FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2022VOLUME
VOLUME 107 | ISSUE 10
SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper since 1997
Title IX moves online BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA
News Editor
BRYN FAWN/Cardinal Points
Students crowd the halls of the Sundowner, reaching peak numbers right after it opens for its late night hours at 8 p.m.
Food theft reporting on the rise supervisor, said food gets stolen more often toward the end of the year, when students start to run low on money. The fridges and shelves are located in plain sight, so Boire can usually clearly see any attempts to steal food from behind the counter. She said staff has pulled students aside to apprehend them for attempting to steal food. These apprehensions have not resulted in any report made to UP. There are one to two larceny attempts occurring at Sundowner every night, Sundowner Supervisor John Ashline said.
BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA
News Editor
University Police received seven reports of food being stolen from the Sundowner, a dining hall at SUNY Plattsburgh, this semester. The number is “a little high,” UP Inspector Seth Silver said. However, Silver said he thinks the number of reports increased not due to an uptick in instances of food larcenies, but due to dining hall staff’s diligence in reporting. Sundowner and Kent Cafe see attempts to steal food almost daily. Cathy Boire, Kent Cafe
The most commonlystolen items at Sundowner are drinks, Ashline said. Usually students stuff the desired items in their coat pockets. Sometimes students simply walk out with the items during busy times when supervisors are looking the other way. Another way to “steal” is consuming the snacks, soup, drinks or ice cream before reaching the cashiers. Sometimes the only evidence left behind is spills and wrappers, Ashline said. Larcenies get reported to UP only if the student successfully leaves the establishment without be-
ing confronted or puts up a fight. Ashline said he thinks students are stealing food “for the thrill” or “really wanted something” while low on dining dollars. Silver agreed, but said most thefts seem to be “honest mistakes” coming from forgetting to pay for the items or not understanding the meal plan system. The students are asked to pay for the stolen food and will have a judicial charge against them upon multiple offenses. Police reports do not indicate theft of food exceeding $20 in value. One report was made over a
cup of coffee a student drank, but did not pay for. Silver said dealing with the larcenies is not UP’s highest priority. “On a college campus with a couple thousand students living on campus and people coming here to work and to do things every day, someone stealing a cup of coffee or a sandwich — it’s not right and it’s an issue — but it’s not number one on our list,” Silver said. “Yes, technically it may be a crime, but it’s not the crime of the century.” FOOD l A5
For years, SUNY Plattsburgh had a physical Title IX office that deals with reports on discrimination and sexual assault. However, now these services are provided remotely and have been for the past year, to an uncertain degree of success. Current Title IX Coordinator Ann James knows she’s not here forever. James has been providing Title IX services for SUNY Plattsburgh since fall 2021, just over a year since the search for a permanent Title IX coordinator failed. James does not have a physical presence on campus — she lives in Cincinnati — but was hired through the firm Grand River Solutions to provide Title IX services to multiple college campuses remotely. “Most people don’t want to make a report, they want help and support,” James said. “I can help with those things. It just doesn’t have to happen in person.” Grand River Solutions “provides institutions across the country with the ability to delegate some or all of their Title IX needs on an interim or ongoing basis,” the firm’s website states.
IX l A5
Paid parking concerns Platts businesses BY SYDNEY HAKES Arts & Culture Editor
After years of free parking in downtown Plattsburgh, the plan to install a paid parking fee structure took effect Oct. 11. The Common Council passed the decision (4-2) in June despite concerns from community members. Street parking and select spots in the Durkee Street lot are still free, but for two hours only. Paid parking is in effect Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at $1 an hour, paid by card or cash to kiosks. While this fee doesn’t seem expensive, it was still a big change for locals and business owners. Plattsburgh local Hannah Laurin lives in an apartment on Bridge Street across from the Durkee lot. Her two-bedroom apartment allows one parking spot out back, so her brother Brandon is forced to use street parking or the lots. “We’re mostly gone during the day and they don’t enforce it after 4 p.m. so it
by it. Although locals are pretty aware of the hours paid parking is in effect and where free two-hour parking may be, people traveling from other towns are not. “The issue is that communication didn’t get out, so we have people from Malone or Massena or Elizabethtown calling us confused about where to park or if they’ll get ticketed,” VanValkenberg said. “There are a lot of questions.” The Antique & Variety Mall has two locations on the same block, with three employee parking spots behind the building for both locations. VanValkenberg said one of the mall’s employees has to pay to park when they work. Carolyn Tetreault, owner of the gift store A Beautiful Mess on Margaret Street, said that while she has only two employees, they have no reserved OLIVIA BOUSQUET/Cardinal Points parking spots. She opted A sign on Margaret Street in downtown Plattsburgh instructs drivers how to pay for parking. for the parking permits hasn’t been bad,” Laurin on them multiple times also strongly opposed an employee at Antique over hourly payment, as said. “But he does take so it just seems like a risk to the plan, worried that & Variety Mall on Marga- it “made the most sense.” long lunch breaks in the to be parked in the same paid lots may deter cus- ret Street, said they have afternoon, and I’ve seen spot too long.” tomers from coming. Re- definitely been impacted PAY l A2 other vehicles with tickets Local businesses were becca VanValkenberg,
OPINIONS | A3
SPORTS | B3
SENATE RESPECTS MARRIAGE
CARDINAL CLIPS: MBB, WBB
ARTS & CULTURE | B4
SKI, SNOWBOARD CLUB FEATURE