This will be one of the last articles I write for The Lamron, after writing almost every week for the past four years. I’ve written almost 100 articles, estimating around 80,000 total words. Not to mention that each article required countless hours of interviews and research.
Read MoreGeneseo pauses administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Geneseo secured doses of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine for students at Livingston County Department of Health clinics days before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State Department of Health paused administration of the vaccine.
Geneseo paused their administration of the J&J vaccine in accordance with this decision.
Before the decision was announced, SUNY was able to obtain 18,600 dosages of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be distributed across 34 SUNY campuses. These dosages would have been provided to residential students hoping to be vaccinated before returning home at the end of the semester.
Since the start of J&J administration, six inoculated women have reported blood clots.
With the discovery of potential health-related side effects arising in individuals who received the J&J vaccine, the administration of this vaccine has been paused across the country. SUNY thus paused their administration of the vaccine as well.
Megan Syfrett, principal student health administrator, addressed some of the concerns sparked by this decision in an interview via email.
"With J&J on pause, SUNY has had to pause the program, as well," Syfrett said. "We have always followed the guidance and recommendations from the CDC, NYS, and our local Livingston County Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will continue to do so."
Despite Geneseo's pause in providing vaccine doses, the college is continuing to encourage students to get vaccinated. Chancellor of the State University of New York Jim Malatras released a statement regarding the pause in J&J administration and SUNY's response to this announcement.
"We are working with New York State to locate and receive alternative COVID-19 vaccines for our students," Malatras said in his statement. "We urge all students with appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their campus or vaccination site because alternatives have already been found in some instances."
Malatras additionally requested that any student experiencing headache, abdominal pain, pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of receiving a dosage of the J&J vaccine should notify their campus or health provider. Malatras assured the SUNY community to continue to inform campuses as the situation with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine evolves.
Geneseo is not currently providing any clinics beyond the now-cancelled J&J vaccinations. However, the college hopes that individuals will be able to obtain dosages of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine until there are more accessible options available through the college and SUNY community.
"SUNY Geneseo continues to urge students to get vaccinated," Syfrett said. "We have shared information regarding local vaccine clinics and pharmacies where students can obtain the vaccine, such as Walmart, Wegmans, Walgreens and the Livingston County Dept of Health clinics."
Geneseo has sent out resources for students to register for the Moderna vaccine via email on April 14.
The college is encouraging students to get vaccinated in order to ensure the safety of all on-campus students, faculty and staff, and to make headway in establishing a safer campus community for the fall semester.
"Our ultimate goal is to have a safe and fully in-person college experience for our campus community for the fall semester," Syfrett said. "To have the safest campus environment, it would be ideal if every person who is eligible for the vaccine got vaccinated."
New Filipinix student union joins campus community
A new cultural club, the Filipinix Student Union (FSU), was recently founded at Geneseo. The club allows the Filipinix community and their allies to connect with one another and enjoy learning and experiencing Filipino culture.
Geneseo has many cultural clubs, but this will be the first dedicated to members of the Filipino community and their allies.
Early childhood/childhood education major senior and President of FSU Elize Oliverio said that she initiated the club’s founding because she felt Geneseo was lacking this niche for students. Oliverio transferred to Geneseo in fall 2018.
Before coming to Geneseo, she studied at Binghamton University and Wellesley College where there was some representation of the Filipinix community. Oliverio said she wanted to create something similar at Geneseo.
“Just being seen on campus and kind of having that community, both to just exist as a student but also to engage in discourse that felt important to identity,” Oliverio said. “As [Geneseo] is a predominantly white campus, having and creating that space felt important.”
Oliverio and a few close friends committed to creating the FSU as a place where students who identified with Filipino culture could engage in cultural exchange.
“We first started the whole student audit process a little bit earlier than this time last year, and we had provisional status,” Oliverio said. “Then we went home [after Thanksgiving] and we had provisional status in the fall. And just last month we were fully recognized as a student organization.”
The executive board for the FSU hopes to plan events in the future that will foster community around Filipino people and Filipino culture. Currently, the FSU is looking into funding from the Alliance for Community Enrichment and the Student Association, according to biology major freshman and FSU secretary/public relations representative Samantha Dumitrescu.
Aaron Enriquez, sociology major sophomore and FSU vice president, said the FSU’s goal is to create a community where students can connect over their common identities or love of Filipino culture.
“Certain events that we do have planned are cultural dinners and other events that promote and celebrate Filipino culture,” Enriquez said.
The FSU is currently holding bi-weekly meetings every other Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. The next meeting will be on May 3rd.
“Our meetings are open to anyone, and it’s free for anyone to come. If you are interested, you know, there is nothing stopping you, just come,” Enriquez said.
Dumitrescu said FSU will be a community for anyone interested.
“I’m so excited for people to start coming more into our meetings,” Dumitrescu said. “Just know that we have really good people on the e-board, and they just want to set up a community of people who are interested in our culture.”
Geneseo students are encouraged to contact Elize Oliverio, FSU president at epo2@geneseo.edu or Aaron Enriquez, FSU vice president at aje6@geneseo.edu, to be added to FSU’s Zoom email chain.
Frugal Foodie: Banana Cream Cookies
Looking for something sweet, but slightly different? Tired of standard chocolate chip cookies? Try these banana cream cookies! It’s a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth with something that may be out of the norm.
Read MoreInvasion of Privacy: The ins-and-outs of English with Rebecca Williamson
This article is far from the first of debut Rebecca Williamson, a senior English and communication double major, in The Lamron—getting an early start on her career, Williamson's writing has been published in the paper since 2017. This being said, there has been little coverage of Williamson herself.
Read MoreG-Spot: how to be a freak in the sheets without getting freaked out
Sex should be fun for you, and that means you shouldn’t shy away from trying any kinks you’ve discovered that really get you going. It’s okay to want to get down and dirty. No one should be ashamed of the desire to branch out from vanilla experiences, particularly if it’ll enhance their enjoyment of sex.
Read MoreA history of jazz to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month
Jazz Appreciation Month, founded by the Smithsonian, comes in April of each year. Though young people seem to appreciate jazz less than the older generations, jazz carries power and importance in its origins and musicians. (Courtesy of erikjgreene on Flickr).
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, you’re not alone.
First, a relevant disclaimer: article is written by a white woman who comes from a place of privilege, and I’d love for any non-white individual to contribute their opinions on jazz if they so wish. The last thing I want is to accidentally come off as any sort of Damien Chazelle white savior character.
Read MoreTramp Stamps belittle image of modern feminism with performative caricatures, shallow reasons for protest
Capitalist feminism has become a trendy way to bait feminists into spending money. The band Tramp Stamps are attempting to use the same tactic that has been used for decades, but have been called out on this tactic by individuals who frequent TikTok. (Courtesy of Jay Morrison on Flickr).
The Tramp Stamps are that band whom the internet loathes right now. Their social media presence alone provides an indication as to why these women are being ruthlessly cyberbullied on TikTok.
But cringy lyrics and auto tuned vocals would be tolerable if they were the band’s only offense. Beyond overt marketing strategies that have yet to fool a soul, this band’s general aesthetic, lyrics and themes give a sinister impression of anti-feminism via the caricature method.
Read MoreWTF: Acacia Brinley, the 2010s era defined by women-hating-women
The era of the Tumblr Girl was defined by images like the one above. The aesthetic and soft lighting of social media images in 2012 were moulded by influencer Acacia Brinley and her presence on the Tumblr app. (Courtesy of Random__Alex on Flickr).
Social media has recently narrowed in on specific ways that women can act to put other women down—see “the pick me girl” or “the girl who wants your boyfriend/chill girl” trends of TikTok. But before society became self-aware, there was Acacia Brinley, at the exact wrong place at the exact wrong time.
Internalized misogyny has been the enemy of women for as long as society has been dominated by men, but the girls on Instagram and Twitter were so cruel and unrelenting from 2012-2015 that their actions seem monstrous today.
Read MoreJurisdiction: Should high schools have disciplinary power over students’ off-campus speech on social media? Pennsylvanian high school’s policies make way to Supreme Court
An upcoming United States Supreme Court decision arguably has the possibility of invalidating sections of the Dignity for All Students Act’s cyberbullying preventions. These are meant to target and prevent off-campus bullying and harassment, including instances that involve verbal or non-verbal actions.
In 2017, after being relegated to the JV cheerleading team for a second consecutive year, Brandi Levy, a rising high school sophomore, had sent two Snapchats to 250 of her friends displaying her dismay toward her coach’s decision. In her first photo, she and a friend were seen raising their middle fingers and wrote, “fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything.” Afterward, she followed up with “Love how me and [another student] get told we need a year of JV before we make varsity but that doesn’t matter to anyone else?” She was subsequently suspended from the team for sending these.
These messages were sent on a weekend and occurred off of her school’s campus, yet Levy was nevertheless removed from the cheerleading team for her behavior per the Mahanoy Area High School’s Cheerleading Rules which state that ‘“[t]here will be no toleration of any negative information regarding cheerleading, cheerleaders, or coaches placed on the internet.”’ After appealing her removal to the athletic director, school principal, district superintendent and school board, Levy’s punishment was upheld and consequently, she sued the Mahanoy Area School District.
Read MoreStop asking others for their zodiac sign and ask for their attachment style instead
Astrology: it can tell you a lot about a person, like how they handle trust, intimacy and emotions. But when you have to take a person’s sun, moon and rising signs as well as the current position of the planets into consideration, it’s tricky to get the full picture. You know what else can tell you all those things without needing to know whether or not Mercury is in Retrograde? Attachment styles!
Attachment styles are formed based on how a person and their primary caregiver interact in the earliest stages of their childhood. Whether their caregiver is attentive, negligent or inconsistent will permanently affect how a person copes with their emotions and relationships throughout their adult life. They say a lot about what kind of partner a person will be in a relationship.
Here’s a rundown of the attachment styles: People with secure attachment styles are prone to intimacy and they perceive others as prone to intimacy as well. They seek and expect trust in relationships. Even after a breakup, they’re likely to focus on the good times in their relationships. This allows them to be open to new relationships in the near future.
Read MoreHarry Potter would be the worst boyfriend ever
Sorry in advance, my dear friend Ginny Weasley: Harry Potter is not a good boyfriend. Honestly, I wish you’d break up with him and maybe go to Hogsmeade with me instead, but hey, whatever, I’m glad it’s working out for you two.
Just so you know, though, I saw Harry walk into a wall the other day. He broke his glasses and then he stood up and pretended nothing happened and kept walking. So there’s that.
And can we talk about how Harry is oblivious to everything that isn’t ‘relevant to Harry’s story?’ He didn’t realize Dumbledore was gay until I told him to his face, and even then, after I explained how many times I’d seen Dumbledore flirting with Snape, he shook his head and refused to believe me. As if he hadn’t walked in on Dumbledore kissing Slughorn in sixth year.
Also, Harry Potter is so, so bad at magic. He needed a cheater’s guide to potions just to pass that class. Every time I tell him his glasses are broken again, he pretends he likes them that way. We both know he just doesn’t remember the spell to fix them.
Read MoreGeneseo Track and Field has record-breaking weekend, solidify spots on national leaderboard
Seniors Matthew Sayre and Emily Pomainville stole the show in their meets as they both set records with their times. Sayre did his work on the 5000-meter where he secured the best finish of any NCAA Division III runner so far by a wide margin. Pomainville was just as impressive with her program and conference record-breaking finish on the 1500-meter on the April 16. Pomainville is also 9th all-time in Division III history after her performance.
Read MoreIn the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict, the sports world has had supportive, and problematic responses
The murder of George Floyd was the galvanizing force behind a significant response from the sports world last year. After the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday April 20, fans turned to athletes for a response.
Despite having been relatively quiet in the past few months, the National Basketball Association commented on the trial results immediately. These responses seem to have been driven by audiences’ awareness of the NBA’s recent hesitancy towards the topic.
Read MoreGeneseo women’s lacrosse team inched close to a playoff spot with wins over SUNY Oswego and SUNY Fredonia, despite a loss against SUNY Brockport.
Geneseo defeated SUNY Oswego 22-9, fell to SUNY Brockport 15-7 and then rebounded, beating SUNY Fredonia 14-5.
Against Oswego, Geneseo got off to a flying start with a 6-0 early lead, three of which were by senior attacker Hannah Marafioti; however, a late half rally by Oswego cut Geneseo’s lead to 10-6.
Read MoreOffice of Academic Planning and Advising plans to roll out new alert system “Navigate” by Fall 2021, despite COVID-19, technical complications setbacks
Students will be able to download the Navigate App to their cell phones by next Fall (Photo Editor/Kate Rodgers).
The Office of Academic Planning and Advising intends to reintroduce an application called Navigate during new student orientation. It is a student success management system available for students in the app store as well as online.
An article published by The Lamron in February 2020 first discussed the Office of Academic Planning and Advising’s initiative that planned to launch Navigate.
As part of the 2021 strategic plan, the application designed by EAB—a technology company that assists schools—to be a student success management would be used as an “early warning system to track student progress,” according to Dean of Academic Planning and Professor of English, Celia Easton.
Easton said that due to COVID-19, progress on the app was not prioritized for much of last year. She said the office plans to be back on track for a soft rollout release of the application this upcoming fall and is hopeful that soon the app will be widely used on campus.
“We will be definitely rolling out the app again during new student orientation,” Easton said.
According to the EAB website, Navigate is a student success collaborative program for four-year institutions, partnered with more than 550 colleges and universities. Their model aims to address intelligence via administrators, strategic care via faculty and staff and smart guidance via students.
“We chose Navigate because of the data analytics that they have to offer,” Easton said. “It is all about connecting students to resources.”
The Navigate system was purchased through the SUNY Investment and Performance Fund with a four-year timeline. The SUNY Investment and Performance Fund was developed to help SUNY schools expand about 40,000 credentials to reach a goal of 150,000 by 2020, according to an article published by The Lamron in January 2016.
The app does not aim to replace myGeneseo or any online portals but to rather supplement and make certain things easier for students, according to the Office of Academic Planning and Advising.
“One of the largest goals of the app is to make scheduling appointments more convenient,” Easton said. “Students can actually go into the app and … find the faculty member and actually schedule an appointment.”
The rollout has not begun yet, due to technical reasons, but is one of the Office’s main goals for fall 2021, according to Easton.
The new prevalence of virtual meetings will also be integrated into the app, and Easton believes many departments will continue to hold meetings in this manner and the option will be available.
By increasing scheduling, the app will increase communication between students and the campus’ representatives, according to Easton. Navigate will also include a system to warn students if they are falling behind with their requirements before it becomes too much of an issue.
“Right now, there is nothing that searches for the students … as long as they are kind of keeping their head just above water, which is a 2.0—or minimum competency—nobody is paying attention. Nobody is going to initiate a conversation,” Easton said.
Other than scheduling meetings, the app can be used to find “Study Buddies” in the same class, list activities happening on campus and your residence hall during the day, provide maps and routes to buildings on campus as well as provide information about your major. For undeclared students, there is a quiz you can take where the program analyzes your interests based on a questionnaire and provide a major that would best match you, according to the February 2020 article published by The Lamron.
Easton said that she hopes that there will soon be a tile on myGeneseo for Navigate, although there is no direct timeline. She said that she is working hard to get the app up and running and is hopeful that it will soon be available for all students and faculty to provide an easier communication system between everyone.
College changes initially cancelled commencement, creates procession ceremony for class of 2021
Graduating seniors will congregate on the College Green outside of the Integrated Science Center (pictured above) on May 12 at 4 p.m. for the procession ceremony (Photo Editor/Kate Rodgers).
Commencement is scheduled to take place during two ceremonies on Wednesday May 12 and Saturday May 22. The former will be a procession from the College Green to the College Stadium that students must register for and no guests will be permitted to attend. The latter is a virtual commencement ceremony and degree conferral.
On January 16, the campus community was notified via email that the traditional in-person commencement ceremony scheduled to take place on May 22 was canceled, citing the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. On April 1, students were again notified via email from President Denise Battles that “after several weeks of discussing and planning, including consultation with [the] local health department and guidance from SUNY, [the College] is pleased to announce a hybrid commencement plan for the class of 2021.”
According to a Geneseo webpage dedicated to 2021 commencement frequently asked questions, the College cannot host an in-person commencement ceremony outside because of current New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) guidelines. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that starting March 22, events can host up to 200 people outside or 500 if participants provide negative tests.
The class of 2021 is comprised of 1,200 students. There are also contractual obligations and associated deadlines for the College to host an in-person or virtual event, whereby the decision regarding the formality of this year’s ceremony was made in January.
“We typically provide four tickets per student, which puts our total attendance as high as 4,800. We would need to host multiple events to comply with the guidelines. While our stadium can accommodate 500 participants, we are not able to put chairs or a stage on the turf due to the type of material from which it is constructed,” according to the webpage.
Director of Campus Scheduling & Special Events Andrea Klein explained the commencement process for the classes of fall 2020 and spring 2021 in an email statement to The Lamron.
“What we're doing this year is a hybrid approach,” Klein said. “We were able to expand our commencement celebration from our original plans because of improvements in the public health situation and the state allowing, with careful preparations and protocols in place, in-person events to resume-following very specific guidance and if at all possible, held outdoors for safety.”
According to the Geneseo commencement webpage, students who plan to participate have to register for the procession on May 12 no later than Friday April 16. The form can be found here or on Geneseo’s website. Students who are required to participate in pooled testing must do so weekly to be eligible to attend.
On May 12 ay 4 p.m., graduating students will meet on the College Green in regalia and be led to the College Stadium in a procession. When students arrive at the College Green to check-in, they will receive a custom printed reader card, a face mask to match the regalia and instructions, according to Battles’ April 1 email.
“We were going to give them the procession and their regalia since that's a really festive part of commencement. And then that really sentimental piece of stage crossing where they hear their name called and they received congratulations,” said Klein.
According to the email, at approximately 4:45 p.m., students will process down College Drive and march into the stadium. Here, they will individually cross a stage while their names are read, receive their diploma cover, and have their photo taken by GradImages where proofs will be sent afterward for purchase.
“Graduates will be outside, in masks, physically distanced. They will be handed a diploma cover … there will be no handshake,” Klein said.
The College is abiding by physical distancing guidelines set forth by the NYSDOH that prevent them from handing students a diploma and/or shaking students’ hands, according to the commencement FAQ webpage. Students will have the opportunity to have a formal portrait taken in their regalia holding a diploma cover.
Klein said that no guests or parents will be allowed to attend the May 12 ceremony, and there will be no reception afterward.
“The graduate procession and recognition event on Wednesday, May 12 will be live streamed as current COVID-19 regulations do not allow guests on campus,” Klein said.
The May 12 ceremony will continue to be available online after the ceremony’s conclusion, according to the webpage.
In addition to the procession, on May 22 at 10 a.m., a pre-recorded virtual ceremony will be made available to graduates to share with their friends and family. According to the website, this ceremony will include senior orations, messages from Geneseo alumni and the recognition of each individual graduate by name.
The virtual commencement ceremony will be launched May 22 and will include “a program of student, guest and College speakers. [The] Music Department will be featured performing the National Anthem and Geneseo’s Alma Mater. Graduates will have an opportunity to submit a photo of their choice, a quote/brief comment and a 10 second video clip. The graduates' names will be announced in sections and will be presented in alpha order and searchable,” according to the commencement FAQ webpage.
Sociology major senior Macaire Lisicki said while encouraging to see Geneseo prioritize the celebration of student’s graduation, she still has some frustration about the scheduling of the event.
“[The College] scheduled the procession to take place the week before finals,” Ueshiro said. “I dont really think
Despite Lisicki’s concern, she said that she is ultimately positive about the hybrid approach.
“I am happy that [The College] created some type of celebration for grauadting seniors,” Lisicki said.
Physics major senior Giacomo Aris said that he is generally very pleased with the change in commencement plans on behalf of the College, but he does not understand why some other SUNYs have a traditional commencement with guests.
“I’m honestly just very happy the school decided to plan some type of in-person event for us,” Aris said. “I was really disappointed when graduation was canceled … I felt like I worked for four years and didn’t even get a real graduation. My friends from other SUNYs though do have a traditional graduation ceremony which is a little frustrating … but again, I’m really happy with [the procession arrangement].”
All SUNYs “operate individually under their own leadership and each campus has different resources and considerations that inform their decisions of what their individual commencements look like. Even outside of a pandemic, commencement ceremonies are unique to each institution,” according to the 2021 commencement FAQ webpage.
Lisicki and Aris corroborated to express their recommendation that the College offer an in-person commencement with small groups of students.
The 2021 commencement FAQ webpage cites the NYS Department of Health Guidelines as the reason this recommendation was considered and overturned.
“This is a total number, so it would include staff and College participants and event planners, as well. We would need to host nearly 16 events, which typically last up to two hours, to accommodate all our graduates, more if we are inviting their families, as well,” according to the webpage.
Staff editorial: Geneseo students call for a permanent BLM memorial on campus to show support of BIPOC students and faculty
Geneseo students have always been advocates for social justice, and many support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
The BLM movement, which aims to combat discrimination and racism against Black individuals, picked up momentum after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. In response, Geneseo students painted the “Greek” tree in Sturges Quad in support of BLM; however, the artwork was covered up twice with patriotic writing to invalidate the BLM movement.
Many Geneseo students were distraught by the recurring defacing of the BLM artwork and sought consequences from the administration. Although student activists re-painted the tree both times, President Denise Battles’ response was to place an indefinite moratorium on the “Greek” tree and the rock on North Campus. Once more, the BLM artwork was painted over, this time by the school itself to a neutral slate, according to an email from April 1 from the Office of the President.
Read MoreBatman would be the worst boyfriend ever
With the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Justice is Gray (2021) and the hype surrounding Rob Pattinson’s upcoming role as The Bat in a new spin on the franchise, Batman has been on the brains of anyone into men lately. Since you’re reading this right now, I’ll assume you’re one of those people.
At first, maybe you thought it was simple admiration for a superhero. But that mental image of R-Patz in thick black eyeliner for his bat mask made you start to question yourself. Could you … have a crush on Batman? He fits the usual archetype of the men you crush on: tall, dark hair, a little angry, mostly morally good and sort of punk rock.
So, you decide to give it a chance. The first date is total chaos. Batman—not Bruce Wayne, you only want to date Batman—appears behind you without a sound as you wait outside the restaurant. His cape flaps in the wind, alerting you to his presence. You scream. He just stares at you like you’re overreacting.
Read MoreUIGHUR GENOCIDE SERIES: CCP continues to keep acts of terrorism under wraps; Americans and the media must spread awareness to save the Uighur people
THIS IS PART FIVE OF A FIVE-PART EDITORIAL SERIES.
*A full warning about content that may be viewed as offensive, triggering and/or otherwise distasteful is being provided now. This series will discuss acts of rape, forced abortion, sterilization, murder, torture, forced labor and genocide. This writing is meant to help give the Uighur people a voice and to show that they are being thought about, cared about and fought for in as many ways as possible. The Uighur people deserve their lives, their families, their culture and the one thing that we all hold dear: their freedom. These next sections will discuss the acts being committed against the Uighurs.*
Indoctrination:
Uighur children are losing their culture at the hands of the CCP, who are destroying families and ‘re-educating’ youth with propaganda that strips the Uighur of their cultural roots. It is reported that nearly half a million Uighur children have been placed into boarding schools where they are taught to love China and the CCP. Part of this indoctrination is the removal of the Uighur language from children’s education as well as the CCP forcing Uighur children to learn and speak in Mandarin.
Read More