p. 3 - Going Green in Geneva
p. 4 -Hobart Hockey Wins National Champs
p. 6 - Spotlight: Campus Access Association
p. 5 - First Seasons of Competition
p. 7 - New VP of DEI
p. 8 - Staff Spotlight: Professor Beth Kinne
p. 10 - Decline in Enrollment
p. 10 - Downtown Bounces Back
p. 11 - Losing Ground: STI Rates Increasing
p. 13 - Letter from Editor
Paul Janes, Editor-in-Chief
Kyle Mast, Design Editor
Jack Hanson, Design, Web Editor
Katelyn Oswalt, Copy Editor
Hrithik Biswas, Operations Manager
The city of Geneva is revamping their “Green Committee,” and they want HWS students to become involved.
Geneva’s Green Committee evaluates their city’s operations and community practices, making sure they have sustainable impacts. Additionally, they make recommendations to the Geneva City Council on how they can be more sustainable in regards to policy changes or changes to operational practices.
Within the Green Committee, there are five subcommittees that aim to focus on improving the sustainability of different aspects of the city. These are:
The “Alternatives to Synthetics” subcommittee, which “supports the city’s Department of Public Works in its management of city-owned properties without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and promotes sustainable practices for all city residents, institutions, and businesses.”
The “Waste Diversion” subcommittee, which “seeks to reduce the city’s waste footprint by encouraging the use of the city’s new Resource Recovery Facility and by promoting the recycling of food wastes, e-wastes, and hazardous wastes as well as all recyclable materials.”
The “De-Icing” subcommittee, which “explores strategies for maintaining safety in the winter while reducing the amount of salt used on city streets and by its businesses, institutions, and residents.”
The “Climate Smart Community” subcommittee, which “seeks to meet the goals for designation as a Climate Smart Community which enables the city to benefit from grant programs.”
Lastly, the “Community Aggregate” subcommittee, which “explores ways the city and its residents, institutions, and businesses can obtain sustainable sources of energy at a reduced cost.”
These subcommittees allow people with any background in Environmental Studies a place in the Green Committee. The committee encourages all individuals with expertise in environmental fields or operations and maintenance practices to apply. This includes Hobart and William Smith students. If you are interested in pursuing a career in Environmental Studies, getting involved with Geneva’s Green Committee
would be a great place for you to start getting experience at the local level. The committee meets as needed as long as they have topics to cover on their agenda. They are more than willing to listen to HWS students’ concerns about the sustainability of Geneva and would appreciate any feedback.
The committee is located in City Hall on 47 Castle Street. To contact them, they prefer you use this phone number: 315-828-6550
Additional cell phone numbers and names of those currently serving on the committee can be found on their website: https:// cityofgenevany.com/290/Green-Committee
Improving the sustainability of our world starts at the local level, and the Green Committee encourages everyone to start making small changes within their community.
By Katelyn Oswalt ‘24 Copy Editor
On March 26th, the Hobart Statesmen hockey team defeated the Adrian College Bulldogs 3-2 to win their first National Championship. Played at the Raymond J. Bourque Arena, located on the campus of Endicott College, the game went into overtime, where All-Tournament Team Member Wil Crane ’24 was able to score the game winning goal, lifting the Statesmen to the championship title.
“It was pretty calm in the locker room,” shares American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Jonah Alexander ’24, when asked about the atmosphere during the overtime period. “We’ve been in that spot a few times during the year.”
Entering the game, the Statesmen held a 28-2-0 record, and completed their season undefeated at home, winning the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Championship. The Statesmen defeated #7
Curry College and #4 Endicott College in the tournament to advance to the title game.
Despite the high pressure, the Statesmen stuck to their usual routine while preparing for the game. “We actually didn’t change anything up,” shares Alexander, when reflecting upon the journey to the Frozen Four. “We kept everything the same, from our meals to pregame stretches… I think we wanted to keep what was working for us.”
In addition to Crane, Austin Mourar ’24 and Luke Aquaro ’25 were named to the All-Tournament Team, and goalie Damon Beaver ’26 was named Most Outstanding Player for the tournament, as well as United States College Hockey Organization (USCHO) and NEHC Rookie of the Year. Beaver recorded 37 saves in the championship game, and finished the season with a 1.04 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .955 save percentage. Additionally, Aquaro was named to the All-USCHO first team, Alexander and Beaver were named to the All-USCHO third team,
and defenseman Cooper Swift ’25 was awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award for his academic and athletic achievements.
Additionally, Head Coach Mark Taylor garnered numerous accolades during his 22nd season. He was named the USCHO, AHCA, and NEHC Coach of the Year, and received the 2023 Edward Jeremiah Award. Taylor also earned a silver medal for his efforts in coaching Team USA in the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, where he was joined by Statesmen Aquaro and Swift.
Upon arriving back to campus, the team received an escort from the Geneva Fire Department to the Scandling Center, where members of the HWS and Geneva communities greeted them to celebrate their victory.
“When we got to campus and got to see everyone there, it was a really special moment,” shares Alexander. “It felt that everything was worth it. We were really happy we could do that for everybody.”
By Sydney Foster ‘24 Herald Contributor
At HWS, disabled students face barriers that impact their education. I have witnessed my friends navigate these challenges and feel compelled to emphasize their experiences on campus. I don’t have a disability and recognize that I am not an expert on these issues. Rather, I want to share the stories of Kyle Mast ‘24 and Rodman Stout ‘24 and the organization they started in the fall semester of 2022 to address these concerns. Lastly, I want to explore the question: How does accessibility at HWS impact the overall student body?
Personally, I was first exposed to thinking about accessibility and disability culture in my WMST 204 class taught by CAA’s faculty advisor and Associate Professor of Women’s Studies, Jessica Hayes-Conroy. In this class, students think widely about disability and issues of intersectionality by analyzing accessibility problems here at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Kyle Mast ‘24 was a classmate of mine, who shared lots of personal anecdotes and challenged the class to view perspectives that my classmates and I were never exposed to.
Through conversations early this fall, I found out that Kyle Mast and Rodman Stout, both current juniors at the colleges, worked together to create a much-needed club on campus. They both met in Education 206, taught by Diane Baker, which is one of only a handful of classes that mainly focus on disability. It allowed them and many other students to identify key components of an accessible educational space. It took both Kyle and Rodman four semesters to find a community at HWS.
Kyle explained, “That was a big thing for me for the first two years. It took a while to find a community that related to the disabled experience.”
It is Rodman and Kyle’s hope that students in the future will know where to turn to find a community automatically when they arrive on campus. So, they both decided to create that community through their club; the Campus Access Association (CAA). CAA is a space that allows students with disabilities to speak about their personal experiences and share them with their fellow peers. This allows for more representation, education, and the cre-
ation of an overall supportive community.
“We identified this need,” Kyle stated, “We have a lot of resources here on Campus, but nothing specifically for the disabled community.”
Outlining the club’s creation process, Kyle continues, “Rodman and I decided that we needed to organize a space for disabled students. There is a lot of power in numbers, rather than just four to five people having these great ideas. I sat down with Rodman, wrote the constitution, and worked together to get the club approved by student engagement and open to the student body.”
Kyle and Rodman identified a couple of goals they would like to accomplish in the short term. The first is to make a community, the second is to educate the overall
cessible housing and accommodations, which are often an uphill battle for students with disabilities, adding to the already daunting task of becoming comfortable as college students with a disability.
In fact, HWS is missing a key piece to its DEIA program which Rodman expressed as something that cannot be ignored. She explained, “there is really no conversation about disability culture on campus,” and identified that, “HWS has an office of DEIA, but there is rarely a mention of the A for Accessibility in the campus community, and this does not exist anywhere on the HWS website. Disability is, fundamentally, an intersectional issue. Accessibility must be part of the conversation surrounding equity and inclusion on our campus.”
HWS community about disability culture, and the third is to make our campus more accessible, whether that is advocating for more accessible housing, buildings on campus, or in the classroom with accommodations that professors should oblige by.
“The goal of the CAA is to have a group of people who can provide mutual support and share advice,” Rodman expressed, “the focus is on creating accessibility and a community around disability.”
The CAA has created a space on campus that educates the HWS community on disability culture. This is especially important for issues that arise surrounding inac-
The structure of buildings on campus is a great example where accessibility could be prioritized more. When buildings on campus aren’t accessible, it adds additional stress to the daily lives of students with disabilities in everyday life. No one should have to deal with more stressors than the ones college students already experience every day!
When first-year students have no idea where to turn for support, the freshman housing situation is terrifying. For students who need housing accommodations, it is even worse. For incoming students, whether freshmen or transfers, there is only one room in Jackson, Potter, and
Reese (JPR) that is fully accessible. The room is on the first floor of Reese and has an accessible bathroom across the hallway. Both Rodman and Kyle lived in this room. Kyle lived there his first year, while Rodman lived there her sophomore year.
“For someone who is a freshman, that room can be truly isolating. You’re not part of a floor, a community, in the way that other freshmen are. Freshmen are part of a cohort, for example, the people who live on Jackson (J) 1 all know each other” Rodman states, identifying a separation often felt between students with disabilities and their peers.
The fact that there is only ONE accessible room in all JPR raises two questions in my mind: What if more than one incoming student needs fully accessible housing? How does living in this room affect the social aspect of being a first year, such as trying to make friends? What about being an upperclassman in a first-year dorm, like Rodman experienced her sophomore year?
Overall, these issues aren’t just seen in first-year dorms, but allaround campus. Rodman points out,
“There isn’t enough disability-accessible housing and the choices students have are very limited.”
Kyle and Rodman both have explained that most buildings lack basic accessibility features. From personal observations, I have noticed that most buildings have stairs to get into them. In Coxe Hall, where many of my classes have taken place, stairs lead to the women’s bathroom. Lastly, many automatic doors have broken over the years. In fact, Kyle explained that automatic door buttons cannot be fixed without contacting the manufacturer who built them.
Going forward, The CAA hopes to speak to the HWS community more and have a greater presence at their meetings, which are held on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm in Merritt Hall. Everyone is welcome! This semester CAA led events with other clubs on campus, such as the Outdoor Recreation Adventure Program (ORAP), The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and many other groups on campus. Next semester, they hope to invite speakers on campus and look forward to hosting more events!
Over the course of the last semester, the Colleges have been looking for a new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, inviting many applicants onto campus
our campus grow in encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion. But he has had time to establish some goals he has for our student body, specifically revitalizing and straightening previously established cultural and identity clubs here on campus.
A question he has specifically for the
to interact with students and get a feel for the community here at HWS. Just a few weeks ago, the Colleges were thrilled to announce that they have officially filled the position, and our new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Bill Woodson. He’s worked in academia for the past 16 years and before that he worked on the corporate side in non-profits and big tech industries, helping these companies diversify and make their practices more inclusive.
Since his time here on campus he has made an effort to get to know students and staff alike, showing up to different club meetings and inviting students to his office to get a feel for the culture and community here on campus. His main prerogative right now is to get to know people and get some ideas of where the campus is doing things really well and where there might be room for improvement and growth that will enrich our community even further. He encourages all students and staff alike to continue to stop by his office located in Coxe Hall on the first floor, and have more conversations or just bounce ideas off each other so he can continue to get a feel for the campus from all perspectives. He emphasizes that he is here to serve not just minority groups on campus, but everybody.
Due to Woodson only being on campus for such a short period of time, he is still working on some new ideas for helping
student body that will help him enter this role and successfully do his job is, “if you are being broadened, is this a place where you feel it is relatively easy to make connections outside your bubble or is it hard?” He encourages students to stop by his office or send him an email with their answer to this question and continue to build this path of communication with students. His main priority is to ensure that students are having unique and amazing experiences and get to know people who may have different backgrounds than them, because he encourages us to see for ourselves just how much we have to learn from the people around us.
We are so excited to see what opportunities and exciting changes will soon come to pass here on campus in inviting Dr. Woodson into our community.
Beginning in the Fall 2022 semester, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Beth Kinne took over as the Pre-Law Advisor for the Colleges. The Herald reached out to her to learn more about her new position, and how she hopes to strengthen the pre-law programs at the Colleges.
What is your background in the law? How has this informed your role as Pre-Law Advisor?
thesis on water rights in China. When I returned to the U.S., I took a job in western Colorado practicing municipal and water rights law. Now I teach environmental law, natural resources law, and sometimes business law at HWS. It’s my observation that students often see one, direct, narrow path to a career in law, and feel they have to be or make themselves the “right kind of person” for law school and a legal career. I hope that sharing my experiences in legal practice and legal study can expand their ideas of what is possible, and desirable, for them.
services, and the student-led pre-law club as three legs of the stool that supports students as they pursue their interests and goals in law. Students should keep an eye out for virtual alumni panels where they will get a chance to hear what our HWS alumni are doing now in their legal careers, and for opportunities to meet lawyers who come to campus in person. There is really no better way to become energized and inspired than meeting and connecting with people who do what you want to do. I also encourage students to participate in the pre-law club and pool their resources as they research law schools, share experiences from internships, and prepare for the LSAT.
What is your favorite part of your new role?
I really enjoy getting to know a wide variety of students from a broad cross section of majors at HWS, some of whom I wouldn’t otherwise get to know. We have so many very interesting, compassionate students here. I also like helping students think about preparation for law school as just one piece of what they will do as opposed to an end in and of itself.
What would be your biggest piece of advice for a student at HWS thinking of going into law?
When I first considered law school, I was too intimidated to apply. I didn’t think I was the “right kind of person” to be an attorney. But after working on pollution problems that really needed a regulatory fix, I decided I needed to go to law school to gain the tools necessary to make change in this area. I had come out of a graduate program where I had done all my field research on water pollution in Taiwan, and the University of Washington School of Law had a really exciting LL.M. program in Asian and Comparative law. So I enrolled concurrently in the LL.M. and applied for a fellowship in foreign languages, which helped pay for law school. Upon completing the J.D., I was lucky enough to get a fellowship in Chinese language that allowed me to study in Beijing for a year while I worked on an LL.M.
What directions do you hope to take the pre-law program?
My hope is to increase the number of students who consider law and diversify the reasons that students consider a career in law. Due to media representations, when people imagine what lawyers do, they see people in suits in the courthouse talking to a judge. That narrow image doesn’t represent the myriad things lawyers do. One of my goals is to invite more students to discover how a legal degree might advance their goals of working in an area they really care about.
Are there any new programs or events you’d like to share?
Kinne: I would like to encourage students to think of pre-law advising, career
Read broadly. Practice listening to the opinions of others and actually trying to understand them. Strengthen the skills you’re acquiring by fighting for something you care about. Keep building your mental library of ideas and diverse ways of thinking and being. That will be the reservoir from which you draw your ability to empathize with, communicate with, and motivate others. All of those things will make you a better law student and a better attorney.
Photo Courtesy of HWS Communications
By Hrithik Biswas ’23 Operations Manager
From an admissions standpoint, this current year there are roughly 5,500 applicants for the incoming first-year classes, the largest number of applications in HWS history. Roughly 1,200 are international student applicants (about 21% of first-year applicants). In conversation with interim Vice President Kathy Regan ’82, the office has been focused on different initiatives to engage with admitted and prospective
tive (students) were just not seeing that as an option here, even though we have an economics program and entrepreneurship minor. But now, our new Bachelor of Science in Management and Entrepreneurship should appeal to more of these students. Management emphasizes the soft skills of doing business- leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving that HWS fosters. Professor Drennen adds, “we were losing students to our peers, who have business programs.” He claims that this new major ,“will get more students in the door.” Dren-
As a junior at HWS, I’ve heard tales of pre-coronavirus downtown Geneva. The Beef and Brew dance floor. FLX Live dj nights. Thursdays at Riley’s.
I came to HWS mid-pandemic in the fall of 2020 and Geneva, like most cities, felt quiet and closed up. “Takeout only” and “Closed for now” signs littered locked storefronts downtown.
It took two years to recover from the Covid hangover. Now, finally, businesses are opening instead of closing.
A new bar, The Hideout, has been an HWS student favorite this semester. Dart boards, a pool table, a jukebox, and a punching machine are just some of the things that keep students coming back. Just don’t spill your drink on my friend Laura— she’s got a mean punch up in the 800s.
students. Regan mentions there is currently a national search for a VP of Admissions and Financial Aid and at the moment as an interim, she is focused on trying to shore up the operations and staffing within the division. Regan mentioned, “we are down in staffing this academic year,” putting strain on everyone. In rolling out admission decisions sooner, it has allowed admitted students to have a window to explore and interact with the school through admitted student days, faculty conversations, a series of weekly zoom sessions, and regional events. There is a particular push to encourage campus visits as the data shows that those who interact with the school in person often have a higher yield in enrolling. We are seeing many more visitors to campus which is a great sign that we are getting back to pre-Covid times.
The Herald spoke with Professor of Economics Tom Drennen to hear a faculty member’s perspective about the possible reasons for the declining enrollment. Professor Drennen suggests, “what we have seen in the past few years is that more and more students are interested in studying business,” and “prospec-
nen says that, “we hope students find their passion, whether in the new major or any of our other amazing options.” Professor Drennen notes that this is just one part of a broader “strategy of identifying academic programs this generation of students wants, such as the new Data Analytics minor and Aquatic Studies.” Overall, Drennen is optimistic about our future, and mentions that “during the Covid years, students weren’t able to visit campus and it’s hard for a student to see themselves (here).” Now, HWS is fully back to business and having prospective students see what HWS has to offer.
With this decline, The Herald spoke to the VP of Finance (Lead Financial Officer), Mr. Mark Edwards, on the impact on the operating budget and the institution’s financial health. The operational budget is not much affected, and the loss in revenue from student tuition is supplemented by the institution’s endowment, donations, and government aid.
As HWS navigates these challenging times in attracting students, it often requires a conversation on how HWS can be innovative in academic offerings, social life and engagement on campus.
When I talked to Hideout owner Jesus about opening the bar he said, “Opening the hideout has been very stressful. There’s been a learning curve and it’s definitely out of my element, being a cardiac nurse and then owning a bar. They’re two entirely different worlds with a lot of different kinds of responsibilities. But it's been great meeting new people and I feel like I’m bringing something great back to the city of Geneva.”
A new restaurant, Anorah, opened last month on Castle St., serving upscale comfort food. The chicken paprikash and bao buns are to die for, though I have to admit to the tiniest bit of bias since I work there. FLX Live also just reopened with live bands, karaoke nights, and drag shows on the weekends.
Long story short: we’ve got options for what to do downtown now.
Catch Moon Flower, an HWS student band, every Thursday 7-9 pm at Lake Drum. Drag Show and Karaoke Saturdays at FLX Live. Trivia Thursdays 7 pm at Twisted Rail. Open Jam every Monday night at Hog Wallow. The list goes on. So many new reasons to get downtown. So many new reasons to be thankful you’re a resident of the Lake Trout Capital of the World.
When we think about public health, and efforts to reduce disease, we think of the success stories— the eradication of smallpox, massive global vaccination drives for polio and SARS-CoV2, and the introduction
among young people and gay and bisexual men. In the National College Health Assessment (NCHA II) administered in 2015, 47.8 percent of students who reported having sex in the past 30 days said they used a condom or other protective barrier during vaginal sex, but in an updated version of the NCHA administered in 2020 only 41.9 percent did.
they might have missed out on earlier in life, but more could certainly be done.
Inevitably, a smaller campus has less resources to offer for specialized programs. For example, while other schools might have a large office charged with health promotion, such services are nestled within Campus Life at HWS. The Hubbs Health
of antibiotics making previously deadly illnesses easily treatable. However, with sexually transmitted infections or STIs, we are far from a success story: rates are rising across the country and have been for years.
For example: in 2010 there were 193,869 cases of Gonorrhea in young people reported to the CDC but 10 years later in 2020 there were 286,271— a more than 30 percent increase. The American College Health Association’s survey of college health centers showed a positivity rate for Chlamydia of 5.3 percent in 2012, and eight percent in 2020, as well as increasing trends for Gonorrhea and Syphilis.
Why is this happening? According to Kimberly Boim, a spokesperson from the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention suggested reductions in STD services and funding, increasing substance use, COVID and the variety of social and economic barriers which confound any public health issue —poverty, stigma, lack of access to medical insurance, and many more.
Another reason named by the CDC is that condom use is decreasing, particularly
Increased access to non-barrier methods of contraception, and PrEP (the use of medicines to protect against contracting HIV) have lowered some of the risks associated with unprotected sex, but others remain.
Boim claims that, “STIs continue to be stigmatized. This stigma can bury the truth that all people deserve quality sexual healthcare in order to live healthy lives and deter people and groups from taking action to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections.” One attempt to reduce this stigma came from the Campus Activities Board and Finger Lakes Community Health with their “Sex Bingo” Event, which distributed safer sex supplies and sex toys to students along with a bingo game themed around safe sex and healthy relationships.
While college is theoretically a space for young people to find themselves and explore their identity, students don’t leave their prior experiences behind when enrolling. Lacking sex education programs in American high schools and societal biases certainly influence people’s mindsets. Ideally, the Colleges will provide opportunities for students to access services and education
Center, contracted out to the Finger Lakes Health system, offers many services like STI testing and reproductive healthcare, but many options aren’t well advertised. A student looking at the Colleges’ website might not know that they offer PrEP, or that there are options to help students pay for care their insurance doesn’t cover or that they are concerned about paying for with their parents’ insurance.
In closing, Boim claims that “The factors contributing to STDs are complex and multifaceted, so the solution to the barriers will have to be as well.” A future article will detail the perspective of the school’s administration.
The end is in sight! Only a handful of weeks are left in the year, which is always a bittersweet time. This is not the last Herald edition of the year, however, so I will save my closing remarks for that letter.
The last month has been eventful for the colleges and has given the community a lot to celebrate. Last night at the Blackwell-Hale Academic Awards, a speaker said that we had entered the “season of celebration,” something with which I wholeheartedly agree. Hobart Hockey won its first national title in program history, Bill Woodson started his time as Vice President of DEI, and the Anderton Family Forum welcomed Marie Yovanovitch to speak on campus; you get the point. In this edition, you will see articles highlighting some of these events that gave us a cause to celebrate and more.
You will also see some articles focusing on Geneva itself, something I could not be happier about. It is easy as students to forget that there is more to Geneva than the colleges. Sure, we go into Geneva for food, groceries, and fun, but we forget that when we all go home for a break, there is still a town left behind filled with people who have their own stories to tell. One of the responsibilities of the Herald is to highlight what is going on in the town that hosts us, which we do in this edition. We have articles about downtown Geneva recovering from the “COVID hangover” and the Geneva Green Committee, which focuses on how Geneva is trying to become a more sustainable city.
A lot is going on in Geneva, and I encourage everyone reading this to be more aware of how they interact with our host city. We, as students, are only guests here, but for 12,000+ people, this is their home. The next time you go out to eat or to a bar with your friends, try and have a genuine conversation with the lovely people that call Geneva their home. They welcome us into their businesses every day with kindness and smiles, and I have seen too often that kindness being thrown back into our host’s faces.
Sincerely,
Paul Janes Editor-in-Chief
