Survival Guide 2005: R-S

RAILROAD – The Long Island Rail Road station is on the north side of campus, running alongside the North-P lot and Route 25A, across from Stony Books, Cosmos and 7-11. Stony Brook is situated on the Port Jefferson branch, with the train heading to Port Jefferson in one direction, and Penn Station via Huntington, Hicksville or Jamaica in the other. In all honesty, the LIRR isn’t much of a convenience. The trains run every 90 minutes to 2 hours, and usually take about that long to reach the city (it takes about half the time to go by car, barring traffic). There’s usually lots of stops along the way, and there’s often delays, especially during bad weather. It’s also expensive. However, we realize that for many students, it’s the only way to get home or anywhere off campus, for that matter.

Timetables can always be found at the Stony Brook train station, and sometimes at the information desk in the Union. They’re also online, at http://mta.info/lirr/html/ttn/j.htm.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES – There are a number of religious organizations on campus, including the Catholic Campus Ministry, Hillel, Protestant Campus Ministry, Islamic Society of North America, and the Baptist Campus Ministry, as well as a number of student-run groups such as the Muslim Students Association. They are all overseen by the Interfaith Center, and all of the above groups have offices in the second floor of the Union. Religious ceremonies and events are organized throughout the year.
Tel. 632-6565, http://naples.cc.stonybrook.edu/OSA/interfaith.nsf.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES – Stony Brook is a major-league research institution, and each year, receives millions of dollars in state and federal grants. It’s affiliation with Brookhaven National Laboratories, as well as the existence of Stony Brook University Hospital and a number of renowned professors in their fields, especially in the sciences, add to the wealth of opportunities on campus. Sometimes, it seems that too much emphasis is placed on research, at the expense of other academic offerings, but there is no doubt that there are some serious opportunities available for interested students.

Through UCREA, you can find out information about research opportunities and grants, fellowships and competition, as well as advice on how to further your research endeavors. Additionally, you can contact your departmental research liaison, talk to your professor, as well as other students who may have already experienced such opportunities.

UCREA is located in Room N-3071, Melville Library. Tel. 632-4378. http://www.sunysb.edu/ucrea.

SCHOLARSHIPS – The University and its academic departments, as well as some on-campus organizations offer a number of different scholarships, grants and awards for high-achieving students. Additionally, the Scholarship Office on campus offers information on competitive national and international scholarships and awards as well. It’s definitely worthwhile to apply to some—you can’t win it if you’re not in it. A number of ceremonies are held throughout the year for scholarship winners, culminating in the Undergraduate Achievement Awards in late April or early May.

Office: Administration Building, Room 440. Tel. 632-6712. http://www.sunysb.edu/scholarships.

SMOKING – Quite often, it seems that the students who seem to make friends most easily are those who smoke, and the reason is obvious: since smoking isn’t allowed in most buildings on campus, you will often find groups of smokers huddled outside the entrances to buildings to catch a puff. As far as smoking in the dorms goes, the rule of thumb is to be considerate and to ask your roommate and suitemates if they would mind you smoking. There are also sections of dorm buildings which are completely non-smoking, so be sure you’re not in one of those areas. Cigarettes are not sold anywhere on campus.

SNOW EMERGENCIES – The university has a spotty record in recent years as far as these are concerned, often having cancelled classes for a storm that never arrived, or not canceling classes in time (or at all) for a legitimate storm. The best way to find out if classes have been cancelled or not is to call the Snow Hotline, at 632-SNOW or 444-SNOW. Be sure to call back often, though, as information is often not updated until literally the last minute. Emergency information also appears on the university’s website and on the campus information channel, Ch. 10 on the residential cable system. You can also get up-to-date snow information by listening to the campus radio station, WUSB 90.1 FM, or by listening to other local radio stations, including WALK 97.5, WINS 1010, WCBS 880, WLNG 92.1, WKJY 98.3, WBAB 102.3, WRCN 103.9 or WBLI 106.1 or News12 on TV. Oh, and don’t count on too many snow days.

Now, what to do on campus when it snows. Assuming you are a resident and won’t leave campus, you will realize that snow cleanup is very slow, especially along the pedestrian paths. You will also notice that once the snow melts, the campus tends to get very muddy and sometimes flooded. Please, for your own sake, be as careful as possible when walking around campus after a storm, as there have been incidents of students getting injured due to inadequate snow removal.

That said, the numerous fields and grassy areas of the university provide ample space for great snowball fights, while the more daring go sledding with food trays down Tabler Hill or venturing on top of a frozen Roth Pond…activities frowned upon by the powers that be at the university, and probably rightfully so as they are both very dangerous things to do…the ice on Roth Pond is rarely very thick and the pond does get pretty deep, while Tabler Hill is steep, often jagged, and littered with fallen branches from trees.

SOCIALIZING – Stony Brook, for better or for worse, can often seem like an impersonal, faceless campus. With close to 14,000 undergraduate students, this could be expected. However, your best bet is to be proactive: join campus clubs and organizations, go to events that interest you, find something to do other than sitting in front of the computer or TV all day. Areas like the SAC, Union, Academic Mall outside of the SAC, library (outside of the stacks and reading rooms, of course), are all great places to see student life in action. Our experience tells us that lasting friendships are made through getting involved in campus clubs and organizations, so don’t be afraid to sign up or show up at an open house or meeting.

SPORTS – It's almost hard to believe at times, but Stony Brook is an NCAA Division I school, with men's and women's programs in most sports, including basketball, football, baseball/softball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, etc. Seawolves football, soccer and lacrosse matches are held in the spacious and expensive 8,000 seat LaValle Stadium (behind the Union). Basketball and volleyball matches are held in the Indoor Sports Complex, and baseball and softball games are held in the baseball fields behind the stadium. Admission to all of these sporting events is free for students, with a student ID needed for football, basketball, and men’s lacrosse. More info at www.goseawolves.org. And no, we still don't know what a seawolf is.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT – Whoo boy, talk about opening a can of worms. The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has been around for three years now, and is the butt of many a joke among campus, as well as the subject of fierce attacks by many campus media outlets. Their track record has been spotty at best, but it would be unfair to judge this year’s incoming government as a whole, just yet (more info elsewhere in this guide about specific elected officers). The honest truth is that there are some individuals within USG who truly have good intentions and want to make a positive difference, but there are also a few who have used their position to further personal or other agendas, with detrimental effects for the USG and all students. That said, the USG and its related agencies (Executive Branch, Judiciary, Senate, Student Activities Board) have a big role in the student life that exists on campus. All student organizations must register through the USG and apply for funding through the USG, various events, concerts, trips and other programs are organized by the USG and the SAB, and disputes between student organizations or even within the USG are, supposedly, settled in the Judiciary.

If you begin following the USG, and become unhappy with the way things are run, there’s a couple of things you can do. You can go to their meetings, which are open to the public (well, usually)…the Senate tends to meet on Tuesday nights in one of the SAC Ballrooms (usually), and the Executive Branch tends to meet on Fridays in one of the rooms in the 2nd floor of the SAC (usually). You can also run for office. We can’t stress this enough, as in the past few elections, there have been very few candidates running for most positions. Much of the responsibility lies in the hands of the Student Elections Board, which has done a poor job publicizing elections and the procedures necessary to become a candidate, but if you’re serious (and are willing to withstand a lot of pressure), be proactive and find out information for yourself.

Elections usually take place towards the end of April, though there are usually additional elections and referendums held during the fall semester. Elections are held over the SOLAR system (the link, often hard to find, is on the right-hand side if there is an election in progress). Turnout has been low as far as we can remember, so we can’t stress enough the importance of making an informed choice.

The USG suite is on the 2nd floor of the SAC, Rooms 202-218. All elected officers are supposed to have office hours, which are held and posted here. Tel. 632-6460. http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Clubs/usg.

STUDY ABROAD – This comes highly recommended from us. The university offers programs in the fall, spring or summer in a number of beautiful locations around the world, including Italy, Spain, India, France, Tanzania, Korea, Australia, Russia, China and England. Additionally, you can also receive credits for enrolling in a study abroad program anywhere in the world with an accredited institution of higher education other than Stony Brook, but be sure to consult with the Transfer Office before applying to ensure that your credits will be recognized. Studying Abroad is a wonderful experience and costs about the same amount of money as a semester’s worth of studying here at home, and we haven’t met anybody yet that has had a bad experience. In most cases, you do not need to know the native language of the country you are choosing to study in, and in all cases, your experience abroad will include more than just sitting in a foreign classroom, but field trips and time to explore.

The Study Abroad Office is located on the 5th floor of the Melville Library, Room E-5340. Tel. 632-7030, http://www.sunysb.edu/studyabroad.

The Transfer Office is in the Administration Building, Room 134. Tel. 632-7028. http://www.sunysb.edu/transfer.

STUDYING -- Stony Brook University is one of the country’s largest collegiate institutions, where thousands of students live and attend on a daily basis. Each and every day, the walkways are busy, the dining halls are packed and the air is buzzing with the hum of countless conversations. The dorms are often alight with activity and noise and it seems like the campus just never sleeps. So where can one go to get some peace, quiet and quality study time? Well, here are few suggestions on where to take yourself to get some time to yourself…

• SAC Traditions Lounge    Right across from the SAC Dining Hall, the Traditions Lounge is often a great place to get some work done. There are plenty of couches and tables to really spread out with your books on, as well as several outlets to get your notebook on the Internet. The only drawback: when the Dining Hall gets busy, the noise does manage to creep into the Lounge somewhat. Still, this is an excellent place for some solid study time. In fact, one editor from the Independent does the majority of his work there.

• SAC Commuter Lounge    Just down the hall from the Traditions Lounge is the Commuter Lounge, a place for students who live off-campus to congregate and get some quiet time in before class. Similar in set-up to the Traditions Lounge (yet considerably smaller), the Commuter Lounge usually has plenty of space free and is a great place for quiet studying. The only drawback: the Commuter Lounge is right above a student recreation room, so sometimes conversation can drift up the stairs.

• Staller Center Lobby    The lobby of the Staller Center One of Stony Brook’s most overlooked getaway spots, the lobby of the Staller Center is often very quiet and a great place to get your peace and quiet. With a bevy of couches, the Staller Lobby is both comfortable and functional for every student’s study needs. The only drawback: the lobby gets busier as the day goes on, so this spot is best utilized in the early part of the day.

• 2nd and 3rd Floor, Social and Behavioral Sciences Building    On these two floors of the home of the history department are two beautiful study areas. Whether classes are in session or not, these study lounges are a great place to spread out your papers and really get to work. The only drawback: these are two pretty popular locations and space is limited, so you might be out of luck on occasion.

• Melville Library    The Library seems the most obvious choice for a study location, as their number one rule is quiet. But the Melville Library is still worth mentioning if for nothing more than the sheer volume of places to get some studying done. There are many nooks and hideaways in the library outside of the designated areas to get some work done, which makes the Melville Library one of the richest resources for peace and quiet.

• Empty Classrooms    In any building on campus there are classrooms not being used at any given time. If you have searched high and low and can’t find any other decent spot for some peace and quiet for study, just find yourself an empty room and get to work. Classrooms are always quiet and will provide you with at least an hour of undistracted time to work. The only drawback: Classrooms may only be vacant for the normal class duration, so may have to shift a few times if you’re looking for an extended study period.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDYING:

• Don’t wait until the last minute!    Spreading your studying for quizzes or exams out over a few days or even a week can greatly increase the amount of information you retain. Most professors indicate when the exams will be on the class syllabus, so you’ll always be able to plan ahead. Cramming never pays off!

• Take detailed notes!    When in class, make sure you take notes that will be meaningful later on down the road. Many professors will give you a brief outline with the notes the put on the board (or, in some cases, no notes at all), with the assumption that you will fill in the gaps with what you hear in their lecture. If you don’t take detailed notes, you won’t have anything to study later on!

• Study for One Subject At a Time    Trying to fit in two or three subjects into one study period will more often than not lead to confusion and little to no informational retention. Sometimes you can’t avoid studying for two or three exams at the same time, but if you have the option to focus on each course individually…do just that!

• Form Study Groups    If you find that some of the material in a given class is going right over your head, chances are you are not alone. Try to seek out other students with the same difficulties and form a study group. That way, you can all contribute and perhaps give and receive a completely different perspective on the material!

• Take Advantage of Office Hours   If you are having trouble, professors are ready and willing to help you. But you have to seek them out! All professors provide at least two hours a week to meet with them in their office and most will use this time or schedule other time to meet with you and help you through your difficulties with the course material. Also, many courses have one or more teaching assistants who will also be happy to assist you outside of class.

• Go To Class    It might sound almost ridiculous to mention, but it really works. Regularly attending class and taking notes will help you absorb the material faster, and also gives you the opportunity to interact with your professors and fellow students, keep track of assignments, ask questions, etc. Trust us, this pays off when time comes to begin studying—you will find yourself much more familiar with the material!

SUMMER CLASSES – Stony Brook offers summer classes on campus as well as at its Stony Brook Manhattan campus. A great way to knock off 3 or 6 credits in a little over a month, though be prepared for a lot of work during that month, as the course material that is typically spread out over a full semester is condensed into that five-week period. It is also possible to live in the dorms on campus (Stony Brook only) while taking summer classes, though you will realize that the campus during the summer is close to dead and the latest anything is open for the purposes of food or shopping is 6 p.m.

Tel. 632-7790, http://www.sunysb.edu/summer.