Drag Ball reinforces acceptance, celebration of LGBTQ+ community

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Geneseo Pride Alliance’s annual Drag Ball celebrates LGBTQ+ identity and culture. It is important that students on campus are educated and involved in events like the Drag Ball in order to support the local LGBTQ+ community. (Elizabeth Jacobs/Staff Photographer)

People of all genders and backgrounds came together to support the drag queens and kings onstage at the Geneseo Pride Alliance’s Drag Ball on Saturday April 1 as they lip-synched songs and performed perfectly choreographed dance routines. 

Though some might question the relevance of a drag ball on a college campus, this event is more important than ever in understanding the spectrum of gender and the importance of LGBTQ+ self-validation on the Geneseo campus.

Through the annual Drag Ball, this exposure to LGBTQ+ culture is often the first of many times students witness a surge of pride.Though these events were once seen as a fun way for people to connect with others on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, the modern drag ball has many different connotations. 

After drag laid the groundwork for “the creation and maintenance of LGBTQ culture,” modern drag has only expanded on its original mission, creating a group of diverse people coming together to celebrate gender in all its forms.

While many groups and individuals on campus have taken strides to make Geneseo a more welcoming community—including the use of all-gender restrooms and the advocating of pronoun preference—the current political atmosphere leaves many Americans uncomfortable with this renewed sense of gender expression.

It is because of events like the Drag Ball—which occur in locations across the world—that awareness for LGBTQ+ people is promoted, thus allowing members of this community to feel encouraged to be themselves.

After this year’s Drag ball, I was astounded to see how many people felt empowered by the performances, which they demonstrated through Facebook posts, Instagram photos and Snapchats. Everywhere I looked, attendees were in awe of the sheer beauty of the drag performances and posting about the event through social media. 

Watching these individuals perform with so much heart and soul shook the audience to their very core. 

From loud, high-energy performances to quiet, heart-wrenching ballads, the queens and kings all had a similar message in their performances: we are here and we are strong. 

For some students, the only exposure they may have had to the drag community was through the TV show “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” which has done well to expand on the issues many drag performers have faced, including facets of LGBTQ+ culture that many people may not think about. 

Each performer has their own reason for getting on stage. Drag is significant to performers, as highlighted by Vice.com; to them, this is their way to hit back against society—to be their full selves and to challenge ideas of beauty and gender. 

Whatever the reason, the inclusion of drag on college campuses continues to promote LGBTQ+ awareness, allowing a safe space for people to express themselves on stage.

Humanities requirement should reflect diversity of iconic literature

The Curricular Design Working Group, which was formed this semester to propose changes to the Geneseo curriculum following the Geneseo Learning Outcomes for Baccalaureate Education guidelines, recently sent out a campus-wide email soliciting suggestions on how to improve Geneseo education. 

One key component of the group’s mission is to evaluate and recommend changes to the general education requirements. They are working within several kinds of restraints—including working within SUNY’s general education requirements—but the process is an exciting one. Who hasn’t complained about a course they were required to take?

Since the group can only make changes that conform to SUNY requirements, they have the most power over features of our general education requirements that are specific to Geneseo. The most notable of these is the two-semester Western Humanities requirement. 

Much ink has been spilled in criticism of the HUMN requirement, some of it within HUMN classes themselves. Critics argue that the rigidly controlled list of what texts can be taught is too inflexible, the requirement that every student—regardless of major—take the classes too demanding. 

The humanities provide a moral and imaginative education that is central to the goal of a liberal arts education and to the life of a thinking person. My HUMN I class—which I took last semester—remains one of the top three courses I’ve taken at Geneseo. The requirement is important, but it has significant flaws.

The biggest problem with HUMN is that its stringently controlled list of required texts makes it too strongly focused on “traditional”—meaning white, non-queer, male, European—experiences and perspectives both within the body of Western thought and within the discipline of the humanities. 

To an extent, this focus is exactly the point of a course intended to focus on Western intellectual history. There is certainly an important role for learning about the ideas that have driven Western civilization within a liberal arts education, and Geneseo should retain this component of the HUMN requirement in some form. 

The focus becomes harmful, however, when it diminishes the role of other cultures, perspectives and experiences in shaping the intellectual landscape, both within the history of Western civilization and in the modern globalized world. 

It also limits students from engaging with the humanities in ways that help to explore diversity, which is a powerful capacity of the humanities. The current HUMN requirement functions in this way.

HUMN is notoriously inflexible, but a lesson can be taken from the creativity of professors that work within the constraints Geneseo imposes on them. Different sections of HUMN have mini focuses on gender issues, environmental issues, political issues, specific cultural traditions and even business perspectives.

Geneseo should recognize the value of allowing the humanities to engage powerfully with other areas of intellectual inquiry while also maintaining the rigor of its humanities requirement. 

One compromise would be to require two semesters of HUMN, but require only one to be focused on Western civilization. This would allow the other HUMN requirement to be counted toward various majors and minors, like women’s studies and environmental studies. 

It would also allow professors to take the emphasis off studying the Western canon itself in order to facilitate more emphasis on bringing its contributions into conversation with other perspectives, experiences and cultures. 

Such a flexible system would align well with GLOBE’s goal of ‘Integrative Inquiry’ and would better prepare Geneseo students for the complexities of intellectual life in the modern world.

Body positivity project defies misogynistic views of female nudity

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Education major sophomore Katherine Bensburg poses with body art by communication major junior Anna Tailleur for the “Grow Through What You Go Through” project. In the face of cyber sexual harassment, the project stands by its principles of self-love and body positivity. (Photo courtesy of Carly Anzalone)

Geneseo local sorority, the Royal Lady Knights recently held their annual Positive Body Image campaign. The campaign is a week-long movement featuring talks, a photo campaign and other events driven toward promoting self-love and body positivity. 

This year, RLK members communication major junior Anna Tailleur and psychology major senior Carly Anzalone took it upon themselves to create a project that has quickly gained momentum and an overwhelmingly-positive response. 

The project, entitled “Grow Through What You Go Through,” features women and femme-identifying people posing nude with their bodies painted with various designs and motifs. Tailleur had the original idea for this project and is the artist behind the body painting, while Anzalone acts as photographer. 

As a member of RLK, this project has been profoundly empowering for myself and other members.

Unfortunately, the anonymous social media app Yik Yak became a way for students to produce hateful and misogynist comments regarding the photo project. Some feedback includes comments such as, “I can’t believe how they [RLK] provide porn for this campus” and “Yeah right, I’ll empower them by jerking it to this tonight.” 

Anzalone and Tailleur responded to the comments with a statement, saying, “While the sexually aggressive criticism is upsetting, it also reminds us of why we are doing this project in the first place, and we will continue to spread our positive and empowering message.” 

The Yik Yak comments are infuriating, ignorant and, unfortunately, unsurprising. Leave it to young people to take something beautiful and positive and reduce it to “porn.” It is inconceivable, to them, that women would participate in nudity without the purpose of sexual gratification.

The purpose of this project and the campaign is to provide support and empowerment. When we see the bodies of those we admire, we are more accepting of our own. No two people look alike, and by proclaiming that we are proud enough of our bodies for the whole world to see them inspires others to feel the same way. 

Viewing these bodies in a nonsexual, comfortable and supportive context allows us to appreciate bodies for what they are, rather than what they have come to represent in a patriarchal, misogynistic society.

The phenomenon of men begging to see nudity comes to a screeching halt when a woman does so of her own accord. The purpose of this photo shoot was not to please or to impress anyone but ourselves, and this is when reactions arise. 

Regrettably, self-love has become reduced to a controversial and pornographic act.

This is further aggravating considering the way male nudity is accepted, to the point of being humorous. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a fraternity brother’s butt against my own will, I would be able to pay off my student loans today. You would be hard-pressed to find a woman who has never received an unsolicited “dick pick” via texting or dating apps. 

Bodies aren’t shameful, and they aren’t dirty. Women are historically used as muses time after time—expected to mold themselves to the desires and visions of men. It is when they become the artists that men criticize, ridicule and shame them. 

They conflate nudity with vulnerability, and by proudly and boldly flaunting our nudity, we become less vulnerable and less controllable.

By unapologetically showing our bodies in their rawest form, we can feel proud of our different shapes and we can glorify pieces of ourselves we once tried to hide. Tailleur and Anzalone have expressed interest in expanding this project due to the overwhelming popularity it has gained, and hope to diversify their subject base. 

The Yik Yak controversy has only served to further their message, emphasizing the need for a project such as this. So “jerk it” to that, hateful misogynists.

Young children need exposure to LGBTQ+ education, tolerance

Geneseo does a decent job of providing opportunities for students to educate themselves regarding LGBTQ+ issues. Higher education and the media allow college-aged students who have the desire to learn about the important differences between concepts such as gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation to do so. 

Unfortunately, because transgender issues have only recently been brought to the public eye in more accepting and understanding ways, many elementary or grade schools fail to represent trans culture and individuals in their education systems.

College students can educate themselves outside of the classroom by accessing various types of media. Shows such as Amazon’s “Transparent,” books such as Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family and celebrities such as Laverne Cox speak out to help inform teenage students and older individuals about the fight for transgender rights.

New types of formal education regarding transgender rights have been popular with specific courses and trainings—such as SafeZone Training—and are becoming more widely available. Further, college students can understand the importance of using the pronouns a person is comfortable with and what it means to be a transgender man, a transgender woman or intersex. 

The ability to discuss these complex and confusing concepts in both formal and informal environments allows students to make mistakes and to learn from them. This is what education is all about: expanding our knowledge on certain subjects so that we can continue to foster an inclusive environment for all individuals.

The lack of LGBTQ+ education for young children’s public education, however, was recently brought to light through the banning of a book called Jacob’s New Dress in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system in North Carolina. 

Tami Fitzgerald, the executive director of coalition for the school, according to The New York Times, said the book was, “meant as a tool of indoctrination to normalize transgender behavior,” and that “a lot of parents would object to that.”

“We believe the purpose of first grade is to teach writing, reading and math and not to teach boys to wear dresses,” Fitzgerald said.

These comments are not only insensitive and offensive, but they also highlight the exact reason why this book is necessary in childhood education. Jacob’s New Dress was supposed to “help students recognize harassment and bullying and teach them what to do if it happens,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg School superintendent Ann Clark said, according to The New York Times. 

The lack of education regarding transgender individuals at a young age could be detrimental to continuing to create a safe place for all individuals. Teaching children the importance of acceptance and inclusiveness is imperative—especially when it comes to transgender individuals. 

What kids learn now in school will affect the way they grow up and act for the rest of their lives.

It is not only important to make transgender children—and all children—feel accepted and loved, but for all individuals, regardless of their age, to be educated about the different kinds of individuals that make up the world. 

Especially in the early stages of education, it is imperative for children to understand that their differences aren’t something to be ashamed of—they are something to be proud of.

Social media activism ignores international tragedy

The flow of global news tends to travel in one direction. In his book News Revolution, former professor of communication at the University of Georgia Mark D. Alleyne describes this “structure of global news flows” as largely north to south—meaning media agencies in northern, developed countries hold major influence over southern, developing countries.

In many ways, global news also travels west to east, and the western response to recent events shows the stark differences between coverage of tragedy in key developed nations, and those considered “other” to Western societies through a xenophobic worldview. 

The lack of social media coverage on events such as the United States airstrikes in Mosul, Iraq—suspected of killing upward of 200 civilians—in March and a suicide bombing on a metro in St. Petersburg, Russia illustrate this fact.  

A Colombian mudslide killing approximately 250 people on Saturday April 1 and a chemical attack in Syria that killed and injured hundreds on Tuesday April 4 also show the discrepancies in attention given to international catastrophe.

While the Paris attacks of November 2015 garnered a huge response on social media—including French flag filters for profile pictures on Facebook—almost nothing appeared in response to the events that occurred this past week.

There is a level of dehumanization that occurs when we view tragedies differently due to the country or region in which they occur. It is no secret that the general American attitude toward Iraq, Russia and Syria is not particularly friendly—yet we let this cloud our view of the innocent people who live there. 

We are desensitized to violence, to the extent that we are not bothered when it happens in countries we’re conditioned to ignore or even to actively rally against. The persistence of social media filters, symbols and hashtags for countries we deem important, as well as the lack of media coverage of the distant or developing world, further emphasizes this inherent bias in our subconscious.

It is shameful and disheartening that we continue to perpetuate dangerous xenophobic ideologies—even when we think we are doing good, or spreading awareness. People who experience violence and loss in the countries we are taught to ignore do not deserve the injustice.

Trump administration shows shameful misjudgment in Mosul

A recent drone strike conducted by the United States military may have killed as many as 200 civilians in Mosul, Iraq. It is one more indicator that the emerging administration of President Donald Trump plans to be much more indifferent to the death of civilians killed by the military.

Combined with recent operations that have resulted in unnecessarily high casualty counts, the drone strike in Mosul has “raised questions about whether once-strict rules of engagement … were being relaxed under the Trump administration…” according to The New York Times. 

If true, the relaxation of military restraint under the new administration should concern Americans and non-Americans alike. 

American foreign policy has rarely been a peaceful affair, but over the past two months the already bloody tactics have expanded excessively. In the week between March 16-23, for example, there were nearly 300 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria from drone strikes.

Even if 10 targeted terrorists did pose a danger to society and were successfully killed in the attack—which is not at all guaranteed—it was at the cost of hundreds.

While some may argue that the murders were a mere fluke and a failure of technology, intelligence or protocol, it seems to demonstrate a determined policy shift by the Trump administration. 

Trump has apparently moved to expand counterterrorism operations into countries like Yemen, Somalia and Libya as well as to loosen the constraints placed on the military, according to The Economist. 

It might appear that the best way to proceed in the region is to do just as the administration is doing—expanding the fight and giving the military the reins would ostensibly be the best way to defeat terror organizations. 

Of course, this potential solution falls apart quickly under closer examination. The military is restricted for several reasons. The primary reason is that military leaders are mainly concerned with the success of a certain military objective and less so with the broader political or societal effect. 

A mission that kills the target, but also 100 civilians, could still be deemed successful to the military objective. 

The military, of course, has the crucial role of managing logistics, but the weighty decisions of life or death should be entrusted to the civilian leaders, who are more concerned with the long-term impacts of such a decision. 

The other component of the administration’s operational changes is the expansion of possible areas of military engagement further in Somalia, Yemen and Libya. The main problem with this shift is that expanding the areas in which the U.S. could conduct drone strikes mainly functions in creating more warzones. 

It is already tragic that the U.S. can rain death from the skies upon civilians in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan and large swathes of other territories in the Middle East. By increasing the sphere where strikes can reasonably be conducted, the Trump administration is increasing the probability of killing people who have done no wrong. 

Trump has disrupted the norms of both domestic politics and international relations in countless ways. The loosening of rules of engagement in the Middle East—both in terms of who is making decisions and where military operations can occur—represents possibly the greatest such disruption. 

Should the administration continue to appear amorally indifferent to the mass killings of civilians by the American military, the whole world will suffer.

Netflix adaptation whitewashes popular Japanese manga series

Netflix recently dropped a huge announcement on the anime-loving world: a new adaptation of the beloved psychological thriller, Death Note, is coming this summer to the streaming site. This has since caused a huge backlash from fans for a variety of reasons, but none so poignant as the whitewashing claims splashed across every form of news and social media on the subject. 

Whitewashing in American film is nothing new and sparks of change are creating waves in the acting world. Whitewashing is the act of taking another culture’s story and filling the cast with white characters. ABC’s new show, “Fresh Off the Boat,” is the first time in 20 years that a TV show featured a predominantly Asian cast, according to The New York Times.

Netflix’s new adaptation of Death Note is merely another movie in the long list of films taking jobs away from people of color, particularly Asian actors. The last couple of years have highlighted whitewashing in other major Hollywood films, particularly in the case of the live-action remake of Mulan. 

Leaked information claimed that Mulan would have a white love interest. Since then, Disney has stated that Mulan and characters will be Chinese, putting the whitewashing claims to rest for now. 

Additionally, blockbusters such as The Great Wall—a fantasy film about the Great Wall of China starring Matt Damon—begs the question: why do we need Matt Damon in a film about the Great Wall? The popular Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell is getting a live-action remake starring white actress, Scarlett Johansson. The list goes on.

In the case of Death Note, the Japanese manga series has a huge fan following. Since its release in Shonen Jump back in 2003, there have been several different adaptations, including an anime, three Japanese live-action remakes, a TV series, spin-offs and even video games marveling the manga’s cleverness. Netflix’s new trailer, released March 22, claims that it’s based on the book.

There is a very apparent lack of Asian characters in the cast based on the newest trailer. The anti-hero Light is played by Nat Wolff—a white American—and upon viewing the trailer, consists of a mostly-white cast as the main characters of the film.

Due to the cultural themes that play into Death Note’s story, it makes little sense to have white people interact with Japanese death gods, especially since these Shinigami are the catalyst by which the whole story takes place. 

We’ll have to wait and see how Japanese culture has been woven into a white retelling of the tale, but in the meantime, both fans of Death Note and advocates for social justice have a right to be angry about its perceived adaption. 

Though Netflix has seemingly covered its whitewashing issues with the claim that the new film is merely based on the original story, this action has deterred many fans. Why does the film industry feel the need to Americanize so many foreign entities they come across? 

Assuming that we need to watch white actors doing the same thing that Asian actors do only promotes the idea that Americans are superior to another culture, or that a movie or TV show wouldn’t be marketable without white characters. 

It’s time we stop whitewashing media and start recognizing that other cultures aren’t a threat to mainstream entertainment.

Public reaction to Kardashian West robbery insensitive, lacking empathy

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Kim Kardashian West was robbed in Paris in October 2016. The insensitive reaction on social media to Kardashian West’s life being threatened highlights the public’s unwarranted lack of compassion. (Lionel Cironneau/AP Photo)

Reality star Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint during her stay in Paris in October 2016. Due to Kardashian West’s celebrity status, the public reacted strongly to the news of her robbery.

Social media erupted with the news and many individuals took a stance of cynicism.  Rumors circulated that the incident had been a publicity stunt, while others claimed that Kardashian West had brought the robbery upon herself by choosing to lead a lavish lifestyle and constantly creating a social media presence. 

Some reactions to the robbery on Twitter included: “I’m surprised Kim Kardashian didn’t snapchat the whole robbery thing,” and “This looks like another Kardashian ploy, PR stunt.”

Similar to the backlash Kardashian West received after being robbed, her husband, musician Kanye West, was criticized for leaving mid-performance at The Meadows musical festival in New York City after receiving word of his wife’s situation. 

Twitter responded in an insensitive way, saying, “Still mad Kim got robbed during Kanye’s performance,” and “Kanye has to cut his #themeadowsnyc set short due to a family emergency and someone screams ‘THIS IS SO KANYE.’” 

This popular reaction to Kardashian West’s robbery is completely insensitive and highlights the way society dehumanizes celebrities. The way celebrities’ lives are used as a source of entertainment causes individuals to not take them seriously and to question if their existence is authentic—as is especially true of the Kardashian family.    

Individuals did not consider the facts of the events that transpired in Paris, just simply that they happened to a celebrity. 

Kardashian West begged for her life, saying, “Don’t kill me, I have babies, don’t kill me, please, I have babies! I’m a mom! Take whatever you want!” She also said that one of her attackers “tied me up and put plastic cables and Scotch tape on my hands, and then taped my mouth and my legs." 

If these quotes and headlines were written about a non-celebrity    civilian, the public would have reacted differently; this violent robbery in Paris would have been called a tragedy instead of a publicity stunt or a long-time-coming wake-up call. 

Regardless of who this happened to, the fact that an innocent mother of two was begging for her life at gunpoint and was unsure if she would see her husband or kids again is heartbreaking.

The inappropriate and insensitive public reaction to Kardashian West’s robbery is due solely to her role as a public-figure. It should be unacceptable to joke about or make light of any incident of violence. It is disappointing that many feel celebrities aren’t deserving of our empathy.

After the incident in Paris, Kardashian West stayed off social media and only recently spoke publicly about the issue. Recently, on her show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” she got emotional with her sisters about the robbery. 

She later tweeted, “I took a tragic horrific experience and did not let it diminish me, rather grew and evolved and allowed the experience to teach me.” 

It is imperative to gain perspective when it comes to reacting to the life of celebrities. While their lives and what happens in them seems foreign to us, they are still real people with families and loved ones.  

The jokes and cynicism that followed Kardashian West’s robbery were unacceptable and causes concern. The ability to show empathy and love for those who are struggling is an inherently human trait, and it is distressing that this wasn’t shown to Kardashian West.

Grassroots environmental movement crucial under Trump

A large display created by the Geneseo Environmental Organization recently appeared in the lobby of the MacVittie College Union. The display consists of two stacks of garbage cans—one representing the waste produced by the average American who doesn’t recycle or compost, while the other signifies the waste produced by someone who does recycle and compost.

The difference is stark. A person who does not recycle or compost on average produces 384 gallons of waste annually. Americans who do compost and recycle reduce their waste output to 128 gallons—two-thirds less than if they did not. 

This display is appreciated and valued, because as college students we should be aware of how much waste we produce on our campus.

The colossal amount of waste that Americans produce every year is simply unacceptable. We are easily the most wasteful country in the world. 

This is an avoidable waste of reusable resources, such as plastics, metals and paper, and a disaster for both aquatic and terrestrial life who must live with our often-dangerous refuse. 

Although climate change has largely become the focal point of environmental activism, waste reduction is critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems and to creating a more sustainable world. 

Additionally, you can reduce the amount of waste you produce dramatically without having to do much work. Buying reusable mugs and shopping bags, recycling the paper and plastics you use and not buying frivolous, wasteful things all help to reduce unnecessary waste. 

Constantly, I walk around campus and see plastic bottles in trash bins right next to recycling bins, or dozens of paper coffee cups stacked up in a trash bin. It is incredibly frustrating to see people not take even the most minor steps to improve sustainability on campus. 

Young people need to be the ones leading on these issues and it is not overly demanding to ask that people take these basic steps to reduce their environmental impact.

We now face a presidential administration that is actively hostile to environmental regulations, climate science and all logic and reason. Recently, President Donald Trump and the unqualified Oklahoma lawyer appointed to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, announced their plans to roll back as much of the Obama era climate policy as legally possible. 

With the federal government now abandoning the global effort to prevent environmental disaster, it’s up to our generation to prevent and eventually to correct the disastrous decisions currently being made by the Trump administration.

If you feel strongly about these issues, I recommend getting involved on campus, where there are several organizations actively working on these issues. For example, there is GEO, which works to promote sustainable practices on campus and to raise awareness for environmental issues. 

Additionally, FORCES is another great organization that takes weekly trips to Letchworth State Park and other sites to do invasive species monitoring, cleanups or just recreational hikes. 

There is also a new organization on campus called the Climate Reality Project, which is associated with a national organization of the same name. The group’s goal is to pressure colleges across the country to commit to using 100 percent renewable energy to power their schools. 

These organizations are excellent ways to get involved and make a difference on campus—but there are many ways that everyone can lend a hand. 

Every bit of help counts, especially during these times of such grotesque environmental policy from the current administration.

Ride-sharing services could benefit Geneseo students

The Village of Geneseo is incredibly small—Geneseo students walk almost everywhere, especially when the weather is warm. Trips farther off campus to places like Wegmans, however, require a car or a trip perfectly scheduled with the campus shuttle bus.

Unlike other SUNY schools, such as SUNY Oneonta, it is not popular for students to use taxi services to travel around the greater village area. Ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft have become increasingly popular across the country—yet its absence is not particularly missed in our small college town.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a deal within the New York State budget to allow ride-sharing companies to operate in upstate New York on Tuesday March 28. Currently, upstate New York and Alaska are the only areas in the United States that do not have explicit legislation approving—or rejecting—ride-sharing services.

Even in our small college town, ride-sharing can drastically change the transportation and travel habits of students. 

If services such as Uber or Lyft come to Geneseo, businesses on Lakeville Road could potentially see an increase in business. While the campus shuttle bus makes frequent daily stops on Lakeville, students who want to travel on their own schedule—or travel late at night—can do so easily even if they don’t have their own car. 

During the winter weekends, students would not need to plan their nights out per the shuttle bus schedule to avoid walking up hills or walking in the snow. Even though the shuttle bus is free, the cost of an on-demand Uber ride for such a short distance could be worth the traveling freedom.

Students—in addition to residents—can benefit from the job opportunities that ride-sharing services would bring to Geneseo. Students who are at least 21 years old and pass proper background checks can earn extra money as drivers on weekends and can potentially help monitor the safety of their peers at night.

Although it’s easy to be independent and to walk around Geneseo, there is no doubt ride-sharing services would change the way students explore our village.

Nike Pro Hijab line supports inclusivity for Muslim athletes

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Figure skater Zahra Lari wearing the new Nike Pro Hijab. The release of the Nike athletic wear allows female Muslim athletes to perform comfortably and fosters inclusivity in sports. (Courtesy of AP Photo)

Nike Inc., a popular athletic wear brand, recently addressed an industry-wide problem that many people did not even know existed. The sportswear previously produced and sold by the Nike brand, and many others, did not provide options for female Muslim athletes who wear hijabs.

“In an upcoming line of workout clothes for women, Nike is introducing a performance hijab to better serve Muslim female athletes—the Nike Pro Hijab, which is scheduled for release next year,” USA Today reported.

As a leading brand for both recreational and professional athletes, Nike is long overdue in setting this standard, but such action is commendable nonetheless. Many Muslim athletes struggle to compete and to perform due to the lack of athletic clothing available that accommodates their religious beliefs and practices. 

Nike claims that this product release was “the result of an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport,” according to USA Today. They explained that the “movement first permeated international consciousness in 2012, when a hijab runner took the global stage in London.”

Professional Muslim athletes—specifically runner Sarah Attar and weightlifter Amna Al Haddad—inspired the product.

In addition, The New York Times reports that many Muslim athletes—such as figure skater Zahra Lari and runner Manal Rostom—tested Nike’s hijab throughout the stages of the product’s development. Furthermore, after the launch of the Nike Pro Hijab many Muslim professional athletes have stepped forward and expressed their support. 

Nike did a tremendous job in teaming up with athletes who were affected by the lack of diverse athletic clothing. This collaboration not only allowed Nike to make a political statement, but also ensured that the company’s clothing products were as accommodating and successful as possible.

While Nike launching the Pro Hijab is a positive step for gender and athletic equality, its delayed arrival is disappointing. The struggle of Muslim female athletes was not given the attention it deserved over the past few years, as highlighted by the product’s elongated timeline.

It is difficult for some individuals to imagine something as seemingly meaningless as athletic clothing as an important issue, but that’s exactly why Nike needed to make a statement. Muslim women have been discriminated on multiple fronts and offering the proper athletic clothing for these women will finally allow them to fully participate in the sports they love. 

To many, engaging in athletic activities in high school gym classes, on sports teams and with friends has been second nature, but this has not been the case for some female Muslims. Nike’s product will not only benefit professional athletes, but it will also benefit women and girls across the world who wish to participate in sports while wearing a hijab.

Despite Nike’s forward-thinking attitude and desire to accommodate all athletes, the brand has faced harsh criticism after the Pro Hijab’s release. The Independent reports that social media posts highlight criticism of the brand, while customers claim that they will never purchase Nike products again; some suggesting that Nike is supporting the oppression of women through selling the Pro Hijab.  

“It is a recent phenomenon where more women have expressed a need for it and more professional athletes have fought for rights to compete with a headscarf, and have an equal playing field,” Haddad responded in light of this disapproval. “We made it big in the news; we couldn’t be ignored.”

Nike’s action to represent female Muslim athletes will give attention to the many issues these individuals face. Nike has a major influence in not only the athletic industry, but also in the world, as their products are widely sold and represented. The launch of the Nike Pro Hijab is a major step in creating a safe and equal place for all individuals to practice sports and to perform at the professional level.u

Prospective law students should be dedicated, well-informed

Some students who apply to law school don’t even know if they want to be a lawyer. They decide to dispense $75 of their parents’ money to an American Bar Association-approved diploma mill in the form of an application, because they don’t know what to do with a liberal arts degree. 

Or, perhaps, the real world is too intimidating at this present moment since their only familiarity with a workplace was a “corporate hoes and CEO’s” fraternity party. 

It makes sense. The job market has become increasingly competitive, and high paying jobs that satisfy materialistic millennials are simply not available to any average Joe with a bachelor’s degree. 

Subsequently, college students that are afraid of math register for the LSAT with the hope that becoming a newly minted Doctor of Jurisprudence will give their mother something to talk about at her Tuesday book club.

Before it’s all said and done, students are drowning in six figures of debt before they’re legally allowed to rent a car. And for what? A chance to call oneself an “esquire?” 

If a person goes to law school for any reason other than a desire to learn about the law, those three years may have well been spent in the Peace Corps improving the lives of those less fortunate. 

Think about how many houses could have been built in Ethiopia, the mouths that could have been fed in Haiti and all the water that could have been cleaned in Senegal if unsure undergraduates decided not to waste away in a torts casebook, praying that they wouldn’t get cold-called. 

Now that Harvard Law is accepting GRE scores, more students who took the standardized exam will simply throw “why not?” applications to law schools across the nation, figuring that they have nothing to lose. 

It’s like going to a bakery for a cake, but seeing that there is a “buy one cookie get another cookie free” deal. People will purchase an item that they initially would not have, simply because they can. 

Like how most people do not need the extra cookie, GRE applicants initially interested in a Ph.D. or Master’s program should not apply to law school, if they have already narrowed their career interests. Going to law school is not a “why not?” decision. 

If a person has never worked for a law firm, in a court or in some other legal setting, there is no reason why they should be absolutely bound to the aspiration of becoming a lawyer. 

If undergraduate students knew the amount of reading, writing and generally dry work that goes into being a practicing attorney, enrollment in law school programs would drop significantly. 

There are many misconceptions about being a lawyer and “Law & Order” exacerbates almost all of them. One should attempt to get an internship or apprenticeship prior to committing to an arduous and expensive legal education. 

The world needs lawyers. The world needs motivated people to pursue law degrees. Yet the decision to pursue this costly, time-consuming career choice should not be made without meticulous consideration. 

The legal market will become progressively more saturated with disconsolate professionals if college upperclassmen do not carefully assess their career interests.  Leave the litigating, case-studying and memo-writing to the people who pursue a law degree because they want to become an attorney.

Till painting disrespects historical, cultural significance of his death

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The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City hosts the 78th Whitney Biennial from March 17-June 11. Artwork by white woman Dana Schutz depicting Emmett Till’s open casket faces criticism for appropriating black suffering for her art. (Musikanimal/Creative Commons)

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City will host the 78th Whitney Biennial from Friday March 17-June 11. The Biennial is an exhibition of contemporary American art from a range of well-established and emerging artists. 

This year’s exhibit focuses on “the formation of self and the individual’s place in a turbulent society,” according to the Whitney’s website.

As the American political climate intensifies, issues such as income inequality and racial tensions are becoming increasingly prominent topics of debate. Issues like this often provoke activism in the form of art. 

It’s undeniable that art flourishes in times wrought with conflict and oppression, as it is an accessible way for underrepresented voices to debate and draw public attention to causes. This is certainly the case at this year’s biennial, with many of the pieces centered on issues of race. One work in particular by Dana Schutz has become the target of intense criticism.

Schutz’s painting, “Open Casket,” presents a somewhat-abstracted depiction of Emmett Till’s open casket, with Till’s mutilated face as the focal point of the image. Emmett Till was an African American man and the victim of a brutal murder in 1955 Mississippi, after being falsely accused of flirting with a white woman. 

The purpose of Schutz’s piece was to emphasize the sentiment of Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till, who insisted on an open-casket funeral in order to force people to acknowledge the atrocities her son and other black Americans were facing. 

While Schutz’s intent was similar to Mamie Till’s in forcing viewers to confront the persisting violence against people of color in the United States, many black artists have called for the piece to be destroyed.

In a statement by Berlin-based artist Hannah Black, she writes, “The painting should not be acceptable to anyone who cares or pretends to care about Black people because it is not acceptable for a white person to transmute Black suffering into profit and fun, though the practice has been normalized for a long time.”

Essentially, Black argues that black suffering is not a medium to be used for the benefit of white artists. While Schutz’s intent was to reiterate the sentiments of Mamie Till’s decision to use the murder of her son to benefit a movement she was involved in, it is not comparable to a white artist exploiting it to create a political statement for her own notoriety.

Despite Schutz’s good intentions, the piece furthers another racist epidemic: the desensitization of citizens in viewing violence toward black people. Nearly every day we are bombarded with news stories and grainy videos of another hate crime or incident of police brutality. Images like Schulz’s perpetuate the normalization of this violence and make spectacle of human suffering. 

Mamie Till’s decision to display her son’s body came at a time when few people understood the extent of the brutality occurring in the South. Now, images such as Schutz’s art inundate the media and appropriate black suffering into “empty formalism or irony,” as stated by Black. 

Although all great art is controversial, if Schutz’s true intent was to create a discourse on race and to use her art as a call to end violence against black people, she must respect the demands of those whose cause she is attempting to further. It is impossible to claim solidarity while ignoring the voices of marginalized groups.

Using cochlear implants should be individual’s choice

Recently, I saw a video of a child hearing their mother’s voice for the first time. The amount of joy on the child’s face was indescribable.  

Many hearing people cannot imagine a world without sound. The absence of one of the five senses would be detrimental to their quality of life. For hearing parents that have a deaf child, the use of a cochlear implant may be the best option for a “cure to deafness.” 

The cochlear implant is essentially an electronic device that takes on the processes of the inner ear. It mimics the inner ear’s role and sends sound signals to the brain that the function of the inner ear in a deaf or hard of hearing individual cannot do otherwise.

With the cochlear implant, parents wouldn’t need to learn sign language and the child would fit in with their mostly-hearing peers. The use of cochlear implants, however, has generated controversy in the deaf community regarding the child’s rights. 

Many deaf individuals do not see their deafness as a disability, as many “hearing” people tend to classify it as. Members of the deaf community aren’t concerned with the actual implementation of a cochlear implant, but instead the fact that hearing people may insinuate that the deaf population needs to be “fixed,” according to dailykos.com.

The exact number of deaf individuals in the United States is difficult to pinpoint, according to Gallaudet University. Deafness comes in varying degrees and can be defined differently depending on who is providing the definition. 

In the U.S., Gallaudet estimates that less than one out of every 1,000 people become functionally deaf before 18 years of age, not including those categorized under severely hearing impaired or those experiencing hearing trouble, especially in old age. 

The deaf community has a rich culture, consisting of its own language and social dynamics. In the U.S., American Sign Language is an optional language requirement in grade schools and is offered at many colleges. 

The deaf population doesn’t need to be fixed. Many deaf people have rich lives that their deafness helps enhance.  

Along with learning the language, students are also introduced to many of the social aspects of deaf culture, including eavesdropping and the use of facial expressions to enhance emphases. The use of a cochlear implant can deprive a deaf child from this deaf culture.

Therefore, both parents and the children need to be informed of the positive and negative aspects of using a cochlear implant before deciding whether or not to use this device. There are complications to any surgery with differing results, which depend on the individual’s biology and their type of hearing loss or deafness. 

While that shouldn’t be the deciding factor in choosing to use this implant, it’s a factor that must be considered. 

Deafness isn’t a disability and it isn’t detrimental to one’s quality of life. While some praise the technological advancements that make the cochlear implant possible, technology has also helped make the lives of deaf individuals easier. 

For example, while they might not be able to talk on the phone, the use of video chatting capabilities has expanded social interactions in the deaf community. Technology grows and we grow along with it, through all cultures and peoples. 

The cochlear implant is a simple choice of bodily autonomy: parents shouldn’t choose for the child. Ultimately, it should be an individual’s personal decision to receive the implant—especially because children could be deprived of the opportunity to be a part of an entire culture.

Spring concert acts repeatedly lack diversity, student inclusion

There is always high anticipation for the announcement of the spring concert artist—and a lot of controversy and complaint. Booking a band for the spring concert is not an easy task because it is impossible to satisfy every student’s wishes for certain genres or artists. 

The past few spring concerts, however, have noticeably lacked diversity in both of these criteria.

Geneseo Campus Activities Board recently announced that the 2017 spring concert will be British rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen, which was received with mixed student reactions. The past few spring concerts hosted similar indie-rock bands—such as New Politics and Walk the Moon—while there are plenty of hip-hop or R&B artists that are within the concert budget.

Part of the difficulty of choosing the artist is due to the different methods used to gain student interest and input. This fall, students were emailed a genre and artist survey. They were later welcomed to an open student forum—which was attended by approximately 15-25 students, according to GCAB.

In previous years, surveys included specific artists that were already approved for the budget and students could only choose from those bands. With this year’s survey, it was challenging to pinpoint a popular artist, as students had the freedom to choose from any artist available for booking. 

While this was beneficial because students could offer suggestions for different bands and genres, it did not necessarily narrow down options and garner most student interest.

There will always be mixed reactions to spring concert artists when not enough students fill out the survey or when some are generally unaware of when or how they can contribute. But when the decision must inevitably be made for booking an artist, it would be appreciated if majority-white, indie-rock bands are not the repeated choice for the spring concert. There is a lot of potential for students to be happy with the spring concert choice, and hopefully more students will be further involved in the process in the future. 

Choosing more diverse bands and genres of music will relate to more students and will make students feel as if their opinions were heard.

Health, nutrition classes should be added to gen ed requirements

Many college students aren’t getting the nutrition they need, according to USA Today. In fact, most students aren’t eating even one serving of fruit or vegetables a day. With Geneseo’s wide-reaching breadth of general education requirements, it’s shocking to see that basic nutrition classes and physical education courses aren’t a mandatory part of the curriculum.

Though Geneseo has some healthy choices available in the dining halls, many students rely on a delicious slice of pizza or give in to the allure of chicken fingers—especially on the weekends—for a quick meal. 

Having a balanced diet is key to having a healthy life, but the costs of affording healthy food provides a barrier that students are hesitant to cross. 

CUNY schools have taken the initiative of providing healthier options in the snack and vending machines, but it’s important for more colleges to make health a priority. 

In Geneseo, the presence of the Geneseo Farmer’s Market on Main Street is a great alternative to the prices of on-campus eating. Not only does it provide cheaper, healthier fresh options, but it also supports local businesses. 

Additionally, sites such as Choosemyplate.gov—from the United States Department of Agriculture—encourage college students to create proper dietary guidelines. The site also hosts an ambassadorship program to encourage college student’s involvement. This is another tool we can use to encourage healthy eating on campus.

These are all options available for students who want to get involved. Making healthy eating and lifestyle choices a part of Geneseo students’ curriculum is a productive way to see change in the lives of students today.

A quick google search on college health classes had minimal information at best; instead of providing courses that are used in campus settings, I had to do a bit of finagling to find any information on something other than avoiding the “Freshman 15.”

Luckily, Geneseo does have a site dedicated to healthy habits; the site also offers links to more information all in one place. Even if this link is available, however, a search on Knightweb did not reveal much in regard to available health courses. 

The most common class listed as of late is “Health and Safety Issues,” and students can get academic credit for some varsity sports and physical education classes. 

Spots in these classes are limited, however, and they aren’t required. For a school with such expansive general education requirements, there is no excuse as to why Geneseo shouldn’t incorporate healthy eating and lifestyle skills that students will actually use in daily life. 

An English major may not need a math class or a physics major may never critique a book using a postcolonial lens, but every student has a body that they should have to take classes on to learn about basic nutrition and health. 

When students aren’t getting a full serving of fruits and vegetables a day, it’s critical that we have more options readily available to promote healthy living among the college community.

Academy Awards contribute to Hollywood’s support of abusers

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Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Casey Affleck won the top acting awards at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday Feb. 26. Affleck, who has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times, is an example of another man whose career and public reputation do not face consequences for abuse allegations. (Jordan Strauss/AP Photo)

When discussing sexual assault, survivors are sometimes encouraged not to report their experiences. This often stems from the fear that allegations of assault can “ruin” an accused man’s career. 

We often see this in cases against college athletes, prominent political figures and celebrities—essentially any well-respected men in the public eye. This year’s Academy Awards proved that this is blatantly true. Mel Gibson and Casey Affleck—who both have rich histories of highly-publicized sexual harassment and assault accusations—were extremely successful and awarded.

Directed by Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge was nominated for six awards and won two. Additionally, Affleck walked away with an award for best actor for his work in Manchester by the Sea. Regardless of whether or not you enjoy their art, it is incredibly important that these men are not publicly praised in any way. 

The most famous cases of successful accused assaulters are such men as Chris Brown and Woody Allen—abusers who are able to reappear unscathed in the public eye. Not only are they able to return to their normal lives, but they also continue to be adored and praised. 

Returning to normal life for a survivor is an extremely difficult process, which is only exacerbated by seeing abusers in positions of power succeed, despite their actions. 

Gibson, while not only accused of assault, openly admitted to slapping his wife and was caught on tape screaming both racial profanities and anti-Semitic statements and saying that he wanted his wife to be assaulted. 

While he flew under the radar for a few years since the incident, he resurfaced at the Academy Awards this year, smiling and laughing along to jokes at his expense. 

Affleck has been accused twice of sexually harassing his coworkers—threatening and groping one when she turned down his advances and climbing into bed with another. 

Both cases were settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Affleck not only won an Academy Award, but he was also handed his award by Brie Larson—who just won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2016 for portraying a sexual assault survivor in the film Room. 

The message at the 2016 Academy Awards was one of solidarity and support for sexual assault survivors. The juxtaposition between Larson—an outspoken advocate for survivor rights—and Affleck—an accused abuser—was disturbing, to say the least. 

The debate at hand is not whether or not these men are talented. The issue is that men accused of assault and abuse do not deserve to be overtly celebrated. Every man who continues to find immense success and attention is a message to survivors that their experiences do not matter. 

Yes, it is possible to think that these men are artistically talented. The label of abuser, however, is more important than that of genius. Their abuse is what we should be focusing on and openly condemning, rather than sweeping it under the rug and presenting them with the highest acclaim and achievements in Hollywood.

Sixty-three percent of assaults are not reported to the police, while one in five women will be assaulted in their lifetime, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. These statistics are completely unsurprising.

Even though survivors are encouraged not to report their assaults, the Academy Awards further proved that even if they do, justice is rarely achieved. When the president of our country and numerous successful actors and musicians are accused assaulters, it is increasingly hard to believe that accusations of assault will ruin a man’s life.

Conflict mediation is useful resource for students in social disputes

College environments can be breeding grounds for conflict. Upon arriving at college, most students are exposed to new environments and living situations. Some may have never shared a living space where they are required to live with one or more individuals who may have different values, beliefs and habits. 

For some students, learning to live with another individual in a small space can be a challenge. As such, roommate conflicts often erupt and can be difficult to diffuse. Rising conflicts can lead to tension and stress in what is already a demanding academic environment. 

Conflicts do not seem to end with roommates, either. As with most social environments, disputes can arise between individuals and groups with little to no prompting. For many students, it can be difficult to navigate a college community; emerging fights with friends, partners or peers can make this transition even harder. 

Unfortunately, students can sometimes be targeted for individual characteristics, affiliations or identities. 

With all this potential for disagreement, it is not uncommon for students or even campus organizations to become involved in a dispute. Unresolved conflicts can escalate over time, making people feel unwelcome, unsafe or unhappy in certain environments. 

While conflict is normal, many students choose not to seek assistance with conflict resolution. In opting to avoid, to aggravate or resolve their situation on their own, the student can become involved in time-consuming emotional disputes on- and-off campus.  

These disputes can be physically and emotionally trying—but what if conflict resolution didn’t have to be so challenging?

Recently, I had the unique privilege and opportunity to participate in a training course on the principles of mediation as an intern through the Center for Dispute Settlement. During the session, I learned the advantages of using a transformative approach for conflict intervention.

Transformative mediation is a type of alternative dispute resolution strategy based on the principles of empowerment and recognition, where a trained, neutral third party provides a supportive environment.  

Providing environments that support individual empowerment and recognition, transformative mediation can often allow parties to have productive conversations they may not have otherwise managed. 

Mediation can be beneficial, especially for individuals or groups who remain in close proximity following conflict. Peaceful resolution of conflict is central to ongoing relationships. 

In my opinion, conflicts that go unaddressed can create destructive and even dangerous situations within communities. Interpersonal conflict generated within the college community could be alleviated through the processes of mediation, which is a little-known resource on campus.  

With a focus on voluntary, confidential practice, mediation could significantly benefit college students dealing with stressful conflicts.

Serious, rampant sex trafficking crimes occur close to home

An alarming issue that normally escapes the public eye was recently brought to main-stream attention by celebrity and actor Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher spoke “before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a hearing on progress in combating modern slavery,” according to CNN.

Modern slavery is defined as “the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud or coercion,” according to the United States Department of State. The U.S. Department of State also explains that the term “modern slavery” can be used interchangeably with “trafficking in persons” and “human trafficking.” 

This wasn’t Kutcher’s first time speaking out about this issue; in 2009 he and his ex-wife Demi Moore founded Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children. This organization is dedicated to building software to combat human trafficking, according to CNN. Kutcher made clear that technology is one of the most important tools in the fight against modern slavery and gave specific updates on how effective Thorn’s current efforts are.

Kutcher’s responsibility as a chairperson of Thorn, and as a father, is to dedicate his time and passion to the cause of human trafficking, according to Kutcher. While speaking about his involvement, he said, “I’ve seen video content of a child that’s the same age as mine being raped by an American man that was a sex tourist in Cambodia.”

Since this child was conditioned to her environment, according to Kutcher, she felt like “she was engaging in play.” 

Kutcher’s speech was moving and educated, as he called for, “specific actions, including additional funding for the technology, fostering public-private sector relationships, looking into the pipeline for victims … and differentiating solutions sets for sex trafficking and labor trafficking with enforcement and legislation initiatives.” 

Kutcher’s celebrity status and work with Thorn is bringing modern slavery, an extremely important issue—especially considering the refugee crisis—to the forefront of our politics.

While all social issues deserve attention, sex slavery is an issue that is close to home for us here at Geneseo, although many individuals are unaware of this. The danger in modern slavery is not only in its existence, but also in its ability to remain deemed “unimportant.”

USA Today reports that in 2014 a “western New York man was arrested in July, the allegations were salacious and attracted national media attention: sexual slavery, kidnapping and claims of gang involvement.” 

Further, in 2015 a Mt. Morris man had been “arraigned on new charges stemming from alleged sex crimes, in which he is accused of holding a woman prisoner and using her as a sex slave,” according to 13 WHAM News. 

While sex slavery is committed all over the world, Geneseo students should be aware that it is happening in towns and counties right next to them. Kutcher brought this to light with his speech on Capitol Hill and in his call for activism.   

 March 14 is the perfect opportunity to get involved, as it is #MyFreedomDay—a day dedicated to students joining the fight against modern slavery, raising awareness and celebrating freedom. Hopefully this campaign, coupled with Kutcher’s activism, will bring modern slavery the public attention it deserves.

Mental health program would benefit stressed students

The Lamron reported that Lauderdale Health Center is greatly expanding its offerings of mental health services on Thursday Feb. 23. This is a necessary change, and one that needs to be accompanied by further action from the administration. 

I argue that Geneseo should offer Mental Health First Aid training to a broad array of students. Possibly even as a mandatory component of freshman orientation.

College students across the country are dealing more and more with anxiety and frustration, citing academic stress as the main contributor. These stresses are contributing to rising depression, substance abuse and suicide attempts. 

In the 2015 American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, over a third of college students reported feeling “so depressed it was difficult to function,” and 9.6 percent had seriously considered suicide.

At Geneseo, we are not immune from these trends. Beyond my own feelings of being constantly overwhelmed, I have several friends who have gone to Lauderdale who experienced suicidal and borderline-suicidal thoughts. 

We have also seen several deaths and arrests related to substance abuse in the past few years, and, most tragically of all, we lost two current and one former student in January 2016 to what was clearly a mental health related incident.

These problems are at least in part the result of a society and job market that expects more from students than ever before. While such forces are beyond the control of anyone in Geneseo, the response our institution takes to them is not. 

Mental Health First Aid is an education program that gives people the tools to identify and to assist those suffering difficulties in their mental health. Among other things, it teaches people the signs of mental health issues, what resources are appropriate for various problems and how to approach someone who might be suffering. 

These topics already receive some treatment at freshman orientation, but it is far from sufficient to address the scope of the problem.

The faculty and staff at Geneseo are as caring as we could hope for, in my experience, but the unfortunate reality is that students are in the best position to identify and to assist mental health issues. Given a wide pool of students, these skills would be a very effective way to address this problem.

One approach would be to require members of organizations such as sports teams and Greek life to go through the training. While this might be somewhat easier to administer and the majority of students at Geneseo are involved in some kind of student group, this approach would miss an especially vulnerable demographic: those who are not involved in student life. 

In an ideal world, every student would receive this training. Geneseo’s mission is to provide an education, and Mental Health First Aid training could be viewed as part of a lifelong education. 

Geneseo teaches involvement in community, and getting this training would allow Geneseo students to make a valuable contribution to whatever community they choose to join, both now and for the rest of their lives.

Labelling these issues as “mental health” problems confers stigma on them, but in reality these are issues that everyone deals with in one form or another. Having feelings of anxiety or frustration from academic work is in no way abnormal. 

It is how we respond to these feelings that will determine both our success and our happiness. 

People say that our generation has no resilience, but resilience is a set of skills, not an innate quality. Let no one say that Geneseo left its students ill equipped.