Foreign Affairs Symposium Spring 2012

Every spring the Foreign Affairs Symposium brings a series of amazing speakers to campus. The speakers complement and contrast the Fall lineup from MSE, and usually depict a range of topical international issues. This year’s series is organized around the “Paradox of Progress,” and explores the impact of increased globalization and technology in the areas of politics, economics and the environment. So far, the lectures have featured John Ashcroft, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, David Frum, and a panel of Occupy organizers that included representatives from New York, Baltimore, Oakland and Austin. This week, Valerie Plame came to campus to speak about her career as a covert CIA agent and her subsequent exposure by Scooter Libby; it was an exciting speech and an amazing opportunity to hear such an interesting story first-hand!

Dance Marathon 2012

On Friday March 3 JHU held its second annual Dance Marathon fundraiser. This event is held to raise money for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Dance Marathon is a nation-wide movement that raises money for The Children’s Miracle Network hospital in their community. Over 150 schools participate.

Black History Month

The Johns Hopkins Black Student Union (BSU) held multiple amazing events on and off campus for Black History Month: “Lacks in Diaspora: Revelation and Celebration.” The goal was to showcase black history in its many forms and its effects on the present day, as well as the modern day presence of these effects in everyday culture.

A student faculty mixer gave students the chance to mix n mingle with black professors. “Love Jones: A Spoken Word Event” showcased student poets and spoken word artists from Hopkins and surrounding colleges and universities. Later in the week, a cabaret show from the Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company had its annual cabaret show, which featured Grammy-Nominated singer Karina.

Commemoration Day

On February 22^nd, a celebration was held at the Homewood campus in honor of the inauguration of Hopkins’ first president, Daniel Coit Gilman.  The first phase of the celebration was held in the Glass Pavilion, where Provost Lloyd Minor and Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell were both in attendance serving free cake to Hopkins students and faculty.

2012 Lacrosse Season

Expectations are high on the Homewood campus with the start of the lacrosse season. Coming off of a very successful 2011 run with an unfortunate last conclusion, the team and fans alike are eager for the upcoming matches. Finishing last year with a 12-2 record, the Blue Jays are hoping that with the experience of last season, 2012 with reap even better results. The men’s lacrosse team has a strong junior class presence, and is full of promising young talent.

The Blue Jays breezed past the Towson Tigers in the season opener, with a decisive victory of 12-6 on Friday February 17. Highlights of the game included junior Zach Palmer’s three goals and three assists, as well as head coach Dave Pietramala’s 150^th win with the Johns Hopkins Men’s Lacrosse team. Pietramala hopes to improve to 150-158 overall and 127-141 during his time with the Blue Jays.

The team continued their success on the Homewood field on Tuesday February 21 with a victory over University of Delaware. Hopkins, currently ranked third in the division, won beat the 16^th ranked Delaware team with an 8-6 win. The game was tight in the beginning with a 2-2 stalemate after the first 20 minutes, but Hopkins soon began to take the lead. Sophomore Brandon Benn scored the first hat trick of his career, and freshman Wells Stanwick scored the first goal of his career and added two assists.

Still playing strong, JHU powered through Siena on Saturday February 25 with a 9-5 victory. The Blue Jays’ famously rock solid defense shone in this particular match, containing the Siena powerhouse unit of attackers. Junior Pierce Basset, who was ranked fifth goalie in the nation last year, excelled with 10 saves, and Zach Palmer contributed with two goals and two assists. This victory brings the team to a 10 game winning streak dating back to last season, as well as a 3-0 record for this current season.

As always, the Blue Jays are slated to play some of the top teams in the country, including an upcoming match against Princeton. Check out the rest of their schedule here!

Formal Sorority Recruitment

Every February, Hopkins kicks off second semester with a week of Formal Recruitment. Hopkins has four on-campus Panhellenic sororities, which all participate in Recruitment. There are three nights of Rush, culminating in Bid Night in the Glass Pavilion, where everyone picks up their bids.

It all begins with Ice Water on the first night, where every PNM (potential new member) attends every sorority’s party, and tries to meet as many people as possible. The sisters in each sorority aren’t allowed to give the PNMs anything more than ice water–hence the name! After the first night, the “mutual selection” starts, and girls attend a decreasing number of parties each night.

At Theme Round, PNMs can attend up to three parties, and each sorority picks a theme, decorates the room and orders tons of food. Theme Round is also the round where PNMs get to hear a bit more about each chapter’s philanthropic efforts–for instance, Phi Mu supports the Children’s Miracle Network, and Alpha Phi works with Women’s Heart Health.

On final night of rush, Preference Round,  girls attend up to two parties, and leave having made their final decision. PNMs are paired up with a sister, who speaks with them about what it’s like to be in a sorority, and the decision to join one.

This year at Hopkins, record numbers participated in formal recruitment. 238 women registered to rush, with 189 ultimately receiving invitations to join a sorority. Quota, the number of new members each sorority can take, rose to 45 this year, and each group was able to meet their quota goal. Greek life has been growing on the Hopkins campus for several years now, and this was another successful year! Check out the photo gallery bellow for more pictures from Recruitment.

Intersession Opportunity: Shadowing a Doctor

Hopkins student, Trisha, in India before she returned to campus to shadow.

One of the many unique features of Johns Hopkins is its voluntary January term called Intersession. This three week period between winter break and spring semester provides students with the opportunity to take classes typically not offered during the regular academic year for free! Taking classes on campus is not the only option for students; Intersession Abroad Programs are also available, and one can always stay at home for an extended winter break.

A great opportunity during Intersession is to shadow a doctor at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. JHU sophomore Trisha (blog: Welcome to Lalaland) has been able to do so since last year, and gets to observe patient-doctor interactions hands-on. Here is how she describes her experiences:

While it can be daunting at first to be around residents and doctors, but it can be surprising to see how open they are to answering any of your questions. It is really rewarding to be able to use what you have learned in class during the semester when looking at patients imaging results. There is also a lot to learn; watching the doctors performing their examinations is a great and unique experience.

There are several ways to begin shadowing; I simply emailed a doctor at the medical campus, but others sign up for Medical Tutorials. There is a short application students must submit to be able to do one. You can even register for them as a class! Medical Tutorials are also available to students during the semester. Getting to JHMI is a short bus ride away.

Intersession Opportunity: B’more Program

One of the many unique features of Johns Hopkins is its voluntary January term called Intersession. This three week period between winter break and spring semester provides students with the opportunity to take classes typically not offered during the regular academic year for free! Taking classes on campus is not the only option for students; Intersession Abroad Programs are also available, and one can always stay at home for an extended winter break.

A great opportunity for freshman is a special week-long program called B’more. The purpose of B’more classes is not only to learn about something academic and how it is relevant to Baltimore, but also to get a chance to explore the city and give back to it.

One public health class offered is “B’more: Vaccines and Child Health in Baltimore.” Students have the opportunity to visit the the Baltimore City Public Health department, to meet some of the city’s officials and learn how Baltimore went from one of the lowest to one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. The class also conducts a service project at the Maryland Food Bank, and distributes food to various homeless shelters around Maryland.

Intersession Opportunity: Dancing like Jane Austen

One of the many unique features of Johns Hopkins is its voluntary January term called Intersession. This three week period between winter break and spring semester provides students with the opportunity to take classes typically not offered during the regular academic year for free! Taking classes on campus is not the only option for students; Intersession Abroad Programs are also available, and one can always stay at home for an extended winter break.

A great opportunity during is the Dancing like Jane Austen class. Every Wednesday this intersession, about 10 students gathered in the historic Homewood House ballroom to learn the art of how to dance as they did in Jane Austen’s time. A part of the Johns Hopkins “Personal Enrichment” curriculum, made up of a long list of short courses designed to widen student’s horizons through dance, music, art, and even wine appreciation, this course was a taste of the English country balls that swept through the mid-19^th century. 

Intersession Opportunity: Perspectives on Globalization

JHU student Erica and friend at (RED) Headquarters.

January is an incredibly exciting time to be a Hopkins student. Following winter break most students return to campus for Intersession, a thee-week program in which Hopkins students have the opportunity to take amazing classes, study abroad, intern, volunteer, and more! Perspectives on Globalization is one of the career development courses offered every year that includes a five-day lectures series from Hopkins alums who are incredibly successful, enthusiastic, and helpful. They offer their expertise on current global issues, talk about their transitions from Hopkins to grad school to their respective career fields, and connect with us current students (about 20 in the class) to offer advice and assist us as we plan our future. The guest speakers are experts in their fields and they all concur that their undergraduate experience at Hopkins shaped them in so many ways.

The course also includes a three-day trip to New York to network with more Hopkins alums, learn about their work, and inquire about internship opportunities. The yearly visits vary slightly from year to year, but generally they include international and domestic law firms, non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, financial institutions, and private firms. This year the trip included visits to (RED), the Federal Reserve, the United Nations, an international law panel, the International Rescue Committee, and more! The students on the trip instantly bond and it is a great way to narrow your focus of study if you are interested in international studies.