Care packages do not prevent, address cause of sexual assault

The Thursday Jan. 26 issue of The Lamron included a news article covering a new initiative that Geneseo is part of called SUNY’s Got Your Back—a SUNY-wide program intended to provide relief to victims of sexual assault. “Intended” is, what I believe, the correct choice of word here. While the program has good intentions, it does far less than it should to actively combat a serious problem among many college campuses.

Through this program at Geneseo, “comfort bags” filled with T-shirts, sweatshirts, toiletries and personal care items are given out at hospitals to victims of sexual assault. In this article, RESTORE’s College Advocate Coordinator Christi Waldron is quoted saying that these items can be used “after something’s happened to freshen up.” These words are incredibly demeaning and insensitive, especially coming from an individual whose profession is dedicated to helping victims of sexual assault.

The notion of donating a bag full of necessities is most advantageous to people suffering in situations such as poverty or war since they may not have access to many basic items that are necessary to survive. At many other schools that are a part of the program, these bags are donated to rape crisis and domestic violence shelters. 

At Geneseo, however, donated bags are sent to hospitals through Rochester’s RESTORE Sexual Assault Service organization. While it is not safe to assume that victims of sexual assault may also be in these types of financially unstable situations, it is a stretch to assume that all victims of sexual assault will not have access to basic items such as clothing and toiletries. 

One in four women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime, but the true statistic is unknown due to the amount of sexual assaults that go unreported. A large flaw in this program is that it does absolutely nothing to victims who do not wish to report the crime. These victims experience the same amount of trauma, yet are unable to receive any help.  

The funding for this largely ineffectual program should be allocated toward actively engaging in helping victims of sexual assault, rather than in simply providing bags of items that “benefit” victims. Sexual assault is both a physically and mentally traumatizing experience—an experience that a bag of donated goods just won’t fix. Rather than donating bags, SUNY could help by covering hospital bills and by providing therapy to victims. 

Preventing sexual assault should be of utmost importance; it should be marked before providing relief to victims. Many times, this is easy to forget. Offering relief to victims is a nice gesture, yes; it does nothing, however, to solve the bigger problem. 

If Geneseo is serious about combatting the issue of sexual assault, then it should not pour our time, money and resources into an initiative that does not seriously help victims with this devastating issue.

Lamron staff debate: “To peg or not to peg?”

In the Nov. 13, 2014 issue of The Lamron, the editorial board debated anal sex. Over two years later, we gather again to discuss the same topic—in a much different perspective. “Pegging” is a term to describe a female anally penetrating a male with a strap-on dildo. Made famous by a “Broad City” episode, pegging is highly intriguing due to the homosexual connotations of the act. While still not a household term, it signals a shift away from the classic gendered dominant-submissive structure of sex.

As a sexually adventurous endeavor, both parties involved can find pegging enjoyable. Males enjoy the sexual aspect of anal stimulation, while females enjoy the psychological aspect of “being on top,” in a different setting. There is nothing more dominant about sex than being the actual penetrator—something that females rarely get to experience.

Members of The Lamron staff all seemed hesitant of the idea at first. The group universally agreed that it is acceptable to be into pegging, but whether one would be willing to try it was another matter. The topic was divisive, yet it opened up a dialogue on the different comfort settings of each individual.

“Personally, pegging isn’t something I would be comfortable with,” managing editor Nicole Sheldon said. “But, to each their own.”

For males, many would not be all that willing to try for more socially conscious reasons—being penetrated can damage one’s masculinity or can even imply that one is gay.

“I feel like opposition to pegging partly comes from homophobia,” associate news editor Malachy Dempsey said. “I think it’s perfectly fine.”

Females can also feel uneasy about the idea as well, for both similar and different reasons than males.

“I think it’s a positive that women can have a new way of being dominant rather than the stereotypical submissive,” public relations manager Kimberly Ward said. “However, I do think that it’s a negative that most women probably won’t be as sexually satisfied through pegging.”

At this age, sexual experimentation is important in learning what you are and are not into. For some, pegging was just another thing to experiment with.

“I think you should try everything once,” public relations manager Caitlin Hamberger said. “I didn’t know that I was allergic to peanut butter until it almost killed me.”

Editor-in-chief Emma Bixler concurred with Hamberger’s position.

“I think sexual exploration is a good thing, and I wouldn’t be opposed if a guy asked me to do that to him,” she said. “If they are completely showered, I’m all for it.”

Design and layout editor Matt Heaton agreed with both Hamberger and Bixler. He, too, encouraged the idea of experimentation and had an open-minded stance on pegging.

“I would try literally anything, once,” Heaton said. “Or twice,” he added, “If I liked it.”

I believe anal, and therefore pegging, is something both women and men should be able to openly talk about and ask for if it is something that piques their interest. Anal stimulation is not exclusively enjoyable to only females and homosexual males.

For this exact reason, if a guy asks me to do anal, I will agree only if he allows me to peg him.

HONY photographer humanizes Trump supporters with new project

Photographer Brandon Stanton took to the streets of New York City in 2010, asking anyone and everyone simple interview questions as he documented them through photography. With a goal of portraying the lives of ordinary people, the photo series—dubbed Humans of New York—was launched via Facebook and was originally based in New York City. Stanton has traveled to countries all over the world since, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran in order to expand his series on a global scale.

HONY’s most recent destination is Macomb County, Michigan—a town that voted decisively for President-elect Donald Trump. Macomb County made national news when they broke their 40-year streak of voting for Democratic candidates. In his newest segment, Stanton photographs and interviews people of this small town in order to grasp a better understanding on how Donald Trump became president of the United States. Interestingly enough, Stanton shies away from political questions as much as he can, ultimately aiming to create an unbiased portrait of each individual.

Trump’s win undoubtedly divided the country into two distinct halves. Trump supporters have been largely ostracized under the general assumption that they are racist and sexist. It is easy to immediately criticize and to even hate these voters; taking the time to understand the reasons behind their votes for Trump requires more effort than most are willing to give. Luckily, Stanton is here to help.

What makes HONY so uniquely engaging—and oftentimes emotional—is its microscopic perspective on a wide array of issues. Rather than focusing on a larger viewpoint, Stanton allows people to tell the story of their lives. By bringing his project to Macomb County, Stanton helps us to meet, understand and connect with Trump voters. His project helps many anti-Trump voters humanize Trump voters, instead of writing them off as bigoted individuals.

Stanton’s photographs mostly portray disadvantaged working class citizens who have struggled through some incredibly difficult times. Many are poor and lack an education and a solid understanding of the world outside their small Michigan town. One of the most interesting things we learn about the citizens of Macomb County, however, is their view on racism.

One man in particular perfectly captures what others are thinking. He says, “Watching the news, you’d think there was a race war out there. But then I walk outside and I just don’t see it. I hold the door for the black guy. He holds the door for me. I wouldn’t even know there was a problem if it wasn’t for the television.”

Stanton’s work as a photographer and journalist shines brilliantly through this single quote. We finally understand that many of our fellow Americans are only exposed to racism in the media. More importantly, we gain a vital understanding of the results of the recent election: Trump was not elected due to racism—he was elected due to the ignorance of it.

People all over the world appreciate and love HONY because of its down-to-earth, breathtakingly emotional and oftentimes hilarious honesty. Stanton’s photos always strive to help people understand social, emotional and political issues on a deeper, more personal level. It is this understanding that is vital to solving larger conflicts—after all, deep down we’re all human.

Native American speaker enlightens audience on Thanksgiving history

First declared by George Washington as a national holiday, Thanksgiving in the modern context is characterized by inherently American values—feasts, football and family. As we gorge ourselves with stuffing and teach children the Charlie Brown version of Thanksgiving, the factual account of this event that inspired this age-old holiday gets lost in translation. Perry Ground, member of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga tribe, came to speak about his perspective of Thanksgiving on Wednesday Nov. 16. Dressed head to toe in traditional Native American attire, Ground began his presentation by passing out a true or false quiz about the history of Thanksgiving.

Soon after Ground’s presentation began, it became blatantly apparent how little knowledge the audience possessed about the actual history of Thanksgiving. Ground quizzed various students around the room on facts of the first Thanksgiving, with the majority of them volunteering incorrect answers.

This lack of knowledge, however, stretches beyond the educational niche of college students. At a talk with the National Conference for Native American educators, Ground shared that the educators only knew the fictional story of Thanksgiving.

“When we think about this event, a lot of people like to rewrite history,” Ground said. “When we talk about this event, a lot of people like to say to me, ‘The Pilgrims were bad people. They wanted to kill Native Americans, they brought diseases.’ This is just not true. [The Pilgrims] did not come here maliciously.”

In fact, the Pilgrims came to modern day New Jersey to practice their own religion and to trade beaver furs. They encountered the Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoag tribal confederation when they built their village, with Massasoit Sachem being the leader of the Wampanoag confederation. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag arranged a peace treaty for trade and mutual protection that lasted 50 years—until King Phillips’ War.

The “first” Thanksgiving celebrated the fact that the Pilgrims had successfully harvested enough food to last them through the winter. This feast, however, was not the first of its kind.

The actual first feast occurred on Sept. 8, 1565 in St. Augustine with the Spanish. In addition, the Wampanoags had a cycle of ceremonies where they gave thanks to everything around them, also called Thanksgiving. While it is not the same American holiday of being thankful, it was the Wampanoag way of expressing gratitude.

During this event, two extremely different groups that held different languages, belief systems and traditions found a way to come together and to enjoy a feast for three days. The importance of Thanksgiving lies in this simple fact that two groups from across the world were able to live in harmony during this time period.

“I think it’s a great example of peaceful coexistence,” Ground said. “I give this talk to highlight how important this peaceful coexistence is, even today."

AOD program hosts “Voices for Recovery” week, raises mental health, addiction awareness

Geneseo’s Alcohol and Other Drugs program hosted their first “Voices for Recovery” week from Sept. 22-Saturday Oct. 1 to raise awareness of addiction recovery and mental health challenges. The week was in lieu of National Recovery Month, as every September is dedicated to increasing awareness of mental and substance abuse disorders as well as celebrating people who have recovered. During the week, AOD held different events, including Sunset Yoga & Luminary Lighting and a 1K walk.

The Sunset Yoga & Luminary Lighting on Thursday Sept. 29, originally held on the College Green, was rained out and moved to the Knight’s Spot. The event centered on “letting go of the blocks in one’s life,” referring to mental illnesses and addiction. Many people use yoga for mind clarity and for making peace with themselves.

Psychology major senior Sydney Cooke—who is currently in the process of getting her yoga teaching certification at Shakti Yoga—taught the class. As Cooke’s first time teaching a class, she went through basic poses such as downward dog and tree pose to provide a basis of strengthening and elongating exercises.

“We wanted to have a yoga event to connect recovery and promote wellness all around,” Cooke said. “We really wanted to promote awareness of [mental illnesses and addictions].”

After the yoga class concluded, the luminary lightings began. Students beforehand wrote inspirational messages on paper bags to people who have lost or are currently fighting a battle with addiction. At the Lighting, participants placed these paper bags in the gazebo outside of the Knight’s Spot and lit them with candles. The luminary lightings were a beautiful, touching ending to the relaxing yoga class.

AOD advocates partnered with the Council of Alcohol and Substance Abuse of Livingston County on Saturday Oct. 1 to host a 1K Voices for Recovery Walk around campus. The walk started outside of Sturges Hall and went around a loop on campus. Although it was chilly and drizzling, the weather did not deter students from participating.

“This walk is to raise awareness and lower the stigma toward recovery of [alcohol and substance abuse],” math major senior Rebecca Masse said. “We want to bring these issues to the forefront of peoples’ minds.”

Participants received T-shirts, water bottles and granola bars. The back of each T-shirt read, “Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, each day can end beautifully,” a quote that acted as a reminder that recovery is always an option.

Through events like Sunset Yoga and the 1K Walk, AOD provides hope and works to break down the stigmatic barriers surrounding addiction and mental health.

Sigma Kappa hosts fifth annual 5K, raises money for Ultra Violet Campaign

The sisters of Sigma Kappa sorority hosted their fifth annual 5K run on Friday Sept. 23. The proceeds from the run supported their Ultra Violet Campaign—a campaign that divides and donates money to the many philanthropies Sigma Kappa supports, including research in gerontology and Alzheimer’s disease, the Maine Sea Coast Mission, Sister to Sister Disaster Relief and Inherit the Earth. “We started this run a few years ago,” communication major senior Anna Kelly said. “We thought it was a great way to get students in Geneseo involved, and a great way to raise money for our philanthropies and get the name out there.”

As a national sorority, Sigma Kappa’s philanthropies are a vital aspect of the organization. The research in gerontology and Alzheimer’s disease provides service and companionship to the elderly in local communities, as well as funding research to find a cure. The Maine Sea Coast Mission—a philanthropy that Sigma Kappa has supported since 1918—is charged with building healthier communities, stronger families and brighter futures in coastal and island communities in Maine. Disaster Relief assists alumnae and current sisters of Sigma Kappa who are in a state of financial distress due to a natural disaster. Lastly, Inherit the Earth is a service project that helps improve the environment.

To participate in the run, students had the option to sign up the week before the race for $10 or to sign up the day of the race for $15. A Go Fund Me page allowed non-runners the opportunity to contribute by donating money, as well.

The 5K began at the gazebo near the tennis courts and snaked through campus, finishing at the track with sisters of Sigma Kappa stationed in strategic locations to guide and cheer on runners. While it was a cloudy and chilly day, it made for good running weather.

All kinds of runners—from competitive to casual—participated in the 5K. In addition, some parents who came for Parent’s Weekend joined in running the 5K to support Sigma Kappa. The top finishers were awarded with Visa and Starbucks gift cards.

“We have some really competitive runners and then some slower ones,” Kelly said. “Some sisters just like to run for fun, so it’s a really good time.”

Last year, Sigma Kappa raised $667 in donations to their 5K run. Biology major senior Olivia Holodnik is the Vice President of Philanthropic Services for Sigma Kappa and coordinator of this year’s SK5K. Her goal this year was to raise over $667.

“We’ve done this five years in a row,” Holodnik said. “This year we’ve made the most money. I haven’t totaled it up yet, but it’s over $1,000.”

Regardless of the poor weather, the sisters of Sigma Kappa were able to successfully exceed their goal and actively contribute to their treasured charities.

Battles’ Fireside Chat provides informal platform for discussion

President Denise Battles hosted the first Fireside Chat of the year on Friday Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the MacVittie College Union. During Fireside Chats, Battles volunteers an hour out of her busy schedule to hear the students of Geneseo voice the issues within the community. She started these chats in Dec. 2015 in order to give students the opportunity to meet in a comfortable, informal environment.

“As a new president, I was getting lots of requests from people to meet up,” Battles said. “In order to meet these demands, I started Fireside Chats so students could talk to me directly.”

Assistant to the President Gayle Dyckman, Senior Associate to the President Heather Lobban-Viravong and Secretary to the President Christie Reed all accompanied Battles to the Fireside Chat.

Due to the time and date, I was the only student who attended the chat on Friday. Being the only person there allowed me to have the undivided attention of Battles and her accompanying staff.

I first addressed the decline in applications to Geneseo, something that I have heard many of my peers discuss. I couldn’t fathom why less people applied to Geneseo in recent years, given its reputation as one of the top SUNY schools.

“A lot of institutions in the northeast have been experiencing this phenomenon,” Battles said. “If you look at the amount of 18-year-olds, the numbers have been declining in New York State. You have a number of institutions that are competing for a diminishing amount of students, so we are not alone in these types of things. People who project [population growth] figure that we are going to be in a valley for the next five years.”

While Geneseo received fewer applicants in the past year, the school still stands among the top schools in New York. According to United States World News & World Report, Geneseo ranks 14th in the northern region of universities and second in the top public schools.

I felt it was appropriate to also discuss the death of Geneseo’s former Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Donald Lackey. I wondered why students were excluded from the email announcing his death—sent out to all faculty—so I inquired whether administrators intentionally hid it from the student population.

“This was a retiree of our college—I believe he retired around 2003,” Battles said. “He had worked here for a long time, but not during the time our students would have been here. I suppose that we could have notified students, but I’m not sure if our students would have had a chance to interact with him in the past just because he’s been retired for a few years.”

As the president of Geneseo, Battles must keep up with the current events occurring in the community. Despite her high authoritative position, Battles remains an incredibly friendly and personable leader who cares about the students of Geneseo.

Fireside Chats are an opportunity to get to know Battles on a more personal level and a chance to voice any concerns or ask questions. It is something that students across campus should take advantage of—though Battles assured not again at 9 a.m. on a Friday.

Mooncake Festival celebrates traditional Chinese holiday

The Chinese Cultural Club hosted their annual Mooncake Festival in the Knight Spot on Saturday Sept. 17. The Mooncake Festival—more commonly known as the Mid-Autumn Festival—is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated in late September or early October, depending on the position of the moon. This year, the Mooncake Festival fell on Thursday Sept. 15. To celebrate this holiday, the Chinese Cultural Club served Chinese food donated from Main Moon on Main St. and mooncakes. Biology major sophomore Josie Kwan also gave a short presentation about the Mooncake Festival to educate students further on the meaning behind this Chinese holiday.

“When the moon is at its fullest, it represents unity within a family,” Kwan said. “In the past, the ancient Chinese found the correlation between the fullest moon and the time that they harvested their crops, so they always associate a full moon with prosperity, peace and happiness.”

Similar to the American holiday Thanksgiving, families celebrate the Chinese Mooncake Festival by gathering together and having a huge feast. Instead of watching football afterward, however, they gaze at the moon, light lanterns up into the sky and say prayers. It is said that these wishes and prayers are more likely to be heard and granted during this time. Most importantly, people make, eat and exchange mooncakes during this celebration.

“There are several different types of mooncakes,” Kwan said. “There’s lotus seed, sweet bean, mint, red bean, fruit paste made of dates and the five kernel cake made up of nuts and seeds. We have the most common ones today, which are the lotus seed and red bean mooncakes.”

For a small fee of $3, students enjoyed a wide variety of Chinese food and the opportunity to get to know one another. Afterward, mooncakes were served. Overall, it was great to experience the traditional food that the Chinese eat during this holiday for the first time.

While the event served as a cultural education experience, the Mooncake Festival also offered a fun social gathering. Its main intent for students was to allow them to meet new people who might have similar interests. The Chinese Cultural Club serves as a mediator for Chinese students to meet each other. As the current president of the club, biology major senior Tiffany Lee explained the event further.

“We welcome everybody. Whether you’re Chinese or not, whether you speak Chinese or not,” she said. “We definitely want everyone to learn about Chinese culture and experience it, so we can incorporate more holidays here.”

Lee emphasized that the goal of Chinese Cultural Club is to make everyone feel included, while still being able to learn. The Mooncake Festival provided a fun social outlet that educated students a bit more about an important holiday in Chinese culture.

Co-op provides comfortable environment to swap clothes

The Genesee Valley Cooperative hosted their first clothing swap of the year on Saturday Sept. 10 in the backyard of the co-op house on 23 North St. The cooperative is a student-run organization that promotes a sense of community by engaging in sustainable and locally-oriented lifestyles. In a co-op, a group of students live together in a house and “cooperate” by pooling their resources and doing their share of work. Currently, there are seven members of the co-op living in the house, but there are many other active members who contribute to the organization.

“We try and involve community events with living,” senior psychology major Jessica Beneway said. “It’s like living in a college town rather than just being a student here.”

For the clothing swap, students were encouraged to bring old clothes that they no longer wear. All clothes were free for anyone to take, and clothes leftover after the swap were donated to the local Goodwill store. Shirts, skirts, rompers, jeans and even workout clothes were laid out on picnic blankets for students to choose from.

“Not only is this clothes swap good for giving leftover stuff to Goodwill and giving back to the community, but it’s also a sustainable way to get new clothes,” Beneway said. “Instead of going out and buying new stuff from corporations and companies that don’t have very ethical standards, you can get some old ‘new’ stuff and keep the cycle flowing.”

While the clothing swap is comparable to shopping at Goodwill, it is more accessible and useful to college students because of the types of clothes donated. At Goodwill, it may take hours to find an article of clothing that appeals to you or is in your size. At this clothing swap, however, college students around the same age—who all wear relatively similar clothes—provided the available apparel.

“We have a lot of friends in the LGBTQ+ community who want some new clothes,” senior Emily Holdgruen said. “We try to create an judgement free zone when people come and take clothes that they might otherwise be nervous about buying in public.”

In addition to the actual clothing swap, the cooperative ensured that the event was also a fun place to hang out and relax with friends. They provided vegan food and refreshments, along with some music to create a more comfortable atmosphere on the hot, muggy day.

The clothing swap exemplifies the beliefs and ethics of the cooperative. By having a group of students pool together their resources, they are able to produce a more desirable outcome through the collective that benefits the community and themselves.

Senior travels to Amsterdam, experiences positive mindset and culture

This past summer, psychology major senior Melanie Dudek studied abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands for three and a half weeks. In Amsterdam, she took The Psychology of Happiness, taught by associate professor of psychology Jim Allen. According to the 2016 World Happiness Index, the Netherlands ranks as the seventh happiest country in the world, falling right behind Canada, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Denmark.

During this short period of time, Dudek grew accustomed to the city of Amsterdam in different ways, including adopting the primary mode of transportation in Amsterdam: bicycle.

“I had a huge thrill just riding my bike around the city and exploring,” Dudek said. “You can go anywhere, from the park, to the bar, to the train station on your bicycle. Everything was so close and it was easier than walking. I think the freedom of being able to go wherever, whenever you pleased was something that I truly loved about Amsterdam.”

The Psychology of Happiness course compares the well-being of the United States to the liberal social democracies of Western Europe, which includes countries like the Netherlands. The class also discusses topics that subjectively pertain to happiness, such as money, materialism, family life, social relationships and economic and social policies.

“The majority of the course actually took place outside of the classroom,” Dudek said. “We visited the cities of Haarlem, Rotterdam and Delft—among others—and learned about the water management systems that some of the cities use. We also went to many museums during the trip. Some of the best learning experiences I had were at the Van Gogh Museum, the Museum of Amsterdam and the Anne Frank Museum.”

Travelling to any foreign country almost always results in recognizing and understanding cultural differences from one’s native country. The Netherlands was no exception.

“Every interaction I had—from simply asking for directions to talking to the cashier in a grocery store—was consistently pleasant and welcoming,” Dudek said. “The people were also very straightforward and blunt when they spoke. You never had to guess what the Dutch were thinking.”

A large part of Dudek’s study abroad experience involved travelling to other cities in Europe, including Paris, Barcelona, Dublin and London. Although she felt all of these cities were unique and memorable, Amsterdam remained her favorite city.

The Psychology of Happiness—taught in one of the happiest places in the world—was an opportunity that Dudek could not pass up. In the future, she plans to go back to the Netherlands to further broaden her experiences.

Anthropology professor brings cultural experiences to Geneseo campus

As a college student living in Geneseo, it is often difficult to imagine life outside of New York. Associate professor of anthropology James Aimers is a living reminder of the diversity one can have when it comes to worldly experiences. Born and raised in Toronto, Aimers lived in Canada until the age of 26, completing his undergraduate degree at Trent University. “Trent University reminds me of Geneseo,” Aimers said. “It’s a small, public liberal arts school that was a pretty cool, open-minded college.”

Aimers, an openly gay professor, started the first gay and lesbian organization at Trent during his sophomore year of college in 1986. To this day, the organization still exists.

“Back in those days, there weren’t as many out people, so the climate was definitely scarier [for gays] than it is now. On campus especially, there were not many out gay people, so odd things would happen,” Aimers said. “One time, the University Senate needed assistance with topics like condom use and AIDS, so they called me. They acted like I was the spokesperson for the gay community.”

Aimers’ love for anthropology stemmed from a class that he took during his freshman year of college. He originally joined the course to learn about the Aztecs, which sparked his interest for ancient Mayan architecture and ceramics. In addition, Aimers has dabbled in other topics, such as the archaeology and anthropology of sex and gender and archaeological art.

“I think anthropology is great because you can study anything related to humans. It’s broad, it’s fascinating, it’s a limitless field because humans are such a broad species and I love the variety of it,” Aimers said. “It’s a globalizing world; it’s diversifying and lots of people are moving all over the place. Understanding diversity and being able to work and cooperate in a globalizing world is extremely important.”

Rather than going straight from his undergraduate to graduate school, Aimers decided to teach English in Japan for a year.

“After I completed my undergraduate degree, I got into my master’s program but I didn’t have enough funding,” Aimers said. “Because I had an English and anthropology degree, I decided to apply to a teaching program in Japan. I was accepted into a government-run program called JET, which stands for Japan Exchange Teaching.”

JET gives young people the opportunity to work as teachers in Japanese schools. Aimers taught English at a local Japanese high school. He admitted that he experienced culture shock moving from Canada to Japan.

“Because of the group orientation of Japanese culture, you weren’t allowed to isolate individual students from the class,” Aimers said. “For example, when there were troublesome students, you weren’t allowed to ask them to leave the classroom. Also, when we tried to play Bingo, it didn’t work out because the Japanese students were too embarrassed to yell Bingo by themselves.”

In addition to Japan, Aimers has worked in Illinois, Ohio, Belize, Great Britain and Peru. Aimers’ favorite place to live is Toronto. He said: “There’s no place like home, right?”

Third season keeps progressive social commentary, mediocre humor

Four and three and two and one, one. “Broad City” premiered its third season on Feb. 17 for yet another round of hilarious mishaps. Starring real life best friends Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the show follows the crazy, quirky lives of the dynamic duo as they use their creativity and wit to navigate their way through New York City. With an overall successful first two seasons and a quickly growing fan base, “Broad City” had high expectations to live up to. The trademark of the “Broad City” humor is the pure ridiculousness and exaggeration of normal life situations. One episode portrays co-ops as cults, led by a woman fertile into her 60s from organic produce. Ironically, the realism of the show is a defining characteristic that separates “Broad City” from other, similar shows. The girls are college graduates with liberal arts degrees, stuck in dead-end jobs with no money, no boyfriends and basically no friends besides each other. Surprisingly, they find a way to be happy with it all.

In addition to their painfully average lives, their outfits are representative of affordable, mainstream fashion. For example, Jacobson wore a romper from Urban Outfitters in episode five that I personally own. Typically, other shows dress their characters in name-brand clothing that the character may not be able to actually afford.

The feminist representation on this show is phenomenal, as well. Too often, the entire feminist population is viewed as radical men-hating misandrists. While there certainly are feminists that fall under this category, it’s untrue to assume that a large majority of feminists behave in this manner.

“Broad City” humanizes today’s modern feminists by reversing gender roles. In one scene, Glazer is seen sitting on a bench in a park, catcalling both men and women walking by. The show playfully pokes fun at activities that society frowns upon by placing a woman as the culprit instead of a man.

In addition, the plot of “Broad City” involves both Jacobson and Glazer rejecting men—men that desire loving relationships with them—due to the fact that both women are only interested in sex. Characteristics usually assigned only to men are embedded into Jacobson and Glazer’s personalities. By portraying women with stereotypically masculine values, “Broad City” takes the edge off the cliché radical feminist and even makes feminists funny and lovable—something that has proven to be difficult in the past.

That being said, while the third season did have a few good episodes, many turned out to be flops compared to the first and second seasons. The plots of the episodes were decent and had a lot of potential; the jokes, however, often fell short. Uncomfortably funny situations embody “Broad City’s” wit and whimsy, but many ended up being just plain awkward in season three. The season finale was probably the most disappointing episode of the season, with Jacobson getting her period on a plane, where she has no tampon. The writers of the show could have done so much more in terms of humor.

“Broad City” is written in a fashion where each episode is jam packed with jokes from start to finish. Watching episodes a second or third time still proves to be enjoyable due to the fact that viewers can catch jokes that they may have previously missed. While the humor may not have lived up to the expectations set by previous seasons, the themes in the show continue to be incredibly progressive.

Carbon Free Concert promotes entertainment without electricity

The Geneseo Environmental Organization, in collaboration with Amnesty International Geneseo, hosted the third annual Carbon Free Concert—Jamnesty—on Friday April 22. The event took place outside on the Integrated Science Center’s patio facing the College Green.

The Carbon Free Concert is one of the many events that GEO hosted during Earth Week, and sought to show people that electricity is not required to have a good time. As the name implies, the Carbon Free Concert put on the show using no electricity, therefore emitting no carbon. No microphones, aux cords or lights were used during this concert in order to conserve energy and to reduce the carbon footprint.

“It’s basically a fun, outdoorsy concert with no plug-ins and no electricity so we don’t produce carbon because it’s Earth Week,” sophomore Carrie Seche said. “We’re advertising that you can have fun without hurting the environment.”

GEO went above and beyond to ensure that the concert produced as little waste as possible. The signs GEO created were made with leftover cardboard boxes from the MacVittie College Union Mailroom—something that shows how important the environment is to the organization.

“The best part is that it’s not really a ‘producing’ event,” Seche said. “You’re not producing energy from the musicians and you’re not producing paper waste from the signs because the signs are made out of recycled cardboard.”

The concert brought in a small crowd of just over 20 students and one Siberian husky. The atmosphere felt natural, with one student blowing bubbles into the wind as the performers played. Part of the natural aura was created by the noticeable fact that the event didn’t use any form of electricity, and it didn’t produce any waste.

Additionally, various singers and bands sat in the middle of the patio to perform their music. OK Artichoke was the first band to play, consisting of two guitars, a tambourine and a ukulele. Next up was Bong Pong, a band that incorporated a guitar and a ukulele into their performance. After the two bands played, various solo performers sang or recited slam poetry. The acoustic sounds produced by both bands, as well as by the vocals, reiterated the fact that no electricity was used during the performances—something that is so rare in today’s industrialized world.

“The idea is to raise awareness and show people how much carbon they are using,” senior Julia Mizutani said. “People don’t even realize that electricity uses coal. Even by being inside and turning the lights on, that’s emitting carbon. That’s why we’re doing the concert outside—to get away from carbon for just a few hours, not using any lights and not using any electricity.”

As the president of GEO, Mizutani feels strongly about the ever changing environment. “We do need to go off fossil fuels,” Mizutani said. “We do need to go carbon free. Not at some point, but now. It has to happen now. It’s almost already too late.”

Parting the Red Sea: the benefits of period sex

Period sex is a form of sex that is considered taboo, along with certain other sexual behaviors, such as anal sex. Period sex, however, is considered taboo for different reasons. Bleeding while having sex can be messy and considered gross by both partners.

Furthermore, “red wings” is a term to describe being eaten out while on your period—something that many are very reluctant to do. While it’s safe to say that period sex has a pretty negative connotation, it should not be this way. Most women have their period for an entire week once a month—a considerable amount of time for a dry-spell if a woman happens to have a lot of casual sex. Menstruation should not inhibit sexual activity, whether it be for a male or female.

The main issue people have with period sex is the messiness of the process. If a woman has sex during the heaviest day of her period, it’s likely that the surface she had sex on will look like a murder scene afterward. There is a quick solution to this, however. Putting down a towel before sex can eliminate the mess that period sex causes. Wearing a condom can also prevent a man’s penis from getting bloody—in addition to being a safe sex practice. By taking extra precautions before engaging in period sex, the act does not have to be messy. 

Having sex while on your period can actually be beneficial in terms of sensation. Periods are Mother Nature’s natural lubricant—blood can help assist sex when a female has a problem with being too dry. In addition to this, progesterone levels drop before and during a female’s period, increasing the sex drive during this time. Period sex is often incredible due to this increase in sex drive. By getting over the initial shock of bleeding during sex, the experience may prove to be even better than usual.

In addition to an improved sexual experience, period sex can actually alleviate period cramps and shorten the length of a period. Female orgasms result in uterine contractions, which expel blood and uterine lining at a faster rate. Orgasms also flush out compounds that cause cramping during periods.

It’s always important to use precautions when having sex, though, whether or not a menstrual cycle is involved. Studies show that the chances of getting pregnant when having sex on your period are very unlikely—although there is a chance, nonetheless. Wearing condoms helps prevent pregnancy and can help to avert sexually transmitted diseases—something that you are more likely to catch when you are on your period. Period sex should not be used as an excuse to practice unsafe sex. While the stakes of getting pregnant may be lower, it’s important to remember that sexually transmitted diseases are still transmissible.

Period sex has the potential to be extremely enjoyable and beneficial to one’s health if both sexual partners are willing to tolerate the mess. It’s something that more people should break out of their comfort zone for and try, as long as the sex is safe and consensual.

“Art After Hours” showcases student artistic ability using retro medium

Geneseo Late Knight hosted the highly anticipated annual event “Art After Hours” on Saturday April 23 in the Knight Spot.

During this event, students were given an old recycled vinyl record to paint. Participants followed careful step-by-step instructions from artist Aimee Bergvall. Bergvall owns a business called “Zest 4 Art” where she teaches group classes on painting vinyl. “Art After Hours” brings Bergvall’s painting classes to Geneseo, where students are able to enjoy a normally $30 lesson for no cost. With the seating limited to only 40 people, students enthusiastically started lining up by the door 20 minutes prior to the event.

Not a single seat was left empty during “Art After Hours.” Each student was given a blank record, a palette consisting of an assortment of paint colors and three high quality paint brushes ranging in size. Through this class, participants learned how to paint the Seuss Spruce tree, which is one of Geneseo’s defining features.

Before the event started, students were able to look at some of Bergvall’s work that was on display around the room. Bergvall’s artwork left many students astonished and overwhelmed by her talent. But Bergvall’s true talent shined through during her lesson, as she was able to make almost everyone into a decent painter through her helpful instructions.

Bergvall began the lesson by having students paint a sunset background—yet another feature for which Geneseo is famous. While Bergvall instructed, students were able to pick music to play on an old fashioned record player, which was a nice addition to the overall vinyl theme. Bergvall skillfully offered advice on the type of strokes that should be made and how to blend the colors together.

In addition to being a great painter, Bergvall also proved to be an excellent teacher. For an incredibly unartistic person, I was able to create a decent painting by merely following Bergvall’s detailed directions. Bergvall was also helpful when I dropped and spilled paint all over myself—twice. Her patience is one of the many traits she possesses that makes her a great teacher.

As the night wore on, it was interesting to see how each student’s paintings varied. While the lesson Bergvall taught was on painting the Seuss Spruce, it was more of a suggestion rather than mandatory. One student painted the Geneseo pavilion overlooking the sunset instead of the tree. Another painted cartoon trees from The Lorax in the background, displaying their sense of humor and creativity. Art is an expressive medium that never fails to impress, with each painting looking completely unique.

When students finished their paintings, they had the opportunity to see the name of the record on the back. While this was a trivial part of the night, it was a cool reminder that a beautiful painting could be made out of something that would have gone in the trash. My painting was made from a vinyl of Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4 in F Minor,” coincidentally one of my favorite composers.

With the recent cuts in the art department, workshops such as “Art After Hours” are incredibly important to maintaining an art-friendly environment at Geneseo. The event showcased a wide variety of student talent and interest in art, something that may not have been seen otherwise.

Alpha Chi Rho hosts first Donate Life 5K, raises awareness for organ donation

Alpha Chi Rho fraternity—more familiarly known as Crows—held its first ever Donate Life 5K event on Friday April 15. The event raised awareness for organ donation; a cause that many people know about, but aren’t fully educated on. Donate Life is a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise mindfulness for organ donation. By signing up to become an organ donor, one has the potential to save up to eight lives. “We’re trying to create awareness,” sophomore Chris Bonadonna said. “We believe that everyone should be an organ donor because after you die, you have no use for your organs anymore.”

The community service chair of Crows, sophomore Benjamin Smith organized the event after months of planning. Smith has a very personal connection to Donate Life—he has been involved with it for almost three years.

“When my father died, my family decided to donate what organs he was able to,” Smith said. “We soon were contacted by Donate Life to represent the New York region for the Donate Life float for the Rose Parade. My father had a floragraph made for him and my family.”

Donate Life is an organization that Smith and the rest of his fraternity firmly support. By spreading awareness on the cause, Smith noted that he hopes to register as many people for organ donation as possible.

“For me, organ donation is a simple choice; you don’t need your organs when you die and you can help save someone’s life. [Organ donation] is also supported by all major religions and an open casket is possible,” Smith said. “For these reasons, I think everyone should be an organ donor. That is why I decided to host this event—to raise awareness and try to sign as many people up to be organ donors as possible.”

A small donation fee of $5 was charged to register as a runner, but donations were open to non-runners as well. In addition to raising money, a table was set up in the MacVittie College Union a week prior to the event to register people as organ donors.

Junior TJ Hickey explained that he is a strong advocate for Donate Life and is proud to be part of an organization that supports such a worthy cause.

“I myself am a registered organ donor; I think it’s something everyone should do,” he said. “While I can’t speak for everyone [in this fraternity], there is a general consensus that everyone does truly believe in it.”

The Donate Life 5K not only raised awareness and money for organ donation, but also took crucial action in registering people as organ donors.

While this was the first time Crows held a Donate Life 5K, the positive reception surrounding this year’s event points toward the event becoming an annual tradition for the fraternity.

Dedicated student half-marathoner relieves stress through running

While many view running as a dreadful, tiresome activity, sophomore Michaela Omecinsky views it in a much different light. Running has been Omecinsky’s passion since she made the modified cross country team in eighth grade. Over the past year or so, Omecinsky made a goal to start training for half marathons and has since run 11 5Ks and three half marathons. As an accounting and political science double major, Omecinsky’s hard-working, driven personality is seen in both her running and studying habits. After joining the modified cross country team in middle school, Omecinsky chose to pursue running in high school as well. Her potential was quickly recognized when she started running varsity as only a sophomore. While she does not run competitively anymore, it continues to be a part of Omecinsky’s daily life.

“[Running] gives me a break from school—school is stressful and I feel like your mind tires out so much,” Omecinsky said. “After sitting all day, getting up to run allows me to get rid of my full energy and clear my head.”

Many runners use the sport as a natural de-stressor, similar to Omecinsky. Omecinsky, however, has a more structured training plan vital to doing well in her races.

“During the week, I run three to four miles a day, depending on my course load,” Omecinsky said. “Four days between Monday and Friday, I run three to four miles. Sundays are my long run days when I add a mile each week starting at three. The week before my half marathons, I get up to 12 miles because I want the first time I run 13.1 to be the day of the race.”

One of the three half marathons Omecinsky has completed was the Geneseo Oak Tree Half Marathon on Sept. 6 2015. Omecinsky noted that it was a memorable race for her due to the grueling conditions.

“The race was insanely hilly,” she said. “There was a huge hill at mile 10 that was very difficult. It was also a very hot day, so that race was the most difficult one I’ve run because of the heat and the hills.”

Geneseo is an excellent place to train for long distance running because of the diverse topography of the land. The entire campus is uphill, giving runners a chance to train on more difficult conditions.

“I love to run up Center Street and around Byrne Dairy and then back to Main Street,” Omecinsky said. “When I want to challenge myself, I run up “cardio hill,” which is the long, steep hill between Lauderdale Center for Student Health and Counseling and Newton Lecture Hall.”

Omecinsky continues to set even more goals for herself after reaching her half marathon ones. By 2017, she plans to finish a full marathon.

“My goal is to run a full marathon by my 21st birthday,” she said. “I’ve started looking into them for March or April of next year. I want to run my first marathon outside of New York near a body of water—I’m interested in Lake Placid, Maine or Connecticut.”

Omecinsky noted that after her first full marathon, she plans to make it a recurring event. She even has a bucket list of marathons she wishes to complete one day—which is no ordinary feat.

“There’s one in Disney World called the Princess Half Marathon that I really want to do. There’s also one in Kentucky called Run the Blue Grass where you end up running a lap around the Kentucky Derby horse track, which I thought was really cool,” she said. “Lastly, I want to do the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon. The money for the race goes to St. Jude’s Research Hospital and they play country music the entire way.”

Omecinsky’s lifelong passion for running continues to benefit her in many different ways. Her goal-oriented, dedicated work ethic and personality shine through in everything she does.

On the ethical, dietary appeal of veganism

In today’s increasingly environmental and health-conscious society, veganism has become an established diet among many. One could even say that veganism has made its way into pop culture, from the overdone “I found the vegan” jokes to Justin Timberlake’s memorable “Veganville” skit on “Saturday Night Live.” While there are many stereotypes surrounding veganism, the lifestyle continues to play a large part in the nutrition industry, as well as campus life in Geneseo. As a lifestyle, veganism is an appealing choice for both dietary and ethical reasons. Some people convert to veganism in order to live a healthier lifestyle, while others feel strongly against the inhumane practices used on animals in factory farms. For many, their choice of veganism includes a combination of both.

Freshman cross country runner Nathan Yost became a vegan a little over a year ago after suffering from Achilles Tendinitis, a common running injury. In order to not gain weight during a lapse in his training, Yost decided to adopt a vegan diet.

“[Veganism] has helped with recovery. I’ve seen lots of improvements from my times over the past year,” Yost said. “It helps me train more consistently too—you should always be focused on your diet.”

Although Yost initially became a vegan for more health-based reasons, he has started to support the diet for ethical reasons as well. In addition to not eating meat, dairy or eggs, Yost does not eat honey or use leather, wool or silk.

“It’s all about doing as much as possible not to exploit animals,” Yost said. “Stealing honey from bees—which is bee vomit—is a nutritional source for them. It’s not helpful.”

Junior Courtney King has been a vegetarian for about a year and decided to go vegan approximately a month ago. Like Yost, she supports the diet for ethical reasons.

“I don’t necessarily have an issue with animal products themselves, but don’t easily have access to products coming from humane environments,” King said. “The egg industry is often rated as more inhumane than the poultry industry itself.”

According to peta2.com, Geneseo’s vegan options were given an 86 percent satisfaction rating. The site assessed campus dining hall menus based on factors such as labeling vegan foods and offering vegan entrees at every meal. Both Yost and King agree that Geneseo provides a vegan-friendly dining experience. Yost emphasized Fusion’s vegan options—vegetarian burritos, tofu stir fry and noodle bowls—while King emphasized the wraps and salads offered around campus.

The negative stereotypes surrounding both vegans and their diet distinguish veganism from any other diet similar to it. When asked about the stereotypes, Yost explained a myth about protein deficiencies in a vegan diet.

“A big misconception about veganism is the protein factor,” Yost said. “You can get protein from almost anywhere except for oils and pure sugar.”

King focused more on stereotypes surrounding the people practicing veganism.

“I think the actions of certain groups make it seem as if vegans are all angry and radical,” King said. “While this may be true for some people, I think most vegans are more accepting of others’ decisions to not follow a plant-based diet.”

As the world becomes more vegan-friendly with faux meats and non-dairy milk products, veganism continues to benefit people in a myriad of different ways.

Freshman thrill seeker finds home at Geneseo

It is a widely accepted fact that frazzled freshmen biology majors are ubiquitous among the Geneseo campus community. Freshman Leonidas Christofilopoulos, however, stands out from the masses. Christofilopoulos’ uniquely confusing and exciting persona matches his name perfectly. Totaling a whopping 25 letters in his first and last name combined, Christofilopoulos has led a life that is anything but ordinary. A Rochester native, Christofilopoulos chose to come to Geneseo for the biology program and for the attractive SUNY price.

In addition to majoring in biology, Christofilopoulos has a penchant for other intense activities. He explained that he loves to spend his free time participating in skydiving, bungee jumping and base jumping—basically anything that involves high adrenaline. Skydiving involves flying up in a plane and jumping out, while bungee jumping involves jumping off a cliff, building or bridge. Christofilopoulos described base jumping as “half and half of bungee jumping and sky diving.”

At the young age of 15 years old, Christofilopoulos started bungee jumping and base jumping. He was 18 years old when he went sky diving for the first time.

“My first actual skydiving experience by myself was [with] my cousin, who’s in the military,” Christofilopoulos said. “He took me on a plane with them and we just did a HALO jump, which pretty much stands for “high altitude low orbit.” It was 35,000 feet and he told me I had to go by myself.”

In addition to being an adrenaline junkie, Christofilopoulos is also an avid volleyball player. Currently the president of the club volleyball team here at Geneseo, Christofilopoulos played on his high school’s volleyball team.

“I played all my years in high school and I started playing varsity as a sophomore,” Christofilopoulos said. “I won two state championships and we lost in the championships my senior year.”

Christofilopoulos attributed his love of sports and of his major directly to making new friendships. He added that the ability to easily make friends is one of his favorite aspects of Geneseo.

“In Geneseo, it’s real easy to make friends just doing what you normally do,” he said. “I went to play volleyball and I’m really close friends with those guys; same thing with soccer. You just come up and chill. Everyone in your major is your best friend because you all don’t want to fail.”

Biology is known as one of the most difficult majors at Geneseo, with a rigorous course load not meant for the faint-hearted. While Christofilopoulos did explain that he truly does like the field, he is often frustrated by his constant time crunch and also described some of the professors as “meh.”

“I remember reading on Yik Yak that the best pickup line in Geneseo is ‘I’m not a bio major, so I have time,’” Christofilopoulos said. “And that can’t be more true because even as a freshman, I still don’t have time for anything.”

Christofilopoulos explained that he is interested in going to dental school after Geneseo. Specifically, he plans on going to University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine to fulfill his dentistry dreams.

For a biology major, however, Christofilopoulos seems to possess an unnaturally laidback and optimistic sense of self.

“I’ve been there and I’ve done that,” he said. “[My biggest philosophy is] to not look behind you, to keep looking forward.”

Christofilopoulos promptly went to go study for biology after being interviewed.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Joshua Shabshis

Theater major junior Joshua Shabshis has led a life surrounded by fascinating live performance. Born and raised in Forest Hills, New York, Shabshis first started studying theater at City Lights Theater School when he was five years old.

Shabshis is currently directing a main stage production for the theater and dance department entitled “The Forced Marriage,” written by 17th century French playwright and actor Molière. Shabshis also directed Noah Haidle’s “Mr. Marmalade” as part of the department’s staged reading series and starred as Cal in Tina Howe’s “The Art of Dining,” directed by professor of theater and dance Randy Kapplan. Shabshis has a concentration in acting in his major.

Despite his immersion in the theatrical arts, Shabshis noted that he came out of his high school—Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts—fairly disillusioned by the teachers’ cynicism.

“Even though I’ve done theater my whole life, [LaGuardia High School] kind of turned me off due to the way the school was run,” Shabshis said. “They would basically tell you that you were going to fail and there was nothing that you could do.”

Instead of taking this discouraging attitude to heart, Shabshis used it as motivation to succeed in his passions and look at theater in a much more open and optimistic way.

“I think it’s so important to be on the same level as your actors. I believe theater is an ‘us’—a ‘we’ art form. Painting is an ‘I’ art form,” Shabshis said. “Theater is collaborative, from the designers to the dramaturges to the actors to the directors. Everyone involved is equally as important and I don’t think there is any hierarchy. I think it’s a communal experience.”

Apart from his formal education, Shabshis draws much of his influence in his directing and acting from his Russian heritage. Shabshis is a first generation American with his parents hailing from the Soviet Union and his first language being Russian.

“I was brought up in a traditional Soviet household—growing up with all my parents’ Russian friends hanging around the house, drinking a lot of vodka with clouds of cigarette smoke in the air,” Shabshis said. “I started learning English around the age of three.”

In addition to his uniquely Russian upbringing, Shabshis comes from a long line of relatives that were intimately involved in the Soviet world. Shabshis noted that his great grandmother was a ballerina for the Bolshoi Ballet and his great grandfather was part of the Soviet Writer’s Union, where former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin censored much of his work for being too “cosmopolitan.” Shabshis’ great-great uncle was a successful Soviet theater set maker and costume designer and his great aunt was also involved with Soviet costume design. For Shabshis, theater is in his blood.

Shabshis’ Russian heritage not only plays a huge part in his life, but in his directing and acting. For “The Forced Marriage,” Shabshis explained that he is using an experimental and collaborative technique in his directing—something that comes from studying the world of Soviet directing.

Shabshis’ passion for theater can be seen in almost every aspect of his life. He currently works for the Genesee Sun, where he writes press releases focusing on art events in Livingston County. Shabshis will also be working as an intern this summer for the Bohemian National Hall, working with Czech and Slovak artists and studying their creative process.

When asked about his post college plans, Shabshis maintained the same kind of determination and humor that is so evident in his creative works. “I’ve half-joked to my friends about this: I really want to start my own theater company when I graduate and I’m making my friends sign five-year contracts to my theater company,” he said.