Current and Recently Completed Projects

Although the Center doesn't officially launch until February 2007, several projects have already been undertaken under its auspices. They are:

• Voter registration - The CCE coordinated voter registration tables at every summer orientation session and twice a week through the voter registration deadline in October.
• Voter response - The CCE surveyed students after the election to determine how many registered and voted. This will help us plan for the future
• Leadership Training (approx. 80 students have been involved so far)
  • Student leadership training in deliberative democracy moderation and conflict resolution
  • Student leadership training in political and grassroots organizing
  • Student leadership training in policy formulation and presentation
  • Student training in voter registration and voting promotion campaigns
  • Student exposure to Congressional lobbying experiences
  • CCE paid internship program for 4 students to work on campus initiatives, research, priority setting and policy making
• Civic Comportment - Respect for others is the basic value on which civilized society depends. One area crucial to develop in students is sexual respect, so that sexual violence, harassment or misunderstanding can be avoided. This fall, in conjunction with Women's Studies and other co-sponsors, we held a day of activities called "Body Politics Day." The centerpiece of the day was an interactive "you decide" event from Campus Outreach Services, a nationally respected training group that specializes in sexual decision-making and sexual harassment and assault prevention. (An eleven event conference serving over 1,000 students many of them athletes was held on Oct 10, 2006)
• Netherlands Living/Learning Center - Student leaders and community activists are most effective and satisfied with their campus experience when they are identified and nurtured early. The CCE will try to identify potential student leaders and help them integrate into an active and satisfying campus life early on by helping them meet like-minded others, mentoring them and giving them specialized leadership training. They will also be involved in helping to identify areas of student dissatisfaction and plan initiatives to address these complaints. Some of these students will likely become CCE interns in the future and take advantage of community-based internships in non-profits and political organizations. (Netherlands will have a 55 student "civic engagement" house in fall 2007.)
• Civic-minded internship database development - Student interns from CCE are learning how to construct a searchable database of service learning and other experiential learning opportunities for Hofstra students.
• Inaugural Event - The CCE is proud to be a lead sponsor of "Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace" - an exhibit with much potential for civic interaction involving Hofstra, area high schools and community groups. This will be our inaugural event.
• Day of Dialogue IV - a one-day Hofstra student conference which explores current social and political issues through debate and dialogue will be held on March 21, 2007
• Crossing Borders Training - A series of events for Hofstra student leaders intended to foster sustained work and friendship relations between students of varying ethnic/religious/racial backgrounds is underway, in conjunction with the diversity taskforce