Campus Champion

Student Government Association (SGA) president and political science major Anneka Bowler became an SGA senator as a freshman and moved into the top leadership position as a junior. Now, Anneka will enter a larger political arena for her senior year. She was accepted into SUNY Brockport’s Washington D.C. Internship Program, where she’ll spend her final semester as an intern, learning, working and networking. But before heading to our nation's capital, she'll lead more than 400 SUNY Cortland students this Sunday, April 23, in The Big Event. “Our students care for our community, and everyone is enthusiastic to show that we are committed to this relationship.”

The SUNY Cortland University Police Department has a new four-legged friend on its team. 

Meekah, an almost 15-week-old English Labrador retriever, is Cortland UPD’s first therapy dog. She will join UPD on daily calls, investigations, crisis incidents, special events and community outreach programs.  

Her job: Be loveable.  

“The University Police Department’s goal is to build a program to better assist with victims’ advocacy, mental health and trauma,” Chief of Police Mark DePaull  said.  

“Research has shown that the presence of therapy animals can decrease anxiety, improve mood and foster feelings of support and confidence.” 

DePaull believes the eager K9 also will benefit officers and first responders’ well-being and emotional health. 

The Therapy K9 Unit is expected to begin during the upcoming fall semester, making it the second officer-dog partnership on campus. Since 2018 Officer David Coakley and partner Red, a male German shorthair pointer, have formed an explosive detection and missing-person tracking K9 unit. 

DePaull credits Officer Melissa Keelhar M ’10 as the driving force behind the new K9 recruit. She was first introduced to the idea while attending the National Sexual Assault Investigations Academy in Maryland. Keelhar went on to develop the concept and propose it to her command staff. 

After further research, she identified the English Labrador retriever as the breed best suited for the job required on campus. She then found Summerhill Retrievers, a breeder in the area.   

“It was Melissa’s hard work and dedication that brought all of the components together to form the new Therapy K9 Unit,” DePaull said. “Officer Keelhar was instrumental in locating a local breeder, authoring the department policy and acquiring the necessary equipment.” 

The addition of Meekah, DePaull says, continues a core goal of the UPD to embrace community engagement. 

Keelhar, who says she’s grown up with dogs her entire life, expects her new partner to make a difference at the university in a wide range of situations. 

“Meekah’s job will be to provide emotional support to victims of crime, traumatic incidents', witnesses of crime, staff and officer well-being and support for other local first responders,” she said. 

Having a K9 for a partner has other advantages besides working with the most popular member of the campus police department. After all her hard work to make a therapy dog on campus a reality, Keelhar was also allowed to name her new partner. 

“I chose the name Meekah because I wanted it to be something that was unique and something that honored my heritage, being that Meekah would be a part of my family,” Keelhar said. “The name Meekah has ties to Native American culture as does my family. It means beautiful and intelligent.” 

Therapy dogs can give psychological and physiological comfort to humans. Unlike other service dogs, they’re encouraged to interact with people while on duty, including petting. Meekah can expect a lot of love from Cortland and will be happy to give it right back. 

Nicole Peppin, owner of Summerhill Retrievers, has worked before with families that have goals of therapy certification for their dog, but is still excited by the impact Meekah will have at the university. 

“It is such an honor to even be considered for the opportunity to have one of my dogs be a part of such an amazing community initiative,” Peppin said. 

Summerhill Retrievers describes itself as a “small family hobby breeder” dedicated to the happiness and comfort of the dogs it helps raise. Peppin says they only pair genetically clear, health-tested parents and believe in letting the dogs live normal lives with well-trusted human families. 

Current training for Meekah consists of basic obedience and socialization. Once she’s 8-months-old, she’ll go to a training school for specialized therapy and advanced obedience. Keelhar says Meekah’s breed is known for a calm, friendly temperament that lets them get along with strangers, children and other dogs. 

The duo has already been around campus to help Meekah socialize. So far, Keelhar says the experience has been excellent and that student comments have been overwhelmingly positive. 

SUNY Cortland’s students are putting one year’s worth of academic excellence across all disciplines on display Friday, April 28, during Transformations: A Student Research and Creativity Conference. 

All presentations take place in Bowers Hall except for the “Writing Gala,” which is new to the conference and will be at the Dowd Fine Arts Center’s Dowd Gallery. “We are very excited to bring back the keynote address as part of the Transformations conference, which is something we have not had since 2019,” said Bruce Mattingly, the dean of arts and sciences and chair of Transformations, which he is coordinating for the 15th year.  

Starting this year, the recipient of the Dr. Peter Di Nardo ’68 and Judith Waring Outstanding Achievement in Research award will serve as the keynote speaker. 

Rhiannon Maton, an associate professor of foundations and social advocacy, and the 2023 DiNardo and Waring award recipient, will give the keynote lecture from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, in Sperry Center, Room 104. 

Student presentations will take place on Friday, April 28. The conference includes: 

• Contributed talks I, 10:20 to 11:20 a.m. 
• Poster session A, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Contributed talks II, 12:40 to 1:40 p.m.
• Poster session B, 1:50 to 2:50 p.m.
• Contributed talks III, 3 to 4 p.m.
• Writing Gala, 5 to 7 p.m. 

A full schedule of presentations is available in the presentation booklet on the Transformations website. 

Mattingly expects the event to highlight the exceptional academic work being done at the university. 

“As always, there is quite a variety,” he said. “As you look through the program, you will see titles such as ‘Transformative Immersive Education: Hawaii,’ ‘The Influence of Music in a Classroom on Student Performance and Motivation,’ and ‘Social Media and Its Negative Impact on Adults.’ There are presentations from students in many fields, from archaeology to exercise science to studio art. I think we have something for everyone.” 

The “Writing Gala” was created this year to give student writers an expanded opportunity to share their work. In past years, Mattingly said, students who won campus writing awards were given a standard time slot at the conference that wasn’t long enough. The event will bring the same award-winning writing to Transformations, but with more time for students to be recognized. 

Originally established as Scholars’ Day in 1997, Transformations was renamed in 2012 to emphasize how student research can transform the studied subjects, the students’ lives and the world at large.  

Each year, the university sends out a campuswide call for presentations and uses faculty mentors to encourage students to take part. All students given a summer fellowship from the Undergraduate Research Council also are expected to present.  

This year, 100 students will deliver 29 lectures and 32 poster presentations, Mattingly said. An additional 15 students will be part of the “Writing Gala.”  

While the students get the spotlight, faculty help is crucial to Transformations. 

“They guide them through every step of the process, from identifying the initial problem, developing the appropriate methodology, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions and summarizing the results,” Mattingly said. “What you see at Transformations is typically the culmination of a research project that might extend across several semesters.” 

Support for Transformations is supported by the President’s Office, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office and Cortland Auxiliary Services. To view presentations, posters and research materials from past conferences, visit the Digital Commons @ Cortland repository. 

The first-ever TEDx SUNY Cortland event will be held Thursday, May 4 in Old Main Brown Auditorium, featuring 10 speakers from across the United States, including three SUNY Cortland faculty members.

The presenters will share ideas related to “Freedom Dreaming” envisioning a better world and exploring pathways to get there. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Attendance, however, will be limited to 300 people, so no-cost virtual tickets are required. Those tickets are available online.

TEDx is the localized version of the globally focused TED conferences featuring talks that explore big ideas about science, culture, tech, education and creativity. The final roster of 10 speakers were among 122 applications received by organizers of Cortland’s event. They were selected by a committee of 18 SUNY Cortland faculty and staff using a consistent scoring guide.

Presentations for TEDx SUNY Cortland 2023 are:

• Marcus Bell, assistant sociology professor, SUNY Cortland
  • All Black Lives Matter: Exploring My Own Double Consciousness: All Black lives matter. Those taken by the state, as well as those taken by other Blacks. If we are to dream of a more just and equitable future, we must be conscious of — and honest about — both.
• Renee Heitmann, lecturer in SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department
  • How Kindness Can Change Your Life: Nine years ago, a seemingly simple act of kindness changed her life completely. Sharing a gift with a neighbor set her on a course of self-discovery and deeper understanding of her world.
• Shena Driscoll Salvato, lecturer in SUNY Cortland Modern Languages Department
  • Embracing the Freedom to FLIT: Follow Leads Intuitively Trusting: discovering ideas waiting to come through us. How I FLIT in the worlds of academia and entrepreneurship and thrive in the exhilaration of creation.
• Otto Janke D.C., owner, Janke Family Chiropractic in Cortland
  • The freedom of independence in longevity: How to take the steps needed to be independent in our next decades, to make them our best decades.
• Aasha Ealy, defense attorney, advocate for the incarcerated
  • From Cancelled to Connected: How to overcome the epidemic of loneliness and the collateral consequences if the criminal justice system through being a good Samaritan.
• Natasha Ickes-Saman, hair salon owner, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker
  • Why the  way we have been approaching motivation is all wrong: Discover the transformative power of personal motivation: practical strategies for unlocking your full potential, overcoming obstacles, achieving success and feeling empowered to take on any challenge.
• Sarah Pospos, M.D., perinatal and sports psychiatrist
  • Good is the enemy of great, but so is “best”: Perfection doesn’t exist and the sooner we realize this, the sooner we can get on the road to fulfillment.
• Lee Bonvissuto, speaker, facilitator, advocate
  • Why are so many voices not being heard at work?: Oppressive work cultures are silencing voices and making it hard for people to be heard at work. This talk offers a roadmap to help the unheard speak up and for those in positions of privilege to hear what they have to say.
• “Relentless” Royal Tanis, author, mentor, motivational speaker
  
  • Tag, you’re i! The message for humanity: The message is a blueprint for humankind to heal uniquely and comprehensively by using the concept of a children's game. It will demonstrate what is possible when leaders are healed from the pain of their past.
• Todd Kane, speaker, author, hair stylist
  • Finding our integrity in difficult conversations: By acknowledging the feelings expressed through our bodies when triggered, we become aware of our truth, gaining perspective, a sense of peace, and confidence to move beyond our fears and limiting beliefs to healthier, more connected lives.

Additional speaker information is available online.

Three SUNY Cortland faculty members will speak during the 2023 Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 13.

Professors Anne Burns Thomas, Robert Darling and Regina Grantham represent the schools of Education, Arts and Sciences and Professional Studies, respectively.

Each of them will address one of the university’s three Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies in Park Center Alumni Arena. The ceremonies are scheduled at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. A Graduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 12 begins at 7 p.m. in Park Center Alumni Arena.

Grantham will speak at 9:30 a.m., followed by Darling at 2:30 p.m. and Burns Thomas at 7 p.m.

More information about Commencement is available online.

All three of the selected faculty speakers are respected in their field and have had an important impact on the lives of SUNY Cortland students.

Anne Burns Thomas

Professor Anne Burns Thomas of the School of Education’s Foundations and Social Advocacy Department is passionate about researching inequities in the U.S. educational system and supporting the next generation of teachers as program coordinator for Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.).

A graduate of the University of Scranton, Burns Thomas earned a master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s University and holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Pennsylvania.

Since joining the Cortland faculty in 2006, Burns Thomas has guided students in the C.U.R.E. program, which provides scholarship support to students who pledge to teach in high-need schools after graduation. She has written journal articles on improving diversity in education and other topics and has given dozens of presentations at universities and conferences around the country. 

In 2021, Burns Thomas secured nearly $1 million in grant funding for C.U.R.E. that will expand access to the program through 2026.

She received a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022. Burns Thomas was recognized by students with the Student Affairs Connection Award in 2016 and was honored with the SUNY Cortland Outstanding Woman of Color Award in 2008.  Her service to the university includes co-chairing the President’s Council for Inclusive Excellence and serving on the advisory board of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies.

Robert Darling

Distinguished Teaching Professor Robert S. Darling of the Geology Department is a noted scholar and teacher who consistently finds new ways to engage his students.

A graduate of SUNY Oneonta, Darling earned a master’s degree at Idaho State University and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. He joined the Cortland faculty in 1992, was promoted to Professor in 2001 and was recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Professor title in 2013. He had previously received a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1999.

Darling’s research interests include the origin of igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Adirondacks, the geochemistry of fluid inclusions in crystals and experimental petrology. He has authored many scientific journal articles, guidebook articles and conference abstracts, lectured at universities and professional organizations across the state and been the recipient of several grants, including three from the National Science Foundation.

He has served as president and as a member of the board of directors for the New York State Geological Association and has been a Research Associate in Mineralogy for the New York State Museum.

Darling has always put his students first in his work. His mentorship has included inspiration and assistance for undergraduate research and keeping in touch with former students as they pursued further studies or worked in the field.

Regina Grantham

Associate Professor Regina B. Grantham of the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department is an innovative practitioner in speech-language pathology.

A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a member of the Cortland faculty since 1993, Grantham has led many changes in her department. In addition to its relocation to the Professional Studies Building in 2011, she inspired the creation of a master’s degree program in speech-language pathology in 2013. The program allows students to graduate with the skills necessary to thrive in today’s professional world and gives them hands-on experiences working with the public through the Center for Speech, Language and Hearing Disorders.

Grantham, a fellow of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association, was recognized with a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service in 2004.

She has served on the board of directors for the YWCA of Cortland and Cortland Loaves and Fishes, a food pantry and kitchen for local residents in need.

A trusted and welcoming mentor to countless students, Grantham is also a passionate advocate and voice for anti-racism, equality and social justice on the Cortland campus.

The annual Cortland Challenge is about alumni, faculty, staff and friends coming together to make a difference for SUNY Cortland and its students.

And this year, donors can help unlock more than $100,000 in matching gifts.

On Wednesday, April 19, SUNY Cortland supporters can give to the campus cause of their choice at RedDragonNetwork.org/challenge. Those causes include The Cortland Fund, academic departments, athletic teams, campus programming and more.

“I have been amazed by the outpouring of generosity shown by Cortland’s students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and friends in recent Cortland Challenges,” said President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our community to show off its school spirit and support a number of crucial initiatives. The Cortland Challenge demonstrates who we are. We are on a mission to serve others.”

Several generous alumni have pledged matching gifts to support the Cortland Challenge, including Louise Conley, Victor M. Rumore II ’84, Sheri Baron ’77, Ernest Logan ’73, Peter Eisenhardt ’67 and Susan Fish. A total of $60,000 in matching gifts will be unlocked throughout the day as certain donor thresholds are met:  

• $10,000 unlocked at 607 donors to celebrate the community where the university is located.
• $10,000 unlocked at 900 donors in honor of the approximately 900 donor-funded scholarships awarded each academic year.
• $10,000 unlocked at 1,517 donors in honor of the 1,517 graduate and undergraduate students who became SUNY Cortland alumni in 2022.
• $10,000 unlocked at 2,242 donorsin recognition of the 2,242 graduate and undergraduate courses offered to SUNY Cortland students.
• $20,000 unlocked at 3,362 donors, which would be a record-setting number of Cortland Challenge donors.

Anthony ’86 and Susan Moon have contributed $10,000 to serve as a dollar-for-dollar match for all gifts made to The Cortland Fund during the Cortland Challenge. Joel Tiss ’85 and Cheryl Barredo M ’81 have each offered an additional $1,000 match to The Cortland Fund to keep momentum up throughout the day.

The Athletics Challenge will be backed by a generous, $10,000 matching gift offered by Susan Zawacki ’74 and an anonymous ’71 grad. The 20 teams will be broken into four categories (small, medium, large and extra-large based on the number of alumni and previous donor participation). A variety of awards have been created, offering each team the opportunity to earn up to $2,600 in matches for their program.

The Department Challenge has returned for the second year, offering an opportunity for academic and campus departments to raise funds for their specific needs. Dollar-for-dollar matches have been made for various departments by Sheri Baron ’77, Ernie Logan ’73, Bill ’88 and Emily Richards ’88, Frank Rossi, David ’80 and Sandra Kronman, Robert Bookman ’76, Esq., Bert Edelstein ’74, and Cheryl Barredo M ’81.

To learn more, visit RedDragonNetwork.org/challenge. Use the hashtag #CortlandChallenge to follow along with other Red Dragons on Challenge day through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SUNY Cortland will acknowledge students for academic achievement at its annual Honors Convocation ceremony on Saturday, April 22.

The event, to be held in Park Center Alumni Arena, will begin at 5 p.m.

Students who achieve top 5% distinction in their class and other special award winners are invited to celebrate with parents, family members and friends.

The keynote speaker at this year’s Honors Convocation is Laura Davies, Ph.D., a professor in SUNY Cortland’s English Department. A graduate of Le Moyne College, Davies earned a master’s in English from the University of New Hampshire and a Ph.D. in composition and cultural rhetoric from Syracuse University. Davies’ research focuses on writing teacher pedagogy in K-12 and university levels, student composing and reading practices and histories of composition and rhetoric. She teaches classes on writing pedagogy, composition history and theory, technical and professional writing, research methodologies, creative nonfiction and first-year writing.

Davies also is a member of the author team for They Say/I Say with Readings (W.W. Norton & Co.), the best-selling first-year writing textbook used in thousands of college and high school classrooms across the United States. She served as SUNY Cortland’s chief of staff from 2021 to 2022.

Students who are members of the Honors Program will receive a special recognition. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Prus will deliver closing remarks.

Additional information about Honors Convocation is available online.

SUNY Cortland departments and organizations will host “Labor Spring,” a daylong event series including teach-ins, a poster session and a pro-labor activity, on Thursday, April 27, at various campus locations.

The event series, inspired by a nationwide worker justice movement of the same name, will spotlight the many U.S. working people who are organizing for a multiracial democracy.

Planned events include:

• 10 to 11 a.m.: Communication Studies Poster Session. The event will focus on the recent European labor uprising. Posters will be on display throughout the day on the Corey Union first floor.
• Noon to 1 p.m.: “Union Matters meeting.” This United University Professions (UUP) members gathering will be hosted in Corey Union Function Room.
• 1:30 to 3 p.m.: “Labor Spring” panel. The discussion in Corey Union Fireplace Lounge aims to place the current state of the labor movement into historical context. Panelists will include a union member from Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), Ithaca, N.Y.; a veteran union activist; and SUNY Cortland faculty members. Light refreshments will be served.
• 3 to 4 p.m.: Pro-Union Rally. Hosted by United University Professions, the event will begin in the Corey Union lower patio.
• 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Annual DiNardo and Waring Lecture. Rhiannon Maton, an associate professor in SUNY Cortland’s Foundations and Social Advocacy Department, will speak on “Fighting for the Schools Our Students Deserve: Educator Union Organizing for Social Justice” in Sperry Center, Room 104.

Participants are encouraged to wear red that day. To find out more about this movement, visit the Labor Spring national website, laborspring.org. To learn more about the campus events, contact Storch or visit Twitter at @SUNY Cortland under the hashtag #LaborSpring.

Public support for unionism is at a historic high, with 71 percent approval of unions, the highest level since 1965, said organizer Randi Storch, a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, History Department faculty member and labor historian.

“Our students’ lives will be directly affected in one way or another by the outcomes of current labor uprisings among teachers, faculty, students, and workers places like Starbucks and Amazon,” Storch said.

“Labor Spring is an opportunity to raise awareness and to connect our students to these larger worker issues and movements,” she said.

“At the same time, our very own United University Professions is engaged in contract negotiations with the state. Labor Spring will be an important opportunity to help students understand how our union is working to bargain for the common good and how today’s worker movement is thinking beyond the bargaining unit.”

According to a website for the national Labor Spring initiative, developed by Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, the global pandemic motivated desire among working people for more power on the job and in their communities.

“Their efforts build, in part, on a newfound public appreciation for labor unions that developed out of a celebration of essential workers and a subsequent dismay for essential workers’ poor working conditions,” the site notes.

“The events nationwide aim to draw attention to and educate our community about current labor campaigns, key historical moments for workers, the centrality of racial and gender equity in the worker justice movement, and the importance of the current moment in our country’s labor history,” Storch said.

“Labor Spring” is co-sponsored by the university’s departments of History, Communication Studies, Sociology/Anthropology, and Economics; and by UUP, Public Employees Federation (PEF), Institute for Civic Engagement, Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee, Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office, Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, Student Government Association and Black Student Union.

Maton’s talk is supported by the Dr. Peter A. DiNardo ’68 and Judith Waring Outstanding Achievement in Research Award, which since 2015 has recognized SUNY Cortland faculty’s research outside the classroom. Waring endowed the award with a gift to the Cortland College Foundation to honor her late husband, whose remarkable 34-year teaching career strongly influenced the modern, international clinical practice of psychology in the areas of fear, panic and anxiety.

SUNY Cortland’s Blackbird Film Festival, now in its ninth year, will once again reflect modern culture and attract the work of filmmakers from around the globe the weekend of April 28-30. 

The annual international festival, which is free and open to the public, takes place from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30. All screenings are in the university’s Old Main Brown Auditorium off the Dorothea Kreig Allen Fowler ’52, M ’74 Grand Entrance Hall.  

Filmmakers from as far as Costa Rica and France will make the trip to Cortland personally, while films from the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Italy, China, South Korea and Canada will be screened.   

In all, there will be 97 films organized into 11 blocks with subjects as varied as “Life, Animated” to “’Til Death Do Us Part.”  

“Every year, I am always so surprised by the themes that emerge during the programming stage,” said Sam Avery, creator of Blackbird and a SUNY Cortland associate professor of communication and media studies. “In my opinion, it serves as a unique reflection of the world we’re in.” 

Last year, Avery said, the festival saw a large number of films addressing mental health and suicide after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning or Roe vs. Wade, a larger-than-normal number of films focus on abortion and women’s rights — another reaction to current events. 

“The film submissions are always unique and unexpected in the most fascinating ways.” 

The comradery between the creators and the audience helps make Blackbird exceptional, Avery said. Online access to content has made festivals less important to filmmakers hoping to be discovered.  

“Film festivals like Blackbird need to provide filmmakers with an experience that fosters connection and experience rather than endless screenings,” Avery said. “In truth, I often joke that the films really get in the way of the festival in that it’s in the personal relationships that form over the course of the weekend that really seem to make the difference for Blackbird.” 

Events during the weekend will help bring all those involved in the festival together. A “Filmmaker Adventure” will give the visiting artists and VIP guests a tour of the Cortland area, while other events like the “Film Trivia Lunchathon” are open to all. 

Blackbird also shines an important spotlight on diverse filmmakers, thanks to a focus on equity and a promise that at least half of all its movies will either be directed or written by women. Avery said that he believes the powerful influence of the medium makes it vital for the festival to do its best to include as many voices as possible. 

Anyone who manages to get into Blackbird can already take pride in accomplishing something impressive. More than 990 entries were submitted to Blackbird 2023, of which only less than 10% were selected to screen. 

The review process begins in September. Film judge interns, made up of SUNY Cortland students interested in media production and cinema studies, work in teams to review assigned films. Avery said that a judge will watch around 15 films in an average week, with the top entries then going on to “pro judge” alumni filmmakers from previous festival seasons.  

After that already grueling process, films with the highest judge ratings go through a final review process by Avery and select other judges before being organized into thematic blocks. During the festival, attendees can also make their voices heard, with top vote-getters receiving an audience choice award. 

Cinema won’t be the only thing on display during the weekend. Submitted artwork will be presented in Old Main. Guests will be able to vote on their favorites, with three winners awarded a cash prize. 

Avery admits that sometimes he wants to just enjoy the festival without the stress that comes with overseeing the event. But whether the hard work is worth the end result is never in doubt. He also credits a massive amount of support that helps make the festival a success each spring. 

“The film judge and event coordinator students at SUNY Cortland are absolutely essential for Blackbird,” he said. “Without them, I’m not sure the festival would happen. Even during COVID, I called upon former event coordinators who had graduated years before to return to Blackbird and keep the vision alive. They did, and their efforts not only kept the festival alive, it flourished.” 

Avery also cited support from faculty, staff, President Erik J. Bitterbaum and his wife, Ellen Howard Burton, and the wider Cortland community for the work and support that has turned the festival from a one-time experiment into a must-see experience that brings attendees into Central New York from around the world. 

For any cinephiles interested in a weekend of movie magic, more details and Information about the 2023 Blackbird Film Festival are available online. The festival requests all attendees donate a nonperishable item (food or otherwise). Those who do will get a free collector “Birdie Badge,” with all donations going to Seven Valleys Food Rescue. 

The campus of the Red Dragons will get a little greener on Arbor Day, when three new saplings will join SUNY Cortland’s already impressive urban forest.

All members of the university community are invited to watch or help plant a shagbark hickory, a white oak and a yellow birch in the Sperry Center/Bowers Hall Quad during an 11 a.m. ceremony on Friday, April 28. Two additional saplings will go in the ground near the back of the Cornish-Van Hoesen halls as part of the day’s celebrations.

This event and others during that week is organized by SUNY Cortland’s Tree Advisory Committee. The campus has marked Arbor Day with special events for 10 years.

This year, the advisory committee also plans to hold an Arbor Day Scavenger Hunt, from Monday, April 24 to Friday, April 28.

“Trees around campus will be marked and designated as Arbor Day Ambassadors,” said committee member N. Qwynne Lackey, an assistant professor in the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department.

Students who want to participate will have all week to find as many trees as possible and meet to claim their prize on April 28 at the Arbor Day table in the Student Life Center lobby. Prizes include T-shirts, houseplants, tree pencils, stickers and more. Student volunteers from the Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department will staff the table from noon to 6 p.m.

Campus community members also vie for additional prizes by competing in a Tree Trivia Contest about the importance of trees in our lives that is also coordinated by the recreation volunteers.

“Going out and planting trees isn’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, so we developed some interactive trivia games that should prove educational and fun for those who participate,” said another committee member, Dan Dryja ’04, director of Facilities Operations and Services.

“I am excited to have a space to share my passion about environmental education through the Arbor Day Celebration,” said committee member Serena Wilk, a junior outdoor recreation major at SUNY Cortland.

SUNY Cortland’s Arbor Day events are supported by the William L. Haines ’63 President’s Discretionary Fund.

Starting in 2013, the Tree Advisory Committee began installing tree labels on more than 30 species dotting the campus grounds. The number has since grown to well over that number. These labels have educational information on them and a QR code linked to a Campus Trees web page where users can learn more about the species and where the tree is located on campus.

This year the yellow birch, Betula alleghaniensis, represents a new species for the campus.

“The campus does have a better diversity of trees today than we did 10 years ago,” said committee member Steve Broyles, a botanist and Distinguished Teaching Professor in the university’s Biological Sciences Department.

The original inventory included the “lofty elm” immortalized in SUNY Cortland’s historic alma mater. Subsequent additions include burr oak, swamp white oak, tulip poplar, river birch, blue beach, catalpa, Kentucky coffeetree and a Dutch elm disease resistant specimen called wych elm.

“This diversity improves the health of our ecosystem by promoting diversity of insects, birds, fungi and other organisms that we don’t fully appreciate or understand,” Broyles said. “It improves the stability of our ecosystem and makes it more resistant to diseases and pests. We have more shapes, colors, forms of trees than 10 years ago, and this also makes the campus more beautiful, inviting and visually interesting.”

“Trees provide so many benefits for ecosystems and people alike, including benefits related to mental health,” Lackey added. “Right now, both sustainability and mental health are important priorities at SUNY Cortland. Arbor Day is another great opportunity to help people recognize these benefits and encourage them to get outside and start experiencing the benefits of trees firsthand.”

The three new trees are part of a much larger effort to save the earth as we know it. The shady plantings underscore the university’s commitment to being “greener” and more sustainable. Nine years ago, in 2014, SUNY Cortland’s dedication to establishing and sustaining a vibrant, urban forest earned the university recognition as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

To earn this distinction, SUNY Cortland had to meet the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA: Establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for a campus tree program, an official Arbor Day observance and sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

The university is well on track to regain its Tree Campus USA status, which lapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic when health mandates prevented the required civic activities.

Created in 2008, the prime focus of the Tree Campus USA program was to help higher educational institutions around the country establish and sustain healthy community forests. Through 2021, campus participation has grown from 29 campuses to 411 campuses, from 5,867 trees to 31,584 trees. These campuses, with more than 4.6 million in total student enrollment, identify 26,448 students engaged in related service-learning projects.

“We have a lot of people on campus, including administrators, faculty, staff and students, who are doing great work to ensure that SUNY Cortland has a healthy tree population on campus,” Lackey said. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a community that makes sustainability on campus a priority.”

Just as students are yearning for a carefree outdoor study break, the university’s Residence Life and Housing Office will team up with the SUNY Cortland University Police Department (UPD) to host the 2nd annual Red Dragon Fest on Thursday, May 4.

Organizers aim to help build mutual trust and enhance effective partnerships between the UPD and the SUNY Cortland campus community by engaging in a one-day campus field day to break down barriers between students and officers.

“I wanted to do an event like this because, in my experience as a student at SUNY Oneonta and a staff member here at Cortland, some campus community members feel officers only show up when an issue occurs,” said Dovonne Adams, residence hall director and co-chair of the Red Dragon Fest Planning Committee. “While I do not expect this event to solve all problems or concerns, I think it is a starting point.”

“We had a wonderful turnout, and we were able to interact closely with our community,” said UPD Chief Mark DePaull, of last year’s inaugural event.

That featured a rope-pulling contest and staff volunteering to have a cream pie pressed into their face on behalf of charity.

This year’s free event will feature field games, refreshments, tie-dye crafts, music and more from 2 until 5 p.m. in the Bishop/Shea Quad. Also, during the Fest, interactive activities will be offered from different offices throughout campus.

Best of all, participants will have two chances to dunk an officer or campus staff member in exchange for the gift of one nonperishable food item to benefit the SUNY Cortland Cupboard.

The following staff members have volunteered to dangle over the dunk tank:

UPD Chief Mark DePaull; Amanda Wasson, UPD investigator; Katrina Hodge, assistant director of multicultural life and diversity; Travis Audenino, UPD officer; and Natalie Yoder, residence hall director.

In the event of rain, the Red Dragon Fest activities will move indoors to Corey Union Function Room.

Organizers with the Red Dragon Fest Planning Committee include co-chairs Adams and Hodge; and members Yoder; Cynthia Lake, associate director of residence life and housing, staff development and programming; UPD lieutenants Jason Welch and Danielle Salisbury; and UPD Officer Neal Brooks.

“I wanted to do something similar when planning my final project when I interned with University Police at SUNY Oneonta,” Adams said. “Due to the pandemic, I never fully executed a plan for the event as my internship was cut short. My goal was to create something that can showcase University Police officers being themselves, preferably in plain clothes, connecting with students and having a great time at a field day event.”

Adams shared his idea with former SUNY Cortland University Police Officer Jennilee Adams-Valentin, the Hayes Hall assigned community officer, who encouraged and helped the project get approved. He also credited Ann Bersani, director of residence life, for letting the planning committee develop the event, and committee members Brooks and Welch for helping to push the project forward.

DePaull said that the collaboration is natural for both the UPD and Residence Life and Housing as student-centered offices.

“Both of our offices have deep roots in community policing and community engagement," DePaull said.

"This type of event helps bring the students, UPD officers and Student Affairs staff together to bridge gaps and remove barriers,” he said.

Dear campus community,

Earlier this week, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced that the SUNY system will no longer require a COVID-19 vaccine for students, effective for the start of Summer Session I. This announcement coincides with President Biden ending the national public health emergency for COVID-19 on Monday, April 10.

As a result, SUNY Cortland, which has strictly enforced SUNY’s vaccine policy, will strongly recommend students become vaccinated against COVID-19, but the vaccine will not be a requirement. 

The chancellor’s decision was made with input from officials from the state Health Department and SUNY’s Public Health Expert Advisory Committee, which includes experts in infectious disease, public health and neuroscience.

SUNY will continue to examine COVID-19 data and may update its policy based on local conditions or in response to requirements imposed by federal, state or local authorities.

What does this change mean for the SUNY Cortland community? Please note:

• Students will still be required to be immunized for measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis.
• Students enrolled in an internship or other program at a third-party location must continue to comply with all health and safety guidelines imposed by that location.
• Those who feel unwell are encouraged to stay home, test for COVID-19 and isolate according to CDC guidelines if they test positive.

Updates are being made to the university’s COVID-19 Safety Information page. If you have questions, please use the COVID concerns form.

I thank you for your tireless commitment to the health and safety of our community throughout the pandemic.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum

President