FRIDAY, MARCH 7
WHAT’S INSIDE:
SPRING 2025 | ISSUE 3
A&C
SPORTS
Students present dark comedy play this weekend
OPINION
Men’s Basketball College experience takes first playoff more valuable win in years than theory
State official visits campus to educate staff on proposal around hate-related violence BY ABIGAIL PASSAFIUME Staff Writer
Executive Director for the Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence, Kelli Owens, visited SUNY Plattsburgh to bring awareness to Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent budget proposals, focusing on initiatives involving gender-based violence, domestic violence, crime victim service and reproductive rights and how this impacts students, faculty and staff. Owens and Bea Hanson, the director of the office of victim services, have traveled through each region of New York to discuss Hochul’s priorities and support to survivors. Plattsburgh marks their halfway point on their journey. Informing students, faculty and staff was not the only goal, Owens wanted to talk about what others wanted to talk about and answer as many questions as possible. Each school, from elementary to higher education, has different needs in terms of addressing domestic violence and gender based violence. By visiting numerous schools, the directors are able to learn what is working and what needs to be improved from children to young adults. One initiative that is crucial for students to be informed about is the Enough is Enough law. “We want to make sure that college campuses and commu-
Provided by Jacquie Slater
Kelli Owens speaks to a room full of Plattsburgh faculty and staff to discuss new initiatives regarding handling hate-related violence Feb. 26. nity based agencies are working together in a way which protects students and gives students access to the services they want. If we’re being survivor-centered, that means we’re listening to the survivor, and it may not be a law enforcement intervention that they want,” Owens said. The Enough is Enough law requires universities and colleges
to have procedures and guidelines to help students and survivors be supported if they ever needed to be. The law also gives money to these college level programs to inspire each school to come up with new initiatives to help prevent domestic and gender based violence. “We are thinking about what does the survivor need,
as opposed to what does the system need to have in order to hold somebody accountable,” Owens said. The U.S. department of education has recently reverted back to the 2020 Title IX regulations, leaving many students questioning the future of campus programs as Plattsburgh has advanced in the past few
years. Due to the Enough is Enough law, New York schools will be able to keep their recent efforts towards survivor centered services and engaging their students in being informed on the resources provided for students. OWENS > 4
Campus reflects on Black history month’s success BY CHRISTIAN TUFINO Staff Writer
Black History Month has come to a close, and despite national conversations about race becoming tense, Plattsburgh State has celebrated openly and proudly. With President Trump making Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices a target for constant cutbacks and demonization, SUNY Plattsburgh’s DEI office worked hard to keep events planned and awareness up throughout February to uphold its values. Allison Heard, vice president of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department on campus, assures the students of SUNY Plattsburgh that their campus remains a safe space for members of all racial identities. One of the biggest examples of how the campus is remaining faithful to its DEI office’s principles is how it hosted events to facilitate conversations around race over the course of this year’s Black History Month. “One thing that doesn’t change is our commitment to our community, and we have a vested interest in making sure that we embrace the diversity of our student population,” says Heard. Regardless of the political climate, Heard and the DEI department host events including movies, school dances and other interactive events to represent the importance of Black History Month.
CHRISTIAN TUFINO/Cardinal Points
Coordinator of Multicultural Initiatives Chris Chamars hosts the “Hearing From Activists” event for Black History Month on Feb. 24. Heard and the DEI department make great efforts to encourage campus to embrace Black History Month and Black students, Gedeon Koko-Algobleto, German-African SUNY Plattsburgh student, feels as though student engagement has room to improve. “There needs to be more advocacy for black students, not just by black students, but all students,” says Koko-Algobleto. One of the biggest problems with needing to reach more students is the decline of student involvement on campus. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, participation and attendance numbers for on-campus events have been down across the
board, according to the Center for Student Involvement. The DEI’s Black History Month events are no exception to this downward trend. This doesn’t mean students don’t want or need these events though, as the students who do attend are active, and it is important that campus continues to educate students however it can. “We realize there are a lot of events on campus, and people are really savvy about how they devote their time, but there is certainly interest, and for that we are eternally grateful,” says Heard. Even though attendance has been low in recent years, people still express
interest through sign ups and emails, which creates an important separation between attendance and engagement. Events are still being constantly engaged with, through Cardinal Link, email and other digital means. The events that have seen greater success amongst the students are ones Koko-Algobleto would like to see more of, possibly helping boost student engagement. “We want more fun and engaging events, healing circles, more spaces to talk, things like that,” says Koko-Algobleto. Black History Month has been officially recognized for 48 years, nonetheless, overall knowledge of Black history is not as common as you’d think. Chris Chambers, Coordinator of Multicultural Initiatives, believes the lack of knowledge and comfortability can be a factor in attendance and engagement. “People are at different stages of knowledge of Black history, and so for some folks the movies are engaging, but for those who know more it might be more emotionally or mentally taxing to engage with,” Chambers said. As Black History Month came to an end, the DEI department, through movies, dances and other interactive events, celebrated Black History and spread knowledge of it across campus. Email CHRISTIAN TUFINO cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
WANNA HELP MAKE THE NEWSPAPER? JOIN CARDINAL POINTS! Contact Editor in Chief Michael Purtell at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com or managing editor Jayne Smith at jsmit114@plattsburgh.edu for more information! We’re always looking for more writers, editors, photographers, and multimedia talents! MEETINGS: WARD 110, MONDAYS @ 7:00 p.m.