COLLEGE NEWS

Erin E. Wattley of Vernon has been named to the dean's list at Fordham University for the 2014-15 academic year.

A mimimum grade of 3.6 is needed for this honor. Fordham will hold a ceremony and Mass on Sunday, Nov. 8, to commemorate all dean's list recipients.

Ashley Vernola of Vernon started her first year at Hofstra University by winning an essay contest and having lunch with Suzan-Lori Parks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Topdog/Underdog at the beginning of the fall semester.

Since 2011, first-year students at Hofstra University have been invited to take part in a "Common Reading" assignment. This year's selection was Parks' Topdog/Underdog, and students participated in discussions about the work while they were on campus for summer orientation. They were also encouraged to participate in an essay contest about the play.