The Knothole Volume 67 Issue 2

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October 29, 2012

Volume 67, Issue 2

“MAYBE ONE DAY WE CAN BREAK THE WALL THAT SEPaRATES OUR TWO WORLDS...”

PPPOUT NOW! SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY!PPP Election//Halloween//Smut//News//Parties//Meditation

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THE KNOTHOLE

is the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry’s exclusive monthly student publication. The contents of the publication include recent and upcoming event coverage, interviews, editorials, opinion articles, political cartoons, artwork, poetry, club announcements, and much more.

SUNY-ESF students are able to make submissions at The Knothole office in 12D Bray Hall (BraySpace) or by email at esfknothole@gmail.com before 6:00PM on Tuesdays the week before the next issue is published.

The

Knothole meets every other Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the basement of Bray Hall. If you are interested in attending, please send us an email at esfknothole@ gmail.com so we can expect you!

Co-Managing Editors Heather Helman Gavin Cohen Layout & Design Meg Callaghan Christian Hill Treasurer Hui Lin

Advisor Karen Moore

Editorial Staff Brigitte Moneymaker Emily Adams

Printer Scotsman Press

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he mission of The Knothole is to provide its readers with writings that are both stimulating and contemporary: to inform its students of clubs, events, and off-campus happenings, to challenge a world driven by progress to uncover the truth about current environmental policies and innovations, and to express such ideas, ingeniously and collectively.

We are not a newspaper; we are not a magazine; we are not The Daily Orange.

We are simply created by Stumpies, for Stumpies... and we like it that way.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the writers only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publication’s staff or anyone affiliated with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry.

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Letter From The Editor

Here at the Knothole, we have an expression: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….Wait, no. I’m wrong. That’s definitely just the poem on the Statue of Liberty. I’m sorry, I’m just so tired...

It’s that time of the semester, and all of you really do look like those huddled masses Emma Lazarus was writing about, brooding in Moon Library with stacks of textbooks and empty take out containers littering the tables. We’ll get through this together, okay? I mean, it’s practically Thanksgiving break already.

Don’t miss the stumpy response to Playboy on page 10, and get all the dirty details on ESF’s relationship with the Monsanto Corporation on page 3. And, we’re proud to announce that Ask-a-Nut is back in action, lending you all the sage advice that can only be given by a total nut. Send your burning questions to him at esfknothole@gmail.com!

Happy Halloween!

Heather

Inside Issue #2: News Flash..................................................3

Election updates...................................3

ESF loves Monsanto?............................3 Around the Quad....................................4&5

Crime, parties, & the police..................5 For your health!...........................................6

Something to Meditate on....................6 Greater Syracuse.........................................7

The future of newspapers.....................7 Halloweeny.............................................8&9 Smut..........................................................10

We hate you, Playboy.........................10 November..................................................11

Things to do on a tight budget.............11 MindSpill...................................................16 Cover Photo: http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/10/17/the-presidential-debates

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

News Flash!

Letter to the Knothole: Civility

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n Friday, October 12 I witnessed an incident on the ESF quad that I wish I had not seen and that I hope will never occur again. Upon exiting Bray Hall and overlooking the quad, I overhead a small group of ESF students screaming at a young lady that was traversing from corner to corner across the quad. Included in the shouts were such epithets as “F *** you, B****!” and “Go back to SU where you came from!”

I can appreciate the desire and the tenacity with which the ESF student body protects the quad tradition, but the manner in which this was conducted,

in this instance, rises to disrespectful, rude and boorish behavior. There is a direct correlation between caring for the environment and caring for people.

Ultimately, isn’t the impact upon people what caring for the environment is all about? Yeah, maybe you didn’t like someone walking across the quad, but treating an individual in this manner is extremely shallow and seems to me to directly contradict the caring for others that should be reflected in what you’re learning at ESF and how you conduct yourselves in the world. Students are the ambassadors of SUNY ESF and

carry the mantel of its programs into the future. How you treat others, including that poor young woman that walked across the quad, matters and the actions of every student reflect on institution and what others think of all of us. Manners and civility will take you further in advancing the mission of ESF than will bullying and crude behavior. I hope that the vast majority of ESF students that already know this will help to mentor those few among them that do not.

Brian Boothroyd Assistant Director of Physical Plant for Facilities, SUNY-ESF

Election? What Election?

Meg Callaghan, 2014

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t this time of the year, if you have not heard of the upcoming presidential election, you must be living under a rock.

But at ESF, I honestly would not be that surprised if some of us are in fact living under rocks in order to be closer to nature.

While ignorance is bliss, elections are a time when all United States citizens, over the age of 18 and registered to vote, have the chance to state their opinions towards who should lead our local, state, or federal governments.

As my family always says, if you do not vote, then you cannot complain.

This year, Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th, covering local and state governments (depending on your area) as well as

the presidential election.

In New York State, positions are open for senators, congressmen, and local representatives, depending on your locality.

For state election candidate information, check out http://www.washingtontimes. com/campaign-2012/NY/.

For the presidential elections, current President Barrack Obama (D) is running for re-election against former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney (R), Green party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. If you are unsure of what candidate you side with the most, I recommend checking out

http://www.isidewith.com to find out via an anonymous election quiz.

Most importantly, you must be registered to vote for any governmental elections. For NYS, you must register via mail postmarked by October 12 (about two weeks ago) or in person by October 26 (three days ago). If you have missed this opportunity, I am sorry to inform you after the fact. Next time, I would recommend checking out deadlines two months before Election Day, especially if you will be mailing applications. These are only the deadlines for New York, so check out your home state for deadlines if you are an outof-state student.

See Election, pg. 13

Monsanto’s Looming Shadow Over SUNY-ESF Alyssa Grace Janes, 2013

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here is a problem here on campus that we are all exposed to every day, though many of us don’t even realize it: the use of herbicides on our quad. The herbicide has been identified as Monsanto’s popular product Roundup. Many perspectives among faculty and staff remain regarding its effects on various species and the ecosystems it has been exposed to, along with its usefulness as a controlling mechanism for invasive species removal. However, the principle root of Roundup’s usage on our quad is not as open to quantitative viewpoints within the ESF campus community.

Monsanto Company is a multinational corporation focused primarily on large-scale agricultural biotechnology endeavors. The company is responsible for manufacturing the greatest amount of glyphosate herbicide out of all other glyphosate-producing companies through their Roundup products for all weed control use ranging from sidewalks and lawns (like our quad) to huge commercial agribusiness crop fields around the globe.

If you had to pick just one major company that could pose as the “poster industry” for corporate greed, arrogance, scandal,

and hardball business practices, Monsanto would claim this position without much effort on their part. They attempt to take credit for increasing crop yields around the globe with their genetically modified (GM) crops (otherwise known as “Roundup Ready” crops, which include soy, maize, canola [i.e. rapeseed], and sugar beet with wheat and alfalfa still undergoing development), when they are actually attempting to monopolize the world’s agriculture businesses by forcing nations around the world to cease traditional and sustainable farming practices See Monsanto, pg. 12

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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Around the Quad

AXS Test Files: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Brigitte Moneymaker, 2014

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he test files located in the basement of Bray Hall are a student-organized service that may be seeing the last of its days.

If you are an ESF student, then there is a very good chance that you have utilized the test files in Bray Space to study for your tests for quizzes. This resource is available to students through the funding and organization of the ESF Honor Society of Alpha Xi Sigma.

Many students do not realize that the test files are not mandatory for AXS to run and it is within our rights as a club to take this service away if students do not show respect for our efforts. There have been numerous complaints made, not only to AXS members, but faculty and staff of Student Involvement and other offices that have no affiliation whatsoever with the service.

The test files were originally offered by the ESF Bookstore and

sponsored through the Alumni Association. When the Association decided not to provide this service any longer, AXS stepped in began to run the resource on their own accord. The test files are now organized through an officer of AXS and members of the society volunteer their time every week in order to make sure the files stay open on a semi-regular basis every week. This may sound simple, but synchronizing the schedules of all the students involved, every hour, every week becomes complicated quickly.

Our society takes the necessary steps to try and make sure that there are no gaps in the schedules and that people are showing up for every shift, but sometimes mistakes happen.

If you go to test files at a time it is supposed to be open and do not see anyone there, please do not panic.

Do not go to the office across the hall and complain to Laura Crandall, Liz

Mix, or anyone else in that office. The correct behavior is to act like a civilized human being and calmly come back later. If you find that there is a continued absence at a time when someone is scheduled, please feel free to send a polite email to AXS and let us know.

We will look into the matter and figure out if there is a miscommunication somewhere, or if someone is neglecting their responsibilities for working a certain shift.

If this unfortunately happens to you, do not under any circumstances obtain the key for the cabinet and attempt to access the files yourselves.

There are detailed records of who has the key at what times and we will know if unauthorized people are breaking in.

Additionally, AXS is under strict orders not to allow any material from a class that a professor has forbidden to be distributed. If a professor decides to come See Test Files, pg. 13

Student Involvment in Gateway Design Process Anna Butler, 2014

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any students around campus October 25th for one of ESF’s major do not know exactly what will fundraising events, the Feinstone be in the Gateway Building, or when Awards Banquet. The building will it will open. Even more students feel not be open publically, however, until as though they have not contributed mid-November at the earliest. “Realto the decision of what will be inside istically, we’re looking at the start of the building. I interviewed several the spring semester,” said Boothroyd. authorities on the Gateway Building to

Even though the building will shed some light on these issues. be open, what facilities will be ready at

Student amenities in the that time is another complicated quesGateway Building will include wireless tion. It is possible that the café will not internet service, a café, a concourse Artistic rendering of the Gateway Building. Source: esf.edu be ready due to the college’s ongoing with tables and chairs for café seating attempts to find a food vendor. They more complex. It was supposed to open as well as lounge seating, a larger locaare trying to combine common campus this past July, but was delayed due to a tion for the current campus bookstore, tastes (such as vegan, vegetarian, and “Combination of manpower availability, and a fitness center. Students might also local foods) with the best economical some design changes, and some coordifind themselves at the Gateway buildfit.

“We’re still working out a lot of the nation issues between building compoing for class, as the building’s LEED details,” said Rufo. nents,” said Brian Boothroyd, Facilities Platinum certified heat and power plant,

As for the gym, it will definitely Design and Construction Coordinator. green roof, rain gardens, and display of not be ready when the building opens.

Both Boothroyd and Joseph Rufo, Vice the Roosevelt Wild Life collection will The college does not currently have the President of Administration, agreed that provide multiple learning opportunities. funding to put workout equipment in the the campus was not notified of these

The answer to the question space.

The date for the fitness center’s delays. of when Gateway will be open is a bit opening is

The building opened briefly on

See Gateway, pg. 12

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THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

Around the Quad

Humans of ESF Emily Adams, 2014

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his is the second installment of The Knothole’s new “Humans of ESF” feature, which began in the previous issue.

Stay posted throughout the year for more of your fellow stumpies worth getting to know!

Leah Thon, Conservation Biology, 21 When I asked Leah Thon for an interview, she agreed without hesitation.

A naturally friendly person, Leah seemed genuinely happy to talk about her interests and obligations.

Leah transferred to ESF from SUNY Potsdam. At Potsdam she was enrolled in geology courses, but was not satisfied.

“I wanted to study more environmental stuff, and Potsdam didn’t have that”, Leah confesses. “Transferring was well worth it, Leah explains, “I love ESF, I think it’s so awesome that no matter who you talk to, you can find something similar between them and you.”

When I asked about her hobbies, Leah’s true ESF spirit was revealed. “I like being outside, and hiking”, she says.

She then admits something that most people don’t know about her. “I’m really into science fiction shows, especially Star Trek”, she said. She seemed a little embarrassed about admitting this, until I began gushing about our mutual love for everything science fiction. She laughed at my enthusiasm, adding, “We should watch Star Trek together!”

When I asked Leah about where she sees herself in five years, she sat back and thought carefully before speaking. “I honestly don’t even know where I’ll be a year from now”, she admits. “I know that

I’d like to be a park ranger, traveling, and have a garden.”

Carl Longchamps, 23, Junior, Environmental Science: Renewable Energy Concentration “You can call me Crazy Carlos”, Carl joked as I began interviewing him. “Can I write that?” I joked back, expecting opposition.

He did not miss a beat.

“Yeah, write that!”

Carl Longchamps transferred to ESF from Onondaga Community College last spring. His major before he transferred was Math and Science.

Understandably, this was not specific enough for See Humans, pg. 13

Crime, Parties, and the Police: Correlation or Causation?

Gabrielle Alper, 2014 & Liane Derosa, 2014

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ithin the last two months, you may have noticed a profound increase in the amount of reported crimes committed in the surrounding off-campus area. These crimes include robberies, assault and burglary. Generally, the incidents occur on late Friday and Saturday nights when victims are alone in an area of low traffic.

Theories of causation are leaning towards gang violence, brought on by inner-city residents coming to the campus area. Upon interview, an officer of the City of Syracuse Police Department stated that he does not believe crime rates have increased this year, contrary to DPS crime alerts. A lot of students have taken notice and are disappointed at the lack of effort by their local law enforcement agencies.

One place were police efforts have been noticed, however, is the significant increase college house parties being dismantled by the authorities. The hosts of

these parties have reported being ticketed and charged by various police agencies.

Between the two observations, you cannot help but wonder if they are related.

Is there a correlation between the disassembling of house parties and criminal incidents? There is no direct experimental data on the issue, however, which makes it difficult to test. In the case of crime in Syracuse, an observational study would be an appropriate first step.

The next step would be to address the crime reports of the past few years and compare them to the most recent reports.

According to DPS crime alert records, there have been more incidents so far in 2012 than overall crimes in the past three years.

We brought this to the attention of a City of Syracuse officer, asking whether or not he saw a correlation between crime and parties being broken up.

He said he did not believe there

was a correlation due to the amount of crimes that occur over breaks when students are away. He also stated that parties are mainly broken up because neighbors call the police and complain.

When we asked why Police have started wearing bulletproof vests and showing up in unmarked SUVs to break up parties, he responded somewhat defensively, stating that he, “Cannot report on what branch of law enforcement [that was].” He also said, “Unless we’re seeing insane shit, we don’t want to break up your parties.” The crime analysis unit would not comment on the subject.

A popular theory of ours is that local law enforcement agencies are using social networking sites such as Facebook as a primary resource to information on party locations. Stop creating events on Facebook to announce your agenda. If you insist on using social See Crime, pg. 13

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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For your health!

Something to Meditate On Liane DeRosa, 2014

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s students of ESF, we have access to many of the great opportunities that Syracuse University has to offer.

It is important to take advantage of this, as every college student does not have the ability to switch between a personal, small school experience and a large, affluent one.

There are many forms of meditation as there is no set of laws or definitions. All forms seem to have one common goal, an altered state of consciousness. This simply means to silently engage in deep contemplation or self-reflection in order to feel more relaxed and in control of one’s mental stability.

For some, the appeal of meditation is that it lacks the baggage of

committing to a religious organization, while still manifesting the same benefits of one. Meditation has the ability to create a more holistic and interconnected view of life. You will feel more relaxed and concentrated. Meditation is about consciousness and religious beliefs fall trivial. Meditative practices do not discriminate and there are no boundaries as to who can meditate.

With that said, Hendricks Chapel is an important resource to those of us interested in pursuing meditative practices. The Buddhist Chaplain of Hendricks; Jikyo Bonnie Shoultz, is responsible for many of these practices. Shoultz and the Zen Center of Syracuse, located on W. Seneca Turnpike, both provide a large re-

source to the students of this campus.

They make a large effort to emphasize that students of all faiths are welcome.

Chaplain Shoultz also offers additional sittings and teaches some classes at SU. I have attempted to set up an interview with her, so stay tuned for the next month’s addition. Further insight and information will be provided.

Meditation Schedule for Fall 2012:

Mon./Tues., 12 – 1:00 pm Wed., 5:30 – 6:30pm Thurs., 12:30- 1:30pm Fri., 11-12:00 pm (Small Chapel), 10pm – 11:00pm (Archibold)

Note: All services occur in the Small Chapel of Hendricks, which is located on the lower level.

Oakie’s Super Summer Camp: What Our Beloved Mascot Does in the Off-Season Isaac Black, 2014

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he sun rises on the Swiss Alps with the same ferocity as one might imagine seeing light for the first time as a child coming out of the womb. The sky is sharp with red-orange flames of pure radiant brilliance, all of which are escalated due to the pure white reflective snow encasing you in a tomb of ice.

This is just one morning of many for our favorite nut, Oakie.

During the summer, our mischievous and elusive mascot does not just sit around and soak up the rays from here in Syracuse, he lives a fantastic and secretive life that we can only dream of. When not conquering one of the many high peaks in the Alps, he is out scouring the globe searching for the next big thing.

Between these adventures, Oakie has taken the time to share with me some of his past exploits of this past summer.

Last summer our outrageous nut went to some of the oldest and most secretive monasteries in the Himalayas to study the ancient art of yoga. This is not your typical sororitygirl-purple-mat kind of yoga, but rather the kind that has been steeped in the

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old ways of crazy, lonely monks studying the very essence of contortion and breathing. Oakie quickly raised through the ranks of these depraved master stretchers, proving his superior tantric knowledge, and grew to be the honorary Master Yogi-Nut. Oakie grew bored of the monastery and their overbearing prudence and set off to teach the world of his new found yogastic-learnings. He traveled much of the Far East practicing his tantric learning and gaining followers by the scores.

By July Oakie had made it back to the United States via Russian contraband smugglers into Canada and eventually hitchhiked down the west coast into Washington and Oregon. Once in Oregon, he was scouted by Nut-enthusiasts who swept him off his proverbial feet into the 35th Annual Nut Pageant.

Oakie was competing against some of the most talented and downright gorgeous nuts around, including but not limited to: the promiscuous Bur Oak nut, the scandalous Hazelnut, and the most bodacious of bosoms from the Chestnut. Fear not, my fellow oak fans!

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

We can rejoice because our favorite acorn blew the competition out of the soil. With his victory in the Nut pageant and his ever-constant lust for life itself, Oakie moved on down the Coast where he found himself amongst the oldest and tallest of his distant cousins, the Redwoods. Oakie would not go into much detail about his exploits with the Redwoods, but upon insistence he assured me of his fondness for older women, or in this case, trees.

After the west coast, Oakie told me of his brief exploits in London.

He was lucky enough indeed to land a gig as an Olympic judge. I inquired with feverish curiosity to what event and without hesitation Oakie replied, “Karate!” posing in a fearsome Kata.

What sorts of shenanigans will our mascot get into next summer?

Where will his lust for all things living and bark take him? These questions and more flood my mind. But for now, you can catch up with Oakie at any one of our many campus events.

Greater syracuse

Coffee & Your Morning Paper

Post-Standard lays off 115 Emily Lawson, 2012

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here is no place like home, but a local coffee shop that cares for its customers can be lifeline in a time of need.

Earlier this month, Freedom of Espresso opened its doors to employees of The Post-Standard as they waited to find out if they still had jobs. The local newspaper’s cooperate ownership told the staff earlier this year that the cuts were coming. Last week, anxious writers, editors, photographers and press operators found out if they would survive the bloodletting.

The workers needed a space that was both private and public, somewhere they felt comfortable, somewhere they could gather to wait, worry and cry.

Freedom of Espresso was glad to provide a safe space for PostStandard employees during the layoffs.

Anna Dobbs, one of the owners, was approached by a longtime customer and employee of The Post-Standard a few days prior to the October 1st layoffs hoping to have a place to gather.

When Anna was told some employees might be crying in their cars, she reached out to help. “Envision that,” Anna said, at the thought of people crying, alone in their cars after finding out this life altering news.

“Not only can they come here,” Anna told the employee, “I’ll buy their coffee.”

The Post-Standard is owned

by Advance Publications Inc., which has over 30 other affiliated newspapers, many of which are going through similar upheavals, which include cutting home delivery from seven to three days a week.

Syracuse’s local newspaper has been covering the community for over 100 years and used to be one of many print publications in the city.

According to a former reporter and editor, the decision to slash the staff

is not about journalism, it is about business.

“The Post-Standard staff has done a remarkably good job of engaging readers online, making Syracuse.com the largest news portal in Central New York,” said Greg Munno, now a Ph.D. student at the Newhouse School of Syracuse University. “But Advance Publications’ focus is on cutting the costs associated with a legacy organization like The Post-Standard. In a way, the success of Syracuse.com has hastened the demise of the people that made it successful.”

The atmosphere surrounding the table of friends and fellow writers at Freedom of Espresso on the fateful day was a positive one.

The group was comprised of men and women, some waiting to hear of their job status, and others who already found out, job or no job.

While everyone refused to give names with their comments, one editor (who had been with the paper for almost 30 years) shared his fondness for his fellow writers and the Freedom coffee shop. He stated that he spent his formative years at the paper with these people and was glad there was a

See Post-Standard, pg. 13

Big Changes in Downtown Syracuse Yocasta Pichardo, 2013

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n Sept. 4, the Centro bus system made a drastic change. Centro spent $18.8 million dollars on a new bus transit hub that officially opened this semester. I had some spare time over the weekend to explore the new transit hub, and I must say that I love it. In my opinion, it is so much better than the old bus stops that were located at the East Fayette Street and South Salina intersection. Now, it is located three blocks away at South Salina and East Adams Street.

The new transit bus hub seems to be more organized than the old bus system. There are 22 terminals for each of the buses that drive all around Syracuse. It appears to have fewer loiterers compared to the old bus stop location. This could be a result of the closed-off environment, or the fact that there are always at least one or two police officers present. Either way, the overall feel is a safer environment for travel. Additionally, as a student it is now even easier to roam around Syr-

acuse. Every bus that stops at the bus stop between Bird Library and Schine (on Syracuse University’s campus) will take you to the downtown Centro transit hub. From there, you can easily look for the terminal that shows the destination of your choice. Another great aspect of the new Centro transit hub is that it has an indoor waiting area, so there is no more waiting in the freezing cold.

What is there not to like about the new transit hub?

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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Halloween Aro

Cecilia Wal

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ith the spirit of spirits upon us, many of us are preparing for Halloween parties by dres must look ridiculous. You do what with that orange squash? Why are there all these p we take the time to step back from our modern traditions to when All Hallow’s Eve was a cele On the Isle of Man, October 31st is known as Hop-tu-Naa, this day is a celebration of “Oie Houney”, the original New Year’s Eve (before the Celtic new year was moved to the secular new year of January 1st). Instead of pumpkins, children carry a hollowedout carved turnip lantern as they go door to door, asking for sweets.

On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month of each year, the Chinese celebrate Yu Lan, or the Ghost Festival. During this time, they make food offerings and burn paper clothes, daily necessities, and luxury items (also made of paper) to appease spirits who come out of the gates of Hell. (See Christian Hill’s article “American Halloween vs. Chinese Moon Festival” below!)

Cambodian Buddhists celebrate Pak Ben, a 14-day period during which they offer food and gifts to monks living in the local pagoda, as well as to their ancestors. Batches of rice mixed with sesame seeds are spread along the ground in front of the pagoda for hungry ghosts.

American Halloween vs. Chinese Moon Festival Christian Hill, 2014

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traditions or events that happen during the festival?

“I think that ordinary people, they just eat moon cakes and fruit, and get the whole family together.

And then while eating they enjoy the moonlight. That’s what people do nowadays.”

For those who do not know what a moon cake is, it is a small, decorated, round cake that is usually made of bean or lotus paste. They are delicious and you should probably get your hands on some.

What are the main differences between what you see as Halloween in America and what you see as the Mid-Autumn Festival in China?

“I really think that the Moon Festival is a little more like Thanksgiving, not like Halloween. Because you harvest and you reunite. Halloween is like a fun day, children have mischief, get candies, you know, just party, all that. The Moon Festival is supposed to be very peaceful, and you reunite and enjoy the moonlight. You enjoy it. But Halloween, you play! One is to reunite and the other is the opposite. [Halloween] is more to have the kids be away from their parents or the grown-ups.”

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

There are many stories and legends told to children about the festival, but they are more like fables than ghost stories. Even the music between the two holidays is a representation of the themes. Mid-Autumn Festival music is very peaceful and pretty, Halloween music is usually eerie and frightening.

“Even though [Halloween stories] have these ghosts and all that, it’s more mischief, it’s not the good side of ghosts, it’s more like the scary side. Of course, it’s all pretending.”

Did you celebrate it a lot when you were in China?

“When I was in China, when I was growing up, we didn’t have a day off, so there was not much to do because the tradition is that mid-autumn is still harvesting time, you know [for] the farmers ... most people were farmers. So they really don’t have time to celebrate. But nowadays they have days off, you know in the city, they have several days off, so they can celebrate. But what was there to celebrate [back then]? Because China was very poor before. So you have moon cakes [but they] are like a treat.”

See Moon Fest, pg. 15

Background photo is Chang’e the Moon Goddess

or those of you who are unaware, a holiday celebrated in China known as the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, pronounced zhōng qiū jié) occurred this past September 31st. Also known as the Moon Festival, this festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

It usually occurs in late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, which we are all more familiar with. This festival has been a tradition in China for over a thousand years. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with my Chinese language professor over at Syracuse University about this festival. Professor Lan Jing Zhou (to her students she is Zhou lao shi, ‘lao shi’ meaning ‘teacher’) moved from China to the United States in 1990 and has been teaching Mandarin Chinese since 1996 (with a few gap years in between due to lack of student interest).

I have been taking Chinese for a while, but I have never thoroughly learned about this festival and how it compares to the holiday I know you are all looking forward to celebrating, Halloween. So, out of curiosity I asked her a few questions:

What are some of the main

ound the World

lenza, 2013

ssing up and eating candy. Surely to any international visitor this time of year, we pictures of warty women? Are we really as alone in celebrating as we may think? If ebration honoring the dead, we may find that we are not so alone and strange after all.

In Japan, the Festival of the Dead, also known as the Festival of Lanterns and the Obon Festival, is a time when families prepare offerings of food for the spirits of their ancestors, which are thought to return that night.

Paper lanterns are lit and hung from their houses to help the spirits find their way home. Later, colorful paper lanterns lit by candles are floated down rivers and out to the sea to guide the spirits back to the realm of the dead.

In Southern Italy, families celebrate All Soul’s Day by making a bountiful meal and then going to church and praying all day for the souls of the deceased. Their homes are left open so the spirits can enter and enjoy the food they cooked. If they return and the food is not eaten, it means that the spirits disapproved of their home and will work evil against them in the coming year.

In Germany, October 31st is a twofold celebration: Halloween, the more recent holiday, and Reformationstag (“Day of Reformation”) a religious holiday. In 1517, German church reformer Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

It is also celebrated in Slovenia and Chile. There is also a tradition of hiding your knives in Germany on Halloween night to avoid any encounters with malicious spirits.

Día de los Muertos Hui Xian Lin, 2013

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ía de los muertos, also known as The Day of the Dead, is celebrated every year in Mexico on November 1st (honoring children) and 2nd (honoring adults). In the United States, we tend to avoid the serious topic of death. Death itself is the unknown world that we do not have the slightest knowledge of what goes on, and therefore it is the unspeakable.

Tiptoeing around a sensitive issue is not easy and tends to drive emotions and blood pressures through the roof.

We have to consider looking at other cultures and seeing how other countries embrace and change the ideology of death. Before delving in, history ties other countries to this holiday as well, but they call it “Todos los Santos” meaning “All Saints Day”.

Day of the Dead, from the Aztec and Meso-American civilizations, uses skulls to symbolize death and rebirth and also to honor the death that comes back to visit them. They truly believe in the idea that death is the continuation of life and that life is a dream and in death, you become

truly awake.

Our fear of death and trying to find ways to uncover answers to what is beyond death, how to prolong life, and how to cheat death are not unjustified. The Spaniards also thought of death as the end of life and tried to change the celebrations that the Aztec civilizations had.

Celebrators of Dia de los Muertos visit ancestors’ graves.

The Spaniards thought the Day with each other eating their favorite of the Dead was completely barbaric foods with their loved ones. They may and ridiculous, so they tried to convert also have altars decorated and filled the people to Catholicism and only with things of the deceased. They dress changed the name to Todos los Santos. up, body paint skull images, and write These celebrations in Latin America short poems called Calaveras, “skulls” are similar to Day of the Dead. which talk about funny things having

Day of the Dead is still being to do with the deceased in the past. celebrated today in Mexico. Their fes Rather than avoid or fear tivities are happy and joyous instead of death, laugh at death in the face. Say a mournful and sad, and are watched “La muerte es flaca y no puede by goddess Mictecacihuatl, the godconmigo” Translation? “Death is dess “Lady of the Dead”, who died at skinny/weak and she cannot carry birth. They visit the graves of the loved me.” ones and provide marigold flowers, candles, toys, and tequila. They spend the day in the graveyard spending time Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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SMUT

A Letter to Playboy Magazine Meg Callaghan, 2014

D

ear Playboy Magazine, I would like to start off by saying thank you for your generous consideration of SUNY-ESF in the deliberation of best and worst party schools throughout the United States. I was neither aware that we were nominated for such a list, nor aware that such a list existed.

When I had found out that SUNY-ESF was listed as the worst party school in the country, I had mixed emotions. “Worst” is such a negative

word, yet it means that no other school is as bad as we are, so that is something to take pride in.

Upon further examination, I believe that there may be some misconceptions about our school that you came across through your research.

First of all, are you sure that you mean SUNY-ESF? Because you have a school listed as “SUNY College of Environmental Science of Forestry.”

SUNY-ESF is in fact the “State University of New York College of Envi-

See Playboy, pg. 14

Ranking Smut Magazines: Is it really just for the articles?

Gavin Cohen, 2014

A

s we are all painfully aware, we were recently (or not so recently, depending on when you are reading this) ranked the number one “Worst party school’” in the United States by Playboy Magazine. I was slightly upset, yes, but happy at the same time. Let’s face it – do we really want people coming to ESF to party? I, for one, do not care much for bros or anything of the sort. Anyway, this got me interested in smut magazines, as Playboy basically has the almighty finger on the pulse of youth these days. I was curious to see if Playboy was still delivering on their classical purpose. You would not believe the results I found. I went around to all the magazine vendors and corner stores I could find and catalogued the porn magazines available. I ranked them on three simple categories: explicit material, photo resolution, and writing content. I should note here that all ratings are based on printed material. I had to limit the scope of my research, or else this list would be too far encompassing.

I began my dirty foray into the world of smut with a classic and personal favorite of mine, Asian Fever.

I will try and hold back my bias for this publication as I do my review. Asian Fever really hits a home run in the first category, explicit material is abound

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within the glossy pages of this ‘zine.

Some of the material present in last month’s Asian Fever blew my mind. It was definitely the wow factor at work here. Next, I was a little upset, because the photo resolution is subpar in comparison to other publications available.

This category is really make it or break it for me. How am I supposed to feel immersed in the content when I am noticing the obvious pixilation and other such distractions? Finally, the writing in Asian Fever is exceptional.

The imagination and tenacity that is imputed into the almost Zen-like amount of writing is impressive. I guess the old maxim “less is more” still pertains.

The next magazine I went for was Club, an old-timer in the scene and probably a fan favorite. Club really delivers in the explicit content section of this review, containing all sorts of eye-opening and mind-bending imagery. After skimming the pages of this periodical, your mind will be left fully satisfied. Moving on to the topic of image resolution, Club does it right.

There is not a blur or a pixel out of place, not even any obvious Photoshop lines. I almost forgot to take notice of the resolution during my investigation

See Mag Ranking, pg. 14

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

Ask-a-Nut Dear Nut,

I’m not sure where you fall on the political spectrum but this question has been itching at me for some time, and I can’t seem to find any one right answer. I was hoping maybe you could enlighten me, so here it goes, why is Mitt Romney such a poop head? -Left wing extremist Dear LWE,

This question is indeed a tough one, but I think I can shed some light on your question. Mitt Romney is not actually human. He is a transdimensional being, though truly this is quite an understatement. He is a being that shows up in a particular plane of existence to feed off of illusionistic thought forms. This seems a bit heady, so let me break it down further.

Throughout the cosmos, “intelligent” life persists in many different forms.

Yet strangely enough, each different intelligent species has, in one-way or another, a completely imaginary and widely accepted (amongst themselves mostly) system of currency, based on seemingly worthless things. This is where Romulous Mitulous (as he is known in the alpha-centuri system) comes into play. Whenever one of these currency systems is on the verge of collapse and utter chaos, he shows up to absorb what this sense of value means to people (i.e. our hopes and dreams that are stumped by a low economic income). So, by having material possession and putting all your faith in a flawed system of worth, he gains power and increases his apparent wealth. Thus he appears to be quite the fecal hippocampus. –Nut Dear Nut,

How can I increase my rep with my boys?

-Laughing Stock of The Group Dear LSG,

Get a girlfriend, treat her poorly in front of your friends, dump her, and then date her friend, who is less attractive. –Nut

November

Novemeber is the Month of...

Cecilia Walenza, 2013

I

n the United States, November is known as National Pomegranate Month. In honor of the upcoming month, here are some facts about the pomegranate that you may or may not know:

The name pomegranate comes from “pomme garnete”, literally “seeded apple”. Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, as well as being a good source of fiber. Some consider them a super fruit, and eat them to prevent osteoarthritis, colon cancer, diabetes, lymphoma, and prostate and lung

cancer. Its thick skin requires a knife to cut into, but the juice (which can stain) and fleshy meat inside is tasty fresh or cooked. Because of its numerous seeds, it is often regarded as a symbol of fertility, prosperity, abundance, and generosity.

Pomegranates have appeared in myths and stories throughout ancient history. In the story of Persephone, she was kidnapped by Hades to the underworld in order to become his wife. After Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds, she was required to stay

in the underworld for six months out of every year. This story is how the Ancient Greeks explained the changing of the seasons, since Persephone’s mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, mourns for her loss during this time.

Following this tradition, within Ancient Greek mythology the pomegranate is also known as the “fruit of the dead”.

Additionally, following more Christian stories, many speculate that it was a pomegranate that Eve ate, offered to Adam, and subsequently got them both kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

November Events for Tight Budgets Yocasta Pichardo, 2013

H

ave a tight budget but crave richer experiences? Well, luckily for you I have created a list of the top seven things to do in Syracuse below ten dollars for the month of November. Maybe you can find something that you would like to participate in.

Enjoy!

1.Exhibit: Take No Prisoners Political Cartoons Over Time and Place: This exhibition is for the artistic and history lovers, it will showcase editorial cartoons by both local and national illustrators.

Downtown Onondaga Historical Association Museum, 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY 13202 When: Thurs. Nov. 1, 10am-4pm For more information go to http:// www.cnyhistory.org/TempExhibits. html 2.Hope Creations Arts and Craft Festival: This is an event where people in the mental health system, that have struggled from mental issues such as low-esteem have the chance to display their arts and crafts, song, dance and poetry.

Atrium at City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington Street, Syracuse, NY 13201 When: Fri. Nov. 2, 10am- 3pm For more information send an email to

khubel@ocmsinc.org.

3.New & Used Ski Sale & Swap at the NYS Fairgrounds: For those of you that ski and snowboard, this is a great event to get used or new ski and snowboard equipment, this includes helmets, clothings and more.

Where: Empire Expo Center/NYS Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13209 When: Fri. Nov. 9, 5pm-9pm Sat. Nov. 10, 10am-5pm Sun. Nov. 11, 12p- 5pm For more information go to http:// www.thinkwinterevents.com/ 4.Syracuse Astronomical Society Public Observing Session: For all you star glazer, this is the perfect event. The Syracuse Astronomical Society has created a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating the public about astronomy; luckily for you this means free admission to an observing session at their observatory.

Darling Hill Observatory, Strong Road, Tully, NY 13159 When: Fri. & Sat. Nov. 9 & 10, 7pm For more information go to http:// www.syracuse-astro.org/ 5.Lights on the Lake Walk: This is an annual event at Syracuse.

It is when the lake in Onondaga Lake Park with holiday themed lights. This is a walking preview before this turns into a vehicle only event. So take ad-

vantage.

Onondaga Lake Park, 106 Lake Drive, Liverpool, NY 13088 When: Mon. & Tues. Nov. 12 & 13, 5pm-9pm For more information go to http:// www.lightsonthelake.com/ 6.Lights on the Lake Dog Walk: For those of you with dogs you can walk around (about two miles) and enjoy the view of the lights on the lake.

Onondaga Lake Park, 106 Lake Drive, Liverpool, NY 13088 When: Wed. Nov. 14, 5pm-9pm For more information go to http:// www.lightsonthelake.com/ http://events.visitsyracuse.org/events/detail/20121101/51/11/3/0/10/8411 7.TONY: 2012 at Community Folk Art Center: This exhibition is a biennial event in Community Folk Art Center, this year they have selected four artists to be featured in this exhibition.

Community Folk Art Center, 805 E Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13210 When: Thurs. Nov. 29, 10am-5pm For more information go to http:// communityfolkartcenter.org/ All events are free, but the Downtown Onondage Historical Association Museum and Onondaga Lake Park suggest a donation to help with expenses!

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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Articles Continued Monsanto, cont’d from pg. 3 (i.e. saving seeds from each batch of crops produced) and to instead become dependent on Monsanto’s GM seeds. The company’s “terminator” seeds that are part of the Roundup Ready system become sterile after yielding a new crop, thus forcing farmers around the world, whom were originally forced to use this process (enforced by the World Bank’s policies) to buy new seeds for each new yield. These Roundup Ready crops require massive pesticide and fertilizer applications that are expensive and harmful to the land, and had enough negative impact to initiate suicides among bankrupt farmers in India. In addition, the corporation’s “humanitarian” efforts of supplying seeds to countries like Haiti under the claim that these countries are experiencing a dearth in crop yields has primarily served as a sugar coating for their ultimate goal of increasing their greedy agribusiness influence to more nations.

The Monsanto Company is also renowned for bullying farmers via filed lawsuits under the accusation of using their GM seeds when they had not been growing GM crops. Yet, these crops often become Roundup Ready crops due to the genetic cross-pollination of neighboring commercial farms utilizing Monsanto’s Roundup Ready system to independent farms. This company is also responsible for developing the bovine growth hormone (rBGH) that forces cows to artificially increase their production of milk, which has been found by a growing number of scientists to accelerate cancer growth in exposed cows and has always been unnecessary for use since the dairy industry has been producing too much milk for the past 60 years. Monsanto has inherited responsibility for creating Superfund sites while it was producing PCBs as a plastics company, is the world’s largest Agent Orange producer and is responsible for exposing American soldiers and natives

Gateway, cont’d from pg. 4 not even negotiable at this time.

It is important to remember the building’s purpose when looking at these details. The objectives of the building, according to Rufo, are mostly focused on connecting the college community to incoming students and the world outside of the campus. Gateway will house the Admissions and Outreach offices and serve as an example of ESF’s commitment to being green.

As far as who had a say in what went into the building, there was an open forum, early in the design process, that allowed interested students to provide input. Simon Shaw, architect at Architerra, Inc., a company that helped design the building, stated that the “Thoughtful and eloquent questions,” students provided led to the development of the design of the bookstore, café, and gym. Any further decisions in the design process were made by President Murphy, the board of trustees, faculty, staff, and the architects.

Both of the Undergraduate Student Association and Graduate Student Association leaders stated that their organizations were not involved in the process unless their members attended the initial forum. “We recognize that there

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has been a big gap,” say USA president, Aislinn Brackman, “Which is something that we’re working on.” In the future the USA will have a student liaison, whose mission will be to represent students further in the design process. ESF already has a “Facilities Master Plan” that outlines all of the additions and modifications for the next 10-20 years. Don Leopold, an EFB Professor involved in the addition of the Academic Research Building, touched on why students may not have been as included in design processes, “Projects take a long time.”

Leopold knows because the ARB design, which includes extensive landscaping of rare native species, began last year.

According to the Facilities Master Plan, this building will not be fully completed until 2018. Since students are only here for a few years, Leopold says there is “no continuity.”

Despite this difficulty, it would be good to see more student involvement. There is no college without students, after all. There are great things coming to campus, and the Gateway Building is most current. You can have a say in the future.

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

in Vietnam with life-long and hereditarily inherited illnesses, and has been credited with heavy involvement with the Manhattan Project through facilities in Ohio.

If you glance through SUNYESF’s list of donors on our university’s Office of Development website, you will notice that Monsanto has been on our Honor Roll of Donors since 2001. The pervasive presence of a greedy corporation like Monsanto, which blatantly disregards environmental and human ethics, within the College of Environmental Science and Forestry through funding and herbicide use on the quad and other green spaces goes against the very foundations of our college community’s ethics. As members of the ESF community and students and teachers of environmental and human ethics, we must discontinue the use of Roundup on our university’s campus and free ourselves from Monsanto’s financial bonds.

Test Files, cont’d from pg. 4 and remove their assignments from the files, it is not our problem that you arrived too late to see them. We are not responsible if your friend has a certain test and you do not, so please do not harass the student working to give you the material.

Alpha Xi Sigma is proud to offer this service to students and we are currently working on a system to improve the organization of the overall process. We currently have no plans to remove the files altogether, but there have been talks of possibly increasing the price or making the tests available to AXS members only. Once again, we have not made any permanent decisions regarding test files, but if student attitudes continue to cause problems we will not hesitate to take necessary action.

Please use test files responsibly and treat the AXS members providing this service with respect.

We want test files to be around for a long time, and we need your help to keep the experience a positive one for everybody involved.

Articles Continued Humans, cont’d from pg. 5

One hobby that most would not guess about Carl is his love for rollerblading.

“Boom- it’s awesome”, he assures me.

When I asked about Carl’s future plans, he picked up the previous issue of the Knothole, which happened to be sitting on the table, and began flipping through it. “This just got serious”, he said, clearly unsure of how to answer. “What did the other people say?” Carl then gave an honest answer, telling me that hopefully, he would

have a job in an environmental science field.

Some of his alternative job options are far fetched careers featured in television shows, which include, but are not limited to: underwater mining for gold, jousting, and hog hunting. Alluding to the show American Hogger, Carl jokes, “Rule number one is, there’s no crying in hog hunting!”

Crime, cont’d. from pg. 5

been on that block for twenty minutes, and had already broken up 4 parties. He also stated that the police had been given direct orders to break up any party they saw that weekend and given them tickets, regardless of the compliant nature of the occupants.

This begs the question, why were the police given these orders? It may seem as if crime is the reason for police officers to break up more parties. A large number of people in a small space provides a good opportunity for crime to occur. It is also possible that the higher crime rate has more police out patrolling the area, causing them to see more parties and break them up. With all of the evidence we have collected, neither correlation nor causation can be proved, but you can come to your own conclusion. Regardless, the best way to deal with crime, parties, and the police is as

follows:

Do not walk around at night by yourself. Walk in large groups or do not walk at all. Stay at a friend’s house for the night. Protect yourself. Read the campus crime alert reports provided by the Department of Public Safety. This is not something to be taken lightly. The issue is emergent and cannot be emphasized enough. The Department of Public Safety is here in order to protect you. Have their number saved in your cell phone. As a student, you have the option of informing them that you feel unsafe and asking if they will escort you home by vehicle.

If you do have a party, do not post it on Facebook, try to keep people inside, and only let people inside with an ESF/SU ID. Most importantly, have fun and be safe at the same time.

Election, cont’d from pg. 3

is due by mail no later than a week after the election (November 13), but must be postmarked the day before the election (November 5). If you can deliver it in person, it must be received before the polls close on Election Day.

If you are not registered to vote in New York State, I recommend finding absentee ballot deadlines at https://www. longdistancevoter.org/absentee_ballots_ deadlines.

This year, Heather Rice and the staff in the Student Wellness and Support Office have done a great job offering voter

registration and absentee ballot forms conveniently available for students. Many students may have to register and apply for absentee ballots to vote, but though it seems like we have to jump through hoops, there is a reason for the process. Just remember, this is one of the only ways that we can participate in government and have our voices heard.

We can control who remains in office and runs our country. We hold the power. Happy Voting!

associates who had been at The PostStandard for 34 years came in to join the table with high spirits and no job.

“He’s an institution,” one of the writers commented to me.

Since the layoffs were structured alphabetically and individually, some of them waited hours on end to find out their fate. According to CNY

Central, the layoff toll to date is 115 employees.

Anna Dobbs spoke of the journalist who reached out to her as a hero of hers, and someone who shares a part in a community to which they both contribute.

Carl’s expansive environmental interests.

Here at ESF, Carl fits right in with his love of nature. “I like hiking and walking outside”, he states.

He also has a variety of other interests. Carl enjoys most sports, but is especially passionate about volleyball, and he plays multiple times a week on a club team. Carl is also interested in politics, and keeps up to date with election happenings. networking, do not provide a location. This will reduce the risk of unexpected guests, more specifically, bullet-proof vest wearing guests. I am sorry to those of us who find the Internet an efficient way to schedule their weekend plans. There are other ways to do this. Try joining The Knothole!

Believe it or not, we discuss more than just the timely news.

On a Saturday night this past September, an ESF student who lives off-campus hosted a party at her house.

Nothing seemed wrong until she turned around and saw a Syracuse police officer standing in her home. He claimed that the loud music and flashing lights were enough to give the police reasonable doubt to enter her house. The officer told her that he had

If you are registered to vote and will not be voting in a district within driving distance, an absentee ballot is for you.

For NYS, you can print out an absentee ballot off the website http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingAbsentee.html. If you are mailing this to your district, it must be postmarked seven days before the election, or October 30 (which is tomorrow). If you deliver it in person, it must be received by the day before the election, or November 5.

In NYS, voting via absentee ballot

Post-Standard, cont’d from pg. 13 place for all of them to go to during this time of uncertainty. “It’s a place off the work site where we can be together, to support each other, whether we have a job or not,” he said.

As we were talking, one of his

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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Articles Continued Playboy, cont’d from pg. 10 ronmental Science and Forestry.” We actually have the longest college name in the United States, so I understand your blunder.

But think about it, why would we be the College of Environmental Science of Forestry? If that were our name, wouldn’t we simply be the College of Forestry, which was our official name until 1972. Why would we want so many of’s in our title?

Further in the article, you mention our excellent science program, and I thank you. We do have some of the best programs in the country, as varied as Landscape Architecture to Environmental Resource Engineering to Conservation Biology, yet all still with an environmental focus.

“Life is so rough,” to use your words, “at ESF,” because we are passionate about what we do, and we want to do it well. Additionally, because we work so hard, we are experts in stressrelease, whether that be socializing, activities, or events.

We are well-balanced people.

We have parties off-campus, such as our block-party tradition of “Oakfest,” and its rebirth last year as “Redfest,” which went swimmingly I might add.

We had ESF bands play, such as The Woodworks and The Vanderbuilts, many beverages quenched our thirsts, and we even sold “drunk-cakes” in a “drive-thru” created out of a student’s window.

Multiple times a month we have social events on ESF campus, called “Thank Goodness It’s Friday” or

Mag Review, cont’d from pg. 10 because of how life-like the pictures seemed. After hitting the first two categories off the charts, Club falls to deep depths in the last category of writing content. Here, they stagger and choke on what could have been a flawless review. It appeared to me that the writers seem to think no one will even read what they write. Shameful, really.

Moving right along, I came at last to Playboy magazine. I was expecting this to be the raunchiest of my

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simply TG’s, where students and faculty members get together to celebrate the end of the workweek. Music, food, and kegs are staples at the events. Yes, students above the age of 21 receive free beer at these events. They are a big hit on our campus, and I recommend you attend one, but get there early! There is always a line for the drinks.

As you may have discovered in your research, ESF has a special relationship with Syracuse University.

We share classes, activities, clubs, and friendships. While there is a good-natured rivalry between our students, as for your comment that “No one from Syracuse knows it exists,” many SU students also do not know the schools within their university, or the floormates in their dormitory, or where their daddies’ money went after paying over fifty grand a year so that their daughters can traipse naked down Euclid Avenue Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

I digress, Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF have a continuing, long relationship, since ESF’s founding in 1911, that will always be characterized by the “which school is better/ which students are better” argument.

Though drama always steals the headlines, the truth is that many students have friends that go to both SU and ESF. Some ESF students go to SU parties, and some SU students go to ESF parties. Sometimes the parties are SU/ ESF parties. Sometimes they’re birthday parties, and other times they are raves in an Ackerman Avenue base-

ment.

Back to ESF campus, our school has been making great strides in enrollment and athletics. In the last four years, our college has reached higher women enrollment. In 2009, ESF had the first class in the history of the college to be more women than men, 53% to 47% of 283 students. In 2011, we hit our highest percentage of women enrollment so far, with 56% of 289 students. The percentage of women full-time undergraduates (freshman to seniors) has also risen from 40% of the undergraduate population in Fall 2009 to 44% in Fall 2012.

ESF is in a transition process. We have more women then ever before. We have new athletic teams – soccer, golf, cross-country, basketball and woodsmen. At the same time, we have kept our old traditions while making new ones. We still work hard, and we will always play hard.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry does not fit to Playboy standards of parties and social lives. But when have we ever fit into norms? We have the longest college name in America. We have an acorn as a mascot. We prefer to be called Stumpies. We think tie-dye is our school color. We work our butts off to “improve our world,” as our college motto says, and we have fun in our own ways. We are different, and we take pride in that.

excursion, but unfortunately the content here was hardly up to competition with its peers, or stimulating to the imagination. What I received in the way of explicit material was seriously lacking. The images were plain, unexciting, and often times truly boring. I was hopeful that such a well-known and up-to-date periodical would have high quality photos at least. How wrong I was. The images in Playboy were of such a low pixel count that I thought for a moment I had accidently

purchased the under 18 version, with all explicit content blurred out. Not to mention all of the strikingly obvious Photoshop edits of blemishes and fake tan lines. I was hopeful for the other categories to make up for this fraud, for Playboys’ sake, but again the content of writing was to be ashamed of.

I really was rooting for Playboy to still have at least one function in our society, but it seems to fail at providing both stimulating pictures and pieces of journalism.

THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

Thank you for your acknowledgement, Playboy Magazine. If you would like further contact, you can reach me at mlcallag@ syr.edu. Sincerely yours, Meg Callaghan

Articles Continued Moon Fest, cont’d from pg. 8

Do you think traditional American kids that have fun celebrating Halloween would enjoy celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in China given the opportunity?

“Um, I’m not sure about that because you know it’s not much fun there, if you want the fun part, it’s the Spring Festival. You have all those activities, you know. A lot of things are going on during the Spring Festival, not in the cities, in the villages. Moon Festivals [there] are not many activities. So I’m not sure that they would enjoy it, I mean the children. There are more similarities between the Spring Festival and Halloween, because they have all these ghost stories... They scare away the monsters with fire-

works and all that, and the red [color] is to, you know, avoid evil; the evil is afraid of red, you know the devils and the ghosts and whatever.”

Chinese culture dictates that red is a symbol of good luck and it is meant to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. During times of celebration or festivals, prepare to see a lot of red everywhere.

Do you know if there are more Americanized groups in the cities of China that celebrate Halloween, or is that not common?

“Oh, I don’t see that. I don’t know, I don’t think people celebrate Halloween in China.”

I don’t see why they would, they have so many other festivals to

take care of!

“Yeah, (laughter) and Halloween is not one of them.”

Through this interview I found out that the two holidays have much in common. Both of them are celebrated mainly at night, and involve sweet food. Both of them are celebrated in Autumn and originate from basic legends. There are multiple legends about the formation of the Moon Festival, many of them involving Chang’e, the moon goddess. I implore those more interested to look up some of the stories, they will knock your socks off.

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE •

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MIND Spill

Two Minutes with the Mother Gabrielle Alper, 2014 How can this be all that remains?

Fear not, she said.

It’s not too late, but let me be.

But you’re my body and being.

I encompass all, but you can’t both need and want.

I couldn’t abandon you now.

You must leave me, I will hold out But you must go.

Why so? How else can this be solved?

Selfish, you are.

Need consumes all, above all, faith.

I need you, I have faith in you.

That cannot be.

A paradox you have brought me.

Progression will overcome you?

Do not slight me.

Growth begets your death, at my hand.

A Prayer Emily Adams, 2014 Let there always be a sparrow That sits on your shoulder And sings Let the song fill your body And soul until you Grow wings But when you’re soaring You must remember Three things Don’t look down Don’t turn back And let it be always Spring.

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THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment