Geneseo Nerf Club promotes friendly competition among students

Men and women sweated, screamed and sprinted. With triggers activated, individuals flung Styrofoam bullets into the ruddy skin of far too many people sporting orange bandanas. A Nerf War had begun at the Knight Spot on Saturday Feb. 6 for a night to be remembered by all participants. Despite all the triggers, holsters and hiding-behind-cover, the Geneseo Nerf Club offered a fun, safe and competitive environment for students to enjoy.

The entirety of the Knight Spot was divided in half with a flag placed on either side. The battlefield was not only in the Knight Spot’s usual quarters, but also extended to its defunct, paint-splattered kitchen in the back. Teams began on one of two sides and attempted to capture another’s flag without getting bombarded by spongy bullets. If one was so unlucky, they suffered a 10 second “respawn.” Soldiers were equipped with only the most up-to-date weaponry: Rotofury blasters, Modulus ECS-10’s, Lawbringers—you name it.

“My favorite Nerf gun has got to be the Rampage. The Modulus takes second,” Nerf Club president sophomore Nick Maineri said.

Maineri explained that Nerf Club originated through Geneseo Area Gaming Group six years ago and he found out about the club when attending a GAGG meeting. “Freshman year, my friend told me to come to GAGG’s meeting and I enjoyed it enough to play in the Humans vs. Zombies game that year,” he said. “I really loved that and I’ve been to every meeting for the club since.”

With such an overlap between club participants and their interests, Maineri explained that there are often schedule conflicts between clubs. “But we always try to help each other out,” he said. “We recently did an event through GAGG and some of our moderators are moderators for Anime Club or GAGG.”

Another compelling feature of the club is that a good majority of the events they offer are free and open to all. The club also provided the players with Nerf guns and refreshments.

“Just come, hang out, play some games,” Maineri said. “We’re playing capture the flag first, but we’ll also play Humans vs. Zombies and Hunger Games—which is a free-for-all type thing.”

Maineri emphasized that despite their intense nature, Nerf games are done with both fun and safety in mind. “The moderator board just tries to make it so nobody gets hurt and everyone has a good time,” he said.

At the end of many battles, with sweaty faces picking up orange darts from the Knight Spot’s floor, Nerf Club’s moderator board had accomplished their goal. They provided many students with an exhilarating, unique and harmless way to spend a part of their weekend.

Frugal Foodie: Warming up to Winter

Winter is moving into its worst days and we all need our indoor comforts. Electric blankets, hot bowls of chicken noodle soup and the warm glow of Netflix’s Fireplace for Your Home are oh-so-average things we all daydream about while walking against the Genesee Valley polar vortex from class to class. But what could ever top a warm mug-of-something to thaw those icicles under your nose? Better yet, what about a creative mug-of-something? Here are some hot and fun alternatives to Swiss Miss that you can boil up in your dorm or apartment kitchen.

Warm Mulled Cider

Ingredients:

One navel orange

½ gallon apple cider

Two tablespoons honey

Five whole allspice berries

Six whole cloves

One pinch ground nutmeg

11/2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced

Eight cinnamon sticks

Directions:

Using a vegetable peeler or your favorite kitchen knife, peel the zest from the orange to create long strips. Along with all other listed ingredients, throw the zest into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a simmer and watch that it does not boil. Once simmering, let the water continue to heat up uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain out spices and zest and pour into your favorite mug.

Mexican Hot Spiced Cocoa

Ingredients:

One serving hot cocoa mix

Two pinches ground chipotle chili pepper

Two pinches ground cinnamon

Two tablespoons sweetened whip cream

1/2 gallon whole milk (optional)

12. oz bag dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

If you want your drink to be extra special, heat the 1/2 gallon of milk over medium heat and add 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips for every eight cups. If you don’t, just prepare the hot cocoa mix according to package directions. After you complete either of those steps, mix in half the total spices—chili pepper and cinnamon—in with the cocoa, top the drink with whipped cream and sprinkle the other half of the spices atop the whipped cream. 

Annual Yule Ball enchants, entertains Potterheads

Dumbledore’s Army’s fourth annual Yule Ball was hosted at the Knight Spot on Saturday Jan. 30. A campus volunteer organization for Harry Potter enthusiasts, Dumbledore’s Army works hard every year to put the tradition on for students. Yule Ball allows a unique and positive environment for students to unwind and celebrate a love of all things Harry Potter.

At the ball, music filled the room and partygoers followed. The event offered a welcoming atmosphere, light refreshments and giveaways. Provided through funds from Geneseo Late Knight, the favors were especially magical. Among them were Deathly Hallows-themed necklaces, key chains sporting Harry Potter characters and jelly beans—akin to Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans—with less than appetizing flavors like boogers, grass and rotten eggs.

While less consistent with the Harry Potter theme, the dance floor was nonetheless enchanting. Harry Potter fans and non-enthusiasts alike boogied beneath crisp, white streamers, dazzling light and paper snowflakes.

“I’ve been involved with Dumbledore’s Army since I was a freshman,” Dumbledore’s Army secretary junior Laura Brown said. “It’s great to be able to share my love of Harry Potter and to provide people a safe space where people can have fun.”

In addition to hosting the Yule Ball, the club plans to hold a fundraiser for Chances and Changes—an organization that offers services to help victims of domestic abuse—this semester. In recent years, the club has also hosted fundraisers for Planned Parenthood, participated in multiple walks for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and attended Relay for Life.

While the event’s food is provided by Campus Auxiliary Services and its prizes provided by funds from GLK, Dumbledore’s Army coordinates the event on its own. It is one of the club’s most important—and beloved—events of the year, and Dumbledore’s Army president senior Mikayla Dibelka emphasized the amount of work that it takes to pull off as a team.

“There are always some difficulties—things we wish we knew about in advance—but it’s worth it after all and that’s why we keep doing it,” she said. “People really look forward to this event. People in the club and non-regulars have a fantastic time and it really motivates us to keep throwing Yule Balls.”

Another huge draw to the event is its price—or lack thereof. “It’s always been free and it’ll continue to be,” Brown said. “The prizes also aren’t raffled off—they’re given away.”

As the night ended with empty trays of food and prizes in the hands of happy recipients, the Yule Ball served as an excellent model for what campus events ought to be. It brought together people of mixed interests, gave students a safe and enjoyable way to spend a Saturday night and provided people a chance to learn more about a fine campus organization.

On staying focused, productive despite constant distractions

Geneseo students are returning for yet another semester. It can be tough getting through another 15 weeks while maintaining sanity. Slippery sidewalks, harsh sub-zero winds blowing down University Drive and assignments piling up quicker than snow outside all make school even more challenging. A lot of students work jobs or participate in extracurricular activities, too, which only make a short day seem shorter. All-day coffee extravaganzas and all-night study sessions can be tempting when the semester heats up. But have no fear, there are ways to increase productivity.

One effective way is to make a detailed schedule. To-do lists are fine, but a lot of things only get done when there’s a date and time set-aside for them. Phone calendar apps and reminders make scheduling your day down to the minute a breeze. Extensive planning may seem overwhelming, but you’ll be surprised to find how much more time you’ll have to watch movies, read a book or hang out with friends.

Another tip is to abandon “pseudo-work”—trying to read a history textbook in someone’s apartment while their housemates blast music and cook dinner. Or heading to the downstairs floor of Milne Library and taking 15-minute walking breaks every 20 minutes. It’s best to avoid pseudo-work at all costs. Find work-friendly environments or use headphones to block out distracting noise and get psyched into getting significant work done.

Do your best to stay focused. People’s minds are constantly working, so it’s easy to get off track. Keeping the mind focused on one specific task takes serious, conscious effort. It is important to realize that your mind will wander, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead of throwing in the towel, however, just take a breath and get back on track.

“It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue inside your own head,” author David Foster Wallace said in his famous Kenyon College Commencement speech in 2005. “Learning how to think really means exercising some control over how and what you think.”

Another great way to be productive is to know your resources and take full advantage of them. Geneseo offers many academic resources such as the GLOCAT scholarly sources search engine through Milne and the Writing Center. And be sure to utilize the office hours of professors and teaching assistants, as well as seeking out extra help with Geneseo tutors.

On a college campus like Geneseo, there is an abundance of people willing to help—just seek them out. If you know your own schedule well enough to set up a date to meet with them, you’ll find your grades and productivity soaring.

With a determined mind, detailed schedule and awareness of the endless resources available, you will be set to do well this coming semester, your stress level will fall and you’ll have more time to enjoy college life.