Victor E. Knight wins Mascot Madness 2016

Starting out with a total of 39 different mascots across multiple SUNY schools, Victor E. Knight was crowned the champion of the fourth annual SUNY-wide contest, Mascot Madness, with over 15,000 votes.

All of the participating mascots were ranked by the amount of athletic teams each character represents. After that, the mascots were sectioned into four SUNY regions: Erie, Hudson, Mohawk and Genesee. Victor E. Knight was in the Genesee region.

Earlier this semester, Geneseo underwent an unexpected loss when two students passed away. The campus’ unity only grew tighter from this tragic event, however, with the hashtag #OneKnight surfacing all around campus and social media. That harmonious sentiment and school spirit has carried on throughout the year. Contests like Mascot Madness work to strengthen that spirit within the SUNY system and within the individual schools.

“I think it’s a good representation of college spirit … promoting the idea of together we are one Knight, one community,” Director of Student Life Chip Matthews said.

The competition—held from March 8–28—pitted Geneseo’s pride and joy Victor E. Knight against SUNY Fredonia’s Fred Blue Devil, SUNY New Paltz’s Hugo, two-time champion Binghamton University’s Baxter Bearcat, Columbia-Greene Community College’s Rip and SUNY Stony Brook’s Wolfie. Although voting polls for each week proved to be a close call, the Geneseo community pushed through, helping to move Knight further in the competition.

Matthews noted what a huge accomplishment it was for Geneseo to defeat Binghamton, a school more than twice its size. As  a mascot for a small university, the odds were against Victor E. Knight, but the Geneseo community proved to be a force that was not be reckoned with. Geneseo is a small school with a huge amount of spirit.

“This is the first year we ever made it this far,” Matthews said.

There is an array of people behind the mask of Victor E. Knight. Geneseo has a mascot training program, which was created by student intern senior Skye Cardona. In this program, people are hired and trained to portray Victor E. Knight. Although brought to life by many people, the Knight has a personality of his own. Coming from humble beginnings, Victor E. Knight studied medieval art and literature, watches “Game of Thrones” and enjoys the restaurants of Main Street.

Matthews hopes that the Knight will continue to foster unity throughout the campus and bring together students from all walks of life. Victor E. Knight promoted school spirit and enthusiasm among the Geneseo campus and community through Mascot Madness, proving that strength can come in small numbers.

Professor fosters imagination through writing in classroom

While all students have their personal favorite professors, one professor stands out as a beloved educator: adjunct lecturer in English Ashley Pankratz ’05. Pankratz’s current course offerings of INTD 105: War Stories, ENGL 305: Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop I and ENGL 307: Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop II not only draw students in because of the compelling topics themselves, but also because of her warm and engaging nature.

Pankratz graduated from Geneseo with a bachelor of arts in English. She explained that she lived in Canandaigua and was an off-campus resident, rendering her unprepared for the culture shock of living in Geneseo permanently when she became a professor. Upon leaving her diverse community, she realized that she was not able to engage politically and culturally in her new environment. Despite this, Pankratz noted that she had been able to use her experience to “further expand her empathy and different understandings of the segments of rural culture.”

With a numerous amount of unfinished stories, writing has been a passion of Pankratz’s since early adolescence. She explained that she spent most of her free time reading and writing and decided to hone in on her skills as a writer when she eventually declared herself as an English major in college.

“It was something that I knew I could do well and I could do it independently,” she said.

Pankratz was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, but has not affiliated herself with the religion since she was 18 years old. She did, however, note that her involvement did influence her as a writer.

“It helped me to develop a very active inner life,” Pankratz said. “There were a lot of times when I would be socially engaged with others for a religious function and the material didn’t quite interest me intellectually … so in response to that, my imagination developed significantly.”

Although she admitted that she kept mostly to herself as a student in Geneseo, Pankratz explained that she branched out during graduate school at the University of Michigan. She joined a writer-in-residency program through Inside Out Detroit, helping young children to explore their own inner lives and talents in creative writing.

Despite this early experience with the world of education, Pankratz noted that she originally had no plans to become a professor, citing her personality as a cause for hesitancy. “Deep down, [I’m a] very shy individual,” she said.

Pankratz acknowledged that she is very self-aware when it comes to her strengths and weaknesses, some doubling as both. For instance, she explained that her experiences as an anxious person often leave her in a state of constant fretting, but on the other hand, it also allows her to strive for perfection in her work. Another weakness she noted is her empathy; although, she did admit that it’s a good quality for writers to possess.

“When we are truly empathetic, we are taking on the pain of others,” she said.

Her deep sense of empathy has helped her make the decision to become more active in animal rights and to live a vegan lifestyle. Pankratz explained that she always loved animals growing up and she currently owns three horses, three dogs and five cats. Pankratz focuses a lot of her writing on animal rights, gaining a new set of skills that provide her with the strength to actively contest cultural norms in relation to the treatment of animals today. 

“We ate meat meals growing up and didn’t even think twice about it, and yet we treat domestic animals with love … and went to great lengths to keep them healthy,” Pankratz said. “I needed to change the way I was living in order to align myself with my values.”

Pankratz encouraged other students who are interested in any kind of activism to “find a community that is supportive of your activism … [while] maintaining your sense of self.”

“You’re constantly bombarded with things that are troubling to you, so breaking that routine to do something that makes you feel good is really important,” she said. “It’s a really essential component of being an activist.”

Student fosters community bonds through radio

Junior Andy Hogan is like many any other Geneseo students: hardworking, down-to-earth and eager to share his own unique voice and opinions with others. The difference between Hogan and many of his peers, however, is that this voice is able to extend past the barriers of face-to-face conversation. Hogan works for Geneseo’s student-run radio station WGSU and also has his own podcast: “What Was I Saying?”

WGSU is the first radio station Hogan has ever worked for. Hogan expressed his appreciation for WGSU faculty director and professor of communication Michael Saffran, who allows WGSU staff members to have creative control over their shows. 

Hogan explained that he first started out doing a segment called “Meet the Professors” on the Saturday morning “Geneseo Today” segment, conducting interviews in an attempt to humanize professors and to break the barriers of the student-teacher hierarchy. Hogan added that some interviews focused on the professors’ lives on campus, while others spotlighted the extensive research they might be doing and any work they may be doing away from school.

He attributed the original idea for this segment to his own struggles with learning in the classroom. Hogan said it was easier to learn when he could relate to the professor. “I think when you can make a human connection with your professor, it fosters better learning,” Hogan said.

His show on WGSU has since expanded to include other members of the Geneseo-Rochester community like Sponsored Research Associate and Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement and Talent Coordinator Patty Hamilton-Rodgers ‘85. Hogan added that he wants to focus on topics in and around the Geneseo-Rochester community, spotlighting the passionate and talented individuals in the area in order to foster a better connection with the people of the community.

“I get to talk to so many interesting people; it’s a platform that if I didn’t have, I’d be missing out on so many opportunities,” Hogan said.

When he’s not at WGSU, Hogan runs his podcast with co-host Paris Petters, working under a mission statement explaining that they are “two guys talking about life in their 20s and providing a platform for passionate people, one week at a time.” Hogan and Petters use the podcast as a platform to not only express their own unique perspectives, but also to interview exceptional individuals in the community as well.

“One day we might start talking about coffee and end on [a conversation about] ISIS,” Hogan said. They’ve had many guests on their show, from up and coming rap artist Midnight to NBC’s “The Voice” contestant and Rochester native Abby Celso.

Hogan noted that his activity in radio is a fairly recent development, but his initial interest in the field was influenced by Gregg “Opie” Hughes from “Opie and Anthony”—a radio talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio—and by Rochester radio show personality Alan Levin, also know as Brother Wease.

Hogan never thought he’d want to pursue a career in radio—Hogan actually came to Geneseo as an education major. Like many other students, however, he soon realized that it wasn’t the profession for him and after settling down with psychology, he realized his true passion for working on radio.

“Taking [psychology] classes has really made me aware that everyone is different,” he said. “Everyone is weird in their own respect—in a good way or bad way—and you’ve got to roll with the punches.” Hogan said. Hogan added that he strives to apply lessons such as this when working at WGSU and on his podcast.

It’s a hard task to balance WGSU, WWIS, schoolwork and other extracurricular activities, but Hogan is clearly dedicated, passionate and up for the task.

“If I can inspire or educate people through radio, that would be enough for me to say I did something that was worth it,” Hogan said.

Hogan added that he truly enjoys the work he does for the radio and podcast. “It’s been a really good opportunity capitalizing on something I’m passionate about,” he said.

While he recognized that making a career out of his extracurricular may be a hard task, Hogan emphasized that he ready and willing to take the risk in making it his life.

“If you’re not passionate in what you want to pursue, it’s not going to work out,” he said. “There [are] people who say, ‘I have my hobbies and I have my career.’ I want my hobbies and interests to be my career.” 

“Write For Justice” workshop blends social awareness, creative writing

MiNT Magazine and Students Against Social Injustice held a collaborative writing workshop entitled “Write For Justice: Part II” on March 9. Pictures from campus social justice events such as the candle light vigil—hosted by SASI, Zeta Phi Beta and Black Student Union—were used as prompts for students to create a piece of writing, as well as photos from the series of Black Lives Matter events.

MiNT chose to focus on social injustice as a way to bring back the main purpose of the club: a creative outlet for students to talk about issues in diversity, culture and race. MiNT president sophomore Lizzie Pellegrino emphasized her hope that this would encourage students to address social issues.

“[MiNT] kind of lost [the multicultural aspect] over the years,” she said. “[I want] to get writers to think about those kinds of things; I think a lot of times writers get stuck in their own lives and forget to look outward for inspiration.”

The audience was shown an image of an event and asked to jot down how the pictures made them feel, to interpret emotions, focus on smaller aspects that could have been overlooked and create their own opinions on the photos—regardless if they had been there or not. A quick description of the event would be given and then the furious scraping of pencils on paper echoed around the quiet room. Most of the attendees appeared to already have an interest in creative writing and seemed to impressively avoid writer’s block when coming up with their pieces.

Students made observations on the facial expressions of the people in the photos and the signs protesters held, each coming up with different insights. Some mentioned how tired some of the supporters looked while others noted how the lighting of the photos created different moods.  For example, many expressed that the editing of the pictures to black and white gave the photos a very “serious” and “real” feel.

Participants volunteered to talk about their pieces, with many students choosing to write poems. In addition, many were interested in hearing from the students who had been a part of the events and they shared stories about their own personal emotions while attending.

Pellegrino explained that MiNT hopes to continue to reach out to other multicultural and social justice groups. The club wants more students to feel encouraged to submit to the magazine and to create conversations about these controversial, yet crucial topics.

“I think it’s important to write about these topics because … it’s important to add to the conversation especially through writing—[it] has physical significance to it,” she said. “If you write it down, there’s something very special about that.”

Frugal Foodie: Guilt-free carrot cake waffles

Campus may not offer the largest variety of gluten-free and vegan breakfast options, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own. These quick and easy carrot cake waffles are a healthy alternative to sugary cereals, processed treats or day-old slices of pizza sitting in your mini fridge. 

If you would rather opt out of the gluten-free and vegan ensemble, however, you can simply substitute gluten-free flour for wheat flour, the flax seeds for an egg and almond milk for your choice of dairy. 

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds

3/4 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup finely grated carrots

2 tablespoons coconut flakes (optional)

Directions:

Heat your waffle iron to medium/high. In a mixing bowl, add the vinegar to the almond milk to give it a buttermilk-like consistency. If you opted for a different kind of dairy, add that in the bowl. Add warm water to the flax as a substitute for egg. Measure out your dry ingredients and stir together to combine. Add the milk and coconut to the dry ingredients. Finally, stir in the flax and grated carrot.

Measure out the recommend amount of mix for your waffle iron, cook and enjoy with your choice of toppings!

Annual Wadsworth library food drive gives unique reward to participants

Wadsworth Library hosted their week-long “Food for Fines” event from Feb. 22–Saturday Feb. 27 in celebration of Canned Food Month. “Food for Fines” gives patrons the opportunity to lessen or to completely eliminate their library fines by exchanging one non-perishable food item for $1 off their fines. The proceeds go to local food pantries such as Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry.

Wadsworth Library itself is one of Geneseo’s hidden gems for more reasons than one. Inside, you will find a homey atmosphere with walls covered in good reads, DVDs, ancient VHSs and audio books for people to enjoy. Around each corner is a new surprise, from documents dating back to the library’s founding to cozy spaces where people can go and relax with a book in hand.

Wadsworth Library frequently hosts events for the Geneseo community, striving to find engaging and innovative ways to entertain, educate or help community members out—such as with the “Food for Fines” event.

“Food for Fines” is generally held in February—which isn’t usually a time that many food drives take place. Most food drives are held around holidays that are centered heavily on foods like Christmas and Thanksgiving. During those times, the pantries are usually well stocked, but soon after, the pantries find themselves running out of foods to give to families in need.

“The library has tried to time the food drive we do here with [the time] of greatest need for the local food pantries,” Children’s Librarian Sarah Matthews said. Matthews—who has been working at Wadsworth Library for around 10 years—explained that they have been hosting “Food for Fines” for as long as she can remember.

“It’s a nice partnership because it allows you to spend less money than you would paying for your fine,” she said. She added that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are extremely popular days for donations, as families that attend the “story time” events featured on these days will typically donate.

“It creates a lot of good feeling between people who owe the library money and maybe don’t have the money to pay it,” Matthews said. “They’re able to save themselves a little money, come to the library and give in their donations [while] also helping the community.”

Matthews explained that the amount of food the library is able to collect varies by year. Sometimes, the library is able to fill up seven to eight boxes, while other times, just one may be filled. The staff tries to stay optimistic, however, as they know their efforts are making some sort of positive impact—whether small or big.

“You are saving money [while] also helping out other families in the community,” Matthews said. “I think everyone feels that they are doing their part to make a difference.”

“Condom Casino” combines sex education with interactive activities

In honor of February being National Condom Month, Geneseo Healthguards hosted the ever-popular “Condom Casino” on Thursday Feb. 25 in the MacVittie College Union lobby to celebrate these helpful rubbers and to help educate the college campus on very important—but often overlooked—areas of sexual activity.

“We have been doing this now annually for 12 years and we do events like this just to educate the school and the campus in a fun and interactive way, instead of lecturing people,” Healthguard senior Danely Lopez said.

The event commenced with a large crowd ready to partake in the activity booths set up around the Union. First, students were given a brown paper bag with an assortment of candy to be used in place of real money. At each booth, participants were given the opportunity win more candy. They could then take the candy won and exchange it for fun prizes such as glow-in-the-dark condoms and condom carriers—or the students could just eat their candy winnings.

There were three main attractions: “Condom Races,” “Wheel of STIs” and blackjack. The condom races served as a test in order to see how well a person knew the steps for properly putting on a condom. Contestants raced against each other to put a condom on a dildo and had to remember steps like asking for consent and checking the condom’s expiration date.

For the “Wheel of STIs,” a wheel with various STIs written on it would be spun. Contestants would have to answer trivia questions pertaining to that infection for candy prizes. The blackjack table was very straight forward: students bet an amount of candy and played to win.

“I learned more about STIs and how to gamble,” freshman Kory Seaton said. “I think [events] that educate while also being fun are good. We should definitely have more of them.”

Sex education is often a poorly covered or ignored subject because of the taboo nature of sexual activity in the United States. Many people feel this is a subject that shouldn’t be taught in schools because of the age—and sometimes religious backgrounds—of the students. This means many young adults start to explore sexual activity without proper background knowledge of the risks and precautions that need to be taken into consideration when becoming sexually active. Without this knowledge, students are more at risk to deal with such issues as unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and more.

Healthguards hopes to combat these issues by holding events like “Condom Casino,” which combine education with play and humor.

“When we teach someone how to [have safe sex], it’s rewarding,” Lopez said. “We come to college and we all come from different schools … where people are not taught sex ed and this is a way for them to learn it in a fun and interactive way.” 

Panel encourages racial discourse among students

Students and faculty gathered together in Genesee Hall’s main lounge on Sunday Feb. 21 to attend a movie and panel discussion held in response to the recent Black History Month poster vandalism scandal on campus. The film Dear White People was shown, starting with a few hiccups involving sound but eventually continuing without any issues. Dear White People showed the complexity of the relationships each character has with their race while dealing with racism on a college campus.

After the movie ended with unnerving pictures documenting real instances of racist incidents on college campuses, the floor was opened to allow students to communicate their thoughts and reactions to the film. Some students expressed their appreciation for the racial and sexual diversity of the characters’ backgrounds.

“Oftentimes in the media, you don’t see people of color who are also not heterosexual,” senior Leah Collazo said. “I thought it was really refreshing.”

Many of the students connected the film’s exploration of college racism to issues plaguing students of color at Geneseo. These problems ranged from dealing with friends who make racist comments to talking to strangers who unknowingly make them feel uncomfortable about being a non-white individual. Eventually, the discussion shifted to focus on the recent acts of vandalism. Many expressed their disgust and sadness when hearing about the poster incident.

“What did black people do wrong to deserve this [treatment]?” sophomore Eunisha Tucker asked.

“The one time we actually get supported … you want to rip it down,” sophomore Brianna Grant said. “I just don’t see how us being able to enjoy [the posters] or you being able to learn from [them] just turns into something full of hate.”

The discussion also acted as a platform for students to offer ideas to faculty members on how to prevent issues like vandalism. Many students called for the creation of programs to educate students on college racism, but they soon realized one of the main obstacles in the education process.

“The inherent problem that all these discussions have are the only people who tend to show up are people who don’t necessarily need to have these discussions,” sophomore Michael Carlin said. “Every time we have one of [these events] … the biggest problem we are faced with is getting the people that need the education [to come to] these programs and to these discussions.”

Regardless, many of the students seemed to leave the panel in high spirits in light of the productive discourse about addressing and combatting racism on campus. 

“It’s great to hear people’s ideas in a formal discussion, because then it really gets you thinking, ‘It’s not just me who’s experiencing this—I’m not going crazy—it’s literally on campus,’” Collazo said.

This event acted as step forward in getting administrative action.

“This particular discussion was really great in the fact that we were able to identify that as a problem and then start the movement of thinking how to address it,” Carlin said. “And not only were there students here, there are administrators too, so there was actually communication.”

Geneseo grad utilizes passions in career

Nine years after he graduated from Geneseo and left his position as photo editor at The Lamron, Benjamin Gajewski’s heart is still heavily invested in photography, the Geneseo community and nature conservation. His passions and talents have been able to flourish in his current position as executive director of the Genesee Valley Conservancy.

Gajewski explained that he always held a deep appreciation for the outdoors growing up and carried this love into college. When he was a student, a professor suggested that he get an internship. He was referred to the GVC and has been happily working there ever since. Now the executive director, Gajewski expressed his hopes to continue the mission of the organization—to protect the habit, open space and farm land of the Genesee Valley—using his skill and passion for photography.

Unlike his love of nature, Gajewski’s love of photography wasn’t realized until his freshman year at Geneseo. “I really got into [photography after being] away from home,” he said. “I had a lot of time to find new hobbies … it was a fun thing to do on the weekends and a way to explore campus and the community. Then I started to work for [The Lamron] shortly after and I just really enjoyed it ever since.”

Working at The Lamron allowed Gajewski to explore his creative side and come up with new ideas for the publication; his favorite memory as photo editor is starting a photo page. “It was an entire page that was just photos, which was great for me because usually you would get to shoot one photo per article,” he said. “It was kind of fun to show other aspects of campus life.”

In addition to developing his own craft, Gajewski noted that he found helping to cultivate the talents and interests of other young photographers very rewarding. “[I started] working with new photographers and being able to kind of teach the tricks of the trade and how to shoot different things: shooting dances versus shooting sports, lighting and types of shooting,” he said. “I liked being able to pass along to people that are new and interested in learning.”

Gajewski was able to transfer what he learned from working at The Lamron in photography to both life and work. “To do photography, there’s a lot of planning involved. You have to think about what time of day you are going, what time of year, the angle you want to do,” he said. “There’s a lot more to it than just snapping a picture. It helps a lot in project planning, work and personal goals—you know what the end result will be.”

One of his proudest accomplishments at his job at the Conservancy is the incorporation of more visual aspect in the organization’s marketing and informational techniques. “Going through photos really captures the importance of our work and the impact that we are having. Being able to tell a story through a photo is a lot easier than trying to get someone to read a two-page essay,” he said. “We are protecting scenic landscape, so what better way than to show it off in photos.”

When Gajewski isn’t working at the conservancy, he does freelance photography at North Street Studios. “Every chance I get to pull out my camera I take advantage of.”

Although he loves taking photos, life and work often get in the way. Gajewski sees North Street Studios as a hobby and hopes that he can put more time into it in retirement. 

Gajewski offered advice for current students. “Everyone should have something they are passionate about,” he said. “It’s important to make time for yourself, your hobbies and other things that make you happy.”

GLK Segway Races give students a break with exciting afternoon activity

A winding line formed at the entrance of the MacVittie College Union Ballroom on Thursday Feb. 11. Music filled the spacious room and students waited in giddy anticipation for their chance to participate in the unique and fast-paced event of the night: Segway racing. While no mall cops were present, the Geneseo Late Knight event was a hit, attracting students with the opportunity to spend time partaking in an activity they might not have done before.

Before they were allowed to speed away, all students listened to some quick instructions from GLK members to make sure riders stayed safe. Riding a Segway isn’t as complicated as it may seem, however. The movement of the Segway is simply dependent on the movement of your body—if you lean forward, the Segway moves forward. After a quick rundown of the rules, the students were handed a helmet, helped onto their respective Segways and allowed to ride freely through the ballroom. 

Despite the competitive connation of the name, the GLK Segway Races proved to be more of a “choose your own adventure” than an organized race. Some students chose to cruise around leisurely while others decided to zip around on an imaginary track. A couple of students did embrace the competitive spirit, however, and reverted the free ride back into a race or taunted their friends by driving a little too close for comfort.

While many students seemed to get the hang of riding the Segways, there was still a handful of students who were a bit stuck and chose to simply drive around in circles. Carrying on the light-hearted nature of the night, senior Melissa Minaya made it her mission to charge after her struggling friend in an effort to jolt her into racing away. Minaya recognized her friend’s effort with a high-five after their turn was over.

The students were allowed to ride in pairs of two for a total of five minutes. Some were given the chance to ride longer when the line started to shorten.

While riding the Segway was easy for many, there was one aspect that seemed to bode difficult for all: figuring out how to not crash. “It was a lot of fun, but it was really hard to stop,” freshman Amelia Weinberg said.

The most difficult part for many students, like Weinberg, was stopping the Segway—one student almost managed to run into the instructor.

This isn’t the first Segway racing event GLK has hosted and it’s sure not to be the last. “We try to bring [this event] around once a semester,” GLK graduate assistant Lexi Athens ‘15 said. With an event filled with smiling faces, laugher and good-natured teasing, it’s easy to see why.

ZPB exemplifies “Finer Womanhood” principle

Geneseo is home to many sororities, but there is one that is like no other: Zeta Phi Beta. The Zeta Iota chapter of ZPB has been on Geneseo’s campus since April 21, 1979 and is known for being a “sorority of many firsts.” For example, they are the first—and only—sorority at Geneseo that is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Colloquially known as the “Divine Nine,” the organization consists of nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.

Being the only Divine Nine group on campus isn’t an easy task. It can be hard to garner membership due to factors such as misconceptions about race as a club requirement or a general lack of awareness about the organization. This is shown in the fact that ZPB’s current undergraduate chapter at Geneseo only has two members. These two—junior Rebecca Mirville and junior Emonnie Bennett—admitted that while they love their organization, they do acknowledge that it’s difficult to garner as much support as other sororities on campus.

“It’s pretty hard because no one really knows what a ‘Divine Nine’ is,” Mirville said. “It’s really hard being in a predominately white school—people aren’t open to joining because they think they have to be black to qualify—which is not true.”

The issue of inclusion plagues many of the non-white organizations on this campus. It can be challenging to get students to feel comfortable joining or even learning about them.

Psi Omega Zeta chapter co-vice president and undergraduate advisor Joyce Akwaa reiterated that a lack of support and fundraising efforts from fellow Divine Nines can make the singular chapter feel isolated or unsuccessful.

“It’s different because the support system is not there. I came through Chi Lambda Chapter at University of Rochester and at that time, there were all the Divine Nines except the Kappa Alpha Phi,” she said. “We had a balance, we supported each other, attended each other’s events. And on this campus—when talking about the programs and events—[Bennett and Mirville’s] concerns are people … won’t come out unless it’s free, so it’s a bit of a struggle. This is another problem they face because they are a nonprofit organization.”

A unique and defining component of ZPB—and all other Divine Nines—is they don’t rush or haze. They even started a campaign in 2012 entitled “Finer Women Don’t Haze” in accordance with the sorority’s fundamental principle of, according to ZPB International President Mary Breaux Wright, promoting “positive images of the sorority and the highest ideals of Finer Womanhood.”  Their process is called a membership intake, similar to how you apply for a job.  Once you join ZPB you are in it for life., it doesn’t end after undergrad. You can transfer to an alumi or graduate chapter.

“It’s meant to be a learning experience,” Akwaa said. “You get to know the women you join with, the people in it already and our history.”

Mirville reiterated this sentiment, adding that this encouraging and professional attitude helps to foster social connections and life lessons in the sorority. “The people you come in with, there’s a bond that grows and helps you grow within the process as well. And that’s one of the things that I feel like are different from the sororities already on campus,” Mirville said. “You learn how to communicate better, how to understand what they are feeling and you take those skills and apply them to other people as well. It’s a great way to learn how to interact with people.”

ZPB stands by the four principles: scholarship, sisterhood, service and finer womanhood—the latter unique to their organization. Their shortest aim is to be “a community conscious, action-orientated organization” and this is exemplified in the events they host and co-host on campus, such as their upcoming March of Dimes event that will take place in March.

Even without fellow Divine Nines on campus, Akwaa noted that the underlying principles of unity, social progress and connection are still strong at Geneseo.

“Although we are wearing different letters and different colors, we are all striving for the betterment of our people … there is a lot of love shared and looking out for each other,” she said.

Black History Month poster vandalism indicative of troubling campus climate

Black History Month started on a good note this semester. President Denise Battles’s Commission on Diversity began Geneseo’s first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week and many culture clubs hosted their own meetings in observance of this month long celebration. This positivity, however, was short-lived upon the discovery that Black History Month posters were ripped down and vandalized in both Genesee and Putnam Halls multiple times, some found with eyes poked out or burned.

These posters were harmless—all the resident assistants wanted to do was spread Black History Month awareness. The posters were filled with little-known facts about activists, inspiring quotations and calls for the end of racial stereotyping. Yet in these residence halls, an unnerving display of ignorance and racism was shown on our campus that is supposed to pride itself in its acceptance and celebration of diversity.

Genesee RA sophomore Taylor Keith explained that the building has had a history of vandalism toward RA boards, but there was never so much dedication to destruction as to go on each floor and tear every flyer down—four times.

Keith emphasized that Geneseo consistently falls short of its standards when it comes to matters of diversity. “The Geneseo community came together for #OneKnight, but they are constantly leaving their students of color in the back and not caring about them,” Keith said. “People come to this school for the promise of diversity and acceptance, but that’s the furthest from the truth.”

In Putnam, the story is almost even more appalling due to the very purpose of the building. Putnam is known as “Eco House,” but what is often forgotten is Putnam’s emphasis on social justice. According to the “Learning and Communities and Other Transformational Learning Opportunities” page on the Geneseo website, “[Putnam] provides a space for students who are interested in issues of sustainability and social justice to live together … and to find a way for their collective ‘sustainability and social justice’ brain to help Geneseo grow as an environmentally-friendly college.”

Although many students apply to live in Putnam for its focus on social justice, it has fallen short on even talking about these issues—that is, until the recent vandalism of the Black History Month posters. 

Junior Zakiya Rose expressed her indignation and frustration with the vandalism, noting, however, that this is just but one of a myriad of racist problems she has encountered on the Geneseo campus. “I chose Putnam Hall so I could avoid macroaggressions and hostility,” she said. “However, the students that live there are no different than the general Geneseo population and the macroaggressions I’ve already experienced here make me feel unsafe in a building that’s supposed to house students who care about social justice.”

Students have also taken to social media to express their disgust at the recent events. Rose herself wrote on Facebook, “I don't understand Geneseo students. Why would you live in a social justice building if you were just going to be a bigot?”

Fortunately, an RA on duty has caught one of the student perpetrators in Genesee Hall. It is unclear, however, how many people have taken part in this heinous, racist vandalism—or if they will ever have to face consequences for their actions.

One thing is for certain, however: Geneseo has an extensive problem with racism on its campus that absolutely can’t be fixed with just one week or one month of focus.

Competitive pingpong teaches sophomore about perseverance

There are many characters roaming the grounds of Geneseo, but you may be surprised to hear that one of them is a professional pingpong player. Sophomore Phillip Woo is a down-to-earth math major with a surprising talent: playing table tennis at a level far surpassing recreational.

Born into a half-Malaysian, half-Taiwanese family, Woo grew up and lives in Flushing, New York. Like most students who hail from downstate, Woo explained that he originally thought the transition to rural life would be hard. He admitted that the welcoming nature of the Geneseo community had a huge impact on his outlook on the small town.

“I thought it would be rough because I imagined Geneseo to be surrounded by farms and cows,” he said. “However, the transition was great because people up here are all friendly and hospitable. The only thing I hate is the ride up here.”

For many college students, pingpong is just a fun activity to blow off some steam. For Woo, however, it is an intense sport with tough competition. Woo recalled playing for fun with his dad as a 12-year-old and quickly learning that he had a knack for the game. While Woo wasn’t sure that he could take his skills to the next level, his father’s support gave him the push he needed.

“He realized that I was alright,” Woo said. “So he found a coach for me and it worked out.”

Since then, Woo has competed in countless pingpong tournaments across the country and has tallied an impressive 25 awards over his seven-year career. Success doesn’t come easy, however. Woo recalled one of his proudest moments during his third Mayor Cup run in New York City, where he was the underdog. “The first two years I always got third place—which is just a medal—so I was really disappointed and first place was a really big trophy. So I told myself, ‘Before I graduate I’m going to try and win that trophy,’” he said. “Junior year I finally won, surprisingly, because I beat people that were much [higher in ranking] than me.”

To Woo, pingpong isn’t always about cheering fans and winning trophies—just like every other sport, there are highs and lows. He explained that he hit such a low point during a recent visit to California for training to prepare for the United States Open event.

“It was pretty expensive and long,” he said. On top of the extensive duration and cost, Woo partially injured a lateral muscle and lost every round when training. “It was a waste of money because you have to pay to join the tournament and to be trained, so I was pretty disappointed.”

Woo’s roadblock in California made him realize that with limited training resources and a busy academic schedule, he couldn’t successfully devote the time and energy to the sport that he wanted to. He still has a goal to reach the Olympics, but is currently focusing on his studies here at Geneseo.

Despite the perks of having a freer schedule, Woo admitted that he misses playing in such a competitive atmosphere. “[Pingpong] was intense; usually I was very nervous … I miss the feeling and the environment—people clapping, hearing a lot of people scream when a player scores a point,” he said. “I miss that.”

Woo added, however, that he appreciates the fact that he does have a chance to experience the more laidback vibe of recreational pingpong at Geneseo. He noted that he just likes to play for fun on campus, but if he’s with his friends, it doesn’t last long. “My friends will just spill it out and some random people will just come up to me and say that they want to play me,” he said.

Woo expressed his hopes to start his own pingpong club on campus and is currently in the process of making that dream come true. “I hope that I can teach people the sportsmanship and the actual game itself,” he said. I want it to be more widespread, not many people know about pingpong, they think it’s just a hobby … It solidified my mentality. It helps me with my studies and when I’m down, I always know that I should try harder to overcome the obstacles.”

Woo encouraged students of all talent levels to try their hand at the game. “You don’t really hear people playing pingpong as an actual sport and I think that’s pretty unique about it,” he said.

Town supervisor uses past experiences to better future for community

Geneseo Town Supervisor William Wadsworth has used his experiences overcoming adversity with hard work and dedication as a guiding principle to help better the Geneseo community.

A Rochester native who spent a lot of time in Geneseo, Wadsworth moved to North Carolina with his father at the young age of three when his parents divorced. It was there as a child that Wadsworth first experienced the feeling of being ostracized in a community. Wadsworth recalled his isolation due to his status as a “Yankee,” with parents of fellow classmates telling them not to associate with him. Despite this painful experience, Wadsworth was able to better himself from it.

“Down there, I learned in my formative years to watch out for the people that aren’t being cared for,” he said. “It was good training; I really learned a lot.” Lessons like these now help him in his role as Town Supervisor.

Wadsworth moved back up to Geneseo at eight years old, working on his father’s farm until college where he studied agronomy in a two-year program at SUNY Canton. He emphasized that he gained many valuable insights through farm work, such as the value of work ethic and determination.

He added that many of his family members encouraged him to explore his interest in art, so he also took the Fine Art Foundations Program at Philadelphia College of Art for 2-D and 3-D color theory. While Wadsworth loved his studies in art, he only took two years of it and noted that he wished he would have done four. He attributed his attention to subtle details to the time he spent in this program.

“When you’re managing something like a town, it could be easy to just think of it as like stacking blocks, but if you look for the subtleties, [you find the] beauty in it—how people behave, how people learn things, how people change their opinions if they’re given the respect of being listened to,” Wadsworth said.

The role of Town Supervisor is no easy job. Wadsworth works on a board with five other individuals—all of whom have roughly the same amount of authority. While Wadsworth explained that he is the one to bring up a proposition, a decision is made with collective discussion from all board members. While Wadsworth enjoys his job, he takes it seriously—he looks at his position as Supervisor as a position of duty. In order for his job to be done well, it has to be done for the sake of the people who pay the taxes. “It’s a humble experience,” Wadsworth said.

Wadsworth added that he doesn’t take his position in the town for granted. “I’m lucky to be Will Wadsworth in Geneseo, I’m a known quantity here—that can help get you in the door,” he said. “But then you have to deliver something worth having. If you run for office, you can’t just run on a name, but [you have to possess] the ability to do the job.”

Through all of his trials and tribulations, Wadsworth has gained an ability to take away valuable life lessons from even the simplest of experiences—something that allows him to work effectively as a leader.

“I’m a good listener: I hear what people are saying, I don’t just hear what I think they’re saying. I really listen carefully to what people are saying and then I ask them if I understand what they are saying,” he said. “I’m straight-forward, I’m honest, I’m a hard worker—and those are things I learned growing up.” .

New year, new food

January is almost over and if you haven’t started working toward your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, now is the time. It can be hard to eat healthy on campus when you are constantly surrounded by pizza, burgers and ice cream, but it is possible. Here are some healthy but tasty suggestions for breakfast and dinner that you can try in both dorm and apartment kitchens.

Breakfast: Whole Wheat French Toast

Ingredients:

1 egg

2 slices of whole wheat bread

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cinnamon, to taste (optional)

Nonstick cooking spray or butter

Directions:

Mix skim milk, egg, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a bowl until egg yolk is dissolved and mixture is light yellow in color. Heat skillet to medium heat and add butter or nonstick cooking spray. Dip one slice of bread into your mixture, both sides and be careful not to let it sit too long or it will get too soggy.

Place the bread on the skillet and let it sit until that side is golden brown. Then flip it and cook it for another three or four minutes.

Top off with sugar free syrup, berries or both!

Dinner: Vegetarian Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of brown rice

Small pieces of vegetables of your choosing; try broccoli, carrots and peppers

Sauce of your choosing: try soy or teriyaki

Olive oil

Directions:

Follow instructions on the rice bag, making sure you adjust it for a 1/2 cup. Get a deep skillet, on medium heat, pour the olive oil and all your vegetables in. Cover and let steam for about eight to 10 minutes. Put your sauce on, to taste, and stir for about five to six minutes. Place rice in a bowl and top off with veggies. 

Commission on Diversity strives to bring permanent, meaningful change to campus culture

Geneseo tries to uphold many values throughout the campus community, with a particular focus being placed on diversity. Over the past year, the university has gone through many trials dealing with problems concerning race, gender, sexuality and religion. Many students have actively spoken out regarding these problems through marches, die-ins, walkouts and meetings.

To help address these growing concerns, Geneseo created the President’s Commission on Diversity back in 1998. Their mission statement includes the goals to “create a richly diverse community… where we all have the opportunity to learn from people of diverse racial, ethnic and social backgrounds. We seek to build an educational community where differences are respected.” In order to uphold these aims, personnel changes have taken place to ensure that the Commission is working as effectively as possible in 2016. Professor of history Tze-ki Hon and senior assistant director of admissions and Multicultural Coordinator Georgenson Anselme took office as Commission co-chairs in April 2015 and have worked extensively to honor Geneseo’s commitment to diversity.   

Hon emphasized the collaborative and supportive nature of their positions. “We are like brothers,” he said. One of Hon and Anselme’s first major accomplishments in their new roles was the expansion of Geneseo’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Leadership & Service into a weeklong commemoration featuring events focused on diversity and civic engagement.

“MLK Jr.’s legacy should not be limited to one day, one time,” Hon said. “We want to focus on the meaning commemorating him; what it means for this campus.”

Anselme expressed similar sentiments. “We want to have an actual impact,” he said.

Hon and Anselme both noted that they have been paying close attention to student activism on campus. They mentioned that the Geneseo Walks Out event in November helped to bring attention to racial issues and problematic aspects of the campus climate—the students have spoken and now, their voices are being heard. Like many other campuses, Geneseo has had problems in the past with the treatment of students by their peers due to race, sexual orientation and other issues of diversity.

Hon and Anselme agree that while Geneseo strives to be a college that prides itself in respecting diversity and working to actively solve issues, the campus has a long way to go before these problems are truly solved. “We are making progress, but we aren’t where we want to be,” Anselme said.

Hon and Anselme explained that by holding events like MLK Jr. week and giving the students an opportunity to have discussions about racial, gender, sexual orientation and religious inequalities, they hope to make students feel comfortable to talk about these issues and to gain a deeper understanding of how to remedy problems they encounter.

Anselme encouraged students to have these conversations with their friends to create a foundation to learn and grow upon. “We can’t change the campus,” Anselme said. “The campus has to change with us.”

“To make changes happen, it’s not just on us, but the whole campus,” Hon added.

Philosophy professor aims to generate thought-provoking discourse in and out of class

Although philosophy professor Carlo Filice has had a remarkable career teaching at Geneseo since he started in 1985, he comes from humble beginnings that help to shape his desire to inquire into the nature of people and places around him. Filice grew up in a small, impoverished area in Italy that lacked basic luxuries such as television and running water. Despite this, Filice emphasized that he found contentment in his homeland and was happy helping out on the farm.

A turning point came for Filice when at 14 years old,  he left Italy when his parents decided to move their family to the United States for a new life in the bustling city of Chicago. Filice explained that despite his struggles in some courses due to the language barrier, he found great pride in the fact that he was still able to excel in certain subjects like math.

It was in his senior year of high school when Filice was inspired to study philosophy seriously for the first time. He started off with a combined course studying William Shakespeare, existentialism and poetry. The class helped spark Filice’s desire to learn and explore the subject further and he followed his passion all the way to obtaining his Ph.D at the University of Illinois before accepting a teaching job at Geneseo.

On top of teaching intellectually engaging classes such as HUMN 221: Western Humanities II, PHIL 201: Environmental Ethics and PHIL 330: Ethical Theory, Filice has channeled his love of philosophy into literary accomplishments and proven himself as a masterful writer. Not only has Filice had a myriad of articles about philosophical topics published, but he had his book The Purpose of Life: An Eastern Philosophical Vision published in 2011.

Filice explained that in his book, he attempts to answer questions such as, “Is there an overall purpose for our being here [and] what that could be?”

While the outcome is undoubtedly rewarding, Filice admitted that writing—especially about philosophical topics—requires a great deal of dedication and commitment. “Writing in general is never an easy task,” Filice said. “It takes a lot of discipline.”

Despite struggles he has faced in his journey to explore and share his passions with others, Filice emphasized that sharing knowledge and thought is an integral part of the human experience.

“We, as humans, are here to fulfil various kinds of values … we are here to produce excellence in different areas, including the task of trying to make the world a fair world,” Filice said. “One of our jobs as humans is maybe to think on behalf of the universe.”

While the job of a philosophy professor is certainly not an easy one, Filice noted that he thoroughly enjoys working to critically examine and discuss complex issues, especially with his students.

“I hope as a teacher, I make people aware of the complexity of things; we as human are given this gift to think abstractly and reflectively,” he said. “We are all philosophers by nature because we all want to make sense of things.”

For Filice, the greatest reward is the happiness he feels when his class actively participates and engages in course material; showing the clear value in generating discourse over matters that require students to use both their heads and hearts.