Back on Campus 2022 - The Statesman

SPORTS: STONY BROOK

LAUNCHES

OPINIONS: WHAT SBU CAN

NEWS: INCREASED SUNY FUNDING ALLOWS FOR A DIVERSIFIED CAMPUS

ARTS: ZUCCAIRE GALLERY OFFERS INTERACTIVE LOOK AT CLIMATE CHANGE WITH “WEEKLY ICE MELTS”

Staff

Editor-in-Chief............................................Jeremy Portnoy

Managing Editor...................................Katherine Procacci

Managing Editor.............................................Viola Flowers

News Editor........................................................Lori Saxena

Arts & Culture Editor..............................Melanie Navarro

Sports Editor................................................Mike Anderson

Opinions Editor..........................................Christine Kelley

Multimedia Editor........................................Tim Giorlando

Copy Chief..........................................................Skylar Sena

Audience Engagement Editor........................Alissa Pabon

Assistant News Editor.................................Sonya Gugliara

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor..................Sydney Riddle

Assistant Sports Editor....................................Matt Howlin

Assistant Opinions Editor.........................Anya Marquardt

Assistant Multimedia Editor........................Brittney Dietz

Assistant Multimedia Editor........................Camron Wang

Assistant Multimedia Editor.....................Francesca Mevs

Assistant Copy Editor............................... Abbigail Stanley

Assistant Copy Editor..................................... Olivia Erndl

Assistant Audience Engagement Editor....McKenzie Post

Contact Us

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The Statesman is a student-run, student-written incorporated publication at Stony Brook University in New York. The paper was founded as The Sucolian in 1957 at Oyster Bay, the original site of Stony Brook University. In 1975, The Statesman was incorporated as a not-for-profit, student-run organization. Its editorial board, writers and multimedia staff are all student volunteers.

The Statesman and its editors have won several awards for student journalism and several past editors have gone on to enjoy distinguished careers in the field of journalism.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in columns or in the Letters and Opinions section are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Statesman.

STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY MAKES CHANGES TO COMMUTER PARKING PLANS

By Daniel Pariseau

On Sept. 8, Stony Brook University officially removed the waitlist to purchase Commuter Premium Permits for commuter students looking to park on Stony Brook’s main campus.

According to Kendra Violet, executive director for Mobility and Parking Services (MAPS) at Stony Brook, this was done in response to commuter students without Commuter Premium Permits not being allowed to park in Lots 2, 3, 5 and 6a — the parking lots closest to the Stony Brook train station — despite the abundance of parking spaces.

“At this point, we have discontinued the waitlist and anyone interested in purchasing a premium permit can go directly to the Parking Services office to make that purchase,” Violet said. “We will continue to have them available until we see occupancy hit our maximum allowable range.”

This semester, commuter students who wish to park their vehicles in Lots 2, 3, 5 and 6a are required to purchase a Commuter Premium Permit for $112.50. This came as a shock to many students because they were previously permitted free parking with a Commuter Standard Permit in these areas.

Students with a Commuter Standard Permit instead of a Commuter Premium Permit now must park in Lot 40, also known as the South P Lot, which is located at the south end of Stony Brook’s main campus. From there, the students must take a bus to arrive at the core campus where most buildings are located.

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Cars parked in Lot 40. Lot 40 is now the only free parking for commuter students. KAYLA GOMEZ MOLANO/ THE STATESMAN

OPINIONS: CAMPUS PARKING — ZERO TO $112 IN ONE SEMESTER

By Abbigail Stanley

This opinions article was written by Abbigail Stanley, a senior English major.

Just when it seemed campus parking couldn’t get any worse…

Stony Brook University changes the parking situation nearly every semester. Living in Chavez or Tubman Hall last spring showed anyone who resided there who the real priority at this university is: the faculty.

There is an entire lot right behind Tubman Hall which would be extremely convenient for students

if SBU didn’t decide that this semester, the entirety of the lot would be reserved for faculty. Stony Brook students said their piece last semester via Instagram on the account @sbuparkingsucks, stating how wretched the parking situation was.

Mobility and Parking Services (MAPS), the group in charge of parking, claimed that they care about our feedback, but what did students get in return?

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THE REWRITING CONNECTS STUDENTS WITH SOCIAL ACTIVISM

By Rayia Habibulla

Audrey Fernandez, a senior at Stony Brook University, developed a website and social media platform called The Rewriting to bring attention to the struggles and joys of the Black community and to boost Black creators and innovators.

“One good side of social media is it helps us inform one another of everything that’s going on in this world,” Fernandez said. “Just for my audience to learn about stories from the Black community initiates progress.”

Fernandez, a biology major and African studies minor, has been

cultivating an online presence with her website and Instagram page since June 4, 2020. Her mission is to provide resources for voicing opinions on social issues to government officials. She also promotes Black-owned businesses and other educational resources like reading lists.

“My platform does provide the knowledge about events through history that we’re not taught about enough, or about historical figures we’re not taught about enough that have contributed greatly,” Fernandez said.

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BACK TO CAMPUS 2022

INCREASED SUNY FUNDING ALLOWS FOR A DIVERSIFIED CAMPUS

By Sonya Gugliara

Stony Brook University will use newly expanded SUNY funding to diversify the student body and school faculty.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the approval of a $113 million increase in state funding for SUNY schools on July 28.

The funding will be used to improve student services, boost SUNY enrollment rates and promote college completion. According to Diverse, $60 million will be allocated for enrollment specifically.

The remaining $53 million will be directed towards hiring SUNY staff.

“Diversifying campus is such a good cause,” Excel said. “Me being an African American student myself, I feel like if I went on campus and didn’t see students like myself, I would not feel very comfortable. It would be nice to come onto campus next semester and see more teachers that look like me, more students that look like me. It’s a comfort thing.”

Clarke explained the link between increased funding and diversifying campus.

NEWLY RENOVATED SINC SITE OPEN FOR FALL SEMESTER Culture

By Clare Gehlich

On Aug. 22, the newly renovated Main Library SINC Site on the first floor of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library opened for the fall 2022 semester.

An acronym for Students in Need of Computers, the SINC site now includes a public computer lab with access to both Windows and Mac desktop computers, as well as lounge areas and a tech station.

There are five public SINC sites around campus: at the Melville Library, the Health Science Center (HSC) Coller Computer Lab, the Fine Arts eMedia site, the Fine Arts Hybrid site and the Earth & Space Sciences (ESS) site.

“There will be more students and they’ll see themselves within their classrooms, within their research and their programming,” said Dr. Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer for Stony Brook University and Health System, said.

shifts when you have synergy.

-Dr. Judith Browne Clarke

“I really hate to think that fairness and equity really is grounded in money, but sometimes it is,” Clarke said. She was “thrilled” when she first heard the news of the increased SUNY funding.

Clarke noted that Stony Brook has had plans of promoting diversity within the staff and the student body in the past, and now has the funds to execute them.

The Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. The Main Library SINC Site opened in the Melville Library on Aug. 22. TIM GIORLANDO/THE STATESMAN

According to Rose Alessi, the operations manager of Academic Technology Learning Spaces in the Main Library SINC Site, students also now have full access to four new allin-one printers, scanners and copiers, a tech station and an improved Laptop Loaner Program.

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SBU WELCOMES FALL WITH MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL TRADITIONS

By Sydney Riddle

As fall quickly approaches, Stony Brook University is gearing up for the upcoming season in its dining halls.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which took place on Sept. 9, was one of the first cultural events celebrated on campus. During this event mooncakes and harvest-based food

were served at Jasmine, located at the Wang Center.

Jasmine was also decorated to commemorate this well-known festival. It was filled with gold and red decor that honored the moon and the food being offered to students. Many Jasmine goers were excited to see the abundance of mooncakes at

According to enrollment data collected by the university, Stony Brook’s student population is mainly Asian and White, with 41.3% of students being white and 36.7% being Asian. Hispanic students and Black or African American students account for 13.1% and 8.6% of students, respectively.

Gospel Excel, a junior studying technology systems management with a concentration in computer science, is happy to hear about how this funding will impact campus.

the cashier. The staff was in constant competition with refilling the cakes as the sweet-toothed students couldn’t get enough of them — some even leaving with more than five in their hands!

Hosted by the the China Center and Confucius Institute at Stony Brook University, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been held for years at the Charles B. Wang Center. Open to faculty and students, the event is a commemoration of interactive cultural activities, performances, and activities like Chinese calligraphy, painting, clothing, tea ceremony, and paper cutting.

“When you have money to support some of your initiatives, then it means that the things that you wish for actually can happen,” Clarke said. “So, I’m very excited that strategically, the things that we’ve been talking about — actually — we could act on.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees approved this expanded funding with the goal of prioritizing higher education and supporting the opportunities made available by SUNY schools.

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Ky Goo, a biology major at SBU, described it as a fun tradition. “It’s a time every year to celebrate with family,” Goo said. “We bake mooncakes and watch the moon at night after dinner … we also have a tradition where we hit things that are hanging on trees. Kind of like a pinata except there is nothing inside.”

In East Asia, the festival is always on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, meaning that the festival date changes every year in the Gregorian calendar.

Continued on page 10

Stony Brook Athletics trying to boost fan base with new app

By Matt Howlin

With the new school year now in full swing, students are looking for the best way to experience all that the Stony Brook campus has to offer. Luckily, there is a new digital tool at their disposal that can help improve their stay on campus this semester.

After a decline in attendance numbers over the last several years, Stony Brook Athletics is determined to get back to filling seats for the 2022-23 school year. With a student body that may not be entirely invested in their school’s athletic program, the department has its work cut out for them.

Trying to bring fans back into the stands, Stony Brook Athletics has developed and launched a new app to help better connect themselves with almost 27,000 students.

According to Stony Brook Athletic Director Shawn Heilbron, launching the athletics-based app is an effort to strengthen the connection between Stony Brook students and the athletic program.

“I am very excited to introduce our new app as part of our ongoing efforts to engage and inform our supporters,” Heilbron said in a press release. “The app will serve as a gateway to our department and will be the best way to stay up to date on the very latest in Stony Brook Athletics.”

Some of the most popular sports based on attendance numbers have taken noticeable steps in the wrong direction for Stony Brook Athletics. The 2021 fall season saw the lowest attendance numbers for football games since 2013. The men’s basketball team saw its average attendance drop to around 600 seats fewer per game compared to the previous year.

A survey conducted by The Statesman during the spring 2022 semester revealed an apparent discon-

nect between Stony Brook students and the athletic program. Of the 157 students who participated, 94 of them were found not to be invested in Stony Brook sports.

During an interview with The Statesman, Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications Rob DeVita pinpointed the decrease in attendance as a major reason behind the development of the app. He hopes the app’s development will lead to a greater fan turnout at Stony Brook athletic events.

“We offer a ton of great experiences for our fans at our games and it’s a way that we hope will boost our attendance numbers,” DeVita said.

The app revolves around all things Stony Brook sports. Information that is publicly available on the website is also discoverable on the app, such as rosters and schedules for all 18 varsity teams. The app also provides fans the ability to purchase game tickets and receive minute-by-minute updates on the teams.

DeVita believes that the app’s presence is making an instant impact. The football team’s home opener this year against Rhode Island drew a crowd of 7,101 people, up by 924 from last year’s home opener. DeVita believes that the new app will help continue to increase attendance this year.

“The first football game had a great turnout of over 7,000 fans and the student section was absolutely tremendous,” DeVita said. “It turned out to be a great night and I think it’s a sign of things to come.”

The app was launched during the second week of the semester on Monday, Aug. 29, following a soft launch phase available to athletics personnel only. According to numbers provided by DeVita, the first week saw the app gain 676 users – 477 of which have registered for push notifications. Users have also averaged 11 minutes and 31 seconds of screen time per week on the app. Through the week

Forward Sean Towey going for the ball in the game against William & Mary on Sept. 17. The game ended with a score of 2-0, favoring William & Mary. CAMRON WANG/THE STATESMAN

The Stony Brook football team in action against Rhode Island on Sept. 1. The Seawolves will be back at home against William & Mary won Oct. 1. TIM GIORLANDO/THE STATESMAN

GOMEZ MOLANO/THE STATESMAN

of Sep. 5, the app’s second week since launch saw it gain 212 additional users – 633 users have now registered for push notifications.

Including downloads from the app’s soft launch phase, the Stony Brook Athletics app has 903 downloads.

“I view these numbers as strong for a first-time app in its infancy,” DeVita said.

The app’s initial success through launch week can be largely credited to the marketing effort. Stony Brook Athletics has plugged the app on several social media posts and advertised at every home game through pregame and halftime announcements. QR codes have been posted on the jumbotrons to make it easier for fans to download the app.

According to DeVita, the department has tabbed Stony Brook students, fans, alumni boosters and the Long Island community as their target audience for this app.

Based on feedback that Athletics has received, the app is off to a successful start. DeVita said that the app’s users think it is in a good place. “The feedback that I’ve gotten from students, student-athletes, fans,

faculty and alumni has been great,” DeVita said. “People think it looks aesthetically pleasing. People think it is an easy way to stay up to date with their favorite teams and anything Stony Brook Athletics-related.”

DeVita added that the department is thrilled with the responses from its users, and that they do not plan to add any new features for the time being.

Director of Strategic Communications Cameron Boon and Director of Marketing and Fan Experience Maria Bonacore presented the idea of launching the app to DeVita this past April. After hearing Boon and Bonacore’s pitch, DeVita led the initiative to create the app. Stony Brook Athletics collaborated with developer From Now On to help them create the app.

From Now On has developed other college-based athletics apps for schools like Florida State University and Niagara University, inspiring Stony Brook to reach out to them.

“We saw things that we liked from Florida State and Niagara University,” DeVita said. “From Now On was able to build us something that was unique to us that we thought

best suited and reflected our brand, our style, our identity here at Stony Brook.”

Stony Brook hopes that the app will help increase awareness of events amongst their target audience. Ideally, the app will prevent students and fans from being unaware of the teams’ schedules.

“I never wanted to hear people say they don’t know when an event is or when a team is playing,” DeVita said. “I wanted to provide a service to our community that provided a seamless transaction. We created this app that provides a one-stop shop for everything in Stony Brook Athletics.”

During surveys conducted by The Statesman last semester, several students cited a lack of incentive as a reason for ignoring the sporting events. If Stony Brook Athletics and their efforts work, perhaps the app can be the catalyst needed to spark higher attendance numbers and incentivize more people to go.

By building a better connection to Stony Brook’s student body, the program hopes it can be propelled into a higher echelon of college sports.

Forward Aneta Sovakova in a game against Manhattan on Sept. 15. The Stony Brook women’s soccer team broke their losing streak with a tie against the Jaspers. KAYLA

We offer a ton of great experiences for our fans at our games and it’s a way that we hope will boost our attendance numbers.

-Rob DeVita

Commuter parking

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SUNY increased funding

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According to Clarke, Stony Brook will use the expanded funding to employ “inclusive hiring practices.” This is intended to result in a more diverse staff that is more reflective of the student body.

These changes are not tentative; the efforts toward diversifying campus will be noticeable by next year, according to Clarke.

“We’re just evolving at a pace that is faster than a snail and moving towards a rabbit,” Clarke said. “I think this time next year, we’re gonna be so proud of ourselves.”

“A little sooner would’ve been nice, we’re in 2022. But it’s better late than never,” Excel said.

With more students being given the opportunity to attend college due to grants and funding such as the Pell Grant and more staff being hired, Clarke said that by this time next year, “we’re gonna look and feel and sound like our core values.”

“Having this funding is great in order to expand opportunities,” Gianna Badamo, a senior at Tottenville High School in Staten Island, New York, said. She is glad to hear about the increased funding and believes it will benefit college applicants who are restricted by finances.

Badamo is in the Med-Tech program at her high school; she is in the process of applying to college and is considering Stony Brook University for its extensive STEM programs.

“With applying for colleges, some might limit themselves due to application fees,” Badamo said. “This funding can aid students to broaden their options as well as their accessibility to a better education.”

Clarke emphasized the idea of “diversity of diversity,” meaning that this funding will bring in students of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Clarke said that this kind of diversity can transform Stony Brook.

Clarke is especially excited about how students will be impacted by a newly diversified campus. “Cultures shift when you have synergy,” Clarke said.

Having two separate commuter parking plans has proven to be controversial. Sean Pinto, a sophomore physics major and commuter student, understands the intention behind Commuter Premium Permits but dislikes how they were implemented.

“I think the idea sort of makes sense because it was pretty hectic last semester,” Pinto said. “However, I do think they made too many premium passes and there’s not enough students with premium.”

Currently, Pinto does not have a Commuter Premium Permit. He was unable to obtain one after the waitlist opened on July 15 because it contained over a thousand people.

“I’ll be driving to campus and almost all the LIRR parking spots are empty,” he added.

Pinto suggested that students without a Commuter Premium Permit should be allowed to park in the unused spots. However, according to Violet, there are “no plans to open any core commuter lots for free commuter parking.” Instead, MAPS plans to give out enough Premium Permits to fill these empty spots.

Other commuter students like the standard permit.

“Honestly it’s not much of a hassle,” Ronald Ruiz, a junior math major, said. “It’s kind of faster because the bus takes you right to the Wang Center.” Ruiz used to park near the Stony Brook train station, but does not mind the change.

According to Stony Brook’s transit map, the Express East shuttle bus takes students from Lot 40 to East Side Dining, which is right across from the Charles B. Wang Center.

Students first received notice about the implementation of premium permits via an email from Violet on July 1. It stated that continuing commuter students would be able to place themselves on a waitlist in early July to receive a premium permit, and on July 15, the waitlist opened up to new commuter students.

In an email correspondence with The Statesman, Violet said the change was made due to student feedback from the previous academic year. Violet’s email states that these changes were made due to complaints about a lack of parking, difficulty finding spaces and empty parking spots that couldn’t be used.

Last academic year, Lots 2, 3, 5 and 6a filled quickly. Lot 6b, located right next to Lot 6a, was for faculty and staff only. Students unable to find a parking spot in these areas would drive around campus in hopes of find-

The updated Stony Brook University parking map. Premium parking is now $112.50 per semester for commuter students. COURTESY OF PARKING AND MOBILITY SERVICES WEBSITE

ing one, which raised concerns about traffic flow and pedestrian safety.

According to Violet, MAPS attempted to alleviate these concerns by freeing up space in faculty and staff parking lots, since only around half of the available spaces were taken on a daily basis.

“It was not enough for all commuter students to park in the core campus lots,” Violet’s email stated.

While this problem persisted, Lot 40, the biggest commuter parking lot on the main campus, was largely unused.

“There were approximately 1,200 commuter spaces available during peak times in Lot 40, but that wasn’t where students wanted to park,” Violet said.

In response to this, MAPS introduced two separate commuter permits to ensure that students park on campus instead of driving around in search of a parking spot.

“We are able to ensure that those with a premium permit have a

space in the core and that students with the standard commuter permit save time by going directly to Lot 40 to park,” Violet added.

Amidst concerns about the new parking system, Violet noted that MAPS will be taking suggestions on how to improve parking and transit at Stony Brook University.

“This fall, we will be reconvening an advisory group that will provide feedback and suggestions for MAPS services. This group will include representation from students, faculty and staff,” Violet said.

It is currently unknown when this group will reconvene or what percentage of students, faculty and staff will represent the group.

Opinions: Parking

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Students lost the entire parking lot in front of Chavez-Tubman, Mendelsohn and H Communities (known as Zone 5), and this practical parking lot was replaced with the lot across the street, further away.

Not only did Stony Brook take away Chavez-Tubman parking, they also took away Mendelsohn, H Quad and free commuter parking, replacing it with commuter premium parking which requires a parking pass that students have to pay $112.50 per semester to use.

It is clear that SBU couldn’t care less about the student-to-faculty ratio being 19:1. Most students in Tubman and Chavez own cars, and Stony Brook is largely a commuter school. Things wouldn’t be nearly as enraging if all of these new lots for faculty and commuter premium parking weren’t always nearly empty. That alone is evidence enough that the faculty doesn’t need this parking the way the students do, because finding parking is difficult. Yes, they have to come to campus almost every day, but residents are here all day, every day with no real escape, and there are way more of us. We pay thousands of dollars to live on this campus and even more to live in buildings like Chavez-Tubman, just to be without the most accessible parking option.

Resident Assistant Gianna Bahr (RA) in Tubman Hall is spending their first semester in Tubman, and they had a lot to say about the parking situation.

When Bahr heard about the student-to-faculty ratio being 19:1, they chimed in saying, “Well if that is the case, then parking should be distributed with that ratio in mind.”

I decided to take this comment to heart and figure out what the student-to-faculty ratio is for parking on this campus. In total, we have 42 lots on Stony Brook campus, not including our research and development park or South Campus. Faculty has access to 13 of these 42 lots, while residents can only use four. Of these four, all of them have some sort of faculty access within them. That is about a 1:3 ratio in terms of parking. There is clearly a very wide discrepancy between the amount of parking that students need and the amount of parking they are receiving.

“There should be more residential parking near residential spaces,” Bahr said. “The faculty members don’t live in any of these buildings. We pay a lot of money to live on this campus and we don’t even get parking near our housing.”

Almost 50% of Stony Brook

students are commuters. I am not a commuter, but I can’t imagine the level of frustration when those who are finding out that premium parking has gone from being free to being $112.50 in the span of one summer.

Commuters used to be able to park in North P and near the gym. They are now forced to park in a lot that is the furthest it could possibly be from campus — South P — and this is the only lot they get for free. Whether or not people are paying for parking is up for debate, given that I have never seen more than a handful of cars in these commuter premium lots. Back when these lots were free, they were constantly full during the week. Now, these college students clearly don’t want to have to pay for something that was previously free.

These changes feel motivated by money and show little regard for the students. Students pay a large sum of money each semester that they may not have on hand just to park in the same lot that was free not even six months ago. South P is extremely inaccessible, as it is about a 10-15 minute walk or bus ride from campus. What about disabled students who need accommodations but do not have the $112.50 a semester to pay for parking?

According to an email from Stony Brook, the decision to move Zone 5 further away was justifiable because the parking lots are “less than 0.3 miles away from any of the residences.” Not only is this incredibly insensitive to disabled students, but it does not address the impact on disabled commuters who have to walk to their cars, nor does it excuse inaccessible parking.

Stony Brook administration needs to take a long, hard look at where their priorities lie on campus. Being back on campus was supposed to be a fresh, happy start to the new academic year, but students are upset, and they have every right to be. At the bare minimum, commuters should get their free lots back and residents should be able to have at least some accessible parking near their living spaces.

How are we expected to pay tuition, room and board and all of these little fees that get tacked on without getting decent parking? The faculty are paid to be here; we are paying to be here. There is a distinct difference. Stony Brook needs to put their students first if they want their school to continue to do well in terms of morale on campus this academic year.

SINC Site

Continued from page 3

A printing quota is applied if students are printing and copying.

“The old SINC sites were somewhat redundant,” Greta Halollari, a sophomore technology systems management major and SINC site consultant, said about the changes. “SINC stands for students in need of computers, but because of COVID, everyone has computers now. Therefore, having a huge room full of computers was pointless and wasn’t being used enough.”

“We thought about this pre-COVID, but said, you know, we can’t do this, not if the student has a laptop. But COVID changed that. Every student has a laptop, and those who don’t can come here for our Laptop Loaner Program,” Alessi said.

According to Alessi, students now have “total administrative privileges” when it comes to the new Laptop Loaner Program. Students can loan out a laptop for 60 days, and if they need it for a longer period of time, they can loan it for another 60 days before returning it to the SINC Site for a routine checkup.

Another change includes the new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) area. Before the renovations, the Main Library SINC Site had rows of computers in what is now known as the BYOD lounge.

According to Alessi, students didn’t want these computers to be placed in the main lounging area. Instead, they wanted chairs, desks and other places to sit. To accommodate these preferences, the BYOD area now includes a brand new lounge with group and individual study areas.

“I like the incorporation of a tech station and circular tables, to al-

BACK TO CAMPUS 2022

low people to come do work with their friends, while also giving them the option of using university computers next door,” Halollari said.

DoIT, the Division of Information Technology, also has Windows, PCs, printers, scanners and copiers located in the Main Library SINC Site, Levine Library Reading Rooms and HSC Commons.

“For any technology assistance, this is the place to start first,” Katie Chen, a senior majoring in computer engineering said. Chen is a senior consultant in the Main Library SINC Site.

According to Chen, the SINC Site computers at the Fine Arts eMedia site and Main Library now offer Adobe Creative Cloud. Faculty can request a license for their classes and offer a temporary code that will give students access to Adobe Creative Cloud. For students, the Creative Cloud discount price is $19.99 per month, compared to the standard price of $54.99 per month.

According to the Stony Brook University catalog, the SINC Site also offers Adobe Acrobat Pro X, Adobe After Effects and Adobe Creative Cloud. The programs give students free Adobe IDs and login information that can be used in the Main Library SINC Site.

Chen noted that the Mac-only site — Fine Arts eMedia and Hybrid — offers the same applications available at the other SINC Sites. Regardless of site locations, the goal remains constant.

“We want this to be a one stop shop for all technology stuff,” Alessi said, encouraging students to make use of these new renovations.

A student working in the Melville Library SINC site. The newly renovated space opened at the beginning of the fall 2022 semester. BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN

Opinions: Staller Center struggles to appeal to student body

By Grace Armann

This opinions article was written by Grace Armann, a senior political science and history major.

The Staller Center stands out on Stony Brook’s campus not only because of the diverse array of events it holds, but also in the audience it welcomes.

The Center advertises to both students and off-campus patrons from the surrounding community. Lately, though, Staller seems to fall short of satisfying the interests of their two largest audience populations. There are immense differences between the young college student demographic and the often affluent outside community members, and in the Center’s quest to appeal to both, it often piques the interest of neither.

The roster for this fall seems on-par for the Center: the usual classical performances, a few vocal artists and some multidisciplinary performance groups. This year’s lineup includes Lion Babe, a glittery funk-soul duo that will resonate well with fans of artists like Solange and Jorja Smith, and classic performances including the Emerson String Quartet, who will be performing some of the last shows of their career at Staller this season.

Beyond these talents, though, there is little to cater to the interests of the student body.

It seems like the Staller programmers are attempting to appeal to both audiences at once. In their effort to straddle the two communities, they at times miss their desired middle ground. Finding acts suitable for both groups is no small feat, so it is understandable that these attempts might fall flat.

Still, there is a wealth of artists out there that could draw a crowd from both the campus and the locale, such as widely popular comedians Hasan Minhaj and Trevor Noah, or rising authors Michelle Zauner and Carmen Maria Machado; it would be neat to see them featured more. Especially considering Stony Brook’s rich history of hosting novel artists (Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Billy Joel, to name a few), there is a growing sense of untapped potential with the chosen acts as of late.

There are, of course, always going to be acts that will draw a specific sort of audience — no art will be to everyone’s taste. The classical performances, for example, are a favorite of outside patrons and those involved with Staller’s thriving undergraduate and graduate music programs, but not

the student body at large. Students are often willing to attend shows by unique vocalists and dance performers, but they don’t necessarily seek out this exact type of spectacle. Staller appeals to students with movie screenings instead, and while these are enjoyable, live shows more tailored to a younger demographic would help draw attention and boost student attendance numbers.

This is not to say that Staller should become a wholly student-focused center; performers brought in by groups like the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Student Engagement and Activities (SEA) for events like Brookfest and comedy

nights do plenty to exclusively serve the student population. Still, the Staller programmers would do well to keep their finger on the pulse of student interests and should consider collaborating with USG and SEA for student-driven events.

In order to better serve the student body’s interests, a new level of communication is necessary, and many students would surely jump at the opportunity to give feedback or suggestions on Staller programming. Hopefully future seasons will bridge the gap of student and community audiences, and I look forward to the artistic and musical celebrations that will come of it.

The 2022 fall season schedule for the Staller Center. The Center advertises to both students and off-campus patrons. CAMRON WANG/THE STATESMAN

The second floor of the Staller Theatre building. The Staller Center features notable acts on its regular schedule and impressive performers at its yearly gala. CAMRON WANG/THE STATESMAN

Opinions: Lessons we learned through COVID-19

By Anya Marquardt

This opinions article was written by Anya Marquardt, a senior English Education major and journalism minor.

Fall 2022 is setting a new precedent. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-year, transfer or returning student; we’re living in a society that some are already referring to as post-COVID.

Medical professionals are warning that this isn’t true but have agreed that we most likely aren’t in for another fall surge. We’re also being told that regardless of a possible lack of case surges, Americans will most likely need yearly vaccinations to protect against COVID.

So, given all of this information, do we accept yearly vaccinations and new relaxed COVID policies as the “new normal”? I think we have to. However, we also need to think about what COVID has taught us and how to carry those lessons with us.

I hate that people are calling this a “post-Covid world.” We may not be under lockdown, but we’re still living in a pandemic. I’m not the only one who has had to accept the reality that society wants to move past the mandates we had in place and accept this new normal. But there’s more to this than just moving on. COVID changed us all; we had to adjust to a new way of living, and we can’t just forget that.

I’ve been at Stony Brook since fall 2019. I only had one “real” semester here before the pandemic began, so starting my senior year after two years of COVID restrictions has been an odd feeling. This new normal has been an odd experience after having most of my college career defined by the pandemic. And, if this has taught me anything about the “college experience,” it’s that we have to take advantage of the opportunities available to us, from clubs to internships to honor societies.

Friends are back on campus, classes are back in person and it doesn’t hurt that dining hours have been extended. I missed going to clubs in person and being involved in a physical school environment. Everything felt like such a chore when it was Zoom link after Zoom link.

I also love seeing the involvement on campus increase. Between being an RA, an assistant editor for The Statesman and being involved in other clubs, I’m seeing more partic-

ipation in campus life, and it is reminding me why I love Stony Brook and the college experience so much. So, even if you aren’t one of those people who is getting involved and think that cliche college life is cheesy, take this opportunity to get involved! This wasn’t an option that was easily accessible to us during COVID.

I also feel like I’ve learned so much more about how important in-person education is and how it served me much better than Zoom did. I think that this should have also taught us all how much in-person education serves us.

I’m an English Teacher Preparation major, which means that

(which is difficult, and sometimes even impossible, on Zoom) is by far one of the most important aspects of our education, and it is one of the easiest ways for students to learn other viewpoints. When I began to have classes in person again after many semesters of Zoom, I remembered how much I loved being physically present in a classroom. It gives a sense of inclusion and immersion that you truly cannot find through a screen.

Zoom functioned as it needed to: a safe way to learn in a time where in-person education was too dangerous. Zoom made classes, activities and meetings more accessible, so I don’t believe that we should entirely

riences of others around the country to discuss how people were affected by the pandemic. Using those experiences, Malesic came to a couple of conclusions. He found that both students and professors felt that students were just “throwing money” at online classes. They weren’t actually getting anything out of their courses and weren’t making any educational progress in their degrees since they didn’t truly learn anything.

Malesic also found that students felt socially alienated and their emotional growth was stunted by the pandemic. Using all of these negative points, Malesic gave optimistic outlooks by pointing out how in-person courses and activities can help students regain interest in their studies, meet people more easily and grow emotionally through the experiences they were deprived of in a virtual environment. Virtual learning was frustrating to deal with for all of us. As an education major, I hope people realize how important in-person learning is.

much of my major relies on studying the psychology behind learning and applying teaching methodology to address different forms of learning. Unfortunately, this was extremely difficult to do over Zoom. The number of in-person classes I am taking has steadily increased since fall 2021, and as that number has risen, I’ve been able to tell that I am getting more out of my classes now than when I was online.

Surveys taken over the past few years have proven that the majority of students feel the same way. I think we’ve made the right choice by transitioning back to in-person learning. Studies prove that in-person learning is better for students; our ability to collaborate with our peers

phase it out. Zoom is a great option for those who may not be able to attend a meeting or someone who may have too much going on to run from place to place. It can also serve as a virtual option for students who may not be able to make it to class one day.

However, we should use Zoom as a second option, not a first. I don’t think that students will get as much out of a virtual session than an in-person session, but having the option open is still more helpful than having no alternative at all.

Students need in-person education again. In a guest essay for the New York Times, Southern Methodist University Professor Jonathan Malesic used his experience as a professor during COVID and the expe-

Malesic brought up another point that we all need to keep in mind not just now, but in the future as well: students are still being impacted by COVID. Students have lost family members, friends, colleagues and others to COVID. Their mental and emotional growth has been stunted. This is a wake-up call to us. We need to see more empathy in our interactions with others. Making accommodations was key during COVID because people or their loved ones were sick. Reliance on technology meant connectivity issues. Sure, we’re in person again, but we should carry our ability to accommodate others during the pandemic into the future. We all have issues that arise in our daily lives, and we sure don’t need a pandemic in order to struggle.

I’ll leave you with this thought: yes, we’re adjusting to a time where we are attempting to move on from the heart of the pandemic. However, moving away from the pandemic shouldn’t mean that we forget the conclusions we came to or the lessons we learned. Reflecting upon what we lost and what we gained in the past two and a half years will only help us grow in the future.

An image of main campus, across from the Administration building. The school is now experiencing pre-COVID attendance levels. TIM GIORLANDO/ THE STATESMAN

The Rewriting

Continued from page 3

Unlike mainstream news, this interpersonal connection allows for a meaningful touch that students could relate to and connect with.

“An athlete I talked to in 2020 had a really good reaction when I first opened the page because it made him feel like he wasn’t alone,” Fernandez said. “A lot of people were re-sharing my posts online, and it got to the point where it wasn’t just Stony Brook students, it was even kids from other schools.”

Using social platforms is one of the ways many young activists have sought to spread awareness of social justice movements. Fernandez began the project in 2020, when activists stood up against the murder of George Floyd, which sparked more involvement for shaping social change.

As the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gained momentum, it occurred to Fernandez that she could try to cultivate a platform to create a conversation.

In the process of launching the page, Fernandez reached out to students from different grade levels and interests, asking them to voice

what being a Black student means to them.

Fernandez found inspiration to be a BLM activist by learning more about her own identity. Immigrating at the age of eight from the Dominican Republic, Fernandez expressed the differences she felt about being Black in the D.R. from what she experienced in the United States, which led her into exploring black culture and how to share it.

Fernandez has reached college students who may struggle with finding themselves and have suffered from oppression, especially focusing on “what it means to be black and brown in predominantly white institutions at least for the most part, and those struggles that come with it.”

However, Fernandez’s target audience is not just the Black community; she aims to enlighten people from all backgrounds.

“For allies I had books, shows you could watch, artists you could listen to,” Fernandez said. “Because I feel like sometimes the statistics are not the only way that you know how other communities are suffering, it’s also through stories.”

The college transition as a

first-generation student of color can be a difficult situation to adapt to. Fernandez explained that her experience growing up in a low-income community and the adjustment to college life motivated her to share her story on the platform. She hopes it will help other students feel less alone.

“When I came to college I struggled with adapting,” Fernandez said. “I’m sure that’s something that a lot of people [experience], not just Black, but I feel [it’s something] a lot of people of color that come from low-income communities share.”

One of Fernandez’s goals is also to highlight the joys and influence of Black culture in modern society. There are several fashion trends, music, dances and other cultural activities that are popular today that originate from Black culture. Pop culture heavily influences Gen Z, especially artists and influencers that can resonate with and drive activism.

“One of my favorite artists, for example, is Kendrick Lamar because he tells his story through his music, and it helps the listener have empathy for our community and all the struggles we go through,” Fernandez said.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Continued from page 3

However, even though the date changes, the festival itself is always around the time of the harvest moon and autumn equinox.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as The Mooncake Festival, is a celebratory event that is meant to show appreciation for the upcoming harvests and changing of the season. Many Asian countries like China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines view it as the beginning of fall. In China, it is considered to be the second-most celebratory event after the Chinese New Year. It is also a time to give thanks and encourage the harvest-giving light to return again in the coming year.

The festival can be compared to the American Thanksgiving. Many families have large meals, worship the moon, light paper lanterns and eat mooncakes. In Chinese culture, the full moon is viewed as a symbol for family and family reunions. Many Chinese people believe it is during the festival when the moon is at its best

and brightest. Mooncakes are typically enjoyed during this time because they were originally created as an offering to the moon, and are said to

over 3,000 years. It began as a way to worship the moon for creating an abundant harvest. Over the years, the festival has been infused with more

In her recently launched Juneteenth project, Fernandez had Black creators speak on their work.

“For Juneteenth, I just wanted to further embrace Black creativity and why black culture has been influential,” Fernandez said. “I feel like everything we know- it surrounds black culture, we just don’t realize that. Recently, I got in touch with a stylist, Asia Irving, and I’ve been trying to push for her to write something for my page about what it means to be a Black creator.”

She wants to utilize The Rewriting to draw attention to other social topics.

“I put out resources for the Black LGBTQ community because I know that it needs more attention, and unfortunately in certain families, that is not the most accepted thing,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez looks forward to using the platform to influence others to become activists and have them carry with them the cultural knowledge of Black history.

“My future goal would be just to help people learn and have them influence the next generations.”

be originally made by China’s Moon goddess, Chang’e.

Historically, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been around for

cultural meanings and helps gather families come together to celebrate and be grateful.

Many Asian cultures have

their own local traditions. For instance in South Korea, at nighttime, people go outside to admire the full moon where they look for the moon rabbit, or “daltokki”; the creature is said to be visible on the lunar surface, busy making rice cakes. In Japan, some beloved “snacks include ‘tsukimi-dango,’ a round rice dumpling symbolizing health and happiness, and seasonal produce like chestnuts and pumpkin.”

Katrine Lovett, CulinArt Campus Dining’s social media manager, said that the event “is a way to celebrate the harvest, much the same way as a lot of cultures celebrate the coming of fall and harvest everything that has been growing through the year.”

While the Mid-Autumn Festival may have passed, the upcoming season of fall and change of weather can still be a peak time to celebrate friends, family and the moon.

Stony Brook uses food and food-based events to celebrate many different cultural events here on campus.

Mooncakes at Jasmine during their Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. The festival is a celebratory event meant to show appreciation for the upcoming harvests and changing of the season. SYDNEY RIDDLE/THE STATESMAN

“Weekly Ice Melts” art installation offers interactive look at climate change

By Melanie Navarro

Ice Memory on display at the Paul W. Zuccaire gallery. “Weekly Ice Melts” offers an interactive opportunity for visitors to observe a project that is reflective of a climate research project. SYDNEY RIDDLE/THE STATESMAN

Open from July 21 to Oct. 29, the group exhibition “Connecting the Drops: The Power of Water” is on display at the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery. It showcases the work of seven female artists focusing on environmental justice and using water as a figure element in their projects to exhibit its vital role in the world.

At its core, the exhibition looks to discuss topics like the social impact of climate change, access to clean water, glacial melting and carbon absorptions of the ocean.

The works featured — created by artists Lillian Ball, Betsy Damon, Erin Genia, Alicia Grullón, Courtney M. Leonard, Mary Mattingly and Jaanika Peerna — include sculptures, a room-size interactive video game, beadwork based in indigenous practice and more.

The exhibit opens with an essay by Long Island-based science writer, artist and activist Erin Cirino that explains how Long Island is particularly affected by climate change. Cirino specifies that seawater on Long Island permanently gains about 0.10 inches to 0.16 inches on its shoreline yearly, and that is “a rate fifty percent faster than the global average of 6.5 inches over the last 100 years.”

As many of the installations highlight, Long Island’s environmental predicament is dire, especially for those most vulnerable to this social injustice. Cirino describes some of the contributors of the injustice to be issues like landfills, incinerators, leaking subterranean petro-

chemical tanks, among others which cause fundamental harm like contaminating the drinking water.

“Who suffers most from pollution and a lack of clean water but repeatedly Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities. This is injustice, clearly. Yet, the systems fueling destruction carry on with their lethal business as usual,” Cirino wrote.

Curated by Karen Levitov, the director and curator of the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, the exhibit’s illustrated brochure also contains a Q&A with the artists further describing the impact of their work and what they intend to inspire with it.

The most recent event at the gallery was “Weekly Ice Melts” on Sept. 16, which was an art installation as a part of artist Jaanika Peerna’s work, “Ice Memory.” On Wednesdays in September and Thursdays in October.

The gallery describes the project as one where “core samples of the world’s vanishing glaciers are being archived in long preserved frozen cylinders to retain a tangible record of past climate changes.”

Every week at the event, ice is inserted in a perforated tube at the top and allowed to melt onto the drawing, and with the release of water, the drawing itself slowly transforms each time.

Peerna, an Estonian-born artist and educator, exhibits environmental passions through drawing, installation and performance, specifically focusing on nat-

ural phenomena such as light, air and water. “Ice Memory,” which started in 2021, is created with pigment pencil and ice on a plastic Mylar tube. Much of Peerna’s work, which has debuted all across the world, centers on drawing attention to the environment and natural elements and the present issues it faces due to climate change.

“Ice Memory” is also an ode to phenomena of glacial melting and the essentiality of water, just like Peerna’s book Glacier Elegy, published this past March. The book presents a look into several impactful past performances and works centered on the issue. In conversation with The Statesman, Peerna shared some of the influences that drew her to the passion of observing natural phenomena and wanting to address it through art.

Growing up, Peerna was an avid figure skater, which has informed her love of ice all the more.

“It’s something about the love of ice I had in childhood. I grew up in Northern Europe, in Estonia, [which] has long winters, so lots of ice, and I also loved being outdoors and ice skating,” Peerna said. “And I think that’s where I sort of got to know the material and really enjoy and value it.”

The goal of the “Weekly Ice Melts” is to have those who attend to be inspired to think deeper about the environment and to look at it head-on. With each performance, a member of the audience is able to insert the ice and see for

themselves how it melts away with the piece.

“Now this giant drawing is vanishing over the course of the exhibition as every week ice is being added that melts onto it,” Peerna said. “Knowing what huge masses of ice or glaciers are melting every minute across the globe, and what it means for our climate, it impacts every human and species on this planet.”

The presentation is a specialty of Peerna’s. “It has been somewhat increasingly of interest to me to somehow make art that is really in transition because life itself is so much in movement and change; it’s never the same,” she said.

From studio artist to now also a performance artist, Peerna’s shared the thought process behind the importance of the piece being interactive.

“I want people to witness change, and maybe by bringing a piece of ice that melts in my hands as I perform and as I share the ice with my audience, or making a drawing that changes over time, people can come back and witness the change and maybe feel some of the loss, and try to imagine what was there before,” Peerna said. “So many of the changes that we’re talking about are related to climate change.”

Witness the next “Weekly Ice Melts” on Wednesday, Sept. 21, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Zuccaire Gallery on the first floor of the Staller Center.