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OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Thehudsonian.org

Volume 68, Issue 8

October 27th, 2015

It’s over.

Historic season ends off the field

By: John C. Longton III Sports Editor The men’s soccer team’s season came up short not due to play, but lost on an academic technicality. The team finished the season ranked No. 7 in the nation and had high hopes going to nation-

als. This all came crashing down on Monday when the administration received midterm grades and self-imposed a post-season ban.

Due to the FERPA guidelines, the details of who and what happened could not be released, but Athletic Director Kristin Pelletier assured that it wasn’t cheating or anything major. “It was a techni-

cality. The student didn’t know they were doing anything wrong,” said Pelletier.

The administration took a stance here where they would rather self-impose a ban than have the NJCAA knocking on its door.

“There’s a chance that the NJCAA wouldn’t have caught this, but it wouldn’t be fair to the other team

(Niagara) if we played and got disqualified when they could have gone (to Broome),” said Pelletier.

The team already had one regional game played this year when they beat Niagara County Community College 3-0. The team was excited after the win and eager to move onto the next round. They were scheduled to play No. 4 seed

Broome Community College in round two on Tuesday as they looked to make a nationals run.

News broke Monday afternoon about the team being academically ineligible, only 24 hours before they were to make that trip.

Continued on page 14

Transgender student suffers for identity By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor After years of fighting to be considered male, Lex Alston said some students and professors still refer to him as “she.”

“Whenever somebody says ‘she’ -- it hits like a bullet. It hurts,” said Alston.

Although Alston still gets offended by hearing female gender pronouns shot in his direction, he avoids retaliation. “We were taught to look at a chest and see if there’s boobs and that means they’re a girl,” said Alston.

In an effort to appear male beyond pronouns, Alston wears two chest binders (a broad bandage or girdle that encircles the chest) daily to flatten his chest. As a result of wearing two binders, Alston has cuts, bruises and skin discoloration around his skin.

“You’re really not supposed to wear two at a time but I can’t

really go out of the house without two at a time,” he said. He washes his chest binders nightly. If they don’t dry by the morning, Alston refuses to go out, sometimes missing class.

Alston looks forward to taking testosterone injections to make chest binders a thing of the past. Along with his physical transformation, he also hopes to make a legal change from his birth name, from “Alexa” to “Alexander.”

“Not everyone can pick their name. I don’t want to pick my name, I just want to make it male,” he said.

When Alston was younger, he used female bathrooms. Although he generally uses male bathrooms now, he tries to avoid public bathrooms whenever possible unless accompanied by a friend. “I walked into a [men’s] bathroom a few days ago because I had to pee. I saw a guy right

there and I walked right out,” said Alston.

Growing up, Alston took every opportunity to present himself a boy. He started identifying as “Lex” at 10. As a child, he often wore cargo shorts and avoided makeup.

Continued on page 8

Inside News

Inside Features

Inside Sports

Rifle arrest

Heroin

Hockey Cancelled

Student faces sanctions for early month gun incident.

Page 3

Former addict looks to help others fight drug abuse.

Page 7

Hudson Valley scheduled to discontinue Ice Hockey in 2017.

Page 16

2

October 27th, 2015

NEWS

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

STUDENT SENATE

Three candidates battle for top freshman seat for the first time in three years

Managing Editor Tyler McNeil Business Manager Patrick Gareau News Editor Durgin McCue Sports Editor John C. Longton III Photo Editor Marison Topinio Copy Editor Dae-Jin Yuk Staff Writers Chris Payne Jenny Caulfield Rebecca Jordan Samantha Longton Wanda Lewis Staff Photographers Jenny Caulfield Michael Bryant Stephanie Saddlemire Faculty Adviser 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 56/39 WEDNESDAY High/Low 57/55 THURSDAY High/Low 67/42 FRIDAY High/Low 53/31 SATURDAY High/Low 54/42 SUNDAY High/Low 57/45

Emma Dillon

Steven Pelletier

Manik Elahi

Total eligible voters : 3622

By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor Manik Elahi, Emma Dillon and Steven Pelletier will face off Wednesday for freshman class president a year after no votes were cast for the elections. “I think we can do a way better job than we’re doing right now,” said Elahi.

“To me, it’s not really about rank or power, I just really want to help the campus and encourage everyone to become as involved as possible,” said Pelletier.

Along with the current race, Pelletier and Dillon have mentioned aspirations towards the Student Senate presidency. “I really feel like this is a comfortable setup for me to get comfortable with the senate and get my interest shown,” said Dillon. The last two freshman class presidents, including Samantha Bedell in 2013, moved onto executive board positions in the Senate.

Elahi, who joined the Senate last spring, mentioned that his focus pertains only to be being elected freshman class president as of now.

Last year, Student Senate president Everett McNair was ap-

pointed as freshman class president after no votes were casted on the ballot. In addition to having no voter turnout, McNair was the only freshman that ran for any position that election.

He went on to win the Student Senate presidency against Xavier Miller and Chad Albright last spring with the highest voter turnout in recent history (585 votes, 63 abstains). McNair believes last year’s election partially impacted participation in the senate. “I think part of it is that we have a lot of motivated people on the Senate right now, but I think there’s also a snowball effect from this past year having high voter turnout [which] raised awareness about the Senate and campus activities,” said McNair.

The last time three contenders faced off for freshman class president, Brittanie Wright won the election against James Greg and Emily Vega with 85 votes but never moved up to the Senate executive board. Despite Greg having the least amount of votes against both of his opponents, he was the only student in the election to move on to a seat in the executive board the next year.

Both having started Hudson Valley at 16-years-old, Pelletier is

still a senior at Berlin High School in the early admissions program while Dillon left Ballston-Spa High School early last year to get involved in the 24-credit-hour program, the same program as Grace Harrison, last year’s Student Senate president.

Dillon and Pelletier also share family ties in senate. Dillon’s brother, Josiah, currently acts as treasurer on the executive board.

“I’m proud to see what [Emma’s] done and I’m excited to see what she’ll do in the future,”said Josiah.

Pelletier said he was influenced by his sister, Erika, to start attending Senate meetings earlier this semester. “For him to be in the Student Senate, you need to be responsible as well as a people’s person -- it just made sense,” said Erika.

Erika, who plans to transfer to Saint Rose in the spring, has been a Senator since Fall 2013, and is one of the longest standing senators currently involved in the Senate.

Senators were required to collect 50 signatures and freshman presidential hopefuls were required to collect 150 signatures in order to enter the race. “I felt that that if I got to know more people on campus, I would get to

know who I’m representing,” said Pelletier. He collected over 300 signatures before petitions were due earlier this month.

Elahi was one of the last candidates to begin petitioning for Freshman Class President. According to Elahi, he started petitioning a week after petitions were released to focus on academics. “I really like to focus on one thing at a time,” he said.

Along with being the only candidate in the race alongside a party, Elahi considers his experience as an international student a strong factor in being able to attract a diverse voter demographic. “I can converse better with people. I can understand where they’re coming from better,” Elahi said.

While Elahi sees being an international student as an advantage in the upcoming elections, being the only female in the race, Dillon believes she can win the seat by appealing to the college’s female demographic. “I feel like it really differs me from the other candidates,” she said.

Polls open for the freshman elections at 10 a.m. Wednesday until 4 p.m Thursday.

Calendar of Events October

Wed 28

Freshmen Elections Vote online at www.hvcc.edu/vote.

Yoga 12:00 pm – 12:50 pm Siek Campus Center, Suite 270

Thu 29

Freshmen Elections Vote online at www.hvcc.edu/vote.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

Pumpkin Palooza Siek Campus Center, First Floor Lobby

Pumpkin Palooza Fall Festival 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm McDonough Sports Complex

October 27th, 2015

NEWS

3

Questions still linger after rifle arrest By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor Last Tuesday, Jordan Lourie was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon and was walked out of the Alex Popovic’s office with two Public Safety officers standing by.

“The student is going through the normal judicial and disciplinary process,” said Dennis Kennedy, director of marketing and communications.

According to Article VI of the campus judicial system, “possession of or threats involving weapons or explosives (including knives and firearms)” can receive penalties from the college such as disciplinary suspension, dismissal or expulsion. Lourie’s penalty from college for the Oct. 8 incident has not yet been confirmed.

Popovics, vice president for enrollment management and student development, declined to comment on possible disciplinary actions by the college facing Lourie.

Five days after the incident, Lourie appeared in North Greenbush Town Court and made a plea deal for criminal possession of a weapon according to North Greenbush Town Clerk Kathryn Connolly.

On Oct. 8 at 10:20 a.m., Public Safety officer Steven Denio received a phone call from a student who saw a .22 caliber Mossberg rifle in the backseat of a red 2002 Nissan in the H Lot. The student reported seeing the weapon in the front row facing Williams Rd, before calling Public Safety.

The car’s license plate number, received from the witness, was entered into the department’s database, which located Jordan Lourie through his class schedule.

Public Safety reached out to the North Greenbush Police Department while Lourie was being located. Four unarmed Public Safety officers were dispatched to Lourie’s morning class in the Viking Daycare Center, over 300 feet away from the H Lot. “There was no incident as a

result of this situation. The vehicle was parked and unattended at which time an alert student noticed the rifle in the backseat and immediately reported it to HVCC Public Safety,” said North Greenbush Chief of Police Robert J. Durivage in a statement released to the public.

Moe Olhman, business administration student, heard about the gun arrest through Twitter prior to receiving an email notification from the college. “I went home because you never know what could’ve happened,” said Olhman.

Two officers asked Lourie to step outside the classroom before ordering his arrest. In cooperation with Public Safety, Lourie unlocked his vehicle. Public Safety officers seized the weapon and confiscated the rest of the car. The rifle was reportedly found unloaded and no ammunition was found throughout the rest of the vehicle.

The 27-year-old student was then charged with criminal possession of a weapon, a class E felony. Under the consent of Popovics, Lourie was immediately suspended. Lourie was then sent to Public Safety for further interrogation before being transferred through the North Greenbush Police Department.

Lourie told North Greenbush Police that he went target shooting the previous day and forgot to remove the weapon from his car that day.

“It’s kind of stupid that he just left it out in the open,” said Eileen Lyons, criminal justice student.

Public Safety continued the investigation until later that afternoon. The investigation stopped around 2 p.m.

After being arraigned by North Greenbush Town Justice Megan Malone, Lourie was released later that Thursday.

“I think the fact it seemed so hushed about until later on was not okay,” said Deanna McHeard, individual studies student. A mass email was sent out to students and faculty over two hours after the arrest.

Classes were not cancelled following the arrest. “We knew there was no clear danger so there was need to disrupt the class schedule,” said Dennis Kennedy, director of marketing and communications.

The incident occurred a week after the Umpqua Community College shooting, which Ben Mojica, liberal arts student, believes accelerated media hype of the incident. “We have this mass hysteria on campus now that somebody is going to bring in a gun and start shooting everyone,” said Mojica.

“I think we took it a little too far to be honest,” said Michael Dibernardo, psychology student, about media interest in the Oct. 8 incident. According to Aliberti, a similar incident involving an unloaded rifle being found in a student’s car occurred in 2009 but the incident received less media coverage.

In 2005, a year before Aliberti took command of Public Safety, a .32 caliber semi-automatic handgun was recovered after a fight broke out in Amstuz Hall.

Over the last five years, the college has had calls with potential threats, gaining media attention. “They’re all unique in their own way but at the same time, they all necessitated an immediate and serious response on our behalf,” said Aliberti.

Three years ago, ex-Student Senate vice president Hassan Murtaza was charged with fourth-degree possession of a weapon.

In 2013, Nick Lemieux was arrested on campus after using social media to imply that he had a bomb in his backpack. After Lemieux posted “You don’t know what’s in my backpack” on Twitter with a bomb emoji, he was immediately taken out of class and later charged with second-degree aggravated harassment by Troy Police.

“When you think about what’s going on around the country and other kinds of incidents with weapons, you start paying a little bit more attention to the world around you,” said Aliberti.

Tyler McNeil | THE HUDSONIAN

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4

October 27th, 2015

NEWS

Senate pushes ‘sock drawer’ intiative

Mikey Bryant | THE HUDSONIAN Student Senate Secretary Brody O’Connor and Freshman Class President hopeful Emma Dillon hold up clothing collection bin in the Campus Center

By: Wanda Lewis Staff Writer Emma Dillon and Student Senate secretary Brody O’Connor have co-founded “the Sock Drawer”, a drive focused on providing socks to those in need.

The Sock Drawer started from Dillon and O’Connor’s desires to get involved in helping the community. “We were just kind of brainstorming and it came up as an idea.” said Dillon. “This is the perfect season to do it because people need warm socks for the winter.”

Dillon explained that often, socks are taken for granted because they are not looked at as a necessity. “A lot of people have to focus their funds on more important things such as food or shelter to the point where they can’t afford to buy socks because their money is being placed elsewhere”, Dillon said, “Socks are often overlooked in a typical clothing drive because they have to be donated new… so I think it’s really important to get [new] socks for people in need of it.”

The sock drive is will start on Nov. 2 and run until Nov. 31.

The pair plans to put dona-

tion bins in banks and churches, targeting the inner cities of Troy and Albany. They also plan to launch a campus-based collection to allow students to participate in donating to the cause here at Hudson Valley as well.

“What we have to do is get people to donate new socks, then we are going to distribute them to local food pantries, homeless shelters, churches and then anyone else in the school who needs it.” stated Dillon.

In the past, the Student Senate has taken on other community service operatives. In the 30 Days of Giving Campaign, Student

Senate members, along with the Entrepreneurs club, provided aid for a day in Staten Island during the rebuilding period after Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012.

The senate also runs the food pantry where students are able receive up to two bags of food a month.

The senate still utilizes the community service committee and participates in projects throughout the area. “I’m going with Erika Pelletier and the community service committee and we’re painting rooms in a new orphanage for children, so that’s really exciting,” mentioned Dillon.

Drone hovers over the campus map By: Matt Whalen Editor-in-Chief “I think drones are useful for a lot of different programs like photography, the art department, and for creative project use,” said director of Public Safety Fred Aliberti.

Throughout the last few weeks, there has been talk about the controversies of using drones. During Hudson Valley’s new marketing campaign, the school brought in a team that used a drone to shoot video.

The marketing department at Hudson Valley had a choice between regular cameras to shoot a new commercial, or using a drone. They chose to use the drone.

“For the TV execution of ‘That’s Bold,’ we want to create an impression that shows off Hudson Valley Community College in a bold way using a drone to film unique points of view,” said account manager of IdeaAgency Jen Obregon.

According to Aliberti, the school does not have a set-in-stone policy for the use of drones on campus. He explains that the main concern is to make sure everyone is safe and that whoever is controlling the drone knows what they are doing.

“We are going to look at it on a one on one basis, depending on the student or professor and what they will be using it for,” said Aliberti.

The marketing agency IdeaAgency had professional drone operators that made sure the safety regulations were in place and made sure the drone flew smoothly.

“When I noticed the team using the drone, it wasn’t too crowded and in the afternoon,” said Aliberti. “I think that is what we are going to look at. If you want to use a drone for a project to shoot video or photos, we want to make sure there isn’t a big crowd.”

One of the main concerns of the school and drone flight in general is who the person operating the drone is.

According to Aliberti the school is more open to letting established professionals use drones.

“I think the worst part is that it’s in the skill of the operator. It’s one thing if you have a small drone and just want to use it on the weekends in the parking lot,” said Aliberti. As the school works to get a policy in place for the use of drones, they will go about it based on the situation, the operator and most of all, safety.

Marison Topinio | THE HUDSONIAN Drone used in marketing campaign video in the Science Center.

Marison Topinio | THE HUDSONIAN Director of photography for Studio Center, Chris Karvellas shoots a volleyball game with the automated drone to capture video footage for the new Hudson Valley commercial.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

NEWS

5

Campaign plans to move college marketing in a ‘bold’ direction By: Matt Whalen Editor-in-Chief The Hudson Valley Marketing and Communications department has come up with a new addition of “That’s Bold” to add a new approach for new incoming students.

“Essentially what we are doing is, we are working to refresh our brand with a new creative approach,” said Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Dennis Kennedy.

The school’s tagline “Be Bold.

Be a Viking” was meant to make students feel proud to come to Hudson Valley. “It means it’s providing prospective students in particular with the permission to feel proud to be a part of our community,” said Kennedy.

“Underneath the ‘Be Bold. Be a Viking’ brand, we have a new creative treatment that is highlighting our key messages and key differentiators in a new way,” he added.

With this new message, the school is making statements

Wanting more and doing something about it.

THAT’S

BOLD.

Courtesy of Communications and Marketing

According to Dennis Kennedy, in a study, 93 percent of students liked or loved the new marketing campaign.

FAST FACTS

about college affordability, about quality academic programing and campus life to encourage students to enroll.

The school over the past several years has done surveys with the students to see how they feel about the campaign. According to Kennedy, 93% of the students either liked or loved the campaign.

“The way that the school put together all the information for the ‘Be Bold. Be a Viking’ tagline is a smart way to get students in the door,” said individual studies major Rhianne Pinke. “The new addition of ‘That’s Bold’ definitely gives it a stronger feel and a stronger message about what the school has to offer,” she said.

The marketing department has teamed up with IdeaAgency, which now works with Hudson Valley to make new commercials and campaigns.

“What is bold? It’s daring to base choices on hard facts, not popular opinion. It’s refusing to accept that the only way to climb higher is on a mountain of debt.

It’s throwing old formulas out of the window and opening your mind to new ways to reach your

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ADMISSIONS OFFICE (518) 629-7309

Name_________________________________________________ High School_______________________ Grad Year__________ Home Address_______________________________________ ___________________________________________________

www.hvcc.edu admissions@ hvcc.edu

City________________________________________________ State________________ Zip________ Phone (______)__________________ Email __________________________

80 Vandenburgh Ave., Troy, NY 12180

Courtesy of Communications and Marketing Questions? Call toll-free 1-877-325-HVCC

New Hudson Valley marketing campaign using “That’s Bold.” goal,” said account manager of IdeaAgency Jen Obregon.

The new commercial will begin airing on TV and online towards the end of October. Kennedy said that they do it around this time because that’s when high school students are starting to look at colleges.

The commercial was filmed exclusively by a drone. “It’s one looking to show off the wonderful campus that we have, and to show off the personal connections that are created among students, and among students, faculty and staff,”

Classes still held on Veteran’s Day

said Kennedy.

The school did hold focus groups with students to show them some options of new possible campaigns and to get their feel of what would attract students.

“In a nutshell, we are updating our look, feel, imagery, and messaging still within the ‘Be Bold. Be a Viking’ brand to stay fresh and to put a creative approach in the marketplace,” said Kennedy.

80+ degree and certificate programs 24 online programs

96% job placement/transfer rate

250 transfer agreements By:+ Rebecca Jordan

12,000 Staff student enrollment Writer 20/1 student/faculty ratio

Veteran’s Day is Nov. 11 this year, 155 but+ classes still beofheld faculty andwill staff recipients SUNY Chancellor’s Awards on this holiday.

According Kenne50+ student to clubsDennis and organizations dy, director of communications 16 intercollegiate sports and marketing, the college is relocations quired to8 have 75around daystheofregion instruction, and the academic calendar is built with that condition in mind.

In addition, since finals week was eliminated this past year, teachers now have to work their course material around the decreased days of instruction.

Chris Howell, an individual studies student and veteran previously deployed in Iraq, does not fault the college for holding classes on Veteran’s Day. “It doesn’t really bother me, honestly. I mean, I celebrate in my own little way, and most of it doesn’t involve needing a day off. Some people might have a problem with it, but I don’t.”

Army veteran Steve Nobles agrees with Howell. “A veteran, for one, is somebody who signs a paper to sacrifice their free time anyway. You’re sacrificing your time that you would have with your family to go fight the enemy, so for me to work, it was never a big deal.”

This semester, there are over 300 veterans attending Hudson Valley. The college provides many special services to those who have served in the military, including the armed forces study room located on the second floor of the Marvin Library.

An Admissions representative from Hudson Valley Community College will be visiting

Nobles approves of the college ON for providing this service.

“As soon as I came in [the study AT and met these guys, I could room] relate to them. off the bat, ADMISSIONS OFFICERight // (518) 629-7309 admissions@hvcc.edu it’s www.hvcc.edu like ‘Oh, //you’re army? What did you do? Oh, me too.’ You got your crew – your battle buddies, as some of us call them,” he said.

Some students, however, feel that holding classes on Veteran’s Day is disrespectful to those who have served in the military.

“If they wanted a day to switch, Veteran’s Day is definitely more important than Columbus Day,” environmental science student Austin Knapp said.

Dylan Altobelli, a student enrolled in the business administration program, said, “It’s a good day to remember all of the people who have served our country. A lot of people probably won’t realize that it’s Veteran’s Day because we don’t have it off.”

Bryan Drost, a Marine Corps veteran, was disappointed that students are not given Veteran’s Day off. “I volunteered for the Albany Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day parades, and I can’t even be at the parade when I’m on the committee that puts it together,” Drost said.

Hudson Valley is not the only

school that does not give students Veteran’s Day off; the majority of other SUNY schools have the same policy. College faculty that served in the military is eligible to take the day off with pay under Section 63 of the Public Officers Law, but student veterans are subject to the policies of their individual teachers.

There are veterans on both sides of the spectrum: “I know it goes both ways,” Howell said, “but we don’t want people to think we feel entitled to a day off specifically because of what we chose to do.”

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

Get paid to: - write - take photos - make art - hold editorial positions Marison Topinio | THE HUDSONIAN Veterans join together in the Armed Forces room in the Marvin Library.

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6

October 27th, 2015

NEWS

Organizations look to spread health and wellness awareness in Campus Center By: Chris Payne Staff Writer The Campus Center was centered around health and wellness as Hudson Valley hosted the Wellness Fair on Oct. 14.

“We want to help erase the stigma of mental illness,” said Pam Slotsky, part of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).

“The Wellness Fair is a good thing to have because a lot of students are not aware of the Wellness Center,” said Dennis Dominguez, another representative of the Human Services Club.

The first people who attended the Wellness Fair were the Human Services club. “A Wellness Fair is good because it brings awareness to health issues,” said Audrey McKee, Human Services club member.

Kari Law was another representative of the Human Services Club. “It is a very good thing that the Wellness Center is here,” she said. “A lot of students are not aware of the issues about human health.”

“The Wellness Fair is a good way to reach out to students and make them aware of the programs here at Hudson Valley,” said Joe Frazier, human services major.

Many different organizations attended the Wellness Fair. “We

Mikey Bryant | THE HUDSONIAN Students stop by local organizations represented at the Wellness Fair. help people with different disabilities to live alone, be independent, and do whatever with their lives,” said Christopher Walsh, who works for the Independent Living Center in Troy. “We want people to spread the word about us and help people out with different tasks like fill out Medicaid

and disability papers.”

The American Cancer Society also attended the Wellness Fair. “My goal is to work with the students and faculty and have them to know the portion sizes, healthy choices, and physical activity,” said Wendy Stickley-Ocker, a delivery manager.

Ashley Pulsoni, a nutrition education advisor for the Capital Region was also at the fair. “I wanted to spread awareness of making healthier food choices,” Pulsoni said. “There’s a lot of good variety in organizations here at this Wellness Fair.”

“The Wellness Fair is a good

way to spread awareness about massage and how to become massage therapists,” said Alicia Lombard, therapist from the Center for Natural Wellness in Colonie.

7th annual race looks to eliminate stigma By: Samantha Longton Staff Writer Despite the sudden drop in temperature, dozens showed up to support and participate in the seventh Annual Race Away Stigma 5K at Hudson Valley on Saturday.

“The stigma still surrounds mental illness, even today,” said Larry Ellis, associate director of the Counseling and Transfer Center. “Everyone knows someone in their life who is struggling from a mental illness,” he said.

The main mission of the race is to remove the stigma associated with mental illnesses and encourage students that are suffering to not be afraid to seek help.

According to the Wellness Center

representatives, things like depression and anxiety are becoming a problem in colleges across America.

The coordinators of the event wanted to spread the word to the public by distributing fliers to nearby colleges and agencies.

“We’re just raising awareness about the attachment that mental illness brings,” said student senator Kara Vanguilder, who also participated in the race.

The coordinators also hung up posters with words of encouragement hung around the student pavilion as reminders to those who are struggling with a mental illness not to feel alone. They set up sponsor booths stationed under the pavilion which had representatives from the new Wellness

Center, Equinox, Ellis Medicine, and others.

“Unfortunately there’s so much stigma around [mental illness] that some people don’t seek the help they need and end up suffering more,” said Denise Stockwell, a mental health counseling intern with the Equinox’s Family Resources program.

Stockwell also works with Hudson Valley’s Project Aware organization, whose mission is to raise awareness of mental, physical, and emotional health on campus.

“Warmer weather was my expectation for today, but we did have a great turn out,” said Joe Frazier, social services student.

Frazier was also there representing the Project Aware team. Another main goal of the race was to

bring awareness to the Wellness Center itself. According to Kathleen Sweener, the executive director of Student Development and Wellness, the center “provides a comprehensive and holistic approach to health education.”

The coordinators directed students to the Wellness Center, located upstairs in the Center. “We have licensed mental health counselors on staff that are trained to assist our students,” said Sweener.

“We know often there is a barrier to accessing services, even when someone is aware they have a problem and aware of the services, they may feel stigmatized”.

There were a total of 115 participants ranging from eight to seventy years old. At the beginning of the race, the overcast

turned into a rain shower. Finishing first in the race was Matt Crave from Niskayuna with a time of 18:09.

Finishing first in the 19 and under age group for the race was student Csaba Sperry. “I wanted to get out and run, meet new people, and be around people who care about this event and support the cause,” said Sperry.

After all of the participants crossed the finish line, an array of snacks and drinks were served in the pavilion. Registration began at 8:30 a.m. and remained open until the start of the race with a registration fee of $25, but free to Hudson Valley students.

Courtesy of hvcc.edu Runners, activists and students start the race off near Joe Bruno Stadium.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

FEATURES

7

Lessons from the syringe: Bryan Prinz discovers new calling after fighting heroin addiction By: Durgin McCue News Editor After going from a heroin addict at the age of 19 to being an activist at the age of 25, Bryan Prinz has found new purpose at Hudson Valley.

Prinz, a chemical dependency counselling student, started by using prescription medications in his late teens but quickly moved on to using heroin. “Pills were just really available to me and once they stopped working I started using heroin,” he said.

After years of doing heroin, Prinz was institutionalized and has served jail time. “I picked up heroin and then life got thrown out of control for a while. I was in the throes of addiction,” said Prinz.

According to Prinz, at first he did not see a connection between his troubles and his heroin use, but as he became more mature, he did. “As simple as it may seem, I had to understand that if I stopped the drug use I wouldn’t go to jail,” he said.

Prinz committed to long term recovery after his second appearance in drug court. “Drug court works if you are honest and want to change. My first time in court I was ready and I went through it and it worked for me, but once I graduated I used again,” said Prinz.

Having been sober for 16 months, Prinz is becoming more

Marison Topinio | THE HUDSONIAN Having been sober for 16 months, Bryan Prinz now works with Young People in Recovery, a non-profit in Albany. and more active in local addiction educational programs. As part of his recovery, Prinz works with a non-profit in Albany called Young People in Recovery, or YPR. “We try to educate kids, and parents on how to deal with it” Prinz’s family has been a key part of his recovery by supporting him through hard times, but

when Prinz finds himself overwhelmed, he turns to his friends for support. “The people in YPR have been supportive of me in my recovery,” he said.

While making new friends at YPR, Prinz had to cut himself off from others he associated with in the past. “I had to cut myself off from all my old friends, and to

move away from home. I relocated [to Lansingburgh] so I’m not surrounded by people I used to get high with. For me, constantly being influenced by old friends was a problem.”

A Chemical Dependency Counseling certification (CASAC), will help Prinz achieve his long-term goal of being a pre-

vention educator to high school students. “I want to help create prevention programs in schools, I know they already have them, but I want help and critique them.”

When he speaks at schools, Prinz avoids lecturing or scaring students but rather tries to relate to them and share his experience about what could happen. Prinz also believes that being young will make it easier for high schoolers to relate to him. “If kids have somebody who really educates them I think they will be less likely to go where I did.”

Educating parents is also very important to Prinz. “People tend to put their children on a pedestal, so when it does happen they don’t know how to deal with it. They don’t know who to ask for help, or where to go.”

Prinz noticed that over the past few years, the ages of addicts are becoming lower and lower.

“There are younger kids doing it.

There are definitely more kids in high school who are doing heroin.

It’s definitely an epidemic.”

Originally, Prinz was concerned that he would have trouble avoiding drugs at college, but has since become more comfortable. He often wonders when he will be next tempted to use heroin. “That’s what it means to be in recovery, to think about these things constantly. It’s just about what you do with those thoughts,” said Prinz.

PERSPECTIVE

Breast Cancer Awareness events less present than last year By: Jenny Caulfield Staff Writer Last year, the college held five separate events in October to help promote breast cancer awareness during October. This month, there were only two events on campus sponsored by the college having to do with breast cancer awareness.

Circle K Circle K ran another breast cancer awareness bake sale on Oct. 21, again donating all proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Cody Lane, the vice president of Circle K, was the one in charge of the event on campus. Halfway through the club’s fundraiser, they had already made around $83. According to Lane, the profits from Circle K’s bake sale were being matched by Nanotech IBM, doubling the money they raised for the American Cancer Society.

Student Senate The Student Senate ran a bake sale for breast cancer awareness on Oct. 13, with all proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society. Student Senate Vice President Bryce Kirk organized the fundraiser held in the Campus Center with the support of other students.

“I love to do anything that has to do with supporting cancer [awareness] so I was like ‘heck yeah’,” said Jordyn Applebaum, individual studies student.

Taylor Laporta, a radiology major, was personally affected by breast cancer, as her mother is a breast cancer survivor. This led to Laporta becoming one of many Hudson Valley students advocating for the cause and helping to run the bake sale. Both Laporta and Kirk attended the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Washington Park last October, inspiring Kirk to find ways of raising money during Breast Cancer Awareness Month on campus.

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Lex

8

“Not everyone can pick their name. I don’t want to pick my name, I just want to make it male.”

From Page 1

Transgender student He played sports and talked about girls, despite often being excluded from boys’ circles. He recalled that growing up, he tried to compensate for not being male. “I identified more as a tomboy when I was little, but there was nothing I could do that I knew of to actually be a boy,” he said.

Alston faced the challenge having to wear dresses to school under his school’s dress code every day and tried to push the boundaries of what he could wear. From kindergarten to eighth grade, Alston encountered other obstacles figuring out his identity at Saint Pius Christian School in Loudonville. “Sexuality wasn’t really talked about [at Saint Pius]. It was a ‘you don’t go there’ thing,” he said.

In December 2010, Alston recalled being uncomfortable at a mass at Saint Pius where the priest censured the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act. “My ears got hot. I felt both mad and ashamed,” he said.

As puberty hit, Alston, confused about his gender, would wear tight clothing to present himself as a female but would live another life online, identifying on social media and on internet games as a male. “I feel like I’ve been able to explore my gender and sexuality because of the internet,” he said.

Since his first period hit eight years ago, Alston said that having an active menstrual cycle has been increasingly difficult to talk about. “I don’t even want to give people the idea that I once identified as a female,” he said.

Growing up, some adults would often attribute his behavior to body image issues.

“My teacher sat me down in a room and said, ‘I’m uncomfortable with my body. I can relate.’ I was thinking ‘No, you can’t, lady’,” said Alston.

When he was 13, Alston started growing more comfortable with being transgender but recalled being unready to allow others to know. He continued fighting the school’s dress code up to his middle school graduation.

“They told the girls to come in with a skirt or a dress [and] they told the boys to come in with slacks and a t-shirt,” said Alston. “I came in with slacks and a t-shirt.”

That summer, Alston cut his hair, wore excessive layers of clothing and started identifying as transgender before having a new beginning at Niskayuna High School.

“Everything changed that summer,” Alston said.

Starting in high school, Alston became active in raising transgender awareness education and supporting LGBTQ efforts. He started participating in Niskayuna High School’s Visibility Club and attended meetings at the Pride Center in Albany. “I wanted to be Co-President of the Pride Alliance because I know that transgender people get overlooked,” said Alston.

Lex Alston holds up a picture of himself as a toddler. Born as Alexa, Alston hopes to eventually change his name to Alexander Tyler McNeil | THE HUDSONIAN

Design by Matt Whalen | THE HUDSONIAN

It wasn’t until three years ago that Alston started becoming more open about his sexuality, after a friend of his came out as gay. “After that, I felt okay with it. I don’t have to like girls because not all boys like girls,” said Alston.

Coming into high school after he started identifying as transgender, Alston was drawn into theatre with a passion for music, as he loved performing and being able to assume male roles. He found acting closer to reality. “I related to it because I feel like I’ve been acting like someone else I haven’t been my whole life,” he said.

In the future, Alston fears his career prospects in theatre as a transgendered male.“It’s really scary. I don’t always know if I’ll have a career,” he said.

Alston, who hasn’t had a relationship since middle school, struggles with intimacy as a transgendered man. “I worry ‘will they be disgusted with me?’ and ‘even

if I tell them, will they be grossed out by me?’,” he said.

Despite struggling with relationships, Alston said that social anxiety has never been a problem. “I don’t think being transgender defines me,” he said. When meeting new people, Alston often tries to avoid telling others about his identity, so people have the opportunity to see him beyond being transgender.

If born male, he said that life would have been easier but also that he could not imagine living without years of struggling. “I feel like having gone through everything I’ve gone through … it’s given me the opportunity to not make assumptions and want to get to know people,” said Alston.

Alston

9

10

October 27th, 2015

FEATURES

RateMyprofessors.com: mixed reception from campus community By: Rebecca Jordan Staff Writer “Even if we didn’t like RateMyProfessors.com, it’s not going away because it has basically taken on a life of its own,” said Gregory Sausville, professor of history.

Students at Hudson Valley use the website to varying degrees and sometimes rely on RateMyProfessors for input in putting together their course schedule.

“Before every semester, I live on [RateMyProfessors]. You need it. It’s literally the only way I’ll choose a teacher,” said Erick Sarrion, biological sciences student.

On RateMyProfessors, students are asked to give instructors a ranking from one to five in several different categories such as clarity, helpfulness, easiness and the amount of interest students had prior to attending the class.

A professor’s overall rating only takes into account clarity and helpfulness, equally weighting each of the scores for both.

Students can also rate their schools as well as their teachers.

Universities are rated based on separate categories, including reputation, happiness, and opportunity. Based on 102 ratings

by Hudson Valley students, the college has earned a 3.7 overall quality rating.

Hudson Valley has an average professor rating of 3.76 out of 5. Forensics professor Carla Gunderman attributes her 4.9 rating to her love of teaching. “I adore my students, and I hope they get as much enthusiasm from the topics that we talk about that I do when I teach them,” she said.

The highest rating of any teacher at Hudson Valley goes to

Linda Scoville, a part-time English professor. Students have given her the most ratings, 26 within the perfect score range of 5.0.

While Scoville believes RateMyProfessors is generally a good tool for students, she also considers the site not a top resource for professor evaluation. “I’m certainly not teaching for RateMyProfessors.com; that’s not what’s on my mind as I’m teaching. I focus on the individual [students], and I’m not thinking of ‘what’s my rating going to be.’”

“People that go and use it either are extremely positive about the professor or extremely negative,” said Jake Zembruzuski, liberal arts student. “If you’re going out of the way to review on there, you’re going to be in one extreme camp or the other.”

“Some of them are helpful, the bad feedback you get and some of it is just mean and the good stuff, some of it’s too glowing. It’s like, wow, I walk on water,” said Sausville, who has 124 ratings – the most of any Hudson Valley professor. “Depending on which ones you read, you either want to shoot yourself or your head gets giant,” he said.

RateMyProfessors.com has become popular with students from across the globe. The site boasts information on 1.4 million professors from 7,000 schools in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom and more than 16 million ratings.

Individual Studies student Alex Lemos takes a more reserved approach to RateMyProfessors. “I think you have to take everything with a grain of salt when it comes to the site,” he said.

Courtesy of ratemyprofessor.com

Graphic by Tyler McNeil | THE HUDSONIAN

Punk student rebels against cyst By: Jenny Caulfield Staff Writer After discovering an injury on his vocal chords, Jon Delong was left with a choice: either undergo a life-altering surgery or live with the chance of never singing again. He chose surgery.

“If I didn’t have the surgery, it could have possibly turned into cancer or ruined my voice for life,” said Delong.

Delong has been the vocalist for punk band Nine Votes Short for five years. Harsh vocals caused Delong to be left with critical injury to his voice after years of singing. “From singing this type of sound, I’ve sustained an injury on my right vocal chord,” said Delong.

A cyst developed on Delong’s vocal chord and even seeing a vocal therapist once a month for a year wasn’t enough to cure it. With the severity of his cyst becoming clear, Delong decided to undergo surgery to prevent damage to his vocal chords in the future.

Delong had his surgery two weeks ago, and the surgery was a success. “They removed a bump that was formed on one side by using some kind of knife,” said Delong.

Although Delong will be missing school, he said he has received much support from friends and family during this process. “I had friends and family come over last night with all sorts of things; soft food, honey on a stick, 12 kinds of tea, home-

made sorbet, and good spirits,” he said.

Despite the success of his surgery, it has left Delong with some personal downfalls. Delong is still pressing forward and focusing on what matters most to him. “I sound a bit younger when I am able to talk, which is frustrating, but the sound coming out is very clean and healthy, and that’s what counts right now,“ said Delong. “It’s just really exciting to get to move forward because this is a condition I’ve faced for over two years.”

After surgery, Delong still keeps his attention on his band’s future. “We’ve got a fourteen track debut album waiting on my good health to finish,” said Delong. “I’m just glad everyone has been so patient, and no matter what happens, we are going to keep playing.”

Nine Votes Short has played through other obstacles in the past. “Once I played a show [the night before] New Year’s Eve with a sinus infection so bad, that my left eye was swollen shut,” said Delong.

Nine Votes Short are having their first performance with Delong since his surgery on Nov. 7 at The Low Beat in Albany. The band will be doing an entire set of cover songs by the band NOFX. “I’m trying to be really careful with this and the support I’ve seen from friends and family so far has reminded me that my choice to do music is important to them, and that gives me hope,” he said.

Jenny Caufield | THE HUDSONIAN

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

FEATURES

11

Campus club gets ‘pride’ open

LGBTQ campus activists open up about coming out, religion and education By: Tyler McNeil Managing Editor

Stephanie Saddlemire | THE HUDSONIAN Pride Alliance officer Kyle Bloomer and another member stand in front of the Coming Out Day door in the Campus Center.

Madison Hernandez was not always comfortable identifying with rainbow colors. Last week, standing in front of a classroom of Pride Alliance members, she wore a rainbow draped around her neck without fear.

“I had a really hard time coming out to myself but, when I did accept that this is me and is who I am and this is who I will always be, it became easier to reciprocate that to other people,” said Hernandez.

After a dormant semester, the Pride Alliance looks to promote LGBTQ awareness, while some members still struggle to gain personal acceptance. “You’re always coming out to somebody new,” said Pride Alliance Officer Kyle Bloomer.

Spending his teens with what was described as a conservative experience at Tamarac High, Bloomer struggled to come out as gay, especially to his family. “It’s very scary when you don’t know how somebody is going to react because of the beliefs you know they have,” said Bloomer.

Growing up in a Christian family, Melissa Hitt, CIS student, still struggles to talk to her parents about being gay. “[My father] had me sit down and said ‘Melissa, think about the benefits of traditional marriage’,“ she said.

Approval for same sex marriage has increased from 37 percent in 2009 to 57 percent this year according to the Pew Research Center before it was legalized by a Supreme Court decision in June. “I flipped out of bed and almost put a hole through my ceiling,” said Benjamin Darkrune, CIS student, about the Supreme Court’s decision.

He said the Supreme Court’s decision was reassuring because at the time, he was dating a transgender man. Darkrune has been open about his sexuality on cam-

pus but still fears telling his parents due to their religious beliefs.

“I know it would be a big fight,” he said.

“There are so many people in our communities that are smart, cooperative and there is no reason why there should be a separation between religion and LGBTQ awareness,” said Dani Zaccaira, individual studies student.

After coming out as a lesbian to her parents, who she described as “devout christians” in tenth grade, Zaccaira’s next challenge was in the girl’s locker room at Shenendehowa High School.

“There was this one girl who said ‘I don’t want to be in the same locker room because you’re going to look at me’ and I said ‘don’t flatter yourself ’,” she said.

Samantha Broggio, health sciences student, struggled to discover her sexuality. “I later figured out that I don’t like just girls and guys. I just didn’t know what to call it,” said Broggio. She originally considered herself bisexual in middle school until she discovered pansexuality in high school.

Pansexuality is defined as “not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity.” According to Amy Briggs, 16-hour credit program student, being pansexual, her orientation is often mistaken with bisexuality. “Every person has a different interpretation of it and it’s more how you identify with it,” she said.

Since coming out as bisexual during high school in Voorheesville, Eileen Thompson, criminal justice student, fought against stereotypes while being involved in LGBTQ efforts.

“At my high school, if you were in the high school’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance), they almost always assumed that you were not cisgendered,” she said. Cisgendered relates to a person whose self-identity conforms with the gender that corresponds to their biological sex.

Pride Alliance co-president Lex Alston hopes to advocate for students who are not cisgendered, like himself. “When you’re born, you’re either a girl or a guy but, for some people -- that’s not the reality,” said Alston. As co-president, Alston hopes to push for more gender neutral bathrooms on campus.

In Fall 2014, the Pride Alliance introduced speakers Fiona Thompson and James Collins, who discussed raising a transgender child. According to club advisor Deanne Martocci, besides the October Voices lecture last year, the club was largely inactive. “Last semester was very quiet,” she said.

Pride Alliance officers, along with many of the club’s members who were not around campus last year when the group’s following and participation was at a low, hope to revitalize community involvement in the club with events such as Coming Out Day, which occurred two weeks ago.

“It’s comforting to people because a lot of times people don’t have someone telling them ‘it’s okay’,” said Hitt.

Later next month, the club hopes to hold a vigil on campus for Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day honoring those who died as a result of transphobia.

“Just for them to know that we’re here and have the support of the community can go a long way,” said Hernandez.

Despite not being a part of the LGBTQ community, Chris Crawford decided to join the Pride Alliance to remain supportive of childhood friend, Russell Clark. “I did this for the same reason I came to college in the first place, I don’t want to do it alone,” said Crawford.

“We want to make it more inclusive for everyone to make it seem like we’re just another group of people, we’re just like everybody else,” said Clark, digital media student.

Stephanie Saddlemire | THE HUDSONIAN Two officers and another member of the Pride Alliance carry the Coming Out Day door across campus.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

Vikings Sports Schedule

Men’s Ice Hockey Wednesday 10/31/15 vs. Broome @ 7p.m.

(Away)

Men’s Basketball

Saturday 10/31/15 vs. RPI (Scrimmage) @ 10p.m. (Away)

Men’s Football

Saturday 10/31/15 vs. Navy Prep @ 12p.m.

(Home)

Women’s Soccer

Sunday 11/01//15 Regional Tournament (Away)

Vikings Scoreboard Men’s Soccer

LOSS

Oct. 17 HVCC v.

Onondaga 0-1

LOSS

Oct. 24 HVCC v.

Niagra 0-1

Women’s Soccer

LOSS

Oct. 17 HVCC v.

Onondaga 0-1

WIN

Oct. 24 HVCC v.

Onondaga 5-0

Men’s Football

WIN

Oct. 24 HVCC v.

ASA 41-7

#9 Women’s Tennis

11/13

October 27th, 2015

SPORTS

12

Oct. 24 National Tournament

1 Jaylen McIntyre

F A L L

Year: Freshman Position: Running Back

Jaylen McIntyre, a CBA graduate has five touchdowns on the season and is 8th in the nation in average yards per gafme with 111.

He has 662 rushing yards on the season and is averaging six yards per carry.

2 Chandler Foster Year: Sophomore Position: Defensive Back

Chandler Foster, from Stamford, CT, has three interceptions and one fumble returned for a touchdown. He leads the team with 37 tackles and averages seven per game.

4

3

S T A R

ELIDON BARDHOLLARI Year: Sophomore Position: Forward Elidon Bardhollari, a Colonie graduate, leads the soccer team with nine goals and five assists. He has the most points on the team with 23.

5

Elisabeth Morehouse

A T H L E T E S

Year: Freshman Position: Forward

Elisabeth Morehouse, a Coxsackie-Athens graduate, 5th in the nation in scoring with 23 goals on the the season. She is 1st in the nation in shot percentage with 11.5% and has 46 points, which is 7th in the nation.

7 Connor Terell Year: Freshman Cross Country

Connor Terell, a Shenendehowa graduate, leads the men’s team averaging a little over 30 min for the 8k races. Terell is one of 11 men that have helped team become ranked 8th in the nation.

9 Hope Rebeor

Year: Freshman

Hope Rebeor, a Ravena graduate, has 59 kills, 121 digs and 87 points on the season.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

Joshua Rasmussen Year: Sophomore Position: Goalie Joshua Rasmussen, a Troy graduate, has 65 saves on the season and is currently 9th in the nation in goals against per game with 0.96. He also is 11th in the nation in save percentage with a .831 average.

6 Danielle Sloan Year: Freshman Position: Forward

Danielle Sloan, a Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake graduate, has nine goals, four assists and 22 points on the season.

8 Sarah Carter

Year: Freshman Cross Country

Sarah Carter, a Cohoes graduate, leads the women’s team as the top runner. Carter currently placed 5th in the regional meet and helped the women’s team win 2nd place at regionals.

10 Kathleen Mai

Year: Freshman

Kathleen Mai (Averill Park/Albany) led the ladies in the No. 2 singles position, coming back to win the backdraw over Hagerstown after losing her first match.

Design by Matt Whalen | THE HUDSONIAN

October 27th, 2015

SPORTS

13

Hudson Valley Athletics: Field of genes By: Sam Kobylar Staff Writer

Sean Jennings

Juan Mejicano

It is not very often where a sports team includes a set of twin brothers on the same team. However, three Hudson Valley sports teams each have a set of twin brothers on it that have made major contributions to their teams.

Sean and Steven Jennings Sean and Steven Jennings, are both offensive linemen for the Vikings, and play right next to each other. Sean is 6’ 4”, 252 lbs while Steven is 6’ 5”, 280 lbs. Both Steven and Sean are currently studying Physical Education at Hudson Valley.

“They have played together for a long time and them being right next to each other on the offensive line I think it gives us an advantage,” said head football coach Mike Muehling.

The brothers both started playing at some point in elementary school, growing up in Lincolndale, Westchester County.

During their senior years at Somers High School, the Jennings brothers helped give Somers a high school sectional championship for the first time in 12 years. “Changing the culture of our program and turning it around is my best [football] experience,” said Steven.

Both of these big men play on the offensive line, which requires being very physical at times and being a very hard competitor. That is why they love to play football.

“The year before [11th grade], we didn’t have such a great year, so I guess that offseason we were recommitted to turning the program around and having a great year. When we had a lot of success our senior year, that was a great feeling that all of our hard work paid off,” said Sean.

Growing up as twin athletes, the Jennings brothers worked hard together to make sure that they could each be as great as they possibly could.

Now, both Jennings are equally quality players. “There has always been a little bit of competitive of who is the better brother,” said Steven.

Sean said, “We have always been competitive. Our parents always treated us equal though, they were always like, ‘You guys are the same.’ Every day we are out here running sprints out here in practice and we would race each other and we will always talk after games about who did this and who did that, good or bad.”

Juan and Jonathan Mejicano “We just keep pushing each other and if one of us is slacking, we make sure that we tell him to pick it up,” said Juan Mejicano on growing up playing soccer with his twin brother Jonathan.

The two freshmen from Cairo-Durham High School in Cairo have been huge for head soccer coach Travis Cooke’s squad this season.

“There is already a lot of interest from 4 year schools so they are going to have a great college career.” said Cooke on the Mejicano brothers.

Both brothers have at least 10 points this season. Juan has 8 goals and 1 assist which gives him 17 total points on the season while Jonathan has 5 goals and 0

assists which gives him 10 total points for the season.

The Mejicanos didn’t start playing soccer until eighth grade. “Coming from Long Island, everybody was just playing soccer there,” said Juan. “We didn’t start playing until like eighth grade, then we moved and continued playing soccer,” he added.

Since both of the twins didn’t start playing soccer until a later age, the Mejicanos don’t have as many soccer memories to look back on. In fact, their favorite soccer memories came this season while playing soccer for Hudson Valley.

“This year I scored a game winner against Adirondack. I think that was the highlight of my soccer career,” said Juan.

Jonathan said, “I would say our 2-1 win against Onondaga our last game just because we were down 1-0 to begin with, and the team just came together and we just fixed up our flaws in the second half and we just came out with a great win.”

The Mejicano twins not only love to play the game, but they also love to watch soccer. Juan and Jonathan both watch soccer but root for different teams and players.

Darren and Dustin Conte The Conte twins are starting their second year at Hudson Valley after they each had productive seasons last year for the Vikings baseball team. Darren is a second baseman and a pitcher for the Vikings while Dustin is a catcher.

The brothers are from Hudson and attended Hudson High School, which is just a little less than an hour from Hudson Valley. Both are studying business administration in their second year.

“It is still up in the air a little bit.

We are starting to decide where we are going. Had a couple schools in mind, not really sure yet,” said Dustin.

These two have the potential to go to a good 4 year school after this year as each brother had a productive season on the diamond last year and look to build on that this spring. Darren batted .489 last season in 90 at bats with 2 home runs, 37 RBIs, an OBP of .546, and a slugging percentage of .633.

Not only was Darren an asset for Hudson Valley baseball at the plate last season, but he was also very productive when he got the call to the mound. In the 7 games he pitched for the Vikings last year, Darren went 2-0 with 1 save, 16 strikeouts, 8 walks and a 0.59 ERA. Dustin was also a huge asset for Hudson Valley last year behind the plate as he was good defensively behind the plate.

Compared to his brother, Darren, Dustin didn’t get as much playing time last year as Dustin only had 24 at bats last season and batted .167 with 0 home runs and 4 RBIs and a .310 OBP. Growing up as twin brothers, both Darren and Dustin followed the same baseball teams and baseball players. For example, both brothers are fans of the New York Yankees and their favorite players to watch are Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera.

Darren Conte

Steven Jennings

Jonathan Mejicano

Dustin Conte

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

SPORTS

14

Women’s Soccer looks to get back in early season form By: Sam Kobylar Staff Writer

After starting their regular season on a positive note by winning eight of their first 12 games and tying two of those games, the Vikings Women’s Soccer team hit a little skid late in the season as they dropped their last three regular season games and got outscored 8-0 in those final three games combined. It was certainly a tough point in the season to hit a cold spell as regionals are now here.

Even though the team hit a rough patch at the end of the regular season, the team started off regionals on a positive note as the Vikings won their first regional game

last Saturday at home against Onondaga Community College, 5-0. “I have been having a rough time lately and it’s finally coming together and it’s so exciting to just have this start to the regionals,” said midfield and forward Danielle Sloan.

Looking back at the regular season, it was an overall successful season for the Vikings as they finished with an overall record of 9-5-2. Despite having that positive record, they were not ranked and feel like they could have done more this season as they were 9-2-2 before dropping their final 3 regular season games. Even though the team lost the last 3 games of the regular season, the regionals could be a great opportunity to get off to the fresh start that

the Vikings need.

The team is looking to get their offense back to the form it was earlier this season, where the scored at least 4 goals in five of the eight wins they had earlier in the season. In two of those games, the team scored 7 goals or more. “I think starting off with a bunch of wins was a statement,” said forward Elisabeth Morehouse who is #5 in the nation in goals.

Since the Vikings dropped their last three regular season games right before the start of Regionals next week, it is no secret that the Vikings are practicing as hard as they can to prepare for the big Regional games.

Since the team dropped their last 3 reg-

ular season games, there may be a change in strategy in regional games, according to Sloan. “We’re working a lot on our positions because we are practicing playing 4-5-1 and that is different from what we are used to,” said Sloan.

It has been 23 years since the Vikings Women Soccer team last won a Conference Championship back in 1992. The are now seeking to get their fourth Championship in school history.

This team certainly has the potential to win a championship this year if they can shake off those last three losses during the regular season and move on from that.

With the players and chemistry this team has, the sky can be the limit for the Vikings.

From Page 1

Men’s soccer August 8th - Ocvtober 24

October 26

Graphic by Matt Whalen | THE HUDSONIAN

Lauren Sears ’15, Communications Concentration in Journalism, Minor in Business, Producer, Time Warner Cable News

MAKE YOUR CREDITS COUNT

“We were taking one step at a time and end up showing up ready to practice for a big game tomorrow and we got the bad news from our coach,” said sophomore captain Elidon Bardhollari, who leads the team in scoring. The news blindsided a team that was having a historic season already and had their sights on a national championship.

The team started the season out 10-1-1 and during that run they took down the No. 5 ranked team in the nation, Adirondack. They imposed their will and looked like one of the best soccer teams to ever play at Hudson Valley. Saturday’s win against Niagara would have tied the school record for most wins in a season and that was only the first round of regionals. This team was primed to cruise through regionals and had their sights on the national tour-

nament.

The national tournament is set to be in Herkimer, which is two hours away and right in our backyard compared to the other teams that Hudson Valley would have faced. They could have had home field advantage in the national tournament to top off a historic season, but due to a technicality the only thing to do now is wonder what could have been.

Bardhollari played his final season for the Vikings and and seemed let down. He said, “There’s nothing we could have done to avoid it and me and my team were united all season long and I’m sure we still will be. But what happened has happened and we can only move on dissapointed.”

Transferring to Saint Rose was the best decision I have ever made. My academic experience was demanding in the greatest way possible, and my professors pushed me to be the best journalist I could be.

Why transfer to The College of Saint Rose?

Saint Rose accepts up to 70 credits earned at two-year colleges and up to 90 credits from four-year colleges. Plus, the College has several articulation agreements with Hudson Valley Community College which plan and sequence coursework to easily transfer into pre-selected majors without loss of credits. Merit Awards range from $8,500-$14,500 and PTK scholarships are available (all accepted transfer students receive a merit scholarship).

Our goal is simple: to help you achieve yours. To transfer, contact us at 1-800-637-8556 ext. 1 or admit@strose.edu.

Courtesy of hvcc.edu

WWW.STROSE.EDU/TRANSFER

2015 Hudson Valley Men’s soccer team.

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

SPORTS

15

Bowl aspirations for the Vikings

The football team looks to clinch a bowl game for the second straight year with a win this weekend against Navy Prep.

By: John C. Longton III Sports Editor The Men’s football team defeated the ASA Avengers 41-7 on Saturday and improved their record to 5-2.

This was head coach Mike Muehling’s first career win over ASA, who’s been at the school for five seasons . The last time these two teams met ASA left a mark on the Vikings beating them 40-0. That was back in 2012 and the teams haven’t played each other since. With the combination of a bowl appearance from last year and better recruits committing to the college, Hudson Valley toughened their strength of schedule and added ASA back to their calendar.

It was a crucial game that came at a pivotal point in the season. The Vikings really needed a win if they wanted to keep their season and bowl hopes alive. And that’s exactly what they did and more.

Freshman running back Jaylen McIntyre totaled three touchdowns for a Viking offense that seemed to move the ball at will.

McIntyre rushed for two touchdowns and 123 yards and also had a receiving score of 27 yards.

“Throughout the week we just had to remain focused,” said McIntyre. “We knew if we beat ASA we could potentially go to a bowl game again.” After Saturday’s game

he’s now 7th in the nation in rushing yards per game with 111.

Second year quarterback Rafael Hidalgo also had himself a good game throwing three touchdowns to as many receivers. Late in the second quarter, while his team was up 20-0, Hidalgo took a big hit and had to leave the game. The game had to be stopped while the medical staff attended Hidalgo lying on the field. It seemed as if his day was over, but after the start of the second half he checked back in and finished the game.

“I was nervous I thought I broke something. My hip went numb, but I wasn’t ready to leave it (the game), said Hidalgo.

On the other side of the ball the Viking defense forced five turnovers including three fumbles and two interceptions. Every time the Avengers looked like they were going move the ball the Vikings either stopped them or forced a turnover. The ASA offense was limited to only 181 total yards on 14 possessions, which was a little more than half the yards that the Vikings tallied.

This team has really put it together after a shaky start to the season. In the Viking’s first three games they went 1-2 and since then they have outscored their opponents 151-62.

“We’ve really hit our stride as of late,” said Muehling. “We also caught some breaks. Some people say it’s better to be lucky than good. It feels pretty good to be

both lucky and good.”

The Vikings have one regular season game remaining and they need to make a lasting impression on the bowl committee.

“We made a statement today and that’s what we set out to do,” said Muehling to his team after the win. “We’ve got one more game against another team I haven’t beaten since I’ve gotten here.”

That game is this Saturday as they host Navy Prep at 12 p.m. on Halloween. Navy Prep has been a traditional power in the NJCAA. Last year the Vikings also concluded their regular season with a game against Navy Prep. Hudson Valley was 8-0 going into last year’s season finale and were handled 27-0. It looked as if the season was over, but a week later Mike Muehling received a call inviting the team to the Salt City Bowl. This year the team needs to win in order to have a chance at a bowl game.

Right now there are eight teams in the top 25 that have two losses. If the Vikings can pull of an upset this Saturday they might be able slide into the rankings and possibly get phone call to go to a bowl game.

Rafael Hidalgo is excited to get a second shot at the only team to beat him in his freshman year, “Navy Prep will be a challenge, but we have to practice and not sleep on them.”

Design by Matt Whalen | THE HUDSONIAN

HUDSONIAN.ORG

October 27th, 2015

SPORTS

16

d e l l

e c n

a C

Hockey to turn out the lights

John Longton | THE HUDSONIAN

By: John C. Longton III Sports Editor The Hudson Valley Community College has officially made the decision to discontinue its hockey program after the 2017 season. It won’t affect any current players, but the decision has cast a dark cloud on a once national renown program. The team has been a part of the college since 1991 and won a National Championship during the height of its existence in 2001.

“As a result of declining participation at the NJCAA level, Hudson Valley Community College will discontinue its sponsorship of ice hockey as a college-sanctioned sport, effective June 1, 2017. Our current student-athletes will have full support of our Athletic Department and the opportunity to compete throughout the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years, pending continued NJCAA sponsorship of the sport,” said Hudson Valley athletic director Kristin Pelletier in a statement she released to the Hudson Valley Campus Chronicle.

There are currently six teams that play ice hockey in the NJCAA, which is two below the minimum of eight required for competition.

The school held a board meeting late in September where they came to the decision to get rid of hockey. The administration was fearful that the NJCAA would close its doors on hockey without warning and they wanted to do it on their own terms.

The attendance of the meeting has not yet been released, but one person that was not invited was head hockey coach Matt Alvey.

“I wasn’t involved in any of to do with their hockey programs. the discussions about ending the “Hudson Valley taking this program,” said Alvey. Alvey was step makes it more challenging only told after the decision was for other schools to continue to made. “[Pelletier] said that be- fill teams,” said NJCAA Northeast cause there was not that many District Presidential Representeams left in the NJCAA they tative Margaret McMenamin. “It were thinking NJCAA may drop could compromise the potential hockey all in all.” At this point, for that sport remaining viable as the NJCAA has not reached a de- an NJCAA competitive sport. I’m cision on dropping hockey. sorry to hear it.”

Alvey is heading into his thirThere are only three other teenth season as the head coach of teams in the region that currently the hockey team. He was named field a hockey team. With Hudson region three coach of the year for Valley backing out, it might force the 2013-14 season.

He has led his team to four national tournament appearances and will be looking for work after the 2017 season.

“I was disappointed. This is my 14th season here. We have a hockey rink on campus and I always thought there would - Head Coach Matt Alvey be a hockey team here,” said Alvey, in reaction to the decision. “Us, tennis other schools to do the same. and bowling are a couple of the “We have not made a deciprograms that have won a nation- sion regarding hockey at MVCC. al championship. It’s a bit disap- Probably the most important facpointing to hear that the school is tor will be if the NJCAA contingoing to shut down hockey.” ues to offer it as a certified sport,” Alvey has a background in said Gary Broadhurst, associate physical education and is looking dean of athletics at Mohawk Valto find a teaching or coaching job ley Community College. Mohawk somewhere in the area. “I’m hop- is one of three teams, including ing to be able to continue coach- Erie and SUNY Broome, that play ing somewhere somehow, but I in region three with Hudson Valhave a teaching degree to so I’m ley and will have one less oppohopefully going to find a teaching nent after the 2017 season. job after Hudson Valley.”

At its height, the NJCAA The decision is not just af- fielded 33 teams. This was in the fecting things around campus. It’s 76-77 season and has fallen ever shaking the league up as a whole since. By 2000, the field dropped as other school are now forced to to 11 teams. One of the main reamake decisions on what they want sons was the cost of maintaining

a hockey program. Monroe Community College won the NJCAA National Championship in the 2011-12 season and decided to disband their hockey program just two years later.

“Dropping hockey at Monroe Community College was an extremely difficult decision for our administration to make,” said Monroe’s athletic director Dudley Bailey. “As we all know, running a hockey program is an extremely expensive venture. Every year, our costs continued to rise. We realized that a decision needed to be made about the future of the program.”

On the other hand, Hudson Valley’s reasoning for their decision was not a financial one. They are in a situation where they can afford a hockey team, yet they are still pulling the plug on the program, even while the NJCAA is actively recruiting other schools to join their hockey league to prevent the league from folding.

“The NJCAA has reached out to our member colleges on behalf of the sport, but unfortunately the economic climate is not conducive to increasing sports on many college campuses at this time,” said Mary Ellen Leicht, NJCAA executive director.

The NJCAA doesn’t want to close its doors on hockey altogether, but the Hudson Valley decision is making it tough on them and participating schools to continue the longevity of their programs.

In 2014, the NJCAA decided at its yearly Executive Committee

“I was disappointed. This is my 14th season here. We have a hockey rink on campus and I always thought there would be a hockey team here.”

HUDSONIAN.ORG

meeting that they would operate below the minimum of eight teams required for competition for at least two more years. This was before the decision was made

by HVCC, which sends the league to five teams.

Even though the program will be running through the 2017 season, it won’t be able to function at maximum capacity for the next couple seasons. With no future beyond a couple more years, Matt Alvey and his coaching staff have the tough task of recruiting players to come and play for the school for just one year.

“It’s going to make my recruiting much tougher to recruit a for a year,” said Alvey. Right now more than half of the roster are from over two hours away and a student who wants to play hockey at Hudson Valley might not want to relocate for just one year and then start at a new school all over again. It doesn’t directly affect current players on the roster, since they will be gone after the rink melts the ice.

Hunter Craig is a freshman and a first year player on the hockey team. He’s from Saco, ME and was also considering two other schools. “It’s a good campus, coach Alvey is a good guy, and the other coaches here are good,” said Craig. “I fell in love when I came for a tour. It’s a great school.”

Craig and 22 others will be the last recruiting class for the hockey team that will be able to use all of their junior college eligibility at Hudson Valley. So even though the decision was made to close its doors in two years, it has already made it difficult to operate in the present.