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OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Thehudsonian.org

Volume 68, Issue 5

High school senior runs for Freshman Class President 16-year-old student, Stephen Pelletier seeks challenges ahead

September 29th, 2015

International journalists visit Hudson Valley on their tour around America By: Matt Whalen Editor-in-Chief

Tyler McNeil THE HUDSONIAN Steven Pelletier was petitioning around campus last week.

By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor While studying his senior year of high school at Hudson Valley, Stephen Pelletier looks at becoming Freshman Class President as his next greatest challenge.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge or a new experience,” he said.

Last week, Pelletier walked across campus asking students for signatures in an effort to get on the ballot for Freshman Class President. “At first, I would get a knot in my stomach when I want to talk to somebody new but I’ve overcome that very well in my years of going to various group and meeting various people,” he said.

Prior to entering Hudson Valley, Pelletier has taken pride in participating in community outreach from Relay for Life to Eagle Scouts. “I have high aspirations but I think that’s important so we can know how far we need to go. I’m never fully satisfied in going under that,” he said. At the age of 14, Pelletier became the youngest member of his troop to become an Eagle Scout.

For his final Eagle Scout’s project, Pelletier raised $1,300 to remodel a room with sports memorabilia at the Saint Catherines Center for Children Copson House, a residential facility for children with difficult situations. Memorabilia included items from a boxing glove signed by Gerry Cooney to an autographed photo of Phil Rizzuto.“While some people would clear a trail or clean up some headstones, I wanted a project that I could be proud of 30 years from now and so far, I already am,” said Pelletier.

He said, his experience in leadership is also the product of participating in athletics. “I do everything in my power to make sure my team remains my team,” he said about playing rugby, a sport which Pelletier hopes to turn into a campus club while being in the senate. Along with rugby, Pel-

letier has participated in over six different sports club and school teams from wrestling to cross country.

One of his greatest influences is President John F. Kennedy for the former Commander-in-Chief ’s advocacy towards public service in his words “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” “I shouldn’t just be living life. I should be helping others when they can’t do that on their own.

According to Pelletier, another piece of American History change his direction as early as elementary school. “When I was in fifth grade, I fell in love with the constitution,” said Pelletier.

After learning about the Constitution, he remained interested in learning more about the legal system and has even job shadowed local law practices in an effort to learn more about pursuing a career in law.

“I wanted the challenge,” he said. Although Pelletier is required to spend his first year at the college studying liberal arts as part of the early admissions program, he eventually plans to switch his major to criminal justice. Berlin High School, according to Pelletier, lacked the advanced placement courses required to get further in the criminal justice program.

Pelletier was introduced to the Student Senate before coming to Hudson Valley by his sister, Erika.This semester, the Pelletier siblings will share the campus for the last time as Erika hopes to transfer. “It’s kind of weird already. We’re already in the same sociology class,” he said.

Although Pelletier knew about the Student Senate from his sister before the semester began, he said, working as a volunteer at Welcome Week escalated his interest in the organization. “I loved every moment [of Welcome Week]. I’m hoping to help out with a lot more events and I’m hoping that being a part of this will help,” said Pelletier.

This past Wednesday, The Hudsonian hosted a special event for 20 international journalists as part of their trip around the Capital Region.

The journalists came as part of a national tour organized by the United States Department of State, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of International Visitors.

“Having a school paper host an event like this is a great opportunity not only for the students, but for the school as well to get their name out there even more,” said Maaz Alnugomi, freelance reporter and film maker from Sudan.

In their last day in New York, the group made a visit to Hudson Valley Community College to get insight on the school and their newspaper.

During their time in the Capital Region, the journalists visited various media outlets, including the Times Union and WAMC Public Radio.

During the event, the Hudsonian pre-

sented the group with their paper and held a discussion about different topics relating to the school paper and outside the paper.

The event was set up in coordination with the school paper and the president’s office. Dr. Jay Deitchman, International Student Advisor helped set up the event as well and gave a presentation about the school.

“This school is a bit different than Slovenia because it’s bigger, and the buildings are much newer and you can tell there was a lot of time put into them,” said Gregor Trebusak, Chief Editor of News Program and Anchorman in Slovenia.

The Hudsonian staff took this opportunity as a chance to meet professional journalists and get a sense of how real world media works. The journalists gave much insight to all Hudsonian members and enjoyed the paper.

“I like the newspaper because it is a good chance to lead to a job in that field,” said Trebusak.

The Hudsonian student newspaper will look to host more successful events on campus as we continue to grow what we have already.

Photos by Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN Top: Admissions counselor gives the journalists a tour of the different buildings Bottom: The group walks around campus seeing different aspects of a college.

Inside News

Inside Commentary

Inside Sports

Fall Fest

Flirting on campus

Tennis

Food, entertainment and more this Thursday.

Page 4

Ceora Gibson shares the dark side of being flirted with.

Page 5

Vikings ranked #8 in the nation.

Page 10

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September 29th, 2015

NEWS

The Hudsonian Hudson Valley Community College 80 Vandenburgh Ave. Troy, NY 12180 Phone: 518-629-7568 Email: hudsonian@hvcc.edu

Advanced Manufacturing Program gets $1 million grant Expansion of Lang Hall expected to open in 2017

Editor-in-Chief Matt Whalen Managing Editor Tyler McNeil

By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor

News Editor Durgin McCue Sports Editor John C. Longton III Photo Editor Marison Topinio Copy Editor Pat Gareau Staff Writers Brandon Freer Jenny Caulfield Sam Kobylar Samantha Longton Staff Photographers Michael Bryant Stephanie Saddlemire Faculty Advisor Rachel Bornn Letters to the Editor Letters can be delivered to CTR 291 or emailed to hudsonian@hvcc. edu. Readers may have their letters published anonymously as long as their identity can be verified. Letters will be edited for grammar, style, libel and length.

Editorial Policy All views expressed in this paper are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the The Hudsonian or the College.

The Hudsonian is the exclusive student newspaper of Hudson Valley Community College. It is published every week. To join The Hudsonian, attend our weekly meeting on Mondays at 2 p.m. in ADM 107.

Weather

TUESDAY High/Low 79/64

Forty new spaces in the advanced manufacturing program are expected to open up at Hudson Valley by fall 2017 semester, nearly doubling the size of the program.

“We made a decision that we were going offer [donations] to only the very best schools in the area and this is such a strong program, it’s one of the strongest we see in the country,” said Kathy Looman, administrator for the Gene Haas Foundation, the organization which donated $1 million to the Hudson Valley Foundation to expand the college’s advanced manufacturing program last Wednesday.

According to Looman, Hudson Valley is the third school the Gene Haas Foundation has selected to allocated a large amount of funds to. “We know the employers in the area are looking to double how many students are coming [to the Advanced Manufacturing Program] so we want to help them do that,” said Looman.

The donation is reportedly one of the largest gifts the college’s foundation has ever received.

“This is a monumental occasion for Hudson Valley and for the region,” said President Drew Matonak.

A planned expansion of Lang Hall for the program will be known as the Gene Haas Technology Center in recognition of the

gift. The college started a fundraising endeavor in an effort raise money for the $12 million expansion project of Lang Hall, which is scheduled for completion in 2017.

“We’re going to have better opportunities to get more advanced machines and hone our skills better.”

-Chad Halikias, advanced manufacturing student

“It’s a huge amount of money and we don’t normally get gifts like this. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with it or interested in it since the school was founded,” said Conrad H. Lang Jr., who stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Trustees last Tuesday and is the son of the person whom Lang Hall is named after.

“We’re going to have better opportunities to get more advanced machines and hone our skills better,” said Chad Halikias, advanced manufacturing student who was sent over from General Electric to improve his training in the field after working at the company for about seven years.

“It’s going to be great to have more machines. There will be more people to get on there and have more experience with the machinery instead of just waiting around,” said Curtis Erickson, freshman advancing manufacturing student who hopes his field

will be more competitive in the future.

“This is a classic example of the private sector participating in the workforce development process. This is what we need,” said Assemblyman John McDonald (D-Cohoes).

“I think it’s going to take a while for the Capital Region to just understand how meaningful this is, not just for our students at Hudson Valley but for the region in general,” said Mark Mitchell, director of internal audit at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. According to the college, upon graduation, the program has a 100 percent job placement rate and 95 percent of students secure jobs before graduating.

By 2020, about 220,000 positions in the Capital Region’s advanced manufacturing field are expected to open up but the amount of new workers to fill these positions, according to Phil White, is much lower. “As we reach the age of retirement for people who have no hair or gray hair, there’s going to be an even greater shortfall [of workers], which is going to require more people to be trained,” he said.

White mentioned expansion of the program is necessary as a step to keep advanced manufacturing jobs thriving in the upstate economy. “The only way we can attempt to fulfill or improve the offerings to the community is to expand our facility,” said White.

WEDNESDAY High/Low 60/48

Calendar of Events September

Tue 29

Mass Incarceration and the Movement for Change Lecture 12:00 pm – 12:50 pm Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium and Meeting Rooms Mindfulness Meditation 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Siek Campus Center, room 220 (Interfaith Prayer Room)

Wed 30

CASDA Fall College Fair McDonough Sports Complex How to Give a Winning Speech 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm FTZ 100

October

Thu 1

THURSDAY

Digital Detox While Being a Colorist 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Siek Campus Center, Suite 270

High/Low 59/47

Fall Fest 11:30 am – 2:00 pm Joseph L. Bruno Stadium

Viking Cup Challenge: Student vs.

Staff Softball Game 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Joseph L. Bruno Stadium

FRIDAY High/Low 57/50 SATURDAY High/Low 60/51

Tyler McNeil THE HUDSONIAN Leaders from Hudson Valley and the Gene Haas Foundation attended the grant ceremony last Wednesday.

SUNDAY High/Low 62/44

HUDSONIAN.ORG

Sat 3

NYC Day Trip

September 29th, 2015

NEWS

3

STUDENT SENATE

Treasurer looks to restore relations with SUNY Student Assembly By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor Student Senate Treasurer Josiah Dillon hopes to strengthen Hudson Valley’s ties closer to the SUNY Student Assembly after nearly a year’s absence from involvement with the statewide organization.

“I would’ve jumped right ahead at Student Assembly if I had known [about it],” said Dillon who hopes to work on the SUNYSA’s finance committee and community college committee.

Last year, Hudson Valley did not participate in seasonal conferences for the SUNYSA, an organization composed of student representatives from across 64 SUNY campuses.

Dillon, along with Student Trustee Brody O’Connor, hope to attend the SUNYSA fall conference in Rochester from Nov. 13 -15. The Student Trustee was introduced to leaders of the SUNYSA two weeks ago in Cooperstown at a conference for the New York State Community College Trustees Association. “They were very professional,” said O’Connor.

The Student Senate Treasur-

er was introduced to SUNYSA by Finger Lakes Community College student Joshua Barry, who also represents Hudson Valley along with four other colleges.

Executive Cabinet member Patrick Gareau, who studies at Hudson Valley and UAlbany, reached out to Dillon. “We’re always looking for people who want to be more involved and more engaged and advocate for students at the state level and Josiah has shown a lot of good ambitions,” said Gareau.

Despite Hudson Valley’s lack of involvement in the Student Senate last year, Hudson Valley alumnus Devin Brady participated in SUNYSA last year.

Hudson Valley was last active with the SUNYSA from 2011 to 2014 according to 2013-14 Student Senate President Jessie Tilley.

Under Student Senate President Alex Duerr and during his own administration, Tilley attended four SUNYSA conferences. “The way Student Assembly works, it’s not really the President’s responsibility to reach out to [SUNY]SA because it’s [SUNY]SA’s responsibility to reach out to the schools,” said Tilley.

According to the former Stu-

dent Senate President, the role of campus representation in keeping Hudson Valley informed about SUNYSA was crucial in keep the college involved in the organization during his time in the Student Senate. “The best thing to do at Hudson Valley is to reach out to [SUNY]SA itself. The issue is, if you don’t know who your representative is, it’s difficult,” he said.

Upon graduation, Dillon hopes greater involvement in the SUNYSA this year would as a precedent for future involvement among freshman. “There are certain precedents in the senate and in clubs that we just do every year and I’d just like to see Hudson Valley’s involvement with the Student Assembly be one of those precedents,” said Dillon.

Dillon also believes the SUNYSA would serve as an opportunity to go beyond his roles on campus after he graduates this year. “There’s a really good chance I’m either going to go to Binghampton or Albany, in which case I can carry my experience from this year over and give another two years into that organization where as here -- I’m not able to do that,” he said.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN Student Senate Treasurer Josiah Dillon hopes to work on two of SUNYSA’s committees.

EVENING STUDENT RECEPTION You are cordially invited to attend our Evening Student Reception during your regularly scheduled class break!

TRANSFER

When: Wednesday, October 7 (7-8pm) Where: Campus Center (2nd Floor) Why: Food, music, and a chance to socialize, dance, and win gift certificates!

Fall Transfer Days Friday, October 23 Friday, November 6 Friday, December 11

Fall Open Houses Monday, October 12 Wednesday, November 11 Saturday, November 21

413 - 662- 5410

80 0 969 MCL A

MCL A .EDU/ VISITING M A SSACHUSE T T S CO LLEGE O F LIBE R A L A R T S

HUDSONIAN.ORG

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September 29th, 2015

NEWS

Large turnout expected at Fall Fest according to senate By: Durgin McCue News Editor The promise of “Free food, entertainment and games!” is expected to attract hundreds of students to Thursday’s Fall Fest at Joe Bruno Stadium. The event, which runs from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. will feature barbeque style dining, the Viking Cup softball game and a caricature artist.

According to Student Senate Treasurer Josiah Dillon, the offering of free food is expected to draw in many students. “We know it’s going to be popular with everybody. everybody loves the food,” said Dillon. “We are doing the barbeque chicken

we had at one of the days during welcome back week. It seemed to be everybody’s favorite.”

“I think the cartoonist drawings are what the students will enjoy the most,” said Dillon. “I remember seeing that last year and thinking that it was really cool, so we brought it to fall fest.”

The event is being held at Joe Bruno stadium primarily because of the Viking Cup softball game, which will begin at noon and run until 1 pm. Students can sign up for the game at the student activities office to play against Hudson Valley staff.

According to Student Senate Vice President Bryce Kirk, the senate has put

a large amount of effort towards attracting students to the event. “I think we have done an excellent job advertising for it,” said Kirk. “I think we have a lot of students that are going to attend. We have a lot of kids that have signed up to participate in [the viking cup]. I think that having them participating in it, and them having a lot of friends is going to get a lot of people to go over there.”

“We had to cut back on a lot of stuff because we spent a lot on welcome week,” said Kirk. “So, this going to be not a smaller event, but more laid back.”

Dillon is confident that despite the large amount of money spent on welcome

week, students will see little change in the number of events held on campus. “I think you’ll still see the same events as we have had in the past. Really the only changes was taking the welcome back barbecue and turning it into an experience to welcome students. It was kind of used almost as advertising for our other events,” he said.

According to Dillon, the Student Senate will be able to provide the same level of effectiveness as last year. “We are very happy with where we are this year financially,” he said.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN

The students win the Viking Cup last year during Fall Fest, defeating the faculty in a softball game.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN

Matt Whalen THE HUDSONIAN A look at the Viking Cup that goes to either the students or the faculty after the softball match.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN

HUDSONIAN.ORG

September 29th, 2015

5

COMMENTARY

Sexual assault prevention should be taken seriously By: Jenny Caulfield Staff Writer Victims of sexual assault never assumed it would happen to them, or that their situation would become a reality. That is not an excuse to not take seriously such a life-changing topic but unfortunately, for some students, this is not taken seriously.

Due to the new sexual assault policies implemented to all SUNY schools this year, student leaders, which include the officers in the Student Senate, as well as all student athletes, must go through a sexual violence education training before starting their activities. Powerpoint presentations are shown to students in College Forum, and the video shown at the training is shown to all students during Hudson Valley’s orientation.

Student athlete Lara Dzembo had to attend the training to play with Hudson Valley’s golf team.

“People were on their phones, not paying attention,” she said.

The sexual violence education training is a mixture of two different power point presentations. One is focused on public safety, and the other eleven slide powerpoint just focus on sexual assault. With studies showing that 23 percent of women report sexual assault in college, it becomes alarming that a problem as severe as this still may not be taken se-

riously by the students attending the training.

“We realize it’s impossible to get every person on campus to do it, but we try to get as many as we can,” said Fred Aliberti, director of Public Safety. With this being a more common occurrence on colleges with on-site housing, that is no reason to overlook the dangers of sexual assault, especially when Hudson Valley plans on having housing in 2017.

The first powerpoint focuses mainly on the safety of the college, going into detail about parking, emergency situations.

Although the campus has 284 cameras on campus as of last spring, memory on the security cameras only lasts for about a week and a half, which is why Aliberti stresses that if you see something happen, you must report it immediately.

“We are fortunate that this isn’t a major problem for us,” said Dennis Kennedy, director of communications and marketing.

There has never been a reported case of rape or sexual assault on the campus, but that doesn’t mean they have not occurred and been left unreported. Fifty percent of victims end up not reporting their sexual assault, due to thinking they weren’t “serious enough.”

Get educated, protect yourself, and understand, this is “serious enough.”

SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM/SURVIVOR’S BILL OF RIGHTS • The right to have disclosure of sexual violence taken seriously.

• The right to make a decision about whether or not to disclose a crime or incident and participate in the conduct or criminal justice process free from outside pressures from college officials.

• The right to be treated with dignity and to receive from College officials courteous, fair and respectful health care and counseling services.

• The right to be free from any suggestions that the victim/survivor is at fault when these crimes and violations are committed, or should have acted in a different manner to avoid such a crime.

• The right to describe the incident to as few individuals as practicable and to not be required to unnecessarily repeat a description of the incident.

• The right to be free from retaliation by the College, the accused, and/ or their friends, family and acquaintances.

• The right to exercise civil rights and practice of religion without interference by the investigative or conduct process of the College.

OPTIONS FOR VICTIMS • • • •

Receive resources, such as counseling and medical attention; Confidentially or anonymously disclose a crime or violation; Make a report to: An employee with the authority to address complaints, including the Title IX Coordinator, a Student Conduct employee, or Human Resources employee; • A Public Safety Officer; • Local law enforcement; and/or • Family Court or Civil Court.

Can I get your number?

The blurry line between flirty and disturbing at Hudson Valley By: Ceora Gibson Staff Writer I was sitting alone at a table playing Sudoku when a guy approached me and asked kindly if he could sit with me.

After I said “yes,” he asked me a few conversation starters. It was nothing too overwhelming but, I am very shy which caused all of my answers to be short and to the point. After a few minutes of what felt like an interrogation he asked if I liked to party.

I simply said “no.” He paused for a brief second then he asked kindly if he could have my number. I said “no.”

He took the rejection well and allowed me to be on my own. Not everyone can be that kind though.

Flirting on campus is almost inevitable. Hudson Valley is crawling with beautiful people and everyone enjoys a little attention from time to time but when does

that attention become creepy and uncomfortable?

My experience with flirting is little to none. Prior to entering Hudson Valley, I had only had a handful of people try to flirt with me but I never truly felt uncomfortable.

I try to look as unapproachable as possible when I’m walking around campus so that no one feels the need to talk to me. I put my headphones on to ignore anyone who might be trying to get my attention, I avoid eye contact with passing strangers and I make no attempt at smiling. I simply do not want to attract the wrong kind of people but somehow, I fail miserably at this.

I was walking to the Science Center for class again with my headphones in and avoiding eye contact when I saw a group of guys standing around in a circle. As I walked closer and closer towards them, I noticed one of the guys break out of the group and begin to walk towards me.

After seeing this I tried to go around him so I could make it to class on time but he called out to me and asked how I was doing. I said I was good and I continued to walk but he decided to follow me and kept trying to talk to me. He asked for my name and I answered “CC” while I was walking away from him but he proceeded to follow me.

“Cute name.” He said from behind me.

At this point I was 100 percent uncomfortable. I was walking relatively fast, yet he still felt the need to follow me. I wasn’t even walking with him! I was ahead of him and he was still talking to me.

“Do you got any plans this Saturday?

A couple of us are having a get together in college town and I’d like you to come,” he said. I told him I had plans and that I don’t like parties. He was a little frustrated at this point. “Are you really going to be busy all day?” he questioned while still trailing behind me.

I told him I would be with my boy-

HUDSONIAN.ORG

friend and he told me that he could come too. After telling him about three or four times that I was not interested he eventually gave up and left me alone.

Many girls I’ve spoken too have revealed to me that their flirting experiences have ranged from friendly to aggressive as well. One girl, who’s decided to remain anonymous, told a story about a nice guy that used a catchy pick up line on her. Although she didn’t give him her number she was quite amused.

Another girl, who would also like to remain anonymous for safety reasons, expressed her concerns to me after an admirer registered to all of her classes even after she tried switching out of them.

There is a fine line between being being flirty and being disturbing and these days that line seems to be getting blurrier and blurrier.

6

September 29th, 2015

FEATURES

Student looks in-depth on perception After achieving a two-year goal, Breanna Carpico looks back on her path

Stephanie Saddlemire THE HUDSONIAN After years of being reclusive, Breanna Carpico said, her first semester at Hudson Valley has served as an opportunity to open up to new people.

By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor At three-years-old, Breanna Carpico has her first eye alignment operation. Instead of surgery changing the way others saw her eyes, it eventually changed the way she saw the world.

“I don’t really even think about that a lot because it doesn’t really stop me from doing anything,” she said.

After three surgeries over the course of her lifetime, Carpico’s eyes are now inoperable due the amount of scar tissue left from previous operations. Due to strabismus, Carpico is unable to see in both eyes at the same time and without high-strength contacts, Carpico said, her eyes would be cross-eyed.

Early in Elementary School, Carpico made attempts to participate in sports but eventually gave up due to her lack of depth perception. “I worked really hard at it but I just came to the realization that I just wasn’t going to excel like the other kids no matter how much effort I put into it,” she said.

Bullied by other students at Schenectady Christian School (now Mekeel Christian Academy), Carpico found comfort in reading at least three hours every day. “I just became a bookworm and kept away from everyone really,” she said.

Her family decided to bring her into public education upon entering seventh grade as a result of her poor experience in middle school. “I couldn’t imagine where I’d be now if I stuck with it.

I’d probably be very introverted,”

said Carpico.

At Niskayuna High School, Carpico was finally able to embrace strabismus but still struggled opening up to open up to others. “I had to learn to look people in the eye without being scared that I looked different,” she said.

In her senior year, she grew comfortable around a different type of lens, rediscovering a passion for photography with an internship at Union College as an event photographer and participating in art shows. As a child, she would often model in photo shoots with her mother, a hair stylist. “I was always more interested in the guy taking the photos himself than getting my hair and makeup done,” she said.

Today, Carpico tries to have a camera on her at all times but

shares her photos very rarely. It often takes her months to become comfortable with sharing her work, even for art shows. “I have so many photos that I’ve never shown anyone,” she said.

Carpico decided to pursue graphic design at Hudson Valley this June in hopes she would be able to use the program to excel in photography, possibly pursuing photojournalism. “I just feel as though there’s a lot of things we don’t see because we’re too privileged,” said Carpico.

Last week, being accepted into the Disney internship program for the spring semester, a program she’s been anticipating for the last two years, Carpico said, she’s expecting her experience in Florida could alter her future path. “Working at Disney is going to change who I am as a

person and I hope it’s in a good way but I don’t know where it’s going to leave me with my ambitions,” she said.

She looks at her father, a carpenter, who built her current home in Niskayuna over six years without an arm for inspiration on where to go with her future. “I love how he picked that as a profession because he had to overcome so much,” she said. When Extreme Home Makeover was filmed in the Capital Region in 2007, Custom Carpentry by Carpico Builders helped participate in the project.

With her future undecided, despite challenges ahead, Carpico leans toward build her future through passions. “I don’t want to be miserable so I’m kind of leaning towards doing something I love,” she said.

JOIN THE HUDSONIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER Meetings every Monday @ 2pm in the Administration building (ADM 107) For more information, stop by the office in the Campus Center (CTR 291), or email us at hudsonian@hvcc.edu HUDSONIAN.ORG

CREATIVE

September 29th, 2015

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Video game nostalgia sweeps Naked Pear Café By: Brandon Freer Staff Writer Almost every day, a small group of people can be seen huddled around a small television playing Super Smash Bros in the Naked Pear Cafe. “I think it’s good because I feel like a lot of people here grew up playing Super Smash Bros,” said Kevin Bulger, former individual studies major, now alumni.

According to Bulger, the group started gaming here back in fall 2013 when Super Smash Bros Brawl was still the most recent game in the series. He said, the addition of Super Smash Bros Melee brought students into nostalgia.

Whether it’s card games, board games, or video games being played, that Naked Pear Cafe has become a gathering place for gamers when they don’t have class.

One group of people has taken to playing the well loved Nintendo game series Super Smash Bros.

Interestingly, about half of the people who play at the campus center are alumni, including Bruce Douglas-Moore, who has returned to Hudson Valley to study Criminal Justice. Douglas-Moore is the one who supplies the Wii U and the TV for people

to use. “I don’t bring it in for me to enjoy, i bring it in for others. I can always play at home, but not everyone else can,” he said.

The Super Smash Bros series, it is a series of fighting games wherein Nintendo characters, such as Mario, Kirby, and Pikachu battle head to head. Some non-Nintendo characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog are also playable. “Unfortunately a lot of people in the Nintendo community take the game way too seriously,’’ Bulger stated. “I mean, it’s Mario fighting Pikachu, how much less serious can it get?

“Playing like that just takes all the fun out of the game,” Bulger said. “I’ve seen some tournaments being played and none of the players seemed to be having the slightest bit of fun.”

Many of the same people who play Super Smash Bros at the Naked Pear also play other games with other groups of students. On any given day there could be a group playing Magic: The Gathering or Cards Against Humanity.

“Gaming in the campus center like this is a great social aspect for a lot of students, and in this case perhaps some that wouldn’t be overly involved otherwise,” said Mark Marcus, business administration major.

Michael Bryant THE HUDSONIAN Many students in the campus center get together to play video games.

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JOIN THE HUDSONIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER Meetings every Monday @ 2pm in the Administration Building (ADM 107) For more information, stop by the office in the Campus Center (CTR 291), or email us at hudsonian@hvcc.edu HUDSONIAN.ORG

September 29th, 2015

CREATIVE

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Campus club takes pride in starting drama By: Samantha Longton Staff Writer With two advisors, Theatre Club has put on countless one acts, full plays, and student directed performances since becoming active. Students are given the opportunity to express their creativity by not only performing on the stage but also possibly directing a show for the club.

“I met someone my first day at Hudson Valley and they were talking about the theatre, and it just sounded interesting,” said Sophomore Robyn Grendon, who

participates in the Theatre Clubs stage crew.

“Theatre Club’s mission is to create a forum that is open to everyone who has any interest or curiosity about theatre art or theatre making,” said Theatre Club Advisor Rosanne Raneri.

Some students that are in the club believe that one of the best aspects of the club is being able to become a different person while on stage.

“I met Roseanne out in the lobby and she was such a sweet person, then when we started production of The Vagina Monologues I met everyone in the back

of the theatre and they were all so nice. We’re all just a big family,” said Secretary of Theatre Club Raven Larvour.

While putting on performances, the cast and crew develop strong connections beyond the stage. “We take what we’ve all learned and put it all together and it’s just so unique,” said Theatre Club President Karis Dudek.

Al Shehadeh, theatre arts, was also a part of the football team his first year. “I always wanted to do theatre but I didn’t have the courage to do it,” said Shehadeh. “I decided to try it and then I just fell in love with it.”

Some of the students in the club also believe that another great aspect of theatre is being able to become a character on the stage. They like that they can be whoever they want to be and explore different characters and emotions while on stage.

Auditions were held last week for the clubs first show of the season, Passion Play. This play, written by Sarah Ruhl, is a trilogy of one-acts. Each act is about the staging of the play in different historical time periods.

The play starts in 1575 in Northern England, moves to a setting in Oberammergua, Bave-

ria during the rising power of Nazi Germany, and ends with a time sequence from the Vietnam war to Reagan’s presidency. The actors will be putting on the show while the political and faith filled influences of each time period surround them.

The upcoming show, the Passion Play, will be performed on November 19th, 20th, and 21st with a 7:30 showtime. Admission is free for Hudson Valley Students.

HVCC Chemistry Club Meeting Schedule All Dates are Mondays. All meetings are at 2 pm in SCI 345. All are welcome to attend!

October 26th: Tales of Lab Safety (an ACS Webinar) November 16th: Movie December 14th: Chemistry Ornament Award Ceremony For more information, contact d.nowosielski@hvcc.edu

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Hudson Valley Community College Pavilion

7TH ANNUAL

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Race Away

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Help “Race Away” the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

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Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Race/ walk begins at 10 a.m.

Awards and post-race snacks begin at 11 a.m.

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Sponsored by Hudson Valley’s Wellness Center in collaboration with:

September 29th, 2015

SPORTS

9

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SOCCER

Vikings look to make a statement Two teams aim for playoffs after strong start By: Sam Kobylar Staff Writer It is not very often that both the men’s and women’s Hudson Valley soccer teams, have been successful in the same year. In fact, there was only one year since 2007 where both the men’s and women’s teams finished the season with a winning record. That season came back in 2013 when the men’s team finished with a record of 9-4-1 while the women’s team finished 7-6 that year.

That has been a different story so far during the first half of the season for both teams. Each team has played at least eight games and each team has a very good record. The men’s team has played nine games so far and have an overall record of 7-1-1 with 7 regular season games remaining and are ranked #10 in the country in the NJCAA Division III. “It feels really good. Going into the season it was looking a little rough but as it progressed we started to look really well and we are doing really well,” said Men’s Soccer Goalie Joshua Rasmussen on the solid start.

“It feels great getting into the rankings there so we are #10 in the country so it feels really good.” said Men’s Soccer Coach Travis Cooke.

While the Men’s Soccer team has played great out on the field, they also have had great team chemistry so far this season, both on and off the field.

“In the beginning it was kind of rough but … we have built on that and we have a lot of combination plays now so I feel like our chemistry is up top,” said Men’s Soccer Midfielder Juan Mejicano on the teammate chemistry.

“This is the team I have had the best chemistry with. There is no cliques, no nothing, we are really close. We all have bonding and we are really close,” said Goalie Joshua Rasmussen.

Men’s Soccer Coach Travis Cooke is entering his 10th season as the head coach for Hudson Valley and believes that this is one of the best teams he has ever coached. When asked about how this year’s team looks compared to past teams, Cookie said “It’s towards the top for sure. We were #2 in the country a couple years back but I think these guys still have a lot to go. I think we can really make a playoff push this year.”

The Hudson Valley Men’s Soccer team hasn’t won a region III championship since 1963 and they truly believe that they can get back there this year.

“That would be fantastic, that would look great for all of

us. It would look good for Travis [Cooke] and Jarrett [Farrell] and I know a lot of us really want it,” said Goalie Joshua Rasmussen on potentially winning a regional championship.

“It would be a crazy moment just because I really haven’t won anything that big and that would just be an awesome moment,” said Midfielder Juan Mejicano

on potentially winning a regional championship.

While the Men’s team is looking to get a regional championship, the Women’s team is looking to do the same thing this year as they are seeking to win their first championship since 1992. The Women are also getting off to a hot start this year as they have an overall record of 5-2-1 through-

out their first eight games with seven games remaining in their regular season schedule.

“It feels great, it is a big momentum builder and it is carrying us into one of the toughest parts of the schedule,” said Women’s Soccer Coach Jay Pokines on the 5-2-1 start to the season.

“It feels good. I think we worked hard all preseason and

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN The men’s soccer team celebrates a victory as they roll in the top ten rankings nationwide.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN Elisabeth Morehouse takes on a defender on her way to scoring one of her team-leading 16 goals.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

over the summer so it is paying off,” said leading scorer Elisabeth Morehouse on the solid start to the season.

“I’ve never met a team more dedicated to win and practice hard and go out there and do what they can and get rewarded with the win, so it’s a good thing,” said Goalie Teller Wood.

Like the men’s soccer team, this year’s women’s soccer team has also had some great team chemistry which has helped them win games.

“I don’t think there is anyone on the team that anyone actually dislikes. We are all really good together,” said Morehouse on the teammate chemistry.

“I think we have a very good chemistry, we are really close outside of soccer so that really helps on the field, just being friends even off the field,” said second year midfielder Renee Casey on the teammate chemistry.

Even though the women’s team finished with a solid record of 11-4-1 last season, they believe that they can do even better than they did last season and have an even better team this year than last year. When asked about how this year’s team looks compared to last year’s team, Head Coach Jay Pokines believes they have something this year that they didn’t have last year.

Pokines said, “Two big scorers up front and strong center halves that we have never really had. We have had strong center halves but we never had the combination of both. Actually, every asset that we have had has been strong [including] defense and goalies. We have always missed one link. We have had three out of the four but we have never had all four and that is what we have this year.”

Sophomore midfielder Renee Casey also likes what she has seen out of this year’s team compared to last year’s team. Casey said, “This year’s team is a lot closer than last year’s team and I think that really helps us and we are all very motivated coming in right from the beginning. Right from day one we knew our potential and that we can go all the way.”

Both men’s and women’s soccer both look to have strong second halves and finish the season on a positive note. The next game for each team is on Monday Sep. 28th, as both against Springfield Tech. The Women’s team will be at home for their game at 3 p.m. while the Men’s team will go on the road to play Springfield Tech at 5 pm. While the women’s team next home game will be on Monday, the men’s team next home game will be on Wednesday Sep. 30 against Herkimer at 4 p.m.

SPORTS

10

September 29th, 2015

Alive and kicking: Elidon Bardhollari goals hit beyond the net By: Sam Kobylar Staff Writer

Elidon Bardhollari After growing up just 20 minutes away from Hudson Valley and attending High School at Colonie Central High School in Albany, New York, Elidon Bardhollari has become a huge asset for the Vikings Men’s Soccer team.

Entering his sophomore year at Hudson Valley, Elidon has been a key part to the soccer team’s early success so far this season. Bardhollari is currently second on the

team with 14 points. He is also tied for the team lead with 6 goals.

Part of Bardhollari’s success in soccer might be because he started to play at a very young age.

Bardhollari has been playing soccer since he was 8 years old and his father really influenced him to play soccer. Bardhollari has a huge passion for the game and loves to play as a team.

“I love to become a family with my team and being successful,” said Bardhollari on why he loves the game of soccer.

Since Bardhollari has been playing soccer for most of his life, he has participated in so many games through high school and college soccer. While Bardhollari is having a very productive season at Hudson Valley this year, he enjoyed his high school playing days at Colonie Central High School as well.“We were a close group there.

We were just a complete family there and it was just a great time,” said Bardhollari.

Bardhollari has been a successful soccer player all of his life

and has had many successful moments.

Growing up in Colonie, New York and not sure what he wanted to do with his life coming out of high school, which made coming to Hudson Valley an easy decision as he grew up close by.

“At first I was in individual studies and then I switched over to a business degree. I just have to decide on what I want to do,” said Bardhollari on deciding to come to Hudson Valley out of high school.

Bardhollari still isn’t sure yet what he wants to do after Hudson Valley. When asked about his plans after Hudson Valley, he said, “I got a couple of schools in mind but I’m still trying to figure it all out and just putting it all together.”

Elidon Bardhollari looks to build on his solid start to the season as him and the rest of the Men’s Soccer Team hope to finish this season on a positive note.

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN Elidon has improved from last season where he only had two goals. This season he is already up to six goals and two assists.

Tennis primed for big season to come By: John C. Longton III Sports Editor

Marison Topinio THE HUDSONIAN Natalie Haviland and the rest of the women’s tennis team look forward as they move up the rankings.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

The Hudson Valley Tennis team has started the season 4-1 and are ranked 8th in the nation. With a little over half of the regular season in the books, this tennis team is looking similar to other successful teams from years past.

Denise Potenza has coached the women’s tennis team here at Hudson Valley since 2011. Since then they won the conference championship in back to back years in 2012 and 2013 and are looking to do it all again.

Talking about the similarities between this team and her conference championship teams, coach Potenza said, “I think there’s a lot of dedication at practices. Players are really committed at coming to practices and working hard at practices.” This team works on every aspect of their game at Potenza’s practices as a group or she will work with a player individually. “[It’s a] real good group of players this year that focuses on playing tennis and I believe they’re good friends outside of tennis too,” said Potenza, referring to the overall team chemistry. Even though half of the matches are singles, this group of girls work hard as a team to pick each other up and help each other out.

“We all get along so well and it’s very enjoyable,” said returning

player Danielle Bahunin, from Waterford. Bahunin plays in the #1 spot for the team and last year was all-conference. She was also named the MVP of the team in 2014 and is providing this year’s team with veteran leadership.

“This year we all have equal ability,” said Bahunin. The success of this year’s team versus last year’s team is that they have more depth. “Towards the end of the lineup we have really strong players,” she said.

The team won their last match this past Thursday 8-1 when they hosted Herkimer. They won in dominant fashion in the singles matches. The ladies dropped five sets as a team compared to the 48 they won. This team really looks like it’s finding its groove just as they look to gear up for regionals.

“I want to make it to nationals in the worst way,” said second year player Anna Gerwin, from Valley Falls. “Last year I was nervous because it was my first year playing for a college team. This year I think I’m persevering more.”

The ladies have another home match this Wednesday (Sep 30) at 4 p.m. when they host Adirondack. After that they have two more matches remaining before the regional tournament begins.

If you get a chance, you might want to make it to one of the remaining matches and you might get a glimpse at some history in the making.

September 29th, 2015

SPORTS

11

MEN’S FOOTBALL

Taking a step back to take a leap foward By: John C. Longton III Sports Editor The Hudson Valley football season got off to a shaky start, but is looking as if they’re righting the ship after a win at Erie on Saturday. After losing their last two games and giving up a combined 78 points, the football team hit the road and came out with a must needed win.

“We just have to take it one game at a time,” said head coach Mike Muehling as the team was packing up to hit the road and face a .500 Erie team.

In the Erie game, wide receiver Craig Hardgers, from Rochester, scored on the first play of the Viking’s opening possession for the second straight week. He scored on a 53 yard pass from Rafael Hidalgo, from Woodhaven. Last week vs Dean, Hardgers scored on a reverse that he ran for 75 yards. Not like last week and the week prior the Vikings would close out their opponent and go on to win.

On the first Erie possession, Chandler Foster, from Stamford, CT, forced and recovered a fumble taking it 19 yards for a touchdown. Foster added an interception and eight tackles to lead the Vikings over the Cats.

Also contributing for Hudson Valley in their key win over Erie were Rafael Hidalgo with two passing touchdowns; Darrius Bryant, from Indian River PA, who had a rushing touchdown and averaged 5.8 yards per carry; and Drew Birdsall, from Penns-

ville PA, added a receiving touchdown.

The Vikings played a decent game at the right time as it seemed their season was slipping away.

Last year the team went 8-1 in the regular season and represented the college as the #19 team in the nation in the Salt Lake Bowl. This season hasn’t been quite up to par, but that’s because of a few different issues.

“The biggest difference is where we’re at mentally,” said Muehling. “We’re really working to come together as a team. Last year because so many people doubted us and underestimated us, it was a little bit easier to galvanize.”

In 2013 the team only won two out of their nine games and the program wasn’t really seen as a threat to teams that were on

the schedule. This year, with such high expectations, teams are taking Hudson Valley more serious than the Vikings have been taking themselves.

Because of last year’s success, the football team has been more successful recruiting from different areas in the nation. The school has always had players from throughout the nation, but now more players in different areas are

Courtesy of Hudson Valley athletics The Viking’s football team leaves Erie victorious to get back on track for another successful season.

Courtesy of Hudson Valley athletics Coach Muehling giving a post game speech to the team after a much needed victory.

interested in joining the Hudson Valley football team. “Because we were more successful last season, kids are making a stronger effort to get into school here,” said Muehling.

It’s marginally more expensive for an out of state student to attend HVCC, but with last year’s success it seems that the players will pay the extra money to play for a successful team.

With all of the rise in success the team’s schedule has reflected as much. “This year’s schedule is much more difficult than last years,” said Mueling. The combination of getting more recruits from throughout the nation and playing in a bowl game has led to the decision of scheduling harder teams that the Vikings didn’t really play in the past. “We went away from playing JV teams. Last year we had three and this year we have one,” said Mueling. They also added more perennial powerhouse teams such as ASA and Lackawanna.

Now that the team is back to being .500 they have a chance to turn a once abysmal season into a somewhat positive one. This is a tough task and even though it has looked as if the program has taken a step back record wise they have made a huge leap from past teams and where they’re heading.

They host East Coast Prep this Sunday (10/4) at 1 p.m. ECP is 2-1 on the season and this is a big game for both teams. Sunday’s game is could hold the key in how the rest of the season will go for the Vikings.

Courtesy of Hudson Valley athletics Chandler Foster scooped up a loose ball and ran it in to the endzone for a tourchdown during the game.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

September 29th, 2015

SPORTS

12

More Viking updates

Vikings Sports Schedule Women’s Soccer

Wednesday 09/30/15 vs. Herkimer @ 2pm (Home)

Women’s Tennis

Wednesday 09/30/15 vs. Adirondack @ 4pm (Home)

Men’s Soccer

Wednesday 09/30/15 vs. Herkimer @ 4pm (Home)

Men’s Soccer

Saturday 10/03/15 vs. Fulton-Mont. @ 12pm (Home)

Cross Country

Saturday 10/03/15 Mount St. Mary Invit. @10am

Men’s Football

Sunday 10/04/15 vs. East Coast Prep @ 1pm (Home)

Cross country

Volleyball The Hudson Valley Community College women’s volleyball team (3-10) lost three matches at the Broome POD on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings lost to Tompkin-Cortland Community College (14-25, 18-25, 13-25), Corning Community College (8-25, 26-28, 8-25), and SUNY Broome (7-25, 12-25, 13-25).

Hope Rebeor (Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk/Coeymans Hollow) led the Vikings with eight kills, seven digs, two blocks and two assists. Emma Soltis (Schalmont/ Schenectady) recorded 28 digs and four assists, and Megan Persons (Chatham/Chatham) added twelve assists and four digs.

The women host Columbia-Greene on Wednesday for a match at 6 p.m.

The Hudson Valley men’s cross country team finished 6th at the SUNY Poly Long Course Invitational. Below are the men’s and women’s results from the race: Men- 8k #25 Connor Terrell (Shenendehowa/Albany): 30:35 #31 Anthony Erno (Scotia-Glenville/Glenville): 31:04 #60 David Considine (Bethlehem/Delmar): 34:25 #66 Charles Hanby (Averill Park/Wynantskill): 35:15 #72 Arnoldo Burnett (John F. Kennedy/Bronx): 36:15 #82 Jeff Kline (Galway/Galway): 38:27 #87 Ryan Kohlenberger (Lee/Lee, MA): 39:09 #88 Brendon Kondrat (Galway/Middlegrove): 39:09 #95 Josiah Dillon (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa): 44:16 Women- 5k #15 Halle Nightingale (Hoosic Valley/Schaghticoke): 21:59 #35 Brenda Stack (Pine Bush/Pine Bush): 24:12 #36 Emily Wilk (Home School/Gansevoort): 24:38 #40 Meghan Riley (Greenwich/Greenwich): 26:12 The cross country teams travel to the Mount Saint Mary Invitational next Saturday.

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TIE

Sept. 23 HVCC v.

Mohawk Valley 1-1

Women’s Soccer

TIE

Sept. 23 HVCC v.

Mohawk Valley 0-0

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