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  Issue Number 5 • Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013  

Campus-Champion-Beth-Klein.jpg

Campus Champion

When College officials went searching for a sustainability coordinator with leadership skills, solid “green” credentials and a deep understanding of both the campus and the community, they didn’t have to look far. They discovered that the co-founder and president of Sustainable Cortland, an environmental education group, was their own professor of science education Beth Shiner Klein. As part-time coordinator, Beth will guide campus efforts to increase energy efficiency, restructure curriculum and support student-based programs. She spent a spring sabbatical viewing sustainability models at other institutions and returned with great ideas. “We will serve as a hub, strengthening our programs through student, staff and community engagement,” she said.

Nominate a Campus Champion


Tuesday, Oct. 22

Lecture:The Resilient Farm and Homestead,” by Ben Falk, M.A.L.D., land designer and author, Sperry Center, Room 105, 7 p.m.


Wednesday, Oct. 23

Sandwich Seminar: “Drone Warfare and Extrajudicial Killings,” Ute Ritz-Deutch, History Department, Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge, noon-1 p.m.


Wednesday, Oct. 23

Brooks Museum Lecture Series: “Island Detentions: Migration, Enforcement, and Struggles Over Asylum,” by Alison Mountz, Wilfrid Laurier University, Moffett Center, Room 2125, 4:30 p.m.; A reception to welcome speakers begins at 4 p.m. in the Brooks Museum, Moffett Center, Room 2126.


Wednesday, Oct. 23

Lecture: “On Collecting Media Art,” Chris Eamon, curator and critic of new media art, Sperry Center, Room 104, 6 p.m.


Wednesday, Oct. 23

Wellness Wednesday Series: “Healthy Relationships: What do They Look Like?” by Carolyn Bershad and Kathryn Gallup, Counseling Center, Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, 7 p.m.


Thursday, Oct. 24

Sandwich Seminar: “The Tools of Engagement Project,” professional, self-paced development project for faculty and staff, Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge, noon-1 p.m.


Friday, Oct. 25- Saturday, Oct. 26

Family Weekend: Pre-registration required for some events. See the schedule of events or call the Campus Activities Office at 607-753-2322.


Saturday, Oct. 26

Children’s Museum Series: The 22nd annual Education Club Halloween Party, for children ages 1 to 12 years, 1890 House, Cortland, 10 a.m.– 1 p.m.


Saturday, Oct. 26

Performance: Sonalee’s Bollywood Dance Company, Corey Union Function Room, 8 p.m.


Monday, Oct. 28

Dinner and Performance: “A Taste of the World: A Night of Culture and Cuisine,” Corey Union Function Room, 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 5:45 p.m. 


Tuesday, Oct. 29

German Film and Lecture: “Imagining the West from East Germany – From the DDR” Series presents “Divided Heaven (Der geteilte Himmel) (1964 ), Sperry Center, Room 305, 7 p.m.


Tuesday, Oct. 29

Open Mic Night: Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, 7 p.m.


Tuesday, Oct. 29

Native American Film Series: “More than Frybread,” Sperry Center, Room 205, 7 p.m.


Wednesday, Oct. 30

Sandwich Seminar: “The Symphony Sings!” Lewis Rosengarten, Africana Studies, Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge, 12:30-1:30 p.m.


Wednesday, Oct. 30

Wellness Wednesday Series: “NEW Drugs of the Internet: Getting Amped on Ladybugs Is Not a Good Thing,” by emergency room physician Tracey H. Reilly, Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, 7 p.m.


Thursday, Oct. 31

Sandwich Seminar: “Increasing Student Engagement Through Social Media,” Matthew Whitman, Institute for Civic Engagement, Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge, noon-1 p.m.


Saturday, Nov. 2

Children’s Museum Series: “Whose Tracks are These?” with Elaine Sturges, early childhood professional and Project Wild facilitator, Education Building, Child Care Center, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.


Sunday, Nov. 3

Performance: SUNY Cortland 28th African American Gospel Music Festival, featuring four university choirs, Corey Union Function Room, 4-5:30 p.m.


Monday, Nov. 4

Alumni Speaker Series: “Careers in Sport Management,” Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, 7 p.m.


Tuesday, Nov. 5

Lecture: “Cave Archaeology in Western Belize and Its Implications for Understanding Ancient Maya Response to Environmental Change,” Jaime J. Awe, Galen University, Belize, Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge, 4:30 p.m.


Tuesday, Nov. 5

German Film and Lecture Series: “Goodbye, Lenin,” Sperry Center, Room 305, 7 p.m.


Tuesday, Nov. 5

Native American Film Series: “Crooked Arrows,” with introduction by producer Neal Powless, Sperry Center, Room 205, 7 p.m.



SUNY Cortland Master Teachers Selected

10/30/2013

Nearly three dozen math and science teachers will hone their craft through SUNY Cortland’s Master Teacher program, making the College the largest regional hub for the new teacher development program in New York state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in October four regional sites for the program. Thirty-five teachers, or one-third of the 105 math and science teachers selected statewide statewide, will be affiliated with SUNY Cortland, according to the governor’s announcement.

“Following a very rigorous interview and application process, we now have some pretty outstanding teachers we will be working with,” said Dominick Fantacone, master teacher program coordinator for SUNY Cortland.  “The goal is to provide them with professional development opportunities in their content areas. It’s information, skills, and materials they will then take back to the classroom to share with their students.”

SUNY Cortland’s master teachers come from 15 different school districts throughout Central New York. Ten of them are graduates of SUNY Cortland, which runs the largest accredited teacher education program in the Northeast.

A second wave of applications is expected to double the number of participants in Cortland’s Master Teacher program by early next year. Applications will be available through suny.edu in November.

"We are thrilled to have such a distinguished group of science and math teachers from our region to work with in the coming years,” said Andrea LaChance, dean of SUNY Cortland’s School of Education. “We think they will contribute greatly to the preparation of our teaching candidates in math and science."

The first group of Master Teachers, selected for their classroom effectiveness in science or math, will meet routinely as a group for mini-courses and workshops and pursue individualized development plans in their content areas. They will then share what they’ve learned with other working educators and SUNY Cortland preservice teachers.

The program, announced by Gov. Cuomo this spring, requires a four-year commitment to mentoring other secondary school teachers and helping both prospective educators and new teachers. Teachers will also engage in peer mentoring and intensive content-oriented professional development opportunities throughout the academic year. It comes with a $60,000 stipend ($15,000 annually for four years). The idea is to give outstanding teachers in math and science an incentive to continue teaching in New York while sharing their methods, experience and insight with fellow teachers.

The other existing master teacher hubs are SUNY New Paltz (19 participants), SUNY Plattsburgh (21 participants) and SUNY Buffalo (29 participants).  Additional hubs will be established at SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Oneonta, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University and the University at Albany.

The first group of SUNY Cortland Master Teachers:

  • Janet Scheffler M.A.T. ’01, Auburn Enlarged City School District*
  • Lynda Barry, Baldwinsville School District
  • Kurt Schmidt, Cincinnatus Central School District
  • Abbey Albright ’02, Cortland Enlarged City School District*
  • Karen Kirchbaum, Cortland Enlarged City School District
  • James Ulrich, Cortland Enlarged City School District
  • Pamela Herrington M.A.T. ’00, East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District*
  • Timothy Keough, East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District
  • Sally Mitchell, East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District
  • Peter Wilder, Fabius-Pompey Central School District
  • Kevin Douglass ’99, Homer Central School District*
  • Thomas George, M.A.T. ’02Homer Central School District*
  • Dawn Janicki, Jamesville-DeWitt School District
  • Jay Lang, Jamesville-DeWitt School District
  • Elizabeth Wood, Jamesville-DeWitt School District
  • David Amidon, LaFayette School District
  • Nancy Terry, LaFayette School District
  • Andrew Calderwood, Liverpool Central School District
  • Wanda Padula, Liverpool Central School District
  • Jeffry Peneston, Liverpool Central School District
  • Sara Pieklik, Liverpool Central School District
  • Rita Putnam, Liverpool Central School District
  • Jennifer Terpening, Liverpool Central School District
  • Bridgit Johnson, M.S.Ed. ’13, Moravia Central School District*
  • Tisha Riley M.S.Ed. ’10, Moravia Central School District*
  • Michelle VanEtten, Moravia Central School District
  • Greg Flick, North Syracuse Central School District
  • Amy Furletti M.S.Ed ’01, North Syracuse Central School District*
  • Matthew Harbinger, North Syracuse Central School District
  • Bradley Ranieri, North Syracuse Central School District
  • Amy Houseknecht M.S.Ed ’11, Southern Cayuga Central School District*
  • Carl Scheffler M.A.T. ’99, Southern Cayuga Central School District*
  • Kathryn Annan, West Genesee School District
  • Samuel Gervaise, West Genesee School District
  • Megan Wolfe, Westhill School District
     

* SUNY Cortland graduate

Faculty will Help Select Tax-Exempt Businesses

10/22/2013

The Faculty Senate is creating a committee to help make sure any business venture applying for tax breaks through SUNY Cortland under the new Start-Up New York program will operate in a way that furthers the College’s educational goals.

“We need to have some say in how businesses are aligning with and furthering the mission of the College,” said Distinguished Service Professor Joy Hendrick, who put forth the proposal. “We want to be proactive. We’re certainly not trying to be a roadblock.”

“Start-Up New York,” an economic development initiative launched by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year, completely exempts from New York taxes qualified businesses that open on or near any of SUNY’s 64 campuses.

To qualify for that 10-year tax break, new or expanding companies must support the academic mission of the College, either by utilizing campus research or by providing educational experiences or internships.

The new ad hoc committee will develop criteria to make sure prospective businesses align with SUNY Cortland’s academic priorities and create procedures for evaluating their potential as an educational partner for the College.

The committee will include four faculty members ¾ including at least one from each school ¾ one professional staff member, one librarian and one student.

Anyone interested in serving on the committee should contact Joanne Barry, assistant vice president for Human Resources, by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23. She can be reached at 607-753-2302 or joanne.barry@cortland.edu.

Several faculty and staff members have indicated a desire to serve on the committee, but potential representatives from among the librarian staff and student body have yet to come forward. All candidates should submit a brief statement explaining their interest and outlining the relevant experience or knowledge that qualifies them.

The Faculty Senate’s Committee on Committees will evaluate the candidates and make recommendations to the full senate.

Under the Start-Up New York program, each campus works with interested businesses to apply for the benefits and submits them to the state for approval. In addition to being a good education partner, businesses must meet many other criteria, including:

Applicants must be new or expanding businesses. Companies cannot simply relocate from somewhere else in New York in search of tax benefits.

    • Applicants must create new jobs.
    • Applicants cannot be businesses that focus on retail sales, professional services like lawyers or restaurants or bars.
    • Applicants must be established either on campus or within a one-mile radius of the campus border. In Cortland, that would make vacant space in downtown buildings, including the College’s business incubator on Main Street, eligible, as well as the former Buckbee- Mears plant.

If a business is selected for the program, it will be exempt from all state taxes for 10 years. Most of its employees also will not be required to pay state income taxes, a perk that Cuomo said has not been offered as an economic development incentive before.


Capture the Moment

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Audience members “got infected” Friday when SUNY Cortland’s senior musical theatre majors produced the ever-wild Rocky Horror Show to a sold-out audience at the former United Community Church in Cortland. Magenta, played by Jacquie Fisher, was one of several cast members who helped deliver the cult classic experience.


In Other News

Program Offers Tech Training for Employees

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SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and teaching assistants looking to infuse web-based tools in their work are encouraged to join the system-wide Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP).

A sandwich seminar on Thursday, Oct. 24, at noon in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge will serve as a second introductory session to the program, which aims to supply faculty and staff members with training for free online tools. Long-term goals include professional development for employees and classroom engagement for students.

The program is not simply an online course, rather a way to explore web tools collaboratively with colleagues. Campus get-togethers will take place throughout the fall and spring semesters beginning in November.

Those who wish to participate in TOEP should attend an initial registration session on Thursday, Oct. 31, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 103. Participants will have access to a web-based tools website through early March, with no mandatory time commitment. Most online learning experiences are expected to range from 30 minutes to three hours.

People who complete the program will receive a certificate and will be entered to win prizes valued at $300 each. To be eligible, they must work at one of the 10 SUNY campuses participating in TOEP, register by Saturday, Nov. 30, and complete all of the project activities by Monday, March 3.

For more information, contact a member of the College’s TEOP team: Shufang Shi, an associate professor of childhood/early childhood education, at 607-753-2468; Katherine Graham, a lecturer of economics, at 607-753-5954; Julia Morog, an instructional support associate in Campus Technology Services, at 607-753-2740; or John Scognamiglio, an instructional designer at Memorial Library, at 607-756-4366.


Films Take Nuanced Look at East Germany

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German cinema, especially as it relates to the way in which Germans in the former communist East Germany looked upon the west, is the focus of a planned film series culminating in a lecture by Michael Richardson, a distinguished scholar and writer on German language, film and culture.

Presented by SUNY Cortland’s Project on Eastern and Central Europe (PECE), events in “Imagining the West from East Germany, i.e., the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR)” are free and open to the public.

Divided Heaven
 Konrad Wolf's 1964 film

The films all will be shown on Tuesdays in late October and early November beginning at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 305.

Richardson, the associate dean for faculty and special initiatives in Ithaca College’s School of Humanities and Sciences, will lecture on “Imagining the West from the East: A Cinematic View” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

Richardson is an associate professor of modern languages and literatures at Ithaca College and co-editor of A New History of German Cinema (2012). A former chair of Ithaca College’s Modern Languages Department who has served on the college’s Honors faculty and Jewish Studies faculty, he will address the issues raised by the discussions and films.  

Between the screenings and leading up to Richardson’s lecture, the series also encompasses interactive discussions with faculty.

The films are as follows:

• Konrad Wolf’s 1964 film, “Divided Heaven (Der geteilte Himmel),” will be shown on Oct. 29. “Divided Heaven” deals with the choice by a young woman to not join her lover who has fled to the West to advance his career. Set in a modernist style of the 1960s, the film explores the difficult side of life in East Germany and the central character’s determination to assert her own autonomy and to remain in a regime controlled by the Party.

• Wolfgang Becker’s 2003 work, “Good-Bye, Lenin,” will be presented on Nov. 5. This broad and comic satire tells the story of what happens when an older woman — a supporter of the communist regime — falls into a coma when her son is arrested by the police. Shortly thereafter the Berlin Wall falls and the doctor warns the son that if the mother realizes that her beloved regime has collapsed she may suffer a fatal heart attack. The son sets out to create the illusion of the regime in the mother’s sick room. A humorous film in one sense but serious in another.

 • Christian Petzold’s 2012 Oscar-nominated motion picture, “Barbara,” will be offered on Nov. 12. A doctor who is being punished by the regime for expressing the wish to leave East Germany, Barbara is assigned to a provincial hospital. Her lover in West Germany prepares an escape for her, but she is faced with some complex decisions. This stunning and moving film forces those in the West to think deeply about the lives and values of people who lived in what Americans used to call “communist East Germany.”

Divided Heaven
 Christian Petzold's 2012 film

The program is geared to those who are interested in history, political science, philosophy, literature, international studies, physical education and German language and culture. 

The series strives for a more complex look at relations between the two countries over the years in which the films are set.

“As the central figure in all three films is a woman, they will appeal to those looking at feminist themes in the divided Germany during the Cold War era,” said SUNY Cortland Distinguished Service Professor Henry Steck, a PECE series organizer.

“Our program addresses the way in which East Germans — citizens of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) — looked on the West and how they manifested a sense of themselves, their society and their futures during the Cold War era,” he said.

“Our focus is on the post-1961 period when the Berlin Wall became a physical dividing line that intensified the differences between East and West, heightened the sense of being trapped and raised the stakes for those working through their identities, their work and their relations to those around them and to the society in which they lived,” Steck said. 

The talks will encompass the role of film in depicting so vividly the existential complexity of life in the DDR.

“The films challenge the easy western assumption that the DDR had no emotional, political or personal hold on the emotions, commitments and lives of its citizens and that those ‘trapped’ behind the wall would want to move West as quickly as possible and whenever possible despite the dangers that fleeing might entail,” Steck said. “What deeper vision led the individuals presented in the films we have selected to make the choice to stay behind?”

The series is co-sponsored by the James M. Clark Center for International Education, the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, the Political Science, History and Modern Language departments, the Auxiliary Services Corporation and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series.

For more information, contact Steck at henry.steck@cortland.edu or 607-753-4807.

 


Cortaca Tickets Go on Sale Nov. 4

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SUNY Cortland students and employees looking to witness a fourth straight Cortaca Jug win in person will have the opportunity to purchase tickets beginning Monday, Nov. 4.

The College’s football team travels to Ithaca’s Butterfield Stadium Saturday, Nov. 16, for the annual rivalry game. Kickoff is slated for noon.

Tickets, which cost $8, go on sale to SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff members Monday, Nov. 4, in Corey Union, Room 406, from 5 to 10 p.m. or until they sell out. They will remain on sale in the same location from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.

During the first two days of ticket sales, students and employees may purchase one ticket each. A valid College ID is required and only cash will be accepted.

If tickets remain after the first two days of sales to the campus community, they will go on sale to the general public from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Corey Union, Room 406. Tickets will be limited to two per person and remain $8 each, with only cash accepted.

All tickets are considered general admission and seating will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the game.

With a limited number of tickets available, no one is guaranteed a ticket. Tickets will be required to enter the game and none will be sold at the gate on game day. A College ID alone will not allow entry.

All tailgating must conclude by 5 p.m. and several items will be prohibited in Butterfield Stadium. Those include: alcoholic beverages and food; clothing with profanity or offensive pictures; bags, purses or backpacks of any shape or size; artificial noisemakers; banners, flags or signs attached to sticks or poles; bottles, cans, containers or coolers; pets of any kind; strollers; tobacco products; umbrellas; charcoal grills; or weapons of any kind.

For more information on ticket sales, contact Campus Activities and Corey Union at 607-753-2321 or join the “Cortaca Football Ticket Distribution” event page on Facebook.


College Celebrates Non-Traditional Students

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Although their backgrounds often are wildly different, they all have interesting stories to tell.

Most delayed college for a year or more after high school graduation. Many squeeze in undergraduate classes after full workdays. Usually, they are older — sometimes by decades — than their fellow students on campus.

They are SUNY Cortland’s non-traditional students. The College will celebrate them during Non-Traditional Students Week, now through Saturday, Nov. 9. Each day, special activities will take place. And each day through Friday, Nov. 8, an inspiring non-traditional student will be introduced to the SUNY Cortland community.

But those aren’t the only inspiring “nontraditional” students on campus. The College is accepting nominations for the “Celebrate a Non-Trad” campaign through Wednesday, Nov. 13. This campaign gives campus community members an opportunity to recognize students who balance college with commitments such as families and long commutes through a certificate and campus-wide recognition.

Forms are available online as well as in Advisement and Transition, located in Memorial Library, Room A-111.

The College defines its non-traditional undergraduate students as those who are at least 24 years old or have had an interruption or delay in their education since high school. They also might have dependent children, regardless of their ages.

Approximately 300 non-traditional undergraduates study at SUNY Cortland. Here are just a few of them:

Friday, Nov. 8

Danielle Bauer and Chris Coles

Danielle and Chris
Bauer and Coles
with daughter Cali

Young parents can take lessons in time management from seniors Danielle Bauer and Chris Coles. The couple has managed to raise infant daughter Cali while both mom and dad study at SUNY Cortland full time. It hasn’t ever been easy, but every step has been worth it, they say.

“The day care has been phenomenal,” says Chris, a business economics major, referring to the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center. He met Danielle, a therapeutic recreation major, when they were both students at Jefferson Community College. After obtaining their associate’s degrees, they settled on SUNY Cortland while Danielle was pregnant.

“We have our jobs, day care and education in one spot,” says Chris, explaining that both he and Danielle work part time for Auxiliary Services Corporation. “We wouldn’t be able to do it any other way.”

They will graduate in May and plan to get married once their educations are complete. For now, however, they manage their class schedules, work schedules and childcare meticulously — thankful for the ability to effectively study and raise Cali together at the same time.

Thursday, Nov. 7

Sherry Howell

Sherry Howell
Howell

It doesn’t take long for strangers to pick up on Sherry’s positivity in all that she handles. A single parent of three, she practices patience, sympathy and optimism both at home and at school.

“As a student, I find myself understanding my own kids better now,” says Sherry, 38, who has two children at other SUNY institutions. Sherry, like many other non-traditional undergraduates, looks for the good in every situation.

That’s one of the reasons she enjoys studying inclusive special education and why she hopes to work with children who face behavior challenges. “It’s important to be open, to try to be flexible,” Sherry says. “It’s not always easy, but it’s important.”

Wednesday, Nov. 6

Justin Miller

Justin Miller
Miller and Dinah,
his service dog

Assignment deadlines and exams aren’t insurmountable obstacles for Justin. The same can be said for the injuries he suffered while serving in the U.S. Army. Like many non-traditional students, he turned a possible setback into his motivation.

His service dog Dinah helped him overcome issues with his back. “Therapeutic recreation got me motivated,” says Justin, 28, who toured in Iraq and competed in shooting at the 2012 Warrior Games for wounded service members. “It got me on my feet.” Not surprisingly, therapeutic recreation eventually became the sophomore’s major at SUNY Cortland.

Justin saw the benefits of the discipline firsthand, which is why he hopes to share its benefits with as many people as possible after he graduates.




Tuesday, Nov. 5


Lisa Ruquet

Lisa Ruquet
Ruquet

Year after year, Lisa has juggled part-time classes with full-time mom duties. First, she earned the equivalent of a high school diploma. Then she earned her associate's degree at TC3. Now, the psychology major is on the cusp of earning a bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland.

“It was a process,” says Lisa, 40, who has three children spanning elementary school to college. “I guess I have perseverance.” She, like many other non-traditional students, manages to remain an excellent scholar without letting her parental responsibilities slip. Often, she waits until her kids and the rest of the world are asleep before digging in to handle her assignments.

Lisa, whose husband is a schoolteacher, would have been a model mom for her kids without a four-year degree. But with it, she becomes a living example of how determination and hard work can overcome obstacles to achieve important goals.

Monday, Nov. 4

Chris Caughey

Chris Caughey
Caughey

Chris came back to Cortland to finish what he started more than a decade ago: his college education. In many ways, he represents the commitment non-traditional students bring to campus every day.

Chris grew up in Cortland, played basketball on the College’s outdoor courts, and graduated from Cortland High School in 1997. He started an associate’s degree at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) but enlisted in the U.S. Army before completing it. Five years of service included two deployments overseas to Iraq. And when his duties were up, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be.

“I’ve always liked SUNY Cortland,” the exercise science major says. Now 34 years old, Chris will finish his degree in the spring.


Topic is Current Legal Issues in Education

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A SUNY Cortland conference for educational leaders on Tuesday, Oct. 29, will focus on some emerging legal issues in education today, including the Amended Dignity for All Students Act 2013 and social media rules for public schools.

Three attorneys will offer an interactive panel discussion — on topics that also include the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) appeals implications regarding teachers, search and seizure laws and the concept of “reasonable suspicion” — from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Brockway Hall, Jacobus Lounge.

The Francis J. Cheney Educational Leadership Breakfast Conference is geared for area school district and building administrators and educational administration students enrolled in SUNY Cortland’s Educational Leadership Department.

The panel will feature Scott Budelmann, who also serves as the assistant superintendent for administrative services with the Madison-Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Joseph J. Bufano and Donald E. Budmen.

Participant registration is required to attend the conference. To register for the event, which includes breakfast, or to receive more information, contact the Educational Leadership Department by calling 607-753-2444 or by emailing janice.eaton@cortland.edu.

Kevin Mack, who chairs the Educational Leadership Department, works with an 11-member advisory board composed of regional school administrators to organize the Francis J. Cheney leadership conferences. He views these conferences as an opportunity for school leaders to meet and discuss current educational issues.

The Cheney Conference, held three times annually at SUNY Cortland, is sponsored by Louise M. Conley, Ph.D., the Cortland College Foundation and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series. The conference marks its fifth year as an annual event.

Named after Francis J. Cheney, who served as Cortland Normal School principal from 1891 until his death in 1912, the educational conference was created and funded by Cheney’s granddaughter, Conley, of Princeton, N.J. Conley chairs the Cortland College Foundation Board of Directors.

The conference’s mission is to create a learning community for educational leaders that enhances and supports the success of all students through ongoing professional development, refinement of leadership skills and networking. 


Cornell Joins Nov. 3 Gospel Musical Festival

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Gospel music groups from several area universities will bring their talents to SUNY Cortland for the College’s 28th annual African American Gospel Musical Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3.

The event takes place at 4 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room and costs $5 for general admission and $3 for students, with proceeds supporting the SUNY Cortland Gospel Choir scholarship and the group’s programming funds.

Children 12 years old and younger will be admitted for free. Free tickets also are available for people who have a financial need.

Performances are expected to wrap up by 5:30 p.m., and a reception will follow.

In addition to SUNY Cortland’s Gospel Choir, groups from Binghamton University, Cornell University and Syracuse University will perform. Each choir has been asked to perform two songs: one gospel and one a cappella. A mass choir selection, featuring all of the groups together, will serve as the finale.

SUNY Cortland’s performance will include “Let’s Dance,” by Lonnie Hunter; “Every Praise,” by Hezekiah Walker; and “Moving Forward,” by Israel Houghton, featuring Deston Hudson as a soloist. The mass choir selection is “Break Every Chain,” by Tasha Cobbs, led by Karlene Anderson.

The College’s Gospel Choir is directed by Robert Brown, a lecturer in the Africana Studies Department and music teacher at Blodgett Elementary School in Syracuse, N.Y. He also serves as music director of the New Life Community Church in Syracuse. SUNY Cortland Gospel Choir musicians include Andy Rudy on keyboard, Benjamin Terry on percussion and Reginald Seigler on bass guitar.

Cornell University’s Chosen Generation Gospel Choir will perform under the direction of Melanie Netter. Binghamton University’s Gospel Choir is directed by Jessica Davis and Syracuse University’s Black Celestial Choral Ensemble is led by Byron F. Canada.

The SUNY Cortland Gospel Choir is part of the College’s Africana Studies Department. Its support comes from the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies; the Alumni Affairs Office; the Cortland College Foundation; the Division of Student Affairs; the President’s, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs offices; and the student activity fee.

For more information, contact Samuel Kelley at 607-753-4104 or sam.kelley@cortland.edu.


Talk Focuses on Immigrants and Islands

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Islands are where many migrants and asylum-seekers around the world first land in their pursuit of safety and freedom.

But for many, the archipelagos become a physical and legal trap.

Geographer Alison Mountz will explore the processing and detention of these would-be immigrants on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at SUNY Cortland.

Mountz, an associate professor of geography with the Balsillie School of International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, will discuss “Island Detentions: Migration, Enforcement and Struggles Over Asylum” at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 2125.

Her talk continues the 2013-14 Rozanne M. Brooks Lecture Series at SUNY Cortland. This year the Brooks lectures take on the theme of “Cultures in Conflict, Pathways to Resolution,” featuring upcoming presentations ranging from women’s involvement in the Arab Spring to the ongoing conflicts between Turkey and Europe, to how domestic policy on crime sometimes creates even more conflicts.

A reception to welcome Mountz starts at 4 p.m. in the Rozanne M. Brooks Museum, Moffett Center, Room 2126.

Alison Mountz
 Alison Mountz

This event, and others in the Brooks series, is free and open to the public.

Mountz, who holds her school’s Canada Research Chair in Global Migration, has focused her studies on the peripheral edges of sovereign territory where migrants try to land, work and seek asylum. These islands are significant for border authorities, raising complex issues surrounding legality, sovereignty, governance and exclusion. She will describe how migrants and asylum-seekers are kept, literally, at the margins of the countries in which they seek refuge.

Mountz is the author of a book, Seeking Asylum: Human Smuggling and Bureaucracy at the Border (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010); and the co-author of a second, Key Concepts in Political Geography (Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2009).          

Before joining Wilfrid Laurier University, she was an associate professor in geography at the Maxwell School of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University from 1998 to 2003.

Mountz also served as a W.L. Mackenzie King Research Fellow in the Canada Program and a visiting associate professor at Harvard University.

She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Latin American and Caribbean studies. At Dartmouth, she was a Presidential Scholar, a Sociology Senior Fellow and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She pursued graduate work in geography, earning a Ph.D. from University of British Columbia and an M.A. from Hunter College.

The 2013-14 Brooks Lecture Series is sponsored by a grant from Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) and the Cortland College Foundation. For more information, contact Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Sharon R. Steadman, the lecture series organizer and Brooks Museum director, at 607-753-2308.


College Kicks Off 2013-14 SEFA Appeal

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SUNY Cortland kicked off its 2013-14 State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) campaign on Oct. 21 with a noon luncheon for volunteers in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. The campaign, which relies on state employee volunteers to canvas co-workers for donations, will continue through Monday, Nov. 4.

The only authorized fundraising campaign among state workers, SEFA is directed by the United Way of Cortland County and unites fundraising efforts for a group of agencies under a common umbrella.

“Last year the campus raised $52,028 in SEFA campaign donations from a total of 349 SUNY Cortland employees,” said Lori Porter who, with Mavis Lefever, will co-chair this year’s SEFA campaign on campus.

“While last year’s campaign was incredibly successful in terms of dollars raised and the number of donors, we are hopeful that even more money can be raised and that more employees will decide to contribute to this year’s campaign,” Porter added.

z’We are hopeful that as many or more employees will be able to contribute to this year’s campaign in an effort to meet or exceed the number of programs and people who benefit from these donations,” Porter added. 

According to Abigail Oaks, campaign associate for the United Way for Cortland County, last year’s United Way donations were allocated to 26 programs at 13 agencies. The number of people in the county served through these programs in 2012 was 27,157, or 56 percent.

 The College offers incentives for employees who donate to the campaign.

SEFA campaigns also are conducted at the State Department of Labor, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Transportation, the Office of Court Administration and the State Police. Decisions are made locally about which agencies are included and how funds are distributed. The community-based SEFA committee is composed of representatives from state agencies and managers of human service agencies. Pledging takes place once a year.

Participants can choose to have their gifts shared among different organizations within Cortland County, used in another county of their choice or designated for individual local, state, independent or international organizations. Examples of local agencies include the United Way for Cortland County, Madison-Cortland New York State ARC, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Catholic Charities, Cortland Area Child Care Council, Cortland County Child Development Center, Family Counseling Services, Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture, Salvation Army, Franziska Racker Centers (special children’s center), United Service Organization, YMCA and YWCA.

Local members of the Cortland County SEFA Committee include: Kathleen Burke, SUNY Cortland United University Professions (UUP) employees; Cynthia Eberhart, federated campaign coordinator for the United Way for Cortland County; Gary Evans, SUNY Cortland management/confidential employees; Laurie Klotz, SUNY Cortland UUP employees; Lois Marshall, NYSDOT, CSEA employees; Donna Raymond, NYSEC, CSEA employees; Cindy Tarleton, Community Health Charities of New York; Antoinette Tiburzi, SUNY Cortland professor emerita, Cortland County SEFA chair; and Laurie Barton, SUNY Cortland, management/confidential employees.

For more information about SEFA in New York state, visit the website www.sefanys.org.


Student Writers to Offer Halloween Reading

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The crisp, fall air whispers terrors in one’s ear as it rushes by. “Crunch-crunch” sound the dying leaves under a passerby’s feet. Suddenly, the whimsical scent of apple cider fills one’s nostrils, and the witching hour commences.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Cortland Writers Association, a Student Government Association Club, is sponsoring a Halloween reading called “The Witching Hour.”

This 6:30 p.m. reading on the front steps of Old Main will be full of spooky stories that will give goose bumps. The event also will feature scrumptious treats and an undeniable Halloween atmosphere complete with candles and flashlights.

Students will be the presenters, and all are welcome to perform a unique piece or sit back and enjoy from the crowd. This event is free and open to the public. The gathering is a great way to savor a nice fall night with cider and stories, all in the Halloween spirit.


CAPCO Recognizes Hurricane Relief from 2012-13

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The Cortland County Community Action Program (CAPCO) recently recognized SUNY Cortland for the College’s contributions to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts during the 2012-13 academic year.

College President Erik J. Bitterbaum was presented with a certificate of appreciation from CAPCO representatives Oct. 18, in recognition of approximately $1,500 raised for the Angels Network’s hurricane relief efforts. The network is part of an area community action program.

CAPCO award
From left: CAPCO representatives Brandy Strauf and Kirsten Parker,
SUNY
 Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, Associate Vice President
for
 Student Affairs Christopher Kuretich and Service-Learning
Coordinator
 John Suarez.

Student Government Association President LeighMarie Weber, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Christopher Kuretich and Service-Learning Coordinator John Suarez joined Bitterbaum to accept the award.

In addition to raising the funds, SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff members last year coordinated a sustained campus effort to round up needed supplies. The College also held a blood drive in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, to help overcome a shortfall forced by the storm.


Archeologist to Theorize on Mayan Artifacts

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As the ancient Mayan civilization slowly collapsed in Central America some thousand years ago, perhaps in the face of a quickly changing environment, its survivors retreated with their most precious artifacts into caves.

Jaime J. Awe, a noted archeologist in Belize, will discuss what the ancient treasure troves have revealed to researchers about a remarkable civilization, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at SUNY Cortland.

Awe, who directs the Institute of Archaeology for the National Institute of Culture and History at Galen University in San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize, will lecture on “Cave Archaeology in Western Belize and its Implications for Understanding Ancient Maya Response to Environmental Change” at 4:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

His lecture is free and open to the public.

Belize, a small Central American country with a scattered population roughly the size of Buffalo, N.Y., is a relatively untapped archeologist’s goldmine. The rain forests have swallowed most artifacts of a once-thriving civilization, but the remnants of their wondrous cultural gatherings can be found in the shards of ceramic ware left behind.

Awe, an associate professor at Galen University, is a Belizean archaeologist with 22 years of field experience in Mayan archaeology.

He has taught at universities in Canada, England, and the United States and is currently also a faculty affiliate with the University of Montana in Missoula.

During the last 15 years, Awe has participated in the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project, which has conducted considerable scientific research in the caves of western Belize.

He directs the Western Belize Regional Cave Project, conducting intensive field research in several caves in western Belize and comparing the information gathered from this region with that recorded in other areas of the Mayan lowlands. He also currently is directing excavations at Cahal Pech, one of the oldest Mayan sites in western Belize.

Researchers know the Maya treated the caves as sacred places and ceremonial sites, he said.

Professor Jaime Awe with SUNY Cortland students
Jaime Awe, right, stands at Cahal Pech, an archeological dig and research site in Belize where SUNY Cortland students were given a private lecture, followed by a visit to his home and laboratory featuring an extensive collection of Mayan artifacts. In the above left image, Awe holds a Maya bowl from 900 BCE.

“But who conducted these ceremonies, the nature of the rituals and the purpose they served are poorly understood,” Awe said. “It is our hope that long-term regional study of caves can provide clues and answers to these very questions.”

 In addition to recording a wealth of information on ancient Maya cave rituals, these investigations have allowed modern humans to reconstruct an extensive climatic record for the region, Awe said.

“They help us to better understand the factors that contributed to the collapse of Maya civilization,” Awe said. “When combined with the archaeological record, these data provide intriguing new perspectives on human responses to environmental change, and help us to better understand the factors that contributed to the collapse of Maya civilization.”

Awe recently began collaborating with Jeremiah Donovan, a SUNY Cortland professor of art and art history who has specialized in ceramics, including research in China and Central America on recreating the lost methods used in pottery production by early civilizations.

Donovan and seven art and art history majors who have helped him with his study met Awe in January in Belize, during Donovan’s pilot course, Winter Study: History, Culture, and the Arts. Donovan continued his research in Belize with several of the students this past summer.  Awe’s visit advances that collaboration.

The talk is supported by the College’s Art and Art History Department, International Programs Office, James M. Clark Center for International Education, President’s Office and the Sociology/Anthropology Department.

For more information, contact Donovan at 607-753-4310 or jeremiah.donovan@cortland.edu.



E.R. Physician to Discuss Web-based Drugs

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Emergency room physician Tracey H. Reilly can tell students first-hand why they will never want to try any of the emerging, non-traditional drugs that are sold on the Internet.

She’ll do just that in a lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at SUNY Cortland. Her talk, “NEW Drugs of the Internet: Getting Amped on Ladybugs Is Not a Good Thing,” begins at 7 p.m. in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge.

After she’s shared her knowledge, “even if you’ve tried them before, you’ll never want to again,” said Reilly, an attending physician in emergency medicine and medical toxicology at the UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, N.Y. since 2008.

Reilly will divulge the social and legal issues of synthetic legal intoxicating drugs and offer a clinical discussion of the medical management of acute toxicity for select new, synthetic drugs.

The talk continues the College’s Wellness Wednesday series intended to encourage campus and community members to pursue a lifetime of good health.

“You no longer need ‘street contacts,’” Reilly explained about the new Web drugs. “Your next therapeutic misadventure is just a click away.”

Marketing and easy accessibility via the Internet has been prevalent for over a decade, she noted. To evade the label of a controlled substance, the drugs are marked “not for human consumption” and have been labeled as “incense,” “plant food,” “lady bug attractant” and “bath salts.”

The kinds of drugs that are landing kids, teenagers and college students in the emergency room for treatment of an overdose include substances grouped as Syntheticcannabinoids, Syntheticcathinones, Kratom, Mitragyna speciosa, S Asian tree (Korth), Salviadivinorum, Methoxetamine, Piperazinederivatives, “legal Ecstasy,” 1-benzylpiperazine and “legal ketamine.”

Sponsored by the Health Promotion Office and the Student Development Center, the Fall 2013 Wellness Wednesday series takes place each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, unless otherwise noted. The events are free and open to the public.

Reilly is board certified in emergency medicine medical toxicology with the American Board of Emergency Medicine. She completed a fellowship in medical toxicology from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville and her residency in emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, where she also earned her medical degree.

For more information or physical accommodation to attend an event, contact Catherine Smith, the College’s health educator, in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1, at catherine.smith@cortland.edu or at 607-753-2066.


Family Weekend Set for Oct. 25-27

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SUNY Cortland’s Family Weekend 2013, which will run from Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 27, will include a musical theater performance by students and a cultural music and dance presentation by Sonalee's Bollywood Dance Company.

Students in the Musical Theatre Performance class will present scenes and songs developed in their course beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Old Main Brown Auditorium.

“Bollywood,” the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India, will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Corey Union Function Room. A complimentary dessert buffet will follow.

Other Family Weekend events include art exhibitions, athletic competitions and educational and recreational activities for the entire family.

Highlights of the event schedule follow:

Friday, Oct. 25

• Families who want to work out together will have access to the Tomik Fitness Center in Van Hoesen Hall from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. A towel and identification are required.

• An art exhibition titled “Ashley Lyon: Fleshing” will be displayed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Dowd Gallery, at Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main St.

• At 4 p.m., the SUNY Cortland field hockey team will take on New Paltz at the Stadium Complex White Field.

Saturday, Oct. 26

• Family access to Tomik Fitness Center in Van Hoesen Hall will be offered from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• A faculty lecture at 9:30 a.m. will be led by biologist Steven Broyles. “Sexual Secrets of Grocery Produce,” will explore the world of plant sexuality to produce the diversity of fruits and seeds found in a grocery store. It will be held in the Corey Union Fireplace Lounge.

• Dowd Gallery, at Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• “Coffee and Conversation: Staff and Family Mix and Mingle” will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge.

• Reservations are closed to attend the annual President’s Brunch, hosted by SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, at 11:30 a.m.

• A faculty lecture at 12:30 p.m., titled “Beyond the Government Shutdown: Congress, Obama, and 2014,” will be presented by Distinguished Service Professor Robert Spitzer,

Political Science Department, in the Corey Union Fireplace Lounge.

•  The SUNY Cortland football team hosts the College of New Jersey at 1 p.m. at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.            

• Also at 1 p.m., the SUNY Cortland field hockey team takes on Oneonta at the Stadium Complex White Field and the SUNY Cortland women’s soccer team plays Oswego on Holloway Field.

• A live presentation of scenes and songs from the Musical Theatre Performance class will begin at 4 p.m. in Old Main Brown Auditorium.

• Sonalee’s Bollywood Dance Company will perform at 8 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room. The lecture is presented by the Campus Artists and Lecture Series. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and all students and children are admitted free. Tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to the performance, or in advance in the Campus Activities and Corey Union Office, Corey Union, Room 406, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or by calling 607-753-5574.

• Glow ‘n the Dark Skate will be offered in Park Center Alumni Ice Arena from 10 to 11 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 27   

• Family access to Tomik Fitness Center in Van Hoesen Hall will be offered from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Advance sign up is requested.

Registration was requested by Oct. 15 but most events are still open and those requiring tickets will have them on sale at the door. Questions about Family Weekend may be directed to Campus Activities at 607-753-2322.

For information on lodging, visitors may access the Cortland Area Innkeepers Association website at www.inncortland.com. This website contains contact information for the hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts in the area.  Families that need to find lodging outside the Cortland vicinity are encouraged to search in Tompkins and Broome counties at their websites:  www.visitithaca.com and www.greaterbinghamtonchamber.com.


‘Bollywood’ Performance Planned for Oct. 26

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Vibrant, colorful and energetic dancing will invade the SUNY Cortland campus when Sonalee’s Bollywood Dance Company performs on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Traditional and contemporary East Indian “Bollywood” dance styles, classical Indian dance, Indian folk dance, jazz and hip-hop will be performed to Latino and Arabic sways beginning at 8 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room.

A free dessert reception also will be provided at the event, which is presented as part of the College’s Family Weekend programming.

Ticket prices are $6 for adults and all students and children are admitted free. Tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to the performance or in advance in the Campus Activities and Corey Union Office, Corey Union, Room 406, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or by calling 607-753-5574.

The Campus Artist and Lecture Series (CALS) sponsors the performance.  

Sonalee Vyas emigrated to the U.S. from India when she was 14 years old, bringing with her 10 years of training in Indian classical dances — Bharat Natyam and Kathak— along with Bollywood, jazz, ballet, tap, modern and Latin dance styles. She has performed in the U.S. for the past 12 years and has gained worldwide recognition as both a dancer and choreographer.

She founded the dance company Naach Sensation and currently is the creative director of Sonalee’s Dance Studio. She has received numerous awards including the Asian American Heritage Council award.

More information about Sonalee’s Bollywood Dance Company can be found online at www.sonalee.com.


Safe Halloween Activities Planned for Children

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Residence Hall Trick-or-Treating

Area families will once again be offered safe alternatives to trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods through the efforts of SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff.

“A Safe and Spooktacular Halloween” will be held on campus on Thursday, Oct. 31. Sponsored by the Residence Life and Housing Office and coordinated by the Dragon Hall staff, the events are free. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult for both the Halloween party and the trick-or-treating experiences.

Residence halls will be open to trick-or-treaters from 5 to 8 p.m. Room doors of participating residents in each hall will be identified with either a ghost or pumpkin symbol. Residence hall staff will serve as trick-or-treat guides to take participants around to the identified resident rooms for candy.

The families may visit the following residence halls: Dragon, DeGroat, Cheney, Fitzgerald, Randall, Whitaker, Hayes, Alger, Bishop, Glass Tower, Shea, Higgins, Hendrick, Casey Tower and Smith Tower.

Residents of the West Campus Apartments, located on Route 281 between Starr Road and Route 13, will open their doors to little goblins from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a Halloween party in the Rec Center Lounge.  

For more information, contact residence hall director Amber Ingalls, Dragon Hall, at 607-753-2178.

Halloween Celebration Oct. 26

Snacks, games and a parade will highlight the 22nd annual Education Club Halloween Party on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the 1890 House, 37 Tompkins St., in Cortland.

Students in SUNY Cortland’s Education Department will continue the tradition of offering fun activities for children such as a costume contest, games, crafts and storytelling from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is for children ages one to 12 years. Admission is free.

For additional information, email Kimberly Hesler or Katherine Niver.


Events Mark Native American History Month

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A discussion of Indian-mascot images will launch a series of talks and films marking Native American History Month at SUNY Cortland.

Presented by the College’s Native American Studies Program, the events are free and open to the public.

On Monday, Oct. 28, an illustrated talk titled “Contesting Constructed Indian-ness” will be presented by author Michael Taylor, an assistant professor of anthropology and Native American studies at Colgate University. It will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 2125.

His talk is based on his new book and multi-year study of the use of static, often racist and fictional, Indian-mascot images and their impacts on how modern human diversity, including that of today’s Native Americans, is understood. Taylor’s new book, Contesting Constructed Indian-ness: The Intersection of the Frontier, Masculinity, and Whiteness in Native American Mascot Representations,” will be on sale in the atrium in Moffett Center after the presentation. The talk is co-sponsored by SUNY Cortland’s Sociology/Anthropology Department and supported by a Campus and Artist Lecture Series grant.

The College’s annual Native American Film Series will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The four films will be presented at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in Sperry Center, Room 205.

“More Than Frybread” refers to frybread, a cultural icon in the Native community, and is a means of pride as to who makes the best. The emotions run high in this contest and the competitors get out of hand before the contest ends.

“Crooked Arrows” will receive a special introduction by Neal Powless from the Onondaga Nation prior to its showing on Nov. 5. Powless was involved in shooting the film and will talk about its production and take questions after the showing. The film is about the sacred game of lacrosse and the rivalry of two boys’ school teams. The Onondaga Nation was involved in making this film and served as a location in the movie.

On Nov. 12, the film “On The Ice” will be shown. “On The Ice,” filmmaker Andrew Okpeaha Maclean’s debut film, centers on the lives of two friends in a rural Inuit village after a tragic accident. After creating a web of lies they must find a way back, with the help of a father, to tell the truth about what happened. This film won Best Director in the American Indian Film Festival 2011 and Best Narrative Film at the Woodstock Film Festival 2011.

The Native American Film Series is sponsored by a grant from the Auxiliary Services Corporation.

On Monday, Nov. 18, Joe Bruchac, an Abenaki children’s book writer and professional storyteller, will present his story at 4:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. The Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee is the event sponsor.

A film that follows the life of three teenagers in Navajo, N.M., during their senior year and tracks the decisions they must make to determine their futures will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 21. “Up Heartbreak Hill,” begins at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 205. It is co-sponsored with Memorial Library.

The series is sponsored by Native American Studies, Auxiliary Services Corporation, the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies and Campus Artists and Lectures Series.

For more information, contact Native American Studies Program representative Dawn Van Hall by email or at 607-753-4890.

Professional Service Award Nominations Due Jan. 31

Nominations are now being accepted for the College’s Excellence in Professional Service Awards. Letters of nomination will be accepted from SUNY Cortland students, colleagues or supervisors. Any professional who has completed at least two years of service at SUNY Cortland is eligible for an award. 

Nomination materials must be submitted no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, to Chair, Professional Service Awards Committee, Bursar’s Office, Miller Building, Room 323. Nominees will be notified by the Awards Committee of their candidacy after Jan. 31.

Awards will be given for excellence in three categories:  

Institutional Service Award

Nominees should be individuals who serve as role models within their area of responsibility, their profession or department. Characteristics such as leadership, organization, problem-solving or decision-making skills should serve as examples of professionalism of the highest caliber. These characteristics may be demonstrated in a number of ways, including but not limited to:

• outstanding performance within the job description

• participation in committees or activities that support the College’s Long Range Planning Goals

• participation in professional development and training

Innovation Within Profession Award

Nominees should be individuals who have demonstrated creativity in the development or application of ideas or concepts within a professional operation. Characteristics of innovation may be demonstrated in a number of ways, including but not limited to:

• application of technology within one’s field

• redesign of a process or program to improve effectiveness

• maximization of campus resources in operations (e.g. fiscal efficiency)

Service to Students Award

Nominees should be those who have demonstrated leadership in the development or enhancement of programs and services that respond to student needs. Characteristics of excellence in service may include, but will not be limited to:

• demonstration of “going the extra mile” in order to serve students

• development of creative student programming or services

• implementation of programs or processes designed to improve services to students

Typed letters of nomination must be submitted in the following format:

1. name, title, department of nominee

2. name of nominator, relationship to nominee (e.g. colleague, supervisor, student)

3. award category that captures the achievement of the nominee.

4. specific information in support of the nomination that answers why the individual’s service/innovation/achievement in that category should be recognized.

5. up to two letters of support (recommended).

The Awards Committee reserves the right to request additional supporting information as necessary. Nominees must have completed at least two years of service as a professional staff member and must not have been a recipient of an award within the same category within the previous three years. Nominations should be for current service/innovation/achievements and for activities that would either not be considered to be within the normal scope of activities included in the nominee’s performance program or should be documented to show how the service/innovation/achievement far exceeded normal expectations.

Recipients will have announcements of the honor sent to The Bulletin and the Cortland Standard.  Recipients will receive a certificate of recognition at a small ceremony.

Campus community members are asked to nominate colleagues for their exemplary service. 

For more information, contact Professional Service Awards Committee Chair Colleen DeGouff, Bursar/Student Accounts, at 607-753-2313.


Alumni Speaker Panel Looks at Sport Management Professions

Students interested in careers in sport management should attend SUNY Cortland’s 2013-14 Alumni Speaker Series event on Monday, Nov. 4.

The panel discussion, titled “Careers in Sports Management,” 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 Steven C. Woodard '90, director of Career and Technical Education at Cayuga Onondaga BOCES, Kraig D. Pritts C.A.S. '96, superintendent of Schools at Tully Central School District and MaryAnn Murphy '02, principal at Tully Jr./Sr. High School.

Panelists include Elisabeth Roberge ’11, owner of Fitness Xplosion, Mark Caswell, director of communications for the Utica Comets, and Joe Battaglini ’12, director of media relations and corporate partnership representative for the Binghamton Senators.

“Students interested in a career in sport management 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 second 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.

Suggest a feature story

Faculty/Staff Activities

Cynthia Benton, Orvil White and Susan Stratton

Cynthia Benton, Orvil White and Susan Stratton, Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, wrote a chapter that was published in International Education and the Next-Generation Workforce: Competition in the Global Economy, V.C.X. Wang, Ed. Their chapter describes the development of the Teach in Thailand program and is titled “Collaboration Not Competition: International Education Expanding Perspective on Learning and Workforce Articulation.”  


Chris Cubells, James Durr and Joshua Peluso

Chris Cubells, James Durr and Joshua Peluso, Systems Administration and Web Services, presented at the SUNY SICAS Summit held Sept. 24 in Syracuse, N.Y. Their two talks were on migrating to the new myRedDragon and how to reach students through email.


Nancy Kane

Nancy Kane, Performing Arts Department, was awarded one of the highest honors given to statewide United University Professions members at a ceremony held Oct. 4 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The SUNY union gave her the 2013 Fayez Samuel Award for Courageous Service by a Part Time Faculty Member for her work on behalf of the LGBTQIA community at SUNY Cortland. In Kane’s acceptance speech, she acknowledged the efforts of fellow union members, allies at the Cortland campus and across the state, and especially the students, faculty and professionals who fight discrimination and bullying on campus.


Mechthild Nagel

Mechthild Nagel, Philosophy Department and Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS), presented her paper “The Ethic of Ubuntu and the End of Penality,” at a symposium on Mass Incarceration, Religion, and Abolitionism held Oct. 4 at Cornell University.


Gregory D. Phelan

Gregory D. Phelan, Chemistry Department, was issued two patents: the first patent, Dioxaborinanes and uses thereof — United State Patent Number 8,546,617, deals with a new wood preservative. The second patent, Supercritical Noble Gases and Uses Thereof — United States Patent 8,551,257, deals with a new way to use nontoxic materials to clean textiles in a more environmentally friendly way.


Robert Ponterio

Robert Ponterio, Modern Languages Department, presented a session titled “Make Web Materials Work on Student Smart Phones” at the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers’ NYSAFLT Annual Convention on Oct. 11 in Buffalo, N.Y. The session examined the basic techniques of Responsive Design for adjusting Web page text size, images, columns and video to display on desktop, tablet and smartphone media. Templates were provided to simplify converting existing class materials to an HTML5 format with built-in responsive style elements to make the process easier for teachers with limited Web development skills. All presentation materials and templates are available online at web.cortland.edu/flteach/wksp/nysaflt2013.html.


Robert Spitzer

Robert Spitzer, Political Science Department, was the Constitution Day speaker on Sept. 17 at Manchester University in Indiana, where he met with students and gave a featured address on “The Second Amendment and Guns in America” as part of that university’s Values, Arts and Ideas speaker series.


Matthew Whitman

Matthew Whitman, Institute for Civic Engagement and SUNY Cortland AmeriCorps member, presented “Using Social Media to Engage Students” at Imagining America's national conference held Oct. 6 in Syracuse, N.Y.


Submit your faculty/staff activity

The Bulletin is produced by the Communications Office at SUNY Cortland and is published every other Tuesday during the academic year. Read more about The Bulletin. To submit items, email your information to bulletin@cortland.edu

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