Issue 5 Vol 70 Issue 3

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May, 2015

Volume 70, Issue 5

The Seventh Generation

by April Brun, LJ Jerome, and Kelly Mascarenhas Long ago, on the glittering blue shores of Lake Onondaga, the Peacemaker arrived in a stone canoe. Sent by the Creator, he brought a message of peace and democracy to the five nations that had been warring for decades.

Once his message had reached all of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk people, the 49 leaders of the nations met again at the lake. A great white pine tree was dug up, and all of their weapons were thrown into the hole. The tree of peace was then replanted, and an eagle was placed on top to remind the people to uphold the message of peace.

Unfortunately, the peace of that pristine landscape has been broken. Where the once great white pine tree’s roots stretched out into the clay of the lakeshore, they are now choked with pollution and debris. It was said that any person seeking peace and democracy could take refuge under the tree, but the shade is not as bountiful as it once was.

What happened Image Credit: www.ganondagan.org to the environment around Onondaga Lake to disturb this peace?

Onondaga Lake is now one of the most, if not the most, polluted lake in America. Humans have, in the form of industrial pollution, tourism, and sewage waste, tarnished a great symbol of the principle our country was supposedly built on--democracy.

We have single-handedly destroyed one of the most notable figures of Iroquois spirituality. In Native American culture, spirituality and religion are rooted in place. A connection is instilled between a human being and an

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aspect of nature, whether that be a specific mountain, plateau, water body, or the like. Indigenous people will not simply leave their homes in order to create a life in a new location, like how Europeans left their churches behind to build new churches. The land is the church; therefore, the annihilation of Onondaga Lake is comparable to the burning of a cross in Catholicism. The only difference is, crosses can be replaced.

The downfall of Onondaga Lake began after the building of the Erie Canal, when the salt industry in the 1700s was beginning to prosper. In the 1800s, Onondaga Lake was a popular tourist attraction, with beaches, resorts, and amusement parks. In the late 1880s, the Solvay Company, which drilled for salt, began dumping most of their waste directly into the lake. David Chanatry (2012) says the lake was hit with a “one-two punch”: raw and partially treated sewage from Syracuse and its suburbs, and a hundred years’ worth of industrial dumping.

Swimming was banned by 1940, followed by a fishing ban in 1970. Onondaga Lake was then one of the most polluted lakes in the U.S., and became a Superfund priority in 1994.

Finally, in 2012, a partial cleanup of contaminants on the lake bottom was launched by Honeywell, and the dredging did not stop until late 2014.

There are actually three main sources of pollution for Onondaga Lake, according to the NY Department of Conservation. These are industrial pollution, wastewater pollution, and polluted runoff. In the 1880s and continuing for over a century, a number of industrial companies discharged wastes such as mercury, ammonia, and PCBs, which contributed to the contamination of Onondaga’s water and sediment. The groundwater was also contaminated, which reduced wildlife habitat and increased levels of toxic compounds in aquatic organisms, leading to Onondaga Lake becoming a Superfund site

in 1994. Through wastewater pollution, ammonia and phosphorus in sewage from Onondaga County’s Metro impacted fish migration and reproduction, along with algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels in the water. Also, storm water runoff can enter the sewage system and allow untreated sewage and storm water to enter the lake’s tributaries. Finally, stormwater runoff carries pollutants such as animal waste and salt from highway ice removal not only to the lake’s tributaries but also to the lake itself.

As you can see, things look pretty bad for Onondaga Lake, and to make things worse, David Chanatry even said that 20 pounds of mercury were once dumped into it at once. However, once Onondaga Lake was labeled as a Superfund site, steps were taken to start cleaning it up.

What started the cleanup of Onondaga Lake was when the US Attorney General sued Allied Chemical Corps., one of the companies that caused the industrial pollution, to stop mercury dumping. This led to a cascade of events to help restore the lake throughout the years. One of the most interesting developments to help restore the lake is that Onondaga officials, along with many stakeholder community groups, have taken a proactive approach to develop green infrastructure designed to reduce the amount of storm runoff going to sewers and contributing to combined sewer overflow (CSO). One such ‘Save the Rain’ 2014 project is the addition of a green roof on the Magnerelli Community Center which, when completed, will capture about 183,000 gallons of storm water each year (SavetheRain.us/about). Honeywell International Inc. (the successor of Allied Chemical Corps.) is remediating polluted sites upland of the lake, and Onondaga County has a litter vacuum truck that removes floating trash from the water, helping to reduce non-point source pollution.

There are many restoration projects in action today to help clean Onondaga Lake, and already phosphorus discharges from the lake have been reduced by 83% from 1993 to 2009. Water quality has also improved greatly over the years, and Onondaga Lake may one day be a healthy lake again.

Most of the frustrations that the Onondaga Nation has with Honeywell pertains to their plan to only partially restore the lake. Though Honeywell’s $4.51 million dredging project aimed to remove harmful debris and sediments on the lake bottom, they are still leaving a lot behind. A complete restoration of the lake would cost around $2.16 billion. In contrast, Honeywell is reported to have made around $10.3 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2014 (Bloomberg). Joseph Heath of

the Haudenosaunee General Counsel said, “To remove all of the mercury and contaminates from Onondaga Lake, it would have required dredging about 20 million cubic yards of sediment. We are leaving over 17 million tons of pollution in the lake for our children to deal with” (Honeywell Ceases Dredging). The Onondaga nation’s cry to remove all contaminants from the lake has largely been ignored; because of their dissatisfaction with Honeywell, they were not even invited to the celebration ceremony when the dredging was “finished”.

The Onondaga Nation not only calls for this more effective (and more expensive) cleanup plan, but also filed a land rights action in 2011. They petitioned the federal court to declare that New York violated federal law when they took Onondaga Land. Unfortunately, the federal court dismissed this petition, as did the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

The Haudenosaunee have a sustainability principle that looks into the seventh generation of its people. The Peacemaker’s words, passed down through retelling, were “Make your decisions on behalf of the seventh generation coming. Those faces looking up from the earth, layer upon layer waiting their time.’ He said, ‘Defend them, protect them: they’re helpless, they’re in your hands. That’s your duty, your responsibility” (Oren Lyons). In seven generations, which is about 140 years, what will this lake look like to our descendants? Will it be the sparkling, pristine watershed that the Peacemaker arrived on to greet us so long ago? Will it be lush with native cattails, white geranium flowers, spear thistles, and white water lilies? Are restoration efforts extending to this future, or extending only to the end of our own generation?

We are incredibly proud to attend college at SUNY ESF, however, we are not proud to attend college in a city containing the most polluted lake in the country. We would be proud to be a part of restoring Onondaga Lake back to its former glory, and we would be honored to show our respects to Native people in doing so. The Onondaga Nation has a vision for Onondaga Lake, and it is this vision we so long to preserve: for the lake’s water to be drinkable, swimmable, and fishable, and for the soil to be clean and fertile to once again grow food and medicinal plants. The people, Earth, waters, fish, agriculture, trees, birds, the Four Winds, the Thunderers, the Sun, Grandmother Moon, the Stars, the Enlightened Teachers, and the Creator all deserve health and harmony to be restored to the lake (Onondaga Nation).

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Student Town Hall Meeting Monday could have been asking more specific questions.”

Anonymous Are you worried about increasing student tuition and fees? Do you owe the government a significant amount of money? Would you like a say in the future of not only your college, but your wallet?

If you answered “yes” to any of these three questions or just care about the changes going on oncampus, then listen up. As it stands, SUNY ESF is in the process of negotiating a significant fee restructuring with its scholarly neighbor, Syracuse University. As of next year, fees paid by SUNY ESF students will increase. The exact magnitude and direction of this fee increase has yet to be seen, though ESF Administration has recently offered a “sneak peek” into the future. Let’s check it out.

On Monday, April 7th, President Quentin Wheeler held a Town Hall Meeting, open to all undergraduate and graduate students, regarding both the College’s strategic planning process and student fee restructuring. In addition to a multitude of students, Bob French (Vice President for Enrollment, Management, and Marketing), Bruce Bongarten (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs), David Dzwonkowski (Director of Business Affairs), Laura Crandall (Director of Student Involvement and Leadership), Mary Triano (Assistant Dean for Student Support) and John Turbeville (Assistant Dean of Student Affairs) were also present to help answer questions.

The students exuded interest in the proposed fee changes, asking a series of hard-hitting questions that touched upon a variety of student services that will inevitably be altered this upcoming academic year. President Wheeler revealed that these potential changes are the result of a long negotiation process with Syracuse University, a process that many attendees seemed unaware of. “It was pretty obvious that most students hadn’t really heard much about the process to date,” said Margaret Foley, a Junior Environmental Biology Major. “The information felt really new to most of the audience, so we spent a lot of time clarifying points when we

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Main fee changes surround healthcare, technology, recreation, and campus resources. As it stands, ESF seems likely to switch its healthcare to Crouse Urgent Care/Hospital, starting Fall 2015. This likely decision is being made after carefully considering several options, including remaining with SU Health Services (an astronomical price increase) and cooperating with SUNY Upstate Medical University.

While Crouse will be able to offer many amenities, there remain many unanswered questions. One stands out in particular: will students still have access to Syracuse University Ambulance, the free medical transport service currently provided to all ESF and SU students? According to Dr. Wheeler, “students will always have access to an ambulance service.” That was a fact of which he remained quite certain. Whether or not that will be a free service, however, is still unknown.

Questions eventually arose regarding the future of the College. Of particular interest were future enrollment rates of the school. This past year, ESF admitted its largest entering class of 333 students.

Classroom crowding and school overpopulation are already a widespread issue on campus. Despite the current population size being approximately 1700, “We plan on maxing out at 2000 students, no more,” said President Wheeler, when a student raised the notion that ESF’s small campus was one of the facets that made it most attractive. “We value that part of ESF culture.” But let’s try to imagine 2000 students on our campus. We already are starting to feel cramped with our current student population.

On the topic of incoming out-of-state students and international students, Dr. Wheeler and company had some interesting thoughts. A current student, name kept confidential to avoid any controversy, brought some of these concerns to the President’s attention. As it turns out, her transition from to ESF from China was actually a difficult process.

The student expressed the difficulty her parents had understanding the ESF website. Interrupted

by Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Management Bob French, she was informed that she could have easily “clicked on the link at the bottom of the website for a translation.” Quick to reply, the student expressed that her family used the feature described, but was met with numerous grammatical errors that made the website more difficult to understand in Chinese than in English, their non-native language. With a firm reply, President Wheeler expressed his deepest sorrows for such an issue, stating that, essentially, current budgeting just couldn’t allow for any one person to come in and correct any grammatical errors on the website. Tough luck international students, hope you know English before you get here.

to be built in the near future, it would be located in “Block D,” the abandoned parking lot between the Standart parking lot and West Campus. The new IT service will most likely be on that lot, or the tiny space currently occupied by Abraham Lincoln and his valiant steed, a spot already reserved to be a new “ARB (Academic Research Building) building”.

Of course, all of this was proposed while ignoring the current budgeting issues and only relying on a mysterious construction fund provided by the SUNY system, which would be tied into previously unreliable government support.

Learning of our school for international students is only part of the challenge. Once accepted into the school, international students then face the difficult transition to life in the United States without a support system. Despite this and the colleges budget struggles, we were able to create a new administration position, Chief of Staff, and fill it, before filling the vacant Director of Multicultural Affairs position.

Moving forward, Dr. Wheeler presented a number of potential projects. These include, but are not limited to, a new dorm, dining hall, “modest” recreational facilities, and developing our own IT hub on the ESF campus. However, where these projects would fit on campus, let alone the budget, was not discussed. Dr. Wheeler believes that there will be a demand for an additional 500 beds in a new dorm.

If we are doing the math behind this madness, we currently have a residence hall that houses 500 students. If we are planning on increasing the population to 2000 students, 300 more than our current population, we will never fill a 500 bed dorm. When asked if the rent would be lower than Centennial Hall’s ridiculously high prices, the answer was no, but the associated meal plan will probably be less since students would not be required to use SU meal plans.

On the top of ESF’s budget concerns associated with these new projects, the main campus is simply running out of room to grow. If the new dorm was

Image Credit: www.jschumacher.typepad.com

After Dr. Wheeler’s presentation to the student body, a couple of points were made clear. One, student fees will be increasing next year, that’s just how business works. What resources are lost along the way to save a couple dollars is still uncertain. Two, administration will continue to increase class sizes, regardless of the current concerns of overcrowding or the fact that we are running out of room to grow. Three, it is clear that the school is going to continue to evolve and change, and unless students take an active role in the discussion, decisions will be made without their input. Lastly, as a wise woman once said, “If the people who were making these rules were co-signing my loans they would be fighting a different fight.”

For questions, comments or concerns on any of the topics discussed above or Strategic Planning in general, please contact any of your USA representatives.

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I Can’t Stress It Enough Anonymous

I received a text late in the evening once from a close member of my family that read: “all I know is – in general – people are not that nice most places, sorry to say.” This statement was followed by the familiarly used sad face, that represented a lot more than someone texting about a poor test grade or bad weather in the forecast.

I was walking across campus not long ago when a student in a military uniform was walking ahead of me.

They were joined by a set of other acquaintances that seemed familiar with the student, but had seen them in uniform for the first time and they gave the young Cadet strange looks. Walking ahead of me I heard them tell their friend to have fun getting themselves killed. I can’t say I support the idea of war, and in fact it sickens me sometimes to think of the reality of it, but I realized a few things from this situation.

One thing was that this person was hurting.

The second was that comment, that statement, that “joke” if they believe that is what it were to be, is only being exchanged because of the people who put on a uniform, and because of the people who put on a uniform 100 years or 200 years ago, and because of people who will continue putting on that uniform so that people can continue expressing themselves, for the good and the bad.

The third thing I realized was bullying. I went to a high school were not many kids were bullied – at least not directly from what I could see. And then I realized that the bullying I was thinking of was limited to the idea of some 16 year old pushing a 13 year old into a locker. The real bullying, I realized, was simple disrespect.

Here at our school, classes are brutal, hard, and the professors push us sometimes beyond our limits. It’s stressful, upsetting, and emotionally exhausting. In a lot of these situations, we can admit that while the material is difficult, the instructor is a wonderful person. A visit to office hours can at least make you feel better that there is some sympathy for you and that you are respected. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. I’ve sat in class, one in particular, in which a professor openly points out, names and insults, criticizes and mocks students for everything from their open beliefs to the way they sit.

I believe in living life with freedoms to have your opinions, express yourself and run your own life. Unfortunately I find these freedoms to be taken too far across our campus, across all campuses in this state, this country this world. Of course we have all experi-

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enced someone taking these freedoms too far, against ourselves. Whether this happened here at ESF, at the Oklahoma State, at Berkley, Dartmouth, Duke, Syracuse University it does not matter. Whether this happened yesterday, 6 years ago when you were 13, 4 months ago when you were feeling depressed and hopeless, or whether it happens tomorrow and this weekend, it does not matter. It does not matter who did it to you, it does not matter why they did it to you.

What matters is that they did it to you, and other people are doing it to you, and other people are doing it to other people, and maybe you are doing it to other people.

I could venture into a personal account – one that only I can feel the feelings of. I fear that maybe people wouldn’t understand my situation – the amount tears I shed, the emotional pain, the physical toll. I fear that maybe people wouldn’t understand my daily fears, of ever feeling like that again. I fear that people will continue to hurt me, and I know that in fact they will. They hurt me today. They hurt me last May. They hurt me a multitude of other times.

And I feel alone. I can tell you that I am not alone. I have people that love me and most of them are not on this campus, in this town, or even in this state. But I still feel alone, and lost, and hurt even in my deepest place of comfort.

I could advise myself to seek help from a variety of forms, and in my own way have obtained that help.

It doesn’t matter if it was in a loved one, a place, a novel, a counselor, or what it was. I could advise you to seek help from something, anything, and of course, you should. I could tell you to fight back, stand up for yourself, never let anyone walk over you, because you’re worth so much more than how they see you.

But I had a friend tell me (one of those friends who’s in another state) that “you’re better”, “so much better” and “I can’t stress it enough”. They told me that dwelling on these things weren’t worth it. That the relationships with the people I love were the ones that should keep me up at night.

You know it’s funny, because most people don’t understand that I am going through anything like this at all. I’ve bet you we’ve all felt that once or twice, am I right? And usually the things that make us feel better one second, don’t last for the rest of our lives. But maybe, if we open up just a little bit more, they will last a little bit longer.

So try, for a second longer than you normally may, to understand that you are better. You are so much better, and I can’t stress it enough.

Isabella’s Trip: Part 3 Isabella Kaplan Day 6 We are practically Parisians.

After eating French toast made by Yael, we left bright and early for the next stage of our adventure. Walking down the street, we must of looked very French for again many people asked us for directions.

Upon arriving at Notre Dame, we were surprised by how empty it was!

The church had beautiful stained glass windows.

Each colorful glass window had hundreds of little saints, each depicting a different story.

After we explored the interior and waited in a very short line, we climbed up the staircase to the top of Notre Dame. While many people ooh’ed and ahh’ed at the wonderful view, I freaked out about the gargoyles.

What can I say...I just think they are very cool!

As we exited the towers, we saw a long line for the entrance snaking around the building. To reward ourselves for great planning, we bought quiche (classy as we are, we ate quiches like hot dogs... oops) and amazing salted butter caramel ice cream from an adorable neighborhood by the Seine River.

Revitalized by our snack, we made way to the Museum of Cinema. When we arrived at the stop we noticed this part of the city was very different from the older, charming area we were used to. Rather than built for beauty, these modern apartments where much more bland and practi-

cal and the city buildings looked like strange mangled shapes of abstract art. But then again, I’ve always preferred older art over modern.

The museum, however, was full of old objects. Inside laid the beginnings of movie magic. There were original cameras, auto-mans, movie-picture-wheels, early projectors, shadow puppets, and more! Being a huge fan of the book and now movie, Hugo, I cherished all that I saw.

After another snack, of course, we headed off to another Museum: the home of Nissium (Nissim) de Camondo. People visit this home to marvel at how the wealthy once lived. We went there for two reasons: My aunt knew I would love it and Nissium de Camondo was born in, and then named Constantinople and belonged to the synagogue we visited in Istanbul a few days earlier. This wealthy merchant/banker family moved to France and lived a luxurious life, but the family unfortunately perished in the holocaust.

Walking toward the museum, you could tell the aristocrats once lived there. And the house was jawdropping-out-of-this-world; everything you picture in your mind of a mansion was present: Curtains, fountains, statues, original art and furniture, gardens, and marble columns. My mom loved seeing the way servants lived in the home of the wealthy, and said that if she came here she would never leave. We saw the dumb waiter, the large kitchen, the communication system, hidden stairs and more. Yael and I both agreed: It was the best part of the day.

The subway was packed tightly with excited chatter, suit cases and gifts.

In the misty Christmas Eve night, we wandered down the lively streets, visited the home of Victor Hugo, and bought food for dinner from all the little shops, just like the Parisians. We went home earlier than we ever had before and made our own dinner.

To my Christian friends: Merry Christmas! To my Jewish friends/family: go eat some Chinese food!

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How to Make Tie-Dye Cupcakes Heidi Faulkner Sometimes, students really need to take a break from their studies. What better way to do that than to bake? Not only do you get to exercise your creative side, but you also get to eat your masterpiece at the end. Personally, I love to bake cupcakes because there’s really no limit to your imagination when decorating. One of my favorite things to make are Tie-Dye Cupcakes. They are what they sound like – a multicolored cupcake, but with a small twist.

What You’ll NeedWhite cake batter mix (and everything that might entail, i.e. eggs water, oil), several bowls, food coloring, cupcake tins and papers, a few small spoons, and vanilla frosting if desired.

Getting Started: Get your batter all mixed up and ready according to the box instructions. Then, designate a bowl for each color batter you want to make. If you wanted to use the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, you would divide the batter into three bowls. After you’ve dropped two to four drops of food dye in the separate bowls, stir them well to make sure the dye has been evenly distributed.

Next, grab your spoon and scoop up the first color of batter you want. Place the contents of the spoon directly into one of the cupcake papers in the tin.

Then, grab a second spoon to scoop up another color and layer it on top of the first layer. The layers can be as messy or uneven as you want; it only makes the cupcake look cooler. Add as many layers of colors as you want in one cupcake until the paper is half-full.

This is where you can be as creative as you want.

You don’t have to use the same layer of colors in each cupcake. Let your creativity take over, and watch your stress melt away as you have fun creating the most colorful cupcakes around. When you’re satisfied, place the cupcakes in the oven for the designated amount of time, designated by the cake mix box.

Rainbow Frosting: If you want to take that extra step to make sure your tie-dye cupcakes look rainbow-tastic, you can add color to your frosting. Making rainbow frosting is way easier than any professional cake-frosting

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Image Credit:www.ohcupcakes.net

artist makes it look. First, you will need a decorating bag to hold your frosting, and of course, the vanilla frosting itself. If you don’t have a decorating bag, Ziploc bags usually work just as well – you just need to cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag that should measure the size of the frosting trail you’re leaving on your cupcakes. A rainbow design on your cupcakes can be made easily with the use of paste food coloring. The more colors of the paste food dye you have, the better the frosting looks.

To apply the dye to the frosting, you’re not actually going to directly mix the two. Instead, smear a thin strip of each color on the inside of your frosting bag vertically. Make sure there’s a little bit of space between colors. When you’re finished with this step, the inside of your frosting bag should look as it does in the picture above. All you need to do from here is put your white frosting into the bag and let the colors blend automatically when the frosting is being squeezed out. When you’re squeezing out the frosting, you can move around the frosting trail so that it comes out in swirls, allowing all of the colors to show up.

Once you’ve finished, clean up your workstation, put your masterpiece on Instagram, and enjoy one for yourself!

AN ENVIRONMENTAL YEAR IN REVIEW, BY LIAM DONAHER ESF Accomplishments

Global Accomplishments

Personal Accomplishments

Climate MarchESF was proudly represented in 2014’s Climate March in New York City- the largest climate march to date. On September 21st, 400,000 students, celebrities, scientists, politicians and activists took to the streets of the Big Apple, in the hope of bringing attention to the world’s threatened climate. (Read more about the Climate March in the November issue.)

Fracking and GassingFracking gained attention with the media this year as health concerns were being voiced all over the country: From carcinogenic agents in the air, to chemical pollutants in the groundwater-some even blame the spike in mild earthquakes for the fracking boom. On the other hand, I’m sure everyone else is enjoying the dip in oil prices.

Finished watching Parks and Recreation season 7. It was pretty good.

Earth LecturesDr. Robin Kimmerer and President Wheeler were among the guest speakers who presented for the Earth Lecture series. During college hour every Wednesday, students were able to sit and enjoy environmentally-themed lectures ranging from the indigenous practices of Native Americas to the 6th global extinction.

Keystone pipelineEarly this year, Obama issued the third veto of his presidential career, rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act. This would have brought on an additional 325 miles of pipeline across the Midwestern US from Canada to Texas. This extension of the existing Keystone pipeline has been the subject of political debate since its proposal in 2008.

Got praised for recycling a pizza box. Recycling is something you should do, like me. I am very conscience about the environment. Recycle and save the world from global warming!

Saving the American ChestnutBy the winter of 2014, scientists working with ESF had successfully developed a blight-resistant American chestnut tree strain, in hopes of preventing any further spread of the chestnut blight fungus. This project intends on planting 10,000 blightresistant trees in the next 5 years as part of the Ten Thousand Chestnut Challenge.

BioblitzAs part of the inaugural celebration, a bioblitz was held at Onondaga Lake, where students and faculty spent 24 hours cataloging as many species as they could find in the lake area. With the help of a few dozen people, the final total added up to nearly 430 species!

Pacific Marine ReserveNearly 500,000 square miles, or the area of nine New York States, were preserved in the Pacific ocean by the Obama administration. Created to protect, marine biodiversity, it will prevent commercial fishing and other exploitation of marine resources.

Got reprimanded for recycling a pizza box. Still unclear on pizza box recyleability.

Hottest year to date2014 recorded the warmest global temperatures since modern records have been kept, according to the NOAA and NASA.

Ate 2 entire pizzas.

Inauguration of President WheelerOn September 12th, Quentin Wheeler was sworn in as the 4th president of SUNY ESF, the theme being “The New American Environmentalism.” If you weren’t one of the hundreds of people attending the inaugural ceremony, perhaps you enjoyed the games, music, and food on the quad after the event took place!

Troubling CO2 levelsThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also released a report in November officially commenting on the abnormally high CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, a statistic that may already have caused irreversible damage to natural systems worldwide.

Went to the zoo last weekend, but all I saw was a dog. It was a Shih Tzu.

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Ask-a-Nut

Five USeless Facts

Dear Nut,

(You could have gone your whole life not knowing, but will feel better once you do)

I’m a bit absent minded and it’s starting to get in the way of my life. Almost every time that I leave my dorm room lately, I’ve been forgetting my keys! I think my roommate is starting to get annoyed with having to let me in all the time, and having to go to the front desk when my roommate isn’t around is such a hassle. What are some good ways to prevent me from forgetting my keys whenever I go anywhere?

Sincerely,

Scott M. Przybyla Jr.

1. The lever handle doorknob was designed to have a lever that you turn instead of a knob, so that you can open it with your elbow.

Forgets Often, Really Gotta Eliminate This From Unraveling Life Dear Forgetful, The most obvious solution to your problem is to just leave your dorm and start living outside. It’s spring now so you won’t have to worry about the cold, and when you don’t have a set place to live in, you don’t have any keys to forget! Not living in the dorms will help save you a ton of money too, so it’s really a win-win when you think about it. Plus, the fresh air might help clear your mind and make you less forgetful!

If living outside is too much of a drastic change for you, then maybe you should try gluing your keys to your hand. Lots of things only require one hand to do anyway, so it’s not like it would interfere with everyday life all that much anyway.

You would get used to having your keys with you at all times and would be less likely to forget them even if you stop gluing them to your hand for some reason.

If worst comes to worst, just leave your room open at all times, you can usually trust strangers not to walk in and steal stuff. Whatever you choose, these strategies should help you “forget” your key problem in no time.

-Nut Please Note: The question above is not a real question asked by an ESF student. The views/opinions expressed in the Ask a Nut column are not representative of the Knothole staff. It is meant to be entirely satirical, ridiculous and nonsensical.

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2. Roman Emperor Caligula loved his horse so much that it was given a posi on in the government as consul, had eight servants at all mes, and was fed oats mixed with gold flakes.

3. Medusa, from classical mythology, was turned into a gorgon by Athena, a er Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s Temple.

4. Of the all the extant land mammals in the world, elephants are the only ones without the ability to jump.

5. Musk-Oxen are actually more closely related to goats than they are cows. They were assumed to be ca le because of their size, but in actuality they are just really big goats.

Weird Creature Spottight Stephen Scaduto All too often on Weird Creature Spotlight, we focus on creatures that are a bit lacking in the looks department. From the blobfish to welwitschia, most of the organisms that we’ve met are among the frumpiest in the world. This time, we seek to remedy that with a little help from our fashionable friend; the yeti crab.

Discovered in 2005 on the seafloor of the South Pacific (near the Antarctic Ridge), the yeti crab stands out because of the voluminous hair on its claws and legs. Having thick, beautiful hair keeps the yeti crab looking good despite the fact that the Image Credit: reallyweirdanimals.com species has extremely reduced eyes (there’s very crab sense its environment (its eyes are useless, little need for vision when you live on the dark after all). Honestly, the only downside to having so seafloor). Beauty aside, the yeti crab’s hair is usemany setae is that the yeti crab is forced to spend a ful in many ways. The crab’s “hair” isn’t actually ton of money on shampoo and conditioner. hair but is made up of setae, bristle-like structures All in all, the yeti crab shows us that beauty doesn’t used to house bacteria. Nobody knows for sure, but always have to come with a price; and that being it is believed that the yeti crab uses these bacteria a weird creature doesn’t necessarily make you an to remove toxic minerals from the water that are ugly one. Due to its habitat and recent discovery, released by the volcanic vents near which it lives. it’s difficult to determine the conservation status of The yeti crab may also use these bacteria as a food the yeti crab, although it is believed to have a very source, although the crab is believed to primarily limited range. Hopefully, this crab continues to be feed on prey such as shrimp and mussels. Furthersuccessful so that we can enjoy it (and its luscious more, the setae may also be used to help the yeti locks) for many years to come.

History of the Knothole Isabella Kaplan

Let’s jump back to 1963. It was a year that many iconic symbols of American culture were born. Coca-Cola came out with its first drink, the original James Bond movie appeared in theaters, and “Beatlemania” was on the rise with the release of the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. Yet it was also a time of sadness, conspiracy, and change.

America was still in the midst of the Cold War and the early days of the Vietnam War. In that year, America witnessed the death of the very popular President John F. Kennedy. This year has been studied, glorified, and condemned by historians, sociologists, philosophers, writers, and the media.

What was ESF like during such a time?

Even with the decade-long gap between the first Knothole article I read and the article from May 1963, not much has changed. On the cover of each issue was a beautiful drawing of a piece of wood. Inside the Knothole was a sketch of how our ESF campus looked in the early ‘60s. Sprawled across in huge bubble letters read, “Our campus as seen through the Knothole.” Like the previous one, the Knothole simply focused on the current local events of our small campus. The difference

is, however, it was no longer a collection of tiny paragraphs and advertisements, but consisted of a couple of two page essays. One discussed the topic of finals, and one was on the importance of traditions and the belief that students must be respectful to their classmates, professors and the school itself.

In the latter article, the animosity between peers was highlighted through the relationship between ESF students and the “cross-campus kiddies,” what the writer called ESF students who were “[only] here because education [was] cheap” and were just looking to partake in the SU party culture or Greek life. These “fun loving student[s]” were not interested in forestry and “became disenchanted with their four years here but haven’t the strength or conviction…to get out”, says the article. These words may seem harsh, but between the criticisms for a small niche of students comes across a feeling of great pride and love for ESF. Although the Knothole has a great relationship with SU students today, its love for ESF has not weakened over the past 52 years. I cannot wait to find what other secrets hide in those old articles to share with you!

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Senior Farewell

Jennifer Louie

Recently, I sat for my senior portrait. There were a dozen different portraits to tell the world I had finally made it. And it’s been a pretty rough couple of years, starting from 2010.

Back in 2010, I was accepted to ESF as a transfer student. Transfer and first year students of ESF were housed at the three Skyhall dorms on South Campus. Sure, I had experience with snow, but nothing like this. My first academic year in Syracuse felt like living in a perpetual snow globe.

Fast forward to Fall 2011. Old demons I thought I had warded off came back with a vengeance. I succumbed rather easily. I’m talking about being in the deep doldrums; medically speaking, I was going through a major depressive episode. I reluctantly left for two years, constantly yearning to return and be among friends.

I was queasy, uncertain, and anxious, but I made it to Fall 2013, where enough professionals deemed it “ok” for me to return to school. There have been hiccups here and there, though I’d say I’ve done remarkably well considering my past run-ins with depression.

To all of you struggling with a mood disorder, or even just stressed because you’re just trying to

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make it through your time in school, I’m here to say it’s possible to do it. If you’re a type-A, perfectionist like me, you’re going to have to accept some things that are more achievable than always getting straight A’s and being executive board members of all your extracurricular activities. I’ve had to retrain myself to strive for the possible and attainable, not the impossible. That isn’t to say you can’t dream – just set the bar for challenges you can stride towards, not ones you have to bleed needlessly for.

Before I go, let me impart some senior wisdom.

Enjoy all the experiences that college has to offer, however, don’t take school too seriously, especially not to the point where you become physically and mentally ill from it – I mean do well, but look at the total time as a stepping stone towards your future career.

It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to my favorite ESF publication. Now I may have figured out my way at ESF, but I’ll always be wondering about the things I didn’t get to do while at ESF. In the spirit of all things Knothole, I leave you with a completely unrelated, fun question: who the heck rides the SU Quad Shuttle and where the heck does it go?

Co-Managing Editors Jen Louie Grace Belisle

Head Layout

Terrance caviness

Layout Staff

Mark Tepper Scott Przybyla Editorial Staff Katie Oran Isabella Kaplan Grace Anderson LJ Jerome

Advisor

Karen Moore

Writers Stephen Scaduto Isabella Kaplan Katie Oran Liam Donaher Julia Hart Jen Louie Scott Przybyla Heidi Faulkner April Brun LJ Jerome Kelly Mascarenhas Carly Benson

Art Mark Tepper Sara Maximowicz Leia Scalley Joey O’reilly Scott Przybyla

Mission Statement The Knothole is a monthly SUNY-ESF publication composed by the student body. It is rooted in the spirit of ESF, and branches out into the broader community to inform and inspire. We hope to provide an eclectic mix of art and articles which spark discussion, inspire creativity, and increase awareness

Student Life & The Environm ent • THE KNOTHOLE • 15

Mother Katarina Bagri Carving out your crevices I cradle you Elongate your stem And awe in your innocence I’ll give you my last breath If you need it You won’t have to ask I’ll feel it I know it’s not your fault Aster But you can’t blame them either

Complexity yearns more complexity They never stood a chance, Blinded to simplicity I realized at first glance.

Maybe it is my liability I’m sorry.

I never give up, I promise I’ll sway your waves to sleep at night Kiss your ridges good morning And sing to your fawns in delight.

Art by Sara Maximowicz

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