Campus Champion

Every woman who has taken the 12-hour R.A.D. training course gives it rave reviews. From an instructor’s perspective, the Rape Aggression Defense Program is about one thing: empowerment. “It’s always rewarding to see women develop newfound confidence,” University Police Officer Jennifer Olin says. Empowerment is something Officer Olin delivers routinely, even if it’s in the middle of her night shift to a group of students. “We look out for our students,” she says. “We’re here to protect their lives and property but we also serve as advisors and counselors.”

The first-ever TEDxCortland, a half-day event built on thoughtful conversation, has put together a powerful line-up that includes two speakers with ties to SUNY Cortland.

It’s now looking to fill a passionate audience.

The deadline to apply online to be an attendee is Friday, Oct. 4, and the event itself takes place Saturday, Nov. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Acropolis at Greek Peak Mountain Resort.

It will feature four live talks centered on the theme “Living—Smart, Well, Now,” mixed with screenings of other TED lectures. During a TED Talk, speakers are asked to give an engaging presentation in 18 minutes or less.

TEDxCortland speakers include:

· Joshua Bacigalupi C.A.S. ’13, an elementary school assistant principal with life experiences that include overseas teaching and military service in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army National Guard.

· Nancy Kane, a SUNY Cortland lecturer who teaches dance and stage combat and a past president of the National Dance Association.

· Jen Oleniczak, a trained and accomplished actress who founded The Engaging Educator, a New York City-based organization specializing in improv workshops and professional development for educators.

· Leana Wen, an emergency physician and the director of patient-centered care research at George Washington University.

Audience members are expected to be active participants and they’re invited to bring their own ideas and experiences. They’re chosen by an organizing committee based on a broad set of criteria.

Invited TEDxCortland attendees will be notified by Friday, Oct. 11. A $10 admission fee also will be required.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a nonprofit organization that supports independent, locally organized speaking events across the globe. Many TED Talk videos shared for free on TED.com circulate on the Internet because of their thoughtfulness and inspiration. They’re committed to the concept “ideas worth spreading.”

Bacigalupi, a seasoned educator focused on breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty in schools, brings an array of life experiences and perspective to his TED Talk. He has faced poverty in education both domestically and internationally, having taught in Central New York, the Washington, D.C., area and Bogota, Colombia.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, he enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard and in 2008 was deployed to Afghanistan. He earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Army Commendation Medal for his service there.

Bacigalupi also holds a certificate of advanced study in school building and district leadership from the College.

Kane, who Dance Teacher magazine has praised as a leader and trendsetter in arts education, has been dancing, teaching and choreographing since 1986. She has worked professionally in the U.S. and Europe, receiving grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and several other arts councils and organizations,

She teaches dance and stage combat at SUNY Cortland as a lecturer of performing arts and she is the director of the dance program at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts. Kane also holds two master’s degrees, including a second one in kinesiology, or exercise science. Her research projects have helped people understand the physical demands and benefits of dance and musical theatre performance.

Since founding The Engaging Educator, Oleniczak has held workshops for educators from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Apollo Theatre and the National Archives, among others. She also contributes regularly to the Huffington Post as well as ArtMuseumTeaching.com.

Oleniczak is a trained actress and improviser. She has performed across the country and currently she can be found improvising off-Broadway at the National Comedy Theatre.

Wen, a noted physician, researcher and patient advocate, authored the best-selling book When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests.

Inspired by her own childhood illness and her mother’s battle with cancer, she was named a Rhodes Scholar, received training at the University of Oxford and has served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Wen has been featured in publications that include TIME, Newsweek and The New York Times, and on networks such as ABC, CNN and MSNBC. She also has spoken around the world on the low-tech revolution to healthcare reform.

For more information on TEDxCortland, visit its website or contact the Seven Valleys Health Coalition, where the program is based, at 607-756-4198.

Looking across the globe, a pioneering SUNY Cortland new media design class is proving that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Eleven students who created a brand-new interactive media exhibition will participate in a video conversation with Simon Høgsberg, the Denmark-based artist who inspired their work, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Main Street SUNY Cortland, located at 9 Main St.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will include a presentation by the students, a question-and-answer session and a reception.

Their work remains on display in the Beard Gallery, located on the first floor of Main Street SUNY Cortland, through Tuesday, Oct. 1. Høgsberg, who will communicate from Copenhagen, is one of two contributing artists to the Dowd Gallery’s current exhibition, “Connective Existence: Paintings by Lin Price and Projects by Simon Høgsberg,” which runs through Thursday, Oct. 3, on the third floor of the same building.

New media design majors install the Interactive Media Student Exhibition at Beard Gallery. Their artwork will be on display through Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Quite simply, the class multimedia project has given meaning to notions of learning by doing and international education.

“The students need to see what people are doing,” said Martine Barnaby, an associate professor of new media design who teaches the course. “And it’s nice because Simon’s work mixes a lot of different media.”

Inspired by two of Høgsberg’s most popular photography-based pieces, the SUNY Cortland students created a final product that shows many different faces from the Cortland community and tells their many different stories. The interactive exhibition blends photography, text and sound.

Høgsberg’s “The Thought Project” is an interactive display that includes 55 portraits of people he stopped on the street in Copenhagen and New York City along with the transcribed text of their immediate responses. “We’re All Gonna Die,” the second source of inspiration, is a 100-meter long image Høgsberg created by snapping photographs from the same spot on a railroad bridge in Berlin over the course of 20 days.

Working as a group, the College students stopped people walking outside Main Street SUNY Cortland, asking questions about self and community perceptions. The class members used iPads and iPhones to take photos and record sound. Each person had a specific job. One explained the project and another asked the questions; one took photos while a different one logged names, and so on.

All told, more than 30 community members of all ages contributed to the project.

“It was a beautiful collaboration that these students pulled off,” Barnaby said.

The class, which meets once a week, turned a successful project around quickly. The students put together a final product inspired by the “We’re All Gonna Die” piece that measures roughly 20 feet, tying in edited sound and text transcripts. Three full-length mirrors also have been positioned to greet Beard Gallery visitors, so that the idea of reflection conveys a sense of self-perception.

In the end, the exhibition digs deeply into the idea of connection — how people view themselves and how they view others.

“For almost all of (the students), this is the first time they’ve had something exhibited,” Barnaby said. “They built it from the ground up and they installed it.

“It’s a big deal, it’s new to them and it’s exciting.”

Many different photographs, along with text and sound, comprise the new student exhibition at the Beard Gallery.

The SUNY Cortland Child Care Center recently earned reaccreditation from the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. It is is currently the only  program in Cortland County accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

“It’s an honor to have earned this recognition from NAEYC and to continue to occupy the ranks with other high quality programs throughout the nation,” said Nicole Brooks, executive director of the Child Care Center.

In the 25-plus years since NAEYC accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC, approximately 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs. 

It is the fifth time the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center has been reaccredited.

The center is currently licensed to serve 108 children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years of age. That includes 41 more clients since 2009, when the opening of a new state-of-the-art Education Building and Childcare Center expanded the center’s capacity.

The center is operating at full capacity and has a waiting list of more than 150 children.

NAEYC created its accreditation system in 1985 to set professional standards for early childhood education and to help families identify high-quality child care and early education programs. Programs are accredited by NAEYC for a five-year period.

To earn NAEYC accreditation, the center went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. The standards encompass all areas of the program, including health and safety, physical environment, educational levels of staff, program standards for children and parental satisfaction.

The SUNY Cortland Child Care Center received NAEYC accreditation after an on-site visit by NAEYC assessors. NAEYC-accredited programs are also subject to unannounced visits during their accreditation process.

“The NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for child care centers and other early childhood programs,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, Ph.D, executive director of NAEYC. “Having earned NAEYC Accreditation is a sign that the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center is a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education.”

For more information about NAEYC accreditation, visit www.naeyc.org/academy.

For more information about the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center, contact Brooks at 607-753-5955.

As the result of childhood obesity, some children can now expect to die at a younger age than their parents.

Donna Videto, a SUNY Cortland professor of health, will explain this shocking public health nightmare — and a possible solution — at a community roundtable on Thursday, Oct. 3, at SUNY Cortland.

The roundtable, titled “Healthy School Communities: Making Children a Priority,” will take place from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Park Center Hall of Fame Room.

Sponsored by the College President’s Office, the College’s four annual roundtables are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 7:45 a.m. During the roundtable, public parking is available in the Park Center and Professional Studies Building lots.

“The increase in childhood obesity is resulting in severe health problems such as asthma, Type II Diabetes, and cardiovascular disease for many children,” Videto said. “These problems, beginning at an extremely young age, could result in the children of today’s society living three to five years less than their parents.”

She helped launch the Cortland City School District’s “Growing Healthy” curriculum and has contributed to the health nutrition programs of several local schools.

In May, Videto was presented with a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service in part due to her key role in campus and

Donna Videto

community health issues, assessing school health programs, guest lecturing and involving her students in service learning opportunities.

At the roundtable, she plans to focus on Healthy School Communities, a national movement to integrate the school system and the community to work together and develop a way to change the way students view health.

“Sending the message to children about the importance of a happy and healthy lifestyle is not always seen as a priority in society,” Videto said. “As a community, we can make a change and take a stand against these major health issues that can be prevented simply by living a fit and active life.”

In her view, Healthy School Communities has a high potential for success, but only if varied sectors from the community become involved. She will discuss how new and creative ideas can be developed that will positively impact the lives of many children.

“By working as a team and helping expand the duration and quality of children’s lives, imagine what amazing things they will be able to do with the extra, quality time they will have due to their incredible health,” she said.

On a statewide level, Videto has served the New York State Education Department as a lead grant co-investigator for the School Health Systems Change Project and a reviewer for the New York State Health Central kindergarten through sixth grade health education curriculum.

Nationally, Videto has provided extensive leadership to the American Association for Health Educators for decades, serving on its board of directors and as associate editor of two professional journals, the American Journal of Heal Education and the International Electronic Journal of Health Education.

Her research and scholarship includes two co-authored books and numerous health education curriculum guides, including A Competency-Based Framework for Health Educators, a widely accepted publication that identified the competencies a health educator should be able to perform with five years of work in the field.

For more information about the roundtables, contact Susan Vleck at 607-753-2377.

All Americans aren’t always given an equal opportunity to speak their piece, according to the premise of SUNY Cortland’s common book read for the 2013-14 academic year.

“Inter/Action,” the theme of this year’s Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC) series, continues Tuesday, Sept. 24, with a presentation titled “The Cortland Educational Experience: A Diversity of Student Stories,” at 4:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

All programming is built around the books Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago, by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman, and Blasphemy, by Sherman Alexie, which were chosen following a campus survey.

Jones and Newman were teenagers when they were asked to begin documenting their lives in a Chicago housing project. Their book offers firsthand accounts from their lives and how they differ from those of other Americans.

“You must learn our America as we must learn your America so that maybe, someday, we can become one,” the authors write.

Blasphemy includes a collection of short stories that considers life in America through the eyes of a Native American. Readers who participate in the CICC series can read the entire book or a smaller sampling of stories.

Besides Tuesday’s presentation, the rest of the fall semester’s events include:

• Tuesday, Oct. 8: “Urban Education in Our America,” a panel presentation by students from the Teaching and Learning Institute in Rochester, N.Y., at 4:30 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge.

• Thursday, Oct. 17: Readings from Blasphemy at 7 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium.

• Monday, Oct. 21: Readings from Blasphemy at 4:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

• Monday, Nov. 18: A reading by Joe Bruchac, the popular Native American storyteller and writer, at 4:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

• Tuesday, Nov. 19: A screening of Beasts of the Southern Wild, a 2012 fantasy drama film nominated for four Academy Awards, at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center Room 105.

For more information, contact the CICC’s current co-chairs: Brian Barrett, associate professor of foundations and social advocacy, at 607-753-2330 or Howard Lindh, scenic designer for performing arts, at 607-753-4101.

Alan Singer, an outspoken analyst and critic of increasing corporate influence in public education, will share his perspective on Pearson Inc., one of the biggest players in the for-profit education industry, on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Singer, director of secondary education social studies at Hofstra University, will present “Edu-Business at Work: Pearson Incorporated’s Role in Public Education in New York State and Beyond” at 7 p.m in Sperry Hall, Room 205.

He is the author of numerous articles in the Huffington Post that take Pearson to task for a variety of failings.

The event is sponsored by the Teacher Professional Development Network, the SUNY Cortland History Department and the SUNY Cortland Literacy Department. 

The AIDS Memorial Quilt, a physical way to recognize those affected by the immune system disease, will be on display at SUNY Cortland from Sunday, Sept. 29, to Thursday, Oct. 3.

An opening ceremony takes place at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Corey Union Function Room, where the quilt will be on show until 9 p.m. People also can view the quilt from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to noon Thursday in the same place.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Families and friends of AIDS victims designed each of the quilt’s 368 panels, which memorialize a life lost to the disease. Classes interested in viewing the quilt as a group can arrange for Health Promotion Office staff members to be present to answer any questions. Contact the Health Promotion Office at 607-753-2066 to make that arrangement.

Sponsors for the display include the President’s Office, the Vice President for Student Affairs’ Office, the Health Promotion/Student Development Office, the AIDS Prevention and Awareness Club, Black Student Union and Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority.

Six new members were inducted into the SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame during its 45th annual banquet and ceremonies on Sept. 21, in the College's Corey Union.

The 2013 honorees are:

• Warren "Red" Kilmer '56, a baseball standout at Cortland under coach Carl "Chugger" Davis and a long-time Associate in the New York State Education Department's Bureau of Health and Drug Education;

• Tim Sullivan '65, a distinguished professor, coach and Health, Physical Education and Leisure Studies Department Chairperson at Montclair State University and a former Cortland football player, wrestler and lacrosse player;

• Sue Zawacki '74, a member of Cortland's field hockey, basketball, softball and golf teams during the early years of those programs' intercollegiate status, and a successful collegiate athletic administrator and women's basketball coach;

• Heather Brendel Evans '81, an All-American on Cortland's 1980 national championship women's soccer team and a decorated physical education teacher in the West Irondequoit (N.Y.) school district since 1985;

• Julie Gentner Murphy '03, a three-time All-American in both field hockey and softball and 2001 Div. III National Field Hockey Player of the Year who helped Cortland win a national title;

• and honorary inductee Mike "Parge" Partigianoni, Cortland's athletics equipment room supervisor since 1987 and an employee at the College since 1980.

Children’s educational programs involving yoga, emergency vehicles, wildlife, healthy habits and dinosaurs will highlight the Fall 2013 Children's Museum season that began on Sept. 21.

The Children's Museum offers interactive, hands-on educational experiences in an environment where Cortland community parents, grandparents, caregivers, teachers, college students, youth and young children can be inspired to play and learn together.

Presented by faculty and students in SUNY Cortland's Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, the programs run on selected Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., unless otherwise noted, and are open to community families and their children. All programs except for the Education Club Halloween Party will take place at the Child Care Center on the ground floor of the Education Building, located on Prospect Terrace. Admission is free, but donations are accepted gladly.

On Sept. 28, alumna Penny Lupo ’06, will lead participants in yoga, presenting the gift of body awareness and the tools to find “calm.” Vinyasa yoga allows for the creative use of song, story and dance as a means to engage children in the process of finding balance, focus, relaxation and self-regulation within their own minds and bodies.

SUNY Cortland’s Emergency Medical Services personnel will facilitate “Little Life Savers” on Oct. 19. Attendees will explore an ambulance and participate in hands-on activities related to the emergency medical field.

The 22nd annual Education Club Halloween Party will be celebrated on Oct. 26 at the 1890 House in Cortland, N.Y. The event is open to community children ages one to 10. Activities will include face painting,  storytelling, games, craft making and a parade. Donuts and other treats will be served and prizes awarded for games.

The community is invited to come and get wild on Nov. 2 for “Whose Tracks are These?” with Elaine Sturges, early childhood professional and Project Wild facilitator. Participants will explore wildlife and the natural world though several hands on wildlife track activities with animal skins, photos, replitracks and play dough, track stencils and games.

On Nov. 9, Instructor Chris Widdall will present “Healthy Habits.” Children and adults will learn about healthy habits, such as hand washing, through interactive art activities, literature and technology.

On Nov. 23, Assistant Professor Orvil White invites children to make their own dinosaur hand puppet, finger puppet or shadow puppet at an event titled “Dinosaurs Galore!” Children will treasure their own handmade puppets and can use them to tell stories and entertain family and friends.

For more information, contact Emilie Kudela, associate professor and early childhood coordinator, at 607-753-5525 or by email at childrensmuseum@cortland.edu, or visit The Children's Museum website at www.cortland.edu/childrens-museum.

At Memorial Library, nine research librarians are ready and waiting to help students and others looking for research assistance.

Library staff encourage the College community to get off to a good start with their research by visiting the Research Help desk. 

Librarians are available to assist at every stage of the research process, including locating books in the catalog and improving search results in the databases.  

Research Help services are available from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, and during the afternoons on weekends. 

Faculty and students may also make one-on-one research appointments with their subject specialist, or liaison. On MyRedDragon, students and faculty can view their liaison’s photo and contact information in the lower-right corner of the library tab. Business cards also are available at Research Help.

Previously called Reference, Research Help has recently relocated to the left side of the The Help Center in the lobby of the library. 

The new location will be assessed in October, so those who use the service are encouraged to share their suggestions. To give feedback, call the desk at 607-753-2590, stop by in person, or complete the online feedback form at http://tinyurl.com/ozsgum6.

Students interested in careers in the communications and marketing industries should attend SUNY Cortland’s 2013-14 Alumni Speaker Series event on Monday, Sept. 30.

The panel discussion, titled “Careers in Communication Studies: Marketing, Event Planning and So Much More,” begins at 7 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. It is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Panelists include Maureen Ryan Baringer ’80, owner of Baringer and Associates Event Planning Services, Charles T. Beeler ’84, public relations director for Eric Mower & Associates, and Lisa M. Sturdevant '92, creative services department for WETM TV.

“Students interested in a career in communications should come prepared to ask our alums how they scored their first job, their paths from Cortland to where they are today and other questions related to their careers,” said Erin Boylan, associate director of alumni affairs. “This is a great opportunity to get advice directly from professionals.”

The discussion, the first of six in the series, is sponsored by the Alumni Affairs Office and Career Services. For more information, visit the Career Services website or call them at 607-753-4715.

Winter Session contracts were distributed to faculty by campus mail on Sept. 18. One signed copy of the contract should be returned to Mary Cervoni, Miller Building, Room  223, within 10 days of the contract date.

Timely return of the contract assists the office with preparation of the Winter Session payroll so individuals may be paid on time. In addition, courses will be listed on the Web in October based on the receipt of a signed contract.

Those with questions about their contract, or those not receiving a contract but expecting one, should contact Mary Cervoni at 607-753-4207.

Time is closing in on submitting nominations for the 2013-14 Rozanne Brooks Dedicated Teacher’s Award. Nominate a worthy faculty member by 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7.

The Brooks Award recognizes a faculty member who devotes a major portion of his/her time to teaching as well as a significant amount of time with students outside the classroom. Involvement in campus life, such as attendance at cultural events, lectures, athletic events and committee work, enhances the candidates’ application. Publication and research are not an emphasis of the award. The award recipient will receive $5,000 to enhance his or her teaching.

The Brooks Award is open to teaching faculty members who possess continuing appointment and have been employed at SUNY Cortland for a minimum of five years. Candidates must be teaching a full-time course load as defined by their department for the fall and spring semesters. Nominators should pay particular attention to this requirement.

The criteria, process, deadlines and call for nominations are available online.

For more information, contact Beth Langhans, scholarship coordinator, at 607-753-2373.

SUNY Cortland has named Esa Silow Merson of Ithaca, N.Y., to direct its Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), a comprehensive, centralized academic support program serving SUNY Cortland students.

She began her duties on July 1. Merson, a nine-year College employee, has worked in different capacities with ASAP, most recently as interim director since November 2012. She reports to Christopher Kuretich, assistant vice president for student affairs.

Merson’s office works closely with staff and faculty across the campus to support, develop and implement programming that promotes the academic success of SUNY Cortland students. She provides leadership, vision, planning, coordination, supervision and evaluation of all services within ASAP and serves as a member of the Vice President for Student Affairs leadership team.

Merson supervises and assists a staff that provides academic support to both undergraduate and graduate students of all abilities and achievement levels through tutoring in writing, reading, math and study skills. The employees include an assistant director, professional tutors, graduate assistants, student assistants and the department secretary.

She also oversees the ASAP team as it trains and supervises student leaders for Supplemental Instruction, Peer Tutoring, Peer-Led Team Learning, and Online Tutoring. Her staff members are involved actively in the Paws for Stress Relief program during finals week, and they make dogs available to students in the office throughout the academic year.

The ASAP director has substantial tutoring responsibilities.

Merson joined ASAP in 2004 as an academic tutor. Before she became interim director, she had served as acting assistant director since July 2012.

 Previously, she was communications manager for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York from 2001 until she joined the College.

Prior to that, she fulfilled a number of teaching and educational support roles dating back to the late 1980s. At Kingsborough Community College, she was an instructor in the Continuing Education Office, an assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, an evening supervisor and tutor with the English Skills Center and a tutor in the Department of Special Services.

She taught in LaGuardia Community College’s Program for Deaf Adults.

A graduate of Brooklyn College with a bachelor’s degree in speech, she has a Master of Science in Education in Special Education.

In 1983, the College opened the Basic Skills Center to meet the needs of entering students whose academic preparation limited their ability to meet the standards of the faculty of the College. The center quickly evolved from a basic skills center into an inclusive, centralized location where people could hone their existing skills or develop necessary new skills with professional tutoring, peer tutoring and supplemental instruction.

In Fall 1995, to better fulfill its mission to reach Cortland students before serious academic difficulties emerge, the center changed its name to ASAP in order to sound less remedial and placed new emphasis on assisting students in developing intellectual independence and academic autonomy.

ASAP works closely with the College’s Educational Opportunity Program and with developing an ongoing professional relationship with Student Disability Services.

In 2007, the SUNY Vice Presidents for Student Affairs honored SUNY Cortland’s ASAP with an inaugural Outstanding Student Affairs Program Award in Student Retention for its Supplemental Instruction (SI) program, designed to help students improve their grades in the College’s historically most difficult courses. The extremely cost-effective program, which is free to SUNY Cortland students, involves student leaders who act as facilitators and is used by the College’s best and brightest students as well as those who struggle academically.