Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Hofstra Women's Rugby Star Named Collegiate All-American



Congratulations to Kimdinh Tran, Hofstra’s newest Collegiate All-American athlete in women's rugby! A senior from East Hartford, Connecticut, pursuing a psychology major, Kim has been playing rugby for over a year and half.  Kim credits her involvement with the sport for expanding her knowledge of herself, her strengths, challenges and her ability to persevere beyond her limits. Furthermore, she's stated she learned how to be a better leader on and off the field, and a stronger athlete and person. The standard of respect that rugby players have for each other, teammate or not, is the embodiment of sportsmanship fostered by Kim’s team.



 
Kimdinh is also very thankful for the recognition of her accomplishments and hopes that her success doesn't stop there! This recognition has encouraged her to up her game and to continue striving to be the best. One thing that Kim would like to let the Hofstra community know about the Hofstra Women's Rugby Club is this, “We are a big family who supports each other on and off the field like any family would. We push each other to be the best that we can be and work hard to achieve this goal.” She adds,“ We put our bodies on the line for each other each and every time we step onto the field for a game. Rugby is a full contact sport with no pads and I know that I can trust my teammates to have my back on the field as I would for them.” 



Kimdinh hopes to graduate in the spring, be abroad volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years, and hopes to go to graduate school afterwards. “I hope to continue to play rugby and one day make it on the USA Women's National Team.” 


Hats off to you, Kimdinh, and good luck in all your future endeavors. Congratulations and keep spreading that Hofstra Pride!

Friday, September 25, 2015

Club Sports Roundup



Hofstra Women’s Rugby Club was back on home turf this past Sunday, September 20th, to take on local rivals SUNY Albany. All-American Kim Tran led the way for the Pride with two tries, Jenn Theibaud added another, and Margaret O’Callaghan converted two kicks as the squad fought off some late pressure from the Great Danes, battling their way to a well-deserved 24-22 victory. The team will look to preserve its perfect record when they take on Stony Brook on Sunday, September 27th.

Hofstra Women's Rugby Club celebrates their 24-22 victory over SUNY Albany.

Cassio Daros of Hofstra Men’s Club Soccer has now scored in back to back games, as he netted just five minutes into the Pride’s away tilt at Seton Hall. Unfortunately for the Pride, the hosts soon settled in, and methodically powered their way to a 4-1 victory. All was not lost for the Hofstra club soccer programs, as Hofstra Women’s Club Soccer came away with a win in their first game of the season, a 2-1 road victory over Adelphi.

Hofstra Women’s Ultimate Frisbee traveled to the University of Delaware on Saturday, September 19th, where they played four opponents: Towson, Temple, Delaware, and Phuel. Hofstra came away with an impressive (3-1) winning record, falling only to Phuel in the final game. Senior Erin Hadden had a standout performance registering multiple bookends, an instance in which a player gets the defensive block and then scores immediately after.




Hofstra Club Baseball will host their annual Alumni Game as a part of Fall Festival Weekend on Saturday, September 26th at 3:00pm at University Field. All are encouraged to come out and check out the action!
 

Hofstra’s 29 Club Sports are always looking for new members and welcome all experience levels.  If you would like to find out more information about joining one of our clubs, please visit hofstra.edu/recreation and click on the ‘Club Sports’ tab, or feel free to visit us at the Hofstra Fitness Center with any questions you may have!
 
Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramural Sports

Thursday, September 24, 2015

International Student Orientation: Global Mentor Perspective

On the 24th of August, 2015, Hofstra University was very glad to officially welcome the newest group of International students which were resuming for the Fall 2015 semester. This group consisted of over 300 international students from over 35 different countries. Preparations for their arrival began a year in advance, and we were finally happy to be able to welcome them.
In anticipation for their arrival, the International Student Affairs Office in collaboration with the Peer Mentor program put together a team of Global Mentors, which consists equally of both international and U.S. American student volunteers, to help the new students with the transition to living and schooling in the U.S. As a member of the Global Mentor team, I can say it was a great opportunity to meet and help new international students.
Also, for the first time the International Student Affairs office in collaboration with the Admissions Office and Provost Office and with help of the Global Mentors successfully planned and executed an airport pickup service that was available for all interested students coming in from the John Franklin Kennedy (JFK) Airport, New York. Knowing how long and exhausting international flights can be, we felt it would be nice to help alleviate some of the stress by picking them up from the airport and providing a smiling face to encourage them.
The undergraduate International Student Orientation lasted from Sunday, August 23 up until Thursday, August 27, 2015. At the arrival of the students earlier on the Sunday, there was a light pizza party to welcome them. There most of them got to meet with their Global Mentor and other international students, after which everyone proceeded to the bookstore to get supplies and enjoy a cupcake decorating party.
On Monday, the International Student Affairs Office organized a Welcome to Orientation session.  We had more of a full house here, a light breakfast, took a group photo and the rest of the day was spent getting acquainted with the campus and completing their arrival checklist. In the evening, interested students went on a bus to Target to shop for much needed supplies.
On Tuesday, most of the day was spent taking the ELP exams, which is required for every international student obtaining a degree at Hofstra. The rest of the day was spent learning about their immigration status, the Center for University Advising and resources available to them through the Hofstra Portal. Sessions on student employment and fire safety were also offered. Later in the evening, interested students went over to the fitness center for some healthy fruits and fun activities.





On Wednesday, the new students got to find out about even more learning resources available to them through an Academic Success Seminar coordinated through the Center of Academic Excellence and a session on Academic Integrity coordinated through the Dean of the Honors College, the Writing Center and the International Student Affairs office. They also had the pleasure of having their first Hofstra class which was centered on the novel Topdog Underdog.  During lunch, the students had the chance to gather other useful information from the Resource Fair. The afternoon was filled with sessions on being healthy and safe as well as relationships in the U.S. Later in the early evening, all the new international students were invited to the International Student Welcome Reception, were they were given an official welcome address by the Vice President of Student Affairs, W. Houston Dougharty and Provost Gail Simmons and also got to meet faculty and staff members. Later that evening, there was an ice cream social, where interested individuals came to unwind in the game room. During this event, I got to bond with my mentees over air hockey, and ice-cream, which was an awesome experience.
On the last day of orientation, Global Mentors met up with their mentees who had not completed their checklist and later in the evening, there was an Alumni Panel, where past students came to talk about their experiences at Hofstra.
In general, the whole orientation turned out to be very successful and exciting, not just for the new students but everyone that was involved including myself. I got to make new friends, create memories and help out with so many little things, the whole experience turning out to be very rewarding for me. It can be very different at first as an international student, and this is something I know firsthand, as I am one myself. So I look forward to getting to know my mentees better and helping them out in any way I can.

Guest Blogger: Tamunomiesiya LongJohn, Global Mentor

Friday, September 18, 2015

Club Sports Roundup



Hofstra Club Sports are back! Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Rugby, and Men’s Soccer pitched, scrummed, and kicked off the 2015 season with games across the weekend of September 12th and 13th

Hofstra Club Baseball picked up right where they left off from last season defeating Fordham University 14-2. The Pride, who finished one game short of making playoffs in the 2015 season, hit the ground running at University Field on the Hofstra Campus, putting up runs in bunches and registering some big hits courtesy of a strong returning class. Next on Hofstra’s hit list will be Westchester Community College, who the Pride will travel to for an 11:00am start on Saturday, September 19th.

The Hofstra Club Baseball team before their game against Fordham University on Saturday, September 12th.

Hofstra Men’s Rugby Club enjoyed a historical Sunday that marked the start of an exciting partnership with Penn Mutual, who presented the team with new uniforms prior to their match up with Sacred Heart University on the Hofstra Intramural Rugby Field. The visiting team was a fitting foe for such a big occasion, as Sacred Heart finished second in the conference last year and is poised to dominate the league in 2015. The Pride, who have a roster of new players and are also under the guidance of  new coach, Rory Forrestal, managed to put thirty-one points on the board, but in the end it wasn't enough, as Sacred Heart pulled out the 44-31 victory. Nevertheless, it was a memorable start to what should be the club's biggest year yet. The team will next be in action at Seton Hall on Sunday, September 20th. 

The Hofstra Men's Rugby Club poses for a picture after being presented with their new jerseys courtesy of Penn Mutual.

Hofstra Women’s Rugby Club traveled up the New York State Thruway early Sunday morning to take on a tough Siena Saints side. Before the crowd had time to settle in, the Pride got on the board early as Nery Mendez scored her first try 30 seconds into the game. Recently named All-American Kim Tran added an additional three tries, Ashley Huber tacked on another, and Margaret O'Callahan made three kicks as the team rolled to a 31-12 victory. The team will open their home slate of games on Sunday, September 20th when they take on the University of Albany at 1:00pm at the Hofstra Intramural Rugby Field.

Hofstra Men’s Club Soccer is looking forward to a promising 2015 campaign; the club has one of the highest numbers of players across all of our 29 club sports, and launched its season with a busy three game weekend. On Saturday, September 12th, the squad traveled to local rivals Fordham for its season opener, and fielded many new members playing together for the first time. The battle was clinched by the Rams in the last five minutes, ending the match 1-0, albeit with lots of positives for the Pride to take away. The team was back in action on Sunday morning, this time taking on neighboring Adelphi at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.  This proved to be Hofstra’s first win of the season - and it was an emphatic one - Cassio Daros, Nick Brown, Rocky Famiglietti, and Jason Albert all netted to secure a 4-0  victory. With barely a minute to breathe, it was time to take on freshly rested Stony Brook, who beat the depleted Pride 5-0. The club will look to build on their (1-2) record when they visit Seton Hall on Sunday, September 20th. 

Hofstra’s 29 Club Sports are always looking for new members and welcome all experience levels.  If you would like to find out more information about joining one of our clubs, please visit hofstra.edu/recreation and click on the ‘Club Sports’ tab, or feel free to visit us at the Hofstra Fitness Center with any questions you may have!
 
Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramural Sports