By Alana Pelosi
With new charitable organizations and social awareness clubs on campus this semester, students can get involved in helping causes that they may not have had the opportunity to before. Schools for Schools, The ONE Campaign, Hofstra for Darfur and Hofstra for Obama are just a few that are getting students to take part in social change.
“Schools for Schools” was organized last semester and, after approval from the Student Government Association this fall, the club is now official. The club focuses on rebuilding and supporting schools in impoverished areas. The initiative is to raise funds for a sister school in Northern Uganda, said President Carrie Hoffman, a junior film studies major.
The club, which meets Tuesday nights at 8:30 p.m., is working on fundraising efforts including a showing of “Invisible Children,” the movie that sparked the movement. There are future plans for a dodge ball tournament, dance-off and benefit dinner. Hoffman said that there has been positive feedback and many people are interested and coming to the meetings.
The ONE Campaign also established a chapter, thanks to Co-Presidents Kaytee Lozier, a junior print journalism student, and Katie Kindbergh, junior political science student. The club aims to bring awareness of AIDS and global poverty and is one of 1,300 newly started campus chapters.
Nationally, the campuses compete against each other in the weekly challenges that began Sept. 27 and will continue for the rest of the semester.
“Chapters get points for a lot of different activities, publicity, events and most importantly, getting as many people as possible to sign the ONE initiative,” said Molly Beckerman-Rodau, a sophomore communications major.
On Oct. 17, the National Day of Action Against Poverty, the club held an art exhibit, that also provided prizes, murals and videos to help raise awareness. The club meets weekly on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the Student Center.
Freshmen Eliot Pickering, a political science major, and Caryn Johansen, print journalism, did not waste anytime getting involved after attending the Darfur Rally outside the United Nations with a group of students on Sept. 16.
“[After realizing] there wasn’t [a Darfur club], we decided to start our own club here, directly affiliated with the national organization,” Johansen said.
The club that serves a purpose of creating “campus-wide awareness of the Darfur crisis,” also fundraises to aid those in the region. Johansen also said that the message they are trying to send is that “there is a world outside Long Island and beyond the U.S.”
This semester, the club plans to host a screening of “Hotel Rwanda” and have a day of silence “on behalf of the refugees who do not have a voice,” Johansen said.
As part of their duties being involved with a nation organization, the club will also be selling T-shirts designed by the club members, wristbands, buttons and sweatshirts at a table in the Student Center atrium. The club meets every first and third Monday of the month in room 101 in Heger Hall.
With the primaries just a few months away, students are becoming more politically active. This semester, Hofstra for Ron Paul and Hofstra for Obama have also come into effect. Sid Nathan, a senior speech communication major, is the creator of Hofstra for Obama. The club, which works closely with the graduate student organization Long Island for Obama, usually meets Sundays at 9 p.m. in the Calkins computer lab.
Events have included “dorm storms” at the Netherlands, in which club members go around the dorms seeking support for Obama and to get students to register for the upcoming elections. Nathan added that the previous one was successful and that they got 11 “Obama pledges,” individuals to support Obama, and 27 freshmen registering to vote.
Nathan said he is glad the political campaign process is reaching younger students.
Student members of “Schools for Schools” spray paint designs on T-shirts. (Julia Matias)