Talented student pursues acting on the big screen

At Geneseo, it’s not hard to find talented students with ambitions and interests that span across many disciplines. What is more unique, however, is finding one student whose talents and successes are incredibly varied and plentiful. Enter senior musical theatre and communication double major Samantha Clowes, a prime example of how some Geneseo students really can do it all.

What sets Clowes apart from many of her peers are her activities and interests when she is off campus. Clowes has worked as a background actor in close to 50 different TV shows and movies since the summer after her freshman year.

She started her work after seeing an advertisement on Facebook for a casting call for the pilot of “The Leftovers”—a show now in its second season—near her hometown and has since found the line of work rewarding.

“I live close to New York City, so a lot of the shoots are there, which is convenient. It’s a ton of fun and you make a lot of friends,” Clowes said. “You run into the same people on set, so there’s a really tight knit community of background actors, which is really strange.”

As a background actress, Clowes has been in a plethora of shows ranging from repeated appearances in “Girls,” “Orange is the New Black,” “White Collar” and “Master of None.”

Working as a background actress combines both of Clowes’ fields of study at Geneseo: musical theatre and communication. “I love acting but I also love seeing what happens behind the scenes,” Clowes said. “My communication major has made me have an eye for the production side of television and acting as well.”

Clowes is making a name for herself not only off Geneseo’s campus, but on it as well. As a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary, she represents part of the top 1 percent of on-campus student leaders—a title she fulfills through her other roles on campus.

She also acts as the executive producer of Geneseo Student Television, a role in which she serves as a resource for the producers of the different shows. She also helps to find content for the shows. She explained that one of her favorite moments of GSTV was the production of her first show “The Bare Minimum.”

“GSTV hasn’t had a new program in quite a while and [senior] Michael [Baranowksi] and [junior] Kyle [Piper] are great guys,” Clowes said. “It was really cool being part of the process of developing a new show.”

Her involvement does not end there; Clowes is also an active member of Musical Theatre Club and works as a Resident Assistant in Ontario Hall.

Clowes noted that her favorite part about being an RA is “being a resource for students.”

“I like knowing that I’m helping in some way, even if I’m just a friendly face who says hi to them in the hallway,” she added.

With such a packed schedule, Clowes emphasized that balance and organization are key in keeping up. “I’m really trying to work on multitasking and making use of my free time,” she said. “Google Calendar is my hero.”

After she receives her diploma in May, Clowes plans to pursue a career in acting. “I’m very close to joining the Screen Actors Guild, which is the union for actors,” she said. “I just love performing.”

While Clowes’ schedule may seem overwhelming and hectic, her cheerful attitude makes her the epitome of the classic adage, “If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”

Making conscious, active efforts to shift paradigms in positive way

It happens all too quickly—one day it’s shorts and tank top temperatures here at Geneseo, the next day it’s time to pull out your jeans and sweaters and start bundling up for the brutal cold. The abrupt change in weather seems to show that nature knows when syllabus week is over and when it’s time to start working hard. Class intensity picks up, due dates that seemed so far away in the first week are quickly approaching and the new school year resolutions you made are already starting to deteriorate. The “honeymoon” phase of the semester may be over, but that doesn’t mean things have to start going downhill.

Positive psychology is a field of study that states that consciously keeping a positive frame of mind can help one to attain a more satisfactory life. There are multiple ways one can maintain an optimistic attitude with which they began the semester. By simply changing the way you think, you can regain the sparkle and shine that comes with the beginning of each new semester.

To start, identify your strengths and focus on them. In today’s society, many people are not used to or uncomfortable talking about what they feel they are good at. This issue results from the idea that most people focus on areas of weakness with goals of improving in those areas. If you fall into this category and struggle to identify your strengths, try asking yourself questions like, “When was the last time I succeeded?” or “What did I do this week that I was proud of?”

Additionally, be conscious of how you express gratitude. The people you surround yourself with often influence how you feel or act—at least on a day-to-day basis. When you stop taking everything for granted, you will begin to notice the little things those around you are doing and you will feel grateful more often. Expressing this gratitude—which can be as simple as thanking a friend for a kind act—is important as well. If you do this, you will start to feel better about yourself and those around you.

Indulge in your passions and find time for things that you enjoy. College can be overwhelming, but focusing on the positive side of things will help you to be more productive and happier overall.

Canning workshop draws dozens, educates community

The Genesee Valley Cooperative held a canning workshop for students and community members on Sunday Nov. 2 in the Central Presbyterian Church. The workshop included a presentation on canning safety as well as an interactive portion in which attendees prepared their own canned applesauce.

The workshop was well-attended, with about 35 people filling the basement area of the church. Part of the GVC’s central theme was to promote unity between the community and students––both parties were represented at the workshop.

“There were definitely more students,” GVC member senior Sarah Diaz said. “But a couple of community members came, including the people who run the Farmer’s Market, which was great.”

Judy Price and Katherine Humphrey from the Cornell Cooperative Extension led the workshop, designed to inform attendees how to properly can food. “They’re from Mount Morris, so a lot of community members know who they are,” Diaz said.

“One of our friends worked on a farm last summer, so she put us in contact with them,” GVC senior member Tom Silva said. “We’ve been sitting on the information for a while, so it was nice to finally put the presentation on.”

The workshop opened with a PowerPoint presentation from Price emphasizing food safety. “It’s important to be careful of bacteria and microorganisms that could become dangerous during the canning process,”Price said. “A major concern with canning food is clostridium botulinum, which is the bacteria responsible for botulism.”

Price made it clear that botulism should not be a concern at the workshop, because the apple sauce they were going to be canning has a high acidity and botulism is an only issue when canning foods with low acidity.

Price explained that since the apple sauce was highly acidic, they would use a boiling water canner to complete the process. “The other process called pressure canning is more expensive, which is part of the reason we chose apple sauce,” Silva said.

The ingredients for the apple sauce were all local, including apples from the Geneseo Farmer’s Market. “We work with Pleasantview Farms a lot and since their season is done at the Market, they let us come and pick the rest of the apples,” Silva said. “They didn’t want to see the apples go to waste, so it made for a great low-budget option for something easy for everyone to can.”

The GVC puts on a variety of programs intended to promote the “concern for community” portion of the ideal set forth by the Roshdale rules, the governing set of rules for cooperative living communities.

“A lot of the people there were associated with the co-op, but there were a bunch of new faces,” Diaz said. “It was really nice to see new people taking an interest in what we’re doing.”

Genocide survivor discusses forgiveness, tolerance

 The Geneseo Activities Commission hosted a presentation from Rwandan genocide survivor and LGBTQ-plus advocate Daniel Trust to a packed lecture hall in Newton Hall on Oct. 23.

Trust shared his experiences as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, including the death of his mother at the hands of his father’s people. His brother then adopted him, and yet another abusive relationship evolved.

Trust fled from the violence and eventually made it to the United States. Once in the United States, Trust went to high school and graduated, despite attending one of the most impoverished schools in Connecticut.

Quite possibly the most compelling part of Trust’s presentation was his positive outlook on life. One might think that a person would be cynical and negative after experiencing the horrors of living through the Rwandan genocide and the resulting familial violence, but Trust proved that conception wrong.

“I would constantly cry for help,” Trust said. “I came to the understanding that whatever happened in Rwanda was in the past; that’s how I was able to move on and forgive my brother for what he did to me. I have chosen not to allow the negative things that have happened to effect who I am today.”

Despite the different lives each person in the audience had led, his advice resonated with everyone. “Letting go of the past has helped me get where I am today,” Trust said. “That’s a lesson everyone can learn.”

Despite being able to move past the past in many aspects, Trust acknowledged that he has not entirely healed from his experiences. “I’m still working on forgiving a lot of things that happened,” he said. “I still find it difficult to maintain meaningful relationships.”

Trust has done more than just forget the past; he created the Daniel Trust Foundation. According to its website, this foundation “advises and helps teens plan their education and careers with meaning and purpose through mentorships.”

It was clear that Trust is very passionate about his scholarship recipients, saying, “We don’t just give them money. We are there for them 24/7 to help them with anything they need.”

Trust referred to the recipients as his “scholars” and said that they are all very passionate about giving back and helping their communities, as is Trust. “My scholars mean the world to me,” Trust said.

Activities Commission Contemporary Forum programmer junior Olivia Wolfram said she picked Trust because of “what he stands for. He has come from so much that his story was dimensional.”

The students in attendance were responsive and interested during Trust’s question and answer period. “Be thankful of those relationships that mean something to you,” Trust said. “Really appreciate them if you have someone who cares for you.”

Despite the heavy topics Trust discussed, the atmosphere leaving the lecture hall was positive, energetic and hopeful.

“I thought the event went very well, we appealed to many different audiences and [Trust] was so honored to have the privilege to speak to Geneseo,” Wolfram said. “The students that attended were clearly very interested in his story. He was a great speaker and I hope he decides to come back in the future once his foundation and career have expanded more.”

Geneseo Outing Club trail nears completion

The Geneseo Outing Club is in the final stages of an ongoing volunteering project. GOC members have been building a trail inside the Mount Morris Dam and Recreation Area for the past three years. Senior GOC president Richelle Pennington led the most recent trip to the Mount Morris Dam on Saturday Oct. 18. “We had 15 people come on the trip, but only because we don’t have enough tools for any more than that,” Pennington said.

The Army Core of Engineers run and maintain the dam, also offering tours for the public to become more educated about how the dam runs.

“Our goal is to build a beginner hiking trail for visitors to walk while waiting for their tour to start,” junior GOC treasurer Breann Coffaro said.

He added that, “Tours of the dam are really popular, so people come really early to sign up.” The groups of people who sometimes line up hours before their tour is scheduled to begin will ideally use the mile-long trail.

“We cleared brush, cut trees and generally cleaned up the area during the first few visits,” Pennington said. “During our last trip, we started putting mulch down on the trail.”

The mulch was made from the cut trees as well as old playground materials. “As more people walk on the trail, the mulch will settle and the trail will become easier to maneuver through,” Pennington said.

While the three-year project is coming to an end, GOC will still be making trips to the Mount Morris site to maintain the trail.

GOC will then embark on a new endeavor after their project is finished. “We like to take suggestions from our members as to what projects we do,” Pennington said. “Our club’s goal is to promote outdoor ethics and to teach others to be more respectful of the outdoors.”

Peace Action Geneseo invites discussion on War on Terror

Peace Action Geneseo held an eye-opening viewing of Dirty Wars on Oct. 2. The documentary explores the true nature of the War on Terror and the role the United States is playing in it. Along with Peace Action, senior Tiba Fatli held this event to raise awareness, saying, “The war on terror is much more than just violence in Iraq and Afganistan.”

“There are so many more secrets that people should know, especially since it’s our money that the government is using for these operations,” Fatli added.

The operations that Fatli referred to are the covert actions and air strikes that are meant to prevent terrorism, but create a cycle of increased terror. In these covert actions, military forces are going into countries and targeting anyone who might be a suspected terrorist, including American citizens.

“Peace Action Geneseo seeks to focus on global issues and how we can solve them without violence,” Fatli said. “The so-called ‘War on Terrorism’ is actually provoking terrorists to act more, rather than preventing terrorism from occurring.”

The documentary Dirty Wars was written by New York Times bestselling author Jeremy Scahill. Scahill received the William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Award on Monday Oct. 6 from Peace Action New York State, the parent organization of Peace Action Geneseo’s chapter. His work both as an investigative journalist and a documentary writer has earned him this honor.

“One of the most surprising facts from the documentary came from an anonymous military official who stated that there are secret operations happening in 45 countries,” Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace member and former assistant professor of political science and international relations Victoria Farmer said in a phone interview.

The feedback from students was unified in a common theme.

“Students were in agreement with their concern about U.S. policy regarding drones and counter-terrorism measures that are not under clear democratic control,” Farmer said.

“People were shocked that the War on Terror is actually happening,” Fatil said.

According to Farmer, one of the most thought-provoking comments came from a student who had lived in a war-torn area. The sentiment that U.S students have rights that many other students in other countries do not have created the need for us to use these freedoms and rights to take action.

Farmer encouraged students to learn and be active in response to this issue. “The most important thing is to get information out about what is going on,” she said. “Students should be politically active, whether it’s through peaceful protest or simply voting.”

Student co-op celebrates communal living

While the majority of students live on-campus or in off-campus student rentals, a group of Geneseo students are exploring an alternative option: a co-op. The Genesee Valley Cooperative hosted its first community dinner of the year on Oct. 2, uniting community members and Geneseo students alike. “A co-op is basically a type of business model that places emphasis on ownership and involvement for everyone involved,” senior co-op member Tom Silva said.

The GVC, is a student-run system that is not affiliated with the college’s Student Association.

In a co-op, everyone is a “member owner,” meaning that each member has a certain amount of ownership in the property the group is living in. Eight students live in the co-op house and there is a schedule delegating responsibilities like cooking and cleaning.

“When you live in a co-op, you don’t answer to a landlord. There’s more freedom and you save money, but there’s also a lot more work in maintaining the property,” Silva said.

Most co-ops follow a set of guidelines called the “Rochdale Rules.”  “We’re mainly focusing on the last rule: concern for community,” Silva said.

In accordance with this ideal, the GVC co-op hosts community dinners, the first of which was on Oct. 2.

“We hosted four smaller ones last year, but this year we received a $5,000 grant from the Center for Inquiry, Discovery and Development from the school,” Silva said. “We have a lot more funding to work with.”

Silva explained that a lot of planning went into this event, with all members of the co-op taking the lead on a particular dish and preparing it with aid from students and community members who arrived early to the dinner. In return, these individuals received the meal for a discounted price.

The ingredients for the meal––salad, couscous, ratatouille and apple crisp––were obtained locally from the Geneseo Farmer’s Market as well as Groveland and Pleasantview Farms.

With over 90 people in attendance at the Central Presbyterian Church rented out by the co-op, it seems as though this goal was met.

“We want to connect students to the town and surrounding areas,” Silva said. “Living in a college town, the population is so transient. We want to find a way to establish lasting connections and friendly interactions between students and community members.”

TED Talks club prepares to host speakers on campus

“Ideas worth sharing” is the motto of global organization Technology, Entertainment and Design, often referred to as TED. TED utilizes speakers that specialize in a variety of fields in order to spread new ideas to the public. TED’s emphasis on innovative ideas has sparked interest within members of the Geneseo student body, leading to the formation of Geneseo’s TED Talks organization. The new club is working to bring a TEDx event to campus later this year.

Sophomore Hannah Loo is spearheading the effort to coordinate this event, which will consist of Geneseo speakers sharing their experiences and expertise to an audience of interested spectators.

“Because it’s the first year, we are going to start small,” Loo said. “The speakers will be from three groups: faculty, students and alumni. We want to start local and then expand outward.”

The event will be held in the spring semester in March or April. The planning process is still in early stages, but Loo is not working alone. Sophomore Jenny Cheng holds the title of executive producer and is second-in-command as far as planning goes.

“Our club is different because its goal is solely to put on this conference,” Cheng said. “We have a core of about eight people working on it.”

As the official organizer, Loo was responsible for getting the event approved by the larger TED organization.

“I started last semester and had to submit a license for approval,” Loo said. “An employee of TED is a Geneseo alum, so I Skyped with her to figure the process out. I got approval in June or July.”

Loo may not be the first person to attempt to bring a TEDx event to campus, but she may be the first to be successful.

“Other people have tried, so I spoke to them to get the basics of what to do,” Loo said.

TED has a rule starting that no more than 100 people can attend a TEDx event. This has forced club members to try to find a venue that is both intimate and has the necessary technology to make the event possible.

Loo hopes that individuals will take away something positive from attending the TEDx event.

“The theme we want people to get out of this event is to take the ideas from the speakers and focus them into your own life,” Loo said. “We want people to take these ideas and do something great with them.”