Put Your Best Fork Forward: March is National Nutrition Month

From eatright.org

As winter draws to a close (well, maybe) and sunnier, warmer weather begins to show up in the forecast, we’ll have more opportunities to go outside (without shivering). With spring comes the reappearance of birds, flowers, green grass, and blooming trees. This is also the time of year that we see an increasing number of runners, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts try to lose their winter weight and get back into shape. While exercise is an important aspect of overall health, what we put into our bodies is the most important. That makes this a fitting time of year to observe National Nutrition Month.

Celebrating Female Leaders During Women’s History Month

Moderator Dean Donne Kampel with panelists Janice Weinman, CEO of Hadassah; Provost Patricia Salkin; and Shelly Berkley, CEO of Touro’s Western Division

On March 8^th, the Women’s Leadership Council of Touro College held its second annual celebration of International Women’s Day. Like last year, we scheduled a panel discussion with influential and successful women leaders. This year’s discussion was titled, “Personal and Professional Perspectives on Leadership”. The panel members included Patricia Salkin, Provost of the Graduate and Professional Divisions of Touro College; Shelley Berkley, CEO and Senior Provost of Touro’s Western Division; and Janice Weinman, Executive Director and CEO of Hadassah. Associate Dean of Faculty Donne Kampel, the founder and chair of the Touro Women’s Leadership Council, moderated the program. 

What is Plagiarism, Really?

Plagiarism is the bogeyman of academic writing. You’d better not do it, or terrible things will happen. I know you’ve heard about it a million times, but how confident about knowing whether you’re doing it or not?

Celebrating Purim

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Book of Esther, Hebrew, c. 1700-1800 AD – Royal Ontario Museum – DSC09614.JPG  Uploaded by Daderot Created: November 20, 2011

A long time ago when the empire of Persia and Medea ruled the world, all citizens of the capital city of Shushan were called to a feast at the king’s palace. Though the leader of the Jewish community, a very wise man named Mordechai, advised against it, the Jews of Shushan felt they had no choice but to obey the king’s decree. This feast was the beginning of a series of events that would lead King Achashverosh (Ahasuerus or Xerxes in English), to stamp and seal a terrible decree on the suggestion of his wicked advisor, Haman (a direct descendent of the ancient Jewish enemy Amalek): all Jews in the kingdom were to be slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the upcoming Hebrew month of Adar. Men, women, and children would be destroyed, no survivors. The Jews of the kingdom gathered in prayer under the guidance of their leader Mordechai. They donned sackcloth and ashes in mourning. But the Jewish people had a secret weapon, one that had been put in place some time earlier: Mordechai’s niece, Esther, had been chosen out of all the beauties in the kingdom to marry King Achashverosh. Queen Esther lived modestly in the palace, keeping her Jewish identity and faith secret, but in this she had no choice but to act. When she heard of the decree, she fasted and prayed for three days. Then Queen Esther went before the king without being summoned. This was a selfless, extraordinarily brave act that would lead to her death unless Achashverosh stretched out his scepter in welcome. Miraculously, he did.

Bay Shore Welcomes New Librarian Keith Pardini

Vintage Long Island map, featuring Touro Bay Shore (source)

How’s it going Touro Community! My name is Keith, and I’m the newest librarian at the School of Health Sciences in Bay Shore. For those of you unfamiliar with our Long Island campus, here at Bay Shore we cater to both undergraduate and graduate students who are primarily enrolled in health sciences fields. The majority of students pursue programs such as: Biology, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Physician’s Assistant. The school also offers programs in Education and Special Education.

International Students

Sun Hee Choi, Assistant Director of International Student Services

When I first contacted Sun Hee Choi last year about giving a presentation to the International students about the library, she replied with great enthusiasm and welcomed the library’s reaching out to her. Since then we have kept in touch, and this February she again invited the library to be part of the orientation that her office provides for International students at the beginning of the semester.