Getting Involved
Annual Events
Manhattan University is bursting at the seams with things to do and experience on campus and beyond.
Below are just some of the major events and activities that we host each year. Check out our calendar of events to see what else is happening on campus or to find specific dates.
The entire campus is invited to participate in the Manhattan University Day of Service where students, faculty and staff give back to our local community by working on volunteer projects for organizations throughout the Bronx. Past projects have included cleaning up Van Cortlandt Park, packing and distributing food through City Harvest and serving seniors at the Serviam Gardens housing community.
Mom, Dad and the rest of the family are invited to campus for Family Weekend! Held in September, Family Weekend is three fun-filled days featuring activities throughout campus, a New York Yankees game and a special Mass held in the Chapel on campus.
The classic Christmas tradition of Lessons and Carols is held in early December in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. Arrive early to get a good seat because the Chapel is always filled to capacity for this cherished service which features scripture readings, holiday classics performed by the orchestra and hymns and carols sung by the choral singers. A Festival of Lessons and Carols ends with a beautiful candlelit prayer that illuminates the Chapel.
All graduating seniors are invited to attend the Graduation Fair. During the fair, seniors can take senior portraits, pick up caps and gowns, buy class rings, make a donation to support the class gift, and sign up for Senior Week packages.
Held in the spring semester, Jasper Day of Wellness (JDW) is a full-day of fun centered around your mental and physical health. With no classes scheduled that day, the entire Manhattan University community can participate in activities from fitness classes, playing with puppies, wellness walks, community clean-ups, dance lessons, cooking classes, and more!
Celebrate the Christmas season and the end of the semester with a formal dinner-dance. Held at an off-campus location, Jasper Jingle is a perfect way celebrate the holidays, bond with your friends and enjoy a night out before finals start.
Various academic departments host guest speakers and special lectures on a variety of topics throughout the school year. There are a number of annual lectures, particularly in the School of Liberal Arts, that present different perspectives about a specific theme or topic. Additionally, the Office of Career Pathways hosts career panels where professionals, often Jasper alumni, come speak to students about a certain industry or career track.
Open to all students, Latinx Fest caps off Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrates Latino culture with great food, music and dancing. The Great Room of the Student Commons is transformed into a Latin flavored dance party complete with a DJ and streaming lights.
The Jaspers basketball season kicks off with Manhattan Madness, a late-night pep rally that feels like a party! Draddy Gym is packed as the student body, also known as the 6th Borough, cheers on the men's and women's basketball teams while the cheerleaders, dance team and pep band all perform to pump up the crowd.
April is designated as Mission Month when we highlight the hallmarks of our Lasallian heritage that inspire our mission. More than 100 events that are related to our Lasallian mission are highlighted and promoted to the campus community.
Bring a blanket and cozy up on the Quad with several hundred of your closest friends to watch a movie under the stars! This event happens on Friday nights during the fall semester in August and September. The films shown are new releases that are still playing in theaters.
The Student Engagement Office organizes trips to major events in New York City throughout the year. Better yet, the tickets are typically discounted from what you'd pay at the box office. Events often include Broadway shows and professional sports featuring the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Jets.
New York City is your backyard! To help you take a bite out of the Big Apple, the Residence Life Office organizes regular excursions into the city. A guided trip to major attractions and landmarks in the world’s most famous city departs every Saturday at noon. No sign-up is required ahead of time, just show up and plan on having fun!
The week leading up to graduation is one of the most memorable for our graduating class. Senior Week includes the Senior Formal, an outdoor party at Gaelic Park, Spring Honors Convocation and tickets to an event off campus. Past events have included a Yankees or Mets game, cosmic bowling, and a boat cruise around the New York Harbor.
A student favorite, the Spring Concert is one of the biggest and most memorable events on campus. Nearly the entire student body attends this day full of fun which includes a concert in Draddy Gym as well as a barbecue and a carnival on the Quad. Past performers include the All-American Rejects, T-Pain and Tiesto.
Held at the end of spring semester, the Spring Fling is a formal dinner-dance held on a chartered yacht that sails around New York harbor. Enjoy the glamour of New York City sights, including the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, while dancing the night away.
March in the world's largest St. Patrick's Day Parade! All Manhattan University students are invited to march in the parade alongside the Manhattan University Gaelic Society and the Pipes and Drums band. It's a great opportunity to show your Jasper pride as you march up famed Fifth Avenue past millions of spectators and New York City landmarks including St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and Rockefeller Center.
Join a club and discover all the ways you can get involved on campus during the semi-annual Student Engagement and Volunteer Fair. This event is held at the beginning of each spring and fall semester. All of the student clubs and organizations set up information tables to recruit new members and answer questions.
Each fall, the Student Engagement Office organizes a lecture series that brings big names to campus. Past lecturers have included Olympian Nastia Liukin, media mogul Bethenny Frankel and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.
The senior class marks the 50-day countdown to graduation and celebrates students who donated to the senior class gift with the annual 50 Days Party. This event features a DJ and dancing, a senior class toast, giveaways, and of course, an opportunity to celebrate your senior year.
Service & Community-Based Learning
At Manhattan University, service isn't just an extracurricular activity. We also incorporate service into the classroom to provide our students, and our local community, a more meaningful experience.
What is community-based learning?
Community-based learning (also known as service learning) is a way of teaching that incorporates meaningful community engagement within an academic course. Our faculty and students work with a local non-profit partner to respond to a specific community need in way that provides an intellectually engaging experience. By participating in a community-based learning course, you will reflect on service in a deep and meaningful way that will give you perspective to more fully understand your role in the community and in society at large.
Community-based learning at Manhattan University
As our fields of study are diverse, so are the community-based learning courses offered on our campus. Some important components include the following:
- The service is in response to a community-defined need. This may mean placement at the service location (such as tutoring, serving needy populations, or mentoring at-risk youth), or project-based work (such as small business consulting, assistance with grant writing, or creation of advocacy materials).
- The service is to be integral to course learning goals, allowing for deeper understanding of the course content through experiential learning. Course credit is earned not by service alone, but by the learning process gained through service.
- Students critically reflect on their experience through some combination of written course assignments and discussion of the experience and how it relates to the coursework.
Example Courses
The following are a selection of community-based learning courses and projects:
- Urban America and Catholic Social Teaching (RELS 205): taught by Lois Harr; students work with various partners in the Bronx community.
- Environmental Politics (GOVT 233): taught by Pamela Chasek; students prepare a report for The Nature Conservancy.
- Criminal Justice Ethics (RELS 399): taught by Andrew Skotnicki; students work with inmates at Riker’s Island.
Practicing Empowerment (SOC 319): taught by Margaret Groarke; students work with Northwest Bronx Coalition.
More Information
Visit the Inside Manhattan website for more information about community-based learning, including resources for faculty.
Justice-Immersion Program: LOVE
As Manhattan University's social justice immersion program, LOVE trips (Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience) provide opportunities for students to learn about Catholic Social Teaching and social justice issues in the communities that are most impacted by them. These trips allow our students and moderators to concretely engaged in the Lasallian core principle of Respect for the Poor and Social Justice.
LOVE TRIPS are founded on five pillars:
Each LOVE trip focuses in on relevant social justice issues going on in the community the group is visiting. The social justice issue areas that our experiences explore include:
- Adult Education/Literacy
- Civil Rights/Human Rights
- Education
- Environmental Justice/Sustainability
- Economic Development
- Farmworker Justice & Fair Trade
- Food Access/Security
- Gender & Sexuality
- Homelessness & Affordable Housing
- Immigration/Migration/Citizenship
- Indigenous Peoples
- Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
- Public Health/Individual & Community Health
- Technology Access/Computer Literacy
- Racial Justice
- Restorative Justice
- Urban Poverty
- Women & Children
LOVE trips give you the opportunity to learn about the local culture by experiencing it firsthand. As a participant, you will live and work alongside members of the community, hearing the stories of local community partners who are working to create change in their communities. You will learn about the challenges the community faces and gain new perspectives on current events. You will eat local cuisine, partake in traditional customs and be encouraged to step outside of your comfort zone.
Meeting Jaspers from different parts of campus is one of the best parts of our LOVE trips. During weekly meetings and fundraising events, students build relationships with their peers on the team, student leader and advisor. Students foster an inclusive community where all team members feel welcome, included and comfortable discussing and sharing their insights and experiences. The friendships developed through LOVE trips are truly unique, and tend to last throughout university and beyond!
Although they are based on the responsibilities of Catholic Social Teaching, students of any spiritual or religious background (or none) are welcome to participate in LOVE trips. Leading up to and on their experience, students will engage in group reflection to help process their experiences in the context of social justice and Lasallian values. Students are introduced to the Lasallian charism and are encouraged to explore their spirituality from the context of their own faith tradition.
Throughout the trip, students are encouraged to lean into the experience fully through practicing simple living. Students forgo technology (cell phones, large cameras) to spend time in quiet reflection and self-discovery. Participants pack concisely and stay in simple accommodations on their trips to gain a better understanding of the experience of those who live in the communities they visit. Students are asked to be conscious of their actions and impact in the community as well as taking photographs in an ethical and appropriate way.
Video: Let LOVE Come Alive
Learn more about LOVE at Manhattan University from students who have had life-changing experiences participating in the program.