After a long summer on campus with about 150 Stonehill students and a few thousand summer camp students, the school is finally buzzing again with eager first-year students, confident sophomores, comfortable juniors, and “in-denial” seniors. It’s hard to believe we’re already back for a brand new year! I have finally had at least one session of all my classes and I’m so excited for this semester! For classes I am taking Politics of Developing Nations, International Political Economy, American Foreign Policy, Women of Color Feminist Theory, and a Directed Study on Global Social Justice. The beauty of creating my own major is that I essentially have complete freedom over the classes I take. So far they all seem so interesting and so interconnected to one another!

Aside from classes, I have been pretty busy with extracurricular activities. Programming Committee just put on five or six extremely successful events for the first weekend back. We had a concert on Thursday night featuring a Stonehill sophomore and a 4-female band that has been to campus several times, Raining Jane. On Friday the football team won their first game and we celebrated afterwards with a carnival! Saturday was our outdoor concert called Hillapalooza. We had two outside bands, a handful of student performers, a trailmix bar, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, tie dye and more! We even had a first year student perform at this event and he blew the crowd away with his covers of “Airplanes” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” That night we had several events in our Commons with a game show, a mentalist, and a salsa dance party! And to close the weekend, we showed the new movie Bridesmaids outside on our Quad. All of these events were well-attended and it seems like everyone had a blast at all of them!

This weekend we have even more “Welcome Back” events. On Friday we have our big concert, featuring a band called the Maine and Saturday will be the first of our monthly Bingos! If you are involved in your high school and want to continue that involvement, definitely join Programming Committee at Stonehill. We have so much fun putting on events for the whole school to enjoy!

As for other happenings, we have a brand new Mindful Living Community. I think I have referenced Mindful Living in a few posts, but for you new readers, the Mindful Living Community is an intentional living community on campus that consists of two townhouses in the Commonwealth Courts. The three tenets of our mission are social action, environmental action and community building. Essentially, 50+ students chose to live together and live simply by consuming less, conserving more, and giving back to the community. It is a very positive atmosphere filled with all different types of students from Business majors to activists to environmentalists to athletes and SGA members. We have a bunch of new faces this year and I can’t wait to see where we go and what we do this year!

Peace,
Hailey

So I guess I like being at Stonehill a little too much because I chose to live here for the summer. You may be thinking, “Why would you want to do that? Wouldn’t you rather be lounging at the beach every day?” Truth be told, I’m not much of a beach person (I prefer lakes!) and although I’ve been busy, I’m having the best summer on campus!

On May 22nd, a lot of my closest friends received their diplomas and opened new chapters filled with post-grad service trips, job opportunities, international journeys and more. Although it was a pretty emotional day, I didn’t have much time to be sad because, immediately after the ceremony, I hopped on a train to New York City for my first summer adventure. I spent six days in the Big Apple to participate in the Path to Peace Foundation, a seminar that highlighted the coalescence of global social justice and Catholic Social Teaching. Although I am not Catholic, I benefitted from this experience immensely, as I have a passion for international development and social justice. We heard lectures from UN ambassadors and renowned professors on topics such as abortion, international peace, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, economic development, and human rights. I was fortunate to meet 60 other college students from across the country that are equally as passionate about social justice and I was so fortunate to have this experience!

A few days after the seminar, I returned to Stonehill and dove right into my summer responsibilities. Where do I start? Two days a week I work at the Stonehill Child Care Center where I get to spend time with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers whose parents work at school. I can’t believe I get paid to play with babies! I’m also interning at the Stonehill Center for Nonprofit Management where I work in the Resource Room and advise local nonprofits in the area on how to apply for grants for their projects. I have met with organizations that are doing development work in Haiti, post-conflict resolution in Turkey and Armenia, financial counseling services. This experience has introduced me to the behind-the-scenes side of nonprofit work and it has definitely increased my interest in working in that sector.

When I’m not researching grant opportunities or playing with kids, I am doing homework! Yes, I have homework during the summer. I am taking a directed study on Environmental Sociology with Professor Wetzel from the Sociology Department. Essentially, Environmental Sociology is the study of society’s interactions with the environment and it examines “natural” environmental problems as socially constructed problems. This class has given me a lot of flexibility to do other things during the summer and it has been a wonderful addition to my self-designed major! In addition to the class, I am doing a research project with the same professor. We recently finished editing his book manuscript on the Pottawatomi tribe, a Native American tribe that is geographically disbanded, yet still unified as a nation. The other part of the project is transcribing interviews with Pottawatomi tribal members that feature oral histories.

Oh, I almost forgot! Back in June I participated in the Freshman Orientation as a Peer Mentor. We had a great week of training and I got to know so many more inspiring peers. Then the first-year students came for two sessions of non-stop fun! This incoming class seems eager to come to Stonehill and I’m excited to see the great things they’ll do.

As for the rest of the summer, I’ll be heading to Iowa this week for a conference called the Social Justice Training Institute, then a retreat for SGA Executive Board, then lots of planning for Programming Committee and hopefully making a trip to see friends in Vermont! I’ll be sure to keep you posted on these upcoming adventures. I’d love to hear from you all so leave comments so I know that people are actually still reading!

Enjoy the summer sun,
Hailey

This Thursday, the SGA Diversity Committee kicked off Spring Weekend with its annual event, DiverCity!  Alumni Hall was filled with students and faculty who came to enjoy a multicultural culmination of dance, music, and poetry.  Different groups on campus, as well as individuals, took the stage with performances such as salsa, Bollywood, hip-hop and spoken word.  The audience enjoyed traditional food from various countries, as well as henna and handmade jewelry from Kenya.  DiverCity was fun for everyone and it was the perfect start to Spring Weekend.

Last night was the Spring Weekend concert with K’naan and Matt & Kim.  In March, the Concert/Coffeehouse Committee sponsored a Battle of the Bands competition where the prize was the chance to open up for the concert.  One of Stonehill’s very own, Rex Macapinlac, won the contest and tore up the stage last night with a few other students.  Rex is a talented spoken word/hip hop artist who always wins over the crowd at coffeehouses.  He collaborated with other talented musicians and dancers and put on a high-energy show!

The tent (yup, the concert was in a big tent outside because the roof of our Sports Complex collapsed in the winter!) quickly filled up with over 1,500 students and everyone enjoyed both performances by K’naan and Matt & Kim.  Although not everyone knew a lot of songs by both artists, it was clear that everyone had a good time.  Both artists brought a lot of energy and everyone was singing and dancing the whole time!

Today there was a Carnival in Duffy parking lot with a few rides, novelty items and cotton candy/fried dough!  A lot of people came out, despite the chilly weather.  Tonight is the mixer in Merkert Gymnasium.  Unfortunately, I’m on RA duty, but I’m sure it will be fun!

This past March I participated in Stonehill’s Alternative Spring Break program, H.O.P.E, where I traveled to Honduras with ten other students and two staff leaders.  In Honduras, we worked at the Guiamaca Mission, which is run by the diocese of Fall River.  The Mission consists of a medical clinic, the only organic farm in Honduras, and a highschool for girls from neighboring impoverished villages.  In addition, the parish in the town is essential to the survival of the community, as it provides an outlet for civilians to practice their faith on a daily basis.   Throughout the week, we learned how all four aspects of the Mission are closely intertwined and we experienced this interconnectedness first hand by working with each sector.

Aside from being the third poorest country in the western hemisphere, Honduras is plagued with violence, inadequate health care, and a poor education system.  Children roam the unpaved streets instead of attending school.  The elders and the sick line up outside the small, under-staffed clinic in hopes of being seen by the doctor.  Innocent children are kidnapped and coerced into the sex slave industry.  We saw the effect of these injustices in their pure form.  In particular, through our work at the high school, we came to understand the education system, or lackthereof.  Essentially, children are required to go to school from kingergarten to sixth grade.  After that, only a small percentage continue to attend school, if they can afford it, and the rest end up working on their families’ farms or seeking alternative jobs.   Interestingly, as we learned, even those first six years of schooling are not enough because so many teachers protest against the government for not paying them enough money.  Thus, teachers spend the majority of their time lobbying and protesting instead of teaching. 

We were staying in the same area as Stonehill’s Extension volunteers (the Extension program is Stonehill’s post-grad service program.  Currently, we have students in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and India!).  I am close friends with two of the three volunteers, Matt and Cassie, so it was refreshing to catch up with them and hear all of their Honduran experiences.  They teach at the all-girls school and they were the ones who informed us of all the issues surrounding the education system, as they are seeing the effects of it first hand.  None of them were Education majors and they had no experience making lesson plans or teaching; however, they all looked so natural in this environment.  They all described the struggles they have faced, but it was wonderful to see how much they have grown and learned from this experience already. 

Throughout the week, we interacted with members of the community and we were welcomed by an enormous amount of hospitality.  We visited some of the rural villages, called aldeas, and we were welcomed with hugs and smiles.  After working at the school for only a few days, we established strong relationships with the girls and leaving them on the last day was the hardest thing to do.  We ended the week with a mass in which the girls attended and immediately after, they all (all 70-80 of them) lined up to give us hugs individually. 

On the first day, we were greeted by our host, Father Craig and to my surprise, the first thing he told us was, “Don’t worry so much about the work; focus on experiencing the culture here.  We are here for the 51 weeks that you are not and the community is still able to survive.  It is important that you experience and understand the way we live.”  Initially, we were all surprised by this because we thought we came down to work and to serve.  However, after only a few days of interacting with people, listening to their stories and gaining a broader understanding of the structure of the country, we were able to erase that elitist mentality.  In reality, we did not build any houses, nor did we reform the education system.  However, we went down to Honduras with an open mind and we brought back knowledge about the culture, the corrupt political system, the inadequate legal system, and the failing education system.  With this knowledge, it is our responsibility to share it with others and tell the stories of Emmanuel, the head of organic farm, Sister Marta, the only practicing nurse at the clinic, and the 70-80 intelligent girls who are being educated in a school far from their villages in hopes of becoming the leaders of their communities and the future of the country.

H.O.P.E stands for Honoring Our Neighbor, Organizing for Justice, Practing Peace, and Encountering God.  It is a week-long alternative spring break trip that involves service, cultural immersion, and spritiuality.  This year, over 200 students traveled to New York, New Orleans, Tennesse, Florida, California, New Jersey, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

This year, Activism Club has been working on a campaign called Think Outside the Bottle, which was started by an umbrella organization called Corporate Accountability International.  Essentially, the purpose of the Think Outisde the Bottle campaign at Stonehill was to encourage the school to phase out budget spending on bottled water and provide alternative tap water resources.

You might be asking, “why would you we want to replace bottled water with tap water?”  In response to this question, which was the integral talking point throughout the campaign, water is a human right.  Millions of people across the world lack access to this funamental right due to polluted water systems and long travel distances to nearby water sources.  However,, in America we have access to clean water all the time, yet so many people still choose to purchase bottled water without questioning or understanding its negative effects.

Part of our campaign included the environmental component of bottled water.  Nearly 2 million tons of plastic are used to make water bottles each year and a large majority of these bottles end up in landfills, causing toxic wastes to be released into the air.  In addition to the environmental factors, Think Outside the Bottle attempted to educate Stonehill students and faculty on the ways in which major water bottle corporations are undermining our confidence in tap water.  Bottled water has become a glamorous luxury and we are tricked into thinking that it is better for us.  Unbeknownst to many, bottled water companies face less strict regulations than tap water sources, allowing us to conclude that our tap water is safer than we think. 

Essentially, this campaign tried to open up the school’s eyes to this injustice that affects everyone’s lives.  Our goal was to gain support from more than half of the student body as well as all of the academic and non-academic departments.  After  months of door-to-door pledge drives, tabling in the Commons, a Waterfest event, and countless department meetings, we successfully obtained over 1250 student signatures (more than half of the student body!) and atleast 15 department signatures!!!  With all of this support, we submitted a proposal to the President of the College at his meeting with all of the division Vice Presidents on campus.  There were several forces working against us, as we had received some opposition from some departments and some resistance from students.  However, the proposal DID pass!!!!  Stonehill took the pledge to think outside the bottle and opt for tap water.

So what exactly does this mean?  Basically, after accepting this proposal, the school will phase out budget spending on bottled water at major events, such as Orientation, graduation, open houses, etc.  In lieu of bottled water, pitchers of tap water will be available.  In addition, our goal is to take the money that would normally go towards bottled water and use it to provide more tap water sources on campus, such as filtered water coolants that we have in the cafe.  Of course, this process will take some time, but the fact that the proposal got passed is amazing!!  I’m so proud of Activism Club and I can’t describe how happy I am to have been a part of this monumental movement for change.  This truly exemplified my favorite quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world when, in fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Congratulations to Activism Club for all of its hard work and congratulations to Stonehill for choosing to think outside the bottle!  If you are a prospective student looking to bring about change in your community and in the world, consider joining Activism Club at Stonehill!!

Last weekend I attended the National Association for Campus Activities conference in St. Louis with the Student Activities advisor, Lina Macedo and the Executive Programming Director, Devin Mauch.  As the Chair of the Concert/Coffeehouse Committee, it is my responsibility to bring the music to campus for concerts and coffeehouses in the Hill.  So, the three of us flew down for a six-day conference in order to book musicians, poets, speakers, and comedians for next year.

The conference consists of showcases where artists are allotted 15 minutes to perform in front of an audience of thousands of college students from across the students.  This is their time to market themselves and show everyone what they’ve got in order to get booked for college shows.  This year we were blown away with the talent!  There was a great variety of musicians who used diverse instruments and music techniques.  Also, the comedians were hysterical!!

We are able to book artists for all of our fall coffeehouses as well as for our Hillapalooza (outdoor music festival) event in the fall.  This was my fourth NACA conference and it was definitely one of the best so far!  I highly recommend getting involved with Programming to anyone who is interested in music and the performing arts.  On Programming Committee, we plan all of the big events on campus and on Concert/Coffeehouse Committee we plan all of the concerts.  Being a member of both committees comes with certain benefits…like being able to attend these conferences and meeting performers when they come to Stonehill!

Here are a few clips of some of the performers that we booked!

Anis Mojgani (one of my favorite poets who I got to meet at NACA!!!!)

Lady Danville

Rachel Brown

Enjoy!

Hailey

Last weekend, the SGA Diversity Committee sponsored a social justice poetry slam event in he Hill.  We have several spoken word artists on campus and we had an amazing featured artist named Carlos Andres Gomez.  This event was part of the Exposure Project, which was started last year as a way to expose students to different types of art (music, poetry, etc) and to illustrate diversity in all aspects of the word.  We’ve had musician from the LGBTQ community who plays the cello like a guitar (see for yourself here!), an Asian comedian, and most recently, a latino social justice advocating poet. 

Last year, I met Carlos at a programming conference called NACA (I have a post coming about my most recent trip to NACA) where he performed his poetry.  His poems gave me chills as he spoke about violence, love, disability and more.  I knew everyone at Stonehill would love him, so this year Diversity Committee decided to book him as a featuring artist for the Exposure Project.

That night, the Hill was filled with attentive ears, an active and engaged audience, and a sense of inspiration.  We had several student performers who opened up for Carlos with their poems about global injustice, domestic issues, sexuality, love, and violence.  I was simply amazed with all of the talent on that stage. 

Carlos recited nearly twenty poems during his set, all pertaining to social justice in some way.  What made his performance memorable was how he included a background story for each poem.  This is when you could clearly see and feel his passion and the stories made the poems so much more powerful.  Also, he used to be a teacher, which would explain why was so engaging and interactive with the students.  His poems are still resonating with me, even a week later.  He powerfully conveyed messages about genocide, self-image, negative stereotypes, racism, and love.

It is safe to say that everyone left the event feeling inspired and I am glad so many people were able to experience social justice advocacy in the form of art.  Check out some of Carlos’ poems here and let me know what you think!

“What’s Genocide”

“Distinctly Beatiful”

“Wordsworth”

Until next time,

Hailey

On February 9, Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, presented a lecture on women empowerment.  He referenced themes from his best-selling book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide and he discussed the importance of educating women as a means of empowerment.  In addition, Kristof shared several powerful stories from his experiences which reveal the harsh realities women and girls around the globe face on a daily basis, from maternal mortality to human trafficking.

The lecture took place in the Petit Atrium in the new science building and the room was filled to capacity with students, professors, and faculty.  The audience was captivated by Kristof’s stories of injustice and a sense of awe filled the room when he described various instances of abuse and hardship.  Essentially, his main point was that today’s central moral challenge is the oppression of women and I could not agree more.  Many of today’s biggest problems, such as war and poverty can be prevented by giving women more rights and more opportunities.

During Kristof’s presentation, I couldn’t help but think about something my dad used to say (I think Columbus said it too…): Women are the only ones who can rock a baby in one arm and carry the world in the other arm.  In essence, women are capable of providing for their families and acting as prominent politcal elites.  However, due to oppression and a lack of basic rights, many women across the globe lack access to adequate education where they can learn about their rights, safe sex, the economy, and the world in general.  However, in many cases, women are expected to stay at home to tend to their children and household chores and they are unable to go to school. 

Nicholas Kristof came to speak to Stonehill almost a month ago; however, his words are still resonating with me.  I now follow his NY Times column religiously, as he provides so much insight to the ongoing events around the world.  He is a brilliant writer, a beautiful speaker, and an admirable humanitarian.  I’m so glad he was able to come to Stonehill and so many people were able to hear his message.

Earlier this semester, we released the big news about who is performing at the Spring Weekend concert.  As the chair of the Concert/Coffeehouse Committee, I work with my (wonderful) committee to generate a list of potential artists depending on our price range, their availability, and based on what students are interested in.  In order to gauge the students’ preference on genre, we distributed a survey via email and gave them examples of different genres of music (ie: pop, hip hop, alternative, etc).  When we received the results, it was clear that there was a divide between alternative/pop and hip hop.  So, in order to try and please everyone (or almost everyone…) we picked an artist within our budget that covered the alternative/pop scene as well as an artist that represented the hip hop genre. 

And…without further adieu…it is my pleasure to announce that this year’s Spring Weekend act is K’naan and Matt & Kim!!!  

It was definitely a tough decision and it was even harder since some of our first picks weren’t available or they were too expensive.  However, all in all, it seems like the student body is pleased with this choice!  I have seen K’naan live and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to and I’ve only heard good things about Matt & Kim!  Although we couldn’t get Jason Derulo or Taylor Swift, it will definitely be a good show.

One of the perks about being on the Concert/Coffeehouse Committee is being able to plan this large-scale event and choose music for the whole school to enjoy.  If you’re a prospective student and you love music or just want to get involved, I highly recommend joining the committee!  We have a lot of fun AND we usually get to meet the artists.

Until next time,

Hailey

Every time someone asks what I am studying at school, it takes me a few extra seconds to respond because I have to figure out how to describe my major in a coherent sentence that makes sense without making me sound like too much of a lunatic.  Now, you may be wondering what I’m talking about and why this question is so hard for me to answer.   Essentially, I made up my own major.  Yep, I designed my own academic pathway, and I have called it International Development.  I came in to school as a Neuroscience major with every intention of going to Medical school, becoming a pediatrician and working for humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders.  Oh how things have changed!

I have always been interested in international affairs and, while sitting through four-hour chemistry labs, I would daydream about classes that focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the genocide in Darfur, or the ongoing peace efforts of the UN.  Despite my passion to be an international doctor, I knew that I needed to take International Studies courses in order to further my understanding of the world around me.  Thus, after two semesters of biology and chemistry, I decided to choose a different path, a path that hadn’t been established yet.

After meeting with several professors and expressing my interests and passions, I was pointed in all the right directions and was able to use various resources on campus in order to create an Interdisciplinary Studies major.  I extracted courses from the following departments to design an International Development major: Political Science, Healthcare Administration, Sociology, Psychology, Education, Environmental Studies, and Gender Studies.  In doing so, I have been able to hand-pick my classes and I feel like I am able to fully take advantage of the Liberal Arts curriculum that is offered here at Stonehill.  This new path has allowed me to explore different areas of study and realize their interconnectedness. 

Although I am not going down the traditional pre-med track, I am still interested in health care on an international level.  I am now more focused on preventative medicine, so I would love to work for a global public health organization that works to improve health conditions in developing countries.  Further, I am extremely passionate about the development of Third World countries and I would like to work on approaching development from an angle other than the standard Western democratic system.  While I’m sure this goal could have been achieved as an International Studies major, I feel as though this self-designed major will allow me to gauge different perspectives on development and gain a broader understanding of environmental, gender, and education issues, which are so important to the development of a nation. 

All in all, I am ecstatic with this decision and I think it is a great feature of Stonehill’s curriculum.  It has truly enhanced my academic experience and I know I’m doing the right thing!  Now I’m sure you can see why I always hesitate before telling people what my major is; it’s quite a mouthful!