With the recent announcement by the SUNYAC that spring sports will begin on March 20th, it seems pertinent to take a look at how teams are preparing for their seasons in the midst of the chaos stemming from COVID-19. One such team that has begun preparing is the Geneseo women’s track and field team who look to continue their dominance of the SUNYAC in recent years.
Staff editorial: Geneseo students face poor mental and physical health with insufficient help from the administration
College is a stressful time, and it can be taxing on college students’ mental and physical health. Students are navigating their semesters with limited social interaction and hardly any breaks. Although Geneseo says they care about the health of their students, they fail to provide adequate support and resources.
At this point, most of us know how to social-distance and practice proper hygiene to avoid getting COVID-19, but how many of us actually know how to take care of ourselves if we do get it? Administrators send multiple lengthy emails about COVID-19 rules and regulations, so there’s no excuse for them not to send out advice and resources about how students can take care of their health.
Read MoreUIGHUR GENOCIDE SERIES: Global attention must be paid to the wide-spread abuse and execution of the Uighurs in China
In northwestern China there exists a region called Xinjian. Within this region there exists a group of people known as the Uighurs (also spelt Uyghur and pronounced we-gurr), a Muslim-majority population that has inhabited the region since about 840 C. E. and has had a history of servitude, war and struggle. This is their story, their struggles and their plight, how their culture and faces are being erased from the modern world and how there seems to be no end to the nightmare that is happening to them.
This is an opinion piece, but it should also be noted that I have attempted to be extensive and thoughtful about the situation. Whether it is one person who reads this or a thousand, this is in no way an attempt to gain glory for myself or to try and promote my own name or brand, this is about the Uighurs and only the Uighurs and it is them who deserve all the credit for their bravery, faith, strength and courage through this long dark time. All attempts to discuss this topic are going to be as tasteful as they can be, and I will try to give all the people involved as much credit as they deserve and can provide in this moment. Please be aware of this situation and let its horrors and truths carry with you what it carries with me. This is the Rwanda of our generation, the Darfur, the Holocaust, the Holodomor, all terms thrown about very often but that cannot be understated here.
Read MoreFacilities 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.
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.
Several Dr. Seuss books pulled from publishing due to racist content
Dr. Seuss is known for comical, colorful children’s’ books with familiar images like the Truffula Trees, which have a place in the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida, pictured above. This March, six Dr. Seuss books have been deemed racist and otherwise politically incorrect because of the images and messages they convey. (Courtesy of Thomas Hawk on Creative Commons).
On March 2, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that they were going to cease the publication of six titles that “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” According to the statement, these titles include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super! and The Cat’s Quizzer.
Read MoreThe re-opening of Geneseo athletics is unfair due to many other social restrictions set in place
On Feb. 1st, President Denise Battles sent another email about updates in campus COVID-19 restrictions. In this email, Battles stated that athletic practices will resume, safety permitting. Many students find this unfair due to increased restrictions in other campus organizations. Although sports teams were permitted to practice beginning the week of March 1st, other student clubs and organizations must wait until March 15th to hold in-person events.
Geneseo is adhering to the rules outlined in the “Reopening New York: Sports and Recreation Guidelines.” These guidelines limit indoor sports to 50 percent of the maximum occupancy, although Geneseo’s COVID-19 restrictions state that “college-sponsored small group activities will adhere to NYS group-size limits … and no more than 25 percent of maximum occupancy for indoor or no more than 33 percent of the maximum occupancy for outdoor.” It is unclear which of these guidelines applies to campus activities.
Read MoreNon-essential air travel is risky and irresponsible, can lead to increased spread of COVID-19
Do you remember the days when we could go out and see our friends and family, and not worry about giving them a life-threatening respiratory illness? Yeah, me neither. We all want to get back to that place where we can see the people we love, without giving them a death sentence. But what is keeping us from that?
Well, that would be the reckless actions of some people. The best example of a reckless action at this time would be needless travel, specifically by flight. Usually, if you’re traveling by flight, you are going a far distance. This is a global pandemic people; you really shouldn’t be leaving your house, let alone going on vacation. There are many reasons to refrain from traveling at this point and time, the main reason being travel spreads germs.
Jurisdiction: The U.S. federal government should standardize the insanity defense in court cases, ensure equal and fair rulings for mentally ill defendants
Was James Kahler insane when he murdered four of his family members, a crime for which a Kansas jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death? On March 23, in Kahler v. Kansas, the U.S. Supreme Court determined whether Kansas restricted the insanity defense too harshly for Kahler and therefore violated his due process rights. In their majority opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the state of Kansas did not violate Kahler’s due process rights, ultimately impairing the defenses of mentally ill defendants in states that have adopted similarly restrictive standards for an insanity defense.
Read MoreWashington Football Team Changes to Co-ed Cheerleader Group, Sending a Message of Culture Change to the Rest of the NFL
Cheerleaders are a traditional symbol of football, so much so to the extent that it’s weird when other sports try to incorporate similar pep squads on their sidelines. The energy cheerleaders bring to the field brings a buzz to my veins.
Read MoreWTF: We are exhausted
The meme format pictured above is used on twitter to express the desires of OP (original poster). In particular, the image above—created by Madelyn Dewey with use of a Creative Commons image— depicts Bugs Bunny as he conveys the message that he hopes everyone stays mentally healthy. (Courtesy of Coyote521 on Creative Commons).
Creative exhaustion is applicable to any major and concentration. We don’t have to write or paint for a living to feel the cold hand of artistic dysfunction tense around our chests in the wake of a year of limbo. Every day we communicate to one another. Every day we work. Every day we try to forget that we’re stuck.
Read MoreAaron Sorkin has built a legacy, now it’s time for him to retire
Aaron Sorkin, pictured above at a red carpet in 2011, is a director known for his work with films such as The Social Network (2011) and Steve Jobs (2015). Sorkin has a famously optimistic depiction of American politics, but maintains a poor track record with development of his female characters. (Courtesy of David Torcivia on Creative Commons).
I hate Aaron Sorkin. Have I seen literally everything Aaron Sorkin has ever created? Yes. Have I memorized entire monologues that he has written? Sure have. Did the essay I wrote to get into this institution begin with a Sorkin quote? Yes, of course. But would I call myself a fan? No. Maybe?
Read MoreThe Start of the 2021 Season is More than Overshadowed by the MLB’s Lack of Care for Their Players.
Spring Training is finally underway in the MLB, and with it is a league that saw some rapid changes over the offseason. Chief among these changes was the fact that the New York Mets actually look like a contender this year for the first time since their World Series run in 2015 after their sale to billionaire Steve Cohen.
Before getting into the changes, however, let’s instead look at what has stayed the same in the MLB. The least surprising aspect that stayed the same for the MLB was the glaring apathy MLB teams and management have for their own players, especially those who are trapped down in the minors.
Read MoreAfter a Delayed Start, Spring Intramurals are About to Go into Full Swing this March.
As the school year continues, another round of intramural sports begins. While COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the landscape of intramural sports, intramurals have, and will continue to take place this spring.
Last fall, the intramural department had its first semester with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The offerings were different from years past due to the need to follow CDC protocols. One specific challenge stood out to intramural and recreations director Brooks Hawley: social distancing.
Read MoreOffice 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.”
COVID-19 updates in regard to two-week pause, mask wearing, travel
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.”