Anthropology professor brings cultural experiences to Geneseo campus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

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.

Freshman thrill seeker finds home at Geneseo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SA President strives for inclusive college campus

Although most widely known for his term serving as Student Association President, senior Andrew Hayes has an interest beyond student government; one that shapes a unique, well-rounded post-Geneseo résumé. His impact on the college, however, resounds in his terms on SA.

After a failed election attempt his sophomore year, Hayes—motivated to win—was appointed SA President following a successful campaign his junior year, a reflection of his years in high school government and freshman and sophomore terms as the president of the class of 2016 at Geneseo. A student keen on campus issues and engaged in a variety of activities, he believed in himself as an ideal candidate to make a difference.

“I’ve always been the type of person to see things that were wrong or not getting done and try to do something about it,” Hayes said. “I thought that I could be a student who recognizes things that people have a problem with or really want to see a difference in—that I could represent our student body well and make student life better.”

Hayes acted on his desire for campus change early on in his time at Geneseo, serving on the Student Affairs Committee through the Student Senate and focusing on grassroots issues such as freedom for students and accessibility of facilities. He continued to pursue these issues as SA President, helping clubs and teams better utilize the space around campus.

“It’s sometimes a struggle that our clubs and sports have—finding a place to practice,” he said. “Space accessibility is an important issue. Athletics charges $15 an hour to use turf fields. We are trying to accommodate for that … to see what we can and can’t change.”

Although SA was unable to change the fee for using the fields, they were able to develop a mission to help clubs use that space with SA funds.

Hayes believes his biggest achievement as President has been engaging the student body and providing a transparent and approachable SA executive board. This is evident in their events such as the Social Host Law panel, which allowed for a conversation between students and the Geneseo community about concerns regarding the law.

In addition to his involvement in student government, Hayes has jumped from club to team to association, as he ran on the track and field team his freshman year and participated in mock trial. He recently picked up rugby, joining the team the second semester of his junior year.

“I always wanted to play football, but in high school I ran track and cross country. So I figured why not? I’ll try something new,” he said. “I went to the first practice and it was exciting.”

As an Eagle Scout, Hayes also enjoys the outdoors and is a frequenter of Geneseo’s hidden gem—Fallbrook—and Letchworth State Park. He likes discovering parts of the surrounding area with his girlfriend, senior Breann Coffaro—who is president of Geneseo’s Outing Club—and his friends.

“Geneseo is such a great area, I love getting out and exploring,” he said.

Hayes is also a lover of literature, admitting that he attended every midnight book release for the Harry Potter series. His favorite Geneseo professor—distinguished teaching professor of English Ron Herzman—extended Hayes’ love of reading as his professor for HUMN 220: Western Humanities I.

Although Hayes has contributed greatly to Geneseo’s student government, he has no plans to get involved in politics. He is currently applying to law school, where he hopes to pursue a career in criminal defense, representing a variety clients and “giving everyone a fair chance.”

As for next year, Hayes is excited for the newly elected SA President junior Michael Baranowski to take his place and to further address the issues at hand from the present semester. “I’m happy Mike is taking over. It allows for a continuity within the association,” he said. “We’ll be moving forward with momentum.”

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.” 

Former Career Counselor embraces new position

Devoted to creating a positive impact within Geneseo and fostering student success, Interim Director of New Student Programs Heather DiFino ‘08 lives and breathes her career. As a proud alum, DiFino has made it her mission to give back to the Geneseo community.

Upon receiving her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Syracuse University, DiFino engaged herself in fieldwork at nonprofit mental health clinics before finding herself drawn back to Geneseo.

“Geneseo is home—as cliché as that sounds,” she said. “I never wanted to leave; I always loved it here.”

DiFino’s position on campus has changed throughout her years. She has evolved from Resident Director to Office of Career Development Career Counselor and, finally, to her current position, which she began at the start of December 2015. As Interim Director of New Student Programs, her work involves both incoming freshmen and transfer students.

“I’m excited in this new role. Having experienced what it felt like to go here, I have the opportunity to continue traditions while also making changes and serving our students to the best of my ability,” DiFino said. “Generations entering college are changing and we want to make sure they have the best resources so they can go out and be successful.”

Programs that DiFino oversees include incoming student orientations for both the fall and spring semesters, Phi Eta Sigma—a freshman honor society—and the Adirondack Program—a pre-fall program that allows new students to earn INTD credit by doing work in the Adirondacks during the summer leading up to their start at Geneseo. She is also the faculty advisor for Sigma Kappa.

DiFino added that she is also starting to work on establishing a women’s mentorship on campus for students, faculty and staff that she hopes will take flight in the next year or so.

“I really feel that I have a strong understanding of the ‘whole’ student and hope to serve as a resource to connect them to the campus and community for them to achieve their personal success,” DiFino said.

Frequently asked to conduct seminars and workshops regarding leadership and career planning for various campus organizations and events, DiFino is steadfast in her passion for facilitating students realizing their potential and cultivating their talents.

“I want to help students have that ‘aha’ moment where they know they can succeed,” she said. “That’s my goal: to empower students and ignite that flame in them.”

One of DiFino’s most notable projects from her work as Career Counselor is Encore. The initiative created a “career closet” resource for students from which they can borrow business or business casual clothes for professional events, interviews, networking endeavors and more. 

“My thinking behind Encore was that a lot of the events I was working on required dress that students didn’t always necessarily have,” DiFino said. “I felt we should offer the service because we shouldn’t hinder anyone from getting a job or starting a career on the right foot just because they forgot something at home, it no longer fits them or they can’t afford it.”

Encore has proved to be a tremendous success, increasing from two closets of available business attire to three—and it is still growing with the help of community members and their generous donations of clothes.

A fun fact about DiFino is that she appeared on the television show “House Hunters.” Transitioning from living on campus for her Resident Director position to moving into the greater area for her career counselor position in 2013, DiFino’s ceaseless drive led her to opportunity-seek online, where she stumbled upon the application to be featured on the show. She applied and was accepted, bringing the program to Geneseo. The episode aired in January 2014.

“I love the show,” DiFino said. “I got to work with some students—as well as some faculty and staff—on that, which was a really great experience.”

In her present-day role in the Geneseo community, DiFino’s enthusiastic commitment is an invaluable asset to the school. She is persistent in applying innovation and precision to her various programs and initiatives, striving to create an environment and resources that support student prosperity.

“Geneseo has given me so many opportunities. I feel like I’ve won the jackpot,” DiFino said. “I feel lucky to be able to serve the wonderful students here and I just hope I can continue doing that.”

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. 

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.”

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.” .

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.

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.

Talented student pursues acting on the big screen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Theater professor exudes creative enthusiasm, embodies authenticity

In her 27 years of teaching at Geneseo, professor of theater Randy Kaplan has changed Geneseo’s landscape regarding performance and Asian-American studies.

Born in a small suburb of New York City, Kaplan’s interest in directing began at an early age when she led theater performances with children in her neighborhood. This is also when her interest in Asian culture began.

“I can remember being a little, little kid and always being a director,” Kaplan said.

She also credits her interest in Asian culture to her father, who would take her on trips to Chinatown and who held a personal interest in Chinese culture despite his official career as a microbiologist. Her third grade teacher also encouraged her and bought her the classic Chinese book The Legend of the White Snake, which she read repeatedly as an 8-year-old and for years afterward.

When she began her undergrad career at The Ohio State University, she explained that she was still torn between her interests in theater and Asian culture.

“I sought a way of making my two interests talk to each other, more or less,” she said. Kaplan added that a pivotal moment for her was seeing the Beijing Opera perform during her freshman year at OSU.

Kaplan recalled the intense emotion that overwhelmed her during the performance. “This is home. This is who I am,” she said. “I felt this instant rush of identification.”

After receiving a theater degree from OSU, Kaplan completed her master’s degree at SUNY Albany and received her doctorate from OSU. After completing her thesis on the work of Asian poet and playwright Tian Han, Kaplan began to look for work as a professor.

“I knew I wanted to be a professor,” Kaplan said. “I love directing students; I love working with students.”

She explained that she taught at other universities but chose to stay at Geneseo due to the excellent relationship she had with the designers she worked with on her various productions.

“I thought, ‘Why would you ever want to leave when you have great colleagues and designers?’” she said.

In addition to working as a professor, Kaplan founded Geneseo’s Asian-American performance ensemble GENseng 17 years ago as a way to combine her love of Asian studies with her passion for theater. It is the only Asian theater program in the entire SUNY system—64 campuses—connected with a department of a university.

“Geneseo GENseng is the only one that is embedded in our academic program … a club can go dormant but because GENseng is embedded in our academic program, students can get credit ... we are the only school that has that,” Kaplan said. “It’s something I’m really, really proud of.”

In addition to her contributions through GENseng and the Asian studies minor, Kaplan is also the faculty advisor for Shakti, Bhangra, Korean American Student Association, Students for Free Tibet and Liberty in North Korea.

Kaplan noted that she identifies herself as a “Jewbu,” or a person who is both Jewish and Buddhist.

“I am not by a long shot unique in that way,” Kaplan said. “Buddhism is very embracing of people who celebrate other faiths. There’s a lot about Buddhism that enhances Judaism and a lot about Judaism that enhances Buddhism.”

Kaplan also expressed her compassion for all beings of the Earth, inspired by both Buddhism and Judaism. She is a vegan of three years, the owner of five rescue pets and she tends plants in her husband’s greenhouse.

“In Buddhism, all beings who are sentient are to be respected,” Kaplan said. She also stands by a Jewish commandment to be kind to animals and believes that even Kosher meat invokes inhumane suffering to animals. 

“I think all of these things … the Buddhism and the vegan cooking and the saving animals and raising up plants—from all of that I try to be compassionate to my students,” Kaplan said.