Reflections from a Global Mentor

“A Brit, a German and a Saudi sit down for dinner…” sounds like the set-up for a bad joke, but for me, it was the beginning of a great friendship. As a global mentor, I am part of the team of people who welcome and support Hofstra’s international students. We help with orientation, bring mentees to school events throughout the semester, organize impromptu study sessions and – of course – meet up with fellow internationals for dinner.

I have learned how to say “Thank you” in Russian, how Bolivians kiss you on both cheeks to say hello and that sometimes the best way to treat homesickness is watching videos of the “Eurovision Song Contest”. I have learned that for Japanese, Root Beer smells like “Icy Hot”, and “Mexican cheese” doesn’t exist in Mexico. But most importantly, I have learned that the foreign isn’t always so unfamiliar after all and that laughter sounds the same in every language. We tell each other stories of how home tastes and feels and smells and looks like (they say Britain smells like rain) and I want to travel the world to see all these places and people again. I want to stand on the busy Beijing streets and hike to the Mayan ruins in Guatemala. But together with the international students,


I also explore what is here. We tan on Coney Island, instead of Costa Rica, and eat Pretzels in a beer garden in Brooklyn, not Bavaria. We ice-skate in Central Park and eat Burgers while walking down Fifth Avenue. And I swear, the only thing better than seeing Times Square is watching somebody else see Times Square for the first time.
Without being a global mentor, I would have never met many of these wonderful people or made any of these memories. So the next time somebody starts with “a Brit, a German and a Saudi want to sit down for dinner…” come along, you might make some great international friends.

Guest blogger: Sarah Gerwens, Global Mentor

If you are interested in learning more about the Global Mentor Program you may do so by visiting the Global Mentor page. Applications for the Fall 2016 semester are currently being accepted. Global Mentor applications are available in International Student Affairs, room 040 Memorial Hall. Applications are due March 18, 2016.

Top 5 Things to Do this Summer

Summer is finally here and for those staying on campus there are countless things to do in the area and even more just a train ride away!

1) Go to Jones Beach
What better way to spend a hot afternoon than swimming in the Atlantic Ocean?  Jones Beach is just a few minutes away and has a ton to offer this summer besides miles of sand.  It is home to the Nikon Theater, an outdoor concert venue that will be hosting everyone from the Dave Matthews Band to Lil Wayne to Maroon 5 to Imagine Dragons!  You can purchase tickets here.  There are also free nightly concerts at the bandshell and places to play shuffleboard.  So whether you’re getting a great tan or just taking a stroll down the boardwalk, don’t miss Jones Beach this summer!

2) Spend the day in Central Park

Ever wonder where your favorite movies were filmed?  Chances are at least a few of them were filmed in the world famous Central Park.  This green oasis is in the middle of the bustling city.  Just take the train in and spend the day exploring!  Here you can toss a Frisbee on the Great Lawn, take a jog around the Reservoir, find the memorial to John Lennon, or even discover Belvedere Castle.  You can also rent rowboats or go to the Central Park Zoo.  Be sure to look out for SummerStage, which is a series of free concerts in the park all summer long.  You can also grab free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, a series of Shakespeare plays put on by notable professional actors at the Delacorte Theater. 

Photo courtesy of Mike_fleming of Flickr.

RSA? What's that?

Hi all! As the current Advisor for Hall Council and Co-Advisor for RSA, a common thing I hear is that RSA tends to be overlooked as a resource for residents to get what they want out of living on campus.

Many students living on campus don't understand what RSA is and how hard their members work to make living on campus a really fun experience.

RSA stands for Resident Student Assocation and consists of students who really care about what they and other students want to happen in their residence halls. Do you and your friends really want a program to learn how to cook authentic Korean food? Do you think it would be awesome to have a Karaoke night in your residence hall? Bring it to your Hall Council or to the next RSA meeting! These organizations want to make these kinds of programs happen for you.

You can also look forward to the many events that RSA plans each year like our Annual Snowball Semi-Formal Dance (in early December - get out your dancing shoes!), Weekend Movie Events (Partnered with Entertainment Unlimited),Relay for Life, as well as community events facilitated by area hall councils.

For more information on our meetings and events, please follow us on Twitter @HofstraRSA and "Like" us on Facebook. You can also find more information on RSA here.

I look forward to a fun year working with RSA and Hall Council and can't wait to see you at our events this year!


-- Stacie Mitchell, Assistant Resident Director of Colonial Square

Events, Events and More Events!

The semester is in full swing and Hofstra has tons of activities going on! Since classes started I personally have been to Convocation, The Student Center Game Room Opening, Welcome Back Celebration, Second Chance Prom, 9/11 Memorial, Circle of Remembrance, 9/11 Panel, the Equalogy performance, Meet the Greeks, and the Float Lottery for Fall Festival. Going to the Float Lottery was a great sneak peek to the 90s TV themed Parade we will have on Saturday September 24th beginning at noon. If you missed the lottery I have the outcome below :)

1. WRHU & The Chronicle : Total Request Live (MTV)

2. Tau Epsilon Phi and Alpha Phi: Adamms Family

3. Alpha Theta Beta, SGA and Theta Tau: Slime Time Live

4. Sigma Delta Tau and Sigma Alpha Epsilon: Fresh Prince of Bel Air

5. Delta Chi and Alpha Epsilon Phi: Rocket Power

6. Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Kappa Psi and Phi Sigma Sigma: Scooby Doo

7. Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta: Sponge Bob

8. Pi Kappa Alpha and Danceworks: Real Monster

9. Delta Gamma, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Not For Sale: Power Rangers

10. Sigma Pi and Phi Epsilon: Rug Rats

Hopefully you have also seen the list of Beyond Welcome Week events we have going on, not just for new students but, also for returning students. It is a full list of events to help you stay connected this semester. Many students have been attending a variety of events so, hopefully you have been getting out there as well.

As I write this I am getting ready to head over to Hof USA for the 4pm Grand Re-Opening followed by the 7pm Beetles Karaoke Night and then the Alpha Phi Alpha party! Tomorrow I hope to see you all between 8pm and 11pm enjoying the Now That's What I Call Pride! event highlighting some of our Hofstra student bands. Say hi if you see me!