Year in Review 2010-11

The Ithacan

Michelle Skowronek Editor Joann DeLanoy Design Editor Allison Usavage Design Editor Michelle Boulé Photo Editor Michelle Bizon Proofreader Casey Musarra Proofreader

Andrew Weiser for his sports selections Allison Usavage for taking the studio portraits on pages 6, 7, 37, 76, 77, 142 and 143 Jane Chen and Molly Apfelroth for their last-minute design help MCT for photos and news briefs

The Ithacan Elizabeth Sile, editor in chief Casey Musarra, managing editor Jacqueline Palochko, opinion editor Aaron Edwards, news editor Taylor Long, news editor Alexandra Evans, news editor Kelsey O’Connor, assistant news editor Whitney Faber, accent editor Kelsey Fowler, accent editor Megan Devlin, assistant accent editor Andrew Weiser, sports editor Jesse Cases, assistant sports editor Kevin McCall, assistant sports editor Michelle Boulé, photo editor Graham Hebel, photo editor James Earl, assistant photo editor Chris Barriere, online media editor Kaydi Poirier, online media editor Evan Kirkpatrick, online editor Qina Liu, chief copy editor Marissa Smith, chief copy editor Lara Bonner, chief proofreader Colleen Lowery, design editor Yu-Chen (Jane) Chen, design editor Molly Apfelroth, assistant design editor Derek Rogers, sales manager Michael Serino, student media adviser Copyright © 2010-2011 The Ithacan

11

50 36

53

11 // The year in brief

36 // Weiser’s dom@in

50 // Sodexo protests

26 // ‘This is the year’

38 // Tuition raised

53 // Desire to serve

28 // Workplace confusion

42 // Sustainable efforts

54 // Standout seniors

32 // Classroom 2.0

45 // Scholars go south

64 // In Memoriam

34 // Cyberbullying

48 // NCUR

This year brought a new wave of involvement with fracking protests, national tea parties and disaster relief

President Tom Rochon releases his comprehensive interdisciplinary plan, IC20/20, to the college community

Ithaca College misses the mark in The Chronicle for Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” survey

Professors take to the Internet to communicate with students and foster learning outside the classroom

Students speak out against new forms of bullying through social media that had fatal consequences

Columnist Andrew Weiser checks out all things electronic and social media in his biweekly column

Next year’s tuition will be raised by 4.9 percent, the same percentage increase as last year

Ithaca College was recognized for its sustainability programs and buildings with LEED certification

Senior Park Scholars travel to New Orleans to help rebuild houses ruined by Hurricane Katrina

Ithaca College hosts the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, bringing 3,000 people to campus

Students, staff and faculty protest Sodexo in hopes of increasing employees’ salaries to a living wage

Cornell University’s Army ROTC program sees an influx of applicants because of the stagnant economy

One senior from each of the college’s six schools has impacted the community on and off campus

The college community remembers two of its own, who both passed away unexpectedly this year

89 104

74 82 71 // Hungry for glory

89 // Behind the lens

103 // Album reviews

74 // King and Queen

90 // The real ‘Slim’

104 // Theater reviews

76 // Ithaca marks the spot

92 // Chicago

106 // Movie reviews

82 // Just chilin’

99 // Video game reviews

109 // Art reviews

85 // Symphony of support

100 // Live reviews

Students flock to eateries downtown to attempt some of the most ridiculous eating contests around

The Class of 2011’s Mr. and Ms. Ithaca dish their favorite pizza, bars and clothes to wear

Ithaca’s local wineries and fresh produce make a name for the small upstate town and increase area tourism

Locals came out to taste Ithaca’s most creative versions of chili despite the cold that postponed the festival by a day

Students and bandmates come together to raise money for the medical costs of Joshua Oxford’s recovery in the hospital

Junior takes daily portraits of his friends and acquaintances on campus in their natural environment

Freshman breaks out his original raps for the community to see at his first concert at The Haunt

Alums flock back to their alma mater as seniors take the stage in Ithaca College’s production of “Chicago”

This year’s latest video games captured and amazed reviewers, leaving them wanting more

Kid Cudi crashes the stage at Cornell University, barely in time to save his failing opening act

Taylor Swift tops the charts again with her latest album “Speak Now,” while Lil Wayne didn’t fall far behind

“Electra” displays the theater departments ability to shock and awe audience members in one act

“The Social Network” defines a generation, while “The King’s Speech” takes home the Academy Award

Photographs branch out at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art to show a new side of naturalism

131

112

143

117

112 // Top 5 Games

126 // Cruz control

142 // Physical education

114 // Historic win streak

128 // Flooring opponents

143 // Three-fold effort

117 // Coming up empty

131 // Solid strokes

146 // Twice the effort

121 // Golf

137 // Women’s crew

147 // Adaptive skiing

122 // Sister act

140 // The Hot Corner

This year’s top five games put the Bombers to the test with grueling match-ups and team injuries

The football team’s winning record made history this year as the Bombers clinched an all-time high

Ithaca College loses the “biggest little game” of the season at Cortland State for the first time in four years

The golf team made itself a recognizable force within the conference with the help of a new recruit

Women’s tennis doubles’ partners, Melissa and Cristina Nunez help lead the Blue and Gold to an undefeated season

Senior and captain of the men’s basketball team proves that he can play any position on the court

The gymnastics team excelled this season on the floor with innovative routines that impressed the judges

The men’s swimming and diving team takes time to prepare for nationals after leading the conference all season

Women’s crew gets ready to launch into the season despite Ithaca’s freezing temperatures on the water

Columnist Casey Musarra shares her thoughts on anything and everything sport-related

Australian transfer student teaches the men’s club rugby team just how physical the sport can be

Sophomore organizes a triathlon club for students and faculty interested in competing in the sport

Professor takes on the hardest triathlon competition after successfully completing the Iron Man competition

Green Peak Mountain makes room for handicapped visitors so everyone can enjoy the slopes

H

ere in The Ithacan’s newsroom, we often wonder in editorial board meetings and impromptu late-night chats what the defining story of this year was. Staring at the wall of last year’s yellowing front pages in our office, we could point to one story or one issue and say, “This was it.” We could say that last year it was the blowback from overenrollment, and the year before that it was the devastating effects of the economic downturn.

But, what about this year?

As students were heading back to Ithaca to start another year at Ithaca College, President Tom Rochon definitively announced at the all-college meeting that his slogan in the midst of the unveiling and planning of IC20/20 was, “This is the year.” It wasn’t the year for another committee, but the year to get going with the college’s strategy for the next 10. It was the start.

The first changes of IC20/20 will be put in place next year, and over the next decade, the college hopes to be transformed into a hub of interdisciplinary study and cooperation among its five schools. This spring, the college launched a campaign to recreate the college’s brand identity, and next fall, the college may either call a phoenix, a flying squirrel or a lake beast Bomber.

As the year came to a close, many things at the college were left with loose ends to tie up. Students’ efforts to procure a living wage and better working conditions for Sodexo employees may come to fruition. Professors may have their workloads lightened from the difficult 24-credit hour load they manage now. Students may face financial hardships if their Pell Grants are cut, especially as tuition rises.

This uncertainty and flux went well beyond the college’s boarders. The country waited to see if and how the tea party movement would affect U.S. politics in November, and Japanese people were left searching for answers after March’s earthquake. From the possibility of a lift on the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New York state to the gains the world made in technology and social media, everything is on the brink of change, good or bad.

In true fashion, Ithaca College students took this uncertainty and rolled with it. They protested against fracking and unfair compensation, used their media talents in the national fight against cyberbullying and banded together to organize concerts and events for fellow students and countries in need. Along the way they tweeted, blogged, checked in and updated their statuses to come together and turn unpredictability into opportunity.

The stories and events seemed to float by like a reel of clips and sound bites at the beginning of an evening news program. Perhaps this is why there hasn’t been that one story — that new thing hasn’t come just yet.

Maybe the big story is that this was Ithaca College’s year of transition. Nothing’s for certain, but there’s plenty to come.

J

ust a few years ago, students watched as the world was on the brink of a technological revolution. And as the Internet and social media started to take over, they had to defend themselves against a questioning society.

Older generations called them “addicted,” “distracted” and “dumbed-down.” They feared that nothing would get accomplished because the younger generation would be glued to a Facebook home page instead of digging into political and social issues.

But now, those confused generations have surrendered. Instead of telling us to get back to basics, they have stepped up their game and picked up on social media trends. Nowhere can you find a website that doesn’t have a Facebook fan page. The most old-fashioned journalists, who said they would die alongside the newspaper, are tweeting to the masses.

Why? Because this is who we are. We grew up with the Internet and can hardly remember what life was like without it. We are the ones businesses are depending on to fix their social image and to help them reach our generation and the one behind us.

So when it came down to picking a theme for this book, only one seemed to fit — social media. It’s something our generation cannot live without.

Can you imagine not having a place to distract you when there are just too many things on your “To-Do” list?

Not having a place to update how the day is treating you?

Not having something to constantly touch, read or flip through with your finger?

I’m sure you can’t. So why would this book be different?

This year we incorporated a slew of Facebook statuses and tweets that show exactly what you were thinking when all of this news went down. We also tied in multimedia by providing QR codes that take you directly to audio slideshows and video packages that correspond with a story when you scan them with your phone.

While this book goes to print long before the year is through, we found a way to keep you informed on the top stories of the year. On the back of the book is a QR code that sends you to a page on The Ithacan Online for Year in Review updates that happen after we send in our pages.

Through all of the stress of making this Year in Review a little different while holding to some sort of standards, I have to thank the people who made this shift in style possible. Thank you to designer Joann DeLanoy for helping me create an innovative theme that combined print and online while pushing through an emotionally rough semester, and thank you to designer Allison Usavage for coming in at the last minute and making this book more than I could have ever imagined.

I think this book immortalizes our generation. In the coming years — no matter how technology changes — we are going to be able to look back and see that there was something that unified us. So go ahead and immerse yourself in this year’s most important stories — and what you thought of them. I think you’re going to “like” it.

Pending Islamic site divides New Yorkers

From left, supporters Julia Lundy and Matt Sky, both of Manhattan, hold signs at the site of the proposed Islamic cultural center, Park 51, near Ground Zero on Aug. 19.

DIANE BONDAREFF/MCT

Bombs hit Pakistan Two separate bomb blasts killed at least 26 people Aug. 23 in Pakistan’s volatile tribal belt along the Afghan border.

Though no one claimed responsibility for the attacks, they came at a time when government officials had been warning that Islamic militants might exploit the strain this summer’s catastrophic floods have put on the

country’s military and government by unleashing a new wave of violence.

One of the attacks occurred in South Waziristan, a tribal area long regarded as a stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban.

A teenage suicide bomber appeared at a mosque in the town of Wana and detonated explosives strapped to his body.

More than seven out of 10 New Yorkers want the developers of a proposed Islamic community center, which contains a prayer room, near the scene of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, to move the project, according to a poll released Aug. 31.

According to the Quinnipiac University poll, New Yorkers by 71 percent to 21 percent said that a Muslim group should move its planned center somewhere away from near the site of the former World Trade Center buildings, which along with the Pentagon, was attacked by airplanes hijacked by Islamic fundamentalists on Sept. 11, 2001.

Construction continues for fall

Bulldozers ride by the construction site of the Athletics and Events Center on Aug. 19.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Work on the Athletics and Events Center, Dillingham Center and several offices across campus created a domino effect of departments expanding and relocating.

One project most students noticed was the ongoing construction of the Athletics and Events Center. Construction on the center started in the summer of 2009 after the college raised sufficient donations. After the summer’s progress, the exterior of the building was closer to being finished, and the frame of the center’s tower was fully visible.

Rick Couture, associate vice president for

the Office of Facilities, said crews made significant progress during the summer which will benefit the college.

“Any time that we’re able to upgrade our facilities is tremendously important for the college,” he said. “It provides better service for our students.”

The A&E Center will have an indoor track for teams to practice on during inclement weather and an Olympic-sized swimming pool for the swimming and diving teams. It will also include an arena-style facility that can be used for special events and speakers.

A masked protester stands on the side of Cayuga Street on Aug. 19. Anti-drilling groups demonstrated outside the Women’s Community Building downtown where then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo spoke to supporting residents as part of his campaign for governor of New York state.

Professors co-design iPhone application Mary Pitti, assistant professor of speech langauge pathology and audiology at Ithaca College, along with Elizabeth Begley, a professional at College Station Medical Center in Texas, recently coauthored two iPhone applications

to help the speech impaired.

The two programs, Small Talk Dysphagia and Small Talk Oral Motor Exercises, illustrate movements individuals can mimic to strengthen facial muscles and improve their speech.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

White House adviser leaves Obama behind President Barack Obama announced Sept. 21 that one of his main economic advisers, Lawrence Summers, would leave at the end of the year.

Obama had asked Summers, the director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic policy, to stay through 2010 to help pass a financial

regulatory overhaul and to continue guiding the stimulus program passed last year, a senior administration official said. Summers will return to Harvard University to teach.

“I will always be grateful that at a time of great peril for our country, a man of Larry’s brilliance, experience and judgment was willing to answer the call,” Obama said.

From left, the president’s financial team Christina Romer, Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers walk with President Barack Obama out of the White House to Andrews Air Force Base March 18, 2009.

NANCY STONE/MCT

Oil well stops leaking

Clean up crews continue to rid the coast of the Gulf of Mexico of oil pollultion caused by the BP oil spill. Leakage finally stopped five months after the initial leak was detected.

TIM ISBELL/MCT

Five months after it started spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP PLC’s rogue Macondo oil well located a mile below the surface was officially declared dead Sept. 19.

Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, head of the joint task force that oversaw the capping of the well and current cleanup efforts,

issued a statement saying that pressure tests on the cement cap from the relief well were completed at 5:54 a.m. Central time. Allen declared the well “effectively dead.”

“Additional regulatory steps will be undertaken, but we can now state, definitively, that the Macondo well poses no continuing threat,” Allen said.

Forces target Taliban posts U.S. forces launched a major operation in southern Afghanistan early Sept. 22 in the district that gave birth to the Taliban movement, in what could be one of the most important offensives of the war.

Thousands of U.S. and Afghan troops encircled and swooped into a belt of lush farm land in Zhari district, a sanctuary and staging post for the Taliban just west of Kandahar city known to foreign soldiers as “the heart of darkness.” Key insurgentheld villages such as Mukuan, Pashmul and Singesar are the target, areas essentially untouched by coalition forces since they entered Afghanistan in 2001.

The operation began at 4 a.m. local time Sept. 22.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy George of Colorado Springs, Colo., rests in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, on Sept. 17.

DAVID BELLUZ/MCT

The ultimate frack-down Proponents and opponents of hydraulic fracturing had the chance to voice their opinions when the Environmental Protection Agency discussed its study of the relationship between fracking and cleanliness of drinking water Sept. 13 and 15 at the Broome County Forum Theatre in Binghamton, N.Y. Signs and protests opposing fracking started showing up in early 2009 in Ithaca and the Southern Tier, which rest on the Marcellus Shale, a subterranean rock formation filled with natural gas.

Joyce Lovelace, a member of Neighbors United For the Fingerlakes, an anti-fracking organization, said the staging areas are an important way for citizens to have the opportunity to be involved and get their voices heard.

“Since there is a limited number of people who can speak at the meeting, for this and any issue really that people have strong opinions on, it’s important to show up and show to the public and elected officials that this is an issue that is important and that people should be engaged in,” Lovelace said.

Students chat Aug. 31 in a Tallcott Hall lounge. Last year, many lounges were used as residence halls for students without housing because of over-enrollment.

TALIA KOREN/THE ITHACAN

Cherished space returns Extended occupancy housing was reduced from about 600 students at the beginning of 2009 to about 380 students this fall, opening up at least one uninhabited lounge per residence hall.

The changes are the result of a smaller incoming class and a procedural reevaluation, after focus groups conducted last spring showed discontent with the absence of lounges, Bonnie Prunty, director of the Office of Residential Life, said. This year’s freshman undergraduate enrollment was estimated at 1,620 students, compared to last year’s enrollment of 2,027, according to the Office of

Institutional Research.

Prunty said the office is not allowing full-year residencies in lounges like it did last year. About 80 residents in 25 lounges received a $655 incentive, cable, a microfridge and priority placement on waitlists for double and triple rooms.

Junior Lillian Carbonara, a resident assistant in Holmes Hall, said one of her residents found the lack of lounges to be difficult when dealing with roommate troubles.

“She didn’t really have a place to go after the library closed or after [IC Square] closed,” she said. “So she would have to go to a friend’s room.”

Red Cross overcomes shortage After recovering from a sharp decline in blood donations resulting from schools being out of session, the American Red Cross hosted a series of blood drives to continue meeting the constant demand.

The New York-Penn region of the Red Cross released a statement in midAugust asking for A positive, B positive and O positive donations to meet specific regional hospital needs, Marianna Schreyer, communications manager for the New York-Penn region, said.

Since then, the Red Cross was able

From left, Cornell University sophomore Benjamin Lehman gets his blood taken by Serena Coates on Sept. 10 at Cornell.

EMILY PARK/THE ITHACAN

to meet that need by holding a chain of blood drives in the region leading up to and during Labor Day weekend.

With schools up and running again for many students, the Red Cross was able to collect enough blood on campuses and in communities across the country to respond to the acute shortage, Schreyer said.

Ithaca College’s Red Cross Club, led by sophomore co-presidents Shayna Goldfine and Steve Kahler, set a goal of doubling last year’s blood collection in the fall semester, Goldfine said.

Comic relief It was a vast, polite celebration of keeping it civil, keeping it sane.

In their much-touted Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on Oct. 30, Comedy Central twin threats Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert treated thousands packed in the National Mall to jokes, music, repetitions of the wave and a profound message: No matter what happens in this election, lots of people want to be reasonable.

That was the message left with thousands who jammed streets, cabs and Metro stations after the show: The American way of politics has gotten to be too much.

Thousands attended the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on the National Mall on Oct. 30 in Washington, D.C. LAUREN DECICCA/THE ITHACAN

Miners rejoice over final rescue Chilean rescuers pressed on Oct. 13 afternoon with the operation to free 33 men trapped half a mile below the Earth’s surface for more than two months.

Rescuers freed the 20th miner in the afternoon amid rejoicing in the camp in Chile’s northern Atacama desert, where hundreds of international media held a

vigil as the overnight operation continued into the day.

The 19th man out, Pablo Rojas, 45, was working in the mine so his son could attend medical school. He’s been married for 21 years. Rojas was trapped along with two of his cousins, Victor Segovia and Esteban Rojas. Esteban Rojas was the 18th rescued.

Rescue workers join in singing Chile’s national anthem with the last miner to be rescued, Luis Urzua (center), and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera (right) Oct. 13.

ALEX IBANEZ/MCT

Blue light phones drop in popularity Blue light telephone use has decreased over the past five years on the Ithaca College campus, according to records from the Office of Public Safety.

“You just don’t see as many activations of the blue lights since cellphones became popular,” Laura Durling, assistant director of administrative services at the Office of Public Safety, said.

The blue light telephones, named after the easily visible blue lights at the top of the poles, connect directly to the Office of Public Safety, Durling said.

With the push of a button, users can instantly speak with Public Safety dispatchers for emergencies or assistance.

According to records from the Office of Public Safety, the blue lights have been activated 416 times during the past five years. Only two of the activations have been requests for assistance. Both of these activations were in 2007; one call was for medical assistance and the other was from a student who had been locked out of their dorm. The remaining activations were either maintenance or prank calls.

Tea party movement supporters sit near Carl Paladino, center, at a rally Oct. 2 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. About 400 people attended the event.

CLAUDIA PIETRZAK/THE ITHACAN

Crashing the party Tea party groups emerged across the country intending to make a serious impact on the November midterm political elections — even in Tompkins County.

On Sept. 14, Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino defeated former Rep. Rick Lazio, who was supported by the state Republican Party, in the New York Republican primary.

Riding on a national wave of resentment of what some tea party supporters regarded as fiscal irresponsibility in government, Paladino faced Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo. However, Cuomo went on to win the election and took the title of New York state governor.

On Oct. 2, Paladino spoke at the Patriot Rally, a local tea party event in Watkins Glen, N.Y., where he delivered his message of anger and frustration. “[Albany politicians] keep changing the rules,” Paladino said. “They keep playing with our money and our lives. We are sick and tired of it, and we want something different.”

New game design minor feeds into creative talents This fall, students had the chance to bring their passion for gaming into the classroom with Ithaca College’s new game design and development minor.

The minor is a computer science department initiative to introduce students to game development techniques being used in fields not traditionally associated with gaming.

It was originally designed to complement the game design and immersive media major in the Roy H. Park

School of Communications, which was canceled in the summer of 2009.

John Barr, chair and associate professor of the computer science department, said the minor’s creation reflected a prevalent interest among students to learn computational skills. “[We want to] offer these minors where students in different departments and different schools, can learn how to use the computational tools of their discipline in a sophisticated way,” he said.

SPCA keeps no-kill policy

From left, pet owners Julie Corgel and Beth Elbertson walk dogs, Echo and Chloe, Oct. 2 at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Tompkins County relies on fundraising to make up more than half of its annual expenses, which total $1.4 million.

Especially now, in the second year of a recession, the nonprofit struggled to maintain its no-kill policy.

To help ensure that it can continue to save animals, 200 people showed up to support the shelter at its March for the Animals fundraising walk Oct. 2 at Tompkins Cortland Community College. The march was part of an effort that raised about $50,000 for the SPCA.

The Purple Cats, a group of eight girls ages 10 to 13, made the largest donation of any group at the event. Since they started in 2008, the Purple Cats have been a top fundraising team for the SPCA — raising $1,700 this year, mostly by knocking on neighbors’ doors.

“We spent forever at this one guy’s house, and he gave us 15 cents,” Sylvia Frank, 12, said.

Still, that 15 cents went toward the $50,000 effort. Smith said while the march did not meet its $100,000 goal, half of that is enough to pay for one year’s worth of kennel supplies.

More residents rely on charity

From left, freshman Kate Bedding and sophomore Jenny Grossman help serve food Oct. 23 at the Salvation Army.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

As the recession continued to cause families across the nation financial difficulties, the Salvation Army of Ithaca saw an increase in the number of local residents passing through its door.

Major Carl Carvill, pastor and administrator of the Salvation Army in Ithaca, said the organization serves about 300 to 400 families each holiday, but more than 500 families asked for help this year.

“It appears that the economic climate in the rest of the country has crept into Tompkins County and even into Ithaca,” Carvill said. “We were fairly insulated previously. Some of these same issues of employment that we’re hearing a lot about are really having an effect here.”

He said he encouraged members of the community to start their own fundraisers to benefit families in need during the holidays.

Karen Sargent, facilities manager, custodian and cook at the Salvation Army, said she had the opportunity to interact with many of those who attended Salvation Army events.

“A lot of it has to do with our economy and the fact that jobs aren’t paying enough for people to survive,” Sargent said.

Carvill said raising money and donations during the holiday season was one of The Salvation Army’s major goals.

“Every family should be able to enjoy a wholesome meal, with leftovers to carry them over for a few days,” Carvill said.

College honors local veterans President Tom Rochon opened Ithaca College’s Veterans Day Celebration, while Rev. James Touchton presided over the invocation. The celebration included a twominute video montage assembled by Information Technology Services that featured images like Mount Rushmore, wheat fields and soldiers set to the tune of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” Keynote speaker Capt. Daniel L. Weed, a commanding officer of the U.S. navy and professor of naval science for the Naval ROTC program at Cornell University, said his years of military service have been some

of the most important in his life.

“I look back on my career as the pinnacle of my lifetime,” he said. “I had many challenges that helped forge and sharpen my personality.”

Weed, who has received decorations including the Legion of Merit, said the theme of his presentation is whether veterans are American heroes.

“My premise is that, based on their service and the commitment that they’ve made to their country, that they truly are and should be referred to as American heroes,” he said.

Veteran Capt. Daniel L. Weed works in Barton Hall at Cornell University as a professor in the ROTC program.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

Supporters of Michel Martelly paraded through the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Nov. 28 to demonstrate their frustration with the election process.

C.W. GRIFFIN/MCT

Haiti sees election chaos With the country reeling from the effects of January’s earthquake and a devastating cholera epidemic, elections slid into chaos Nov. 28 as thousands of voters complained they could not cast ballots, and a majority of presidential candidates accused the government committing “massive fraud.”

Twelve of the 18 presidential

candidates issued a declaration saying the hastily prepared elections should be canceled and that the people should “mobilize” to reject the results.

They accused President René Préval of conspiring with the electoral council to ensure that his party, Inite (Unity), was in charge of Parliament, and its candidate, Jude Celestin, won the presidency.

EU bails out Ireland European officials rescued their second country in seven months Nov. 28, offering financially strapped Ireland a bailout package worth $113 billion in a bid to shore up confidence in the battered euro.

Dublin quickly accepted the lifeline, hoping to calm investors ahead of the opening of international markets Nov. 28. The move was a humiliating concession by the Irish government, which had insisted for weeks that it did not need outside help to deal with its crushing public debt and crippled banking sector.

Democrat wins in NY On a night when he resoundingly defeated a maverick Republican to become governor, following in his father’s footsteps, Democrat Andrew Cuomo pledged to make New York “the Empire State once again.”

Cuomo, 52, ran far ahead of his Republican opponent, Carl Paladino, 64, who came out of the primaries with strong support

from the tea party movement.

In a victory address to supporters, Cuomo, thanked his dad, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, and acknowledged voters’ feelings.

“The people have spoken,” Cuomo said. “They’re disgusted, and they are right. What they are saying is they want reform and they want Albany to change, and that’s what they’re going to get.”

From left, New York state gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo, his daughter Michaela Cuomo and his girlfriend Sandra Lee, vote on Nov. 2 at in Mt. Kisco, N. Y. CHARLES ECKERT/MCT

Photo illustration by Michelle Boulé

Public Safety employs more parking ticketers During the spring semester, the Office of Public Safety enlisted the help of more student ticketers to monitor parking infractions across campus.

Laura Durling, assistant director of administrative services for the Office of Public Safety, said the college employed more student parking enforcement members this semester to fill part-time job slots that were not previously covered by Public Safety officials. Since these employees were hired, Durling said the number of tickets increased by nearly 2,000, as of December.

Durling said the college employed more students to ensure routine ticketing from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Many students complained about the stricter enforcement and inability to find convenient spots on campus.

Durling said the purpose of having constant patrolling is to maintain parking lot enforcement.

“We monitor the parking lots for empty spaces at certain times of the day,” she said.

“We have not been in a place where there is no parking on campus.”

Provost selected

Marisa Kelly has been chosen as Ithaca College’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs, President Tom Rochon announced Dec. 2.

Kelly, currently the dean and McQuinn Distinguished Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, will officially begin her position at the college July 1.

The decision comes at a time of transition as Rochon begins to implement IC20/20, the comprehensive 10-year strategic plan for the college’s future.

Rochon said Kelly was

Freshman Justin Pyron, an SGA senator and student representative for Parking Policy and Appeals, said students are fairly ticketed.

“We read over the appeals we receive and then we vote on whether to accept the student’s appeal or deny their appeal,” he said. “The majority of them are denied because most are rules that they’ve broken and signed off on.”

Durling said the real parking problems come from Circle Apartments residents who already have reserved spots. She said they drive to class and leave more than 300 vacant spaces in the apartment lots.

FLEFF receives honor for environmental work selected because of her academic experience at a college similar to Ithaca, her ability to communicate well with many different audiences and her compatible vision of the college’s future.

“I wanted a provost who was comfortable with that developing vision because I didn’t want the campus community to go back to square one next year and start over again,” he said. “[She] will be front and center as the chief academic officer.”

Ithaca College’s Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival and Cinemapolis were recognized with a 2010 “Sign of Sustainability,” which is awarded annually to individuals and organizations whose efforts have advanced the community in a sustainable way, from Sustainable Tompkins on Dec. 5 FLEFF and Cinemapolis were recognized because they hosted the world premiere of “Living Downstream” by Canadian filmmaker Chanda Chevannes, which is based on

the book of the same name by ecologist and scholar in residence Sandra Steingraber.

Chevanne’s film documents her battle with cancer and her public fight to bring attention to the human rights issue of cancer prevention.

Ithaca College’s annual film festival features art, music, writers and performances that represent new sustainability initiatives. This year FLEFF incorporated mini webisodes into the cinema category that featured the viral works of filmmakers.

House OKs tax cut The House approved President Barack Obama’s sweeping tax-cut compromise at 12 a.m. on Dec. 17, preventing tax rates from rising Jan. 1 and sending the president a bipartisan agreement that few could have imagined in a deeply polarized Washington.

The vote to accept the

$858-billion Senate-passed measure was 277-148. The president quickly moved the deal along with his signature.

Obama campaigned incessantly for passage, despite his opposition to extending the George W. Bush-era lower tax rates across the board, including on family income above $250,000.

Quake shakes holiday

President Barack Obama signs his tax-cut deal, which was passed through the House of Representatives on Dec. 17. The bill passed by a measure of 277-147.

JIM LO SCALZO/MCT

The New Zealand city of Christchurch was shaking again Dec. 26, nearly four months after a massive magnitude 7.2 earthquake caused extensive damage.

Four shallow quakes centered only 5 kilometers from the country’s secondlargest city in the early hours, but the largest was of magnitude 4.2, and there

were no reports of damage.

The tremblors followed two minor shakes on Christmas Day and one the day before, which were the first significant aftershocks recorded for nearly a month.

The biggest quake, measuring 4.9, struck near the city center, cutting power and evacuating malls packed with post-Christmas shoppers.

Pirating sites get shut down Eighty-two Web addresses were seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, for distributing and selling copyrighted works.

The latest takedowns are a part of Operation In Our Sites, an ongoing initiative by the Department of Homeland Security.

According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Project, college students use the Internet to download media more than any other age group, making them the most likely demographic to have used the targeted sites. According to the poll, 58 percent of 18- to 22-year-olds download music, compared to 46 percent of 33- to 44-year-old adults and 22 percent of 46- to 64-year-olds.

The Motion Picture Association of America started to send letters to colleges and universities Dec. 6 that said it will begin to notify colleges directly if it detects illegal file sharing of movies or TV shows on their campuses.

Mike Leary, assistant director of judicial affairs, examines the college’s history of past pirating offenses Dec. 7 in his office. The government cracked down on file sharing between students.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

FBI investigates WikiLeaks hackers

Homeless man with golden voice serves jail time Ted Williams, the Ohio homeless man whose golden voice made him a YouTube sensation and brought him offers of work, was detained by the Los Angeles Police Department the night of Jan. 11 at a Hollywood hotel.

According to law enforcement sources, Williams and an unidentified family member were detained after police were called to the Renaissance Hotel on a disturbance call.

Williams was later released, while the investigation continued.

Ted Williams, a homeless man turned radio DJ, was arrested Jan. 11.

DORAL CHENOWETH III/MCT

The FBI said Jan. 27 that it had served more than 40 search warrants throughout the United States as part of an investigation into computer attacks on websites of businesses that stopped providing services in December to WikiLeaks.

The FBI statement announcing the search warrants was the first indication that the U.S. intends to prosecute the so-called “hacktivists� for their actions in support of WikiLeaks.

The search warrants were executed on the same day authorities in Great Britain announced that they had arrested five people in connection with the attacks, which temporarily crippled the websites of Amazon.com, PayPal, MasterCard and Visa.

Egyptians speak out

Police began returning to their posts in the Egyptian capital on Jan. 31, seeking to restore order after days of looting, but they stayed away from the protesterthronged square that had become the epicenter of the movement to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

As the dramatic standoff entered its seventh day, protest organizers called for the biggest demonstrations yet. Defying curfews, protesters have maintained an around-the-clock presence in Tahrir Square, worried that it will be sealed off by the military if they leave.

Six days into the revolt, a protester attempts to stop an oncoming tank Jan. 31 near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.

MICHAEL ROBINSON CHAVEZ/MCT

Ithaca College’s Circle Apartments will be expanding, adding new landscape and walkways and replacing two-person apartments with newer models.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Circle Apartments’ expansion aims for spring start Ithaca College was unanimously granted final site plan approval for the expansion of the Circle Apartments by the Town of Ithaca Planning Board on Jan. 18.

The expansion plan includes tearing down two-person apartments and rebuilding them to create a total of 136 new beds for the complex. New parking spaces,

walkways, a small storage building and an addition to the community building are also part of the plan. Conditions set by the town that must be met before construction can begin include a revisal of the landscaping plan and updates on water management of the property.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

MLK speaker calls for action During the week of Jan. 24, the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs brought in civil rights activist Dorothy Cotton, who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to speak to students at Ithaca College.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars were all in attendance in celebration of King and his dream for future generations. The event also included performances by three poets from Brave New Voices.

John Rawlins, assistant director of multicultural affairs, said the purpose of the week, which became a part of the college’s tradition years ago, was to inspire students to make a difference in the community.

“It is an opportunity for the campus to look at Dr. King’s life, talk about his legacy and his work,” Rawlins said. “It is still relevant today.”

Cotton, an Ithaca resident who worked with King as education director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a nonviolent organization committed to social justice, gave a speech, highlighting this close relationship with King and the role educators play in a child’s life.

declared the wetlands on the apartment property could not be disturbed, which caused a delay in the expansion. Carl Sgrecci, vice president of finance and administration, said the college decided to leave the wetlands alone and focus on construction on the Danby Road side of the project.

DIIS splits into other schools Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies was officially eliminated as a division of Ithaca College beginning the first day of classes of the spring semester. All of its affiliated academic programs and their components were transferred to other schools.

Gregory Woodward, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the decision to dissolve DIIS was part of the IC20/20 initiative, which calls for collegewide integrated learning. “[IC20/20] is so filled with concepts and initiatives and proposals around collaborative and interdisciplinary learning,” he said. “It seemed to a lot of people that having a separate division for that kind of work would somehow be weakening to or

contrary to what we’re now expecting the college to become.”

The culture and communication major, the aging studies major, the Muslim cultures minor, the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity with African Diaspora studies minor, the Latino/a studies minor, Project Look Sharp and the Gerontology Institute are now part of the School of Humanities and Sciences. The legal studies major moved to the School of Business, while the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival was added into the Office of the Provost.

Leslie Lewis, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, said this is a stepping stone to achieving the goals laid out in the IC20/20 proposal.

China police settle unrest With a wary eye on popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Chinese leaders called for new ways to defuse social unrest in what appeared to be an ominous harbinger of tighter controls to come on the Internet and elsewhere.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held an online forum on Feb. 27 in which he promised to focus on making the lives of ordinary people in China more comfortable and secure.

Just a few hours later, Chinese police unleashed a show of force in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities to clamp down on public gatherings after a second week of overseas Internet-based calls for protests across the country.

The combination of Wen’s comments about government efforts to raise living standards, accompanied by a display of China’s police state tactics aimed at squelching dissent, neatly laid out in one day’s time the Chinese Communist Party’s feelings on political unrest.

Chinese police patrol the Wangfujing Street shopping area Feb. 27 in Beijing, China, to make certain no protest groups gathered.

TOM LASSESTER/MCT

Wisconsin residents protest cuts

Kevin Sherry marches around the state capitol during protests Feb. 21 in Madison, Wis. RICK WOOD/MCT

Nearly two weeks into a political standoff, thousands rallied in Madison and dozens of cities around the nation to oppose a bill that would severely limit collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin public employees.

Joel DeSpain, spokesman for the Madison Police Department, said the rally drew between 70,000 and 100,000 and may have been the largest protest in Madison since the Vietnam War.

Speaker announced Ithaca College announced on Feb. 24 that ABC evening news host and alumnus David Muir ’95 will deliver this year’s commencemnet address on May 22.

Muir joined ABC News in August 2003 as an overnight news anchor and moved on to become one of the network’s leading correspondents on several major domestic and international stories. He has won multiple Emmy awards and has also reported from across the globe — including China, the Middle East, South America, Eastern Europe and South Africa.

Driving fines increase

Muir was named sole anchor of the weekend editions of ABC’s evening newscast, which was renamed “World News with David Muir” on Feb. 14. He had been anchoring the Saturday broadcast since 2007.

Last year, actress and activist CCH Pounder ’75 spoke to seniors. It was the first year the college instituted a policy of finding a notable alumnus or faculty member to speak.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles issued new restrictions Feb. 16 to discourage distracted driving by adding license points in addition to current monetary cell phone penalties.

Under the updated regulations, people caught operating a vehicle while talking or texting on a cell phone without a headset will receive two points on their driver’s license in addition to the current fine of up to $150.

According to New York state law, talking on a handheld cell phone while driving has been illegal since 2001.

Accumulation of license points can lead to higher costs for auto insurance and will result in suspension of a license if the owner gets 11 or more points in an 18-month period.

Investigator Tom Dunn said the new restrictions may provide more restitution for offenders than a fine.

“With a monetary fine, a person could simply pay it and be on their way,” he said. “With points added to a license, people will be put on notice, and it might alleviate the problem of a repeat offender.”

Aurora Valenti, director of the Tompkins County Department of Motor Vehicles, said the new driving regulations were a long overdue step toward promoting responsible driving and have been in the works for several years.

“I am always in favor of anything that will decrease automobile accidents and injury to life and limb,” she said. “I would hope that these rules encourage people to pay attention and keep both hands on the steering wheel.”

Valenti said the regulations were also opened to public referendum, and no public comments were submitted for review.

Packers clinch 45th Super Bowl The team from the NFL’s smallest market came up huge Feb. 6, as the Green Bay Packers clinched their fourth Super Bowl victory with a wire-to-wire 31–25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.

Powered by the spectacular play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who rocketed passes into mailbox-sized openings, the Packers became just the second sixth-seeded team to win it all, joining the 2005 Steelers.

Rodgers, once doubted by many as a suitable replacement for legendary Brett Favre, now has as many rings as that future Hall of Famer. Rodgers was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Despite putting 16 members on the injured reserve list, the Packers were able to go all the way in the postseason.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrates after winning Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25 on Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

RON T. ENNIS/MCT

College sees rise in applicants After a recent leap in applications, the Ithaca College Office of Admissions will pick the class of 2015 from the largest selection pool of students in three years.

The college received 13,424 applications for the 2011-12 school year — almost 300 more than last year and 700 more than in 2009-10.

The last time admissions reached similar highs was in 2008, when applications totaled 13,546. In 2009-10, application numbers saw a drop of more than 800 to 12,752.

Eric Maguire, vice president of enrollment and communication, said the college’s acceptance limit for 2011-12 is set around 9,000 students, equating to 67 percent of the applicant pool.

Maguire said 8,500 students have been admitted so far, and the college has set next year’s enrollment goal at 1,650 new students — the same as last year’s goal. As of March 24, 297 students submitted paid deposits, 202 of which were from early decision applicants.

“We are still very confident in our ability to hit those numbers next year,” he said.

Vermin invade

Verity Woitach shaves freshman Kyle Massa’s head as part of the St. Baldrick’s charity event sponsored by College’s Against Cancer on March 6 in IC Square. Students volunteered to get rid of their hair in recognition of cancer patients who lose their hair during chemotherapy.

EMILY PARK/THE ITHACAN

Relay for Life raises $73,000 The 2011 Relay For Life at Ithaca College drew more than 880 participants and raised $73,381 for the American Cancer Society on March 26.

The event, which was held in Ben Light Gymnasium, marked the first time the college hosted Relay for Life independent from Cornell University.

Shari Kaplan, co-president of the college’s Colleges Against Cancer chapter, said the college split from Cornell University this year because Barton Hall was not available that day. Though there were fewer total participants this year, Kaplan said the split didn’t cause any other problems.

There were four instances of mice infestation during the spring semester in the Terraces in which the Office of Public Safety was called or a maintenance request was submitted to deal with the rodents, Ernie McClatchie, director of facilities, grounds and transportation, said.

Sophomore Nikita Slaughter, a Terrace 10 resident, said she found mice in her room after winter break. She called Public Safety, and two kinds of traps were set for the mice.

“They ended up catching five of them, and they just kept multiplying,” she said.

“Public Safety would come and pick them up, but it would take them a while to get the mice out of the room, so usually I had to discard them myself.”

McClatchie said Ithaca College has a contract with ACME Pest Control to get rid of the mice. Two kinds of traps are used — a sticky strip with an odor that attracts mice and a Victor Snap Trap that kills the mice on impact.

“We stress that it’s important to leave areas tidy and clean and not to leave garbage lying around,” he said.

Debris flooded the Natori neighborhood of Sendai, Japan, on March 13.

Disaster strikes Japan

CAROLYN COLE/MCT

Rebel fighters staged checkpoints starting March 22 in Zwitina, Libya.

LUIS SINCO/MCT

Air raids hit Libya Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi carried out attacks on several rebel-held areas and deployed an elite military brigade to help bolster defenses, U.S. officials said, despite sharply stepped-up coalition airstrikes against his regime.

Gadhafi’s military assaults March 22 suggested that the Libyan strongman is seeking to crush the remnants of the 5-week-old popular rebellion against his regime, questioning the United States’ air-raid involvement.

An 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, shaking office buildings in Tokyo and setting off a devastating tsunami that swept away cars and boats in northeastern Japan.

The quake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time.

There were reports of injuries in Tokyo as officials tried to assess damage, injuries and deaths from the quake, but there were no immediate details.

Japanese television showed aerial footage of an ominous 13-foot muddy wave washing across land along the eastern coast near the epicenter.

In various locations, TV footage showed massive damage from the tsunami, with dozens of cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters.

Days later, high levels of radiation were detected at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power

plant on the morning of March 15 after a fire broke out near a pool in the No. 4 reactor where spent nuclear fuel is temporarily kept, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

TEPCO said radiation measuring 400 millisieverts (400,000 microsieverts) per hour was detected at 10:22 a.m. following the fire, which broke out at 9:38 a.m.

“There is no doubt [these radiation levels] may pose health risks to humans,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.

Japanese emergency crews scrambled March 29 to contain rising levels of extremely radioactive water that leaked into tunnels and basement equipment rooms at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, putting up dangerous new obstacles to workers trying to bring the reactors under control.

IC20 College creates plan to foster interdisciplinary studies

BY AARON EDWARDS

After a year of enrollment worries and budget pressures, President Tom Rochon brought some good news. He unveiled a new comprehensive plan, “IC20/20,” a 10-year strategic plan to outline institutional goals for student learning and anticipated obstacles in the coming decade, at the beginning of the academic year.

“My slogan in all of this is ‘This is the year,’” he said. “It’s not the year for another task force or report, it’s the year to develop the plan on which we will actually act over the coming 10 years.”

Rochon collaborated with Interim Provost Greg Woodward on the introduction of the plan this summer. This comes just two months after Woodward assumed the role of interim provost in June after former Provost Kathleen Rountree resigned from her post last April.

Rochon and Woodward released a full draft of IC20/20, the comprehensive 10-year strategic plan for Ithaca College’s future, to the campus community Aug. 24.

The college’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution to support and endorse the main points of the document at a retreat Sept. 10-12. “[The board] was very enthusiastic about it but recognizes that the details all have to be worked out by the campus,” Rochon said.

Larry Alleva ’71, vice chairman of the board of trustees, saw the initial draft of the plan

From left, Interim Provost Greg Woodward and President Tom Rochon address the campus with a new comprehensive plan Aug. 24 at the all-college meeting. The IC20/20 plan will be voted on in May to see if it will be implemented.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

at the trustees’ retreat. Speaking on behalf of the board, he said he and other members were looking forward to seeing a more complete, fleshed-out plan once the campus created it.

“The devil is in the detail,” he said. “It would be tough for me to gauge the degree of challenge until they bring [the finished plan] back to the board.

It’s a bold plan that embraces our pursuit of excellence.”

Rochon said he planned to encourage the campus community to refine the plan during this academic year through task forces until there was an institutional consensus on its outlined proposals. From there, the Board of Trustees will review the plan a final time in May 2011.

If approved, IC20/20 will be formally adopted as the college’s vision for the next 10 years.

“I’m excited by the whole,

which is more than the sum of the parts,” Rochon said. “Some of the truly significant parts include having a much greater collegewide perspective on curriculum, as opposed to a school-centered perspective.”

The 20-page document elaborates on the introduction, calling for initiatives organized under seven broad objectives that Rochon and Woodward discussed with The Ithacan.

0/20 Over the next decade, Rochon said, the college’s commitment to faculty excellence will continue. The IC20/20 plan includes the formation of a Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, a department that would be staffed by professionals in faculty development, assessment, instructional design and technology and enrichment.

This isn’t the first time a department like this has been proposed. Last semester, Faculty Council debated whether hiring a new staff member to assess faculty would be effective.

“This is a much broader commitment to faculty development, especially focused on the demands for teaching excellence in a time where technology is changing fast,” Rochon said.

Rochon said funding for this project and all the projects of the vision would need to be drawn from new sources, including fundraising and a capital campaign.

In the area of faculty assessment, the IC20/20 plan pulls from existing initiatives, stating the administration’s desire to continue in a similar vein with reviewing faculty performance through initiatives such as student evaluations.

Continuing toward its goal of national recognition, the college will continue to expand its graduate studies programs.

In addition to considering more master’s programs with a fifth-year option for undergraduate students, the plan would aim to strengthen online learning and professional development programs.

Another section of the plan focuses on the national and international sphere of influence the college possesses. The college administration would consider the creation of an Ithaca College center in New York City while expanding existing centers in Rochester, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and London.

Woodward said a New York City center has been an ongoing topic of discussion.

“For years, there’s been conversations about the advantages of having our students … study in New York and take advantage of the resources there,” he said.

Rochon said the center would illustrate the broad goals of the entire plan.

“This is there not because it just sounds like a fun idea,” Rochon said. “It’s there because it connects to the biggest theme of this entire document — to focus student learning in ways that are integrative, applied and inquiry-based.”

In the past, the college has hosted a number of conferences and workshops geared toward teaching faculty how to integrate service-oriented learning in their classes. With IC20/20 in place, the college would eventually create a Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement to direct community service initiatives in the classroom and in living communities on campus.

Citing the effectiveness of some existing learning communities, Rochon said having more specialized living communities on campus would benefit the student body. He said he visited the Spanish living community, Vecinos, and the Outdoor Adventure Living Community on Aug. 22. He said students gave positive feedback about their residence halls.

“The students in those living communities spoke eloquently about how being part of a themed residential experience added to their overall campus experience,” he said.

Coming off the heels of diversity initiatives like the “I Am Diverse” campaign, which focused on highlighting students’ racial, social and personal traits, and diversity listening sessions held last year on campus, the IC20/20 vision includes broad provisions and goals for fostering diversity at the college.

The plan includes an initiative that would “incorporate learning outcomes focused on diversity into every student’s program of study, through the major, minor, liberal education curriculum, graduation requirement or course electives, as well as through student life.”

The plan also states a goal to increase the number of international students and faculty and to encourage students to study abroad.

Drawing on existing proposals and initiatives, IC20/20 calls for the consideration of an interdisciplinary education requirement for all students. This 24-credit minimum would be created to further define an Ithaca College education, Rochon said.

One of the newest proposals in the plan is a Peer Learning Curriculum that would encourage students to stop their normal course of study for a few days each semester to take mini-courses in other schools.

“We thought [this would be] one of the ways to have students be able to explore more in their time here,” Woodward said. “In other words, to be able to go into schools they normally wouldn’t get into and to meet students and to learn a little bit about other fields they normally wouldn’t get to engage with.”

The curriculum objectives also expand on specialized living communities, including creating a required first-year residential community, an optional sophomore living community and housing for transfer students.

In an effort to bolster alumni-student relations and offer more networking opportunities, Rochon said he also included a proposal that could create a networking program of alumni mentors for interested students.

“Many alumni have clamored for exactly this opportunity,” Rochon said. “We haven’t had the technical ability to match up the interests of alumni with the interests of students. In the era of Facebook and IC Peers, finding those matches is far easier.”

Rochon to stop workplace survey despite confusion

BY KELSEY O’CONNOR

colleges and universities can pay extra to survey nonexempt staff, those results are not factored into the decision of who is named a great college to work for, he said.

When presented with this information, Rochon admitted he had misunderstood the survey data. He said he thought other institutions in the survey had an advantage because

looking for jobs in higher education a way to compare institutions. The reason the Chronicle does not include hourly workers in their survey is because their readership is primarily faculty and administrators, Selingo said.

Rochon said he believed the survey should have included all employees on the college’s campus.

“I completely fail to understand how you conduct a survey of your workers and exclude your hourly workers,” Rochon said.

“It is ethically wrong and misleading.”

Rochon said he does not intend to participate in the Chronicle’s survey again, but he said getting feedback from faculty is still important. He suggested that the college conduct its own survey as an alternative way to gauge employee satisfaction.

Mark Coldren, associate vice president of human resources, said he wonders if the response from employees would be different if the survey was taken today.

“These surveys are really based on what people believe in the moment you ask them,” he said. “It is kind of like a snapshot in time. I would like to think people know where we’re going, but we won’t know until the next time we ask.”

President Tom Rochon announced the results of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” survey at the allcollege meeting Jan. 20, saying this was Ithaca College’s first time participating in the survey — and possibly the last.

Rochon said the survey showed that employees tended to be most satisfied with facilities, security, working conditions and college pride. On the other hand, employees tended to be less satisfied with the extent to which performance is evaluated and with the clarity of the college’s vision.

Of the 275 colleges that participated in the Chronicle’s third annual survey, 97 were recognized as Mark Coldron, associate vice president of human resources, said he great colleges. Ithaca College thinks employees would respond differently if given the survey today.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN was not among them.

Rochon said he thought because the majority of institutions they did not include nonexempt staff, but did not include hourly workers in their surthat was not the case. veys, the comparisons between institutions “It turns out in the survey were skewed. they took out our “I decided that we should participate in nonexempt staff for the survey because I knew that there would that, and Jeff Selingo be a lot of colleges and universities,” Rochon clarified that for “I understand how said. “I thought it would be a good chance me,” he said. “It was my job contributes to this to get an external benchmark on how we’re not clear in what institution’s mission.” doing as an employer. It turns out the way I read before, so it “I’m given the responthey organized the survey, it’s not useful for was a mistake on sibility and freedom to do external benchmark information.” my part at the allmy job.”

However, Jeff Selingo ’95, editor of the college meeting.”

“I am proud to be a part Chronicle, told The Ithacan that all colleges, Selingo said the of this institution.” regardless of whether or not nonexempt purpose of conworkers, who are paid hourly, are included ducting this survey in the survey, are fairly compared. Though is to give people

“My department has adequate faculty and staff to achieve our goals.”

“Senior leadership provides a meaningful direction for this institution.”

“Issues of low performance are addressed in my department.”

The Ithacan Quality of the Workplace Survey The Ithacan’s survey was an effort to assess the effectiveness of Ithaca College as an employer and provide a venue for employees to voice concerns after President Rochon announced that he would not release the results of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s survey. One hundred and ninety-four members of the college community responded to the survey, which was made available online during the fall semester.

• 90.5 percent of respondents said they feel safe and secure in the workplace • 72.4 percent said they experience satisfaction through their job • 71.2 percent said they were able to balance work with their personal life • 73.8 percent of respondents said the college does not accurately measure employee performance • 63.6 percent said the college does not recognize exemplary job performance and a thirst for innovation

Of these respondents, 101 were staff, 20 were tenured faculty, 19 were untenured faculty and 16 were administration. Thirtyeight declined to reveal their job category.

The survey included 12 statements regarding the satisfaction of employees and asked respondents to agree or disagree with each statement. A separate field provided respondents with the opportunity to provide additional comments.

Survey results have shown a number of employees are dissatisfied with Ithaca College as an employer.

The Chronicle results, as well as results from a survey compiled by The Ithacan, indicate that while college employees were pleased with a number of aspects of their work life, they showed a lack of confidence in senior leadership and dissatisfaction with performance evaluations. As the college moves forward with IC20/20, it’s important to discuss areas to improve on.

When the survey was taken last spring, the college was trying to manage itself at the tail-end of an economic recession.

Rochon had yet to present IC20/20, and faculty had expressed concern with the performance of then-Provost Kathleen Rountree. Since then, the economy is doing better, Rochon has presented a new vision and a new provost has been chosen. The college is moving forward.

The information from the Chronicle survey was valuable. The college was able to mark areas for improvement. But in the future, that information will no longer be available. The college is encouraged to continue participating in the survey to receive feedback from faculty and staff, as well as to compare strengths and weaknesses with other colleges. Eliminating the college from participating in external surveys is the wrong move. Faculty and staff may feel more comfortable commenting on employee satisfaction to outside sources rather than inside sources for fear of job reprisals.

Showing that the college participates in surveys such as the Chronicle’s, is a way to attract prospective employees and see how we stack up against other institutions. This could give the college the chance to put itself on the map as an employer. Also, by participating in the Chronicle’s survey, the college can see if other colleges share in the same problems and what they do to improve.

Left: Sophomore Ayla Ferrone browses her professor Bob Niedt’s Facebook profile. Right: Niedt checks his News Feed. He and Ferrone are friends on Facebook.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY SHEA O’MEARA

As sophomore Ayla Ferrone scrolled through her Facebook News Feed on Feb. 21, she noticed her professor’s son had posted a birthday YouTube video to his father’s wall.

She resisted the urge to comment on the video, unsure if it was crossing the line. She did, however, wish her professor a happy birthday.

As social networks continue to encroach on day-to-day life, students and professors are working to clarify the line between Facebook-friending and classroom professionalism. These new online friendships are causing some students and professors to monitor what they post online.

Since there is no current policy at the college restricting information shared on Facebook, students and professors have to use individual judgment to decide if a Facebook friendship is appropriate.

Investigator Tom Dunn said Public Safety only investigates Facebook relationships if someone contacts them with an issue regarding threatening posts.

“We have taken complaints if you were being harassed by someone on Facebook and you

reported it to us, but we don’t monitor,” he said.

Ferrone said she hides some profile information from her family but found no reason to hide it from her professors. Instead, she said she “friend-ed” professors she thought would avoid using her Facebook profile against her.

“They may call me out on it, but I wouldn’t

become friends with them on Facebook if I thought they were going to get me in trouble,” she said.

Michael Sturgeon, the faculty coordinator of instructional technology at Lee University in Cleveland, researched how Facebook affects

college education. His study, “Faculty on Facebook: Confirm or deny?” from March 2009, found faculty were divided over whether or not to view student’s profiles.

“We have faculty saying, ‘I can see into my students’ lives and I feel like I can lecture directly to what’s happening in their lives, so it makes my lectures more relevant,’” he said.

Diane Gayeski, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications, accepts all current and former student friend requests and said she uses Facebook as an efficient way to get news to students.

She said she does not think online posts affect the way she views students professionally.

“I’m not in any sort of position to treat anyone different or make any decisions differently based on what I see on their Facebook profile,” she said.

However, sophomore Collin Schuck said students should monitor their posts and use Facebook as a professional tool.

“In college, you’re at a point in your life where you’re old enough to make your decisions,” he said. “You’re making connections with people in your field so I don’t think it’s inappropriate. I draw the line when you’re there to discuss personal life.”

INFORMATION More than 80 percent of the 900 higher education faculty surveyed had one or more social media accounts.

More than 30 percent of those faculty members used their social network sites to communicate with students.

SOURCE: “SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIGHER EDUCATION” PEARSON LEARNING SOLUTIONS 2010

MESSAGES More than 60 percent of higher education faculty surveyed had a Facebook account.

More than 10 percent of those faculty used Facebook to communicate with students.

SOURCE: “SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIGHER EDUCATION” PEARSON LEARNING SOLUTIONS 2010

FRIENDS When asked if social networks are valuable tools for communicating with students, 30 percent of respondents disagreed, 40 percent were neutral and 30 percent agreed.

SOURCE: “SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIGHER EDUCATION” PEARSON LEARNING SOLUTIONS 2010

REQUESTS In a survey of faculty members from colleges of pharmacy in Ohio, 100 percent of respondents who had Facebook profiles said they would not send friend requests to their current students.

SOURCE: “PHARMACY FACULTY MEMBERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE STUDENT/FACULTY RELATIONSHIP IN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS,” AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION

BY GERALD DOHERTY

Michael Taves, executive director of ITS, said ITS recommended the college discontinue its use of the Blackboard system and move toward using Sakai after looking at a wide range of learning management systems, including Moodle and Desire2Learn.

“As we examined all the alternatives, Sakai seemed to us probably — one can never be sure — the best long-term investment,” Taves said. “We have the opportunity to contribute to its development in terms of features in the future.”

Last year, Blackboard announced its current version, Blackboard 9, would be revamped in January 2013.

Many of the features faculty had been accustomed to — such as a cross-listing feature that allows a professor to list multiple sections of a course — would be dropped.

Keeping Blackboard through 2013 would have cost 2.5 times what the college currently pays.

Ed Fuller, associate vice president of ITS, said some of the vendors ITS has negotiated with considered budget private and did not disclose actual budget figures but said the college will pay less than $50,000 annually with Sakai, compared to a six-figure price with Blackboard.

Taves said Sakai’s features made it a standout choice. But since Sakai does not promise the level of technical support Blackboard offers, he said ITS will work with an unnamed vendor to provide support for Sakai.

Ron Trunzo, associate director of Residential Life and the Office of Judicial Affairs, said he attended the Dec. 2 presentation to learn more about how the switch would relate to the resident assistant training currently hosted on Blackboard.

“I am optimistic about the flexibility that it appears Sakai offers,” Trunzo said. “It looks a little bit more user-friendly.”

Sophomore Corinne Swanson said the switch would be a welcome change.

“Last year, one of my history professors refused to use Blackboard,” Swanson said. “He was protesting it because he said it was too expensive and that the money the school was using for it could be used to improve education — that there were so many cheaper sites.”

Taves said he hopes the transition to Sakai by Fall 2012 will provide order to the college’s use of learning management systems.

“I hope it enables us to maintain a much more stable environment, frankly, with fewer and less disruptive migrations from version to version,” he said.

BY MICHELLE BIZON

Aimee Dars Ellis, assistant professor of management in the School of Business at Ithaca College, logs onto her Twitter account from her office computer. As @doctordarzy, Ellis sends her 140-characters-or-fewer tweets out into the Twitterverse. They’re viewable to everyone, but she has a specific audience in mind — her students.

She sent her first tweet April 2, 2009, and said it was an experiment for class-related announcements. This year, she sent tweets warning of impending deadlines and linking to articles pertaining to class discussions.

Ellis said she sends messages like these to reach out to students through a technology platform with which many of them are already familiar.

“There are so many challenges to [holding] students’ attention,” Ellis said.

“That is the struggle — to find the right mix of social media students respond to. And for me, it is an ongoing quest.”

A growing percentage of faculty members at institutions of higher education like the college are attempting to tap into the networks their students are already heavily using outside the classroom. Some faculty members at the college are incorporating social networking platforms, such as Twitter; collaborative creation platforms, such as blogs or wikis; and learning management systems offered by the college, such as myHome, to engage their students both in and out of the classroom.

A University of Colorado–Denver study conducted by professor Joanna Dunlap and doctoral candidate Patrick Lowenthal in 2009 found that students tweeting for class were more cognizant of class material because they sustained

interactions outside of class time.

Junior Dylan Hulser was one of the students in Ellis’ Organizational Behavior and Management class, for which she started tweeting. Hulser, who has been using Twitter for more than two years, said he benefited from the increased out-of-the-classroom communication with Ellis.

“You’d never want your professor to call you and say, ‘Hey, I hope you’re working on your essay,’” Hulser said. “But just to have something come to your phone or to look on your [Twitter] timeline and see, ‘Essay’s due tomorrow.

Hope you’re enjoying it,’ or something like that is nice.”

Kurt Komaromi, assistant professor of marketing and law, began using social media in his classes about five years ago by requiring his students to create and maintain blogs.

“Students have grown up with social media, and it’s integrated into their lives,” he said. “If you want to connect with students effectively, having some social media skills would be very helpful to you. It gives you more flexibility in delivering content than [in] just a traditional classroom experience.”

—KURT KOMAROMI

Komaromi said the most important point for professors to keep in mind is that the tools they use should benefit their students ultimately. “[Social media], in and of itself, can’t replace the quality of the in-class experience, but it can supplement it tremendously,” he said.

DESIGN BY COLLEEN LOWERY

BY ALEXANDRA EVANS

Since 2008, course offerings in both winter and summer sessions increased, though face-to-face labs and lectures still outnumbered the online options. But in Winter 2010, the number of online courses surpassed the number of face-to-face courses offered, 16 to 13. The gap grew for Winter 2011 with 19 online courses to 12 lecture courses.

Before the college offered online courses during these sessions, students who needed to catch up on credits had to stay on campus while their peers went home for break. But since online learning grew in popularity, Rob Gearhart, associate dean of graduate and professional studies and director of online learning initiatives, said the college has adjusted its offerings.

“The increases in online are blowing us away,” he said.

“When you and most of your colleagues don’t stay in Ithaca, but if you’re interested in picking up some credits, it’s a nice option for you to have.”

Jennifer Wofford, study programs manager, said the college wants to increase the number of courses available to students during the winter and summer sessions by facilitating a program for faculty to create more online courses and build on those

already offered.

“We’re looking to provide faculty with opportunities to expand those courses, maybe turn some of our face-to-face courses into online courses or integrate additional media and multimodalities into the online courses they currently have offered,” she said.

Stewart Auyash, associate professor of Health Promotion and Physical Education, who taught Critical Health Issues online this winter, said one benefit to teaching online courses was dedicating more time to helping students.

“Usually when students take an online class during the winter or summer sessions, they’re only taking one or two classes, so they’re not bombarded with hundreds and hundreds of pages a week,” he said.

While there is no one particular way to teach an online course, Gearhart said a good design is to make the content engaging and similar to an “Ithaca College learning experience.”

“As long as the course is designed well, then you’re having all of those kinds of experiences you’d expect to have in the classroom,” he said.

Online Winter 2010

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Senior Rachel Berger finishes an assignment for her Topics in Media Law class online Nov. 16 in IC Square. The college is incorporating more online courses.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

BY KELSEY O’CONNOR

Last spring, Ithaca College student Mary* logged onto College Anonymous Confession Board and found that she was the subject of malicious, degrading posts on the forum about her body — making fun of her legs, saying she is ugly and publicly commenting on her other features.

“It’s awful because you have no control,” Mary said. “Having this

shield of anonymity, it kind of makes you invincible because you can say whatever you want to whoever you want.”

CollegeACB is just one medium, along with texting, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace among others, that has turned into a platform for cyberbullying and online harassment.

Cyberbullying is defined by the Cyberbullying Research Center

as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices.”

In 2009, MTV and The Associated Press surveyed 1,247 people between the ages of 14 and 24 and found 50 percent said they had experienced cyberbullying. The survey also showed that people between the ages of 18 and 24 were more likely than younger teens to have been targeted.

Senior Rob Engelsman found an “I hate Rob Engelsman” Facebook group his freshman year that had 125 to 175 members in about its first week. The group was made up of people he had graduated with in high school.

“People were posting stories and anecdotes from high school about why they didn’t like me,” Engelsman said. “They were talking about my glib smile and my sense of sarcasm.”

High profile examples of cyberbullying have emerged in all age groups in the past year. Last spring Alexis Pilkington, 17, of West Islip, N.Y., committed suicide because of posts on Formspring.me. On Sept. 22, freshman Tyler Clementi of Rutgers University posted, “jumping off the gw bridge sorry,” on Facebook about 10 minutes before killing himself because his roommate tweeted a link to a video stream revealing his sexual encounter with another man.

Support from different voices and communities have been appearing online with some specifically aimed at the LGBT community.

In September, author and editor Dan Savage posted a video titled “It Gets Better” on YouTube as part of the Trevor Project, which is dedicated to ending suicide among LGBT youth. Since the original video, public figures — from President Barack Obama to Ke$ha — have joined in the online effort.

Two weeks later, Ithaca College seniors Matthew Timmons,

Above: Photo illustration by Kelsey O’Connor Right: From left, seniors Rob Engelsman and Matthew Timmons film Ithaca College’s “It Gets Better” YouTube video Oct. 11 in the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

—ROB ENGELSMAN

Engelsman and Nick Righi decided to include the college in the initiative by making their own video, which had more than 19,000 views as of March 29.

Information Security Officer Kris Monroe said Information Technology Services does not have a specific way to report cyberbullying at the college, but the office does have ways to report computer threats and abuse on its website.

Cyberbullying is still a new subject in the area of legal prosecution and can be difficult for schools to deal with because the bullying is occurring online as opposed to on school grounds.

Engelsman said it is not surprising that current college students practice cyberbullying, but it needs to end.

“Our age group really came through the explosion of social networking sites, so we grew up with it,” he said. “But people are scapegoating the sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as the problem instead of looking at the root cause, which is our attitudes. A lot more people are getting away with it and a lot more people are getting hurt by it.” *Names have been changed to protect anonymity.

Senior journalism major Andrew Weiser, an Apple Fanboy and Google advocate, shares his opinion on new technologies and emerging trends in social media in his biweekly column.

April 22, 2010, was the day that changed my life. Why? Because that was the day I received my Apple iPad. I’m probably not what you would consider your typical Apple Fanboy … though I did own five iPods and three Apple laptops at one time in my life, but that’s beside the point.

The iPad, marketed as “magical,” was supposed to change the way the world viewed and handled media. Yes, I’ll admit that the 9.7-inch touch screen does look extremely sexy when playing solitaire, but as far as reinventing the way I take in media, it falls flat.

Most of the popular news outlets — from The New York Times to The Huffington Post — have jumped on this magical iPad carpet and developed apps for the device. But while the browsing experience is new, I don’t see how revolutionary it is to use a finger to swipe across articles, as opposed to turning the page of a broadsheet.

It’s an interesting way to receive news, except when your battery dies, and suddenly you are left with a useless piece of glass in a metal enclosure and safety case, which is ultimately the downfall of the iPad — its appearance out-

shines its performance.

Of course there’s the “wow factor” of the iPad, but that does me little good when I’m sitting in my room, propping up the device on an empty box of Domino’s pizza to watch the newest ESPN highlights. And even after people get over the initial, “Is that an iPad? Can I touch it?” the one question I’ve dealt with the most is, “What do you use it for?”

In the four or so months the iPad has had the privilege to travel with me on a day-to-day basis, I’ve found that it’s more of a supplement to other devices, as tabloids are to newspapers, so to speak. It doesn’t do anything more efficiently than my Macbook Pro — aside from playing PAC-MAN with a touch screen.

And if I’m going to unload next month’s paychecks for the latest Apple product, I at least expect it to do my laundry.

It’s hard to pinpoint one concrete reason that the iPad deserves to replace the newspaper. It’s kind of a touchy subject for me, but the fact that I find myself habitually lying to friends, fabricating several different reasons for why the iPad is practical, leads me to believe that if the iPad is truly “magical,” then it’s probably witchcraft.

My first job was working in the gardening department at Kmart. I rode my bike down the street to drop off my application and landed my first formal job — arguably because of my expert shopping-cart gathering skills and not my nonexistent knowledge of the difference between pesticides and perennials.

From operating the cash register to paging people over the central speaker system when I didn’t know how to credit someone for returning a bag of mulch, technology is inevitably connected with the business world. With the birth of Twitter and other social media, new technologies also provide an alternative way to find jobs — instead of a bicycle and a No. 2 pencil.

Companies are making a shift to incorporate social media into the hiring process. LinkedIn is a perfect example of how businesses are beginning to adapt to social media and benefit from already established connections. Businesses will also use Facebook posts or tweets as new methods to search for potential employees. It’s not out of place to inquire on job openings using a simple “@reply” to companies on Twitter.

The White House has also tapped into this social-networking keg of information. Members of the Monster.com community can now jump over to Monster’s Facebook page and post questions for the Obama Administration about America’s employment climate. The White House will address the questions that get the most “likes.”

It’s in a company’s benefit to broadcast to the people who follow them when there’s a position open because it’s obvious those individuals are interested in the business. It’s like when I bought the limited edition box set of the “Gilmore Girls” complete series — obviously there’s a fan base there, and the addition of a bonus content DVD only increased my desire to have it.

But the hiring process isn’t the only area of the job hunt that’s experiencing technological benefits.

Smartphone apps are just one more way technology has changed the hiring process. With mobile apps that allow you to manage résumés, scan business cards for contact information and even make face-to-face video calls, they allow the recruitment process to be accomplished from a phone.

As the job market expands, so will social networks. Soon, more companies will begin using these connections to find qualified people to fill available positions — which reminds me, if I don’t want to wind up back in the gardening department at Kmart, I should probably remove “Weed whacking” from my Facebook interests.

During my backpacking trip across Europe, I constantly found myself running into a question that none of my four friends could answer: Where should we eat? Though my memory is sharp enough to offer directions to the lone Burger King in Venice — just outside the east end of Piazza San Marco — I can’t pinpoint one local restaurant. But this is where Google steps up to the plate.

Google’s local directory, Hotpot, which allows people to rate restaurants using a “flash-card” style interface and share those rankings with friends, has recently started to flex its culinary prowess in a digital realm that has been previously dominated by a similar service — Yelp.

Hotpot streamlined the menu of options and ratings. Released in November, it became an instant competitor in user reviews that Google integrates with search results.

Yelp, on the other hand, has been up in arms regarding Google running its users’ reviews but is unwilling to pull the plug on its relationship with Google because of referral traffic. Google has an ace up its sleeve already, just in case Yelp ever has a change of heart.

Hotpot’s crème de la crème feature is referring.

Imagine walking around a town where every restaurant is serving up uncertainty and the potential to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Now, with Hotpot’s update and integration with Google Maps for Android on March 3, users can tweet reviews and ratings of eateries right from the Maps app to alert friends of what’s hot and what’s not.

But Hotpot still needs some time in the digital “oven” until it’s ready for mass consumption. One way Google has been pushing the use of Hotpot is through mobile platforms.

The Google Places app is the first big step for Google in taking Hotpot from a hole-in-the-wall service to a five-star stud in social media. Recently, Google sat down with Mozart’s Coffee Roasters in Austin, Texas, and arranged an incentive for Places app users. On March 5, if someone flashed their Android or iPhone app at the counter, they got a free drink in a limited edition Google travel mug.

This is just a taste of how Google Places with Hotpot can be implemented on a small scale.

2011-12 tuition raised 4.9 percent

BY ERICA PALUMBO

The Ithaca College Board of Trustees finalized the budget for the 2011-12 academic year. Tuition will increase by $1,648, from $33,630 to $35,278.

The 4.9 percent increase in tuition is the same percentage of increase as last year and more than the 4.8 percent increase from the previous year.

Next year’s total cost of attendance is set to be $48,132, an increase of 4.76 percent.

This is slightly lower than last year’s 4.8 percent increase in total attendance cost and was the lowest percentage increase in the past nine years.

President Tom Rochon sent out a letter to families, promising that the college is doing everything it can to ensure students are getting their money’s worth.

“I believe the budget we have developed reflects our ongoing efforts to control expenses while continuing to improve the already high quality of an Ithaca College education,” he said in the letter.

Carl Sgrecci, vice president of finance and administration, said the college’s standing among these 20 colleges was not an accurate indication of placement.

Instead, he said the college’s cost of attendance should be compared to colleges

with high application overlaps.

“Those schools include places like Northeastern and Syracuse, and our tuition is $2,000 to $3,000 lower than all of those for the current year,” he said. “We expect that differential will continue for next year as well.”

Freshman Genevieve Cohn said even

though this year makes the lowest recorded increase in nine years, she was upset that the school is continuing to raise the tuition at all.

“I should be thankful that the college is making strides to keep the tuition down as best as it can, but I’m still going to end up paying even more money to an already expensive institution,” Cohn said.

College calls on alumni to fill budget gap

BY MELANIE BREAULT

President Barack Obama announced his $77.4 billion spending proposal Feb. 14, which would reduce support for higher education by $89 billion over 10 years.

In light of this issue, colleges and universities — including Ithaca College — are stepping up appeals to alumni and other private donation resources for funding.

Shelley Semmler, vice president of the Office of Institutional Advancement, said as of April the college had raised $22 million in private dollars this fiscal year, which is $4.3 million more than was raised the previous year from alumni, parents, other individuals and organizations.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed $132.9 billion state budget passed at $132.5 April 1. Now, state funding to the college will be cut by 10 percent and may cause tuition and room and board fees to increase. Semmler said institutions will most likely turn to their alumni with stronger appeals.

Out of the $17.3 million the college raised last year, Semmler said $2.3 million came from alumni. She said contributions from alumni would be above this figure and hopefully close to $3 million this year.

“That’s one of our strategies: to help alumni realize that their dollars collectively make such a difference,” she said.

Graduates leave college with big hopes and big bills

BY PATRICK DUPREY

In 2004, the average debt was $18,650.

Among New York colleges and universities, the average college graduate faced nearly $26,000 in federal student loan debt, ranking 11th highest among the country’s 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The average Ithaca College graduate of the class of 2010 faced more than $20,000 in federal student loan debt. This number, however, does not take into account private loans, which are not government-subsidized and are secured through a private lender.

The Income-Based Repayment Plan enacted into law July 1 may help graduates manage their debt. If a student pays federal loans under the IBR for 25 years as well as meets certain conditions, the government will then forgive their remaining loans. To qualify, students must have “partial financial hardship.”

John Connelly ’06, a writing major, said the current state of the economy coupled with his student loan debt is forcing him to consider giving up his passion for a more financially stable job to pay his bills.

“Whether writing as a profession is going to be financially viable, I do question every day,” he said.

Connelly declined to provide an approximate number for his student loan debt but acknowledged that it influences his career options moving forward.

“Honestly, it’s come to a point in my life where every financial decision is made around bills and being able to get by,” he

said. “There’s not a day or week where I can go buy and spend like Donald Trump.”

A September 2010 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers predicts an uptick in the projected job market for 2011 graduates.

Employers that participated in the survey expected to hire 13.5 percent more new graduates this year in comparison to 2010.

Seniors face lack of entry-level jobs after graduation

BY MELANIE BREAULT

As the people who were laid off during the recession apply for more entry-level positions, seniors may face more competition in the job market.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from January 2007 through December 2009, 6.9 million workers were displaced from jobs they held for at least three years. Of these workers, about half were reemployed in January 2010.

James Borbely, an economist of the current population survey of the Division of Labor Force Statistics, said the level of displaced workers during that three-year period outpaced any other three-year period. He said young people just out of college are having more difficultly finding work because of the competition

with older workers who are still trying to find jobs.

“It seems reasonable to assert that there probably is some additional competition, some additional pressure on the labor market, because there are so many people without work still,” Borbely said.

Peter Perri, financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, also said entering the job market is tricky this year because of the competition with displaced workers. “[Displaced workers] who were making six-figure incomes three or four years ago are more than happy to take half of that at this point,” Perri said. “Unless a business thinks they can hire a recent college graduate for half of that half, then they’ll take the experienced person for half price.”

Patrick Doyle, director of business development for the Broome County Industrial Development Authority, spoke about New York state’s energy reputation at a summit Sept. 17 in Emerson Suites.

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

BY REBECCA WEBSTER

A four-person panel discussion covered what a clean energy future could look like in New York state — tackling subjects such as clean-energy technology, green jobs and successful green business development. The panel included Carol Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy; Patrice Courtney Strong, vice president of The Solar Energy Consortium; Paul Shatsoff, director of public policy and government relations for the Workforce Development Institute; and Patrick Doyle, director of business development

for the Broome County Industrial Development Authority.

Shatsoff said New York state is in a new energy era in terms of its clean energy policies and the economic development opportunities in clean energy.

“We are in the middle of a tornado of change,” Shatsoff said. “We don’t know where things are going to settle.”

At the Workforce Development Institute, Shatsoff helps working families try to address issues like job training, creation of jobs and the effects of new technologies on the workforce. He said the new innovations and technologies created every day would continue to be developed in the power sector to help reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.

“The same unexpected change will happen with energy,” he said. “Someone’s going to crack the problem.”

Doyle said while upstate New York is often given a negative “energy” image, there are plenty of companies working hard to make that positive change in the state’s energy dependence.

BY REBECCA WEBSTER

“We need to find innovative ways to re-brand upstate New York,” he said. “If you look around upstate, you can find all kinds of examples of various smart people in small companies doing interesting things, and we’ve got to find ways to tap into that. We’ve got a good story to tell.”

A second panel discussion on the current developments in clean energy research featured Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, associate professor and chair of the department of physics, as well as Alan Paau, executive director and vice provost for technology transfer and economic development at Cornell University’s Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization.

Attendees later listened to a keynote address by U.S. Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey, D-N.Y. Hinchey said New York state needed to continue to work to be a leader in renewable energy and green practices.

Marian Brown, special assistant to the provost and one of the event’s coordinators, said the summit was not only a way to foster discussion on how businesses can come together to create a better energy future for New York state, but also on how students can see what options they have to use their degrees after college.

“A bigger piece of it is being an educational host for the community,” Brown said. “It’s also to let our faculty and students know the possibilities. … [This summit] is for them to get a sense of what viable careers there are in this area.”

Strong said it is important for people from all different backgrounds to feel they can join the energy sector.

“We are all at a loss unless we can speak each other’s languages,” she said.

“Then we can all move forward together.”

Electrical consumption at Ithaca College has been on a steady decline over the past few years, and the college saved more than $1 million in utilities for the 2009-10 academic year, Carl Sgrecci, vice president of finance and administration, said.

The college underspent last year’s utilities budget of $7.9 million by $1.6 million, Sgrecci said.

“Despite the fact that we have added some space to the campus in the last several years, our energy consumption really has declined, and as a [result] of that, we have been able to hold our electrical costs down,” Sgrecci said.

Energy conservation measures play a role in the declining electrical costs and were executed across campus in different forms.

Some of those efforts included replacing many of the older indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient ones, rewiring older energy motors and upgrading heating and cooling units — changes that are often invisible to most people on campus, Sgrecci said.

“The biggest factors are literally taking advantage of all the efforts we can reasonably afford,” he said.

Marian Brown, special assistant

to the provost, said energy conservation accomplishments can be attributed to the hard work of facilities crews and students.

“The decline in utilities usage, our electricity and natural gas use, are a direct reflection of the great work that’s going on by our facilities professionals,” she said.

The Focus on Colleges and Universities Program, a part of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, also helped the college with savings by offering monetary assistance for using sustainable practices. The program was one of NYSERDA’s many incentive programs but was geared specifically toward institutions of higher education.

FCU offered incentives to institutions for reducing their energy use and implementing energyefficient practices. The funding supported new construction, renovations and equipment upgrades — changes Sgrecci said the college was continuously implementing wherever it can.

“Whenever we do qualify, we tend to take advantage of [it],” he said.

Brown said tangible results were directly related to the efforts of the campus community.

“People can be really helpful if they can be cognizant of their energy use,” she said.

Ithaca College plans to renovate the Dillingham fountain’s power system to lower overall energy consumption.

JAMES EARL/THE ITHACAN

BY AMANDA FOX

The Peggy Ryan Williams Center achieved the highest possible national recognition of sustainability — a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification — from the U.S. Green Building Council this year.

The certification aligned the center with the ranks of Ithaca College’s Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise and put the college in a league with Yale University as one of two academic institutions in the nation to have two buildings with a platinum certification.

Marian Brown, special assistant to the provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the honor showed the college’s efforts to become more sustainable have been noticed.

“To have a few LEED Platinum buildings really puts us in

an elite group of institutions,” she said.

The LEED system awards points based on categories such as indoor environmental quality, materials and resources and water efficiency.

Sustainable features in the Peggy Ryan Williams Center include a vegetated roof area that reduces airborne pollutants and adds oxygen to the atmosphere as well as sensors that control light fixtures and ventilation that are based on natural light levels and room —MARIAN BROWN occupancy in an effort to conserve electricity. The building also has a 12,000-gallon tank that collects rainwater below the garden from the roof, which lends itself to more than 85 percent of the building’s yearly water needs.

“It gives us an opportunity to learn what works — both for new construction and also technologies that we might employ as we upgrade our existing buildings to become more sustainable,” Brown said.

BY MIKE MCCABE

Ithaca College received a B+ grade on the College Sustainability Report Card, an annual rating released by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Last year, the college received the same overall grade but scored lower in the “Food and Recycling” category this year. The college scored the same in all other categories.

Though the college scored high in most subjects like last year, C grades in “Endowment Transparency” and “Investment Priorities” brought this year’s overall grade down.

The report ranked the college for its sustainability performance during the last academic year in categories like “Food and Recycling” and “Student Involvement.”

Emily Flynn, a communications and research fellow of the institute,

said SEI is a nonprofit organization engaged in research and education through the advancement of sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices.

In its report, the SEI reported that the college did not make shareholder voting records public. The organization also pointed out how the college’s investment committee reserves the right to restrict investments, which could include sustainability factors.

“Essentially it’s our lack of transparency [in endowments],” Mark Darling, sustainability programs coordinator for the college, said.

The college had an endowment of $178.9 million as of Sept. 30, Carl Sgrecci, vice president of finance and administration for the college, said.

Darling said the college takes a financially conservative approach to

Mark Darling, sustainability programs coordinator for the college, stands Nov. 5 outside the Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, one of two LEED Platinum-certified buildings on campus.

JUAN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

doling out money for sustainability, and the campus community has little say in the process of where that money goes.

Sgrecci said the college’s departments each have their own methodology for handling sustainability, making it difficult to track how much money specifically goes to sustainable practices.

“Departments all across the campus participate in supporting sustainability, and we don’t attempt to ask people to report how much of their time is used on [sustainability] so that we can allocate part of their salaries to the effort,” he said.

Sgrecci said private holdings are a primary reason the college has difficulty making the process transparent.

Because most of the stocks held by the college are mutual funds, in which many different investors have holdings, the college isn’t able to vote on certain resolutions, Sgrecci said.

Flynn said transparency greatly affects grading for institutions.

“It’s really just about opening up the dialogue so that many people know exactly where the money’s going,” she said.

The only other low grade on the report was in investment priorities. In regards to the subject, Green Report Card said: “the college aims to optimize investment returns and does not invest the endowment in on-campus sustainability projects, renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.”

Despite the two C grades, Darling said the college is still a front-runner in sustainability initiatives compared to other institutions.

“It looks like we’re not doing enough when in fact we’ve lowered our carbon output through energy conservation in the past year to [around] 6 percent,” Darling said. “So we’re ahead of our targets.”

Bus collects donations for United Way run in conjunction with the local United Way that he United Way of Tompkins County allocates money to nonprofit collected more than 200 donations organizations in the from students Sept. 14 as part of its first ancommunity, helped to organual Stuff the Bus event. nize the on-campus portion Nonperishable foods, personal items and of the event. school supplies were collected in a yellow Senior Mykal Urbina and mini-bus parked in the academic quad of junior Adam Polaski served Ithaca College’s campus. Depending on the as the student contacts facilioverall success of the event, the national tating the event between the United Way may begin to host similar donaUnited Way and the Corps. tion drives across the country, said Ann Colt, “We work closely with chief development officer of the United Way the United Way of Tompkins of Tompkins County.

County and their staff,” Colt said the Tompkins County Stuff Urbina said. “They came to us the Bus event was one of 11 pilot programs with this event and asked for organized across the country for the United our support. We have been From left, senior Laura Louon gives a bag of food donations to senior Mykal Urbina on Sept. 14 at the Stuff the Bus event for the United Way. Way. Colt said the Tompkins County chaphelping them coordinate this KARLA COTE/THE ITHACAN ter was happy to be a part of the pilot. event on campus since.”

“We are truly honored,” Colt said. “With On Sept. 13, the bus was this being our inaugural year, we made it stationed at Tompkins Cortland collect the most donations and top what was coordinate with our Day of Caring [today].”

Community College in Dryden. After done last year,” Polaski said. “It really is a coThe United Way of Tompkins County, coming to the college, the bus traveled to alition of entities between all three colleges a regional chapter of the national charity Cornell University for a day and a half and and the United Way.” group, conducted several fundraising events stopped at Stewart Park.

Gadabout Transportation Services throughout the year to benefit low-income “It is really an exciting joint venture to provided the mini-bus used for the fourresidents in the local community. day event, which was a lead-up drive to All proceeds from the donathe 14th Day of Caring sponsored by the Scan to view an audio tion drive were distributed to United Way. slideshow from the event community organizations, food Colt said she hoped the event would at http://theithacan.org/ pantries and schools across the make community members more aware multimedia/audio_slidecounty to help residents in need. of the poor conditions endured by some shows/091510_bus/.

The Stone Soup Philanthropy county residents.

Corps, a campus organization “This is actually our first initiative on all three campuses to bring awareness of hunger and the need for personal and school supplies in our public school systems,” she said.

Oftentimes, Colt said she finds students more than willing to help their local community.

“Having three colleges in one county is a real plus for the campaign,” Colt said. “Students are wonderful. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. They Left: Junior Karlem Sivira distributes food inside of the bus that traveled to the three colleges in Tompkins County. understand that there are folks KARLA COTE/THE ITHACAN in the community who have Right: From left, UWTC intern Alicia Hetrick gets instructions from Margaret Cole, an employee of UWTC, about the bus. these needs.”

ELIZABETH SILE/THE ITHACAN

BY RYAN SHARPSTENE

T

Park Scholars help rebuild New Orleans

BY MAURA GLADYS

T

here’s a spirit in New Orleans that permeates all aspects of life. It’s an easygoing demeanor mixed with a penchant for good music, good food and good times and grounded by a deep pride and sense of community. It’s a vibe I’ve never felt anywhere else in the world and was incredibly evident to me and the 17 other Park Scholars who made the trip down to New Orleans at the end of winter break.

It was your standard student volunteer trip: one week and 18 kids with a few paint brushes and caulk guns, fixing up the exterior and interior of Park Scholars help rebuild a house Jan. 21 in New Orleans, La. one man’s house in the Lower ELIZABETH SILE/THE ITHACAN Ninth Ward. By the end of the week, the house had been transformed into a neat, clean and bright house that was ready for more advanced improvements we could not provide.

During our week there, we were told by several New Orleanians

Scan to see an audio slideshow of the Park Scholars rebuilding efforts at http://theithacan. org/multimedia/audio_slideshows/020311_neworleans/ index.html.

ELIZABETH SILE/THE ITHACAN

that our help was appreciated — not just at our work site. Cab drivers and restaurant patrons expressed their gratitude. Anyone who found out we were volunteers told us how much our work meant to them and the city. At first, those sentiments were tough to truly take to heart. It’s easy to think that it’s an almost knee-jerk reaction from all New Orleanians to just thank everyone that goes down there to help, and that in reality, my impact was very little. All I did was hold a paint brush and a caulk gun for a few hours a day, and now here I am back in Ithaca.

I realized our presence actually was important to the people of New Orleans. By coming into their home, and not just painting, caulking and cleaning but also eating their food, listening to their jazz and hearing their stories, we learned about their lives and what’s important to them. We were able to understand, if only for a little bit, what their city was, is and can be.

There is still pain in New Orleans. There are still massive sections of the city that are in desperate need of rebuilding, and thousands of people that have yet to return home. But that pain is tempered with great doses of hope and a belief that the spirit of New Orleans will carry on. Because, as we learned during that week, that spirit lies within the people of New Orleans. People who are willing and eager to share their life and their home, even when their lives have been ripped apart and their homes have been washed away.

It’s because of those people that our experience was so incredibly memorable, and their gratitude for our time and efforts cannot compare to our gratitude to them for sharing their stories and their city.

Student organizes club to fight malnutrition

BY ERICA PALUMBO

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or sophomore Elizabeth Stoltz, getting involved in the Ithaca College community started with a Plumpy’nut.

During her sophomore year in high school, Stoltz said she came across an article about the effects of malnutrition on children in Africa while flipping through an issue of CosmoGirl magazine.

She said once she heard about Plumpy’nut, she was inspired to use the peanut-based food packed with protein and essential nutrients to help curb malnutrition rates in Africa.

Plumpy’nut is packed in foil and requires no preparation. It has a shelf life of two years and a caloric count of about 500 calories per serving. It costs about $35 to sustain a child under 5 years old for a month.

In March 2008, Stoltz started Food for Thought, Inc., a nonprofit organization in her hometown of York, Pa., which has raised $15,000 to date. The organization coordinated yearly Walks for Plumpy’nut and a Trick o’ Treat for UNICEF, among other events.

In May, Stoltz launched the student organization IC Food for Thought to continue her work with Plumpy’nut.

Stoltz said the club’s main goal is to help children around the world who are affected by inadequate nutrition, lack of education and poverty. She said community support is essential to the group’s success in helping these children.

“Without having friends, family and supporters who recognize Extremely low <5% the amazing possibilities for Plumpy’nut and ending malnutrition, Food for Thought would’ve never even come into existence,” she said.

Very low 5-9% Colleen Wormsley, director of communications for IC Food for Thought, said she believes Food for Thought can significantly Moderately low 10-19% improve the lives of malnourished children.

“There are children all around the world suffering from malModerately high 20-34% nutrition and lack of education, and it’s so empowering to know Very high ≥35% that we, as students of IC, can be a force for change,” Wormsley said.

Incomplete Incomplete data data The club held a Walk for Plumpy’nut event Oct. 9 at Cass Park in Ithaca. The DATA FROM THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME’S HUNGER MAP 2011 money raised purchased Plumpy’nut for stations in Ethiopia.

“The first walk for Plumpy’nut was extremely successful,” Stoltz said. “The community response was absolutely fantastic, and it was great having friends and family participate as well. We ended up raising [more than] $5,000.”

Annette Levine, the club’s adviser, said she decided to take a backseat role in the organization’s planning stages because of Stoltz’s experience and the executive board’s enthusiasm for the club.

“The students seemed very capable and needed very little from me,” Levine said. “They know that I’m always there if they need support.”

Stoltz said she had reaped the rewards of pursuing a passion for helping others.

“I knew Plumpy’nut was capable of saving Sophomore Elizabeth Stoltz poses with students in Sendafa, Ethiopia, during the summer of lives, but I never realized how much it would 2009. Stoltz traveled to Ethiopia on a mission trip to teach children English. change mine,” Stoltz said.

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH STOLTZ

Crew sweats for eight hours

The women’s crew practices Jan. 20 at its boathouse near Cayuga Inlet. The annual Feb. 4 Row for Community charity event kicked off the team’s season.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY NATHAN BICKELL

The men’s and women’s crews and members of Ithaca College’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity prepared to sweat for the sixth annual Row for Community charity event, where they sweat for eight hours.

Participants kept eight “ergs,” or rowing machines, constantly in use for eight consecutive hours.

Members of Habitat for Humanity kept two of the ergs spinning themselves, while the crews used the other six Feb. 4.

The crews had raised more than $22,000 the week leading up to the event.

Habitat for Humanity had raised money as well, and the crews promised to match up to $5,000 of this total for the charity. The rest of the funds went to providing gear and travel uniforms

Raised by Habitat : $4,000 Crew match of Habitat funds raised : $4,000 Donations : $10,000 Total Raised : $28,000

for the teams, their spring break trip to Georgia and a planned expansion of the teams’ boathouse on Cayuga Inlet.

The women’s crew co-captain and senior Jiné Andreozzi said each team member planned to row in half-hour increments.

“People will go to classes and then come back in between their classes and see how everyone is doing,” she said.

Dan Robinson, head coach of the men’s crew, said every member of the teams provided 20 addresses to him or Becky Robinson, head coach of the women’s crew. Each address provided received a flyer in the mail that asked for a donation.

There was also an empty space on the page where athletes could write a personal message.

Participants who are members of Habitat for Humanity sent out the same fliers as the crews, and Dan Robinson kept track of the Habitat for Humanity donations as well.

The women’s crew co-captain and senior

Amy Gefell said Row for Community acted as a team bonding experience at the beginning of the spring season.

“I like it because it gives the entire team a starting point for the season,” she said. “We train all year long, so it’s a little tricky to differentiate between when you go from training to actually getting into the season.”

Row for Community started at Kansas State University with thenWildcats Assistant Coach Sandra Chu. When she later became the head coach at William Smith College, she expanded the fundraiser to other high school and college crews in New York state, including the college.

Junior men’s crew member Zach Doell said the crew enjoyed being affiliated with an established event that benefits a wellknown charity.

“It says a lot about the team that everybody is so happy to do this,” he said.

“We could probably easily raise enough money for the team activities, but it’s just really nice to give back.”

National Co Undergradu

BY BRIAN RANK

After nearly three years of preparation, the largest National Conference on Undergraduate Research took over Ithaca College from March 31 to April 2. Though parking and getting around town presented a challenge to students at the college and NCUR participants, the event was a success overall.

More than 3,300 student presenters and faculty from across the nation crowded onto campus last week as the college prepared to promote itself, and local businesses readied to end the winter sales slump.

NCUR annually provides a forum for undergraduates to present their research through oral presentations, dance performances, art exhibitions and posters.

Carol Henderson, chair of the college’s executive committee on Anna Hafele of Black Hills State University gives a poster presentation March 31 in the Fitness Center.

NCUR and associate provost for MIKE LEE/THE ITHACAN academic policy and administration, said the conference proceeded better than expected. plastic ones given at past conferences. preserve their spaces, but parking lots were “There are a few hiccups here and there, “The ChicoBags that we were using mostly free during the conference. but I’ve been to a lot of large conferences in were both less expensive and more environBrown said the college over-prepared my professional life, and I’ve never seen one mentally sound,” she said. “So sometimes, for parking. just move as smoothly or be as friendly as less is more.”

Brown said if the Athletics and Events this one,” she said.

Marian Brown, NCUR executive board Center had been completed, with about 600 Henderson said 2,886 people preregismember and special assistant to the provost, additional parking spaces, the college could tered for the conference, 213 of which were said the college also created a mobile verhave reduced the restrictions. from the college. sion of the conference website containing Junior Amanda Vitullo said, after seeing Henderson said sustainability was the NCUR schedule and updates accessible the parking restriction notices, she wouldn’t central to the college’s approach to hostvia a smartphone — a first at NCUR. have bothered coming to campus if she ing NCUR and the college had a goal The college restricted parking lots didn’t need to be there for a class obligation. of putting on the most environmentally closest to the academic buildings to NCUR “[The college] kind of made it feel like friendly conference yet. She said the colparticipants, leaving students and faculty to nobody should have even gone near campus lege used recyclable paper for the printed park farther away and take a shuttle. Some unless they were required to be on campus,” schedules and chose to provide all partici- students at the college who had cars said she said. pants with reusable ChicoBags instead of they prepared to stay parked on campus to Since restricted lots were not full March

Left: Keynote Speaker Branford Marsalis, a three-time Grammy winner, opened the conference March 31 in Ford Hall.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/ THE ITHACAN

Right: Plenary Speaker David G. Campbell, who spent eight years in the Brazilian Amazon conducting research, spoke April 4 in Ford Hall.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

onference on uate Research 31, the college opened C-Lot to the campus on April 1, even though it was scheduled to be restricted all day for vendors attending a graduate school fair during the conference.

Matt Riis, marketing and events manager for the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said the group worked closely with the college to ensure participants would head downtown.

“We’ve had a long winter so we were really excited, really glad that the college welcomed us to come up here and get involved and are really looking forward to the boost,” Riis said.

Senior Jane DeBiasse said she took a friend to dinner last weekend but had to search for a restaurant that did not have a long wait for a table.

“We went to three places before we ended up going to Kilpatrick’s because everything was so crowded,” she said.

Henderson said the college told professors to incorporate NCUR into class curricula and not cancel class.

Some professors had students attend sessions, but others did not require it.

Brooke Hansen, associate professor of anthropology, said she encouraged her students to go to sessions, but did not require it for credit because she thought they would be crowded.

“The panels I chaired were filled,” she said. “There were no extra seats, and they were filled with people who came to attend NCUR, so my students could not have fit in the room.”

Prashant Gabani, a

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford senior, said there could have been more direction around campus.

“Navigation was kind of hard,” Gabani said. “There’s enough signs, but there could be more.”

Senior Gamy Wong said he attended sessions out of his own interest and was impressed by the presentations but said some presenters complained about not having sufficient time and funds to complete their projects.

“A lot of people have really good topics, but when you don’t have enough time to do the research for a long period of time, it kind of defeats the purpose,” he said.

Brown said NCUR volunteers already asked her when the college would host another NCUR. She said there are no plans for another NCUR at the college, but it went so well that it could be a possibility.

“We are an attractive venue,” she said. “Ithaca might be right to host this again.”

When more than 3,000 faculty and students from across the country visit Ithaca College for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the end of March, 96 classrooms and spaces will be turned into conference space.

When the college submitted the first bid to the NCUR executive board, the not-yet-completed Athletic and Events Center was included as a possible venue. Had the A&E Center been completed before this spring, it would have been used as a conference venue. Now, classrooms will be used.

Classes will not be canceled. Faculty are encouraged to make the best use of their class time and bring their students to presentations. But by sending entire classes to lectures, that creates a crowded room and will interrupt students who are presenting. Some faculty members have decided to host classes in other areas, such as in a Terrace lounge. But these are not ideal learning environments.

By hosting the conference, more students from the college can participate in this learning opportunity. The conference will bring the college recognition, but it is not equipped to hold an extra 3,000 people. Additionally, while some hotels in Ithaca will be housing those in the conference, if the hotels fill up, some may have to commute from Cortland, N.Y., and other areas surrounding Ithaca. This will be an inconvenience to those presenting and will reflect poorly on the college.

When it was clear the A&E Center was not going to be completed by the time the conference started, the college should have looked into alternatives. Cornell University or a venue downtown could have been an option.

Instead, the college community and an additional 2,000 people will be struggling to find some space.

Left: Plenary Speaker and author Libuse Binder addressed the conference April 1 in Ford Hall.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Left: Plenary Speaker Brian Wansink, a professor at Cornell University, closed the conference April 2 in Ford Hall.

ALEX MASON/THE ITHACAN

Sophomore Anne Carlin and about 20 other members of Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity held a silent demonstration to raise awareness of Sodexo’s wage standards March 29 in IC Square.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY NICOLE OGRYSKO

In an effort to promote a living wage for all Sodexo employees at Ithaca College, students and members of the Ithaca community joined forces for the Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity’s “Week of Action” starting March 28.

LIPS, a student organization that aims to raise awareness of labor issues confronting the college, had been focusing on a campaign to ensure all college employees receive a living wage. In partnership since last fall with the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, an organization that advocates and supports workers’ issues on a local and national level, LIPS pushed for a response from the college regarding its contract with Sodexo and the company’s treatment of its employees.

The college has made a clear distinction that its own employees are different from Sodexo workers. The college guarantees its employees $11.11 per hour, the living wage for Tompkins County, plus 50 cents. Alfred King, director of public relations for Sodexo in Gaithersburg, Md., said the lowest starting wage for Sodexo employees is $8.19. Brian McAree, vice president of student affairs and campus life, said 40 out of about 120 Sodexo employees at the college do not make a living wage.

Sophomore Pedro Maldonado, a student dining hall worker in the Terrace Dining Hall, stumbled on the LIPS protest March 30 during lunch in IC Square and said the act of standing in silence at the demonstration spoke louder than a vocal protest.

“They were causing kind of an obstruction and were in everyone’s way so you have to look at them,” he said. “That was a really

good idea. It definitely made a statement.”

That day, LIPS engaged a former Sodexo worker in a discussion about her past experiences.

Sophomore Anne Carlin said the reaction to the week had been positive, and more students attended the group’s weekly meeting March 29.

Senior Kiera Lewis, organizing coordinator for LIPS, said support from the community has been instrumental in gaining new ground with the group’s campaign.

Peter Meyers, coordinator at the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, said the center organized a meeting with President Tom Rochon on March 25, where community members and local government officials voiced their concerns.

“In a society like ours, there shouldn’t be people who are working and also poor,” Meyers said. “It costs the taxpayers. If someone is making $8.19 an hour, they’re going to be able to collect social service benefits or welfare. So the taxpayers are helping to subsidize these large corporations.”

Martha Robertson, chair of the Tompkins County Legislature and 13th district legislator, said she signed a letter drafted by Meyers and the Workers’ Center, which was delivered to Rochon, stating that she supports a living wage for all Sodexo employees at the college.

Carlin said all students should feel connected to the living wage campaign because it has the potential to affect anyone in the future.

“It’s important to fight for workers’ rights while we’re in college and have this voice so that when we go out in the workforce, we continue to fight for those rights,” she said.

Workers demand living wage

BY ELIZABETH SILE

The Service Employees International Union started Clean Up Sodexo, a campaign to unite Sodexo workers, university students and communities across the country and expose them to the company’s labor practices. Local 200 of SEIU began working with Sodexo employees at Ithaca College in the fall to join this campaign.

The French international food service and facilities management company employs about 380,000 people in 80 countries around the world. The college contracts the company to handle all of its residential, retail and catering food services on campus.

Alfred King, director of public relations at Sodexo in Gaithersburg, Md., said Sodexo offers competitive wages and benefits, and Clean Up Sodexo’s allegations are false.

“If anyone looked at our wages in a location, they’d find that they were very competitive with jobs with similar responsibilities and skill levels,” he said.

King said no Sodexo employee salary starts at less than $8.19 an hour, and about two-thirds of Sodexo’s employees make or exceed $11.11 an hour, Tompkins County’s living wage with benefits.

Calvin Ott, an organizer at Local 200 of SEIU in Rochester, N.Y., and a former Sodexo employee, said Local 200 reached

out to Sodexo employees at the college to join the campaign.

He said the main goals of the campaign, both at the college and nationwide, are to negotiate with Sodexo for a living wage, better working conditions and ultimately the ability of workers to unionize without coercion or intimidation.

“The only way for the workers to get the union that they deserve and the contract that they deserve is to work collectively on this campaign with other unions and other workers,” he said.

One Sodexo employee said her main goals in participating in the campaign are to get a living wage for all employees and to unionize. She said having a union would help fix some of the problems she sees in the workplace — low wages, inconsistency and a lack of communication.

Another Sodexo employee said she had been victim of verbal abuse by a manager, but her supervisors did not address it.

She said though she makes more than a living wage, she has not felt like she has been compensated fairly for her extra work. She said she is often left alone to do the jobs of others.

“Everybody’s gone, and I’m still cleaning,” she said. “They say this is a team unit. There’s no team. It’s me, myself and I.”

Junior Chris Zivalich heads downtown to the Tompkins County Workers’ Center with a flock of student protesters April 1. About 20 students and three professors joined the Sodexo protest.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

From left, freshmen Tim Bidon and Shannon Anthony march downtown to protest Sodexo on April 1.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

As Sodexo dining service employees across the nation united to fight for better working conditions, students at Ithaca College are showing support for its dining hall workers.

Sodexo, a French international food service and facilities management company that employs about 380,000 people around the world, signed a contract with the college in 2000 and renewed it for another 10 years in 2007.

Workers have been fighting for improved working conditions, better pay and benefits and the right to unionize without intimidation. President Tom Rochon said the college cannot do anything about the working conditions of Sodexo employees because dining hall workers are employed by Sodexo — not the college. But the institution does have the power to make changes in workers’ conditions, by threatening not to renew its contract or putting pressure on the company to act ethically.

The students who are supporting Sodexo employees are recognized for their efforts and support.

It is important for students to take an interest in these issues — especially ones that hit so close to campus.

The Ithacan reported Oct. 21 that Rochon said he would be happy to hear students’ concerns about Sodexo employees’ working conditions.

As the student organization Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity spreads awareness of the working conditions and drafts a code of conduct that would guarantee employees a living wage, the administration is urged to really listen to students and address their concerns. The college may not be able to make any moves concerning the Sodexo workers’ conditions, but it should not sweep students’ concerns under the rug.

BY MARY APESOS

Cornell University Army ROTC students train Sept. 21 in the woods by Cornell University.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

An upsurge of students enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs across the nation may be evidence the economic downturn has been taking a toll on students and families.

Capt. Lisa Dwyer, scholarship and enrollment officer at Cornell University’s Army ROTC, said she noticed the increase firsthand, receiving about 25 percent more applications each year. Cornell gave out 14 full-tuition ROTC scholarships this year, but next year they expect to cut five of these scholarships, Dwyer said.

“When the economy collapsed, a lot of people flooded into the military,” she said. “I had significantly more applicants last year than I had the year before. We’re full. We have more officers than we need right now.”

Joe O’Donnell, chief of the Scholarship Management Branch at the Cadet Command Headquarters in Fort Monroe, Va., said there are 16,000 cadets enrolled in Army ROTC nationwide, making the number of cadets enrolled the highest in 10 years. Army ROTC saw a 15 percent national increase in the number of people who completed the application and went to the scholarship board this year. Ten years ago overall enrollment in ROTC was more than 28,000 compared to more than 35,000 now.

Cornell University’s Army ROTC is affiliated with Ithaca College, SUNY-Cortland, Binghamton University and Elmira College. The Army ROTC is associated with 273 host programs like Cornell University and 1,100 affiliate schools like the college.

Like the other 14 of the 17 Ithaca College Army ROTC students, sophomore Hunter Tom relies on Cornell’s Army ROTC aid to help attend college.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday this year Tom said he woke up at 5 a.m. for training courses at Cornell.

By the time he arrived at the college, he was hungry and sleep-deprived but had to go to class, work on homework and do it all over again.

Despite these difficulties, Tom said he doesn’t mind.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” Tom said. “I was literally just taking a step off the cliff and hoping I would hit the bottom feet first.”

Tom was awarded the four-year scholarship his freshman year. In addition to covering the full price of tuition, the scholarship provides $900 for books and a $300 monthly stipend that increases each academic year.

When Tom graduates he will be required to serve eight years of active and inactive duty.

“I thought I would have to endure it solely for the fact of paying for school,” he said. “But now I’ve actually come to enjoy it.”

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BY BRIAN RANK

Women may find “the pill” easier to swallow after 15 doctors in Washington, D.C., further define women’s reproductive rights.

These doctors, members of the Institute of Medicine, were commissioned to clarify guidelines for women’s preventative services, such as mammograms or vaccinations, following an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act introduced last year

by Sen. Barbara Mikulski. The amendment mandates insurance cover preventative services and screening for women.

The committee held the last of three public meetings since January on March 9 and will continue its deliberation privately before releasing a list of services to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in August.

Since its proposal, the amendment has sparked debate regarding whether or not proscription contraceptives, including birth control pills, should be classified as preventative medicine. If included, the bill would have a definite impact on college students. Since they can be purchased over the counter, condoms will not be included in the legislation.

According to a 2010 survey of college students by the American College Health Association, 56.6 percent of respondents said they or their partner used a contraceptive the last time they had vaginal intercourse.

The Guttmacher Institute reported that New York state is one of 28 states that

mandates some comprehensive coverage of contraceptives. However, many charge additional fees or co-pays that leave students struggling to afford birth control. Meghan Pennington, deputy press secretary for Mikulski, said limiting expensive copayments was one of Mikulski’s intentions for the amendment.

Sophomore Jessica Mortellaro said she struggled to afford birth control before her health insurance plan eliminated co-pays for name brand products. Ultimately, she said she switched to a generic version because out-of-pocket costs required by her insurance would be less expensive than if she were to continue using a brand-name pill.

“I know of people who had to pay over $50 a month on prescriptions,” she said.

“Even generics can be up to $35 a month, and that’s a lot over the course of a year.”

Mortellaro said she fills her prescription off-campus, though the Hammond Health Center carries a limited variety of pills provided free to students on Ithaca College’s group health plan and $20 per month for everyone else. In addition, the health center provides the shot and patch varieties and can order vaginally inserted Nuvarings.

Laura Keefe, manager of the college’s health center operations, said the center provided 1,648 packs of birth control pills

last year to students and 1,144 packs as of March, but the number of students on the pill is probably much higher.

Marie Hilliard, director of bioethics and public policy for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, which advocates for Catholic

—JESSICA MORTELLARO

interests in the realm of health science, said the center submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services urging them to leave contraceptives out of the amendment.

Hilliard said some contraception drugs and devices, including the emergency contraceptive or “morning-after pill,” detach the embryo, which by the center’s standards is abortion.

“Those who are advocating for such inclusions are, by their advocacy, indicating that pregnancy is a disease that needs to be prevented,” she said.

Christine Stencel, spokesperson for the Institute of Medicine, said the nonpartisan committee of doctors will consider expert testimony as well as the testimony of advocates and citizens. Ultimately, she said the decision is in the hands of the White House.

“We provide this evidence and expert guidance, the ball is then in their court to act on it,” she said.

BY KYLA PIGONI

“I woke up in the hospital, all alone, still drunk and unable to remember what had happened the night before,” Sarah said.

“My phone was gone, my wallet and keys were gone, and all I knew was that I had alcohol poisoning.”

Sarah was drinking Four Loko the night she ended up in the hospital with a blood alcohol content of 0.26 percent.

When she woke up in the hospital the next morning, still drunk, she had a fuzzy memory of the night before. The only memory she had from the ordeal is having her stomach pumped.

Sarah wasn’t the only one to exceed her limit. Four Loko, a popular fruit-flavored malt drink that combined caffeine and alcohol in one can, disappeared from the shelves in New York state in response to health concerns.

Alcohol and caffeine were not a new combination, but the use of the two in one can came under harsh scrutiny from politicians, students and health officials.

As of March, these drinks were banned in

five states. Because of its popularity, high alcohol percentage, low price and overall look, Four Loko had been the target of state and federal attacks.

The New York State Liquor Authority pressured beer distributors Nov. 14 to stop delivering the drinks to New York state retailers. This announcement came after a sting operation at 28 stores in the Bronx led to four arrests for selling the beverage to minors.

Phusion Projects, LLC, the maker of Four Loko, announced Nov. 14 they would stop shipments to New York out of courtesy to the state. On Nov. 16, Phusion Projects announced that it would remove the caffeine, guarana and taurine from all of its products to address the public’s concerns. According to a statement the company released Nov. 16, it maintains the product is safe.

“We have repeatedly contended — and still believe, as do many people throughout the country — that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe,” they said.

Phusion Projects introduced Four Loko, its main product, in 2005. Named for the drink’s four main ingredients — caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol — it packed 12 percent alcohol and the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee into a 23.5 ounce can. As it grew in popularity, the safety of similar drinks became a growing concern.

Before the Senior Michael McGrath, an employee at Rogan’s Corner, restocks coolers with combination was Four Loko on Nov. 16 at work. The alcoholic beverage was banned Dec. 10. mass-marketed, MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

consumers drank liquor with Red Bull and other energy drinks. The difference was that the alcohol percentage often seen in canned caffeinated alcoholic beverages was higher than some drinkers expect.

Jessica,* a 19-year-old sophomore, started drinking Four Loko in the summer and found the drink appealing because a friend told her it was cheap and could get her drunk quickly.

“It is easily transportable and is enough to drink for the night,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just a Four Loko night.”

Mike Brainard, owner of Rogan’s Corner, said he wasn’t surprised products such as Four Loko were being banned.

Rogan’s stocked six of the eight Four Loko flavors. Brainard said he noticed a shift in what students were drinking based on the fluctuating price of beer.

“We get two shipments a week from our beer distributor and probably go through five cases of each flavor of Four Loko a week,” Brainard said. “It’s definitely our most popular drink.”

Once these drinks were outlawed, Brainard said he would no longer receive shipments of caffeinated alcoholic drinks from his distributor.

Phusion Projects stopped sending shipments to New York on Nov. 19, and Dec. 10 was the last day distributors could deliver the original product to retailers.

Brainard said he knew the company would get around the overwhelming concerns about its drink.

“The amount of alcohol in these drinks is just surprising,” he said. “There was a time that the state of New York would never have allowed this product to sell, but I guess they always find a way.” *Names have been changed to protect anonymity.

Photo illustration by Michelle Boulé

BY RYAN SHARPSTENE

A not-so-new “miracle drug” was getting increased attention from Poughkeepsie to Plattsburgh, from Brooklyn to Buffalo.

The debate surrounding the legality of medical marijuana had shifted from the basements of teenagers and the booking rooms of police stations to the bedsides of cancer patients and the floors of legislative halls.

Results from the 2010 Empire State Poll, an annual lifestyle survey conducted by Cornell University, showed that more than six in 10 New Yorkers supported legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.

The poll, conducted by a random telephone sample of 400 upstate and 400 downstate residents ages 18 and older, showed age, gender and race didn’t play a major factor in support levels. All subcategories had more than 50 percent support.

Yasamin Miller, director of the Cornell Survey Research Institute, said for some New Yorkers, this debate was not an important topic.

“There are so many other pressing issues that New Yorkers think that it’s not worth the effort to criminalize it,” she said.

Support levels are also relatively the same — 67 percent and 62 percent, respectively — in terms of upstate and downstate New York residents. The poll also found that as annual household income increases, support level also increases. “[New Yorkers] realize [medicinal marijuana] could be a real benefit to those patients who are in pain,” Miller said.

Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Studies have shown medicinal cannabis to alleviate physical pain and induce hunger for patients suffering most notably from AIDS, glaucoma and cancer.

Miller, who oversees the institute that conducts the survey,

said there was a possibility that people were overhyping medicinal marijuana’s capabilities because the drug lacks research.

“The research out there is mixed, and I am not sure we can say that support will remain positive and increase,” Miller said. “We have seen miracle drugs in the past, but when there has been enough research on them they have found they are actually harmful.”

Along the political spectrum, 49 percent of “conservatives” expressed support for legalization, while 63 percent of “moderates” and 79 percent of “liberals” expressed support.

Junior Evan Nison, president —EVAN NISON of the college’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said there was a lack of courage and leadership in state legislators that prevented marijuana law reform.

“A lot of legislators in New York are nervous about becoming another California and are not willing to make the political risk,” Nison said. “But people are starting to realize that cannabis is a true medicine.”

Rev. Jay Goldstein, executive director of the Empire State National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, said his group has always worked toward the legalization of marijuana for responsible adults in hopes that one day the law will be passed.

“There is definitely going to be some change, … and I hope [state governments] get it right when it comes to setting up regulations,” Goldstein said.

mascot

The search is on for an official ‘Bomber’

until early January and could take any form — from rocks to mythical creatures — as long as the name is Bomber. rom fighter pilots to roosters and paper–mâché masks to unicornLindberg said the task force is not going to turn away any ideas. like creatures, the Ithaca College mascot has never been clearly “This campus offers a lot of creative people who are invested in this,” defined. But now the search is on for an official face of Bomber spirit he said. to cheer and rally on the Blue and Gold’s sidelines.

“There’s a little child in all of us, and there is something about reachIn 1937, students chose the name ing out and shaking hands with the mascot that “Cayugas” to represent the college. just makes you feel part of a bigger community,” There are many theories about where he said. “We miss that at Ithaca College.” the name “Bombers” came from, but Faulkner, who is also the Student Governin 1940, according to the college arment Association’s vice president of campus chive website, the “Bombers” began affairs, said having a unifying symbol will be to emerge in sports releases because easier for students to identify with.

Harold Jansen, a member of the pub“Once we have a defined logo or symbol —PRESIDENT TOM ROCHON licity staff and sports writer for many for the college, it’s going to be a lot easier to newspapers, used the name so freuse on athletic jerseys, different signs around quently in his stories that it eventually the college and brochures,” she said. “We have caught on and became the official name. Yet, the name has caused conheard time and time again from students how we don’t have a physical, troversy throughout its history because some view it as offensive. tangible mascot, so I’m really thrilled this is being taken care of on a Kevin Gage ’81 said he used to attend football games often and rebigger level.” members a man dressed as a rooster running around the stands rallying Others were not as enthusiastic about the search. Former SGA support during his time at the college.

President Cornell Woodson ’09 said he applauds the college for trying “The rooster would go in the stands and get picked up by the crowd to get students more involved in campus activities but thinks it is apand passed along, and it definitely created a lot of excitement,” he said. proaching it the wrong way.

Gage said since his class thought having a rooster mascot was so “I wouldn’t want to be called anything other than an Ithaca College strange and unrelated, they decided to find a costume maker in Bomber, and to say we’re going to choose Collegetown to create another mascot. They designed, purchased an animal, a vegetable or some sort of and donated it to the school in 1981. That design figure and call it Bomber, that’s not the turned into the Bombardier, an officially sancsame,” he said. tioned mascot at the time, which appeared at games until the early 2000s.

The college began accepting suggestions for the mascot Nov. 30 on the IC Mascot Search website. The Mascot Selection Task Force includes co-chairs Rachel Reuben, associate vice president of marketing communications; senior Susannah Faulkner; Mike Lindberg, associate director of intercollegiate athletics; and Dave Wohlhueter ’60, along with other members of the campus community, who will choose the winning idea.

Reuben said the desire for a mascot is primarily student-driven.

“We’ve never actually had an official mascot,” Reuben said. “Students have been asking for this for some period of time and especially for the last few months as we’ve been talking about this new branding and marketing initiative for the college.”

President Tom Rochon said at every other university he has worked, there has been a mascot that adds spirit to the Left: A Bombers cheerleader hoists an unofficial Bombers’ trademark over her head. community by showing up at events beyond athletics, such as FILE PHOTO/THE ITHACAN Right: The Bombardier was at one point an “official” and recognizable mascot on campus. student rallies.

FILE PHOTO/THE ITHACAN Students have already begun submitting pictures and ideas on Twitter and the Mascot Blog. Ideas were submitted

BY KELSEY O’CONNOR

F

t search The first finalist mock-up was released April 4. The task force said inspiration for “Bomber the Phoenix” came from the strength and resilience so often characterized by Ithaca College students and athletes.

“Bomber the Phoenix” was submitted by Mike Tannenbaum ’09; Michael Ferris, systems administrator for infrastructure and communications services; and sophomore Emilio Martinez Zurita De La Garza.

The second finalist was released April 5. The task force said “Bomber the Flying Squirrel” is “always forward-thinking and understands the importance of preparation and hard work,” like the college’s students and athletes.

“Bomber the Flying Squirrel” was submitted

by Sybil Conrad, assistant director of campus center and events services; junior Joseph Gilfedder; and, senior Rachel Koch.

The third finalist was released April 6.

“Bomber the Lake Beast” comes from the mythical tale of a beast who dwells at the bottom of Cayuga Lake. The task force said this mascot represents students and athletes because “its loyalty remains unmatched [and] its pride, unwavering.”

“Bomber the Lake Beast” was submitted

by Andrea McClatchie, operations and events coordinator of intercollegiate athletics.

Senior Kevin Fish, president of the Student Government Association, plans to work for City Year Boston after he graduates and turns over his gavel.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

BY MATTHEW BIDDLE

At the closing ceremonies of Community Plunge his freshman year, Kevin Fish was named the Golden Plunger, an honor given to the first-year student who shows the most enthusiasm and dedication during the Jumpstart program. Fish said he still considers this award one of his proudest accomplishments during his time at Ithaca College.

These days, the Student Government Association president can often be found working in the small SGA office, still as dedicated as ever. Fish joined the organization sophomore year as a senator, a

position he held until studying abroad in Milan, Italy, in the spring of 2010.

“Just being able to generate excitement about helping the community and seeing that excitement passed down to people on the organizations, really makes me feel like this was the right thing for me,” he said.

It’s hard to believe, but Fish said he once felt like he wasn’t involved enough at the college. In high school, the Massachusetts native kept busy as president of both student council and National Honor Society, but during his first year at the college, Fish only participated in Community Plunge, intramural soccer and the Model United Nations team.

“So towards the end of freshman year I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really slacking, I don’t have my hands in anything, I don’t know what’s going on with this school,’” he said.

So, Fish, a recipient of the Peggy R. Williams Award for Academic and Community Leadership this year, got more involved.

Besides joining SGA, he worked as an Orientation Leader and volunteered as a Jumpstart Leader for two consecutive summers.

Juan Arroyo, assistant professor of politics and Model UN adviser, said Fish is an asset to these groups because he’s assertive, but not forceful, and really listens to others.

“He’s organized and brings people

along,” Arroyo said. “He doesn’t exclude people, it’s not about doing it all himself.

He’s a team player and, if it’s possible, he’s also team leader.”

Senior Kaitlin Kohberger, a close friend who worked with Fish during orientation, said Fish is a perfect fit for these leadership positions because of his outgoing, passionate nature.

“He’s enthusiastic and gets the job done when it needs to get done,” Kohberger said. “That’s what I’ve seen at orientation.

He’s a wonderful role model for incoming students. He has a breadth of experience to share and is very open with them.”

Fish said all of his involvements helped him find his identity, both personally and as a student. He started as an anthropology major, but soon switched to Spanish. He later settled on a culture and communications major, with minors in politics and honors, and credits his work on SGA with helping him make his decision.

“I’ve definitely become a lot more openminded,” he said. “I was able to develop criticalthinking skills and actually apply them to myself, questioning my identity for the first time and questioning who I really wanted to be.”

Fish came out just before returning to the college his sophomore year. He said it was difficult to reveal his sexual orientation partially because of his hometown of about 2,000, in East Brookfield, Mass.

“Being from a small town, there’s a lot of narrow-mindedness, but it definitely wasn’t a horror story,” he said.

Fish said he feels lucky to be president of SGA on an open-minded campus.

“Being comfortable with yourself is something to be proud of, especially in a society where it might not be the most accepted thing,” Fish said. “Being able to obtain a leadership position, such as the president of SGA, with that identity, makes me pretty proud that our campus can look past those things.”

Through his role as SGA president, Fish said he also developed better public speaking and interpersonal communication skills, which he hopes will serve him well as he pursues a career in development aid.

After graduation, Fish plans to join City Year Boston, an AmeriCorps program where young people serve as mentors for children in low-income areas and schools.

“I’m really, really interested in community development specifically, and I felt City Year was a good outlet for that,” Fish said.

“You’re giving them a positive role model.”

Arroyo said Fish could be that role model because of his sense of responsibility and ability to work with others, something Fish always displayed at Model UN meetings.

“He’ll be successful, and the way he’ll do this is by bringing people on board, bringing people together,” Arroyo said. “He’ll be tested, but he’ll be fine. He’ll be better than fine, actually. He’ll do well.”

The following six seniors were chosen by their deans as “standout seniors” of their respective schools.

peers. Now, she serves as a co-chair of the President’s Host Committee, president of the Student to Student Mentoring Program and a Diversity Peer Educator.

As her Indian name suggests, Joyti provides a “light” for students on campus questioning their racial identity. Joyti helped junior Ariel Lawrence re-think her role on campus after the two started working together on Joyti’s Dana Internship research project, “The ALANA Experience on a Predominately White Campus,” which was presented at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research this year.

BY MICHELLE SKOWRONEK year, and I’ve loved it ever since.”

Her eloquence when speaking about racial Since switching her major to speech-lanissues on campus is inspiring, Lawrence said. t was her freshman year in college, guage pathology, Joyti finds that she is able to “She’s one of the few students I know who and there was chaos at home. Senior translate medical terminology for her family. is really well equipped at coming at one probJoyti Jiandani’s then-2-year-old niece, Her sister Tamana Jiandani said hearing Joyti lem from a lot of different angles,” Lawrence Falehah, was being observed by doctors. had switched her major was uplifting. said. “Just having the cojones to do a project Falehah’s nonresponsive nature and “I was very happy and really excited that has the potential to challenge this campus’ inability to communicate led doctors to because she wanted to do biology and then all notions of diversity shows her passion.” diagnose her as deaf. of a sudden she was like, ‘No I’m going to help Orlando-Marquez Kittrell, director of the “Things weren’t looking good,” Joyti said, take care of your daughter. When I learn every- college’s Office of State Grants, worked with remembering a year full of fear and anxiety. thing it will be better for you,’” Tamana said.

Joyti to create a proposal for her state-funded As a biology major at Ithaca College, Joyti Being a first-generation college student research project. He said his experiences with saw this upsetting news as a window into a from New York City, Joyti said she often Joyti have shown how conscientious she is of new way of understanding. questions cultural and racial issues she sees new ideas and diverse opinions.

“My sister told me they had to go see a on campus.

“She is willing to ask questions and is speech pathologist,” Joyti said. “So I did my Though she has primarily taken science optimistically determined to find plausible research, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really cool.’ courses, Joyti found the time over the years answers,” Kittrell said. “She always displays I switched my second semester freshman to discuss these societal issues with her respect, dignity and enthusiasm for any counterarguments.”

With graduation approaching Joyti has career decisions and questions looming over her head. Should she go to graduate school to continue her study of speech-language pathology or work for Teach for America with children? She said her idealist nature has kept her juggling everything she wants to do.

“I can go anywhere,” she said. “Certain days I’m like, ‘I love elementary school students. I can do so much.’ But middle school is where the most help is really needed, because that’s the age when everything changes. If I could just get in there and change Senior Joyti Jiandani stacks board games in the Sir Alexander Ewing-Ithaca College Speech and Hearing Clinic. everything, I know we MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN will make a difference.”

I

S

BY ELIZABETH SILE

enior Caitlyn Reinecker nearly canceled the call that landed her a job with FritoLay after graduation.

After a day of interning with Haas Group International during winter break, she went to get dinner. She was scheduled to talk with an employee at Frito-Lay that evening, and as she was driving around lost in West Chester, Pa., snow started coming down hard.

“So I parked my car in this parking lot and talked to her,” she said. “I thought it was just a friendly conversation, and it turned out to be an interview. I sat in my cold car for an hour and a half. I got out of the car and had to shovel it out to leave.”

That call led to another with human resources and a trip to California for an interview in February.

In July, Reinecker, a business administration major with concentrations in marketing and management, will begin her new career in a sales training program at a distribution center in Murrieta, Calif.

Reinecker’s new job is the culmination of more than four years of involvement with the business school — starting her senior year of high school.

Reinecker had just about decided to go to a local community college and SUNY school at home in Rochester before she spent a night at Ithaca College.

She credits the dean’s hosts in the School of Business for changing her mind.

“Just talking to the current business school students, I wanted to be like them,” she said. “I was really impressed by their professionalism, their knowledge.”

Kate Roberts ’08, a former dean’s host that Reinecker connected with at the event, said Reinecker stood out from the other incoming students.

“She’s one of the tiniest people on campus, but her enthusiasm, her

Senior Caitlyn Reinecker’s go-getter business mind-set has landed her a job after graduation.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

attitude and her personality go way beyond her tiny build,” Roberts said. “As a freshman you can be really timid on campus, but she was just had her mind set on the opposite direction.”

As a freshman, Reinecker signed up for nearly every business school club. She became most actively involved in the dean’s host program, becoming co-chair her junior year, and peer advisors, a program for new students. She was also asked to help start Business Link, an initiative to connect alumni and students.

Randy Williams, principal at WMS Consulting LLC, where Reinecker interned, and one of

Business Link’s founders, said Reinecker has been a driving force in getting it off the ground.

“She’s really been a big supporter of getting these regions going and empowering local student and local alumni to step up and make it happen,” he said.

Reinecker said setting goals for herself has always motivated her. Even in her three summers as “lemonade girl” at a baseball stadium in high school, she always made top commission.

“I like competing against myself,” she said. “Once I achieve something, I just set the bar higher. I don’t need a monetary reward. I don’t need a plaque or anything.”

Senior Jill Neeley spends much of her time working on math equations and staring at the stars.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

I

BY COURTNEY MILLER

t was nearly 9 a.m. as the bus made its rough, winding way up the mountain towards Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. In her seat, senior Jill Neeley let the Portuguese language rush pass her ears as she focused on her daily commute.

“This bus is just going to tip over,” she thought, but her precarious rides never led to any crash.

When she reached the station, she chose not to get on a transfer. She’d walk the next half hour that day to explore.

“I just like to experience new places and meet new people,” Neeley said, who spent the summer after her sophomore year in Brazil.

“It’s just fun to put yourself out of your comfort zone and not know what you’re going to do.”

That’s exactly what Neeley, a math and physics double major, did in Brazil during her eight-week Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Her love for traveling and her interest in astronomy have brought her around the world.

Since Ithaca College doesn’t have an astronomy program, her math major was soon paired with physics. Neeley said she got her first taste of astronomy freshman year in her “Stars, Galaxies and the Universe” course, one of two celestial classes offered.

“I always liked it,” she said. “I decided why not try to make a career out of it?”

For Neeley, astronomy allows a pragmatic approach to philosophy.

“I like astronomy because it answers philosophical questions like creation of the universe with real scientific facts,” she said.

“You can actually prove it rather than just thinking about it.”

Neeley’s globe-trotting goes beyond her on-campus commitments, which include math honors research, tutoring and being a teacher’s assistant for the Language Department.

By junior year, Neeley was spending the summer at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge examining the brightness of stars. There she learned how to question more about the universe and jump into the unknown.

“My adviser was really great about helping me think of a lot of different things and would give me questions every day,” she said.

For her latest observation, Neeley traveled to Hawaii with Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, chair of the physics department, to work with NASA’s Infrared Telescope. Neeley and Clark Joseph have been working together since the start of fall semester, when the department recruited a new research student.

“Jill was the best,” Clark Joseph said. “She statistically determines for us if an asteroid is more likely to be a member of one meteor class than another.”

During the fall, Neeley had remotely observed stars over Hawaii from a computer.

At 14,000 feet above sea level and with the Hawaiian observatory’s metallic dome behind her, she was at home.

Clark Joseph said her contributions to this project have helped the team immensely.

“I hope to convince her to stay after she graduates for the summer and help us complete her part of the project,” she said, not ready to lose her student and colleague this May. But Neeley has her eye on a graduate astronomy program at the University of Washington, Seattle.

“They have the best facilities for observing, and I want to be warm,” she said with a smile.

“If you go somewhere like CalTech or MIT, that’s your whole entire life, and I don’t want work to be my entire life.”

One of her favorite ways to kick back is by hanging out with her two best friends and roommates, seniors Alicia Blanchard and Charlotte Atti.

Blanchard has been friends with Neeley since their freshman year. She said though Neeley is usually busy with research or classwork, Neeley always finds the time to be a good friend.

“She’s reliable and kind — always there when you need her,” Blanchard said. “I’m lucky to have someone like Jill in my life.”

Outside of the observatory in Ithaca, Neeley takes the time to reflect on her four years at the college. If she had never joined the research team with her professors, she wouldn’t have been able to narrow down her interests.

“At first, I thought I didn’t have what it takes — observing at 2 or 3 in the morning and going to class,” she said. “And then I realized I was a student, and it wouldn’t be like this forever.”

D

BY MELANIE BREAULT

by writing film and theater reviews for Imprint Magazine.

“I try to use all the different media on campus to express my different interests and fulfill those different outlets,” he said.

When Tomanelli isn’t working on a story, he can be found volunteering off campus in Amy Eckley’s fourth grade class at South Hill Elementary School, helping as a teacher’s assistant. Eckley said it’s Tomanelli’s flexible

to stay informed 20 to 25 years ago.”

Jeff Cohen, director of the Park Center for Independent Media, who was Tomanelli’s internship supervisor for the summer, said between archiving media at Democracy Now! and researching and writing at Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, Tomanelli seemed to do it all.

“I visited both sites while he worked there, and he seemed — to outside eyes

on’t ask senior Zach Tomanelli to choose one aspect of media that he loves the most because he won’t be able to give you an answer.

As a journalism major with minors in history and theater, multiple internships, extracurricular activities and interests, Tomanelli has managed to try his hand at almost every form of media in his four years at Ithaca College.

With his smooth, charismatic voice, which Tomanelli always thought was one of his better gifts, he got involved with VIC Radio his freshman year. Now the sports director, Tomanelli said radio just seemed to fit.

“I really like radio as a medium, not that the other media aren’t without value,” he said. “But I really like radio because it’s very unique, and it’s very versatile, and I feel like it’s sort of lasting.”

Senior Nate March, who has worked with Tomanelli at the radio station since their freshman year, said Tomanelli has a very clear and precise voice.

Though Tomanelli doesn’t have Senior Zach Tomanelli is the sports director at VIC Radio. Tomanelli also writes for different publications on campus. his own sign-off, he always has MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN something new to bring to the airwaves, March said. attitude that shines in the classroom.

— to be a regular part of both staff teams,” “It’s not that very deep, voice-over “There are plenty of times when we’re Cohen said. “I heard only glowing reviews type voice,” he said. “It’s a little bit nanot doing anything like what I planned to do, from Zach’s supervisors at his work sites.” sally, but not in the bad way where it gets so he’s very good at rolling with the flow and Ideally, Tomanelli said he would like to too pitchy. It just grabs your attention. handling things well,” she said. move to New York City after graduation and It’s a very distinguishable voice from That flexibility comes in handy with work for an independent media organization. other broadcasters.”

Tomanelli’s packed schedule. But, he said he But, he said when it comes to politics, sports Tomanelli, a Park Scholar, has many always makes time to catch up on the news. and entertainment, he wants it all. interests in media aside from sports “One of the great things about the time “I would like to go into the political jourreporting. He gets his news fix by writing we live in is at the end of the day, I can go nalism, the current affairs route,” he said. “But, political pieces for Buzzsaw magazine. For back and visit all my favorite news sites or I would never want to give up those other The Ithacan, he wrote a column about inwatch videos,” he said. “Often I’ll think to passions whether sports or entertainment, ternational and domestic issues. Tomanelli myself how much harder it must have been because it is all very related.” also satisfied his entertainment interest

Senior Matt Jones chooses to teach music to children with disabilities once a week.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

BY JACQUELINE PALOCHKO

M

att Jones is teaching music lessons to a class many cannot control. One little boy is slouching in his seat. Another yells if you take off his Elmer Fudd look-alike hat. And right across from Jones, there’s a student crying and banging his fists on the table.

But Jones starts a steady beat. His 6’3” body is sitting up perfectly straight, and his hands keep on beating against the small round table.

“Say your name, and when you do, we will say it back to you.” He sings to his class of four male students and one female. He points to each one of the middle school students.

The only girl in the classroom yells her name. She’s in a wheelchair and received permanent brain damage from a

car accident when she was a baby.

Jones and the rest of the students yell her name back. She doesn’t stop smiling, her dark eyes focused on Jones.

“One, two, three, four,” another student quietly says as he tries to keep up with Jones’ beats. He grabs Jones’ arm and laughs when he masters the beat.

For the past year, Jones, a senior music education student at Ithaca College, has been student-teaching at a Ithaca City School District middle school to children with autism and other disabilities.

The teacher at the middle school said when Jones comes in to teach, he’s the highlight of the day for her students. The children, who normally have trouble sitting still, all behave when Jones begins his lesson.

“Matt has a unique gift for teaching,” the teacher said.

While other music students dream of performing up on stage in front of a packed house, Jones, who is currently student teaching in Skaneateles, N.Y., has dreamed about making a difference in a student’s life.

Last summer he was a camp director for a music camp at East Stroudsburg University for students with disabilities. For his senior year, he spent at least two days a week at the middle school. On Wednesdays, he was teaching at an Ithaca elementary school from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. And his Saturday afternoons involved giving private lessons to children.

“Teaching is so rewarding,” he said. “I have always wanted to do that with my life.”

But Jones isn’t the teacher who says goodbye to his students at 3 p.m. and that’s it.

After realizing that his students didn’t have any instruments, Jones held a benefit concert with the students March 5 to raise money to buy an instrument cabinet and instruments for them. The concert raised more than $724, and money is still being sent in. But Jones was more touched by his students, some who can’t even talk, playing in the concert.

“It was so amazing to see them perform,” Jones said with a smile.

His mother, Louanne Clink, attended the concert.

“I had tears in my eyes,” she said.

It’s his selflessness and consideration that sets the Lansing resident a part from other students. Whether he’s saying, “Hi,” to the UPS guy while pumping gas into his car or telling a female student standing next to him in choir that she “did a really nice job” after hitting a note, Jones is an all-around nice guy.

“He’s always been a sweet, considerate boy,” Clink said.

As he gets ready to leave the college, he’s going to be greatly missed. But senior Michele Buzzelli, his best friend and roommate, knows that Jones —the friend who spent summer nights gazing at the stars on the back porch of their apartment — is going to go far in life.

“He’s going to make a name for himself,” she said. “Kids are going to know who Mr. Jones is.”

Names of the students, teachers and school were omitted for confidentiality.

Senior Agata Kubik often gives tours of the campus to prospective students.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

S

BY CASEY MUSARRA

enior Agata Kubik, a native of Czestochowa, Poland, didn’t have aspirations to study in the United States until late in her high school career.

After making her first trip to the states during the summer after her junior year to be a camp counselor in the Poconos, she decided she really liked America. But what went along with coming to school here wasn’t easy.

“I didn’t know what I needed to do at all,” Kubik said. “I was like, ‘What? SATs? What is that exactly?’ And it was already September of my senior year, so by that time most American students almost have their applications ready, and I was only figuring out what the whole process is about.”

With her do-anything-you-set-yourmind-to attitude, Kubik whipped out the SATs, three SAT IIs and the Test of English as a Foreign Language in a matter of three months.

Though being an international student has its limitations and difficulties, the culture and communication major never lets that affect her. She takes everything in stride and has never been hit by senioritis.

Since she can’t work an off-campus job, she works four different jobs on campus in order to support herself. And on top of that, she has two internships and an 18-credit course load in her last semester.

to learn, she seeks responsibility. She’s a natural-born problem solver.”

Senior Liana Garcia-Osborne, Kubik’s other roommate and best friend, said when she first met Kubik freshman year, she was the type of person who took on too much at once, but now she has since developed into someone who knows what she can and can’t commit to.

But regardless of Kubik’s multitude of commitments, Garcia-Osborne said Kubik puts everything aside for a friend in need.

But no matter what she’s doing, she wears “She kind of intuitively gets a sense the same bright, wide-mouthed smile. of your emotional state maybe even With her broad range of interests, Kubik when you don’t know,” she said. “She’ll said the Division of Interdisciplinary and oftentimes be like, ‘Are you OK? Did International Studies has been a great fit. something happen?’”

“This major being an interdisciplinary Along with her already demanding major was absolutely perfect because I got schedule, Kubik has managed to start the to develop knowledge in all of these other small nonprofit Women’s Vocational Orgaareas and combine it as well as methods of nizing for an Indelible Change in Ethiopia. communication and different cultures and A year and a half from now, Kubik how they interact and so on,” she said. plans to move to Ethiopia to execute this The laugh she program, where she emits from that hopes to teach women smile is somein rural areas different thing most of vocational skills so they her friends, and can earn a steady income, even strangers, become empowered and recognize. Senior get nutritious food.

Kirsten Cornille, Kubik had a chance —JEAN CELESTE-ASTORINA Kubik’s roommate to attend a summit in and close friend, Philadelphia recently described it as a where she was able to dolphin laugh but with a closed vowel talk to women of the Ethiopian Diaspora. instead of an open vowel.

She said they helped give her great ideas Jean Celeste-Astorina, admissions that she hopes to use in her initiative. counselor and co-chair of Class Hosting “I don’t want to make the mistake at Ithaca, said when she first met Kubik that a lot of NGOs do that they go into she was struck by her dedication and a developing country and tell people outgoing personality. what to do,” she said. “I want to empower “When she’s faced with a challenge, it them, so be able to hear their voices, really brings out her best,” Celeste-Astorina have their input and learn from them just said. “I was new to the program; she was as much as they might learn from me and learning along with me, and she seeks my experience.”

Victoria Cheng

BY PATRICK DUPREY

Since Victoria Cheng’s sudden passing on Feb. 26, the Ithaca College community joined in remembrance of the freshman.

Cheng, a biology major, was from Spencer, N.Y., and was a 2010 graduate of Ithaca High School. Her father, Joseph Cheng, is an associate professor of finance and international business at the college, and her brother, sophomore Joshua Cheng, is a physics-engineering major in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Her mother, Sarah Cheng, is a graduate of the college.

Hundreds of students, local residents, faculty and staff packed inside Muller Chapel on Feb. 27 to remember Cheng, while others stood in an outside room to hear friends tearfully recall their many favorite moments with the freshman.

Friends offered their favorite memories with Cheng, with some overcoming tears to recall her smile, intellect, sense of humor and personality.

Freshman Hillary Palmer said she first met Cheng four years ago, and the two quickly became best friends at Ithaca High School.

“She was so easy to get along with,” Palmer said. “[She was] such a beautiful person inside and out. She made everything we did fun. It did not matter to me where we were or what we were doing. She was just perfect in my eyes.”

Deputies responded to an unresponsive female report on Pennsylvania Avenue at about 12:40 p.m. Feb. 26, according to the Tompkins County Sheriff ’s Department. The Ithaca City Fire Department and Bangs Ambulance soon followed to assist. Cheng, 17, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several local residents on the

From left, freshman Victoria Cheng poses with sophomore Cristina Nunez and freshman Justine Chun.

Cheng passed away unexpectedly Feb. 26 outside of a house on Pennsylvania Avenue.

COURTESY OF CRISTINA NUNEZ

—HILLARY PALMER

street said police blocked off the eastern side of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Later on Feb. 26, the residents of 380 Pennsylvania Ave. placed a wooden cross in the ground where they first found Cheng in her honor.

“I just wanted to do everything I could to help them out,” one resident said. “Obviously, we were all just as surprised as anyone to find her there, and we wanted them to be able to figure it out quickly.”

Joseph Cheng said his daughter

always possessed a strong faith in Jesus Christ, and though the family will certainly miss her, they at least know she’s with the Lord.

“We dedicated Victoria to the Lord at the age of one, and thus God can use Victoria for whatever purpose He desires,” he said. “If God uses her as a precious example to deter others from making poor choices and to help save the lives of many young people, we have to accept that. But how much we wish that we can still have our Victoria.”

Betsy Gilligan

Betsy Gilligan ’10 passed away Oct. 21 after being hit by a car in Saratoga, N.Y. Gilligan hosted Entertainment 16, a program on ICTV, and interned for MTV while studying in Los Angeles in 2009.

COURTESY OF ANDREA TEPLITSKY

BY KAYDI POIRIER

Betsy Gilligan ’10 left a hole in the hearts of the Class of 2010 after her sudden fatal accident Oct. 21. Gilligan was hit by two vehicles while crossing Route 9 in Saratoga, N.Y. Gilligan inexplicably ran across the four-lane highway near her hometown of Ballston Spa, N.Y., while waiting for the other driver of a minor car accident she was in, Sgt. John Catone of the Saratoga Springs police department said.

Gilligan was treated at the scene and taken to Saratoga Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 10:07 p.m.

Gilligan was the third pedestrian killed in just over a year while trying to cross that stretch of Route 9, which Catone described as “very busy and not very well-lit at all.”

Gilligan, 22, graduated with honors from the college last May. The television-radio major worked on ICTV as a host of Entertainment 16. She interned with MTV in series development during fall 2009 while studying through the Roy H. Park School of Communications’ Los Angeles program.

Andrea Teplitsky ’10, Gilligan’s close friend, said her friend’s laugh is what she will remember most.

“It was infectious,” Teplitsky said.

“It made everyone smile. She just made everybody around her happy.”

The two met in 2007, in their first class during their first day as freshmen

at the college. Teplitsky said she never let Gilligan forget the impression she made that first day.

“She was wearing this blue and yellow sweater and this little headband, and I thought she was this preppy little girl and that I wouldn’t want to be friends with her,” she said. “I still would make fun of her for that because she’s not that kind of person. After the first week of school she was wearing sweatpants to school every day.”

The two were friends from that day on and did almost everything together, Teplitsky said. They were roommates for two years, worked together on Entertainment 16 for several semesters and studied in Los Angeles together.

Pete Johanns, associate professor of television and radio, knew Gilligan as a student in two of his classes and through his time as faculty adviser for ICTV. Johanns said what always stood out about Gilligan was her contagious enthusiasm.

“She was always bubbly, always smiling, almost overly happy in a lot of ways,” Johanns said. “It’s certainly tragic that someone so young and vibrant was taken.”

Gilligan’s family has established a memorial fund in her name. Park School Dean Diane Gayeski said gifts from the fund will be used within the school.

—PETE JOHANNS Teplitsky said there was standing room only at Gilligan’s funeral and 500 people attended the wake.

“The funeral director told us it was like a celebrity had died,” she said.

“Betsy would have loved that.”

When privacy trumps facts 09/08/10

Last week, The Ithacan reported seven football players were suspended from the first game of the season because of a violation of team and athletic department rules. In the same issue, The Ithacan also reported that four students were judicially referred for a college code violation of hazing. Ithaca College refused to release any additional information about either case because it would have violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. A wall of silence was built instead of using the incidents as a learning experience for the community.

Since 1974, FERPA has protected students’ privacy and education records — including test scores, medical records and disciplinary records.

Head Coach Mike Welch said he couldn’t comment on the football players’ suspensions because of the students’ privacy, while Dave Maley, associate director of media relations, said he could not comment on “individuals who may have been referred to the campus judicial system.”

When students who represent the college participate in hazing, the campus community has a right to know. For cases like hazing, it may be time for the Department of Education to take a closer look at FERPA. If the college was able to release more information, the community could take measures to help protect future hazing victims. Hazing is not a private matter, but a danger to the community.

The college cannot tell us if the football players were suspended for involvement in the hazing violation, but nothing in FERPA would seem to prevent them from denying it if that weren’t the case. The Ithacan encourages the college to speak up about both the football players’ suspension and the hazing incident to clear the air if they can. If the college remains silent, the community is left to try to fill in the gaps.

‘Ready’ for an identity?

03/23/11

After negative Facebook statuses and tweets about Ithaca College’s branding survey, it may be time for the Office of Marketing Communications to go back to the drawing board.

The survey featured images designed to communicate that the college is “forward thinking, confident, professional, well-prepared and ready for the future.” The expression “Ready or not” with “not” being crossed out was also used. A final report and analysis will be available in May, but participants have already expressed disappointment.

Facebook statuses and Tweets to the college mentioned that the “ready or not” expression with “not” being crossed out makes the college seem unsure of themselves. Statuses said the blue and white logo made the college seem as if it was an online institution or hospital. Students tweeted that they didn’t understand the meaning of some of the posters and many of the posters were poorly designed.

According to the Office of Marketing

Communications, the statement “ready or not” is designed to portray the college as an institution that creates graduates who are “ready.” The college should strive to find a more unique expression. We need something that sets Ithaca apart and makes us “ready.” Some of the posters also need to be redesigned. There should be no confusion as to what the message is.

The Office of Marketing Communications needs to listen and implement changes based on responses. In doing so, the campus can move forward with a new public face for the college that members are proud of.

Students may be ready to move forward, but the Office of Marketing Communications isn’t.

Staff member prays for missing family in Japan I was born and raised in Akita City, Japan, 110 miles northwest of Sendai, a city that is now too familiar to Americans as the center of the earthquake disaster and the horrific scene of the tsunami swallowing everything in its path. At dawn on March 11, my husband, Abraham, and I were stunned to learn from our iPad CNN news feeds that northern Japan was struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. I immediately called my mother in Akita, realizing that Akita could not have escaped the disaster. Over the phone, I heard some noise, but it eventually went dead silent. I had several other unsuccessful attempts.

“The phone call does not go through.” The seriousness of the

disaster started weighing heavily on my mind.

“Mother is 80 years old. She cannot run.” Now my heart was pounding, bitterly regretting that I had not talked to her for three weeks.

It took almost two full days before I finally reached my mother.

When I heard her voice, my tension melted.

“Yuko-chan, I am OK, and all our family members in Akita are fine.”

“That is really good news, Mother. I am so relieved. How about Daizo-Ojisan (Uncle Daizo) and Reiko-Obasan (Aunt Reiko) in Sendai?” There was a moment of silence.

“I have heard from Daizo. He has survived, but I have not heard from Reiko ... ,” my mother quietly said.

Reiko-Obasan, my father’s youngest sister, lived with my parents and grandmother when I was born. I grew up, sensing that my aunt loved me. She was the one who taught me how to make origami cranes. She was very patient, showing me each step of folding the origami paper that magically transformed itself from a two-dimensional piece of paper into a beautiful bird.

“Yuko-chan, when you are making a crane, you should pray hard for a sick person about whom you sincerely care. It is believed when you have made 1,000 cranes, the person will get better,” Aunt Reiko said. When she got married and moved away to Sendai, I cried very hard.

It is a long tradition of the Japanese to make origami cranes and pray for those about whom we sincerely care. Now, it is my turn to make 1,000 cranes for those who were washed away by the tsunami and Tadashi Onodera, 81, walks among the rubble March 19 in her hometown of Kesennuma, Japan. affected by nuclear radiation. When I finish those The mess was left behind from the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in March.

1,000 cranes, I may hear from my Aunt Reiko.

CAROLYN COLE/MCT

—YUKO MULUGETTA, DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT

Pros held to other standard Before Super Bowl XLV retreats into history and the threat of a lockout of the players dominates the coverage of the National Football League, let’s take a moment to reflect on how 111 million people managed to watch this sporting festival without encountering a single examination of the way in which “Big Ben” Roethlisberger and his history of reckless, if not criminal, behavior was “presented.”

The district attorney in charge of the case refused to bring charges against Roethlisberger for an incident in a Georgia bar last May because he could not reasonably expect a conviction. He clearly stated, “We do not condone what Roethlisberger did. We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.” The

“redemption of Big Ben” immediately swung into full force, and eight months later, the Super Bowl Sunday television coverage on several different networks of Roethlisberger included words such as “foolish,” “nonsensical,” “dumb” and “stupid” to describe the Pittsburgh quarterback’s behavior. How could it be that actions called “repulsive,” “unsettling,” “sexual assault” and “rape” in May are now nothing more offensive than “boys will be boys?”

This narcissistic culture is not limited to the NFL, but it is deeply ingrained in almost all male sports. The answer is that the sport media are co-conspirators with the leagues and players they cover.

—STEPHEN MOSHER, PROFESSOR OF SPORT MANAGEMENT AND MEDIA

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (center) was accused of sexually assaulting a college student last March.

DAVID COLE/MCT

Sophomore Zack Turner practices fire spinning Nov. 5. Turner spins with two other friends, junior Todd Aldrich and senior Dana Miraglia.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

BY BRITTANY GILPIN

For most people, any hobby that would sacrifice a dreadlock would cease to exist on their list of favorite things to do. But one dreadlock-less sophomore Zack Turner still loves to play with fire.

“I was spinning out in the woods, and I looked over and saw that my dread caught on fire,” he said. “You catch on fire every once in awhile. That’s always a rush.”

Turner and his friends, junior Todd Aldrich and senior Dana Miraglia, practice fire spinning, an art form that originated in the Philippines, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Turner and Aldrich perform fire poi, a practice that is used as a common tourist attraction. Poi consists of two chains with a Kevlar wick on each end. Turner said learning to spin time getting into a rhythm.

“I was doing the most basic moves,” he said. “I pretty much made two big circles the entire time. It was intimidating, but it was so invigorating that I knew I had to do it again.”

Since then, Turner has brought the art form to Ithaca College and the city and has spun with ICircus and at 2009’s Apple Festival on The Commons. This year the group performed at Earthdance 2010.

Aldrich said Turner sparked his interest

in poi after he saw him perform at a party last winter. He spun for the first time in the spring of last year.

“At first a pattern may seem impossible, but after a week or so of practicing, it’s automatic,” he said. “It’s more of being aware of how the poi are moving and learning how your body has to move in relation.”

While Miraglia has practiced poi, her specialty is in fire hooping, another type of fire spinning. Fire hooping uses a hulahoop with 6- to 7-inch metal rods along the outer rim, resembling a wheel with protruding spokes.

While Miraglia is proficient at hooping, she said the skill took time to acquire.

“I couldn’t even hula-hoop in the fall of last year,” she said. “A couple months later, I got really into it, and I was able to do all sorts of tricks. I watched a lot of videos on YouTube of hula-hoopers, and when I learned about fire hooping I knew I had to try it.”

Aldrich said the three take safety precautions every time they spin.

They use rubber gloves to squeeze the extra fuel out of the Kevlar wicks, spin off the remaining fuel before lighting up and keep a spotter nearby with a wet

towel to extinguish fires.

“You have to respect the fact that it’s dangerous,” he said. “At the same time, you can’t be scared of it. Otherwise you’ll overthink it. That’s when it becomes more dangerous.”

Aldrich knows firsthand the dangers of the art. He said in addition to having no hair left on his forearms, a performance at a Cornell University party left him scrambling to extinguish a fire that had ignited his back in flames.

“I didn’t get all the fuel off my right poi, and when I did a move behind my back, it sprayed along the back of my T-shirt,” he said. “It just lit up. It had been raining, so I lay down on the ground and snuffed it out.”

Miraglia said her fear of hooping with fire is what encouraged her to try it.

“I like to try things that I’m afraid of,” she said. “Life is not a spectator sport.”

Sophomore Mike Radzwilla had only three more bites of the sandwich and half a bowl of fries left to complete the Fat Chick challenge at Benchwarmers. But with 10 minutes left on the clock, he couldn’t eat any more.

“Everyone else was pacing themselves, and I didn’t stop eating for 15 minutes,” Radzwilla said. “There was a point when I realized if I ate any more food, I would throw up.”

Radzwilla and his friends spent Oct. 30 attempting the Fat Chick challenge at Benchwarmers, which closed in December. The challenge was one of a few in the area, offering prizes from shirts to cash for eating excessive amounts of food.

The Fat Chick was introduced about five years ago at Benchwarmers.

The sandwich, according to the restaurant’s menu, is “20 ounces of breaded chicken breast, way too much grilled bacon, loads of melted Monterey Jack cheese and a mound of sautéed onions served on a toasted Kaiser roll.” Those willing to take the challenge must eat the sandwich in 30 minutes to earn a T-shirt proclaiming “I Ate A Fat Chick.”

Benchwarmers Manager Thomas Yengo estimates that about one out of 10 students who try the challenge actually complete it. He said going out to eat in college is a social experience and started the challenge because it would be fun.

“It’s amazing what college kids will do for a T-shirt,” Yengo said.

Steve Hill, the college’s Catholic Community campus minister, went with Radzwilla to attempt the Fat Chick challenge.

“It’s for us who used to play sports but now can’t because we weren’t born with enough talent to go on to the next level,” Hill said. “It’s a way to live out your being a boy instead of being an adult.”

Senior Nate March tried the challenge twice, failing the first time. He said the spontaneity of the second try helped him finish all the food.

“I didn’t psych myself out the second time because it was such a spur-of-the-moment decision to do it,”

March said. “My stomach was empty.

My metabolism was really high. It really wasn’t as painful the time I succeeded as the time I failed. The time I failed, I got done and was about to explode. The time I succeeded, I was like, ‘Yeah. That was pretty good.’”

March said even though he tried the Fat Chick, he thinks eating contests are disgusting.

“Competitive eating in general is just so unhealthy,” March said. “It’s something I don’t mind doing every once in a while, doing something really extreme. But come on, America.

Take care of your body.”

Buffalo Wild Wings has its Blazin’ Challenge, in which a person must finish 12 Blazin’ wings, the restaurant’s hottest, in six minutes without drinking or wiping his or her face.

—THOMAS YENGO If completed, an individual gets a T-shirt with “Blazin’ Challenge Survivor” written on the front.

Junior Mike Muraco did the Blazin’ Challenge while on a trip to The Ohio State University in the spring of 2010. He said doing the challenge wasn’t all fun.

“If you’ve ever watched the cartoon shows when steam comes out of your ears, I actually felt like I had vapor coming out of my ears,” he said. “My eyes were just watering. I was bawling.

It just felt like my face was on fire.”

Wings Over Ithaca holds a competition every September, where the restaurant gives away a $1,000 cash prize for the person who eats the most boneless wings in three minutes.

Mitchell Blimm, manager of Wings Over Ithaca, said the contest isn’t limited to students, but many participate for the cash prize.

“A thousand dollars to start the semester off is a pretty good way to get yourself ahead,” he said. “So a lot of the guys come in and really want that money.”

Radzwilla said eating contests and overeating has carved itself a niche in American society.

“Eating is American,” Radzwilla said. “It’s sadly taken on part of the culture, so it’s sort of like a sport in a twisted way.”

Top: The Fat Chick from Benchwarmers consisted of 20 ounces of breaded chicken, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and sautéed onions on a Kaiser roll with a plate of french fries.

Center: Freshman Joey Kaz attempted the Fat Chick challenge.

Bottom: Sophomore Mike Radzwilla couldn’t finish his food.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

When Srijana Bajracharya, professor of health promotion and physical education, was a child in Nepal, she saw her uncle light up his hookah every day after work. When he died at age 49 from lung cancer, he had never touched a cigarette.

“People are pretty conscious not to start [smoking cigarettes],” she said. “If they knew that hookah has the same effect then probably they would be more cautious,” she said.

While the amount of cigarette smokers in America has decreased by nearly half in the past three decades, according to the World Health Organization, hookah is a trend that has become popular with young adults.

Hookah bars offering flavored tobacco have been popping up in college towns — like Rochester-based LookAh-Hookah, which opened a location in Ithaca in June.

Despite its pleasant taste and relaxing nature, hookah holds more dangers than students are aware of.

The health risks of smoking hookah lie in the method

of how people use it as a social activity. There is a greater opportunity for chemical intake, because cigarette smokers do not continuously smoke tobacco in the same way as hookah smokers.

According to a December 2009 article published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, a typical session of smoking hookah, in relation to smoking one cigarette, delivers greater carbon monoxide levels, similar nicotine amounts and “dramatically more smoke exposure.” Participants in the study smoked hookah for a maximum of 45 minutes, the normal session length, or a single cigarette. After each session, toxin levels in each person were measured.

Hookah smoke produces roughly 100 times more tar than cigarettes for each gram of tobacco, according to an article

published in the March 2008 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter. In the study, researchers used a smoking machine that simulated smoking hookah and measured chemical levels in the smoke.

Junior Julianna Durr, who smokes cigarettes, has been smoking hookah about once a week for two years.

She said she likes hookah —MAURA FLANAGAN ’10 for its social aspect, as it provides a calm atmosphere that brings people together.

“I met a lot of my good friends through hookah outside the dorms my freshman year,” she said. “These are people who I would have usually walked by in passing without saying two words to them. [Hookah] was definitely how I bonded with them.”

Matthew Taylor, assistant manager of Look-ah-Hookah, said the company chose Ithaca for a new location because there

are so many students.

“There already seems to be kind of a hookah culture developed here, and we want to take that out of houses and bring that more into a bar environment,” he said.

Bajracharya said the mystical, foreign idea of hookah is a business tactic hookah bar owners use to downplay the truth that it is still tobacco.

“It is a new way to entice people,” she said. “They’re telling people, ‘It’s not cigarettes.

It’s something else,’ so they can easily draw people’s attention because it’s different.”

Maura Flanagan ’10, the manager of Exscape, a head shop on The Commons, said while the health statistics are alarming, occasional hookah use should be viewed in the same light as any social activity.

“Obviously, there’s a level of the hookah bars’ responsibility because they’re delivering a drug,” she said. “But at the same time, there’s no one at a bar door saying to you, ‘Alcohol is bad for you,’ and no one’s up in arms about that.”

Photo Illustration by Kelsey O’Connor

Senior Kyle Mullen sits outside his house on South Hill.

Mullen started getting sober his senior year.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

BY WHITNEY FABER

In March, senior Kyle Mullen had to leave Ithaca College. As other students were arriving back from spring break trips, he was packing up to go to New Horizons Chemical Dependency Treatment Program, an inpatient rehabilitation center in Binghamton.

“Walking in, it was really surreal,” Mullen said. “I was giving myself up to an institution. But once I got in there I really got into it. I really embraced everything they were trying to tell me.”

Mullen was ordered to go to rehab after failing a drug test while on probation for a DWI charge. He said by this time, he was looking for a change.

“No one can make you want to get sober,” he said. “You have to want to get sober.”

Since his two-week stay at New Horizons, Mullen has been clean and sober.

There, he attended 12 hours of counseling a day, in which he said he talked about everything, from relationships to anxiety issues. He plans to graduate at the end of the semester after five and a half years at the college.

Mullen, like many students, came to college and found alcohol and drugs accessible and prevalent. By his junior year, his partying was out of control.

“When I was drinking and I was using, I couldn’t get up to go to class,” he said. “I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to sit around. I just wanted to party. I was just a waste of life.”

Nancy Reynolds, health promotion center program director at the Hammond Health Center, is the director of IC Basics, a program in which students meet with Reynolds for one-on-one educational sessions on addiction. She said she sees many students who find college’s free atmosphere difficult to cope with. “[It’s] the combination of young people getting into an environment where they’re on their own for the first time and that alcohol and other drugs are pretty accessible in our society,” she said. “The freedom is challenging.”

According to a report published in 2007 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, about 1.8 million college students met the criteria for substance abuse or dependence in 2005, nearly two and a half times the national level.

Jane,* a senior, had a similar problem with alcohol when she was 13 until she got sober at 14. She is now involved in Alcoholics Anonymous at the college. She said though her experiences with alcohol happened

earlier in life, her struggles were the same as those of college students.

“My life had become completely unmanageable and drinking wasn’t working for me anymore,” she said. “It wasn’t fun. I couldn’t do it, just socialize and hang out or just drink on the weekends. Drinking just became my life, and it wasn’t even fun to drink anymore.”

Jane started attending Alcoholics Anonymous and got a sponsor to help her through the organization’s traditional 12-step program. She said she found the support helpful.

“It’s hard at the beginning to get sober, but it’s the most amazing reward of anything I’ve done,” she said. “I don’t think about drinking every day now. … It was the entire process. Every step of it was just as important, was just as trying, just as rewarding.”

Mullen said though his life is less exciting without going to bars or parties on the weekends, he doesn’t feel like he is missing much.

“I feel like I have lived three lives in one life,” he said. “At this point, I’m not missing out on anything. Anything I’ve ever wanted to do, I’ve done. At this point, it’s in the past for me. I’m getting past that stage in my life.” *Names have been changed to protect anonymity.

I

thaca College’s beloved battle between some of the most popular seniors on campus revamped itself this year. For the Mr. and Ms. Ithaca competition, eight male contestants and nine female contestants were narrowed down by popular vote sent through text messages. From there, the remaining five for both groups performed their “talent” for a panel of judges. In the end, it was Gina D’Addario and Dave Reynolds who took home the crowns. Michelle Skowronek spoke to the winners about what it was like to run the town like royalty.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON USAVAGE AND MICHELLE BOULÉ

Michelle Skowronek: Why did you chose to go through with competing after you were nominated?

Gina D’Addario: I thought because I played the drums it was a different talent than a lot of other people would have.

Dave Reynolds: When I found out I was nominated, I felt that I was obligated to. I thought it would be a cool experience.

MS: What do you think sold the judges on crowning you?

GD: Probably my blow-up float [for the swimwear competition] or the drum performance [for my talent]. I think that was really different.

DR: I think it was how normal I am.

Normal and sort of outgoing.

MS: What’s the best pizza downtown?

GD: Sammy’s cheese pizza.

DR: Ameritalia. Boom. Chicken bacon ranch. Boomski.

MS: What’s your favorite bar?

GD: Moonies hooked us up after, and now they give us free shots whenever we’re there — so probably Moonies.

DR: Matters on the mood — raging it, I’m going Moonies; chill time, having a few drinks, Silky Jones.

MS: What’s your outfit of choice?

GD: In winter — black Nike sweatpants and a Hanes white V-neck T-shirt. In summer — shorts and tees all day, every day, baby.

DR: Simple— jeans, a button up and an argyle sweater, or, as I call it, the “Peter Johanns.”

MS: What is the Textor Ball?

GD: My roommate just told me it was a fish, but I always thought it was a flower. I’m sure it could be any number of things. Upstate New York is full of surprises.

DR: The Textor ball is an alien time machine that will propel Earth back in time before humans are able to corrupt it. ... Or a fish.

markthsepot Local wineries and restaurants see increase in Ithaca tourism

BY NICOLE OGRYSKO

As the national and local economies made a slow recovery from the 2008 economic recession, business and tourism in Ithaca began to look up.

Bruce Stoff, marketing and communications manager of Ithaca/ Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the rate of hotel occupancy rose by 6.8 percent from 2009 to 2010. According to data from Smith Travel Research and New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association, hotel occupancy increased by 5.7 percent nationwide and 5.4 percent in New York state from 2009 to 2010.

Stoff said the bureau sees rising hotel occupancy rates and greater interest in the Ithaca area as a sign that tourism is beginning to recover from the 2008-09 economic slump.

When the recession began in 2008, Stoff said, Tompkins County saw a 10 percent drop in its rate of tourism within three months. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The economy tanked, and tourism,

being discretionary spending, just disappeared,” he said. “So our business just kind of fell off a cliff.”

In an effort to increase tourism during the recession, Stoff said, the bureau encouraged families in New York to take “stay-cations,” or short day trips to local tourism spots.

Cathy Nillspaugh, executive director of the Cayuga Wine Trail, which services 16 wineries along Cayuga Lake, said she notices a variety of people come to the trail from other areas of New York and Pennsylvania — from visitors looking for a quick trip to wine drinkers interested in comparing Cayuga’s selection to other wines in New York.

“Our marketing is geared toward a one-hour, two-hour, or four- to fivehour stay,” she said.

Along with the launch of its new website and increased advertising efforts on Twitter and Facebook, she said she expects a rise in visitation and wine sales this year, since last summer’s dry growing season was more successful than usual.

David Hirsch, co-owner of Moosewood Restaurant, said he was pleasantly surprised when business didn’t drop dramatically in 2009 and noticed a generous increase in 2010.

“We had a really great spring, summer and fall,” he said. “After Christmas, because the town gets so quiet, [business] always drops a little, but that was really just the tail end of 2010.”

Stoff said Ithaca has been seeing a higher demand for tourism than many other areas upstate because visitors to Ithaca’s colleges and universities for campus tours, events and other conferences will in turn make trips to the area’s other top tourism spots — the gorges and downtown area.

“Families will come here on a college visit, and they’ll see the area, like the area, and then they’ll decide to spend an extra half day and look at a waterfall, spend an extra half day and go downtown and try some restaurants,” he said.

As tourism rates continued to climb, Stoff said he hadn’t heard many complaints from area restaurants and hotels about declining business through the seasons.

“It’s almost back to business as usual — a nice good, steady growth,” he said.

Ithaca gets savory recognition

From left, Janet Shortall and Bonnie Shelley catch up over lunch at Moosewood Restaurant. The restaurant has gained national and international fame from its 11 cookbooks filled with vegetarian recipes.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

BY NATHAN BICKELL

Bon Appétit magazine named Ithaca one of “America’s Foodiest Towns,” highlighting Moosewood Restaurant, the Ithaca Farmers Market and Purity Ice Cream in its October issue.

Boulder, Colo., was named the top town by the gourmet food magazine, followed by Ithaca, which tied for second place with McMinnville, Ore., Big Sur, Calif., Traverse City, Mich., and Louisville, Ky. According to the magazine, a “foodie town” has less than 250,000 inhabitants and “quality farmers’ markets, concerned farmers, dedicated food media, first-rate restaurants, talented food artisans and a community of food lovers.”

Moosewood was founded in 1973, and its 11 cookbooks brought the restaurant national and international acclaim.

In the past, Bon Appétit

has named the restaurant one of the 13 most influential of the 20th century.

“It is amazing to us,” Dave Dietrich, one of 19 collective owners of Moosewood, said.

“Sometimes we have people from places in Europe or Australia visiting the United States who make a point to come visit Ithaca and Moosewood.”

The Ithaca Farmers Market, also founded in 1973, has grown to 150 vendors who live within 30 miles of the city. The market attracts 5,000 visitors a day and stays open throughout the year — even during the area’s cold winter season.

Teresa Vanek, who sells produce at the market from her farm, Red Tail Farm in Trumansburg, N.Y., said the market provides locals with fresh food that is impossible to replicate anywhere else.

“You’ll never get anything as fresh as the farmers market,” she said

“People actually appreciate that quality here.

They will pay for it.”

Vanek also said the market offers locals foods that many have not tasted before.

“We bring a lot of interesting and extremely fresh product to market,” she said. “A lot of stuff people are trying for the first time or have heard about and want to try.”

Bruce Stoff, marketing and communications manager of Ithaca/ Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he was pleased that Ithaca was mentioned alongside much larger cities.

“It’s very cool when a magazine like Bon Appétit mentions Ithaca,” Stoff said. “As a small town you don’t get that kind of recognition from a major publication often.”

Staff writers Matt Biddle and Amanda Fox contributed to this story.

Take one part student lounge, one part high-end café, add a dash of dessert, late-night hours and the best view in Ithaca to create the successful recipe of tc lounge — a new late-night hotspot on the Ithaca College campus.

Located on the 14th floor of East Tower, the lounge provides a sophisticated atmosphere for students to study,

meet friends and enjoy quality coffee, teas and desserts long after La Vincita has closed. After the Tower Club restaurant closed last May, Freshman Kaity Conklin puts the final touches on the college decided to revamp the a frozen hot chocolate Sept. 5 in the tc lounge. space and make it more suitable for ANDREW BURACZENSKI/THE ITHACAN student use.

Junior Joe Bergeron said he was blown away by the quality of the lounge to relax, study, go online and meet when he first visited. friends,” he said.

“This is a classier Sophomore Sarah Hesseltine said the Late Night,” Bergeron service, including busboys to clean up said. “We have a hoteldirty dishes, makes it seem more like a quality café on campus. retail establishment.

It doesn’t feel like the “It’s like a pretentious Starbucks,” Towers. I forget there’s a Hesseltine said. “You wouldn’t expect to dorm under find a place like this on a college campus. my feet.”

But it’s also really laid back. It seems like a The tc lounge really great place to bring friends.” accepts Bonus Bucks, Open from 8 p.m. until midnight, credit cards and cash, the tc lounge benefits from a campus full making it more acof night owls. Freshman barista Kaity cessible for students Conklin said she saw a lot of customers without a meal plan. within the café’s first two weeks.

Jeff Scott, director “Sometimes I go for a straight hour of Dining Services, without stopping,” she said. “We’ve said once the decision been really busy. But I like the crowds, was made to close the because I like being able to talk to other Tower Club, it was a college students.” quick turnaround to Scott said part of the reason for the get started planning the lounge is that Late Night at the Towers tc lounge. He said he Dining Hall was hitting capacity with wanted to make sure more than 1,000 students a night. Dining the new space focused Services wanted to offer another option on student needs. With for students in the evening. a new paint job and “Students need a place to go late at new furniture, Scott night to get a cup of coffee or meet their said the space has a friends,” he said. contemporary feel.

Henry Chan, tc lounge supervi“We worked with sor, said he plans to change the menu students, and our every so often to keep things new and [Student Government is striving to work with local vendors, Association’s] food such as Life’s So Sweet chocolates in services commitTrumansburg, as much as possible. tee looked at other Chan said tc lounge’s classier look examples of other allows students to have a different kind of successful campus dining experience on campus. cafés and through the “For at least a few hours when they’re process realized the here, they forget that this is a college late-night time period campus,” he said. “The atmosphere lets is key for students you step out of the real world.”

Paul Warrender, operations manager of Ithaca College Dining Services, makes a turtle iced coffee in the tc lounge.

ANDREW BURACZENSKI/THE ITHACAN

BY ALEXANDRA PALOMBO

For freshman Lauren Crandall, beauty pageants aren’t always glamorous. In fact, parts of them are downright painful.

“You have to glue [the bikini] on,” Crandall said. “I got home, and my underwear was stuck to my butt. My mother had to use Goo Gone and rip it off. I was bleeding.”

But she said the pain was worth it. As the winner of Miss Fonda Fair 2009 — a county fair pageant for women in Fulton and Montgomery counties in New York — Crandall butt-glued, sang and strutted her way to more than $1,000 in scholarship money in one pageant.

Crandall is one of a few women at Ithaca College who use pageants as a way to earn scholarship money. And the pageants are lucrative: According to Shelby Cohen, the director of Miss Thousand Islands, the Miss America Organization gives out more than $40 million in scholarships and provides young women confidence to succeed in the future.

“We really do encourage the educational endeavors of our contestants, and that really is the mission of the organization,” Cohen said.

“Yes, absolutely, it is a beauty pageant. They are judged on beauty, … but all the rewards are given out in scholarship form, and a very high emphasis is placed on education.”

For Crandall and junior Morgan O’Brien Bocciolatt, who won Miss Thousand Islands 2011, a preliminary to Miss New York, their pageant stints began when their friends suggested they try them to network and make money for college.

Freshman Michela Moe won Miss Maui 2010, a preliminary contest to Miss Hawaii.

She started competing — with her talent of hula dancing — in pageants after a teacher suggested it.

She said pageants have helped her make friends, not just in her hometown. Moe met Crandall on IC Peers and bonded over their common hobby. Now, they live together.

Bocciolatt, whose talent is singing, said she continues to do pageants not only for the money but also for the rush of winning.

“You really can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s the greatest feeling.”

But before Bocciolatt could win the crown, she had to go through the press conferencestyle personal interview. For 10 minutes, several judges ask the contestants questions ranging from personal to trivial.

Moe, like Bocciolatt, said she found this process stressful.

“One second the question was, ‘What is

your take on the current issue of the oil spill?’” go into the working world.

Moe said. “And right after answering that, “More so than preparing me for college, it was, ‘Are your eyes really blue?’ You never it’s helped even more in job searching and know. And that’s the nerve-wracking part.” professionalism as a whole,” Bocciolatt said.

She said “I can’t even express all of after the first the benefits I’ve really had interview, from pageantry.” though, she Bocciolatt will was more comcompete in the Miss New fortable with York pageant this June. the judges and Bocciolatt said the Miss —FRESHMAN LAUREN CRANDALL the process.

America Organization val“Once you ues education and expects get in there, you know you can be yourself,” its contestants to do the same. she said. “And as long as you’re confident, then On stage, the girls flaunt their bodies in you’re OK. I felt so much more prepared for the swimsuit competition. Crandall said the the Miss Hawaii interview. It’s just like you’re bathing suit portion is actually empowering. talking with friends.”

“I mean, what other hobby do you walk Bocciolatt, who majors in communiaround on stage in a swimsuit?” Crandall said. cation management and design, said the “That changed me. You need that confidence in interviews have given her the confidence to order to succeed.”

From left, freshmen Michela Moe and Lauren Crandall and junior Morgan O’Brien Bocciolatt in pageant “T-stance” on Sept. 19 in Textor Hall.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Top: Hoards of festivalgoers stand in line at the Kettle Corn booth at Apple Fest on Oct. 2 on The Commons. The booth had a line for the majority of the day.

LAURA GALLUP/THE ITHACAN

Above: Crates of apples lined street-vendor tents for Apple Fest weekend.

LAURA GALLUP/THE ITHACAN

Right: Vestal High School senior Andrew Loso stirs caramel for apple dunking.

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

Far right: Lucas Stansfield, 2, wanders around Apple Fest eating a caramel and sprinkle-covered apple. There were face-painting booths for children as well.

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

Left: Martin Fennimore dishes out some red hot chili from Razorback BBQ, which later won Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice.

JAMES EARL/THE ITHACAN

Above: Cinda Bey paints Kohana Stanford’s face at a face-painting booth inside Center Ithaca on The Commons. Bey painted butterflies and cats on children’s faces.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Above: Kathleen Pasetty serves up some chili in her festival gear, bundled up to withstand the cold weather Feb. 20.

JAMES EARL/THE ITHACAN

Center: Jerrod Isaman of Olean, N.Y., plays accordion to the crowd at Chili Fest, while walking around The Commons. Multiple musical groups performed as well.

Above right: Will Goodreau, 3, and Josephine Goodreau, 6, beat the winter cold by eating cups of chili by the playground.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

Above: From left, freshmen Becky Kabel, Alex Wolf and Lauren Lombardo checked out Chili Fest for the first time and exchanged thoughts on whose chili was the best.

JAMES EARL/THE ITHACAN

Senior Ben Fankhauser sings where he is most comfortable — on stage in the Hoerner Theatre in the Dillingham Center. Fankhauser spent a semester singing on Broadway.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY WHITNEY FABER

When senior Ben Fankhauser was young, he would stand outside the stage door to theaters in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, after a show finished with a Sharpie and his program. He would wait in the freezing cold to get the cast and director’s autographs.

“I kid you not — I was a nerd,” he said.

“I would get every Playbill signed by every touring company. If it was ‘Blue’s Clue’s Live’ I would get them to sign.”

Now Fankhauser is the one being asked for his autograph.

Last year Fankhauser, a musical theater major, left Ithaca College to be a part of the 2009-10 national tour of the Broadway show “Spring Awakening.” He returned this year and plans to graduate on time with his class.

Fans of the musical found out he was joining the cast, and at the end of the show a young audience member nervously asked for his autograph.

“To be on the other end of that was completely surreal,” he said. “I felt like I was inspiring, which is what I want to do.”

Becoming a part of the show was a lengthy process though. Fankhauser first auditioned for the original Broadway production in 2007. Casting directors called him back multiple times over four years. Fankhauser said his love of the musical kept him going through the process.

When he was finally brought on, the tour disrupted the plans he had to study in London. But Fankhauser said once the shock settled in, he was able to enjoy the fact that he achieved some of his dreams before turning 21.

“You just feel this incredible amount of gratitude,” he said. “I just started feeling so incredibly lucky. ... Just completely blessed and completely thankful.”

Castmate Anthony Lee Medina said Fankhauser was always able to put any problems aside to perform.

“He knew how to get through a performance, and no one would know that he was even remotely under the weather or not feeling up to par,” he said.

Norm Johnson, associate professor of theater arts, directed Fankhauser sophomore year in “A Midsummer Night’s

Dream.” Johnson said he noticed a change in Fankhauser’s stage presence in “Chicago” after his Broadway run.

“He just seemed a whole lot more confident in that role and how he really took the stage,” he said.

Fankhauser said finding an industry job will still be difficult, despite his experience.

“In this business it is so much about just persistence in auditioning,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t get jobs for months. It’s a matter of I’m talented and I know that, and I just have to keep doing it, doing it, doing it until the stars align.”

Fankhauser introduces a new song as the MC in Ithaca College’s production of “Chicago,” which ran in October.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

A symphony of support

BY TAYLOR LONG

The last time Joshua Oxford’s band, OXtet, rehearsed was July 26, the day the 25-year-old musician came face-to-face with death.

Bandmates were waiting for Oxford at a friend’s house, but he never showed up to rehearsal. After an hour passed, they piled into a van to make sure their Joshua Oxford friend was OK. Dan Timmons ’10, OXtet’s bassist, said it was less than 30 seconds before they ran into Oxford’s battered Volvo lying on the side of the road just a mile away from the house. By the time they arrived, Oxford had already been taken to a hospital in Sayre, Pa., by helicopter.

“I had to deal with the cops and give them all his mom’s info,” Timmons said. “I guess I go into that mode — Boy Scout mode. Someone drove back

because they just couldn’t handle it.”

After failing to yield to the right of way at a stop sign on Krums Corners Road in Trumansburg, N.Y., Oxford crashed into another vehicle, Zone Sergeant Edward Abruzzo of the New York State Police said. The accident left Oxford paralyzed from the neck down.

For days, he was unresponsive, unable to move his limbs or breathe on his own.

On Aug. 2, Oxford was airlifted to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia for a surgical procedure that would fuse his skull to his spine.

His mother Angela Oxford and sister Jessica Oxford kept friends informed of Oxford’s condition by regularly updating Facebook.

“He will be rocking a little differently because he will not be able to bend or turn his head,” Angela posted at 11:32 p.m. Aug. 3.

He is currently at home, re-learning how to do simple tasks. The last Facebook update on Jan. 21 said Oxford was practicing standing and

From left, senior Justin Canzano, Mike Caporizzo ’10, graduate student Greg Evans and Dana Wilson, professor of music theory, history and composition, helped organize a benefit for Joshua Oxford ’07.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

was able to give his mom a hug.

Oxford grew up in Cortland, N.Y., and graduated from Ithaca College’s School of Music in 2007 with a degree in percussion performance. After graduating, Oxford was hired by the School of Music as a staff accompanist, playing piano for recitals and collaborating with musicians.

Greg Evans, OXtet’s drummer and a graduate student at the School of Music, said deciding to have a benefit concert for Oxford was instinctual. Having the concert at the music school, where Oxford spent so much of his time, felt natural. As of Dec. 31, Oxford’s friends had raised $7,375 for the Joshua Oxford Fund, which helped cover medical bills.

Dillon Kondor ’08, a former member of the group, said he can still picture Oxford joking around at practice, laughing about all of their good times.

“It feels so important to be there for him while he’s going through this because I know that if it happened to any of us he would drop everything and put his friends first,” Kondor said.

n i m zoo Without a job until he the hustle and stumbled upon bustle of a the company. major metro Avery now area, Ithaca edits and finds itself serves as a surrounded visual by small-town effects artist charm and for PSP and hidden gems said he favors like Photoeducational Synthesis films.

Productions, “It’s good a small video to be doing production positive company with work rather a big message. than the PSP hones soul-sucking the expertise yadda-yadda of locals and that you From left, Garth Avery ’04, David Kossack and Matt Winberg, a graduate of Cornell University, stumbled upon PhotoSynthesis energy of might find Productions while job hunting. The local company creates educational films, documentaries and projects. young stuin New York CLAUDIA PIETRZAK/THE ITHACAN dents to create City,” documentary it to film festivals worldwide and said. “Our goal isn’t just to create he said. films, DVDs and promotional sell the DVD on its website to a training film but to give it a From the ability to gain a videos that focus on social jusraise money for construction of humanity, to show, demonstrate wide spectrum of experience tice and education for all types the monastery’s new complex. and connect people to the realities. in all aspects of the production of clients. Three full-time emIn addition to the Dalai Lama There are human beings on the process to the flexible hours and ployees, two of which are Ithaca documentary, PSP just finished other side of the equation.” friendships within the company, College alumni, and a group of a series of short films on mental In addition to the film projKossack said he enjoys coming editors and interns write, shoot, health issues geared toward stuects, Hoard edit and produce their projects. dents at Cornell University, as well said the turnPSP’s past works include 27 as a commercial for Center Ithaca. over of young educational films for National David Kossack ’04 graduated employees Geographic, as well as a documen- with a degree in cinema producand interns at tary called “Living Adoption: Gay tion and several films from his the company Parents Speak,” a film released ear- days at the Roy H. Park School of makes work —GARTH AVERY ’04 lier this year which focuses on the Communications under his belt. interesting. issues and process surrounding After graduation, he found odd “I have adoption for gay couples. Deborah jobs in the area and eventually Ithaca College Hoard, president of PSP, said the discovered PSP through a friend. interns all the time,” Hoard said. to work every day. company tackles social justice Now he works as an editor and “Some of whom end up staying Hoard said she finds enjoyconcerns and strives to educate. cameraman for the production and working here and going on to ment in learning something new Now the company is working company. He said the company’s jobs elsewhere. It really is an interfrom her fellow Ithaca residents. on a documentary that follows emphasis on social justice is imesting ride. There’s always a lot of “[Our mission] is to use film, the Dalai Lama when he visited portant because it gives a voice to new ideas, people, strengths and video and media for social justice Ithaca in 2007 and explores the those who have none. skills that change up the mix.” but in a great-looking and excitNamgyal Monastery located on “If something does not get Garth Avery ’04 also spent his ing way,” she said. “A lot of our Aurora Street. PSP plans to air attention in ways that other things first year after graduating with a work is in someone’s home or the documentary on PBS, submit do, it will fall away,” Kossack television-radio degree looking for their life. It’s more intimate.”

Junior Mitchell Murdock takes one environmental portrait each day.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY WHITNEY FABER

On Aug. 28, at the end of Garden Apartment 26, junior Mitchell Murdock methodically set up his tripod and 35 mm film camera to take a portrait of junior Griffin Nichols. With Cornell University and the late afternoon light on the rest of East Hill as the backdrop, Nichols stood relaxed and calm, posed but comfortable.

Murdock counted, “One, two, three,” and with the click of the camera, he snapped portrait No. 648.

On Nov. 19, 2008, Murdock began taking one environmental portrait of one person he knows every single day — and he has been carrying his camera and looking for people ever since.

The project began his freshman year in his Introduction to Photography class.

Murdock, a cinema and photography major with a concentration in cinema production, said he came up with the idea Nov. 18, 2008, as a way of challenging himself and improving his filming skills.

“I needed something that would get me doing photos consistently, because at that point I was just getting into film photography, and I wasn’t the best at it,” he said.

The next day, he took a photograph of then-freshman Siobhan Cavanagh, a fellow student in the photography class. He posed her lying stomach-down on her bed with her elbows propping up her body as she clicked away on her computer.

Cavanagh said it was a good representamother, Elena Murdock, said he has always tion of one part of her life. had a friendly and comforting personality.

“He did a good job capturing the dorm“It’s the whole thing about how he life aspect,” she said. connects with other people,” she said. “It’s When Murdock began the project, he gave almost like a person’s age doesn’t matter. … himself rules for each photo. He must take a It doesn’t matter how he meets them. He just photograph of one person within 24 hours, gets to know them.” starting at midnight. The subject must be Murdock said when he began the projsomeone Murdock knows and vice versa and ect, he wanted to capture a piece of each must be the only one in the photo. person in a photograph. For now, Murdock He said requiring himself to find someone said, he has no plans for what he will do he knows has helped to make the project more with all of the photos — whether they will personal. be shown in Though many an exhibit or students would simply left To see more of the portraits have trouble findon display on Murdock has developed so far, ing nearly 1,000 Flickr. go to www.flickr.com/phopeople they know “The last tos/mitchellpatrickmurdock. to photograph, day of the this has not been a project is goproblem for Muring to be the dock. His day I don’t take a photo,” he said. “It could be anytime.”

From left, juniors Siobhan Cavanagh and Benjamin Jeffirs pose for photos.

COURTESY OF MITCHELL MURDOCK

right purple Phoenix Suns snapback cap? Check.

White Ralph Lauren zip-up jacket? Check.

Crisp pair of jeans? Check.

Fresh Nike kicks? Check.

Freshman Brendan “Slim” Wilkins puts the finishing touches on his outfit for his first ever live performance.

“I usually work from the hat down,” Wilkins said.

Mixing tracks and laying down beats in his 12-by-12-foot dorm room, Wilkins — nicknamed “Slim” for his skinny physique — prepared for his premiere Feb. 20 at The Haunt. He opened for Two Fresh with Mux Mool and Body Language.

Wilkins, an exploratory student, creates his own rhymes — only set to other artists’ backbeats. He said his idol, rapper Mac Miller, was his main motivation for contacting Dan Smalls of Dan Smalls Presents, who represents talent in the Finger Lakes region and sponsored the event.

Upon hearing Slim’s music, Smalls said he liked the local performer’s work and passed it along to the main-stage artists of Two Fresh.

“It comes down to the artist approving it,” Smalls said.

“They were happy with him as a support.”

Wilkins said the rhymes of other young hip-hop artists inspired him to create his own lyrics.

“I try to get a flow just like them but do my own thing,” he said.

The top hit on Wilkins’ MySpace music page is his identity song, “I Will,” about “a dude comin’ from the 860, the place where I be reppin.” His witty lines and clownlike character promise to win over the ladies at “IC, the place where I be preppin’.” Wilkins’ clever lines are laid over a catchy chorus that lyrically echoes everything this new artist promises to bring to the “real world.”

Wilkins, who records all of his own music and started rapping in high school, said he wants to see how college students react to his music, which has primarily focused on college life, going out and being with his friends — including the ladies. He said rapping is similar to keeping a diary.

“If there’s something going on personally, I like to listen

Freshman Brendan “Slim” Wilkins spits his hip-hop rhymes Feb. 20 at The Haunt. In his first live performance, Slim drew out a crowd of nearly 30 Ithaca College students.

CLAUDIA PIETRZAK /THE ITHACAN

to songs with similar problems,” he said. “It puts me in a better mood.”

Freshman Nate King, friend and dedicated fan of Wilkins’, said Wilkins’ signature snapback accessory makes it easy to find his friend, no matter the size of the crowd.

“The snapback is how we always find him, at the cafeteria, on campus at parties,” King said. “He’s tall for one thing, but he’s got the brightly colored snapbacks, so we’re always like, ‘Hey, there’s Slim!’”

King has been Wilkins’ personal soundboard — bouncing back comments and criticisms about his rhymes since day one of college. He said Wilkins is currently looking for some real studio time outside his dorm room to practice.

“He needs to get a feel for the audience,” King said. “We also want to give him pointers on what to do, especially because he has some time to talk.”

Wilkins said he wanted to prepare for what fans expect of him and what he wants to give them.

“I want to be movin’ around and dancing,” Wilkins said.

“I don’t want people to just be listening to the iPod. I want it to be an actual show.”

King gave some insight as to what show goers can expect. He said Wilkins’ slick imitation of Chris Brown’s hat flip and other hip-hop moves that flow to his laid-back beats will keep the audience entertained.

As Wilkins prepped for his big performance, King said Wilkins’ fun-loving character would come through in his on-stage performance.

“Slim is like an alter ego,” collaborator and freshman Rachael Travers said. “For him, it’s something outside of his name where he gets to fill this persona of track star or rap star. He’s got it all.”

OS C PHOT

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FILM

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BY MATTHEW BIDDLE

4-year-old Joshua Scoble was diagnosed with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, a rare genetic disease where muscles and tendons calcify, turning them into bone over time.

The award was presented by the Television Academy Foundation, the same organization that gives Emmys to professional productions.

In its history, Ithaca College has won this award only once before, in the news category for “Newswatch 16” in 2004.

Steve Gordon, assistant professor of television-radio and the team’s professor for Video Workshop, is also a member of the Education Committee for the Academy. He said winning the award was a huge achievement, as there were 565 entries from 154 universities.

“Park School productions are competing with the top film schools, and that hasn’t happened for years,” Gordon said. “It helps put us on the map as a real contender in the documentary category.”’

Raising awareness is a priority for the Scobles, since funding for research usually comes from families of FOP patients. According to the International FOP Association, there are currently only 700 diagnosed cases worldwide.

Stacy Scoble, Joshua’s mother, said the family allowed the girls to film them because the documentary represented a way for the family to educate people about this disease.

“Joshua was misdiagnosed, and they ended up doing surgery on his back, and that’s the worst thing in the world to happen,” Scoble said. “To me, the more people that know about it, the less the chances of errors and misdiagnoses.”

Ferris found the family after seeing them in a “Today Show” segment From left, seniors Lauren Brauchli, River Lauren Ferris and and approached them about being Anna Campbell pose with their film equipment. the focus of a documentary. After GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN While other students were busy with homework this semester, seniors Lauren Brauchli, Anna Campbell and River Lauren Ferris were preparing to jet to Los Angeles to walk the red carpet at a glitzy awards ceremony among industry leaders like “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy and television personality Tom Bergeron.

The trio was honored with an Emmy statuette as winners in the documentary category of the College Television Awards on April 9 for their film, “Bound by Hope: One Family’s Story,” which they originally produced for their Video Workshop course in the fall.

“Bound by Hope” follows the Scoble family of Emmaus, Penn. At three months old,

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

meeting the family, the group felt they could make a great film and help raise awareness at the same time.

In a particularly emotional scene, Joshua’s father, David Scoble, breaks down when discussing how limited Joshua’s life will be and how much he wants to share his pastime, hunting, with his son.

Though films were rated on overall quality, Gordon said this emotional portrayal set “Bound by Hope” apart.

“It’s sad and yet it’s hopeful, and I think that automatically gives it real power,” Gordon said.

The film first screened at the course’s endof-the-semester event in December. Brauchli said despite its emotional subject matter, the audience seemed to enjoy the film.

“It can be difficult to watch because it’s tough to see a 4-year-old boy suffering,” Brauchli said. “You realize how lucky you are, and you appreciate everything you have in your life.”

Though they never expected to win the award, Campbell said, they were glad to show the universality of the family’s struggle.

“It’s not just about disease,” she said.

“It puts your life in perspective: This little boy has so much to deal with, so maybe my problems aren’t so bad.”

A

little murder, booze and scandal, plus a whole lot of sweet-talking, form “Chicago,” a 35-year-old show set in Prohibition-era Chicago.

Though the same concept seems to define both the Broadway and movie versions, Ithaca College spun some new razzle-dazzle into the classic script. The show was the second production in the college’s main stage 2010-11 theater season.

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE BOULÉ

LEFT: Senior Megan Watt, who plays Roxie Hart, belts the song “Roxie.”

In the show, Roxie aspires to be a jazz star in Chicago.

ABOVE LEFT: From left, senior Jamie Amos, junior Danny Lindgren and senior Lindsey Bullen dance in the musical number “All I Care About.”

ABOVE RIGHT: From left, Lindgren, as Billy Flynn, and senior Tim Quartier, as Amos, discuss the fate of Roxie’s murder trial in Billy’s office.

RIGHT: From left, Quartier and Lindgren continue with the scene in Billy’s office, where they talk about problems they may run into.

BELOW: Lindgren performs with a group of dancers all equipped with glowing balls later in the number “All I Care About.”

state rennovations

The State Theatre has been located at 107 W. State St. for 83 years.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/ THE ITHACAN

business plan for generating revenue, the theater is reviving and has welcomed artists Thirteen years ago, the State Theatre was like Guster, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in danger of being demolished. and Ron White this year.

Doug Levine, executive director of the The theater, which is the only remaining theater, said when the preservationist group theater of the 17 that have populated downHistoric Ithaca bought it, financially the town Ithaca over time, was saved from building almost wasn’t worth saving. condemnation in 1998 by Historic Ithaca.

“When they took over ownership, it was The organization began a restoration project like flipping a coin between restoring it and that repaired the 30-year-old rotting roof and coming in with a wrecking ball,” he said. “It replaced the theater’s electrical systems. was in that bad of a shape.”

Alphonse Pieper, executive director Now with a restored building and a new of Historic Ithaca, said the organization stepped in to restore the theater because there were no other options.

“Historic Ithaca really comes in as the owner of last resort,” he said.

“The theater was vacant, and the owner at the time was saying if he did not find a buyer, he was going to demolish it. We felt fixing it was well within our mission.”

The theater today remains a vital historical landmark. Since its opening Dec. 6, 1928, it has provided locals with amusement. Pieper said the theater is an important part of the community because it helps to diversify local business.

“It provides a transition from The Commons to the rest of State Street,” Dan Smalls, the theater’s executive producer, is responsible Pieper said. “Often a vacant lot can for bringing popular musical acts to the stage each year. prevent growth of businesses nearby.

KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

BY MATT HARVEY

Since the State Theatre [was restored], there’s been a lot more activity on that other end like Mama Goose, Ithaca Foreign Auto and Gimme! Coffee.”

In Spring 2009, State Theatre Inc. bought the theater from Historic Ithaca. Dan Smalls, the theater’s executive producer, who is in charge of booking musical acts, said it was time to see if the venue could be revitalized.

“Historic Ithaca is owed a tremendous debt of gratitude,” Smalls said. “They were the ones who kept it alive. What we did was basically take it off of their hands and come at it with a new model that seems to be working.”

Since taking over, State Theatre Inc. has brought an original vision to running the theater. They have a 79 percent to 21 percent earned to unearned revenue policy. The earned percentage, which provides most of the budget, includes ticket sales, sponsorships and rental fees. The unearned portion comes from community donations and grants.

David Dier, a director on the State Theatre’s board, said this plan is unusual for the theater business, as most theaters maintain 50-50 ratios in the best of times.

Levine said the business plan has been successful so far.

“It’s working for us,” Levine said. “A key part of it has been just remaining active.

There’s a lot of theaters that have only one or two shows a month. We have 14 or 15 shows just in October. We aren’t going anywhere.”

they have arrived at a show.

Previously located in the Patrons used to walk into Clinton House on West the Kitchen Theatre wonderSeneca Street, the Kitchen ing if they had come to the Theatre Company moved to right place. Rachel Lampert, its new location on West State the Kitchen Theatre’s artistic Street after conducting a stradirector, said there was nothing tegic business-analysis plan. about their old building that The move-in process began showed it was a theater. the day the theater closed its “People would walk in with last show Aug. 1 in the Clinthe tickets, and then they’d come ton House and was completed to the lobby and say, ‘Where’s in time for the theater’s season the theater?’” she said. opener Sept. 1.

But now there is no question The first steps in the redesign involved considering the company’s financial stability and reviewing the statistics on its earnings and audience demographics.

Lampert said the decision to move was made with future attendance in mind, as the new location holds 99 seats.

“If we remained at 73 seats, we would probably never reach the goals we had set for ourselves,” Lampert said.

After spending years tucked The Kitchen Theatre Company reopened Sept. 1 for its first away in a more remote show of the season in its renovated building.

MATT RIGBY/THE ITHACAN area of Ithaca

BY MEGAN DEVLIN

and sharing a space with different arts organizations and a local charter school, Lesley Greene, the company’s associate producing director, said it was time for a place of their own.

“We’d rehearse during the day in the theater and the bell would ring and kids would be running through the halls and making noises,” Greene said.

This is not the case at the new location. The revamped theater now mirrors the company’s mission of being bold, intimate and engaging. Coloring its lobby is a potent crimson and edgy black, which accentuate the theater’s modern design.

With the eye-catching display of its modern logo on the outside and the all-glass doors inviting patrons inside, Lampert said the renovation has given the Kitchen Theatre a more professional look.

“This [renovation] definitely says that you’ve arrived at some special building when you walk down the street,” Lampert said.

Thanks to more than 250 generous supporters and a sizeable budget, the new Kitchen Theatre was granted tremendous flexibility with the renovation.

The arena stage is at ground level and sits among the elevated rows of the theater’s 99 seats.

Greene said the additional space and equipment, including more lighting and two extra amps, have created greater artistic opportunities and more dramatic production capabilities.

“The biggest difference is onstage space,” Greene said. “The directors have been able to stage the play so that performance comes spilling out at you.”

Lampert said having a full

scene shop at the theater enables designers to craft performance sets on-site as opposed to offsite, as before.

Since moving into its new location, the company has put on eight plays, including “Bed & Sofa,” “boom” and “The Tricky Part.” The theater’s new space and mentality have brought about a new attitude of professionalism, Lampert said.

The theater is now in a more visited area, only just across the way from State Street Diner and Fine Line Bistro.

Lampert said she has already seen the benefits of moving and attributes these benefits to the modern design in an area of increased visibility. “[People] had to really search for us,” she said. “Our street presence is making a considerable difference. We are discovering that people see the door, open it up and walk in here.”

Lampert said the move has also brought the fulfillment of another company goal — contributing to the community.

“We didn’t want to be in a place where people would have to drive,” she said. “We wanted them to have dinner, then come to the theater, or come to theater and get a drink afterwards.”

Since many of the company’s theatergoers are academic professors, businessmen and women and college students, Lampert said she wanted the theater to be part of the area’s “urban” presence.

“This is a great neighborhood because people frequent the bars that are down here and the restaurants that are down here,” she said. “Our visibility is completely different.”

The bronze sculpture called “Song of Innocence” by Chrisiti Harrington is displayed on The Commons Center Pavillon.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

V

ibrant splashes of yellow, green and red accentuate the hue of blue 17th century icons painted on the walls of Green Street. While dozens of art pieces decorate downtown Ithaca, few people passing them take time to stop and consider their significance.

The initiative to liven the city with public art first began in 2002. Within the last year, the city increased the presence of public art in the community with its Public Art Plan, and abstract sculptures and colorful murals continue to be added to the city’s collection of street decor.

Brett Bossard, executive director of the Community Arts Partnership, the plan’s primary fundraising source, said public art is an integral part of maintaining Ithaca’s original image as an artistic community.

He said visual art in public arenas engages people in a way that encourages conversation.

“Whether people like it or hate it, art provides a common starting point for conversation,” he said.

JoAnn Cornish, planning and development

director for the city of Ithaca, said public art started as a grassroots effort in Ithaca.

In collaboration with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the city began its public art initiative 11 years ago with one of the first Art in the Heart exhibitions.

Art in the Heart exhibits outdoor sculptures created by local artists who lend pieces to the community for six months.

One of the sculptures in the 2010 Art in the Heart exhibit is Marisa diPaola’s “Caterpillar’s Garden.” Located on The Commons, the mushroom-looking creation is entirely hand-built from recycled materials. A bright blue cap sits atop the electric yellow base and links with the vines that wrap around the tree trunk.

Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said Art in the Heart gives artists like diPaola an opportunity to showcase their pieces and increase their visibility.

“There is always something new and fresh, and

it always gives someone a reason to come Cornish said the public’s increasing reto fund the two mural sites pre-approved back and take a look,” he said. ception of public art led to the development by the city’s Board of Public Works. The Freshman Sam Mason said she enjoys of the PAC mural subcommittee last year. mural locations, the walls of the Tompsearching in the trees for hanging art, espeWith requests from artists to create murals kins County Library along State and cially the recyclable mushroom design. in the city, she said many are willing to creBuffalo streets, were identified as promi“It got me thinking about nent graffiti sites. different ways of using plastic,” Sally Grubb, a committee Mason said. “It’s a different way member of the PAC, said the of defining art.” commission has helped reduce In the fall of 2002, the city the defacement of public buildof Ithaca’s Public Arts Comings because people actually mission developed a public enjoy the art. art plan, the central goals of Provided that the funds which included beautifying are available for these projects, the city, supporting local artGrubb said she hopes the library ists and fostering community. murals will be completed for With help from the Down“Ithaca Festival” in June. town Ithaca Alliance and This summer, New York City Community Arts Partnership, artist Jonathan Matas completed the Public Arts Commission a 30 feet by 16 feet mural downhas placed more than 12 pertown beneath the Aurora Street manent sculptures downtown. bridge. Commissioned through Ferguson said the goal of the a state grant, Matas’ mural initiative is to get people to depicts scenes from the Undercome downtown and experiground Railroad in Ithaca and ence art each time they visit. profiles of Frederick Douglass “It helps brand Ithaca and and Harriet Tubman, prominent brand downtown as an artblack leaders. friendly, artistic and creative Mason said she noticed community,” Ferguson said. how Ithaca is different from On the side of Cinemapolis, other cities because art is not a snaking band of black stones cased in buildings but visible weave through a series of earthto everyone. toned tiles plastered on the Even when Ithaca faced ecocinema’s wall. Students from nomic downturn, many of the Ithaca High School created the Marisa diPaola’s sculpture “Caterpillars Garden” was shown as part of the 2010 city’s theaters, such as the Hanger handcrafted pieces of the mosaic, Art in the Heart program displayed on The Commons in downtown Ithaca. and Kitchen theaters, were unRACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN which is meant to look like water, dergoing major successful capital this summer. campaigns. Bossard said the arts Sophomore Michael Watson said this ate and donate pieces to the community for reinvigorated the area and people are starting piece was especially interesting because the sake of public display. to notice their positive impact. of the deep crack in the mosaic that flows Ferguson said the PAC’s mural initiative “It’s really telling of Ithaca and what the through the piece. He said all the public is an alternative way to beautify the city. arts in general can do for economic developworks are a part of Ithaca’s identity.

“It’s a very low-cost, high-impact way to ment,” he said. “Art is really just a part of “It’s really just Ithaca to me,” he said. provide art to the community,” he said. being a complete human being,” he said. “It “[Art] adds its own character.”

Recently, the PAC applied for a grant makes life feel more alive.”

Above left: The musical piece “Merge” by Ethan Stern ’01 sits next to the playground on The Commons camouflaged by bushes and trees in a flower bed.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

Above right: A mosaic, which was crafted by Ithaca High School students, wraps around the outside walls of Cinemapolis near The Commons.

RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

Author manifests legacy in final mystery novel

Book launches Ivy style onto runways Nothing quite exudes ’60s collegiate American style like a navy blazer, button-down shirt, chinos and a pair of penny loafers. The preppy style that was once the dress code for Ivy League institutions has become fashion’s newest trend.

“Take Ivy,” as photographed by Teruyoshi Hayashida, is a quirky art book that typifies the daily life of Ivy League students through a colorful series of animated photos paired

witty commentaries.

“Take Ivy,” explores why Ivy League students dress and behave the way they do. Each photo is accompanied by commentary that analyzes the connection between dress and behavior by one of three Japanese writers — Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu and Hajime Hasegawa.

“Take Ivy” is a musthave for any fashionista or fashionisto.

—RICHARD PAEK

Stieg Larsson blew a breath of fresh air into the mystery and thriller genres by combining the two in an outstanding new book where readers are forced to take a second look into a world where nothing is as it seems.

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” is the conclusion to the international bestselling Millennium Trilogy, which includes “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl Who Played with Fire.” While the first novel is a self-contained story, the third novel is a continuation of the second and devolves into the story of Lisbeth Salander’s past.

Compared with the first two novels in the trilogy, Larsson spends more time in “Hornet’s Nest” spotlighting a single event rather than a string of events.

Instead of an intricate mystery that spans the entire book, he focuses on the preparation for Salander’s trial and unraveling the mysteries of her complicated life. He is able

to wrap up the loose ends from the second book, which is important to the fans of the trilogy, especially after the second novel ended on a cliffhanger.

Unfortunately, Larsson died of a heart attack shortly after delivering his three crime thrillers to his publisher, but his legacy as a mystery-thriller author lives on in “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”

—SARA FRIEDMAN

Author’s simple style drives realism The sixth novel in the “Kenzie and Gennaro” series and the first since 1999’s “Prayers for Rain,” “Moonlight Mile” is not the best of the series but is still a gripping and suspenseful novel. Author Dennis Lehane conveys the atmosphere of the seedy underbelly of Boston with ease and style. This is typical of

his novels, which include “Mystic River,” “Shutter Island” and the other novels in the “Kenzie and Gennaro” series. His writing is never overembellished. Lehane describes his setting just enough to paint a picture of a poor area whose residents turn to crime out of necessity and desperation.

The sparse, simple style fits well

with the realistic tone and of the characters’ situations.

Though it does not reach the same level of quality as “Gone, Baby, Gone,” it provides a fascinating follow-up to McCready’s life and the fallout of her case, and it is a satisfying conclusion to the series.

—LAUREN MATEER

Final in series defines ‘Halo’ “Halo Reach,” the latest and final first-person shooter game in the “Halo” series, tells the story of Noble Team in the events preceding the original “Halo: Combat Evolved.” The year is 2552, and a religious alien alliance known as “The Covenant” has brought its war against humanity to the

planet Reach.

The campaign’s strongest point is showing the true threat the Covenant represents. Previous games saw them descending into somewhat comedic roles. Now they can best be described as downright terrifying. The Covenant’s entire redesign

keeps them visually reminiscent of their appearance in other games, but their new image and improved intelligence will make any shoot-out a tense standoff instead of a massacre. This is “Halo Reach,” and this is how the world ends.

—R. BRYANT FRANCIS

Million dollar franchise adds new dimension to video game Unlike the other games in the series, “Call of Duty: Black Ops” takes place in the time period just between the last games of the franchise during the Cold War. The campaign puts the player in the shoes of special ops agent Alex Mason as an unknown group tortures him.

The campaign itself is business as usual for the “Call of Duty” franchise — there are distinct improvements, but it’s essentially the same concept driven by basic “go here, kill this” objectives. With each new release, the graphics get better, and the campaign seems to become more and more cinematic. Both are true with this latest game. “Black Ops” is also made more interesting with its character focus, as the player continues playing as Mason

throughout the campaign — different from the previous games in which the player would become different soldiers in different locations. Though the game does have the feature of the development of a central character, the story starts to fall flat because of the standard “run and gun” gameplay seen throughout the rest of the franchise.

“Black Ops” comes with more guns available than in previous games, offering many different ways to get kills, some of which are fun, though not necessarily effective. Between the new customizations and innovations, “Black Ops” is a standout addition to the “Call of Duty” franchise.

—CHRISTOPHER ROACH AND WHITNEY FABER

DC superheroes heighten action DC Universe Online is a spin on the classic genre of massive multiplayer online role-playing games. While DC Comics does not add anything new to MMORPGs as a whole, the novelty of creating superheroes to battle against classic DC comic book villains, or vice versa, is enticing.

The game is user-friendly and designed with novice players in mind, but that doesn’t detract from the difficulty of the raids at the end of the game. One of the toughest raids, against the “Doomsday” villain, requires a combination of well-equipped attackers: destructive tanks, health-managing healers and stat-boosting controllers. Even teams of the highest level could fall to the immense difficulty of the raid.

DC Universe Online’s concept and use of legendary superheroes and events fuel this game.

—ROBERT RIVERA

Kid Cudi’s concert at Cornell University on Nov. 6 opened with Chip the Ripper and Gnarls Barkley before Cudi smashed the stage.

ANDREW BURACZENSKI/ THE ITHACAN

Kid Cudi saves reputation with performance Kanye West pulled Cleveland, Ohio, native Kid Cudi onto the music scene, and it seems Cudi is doing the same thing for Chip the Ripper, the concert’s opening act. Kid Cudi may have some talent, but he doesn’t have the ability to spot it.

New artists need to burst onto the rap scene, not nestle into it. Chip’s lyrics were all about girls, partying and weed — typical, cliché and offensive. “I like my girls how I like my blunts, and that’s two going at once,” he raps.

Cee Lo Green, a member of Gnarls Barkley and the concert’s second act, told the audience, “Tonight you can call me Gnarls.”

“Crazy” was presented like a live mash-up; Green’s lyrics were accompanied by interchanging background tunes, which made for a danceable treat.

When Kid Cudi entered to wild applause, he began singing, but he couldn’t be heard. Whether this was a problem with the microphone or if he was just singing too softly is unclear. But as he started his second song, “Revofev,” the music still overpowered him.

The sound problems were fixed when he got to “Ghost!” His passion for his music was apparent with the smile that stayed plastered on his face. He jumped around the stage singing “Mr. Rager,” “Man on the Moon” and “Soundtrack to My Life.” These songs are usually slow on the album, but Kid Cudi presented them as amplified, faster-paced versions, which engaged the audience well.

Twice during the show, Kid Cudi gave heartfelt speeches that illustrated the poetic truth his songs are made from. He talked about his surprise that he became so popular, as well as about people who start to hate others when they become successful. His second discussion was geared toward his college-aged audience saying, “All that matters is what you want to believe — what you want to do.”

Though the concert Nov. 6 was full of sound problems and a boring opening act, the apparent passion Kid Cudi brought to his performance made up for all other difficulties.

—ALEXANDRA EVANS

Great Elk sets Wildfire Lounge’s stage ablaze The vibe of the show was laidback, easygoing and mellow, with about 15 people silently taking in the music at Wildfire Lounge on Sept. 11. Local musician Steve Gollnick — who performs both solo acts and with his band Hubcap — played for the first hour of the concert, handing the spotlight over to Great Elk — composed of Paul Basile, Patrick Hay, Adam Christgau, Jon Estes and Bryan Trenis — for the second half of the night.

Buffalo-based Great Elk pumped up the volume with their first song, the bubbly and bouncing single “Bow Echo.” The song showcased Basile’s solid voice and Hay’s fantastic guitar work. Combined, the two made for a soulful

twang that married well with Estes’ bass lines and Christgau’s energetic percussion.

The boys had an aura of family about them. It made the show seem more like a family barbecue — just playing for friends on a Saturday night. The band seemed instantly comfortable with the concertgoers, and the ease with which they played made for an enjoyable experience.

The most pleasant surprise of the night was when the band slowed down Bruce Springsteen’s hit “Dancing in the Dark” to a swaying lullaby. The rendition was fantastic and got the loudest applause from the audience.

Guitarist Patrick Hay and songwriter Paul Basile of Buffalo’s indie-folk band Great Elk perform at Wildfire Lounge on Sept. 11.

—ALEXANDRA PALOMBO

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

Super Mash Bros. master mix at Cornell summer concert

Dick Fink, one of the two members of Super Mash Bros., energizes the crowd Aug. 28 with the group’s mash-up hits.

KARLA COTE/THE ITHACAN

In a lively show that paired big names like Blink-182 and Lil Wayne into smooth dance anthems, mash-up group Super Mash Bros. performed for a packed Cornell University Arts Quad on Aug. 28, sending the summer out with a bang.

Dick Fink and Nicolas Fenmore, the men behind Super Mash Bros., began their music careers as DJs for house parties in Los Angeles. Despite the distance from home and the size of the crowd at Cornell, the duo was well within its comfort zone while performing on a much larger scale.

Songs like “Broseidon, Lord Of The Brocean,” features Coldplay, J-Kwon, Death Cab For Cutie, Imogen Heap and Daft Punk all within the lightning-quick span of two minutes. With this song, Super Mash Bros. captured their creativity perfectly, combining the more intricate parts of each individual song into a streamlined and flawless whole.

The duo blurred lines previously separating genres. Mixing varieties of music is indeed a risk, but the two performers showed little regard for the dogmas determining what is or is not compatible. The potent combination of their mashes, such as Modest Mouse’s “Float On” mixed with “Ms. New Booty” by Bubba Sprxx, would delight any fan of both genres. This mix creates a blend of music that all can appreciate.

Part of what made that experience so enjoyable was the fact that Super Mash Bros. didn’t mash their samples to the point that the songs lost their original charm. Each song the group incorporated into its mashes were never garbled, and the original melodies remained recognizable. While tastefully blurring the genre lines, the DJs performed to the exact tastes of the audience. Super Mash Bros.’ knack for creating unpredictable and colorful hits molded an environment that brought fans of every genre together for one smashin’ party.

—EVAN JOHNSON

While Lil Wayne’s prison-break album, “I Am Not a Human Being,” does not offer as much lyrical originality as previous ones, gone are the days of the artist’s signature use of onomatopoeia in songs like “Lollipop” and “Mrs. Officer.”

Lil Wayne includes clever puns and sexual innuendos in songs like “Gonorrhea” and “Hold Up,” while offering percussion and electric chords to drive his heartfelt lyrics in songs like “I Am Not a Human Being.” Rapping about the life of money, sex and drugs, “Mr. Carter” gives listeners a musical mix of passion and pleasure in this new release.

But with support from artists like Drake and Jay Sean along with techno synthesizers, much of Lil Wayne’s predictable flow structure and repetitive lyrics can be overlooked.

½ Ke$ha’s sophomore album, the LP “Cannibal,” manages to mix her usual heartthumping dance beats with heart-breaking ballads.

Her first single, “We R Who We R” was written in response to a string of suicides among gay youths. The track, which features the songstress refusing to apologize for being herself, is the perfect lead single for the album.

If there’s any criticism of the album it’s that Ke$ha doesn’t show more versatility.

“The Harold Song” shows a side of her that hasn’t been seen before, and it’s disappointing that she doesn’t showcase it more on this album.

While there isn’t much of a difference from her past release, there’s really no need.

Ke$ha’s blowing speakers up and doing a good job of it.

In her third studio release, “Speak Now,” Taylor Swift revisited the country twang and slower melodic rhythms that listeners heard from her debut offering.

Each track on “Speak Now” is driven by an instance in Swift’s life, or one she’s witnessed, where she or someone else had the opportunity to say something and never did — ultimately regretting not having done so.

From disappointing relationships to weddings, Swift covers a wide range of subjects on the album, which, along with how she tests her vocal range throughout, shows just how far she’s progressed in her career.

Tracks like “Back to December” and “Dear John,” which reveals an obsessive love that wasn’t meant to last, are examples of Swift’s emotional investment in each offering on “Speak Now.” From start to finish, “Speak Now” gives listeners an inside look at Swift’s personal connection to her songs, culminating in an album that is not only driven by personal experience but will also satisfy listeners across genres.

When someone mentions New Zealand, many people don’t really think of rock bands. But, all this could change with The Naked and Famous, a young, up-and-coming group hailing from the island nation.

The group samples from a vast array of musical influences to create a singly defined and expansive collection. The instrumental track “The Source” evokes Trent Reznor-esque industrial orchestration, while “Spank” incorporates the guitar yelps and distortions found in Sleigh Bells’ riot-inducing jams.

Plug in and crank the volume to the max for what is sure to be a musical highlight of 2011.

Each track in “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” portrays a different part of West’s persona. Hitting highs and lows, the album builds to a climax like a movie, beginning with West’s self-praise and ending on his self-loathing.

The first track, “Dark Fantasy,” establishes an ominous overtone with a downtrodden beat and pessimistic lyrics that pervade the album. In “Power,” West scorns his haters while asserting his own creativity. With fantastic collaborations, diverse compositions, stellar pacing and strong direction, West’s album delivers on all fronts.

Raw emotions shine in Electra

Brilliant voices enrich music

Electra (senior Morgan Lavenstein) seeks revenge in the Ithaca College production of “Electra” on Oct. 2.

From uplifting beginning to powerful end, a nonstop wave of vibratos tunefully told of an unusual love triangle in a contemporary fashion. Sung in its entirety, the 85-minute operatic performance of “Bed & Sofa” brought to the stage a story once considered socially ahead of its time but brewed laughter and compassion for its timeless premise.

Laurence Klavan and Polly Pen’s musical, adapted from the 1928 Russian silent film, “Bed and Sofa,” tells the story of a couple living in Moscow and how their lives are changed after taking in a tenant.

With three inhabitants and only two places to sleep, the question becomes who will take the bed, and who will take the sofa?

Directed by Susannah Berryman, associate professor of theater arts, “Electra” was a classic Greek tragedy written nearly 3,000 years ago. The play centered on its titular character, played by senior Morgan Lavenstein. Electra’s mother, Clytemnestra, played by senior Emma Poole, has killed her husband, Agamemnon, and left the family behind to live lavishly with her lover, Aegisthus.

Berryman’s production has no definite time period; throughout the play, characters wear everything from jeans and pencil skirts to Grecian attire and ragged frocks.

Though “Electra” falls short in the cohesiveness of its theme, it brings up some interesting points about the dark and barbaric nature in all of us.

Director Susannah Berryman, associate professor of theater arts at Ithaca College, helped the performers master the play’s whimsical score and symbolic libretto with near perfection. While the musical accompaniment gives voice to the originally muted characters, Berryman’s keen emphasis is on facial expressions.

“Bed & Sofa” is an exciting treat for those both familiar with and ignorant of the original silent film. The harmonic trio brings to life a story of tyrannized love through sensational acting, thrilling vocals and comedic undertones, delivering a moving yet light performance of weighted material.

—MEGAN DEVLIN

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

—AARON EDWARDS

From left, Kolya (David Neal), Ludmilla (Erica Steinhagen) and Volodya (Patrick Oliver Jones) rehearse a scene from “Bed & Sofa” at the Kitchen Theatre.

COURTESY OF THE KITCHEN THEATRE

Traditional values summarize play

From left, Sybil (Emily Renee Bennett), Amanda Prynne (Carol Halstead), Elyot Chase (Brian Dykstra) and Victor (Tobias Burns) act out a scene from “Private Lives” at the Kitchen Theatre.

COURTESY OF THE KITCHEN THEATRE

All-star cast gets play in gear The five-person cast of “How I Learned to Drive” floors the audience with its acting and ability to express raw emotions to address a challenging theme.

“How I Learned to Drive,” written by Paula Vogel, tells the story of Li’l Bit (senior Hannah Skye Wenzel) as she unfolds the secrets of her abusive childhood.

Wenzel’s truthful narration of Li’l Bit’s traumatic childhood poignantly brings her trauma to the stage. Her fluid ability to switch between different stages of Li’l Bit’s development binds the audience to her tales of misfortune. In contrast to her problems, the actress’ laughable exaggerations of sexuality and tipsy swirling of swizzle sticks after sipping martinis with her uncle offer comedic relief. This easily lets the audience face the reality of this weighted issue.

The three supporting actors who make up the contemporary Greek chorus do a spot-on job as the minor figures essential to telling Li’l Bit’s story.

Whether taking the stage as a doo-wop trio singing the blues or transforming from roles as family members to taunting classmates, junior Ned Donovan, senior Amber Wood and sophomore Celeste Rose brilliantly display their vocal talents and dramatic versatility.

However, their metaphoric gear shifts get redundant with each scene change and trump their potent facial expressions and notable one-liners.

Director Wendy Dann, assistant professor of theater arts, masters Vogel’s use of erotic humor, including sexual innuendos and comical anecdotes on

From left, seniors Amber Wood and Hannah Skye Wenzel rehearse Nov. 18 in Clark Theatre.

PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

the nature of men, women and sex.

Dann uses eccentric lighting and sceneappropriate sound effects to accentuate the actors’ emotional versatility, evoke receptive sentiments and engage the audience in the intimate performance.

While technical perfection thrusts viewers into the setting, this play would be nothing without the courageous acting of the leads and the support of the chorus whose abilities provide a humorous context for the audience to confront the unsettling reality.

—MEGAN DEVLIN

There are only a handful of plays that stay viable throughout generations. After a few decades, even the most venerable classics wear out their welcome or lack the timeliness that made them great in a bygone era. But Noel Coward’s 1930s romantic comedy “Private Lives,” which opened Sept. 4 at the Kitchen Theatre, still packs a heavy comedic punch even to the most modern of audiences.

Coward’s comedy of manners examines what happens when longtime lovers reunite under peculiar circumstances, headed up by a powerhouse cast.

Divorced lovers Elyot Chase (Brian Dykstra) and Amanda Prynne (Carol Halstead) find themselves honeymooning in the same hotel with their new respective spouses. After realizing the passion between them still exists, Elyot and Amanda run away from their newlyweds to be together in Paris.

The premise sounds like the actions of young, naïve lovers, but that’s exactly where the comedy lies. These characters are gripping onto the last bits of frivolous youth they once shared — quarreling, kissing and crying. Through their extended excursion in a Paris flat, the two discover that tumultuous fighting could be what keeps their love exciting and fresh. For them, it’s just a matter of keeping it to a happy minimum.

Director Margarett Perry, a frequent director at the Kitchen Theatre, tackles Coward’s tonguein-cheek circumstances and flippant dialogue with fluidity and ease. But in a small sense, she sacrifices bits of the timeless humor, like the absurdity of a divorced couple ditching each of their lovers, to infuse the show with contemporary mannerisms.

Aside from the occasional slip out of British accents or inkling of modern-day physicality that detract from the depiction of the time period, the Kitchen Theatre’s rendition of Coward’s classic comedy of errors is a witty, entertaining three acts.

A short but brilliant performance from Camilla Shade as Louise, a sickly French maid, is icing on the cake — random and sidesplittingly entertaining. She traipses on stage at the most inopportune moments, spewing French and making situations both oh-so-awkward and hysterical.

Back-dropped by a beautifully minimal set designed by Cornell University professor Kent Goetz and serene lighting by Cornell lecturer E.D. Intemann, “Private Lives” transports the audience to a time filled with wistful orchestras by the beach and bobbed coiffures. Lisa Boquist’s colorful costumes capture the time period with elegant suits and flowing dresses, though this play is too timeless to be summed up as simply a period piece.

It isn’t before long that the façade drops, and the audience sees the undying truth that spans decades. Love knows no bounds, opposites don’t always attract and just a little champagne can go a long way.

—AARON EDWARDS

Period piece captures king Film interprets subconscious

Sequel exposes drive for money

In what looked to be another summer of ghastly remakes and vampire movies, Christopher Nolan, director of “The Dark Knight” and “Memento,” brought his $200million idea to the screen and proved there was still hope for the summer blockbuster.

In Nolan’s purposely-indefinite world, his original writing and meticulous attention to detail create an exhilarating three-layered dream sequence that keeps the audience immersed with each new layer.

The supporting players brought out the strength in Nolan’s script, especially scenestealing Tom Hardy as Eames, a British action star who gives the film a sense of humor with his wisecrack remarks. All the actors bring their strengths, but it’s Nolan who provides the smarts and asks the audience to weave his way through his maze of ideas.

In Oliver Stone’s sequel to the 1987 hit “Wall Street,” he captures the massive scope of the cutthroat stock market.

Grand visuals and a character-energized story of revenge and redemption blend to create “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

The film is supported by fantastic visuals. From the vibrant streets of New York to blinking financial statistics, the bright, opulent colors of the setting and effects help to present the movie’s theme of financial greed that drives and consumes these characters.

Michael Douglas steals the show with his refreshed portrayal of a Wall Street legend.

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is an entertaining and powerful story that shows the glory and madness of the finance world — one of the most influential webs in existence.

—MATT ROSEN

As a biopic, “The King’s Speech” faces the daunting task of explaining the real story — King George V dying, Prince Edward taking the throne and then abdicating to marry an American woman — while making the whole ordeal entertaining. As a period piece, the film also has to incorporate the World War II bomb droppings in the background.

However, what could turn into a dull and lengthy history lesson doesn’t; director Tom Hooper keeps the pace quick with witty dialogue and relatable characters.

Though this may seem like boring Oscar bait, the film is incredibly intriguing.

—ALEXANDRA PALOMBO

—JAMES HASSON

Aaron Sorkin reveals true ‘Network’

“The Social Network” explores the personal drama behind the creation of Facebook. What could have been a tedious story of corporate jargon is instead a superbly crafted drama that mirrors the site itself by detailing multiple characters’ perceptions of others and the events that surround them. It’s all a matter of perception, and no one, not even the audience, is sure of the truth.

Writer Aaron Sorkin uses dialogue to intricately pack both plot and character information into nearly every scene. Zuckerberg’s blogging rant against his former girlfriend explains his intricate knowledge of computer coding and how he uses that to understand interpersonal relationships. The viewer learns he is indeed narcissistic, but the only way he can figure out the world is through his technical lens.

The fact that Zuckerberg is both the protagonist and antagonist makes the film all the more gripping.

The quality acting only enhances

the already exceptional dialogue.

Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg is a particularly fascinating blend of emotions. There always seems to be an ulterior motive behind his dialogue, yet the young computer genius is more than just a ruthless machine of a man — he legitimately thinks all his actions are justified. Eisenberg embodies a mix of shark-like intensity and desire to prove himself, which leaves the audience not sure whether they should despise or sympathize with Zuckerberg. The wonderful thing is that no view is wrong.

—ANNE GOULD NORTHGRAVES

Portman chills audience as ‘Black Swan’ Director Darren Aronofsky finds comfort in telling cautionary tales, and “Black Swan” is his most foreboding one yet.

The film takes place in the competitive world of New York City ballet where constant pressure takes its toll on one company’s nimble dancers. Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman in an Oscar-winning turn, is a prime example of what extreme pressure does to one’s psyche. Sayers is an eager yet self-deprecating talent who unravels when given the lead role in a modern retelling of “Swan Lake.”

A film is only as good as the sum of its parts, and “Black Swan” is built from quality ingredients. The screenplay perfectly weaves together elements of self-worth, sexuality and addiction. Best categorized as a psychological thriller, the film forces viewers to second-guess what they see up

until the mind-numbing finish.

Portman’s performance will likely attain legendary status years from now. After a year of training to get in shape for the demanding dance sequences in “Black Swan,” she is so immersed in the role that the audience feels every crack in her psyche, especially Sayers’ amazing transformation from the White Swan to the Black Swan. Though childlike in the beginning of the movie, Sayers loses all of her innocence in frightening fashion by the end.

“Black Swan” has some chinks in its armor, notably the haphazard editing that attracts too much self-attention, but Portman’s near-perfect acting is the real reason “Black Swan” takes flight.

—MATT REIS

John Hanson holds his grandson Benjamin Kramer as they tour “reimaging the distaff toolkit” at the Handwerker Gallery at Ithaca College.

JUAN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

Art displays tools Soft olive hues within the gallery beckon visitors through the sheen of its glass doorway. A smooth manila carpet meets the gentle shading of the intriguing and fresh exhibit at Ithaca College’s Handwerker Gallery: “reimagining the distaff toolkit,” curated by Rickie Solinger.

Each piece of art highlighted a tool instrumental to women’s domestic labor from the 18th century through World War II. The exhibit, made up of loaned pieces by national artists, displayed items such as pots, pans, baskets and rolling pins until March 6.

The role of the distaff in this exhibit was to explore the social, cultural and historical implications of the labor facilitated by the displayed tools. The art acted as a form of social commentary, cross-culturally highlighting the concept of gender and labor throughout history and the significance of women’s unpaid labor. The artists featured in this exhibit sought to transform the debasement of the female experience and domesticity to something aesthetic that both honors the struggles of women and critiques their historical treatment.

The exhibit confronted truly hard-hitting issues.

But in the sweet lighting, surrounded by these everyday items, exists a pathway to history. In these works of art observers learn to appreciate the universal struggles of domesticity and gender.

—JESSE MAESHIRO

Abstracts bring focus to organic vision Tucked behind the string of local shops in the Triphammer Mall hides one of the Ithaca Bakery cafés. Here, a collection of organic photographs hung above diners sipping freshly brewed, fair-trade

coffees in the booths along the shop’s walls. The purity of the pictures complemented the already natural atmosphere of the local bakery showcasing “Recent Work,” the visceral collection that was on display until Feb. 15.

The show featured the work of Robyn Wishna, lecturer in Ithaca College’s Department of Cinema, Photography and Media Arts and an independent photographer.

Thirteen of her pictures were framed and displayed in two separate rooms of the bakery.

An array of simple yet elemental subjects from Marcia Ervay, who dines at the Ithaca Bakery weekly, looks at different locations were a series of pictures from Normandy, France, on Jan. 31.

JAKE LIFSCHULTZ/THE ITHACAN captured in the high-

resolution digital scans. While every photograph told a story on its own, with no underlying theme, each grouping suggested a purposeful uniformity.

The clarity of the images illuminated the artist’s careful attention to detail. In the “Pink Flower” pair, Wishna’s creative depth of field shows the Floridian bromeliad in an entirely non-cliché manner.

While Ithaca Bakery proudly displayed the images of local talent, the untraditional art venue did not do the photographs justice. Though uniformly framed and equally distributed in both of the shop’s rooms, the photographs hung in a somewhat unkempt manner above booths and bar-stool tables.

However, the prints beautifully conveyed the artist’s vision, translating exactly what was viewed through the lens directly onto the matted prints.

—MEGAN DEVLIN

Images branch out through nature

Juniors Dana Kohut and Kelsie Phelan admire the photographs at the “Trees and Other Ramifications: Branches in Nature and Culture” exhibit Nov. 2 at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum.

CLAUDIA PIETRZAK/THE ITHACAN

“Trees and Other Ramifications: Branches in Nature and Culture” at the Johnson Museum was predominantly a collection of prints, drawings, books and photographs meant to offer an open-ended look at some of the ways trees have been meaningful to humanity. It included a variety of pieces — from 15th century etchings to modern prints and photographs. The works explored a number of themes including evolution, family lineage, environmental awareness and humans’ relation to nature.

The fact that the pieces explored such a range of themes on one subject gave the collection, which ran until Jan. 2, its strength.

Stepping into the exhibit, the visitor was immediately drawn to a photograph, “Structure of Thought 15,” by Mike and Doug Starn. The piece showed an ailing Camperdown Elm in New York City that was dying from Dutch elm disease.

The organization and physical display of the pieces likewise helped to reveal the collection’s motives and themes.

“Trees and Other Ramifications” gave its viewers an all-inclusive look at trees through time. It gave a glimpse of them as aesthetic wonders, points of biological study and pieces of inspiration.

—WHITNEY FABER

The women’s basketball team dominated Utica College for the second time this season in a 75–61 win Feb. 5 at Ben Light Gymnasium.

In a day dedicated to this year’s senior class, seniors Jane DeBiasse, Jordan Confessore and Elissa Klie all started. It was the first time this season all three players started in the same game for the Bombers.

After the Pioneers took an early 3–0 lead, Confessore put the Bombers on the scoreboard with her first bucket of the afternoon. Less than a minute later junior guard Jacqueline Shinall sank a 3-pointer to give the Blue and Gold a 5–3 lead, and the Bombers cruised from there.

—JESSE CASES

The men’s soccer team defeated Rochester Institute of Technology 1–0 Oct. 23 at Carp Wood Field. It was the Bombers final home match of the season, and senior midfielder and co-captain Jeff Geyer scored the game-winner — his second goal of the season.

On Sept. 4, the two Empire 8 opponents played to a 0–0

Utica College senior Jessica Berry watches senior Jordan Confessorre take a lay up Feb. 5.

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

draw in regulation, and the Tigers won 4–2 on penalty kicks.

The Bombers were scoreless until the 13th minute when Geyer headed in a well-timed shot off a pass from sophomore back Gabriel Saint Malo. With the win, the Blue and Gold improved to 2–4 in Empire 8 play.

—ALEX HOLT

RIT freshman Sean Sullivan tries to steal the ball from senior Matt Baluzy on Oct. 23.

MICHELLE MONTGOMERY/THE ITHACAN

Freshman Miles Grier takes a shot against Hobart College at the season opener Nov. 17.

DANIELLE D’AVANZO/THE ITHACAN

Junior Becky Campbell serves against Alfred University on Sept. 21.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

The men’s basketball team opened the season with a 95–87 win over Hobart College at Ben Light Gymnasium on Nov. 17.

The Bombers were led by senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas who scored 28 points to lead all scorers and were also led by the double-double tandem of senior center Phil Barera, who finished with

The women’s tennis team remained undefeated this season with a 9–0 win in its home opener against Alfred University at the Ithaca College Tennis Courts.

The victory extended the Bombers’ dual match win streak to 38 consecutive matches and was the South Hill squad’s third straight shutout in Empire 8 play.

Sisters senior Melissa and sophomore Cristina Nunez played their typical doubles match together and both competed in singles matches to make up for injured teammates.

—ANDREW KRISTY

16 points and 14 rebounds, and sophomore guard Sean Rossi who finished with 10 points and 12 assists. Freshman point guard Christian Jordan scored 15 points in his Bombers’ debut.

The Blue and Gold built an early nine-point lead, led

by Cruz-Rivas who was 3-for3 from 3-point range early.

—HARLAN GREEN-TAUB

Sophomore Tracy Rivas aims to score Oct. 2 against Utica College.

PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

The field hockey team defeated Utica College 2–1 Oct. 2 at Yavits Field. This was the first Empire 8 conference win for the Bombers this season. After the game, the Blue and Gold’s record became 4–5 overall and 1–2 in Empire 8 competition.

This win helped keep the Blue and Gold’s chances of making the playoffs. The team had three Empire 8 games remaining on the schedule this season.

It was also the final game to be played on Yavits Field.

The team moved to the new turf field for its next home game Oct. 18.

—KIM FREITAS

The Bombers’ defense attempts to tackle a Utica running back Oct. 30 at Butterfield Stadium.

MICHELLE MONTGOMERY/ THE ITHACAN

BY HARLAN GREEN-TAUB

For the football team’s seniors, a win against Utica College on Oct. 30 in their final home game meant more than finishing undefeated on their own field for the first time in their four years on South Hill.

The victory clinched the program’s 40th consecutive winning season. Only seven other schools in any division of NCAA football have had longer streaks, and only Linfield College of McMinnville, Ore., has a longer active streak in Division III at 55 consecutive winning seasons.

The only schools with longer streaks of consecutive winning seasons are Penn State University with 49, 1939-87; the universities of Nebraska and Notre Dame with 42 each, 1962-2003 and 1889-1932, respectively; and the universities of Michigan and Texas with 40, 1968-2007 and 18932007, respectively.

“That’s pretty amazing,” junior cornerback Mike Conti said. “I knew we had a pretty good streak, but for our program to be mentioned in the same breath as those schools is pretty remarkable.”

The Bombers have won three Division III National Championships, a total eclipsed by only two schools. The squad has also made seven title game appearances — the most of all teams in Division III. The team has won eight Lambert/Meadowland Cups presented to the best small-college team in the East, while compiling a win percentage of almost .650, and have produced 123 All-Americans during the streak.

Utica Head Coach Blaise Faggiano, who was part of the Bombers last national championship team in 1991 and whose Pioneers fell to the Blue and Gold on Oct. 30, said being part of the Bomber tradition has stuck with him his entire life.

“Being part of a national championship team and the tradition here sticks with you,” Faggiano said. “Those are memories that you carry with you for the rest of your life.”

Senior defensive tackle Andrew Haim said he has the tradition in mind every time he puts on his Bombers’ jersey.

“Knowing how successful the program has been, it makes you work harder to want to keep it go-

ing,” Haim said. “You want to set the example for the younger players that the guys before you set.”

Head Coach Mike Welch ’73, who has been part of the staff at Ithaca since 1984, has posted a record of 208–58 (.781 win percentage) since coming back to coach at his alma mater.

“We’ve had so many winning seasons in a row now that it’s become ingrained in us,” Welch said. “Nothing less than winning is acceptable by our standards.”

For the Bombers, just recording a winning record is not deemed a successful season; this is a squad with playoff aspirations every season.

“When you come here you know what’s expected,” Haim said.

“You’re playing not just for pride but to keep the success going.”

A Bomber victory over conference rival Alfred University and a St. John Fisher College loss to Springfield College on Nov. 6 would give the Bombers the Empire 8 conference championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“We know what’s at stake,” Welch said. “There will be no need to amp the players up for this one.”

Senior player steps down to volunteer as coach

BY MAURA GLADYS AND MEG MALONE

Dressed in khakis and an Ithaca College Bombers polo, senior Lance Baumgartner highfives players as they jog by to the sideline. But no matter how close Baumgartner physically is to the field, he will never have the opportunity to play on it again.

Baumgartner, who suffered a grade 3 concussion last fall and was told he couldn’t risk suffering another hit, has found a new role on the football team, as a volunteer assistant coach.

“I was thinking, ‘If I do get another, what am I going to do with school?’” he said. “I’m not going

Because of an injury, senior Lance Baumgartner now volunteers as an assistant coach for the football team.

Overall Pct. Conf.

Pct.

6–4 .600 3–2 .600

Streak Home Away Neutral

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

L2 5–0 1–4 0–0

to be able to study. So it was more just a matter of academics coming before athletics for me.”

A three-year letter winner for the Bombers, Baumgartner said he still wanted to stay involved with the team despite not being able to play — a decision agreed on by the Bombers’ coaching staff. “[Baumgartner] is very committed to Ithaca football,” Head Coach Mike Welch said. “He’s a good people person, and he’s passionate about football, so we asked him if he wanted to coach.”

Senior and offensive guard Rich Mallon, one of Baumgartner’s four roommates, said Baumgartner is able to balance his relationship with the athletes on and off the field. Mallon said Baumgartner touches on his own experiences when giving instruction as a coach.

“He’s really doing everything in his power to bring all of his knowledge and everything that he’s learned in the last three years and get that across to the team,” Mallon said. “He brings his best stuff every day.”

Graduate student runs bases and tackles for Blue and Gold

BY ANDREW WEISER

As the three-year starting strong safety for the football team, third baseman on the baseball team and student in Ithaca College’s Master of Business Administration program, graduate student Dave Ahonen said he juggles the demanding routine of collegiate athletics with a rigorous academic schedule.

“I expect a high level of performance [from] myself in school as well as on the field,” he said. “So I’m going to do whatever I can to get the schoolwork done to the best of my ability and do what it takes to keep my performance up on the field. If that’s sacrificing to get it done, then that’s what it takes.”

Head Football Coach Mike Welch said it’s Ahonen’s commitment to success that allowed him to immediately impact the college’s football program as a freshman.

“He has a tremendous desire to excel —

to pursue excellence in everything he does,” Welch said. “He played a lot as a freshman, a lot of special teams and in our defensive backfield, and now he’s going to be a three-year starter for us. He’s got a real intrinsic drive to do well in everything he does.”

Despite his busy schedule as a graduate student, another time constraint Ahonen said he has had to adjust to in the past three years is making the transition to baseball in the spring and doing what he can to compensate for missing fall baseball training.

“I kind of put in the overtime during winter break to get ready for the season, and it’s worked out,” he said.

Ahonen has developed a practice routine that helps him ease the transition between sports and put in the hours to compensate for the time he missed, Head Baseball Coach George Valesente said.

“He works hard when we do defensive

Graduate student Dave Ahonen has been a three-year starter for football and a leading hitter for baseball.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

stuff, and he works hard at his hitting, which shows because he’s been our leading hitter for the last three years,” Valesente said.

Looking back, Ahonen said he wouldn’t change anything about his collegiate career.

“I’m going to try to enjoy this as long as I can,” he said.

Above left: Derek Campbell ‘07 shouts his support from the bleachers along with hundreds of other fans.

JUAN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

Above center: Sophomore wide receiver Andre Jamison tries to shake a Cortland defender by the end zone.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Above right: Ithaca College students crammed into the stands Nov. 13 at the SUNY-Cortland field decked in blue and gold to show their support for the football team.

JUAN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

Below: Senior captain and tight end Dan Higgins remains on the Cortland field after losing his last Jug game.

ANDREW BURACZENSKI/THE ITHACAN

Top: From left, Dave Zupan ‘05, Casey Brown ‘05, Derek Campbell ‘07, Akira Do ‘07, Dana Breeden ‘09 and Tom Yee ‘10 proudly wear their Ithaca Bomber pride.

JUAN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

Above: Tight end and team captain senior Dan Higgins tries to catch a pass while two Cortland defenders attempt to tackle him and force a fumble.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Left: Junior Andrew Rogowski kicks a 29-yard field goal at the 52nd annual Cortaca Jug. He also added two extra points after each of the Bombers’ touchdowns.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

From left, sophomore Megan Palladino, Hartwick College senior Briana Crow and senior Andrea Janda chase after a loose ball Oct. 20 at Carp Wood Field.

TALIA KOREN/THE ITHACAN

It’s all about offense

Overall Pct. Conf.

Pct.

13–5–1 .711 7–0–1 .938

Streak Home Away Neutral

L1 5–2–1 6–1–0 2–2–0

BY JESSE CASES

In the team’s six wins this season, the Blue and Gold have outscored opponents by a 27–3 margin, with the most lopsided score being a 6–0 shutout victory at Utica College on Sept. 15. The team also outshot its first seven opponents 190–45.

Sophomore center midfielder Julie Winn said the goal scoring was a result of the types of drills the team worked on during practice.

“We do a lot of finishing drills and crosses because we’ve been trying to work on finishing so we can bring our whole game together,” Winn said. “We always focus on following our shots in case the goalie bobbles the ball, so offense is a huge focus at practice.”

Though many think that offense starts when a team has the ball, sophomore outside midfielder Caroline Jastremski said the team’s scoring begins with playing defense.

“You want to move the ball up, and everyone plays every position on the field,” Jastremski said.

“Our forwards aren’t just forwards, they play defense too. Our defense tries to penetrate forward and help things on offense. Overall we can play every aspect of the game at every position.”

Another area that changed the Bombers’ approach on the field was their new 3-5-2 formation that they adopted at the start of the season. One of the keys to the formation was having three center midfielders.

While the new formation helped the team create scoring opportunities, graduate student and midfielder Liz Masucci said the team will continue to look for new ways to score in every situation.

“I’d be confident that no matter what formation we were in we’d be creating just as many opportunities to score,” Masucci said.

Forward makes history beating 19-goal record

BY JESSE CASES

Sophomore forward Rachael Palladino made her way into the record books Oct. 30 as the women’s soccer team finished the regular season with a 3–0 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Palladino entered the game with 18 goals for the season, just one away from the all-time record for goals in a season set by Chelsey Feldman ’09 in 2007.

Palladino tied Feldman’s record Oct. 30 and then beat freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Vargas again later in the game, scoring off a pass from sophomore midfielder Caroline Jastremski to move past Feldman for the all-time record.

Palladino took up another position on defense because of team injuries this season, which forced the Bombers to make several changes to the starting lineup.

Palladino said playing defense

Sophomore Rachael Palladino drives the ball away from Elmira College sophomore Natty Vogler.

ANDREW BURACZENSKI/THE ITHACAN

isn’t new to her because she played defense throughout high school.

She said players needed to work harder for the team to continue its prior success.

“People are going to have to step up,” Palladino said. “We have a big group of girls, and everyone is talented so people just need to step up their game and show us that they deserve to be out there.”

Strong roster helps squad

BY ALEX HOLT

The Bombers’ depth was apparent as several athletes made early contributions in roles vacated by last year’s seniors.

“We have younger guys stepping into key roles so they really already have that experience,” co-captain and senior Matt Baluzy said. “We’re more in shape and more in tune to keeping our shape and moving the ball at a quicker pace.”

Co-captain and senior Jeff Geyer said the team was working to determine where everyone falls into place on the field based on each players’ strengths.

“We want to build on what we’ve been doing in practice, … and we want to push ourselves to see if we can get the most out of it,” Geyer said.

Senior goalie Justin Parlapiano said strength up and down the roster made the defense hard to beat.

“This year we have a lot of talent that used to come off the bench,” he said. “So we have a lot of players who can manage our style of play.”

Overall Pct. Conf.

Pct.

4–8–4 .375 2–5–0 .286

Streak Home Away Neutral

L1 1–3–2 3–4–2 0–10 From left, sophomore forward Steve Kinslow heads the ball away from SUNY-Geneseo senior Nick Cava.

ANDREW BURACZENSKI/THE ITHACAN

Co-captain inspires all

BY ALEX HOLT

Co-captain and senior Jeff Geyer battles for the ball against RIT junior John Zito on Oct. 23 at Carp Wood Field.

MICHELLE MONTGOMERY/THE ITHACAN

He was always racing down the field to take a shot, tagging up on defense or showing his teammates where and when to execute the same move. Co-captain and senior Jeff Geyer set the tone for the Bombers this season with his leadership and work ethic. “[I’ll do] whatever it takes to just keep touching the ball because otherwise I’m not as in shape going into the season as I want to be,” Geyer said.

Geyer’s fellow co-captain, senior midfielder Matt Baluzy, said Geyer is exceptionally good at communicating and

motivating each player.

“I’m less talkative than him so he definitely is willing to tell people what to do, where to do it, [and] help the younger players out,” Baluzy said. “But he’s not afraid to yell at people to pick up the pace in practice.”

Freshman forward Brennan Edmonds said he and his fellow underclassmen have learned a lot from Geyer.

“Because our team is so young, we need someone to step into that strong leadership role and set examples for us, so that’s what Jeff has done as a player on and off the field,” Edmonds said.

Bombers double up

BY KIM FREITAS

Double-teaming is one of the most effective ways to get the ball and transition to offense. From the first day of practice this year, Head Coach Tracey Houk and Assistant Coach Lindsey Hendricks emphasized the importance of double-teaming.

Houk said the team’s zone defense this season played to executing this technique.

“Double-teams are vital to our success,” Houk said. “Playing a zone allows us to use the support from our teammates to double team for the ball.”

Senior defensive back Mia Muzio said it was something the team has been focusing on since the preseason.

“It is definitely something that we’ve been working on consistently throughout the year because it is such an important part of playing defense,” Muzio said.

The South Hill squad benefited from double-teams because of the scoring chances they created, junior midfielder JulieAnne Butare said.

“They’re allowing us to regain possession on our attacking end, which allows us to capitalize and get the ball back into the offensive circle to take the shot,” Butare said.

Anyone on the team can double-team while in the game, Muzio said, and all the players enjoy doing their part.

“In game situations, even forwards can play defense,” Muzio said.

From left, sophomore Julia Conroy runs past Utica College junior Jessica Ahearn.

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Team works turf

BY KIM FREITAS

The days of practicing on grass are over for the field hockey team. With the construction of the new Athletics and Events Center comes a new outdoor turf field, situated behind the facility.

Switching to turf was an adjustment because all of the players had different backgrounds of what surfaces they have played on — AstroTurf, field turf and grass.

Head Coach Tracey Houk said the team would have to adapt to the new playing environment in order to succeed.

“There’s a lot of transition going on this year,” Houk said. “Having our … field come in the middle of our season is … exciting, but it’s also an adjustment.”

Sophomore goalie Kelly Singleton said the turf game is more advantageous because it is faster and more accurate than games played on grass. The team also plays most of its games on turf fields.

“We’ve been practicing on grass, and we have to play teams on turf,” Singleton said. “It’s kind of

From left, freshman Katie Kennedy attempts to break away from Wooster College freshman Josie Rey. PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

hard to adjust from turf to grass. … It’s definitely a disadvantage overall because every Empire 8 game we’ll play will be on turf.”

The new turf field will allow the team to ultimately speed up the pace of the game in its favor, sophomore forward Amanda Rissmeyer said.

“Actually being able to practice on [our own] turf before a game that is on turf is going to help us so much,” she said. “Our small detail passing … is going to be 20 times better.”

Freshman sets tone for teammates from day one

BY MATT TRACY

While most freshmen are busy hitting the textbooks to keep up with the workload of college classes, freshman Amanda Failla is busy with a different type of book.

Failla shot her way into the Ithaca College record books in the golf team’s season opening match against William Smith College with a then-school record of 85.

“I was really nervous,” Failla said. “It was my first time out there, and I just hoped for the best.”

Head Coach Dan Wood said he made it a priority to recruit Failla because of her strong golf background and success at Farmington High School in Farmington, Conn., where she was an all-state golfer.

“We were thrilled that she came to Ithaca because she was looking at some strong Division

III schools as well as a Division I school at Central Connecticut State,” Wood said.

Failla said her family has always had a strong interest in golf, which made it easier to get involved when she began playing at 10 years old. Failla said her family was the most influential in her development as a golfer.

“I ended up getting serious about golf when I was about 14,” Failla said. “My dad was the one that really started to push my play.”

Failla’s father, John, said she caught onto golf right from day one and was motivated to continue playing all the way to college.

“She was a natural,” John said.

“She really liked it and began practicing really hard. That’s when she got the ball rolling.”

Failla said one of her goals for the season was to make it to the

Freshman Amanda Failla takes a swing at the driving range during practice Sept. 14 at the Robert Trent Jones golf course at Cornell University.

JAKE LIFSCHULTZ/THE ITHACAN

NCAA championship.

“I want to compete in the NCAA [Division] III Championships as an individual or as a team. By shooting in the 70s, I will probably make it as an individual as well as help out my team,” she said.

Making second shot count Invitational jump-started a successful season that ended with the team winAfter finishing a close second in ning third place at the Eastern College the Empire 8 to Nazareth College last Athletic Association Division II/III year, the Bombers climbed to the top Women’s Golf Championships. of the conference this season.

“We have the most depth of any The South Hill squad won its first team in the Empire 8,” O’Shea said.

Empire 8 Championship on Sept. 18 “Although we have won two tournaand 19 at Blue Heron Hills Country ments this year, the whole team Club in Macedon, N.Y. knows we can play better.”

Freshman Amanda Failla, who Head Coach Dan Wood, who was was named Empire 8 Rookie of the named Empire 8 Coach of the Year Year, said it meant a lot to the team to at the Empire 8 Championship, said win its first conference title. the depth of the team did give each “I know everyone really wanted athlete valuable playing time. to win it,” Failla said. “So it was just a “At one time or another in 2010, great feeling.” every single player in the top six has Senior Christie O’Shea said the played No. 1 in the second round of Bombers wanted to build off of their the tournament,” Wood said. early success. The conference champiHe said he hopes to close the gap onship and victory at the William Smith between the Bombers and other top programs in the future by building 1st Place in the 3rd Place at Eastern an even stronger Inaugural Empire College Athletic Associateam in the next 8 Women’s Golf tion Division II/III Women’s few seasons.

“Our plan is to Championship Golf Championships recruit some more players and improve our already solid group,” Wood said.

BY MATT TRACY

Sophomore Jackie Young putts the ball into the hole during practice at the Ithaca Country Club.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

From left, sophomore Cristina Nunez and her sister senior Melissa show off their identical smiles on the court.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Sister sense shines on court

BY ANDREW KRISTY

Senior Melissa Nunez shifts her weight, receiving the serve with a powerful forehand, while her doubles partner and sister, sophomore Cristina Nunez, follows up the return with a crushing stroke to put away the point against their opponents from Alfred University. Both sisters, with almost identical smiles, come together and acknowledge the point with a high five.

As a doubles team, the sisters posted a 13–5 record in the 2009 season.

This season, the duo led a team that won the preseason vote to finish in first place in the Empire 8 conference and has won 45 consecutive Empire 8 matches since 2004.

For Melissa, an athletic training major, and Cristina, a sport management major, their reliance on each other is something they developed from an early age with the

help of their family.

“For Christmas one year I got a tennis racket,” Melissa said. “And my sister saw that I had gotten one and she got really, really upset and mad at my dad because she expected to get one. So she pouted and didn’t talk to my dad until one day he got her one.”

Their development started with a familiar source — their father, Bob Nunez, who is a professional tennis instructor. Bob said his daughters were able to grow as tennis players because of their commitment to the game.

“They practiced all their lives,” Bob said.

“They grew up hitting with each other.”

The Nunez family

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bond doesn’t end with their dad. Cristina said her mom, Ruth Nunez, sometimes wouldn’t be able to watch the drama unfold because of her attachment to the outcome.

“Mom has traveled and gone everywhere for us,” Cristina said.

“She would come to our matches and wouldn’t be able to watch. She would get so nervous she would walk away. We’d walk up [after a match] and she’d be in the car.”

Ruth said having her daughters on the court together evokes an emotion that is almost indescribable.

“It’s more than happy,” Ruth said. “It’s not only that they’re playing together but how they get along together.”

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To hear more about the Nunez sisters, check out a video at http://theithacan.org/2741.

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Freshman Becky Guzzo hits the ball over to Nazareth College on Oct. 23 at the Reis Tennis Center at Cornell University.

ZAC BLITZ/THE ITHACAN

Surprise addition brings the heat

BY ANDREW KRISTY

Freshman Becky Guzzo was casually hitting the tennis ball around with one of her friends in early September when her Ithaca College athletic career took an unexpected twist.

Women’s Tennis Head Coach Bill Austin and sophomore Cristina Nunez, 2009 Empire 8 Player of the Year, caught a glimpse of Guzzo’s quick, knifing swing that lashed at the ball with power.

“They just said, ‘Oh, come down to practice with us for a couple of days, and see how you fit W10 in,’” Guzzo said.

5–0 Since then, Guzzo proved to 5–0 be a productive player.

0–0 Senior Melanie Cohen, a doubles partner with Guzzo, said Guzzo’s surprise addition was beneficial for everyone.

“None of us hit as hard as she does,” Cohen said. “It’s great to have different styles of play on the team.”

Nunez said Guzzo’s attitude sparked the team.

“It’s always amazing to have fresh legs in the starting lineup,” Nunez said. “She’s always so positive. Very rarely does she ever get down in a match or frustrated.”

Junior named tournament MVP sets tone for season

BY MEGAN GOLDSCHMIDT

Junior Karin Edsall blocked more than just opposing teams’ shots this season. After being named the Most Valuable Player at the Bomber Invitational on Sept. 10 and 11, Edsall deflected praise and recognition and said everyone on the team played well enough to deserve the honor.

“It was just weird because before the ceremony we were talking about who might have won it, [and] we couldn’t decide because we had all played really well,” she said.

In the tournament, Edsall recorded 46 points for the team and helped the South Hill squad win the invitational on its home court.

The fact that Edsall attributed her success to the team was nothing new, junior right side/middle blocker Elizabeth Previte said.

Previte said Edsall is a loyal friend and confident athlete, both of which are aspects that contributed to Edsall’s chemistry with her fellow teammates.

“We were all so ecstatic for her when she won MVP,” Previte said. “She played a phenomenal weekend.

Sometimes you can be on on blocking and off on

attacking or vice versa, but [Edsall] was on on both at the highest level she has ever played at.”

Head Coach Janet Donovan said Edsall not only brings consistency to the block and attack, but she also has a great attitude every time she steps on the court. “[Edsall] is one of the most levelheaded and positive players I’ve ever had the fortune to coach,” Donovan said. “She also takes every criticism and opportunity to get better.”

Previte said Edsall’s warm disposition is one of her best qualities. “[Edsall] is a little quiet when you first meet her, and she is a little quirky,” Previte said. “She gives off a vibe that just makes the team really happy to be around her.”

Edsall said she plays for the great chemistry between the girls on and off the court and how the game makes her feel.

“I love it because there is just a feeling I get when I’m on the court,” she said. “It’s just the energy and how amped up I get that makes me love volleyball.”

Check out the team’s chemistry in a video at http://theithacan.org/4533.

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Junior Karin Edsall bumps around with her teammates at practice Sept. 28.

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BY MEGAN GOLDSCHMIDT

The volleyball team’s first win, shutout and its first tournament victory this season all came at home in Ben Light Gymnasium, and on Oct. 23 the Bombers, playing at home, added another first to that list.

At the Empire 8 Crossover, the Blue and Gold beat Stevens Institute of Technology, in addition to the other three teams at the tournament, to complete the sweep and claim the Empire 8 regular season title for the first time since 2005.

The Bombers went into the Empire 8 Crossover with a lot of confidence and the ultimate goal to win, senior defensive specialist/ libero Taylor Horton said.

“It feels great because in my four years Sophomore Carly Graham digs a hard hit here we’ve never done that, so it’s amazing,” Nov. 2 in Ben Light Gymnasium.

Horton said. “It feels like all the hard work KELSEY O’CONNOR/THE ITHACAN

we’ve put in all season really paid off.”

Junior outside hitter Chelsea Hayes said not needing to travel or worry about fans showing up for the Empire 8 Championship tournament was a huge perk.

“It’s always an advantage to play on your home court,” Hayes said.

Junior middle blocker Karin Edsall said the Bombers were excited to back up their No. 1 seed.

“Some teams that we beat to get here might think that it was kind of a fluke that we defeated them, so it’s fun having the mentality of ‘We can get you again; it really wasn’t a fluke’, and show them in competition,” she said.

Finished 7th overall at NCAA Atlantic Region Championship in Oneonta, N.Y.

From left, senior captain John Davis, graduate student Bill Way and junior Dan Craighead lead the team at practice Sept. 20.

CHELSEA BELL/THE ITHACAN

Starting out right

BY TOM ESCHEN

Running for second chance

BY MAURA GLADYS

Graduate student Bill Way had reason to smile.

He had what almost every athlete wants — a second chance to compete at a sport he loves.

Way was running competitive cross country for the first time since high school.

“It’s like I’m living the dream,” Way said.

Way’s contributions to the Bombers were apparent as he won Empire 8 Runner of the Week twice in the season.

Way’s perpetually positive attitude also had an effect on the team, senior captain John Davis said.

“To have a guy who’s always excited to be there and never down on what we’re doing really brings everyone else up,” Davis said.

Head Coach Jim Nichols said Way brings a new dynamic to the team.

“Physically he’s stronger and more mature than our freshmen and sophomores,” Nichols said. “We talk to him as an experienced veteran.”

With one of its most successful seasons in recent history, the men’s cross country team made every step count during the summer months of preseason.

The extra hard work was something senior John Davis said made a distinct difference this season.

“A lot of cross country is putting in the work and getting a high mileage base in the off-season,” Davis said.

“We already had a good base to work off when we came back to school.”

Graduate student Bill Way, who placed 25th of 279 runners at the NCAA Division III cross country championships, said he was nervous about working too hard in the summer.

“I had no idea I’d go that far in the season,” he said.

“When I was training in the summer I thought I’d rather be healthy than get hurt halfway through the year.”

With top runners Davis and Way leaving, the team will have to rely on the talented sophomore class next year, led by juniors like Jacob Brower and Dan Craighead. Many of the sophomores were tested throughout the season, which will be key for their production next season, Craighead said.

“We can be even better,” he said. “Although we’re losing our top two guys, a lot of the guys on varsity were only sophomores who now have experienced the big races.

They know what they have to do to be at the next level.”

Graduate student Bill Way got a second chance at running when he joined the men’s cross country team this fall.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Hitting the mark

BY CHRIS LOTSBOM

On Sept. 11, junior Heidi Baumbach won her first race at the SUNY-Oswego State Invitational.

Head Coach Bill Ware said Baumbach is a runner who stands out in the team’s history of continued success.

“We have always had good runners and good kids, going back to 1982,” Ware said.

“And she just adds to that list.”

Baumbach spent the summer focusing on two major races. Along with two teammates — juniors Molly Brown and Kaitlyn Dunphy — Baumbach competed in the Lake Placid Half-Marathon.

“None of us had ever done a half before,” Brown said. “We were eager to push each other and see what we were capable of doing.”

Baumbach ran the 13.1-mile event in 1:42.45 and finished 117th overall and fourth in her age group.

“The race was much longer than our cross-country races, so I learned more about pace,” she said. “You have to really pace yourself and make sure you have enough at the end.”

Junior Heidi Baumbach leads the pack at practice Oct. 26 on the South Hill Recreation Way. GRAHAM HEBEL/ THE ITHACAN

Finished 7th overall at NCAA Atlantic Region Championship in Oneonta, N.Y.

Team aims for nationals

BY CHRIS LOTSBOM

Despite not qualifying as a team for the NCAA National Championships, the women’s cross country team sent one member, junior Heidi Baumbach, to Waverly, Iowa, to compete on the national stage.

There, Baumbach placed 114th of 279 competitors, running a personal best time of 22:31.60 on the 6-kilometer course.

Baumbach said she is looking forward to another strong season and hopes the squad can

qualify as a team for the NCAAs. “It was awesome to get to race at nationals,” Baumbach said. “The fact that I went as an individual was the hard part, though. Without the rest of the team, it just wasn’t the same.”

Sophomore Jenn Randall, the 2009 Empire 8 Conference Runner of the Year, said the returning talent will fuel a run at nationals.

“We will miss the seniors that will graduate, but we still have a lot of strong runners and enough depth to be competitive in 2011,” she said.

The women’s cross country team runs during practice Oct. 11.

The team sent junior Heidi Baumbach to nationals.

JAUN TAMAYO/THE ITHACAN

Senior’s athletic ability is set on Cruz control

BY CASEY MUSARRA

Whether he’s in the game or on the bench, he doesn’t stop moving. While he hangs on the wing, he’s constantly bouncing on the balls of his feet, awaiting his point guard’s next move. Then with the blink of an eye, he cuts toward the basket and effortlessly sinks a layup. With another blink, he’s back on defense.

He makes it look easy, but senior Chris Cruz-Rivas wasn’t always so well-versed in basketball.

As one of five children, he grew up playing pickup games with his siblings, but wrestling was his main sport. Cruz-Rivas didn’t start playing competitive basketball until high school.

“I didn’t even know what AAU was until junior year of high school going into my senior year,” he said. “I wrestled all year long, every opportunity I got, but once I got to high school I had to choose.”

Cruz-Rivas said a couple of summers ago, Bombers’ Assistant Coach Nevada Smith put him to the test by telling him he wasn’t a good defender. Since then, he’s

guarded the best player on the opposing team.

Though Cruz-Rivas has become a defensive powerhouse, senior center Phil Barera, Cruz-Rivas’ roommate, said the diversity he brings to the court helps the team most.

“He’s our best defender, he can rebound, he can score, he can shoot the three, he can get to the basket, he can post up — he does a little bit of everything,” he said.

Head Coach Jim Mullins said he still remembers the first time he saw Cruz-Rivas play.

“The thing that was pretty hard to miss in the gym was his unbelievable athletic ability,” he said. “He was playing above the rim, and everybody’s going, ‘Who is this kid?’”

Steve Dunham, Cruz-Rivas’ coach at West Genessee High School in Syracause, said CruzRivas is modest about his success.

“He just goes out and does the things that he needs to do to put himself in a position to be successful,” Dunham said. “That’s the thing that separates him from a lot of other people.”

Senior captain Chris CruzRivas has scored 1,127 points through 92 games in his collegiate career.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Big wins take men to NCAAs Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Senior guard Chris Cruz-Rivas said the The men’s basketball team finished the team refocused and realized what talent year with its third consecutive 20-plus win they were working with this season. season, going 20–7 overall and 13–3 in the “The guys finally realized that this Empire 8 Conference. season could be a season where we had the The Bombers won the Empire 8 regular most talent and did nothing with it” Cruzseason crown but fell in the Empire 8 Rivas said. semifinal to St. John Fisher College. The The Bombers went on to win against Blue and Gold were also picked to host the then-No. 13 Franklin and Marshall.

NCAA regional tournament. The South Hill “Going in there and beating them on squad’s season ended with an 82–78 loss to their home floor kind of made us realize when we play good, we can play with the best teams,” senior Phil 20–7 Streak L2 Barera said. .741 Home 7–5 Junior Jordan Marcus said next 13–3 Away 11–2 year without their two starting seniors will be a challenge at first. .812 Neutral 2–0 “Me and [Sean] Rossi have played together for a few years now, and we’re going to build on that chemistry next season,” he said.

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Pct. From left, freshman guard Christian Jordan heads to the basket against MIT junior Jamie Karraker.

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Squad comes up short

BY JESSE CASES

From left, Utica College junior Katie McGee defends Ithaca College junior Jacqueline Shinall as she dribbles down the court Feb. 5 in the Ben Light Gymnasium.

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Despite finishing the regular season with its third straight Empire 8 championship, the women’s basketball team didn’t receive a bid to the NCAA tournament after a 57–48 loss to Stevens Institute of Technology in the Empire 8 tournament championship game Feb. 27.

Senior guard/forward Jordan Confessore said, despite not qualifying for the NCAAs, she felt the team played well throughout the season.

“We had a really good season,” Confessore said. “Obviously it didn’t end up the way we had expected it to, but throughout the regular season we took care of business and we played really well.”

The South Hill squad started to win when the team began conference play. The Bombers

won 13 straight games in January and February.

Junior guard Jessica Farley said going out on a loss was a disappointing way to end the season, but the team is already working to try to avoid the same outcome next year.

“In the past it’s sort of been everyone going home for the summer and getting back together the following year, but this time we’re trying to get a head start on things,” she said.

The Bombers finished with a 20–7 record overall — their second-straight 20-win season.

Senior forward and team captain Elissa Klie said the way the season ended was disappointing and the team deserved to have a bid for the NCAA tournament “Wanting that so bad and then losing and having that be the end of the season wasn’t the best way to go out,” she said.

Leading stage presence

BY JESSE CASES

Watching senior Elissa Klie fill up the box score had become a nightly event. Klie, a television-radio major, was in the top five on the team in every major statistical category.

Klie’s success on the court shouldn’t come as a surprise since her father, Bob, was a basketball coach. Klie said being the daughter of a coach always made her want to work hard and compete.

“It’s always been a big competition thing for me and just pure love of the game,” Klie said.

“As a coach’s daughter you’re never allowed to not work hard, and that was kind of drilled into my mind really early.”

Senior guard Jane DeBiasse, who has been Klie’s roommate since their sophomore year, said Klie has always been a hard worker even off the court. When she’s not playing basketball or doing schoolwork, Klie devotes time to her favorite

off-court activity — acting.

“She really works hard at that,” DeBiasse said. “She just wants to succeed at everything she does, and it really shows in all aspects of her life.”

Head women’s basketball coach Dan Raymond saw Klie play in high school and contacted her about coming to the college.

He said what initially caught his eye about Klie was how hard she played on the court.

“She’s our best player and our hardest worker and that started when she arrived on campus as a freshman,” Raymond said. “She’s always been a hard worker, but what she did in preparation for this season has just been exceptional. She’s the type of person that you want to be around all the time; she’s a coach’s dream.”

DeBiasse also said Klie brings the team together on the court.

“She’s intense enough to bring the team to take it seriously,” DeBiasse said. “But not so much to where it’s not fun.”

Senior Elissa Klie balances her all-star basketball career with her studies in acting and television-radio.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

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Gymnasts floor their opponents

BY NATHAN BICKELL Junior Kay Gordon performs her floor exercise routine Feb. 19 in the Ben Light Gymnasium, while her teammates cheer her on from the sidelines.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Visualization amps up routines

BY NATHAN BICKELL

This season, graduate assistant coach Ali Clausen had introduced a training regimen of visualization, focused entirely on the mental aspects of gymnastics.

At the beginning of practice, the gymnastics room seemed like a meditation garden. Members of the top-ranked gymnastics team stood on the balance beam or hung from the uneven bars, eyes closed, visualizing their routines as other team members attempted to distract them by yelling in their ear or tapping them on the shoulder.

Junior Justine Picciano said visualization is particularly helpful in gymnastics because the tiniest mistake can ruin a routine.

“A lot of gymnastics is mental,” she said. “We all

know our bodies can do in their heads,” Spusta said. the skills we want to; “So when their bodies are it’s just more of battling ready to go, the mind is our minds.” already in the right spot, Clausen said visualizand their training comes ing a back handspring and along a lot faster.” actually doing it are both just as important in a gymnast’s preparation.

“We have them do five beam routines every day, but we can get an extra five in through visualization because your body doesn’t know the difference,” Clausen said.

Senior Kailee Spusta said visualization boosted the team’s confidence — especially when a teammate went down with an injury.

From left, juniors Kay Gordon and “The visualizaTiffany Grube visualize their routines tion helps them keep on the balance beam during practice. practicing mentally RACHEL ORLOW/THE ITHACAN

The gymnastics team’s success this season literally had gymnasts jumping and dancing.

But these gymnasts weren’t leaping around for nothing; they were competing in the Blue and Gold’s strongest event — the floor exercise.

Sophomore Katie Sampson said during every teammate’s floor exercise, the team mirrors dance moves on the sidelines in unison with the gymnast performing.

“We are so supportive on floor,” she said.

“There are certain parts of everyone’s routine that we always mimic; it just gets the person on the floor so motivated and pumped up.”

Senior Caitlin Cleary said if all the events in gymnastics had personalities, floor exercise would be the most in-your-face member of the group.

“Floor would be the loud and outgoing person,” she said.

Freshman Jenna Van Dusen said she has a different mentality while performing on floor than in other events.

“Gymnastics is very nerve-racking for me,” Van Dusen said. “But on the floor all my nerves are gone, and I forget about everything else when I’m doing my routine.”

Senior Kailee Spusta, a two-time AllAmerican on the floor exercise, said the event requires a combination of talents.

“You have to be powerful and explosive for tumbling, and then you have to be able to be graceful and put on a great performance,” she said.

Spusta said a strong performance on floor can set the tone for the entire meet.

“Because it’s such an exciting event it really builds a lot of momentum and a lot of energy,” she said. “So when the team goes and hits on floor it really carries through to other events.”

Junior Hank Penree takes down Johnson and Wales University freshman George Madosky at the annual Ithaca Invitational in Ben Light Gymnasium.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Transfer student has all the right moves

BY ANDREW KRISTY

It’s not surprising that junior Hank Penree wins a lot, considering he once had a full scholarship to wrestle for Division I North Carolina State University.

Penree said North Carolina State’s pre-med academic program and its athletic environment initially wooed him.

“Their sciences and mathematics were awesome,” Penree said. “And you could be 10 miles from the stadium and just feel the noise.”

But, Penree said he left the school for many reasons after his sophomore year last year.

“The problem was when wrestling overtook academics,” Penree said. “Now wrestling wasn’t fun.

Now it was just a job.”

One reason Penree said he was drawn to the college was because of the physical therapy doctoral program.

This fall, Penree was greeted by his younger

brother Andrew, who joined him at the college and on the team after transferring from SUNY-Albany.

Though Penree is one year older than Andrew, Penree was held back in first grade and the two brothers grew up together in the same class.

“It’s definitely had its positives that I’m with him,” Andrew said. “It’s going to help us both succeed.”

As both Penree and Andrew adjusted to a new school and team, Head Coach Marty Nichols said he knew the team would benefit from the brothOverall 14–2 ers’ knowledge Pct. .875 and experience.

Conf.

5–0 “Those Pct. 1.000 guys can really help the team and help out the heavyweights,” Nichols said.

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W5 3–0 5–0 6–2

Learning to eye a takedown

BY KEVIN MCCALL

From left, senior David Priest and junior Keith Dickey practice takedowns Feb. 7 in the Ben Light Gymnasium.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Though the Bombers have not placed lower than third in the Eastern Collegiate Wrestling Conference championships since 1999, their last NCAA championship was in 1994 — until this year.

Senior Blaine Woszczak said everyone on the team wanted to get to the NCAAs and acted

as a support system.

“If one of us wins a match it’s because a lot of us are behind each other,” he said.

Graduate assistant coach Dave Sbriscia said the team’s upperclassmen motivated the younger players, which helped them win fourth place in the NCAAs. “Watching [the upperclassmen] helps the younger guys build on

their performances and provides them with big shoes to fill,” he said.

Freshman Shane Bartrum said he’s worked with Sbriscia and junior heavyweight Matt Mahon on his technique.

“It’s great to be able to get feedback on what they do right and wrong during matches,” he said. “When I work out with them I feel like I’m learning a lot about the sport.”

Team wins in fast lane

BY DANIELLE D’AVANZO

The Bombers went undefeated at 12–0 this season and won meets in a dominant fashion.

Of the 12 teams the Bombers have faced this season, the only Sophomore Laura Goodwell swims freestyle at practice Nov. 16 in the Hill Center Pool. one that came close to beating MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN them was SUNY-Geneseo in a 125–118 decision Nov. 20. The squad defeated its competitors by an average of 98.6 points.

Head Coach Paula Miller

BY DANIELLE D’AVANZO that and say, ‘OK, I can do this too.’” said having 41 athletes on this Freshman backstroke and individual year’s roster — the second highOpponents usually have their hands full medley swimmer Carlene Ostromecki said est total since 2004–05 — has trying to overtake sophomore Carly Jones Jones was motivating in practice. helped contribute to the team’s when she is ahead, but for her teammates, “It’s fun trying to practice next to her accomplishments this season. following her lead is precisely where they because I know she’s a great IMer, so someday “Since it’s such a large team, want to be.

I’d like to be there with her,” Ostromecki said. they push each other,” Miller Jones, the only underclassman on the Senior freestyle swimmer Sheila Rhoades said. “On a small team, if you feel women’s swimming and diving team’s said having Jones on the captains’ council settled or comfortable in a situacaptains’ council this season, had shown she added a different dynamic to the team. tion, then you won’t push yourself can be a leader and lets her accomplishments “She is a younger leader on the team, and as hard, so it’s an advantage to speak for themselves. she’s someone for the underclassmen to go have a big team.”

Jones holds the Hill Center record for to if they’re too intimidated to come to us,” Junior backstroke and freethe 400-yard individual medley with a time Rhoades said. “She’s another outlet.” style swimmer Missy Keesler said of 4:33.33. Jones, the number of athletes brought an exploratory something new to the team. major, said one key “There is just such a blend of Overall 12–0 Streak W12 advantage she has personalities with more people Pct. 1.000 Home 2–0 while swimming that comes with the contributions Conf.

0–0 Away 7–0 this event is her from everyone,” she said.

Pct. .000 Neutral 3–0 mind-set.

Senior freestyle swimmer “You have to Sheila Rhoades said have a good mencamaraderie and tal capacity for hard work propelled that race because the team to its rank it’s so long,” Jones among the best in said. “Since I’ve the nation. swam it so many times now, I know what “We have such to expect, so it’s not as daunting. Usually a strong team this the less I think, the better.” year,” Rhoades said.

Head Coach Paula Miller said there “It’s just phenomenal are few things that rattle Jones during a how everyone has race from what she’s seen. been performing and “When we’re in tight spots and how we’ve gotten toin very competitive situations, she’s gether as a team. We experienced that from her past history, have a strong lineup so she’s able to handle the pressure, for the first time in Sophomore Carly Jones swims freestyle at practice Feb. 18 in the Hill Center Pool. which says a lot,” Miller said. “It teaches Jones was the only underclassman to serve on the team’s captains’ council. a long time, and it’s the younger swimmers because they see really exciting.”

KEVIN CAMPBELL/THE ITHACAN

Sophomore surfaces as leader

Swimmers prep for strong finish

BY ALEX HOLT

Sophomore Michael Cooke practices his backstroke with the team Feb. 15.

PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

Divers get home-pool advantage

BY ALEX HOLT

Sophomore Martin Brown, junior Derek Rand and seniors Mike Glicini and Norman Nguyen have all been vital in helping the men’s diving team to a 13–1 mark this season.

Because of its success, the Bombers got the opportunity to host the Bomber Diving Invitational on Jan. 30.

Sophomore Martin Brown dives in a competition against “Every meet is kind of a practhe University of Rochester on Jan. 22 at the Hill Center Pool. tice for states,” Glicini said. “This is GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN really kind of a big practice for our conference invitational as well.”

The divers might have the events to themselves at the Overall invitational, but the support of the swimmers is still extremely Pct. important, Nguyen said.

Conf.

“It means a lot to us when we can dive as a team and get Pct. cheered on by our own teammates,” he said.

Aside from having fans near to cheer, Rand said the divers find their comfort zone when competing on South Hill.

“It makes it a lot easier and more comfortable just being at home and having everyone else come here,” Rand said.

The Bombers were confident and relaxed as they sat on the verge of capping a 15–1 regular season with their first state or Empire 8 conference title since 2004. Strong performances from the team’s 11 freshmen gave the men’s swimming and diving team more depth on their roster than they’ve had in past years.

Sophomore Jake Lichter said the team’s success is the product of the great chemistry between the athletes.

“The younger guys have done a really good job this year of stepping up in big meets,” he said. “The seniors and the juniors have done a really good job of explaining how things are supposed to go and really helped motivate us.”

Senior co-captain Steve Croucher said while the team’s championship chances were as good as they’ve been in years, the team was less concerned with winning the meet than with doing well and having fun as they have all season long.

“I don’t think there’s been any pressure to win states,” Croucher said. “We want to do the best we can, and if we win, that’s awesome.”

To prepare for its win at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championships, the squad only competed in two sessions per day, and, as a result, the team spent just as much time warming up and trying to stay prepared as they did swimming.

In order to mentally and physically prepare for meets, the team started tapering, or gradually reducing their exercise and practice time leading up to a meet, senior co-captain Bobby Gendimenico said.

Tapering is a process the team practices where it scales back its high-yardage and focuses on technique and stroke, Lichter said.

“You try and conserve as much energy as possible, so that when you get into the championship meet, you give the best performance that you could all season,” he said. “You just know you’re going to swim fast, and it doesn’t really matter what day of the week it is.”

15–1 .938 0–0 .000

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W10 2–0 6–0 7–1

Team takes on recovery time

BY CHRIS LOTSBOM

Women’s indoor track placed 1st at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships

Making a mark

BY CHRIS LOTSBOM

After winning their fourth straight Empire 8 Conference Championship and third consecutive New York State Collegiate Track Conference title, the Blue and Gold began preparing for their final two competitions — the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships and the NCAAs. Junior Emma Dewart, who led the team with provisional marks in the 55-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump and an automatic mark in the pentathlon, said posting a qualifying mark early in the season can change the tone for the rest of the year.

“I enjoy the events I

do throughout the rest of the season leading up to nationals,” she said.

“Without the added stress of having to qualify, you have more room to do events you may not do in a normal meet.”

Senior Marcia McCord notched only provisional marks in the triple jump, 55-meter dash and 400-meter dash in the regular season, which didn’t garuantee her a spot in the NCAAs. “You’re still a bit on edge until you know that your mark is good enough,” McCord said.

Leugers is 13th in the mile, while DeStefano, who won the state championship, is 16th in the pole vault in Division III. “My entire collegiate track goal has been to go to nationals,” she said.

After the Cornell University Senior Lindsey Relays on Dec. 4, which was not Johnston hurls a team scored competition, the herself over the South Hill squad had a month bar in the high and 11 days until they returned jump competition Dec. 4 at a meet at to competition.

Cornell University.

With such a long break in PARKER CHEN / between meets, the Blue and THE ITHACAN Gold took a different approach to the contest Dec. 4.

“Coach describes it as ‘practicing putting the uniform on,’” senior Kristen DeStefano, who competes in the pole vault and hurdles, said.

The meet almost divides the season in two for the South Hill squad.

The pre-winter break portion of the season is used mostly as a training block, where athletes work on their events for the meets in January.

“This meet is just a benchmarker, an indicator of what’s to come and what needs to be worked on,” senior Marcia McCord said. “No hassle, no pressure, just competition.”

Senior Kate Leugers was one of five Bombers to finish in the top 10 in the 5,000-meter run Dec. 4.

For many of the events, especially the longer distance events like the 5,000-meter run, the first meet shapes up to be one where athletes may be able to earn a championship bid early in the season.

“The break allows for distance runners to rebuild our mileage after tapering at the end of cross country,” Leugers said. “Plus, we’re able to just concentrate on From left, senior Emily Moran and freshman running since we don’t have to Jodi Robinson pass the baton in a relay race. worry about school.”

PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

Bombers finish best in a decade

BY MATT KELLY

Seeded 50 points out of first place at the start of the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships, the Bombers found themselves leading host St. Lawrence University by 2.5 points Feb. 25. Despite top-five finishes in the sprints, jumps and relays, the Bombers fell behind by 4.5 points to St. Lawrence on Feb. 26. The secondplace finish was the best result for the men at state championships in the past decade.

Senior sprinter Max Orenstein said while the team exceeded expectations, it could have fared even better.

“We were happy to finish the way that we did,” Orenstein said. “But afterwards, when we saw how close it was, we looked back and realized we could’ve actually won.”

Senior thrower Paul Helm, who finished 11th in the weight and 14th in shot put, said after a disappointing showing on the first day, the South Hill squad refocused on the next day’s events.

“A lot of the guys didn’t feel like they had their best events and weren’t performing the way they wanted to,” Helm said. “So we did have to calm down the first night. We came into the second day really calm and relaxed.”

Men’s indoor track placed 2nd at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships

Senior Paul Helm swings a weight at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships.

PARKER CHEN/THE ITHACAN

Young guns suit up

BY MATT KELLY

Freshman Jarrod Monacelli was the only athlete of the three pole-vaulters to compete Sept. 4, clearing 4.05-meters but failing to place in the overall standings.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

Freshmen pole-vaulters Jarrod Monacelli and Ben Van de Water and sophomore walk-on Elrik McCheyne made up a squad that had never competed in a collegiate meet before Sept. 4.

Despite the lack of experience, however, the young guns adjusted quickly to the college level, Monacelli said.

“It has been pretty smooth and the coaches work you in easy,” he said.

Van de Water also said he got acclimated to the higher level of competition, and it was beneficial to have specific coaches for each event.

“Having workouts specifically geared towards pole vaulting is pretty new to me,” he said. “But other than that, it’s been pretty easy.”

McCheyne, who walked on to the team this year with no prior experience in pole vaulting, said he wanted to try it because it seemed like a change of pace from sports he had previously competed in.

“I really decided to try vaulting because my high school didn’t have it, but it looked really cool,” McCheyne said. “When I didn’t make the baseball team this fall I decided to try something new.”

baseball

From left, Keuka College sophomore Travis Simmons dives back to first base as senior Trevor Wolf makes the catch March 29 at Freeman Field.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Bombers gear up to take swing at title

BY HARLAN GREEN-TAUB

Even though the temperature was freezing in Ithaca, the cold didn’t stop the baseball team from opening its season as the squad started play March 4 on the road.

This season, the Blue and Gold were a unanimous pick for first place in the Empire 8 preseason poll, which is voted on by the league’s coaches. The Bombers, coming off of a season where they finished 20–18 overall and second in the Empire 8, looked to get off to a quicker start after going 0–7 on their annual trip to California during spring break last year, but managed to go only 1–6 during the same trip this year.

Graduate student and third baseman David Ahonen said this year’s squad used last season’s disappointment and frustration to motivate it in the off-season.

“If anything can be taken away from last season, it’s that it put a chip on our shoulder,” Ahonen said. “We got a little too comfortable, like we expected to win easily every game.

This year we have a totally different mind-set. We realize we’re going to have to work hard for everything and try to get that swagger back that we lost last season.”

Senior first baseman Trevor Wolf, who led the team with 34 runs scored last year, said the team has really come together and bonded over raising the overall level of play.

“Everyone just really brought it this off-season and pushed themselves really hard,” Wolf said. “We’ve really built a lot of camaraderie and became such a tight-knit group. We’re all on the same page and know what we want to accomplish this season. ” Wolf also said several members of the team live in houses just steps away from each other, and most of the team can be found at one of the houses, which keeps the players close off of the field as well.

This year’s team is more experienced than last season, having

lost only three players from last year’s ballclub.

The Bombers boast eight juniors, eight seniors and one graduate student on their roster. But the team did lose starting pitcher Tom Fishback ’10, who led all Bombers’ pitchers in wins, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts and finished second in ERA last season.

However, the Bombers have a deep pitching staff that includes All-American junior Tucker Healy, who was named the No. 3 prospect in all of Division III by Baseball America after posting a 1.17 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched in 2010. Healy said the pitching staff has grown into its role more this season.

Healy, who joins the starting rotation of seniors Andrew Wall, Aaron Sapp and Dan Lynch, said his transition from the bullpen would be smooth because of their experience.

Healy said he attributes his success to the coaching staff.

“They’ve really pushed me to keep working hard, and all of the guys rally around each other because we do expect big things this season,” he said.

In terms of starting pitchers, Ahonen said he expects Wall, who held opponents to a .224 batting average last season and went 4–3 in eight starts, to seize the top spot in the rotation.

“I faced him the other day in batting practice, and he’s got some pretty good stuff right now,” Ahonen said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he grabs that No. 1 spot right off the bat and holds onto it all year.”

Wolf said anything short of a conference championship would be considered a failed season, and none of the seniors want their season to end the way last year’s did.

“The tradition here really drives you,” Wolf said.

“Knowing that we’ve won national championships before — that’s always in the back of your mind and drives you to equal that success.”

New mentality focuses team

BY KEVIN MCCALL

The softball team, following a season in which it was three wins away from a World Series title, focused on progress rather than outcome and adopted a team-first attitude this year.

With returning key starters in both the infield and outfield, the Bombers will look to build on last season’s success when they finished 34–15 overall and 13–1 in the Empire 8 conference.

Senior pitcher and outfielder Britt Lillie said even though there are only nine players on the field at any given time, the team will need contributions from all 21 players on the roster to get through the long, 40-game season.

“With a team-first attitude, it’s easy to win together and a lot easier to lose together,” she said.

Lillie, who led the team in RBIs, extra base hits, doubles and total bases, is one of 13 returning players from last season.

She is also one of 12 players on this year’s roster who is capable of playing multiple positions. Lillie said the team’s versatility will keep it in a rhythm regardless of inevitable and unforeseen circumstances such as injuries.

“If someone gets hurt and is out for the remainder of the season, we feel like we can adjust to that and still string together multiple wins,” she said.

Despite losing Alyssa Brook ’10, who led the team in complete games last season, to graduation, Head Coach Deb Pallozzi said the Blue and Gold’s main strength is their pitching depth. Pallozzi said the pitchers are going to be the most integral part of the team’s success this season because they set the tone for the game.

“Your pitchers have to be the mentally toughest players out on the field,” she said.

“Good pitching keeps you in games, and timely hitting can get you just enough [runs].”

Senior Kait Dolan warms up against the University of Rochester on April 4 at Kostrinsky Field.

JAKE LIFSCHULTZ/THE ITHACAN

Pallozzi also said the team will need to score as many runs as they can. The Blue and Gold went 25–1 last season when scoring four runs or more but finished last year 9–14 when they scored three runs or fewer.

The South Hill squad has been holding intra-squad scrimmages during indoor practices. In these scrimmages, Pallozzi creates certain game situations but leaves the bases empty.

Senior third baseman and pitcher Allison Greaney, the team’s captain, said these early scrimmages help the Bombers work on not only mental toughness, but awareness as well.

“Once the ball is hit the play doesn’t stop, so you have to prepare for every type

of situation, and we can do that in the scrimmages,” she said.

Senior second baseman and outfielder Kait Dolan said the team will need to treat each game as a battle of will, as well as skill, if it wants to enjoy the same level of success it had last season. She said even when the Blue and Gold had to play conference rival Alfred University in 30-degree weather last season, they did not back down.

“Having to play there was definitely not ideal for us, but it was a change of scenery and a new challenge that brought out the competitive spirit in us,” she said. “As far as where we play, it doesn’t matter because we’re going to bring it no matter what.”

New turf brings new team attitude

BY CHRIS BARRIERE

With new leaders, attitudes and turf field, the men’s lacrosse team is ready to put last season behind it and get back to its winning ways.

The Bombers finished last year with an 8–10 overall record, which included three of four regularseason losses at home.

Head Coach Jeff Long said the team’s ultimate turnaround late last season led to his team finding direction and confidence as the season progressed.

“The bottom line is the kids just started believing in themselves a little bit more,” Long said.

This year’s team has a whole new lineup of leaders led by captains senior midfielder Mike Silipo, junior attack Tom Mongelli and senior goalie David Gal. Silipo said he is ready to take on his new role and is prepared to push the team.

“I will focus on being the leader and making sure everyone brings all they’ve got in practice,” Silipo said.

Perhaps the biggest change this season is right under the players’ feet. The Bombers will now play home games at the new Higgins Stadium behind the Athletics and Events Center.

Senior attack Kevin Ferris said the Bombers’ preparation for this year was much different than in past years.

“The whole team is on the same page,” Ferris said. “Everyone is bringing a different mentality, a hardworking mentality that we have to come to work every day.”

From left, Ithaca College senior Roniel Bencosme loses the ball as he breaks free from SUNY- Maritime senior Michael Hanratty on March 26 at Higgins Stadium.

SHAWN STEINER/THE ITHACAN

Bombers go back to basics

BY ANDREW KRISTY

From left, Ithaca College junior Racquel Lividini cradles the ball past Buffalo State junior Paige Ottaviano on March 22.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

The women’s lacrosse team is coming off a season in which the team went 11–6 and earned the top seed in the Empire 8 tournament. Though they eventually fell to Stevens Institute of Technology in the finals, the players were not fazed as they entered the new season, senior Katie Hurley said.

“In all the years I’ve been here this is the strongest team we’ve had,” Hurley said. “Empire 8 title is just the beginning. We want to make the [NCAA] tournament and go past the first round and make a legitimate run.”

The Bombers also return two other first-team all-Empire 8 selections.

Junior Siobhan Sullivan led the defense with 16 forced turnovers, and sophomore midfielder Michelle Avery was one of two freshmen in the league to be named to the first-team all-Empire 8.

Junior Nicole Borisenok said their total-team tactic will pay off in the season.

“Everybody on the team plays a specific role,” Borisenok said. “Yeah, there are people who do stand out. But, the thing is, we’re a team, and everybody out on the field has a certain role to support, and without one person doing their job we will not be successful.”

Though the Bombers have notable returning talent, the team will not name concrete captains for the season. Head Coach Karen Hollands said this is because of the strength of the team’s cohesion.

“It’s just a team concept — the leaders lead,” Hollands said. “That’s just how they fall into place.”

Hollands said the team went back to basics during practice this season, which has worked because of the squad’s experience.

“Because we have this group, we’re able to go back and drill, drill, drill the little things that make good players great players,” Hollands said.

Blue and Gold set sights on nationals

BY REBECCA ALPERT

The women’s crew is working harder than ever this spring to achieve one goal — a better finish at the NCAA Championships.

Returning many of their key starters, the Blue and Gold are poised to have another strong season.

“We’ve always had high expectations to place higher at the NCAA Championships,” Head Coach Becky Robinson said.

Senior captain Amy Gefell said the team’s success depends on two different aspects of preparation.

“The goal of this year’s team is to develop a cohesive team and work to the best of our abilities to achieve our goals,” Gefell said.

Last year, the South Hill squad won five gold medals at the New York State Championships. Senior captain Jiné

Andreozzi said it will look to repeat that again this year.

“Personally my expectation is to keep our team united as we get into the more competitive parts of the season,” Andreozzi said. “I want to be able to bring a lot of enthusiasm and motivation to the boathouse every day so that we can push each other to improve as the season goes on.”

Returning their top-five rowers from last season, the Bombers have several top contenders for the varsity 8 boat this season in addition to Andreozzi, including seniors Lisa Russell, Kerin Murphy, Lauren LaPointe and Gefell.

Robinson said with 50 rowers competing this year, one of the main concerns is getting each member on the same page.

“The biggest challenge this year is managing a large team and making the women on the team feel like individuals,” Robinson said.

The women’s crew gets its boat in rhythm April 3 on Cayuga Inlet.

ANDREW WEISER/ THE ITHACAN

Squad finds balance in weight and speed

BY MATT KELLY

The men’s crew faces a rather tall task of repositioning itself for success this spring season.

The South Hill squad features only two returning members from last year’s varsity 8 boat, senior captain Jon Thompson and junior Zach Doell, and this season will be without former captains Dan Curtis ’10, Brian Erickson ’10 and Chris Lisee ’10, all of whom graduated.

Head Coach Dan Robinson, who has helped steer the program to a string of medals and accolades during the past few seasons, said he sees a lot of potential in the incoming freshman class, however.

“When your biggest and strongest guys graduate, replacing them is challenging,” he said. “But some of our biggest and strongest guys this year are freshmen. Our heaviest upperclassman is 180 pounds, and we have five freshmen that weigh over 200 pounds.

So we have an unusual distribution of weight on our team.”

Seating on the varsity boats is determined by who possesses both the best strength and technique. Typically, the heaviest rowers will

sit in the middle of the boat while the medium-sized rowers are in the bow, and the lightest rowers are in the stern.

This way, the weight of the boat is centered, and there is less drag in the back.

Senior Walker Robinson said the Blue and Gold are From left, junior Zach Doell, sophomore Mike Myhre, sophomore James Munro and senior Walker Robinson row in a regatta April 2 on Cayuga Inlet. undersized but ANDREW WEISER/THE ITHACAN can overcome that with technique.

“Height and weight do have bearing on focusing on areas in which it can improve, how easy it is to make a boat move fast,” he Thompson said. said. “But that doesn’t mean if you’re shorter “Last year we had some issues in the last you can’t beat bigger guys. Last year at New part of the races in the final 350-400 meters,” York states we beat the Army squad, and those Thompson said. “So we’ve been emphasizing guys are gigantic. But we beat them because we in our training being consistent with the power rowed better.” that we row at and then being able to finish After winning a bronze medal at the state every piece and giving everything you have left championships last season, the team is still in the tank.”

Upperclassmen take initiative

BY DANIELLE D’AVANZO

Then-junior Brian Turnbull throws a javelin at the Ithaca Open competition April 20, 2010.

FILE PHOTO/THE ITHACAN

Team plans to pick up pace

BY ALEX HOLT

The men’s track and field team is no stranger to breaking records, but this year it’s after a slightly different type of history.

With a greater number of underclassmen than upperclassmen on this year’s roster, the Bombers face the task of getting the newcomers up to speed in their quest for a fifth straight Empire 8 conference championship, senior Ryan Taylor said.

For the Bombers, winning is just as much about mastering their own performances as it is actually beating other teams, senior sprinter and co-captain Max Orenstein said.

“Our toughest opponent is ourselves,” Orenstein said. “If we get to our best abilities, we’re one of the best teams in the country.”

The Bombers will have to prove themselves as one of the best teams in Division

III without the help of a few key athletes from last year.

Senior Chris Stahlmann said having competed indoors from January to March, the team will have to adjust to the effects of finally going outdoors.

“For the sprints, your times are always going to be faster outdoors given decent weather because you’re not running as tight of a turn, and so your legs will be able to get out a bit more,” Stahlmann said.

“As a jumper, you get different variations outdoors so it can be hit or miss.”

Instead of competing at Butterfield Stadium this season, the Bombers were holding both of their home meets away from South Hill.

“Our track is in pretty rough shape,” senior distance runner and co-captain John Davis said. “It’s pretty old and doesn’t drain too well, so it’s been deemed incapable of hosting competition this year.”

The men’s tennis team is looking to not only win the regular season again, going a perfect 8–0 against Empire 8 opponents last year, but also to hoist the conference trophy.

Despite having a young squad — of the 14 players on the roster this season, nine are underclassmen — the Bombers’ outlook for the season remains positive. Head Coach Bill Austin said he is excited to see who will step up into key roles.

“We’ve got a lot of growing to do and to see how we progress,” Austin said. “We’ve got some kids with talent, and it’s just timing out who’s going to be ready to get in there and compete.”

Senior captain Josh Rifkin said one advantage the team has to help offset its youth is the team’s chemistry.

“The best team doesn’t always necessarily win if they don’t have that team camaraderie like we do,” he said. “We have a tight-knit group, and the dynamics of the team are pretty strong, so we’ll be with each other all the way, and that’s a huge strength for us.”

Austin has named seniors Les Bowden, Steve Ochs and Rifkin as captains for this years’ squad.

Austin said he relies on the seniors to set the tone.

“They’ve been with me the longest, and they know how things work and how to get things done,” Austin said. “They have become great mentors to the underclassmen on the team.”

Rifkin has taken this responsibility in stride.

He said during practices he is always trying to help his teammates improve their game.

“I’m trying to communicate with everybody and set the right example,” Rifkin said. “In practices, when I see something that’s happening, I’ll say a friendly reminder like, ‘Move your feet’, or ‘Move through the ball.’”

Sophomore Kyle Riether said Rifkin is helpful on the court.

“Josh is a great leader,” Riether said. “He certainly leads by example with his play, and he’s just a smart tennis player. We can all benefit from his knowledge of the game.”

Riether said the Blue and Gold need to improve on fitness and finishing matches.

“We’re all strong players, but sometimes closing out the match can be the most difficult thing,” Riether said.

Austin said he’s excited to see his players show their commitment and enthusiasm for the game this season.

“They strive to play better each day out, and that’s all I can ask of them,” Austin said. “We’ll put ourselves in a position to see how good we can be by the end of the season.”

The Ithacan

The Ithacan

Team trains to be No. 1

BY NATHAN BICKELL

Returning the core of its Empire 8 and State championship team from last season, the women’s track and field team looks to take its first outdoor Eastern College Athletic Conference title since the 1990-91 season.

All four national championship qualifiers from last season — junior heptathlete Emma Dewart, senior distance runner Kate Leugers, senior sprinter Marcia McCord and sophomore multi-event athlete Amanda Rissmeyer return — to round out a talented roster for the team this year.

Dewart said she has redemption on her mind this season after a devastating loss at nationals last year.

“I’ve been focusing this year on sports psychology and really getting myself mentally prepared,” she said.

Junior Heidi Baumbach said she will be competing in her favorite event during the outdoor season — the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

“It’s just fun,” she said. “You get to jump over the barriers. You get to jump in the water pit. I like the distance; it’s not superlong like the 10-kilometer, but it’s not superfast like the mile.”

McCord said she is training to finally get on the podium at nationals in her senior season.

“I’m training to be No. 1,” McCord said. “If I’m not No. 1, that’s fine, but at least I know that I left no rock unturned.”

Sophomore Josh Berggrun serves against St. Lawrence University on March 26 at Reis Tennis Center.

Then-junior Lindsey Johnston leaps in the long jump at the Ithaca Invitational on March 27, 2010. The team is unable to host meets at Butterfield Stadium this year.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/THE ITHACAN

FILE PHOTO/THE ITHACAN

Senior television-radio major Casey Musarra puts her spin on sports ranging from the best of the Bombers to national highlights with her weekly column. Here’s a look at her starting lineup of topics.

There’s a reason why parents’ weekend and the Cortaca Jug don’t fall on the same date. For most Ithaca College and SUNY-Cortland students, having your parents come up for arguably the biggest party weekend of the year would be a letdown. But the Musarra family has no boundaries.

This year, my mother, a 1984 SUNY-Cortland alumna, will be making the trip to Cortland from New Jersey for the game. My mother is not exactly the world’s biggest football fan, and she’s quite possibly even farther from the world’s biggest drinker, so it may seem odd that she’s willing to travel about 400 miles round-trip for an event she seemingly wouldn’t enjoy.

She made the trip for Cortaca a few years ago, and while walking past the typical slew of drunk girls she said, “Honey, it’s only noon.

You’ve got a long way to go.”

But the woman knows how to party, and I’m fairly certain she loves Cortland more than she loves her children. She’s really not even coming to see me — I’m more of an afterthought.

And don’t expect to see one strip of blue and red in the stands.

Mom’s informed me that despite already dropping the $8 on her ticket, she might not even go to the game in favor of hanging out at her old favorite bar, The Dark Horse.

Every time my mother sees someone in a grocery store wearing SUNY-Cortland attire she stops them to have a full-blown conversation, but somehow when I was making my college decision she forgot to mention that Ithaca and Cortland have a fierce rivalry that dates back several decades.

Fortunately Ithaca’s sitting in the lead with twice as many Cortaca wins as the Red Dragons, and with three consecutive wins for the Bombers, it’s made going home for Thanksgiving breaks quite a treat. But with Cortland ranked No. 22 in d3football.com’s top 25 poll and the Blue and Gold’s playoff hopes over, I may be looking at a long weekend of trash talk.

But if the South Hill squad is able to pull out the victory, the class of 2011 will be the first class since 1987 to see their home team win every year they attended the college. My mother only saw the Red Dragons win once while she attended the school. So for us, Cortaca is more than a holiday dedicated to playing mimosa pong at 7 a.m. and yelling second-rate chants across the bleachers — it’s all about family rivalry. There may not be a Geller Cup, but the taste of victory is sweet enough to last a whole year — if not more.

Bringing a baseball glove to the ballpark as a kid was a favorite pastime of mine. Along with hotdogs and Cracker Jacks, the hope of catching a foul ball was something I always craved.

One day while at a Mets game at Shea Stadium sitting along the right field fence, I witnessed what seemed like any other play — the batter flied out to then-Mets right fielder Timo Perez, who tossed the ball to the umpire. “There goes another chance,” I thought to myself. But then the umpire made his way over to the stand and tossed me the ball.

When I got home I stared at my bookshelf filled with sports junk, looking for the perfect spot for my new ball. I found a baseball case on a shelf, opened it up and put my treasure inside.

While I have my fair share of sports knickknacks, I’ve never considered myself a collector, but it’s still something that’s fascinated me for a long time. So when I met Laurie Ward, the manager of marketing services at Ithaca College, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. Ward has collected autographs from Yogi Berra, Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Unitas, Vin Scully and more. Despite Ward’s elite collection, she does not think of herself as a collector either.

Ward, who worked as the public relations director at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore, Md., for five years, said most of the items in her collection were given to her through work.

Before she moved to Baltimore in the early 2000s, Tug McGraw was about the only autograph she had.

Ward said her fascination stemmed from liking to have her photograph taken with athletes and coaches.

“It was more about my interaction with these people than collecting their autographs,” she said.

Being a diehard Yankee fan, Ward said it was tough being in Oriole territory, but she managed to find a happy medium by rooting for the Orioles unless they were playing the Yankees. Her collection consists mostly of photographs of Baltimore athletes, but Ward has a number of Yankees items as well, including bobbleheads and a shrine of sorts to Derek Jeter. It reads “The Ideal Yankees Lineup” with a baseball card of Jeter at each position on the diamond.

Through her collection of sports memorabilia, Ward has also collected a number of anecdotes. One time while working a brunch at the museum, a co-worker asked Yogi Berra and his wife if they had seen the “Derek Jeter Museum” upstairs — referring to Ward’s poster. “[Berra] said, ‘All the girls like him. I don’t understand it.’ Then Mrs. Berra sort of leaned forward and said, ‘He’s got a really nice tush.’”

Any team can win on any given Sunday. It’s as true in football as it is in dodgeball.

I had wanted to play in the Colleges Against Cancer dodgeball tournament, “Protect Your Balls,” which raises money for the fight against testicular cancer, since freshman year, but I was never able to field a team. This year I searched for teammates via Facebook and several text messages but only managed to find one teammate — Andrew Weiser.

With gift certificates to Waffle Frolic on the line, Andrew and I took the court at the Mondo Floor Gym with four guys we had never met, thus forming Almost Perfect Strangers.

We got off to a solid start, going up 2–0. But dodgeball is a game of chance as much as it is a game of skill. The concept of momentum doesn’t seem to exist. In our third and final game of regulation we took on Ithacappella, and they harmonized just as well on the dodgeball court as they do on stage to give us our first loss.

At the end of pool play, we came out with a 2–1 record to advance to the final four. We had a game off as Balls of Steel took on Ithacappella for the second time. In the first round, Balls of Steel, who appeared to be the underdog, fought back and came out with a win. No one in the room expected them to repeat. But in similar fashion, the guy in a “Simpsons” T-shirt managed to get a 3-on-1 catch to get back in the game and eventually outlast the singing troupe.

For a shot at the championship, we faced off against Tony Danza’s Tap Dancing Extravaganza. We pegged them as the “lax bros.” Their near-matching lacrosse pinnies and shorts and the fact that they were significantly bigger than us left us pretty intimidated.

But if we could take down the “lax bros,” we’d be set up against the underdogs of the tournament. I tried to stay confident in my newfound teammates.

“Ready, set, dodgeball!” the ref yelled.

Within moments, we lost three players, including me.

Despite some sick ninja-like moves from Andrew, the game ended pretty quickly.

We were left to play for third place against Ithacappella. They got one of our best players out quickly, and it was downhill from there. I, being the worst player on our team, was the last man standing. The strategy at this point is obvious — catch the ball. I had this in mind, but with a 4-on-1 deficit I had balls coming at me in every direction. The opportunity never came, and after a lot of back-and-forth action, I threw a catchable ball right at one of their players. Game over.

Fourth place isn’t so bad, though. At least it wouldn’t be if it was out of more than six.

From left, Binghamton University seniors Noah Reichman, Ryan Garrigan and junior James Konicoff chase exchange student Donovan Baker on Sept. 4 on Lower Allen Field.

MICHELLE BOULÉ/ THE ITHACAN

BY ANDREW WEISER

The tape on his left shoulder is peeling, his right shoulder blade is bright red and the scratches and visible blood vessels above his right hip illustrate how many times he was slammed into the torn-up ground of Lower Allen Field.

While the physical toll of rugby on the body is clear, it’s the study of how the body responds to that experience that brought Donovan Baker to South Hill and the U.S. for the first time 25 days ago.

Baker said while rugby may be the sport that he has played the most throughout his life, it was his larger appreciation for sports as a whole that shaped his career goals.

“I get a real sense of satisfaction and joy when I play sports,” Baker said. “So exercise science sounded like a good career, … and I wanted to do something that I’d enjoy.”

As an exercise science major at Griffith University in Australia, Baker said he wanted to study at Ithaca College for the semester because it offered courses that

were not available at home.

While the academic benefits were the focus of his move, Baker, who played his first rugby game at 7 years old, said he looked into the sport’s presence at the college before arriving.

“I’ve always loved rugby,” Baker said. “Pretty much as soon as I could walk, my dad put a rugby ball in my hands and said, ‘Off you go.’.’”

Born and raised in the Republic of Zimbabwe, Baker said it was his father who helped him develop his appreciation for the game.

“For me, rugby was a part of life growing up,” Baker said.

“We’d always sit down together and watch all the games.”

When Baker was 12 years old, his family left Zimbabwe and immigrated to Australia.

At the time, the Zimbabwe president implemented a program to reclaim land that the British had colonized and he saw as rightfully his. For white landowners, this created a lot of tension and hostility.

Baker said his parents saw the environment as detrimental to him and his two sisters, and ultimately the transition

from Africa to Australia made his entire family stronger.

“Moving house is stressful for a family,” Baker said. “I saw some things that I try to forget. … But, you know, we’ve come through a lot stronger, [and] we’re a lot closer now.”

Baker said participating in sports was a way to help him ease the transition and develop new friendships.

While Baker had planned to get involved in the club rugby team at the college, it wasn’t until a club member saw him tossing a rugby ball on the quad that Baker got his first taste of American rugby.

Senior Scott Kamp, co-captain of the men’s club rugby team, said Baker brought a lifetime of knowledge of the game to a young team that will benefit from his experience.

“He knows the game inside and out, a lot better than anyone else,” Kamp said. “Most of us have been playing this game for three years tops. So he’s able to add a lot of insight to the team, and he’s helping out even our veteran players.”

Annemarie Farrell, head coach and assistant professor of sport management and media, said it not only benefits the team to have Baker for what he contributes physically, but also for the persona he brings to the field.

“Because he’s played so long, a lot of players have such confidence in him,” she said. “Just having somebody who is so excited about the sport and brings such an enthusiasm is really infectious to the other players.”

To check out a video of rugby practice visit http://theithacan. org/2557.

Sophomore inspires classmates to enjoy triathlon training

BY MAURA GLADYS

For sophomore Joe Weber, competing in a triathlon is all about the challenge.

It’s the breathlessness and complete physical exhaustion that drive Weber through the grueling rounds of swimming, biking and running.

“You do it for the pain,” Weber said. “You’re sucking wind and everything burns, but it’s something that not many people do, so when you finish, it’s something special.”

Weber hopes to provide an opportunity for other students to get involved in triathlon, whether it’s just for the challenge, to stay in shape or to have fun. Weber has already taken the first steps to achieve this by founding the Ithaca College Triathlon Organization in the fall semester.

Weber, a physical therapy and athletic training double major, was inspired to begin training for a triathlon after reading the book “One Man’s Leg,” the story of Paul Martin. Martin, an amputee from Weber’s hometown of Gardner, Mass., is a 10-time Ironman finisher and the leg amputee world-record holder.

“After I read that, that was it,” Weber said. “I said, ‘I’m doing the Ironman before I die.’”

Weber competed in his first triathlon in the summer of 2009 and has competed in four more since then.

“I absolutely loved it,” Weber said. “I had a smile on my face from start to finish.

It’s like getting a runner’s high, but multiplied, with all

the adrenaline going.”

The standard course and Olympic distance for triathlon is a 0.93 mile swim, a 24.8 mile bike portion and a 6.2 mile run.

Weber didn’t plan to begin a formal group on campus until meeting Adam Peruta, assistant professor of strategic communication, while swimming at the Hill Center Pool last spring.

In 2008, Peruta competed in the Ironman Triathlon, a punishing competition made up of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Weber said he noticed the Ironman water bottle Peruta had with him.

“We just started talking about triathlon and how cool it would be to get a group started on campus,” Weber said.

Soon after, Weber began filling out the paperwork to officially register with the college and started contacting schools in the Northeast with triathlon clubs. Peruta’s knowledge of the sport and enthusiasm helped fuel the development of the organization, which is in the process of restructuring its club proposal to get approved by the Office of Risk Management.

“I was really excited about it,” Peruta said. “In upstate New York, there’s a huge triathlon community.”

In addition to the triathlon group, Weber said he also hopes to offer more than training opportunities. Weber said he plans to tap into the resources of the triathlon community of upstate New York to bring in speakers and

experts to run clinics and help with training.

Peruta said those connections will be a key asset in the organization’s development.

“There’s a triathlon club in the city of Ithaca, and Cornell also has one, so I’m hoping that we can work with some of these clubs that already exist to get some ideas from them,” Peruta said.

Senior Josh Vorensky, a member of the organization, said the triathlon provides an environment for any level of athlete.

“A lot of people can get into it because it utilizes a lot of different sports,” he said. “Besides having a great time, it’s a great way to meet some great people.

Our members are from a variety of majors and years, and it’s all about making everyone feel comfortable.”

Weber insists the overarching theme of the group is not to train for competition but to have fun.

“One thing that we stress is that it should just be fun, and we welcome everybody,” Weber said. “It’s just a good time to get everyone together, get away from school work and have fun.”

Sophomore Joe Weber competed in his first triathlon in 2009 and has competed in four more since then.

GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

Adam Peruta, assistant professor of strategic communication, competes Nov. 27 in the Ultraman Double.

COURTESY OF LESLIE ZEDNAI

Adam Peruta, assistant professor of strategic communication, was determined to undertake something only 15 individuals in the past 17 years have completed.

After finishing the Ultraman Canada competition this past summer, Peruta prepared to complete in the Ultraman Double, which means competing in two Ultraman events in a year. Peruta pursued that goal Nov. 26-28 at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii.

The Ultraman is a three-day-long event, made up of a 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile bike ride and a 52.4-mile run. Peruta, who previously competed in two Ironman events, said the race has always been about pushing himself to see what he’s capable of.

“I was just looking for something a little bit different, a little more challenging and also something more intimate,” Peruta said. “I was looking for something a little more personal, you could say, and I stumbled across this, and I looked at the distances and thought, ‘Wow, that is ridiculous.’”

Only 40 people were accepted to the Ultraman Canada — Peruta was one of them.

One aspect of the Ultraman event was that all participants were required to be self-supported. Peruta asked his aunt and uncle, Kathy and Bob Hettrick, to be his supporting cast in Canada, which involved driving ahead in a car, making sure Peruta had the necessary food and drink and even kayaking alongside him during the swim.

Bob, though initially taken aback and unaware of what the event entailed as far as support, said he was committed to helping Peruta any way he could — even when Peruta asked him to kayak the 6.2 miles alongside him.

“I actually went out and bought a kayak and kayaked two to three times a week for two months prior to the competition,” Bob said. “Adam had anticipated doing the swim somewhere between three and three and a half hours. So I would go out and kayak for two, two and a half, three hours.”

While competing in the Ultraman Canada, Peruta said, he had to fight through his body overheating, his hatred of swimming and the mental challenge of pushing himself to the limit.

“Even a lot of times when I do my long-distance training, I’ll listen to my iPod or have music,” Peruta said. “This really kind of focuses you. It’s just you alone with your thoughts the whole time, and sometimes for me that’s a dangerous place to be. It can get very lonely, but at the same time I just enjoyed it; it was a time for me to reflect on my training.”

Peruta’s daily training schedule was packed — from his 5 a.m. workouts to his evening training session that lasts one to two hours. Sophomore Joe Weber, who founded the Ithaca College Triathlon Organization this past semester, for which Peruta is the faculty adviser, said he has spent time cycling with Peruta as well as watching his swimming routine.

“He’s super intense,” Weber said. “I’ve seen him in the pool because I lifeguard on the weekends, and on the weekends there’s a three hour shift, and he comes in right at 2 and doesn’t leave until 5 o’clock.”

In preparation for Hawaii, Peruta was busy coordinating packing lists, hotels, buying nutritional supplements and specific gear to cope with the heat during the race.

Peruta, who placed 19th out of 36 competitors, said the chance to be among a select group was one of his motivating factors.

“I’m not going to lie, that was part of the appeal to do it.” Peruta said.

“But I just love the challenge, I like to push myself, I like to see what else I’m capable of. Everybody says it’s absolutely crazy.”

Dallas Pace, 13, who lost her left leg this past year because of cancer, skis down the slope using a tri-track ski Feb. 12 at Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, N.Y. GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

feeling it under the board that I’m cruising, and I’m like, ‘Ah, this is so cool!’ It’s like an Erin Scala zooms down the mountain adrenaline rush.” on her snowboard, carving left and right Scala said the wind in her face produced on her toes and heels, picking up speed by that speed also helps to tell her if she’s whenever she can. With a brand new board, even moving. the 25-year-old was untouchable on the Scala has a medical condition known as mountain and caught the attention of most retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease skiers and riders as she passed. that causes a gradual decline in retinal Scala rarely falls while snowboarding, degeneration, and now for Scala, near comand it is even more rare to see her without plete loss in her vision. a smile on. A day at the mountain means Her first introduction to snowboarding nonstop laughter as soon as she got on the was when she found the Greek Peak Adaptive lift. When she rides onto an open, powderSnowsports program three years ago. covered trail, there is nothing holding her Interested in learning to snowboard, back from picking up speed. But if it wasn’t Scala searched Google for “blind snowfor the bright orange vest she wore, no one on boarding” and came across GPAS, a the mountain would ever know she is blind.

37-year-old not-for-profit organization “I love going fast,” Scala said. “I love just dedicated to giving people with both physical and mental disabilities the chance to enjoy all that winter has to offer at the mountain. She immediately joined.

Once in program, Scala met Megan-Mack Nicholson, professor of recreation and leisure studies at Ithaca College and Greek Peak instructor, who became Scala’s other half on the mountain.

“We’re like sisters,” Scala said.

“Trust is a huge thing. We have to trust each other, and I have to trust her. We have that scary bond.”

As Scala rockets down the mountain each week, Nicholson follows close behind yelling “Heel,” “Toe” or the occasional “Skier ahead!” And while the two laugh about their close relationship, Nicholson said her role is anything but a joke because she became Scala’s eyes.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be out here donating your From left, Megan-Mack Nicholson guides Erin Scala, who is time,” Nicholson said. “That’s blind, down the Greek Peak Mountain on Feb. 12. a very scary bond when your GRAHAM HEBEL/THE ITHACAN

BY REBECCA WEBSTER

relying on someone to keep your life, and you’re trying to keep someone alive.”

The lesson, which has now become just another hang-out session for Scala and Nicholson, is just one of many in the adaptive program.

From tri-track skiing to snowboarding, the program provides more than 100 participants of all ages this year with a mountain experience. Thirteen-year-old Dallas Pace was one of those individuals.

After losing her left leg to cancer this past year, Pace has been learning to tri-track ski. Pace uses one ski and two adapted forearm crutches with ski tips to help her balance while going down the slopes.

“The people here are really easy to work with, and everyone is friendly here,” Pace said. “Before this I was a total coach potato.”

And every week when Pace hits the slopes, she gets to work with Robyn King, whose enthusiasm on the mountain gives Pace an added boost.

King has been working with the program for the past 10 years and has been volunteering as an instructor for the past five. King’s hope was to get her 14-year-old son up and moving after he lost his leg in a car accident in 2001.

King said teaching Pace reminds her of her son’s introduction to Adaptive Snowsports.

“You see Dallas smile when she gets it,” she said. “That’s what it’s about. It’s about giving them something that they can do well and giving them that self-confidence back, especially with kids.”

Scan to see an audio slideshow of the skiers at http://tinyurl. com/3zcafdr.