Stressbusters

The Office of Student Leadership & Activities hosted our Stressbusters Week of stress-relieving activities and events from December 11-17, 2014. Many students took advantage of the various activities and events from our popular semesterly tradition.

On Thursday, we hosted our first annual Bop-It Tournament in the Student Center, with the popular late 90s toy: Bop-It Extreme! Students were excited to participate, and winners went home with a large backpack full of swag, such as sunglasses, water bottles, flashlights, and t-shirts. Thursday evening, the Fitness Center hosted a Stressbusters Dodgeball Tournament, where participants dodged and ran to relieve their stress.

This past Friday, we brought back the much anticipated “Paws-A-Tively Stress Free” Pet Therapy! Over 400 students lined up in the Plaza Rooms, excited to be able to pet a Bide-A-Wee pet therapy dog.

Throughout the week, we continued the popular Grab & Go Breakfast and Favorite Snack Bags to replenish your energy and fuel up for studying, and hosted three days of free Massages by Tender Touch For All, to help melt away your stress! By popular demand, we brought back TWO days of Chill-Axinn, a free hot food buffet in the Axinn Library Basement, co-sponsored by the Resident Student Association. Over 300 students attended each night, happy to be grab a quick meal while studying hard in the library.

Other events of the week included yoga by the Hofstra Yoga Club, 'Color the Stress Away' with Hofstra's brand new coloring club, In the Lines, and gave away study tips and planners with help from the Academic Success Program. The Multipurpose Room has also been open all week for a collaborative study space with comfortable furniture.

Best of luck on finals, Hofstra students! We hope you enjoyed our week of Stressbusters Finals Week Programming, and have a relaxing winter break.

-Ariel Adrian (Graduate Assistant of Programming, OSLA)

Flavors of our Neighborhood!

As we prepare for finals, it is important to look back and remember the fun and educational programs we experienced throughout the semester. Here is an account by Allie Koo, a junior linguistics major, about our Flavors of our Neighborhood trip:

The latest trip for the Flavors of our Neighborhood series was to Vincent’s Clam Bar in Carle Place on November 20, sponsored by Off Campus Living and Commuter Student Services (OCLCSS) and the Multicultural International Student Programs Office (MISPO). Close to Hofstra, ambient, and delicious, this authentic Italian experience was extraordinary!

To our delight, the theme song to The Godfather greeted us when we arrived! The restaurant was buzzing with lively chatter, and lights were strung overhead. We passed a giant wall of sauces by the entrance and the famous clam bar along the left wall.

As we sat down at our table, Anita Ellis, Director of OCLCSS, shared stories of her Italian heritage
and about the distinct Italian-American culture that emerged from the arrival of many Italian immigrants in the early 1900s into the United States, including her grandparents. As we listened, we noticed Italian culture bears many similarities to our own.

The menu consisted of the following tastings:

• Calamari and tomato sauce
• Bruschetta topped with onion, olive, tomato, olive oil, basil
• Linguini in tomato sauce
• Rigatoni in tomato sauce
• Eggplant parmesan
• Chicken cacciatore
• Cannoli, ice cream, tiramisu for dessert!

At the end of our lovely dinner, Anita introduced us to Bobby, who opened Vincent’s of Long Island with his brother. He started as a waiter in the original Vincent’s restaurant in Little Italy, Manhattan, which is still open today! Bobby’s dream was to introduce Long Islanders to the intricate flavors of Italian cuisine and all the culture that comes with them. After dining in Vincent’s Clam Bar that evening, we definitely got a taste of Italian cuisine, culture, and Bobby’s dream!

Thanking Anita and Bobby, we walked out of Vincent’s towards campus with our stomachs and hearts full and satisfied.

Each participant was given a jar of Vincent’s Clam Bar  sauce to take home.

Guest Blogger: Allie Koo, junior linguistics major

MISPO goes to the Apollo!

On November 22, 2014, members from the MISPO staff and 13 Hofstra students embarked on a wonderful adventure to Ballet Hispanico in New York City.  After a start on the Hofstra Shuttle, a connection on the Long Island Rail Road, an interesting smelling elevator ride in Penn Station and a 20 minute ride to 125th street – we arrived at the legendary Apollo Theater!

The Apollo Theater is known historically for launching the careers of several iconic African American artists, such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and many more.  However, on this particular night our group was eager to see the new twist on “Carmen. Maquia”. Although many students had experienced other versions of the show before, none of us had witnessed it in dance form.

It was wonderful to see dancers from different cultural backgrounds grace the stage of the Apollo Theater taking part in an art form where diversity is not often seen. The show lasted for about an hour and thirty minutes.  Though I had seen other versions of the show, I was enthralled and on the edge of my seat of wonder. The company did a great job capturing the essence of the original show while adding a modern twist on the performance.

Following the show, we all gathered in front of the Apollo Theater marquee, took several pictures and talked about the experience. This trip proved to be a valuable cultural experience for all who attended and allowed students to learn about Ballet Hispanico in New York City and also about each other in a fun way.

Guest Blogger, Jason Spradley
Graduate Student, Rhetoric, 2016

Students giving back through Hofstra University!

Hofstra students have been active serving their community since returning from thei Thanksgiving break.  Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday season, was quickly followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday which is one of the busiest days of the shopping season.  We challenged students to think about their community and the organizations they are passionate about.  We challenged our students to give back.  

On Tuesday, December 2^nd, students and staff joined the Office of Student Leadership and Activities in the Student Center Atrium to complete several community service projects as part of the national campaign #GivingTuesday.  These passive programs were designed as a way for students to give back despite their busy schedules. 

                                                             Posting their #Unselfie

                                                  Making Sandwiches for Midnight Run

“I wish we could do something like this every Tuesday,” one student said as he completed spreading the peanut butter on a sandwich for the homeless.

“I get so wrapped up when I do things like this, look I've been doing this for 30 minutes already,” said another student who was crafting cards for the residents of Holly Patterson.

Together students made 100 sandwiches, 50 cards, and shared their #unselfie. Many students shared the sentiment that it felt good to spend just a few minutes doing something that would make someone else’s day. 

In the evening a small group of students continued their service by sorting through clothing and toiletries in preparation for the Midnight Run.  This cohort had spent the semester preparing for the Midnight Run, learning about the organization, fundraising, and collecting donations.  Students prepared to go into the city on the night of December 3^rd where they would stop at designated areas to distribute donations to the homeless populations in the area.  In addition to the 377 pairs of socks that our student organizations collected for #Socktober, more than 30 bags of clothing, jackets, blankets, and bags were donated throughout the fall semester. 

          After students sorted all of the clothes.  All donations were donated by the Hofstra community.

                                             Hofstra students handing out donations to the homeless

         Taking a break for a quick photo-op!  Thanks to Mr. Jerry (on the left) from Public safety for                                                                      being an amazing driver!

On the night of the Midnight Run students loaded a Hofstra University bus and a minivan with the donated clothes, peanut butter sandwiches, and Lackmann hot chocolate and cookies.  At each stop students distributed the donated items and toiletries.  Our night concluded as we left New York City at 1:30AM for Hofstra. 

“I asked the man who had no shoes if he needed anything.  He had a water bottle and a peanut butter sandwich and he said to me ‘I have all that I need,’ reflected junior Autumn Crooker. 

The left over sandwiches and clothing that was not distributed to the patrons of the Midnight Run were donated to the Mary Brennan INN.

Thanksgiving Homestay

During this Thanksgiving break, the Office of Parent and Family Programs and the Multicultural & International Student Programs Office (MISPO) offered a “Thanksgiving Homestay” for Hofstra students to experience this U.S. Holiday at someone’s home.  Last year, two international students celebrated with one family.  This year, two families of current Hofstra students hosted six international students.  This was the first Thanksgiving for most of these students.  Here is the student account of their stay: 

From Xiaokan Chen, the J-1 exchange student from China:

“I really enjoyed the Thanksgiving at the Mohammed family. They are very nice and wonderful people! We had great dinner, pleasant chats and watched a wonderful movie together. Thank you so much for such a wonderful program! This would be one of my best experience in America.”

From Yina Peng, the first year graduate school student from China:

“I really appreciate that I had this wonderful experience. This is a great chance to get familiar with the American life and different custom. 

I stayed with Mr. Murray, Alan's family for three days. And I learned a lot of American and Latin American traditional food. Everything was so new to me. We cooked the thanksgiving dinner together and drove around their small town. We had a lot of fun and I hope I can keep in contact with this nice family. 

I'm very grateful to the Office of Parent and Family Programs, MISPO, and this wonderful volunteer family! ”

If your family is interested in hosting students for future events (both international and U.S. students who can’t get home for Thanksgiving), please have them contact parents@hofstra.edu.