Lesser-Known Perks of Bard LLI Membership
by Felice Gelman
Introduction
You probably joined Bard LLI for its wide variety of courses and the unique opportunity to meet accomplished and interesting people in your age group. Because Bard LLI is part of the Bard College community, there’s a lot more on offer. Did you know…?
Possible Discounts
A Student ID: The Bard Student ID card, which you can receive at the ID Department in the Buildings and Grounds building, identifies you as a Bard student—leading to discounts for some Bard activities as well as student discounts at outside organizations like museums, galleries, and more. If you haven’t already gotten your Bard Student ID card, you can visit the ID Department Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. or from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Discounted Fisher Center tickets: Your LLI membership makes you eligible for a 20% discount on Bard Fisher Center tickets for SOME performances. If you buy your tickets at the box office, bring your student ID card. If you are ordering over the phone, identify yourself as a Bard LLI member and ask if the discount is offered for the tickets you are purchasing. The Fisher Center Box Office (845-758-7900) has a list of current LLI members. You can also sign up for Fisher Center concert email announcements by going to Fisher Center at Bard and scrolling to the bottom of the page. However, you cannot receive the discount for online ticket purchases, and you are not eligible for the $5 tickets offered to enrolled Bard students.
Using Bard Facilities
Stevenson Library: Bring your Bard student ID card to use the Stevenson Library on campus. If you become a Friend of the Stevenson Library, you will receive a library card with borrowing privileges.
Stevenson Athletic Center: As a member of the Bard community, you can purchase a membership that provides access to the swimming pool and squash courts. The membership also lets you use the cardio and weight rooms during the morning hours. You can download an application to join the Athletic Center here. Once you have registered with the Athletic Center, you can reserve swim and squash times online.
Attending Bard Events
Bard has an incredibly rich calendar of free lectures, movies, and concerts that are open to Bard LLI members. They are not all well publicized. You can learn about some of them in the LLI Newsletter column Highlights of the Bard Calendar. You can check out the bulletin boards in Olin where many events are posted. You can watch the Bard newsroom calendar here. And you can follow the calendars of the various Bard departments.
Bard Conservatory
Bard Center for the Study of Hate
Bard Center for Human Rights and the Arts
Hannah Arendt Center
Bard Center for Civic Engagement
Food and Transportation
Bard shuttle bus: Your Bard Student ID lets you use the Bard Shuttle Bus, which travels on a regular schedule between Bard and both Tivoli and Red Hook. The ID also provides you with free transportation on the Dutchess Route C buses, which run from Tivoli to Poughkeepsie. Schedules are here.
Food on Campus: You can visit Kline Commons near Olin or the Down the Road Cafe in the Bertelsmann Campus Center to purchase meals. On Fridays during the LLI semesters, the LLI Hospitality Committee offers tea, coffee, small pastries, and friendly conversation for LLI members on the third floor of Olin.
Bard Farmstand: From the beginning of June until mid-October, the Bard Farmstand is open every Thursday from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Library Road. Seasonal offerings of student-grown herbs, flowers, vegetables, maple syrup, and more at very reasonable prices. If you sign up for the weekly newsletter, farm manager Rebecca Yoshino will let you know what’s available and delight you with her thoughtful musings on nature, humans, the weather, and more. Sign up here.
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Check out the Bard Lifetime Learning Institute website for more news about Bard LLI, access to past newsletters, resources for tech help, and a calendar of upcoming events. It is a wonderful way to get a better sense of the vibrant learning community of older learners you are a part of. Please remember that we are guests of Bard College and are asked to follow LLI guidelines, as well as those of the college, as we enjoy the privileges of being on campus.
