GETTING INVOLVED IN STUDENT LIFE
Stony Brook is a mind-opening experience, so why not avail yourself of opportunities you may never have again? Be adventurous and try something a little out of the ordinary. Attend an Asian Student Alliance meeting, take a stab at fencing, or maybe attend the opera with the Italian Club. There's so much to do! Here's a look at just some of the possibilities that await you:
Join the Club
No matter what your interests are, you can find an outlet for them at Stony Brook. Choose from more than 240 clubs and organizations. If one doesn't exist, you can start your own. Clubs on campus range from academic, cultural, and government organizations, to special interest and sports clubs. You can get a list of organizations on campus at the display stand located in the Commuter Commons in the Student Activities Center (SAC) or online. For more details, stop by Suite 218 in the SAC or call (631) 632-9392. Find out when the Student Clubs and Organizations Involvement Expo—where clubs and organizations go out of their way to recruit new members—will take place, usually in September.
Calling All Leaders
Perhaps you are a political animal. The Undergraduate Student Government (USG), your student government, will afford you the vehicle to represent your peers. You may want to lend your support to the Center for Womyn's Concerns, which leads a candle-lit march in early spring. Other organizations looking for leaders include the Health Sciences Center Student Association, the Commuter Student Association, the Residence Hall Association, the Inter-Fraternity and Sorority Council, and numerous advisory boards. Or you may want to jump right in and chair one of the elite committees like Homecoming, the Student/Faculty/Staff Retreat, or next year's Opening Activities Committee.
Want to Join a Fraternity or Sorority?
Those students who seek the camaraderie of a fraternity or sorority will find 32 on campus from which to choose. Attend the Fraternity and Sorority Fair to get the best overview of your future brothers or sisters. Chapters traditionally sponsor educational, social, recreational, and cultural campus-wide events and are required to maintain membership on the Inter-Fraternity and Sorority Council (IFSC), the governing body for all recognized chapters. Call (631) 632-9392 for more information or visit the Opening Activities Calendar to see what fun events the IFSC has planned for new and returning students. Don't miss the Welcome Back BBQ or IFSC Night in the Student Activities Ballroom.
Culture Vultures Take Note
A wealth of cultural activities enlivens the events calendar during the school year, ranging from Experience Stony Brook, a must-attend event for all new freshmen and transfer students, to Diversity Day and the Strawberry Festival. You can also attend a Latin American Student Organization meeting or network at the Minorities in Engineering and Applied Sciences Job Fair. There is Black History Month in February, followed by Women's History Month in March. Stony Brook also celebrates its uniqueness with Diversity Day in April. Throughout the year, various clubs hold events to share their rich cultural experiences, such as China Night Celebration and the African Student Union Fashion Show.
Food for Thought
Stony Brook is renowned for its intellectual stimulation and there are endless ways to extend this process outside the lab or classroom. Join the crowd and gaze at the stars on Astronomy Open Night, or go slightly out of orbit and attend I-CON, an event where costumed "Trekkies" and other science-fiction enthusiasts from all over the world gather on campus for games, contests, and chances to outdo each other with wild costumes and staged combat. If research is more your area, be sure to take part in the Celebration of Undergraduate Achievements, where student projects are rewarded with accolades given by prestigious judges in categories ranging from dance to robotics.
Fun All Year Round
No matter what the season, there are ample extracurricular activities to keep your mind off upcoming term papers and final exams. Some events, such as Involvement Expo, Pride Patrol, and Midnight Breakfast, take place during the spring and fall. Other activities are seasonal. In the fall there's the Commuter Fall Festival, Homecoming, and various cultural events and fashion shows. In the spring, there's the the Celebration of Undergraduate Achievements, Commuter Spring Festival, Fraternity and Sorority Week, The Strawberry Festival, and perhaps the zaniest event of all, the Roth Pond Regatta. That's the day students, faculty, and staff compete for prizes by racing handmade boats made mostly of cardboard and duct tape across Roth Pond. Become a part of Stony Brook Traditions.
Learn a Useful Craft
Had enough of the Boer War, split infinitives, and parthenogenesis in bumblebees? Settle in behind a potter's wheel, watch a photographic image pop up in a darkroom tray, or learn how to paint. Those are all part of actual courses you can take at the Stony Brook Union Crafts Center Studio. Pottery, photography, and bartending are just a sampling of the courses offered at the Union.
Media Alert
Picture yourself playing CDs in a late-night slot at WUSB Radio, Long Island's biggest university station? To qualify as a disc jockey, you can enroll in a semester-long training program, which begins the third week in September. The University also boasts an internal television station, SBU-TV, where you can get some great experience in front of or behind the cameras. There are also several campus newspapers to which you can contribute, such as The Statesman, The Stony Brook Press, Blackworld, Shelanu, and En Accion. Or become a staff member for Specula, Stony Brook's yearbook.
The Student Body
Don't let your cerebrum have all the fun. Ligaments and muscles have a tendency to atrophy without use. You can exercise or take aerobic classes in the Wellness Center in the Student Activities Center or in the Sports Complex. Workshops from Tai Chi Ch'uan to Body Sculpting will enhance your health and well-being. Call (631) 632-6850 for information about the Wellness Center or make a reservation for racquetball or squash at the Sports Complex by calling (631) 632-7200. You can work out, play basketball, indoor soccer, volleyball, or swim when the Complex is not being used for athletic competition or special events. If you prefer the competitiveness of team sports and special tournaments, there are intramural sports such as flag football and beach volleyball, which complement club sports like ice hockey and rugby. Contact Campus Recreation online or at (631) 632-7168 for a complete listing.
Taking a Breather
After your workout or a long day of classes, you may need a place to kick back. Options include the Commuter Commons in the SAC, where you can relax, read, play pool or ping pong, watch TV, or check your e-mail; the Skylight Lounge two floors above, where you can relax or watch TV; the Fireside Lounge in the Student Union, where you can check out student comings and goings from the comfort of a couch; the Library Commuter Study Lounge; the Melville Library gallery; or the End of the Bridge (EOB) Restaurant. You may want to take in a flick at the Staller Center or a movie sponsored by the Committee on Cinematic Arts (COCA) in the Stony Brook Union.