Geneseo pauses administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Geneseo secured doses of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine for students at Livingston County Department of Health clinics days before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State Department of Health paused administration of the vaccine.

Geneseo paused their administration of the J&J vaccine in accordance with this decision.

Before the decision was announced, SUNY was able to obtain 18,600 dosages of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be distributed across 34 SUNY campuses. These dosages would have been provided to residential students hoping to be vaccinated before returning home at the end of the semester.

Since the start of J&J administration, six inoculated women have reported blood clots.

With the discovery of potential health-related side effects arising in individuals who received the J&J vaccine, the administration of this vaccine has been paused across the country. SUNY thus paused their administration of the vaccine as well.

Megan Syfrett, principal student health administrator, addressed some of the concerns sparked by this decision in an interview via email.

"With J&J on pause, SUNY has had to pause the program, as well," Syfrett said. "We have always followed the guidance and recommendations from the CDC, NYS, and our local Livingston County Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will continue to do so."

Despite Geneseo's pause in providing vaccine doses, the college is continuing to encourage students to get vaccinated. Chancellor of the State University of New York Jim Malatras released a statement regarding the pause in J&J administration and SUNY's response to this announcement.

"We are working with New York State to locate and receive alternative COVID-19 vaccines for our students," Malatras said in his statement. "We urge all students with appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their campus or vaccination site because alternatives have already been found in some instances."

            Malatras additionally requested that any student experiencing headache, abdominal pain,  pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of receiving a dosage of the J&J vaccine should notify their campus or health provider. Malatras assured the SUNY community to continue to inform campuses as the situation with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine evolves.

Geneseo is not currently providing any clinics beyond the now-cancelled J&J vaccinations. However, the college hopes that individuals will be able to obtain dosages of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine until there are more accessible options available through the college and SUNY community.

"SUNY Geneseo continues to urge students to get vaccinated," Syfrett said. "We have shared information regarding local vaccine clinics and pharmacies where students can obtain the vaccine, such as Walmart, Wegmans, Walgreens and the Livingston County Dept of Health clinics."

Geneseo has sent out resources for students to register for the Moderna vaccine via email on April 14.

The college is encouraging students to get vaccinated in order to ensure the safety of all on-campus students, faculty and staff, and to make headway in establishing a safer campus community for the fall semester.

"Our ultimate goal is to have a safe and fully in-person college experience for our campus community for the fall semester," Syfrett said. "To have the safest campus environment, it would be ideal if every person who is eligible for the vaccine got vaccinated."

New Filipinix student union joins campus community

A new cultural club, the Filipinix Student Union (FSU), was recently founded at Geneseo. The club allows the Filipinix community and their allies to connect with one another and enjoy learning and experiencing Filipino culture. 

Geneseo has many cultural clubs, but this will be the first dedicated to members of the Filipino community and their allies. 

Early childhood/childhood education major senior and President of FSU Elize Oliverio said that she initiated the club’s founding because she felt Geneseo was lacking this niche for students. Oliverio transferred to Geneseo in fall 2018.

 Before coming to Geneseo, she studied at Binghamton University and Wellesley College where there was some representation of the Filipinix community. Oliverio said she wanted to create something similar at Geneseo. 

“Just being seen on campus and kind of having that community, both to just exist as a student but also to engage in discourse that felt important to identity,” Oliverio said. “As [Geneseo] is a predominantly white campus, having and creating that space felt important.” 

Oliverio and a few close friends committed to creating the FSU as a place where students who identified with Filipino culture could engage in cultural exchange.

“We first started the whole student audit process a little bit earlier than this time last year, and we had provisional status,” Oliverio said. “Then we went home [after Thanksgiving] and we had provisional status in the fall. And just last month we were fully recognized as a student organization.”

The executive board for the FSU hopes to plan events in the future that will foster community around Filipino people and Filipino culture. Currently, the FSU is looking into funding from the Alliance for Community Enrichment and the Student Association, according to biology major freshman and FSU secretary/public relations representative Samantha Dumitrescu.  

Aaron Enriquez, sociology major sophomore and FSU vice president, said the FSU’s goal is to create a community where students can connect over their common identities or love of Filipino culture. 

“Certain events that we do have planned are cultural dinners and other events that promote and celebrate Filipino culture,” Enriquez said. 

The FSU is currently holding bi-weekly meetings every other Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. The next meeting will be on May 3rd. 

“Our meetings are open to anyone, and it’s free for anyone to come. If you are interested, you know, there is nothing stopping you, just come,” Enriquez said. 

Dumitrescu said FSU will be a community for anyone interested.

“I’m so excited for people to start coming more into our meetings,” Dumitrescu said. “Just know that we have really good people on the e-board, and they just want to set up a community of people who are interested in our culture.”

Geneseo students are encouraged to contact Elize Oliverio, FSU president at epo2@geneseo.edu or Aaron Enriquez, FSU vice president at aje6@geneseo.edu, to be added to FSU’s Zoom email chain. 

Office of Academic Planning and Advising plans to roll out new alert system “Navigate” by Fall 2021, despite COVID-19, technical complications setbacks

Students will be able to download the Navigate App to their cell phones by next Fall (Photo Editor/Kate Rodgers).

The Office of Academic Planning and Advising intends to reintroduce an application called Navigate during new student orientation. It is a student success management system available for students in the app store as well as online.  

An article published by The Lamron in February 2020 first discussed the Office of Academic Planning and Advising’s initiative that planned to launch Navigate.

As part of the 2021 strategic plan, the application designed by EAB—a technology company that assists schools—to be a student success management would be used as an “early warning system to track student progress,” according to Dean of Academic Planning and Professor of English, Celia Easton. 

Easton said that due to COVID-19, progress on the app was not prioritized for much of last year. She said the office plans to be back on track for a soft rollout release of the application this upcoming fall and is hopeful that soon the app will be widely used on campus.

“We will be definitely rolling out the app again during new student orientation,” Easton said.  

According to the EAB website, Navigate is a student success collaborative program for four-year institutions, partnered with more than 550 colleges and universities. Their model aims to address intelligence via administrators, strategic care via faculty and staff and smart guidance via students. 

“We chose Navigate because of the data analytics that they have to offer,” Easton said. “It is all about connecting students to resources.”

The Navigate system was purchased through the SUNY Investment and Performance Fund with a four-year timeline. The SUNY Investment and Performance Fund was developed to help SUNY schools expand about 40,000 credentials to reach a goal of 150,000 by 2020, according to an article published by The Lamron in January 2016. 

The app does not aim to replace myGeneseo or any online portals but to rather supplement and make certain things easier for students, according to the Office of Academic Planning and Advising. 

“One of the largest goals of the app is to make scheduling appointments more convenient,” Easton said. “Students can actually go into the app and … find the faculty member and actually schedule an appointment.” 

The rollout has not begun yet, due to technical reasons, but is one of the Office’s main goals for fall 2021, according to Easton. 

The new prevalence of virtual meetings will also be integrated into the app, and Easton believes many departments will continue to hold meetings in this manner and the option will be available.

By increasing scheduling, the app will increase communication between students and the campus’ representatives, according to Easton. Navigate will also include a system to warn students if they are falling behind with their requirements before it becomes too much of an issue. 

“Right now, there is nothing that searches for the students … as long as they are kind of keeping their head just above water, which is a 2.0—or minimum competency—nobody is paying attention. Nobody is going to initiate a conversation,” Easton said. 

Other than scheduling meetings, the app can be used to find “Study Buddies” in the same class, list activities happening on campus and your residence hall during the day, provide maps and routes to buildings on campus as well as provide information about your major. For undeclared students, there is a quiz you can take where the program analyzes your interests based on a questionnaire and provide a major that would best match you, according to the February 2020 article published by The Lamron. 

Easton said that she hopes that there will soon be a tile on myGeneseo for Navigate, although there is no direct timeline. She said that she is working hard to get the app up and running and is hopeful that it will soon be available for all students and faculty to provide an easier communication system between everyone. 

College changes initially cancelled commencement, creates procession ceremony for class of 2021

Graduating seniors will congregate on the College Green outside of the Integrated Science Center (pictured above) on May 12 at 4 p.m. for the procession ceremony (Photo Editor/Kate Rodgers).

Commencement is scheduled to take place during two ceremonies on Wednesday May 12 and Saturday May 22. The former will be a procession from the College Green to the College Stadium that students must register for and no guests will be permitted to attend. The latter is a virtual commencement ceremony and degree conferral.

On January 16, the campus community was notified via email that the traditional in-person commencement ceremony scheduled to take place on May 22 was canceled, citing the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. On April 1, students were again notified via email from President Denise Battles that “after several weeks of discussing and planning, including consultation with [the] local health department and guidance from SUNY, [the College] is pleased to announce a hybrid commencement plan for the class of 2021.” 

According to a Geneseo webpage dedicated to 2021 commencement frequently asked questions, the College cannot host an in-person commencement ceremony outside because of current New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) guidelines. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that starting March 22, events can host up to 200 people outside or 500 if participants provide negative tests. 

The class of 2021 is comprised of 1,200 students. There are also contractual obligations and associated deadlines for the College to host an in-person or virtual event, whereby the decision regarding the formality of this year’s ceremony was made in January. 

“We typically provide four tickets per student, which puts our total attendance as high as 4,800. We would need to host multiple events to comply with the guidelines. While our stadium can accommodate 500 participants, we are not able to put chairs or a stage on the turf due to the type of material from which it is constructed,” according to the webpage.

Director of Campus Scheduling & Special Events Andrea Klein explained the commencement process for the classes of fall 2020 and spring 2021 in an email statement to The Lamron. 

“What we're doing this year is a hybrid approach,” Klein said. “We were able to expand our commencement celebration from our original plans because of improvements in the public health situation and the state allowing, with careful preparations and protocols in place, in-person events to resume-following very specific guidance and if at all possible, held outdoors for safety.”

According to the Geneseo commencement webpage, students who plan to participate have to register for the procession on May 12 no later than Friday April 16. The form can be found here or on Geneseo’s website. Students who are required to participate in pooled testing must do so weekly to be eligible to attend.

On May 12 ay 4 p.m., graduating students will meet on the College Green in regalia and be led to the College Stadium in a procession. When students arrive at the College Green to check-in, they will receive a custom printed reader card, a face mask to match the regalia and instructions, according to Battles’ April 1 email. 

“We were going to give them the procession and their regalia since that's a really festive part of commencement. And then that really sentimental piece of stage crossing where they hear their name called and they received congratulations,” said Klein. 

According to the email, at approximately 4:45 p.m., students will process down College Drive and march into the stadium. Here, they will individually cross a stage while their names are read, receive their diploma cover, and have their photo taken by GradImages where proofs will be sent afterward for purchase. 

“Graduates will be outside, in masks, physically distanced. They will be handed a diploma cover … there will be no handshake,” Klein said. 

The College is abiding by physical distancing guidelines set forth by the NYSDOH that prevent them from handing students a diploma and/or shaking students’ hands, according to the commencement FAQ webpage. Students will have the opportunity to have a formal portrait taken in their regalia holding a diploma cover. 

Klein said that no guests or parents will be allowed to attend the May 12 ceremony, and there will be no reception afterward. 

“The graduate procession and recognition event on Wednesday, May 12 will be live streamed as current COVID-19 regulations do not allow guests on campus,” Klein said. 

The May 12 ceremony will continue to be available online after the ceremony’s conclusion, according to the webpage.

In addition to the procession, on May 22 at 10 a.m., a pre-recorded virtual ceremony will be made available to graduates to share with their friends and family. According to the website, this ceremony will include senior orations, messages from Geneseo alumni and the recognition of each individual graduate by name. 

The virtual commencement ceremony will be launched May 22 and will include “a program of student, guest and College speakers. [The] Music Department will be featured performing the National Anthem and Geneseo’s Alma Mater. Graduates will have an opportunity to submit a photo of their choice, a quote/brief comment and a 10 second video clip. The graduates' names will be announced in sections and will be presented in alpha order and searchable,” according to the commencement FAQ webpage.

Sociology major senior Macaire Lisicki said while encouraging to see Geneseo prioritize the celebration of student’s graduation, she still has some frustration about the scheduling of the event.

“[The College] scheduled the procession to take place the week before finals,” Ueshiro said. “I dont really think 

Despite Lisicki’s concern, she said that she is ultimately positive about the hybrid approach.

 “I am happy that [The College] created some type of celebration for grauadting seniors,” Lisicki said. 

Physics major senior Giacomo Aris said that he is generally very pleased with the change in commencement plans on behalf of the College, but he does not understand why some other SUNYs have a traditional commencement with guests. 

“I’m honestly just very happy the school decided to plan some type of in-person event for us,” Aris said. “I was really disappointed when graduation was canceled … I felt like I worked for four years and didn’t even get a real graduation. My friends from other SUNYs though do have a traditional graduation ceremony which is a little frustrating … but again, I’m really happy with [the procession arrangement].”

All SUNYs “operate individually under their own leadership and each campus has different resources and considerations that inform their decisions of what their individual commencements look like. Even outside of a pandemic, commencement ceremonies are unique to each institution,” according to the 2021 commencement FAQ webpage. 

Lisicki and Aris corroborated to express their recommendation that the College offer an in-person commencement with small groups of students.

The 2021 commencement FAQ webpage cites the NYS Department of Health Guidelines as the reason this recommendation was considered and overturned. 

“This is a total number, so it would include staff and College participants and event planners, as well. We would need to host nearly 16 events, which typically last up to two hours, to accommodate all our graduates, more if we are inviting their families, as well,” according to the webpage. 

Intermissions Bar and Grill reopens after seven-month long closure

Intermissions Bar and Grill (pictured above) is located at 8.5 Center Street, next to the Alley Cat Boutique and across from The Idle Hour bar (Emma Boskovski/News Editor).

Intermissions Bar and Grill, found at 8 Center Street, reopened on March 5 and is now open five days a week following a seven-month closure prompted by an electrical kitchen fire in August 2020. 

Bar manager Margaret King said that navigating insurance claims and building renovations caused by the fire was a lengthy, difficult process.

“It brought me back to writing my senior thesis in college … it was a lot of work,” King said. “It was very difficult because [the insurance company] asked for every little thing you could think of … what liquor bottles were in the bar, how many napkins were in the bar, how many straws … that kind of thing.”  

According to King, once the insurance process was finished and repairs to the building began, much of the bar had to be replaced or refurbished due to smoke and water damage. He said that furniture was reupholstered, walls were repainted, and the bar top was replaced.

“We’ve had a steady stream of customers here and we’re really thankful that when we finally reopened, the Geneseo community kind of rallied,” King said. 

Geneseo students make up a significant portion of Intermissions’ patronage, King said, and the bar plans on hosting weekly events like Greek nights and other special offers on food and drink to attract Geneseo students. 

“I’m so glad to hear that Intermissions reopened. I was nervous that they would close down for good after the fire since it happened during the pandemic … a lot of other local businesses have not been receiving enough support to sustain operations, like [the Geneseo Family Restaurant],” political science major senior Ariana Barone said, referencing the recent closure of GFR. 

The grand reopening on March 5 was “packed full” and “looked even better than before,” according to sociomedical sciences major senior Angel Alejandro.

“I was so excited when I heard Intermissions was opening back up,” Alejandro said. “I saw their Facebook announcement that they were reopening, and a bunch of my friends and I went right at 5:00 p.m. It was great to see people there again … I always enjoyed going there.”

King said that she is optimistic about future business as the bar reestablishes itself in the Geneseo community, and as more New York residents receive COVID-19 vaccinations, he believes social bar life will return to normal soon. 

According to a press release made by Gov. Cuomo, vaccine eligibility has been extended to all New York residents who are 16 years and older, and “universal eligibility for the vaccine is set to go into effect [the week of April 4].” Cuomo said that one in five New Yorkers are now fully vaccinated. 

“Since the pandemic, Geneseo social life has been so different … The bars here are always a great going-out option because they’re safe and reliable. Even though social life here is more expensive, I’m happy to spend the money on a local business like Intermissions,” Alejandro said. 

Expansion of SNAP resources and initiatives of Food Security Advocates work to ensure more students food security

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently expanded resources for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to students who were previously ineligible for these benefits. These temporary expansions came about in mid-January and are meant to provide simplicity to families and individuals who were affected by COVID. Geneseo’s Food Security Advocates (FSA) are collaborating with the administration to create an on-campus food pantry. 

According to the USDA website, there are two main exceptions for students who go to school at least part time. SNAP will now be providing food security to students who are either “eligible to participate in state or federally financed work study” or “have an expected family contribution of zero.” 

In an article written by The Lamron on Dec. 5, 2019, the SUNY Food Insecurity Task Force had recently published the results of a survey conducted in 2018 that reached students SUNY-wide regarding their experiences with hunger. Five-hundred twenty Geneseo students responded to the survey.

According to the survey results, approximately 40 percent of Geneseo students said they didn’t eat when they were hungry because they couldn’t afford it, one in four students were unable to focus as a result of their hunger and 20 percent of students actually know how they could receive food assistance if they needed it. 

“The 2019 study by SUNY food insecurity task force showed that two out of five [students] said that they skipped meals because they couldn't afford them,” Director of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement Garth Freeman said. “While the 520 [survey-participating students] aren’t necessarily representative of the 5,500 students that were attending Geneseo, it does show that there's a decent need at the college.” 

Food Security Advocates is a student organization associated with the Office of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement created to increase food security and hunger relief efforts on campus. 

Co-chair of FSA Robbie Economou said that he interpreted the survey results to reveal that 30 to 40 percent of Geneseo students face some degree of food insecurity. Since 2019, FSA has been working towards breaking down the stigmas that may prevent food insecure students from seeking resources. 

“Something that we used to do was help students get signed up for SNAP. That's not something that we've been able to do recently, especially with COVID, but we're working to create an on-campus food pantry for the fall,” Economou said. “A fundamental part of that would be having trained volunteers there who would help students get signed up for SNAP, because SNAP is definitely the key part of solving food insecurity in our country, especially at this point.”

According to Economou, FSA has a good relationship with SNAP, and he stated that the program is the key in promoting food security.

“We just hope that our state continues to expand access because it is really just essential that all students are able to get food assistance when they need it in any form that that comes, especially with SNAP, which is an essential part of it,” Economou said.

The food pantry FSA is proposing is not a guarantee, but Economou said the group is hopeful that it will be, since it would serve as an on-campus satellite location for the Geneseo-Groveland Emergency Food Pantry, a location that FSA already works with to deliver food to all accessible students.

Freeman said that he is working closely with Vice President for Student and Campus Life Michael Taberski and Executive Director of Campus Auxiliary Services Mat Felthousen to pilot this pantry by fall 2021. 

“Everybody is on board with, you know, trying to find solutions that meet everybody's needs and accommodate all the folks that might need the support,” Freeman said. 

Hillel at Geneseo frustrated with Passover Kosher menu communication, lack of offerings.

Campus Auxiliary Services prepared a menu of Kosher dishes that were served at each dining during Passover the day before it began on March 27 through the final day of Passover on April 4. The details of the menu were sent in an email from CAS to the campus community the afternoon of March 30. 

The Jewish community and student representatives from Hillel at Geneseo requested that CAS send out an email to inform the community of the Passover menu available to students before Passover began. 

Hillel president and history adolescent education major junior Lara Goodman expressed, on behalf of Hillel at Geneseo, that the menu was sent out after Passover began, describing their miscommunications with CAS as “frustrating.” 

Jonna Anne, managing director of restaurants and cafes of CAS, said she realizes that the system does not function perfectly to serve the Geneseo Kosher community.

“What I’m asking for is communication,” Anne said. “Unfortunately, what I want isn’t always the same as what everyone else wants, so I’m really open to ideas.” 

Besides the lack of communication that occurred between Hillel at Geneseo and CAS, Goodman also said she is generally disappointed in CAS in regard to the availability of matza at the dining halls during Passover and the lack of signage and education on how to eat matza with their dinners at the dining halls where the option is being served. 

According to the email, all stations at Mary Jemison, Letchworth and Red Jacket dining halls began offering matzo to be ordered at the kiosks or registers beginning on March 27. Until April 4, each dining hall had matzo substitutes for normal offerings, like sandwiches and wraps, flatbread pizzas and breakfast platters. 

An attachment of the email titled “Where can I eat during Passover” establishes a timeline for the Kosher options available at Nabali located at Food Studio North in Letchworth where students can regularly access Kosher offerings from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The specialized Passover menu begins on March 27, offering “cold cuts, matzos, cookies and chips” on March 27 and 28 and on April 2 and 3. For the days in between, Nabali had offerings of dishes like “Aloo Gobi, Matzo Brei, Falafel,” among other cultural dishes on March 29 through 31 and April 1 and 4, according to the email attachment.

The attached timeline of Kosher options distinguishes which offerings are vegetarian and vegan, concluding to make an additional reference to those Matzo substitutes that were available at each dining hall during hours of operation. 

The email notes that although all the Passover offerings are Kosher, the only all Kosher kitchen on campus is Nabali at Food Studio North in Letchworth. 

Goodman also expressed her dissatisfaction within the Geneseo community in the overall Kosher options provided by CAS, citing her belief that those who prepare the food do not have enough situational awareness of its preparation and dietary restrictions. 

“In terms of Nabali itself ... it’s never really something we’re worrying about. But I’d say in terms of things being marked [Kosher, vegan, vegetarian] when then they’re actually not, that’s kind of where the problems will come,” Goodman said. 

Goodman said that she and other members of Hillel at Geneseo often suspect human error when certain foods are marked as Kosher, vegan or vegetarian when they are prepared in non-Kosher or non-vegetarian kitchens. She alleges multiple instances where she has come across food that is labeled incorrectly. But Goodman said she recognizes the blame of these happenings do not fall on CAS alone.

“We’re at a public school, and I know only so much blame can be placed on CAS … the funding is simply not there,” she said. 

Anne described how the new grab and go feature at Nabali has not been utilized much, and that she would like to hear from students if and how it can be improved. 

“What I would love to know is what people are looking for, because we may not have the right options out there,” Anne said. 

Despite the frustrations Goodman expressed on behalf of the Hillel community, she said she has hopes for the future. 

“I have another meeting with [CAS] to go over all of this stuff … I think we’re working towards a better solution and I am hopeful that we can establish one,” Goodman said. 

Anyone interested in providing suggestions to CAS in regard to their Kosher, vegan, vegetarian, or other dietary restricting options and labeling is encouraged to contact cas@geneseo.edu. Anyone with general questions, concerns or suggestions relating to CAS’s food and service offerings is encouraged to reach out as well. 

English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, works to diversify Humanities requirements

On Monday, March 1, a petition to diversify the Humanities requirement was posted on Geneseo Speaks by Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society. From its submission to its expiration date on March 31, the petition received 190 signatures, passing the 75 signatures required for the Student Association to look further into the petition.

The petition was put forth by Sigma Tau Delta's E-board with the ultimate goal of restructuring the Western Humanities courses, HUMN 220 and HUMN 221. The idea to draft up this petition came up over the summer, after viral demonstrations of police brutality against BIPOC sparked massive protests in the Black Lives Matter movement.

"A lot of students [wondered], what can we do?" said English literature and psychology double major senior Isabella Higgins, the Public Relations Chair of Sigma Tau Delta. "Especially being remote … what can we do to change our campus?"

Sigma Tau Delta looked to restructuring academics at Geneseo to affect change. This change was directed towards the Humanities requirement as it is one of the only General Education requirements that students are unable to opt-out of through credits earned outside of college.

"It's one course that everyone has to take, so it's an opportunity to really be able to reach a lot of people," Higgins said.

In diversifying the Humanities requirement, the representatives of Sigma Tau Delta hope to expand the perspectives of Geneseo's student body. Through offering readings that do not conform to traditional white male narratives, or through applying these readings to broader cultural communities and takeaways in modern society, students would be exposed to multiple perspectives.

Broadening the perspectives offered in the Western Humanities courses serves to challenge the academic standard of this white male narrative as a foundation of American learning.

"Our ways of learning, our ways of thinking, are all heavily influenced by the white majority," Higgins said. "It's evident that this institution was not built for perspectives outside of specifically white male perspectives."

While the college currently offers a Black Humanities course, HUMN 222, to fulfill the Humanities requirement, Sigma Tau Delta wishes to offer diversification within the Western Humanities course specifically to expose all students to varying perspectives, rather than only students who opt to take courses focusing on these perspectives.

"[HUMN 222] is a great model to kind of base the change we want off of," Higgins said. "Having labels in front of the Humanities courses could easily deter the people who don't want to take those courses. If you are someone who has no interest in hearing about the Black experience … you don't have to, because you can just see the [other] courses."

Sigma Tau Delta is additionally hoping to address the support of the faculty and staff who would be teaching these courses if the Western Humanities requirement were to be diversified.

"You can't control the way that professors are going to teach their course and the perspectives that they're going to bring in," Higgins said. "It's tough … I would love for humanities to be diverse, but I would love for every single field at the college to be diversified—but there are certain professors who don't agree with that and who you probably don't want teaching that."

As the Student Association continues to look into the petition, it will likely be passed along to the Humanities Review Board, whose approval would be needed in order for the changes to go into effect. The Curriculum Design Working Group is additionally addressing this request in looking at Humanities requirements moving forward.

Beyond the goal of acknowledgment from SA, the petition was posted to inform the student body about the goals of Sigma Tau Delta.

"We just wanted a platform that all Geneseo students had access to," Higgins said.

Kappa Sigma fraternity faces interim suspension while College investigates alleged hazing

Note: This is a developing story pending the completion of the College’s hazing allegation investigation of Kappa Sigma. 

The Geneseo fraternity Kappa Sigma has been temporarily suspended pending the completion of a College investigation, following allegations of hazing that took place at 21 Orchard St. in early March.

The allegations were reported to the University Police Department in a Silent Witness Form. Village of Geneseo Police Chief Eric Osganian said that the anonymous tips alleged that the new members of the Kappa Sigma Spring 2020 pledge class were engaging in a “pledging process” whereby the “pledges were sleep deprived, mentally harassed, and were being called to the fraternity house at night between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.” The Silent Witness Form, according to Osganian, did not specify how the new members were being “mentally harassed.”

“We do not believe that there is any evidence to establish the hazing allegations made in the Silent Witness Form as fact. Kappa Sigma does not condone hazing and we are taking these accusations very seriously,” the President of Kappa Sigma, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, citing the ongoing nature of the College’s investigation into the validity of the accusations. 

Those sought for comment by The Lamron who assume leadership positions at the college, including University Chief of Police Christopher Prusak, Coordinator for Fraternal Life and Off Campus Services Bethany Hettinger and Dean of Students Leonard Sancilio declined to participate in a formal interview. Their comments were provided via email to The Lamron and should be regarded as email statements. 

Prusak said that if a silent witness does not elect to leave contact information or identify themselves through the information provided, the department would not “even be able to readily identify them. However, if the person provides information or evidence that would readily identify them as the reporter, it would be difficult to conduct any investigation without making their identity obvious to the persons under investigation. If a person elects not to leave contact information there would be no way to follow-up to provide resources.”

He said that it would be irresponsible and illegal to proceed to investigate “secret evidence” against an accused party. 

The Lamron was unable to confirm whether or not the silent witness who provided the tip alleging hazing at Kappa Sigma is actively participating in the College’s investigation. The Lamron also attempted to identify the individual who silently reported the allegations and confirm how many anonymous reports were filed, but was unsuccessful in doing so, thus, the allegations cannot be confirmed nor regarded as fact. 

“It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the specifics of an active investigation that is being handled by another agency or College office,” Prusak said. 

According to University Police, when hazing concerns are reported to the department, the accusations are evaluated based on associated evidence to determine whether or not they are criminal in nature and if they occurred within the College’s jurisdiction. 

“Not all anonymous complaints are relayed to the Village Police, only those that are alleged to occur in their jurisdiction, as is the case in this matter,” Prusak said. 

UPD forwarded the Silent Witness Form report to the Village Police on March 9, according to Osganian, consistent with what Prusak called the “Village-College Memorandum of Understanding.”

“Most of the allegations made by the anonymous person who filed the report against the organizational group appear in violation with the College’s Anti-Hazing policies, and not in violation with the definition of hazing in the Penal law that would require action within our jurisdiction,” Osganian said. 

Osganian explained that in order for the Village Police to conduct a formal hazing investigation on their department’s behalf, the Silent Witness Form report’s tip would have to be in violation of the penal law definition of hazing. 

“The penal law describes hazing to be a reckless or intentional series of acts that cause substantial risk of injury to a person or a third person. The report states that the Silent Witness Form alleges a clear violation of the COVID and Hazing College policies enforced by the College. Although it seems like more of a violation of College rules, UPD gives us the complaint so that we can follow up to see if the complaint aligns with our jurisdiction” Osganian said.

According to Osganian, the Village Police did speak to an individual at the fraternity and conduct two follow-ups later that night to gauge if there was any hazing-related activity going on. The Village Police Department’s investigation was then closed because they could not “substantiate a hazing incident,” and their results were forwarded to UPD, said Osganian.

Prusak said that when hazing concerns are brought to the attention of UPD, along with their forward to the Village Police Department, the “appropriate College officers are notified for a parallel investigation to occur” in regard to the potential violation of College policy.

The College defines hazing as “any act, explicit or implicit, committed by a person, whether individually or in concert with others, against a student in connection with pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization or team and which is intended to have the effect of, or should reasonably be expected to have the effect of, humiliating, intimidating or demeaning the student or endangering the mental or physical health of the student, regardless of the person's willingness to participate,” according to the policies and procedures page.

Hettinger said that Geneseo has more than 25 Greek organizations amounting to over 1,000 students. The Office of Fraternal Life requires all these students to complete online hazing prevention programs, such as “Hazing Prevention 101” and “Fraternity & Sorority Life.” 

Hettinger further explained that presidents and new member educators receive additional education about hazing policy each semester prior to taking new members. 

“[They] are required to sign the form as a demonstration that they understand both the college’s hazing policy, New York State hazing legislature and the consequences for violating either,” Hettinger said. “This form also holds organization presidents and new member educators responsible for sharing this information with their active members, new members, and ensuring their compliance.”

Hazing investigative procedures commence as a joint effort on behalf of the Office of Student Life and the Office of Fraternal Life. Both Hettinger and Sancilio said that they could not speak to the specifics of the allegations against or interim suspension of Kappa Sigma, citing the ongoing nature of the College’s investigation.

Sancilio said that, in general, the nature of the investigation depends on whether the fraternal organization in question is nationally affiliated. Kappa Sigma is a nationally recognized fraternity.

“When possible, we involve the national and they assist in the investigation, and we expect information to be shared,” Sancilio said. “If the organization is not national, more falls on the campus to investigate … either through the conduct office or fraternal life. We have also engaged the services of an outside investigator in the past.”

Hettinger further explained that an organization’s inter/national headquarters could also investigate depending on the allegations and evidence.

“An I/HQ may launch an investigation independently of the college, or they may just defer to the outcome of the college’s process,” Hettinger said. “Ultimately, an investigation may lead to an organization appearing before a student conduct board—a student, a staff member, and a faculty member, all of whom are impartial to those involved in the case. The board reviews the case and determines whether or not the organization is responsible for the violation, and if necessary, assigns sanctions.”

The President of Kappa Sigma said that their national headquarters is “finishing up” their investigation of the allegations. Speaking on behalf of their organization, they added, “We have complied with the Village Police Department investigation and are currently complying with the investigation being hosted by both the College and our national headquarters.”

Sancilio said that at this point, there have been no charges levied against the group. In light of “concerning” information being shared with the Office of Student Life, interim suspension measures were put into place to “ensure the health and well-being while the concerns are investigated.” 

“If an organization is placed on interim suspension during its new member education process, then its process is paused—along with all other organizational activities and operations—until the investigation is complete and an outcome is reached. Their new member status is simply put on hold,” Hettinger said. 

Sancilio referred The Lamron to the “Conduct Procedures for Registered Student Groups” for the process, trial and possible consequences if a student organization is found guilty. 

According to the page, a student organization is an “integral part of the co-curricular life on the Geneseo campus” and must follow the responsibilities set forth form the College, including the Student Code of Conduct. In the event of a violation, action will be taken. 

The policy explains that the Dean of Students or someone appointed by them investigates all complaints unless it falls under Title IX. The dean and a Conduct Administrator will decide if charges will be dropped based on “mutual consent of all parties involved” or if it will be brought to the Student Conduct Board.

The misconduct will then be judged if it has been committed by an individual and/or the group, and separate trials will proceed accordingly. Any individuals charged will be tried by the Student Conduct Board in a separate trial. The Student Conduct Board is composed of three members of the Geneseo community: faculty, administrative staff and students, respectively. 

According to the policy, the charges will be brought to a representative of the organization and the organization's advisor, who can attend the trial if they choose to. No more than two members from the organization can speak at the hearing and present all evidence. Just like a normal trial, the organization can call witnesses and question anyone or anything brought forth by the college unless a written testimony is approved by the group prior to the trial. 

The policy states that “if the majority find the organization has violated the standards of conduct, the Board will, by majority vote, determine the conduct action to be taken against the organization.” The group can face consequences anywhere from a written warning or conduct probation with sanctions, such as performing community service, fundraising for a designated organization, paying the injured party, being banned from College facilities and activities, or writing a public apology.

Sancilio explained that most silent witnesses will remain anonymous unless evidence shown during the trial reveals something regarding who the individual is.

“Any retaliation against someone presenting information to the College for review would be a violation of the Code of Conduct and would be handled separately,” Sancilio said. “All witnesses are welcome to discuss their options and resources (e.g., police, no contact letters, counseling, Title IX, etc.) with the Dean or Assistant Dean.”

Renovations complete in Fraser Hall, Fraser Library fully operational

Fraser Library (pictured above) will serve the student community until the renovation of Milne Library is completed. Milne is anticipated to be finished with construction by 2025. (Photo editor/Kate Rodgers)

The remodeling of Fraser Library has been completed, and the space will now serve as the campus community while Milne Library is under construction. The Fraser Hall Library is now offering all of the services that the Milne previously offered. 

The library has been open since Dec. 18 with only necessary services, such as textbook loans but is now fully renovated and operational.  

According to the Geneseo website, Milne Library has been closed since February 2020 due to the presence of asbestos particles in the air. Though the levels of asbestos were deemed unharmful, the college plans to move forward with a $35 million renovation and remediation project to remove the asbestos. The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Library Director Corey Ha said the Fraser Hall Library will offer research and writing assistance as well as a quiet study space and computer lab. The CIT HelpDesk is available to help students and staff with general computer questions and services such as printing and downloading academic software.  

"We really try to provide the same quality and level of services and resources [in Fraser Hall],” Ha said. “We try to do as much as we could given the limitations of the size and with everything else going on.”   

The Fraser Hall Library is also one of the several public study spaces that is now open around campus.  

On March 1, the Office of the President announced via a campus-wide email that some individual study spaces in academic buildings would be made available. On March 8, the office reported that larger study spaces in academic buildings would reopen, allowing students to study together in groups for the first time this semester.  

In the emails, the college said that the decision to reopen study spaces was motivated by the continual decrease in active COVID-19 cases on campus, input from students, and the commitment shown by Geneseo students to adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.  

The opening of public study rooms on campus is a welcome change in policy for many students.

“My dorm is just my bedroom, and I’ve never been good at doing things there because I get distracted or go on my phone. Going somewhere like the Union or the new library makes me focus because everyone around me is doing work too,” biology major freshman Kelly Heathscott said.

Students protest violence towards Asian American in response to recent acts of discrimination

On Tuesday March 23, around 150 students gathered on Geneseo's College Green in a rally against Asian American violence. Participants listened to the words of organizers and students who felt inspired to speak about their experiences surrounding racism and diversity before they marched around campus and Main Street.

The primary organizers of this event were sociomedical sciences major sophomore Josephine Wu, music education and music performance major junior Elijah Reed, and communication major sophomore Brandy Manasilp.

Preparation for the event started the Sunday before the rally. Reed had sent the idea out to a GroupMe chat and interested students began to plan. The recent shootings in Atlanta, in which Asian women were targeted, was one major catalyst for the organization of this rally.

"We want to open up a conversation, open up a space for people to talk about what had happened," Wu said.

The Atlanta shootings were only a single consequence of the anti-Asian sentiment that the organizers hoped to address.

"There's a lot of xenophobic and inflammatory rhetoric and harassment on Asian culture and in Asian people," Manasilp said. "Looking back and reflecting through my experiences, I've been one of those victims too, and there's so many people who've been affected."

In calling attention to this discrimination, the organizers hoped to acknowledge the presence and significance of the Asian-American community on campus.

"We just wanted to take up some space," Wu said. "We're not protesting anything against the greater Genesee community, although we do see there are some divides there. We wanted to address these things, [and] we wanted to make people feel heard all."

Many of these goals were accomplished in the eyes of the organizers. With between 150 and 200 participants at the rally, the Geneseo community showed up in numbers.

"It was really nice to see everybody in a line going through and being so energetic," Reed said.

The organizers clarified that despite the enthusiasm shown in numbers and participation at the rally, the commitment to the Asian American community cannot stop here. In order to show up as consistent allies, this demonstration of dedication cannot be a one-time event.

"I hope people realize that showing up was a really, really good thing to do, but that is not the only thing that we need from people," Wu said. "But … it's not just about showing up to events—it's about making those little changes in your life, calling out racism and being an active supporter of anti-racism when you see it, and not propelling those ideals yourself."

While the Geneseo community responded rather positively to the rally, it was not as well-received by Livingston County as a whole. A recent article from the Livingston County News received significant resistance and was criticized severely over Facebook.

Much of the school community was shaken by this response, but the student body is continuing to commit to speaking out against AAPI violence. The organizers of last week's protest are currently planning a vigil to honor those lost in the Atlanta shootings.

"It's going to ruin your day [to read the comments]," Reed said. "But it's like, somebody has to see that it's not being received well with the rest of Livingston County.”

Administration implements a Fall orientation model to begin 2021

The Geneseo Administration has decided to transition from a summer to a fall orientation model, beginning in Fall 2021. This decision was made in order to create a more inclusive environment and an overall sense of ease as the fall semester approaches, according to Senior Director of Student Life Chip Matthews. 

Freshman orientation allows incoming students to spend several days familiarizing themselves with the Geneseo campus and community. Historically, freshman orientation is hosted throughout the summer as groups of students are invited to campus. They move in later in August. 

“I think COVID-19, you know, certainly forced the issue, but we've been looking at it for a number of years … many institutions do a fall model orientation,” Matthews said.

The fall orientation model avoids the travel of students to and from campus multiple times in a short period of time.

“If you have a summer orientation, you're really asking people to come back to Geneseo twice in one summer, and that means you might not be able to work,” Matthews said. “It also means there's going to be travel expenses. And so, I think one of the things that was really a catalyst for it was just to try to be more equitable and, more empathetic to people's travel and expense.”

For Fall 2021 orientation, the envisioned event will be a hybrid of online and in-person interactions. Matthews said that there will be virtual activities for students to do in the summer, to promote the health and wellness of incoming students.

According to Matthews, there will be three orientation phases. Starting in July, incoming first year students will be given information to listen to through podcasts. Then, in August, students will be given a Canvas course to acclimate them to the college experience. Finally, in late August, around the last Thursday or Friday before classes begin, Geneseo plans on having in-person student activities that will replace the college’s previous “Weeks of Welcome.” Matthews noted that the dates are not concrete and are subject to change considering the pandemic.

“The podcasts will serve to inform the incoming students of the most essential information about entering Geneseo, where they can listen to wherever they are over the summer, whether it be the beach, at work, or driving,” Matthews said. “As far as the canvas course goes, we plan to have around eight-minute videos for the students to watch. We’re hoping that we can create an engaging virtual experience, conduced with an in-person experience.”

In lieu of the College’s normal Weeks of Welcome, there will be an in-person form of orientation for incoming students that is still being developed by the College. 

“The Weeks of Welcome are one of the most important facets of orientation,” Matthews said. “If you talk to our first-year students from this year, you’ll hear that this is one of the things they missed out on because of the pandemic because we couldn’t have everybody gather together. I really hope that enough people get vaccinated so that we can arrange in-person activities and have a better handle on the virus.”

Matthews said that Student Life is discussing creating a second Weeks of Welcome event for current first years who were unable to experience a typical orientation in Fall 2020.

“I think that orientation is one of the most important things to help a student get started on their academic career. And we are going to work really hard to try to make it so that people are educated about Geneseo, and how to be a successful student, but also to connect the students,” Matthews said. 

Town of Geneseo approves solar farm on Conesus Lake

The Geneseo Town Board has approved the installation of a 40-acre, 5-megawatt solar farm on West Lake Road in Geneseo. Several town members have expressed concerns throughout the process, including Town Supervisor William Wadsworth. The Geneseo community is projected to save 10 percent on their energy expenses once the solar farm is fully installed and operational. 

Helios Energy, a solar company based out of Michigan, has contracted Ingalls & Associates LLP to build the solar farm. A representative from Ingalls, Joseph Hens, attended the Town Board meetings when the Helios Solar Farm was discussed to explain the project and answer questions from the community. 

Many community members voiced concerns about pollution to Conesus Lake and the Watershed, while others explained their reservations about possible effects the solar farm would have on local businesses and tourism, according to the meeting minutes of a public hearing hosted by the Town on March 12. These were also discussed in a letter from Hens to Planning Board Chairman Robert Harris addressed from August 2020.

One local business, the Deer Run Winery, stated multiple times that their business could be affected by the solar farm, which will be built on the property next to them. Hens enumerated measures that were being taken to ensure adjacent properties would not be affected, such as increasing privacy fencing and tree coverage surrounding the solar farm.   

Several community members also expressed concerns about potential cadmium pollution from damaged panels and increased or concentrated runoff. 

Hens explained that the solar panels are silicon-based, and pose no pollution risk to Conesus Lake, or the Watershed. Hens continued that any increased runoff would be mitigated by the positioning of the panels and the ground would be specifically landscaped in such a way that it would absorb any runoff from the solar panels. 

Amidst all these potential environmental impacts, the Town Board had other concerns in mind. 

Wadsworth said that he questions the project’s status decades from now.

“We believe, as most companies do, there’ll ultimately be a holding company that owns this particular project,” Wadsworth said. “And a fear of mine is that twenty years down the road, they’ve sold or renamed so many times that by the time they get to decommissioning, there’s actually nothing of value that the company owns that we could seize or use to help us decommission.” 

The best way to prevent an abandoned solar farm from falling into disrepair is to write a solid surety bond, or contract, that will ensure that in the event that the solar farm’s operations discontinue, the companies and banks involved will pay for it to be removed from the landscape. This process is ongoing, and requires a great deal of time and manpower, according to Wadsworth.

“We're making every effort to make that a solid, permanent, useful surety bond that will be there at the end if the company decides not to do their job,” Wadsworth said. 

Facilities Services to resume cleaning suite bathrooms in residence halls

After confusion over whether or not suite bathrooms were going to continue being cleaned by janitorial staff, cleaning has resumed. (Photo Courtesy of Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash)

The janitorial services responsible for cleaning the suite bathrooms in the residence halls were suspended beginning the week of Feb. 21 but have since been restored. The college cited the rise in COVID-19 cases as the reason for the pause in services. 

Suite bathrooms are usually cleaned and restocked with supplies weekly. When Facilities Services made the decision to suspend cleaning, there was inconsistent communication from residence halls to their residents. 

According to Vice President of Finance and Administration Julie Buehler, changes to the College’s COVID-19 response made communication with Facilities Services difficult. The decision to briefly pause cleaning services to suite bathrooms was meant to be communicated to students. 

“We are in the middle of a pandemic and we have to have some flexibility, but our intention is to keep those bathrooms clean as we have been doing,” Buehler said. “There were some communication issues that happened. It's the old telephone game, it was one person tells another person, tells another person, tells another person … by the time the message got down, it was incorrect.”

Residents of Writers House in Seneca Hall received several emails alerting them of the change. The first email, forwarded from Facilities Services on Feb. 17 by Assistant Director of Residence Life for Housing Operations Saratoga Terrace Townhouses, Taylor Gale, indicated the suspension and made students aware of cleaning supplies that would be available at the service desk. All subsequent emails were from Area Coordinator Christopher Rivera until the final email on Feb. 18 that said bathrooms would be cleaned the following weekend.

In contrast, other residence halls received no communication from the administration and believed they would have to clean their own bathrooms for an undefined period of time. The miscommunication led to varying reactions from students. 

“I completely understand why there was a pause in bathroom cleaning considering the obstacles created by the pandemic,” Julia Brandow, communication major sophomore and resident of Ontario Hall, said. “I just would have appreciated if there was some type of communication on behalf of the administration.” 

Brandow said that she and her roommates were unsure who to contact about the situation. 

“I ended up reaching out to my RA, but never heard a response. Again, I really have no problem cleaning my own bathroom, especially considering the risk those who clean take entering our space during a health crisis … I just would have appreciated an email,” Brandow said.

Moving forward, Buehler spoke on behalf of the Geneseo administration saying that they are focused on providing a safe environment for students during the pandemic, as well as avoiding any further misunderstandings.