Blood Drive, Art Show and Candlelight Vigil

Luckily, Mother Nature decided to give Long Island a reprieve from her wrath this past week, allowing students to return to some normalcy on campus.  Here are some of the highlights of some of the activities that took place at during the week of Feb. 7, and a look at some of the upcoming activities.

Students Give the Gift of Life:
On Thursday, Feb. 10, Farmingdale State College held a campus-wide blood drive at Roosevelt Hall.  The drive benefited the New York Blood Center, which is currently experiencing a critical shortage of blood from the recent winter weather that we have experienced.  While some students were very willing to roll their sleeves up, others were hesitant for a gamut of reasons.  

Raising Awareness About Homeless:
Also on Thursday, Farmingdale hosted a Candlelight Vigil to raise awareness about homelessness on Long Island, and to raise money and items for various food pantries and homeless relief agencies Island-wide.  In 2010, a similar Vigil drew over 1200 people.  The group organizing the vigil is the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group that not only speaks out for the homeless, but provides emergency relief as well.  The event was relatively successful, and brought in much needed items.

Nancy Stahl on Campus:
The works of Nancy Stahl, a nationally-known graphic designer, are currently on display in Sinclair Hall through March 10.  Stahl uses her talents to design everything from product packaging, stamps, corporate identities, to television commercials.  On Thursday, Feb. 10, an artists reception was held in Sinclair Hall.  Students got the chance to meet and talk with Stahl, a relative giant in the world of graphic design.  If you couldn't make the reception, Stahl will be giving a lecture on Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. in Gleeson Hall, Room 204.  The gallery of her artwork is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and is located on the second floor of Sinclair Hall.

Film Screening and Hate Crimes Discussion:
The Artists and Lecturers Programs will be holding a screening and discussion about the movie Fagbug on Tuesday, Feb. 15 and Thursday, Feb. 17 in Gleeson Hall, Room 204.  The film is about the experiences of Erin Davies, an Albany, NY college student who was the victim of a hate crime.  In March of 2007, Erin had her VW Beatle vandalized when an unknown person spray painted the words “fag” and “u r gay” on her car.  Initially, she was shocked and embarrassed, but decided to leave the grafitti on her car, and begin a cross country trip to spread an anti-homophobia message.  The movie documents her experiences as she navigated throughout the US and Canada, attending various LGBT advocacy events.  A discussion will follow, moderated by members of the Department of Sociology.

Italy Study Abroad:
There is still time for students to make arrangements to study abroad in Italy this summer.  Students interested should attend an information session on Tuesday, Feb. 22 and Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 11 a.m. in Lupton T101.

Drum Clinic:
The Music Club, along with The Long Island Drum Center, will present an evening with Chris Adler, the drummer from Lamb of God, to perform the techniques that made him famous.  Doors open at 6 p.m.  At the end of the show there will be an autograph signing.  Interested parties should contact Frank Simmons at simmfj@farmingdale.edu to reserve your tickets.

Come back next week for some more news from the campus.