Relay for Life

Everyone has a reason to Relay. Whether it be for their mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, brother or sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend or even themself. We have all been affected by cancer at some point in our lives.

On Saturday, April 28, Hofstra held their 5^th annual Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society funds efforts of cancer research of all kinds. Every year, over 3.5 million people participate in relays in over 5,000 communities across the country. The walk lasts for 12 hours and goes throughout the night.

At Hofstra’s relay, there were over 1100 participants, mostly students, making up over 100 teams. At the beginning of the event $7,700 had already been raised, an amount that already surpassed the funds raised at last year’s event. In order to reach Hofstra’s goal of $100,000, most teams hosted on-site fundraisers. Many sold food items or coffee to get walkers through the night. But some teams got very creative this year. Sigma Pi rented a moon bounce and charged $2 to jump while Delta Gamma asked boys to run around with bras on and have people stuff them with money. Also, luminary bags were sold in memory of cancer victims and survivors.

The relay began with an introduction and thanks to the coordinators of the event, both are Hofstra students. They both gave the reasons of why they relay: one lost a mother to cancer, and the other lost two close aunts. The survivors were asked to step forward and were given a heartfelt round of applause from the audience. Next, the caregivers were recognized and praised for all they have been through. To kick off the event, a Hofstra student and caregiver gave his speech of why he relays and also explained what he does each year in honor of his grandfather. Sophomore Dwayne Lindsey told the crowd that we would see him running the entire night and he held true to this promise. With this, he led the caregivers around the track for the first lap.

The night was filled with other moments that reminded everyone of the reason they relay. Emily Lovejoy, a senior at Hofstra, gave an extremely touching and emotional speech about her mother who recently lost her battle with cancer. This kicked off the lighting of the luminaries and a silent lap around the track. It was truly amazing to be walking with 1100 other people in complete silence with the only light coming from luminaries lit in tribute of loved ones.

The night became much more lighthearted after the ceremony. Various student groups performed, like Sigma’capella and Makin’ Treble. There was also a Mr. and Miss Relay pageant held to keep everyone entertained.

The number of participants dwindled throughout the night. But for those of us who stayed, it was the most rewarding feeling to be walking on the track at five thirty in the morning and seeing the sun rise. Of course we were all exhausted, but the feeling of accomplishment outshines any other emotion. It was also a great to hear how much money we had raised by the end of the night. Thanks to all the efforts made during the event, Hofstra was able to raise $103,000 for the American Cancer Society.

I’m looking forward to next year’s Relay for Life and I am sure it will be even bigger and better than it was this year!

Greek Week at Hofstra University

Imagine you are at a colisseum in ancient Greece. Gladiators are battling in the arena, risking injury and even death just to bring honor to their name. Now imagine that the colisseim is, instead, the fitness center and the gladiators are sorority girls in colorful jerseys, spandex and hairbows. You now have a pretty good picture of what Greek Week was like this past week at Hofstra.

During Greek Week, sororities and fraternities compete in different sports and competitions to gain points that will determine which organization is the "best." Competition is bracketed. Different competitions include: marathon, bowling, tug-of-war, basketball, toga, and multiple other sports.

The week was filled with all of these activities. My weekend was spent going between the fitness center and the intramural fields to cheer on my sorority and everyone else. It's really a great way for every organization to show their pride. It's also a great way for all of Greek life to come together for a little friendly competition.

Phi Sigma Sigma and Sigma Delta Tau played a first round qualifying dodgeball game. The winner was determined by best two of three rounds. The game was very intense, having to wait until the third round to determine a winner. Phi Sigma Sigma won and went on to the semi-finals against Delta Phi Epsilon. Delta Phi Epsilon won and went on to beat Alpha Phi to take first place overall in dodgeball, with Alpha Phi in second. Phi Sigma Sigma beat Delta Gamma in the third game and took third place.



The winners of Greek Week were announced on Sunday night after the chariot skit and an impromptu dance contest. The overall winner for sororities was Delta Phi Epsilon with Alpha Phi in second place and Phi Sigma Sigma in third.

It was a great week for everyone in Greek life. Everyone supported their own organization, but also came out to support other organizations. The week showed that Greek life isn't just made up of individual fraternities and sororities, but really is a community of different people that are all there to support each other.

Spring Break 2012

I traveled down to Myrtle Beach, SC for spring break last week. It was great to spend a few days on the beach with my best friends. I even came back with a tan! Unfortunately, spring break only lasts a week and I'm back at school now. I'm hoping these last 4 weeks will fly by, though, and I'll be able to enjoy more time to relax in the sun this summer!

The Life of an RA

The inside scoop on being a resident assistant from Estabrook Hall RA, Justin Smith. 

"A" Day is finally here!

"A" is finally revealed on the season finale of Pretty Little Liars! Here are my thoughts on the episode!

Jenna Scudieri: Professional College Student

How does a college girl manage going to class, student teaching, and being in a sorority and still have time to sleep? It's not an easy task, but Jenna Scudieri makes it work. Jenna is a 19 year old Hofstra student from Huntington, NY. She is in the dual certification in Early Childhood/Elementary Education program with a co-major in history. On top of being a triple major, Jenna holds positions as philanthropy chair and intramurals chair in Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. How does she manage to make this all work and still have a social life? She said it's difficult to do but it's worth it to get a jump-start on her future.

When Jenna was little she had always wanted to be a veterinarian because she loved animals, but after passing out in sixth grade after seeing blood, she decided that it probably wasn't the best career choice for her. She decided she wanted to be a teacher after working at a summer camp. On her first day, a little girl came up to her and said she was the best camp counselor ever and she had a great day with her. Jenna was touched by this and realized that she loved being able to make kid's happier and really make a difference in their lives.

Anyone who has an internship or has had to student teach knows how it's hard to do anything else with their time. Somehow, though, Jenna manages to be a very active sister in Phi Sig. She recently planned a philanthropy event called Kicking for Kidneys to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation. She also coordinates all of our intramurals teams which is no easy task because it's extremely hard to get people to want to play volleyball at ten o'clock on Tuesday night. Even though she's always busy or stressed with planning, Jenna says that this is giving her real-life experience that is going to help her when she is thrown into the real world in two short years.

Being a college student isn't all about parties and drinking like some people believe. College is as easy or hard as you make it. Jenna definitely has not made it easy for herself but she is excelling in everything she does. She is going to go on to do great things and it's all because she's using her time in college extremely wisely.

Is The Bachelor contestant just in it to win it?

This season of ABC's The Bachelor has been one of the most controversial seasons ever. Bachelor Ben Flajnik has narrowed it down to 2 girls in preparation for the finale in two weeks. Lindzi Cox is a small town girl from Ocala, FL who won the first impression rose on Episode 1 for riding in on a horse. Lindzi is definitely a fan favorite. The other finalist is Courtney Robertson, a model from Scottsdale, AZ. Courtney is by far the biggest villian that has ever been on the show, but it also seems that she has won Ben's heart.

The girls have voiced serious concerns to Ben about Courtney in past episodes. They claim she is there for the wrong intentions and I have to agree. Courtney seems like she has absolutely no interest in Ben. Whenever Ben voices the concerns he has with her she becomes extremely defensive and rude towards him and won't even look him in the eye. At this point in the game, he shouldn't be second guessing her so much. Instead of really getting to know each other and being all lovey-dovey, Ben needs to spend his time making sure Courtney's not the bad guy that everyone makes her out to be. It just seems to be way too early in the relationship to have this many concerns.

On the latest episode of The Bachelor, Kacie B. returns to get answers from Ben and to warn him of Courtney yet again. Kacie was always my favorite on the show and I was completely heart broken when Ben sent her home after hometowns last week. I thought she was the best fit for Ben because he always seemed so happy around her, but he felt that, after meeting her family, their backgrounds were just far too different to ever have a life together. None the less, Kacie flew all the way to Interlarken, Switzerland to talk to ask Ben why it was over. She also told Ben that Courtney was only there because she's "in it to win it" and will break his heart if he proposes to her.

I think that Kacie really is concerned for Ben and truly wants him to be happy. In their conversation she never told him that he would be happier with her, but with anyone besides Courtney. She doesn't want to see him get hurt. I respect what Kacie did but I'm not sure if Ben felt the same way. He seemed almost angry when Kacie left.

Going into the rose ceremony, Ben was conflicted. He didn't know if he should listen to the girls concerns or follow his heart. According to him, he made his decision at the last minute. But no surprise, he gave the roses to Lindzi and Courtney and sent Nicki packing.

Heading into the last and final week of The Bachelor, the girls and Ben will stay in Switzerland to finish out their love stories. We have to wait two weeks to find out who Ben chooses, but we get to see the Women Tell All special next week. I can't wait to see all my favorites come back and talk about all the drama that has gone on this season! Don't forget to tune in to ABC to watch next Monday at 8pm!