Summer English Language Program

Hofstra University had the honor of welcoming our new Summer English Language Program (ELP) students on Sunday, July 12. The Summer ELP is a six-week program for our new Hofstra students who are learning English as a second language; this program not only has a series of academic lessons to prepare students to obtain proficient English skills for their academic years, but also sponsors various on-campus activities and off-campus events to help students adapt to the new environment at Hofstra. We served 22 ELP students this summer, including six graduate students and sixteen undergraduate students.

We understand the new ELP students’ struggle when they arrive in the United States, so the International Student Affairs (ISA) office designed the Saturday off-campus trips and Tuesday on-campus activities for our ELP students to have a relaxing time after class. As the ELP coordinator, I am glad I had this opportunity to manage these events. I was an ELP student in 2014 and experienced all the same difficulties as the new ELP students, so I had a good connection with them, which made it easier for me to help them.

My coworker, Sara Wach, the Residential Assistant, designed very interesting games for our Tuesday night programs and we had a wonderful time. I am really grateful to our volunteers that dedicated their time for each program and I am glad we finally became good friends.

The Saturday off-campus trip program was awesome. It was a pleasure to lead our ELP group to explore New York City and Long Island this summer. We prepared five trips for students and I believe these new-comers gained a great picture of New York and their new home.

First trip--- Governors Island /Statue of Liberty/Chinatown.

 
We caught the City of Water festival in Governors Island and ate Lunch in Chinatown.

Second trip--- Coney Island (Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park/ Luna Park/ New York Aquarium)
 
A great way to release pressure is to scream when enjoying rides in the amusement park.
Third trip--- Metropolitan Museum of Art/Central Park.
 
It was a sunny day and our group was engrossed in great art and natural beauty.
Fourth trip---Brooklyn Bridge/ Brooklyn Bridge Park/Botanic Garden.
 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden has great greenhouse labs and we found a perfect place to take group pictures in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Fifth trip--- Dave & Busters.

We had our last lunch together and the electronic games were awesome!
At the end of the ELP on August 21, 2015, ISA sponsored and held the ELP Farewell Party on campus. The administrator representatives from the Office of Admission and ISA, our Global Mentors and volunteers, as well as our ELP students attended the party. During the party, our level two students were awarded with certificates for their successful completion of ELP, and every student was rewarded with a Hofstra lanyard for the efforts they made in this summer. Tasty food, great music, and awesome Hofstra people joined in laughing and happiness!

The end of this summer is also the end of my job for this ELP program. This is sad, but I am happy our ELP students completed their courses and many of them successfully transitioned into their academic studies. This precious job opportunity makes my summer meaningful and I truly appreciate the kindness and generosity of the all the ISA office staff who have helped me and continue to help our ELP students gain a foothold in US culture and language. I am grateful to be part of this family!

Guest Blogger: Yina Peng, ELP Coordinator, International Student Affairs

Gina Arfi: Head Orientation Leader

Hello Class of 2019!  

I hope you have been enjoying your first few official days of summer.  My name is Gina Arfi and I am one of the Head Orientation Leaders here at Hofstra's amazing New Student Orientation Program.  I'm writing to report that we have already had three fantastic weeks of Orientation, and our staff cannot wait to see what the next five weeks of Orientation hold!  Our staff is made up of eighteen Orientation Leaders, two Head Orientation Leaders, three Graduate Orientation Leaders, and three Welcome Week Coordinators who have all been working hard since February to bring you a fun-filled three days at Orientation.  We have designed the program to make it easy to meet a lot of new incoming students and give all our soon to be first-years lots of opportunities to experience our beautiful campus.  Our Orientation Staff is eager to help you all and answer any questions or concerns that you may have.  Our goal is to get you excited about attending Hofstra in the fall and we are excited to get to know you.  So with that, welcome to the Pride Class of 2019, and we can't wait to see you soon!

P.S. - Be sure to check us out at our New Student Orientation Facebook Page throughout the summer!

Welcome Week 2013: Find Your Route!

It is already the first of September and we are quickly approaching the first day of classes on campus. While residential upper class-men have been moving back on to campus, the new Hofstra students have been involved in a wide variety of events planned by our three summer Welcome Week Coordinators, Jennifer Grod, Elysha Johnson and Batson Xiang Li. As we are heading toward the end of the week they are proud of what has been offered and still excited about what more there is in the next day and a half. 
We had a great weekend of END trips - people were all over Long Island and NYC participating in service trips as well as social trips with peers, welcome week leaders and administrators. The group seen here was on the Watson Adventure Wizard School END Trip with advisement dean Claudine Johnson. Today groups are on the Circle Line Tour, at a Yankees Game and handing out food at the Hempstead Train Station with Food Not Bombs, just to name a few. Friday was busy because we had a lot of workshop offerings during the afternoon but, we kicked the morning off right with a welcome from Hofstra's Provost, Herman Berliner and a great presentation by common read author Will Allen (pictured here with Welcome Week Coordinator Elysha Johnson prior to his presentation).  Yesterday we had a great afternoon at the Fitness Center co hosting(along with the Recreation and Intramural Sports Department) our first ever Let's Get Physical program. The event had

demonstrations from clubs and organizations along  with fitness class demonstrations and healthy food giveaways by Kate and Willy. We were lucky enough to even have a demo by our awesome Men's Basketball Team!
Today I was able to host (along with great student leaders) a wonderful event called Bingo for Books. This is the second year we have offered this program and the almost 70 new student participants were again excited to be winning Hofstra gear as well as gift cards for the bookstore to assist them in purchasing their school books! There were almost $450 in bookstore prizes along with many winners of our Hofstra gear (pictured here are all of our winners). I am looking forward to seeing everyone tonight representing their social letter fraternities and sororities at the Fitness Center between 8 and 10pm. It's one of my favorite events of the year. Right after that everyone will head over to Hofstra USA where we will have an illusionist, game night, DJ and a Ice Cream truck parked outside for folks to stock up on a sweet treat. 
Hope you are enjoying the festivities of Welcome Week as much as I am. See you all at the Convocation on Tuesday at 11:20am for the official kick off of the Fall semester by President Rabinowitz. 

Class of 2017 Orientation

Summer is underway here at Hofstra, and while many students have left campus to pursue summer jobs or internships elsewhere, the Class of 2017 is arriving little by little each week for New Student Orientation. There are eight sessions of Orientation that run from Tuesday to Thursday every week. Our staff of 20 student Orientation Leaders have already led two groups of 250 new students around the university to ensure the incoming class is prepared and feels well-equipped to navigate Hofstra in the fall!

During Orientation, students are introduced to a variety of campus resources and departments to help educate them about all that Hofstra has to offer. This includes everything from campus safety to getting involved in clubs and activities, and even a model class based on this year’s common reading book, The Good Food Revolution, by Will Allen. The model class is taught by a university faculty member and lets students get an idea of how a college class session will feel. This year, the focus of the common reading follows a campus-wide initiative on sustainability. Students can even spend an hour working in a vegetable garden during their time at Orientation to further their environmental involvement! 

Although Orientation is only three days long, it is jam-packed with important information for new students. Furthermore, the program provides an exciting glimpse into the life of a Hofstra student. New students have the opportunity to meet friends, sign up for clubs, and get a taste of living in a college residence hall. We’re looking forward to welcoming the rest of the Class of 2017 as the summer continues!

Guest Blogger, Henry Schwartz, Head Orientation Leader

Call Me Maybe!

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy…”  Remember this ear worm that you could not get out of your head last summer?  (Okay, I will admit that I kind of like the song.)  Well, within the Division of Student Affairs over the summer months, our tune is call me DEFINITELY!  What am I talking about?  Well, in addition to all the great initiatives in place to welcome our new students described in the previous blog entry (New Student Orientation, Discovery Program, Welcome Week), we also engage in a calling initiative.  That is, every single new Hofstra first-year student receives a phone call from a member of the Division of Student Affairs.  Our goal is to welcome each member of the class of 2017, answer any questions they may have, and make a personal connection with them.  We want each student to know that we value them as an individual and they are not just a number in the crowd.  

Jenn Christ, Director of the Multicultural & International Student Programs Office, welcomes new students to Hofstra.

Speaking of numbers, we are reaching out to over 1600 students who are part of the incoming class, which means there are a lot of phone calls to make!  Luckily, many staff within the Division pitch in to accomplish this task.  For example, new students may be hearing from staff from Residential Programs, Student Counseling Services, the Dean of Students Office, or even from the Vice President for Student Affairs herself!  So to all you new students out there, when your phone rings, it may just be a member of Hofstra’s Division of Students Affairs.  If they say “here’s my number,” call them back- DEFINITELY!

The First Years Get Their Turn!

Anticipation, excitement and nervous energy were definitely in the air last Sunday night as Hofstra's First Year Students crammed into the Netherlands Cafe' for their Registration
Celebration! This now annual event was hosted by the Center for University Advisement for all First Year students wanting to register for spring 2012. The doors opened at 10:00 p.m. and by 10:45 the cafe' was packed. Volunteers from the Center for University Advisement were happily providing Alternate PIN's to previously advised students and offering last minute advice on course selection for those still in need. Also on hand this year to assist students were Teri Cox, Director of Student Financial Services, Professor Terry Godlove, Senior Associate Dean for First-Year Programs, Jessica Havery, Resident Director of the Netherlands, and Christopher Muller, Director of Residential Living Learning Communities, along with a multitude of upper class volunteers.

The hot cocoa flowed and music blasted as students crowded tables with laptops and waited on pins & needles for the clock to chime 12:01 a.m. so they could quickly press the "submit" button to see if they would successfully complete their mission of getting into their most desired classes. R.A.'s and last summer's O.L.'s had a good time sharing their top secret tips on how best to register with their fellow future alum. By 1:00 a.m. the majority of our First Year class had successfully completed their spring 2012 registration mission! Some managed to get all of their 1st round picks, others weren't so happy, but needless to say, everyone was relieved that they now had access to make their schedules and look forward to another great semester! Kudos to everyone that made this exciting event a success - especially the students that brought their great spirit and enthusiasm!

Internships for the Working Student

Are you currently working? Do you commute to work? If you answered yes to either question, Click the link below, and view the discussion about Internships and the Working Students. Another "Live Chat" brought to you by Off-Campus Living and Commuting Student Services and The Career Center.

Commuter Round-table Discussion: Internships for the Working Student

~ Chaundra Daniels, Assistant Director of Employer Relations

Welcome Week at Hofstra

What a busy couple of weeks it has been in Student Affairs but we certainly have “survived the storm.” Our class of Discovery students moved in and became the third group to participate in and complete this program. The program was a big success, no doubt we will be seeing many (if not all) of these students in future leadership roles on campus.

No sooner than Irene moved out did our new international students arrive on campus. Hailing from across the globe we are confident they will find Hofstra a warm and welcoming place.

The Class of 2015 and new transfer students kicked off Welcome Week with move in and the President’s welcome where over 2200 were in attendance. Programs and events continued on Thursday and Friday and included BBQ’s, mini-golf in the Axinn Library, their first late-night breakfast, American Voices, and of course, Professor Dumbledore…I mean Provost Berliner’s welcome.

The holiday weekend provided numerous opportunities for students to “Explore Next Door” on bicycles in Central Park, at Yankee Stadium, searching for ghosts at the Met, and learning the landscape of Greenwich Village, to name a few of the E.N.D. trips planned for new students.

Tracey Kidder, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, (the class of 2015 common reading) was in attendance on Monday morning, answered questions, and stayed around to sign books. Welcome Week wrapped up Monday with the Club Carnival where new students had a chance to meet with our continuing student leaders and learn first hand about all of the ways to get involved in the life of this great University.

So, what was the favorite event? New students casted their votes and the highest rated program for Welcome Week 2011 was (drum roll, please)…SEX RULES. More importantly, students reported they felt a strong sense of connection to their new identity as a Hofstra student!

Welcome Hofstra Class of 2015 and our new transfer students.

All the best,

Sandy Johnson

Vice President for Student Affairs