For my first enrichment activity I attended an exhibition at Baruch’s very own Sidney Mishkin Gallery. The exhibition was about science and medicine depicted by means of photographs, paintings and videos. What I took from the exhibition, in terms of academics, is that science and art do not mix…ever. The whole experience at the gallery was sincerely somewhat trippy. It was so abstract and surreal that I honestly couldn’t find the purpose behind the work the artist portrayed. I usually consider myself an appreciator of the fine arts like literature, music, and (by my standards) “normal” painting but I quickly learned that in this case an exception needed to be made. If it weren’t for the sympathetic lady working at the gallery (who I assume saw my weirded out and confounded look) explaining some of the work to me I would’ve never assumed the art work hanging in the gallery was primarily scientific with depictions of medicine in the olden days. As far as I know all I saw was paintings of colors and lines sprinkled here and there and some photographs of old skulls. Still having gone to the exhibition I realized that every person has their own unique depiction of the world whether you understand it or not it’s very much appreciated when you take the time to step into their perspective.

With high expectations, I quickly entered and awaited the beginning of the Battle of Lexington at Baruch’s gym. While waiting for the game to begin, the energy from the Bearcat fans opposite of me was felt everywhere. The continuous cheers and energetic chants from the fans, rapidly made me feel enthusiastic about the game beginning and, hopeful for a victory. And just as quickly the game began; Baruch’s women’s basketball team got ahold of the ball and swiftly went in for a shot. Unfortunately, Baruch’s team missed and struggled for majority of the game. I really did try to maintain a positive attitude and cheer our team on; but I felt as though Baruch had too many weak spots and wasn’t working well as a team. The opposing team, Brooklyn, on the other hand, seemed to be strongly working together, analyzing every pass and every shot taken. Although Brooklyn took home the victory, Baruch’s efforts were strong and I remain hopeful that they will continue their hard work and take back a victory.

As you can Probably tell, I spent my Tuesday night watching both our men’s and women’s basketball teams compete in the famous battle of lex derby vs Brooklyn instead of my usual netflix and Hw sessions. Having left America for 4 years i had missed the ambiance of a basketball game and couldn’t waitto get back into it, the music, the shirts, the Mascot and best of all the Super Hyped up Fans. The Girl’s game was the one i had watched in entirety, the crowd was cheering, we were at home and the players looked ready, but the result was a surprise blowout by visiting Brooklyn. Even though the game was pretty choppy at first, Brooklyn took over and ran away with it. Even though we were being bested and the final buzzer came closer the fans were still cheering with a passion. It was really nice to see this sort of school spirit when the team was down. In the end it was a fun night, that I wouldn’t mind experiencing again.

-Moctar Diarra

I came into the gym with high hopes for the Baruch women’s basketball team on Thursday. I had never seen them play before. In fact, I have never seen a basketball game live in my entire life and have only seen one complete game on television. Therefore, I was especially curious to see how the game would progress. To my disappointment, our team was not doing well and ended up losing. The spectators on our side of the gym were not very enthusiastic or supportive. There was a lack of energy in the air. I hope that a future game will be more exciting and will bring a victory for the Bearcat team. Furthermore, I will not allow this fluke to dampen my passionate school spirit. I look forward to participating in a dazzling array of future school activities, including sporting events, extra curricular clubs, and a health and wellness event. GO BARUCH!!!

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On Friday I went to the Rubin Museum. The Rubin is smaller than a lot of the other museums in the city – I like that about it; it is much more manageable than some of the larger ones. It is also, for me a nicer atmosphere; there are fewer people, it is dimly lit and offers a very calm ambiance. The museum is currently featuring exhibits on Himalayan art, specifically Hindu and Buddhist iconography. There are four floors of open exhibits, featuring (mainly small) sculptures and painted tapestries. I was very interested to see their display that illustrated one of the processes used for creating the figurines. They also had an example showing each of the steps to create the painted tapestries. It was captivating to see the diagrams and guides that the artist used to create the painting’s subject in mathematical proportions and details that were specifically dictated by the religious doctrines. My favorite part of the exhibit was the Shrine Room on the fourth floor. It was a small space set up to mimic Buddhist shrines and meditation rooms. There was little lighting, except for the flicker of the (artificial) candles, representing the offering votives used in the temples. There was also the faintest scent of incense, and a quiet soundtrack of (I assume monks) chanting. I sat there peacefully for several minutes & even had the space to myself for most of that time. Overall, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon & I highly recommend the Rubin Museum.

I attended Baruch’s study abroad fair on September 17th in the gymnasium. The even was held from 12:00pm to 2:30pm. It was very interesting to see all the opportunities available to us all over the world. There were many schools at this fair sharing with us the various locations and programs that they offer. There were several booths set up in the gym and I went from booth to booth learning about everything they had to offer. It was very interesting because it was not only CUNY schools at this study abroad fair. There were many SUNY schools as well as other large institutions that Baruch has partnerships with so that we can study abroad through their programs as well. Whats great about the diversity of programs is that you will really find a program that fits you and is going to be the most beneficial to your personal and academic career. Another great feature was the prospective students that were standing around ready to share their stories and experiences. Overall the study abroad fair helped me gain interest in something that I never thought about in the past. I am excited to work towards going on my own study abroad program in the next two years.

The music was loud, the gym was filled with people and the place was buzzing with energy.This was how ”Candy land” looked like.I went to my first event in Baruch on 02/04/16,” The Winter Carnival-Candyland” in the gym.The place was filled with attractions and enthusiastic peers.There were stalls giving different types of candies,candyfloss and popcorn(I ate everything!!).There were many games for people who wished to bounce , jump, climb and fall.Caricature Artists were also present but the line was very long.There was also a smoothie counter which gave different flavored smoothies like banana strawberry,etc(the taste was weird).Lots of people from different clubs were also present to convince people to join their clubs.There was also a photographer who was clicking group photos.It was a great chance to interact with our peers and enjoy with our friends.But I just wished there were more caricature artists, so the line won’t have been so long(I have heard they were very good!!)and more games to play which didn’t only involve jumping,climbing,etc.But in all I enjoyed my first event in Baruch,”CANDYLAND”.

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The ball soared out of her hand, gliding towards the basket; it seemed destined to sink through the net and produce the satisfying “swish” that all fan fans of the game love to hear. Instead, all we heard was the clunk of the ball hitting the back of the rim as the Baruch girls’s basketball team missed their first shot of the game. It did not get much better from then on as the Bearcats continued to struggle, and never really looked involved in the game. The atmosphere was quite negative on my side of the bleachers, as it felt like most of the fans were rooting for Brooklyn College because they were at least making baskets. On the other side of the court were the true fans; the ones that came in a variety of outfits and sang chants to try an d rally our school on. Overall, the game was less than exciting as both teams seemed to be having rather tough nights. It was obvious, despite Baruch’s minor runs, that Brooklyn College was bound to win the Battle of Lex. We ended up losing 63-47, in a game that did nothing but bring down my previously low school spirit. I will probably not go to another Baruch basketball game as the whole attitude of the home crowd was very un-energetic, and made it quite boring. Only if there was a game which promised an exciting atmosphere would I go again. GO STUDENT LIFE!!!!

Baruch’s team got off to a really slow start, down 13-4. However, our team really gained momentum coming within 2 to make it 20-18. Regardless, the slow start proved to be much as Brooklyn pulled away to make it 33-21 at halftime. There was not as many people as I thought there would be but when Baruch was playing well I couldn’t tell because the crowd was really loud and into it. It was very impressive to see all the work that went into this game; from the small group that sang in the beginning, to the refs and even the announcer it just seemed like a job well done. I’m generally not a fan of Basketball, even the NBA, but this game didn’t drag along at all. Maybe it was being there with a group of people or the close-knit feel of the stands, but time went by pretty quickly. This game in particular wasn’t the most exciting but it definitely had several good moments.It was mostly enjoyable and i would at least consider doing it again.