Cayuga Community College Auburn & Fulton, New York
Collegian cayugacollegian@gmail.com
VOL. 67 ISSUE 7 OCTOBER 27, 2020
CAYUGABRIEFS
CCC CHILD CARE PROGRAMS EXPAND
ON-CAMPUS POOL COVID-19 TESTING STILL ALL NEGATIVE
By Michael Perry, associate editor The Cayuga Child Care Center is thriving, as they have now opened a second location this fall to help local districts and families! The second location will be located at the Auburn Campus for Cayuga, which is where the Child Care Center was previously located until they moved to Wall Street in the fall of 2019. This will help the community significantly given the ongoing child care shortage.
This week a total of 245 individuals participated in surveillance testing at both Cayuga Community College campuses, and no positive results were identified. After four weeks of testing on both campuses, we have administered 960 tests without a positive COVID-19 result. Thank you for your commitment to our health and safety measures. Please continue following our health protocols, including the proper usage of face masks and social distancing. —Cathy J. Dotterer, Ed.D. Dean of Students
Michael Perry ASSOCIATE EDITOR
[On Octobr 20th], we were notified that a student who attends class on our Auburn Campus tested positive for COVID-19. The student, who has been placed in isolation by the County Health Department, was last on campus Friday, October 16. The College and the Health Department are supporting the student at this time, and are also coordinating contact tracing. You will be contacted directly by the Health Department if you were in contact with the student. Our campus operations will continue in their current format, andwe will provide additional information as it becomes available. —Dr. Brian Durant CCC President
TELL US HOW COVID-19 IS CHANGING YOUR LIFE! EMAIL THE COLLEGIAN!
PHOTOS BY MARY G. MERRITT
AUBURN CAMPUS STUDENT TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID
BROADCAST JOURNALISM STUDENTS PRACTICE PERFORMING ON CAMERA
Students in Professor Mary Merritt’s Broadcast Journalism class (TELCOM 212) went into the television studio on the Auburn campus recently to practice what they’ve learned about presenting news on camera while reading a script for broadcast from a teleprompter. The students are still able to gain hands-on experience in television production with the proper social distancing and protective gear. ABOVE: Pat Mahunik and Jenna Fields work in production control while Mike Perry reads the teleprompter in the studio. LEFT: Jenna Fields and Josh Hart.
PHOTO BY MARY G. MERRITT
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“We realize that chlldcare is a huge hurdle for working families when school is not in session every day, and we wanted to do everything we could to help families during this difficult time,” said Child Care Center Director Amanda Gould. She also noted that there are appropriate health procedures in place to safely open the second location to more students. Both locations will follow extensive health and safety measures to protect chlldren, families, and staff. Temperature screenings are conducted upon entry of either facility, and only students with temperatures less than 100 degrees are allowed to enter. No parents are allowed to enter either facility. The Center on Wall Street will offer programming for children ages six weeks to fiveyears-old. They have three infant classrooms, two toddler classrooms, two classrooms for three-year-olds and two classrooms for Universal Pre-Kindergarten students. Hours of operation for the Wall Street location are 6:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. The Child Care Service located at Cayuga’s Auburn Campus has four classrooms for students ranging from kindergarten through Seventh grade. Instructional components will be provided to help with students distance learning needs. Hours of operation will be from 7 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. For more information about the Child Care Center or to contact them about enrolling your child, visit https;//www.cayuga-cc.edu/students/childcare/ or call 315-294-8603.
THANK YOU STUDENT TUTORS
CAYUGA COLLEGIAN STAFF EARNS FIRST PLACE AWARD IN NATIONAL CONTEST
The 2019-20 staff of Cayuga Community College’s only student-run newspaper, The Cayuga Collegian, earned first place in an annual national newspaper competition run by American Scholastic Press Association. Their first place certificate finally arrived in the mail. LEFT TO RIGHT: Jenna Fields, Michael Perry, Marc Baan, Pat Mahunik and Josh Hart. Newspapers are judged by journalism professors from across the nation, earning points for creativity, content coverage, photography, and writing.The student staffs of The Cayuga Collegian for more than 18 years have earned either a first or second place award in this competition. Last year, The Cayuga Collegian was the only newspaper of its school size to win a first place prize.
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CAYUGA
WELLNESS
SERVICES
Christina Bentley, MS Wellness & Intervention Counselor
Dr. Jerimy Blowers Wellness & Intervention Counselor
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
OPINIONS Michael Perry
Marc Baan
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
CO-EDITOR FEATURE WRITER
—submitted by Christina Bentley, Wellness Counselor, Fulton Campus October is Domestic Violence Awareness our community partners: SAVAR (Auburn Month. This is a reminder that we have students) 315-252-2112 and SAF (Fulton domestic violence & sexual assault support students) 315-342-1600. on each campus. Right now, our partners Feel free to contact: are not on campus but can still work with AUBURN: jblowers1@cayuga-cc.edu students. Tracy Bozeat from SAVAR serves the Auburn campus and Samantha Dolan FULTON: cbentle2@cayuga-cc.edu from OCO SAF serves the Fulton campus. If if you need any further assistance conyou or someone you know is in need of supnecting to these services. Be safe and be port, here are the 24-hour hotlines for both well.
HOW I SEE IT... HOW I SEE IT...
As health experts predicted, we have seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases recently in the United States. With businesses attempting to reopen and schools re-opening for in-class learning, it was going to be difficult to avoid. People can blame it on those who don’t wear masks, they can blame it on those don’t socially distance, and they can blame it on those who do not quarantine even when experiencing symptoms or testing positive. However, I think the true culprits are money and Social Media. If we could continue to pay people to stay home rather than go to work, this would obviously make a great difference in helping stop the spread of COVID-19. If we could put a temporary freeze
“The more we come together
and help stop the spread the sooner life returns to normal.”
— Mike Perry, associate editor
on rent and other bills that would also help, then people would not be forced to attend work to make ends meet, but landlords and energy companies have no safety net. They have the nerve to blame customers and renters saying we should all have money set aside for times like this, yet where is their set aside money? Social media is doing some good, helping us all stay connected and communicating during the pandemic. It is the spread of false information that is the problem. People go on Facebook, Tiktok, Twitter, etc., and simply post false information about the virus without researching any of it. When we spread false information, we are damaging our society as a whole. This is why we should leave the job of spreading knowledge/information about COVID-19 to health care officials. We should take what they say and go with it, rather than trying to find some social media COVID expert who has no medical credentials or experience. Now more than ever, we need to fight this pandemic. The strongest battles are fought by the toughest soldiers, so lets dig in the trenches and show this virus who is boss. It could be awhile before this is over, but the more we come together and help stop the spread the sooner life returns to normal.
The Cayuga Collegian welcomes letters from its readers. Submissions must be emailed to cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Submissions must include your name, address and daytime phone number. All letters to the editor do not reflect the viewpoint of the Collegian office, its staff or advisor. All letters are simply the opinions of the writers themselves. All letters may be edited for content or length.
PAGE TWO
It is that time again, election time. Every four years we as citizens of this nation get the honor to vote for our next President. And yes, I mean honor. It is an honor to cast our ballot after standing in line. It is an honor to wear your “I Voted!” sticker and stay up late to watch the counts from each of our states and territories come in. And do you know why it is an honor to vote? Because we have the right to vote. There are many nations on this planet where their citizens are not allowed to vote for their leaders, or the elections are so rigged that no matter how they vote, it will not matter. Here, in this country, we have the right to vote for our leaders. We have the right to say how things are down in our country. That right means, that every four years, I have the honor to stand in lines, cast my ballot, wear my sticker, and stay up late watching the news as the results come in.
AD DESIGNED BY ABBY SWEET FOR AN ASSIGNMENT IN COM 101
HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Send your submission to cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Your submission must include the writer’s full name, college year and home town. Anonymous letters and letters written under pseudonyms will not be published. For verification purposes, submissions must also include the writer’s home address, e-mail address and telephone number.
Marc Baan Jenna Fields Michael Perry Emily Lane Joshua Hart Patrick Mahunik Mary G. Merritt
CO-EDITOR CO-EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTOR FACULTY ADVISOR
We are looking for more staff members!
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HOW ARE CCC STUDENTS HANDLING COVID CRISIS? By Alyssa Cheeley, contributing writer
Right now the media is flooded with different guidelines, information, and opinions concerning the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The virus is constantly on everyone’s mind, making it hard to do anything without hearing or seeing something related to it. Because of this, it’s no wonder why so many people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious this year. Students, especially those in college, are suffering greatly due to the pandemic. According to the article “College Stress and COVID-19” by Symiah Dorsey, “Recent surveys have found that students are reporting increased rates of depressed mood, anxiety, and stress. Other symptoms include substance misuse, loneliness, and trouble sleeping.” It is already stressful to move away from home and start at a new school, and the added stress from the pandemic isn’t helping. So how are these students coping with this stress? Megan Coe, a freshman from Mexico, NY, majoring in early childhood education, said “I like to go on walks, listen to music, and watch videos that make me laugh to help keep my spirit up.” Dylan Faiella, a freshman from Harpursville, NY, majoring in music production, said she tries to find ways to entertain herself while keeping her interactions
with others to a minimum. “I like to watch YouTube, play board games, and do puzzles during my free time.” Dylan also shared that she isn’t that stressed about COVID-19, she is more stressed because the virus is preventing her from doing her favorite thing; hanging out with her friends and family. Terrianne James, a second-semester freshman from Fair Haven, NY, majoring in nursing, said she has been drinking excessive amounts of coffee because the warm drink helps relieve her stress. She also says “I try to stay active by doing different at-home workout routines and taking daily walks. Exercise is a great way to blow off steam and get refocused.” Terrianne also has an emotional support cat, Sassy, that keeps her company and helps reduce her anxieties about COVID. These aren’t the only students finding ways to cope this semester. The article “Coping with COVID-19-related stress as a student” reported students coping by practicing selfcare, seeking social support, finding ways to manage disappointment, limiting media consumption, and focusing on things they can control, along with many others. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t making life easy right now. And It’s okay to feel stressed overwhelmed, and even afraid during this time. The important thing is to find ways to relax, destress, and make the best out of this pandemic.
JOIN CCC’S VETERANS CLUB
By Ronan Murphy, contributing writer
The campus’ Veterans Club welcomes all Cayuga Community College students who would like to participate in activities to support veterans and their families in the community and on campus. The club has a lot of meaningful projects to let veterans and their families feel gratitude for the sacrifices they made. What does one do in the Veterans Club? CCC’s Veterans Club organizes and holds events with all proceeds going to veteran-related organizations. In previous years, the club has held chili cook-offs and events during Veterans Week such as flag raising and green light giveaways to support those
who fought for our country. The Veterans Club will host its first meeting virtually on Monday, November 2 at 11 A.M. If you would like to learn more about the Veterans Club and what it entails, or are looking to join please contact Emily Cameron, at emily.cameron@cayuga-cc.edu. Do you have to be a veteran or be related to one to join? The Veterans Club welcomes all students who are looking to join and actively help and support the brave soldiers who fought for this country. The club is always looking for new members to help plan and organize events. Join today and support those who supported this country.
OCT 28 WATCH SOMA TALENT SHOWCASE
By Calvin Francher, contributing writer
Students enrolled in the SOMA program will have the prime chance to partake in a virtual showcase of their talent. The show will allow participants to submit various original forms of media including original music, cover music, video production, stand-up comedy, dramatic monologue, and readings of original written work. Additionally, a slideshow of select portraits will be chosen under this year’s theme of “Self-Portrait: I Am Art.” This year’s SOMA Talent Showcase will be led by Cayuga Community College Humanities Division Chairperson, School of Media and the Arts Director and Professor Steve Keeler. “We hope to interest students in participating in Cayuga Records,” said Keeler. “The intention is to help keep Cayuga Records active during the pandemic when it is difficult to audition and produce music for recording artists,”
SHOWCASE
Due to the recent lockdowns caused by COVID-19 this and many other events had to be put in a virtual setting. Keeler decided to take this opportunity and bring the showcase to Zoom to keep the annual showcase of CCC talent going. Before the lockdown, Keeler says he had planned to change the venue to the Auburn Public Theater in downtown Auburn to give performers the opportunity to present their works in front of a live audience. “We want these events to increase the visibility of Cayuga Records’ artists at a time when they can’t perform live,” said Keeler. “We want everyone to know that Cayuga Records continues to remain active in spite of the pandemic.” With this goal in mind, the SOMA Talent showcase will begin on Wednesday, October 28th at 3 P,M, on Zoom. Prizes will be awarded in all categories.
singer & songwriter
Connor VanEpps
Connor VanEpps is a singer-songwriter, record artist/producer, and multiinstrumentalist with years of experience behind him. Serving as the chief songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the band “Glass Image,” he has written over 50 songs. Appearing in bluegrass acts like “Lake Country” and jazz acts like “On Bass,” Connor shows his
SERVING THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 66 YEARS!
flexibility and love of being a musician. His dream is to become a professional touring musician with his own band and to share his love of music with the world.
PAGE THREE
SOMETHING FUNNY
What are you afraid of ? What are you afraid of? Perhaps a bad grade on your mid-tem? The cop driving closely behind you? Your parents when you get home late? All valid things to be afraid of, but all tangible things—all things you can see coming.
Marc Baan
Now think of the things you can’t see. Things that move in the comers of your eyes. Sounds that come from nowhere. The touch on your arm from the shadows ... HOW AFRAID ARE YOU NOW?
If you’re brave enough, read this weekly installment of OUR SHADOW WORLD. We will explore the myths and urban legends of our planet. From the creatures your grandparents told you they saw in the war, to the things found on an abandoned VHS tape on the side of the road. Nothing will be held back as we discover what people are afraid of in countries from all four corners of this world. Remember, all myths and legends start with some strand of the truth. Now let’s see if they stay are true or just turn out to be a good story!
SHARE YOUR CO-EDITOR FEATURE WRITER FUNNY MEMES WITH US: CAYUGACOLLEGIAN@GMAIL.COM OUR SHADOW WORLD MEME BY COM 101 STUDENT NICK LEE
The story of Tarrytown’s Headless Horseman In the quiet countryside village of Tarrytown, New York something is lurking in between the trees of the wood-lined roads. It is a creature that is forever hunting for something that was taken away from him. It is a creature so horrible that if you stumble upon him, he will take your life in a vengeful rage. This creature is known as, The Headless Horseman.
The modern myth of the Headless Horseman can be traced to the 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which comes from a a book with a collection of stories called The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. In this story, a schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane, who had failed to win the hand of his beloved,
rides alone back to his home at night. He crosses paths with another rider, a rider that has no head. Terrified Crane tries to get away but is attacked by this headless assailant and is never seen again. The truth about the identity of the headless horseman points more to the other romantic rival Ichabod Crane had to compete with as the actual culprit. So, is that it? Is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow an early example of great American horror writing? Or is there more to the story? Dig a bit deeper and you might find this story has some interesting twists and turns to it. First, the author, Washington Irving, did not write this story in America. He wrote the story about the headless horsemen while he was traveling in Europe. Now, this is when things get interesting. From Ireland to France there are countless stories of headless riders roaming the countrysides and woods for over 500 years. Most of the stories claim the headless rider to be a former knight who was beheaded in battle. As legend goes, this poor knight will forever be searching for his lost head. It seems that Irving was inspired by stories he heard while he was traveling when he wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. But things get weird when you investigate who the headless horseman might be. The horseman might not have been a rival to Crane but an actual fatality of the American Revolution. Fakelore from the area says that the headless man might have been a Hessian, a German soldier who fought for the British. There is documentation from the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow that has records of foreign soldiers being intered there with a few of them laid to rest without their heads. This is a strange world where new discoveries are made every day. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow might be just that, a legend. But with headless soldiers laying in churches in America and 500-year-old stories in Northern Europe, you must wonder what could be out there in the woods. My advice, if you ever cross paths with a headless man riding a horse, run in the other direction and hope you are quick enough to outrun his horse. Happy Halloween everyone.
Filbert...
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