FRIDAY, APRIL 4
WHAT’S INSIDE:
SPRING 2025 | ISSUE 6
A&C
SPORTS
OPINION
Museum Without Walls to update look on campus.
Cardinal esports teams gears up for playoffs.
Students struck by Spring semester slump.
Plattsburgh students give to local school BY JOHN CHURCH Contributor
The Student Nursing Association at Plattsburgh State is taking direct action to help local students in and around the Plattsburgh and Clinton County area. Lately, Cardinals in the Nursing Program have been helping young students at Beekmantown Central School District. To give back to the local community, SNAPS is taking the initiative to support Beekmantown Elementary, Middle and High School children through a clothing and hygiene drive. Their mission is aimed to foster a supportive environment and bond for nursing students to make as much of a positive impact as possible in the North Country. SNAPS provides an applied learning experience for SUNY Plattsburgh nursing students to find a space to connect. Through trial, tribulations, and shared experiences, each Card mentors one another throughout the rigorous program. “The nursing program can be demanding at times, so it is nice to have other people who are going through the same program,” said SNAPS student representative Breanna Cascioli. Older students often guide younger students, offering experience, advice, and e n c o u r a ge m e n t . Yet, the organization’s reach extends beyond the city of Plattsburgh to the broader Clinton County community. The drives at Beekmantown CSD are just the latest exhibitions on how SNAPS make an impact
Graphic by Cameron Greaves
through applied learning. “SNAPS not only offers support to the nursing program at Plattsburgh but to the Plattsburgh Community,” Cascioli said. “SNAPS has done multiple hygiene drives in the past, like Trunk or Treat at the field house for local children.” For upperclassmen in SNAPS, the experience
they gain helps them for the future past graduation. Most of their knowledge comes from engagement with public health nursing. Plattsburgh students in the Nursing Program are given a chance to work directly in the community through the JCEO Head Starts, Alliance Health and several local school districts around the area. Beekmantown, alongside SNAPS, serves students who may not have clean socks or enough fresh clothes or hygiene products. “The school nurses at Beekmantown truly care about their students,” Cascioli said. “Many of them even
bring needed items of their own to the school for the children and teens.” For students who may not have the accessibility to or knowledge about the power of clean clothes and good hygiene, SNAPS and the school district help to alleviate some of the challenges for the Beekmantown Eagles. “The clothing items can give confidence to children and teens. Having clean clothes picked out for each day can make a difference in the level of confidence a person has,” Cascioli said. SNAPS > 3
Campus observes Trans Day of Visibility BY MICHAEL PURTELL Editor in Chief
A full-slate of events filled the calendar as SUNY Plattsburgh brought Trans Day of Visibility to campus March 31. The holiday events were organized by a wide range of groups, including student organization Alpha Psi Omega. SUNY Plattsburgh’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Title IX office and Gender and Women’s Studies department also hosted alongside the Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance. Events were planned from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and included informative panels aimed at people unfamiliar with the trans experience, as well as presentations aimed at trans individuals to help them directly, like the Post-College Survival Guide
Cardinal Points file photo
Chris Chamars, Lindsey Bradley, Kirin Brown and Leo Greer listen to questions at 2024’s Trans Day of Visibility panel March 31. (From left to right)
presentation by Plattsburgh Alumna, Justice Hall. “Trans Day of Visibility is designed to highlight and amplify these important voices while also educating people about the challenges, barriers, overt and covert discrimination and bias that the transgender community faces,” wrote Allison Heard, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, in an email.
A TIMELY CELEBRATION
Plattsburgh hosted the workshops and panels in a time where the rights of Transgender Americans are in the center of political debate. “Transgender Day of Visibility is always important, but especially so in our current political climate. Trans people are being actively discriminated against both socially and through legislation,” wrote Reg Sutphen, an event organizer and member of Alpha Psi Omega, in an email.
“Having a national day to celebrate the visibility of trans people makes it a lot easier for people like me to feel accepted in their own identities.” The event creates an opportunity to deepen conversations around transgender rights by putting local, human faces to the transgender community. “Cisgender people need to SEE transgender people — we all need to see each other — and we must start to see that we all have a responsibility to challenge trans erasure and make trans struggles visible. It is a matter of life and death,” said Dr. Kolleen Duley, Plattsburgh assistant professor of gender and women’s study.
AN EARLY END
The final two events of the night, a networking MXER and a reception were canceled, meaning celebrations ended at 2:30 p.m. rather than the planned 7 p.m. “I deeply regret that MXER had to be canceled as it was something I was very passionate about,” Sutphen wrote. “Due to a heavy workload and limited resources, we were unable to organize it in a way that would truly do the event justice. While I took responsibility for planning, it became clear that additional support and resources were needed for its success.” TDOV > 2