slivka mailer 2008-2009

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 class-

room walls; to offer our students a wide array of excit-

ing intellectual, cultural, sporting, and social events;

and to actively involve our students in a friendly, com-

fortable 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, kitchen-

equipped, second-floor commons area is a favorite meet-

ing place for students to unwind by playing billiards,

table tennis, or foosball with professional-quality equip-

ment, 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 Fel-

lows, and other special events. Slivka's residents are

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 engineer-

ing. We interpret this in many ways. Our activities include trips to Chicago’s re-

nowned 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 in-

terest. We encourage you to take advantage of Slivka’s 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 Peien V. Liu

Master of Slivka President of Slivka

A Note from the President and Master

Slivka

FRESHMAN MAILER

2008—2009 Slivka Residential College

BUSINESS NAME

Meet the Exec Board 2-3

Letter from the Masters 4

Other Members 4

Big Sib/Little Sib 5

Useful Links 5

Slivka’s Vocabulary 5

What to Bring 6

Your First Week 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Art Schmidt: Master of

Slivka

FRESHMAN MAILER PAGE 2

Hello, my name is Jonathan Saathoff, and I’m Slivka’s

treasurer. My responsibilities include preparing Slivka’s budget, managing our accounts, and

overseeing the financial aspects of Slivka’s activities. I’m going to be a senior this upcoming

year and am majoring in chemical engineering with no clear specialization. Aside from that,

I’ve played trombone in Northwestern’s basketball band, marching band, and concert band for

the past three years. I’m also on engineering co-op, so I’m 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, I’ve 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: [email protected]

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!


Hey guys! I’m Natalyn and I’m Slivka’s Social Chair. This means I plan events so that everyone

can have lots of fun :) I’m from Hinsdale, a suburb of Chicago, so if you’re 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, I’ll be a junior biology and psychology major in Weinberg. I also play the violin in Philharmo-

nia.

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 Yee’s 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!


Hey New Freshman!

I’m Peien and I’m the President of Slivka! My goal as President is to ensure that Slivka

remains the tight-knit community that I’ve 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, I’m 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. I’m also

a HUGE Cubs fan and I’d love to see you guys at Wrigley Field some time in the near fu-

ture!

But, that’s enough about me, here’s your 2008-2009 Slivka Executive Board!


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 Direc-

tor. 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 Slivka’s numerous events. Bran-

don is also involved in Northwestern’s Ski Trip, where he serves as a member of the executive

board. Outside of Northwestern, Brandon enjoys many sports, so don’t be surprised if you see him

on multiple Slivkan IM teams as well as countless other outdoor activities, including flyfishing,

skiing, and whitewater kayaking.


SLIVKA RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE PAGE 3

Hey everyone! I’m Michelle Miller, Slivka’s Historian. I’ve assembled this

mailer for you, to help you get ready for your new life at Slivka. Once you’re

here, you may also note my work on your bathroom walls - as the historian, I’m

in charge of writing the Bathroom Reader, a would-be newsletter reporting up-

coming events, the weekly weather, and the semi-fictitious escapades of your fellow Slivkans. I

also take the minutes at Slivka’s house and exec board meetings. I’m a sophomore in the Inte-

grated Science Program with a double major in physics, so I’m prepared to answer questions from

any Weinberg students. Of course, questions about life at Northwestern or Slivka specifically are

just as fun, so if there’s anything you’d like to know, you’re welcome to email me!


Hello! I’m Olivia Lui, Slivka’s Philanthropy Chair. I am a sophomore and

am currently a biomedical engineering major. I am from Sylvania, Ohio, which is about 5 ½ 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 jokes…lots of things. Now, about

my position…

When I first got to Northwestern, there was…Dance Marathon! Relay for Life! And so much more!

Philanthropy is literally all over the place. For international causes, natural disasters, charity organi-

zations, 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!

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!


Hey guys, I'm Quang Le and a sophomore majoring in Industrial Engineering in McCormick. I am origi-

nally 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 build-

ing (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!


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 Pa’s 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 prac-

tices.


Benjamin Farah - Academic Chair

I'm Ben Farah, the academic chair and nerd-in-chief of Slivka Residential College. I am re-

sponsible 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: [email protected]

FRESHMAN MAILER PAGE 4

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 As-

sistant 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-to-

person 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.

Arthur Schmidt

Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy

Master, Slivka Residential College

[email protected]

Dr. Owen Priest Cynthia Pierre

[email protected] [email protected]

Office: Tech L-212

AIM: OPPorgo

CA’s 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 addi-

tions to our community a ready resource

of knowledgeable neighbors.

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 (CA’s)

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 excel-

lent resource for advice on all matters of

university life. CA’s are fellow under-

graduate students, and Slivka’s three

Fellows

There are several professors and North-

western staff members affiliated directly

with Slivka. These individuals are

known as Slivka’s fellows. You will

frequently see them attending P2P

(Professor-to-Peer) lunches, where

they’ll sit in Slivka’s room at Sargent

(the closest dormitory with food facili-

ties, and therefore the most popular

Slivka dining location) to talk and eat

with Slivka’s residents. They’re 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.

A Letter from the Masters

Other Members of Slivka

Dr. Owen Priest

Cynthia Pierre

SLIVKA RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE PAGE 5

ing 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.

Slivka’s Website:

http://www.slivka.northwestern.edu/

Slivka Residential College’s 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 Slivka’s

residents.

Evanston Dining:

http://restaurant.asg.northwestern.edu/

Useful link for finding dining places in

Evanston, Northwestern’s 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 you’ll 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

Beck’s in Evanston. Note that you will

learn more about course selection during

your first week here, so you won’t be able

to purchase these books until then.

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 pro-

vides 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 Northwest-

ern students. Provides information regard-

Upon arriving at Slivka, you will be

paired up with an upperclassman as a

part of the Big Sib/Little Sib Pro-

gram. They will be there to help you

and advise you throughout the year

regarding any questions you might

have about Slivka or college in gen-

eral. Please send Natalyn an email

([email protected])

with the following information:

Name:

School:

Major:

Home state/country:

Interests:

Favorite Food:

ball. 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, par-

ticipants fundraise and gather sponsors.

The event culminates in a thirty-hour

dancing marathon in Norris University

Center.

Lisa’s: The nickname for Lisa’s Café,

attached to Slivka, and useful for obtain-

ing food when Sargent isn’t open.

Sargent: Used to refer to the dining hall

positioned on the first floor of Sargent

Hall, a nearby dormitory. This dining hall

Slivkan: Your new title. Used to refer to

residents of Slivka Residential College.

Fireside: Presentations given by profes-

sors, community members, students, and

occasionally the football coach. Usually,

these presentations will be an hour long,

and will discuss topics ranging from astro-

physics to cheesecake preparation.

IM Sports: Each quarter, Slivka is invited

to form a team to participate in intramural

sports. The sports offered vary from quar-

ter to quarter.

Rec. Lounge: The recreation room on the

east side of the second floor, containing a

TV, pool table, ping pong table, and foos-

Useful Links

Big Sib/Little Sib Program

Slivka’s Vocabulary

provides a separate room for Slivkans to

dine together - while this isn’t mandatory,

it’s often useful as a manner of socializing

with your Slivkan friends while eating

dinner.

North Campus/South Campus: Northwest-

ern is culturally divided by north and

south. North campus is stereotypically

inhabited by scientists and engineers,

while south campus represents a humani-

ties perspective. Note that these are

stereotypes only: Slivka welcomes stu-

dents of all areas of study and interest.

What kinds of social activities

would you like to see Slivka Host?

Do you know anyone in Slivka

who you would like to be your Big

Sib?

*Also, please send me a picture of

yourself (funny or seri-

ous…). We will be using it to

create a nice collage.

NEWSLETTER T ITLE PAGE 6

Things Slivka Has:

Refrigerators (1 per floor, first and

second floor share one) Many people

bring their own for convenient and se-

cure food storage.

Microwaves (1 per floor, first and sec-

ond 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 conven-

ient 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. Addition-

ally, 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 stu-

dents. 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 trans-

port 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

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 asso-

ciated 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. We’re very

excited to have you here, and are look-

ing forward to learning about each of

you!

Your first week at Northwestern will be

busy with activities to acclimate you to

your new life. Northwestern will pro-

vide you with a peer advisor to answer

questions and lead you through a set of

mandatory activities during the day. At

night, you’ll be entertained by a variety

of shows and performances from differ-

ent groups at Northwestern. You’ll also

have the chance to meet with your aca-

demic advisor, a professor from your

school, to discuss graduation require-

ments and course selection. The Slivka

exec board is planning its own orienta-

tion of the campus and the building,

What to Bring to Slivka

Your First Week

Over the summer, if you have any ques-

tions regarding what to pack, how to get

here, or what life at Northwestern will

be like, you can email any of the mem-

bers of the exec board. We all remem-

ber how stressful our pre-freshman

summers were, and we want to make

this transition as easy for you as possi-

ble. 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! We’ll see you all

this fall!

or T-Mobile. Reception from other service

providers can be obtained only when di-

rectly 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 (ATM’s are available on cam-

pus. 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 nec-

essary, but I get by with a regular twin-

sized 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.)

slivka mailer 2008-2009

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