Invasion of Privacy: Incoming communication professor brings unique expertise to campus

Communication professor Sarah Brookes may be new this semester, but she is already making a positive impact at Geneseo. Students hold her in high esteem—in her short time here, she has become a noticeable asset within the department.

Hired for her academic background and experience as well as her unique quantitative perspective on mass communication, Brookes is currently teaching COMN 102: Principles of Public Speaking, COMN 251: Mass Media & Society and COMN 388: Mass Communication & the Individual. Students in her courses enjoy Brookes’ upbeat personality and interactive style of teaching. They make the effort to approach her after class for further discussion about topics from her lessons. Students can effortlessly express excitement at the possibility of future research endeavors under her guidance.

Similarly, Brookes has found the students at Geneseo impressive and rewarding to teach. “I’m impressed with students’ engagement in the material rather than just looking for information about what’s going to be on the next exam,” she said. “I’ve been struck by the level of professionalism of the student body here. For example, the emails I receive from students are overwhelmingly polite and respectful, which means a lot to faculty.”

After receiving her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2013, Brookes taught courses at the University of Maine for the past two years. While she explained that she enjoyed her time there, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the small, close community that is Geneseo. “I went to a small private school for my bachelors, so I got used to a tight-knit community like this,” she said. “I knew I wanted to go back to something like that.”

Brookes brings a fresh outlook on the field of communication studies to the table, adding range to the department. “My quantitative social sciences perspective complements the current strengths of the department. My specific area of focus would be considered entertainment media psychology—specifically regarding mass communication, particularly entertainment communication,” Brookes said. “I work from a psychological, social sciences standpoint.”

Brookes moved to the Rochester, New York-area only a week and a half before this semester’s classes began. She was able to adjust to a new living environment and working environment simultaneously. Although she has not had an extensive amount of time to explore the Geneseo community, she noted that she has eaten at various local restaurants such as Mama Mia’s and Euro Café and loved both experiences—especially because she adores pierogies.

“I’m still getting used to the campus and the area, but so far everything’s been really great,” Brookes said. “The campus is beautiful. I don’t know that I’ll ever get tired of the view over the hills, especially during sunset.”

Brookes described her academic journey as one filled with zeal for teaching and delight for her area of study. She explained that she took an internship after earning her bachelor’s degree and credited it for her realization that she wanted to go back to school for her masters, then Ph.D. That ultimately led to her becoming a professor because she “never wanted to leave school.”

“It’s nice that my favorite thing in the world—entertainment media—has become my career and that I get to pass it on to other people,” Brookes said. “As cliché as it is, this saying is very applicable: ‘If you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’”

Invasion of Privacy: Golf enthusiast combines passion, self-improvement

Senior Matt Klein’s time at Geneseo hasn’t exactly been conventional. The 21-year-old went golfing with professionals at the PGA Pro-Am Golf Challenge in Gainesville, Virginia on July 27. Klein is also affected by autism, a mental condition characterized by difficulties in communication.

“I went to a scramble and I was partnered with Sangmoon Bae,” Klein said. This was no small feat. The South Korean is 23rd in the FedExCup Playoff standings and is ranked in the top 100 professional golfers worldwide.

Klein’s team finished third in the scramble. Klein, a military veteran and two other junior amateurs’ performances determined the team’s score.

Klein graduated from York Central School with a Regents diploma and earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. He was accepted to Geneseo under the Learn Independence, Vocational, and Educational Skills—LIVES—Program. Klein qualifies for the LIVES program because of his autism spectrum disorder.

“The LIVES Program is a four year, post-secondary program designed for students with moderate to severe intellectual or other developmental disabilities to give students the opportunity to experience college at a college-like setting,” LIVES Program project coordinator Elizabeth Hall said. “[The students] audit college classes, they do work internships on campus similar to a work-study student.” Faculty members and volunteer students run the program and work with the students for a few hours every day.

“He [Klein] is an amazing young man who has grown and developed,” Hall said. “His confidence is out there, he will help anybody that’s out, he’s a fantastic mentor to our new students and he’s a great friend to the students.”

For Klein, golf has been a way to help ease the stresses associated with his disorder. “At first, I used to pace a lot when I was a kid, but after I got the golf club in my hand, I paced less,” he said. “I’ve been addicted to golf ever since.”

Klein’s practice routine rivals that of any avid golfer: he plays 18 holes at least once a week to prepare for local and state Special Olympics golf events throughout the year.

Klein has been a golf fan ever since he was young. His favorite golfer is Arnold Palmer because “he won several tournaments” and he was able to attend the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.

Golf is not the only passion that Klein has, however. He is a self-described “metalhead” and loves interacting with students while he works at the Corner Pocket—a job he has had for the past year.

“His desire was to work there for a second year,” Hall said. “He wanted to stay there because he liked the students that he was talking with and meeting with and it gave him the opportunity to practice those social skills—and that was his desire and his goal.”

In the classroom, Klein is a history enthusiast. He has audited several history and interdepartmental courses, including The Underground Railroad—one of his favorites. “He had a fantastic professor [associate professor of history Justin Behrend],” Hall said. “He did a great job [on his papers].”

As for his post-graduation plans, Klein is keeping his options open. “I would like to someday work as a greenskeeper at a golf course. Or a historian,” Klein said. “I’m always open to various opportunities.”

As a member of the Geneseo community, Klein is indispensible. His value to the LIVES program cannot be overstated and his positive attitude toward everyone he meets adds to all that makes Geneseo a great place to be.

Invasion of Privacy: Biology professor offers distinct perspective on teaching, lifestyle

Through extensive involvement on campus, participation in the outside community and his passion for eco-friendly lifestyle choices, professor of biology Gregg Hartvigsen is a unique member of the Geneseo community. Hartvigsen recently earned the Drs. Carol and Michael Harter Endowment for Faculty Mentoring Award for mentoring over 200 students during his time at Geneseo. He is dedicated to his work and to aiding students in their success. “It’s very rewarding helping students advance their careers,” Hartvigsen said.

Before being hired as a quantitative ecologist at Geneseo in 1998, Hartvigsen earned a PhD in biology from Syracuse University and spent three years researching ecological modeling at Princeton University. At Geneseo, he makes it his priority to engage in as many organizations as possible.

With his latest project, Hartvigsen demonstrates his ability to engage with students in unique and stimulating ways. “Right now I’m working with students in the Humans vs. Zombies group in collaboration with Lisa Smith from the math department—analyzing the Humans vs. Zombies data and building a model we can use to make the game more fun,” he said. In addition, he is an advisor to the juggling club, the women’s hockey team, the biology club, the outing club and the guitar club among others. Hartvigsen is also on the Campus Auxiliary Interviews board and is a past chair of college senate.

Despite the time commitments he has on campus, Hartvigsen admirably finds ways to contribute positively to the community outside campus as well. He is a past president of the Genesee Valley Conservancy—a land trust that protects more than 16,000 acres of the Genesee Valley. Enthusiastic about environmental health and protection, Hartvigsen endeavors to \ minimize his carbon footprint and to live as sustainably as possible.

“The last time I drove to a job was in 1987. So since then, I either walk or I ride my bicycle,” he said. “I have always lived near where I work to reduce the use of fossil fuels. That has always been important to me. Also, a couple of months ago, my wife and I covered our house in solar panels. These types of things are important to me.”

Hartvigsen took an unusual trip he took after leaving his first undergraduate program during the middle of his junior year. “I’ve always been kind of wild. I went hitchhiking for two months all over the country—10,000 miles,” he said. “I finally ended up in Boulder, Colorado and I decided I was done. I liked it there. I was looking for a beautiful place to live and Boulder, Colorado was it.”

He gives this expedition credit for his present mentality and achievements. “That’s when I realized I really liked nature and started hiking, so I went back to college and basically never left college,” he said. “I’ve been interested in ecological systems ever since. If I didn’t have the experiences of that trip, I certainly wouldn’t be the professor I am today.”

Invasion of Privacy: Lover of books, nature creates innovative English courses

Associate professor of English Ken Cooper spent childhood nights peering at the latest Scholastic Book Club releases—from classic literature, to chronicles of UFO sightings and Bigfoot—long past his bedtime. “In retrospect, it’s one of those things where you think you’re getting away with something, but your parents are letting you do it,” he said. “It was always okay to read at night no matter what. I’ve just always liked doing that. I feel incredibly lucky that I get to keep doing that.”

Years later, Cooper’s love for literature continued as his typewriter became a vehicle for writing marathon-length Ernest Hemingway parodies with literary friends at Whitman College in his home state of Washington. Cooper went on to receive masters and PhD degrees from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. A similar typewriter holds a coveted space in his yellow-walled office today. He has been a professor at Geneseo for over 20 years.

While Cooper has taught a number of courses in his specializations of Cold War-era literature and cultural studies, his offerings often reflect a wide array of interests that allow him to continue learning in the role of professor.

This is clear with one look at his fall 2014 courses. With ENGL 329: Filming the Seventies and ENGL 439: American Ways II: Bioregional Literature, Cooper delves into the intricacies of historic media studies and sustainable community engagement.

“Filming the Seventies” allows Cooper to revisit his cultural studies background, chronicling the transformation of society into a “digital economy.” The bioregional literature course, however, takes a more local approach, interpreting the work of Henry David Thoreau and other authors through a western New York lens.

The course also includes “mini internships” at local sustainable and historic sites, such as the Genesee County Village. Cooper is currently working with special collections/reference librarian Liz Argentieri on creating the Open Valley Digital Archive as a culmination of the course. It will serve as a resource for students doing local, primary source research.

Cooper has encouraged students to engage in nature-oriented projects in the past, managing a community garden on campus with associate professor of history Jordan Kleiman for five years. He attributed his interest in climate and literature to ample time spent hiking and rock climbing, as well as being “surrounded by trees” in Washington.

Cooper values providing students with engaging projects that incorporate learning outside the classroom—particularly following changes to the English major that provide professors with more class time for trips and additional projects.

“Every semester, I try to remind myself at the beginning of the semester that there’s a huge difference between this and high school where that’s kind of mandated learning,” he said. “Here, part of what they’re learning isn’t really the subject matter, but how to grow into themselves and to become self-sufficient.”

The father of college-aged twins, Cooper said he and his wife are “trying to turn into empty-nester clichés.” They’ve recently taken up swing dancing classes in Rochester. While his children are beginning to see their parents as “eccentric and entertaining,” Cooper continues to work purposefully in providing his students skills for life after college.

“[Teaching] is sometimes almost like parenting,” he said.

Gamma president attributes personal growth to time at Geneseo

You might not know it, but chances are you’ve seen “cool guy” senior Stephen Young on campus at some point, whether it was a Gamma Chi Epsilon event, a trip to Starbucks or just walking to class. Young was born in Pleasantville, New York in Westchester County––a city that, according Young, was actually named “the second best smelling city in the world” by GQ. Young began his career at Geneseo by chance, when financial problems prevented him from attending the University of Miami. His first time on campus was at his orientation and he came in with “no expectations.”

Geneseo, however, proved perfect for him. He immediately befriended his roommate—they remain close friends to this day—and met a lot of “wonderful people” who made him feel at home and interested in the world.

“This was the place for me,” Young said.

After filling a general requirement with a geography course, Young found his true passion and major.

“I am really interested in how things work across spaces,” Young said. “Geography is, in and of itself, spatial studies.”

Young is also the president of the co-ed fraternity Gamma Chi Epsilon. He pledged the second semester of his freshman year and said that he enjoys it due to its open-minded and accepting values.

“I’ve definitely become more open to meeting people and less likely to judge someone by their appearance,” Young said. “It’s about making more time to get to know someone before making a decision.”

An older member encouraged him to run due to his natural ability to understand interpersonal communication and how people interact with each other within an organization. Now, as president, he hopes to expand on the fraternity’s principles of acceptance.

“We’re doing a lot of work to make it more visibly accepting of, say, gender identity and we are actively against things like misogyny, racism and homophobia,” Young said. “We want to create a safe and comfortable place on campus for people who may not fit the ‘regular’ Greek society.”

Young’s other main extracurricular is his job at Starbucks, which he said he enjoys due to the opportunities for meeting people and impacting their day. “I like seeing people and making things special for people … making the interaction more than just getting coffee,” Young explained.

His appreciation for other people and their ideas is apparent, especially regarding what he said he appreciates about his time at Geneseo.

“I think in my four years here, I’ve matured more than I have at any other point in my life,” Young said. He credits this transformation to the range of people he has met.

In his free time, Young enjoys doing “a lot of nerdy shit,” as he puts it. He loves Super Smash Bros. and going to concerts. His favorite concert was Neutral Milk Hotel and local band Comfy.

After graduation, Young noted that he plans to keep his options open. He knows without a doubt that he does want “to move somewhere.” As for his dream job, Young said he would like to own a deli one day, complete with regulars to converse with who can order “the usual.”