Office of Financial Aid encourages students to apply for scholarships through online application portal

The Geneseo online scholarship application, Academic Works, is currently open to all current students and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday March 14. Approximately 150 scholarships are available for applicants with a variety of requirements and qualifications.

The scholarship awards range from $500 for one academic year to $7,000 per year to finish a bachelor’s degree. Students can find the application on the Office of Financial Aid’s website homepage or add the Geneseo Scholarship Application tab to their MyGeneseo dashboard.

“These are scholarships that have been set up by donors, many of which are setting them up in memory of a loved one who's past,” Susan Romano, director of the Office of Financial Aid, said. 

Many of the scholarships are exclusive to specific majors. Previously, each department had its own application process. This led to some confusion between students and was cited by Romano as the reason for low submission numbers in the past. 

“Some [scholarships] had an online application and some had a paper application,” Romano said. “So last year, we implemented this new software which kind of centralizes all of the applications and the paperwork.”

Some of the scholarships are awarded to students involved in certain extracurricular activities, like sports and clubs, according to the Office of Financial Aid. 

“First, you log in with your regular Geneseo ID. You are going to fill out a pretty simple application. There are some short essay questions that we asked, questions like, ‘Why are you deserving of this award’ or ‘What extracurricular activities are you involved in?’,” Romano said. 

When students submit the application, the software combines the answers provided for application with information already recorded, like a student’s major or GPA. Then, the software matches the student with scholarships that they qualify for. 

“We know what county you are coming from, your high school … All of that information … because sometimes the scholarships are very specific. We will match you up for the awards that meet your profile,” Romano said. 

Students who are concerned about GPA requirements can still earn scholarships, as many of the possible scholarships do not have a GPA requirement.

This streamlined scholarship application first opened last year, with only a small fraction of the student body applying. As a result, some students received multiple scholarships, and most students received at least one scholarship award. 

“We are hopeful that more students will apply this year, Romano said. “All current students are eligible, and I really encourage students to apply.”

SUNY announces elimination of application fees for low-income students

On Feb. 22, The State University of New York issued a press release following an announcement made by Chancellor Jim Malatras to eliminate the SUNY college application fee for students who come from low-income families, beginning March 1.

According to the press release, the elimination of the application fee will help potential SUNY students and their families save up to $350. Parameters for qualifying students include students who receive free or reduced lunch prices, household incomes that do not exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or students who reside with foster families.

“Too many barriers from food insecurity to fees stand in the way of many qualified students—from low-income and communities of color—and a college education,” Malatras said in the press release. “We must do everything we can to break down barriers and empower students no matter their economic status or background, especially as a vast majority of all new jobs created requires some post-secondary education.”

The press release expressed that elimination of the application fee will help bring more diversity into the SUNY education system, in addition to helping students financially.

The COVID-19 pandemic is another reason for the elimination of the application fee due to the financial impacts on many families, according to the press release. There was a 13 percent overall decrease in first-time enrollment for Fall 2020, with the largest percentages found in Black, Latinx and Native American students. 

“The automatic fee waiver comes during the middle of a pandemic when too many lower-income families are struggling to make ends meet,” New York State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito said in the press release. “It is now that the college-age kids from these families need this assistance the most.”

The elimination of the application fee is a part of SUNY for All Program and the “Big Dreams, Small Step” campaign, which provides resources and support to first-generation, low-income and underrepresented high school students.

Office of Diversity and Equity updates in honor of Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, and in the light of events over the past year and semester, the Antiracism and DEI Education Subcommittee of the President's Commission on Diversity and Community has created several seminars and programming that will serve to educate and evaluate our community regarding racism and its historic roots. Other programming includes the semester’s first Cultivating Community series dialogue. 

Throughout the semester, the Antiracism and DEI Education Subcommittee of the President's Commission on Diversity and Community has created a series of Cultivating Community dialogues in an effort to become an anti-racism campus. (Photo courtesy of Kara Burke)

The Anti-Racism & DEI Education Subcommittee has initiated several educational seminars for students to attend to learn about racism and anti-racism through different mediums. These include the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Address by Reverend Myra Brown, a discussion of Ava DuVernay's documentary "13th" with Kevin Gannon, professor of history and director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Grand View University, and a panel on Black women’s health. 

Geneseo hosted the first dialogue of this semester’s Cultivating Community series on Feb. 24 about how higher education institutions might respond to bias-related incidents, but the Anti-Racism & DEI Education Subcommittee is actively working to educate the community, provide resources and identify racism in college policies.

“It’s one of the only programs I know of that brings students, faculty, staff, administrators, and non-college affiliated members of our community together around the same table,” Chief Diversity Officer and co-coordinator of the series robbie routenberg said. “A lot of times there’s a student program and there’s a faculty professional development program, and there’s really only a couple programs that do that work of putting everybody together.” 

This month’s Cultivating Community Dialogue focused on the question: “In the aftermath of a bias-related incident at a public institution of higher education, how might campus officials effectively communicate with members of the community,” according to the Cultivating Community series’ website. 

“And so, this semester, we decided to focus broadly on the topic of how the college responds to bias-related incidents. We're using sort of a case study,” routenberg said. “There's an article that we're using, and a toolkit that's made by an external organization for how colleges might respond to bias.” 

 Based on this case study and toolkit, participants will discuss what they like about the proposed response, and what they wish was different. Their recommendations are submitted to the bias prevention and response team for review, according to the Office of Diversity and Equity. 

In addition to the educational programs, the Antiracism and DEI Education Subcommittee also makes recommendations to the administration about potential racist policies at Geneseo. The committee listens to members of the BIPOC community about their experiences, and students can join this process by attending seminars.

“Part of our goal is to really educate and inform the campus community and beyond around issues of race and racism, not just only on our campus but again, things that we're seeing in our society and the ways in which racism is embedded in our institutions,” Crystal Simmons, co-chair of the subcommittee, said. 

David Parfitt, co-chair of the subcommittee, detailed the official goals of the subcommittee in his interview with The Lamron. 

“We came up with three things that we wanted to do; One was to come up with this series of programs that we're doing this month of February for Black History Month,” Parfitt said. “The second one was to come up with a website that had a lot of resources for anti-racist pedagogy for the campus. And then the third, kind of long-term goal was to start to look at the policies that are racist policies of the college, and what we do in fact have the ability to change.”

New dining location opens in Fraser Hall

Campus Auxiliary Services opened the new 1871 Café this semester in the space next to newly renovated Fraser Library in Fraser Hall. The 1871 Café provides on-the-go coffee, snacks and drinks in an easily accessible location for students and faculty to acquire.

Throughout the Fall 2020 semester, Fraser Hall was under construction. The goal was to provide a library and cafe that would offer the campus community an alternative study space and food option while Milne Library, and its cafe Books and Bytes, is under construction. 

“We did open the 1871 Café to coincide with the start of the spring semester” CAS Executive Director Mat Felthousen said. “Traffic has been light so far, but traffic patterns, in general, have been different this year.”

The opening of the 1871 Café was followed by recent restrictions to help limit the spread of COVID-19. These restrictions require all dining locations on campus to be operated on a strict take-out only basis. Available seating areas enforced a policy of one person per table, in addition to regulations requiring masks to be worn unless an individual is actively eating or drinking. The 1871 Café provides grab-and-go food options including salads, sandwiches, entrees, snacks and parfaits. Additionally, the Café includes sushi options and coffee from Finger Lakes Roasters.

Although 1871 Café was established to provide Geneseo students and faculty an alternate venue in response to the Books N Bytes closure, students voiced their opinions to The Lamron about their impressions of the new café.

“I never got to use Milne, but I heard the actual library café used to be really nice,” political science major freshman Nicole Kemmett said. “So it was upsetting to see I wouldn’t have use of something similar.”

Psychology major sophomore Carra Lanigan said she is excited to visit, but hasn’t been able to go because of the harsh weather.

“When I first heard about it, I was intrigued and wanted to check it out,” Lanigan said. “But since it is so cold outside, I have not had the motivation to go yet.”

Geneseo Family Restaurant closes indefinitely, due to pandemic-related financial hardships

On Feb. 18, a Livingston County News article announced that the Geneseo Family Restaurant, known to most as GFR, would close its doors on Sunday Feb. 21. 

“Geneseo will always have my heart,” Ted Tsoukalos, owner of the restaurant, said. 

There are disadvantages to owning and running a business in a college town though, he explained. “The thing with a college town … it’s wonderful to have you guys, that’s what makes Geneseo,” Tsoukalos said. “But when college classes are over with, pretty much the town goes dead.” 

According to Tsoukalos’ wife Kris Tsoukalos, the restaurant opened its doors in Geneseo in February 1998 under Ted Tsoukalos’ parent’s ownership. From there, the business grew into the community landmark it is today.

“We had a restaurant in Batavia and [our landlord] said there was a small space here [in Geneseo], and if [my] parents are interested, [they] would come down and talk. So, [my parents] went down, and it’s pretty much history ever since,” Ted Tsoukalos said.  

The restaurant became a staple of the community, with the students even re-naming it to make it their own. 

“The name ‘GFR’ came from the students,” Kris Tsoukalos said. “A waitress heard that it was being called GFR and told Ted, and Ted just loved the idea to call it GFR … the idea just really grabbed, it came from the students.”

Ted’s parents were immigrants from Greece, and they came to the United States in the 1960s. They settled in Rochester and opened a restaurant there. Ted has spent most of his life inside of a restaurant. 

“[Ted’s] first memory of the restaurant, was when he was five years old,” Kris Tsoukalos said. “They propped him up on milk crates and he was doing dishes.”

After more than 20 years, the restaurant had to close due to pandemic-related financial hardships.

“If it wasn’t for COVID-19 I would still be there, but I just got behind rent, this and that,” Ted Tsoukalos said. “It just got way, way too overwhelming.”

According to Kris Tsoukalos, staffing shortages were another reason for the closing. “[Ted] was having a hard time finding staff for the kitchen”, with some staff finding other jobs by the time the restaurant had reopened after closures due to COVID-19.

The shutdown has impacted much of the community. As the news reached Twitter, a Geneseo student created a GoFundMe that has raised $7,325 as of Feb. 23.

In an email statement to The Lamron, alumni Annabelle Anich, ’20 and former member of Blue Wave women’s swimming and diving team, spoke of the team’s commitment and love of GFR.

“Being able to go to GFR the morning of a swim meet was more than just a way to fuel up for the long day of competition we had ahead of us,” Anich said. “It was very important for us to spend time with each other outside of the water and getting breakfast together before a meet helped to remind us that we aren’t just a team, but also a family.”

Anich went on to express the importance of GFR to the Geneseo swim team. 

“Within that hour, we could destress and get rid of any pre-race nerves and get excited for the competition,” Anich said. “The team is big on tradition, which is why we are so close no matter how many years fall between our graduating classes. Continuing this tradition kept us in touch with the Geneseo community.”

Besides sports traditions, GFR holds important memories for many other Geneseo students.

“I feel like GFR was a big part of the Geneseo community and I am going to be very sad to see it go,” biology major senior Paige Warmuth said.

As for the future, Ted Tsoukalos is looking ahead.

“There is a plan B,” he said. “I keep it at that.”

COVID-19 updates in regard to two-week pause, mask, travel policy

In a recent change by NY state, 5% of the campus population must test positive to trigger a two week “pause”. (Photo Courtesy of Kara Burke)

On Feb. 17, President Denise Battles sent an email update regarding changes in COVID-19 safety regulations and policies. On Feb. 22, the campus community received another email informing the student body that the new threshold for a two-week pause is now 5 percent, or approximately 222 cases, of the campus population. The changes are in ordinance to The New York State Health Department guidelines.

Battles’ Feb. 17 email clarified that the COVID-19 dashboard indicates the “daily/current active cases count,” not the 14-day case count. In order to trigger a two-week pause, Geneseo must reach a certain threshold of active positive cases within a 14-day period. It also specified that if the college were to enter a two-week pause on operations, students would remain on campus throughout the pause rather than returning home.

Battles also announced a new guideline from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that all students, faculty and staff should wear two masks instead of one. Battles recommended that individuals on campus wear one surgical mask, which are freely distributed on campus, and one cloth mask in order to ensure maximum protection.

The first email concluded by issuing new travel updates for students on campus, stating that any student who travels away from Geneseo overnight or for more than 12 hours is required to inform the Dean of Students office, quarantine for seven days off-campus, provide a negative COVID-19 test within three days of returning and test at the first available pool test upon returning to campus.

Battle’s Feb. 22 email explained the conditions that would need to occur for the campus to enter a two-week pause on operations. These changes are a result of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Feb. 19 announcement. Now, a pause will only be triggered if “5% of the total on-campus population test positive using a 14-day rolling average.”

Battles explains that 5 percent of the on-campus population is anticipated to be approximately 222 cases, although confirmation is still pending. According to Battles, “this is favorable news for our community; however, we must not let down our guard.” 

Campus update in response to the rise in COVID-19 case reporting

The entrance to the COVID-19 pooled testing site (pictured above) is outside of Sturges Hall. Every SUNY Geneseo student is required to participate in weekly pooled testing (Kara Burke/Editor-in-Chief).

On Friday Feb. 12, all Geneseo students received an email announcing that the number of COVID-19 cases had surpassed the 100 mark. In-person instruction on campus will continue, despite this.

Reaching this mark did not trigger many changes in operations on campus, as many of the changes that would have needed to be made were already announced and implemented in a prior email from Feb. 10. The changes made in this email were a switch to exclusively takeout dining and limited access to academic buildings.

The continuation of in-person instruction was made possible by a recent change, occurring just the day before Geneseo hit the 100 case mark, in the New York State Department of Health's guidelines for the Spring 2021 semester, indicating that positive test results from returning students would be excluded.

"We were just over the 100-case threshold, but a number of those tests did include the re-entry tests," President Denise Battles said. "That's why the fact that we surpassed 100 didn't trigger additional changes."

According to an email from Battles on Wednesday, Feb. 17, the 100 case threshold applies in two-week intervals. These intervals are set by SUNY and a new interval started on Feb. 13. Since then Geneseo has accumulated 55 active cases. If Geneseo passes the 100 case threshold in this two-week interval ending on Feb. 27th, it would result in a pause. This would mean all in-person activity, including classes, would be moved online for two weeks, pending re-evaluation, with Students being allowed to stay on campus during the pause.

As of now, in-person instruction will continue with limited access to academic buildings. "We needed to make sure that students could access instructional spaces … but we decided it was in everyone's interest to decrease the amount of time spent in the academic building," Battles said.

Safe learning environments are also a factor in determining whether or not in-person learning is a feasible goal. "We modified our instructional spaces so that they're low density," Battles said. "They're very safe spaces in which to engage in learning, and we've had absolutely no known records of cases emerging from the classroom."

"It is certainly our passionate intention and goal to maintain in-person instruction, but ultimately we will be attentive to state and local health experts' guidance as we continue to respond to very rapidly changing conditions," Battles added. 

Another key factor in continuing operations on campus is consistent pool testing. As 100 percent of students, faculty and staff continue to be tested weekly, Battles said access to testing is "among our most powerful tools."

"By engaging in very rigorous testing, we can identify cases rapidly and work with individual[s] to move them into isolation to stop the spread," Battles noted.

Consistent testing and contact tracing have shown that individuals interacting in large groups contribute to the vast majority of the current COVID cases. Issues with spreading the virus both on and off-campus are seen in "individuals who are active in large groups and organizations, whether they be Greek organizations or other clubs and organizations, [and] individuals who tend to live together or interact heavily with each other," Battles said.

Since socialization plays a large role in the spread of the virus "the very best thing that students can do is really to be attentive to the public health guidance and stick to it strictly," according to Battles.

"This is hard, and we know this is a big ask, but if everybody can just hunker down and abide by that guidance, very, very strictly those case numbers will come down is it will allow us to return to something that looks far more normal than the place we're at right now."

As the number of cases, the administration will continue to make adjustments for safety as needed.

"We continue to look at our status and we will modify our practices in consultation with our local County health departments, experts, as well as the SUNY system administration,” Battles said.

Students have felt anxious and confused in response to the case increases and recent policy changes. 

Bethany Liano, a senior childhood special education major, and Griffin Netti, a senior theatre major, both said they were unaware of the two-week interval policy relating to the 100 case pause. 

Liano said that when she learned of the 100 cases she felt “disappointed in the campus community. Especially off-campus students, because their actions of disrespect are impacting their other classmates that are doing the right thing”. 

Netti said that when he saw rising case numbers he thought “this is going to go downhill real quick, but the main concern was knowing that this was not going to be handled properly. And lo and behold, it was not because we are still not on that two-week pause.

Both students felt the Geneseo administration could have better handled the situation. 

Liano said “I felt that the administration wasn't prepared enough for this semester going in, they had an entire winter break to basically prepare for this semester.”

Netti explained that he felt academic responsibilities needed to be lessened for students. 

“In my opinion tests right now, tests, quizzes, any gauge of learning should not be a thing because students are not learning right now. Students are anxious, nervous, depressed, and just deprived of any interaction whatsoever... The professors are not regulating the workload they give.”