Survey showcases students’ most visited locations

LARA ELMAYAN/DESIGN EDITOR

While Geneseo may be a small town, it provides students with many places to hang out, buy food and spend their precious few hours of free time. With so many places to go, The Lamron conducted a survey to find out which places are most popular, what students they attract and how those students get there. The study saw 262 responses over the course of three weeks, and students were asked to check off all the places they visited the most on a weekly basis throughout Main Street, Route 20A and on-campus locations.

Students were asked if they had access to a car. Thirty-nine percent said no, and 58 percent said yes, with the others providing no answer. Students were also asked how often they use the bus system at Geneseo, if ever. Thirty-eight percent of students never use the bus, 58 percent use it once a week, and 4 percent replied that they use it drastically more than that.

Mama Mia’s Restaurant and Geneseo Family Restaurant were the most popular places on Main Street, with 159 people visiting Mia’s regularly, and 137 visiting GFR regularly of those surveyed.

Mia’s is popular with all students. Seventy percent of freshman said they attended regularly, along with 59 percent of sophomores, 66 percent of juniors and 52 percent of seniors. While there is weak negative relationship, it is not especially significant.

GFR is not as popular with all students, notably the freshman class. Only 19 percent of freshman respondents claim to visit GFR regularly, in contrast with the rest of the college. Fifty-seven percent of sophomores, 56 percent of juniors and 59 percent seniors visit GFR regularly.

On Route 20A, Walmart and Wegmans are by far the most regularly visited locations. One hundred and seventy one students surveyed claim to visit Walmart regularly, while 222 visit Wegmans. One hundred and fifty three students visit both.

Walmart is most popular among freshman respondents, with 78 percent visiting regularly. Walmart appears to lose its appeal as students get older, as there is a negative relationship between class year and percent of students that visit. Sixty-six percent of sophomores, 63 percent of juniors and 60 percent of seniors visit Walmart regularly.

The opposite is true of Wegmans. Seniors and juniors both had 92 percent of respondents visiting Wegmans regularly, while freshmen and sophomores came in at 73 and 71 percent, respectively. This may reflect students moving off campus, which requires them to do more grocery shopping.

On campus, Milne Library and the MacVittie College Union were the most regularly visited. The Lamron has opted to look at dining halls on campus, and how traffic may have shifted now that Letchworth Dining Hall has been introduced.

Letchworth is apparently the anchor of the dining facilities, as 35 percent of those surveyed claim to visit regularly. This is compared to Fusion Market’s 29 percent, Red Jacket’s 6 percent and Mary Jemison’s 6 percent. Freshmen were the dominant demographic in every dining hall except for Letchworth, which boasted 70 percent of sophomore respondents.

Fusion Market was also the only dining facility that saw high percentages of juniors and seniors, with 22 and 14 percent respectively—this compared to the less than 4 percent for the other facilities. Altogether, the data collected gives some insight into the popularity of varying establishments, but also the students they’re attracting.u

Panel sparks discussion on U.S. responses to the Islamic State

Students came together on Wednesday Nov. 12 for a panel focusing on the Islamic State and its motivations, ideology and how the United States should direct its policy toward the insurgency. The event was planned by History Club and featured both history and political science professors. The panel consisted of visiting assistant professor of history Jennifer Lofkrantz, visiting assistant professor of political science Nayma Qayum, professor of political science and international relations Edward Drachman and American historian and member of Veterans for Peace James Swartz. Each had a small presentation.

Lofkrantz, who specializes in Islamic intellectual thought and jihad movements, started off the discussion with a brief history of Islamic law, its sources and the different schools of thought therein. She spoke about how IS does not meet Islam’s requirements for interpreting the sources for deriving law, and therefore has essentially “overly misinterpreted” the Islamic laws.

She traced IS’s history to the Salafi movement, which started out as a “modernization movement, seeking to throw out the laws and look to the sources for modern meaning.” The movement was hijacked by fundamentalists, however, which has spawned the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and IS.

Qayum then delved into what IS actually is, how it operates and what its goals are. Her main point for differentiating

IS from Al-Qaeda and other insurgencies is that IS is a state-building entity, whereas Al-Qaeda “simply exists to wage war on the west.” IS’s main goal is to redraw the borders of the Middle East, thus creating an “Islamic state.”

Much of IS’s appeal is derived from social justice, as it attracts many Sunni Muslims who “feel pushed aside after the coalition government of Iraq was put in place in 2004.” Qayum stated how the Sunni population feels that the left has failed and become repressive, so they’ve turned to radical conservatives.

Qayum ended her presentation by making it known that IS will likely not lose legitimacy soon, as it is selling petroleum on the black market for funding and many members are former soldiers and members of Saddam Hussein’s previous regime.

Swartz brought the discussion back home, discussing how and if the U.S. should engage IS. He staunchly disagreed with former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s ideology that “if you break it, you own it.” Swartz felt that the U.S. has time and time again “been much better at destroying than saving,” citing the Vietnam War.

He concluded by saying that “based on our past history, it is more than obvious that the U.S. is incapable of resolving conflicts pertaining to social, religious, ethnic, tribal or economic issues.”

Drachman wrapped up the discussion panel by asking students to realize the complexity of the issue. He also asked students to consider what authorization is needed for U.S. intervention. He quickly informed the crowd, however, that, “it doesn’t make any difference.” He cited how authorization or no authorization has made no difference in past president’s decisions regarding military intervention abroad for the last 50 years.

Drachman mentioned how we have a responsibility in the region, “but not to destroy ISIS … we can’t defeat ISIS because the idea is always there.” He advocated spreading the message of progressive Muslims, while simultaneously dealing with root problems such as corruption, authoritarianism and stagnation.

Equestrian finishes third at Cazenovia

Geneseo’s equestrian team competed in its second home showcase of the season on Saturday Nov. 1 at head coach Kim Sanford’s Leg Up Stables. The team concluded the showcase with 34 points, placing third behind St. Lawrence University and Cazenovia College whose teams garnered 45 and 42 points, respectively. Eleven teams competed in the showcase. While the team continues to chase St. Lawrence and Cazenovia, many individual riders saw personal successes.

Senior Kayla Geier, junior Emma Witherwax, sophomore Monica Schneider and freshman Samantha Childs all scored first-place finishes, with Witherwax accumulating enough points to qualify for a six-person-ride-off for High Point Rider honors.

Sophomore Tessa Horn, junior Katherine Nickels, senior Christa Pappalardo and senior Brianne Szopinski all secured second place in their respective areas, with Witherwax placing second in Novice Fences in addition to her first place Novice Flat victory.

The team also had eight third placements in other events.

Syracuse University and Ottawa Univeristy found themselves tied at 25, nine points behind Geneseo.

The Knights competed on Sunday Nov. 2 at Cazenovia. The team placed fifth with 26 points, behind Cazenovia with 41, St. Lawrence and Syracuse with 33 and Ottawa with 31.

Only Pappalardo rode away with a first-place finish––in Novice Flat––yet senior Ashley Olin secured two second places in Intermediate Fences and Novice Flat. Senior Anna Eschler and Nickels also secured second place finishes, in Novice Flat and Intermediate Fences respectively.

The team had 10 third placements as well, with Schneider placing third twice in Novice over Fences and Novice Flat.

While the Knights struggled at Cazenovia, the team did have several members move up in class. Both Olin and senior Chloe Degre qualified for regionals and moved up in class on Sunday Nov. 2, while senior Emily Lockard and Nickels moved up in their classes on Saturday Nov. 1.

The equestrian team will be competing at St. Lawrence on Nov. 15 and 16.

Nationwide midterm elections create close race for New York candidates

The nation watched on Tuesday Nov. 4 as the results of the midterm elections rolled in at 9 p.m. This election cycle handed control of Congress to the Republican Party. In New York State, voters decided to keep both Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Democratic United States Sen. Kirsten Gillibran in office. Cuomo only won 53.98 percent of the vote—far less than anticipated—with Republican challenger Rob Astorino getting 40.58 percent of the vote.

The Republican Party did manage to seize the New York State Senate, winning 32 of the 63 seats, thanks to a key victory by Rochester native Republican Rich Funke over Democratic New York Sen. Ted O’Brien in New York’s 55th State Senate district.

As for New York’s congresspeople in the House of Representatives, nine Republicans and 17 Democrats have been voted into office, with New York’s 25th congressional district still too close to make a projection. The 25th includes Rochester and many of the surrounding towns.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter is the incumbent and has been in office since 1987. As of Wednesday Nov. 5, she marginally led with 93,053 votes—50.16 percent—against her opponent Republican Mark Assini.

Assini has 92,471 votes—49.84 percent—placing him just less than 600 votes behind. With 100 percent of the ballots reported in, the district will likely see a recount.

Geneseo is represented by the 27th Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Collins won in a landslide election with 71.69 percent of the vote against opponent Democrat James O’Donnell, who won 28.31 percent of the vote.

Buffalo falls in the 26th congressional district, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins defeated Republican challenger Kathleen Weppner with 68.85 percent of the vote.

In Livingston County, Republican Bill Nojay won his State Assembly position and Republican Catharine Young and Republican Pat Gallivan both won their State Senate races, all of which were unopposed.

Equestrian team jumps into new season

Geneseo’s equestrian team kicked off its season on Saturday Oct. 25 with a showcase at Leg Up Stables’ brand new indoor ring. Geneseo will host two events this year out of eight total. Ten different schools throughout the region compete, including St. Lawrence University and Cazenovia College, two of the nation’s best teams.

One of the team’s captains, senior Anna Eschler, has high hopes for the equestrian team’s coming seasons.

“Our region is arguably the most difficult in the nation because we have both St. Lawrence and Cazenovia and they’re both top tier,” she said. “But we’re closing the gap recently. We’ve always been a strong third place team, but we’ve been getting really close in points to Cazenovia lately.”

While Geneseo’s team hasn’t made it to nationals, riders have attended as individuals.

The showcases have four divisions, three of which involve fences and the last is flat. Open Division is first, which has fences roughly three feet high. Following that are Intermediate and Novice, each with respectively lower heights. Then there is the Flat Division, where there are no fences but riders are judged on walk, trot and canter.

“Each rider qualifies for that with their experience prior to riding for the team,” Eschler said. “We have one Open rider, [junior] Rebecca Caracciolo, and we have two girls, [seniors] Emily Lockard and Ashley Olin who compete at the Intermediate level.”

Interestingly, every division sees a random draw from a pool of entered horses. This means that a rider may have to ride a horse they’ve never ridden before. The team can enter horses that match the caliber of their riders.

A major benefit for the team is that head coach Kim Sanford owns Leg Up Stables, which has 70 horses.

“We have access to all of them,” Eschler said. “There are a wide array of horses that require different levels of skill and it’s such a benefit to the team to have so many horses to learn from.”

Geneseo equestrian team’s next showcase is on Saturday Nov. 1 at Leg Up Stables, starting at 9 a.m.

SA releases survey results regarding RCAP

The Student Association Executive Board has collected data from students as part of its push to get the Responsible Community Action Plan closer to implementation. The survey saw 1,013 responses, with each class relatively equally represented. Out of the 1,013 surveyed, only 8 percent of students knew what RCAP is. Seventy-five percent of students, however, claimed that they have an understanding of Geneseo’s student code of conduct. Students that claimed they have no understanding made up 18.7 percent of the survey, and 6.3 percent claimed they have an in-depth understanding.

While many students appear to understand the consequences of the school’s current medical amnesty policy, they have no knowledge that SA is attempting to change it or that it is in need of changing.

Of the 1,013 surveyed, 163 students said they found themselves in a situation where they had a friend who was in need of medical assistance. Fifty-six sought campus help, 43 called for help and 13 spoke to a Resident Assistant.

The other 82 opted not to seek help, with 53 simply monitoring their friend, 14 not calling, seven simply waiting and the last eight either finding a ride to the hospital on their own or calling someone else.

Many of the reasons for not seeking campus help point to students’ desire for a policy in-line with RCAP. Sixty claimed they did not want to get in trouble, 22 had fear of conduct repercussions and 14 did not want to get their respective organizations in trouble.

There were also 22 students, however, who were unsure if medical attention was needed, which points to a different problem.

When students were asked how they felt the administration should deal with the medical amnesty question, a large portion of the support was for either: no conduct charge for yourself––regarding alcohol consumption/possession—or support for minimizing conduct barriers to seeking emergency assistance for self or the person in distress, with 67.96 percent and 58.54 percent strongly in support, respectively.

Additionally, 30.57 percent of students were strongly in favor of alcohol and drug education, which would benefit students who are unable to tell when their friends are in need of attention.

While SA has been working towards getting RCAP cleared, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo has recently stated that he will be releasing new sexual assault and medical amnesty policies for State University of New York campuses, which would render RCAP obsolete if it conflicted. SA President senior Harrison Dole said that for the time being, SA will be postponing work on RCAP until they see where Cuomo lands on his policy.

Statewide minimum wage set to change; SA wages will not

As a result of the New York State Assembly’s “Raise the Wage” legislation, the minimum wage will see another increase on Dec. 31. The wage increase will go from $8.00 per hour to $8.75. The wage increase can lead to budgeting complications and cutbacks in various lines. Geneseo’s Student Association dealt with an identical wage increase of 75 cents last year.

Student Association Director of Business Affairs senior Billy Fagan said that SA doesn’t foresee any changes in student pay, but changes will need to be made to ensure such security. Such changes could be, but aren’t limited to: reallocation of funds, an increase of the mandatory student activity fee or changes in office hours for SA-employed students.

“The SA budget uses a 95-5 module, which means that 95 percent of the money is pre-allocated, and 5 percent remains in limbo,” Fagan said. “Last year, there was a squeeze due to the minimum wage increase [of $.75] as well as insurance increases.”

In response to the wage increase last year, SA chose to employ a 96-4 module to ensure that clubs and organizations weren’t hit as hard financially, but the funds that stay in limbo are important to maintain in case of unforeseen expenses and funding requests.

The school will also be voting on a referendum in March to raise the mandatory student activities fee.

“If we increase mandatory activities fee by $5, that’s $10 a year—that’s an additional $55,000, which is pretty good,” Fagan said. “We definitely want to continue paying students for their hard work and maintaining those office hours,” Fagan said.

Unfortunately, the referendum comes after the SA budget review in February. SA will be reviewing the budget without the knowledge of whether the increase will pass, the consequences of which are difficult to plan for.

“What makes it more complicated is that we don’t want to increase it to the point where we have money that we aren’t using,” Fagan said. “We don’t want to take people’s money just to have it sit there.”

On the other hand, SA can’t budget with the increase in the event that it does not pass, putting SA over budget.

As for potential changes in the number of office hours, the assigned hours limit is arbitrary. Most students who work office hours end up working more than their allotted time. Students who receive SA stipends include the SA executive board, certain members of SA standing committees, certain members of The Lamron and Geneseo Student Television editorial boards and certain Student Senate Committees.

Every other year, the Student Association vice president oversees the stipend review, which looks at whether stipends are still feasible and to what degree.

“It’s not easy, but I’ll be working closely with Kate Rebban, our Director of Programs, Personnel and Finances, trying to find new ways to count for minimum wage increases, but insurance is hairier,” Fagan said. “We have budget lines including insurance which are always changing.”

Bassnectar drops high-energy EDM beats

World-renowned DJ and record producer Lorin Ashton, better known as Bassnectar, brought his Noise vs Beauty tour to the Main Street Armory in Rochester on Oct. 3. Bassnectar dropped his tenth album Noise vs. Beauty on June 24. I attended the concert; it was my first experience with this type of music in a rave setting. For those familiar with Bassnectar, you know that his music is only a fraction of the entire experience. I’ve never particularly enjoyed his music, but many of his fans regard him as a god.

Upon arrival, the scene was chaotic. Security was tight and the line was massive and moving slowly. Much to my surprise, there was already a girl on a stretcher to my left receiving medical attention.

We proceeded into the venue and I was immediately greeted by the overwhelming energy of 6,500 people bumping to openers Kill Paris and Son of Kick. The lights finally went down and the screams of the crowd grew louder. The real anticipation was growing for the bass-dropping, powerful, electronic-heavy beats that Bassnectar is known for.

Bassnectar wasted no time. He threw the beat right at the crowd and they went insane. Between the lights, music and people, it was sensory overload. Bassnectar played the crowd like an instrument––everyone was in tune very quickly. The crowd moved as a single entity; the vast majority knew the music instinctively and flowed with it to the point of perfection.

About an hour in, Bassnectar dropped “F.U.N.,” an interesting song with a piano instrumental intro. The slow, soft intro continued as I watched a man with LED finger-tipped gloves hypnotize a girl with an LED hoola-hoop for what seemed like an eternity. Then out of seemingly nowhere, Bassnectar dropped the bass and everyone snapped right back. As if on cue, clothes immediately started flying off left and right.

After that brief lull, Bassnectar never stopped. He kept the concert at an inhumane level of energy for two and a half hours, playing crowd favorites such as “Loco Ono,” “Lost in the Crowd” and “Noise.” The concert raged with its high energy, intense lights and community-mob mentality. Faces absolutely melted.

I needed a breather toward the end and returned to the balcony, which was, by this time, over capacity. It was right then and there, as I was looking over the mob grooving hard to Bassnectar, that I got it––I now understand why people go crazy for this type of musical vibe.

Bassnectar is the epitome of the digital age performer. The light show––which is perfectly synched with his electronic dance music––felt oddly familiar despite it being my first time at this kind of concert. He knows exactly the crowd he is playing to, and he knows exactly how to play that crowd.u

Annual police security report details changing trends in campus crime

The 2013 Geneseo Annual Security & Fire Safety report was released in September 2014, although from this year on, the report will follow different guidelines. One of the most notable changes is the addition of dating violence, domestic violence and stalking statistics to the Table 1 Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Index. The table originally consisted of murder, burglary, robbery and arson, among others.

Interim Chief of the University Police Department Thomas Kilcullen said that the additions are the result of initiatives from the federal government.

“There were a couple things that directed that change, and part of it was coming from the Department of Education and the White House, along with changes for the way we do 2014 reporting,” Kilcullen said.

The additions come as part of a revamping of the way the reports are generated. State Universities of New York and the federal government are looking at how campuses should be more responsive and responsible.

“There were meetings across the state by administrators who took an enterprise view as it related to clearer reporting,” Kilcullen said.

An “enterprise view” simply means that SUNY is attempting to capture and specify organizational requirements and structure, standardizing them amongst all the state-run institutions.

“There are 29 state-operated institutions that all need to get on the same page,” Kilcullen said. “So by taking an enterprise approach and adopting certain changes, we can eliminate any discrepancies that may take place.”

In addition to these changes, the manner in which statistics are reported has changed as well. The 2013 report reads that in 2011 and 2012, there were 138 and 151 conduct reviews for liquor law violations, respectively. In 2013 there are 31.

This comes from a change in ideology, as previously there was a focus on following the “spirit of the law.” Any instance they felt fell under the intentions of the law were reported. Now, the school will be reporting statistics that follow the “letter of the law,” which is to say the law was broken––leaving less room for interpretation.

“We took a look at the reports as they were being statistically reported, looking at the spirit of query verses the letter of query,” Kilcullen said. “So based on legal counsel and advisement we received from the SUNY administration, we are to focus more on the letter of the law.”

Aside from revisions to the manner in which the report is compiled, there were also trends to be found. Looking at the report, there was an increase in instances of arson––the vast majority of which took place in residence halls.

Arson Infographic

“In looking at the individual reports… somebody burnt name tags on doors, someone burnt a poster on a wall, and there was one case where there was a fire outside Nassau Hall. It was a 1x1 fire that was probably fueled by an accelerant,” Kilcullen said.

In combatting these instances Kilcullen added that UPD is working to inform students.

“The answer is education, continuous education. But one of the difficulties of that is every year we lose 25 percent of the population and replace it with an uneducated 25 percent,” he said.

Most of the arson happened in freshman residence halls, such as Nassau and Onondaga Halls.

With regards to other instances of illegal activity, there were 33 drug-related arrests on campus and 9 conduct referrals in 2013. With alcohol, however, there were 31 conduct referrals and 4 arrests.

Kilcullen explained that this trend is due to the nature of drug use and alcohol use.

“If [underage students] decide to sit in a dorm and drink, they very likely will go undetected,” he said. “And if they are, it is often by Residence Life who will handle it internally. Many of the cases that we get of drug relation are via a complaint of odor, which is sent to us, and so now those students are in direct contact with the police and that will result in an arrest.”

The Annual Security & Fire Safety Report is compiled for the benefit of students so that they can be informed about the well-being of the campus, and in turn their own well-being.

Campus hosts world renowned Chinese scholar

The political science department hosted George Washington University professor of political science David Shambaugh on Wednesday Oct 1. Shambaugh is considered an authority on Chinese politics and security in southeast Asia. Shambaugh has an impressive resume including of 11 of his own books, his most recent being China Goes Global: The Partial Power.

It was with the help of professor of political science James Moor that the crowded lecture, held during all-college hour, occurred.

“I don’t even give lectures to audiences of this size at my own school,” Shambaugh said.

His lecture focused mostly on his new book and his controversial stance on China and its influence––or lack thereof––in facets such as culture, foreign policy and domestic policy.

Shambaugh spent a great deal of time elaborating on his thesis, which states that while China is most definitely a rising power, it does not exert influence on a great deal of global policy or events. It is merely an actor, exerting very little influence on other countries.

And yet, Shambaugh says, China is not a “re-actor.” He mentioned multiple global issues such as the crises in Ukraine, Syria and with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which China has not made any comment on.

Shambaugh says this is mainly because China has not been a world power in some time—since the 1500s, to be exact—and as such, much of their foreign policy is risk averse.

The latter half of his lecture pertained to China’s recent focus in “soft power;” that is to say China has an image problem. In his latest book, Shambaugh writes, “China’s appeal as a ‘model’ to others is weak to non-existent.”

China has spent a great deal of resources promoting Chinese culture, entertainment and domestic life. It is still viewed negatively by most countries, however. Excluded from this of course are its few allies, namely North Korea and Russia, to an extent.

Shambaugh said that most of the global interest in China is business but that “there isn’t anyone seeking political asylum in China, when they have many people serving jail sentences for subverting governmental authority.”

Shambaugh did mention that China is on course to eventually overtake the United States as the leading power in “hard power,” which pertains to economic and militaristic endeavors. While China is undoubtedly an “economic engine,” as Shambaugh says in his book, it will be years, before China overtakes the U.S. in its military sophistication.

Shambaugh’s lecture was illuminated to the actualities of China’s influence in the world. He made it clear that China has been perceived as too high of risk in recent years and that it is actually still struggling to find its place on the global stage.

TurboVote streamlines student voting process

This Election Day, New York State will hold its gubernatorial election along with national midterm elections for United States Congress. In an effort to increase student voter turnout, Geneseo has partnered with TurboVote. The online voting initiative is run by We’re Democracy Works, a “nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to the idea that voting should fit the way we live,” according to TurboVote’s website. The website allows users to register to vote, request reminders about elections and polling locations, request absentee ballots and update their personal information.

So far Geneseo has had 232 completed signups, accounting for approximately 4.64 percent of the total undergraduate population. Of those 232, 161 have requested voter registration packages, 136 have requested absentee ballots and 203 have requested email reminders.

Associate Dean of Leadership and Service Thomas Matthews has taken the reins on integrating TurboVote with the Geneseo student body.

“TurboVote came to us … through the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators … they gave the college a grant and that grant is paying for the postage,” Matthews said. “SUNY was encouraging the campuses to do this as well.”

After using TurboVote, users are mailed a package with the necessary forms and a pre-addressed envelope to the relevant Board of Elections.

The main benefit of the service is its ease of use. Located at geneseo.turbovote.org, the website guides you through the different stages of information collecting and occasionally an animated dog named “Turbo” will pop up to explain different pages.

“That’s why I think it’s great for students,” Matthews said. “It’s really simple and easy to use. Everyone I’ve talked to who has used it has said, ‘This is good, this is really easy.’”

The entire initiative is geared toward student registration, which is made most apparent by its reminder system. TurboVote will email students whenever there is an election with the locations of polling stations in the local area. TurboVote has a list of all the polling stations in the United States.

“The nice thing about TurboVote is that it sends reminders,” Matthews said. “For students who have so much going on, it can be easy for them to forget about voting.”

The deadline to use TurboVote to register was on Sunday Sept. 28, as the absolute registration deadline is Oct. 10 and the site takes into account mailing times.

TurboVote will direct users to the Department of Motor Vehicles website, however, which is the only way to register online without hard-copy forms. Users must have a valid driver’s license to do so.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 19, so students are encouraged to do so if they are already registered.

“We know that students care,” Matthews said. “We see it all over campus. We just want students to know they have a voice, and to use that voice. So we’re trying to facilitate that… and right now we feel that TurboVote is a great start.”

Students struggle to adapt to Windows 8 software

Over the summer, Geneseo updated its computer operating system across campus to Windows 8. For some, the software update has been exciting, but for others it has proven to be an obstacle to their productivity. Junior Eric Meyer, an employee of Geneseo’s Computing and Information Technology department said, “I know it gets a bad rep, and people don’t like it. It’s originally designed to be for touch platforms, so it doesn’t really fit anywhere perfectly.”

Recent updates to the software have made it more accessible to the people using it.

“When they gave it the 8.1 update, it focused on issues that would make it more desktop friendly, which is the vast majority of Windows users,” Meyer said.

Sophomore Max Zintel said that the new update only adds time to his routine.

“Whenever I’m in the library, and I have to print something, it takes way longer than it did when the computers ran Windows 7,” Zintel said.

Both Zintel and Meyer agree that one of the major issues is education. Students simply aren’t taking the time to figure it out.

“A lot of the time, people don’t know how to get somewhere, the menu is very complicated and navigating it can be a nightmare for someone that is less savvy,” Zintel said.

“The biggest problem people have is they don’t take the time to figure it out,” Meyer said. “The start menu is gone which really throws people for a loop, but the new interface really isn’t a bad thing. A lot of the productivity stuff is really cool, such as the snap feature which allows you to view two windows side by side.”

For independent users, Windows 8 boot times are significantly faster than those in Windows 7, largely due to the fact that Windows 8 has been built from the ground up, whereas Windows 7 is the culmination of building upon six previous iterations. On a campus-wide scale, this fact becomes irrelevant as, when students log in to the Geneseo domain, it has to go through personal setup functions, which take time, and most computers are already booted.

Zintel added, “It’s also randomly glitchy and there can be problems that people can’t figure out.”

While students may be having issues, the update has made administrative and instructional processes smoother.

“Connecting laptops is easier now for dual screens,” Meyer said. “Professors can have one screen with a PowerPoint and another with their notes for lectures, or something else like presentations. It makes it smoother and cuts down significantly on set-up times.”

Meyer added that there is a CIT self-help wiki, located at wiki.geneseo.edu/display/cit/CIT+Self+Help.

“It includes everything you need to know about software here at Geneseo,” Meyer said. “Most of the problems that students come to us with, they could do themselves with the self-help document.”

Given that Windows 8 has just been implemented, it is unlikely that it will be replaced in the near future.

In effort to rebrand, LATS debuts mobile app

Livingston Area Transit Service, now rebranded as Rochester Transit Service Livingston recently debuted an application that aims to help Geneseo students travel within the community with greater ease. The app is available in the App Store and the Google Play Store, titled “RTS Geneseo.” Transportation around Geneseo is a topic that pervades student body discussions, whether it’s regarding the hills or the distance between campus and Wegmans. The college answered by contracting a bus system that could accommodate everyone’s needs.

However, the obscure bus schedule and routes can make it difficult for students to plan, and often students miss the bus entirely.

Bonnie Maguire is the director of business development for RTS, and she was in Geneseo on Tuesday Sept. 23 to discuss the new app with students.

“The app is something that gives students the ability to stand inside a building during winter, see where the bus is on the app’s map and to determine their next move,” Maguire said. “And it determines in real time when the next arrival is, because of all the GPS that now connects the buses to the system.”

The app includes six functions: Where’s My Bus, Nearest Stop, Plan My Trip, Service Alerts, Information and Favorites. Each function is easy to use and understand, and updates in real time, giving students instant access.

RTS initially launched its mobile program at the Rochester Institute of Technology with a trail that started in February. After receiving positive feedback, they improved on the app and launched it in full last spring. For RTS, coming to Geneseo only made sense.

“This was the next logical step, as part of our ongoing relationship and partnership with the college,” Maguire said. “We just renewed our contract for another three years.”

The app not only benefits students, but also all of Livingston County.

“All the other local bus routes are included as well, so if you live anywhere in Livingston County, this app can benefit you,” she said.

RTS saw an increase in use for the bus system at RIT, but the increasing popularity of the app hasn’t caused any problems for students and riders.

“We didn’t have problems where we exceeded capacity,” Maguire said. “We found that, actually, the students liked it because they could plan better, so that usage was spread out over the day as opposed to all the students going at the well known times the buses would arrive.”

However, there is no question that during Geneseo winters the RTS bus system will see major increases in usage, compounded by the release of the app. RTS feels confident that it is capable of handling any issues regarding overpopulation of the routes.

“If we have times where the bus exceeds capacity, it is very easy for us to dispatch another bus to alleviate the stress of the current time and route, as we have a bus garage no more than 10 minutes from here,” Maguire said. “So that makes it really easy.”

RTS will be opening a comment line for feedback from students so that they may continue to build upon and improve its app.

RTS worked with the Richmond, Virginia-based app development company V4 for both the RIT bus lines and the Geneseo bus lines.

“Their knowledge and experience with these kinds of apps really helped to make them as successful as they’ve been, and their critiques, along with students critiques, allow us to deliver a product students want and need,” Maguire said.

New York State funds Naloxone "heroin kits" on SUNY campuses

The increased use of heroin on college campuses around New York has prompted a quick response from the state. Twelve state universities including Geneseo have received the drug Naloxone, or Narcan, from the state. This is in part a response to student deaths on SUNY campuses due to apparent heroin overdoses. The fairly new drug is extremely effective in reversing the lethal effects of a heroin overdose, and its side effects when used on a person who hasn’t actually overdosed are minute.

Junior Alp Bilenler is an emergency medical technician for Geneseo First Response. Bilenler said that the state has given more than $25,000 to schools for the drug and its coinciding training.

“If they don’t need it, it won’t harm them. But if they do, it will save their life,” Bilenler said.

The drug has been proven effective by state police in Suffolk County, Long Island where roughly 170 people were administered the drug during an overdose and lived.

“These ‘heroin kits,’ as they are being called, are actually intranasal Narcan, which comes in a little syringe and are very easy to use,” Bilelner said. “It’s essentially the antidote to heroin or any opiate. You spray it up the patient’s nose and it works but they go into straight withdrawal.”

New York State introduced Naloxone into its Basic Life Support protocol in 2014, which means that EMT basics will be able to use it as soon as their departments start adapting it. As of right now, only Geneseo’s University Police Department has the drug and has been trained to administer it.

“Before this, we would have to wait for the paramedics to show up, restart the heart and introduce the patient to an IV,” Bilenler said. “Now, those who respond the fastest will be able to quickly and easily save the patient’s life.”

Regarding Naloxone, the Monroe-Livingston Regional Emergency Medical Services Standards of Care for 2014 states, “If unresponsive with potential opiate overdose and respiratory depression: Naloxone (Narcan) 2mg IN with 1mg given in each nare. May repeat once after five minutes if no clinical response.”

“I think it’s a good idea, but it seems more reactive. I don’t see why they wouldn’t crack down on heroin use,” junior Josh Domboski said. Domboski added that he hopes that it won’t lead people to feel like heroin is ok to use, now that there is a “quick fix.”

“I just really hope people don’t see this as an opportunity to feel like, ‘Hey, heroin is ok now that I have a smaller chance of dying’ because it’s already a big problem in western New York and doesn’t need to get worse,” he said.

While UPD is the only force on campus that has access to the drug right now, GFR and the Geneseo Fire Department should have access once the sufficient paperwork is filled out.

CORRECTION: the accompanying photo and caption have been removed from an earlier version of the story. It may have implied an incorrect fact regarding the death of a Geneseo student.

Muddy Waters closes doors without notice

Main Street coffee shop Muddy Waters has shut down for unknown reasons, leaving students and coffee enthusiasts alike with one less local option for caffeinated beverages. The shop sits currently with all of its furnishings still intact and has been that way since early June. It is unclear whether current owner Jacob Kane plans to reopen the popular spot for students or if he is trying to sell it as is.

Former Muddy Waters employee senior Jodi Bentivegna said that this is now the third Muddy Waters to close in the last few years. “[Kane] had two previous Muddy Waters in Rochester that shut down before this one,” Bentivegna said. The closure was not only a surprise to many students who returned from summer break but also to the employees. “We were never told that the business was going to shut down. In fact, I was told I could work through the summer. When I came back from vacation, [Kane] was very vague about my work schedule and then the shop closed,” she said.

Kane employed mostly students, roughly six to seven at any given time. According to Bentivegna, Kane had to lay off a manager as he couldn’t pay a competitive manager’s wage. “[Kane] hired student managers that he paid minimum wage,” she said. Muddy Waters is also known for its open mic nights, which would attract a reasonable crowd. Kane did not run these events, however. “The guy who ran the open mic was a Rochester local who got paid to run the event, but Kane didn’t have much to do with anything like that. He was never around, and expected the business to really run itself,” Bentivegna said. Kane could not be reached for comment at press time.

While the fate of Muddy Waters is unclear, it can be expected to sit dormant for a the foreseeable future as rent payments for the venue have continued to come in, according to Bentivegna who is familiar with the landlord. Muddy Waters joins other Main Street neighbors that have closed this semester, such as the Sundance Books textbook store.

Sexual assault on campus falsely reported

The Geneseo campus has given a lot of attention to sexual assault in past weeks, with both national Sexual Assault Awareness Week and the report of a sexual assault taking place on campus. University Police posted an update to its investigation of the alleged assault on Monday April 28. The update read: “The University Police Department conducted a thorough investigation of the reported assault, and according to Interim Chief of University Police Tom Kilcullen, after speaking with alleged victim, UPD was able to determine that no sexual assault occurred.”

This information comes after UPD has made several steps to increase safety in the area where the alleged assault took place.

“When the incident was reported, we needed to be responsive to the community,” Kilcullen said in a phone interview.

“We did that in a number of ways: By stepping up visibility in the place where the incident occurred, we had officers who would interview those in the area who may have additional knowledge, and additional patrols in parking lots where students travel by foot and to reassure the community as best we can,” he added.

Due to the nature of the alleged crime and the sensitivity of the issue, Kilcullen was unable to provide much information on the investigation.

“Due to the complexity of this specific case, and out of sensitivity to the people that were involved, it would not be appropriate for me to comment at this time,” Kilcullen said.

“There were discussions regarding the case and the complexities with campus officials, as well as university counsel office regarding the process as we went forward with the investigation,” he added.

There were a number of persons questioned relative to the case during this process, but information regarding whether it was mostly students or staff was unavailable.

TAG Day promotes alumni participation

Students, faculty and alumni will once again see little blue tags taking over the campus, to represent areas and programs within the Geneseo experience that would not be possible without the help of private donations. Thank A Giver Day, known colloquially as TAG Day and represented by blue tags that read, “Thank you Geneseo Donors!” will take place on Friday April 25, just in time for this spring’s alumni weekend.

TAG Day is organized through the Make Your Mark! Student Giving Challenge, which encourages current students to begin their support of Geneseo before they graduate. Assistant Director of Young Alumni and Student Giving David Arduin ‘12 is spearheading the initiative.

“It is our one major day out of the year where we take the time to thank all the donors who make everything that happens on this campus possible,” Arduin said.

This is TAG Day’s fourth year, and this year’s alumni weekend date in particular makes for a larger impact on the student and alumni communities than in previous years.

“This is really Make Your Mark’s day… and it really falls on a unique weekend this year, with it being alumni weekend, volunteer weekend and the President’s Donor Dinner. So all these great [alumni] who give their money and their time will be here to see our tags and the current students appreciation,” he said.

As of now, TAG Day has had great success in increasing alumni participation in donor programs. While TAG Day is not the sole cause of the growing numbers, Arduin feels that it has had a huge impact on what alumni think when they donate.

“It’s one thing for someone who gives to know that their money is going somewhere meaningful, it’s another to know that, not only is it meaningful, but that current students, faculty and staff are extremely grateful that they’re giving back to the cause,” he said.

“Our alumni participation rate was about 8 percent two years ago, 11.4 percent last year, and we’re really trying to hit 13-14 percent this year. So in the world of college advancement, for alumni participation rate to almost double in two years is unheard of. We’re doing great things around here and TAG day is certainly one of our biggest events,” Arduin said.

The tags are distributed through a collaborative effort of students who have directly felt the effects of private donations, recipients of donor-sponsored scholarships, ambassadorships and research, as well as many athletes. Make Your Mark! also has a student philanthropy committee that does a lot of logiastical work.

“We have 20 to 30 people who really do a hands on effort; picking up tags and placing them on things that are really made possible by donors, we also paint the window in the [College Union], and we’ll be painting the Greek tree in ‘donor blue’ and tabling in the College Union,” Arduin said.

For this year, Arduin and the administration are hoping to eclipse last year in terms of the number of donors, student and alumni, and total funds raised. Make Your Mark! raised over $7,000 from more than 500 student donors last year. With roughly one month left in the semester, this year has 406 student donors who have currently donated $5,882. Both figures include the senior gifts from their respective graduating classes.

“I really hope the students on campus take the time to look around at all the tags and really appreciate donors, as tuition and state funding only go so far to keep things running,” Arduin said. “What really makes Geneseo, Geneseo are the private donations that we receive.”