-
Where in the World
Student Travels and Adventures
PAGE 17
gallery Watch - Washington dc
Pamela King
PAGE 3
reflections on the role theatre plays in todays World
Nancy Kindelain
PAGE 6
What is happening
The Edible Environment
PAGE 14
Honors P E r S P E c T i v E
Volume 5 Winter 2009
On September 11th 2008, Northeastern University welcomed climber
and activist Greg Mortenson, author of Three cups of Tea. Three
cups of Tea was chosen as the inaugural book for NUs First Pages
Program where all incoming first year students and transfer
students read a common book before coming to campus. The First
Pages program was established after the success of the Honors First
Year reading Project.
During Mr. Mortensons visit to campus he attended a special
welcoming reception in the curry Student center Ballroom which
included students, faculty, staff and local elementary students
from the Tobin School who had started their own chapter of Pennies
for Peace, Mr. Mortensons organization that raises money to build
schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Later that evening, Mr. Mortenson addressed over 2,200 incoming
students, faculty, staff and local community members with his
inspirational speech about his time in Pakistan and Afghanistan at
Matthews Arena. He presented a slideshow of the schools he has
built, the people he encountered along his journey, and his family.
The inspirational speech prompted many students to stay long into
the night to have their books signed and to talk with Greg.
Additionally, students in the Honors Program had the pleasure of
meeting co-author David Oliver relin during Honors Welcome Week.
Mr. relin addressed the entire first year honors class and provided
an inspirational talk on his travels, working with Greg Mortenson,
and taking advantage of all the educational opportunities that
Northeastern has to offer. His speech was followed by a book
signing and reception that lasted well into the afternoon.
northeasterns first pages program Welcomes greg Mortenson
First year honors students meet David Oliver relin during Honors
Welcome Week.
Invited guests from the Tobin School and Northeastern
Universitys Social Change through Peace Games with activist and
author Gregg Mortenson.
-
Directors WelcomeGreetings! This fall we were joined by 279
entering first year students in the Honors Program. And they have
helped continue the tradition of landing fast and getting into the
opportunities of the Honors Program ASAP. As our third First Year
Welcome Week unfolded, we were overwhelmed with upper class esprit
dcorps over 100 of you helped us kick off the best Welcome Week
ever with your team leading efforts at each of the planned events
including a terrific meet and greet with author, David Oliver
relin, our very wet but fun ropes course day on the Ashland campus
(anyone in the market for 300 slightly used rain ponchos?), and our
Honors Outreach Project.
This year, Honors helped spearhead the University-wide First
Pages initiative which gave all entering first year students the
oppor-tunity to read Three Cups of Tea and hear co-author,
adventurer and humanitarian, Greg Mortenson. Over three thousand
showed up in Matthewss Arena to hear Mortenson talk about his work
building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. it was quite a sight
to behold and a fulfillment of our mission in Honors to be an
incubator for academic innovation. Hats off to all the students who
helped this initiative become so successful, including our Honors
readers and members of the First reading Project committee.
Pizza and Profs keeps buzzing along and thanks go to Professors
John Portz, Nancy Kindelan, and Dennis Shaughnessy for hold-ing
court for a Tuesday evening each this past fall. Also thanks to
Professors Gail Begley and Jenn cole for joining a small group of
students for dinner prior to the falls cultural events. Both of
these initiatives will continue this spring so be sure to take
advan-tage of some of the great conversations that happen in and
around the office and about town.
i want to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate assistant
colleen cronin who has the best color sense in the office and has
added more than her share of enthusiasm for our task. Thanks also
to the ceaselessly organized Katie Munroe, our senior graduate
assistant who helped shepherd me and my Enhancing Honors 101
mentors through her effective use of blackboard communica-tion. i
am a step above Luddite myself and i relied on her heavily.
Our associate directors, Lauren Pouchak and Sheryl Mayuski
continue to shape our evolving community. Sheryl topped off a busy
fall with management of a robust advising schedule and a newly
tweaked on-campus application process. Thanks to all the upper
class students who helped Sheryl and our grad assistants interview
prospective students. Thirty-one students joined us in Janu-ary.
Lauren, never one to sit on her laurels, is busy planning a spring
community outreach project for all in the honors community. There
was some grumbling that this initiative was just offered to first
year students and so Lauren is working closely with the Office of
community Service to have a site for anyone who wants to join us
for the Spring Honors Outreach Project on March 28th. carol
Dicecca, our administrative assistant, is the one who is the first
round of response in the office and daily points me in the right
direction so thanks to her and the rest of the honors team.
Forty Honors readers are helping to narrow the selections down a
bit for next years book and we have our eye of a couple of great
ones. The committee will take their recommendations under
consideration as they plow through a shorter list thanks to their
efforts. And speaking of reading, kudos to Sandy rago and the
Honors Student council, who started the Honors Book club last
semester and will be leading a band of readers in the spring its a
great initiative!
if you are looking for ways to get involved, we will be
recruiting for fall mentors this spring the team that i worked with
this year was amazing and collaboratively worked to raise the bar a
bit in the Enhancing course thanks to all 35 of you once again.
As i write this, i have just returned from Northeasterns Martin
Luther King convocation inspired by his words and actions and
optimistic for our future, i hope for good things for us all in the
New Year. Drop by
Professor Maureen Kelleher, Director
2
-
3 www.honors.neu.edu
Student ProfilesgalleryWatch - Washington dc
As an intern at a news publication that reports on congress, i
have experienced a number of exciting situations. i have had the
oppor-tunity to report on congressional committee hearings,
witnessing the wrath of Senator Barbara Boxer, the passion of
Senator Bernie Sanders and the sleepy voice of congressman Dennis
Kucinich. i have attended meetings with Simon rosenberg, president
of NDN, and Senator charles Schumer to discuss their expectations
of Barack Obamas presidency.
i have to admit, it was an intimidating experience sometimes.
Not only was i sitting in front of prominent personalities, i was
also working among them. i spent the semester interning at
Gallery-Watch, the legislative tracking service affiliated with the
newspaper roll call. When i was sent out on assignment i was
working for our wire service, congressNow. congressNow happens to
be one of the few news publications that sends out interns to
meetings and con-gressional hearings and markups. So although many
of my fellow reporters were young, they were not interns. They were
professional, full-time reporters with a lot of experience and
knowledge on what they were covering. These people became my
colleagues, and eventu-ally i came to know many of them as i
continued to return to the press tables in the Senate and House
hearing rooms.
it was the first time i have had a real reporting job. Sure, i
have writ-ten for the Northeastern News and other community
publications, but it was the first time i fully immersed myself in
the practice of journalism, and i came out loving it.
My favorite work experience was reporting on Senator Ted Stevens
trial for roll call. it was about 2 p.m. on a Friday, and i did not
have anything planned for the rest of the day. i was sitting down
to upload documents to gallerywatch.com when one of the congressNow
edi-tors sent me down to the courthouse to watch Stevens testify
about home improvements to his Alaska chalet.
i ran the blocks separating my office and the courthouse, met
the roll call reporter who had spent weeks reporting on the trial
and made my way into the courtroom. i was instructed to watch the
jurys reaction to Stevens testimony to provide color to the story
of the roll call reporter who was watching the trial on four
television monitors on another floor of the building.
Stevens provided excellent testimony he never wavered under the
pressure of the prosecuting attorney. Although he was eventually
found guilty of corruption, Stevens was confident throughout his
trial, and he was also kind. He even took time to greet members of
the audience during a break.
Working on election night was another great experience. Although
i did not make my way down to the election parties or the riots at
the White House, i did enjoy my night in the office, tracking
congres-sional races and sending information to the roll call
offices. My co-workers and i ate dinner together and laughed at the
absurd tech-nology some networks were using to draw in viewers. For
example, cNN beamed in a reporters hologram and spent much of the
night talking about the technology whenever there were dull moments
in their race coverage.
My internship was only one aspect of my semester, however. i
at-tended a class called Population, Gender and the Environment
every Wednesday after work. Many of my classmates were from Mexico,
and i had the opportunity to talk with them about sustainable
devel-opment projects in their home cities. i now consider many of
them good friends.
i spent my weekends visiting museums and monuments. i fell in
love with Old Town Alexandria in virginia mostly because it
reminded me so much of Boston. i attended the arrival ceremony of
the prime minister of italy at the White House and stood feet away
from President George Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, vice President
Dick cheney and Secretary of State condoleezza rice. i had the
opportunity to join a group of friends in a march on the National
Mall to protest Proposition 8, which eliminated the right for gay
couples to marry in california. it was powerful to watch both gay
and straight people marching the city against the backdrop of the
capitol building to passionately defend their position. The march
ended at the White House but not before a torrential downpour
drenched all of us to our skin.
My semester in Washington, D.c. has provided me with work
experience, writing samples and lifelong friends, but i am looking
forward to using everything i have learned this semester to enhance
and enrich the rest of my time at Northeastern.
-Pamela King journalism 11
I have had the opportunity to report on Congressional committee
hearings, witnessing the wrath of Senator Barbara Boxer, the
passion of Senator Bernie Sanders and the sleepy voice of
Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
-
Student Profiles continued
The hustle of vendors and street performers. The roaring rumble
of the street car riding along side you as you pedal your bike down
St. charles Ave. The constant blaring of trumpets and trombones,
filling the air with a sweet jazz scent which seems to linger in
your senses long into the warm, sticky night. You stop at the end
of the road at the Mississippi river. The large barges roll in and
roll out as if in slow motion, and you, too, feel the drawl of the
Big Easy. You take a deep breathe in, inhaling a city of culture,
pride, art, music, food, and hospitality. You exhale the struggles,
the devastation, the resilience of a people. You are breathing in a
strange world, my friend. You are breathing in New Orleans.
i began this, my first co-op, this past July as a middler after
volunteering in New Orleans as part of Northeasterns Alternative
Spring Break Program, run out of the center of community Service
the previous April. i had worked with Hands On New Orleans, and
after seeing the ex-treme needs of the city, and the warm vibes of
the culture, i realized a week was not enough, and worked with the
staff to develop a position as an intern.
When i arrived in New Orleans, where an already high crime and
murder rate has been on the steady rise since Hurricanes Katrina
and rita devastated the community in 2005, i was extremely anxious
to learn more about whatever was drawing me towards the city. i had
no connections there: no friends and no family, just a strange
feeling that it was where i needed to be.
Hands On New Orleans(HONO) was in the middle of a complete
reinvention of its mission and program model. HONO was
transitioning from
a disaster response project to a local independent affiliate of
the Hands On Network. This included receiving 501c3 tax exempt
status in Louisiana, and a new model to gear its programs towards
empowerment and involvement for community members in hopes we can
encourage locals to take part in restoring their own homes and
communities.
i was hired as a Marketing and Development intern, which in a
non- profit of only 16 employees, means a lot of work! Every event
or project needed press coverage, every newly developed program,
whether it be youth engagement or the volunteer leader trainings,
needed new literature and hand-outs. Promotional items, such as
pens and T shirts needed to be ordered, tracked, and shipped to our
sponsors and supporters, and, perhaps most im-portantly, grants
needed to be written, submitted, tracked, and followed up with in
order to receive the funding to continue not only projects and
other special events, but for general operating purposes.
As an unpaid internship, Northeastern only required me to
fulfill 20 hours a week, however, after hearing the stories of
local homeowners and feeling the tension and power resting in the
name Katrina i found myself passionately working a 40 hour week,
waiting tables at night to support myself. it was often tiresome,
but it hardly compared to those still living in a FEMA trailer, or
an elderly woman with mold covering the inside of her house, or a
family of 6 whose roof was completely ripped off during the storm
and who dont have the funds to have it replaced. Even three years
later these stories are still prevalent within the New Orleans
community and i am so thankful to have been able to help for the
short period of time i was down here.
4
hands on new orleans
-
Student Profiles continued
5 www.honors.neu.edu
The entire experience has been mind blowing. When Hurricanes
Gustav and ike hit a few months ago, i saw first hand a city
evacuated, and another devastated. i worked for 5 days in Baton
rouge at distribution centers with the National Guard giving out
MrEs (Meals ready to Eat), ice, water, and tarps to the thousands
of people without power, and many without a home left at all, and
on a chainsaw crew, removing trees and other large debris from
elderly community members homes, roofs, and yards, all while living
on the floor of a drug abuse rehabilitation center who was kind
enough to lend us their classroom space for lodging and to prepare
our meals, free of charge, despite the fact that we had no power
for the first 3 days.
The complete devastation the residents in the gulf area go
through boggles my mind, however, the resilience, pride, and
dedication to preserving the culture and life of the coastal south
has been truly inspiring. i have learned skills helpful for my
professional life while working in the office and learned how to be
handy with power tools while out on project sites or out on the
field. However, most importantly ive learned what its like to be
truly accepted into a strange community and how the bonds that have
come from disaster can be among the most powerful and beautiful. i
am sad to have to leave this city, as it has been the most
pinnacle, rewarding experience of my life to date. i will miss the
culture, the music, the art, and the people. i can officially say,
i know what it means to miss New Orleans.
-rachel Sherman English 11
As an unpaid internship, Northeastern only
required me to fulfill 20 hours a week, however,
after hearing the stories of local homeowners
and feeling the tension and power resting in
the name Katrina I found myself passionately
working a 40 hour week, while waiting tables
at night to support myself. It was often
tiresome, but it hardly compared to those still
living in a FEMA trailer
For more information about New Orleans, or interning and
volunteering with Hands On New Orleans, email Rachel at:
[email protected], or visit HandsOnNewOrleans.org
-
in the classroom
First Year Inquiry Series: HNR 205 American Theatre and
Politics:
A Delicate Balance
PRoF. NANcY KINDelAN
These are complicated questions; they are difficult to answer.
it has been suggested that some of these questions are ignored
because far too often American society refuses to confront
difficult problems and consider the potential of social change.
Additionally, history tells us that theatre has been silenced and
censored because people in power know how persuasive this art form
is in eliciting thought and encouraging social responsibility. With
these observations in mind, i asked my First-Year inquiry Seminar,
American Theatre and Politics: A Delicate Balance, to consider
these questions and more. Through studying plays and analyzing
theatre techniques and perfor-mances on stage, we talked about how
playwrights and other theatre artists help audiences face
responsibility to self and others, as well as negotiate change
through clear and insightful thinking. in the next decade, i
predict that there will be more emphasis placed on how both drama
and theatre cause us to see and confront social issues. While
commercial theatre will have its place as a form of escapismthat is
a function of some theatreregional professional theatres,
community-based theatres, and academic theatre programs will turn
their attention not only to the power of theatre to bring people
together for the purpose of understanding something more about the
worlds human atrocities and global economies and ecologies, but
also to allow human beings opportunities to come together and voice
and exchange their ideas, thoughts, and fears with other human
beings. The goal of this type of experience is to remind us of our
humanityto look into someone elses eyes, to listen directly to the
stories of others without technological barriers such as the
computer, text messaging, blogging, etc. These forms of
communications that we relish for allowing us to communicate
instantly with others have, i fear, diminished our abilities to
communi-cate in ways that give us the chance to take the time to
see and hear deeply. i (like others) worry that we are drowning in
an ever-deepening swamp of e-mails. i am concerned that we have
become so busy connecting instantly that we are in danger of
becoming a nation of blabbers, capable of glib responses, but
incapable of sitting long enough to engage in paying compassionate
attention and partaking in thought provoking dialogues with each
other. These are some of the reasons
reflections on the role theatre plays in todays World
Can plays and their theatrical productions help us to see
personal and social problems with an enlightened eye?
Does theatre encourage decadence or does it inspire virtue?
Are there problems when theatre and politics mix?
Who defines the moral status quo?
Does American society value the theatre as a platform for social
change?
6
-
why this seminar reconsidered the role of drama and theatre in
todays society, especially how this art form restores our
human-ity, promotes thought about human rights, and inspires us to
act with integrity. We began by discussing the theatre activities
that occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s. American
audiences had little money for extravagant theatre during this
time. Yet, exciting new types of theatre emerged, such as the Group
Theatre and the Federal Theatre Project (the FTP was a branch of
President roosevelts Works Progress Administration). Both the Group
Theatre and the FTP produced theatre that promoted social thought,
personal reflection, and audience em-powerment. We discovered that
the social and economic condi-tions of the 20s and 30s have, in
some instances, uncanny simi-larities to what we face today. We
wondered if American society was doomed to repeat this dark time in
history because as a group of individuals we fall short in two
areas: our ability to analyze our flaws and remember our past
mistakes with the type of acuity that relies on deep critical
reflection. Anna Deavere Smiths work as a performance artist (Let
Me Down Easy and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992) and her writings on
theatre (Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines), as well as Mosis
Kaufmans play The Laramie Project encouraged us to consider further
the potential drama and theatre have in helping us rediscover
ourselves, reconnect with others, and face the reality of social
and human injustices. The semester began with the seminar attending
the American repertory
Theatres production of Anna Deavere Smiths performance piece Let
Me Down Easy. Later, the seminar, theatre majors and faculty
members met privately with this artist to discuss her thoughts
about theatre as a social force. Our work with Ms. Smith afforded
us the opportunity to explore her unique aesthetica journalistic
and anthropological approach to acting. Through her presentation of
a collection of interviews, in which she portrays verbatim the
stories of her interviewees, Anna Deavere Smiths one-woman plays
explore and amplify the language of unheard voices who face, for
example, inhumane behaviors between social classes, races, and
genders. Her award-winning theatre brings to light how the world
truly is a stage, through her presentation of multiple positions
regarding challenging contemporary topics (such as race riots,
genocide, the place of the media in national events, the health
care system, and the roles grace and kindness play in todays
world). Anna Deavere Smith also is interested in how theatre can
elicit a form of artistic democracy through developing the ability
to listen carefully and to engage the community in thoughtful
discussion. inspired by her aesthetic and interest in the
impor-tance of community engagement, this class ended with several
town meetings. Through these lively discussions, the seminar
students both listened actively and spoke with commitment as they
brought to light their ideas about how theatre assisted them in
seeing and considering the mysteries of the human condition.
-Nancy Kindelan is an Associate Professor of Theatre
7 www.honors.neu.edu
phot
o: c
hri
s M
ayn
ard
-
8As we entered Professor Shaughnessys Microfinance Seminar on
September 10th, 2008, we were eager to discover what the world of
Microfinance was all about. Little had we known that this class
would not only be unique in its own respect but it would impact our
lives in so many ways. Throughout the seminar, we were introduced
to various Microfinance institutions (MFis) and Non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) who aim to alleviate extreme poverty in
developing countries. The course required us to indulge in the
works of authors such as Muhammad Yunus and Jeffrey D. Sachs who
are pioneers in the microfinance arena. Now, what is microfinance
you may ask?
in many countries, poor people are not afforded the opportunity
to borrow from banking insti-tutions because of their lack of
collateral. Many of them are unemployed and live in city slums. in
short, microfinance provides loans to these individuals without
requiring them to have any collateral. The business is quite risky
but, the individuals who spearhead such initiatives often focus
greatly on the positive social impact rather than the possible
risks.
This seminar required us to perform extensive yet truly
inspirational research into micro-finance and its impact on the
developing world. One major aspect of the seminar was the creation
of MFis by students in the class. We were trained on the ins and
outs of creating such an institution and nurtured along the way as
were used our creativity and business savvy to create organizations
that would represent social entrepreneurship.
Our project, NUstart, was inspired by a program called Africa
Jam in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Khayelitsha is a township on the
outskirts of cape Town, South Africa. Africa Jam empowers youth in
the area through social enrichment, faith enrichment and arts and
education. NUstart sought to further empower these youth through a
program that would provide financial and health education, allowing
the youth to become entrepreneurs in various fields. Youth-focused
microfinance programs are rare because of the increased risk of
loaning to younger people. However, NUstart did not let the
possibility of default hinder us from making a difference in the
lives of these children. instead, we created a pioneer program that
we hope will be implemented, sustained and scaled to impact as many
families as possible.
We began by examining our target commu-nity and developing a set
of objectives for our program. We often reviewed these objectives
to ensure that they were representative of our program. These
objectives included: providing entrepreneurial micro-loans to young
adults by initiating the project in January 2009, increasing the
awareness of Hiv/AiDS and its impact through the provision of
mandatory informational sessions, measuring the impact of the loans
on the borrowers before, during and after the loans period and
ultimately create self-sustainability for long term impact. These
objectives were the backbone of our countless hours researching and
creating this program.
Microfinance: the
Business of alleviating
extreme poverty
in developing countries
in the classroom continued
-
9 www.honors.neu.edu
execuTIve BoARD Katherine Hall Elaine Ponio Dennis Tung
Sherrette Yeates
mISSIoN To work alongside the Africa Jam program in Khayelitsha,
South Africa, with
the provision of micro-loans to entrepreneurial young adult
participants. The purpose
of the micro-loans is to supply the participants with the
capital necessary to start
a business to generate profit that can lift them and their
families out of poverty.
Ultimately, the goal of NUstart is to empower young adults to
create social change.
Nustart
NUstart is a non-profit enterprise that accepts donations and
grants from outside sources. Our organizational structure is
horizontal with the Executive Board (the Northeastern University
NUstart team), the participating Africa Jam staff and students from
the Tertiary School in Business Administration in cape Town, South
Africa on the first level and the young entre-preneurs (borrowers)
on the second level. Our strategy for the program involves a cyclic
series of project planning, implementation and im-pact measurement.
We hope that this program will allow the youth of Khayelitsha to
create a source of income for their families, many of which have no
steady income source. This will ultimately allow these individuals
to remove themselves from the strongholds of poverty. NUstart sees
a bright future for the youth and in essence the community of
Khayelitsha through the implementation of our program.
-Sherrette Yeates electrical engineering 12
In many countries, poor people are not afforded the opportunity
to borrow from banking institutions because of their lack of
collateral. Many of them are unemployed and live in city slums. In
short, microfinance provides loans to these individuals without
requiring them to have any collateral.
-
10
Welcome Week 2008
-
Prof. Gail Begley
Prof. Marty Block
Prof. Phyllis Strauss
Prof. Bert Spector
craig Bettison
Kate McLaughlin
Nathalie T Daniel
Katie Munroe
colleen cronin
Jamie Dendy
Emily Sabo
Ann coppinger
Brett Nava-coulter
Leandra Mae Smollin
Amie Levesque
Kat rickenbacker
vin Ferraro
Amy Lubitow
Jonathan Farr
Laura Piechowski
Megan Markland
Evans Erilus
Thank you, We couldnt have done it without you!
11 www.honors.neu.edu
-
What is Happening?
12
nchc conferenceThis years National collegiate Honors council
conference was held in the Alamo city, San Antonio, Texas. The
Honors Program including Director Maureen Kelleher, Associate
Director Lauren Pouchak, Associate Director Sheryl Mayuski,
Graduate Assistant Katie Munroe and two newcomers to the event
current Honors student Barbara Lee, and myself, colleen cronin, a
first year Graduate Assistant, traveled down to the lone star state
to represent Northeastern University. Given that it was late
October in Boston we were all ecstatic to feel the warm southern
air, unfortunately it wasnt as tropical as expected but it was
certainly a nice change of climate.
The theme of the 43rd annual NcHc conference, crossing
Frontiers, honed in on the concept of breaking barriers.
Additionally, as faculty, staff, and students we can empower and
create a new path to follow for the Honors experience. There was a
wide range of participants at this years conference, from large
public institutions to two-year community colleges all of whom
brought something unique to the conference, a perspective to learn
from. The conference consisted of a plethora of presentations as
well as cultural experiences to take advantage of and we definitely
accomplished of as much as possible during our brief time
there.
After settling into the beautiful Marriot riverside we took a
stroll along the famous riverwalk. The riverwalk is a partially man
made river that dissects the city and is the hub for restaurants
and shopping in San Antonio. While we were there we made sure to
check out the wonderful food choices, from Mexican to Barbecue it
was a smorgasbord of tasty sensations! Although it was essential to
eat our main purpose while in Texas was to attend and present
through different sessions for NcHc. To start off, i attended
Beginning in Honors. Through this session i was able to grasp a
larger outlook on my role within the Honors Program via learning
about various programs and from other individuals that are also
acclimating to a new environment. There were presentations on
Programming, Academic Advising, and Studying Abroad which enabled
us to gain more insight into the things we are doing well and the
things we can improve upon for the Honors Program at Northeastern
University. Not only were we all audience members in these
sessions, but we also represented Northeastern as panelists and
presenters. Prof. Kelleher presented on Enhancing Honors, and acted
as a moderator for two other presentations. Lauren presented on the
evolution and development of the Honors Outreach Project, and
Sheryl and Katie co-presented on what it takes to create a Living
Learning community.
After all of the speakers and sessions had wrapped we finally
were able to visit the Alamo, we simply couldnt miss this
attraction while visiting San Antonio! i found the Alamo to be
interesting because it was set in the middle of a somewhat bustling
city and yet remained tranquil and historic in its essence. While
we were there we were able to go inside and see where the battle
occurred first hand, not to mention view a few mementos from the
famous Davey crockett. in the end, all of the educational and
cultural experiences that we shared while in San Antonio gave us a
feeling of anticipa-tion for new opportunities and ideas that we
could bring back to Northeasterns Honors Program. All of which will
unquestionably break the mold and enable us to cross into a new
frontier here at home!
-colleen cronin, Honors Graduate Assistant
-
13 www.honors.neu.edu
enhancing honors: exploring historic Boston through city as
textThis fall marked the sophomore year of Enhancing Honors 101; a
one credit honors course for all incoming first year students in
the Honors Program. Enhancing Honors is a team-taught course led by
Professor Kelleher, Director of the Honors Program, and thirty-four
upper class honors mentors. This years course experienced quite the
transformation and became centered on city as Text, an honors
initiative set forth by the National collegiate Honors council. The
city as Text experience encourages student to explore new
territories through mapping, observing, listening, and reflecting.
Taking advantage of Northeasterns location in the heart of Boston,
Enhancing Honors students hit the streets and explored five
different neighborhoods.
Students drank bubble tea and observed the eclectic selection of
stores in the chinatown and Downtown crossing neighborhood. The
North End provided a close look at Bostons italian culture and
local cuisine. Students strolled through Quincy Market, Faneuil
Hall and explored the Navy Yard as part of their Waterfront tour.
The Boston common reflected the history of Americas first public
park. Lastly, students observed a large collection of Japanese
prints at the Museum of Fine Arts and overlooked beautiful
courtyards at the isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as part of their
Avenue of the Arts tour.
These adventures helped honors students better understand the
historical, cultural, and sociological environment of each Boston
neighborhood. To supplement the city As Text experience through-out
the course, Professor Kelleher explored various Boston themes in
class including the famous Big Dig, the history of Banned in
Boston, and One if by Land- the revolutionary past and present of
Boston. Throughout the course, students also gained an insiders
perspective on Boston while reading Michael Patrick MacDonalds
Easter Rising, a memoir about growing up in Boston. The
com-bination of these experiences allowed students to connect with
the Northeastern and larger Boston community.
The new direction of the Enhancing Honors course was a success
and supports the Honors Programs commitment to helping students
understand everyday life through an active learning experience.
Special thanks to the honors mentors who helped facilitate the
learning of the first year students, and Michael Patrick MacDonald
whose memoir Easter Rising became the complementary text to the
Enhancing Honors city As Text experience.
- Katie Munroe Honors Program Graduate Assistant
-
What is Happening?continued
14
honors student council UpdatesAs a returning member of the
Honors Student council (HSc) Executive Board (eBoard), i have had
the opportunity to see the HSc grow and mature. While we have had
setbacks, i think that we really moved forward this year in
planning more and more programs for Honors students to meet and
have fun. We had a great turn out at capture the flag, enjoyed
movies with the showing of some Hitchcock movies, played
Apples-to-Apples, our representation at the National collegiate
Honors councils conference in San Antonio, Texas, visited the
Museum of Fine Arts, and ate cookies, pie and candy. And finally,
look forward to our coffee break for finals and a community service
event!
While it may seem like were all out of ideas, get ready for even
bigger events next semester. Our first annual Spring Fling dance is
already funded, but we need your help to put it together and help
plan it. if you have the programming experience or want programming
experience, this would be the place to get it. Bring your ideas to
the meetings. Wed love to hear them! Want to go bowling or ice
skating at Frog Pond? Well, we wont know until you tell us!
i encourage every honors student to get involved with some
aspect of the honors program. if youre going to say you were a part
of this program for the last five years, why not have a hand in
what you can be involved in? its one meeting every other week for a
half hour and you could voice your opinions about any improvements
or innovations you want to see. Like Maureen always says, we are
the incubators for ideas.
-Barbara Lee psychology, 11
Journey to the final 4During the first semester of a business
students career at Northeastern, he or she participates in the
intro to Business class which consists of a semester long project
of writing a business plan for the TJX corpo-ration and then giving
an extensive presentation about it. Freshman students are divided
into 125 teams that compete to be part of the Fab four which is the
four best business plans and presentations as selected by the cBA
faculty. My team was made up of entirely honors students including
myself (Greg Skloot), Noah Mellen, Kathleen Fluharty and Mike
Sobel. Our business plan idea, named MaxxWell-ness, was to
implement an online corporate wellness program for TJXs
approximately 129,000 employees worldwide. The project requires an
extensive amount of research for the written component and practice
for the presentation.
i believe the key to our success was the consistency of our
meetings. While many teams met sporadically, our team held meetings
at the same times, on the same days, each and every week of the
semester. These meetings were when we accomplished most of our work
on the project. The reason we were able to accomplish so much was
partially due to our excellent meeting location. While i referred
to it as our secret meeting place throughout the semester,
MaxxWellness actually held its meetings in the honors office
conference room, located on the ground floor of West village F.
Many students in the honors program do not know about this room but
is a great place to study and work on projects with other students.
Unlike the common rooms in our dorms, this conference room was
distraction free (except for the occasional visit from the honors
program staff!).
in the end, after tireless labor in that conference room, my
team and i emerged with a well crafted 35 page business plan and
presentation that was selected by the faculty to be in the
prestigious Final Four. On December 11th, my team and i gave our
presentation to hundreds of students in the business school,
faculty, and the actual TJX executives. it was a very rewarding
experience and will only lead us to do greater things during our
time here at Northeastern.
-Greg Skloot business administration, 13
-
What is Happening?continued
15 www.honors.neu.edu
the edible environment
Last fall Prof. Jenn Cole took her seminar class, The Edible
Environment to Blue Heron Farm in Charlemont, Massachusetts.
Students learned about and experienced a hands-on work opportunity
covering practical aspects of commercial maple sugaring, high bush
blue-berry cultivation and management, pasture/woodlot management
using goats, fence maintenance and erection, marketing farm
products, and the role of agri-tourism in the operations of a 140
acre diversified farm.
-
Announcementspartners in the parksWe are happy to announce that
the Honors Program will again be sponsoring students for the 2009
season of NcHcs Partners in the Parks program. Partners in the
Parks in an experiential learning program sponsored by the National
collegiate Honors council in cooperation with the US National Parks
Service and LL Bean. The Partners in the Parks experience includes
seminars led by university faculty and park personnel, which
include historical, scientific, cultural and other important areas
unique to each given park. Students will also have the chance to
take advantage of exciting recreational opportunities in the parks
to broaden their understanding of the overall value of national
parks to our country and its citizens.
This year the Honors Program will sponsor the registration for
the following sites:
AcAdiA (Aug 8-14)
Bryce cAnyon (June 1-6)
grAnd cAnyon-PArAshAnt (MAy 25-30)
olyMPic (Aug 3-8)
Zion (MAy 11-16)
The application can be found on our website:
www.honors.neu.edu.
The deadline for applying is March 1, 2009.
16
honors ambassadors Northeastern Universitys Honors Program is
dedicated to recruiting a stellar group of students to the Honors
community and the University as a whole. Honors Ambassadors is a
pilot program beginning in fall of 2009. Honors Ambassadors is a
way to share your enthusiasm for the Honors Program while acting as
a representative of the Honors Program in a number of ongoing
events, including recruitment. The Honors Program is looking to
recruit 15 students to be Honors Ambassadors.
WhAt do honors AMBAssAdors do?
This is a unique opportunity to participate in recruitment
related events and activities, some of the responsibilities
include:
Attend Monthly Planning Meetings
Primarily responsible for attending recruitment events as
requested and serving on open house and welcome day panels
representing the Honors Program (approximately 3-4 per semester
usually held on weekends)
Assist with Honors Welcome Week and Honors Evening
Opportunity to create new programs and events
WhAt Are the quAlificAtions of An honors AMBAssAdor?
Must be a second semester freshmen or above to apply, students
on co-op are eligible.
Students applying should possess the following qualities:
outgoing, friendly, able to speak in front of large groups,
effective communi-cation skills, able to represent the Honors
program positively and comfortable speaking to prospective students
and parents.
Applications are available on the website www.honors.neu.edu and
are due Friday, February 20th and an interview process will follow.
Please feel free to contact the Honors Program with any
questions.
The Honors Student council would like to welcome you to join
Honors Book club for the spring semester. The Book club will be
meeting on the following dates in the spring:
honors Book cluB schedule releAsed
All meetings will be held in 260 West village F at 8PM, directly
after Honors Student council Meetings. The first book we will be
reading and discussing is the graphic novel Watchmen. The
requirements for participating in the Book club are a commitment to
attending each meeting and bringing the $5 membership fee to the
first meeting.
if you are interested in joining, please e-mail Sandy rago:
[email protected]
The group will be capped at 20 people, and filled on a
first-come first serve basis, so please reply to this e-mail as
soon as possible.
We look forward to reading with you this semester!
-Sandy rago psychology 12 Honors Student Council, VP of Academic
Affairs
tuesdAy JAnuAry 27th
tuesdAy feBruAry 10th
tuesdAy feBruAry 24th
tuesdAy MArch 10th
tuesdAy MArch 24th
tuesdAy APril 7th
-
17 www.honors.neu.edu
Honors students travel the globe far and wide. Our newest
installment Where in the World? is meant to capture students (and
staff!) on their adventures around the world.
if you plan on traveling, studying abroad, or attending one of
NUs wildly popular Dialogues of civilization, make sure to bring
the Honors Perspective along! and snap a photo.
if you would like to submit a photo, please send your entries to
Lauren Pouchak, Associate Director: [email protected].
The top photos each term will receive a $50 gift certificate to
Barnes and Noble!
whErE in thE world?
above: christina Schlegel in Appenzell, Switzerland.
right: Kyle Jonasen in Hanakapiai falls, deep within the jungles
of Kauais Na pali coast in Hawaii
below: Associate Director Lauren Pouchak at the Thai Elephant
conservation center outside of chiang Mai, Thailand
bottom left: Travis Wilson explores Djemaa el Fna, the main
market square in Marrakech, Morocco.
bottom right: Glen chiacchieri at the castle Morella in
Spain.
-
Living Learning cornerWest Village fHonors students in West
village F have had a great beginning to the school year. Over the
course of the past few months residents have gotten to know their
resident Assistants and attended numerous programs in the
building.
The academic year in West village F started off with a rousing
round of Assassins, played by the entire building. The resident
Assistants planned the month long game where only one resident
could prove victorious. This years Assassin winner was Elizabeth
Yakabowski who was able to beat out the rest of West village F!
Over the course of the semester resident Assistant Jeffrey
DiNardo has hosted a riddle competition on the white board in the
lobby. riddles have ranged from easy to hard and students are
frequently found standing in front of the board trying to solve the
problems.
During finals week students were able to go to a number of study
break sessions all including food and time to relax. One of these
programs, put on by the WvF Hall council, was so successful that
all the food was gone before the program technically started!
West village F resident Assistants are planning many exciting
events for the Spring semester and are looking forward to what the
rest of the school year will bring!
-Laura Piechowski Residence Director, West Village F
18
Honors Teaching Assistants
for Prof. Susan Settas First
Year inquiry Series course,
Theology, Ethics, and Practice
in the Worlds Religions.
From left to right: Nicole
Keimer, Danielle Thomas,
Lauren Hale, Brittany Lajoie,
Matthew Evola, Sonya
Kovacic, Laura credo.
-
Alumni corneri feel as though my life has come full circle over
the last few months.
i graduated from Northeastern University in 1991, during one of
the
worst economies seen since the great depression. Here i was,
graduating
from NU cum Laude with High Honors, great cooperative
education
experiences including a six month stint at iBM, GTE, and New
York
Teachers retirement System coupled with two unbelievable
semesters
abroad in ireland, and there were no jobs. My twin brother
graduated
a year earlier without having the benefit of a cooperative
education
program and had already been on the street and unemployed for
the
last twelve months. His lack of success scared me to death
because he
was an outstanding student with a high GPA but had no job in
twelve
months of looking. i wanted to stay in the Boston area but
quickly realized
i would be forced to move wherever an opportunity presented
itself.
i fortunately landed an interview with GE capital as my college
room-
mate had interviewed for the job a week earlier and actually
told the
interviewer i know the perfect person for this position. i was
afforded
an opportunity to interview and soon found myself in GE capitals
three
year investment Analyst program. clearly my cooperative
education
had separated me from the rest of the candidates as i was later
told that
most of my competition for the job had little to no professional
work
experience. i quickly realized that attending Northeastern U.
coupled
with maintaining good grades, led to great coop opportunities
and
eventually to the beginning of my career with GE.
i ended up working at GE capital for 11 years and enjoyed every
minute
of my experience. i eventually worked my way into the asset
based
lending field and began to specialize in lending to retailers.
After
working in the audit, operations, and credit departments, i
eventually
became a new business development officer. GEs ultimate goal
is
to develop well rounded business individuals with strong credit
and
marketing backgrounds. it was exciting working for Forbes rated
best
company in America.
About two years ago i was offered an opportunity to manage Wells
Fargo
retail Finances (WFrF) marketing and new business
development
group in Boston, MA and i jumped at the opportunity. WFrF is
a
leading provider of senior secured financing to middle-market
and large
corporate retailers across the United States and canada,
offering flexible,
innovative credit facilities from $10 million to $2 billion. it
is part of
Wells Fargo & company, a diversified financial services
company with
almost $500 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance
investments,
mortgage and consumer finance to more than 23 million
customers.
it is also the only AAA rated bank in the country.
i have been in Boston for the last 2 years, rekindled my love of
the red
Sox and celtics, and live on the North Shore. i feel my life has
come
full circle because i am back in Boston, once again faced with
the worst
economy since the great depression, and my daughter is
graduating
from High School and has applied to Northeastern. So lately i
have
found myself visiting the campus and have also reached out to
some of
my favorite Northeastern professors seeking guidance. i cant
hide the
pride i have that my daughter could possibly follow in my
footsteps. NU
was the best opportunity i had ever received and i made the most
of it
i can only hope my daughter does the same.
Stephen Metivier finance and insurance, 91
West Village cThe WvBc Upperclass Honors LLc has had an eventful
semester, highlighted by several key events. Early in the semester,
residents were educated on the pitfalls associated with campus
eating through an informative approach on a pizza program. Everyone
gathered in the room for the meal, but accompanied by the food were
nutritional values for pizza, and some other foods. it led to a
healthy discussion on general health, food selection, and lifestyle
changes.
On the afternoon of October 26th, a group of Honors students
took a study break to TD Banknorth Garden to watch the 2008 Tour of
Gymnastics Superstars. The 2008 Olympic gymnasts showed off their
amazing skills to music playing in the background. The goal of this
event was not only to give students a study break, but also to let
them a chance to show their appreciation and support for the
national super-stars who won a number of medals at the Summer
Olympics. The group thoroughly enjoyed the show, as evidenced by
their constant enthusiasm throughout the performance.
The upperclassmen Honors community LLc in West village c also
held an Honors LLc Logo contest in the lobby of the residence hall.
Through this event, the Honors residents had a chance to feel
connected, and celebrate and show the pride of the Honors community
they reside in, which included West village c, West village F, and
Kennedy Hall. By bringing a common logo to these three residence
halls, we hoped to build a stronger unity in them. This event
reached majority of the Honors residents in Wvc, who were excited
to vote for their favorite designs, and had a chance to meet and
social with other residents.
- Evans Erilus Resident Director West Village C/B
19 www.honors.neu.edu
-
Honors P E r S P E c T i v E
Volume 5 Winter 2009
Northeastern University Honors Program360 Huntington Avenue150
West village FBoston, Massachusetts 02115
02.10
Pizza and ProfProf. rickles
02.19
Boston Symphony OrchestraMozart Symphonies 39, 40 & 41
03.19
Honors AlumniNetworking Event
03.28
Spring HOPHonors OutreachProject
04.06
Honors Evening
03.24
Pizza and Prof.Prof. Block
03.01
Partners in the Parks applications due