The View from Student Affairs
A Blog by Fr. James Maher, Vice President
for Student Affairs
Posted by: Fr. James Maher | October 29, 2008
I hope now that mid-term exams are over, you feel confident in your
ability to flourish and to seek any help that you may need for a
successful semester. Your academic success is very important
to us, so please let your Academic College Deans or
Freshmen Center Advisors know if you
need any additional support at this time. The Writing Center is also a terrific
resource for students as they prepare term papers and other course
requirements.
We are very proud of the state-of-the art renovation to the Queens Campus Library
that just concluded, thank you for your patience. I think you will
find it has been worth the wait. As the semester progresses
many Queens campus students should be able to find helpful
resources and quality study space in this upgraded facility. If you
have not taken the time to tour the building yet, I encourage you
to do so.
There has been much opportunity for academic enrichment outside of
the classroom this semester as well. Perhaps you have been
among the hundreds of students who have already attended our Academic Lectures programs. There
are still many opportunities left including. On the Queens
campus, please sign-up to attend the lecture by the distinguished
UN representative, Amir Dossal, on Wealth Creation
and Poverty Alleviation on November 17, 2008 at 6:00 PM
in Bent Hall, Rooms 277 A&B.
It is wonderful to see our students so engaged in the upcoming
Presidential Election. St. John’s University students will
have the opportunity to join with students from Wagner College and
the College of Staten Island to further assess this election.
Wagner College will feature two St. John's University professors,
Dr. Azedine Layachi and Dr. William Bryne, from the Department of
Government and Politics on a panel with the purpose of evaluating
The Meaning of the Presidential
Election. This program is scheduled for Monday,
November 17, 2008 at 7pm. Please RSVP on the respective web
pages, so that we know that you are interested in attending these
programs.
We in Student Affairs are well aware you live very full and busy
lives, if you are feeling a little stressed, then you may
want to take advantage of our new Stressbusters program where
students are trained to offer tips on stress reduction to
fellow students. Look for the Stressbusters team at the Midnight Breakfast on December 9th from
10pm to 12am in the Montgoris Dining Hall.
Our Department of Residence Life continues to keep pace with the
best practices in residential communities. Effective
Monday Oct 20th, Resident Students now have the ability to complete
on-line maintenance work orders to request maintenance work for all
non-emergency related issues. Students can submit, track and
monitor the status of a work order electronically,
around-the-clock. The on-line maintenance request
system can be accessed through St. John’s Central by clicking on
the “Facilities Service Request” link.
For questions or comments please contact the office of Residence
Life in Donovan Hall.
Thanksgiving is always a special time for our country and also here
at St. John’s University. On the Queens Campus, University
administrators will serve our resident students a traditional
Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings on Tuesday, November
18th in the Montgoris Dining Hall starting at 5:30pm. Similar
programs are planned for the Staten Island Campus on November 19th
and the Manhattan Campus on November 20th.
While many students go home to share a Thanksgiving Dinner with
their family, Student Affairs is very aware that some students live
too far away to make this a reality. That is why we have
established our Thanksgiving Family Friend
Program. If you are a student interested in
joining a local family for Thanksgiving Dinner please complete this
student registration form by
Monday, November 10, 2008. Families interested in hosting
International or out-of-state students should complete the family registration form by that
same date.
Plans are currently underway to end the semester with a spectacular
Winter Carnival event. This program is scheduled for December
1st – 3rd on the Queens Campus. A St. John’s tradition, it
will include a jazz concert, horse and carriage rides around the
Great Lawn, a Community Dinner and a tree lighting and fireworks
display. Please watch St. John’s Central for more details as
they become available. The Staten Island Campus has their
wonderful Winter Carnival scheduled on Tuesday,
December 2, 2008. Be sure to join them for photos with Santa,
a Build-a-Bear station, and a tree-lighting ceremony, among other
things.
Looking ahead to after the semester ends; you may want to be among
the fortunate few who spend their winter break helping rebuild New
Orleans. Join the Department of Student Life by putting your
faith and love into action while helping those in need. The
cost of this Service Experience is $200.00 (which includes airfare,
food, and accommodations). If you are interested in this LEADing
through Service opportunity, please email Mary H. Pelkowski at pelkowsm@stjohns.edu. The deadline
for applying for this trip is November 7, 2008.
Student Affairs looks forward to the
opportunity to serve you and make your years at St. John’s
University full of many happy memories.
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