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Sunday, 30 August 09
Dr. Sam Stanley, starting his first year as Stony Brook's
new President, spent Friday doing more than meeting and
greeting the new 'muffins' and their parents in Tabler Quad.
He carried boxes and bags in from their cars, even lugging
them upstairs, helping
students get settled in.
On Saturday morning we went to SAC to ask random freshmen for their first
impressions - pros and cons. None had been fortunate to meet
Dr. Stanley. The residents asked if Tabler rooms were
tripled but we didn't know the answer. Tripling was, to be
sure, a major con for residents. But not the biggest one. Getting
internet ranked number 1 - though as we'll explain later -
the University was doing it right.
But the freshmen were bubbling with excitement. There had
been so much to do just in one day and they were having a
great time. Some residents were hanging out with friends
from high school who also chose Stony - Bronx Science and
Stuy seem to be our biggest feeder schools for Asian
Americans - but there were plenty of Long Islanders too.
Commuters were still going solo unfortunately. For getting
to know lots of people, no question that dorm living tops
anything else. It's why we have tripling - it's an
experience most are willing to endure to get to live on
campus.
Kirti Parmar, a Bio major from New Hyde Park Memorial, was
with high school friend Jennifer Mahr, a Comp Sci major.
Kirti thought getting to meet so many people was great and
so was the freshmen dinner in H Quad. Jennifer thought the
best thing was the diversity of the population.
There was a large group from Bronx Sci though only Charlie
Zheng was not too shy for a photo and to answer questions
for the record.
Charlie was tripled and got the loft bed. He found it a
little scary wondering if he would fall off while he was
asleep. He thought being able to see his friends so easily
was the best part of Stony Brook. While they all had gone to
the same high school, as a magnet school its students come
from all over NYC.
He was with Michelle Cheung, Trisha Moni, and Wan Tsui among
others from Bronx Sci. Wan said that so far its been a
really interesting experience, Michelle liked dorming best,
and Trisha liked the festive spirit. They all liked the
carnival.
Karl Rosello, a Mechanical Engineering major living in
Greeley, liked that it was so easy to walk everywhere. He
had no dislikes yet and since he was wired in, not wireless,
he thought the process was easy. The Filipino
American community is so tight on campus that he was told
about PUSO on Saturday morning and by Sunday night he was at
his first meet and greet dinner with them in Jasmine. CJ
Cancino, PUSO's new President, said that PUSO stalks
Facebook and upperclassmen keep ties with their home towns
to network with as many freshmen as they can.
Remya Othup and Ebnie Safi, both commuters, focused their
likes on academics. They haven't dealt with parking yet and
weren't getting online or being tripled, so they had no
cons. Remya, from Commack, liked the environment and the
different opportunities with such a large range of majors
and minors. Ebnie, a Chem major from Deer Park, liked that
he could take different classes, not what his guidance
counselor gave him. He said he felt more free and could
focus on what he really wanted.
We know that all freshmen, if they get involved in an
activity on campus and not just their classes, will have a
great experience. Four years from now we'll get an exit
interview from those we talked to see how they fared. Given
their enthusiasm now, the next four years should be the best
time of their lives.
And to understand the wifi issues and registering for the
internet on campus, check this link to read what SBU's CIO,
Rich Reeder, has to say. More students registered faster
than any previous semester so Stony Brook is doing that
right!
http://www.aaezine.org/articles/vol22/22N1DormWiFi09.shtml
by Jon Hu and Ja Young
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