Fall Festival 2014 Update!

Actress and comedian Kathy Griffin is headlining the Out Loud comedy show on Saturday, Sept. 20!

Kathy's stand-up act will cap off the night following the Vibe Live Concert and Carnival. Janelle Monae, Matt and Kim, TLC and 80s cover band Rubix Kube are taking the stage for Saturday's concert, which will end with a Grucci firework display.

For the full schedule of events starting Friday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 21, check out the Fall Festival website. Get excited - we're just about one week away!

International Student Orientation

Welcome International Students!!!

Hofstra welcomed 300 new international students from 50 countries around the world!

Students learned about Hofstra, immigration regulations and how to adjust to living in the USA!

How do you say Welcome in your language?

 Welcome International Exchange Students from Amsterdam, Montpellier, Hertfordshire, China, & South Korea!

The Zarb business school has the largest population of international students at Hofstra!

 Welcome Reception at HofUSA!

 

                    W. Houston Dougharty Vice President for Student Affairs

Provost Herman Berliner- Welcome Speech 

 

International Student & Alumni Panel- Thank you panel speakers!

Global Mentors you are the best!

 

International Orientation was a success!

thanks MISPO Team, GA, Coordinators and Student Workers!

Don't forget about Class Programming Opportunities through OSLA!

In addition to the many club and organizations you can get involved in Hofstra offers opportunities that are class specific. Have you always wanted to meet more people in your class or get to know more people that are in a different class? The Office of Student Leadership and Activities (OSLA) has offered in the past many programs that are class specific including  "Dodge Till You Drop", class vs class Dodgeball tournament, "Sopho(Be) More" an opportunity for members of our Sophomore Class to interact and be reintroduced to Hofstra's many services and a Junior Class Scavenger Hunt.

Probably one of the biggest Class Programming events that we do all year is working with members of the Senior Class Challenge planning group on the annual Senior Week Events. Senior Week events have included trips to Six Flags, Brunches on and off campus, Dinner Dances at the University Club, Baseball Games with the New York Yankees and  New York Mets and more. Senior Week culminates with the night before commencement and the Annual Senior Class Toast hosted by President Rabinowitz.  Also participating in Senior Week includes class specific apparel and more for participants.

For members of the Class of 2015, OSLA also hosts a programming series called Senior Seminars which include everything from practical advice on How to Budget your Money for the Future, Resume Writing, Wellness Programming and How to Say Goodbye and Close Out Your Time at Hofstra. These are all free and open to all Seniors. The more that you attend, the more chances that you are given to win great prizes at the end of the year including diploma frames from the Hofstra bookstore and more!

Kicking off the year, the 4th Annual Dodge Till You Drop tournament is happening Tuesday, September 9th at 6:30 pm in the Fitness Center. There will be free food and t-shirts for the first 50 participants. This annual event is a chance for each of the classes to pit themselves against each other in good fun and burn off some energy at the same time. Hope to see you all there!

Stay tuned to OSLA on Facebook and Twitter for more information about these programs and more opportunities to get involved on campus. If you are interested in assisting in planning any of these events or have ideas for class specific programming please email osla@hofstra.edu.

Summer English Language Program

Hofstra University successfully welcomed our new summer English Language Program (ELP) students on the Sunday, July 13. ELP is a 6 week summer program for new Hofstra students studying English as a second language; this program not only offers strongly instituted daily classes to increase English proficiency, but also aids with the international student adjustment to U.S. culture with bi-weekly cross-cultural and community building events. A total of 27 undergraduate and 2 graduate students from 5 countries (China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Venezuela) were exhausted from jet-lag, yet excited to be in a foreign environment.

Noting that this is only the second year of ELP, the number of students have more than quadrupled since the first summer ELP. As a graduate student ELP coordinator for the Multiculturaland International Student Programs Office (MISPO) working with Olivier Andre, ELP Residential Assistant, I was beyond excited to connect with each of the ELP students. At the age of 13, I also personally and academically experienced the cultural adjustment moving to U.S., away from my family, chasing after my own American dream as an international student. 

Every Wednesday and Saturday during the ELP summer period, we held on and off campus events specifically to accommodate the students’ U.S. and Hofstra adaptation. With the help of the Alliance Residential Assistants and fellow Hofstra Students, we conducted various types of ice breaker games and program bonding activities such as playing basketball and Pictionary. On our 4 Saturday trips, we presented Brooklyn, Manhattan, and classic Dave and Busters to our students. Even a simple people watching experience at Coney Island and trying gelato ice cream was an electrifying experience for our students.

Attending Hofstra for the past 5 years and now finishing up my MBA, I was given a chance to share what Hofstra has granted me. This experience allowed me to give-back to the Hofstra community with experiences that helped me achieve my goals and gain a broadened perspective for my future. Therefore, I am grateful to be part of the MISPO family. Now that the ELP summer session is over, it is sad to be out of the routine of constantly being in contact with our ELP students. However, the MISPO staff and I are so excited for the students to start their first fall semester at Hofstra and absorb all that Hofstra offers! 

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