Ed's Blog

2008 Compass Awards!

Hello again!

Tomorrow night, the Office of Alumni Relations is presenting the 2008 Compass Awards, their signature student awards program.  Each spring, this program recognizes eight outstanding students from the senior class who have demonstrated a true commitment to leadership, volunteerism, academic integrity, and a commitment to Northeastern. 

The Compass Awards program brings together past and present Huskies.  Past Outstanding Alumni Award recipients and current alumni leaders will present the awards at the ceremony Tuesday night.  And I am excited to say I will be presenting one of the Compass Awards!  One senior from each of Northeastern's seven undergraduate colleges will be chosen for a Compass Award.  This year's award recipients are:

• Julia Doty, CAS '08
• Tanya Cashorali, CCIS '08
• Corey Ashby, COE '08
• Richard Desmond, SPCS '08
• Jessica Pepin, BCHS '08
• Amanda O'Brien, CBA '08
• Elizabeth Cilia, CJ '08

The Office of Alumni Relations Award will be presented to Christopher Marshall '08.

Also, the Wendy Breen Kline Award will be presented to Caitlin Castracane '08.  This award is named in honor of Wendy Breen Kline, past president of the Alumni Association.  Wendy provided outstanding and compassionate leadership, both as a student and as an alumna.

I just want to say a special congratulations to all of these students.  They have shown compassion, commitment, and integrity - all truly great examples of a Northeastern Husky.  Congratulations again!

Also, NU Baseball plays BC for the home opener tomorrow at 3pm at Friedman Diamond.  Go out and cheer on the home team! 

Ed

African-American Institute 40th Anniversary Celebration!

Hi all,

Beginning on Monday, we have a week's worth of celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute.  Northeastern Alumn Dr. J. Keith Motley, will kick off the celebrations as special guest speaker at the Welcome Reception and Opening Ceremony on Monday night.  Throughout the week, guests can participate and observe several interesting presentations, educational, yet fun competitions (a debate competition, "Education, Politics and Activism," and the 22nd Annual Dean Roland E. Latham Oratory Competition) and entertaining networking events and celebrations.

The week of celebration will conclude with Black Alumni Reunion Weekend.  The Reunion Weekend will begin on Friday, with a reception with President Joseph E. Aoun at the African-American Institute.  Alumni and their families will have the opportunity to meet with current students and socialize with fellow alumns.  With an Old School/NU Skool Reunion Party, StepFest 2008 and the Unity Awards Banquet Brunch, the weekend will be one of fun and excitment, with lots to celebrate.

The main event of the week/weekend is the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute 40th Anniversary Gala on Saturday.  The gala will celebrate the heritage of African-Americans as well as the heritage of the Institute.  Dr. Randal D. Pinkett will be the special guest speaker for the gala.  A Rhodes Scholar, accomplished author and co-founder, chariman and CEO of BCT Partners, Inc., you might know Dr. Pinkett as the season four winner of NBC's The Apprentice with Donal Trump.

What an exciting week we have ahead of us!  I'm looking forward to these many great events, and I hope you get the chance to participate in this wonderful celebration.

For more information and a complete list of events, check out the African-American Institute.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ed

New England Latino Student Leadership Conference Held at Northeastern!

Hello again,

This weekend, March 28-29, Northeastern will host the NASPA Region 1 New England Latino Student Leadership Conference.  I would like to congratulate Rosa Rodriguez Williams, Director of the Latino/a Student Cultural Center here on campus, as well as the many students who helped in the planning and execution of this wonderful event, for bringing the conference to NU this year.  The conference takes place over a two day period where participants will share new ideas, develop new leadership skills, and network with Latino leaders in a variety of interests areas across New England.  This opportunity is a great addition to the programming of the Center, culminating a year of celebration of the 10th anniversary of our own Latino/a Student Cultural Center.  Congratulations again!  I know this conference will be a great success.

Today and tomorrow, Delta Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha are holding an event, 30 Hour Fast, to raise donations for the Greater Boston Food Bank.  They will be on Krentzman Quad from 11am today until 5pm tomorrow.  Stop by and donate canned goods, cans or money.  No cash?  No problem!  They will also accept Husky Dollar donations!  Chartwells will match every dollar donated, so come out and support a good cause.  Every little bit counts!

Catch ya later!

Ed

Greek Week!

Hi again!

Greek Week begins this Saturday, March 29!  I'm excited to be judging the Greek God & Goddess competition with Emily Donahue this year, and I wish all the fraternities and sororities luck in the week's events.  Greek Week is an excellent way to promote, unify and celebrate being Greek.  During the week, Greek Life will participate in friendly competitions and philanthropy events as well as recognize the achievements of individual Greek-letter organizations.

The week kicks off with the annual Powderpuff Football game on Saturday, followed on Sunday with Greek Olympics and a Danceathon.  On Monday, Greeks will be participating in an old favorite, revamped - Greek Feud.  Tuesday is Greek Sing, the annual spring singing/dancing competition.  Wednesday I will be judging Greek God & Goddess, and I'm excited to see what all the participants have come up with this year.  The week wraps up with Greek Awards, where individual members and Greek-letter organizations will be recognized for their outstanding achievements over the year.

Good luck to everyone; Greek Week promises to be a great time!

If you are interested in joining Greek Life, check out Recruitment!

Until next time,

Ed

Red Sox Win First Game of the Season!

Hello again!

Come celebrate Red Sox Opening Day in the Xhibition Kitchen.  Enjoy a FREE Fenway Park-themed lunch and highlights from the 2007 World Series today from 12noon-1pm.  You'll also have a chance to win free Red Sox Gear!

Kappa Sigma is holding its annual "Bust Ours to Save Yours" community service event.  The fraternity will be selling nuts in the Library Quad from 8am-5pm every day this week to raise money and awareness for testicular cancer.  All proceeds will be donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support testicular cancer research.  Last year Kappa Sigma donated over $900!

John and Meg DeCubellis will be speaking on behalf of The Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation about the dangers of drunk driving and substance abuse tomorrow at 7pm in West Village F, room 20.  John and Meg are the parents of Katie DeCubellis, who was killed by a drunk driver in October of 1999.  The KDMF continues Katie's legacy by promoting youth leadership, supporting education, and generating public awareness of the dangers associated with driving under the influence.  For more information, visit www.kdmf.org.  Enter for a chance to win raffle vouchers from STA Travel.  Come out and support a good cause!

Have a good day!

Ed

Happy Easter!

Hi all,

I just wanted to wish a very Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate the holiday, and I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend if you are traveling home.

For those of you not celebrating Easter, or staying in town this weekend, there are a few things going on to keep you busy.

Tomorrow is the Husky Spring Invitational for Track & Field from 10am-5pm at the Soloman track.  Go cheer on your fellow students and show your Husky Pride!

Tomorrow night is NASO's 2nd Annual African Concert, an opportunity to hear authentic African music.  This year's show, themed "Africa's Most Wanted," includes local and international African artists.  The main act is Jessy Matador and Laselesao.  The five man band is well known not only in Africa, but in Europe as well.  Other artists include Massachusetts-based Cape Verdean artists, Timmy & Stacy.  The event is FREE in the Curry Student Center Ballroom.  For more information, see www.naso.neu.edu.

Monday, March 24 from 12noon-1pm, the Spiritual Life Center is sponsoring NU DOES YOGA, a free class for the NU community.  No advance registration is needed, just show up!  If you have a yoga mat, bring it!  If not, mats will be provided as supplies last.  Come by the CSC Ballroom on Monday and enjoy the benefits of yoga!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ed

Updates From Around Campus

Hi again,

RSA elections are going well.  Kristina Cecil was elected President for the 2008-09 academic year; Matthew Soleyn was elected Vice President of Housing Services; Sean Naegeli was elected Vice President of Finance; and Katya Carman was elected Vice President of Administration.  Positions still to be elected are Vice President for Programming and National Communications Coordinator, as well as several non-executive board positions.  I'll keep you posted as the results come in.

Speaking of elections, check out the SGA Presidential Candidates - Marines Piney and Rob Ranley.  For information on the SGA Presidential Election process, go to www.sga.neu.edu/direct_elections/.

The Spiritual Life Center and Christian Chaplains are sponsoring a Good Friday Ecumenical Christian worship tomorrow at 12noon at The Fenway Center (77 St. Stephens Street).  All are welcome, so stop by to celebrate Good Friday.

Delta Phi Epsilon is hosting a prom dress donation in the near future, so for those of you girls going home this weekend, bring back any old prom dresses you'll never wear again and donate them to girls in need.  Prom dresses will be donated to the Dean Tech High School in Western Mass.  Several students cannot afford to buy dresses for prom, so drop off your old dresses and give them the prom they've been dreaming of!

The baseball team will travel to Fairfax, VA tomorrow for their weekend series against George Mason.  I'd like to wish them all good luck.  Have a good game, guys!

Just a few reminders:

The deadline for nominations for the Student Life Awards is tomorrow. 

Nominations for Excellence in Social Justice Awards are also due tomorrow.

Ed

Welcome New Students!

We are excited to announce that today, the newly admitted members of Northeastern's 111th entering class will receive their admission letters. This is always a fun time on campus!

Over the next few weeks, many high school seniors and their parents will be joining us on campus for Spring Welcome Days, tours and information sessions. I encourage you all to take the initiative to show these new students around campus, direct them to the Curry Student Center and encourage them to look around at the posters and plasma screens. Give them a feel for what Northeastern is all about.

We have many things going on around campus this spring. Anthony Rapp and Ben Folds were at Northeastern this past weekend, and this Friday Spike Lee will be in Blackman Auditorium, speaking to students and conducting a Q&A session. Find out about other events by checking out CUP, RSA and SGA. Is Greek Life your thing? Greek Week is only two weeks away! And the following week is SpringFest week, the one you’ve all been waiting for. Our SpringFest Concert is always a big hit; this year Ludacris is set to perform as the headliner.

To our newly admitted students: As you make your decision about whether to attend NU, come to campus and talk with our students. Stop someone heading to class or in the Student Center and ask them what they enjoy most about NU. The best resources for finding out what Northeastern is really about are the students. Check out the Student Life webpage for more about campus life at NU. Come back and visit and make sure to read our blogs over the next few weeks, talk with our students and get to know Northeastern as your new home – we hope to see you soon as the newest members of our Northeastern community!

Until next time,

Ed

Around Campus

Hi all,

Senator Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, held a hearing yesterday to discuss the importance of federal loans for university students, especially during tight financial times.  President Aoun introduced the hearing, hosted by Northeastern, after announcing earlier yesterday that Northeastern will begin participation in the Federal Direct Loan Program.  This will ensure that NU students and families will have continued access to federal low-cost educational loans, without the risks associated with private lenders because of current credit issues and the economy.  Senator Kennedy brought attention to a demographic mostly overlooked in the credit crisis that is hitting the economy, and is taking steps to ensure that you and your college education will be taken care of.

A few things going on around campus:

Tomorrow from 6-8pm, the Center for Community Health Education, Research and Service  presents "Silent Choices," a documentary that examines abortion and birth control from the perspective of African Americans, winner of Best Documentary at the 2007 Roxbury Film Festival.  The film will be shown in the Raytheon Amphitheater, followed by a panel discussion.  The event is FREE and open to the public.

Tomorrow at noon, the Xhibition Kitchen is hosting another meet the author and book signing event featuring Jennifer 8. Lee and The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food.  Stop by the Xhibition Kitchen in Stetson East to learn about General Tso, fortune cookies, and all things Chinese food.

Have a nice day!

Ed

Holocaust Awareness Week

Hello again!

This week is Holocaust Awareness Week at NU, and we have several events planned to honor and remember those who suffered during such a terrible chapter of our history.

Tomorrow - Tuesday, March 18 - We begin the week with the President's Holocaust Awareness Breakfast at 7:30am in the Raytheon Amphitheater, room 240 of the Egan Research Center.  From 12noon-2pm, students will lead a recitation of the names of those who died during the Holocaust on the Snell Library front steps.

Wednesday, March 19 - The Robert Salomon Morton lecture: "The Power of Words: Why the Term 'Genocide' Matters So Much," featuring speaker Andrew Tarsy, speaking on genocide, will be from 12noon-1:30pm in 10 Behrakis.  From 5:50pm-9pm in 105 Shillman, there will be a free film showing of "Freedom Writers." Refreshments will be served at the showing.

Thursday, March 20 - The Blackstrom Survivor Lecture series will feature survivor Jack Trompetter from 3-4:30pm in the Sacred Space, 2nd floor Ell Hall.

From Monday, March 17 through Sunday, March 30, "Remembering the Armenian Genocide" will be displayed in the Snell Library Lobby.  Make sure to come out to at least one of these great events to honor and remember the survivors and victims of the Holocaust.

As the season ends for men and women's hockey and basketball, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the hard work they have put in this year, and all the great opportunities they have provided us, the fans, to cheer them on.  Great season, everyone!

But it's not over yet.  It's time to kick off the spring season!  I'm looking forward to seeing the baseball team take on George Mason this weekend, as well as the Husky Spring Invitational for Track & Field this Saturday.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ed