FRIDAY, OCT. 20, 2023
VOLUME 109 | ISSUE 6
ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA/Cardinal Points
Thomas Moran, founder of the Institute of Ethics in Public Life, delivers a speech in honor of its 25th anniversary in the conference room carrying his name.
Ethics Institute celebrates 25 years BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA Editor in Chief
The Institute for Ethics in Public Life celebrated its 25th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 14, featuring remarks detailing its past, present and future. College President Alexander Enyedi expressed remarks in support of the Ethics Institute, an organization meant to “bridge the gap between theory and practice.” Founder of the Ethics Institute Thomas Moran said in his speech that the institute embodies two principles: how to live a good life and how to create a decent society. Adding civic education to the many functions of academia. Moran noted that the Ethics Institute is a unique entity that provides SUNY Plattsburgh’s faculty with opportunities for professional development, while similar organizations at other colleges in the United States instead invite fellows from other institutions. According to the Ethics Institute’s page on the SUNY Plattsburgh website, almost 100 faculty members have participated in its fellowship program, and more than 50 continue to teach on this campus. Moran said the Eth-
ics Institute’s fellows are the “who’s who of college leadership” and they “carry the institution as leaders.” SUNY Plattsburgh is the only college Moran knows of that “trains its own scholars.” Three former Ethics Institute fellows — Professor of English and Honors Center Director Tracie Guzzio, Professor of History Gary Kroll and Associate Professor of Public Relations Michelle Ouellette — spoke in a panel facilitated by current Ethics Institute Director Daniel Lake to discuss the Institute’s impact on their teaching. Guzzio said that during her fellowship with the Ethics Institute in fall 2004, she developed a course that she is currently teaching as an honors seminar — HON116 Blues, Literature and African American Culture. Ouellette, a fall 2018 fellow, said it helped alleviate some of the “daily pressures of teaching” and allowed her the “pleasure” to take the time to think deeply and begin “a brand-new line of inquiry.” During her fellowship, she started to look into the emotion of awe and its “prosocial effects.” The fellows also discussed the idea of a “silo” — a phenomenon in which academic departments are isolated from each other. Ouellette said the
Institute was a place to have deep thoughts and “test out ideas.” Kroll said his spring 2004 fellowship allowed him to “see the nooks and crannies of every part of the campus” due to the cross-disciplinary and interdepartmental interaction the Ethics Institute facilitates. “We need more places like the Ethics Institute, because this is the opposite of a silo,” Kroll said. “The physical space is as necessary as the idea of breaking down silos.” Besides its fellowship program, the Ethics Institute’s weekly colloquies also invite SUNY Plattsburgh faculty and other members of the community to join scholars in various discussions. Lake shared that he had been involved with the Ethics Institute weekly since joining SUNY Plattsburgh’s faculty. He became a fellow in spring 2015. “I probably spent a couple hundred hours here, easy,” Lake said. “Teaching undergrad is fun, but interacting with bright scholars is what makes a career magical.” ETHICS > 3
Know your campus: Accessibility Resources BY HAYDEN SADLER News Editor
The Accessibility Resource Office will be moved to a new location next spring. With recent increases in funding to SUNY colleges focused on improving student accessibility the ARO will not only be able to move locations, but also to initiate new projects. This would come shortly after the school’s recent development of the Wellness Zone in Feinberg Library. Additionally, the ARO held a Q&A session following Indigenous People’s Day break. ARO Director Jennifer Curry works to ensure students receive the support they need in addition to making sure the school follows state requirements for accessibility and follows a 504 plan, which grants students with specific education needs the right to accommodations. Curry also assists students with finding housing accommodations, for which she works closely with the Campus Housing and Community Living department. The ARO recently installed the Zen Den in Hood Hall, a space that, much like the Sensory Friendly Zone in Feinberg, allows students to relax in a quiet and peaceful environment. SUNY receiving student assistance funding will greatly assist the ARO. Cardinal Points previously reported that the Cardinal Cupboard’s funding increased thanks to a similar initiative. ARO was another group that received money for expansion. Curry mentioned that this funding allows the office to “support students in ways we couldn’t before.” ARO > 2
ARTS & CULTURE
HAYDEN SADLER/Cardinal Points
Hakima Bachar works the front desk in the Accessibility Resource Office in the basement of Macomb Hall.
SPORTS
OPINION
Artist turned modelphotographer
THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS Navratri
Five inducted into athletics hall of fame
Editorial: We can’t ignore Israel
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