Sisters on the Runway at Loeb Hall

Loeb Hall RA, Liz Irwin is making a giant impact in our community! Through her involvement in Sisters on the Runway student organization, Liz has created opportunities for the Loeb residents to participate in community service, fashion, art, gender studies, media/public relations, event planning or whatever interests them, Sisters On The Runway offers the opportunity to put their skills towards a great cause.

1 in 4 women are affected by domestic violence. This frightening statistic inspired the creation of “Sisters on the Runway”. “Sisters on the Runway” was founded in 2005 by three Montclair High School students Elizabeth Eddy (Parsons), Gabriela Graham (Barnard College), and Juliana Colangelo (Barnard College). The three envisioned an organization that promoted student involvement in community service while spreading awareness and raising funds for a domestic violence shelter. Domestic violence is a problem that affects all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic levels yet it is often ignored in society. “Sisters on the Runway” has founds a home in many schools on the east coast including Penn State, Umass, and New School University. Sisters on the Runway has since raised over $50,000 for domestic violence shelters.

This years event: Parsons New School for Design, New York City, New York; October 22, 2010- Elizabeth Eddy, Parsons Junior, along with the organization she cofounded “Sisters on the Runway”, held a benefit fashion show fundraiser for Safe Horizon. Safe Horizon is a New York City based Domestic violence shelter (www.safehorizon.org). The event showcased 10 Parsons designers as well as New York City based designers and alumni, such as Vena Cava. The event sold out within ten minutes of the doors opening. A silent auction and raffle raised a large amount of funds with sponsors such as Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Ruinart, Yumi Kim, NBC Universal, and more. The event also included a guest speaker Sil Lai Abrams, a relationship expert for men’s fitness and anti-domestic violence activist. Food and drinks were also served. The total funds raised was just under $7,000.

Sisters on the Runway was recently featured on Fox 5 “Good Morning Street Talk” for domestic violence awareness month. http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/about_us/street_talk/street-talk-oct-23-2010

Celebrating Earth Day at 20th Street

Since the beginning of the year, the 20th Street Hall Council has been eager to promote “green living” in the residence halls. This past semester, they worked together with 4^th Floor RA Krissy Koelle, who has been studying sustainability in her thesis class at Parsons, and orchestrated a “Green Theme” month, which happened to coincide perfectly with Earth Month. Although the month is only halfway through, we have been off to a tremendous start!

To begin the program, Hall Council held a water tasting challenge in the lobby of 20^th Street to inform students about the benefits of using tap water and to remind them that New York City has some of the best tap water in the world. We offered students two glasses of water, one with tap water and one with bottled water, to see which one they preferred. On a whole, students preferred tap water to bottled water. Hall Council member Ali Schuettinger spoke to other New School organizations and got them to donate canteens so that we could offer free canteens to everyone who participated in the program. We only anticipated having 15-20 students attend so we only planned on getting 16 canteens but at the last minute we got the donation doubled and ended up with 32 canteens and we gave all of them away!!! We followed that up with a small excursion to Chelsea Market with Hall Council President Joel Arken and RA Krissy.

This past week, we not only created a garden, but also held an event on our patio to encourage students to eat healthier and buy locally by offering them fresh, homemade juice. Elena, from ReNew School, brought her juicer and we bought produce and offered residents free juice and a handout about green-living in the residence halls. Elena stressed the importance of shopping from local farmers and we made sure to save the pulp and fruit remnants for next week’s program on composting. We had about 25-30 students come and it a great opportunity to promote healthy living, and it also gave students a great chance to mingle and chat.

That same day, Hall Council member Alec Opperman and a group of residents from 20^th Street went to Home Depot to purchase the supplies to start a garden. We purchased several different herbs, including basil, thyme, cilantro and parsley, and a raspberry bush. Already several different students have taken the initiative to help set up the planters and water the plants. Though the garden is starting small, we are hoping to watch it grow exponentially in the coming years!

We have a great deal to look forward to this month – next week Ali and Joel are leading a program about the importance of composting and then Ali is leading an excursion to the ever-popular Union Square Farmers Market. We are going to conclude the Green Month by starting a push for our clothing and food donation. We have already been amazed by the excellent turn out, especially from a smaller residence hall, and we look forward to the rest of our activities.

Rules to Lead By

From classrooms to homes, business offices to the nation’s capital, lack of civility seems to be of constant discussion and debate.

What is “right”? What is “appropriate”? What is “fair and just”? These are questions that student leaders face every day in meetings, discussions, conflicts and relationships.

George Washington, at the young age of 16, compiled a list of 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. Although maybe a bit outdated in language, the foundation of each of the “rules” is relevant today and could be considered and applied by student leaders in their own work on campus.

What exactly do George Washington’s Rules advise today’s student leaders to do and be? Here are just 12 to ponder:

Rule 1: Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

Rule 6: Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

Rule 22: Show not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

Rule 24: Do not laugh too loud or too much at any Public Spectacle.

Rule 44: When a man does all he can though it Succeeds not well blame not him that did it.

Rule 50: Be not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

Rule 56: Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'is better to be alone than in bad Company.

Rule 73: Think before you Speak pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your Words too hastily but orderly & distinctly.

Rule 76: While you are talking, Point not with your Finger at him of Whom you Discourse nor Approach too near him to whom you talk especially to his face.

Rule 83: When you deliver a matter do it without Passion & with Discretion, however mean the Person be you do it too.

Rule 89: Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust.

Rule 110: Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of

celestial fire called conscience.

Adapted by PaperClip Communications from: Foundations Magazine,

http://www.foundationsmag.com/civility.html

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