December's Programs of the Month - 20th Street and Stuy Park

We tried and tried, but with the great programs that happened in December we couldn’t pick just one!

Here are the 2 programs that tied for Program of the Month for December 2011:

20th Street – Loving Lampposts

RAs from the 20th Street staff, led by, Joel Arken, and in collaboration with Hall Council, screened the film "Loving Lampposts" in November 2011.

This film is about the autism spectrum and the many responses to the crisis of autism diagnoses and was shown to a group of residents in the 20th Street Residence Hall. After the film, there was an hour-long discussion about representations of people on the autism spectrum and the different strategies to better understand autism. Several residents had experience working in nonprofits or having family members on the spectrum, so there were many diverse experiences that helped shape a fascinating discussion. Due to the success of this event, a follow-up program might take place in the spring semester!

Stuyvesant Park – Be Good, Be Green, Be Glamorous!


Stuyvesant Park RA, Ayanna Heaven, noticed that our students have a passion for clothing and for sustainability. She saw this as a great need for students to be given different options for accumulating clothing and introduce a new way of thinking about consumerism. The idea of a Stuyvesant Park clothing swap event was born!

When a student gave an article of clothing, he/she received an entry ticket to come to the event. After 2 days of clothing collection, the big swap event occurred on November 17th. At the event, the clothing and accessories were arranged on racks and tables in a retail fashion. The Stuyvesant Park Study Lounge was truly transformed into a clothing boutique. It was very reminiscent of a Fashion's Night Out event, promoting residents to give pieces so that they were given a ticket to come. There were hors-d'oeuvres, music, and goody bags at the event for them. Residents seemed to really dig the clothes that they got, and it was a good turnout.

Hall Councils Come Together to Exchange Ideas and Inspire

Sunday, December 4, all The New School Housing Hall Councils gathered at Loeb Hall for the Annual Fall Summit to discuss and exchange ideas. Each hall attended with representatives from their respective Hall Councils. Everyone was able to hear what each building had been doing this semester, discuss the qualities that make up a good hall council, exchange programming ideas and plan for next semester.

It was a very successful program that allowed the individual buildings to put names with faces and open up to collaboration for the spring semester.

The event was coordinated by Joelle Riffle, RA and Hall Council Adviser at Loeb Hall, with assistance from Allysha Fabe, also an RA and HC advisor at Loeb. The event was also attended by Loeb's Hall Director, Chasity Wilson and William Street's Graduate Hall Coordinator for William Street, David Howe.

For more pictures, visit the Loeb Hall Facebook Page 

Special Interest Community Highlight: Alison Schuettinger, 20th Street Green Community

Originally from Fredrick, MD, Ali is currently a second year masters student studying psychology. She is interested in applying psychology to environmental sustainability in order to combat global warming using behavior change. Ali’s interest in being a Special Interest Community R.A came from her interest in living a sustainable lifestyle and how that relates to well being.

Q. What is your favorite part about the 20th Street Green Community?
A. The garden, the people that care.

Q. What has been your favorite program with your community?
A. I conducted environmental health and safety inspections right after (the regular health and safety inspections) and people paid attention to the signs I posted on doors and turning off lights and AC and unplugging electronic devices when not in use. One resident in 2F had all lamps, devices unplugged with cords out on floor and nothing left on. I will conduct these monthly.

Q. What’s one goal you have for your community?
A. For residents to use less energy. For students to become aware of environmental concerns and become aware of environmental concerns and easy behaviors they can acquire in their lifestyle that produce zero to less carbon emissions (compost, recycle properly, take the stairs)

Q. What is the most memorable thing that has happened in your community?
A. The first week this resident who I had just met volunteered to stand by compost bins and educate students that all NS products are biodegradable and organic waste can be thrown away in compost not landfill.

Q. What is your dream, no-budget, no restriction program?
A. To measure the ecological footprint of the (20th Street) Green floor. We applied for green fund, let’s hope we get it.

South Park and 90's Nostalgia: A Conversation on Politics, Culture and Comedy

Each month we highlight a program that took place in one of our halls that deserves extra recognition due to its innovation, creativity, or overall quality. This month we introduce RA Alex Gleason who hosted such a program at Stuyvesant Park which was certainly all of the above. He writes:

Academic programs should not just teach; they should extend into culture, comedy, and popular relevance. I believe that academic programs should allow for those distinct a-ha moments where connections are inexplicably made inside and outside of the classroom. The goal of my program, South Park and 90's Nostalgia: A Conversation on Politics, Culture, and Comedy, was to make connections in the direction of public discourse. The residents who attended were given information on how to write a précis (a short summary of a reading or presentation), and given criticism on how the world changed following 9/11. The goal of this program was to show the change in national rhetoric from the late 1990’s into today. I hope that my residents will be able to use the information to develop their own interesting and engaging thoughts. There will be more interesting programs and conversations to come, and I hope to see you all there!

The Moon is Brighter at 20th Street

Congratulations to Kristina Koelle and Morgane Moulherat, the 20th Street RAs who implemented the November Program of The Month - "Moon over Manhattan"! The event was co-sponsored by William Street RA, Jeff Barton, 20th Street Hall Council, The ActiveMinds student organization and New School staff members Eric Garrison and Mike Corbett.

Students who attended this event were provided with a relaxing environment where they learned techniques that focused on health and wellness and taking care of ones self during tough academic times such as mid-terms and finals. Active Minds, a peer health education group on campus, worked with the RAs to make "mar-TEA-ni's" (tea-based mocktails). Students also found a stress ball-making station set up for them and were invited to participate in a live Jazz session.

Having staff members at this event allowed opportunities for residents to speak with professionals at the University to learn more about campus resources and how residents can find support throughout the year when times get tough. Among the resources discussed were The University Writing Center, Student Health Services and Career Development.

Runners up for November's program of the month include:
Rock Band Night at 13th Street hosted by RA Mark Josephson and the 13th Street Hall Council; Flava of Loeb sponsored by the Loeb Hall staff; Poetry Slam at William Street sponsored by RA, Jeff Barton and resident Imani Sutton; and Dodgeball at Stuy Park hosted by RAs Markesha McCoy and Katie Saunders. Congratulations everyone!

October’s Program of the Month Proves: There’s No Place Like Home…on Halloween!

A round of applause goes out to October’s Program of the Month at Stuyvesant Park Residence, where each floor participated in a Halloween Decorating Contest. The result? An eclectic hodgepodge of spooky, silly, and spectacular hallway artwork!

And while each floor had an original budget for their decorating supplies, some thought outside the box and used recycled materials, making for a sensational yet sustainable outcome!

Pat Pellicano, the RA on the 6^th floor, knew just what to do with all of those leftover Trader Joe’s paper bags, which helped his floor tie for first place. Reversed, cut and pasted, the bags became the ground to the floor’s videogame fantasy ‘Mushroom Kingdom’ theme, which included eye-popping walls of tinfoil, yellow stars, and a sneaky Princess Peach inside the trash chute! Hey, the rules never indicated that the decorations had to be scary!

Also sharing the win was the first floor, who took their festivities to a theatrical level. RA Ariel Redmond watched her residents collaborate in a rousing rendition of the murder mystery, ‘Clue.’ The judges were escorted by a butler and maid into a dining room full of hors d'oeuvres, until a sudden scream stopped everyone in their tracks. A once lovely Miss Scarlet hung from the rafters, while a mysterious body was found sprawled out on the carpet. Passing down the hall, one saw how residents had utilized their bed frames and doorways as jail cells to contain any suspects in the crime. Red hands and questionable faces were everywhere among this floor’s creepy creativity!

But what made this program a success was not the array of cobwebs, fake blood, and plastic road-kill (gross!) alone. The true key to success? Teamwork. This was the first program of the year where an entire residence hall got involved, and it showed. RAs did their part in tying the event to the larger community of New York City, offering holiday safety tips for residents during their individual floor meetings. Hall Council stepped up to the creative challenge as well with floor liaisons helping delegate tasks, and healthily competitive attitudes from residents made it all happen!

Congrats to all for helping make Stuyvesant Park a funky, fun-filled community. You rock!

For a photo-recap of this program, check out the New School’s Stuyvesant Park fan page on Facebook (http://tiny.cc/1031SPR).

Special congratulations to RAs Nina Barry and Elaha Astanaha over at Loeb Hall, whose Art Therapy program placed them in second place for October’s Program of the Month!

September Program of the Month

Congratulations to Liz Irwin, Loeb Hall RA, for her September program about Self-Defense!

Liz and fellow RA Markesha McCoy (Stuy Park) introduced special guest, self-defense instructor Primwatee Groover (Prim) in the Loeb Hall art studio on September 9th. Prim was invited to teach residents how to defend themselves in threatening sitations, become more aware of the increased risk of attacks in the first few weeks of school and learn facts about New York City attacks. A former trainer to Olympic fighters and world champions, Prim volunteered her time outside of her studies as a student at The New School for General Studies.

In addition to Prim's presentation, those in attendance were given information about a local organization, Safe Horizon, whose mission it is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities. Donations were collected for the organization as well. Learn more about Safe Horizon by visiting their website at: http://www.safehorizon.org/

Great job, Liz!