Congratulations to the Class of 2013: Images from the Senior Toast

We would like to congratulate our Graduating Class of 2013 and their families on a remarkable achievement. It takes great focus to obtain a University degree!

On Friday, May 17, we paid tribute to the Class of 2013's accomplishment as the most recent additions to our alumni rolls during our annual Senior Toast. We thank the Class of 2013 for the strong example they set for future graduating classes and their families for supporting them each step of the way.

Click "Read more" to view additional photos!

Left over dining points? Donate to Hurricane Sandy!

As the semester winds down to an end, Hofstra University students are taking finals, writing papers, and presenting projects. Although their minds are filled with numbers, words, theories and concepts, students are still finding time to help Hurricane Sandy victims. Students can use their left over dining points to buy non-perishable food items in the Student Center Café and in Dutch Treats and then donate those items to the non-profit organization Bags of Hope/MLK. This non-profit has been hard at working collecting items and giving them out to those still in need after the storm last October.

To help out, stop by either the Student Center Café or Dutch Treats and place food into the boxes located at each location. Thank you to all the students whom have already donated, and if you haven’t yet, it isn’t too late! For more information about the food drive and how to donate contact OSLA@hofstra.edu. Keep up that PRIDE Hofstra and best of luck on finals!

Early Morning Breakfast in The Office of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services

The Office of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services held their last event of the semester on Monday, May 13th.  Over 40 students came enjoyed the Early Morning Breakfast event that provided commuters with a plethora of breakfast foods including home fries, eggs, bacon, waffles and of course coffee. It was the perfect beginning to a hard week of finals. 

 

This was my first year as a commuter however my third and final year being an Undergraduate Assistant in the Commuting Students Office. I have enjoyed my time writing blog posts and engaging with all students who visited room 221 of the Mack Student Center.  Thank you to everyone who came out to Early Morning Breakfast and thank you to Anita Ellis and Office of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Students for a fantastic three years.  

-Meagan Luevano

Undergraduate Assistant 

Office of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services

Survey at Cap and Gown Pick up – One you have to take!

Some of you may have recently been hearing the phrase “return on investment” as it relates to your college expenses and employment success after graduation.  Some believe that college does not prepare you for a job after graduation.  Others say the purpose of college is to educate; not train you for one particular job. 

This blog entry is not meant to enter that discussion, although I believe you all should read about it – a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education explains it well.  What this blog entry is intended for is to let you know that we are evaluated - you as students, you as new entries into the workforce, and Hofstra University as an educational institution.  How well did you do after graduation, how much debt did you incur, how long did it take you to graduate, and how well did we do educating and preparing you as an institution? 

In order to assess this, you will be taking a brief survey at the Cap and Gown Pick Up area this week.  This will take only a few short minutes and allows us to get your employment and/or graduate school plans for after graduation.  This data is rolled up in aggregate.  We are able to slice and dice it so that we can report on your success to national accreditation institutions, national publications, and eventually it will go to the government.  In the end it makes your Hofstra degree more valuable – the more and better data we get from you, the more sought out you are by employers. 

Your success raises the return on investment you and/or your parents made on your college education.  So, pick up your cap and gown, say hello to The Career Center staff, and have a seat at one of our computers to take a brief survey.

Suzanne Dagger, Director of Career Services, The Career Center

Undergraduate Research Day 2013

"Welcome to a celebration of Undergraduate Research across the disciplines!" So begins Dean Donahue's letter greeting all guests and students to Hofstra University's 2013 Undergraduate Research Day. The fair, attended by countless students and staff, including Provost Berliner, packed the 246 East Library Wing with projects that spanned from poetry and art to physics and psychology, each showcasing the effort student's have put in throughout their academic careers.

"It's a really cool event," said Senior Creative Writing major, Elyse Suter, whose senior thesis Not a Soul, made use of both visual collage and verse. "I was stoked to be invited because not many people see what I do as very research intensive, but it is.  It isn't just academic research, it's my life's research." When asked about how she felt in the midst of so many different kinds of projects, Suter proclaimed, "I'm really excited to look at what other students have done. I'm all about it."

Senior Physics major, Stephen Ferdinand, concurred with Suter's sentiment. "I do all of my work at Berliner Hall, so don't get to see much research outside of the sciences. It's great to see what everyone else is up to." Ferdinand's project analyzed the little-known phenomenon called sonoluminescence, whereby bubbles confronted by high frequency sound waves release so much energy while collapsing that they emit light.

Senior Speech Communication major, Bari Morchower, summed it up thus, "This is my first time presenting or even attending, and I can't say enough about this event. It really gives people a chance to share their hard work with others." Morchower's project examined the nonverbal elements of communication between President Obama and Governor Christie in their iconic photo following Superstorm Sandy.

Students across every discipline applauded the work of their peers. "You really get to see the rigor involved in their studies," said Junior Psychology major Nicole Melita. "A lot of the time we hear what students are doing on campus and now you can see it coming to fruition," added her research partner and fellow Psychology major, Alex Barkley (also a Junior). "It's important to have this available because we students really are the face of the future."

"I'm really impressed with how many departments are represented here," concluded Physical Education major, Faith Rialem, as she observed the students bustling around her. "It's a great way to sum up the semester's work."









4th Annual Pet Parade

The 4th Annual Pet Parade proved to be another success for The Office of Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services.  With seven pets entered to participate, 5 dogs and 2 cats, we were able to pick our winner based on their obedience, tricks and overall best in show.  The Hofstra Community spectated enthusiastically cheering on the parading pets.  When it came down to picking our top two winners we awarded Bella, the Border Collie and owner Christine with a 1st place prize and 2nd place was awarded to a reigning champion, Chloe, the Toy Poodle and owner Jennifer.  We are so thankful to all our participants including our cats Monkey and Daenerys Stormborn and owners Adam and Jackson, as well as our dogs, Tyger, Pumba, and Casey and owners Gisselle, Stephanie and Nick.  Thank you to the Hofstra Community and participants for participating in the 4th Annual Pet Parade, we cannot wait for next year!

STRESSBUSTERS MAY 2013

It’s May! A time of flowers, nice weather, and the end of classes drawing nearer (yeah, summer break!). However, because the last day of classes is drawing nearer, one inevitable force of life is becoming more clear – FINALS. We dread them all semester and when they come, it’s smack in the middle of a time that should be happy and bright! But who says we can’t make it fun? 

The Office of Student Leadership and Activities has over a week of fun activities planned starting May 8^th and lasting all the way through May 17^th to make your exams that much more bearable. These events are tailored to reduce your stress, like a free ZUMBA session, free massages, free food and more, so the series is conveniently titled, STRESSBUSTERS! We hold the series at the end of each semester, but this semester, it is going to be bigger and better than ever!

...bigger and better? YES! We are excited to announce that we added a BRAND NEW event to our Stressbusters line-up this semester. Let us introduce to you, PET THERAPY! On May 9^th and 10^th from 12pm-4pm in the Multipurpose Rooms. Bideawee, a local animal welfare organization, is bringing special therapy dogs to campus! Petting a dog is proven to improve your mood, control blood pressure, and LOWER STRESS, so we wanted to offer this amazing opportunity to our students! There is already a lot of buzz, and we are thrilled to start this new Stressbusters tradition with you all. So make sure to bring your friends and feel the love!

Here is a flyer of all of the great events we have taking place!:

For the full comprehensive list of our Stressbusters event schedule, check out our website at www.hofstra.edu/stressbusters, and be sure to LIKE our facebook page for updates, www.facebook.com/HofstraOSLA! 


Written by Alicia K. Ryan - Graduate Assistant of Programming - OSLA

Class of 2013 Last Chance Events

Due to the weather forecast please join us at the MACK SPORTS ARENA for the Senior Salute on May 9th!
Are you a senior and thinking about what you are doing during your last weeks at Hofstra? Hopefully you have already been engaging in programs like Senior Seminars and Senior Week! I am hoping that you also are ready to tackle the 20 in 13 checklist developed by the Senior Class Challenge Committee.
I am most looking forward to the Senior Salute planned for May 9th where not only will the senior class get to wear their yellow shirts from Orientation for a Class Photo (outside Hofstra Hall at 12pm) but, the underclassmen will get an opportunity to send you off outside the Adams Playhouse Quad while having a light breakfast, playing games and taking photos!

Check out the 20 in 13 Checklist from your Senior Class Challenge Committee...and we hope to see YOU at the Senior Salute!


 Donate $20.13 to the Senior Class Challenge
and get your Class of 2013 t-shirt
 Attend Senior week May 2nd – 5th
 Go to a Hofstra Athletic event
 Instagram a picture of your favorite place on campus
 Meet with your advisor
 Get a picture with Stuart Rabinowitz
 Thank your favorite faculty member
 Go to the Game Room and play a game with Friends
 Picture with Kate and Willy
 Make sure you’ve secured your copy of the yearbook
 Get lunch with a friend from freshman year
 Attend the Senior Salute Thursday May 9th
 Pick up your cap and gown
 Go swimming at the swim center
 Take a class at the fitness
 Decorate your cap
 Take a picture in all the unispans
 Go to the career center
 Attend the Senior Class Toast Friday May 17th
 Take a picture on graduation with your family at
your most memorable place on campus

Diversity Through My Lens

We have all heard the idea that in college, you learn both inside and outside of the classroom.  As I prepared for my collegiate journey to Hofstra, I can recall day dreaming about how I would come to these epiphanies that college promised. Would I need to travel to another country, or acquire an interest in postmodern art? Maybe, I would “find myself” through the challenges of leaving the security of home. While traveling is a beautiful opportunity that I believe should be taken and my classes have given me a new appreciation for several things including art, it turns out that college hasn’t been where I’ve “found myself” but more so where I am finding the courage to let live who I’ve always known myself to be. The resource that has been a main tool in quenching my thirst of learning about the world, and building a bridge between what I am passionate about and how I can use those passions to make a positive impact, has been the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs (MISPO).

As a person who appreciates diversity for the way it adds beauty and liveliness to our world, I work  not only to eliminate the complacency of tolerating differences, but rather taking a step further to embrace differences. Finding the indispensable value in how these different shades of one’s self so vibrantly color the world, it is satisfying to explore how all of what makes us unique actually makes us connected. MISPO encourages students to engage in this exploration through educational programs and outreach. The office provides support to international and multicultural student leaders and is also a resource for domestic students who are interested in learning about culture and diversity related issues. In support of this purpose, MISPO offers several programs during the semester including the “Diversity, Dialogue, and Desserts Series”, which sheds light on topics such domestic violence, identifying as LGBTQ in America today and gender inequalities to name a few.  Another series of events that are immensely mind opening are the “Living in America” which include topics such as dating, making friends, surviving college financially and provides the opportunity for cultural exchange between international and domestic students.

As college students, we have several opportunities to develop as leaders. It is essential to first understand who we are so that we can better understand others. By realizing that leadership begins within it is important to understand why embracing multiculturalism is key. As different as we may initially presume ourselves to be, it takes one attendance of “Flavors of our Neighborhood”, a collaborative event between MISPO and Off Campus Living and Commuting Students to realize that the similarities we share! Through this event, which allows us to explore culture through food, I learned that the Caribbean favorite dish of plantains originate in Asia. In the words of the songwriter, Marla Lewis, “We all laugh in the same language”, and I’d like to add that pain, sadness, joy, and love are all human emotions which overcome geographical, economic or any other kind of social boundary.

For more information on MISPO programs please visit facebook.com/HofstraMISPO or email us at international@hofstra.edu



Guest Blogger: Joanna Soares, Class of 2016