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This post come from a guest blogger, Jodie Chiang!

There are worse things than spending an hour learning about the18th century London elite and their scandalous lives. Especially when you’re receiving the information via very British men in bow ties. At the (very much free) College Night at the Frick, my friends and I wandered about the museum, taking in the enormous collection of artworks at our leisure. Highlights of the evening included apple juice and teddy grahams, hipster art students, awkward swing dancing to anachronistic 60s music, and of course, the absolutely gorgeous paintings and sculptures. Every 15 minutes, there was a lecture in one of the beautiful rooms of the Frick Manor. In the dining room, one of the aforementioned British men in bow ties pointed out the secretly judgmental looks of the ladies in Gainsborough painting of The Mall in St. James’s Park. In another, we learned about the challenge master artists accepted to interpret the Greek myth of Nessus and Deianira. Every few minutes or so, we’d wander back to fountain at the center of the manor for more graham goodness. Not too shabby for a night out. Oh, and did I mention? We got free posters, too.

photo via// www.wikipaintings.org

Last Friday, September 23rd, was our first Fornax event of the semester! Paint Party was likely the inaugural event of the newly redesigned Altschul Atrium, so we thought it fitting to have some creative time in a creative space. So a little past 7 PM, I was joined by some of my lovely stars, and we got painting right away. Each student was given a canvas strip; one side was to express themselves freely (poetry, quotes, patterns, abstraction, etcetera), and the other side was to have each artist's name and room number.

These strips will be hung around the eight floor hallway like a banner, and the idea is that passersby will notice a piece that they like, find out who the artist is, and seek them out for a conversation! A collective project for a collective effect.





Welcome to the your first first day of college, Fornax! It makes little sense to me how it could be so dreary out today when it was beautiful yesterday, but alas, the ways of Mother Nature are a mystery. Thankfully, though, Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day, which made our Barnard Loves NY trip quite fantastic!

(Yes, I did sleep on the floor in my sleeping bag last night because there was too much stuff on my bed.) A friendly suggestion as y'all are getting ready to move in: PACK LIGHT. I moved into Barnard with two suitcases that had everything I needed including all my clothes, shoes and bedding. Now, as I am entering my final year, I have three large suitcases of clothes, one large suitcase of shoes, two boxes of books, one HUGE box of kitchenware, a bike, a sleeping bag, TONS of artwork and posters, a couple of lamps, and goodness knows what else... Going through college, it's almost impossible not to accumulate things, and packing and unpacking from year to year will get increasingly more difficult and tiring. So spare yourself the madness, at least for your first move, and pack only the bare necessities. If you find out you're missing something, during NSOP week you will have the chance to board a shuttle bus from campus to Bed, Bath and Beyond and back to get that extra something that will make your room perfect.

Labels: tips

Fornax may be the designated name of our Constellation, but it has a long and interesting history that goes all the way back to the Ancient Romans!


Constellation Fornax, welcome to Barnard! My name is Sevan Gatsby, and I am one of the Constellation Leaders of this year's inaugural program. I cannot wait to meet you all and get to know each of you better in the upcoming weeks and semester. In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please don't hesitate to post them as comments so everyone can benefit from the discussion. But if you'd prefer, I am just as happy to communicate via email.


I hope that you all are enjoying the last days of summer! Cheers!

This post come from a guest blogger, Jodie Chiang!

There are worse things than spending an hour learning about the18th century London elite and their scandalous lives. Especially when you’re receiving the information via very British men in bow ties. At the (very much free) College Night at the Frick, my friends and I wandered about the museum, taking in the enormous collection of artworks at our leisure. Highlights of the evening included apple juice and teddy grahams, hipster art students, awkward swing dancing to anachronistic 60s music, and of course, the absolutely gorgeous paintings and sculptures. Every 15 minutes, there was a lecture in one of the beautiful rooms of the Frick Manor. In the dining room, one of the aforementioned British men in bow ties pointed out the secretly judgmental looks of the ladies in Gainsborough painting of The Mall in St. James’s Park. In another, we learned about the challenge master artists accepted to interpret the Greek myth of Nessus and Deianira. Every few minutes or so, we’d wander back to fountain at the center of the manor for more graham goodness. Not too shabby for a night out. Oh, and did I mention? We got free posters, too.

photo via// www.wikipaintings.org

Last Friday, September 23rd, was our first Fornax event of the semester! Paint Party was likely the inaugural event of the newly redesigned Altschul Atrium, so we thought it fitting to have some creative time in a creative space. So a little past 7 PM, I was joined by some of my lovely stars, and we got painting right away. Each student was given a canvas strip; one side was to express themselves freely (poetry, quotes, patterns, abstraction, etcetera), and the other side was to have each artist's name and room number.

These strips will be hung around the eight floor hallway like a banner, and the idea is that passersby will notice a piece that they like, find out who the artist is, and seek them out for a conversation! A collective project for a collective effect.





Welcome to the your first first day of college, Fornax! It makes little sense to me how it could be so dreary out today when it was beautiful yesterday, but alas, the ways of Mother Nature are a mystery. Thankfully, though, Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day, which made our Barnard Loves NY trip quite fantastic!

(Yes, I did sleep on the floor in my sleeping bag last night because there was too much stuff on my bed.) A friendly suggestion as y'all are getting ready to move in: PACK LIGHT. I moved into Barnard with two suitcases that had everything I needed including all my clothes, shoes and bedding. Now, as I am entering my final year, I have three large suitcases of clothes, one large suitcase of shoes, two boxes of books, one HUGE box of kitchenware, a bike, a sleeping bag, TONS of artwork and posters, a couple of lamps, and goodness knows what else... Going through college, it's almost impossible not to accumulate things, and packing and unpacking from year to year will get increasingly more difficult and tiring. So spare yourself the madness, at least for your first move, and pack only the bare necessities. If you find out you're missing something, during NSOP week you will have the chance to board a shuttle bus from campus to Bed, Bath and Beyond and back to get that extra something that will make your room perfect.

Labels: tips

Fornax may be the designated name of our Constellation, but it has a long and interesting history that goes all the way back to the Ancient Romans!


Constellation Fornax, welcome to Barnard! My name is Sevan Gatsby, and I am one of the Constellation Leaders of this year's inaugural program. I cannot wait to meet you all and get to know each of you better in the upcoming weeks and semester. In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please don't hesitate to post them as comments so everyone can benefit from the discussion. But if you'd prefer, I am just as happy to communicate via email.


I hope that you all are enjoying the last days of summer! Cheers!

Congratulations Class of 2015! You're part of a special inaugural program that allows incoming students to look within and beyond the Barnard community in unique and meaningful ways. Students who participate will develop a sense of self-identity that is guided by this exceptional college and this dynamic city. As part of Constellation FORNAX, you can use your internal flame to guide you through this new journey!

Fornax (“The Furnace”; meaning: furnace, oven [a chemical furnace in particular]; symbol: brazier; pronounced “FOR-naks”)

Hailing from a small town no one has ever heard of in Southern California, Sevan Gatsby is a Senior majoring in Architecture and Spanish and Latin American Cultures. She enjoys hosting dinner parties, designing publications, and learning languages. One of her favorite activities is bike riding on the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, but when the weather gets foul, she gets her exercise by exploring museums. She is an active member of Orchesis: a dance group, and has also enjoyed being a part of the McIntosh Activities Council and the New Student Orientation Program. She also does freelance graphic design for several campus organizations. After spending a semester in Madrid, she hopes to spend at least a year wandering the world and meeting new characters.

barnard constellations website.
fornax facebook group.
barnard first year blog.
barnard student life.
first year focus.


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