Campus Champion

In his second year at SUNY Cortland, Assistant Professor of History Evan Faulkenbury connects students to their world. He supervises student internships in public history, and his Introduction to Public History course sets students loose on projects in the community, where artifacts, statues, newspaper articles and interviews add nuance to what they learn in textbooks. These student projects live online at Cortland Public History, a blog managed by Evan. His recent class collected oral histories about Cortland’s 1890 House and his next group will teach us about Cortland’s Union soldier statue, located downtown in Courthouse Park. These projects give us a better understanding of history in our everyday lives.

More than a third of college students will transfer at least once within six years, according to data from National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

In other words, transfer students matter in higher education.

That’s especially true at SUNY Cortland, which recently became the only SUNY institution named to Phi Theta Kappa’s 2018 Transfer Honor Roll. The international honor society for two-year college students recognized 112 institutions for their success in developing community college transfer pathways.

To be considered for the award, four-year colleges and universities submitted a detailed application outlining their commitment to transfer student support services, financial aid, admissions outreach and campus life opportunities.

“Transfers aren’t an afterthought at SUNY Cortland,” said Greg Diller ’07, the College’s transfer mobility advisor in Advisement and Transition. “They’re not just grouped in with everyone else. There are transfer-specific resources and opportunities — everything from our transfer buddy program to the physical lounge space that exists for non-traditional students.”

Approximately 925 transfer students came to SUNY Cortland in 2017 across the spring and fall semesters. Undergraduates must carry a minimum 2.5 grade point average to be considered for transfer admission, although 3.2 is the average.

Still, the transfer process can be complicated for even the highest achievers, given that students come from various institutions at different stages in their academic careers. Diller said the two of the most common questions he receives from transfer students relate to coursework and timeline. Students want to know how their earned credits will transfer to a new institution and the important deadlines they need to meet.

“The biggest thing I always stress with students is planning ahead,” said Diller, who works primarily with students from nearby Tompkins Cortland Community College and SUNY Broome through an ambitious Completion Path Collaborative program. “Transferring could be a year or two years away. The more that you know ahead of time, the better off you’ll be down the road.”

Successful institutions rely on programs, resources and support systems that are developed with the unique needs of transfer students in mind. Highlights at SUNY Cortland include:

• Advisement and Transition: Housed on the first floor of Memorial Library, this 11-person team is well-prepared in meeting the academic advising needs of all students, especially transfers. Carol Costell Corbin serves as associate director for transfer credit and degree completion and Emily Quinlan serves as coordinator of transfer student services.

• Transfer Planning Sheets and Transfer Equivalency Charts: These online tools help students map out a clear path to SUNY Cortland. The planning sheets outline recommended coursework prior to transferring and the equivalency charts show how credits from various institutions will count at the College. 

• Transfer Buddy: This program links a new transfer student with someone who previously transferred to the College in an effort to answer questions and ease the transition to SUNY Cortland. 

• National Transfer Student Week: This week of activities in the fall aims to raise awareness of SUNY Cortland transfer students and celebrate their many contributions to campus. Students enjoy events such as “Transfer Trivia” and faculty and staff members can treat transfer students to lunch.

• COR 201: Modeled after COR 101 for first-year students, this one-credit course introduces new transfer students to academic life and the many ways to create a successful SUNY Cortland experience.

• Honors societies and awards: Phi Theta Kappa members from two-year institutions who carry a minimum 3.5 grade point average can earn a $1,000 scholarship upon entering SUNY Cortland. Most transfer students also may join SUNY Cortland’s chapter of the Tau Sigma National Honor Society, which offers additional scholarship opportunities.

• Faculty Transfer Symposium: This new event brought together faculty and staff members from SUNY Cortland, Tompkins Cortland Community College and SUNY Broome to introduce colleagues and better understand curriculums across partner institutions.

• Reverse transfer degrees: Transfer students who come from community colleges without completing their associate’s degree may earn it while working towards their bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland. The College continues to raise awareness about this process.

SUNY Cortland’s application for the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll received support and contributions from many offices across campus, including Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), Advisement and Transition, Campus Activities and Corey Union and the Admissions, Registrar’s and Residence Life and Housing offices.

The application also included letters of support from SUNY Broome as a partner two-year institution and Taylor Lynch ’17, who transferred to SUNY Cortland from Herkimer County Community College in 2014. 

Lynch commuted to campus at Herkimer, so Cortland brought her first experience living away from home. She said that she worried about making friends, balancing difficult courses and living with a roommate for the first time.

But her earliest experiences at Orientation in the summer and Transfer Take-off events in the fall changed Lynch’s outlook. She met Quinlan, the coordinator of transfer student services. Their bond transformed her college experience.

“I was really, really nervous,” said Lynch, a former communication studies major who now works as SUNY Cortland’s interim assistant director of alumni engagement. “As soon as I met Emily and I understood all of the services that Advisement and Transition offers, the adjustment became easier every single day.”

Lynch eventually served as a transfer buddy to countless new students, she helped reshape programs aimed at transfers and last year earned a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. 

She insists that her experience isn’t an anomaly. It’s a reminder of all the good things that can come to SUNY Cortland transfer students who embrace opportunity.

Visit the Phi Theta Kappa website for more information on the SUNY Cortland’s recent recognition, including a full list of all 2018 Transfer Honor Roll members.

SUNY Cortland’s partnerships with Cuban institutions of higher education were bolstered last week when President Erik J. Bitterbaum signed memorandums of understanding in Cuba with a pair of Havana universities.

The agreements will deepen existing ties and lead to more cooperation between Cortland and the University of Havana and the University of Science of Physical Culture and Sports “Manuel Fajardo.” Academic and scientific collaboration on topics of mutual interest will be pursued in the months and years to come.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of improving educational connections between colleges in the United States and Cuba,” Bitterbaum said. “We look forward to providing more unique opportunities for our faculty and students to work together and help our two nations gain a better understanding of each other.”

Bitterbaum was joined on his visit to the communist-controlled Island nation by Jordan Kobritz, professor and department chair of sport management, and Mary Schlarb, director of international programs. The signing of the memorandums of understanding coincided with Universidad 2018, an international higher education conference held in Havana from Feb. 11 to 17. A total of 80 American representatives attended, including 22 from the SUNY system. H. Carl McCall, chairman of SUNY’s board of trustees, was among those in attendance.

Five memoranda of understanding were signed by U.S. universities during the conference and two of them involved SUNY Cortland.

“The SUNY delegation made a positive impression,” Schlarb said. “We showed our sincere interest in fostering partnerships by being there, and our Cuban partners said that our presence showed that we mean it. We want to be friends and partners.”

The memorandums of understanding may lead to faculty and staff transfers between institutions. Faculty-led trips to Cuba will benefit students, as SUNY Cortland professors lean on their Cuban counterparts for expertise and advice and arrange short-term educational trips with student researchers. In the future, SUNY Cortland might forge semester-long study abroad programs in Cuba, but in the near-term will encourage students interested in a semester long experience to use other SUNY-sanctioned programs. 

A delegation of eight SUNY Cortland administrators, staff and faculty members traveled to Cuba in June 2017 to explore academic opportunities. Just prior to that, a group of 17 SUNY Cortland students traveled to Cuba with SUNY Cortland faculty to participate in a six-credit summer program that gave students an opportunity to explore Cuba through the lenses of art, baseball, history and politics.

Those visits combined with years of work on behalf of College officials, allowed Cortland-Cuban relationships to form quickly.

“It’s because of the relationships that Erik, Jordan, and others have made over the years,” Schlarb said. “We have to give a lot of credit to SUNY as well. SUNY has the first U.S. system-wide partnership with the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education, which is significant.”

Kobritz, a former owner of Triple-A and Single-A baseball teams, has served as a senior advisor to the Caribbean Baseball Initiative since 2011. The CBI aims to connect Cuban and American baseball interests through clinics, conferences and games.

The offerings of SUNY Cortland’s Sport Management Department are of particular interest to the University of Science of Physical Culture and Sports, which has educated many Olympic athletes and those who work in Cuba’s baseball industry. SUNY Cortland students and faculty may benefit from these partnerships in the fields of art, language and political science, among many others.

The Cuba Working Group, led by Kobritz, will meet regularly on campus to discuss issues related to studying and working in Cuba with interested faculty and staff. The group is co-sponsored by the President’s Office, Academic Affairs and the International Programs Office. For more information, contact Kobritz at 607-753-2196.

SUNY Cortland’s Geology Department has a new major, environmental geoscience, that’s ideal for students who are interested in studying earth science and environmental issues.

“Our majors can work with issues such as water pollution, stream bank erosion and flooding,” said David Barclay, chair of the Geology Department. “They can get involved with pretty much anything to do with the land surface, soil and water.”

The environmental geoscience major replaces an environmental science concentration that was embedded within the geology program. Students in that concentration will be able to graduate with their current program or change to the new major next academic year if they prefer, Barclay said.

The new major will be offered formally to new students who enroll in Fall 2018.

“Environmental geoscience is an interdisciplinary field,” Barclay said. “Students in our major will take a core of courses in geology and environmental science so that they are well-grounded in these areas. Additional courses, including ecology and geographic information systems, provide breadth in other sciences and useful technical skills. Electives enable students to further explore areas that interest them.”

Environmental geoscience majors also are required to complete a related internship. As with the former concentration, this applied learning opportunity could be with a non-profit agency geared to protecting the environment, a nature preserve, a government agency, a local soil and water conservation district, a landfill operation or an environmental consulting company.

“Many environmental problems require an understanding of earth systems and physical geology in order to be solved,” Barclay said. “Graduates from this program will be well prepared to make a difference with these societal concerns.”

Graduates from the former concentration have gone on to careers with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, local soil and water agencies and private companies, he said. The new major will continue to prepare students for these career pathways.

Graduate school is another option for those who earn a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geoscience.

“Our students compete well going into graduate programs elsewhere,” Barclay said. “The strong emphasis on science helps our Cortland graduates stand out from students from other environmental programs.”

SUNY Cortland’s new major also is rather unique in the state.

“There are other environmental science and environmental studies programs in New York but they tend to have more emphasis on biology or policy,” Barclay said. “Ours is different because we emphasize the geology that is critical for understanding environmental problems in water and at the land surface.”

William C. Baerthlein, M.D., a 1976 SUNY Cortland graduate and physician whose scholarship and expertise on methods for delivering babies has greatly influenced reproductive medicine, will be inducted into the SUNY Cortland Academic Hall of Fame next month.

Baerthlein, who in the 1980s wrote the definitive paper comparing maternal and neonatal outcomes following forceps and vacuum delivery methods, will be recognized on Monday, March 5, during the President’s List reception.

During the program, Baerthlein will give a keynote speech on “Serendipity in Science, Life and Mentorship.”

Created in 2006, the Academic Hall of Fame recognizes SUNY Cortland alumni who graduated 10 or more years ago with magna cum laude or higher honors, and who have made significant contributions to society through their chosen professions. The Hall of Fame wall is located in the Dorothea “Dottie” Kreig Allen Fowler ’52, M ’74 Old Main Grand Entrance Hall.

Last year, the College honored Robert J. McMahon, managing editor for the Council on Foreign Relations, who has dedicated his career to presenting complex subjects with even-handed clarity to help create a better understanding of America’s role in the world.

This year, Baerthlein of Gouverneur, N.Y., will be the 17th graduate inducted into the Hall of Fame not only for his groundbreaking medical research but for having delivered outstanding gynecological and obstetrical services in 14 states and five different countries during his service with the U.S. Navy. He delivered more than 3,000 babies during his 33-year career. Baerthlein also served his country more than 30 years as an active or reserve U.S. Navy officer. He continues with his volunteer work, which has often involved mentoring future physicians.

“Dr. Baerthlein’s career has capitalized on his strengths, contributed to the medical field with seminal research and he continues to build and educate the leaders of tomorrow,” said Steven Broyles, chair of Biological Sciences at SUNY Cortland, among the people who nominated Baerthlein for the Academic Hall of Fame. “He has served his country proudly and continues to serve his alma mater.”            

The Pawling, N.Y., native graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Cortland with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1976. Notably, at Cortland he led a team of classmates on a two-year study of sperm-egg chemotaxis in the African Clawed frog that was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Baerthlein earned his medical degree, with honors, from Baylor College of Medicine in 1981. Elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, he was the Baylor chapter president his senior year and received many student awards for his surgical scholarship.

After earning his medical degree, Baerthlein completed his residency in obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Rochester and spent an additional year there on a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility with a faculty appointment as assistant professor of ob-gyn. His honors there included the 1985 Rochester Academy of Medicine Obstetrics-Gynecology Section Award for research that “contributed to the progress of medicine.”

Baerthlein co-authored research papers, including one cited in a number of editions of Williams Obstetrics, the definitive text in the field. In 1986, his published research in Obstetrics and Gynecology, the specialty’s premiere journal, received international recognition and was identified as an important advance in infertility treatment. One area of his published research involved a technique for preparing sperm for intrauterine insemination that significantly advanced infertility treatment.

Baerthlein completed more than 30 years of combined active and reserve U.S. Naval service, retiring as a captain. While stationed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., from 1986 to 1989, he headed its Gynecology Division and was the department’s quality assurance officer. He served as executive officer of the Rapidly Deployable Medical Force in support of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.

Next, Baerthlein was stationed at Naval Hospital Bremerton (Wash.), where until 1993 he was obstetrical coordinator for the newly re-established Family Medicine Residency Training Program.

Leaving active duty, Baerthlein was an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics-gynecology at Dartmouth Medical School from 1994 to 1999. He was part of the team instrumental in establishing Dartmouth’s obstetrics-gynecology residency training program. The school honored him with a teaching award.

In 2000, Baerthlein was recalled to active duty in the Navy and served in Italy and Iceland. In 2014, Baerthlein retired as a captain in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve after serving as head of obstetrics-gynecology at the Naval Reserve Fleet Hospital, Great Lakes. He worked as a volunteer for the Veteran’s Administration and mentored U.S. Navy scholarship recipients at Albany Medical College. Baerthlein is a life member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States.

He retired in 2012 as a physician at E.J. Noble Hospital (now Gouverneur Hospital) in Gouverneur, N.Y., having also served as president of the hospital’s medical staff.

A longtime volunteer for his alma mater, he has served since 2007 on the Cortland College Foundation Board of Directors, most recently on its finance committee and as liaison to the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association. Twice he has mentored students in the College’s Alumni-Undergraduate Science Symposium.

 “The world-class education I received at SUNY Cortland and the professors I interacted with, some becoming lifelong friends, were integral to the successes I enjoyed during my career,” Baerthlein said.

SUNY Cortland will formally induct Baerthlein into its Academic Hall of Fame during the semi-annual President’s List ceremony, which honors the College’s students who achieve grades of A-minus or better in each of their courses for a given semester, in this case Fall 2017.

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum will open the reception, which will recognize 513 students this year. The President’s List reception, which includes the honorees’ parents and other guests, begins at 3:15 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room, with the award ceremony starting at 4 p.m.

SUNY Cortland is looking for K-12 educators who are interested in learning about the Gilded Age and Progressive Era during a two-week residential experience that immerses participants in both the bustle of New York City and the peaceful solitude of the Adirondacks.

The program, “Common Ground,” was made possible through a $195,406 summer institute grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. History Department Professor and Chair Randi Storch and Associate Professor Kevin Sheets will lead the trip from July 8 to 21.

Full- and part-time educators in the humanities, as well as librarians, are encouraged to apply. A $2,100 stipend will be provided to those accepted to help defray expenses. The content focus is appropriate for middle- and high-school students, but teachers from kindergarten through senior year are eligible. Professional development hours and graduate credits may be awarded to qualified applicants. The deadline for applications is March 1.

Participants will spend the first six days in New York City. Following a travel day, the remaining six days of the program will be based at the College’s Camp Huntington at the William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake.

The group will visit a variety of locations in New York City, including the New York Public Library, Central Park and the Tenement Museum to investigate primary sources and sites related to the growth of industrialism, progressivism and leisure in the late 19th century.

In the Adirondacks, the group will visit the Adirondack Experience on Blue Mountain Lake, Camp Uncas and Camp Sagamore in an effort to understand how the mountain landscape was changed by both industry and leisure.

A full itinerary of events is available online.

“Common Ground” concludes with group presentations on the comparative exploration between the urban and wilderness landscapes and implications for teaching and classroom applications.

In addition to Sheets and Storch, academic experts from Bowling Green State University, CUNY, Fairfield University, University of Mount Union, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, Vassar College and the College of Wooster will participate in the program.

An initial NEH grant of $180,000 was awarded to SUNY Cortland in 2012. Previous iterations of this program were known as “Forever Wild: The Adirondacks in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era” but did not include the New York City portion of the trip. Teachers have come from as far away as Alaska and Florida to both enjoy the tranquility of Raquette Lake and improve their teaching skills.

For more information, contact project coordinator Kerri Freese at 607-753-2913.

SUNY Cortland, home to New York’s largest comprehensive teacher education program, this spring will host recruiters from about 120 school districts offering potential opportunities for aspiring teachers from 11 Upstate colleges and universities.

This year, in an effort to help address the growing nationwide teacher shortage, Cortland’s annual Teacher Recruitment Days will not only be open for graduating seniors, but for qualified alumni of participating institutions who received degrees within the last five years. 

“We’re still here to help you, even after you graduate. Don’t think we’ve forgotten you,” said Michelina Gibbons, employer relations and recruiting coordinator for SUNY Cortland’s Career Services and organizer of the April 16-17 event. “For years we used to tell seniors, ‘you could come only one time and then you’re on your own.’ But now we think it’s a great way to reach out to alumni who are still looking.”

Gibbons is organizing this year’s fair on behalf of Central New York Career Development Association (CNYCDA), a consortium of career services offices from 11 institutions.  

This will be the 33rd year the consortium has held this event at Cortland, which offers a nationally respected teacher education program. It is the biggest annual teacher recruitment fair held in upstate New York.

Institutions participating in the event also include Binghamton University, Cazenovia College, Elmira College, Ithaca College, Le Moyne College, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Potsdam, Syracuse University and Utica College. Once again it will be held in Park Center.

 “Attending the fair is a great way to make connections with school districts and lay the groundwork for a future interview or a future opportunity,” Gibbons said. “It shows interest in the field and in getting a job. It shows the district you’re doing your homework by making an effort.”

Three years ago, the event gave Cortland graduate Mark Hogan ’09, M ’15 the job opportunity he had hoped for.

“It felt like I talked to dozens of recruiters at Teacher Recruitment Days,” said Hogan, who earned bachelor’s degrees both in sport management and in mathematics education. “I focused on looking at jobs in the North Carolina area and I was able to meet with several recruiters from different schools.”

Because of those connections, Hogan interviewed at the A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C., over spring break and was offered a job on the spot. Hogan now teaches math there and serves as an assistant coach for the high school’s junior varsity basketball team, combining the best of both degrees he earned at Cortland.

“Absolutely it was one of the best career decisions I made going to that fair because it gave me so many options to look at,” Hogan said.

Registration for job seekers to attend the fair opens Monday, Feb. 19. Students and alumni of CNYCDA campuses can sign up online until March 26.

Gibbons advises all prospective teachers who are at least college seniors and are able to take a job that starts in September to try to attend.

“Many students are made employment offers at the event,” she said. “They have to understand that this is their chance. Even if they’re student-teaching in a school district, they should know that this is an excused absence and the teachers should understand.”

Currently, 206 recruiters from 119 school districts have committed to attending and more will be accepted until two weeks before the fair, she said. About half are districts in New York state. Other states represented will include North Carolina, Virginia, California, Oregon, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware, Nevada, Massachusetts and Colorado.

At least one school is sending recruiters from the other side of the planet.

SUNY Cortland graduate Jeannette Luther ’07, M ’10, is now principal of the Diyar International Private School, in the United Arab Emirates. She will be returning to Cortland to recruit at the event with two of her colleagues.

“Because I got my job through Teacher Recruitment Days, now my opportunities have just blossomed,” Luther said via an international phone call. “Here I am coming back to Teacher Recruitment Days 11 years later, flipping the coin. This time I hope to open some dreams.”

Luther recalls that she took part in at least nine job interviews at the 2007 Teacher Recruitment Days and received two job offers.

“It was such a blessing that I walked at Commencement knowing I had a job that day,” the Broome County native said.

A childhood education major at Cortland, Luther worked 10 years teaching elementary school in the Spencer-Van Etten (N.Y.) schools and earned a master’s degree in literacy from SUNY Cortland before setting her sights on an international teaching career.

“I am so happy here,” said Luther, a confident world traveler who as a junior at Cortland had spent a semester studying at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. “I can walk to the beach and the mountains are right behind my apartments. Being in the Middle East, you can pick up and go anywhere around the world.”

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum will give opening remarks to recruiters at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 16, in the Alumni Arena. Meanwhile, students will be welcomed by Andrea Lachance, dean for the School of Education and Bruce Mattingly, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, in Corey Gymnasium. Following will be orientation, first for students enrolled in childhood and special education and later for those majoring in secondary and special subjects. Recruitment interviews will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, April 16 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17.

For more information or to register to attend, visit the Teacher Recruitment Days website at cnycda.org.

Acclaimed guitarist, singer and songwriter Pamela Means, whom the New York Times Magazine has described as producing “stark, defiant songs,” will attempt to set the status quo and the stage afire on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at SUNY Cortland.

Means, a bi-racial, feminist “indie” folk artist from Boston who offers an original and dynamic guitar style and punchy, provocative songs, will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

She also will present a workshop titled “Music in the Black Lives Matter Movement” earlier that day at noon in Old Main Colloquium.

The events will serve as a bridge between Black History Month and Women’s History Month at the College.

During the workshop, Means will discuss activism in song with an in-depth look at the process and inspiration of composing songs with a message, especially as a biracial performer working in a contemporary climate of polarization. She will discuss what it takes to master one’s instrument and present music independently.

Means’ performances have been credited with bringing the struggle for social justice and human dignity to the forefront of a new generation.

“She is an amazing jazz-influenced guitarist whose songs speak to the intersectionalities of gender, race and class,” said Colleen Kattau, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of Spanish, herself a singer-songwriter and performer. “She is a powerful and authentic performer.”

“Turns pain into perfect art,” wrote a reviewer for No Depression, the journal of roots music, about her new solo acoustic album, “Plainfield.”

Consistently honing her craft, Means garnered acclaim with her seminal jazz recording, the “insanely brilliant” (Press Herald, Portland, Maine), “Pamela Means Jazz Project, Vol. 1,” in which, "Means takes her rightful place among contemporary superstar jazz vocalists such as Cassandra Wilson and Norah Jones” (Curve Magazine).

She was honored as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s “Most Wanted New Artist” and Wisconsin’s “Folk Artist of the Year” and “Female Vocalist of the Year.” Means was also a Boston Music Award Nominee in the category of “Outstanding Contemporary Folk Artist.”

She has shared the stage with artists including Ani DiFranco, Joan Baez, Neil Young and Pete Seeger.

Means performs at clubs, coffeehouses, colleges and festivals across the country, including the Newport Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and the South by Southwest Conference. She is a favorite at regional gay pride events. Her work is inspired by the words of the poet Audre Lorde, who wrote, “I am myself a Black woman warrior poet doing my work, come to ask you, are you doing yours?”

Co-sponsors of the event include the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, Latino/Latin American Studies, Africana Studies, President’s Fund, and Campus Artist and Lecture Series. 

Means has a Web site about her work: www.pamelameans.com. For more information, contact Kattau at 607-753-2025.

If developed nations believe torture is unethical, why do some, including the United States, continue to strategically abuse people?

Stephanie Decker, assistant professor of sociology/anthropology at SUNY Cortland, will discuss that issue and the connection between torture and human rights on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the College.

The presentation, “Torture: Strategies, Effects and the Human Toll,” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 2125. Part of SUNY Cortland’s year-long Brooks Museum Lecture series, “The Culture of Human Rights and Realities,” the talk will be preceded by a reception for the speaker at 4 p.m. in the Rozanne M. Brooks Museum, Moffett Center, Room 2126. Brooks series events are free and open to the public.

Decker will explore the complex human rights implications of torture and why it continues to be practiced by governments in the developed world on an alarming basis.

“We still keep talking about torture because it’s still happening,” Decker said. “Everything people think they know about torture is true, but there’s even more.”

Decker’s field of expertise is forced confessions. She said she began focusing on torture because the two subjects “go together like peanut butter and jelly.” Decker’s study of public confessions and show trials, in which punishment is used not to obtain legitimate information but rather to make an example of the victim, led to examine torture and confession in a sociopolitical context.

Governments have found loopholes in torture laws, shifting from physical to psychological methods so that the use of interrogation could continue. The resulting new forms of torture create a gray area, as many of these techniques do not necessarily seem like torture from an outsider’s perspective.

For example, persons of interest from more conservative cultures or who follow orthodox religions may be forced to listen to suggestive music or view pornography during interrogation. This type of media may be considered a relatively common part of American culture, but are deeply taboo to these subjects. The practice can inflict a devastating emotional toll on someone when these are forced upon them.

“Once you see yourself going about a behavior that you despise it leads to this psychological torture that can haunt you for years,” Decker said.

These enhanced interrogation techniques leave no physical mark on their subjects but can be much more damaging than conventional torture. Such techniques have evaded being legally classified as torture because they are highly contextual.

“Just because something doesn’t look like torture on the outside doesn’t mean it won’t feel like torture for the person going through it,” Decker said. “If you don’t go through something, you will underestimate how painful it is for someone else.”

Not only is torture difficult to define, but its ability to obtain information from enemies is dubious. Many people subjected to physical or psychological trauma will say anything in order to stop the torture, often leading to false confessions and inaccurate intelligence. In fact, the only guaranteed result of torture is fierce retaliation from the party to whom the tortured person belongs, Decker said.

Despite these drawbacks, torture is a common first response, she said. It is seen as justifiable for the greater good during scenarios in which innocent lives may be at stake.

“In the moment, the need to save people, to be heroes, makes torture an easy thing to fall back on,” Decker said. “But there’s a long-term consequence to everything we do.”

Decker urges college students to educate themselves about how torture is being used around the world and how it relates to human rights.

“It’s important for the average person to spend some time and figure out what other people are going through,” Decker said. “You and I get to walk away from it to go watch cat videos and drink mochas. But for people living it, that’s their life.”

“The Culture of Human Rights and Realities” series continues on Wednesday, March 21, with Syracuse University Associate Professor Roy S. Gutterman’s “Freedom in the Balance: Free Speech Rights and the Current Global Context.” It concludes on Wednesday, April 11, with University of Kansas Associate Professor Hannah Britton’s “Moving Upstream: Preventing Human Trafficking and Exploitation.”

The remaining talks also will be held in Moffett Center, Room 2125 at 4:30 p.m. on their respective dates. A reception precedes each event at 4 p.m. in the Rozanne M. Brooks Museum.

Contact Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Sharon Steadman at 607-753-2308 for more information.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Ben Mayberry

Many SUNY Cortland seniors have already left a mark on campus. If all goes as planned, the collective spirit of the Class of 2018 will live on in the form of a bench in front of Memorial Library.

In addition, the Cortland College Foundation hopes its official 2018 “Leave Your Mark” campaign will help shape graduating students’ ideas of philanthropy well beyond a single fundraising project.

“We want to try and use this project to educate the Class of 2018 on the impact they can make at the College when they give back,” said Natasha McFadden, assistant director of The Cortland Fund.

The campaign’s goal is to raise $1,000 by December to support campus programming for future students.

If the students are successful, the ambitious gift will be recognized by a plaque that states, “Donated by Class of 2018.”  The plaque will be affixed to a bench placed on the grounds outside of the library following a construction project in late 2018 or early 2019.

“Leave Your Mark” follows the success of last year’s first campaign, also led by McFadden, in which the Class of 2017 named a garden section at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Parks Alumni House. Proceeds support the future upkeep of the facility, home to all Red Dragons whether students or alumni.

Seniors who have contributed to the campaign will be recognized at an exclusive, VIP event preceding Senior Send-Off on Thursday, May 3, at the Parks Alumni House.  

Contributors also will receive a gold “I left my mark” pin to wear at Commencement.

Student interns with The Cortland Fund will provide more information on how to get involved with the “Leave Your Mark” campaign at tables around campus on several occasions. They will make a pitch to May graduates at the 2018 Senior Send-Off and reach out to December 2018 graduates next fall.

To make a senior class gift at any time, students may visit RedDragonNetwork.org/2018gift.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Hannah Bistocchi

National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day, an annual event that takes place on Thursday, Feb. 22, offers members of the campus community an opportunity to try new activities and the chance to win prizes.

“Since the first year worked so well, we’ve continued the same pattern each year which helps to make the event such a success,” said Eve Mascoli, assistant director for facilities and aquatics at SUNY Cortland. She has organized the day for Recreational Sports at SUNY Cortland for the past three years, since the construction of the Student Life Center.

“Student and staff turnout increases each year, and more and more SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and their families are signing up to take advantage of all that the Student Life Center has to offer.”

This year’s event features a day of free activities including fitness classes, tournaments, equipment rentals and T-shirt giveaways.

A number of prizes will be raffled off, such as free massages, free group memberships, wireless Bluetooth headphones and an Amazon Echo Dot. On the day of the event, each participant will receive one raffle ticket. However, some listed events on the day’s agenda offer staff and students a chance to earn extra raffle tickets, increasing one’s chances of winning a major prize.

For more information about the day’s scheduled events or the raffle prizes being given away, visit the College’s Student Life Center page and select one day events.

“Everyone within the department works diligently to not only make this event such a success, but also maintain a fun, safe, and proficient environment at the Student Life Center, year-round,” said Mascoli. 

Since the Student Life Center opened in 2015, 835,202 people have used the facility. In Mascoli’s first year coordinating the event, more than 3,000 people attended National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day. They were eager to participate in some fun activities but didn’t realize they’d have a learning experience as well.

On Feb. 22, 1950, Dr. William Wasson brought together 20 intramural directors from 11 black colleges and universities to relay his knowledge and research on recreation within colleges, according to a National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) article.  

NIRSA uses this day to honor Wasson’s achievements and promote healthy habits and wellbeing.

Mascoli wants to educate a broader public and target people outside of the recreation field in hopes of sparking more national interest.

 “It’s good advertising to show people what recreational sports offers and it also gives people the opportunity to try different things,” she said. “Staff love it too and you’d be surprised what people will do for free prizes.”

“I enjoy putting on the event and I also thinks it’s pretty amazing that since its inception, National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day now has over 5,000 institutions celebrating it nationwide.”  

The College’s event is sponsored by the Summit Federal Credit Union, which has donated $500 each year.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Hannah Bistocchi

Ten senior physical education majors were recently honored by SUNY Cortland with the Lenore K. Alway and the Anthony P. Tesori ’39 Awards for their outstanding work during their student teaching placements in New York state schools throughout the fall 2017 semester.

Physical Education Department faculty members selected five men and five women for the recognition, and the students received certificates.

The men’s award honors the late Anthony P. Tesori, a 1939 graduate who earned the College’s C-Club Hall of Fame Award for his achievements before and after graduation and gave the College many years of leadership in athletics and administration. The Alway Award, given to women, pays tribute to the late Lenore K. Alway, the pioneer head of women’s physical education at the College from 1941 to 1965.

The Tesori Award honorees and the schools where they completed their teaching for fall 2017 are:

• Gregory DuVall of New Berlin, N.Y., at Oxford Academy Public School in the Oxford Academy Central School District and Sidney (N.Y.) Junior-Senior High School.
• Jake Freitag of Huntington Station, N.Y., at Syosset (N.Y.) High School and North Elementary School in the Brentwood (N.Y.) Union Free School District.
• Brian Frey of Hauppauge, N.Y., at May Poore Public School in the Deer Park (N.Y.) Union Free School District and Sachem High School North.
• Richard Harkenrider of Canisteo, N.Y., at Canisteo-Greenwood (N.Y.) High School and Bryant Elementary School in the Hornell (N.Y.) City School District.
• Vincent Lizama of Cortland, N.Y., at William Appleby Elementary School in the Marathon (N.Y.) Central School District and Cortland Junior Senior High School.

The Alway Award honorees and the schools where they completed their teaching for fall 2017 are:

• Alyssa Crosby of Brier Hill, N.Y., at Ogdensburg (N.Y.) Free Academy and Indian River (N.Y.) Intermediate School.
• Lauren Labiendo of LaFargeville, N.Y., at North Elementary School in the Watertown (N.Y.) City School District and Watertown High School.
• Alexa Martino of East Islip, N.Y., at East Islip High School and Oak Park Elementary School in the Brentwood (N.Y.) Union Free School District.
• Shawana Miller of Sinclairville, N.Y., at Fredonia Elementary School/Fredonia Middle School in the Fredonia (N.Y.) Central School District.
• Elizabeth Roberts of Island Park, N.Y., at School #9M-Oceanside (N.Y.) Middle School and George Washington School in the West Hempstead (N.Y.) Union Free School District.

For more information, contact the Physical Education Department at 607-753-5577.

The Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House is an important and valuable part of the SUNY Cortland campus, often opening up its stately doors for College and public events.

On Friday, March 2, the Parks Alumni House will host a blood drive sponsored by the American Red Cross from 1 to 6 p.m. SUNY Cortland students, faculty, staff and the Cortland community may donate a pint to those in need.

“We think this is a great opportunity for the house to be able to give back,” said Shaunna Arnold-Plank, general manager of the Parks Alumni House. “It’s important for us to have the SUNY Cortland and local Cortland community be able to help support the American Red Cross.

“We encourage people who have never seen the house before to come and see it,” while making their gift of blood, she said.

Those wishing to donate blood may contact Arnold-Plank at 607-753-1561 to set up an appointment. Reservations may also be made online at redcrossblood.org.

The Parks Alumni House was built in 1912 by Charles Wickwire Sr., the owner and operator of Wickwire Brothers Inc., a profitable wire drawing business in Cortland in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association purchased the mansion in 2004 from Charles A. Gibson, who previously obtained the house from the late Jean Miller Biddle, the granddaughter of Charles Wickwire Sr.

The facility, which can host up to 10 overnight visitors in five luxurious rooms, is a popular location for social events such as weddings.

 “This is the first time the house has hosted the blood drive on campus,” Arnold-Plank said. “If it is successful, we are looking to make it an annual, community event.”

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Hannah Bistocchi

The Cortland Wishmakers, a student-run club on campus, raised $8,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in December 2017, and student passion continues to fuel its mission to help people in need.

Kateri Ruebenstahl, a senior new media design major from Washingtonville, N.Y., deserves much of the credit for this endeavor. She founded the Cortland chapter of Wishmakers in 2016 and is currently the club’s president. Starting with only a handful of members, Wishmakers has grown into an active club with more than 30 student participants.

Ruebenstahl conceived of the club while fundraising for Make-A-Wish as a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary. She reached out to the Central New York chapter of Wishmakers on Campus, a nationwide organization dedicated to Make-A-Wish fundraising, and created SUNY Cortland’s chapter.

Cortland Wishmakers raised money in December by participating in Macy’s Believe campaign. It prompted people across the United States to get into the holiday spirit and write letters to Santa Claus, with Macy’s pledging to donate $1 to Make-A-Wish for each letter written. SUNY Cortland contributed 4,000 letters and Wishmakers doubled the dollar amount of the contribution when the club submitted the letters on Dec. 14, National Believe Day.

The campaign raised $2 million nationwide. Make-A-Wish helps the families of children with critical illnesses by granting once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and helping those families overcome anxiety. The foundation has granted more than 300,000 wishes in the U.S. since 1980.

The Believe campaign is Wishmakers’ biggest event of the year but the club tables for funds year-round and sells merchandise provided by Make-A-Wish, with the proceeds going to the foundation. Wishmakers even collaborated with the Education Club to bring people to campus who have benefitted from Make-A-Wish to speak about their experiences.

Ruebenstahl credits club advisor and Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement Jonah Reardon as playing a crucial role in the club’s success. Reardon knows the workings of Student Government Association and its procedures and has helped guide the club through many bureaucratic obstacles.

Ruebenstahl is also grateful for the wide variety of experiences that have helped her in running the club. As a new media design major and graphic design intern for Speak Magazine, Ruebenstahl has found her design skills instrumental in creating publication materials for the club, as everything produced must meet Make-A-Wish standards.

Most valuable has been Ruebenstahl’s experience as a residence assistant in Glass Tower. The position gives Ruebenstahl a community of students who look up to her, and being an RA has also taught her a great deal in terms of public speaking, leadership skills, and confidence.

“You learn so many life skills you’d never really think about,” Ruebenstahl said. “It’s definitely good to have that community outreach.”

She will graduate in May and plans to pursue graduate school for art and design education. Ruebenstahl is optimistic about the club’s future, believing that there will always be impassioned students who want to make a difference in people’s lives.

“It’s definitely a little scary to pass on my ‘child’ to someone else,” Ruebenstahl said. “Hopefully they can keep the club running and keep doing great things.”

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Ben Mayberry

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.”

Purchase tickets

“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.

The Antlers facility at the William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake will be available for use by faculty, staff, Auxiliary Services Corporation employees and their guests including spouses, children and significant others, for a four-day and a six-day stay this summer.

Session dates for a memorable summer experience in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains are from Thursday, June 21 through Sunday, June 24 and from Monday, June 25 through Saturday, June 30. Arrival time is between 2 and 4 p.m. An all-camp orientation will be held at 5 p.m. on arrival day. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. Guests will depart after breakfast on the last day.

Guests will be assigned to housing according to family size and abilities. Showers and bathrooms are located in each room. Bed linens and towels must be provided by all participants. There is no janitorial or maid service available at the Center. All guests are requested to keep rooms in a neat and orderly condition and to leave them in “as good, or better” condition. 

Lunch and dinner will be served family style in the Cummings Dining Hall at 12 noon and 6 p.m. Breakfast will be a buffet offered between 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. There will also be an option to pack a lunch. Every effort is made to provide tasty, balanced meals. However, if you or someone in your party has special dietary needs, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Recreational equipment available for the summer session includes canoes, kayaks and standup paddle boards. Families should provide their own child size life jackets. Families are responsible for the safety and well-being of their own children. There are no babysitters or lifeguards on site. Family pets are not permitted.

Reservation information is available at www2.cortland.edu/rl-events or at the Parks Family Outdoor Center Office, Miller Building, Room 230. A $50 deposit is required with registration.

The all-inclusive rate for the four-day session is $165 per adult and $132 for children age 12 and under. Room and board for six-day session is $253 per person for adults and $202 per person for children age 12 and under. There is no charge for children under one year of age.

A $50 deposit is required with pre-registration for each family. The deposit will be applied to the total cost and will be non-refundable unless a three-week notice of cancellation is given. The balance will be due upon arrival payable by check to Auxiliary Services Corporation or ASC. These sessions are offered on a first come, first served basis. A confirmation email or letter will be sent following the receipt of your reservation.

For more information, email outdoor.edinfo@cortland.edu or call 607-753-5488.