Fall 2024 proved to be a highly productive semester for Cooper Union’s Student Life department, a subsection of the Student Affairs staff particularly interested in deepening students’ experience of college, the East Village, and New York City at large. 

Athena Abadilla, director of residential life and community development, said that she and her colleagues had multiple aims in their programming this semester. “We want to create an opportunity for all our students to find meaning in civic life while also enriching the organizations we work with and the Cooper community we belong to.” 

Abadilla and graduate assistant Victoria Alonso worked on four themes when programming fall initiatives: deepening East Village partnerships to increase cultural understanding and appreciation of BIPOC-centered or led work; helping students feel celebrated and part of a larger community; developing social networks and community bonds across diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability lines; and an ongoing initiative led by Abadilla, the ResHall Basic Needs Pantry. 

Josue Michel, student activities director, gave students many opportunities to compete, exercise, socialize, and give back to the East Village community. Seven teams participated in a Cooper-wide badminton tournament, Cooper’s volleyball team made it to semi-finals in its city-wide league competitions, and the school’s soccer team had 25 active players, an increase from recent years. All students could access open gym sessions at NYU and John Jay College multiple times throughout the Fall 2024 semester as well as attend wellness classes at Yoga on St. Mark’s.

Beyond athletics, Michel and his team arranged a clothing swap in collaboration with the Center for Writing and Learning, a breakfast with over 100 attendees designed to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness, and a ping pong event called Ping Pod. Student Life also co-sponsored the 2024 Harvest Feast with groups from across the Cooper community, including student clubs Intervarsity, MSA, and Hillel, the Cooper Union Alumni Association, and students enrolled in the CH255 Food Science: Frozen Desserts class. 

Additionally, the staff at Student Life supported several initiatives led by students, including a Trans Day of Remembrance Film Screening and Dinner, cultural events hosted by the BIPOC Collective, and the annual First Gen Celebration for students who are the first in their families to attend college. 

Throughout the semester, Program Assistant Kat Hoover collected old flyers and other paper scraps in large bins in the Student Affairs office and threw a "Paper Party" where they explained how to make clay out of paper scraps. 

Stephen Shaji, a junior civil engineering student, works as a program assistant for the Student Life Department. “One of the initiatives I led was the First-Generation Student Day Celebration on November 1. This event highlighted global diversity through an array of international cuisines, including Senegalese dishes and Vietnamese banh mi.” Shaji also supports first-generation college students by arranging for coupons and discounts with local restaurants and businesses. “In my role, I hope to inspire students to take pride in how far they’ve come as first-generation students. By celebrating their achievements and honoring the history that has brought them to where they are, I aim to create a sense of belonging and confidence in their ability to succeed.” 

Student Life partnered with several local businesses, including Hidden Grounds, a new chai and coffeehouse on Third Avenue, to serve free coffee during a club hour Tuesday/Career Fair Day, and will arrange another deal with the café during finals. For NYC Climate Week in September, A Sustainable Village on Washington Square, donated items for giveaways. 

New collaborations also debuted this semester. For example, Student Life collaborated with Jewish Resident Assistants to create the Rosh Hashanah Apple Snack Bar where students could drop by to learn about the High Holy Days and the significance of apples and honey for a sweet new year. During Filipino American Heritage Month in October, Abadilla and her colleagues invited Kabisera NYC and the team that leads Lumpia Fest—an annual celebration of the Filipino spring roll—for a gathering on campus. They also streamed the Cooper Radio Collective show "Lushy," which is co-produced by a Filipina student. 

In addition, student life hosted multiple field trips this fall including a visit to Student Night at the Guggenheim Museum and the NYU Asian/Pacific/American-Institute to see Student Artist-in-Residence Nadine Fattaleh’s exhibit "Materials of Solidarity," highlighting living archives of Palestinian expression and movements. In October, students traveled to Westchester for "Sleepy Hollow Spookyscursion,” an annual street fair in Tarrytown, NY. 

To establish the residence hall pantry, the staff sent out a survey to assess students’ experiences with food insecurity. “We’re using the results to build a robust food pantry as well as partner with local organizations like Campus Clippers to address these needs and keep our students fed, so they can thrive in school!” reported Abadilla. 

“Academics are key at The Cooper Union,” said Grace Kendall, Acting Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator. “In support of that, we want to give our student body every opportunity to learn the importance of balancing academics with social and physical wellbeing; and because the school is also a place with a storied history of civic engagement, Student Affairs aims to develop opportunities for Cooper students to engage in ways that are meaningful to them.”