Past Events
Check out all of the great past events sponsored by TGIF!
Mind in Control
Thursday, November 17 2011
“Diwali Lights”
Saturday, October 29, 2011
7:00pm – 10:00pm
the Good Idea Fund sponsored the cultural celebration of Diwali! Approximately 400 students attended this program in the Great Court of the Main Building. The Diwali program was extensive as it included a Rangoli competition, Diwali Pooja, live vocal and dance performances, and indo-fusion fashion show, as well as a three-course meal of Indian cuisine.
“Staging Hope: Voices of Uganda”
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Philadelphia native, activist, and actress Melissa Fitzgerald (West Wing) told her story of doing theatre with the local population in Uganda. Her work is chronicled in the documentary film, Staging Hope, which tells the story of a cross-cultural collaboration between a group of American actors and 14 Ugandan teenagers (many former abducted child soldiers) as they work together on a theatre program in war-torn northern Uganda.
Six Drexel students worked with Melissa throughout the week leading up to the event, as they performed monologues as part of Melissa’s inspiring and powerful presentation. With over 60 attendees, this event was a wonderful start to the 2011-2012 academic year.
Disability Awareness Week:
"Meet Aimee Mullins"
April 8, 2011 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
the Good Idea Fund hosted Aimee Mullins, a world-renowned athlete, model, actor and educator, who was born without fibulae (shin bones) and had both of her legs amputated below the knee before she was two years old.
Mullins became the first woman with a "disability" to compete in NCAA Division I athletics, running for Georgetown University's nationally ranked team. She went on to set three world records at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. She recently became the new face of L'Oreal Paris, the largest beauty brand in the world, and pursues her acting career and philanthropic work from her home base in New York City. A reception and meet-and-greet with Mullins followed the event.
"The Kip Fulbeck Experience"
May 19, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.
the Good Idea Fund spsonsored "Race, Sex, & Tattoos: The Kip Fulbeck Experience" at the James E. Marks Intercultural Center.
Fulbeck, director and professor of arts at University of California, Santa Barbara, led a provocative MTV-style performance about "who we are and who tells our stories." He's photographed some of the world's biggest celebrities, performed spoken work throughout the world and has been featured on MTV, CNN and PBS. A meet and greet with Kip Fulbeck followed the presentation.
The “Kip Fulbeck Experience” continues to reveal its impact on campus as student artwork from the event is now on display on the lower level of the James E. Marks Intercultural Center.
CoAS Distinguished Lecture Series:
Sir Salman Rushdie
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 6 pM
the Good Idea Fund brought Sir Salman Rushdie to campus to deliver the inaugural lecture at the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecture Series.
Rushdie, considered among the most influential literary figures of our times, is author of more than 14 books, including the highly acclaimed novel Midnight’s Children, The Moor’s Last Sigh and most recently, Luka and the Fire of Life. In addition to winning the Booker Prize in 1981, Midnight’s Children was awarded the Booker of Booker Prizes in 1993, and in 2008, it was granted the Best of the Booker Prize in recognition of its status as the greatest novel among Booker Prize winners in the history of the award. In 2007, Rushdie was knighted in recognition of his contributions to literature.
"A View From the Top: Andrew Ross Sorkin"
April 5, 2011 from 6 to 7 pM
the Good Idea Fund hosted "A View From the Top: Andrew Ross Sorkin" in the Anthony J. Drexel Picture Gallery, Main Building,.
New York Times chief mergers and acquisitions reporter and columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin is a leading voice about Wall Street and corporate America. The founder and editor of DealBook, an online daily financial news service published by The Times, he also is an assistant editor of business and finance news, helping to guide and shape the paper's coverage. New York Magazine described him as "the most famous financial journalist of his generation." A book signing and reception followed the presentation in the Great Court.
Lupe Fiasco and Michael Eric Dyson:
"The Future of Hip-Hop"
December 2, 2010 from 6 to 9 p.m.
the Good Idea Fund presented "The Future of Hip-Hop" featuring Grammy award-winning hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco and Michael Eric Dyson, an acclaimed author and academic who was named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine.
The Drexel community was invited to join the guest speakers for an open discussion about the politics, ethics and unintended consequences of hip-hop’s mass consumption and production.
“Meet Judy Wicks”
May 20, 2011 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“The Spirit of Difference”
Positive Exposure, founded in 1997 by former fashion photographer Rick Guidotti and Dr. Diane McLean, is a highly innovative arts organization working with individuals living with genetic differences. Guidotti presented a wonderful interactive workshop for students which challenges the stigma associated with difference by celebrating the beauty of human diversity. For more information on Positive Exposure, visit www.positiveexposure.org.
Modular Housing for Disaster Struck Developing Countries
the Good Idea Fund awarded student, Charles Gibson, along with this team of engineers, with funds to develop a more effective way to implement housing after a disaster strikes.
Gibson and his team discussed using sustainable systems to create housing that will both improve the current standard of living while giving people housing that will also be able to withstand future disasters.
