Overview
Drew's campus offers tranquility and intellectual excitement. Its location in the New York metropolitan area offers almost unlimited intellectual, cultural, and social resources. Formally, students express their interests through the Graduate Student Association, which is chaired by an elected convener and has as representatives members of each major Caspersen School area, plus at-large elected representatives. Additionally, students hold membership on virtually every Caspersen School and many University committees.
The interdisciplinary character of the Caspersen School carries over into the life of the community. Students have common intellectual ground, and proximity enables them to maintain a society of conviviality and mutual interest, which extends to members of the faculty. Caspersen School students in all disciplines know each other socially, with intellectual exchange as the basis of campus life.
The Caspersen School does not offer a highly organized program of social life, but there are planned occasions when students and spouses get together. Separate areas hold parties, colloquia, and discussion forums throughout the year. Because so many Caspersen School faculty and students live either on campus or close by, many occasions for shared meals and discussions happen on a less formal basis at faculty and student homes.
Finally, Caspersen School students are invited to participate fully in the broader life of the University. The Drew calendar annually includes nearly 400 events open to students and the public, including social affairs, concerts, movies, plays, athletic events, chapel services, and lectures.
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Lectures, Colloquia, and Seminars
All students are expected to attend Caspersen School lectures and seminars as part of the graduate program.
Lectures
- Special lectures.
- University lectures, presented by a member of the University faculty or by visiting faculty.
- Public lecture series.
Seminars
- Subjects related to the special lectures listed above.
- Faculty colloquia, conducted by various members of the Caspersen School faculty and others.
- Graduate seminars in particular departments.
Public Lectures and Symposia
Each year the Caspersen School sponsors lectures open to the general community on themes of academic interest.
Arlo Ayres Brown Graduate Lectureship. A series endowed in memory of the sixth president of Drew University, who served from 1929 to 1948. A scholar of major renown is invited to deliver lectures that may subsequently be published. Past Brown lecturers include Fr. Owen Carroll, Edmund Pellegrino, Fr. Louis Bouyer, William J. Buckley, Sui Gang, James White, Alan Binkley, and Diane B. Obenchain.
William C. Campbell Colloquium. The Caspersen School sponsors the William C. Campbell Colloquium in Science and Culture. This colloquium was endowed by William C. Campbell, of the Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research, out of his concern to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities. Dr. Campbell is a member of the Caspersen School faculty.
Graduate Student Conference. Each year graduate students organize at least one conference for graduate students from across the country. Recent topics have included, "Revenge, Vengeance, and Divine Retribution," "Utopias," "The Inklings," "Eugenics," "Willa Cather's New York," "Shakespeare in Performance," " Ireland and America," and "Book History: The Next Generation."
Abraham Lincoln Symposium. This one-day event is held each February and focuses on topics related to the 16th president of the United States. Recent symposia have had "Lincoln and Washington"; "Lincoln and Women"; and "Lincoln and African-Americans" as subjects.
Visiting Professors. From time to time the Caspersen School faculty are complemented by the presence of visiting professors from various parts of the world. Among those who have served in this capacity are, Christine Kinealy, Ralph Berry, Neil Alexander, James White, Fr. Owen Carroll, Fr. Louis Bouyer, Russell Richey, Jean Miller Schmidt, Steven O'Malley, Tim Macquiban, and Manfred Marquardt.
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Campus Housing
Graduate students are housed in several apartment complexes and houses on or bordering the campus.
On-campus housing is available to graduate students at a cost less than that of comparable accommodations in the Madison area.
All apartment and residence hall applications are made to the Housing Office.
Campus housing is reserved for full-time students. The University reserves the right to limit the length of occupancy to five years.
Incoming students receive priority in housing assignments. Married students or single parents are generally assigned to one-bedroom apartments in either Wendel or Tipple Halls. For families with two or more children (families of four or more), some two- and three-bedroom apartments are available. The University cannot guarantee the availability of such accommodations.
Family housing on campus is limited to members of the immediate family only (couples, couples with children, single parents). Relatives of students may stay on campus no more than 72 hours. Campus apartments have bathrooms and kitchenettes; most have a living room and one bedroom; a few have two bedrooms. Please note that all on-campus apartments are unfurnished. Additionally, residents provide their own kitchen utensils, dishes, silverware, rugs, lamps, bed linens, blankets, towels, curtains, and other incidental furnishings.
Single-student housing is furnished with a single bed (35" x 80" mattress), dresser, desk, lighted carrel, and desk chair for each single student. Common areas for these residences are furnished with a dining table and chairs and lounge furniture.
Coin-operated laundry facilities are available in the basements of each apartment building. Water, gas, and electricity are provided by the University. Heavy appliances such as freezers and portable washers and dryers may not be installed.
Occupancy begins on the fall date noted in the Academic Calendar of this catalog and terminates on May 31 for single-student housing and on June 30 for family housing. Apartment rentals are available during the summer to continuing enrolled students who make appropriate arrangements with the Housing Office.
No pets are permitted in any residence hall or apartment.
The University is not responsible for the property of students living in residence halls or apartments or for property placed in the storage rooms of residence halls or apartments.
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Recreation
Drew's athletic fields, tennis courts, and indoor recreational and athletic facilities are available for use by all students, faculty, administrators, and staff when the facilities are not otherwise scheduled. This includes the Simon Forum and Athletic Center with its eight-lane swimming pool, six-lane 200-meter indoor track, racquetball courts, free weight and machine-weight exercise rooms, dance studio, performance basketball court, four multisport indoor courts, synthetic-surfaced indoor practice area for field sports, and a forum seating 3,800 for special events.
The center is the premier facility of its kind in northern New Jersey and complements Drew's outdoor stadium with its synthetic playing field and tennis center with eight lighted courts and spectators' gazebo. The campus itself and the Drew forest preserve are ideal places to jog or hike.
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Religious Life
Because the Drew community is religiously diverse, religious activities are frequent and varied to meet the needs and interests of the faiths represented on campus. The university chaplain, along with campus ministers and religious advisers, oversee a variety of worship experiences and encourage personal faith development.
Interfaith chapel services offer an opportunity to participate in worship celebrations that bring people of differing perspectives together. The Religious Life Council is an interfaith body that includes students, faculty, and campus ministers from several religious organizations. The council provides an opportunity for people to get to know each other and discuss common concerns.
The following worship, study, service, and fellowship opportunities are available through the chaplain's office: Hillel, the Catholic Student Association, Spirituality and Social Justice Group, Habitat for Humanity, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Muslim Gathering, Quaker Gathering, Pan-African Spirituality Group, Canterbury Club, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship.
Guidance and oversight of religious life on campus is the responsibility of the Office of the University Chaplain. The chaplain seeks to educate through spiritual leadership, community service opportunities, and cooperative work with deans. The chaplain's office is located in the President's House annex.
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