Sit & Chat - A Cross-Cultural Social Hour

This past Wednesday, September 24, Multicultural andInternational Student Programs Office (MISPO) launched the first Sit & Chat event in Fall 2014 Semester. This program is a cross-cultural social hour to get all our Hofstra students (domestic and international) to come and share their cultures with each other. 

We had around 30 students at this event. As a MISPO graduate coordinator, I met the international students from India, China, and Jamaica. It was wonderful to share the differences of our cultural and educational experiences between other counties and the U.S./Hofstra. I truly appreciate all the students' courage, leaving their comfort zone, to meet new people at Hofstra University. 

We will have two more “Sit & Chat” events throughout this semester on Wednesday, October 15 and Wednesday, November 12 in the Dean of Student Hallway by MISPO (242, Student Center).  Please join us for these events and enjoy the coffee & snacks, meet new friends, and learn different cultures.

JD Hyun, Guest Blogger
Graduate Coordinator
Zarb Business School Graduate Student

Club Sports Roundup

Women’s Rugby thrashes Molloy and Club Baseball defeats the Alumni in a busy weekend for Hofstra club sports.

 

The Hofstra Women’s Rugby Club only had a short trip to Mitchell Field on Saturday, September 21st,  but they were soon miles ahead of the Molloy Lions, in a game that would end 87-17 in favor of the Pride. Cheyenne Wong, Rachelle Pierre and Kim Tran each had 2 tries, Andrea Innis and Mackenzie O’Donnell both registered 15 points from three tries a-piece, while Kaelyn Ragonese lead the side with one try and 11 conversion kicks, notching her 22 points. The victory moved the team's record to 2-0 for the 2014 campaign, which will resume on Sunday, September 28^th when the team faces Fairfield at 11:00am at the Hofstra Intramural Rugby Field.

Hofstra Club Baseball’s Alumni made a return to campus to face the current squad on Sunday, September 21st. The veterans made a valiant comeback after falling behind 7-1 early on in the game, but eventually let their 11-7 lead slip as the youngsters forced them into extra innings. The current squad went on to clinch the win following an error by the Alumni team's catcher, making the final score 12-11 in 10 innings. Hofstra Club Baseball is next in action this Saturday, September 27th, facing York College in a doubleheader at University Field at 3:00pm.

In other news, the Men’s Rugby Club could not quite emulate their winning ways of last week, dropping a road decision to Fairfield. The Pride will hit the road again this coming Sunday, September 28th to face Montclair State at 1:00pm.

Despite a goal from Mabruk Ahmedin, the Men’s Club Soccer team fell to Rutgers in their home opener 4-1, but will look to improve on that showing as they participate in Fordham's Invitational Tournament, where they will take on the hosts as well as Ramapo College.

 Hofstra Men's Club Soccer team

For all the latest news and results, please check back for next week’s Club Sports Roundup, which will include season openers from Women’s Club Soccer and Men’s Ultimate Frisbee. For information on how to get involved with any Hofstra club sports, visit our website: www.hofstra.edu/recreation and click on the 'Club Sports" tab.

 

Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger,
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramurals 

Hofstra Men's Rugby defeats Seton Hall

The Hofstra Men’s Rugby Club claimed their first victory of the season on Sunday, September 15^th, with a 41-22 win over visiting Seton Hall at the Hofstra Intramural Rugby Field. 

The Sunday morning contest began with a try from Hofstra’s David Pedziwizider, who would later add another try off an impressive attacking play and subsequent assist from Norman Gabriel. Further points came in the form of Collins Tomasceli, who broke the defensive line to add to Hofstra’s try count just before the half. Super sub Ahmad Nichols made an instant impact off the bench with back-to-back insurance tries to secure Hofstra’s lead over their New Jersey rivals. The victory was then sealed with a try in the corner from Jonathon Costa, who troubled the opposition’s defense with a devastating display of speed.

 

The win evened the Hofstra Men’s Rugby Club's season record at 1-1. For information on upcoming events, practices, and how to get involved, please visit the team's website at https://hofstra.collegiatelink.net/organization/mensrugby . 

Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger,
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramurals 

 

From Cornfields to Hofstra

I remember when I was younger I used to stand on the back of my grandfather’s pickup truck and transport myself to places that I wanted to be. Normally, you could find me conducting a string orchestra or a booming horn section like Cab Calloway at The Cotton Club, which in reality ended up being my German Shepard and the corn in the field across the creek side. Sometimes, I would imagine that I was the head of a large company making big deals on the back of a chevy or teaching a class to a group of furry students. Whatever I imagined myself to be during those years, there was one thing that I always knew – that I wanted to get out of Texas.

My family has always thought of me as the crazy and adventurous person in the pack of comfortable and stable Spradleys, so when I was doing my undergraduate degree and informed them that I was planning on going to graduate school to get my masters and that my short or long list did not include any institution with a location in the lone star state, it was not a huge shock to them. When about four months after graduation I told them that I was moving to New York City without a job or an offer letter from a master’s program they wanted to take me to a therapist. However, after a million questions from each member in my family, they decided to help me with my move under the condition that I would go back to school…someday.

When I arrived in the big city, New York welcomed me with blistering cold and a cramped apartment. I am not sure what persuaded me to move to the east coast in the winter, but whatever it was, it had to be great.

During my first few months in New York, I had a ton of experiences and a ton of temp jobs! I worked in an army terminal, a creepy call center, and with high end clients in the fashion district. I hated all of them! I said to myself, “This is it! This is my Britney Spears 2007 moment! I need to make a change! I need to go back to school!” I started searching for schools in or around NYC with a Communication Studies Master’s program. Luckily, I found Hofstra University! I took time to gather all of my materials and after about another six months I sent in my application. Less than a month later I had my acceptance letter!

After getting accepted into Hofstra, I applied to several graduate assistantship positions and was hired by the wonderful Multicultural and International Student Programs Office. Every day I get to interact with people who are excited to be in a new place with new opportunities, and though Texas isn’t technically a foreign country (some people would debate this) I feel like I have a small connection with these students' stories.

Jason Spradley, Guest Blogger,
First Year Graduate Student, School of Communication