February's Program of the Month - Now and Then: The History of Black Music

Stuyvesant Park RA Bianca Mills' program "Now and Then: The History of Black Music" was a program about exactly that.

In honor of Black History Month, Bianca thought it would be interesting as well as important to depict how music played a role in African American Culture both in the past and the present. The program was a semi-elaborate way of comparing and contrasting the similarities of today's music with the music from the past. Everything was covered, from old time Jazz to current Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B.

In order to best capture the essence of what Bianca wanted to portray, she asked Music Professor Richard Harper to come in as a guest speaker to educate residents about the different messages that music sends in Black Culture. Having him as part of the program is one of the things that made it so successful. He is very knowledge on the topic and new exactly how to bring this program full circle.

Another reason this program brought great success is because there was just the right balance of hands on interaction and discussion as well as learning. Since the program covered music from both the present and the past, residents were able to learn a few things as well as relate and participate.

In addition to all of the elements of the program itself, the overall success of the program heightened from the contributions of Dan Spicer, Alex Gleason, and Jacob Hernandez. They were all there to lend a helping hand as well as give their input to make this program possible.

Summer in NYC with a Free Room? Be a Summer OA

** Thank you for you interest, but we are no longer accepting applications for the Summer 2012**

The Office of Student Housing & Residence Life seeks to hire several Office Assistants (OAs) to compliment our summer 2012 housing program.

Qualified Applicants will:
· Be available to work from May 21st through August 12th
· Be available to work 20 hours per week, Monday - Friday between the hours of 9am – 7pm.
· Enrolled in classes during the 2011-2012 or 2012-2013 academic years

Summer Office Assistants are compensated for their summer work with a shared space within the building to which they are assigned.

Click here for the Summer Office Assistant Online Application (No longer available)

If you have questions, please feel free to contact myhome@newschool.edu or talk with your Resident Hall Director, Graduate Hall Coordinator, or Head Resident.

Reason Why It's Better to Live On Campus

Housing Selection is right around the corner (April 2nd deadline for applications) and you will want to know as much as possible about choosing your home for the next academic year. Here are some reasons to live on campus...

 Reasons why it’s better to LIVE ON!

Did you know that students living on campus...

• Do better academically than those who do not
• Are more likely to return to college the following year
• Are more likely to persist at college until graduation
• Have a higher degree of satisfaction with their college experience
• Participate in more extracurricular activities
• Have more interpersonal relationships with students, faculty and staff

PLUS, when you live on campus...

1. You have art studios, TV, and study lounges downstairs, instead of late nights in the library or studio.
2. You have a Security Officer at your door 24/7 for safety, instead of a Chihuahua who barks at every passing car, but loves strangers.
3. You have laundry facilities right downstairs, which is better than spending your weekends sitting at the Laundromat.
4. You have a better sense of community and social opportunities in your building, so you don’t have to find yourself wondering who the weird neighbor is.
5. You have one convenient bill for everything, instead of losing track and bouncing a check on your already depleting account.
6. You have staff available 24/7 to support you, which beats trying to locate your landlord, who only shows up to collect rent.
7. You get a new roommate if yours moves out mid-year, instead of paying increased rent when your friend decided to transfer.
8. You are close to your classes, so you don’t have to ride the crowded, long subway from Queens or Brooklyn.
9. You have leadership opportunities right in your hall, rather than making up stuff to put on your resume.
10. You have free high-speed internet, so you don’t have to play guessing games with your neighbor’s Wifi password.  

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 

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!

Big Weekend Events rescheduled for 9/16 and 9/17

We weren't going to let Irene be the only one who had fun! The Scavenger Hunt and Classical Music Brunch have been rescheduled for this weekend!

Scavenger Hunt
Friday, September 16, 2011
8 pm start at Stuyvesant Park (318 East 15th Street)

Classical Music Brunch
Saturday, September 17, 2011
11 am to 1pm at Lang Cafe (65 West 11th Street)

Be sure to bring your New School ID with you to all events!

Pickles Prove Perfect for Programming

Pickling is an important survival skill, particularly for those living on limited supplies in enclosed spaces. In fact, the word pickle derives from an old Dutch word, ‘pekel’, for ‘brine’; a salty testimonial to the historical importance of pickling to those who lived for many months at sea. When the nutritional role of vegetables in the prevention of scurvy (a common disease amongst mariners) was recognized, pickled vegetables became a staple of thesea-diet. At present, scurvy is fortunately rare amongst New School students. But we can never be too vigilant.

The December- January program of the month, represents an inspired attempt on the part of its organizer, Camryn Mothersbaugh, to teach the residents of the Stuyvesant Park residence hall the art of pickle-making. Camryn’s goal was to teach students cooking skills that they could use in the dorm. She chose to run a class on pickling because, not only would the outcome be delicious, but pickling is an easy skill to acquire, and well-suited to the constraints of the dorm kitchens. Unsurprisingly, given this event’s unique character and the exciting promise that every student would depart “with a jar or two of pickles”, the program was very wellattended.

Camryn elected to follow a recipe for sweet and sour cucumber pickles. She began by demonstrating how to make the spiced vinegar used to preserve the cucumbers, and then let the students fill the jars with the vegetables and vinegar. Camryn says that her favourite part of the program was the student reaction over the following week, as students would approach her to tell her how well their pickles had turned out. Thanks to Camryn’s great program idea, the students at Stuyvesant Park now have the skills to survive long sea voyages, and the supplies with which to do so; something that will no doubt be appreciated even more as midterms approach.

Written by Simone Gubler- Philosophy Major at The New School for Social Research

Stuy Park hosts the 2nd Annual Recycle Runway

Congratulations to our April Program of the Month, “Recycled Runway!” The event was sponsored by Stuyvesant Park RA Hannah Olpp and Loeb RA Eloise Lennen-Rodriguez, who collaborated with the Stuyvesant Square Community Alliance. The girls worked hard at gathering an entirely student-organized team: from models and designers to photographers,

all participants were members of The New School community, eager to showcase their sustainable art!

Just in time to celebrate Earth Day, Hannah discussed the importance of being environmentally conscientious throughout all aspects of one’s life. “Hopefully through this show we can educate people a little bit about being green, even through their clothing,” she said.

The runway show participants prepped for the big event over at Stuyvesant Park Residence, and then headed out into the park where they strutted their stuff along a fully sustainable Astroturf runway, crafted from recycled bottles.

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!

Pre-International Education Week in the Residences!

Every year, one week in November is dedicated to the celebration of international education. International Student Services participates in this joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for the global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

This week gives international students a chance to share their ideas, food, and culture with American students, faculty, and staff. Throughout the week, there are special events including a cultural festival, trip to the United Nations, photo contest, and film festival.

International Education Week (IEW) is November 16-20, 2009!

Let's make it 2 weeks long!

Starting November 9, Student Housing and Residence Life at The New School and each of the Residences have put together programs with an international focus.

All students in Housing are welcome to any of the events listed. Are you planning on going in a group? Talk to your RA and get a party going!

If you are interest in the events planned to IEW week through International Student Services, or to volunteer visit www.newschool.edu/studentservices/international or email iew@newschool.edu