75+ Things to Do Before your Student's Graduation

by Susan Heilig
Secretary, Parent Council

I had seen a post on the Hofstra website on suggestions for students on what to do before graduation. Search "75 things to do".  I read the list and thought, 'wow, good list.'  Well as a-now-Junior parent who is going along for the ride. I thought I'd write about my own, parent version, of this list.

• Make lots of cookies for the First-Year Welcome Day/Move-In with Parent Council. Oh so much fun! 
• Become an active member of Parent Council. (Make new friends!!). Just email parents@hofstra.edu to learn the meeting schedule and to indicate your willingness to join Parent Council.
• Attend Parent Council meetings in person or online, and try to not miss one.
• Participate in Family Orientation, Family Weekend, Admitted Students Day events (with Parent Council).
• Buy some Hofstra apparel and swag (Hofstra Mom or Dad) in Hofstra Bookstore, Mack Student Center.
• Apply for a job through Indeed, or the 'Hofstra jobs' website.
• Cheer on the Hofstra Pride at a sporting event. Go PRIDE!!
• Listen to Hofstra University radio Station 88.7 FM. Winner of Marconi Award 4 times.
• Take your Hofstra water bottle and fill it up at a hydration station while visiting your student on campus.
• Take a Paint and Sip or Tech Ed for Parents class with other parents. 
• Play pool in the Game Room (Lower Level, Mack Student Center, next to the Pride Den). I prefer air hockey!
• Take a trip around the campus, checking out the grounds, statues, flowers, and trees.
• Participate in Hofstra Celebrates the Holidays in the beginning of December. (Open to parents to see the lighting of Hofstra Hall and the painted windows in the Mack Student Center Main Dining Room.)
• Complete parent surveys to let Parent Council and the Office of Parent and Family Programs know your opinion and suggestions.
• Eat a sampler platter at the various eateries on campus.
• Meet our Family Program Director, Branka Kristic. Love that lady!!! 
• Check out the Hofstra website for all the things parents can do on campus.
• Participate in Chance Auction and basket-making for the Fall Festival! 
• Enjoy a coffee on the Quad at Dunkin' and our new Starbucks. It's full service!!!
• Check out the part one of the renovations in the Mack Student Center. 
• Take advantage of the many shows and theater that Hofstra's Drama and Music Department produce. (Open to parents)
• Experience HofUsa MENU AND FOOD!  (It's a diner menu!)
• Enjoy yourself at the Fall Festival of the Family Weekend. Great fireworks!!
• Know the Pride Rules for the dorms (It's our students' first apartment!)
• Walk over the unispan that connects Hagedorn and the University Dome. (Kids call it the Useless Span and you need them to swipe!)
• Walk over the Netherlands unispan. 
• Attend the lectures and festivals on campus. Check out the University calendar for all the events open to the public.
• Host international students for Thanksgiving dinner. Email parents@hofstra.edu.
• Create your own omelet or other delicacy at the Food court in the Student Center.
• Watch the Youtube.com videos that Hofstra posts, the Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds. (Oh, can you learn a lot!!)
• Check out the amazing exhibits in the Emily Lowe Gallery, South Campus.
• Join the Parent Council at a fitness session in the Fitness Center.  Pat M. I hear is a tough personal trainer!
• Attend a weekend movie showing in the Student Center Theater sponsored by Entertainment Unlimited.  (Bring a container for free popcorn or buy it for a $1.00)
• Meet President Rabinowitz around campus during events that Parent Council sponsors.
• Share some #HOFVIEWS on social media (Twitter, Facebook). (Check out the beautiful sunsets from the from the 10th Floor of the Axinn Library!)
• Walk around the walk track in the Fitness Center during Family Weekend.
• Attend a play in the Adams Playhouse. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Hofstra Box Office at 516-463-6644, or purchase tickets online at hofstratickets.com.
• Admire student art work in the Form Gallery in Calkins Hall. 
• Volunteer as Event Greeters and Speakers. Speak to Branka Kristic for details.
• Read the Hofstra Chronicle in print on campus newsstands and online at thehofstrachronicle.com. It can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
• Go find Memorial Square and the Memorial Statue. (Hint: they aren't in the same place.) 
• Host a reception as a Regional Parent Ambassador for 30 to 50 parents and students. 
• Participate in various programming through the Intercultural Engagement and Inclusion Office. (can be found on the Hofstra Calendar of Events).
• Participate in the annual Tea, Tulips and Trees event that happens every May when the tulips and trees bloom!  
• Sit in the commuter lounge and take a break from walking around campus.
• Provide internship and job connections for Hofstra students. Share career advice.
• Go up to the David Filderman Gallery, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Ninth Floor, South Campus, Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. • Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.
• Come to campus and watch a game of Hofstra Zombies or the Quidditch ('flying' brooms) tournament from Harry Potter. 
• Go sit in the new pavilion in the new Pride Park by the main gate, behind the Boston hitchhiker. 
• Check out the stadiums on both North and South Campuses.
• Watch a game of soccer, basketball, track and field, lacrosse. We have winning teams in both men's and women's sports. 
• Walk the labyrinth in front of C.V. Starr Hall.  (While there, check out the Phoenix at the 9/11 Memorial. Stand in the middle of the labyrinth, talk and you will hear an echo.)
• Check out plaza and "The Court of Courage" with the memorial sitting walls around the labyrinth. 
• Sign up for Parent Council to be a member, or an officer.  
• Check out the more than 200 cultural events that happen on campus. 
• If you have siblings of a Hofstra student, come to our Siblings Day parent event in the Fitness Center in February. Parents can network with each other and the Parent Council. 
• Participate in the Relay for Life every April. Parent Council comes out to walk around a track for cancer research and support our students. 
• Cherish the Hofstra Arboretum (comprising Hofstra's entire 240-acre campus) offer exhibits, programs and tours year-round. The arboretum includes a bird sanctuary.
• Eat healthy at Freshens.
• Find "Walter" sitting under a tree. Tradition has it the students rub his head prior to testing for good luck.
• Go to Bits & Bytes, and enjoy a Red Mango. 
• Write an article for the Family Connections blog.
• Take pictures of your student and family in the beautiful settings around campus.
• Check out the oldest stature on campus in the Pinetarium.  (Hint: Behind the Axinn Library)
• Have lunch in the University Club.
• Sign up for the Family eSpace for the latest information. 
• Attend the NYC Alumni Holiday Party at Club 101, 101 Park Avenue (at 40th Street) in December.
• Show Parent Pride at Athletic Events. Tickets can be purchase at www.Hofstratickets.com or calling the ticket office at 516-HOF-TIXX (463-8499).
• Play Frisbee on the Memorial Quad. 
• If you are on campus, say thank you to the men and women of the Department of Public Safety who are protecting our students. 
• Purchase an item from Amazon and ship to the Amazon Locker, Cria, in the Mack Student Center, North Campus. 
• Check out the 'Hofstra cats' that can be seen around campus. 
• Go inside Hofstra Hall, the home of Kate and Willie Hofstra, the founders of our university.
• Reread the Hofstra Family Handbook. 
• Go on the Halloween Tour of Hofstra Hall and the grounds while learning about the ghosts that reside in the area. 
• Surprise your student and mail them a card to their mailbox. 
• When your student files for graduation, don't miss signing up for the Commencement Cruise. 
• Go up to the top of the Axinn Library and take in the spectacular views. If a good day, you can see the NY city skyline. 
• Stretch out on the grounds of the campus. 
• Pick-up one free item from the tables at the parent events. 
• As we all passed through freshman orientation as parents, remember how nervous/excited/worried you were. 
• Check out the "Arboretum in Bloom" at hofstra.edu.
• Locate the Monkey Puzzle tree.
• Locate the "Million Dollar" tree. 
• Purchase a Midterm or Final Exam Survival Kit through Office of Student Leadership and Engagement: 516-463-6914.
• Network and make new parent "friends"! 
• Go to graduation and clap for your student. 

Enjoy the time your student and you explored all that Hofstra campus has to offer. These college memories will last a lifetime!

If you need information or want to contact me, please email Branka Kristic in Parent and Family Programs at parents@hofstra.edu.