VOLUME 59 ISSUE 19
Teachers rally for their jobs
Collegian names new editor-in-chief for Fall ‘13
All Cayuga Community College student leaders are invited to attend an informal pizza lunch with President Dan Larson at 11 a.m. Friday, May 10 in the Faculty Dining Room (off the cafe) on the Auburn Campus. He will provide a brief update on happenings in the College, and you’ll have a chance to ask questions and provide feedback directly to the president himself. Give voice to concerns, suggestions, and ideas that you and your club members have about CCC and its future.
INSIDE:
The home of Harriet Tubman in Auburn becomes a National Park, see story page 5.
The Cayuga Collegian earns some well deserved accolades, see story page 3.
A wall on the Auburn campus is getting a much needed face-lift care of some Cayuga Community College art students. The mural titled “Roots in the Finger Lakes” is expected to be complete by the end of the semester. See page 3 for the story.
While the Cayuga Community College Board of Trustees held a meeting on the Auburn campus and then eventually talked behind closed doors in executive session about how to get the College out of a $1.5 million debt, the faculty gathered in groups outside of the meeting room to talk. Some of what the faculty talked about was their concern for how the College’s plan to increase the number of furlough days for college professors to 10 would affect the students. A lot of them voiced how happy they were with what the two faculty members had to say at the beginning of the meeting.
Administration wants to close budget gap with faculty furloughs By Alec Rider, editor-in-chief There was a special meeting of the Cayuga Community College Board of Trustees on April 30th to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the Administration and its four bargaining units. Dozens of faculty members surrounded the Board of Trustees and a line formed from within the Business & Industry Center, BIC, all the way outside and into the rotunda.
“We don’t want to have to accept responsibility for something that’s not our fault, but the fault of bad planning by the college.” —Professor Susan Wolstenholme CCC Professor Susan Wolstenholme and Lorelee Lardear, a Fulton employee, spoke before the Board of Trustees. Wolstenholme was first to speak and didn’t hold back. “We don’t want to have to vote on a proposal that would force employees to take days off,” Wolstenholme said. “We don’t want to do that because we don’t want to have to accept responsibility for something that’s not our fault, but the fault of bad planning by the college.” The college has to cut $1.5 million and is looking to reduce spending by $567 million; unpaid furlough days is the Administration’s wish. The Collegian asked for comment from Faculty Association president Sue Gilmore who was not in attendance last Tuesday night. “The President and I will continue to negotiate a proposal that we can present to the faculty as a whole. The President and I are committed to reaching an agreement that the faculty and administration can support. One that will benefit our students and help us maintain our commitment to our mission and to our core values.” President Larson wrote an open letter to CCC students last week. Dear students: As you may have heard, last night our Board of Trustees met to discuss budgetary and bargaining unit issues. The College and the Board
are working to reduce expenditures of our $32.36 million operating budget by approximately $1.5 million before the end of the fiscal year on August 31, 2013, to help offset an unexpected 5% enrollment decrease. Last Fall, senior leaders and budget managers identified more than $778,000 in savings through employee retirements, operating budget reductions, cuts to travel, and reductions in part-time employee hours. Earlier this Spring, managerial and confidential employees, executive staff, and the president accepted unpaid furlough days and helped bring budgetary savings over the $933,000 mark. College administrators are currently working with leaders of the four employee bargaining units to help close the budget gap for this year. We continue to seek a mutually agreeable solution. It is important for you to know that there is no in-
“College administrators are currently working with leaders of the four employee bargaining units to help close the budget gap for this year. We continue to seek a mutually agreeable solution.” —Dr. Daniel Larson, CCC President formation about layoffs. The College and the Board are focused their efforts on budget reductions and salary considerations are under review. The board will meet again at 6 p.m. Monday, May 6, in the Business & Industry Center on the Auburn campus. Providing you with a high-quality education and supporting you with our caring faculty and staff members remain our core mission. No programs or services are being cut. Classes will continue to be taught by our dedicated faculty members, and our staff members stand ready to assist you as they always have. If you have questions or wish to express your concerns, please email me at president@cayuga-cc.edu. Thank you for your concern, and good luck with your finals, end-of-semester papers, and activities! The Board of Trustees agreed to meet again on Monday, May 6th. Students say they plan to rally for the faculty outside the meeting.
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
Pizza with the President returns May 10th
By Abigail Young, editor
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
Sophomore Danielle Skowron of Auburn is named editor-in-chief of The Cayuga Collegian beginning in the Fall ‘13 semester. Skowron, a Telcom Danielle Skowron major, has worked as a staff writer of the student-run publication this semester and is eager to take on the lead role. “We are always looking for new writers and reporters to come on board and write for us every week!! Stop on down to The Collegian office or shoot us an email at cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Hoping to hear from you soon!!” said Skowron.
MAY 6, 2013
CCC faculty and staff gather in groups outside the College’s Board of Trustees Meeting April 30th. The faculty is not happy that the Board is considering furloughs as a way of saving money. Lorelee Lardear, a switchboard operator at the Fulton Campus spoke passionately about her years working at the College, and how students had talked to her about the unfairness of the Board’s plan. Susan Wolstenholme, an English professor at the Auburn Campus spoke after Lardear. She began by saying she hadn’t planned speaking at all, but felt she needed to. Wolstenholme has been working at the College for 35 years and spoke of the faculty’s concern for what the Board was planning. She also said there was no reason for the faculty to take the fall on bad planning. “Wonderful,” was what faculty member had to say. They were in absolute agreement with what the two speakers had to say. They also said that CCC was a great place to work and their co-workers had become family to them. During this executive session there was also a power meeting with the head officers of the faculty to talk more about what their plans were. At one point, the noise outside of the meeting room swelled so loud that a member of the Board came out to ask the faculty to quiet down. Finally after 20 minutes, another member came out saying that the executive session would continue until 7:30 p.m. However, it wasn’t until 7:35 p.m. that the session ended. The faculty re-entered the room for only a few seconds to hear that the meeting would not continue. Instead the Board agreed that they would re-convene on Monday, May 6th. The reason for this was to give Dr. Daniel Larson more time to meet with staff bargaining units.
C AY U G A C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E ’ S S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R
Thank you, CCC and goodbye Message to CCC Administration and Faculty... I have a message for CCC’s Administration and the college’s Faculty Association. First to the Administration: were any of you ever taught anything as children? My mother taught me from an early age to clean up my own messes, and not to shift my problems onto anyone else when it belongs in my own backyard. We have the worst full-time faculty to student ratio. The absolute worst! You blame all of this on retention issues like this is a CCC problem. This is a SUNY problem. This is a national education system problem. The education system sucks. Why are you claiming that this 5% enrollment decrease was “unexpected”? What a complete pile of balderdash. Everyone knows that enrollment is decreasing everywhere across all levels of public education because more students are being home-schooled or put in private schooling because like I said before, the public education system in this country is abominable. To the Faculty Association: almost all of the students are sympathetic to the faculty. You have that on your side. But
are you going to negotiate, strive for, and accept a real, comprehensive solution based on the merits and the mission of this college, to this issue that is no fault of your own? Or are you going to kick the can down the road and keep returning to this issue again and again? There is a difference between solution and compromise and you’re going to find that out real quick. A solution will lead to a bigger and brighter tomorrow for the students of this campus. Compromise will destroy it. Compromise will lead to furloughs now, but the layoffs that you would have avoided this year will become the new mandatory compromise next year or the year after that. And don’t think for a minute that tuition increases won’t be next. I hope for the betterment and welfare of this college that these two sides come to a solution. But if they don’t, the heavy artillery will come out. The Administration will make layoffs. The Faculty Association will use their strongest weapon they have. The Vote of No Confidence.
— Alec Rider, editor-in-chief
MORE OPINIONS ON PAGE SIX
Time to say goodbye... It’s time to say goodbye already. It only seems like yesterday that it was January and the Student Government was hosting it’s blood drive. Now it’s May and the Board of Directors is trying Abigail Young to get out of $1.5 million debt hole. How things can change in such a short time. I’ve been to a lot of events this semester from the Harlequin’s spring show to events hosted by the Student Activities Board. I’ve witnessed new changes to CCC and reported on progress that has happened. I’ve learned a lot about differing opinions from my co-workers at The Collegian to the staff at CCC. When comedian Ryan Reiss came to the college, he stirred up some opinions about what’s funny and what’s not to some people. Being able to interview not only the professors, but community members as well has added to a great experience
The 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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while working at The Collegian. I have been able to speak with members of the Cayuga County Legislature and the college’s Congress members about a variety of topics. From these experiences I have learned what I want to do with my life. The basics that I have learned from working at The Collegian and from the classrooms at CCC will be used for the rest of my life. I’m sure my fellow graduates have either had that one professor or that one class that pointed them in the direction of what they want to do the rest of their lives. I was lucky enough to have a couple of different professors and classes that helped me in being successful. I take this moment to thank all of the professors and teachers at CCC for helping me learn more than just what’s in the textbook. As the College looks to it’s future, I hope that it will remain steadfast in it’s education of students. So as I say my farewell and move onto the next step in my life, I thank you Cayuga Community College.
—Abigail Young, editor
Editorial Board ALEC RIDER - Editor-in-chief ABIGAIL YOUNG, Editor MARY G. MERRITT, Advisor Staff JAMES GRANGER, Staff Writer SARAH GUIDONE, Staff Writer DANIELLE SKOWRON, Staff Writer
My time at Cayuga Community College comes to a close and it does so with fond memories and simultaneous feelings of fond sadness. Two years ago, I came to Auburn having been in Oswego County my entire life. I went Alec Rider to Mexico schools my entire life, and I was leaving it for something completely and totally foreign. I can still remember when my sister Shellemar closed my door on her way out of Lattimore for the first time. I sat down in my chair in front of my 20’’ RCA and cried. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last either. I never had a job before I left for college, and I was now desperately in need of one. I looked up and down through the list of work study opportunities and finally decided on Student Development. I’m so glad I did, or I wouldn’t have ever had such great memories with such characters like Sharon Schafer and Karen Merritt. Everyone in that office, Diane Salvati, Brooke Oropallo, Gina Dixe, Jeanine Eckenrode, Norman Lee, and Eric Zizza are absolutely awesome and I’ll miss them so much. After having worked on Mexico High School’s student newspaper The Talkative for the one and only Michael Charbonneau, I knew I wanted to join CCC’s paper right away. I sent them an e-mail indicating my intent to join up, I didn’t get a response. I knew why once I actually started there. No one checks the e-mail. We don’t like to anyway… My first class with Mary Merritt was Introduction to Mass Media. She easily became one of my favorite professors early on. She didn’t take anyone’s crap, she refused to. I knew she was the adviser for the paper so I indicated my interest and she said The Collegian was always looking for new writers. The first meeting was just like every meeting after. We sat there for an hour, discussed stories and ideas, stuck around a little longer maybe, and left. I think my first stories were on Netflix and Amazon. But then I started opinion writing, which some of you love, and some of you love to hate, but either way, I enjoyed it. Mary Merritt guided me as a burgeoning writer and I owe her a debt of gratitude for it. She always wished I would write more “real news” instead of world news and opinions, so I made sure I made her wish come true in the last few issues of this year. She wrote my letter of recommendation for Roberts Wesleyan, and I always wondered what she said… whatever it was, I got accepted. Mary is such a great person, and while she may have her detractors, I remind her of the Churchill quote “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” God Bless her, and I hope she has many, many more years with her husband and children. Just before the end of my first semester, while hanging up posters for my Student Development job, I came across a poster that never had come across my desk. The people had put it up themselves. “BASIC: Brothers and Sisters in Christ”, the poster said. I had been looking for a group like this, but I had reservations about meeting a whole group of new people. But it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. It clicked immediately. John and Erin Sherman are still two of the absolute nicest people I have ever met; a whole roster of people from this group over the last year and a half has made my time here superb. Tom Droppa, Emmett Drury, Faith Fanning, Tyler Dudley, Jake Giocondo, Chris Ossit Carissa Denman, etc. The people in BASIC are some of the best people that you could ever call “friend”, they will be there when you need them and will give you sage advice far beyond their years. Quite frankly, I think it’s a hallmark of the BASIC group and it’s a testament to how well the group functions and the
leadership of John and Erin Sherman. I went to three BASIC conferences and learned new and awesome things each and every time. Gabe Canino and Rob Enge, along with my BASIC crew made them ridiculously enjoyable. The degree I pursued here was Telecommunications. But the group, and let me tell you, the people in this degree path are a group, like to be referred to as Telcom… without the second E. So many classes, with the same people, and no matter what got thrown at us, we still persevered. Two people that stuck out to me were Andy Schemerhorn and Miranda TenEyck. We teamed up on almost everything, we just clicked. I wish it could continue to Ithaca College where they are both going, but it wasn’t to be. I will miss them both dearly. As well as some of the other characters in the Telcom department like LaRae Brooks, Mike Calhoun, Aaron “Stizzles” Styles, Suzanne Smith, Ashlee Saret, etc. The Wizard of Telcom is the man who makes all of these things we love in Telcom possible. Steve Keeler. I cannot say enough about this man. He is everything you want in a professor and an adviser and then some, and then some, and then some. And men like Doug Brill, Sean Secaur, and Jeff Szczesniak made things run smoothly. As a team, you cannot find one better than the Telcom Department year in and year out. At the Telcom Award Banquet on May 1st, I was blessed to receive the Mark Castiglione Commencement Award for the Outstanding Telcom Graduate at CCC. My time as Editor-in-chief of the Cayuga Collegian was a huge reason I received this award. My endless drive to inform the students of this college of the little things and the big things they may have missed. Whether it is local, state, national, or international. My goal was to inform and create a dialogue. I like to believe I achieved that goal and the Castiglione award cements that for me. I want for future writers on the Cayuga Collegian to look back and study my writing. I want them to be proud of this newspaper and what it has stood for, for 60 years. My newspapers are being added to the scrapbook, and we’ll see if they stand the test of time. The Telcom Banquet was also a look into the future. I scanned the room a few times, and I saw Bob Frame and Melissa Johnson in the back of the APT. Telcom, Art, and Theater was under one roof. This is what the School of Media and Arts (SOMA) is all about; media arts, visual arts, performing arts, and writing/literature all under one roof. Hopefully the SOMA building will be erected soon, but who knows with all of these money issues the college has. Though Lattimore Hall sucked… its inhabitants (a few anyway) were pretty damn cool. Dominic Scalpi. I love him so much. The first night I moved into the apartment, he overheard a conversation I was having. He heard the words “Christian” and “Republican” and just about had a coronary. He was sure I was a gay-bashing jackass. He soon found out I was a pretty liberal Republican. He’s like the brother I never had, and I’ll never forget him. As well as people like Jimmy Molina, Zac Birdslow, Shelby Groff, Stephen Padilla, German Gonzalez, Mary Townley, Zach Phillips, Nathan Trost, Cassie Dauphin, etc. As these last few days before Commencement transpire and the goodbyes happen, and the tears flow, I’ll think back on these two years here in Auburn, and the good will far outweigh the bad. This summer I will be working at Elim Bible Institute, helping to restore some of their oldest buildings. My twin sister Aubree will hopefully be right beside me. And we will pick off from where we left off before this two year respite we had when I was at CCC and she was at Roberts Wesleyan, when I join her at Roberts for the next two years. More friends and memories will be made, and in two more years, life will truly begin.
— Alec Rider, editor-in-chief
CAYUGACOLLEGIAN@GMAIL.COM
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
By Sarah Guidone, staff writer
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
The mosaic mural is partially made of donated tile, fired ceramic and clay.
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
Cayuga Community College art club members work to create a mosaic mural on the concrete wall just outside the entrance to CCC’s new School of Media and the Arts.
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
“Roots in the Finger Lakes” is a 20-foot mosaic mural that Art students at Cayuga Community College are busy making. It’s located on the outdoor cement wall near the School of Media and the Arts (SOMA) lounge. “The wall always looked very empty and in need of some beautiful and inspiring art,” explained Melissa Johnson, an Art instructor here at CCC. “It seemed that a mosaic mural was ideal for the location and would help identify the location of the new School of Media and the Arts, also known as SOMA. It was also a chance to build on the energy of the mosaic murals created in the past few years in downtown Auburn.” Johnson says Jesse Kline, who was involved in all of the downtown mosaics, is sharing her expertise and helping with the final stages of the installation. Jen Gandee, a talented ceramist and owner of Gandee gallery, has taught ceramics here at CCC for a long time. Johnson says Gandee was hired as a visiting artist to
The Cayuga Collegian staff poses in their newsroom with their 2013 second place award from the American Scholastic Press Association’s national newspaper competition. (Left to right): Editor-in-chief Alec Rider, staff writer Sarah Guidone, staff writer Danielle Skowron, and editor Abigail Young. Congratulations! For the last 10+ years, The Cayuga Collegian has placed either first or second place in this competition among colleges with similar enrollment.
work with students and others in the CCC community to create the mosaic mural. Early in the fall semester, the Art Club spent time sketching and brainstorming ideas for the design. “We all landed on the idea of the Finger Lakes in the roots of a tree,” said Johnson. “Jen has been amazing in making this project happen and sharing her talent to create a beautiful and meaningful mosaic for CCC.” Many people have been doing their part in order for this mosaic to be completed. Johnson says she believes a majority of the work will be completed before the end of the semester. “The Art Club has been involved in the design and creation of the mosaic throughout the fall and spring semesters. There are many other people involved in the project, students, staff, and faculty members. A lot of work was started last Sunday (April 28) and contineud through May 6th,” said Johnson. Visiting artists and CCC ceramics instructor Jen Gandee says the mosaic is made of donated tile, fired ceramic, and
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF THE CAYUGA COLLEGIAN IN 2014
clay. The root system is incorporating the Finger Lakes because the lakes look like end of roots. A Daniel C. LaBeille Grant from the Cayuga Community College Foundation made the Roots in the Finger Lakes Mosaic Project possible. The Daniel C. LaBeille Endowment is intended to provide residency in the arts to students in the performing, visual, and creative writing arts at Cayuga Community College. It is specifically intended for students who are considering pursuing serious study toward becoming professional artists in their respective fields. The goal is to provide these students with the opportunity of an immersion program that will situate them within the everyday working context of professional artist. Its purpose is to stimulate the students by exposing them to a level of artistic endeavor and performance above and beyond what is normally available to them. The program should enable students to experience at close range what working and being successful in a particular field of endeavor entails, in terms of commitment, skill, diligence, and resilience. “If this program can be successful in taking what might be a glowing ember of professional artistic inclination within especially gifted students and change that ember into a blaze of passion, diligence, commitment, and serious pursuit in any of the performing, visual, or creative writing arts, it will have accomplished the purpose which I intend for it,” said Daniel LaBeille. “The response has been very positive. We are grateful to the Foundation for supporting this project and to everyone who participated,” said Johnson.
Artists hope to complete it by semester’s end.
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PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
PHOTO BY MARY MERRITT
“Roots in the Finger Lakes” mural begins to take shape on Auburn campus
CCC Telcom students honored for achievements at annual banquet By Danielle Skowron, staff writer
The annual awards banquet for the Telecommunications Department was held Wednesday May 1, 2013. Many people were awarded for their hard work this semester. Here is a list of the awards and their recipients: Mark Castiglione Commencement Award Alec Rider Telcom Faculty Award for Service to the Telecom Department Steven Foulkrod PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
SBE 20122013 Joe Mungo & Aaron Stiles Radio Advisors Award For Outstanding Service to the College Radio Station Joe Mungo Telcom Audio Production Award For Excellence in Audio Production Joshua C. Painter THE ABOVE FIVE AWARDS ARE RECOGNIZED BY PLAQUES IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS WING. WDWN Service Award Ashlee Saret Eric Nans Jesse Malone Best Video Production of the Year I Can Feel A Hot One Joe Mungo, Jesse Malone and Colin Drayer Best Music Video Find A Way Aaron Stiles, Josh Painter and Mike Macholl
WDWN RADIO AWARDS Golden Voice Award Jesse Malone Radio Personality Of The Year Joe Mungo and Jesse Malone Nightshow Of The Year Off the Beaten Path Joe Mungo Thursday Night Grab Bag Martin Seaman
Best Video Editing Solde D’une Rove Aaron Stiles, Josh Painter and Mike Macholl
Best Peer Tutor Ashlee Saret
Best Direction Don’t Try This At Home Joe Mungo, Jesse Malone, Colin Drayer
Best Pizza Topping Bacon
Best Narrative Video Mundane Man Andy Schemerhorn and Suzzane Smith Best PSA The Designated Driver Joe Mungo, Jesse Malone, Colin Drayer Best Commercial Telcom Commercial Lindsey Hirsh and Dana Malcom
The Jeff Sez Award Mike Calhoun
Communicator Awards For Service to The Telecom Department Emmett Drury Colin Drayer Brendan Hogan Mike Macholl Michele Faulk Ryan Adams & Joe Prue
Best Comedy Don’t Try This At Home Joe Mungo, Jesse Malone and Colin Drayer Best Stunt Video Solde D’une Rove Aaron Stiles, Joshua Painter and Mike Macholl Best Promotional Video Mesa Grande Andy Schemerhorn, Miranda TenEyke, and Alec Rider
CCC Telcom Department Chair Steve Keeler and Alec Rider.
Best Informational Video Auburn Water Treatment Troy Gronau, Jacob Louge and Eric Nans Best Instructional Video Bass Lesson 42 Eric Baldwin Best Script Mundane Man Andy Schemerhorn and Suzzane Smith
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Telcom student Suzanne Smith with all her Telcom honors.
CCC Telcom professors Bob Frame and Jeff Delbel at the Annual Telcom Awards Banquet at Auburn Public Theater May 1st.
Remembering a Telcom legend By Alec Rider, editor-in-chief
I was at a table, surrounded by friends, at the Telcom Awards on May 1st when I heard my name, in my opinion, come out of left field. My name was announced for the Mark Castiglione Commencement Award. I sat in my chair listening to Professor emeritus Jeff Delbel speak of his late friend, Chico Castiglione, the nickname that was given to Mark. He talked about all of these wonderful attributes that made Chico who he was and determined the winner of the Castiglione Award year in and year out. Lauren Maltese had won it the year before. She was the station manager at WDWN last year. Lauren seemed to live and breathe Telcom, and she was deserving of the award. The radio station is the bedrock of Telcom, so instinctively I thought the award was going to someone who spent time within its confines. When I saw her presenting with professor Delbel, I started scanning the room, wondering who fit the bill; though soon enough, everyone was looking at me. I accepted the award and returned to my seat. The thought overwhelmed me. I had spent the last year as Editor-inchief at the Cayuga Collegian issue after issue with only one goal in mind. Inform the students of Cayuga Community College. It didn’t matter if they didn’t find a certain topic pertinent now, but I wanted them to know in case it did. I didn’t expect to be recognized for something I considered my duty. I don’t care if my readership was zero, I would still put out that newspaper every week. After I received my award we got to watch the videos all of us had made over the last semesters (Solde D’une Rove should have won best video in my humble opinion) and then the night was over. But I couldn’t leave without getting some back story on the man whose name was on the award I received. I sat at a table with professors Delbel and Bob Frame and asked if they had words to share about the award I received, what it meant, and about Mark Castiglione the man. “Well it was a scholarship created when Mark died, by initially, an endowment by his mother to the college foundation and it was to be for a Telcom student who had done the most service for the department during their two years at the college,” Delbel said. Rose Castiglione turns 90 years old this year and lives in Cape Cod. I
Mark ‘Chico’ Castiglione marveled at the dedication it took to keep this award going as long as it has. Her son was special and he deserved it. “He was a friendly guy, always telling a joke, always willing to help, always willing to lend a hand, just a nice guy,” Frame said. “Mark was, he did all kinds of things, he was a video engineer, he ran the radio station, he just was always there, he lived there at the college, and he was an inspiration. These students followed him and he was an enormous leader,” Delbel said. “He was constantly there, he lived in the department. And when he left he did very well also. He went into professional videography, was an engineer at Channel 9 for several years.” Mary Merritt, adviser of the Cayuga Collegian, worked with Mark at Channel 9 when it was still WIXT. “Mark was the live truck operator/ engineer for me when I produced the 11:00 PM news at then WIXT (WSYR). I could ask Mark for anything and he would deliver. We were a tight crew. We were a family. We shared meals together---birthdays---holidays---hopes--dreams---disappointments,” Merritt said. “Mark was always happy. He was the first person to wear brightlypatterned shorts to work every day, even in the winter. He was a great listener. The best thing about Mark was his hefty laugh. We all took pride when we would make Mark laugh. Just having Mark around made the day better. He was such a kind person.” “The point about Chico is that, Chico had heart, there was an enormous amount of heart, and whenever he was present, you knew you were in his presence. You wanted to laugh,” Delbel said. “And plus, he had skill, he had that combination of being incredibly skilled and just laid back and letting people know that everything was okay. He was a very, very interesting kind of guy.”
CAYUGACOLLEGIAN@GMAIL.COM
History Club Hosts Harriet Tubman Event PHOTO BY ABIGAIL YOUNG
By Abigail Young, editor
Members of Cayuga Community College’s History Club are working to build awareness of a piece of legislation before the New York State Legislature to designate the home of Harriet Tubman in Auburn a National Park. Members of the club pose with Assemblyman Gary Finch.
Harriet Tubman
According to the Harriett Tubman website: “Auburn became a refuge of one of the heroes of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman. Tubman was encouraged to move to Auburn by her friend William H. Seward, a former governor of New York and active member of the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman freed more than 300 slaves on her 19 trips to the south over an 11-year period. Tubman, who herself escaped from slavery in 1849, settled in Auburn after the Civil War. Known as ‘The Moses of Her People,’ Tubman operated a home for aged and indigent blacks.”
The CCC History Club hosted an event recently to raise awareness for a new bill regarding the Harriet Tubman House in Auburn. The bill, HR-664, or the Harriet Tubman National Park Act, would make the Harriet Tubman House a national park. The History Club has been working very hard to get this bill passed. So they decided to have a tour to show their support for the bill. It began at the William Seward House, then to Tubman’s House, and ended at Tubman’s grave in Fort Hill Cemetery. During their stop at the Tubman House, the Club presented a check of $500 to help with a symposium to be held later this year honoring Tubman. According Dr. Ronald Grube, the symposium will feature a variety of presenters who will talk about Tubman and her legacy. Another upcoming event that will honor Tubman will be in early August during Founder’s Day. Not only will she be honored at the event, but State Route 34 which runs through the City of Auburn will become the Harriet Tubman Memorial Highway. During the visit to the Tubman House, New York State Assemblyman Gary Finch stopped by to talk to the club. Finch said that he was an old friend of Harriet’s. What he actual meant was that his family’s funeral home had buried Tubman.
Finch also spoke about how ten years ago there was a movement to move Tubman’s remains from Fort Hill to the house site. However since it was solely up to the family, it wasn’t done. Finch recalled how one of Tubman’s great-nieces had written a letter why Tubman shouldn’t be moved. Two of the main reasons was because Tubman was buried next to her second husband and the pine tree that had been planted near Tubman’s grave had grown so that it’s roots were hugging Tubman. Finch agreed that the bill needed to passed. He said that there was currently 44 co-sponsors. He said he was sponsoring it in the State Assembly and that David Valseky was sponsoring it in the State Senate.
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF THE CAYUGA COLLEGIAN IN 2014
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Red line crossed in Syria... What next Mr. President? Last summer, President Obama said that the movement of chemical weapons in Syria would “be a game-changer”, and would be “the red line” that, if crossed, would mean heavier United States involvement in the escalating Syrian Civil War. It has been reported that the rogue Syrian regime led by genocidal despot Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons, namely the nerve toxin Sarin, against his own people without remorse. The international community as seen it, The United Kingdom, France, and Israel have seen it. The American people have seen it. But the Obama Administration refuses to see it. They request more proof, while scores die every day. They try and remind us of our trip to Iraq. While most of us know that it wasn’t the best move, toppling Saddam Hussein was. The difference is we know that Bashar al-Assad has WMDs right here and now, unlike Saddam’s case where he had killed thousands in the 1980s and got rid of his WMDs by the time 2003 rolled around. Syria crossed the red line, and President Obama balked. It shouldn’t be seen as coincidence that not too soon after, the regime and its allies in Hezbollah started making more and more ground against
the rebels. They were inspired by the lack of strength behind the words of America’s president. They believed they could go unchecked, and finally win this two year civil war and smash the rebels to bits. That is, until Israel said enough was enough. Between the nights of May 2nd and May 3rd, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck a Syrian weapons site. Again, on the night of May 4th, the IAF struck again. Their target was widely known this time around. The attack was on a military research center in Jamraya that was about to transport Iranian advanced longrange ground-to-ground missiles bound for Hezbollah, Israel’s sworn enemy and Iranian terror proxy. There have been no counter-attacks, but Iran seemed to hint that they were going to nudge their terror proxy Hezbollah into attacking Israel. The United States and the Obama Administration now have two choices. They can sit idly by and watch the world go to hell, or they can gather a coalition, get the United Nations off their ass and get something done. I say to hell with Iran and to hell with Russia. This civil war in Syria needs to end, and it needs to end with Assad deposed or dead.
— Alec Rider, editor-in-chief
Auburn’s Jimmypalooza helps the community ‘pay it forward’ By Danielle Skowron, staff writer Friends and family gathered Sunday April 28 to support a local music fan Rick Ganey at the Third Annual Jimmypalooza. Ganey, who has a debilitating form of Lupus, was put out of work this year when the side effects from the disease became too hard for him to deal with. The benefit which showcases local talent had five bands, Silver Queen Casket Company, Bullseye, The Grind With Billy Colvin, Auburn Brothers Band and Last Train Out, donate their time to play music. There were plenty of opportunities to win prizes. Ganey, a third year beneficiary, is a lifelong local music fan. He says he has gone to every local music show and was sure to sit right in the front. His friends and family say that he is music’s biggest fan. More than 250 people joined Rick at Falcon’s Tidal Wave Bar on Sunday to support him through his fight with lupus. Jimmypalooza started three years ago when local music legend Jimmy Aubin fell ill and needed a liver transplant. Many people pulled together to make this benefit happen. Many local business’ donate to this event every year. The first year pulled more than 1,000 people to support the Aubin family. Jimmy Aubin who was ill said that “When I came to this benefit last year and saw how many people cared, it really gave me the will to fight.” Each year the Aubin family “pays it forward” and chooses a beneficiary recipient that is involved in the local music scene. For the second year of Jimmypalooza, they chose Sylvester Germano’s family. Sylvester, who was also a local music legend, tragically took his own life in January of 2012. The Aubin family paid it forward to the Germano family in their time of need.
Rick Ganey and staff writer Danielle Skowron at Jimmypalooza.
Jimmy Aubin (left) was the first person honored by Jimmypalooza to help him pay for a liver transplant. He is singing with Ed Chick and the band, Bullseye. Participants say Jimmypalooza really shows how close the Auburn community is, and how they give and give until they can’t give anymore.
Ed Chick and the band, Bullseye, at the Third Annual Jimmypalooza.
The Auburn Brothers perform at Jimmypalooza in April.
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SPARTAN SPORTS
Lady Spartans close out spring Spartans close out southern season campaign on a good note! tier weekend swing The Cayuga Women’s Soccer team closed out their non traditional spring season, visiting Cazenovia College, on Friday 4/26. The Lady Spartans came away with a 1-1 tie with the Wildcats thanks in part to Cazenovia College Head Coach Lauren Pacelli (Cayuga CC All Time Leading Scorer, All American and 2005 Graduate) providing 3 loaned out players to make the sides even for the scrimmage. Coach Renaud was pleased with the nucleus of players who will be returning for the 2013 official season, “the ladies played some inspired soccer this evening. I thought we kept our shape and played well off the ball throughout the entire scrimmage. Brooke Mayville (Ontario, NY) did a great job of pushing forward from her central midfield position and had some great serves into the penalty area once we settled in. Our defensive four, led by Tiffany Westmiller (Port Byron, NY) were quick to the ball, did not overcommit and closed in well throughout the modified 60 minute match.” “The hard work we put in throughout the spring, inside the fieldhouse, made for a smooth transition for the game,”
7’0 Washington Wizards center Jason Collins became the first male to publicly come out as gay in major North American sports last week in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. He even got an inspired shout-out from President Obama during a press briefing that saw him get slammed on everything from Syria, to Benghazi whistleblowers, to a do-nothing Congress. It’s a momentous occasion in the world of sports, a world that has been known for its gay bashing than its welcoming spirit. For example, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Chris Culliver got in trouble when he made this comment to Artie Lange during Super Bowl media day in New Orleans this past year. “Ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.” He also suggested that gay players wait ten years after they retire to come out as gay. Sports has long been seen as the last bastion of gay bashing; the NBA, with its large black community and MLB and its large conservative community among its players. But it’s interesting to compare this
Lady Soccer Spartans continued Renaud. “We are roughly 6 quality players from regaining competitive form in the MSAC and Region III West play for 2013. Therefore, Coach Simmons and I are continuing to work on locking up our recruiting class to ensure this happens.” The Lady Spartans are set to tentatively return for the fall preseason on August 18th.
—Pete Liddell
situation with someone like Tim Tebow. Who was castigated for his unashamed approach toward his faith when it came to his place in sports. Everyone knew who Tim Tebow was in college. He was a Heisman Trophy winner and led the Florida Gators to a pair of National Championship wins. Then he was drafted by the Denver Broncos. And the secular world went nuts. They thought he could be contained down in the NCAA, and they knew that he was about to hit the world stage. So they went from criticizing his throwing angle and saying he should be a tight end or not the kick return team, to lobbing ad hominem attacks against him and his faith. Tim Tebow has never said a bad thing about anyone and that’s what he has to deal with when he is as open with who he is as Jason Collins now is. As a professed Christian, I think it would best serve Collins to tell everyone to lay off of Tim Tebow, because the things that have been said about him have undoubtedly contributed to the fact that Tebow currently doesn’t have a job in the NFL. It is indeed a very interesting situation.
The Cayuga Golf Team finished up a weekend tournament recently in Cortland, NY, at the Elm Tree Golf Course. The team posted a score of 365, with Ryan Killian (Southern Cayuga, NY) taking low honors for the six Spartans competing, shooting an 83 and locking up his slot in the NJCAA Region III tournament May 13th and 14th. With Killian’s qualifying score, the Spartans now have four qualifiers and Coach Renaud is optimistic Phil Tabone (Weedsport, NY) will lock up the team’s fifth qualifier over the course of this coming Friday and Saturday tournaments, hosted by MCC (Wildwood CC) and Genesee CC (Batavia CC), repsectively. Simon Fricano (Union Springs, NY) continued his consistent play, and 5/6 men
Russ Chappell (Union Springs, NY) and Dan Ellingwood (Oswego, NY) both improved on their prior tournament scores. “Ryan and Simon are going to be our 1 and 2 golfers for the remainder of the season. They have great composure on the course, and are able to keep their hole to hole play at birdie,par and bogie level. Jake Dechick (Weedsport, NY), Gavin Dennis (Weedsport, NY) and Phil (Tabone) just need a little more consistency in their approach shots to the green, and then over their putts once on the greens. I am confident they will get there, and our group of 5 will be putting up rounds in the 70’s and low 80’s over the course of this weekend, leading into the regional tournament,” said Coach Renaud.
—Pete Liddell
Local lacrosse player’s dreams closing in By Marc ‘Brian’ Murray, contributing writer
Most people grow up not knowing what they want to do with their life, whether it’s becoming a lawyer, a doctor or anything else for that matter. Ever since Gale Thorpe was a young boy he always had the dream of becoming a college lacrosse player. It’s now in his grasp. As his senior year of high school flies by at Jordan Elbridge high school, he’s doing what he does best after class, scoring goals. Gale has led Jordan Elbridge in goals for the past three seasons including this one. He was also listed in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 100 Prospects and has been at the top in points scored in his high school’s section all four years of his high school career. The college of choice for the top recruits in the country for lacrosse has been none other than Syracuse University. Lacrosse players that get recruited to play there are the best in the country. Gale is among the player’s on Syracuse University’s list. “Approaching my junior year I still was undecided on where I wanted to play. I had
a chance to play with several kids in my class that were going to Syracuse over the summer. After that I knew Syracuse was where I wanted to play lacrosse,” said Gale Thorpe. Thorpe has verbally committed to SU. Lacrosse has been a way of life in his family his whole life. His father, Regy Thorpe, was a product of the Syracuse University lacrosse program. He went on to play 14 seasons with the Rochester Nighthawks. He is also a coach of the Hamilton Nationals. The younger Gale hopes to play midfield with Syracuse, although any position he is needed at will do just fine. Thorpe says he is inspired by other players when he’s on the field. “Growing up I always enjoyed watching John Grant, Jr. He is the most creative player I’ve ever seen and you never knew what he was going to do,” said Thorpe. Central New York has been and most likely will remain the hot bed for lacrosse in the U.S., especially if it keeps bringing out talent like Gale Thorpe.
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF ‘13 GRADUATION IS MAY 19, 2013 CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF THE CAYUGA COLLEGIAN IN 2014
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Top 10 ways Cayuga Community College is like the United States Government 10. The college bookstore is like the IRS. No one screws you over more dollar for dollar. 9.
Students hold a rally without any intention of a protest? Dispatch college security to “patrol” and make sure everyone is abiding by the “code of conduct”, nothing scares those in power more than the people who actually wield it.
8.
Students at CCC are like interest groups, except they really suck at their job.
7.
Adjuncts being paid per credit hour for all the classes they teach? Taxation without representation I say. Huzzah!
6.
SGO in 11 words “shut those kids up and make them think they have power.”
5.
The Cayuga Collegian is like C-SPAN, we try to tell you what’s up, yet no one heeds us.
4.
The Faculty Association thinks a viable solution to this mess is to get a bailout
3.
Furloughs and possible layoffs? Sounds like sequestration to me.
2.
The administration spends money like it’s self-replicating, you know, like Congress
1.
1.5 million in the red, two sides either bitterly divided or will act like they achieved something when in all actuality, they’re just kicking the rotting putrefied corpse down the road.
By Alec Rider, editor-in-chief The days of walking out to a parking ticket on your car are over, at least in the City of Auburn anyway. Auburn introduced Pango at a ceremony on Friday. Pango can be downloaded to any smartphone, just like any other app. It allows customers to attach a credit card to your profile, along with an unlimited amount of license plates. The driver can check into a meter, which have all been numbered using Pango stickers, and check out when they leave, paying for the time they used once they are finished with the parking space; leaving the ticket man one lonely customer. The existing meters and kiosks will still be available however for those drivers who choose to continue paying the traditional way. There is also a phone number that can be dialed, so drivers who don’t have smartphones can use any phone to pay a parking meter. So don’t worry Grandpa Joe, if you still want to deal with the ticket man, you can.
Now you can use a Smartphone app to pay for parking in the City of Auburn. It’s called PANGO. Don’t panic—the old fashioned way to pay is sticking around for now.
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
something funny...
PANGO is the new way to pay for parking in Auburn
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
COLLEGIAN
PHOTO BY ALEC RIDER
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