Civic Engagement Event on Sept. 13, 2011

International Student Services (ISS), Office of Student Development and Activities (OSDA) and The New School Civic Engagement Committee are sponsoring the 3rd Annual Volunteer and Civic Engagement Fair on Tuesday, September 13.


Civic engagement is an important part of being of being part of a community. As a part of The New School and New York City community, there are many opportunities for you to be involved and to make a difference.

If you would like more information on the event, please email issevents@newschool.edu or studev@newschool.edu. We hope to see you there!

It's Holiday Time in the Residence Halls!

Happy Holidays! The students and staff in Student Housing and Residence Life have been hard at work to ensure that everyone in our community is able to enjoy the holidays. The holiday season kicked off with a Thanksgiving meal hosted by the staff at the 13th Street Residence Hall on Thursday, November 25th. Since many of our students cannot be with their families or may have never celebrated Thanksgiving, the goal was to provide an opportunity for residential and international students to experience a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In collaboration with Chartwells, the 13th Street Dining hall staff served dinner to 42 students, double the number in attendance last year. Between 12 and 15 off-campus International students attended the event, which was co-sponsored by International Student Services. Students came individually and in groups to dine together on Thanksgiving Day.

In addition to many holiday gatherings and celebrations within the residence halls, the students and staff at the William Street Residence Hall collaborated with the local organization, Women In Need (WIN), to sponsor a children's holiday party in their East Harlem Center. Women In Need is an organization that provides New York City’s homeless women and their families with safe, clean housing and support and skills to become self-reliant.

William Street residents connected with over 15 children at W.I.N participating in holiday cookie decorating and arts & crafts including making reindeer, angels and snowmen to celebrate the holidays. As part of the "Help the Homeless" initiative at William Street, residents chose W.I.N. as one of the receiving organizations of the efforts of the initiative and hope to continue to volunteer their time throughout the year to support and work with the women and children involved in this organization.

The William Street Community is Making a Difference

In the heart of the financial district, a New School community is reaching out to those in need. The residents of the William Street residence hall have set a goal to raise one dollar, one can of food and one volunteer hour per student resident in aid of the homeless. As part of this initiative, Residential Advisors Iskander Ahmed and Charlie Leibel held a black tie auction on November 21, 2010, to provide residents with the opportunity to volunteer at organizations that provide help to the homeless. A festive atmosphere and fun prizes - often with a practical component, such as lessons in photoshop use - encouraged students to commit to volunteering their time. The event raised $122 in cash contributions and a further 24 volunteer hours. This brought the community very close to its monetary target of raising $400, and as the program continues, the possibility that the community might even exceed its target has been raised.

In addition to rallying material aid, the ‘Help for the Homeless’ program has had the intangible, but perhaps even more enduring effect of increasing awareness amongst the William St community about the situation of some of New York’s most vulnerable residents. The New School is an institution which takes pride in its long tradition of thinking about and promoting social justice, and at William St, students have shown themselves to be worthy inheritors of that social justice tradition.

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

Help for Haiti is just beginning at William Street

The tragedy in Haiti is receiving less media coverage than it did a month ago, the devastation is far from being settled. The William Street residents and staff know that and have set three major goals for the semester to help raise funds for relief.

In January, William Street students and staff met to discuss how they could make a difference and help the people of Haiti. The discussion turned into a series of fundraising events that will take place throughout the semester with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.

The first event is the Valentine's Day candygrams that will be sold and distributed for Valentine's Day (and the totals are in and they've raised over $200!), the second will be a silent auction of donated student work and the third is a proposed 5K fun run/walk in collaboration with the Office of Recreation and Intramural sports (more info to come).

A huge thanks goes out the RAs responsible for making this Program of the Month Happen! Emily Markley, Iskander Ahmed and Jackie Delsandro all lead the way with a great amount of help from the residents of William Street. Keep an eye in William Street and your hall for more events to support this great cause.

Want to know how you can get involved in planing a fundraising event in your hall? Talk to any Res. Life staff member in your hall or look for the green logo (above) on flyers around the building. This indicates that proceeds from that event will go to benefit Haiti relief efforts.

Thanks William Street residents and staff and congratulations on receiving 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

Getting Dirty never felt so good!!

Thanks to everyone who joined us last Friday to help clear brush at the Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem!

Join The New School through two great opportunities this Friday!

Volunteer in a New York City Park:
August 28, 2009 - 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
There are two great parks to choose from! All student who attend will receive lunch and a roundtrip metrocard to the site. Talk to your RA about where to sign up or check in at your residence hall office to learn more! See you there!

Jackie Robinson Park

Directions: Depart from Residence Hall at 9:00 a.m.

About the park: 16 acres of park with numerous garden locations, 3 athletic fields, large lawn areas, an outdoor Olympic swimming pool and full gym and indoor and outdoor athletic facilities.
Type of volunteer work: General gardening tasks. Planting perennials and shrubs, maintaining park paths and gates, and other miscellaneous beautification activities. Note: this project happens rain or shine, as rain does not impact planting. Please check weather forecast and be prepared with jacket, sweatshirt or poncho.

What volunteers should wear: Light colored, washable clothing that can get dirty. Long sleeves and pants are recommended. Also please wear sturdy, covered shoes. No flip flops or tank tops for safety reasons. It is also recommended to bring a hat, sunscreen and bug spray if needed by the individual volunteer.

Riverside Park

Depart from Residence Hall at 9:00 a.m.

About the Park: Stretching four miles from 72nd to 158th streets along the Hudson River, Riverside Park is widely regarded as Manhattan's most spectacular waterfront park. As one of only eight officially designated scenic landmarks in the City of New York, it has a long and storied history. Recreational facilities include a range of sports courts and fields, a skate park, a large portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (for bicycles), and the 110-slip public marina at 79th street, an important part of New York State's Water Trail.

Type of volunteer work: Volunteers will be working to clear an overgrown slope in the park and do planting of flowers and shrubs.

What volunteers should wear: Light colored, washable clothing that can get dirty. Long sleeves and pants are recommended. Also please wear sturdy, covered shoes. No flip flops or tank tops for safety reasons. It is also recommended to bring a hat, sunscreen and bug spray if needed by the individual volunteer.

On Campus Sustainability Project
August 28, 2009 - 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Presentations begins at Wollman Hall, but we plan to walk, so wear comfortable shoes and clothes.

• 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. What is The New School doing? Recycling presentation in Wollman Hall.
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. What Else could we be Doing? - Meet New School employees, and examine office spaces for proper recycling procedure. Give your suggestions.
• 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Green Market and NYC sustainability Tour – See your local neighborhood and what they are doing for sustainability.