360 PLAYS CELEBRITY MATCHMAKER | 8 GAME-CHANGERS OF HUMAN INTEREST THE HAPPIEST 5K ON THE PLANET | GO WITH THE LAVA FLOW | REV-UP YOUR RAMEN
IT GETS PERSONAL | FALL 2012 | ISSUE #28
2
360 gets personal 3
Editor’s Note Editor-in-Chief
Erica Murphy Managing Editor Melia Robinson Design Director Zuly Beltre Long Features Victoria Pruitt Christina Ferraro SENIOR EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Short Features Brandi Potts Jill Comoletti SENIOR EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Front of Book Shayna Miller Meredith Jeffers SENIOR EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Art Production Dan Blaushild Trevor Zalkind ART DIRECTOR
PHOTO DIRECTOR
Butterflies filled my stomach as I made my way to the starting line. I knew I could run the 5K course, but I still felt the fluttering. I couldn’t pinpoint what sparked my nerves though. Maybe it came from my roommate who was running with me, and the fact that she’s a running fiend. Or maybe it came from my competitiveness, and I knew I wouldn’t be blowing by anyone. But once the emcee blasted some sweet tunes and explained the race’s purpose, I knew I’d have a ball at Albany’s Color Me Rad 5K. It wasn’t about time, or passing runners, or beating a personal record. Instead, it was about bringing together a group of people who wanted to get pelted with colored cornstarch. It felt personal, and inspired this semester’s issue. 360 Gets Personal gives the Syracuse community a place to explore their thoughts and sometimes divulge them too. On page 11, one of 360’s own reflects on her mother’s abusive relationship, and I share my experiences with online dating on page 30. Look at 35 for a glimpse into the life of a psychic, or explore some quirky holiday traditions on 6. But the heart of this issue resides in our profile package. We sought out members of the SU community who advocate for causes, programs, and passions. These people bring enthusiasm to everyday life and highlight issues that aren’t typically thought about. We hope that our stories inspire you to open up with the world, and as Olivia Newton John would almost say, let’s get personal. Cheers,
WEB EDITOR Melissa Bronson-Tramel SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Andrea Ryerson COPY EDITORS Linda Gorman
DESIGNERS
CONTRIBUTORS
ILLUSTATORS
PHOTOGRAPHERS
4
Nicole Vas Hayden Willing Lisa Prywes Morgan Begy Nataija Bush Kristin Cordon Sean Danz Julia D’Orazio Nina Green Jennifer Gubernick Kaitilin Juchniewicz Jenna Lonczak David Manzler Laura Nepolitano Angela Poccia Phillip Beltre Margaret Cregan Abigail Frazier Eden Lapsley Andrew Muckell Michael Quagliana Meghan Rimol Kelley Rowland Madina Toure Andy Casadonte Joel Jensen Heath Jack McGown Anna Paterno Tyler Poyant Hannah Smith Claire Jones Svitlana Lymar Logan Reidsma Maryangel Rodriguez
Erica Murphy
mission statement :: Since its debut at Syracuse University in 1998, 360 Degrees has always strived to achieve a balance between tradition and change. Founded by Lanre Mayen Gaba as a new lens to view culture, 360 Degrees has a different focus, format, and feel than its predecessors. Through the years, the magazine has become a general interest publication with a cultural twist, dedicated to informing students about issues on campus, in the community, and in the whole world at large. disclaimer :: The views expressed in 360 Degrees are not necessarily those of the entire staff. 360 Degrees welcomes contributions from all members of the Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF community but retains the right to publish only material 360 Degrees deems acceptable to the publication’s editorial purpose.
6 TOP 10 QUIRKY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 360 rounds up cultural celebrations from around the world
7 REVAMP YOUR RAMEN
Pinterest helps spice up a college cuisine staple
8 WHO IS YOUR ALUMNI CRUSH?
Take 360’s quiz to find out if Biden’s your boo
10 HERITAGE ON THE HILL
Members of SU legacy families share what it means to bleed orange
34 POST SECRET: SU EDITION
360 Degrees sets out to uncover SU student’s juiciest, goofiest confessions
35 THAT’S SO CINDY
360 sits down with Skaneateles psychic Cindy Griffith-Bennett
11 AGE OF INNOCENCE
One of 360’s own reflects on how her mother’s abusive boyfriend affected her childhood
12 CASUAL SUNDAY
The Vineyard Church serves up wisdom, worship, and waffles
13 BREATHE EASY
Mindfulness based stress reduction classes teach students how to detox
14 KEEPING THE PEACE
An anti-militarism activist group on campus stirs up controversy amidst the ROTC community
15 PEAK PERFORMANCE
New York’s premiere adaptive ski program enables disabled individuals to enjoy the slopes
16 OUT OF THE WOODS
After surviving a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, Kevin O’Keefe talks about his road to recovery
17 BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE
Syracuse University prides itself on supporting community activism. We examine eight people’s stories and how they inspire humanity
23 A GLOWING COLLABORATION
Syracuse Lava Project’s fusion of disciplines blends art, science and education
28 DYE-HARD RUNNERS
Color Me Rad Albany unites seasoned and novice runners to raise money for Special Olympics New York
30 RELATIONSHIPS ANONYMOUS
Casual hook-ups dominate college culture, but as more young adults dabble in online dating, students finally embrace an alternative
32 AS TOLD BY JUDY
Strangers trust Central New York woman with the care of their most personal possessions: their stories
FALL 2012
5
TOP 10 QUIRKY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 360 rounds up cultural celebrations from around the world words :: Margaret Cregan art :: Hannah Smith
1
Kentucky Fried Christmas
Because of a successful and nearly 40-yearold advertising campaign, the Japanese enjoy secular yuletide feasts of KFC’s fried chicken, salad, and chocolate cake. Leading up to the holiday season, Colonel Sanders dons a Santa hat, and people book tables a month in advance.
2 Kiviak for Christmas On Christmas Eve, Greenlanders enjoy a traditional feast that includes kiviak: the raw, rotten flesh of small seabirds wrapped in blubbery sealskin and buried for three to 18 months. Brave diners indulge outside to avoid the pungent smell that would linger in their houses for weeks.
3 Playing with Pachyderms In Thailand on the third Saturday of November, 200 elephants participate in parades, displays of agility, and an extreme form of tug-of-war. In this battle of brawn, one elephant takes on 70 members of the Royal Thai Army. The Elephant Festival celebrates Buddha’s teaching that youth learn from elders, similar to the way wild elephants learn from their trainers.
5 Dragon Boat Races The Chinese Duanwu festival, nicknamed the Dragon Boat Festival, commemorates Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet and patriot who committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River. According to legend, locals threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to prevent fish from feeding on his body, and took boats out onto the water to recover it. Today, the Chinese honor Qu Yuan by eating zongzi (sticky rice stuffed with fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves), and racing canoes decorated with carved dragon heads and tails.
During the week before Lent, Slavic and Russian people feast on pancakes, or bliny, which contain rich ingredients forbidden during Lent. Aside from eating breakfast, revelers go sledding, forgive each other for the year’s offenses, and burn the festival’s mascot, a brightly dressed straw woman, in a bonfire.
Eid al-Fitr, a popular Islamic holiday, marks the end of Ramadan. In Burma, Jago (or “wake-up”) teams of local children travel door to door and wake their neighbors with renditions of popular Hindi songs. Locals reward good performances with gifts of food or donations.
In Austria and other Alpine countries, an overworked Santa splits his workload with Krampus, the hairy-hoofed demon who punishes naughty children. He beats the worst offenders with rusty chains before taking them down to the fires of hell. In many areas on Krampusnacht, the night before St. Nicholas Day, young men and women in demonic costumes take to the streets drinking, playing pranks, and scaring the naughty out of their neighbors.
6
On November 1, Mexicans gather in cemeteries to pray, party, and drink tequila. During the light-hearted holiday of Dia de Los Muertos, the living honor the dead by building small altars adorned with candles, marigolds, and the favorite foods of the deceased. “Day of the Dead” devotees buy skull-shaped sugar candies engraved with the names of lost loved ones.
6 Pancake Party
7 Wake-Up Call
4 Good Cop / Krampus
9 A Matter of Life and Death
8 Ethiopian Epiphany On Timkat, the celebration of the Epiphany, Ethiopians celebrate Jesus’ baptism with a feast. Christians wear white, while the clergy dress in bright robes and carry sequined umbrellas. The town parades with a sacred model of the Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artifact that contained the Ten Commandments, to the nearest body of water where they celebrate Mass and reenact their baptisms.
10 The Rainbow Connection Holi, one of the most exuberant though least religious of Hindu holidays, celebrates the beginning of spring and the triumph of a devoted king over a demoness. On the eve of the festival, the streets are illuminated with bonfires that transform into messy rainbows the following day as friends, family, and strangers attack each other with brightly dyed water and loose powder. A general abandonment of class divisions distinguishes this eye-catching festival.
Revamp Your Ramen Pinterest helps spice up a college cuisine staple 0 36 compiled by :: Meredith Jeffers and Victoria Pruitt
Repin
Like
Comment
Ramen Noodle Salad Seitan Ramen Marinate ¼ pound seitan with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 clove minced garlic, and black pepper. Sautee 1 sliced onion with the seitan and veggies of your choice. Add the mixture to Ramen noodles.
Bake 1 small bag of chopped nuts of your choice and 1 package of broken-up Oriental Ramen noodles for 12 minutes. Add to 2 bags of cole slaw and mix with ½ cup canola oil, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and the seasoning packet from the Ramen noodles.
Mapo Tofu Ramen Stir ½ tablespoon mashed black beans with 2 tablespoons chili bean paste, ½ tablespoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper. Stirfry 4 ounces pork with black bean mixture, ½ block of tofu, and 3 cups chicken broth. Serve over Ramen.
Fancy Ramen Noodles Cook 1 package of Ramen as directed. Drain the water and add 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter melts, then add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce.
Ramen Noodle Omelette Bok Choy & Oyster Ramen Bring 2 cups water to a boil and add the chicken flavor packet from the noodles. Add 1 bunch baby bok choy and noodles and simmer in pan for 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Stir through 1/3 cup oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve hot.
Cook 1 package of Ramen, drain the water, and add the seasoning packet. Stir-fry 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions and ½ cup cherry tomatoes. Add two beaten eggs and let sit until cooked through.
FALL 2012
7
8
14
JERRY STILLER
Watch. #13
Sweat. #12
Would you rather break a sweat or watch from the sidelines?
11
10
Sports game. #11
Movie. #10
Interested in men
Passion. He needs to have a zest for life. #9
Creativity. I want someone who thinks outside of the box. #2
What matters most:
1
Yes.
How about a man who speaks his mind?
8
6
7
2
No. #8
Yes. #3
Do you admire social media savvy?
Yes.
Thought-provoking dramas. #6
Guilty pleasures. #5
Your favorite TV shows are:
In. #4 Out. #7
4
TAYE DIGGS
5
We dig this Private Practice star’s good looks and enchanting singing voice (he starred in the Broadway production of RENT). If you’re lucky, he’ll help you get your groove back.
#3 Enjoy life in or out of the spotlight?
3
This internet entrepreneur knows your whereabouts at all times—he co-founded Foursquare in 2009. Will you be the Mayor of his heart?
DENNIS CROWLEY
Academy Award winning screenwriter and Social Network expert, Sorkin possesses a heart of gold beneath the button-down shirts and pockets full of cocaine. Plus, that hairline shows no signs of receding.
Do you want a man who feels protective of you?
This sassy and smoldering VP never holds back, and that’s no malarkey. Catch his attention with some flirtatious debate, or maybe invite him on a romantic train ride.
JOE BIDEN
AARON SORKIN
Your Ultimate Alum s I o ni Wh
Yes.
Are flame tattoos hot?
12
This All-American sportscaster dropped out of SU, but he charmed Newhouse into giving him an honorary degree. Costas hosted a record nine Olympic games, so he’ll know all the gold medal hotspots for your international travels.
BOB COSTAS
On your ideal date, you see a:
9
This New York Knicks player led the Orangemen to their first National Championship in 2003, and was drafted to the NBA after his first season. With creds like that, your relationship is sure to be a slam dunk.
CARMELO ANTHONY
Best known for his scene-stealing roles in Zoolander and Seinfeld, the papa of Ben Stiller will have any date ROFLing. He may not be the tallest guy, but he’s certainly not short on love.
No #14
Yes.
He hosted a radio show Do you like your bad on WAER, where fellow boys clean-shaven? Alumni Crush Contestant Bob Costas appeared as Yes. his first guest. Tirico became an announcer for ESPN’s Monday Night 13 Football. But watch out: he may call the shots in the Is lack of college relationship. degree a deal breaker?
MIKE TIRICO
10
Colonel Collins was the first female pilot and commander of a NASA Space Shuttle. She’s a practiced travel companion, logging more than 38 days in space. Will you love her to the moon and back?
Yes.
How about a lady who’s out of this world?
13
9
I can deal.
What if she’s a Republican?
No. #9
Yes.
Host of America Live on the Fox News Channel, Megyn studied political science. In a game of f**k, marry, kill, she answered: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, in that order.
MEGYN KELLY
She studied musical theater, but found her passion in traveling the world for free. This bubbly blonde hosts a series of shows on the Travel Channel. Mile High Club, anyone?
Can she cook like Mom?
8
Brains. #10
Beauty. #2
What matters most:
1
Interested in women
compiled by :: 360 Degrees staff art :: Andy Casadonte
Take 360’s quiz to find out if Biden’s your boo.
CRUSH
SAMANTHA BROWN
No. #12
Yes. #11
Someone who will make your sides split?
This broad takes risks. Her stand-up routines stir controversy by touching on issues of race and sexuality, and she’s a legendary roaster. If she teases you, that means she likes you, right?
No. #13
Yes.
Feelin’ serious chicks, of the Sylvia Plath variety?
12
EILEEN COLLINS
LISA LAMPANELLI
11
This acclaimed author published more than 50 novels, three of which received Pulitzer Prize nominations. While a student at SU, she wrote novel after novel, always throwing them out after completion. Don’t expect love poems.
JOYCE CAROL OATES
9
2
7
EMME
6
This former sorority chick produces over-the-top, whimsical designs. She’s known for cartwheeling down the runway in her fashion shows. Do with that information what you will.
BETSY JOHNSON
No. #8
Yes. #3
(Shallow much?) How about a walk on the wild side?
VANESSA WILLIAMS
4
Baby’s got back. Before becoming the highest paid plus-size model in the ’90s, Emme received a full-ride scholarship to join SU crew. Strut your stuff right and you’ll be rowing down the tunnel of love.
Fashion designer. #7
Catwalk. #6
On the runway, does your chick strut the catwalk or design the clothes?
5
No. #5
Yes. #4
Is it cool if she posed nude for Penthouse?
3
She won her first beauty pageant as an SU junior, before becoming the first African-American to be crowned Miss America. She lost the title when nude photos surfaced, but her Hollywood career made a fiery comeback with roles in Ugly Betty and 666 Park Avenue.
HERITAGE ON THE HILL Members of SU legacy families share what it means to bleed orange words :: Eden Lapsley art :: Daniel Blaushild
Professor Perspective Student Story
The crowd at the Carrier Dome roared to life, drowning out sounds of sneakers squeaking across the court. A wave of excitement washed over Christine Decker as seas of crazed Orange fans cheered at the Syracuse University basketball game. “I was 12, and it was the first time I was on campus,” Christine says. “I walked around thinking about the future and how my relatives were a part of this. It gave me a sense of pride.” Now a sophomore in the David B. Falk
chairman of the board from 1874 to 1879. When he died 11 years later, he left $8,000 to SU for the construction of the Christian Association building and a gymnasium that originally stood where the Physics Building is found today. Other notable Deckers include Miriam Decker Alsever, a member of the University Orchestra and a 2001 recipient of the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award, and John Decker, Christine’s uncle and director of the Intervarsity Syracuse Christian Fellowship.
I was twelve, and it was the first time I was on campus. I walked around thinking about the future and how my relatives were a part of this. It gave me a sense of pride. College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Christine remembers the generations of Deckers that walked through the same halls of some of the oldest buildings before her. She’s the seventh family member to attend SU in the past 140 years, her heritage extending to a University founding father. David Decker, Christine’s distant relative, was elected to the original Board of Trustees in 1870 and is considered to be one of the founding fathers. Originally a leather manufacturer, he served as the third
10
Many families share the bond of attending and working at Syracuse, shaping it into a second home. “We got our education there, and it has been a beautiful and enjoyable relationship,” John Decker says. “It set up a lot of good friendships for our kids.” Forging strong bonds is an inevitable benefit of being a member of an SU legacy family. “I’m proud to be a student at Syracuse,” Christine says. “And when you tell people it’s part of your family heritage, it sets you apart as having something special.”
In the summer of 1961, Dr. Marvin Druger taught a summer class at SU for local high school students. He was later offered a position as an assistant professor in the biology department. More than 50 years later, he and his wife Patricia still feel emotional ties to the students who roam campus. Druger once received a Christmas card from a former student with a picture of a baby between two biology books. The message inside said, “We met in your class and have been together ever since. Now we are practicing what you taught us.” Many Christmas cards later, three students from the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry appeared in Druger’s office. They were the children from their parents’ cards, now college-aged and following in the family’s footsteps. Druger considers this kind of individual, lifelong influence to be the core of his work. Druger and his wife spent countless hours at the university. She worked by his side as a lab assistant, course coordinator, and all-around support system. She received a master’s in mathematics from SU, where she worked as a teaching assistant. Two of their children followed in their footsteps and graduated from SU. After five decades, their family continues to grow and learn together on the Hill.
One of 360’s own reflects on how her mother’s abusive boyfriend affected her childhood words :: Victoria Pruitt art :: Joel Jenson Heath I sit on the edge of the couch biting my lip, staring at the pile of gifts from my fourth birthday a few days before, trying to focus on anything but the screaming. My mom and her boyfriend Chris argue in the kitchen as she washes the dishes. “I know you’re lying to me!” he shouts. “I swear, I’m telling you the truth! Nothing happened!” my mom pleads. I stare at a small hole in the arm of the couch and try to remember if I was the one who made it. I trace the hole and pick at the stuffing peeking out. “You’re a terrible liar and a bad mother,” Chris says. “Instead of working or spending time with your daughter, you’re out fucking every guy you see.” “Nothing happened! I swear! I was at work all day!” my mom shouts. “Don’t raise your voice at me!” Chris yells as he grabs my mom’s hair and drags her out of the room. When I first met Chris, I hated him. He was tall and smelled of liquor and dirt. He wore a plaid shirt buttoned over a slightly bulging stomach and faded jeans tucked into dusty cowboy boots. He strutted in the room and gave a charming introduction to my grandmother
and aunt. When he looked at me, I could see the dislike in his eyes. I was going through my hairstylist phase, so I rambled on and on about the different hairstyles I would create and the magic shampoos and conditioners I would invent. Everyone seemed to be amused, except for Chris and my mom. He seemed utterly bored and she was staring at him. Later, after Chris had left, Mom asked me what I thought about him. “I don’t really like him that much,” I said. “Why not?” Mom asked me.
I stood in my room, clutching a stuffed bear, and stared at the emptiness around me.
accuse my mom of cheating on him, storm out, take the car, and go out drinking somewhere. They began fighting all the time. One day, I had just taken a bath and was trying to get dressed. Mom and Chris were sitting in the living room watching TV. Chris was drinking something out of a Mason jar while Mom cuddled up to him. “Mom!” I shouted. “I can’t find my shorts!” “They’re in the top drawer, Sweetie,” Mom called to me. I walked out into the hallway. “I can’t reach the top drawer.” “OK, one second.” Mom started to get up. “No,” Chris said as he grabbed my mom’s arm. “She can get whatever she needs herself.” “The drawer is too high for her to reach. I need to help her.” Mom pulled against Chris and began walking my way. All of a sudden, Chris took his Mason jar and threw it on the carpet. Somehow it shattered into a thousand pieces and the smell of alcohol engulfed the room. Mom started crying, so I tried to walk to her. “No! Stay there, Sweetie!” she ordered. “I don’t want you walking across the glass.” “Naw, it’ll be fine,” Chris said as he waved me forward. “Come on, it’ll be fine.” I guess he wanted to see me in pain. A few months later, I was back in my spot on the couch, listening to Mom and Chris yelling from their bedroom. She was crying and begging. “No,” she pleaded. “Please don’t hurt her.” Later that night, we packed a few small bags and fled to her friend’s house. We stayed there for a few weeks before going back to the house to get the rest of our stuff. There were hundreds of empty beer cans all over the house. Dirty pots and pans littered the kitchen and dining room. Our shelves had been ransacked and many of our movies and books were missing. My two hamsters ran loose around the house. I stood in my room, clutching a stuffed bear, and stared at the emptiness around me. “Sweetie? Are you OK?” Mom asked me. I didn’t move. “I’m really sorry about all of this. I should have listened to you from the beginning,” she said. “I love you. You know that?” I didn’t move. “Sweetie? Are you OK?” I finally came back to life. “Mhmm. I’m fine.”
“I’m not sure,” I said. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I tried. “He’s kind of fat.” “Well, sweetie, that’s no reason not to like someone,” Mom told me. “I think if you just give him a chance, you’ll see that you do like him.” Within a week, he moved in with us. Mom went to work, I went to daycare, and Chris stayed home and sat on his ass. Whenever we came home, he would be so upset about being trapped in the house all day that he would
FALL 2012
12
CASUAL SUNDAY
The Vineyard Church serves up wisdom, worship, and waffles words :: Andrew Muckell photos :: Maryangel Rodriguez
Usual sights fill the dimly lit room: purple painted walls, patched sofas, and a disco ball refracting light across the room. Two acoustic guitarists, a cellist, and a drummer play onstage under the close supervision of a large painting of Andre 3000. The atmosphere of Funk ‘N Waffles feels very much like it does on any other night—except today is Sunday. Church is in session. The screen behind the stage reads, “Come as you are and be loved.” Underneath the phrase is a giant letter “V” outlined in maroon. This is the symbol for the Vineyard Church, a multi-site Christian sect with branches in Syracuse, Auburn, and Cicero. The lead pastor, John Elmer, walks around the college waffle joint conversing with first-time visitors and regular congregants. “At service, we try to create an atmosphere that’s comfortable,” Elmer says. “What we are trying to do is create a community where people can come as they are. No matter where they are in their spiritual journey, they will be embraced.” As the band plays, the congregation of about 30 students and locals chat, check their text messages, and fill their stomachs with complementary strawberries, grapes, coffee, and other goodies. All the while, slides on the screen flash fun facts, information about a church getaway to Ithaca, promotions for small groups, and volunteer opportunities available through the church.
12
After a while, the worship service segues into small group activities to help attendees interact with eachother. Then, Elmer gives his sermon on living in community with God and others. He says the main purpose of Vineyard Church is to help people connect with Jesus. The church’s “grab-grow-n-go” motto explains
pamphlets, and Pop-Tarts. Along with the handouts, the church also appeals to college students by deeming itself “a comfortable church.” Honess believes that college students yearn for a God that shines love down on people. He says connecting people with Jesus, especially those who lack a religious background,
We’re trying to create a community where people can come as they are. No matter where they are in their spiritual journey, they will be embraced. this process: first, you must grab hold of Christ and the community of believers, then grow in faith towards your potential, and eventually go into the world sharing your passions fruitfully. “We think people prosper the most when they’re connected with God,” Elmer says. Church services are not the only way Vineyard tries to connect with students. Tim Honess, Syracuse University’s site pastor, says the church has a number of ministries students can join, which connect individuals with a loving community of believers. “The best way to connect with people is to communicate,” Honess says. “Small groups are where you deepen relationships with God, pray for each other, and value other people.” Vineyard uses incentives to attract firsttime churchgoers. Leaders prepare goodie bags filled with Christian music CDs, pens,
sums up the church’s mission. So far, Vineyard boasts an average of 40 people a week at the Syracuse site, 170 at Auburn, and about 1,000 at Cicero. Elmer says the church positively changed many of its members’ lives. It has helped break addictions, repair marriages, and physically heal people. One church member, Yolanda, tore her right hip and was restricted to a walker and wheelchair. After praying with two fellow congregants in early 2012, her hip healed. Honess watched Yolanda dance in worship one night shortly after she recovered. He says it was the most powerful experience he witnessed through Vineyard. Honess believes everyone wants that intense experience. “There are a lot of people looking for something spiritually,” he says. “They are hungry,” hungry for God.
BREATHE EASY Mindfulness based stress reduction classes teach students how to detox words :: Christina Ferraro art :: Jack McGowan
Notes litter your desk, and books lay scattered on the floor. You have a paper due at midnight and two exams tomorrow, exams you intend to study for after finishing your paper. Sleeping and eating don’t fit into your calculated schedule. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program designed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, advocates the use of breathing exercises and meditation as a way to combat stress, fatigue, pain, and even documented medical illness. Syracuse University’s counseling center recently began offering MBSR as a noncredit course to help students battle stressors, both academic and social, that they face on a daily basis. “College students are among the most stressed in the nation,” says William Mellen, president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at SU. “A lot of students don’t prioritize correctly, plan ahead, or give themselves enough time to sleep. They go to Bird Library at three in the morning to study for an exam,” Though balancing coursework and social commitments places a rather large burden on students, inability to deal with stress in a healthy way can cause even more anxiety. Instead of taking time to catch their breath, focus, and organize, students dealing with high
amounts of anxiety often go into panic mode, ultimately prolonging the stress. “The program most benefits students who are anxious and stressed out, the high achievers who can’t seem to turn themselves off,” says Dr. Dessa Bergen-
not perpetuate the vicious cycle of stress.” Breathing is critical to the success of the program. “Sometimes you don’t realize that you’re not breathing, like when you get scared during a movie,” Bergen-Cico says. “We get caught up in things. But
The program most benefits students who are anxious and stressed out, the high achievers who can’t seem to turn themselves off. Cico, an assistant health and wellness professor and MBSR advocate. The eight-week MBSR course teaches overworked students to correctly cope with stress. Though each course varies depending on the teacher—some incorporate yoga-related exercises, others do not—most are rooted in meditation and an active focus on breathing. Through mindful meditation, students learn to remove themselves from a stressful situation and act as an external observer to more effectively deal with a situation. “By not reacting senselessly, you are not fueling the fire,” Bergen-Cico says. “You do
when things stop being clear and coherent, your breath is an anchor.” MBSR teaches students to be aware of their breathing, and develop the awareness needed to control it. The strict attention to breathing allows students to take note of their thinking patterns. “Often, you think you have an empty mind, but you don’t,” Bergen-Cico says. “You’re not present or relaxed. You hop on the thought train and you can’t get off.” By learning to control breathing, students can turn their attention to the thoughts that cause them to writhe with anxiety, and address them in a healthier way.
FALL 2012
13
KEEPING THE PEACE An anti-militarism activist group stirs up controversy amidst the ROTC community words :: Meghan Rimol art :: Victoria Shum
Early this semester, a small group of students filed up the stairs of Archbold North, through the doorway of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps offices, and into the ROTC lounge. They took their seats among cadets and staff members of the ROTC organization who were using the lounge to study or socialize. The group represented Youth Organizing Against Militarism and War, and came to reclaim the space as an educational facility for all students’ use. While some ROTC members in the lounge chose to continue their work, other cadets and staff members engaged in a civil conversation with the protesters, debating the contrasting views of their organizations. The protesters and members of ROTC discussed a variety of topics, including the invasion of Iraq, the cadets’ reasons for joining ROTC, and the protesters’ intentions for occupying the lounge. Youth Organizing Against Militarism and War, an anti-war advocacy group with a membership base of 20 to 35 people, has participated in activist efforts since the beginning of this semester. They meet weekly to organize anti-war initiatives within Syracuse University and the surrounding community. For the group, this mission began with the ROTC program at SU. As advocates for peace, members think the time and resources dedicated to ROTC can be better spent on other causes. Lee Knapp, a member of the organization, works to bring peace to the Syracuse area. “We are seeking to bring new ideas, new technologies, and a new generation of activists to the forefront of the CNY anti-war, social justice movement,” he says. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kubala, professor of military science for the ROTC program, says
14
its core values include leadership, time management, and project management. Often seen running around campus and training on cold, early mornings, members of SU’s ROTC learn skills that prepare them for the roles of commissioned officers in the United States military. Each week, ROTC members attend a military science course and undergo a variety of fitness training exercises designed to build self-confidence, as well as encourage teamwork and physical
“I think it was a bit misdirected. We follow the orders of popularly elected civilian leadership. The best way of affecting change is to write Congress, write your senator, run for office; that’s a better way of voicing their opinions and trying to further their efforts.” Kubala feels the investment SU makes in ROTC is beneficial for the students involved, and for the university. “It is developing students into being better leaders and better representatives of the university,” he says.
To be clear, we are against militarism, not against individual cadets on campus. We are hoping to engage with soldiers about what we see as the reality of the U.S. military and its role around the world. fitness. They also attend a leadership lab that teaches formations, drills, and ceremonies, which many students and faculty observe while walking through the Quad. The ROTC offers scholarship opportunities to those who sign up for active military duty after college, but military service isn’t required. “Part of our job is to teach leadership and develop responsible citizens,” Kubala says, “not just be a factory for military officers.” Although some viewed the anti-war group’s demonstration in the ROTC lounge as anti-ROTC, member Ben Kuebrich stresses that this is not the group’s specific goal. “To be clear,” Kuebrich says, “we are against militarism, not against individual cadets on campus. We are hoping to engage with cadets and soldiers about what we see as the reality of the U.S. military and its role around the world.” Kubala feels the group could convey its message more clearly through different methods. “They can do that, they’re citizens, it’s their constitutional right,” Kubala says about the demonstration.
Members of Youth Organizing Against Militarism and War disagree; they believe their anti-militaristic efforts will have a positive effect on the Syracuse community. “We want future generations of Americans to grow up in a society of peace, built on principles of equality and prosperity,” says Knapp, “not on some outdated vision of morality dictated by anyone’s religious beliefs or a view that militarization is the only way to defend freedom.” Although the missions and conflicting values of these two groups seem to pit them against one another, each expressed a willingness to engage in peaceful dialogue about their respective organizations. By openly expressing their viewpoints on the subject, the two groups hope to come to an understanding about the future of militarism in the SU community, and the country as a whole.
PEAK PERFORMANCE New York’s premiere adaptive ski program enables disabled individuals to enjoy the slopes words:: Jill Comoletti photos courtesy of :: Richelle Maki
Connor McGough will never forget July 17, 2009. While spending time with friends at a lake in Old Forge, N.Y., he decided to jump off a dock into the water, unaware that a rock rested just beneath its surface. McGough’s head struck the rock, shattering two vertebrae in his neck. His friends nearby jumped up when they saw him lying motionless in the water, and saved his life by dragging him to shore. McGough underwent a two-week stay in the intensive care unit of University Hospital in Syracuse, six months of rehab in Philadelphia, and extensive outpatient therapy in Utica, N.Y. However, McGough’s prognosis remained bleak—he was paralyzed from the chest down and wheelchair-bound. This news meant he might never ski again, something he had enjoyed since learning at age 8. About a year and a half after the accident, a friend of McGough told him about an organization she volunteered with called ARISE & Ski. This program at Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center helps children and adults with disabilities learn, or re-learn, how to ski. McGough, a senior industrial design major at Rochester Institute of Technology, knew he had to get involved. He now skis with the assistance of a bi-ski, which has a seat and two ski blades. “Since being in a chair, it’s been hard to find that rush that I used to love,” McGough says. “Being able to find something where I’m able to go as fast as I can and get momentum behind me, I was loving it.” Chris Weiss co-founded ARISE & Ski in 1996 and now serves as technical director.
Weiss could ski before he could walk. His father would strap him into a backpack and race down mountains. Weiss went on to become a certified alpine skier before he graduated college. He married a woman who was passionate about adaptive recreation, and together the pair created ARISE & Ski. “With my then-wife’s knowledge of the disability field and my knowledge of skiing, we pooled those things together,” Weiss says, “Toggenburg was very interested.”
says. “I completely avoided everyone with disabilities because it made me uncomfortable.” She began volunteering with the program at a friend’s suggestion. On her first day, Maki assisted a student who was nonverbal, had an intellectual disability, used a wheelchair, and had a tendency to bite. During the lesson, Maki couldn’t tell if the girl enjoyed the activities or not, but the girl’s mother observed a change of pitch in the
Since being in a chair, it’s been hard to find that rush that I used to love. Being able to find something where I’m able to go as fast as I can and get momentum behind me, I was loving it. ARISE & Ski ranks as one of the largest and longest-running adaptive winter sports programs in the Northeast, with approximately 80 students and 120 volunteers. Students participate in six weeks of private lessons, using equipment that meets their needs, like McGough’s bi-ski. The lead instructor may help maneuver the student with tethers, while an assistant instructor and a blocker ride ahead of the skier to clear a path. This year, Weiss hopes to experiment with a group lesson format by having skiers who use similar equipment ride together. Program coordinator Richelle Maki has helped the program grow since starting her current position in 2004. However, she first had to do some growing herself. “I was one of those people who, if I was in the mall and I saw a group of people with disabilities, I would walk on the other side,” Maki
girl’s scream, which most likely meant she was having fun. “Her parents were just so excited, and that made me like to make people happy,” Maki says. “I kind of got sucked in and kept coming back.” While volunteers think students’ accomplishments make the program special, McGough believes the whole ARISE & Ski community creates a unique experience. “It’s incredible how people give up their time every weekend to give disabled individuals like myself a sense of real enjoyment on the weekends,” McGough says. “It’s really nice to see that when you don’t see that a lot.”
FALL 2012
15
OUT OF THE WOODS After surviving a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, Kevin O’Keefe talks about his road to recovery words :: Nicole Vas art :: Tyler Poyant
Kevin O’Keefe spent the first six weeks of sophomore year with his jaw wired shut. “It hurt my class participation a little bit because I couldn’t talk,” says the policy studies student, now a senior. His weight plummeted about 50 or 60 pounds, an inevitable consequence since he couldn’t eat solid foods during that time. He sustained himself on a liquid diet of soups and shakes, regretting one memorable break from the routine. “My mom tried to blend up SpaghettiOs one time, and it was gross,” he says. Then again, hospital food hadn’t been much better. “They would have to put a syringe in my mouth and release it,” O’Keefe says. “It was just the most unnatural thing I’ve ever experienced.” During his recovery, O’Keefe encountered other patients with similar injuries. Many of them were hockey players with jaws busted by fists. But unlike these guys, O’Keefe hadn’t been in a fight. He was lucky to be alive. A couple weeks before the start of the school year in August 2010, O’Keefe accompanied his father, Sean, a former professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, on a fishing trip to Alaska. They had made the trip twice before—once when O’Keefe was in middle school and again in 2008. This time, the small plane carrying father, son, and seven other passengers crashed en route, killing five people, including former Alaska senator Ted Stevens. Both of the O’Keefe men and two others survived. The plane took off in mid-afternoon, under dark storm clouds, with the intention of landing at a prime fishing location. The group had flown the route
16
multiple times before without incident. Relaxing in the co-pilot seat, O’Keefe dozed off. Ten or fifteen minutes into the flight, an unidentifiable noise woke him. Seeing the surreal scene before him, he wondered if he was dreaming. The plane now rested on a remote mountainside. Its roof had torn off, exposing the passengers to the rain. Injured, dazed, and unable to see past the cockpit in a cloud of smoke, O’Keefe remained still for another 10 minutes as reality set in. Thirteen-year-old Willy Phillips, the only passenger able to move freely, limped around on a broken foot as he attempted to hail a rescue team. When the team arrived at nightfall, conditions were too dangerous to airlift the passengers off the mountain. The rescue team and the passengers would have to hold out until morning. O’Keefe’s sister Lindsey was on
torn knee ligament. His father suffered more severe injuries, including several broken bones in his leg and foot, a dislocated hip, and a broken C-1 vertebrae, the point of fusion between skull and spine. O’Keefe recuperated for another few days at a hotel in Anchorage before a chartered plane arrived to transport father and son back to their home in Washington, D.C. Because his father required continuous medical attention, flying home was “quite the procedure,” O’Keefe says. He made it home just in time to head back to SU with his sister and start the fall semester. Lindsey’s presence on campus became instrumental in O’Keefe’s recovery. She drove him to class,
Injured, dazed, and unable to see past the cockpit in a cloud of smoke, O’Keefe remained still for another 10 minutes as reality set in. Syracuse University’s campus at the time of the accident, finishing her summer classes in preparation for her first year as a graduate student. When news of the crash reached her, everything came to a halt. “You can freak out and cry and be upset, or you can get it together, which is what I had to decide to do,” she says. “My mom called every now and then, but we didn’t even know for a good while whether my dad and my brother were alive.” Rescuers airlifted the group to a hospital in Anchorage at daybreak. O’Keefe spent a week in the hospital, recovering from a dislocated hip, broken jaw, and
communicated his orders at Starbucks, and constantly offered to help. “It was almost annoying how much she was paying attention,” O’Keefe laughs. “I didn’t realize it at the time because I was frustrated, but things were a lot easier because she was around.” The accident and aftermath gave both siblings time to reflect on their lives. “It gives you pause to just realize how crazy lucky and blessed we are,” Lindsey says. “A lot of families lost really important people in their lives, so it’s hard not to say that this is a miracle for us.”
Syracuse University prides itself on supporting community activism. We examine eight people’s stories and how they inspire humanity
Sean Keefe A food justice advocate supports green-eating initiatives through Syracuse Grows words :: Michael Quagliana photos :: Logan Reidsma It’s Saturday, September 22, and crowds of people have turned out for the fifth annual Syracuse Grows Harvest Dinner. The Southwest Community Farm, located just one mile west of the Carrier Dome, holds the potluck dinner that features farm-grown food. It’s a celebration of community, and uses volunteers like Syracuse University senior Sean Keefe, a passionate advocate of the Syracuse Grows organization. Syracuse Grows, a new nonprofit group, builds community around urban gardening, and works hard to educate and provide resources for those interested in Syracuse. Although a few classes at SU and SUNY-ESF drove Keefe toward Syracuse Grows, he’s always been interested in such efforts. “I was a vegetarian throughout high school,” Keefe says. “I’m not anymore, but I guess I’ve always been interested in food movements.” Syracuse Grows hosts many events to promote its cause. It holds workshops and harvest dinners that attract members of the Syracuse community. Keefe takes part in the hard labor movement and plays a key role behind the scenes as well. Currently, he helps SU and ESF professors with research. Their work evaluates the effectiveness of different initiatives in the city, including three community gardens, urban farms, and mobile markets. “We look at how these
FALL 2012
17
Sean Keefe, ctd. increase access of fruits and vegetables to groups of people in need,” Keefe says. Mobile markets, one of the Syracuse Grows’ projects, are like ice cream trucks, but contain fresh produce instead of fatty desserts. “They will pull up on a street corner for an hour or so before moving on to the next stop on their schedule,” he says. Keefe believes the movement for a healthier food landscape will soon gain momentum globally. “I think food is just as important from a social aspect as it is from a nutritional aspect,” Keefe says. “I see it as becoming a topic similar to that of global warming in terms of debate.” To Keefe, food is about community and bringing people together, but modern food systems alienate the relationship between the two. Keefe wants to reconnect people through food and Syracuse Grows.
18
Dan Lebron A DPS officer chooses to protect undergrads over urbanites, acting as SU’s under- appreciated hero words :: Phillip Beltre photos :: Svitlana Lymar
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, Giants versus Patriots. While the majority of campus watches the most viewed game of the year, Corporal Dan Lebron patrols Syracuse University. He knows that an individual has been robbing students at gunpoint for more than a semester, and he wants to stay alert. On this day, many of SU’s Giants fans view Eli Manning as the hero, but it’s Dan Lebron and the Syracuse Police Department that apprehend the serial criminal. “It was very rewarding to know that I was able to keep students safe and get a gun out of South Campus,” Lebron says. A former resident of New York City, Lebron understands the dangers young adults face every day. Instead of getting a job as a city police officer, he gravitated toward SU’s Department of Public Safety. “We receive a good amount of training compared to officers who work in the local, state, or federal level,” Lebron says. “One thing that stood out about this position is the opportunity to serve the student body.” Students may think a local police department renders DPS unnecessary, but Lebron emphasizes a few differences. “The Department of Public Safety provides an escort service available to all SU and SUNY-ESF students at the peak hours of
the night,” he says. Additionally, a patrol unit called Orange Watch finds students who are walking alone and helps them travel safely to their destinations. “The most important thing to remember, though, is that DPS is here for the students and the SU community,” Lebron says. “All of our efforts are to ensure the utmost safety possible.” Lebron encourages students to take advantage of the DPS website for more information on how to stay protected, but says the officers are always there for the students. Lebron says, “Don’t be afraid. Contact us. We’re here for you.”
Ivy Green
Lindsey Colegrove
A member of the Black Reign Step Team promotes self-esteem in girls through dance
UU president thrives on the chaos of bringing entertainment to the SU community
words :: Madina Toure photo :: Svitlana Lymar
words :: Kelley Rowland photos :: Logan Reidsma and Erica Taylor Bernstein
When Ivy Green walked into Huntington Elementary School for the first time with her fellow Black Reign Step Team members, she was shy and hesitant to speak in front of a group of people. “It was a long hallway to get to the main office and it seemed never-ending,” says Green, a junior public health major in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Nerves struck as she entered a room filled with roughly 15 girls between the ages of 8 and 13. Every Friday, volunteers of Syracuse University’s Black Reign Step Team teach step to foster self-esteem. Green’s students acted timid at first too, but they soon began opening up. “I realized they’re like my little sisters,” Green says. During her sophomore year, an adviser stepped down, forcing the team to regroup. They school considered shutting down the program, and Green and her girls had to convince them otherwise. Additionally, parents worried the girls’ time would be better spent doing homework. But Green fought hard, knowing the program was worth it and boosted the girls’ confidence levels. Whether she’s doing a 3-2-1 step or mentoring students, Green says it’s made her a stronger woman. “I’ve definitely been humbled by the experiences I’ve been through,” she says. “I’ve grown for the better. I appreciate my situation and being able to help others.”
Standing in the crowd at Syracuse University’s Juice Jam her freshman year, Lindsey Colegrove never imagined that three years later she would be on that stage, introducing the event as president of University Union. Born and raised in Cleveland, Colegrove came to Syracuse for the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She soon found a passion outside of academia when she joined University Union, a student-run event planning organization. Colegrove began as a general member who screened free movies on Friday nights, and became the director of cinemas at the end of her sophomore year. Prior to elections her junior year, she learned about other executive boards and how they operated. “I told myself, ‘I can do this, it’s something I’m passionate about and really want to be involved in,’” she says, which compelled her to run for and win the UU presidency. She’s the first female president the executive board can remember. “It’s one of those things that’s surreal,” she says. “I didn’t plan to become president, but once I got involved, I threw myself in wholeheartedly.” Though a dedicated student, Colegrove says her presidential duties definitely take priority. “We all joke in the office that everyone thinks that we go to the UU office in our breaks from class, but we go to class during our breaks from UU,” she says.
“When I go home at night, I get all of my UU work done before starting homework.” The heavy workload takes its toll on Colegrove’s stress levels, but the chaos and constant on-the-go action keep her interested. On a daily basis, she interacts with general members, talks with the Student Association and other Registered Student Organizations on campus, and coordinates efforts behind the scenes—in addition to being the face of UU. At Juice Jam 2012, Colegrove’s path came full circle. On stage at Skytop Field, she introduced Stephen Barton, a survivor of the Aurora, Colorado shooting. During her introduction, Colegrove realized that the event was about more than ticket sales and having fun. Seeing Barton captivate the students proved to her that UU goes beyond its mission of organizing events and truly makes a difference.
FALL 2012
19
Kathryn Pope
Luis Columna
Motivated by her love of the wilderness, a daring student braves the Colorado wildfires
SU professor engages students in his mission to make physical education accessible for everyone
words :: Abigail Frazier photo :: Logan Reidsma
words :: Laura Cohen photos :: Svitlana Lymar
Pulling up to the sight of the fire, Kathryn Pope watches as thick, black smoke curls around the trees. Ash coats the forest floor, radiating heat into the air. The density of the smoke makes it hard to breathe. All of the trees smolder, threatening to burst into flames spontaneously. Pope, a senior magazine major at Syracuse University, risked dangers like these every day. She worked as a firefighter during her summer break, while other students spent their breaks fetching coffee and answering emails at internships. Driven by her passion for the outdoors, Pope applied for a job at the U.S. Forest Service in 2010. Soon after, she was offered a position. She patrolled national forests, maintained the upkeep of various trails, and prepared for future fires, though she couldn’t yet fight them. “I like maintaining the trails so others can enjoy them,” Pope says. “I think what the Forest Service does is really important in protecting the country’s natural resources.” Becoming a firefighter was the next natural step in protecting the area she loves, she says. Plus, it’s in her blood. Her father, who encouraged her to apply for the job, also works for the U.S. Forest Service, and her
20
brother, a smokejumper, parachutes out of planes to fight wildfires. After working for the U.S. Forest Service for two years, Pope decided to become a certified firefighter in 2012. That summer, after securing her certification, Pope and her red fire engine headed to Colorado Springs for a two-week battle against a series of devastating wildfires that spread throughout the state. Her day began at 5 a.m. and didn’t end until 11 p.m. As one of the newer firefighters, she was responsible for containing small fires and making sure they didn‘t spread. The unpredictability of the wildfires combined with the effects of the wind made the task difficult, but Pope and her team finally conquered the flames. “I love firefighting because I get to spend the entire summer in the mountains,” she says. “It’s dangerous and incredibly exciting.”
A young girl tiptoed in Luis Columna’s physical education class. He watched her, trying to understand why she took such pointed steps. Columna, a private school teacher in Puerto Rico at the time, discovered that the girl had muscular dystrophy. His curiosity inspired him to learn a little more. A native of San Juan, Columna entered his career by accident. He originally wanted to be an engineer, but soon realized math and physics left him unexcited. Instead, Columna chose to get a Ph.D. in adapted physical education, which modifies gym classes to accommodate children with disabilities. He also pursued a minor in family science, helping him understand family dynamics in a broader sense. Now, Columna teaches adapted physical education classes at Syracuse University. As part of the class, students get to teach at local public schools. “In many programs, the students teach on their own, and only the school’s physical education teacher supervises them,” Columna says. “But in this case, I’m there with them.” Right now, Columna says his students are performing fantastically.
Dr. D Office of Multicultural Affairs director uses his background in mathematics to inspire students words :: Melia Robinson photos :: Svitlana Lymar
Columna feels that children need to learn physical education starting in kindergarten, in order for them to stay active. He thinks it should be mandatory every day of the week. “We put a lot of emphasis on math, science, and reading, but we’re neglecting the physical activity component,” Columna says. “If you’re not healthy, you won’t be able to use the other aspects.” Columna promotes his cause through research. He gives presentations and holds workshops in the U.S., Europe, and South America about physical education for children with disabilities. These children present different situations for educators and parents, and Columna wants to share his findings with them. For Columna, it’s important that families learn how to play and interact with their disabled children. He wants the kids to remain active, and believes that educating them every day about physical education will accomplish this. Columna says that SU is the best place to advance adapted physical education. He’s taught here for two years, developed connections with faculty, and worked on projects with other departments. “If there’s a place that I could make changes, it’s here,” Columna says.
When “Dr. D,” James Duah-Agyeman, enrolled in the mathematics education doctoral program at Syracuse University in 1982, he took a summer job as a teaching assistant in a pre-calculus class for incoming freshmen. Almost 30 years later, Dr. D, whose figure and demeanor match that of an overzealous teddy bear, heard from a student who vividly remembered that first day. “Mom, you’ve got to come and get me out of here,” the student whined into the landline phone after class. “They put me in a math class with this African guy who doesn’t speak English. All he does is scream in my ear, ‘You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!’” Sitting in the director’s chair of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Dr. D chuckles at the memory. As an advocate for prioritizing academia and supporting students of color, he never hesitates to illuminate the potential for a student. His career path veered from mathematics education when he accepted a job in SU’s administrative sphere in the late ‘80s, but his foundation in numbers continues to provide vision for the office. When Dr. D assumed the role of OMA Director in 2001, he set out to redefine its mission so that it focused on cultivating scholastic achievement. “I had the satisfaction of being able to continue with the academic motif without actually teaching in the classroom,” Dr. D says. He rallied his staff to act as the office’s social
anchor while he concentrated on developing resources like the WellsLink Leadership Program, a first-year orientation for racial and ethnic minority students that promotes excellence through mentoring and civic engagement. Although Dr. D no longer teaches mathematics, his background in it remains influential. In his office, a Ph.D. diploma wrapped in blue matting hangs over his desk. He looks at it, and reads the date. It took 17 years to complete because the demands of a day-job and raising a daughter interfered. While he sometimes felt tempted to quit school and focus on his new career in multicultural affairs, Dr. D says the experience was worth it. “While my degree was in mathematics education,” he says, “it was really a degree in patience, persistence, and consistency.”
21
Luke Rafferty Freshman traveler and photographer bridges a cultural gap through visual storytelling words :: Brandi Potts photos :: Logan Reidsma and Luke Rafferty It was early morning. Freshman Luke Rafferty lay atop a snow-covered, 9,744-foot mountain on a cloth the size of a hand towel, wearing only shor≠ts and a North Face jacket. He already ate his fish sandwich, ran out of Frosted Flakes, and gulped down all the water from his 32-ounce bottle. Rafferty took a cable car up the Swiss mountain to Schilthorn Summit the evening before, wanting to photograph the sunset. He made it his mission to shoot the setting sky every evening for 365 consecutive days. He snapped a photo of the most beautiful sunset he’d ever seen around 9:30 p.m. that night, and then explored the summit, taking pictures of the stars along the way. Around 1 a.m., he decided to sleep on the mountain and figured he could catch a cable car back down in the morning after taking a photo of the sunrise. At just 17 years old, Rafferty spent the night alone, on the freezing mountain, with numb feet. “It was rough, and I didn’t really sleep,” he says. “I just kind of stayed up, crying, listening to music all night.” But despite the cold, he still snapped a shot of the sunrise around 5 a.m., then descended the mountain.
22
Looking back to that summer night in 2010, Rafferty views the experience positively. It taught him perseverance. He could have walked back down the mountain, or called for help, but neither was an option until he completed his objective. “I set out to do something, and I wasn’t going to leave until I finished,” Rafferty says. “This became a way of life after that night.” His independent journey to Switzerland, and that cold night, sparked a deeper love of travel in Rafferty. Since then, he’s traveled to many countries, including Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Jordan, Haiti, Ghana, and more, reaching 23 countries across four continents. He received a grant for his most recent trip to Ghana last summer, where he had the opportunity to teach photography to rural middle school students. He spent the three-week program in a run-down factory that was converted to a school. His specific building, one of four on the grounds, had two floors and 10 rooms. Rafferty, a photojournalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, taught in a classroom with dirt floors, screenless windows, and no electricity. Limited resources forced him to work with 20 old, wooden desks and a chalkboard. Luckily, donors supplied him with 18 point-and-shoot cameras for the students’ education, which Rafferty gifted to the Ghanaian school when he left. Teaching photography allowed Rafferty
to work interactively with students. “It gave me a way to connect with them,” he says. Rafferty took his students outside to photograph the landscape daily. They expressed excitement about photography and bombarded Rafferty with their photos. One student, Emmanuel, always arrived first to class and left last, and his pictures consistently showed promise. “He would always kind of be near me and stick around with me, looking for my approval,” Rafferty says. “He wanted to hear me say it was good and encourage him.” Emmanuel wrote him a heartwarming thank you note after the program, saying he was grateful for photography. It’s something Rafferty will never forget. Other students also wrote Rafferty notes, becoming his pen pals during the program. He explains that pen pals represent an important part of the country’s culture. During lunch in the courtyard one day, a boy approached him without saying a word and handed him a neatly folded letter with drawings on the margins. Rafferty said “thank you,” and the boy silently walked away. This was Rafferty’s first face-to-face pen pal invitation. Many more asked to be his pen pal, but he could only accept three while in Ghana; the students expected that he return each letter within the week. “I think they take such pride in it because it’s a connection to American culture,” Rafferty says. “They recognize that the ability to write will make them succeed in life. They’re also proving to me that they know English.” Rafferty learned about their culture while they learned about his. Being fully immersed in Ghanaian culture added value to his trip. A most memorable experience came while on a photography assignment, when a student presented Rafferty with the opportunity to photograph his home. Rafferty saw this as an honor. The boy invited him, a stranger, into the place where his whole family lived. “You can use photography to tell a story,” Rafferty says, “but it also allows you to get closer to someone else. Because you took a picture of them, you went out and started learning about their life through photography.” Rafferty has loved travel since his first trip to Europe in 2009. But since his adventure to Switzerland, Rafferty’s dedication as a photographer and avid traveler intensified. His camera doubles as a storytelling and societal tool. With it comes thrilling foreign experiences and a broad awareness of the world’s many cultures.
a
glowing
collaboration Syracuse Lava Project’s fusion of disciplines blends art, science, and education words :: Linda Gorman photos :: Michael Quagliana
FALL 2012
23
I
t’s a perfect day to be outside. The sky shines a cool, clear blue and a gentle breeze keeps the heat from settling. A small group gathers next to the Comstock Art Facility, circling around an enormous furnace. Assistant Professor of Sculpture Bob Wysocki and sculpture student Noah Hausknecht stand by the machinery, making practiced checks and adjustments. They’re barely recognizable in leather jackets, aprons, and gloves, with bandanas tied bandit-style around their heads. The crowd waits in anticipation, cellphone cameras ready. Wysocki and Hausknecht remove a metal cover to reveal a small glowing square. After a few more nods, the crucible of the giant furnace begins to tilt. A thin stream of brilliant orange liquid pours down a metal channel onto the sand below. The heat radiates, forcing the crowd to step back. As the liquid travels down the slope, the orange darkens around the edges. Within minutes, the liquid hardens into dark, glassy folds. Excitement remains high,
24
and the professors emitt positivity. They just witnessed a reenactment of one of the most spectacular processes in the natural world. Wysocki first decided to make lava nearly three years ago, the morning after an iron pour in the Comstock Art Facility. “I saw this pile of what looked like black glass next to the furnace,” Wysocki says. When Wysocki inquired about the substance, a student replied that it was slag, a molten rock produced as a byproduct of the smelting. “It was absolutely the next direction I wanted to go with my work,” he says. After growing up around the geologically distinct landscapes of Northern California, Wysocki has been fascinated with the processes shaping the world around him. His last project involved creating sand dunes, some the size of a high school gymnasium and consisting of up to 100,000 pounds of sand. Creating lava seemed like the perfect natural progression. Wysocki went online and looked up a professor in the geology department with an interest in lava. He quickly found Jeff Karson,
Heroy Geology Laboratory Chair. “I thought he was talking about just a tiny amount, like a thimbleful or a cupful of lava,” Karson says. Large lava flows had never been created in research departments anywhere before. Researchers who wanted to experiment with lava had two options: use tiny amounts in a lab environment, or travel to exotic locations where it exists naturally. Wysocki’s plan to melt rock on a larger scale sparked Karson’s interest. “I immediately had a lot of ideas,” Karson says. The brief meeting the professors arranged stretched to 45 minutes, initiating the SU Lava Project. Karson explains that natural lava is unpredictable. Creating lava in a controlled environment lets scientists examine the effects of specific variables. “The real scientific punch is investigating the details of the lava,” he says. Studying lava flows has important practical applications. “It can be used as a construction material of course, it’s a fantastic insulator,” Karson says. He describes an experiment where researchers
“ I thought he was talking about just a tiny
amount, like a thimbleful or a cupful of lava, ” Karson says. Large lava flows had never been created in research departments anywhere before.
poured lava over a block of ice. Instead of melting the block, the first run of lava hardened and acted as an insulator, leaving the ice intact. To create lava flows, the team uses a gasfueled furnace to melt down ancient basaltic rock imported from Oregon. The crucible holds up to 800 pounds of molten rock. “Another important reason we would like to learn more about lava is to understand it as a hazard,” Karson continues. For people living near volcanoes, lava flows are a threat. The Lava Project attempted several experiments to address this problem, using a v-shaped piece of steel to divert lava away from a particular area. The project acts as a collaborative effort between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. While the schools’ different objectives present problems in allocating funds, they also present interesting crossover opportunities. Sculpture students Noah Hausknecht and Phillip Evans have been instrumental to the project since its creation
three years ago. Despite never having formally studied geology, they now work extensively with geologists from across the country. Similarly, the scientists could never do this independently without the expertise VPA students have in foundry and welding. Doing something this unique presented a challenge when the project initially started. “At first it was pretty much trial, error, trial, error,” Hausknecht says. Three years later, the project has come a long way. “It’s an exciting place to be,” Evans says. Recently, the project strummed up national publicity. The Lava Project was featured in Earth Magazine, on Discovery Channel Canada, and on the popular tech blog Gizmodo.com. After receiving 7,000 views over the past three years, Wysocki’s lava pour videos on Vimeo have reached 1.7 million plays total. Wysocki, Evans, and Hausknecht are now working on a furnace that burns coke, a form of concentrated coal. The new furnace will be able to heat up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. With this new equipment, Wysocki hopes to create a large-scale lava
field. He envisions the field as a monumental piece of installation art in a highly trafficked location like Central Park. “It could be in the middle of New York City: a lava field,” Wysocki says. After it cooled, people could walk on the field, and even take a piece home with them. Eventually the field could be cracked up and taken away, or kept as part of the landscape for the next hundred years. The SU Lava Program attracts the entire Syracuse community, not just students and professors. “The little kids come around, and they’re super excited,” Evans says. “We’ve had third and fourth grade students come in, and they’re just learning what a volcano is.” Karson agrees that the lava flows represent a rare educational opportunity. “This is a really good example of how science can be fun and interesting,” Karson says. “You grab people’s attention, and then you have an opportunity to teach.”
FALL 2012
25
26
Color Me Rad Albany unites seasoned and novice runners to raise money for Special Olympics New York words & photos :: Trevor Zalkind
A mob of stark-white runners stampedes
down a gravel road just outside Albany. They could be running from the Fashion Police for wearing white after Labor Day. But in seconds, a cloud of blue dust absorbs the blur of white T-shirts, tutus, and knee socks. On the other side of the color explosion, the only white appears in the runners’ smiles. Parents and their children, teenagers and their friends, couples and solitary runners trot down the road beaming.
FALL 2012
27
Lauren Ottaviano, a senior economics and policy studies major at Syracuse University, emerges alongside her friend and sister. An experienced runner, Ottaviano says this 5K was unlike any other she had run. “It had such a different feeling,” she says. “Like everyone was coming to run and party.” When not running, the rest of the 6,500 participants of Color Me Rad Albany gather under the scissor-lift platform housing the master of ceremonies. “You’re wearing virginal white shirts, and we’re gonna deflower them with color,” his voice booms over the sound system while his assistant dumps buckets of purple-dyed corn starch over the side of the lift and onto the eager crowd below. Color Me Rad organizes charity 5Ks across the U.S., giving participants of all skill levels a chance to learn that running is, in fact, rad. Director of Public Relations Gretchen Willard says the event gives people a fresh outlook. “Often people suffer through a race trying to get their best time,” she says.
28
“While that is an admirable goal, we love seeing people come together simply for the fun of running.” Each Color Me Rad experience ends in an explosion of laughter and Color Bombs, pouches of corn starch dyed in different pastel shades. The warm fuzzies extend beyond the event, however, as the proceeds
Ottaviano, an Albany native, formally volunteered with Special Olympics New York. “The Special Olympics are a big deal in Albany because that is where they’re held,” she says. “We have a lot of pride in being the host city for New York State and being able to have a color run to support the cause.” Willard says regardless of whether
IF WE PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND TURNED YOUR ARMPITS BLUE, THEN WE ALL HAD A GREAT DAY. of this run benefit Special Olympics New York. This organization serves more than 55,000 athletes, making it the largest Special Olympics chapter in the country. Volunteers work with children and adult athletes that have disabilities to build confidence and promote a positive self-image.
runners choose to participate for health or commitment to the cause, the simple joy of being plastered in color is enough to make a person’s day. She says, “If we’ve put a smile on your face and turned your armpits blue, then we’ve all had a great day.”
“Often people suffer through a race trying to get their best time,” she says. “While that is an admirable goal, we love seeing people come together simply for the fun of running.”
29
Relationships
Casual hook-ups dominate college culture, but as more young adults dabble with online dating, students finally embrace an alternative
ANONYMOUS words :: Erica Murphy art :: Anna Paterno
30
It’s Sunday evening in late September and I’m filled with apprehension. “Is this one OK?” I ask my friend Victoria. “You really shouldn’t be wearing sunglasses,” she says, “but it’ll work for now.” I didn’t think it would be this difficult. Pick a few photos, answer a few questions, and boom, it’s done. But after nearly an hour of scouring my iPhoto library, I remain photo-less. I must push through, even if I tell myself it is only for “research.” Finally, I decide on three pics: one of me at a soccer game, one with a friend in New York City, and one of me at Faegan’s. I hope they’re good enough, and I hope they give my suitors a little sense of my personality. As for my profile, I have no idea where to begin. What am I doing with my life? Not a clue. What am I good at? Beats me. What’s the most private thing I’m willing to admit? Come on now. I practically need a flowchart to organize my thoughts for these basic questions. My answers will reflect how I want the opposite sex to view me. No pressure. I stare at the computer. “Did you do it yet?” Victoria taunts. A few more seconds pass, and I nearly reconsider the whole thing. But instead, I click “Submit.”
Online dating among college students This boy was persistent. After a few more Me: Not yet, I’m not a huge fan of beer haha is growing, with sites like datemyschool. days, I received one more message from him. EaglesPhan84: No? And you are sure you com and OkCupid dominating the market. But instead of his typical harrying hook-up are Irish? :) According to a study from OkTrends, a question, he opens up and tells me his life Me: hahaha yea I get that a lot statistics blog published by OkCupid, 24 is story. This picture-less prowler says that he If I went on a date with this guy, I never the peak age for online dating. Divorced, doesn’t use photos and didn’t make a profile would have divulged so much information widowed, and middle-aged people no longer because he wants people to get to know him that quickly. But I was sidetracked by an represent the majority, but rather my age through conversation. Yea, right. “I’m kind of Eagles game on TV, and mindlessly responded. group of 18 to 29 year-olds does. We assume college is a great stockyard of men and women Since datemyschool.com’s creation in 2010, the site has attracted 1,000 schools and your age, but in reality it’s not always like that. over 100,000 users. Only students, professors, and alumni with a valid university email in denial that I have actually resorted to this Fanelli thinks the number of young, address can access the site, generating a safe site,” he says in the message. “But if you want online daters grows because college space for people to interact. The site promotes to chat and get to know me better feel free to relationships reflect the online dating online dating as just another form of social message me back.” I considered messaging environment. He explains his idea of liquid media. Julie Spira, an online dating expert him back for a nanosecond, yearning to call courage (alcohol), which students use to and author of The Perils of Cyber Dating, him out on his creepiness, but decided to let forget about self-doubts and insecurities. This credits Facebook for lifting the negative the message float in cyberspace instead. relates to online courage, giving people a way stigma associated with online dating. She To find potential dates, Craig and to meet in a safe and controlled place. “You’re said in an article on CNN.com, “If it wasn’t most other members complete OkCupid’s a little removed, you can go as far as you for Facebook’s popularity, it wouldn’t have questionnaire. The system operates by want. Alcohol does the same thing,” Fanelli allowed online dating to really become what I using math equations and pairs people up says. “If you get shot down at a bar, it’s not feel is now social dating.” And now according depending on how they answer various you, it’s the alcohol.” to an article on ScienceDaily.com, online questions. “It’s definitely my favorite part of Both Fanelli and Craig believe that online dating has become the second most common OkCupid,” Craig says. “For fun sometimes I’ll dating expands the dating pool. It’s a way to way for couples to meet, behind only meeting just sit and answer questions; it’s addicting.” access interests that might not seem obvious through friends. Moral of this love story: now If you need someone who worships horror in person. “We assume college is a great is the time to start signing up. movies, then OkCupid will find people stockyard of men and women your age, but When I met with Dana Craig*, a junior who think that, too. Each potential suitor in reality it’s not always like that,” Fanelli environmental and interior design major generates percentages showing whether he says. Online dating is also available 24/7. For at Syracuse University, she divulged her or she should be a match, friend, or enemy. students concentrating on extracurriculars online dating experiences. Craig joined Members can filter from there. or academics, meeting people on the Internet OkCupid during her freshman year because With the growth of online dating, college can be desirable. The website, instead of the she thought it was hard to meet nice boys campuses move further away from traditional person, works to find matches. at SU. “I meet guys relationships. Joseph Fanelli, Creating an online dating profile I meet guys at parties at parties and dance a private counselor and exhilarated me. It let me paint a picture of with them, make out professor of human sexuality myself with any words I wanted. I analyzed and dance with them, with them, but that’s at SU, believes that college my likes, dislikes, worries, and needs, and laid make out with them, but relationships stay casual. not a good place to them out for the opposite sex to see. that’s not a good place “The, ‘Hi, I like you, let’s go meet someone based Like many of my peers, I see the appeal of on their character,” online dating. It invites honesty, yet maintains to meet someone based to dinner and see where this Craig says. Because goes,’ doesn’t exist,” Fanelli a sense of mystery. We online daters share as on their character. OkCupid boasts 7 says. “It’s not like the movies.” much or as little as we want, and judge our million users and advertises itself as the This creates a nonchalant atmosphere where suitors incognito. fastest growing online dating website, Craig young adults don’t learn about relationships, But for every 10 creeps in the online saw it as a great place to start. She created a especially serious ones, until after college. “A dating sphere, one Navy man shines in profile for herself and began her search. lot of young people struggle with the rules of white. In the midst of my experiences with “Unlike a lot of girls, I have balls, so I a relationship,” Fanelli says. “Online dating laxbro2012* and EaglesPhan84*, I also got often message guys first,” Craig says. She expands their possibilities and opportunities.” to know navyman87*. He’s been in and out shares with me her successes and failures, In addition to the option of messaging of the Navy Reserves, and recently moved and smiles slyly when alluding to a guy she someone, OkCupid’s chat feature can simulate to Hawaii on assignment. We talked about just met. They planned a second date, which the conversations that might happen on a school, and how my brother also lived the included sushi in Armory Square. But Craig real date. But unlike a date, there isn’t as military life. It felt like real conversation, and doesn’t get attached to her suitors, the ones much awkwardness. In a span of five minutes, not so forced like other chats I had. He asked she meets and the ones she messages. I covered my love of Philly sports, beer me to find him on Facebook so we could A horror story surfaces on her preferences, and weekend plans during one continue getting to know each other. Other end, so I share one of my own. Early chat session with EaglesPhan84*. plus? He wasn’t so bad to look at either. on in my online dating stint, I got a EaglesPhan84: What does a mellow message from laxbro2012*. “Wanna weekend consist of for you? *Name has been changed. have sex?” it read. I rolled my eyes and Me: Faegan’s usually, and sometimes just chuckled, but naturally didn’t respond. A few hanging out in my apartment haha days later I got another message from him: EaglesPhan84: Faegan’s is cool. Have you “Wanna be friends with benefits?” Seriously? done their beer tour?
FALL 2012
31
As Told by Judy Strangers trust Central New York woman with the care of their most personal possessions: their stories words :: Melia Robinson art :: Daniel Blaushild
I
n the second floor office of her home, Judith McGinn organizes four brimming bookcases into categories: poetry, memoirs, and books signed by their authors. Among the miscellaneous texts, three editions of her favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, sit on the shelves. McGinn scurries across the room to the corner table, passing three sepia-toned photographs hanging on the wall. They display aerial views of the 16thcentury Irish castle she and her late husband Michael owned for almost 30 years. “That’s another story,” she says. From the top of a pile of spiral notebooks, she picks up a yellow Steno pad filled with ideas and outlines for her personal memoir. The cover features its tentative title, Stoned: Life in an Irish Castle. McGinn, 61, says it aloud, pauses, and bursts into laughter. She tosses her head back, revealing an upper lining of cavity fillings and whipping her honey blonde bangs. McGinn, a North Carolina native and current Skaneateles resident, returned to the U.S. in 2004. She previously lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a court stenographer in the District Court and later with the House of Representatives. In Ireland, McGinn published short stories in the Cork Literary Review and started a campaign to build a playground in the local park. When she settled in Skaneateles, with two grown sons out of the house, she wanted to be proactive about meeting people
32
in a new city. A reporting job at the local newspaper immersed her in the community. She now freelance writes for Plank Road Magazine, a Central New York lifestyle quarterly publication. This year, McGinn found a new use for her arsenal of reporting and listening skills. Inspired by the process of writing her memoir which she started earlier this year, and in need of an extra source of income, she created a business as The Memoir Writer. Clients hire her to meet over a number of interview sessions, capped at 10 hours, and to write their first-person narratives. Within three to six months, McGinn delivers a 50-
page, hand-bound leather book embossed with the subject’s name. Her first memoir was her mother’s, which she penned as a sample to show potential clients. McGinn tackles a challenge that ordinary memoir writers never face: the stories are not her own. She curates family histories for clients, mostly elderly, who can neither write well nor afford costly writing workshops. To maximize accuracy in her product, McGinn records interview sessions verbatim. From the walk-in closet attached to her home office, a “creative space” for writing, she retrieves a large, black briefcase and places it on her desk. She pulls out a folded
metal stand and a gray digital device, a typewriter-laptop hybrid. The screen illuminates and her soft, liver-spotted fingers dance across the 24 keys. Cryptic code appears at a lightening rate. “I use my steno machine to take down what everyone is saying,” she says. “It’s real-time. You have to distinguish every single word.” The device speeds the typing process because certain key combinations correlate to sounds and syllables. When she pushes a button to
She recently met with a client in her late 70s, who McGinn described as “quietly independent” and a rebel against gender barriers. The woman’s life fascinated McGinn, but the focus presented itself when the woman mentioned she had been sailing since a young age. “She’s in her 70s and she still does it,” McGinn says. “That is the most amazing thing about her.” Once she and the client establish a theme, McGinn resurrects specific anecdotes
There are things they haven’t thought of in years, and once they start, they can remember the names of their dolls and the car they drove when they were in high school. translate the shorthand, “PB” becomes the letter “n,” and “A EU” becomes the long A sound, as in “acorn.” The system makes little sense, except to her. “They just came up with a system and it works,” she says. During initial meetings with a client at his or her home, McGinn sometimes brings a lined poster board for the purpose of writing a timeline. Together, they map out a life chronologically. McGinn often discovers that people think less linearly. “They don’t have to do things in order,” she says. “Some things are so prominent in their memories that they want to talk about that first.” Early in the interview phase, she helps the client identify a focus for the memoir. The individual may not be able to answer the question, what is the most interesting thing about me? But as an objective listener, McGinn says, “I think about their lives and usually something jumps out at me, as to what’s the most significant.”
by providing prompts. In a conversation about the person’s grandmother, she asks if the grandmother was nice, what her house looked like, or how her perfume smelled. “We try to make the details come alive,” she says. McGinn then stitches the vignettes together for a first draft. She rarely begins writing before the 10 hours of interviews because clients will often remember more as they delve deeper into their past. “It sparks their memory. They may say, ‘Oh, I didn’t tell you this one thing about her,’” McGinn says. “There are things they haven’t thought of in years, and once they start—which they love, by the way—they can remember the names of their dolls and the car they drove when they were in high school.” Clients receive a copy of the first draft for review, and McGinn makes appropriate edits. She encourages them not to get tangled up in the accuracy of the text if it reflects their memory of events. They
become frustrated if a sibling or friend remembers it differently, but McGinn says their version of the truth matters most. “I want them to have a story they’re proud of.” Downstairs in the blue, sunlit kitchen, McGinn puts a pot of water on the stove and shuffles through a tin of fruit-flavored teas. Her dog, a spaniel, snores in the adjacent room. McGinn’s thoughts drift to her current client, a female immigrant living in a Russian community in Auburn, N.Y. The woman speaks Russian and teaches McGinn about cultural customs. The woman also has a heart condition, which McGinn says is an occupational hazard in this line of work. Because most of her clients are elderly, health problems sometimes interfere with the interview process. She recalls on numerous occasions getting ready to leave, going out the door, and receiving a phone call that the person was not feeling well or had been hospitalized. “I’m starting to get really attached to [her],” McGinn says. “I can’t help but get attached to these people.” For McGinn, the rewards of being The Memoir Writer outweigh the challenges. She receives personal gains, like new ideas and people to treat her insatiable desire to learn. “I seek out people because everybody needs to keep their curiosity. Be interested your whole life,” she advises. Plus, she gets paid. But the opportunity to let people be a little self-centered and talk about themselves keeps McGinn writing. She thumbs through a green leather book titled The Time of My Life: Blanche Brucke Moore, her mother’s memoir. Scanned, black and white photos and genealogy charts fill the last few pages. “There’s so much that’s meaningful in doing this, because it’s an experience for people to give their life more meaning,” McGinn says. “Every story, every family, is unique. All I do is listen.”
FALL 2012
33
Post Secret SYRACUSE EDITION
The community mail art project PostSecret publishes anonymous, homemade postcards revealing contributors’ deepest secrets. 360 Degrees sets out to uncover SU students’ juiciest, goofiest confessions. art :: Sean Danz and Melia Robinson
I have a fascination with aquariums, and any type of building with sea life. g up n i k Brea im h with the was t bigges f o regret fe my li I STOLE THIS GIRL’S BOYFRIEND TWO YEARS AGO AND NOW SHE GOES TO ESF
was I am CORRECTION
I bought a
DILDO
OTTO.
sting e r e t n i n a d a h I
dream about my RA...
I once stole a postcard of a naked girl from Spencers and then felt bad about it so I threw in on the ground in Victoria’s Secret 34
oops.
THAT’S SO CINDY 360 sits down with Skaneateles psychic Cindy Griffith-Bennett words :: Shayna Miller art :: Julia D’Orazio photo courtesy of :: Cindy Griffith-Bennett
Q: How did you start on this path to being a psychic? A: I was walking around a head (smoke) shop and I saw a tarot deck. I bought the deck and a book. I was in my mid-twenties and I taught myself by just playing with it. I realized that there was something more to life than what I could see, and that started me on a really long search.
Q: Can you explain the process of providing an initial reading for someone? A: You can schedule an appointment with me over phone or in person. It makes no difference accuracy-wise. From there it depends on what they’re looking for. I ask them to write down questions as specific as possible. Some people want spiritual guidance and others just want to know if the guy is coming back. What I’m going to do will be different for each case.
Q: What’s the most memorable reading you have given? A: Well, one of the cards is the hierophant. It means big brother. One time, someone said they were in a little bit of trouble, and I got the hierophant card. And all of a sudden they said. “Do you think it could be the mafia?” Normally I would have said, are you crazy? This person is delusional. But then I got the hierophant. All of a sudden I thought, wow, it could be the mafia.
Q: Have you ever made a mistake during a reading?
Q: What would you say to someone who is skeptical about what you do?
A: Oh, a million times. A psychic should be about fifty percent accurate, a little better than tossing a coin. Anyone who tells you that they are one hundred percent accurate is full of crap. There was a time when I was really wrong. Someone asked me how long their mother was going to live because she was very sick. I said, I don’t think it will be more than two months. He came back to me furious because his mother didn’t live two months and he thought he had more time. And now I won’t answer that question. I’ve asked the great pumpkin or whatever you see up there not to tell me. I don’t want to know.
A: Good for you. Everyone should be skeptical. I’m not going to be one hundred percent accurate, so how else are you going to be able to determine what fits you? You have to be skeptical, but don’t be skeptical about the process. Question the information instead.
Q: Have you ever been afraid to tell someone the truth?
Q: What would you like people to understand about your profession? A: I can’t read your mind, and I don’t want to. I don’t want to know if your underwear is too tight. Also, what I do is not a gift. It’s not something you have to be special to have. It’s just a muscle you can learn to use. I can teach anyone to be a psychic.
A: Yes, because I could be wrong. One time, I saw that this woman was going to miscarry. You don’t tell someone that they’re going to miscarry. First of all, I could be wrong. Second of all, you could create it by inducing fear and anxiety. That’s when I say, I want you to be very careful during a certain trimester; take it easy and stay off your feet.
Q: How do you prepare for a reading? A: I’m careful what I eat before I do a reading. For some reason I can’t read well after I eat pizza. Then, I breathe, and center myself. I feel my feet and I really get here. I open up, pray, and bring the energy through. And then I just start talking. And it sounds like me, but sometimes my guides speak in funny accents. One of my guides is Canadian and the other is Indian. They don’t have a full accent, but the one says “eh” a lot.
FALL 2012
35
your student fee