By Valerie Gauman Lucas
The University’s Honors College explores a new medium of intellectual discourse through “The Conversation,” a growing blog with more than 100 regular viewers. Dean Warren G. Frisina created the blog last October, starting with 12 selected Honors College bloggers, who post regularly.
“My ambition for The Conversation is that it be a tool for the Honors College community to communicate in fresh ways,” Frisina said.
A brief look at the blog shows topics that range from Joe Torre to the Dalai Lama, book clubs to Sputnik-demonstrating that the college obsession with the Internet does not always mean Facebook and online gaming.
The post that has generated the most responses (27 comments) is “Name A Book That Has Changed Your Life,” and it is the premier post in a weekly series called “Hofstra University Honors College Student Voices,” which is designed to “prompt HUHC students to post quick, short responses” to questions, according to the blog.
The next two most highly commented posts are also from the “Student Voices” series. The first topic discussing responses to the popular YouTube.com video, “A Vision of Students Today,” which received six comments. Next, with five comments, a more recent post by Dean Frisina himself entitled “The Candidates Are Coming,” provides an opportunity for Honors College students to suggest activities leading up to the final U.S. presidential debate to be hosted by the University on Oct. 15.
At least two ideas will be proposed to University president Stuart Rabinowitz.
Suggestions to the president are just one of the many opportunities for impact that are provided through The Conversation. Outreach is another focus of the blog. There are performance videos from the “Feed the World” Benefit co-hosted by Honors College, and a link to Heifer International for those who are interested in contributing.
“‘The Conversation’ provides a great opportunity to get involved and express yourself,” says Emily Miethner, a sophomore HUHC student, who initiated a Honors College trip to the Museum of Modern Art, and later guest-blogged about the experience.
The anatomy of the blog is basic: posts have a comments button below them, a Calendar Picks sidebar, a list of contributors and access to the archives. There is also a suggestions area which Frisina says was a student contribution. Google’s blogger.com hosts the site, which any student can comment on. Those who are interested in writing regularly for “The Conversation” can contact Frisina at [email protected].
To get in on “The Conversation” visit http://huhc.blogspot.com/.