Cayuga Community College Auburn & Fulton, New York
Collegian www.cayugacollegian.com
Vol. 61 Issue 9
CCC delivers!
CAYUGABriefs
CCC’s Szezeniak is College Radio Adviser of the Year!
By Ashlee Saret, staff writer
Congratulations are once again in order for CCC alumnus Jeff Szcezniak, Station Advisor at CCC’s student-run radio station, WDWN, and winner of College Radio Day’s 2012 Station Advisor of the Year award. This is the first time a member of WDWN has received an international award related to their duties at the station. College Radio Day is an annual international celebration of College Radio. 585 stations around the world participated in this year’s event. The winner of the award, “The 2012 Spirit of College Radio Award, Adviser of the Year,” was chosen by emailed student votes, showing how much of an impact Szcezniak has made on his students and the staff at WDWN. “I feel very honored to win this award and to help make a day like College Radio Day successful. To win this award with almost 600 college stations participating worldwide, it is still kind of hard for me to comprehend this whole thing, I just want to thank everyone who nominated me for this award, it is such a tremendous honor for me and everyone involved at WDWN,” said Szcezniak. For more information, visit www. collegeradioday.com
The cast of The Six Realms of Pizza Delivery after their award-winning performance.
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Congratulations are due to CCC’s Harlequin’s Fall Show, The Six Realms of Pizza Delivery, won Best Long Production honors at the Theatre Association of New York States Annual festival in November. Matthew Ryan Limerick’s costume design and Kat Jordan’s Prop work received Merit awards from the Festival Adjudicators for their work on the production. Mathew Ryan also entered the BMI Supply Design Exhibition and Competition with his costuming for Harlequin’s Spring Production of Club Hell. He received Best Costume Design for his work.
Student Clubs Organizing Dual Fundraiser By Andy Schemerhorn, Co-Editor-in-chief The unfortunate condition of Baby Easton Friedel of Weedsport has been a big story both across Central New York Baby Easton and the United States. Born in late October, Easton had a case of Epodermolysis Bullosa, an incredibly rare and painful genetic skin disorder. Though support for the Friedel’s has been massive already, CCC’s Phi Theta Kappa and Tutor Club are working to run a dual fundraiser for Baby Easton and Locks of Love on December 11th from 11 am to 4:30 pm in the Auburn Campus’ Student Lounge. Locks of Love, a nationally recognized charity, has a mission to provide hairpieces for low-income children (people under 21) who have lost their hair from a sickness or unique
medical condition. For this upcoming event, they are asking primarily for ten inches of hair, though they will also accept shorter lengths to sell to continue supporting their operation. They cannot accept highlighted or bleached hair due to chemicals, but coloring and perms are usable. For those who wish to donate hair, try collecting pledges to do so! The hope of Phi Theta Kappa and the Tutor Club is that donors will collect pledges for donating their hair and that the pledges will directly go to benefitting Easton Friedel. Even if you don’t quite have enough hair to donate or aren’t up to having that much of a haircut, the event itself will be more than the Locks of Love drive. Though still in the planning stages, organizers have already begun moving towards getting catering from Subway, having pizza, borrowing the famous cookie machine that so often makes our
front entrance smell delicious, having the art club do face painting, and are hoping to have the Music Club perform. They already have a good selection of raffle prizes, such as five to ten vouchers for free textbooks, some children’s gifts, such as a camera and RipStik (similar to a skateboard), and even an iPad 2! If going to the event isn’t an option for you, a ticket presale table will hopefully be set up at the Auburn Campus before the event. If any other clubs would like to donate a gift to be raffled off, email reohrs@cayuga-cc.edu or stop by T203 whenever a professor is in. If you would like to donate in a way besides raffles or pledges, send checks to the same room’s mailbox, payable to Phi Theta Kappa, with the memo “Baby Easton.” The event also has a Facebook page at facebook.com/home.php?ref=tn_ tnmn#!/events/405037886232 092/
Cayuga Records release party a smash! By Alec Rider Co-Editor-in-chief Last Wednesday night saw more than 100 people file into the Auburn Public Theatre for the 3rd Annual Cayuga Records release party.
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December 5, 2012
Joann Perry performs at Cayuga Records release party. The packed house was entertained by C3 Records artists including the CCC Jazz Ensemble, hip-hop artist D-Light, alternative band Lee Terrace, and Joann Perry.
C3 Records affords an opportunity to local artists that cannot be underestimated. The ability to go into a recording suite and record an album for free and then have a record release party is a good deal. But to get that far, you have to be chosen from a slate of around 12 artists by the students in the C3 Records club that end up working on your album. These students listen to all of the prospective artists and are able to decide who they would like to work with. “The goal for Cayuga Records is to produce one album a year, but we have enough funding that we are able to produce up to three. So the students can select up to three recording artists per year to work with,” Telcom Chair Steve Keeler said. Keeler was excited about the
event and went as far as saying that this year’s round of acts was some of the best in the 10 album set of Cayuga Records. The Auburn Public Theatre plays an important part in the yearly project that is Cayuga Records. Keeping the release party for local acts in a local venue is key to building a starting fan base. CCC professor and APT Executive Director Carey Eidel is happy to play his part. “We just love the educational aspect that we can provide to the students.” Professor Keeler realizes this and cherishes the partnership that Cayuga Records and APT has. “Cayuga Records and APT, I just have to say that the APT has been very good to Cayuga Records,” Keeler said.
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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK The season between Thanksgiving and the New Year is a special one. The holidays prompt families to come together and declare what they are thankful for. They may give each other presents which they will either cherish forever or throw in their closet, never to be seen again until it’s ready to go on Pawn Stars. Of course the greatest holiday in the holiday season is the holiday called Holiday. Wait… that doesn’t sound right. Oh wait, that’s right it’s called [expletive] mas. Why did those first six letters form an expletive? Let’s try this again. Merry X-Mas! That’s not right either, where did that X come from, we’re not Greek are we? What is this joyous time of the year, when the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful? This time of year that has inspired so many classic songs and spreads cheer to so many people. CHRISTMAS! You see, here in America where the Freedom of Religion is our first freedom, we have been asked to say the very bland, general, politically correct Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. But it’s still okay to say Happy Thanksgiving to a 24 year old that is half native, even though we nearly wiped out his Native American ancestors in Virginia due to the disease our forefathers brought. It’s okay! We can change things a little bit can’t we? “Although it’s been said, many times, many ways, Happy Holidays… to you”, wow that sounds awful. Then there are the schools—one may be closer than you think— that are trying to eliminate non-secular Christmas songs from concerts. Okay! That’ll be easy; we can just pretend that the “He” in Christmas Canon is Frosty the Snowman. That sounds plausible, right? We can’t forget the atheists that
think it’s okay to persecute people’s beliefs just because they don’t have any. The funny thing is, Christianity is a philosophy and new atheists have turned atheism from a philosophy to a religion of sorts. So I think we should all be protected from the hateful, vile spew of people like Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher. There is no such thing as the holiday called Holiday, so it is in fact not a holiday tree. Do we use the tree for Thanksgiving and the New Year? No. We use it for Christmas, because it’s a Christmas tree. You can’t liberally use Happy Thanksgiving and Happy New Year and think you can limit my freedom of speech of uttering Merry Christmas. I hope none of you succumb to these merry bands of fascists that want this political “correctness.” 68% of American adults prefer Merry Christmas, 76% of Canadian adults prefer it too. So if you have a problem with Merry Christmas, stop celebrating it. Stop giving your kids presents, stop buying the trees and stop visiting your families on the 25th. Stop giving to the Red Kettle and stop volunteering at food pantries. Stop attending the beautiful nativity scenes and concerts. Christmas inspires all of these things that are huge this month. Everyone needs to let Christmas be Christmas, this holiday that inspires love, compassion and goodwill to all. Christmas lovers let you all have your favorite holidays to get hammered on, now let us have our holiday to show our thankfulness for many, many things that we declared last month. Oh, one last thing. Merry Christmas and on earth peace, good will toward men. -Alec Rider, Co-Editor-in-chief
Marijuana: Make it legal The legalization of marijuana in the US would have a massive impact on the whole of North America on both social and economic levels. Many of us have felt the effects of the economic recession our nation has experienced for the past few years. Legalized, taxed and regulated marijuana would not only create a new stream of tax revenue, but would free up the tax dollars being spent on prohibition enforcement, possibly for use toward programs i n t e n d e d to reduce availability and use towards legitimately dangerous street drugs. According to Harvard e c o n o m i s t Jeffery Miron, marijuana prohibition costs the federal government nearly eight billion dollars annually in enforcement r e l a t e d e x p e n d i t u re s , and the potential revenue stream from the taxation of the substance is up to six billion. That’s 14 billion dollars per year. The 14 billion can be spent on other areas of need such as education, infrastructure and other services. The social costs of not legalizing marijuana can have harming effects on families and society at large. According to Department of Justice statistics marijuana was not the leading cause of emergency room visit in 2011, cocaine was the leading cause with 548,608 emergency room visits. Cocaine had almost twice the amount ER visits than marijuana related ER visits. Many of our drug laws harm families, minorities and the poor disproportionately than any other demographic. New York over the past several years has made possessing the same amount of crack cocaine a crime equal to the same amount of powdered cocaine. This disparity had existed for years. That policy has broken up many families and kept needed drug addicts in jail where there were no drug rehabilitation program available. Our marijuana laws in New York and nationally do not reflect this changing of our laws and failure of the War on Drugs, especially marijuana.
The War on Drugs has been fought for over four decades. With drug violence at an all-time high it can make someone question the effectiveness of the War on Drugs. Marijuana laws can put people in jail or prison where they do not belong. This country already has some of the highest incarceration rates in the world which cost our nation greatly. Many of those in jail are low level offenders. . I have never known anyone who has had a marijuana overdose. . Marijuana is no stronger than alcohol. Marijuana production and availability have led to some of the worst violence across the US Southern Border with Mexico. Mexican drug cartels are fighting over drug trafficking and distribution. Marijuana is a major source of income for the cartels. Drug gangs are also expanding out of cities and into new markets for marijuana. FBI statistics show the proliferation of drug gangs to be one of the most pressing law enforcement problem our society faces. Border Patrol agents have been injured or killed by these drug gangs. The more time police spend on dealing with marijuana use or possession, less time is available to go after the drug gangs and dealers who sell hard core or lethal drugs. Many young people who are charged with marijuana possession have a record that can cause problems when applying to colleges or for a job even if the possession was their first offence or possessed a very small amount. Marijuana legalization would: help unclog our court system and prison systems, keep families together, allow our society to better allocate resources to combat crime and help crime rates go down to even lower record levels. The citizens of Colorado on Election Day cast more votes for marijuana legalization than for President Obama who won Colorado over Mitt Romney. More states and their citizens are pushing for marijuana legalization to better their society by focusing on real problems and epidemics. -Ashlee Saret and James Granger Collegian staff writers
“Marijuana prohibition solved a problem that didn’t exist.” – Jacob Logue, CCC Student
CCC FULTON T h e Cayuga Collegian welcomes letters from its readers. Submissions must be emailed to cayugacollegian @gmail. com. Submissions may be edited for content or length. Submissions must include your name, address and daytime phone number. All letters to the editor are copied exactly and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the Collegian office, its staff or advisors. All letters are simply the opinions of the writers themselves.
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Editorial Board ALEC RIDER - Editor-in-chief ANDY SCHEMERHORN, Editor-in-chief MARY G. MERRITT, Advisor Staff FAITH FANNING - Auburn ASHLEE SARET - Auburn MIRANDA TENEYCK - Auburn JIM GRANGER - Auburn
STUDENTS The Cayuga Collegian is looking for staff writers to cover news and events happening on the CCC Fulton Campus. Please email cayugacollegian@ gmail.com
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Why you should donate to organizations other than the Salvation Army Wintertime is approaching, as are the holidays, and the iconic red kettles of the Salvation Army are here. But before you start handing your loose change to volunteers at your local grocery store, please give me a moment to tell you some things about their organization that you may not have known before. The Salvation Army is a Methodist international movement that was founded in the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century by William and Catherine Booth (originally called the North London Christian Mission). Much of their beliefs to this day still follow traditional Christian beliefs and they stand for “the advancement of the Christian religion...of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.” With this in mind, it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that their stance on the LGBT cause is not particularly favorable. What is surprising, though, is how passionate their stance is on an irrelevant cause (for their purposes) and how much money they give to anti-LGBT companies and legislation. The Salvation Army themselves have given conflicting statements on the issue. They claim they hold a “positive view of human sexuality” but later state on their website that “sexual intimacy is understood as a gift of God to be enjoyed within the context of heterosexual marriage” and “Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life.” These opinions were brought to surface and confirmed in a radio interview with the Australian Major Andrew Craibe (the head of territorial media relations) who said: “They know God’s decree, that those who practise such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practise them.” George Hood, senior official, had also said in an interview with the
Washington Post “it really begins to chew away at the theological fabric of who we are” when asked on hiring gay employees. Their words are backed by lobbying on Salvation Army’s part to ensure civil rights aren’t granted to the LGBT community. Such include their petitioning in 1986 to get legislation in New Zealand that would decriminalize consensual sex between gay men repealed; their lobbying in 2001 to change how the Bush administration would distribute $24 billion in grants and tax deductions by insisting the White House deny funding to states that included non-discrimination laws; their 2001 attempt to be exempt from local non-discriminatory laws that would keep them from having to provide any medical benefits to same-sex partners of their employees; their pushing of legislation in the UK that would prohibit the promotion of any proLGBT materials and would disallow schools to teach the acceptance of same-sex relationships; and their threat in 2004 to close down all New York City soup kitchens after passed legislation that required all charities in the city to adhere to all civil rights laws. At the end of the day, yes, the Salvation Army is a charitable organization, and they do a lot of honest-to-God good work for those less fortunate, but we shouldn’t stand behind an organization that siphons a portion of their funds to support discriminatory legislation that many of their donators don’t support and will—to their discretion—turn away anyone in need that doesn’t meet their moral code. Author and public speaker Anna Lappé said, “Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” Please keep that in mind when deciding which of the multitude of the wonderful charities to donate to this holiday season. -Stephen Hodge, CCC freshman
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Congratulations, Harlequin Congratulations are due to Harlequin Productions of CCC. 17 students and I were invited to bring our production of The Six Realms of Pizza Delivery to the Theatre Association of New York States Annual festival in November and walked away with BEST LONG PRODUCTION honors!!! Matthew Ryan Limerick’s costume design and Kat Jordan’s Prop work received Merit awards from the Festival Adjudicators for their work on the production. Mathew also entered the BMI Supply Design Exhibition and Competition with his costuming for Harlequin’s Spring Production of Club Hell. He received BEST COSTUME DESIGN for his work. I was honored to have a second show that I directed for the Auburn
Players, ‘night, Mother invited to the Festival. This show won BEST SHORT PRODUCTION honors. For the first time in the over 50 year history of the organization did one director win both Best Long and Short productions! The two actresses each received BEST PERFORMANCE AWARDS for their work. ‘night, Mother also won People’s Choice honors for the two performances and Best production. Also involved in this production was current student Jed Daniels and alums Tracy Herman, Ann Frame Jim Gadsby and Lindsay Day. ‘night, Mother will be representing NY state at a five state regional community theatre festival in April. Theatre is thriving in Auburn! -Bob Frame CCC Theater Professor
Is the Library too loud? By Andy Schemerhorn, Co-Editor-in-chief While plenty of students and staff were glad to have the new café area added to the library, there were voices wondering “Isn’t an idea like that going to create noise in the library, a place that’s supposed to be reserved for quiet studying and research?” A few issues ago, an opinion piece ran complaining about noise in the library, from music being played to people hanging out and talking loudly. But are these noise issues falling on deaf ears? Not quite. Library Director Margaret Devereaux is aware that noise is something that needs to be watched over, but at the same time, it looks more like a policy of containment than one of no tolerance. “What we assume is that if we can hear noise at the desk, we’ll ask the person to stop,” Ms. Devereaux said when asked about the noise complaints, adding “We’ve never had a student refuse to quiet down when approached… but if we don’t hear it and students don’t say anything to us, we can’t fix the problem.” The library has taken some immediate steps to ensure quiet spaces are preserved. The speakers in the library computers are disabled, so if music is being played, it’s coming from someone’s phone or laptop. Devereaux also assures that the basement section and the “quiet
You can also earn credits while writing articles for Cayuga Community College’s student-run, award-winning newspaper by registering for Telcom 204 this spring!
THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS
zone” opposite the entrance are still good places to study quietly. Some things are being allowed to slide though, mainly in the front area where the Refresh Express is located. During lunch, people aren’t always excited about Subway, and it draws a crowd that may be more concerned with having their meal than staying silent for others to study. Director Devereaux referred to this condition as a “happy problem” in that having people in the library made for a more pleasant environment, but warned against coming to the library at noon if you wanted peace and quiet. “Later in the afternoon, and in the evening, that’s when things are the most relaxed,” Deveraux advised. Some reject the notion of a silent library entirely. College Vice President Jeff Rosenthal, after being asked about noise complaints mentioned at Pizza with the President, said “Libraries are evolving. They aren’t these silent tombs anymore. That still exists in parts of it if you want it, but it’s becoming a more social place.” While sections of the library have made peace with some noise, is the rest of the library kept as it should or is needed to be? If you’re in a “quiet zone” and can’t take the noise, your best bet for silence may be to speak up.
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Nursing students lead community effort to assist Sandy victims Auburn celebrates arrival of Public Access Channel By Alec Rider Co-Editor-in-chief
On Monday night local leaders and communication professionals gathered at the Auburn Public Theater for the Auburn Regional Media Access (ARMA) station preview reception. Telcom Chair Steve Keeler is Vice President of the Board and APT Executive Director and CCC professor Carey Eidel serves as its Treasurer. ARMA is an eight year dream finally realized that affords the city of Auburn its own public access channel. “Our focus through all of this was to have a public access channel operated by Auburn, NY. Our own, solely our own, so we can do multiple things and that task was not easy,” said ARMA Board President Bob Penafeather. ARMA will launch January 2013 and will be open to anybody, amateur or professional, to submit their own work. Classes will be available on operating equipment, cameras etc. so people can take out equipment and learn how to properly shoot, edit, and broadcast video. Gone are the days where you would have to drive to your local public access channel’s office and drop off an antiquated VHS. Now you can hand in content in a variety of media including DVD and flash drive.
ARMA will be looking for donations, volunteers, and interns which were discussed during the reception. Penafeather described a system in which students no matter if they’re in middle school or high school would be able to intern with ARMA to learn the ropes in a field they might be interested in before they go to college. “Another very important part in all of this is internship. It’s connecting the dots in the community for communication… what a great internship opportunity for students in communication with experienced people,” Penafeather said. ARMA will have the ability to do everything from high school and college sports games, classic and the here & now, concerts, recitals, Doubleday games and more. Even those who may not be in the area for whatever reason will be able to see it once the channel goes live on the web in the short future. Penafeather was optimistic about the prospects of ARMA. “There’s a lot of intangible value to us running our own public access channel here in Auburn. Tonight is to say we’re not thinking about it, it’s here.”
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Nursing students at Cayuga Community College partnered with the local community to fill a 53-foot 18-wheeler with supplies and gifts to aid victims of Superstorm Sandy in Newark, New Jersey. They collected donations of winter clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, personal necessities, cleaning supplies, and even Christmas presents of toys and board games, managing to fill the truck in just three days. The idea for the donation drive originated with students in Cheryl Foster’s community health class and members of the college’s Nursing Club, who wanted to do something to assist those affected by the storm. Community members and business owners enthusiastically rallied around the effort. Larry Ellis, president of Stott & Davis Motor Express, provided the truck and supplied a driver, who reported the safe delivery of the donated items to Catholic Charities in Newark on Thursday, November 29. The Cuthbert family, owners of
MEDENT Community Computer Service, allowed space for the truck on their lot, and MEDENT employees helped man the donation site while nursing students were at classes. “The amount of donations we received was overwhelming,” said Foster, professor of nursing and coordinator of family and community nursing at Cayuga. “Everyone in the community contributed very generously, and a great variety of items were donated.” As a further extension of goodwill between the two communities, Foster said, Auburn Mayor Michael Quill was following up on the delivery of the donated items by putting together information about Auburn and Cayuga County to be delivered directly to Newark Mayor Cory Booker. “It has been great to be a part of this, coming together with the community and seeing everyone pull together to make this happen,” Foster said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to help this way.”
No December Ceremony for Fall Graduates By Jim Granger, staff writer With the fall semester coming to an end, students are busy with that final project, a research paper, worrying about next semester’s schedule, or finishing requirements for a degree a number of students will receive at the end of this semester. However, for 169 students, they are also getting ready to graduate at the end of this semester. So where’s the graduation ceremony for the winter graduates? Margaret Spillet, Director of Public Relations and Institutional Communications, said, “To to my knowledge there is no ceremony during the winter for winter graduates because there seemed to be a lack of interest by winter graduates. Most students who receive their degrees in December like to be part of the May Commencement Ceremony.” Spillett also stated that letters are sent every January to winter graduates asking if they would be interested in taking part in Spring commencement. For commencement last year there were around 680 graduates who walked to receive their diplomas, winter and spring graduates. The Fulton Campus also participates in all graduation activities with the Auburn Campus. Louise Wilson, Director of Alumni Affairs for the ACC/CCC Alumni Association said, “There is no official ceremony because of a lack of interest by graduates.”
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Wilson did say there was an official graduation ceremony for winter graduates in 2008. “The problem with that ceremony was the 2008 graduation and later recognition ceremonies were being sparsely attended, being very time and labor intensive a decision was made to not organize any official ceremony for the winter graduates. Only .8% of the graduates personally invited participated in the graduation, and in the past couple of years less than 1% attended the recognition ceremony.” The winter graduation ceremonies would also conflict with the very busy holiday season and degrees would not be certified until January. With many graduates opting to receive their degrees in Spring commencement if they chose, there was not much interest in a winter ceremony. Both Spillett and Wilson said that graduates should be proud and also are welcome to become active with the ACC/CCC Alumni Association. Since most winter graduates choose to participate in spring commencement there is probably no need for a winter graduate commencement at this time. So if you know somebody who will receive their degree after completing the fall semester, make sure to congratulate that person or maybe even drop that person a graduation card.
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Help make the blueprint for the new Student Activities Center! By Andy Schemerhorn, Co-Editor-in-chief
The plan is to turn this space into a booth and/or table area.
Yes, the Cube is nice, but it’s a little out of the way. Yes, there are places in the front hallway for clubs to make tables and booths, but it can get crowded and appear unorganized. And for Vice President Rosenthal, he thinks we can use the school’s space better. More offices for clubs. More sofas and chairs instead of the middle-school plastic chairs. Better advertising for booths and club activities. All in all, just a better place for students to go during the day. Vice President Rosenthal has a four step plan to turn the cafeteria into this place. “It already has an ATM, Subway, the bookstore, we just need to give this space a little attention.” Rosenthal said of the cafeteria. Step one is to rebrand it as the Student Activity Center. This will include banners and the fast pace that the school gets new students to move traffic toward the area. Step two is to move the club tables down into the
A banner marking the area as the Student Activities Center would go here with an arrow pointing down the stairs.
The two walls of The Cube would come inward and the space between the old and new walls would become shared spaces for club offices.
Cayuga Community College administrators are looking for ideas on how to change these areas into a place where students want to gather and participate in activities. In the space above, there are plans for a student cafe.
new area. Since students are already down there to eat at lunch, it would give more publicity to everything down there, which is good news for everyone. Step three is to get rid of the horrible plastic chairs and the “bar stool” area in favor of more couches and chairs with armrests. Finally, Rosenthal wants to add a position to oversee things like music and the TV’s in the Center and hear from students on what they could be doing to improve the space. “We have a speaker system set up, but we never have music playing. We have these big TV’s, and they’re never on. Let’s change that,” Rosenthal said. Changes made will be entirely dependent on what students request. Ideas are still being fleshed out but administrators want to hear from you! Comment on CCC or The Collegian’s Facebook page! Send emails or letters! Stop into the offices and say what you’d like! Put in your two cents for how this school can be improved for us!
Be heard!
Here is your chance to share your ideas about the student activities area improvements. Send an email to JeffR@cayuga-cc.edu The plan includes a possibility of turning this area into a stage for club activities or performances. THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS
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The road to peace takes a sharp turn The United Nations General Assembly voted to promote Palestine to “non-state observer” status By Alec Rider, Co-Editor-in-chief On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to promote Palestine to “non-state observer” status; the Vatican being the only other entity to claim this status. 138 countries approved with 41 abstaining. Countries that rejected were Canada, the Czech Republic, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Panama, and the United States. The British ended their Mandate for Palestine in 1948, effectively creating a land vacuum. One of the first important things that the 2 year old United Nations ever did was to declare a “two state solution” where Israel and Palestine could live side by side. The Zionists, just having survived Hitler’s Holocaust, loved the plan. Unfortunately the Palestinians did not. This touched off a powder keg of a civil war that left the Palestinians out in the cold and Israel with a new place to call home. Fast forward 65 years and the world still faces the same problem. The United States and Israel’s official position is direct negotiations. But with the threat of Palestinian Authority’s major rival—the terrorist organization Hamas— breathing down their
neck and becoming popular in the ever increasing Islamist middle east by the day, it can be understood why the moderate PA thought that this was the best decision for the here and now. Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disagreed, calling the vote an “unfortunate and counterproductive resolution” that “places further obstacles in the path of peace.” The possibility of Palestine to go before the International Criminal Court and accuse Israel of crimes against humanity is a major fear for the U.S. and of course Israel. The likely choice of President Obama to fill the void at the State Department once Clinton leaves held a similar opinion. “Long after the votes have been cast, long after the speeches have been forgotten, it is the Palestinians and the Israelis who must still talk to each other—and listen to each other—and find a way to live side by side in the land they share,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said, adding that “the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded.”
Holiday Fun at Cayuga Museum By Cameron Felice, contributing writer The holiday season started off right with an opportunity to celebrate the season while supporting one of Auburn’s most historical treasures. The Cayuga Museum hosted its annual Holiday Party, S a t u rd ay, November 17th. “It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday season with a fancy and fabulous cocktail party in the Museum’s mansion,” said Cayuga Museum’s Eileen McHugh. “The gala affair featured top-shelf libations, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and festive company.” The Cayuga Museum is Throughout the city of Auburn, one of the most notable historic sites in Auburn is the Cayuga Museum. Since 1936, the Cayuga Museum has been making it a top priority to show the history and importance of Cayuga County and the Finger Lakes Region to the
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public in many ways and forms. One thing that makes the Cayuga Museum so different from others is the fact that the exhibits are both permanent and changing. The changing exhibits are very popular among the consistent flow of visitors of to the museum. The main attraction of the Cayuga Museum is the Ted Case Research Lab. This is the place where Ted Case developed the first successful sound on film technique. This is arguably the most important spot in video film production history.
Port Byron students Nick Stornelli and Kaylee Quanbeck anchoring Panther Press Live.
Where some CCC students got their start... By Michaela Nicpon, contributing writer Port Byron High School is providing exciting opportunities for its students in the field of Journalism and Communications, thanks to the hard work of many students and staff. It all started in 2010, when Mr. T.J. Vaughan, a teacher at Port Byron, collaborated with student, Dominick Recckio, to transform the school’s one-sheet, black and white, monthly newspaper. By 2011, the paper had grown into a bi-weekly, eight-page newspaper funded by advertisements from local businesses and completely run by students. It is called the Panther Press, after the school’s feline mascot. In February 2012, a new form of Journalism in Port Byron took off under the name Panther Press Live. This time, Recckio worked with the current advisor of the program, Port Byron teacher Mike Cimino, to create a live morning video broadcast. Every morning, students ran a live broadcast from an in-school studio. This broadcast was a live news and talk show which featured local and national news, events going on in the community, and school announcements. All students and staff, as well as many members of the community viewed this broadcast. Both the original print edition of Panther Press and Panther Press Live have impacted many students in a positive way. “The Press”, as it came to be called by those involved, helped student co- founder Recckio win a
full scholarship to Ithaca College’s prestigious Roy H. Park School of Communications as a Park Scholar, an international honor. Former senior editing columnist of the Panther Press print edition and now a freshman at CCC studying Chemistry, Sara Randall, says she believes getting involved with the staff of the Panther Press helped students, especially those who were more introverted and shy, in their academics. “A lot of times, kids that are shy just need that little push to bring out their true colors and enjoy themselves … The more [the students] write and are helped by other students in Panther Press, the more they are able to improve their writing and in many cases even their reading ability,” Randall said. Erin McLoughlin, a Biology major at CCC, was the first ever producer on the original Panther Press Live team. She recommended becoming involved in activities like Panther Press Live. “It allows students to step out of their comfort zone, … it looks good on college applications, [and] keeps you excited about going to school,” she said. “I absolutely think that other schools should have opportunities and programs like this, said Cimino. “The program is good for building a community within the school.” He also feels the experience gives a real-life work atmosphere to develop their skills.
Producer Melissa Wilson, a Port Byron student, overseeing the morning broadcast.
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SPARTAN SPORTS Generals Outlast Lady Spartans
Spartans Defense Comes up Short
The Cayuga Lady Spartans couldn’t overcome a terrible first half and lost 79-45 to host Herkimer Community College. Cayuga was led by China Agnew (Syracuse, NY) who scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Nikki Shattinger (Auburn, NY) chipped in with 9 points on 3 three pointers. .
With a strong 2nd half effort and very good defense the Spartans fell to Herkimer CC 85-67. Cayuga was led by freshman guard Shaquille Hanson (Roosevelt, NY) with 13 points, while Jared Donalson (Syracuse, NY) added 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Dwayne Irving (Queens, NY) chipped in with 10 points and 3 assists. . CCC MEN’S HOME BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
CCC WOMEN’S HOME BASKETBALL SCHEDULE DECEMBER SUN 9 JANUARY FRI 4 TUE 8 TUE 15 SAT 19 WED 30 FEBRUARY SAT 2 SAT 9 SAT 16
NORTH COUNTRY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
2:00 PM
GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE * JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE * FINGER LAKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE * CORNING COMMUNITY COLLEGE *
5:00 PM 5:30 PM 5:30 PM 1:00 PM 5:30 PM
DECEMBER SUN 9 JANUARY FRI 4 TUE 8 TUE 15 SAT 19 WED 30 FEBRUARY SAT 2 SAT 9 SAT 16
HERKIMER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 1:00 PM BROOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE * 1:00 PM TOMPKINS CORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE * 1:00 PM
NORTH COUNTRY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
4:00 PM
GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE * JEFFERSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE * FINGER LAKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE * CORNING COMMUNITY COLLEGE *
3:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 3:00 PM 7:30 PM
HERKIMER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 3:00 PM BROOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE * 3:00 PM TOMPKINS CORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE * 3:00 PM
Learn about the good work of Habitat for Humanity By Nick Gilmour, contributing writer
Poverty is a major issue all across the world. There is no escaping it. However there are ways to change it. Habitat for Humanity is one organization that wants to make this world a better place to be. Their goal is to eventually wipe out all poverty homes completely so that everyone can have a nice, clean place to call their home. They realize this is an extremely difficult goal which will probably last many lifetimes, but they believe that through God anything is possible and will stop at nothing to help those in desperate need. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1991 by Nick Basile, Barbra Bowen, Larry Buffam, John Humphrey, and many others. The current board of members includes Madonna Millerschin as president, Michael Lesch as vice president, and Tessa Cornall as the treasurer. The Habitat for Humanity began their first major project in the fall of 1992. The house was located on 8 Chapman Ave, Auburn, NY. The project was completed in 1993. Since then the organization has completed a total of 12 projects all across Cayuga County. They are currently working on a house located at 29 Garrow Street, Auburn NY. The project is expected to be complete in early 2013. Habitat for Humanity is run strictly by volunteers. They receive all of their funding and building supplies through the community. Whether it be from a certain individual or a large company, there are many people willing to help for such a noble cause. The organization is greatly appreciative of anyone willing to lend a helping hand. Habitat for Humanity has many different groups that all work together to make everything possible. It all starts in the family selection support committee. This group is responsible for finding families in need. They provide ads in the newspapers, posters at local churches, social service agencies, and large companies. They then meet with all the applicants and schedule a home visit to survey all the issues of the home. They then
submit their decision to the board based on which family is in need of a major change the most. Next is the site selection committee. This group is responsible for finding an appropriate house or building site for the selected family. This location is chosen based on the family size, which community the family wishes to reside in, and the family’s budget. The construction committee is responsible for determining what materials are needed and how much all the repairs will cost in the end. This group is in charge of planning a schedule for all the work to be completed. They also ensure that the construction site remains safe for all the workers. They provide necessary training to all those who are in need of it. The construction volunteers see to it that all the necessary work gets done. Anyone can volunteer. There is great use for anyone, regardless of that person’s specific skill set. However nobody under the age of
16 can be on the construction site and nobody under the age of 18 can operate any of the equipment. The construction crew usually works on Wednesday nights from 5-8 PM and Saturday mornings from 8 AM- noon. The volunteer committee is in charge of recruiting volunteers either as individuals or in groups of people. This group provides many safety training sessions. They also maintain a database of information about all the volunteers and how many hours each one logs each week. The fundraising and special events committee plays a crucial role because all of the funding and supplies comes from generous donations. This group is responsible for creating events that catch the publics interest. One event the group has done in the past is the hope challenge. The hope challenge involves a large number of people gathering in a certain community. They then creatively build a shelter and stay in it for two nights. Over the course of these two nights, people
interact with one another and complete many activities. The hope challenge of 2011 broke records for the Habitat for Humanity. They had a record 105,000 dollars donated which helped an enormous number of families. They are anxious to see if they have the same results in the hope challenge of 2013. Finally the public relations committee is responsible for keeping the Habitat for Humanity in the public eye. They do press releases about upcoming events, they write news articles for local papers and they maintain the organization’s website, adding all of the completed projects and events. The habitat for Humanity is doing such a wonderful thing for this world. They have changed the lives of many families who will be forever grateful. If they keep up all the hard work they will one day see the day that all poverty housing is gone and they will know they had a tremendous impact on this world.
faith was her model. Due to her strong religious beliefs she was able to form the first African American church and called it the African Methodist Church. Tubman’s work on the Underground Railroad began in 1796. Tubman recruited Underground Railroad agents up and down the route.Famous Upstate New Yorkers like Fredrick Douglas, Lucretia Mott, William Still, and Jermaine Wesley Loguen, and Gerrit Smith also provided Harriet Tubman with protection in the political world as well. In her time she was the first and more than likely the only woman to lead men on a mission in the Civil War. She also served as a nurse, spy, scout, and cook. Harriet Tubman moved to Auburn in 1859 and managed to get her entire family here between 1950 and 1960. She rescued 700 blacks in 1865. I recently visited the Tubman house. I was assisted by tour guide Christine Carter. We first walked
around the visitor’s lounge where there is an abundant amount of information regarding Harriet. Admission to the visitor’s lounge is free. There is a $3 admission fee to take the tour in the actual house where Harriet Tubman resided with many others. Once I was inside I felt the history of the home despite the fact that just about everything in there wasn’t the actual things she used but close to it. I was told that much of it was given to the organization from Harriet Tubman’s family. The only thing that was used by Harriet was the quilts in the bed room. It has been a museum site since 1975 and possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. Harriet will always be remembered not only what she did for black people, but what she stood for as a business woman.
Discover the Harriet Tubman House By Scotty Bynum, contributing writer
Walking the streets of Auburn, really has its fortune if you pay attention. There is without a doubt history in this environment. Harriet Tubman, a woman of power who engineered the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves, has given Auburn history that will be with society forever. Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland on the Thompson Plantation. When she was born, Araminta was her given name. She was quickly given the nickname “Minty”. Harriet was a woman all about business and helping others. There was a time when Harriet owned two mules and a wagon and she would plow and move heavy objects along the farmlands for money. Tubman made some 19 trips to rescue as many as 300 slaves from bondage. She had a kind heart due to her religious lifestyle. Underground Railroad agents stated that they had never met anyone as God fearing as her. Leaning on
THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS
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RANDOM Sports
RANTS
KANSAS CITY TRAGEDY I was all ready to write my sports rant article on the ridiculous fine levied on the San Antonio Spurs by NBA Commissioner David Stern until I heard the very sad news out of Kansas City on Saturday morning. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, mortally shot his girlfriend while his mother and his infant daughter sat in another room. Belcher left the crime scene before Kansas City police could arrest him upon arrival. Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium—the home of the Chiefs— and KC police followed in pursuit. When officers arrived they saw Head Coach Romeo Crennel, General Manager Scott Pioli, and a third Chiefs employee standing in the parking lot appearing to talk Belcher down. They had been talking for about 5 minutes, long enough for police to get
there, but as they pulled up towards Belcher, he walked away from Crennel and Pioli and shot himself. Belcher thanked Crennel and Pioli for everything they had done for him during his stay with the Chiefs. Chilling words I’m sure when moments later the man ends his life. Chiefs players have set up a future fund for the now orphaned child of Belcher. If there is one thing that you can take from this devastating event, it’s this. If something harsh is going on in your life, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell someone, anybody. So there’s time to help you. No matter humanity’s faults, one thing we’ve proved well at is a helping hand. No one should ever feel that suicide is their last option.
Cayuga CC Student Wins James Joyce Award Second Year In A Row Matthew S. Weinerth, a fulltime student at Cayuga C o m mu n i t y College majoring in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Humanities and Social Science, L i t e r a t u r e Concentration, Matthew won the 2012 Weinerth Syracuse James Joyce Club’s Scholarship Award. He received the award during the club’s 19th annual Bloomsday presentation of Ulysses in Grewen Hall at LeMoyne College in June. “I am proud to have represented Cayuga by winning first place in the James Joyce essay contest,” Weinerth said. He wrote a 20-page essay entitled “Bloomanism: A Surefire Cure for Paralysis,” which was a culmination of an independent study of Joyce’s Ulysses with Professor Diana Valdina. He condensed his essay to enter the contest. In recognition of his winning essay, Weinerth took home a $500 scholarship and certificate, which was given this year in honor of Irish community leader Nancy Duffy. Last year, Weinerth also won first place and he received a rare 1919 German edition of Joyce’s Exiles. “The competition was tough: the second and third place contestants
were from Cornell and SUNY Geneseo,” he said. “But the credit is not my own. Professor Valdina went out of her way to make time for the independent study, and it would not have been possible without her. My love of Joyce was first sparked by her introducing me to Joyce’s short story ‘The Dead,’ and I owe an immeasurable debt to her for being my mentor all throughout my days here at Cayuga. Professor Valdina inspired me to pursue my passion for English, and for that, I will always be grateful. “The professors at Cayuga are masters of their subject matter, and each professor’s unique perspective and teaching style has been essential for the expansion of my writing,” Weinerth said. “I would not be where I am today without the excellent class discussions, keen insights, and enthusiastic talks with professors after class. Cayuga truly is a great institution of higher learning.” After Weinerth completes an associate’s degree at Cayuga at the end of this semester, he plans on getting his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in English Literature. Besides his school schedule, he is a writing tutor and works full time at Welch Allyn in Skaneateles Falls, where he is a group leader. In his free time, he volunteers at Port Byron Federated Church and at the Port Byron Library.
Happy Holidays! from the staff of The Collegian
Top 10 Xbox 360 titles to pick up for Christmas 10. Hitman: Absolution (IO Interactive, Square Enix) 9. Forza Horizon (Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios) 8. Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software, 2K Games) 7. The Walking Dead (Telltale Games) 6. Dishonored (Arkane Studios, Bethesda Softworks) 5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks) 4. Mass Effect Trilogy (Bioware, Microsoft Studios) 3. Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft) 2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Treyarch, Activision) 1. Halo 4 (343 Industries, Microsoft Studios)
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES
Wednesday, December 5th Mescolare featuring faculty members Michael Cortese and Richard Balestra with Christopher Collabello – FREE Admission, public welcome Auburn Campus, Bisgrove Theatre 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 7th Winter Concert featuring the CCC College Chorus, Vocal Jazz, and A Cappella Ensembles Directed by Amy Bellamy Accompanied by Sally Bailey and Will Tobin– FREE Admission, public welcome Auburn Campus, Bisgrove Theatre, 7:00 p.m.
Earn credits while writing articles for Cayuga Community College’s student-run, award-winning newspaper by registering for Telcom 204 this spring!
CCC counselor takes an interest in students By Mustapha Bility, contributing writer Christina Knapp, an admissions assistant at Cayuga Community College says she experiences many positives working with students. “I have the privilege of helping students decide on degree programs and courses to take during their first semester at Cayuga. I also have the ability to help guide students and set them up for success in the careers of their choosing,” she said. Knapp says the only negative part of her job is developing a relationship with her students and then having to let them go after their first semester because they must refer to their academic advisors or Student Development. She says she has some difficulty with her younger students because
many of them are undecided about their futures. Knapp says she reassures them that it’s okay not to know right away, so she steers them in the right direction by putting them in a general degree program (Liberal Arts) until they decide which direction they want to go. Knapp says this line of study can work to benefit undecided students especially when they are seeking to transfer to a four year college. Knapp says she can empathize with her students because she was once in their shoes herself, not knowing which direction she wanted her future to go. “I love working with students and helping them make some of the biggest decisions of their life.”
THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS