in this issue
	News from the Office of Event Management Christine Nowierski and Hofstra Cheerleading National Championships Eisa Shukran and Hofstra Student Appreciation Day Meet Shawn Saylor, Manager of Audio Visual Services in the Office of Event Management Mary Beth Jacovides and Bob Spiotto and Hofstra University's Sixth Annual Irish Experience Festival

Christine Nowierski and Hofstra Cheerleading National Championships

24 Hofstra students who make up the Hofstra Cheerleading squad will be defending their first-place standing in the National Championship competition, sponsored by the Universal Cheerleading Association, at the Walt Disney World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. (Good luck guys!!) The new Head Coach for the team is Christine Nowierski. Christine is proud of the record and the achievements of the team, and shared with us some of their secrets of success. Tryouts for the team took place this year in April and again in October. "Basically we recruit on our name and our record of success", said Christine. The competition requires an intense regime of practice and rehearsal of the 2 ½ minute routine that they will perform. There will be thousands of students from all around the country competing for the title. When asked how she and Missael DeJesus, the Assistant Coach, create and maintain the winning team, Christine says, "The main thing is being there for them. They all care for one another and they did not even know each other when we began the year. They want to be a part of a very strong team and they realize that they must stick together and support each other. We are truly a family." Christine cheered for Hofstra in 1999 and see's her team as an important part and model for other Hofstra students in their support of athletic competition on campus. "We are focused here 100%. They are really here mentally, ready to go!" Practices are taking place in the Multipurpose Room this year. During the first two weeks in January, when there is very little activity on the campus, the team is enjoying the use of the room and the adjacent lounge area exclusively for their use during the long hours of training and practice. The Office of Event Management came through with the space, and even moved, set and reset the practice mats in the room when another event was taking place over the weekend. Now that's teamwork!! More information about Hofstra Cheerleading... »

Eisa Shukran and Hofstra Student Appreciation Day

Eisa Shukran is the Director of Dining Services for Hofstra Dining Services. Of the many food enterprises on the campus, the most important is the cafeteria services and the students, staff and visitors who use them around the clock. When we met with Eisa in October, he was planning the second Annual Student Appreciation Day to be held during Common Hour on October 29th in the Main Dining Room. The idea was born when the Dining Management team met to decide how they could get feedback and create excitement about the products and service that they provide. "I felt that there was a need for us to work together with the students and I hope to get them involved and get their input on what we serve and how it is done. We wanted to create a relationship first and then we hoped to create a stage for learning with this event." The Main Dining Room on that day saw two to three times the number of visitors as the first event did one year earlier. The team decided to make a more extensive effort to promote the event and get the word out to more students. They used Voicemail to the students who live on campus via the Office of Student Activities, advertisements in the Hofstra Chronicle student newspaper, listing of the event on the marquis in the Student Center Atrium, posting signs made by the Office of Event Management in high traffic areas and flyers posted in the residence halls, all of which paid off for the Hofstra Dining staff and the students. In addition, staff from throughout the Dining operation were present to talk with students, serve and prepare food and to observe what was of interest to students. Also helping to create the excitement were the D.J., Henna Tattooist, Carnival games, give-aways, basketball and football games and coupons for half price specials for the cafeteria that day. Eisa approached several student organizations about using the event to promote their own groups, events and missions. Hofstra's Organization of Latin Americans (HOLA), were there to promote the Spanish Heritage Month of events that they were planning. Students Against Injustice, were pleased to have an opportunity to be there to discuss recycling, use of Styrofoam and other environmental issues. The Graduate Student Appreciation Day, the newest event sponsored by Hofstra Dining Services, resulted in the meeting with HOLA. Vendors were also prepared and encouraged to talk with students to explain their product and to provide plenty of opportunity to test and to take samples for later! More information about Hofstra Dining Services... »

Meet Shawn Saylor, Manager of Audio Visual Services in the Office of Event Management

Shawn Saylor is the Manager of Audio Visual Services for the Office of Event Management. Since October 2000, Shawn's work has involved providing audio visual services for all of the events at Hofstra. Working with Media Services and Technical Services to provide continuous coverage for AV needs throughout the campus, their primary focus is on events taking place during the day, evening and weekends throughout the year. "This year we have expanded our services and raised the level of training of our student staff. We have increased the quality and quantity of equipment that is available for events. In response to many requests received by the office, we now provide video taping, editing and duplication services for groups and departments. VHS and DVD recordings may be needed to keep records of the material for archives, review event presentations or provide copies for guests," said Saylor. Facility upgrades of sound systems, including microphone output and wireless capacity, are also underway in the Cultural Center and Student Center theaters. Electronic screens and curtains and video projectors have also been installed to provide a higher quality and longevity of the equipment that is used for events. According to Martin Gonzalez, Associate Director of Event Management Planning, "The Audio Visual Services area is involved in almost every event that takes place. Our goal is to provide first-class service to our clients and as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and important to our clients, we have increased our capacity by carefully evaluating the input we have received. We believe consistent communication will enable us to ensure event successes and help us to identify our strengths and problem areas as we move forward." Contact Shawn Saylor for further information or assistance at x3-4128. The Audio Visual Services office is located in Room 201 Student Center. All requests should be made at least seven business days prior to the event. More information about Hofstra Audio Visual Services... »

Mary Beth Jacovides and Bob Spiotto and Hofstra University's Sixth Annual Irish Experience Festival

Mary Beth Jacovides and Bob Spiotto have combined their talents and creativity in the development of three special and unique annual events for Hofstra University. The Sixth Annual Irish Experience is scheduled to take place on Sunday March 14 at the Hofstra University Arena. The Irish Festival, like the Dutch on May 2nd and the Italian on September 19th, celebrates the gifts of music, food and culture of Ireland. Join us for crafts, foods and featured performers including: The Hooligans, The Hirten Family Irish Dancers, The Pat Roper Band and Cady "Caddy" Finlayson and her Band. As Associate Director of Campus Life Projects, Mary Beth is responsible for the promotion and development of the events. She will confirm and document all of the arrangements as well as manage the staff the day of the event. In addition, she will organize contracts and set up of vendors, recruitment of sponsors, initiation of audio visual and electrical requests, coordination of menus with Hofstra Dining Services and provides a Work Request for the Plant Department. Bob is the Artistic Director for Community Arts Programs (and the Executive Producer of Hofstra USA Productions) and has been the primary liaison with the companies that will provide a wide variety of entertainment at the festivals. Hofstra's own administrative and academic areas have worked with the planners to provide the many cultural offerings, and to provide the support and active participation that is needed for an event of this size. "Having the participation that we have is crucial. It has been challenging, as times and missions of the various departments have evolved, to maintain the commitment and creativity over the years. It has given us the very unique opportunity to involve ourselves personally in an event that has had an extremely positive effect on the University ", said Bob. Mary Beth agrees: "The exposure is definitely good for us. And the fact that people pull together from all over the campus has been very rewarding. I believe that our participating students also benefit from this opportunity to interact with the community that they live in here on Long Island." Part of the value of drawing thousands of visitors to these events is the experience that one family member or another will have while attending the festival. Often the exposure to the campus for the day, results in positive feedback in the family, and perhaps the decision of potential students to attend Hofstra: "We have heard so many stories from parents. Many times they have come to the campus once and passed that positive feeling along to a son or daughter. The festivals allow the public to experience the University in a very positive way," said Bob. These dynamic meeting planners will promote the events throughout the year. There have been radio interviews, presentations to local groups, flyers and phone information lines that provide a connection that may result in involvement of a local group or vendor in the festival. Many other events will compete on the same date for attendance as many of them are around the Saint Patrick's Day holiday on March 17. Mary Beth emphasized that communication is a key factor in not only in planning, but promoting the event: "It is essential that all of the changes and updating of plans be communicated to everyone involved. The existence of contingency plans as well as constant discussion and notification of updates has allowed us to maintain these events over the years. We are consistent. The public can depend on us to provide a quality event and more and more this is valuable to the visitors." For more information about the Sixth Annual Irish Experience Festival and future Festivals, contact Mary Beth Jacovides at x36812 or visit the Web site. Visit the Hofstra Festivals Web site... »