Campus Champion

Sophie Umansky was a Student Government Association senator when she realized she could make a difference on campus. Now, as SGA director of public relations, the junior business economics major helps students connect through activities that positively impact our community. She co-created a student-run Public Relations Committee to highlight, through social media, the dedication and achievements of passionate Red Dragons. And, as event organizer, she’s inviting all SUNY Cortland students to attend the free SGA Winter Formal at Greek Peak on Friday, March 2. “Let’s kick off the semester right, build relationships and enjoy music, dancing and food,” Sophie said.

Students can sign up to attend the SGA Winter Formal at the SGA Office in Corey Union, Room 217.

The SUNY Cortland actors performing in the upcoming production of Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls” have spent plenty of time learning about the rise of feminism in Margaret Thatcher-era England.

They’ve also discovered that the themes the all-female cast of this play explores — primarily social and workplace achievement for women — are more relevant than ever in the post-#TimesUp and #MeToo landscape.

“You’ll see it when you walk out of the theatre and you see it in your real life,” said sophomore musical theatre major Nicole Furka, who plays three roles in “Top Girls.” “You see the troubles that these women are going through and you see how strong the women in this show have to be in the world of business and a man’s world.”

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“Top Girls,” which debuted in 1982 and opens in the Dowd Fine Arts Center Lab Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m., tells the story of sisters Marlene and Joyce. Marlene is a driven employee at the Top Girls employment agency and rises through the ranks, earning a promotion over a male co-worker. Joyce, on the other hand, stays at home to raise her daughter, Angie.

The opening scene of the play features a fantasy dinner celebration for Marlene’s promotion with a series of historical and fictional guests. Pope Joan, a medieval myth of a woman who posed as a man to serve as pope, Patient Griselda, a character from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and Isabella Bird, a 19th-century English explorer, are among those who share their experiences at dinner. Each has her own definition of feminism yet their struggles are mirrored by the characters in later scenes.

Diana Reidy, a sophomore musical theatre major from Sandwich, N.H., plays Marlene.

“Marlene finds different pieces of herself within each woman at the table,” Reidy said. “In some she sees more of herself in and in others she hardly sees herself at all.”

Marlene and Joyce clash throughout the play as each struggle to come to terms with their lifestyle choices. Sacrificing her personal and family life, Marlene is a devout Thatcherite, subscribing to the conservative, business-first ideals of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Joyce is portrayed as resentful of Marlene’s career and offers a middle class perspective on an era of change for women in the workplace.  

“Throughout history, women have had to be mothers and raise kids and do household duties, that was their job,” Reidy said. “Later, as we gained more independence and equality, we had the choice: do we want to stay home and be a mom or work a full-time job? Some people try to find a balance and maintain that balance, which is extremely difficult and will likely remain difficult for quite some time.”

Furka plays Joyce, Isabella Bird and Mrs. Kidd, the wife of the man who lost a promotion to Marlene. She is particularly excited to play Isabella Bird, who travelled extensively across Asia and the Americas in the late 1800s and was the first woman inducted into the Royal Geographical Society. Much of her dialogue in “Top Girls” comes directly from Bird’s own writing.

“They were such leaders and it’s about how they changed the world in a man’s world,” Furka said of the characters in the dinner scene. “Especially now, when we have the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns, it’s amazing to show this.” 

The faculty and staff of the Performing Arts Department selected plays and musicals for the 2017-18 season around a theme of female empowerment. Recent attention on sexual assault and harassment issues have made “Top Girls,” after 36 years, more relevant than ever.

“Come see ‘Top Girls’ to see #TimesUp in action and #MeToo in action,” Reidy said. “It’s just so powerful. All this feminine power in one small little play. It’s very impactful and it will hit you when you least expect it. It will dwell in your brain for a few days and you’ll think, ‘I never would have thought about it that way. I never would have thought about that at all.’”

“Top Girls” will be performed at 8 p.m. from Wednesday, Feb. 21, to Saturday, Feb. 24. A 2 p.m. showing concludes the run on Sunday, Feb. 25. Tickets are $9 for students, $16 for faculty, staff and senior citizens and $19 for adults. Tickets are available at Cortland.edu/boxoffice.

Student actors are posting behind-the-scenes content from rehearsals on the Performing Arts Department’s Instagram account, @sunycortperform, using the hashtag #TopGirlsTakeover.

“9 to 5,” a musical based on the 1980 Dolly Parton film of the same name, will be performed on six dates between Friday, April 13 and Sunday, April 22. The musical approaches themes of inequality in the workplace, albeit in a much lighter and comedic style.

SUNY Cortland’s geology major was the first in the state to qualify students for licensing as professional geologists.

This means that students who complete the program are effectively pre-approved for the educational component of the licensure now required for geological work in New York and 31 other states.

“Anyone performing geological work must now be licensed or supervised by someone with a license,” said David Barclay, chair of SUNY Cortland’s Geology Department. “Previously just about anyone could claim to be a geologist. Licensure is important for the sake of public health and for protecting natural resources and the environment.”

The College’s geology major was approved for licensure last July, following several years of preparation for new licensing rules that made geology a licensed profession in New York State. In doing so, SUNY Cortland became the first college or university in New York to achieve this credential, which is critical for new graduates seeking careers in the field.

 “I think we should be proud of that,” Barclay said of the College’s foresight on behalf of its students. “Our program was ready to go when the rules were announced. We’ve been very proactive on this issue.”

To become a licensure-qualifying program, the geology major was reviewed by both the State University of New York system and New York state to ensure that the curriculum covered the education requirements outlined in the regulations. The credentials of the faculty teaching in the program were also reviewed.

Current students in the geology major will be able to take the first licensing exam, Fundamentals of Geology, in their senior year or as soon as they graduate. They will then need to get five years of work experience and pass a professional practice exam to complete the licensure process.

“Really this is about providing our students with choice,” Barclay said. “They can opt to go for licensure right away if they want, or they can wait and work under the supervision of a licensed geologist if they prefer. It’s up to them. The geology major is also a strong preparation for entry into graduate school, which is a pathway we see many of our students take.”

The Geology Department now has three distinct programs to offer students: Adolescence Education: Earth Science, Environmental Geoscience and Geology.

“They complement each other nicely,” Barclay said. “Furthermore, the first few years of all three have overlap and so students can switch between them quite easily if they find their interests or career goals changing.

“This is the culmination of several years of effort and these are exciting times for our students.”

SUNY Cortland will take a new approach toward helping first-year students who struggle with writing, thanks to a $20,000 State University of New York grant.

Starting in the fall, the College will be part of the SUNY Developmental English Learning Community, joining 14 other public institutions from across the state. The effort follows a model developed at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) that more than doubled the percentage of students who passed the school’s basic first-year writing course.

The new approach, called the Accelerated Learning Program, or ALP, provides collaborative training for students who need to hone the reading, writing or critical thinking skills required in first-year writing coursework.

In the past, many colleges and universities have required students who struggle with writing to take a standalone developmental writing course followed by first-year composition the next semester. The ALP model instead teaches developmental writing and first-year composition together in the same semester.

“What happens with standalone structure is you lose a lot of students in that gap between courses,” said Laura Davies, associate professor of English and director of SUNY Cortland’s Writing Programs. “We’re trying to close the gap where students drop off, so they avoid a semester’s worth of activity where they don’t earn credit.”

In practice, a SUNY Cortland Composition (CPN) 100 course using the ALP model could include 10 developmental writers in a class of 22 students. All 22 students would take the same CPN 100 course together, but the smaller cohort of developmental writers would spend additional time before or after class working on their writing skills with the same professor. 

The potential benefits are numerous. Rather than taking an entirely remedial course, developmental writers are exposed to a higher quality of work from their classmates, which in turn may improve their own self-image. Developmental writers also receive more individualized instruction and build familiarity with their course instructor.

Davies said SUNY Cortland will look to offer four sections of CPN 100 that incorporate the new approach in the fall, benefitting up to 40 first-year students. Funds from the grant will be used to support faculty development and training for instructors who teach first-year composition courses at the College.

“This grant offers an opportunity to help new students and our first-year writing instructors at the same time,” said Davies, who co-authored the College’s proposal with Matthew Lessig, professor and chair of the English Department, and Abby Thomas, director of Advisement and Transition. “Really, it’s all about retention.”

At CCBC, semester pass rates in English 101 more than doubled — from 27 percent to 64 percent — after the ALP model was introduced in 2007. Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., also saw a major increase in student performance after adopting the program. In 2014-15, only 26 percent of students in the standalone developmental writing course earned a C or better in first-year composition compared to 58 percent of ALP students.

Of the 14 institutions that joined the SUNY Developmental English Learning Community, 10 are community colleges. Participating four-year institutions include SUNY Cortland, Alfred State College, SUNY Old Westbury and SUNY Oneonta.

An important next step for the College will be to identify students who could benefit from the ALP model. Davies said self-placement from students and their families would be the ultimate goal, rather than using grade point average or test scores.

“The last thing we want is for this to seem like a punishment or a bad thing,” she said. “It’s really going to help those students who need help with writing be even more successful in their first semester and beyond.”

Many of SUNY Cortland’s musical theatre majors face a daunting challenge after Commencement. They move to New York City, one of the great musical theater centers of the world, and try to find work in a highly competitive field.

Those ambitious Cortland students, however, got their chance to ask an expert about every detail of that journey. Jonalyn Saxer, who has performed in “Cats” and “Holiday Inn” on Broadway and will be part of the cast of “Mean Girls” later this year, shared her experience and took plenty of questions on Friday, Feb. 2.

From diet and exercise to costumes and improvisation to how much to tip hairdressers and wardrobe staff, SUNY Cortland students gained a much clearer insight to what it’s like to work in major musicals.

“I’ve never spoken to a person on Broadway before, honestly, so she gave so many affirmations about things I’ve heard,” said freshman Shannan Lydon of Lindenhurst, N.Y. “She also denied a lot of myths that aren’t really true.”

These topics come up often during acting classes. John Cavaseno, a junior from Syosset, N.Y., was glad to hear Saxer reiterate what he has already heard from his professors.

“When she got out there, she made connections and the things she learned in class were what she applied in the real world,” Cavaseno said. “Especially here in this program, they emphasize getting out there and auditioning and getting jobs now and meeting people now so that when you do graduate, you have a good basis to go from.”

“I know it’s something that I’ve stressed out about a lot, but hearing the story from a person who has done it, it really helps confirm that this is what I want to do and these are the steps to get there,” said Sara Den Bleyker, a sophomore from Rochelle Park, N.J.

Cavaseno worked at Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, Mass., last summer and he credits the skills he’s learned at SUNY Cortland for helping him land that job. He feels even more confident about his future having heard how Saxer made her way to Broadway.

Saxer, a California native, studied theatre at Syracuse University, where she befriended the daughter of Kevin Halpin, associate professor of performing arts.

Halpin made a connection and got Cavaseno backstage access when Cavaseno saw “Holiday Inn” on Broadway. He was already familiar with Saxer’s work before her appearance on campus.

“She’s in my profile picture right now,” Cavaseno laughed.

The Performing Arts Department offers a variety of career preparation events for its students.

Karla Kash, associate professor of theatre at the University at Albany, visited with the cast of “Top Girls” on Feb. 2 and 3 to choreograph stage combat sequences. She also worked with all musical theatre majors to teach basic stage combat skills and safety procedures. Kash offered a similar workshop on campus in 2017.

Many musical theatre majors will audition at the New England Theatre Conference in Milford, Conn., and the Strawhat Auditions in New York City over spring break. Dozens of theaters and producing organizations use these auditions to cast their summer productions. The department will hold a mock audition on Saturday, Feb. 24, to give students an opportunity to simulate the process in front of faculty.

The department’s commitment to helping students during summer break and after Commencement is why so many aspiring actors choose SUNY Cortland.

“When I auditioned for Cortland, I knew I didn’t want to audition anywhere else,” Lydon said. “I knew I was coming here. The second I got accepted, I cut things off my list. These people made me feel so safe in my 20-minute audition that I’m happy to be here for the next four years learning from them.”

SUNY Cortland has made a commitment to making the campus as green as possible. That tradition will continue with a semester-long film series, Greenflix, that pertains to environmental issues.

Brock Ternes, visiting assistant professor of sociology/anthropology, in conjunction with the College’s Green Reps, has curated a selection of films that begins with the screening of “This Changes Everything” at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5, in Moffett Center, Room 2125.

All films in the series will be screened on Mondays at that time and location and are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ternes at 607-753-2726.

Ternes hopes that the program will facilitate a robust dialogue between faculty and students about these topics, which he said “deserve more attention and deserve more publicity.”

“I was really struck by the sincere effort on the part of faculty to get students engaged with environmental issues,” Ternes said.

According to Ternes, many of the students in his environmental sociology classes were alarmed about climate change. Ternes and the Green Reps decided that films were the most accessible way to educate the campus on these issues. Students of all disciplines will appreciate these films, as Ternes said that there “may be a light bulb moment” for students who are not necessarily environmentalists.

“This Changes Everything” is based on The New York Times’ bestselling book of the same name written by Canadian author Naomi Klein. The documentary explores the activities of several different environmental activists around the world as they confront the effects of climate change in their respective communities.

The second film, “The Last Mountain,” screens on Monday, March 5, and addresses the adverse effects of mountaintop removal mining. This invasive strip mining technique is inexpensive and efficient for procuring coal but threatens the community and ecosystem of Coal River Mountain, W.Va. The film is partially based on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s book Crimes Against Nature.

“Vanishing of the Bees,” to be shown Monday, April 2, addresses humanity’s reliance on the honey bee species and investigates the potential causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, which is doing considerable damage to the world’s bee population. Narrated by actress Ellen Page, this documentary is of particular relevance for the College. SUNY Cortland became the sixth university in the United States to be certified as a “bee campus” in 2016.

“Who Killed the Electric Car?”, to be shown on Monday, April 30, unravels the history of the battery-powered vehicle that was to set a new precedent for energy efficiency before its mysterious discontinuation in the mid-1990s. In this investigative film, director Chris Paine attempts to uncover a possible conspiracy orchestrated against electric car manufacturers. Ternes said that “the electric car has always been a thing of the future,” but many people do not realize that this innovation is achievable and cost-effective.

These film screenings come at a time when SUNY Cortland is already taking more and more green initiatives. In 2015 and again in 2017, the College was recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) as one of the “greenest” universities in North America. SUNY Cortland also hosted the State of New York Sustainability Conference on its campus in 2017, and has implemented many energy initiatives including adding propane buses to the campus fleet, installing LED light bulbs, and utilizing solar panels, among other endeavors.

Cortland is known for its green status largely thanks to its high ranking from Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). Administered by AASHE, a campus’ STARS score is based upon a variety of factors including the quality of green initiatives and curriculum content, commitment to fair trade and equity, and community involvement. Cortland received a gold STARS rating in 2015, one of only 77 campuses to do so.

Ternes intends for the screenings to be “somewhat disturbing, but also eye-opening.” He stated that students are part of the generation that will have to make sacrifices in order to “survive in an increasingly unstable world.” Due to the genuine interest he has seen while teaching his environmental sociology students, Ternes is optimistic that young people are willing to make these sacrifices.

“Alternative power sources are not just these things that are in the future,” said Ternes. “There’s a natural timeline for us to be following. We have a narrower and narrower window to become a carbon-reduced species.”

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Ben Mayberry

Carlos J. Malave ’11 grew up in a bilingual household, communicating primarily with his father in Spanish and his mother in English.

Learning to translate between the two languages was a significant aspect of his youth.

As Malave grew older, he began to excel in sports. He was a star basketball player at Bellport (N.Y.) High School and earned a scholarship to play basketball and run cross country at Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y. As gifted as he was on the basketball court, Malave found himself struggling in the classroom.

He learned how to uncover what made him a successful athlete and translate that into gains in academics and his personal life.

Malave returned to campus on Thursday, Feb. 1 to share some of those lessons and sign copies of his book, Translating Your Success: The Student Guide to Transforming Your Small Wins Into Big Wins. His talk, sponsored by Men of Value and Excellence (M.O.V.E.), kicked off the College’s series of Black History Month events.

After one year at Concordia, Malave transferred to SUNY Cortland, looking for a new opportunity to further his basketball ambitions. Despite his dedication to self-improvement — he shared how he arrived at Corey Gymnasium an hour before tryouts to run sprints — Malave eventually quit the sport to focus on his education.

A physical education major, Malave’s unbridled enthusiasm for sports translated perfectly into his current job. He coaches and teaches middle school physical education at YES Prep Gulfton in Houston, Texas.

Malave also gives motivational talks and shares his personal tales of failure and triumph on social media, including YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Whether it’s in class or in a motivational setting, he wants to be a positive role model for the next generation of students who are looking for the guidance they need to succeed.

He named two of his SUNY Cortland professors as major influences.

“Virginia Wright in the phys ed department, she was that for me,” Malave said. “She was a performance art master in our P.E. classes. She was doing what I did up there when she was teaching a racquetball lesson. Dr. (JoEllen) Bailey, she was very influential because she allowed me to use my class clown ability to help people learn in her class.”

Malave, who serves on the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association Board of Directors, shared a story about his love-hate relationship with running that summarized his philosophy. No matter how fit you are, there comes a point during the run where an inner voice creeps in, pleading for you to stop and take a break. Malave gave that voice a name, “Charlie,” and talked about how he forces himself to battle the urge to quit.

“Every time I run, I learn to punch Charlie right in the face,” Malave said. “When I start beating that voice inside, no voice outside can bother me. When I look at running, it’s more of a challenge mentally than physically. That’s how I want you to look at life.”

During his time as a student, Malave interned for the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, served as president of the Caribbean Student Association and was a resident assistant in Alger Hall.

It was his internship in multicultural life and diversity that gave him his start in public speaking. Lima Maria Stafford, assistant director of multicultural life and diversity, nominated Malave to speak at the Kente Celebration before Commencement 2011, thinking he’d be a natural in front of a crowd.

The audience in the Corey Union Function Room laughed. They cried, too.

Malave hopes that his message seven years later — delivered in the very same room — came away with not only an emotional response but also with the steps needed to make positive changes in their own lives.

“I’m not trying to say that my pain is greater than yours,” Malave said. “I’m trying to say that you can take that pain and make greatness out of it.”

Anthropology doctoral candidate Megan Springate will discuss her research that focuses on the many under-told women’s stories that are part of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer history across America, on Tuesday, March 6, at SUNY Cortland.

Springate, who is pursuing her doctorate at University of Maryland at College Park, will present, “LGBT Historic Spaces: Telling All American Stories,” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 105.

Her talk continues the College’s year-long “Incllusion” series of lectures, films and common readings planned by SUNY Cortland’s Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC) for the 2017-18 academic year.

This year’s series explores the concept that inclusion necessitates the recognition of “The Other,” that is those who are not “like us,” against whom we form our identity and over whom we seek to maintain power or distance. It requires that we think deeply and act inclusively with regard to who “counts” as a human being and who belongs in “our” community. The series, which has at its heart the philosophy of highly acclaimed, provocative New York Times bestseller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, will focus on inclusion as a fundamental condition for equity and human rights.

All “Incllusion” events are free and open to the public.

Springate is the lead researcher on LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History, a 1,200-page edited volume published in 2016 by the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. She will discuss this study, which attempts to tell all Americans’ stories through National Park Services parks and programs.

The series will continue as follows: 

Christa Chatfield, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of biological sciences, will moderate a panel discussion on “Women of STEM and Beyond: Stories of Personal Heroes” on Wednesday, March 7. Panelists and their departments include Avanti Mukherjee, economics; Laura Eierman, biological sciences; and Jolie Roat, mathematics. The talk begins at 4:30 p.m. in Corey Union Fireplace Lounge.

 David Omotoso Stovall, a Chicago-based scholar on the influence of race in urban education, community development and housing, will address “Are We Ready for the Abolition of ‘School’?: Lessons on Community Engaged Struggle for Quality Education” on Wednesday, March 7. He will start at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 204.

A professor of African American studies and educational policy studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Stovall’s work looks at the significance of race in urban education, especially in economically challenged communities. An historian, he has a Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Sociologist Stefanie DeLuca, whose research and writing explores the social contexts of disadvantaged youth with a special focus on education and housing, will lecture on Tuesday, March 20. DeLuca, the James Coleman Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at Johns Hopkins, will present “Coming of Age in the Other America,” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 106.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING EVENT WAS CANCELLED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED

A.K. Summers, author of the memoir Pregnant Butch, will speak at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, in Sperry Center, Room 105. Pregnant Butch, in comic format, describes a self-identified butch lesbian’s experiences with pregnancy and childbirth.

The talk is co-presented by the Distinguished Voices in Literature series organized by the English Department. Pregnant Butch was nominated for a 2015 Lambda Literary Award and Summers was included in the 2015 Best American Comics as a notable comic. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives with her son in Providence, R.I.

Additional spring series events will be posted in a future Bulletin.

By using a different intellectual theme each year, the CICC committee aims to generate common topics of discussion and to establish traditions of intellectual discourse on SUNY Cortland’s campus. The series encourages faculty and staff to infuse the theme into their course curricula, engage in classroom discussions and debates around the theme, and propose campus events or speakers on related topics.

For more information on CICC events this semester, visit the CICC website or contact CICC co-chairs Barrett at 607-753-2330 or Curtis at 607-753-2979. For more information on this fall’s Distinguished Voices in Literature presentations, visit the English Department website.

Stephanie Carrier traveled to Perugia, Italy to learn about wine. She discovered the world.

“I gained a lot of self-confidence on my trip,” said Carrier, a senior communication studies major, about her transformational international experience. “I have a new perspective on the world and a greater appreciation for the experiences I had.”

Carrier, who used Perugia as a home base for travel to other countries whenever she had free time, encourages fellow students to learn more about studying abroad through SUNY Cortland. And she suggests that a good way to start learning about opportunities for international travel is to attend the College’s Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The fair, which is free and open to all college students, takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge.

Presented by the College’s International Programs, the event held each semester aims to encourage students to broaden their horizons, step out of their comfort zones and spend a semester in a different country learning about its people and culture.  

The Study Abroad Fair provides students with information on the more than 1,000 different study abroad locations around the world that are available via the SUNY system. In addition to traditional programs, the event also offers students a unique and valuable learning experience through internships, service-learning opportunities and faculty-led programs.

As part of her five-week Culture of Wine course, Carrier learned about the history of wine and how it is made. She also learned how to cook Italian food.

“All while gaining life-changing experiences and seeing different parts of the world,” she said.

Following her travels, Carrier interned with International Programs. She is one of many students who came back from studying abroad and shared their international experiences on campus by visiting different classes and presenting to students and the teachers of their class.

“I gave numerous classroom presentations on my experience abroad and went over the process of deciding the right program for students to choose,” Carrier said. “The internship challenged me to collaborate with the other interns and come up with valuable ways to promote studying abroad to students.”

For students who want to study abroad but worry about cost, International Programs offers many different scholarships for eligible students, said Hugh Anderson, senior study abroad advisor. At the fair, students also can enter to win the $500 travel award raffle, which offers students a chance to win one of two exclusive travel awards that can be used toward any SUNY study abroad program.

For more information about the fair, visit cortland.edu/studyabroad, email studyabroad@cortland.edu, call 607-753-2209, or stop in to Old Main Room 219. Individuals may connect with International Programs via social media through SUNY Cortland Study Abroad on Facebook, @CortlandStudyAb on Twitter, Cortlandstudyabroad on Instagram, or Cstate.abroad on Snapchat.

“I definitely recommend students who are interested in studying abroad attend the fair and learn more about Cortland’s programs and other SUNY programs,” Carrier said.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Hannah Bistocchi

Are you up for the sesquicentennial challenge?

In honor of SUNY Cortland’s 150^th year of continued excellence, the College is looking to its faculty, staff and students for engaging proposals on ways to recognize its unique culture, proud tradition and academic and athletic achievements.

And it’s set aside a pot of $20,000 in grant money to help them do it.

The best proposals put forth by March 9 will win a share of those funds.  The money will help each proposal’s sponsor create — and play a leading role in — an event, exhibition, contest, speaker series, concert, campaign or anything else that educates and celebrates the College’s history.  At this point, the only limit is imagination. We encourage interested members of the College community to think broadly, creatively and inclusively.

The winning proposals will become part of SUNY Cortland’s official Sesquicentennial Year Celebration, which will run from July 2018 through July 2019.

This could be a great project for a student group or organization, an academic class, or a faculty or staff member’s area of particular interest. 

To submit a proposal, simply fill out the online application.

If you have questions, please contact Sesquicentennial co-chairs Mary Kate Boland or Erin Boylan. Please note, sesquicentennial grants may not be used for salaries, honoraria or travel for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff or students.

The College asks that employees make sure their directory listing is current and accurate.

Follow these steps to add to or edit your contact information

1. Sign in to myRedDragon.
2. Select the Faculty/Staff tab.
3. In the About Me box, select Update/Edit Your Directory.
4. Make the necessary updates.

More detailed information about how to enhance directory entries is available at the Online Directory’s “Help” menu and the directory FAQ.

For assistance accessing myRedDragon or My Directory Information, contact The Help Center by email or phone at 607-753-2500.

Later this month, SUNY Cortland will invite undergraduate students to participate in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey (SOS) to understand how students perceive the quality of different programs and services at the College.

The survey will be administered online by ACT, the same company that runs the standardized high school exam.

The students to be contacted — undergraduates 18 years of age and older who are enrolled in at least one class on campus during spring semester 2018 — will receive an email from an ACT address with instructions on how to participate in the survey.

The 2017-18 SOS was designed to be completed in about 30 minutes. Participation is encouraged but voluntary.

Students who respond to the survey will be entered into a raffle to win gift certificates from the Cortland Downtown Partnership.

Since 1985, the SOS has been conducted at most SUNY colleges and universities. The last survey was administered at SUNY Cortland in Spring 2015.

The College’s Institutional Research and Assessments Office takes the results of the survey seriously. Next fall, the IRA Office will share results with the campus community. Past SOS results can be found on the IRA SOS website.

The SOS is a cooperative effort of SUNY, the IRA Office, and ACT, working together with other offices and individuals at SUNY Cortland.

Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) is now accepting Program Grant applications online for the 2018-19 academic year.

Applications are submitted online and must be sent by midnight on Friday, Feb. 16. Applicants are asked to read the grant guidelines carefully before submitting an application.

Each year the ASC Board of Directors allocates funds to support grants for a wide range of purposes and projects that enhance the life of the SUNY Cortland community.

Although ASC is willing to consider a wide range of ideas, it seeks to avoid duplicating other funding sources or funding projects more properly supported by state funds. Therefore, applicants should first seek funding from primary funding sources.

ASC grant funds may not be used for salaries, honoraria, travel normally funded by the College's budget, or scholarships for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff or students. Funds may not be used to purchase computers, related hardware or software. All purchases will be processed in accordance to ASC’s financial and related GAAP policies. In general, Program Grant funds may not be used exclusively for food for SUNY Cortland students, faculty or staff. Funding for food may be considered if the food is deemed integral to the success of the program or event. All food shall be provided by ASC. Other grant guidelines are described in the application package and online.

For more information, email Judy Standish or contact her by phone at 607-753-4325.