Campus Champion

Therapeutic recreation major Abby Loiselle has enriched her academics with hands-on experiences and leadership roles certain to make a difference in her future success. The senior admissions tour guide and Student Activities Board president uncovered her talents as she became more involved outside of the classroom. Starting at a freshman Spring Fling event, the skills Abby developed as she moved into leadership roles – communications, event programming, logistical, technical and time management – will be essential for her career goals. Abby hopes to work as a recreation therapist, developing programs and advocating on behalf of our seniors in assisted living. 

SUNY Cortland has one of the best online teacher education programs in New York state and the best among similar SUNY institutions, according to TeacherCertificationDegrees.com, a peer-reviewed education resource.  

It ranked the school as fourth in both the Top 10 Online M.Ed. Programs in New York and the Most Affordable Online M.Ed. Programs in New York. 

Teacher Certification Degrees describes itself as a resource to help explore, start or expand a career in education. The group ranked all 33 not-for-profit schools with online and hybrid M.Ed. programs, with Cortland scoring the highest of all comprehensive SUNY schools. 

“With our long-standing tradition of preparing high quality teachers and leaders, it is no surprise that just a few short years after launching our first online education graduate program, SUNY Cortland’s online programs are being recognized for both quality and affordability,” said Andrea Lachance, dean of Cortland’s School of Education. 

“This recognition is the result of the work of our supportive and talented faculty. They are adept at providing the highest-quality instruction, no matter whether it is in-person or online.” 

This isn’t the first time the university has been placed among elite company. Earlier this year, Cortland was recognized for one of the best online and in-person sport management departments in the country. In 2023, it was ranked among the best in the region for its master’s programs, overall value and for the education of veterans. The university was also named one of the top 15% of all schools nationwide. 

Qualifications considered by Teacher Certification Degrees for the newest honors included:  

• Affordability based on tuition (average required credit hours multiplied by graduate tuition rate). 

• Number of M.Ed. program tracks. Having more than one program offering for this degree type was given additional value. 

• Accreditation by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) or the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This was chosen since it is an education-specific accreditation that’s voluntary, and signals quality. 

• Other relevant school and program rankings. 

Teacher Certification Degree also cited the number of programs at Cortland that let students choose a focus in subjects like English, math and special education, administrative training and literacy. 

The website’s expertise on schools doesn’t come only from statistics. According to Laura McPherson, associate editor for the site, two of its editors have a background as educators. 

“SUNY Cortland’s programs stood out for scoring highly across all of our major parameters,” McPherson said. “As a highlight, SUNY Cortland scored highly for both tuition per credit hour and overall expected cost. We gave higher weight to schools that offered M.Ed. programs in more than one area or specialty.” 

Cortland’s online master’s offerings in education include English as a second language, literacy education, physical education and teaching students with disabilities. 

The strength of the school’s on-campus master’s programs also spoke to the quality of its online classes. 

“Because some schools offer teacher preparation programs at the M.Ed. level in hybrid formats, we also considered accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as a ranking factor,” McPherson said. “Which earned SUNY Cortland additional points as it holds this respected accreditation for its on-the-ground preparation programs.” 

Scientists encourage people to let most colorful insects, like the monarch butterfly, flit and flutter in peace.

But some they want you to squash on sight.

That’s the case with the invasive spotted lanternfly, a brilliantly hued leafhopper that has rapidly spread since arriving 10 years ago and now threatens grape and apple crops in New York’s Finger Lakes region in areas near Cortland.

Of course, before you can swat a lanternfly it has to be, well, spotted.

To that end, SUNY Cortland’s Sustainability Office has joined a regional early-warning effort to detect the arrival of the winged threat one bug at a time. The university this summer partnered with the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Finger Lakes Institute to host a trap on campus.

PRISM is the primary organization dedicated to preventing the spread of invasive species within the greater Finger Lakes region and is leading the trapping initiative.  Cortland’s trap is one of more than 150 scattered throughout the region as part of one of the largest networks of spotted lanternfly traps in New York state.  

“After working and living in the Finger Lakes, I know the damage invasive species can cause to an ecosystem,” said Megan Swing, SUNY Cortland’s energy and sustainability engagement coordinator. “I am excited to have SUNY Cortland take part in the effort to protect valuable agricultural resources for decades to come.” 

The trap is an awkward-looking contraption of wood, mesh and plastic hung on a tree between the Professional Studies Building and the Student Life Center, by the commuter parking lot. The placement was intentional as PRISM has stated that the primary method that SLF uses to spread is by hitching rides on vehicles.

So far, no spotted lanternflies have been seen in Cortland.

But Swing and SUNY Cortland Energy Manager and Campus Sustainability Coalition Chair Matt Brubaker are staying vigilant, checking the trap biweekly and reporting their findings to PRISM.

“The spotted lanternfly has now firmly established itself in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country, and is likely going to spread,” said Matt Gallo, PRISM terrestrial invasive species coordinator. “Early detection of these new infestations is one of our best tools to slow the spread.”

Although Swing and Brubaker urge all students, faculty and staff to be alert for spotted lanternflies, they urge people to leave the trap alone. PRISM asks anyone who thinks they see the pest to take a picture of the insect and send that photo to spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov. 

The spotted lanternfly was first detected in the United States near Philadelphia in 2014, likely arriving on a cargo shipment. Since its arrival, it has rapidly spread across Pennsylvania and along the east coast, eventually arriving in New York state and the Finger Lakes region in 2020.  

A population was found in Romulus, N.Y. a village about an hour west of Cortland, in July. 

For more information on the PRISM program, visit its website. Individuals interested in becoming more involved in the program should contact the Sustainability Office.  

Throughout October, SUNY Cortland’s entrance lights will shine purple to highlight National Domestic Violence Month, drawing attention to an issue that claims victims across all age, gender, race, sexuality, religion, education and economic levels.

But that’s not all the university is doing to help combat domestic and sexual violence.

Members of SUNY Cortland’s It’s On Us Action Team will join the student club Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) to raise awareness about interpersonal violence and offer resources to individuals seeking support. Prevention Awareness, Health Promotion and the Title IX Office are also involved in the awareness campaign.

The effort includes a variety of campus activities and events:

“An Empty Seat at the Table.” Tables in the Student Life Center and in Corey Union will offer a symbolic reminder of the cost of abuse. “An Empty Seat at the Table” display features an empty seat and place setting as a reminder of the lives lost to domestic violence. On the plates and silverware are facts about domestic violence and resources for those who need it. The exhibit will run through Friday, Oct. 11 in the Student Life Center lobby and from Monday, Oct. 14 to Thursday, Oct. 24 in Corey Union.

Consent Carts. Students tired of walking around campus should keep an eye out for Consent Carts. These are golf carts that offer to drive students to on-campus destinations in exchange for a discussion about consent and sexual violence prevention. One Consent Cart program occurred early this month and at least one more is planned.

“Red Flag Campaign.” An ongoing social media “Red Flag Campaign” illustrates how to recognize the different warning signs in relationships. Signs about unhealthy relationships are posted on the Its On Us Instagram account in collaboration with the Aid to Victims of Violence. Also, Red Flags have been placed around campus to illustrate unhealthy signs of relationships.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Healthy Relationship Trivia with Marisa Cohen will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room. Cohen is a national author and speaker and will seek to lighten the atmosphere while addressing the serious topic of collegiate domestic abuse when she emcees "Healthy Relationship Trivia."

Take Back the Night March is set for Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. at the steps of Corey Union. The campus march is part of an international event aimed at encouraging people to actively fight to end sexual and domestic violence in all forms.

For local resources, there are university Instagram accounts for SAFER at sunycortlandsafer and It’s On Us at sunycortland_itsonus. For additional help, visit www.thehotline.org/get-help/domestic-violence-local-resources. 

National author and speaker Marissa Cohen will seek to lighten the atmosphere while addressing the serious topic of collegiate domestic abuse when she emcees a “Healthy Relationship Trivia” contest on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at SUNY Cortland.

Cohen, who works to create an open and supportive community among those she often describes as warriors — not survivors — of sexual assault and domestic violence, will offer the ice-breaking informational activity at 6 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room.

The time has been moved back one hour to let campus community members attend another event at 7 p.m., the Take Back the Night Ceremony and March. That event, starting at 7 p.m. on the Corey Union steps, is organized by Students Active For Ending Rape (SAFER).  

“Healthy Relationship Trivia,” which continues the semester’s ongoing Conley Wellness Wednesday series at the university, is part of campus events related to Domestic Violence Awareness Month during October. Events are free and open to the campus community. "Healthy Relationship Trivia" will feature prizes and refreshments.

“Sometimes the best way to retain information is to make it fun,” Cohen said.

The activity will promote safe relationships, identify red flags, field commonly asked questions, present statistics and offer safety tips, according to her. The game answers the most-asked questions, delves into myths and facts and contains surprising information about healthy vs. toxic relationships, abuse, sexual assault, boundaries and other related topics.

Cohen is founder and executive director of the nonprofit Within Your Reach, Inc., which trains advocates around the country in appropriate ways to respond to individuals she describes as “warriors in crisis.”

Her mission is to enable individuals to make informed and educated decisions and recognize red flags immediately. She wants to see all survivors of sexual abuse, narcissism, emotional abuse and domestic violence release their trauma, build resilience and rebuild their lives, so they can feel complete, happy and confident.

“I don’t view my work as a job, but rather a mission and calling to empower those who have been victims of emotional abuse,” said Cohen, who personally surmounted the heavy toll of an abusive college relationship.

Her published, best-selling nonfiction includes Breaking Through the Silence: The Journey to Surviving Sexual Assault (also a 2018 Readers Favorite International Book Award Winner, and No. 1 Amazon International Best Seller); and Breaking Through the Silence: #Me(n)Too (an Amazon No. 1 Best Seller).

Cohen was awarded the prestigious 2024 National Campus Speaker of the Year award, voted by hundreds of colleges and universities around the country. She also received the Purple Ribbon Award for Survivor of the Year from DomesticShelters.org for her work with empowering survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Cohen grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and New Jersey, and was heavily influenced by plays like “Spring Awakening,” and young adult novels like Speak and Perks of Being a Wallflower. As far back as high school, she considered herself a social activist. She has a bachelor’s degree in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics from Rowan University.

Now living in Chicago, Cohen founded Healing From Emotional Abuse Philosophy, a company in which she created a “3 Key Action-Based Coaching” program to help survivors overcome abuse and narcissistic trauma. More than 2,000 people have used her method to start living a free, confident and peaceful life. She is also a co-founder of the program #IMASTATISTIC, which endeavors to humanize sexual assault survivors.

Cohen also works as a government contractor for the Army Reserve, helping service members with adult life issues.

She trains individuals — from practicing nurses and nursing students to first responders, to students across the country and military leadership — about how to effectively respond to sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.

Her award-winning podcast, Healing From Emotional Abuse, has charted in the top 10% in more than 27 countries around the world.

For more information, contact Health Educator Lauren Scagnelli ’12 M ’14, CHES at 607-753-2066.

SUNY Cortland will celebrate its transfer and non-traditional students — two groups that often overlap with a wide range of lived experiences to share with the campus community — with seven different social activities during the week of Oct. 21 to 25.

“Transfer and Non-Traditional Student Week is a chance to celebrate their journey and the unique perspective they bring to our campus,” said Evan Mills, advisor to the Non-Traditional Student Organization.  

This fall, about 400 transfer students started their SUNY Cortland journey. An additional 150 to 200 will join this coming spring.

“Transfer students are a priority at Cortland,” said Greg Diller, coordinator of transition programs. “Making the decision to start over at a new school can be daunting. We strive to create a strong support system for these students and help guide them through their transition.”

SUNY Cortland currently enrolls approximately 200 non-traditional students. The university defines non-traditional students as undergraduate students who are 24 years of age or older or, regardless of age, may have dependent children, be working full-time, have military experience or have made a break in education at some point after high school.

“Through their diverse life experiences, non-traditional students bring unique perspectives to our campus,” Diller said. “They often balance their studies with family or employment or other obligations.”

The week will feature highlights on faculty and staff who experienced the transfer process, opportunities to recognize non-traditional and transfer students, and workshops and activities.

A series of profiles in the Oct. 22 Bulletin will offer reflections by campus community members who have experienced college as a transfer student or a non-traditional student.

Events include:

• Planetarium Show: Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in Bowers Hall. Come enjoy a fantastic, eye-gazing show in the university planetarium. Families are welcome. For information, visit the planetarium website. Signup by Friday, Oct. 18, is required.
• Tie dye socks: Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Corey Union, Room 209. Meet the transfer network team over a fun craft activity.
• Donuts and cider celebration: Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Newmark Pavilion beside the Memorial Library entrance. Savor that fall chill in the air while enjoying some donuts and cider with classmates and faculty or staff members who are helping you celebrate the week.
• Study Abroad 101 transfer edition: Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium. Transfers can study abroad, too. Learn how to get started with the process, including how to search for programs, identify courses to take abroad, get courses approved, understand program costs, apply for scholarships, and more.
• Fall festive crafts and planters: Thursday, Oct. 24, from 4-6 p.m. in Corey Union, Room 209. Tau Sigma, the national honor society for transfer students, will offer this activity to de-stress from midterms and have some fall fun. Participants who are new students this fall are welcome to make a festive sign, paint a ceramic planter, and meet other transfer and non-traditional students. They also can learn the requirements to be invited to join and get involved with Tau Sigma.
• Area decorating contest winners announced: On Friday, Oct. 25, prizes will be awarded by the national transfer honor society Tau Sigma to offices across campus whose doors best follow this year’s theme for National Transfer Student Week, “Full Steam Ahead.”
• SUNY Cortland football game vs. St. John Fisher: On Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. Members of both campus cohorts are encouraged to come cheer on the defending national champion Red Dragons as they face off against the Cardinals of St. John Fisher.

The SUNY Cortland President's Cabinet recently reminded students, faculty and staff about guidelines surrounding freedom of expression on campus by sending this email message:

Dear campus community members,

During the academic year, SUNY Cortland will host events led by different organizations, featuring a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives. As President Bitterbaum shared earlier this week, ensuring free speech and campus safety will remain paramount.

All students, faculty and staff members are reminded that SUNY Cortland, as a state-operated campus, is governed by policies and procedures aimed at protecting freedom of speech while maintaining an environment of safety and respect for all.

The university’s Rules for Maintenance of Public Order, a key element of the SUNY Cortland Handbook, explicitly prohibit interference with university operations or anyone’s freedom to express their views. We strongly recommend that students, faculty and staff review these guidelines and potential penalties.

The following resources also exist to help members of the campus community host safe, educational and productive events on campus, free of harassment and discrimination:

• Free speech guidelines
• Counseling and support resources
• Bias-related incident reporting form

SUNY Cortland’s Rules for Maintenance of Public Order are in place to support, not restrain, robust and vibrant civic discourse on our campus. As explained in the rules, they exist “not to prevent or restrain controversy or dissent, but to prevent abuse of the rights of others and to maintain that public order appropriate to a college or university campus without which there can be no intellectual freedom…”

SUNY Cortland values inclusion, freedom of speech, diversity of thought and the broad sharing of ideas. The university will strive to provide space that allows campus community members the right to express themselves, while remaining committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Sincerely,

SUNY Cortland President’s Cabinet

Erik J. Bitterbaum, President

Ann McClellan, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Greg Sharer, Vice President for Student Affairs

Mark Yacavone ’94, Vice President for Finance and Management

Rich Coyne ’07, Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Lorraine Lopez-Janove, Chief Diversity Officer

April Thompson, Chief of Staff

In 1977, when American sculptor Allen Mooney and the late British-born painter Paul Chambers first met as graduate students in the MFA program at Cornell University, they seemed unlikely to spend the next 35 years in intense, artistic collaboration.

Mooney was a native of Los Angeles and a child of Mexican and Irish heritage who emerged from a formalist background in sculpture. He would become a SUNY Cortland professor of art and art history, now emeritus.

Meanwhile Chambers, who evolved into an abstract political landscape painter, was a native of Lincolnshire, England, home of the Magna Carta, and a descendent of a long line of British Parliamentarians. Born in 1951, Chambers followed his career in Trumansburg, N.Y., and died in 2012.

“What might upon first glance seem an unlikely pairing turned out to be a lifelong artistic friendship that asserted meaningful influence upon both artists,” said Wylie Schwartz, SUNY Cortland assistant professor of art and art history, to whom Chambers was both friend and mentor.

Schwartz and Scott Oldfield, the interim director of Dowd Gallery, together are curating “Timestamps,” the upcoming Dowd Gallery exhibitionof this unlikely artistic exchange, which opens on Monday, Oct. 21.

“Timestamps,” which will run through Friday, Dec. 13, will showcase paintings, sculptures, drawings and collected objects by the British and American friends.

An opening reception will be held at the Dowd Fine Arts Center gallery starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24. Refreshments will be served. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public, as are all exhibition-related events.

Related events include:

• Gallery talk: Wednesday, Nov. 6. Schwartz will present “Loincloths and Plimsoll Lines: Excavating the Political Landscape,” a discussion on the life and paintings of Chambers. The gallery talk begins at 5 p.m.
• Gallery talk: Thursday, Nov. 21. Artist and educator Mooney discusses how metaphor, meaning and human perception relate to the work on display. Titled “Metaphor and Meaning in Biographical Time and Space,” the gallery lecture will start at 5 p.m.

“Timestamps” aims to uncover the thematic interplay between Chambers’ and Mooney’s artistic practices, drawing attention to the connective tissue that intersects within their theoretical and aesthetic frameworks.

“Taking a closer look at these two important figures, this exhibition highlights the aesthetic, philosophical and political concerns that preoccupy both artists,” Schwartz said.

Broad themes of war and peace, the communicative power of art, metaphor and meaning and human perception play an integral role in much of the work on view, she said.

“From Mooney’s early experimentation with neon to the relentlessly sharp bits and pieces that reoccur throughout his sculptural forms, he investigates the ambient psychological effects of perception upon human psychology,” Schwartz said.

Much of Mooney’s work was produced during the 19 years he taught sculpture at SUNY Cortland. The sculptor’s pieces have drawn inspiration from the formative relationships that shaped the artist’s life, his experiences as a veteran of the Vietnam War, and employment that included, among many things, apprentice ironworker and commercial fishing off the Pacific coast.

 “Mooney’s work is decidedly biographical, acting as metaphors that attempt to fix time and space,” Schwartz said.

If Mooney’s work seeks to affect the way the viewer feels, Chambers was more concerned with art’s potential to affect how one thinks.

“Chambers’ colorful and provocative abstractions operate as the communicative vehicle through which he expresses larger ideas regarding his intense desire for lasting international peace,” Schwartz said. “Many of his paintings hold ‘keys’ to solving some of the world’s more intricate political issues, existing like puzzles — mysteriously cryptic visual languages waiting to be deciphered.”

 An avid stamp collector since childhood, Chambers saw the U.K.’s Universal Postal Union — which survived both world wars — as an organization representing the universal acceptance that sharing of goods, ideas and art on a level playing field are of great value in society.

“His continued reference to the legacy of the Transorma, a letter sorting machine invented by the Dutch in 1927, operates as an ongoing metaphor for the transporting and sorting of data that characterizes the human experience,” she said.

As each piece of mail passing through the Transorma received an ident — a pair of letters operating as a time stamp — the works on display in this exhibition function in a similar mode: markers denoting specific historical moments.

“Viewed collectively, what surfaces in this show is a distinctive presentation of a set of aesthetic-politico ideas, values and themes that are as much a response to the time they were made as they are prophetic visions of the future,” she said.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; and by appointment. The gallery is closed on weekends.

Visit Dowd Gallery on Instagram or Facebook for detailed information about other programs, links to invitations for virtual events and artists’ profiles.

Group tours are available and can be arranged by contacting Oldfield at 607-753-4216.

Click on an image below to activate the gallery.

Red Dragons are known for strong support at the annual CROP Hunger Walks.  

With the 30th annual Cortland CROP Hunger Walk set for a month from now — Sunday, Oct. 20 —organizers are hoping for an early and strong registration among students, staff, sports teams and organizations. 

The community-based walkathon across the U.S. raises millions each year for both global and domestic disaster relief, agricultural development, refugee resettlement and emergency food aid. Each year 25 percent of the money raised locally stays in Cortland to support food pantries and feeding programs including the SUNY Cortland Cupboard.   

In 2023, 84 percent of the walkers in the Cortland CROP Hunger Walk were from SUNY Cortland and they raised a record $7,050 of the $12,401 total. For the SUNY Cortland participants, a plaque is awarded annually to the team that raises the most money in each of the following categories: COR 101 classes, athletic teams, Greek sororities and fraternities, residential hall communities and Cortland clubs and organizations. 

In April, Church World Service recognized SUNY Cortland as a national “Cream of the CROP” fundraiser, ranking 85th in the nation among groups in 1,300 CROP Hunger Walks in 2023. In 2021, 15 teams of SUNY Cortland students raised more than $10,000 to combat world hunger. It was the strongest student effort among more than 2,000 CROP Hunger Walks held across the U.S. 

Teams and individuals can register at https://crophungerwalk.org/cortlandny. 

The start and finish location is Grace and Holy Spirit Church at 13 Court St. 

• Maps showing the 1-and 3-mile route will be available at sign up. 

• Registration will take place outside the church from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. After you sign up, you may walk/run individually or with friends or teams. 

• SUNY Cortland/Club/Team/Greek affiliation attire is encouraged! 

• Those with collected funds/donations may turn them in at the registration table. 

Faculty are reminded to encourage students to participate by signing up online.  

“If we can challenge each SUNY Cortland walker to raise $100 – that’s $10 from each of 10 friends and/or family members, then our total funds raised could reach up to $30,000-$40,000,” said SUNY Cortland History Department lecturer and local CROP walk coordinator Jim Miller. “We encourage early sign up as we don’t want people to run out of time to get involved.” 

Materials may be picked up outside the History Department Office, Old Main, Room 212. 

Registration is now open for SUNY Cortland’s Family Weekend 2024, which will run from Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 27.

Events include a Broadway musical review performed by students, an apple picking bus trip for families, opportunities to cheer on the Red Dragon athletic teams and more. A full schedule is posted on the Family Weekend webpage.

The Campus Store will be open throughout Family Weekend with the following hours: Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.