you'd like to see this event as an annual tradition, let's hear from you! View more pictures of Fright Night here.