Living Learning Corner: Fall 2012

This fall, the programs that we facilitated ranged from very small and personal to large and social Soon after settling into their new homes in International Village, Honors residents had the opportunity to enjoy an intimate meal with the Faculty-in-Residence, Rifat Sipahi. Residents spent an evening learning how to make authentic French crepes, discussing French and Turkish traditions, and networking with Professor Sipahi of the School of Engineering. We also focused on our residents’ vision for their first year of college.  As a group, we wrote letters to ourselves, outlining what we hoped to learn, how we wanted to grow and change, and where we wanted ourselves to be in eight months time. The letters were then collected to be distributed at the end of the spring semester.  There were also snacks, plenty of crayons, and fun colored tape, which made the program more fun. We discussed with the group everyone’s colleges and majors, answered any questions they might have, and got to know each other better. Overall, the residents that came were grateful for the opportunity to write down their goals and know that they would be able to reflect on what they were like just entering college.

INV 9th floor residents learned how easy it can be to create DIY henna designs. Nearly 30 residents stopped by the 9^th floor common room to partake in the body art and they really got to show off their artistic skills! It was a great opportunity for students to get to know one another, and to learn to trust one another – the henna designs stay on your skin for about two weeks. Students embraced the history and culture behind the art form, and contributed Indian music and Ballywood soundtracks to the program.

We chose midterms in October to have a de-stressing program, where we watched a Halloween movie (with popcorn and Halloween candy, of course!) and handed out pamphlets that contained tips for surviving midterms, managing stress, and a map of Snell Library. The movie we chose to watch was Hocus Pocus, a Halloween classic that many of the residents remembered watching as children.  We all had a great time watching the movie and seeing it in a new light, and it provided a much-needed break from studying for many residents. At the end of the program, many residents suggest we have a movie night again, which we hopefully will next semester.

In October, the Honors LLC residents got to vote in a campus-wide NUvotes mock election. At a mock voting table, residents were provided with ballots and information on federal candidates, state candidates, and ballot measures. Many conversations were sparked over the course of the evening, and the voting results were very predictive of the November outcomes. Few weeks following, with three classrooms full of horror and fright, approximately 120 residents enjoyed the annual INV Haunted House, all within the comforts of their own basement. Candy, of course, was widely distributed. Residents also received some helpful tips on healthy living choice from the Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern (OPEN). They learned about the impacts of drinking and how to make healthier choices when it comes to alcohol and drugs.

Residents also worked together in a competition to build Rube-Goldberg machines, complicated and over-engineered devices built to perform a simple task. The teams were provided an assortment of supplies from cardboard, rubber-bands, thumb tacks, and other office supplies to build their device in a limited amount of time. The performance and creativity of each machine was judged by engineering faculty member, Rifat Sipahi.

In November, International Thanksgiving was put on by both the International Village East and West staffs. We chose a diverse range of countries to represent and provide food from, and created a cookbook from which the residents could collect recipes as they moved from table to table.  There were also different activities for the residents to participate in before they could enjoy the feast, which included brief dance lessons, information sessions about study abroad, and cultural student groups on campus. We also held a Red Cross Blood Drive. Many students participated in this event, and enjoyed the convenience of being able to donate blood and help others in their own building.

We also held the very first West C&F Top Chef, a cook-off between West C and F. Each building had 3 teams of 3 that made an appetizer, entree, and dessert to compete with the opposite building! Each team was given a Whole Foods gift card to buy the necessary ingredients and a “secret ingredient” (pumpkin) that had to be incorporated into the dishes. The secret ingredient was revealed the day of the event and teams had to use both canned pumpkin as well as a full pumpkin to create their dishes. Three staff members from the Honors Office, Colleen Cronin, Sheryl Mayuski, and Ben Nevas, were present to judge the dishes and announce the winning building! The food created included pumpkin filled ravioli, pumpkin crème brule, and pumpkin bruschetta.

In the midst of the final weeks in December, Northeastern University held the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. At this program, which was attended by RAs from all around campus, students were able to learn about socioeconomic class and hunger through an interactive dining experience. Oxfam America co-op students were present to give a brief talk about the organization, and Professor Denise Horn spoke more on the topic. This program was very educational and connected many students living in different residence halls all across campus. Residents also joined RA’s in pre-finals meditation at the Sacred Space, learning about on-campus resources while de-stressing for the tense week ahead. Lastly, Honors residents also had a chance to trek across campus for an exciting new event, the Midnight Breakfast in the Stetson East Levine Marketplace dining hall. Quite a few residents trekked across campus and got to meet other NU students, delight in delicious breakfast foods in the middle of the night, and play video games to de-stress from the finals frenzy.

-Mia Radic, Vienna Thompkins, Kathleen Collins, Jocelyn Campino (INV Resident Assistants) and Patrick Lesswing (West Village C & F Residence Director)