April 29, 2016
Community
the Racquette
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Meet the DIAC Communication Subcommittee Dr. Jennifer Mitchell Contributing Writer
The SUNY Potsdam Diversity and Inclusion Action Coalition is made up of a Steering Committee, which includes chairs of five subcommittees: Bias Response, Campus Climate, and Outreach; Community Outreach; Professional Development and Curriculum; Diversity Programming and Student Training; and Communication. See more at the official DIAC webpage. Last fall, we published bios of the Steering Committee members. By the end of the semester, we hope to introduce all of the DIAC members to you. We’ll start with the Communication subcommittee. Jennifer Mitchell, chair of the Communication subcommittee, is associate professor in the Dept. of English and Communication, as well as Director of the College Writing Center. Reach her at cwc@potsdam.edu. “I strive for an environment at SUNY Potsdam which supports continual learning about ourselves, each other, and the worlds we come from in order to foster deeper mutual respect. I think we need to recognize how much there is to learn and
find/create the means for that learning,” Mitchell said. Abby Adams, student member, is a Speech Communication major and Wilderness Education minor. Reach her at adamsa198. “I would like to see SUNY Potsdam become a more welcoming and diverse place for all students, and I would like for everyone to feel safe on campus and in town,” Adams said. Dr. Laura Brown, member, is Program Coordinator, Adolescence English Education & Interim Associate Dean, School of Education and Professional Studies. Reach her at brownla@ potsdam.edu. “I believe our goal as a school should be to ensure all faculty, staff and students feel accepted, respected, supported, and safe on the SUNY Potsdam campus and within the larger Potsdam community, and every individual should have the same access to resources needed to ensure this safety and success. We need to continue to listen to and learn from each other.” Dr. Anna Sorenson, member, is Lecturer in Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies. Reach her at sorensam@potsdam.edu or in Satterlee 311-3.
“I would like to see us create a campus culture that values and supports everyone in ways that affirm and value the differences between us and where everyone is actively participating in efforts to address the systemic structures that privilege some and disadvantage others.” Julia Zakaryan, student member, is an International Studies major. Reach her at zakaryj198.
“As a part of the SUNY Potsdam community and an active member in DIAC, I wish to be a part of a change that creates a positive, understanding, and inclusive unity on campus. I hope to see students engage with one another with the yearning to learn and be open hearted to each other’s needs and wants. I believe this would create an atmosphere where the
unique aspects of each person are celebrated for their individuality, rather than scorned for their differences. I believe that SUNY Potsdam is capable of creating a campus that supports students’ individual needs and wants, and I believe that Potsdam is willing to respond to that, regardless of its history.”
(Left to Right) Dr. Anna Sorenson, Dr. Jennifer Mitchell and Abby Adams are members of the DIAC Photo by Marcus Wolf Communication subcomittee. Missing: Dr. Laura Brown and Julia Zakaryan.
Creative Writing Fictional Relative Jay Petrequin
I watch her carefully, as I take a sip of my soda, laced with just a little bit of vodka by my kind and loving uncle. I hadn’t asked for it, but there it was. Her, my father’s sister, Whose life was full of things to battle From rejections to relapse. She hadn’t asked for them, but there they were. I wonder if she knows that just as writing was her way of drawing her sadness out of herself, It injected into me a similar beast. I hadn’t asked for it, but there it was. I wonder if she knows that I know
about those dark months after she dropped out, dropping in on anyone with a vacant couch and somewhere for her to smoke. They never asked for her, but there she often was. I’m kind of like her in that respect Because when the voices in my head remind me about my list of regrets, spilling to the floor, paving the sidewalk I follow, my only escape, my sole exodus, is to write better people living better lives than my own mind tells me I will be able to make for myself. I didn’t ask for this, but here I am. But hell, she turned out okay.
The Forest Walker Raj B. Newt
III. The Rock He arrived at the rock with the familiar view And sat upon its face, and looked straight out. The moon lit the valley, bathing the grass In its bright, smooth silver lining. Many a night he spent with her, gazing First at the grass, then at her smile, Brighter than the moon’s wondrous glow. One could lose track of time on that rock. He looked up to the sky, yet on this night There was now not a cloud, nor a star, Only the moon, as full as his sorrows. He had promised her that moon
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many a time, And every time, she would smile that smile That made his heart fly and fetch it. His tongue swelled inside his mouth, Wanting to speak, but nothing came. The only sounds were the breaths, But there was no shoulder to comfort him. When he had calmed, he lifted himself up And walked again, aimless and thoughtless, Into the dark forest that had greeted him.
IV. The Valley He took the long path down to the valley Rather than the short, steeper one by the rock. This was always the way he walked, with her. It was a slow descent, winding with the path clear, But not on this night. Laden with dead leaves And sharpened twigs, the path was so clouded. He failed to notice the branch of the tree That grazed his cheek. He ut-
tered a low moan And wiped the blood gently from his cut. He saw the moon’s glow, and walked towards it As if it was a divine light from the ‘bove. It guided him to the valley, with grass so cold. He looked straight up, still not a star to see. The blackness of space, the emptiness of his heart; It all seemed to fit so neatly, so properly, Yet he still felt like he no longer belonged. His unrequited feelings would leave him lonely Like the moon in the sky, with no stars of company. He curled his lip, and shut his eyes tightly As if holding back the inevitable tears. When he controlled his breaths, he arose at last, Brushing himself of each blade of grass, And walked again, aimless and thoughtless, Into the dark forest that had greeted him.