Violet 100, NYU’s official spirit week, was held this year from Feb. 22, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2016. Allowing students across NYU’s global network to participate in a week’s worth of events, it was jointly hosted by the Student Senators Council (SSC), the Class Activities Board (CAB), LiveWellNYU, the Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC), NYU Program Board, and TEDxNYU. When asked about the significance of Violet 100, Chair of the SSC Michael Hengerer said: “This was NYU's 5th annual Violet 100 Spirit Week. I've been here now for 4 of those 5 spirit weeks, and I can say for certain that they have had a profound affect on the community. By observing the rise in popularity, recognition, and excitement for the spirit week, we can begin to see our community transform into one that values our collective identity as NYU, while still retaining the individuality which exists in our micro-communities. “ One of the major events of the week, the Global Service Initiative, is a “cross-site service effort” that allows students to get involved in community service opportunities hosted by several NYU campuses on the same day. This year’s Global Service Initiative was hosted on February 22nd as one of the first events of Violet 100. Several clubs and organizations from across the Washington Square and Brooklyn campuses came together to host several service events, including card-making for veterans hosted by the NYU College of Nursing, Computer Literacy Classes taught by the Poly Project at NYU Tandon, IMPACT WEEK 2016 hosted by the Stern Social Impact Council, and the Bring on the Books Drive. Service opportunities were also hosted on the same day at NYU’s sites in Accra, Buenos Aires, Prague, and Washington, D.C. Day 2 of Violet 100 saw the 18th annual “All-University Games”, an intramural athletic competition between NYU’s different schools, administration, and faculty teams. Held in New York at Chelsea Piers, teams competed for the first prize in several games such as basketball, volleyball, air hockey, limbo, and tug-of-war. School teams were formed by individual schools’ student councils, but the event was open to the entire university to watch the games and cheer. The event showcased every school’s individual spirit, as each team had their own color, mascot, and goodies to give away; students not participating in the games also proudly represented their school’s colors with shirts and face paint, while chanting team names and cheering for their school. Since it’s creation, this was the first All-U Games event where NYU Shanghai was also represented by a team. On Wednesday, February 24th, the NYU Program Board and Student Government worked together to hold a concert open exclusively to NYU students; this concert featured popular hip hop artist Future. On Thursday, February 25th, NYU’s IRHC hosted the 13th UltraViolet Live (UVL), an annual talent show competition between representatives of each NYU residence hall as well a representative for NYU Shanghai, NYU Abu Dhabi, and the commuter student population at NYU. Preliminary rounds were hosted in the Fall semester, and the final representatives competed for cash prizes at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s Ultraviolet Live was hosted by famous actress and NYU alumni Nikki Blonsky; judges were actresses Selenis Leyva, Katya, Mara Wilson, and Leslie Jones. TEDxNYU The Pitch: Spotlight was hosted on Friday, February 26th. This is an annual competition where students give a 5 minute pitch of their idea for a TEDx talk. Winners of this competition go on to speak at the TEDxNYU Conference, which will be hosted on April 30th, 2016. On Saturday, February 27th, NYU Student Government hosted the 27th Annual Violet Ball, hosted at the atrium of Bobst Library. A black tie optional event brought together students for a night of dancing and music, something Bobst is not usually used for. Light refreshments and drinks for guests of age were also provided. NYU Shanghai junior Jenny Chen who attended the Violet Ball believes the event was well organized, fun, and had a distinct NYU vibe. “The best part came from the contrast of dressing up and having fun in a place you go to on a daily basis but for an entirely different purpose. It was rare to see all the lights at Bobst turned off. The lower level study rooms were still open (the walls there are surprisingly sound proof and very effective), and I went down there to study for an hour before leaving the event,” Chen stated. Violet 100 came to a close with a Sunday Brunch, which was jointly hosted by the Class Activities Board (CAB), the 1831 Fund, and the Stern Legacy Fund. Students who attended the event joined their friends and peers for food and drink as well as mingling and celebrating NYU and its accomplishments.”It was so exciting to see students eager to get tickets to the Future Concert or the Violet Ball, and compete for their school's pride at the All-University games, as well as participate in all the other wonderful events during the week. While I'll be graduating in May, I look forward to seeing how the Violet 100 Spirit Week continues to positively affect the NYU community”, commented Hengerer. This article was written by Lathika Chandra Mouli. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: NYU