Cayuga Community College Auburn & Fulton, New York
Collegian cayugacollegian@gmail.com
VOL. 67 ISSUE 16 FEBRUARY 23, 2021
MORE NUTRITION BENEFITS OPEN FOR STUDENTS
CAYUGABRIEFS FIRST STUDENT SENATE MEETING FEBRUARY 26TH
By Michael Perry, editor-in-chief
The first Spring 2021 Senate Meeting is scheduled for next Friday, February 26th at 11 AM. Representatives from all clubs are encouraged to attend the meeting, however only students can vote in Senate sessions. The Zoom Meeting ID is 4487 4288 . Faculty and Student Association spending updates will be provided at Senate meeting by Student Government Organization members. If any club decides to remain inactive for remaining Spring 2021 semester, please contact the SGO leadership.
College students are known for living on Ramen noodles and other cheap foods, but that may become a thing of the past. Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a new opportunity for college students to access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as SNAP. SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of those in need so they can purchase healthy foods. SUNY is partnering with the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance on this initiative to help fight food insecurity for low-income college students.
SOMA & THE CAYUGA CREATIVE-WRITING CLUB HOST EVENT
Michael Perry
Poet in fiction writer Jerry Mirskin will present a writing workshop on Wednesday, February 24, at 11 AM. In addition to the writing workshop, Mirskin will read from his latest collection of flash fiction and discuss aspects of craft and publication. Professor Mirskin previously visited the Fulton and Auburn campuses in the spring of 2017, when he read from his published collections, as part of the English and Humanities Division’s Visiting-Writers Series. To attend the event, please join us Wednesday, 2/24, 11:00am, on Zoom! Meeting #6263751992 — Mark Montgomery Montgomery@cayuga-cc.edu
GOVERNOR CUOMO EASES RESTRICTIONS ON SOME RECREATION In his latest email to New Yorkers to keep them up-to-date on COVID-19 news, Governor Andrew Cuomo cited all decisions are guided by science and data; and in light of the continued decreases in the infection and hospitalization rates, he is now able to take the steps in the state’s post-COVID recovery and bring back recreational industries with the proper safety protocols in place. For instance, he says indoor family entertainment centers will be able to reopen with 25 percent capacity and health protocols starting Friday, March 26th. Outdoor amusement parks can open with a 33 percent capacity starting Friday, April 9th. He also says day and overnight summer camps in New York State can begin to plan for reopening. The Department of Health will issue specific reopening guidance, including details on timing, in the coming weeks.
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PHOTO BY MARY G. MERRITT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CAYUGA HONORED FOR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING STUDENT-VETERANS For the fourth consecutive year, Cayuga Community College has received a special designation recognizing the institution for its commitment to student-veterans and their families. This week Cayuga earned a 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School designation, an award applauding colleges and universities for supporting members of the military community with dedicated academic, career and financial services. The designations are awarded annually by VIQTORY, a veteran-owned small business, and the Military Friendly® Advisory Council, which includes leaders from the higher education and military recruitment community. Cayuga Assistant Director of Community Education and Workforce Development Emily Cameron, who also oversees the College’s Veterans Programming and Initiatives, said the College was proud of its efforts to support student-veterans and their families. “Everyone at Cayuga is appreciative and supportive of our veterans and their families. They are an essential part of our campus community, and we work each day to create a welcoming, supportive atmosphere for our student-veterans. We look forward to helping our student-veterans and their families in the year ahead,” she said. Cayuga offers diverse support services for student-veterans, which are currently set in a distance learning environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The College offers an online orientation designed for student-veterans to illustrate available services, and hosts monthly workshops featuring guest speakers outlining services and benefits available
at the College or in the community. Special online programming was also available during Veterans Week. The College also offers transition assistance, networking events, a Veterans Club, and opportunities to meet with trained personnel for assistance accessing educational financial benefits. As part of a regular internal evaluation, the College created a Student Veterans Support Team, comprised of members from all College departments. The committee works to determine how Cayuga can meet the needs of student-veterans and their families. “We’re continuously looking for ways we can improve our services for student-veterans and their families,” said Cameron. “It is a priority for us to constantly connect with our veterans and military-affiliated students, to make sure they have their questions answered and access to any services they may need.” More than a decade old, the Military Friendly® Schools list is determined by public data and survey responses from participating schools. Colleges volunteer to participate, and are assessed on their ability to meet thresholds in areas including student retention, job placement and loan repayment. Ratings are assigned in six categories: academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, financial aid and assistance, graduation and career, and military student support and retention. Cayuga exceeded the Military Friendly® standards in all six categories. Out of more than 1,200 colleges and universities that volunteered, 747 earned a designation. For more information about Cayuga’s veterans services, visit https://www.cayuga-cc. edu/students/services/veterans/.
Cayuga Community College Registrar, Shannon Petrie, says to support this initiative, the college has implemented numerous actions to get the message out to students. She says students that fall within the parameters will receive an email once a semester providing them the information on their possible eligibility and the next step. The form the students need to fill out is on the college’s website, https://www.cayuga-cc. edu/SNAP/, and hard copies will be available in the Registrar’s Office. The website also gives a detailed description of student eligibility, and is a great starting point for students who would like to apply for SNAP. Andrew Poole, CCC’s Media Relations Associate, applauded the effort by Governor Cuomo, saying “Cayuga appreciates that Governor Andrew Cuomo and other state leaders have included college students in this expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. We’re proud to participate in a program that will provide additional assistance to our students, and it’s a program we encourage all eligible students to consider.”
This program will provide students the ability to purchase healthy foods without stressing about their budget. According to a study conducted by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, more than 33% of college students in the United States lack enough to eat. Without the proper diet, it can be tough to concentrate and stay focused in school. Baylee Wiler, a freshman majoring in veterinary technology at Medaille College, said she had SNAP previously and it helped out a lot. “It only covers food products so you can’t use it for toilet paper and stuff like that, but having the grocery part covered made it easy to get the essentials,”said Wiler. The administrators of the program say that student having the capability to afford food while attending college is tougher than most would think, but with this initiative students and their wallets can breathe a sigh of relief.
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ILLUSTRATION BORROWED FROM THE HARRIET TUBMAN BOOSTERS’ FACEBOOK PAGE
HOW I SEE IT... I WILL LEARN AND SUCCEED
Mary Jo Solazzo
OPINIONS
HOW I SEE IT... DON’T MOCK SNOW STORMS
Michael Perry EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Horrible weather in Texas caused millions to go without power in freezing cold conditions over the past week and a half. While many citizens were ready for the winter storm, there were just as many who didn’t have the proper supplies and preparation due to the fact that Texas rarely gets snow; the state as a whole was caught off guard.
I was disturbed with some reaction I saw on social media in regard to this crisis. Specifically, those of people living in regions where winter storms, like the one Texas endured, are common. Many of them mocked Texans for their unpreparedness and asked stupid questions, including but not limited to, “Where are the plows and salt? Why don’t they have snowblowers, shovels, snow brushes, etc.? How do they not know how to drive in the snow/ice?”. As Sports Journalist Bomani Jones beautifully put it: “Saying people in Texas can’t drive in winter weather is like saying people in Saskatchewan can’t speak Spanish, it doesn’t really come up.” With that said, I think everyone should try picking up a second language as it has been proven to help increase brain activity and help with memory function, but that is beside the point. I think some folks just forget that their little bubble isn’t how the rest of the world works. There are 50 states in our nation, and they are vastly different. Look at Hawaii and Alaska! I could go on and on about differences in regions of the US. Despite these differences, there is no need to tear each other down, especially during a weather crisis. Be better to one another. Rather than mocking those struggling, offer them help, and uplift them.
The Cayuga Collegian welcomes letters from its readers. Submissions must be from a ‘cayuga-cc.edu’ email domain. Contact us at 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. We reserve the right NOT to PUBLISH.
STAFF WRITER I’m a freshman at Cayuga Community College. After being unable to finish my degree after enrolling in colleges before, I decided I was determined to get a degree in creative and professional writing for television and this time I’m not giving up. I knew I should of done research on Cayuga Community College, but that was after the fact — I ended up withdrawing. I was frustrated, but determined. So I wrote an email to the college’s Provost, Dr. Ron Cantor, telling him of my bad experiences with financial aid. He quickly responded and he heard my voice. It’s like no one was hearing my frustrations. Sometimes you have to go to the top to get fast results. I hated doing this, but I’m now I’m a CCC freshman working on my degree after two other colleges turned me down. I’m so excited. I can feel I’m closer to my dream of writing for a television series. Determination can bring you a long way. Now I have top members of the faculty helping me to succeed. The Disability Office is assisting me by allowing me extra time for exams and providing notes from my classes. The Center for Academic Success is providing me tutoring and much more. I know I will succeed. I like choosing my own classes. The professors are great and I’m working very hard because I want to learn. I may be 64 going on 65, but I’m going to make something out of myself. I’m lucky my cousin, Elizabeth Solazzo, is President of the Burlington Writers Club in North Carolina and she’s giving me support. She writes crime stories, just like I want to do someday. There are so many courses I want to take and I realize I need to improve time management. There’s 40 pages to read every week for one course and I’m constantly writing each day for the others. I will succeed. Those old sayings are true— it’s never too late and better late than never.
HARRIET TUBMAN TRIBUTE PLANNED A fundraising effort is underway by the The Harriet Tubman Boosters to fuel local artist Arthur Hutchinson’s rendering of a mural honoring Underground Railroad icon and former Auburn resident, Harriet Tubman, to be placed on the Nolan Block Building in downtown Auburn. Once in place, the 61-by-26-foot mural will face the corner of Genesee and North streets. The group says they have secured the site for the artwork but need $35,000 to install the masterpiece. The Harriet Tubman Boosters are asking for donations at https://paypal.me/HTBoosters?locale.x=en_US. The group is also welcoming new members. You can reach out to them either on their website http://www.harriettubmanboosters. org/ or Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HTB1913/.
HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Send your qualified submission to cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Your submission must include the writer’s full name, college year, area of study, phone number, and hometown. All submissions must have an email domain of ‘cayuga-cc. edu’ to be published. Anonymous letters and letters written under pseudonyms will not be published. For verification purposes, submissions must also include the writer’s home address. The staff of The Cayuga Collegian reserves the right NOT TO PUBLISH without an explanation.
Michael Perry Joshua Hart Patrick Mahunik Caleb Roden Corrine Stevens MaryJo Solazzo
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER
Mary G. Merritt FACULTY ADVISOR
We are looking for more staff members!
PAGE TWO FEBRUARY 23, 2021
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COLLEGE ATHLETES SIDELINED BY COVID WANT ACTION By Caleb Roden, staff writer
SPORTS
College student athletes are anxious and want to get off the bench. The COVID pandemic has caused colleges to cancel their seasons or put the students into a tailspin of wondering what is next. “In the first semester, we were allowed to practice socially distant, but all competition was cancelled,” said Lauren, a Hobart William Smith College hockey and field hockey player. “It was really hard to practice and lift day in and day out with nothing to look forward to.”
“Covid-19 has affected my season a lot, and while it canceled my 2020 season, we were still able to practice,” said SUNY Canton student Ben, a junior who competes in Cross Country. “We were limited in certain workouts but the ability to get together and run was a needed stress release with mostly online classes.”
A LOOK INTO THE 2021 NFL OFF-SEASON
Caleb Roden
By Patrick Mahunik, Jr., staff writer
STAFF WRITER
As NFL fans know once the Super Bowl is over, the next season begins in the off-season, and this year is already getting off to an exciting start. As we draw closer to the official start of Free Agency begins on March 17th, NFL teams are already preparing for what could be one of the wildest off-seasons in NFL history. Even before Free Agency has started, teams are making big moves by hiring new coaches as well as trading players. We’ve already seen a couple of big trades with the latest being the Philadelphia Eagles trading QB Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. While this is a major move for both the Eagles and the Colts, it wasn’t the biggest trade we’ve seen this off-season.
Patrick Mahunik Jr. STAFF WRITER “I believe that only one trade so far has made a significant impact on the league, and that was the Matt Stafford trade to the Rams,” said CCC Media-Production student and NFL fan Jordan Cooley said regarding the biggest trade of the off-season so far— the Detroit Lions trading away their quarterback of 12 years, Matthew Stafford, to the Los Angeles Rams for their QB Jared Goff and draft picks causing the Rams to go without a 1st-round draft pick from 2017 to 2024.
J.J. Watts
The trades don’t seem to be ending anytime soon with QB Deshaun Watson requesting a trade from the Houston Texans and teams like the Jets and Raiders looking to trade their QBs. Another major part of the off-season is Free Agency and with star players, Dak Prescott, Chris Godwin, Juju SmithSchuester, Aaron Jones, and other amazing players being able to sign with whichever team they choose, who will be joined by the recent releases made by teams in order to have more money to spend in the off-season? The biggest this year being JJ Watt being released by the Houston Texans. “The only other thing is J.J. Watt’s release because now this stirs up the league because over a dozen teams are interested in getting arguably one of the best defensive players of all time,” said Cooley. “I believe no matter where he ends up it will impact the league gratefully.” But Watt is one of the many star free agents who are in the same boat which will hopefully lead to one of the biggest Free Agencies in NFL history like it’s appearing to be. However, there is a setback. Due to the pandemic, the NFL had to cut the teams’ cap space to only $180 million. This has led to many teams having very little to spend on free agents without reconstructing contracts or releasing players. It is also causing some teams to have a negative amount of cap space which is a big issue for the star players looking for big contracts this year. However, this could also lead to something different. “I think that the salary cap cut will be better for the league because players will not be able to have as many major contract signings and will have to settle for a pay cut, and I believe that this will bring order for players who believe they deserve more money than what they are offered based off of how valuable they think they are,” said Cooley. Although the cap space is at its lowest it has been in a while, these star players will sign somewhere whether these players are willing to take a pay cut is yet to be seen, but makes this off-season just a little more interesting. Needless to say that this NFL Offseason is just getting started and it’s about to get good.
Niagara University Cross Country runner, Braden says his fall season was cancelled and there on restrictions in place right now as they train. ““We have been put in groups and have staggered times for practices. Our season is one meet in early March rather than a full season in the fall, and when we aren’t running outside we have to have masks on.” “COVID-19 has really affected our
second semester so far,” said Lauren. “Our campus has had to shut down all extracurricular activities for weeks. Practices have been shut down, and even when they are held, they are totally socially distant and we all wear our masks.” All of these college athletes are optimistic about the future. “I think something good to come out of this though is a greater appreciation when we do get to play again, when we do get to hang out again, and when we get closer to “normal,” said Lauren. “This year, I’m recovering from an injury and hoping to compete some over the summer once I get vaccinated. I’m also really hoping that we’ll be able to compete next fall and winter and get back to a new normal.” “I think good things will come from this as long as you worked through it, many teams and athletes took a lot of time off giving other athletes the chance to work and get better,” said Braden. “My plans for next year are to come back, continue running and see where it takes me, whether we have a season or not.” “I’m still not sure if there is an opportunity for a season this semester but I hope to compete in my final year at SUNY Canton,” said Ben.
SEXUAL AND INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE SURVEY WANTS STUDENT RESPONSES By Michael Perry, editor-in-chief COVID-19 has impacted people in many ways, but it has not stopped sexual and interpersonal violence. Cayuga Community College maintains a deep commitment to sustaining a safe environment for the entire campus community, and they are asking for your help by completing the SUNY Campus Climate Survey. The purpose of the survey is to help prevent and respond to sexual and interpersonal violence on campus, and it needs to be completed by the end of the day on March 22nd. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and students may choose to skip questions, or stop responding at any point. Students should check their email for
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING... I just wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful send-off! I am so appreciative of your efforts to recognize all of the recent retirees. Working with your students through the workstudy program has been so rewarding for me as I saw them learn and grow under your guidance. I always looked forward to the next edition of the Collegian and I’m so glad it was able to continue throughout the pandemic online! Take care, be well, and thank you again so much! — ‘T’
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a message from Survey@suny.edu to participate. Some of the language used in the survey is explicit, and some people may find it uncomfortable. Information on how to get help is available at response.suny.edu for any issues with the survey. Student participation is voluntary and individual responses will be treated confidentially. Students who participate in the 2021 Campus Climate Survey will be eligible to enter a randomized drawing for one of 150 $100 Amazon e-gift cards. By participating in this survey, students will provide critical insights to help protect and support our community. Your response really will make a difference.
COVID-19 CAMPUS UPDATE This week we conducted 407 COVID19 tests and were notified by SUNY Upstate that three individuals have tested positive. One individual who tested positive was last on the Auburn Campus on Monday, February 15, and the other two individuals were last on the Fulton Campus on Thursday, February 18. These individuals have been placed in isolation, and contact tracing is complete. They are restricted from accessing campus. Separately, four individuals who have not recently accessed either campus have tested positive at off-campus testing locations. They have been placed in isolation and contact tracing is ongoing. They are restricted from accessing campus. Please continue following our health and safety protocols. If you are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19, please avoid accessing campus. Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and safety of our campus community. — Cathy J. Dotterer, Ed.D. Dean of Students
If you are looking for ‘hands on’ experience RIGHT NOW? TELCOM 204’s Assistant Professor Mary G. Merritt, a multi-media journalist with more than 35 years experience, will teach you all the skills you need to go out and find interesting stories to write about and be published. The world is waiting for you — become a better communicator and get the skills to meet its challenges head on.
FEBRUARY 23, 2021 PAGE THREE
SOMETHING FUNNY
The videotaping of an episode of the new media show CAYUGA BYTES is underway in The Cayuga Collegian office last semester. SPRING 2021 PRODUCTION AND RECORDING TAKES PLACE ONLINE VIA ZOOM MOST MONDAYS AT 4 PM. Cayuga Community College students are invited to participate during the recording or send in their creative content and gather information for the production. Pictured left to right: Josh Hart, Pat Mahunik, Jenna Fields, and Mike Perry.
SHARE YOUR FUNNY MEMES WITH US: CAYUGACOLLEGIAN@GMAIL.COM
NEW CAYUGA PRODUCTION EMBRACES NEW MEDIA AND WAYS OF GATHERING CONTENT The show, CAYUGA BYTES, is about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING Cayuga An independent student media production called CAYUGA BYTES gives the college community a way to share information in a fun setting creating watchable content shared on their YouTube Channel. “The course Broadcast Journalism (Telcom 212) taught me how to gather news and information, properly write and edit a reporter package for broadcast, while experiencing hosting a show on camera,” said 2020 Telcom graduate Marc Baan of Auburn. “Those experiences tremendously helped prepare me for when I traveled to Japan last spring to produce and videotape a series of documentaries on Anime.” Operating under the student-run newspaper, The Cayuga Collegian, the new media show was conceived to get Broadcast/Print Journalism students to ‘think outside the box’ and come up with experimental methods to share information immediately. The name “BYTES” refers to all the bits of digital information in any format shared. Journalism and Media Professor Mary G. Merritt, a former television news producer, serves as the faculty advisor to both The Cayuga Collegian and CAYUGA BYTES. “First I teach my students the tradition techniques of news and information gathering in Broadcast Journalism (Telcom 212) and Print Journalism
(Telcom 204),” explained Merritt. “But then I felt they needed a more immediate medium to express themselves, so CAYUGA BYTES was born in the 2019 Fall Broadcast Journalism class with the idea of producing a show where the student could experiment and break all the rules – that’s why the show’s slogan is EVERYTHING and ANYTHING about Cayuga.” The on-camera hosting of the production takes place weekly in The Cayuga Collegian’s office and may include content from a video walk-through of The Telcom’s Annual Haunted House, a tour of a college art exhibit, students discussing current events, reading interesting news items from the latest issue of The Cayuga Collegian, and, of course, incorporating the traditional reporter video packages. The students regularly encourage the rest of the college community to contribute original videos, memes, poems, artwork, or to come on camera and tell their story. “The more participation we get, the more fun the program becomes,” said 2020 Telcom graduate Jenna Fields of Skaneateles. You can watch episodes on the CAYUGA BYTES YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCp_EfoJl3k3RUn6L-KZqrtw
Filbert...
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