Chlamydia cases increase this academic year

A surge in chlamydia infections is causing concern. Lauderdale Center for Student Health & Counseling has seen an increase in chlamydia diagnoses this academic year. According to Dr. Steven A. Radi of Lauderdale, chlamydia “is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection diagnosed in the general population.”

“Chlamydia commonly causes no symptoms, and therefore may be transmitted without the person being aware of the infection,” Radi wrote in an email to The Lamron. “It ‘may’ cause discomfort with urination in women and a vaginal discharge, and pain with urination and a penile discharge in men. But being infected—and not having symptoms—is a serious issue with chlamydia for women, since untreated infection is associated with the complication of infertility.”

“I personally think there is a huge misconception among college students about STDs because they believe that [STIs] will result in abnormal symptoms,” psychology major and pre-health senior Marylen Santos said. “It’s possible that college students continue to be disproportionally affected because often enough [STIs], such as chlamydia, don’t show symptoms.”

Biology major senior James Mattson added that this problem may have systemic roots. “In the United States, we have poor sexual education,” he said. “They’ve done a lot of studies that compare students in other countries that are comparable, and they find that the U.S. has a less comprehensive program and adolescents especially are not obtaining the correct information from the right sources.”

According to Radi, chlamydia can decrease fertility in women—regardless of whether or not a woman develops pelvic inflammatory disease, a “more severe” infection that causes abdominal pain and a fever. “In spite of the fact that chlamydia infections are curable with antibiotics, chlamydia is not a trivial disease because of its possible effects on future female fertility,” Radi wrote.

“Prevention and early detection are critical in the fight against chlamydia,” he continued. “The consistent use of condoms and other barriers—such as dental dams—with all types of sexual contact will prevent chlamydia infections. The United States Preventive Services Task Force—the expert panel that makes recommendations regarding disease screening—strongly recommends that all women under the age of 25 who are sexually active be screened yearly for chlamydia infections.”

Radi added that chlamydia screenings are done through a urine sample, which costs $30 at Lauderdale if not covered by a student’s insurance.

“I think that college is a time that many students hold true to the invincibility complex—so they’re more impulsive,” Santos said. “Students should definitely be more cautious about their health and take advantage of our campus’ health services and get tested.”

Mattson noted that Lauderdale could do a lot to prevent the spread of chlamydia. “I think they should … encourage the physicians and the nurses and [physician’s assistants] that work at Lauderdale to initiate the conversation,” he said. “[They should] create a safe and nonjudgmental environment, because I feel like people—especially people who may have an [STI]—don’t seek treatment right away because they feel like they’ll be judged or looked down upon.”

News Editor Emma Bixler contributed reporting to this article.

Geneseo should raise tuition to fund liberal arts

I cannot help but notice that our college is at a crossroads: do we continue to invest in science, technology, engineering and math subjects and let the traditionally “liberal arts” subjects suffer? The seemingly obvious answer is that we need both, but reaching this end will not be easy.

Geneseo has done a wonderful job over the past decade investing in STEM departments. This is evident to anyone who enters a classroom in the Integrated Science Center. The rooms are modern and highly conducive to learning. The building is a result of a $53 million construction project that was completed 10 years ago. More recently, the $23 million Bailey Hall was completed to hold the anthropology, geography, psychology and sociology departments—social sciences that walk the line between STEM and non-STEM.

Based on these investments alone, it’s no surprise that STEM departments appear to be growing at a faster rate than non-STEM departments. A perfect example on the other end is the communication department. The department is currently housed in Blake B—one of the most rundown, decrepit buildings on our campus. The history department also uses horribly outdated facilities; the department is in the basement of Sturges Hall. Both buildings look and feel like underfunded high schools without proper temperature control systems.

If this trend of putting non-STEM subjects in Cold War-era buildings continues, the long-term effects on Geneseo will be disastrous. The top students interested in liberal arts subjects will start going to schools with better facilities, opportunities and resources that offer them good scholarships. As a result, liberal arts departments will start to disappear—much like the studio art department did a few years ago. Geneseo could gain a reputation as a solid STEM school, while its reputation as the most prestigious small State University of New York school disappears.

The solution to this problem may not be popular among students: raise tuition to generate the revenue needed to build modern facilities. SUNY tuition is amongst the lowest in the country. This gives students from a large range of backgrounds access to higher education. Tuition at Geneseo was $6,470 for the 2015-16 academic year; I propose raising this by one-third to about $8,700.

It may look like this proposed tuition hike would disenfranchise a large population of students. Offering more merit and need-based scholarships as part of an admissions package would alleviate this issue. Incoming freshmen with high grade point averages and standardized test scores could be awarded scholarships that would functionally act as discounts on tuition.

Additionally, economically and socially disenfranchised students could be given scholarships based upon obstacles they faced on their path to college. Students who do not meet these criteria would pay the “sticker price” of $8,700—still $700 less than the national in-state tuition average. The current endowed scholarships would still be awarded, as they have a negligible effect on gross tuition revenue.

Based on the class of 2019, if 74 percent of incoming students paid the new “sticker price,” the remaining students could—in theory—receive free tuition and gross tuition revenue would remain the same. More realistically, if the remaining students paid half-tuition—less than the current tuition price—gross tuition revenue would go up 17 percent. That money could be invested in professors, facilities, research grants, student travel to academic conferences and so much more—both STEM and non-STEM departments would benefit immensely. This is a vastly oversimplification of scholarship distribution, but the end revenue total is representative of what we could expect under this system.

If Geneseo does not invest in itself, the academic ceiling for our college becomes frighteningly low. In order to maintain our high potential as students—and attract the next generation of gifted students—we need to change our tuition model to generate the revenue needed to compete with the country’s top liberal arts colleges.

Devoted News editor rises to editor-in-chief

Somewhere in Philadelphia, born and raised, The Lamron office is where junior Emma Bixler spends most of her days. The current News section editor will be editor-in-chief next year and is looking forward to the opportunity.

“I remember my freshman year noticing that the paper was small, but recognizing the fact that I could move up to new positions and joking with my friends saying, ‘You know, maybe one day I’ll be editor-in-chief,’” she said. “When I got the position of editor-in-chief, my best friend … he said, ‘You remember freshman year when you were joking about being editor-in-chief and now here you are and you’re going to take that position over.’”

Bixler is a part of the small minority of students who come from outside of New York. Her mom helped her find colleges near her grandparents’ lake house on Lake Tuscarora in Erieville, New York—just southeast of Syracuse.

“When I started looking at schools, my mom just Googled schools in the area—within three or four hours of our lake house—and Geneseo came up,” Bixler said. “I toured and really, really liked the campus and liked what Geneseo stood for as a school and I actually applied early decision … I’m here and I love it—it’s really fun.”

Bixler started with The Lamron as soon as she got to campus. A self-described “news geek,” she applied to be an assistant News editor in her first semester. She became the associate News editor in the second semester of her sophomore year and became the News editor a year later.

As editor-in-chief, Bixler has plenty of ideas for steering the paper in the right direction. “The Lamron caters to students and talks about issues that are directly involved in students’ lives, so I want people to know that that really should be their number one resource,” she said. “We’re talking about issues that are relevant to students, are important, are interesting, so I think that that’s probably one of my number one goals: making it accessible and well known across campus.”

Another important aspect of her time as editor-in-chief will be optimizing The Lamron’s digital presence. “Social media is a huge thing,” Bixler said. “I think the new website will be a large factor in that because in this whole new digital age, news has completely changed.”

Bixler noted that she also wanted to pursue more investigative pieces in the News section. “Investigative journalism is really a big goal for me and [freshman] Annie [Renaud]—who’s going to be the News editor,” she said. “I think that The Lamron—this year especially—has done a very good job of addressing issues that can sometimes be a little touchy or maybe the school doesn’t really want us to know about. But that’s our job: to make students well aware of what’s going on.”

Bixler is a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. She served as the social chair this semester, noting that it was a big time commitment—especially with her dedication to the News section. “I love hanging out with my friends in my sorority,” Bixler said. “I think that college is a one-time-only experience, so you might as well enjoy it as much as you can—while prioritizing your work and doing productive things.”

Bixler also emphasized that she enjoyed doing outdoor activities and traveling. “I like hiking and running—they’re two really big things that I think are great, especially around Geneseo because it’s so beautiful,” she said.

After graduation, Bixler isn’t sure what she’ll end up doing. “I’ve considered going to graduate school—I think that’s a necessity, especially in the field of journalism, because that is what I want to eventually pursue … I’ve considered volunteering … I’ve looked at AmeriCorps and other things that are domestic, just because that’s really important and sometimes can be overlooked,” Bixler said. “I’m not really positive yet, but I’m sure as I progress in this position next year I’ll be able to figure it out in my mind.”

As for the immediate future, Bixler is optimistic about her senior year and the progress that she’ll make with The Lamron.

“I plan on giving it my all and hopefully it all goes well.”

Out of the Darkness Walk raises suicide prevention awareness

Sisters Making A Change hosted their fourth annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk on Sunday April 24. By organizing this walk, the sisters of SMAC aimed to raise money for the American Suicide Prevention Foundation and, most importantly, raise awareness for a very serious problem that takes the lives of over 42,000 Americans a year.

ASPF takes preventative measures—such as providing a 24/7 suicide hotline—to combat the prevalent issue. In addition, ASPF aims to further educate the public on suicide. Such educational resources are especially important on college campuses where suicide remains a particularly widespread problem.

SMAC sister junior Emily Flaherty said that these troubling statistics were the primary impetus behind the annual walk. “[Suicide prevention] has been SMAC’s philanthropy because it is a great cause,” she said. “Suicide is very relevant since it is one of the leading causes of death for college students.”

The event’s scheduling for the final day in Geneseo’s annual Greek Week also suggests its great importance. While the event was open to all members of the Geneseo community, national and local Greek organizations were mandated to participate with at least 20 percent of their membership.

Suicide awareness also holds a personal significance to the sisters of SMAC. They started organizing the event after one of their alumna was personally effected by suicide. “One of our sisters that’s long since graduated started the walk because of a personal connection to the cause,” SMAC president senior Jane Skinner said. “After doing it for a couple years, we developed a good relationship with the regional director for the ASPF, and we just kept doing it and adopted it as our cause.”

As SMAC president, Skinner feels that suicide awareness is a worthy cause, especially due to this personal connection. “We’re just trying to raise awareness for suicide, and I think we’ve raised over $4,000 this year, which is the most ever,” SMAC member junior Rebecca Semenetz said. “These funds were raised through separate donations that patrons made to the walkers who signed up. Walkers had a choice to join a team or make their own.”

At the end of the day, the walk had raised a reported sum of over $5,000, further surpassing the record they had reportedly set earlier in the day. 

The sisters of SMAC traditionally host a charitable event similar to the walk every semester. This past fall, SMAC hosted their annual Turkey Trot 5K to support the Mount Morris food pantry.

Evidentially, the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk was a success—raising both awareness and money to support a great cause.

Dean Iyers brings expertise to Geneseo curriculum

Dean of Curriculum and Academic Services Savi Iyer has been at Geneseo for nearly 23 years, but her journey here started over 8,000 miles away. “I actually lived in one city until I was 23. I did my undergraduate in physics in India,” Iyer said. “It was a three-two program—two years of master’s. So I completed that and then applied for grad school to the [United States] and came from Chennai, India—which is this huge, 10 million [people], big city—to Ames, Iowa for grad school.”

Ames is home to Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory—a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory affiliated with the university. Iyer received her master’s in physics from Iowa State before earning her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh.

“I just applied to a bunch of physics programs and they gave me a teaching assistantship and tuition waiver and I’m like, ‘Alright!’” she said.

Iyer explained that she didn’t start her undergraduate thinking that physics would be her path.

“I wanted to do math; they didn’t have enough seats in math, so they were like, ‘Well, if you start in physics, in 30 days, we’ll look at everything and you may be able to transfer’—transfer meaning change your major,” she said. “I walked in to my physics class and they were looking for a class representative, so, I don’t know why, [but] they picked me—I’m taller than average, maybe that was it. So now that I’m class representative—whatever that means—I started making friends … and I’m thinking, ‘Really? Should I move to math?’ So, when they asked me if I wanted to move to math I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m good.’”

Iyer joined the Geneseo faculty in fall 1993. Her husband had a job in Rochester and teaching at Geneseo was a great fit for her.

“I called around to a lot of departments, called Geneseo physics department and they were like, ‘Yeah, you can come and teach for us,’” she said. “One of the main reasons I wanted the teaching position was to get an email account so I could continue working on my thesis, which was actually on a server at Pitt. And in those days, we had dial-up at home—it was a small computer and it was nice to have the Geneseo account.”

After her first semester of teaching at Geneseo, Iyer was awarded her Ph.D. and has been here ever since. Now, as the Dean of Curriculum and Academic Services, Iyer oversees “everything curricular.” She was instrumental in bringing in the Degree Works degree evaluation software to replace WebCapp. She emphasized that Degree Works better enables students to help themselves on the road to graduation.

“These days, students are very good at self-help,” Iyer said. “If you know what you need to do, you’re good, and that wasn’t very clear before we had Degree Works.”

With a son graduating from The Ohio State University in May and a daughter at Pittsford Sutherland High School, Iyer is still able to find some free time to do the activities she enjoys.

“I sing; I’m actually trained in Indian classical music—that’s probably one of the ways that I still try to keep in-touch,” she said. “We’re trying to do some more [traveling]. We went to Italy; of course, we’ve gone to India many times with the kids … so, we continue to do that. Gardening is another thing I like to do when the weather’s good.”

This school’s faculty and student body are lucky to have such a dedicated woman maintaining the academic prestige of Geneseo for so long—and hopefully for many years to come.

Drug usage creates unique pleasures in consensual sex

If sober sex is a taboo subject, sex under the influence of one’s favorite substance is restricted material. It’s important to remember that consent cannot be fully given by either party while under the influence—though there are times when you and an intimate partner may want to knock boots while boozed-up or baked. First and foremost, you and your partner should discuss having sex before using mind-altering substances. Both parties should fully consent—while sober—to having sex while intoxicated.

For many, their first sexual experiences—especially in college—may be under the influence of alcohol. This is not the type of sex that I am referring to; bringing a stranger home from a party rarely results in hyper-passionate intimacy.

Alcohol is well known as a social lubricant, but it can also be a sexual door opener. If someone is normally reserved in their sexual behavior, operating under the influence may open up doors that would have otherwise remained closed. For example, anal sex is often considered the ultimate taboo and is final frontier of sexual exploration for many. While someone may be very apprehensive to try anal play while sober, the experience may be more enticing and exciting while drunk.

Marijuana—used legally, of course—can be used in a similar way. The use of cannabis can result in different sensations depending on which strain of herb is consumed, but some of the most common effects of marijuana use are enhanced sensations. This can include taste, hearing and touch sensations. Logically, having loud, passionate oral sex while high can result in an intense sexual experience that may be difficult to replicate while sober.

Another effect of marijuana use is an increase in creativity. This means that sexual experiences while high may result in totally unique and awesome encounters. Marijuana may allow you and your partner to think outside the box when it comes to your sexualities.

A commonly reported effect of both alcohol and marijuana use is an increase in sexual desires as a whole. For two consenting adults, this can result in passionate, intense sexual encounters. It’s important to remember, however, that pushing someone into having sex while they’re inebriated is not only morally reprehensible—it is rape.

It can be hard to define the line between someone having a buzz and being unable to consent to sexual activity—especially while at college. As it was described to me early on in my college career, if you cannot get a firm and clear “Yes” from your partner after they’ve had a few drinks, then there is no consent. “Yes means yes” is a better way to think about consent than “No means no.”

Drugs—when used legally and responsibly by consenting adults—can result in distinct and remarkable sexual experiences. Whether you want to experience new things with a longtime partner or simply wish to try something new with your next Tinder date, alcohol and legal marijuana can be gateways to extraordinary escapades.

Exotic Animal Show offers connection with wildlife

The sounds of scratches and squeaks filled the air in the MacVittie College Union on Saturday March 26, with mammals and reptiles alike visiting the campus as part of Geneseo Late Knight’s Exotic Animal Show. This event was not only a rare spectacle, but also proved to be both informative and inspiring.

In front of an ensemble of small kennels and cages, an excited crowd waited with phones held up to snap a picture of whatever creature would appear. Attendance was overwhelming, with a large group of people standing behind several filled rows of seats. Some viewers even leaned on the walls to their side—all so that they could hear the man with the keys to these kennels and the night’s speaker: biologist and owner of Buffalo Animal Adventures Anthony Kelly.

“I started Buffalo Animal Adventures six years ago, but I’ve been working with wildlife for the majority of my life,” Kelly said.

Kelly participated in studies about the social habits of beluga whales in captivity during his undergraduate and graduate years of school. Throughout the presentation, Kelly expressed his thoughts on captivity based on his personal experiences working with wildlife.

“The whales I worked with were in excellent captive conditions most of the time,” Kelly said. “I have seen places across the United States that don’t have the best conditions though, and that’s really tough to see.”

Kelly started to discuss the ethics of zoos during the presentation, a hot topic for passionate animal lovers. “When zoos started out, they didn’t know a lot about captive care,” Kelly said. “Now, the zoological field has advanced so greatly in the last 50 years that the housing and education facilities are simply phenomenal.”

Kelly could not convey his love for his work more throughout his presentation; his fervor was greatly illustrated in his passionate tone.

“We bring animals to people who would never have a chance to see them in the wild,” Kelly said. “They have an opportunity to connect with animals, and, because of it, develop a deeper understanding.”

Kelly also conducted an informational presentation about some of the wildlife presented and their importance. This included discussing the toad he had brought over for the students to see.

“This is a very unique amphibian called a Colorado River toad, but I call him Atlas,” Kelly said. “They’re the largest toad species found and are mid-level predators. Their toxins are extremely powerful … Any animal that bites on it has their cardiac and respiratory processes halted.”

Kelly strove to educate the crowd on the importance of amphibians. He explained that they are the “first to disappear if a water supply is contaminated.” Because of this, amphibians are called an indicator species.

For those viewers who didn’t find amphibians interesting, however, there were a plethora of other animals that were exhibited. For example, there was a big eared, wide-eyed fennec fox and a seemingly sinister reticulated python that rounded its way around Kelly’s armpit like an old friend.

To end the presentation, out came a marshmallow-eating coatimundi—an animal that resembles a tropical raccoon. The coatimundi sat atop Kelly’s shoulders and curiously sniffed the air.

There was also an open, question and answer session conducted by Kelly for the attendees. Kelly had to cut the question session short, however, beacuse there were too many quesions. Afterwards, his information table had a small group of curious students still waiting to ask questions.

With his undeniable enthusiasm and respect for spreading education and awareness about wildlife preservation, Kelly’s exotic animal show undoubtedly made students a bit more appreciative of these creatures and their significance.

Relay for Life “Car Smash” offers students catharsis

Students gathered near Blake A’s archway and prepared to wreck a car—for charity—on Wednesday March 23. The “Car Smash” event was a fundraiser for Relay for Life where students could pay a small fee to put dents in a pickup truck with a mallet. While the event may have just seemed to be all about destruction on its surface, the broken windows and bruised paint jobs were indicative of the meaningful fervor that powered these hits.

A pickup truck with its tires popped and a mysterious refrigerator in its bed was parked on a large grey tarp surrounded by cylindrical caution cones and yellow tape. On that tarp—among sledgehammers and in front of a speaker playing Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space”—was Relay for Life fundraising chair member junior Abbie Ainslie.

“We’d like to raise about $200 like we did last year, but the weather may work against us,” Ainslie said. “I hope that people come out to smash the car. It’s something we’re normally not allowed to do and its midterms and spring break just ended, so why not smash a car?” For many, the car smash held a lot more depth to it than simply destroying something for fun. “Cancer somewhat runs in my family and one of my best friend’s mom’s was recently diagnosed,” Ainslie said. “The car smash allows us to reduce the big, scary concept of cancer into something physical and take out our frustration on it.”

Other fundraising chair members expressed similar thoughts. “If they had any bigger sledgehammers, I’d love to smash the car,” sophomore Marissa Berry said. “I’ve had multiple family members affected by cancer and, just recently, my Grandpa passed to it.” 

As the event went on, more people showed up and the car earned more scars. Soon, it had plenty of chips in its paint and cracks in its windows. A small crowd of people had hands full of singles to give it some more damage, but from the bottom of the windy road leading to the event came a student marching with a bat of his own and a $20 bill. That student was freshman Hunter Willis.

With his first strike, Willis blew out the passenger-side window of the pickup and all those after dealt serious dents to the same side’s door. The crowd went wild.

“You can keep the bat,” Willis said after his performance.

Willis’ impressive smash best expressed the catharsis many students were able to gain through the event. “I got home from break and the first thing I heard about when I woke up the next day was my grandma being diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” he said. “It’s treatable, she’s going through chemo right now and she’s in my prayers constantly. I’m still kind of uneasy about it though and this really allowed me to let out some pent-up anger—to help me be stable.”

Although onlookers may have just seen an assemblage of barbaric undergrads smashing an innocent pickup truck, what was really happening was a healing process.

The car smash not only raised money to help fight against cancer worldwide, but also allowed some Geneseo students to deal with their own personal hardships associated with the disease.

BSU vice president brings light to social justice issues

Hailing from the South Bronx, senior Ashley Ramos is adamant about social justice and uses that passion to fight against gentrification. She’s been making a difference ever since she began her college career at Geneseo.

Geneseo wasn’t originally on Ramos’ radar, however. She explained that after she did not receive a scholarship that her brother got, she reevaluated her choices and applied to different colleges.

“I quickly tried to apply to the SUNY system, got into Geneseo and I was like, ‘What is in Geneseo?’” she said. “My mock trial coach was like, ‘You absolutely have to go there.’ She was like, ‘That is the number one SUNY school, you’re going, you’re going, you’re going,’ and I ended up coming here.”

Ramos explained that she spends most of her time working as the vice president of Black Student Union. BSU has acted as an educational organization for students of all races since its start in 2014.

“You go under the Black Studies department on KnightWeb and there are hardly any Black Studies courses here. So BSU does all in its power to educate the campus on black issues and black histories and things we may take for granted or not know,” Ramos said. “We try to just unify the campus—we have a lot of parties where everyone’s welcome to attend. We strive for black excellence—that’s our motto—so if it’s not excellent, we’re not doing it.”

Ramos got started in BSU during her sophomore year after getting involved with Students Against Social Injustice. “I met Christopher Bland ‘15—who was the former president—and I admired him,” she said. “He was just so excellent and organized and had a vision for it, so at first I was treasurer and this year, I became vice president.”

Outside of Geneseo, Ramos is involved with a nonprofit called Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio—Movement for Justice in El Barrio, which is a colloquial name for East Harlem. “East Harlem, which is predominantly Hispanic, is quickly being gentrified because of schools like Columbia [University] or even [New York City] Mayor [Bill] de Blasio’s rezoning plan,” Ramos said. “My job is basically to go out to the community and get people motivated to come to our meetings and at least just hear us out and hear the issues that are concerning our communities.”

Ramos found the job through the former public relations manager of SASI. He mentioned the position to her because of her passion for fighting gentrification. She’s worked there for the past three years.

Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio isn’t the only nonprofit Ramos has worked with, however. “For some time, my brother and a bunch of his college friends started another not-for-profit called Inspirational Medicine,” she said. “We tried to connect terminally ill children with their role models, but via technology. So I dibbed and dabbed a little bit there.”

Now in her final semester at Geneseo, Ramos is looking to continue her fight against gentrification through a fellowship. “I was offered a fellowship with Movement for Justice, so I will be having my own tenant committee and I will focus on three buildings in East Harlem. I will organize them, have meetings and I’m completely autonomous—it’s all my doing,” she said. “It’s a little frightening to have so much responsibility because this is also their livelihood. Most of the members are women—single women—so they work multiple jobs but still find the time to do community organizing and to come out to our meetings to fight against gentrification.”

For the time being, Ramos plans to continue working with BSU to educate the campus and to fight against injustices in Geneseo and New York City. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun as well,” she said. 

Schumer to introduce student debt relief legislation

Sen. Chuck Schumer is leading new legislation that aims to ease the financial burden for college students and graduates. The Reducing Educational Debt Act—RED Act—would make two years of community college tuition-free, allow debtors to refinance student loans at lower rates and make sure that Pell Grants keep up with rising undergraduate costs. The ultimate goal of this legislation is to make undergraduate college a “debt-free” endeavor.

Schumer outlined his plan during a conference call with New York college newspapers on Thursday Feb. 11. “When I hear the amount of debt that some of our students have, it just makes me both sad and angry because it’s just such a burden at a time of your life when you should be free and unfettered,” he said. “I’ve spoken to so many who say they’re changing so many of their plans—what job they’ll do, when they get married, where they’ll live—because of the burden of debt.”

Schumer acknowledged that the first aspect of the RED Act—making two years of community college tuition-free—is not dissimilar to presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ plan to make all college tuition-free, but noted some differences. “Tuition-free is a wonderful goal, but it’s a hard leap to climb,” Schumer said. “Someone who comes from the family that makes $500,000, they can afford tuition and so what our plan does—debt-free—is it lowers the cost of tuition, it gives you more aid … I don’t know if the very wealthy have to graduate tuition-free.”

Lowering interest rates on student loans is a key part of the legislation for Schumer. “The bill will allow student loan borrowers to refinance their outstanding student debt at much lower interest rates,” he said. “It is amazing that the federal government charges people 6, 7, 8, 9 percent on student debt when the interest rates are 3 percent—they charge the big banks on the overnight rates less than 3 percent—how dare they charge students so much? The federal government should not be making a profit on the backs of our students.” According to Federal Student Aid, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans for undergraduates are charged an interest rate of 4.29 percent.

The RED Act would also allow for Pell Grants—given to students with financial need, who have not earned a bachelor’s degree—to keep up with inflation and rising tuition costs. Schumer noted that the legislation would tie Pell Grants to the Consumer Price Index, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflects “the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services.”

Schumer is backed by other Senate Democrats, but acknowledged that his legislation is lacking bipartisan support. “I don’t like being partisan, but in this case, the Republicans in the Senate and the House are blocking anything; they don’t want the government to do anything more for students, and that’s all,” he said. “Senate Democrats all across the country will be ramping up the pressure on Congress to act using the ‘#InTheRed’ campaign … That’s how we’re going to get the Republicans in Congress to support this campaign.”

Schumer also noted that similar plans are in place in other developed countries. “Countries across the world—take Germany as an example—are working to make higher college more affordable and America is lagging behind,” he said. “They have a federal government that is more active in helping their students and Germany has a lower unemployment rate and its income levels are higher. We ought to be moving in that direction.”

Associate Dean of Leadership and Service, director of the Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development program and former UUP lobbyist Tom Matthews said that he supports Schumer’s endeavors. “I’m not an economist; [student debt] figures are so huge that most of us can’t even fathom what the meaning of all that debt is,” he said. The amount of student debt in America is around $1 trillion. “If two years of college is almost required for almost anything … [making it tuition free] does make sense.”

Matthews also noted that he is skeptical about the legislation’s ability to pass through Congress. “I like Schumer getting out there in front of it, but where it’ll go in Congress, I don’t know,” he said. “If Hillary [Clinton] gets elected president and we have a Democratic Senate by some strange political fate, maybe that might change.” 

The RED Act is expected to be formally introduced to the Senate in the next few weeks. 

Students make connections at networking seminar

For many college students, business mixers and social-networking events can be estranging and scary. In an era when connections can so easily be made via LinkedIn or Facebook and introductions are made by a few key strokes and the press of the enter key, it’s easy to see why.

For the many who need advice on how to crack their anxiety cocoons and become social butterflies, however, “Making the Right Impression” was hosted on Friday Feb. 12 in the MacVittie College Union Hunt Room. This event was part of the Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development program’s “Life After Geneseo” series. The event gave students first-rate advice on how to handle themselves at business events, as well as providing some experience in an actual professional networking setting.

The Hunt Room was set with two rows of circular tables and in back was a bar and small snack buffet. Guests over 21 were given one drink ticket, with a choice of beer or wine. On each table was a bright-green pamphlet with five tips on how to make the right impression.

Entering the Hunt Room seemed intimidating, but the tables were full of smiling faces. After some small talk, area coordinator for Monroe and Saratoga Halls and event speaker Jacob Sherry introduced participants to an icebreaker.

“We’re going to play a game where the goal is to talk to as many people as possible and the ones to network most are given prizes,” he said.

The table I approached had a surprisingly diverse cast, including former visiting lecturer in geological sciences and current Coordinator of Residential Education Meg Reitz and recent SUNY Old Westbury graduate John Murray, who held interests in sustainable development and public administration.

I met a student from Tokyo—senior Isshu Kikuma—and learned that he was a former intern for JKSFF, a nonprofit summer camp for high school exchange students from Korea and Japan. As Reitz and Kikuma began to exchange information, Reitz noted how her sister’s husband had recently worked for a company in Tokyo—a unique connection that may not have been formed without the GOLD workshop.

After the game had reached its time limit, Sherry offered some advice on how to handle oneself at an event like this.

“Unless your representative from the worksite orders a drink, don’t order one,” Sherry said. “But say they offer you a drink and you’re kinda, sorta nervous and don’t want to get drunk and become crazy, you can always turn down drinks, but be sure not to offend your co-workers. You don’t want to make people feel guilty.”   

After all of Sherry’s advice, the night ended with newly made friends exchanging emails and wishing each other a goodnight.

Kingston friends, family deserve respect in time of mourning

In light of the tragedy that occurred on the morning of Jan. 17, the Geneseo campus community and administration have come together in support of the family and friends of seniors Kelsey Annese and Matthew Hutchinson. Their lives were brutally taken from them in their athletic and personal primes. Although I believe the response and support from the college has been admirable, others don’t share my view. The Lamron recently received a series of three anonymous voicemails from callers—claiming to be from California—that criticized President Denise Battles and the administration’s response to the tragedy. The callers claimed that by not specifically excluding Colin Kingston’s friends and family in our thoughts and prayers, we were somehow dishonoring the memories of Annese and Hutchinson.

Let’s be clear: what Kingston did was deplorable and horrifying and his actions deserve harsh condemnation. That being said, we as a community need to support his friends and family in what is an unthinkably difficult time.

First, we need to examine why Kingston took the actions that he did. Kingston was—in all likelihood—severely mentally ill for the last 48 hours of his life. Rumors have circulated that Kingston made suicidal comments to individuals on Jan. 16. Assuming this is correct, we can conclude that he was clinically depressed in some way, shape or form. Although his actions were terrible, his mental illness warrants some level of empathy.

Moreover, the Kingston family lost a son and a brother. I don’t want to speak for the family, but I can only imagine the mortification and grief they must be feeling. His family did not support his actions—and all the evidence supports this. Kingston’s father called 911 right away after his son called him saying that he had hurt two individuals and planned to hurt himself. Given the circumstances, Kingston’s father acted fitly.

As a community, we need to respond with empathy toward Kingston’s friends and family. While I listened to the voicemails, I thought of my own sister. Had she been mentally ill and committed a terrible act, I would be horrified, embarrassed and ashamed. I would be distraught not only because a person I loved did something atrocious, but also because I would never see them alive again. I never want to as much as imagine this situation, let alone live it.

In order to heal as a community, we need to stand together. Geneseo lost three lives on Jan. 17. Three families lost someone irreplaceable. Nearly every student on this campus knows someone deeply affected by the tragedy. Condemning the family of the perpetrator is not a healthy or effective means of coping.

We should embrace the Kingstons and welcome them to mourn our losses together. By doing this, we open the door for a critical discussion on mental illness and how we can prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.

Geneseo community mourns after unexpected deaths

Seniors Kelsey Annese and Matthew Hutchinson were killed in the early morning of Jan. 17 after Colin Kingston—a former Geneseo student who was enrolled as recently as spring 2013—broke into Annese’s home at 18 Wadsworth St. Kingston fatally stabbed Annese and Hutchinson before taking his own life. Since then, the college has responded with remembrance events and walk-in counseling sessions. “The Livingston County 911 Center received a call at approximately six in the morning from a father here in Geneseo—Mr. Kingston [Colin Kingston’s father],” Geneseo Police Department Public Information Officer Jeffrey Szczensiak said in a press conference on Jan. 18. “Mr. Kingston indicated to the 911 dispatcher that he had apparently received a call from his son—Colin Kingston—at which time he apparently indicated that he had brought harm to his ex-girlfriend—Miss Annese.”

According to Szczensiak, Kingston arrived at Annese’s residence in Geneseo between 5:30 a.m. and 6:21 a.m. with a knife he had purchased beforehand and found “Hutchinson in the company of Miss Annese.” Szczensiak added that there was no apparent sign of a struggle and that all three individuals were dead upon police arrival. Annese was a point guard and co-captain on the Geneseo women’s basketball team and Hutchinson was a defenseman for the Ice Knights.

After Szczensiak spoke, President Denise Battles read a prepared statement. “We realize that all of those in our campus community will experience this tragedy differently,” she said. “The Geneseo we know is a strong community and, together, will pull together in dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy.”

In response to the double-murder-suicide, the college held campus-wide events, which will culminate with a “Pack the Ira” event on Friday Jan. 29 for the Ice Knights’ hockey game against SUNY Morrisville at 7 p.m. Other events included men’s and women’s basketball and Ice Knights games occurring from Thursday Jan. 21–Tuesday Jan. 26.

Throughout the slate of events, tables have been set up in the MacVittie College Union for members of the college community to write supportive messages for the families and teammates of Annese and Hutchinson.

Chief of University Police Thomas Kilcullen emphasized the importance of the healing process after an event like this. “The village police are focusing on the healing process in their community and that is what we are doing here,” he said. Kilcullen also noted that UPD brought in officers from the University at Buffalo and Alfred State University as extra support.

“When something like this happens, anxiety will run high,” he said. “When that occurs, the police department has to respond and be highly visible.”

Opportunities for support for students, faculty and staff have also increased. “The counselors in Lauderdale [Center for Student Health & Counseling] offered counseling every day last week—and I know that was taken advantage of and even into this week, I know students are coming in and scheduling appointments in specific reaction to what happened [on Jan. 17],” Clinical Director for South Village Counseling Services Dr. Beth Cholette said. Cholette added that sessions specifically for student athletes and faculty and staff were held during All-College Hour on Wednesday Jan. 27.

Cholette also emphasized that Kingston’s behavior indicated that “something was wrong” with his mental health. “We know that he and Kelsey were dating and that he was distraught. But whatever the additional circumstances were, we don’t know. This is not a normal response to a relationship breakup,” she said. “I’ve seen reports in the media that on Saturday night, he made some suicidal statements. If that is true, maybe there could have been some intervention somewhere along the way. And that’s the part that, unfortunately, is overlooked in this: that it also involved a suicide.”

Cholette added that Lauderdale is still available as a mental health resource for students affected by the events or otherwise. “If students are really reluctant to get into counseling, to take a free, anonymous screening, sometimes, that’s a way,” she said. “It might be that the important need for services might be one thing that helps to get the message out; the fact that people are available right as the tragedy happened, maybe that will help students be more aware.”

News editor Emma Bixler contributed reporting to this article.

Sports editor embraces passions in leadership roles

As the Sports editor for The Lamron, junior Billy Burns is always busy—editor’s note: at least he should be. Burns does more than just edit and layout the Sports section, though—he’s a clothing designer, college basketball fan and high school basketball coach.

Burns hails from Syracuse, New York, where he attended high school at Christian Brothers Academy. Even back then, Burns kept busy. “I played basketball, I did football for a little bit up until 10th grade and then I just kind of took things in stride,” he said. Burns explained that his high school basketball teams were perennial winners—they were league champions three years in a row and lost right before the Sectional Championship during his senior year.

Burns came to Geneseo with a spot on the basketball team. As a 6-foot-3 guard, Burns had the size to match up with anyone at his position. Although a medical problem forced him off the team, Burns noted that he remains friends with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

“Over the past two years, I still talk to these kids to this day. I hang out with them pretty frequently,” he said. “I’m still actively involved with their lives and I see them every weekend. We still have a group message together … Just that experience in general has been pretty beneficial. Without them, I don’t know if my experience here would have been as positive.”

For his position on The Lamron, Burns spends hours every week writing, editing and laying out the Sports section. His inspiration to start with the paper, however, came from an unlikely source. “It was actually my mom that really suggested that I get involved in it,” he said. “I never really took writing super seriously, but it just kind of came naturally.”

Outside of Geneseo, Burns is very involved in the upstate New York community. This past summer, he started an internship with Life Clothing, a start-up company in Syracuse. “It very quickly turned into a more administrative position where I was—every single day, day-to-day work—getting to the office around 9 a.m. and I’d be calling clients or possible contacts,” he said. Burns added that he talked to reps from World Wrestling Entertainment, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street and the Buffalo Bills.

“The slogan or catch phrase is, ‘How do you live your life?’” he said. “Every single day, people are going through different struggles or achievements and everybody has a different perspective on how life has kind of come at them. So this company notices that and so the shirts and clothing that we have so far come up with have reflected that idea and model.” Burns explained that a significant portion of the profits go to a good cause, too.

“The proceeds from every item sold—20 percent of whatever’s sold—will be donated to a charity of the buyer’s choice,” Burns said.

Never one to be complacent, Burns recently began coaching high school basketball at Keshequa Central High School. “I have other coaches that are on the staff with me, but as far as basketball operations and day-to-day stuff, I’m the guy that’s controlling all of it,” he said. “We’re trying to rebuild this program because two years ago, they didn’t even have a team. So last year, they were 3-17 and so we’re already—being 1-2—looking ahead to the rest of the season. We’re just trying to get them in a position where they can be successful and it’s been a great experience so far. The kids are great; they want to learn.”

As for his next move, Burns has plenty of options. One opportunity in front of him could be an internship with Nike in their marketing department. He may also stick around and coach basketball for a while. Regardless of what he decides, Burns noted that he is optimistic about the future. “To be able to do that at this age and have a knack for the game of basketball at a younger age, I think my potential can only go higher,” he said.

Statesmen’s popularity increases with transformations

Since the closure of the Inn Between, underage students have had to take their pent up academic frustrations away from Main Street and to The Statesmen on Court Street. What many do not realize, however, is that the bar-turned-nightclub wasn’t always what it is today.

Statesmen manager Corinne Green ‘14 explained that she distinctly remembers when she found out the IB was closing for good. “I remember calling [Statesmen owner Rocco Dragani] and we were both like, ‘Things are going to change,’” she said. “So we started and we were open all the time, every day and then we slowly shaved down our hours and changed the whole look and feel of the business.”

Their business wasn’t always a student-oriented nightclub—or even a bar. According to Green, The Statesmen opened as the M and B Grill in the 1910s. “[It] was a full service restaurant, not really a bar, until the 50s,” she said. She explained that it was then—around 40 years after the restaurant opened—that The Statesmen got its new name. The owner at that time—Tony Battaglia, who was the son of the original owners—remade The Statesmen into a party venue.

“In the 60s, he added the addition—which is now Sigma Kappa—and made it more of a party house like for weddings and special events and stuff,” Green said. “They had weddings every weekend or live bands every weekend—and never a DJ or anything, it was always live music.”

Green explained that one staple band at The Statesmen was EZ Money. The vocalist and percussionist for EZ Money? None other than recently retired Geneseo cross country head coach Mike Woods ’69. “Everything’s just so connected because Mike Woods taught English at York High School for years and years and years and he was my boss Rocco [Dragani’s] English teacher and his track and field coach when Rocco was in high school,” Green said.

After a series of management changes, Dragani took over in 2012 and renovated the building, turning it into a typical sports bar. Dragani hired Green as a bartender after he reopened in May 2013.

When the IB closed, Dragani and Green saw an open market and jumped on the rare opportunity. “We got rid of the kitchen over that one winter break, completely renovated the inside and now it is a nightclub,” Green said. “We were not expecting that to happen.”

As for their new business, Green emphasized her passion for what she does and her excitement for the future of The Statesmen. “Things are going really well and it’s so much fun. We are so lucky to be in Geneseo,” she said. “Everyone that comes to the bar is just so great and Geneseo students are smart and polite and they’re fun. It’s great to be a part of that community in that way; to be able to fill that space.”

Although it appears that the bar scene is dying down in Geneseo—with the Idle Hour being the only one remaining uptown—Green expressed her belief that The Statesmen should continue to thrive in the community.

“I see The Statesmen continuing to grow. That’s my five-year plan. I’ve put so much of myself into this business and it’s not even that I just love The Statesmen, I love the village of Geneseo. I love the students, I love the College, I love Main Street,” she said. “I’ve lived here full-time, year-round since I was a freshman. I stayed here over the summers. There’s just no question in my mind that I want to be here.”

Wadsworth reelected, plans for next term as Town Supervisor

Incumbent Town Supervisor William S. Wadsworth won his bid for reelection on Nov. 3. Adjunct lecturer in English and languages and literatures Wes Kennison ’79 ran a write-in campaign in opposition. Wadsworth received 69.12 percent of the vote while Kennison received 29.73 percent. The remaining votes were other write-in candidates. “I know when you have a challenger, even though it’s a last minute thing, sometimes people’s passions can get riled up and rallied and you just never know what to expect—which is why, through the election cycle, we went out and went door-to-door and tried to meet as many people as we could,” Wadsworth said. “As an incumbent, I think there’s a tendency for people to think, ‘I’m doing a great job—there’s no reason to go ask again.’ I’ve seen people lose the job for that kind of avarice.”

Wadsworth emphasized that he was happy about voter turnout, especially from students. “We love it when people register to vote because they start to think about that; they might never really spend much time thinking about politics and when you get a sudden understanding of your power as a voter—that you can actually help make a decision that will lead into a direction—is pretty exciting,” he said. “We’re very enthusiastic about people going out and voting.”

One issue that Kennison stressed during his campaign was the abolition of the Interfaith Center as a polling place for students. According to Wadsworth, this is something that could be addressed during his new term.

“I know quite a few voters from the campus—I think on the south side—had to vote down at the Methodist Church,” he said. “It wasn’t a new thing, but we’re certainly listening and if there’s a big outcry for a place to vote elsewhere, we’d look into that and the Board of Elections is not opposed to that either.”

As for his plans moving forward, Wadsworth emphasized that the first thing on the agenda was the town budget. “We’re wrapping up the budget process now,” he said. “Just making sure we’re budgeting, we are paying down the bills we need to and are ready for next year.”

Long Point Park is another major piece of Wadsworth’s plan for the next four years. Long Point Park—which rests on Conesus Lake—is the current site of Geneseo Crew’s boathouse and is approximately six miles from the Geneseo campus. According to Wadsworth, the town acquired the park about 30 years ago and could be remodeling it in the near future.

“Sometime last year, middle of summer, a local resident went on a vacation to Syracuse and saw a little amusement park that was going to be sold that had rides identical to rides that had been at Long Point Park years ago when it was a privately owned amusement park,” Wadsworth said. “I think most of us that remember the park as an amusement park were like, ‘Oh my God, that would be so great. That would really be something.’”

Wadsworth continued to say that the park remained in its current state because New York State enforced “a 20-year period where we couldn’t do anything but have the park like it is.” Wadsworth also noted that a planning committee has asked surrounding towns how they would like to see the park used.

“We made sure that committee was made up of a broad spectrum of citizens both from [Conesus] Lake and from the Town and some from the Village so that all [of the] voting blocks that we could get in there were represented,” he said. “Whether the community wants to go for an amusement park or the community wants to keep it exactly like it is, we don’t know at this point. But once we have those recommendations [from the committee], the Town Board needs to start looking at implementing the things that people say they want.”

Wadsworth also emphasized that he believes new college President Denise Battles will help improve relations between the town and the school.

“I think with Denise Battles coming in, I think she’s a very community-oriented person,” he said. “We’re very enthusiastic about her and about her husband; both very involved in the community already.”