Spotlight: Resident Directors (Part 2)

Today we are introducing two more Resident Directors of Residential Programs! Meet Katie Boutros, Resident Director of Constitution and Estabrook Halls, and Kimberly Murray, Resident Director of Enterprise and Vander Poel Halls.


Katie Boutros: Constitution and Estabrook Halls

Originally from Orange, Connecticut, Katie received her Bachelor's degree in organizational communication from Fairfield University. At Fairfield, Katie was very involved in student activities and was an RA for two years. Katie then went on to pursue her Master's degree in College Student Personnel at the University of Rhode Island, where she worked as a Graduate Assistant Hall Director for two years. During the summer of 2009, Katie served as an intern in Hofstra's Office of Orientation and New Student Programs. Katie is very excited about returning to Hofstra to work with the student population here and to begin her career in student affairs. In her free time she enjoys movies, going to the city, and seeing shows on Broadway.


Kimberly Murray: Enterprise and Vander Poel Halls

Kimberly is originally from Wantagh, New York. While she was an undergraduate student at Siena, she was a Resident Assistant for three years. After completing her graduate program, she returned to Siena College and worked as a Resident Director for 3 years. For the past year, she held the position of Assistant Director of Campus Programs and Student Activities at Siena College. She is truly excited to be working as a Resident Director again and she looks forward to supervising a staff of 22 Resident Assistants. In addition, she is happy to be back home in the Long Island area! In her free time, she likes to bake and go the beach. Also, she is busy planning a wedding as she is engaged to be married in June, 2011.

Spotlight: Resident Directors

Your Resident Directors or, "RDs", are full-time professional administrators that live in the residence halls. They supervise your RAs, address resident concerns, and manage day to day operations of the halls.

So, who are the RDs? Meet Vanessa Parent, RD of Alliance and Bill of Rights Halls and Monique Alexander, RD of Colonial Square!

Vanessa Parent: Alliance and Bill of Rights Halls

This is Vanessa’s fourth year as the Resident Director of Alliance and Bill of Rights Halls. Vanessa is also the Coordinator for Residential Education, overseeing processes like RA Selection and Community Standards for the Office of Residential Programs. She started her career in Residential Programs her sophomore year at Hofstra serving as an RA in Netherlands North for two years. In Vanessa’s senior year, she became the SRA of Nassau Hall and eventually became the Graduate Resident Director of Nassau Hall after graduating from Hofstra with a B.A. in International Business. While the RD of Nassau Hall, Vanessa obtained her M.S. in Elementary Education. She was a teaching assistant in the Commack School District for one year before deciding to return to Hofstra to pursue a career in Student Affairs. Vanessa is passionate about working with college students and currently advises the Imani Dance Ensemble and is the coach for Club Volleyball at Hofstra. Interesting Fact: Vanessa was a gymnastics coach for 10 years and loves to dance and sing(especially Karaoke)!


Monique Alexander: Colonial Square

Monique Alexander was born and raised in Long Island NY. Monique received her BA in Psychology from Seton Hall University and is currently pursuing her MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology here at Hofstra. Monique is entering her 4th year as the Resident Director of Colonial Square, which is the largest residential complex on campus. Monique is also the advisor to the Hofstra Gospel Ensemble. She truly enjoys educating students outside of the classroom and believes that her daily efforts within and outside of her job capacity has the power to truly make a difference in the lives of students.

Spotlight: Senior Resident Assistant and Resident Assistant of the Month!

At the end of each month the Office of Residential Programs honors a Senior Resident Assistant (SRA) and a Resident Assistant (RA) who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for that month. For September, SRA of the month is Andrew Schuetz of the Netherlands and RA of the Month is Joe Moncada of Stuyvesant Hall!

Name: Andrew P. Schuetz
Nickname: Andy P. Shoots
Hometown: Kennewick, WA

What is your favorite….?
Food: Steak and noodles. Yum.
TV Show: The Apprentice – “You’re fired!”
Movie: The Italian Job
Band / Singer / Group: Miley Cyrus
Hobby / Activity: Arts and crafts. Yeah, I’m that guy.

Andrew is a second year Senior RA of the Netherlands. This year he has established the Hall Council, giving them autonomy to run their own meetings and is teaching them methods of organization to keep meetings running smoothly. He encourages staff bonding among the Netherlands RAs and attends many RA programs to show his staff support!


Name: Joseph Moncada
Nickname: Joe
Hometown: Elmont, NY

What is your favorite….?
Food: Meat Lovers Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, bacon)
TV Show: Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory
Movie: Tallaega Knights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Band / Singer / Group: Coldplay
Hobby / Activity: Running
Joe is a first year RA who has worked to develop strong relationships with his residents through many spontaneous programs. He works to build great working relationships with his staff as a major positive force on staff as well as the Office of Residential Programs.

Student Spotlight: Honors College Dean's Cup

For the past three years, during the fall semester, the Honors College and Liberty/Republic Halls hold the Dean's Cup competition. Although divided teams spend the week working to win the glory of the Dean's Cup, the week is really more about friendly competition, increasing neighborly friendships and showing your overall PRIDE as an Honors College student.

This year was no exception! Both teams came out in great numbers with spirit and pride to support their teams. To share the spirit of this event, please enjoy "A Week In Pictures!"

Liberty Hall shows off their banner and team spirit during the opening Dean's Cup ceremony!

Team VanPublic shows off their banner and team spirit during the opening Dean's Cup ceremony!

Team Liberty dominates at Tug-O-War during the opening night festivities!

Team VanPublic fighting for glory on the first night of Dean's Cup week!

Team representatives racing in the "Puddin Pie" competition to earn points for their teams. Liberty won by a HAIR.

Iron Chef Night - Residents compete in cooking challenges to earn points towards their Dean's Cup!

Iron Chef Night - Residents compete in cooking challenges to earn points towards their Dean's Cup!

Iron Chef Night - Residents compete in cooking challenges to earn points towards their Dean's Cup!

Iron Chef Night - Residents compete in cooking challenges to earn points towards their Dean's Cup!

Iron Chef Night - Residents compete in cooking challenges to earn points towards their Dean's Cup!

Iron Chef Night - Judges taste the hard work of both teams to determine who will win big!

Dean's Cup 5K Run at the end of the week-long competition. Extra points if you beat the Dean!

HUHC Staff and Faculty attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Two Resident Assistants attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Residents attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Residents attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Residents and Resident Assistants attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Residents attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

HUHC Faculty, Liberty/Republic staff and residents attend the closing BBQ in the Liberty/Republic courtyard.

Liberty celebrates the Dean's Cup WIN, announced after the annual BBQ!

Spotlight: Theme Housing Communities

Within Nassau Hall, there are six themed housing communities that provide students who share common educational, social, or extracurricular interests an opportunity to live together in campus housing. Students can create a new one, or look to join an existing community.

This year, the themed floors are as follows:

Math, Science and Engineering
Health Sciences
Civic Engagement
Generation to Fix America
Cultural Cooking
Dress for Success

All communities have an average of 20-30 students living within them and all communities have a housing coordinator, a volunteer leader to serve as a liaison between the themed community and the Residential Programs staff. This person will be responsible for ensuring the community is meeting all expectations and goals, assists with housing logistics, and other administrative tasks. In addition, there is funding allocated to these communities for programming to be carried out within the residence hall and the entire Hofstra community. Each community is responsible for putting on programs throughout the year that coordinates with its theme.

So, are you interested in joining a Theme Housing Community? You can apply during the spring semester prior to the room selection process. You will be notified before then whether or not you have been selected to take part in your desired community.

If you have any questions regarding theme housing, or if you would like to start a new community next year, please contact Chris Muller, Director of Residential Living and Learning Communities in Residential Programs (244 Student Center)!

Just a Friendly Reminder....

...About Illegal Items!!

The following is a list items that are not permitted in the residence halls:

Halogen lamps
Air conditioner
Refrigerators larger than 5 cubic feet
Hunting equipment
Pets (other than fish)
Extension Cords
Cooking Appliances
Curtains / Tapestries
Toaster ovens
Microwaves
Foreman Grills
Dart Boards
Neon Lights
Candles
Cinder Blocks

If you have any of these items in your room, please take them home, as they can carry hefty fines if found! Refer to the Living Factor for additional items, or, when in doubt, check with your RA!

Happy Birthday Hofstra!!

The University held its 75th anniversary celebration this past weekend to commemorate 75 years of quality academics, exciting student life and commitment to another 75 excellent years.

The first event, on Thursday September 23, was the convocation held in Adams Playhouse. The convocation, featuring award-winning journalist Ted Koppel was a moment to reflect on Hofstra's history and provided quite a few laughs as well.

It was truly inspiring to sit in a theater full of students, staff, alumni and family while learning how much Hofstra has done, celebrated and attempted in such a short time.


The next event of the week followed immediately after the convocation. Singing "Happy Birthday" to Hofstra at the cake cutting was energetic, but what I still can't believe is that the cake was made by Charm City Cakes, featured on the Food Network's Ace of Cakes. I'm a huge fan of the show and was beyond excited to see Geoff, who is one of my favorites, and to see that a cake that large actually can taste quite good!! I know that it's a moment in Hofstra's time that students, staff and family members will look back on with fondness.

Saturday was another full day of fun, events, music, food, fireworks and comedy. People gathered early in the day for the annual parade of floats and to catch a glimpse of the homecoming court.

Followed by the parade and performances, students gathered on the intramural fields for the Live at 75 carnival. With live music, good food, rides and beautiful weather - it really was the perfect way to celebrate such a special occasion!

While all of the musical acts did a great job, I was especially excited that I was able to see Public Enemy.I grew up listening to my brother's PE music collection, and my guilty pleasure used to be watching Flavor of Love, so I couldn't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!!

Hofstra ended the day with a dazzling firework display that rocked every building on campus. I had an excellent view and, following the display, enjoyed Jimmy Fallon's stand up act. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was rather surprised with how funny he was. And, as funny as he was, I was also quite impressed with how talented his two opening acts were. It's nice to see our own Hofstra students participate in campus events and thought they did an excellent job. I hope Jimmy was nice enough to give them some talent advice for the future, because they might have a career in entertainment on their hands!! 

 I hope that everyone enjoyed Hofstra's birthday celebration as much as I did. I assure you, this weekend will be one that you reflect on when you have children in college and look back on your youthful  years filled with Pride and Purpose.