All News

While most students were studying for exams as the semester came to a close, members of Hamilton Microfinance (HMF) were finalizing their third loan. Building off the momentum from October’s Great Pumpkin Challenge Fundraiser – which raised more than $1000 toward providing small business loans to local entrepreneurs – Hamilton’s micro-lenders identified several potential loan applicants, moving one step closer to achieving their strategic goal of issuing a loan by the end of the semester.

Following a 5th place finish at the Colgate Classic in the beginning of November, the Hamilton College Mock Trial Team finished 7-0-1 at the University of Rochester’s Yellowjacket Invitational, taking home a first place trophy for the first time this season.

Eight students from Hamilton’s microfinance organization attended Lend for America’s 6th Annual Summit at the University of California, Berkeley, on Nov. 15 and 16.

More than 160 students geared up for some fierce competition on Nov. 15 as Hamilton Association for Volunteering Outreach and Charity (HAVOC) hosted its 13th Annual Dodgeball Tournament. The event raised more than $775 for Hamilton’s first Team IMPACT player, Sophia Johnson.

Every year around late October or early November, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe gather to celebrate the festival of lights known as Diwali. Diwali signifies the spiritual victory of good versus evil, knowledge versus ignorance, and light versus darkness. Hamilton’s Asian Cultural Society (ACS) hosts Diwali each year and this year celebrated with an interactive DIY Rangoli.

Hamilton’s Sidekicks Program celebrated its third year anniversary on Oct. 21 with its Welcome Pizza Party. This year, 55 Hamilton College students were matched with 55 Clinton Elementary School students, ranging from first to sixth grade. With 18 pizzas and 10 bottles of soda on hand, students anticipated an enjoyable evening.

Students in Hamilton’s International Students Association (ISA) traveled to New York City on March 18. The trip included visits to the United Nations Headquarters and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Holi, an Indian festival of colors, was celebrated for the first time at Hamilton on May 4.  It marks the beginning of spring, commemorates various Hindu traditions and is time of disregarding social norms and indulging in general fun with family and friends. The throwing of colored powder transcends all barriers of discrimination so that everyone looks the same and universal unity is reaffirmed.

In a country as vast and multicultural as the United States, it’s difficult to pin down what exactly constitutes an American identity. Do self-indentifying “Americans” have specific traits that they all hold in common, and if not, what unites them under the red, white and blue flag? A panel of Hamilton community members discussed this complex question during the panel  “What Does It Mean to Be American?” presented by La Vanguardia.

Members of the Philanthropy Committee (HamGive) took part in the Intergenerational Spring Clean Up sponsored by Oneida County on April 20.  Committee members who took part included Brian Sobotko ’16, Kevin Welsh ’15, Ryan Ong ’16, Suzanne Jacobson ’15, Zoe Lynch ’15, and Jose Vazquez ’15. They cleaned the yard of a homeowner in Clinton.