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Slivka Residential College

A Note from the President and Master
On behalf of Slivka Hall, we would like to welcome you to the Residential College of Science & Engineering. Our goals are to promote interactions between our students and the faculty in more casual settings beyond the confines of classroom walls; to offer our students a wide array of exciting intellectual, cultural, sporting, and social events; and to actively involve our students in a friendly, comfortable living and learning community. Slivka Hall is a state-of-the-art facility with such features as high-speed Internet access, a cyber cafe, a music room, and a Discovery Center stocked with electronic and optical instruments, computers, digital video, a telescope, and robotics equipment for exclusive use by Slivka's residents. The large, kitchenequipped, second-floor commons area is a favorite meeting place for students to unwind by playing billiards, table tennis, or foosball with professional-quality equipment, or simply to have munchies while viewing their favorite show on the large-screen TV. This room is also used to host weekly firesides by Slivka's Faculty FelArt Schmidt: Master of lows, and other special events. Slivka's residents are Slivka some of the best, brightest, and most talented young men and women to be found anywhere. Included among our community are students pursuing academic majors in science and engineering as well in the humanities and music. A number of our students are in accelerated honors programs in collaboration with various Northwestern Graduate Schools. Slivka's official mission is to encourage a humanistic view of science and engineering. We interpret this in many ways. Our activities include trips to Chicagos renowned museums, theaters, and symphony orchestra. We also have fun camping, skiing, bicycling, and attending professional sporting events. Back within Slivka's walls, we have regular firesides with fellows. We eat meals with professors in the dining hall at weekly Prof to Peer Lunches and at Student Faculty Receptions once a month. Additional activities for the academic year may include special for-credit tutorials (in the past, topics included American Sign Language, Visual Basic, and AIDS and Society). The key to all of our events is that they grow out of student interest. We encourage you to take advantage of Slivkas activities, and to personally get involved in organizing additional activities of your own choosing. We hope you will forge new and enduring relationships and have the time of your life while here at Slivka. We look forward to meeting you in the fall! Best Wishes, Art Schmidt Master of Slivka Peien V. Liu President of Slivka

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Meet the Exec Board Letter from the Masters Other Members Big Sib/Little Sib Useful Links Slivkas Vocabulary What to Bring Your First Week 2-3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6

Slivka

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F R E SHM AN M AI LE R Hey New Freshman! Im Peien and Im the President of Slivka! My goal as President is to ensure that Slivka remains the tight-knit community that Ive come to think of as a second family and I look forward to having you join us. I wanted to take this time to introduce myself personally as well as the rest of the Slivka Executive Board. First off, Im a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering and I currently live in Marlton, NJ (right outside of Philadelphia), but am originally from the suburbs of Chicago. I love working with computers, playing video games, and travelling across the US. Im also a HUGE Cubs fan and Id love to see you guys at Wrigley Field some time in the near future! But, thats enough about me, heres your 2008-2009 Slivka Executive Board! Email: peienlu2008@u.northwestern.edu

Hey all! My name is Alan and I'm your Vice President. My job is to keep track of attendance at events and promote teamwork within the executive board to bring you fun events! I'm a junior in the Integrated Science Program, majoring in Biological Sciences and Geology with a minor in Chemistry. I like to consider myself a Canadian though I'm really from Hong Kong, and I live in Connecticut? I like to cook and paint; and I have this obsession with making things look artistic. I look forward to meeting you all! Email: mingwong2007@u.northwestern.edu

Hello, my name is Jonathan Saathoff, and Im Slivkas treasurer. My responsibilities include preparing Slivkas budget, managing our accounts, and overseeing the financial aspects of Slivkas activities. Im going to be a senior this upcoming year and am majoring in chemical engineering with no clear specialization. Aside from that, Ive played trombone in Northwesterns basketball band, marching band, and concert band for the past three years. Im also on engineering co-op, so Im intermittently working a full time job every other quarter in Evanston doing material science research. With these activities and being on work study as well, Ive become horribly addicted to caffeine. I try to stick with three cups of coffee a day, but that arbitrary limit quickly disappears when projects start becoming due. Email: JonathanSaathoff2008@u.northwestern.edu Hey guys! Im Natalyn and Im Slivkas Social Chair. This means I plan events so that everyone can have lots of fun :) Im from Hinsdale, a suburb of Chicago, so if youre not from around here, you should talk to me so that I can tell you what to bring to be prepared for this crazy weather. This fall, Ill be a junior biology and psychology major in Weinberg. I also play the violin in Philharmonia. The Social Committee gets to plan lots of events. Every Thursday, we put on a movie at 10pm where we can take a break from such a long week. Around Thanksgiving, we plan a huge feast for everyone from Slivka to enjoy. Occasionally, we have munchies such as Joy Yees bubble tea, Buffalo Wild Wings, and ice cream socials for everyone to taste. If planning fun events such as broomballing, laser tagging, and formals interests you, you should apply to be on my committee! Email: n-wong88@u.northwestern.edu Brandon Merling, a junior at Northwestern University, is majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in transport processes and tissue engineering. He also intends on continuing his studies into medical school. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, where he attended Indian Hill High School. At Northwestern, he is heavily involved in Slivka Residential College, where he has served as the Associated Student Government Senator and currently resides as Facilities Director. In his current position, he oversees maintenance of the dorm by taking care of the equipment in the Discovery Room and the Music Room and also helps set up for Slivkas numerous events. Brandon is also involved in Northwesterns Ski Trip, where he serves as a member of the executive board. Outside of Northwestern, Brandon enjoys many sports, so dont be surprised if you see him on multiple Slivkan IM teams as well as countless other outdoor activities, including flyfishing, skiing, and whitewater kayaking. Email: BrandonMerling2007@u.northwestern.edu

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Benjamin Farah - Academic Chair I'm Ben Farah, the academic chair and nerd-in-chief of Slivka Residential College. I am responsible for planning all of the academic related events that occur in Slivka, from fireside talks given by professors, to events that highlight diversity, to trips to sights of academic interest in Chicago, to anything fun that I can remotely connect with the word "academic." I hail from the mistake on the lake, Cleveland, Ohio, or rather, a boring suburb west of there. I am a senior, double majoring in Chemistry and Biology, with the hopes of getting accepted into an MD/PhD program so as to spend another 8 years in school after I graduate. I spend my free time I have wandering the city, cooking and eating, playing whatever video games happen to be around, or generally making a nuisance of myself.
Email: benjaminfarah2008@u.northwestern.edu
Among the many science and engineering majors on North Campus lives Steph, your Faculty Chair, who is one of the first pre-law residents at Slivka. She had never tried sports before coming to college, but during her Freshman year, she joined the NU crew team, tried field hockey, plays intramural soccer, and kicks up her heels dancing the salsa and tango, to name a few. She loves her tight-knit community of Slivkans who play board games late into the night and joke around with Fellows who are also professors of classes they love to hate. Slivkans take ambitious 19-mile bike rides to the Botanic Gardens with the Master, who is in better shape than any student (although Steph secretly attributes part of his advantage to the springs he hides under the seat). You will find people to share in things you like to do, or take the chance to try something utterly new. Feel free to look for Steph (warning: she fulfills the New York stereotype of walking really, really fast) to talk about anything. She might even be one of your Pas or GSW facilitators this quarter! Best places to find her: study lounge, en route to the Steinway pianos on South Campus, or rushing to 5 am practices. Email: stephaniehu2008@u.northwestern.edu

Hey guys, I'm Quang Le and a sophomore majoring in Industrial Engineering in McCormick. I am originally from Dallas, TX and excited to start my 2nd year here at Northwestern. I am your IT Chair for the 2008-2009 year and will be working with the technology side of Slivka. My committee and I work on updating the website, maintaining Slivka's computers downstairs and generally the electronics in the building (The cool stuff (Seriously)). For the coming year, my goal is to make sure everyone is well informed about technology and computers to be able to make use of them to the fullest in everyday life. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about computers like what to buy and what to bring for the upcoming year. I look forward to meeting you all! Email: quangle2007@u.northwestern.edu Hey everyone! Im Michelle Miller, Slivkas Historian. Ive assembled this mailer for you, to help you get ready for your new life at Slivka. Once youre here, you may also note my work on your bathroom walls - as the historian, Im in charge of writing the Bathroom Reader, a would-be newsletter reporting upcoming events, the weekly weather, and the semi-fictitious escapades of your fellow Slivkans. I also take the minutes at Slivkas house and exec board meetings. Im a sophomore in the Integrated Science Program with a double major in physics, so Im prepared to answer questions from any Weinberg students. Of course, questions about life at Northwestern or Slivka specifically are just as fun, so if theres anything youd like to know, youre welcome to email me! Email: MichelleMiller2007@u.northwestern.edu Hello! Im Olivia Lui, Slivkas Philanthropy Chair. I am a sophomore and am currently a biomedical engineering major. I am from Sylvania, Ohio, which is about 5 hours away. I love to play tennis (love means nothing to me- ha, get it?)! I am also a big Detroit Pistons fan. I love dancing, sunny days, laughter, dimples, traveling, corny jokeslots of things. Now, about my position When I first got to Northwestern, there wasDance Marathon! Relay for Life! And so much more! Philanthropy is literally all over the place. For international causes, natural disasters, charity organizations, etc, there is always a group on campus that can fit the philanthropic side of you, making it all the easier to give back to the world as a college student. My job is to bring these opportunities to you! Im looking forward to seeing you soon! Email: olivialui2007@u.northwestern.edu

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F R E SHM AN M AI LE R

A Letter from the Masters

I am enjoying my fourth year as the Master of the Slivka Science and Engineering Residential College. Among my goals are to be actively and visibly engaged in the Slivka community, and to be readily availability to Slivka residents as their advisor, mentor, advocate, and friend. To help me fulfill these goals, Cynthia Pierre is my Assistant Master. She is a graduate student just finishing up an advanced degree in the Department of Material Science. Cynthia is also in her fourth year associated with Slivka. She has proved herself to be an invaluable and dynamic resource and a good person to go to with any issues or problems. Also to assist me is my Associate Master, Dr. Owen Priest, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Priest has been with Slivka for several years and, like Cynthia, is always willing to help out a Slivka resident in any way necessary. So, do contact any of us with your questions and comments. Usually, that's as easy as sitting down to lunch or dinner, since one of us will generally be enjoying your company at the Slivka tables in Sargent Dining Hall. But, we're also readily available at other times via telephone, email, and person-toperson visits. We share an office in Slivka just to the right as you come in the main entrance on the west side of Slivka. Feel free to drop in any time, our door is open.

Dr. Owen Priest

Arthur Schmidt Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy Master, Slivka Residential College aschmidt@northwestern.edu Dr. Owen Priest o-priest@northwestern.edu Office: Tech L-212 AIM: OPPorgo Cynthia Pierre c-pierre@northwestern.edu Cynthia Pierre

Other Members of Slivka

In addition to the Masters of Slivka and the exec board, we have several other resources available to members of our residential community: Community Assistants (CAs) The role of the community assistant is to help members of Slivka adjust and interact within the residential college. They are responsible for making sure everyone respect the rules set forth by University Housing, and make an excellent resource for advice on all matters of university life. CAs are fellow undergraduate students, and Slivkas three CAs live on the second, third, and fourth floors of the building. Suitemates Rooms in Slivka are structured in suites, allowing residents to develop a unique relationship with their suitemates. Suites typically share single and double rooms, a lounge, and two bathrooms. Upperclassmen and underclassmen are mixed in each suite, allowing new additions to our community a ready resource of knowledgeable neighbors. Fellows There are several professors and Northwestern staff members affiliated directly with Slivka. These individuals are known as Slivkas fellows. You will frequently see them attending P2P (Professor-to-Peer) lunches, where theyll sit in Slivkas room at Sargent (the closest dormitory with food facilities, and therefore the most popular Slivka dining location) to talk and eat with Slivkas residents. Theyre an excellent contact for questions about classes and interesting conversations about research, and many will be your professors at some point during your Northwestern career.

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Big Sib/Little Sib Program

Upon arriving at Slivka, you will be paired up with an upperclassman as a part of the Big Sib/Little Sib Program. They will be there to help you and advise you throughout the year regarding any questions you might have about Slivka or college in general. Please send Natalyn an email (n-wong88@u.northwestern.edu) with the following information: Name: School: Major: Home state/country: Interests: Favorite Food: *Also, please send me a picture of yourself (funny or serious). We will be using it to create a nice collage. Do you know anyone in Slivka who you would like to be your Big Sib? What kinds of social activities would you like to see Slivka Host?

Useful Links
How to get to Slivka: http://www.slivka.northwestern.edu/ index.php?section=13 Provides directions to the Northwestern campus by train, car, or plane. Also provides colored maps and photos to direct incoming residents to the proper parking lot and into the building. Campus Map: http://www.northwestern.edu/visiting/ maps/ Useful once on campus to locate New Student Week events and classrooms. NULink: http://nulink/ The standard website link for Northwestern students. Provides information regarding campus-wide events, NUCuisine: http://www.northwestern.edu/nucuisine/ Provides information and weekly menus regarding food on campus. Also offers descriptions of meal plans and dining locations. Slivkas Website: http://www.slivka.northwestern.edu/ Slivka Residential Colleges website: provides information on facilities usage, a calendar of upcoming events, pictures of the dorm, useful local businesses, and many other items of interest to Slivkas residents. Evanston Dining: http://restaurant.asg.northwestern.edu/ Useful link for finding dining places in Evanston, Northwesterns home city. Norris Bookstore: http://northwestern.bncollege.com/ The third tab down along the left sidebar allows you to enter class information to determine which textbooks youll need. Norris University Center hosts a bookstore in which these books can be purchased new or used, although it is typically less expensive to purchase these books online or through a used book retailer such as Becks in Evanston. Note that you will learn more about course selection during your first week here, so you wont be able to purchase these books until then.

Slivkas Vocabulary
Slivkan: Your new title. Used to refer to residents of Slivka Residential College. Fireside: Presentations given by professors, community members, students, and occasionally the football coach. Usually, these presentations will be an hour long, and will discuss topics ranging from astrophysics to cheesecake preparation. IM Sports: Each quarter, Slivka is invited to form a team to participate in intramural sports. The sports offered vary from quarter to quarter. Rec. Lounge: The recreation room on the east side of the second floor, containing a TV, pool table, ping pong table, and foosball. House meetings and firesides are held in this room. DM: The acronym for Dance Marathon, a popular campus-wide charity event. Throughout fall and winter quarters, participants fundraise and gather sponsors. The event culminates in a thirty-hour dancing marathon in Norris University Center. Lisas: The nickname for Lisas Caf, attached to Slivka, and useful for obtaining food when Sargent isnt open. Sargent: Used to refer to the dining hall positioned on the first floor of Sargent Hall, a nearby dormitory. This dining hall provides a separate room for Slivkans to dine together - while this isnt mandatory, its often useful as a manner of socializing with your Slivkan friends while eating dinner. North Campus/South Campus: Northwestern is culturally divided by north and south. North campus is stereotypically inhabited by scientists and engineers, while south campus represents a humanities perspective. Note that these are stereotypes only: Slivka welcomes students of all areas of study and interest.

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What to Bring to Slivka

Things Slivka Has: Refrigerators (1 per floor, first and second floor share one) Many people bring their own for convenient and secure food storage. Microwaves (1 per floor, first and second floor share one) Vacuum Laundry Room (washers and dryers) Trash Cans Chairs, a couch, and a table in each suite TV in the Rec Lounge Printer (You will need to bring your own paper, and it may be more convenient to bring a printer for your room) Provided for Each Resident: 1 Desk 1 Wooden Chair 1 Bed (Can be lofted for storage space beneath) 1 Closet Space 1 Dresser 1 Bookshelf Each room also has one ceiling light and an air conditioning/heating unit. Do Not Bring: Pets (of any sort, including fish) Microwaves Coffee Makers/Water Heaters Alcohol (if underage) Firearms/Explosives Illegal Substances Consider Bringing: Clothes (casual and formal) Formal attire will be needed for dances and the Thanksgiving dinner. Additionally, the weather will be cold by thanksgiving, so you may wish to bring your winter coat with now. Toiletries (hand soap is provided) Shower Items: Shower sandals are useful, and towels need to be brought by residents. Many students use shower caddies to transport soap and shampoo. Computer/Laptop (depending on your note-taking preferences, laptops are frequently used to take notes in class. If you bring a laptop, consider bringing a laptop lock as well. Both Macs and PCs are popular with students. I use a tablet PC for its note taking flexibility) Ethernet Cable (wireless Internet is not accessible in all parts of Slivka) Alarm Clock Refrigerator (less than three cubic feet) If its is inconvenient to transport a refrigerator, a suitable one may be rented) Phone (and answering machine, if you plan to use the phone line to your room) If purchasing a cell phone plan, it is best to use Verizon or T-Mobile. Reception from other service providers can be obtained only when directly next to a window or outside. Extra Lighting (desk lamps and floor lamps are useful) Flashlight Hangers Cooking Utensils (if you wish to cook) Cups, plates, plasticware Spare cash (ATMs are available on campus. Additionally, accounts with US Bank may be linked to your student ID. www.univsvcs.northwestern.edu/ WildCard/faq.html has more information on this process) Pillow, Blankets, Extra-long sheets, Comforter (The extra long sheets are necessary, but I get by with a regular twinsized comforter, which stretches exactly from headboard to footboard) Notebooks/paper/binders (whatever you prefer for note taking) Additional Storage/Shelving Bike (Convenient for fast travel between north and south campus. Bikes must be registered with the campus police, who also sell excellent bike locks at cost. Bike racks are abundant everywhere on campus, and Slivka has a bike room in the basement for indoor storage.)

Your First Week

Your first week at Northwestern will be busy with activities to acclimate you to your new life. Northwestern will provide you with a peer advisor to answer questions and lead you through a set of mandatory activities during the day. At night, youll be entertained by a variety of shows and performances from different groups at Northwestern. Youll also have the chance to meet with your academic advisor, a professor from your school, to discuss graduation requirements and course selection. The Slivka exec board is planning its own orientation of the campus and the building, which should entertain and inform you. On Friday, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will move in, giving you the chance to meet your suitemates. This sounds like quite a lot, but keep in mind that, with every event, there is an associated group of people present with the only purpose of assisting you in your adjustment. Make sure to ask us as many questions as you can think of, no matter how silly they seem. Were very excited to have you here, and are looking forward to learning about each of you! Over the summer, if you have any questions regarding what to pack, how to get here, or what life at Northwestern will be like, you can email any of the members of the exec board. We all remember how stressful our pre-freshman summers were, and we want to make this transition as easy for you as possible. There is also a Slivka facebook group, so you can ask questions and discuss your new life there. Enjoy your summer, and good luck packing for school! Well see you all this fall!