Cardinal Points issue 9 - fall 2020

SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper since 1997

FRIDAY, OCT. 30, 2020

CARDINALPOINTSONLINE.COM

VOLUME 103 - ISSUE 9

FERNANDO ALBA/Cardinal Points

Trump supporters rallied with signs and flags in the old Friendly’s parking lot along Route 3 Oct. 24 in support of President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

Plattsburgh gears up for election

BY FERNANDO ALBA Editor in Chief

With the 2020 elections just days away, members of the Plattsburgh community set their yard

signs, demonstrated, counter demonstrated and cast their ballot in early voting in anticipation of the nation-defining race.

Early voting started in Clinton County Oct.

24 and the turnout far exceeded 2016’s totals.

More than 4,000 ballots have been cast as of Tuesday during the early voting period, according to Clinton County officials.

Only 748 ballots were cast

in the same period in the last presidential election.

In the run up to the elections, demonstrations by Donald Trump supporters have been set up in the old Friendly’s parking lot along Route 3

every week. One was held the same day early voting started.

Peru resident Donna Arnold has been to three demonstrations on Route 3. Each time she’s gone, she has felt more con-

fident about Trump’s chances of winning a second term because of the people who are also coming out to show their support.

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS l A3

SA Council elects new treasurer

BY ADEEB CHOWDHURY Staff Writer

AUDREY LAPINSKI/Cardinal Points

The basketball court in Memorial Hall on SUNY Plattsburgh campus is empty, as SUNYAC canceled the winter sports season for all SUNYS.

SUNYAC winter sports season canceled

BY DREW WEMPLE Staff Writer

Men’s and women’s basketball, hockey and indoor track and field will not be returning to SUNY Plattsburgh, or any SUNY, this season. The State Universities of New York Athletic Conference made the decision to cancel the winter sports seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This was not an easy decision, and I empathize

with all of our student athletes across the SUNYAC,” Erik Bitterbaum, the chair of the SUNYAC presidents, said in a statement Oct. 19. “However, despite our best efforts to plan for a winter season, our priority must be the health and safety of everyone involved with intercollegiate athletics and our campuses as a whole.”

Prior to the decision, the 10 SUNYAC conference college’s athletic

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directors were meeting weekly to discuss any possible safe course of action to carry out the winter seasons. A proposed eight-game, conference only schedule that was slated to start in February was an option on the table opposed to canceling the season. Yet the presidents and athletic departments of SUNYAC found it would be insurmountable.

“In order to play such a schedule, we would’ve had to have already start-

ed practicing this fall and bring students back to campus early in January,” SUNY Plattsburgh Athletic Director Mike Howard said. “It just became apparent as time went on we weren’t going to be able to pull that off in a safe manner.”

SUNYAC joins the North Coast Athletic Conference and the New England Small College Athletic Conference as the most recent Division-III athletic conferences to can-

@cardinalpointsnews

cel their winter seasons.

The fall athletic season at SUNY Plattsburgh had also been recently postponed until further notice by President Alexander Enyedi Oct. 14.

However, the NCAA has administered a policy giving all student athletes who experience a canceled season an extra year of athletic eligibility. But that’s a decision those individuals will have to make.

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The Student Association Executive Council welcomed a new member during its meeting Oct. 26, swearing in the freshly elected treasurer Saugat Gautam. A veteran member of the Finance Board, Gautam accepted his new p o s i tion and shared his ambitions for what he hopes to achieve.

Gautam is a junior from Kathmandu, Nepal, and is majoring in political science and economics. He credits his areas of study for his interest in leadership and policy making, especially finance, and has been actively involved with the SA from his very first semester at SUNY Plattsburgh.

“I saw what the treasurer could do and the impact the position had on everyone, both within and outside the SA,” Gautam said, reflecting on his early days on the Finance Board.

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@CardinalPoints

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NEWS

News Editor Emma Vallelunga

Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

Oct. 25

A student called University Police to report another student “out of control” in deFredenburgh Hall, allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The investigation is pending.

Oct. 26 A female student reported she was being stalked online. The investigation is pending.

Oct. 28

A custodian reported damage to the carpet in the third floor lounge of Macomb Hall. The investigation is pending.

Weekly Cartoon

ROBERT SANCHEZ/Cardinal Points

Campus COVID-19 Tracker

Total number of cumulative COVID-19 cases within SUNY Plattsburgh community:

Number of recovered COVID-19 cases within the SUNY Plattsburgh community:

37 22

Number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine oncampus and within SUNY Plattsburgh community:

50

Number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine offcampus and within SUNY Plattsburgh community:

39

CP Corrections In the print addition of issue 8, the headline for an article about the Title IX Office was cut off. The correct headline for the story on our website now reads, “Title IX Office celebrates domestic violence awareness.”

If you see an error in Cardinal Points, email cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

CHANNING PRINS/Cardinal Points

Ken Besaw hugs a donkey on Kickin’ Up Dust Farm in Schuyler Falls during SUNY Plattsburgh’s third De-Stressing with Donkeys event live on Zoom.

Donkeys de-stress students

BY CHANNING PRINS Staff Writer

Donkeys and a few of their furry friends once again met SUNY Plattsburgh students over Zoom last week during another De-Stressing with Donkeys event, hosted by Thera-Pets and Kickin’ Up Dust Farm.

Students who Zoomed in were able to join owner of Kickin’ Up Dust Farm and president of Thera-Pets Holly Besaw to visit the donkeys and other farm animals, like alpacas, goats and horses. Thera-Pets is a program that teams up with farms to use their animals in animal therapy.

“The therapy program leases our farm and animals to be able to provide a service to the community,” Besaw said.

At SUNY Plattsburgh, De-Stressing with Donkeys began in the spring of 2019 and is now a semesterly event organized by the Student Health and Counseling Center, where the therapy donkeys would come to campus. Last semester, the event was virtual due to the pandemic. Senior Olivia Forcino, double majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing, said her counselor at the health center

was one of the original organizers, and participating in the event was something she needed in order to cope with her stress.

“My main concern that I bring up to the [Counseling Center] is that I need ways to cope with stress,” Forcino said. “I have a lot on my plate, and sometimes I need to de-stress, because I don’t always want to just go to my room and cry. It’s no fun.”

Mental Health Counselor and Outreach Coordinator at the health center Allsun Ozyesil said being in-person with the animals and being able to pet them releases more serotonin, one of the main hormones in the human body that helps you be happier and less stressed.

“There’s nothing like the in-person for sure, and I think the research would reflect that too,” Ozyesil said.

Since the pandemic began, Ozyesil has tried to keep this program going at SUNY Plattsburgh with Zoom.

“I came upon something on social media saying that these corporate offices were having llamas zoom bomb their meetings, just for fun.

And I was like, ‘Oh that’s

an interesting idea,’” Ozyesil said. “I think that novelty brings attention and can be really fun switching things up. So I contacted the donkey people, Holly and Ken Besaw, and asked if it would be possible to Zoom with the donkeys. I was trying to think of how to possibly make it happen remotely.”

Forcino said the Zoom event ended up bringing a lot of attention to the program.

“It’s great because on Zoom you get to see all the animals,” Forcino said.

“They obviously can’t bring every animal to campus.

That would be kind of difficult.”

Ozyesil also said bringing the program to Zoom still allowed participants to see the animals virtually rather than not at all.

“I can feel myself feeling good by seeing the little donkeys and goats on the screen and not having it just feel like a YouTube video, but actually being able to look at them and that they can hear you,” Ozyseil said.

“It ends up being a pretty good alternative to the in person.”

Even Besaw said she enjoyed seeing the students enjoying the animals on the

screen.

“I peeked on the camera and saw faces and everyone was smiling ear-to-ear,” Besaw said. “So just being able to see them automatically causes people to feel happy, and that causes less stress in your life.”

Kicking Up Dust Farm, located at 362 Peasleeville Road in Schuyler Falls, is currently open for visitors by appointment only due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Ozyesil said students who might need another therapy session with a furry friend should take advantage of Thera-Pets and the programs they offer.

“It would be really good for students to know that they can connect with Thera-Pets on their own and visit the farm in small groups,” Ozyesil said.

Forcino suggested students continue to watch for de-stressing events and other fun activities happening on-campus, even if they’re on Zoom.

“I think I would just tell students to take advantage of the events being offered on Zoom,” Forcino said. “It was just really cool, and there was a great turnout.”

Email CHANNING PRINS cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

TREASURER Continued from page one “My predecessor, Ha Nguyen, demonstrated the impact an effective treasurer could make, and that only further showed me the possibility of changes I could make if elected.”

The election process following former treasurer Nguyen’s departure from the SA took place in two stages: one for accumulating petition signatures and then the actual election. Gautam said he utilized both stages of the process to allow people to better know him and be familiar with his vision, talent and efforts.

He took note of what he referred to as the elephant in the room — the COVID-19 pandemic. Gautam said he chooses to see the pandemic as both a challenge and an opportunity, noting students can now join more clubs and partake in more activities all from the comfort of their own room. Reminding students of the ways they can make the best of this complex situation, he believes, is crucial to emerging from this pandemic stronger and safer than before.

“We need to make sure our financial plans and policies are not contrary to the real world’s issues right now,” Gautam emphasized. “We may have a bit of a changing dynamic, but we should make sure that we’re not completely volatile. Essentially, we need to have a plan for what needs to be done.”

As treasurer, Gautam oversees all income and expenses. His responsibilities will include reviewing all budget requests of clubs and organizations and drafting policies pertinent to finances. He places particular emphasis on transparency and being attentive to students’ needs.

“I cannot stress this enough. The money coming to the SA is your money,” Gautam said. “I’ll make sure to do my part in making sure your money is going straight to you [and] to things where you want it to go.”

The remainder of the SA council meeting saw members reviewing their plans for upcoming projects and events. SA President Rudaba Ahmed an-

Provided Photo

Junior Saugat Gautam is the Student Association’s newly elected treasurer.

nounced she was making progress on the mentorship program she has been working on and extended an invitation to students interested in playing a role in helping develop the program. Academic Affairs Coordinator Ahmed Metwaly expressed his excitement at his board’s upcoming digital learning initiative, which will help teach students how to make use of digital resources in the age of remote learning.

SA Adviser Jacob Avery reiterated the need for all members to clearly establish their goals for the rest of the semester, seeing there are only a small handful of meetings left. He stressed the need to plan ahead and outline each committee’s priorities and reminded the SA that his door is always open for anyone wanting to discuss their plans.

Email ADEEB CHOWDHURY

cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

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NEWS

News Editor Emma Vallelunga

Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

DAKOTA GILBERT/Cardinal Points

Donald Trump supporters wave Trump flags, among other ones along Route 3 Oct. 24 as a part of a Trump rally that has been held every week in the same spot.

This Week in Photos: 2020

“People who are usually pretty silent on things like this, who don’t say too much, are now speaking up,” she said. “That’s what we need to do. We need to let this country know that we support our president.”

Counter demonstrations have been set up across the street in previous weeks. At times, both groups have been contentious with police getting involved.

Courtney Stone, a SUNY Plattsburgh senior business administration major, helped set up Oct. 24’s counter demonstration, which was the fifth one she attended.

“We’re countering the hate in this town. We have to show the North Country that despite the overwhelming presence of their Trump signs, there’s good people out here,” she said.

To Stone and others opposite of the Trump demonstrators, the rallies are hateful and with no clear motivation other than to incite anger.

“I don’t think they’re standing for anything,” Stone said. “They just want to come to spew

their hate.”

Olivia Hansen, a senior biomedical science major and chemistry minor, noted how Trump supporters were making fun of her side wearing masks and calling them terrorists.

“I think it’s really sad to see the miseducation in Plattsburgh,” she said. “I’m worried about the case count in Plattsburgh.”

Stone, along with other counter demonstrators, make sure to stay until the Trump supporters end their rallies, which is usually three to four hours, Stone said. On one occasion when police became involved, Stone stayed for seven hours.

“We don’t leave before they do,” Stone said.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is running for reelection in New York’s 21st district against Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb, along with other local candidates joined the Trump supporters for another rally Tuesday on Route 3 with one week to go before the Nov. 3 elections. Stefanik made her case for another term in Congress and for a second term for Trump.

AURÉLIE WOLF /Cardinal Points

Brian Brahan casts his ballot at the Clinton County Government Center Tuesday.

“This election is a choice. This is a choice between standing up for our Constitution,” Stefanik said. “We need to send a message that we support our law enforcement and that we back the blue in the North Country.”

Shari Buutchino, a Dannemora resident who has gone to three Trump rallies along Route 3, came out to Stefanik’s rally to show her support for the president and the congresswoman. “[Trump] is supporting us. He’s giving average people money. Our economy was so great before this virus hit us,” she said.

On election night, SUNY Plattsburgh will be hosting two watch parties. One will be hosted by the The H.U.B. in the Angell College Center.

Space will be limited. Campus Housing and Community Living will be hosting a virtual watch party.

Email FERNANDO ALBA cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

DAKOTA GILBERT/Cardinal Points

Emily Gudz and Lori Banker protest across Trump supporters on Route 3 Oct. 24.

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News Editor Emma Vallelunga

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Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

Cardinal Points File Photo SUNY Plattsburgh’s women’s soccer team registered all of its players to vote in this year’s election.

Women’s soccer registers players to vote in election

BY ASHLEY ST. JOHN Staff Writer

With the presidential election quickly approaching, many people are registering and advocating for registration, especially for first-time voters. The SUNY Plattsburgh women’s soccer team is among those who are voicing their opinions and encouraging others to get out and vote this year.

The women’s team posted on their Instagram Oct. 4 they were 100% registered to vote.

“We are so proud to announce that our Women’s Soccer Team and Coaching Staff are 100% registered to vote. We challenge the following teams to do the same as well. #pride #athletesvote,” their post said.

The caption tagged many other teams including SUNY Plattsburgh women’s and men’s basketball, men’s soccer, tennis and more.

Associate Head Coach Frantzy Noze of the women’s soccer team originally saw the idea from Brown University’s women’s soccer and decided to bring it to SUNY Plattsburgh. Head Coach Tania Armellino said Noze thought it was such a great idea and just ran with it.

Armellino said they talked about the idea as coaches then decided to challenge their team to register, telling the players to let them know when and if they register.

“They all jumped on it, and we got a 100% partic-

ipation.” Armellino said.

“The team responded beautifully.”

Posting and challenging other teams to get 100% registered was the push that some other teams needed. SUNY Plattsburgh women’s lacrosse team and SUNY Geneseo’s women’s soccer both accepted the challenge, and their teams are fully registered to vote.

“I think it was a motivational thing to encourage other teams to register to vote and to get them more active in this year’s election,” senior and captain Abbie Seamans said.

Seamans said she feels it’s important to show as a team they are all active not just in the community but in the country and care about what’s going on in the world.

“There’s been people before us that have fought really hard to give us these civil rights,” Seamans said. “I think it’s important that we show that we appreciate that and that we use them. Everyone talks about change, and I think one of the easiest steps but hardest steps is registering to vote and actually getting active.”

Junior Samantha Cloidt said posting on Instagram helps bring awareness to the election. Cloidt also said she feels many college students don’t realize how important it actually is to be registered and vote.

“Now that we’re all adults, it’s something that we should be doing,” Cloidt said. “It’s not just something we hear our

parents are doing now.”

Along with registering to vote, the team also gets involved with other important issues in the community by holding awareness matches, holding raffles and selling t-shirts for one specific cause during a normal season. This semester, Armellino said, is a bit different because COVID-19 has affected it.

The team does a POTS awareness game because one of the women’s soccer alumnas, Caitlin Gagen, was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a condition that affects blood flow circulation, while a student at SUNY Plattsburgh. In order to still bring awareness to POTS without holding a physical game, the team decided to hold a Facebook Live event with Gagen to have a discussion and virtually raise money for the cause.

“We still want to support Caitlin even if it’s remotely and even if our team can’t be together,” Armellino said.

Cloidt said she feels like letting others know they’re staying active in the community shows they care by giving their opinions and spreading the word.

“I’m really proud of the girls for taking part [in registering to vote] and proud of the teams for accepting the challenge,” Armellino said. “I think it’s an amazing thing.”

Email ASHLEY ST. JOHN cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

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News Editor Emma Vallelunga

WINTER Continued from page one “A lot of athletes aren’t going to want to pay for another full year of school just to play in their particular season,” sophomore hockey player Joseph Kile said. “And if they do, they could be taking away playing time from other athletes that have waited their turn.”

Kile is a part of the growing group that is voicing their opinions on SUNYAC’s latest decision. The forward from Troy, Michigan, wrote and published an article on Medium.com titled “Dear SUNYAC,” in which he discusses his displeasure with the winter season’s cancellation. Kile draws upon his and his teammate’s own thoughts and feelings to deliver a strong message about the negative effects this decision will have on student athletes.

“I was seeing a lot of SUNYAC athletes on Twitter and Instagram talking about [SUNYAC’s decision],” Kile said. “It was just going to drive me crazy if I didn’t get my own thoughts down on paper.”

Kile, like most winter athletes, found out that morning from his coach that the decision had been made to cancel the season. Head Coach Steve Moffat called to inform his hockey team via Zoom.

NEWS “He wanted us to hear it from him,” Kile said.

The winter athletics coaches across SUNY Plattsburgh all had to perform the difficult task of informing their athletes their season had been canceled. Head men’s basketball coach Michael Blaine called his team directly after the news was broken to him by Howard.

“We had a team meeting on Zoom that morning,” Blaine said. “I want to keep what was said between me and my guys.”

Blaine also found himself surprised by SUNYAC’s decision.

“I was hopeful, but I understood the concerns about traveling campus to campus and opening students up to increased exposure,” Blaine said. “But Howard had continued to advocate why it was important to go forward with the season.”

Blaine claimed that Howard was one of the key proponents of going forward with any sort of winter season.

“I wanted to make sure we exhausted every possibility before we pulled the plug,” Howard said. “We owed it to our athletes.”

Email DREW WEMPLE cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

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Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

CARDINALPOINTSONLINE.COM

FRIDAY, OCT. 30, 2020

Bly Manor shows haunting of past selves

BY JESSICA JOHNSON Opinions Editor

Dead doesn’t always mean gone.

The haunting of someone’s “dead” past can become a prevalent revolving door when it continuously manifests and cultivates inside the mind. It begins to fester and squirm it’s way into reliving that trauma, through our daily lives, our thoughts, our actions — even our souls.

Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” explores the haunting of one’s mind and how it chases us through life, as we’re unable to outrun these thoughts. This second show, based on Henry James’s 1898 novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” is a part of the horror anthology series branching off of “The Haunting of Hill House.”

The new mind-boggling show aired Oct. 9, highly-anticipated by fans of the THHH’s returning actors such as Victoria Pedretti, who played Nell Crain in THHH, Henry Thomas, who played the young Hugh Crain, and Oliver JacksonCohen who played Luke Crain.

In this gothic romance, Pedretti now plays as Dani, an au pair that works in Bly Manor and looks after orphaned siblings Miles, played

by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Flora, played by Amelie Bea Smith.

The plot of the series surrounds their uncle, Henry Wingrave, who hires Dani as a nanny to reside at Bly Manor with the estate’s chef Owen, played by Rahul Kohli, groundskeeper Jamie, played by Amelia Eve, and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, played by T’Nia Miller. But all is not as it seems at the manor, as each episode reveals an unexpected turn, and Flora and Miles deal with the trauma of the mysterious loss of their parents whom died while on a trip in India.

“If you’re gonna watch it, watch it all the way through,” SUNY Plattsburgh junior History and Adolescent education major Parker Gill said. “Don’t take each episode for what it is but think of each episode as a part of the whole show. Definitely keep an

BRIAN KEACH/Cardinal Points

eye out for all your characters, because you may not know who’s dead or who’s alive.”

Gill interpreted the show to be more about trauma, rather than its predecessor Hill House’s more traditional horror that included supernatural ghosts and a “typical haunted house.”

Honestly, this show overlooks centuries of dark secrets of love and loss that are waiting to be unearthed, and when they are — the plot goes haywire and throws the

viewer into another unexpected turn. Each episode is like a puzzle piece that the viewer must put together to make sense of the plot, which doesn’t fully make sense until the end. Even then, the viewer still can find themselves asking questions.

“I found a lot more stylistic connections, rather than actual plot connections,” Gill said. “One of my favorite things about both shows is throughout the episodes, there would just be hidden ghosts

throughout the scenes. I found myself more so looking for these hidden easter eggs, rather than paying attention to the show itself.”

The show is hauntingly beautiful, as the coloration of each episode matches the overall tone of the old story that episode is portraying.

Bly Manor’s interior is captivating, and the character’s relationships draw the reader in even more than the story of the Bent Neck Lady in The Haunting of Hill House.

However, critics might say

the lead up to the big plot twist in the last episode wasn’t completely worth it, as the lead up to uncover the truth of Bly Manor is painfully, awfully slow.

“I was disappointed with Bly Manor because I found it to be a lot more artistic — and ya know, to each their own,” Gill said. “But if it’s supposed to be a scary story, I wanna be scared, and I just didn’t find myself being scared that much. I’d definitely up the horror. It was a bit too in depth with the mind — I had to think a lot harder than I did with the first show.”

The Haunting of Bly Manor shifts its focus more on making the viewer think of how spirits are suddenly able to control characters bodies, why the house makes the character’s trauma more severe by forcing them to recollect, and why it seems the lost souls stuck at Bly Manor are stuck in a eternal loop of despair.

Similarly, The Haunting of Hill House tells a tragic tale of siblings dealing with the trauma of losing their mother at a young age, and as they get older — losing themselves. The difference in this show is that even after death, their souls are still lost as they try to find their way out of Bly Manor. And along the way, the characters drag the living down with them.

While the characters ran away from their trauma, they end up running straight into a dead end.

If anyone is planning on watching this show, it is both a time and mental commitment to uncovering the true happenings at Bly Manor and in the young lives of the characters as they run away from themselves and into death. There are no happy endings, so grab a tissue box. As Gill states, “Not everything is always as it seems in the first place.”

Email JESSICA JOHNSON cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

SUNY Plattsburgh safely celebrates Halloween Students stay inside, avoid rising cases on campus

BY OLIVIA BOUSQUET Staff Writer

Positive COVID-19 cases are continually increasing at SUNY Plattsburgh.

As Halloween approaches, concerns have come into play for how college students will partake in Halloween festivities.

The weekend-long party for Halloween will be a grim comparison from last year’s “Hall-OWeekend” due to the pandemic. However, students are staying optimistic by coming up with new, safe ideas to still celebrate the holiday.

For incoming students, this is their first year to experience the drunken craze of Halloween weekend. Spooky stories have been told around campus of previous Halloween nights, where students dress up in glamorous costumes, puke on lawns or in Pizza Bono’s bathrooms, and later pass out over the toilet.

Imagine three spooky nights of drunk college students, drinking their liver away as they travel from party to party. Will the freshman this year try for a similar experience amidst the pandemic?

“I wasn’t going to do anything because of the pandemic. Obviously I wish I could experience my first Halloween in college, but I can’t. I’m going to stay in because I don’t want to get COVID – it just kind of sucks overall,” SUNY Plattsburgh freshman Shannon Fitzpatrick said. “But I’m a freshman, so I have my whole Plattsburgh life ahead of me. I have a lot of Halloweens to experience, so I’m really not worried about it. I’m really trying to make the best out of everything.”

Fitzpatrick is currently rushing Delta Phi Epsilon, so she can’t party with the sisters under the Greek Life office’s policies. However, she doesn’t know of any current plans for the sorority’s Halloween, except for staying safe. Instead, Fitzpatrick is staying in with her roommates to watch Halloween movies and eat candy. She said they may even dress up for the night, but she sees that as a waste of money.

While freshmen have plenty of time for future Halloween endeavors in the coming years on campus, the upper-classmen are near the end of the

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road — especially for seniors who need to make the best of their final SUNY Plattsburgh Halloween.

“Not being able to celebrate Halloween my last year sucks, but at the same time it’s probably for the best considering – especially around here – the rising number of COVID cases. I’d rather be safe than sorry,” SUNY Plattsburgh senior Michelle Simmons said. “My lovely roommates and I will be

staying inside. We’re going to get some pumpkins and paint them. Then, we’re going to put them out on the front porch.

We’ll be watching Halloween-themed movies all night and making Halloween-themed drinks.”

For those new to Halloween on campus, be safe and don’t put others at risk, said Simmons.

Simmons understands the frustration behind having a low-key Halloween, but

with the right mindset, everyone can make the most out of a pandemic Halloween. Just try to make the best of an unfortunate situation.

Other students are also getting creative for the Halloween weekend by finding new ways to have fun, but still staying out of the party scene.

“I don’t feel like I’m missing out since I’m still going to dress up, hang out with my roommates,

and stay home. But one of the nights we’re going to my roommate’s family’s house, because they put on a haunted house and decorate,” SUNY Plattsburgh junior Meghan O’Brien said. “One of the nights me, Hunter and Abby are going to be Mr. Clean. Then the next night, me and Hunter are being JWoww and Snooki, because our freshman year we watched Jersey Shore together.”

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CARDINAL VOICE

Opinions Editor Jess Johnson

Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

Taurus loves to create facade

BY ABIGAIL AZADIAN Contributor

Taureans are not to be taken lightly. They love to come off as a cute, cozy sweetheart who loves to bake and keep to themselves. But do not be fooled — they are selfish, immature and stubborn. Consider this your warning to stay away from Taureans.

They are the biggest players of the zodiac. Being an Earth sign, they are supposed to be reliable. However, they are only reliable on their terms and their uncompromising nature makes them impossible to work with. They will not budge for better or for worse.

A Taurus may feel at

home with water signs, but the feeling wears off when it becomes clear that they are too selfish to ever really fit with Cancers, Pisces, or Scorpios.

Water signs being moldable means they are willing to change when it comes to relationships, Taureans are not (and it shows.) A Taurus seems like the right choice for a Cancer, but they are ultimately too self-indulgent for Cancers. Cancers love to take care of their loved ones and Taureans are only great at being on the receiving end of it. A Pisces can be more than forgiving when it comes to a Taurus’ faults.

Pisces fall for the mystique a Taurus puts on, but the veil comes off eventually.

Pisces are the most muta-

ble, adaptable person in relationships, and a Taurus is too stubborn and too fixed to ever change.

Scorpios and Taurus are sister signs, and essentially the same sign, but Scorpios can transform for the better when they take the time to self-reflect. A Taurus takes time for themselves… and not in the self-growth, transformation way. They make time for napping, face masks and useless hobbies that will never amount to anything because they quickly drop it for something new.

Being an Earth sign, their stubbornness is already higher than other elements, but Taurus takes it to another level.

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Music artists influence voter registration

BY MATAEO SMITH Web Editor

The last seven months have been hell to say the least. Colleges were shut down halfway through the spring semester; businesses were forced to close their doors; killer hornets briefly roamed the streets and a radicallyright Supreme Court justice was just confirmed. At least the 2020 presidential election voter turnout has increased.

This may be the highlight of 2020, which says a lot, but nevertheless, it’s great.

CNN reported Monday that more than 60 million preelection votes have been cast and 33 states have surpassed their pre-election vote totals from 2016.

Yay. One could say the or-

ange man’s presidency has contributed to this outcome. For approximately 1,378 days, he has sprouted divisive rhetoric that has resulted in acute convulsion of the United States.

The violence that comes with his die-hard constituents is only a soupçon of the havoc he has bestowed onto the country. While on a path to erase everything done by the Obama administration, Trump has inspired the next generation of voters to notso-kindly show him the door. Big name celebrities along with various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TwitSAREEM JABBAR/Cardinal Points ter have been drilling the concept into Gen z’s head “Make sure to go out and out.” since September. vote.”

The second one opens “Not registered to vote?

“Election day is quickly a social media platform, Click here for more infor- approaching, #Votehim- they are barraged with mation.”

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public service announcements to vote Nov. 3. Celebrities like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish have been further pushing young voters with their presence on social media.

Grande posted a photo onto Instagram Tuesday hash tagged “Tuesday Truths” stating the staggering 2016 voter turnout which concluded only half the 18-29 demographic participated in the presidential election.

Eilish spoke directly to her Youtube following of 34.8 million in a video egging them on to vote Aug. 19.

“Silence is not an option and we can not sit this one out,” Eillish said in her signature monotone. “We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend on it because they do. The only way to be certain of the fu-

ture is to make it ourselves.”

Voting has become the latest social media trend since blackout Tuesday, which is a good thing but creates the idea that Gen Z is only voting to fit in. It would be interesting to talk about, but I digress.

We all need to vote.

Don’t vote for the sole purpose of wanting a new president; don’t vote for the sole purpose of following a trend; don’t vote for the sole purpose of supporting your celebrity crush; vote to exercise your constitutional right as a citizen in the United States.

Vote every election year.

Vote every primary.

Vote in local elections.

Please just vote.

Email MATAEO SMITH

cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

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‘Rebecca’ is back in ‘Sadie’ reins in readers 2020, without a Hitch with murder mystery

BY CAMERON KAERCHER Staff Writer

As a sub-genre in horror, gothic stories have specific defining characteristics. Gothic digs its roots in the uncanny, which can be traced back to the writings of Sigmund Freud. Freud broke down the word uncanny and said that it relates to a feeling of familiarity that is put at odds with a feeling of unease.

One of the more classic Gothic stories is Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel, “Rebecca,” which received a cinematic adaptation from Alfred Hitchcock in 1940.

This year, Netflix has taken another stab at adapting this story.

Lily James stars as a young woman who is stuck working for the stuffy Mrs. Van Hopper, played by Ann Dowd. As the two vacation in Monte Carlo, Van Hopper falls ill, which gives the poor worker a chance to breathe — and to fall in love.

Van Hopper spends her days running away from her work and into the arms of the mysterious Maxim de Winter, played

by Armie Hammer. While the romance is a whirlwind and they are engaged within the week, de Winter seems haunted by his former wife.

As the new Mrs. de Winter (the young woman) moves into Mr. de Winter’s man-

sion, known as Manderlay, she learns that the titular Rebecca de Winter may be gone, but she is not forgotten.

Modern horror films, like “The Conjuring” series, have set up an expectation of what makes a house of horrors. The house the Warren family moves into in “The Conjuring,” has cobwebs everywhere and each light bulb flickers dramatically. In “Rebecca,” the haunted house is a lavish mansion with gorgeous portraits hanging in the hallways and perfectly trimmed bushes outside. You would feel comfortable living in the mansion, but your sense of security will be undermined by the dread of past love infecting this relationship.

In fact, as a ghost story, the plot of “Rebecca” sets it apart from other modern horror films.

The loss of Rebecca de Winter is so pertinent that she never has to be seen physically because she is always on the character’s minds.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t tropes of modern horror films that can be found in “Rebecca” (2020), as the unrealistic dream sequences and overly dramatic score by Clint Mansell remind the viewer that this is a 21st century horror film.

BY MAHPHARAH KHAN Contributor

Courtney Summers’ “Sadie” is a young adult thriller that discusses revenge that is triggered by murder, pedophilia, sexual abuse and drug addiction.

“And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl.”

“Sadie” switches between two perspectives — the fictional podcast called “The Girls” that is led by West McCray and by Sadie herself as she tries to find her sister’s killer — so she can kill them.

Sadie lives with her sister Mattie and her grandmother, May Beth. Sadie is basically half-mother, halfsister to Mattie because their mother is a drug addict. Their mother cares little for her children and more about herself, where she is going to get her next hit, and what man she is SPIRIT l A8 going to be with next.

Sadie represses her feelings and is always in service to her sister, even though it is in detriment to herself. So when Mattie is murdered and her body is found next to a schoolhouse, Sadie feels deeply obligated to find who killed her sister. But she also takes it a step further — she wants to kill them.

“She’s dead is the reason I’m going to kill a man.

How many people live with that kind of knowledge inside them? Waking her up in the morning, making her meals, walking her to the school bus, waiting for her at its stop when the day was over, grinding my bones to dust just to keep us holding on, and when I lay it out like that, I don’t know how I did it. I’d do it all again and again for eternity if I had to.”

Summers emphasizes the sisterly bond between Sadie and Mattie. Sadie

shows her love by taking care of Matie, and being wanted makes her feel like she has a purpose even though her life may not be the best.

“I just wanted to matter to someone.”

This means that when Mattie is murdered, Sadie is deprived of the one thing that made her feel like she could live for another day: loving and taking care of Mattie.

Sadie and Mattie’s mother is reckless with how she handles herself; she is not conscious of how actions affect others.

She starts to date a man named Keith and eventually introduces him to Sadie when she is 11, and Mattie when she is 5. Their grandmother, May Beth, reveals the most about Keith through the podcast part of the novel.

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Opinions Editor Jess Johnson

Friday, Oct, 30, 2020

Editorial

Future looks bleak with Barrett There is no collection of words that can sum up the tremendous loss of the beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sept. 18. And unfortunately now, we face the loss of her legacy she left in her seat in Congress — it is now covered in ignorance and shame, as Amy Coney Barrett takes her place Oct. 27.

She, a white Republican woman, has shown an inclination in her time as a judge to rule in favor of the rights of Conservatives: the wealth and power hungry supremacists. Since, 2017, over her career as a United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit judge, Barrett has held an extremely conservative voting record in cases touching on discrimination, immigration, abortion, religious freedoms, environmental policy and more.

The United States Senate voted 52–48 to confirm her nomination, after President Trump nominated

NGHI TO/Cardinal Points

her Sept. 26. The U.S. government just continues to make bad decisions under the Trump Administration. Somehow, seven days before the election, he managed to leave a horrid mark before he is

CARVING Continued from page six O’Brien is being realistic that students, both freshmen and upperclassman, are going to party. Despite a pandemic spike hitting SUNY Plattsburgh campus, students want to have a fun time. It will be concerning to see if the positive number of cases will rise further after Halloween weekend.

Partying for one weekend will not be worth getting sent home a week later from a large number of positive cases.

Partying is not the only option to have fun on Halloween. Greek Life organizations typically have social events such as parties or mixers with one another; however, there is none being permitted currently by SUNY Plattsburgh. Sororities and fraternities are going to need to find new outlets to celebrate. The sisters of Sigma Delta Tau are planning on a simple weekend with each other.

“I would do something with my roommates ‘cause I already live with them, and then do something with small friend groups,” Sigma Delta Tau junior Kristine McKenzie said. “Instead of having a whole big thing like 50 or 60 girls in one house, we are going to try to split up the organization so we can all hang out separately.”

ZODIAC Continued from page seven Being a fixed, Earth sign makes a Taurus the most hard headed, difficult person to work with. Two Taureans will die on each respective hill before ever apologizing or changing their mind. Capricorns and Virgos can cut right through a Taurus with their blunt manner. It will catch a Taurus off-guard and honestly scare them a little bit. Taureans will never admit it, but they are too soft to handle any criticism from another Earth sign.

Taureans will appreciate Air signs’ taste and appreciation for all the finer things in

Continued from page seven Director Ben Wheatley may have spent his career making quirky, dark comedies that go against the grain like “Sightseers,” but here he seems to move towards the mainstream.

Wheatley worked with his long-time cinematographer, Laurie Rose, but it does not feel like the same two men who constructed the terrifying black and white world of “A Field in England.” This film is just acceptably lit. When the characters are in the sun, it looks warm, and when they are wandering around dark corridors, it looks dark.

Continued from page seven She describes him as the best boyfriend their mother had, and that he was God-fearing and a family man. Mattie loved him but Sadie loathed him because according to May Beth, he tried to create a structured life for them but Sadie felt like that was her responsibility.

We hear a lot about Keith through the podcast, which detaches us even further from knowing what his deal was. We come to learn that he is not who May Beth paints him to be, and that he is actually more sinister than we first believe.

The fact is that he was a pedophile and sexually abused Sadie. Summers details the extent of how disturbed he was and doesn’t shy away from the reality of pedophilic behavior.

Sadie eventually locates Keith and rummages through his personal belongings.

“I’m staring at IDs and jagged strips of material. They’re

drivers licenses. They look real enough, excellent fakes.

He’s known so many different names. Greg, Connor, Adam…

Toby, Don… Keith.”

His real name was Jack. He was invested in Sadie’s life because he wanted to be close to her. And she does not only find his fake IDs claiming names of fictitious people, he keeps “souvenirs.” He keeps shirt collars that are scribed with the names of the girls he abused. It is sickening to know that these people do exist and are able to live life undisturbed considering the amount of trauma they inflict upon others. Sadie has an extreme stutter, and it’s hard to believe that it’s just a coincidence.

And although their mother was physically and emotionally absent for most of their lives, she did realize something was off with him. She is eventually a guest on the podcast and says that she didn’t like how he looked at the girls, and she also mentioned that he was too interested in them. So she kicked him out.

marginalized groups now face.

Minorities, LGBTQ+ , women and more have fought for their own human rights for a century now, and just when these groups began

Students off campus can utilize the outdoors for social distancing, such as porches or lawns. But, it’s important to keep groups small and manageable. No one wants to get kicked off campus this close to the end of the semester.

“Now that the cases are starting to go up and there’s a lot more people in quarantine, I think it’s important that not only Greek life, but others like sports teams and students are making sure they’re following the rules and social distancing because it’s just going to create a lot more students in quarantine,” Sigma Delta Tau senior Brianna Muller said. “Nobody wants to get sent home ­– I don’t want to be sent home my last year here.”

Students have many options to making Halloween fun without threatening the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Students can dress up with friends and create different ways to celebrate Halloween.

Decorate or carve pumpkins, watch movies, or create a Halloween drinking game. The options are endless with a little imagination, or a quick search on Pinterest.

Just remember, your decisions on Halloween can affect everyone.

Don’t send everyone packing because you want to play beer pong, dance, and get sloshed at multiple different parties.

It’s not worth it.

15%

85%

Email OLIVIA BOUSQUET cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

life. However, a Taurus only likes them because they’re pretty. Being ruled by Venus, Libras and Taureans think can both be the life of the party. However, a Taurus sees a compromise as a loss and will only resolve issues if everybody comes to agree with them. They love to act flexible, when in fact they are the bull of the zodiac. A Taurus isn’t able to appreciate Geminis or Aquarians for their sporadic nature because their idea of fun doesn’t take other people’s opinions A Taurus will realize they can never keep up with Fire signs, so they simply quit. Taureans, again, love to think they are bold and untouchable but once people actually criticize them, they are scared sh-tless. A Taurus thinks they are better than Aries because they don’t seem to get as angry. But

SPIRIT

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possibly voted out of office.

And just like that, white supremacy and privilege wins once again.

There aren’t any words to accurately describe the devastation

to believe that they had the ability to practice them — there will now be no room under Barrett.

President Trump has vowed to appoint justices ready to overrule Roe v. Wade. Barrett also has been critical of Roe v. Wade, stating that she wishes to roll back the framework because it “essentially permits abortion on demand.” Her aim is literally to illegalize any abortion, no matter the situation.

Women’s rights are once again at jeopardy, by a literal woman.

Not only women, but every marginalized group that has fought breathlessly for their voice, that will soon be silenced under her gavel.

As a country, we are in unprecedented times.

And Barrett, is only fueling the fire.

Where does our sense of humanity begin, and when does times of blatant ignorance end?

this is far from the truth, a Taurus’ anger is slow but once they reach the boiling point, everyone around will feel it. With Leos, it is the ultimate competition of who has the best outfit and Leos will win. Sagittarians with their truthful, blunt nature will simply tear a Taurus to the ground (as they should).

Never forget that Taurus is still only the second sign in the zodiac which makes them selfish, immature and gluttonous.

Plus, they lack self-awareness to properly work on themselves. It’s hard for them to be critiqued because they always believe they do everything right. Y’all are worse than Virgos.

Email ABIGAIL AZADIAN cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

Acceptable might be the best word to describe this movie. While it does not try to capture Hitchcock’s genius as Gus Van Sant tried to with his remake of “Psycho,” it doesn’t change enough to really stand on its own.

The fact of the matter is, when Hitchcock adapted “Rebecca,” it won Best Picture that year at the Academy Awards and today it is still regarded as a high point for the director’s career. Wheatley’s adaptation had stopped being promoted on Netflix a couple of days after it premiered. If you are looking for a gothic story with a spoonful of romance to watch this Halloween season, you are better off with 2017’s “Phantom Thread.”

Email CAMERON KAERCHER cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

Pedophiles don’t deserve to live life as free individuals; they deserve to rot in jail. The sexualization and objectification of children is something that the world has to constantly deal with and it’s getting exhausting. This is especially seen in Hollywood and among the elite. Names like Harvey Weinstein, Larry Nassar, and Jeffrey Epstein come to mind.

Their behavior comes to light but they are rarely held responsible for it. In Larry Nassar’s case, he was sentenced 40-175 years in prison.

This case is representative of how pedophiles should be dealt with. It’s also important to note that more than 150 women came forward and that the judge was a woman herself. This is an example of how women should support one another and believe one another. Even if only one stepped forward, that would have been enough because pedophiles shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt.

However, this is only one case. There are several more

where men do not receive any repercussions for their disgusting behavior. It’s really getting exhausting watching women come forward with sexual assault stories (whether it is reported in the media or not) and watching the “justice system” ignore them. It shows what the government’s priorities are — and that’s protecting rich white men simply because they have money.

Why do we constantly have to explain that we should care about other people?

Sadie manages to track Jack down and finds out that he’s wormed his way into another family. He resumed his role as a “family man.”

Novels, even thrillers, reflect reality and reality is not always tied up with a nice bow. The ending is able to evoke sympathy from us without giving us answers, and while it can be frustrating, it’s the mark of a good novel.

Email MAHPHARAH KHAN cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

Taken from 100 participants

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Fernando Alba

Managing Editor Jess Johnson

Opinions Editor Jess Johnson

News Editor Emma Vallelunga

Graphics Editor Nghi To

FUSE Editor Alana Penny

Multimedia Editor Sareem Jabbar

Photo Editor Audrey Lapinski

Web Editor Mataeo Smith Faculty Adviser Shawn Murphy Advertising: Maureen Provost Peter Taylor Luka Tsiklauri

Contact CP: Editorial Board: 518.564.2174 Advertising: 518.564.3173 Fax: 518.564.6397 118 Ward Hall SUNY Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY 12901 cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

Award Winning

Cardinal Points has received the following awards from the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP): ACP Hall of Fame Inducted in Fall 2010 All American Spring 2018, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2016, five Marks of Distinction Spring 2014, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2012, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2011, four Marks of Distinction Fall 2010, five Marks of Distinction Fall 2009, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2009, four Marks of Distinction Fall 2008, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2005, four Marks of Distinction Spring 2004, four Marks of Distinction Fall 2003, four Marks of Distinction Fall 2002, four Marks of Distinction Pacemaker Recognition Fall 2010, Honorable Mention 2006-2007, Newspaper Finalist

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FUSE Editor Alana Penny

Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

Tascione thrives in leadership positions

BY NATALIE ST DENIS Staff Writer

Sam Tascione is a junior in the childhood education and special education combined program at SUNY Plattsburgh. Being a teacher was always something that lingered in the back of his mind because it’s his mom’s profession.

But since his senior year of high school, he knew he wanted to teach. This was further solidified when he became a camp counselor at 18.

“I started working at camps, and I realized how much fun it was to work with kids and how you can have an impact on them at such a young age and help them develop into people,” Tascione said.

He has been a camp counselor for the past three years and was the head counselor this past summer. He became more confident in leadership positions through this. Working as a camp counselor helped Tascione figure out that he wanted to develop it into a career.

Tascione joined Tau Kappa Epsilon his sophomore year and became the risk managment chair.

“Right off the bat I was put in that position to help me just become more confident as a leader, really stand up for myself and what I believe in,” Tascione said. “It’s given me so many more opportunities to branch out and try new things.”

Others are also able to see how actively involved he is on campus. Amy Gervich, who has known Tascione only since the start of this semester notes his willingness to participate.

“Sam is always sharing different things that he is doing on campus or has done on campus in the past,” Gervich said. “He wears t-shirts and sweatshirts that talk about the

JASON PARENT/Cardinal Points

Tascione has been a camp counselor for the past three years and works for Project Connect, a program through SUNY Plattsburgh where he works for after school programs at local schools. This semester it is called Cardinal Classroom and he works with students one on one over Zoom, due to COVID-19. activities he’s done with his fraternity.”

Additionally, Tascione is the event coordinator for the No More Cancer Rally, an event that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

It’s usually hosted in early November, but because of COVID-19 it won’t be.

But fundraising is still encouraged. So far this year, $9,000 has been raised. He is hopeful that it can happen in the spring, even if virtually.

COVID-19 has also affected his teaching experiences. In the past, he was involved in a program called Project Connect, where he would go into a school and work in the after-school program. But

COVID-19 forced the program to be reinvented to fit the circumstances.

The program is now called Cardinal Classroom.

Tascione works with a student one-on-one via Zoom and tutors them based on their academic needs. His adviser, Michelle Bonati, said he lit up when she asked him about how the tutoring program was going the other day. Gervich can see him putting a lot of time and energy into the program as well.

Tascione also works with students on campus.

Tascione became a Community Advocate last year for Adirondack Hall, which had its difficulties within itself. He was 19-years old while all his residents were

21. But being a CA this year for an all-freshmen building has been a different experience. He has connected with his floor and says it’s very communitybased.

“It’s just cool getting to be there to help people with whatever resources they need, just help them guide through that first college experience,” Tascione said.

Bonati sees how much he cares for others, especially through his CA position.

“I think he really wants to help people feel part of the community here at Plattsburgh, and he shows he cares about his fellow students and the broader Plattsburgh community as well,” Bonati said.

Reflecting back, Tascione sees that he had changed a lot since his freshman year.

“I wasn’t completely out of my shell yet. I was still kind of adapting to college trying to get my footing in,” Tascione said.

Despite this uncertainty, Bonati mentions that he was always willing to get up and speak in front of the class, which is often difficult for freshmen.

Compassion for others has always remained an important trait of Tascione’s.

“At the end of the day, one of the things that makes me happiest is making other people happy and trying to help them develop and get the most out

EVELYN MASSAQUOI/Cardinal Points

SPOOKY Continued from page twelve There are several theories about who or what is haunting the building. One is John Blanchard, a janitor at the college who committed suicide in 1917. However, the residence hall was built 24 years after the suicide. When the hall was being reconstructed, 2 graves and a bone were found. One grave was never identified, but the other belonged to Benjamin Vaughn (wife of the man who built the Kent Delord House), a museum and the oldest house in Plattsburgh.

While working on a YouTube series

called ‘Plattsburgh Paranormal’ last fall, senior Maddie Stewart, covered the activities of Macdonough Hall but did not personally experience any unusual activities.

However, she said she has heard several anecdotes from her peers. During their research for the show, Stewart and her team found out about the unearthing of the graves and thought it was solid evidence that the Hall is haunted.

Many believe that the spooky events occur in the Hall because it is located right next to the Riverside Cemetery.

The Northern New York Paranormal Research Society (NNYPRS), a group based out of Malone and Albany that scientifically investigates claims of

of their lives as possible,” Tascione said.

But overall, through his experiences and leadership here at SUNY Plattsburgh, Tascione has confidence in himself and the work he has done here. Both of which will help him in his future when applying for teaching positions.

“I’m also just happier. My freshman year was hard, but ever since sophomore and this year, everything about my life just makes me happy,” Tascione said.

Email NATALIE ST. DENIS cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

EVELYN MASSAQUOI/Cardinal Points

paranormal activity, payed a visit to the campus and inspected Macdonough Hall.

Kristina Lollo, a resident of Macdonough Hall in Spring 2020, said sometimes when she was using the bathroom in the middle of the night, the showers would abruptly start running water even though nobody else was in the bathroom. Sometimes she would wake up and find her window open and things on her desk rearranged that she didn’t remember moving. She lived in a single.

Lollo said she believes the Ghosts or the other beings that live there have fun pranking gullible students.

“I think the rumours surrounding the hauntings of Macdonough are so

widely accepted and believed because a lot of people have had experiences like these and because we are gullible to our new environment,” Lollo said.

“Being a student can be stressful and demanding, so I’d attribute some of the perpetuation and acceptance of these rumors to our attentiveness, or lack thereof, to things outside of our school work and our misunderstanding of how things in the building function and operate. Either way, I think it makes for some fun campus lore!”

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Student Art Spotlight Gavin Landole Senior studio art major with a concentration in photography Hi everyone! My name is Gavin Landole, I’m a senior here at SUNY Plattsburgh, and I’m currently studying studio art with a focus in photography. I always like to challenge myself with my works, heavily focusing on surrealism or relevant topics.

I love to push different culture out into the world and create images that some may find disturbing, yet could fix a perspective from.

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NSE allows students to explore country

BY NICKIE HAYES Staff Writer

For students looking to enhance their college experience, the National Student Exchange program can provide that. SUNY Plattsburgh is one of the 170 schools in the National Student Exchange or NSE program.

Students can go to school for the same tuition as SUNY Plattsburgh, but in any state, including Hawaii and Alaska, the United States territories including Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, along with Canada.

Brooke Layhee, the coordinator of the study away program, manages the study away function at SUNY Plattsburgh through the Global Education Office.

Aidan Vogl is a senior, with a major in computer security, and has firsthand experience in the NSE program. He participated in the NSE program in his second semester of his junior year. Vogl studied in Orem, Utah, at Utah Valley University.

Jerreka Turner-Lewis, is a senior with a public relations major and a minor in marketing. She participated in the NSE program and studied in San Bernardino, California, at the California University of San Bernardino.

Within the program, students are allowed to study for a full semester, or a summer term at another university.

In the National Student Exchange there are a variety of universities, and is a great option for those who do not want to or are not ready to study in a different country.

Vogl said there were 40,000 students on his host campus, which heavily contrasted what he was used to at SUNY Plattsburgh. He said it could be pretty intense sometimes with that many students, but he was glad it took him out of his comfort zone.

“There is so much within the U.S. for students to explore, that they could go to the south or the west coast, experiencing something completely different and still be in the states,” Layhee said.

If students are preparing for graduate school, staying at that campus they are interested in can determine whether or not it will be the right choice for them. As well, students can use this as an opportunity to try living in another part of the country they might want to move to later in life.

“In your head you might think you want to live in California, but try it out for a semester, and see how it goes,” Layhee said.

Turner said she had always wanted to go to California, and that is why she chose that destination. The school was not her top choice, but she was glad she was only an hour from Los Angeles. As well, the school offered many courses within her program.

“Being in a new place is what makes it so exciting,” Turner said.

“My experience was amazing out in Utah,” Vogl said.

One of the reasons he chose this destination was because of the mountainous scenery, and he had the ability to ski every weekend.

There is also an application for the NSE program, which is available in early November to complete, and is due by Feb. 25. There is an application fee of $210, and this used to be nonrefundable. However, due to COVID-19, the NSE program now allows for the application fee to be deferred to a different term.

Layhee said in comparison to the study abroad program, NSE is unique because students must choose their top five schools they would like to study at, and rank them from their most to least wanted.

From there, after their applications are submitted, in March, there is a placement conference. This is when students will find out which school they will be attending for the following fall or spring term.

Layhee explains that there is a wide range of students who are interested in doing the program. With students coming from almost every major at SUNY Plattsburgh.

Although, typically students who have flexibility within their major have the most success in the NSE program.

To participate in the program, students must have at least a 2.5 GPA to apply, but depending on the school they would like to attend within the program, it may be higher.

Layhee said it can range up to a 2.75 or 2.8 GPA, for some schools. As well, students must have stayed on the Plattsburgh campus for at least one semester to have an established GPA. There are many benefits to the NSE program, including an experience for students looking to learn more about the United States, and learning about different communities around the United States.

Vogl said his favorite experiences at the school were meeting new people, especially because they grew up in a completely different environment. He enjoyed comparing the similarities and differences of people from back home in Plattsburgh to people from Utah.

As well, he enjoyed learning from different instructors and seeing their perspective on the field.

“I took a couple of courses that I would never be able to take at Plattsburgh. I took an emergency preparedness course, and I took a course in national security,” Vogl said.

Turner said there was a place like the H.U.B. at SUNY Plattsburgh, but called the Cross Cultural Center at her host university. She said she had made a lot of her friends there, who have now turned into life-long friendships and got to learn more about the campus there.

“One of my favorite parts about going there were the apartment style dorms,” Turner said.

She was lucky enough for the first half of the semester to have the apartment to herself. As well, they were right across the street from the campus, and that is where the upperclassmen lived.

Another benefit to the NSE program is that students have a much easier ability to find courses that will be able to transfer back into credits for SUNY Plattsburgh, compared to the study abroad program.

One thing that was nice for Vogl was that the course credits transferred to SUNY Plattsburgh effortlessly.

Layhee highlights the importance of making connections and networking through the NSE, and says students can start to build that professional network that can be utilized after graduation.

“Building that as early as you can is so important because so much of what we do is based on the connections we make,” Layhee said.

Vogl said the professors were delightful, and gracious enough to offer help in the future if he ever had any questions.

As well, one of his friends worked at a technology start up company in Salt Lake City, and another friend worked at a staffing firm. He said that the friend who worked at the staffing firm would be able to get him a position if he was ever interested.

While on one of the ski lifts, Vogl met a man from the United Kingdom. He told him about some interesting job opportunities there in hedge funding for him to look into.

Turner said that even though it was a big school, she still got to make connections with her professors.

One professor specifically stood out to her because he was her public relations campaign instructor. In the course, she got to work at an art gallery, creating a strategic marketing plan for them. She enjoyed the real life experience in public relations.

Layhee explains that the only drawback a student might have in the NSE is culture shock, but this can be used for self-reflection and having a better understanding of the country we live in, which would ultimately help them in the long run.

“That is something you wouldn’t necessarily learn in a classroom. It is mostly generated by the experience you have,” Layhee said.

One of the major drawbacks for her was that she did not have a car, and there was not much outside of the campus to do for her. As well, she had a bit of a culture shock, but she said that added to her experience.

The only disadvantage of the experience for Vogl was

that it was cut short. At the time, COVID-19 was starting to ramp up in the United States, along with the rest of the world, so he had to leave Utah early.

Turner also had her experience cut short due to COVID-19.

“It was a little scary being so far away, and not knowing what’s going to happen due to the unforeseen circumstances,” Turner said.

Due to COVID-19, the NSE program has been canceled for the 2021 spring semester. Although as of now, the NSE has not determined if the program will occur summer 2021, or for fall 2021. Although, Layhee is continuing to prepare for students to experience the program next summer and fall.

Layhee said she likes to take precautionary measures, especially during this time. This includes having students prepare their classes if they are doing the NSE program, and having a backup plan of courses if it is canceled. As well, there is a Risk Tolerance Assessment, to advise students to consider different scenarios when studying away.

She explains the department is very transparent about anything, including costs, COVID-19 precautions and unplanned occurrences. They want students to understand the full picture, being as proactive as possible.

The fees associated with the NSE include the one application fee of $210, and the registration fee of $350 that is normally added on to students regular tuition fee.

“The way I look at it is that it is $560 to do NSE,” Layhee said.

Other fees may include housing at the campus if that is more expensive, or a flight ticket to the destination, but as a student is setting up the process, Layhee will explain individualized payments needed on a case-by-case basis.

For tuition costs, Turner did not have to pay anything out of pocket because her financial aid transferred to the university, and she paid the same tuition as SUNY Plattsburgh. The only other expenses she had were for room and board.

Vogl’s tuition was actually less expensive at his host school than SUNY Plattsburgh’s tuition rates. However, he said the cost of the program overall was more than the initial fees, but that was to be expected, and was still much lower than he anticipated.

Layhee said depending on where students go, they also have the opportunity to develop a second language.

“We talk a lot about creating global citizens on our campus, and having students that have these competencies to understand cultures or people beyond themselves,” Layhee said.

What Vogl took away from the program was that traveling is a wonderful experience, and got to learn a little more about the world. As well, instead of flying out to Utah he drove across the country. He said it was to explore new states he had not seen before.

“It was the first on my own exploration. Now I am definitely more confident going places on my own, learning about places, and exploring,” Vogl said.

He also explained how he can be timid at times, and the experience helped him get out of his shell.

“I don’t think I would have developed the personality that I have now without doing NSE,” Turner said.

She said overall the experience was eye opening for her and made her want to push herself to open herself to life’s many opportunities. She said it is a life changing experience, and with proper planning, nothing can stop a student from doing the NSE program.

Layhee said she personally recommends the program because it is an affordable way to have an experience outside of Plattsburgh. She said Plattsburgh has so much to offer students with its wonderful programs and faculty, but this is another way to add to that experience.

Email NICKIE HAYES cp@cardinalpointsonline.com

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Students share spooky Macdonough Hall experiences

BY TAIBA AZEEM Staff Writer

Rumours regarding MacDonough Hall’s alleged haunting have become common knowledge to SUNY Plattsburgh students and professors. The paranormal occurrences experienced by residents secured SUNY Plattsburgh a spot on the “Top 13 most haunted Colleges in New York State”.

Students residing in the Hall over the years have reported many mysterious incidents which is presumed to be the presence of a paranormal being. There have been multiple reports about toilets flushing on their own, lights flickering or shutting down, things falling off the shelves and doors opening or closing automatically. The second floor is thought to be the most haunted.

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SAREEM JABBAR/Cardinal Points