FUSE STAFF
The Ithaca College Experience | winter 2008 Having done our own college searches, we know how hard it is to make the right choice, especially when all the information you get sounds so similar. That’s why we’ve created Fuse magazine, a publication that gives you a firsthand glimpse of the Ithaca College experience through stories and photography by current IC students. Is Ithaca right for you? —Fuse staff
ENTS UD
contributors to this issue
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Photo Editors Samantha Constant ’09 Jeff Goodwin ’10 Photographers Caylena Cahill ’10 Nick Deel ’09 Steven Gorgos ’09 Kyle Kelley ’10 Nicole McAdoo ’11 Heather Newberger ’10
Nikki Meseguer ’08 I’m a recent Ithaca alumna from Wayne, New Jersey. I graduated with a B.A. in writing and a minor in art history. Right now I’m working at Where New York and IN New York magazines in Manhattan and loving it!
FOR ST
BY STU
It’s your choice—and we hope this makes it easier.
DENTS
Writer/Editors Courtney M. Clemente ’09 Candace Edwards ’09 Meredith Farley ’09 Shanan Glandz ’09 Maggie Hibma ’09 Heather Karschner ’10 Alyssa Letsch ’11 Allison Musante ’10 Katherine R. Slifer ’09 Meghan Swope ’11
Lee Small ’09
Videographer Laura Caccavo ’10 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
I’m a senior sport media major and journalism minor from Manlius, New York, and the current sports director for WICB, one of IC’s radio stations. I’ve interned at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games and WSYR-TV Syracuse, and I will be pursuing a career in television sports broadcasting after graduation.
Interim Dean of Enrollment Planning Rit Fuller ’73 Director of Admission Gerard Turbide Executive Director of Marketing Communications Tom Torello ’87 Executive Editor Bonny Georgia Griffith ’92 Managing Editor Lisa N. Maresca
John-Severin Napolillo ’08 I’m a recent television-radio graduate from Brooklyn, New York, who’s pursuing a career in the music or radio industries. I’m also performing in two bands in New York City: John-Severin and the Quiet Ones and the Brooklyn What. Both bands will be releasing debut albums later this year.
Web Editor Elise Nicol ’83 Copy Editor Nancy J. Jacoby Print Manager Peter M. Kilcoyne ’05
contents
› 2 CAMPUS SCOOP
16 Out of Harm’s Way
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Follow these tips to stay safe and sound on campus. By Shanan Glandz ’09
ON THE COVER:
4
Ithaca at the Olympics
Fourty-four IC students put their media skills to the test as interns for the 2008 Summer Games.
24 Master of the Market Finance students get down to business with professor Abe Mulugetta.
ESSAY
By Alyssa Letsch ’11
26 Disc Fever Get into the Spirit of the Game with the Ultimate Frisbee team.
18 Operation
By Maggie Hibma ’09
Crossroads Africa A student photographer documents his life-changing summer of community service in Africa. By Jeff Goodwin ’10
20 Fine Tuning A student brass ensemble performs in Germany.
8 Adventures in College Radio Getting involved in college radio can open doors across the country. By John-Severin Napolillo ’08
10 Finding (Virtual) Religion What’s the role of religion in virtual worlds? An experimental class asks this interesting question. By Allison Musante ’10
By Meredith Farley ’09
12 Two Continents, One Message of Justice An MLK scholar reflects on her social justice trip to Spain and Morocco.
22 Oh, the Horror! Saw producer Dan Heffner ’78 carves out time to mentor students at IC. By Meghan Swope ’11
By Courtney M. Clemente ’09
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
14 Ithaca, New York:
28 THE REAL DEAL
Hollywood of the East
Got questions about IC? Our students have the answers.
Ithaca’s movie scene is rich with indie options—and some surprising history. By Nikki Meseguer ’08
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Fuse Online Extras Did you know the Fuse website has fresh news, features, photo galleries, videos, and more? Don’t miss out on these hot web exclusives.
Visit fuse.ithaca.edu today! Volume 2, Issue 4. Winter 2008 Copyright 2008 by Fuse, Ithaca College. All rights reserved. Ithaca College Fuse (USPS 24143) is published four times a year, quarterly (winter, spring, summer, and fall) by Ithaca College, Office of Admission, Ithaca, NY 14850-7000. Periodicals postage paid at Ithaca, New York, and additional entry offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Fuse, Ithaca College, Office of Admission, Ithaca, NY 14850-7000.
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CAMPUS C Ithaca Receives Sustainability Grant O O P This fall, HSBC Bank’s philanthropic division, HSBC in the Community (USA) Inc. Foundation awarded Ithaca College a $500,000 grant that will support the development of a new sustainability major and minor at the College. In addition to these new academic programs (tentatively scheduled to begin in fall 2009), the grant will subsidize scholarships and fellowships, an internship and research fund for projects, and a scholar-in-residence program, and allow IC to offer more study-abroad opportunities like trips to the UN Climate Change Convention.
President Thomas R. Rochon (left) accepts the grant from David L. Brooks, HSBC senior vice president of commercial banking.
“This grant is an acknowledgment and affirmation of Ithaca College’s status as a frontrunner in the areas of environmental studies and sustainability,” says President Thomas R. Rochon. “It will allow us to take some important steps to enhance the academic component of these programs and further develop our partnerships and other outreach efforts with likeminded organizations and institutions locally, regionally, and nationally.” The College was also recently recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education by winning a campus sustainability leadership award. For more, visit fuse.ithaca.edu.
Hands-On Healing at the Ithaca Free Clinic Last fall Ithaca College occupational therapy students and faculty began volunteering their skills to uninsured members of the Ithaca community at the Ithaca Free Clinic. Among the services offered are range-of-motion exercises to increase functional abilities, customized splints, community reentry skills training, and other meaningful support in areas such as patient education, home management, and self-care. “By partnering with the Ithaca Free Clinic, Ithaca College and the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance are taking part in a win-win situation,” says Julie Dorsey, assistant professor of occupational therapy. “Our students get handson experience to develop and use their skills, and the clients at the clinic get much-needed rehabilitative service.”
Ithaca Is the Place to Be! It’s been a good year for Ithaca College. For the 12th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked IC among the top 10 master’s universities in the north. But the accolades don’t stop there. The magazine’s America’s Best Colleges report placed Ithaca as the highest-ranking school in its category in New York State. The city of Ithaca is also raking in the praise. Ithaca ranked third among America’s smartest cities in a recent issue of Forbes magazine, third in Relocate America’s top 100 places to live in 2007, and second in best green places to live by Country Home magazine. Since 2001, Ithaca has been featured in at least 30 best cities lists. For even more Ithaca-related kudos visit fuse.ithaca.edu.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ICTV! Ithaca College Television (ICTV) celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 18th, making it the oldest student-run college television station in the world. Nearly 200 students, faculty, and alumni celebrated this milestone achievement. The day’s events included a tailgate barbeque, tours of the television studios and facilities, a Bombers football game, and displays of ICTV video clips from each of the five decades. The celebration concluded with a gala dinner and a live 50th anniversary broadcast. “The 50th anniversary celebration was a great gift to every one of the people who attended, to the Park School, and to Ithaca College,” says Park School Dean Dianne Lynch. Nationally recognized for broadcasting excellence, ICTV reaches not only IC students but also 26,000 Tompkins County cable households with its community- and college-oriented programming. Sample original programming and find out more about ICTV’s awards at www.ictv.org.
FLEFF GEARS UP FOR 2009 Faculty and students are hard at work preparing for the 2009 Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) to be held March 30 to April 5. FLEFF is a weeklong multimedia event that puts environmentalism and sustainability into larger global contexts relating to labor, war, health, music, technology, economics, literature, and human rights. This year’s programming themes are spice, syncopation, and toxins and trade. As always, the event will highlight the works of dozens of filmmakers, artists, scholars, and musicians. FLEFF student interns get valuable hands-on experience working in event management, marketing, blogging, and hospitality in a professional atmosphere. Sponsored by the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies and the Park Foundation, FLEFF engages the Ithaca community with performances, lectures, and film screenings at Ithaca College and local independent theaters Cinemapolis and Fall Creek Pictures. Learn more at www.ithaca.edu/fleff. fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 3
feature | LESSONS IN JOURNALISM FROM THE GAMES
L
ast summer I went to the Beijing Olympic Games. Okay, so I wasn’t competing in any events, but I did experience the games firsthand—as an intern for the Olympic News Service (ONS). As a journalism minor, I was excited by the
opportunity. I looked forward to learning more about the journalistic process and was eager to apply what I’d learned in class to this experience. I had never studied abroad and thought that spending two months in Beijing working for the Olympics would be the next best thing—if not better. I quickly found out that all is not equal in journalism in different countries, and I left China with a sense of pride in my country’s news reporting system.
Photos by Adam Berg '08, Jeff Goodwin '10, and Lee Small '09
Lessons in Journalism from
the Games by LEE SMALL ’09
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Two water polo teams battle for victory.
During the first month of our 51-day trip, we spent time at famous landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square and became familiar with our surroundings. I was surprised by many things in China. The food was unique to say the least, the streets and buildings were jammed with residents, and driving rules were basically nonexistent. But the thing that shocked me the most was the difference between American and Chinese journalism.
I quickly found out that all is not equal in journalism in different countries, and I left China with a sense of pride in my country’s news reporting system. During the games I spent most of my time watching water polo matches and interviewing athletes and coaches to gather quotes. The ONS essentially served as the Associated Press for the Olympic Games. As Americans, we take for granted the wide array of information American media provide to the public. The same cannot be said for Chinese media. There is only one television outlet, which is state run, and the sole newspaper is also state run. As you’d probably guess, radio is also run by the state. While state regulation of media came as a shock to me, I was also surprised to find that my Chinese friends did not think twice about the media services in their country.
Some Americans may not like Fox News, but we forget that we are allowed to listen to different viewpoints. Others are not so lucky. Rather than getting news from objective sources, Chinese citizens receive their news directly from the state without an interpreter. What is said goes, and people don’t question the legitimacy of the claim. Take for example the controversy surrounding the real age of several Chinese gymnasts at the games. While in China, I didn’t see or hear anything about officials from other countries questioning the age of the gymnasts. Yet in America, this story was being reported from all angles—the views of the Chinese team and those of other teams. In China, it was as if the controversy didn’t exist. This story is a perfect example of how the Chinese government regulates the flow of information to the public. When I enter the field of journalism after graduation, I will relish the ability to investigate claims without being spoon-fed the news. It is true that news serves a different function in China than it does in the States, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be proud of our system. The experiences I had in China helped give me a better understanding of what makes good journalism. I’ve seen two different cultures reporting the news, giving me an understanding of what people want, need, and crave. More than anything, stepping off that plane in Washington, D.C., meant a return to hard-nosed reporting. Yes, our country may have experienced the Stephen Glass and Jayson Blair scandals, but you must think of them as the exception, not the rule. In the end, you never appreciate the news until you don’t have it. I went without it this summer for 51 days and am thankful for the reminder that, as the New York Times says, Americans receive “all the news that’s fit to print.”
See more photos from the games at fuse.ithaca.edu.
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The process of being selected for the ONS program took more than a year. It included applying for the internship, organizing our group, and finalizing the details of our trip. In the end, 21 Ithaca College students were accepted as ONS flash quoters (flash quotes are sound bites from athletes), and each of us was assigned to a specific sport at the games. I was assigned to cover water polo, and although I had no prior knowledge of the sport, I learned to enjoy it for the physicality, endurance, and sheer talent of the competitors.
Park student interns worked on websites as well as on print stories.
LOST IN TRANSLATION Sometimes things just don’t translate well into English. I certainly appreciated these signs, but many ended up unintentionally hilarious. Here are a few of the best (or worst, depending how you look at it) signs that we saw in Beijing: CELL PHONES PROHIBITED DURING THUNDERSTORMS I don’t know about you, but I have used my cell phone more than a handful of times in the States while it was raining and never had any problems. NOTICE FOR PLEASURE BOAT TOURS ’Nuff said. NO FOOD/DRINK FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD A group of us came across this sign while at lunch one afternoon, reminding us that we truly were halfway around the world. AUTOMATIC GUIDE 40 RMB: IT’S AUTOMATIC. YOU NEEDN’T ANY WORK WHEN YOU GET THE EVERY PLACE Um, in English, please. I saw this sign while at the Beijing Zoo, which, like most things in China, was huge. This sign is truly one of a kind and perfectly represents the difficulty in translating Mandarin to English.
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The Unites States men's water polo team receives the bronze medal.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 5
feature | ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM
ONE
WORLD
ONE DREAM Ithaca College at the Summer Olympics
Last summer, 44 Ithaca College students had the experience of a lifetime as interns with the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Eleven students worked for NBC Sports in China while another 12 worked at NBC headquarters in New York City. A third group of 21 students were selected to intern with the Olympic News Service in Beijing. Ithaca was one of only seven American colleges and universities from which students were recruited to intern for these two programs. When the students weren’t hard at work covering water polo, handball, fencing, and other key events, they shared an insider’s view of the event by blogging. Here are a few edited excerpts from their posts.
July 10, 2008 After three days in China I am experiencing mind-blowing culture shock. I have such new respect for people who pack up and move to a different country without speaking the language. China is interesting. I will definitely say that. And dining hall food is dining hall food no matter where you go. I cannot believe, however, how different our American idea of Chinese food is from the actual food people eat over here. And eating with chopsticks? Forget it! I am about ready to give up and buy silverware. But I will persevere, as long as my hands stop cramping up halfway through a meal. We found the Super WalMart near us today. There are actually three of them in Beijing. Talk about cross-cultural influence. I couldn’t believe how weird it was to be in an Americanized store that was so different from what I was used to. We almost cried when we were finally able to buy (and eat) peanut butter. The first real protein I have eaten in three days!
The weirdest thing I have experienced thus far is the public bathroom situation. They don’t have real toilets, just a “fancy” hole in the ground and no toilet paper! It is without a doubt the weirdest thing ever! Jules Ellison ‘09, televisionradio major
August 6, 2008 The feeling is in the air. Excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty as a city, nation, and world prepares for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It seems that everyone in the city cannot wait for the show to start. Around the Olympic Green, I’ve been stopped by local Beijing residents asking to pose for pictures with them. On the subway, I’ve been interrogated by other riders about what exactly I’m doing for the games, where I am from, and how long I am staying. Every single day no matter what time it is there are hordes of people outside the fences taking photos of the venues. It’s all anyone ever talks about. It’s almost as if the Beijing we arrived in a month ago has disappeared and it is turning into a huge theme park that could be called “Olympic Land.”
It’s an exciting time to be here, as China is looking to fully break out as a major world power and make a big splash on the world’s stage. Hopefully a smooth Olympics will give them the boost they need. This Olympics is really one of the most important games in recent times, and it’s unbelievably surreal to actually be a part of it. But for now, life goes on as usual in Olympic Land. Cory Francer ‘10, sport studies major
August 12, 2008 Two days into the fencing competition and I am hooked! I have learned so much about fencing in the last six months it is astounding. I have actually been able to help several American journalists in both the press tribunes and mixed zones. It doesn’t seem like many of the American journalists are fencing experts. I got a chance to interview Team USA women’s foil coach Mike Pederson yesterday, and it has been the highlight of the fencing hall as of yet. Not only was he more than willing to talk with me, but he was also extremely excited to share his knowledge and expectations for the sport.
I have been able to speak with so many world-class athletes it makes my head spin. I honestly cannot believe I am here at the Olympic Games. What an opportunity! All the hard work, training, flying, and jet lag has paid off. Watching the opening ceremonies the other night we all just kept repeating how shocked we were that we were there. I am looking forward to more fencing and more fun.
Being a flash quoter has also given me an understanding of journalism even though we weren’t the ones writing articles. After talking to many of the journalists in the mixed zone and seeing how my quotes were used in articles and daily event reviews, I now better understand the process. After all, getting the quotes to use in your article is half the battle.
Jules Ellison ‘09, televisionradio major
Chris Lee ‘10, sport management major
August 19, 2008
August 25, 2008
Since starting as a flash quote reporter, I developed an immense amount of respect for the sport of fencing. These fencers are not only outstanding athletes, but their personalities range from down to earth and polite to overconfident. As a flash quote reporter I had to remain impartial to any one country’s fencers so my questions would be fair and unbiased. This standard of professionalism had me resisting the urge to chant “U-S-A” with the U.S. fans in each bout, even though I would have loved to support my country’s fencers, who impressively won six medals and were tied with the Italians on the fencing medal count.
After years of planning, hard work, and dedication, the Olympic Games are over. It has been such a journey and adventure for me. I’ve learned so much about my own strengths and weaknesses. I came here one person, and I am leaving another. Knowing that I am only 21 years old and have already worked at one of the most influential and important events in the world is astonishing. This trip is only the jumping-off point for me and everyone else here. I know that no matter what I do with my life, careerwise and personally, I will use lessons I learned while here in
Beijing. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to come and experience the Olympic Games and I can only thank those who helped me get here. Jules Ellison ‘09, televisionradio major
August 26, 2008 “This is the greatest moment of my life.” I heard that sentence countless times during my time working as a flash quote reporter for handball, and no matter how many times I heard it, it never got old. The first time an athlete said that to me was when Jung Suyoung of team Korea scored a tying goal with seconds ticking off the clock to end the game. When I spoke to him after the game, he could not stop smiling, and the joy on his face was enough to make me smile as well.
August 31, 2008
the president of Iceland told us that this was the greatest sporting achievement in Iceland’s history. When I told Sigurdsson this, his face lit up. We also shared a laugh when he exclaimed, “Today, I am the happiest man in Asia!” For a journalist, capturing the emotion of a moment is one of the most important things. Being able to share the greatest moment of someone’s life with others is an amazing feeling. Seeing the joy on these athletes’ faces as they achieved their own form of glory has proved to me that the Olympic dream is still alive. These athletes will never forget these moments, and having the honor of sharing them is a memory that will stay with me forever. Cory Francer ‘10, sport studies major
I had a blast working for NBC’s Olympic Highlight Factory. That’s as obvious as Misty MayTreanor and Kerri Walsh winning gold in beach volleyball—you knew it would happen. What I didn’t expect was the responsibility I was given. I worked on the set of Saturday Night Live as a shot selector. I edited footage from the Beijing games into highlight reels and encore footage for www.nbcolympics.com. One of my videos received 2.2 million hits in less than 24 hours! The interns here were certainly given their fair share of responsibility. Our videos were seen by millions of people. What interns at other places can say that? Brendan O’Keefe ‘10, communication management and design major
My fondest memory would have to be speaking with Iceland’s Sigfus Sigurdsson after Iceland won the silver medal. Iceland was not expected to win a medal in this tournament. (The last medal won at a summer games was in 1956.) Before Sigurdsson came through the mixed zone,
For more details and reflections on Beijing check out www.ithaca.edu/olympics08.
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From left to right: Cory Frances '10, and Stephen Keller '09 take notes at the Olympic handball gold medal match; Drew Appleton '08 roots for the United States inside the Bird's Nest; the United States women's gymnastics team receives the silver medal for the team final; Christopher Lee '10 at the Great Wall of China.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 7
feature | ADVENTURES IN COLLEGE RADIO
M
ost six-year-old boys spend their time playing with toy airplanes and trucks. But not me. When I was six, I was holding a microphone plugged into my father’s stereo system, recording my own radio show. Years later, as an Ithaca College freshman, I found myself sitting in the Park auditorium listening to the executive staff of WICB, the College’s radio station, describe all the opportunities available to students. I was itching to get involved.
Adventures in College Radio
‹
WICB is consistently ranked as one of the top five college stations in the country by the Princeton Review. The station is student operated and broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It can be heard from Lake Ontario all the way to northern Pennsylvania, potentially reaching more than 250,000 people— and that doesn’t even count all the people who listen online. Students can perform a variety of tasks at the station: disc jockeying, sports broadcasting, news reporting, PSA programming, and sponsorship, among a host of others. The music director told us that night that he was looking for an assistant. The job would entail picking all the music for the modern rock format, which makes up most of the programming on the station. The assistant also serves as a representative for the station in the greater music industry, a world I was hoping to break into. As a voracious consumer of music myself, not to mention a musician, this job sounded perfect for me. I interviewed but didn’t get the position. As one of the runners-up, however, I was offered other projects here and there. Foremost was recording “music buzz” segments that DJs would air during their shifts. I eagerly fulfilled my duties and also took the opportunity to become a DJ. Through disc jockeying I met scores of people, including my closest friends, not to mention a couple of girlfriends.
Photo courtesy of John-Severin Napolillo ’08
by JOHN-SEVERIN NAPOLILLO ’08
The author at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York.
As the end of the semester approached and the weather got colder, the other music buzz producers dropped off one by one. By December, I was doing the job single-handedly. Impressed by my hard work, the music director offered me the assistant music director’s position for the following semester, which I gladly accepted. As assistant I hosted a weekly show premiering new music. I picked and monitored the new music that was played and reported it to the College Music Journal as a contributor to their weekly charts. I attended concerts for
Photos by Heather Newberger '10
I talked to radio promoters across the country on a weekly basis, tracking the success of hot new bands not only on WICB but at stations across the country.
Recent WICB Awards and Accolades WICB is known for its strong programs and outgoing DJs and reporters. It comes as no surprise that the station has steadily won awards for its programming and hosts. Here are just a few of the most recent honors awarded to WICB. April 2008
free and got to interview the bands. I had to pinch myself halfway through sophomore year when I found myself hanging out backstage with the Walkmen, one of my favorite bands. I also talked to radio promoters across the country on a weekly basis, tracking the success of hot new bands not only on WICB but at stations across the country. I left the position after a year and a half to spend a semester as part of the Park School’s Los Angeles program. Riding the elevator to the eighth floor of the iconic Capitol Records building for my interview, I ran into Capitol Records’ college radio promoter, whom I knew from my music director work. Surprised and excited to see me, he showed me around the floor, telling anyone who would listen what a valuable asset I would be. I got the internship at Capitol, where I applied my knowledge from WICB in the real world, promoting the new LCD Soundsystem record, Sound of Silver. While in Los Angeles, I was accepted into the Bayliss Intern Program, which awards students in college radio paid internships at stations across the country. The program placed me at WLTW New York, the station with the largest listenership in the entire country. During the summer before senior year, I tried
my hand at everything from marketing to producing the morning show. One morning, the director of Clear Channel Chicago came in to record a public service message only to find that the audio director was busy with other projects. I remember hearing the assistant programmer say, “Don’t worry. John can do it.” I thought there might have been some other John around, but no, he meant me! My momentary trepidation gave way to confidence. I knew I could handle it. The session went flawlessly. Looking back, it’s still amazing to think that I engineered a spot with one of the most important people in the radio business. As a recent graduate I'm currently pursuing a career in radio while performing with my bands. When I look back on the great experiences I’ve had in the entertainment industry I’m reminded of the doors that college radio has opened for me. I’m sure they will continue to open for years to come.
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence awards in SPJ’s region 1: • First place: Best news reporting • Second place: Radio sports reporting June 2008 New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association (NYSAPBA) college competition: • First place: Best interview • Special mention for reporting New York State Broadcasters Association competition: • Best sportscast
To see a detailed list of award recipients, and to see other nominations, visit fuse.ithaca.edu.
Listen to the College's original programming at www.wicb.org. fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 9
feature | FINDING (VIRTUAL) RELIGION
I
got to play video games for 15 weeks one semester—and I got credit for it! But the course I took was a bit more sophisticated than a round of
Mario Kart—and that’s an understatement. It was actually a fascinating, mindboggling class called Religion, Ritual, and Virtual Reality. In every class we explored the digital universe—for example, by playing in the world of Second Life—and discussed how those experiences overlap and interconnect with our real-life experiences in religion and ritual. The study of virtual reality is another platform on which to understand religion and to answer the most basic questions about human existence, the importance of community, our ideas about life and death, and our notions of what is real.
Finding
Religion
(Virtual)
by ALLISON MUSANTE ’10
Photo by Bill Truslow
“The experience of games allows us to imagine what’s possible,” philosophy and religion professor Rachel Wagner says. “We can think of it as a safe way to visualize the ideal—we don’t want to think about heaven, but we can think about the virtual as heaven.”
This topic truly is a vast, interdisciplinary one. To help students sort through the mess of tangled questions, Professor Wagner had the class read passages from video game theorists (ludology is the fancy word for this study), religion scholars, and others about ritual, and then it was our job to make connections among the different theories. In one class, we examined a scene in the game Resistance: Fall of Man in which players kill monsters in Manchester Cathedral in England. As members of our class of 12 took turns playing, we debated whether committing violence in a virtual church was as sacrilegious as it would be in real life. Can the virtual world have sacred space? If it does, can it be desecrated? As we struggled to answer these very complex questions about space and identity, Professor Wager kept the course relevant to the class by equipping us with a critical eye for media consumption and insights about the daunting future of new technologies—important topics for us as students and young adults alike.
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The study of religion and virtual reality is largely uncharted academic territory. Many scholars are writing about religion as observed in popular culture and the media, and some even touch on religion’s relationship to technology, but Professor Wagner says very few are bringing all these elements together.
Professor Rachel Wagner lectures during class.
“The experience of games allows us to imagine what’s possible.We can think of it as a safe way to visualize the ideal—we don’t want to think about heaven, but we can think about the virtual as heaven.”
“We watch what’s going on around us with this new media, and it’s sort of reflecting back on us as human beings,” she says. “We’re asking, what’s our relationship with one another and what does it means to be an embodied person. And I also think it’s fun!” Professor Wagner used an educational initiative grant from the School of Humanities and Sciences to purchase a Sony PlayStation for classroom use. We played games with explicit religious themes, such as the Bible Game and Left Behind; we explored church communities and traveled to virtual Mecca in Second Life; we also examined online social advocacy games, such as Darfur is Dying, and other games that mimic real world events, such as Kuma War, a online multiplayer simulation of actual missions in the Iraq war. With every game we played, we always returned to basic issues of identity and community. In cyberspace, human beings are represented by pixels and code, text and images. What does a player’s avatar in Second Life represent? How does the anonymity of the virtual environment influence our behavior? What choices are we making when we represent ourselves on networking sites like Facebook? Does cyberspace present the opportunity to create the ideal self, as envisioned in heaven? Although the class is over, Professor Wagner continues to search for answers. She is currently writing a comprehensive book on the study of virtual reality and religion, and in it, she will give credit to all of her students for their insights during this course. “I’m really grateful for our conversations in class,” she says. “The connections we’ve made through the various research everyone’s been doing are really amazing.”
Create your virtual world at www.secondlife.com.
Our Conclusion The study of religion and virtual reality raised more questions than we were able to answer. When thinking about things like religious identity online, virtual sacred space, and what happens to rituals when they are digitized, we found that the conclusions depend on individual experience. This is likely because religion and virtual reality are especially personal experiences. Still, there's little doubt that when religion and virtual reality meet, we are prompted to ask questions that are extremely relevant to our lives as students, media consumers, and human beings. fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 11
feature | TWO CONTINENTS, ONE MESSAGE OF JUSTICE
S Two Continents,
One Message of Justice by COURTNEY M. CLEMENTE ’09
itting inside the Center for Cross Cultural Learning in Rabat, Morocco, Ithaca’s Martin Luther King Jr. scholars were immersed in a new, exciting, and radically different culture. During this service-learning trip, we carried ourselves as the global citizens and agents for social change that we strive to be as MLK scholars. Yet at times culture shock set in, and we were forced to closely examine our perceptions and preconceived notions of such a different way of life. During a question and answer session with students from Mohammed V University in Rabat, one Moroccan student asked us if, as Americans, we felt any fear coming to a Muslim country. Our answer, while shameful and uncomfortable, was yes.
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a culture of fear has been created in the U.S., causing even well-educated Americans to associate Muslims with terrorism. As MLK scholars, we have spent years studying the racial oppression of African-Americans, Latinos, and other racial minorities, and we were quickly forced to face our own prejudices and stereotypes when traveling in a Muslim country.
Photos courtesy of Courtney M. Clemente '09
Each January, the MLK scholars participate in an international travel trip to research issues of social justice and perform service work. Last year, we went to Granada, Spain, and then to Rabat, Morocco. Before traveling, we prepared by participating in a course that focused on social justice and racial issues surrounding immigration from Morocco to Spain. Then each scholar chose a social justice issue to research in the countries we would visit. We began our trip in Granada, where we focused on the history and current political and cultural situation of Moroccan immigration into Spain. While there we had the honor of listening to Esperanza Fornieles, a worker for the immigration group FUTURO, discuss politics, women’s issues, race, and immigration in Spain. We visited the Mesquita de Granada, the largest mosque in Spain, and met a Muslim man and woman who live in Granada and work at the mosque. They discussed their struggles and the prejudices they endured as Muslims in a Christian country. Our trip from Spain to Morocco provided us perspectives into how these different cultures merge on
the issue of immigration. We were also able to compare the political and social issues we learned about in Spain and Morocco to our own society in the United States. Many of us found similarities between the racial and economic issues raised in Moroccan immigration to Spain and Mexican immigration to the United States. Because the border to Spain is so close to Morocco many Moroccans immigrate to Spain to find work. Just as Americans struggle with the identity and cultural issues that accompany the influx of Mexican workers, Spaniards also deal with the issues that arise when a different racial, religious, and cultural group enters their country. In the end, it’s the people we met who brought our research to life and made these international experiences enriching. A highlight of the trip for me was the chance to eat dinner in the home of a Moroccan family. Walking into the house, I was amazed by the intricate Muslim architecture and design that surrounded me. As fellow scholar Jaylene Clark ’10 and I waited to be served, we sat in a
Traditional Moroccan Cuisine Moroccan food is a mix of Berber, Spanish, Corsican, Portuguese, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and African cuisines. Sitting down to dinner together as a family is an important social ritual in Morocco. Food is served from a communal bowl and eaten with the right hand.
The kindness and hospitality with which we were welcomed transcended the language barrier between us. large parlor eating Moroccan cookies that are traditionally served before the meal. The main dish was eaten with our bare hands. As we ate, we attempted to chat with our six hosts, only one of whom spoke English. The kindness and hospitality with which we were welcomed transcended the language barrier between us, however, and their warm smiles communicated a sense of understanding and friendship. Researching and studying other cultures is important, but it simply can’t compare to hearing firsthand
accounts of life in Spain or Morocco. We now have a better understanding of the racial and religious struggles that Muslims face in Spain, Morocco, and even our own country. Through these travel experiences, my fellow scholars and I examined not only external prejudice but also the ways in which our own preconceived notions, especially as Americans, must be challenged. This perspective makes the world a smaller place and takes us one step closer to fulfilling Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.
BISTEEYA
A traditional pastry that is made in three layers. The first layer consists of chicken that is covered with eggs that are curdled in a lemony onion sauce and topped with sweetened almonds. The dish is enclosed in tissue-thin pastry called warka and topped with a layer of cinnamon and sugar.
COUSCOUS
The most famous Moroccan dish, couscous is fine semolina pasta. The finished pasta is about 1 mm in diameter before cooking. Couscous is served as the last dish of a meal.
TEA
Moroccan tea is generally served with every meal. The green tea is steeped, and lumps of sugar and fresh spearmint are added, giving it an intensely minty, sweet taste.
Learn more about the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar Program at www.ithaca.edu/mlk.
From left to right: Danielle Harrison '09 and Jared Azuma '09 at a historical mosque in Rabat, Morocco; the author at La Alhambra in Granada, Spain; MLK scholars visiting a cemetery along the coast of Rabat; a live Andalusian music performance in the Center for Cross Cultural Learning in Rabat; and MLK scholars on a guided tour of a historical mosque in Rabat. fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 13
feature | ITHACA, NEW YORK: HOLLYWOOD OF THE EAST
Ithaca, New York:
of the East
I
thaca is best known as a college town, but did you know it also has a rich filmmaking history? From 1910 to 1920, two independent producers, the Wharton brothers, opened their own movie studio in town and helped to make Ithaca the home of the silent film industry. Though the cameras are no longer rolling, film buffs and indie enthusiasts won’t be disappointed by Ithaca’s eclectic moviegoing options.
Ithaca currently has three movie theaters that showcase independent, international, and experimental films—Cinemapolis, Fall Creek Pictures, and Cornell Cinema. Cinemapolis opened in 1986, a few years after film lovers Lynn Cohen and Richard Szanyi arrived in
by NIKKI MESEGUER ’08
Ithaca. “We wanted to start a business and we wanted to bring in some of the movies we’ve seen in New York City,” Cohen says. Tucked away in a side alley off of the Commons, Cinemapolis can seem a bit out of the way. But have no fear; this theater is warm and inviting once you step inside. Shortly after opening Cinemapolis, Cohen and Szanyi bought Fall Creek Pictures from its previous owner and began running both as sister theaters. Hidden among the foliage of a residential area, Fall Creek Pictures is only one mile north of the Commons on Tioga Street. Going to either theater on a snowy evening in the depths of winter is like having a big cup of cocoa and snuggling up in front of a fire, only the warmth is emanating from the movie screen instead of burning logs. All of the food is homemade—yes, that means real butter on the popcorn—and the viewing rooms comfortably fit 50–150 people. In 2000, the 7th Art Corporation, a nonprofit organization, took ownership and now operates both Fall Creek Pictures and Cinemapolis. A new theater— expected to open in early 2009—that will combine the two cinemas is currently under construction.
Jodi Cohen, Ithaca College professor of speech communication and president of the 7th Art board of directors, says the move to a bigger and better theater will benefit Ithaca’s community. The new theater is going to have larger screens, stadium seating, and a better sound system. But Cohen says they’re going to try their best to keep the homey feel of the old theaters.
Going to either theater on a snowy evening in the depths of winter is like having a big cup of cocoa and snuggling up in front of a fire, only the warmth is emanating from the movie screen instead of burning logs.
Learn more about 's
Ithaca local efforts to restore ater at the original silent movie fuse.ithaca.edu.
“We promise we’re going to be funky,” she says. “No bins of M&M’s—just the cheapest movies and the best treats. The building won’t be mall-like.” Another one of Ithaca’s authentic theaters stands on the other hill in town. Originally established in 1970 as a university film society, Cornell Cinema is a refreshing flashback to the classic movie theater. Featuring a film or video seven nights a week, Cornell Cinema, located on the Cornell University campus, shows classic Hollywood and foreign films, independent titles, documentaries, experimental work, recent international cinema, silent films, cult classics, and recent Hollywood and art house hits. Two of the best features of the theater are the wooden seats and the old-fashioned popcorn machine. It’s the perfect place to impress your date.
What if you’re dying to see the latest Hollywood hit? Don’t worry. If you’re looking for a more mainstream movie experience, Ithaca’s got you covered. The Shops at Ithaca Mall houses Regal Cinemas and shows all the major first-run blockbusters. The recently renovated theater now features stadium seating and a surround-sound system to accompany the bigger movie screens. Just remember, you won’t find any homemade snacks or cheap ticket prices at Regal, so check out one of Ithaca's unique local theaters at least once. You won’t regret it.
CINEMAPOLIS
FALL CREEK PICTURES
CORNELL CINEMA
REGAL CINEMAS
www.cinemapolis.org
www.cinemapolis.org/fallcreek.asp
www.cinema.cornell.edu
www.regalcinemas.com
TICKETS: $8.50 general admission $7.00 for students with I.D. (except Fridays and Saturdays) $7.00 Saturday and Sunday matinees
TICKETS: $8.50 general admission $7.00 for students with I.D. (except Fridays and Saturdays) $7.00 Saturday and Sunday matinees
TICKETS: $4.00 anytime for students $6.50 general admission
TICKETS: $7.00 before 6:00 p.m. $7.50 for students Sunday – Thursday $9.50 general admission
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 15
feature | OUT OF HARM’S WAY
Out of Harm’s Way Tips to keep you safe and sound on campus by SHANAN GLANDZ ’09 From Big Ten athletics to breakthrough discoveries in science, college students make headlines all the time. Unfortunately, the news also contains embarrassing, sometimes tragic, and usually preventable accidents. When it comes to campus safety,
1
page. One of the best ways to do that is to take advantage of Ithaca College’s Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol (SASP). Employing 30 to 40 student workers who patrol the campus in pairs every night from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. whenever the College is in session, SASP provides support to the College’s Office of Public Safety. For some safety tips, Fuse turned to Steve Gleason ’09, Photo by Tom Watson
the executive director of SASP.
Go to the phones.
2
Know where you’re going.
Safe traveling strategies, such as avoiding unlit or overgrown walkways, traveling in groups when you’re out late, and carrying your cell phone at all times, can maximize fun and minimize risk. Students can also request a SASP escort to walk them back to their dorm if they feel unsafe walking alone.
Photo by Steven Gorgos '09
it’s probably better to stay off the front
Get to know the on-campus emergency phone system. The campus is equipped with a blue light phone system—a series of free public phones directly connected to the Office of Public Safety. These phones, which can be used in case of any emergency, are marked by bright yellow lampposts and blue lamp lights. You never know when you’ll be caught without your cell phone and need assistance.
Relying on a network of peers can keep you from getting lost, injured, or worse, says Gleason. “The most important thing for students new to college life to do is to always have a friend or resident assistant (RA) that they can turn to. Devastating incidents have a better chance of being avoided if someone has an idea of where you are.”
3
Call for backup.
The city of Ithaca has several cab companies that run at all hours. If you’re out and your ride home has left you high and dry, Ithaca taxi dispatchers are always there to help. “I personally have three different cab company numbers stored in my phone so that I always have that as a backup,” Gleason says. “If you have no one else to turn to, call public safety and ask for a ride,” he adds. “We’d much rather see you get home safely than have something happen to you.” Planning ahead can keep you from having to pay for a taxi or calling public safety. Gleason says, “Go out with people you know and trust, and always have some idea as to how you’ll be getting back to your dorm. And if your plan goes awry, have someone you can call or turn to in an emergency.”
4
Moderation is key.
For some students, drinking can lead to some embarrassing stories. And while drinkingrelated incidents can seem funny and harmless, the fact is that drinking often contributes to thefts, fights, sexual assaults, and even fatalities. If you are of legal drinking age, responsible alcohol consumption is essential to keep you safe and out of harm’s way— even if that means having to give up the car keys or waking
up your roommate because you don’t think you can make it safely to your dorm or apartment. Taking these steps is better than having the unexpected or the unthinkable happen. Gleason recalls the story of an intoxicated student who attempted to ride a broken bike that was chained to a post. “Needless to say, the student did not stay on the bike for long and ended up with a head injury. By the time public safety officers arrived, the student had no recollection of the incident and didn’t realize the extent of the
injury.” But who can you turn to if you do find yourself or someone else in a potentially dangerous situation? When all else fails, call public safety. “People think public safety officers are looking to ruin a good time,” he continues. “But I can assure you, our primary concern is the well-being of IC students.”
Staying safe at school doesn’t have to limit your choices—or your fun. In fact, making the right choices or helping someone else make them can save reputations and lives. According to Gleason, the best preventative measures to take to avoid college dangers are all based on common sense. “I just can’t emphasize enough how important it is for students to make responsible decisions,” he says.
“Go out with people you know and trust, and always have some idea as to how you’ll be getting back to your dorm.”
Addicted to Facebook? Learn the dos and don’ts of social networking at fuse.ithaca.edu.
How IC Keeps Students Safe
1. The College is installing a swipe key card system on all main residence hall doors. In the meantime, the entrance doors to all residence halls are locked 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
These are just some of the preventative and emergency safety and security measures IC has in place to ensure the safety of its students.
3. SASP officers are available for late-night escorting.
2. Public safety officers patrol the campus by car and on foot 24-7. The office is open 365 days a year.
4. Approximately 95 blue light phones are scattered across campus. SASP officers also make weekly checks of the phones to make sure that they are in working condition. 5. The College recently initiated an emergency notification system. When an emergency occurs on campus, students and staff can be notified of the situation via phone, text message, and e-mail. The College has also installed an outdoor warning system that alerts the campus of an urgent situation.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 17
Last summer I traveled to Gambia in West Africa as one of the two students selected for Ithaca College’s Reginald Simmons Memorial Award. I spent the summer working with Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA), a program established by Bob Iger ’73, president and CEO of Walt Disney Company, in Simmons’s honor. Simmons ’75 devoted his career to improving the lives of the African people. OCA is a cross-cultural exchange program designed to promote understanding of Africa and its culture. I lived in the small town of Jambanjelly and helped complete the construction of a local library. I debated whether I should apply for this scholarship, but I soon realized that this could be one of the greatest opportunities of my life. I had no idea what I was getting into or what I could expect from this trip, but needless to say, it turned out to be an absolutely incredible experience. This photo gallery and blog are my attempts to convey my experience in West Africa. Clockwise from top left: My fellow volunteers and I celebrate after the dedication ceremony.
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by JEFF GOODWIN ’10
Operation Crossroads Africa
feature | OPERATION CROSSROADS AFRICA
To celebrate the completion of a workweek we had a bonfire at the local beach.
Fridays are a holy day for Muslims, which meant that all work stopped at 1:00 p.m. and we had the afternoon off. Sometimes we rode our bikes to the coast and relaxed until sunset or a thunderstorm moved in, whichever came first. With the exception of the occasional cattle herd there was usually no one to be seen for miles. To celebrate the success of one year of marriage the women and girls of the village come out to dance to traditional drumming. The locals loved any excuse to dress up and celebrate. The festivities would often last late into the night. Rob Lloyd, a junior at Connecticut College, works on the interior painting. Most of the building was painted with whitewash, which often left us covered in paint at the end of the day.
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Clockwise from top left: Many of the local workers, including this mason, could barely speak any English, which made communicating how to spackle a wall entertaining. Despite the language barrier the workers were incredibly patient, regardless of how many times they had to show us what to do. Learning the local language, Mandika, by candlelight. Although English is the official language of the Gambia it is rarely spoken, especially among older generations. The completed library. Me with Mass Mbye. Mass lived next to the library and would often visit the work site. Katie Connelly teaches Heidi Samba how to paint her fingernails. During our seven-week stay we lived on Heidi's family compound along with more than 25 other members of her extended family.
Read Jeff’s blog at jgafrica.blogspot.com.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 19
feature | FINE TUNING
Fine
Tuning Brass Ensemble Takes Its Music to Germany by MEREDITH FARLEY ’09
S
tudents walking past the School of Music often hear rhythmic drumbeats or classical solos drifting through the windows and over the quads. This past summer, the students in the brass quintet Five Cents Sharp spread their sound even farther when they traveled to Brass im Frankenwald, an international festival held at the Haus Marteau, a retreat for music in Lichtenberg, Germany.
Kim Dunnick, professor of trumpet, first approached the quintet about the prestigious festival during its first year. A former festival performer, Professor Dunnick was able to use some of his connections in the music world to arrange an invitation for Five Cents Sharp. “Playing internationally allows you to hear great musicians and styles you’re not used to,” says Dunnick.
The festival serves as a weeklong course in which international students receive master classes and private lessons, rehearse, and perform music for brass instruments. The featured mentor this year was Wolfgang Gaag, a French hornist for the ensemble German Brass. At first Five Cents Sharp was a little intimidated by the other experienced musicians and the cultural divide, but the quintet members soon hit their stride and ended up playing more cohesively than ever before. In the end the group was grateful for the opportunity to learn among other talented players. “I can’t imagine a group of individuals, especially
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Five Cents Sharp founder Jon Stewart ’10 (trumpet) and his fellow members Mike Drennan ’10 (French horn), Christopher Tolbert ’09 (trumpet), Dan Troiano ’10 (tuba), and J.C. VonHoltz ’10 (trombone) are all music majors.
The group takes a break from performing (from left) Mike Drennan '10, Chris Tolbert '09, Dan Troiano '10, Jon Stewart '10, J.C. VonHoltz '10.
musicians, refusing an opportunity to play in Europe,” says Stewart. “You experience things, and somehow it helps you congeal into a better sounding, tighter group.” The festival may be the capstone experience for the group so far, but the quintet has been going strong for three years now. Unlike other ensembles whose members may perform only a few times during their undergraduate education, Five Cents Sharp has made it a point to perform in the music school at least once every semester. This keeps the quintet motivated and in practice. “I don’t recall any other group ever having done that, and I’ve been here 28 years,” says Dunnick.
“Germany was truly a moving experience. It was great to see all the support people had for music and how many people truly wanted to come and listen.”
“We bought German rail passes before we left the States and used those as our primary form of city-tocity transportation.” In 14 days, the group visited Hof, Berlin, Lichtenberg, Nüremberg, Munich, and Frankfurt. The guys took in the local foods and culture and historical sites like the Berlin Wall, staying in bed and breakfasts in the smaller towns and youth hostels in the cities.
“In America, street performances are almost frowned upon,” adds Troiano. “Germany was truly a moving experience. It was great to see all the support people had for music and how many people truly wanted to come and listen.”
but in the end the group saw it as an integral part of their experience. “At times it was hard to understand some of the German and Russian speakers, but we communicated with our music in such a way that we became friends almost instantly,” says Troiano.
One obstacle the group had to overcome was the language barrier. German and Russian—not English— were the main languages spoken. At times it was difficult to communicate,
Of course all work and no play is no way to experience a trip to Europe, so the group scheduled some extra days in Germany to take in the sights. “We traveled a lot,” says Stewart.
They were glad to make some international connections—Stewart says the friendships they forged overseas might come in handy someday. “Everyone in the music world agrees that you should try to be nice to all the musicians you meet, because it’s only a matter of time until you see them again. I think we did a fine job with that.”
Playing internationally was a thrill for the group, but they were also able to see firsthand how Europeans experience and appreciate classical music compared to Americans. In general, they found the crowds more responsive to their music in Europe than in the United States. “When we played on the streets, especially in Hof, hundreds of people stopped to listen to us,” says Stewart.
Performing in Ithaca and Worldwide Five Cents Sharp isn’t the only group that had the opportunity to perform abroad. IC’s ensembles have made several trips to Ireland, including the wind ensemble (2007), women’s chorale (2005), chamber orchestra (2003), and choir (2002). Last April, the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra and the Ithaca College Choral Union (composed of the choir, women’s chorale, and chorus) performed Verdi’s Requiem at Lincoln Center.
Read more
‹
about Five Cents Sharp's trip to Germany, and learn more about ensemble groups at IC at fuse.ithaca.edu.
The guys visit with former IC piano faculty member Jairo Geronimo, who now lives in Nüremberg, Germany.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 21
Photos courtesy of Dan Heffner '78 and Dianne Lynch
feature | OH, THE HORROR!
OH, THE
HORROR! I
Saw Producer Dan Heffner ’78 Screens His New Film at IC by MEGHAN SWOPE ’11
t’s 4:30 p.m. on a gorgeous Friday afternoon, yet the auditorium in the Park School of Communications is packed with students, some of whom have been waiting anxiously in their seats for over three hours. Why? Because Dan Heffner ’78, best known for his work as the producer of the Saw horror film franchise, has returned to campus to host a special sneak preview screening of his latest film, Repo! The Genetic Opera, a rock opera horror that Heffner describes as Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Blade Runner, with an eclectic cast ranging from Sarah Brightman to Paris Hilton.
Screenings like this are not the only thing Heffner does for IC students. Next spring, for the third year in a row, he will sponsor a postproduction seminar for a group of select students chosen by the Park School faculty. Heffner pays for the students to stay in Toronto for a two-day whirlwind look at Saw's postproduction process.
“The experience is really valuable because it’s one area that no film school can give you the full story on because it’s so technically difficult,” he explains. “Last year, it happened the week before we started shooting Saw V, so I gave them a tour of our stage. I think next year it may actually happen while we’re filming Saw VI.” To Heffner, giving back and mentoring students is incredibly important. “Throughout my career, there’s always been somebody out there who gave me that little extra—a production manager who spent a little extra time teaching me, somebody who, when I was young and made a mistake, would overlook it and help me get past it, even here at Ithaca with [former professor] Skip Landen’s support and help. I’ve been very fortunate in my career and in my life to have many good people go that extra step for me, so for me this is my payback.”
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This screening is a direct result of a previous visit to campus to talk about his career and the Saw franchise. During that event Heffner showed a small clip of Repo, sparking interest in his new film. “Everybody was excited, and as the night wore on I started getting more questions about Repo,” he says. The students urged him to bring the film, which is a limited theatrical release, to IC. Heffner decided to take it one step further by bringing the film to Ithaca as a sneak preview screening—one of the first in the country—before its official release.
Dan Heffner '78 (right) and director Darren Bousman take a break from filming Saw IV in Toronto.
There’s No Business Like Show Business Although education is important in preparing for a career in the film industry, it’s not a substitute for real-world experience. “I don’t think you could walk into any other university or any school anywhere in the country that’s better equipped than Ithaca is to give you that firsthand experience, but it’s still a school,” explains Heffner. “The nice thing about internships is that you get to see what it’s like to face the pressure; you get to see what people go through. Then you’re going to come back to school and bring that with you.”
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How can you obtain the real-world experiences Dan Heffner is referring to? The Ithaca College Los Angeles Program is a great place to start. As an extension of the Park School, the program provides 75 students each semester with internship-based experiences in a variety of fields including film and television production, radio, music, advertising, public relations, and print and broadcast journalism. Students also take industry-related courses taught by our Los Angeles-based faculty and industry professionals for credit at the James B. Pendleton Center, just minutes away from Burbank and Hollywood.
Learn more about IC’s program in LA at www.ithaca.edu/rhp/laprog.
The common bond formed between Ithaca College students, regardless of their class year, is also something Heffner appreciates. Fellow IC alumni Mark Berg ’81 and Carl Mazzocone ’81 are two of Heffner’s colleagues at the production company Twisted Pictures. In fact, it was Mazzocone who helped Heffner reconnect with the College. “When my mentor and guiding light Skip Landen retired, I kind of lost touch with the school. Carl had been in touch with Park School Dean
“I always find that coming back to Ithaca is just so invigorating to me, just seeing everybody and how enthused they are, whether they’re freshmen or seniors. It’s just so exciting to be able to share my experiences and keep that enthusiasm alive.” Dianne Lynch because there was an event coming up honoring Skip in Los Angeles,” recalls Heffner. “I was in Toronto working on Saw III, and he invited Dean Lynch to come to our set. That was the first time I met her, and she did her amazing pitch of the school and where it was today. We became close and she invited me to Ithaca, so when we finished Saw I made my
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Dean Dianne Lynch sits in Saw's famous bathroom set of Saw III.
Dan Heffner (far right) discusses a scene on the set of Saw II with (from right to left) director James Wan, producer Greg Hoffman, and director Darren Bousman.
first trip down here in some time. I’ve been here five or six times since then.” Heffner has also taught a weekend-long production course in the Park School, an experience he hopes to repeat in the future. “I always find that coming back here—whether it’s teaching a mini-course, lecturing for a couple of hours, talking in a couple of classes, or even bringing one of my movies here—is just so invigorating to me, just seeing everybody and how enthused they are, whether they’re freshmen or seniors. It’s just so exciting to be able to share my experiences and keep that enthusiasm alive.”
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 23
feature | MASTER OF THE MARKET
W
hile stock market crashes and problems on Wall Street have created a great deal of uncertainty in the world of finance, Ithaca College’s business programs continue to run strong. With extraordinary faculty, new state-of-the-art facilities, and a nationally renowned sustainability initiative, students now more than ever appreciate the operations of the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, which houses the School of Business. Business majors also appreciate the dedication of faculty like Abraham Mulugetta, professor of finance and international business. Professor Mulugetta joined Ithaca’s faculty in 1984. His devotion to teaching, trading, researching, and inspiring has only strengthened over the years, and his students have benefited tremendously from his commitment and enthusiasm. Originally from Ethiopia, Professor Mulugetta came to the United States for many reasons— among them, freedom. “You learn what freedom really means,” he explains, “coming from a place where people cannot speak out.” Freedom is paramount in business, where having the ability to make decisions and take risks is essential. Professor Mulugetta emphasizes these opportunities for his students through real-world examples and experiences.
Master Market of the
by ALYSSA LETSCH ’11
For example, this semester Professor Mulugetta gave his classes $1 million in virtual funds to invest in the stock market. Working in the Center for Trading and Analysis of Financial Instruments— IC’s real-time trading room that Mulugetta spent four years planning and designing—students simulate the buying and selling of stock using some of the same software used on Wall Street. Mulugetta has been directing the trading room since 1994. Recently reopened in the school’s new building, the current room has the largest number of workstations of any comparable undergraduate trading room in the United States. “The trading room reflects my commitment to IC,” Mulugetta says. “We have created an environment where students can interact with each other, and we’ve created a very conducive atmosphere for students to challenge themselves and learn from each other.” He emphasizes that despite his role in directing the trading room, the students themselves are the ones who manage it and reap its benefits.
“I was brought up to be curious, which was confined in Ethiopia. I like to satisfy my own curiosity, which I can do by teaching and explaining. I also learn from my students—the energy level of young people is amazing.”
Every semester, a club called the Core Trading Consultants sponsors the Investment Challenge, a semester-long competition in which students of any major try to turn $100,000 in virtual money into virtual millions using actual market data. Students get real-time quotes and, using that information, submit a trading form to take part in the virtual stock exchange.
At the end of each semester an awards ceremony is held to honor the three top performers and top performing first-year student. The prizes are shares in a mutual fund called the Ithaca College Investment Club, which has more than $25,000 in real assets.
The current financial crisis has definitely played into lessons in the classroom. Professor Mulugetta encourages his students to follow the activity of the market and apply it to their own investments. This strategy allows them to see where errors can be made and how they could have foreseen them. The crisis, he says, has helped students make connections and draw conclusions—a great learning experience for the future. “Professor Mulugetta encourages students to read and learn beyond the textbook material,” says Iskra Kallogjerovic '09. “He always incorporates the most current information in the classroom discussions and helps us analyze and understand current events.”
Even with these advanced degrees, Professor Mulugetta is still adding to his knowledge base. He is constantly studying, writing, and conducting finance research. His findings have been published in dozens of scholarly business journals, books, and cases. In fact, he estimates that at least 25 percent of his time is devoted to research. Over the years he has studied topics such as risk management, Internet banking, exchange rates, and currency crises to name a few, and he frequently conducts research with
The IC Investment Challenge
Throughout the semester, students track their investments in the trading room using an interactive portfolio and investment tools such as Thomson One and MarketLink, Wall Street applications that allow them to view their changing gains and losses and research stock information.
One example is the Investment Challenge, a semester-long competition sponsored by Ithaca’s Core Trading Consultants in which participants use $100,000 in virtual money to invest in stocks (see sidebar for more). The club’s co-president Ken Beebe ’09 says, “The Investment Challenge is great because we have two objectives—to learn and to teach each other about the markets.”
For more information
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Professor Mulugetta’s experience in the business world extends far beyond teaching. He worked for both the minister of finance and the minister of housing in Ethiopia and served as the deputy general manager for Ethiopian workers with disabilities. He also worked as a small business adviser in Wisconsin, where he earned a master’s degree in finance and international business and a doctorate in business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Risky Business:
about the trading room, Core Trading Consultants, or the Investment Challenge, visit www.ithaca.edu/business.
Professor Mulugetta conducts class in the trading room.
his students. A recent collaborative research project on the derivatives of risk management in the banking industry will soon be published in the Journal of Banking and Finance. Professor Mulugetta spends a great deal of his free time trading. Students can find him following the hourly activities of the stock market in his office. When asked what led him to begin teaching, Professor Mulugetta cites his own thirst for knowledge. “I was brought up to be curious, which was confined in Ethiopia. I like to satisfy my own curiosity, which I do by teaching and explaining. I also learn a lot from my students—the energy level of young people is amazing.” Professor Mulugetta's students would likely say that he has no trouble keeping pace. fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 25
feature | FLYING DISC FEVER
“I WILL BE PLAYING FRISBEE UNTIL I CAN’T WALK ANYMORE. IT’S SOMETHING I LOVE TO DO.”
The Ultimate Game of Frisbee
Photo by Bill Truslow
by MAGGIE HIBMA ’09
O
n those long, hot summer days, throwing a Frisbee around can be a great way to enjoy the day and pass the time. But for a growing number of players all over the world, Ultimate Frisbee has become more than just a game— it’s become their way of life. “I will be playing Frisbee until I can’t walk anymore,” says Allison Walker ’10, a business administration major and captain of the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Kweezy. “It’s something I love to do.” Ultimate Frisbee combines the continuous movement and endurance of soccer with the passing skills of football, and it has been gaining popularity all over the world. “There are about 800,000 people who joined the Ultimate Player’s Association this past year,” says Walker. “So it’s coming up in the ranks.” Walker joined the team her freshman year, and despite her hectic schedule of classes, an on-campus job, and other college activities, she continues to make time in her schedule for Frisbee because she can’t get enough of it.
“It’s something I really enjoy, and it really serves as my escape from my life,” Allison says. The game is played by throwing the Frisbee between players who attempt to score in their end zones. Positions are divided into two different types—handlers, who are in charge of throwing, and cutters, who do most of the running. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. Games are played until 15 points are earned; halftime occurs when one team scores eight points. For Ultimate Frisbee players, though, it’s all about what they call the Spirit of the Game. Spirit of the Game places the responsibility for fair play on the players rather than on officials or referees. Spirit refers to the fact that no one governs the game but the players themselves. In Ultimate, it’s all about the honor system. “Since there are no referees, it’s up to the players to rely on their own pride and honor. It’s up to you to call your own foul,” Walker explains. Because of the lack of referees, the aggression level is far less than that in a soccer or football game
where there is lots of yelling and screaming. Instead, players play with a mutual love of the game.
“All of us sleeping on the floor in someone’s house for two nights during a weekend, getting team food, and literally spending the weekend in each other’s company really bonds us as a team. We become so close it’s scary,” Meyer says.
“You get to enjoy a lot more silliness,” says Walker. One of the fun things the team does is dress up in costumes during their Halloween tournaments. Last year, they dressed up as characters from the movie Braveheart. Ricky Meyer ’09, a cinema and photography major, is cocaptain of the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Nawshus. He says that like any other sport, Ultimate Frisbee can get really competitive, but the emphasis on good sportsmanship is what sets it apart. “Players try to keep spirit as much as possible when fouls are called and are expected to admit when they commit a foul,” explains Meyer. “It makes it really fun to play.” Walker and Meyer both say that their teams are very close. Going away for tournaments on the weekends, sharing pasta dinners, and attending three-hour practices three times a week are all team-building activities on their own.
Ultimate Frisbee is one of 21 competitive club sports that are active at IC. Walker says that clubs like Ultimate Frisbee are a good option for people who want to stay active but don’t want the restriction of playing a varsity sport. “It’s a mix of fun and athleticism,” Walker says. “You get to do some things that are kind of outside a varsity sports setting.” Even though the players' time at Ithaca will eventually come to an end, they will take away something in addition to their degrees—a love of Ultimate Frisbee. “Ultimate is probably the best thing I’ve done in college,” says Meyer. “I will continue to play for as long as I can.”
Learn more about IC sports clubs at fuse.ithaca.edu.
GET IN THE SPIRIT The official rules of Ultimate Frisbee state that “the integrity of Ultimate depends on each player’s responsibility to uphold the Spirit of the Game, and this responsibility should remain paramount.” Spirit of the Game is what makes Ultimate Frisbee special. There are no referees and sometimes not even coaches, so it is up to those on the field to do what’s right—even if that means calling a foul on themselves. To adhere to these rules, players must avoid “taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other win-at-all-costs behavior.” Can’t believe it? This spirit has been in Ultimate Frisbee for over 30 years. Interested in learning more about this awesome sport? Check out the Ultimate Player’s Association website at www.upa.org.
fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2008 • 27
› Real the
Q&As with the Fuse staff
Deal
Q: How long does it take to walk from one end of campus to the other?
A:
Most students can walk from one end of campus to the other in under 15 minutes. The longest hike would be from the Terraces residence halls to the Park School of Communications. Even though the walk is hilly at times, it is usually quick and easy to get from one place to another on campus. SAM CONSTANT ’09
Q: What kind of religious services and organizations are found at Ithaca?
A:
IC’s beautiful Muller Chapel hosts various religious services weekly. Active groups include the Catholic Community, Hillel, the Protestant Community, and the Interfaith Council, which promotes cooperation, respect, and goodwill among all the religious communities on campus. There are also various faith-centered clubs and organizations on campus, including Habitat for Humanity, which participate in community service in Ithaca and beyond. You can learn more at www.ithaca.edu/ sacl/religious_communities.php. MAGGIE HIBMA ’09
Q: I have a disability. Can Ithaca College accommodate my needs?
A:
Q: How do I find a job on campus? A:
There are a few ways to find jobs on campus. First, current students can look online at JobShop, an online database of student jobs. This site provides information for students who seek campus employment or qualify for federal work study. You can also check with specific offices. So if you really want a job at the Fitness Center or the library, check their websites or give them a call to see if a position is available. For more information visit www.ithaca.edu/hr/jobshop.
If you have a documented disability, IC’s Office of Academic Support Services offers many resources to make classes and other parts of campus life more accessible. Accommodations are based on your specific disability; services offered include extended and optimized testing services, tutoring, special housing accommodations, and advocacy. All disability information is kept confidential unless you choose to disclose it. To find out more, visit www.ithaca.edu/acssd.
KAT SLIFER ’09
SHANAN GLANDZ ’09
Q: What is the local music scene like in Ithaca?
A:
› GOT QUESTIONS
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Igor’s Egg, a local Ithaca band.
YOU’D LIKE TO SEE ANSWERED IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF FUSE ? LET US KNOW AT FUSE.ITHACA.EDU/TALKBACK!
Although it’s no New York City, Ithaca still has a very charged music scene. There are weekly concerts of local musicians at places like Castaways, the Haunt, the Nines, and No Radio Records (which often partners with students to put on concerts). A few times each semester, some of these venues as well as Cornell University and Ithaca College bring bigger artists to town. These shows are usually pretty cheap and draw a great crowd. Last year Cornell Concerts brought Broken Social Scene and Yo La Tengo to Ithaca, while Castaways brought Girl Talk to play. HEATHER NEWBERGER ’10
Ithaca at a Glance Ithaca offers a first-rate education on a first-name basis. Learn what you love from stellar faculty; start a club, intern at your dream job, or spend a semester halfway around the world—whatever course you set, you’ll love what you do. At Ithaca you’ll have lots of choices and plenty of opportunities to find your passion in life. LOCATION In the center of the Finger Lakes region of New York State, our modern campus is 60 miles north of Binghamton and 60 miles south of Syracuse. The city of Ithaca is home to about 47,000 residents and neighboring Cornell University. STUDENT BODY 6,000 undergraduates and 400 graduate students from 48 states, 3 U.S. territories, and 78 countries. Over 70 percent of students live on Ithaca’s hilltop campus, which overlooks Cayuga Lake.
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FACULTY 461 full-time faculty and 212 part-time faculty STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO 12 to 1 ACADEMIC PROFILE 49 percent of current freshmen rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class. The high school average of most admitted students ranges from B+ to A.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY With more than 100 degree programs to choose from, Ithaca has something for everyone. To learn more about each school and the majors it offers, visit the websites below. A complete list of majors can be found on the admission website at www.ithaca.edu/admission/programs/index.php. SCHOOL
School of Business
STUDENT ENROLLMENT
700
SCHOOL HOMEPAGE
www.ithaca.edu/business
Roy H. Park School of Communications
1,300
www.ithaca.edu/rhp
School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
1,200
www.ithaca.edu/hshp
School of Humanities and Sciences
2,200
www.ithaca.edu/hs
School of Music
500
www.ithaca.edu/music
Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies
100
www.ithaca.edu/diis
For details about Ithaca’s application process, financial aid, tuition, and more, please visit www.ithaca.edu/admission.
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DID YOU KNOW? OVER 90 PERCENT OF ITHACA’S FULL-TIME FACULTY MEMBERS HOLD A PH.D. OR THE HIGHEST TERMINAL DEGREE IN THEIR FIELD.
Ithaca College Office of Admission 953 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850-7000 P: (800) 429-4274 or (607) 274-3124 www.ithaca.edu
Ithaca College Office of Admission 953 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850-7000 (800) 429-4274 (607) 274-3124 www.ithaca.edu
Get the inside scoop on Ithaca. CHECK OUT: www.ithaca.edu CHECK IN: my.ithaca.edu
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