Opinion on Safety

To Use Good Judgement: An Opinion Piece on Responsibility

By Caleb Austin ‘22 Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: The opinions of this article do not reflect the overall position of The Herald, but rather offer insight from the author.

Photo By Emma Lucas ‘23 The HWS Campus right at the start of the snowstorm that started on February 3rd

The Colleges rang out a familiar tune on Feb. 3rd and 4th when they warned of poor weather conditions in an email to the campus community. The Colleges’ action in response to a storm barreling down on Geneva, NY was to suggest to students, “Use good judgement and caution when travelling to or around campus.” Despite expected snow accumulations of over 12 inches, and the ex-10pectation that “travel could be very difficult” and even dangerous, HWS proceeded to do what has been typical of terrible weather conditions throughout my four years here – nothing.

Whenever there is a storm that impedes safe travel, students of HWS receive the same message: “use good judgement.” But the Colleges routinely do not take much action or responsibility for the safe travel of students around campus and places responsibility onto individual students and professors. Rather than the school mandating a snow day (which now is even more accessible since the prevalence of Zoom learning over the last two years), students trudge through the terrible weather to take individual responsibility for how they navigate the paths, traffic, and icy wind. Unfortunately for students, they aren’t the ones responsible for managing the paths nor are the ones with the power to ensure the paths are safe to navigate.

This dynamic of personal responsibility forces students to navigate paths marred by thick ice and heavy snow, and amidst biting icy wind. Although HWS may be suggesting students use good judgement, oftentimes the best judgement when there are inches of snow and ice on the ground and biting wind chill, is to stay inside. Leaving it up to professors to dictate classes in times of environmental circumstances can lead to circumstance where students are hurt or worse while traveling to class. Four of the students interviewed with respect to these concerns all highlighted the variability and unpredictability of paths on campus.

Thankfully, most professors see the problem with forcing kids to class in inclement weather conditions and according to a William Smith senior, “Generally professors are pretty understanding.” However, we still do hear of students who break something due to the thick ice and biting wind every winter, and this year has been no different. Three students I interviewed all communicated their concern over a fellow classmate

who has broken bones due to the negligent salting of pathways. A Hobart senior described a situation where “students called on the school to remove the ice for days and it never was addressed in a timely manner.” A William Smith senior said the situation was “so preventable.”

A Hobart Senior suggested the school “needs to be more mindful and proactive, because even days after a big storm, there are definitely times there are unsafe conditions and so much ice and snow just left around in really bad spots.” In the words of the William Smith senior, the key point is that “the school should be responsible for salting properly or cancelling class in extreme weather; it’s fine assuming that the professors are going to be lenient about class attendance, the school can say use good judgement, but professors need to not make attendance mandatory if it is not safe for students.”

This same doctrine of personal responsibility was stark throughout the COVID crisis and how the Colleges sought to handle it. HWS approached the COVID pandemic in a strikingly similar manner to how they handle shorter bouts of inclement weather. The Colleges suggested all members of the community “Take personal responsibility for your health and well-being” through using PPE and social distancing as well as repeatedly emphasizing the need to “Stay home if you have flu-like symptoms.” With regard to academics, the administration routinely stressed the need for “flexibility” and for “faculty and staff to please work with these students [who are ill or in quarantine/isolation] so that they can continue with their coursework and academic support.”

For the past year and a half, the Colleges left the decisions about classroom attendance, remote learning, and accommodations mostly to professors. According to one William Smith senior, “I was in quarantine twice last semester and I received no accommodations for any in-person classes.” The student continued, “My professors refused to Zoom me into class. It isn’t hard to set up a camera, we have been doing this for two years now.” The response from one of the student’s professors, through email, was to explicitly state that attendance would negatively impact her final grade despite the schools mandated quarantine.

“The only response that is appropriate in that situation should have been him asking if I’m okay, considering I was quarantined twice within a one-month period,” she continued, expressing, “How about you consider the mental health aspects of having COVID and being locked in a room for 10 days twice!” And soon after this student was quarantined a second time she was told she would fail, all this within the third week of classes and all due to circumstances outside of her control. “If it weren’t for her [the student’s advisor], I would have had to take a fifth course my senior spring or graduate behind schedule. After being a student here for four years, this is how the school treats students during a global pandemic?”

Although the Colleges suggested professors accommodate students by amending their attendance policies, we also soon saw the nature of attendance change in substantial ways. In some cases, “Participation” soon took the place of overt attendance policies with an increased proportion of student grades taken up in classroom participation. In my opinion, as we get the pandemic under control, COVID slips into the background with other ailments and carrying your illness to the classroom simply doesn’t matter anymore, or at least this is what rigid attendance/participation policies might show.

In the words of one Hobart senior, “Some teachers are understanding, but a lot of teachers haven’t been understanding about illness and attendance; a lot of teachers are forgetting there are other illnesses out there, and just because you don’t test positive for COVID doesn’t mean that we should go.” He continue to say, “If I had the flu, I would lose a lot of the leniency I had in the past, because so long as it isn’t coronavirus, ‘we don’t care, you have to go to class.’

This student expressed further concerns about sickness and attendance, stating, “It is not healthy and safe to leave so many decisions up to professors regarding attendance, I feel like there is this newfound serious pressure that even if I am really sick, and it’s not COVID, I am out of luck, especially with how much I have to do all the time. Some professors have been very understanding, but then others, you know… not so much.” He finished with,”There should be a universal basis for these policies.”

Due to the apparent doctrine of personal responsibility, the Colleges fail to secure the interest of students in both small and large environmental crises. A dictum to “Use good judgement” is just not sufficient to address community issues or to secure the health and safety of students. Many students, including myself, understand a lot of people are doing their best to be helpful and understanding. Rather than take this critique harshly, or as a personal affront, this is an opportunity for HWS to take a definitive stance on behalf of students and to act as an institution rather than suggest that individuals use good judgement.

By Olivia Broomes ‘23 Social Media Manager

On February 4, the Davis Gallery showcased their latest exhibition, Portraits HWS Art

Collections and Institutional Faces. By using the Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the exhibition explores the artistic genre of portraiture. Visual Arts Curator Anna Wager and HWS students collaborated on this exhibition by examining historical collections and expanding their definition of “portraiture.” This exhibition dives into the institutional power portraits have in our society. Specifically, these traditional portraits control a narrative and display unequal systems of power. Gallery Assistant Claire Kapitan ’24 feels there is a lot

of work in the Gallery that bends the idea of portraiture.

She reflected on this by saying, “When looking at traditional art made by white men, some of those portraits objectify and oversexualize women, so it’s important to realize the bias that goes into those works.”

The exhibit allows people to understand the institutional framework portraitures had and to debunk its power by re-defining what portraits are. Student Curator, Román Vargas Garcia ’24, explains that this exhibition shows who gets to be in the portraits and why.

He reflected, “These portraits have non-traditional pieces such as women and people of color, instead of the standard portraits.”

While the art world typically showcased por-

Photos By Olivia Broomes ‘23 Two of the pieces now on display in the new exhibit Portraits at the Davis Gallery

traits of white people which are seen as the “standard portraits,” the Davis Gallery as an institute wants to use its space to welcome a wide range of subjects of what is a portrait.

What made the portraiture exhibition unique to the others was the collaboration Wager had with the HWS students. Students were able to take the lead and choose work from the Hobart and William Smith Collection that they believed represented portraits. Another Gallery

Assistant, Annie Wertheimer ’22, included kinds of work that may not initially be considered when the portrait genre is thought of. Wertheimer goes on to say “We included photographs, oil portraits on canvas, 3D works to name just a few.”

Wagner enjoyed going deep in the arts and historical collection that contains extraordinary results.

“It was so fun to explore the variety of media here and see how the works interacted with one another.”

The Portraiture exhibit will be open at the Davis Gallery until March 4th, with the next exhibit, Vested: Interest Due, opening on March 11th.

By Jaheim Pierre ‘25 Staff Writer

Alan Paynter joins the admissions team at Hobart and William Smith Colleges as its director. In his purview, he will oversee the entire marketing and recruitment process. Part of the job description is to design and implement a recruiting and marketing strategy to help HWS meet its overall admissions goals.

Reflecting on his own life story, Paynter emphasized the importance of a college education and the part college played in his life—hence why he thinks it is still important and relevant. Originally from New Jersey, Paynter was a first-generation college student and a college athlete; he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University and a Master’s degree from Duquesne University.

Mr. Paynter told the Herald that he is excited about the future of HWS Admissions and of the recent strides the office has made to modernize and attract students with different talents, skills, and abilities, all of which will create a class of diverse ideas and backgrounds. This excitement and optimism for creating this class stems from his love for history and tradition. According to Paynter, he could not see himself working at an institution where there is no history or context for his actions, and he feels that HWS satisfies that requirement.

Mr. Paynter sees the history of the Colleges as something important that drives the decision he makes on a day-to-day basis. This love for 13

history reflects the history of Paynter himself, a 20year veteran in the field of admissions and recruitment with a focus on social media liaison work, diversity, inways evolving. He cited that evolution as the reason this small liberal arts school has been able to remain competitive. He characterized HWS as one of the first colleges to new students. Alan Paynter ended by telling the Herald that he is confident in the future of student life here and it is his expectation to see an auspicious trajectory

Photo Courtesy HWS Office of Communications New Director of Admissions for HWS, Alan Paynter

clusion, and athletics.

He also keeps connections with his professional roots in Pennsylvania in his current role as admissions counselor for Greater Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Mr. Paynter is also extending beyond his comfort zone; he is getting to know more parts of the United States as the admissions counselor for Florida and Tennessee. He travels quite frequently to give motivational speeches and talks on improving campus culture.

When asked about the value of education and how Hobart and William Smith Colleges prepare students for the future, Mr. Paynter remarked that HWS is aloffer women’s studies as an academic major.

Paynter views academics as ways the Colleges evolve with the time and take the appropriate actions to ensure that student success is paramount to the institution’s interests. He expressed no doubt that HWS will remain competitive. He is committed to continuing the work of building classes that fully take on the history of HWS and share a particular vigor to carve a path that is aligned with the values that shaped the institution.

Finally, in his second admissions cycle here at HWS, Paynter admits that the job of admissions is never over, as there is always an element of admissions going on all year, whether that be through recruitment or the welcoming in of the both in admissions and the wider Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

By Julissa Ramirez ‘23 Staff Writer

On February 2nd, students were informed of the likelihood of masking requirements loosening in the following weeks. Campus Life informed students on February 21st that masking will no longer be required for vaccinated individuals, yet students who are not fully vaccinated must be tested weekly and remain masked. These two emails received a mix of responses not only from students but also from staff and professors.

Employees are still required to perform daily wellness assessment checks through March 17, yet there are many who believe that unmasking has happened too soon. After February 21st, many professors responded by sending mass emails to their departments and courses, expressing the need to wear masks and follow old COVID-19 protocols.

Adding on to this, many students expressed that they do feel most comfort-14able wearing masks in crowded classrooms and spaces. As a community, we have seen our plastic COVID walls disappear from SAGA, the Library, and Au Bon Pain. As of February 28th, Campus Life had reported 10 COVID-19 cases with students who were in isolation.

Although our policies have changed, some believe that no masking has helped with improving mental health. Kevin Lima ‘23 states, “I believe seeing more people and being more in public has helped with the mask lift. In general, I feel like I have seen more people doing well with the mask mandate being lifted.” Many others have expressed the same, as 2020 led to extreme social distancing and communities being used to seeing just the upper parts of people’s faces.

Samuel Skinner ‘22 stated, “For the most part it hasn’t really changed, but people are careful with who they are hanging out with. Several times I did have people ask me if I was vaccinated.” With mask mandates lifting, many of our students, faculty, and staff are fully vaccinated, thus many people have expressed feeling safer.

However, some students expressed concern about this switch happening too soon, as Kevin Lima ’23 labeled it as a “give and choose” situation depending on who you ask. Lima expressed, “Socializing has gone back to normal a bit. Some people are more comfortable with not wearing a mask and just talking with other people, while other people still don’t feel as comfortable with others taking off their mask.”

In many public spaces, we can see a divide in people who are comfortable not wearing a mask, to people who always wear one, to those who only wear one in group and classroom settings. Skinner points out, “Generally it’s pretty safe because most people are vaccinated, however, I was surprised by how eager and how fast people were to be fine with taking them off.”

This could be the reason why many professors still choose to wear masks. Many people are sticking to the Photo By Ani Freedman ‘22

idea of, don’t come to class if you feel sick, as COVID-19 has taught us how easily germs can spread. Overall, we all hope to see a de-escalation of COVID cases in the future, as more people feel safer moving through their communities with or without a mask.