SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper since 1997
VOLUME 106 - ISSUE 5
FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022
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University Police officers will be equipped with bodycams after UP Chief Patrick Rascoe took the initiative to order them for campus police.
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Bodycams expected for UP BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA Staff Writer
University Police officers will start using body-worn cameras within this semester, as Mary Stockman, the Student Association’s senator for Campus Safety and Health, announced at a senate meeting Wednesday, Feb. 16. As the first police department in Clinton County to use body cameras, UP will be constantly revising its body camera use policy based on research by Criminal Justice Professor Dr. Mustafa Demir. UP Chief Patrick Rascoe or-
dered four cameras — one for each of the three officers on duty at any given time and a spare — as well as the batteries for them. The cameras mount magnetically on the officer’s uniform at the center of the chest, continuously recording footage, regardless of whether an officer clicked the record button, and uploads it to UP servers. Rascoe noted that while the batteries for the cameras already arrived Monday, March 10, it may take several weeks before the cameras themselves arrive. Since former New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill re-
quiring patrol officers to wear body cameras June 16, 2020, the demand for them has increased. “Everybody in the world is ordering cameras,” Rascoe said. “Police departments all over the U.S. are ordering body cameras.” Stockman said UP was “a little bit behind” other police departments in the country, but that Rascoe’s initiative itself is “the most important thing.” To receive approval for the use of body cameras, Rascoe met with Mayor Christopher Rosenquest, as well as Andrew Wylie, the Clinton County district attorney. Clinton County approved the pro-
posal to employ body cameras on UP officers in the summer of 2019. However, the process was significantly delayed due to the original camera company WatchGuard being purchased by Motorola Solutions and subsequently, the COVID-19 pandemic emerging. In his time working for Plattsburgh City Police, Rascoe installed a mobile camera system for police cars, also known as dashcams, and has been interested in implementing similar technology systems at UP since he joined in 2015. Rascoe started researching body cams when he became chief in 2018.
“In addition to installing [cameras] in the police cars, I also installed a unit in my inspector’s office next-door, and another unit in the investigator’s office next-door to that, so we could record interviews,” Rascoe said. “So the only piece that was missing out of all this, in my view, was officers recording their interactions in the public when they weren’t in the police car or an interview room.” Stockman said body cameras were something the student body “demanded,” alongside them being Rascoe’s own initiative. POLICE l A5
Panelists discuss LGBT activism, Adirondacks BY LARAIB ASIM Staff Writer
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Members of the SUNY Plattsburgh community listen to panelists discussing being queer and a person of color in the Adirondacks for a Women’s History Month event.
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On International Working Women’s Day, the Gender and Women Studies department arranged “Queer, Trans, & BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] Activism in the Adirondacks.” The event was March 8 in the Alumni Conference Room in the Angell College Center. Women’s History month is an annual-themed celebration that outlines the contributions women have made toward American society. President Jimmy Carter originally proclaimed the week of March 8 Women’s History Week. In 1987 Congress passed Public Law 100-9 declaring the celebration be for a month instead of a week. The theme for 2022 is “Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” with the
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hashtag #BreakTheBias. The event’s purpose was to highlight women’s accomplishments throughout history whilst acknowldging the “spirit of feminist activism,” according to the host. The entire staff was voluntarily participating in the event and was not being paid. The first speaker was Kelly Leigh Metzgar, the co-founder and executive director of Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance and Adirondack North Country Gender Advocacy & Education based in Saranac Lake. Metzgar identifies as a non-binary, transgender person whose speciality is with transgender, gender non-binary, gender nonconforming and intersex advocacy. “[She seeks] to end the stigma that there is ‘something wrong’ or unacceptable in being transgender or gender non-binary. She seeks to educate the
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public on gender identity and expression issues to promote understanding, acceptance of transgender and gender nonconforming/ non-binary people in all aspects of life including in schools and empolyment on the job,” Dr. Kolleen Duley said. Metzgar talked about the difficulties of coming out. She asked the audience rhetorically, “What is it like to live in a lie? To hide yourself from your family, from your friends. What’s it like to live in constant fear? That you were afraid of your own physical well being.” The room was quiet as she continued to talk about living in shame, with growing guilt that something is wrong and fear of being discovered and not living up to family expectations. “That’s really not the way you want to live your life,” Metzgar said. WOMEN l A2
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NEWS
News Editor Olivia Bousquet
Friday, March 25, 2022
SA listens about safety ambassadors on campus BY OLIVIA BOUSQUET News & Managing Editor
March 11 A student reported to University Police that they were a victim of a fraud. The investigation has been closed.
Weekly Meme
The biggest discussion at the Student Association senate meeting March 9 regarded the Student Safe Walk Initiative. The Student Safe Walk Initiative was implemented by University Police in 2016, where upperclassmen student interns in the criminal justice department, called safety ambassadors, walk around campus during evening hours to see if students feel unsafe and need someone to accompany them to their dorm. The safety ambassadors can be seen wearing a vest and walking in pairs. Dr. Michelle Bonati, a SUNY Plattsburgh associate professor, asked senators what the Initiative could do to be better for students on-campus. According to Bonati, some students mentioned to her that they felt unsafe walking in the evenings on campus. She was there to collect feedback from the senators and members of the meeting to improve this type of service for students. Some senators mentioned creating an app by collaborating with the Coding Hub for students to download and request for safety ambassadors to meet them at their location. It could also serve as an accountability module for interns to make sure they are working and not relaxing in their dorms. Bonati said the idea was good, but she mentioned accessing the request for a safety ambassador through the student portal to prevent nonstudents from requesting. Senator Carter Mosher said that dealing with the Duo login and signing in could take too long if a student truly feels unsafe and wants to access the request option faster. Other senators agreed with Mosher. Another idea was to increase hours of operation for safety ambassadors. They currently walk around from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. However, many students study late at Fein-
berg Library throughout the week, especially during midterms and finals weeks. Bonati wrote down the idea, but said it is challenging to have safety ambassadors for midterms and finals weeks because they are also students. Senator Aissatou Lo brought up the concern that students on campus are “fearful of UP,” and she was concerned that students would be more nervous requesting help if they already don’t feel safe with campus police. Bonati agreed with Lo that there is “mistrust” of UP, and she hopes to see officers attend campus events as people “without the weapons” to be a part of the campus community more. The final idea for Bonati surrounded a general safety concern that was mentioned was updating the security cameras around campus to make students feel more safe in general and to show they are actively working. In other SA news, the SUNY Plattsburgh Nutrition Association requested $1,950 to help cover costs to attend a conference in Syracuse from April 8 to April 9. The money would be used to cover registration, hotel expenses and gas. There are eight students planning to attend and one advisor. The conference would have registered dietitians, keynote speakers and presentations. The senate voted and unanimously approved of the $1,950 to help cover expenses. The Council for Exceptional Children requested $575 to also help cover costs for a conference from April 8 to April 9 for the eBoard to present research. The funds would be used to cover registration, hotel expenses and gas. Senators asked whether any fundraising or promoting occurred for the event, but the public relations chair said no. However, the senate voted to table the request for $575 to the following SA meeting because the treasurer did not attend and the public relations chair could not speak confidently on their budget.
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Campus COVID-19 Tracker Number of positive COVID-19 cases within SUNY Plattsburgh community:
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Continued from page A1 “But for many in my generation, that is how we grew up. This is why I do the work that I do. Because no one should have to live like this anymore.” She talked about her life story and how she read a book about a family whose son was transgender. The book, written by a couple she personally knows, Terri and Vince Cook, inspired her to come out to her mom. She talked about the dilemma of coming out at work where she had been working in the IT department since 2006 as a man and how welcomed she felt when all her coworkers warmly accepted her. Micaela Lynch, a student at SUNY Plattsburgh, asked how a person can identify as both a transgender and non-binary. “For 55 years of my life, I lived as male. I’ve always gone back and forth over the binary line,” Metzgar said, answering Lynch’s question. “I was never truly male and until my transition and even now not truly female. Do I identify as female? Yes. But I am not a natural female. That was not my sex assigned at birth.” Metzgar also talked about various challenges transgender people face in different areas such as within the criminal justice system. Prisons more, often than not, place most transgender people in male-dominated jails, placing them at risk for violence and abuse. They are disrespected because they might be misnamed and misgendered. Similarly, healthcare is an issue as doctors would refuse to help LGBT people because it goes against their beliefs. The second speaker was Nicole Hylton-Patterson, the director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) also based in Saranac Lake. She completed her undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, completed two master’s degrees as well as a PhD in ethics, cultural minority, gender and group studies at Arizona State University. Her mission is to “equip communities in the North countries with the tools, strategies, language and voice needed to dismantle systemic racism and structural oppression.” According to the Adirondack Diversity Initiative website, “She is a Black, queer activist scholar and community organizer, who spent the last 25 years working with marginalized and minoritized communities around the world to seek justice.” Hylton-Patterson talked about the ADI Initiative’s. According to the website, “ADI provides programming, outreach, mobilization, rapid response and public policy efforts to established educational communities, businesses and organizations and Adirondack residents. We look at what the challenges are and then
SA voted on the approval of new positions with the organization. Senators voted on the approval of a Senate Ex-Officio position, and it was unanimously approved. Two students, Dhruv Shah and Rebecca Makara, were unanimously approved as voting members of the Academic Affairs Board. Mosher said the AAB “desperately needs members.” AAB works to “ bridge the gap between students and students, as well as between students and faculty,” according to the Student Association page on the SUNY Plattsburgh website.
Makara, a graduate student, said she can bring a “new perspective as a graduate student” to the board. For Executive Council Officers’ reports and announcements, SA Vice President Kathleen Gill announced she was resigning as of that week. She resigned for personal reasons not tied to the SA. The SA election is April 15 and the referendum is March 25. The end of the meeting, Advisor Jacob Avery said he “strongly urge [the SA] to look at all aspects of safety on campus.” He also said senators should attend club events and talk to the student body. “What are you doing for the SA?” Avery asked. “We are here to help.”
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focus on solutions. These solutions are focused in 5 areas: education, commerce & economy, recreation, environmental justice and public policy/interest.” She enthusiastically summarized information regarding ADI’s programs. This included the “Bidirectional Exchange for K-12 participants,” which starts June 28 where students in the K-12 system residing in the Bronx will be participating with students from several Adirondack North Country schools to “develop their cultural consciousness.” Sierra Smith, a SUNY Plattsburgh student who grew up in the Bronx, asked why children from the Bronx were specifically chosen for the program. Hylton-Patterson had initially chosen the area because she had a personal connection to it because she co-parents her nephews, who have since graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School. Later on, a senator advocated for the organization and arranged funding that has allowed them to expand the K-12 program to all schools in the area this season. Another program is the Alternative Spring Break for University/College participants for students from the BIPOC community. This program allows students to “get out of the college campus and start to know the [Adirondack] region,” Hylton-Patterson said. “[They can] learn to swim, go kayaking, go hiking, learn to ski.” Hylton-Patterson also encouraged students to look into the Antiracism Education and Mobilization Campaign (AEMC)’s which consists of “four virtual series that explores the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality and the environment.” The AEMC also features two Anti-racism book clubs. The Cultural Consciousness Training Program is another program that is for “organizations to get their staff ready to be culturally responsive to the shifting demographics of New York state,” Hylton-Patterson said. She highlighted that this training is not the same as diversity training since it uses “cognitive-behavioral approach to deepen understanding of culture, socialization, race and racism.” Tyler Mccarthy-Walker, a graduate student, asked if the Adirondack Diversity Initiativewas available to SUNY Plattsburgh students. Since Plattsburgh is part of the Adirondack community, the resources are available to the students and can be found through the website where staff can be emailed or called directly. “The community resource guide is for BIPOC and other minioritized folks coming into the region or women in the region that want to know what are the services that are available [to them],” Hylton-Patterson said. She left with an inspiring speech encouraging everyone to keep advocating for the BIPOC communities in Upstate New York. Email LARAIB ASIM cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
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FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022
Educations impacted by ignorance BY DANIELA RAYMOND Staff Writer
Parents send their children off to college to learn in a safe environment where they can grow and be fulfilled with life experiences. Black students do not often get this experience due to constantly living in fear of targeted hate crimes at historically Black colleges and universities. For weeks, there have been a series of bomb threats at historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country. These bomb threats have come during a politically tense time in the United States. When Black students live in fear everyday of being hate crimed even walking down the street, they are now subject to the same actions at their universities. Nearly 20 HBCUs in five states and the District of Columbia received bomb threats since Feb. 1. According to PBS News the FBI have “identified six tech savvy juveniles as people of interest in the latest threats, adding that they have appeared to have racist motivations.” The timing of these threats have been uncanny as Black students celebrated Black history month in February. These spaces at historically Black universities were created as a safe space for students to achieve and learn with a freedom that wasn’t always applied to them without fear. There is no coincidence that the time of these bombs threats began during February. These acts of terrorism against the Black community thankfully have not physically harmed students, but the emo-
tional toll that has taken on the Black community is even greater. The root of white supremacy is destroying the sovereignty of Black people, especially in predominantly Black spaces.
“I just feel like people really need to be held accountable, and schools should be taking precautions,” Jaida Jenkins, a Senior sociology major, said. “Figuring out who’s doing it
gency Procedures, there is a section for bomb threat procedures, including a link to ‘What You can Do When There is a Bomb Threat’ video by U.S. Homeland Security. There is also a threat checklist, outlining signs of a threat and contact information for University Police, as well as things to do if a threat takes place. Additionally, there is also a list of crisis hot lines, as a bomb threat is a serious matter. Black students want to get an education, trying to better themselves in a world that is constantly putting them down. HBCUs are now on high alert keeping their guards up, but unfortunately this is not something new to them. They have been facing diversity and triumph through adversity since the beginning. On Black campuses these threats carry too much history to be dismissed, these hate crimes are not yet in the past. The fear and anxiety of these attacks is still in the heart of students and will be difficult to overcome. As Black students’ adversity is nothing new, everyday the world brings challenges that their white counterparts will never face. HBCUs were created to be sacred Black spaces and have continued to complete that purpose when faced with the threat of white supremacy. This is not the first time that these ZOE NGUYEN/Cardinal Points universities have been put in danger, but as history prevails and law enforcement should be they will rise above. taking this extremely seriously. We need to be holding them accountable.” Email DANIELA RAYMOND On the SUNY Plattsburgh cp@cardinalpointsonline.com website, under Campus Emer-
NBA YoungBoy feud sparks fiery attention BY JEREMY BINNING Staff Writer
The hip hop community hasn’t been this divided since the mid-90s with the infamous rivalry between hip-hop legends, Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. As many remember how that played out, both rappers were murdered 6 months apart and seemingly ended the east coast/west coast rivalry that their feud had started. The recent tension between rappers Lil Durk and NBA YoungBoy have been making weekly headlines with both constantly attacking each other on social media and in their songs. The rivalry stems from an altercation that occurred in November of 2020, when Lil Durk’s cousin King Von, who was also signed with Durk’s label, was fatally gunned by an affiliate of YoungBoy’s label, Lul Tim. Tim was arrested and charged with the murder after video footage from a camera outside the club they were at showed the entire altercation. Von was on the verge of attacking another rapper that was there, Quando Rondo, after the two appeared to trade shots online just a week before. Rondo is also an affiliate of YoungBoy and is also signed to his label. Lul Tim was released after beating the murder charge two weeks after the incident because he claimed it was in selfdefense and the video footage proved so. Upon his release, Quando Rondo and Lul Tim faced much backlash for the murder because of how big King Von’s following was. Constantly going back and forth with Durk and his crew for the next year, the media quickly began picking sides, only increasing the tension. Youngboy was released from jail in late October of 2021 and stayed quiet for much of the first few weeks after coming home. However, things began to heat up when he dropped a diss track aimed at Durk and his crew called “I Hate YoungBoy” where he also disses other rappers in affiliation with Durk. “I thought he should have stayed quiet and let it die down instead of reigniting the flame,” Jonathan Cromartie, senior at
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Dominican College, said. Durk would respond a few weeks later with his song “AHHH HA” which would also be the lead single for his latest studio album “7220”. Destiny Martinez, a senior at Hunter College, explains how the current situation between the two has affected hip-hop. “The publicity that has come from this has brought both of their names up,” Martinez said. “The fact other rappers are getting involved, I feel like it’s only going to
make things worse and that’s detrimental to the hip-hop community.” Other artists have responded to YoungBoy, such as Gucci Mane, who dropped “Publicity Stunt” in early March. The ongoing feud has already had more violence added after the Von murder with Tim being shot in the stomach, which he would survive, in the summer of 2021. The feud has no end in sight and both artists don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Both
artists have since been quiet on social media as YoungBoy is still under house arrest in his Colorado home and is awaiting trial for his federal gun charge. Durk recently dropped his album 7220 this past week and is sitting comfortably at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
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CARDINAL VOICE
Opinions Editor Jess Johnson
Editorial
Woman nominated, Supreme Court It is time for change. President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to sit on the Supreme Court, Feb. 25. She could be the first Black woman to be appointed and confirmed — a monumental, positive shift for our government, as she faced questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this past week. “I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications, and that we inspire all young people to believe that they can one day serve their country at the highest level,” Biden said. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of mixed Jamaican and Indian heritage, was the first Black American woman to hold the second-highest office in the country, and represented a major change in the inclusion and representation of the highest courts. Appointing another woman, especially
that of minority and marginalized groups, is something that we vitally need as a country to continue change among the conservative leaning Supreme Court. Especially, as a Black woman has never been nominated to the high court, and out of 115 justices over the past two centuries, only five have been women, with one woman being minority. Changes in real representation like these are a step toward equality, reparations for years of minority and marginalized group mistreatment, and giving those a voice that have been silenced for an extreme amount of time. Changes like these push young children who may not look like the idealized candidate to run in the future. They no longer will feel their skin tone, their ethnicity, culture and heritage is being dehumanized and ignored by a white supremacy-run institution, and it will instill that someday those who dream of a better future in
political leadership will follow in Jackson’s footsteps. As of 2021, there is greater representation in some areas, as “57 House members in the new Congress are Black, putting the share of Black House members (13%) about on par with the share of the overall U.S. population that is Black,” according to a Pew Research report. Currently, there are three Black senators, and no Black governors. It is not enough representation for those who have had none since the beginning, among a system that was built to fail those who are not the typical cis gender, white man. We need to keep pushing. That starts with Jackson actually being appointed into a position on the Supreme Court. The court currently has six conservative justices and three liberal justices, that control abortion, gun control and religious liberty issues. This makeup impacts the implantation of more legislation that would protect those who are
unable to have a voice, and most of all — the direction we are moving in as a country. With numerous human rights issues that still have yet to be touched in Congress, we are shifting day by day closer to a more inclusive America. We need to allow ourselves to see a different future, and keep that hope that with each protest, each letter sent, and each outcry for change will get through to those who are supposed to make everyone feel welcome in a country that preaches freedom and justice. And that our leaders will allow us even the smallest victory, in a sea of constant guessing whether or not we will be judged and reprimanded on the basis of the skin we were born in. This is not a normal day for America,” Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat and only Black member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said. “We have never had this moment before.”
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Shipwreck leads to inhumanity BY MATTHEW WENDLER Contributor
The crew felt the wave’s impact as it collided with the vessel. They were sailing nearly 1,500 miles northwest of the Cape of Good Hope in the South Atlantic Ocean Jul. 5, 1884. Strong winds became prevalent that night, but little concern was held as the vessel hadn’t shown any signs of struggle. The sea soon crashed upon them, taking out the sails and other portions of the craft. Water seeped below deck and the ship began to sink. The small yacht was named the Mignonette. The four men aboard were hired to deliver it from Southampton, England to a new owner in Sydney Australia. The crew consisted of captain Thomas Dudley, first mate Edwin Stephens, seaman Edmund Brooks, and a 17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker. They set sail May 19, 1884, but the vessel was never meant for such long trips. With no other options, Dudley ordered his crew to abandon ship. The men put what supplies they could on a lifeboat, including a few navigation tools and two tins of turnips. Within five minutes, the Mignonette was underwater. All four men survived, but were now stranded at sea, thousands of miles from land, with little food. For the first few days, the crew rationed out the turnips from the tins. At one point they were able to catch a turtle and survive off its meat for nearly a week, but it would prove not to be enough. With no fresh water, the crew resorted to drinking their own urine and went without eating for days. In desperation, Parker resorted to drinking water from the sea. He succumbed to illness from salt poisoning as a result and fell into a coma. Dudley made a case to the other two crew members that they
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should draw lots to determine a sacrifice. He argued it was better for someone to die so the others could live; though Brooks was completely against the idea. Dudley then tried pleading to Stephens, pointing out that Parker appeared to be dying and that they both had families to care for. Dudley and Stephens decided to take Parker’s life Jul. 24, 1884. Stephens went up to the young cabin boy and held him down to prevent struggle. Dudley then held up his pen knife, said a prayer, and stabbed Parker in the neck. Although Brooks refused to assist, he didn’t try to stop them. The three men proceeded to feed on the body of their companion. Dudley, Stephens, and Brooks were rescued Jul. 29, after a German ship named the Montezuma came across their lifeboat. It took them to Falmouth, England, but they were arrested shortly after the story of Parker’s murder became known.
The trial of Regina v Dudley and Stephens began Nov. 3, 1884. The public held sympathy towards the three sailors as they knew their actions occurred as the result of extraordinary circumstances. Brooks wasn’t charged due to his refusal to take part in Parker’s murder. Dudley and Stephens were originally ordered to be hanged, but their sentences were commuted to six months of imprisonment. Over the years, people began to notice an uncanny similarity between the case and a novel written 46 years earlier. In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published his first and only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Part of the story describes a whaling ship known as the Grampus being capsized at sea due to a storm. The four men on the vessel had all survived, but were left stranded with barely any food. It was soon decided they would draw lots to determine who would be
sacrificed for food so the others could live. The cabin boy ended up drawing the short straw, resulting in him being killed and cannibalized by the other survivors. His name was Richard Parker. Poe’s novel and the events that took place with the Mignonette’s crew each feature four men surviving a shipwreck and a cabin boy being murdered and eaten by the other survivors. There’s also the name of the victim, Richard Parker. It’s as though Poe had already known what would take place in the future. Is there meaning behind it? Maybe, but then again, it may be nothing more than coincidence. The universe works in ways that can’t be understood. This case is just one of many examples. Regardless, the story of the Mignonette stands as a grim tragedy and a terrible end brought on by hunger and desperation. Email MATTHEW WENDLER cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
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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News Editor Olivia Bousquet
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POLICE Continued from page A1 According to Demir, there are several reasons police are choosing to employ body cams. Cameras can help reduce the use of force in police interactions with civilians and improve civilian compliance, as well as officers’ professional skills. Demir’s scholarly articles also find that body cams “help ensure procedurally just encounters,” increase “citizens’ satisfaction” with police encounters and improve civilian “perceptions of procedural justice and police lawfulness.” Demir will be presenting more of his research findings at the UP station later this semester. Body cam footage is also valuable as impartial evidence. “The camera sees what it sees,” Rascoe said. “Maybe it doesn’t always see what the officer sees, but the camera doesn’t lie, either. And I think it is the best way we have, at this point, of capturing the reality of what took place in a situation.” Such evidence can protect not only students, but UP officers as well. “There are sometimes accusations that are inaccurate, and this is their livelihood,” Rascoe said. “These officers, they pay their mortgages working this job, and to be scrutinized and not have any other account other than ‘It didn’t happen,’ ‘That’s not what I said,’
‘I didn’t do that’ is damaging. It certainly hurts their morale, so anything we can do to capture the reality of the incident is good.” Rascoe expressed a concern for student privacy regarding recordings in residence halls and the reveal of sensitive information. Stockman raised the concern of another incident between students and UP occuring, similar to the arrest of a SUNY Plattsburgh student Oct. 21, 2021. In that incident, a Black student was arrested for driving with a false vehicle inspection certificate and a suspended registration. She was also charged with resisting the arrest. At the time, only the police dashcam recording and a video taken by the arrested student’s companion could account for the incident. “Things are going to happen,” Stockman said. “We can hold the police officers accountable.” Along with federal and state guidelines, Demir’s research will play a defining role in tailoring UP’s policy for bodycam use specifically for the campus’ needs. “There is a relationship between theory research and policy. We know that there is a theoretical background of the effect of body-worn cameras on people and police, but also, we have to conduct research and see the results,” Demir said. “But before conducting research, [our discussions] would be abstract.” Email ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
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Friday, March 25, 2022
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News Editor Olivia Bousquet
NEWS
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Friday, March 25, 2022
This Week in Photos: Rockwell Kent Photos By Olga Muka
Students can visit the Rockwell Kent gallery in Feinberg Library on the second floor.
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FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022
Mikayla Osmer placed eighth in the 60-meter dash (8.57) in the qualifier in Middlebury Vermont.
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Cardinals compete in nationals BY JESSICA LANDMAN Staff Writer
Three athletes represented Plattsburgh track and field at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference championships March 4 at Nazareth College. “We did have more qualifications, but we had some injuries and some other unfortunate events, but it was awesome to have those three go to regionals,” senior captain Kristen Boerke said, Brexton Montville ran first on Friday in the 60-meter preliminary race. He finished his race with a time of 7.09 earning him 11th place, just places from qualifying for the final race that was run the following day. The Cardinals began their competition Saturday with Janyll Barber in the 400-meter dash. She completed her run in 1:00.15 with a 200-meter split time of 27.84 seconds. Barber finished seventh overall in the region. Just after Barber’s race, Aislyn McDonough ran in the 800-meter race. At the first 200-meter mark, she clocked a time of 32.12 seconds. At the 400-meter, halfway through the race, she came in at 1:06.32 in third place.
With just one lap left to go, McDonough was at 1:39.91 and increased her placement to first. She finished the race with an overall time of 2:14.66 which put her in second place overall and earned her a ticket to North Carolina for the NCAA Division III championships. This was also McDonough’s best time she had ever run, also known as a personal record. “When I ran 2:14, I was almost relieved,” McDonough said. “All of my hard work I had put in from summer training, cross country and winter training finally paid off. All of the pieces came together and I ran like the runner I always knew I could be.” Montivlle wrapped up the meet for the Cardinals in his second race for the regional championship meet. He ran in the 200 meter sprint and completed the race in 11th place, the same as his race the previous day. His final time was 22.69 seconds. Montville was one of only three SUNYAC competitors that qualified for the regional championships. The following week, McDonough traveled with coach Brett Wilmott to North Carolina for the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships. McDonough qualified for the 800-meter event with her personal
best time that she ran at the regional championship meet. After running a competitive race against some of the best Division III runners from across the country, McDonough ran her second best time ever finishing at 2:16.89 earning her 16th place overall in the nation. “I cannot put into words how much gratitude I have for my coaches, teammates, friends and family,” McDonough said. “This team is the most supportive and positive environment I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of and will forever hold a special place in my heart.” The NCAA championships were the final meet of the 2021-22 indoor track and field season. The team is looking to the outdoor season to continue with their success. “I expect them to keep working hard and get better and we’re going to be able to shift focus on a couple of different events,” Head Coach Andrew Krug said.“Getting them back competing at a high level at SUNYAC for the team and then going on to that regional championship, then hopefully, again we’re having the national discussion.” Email JESSICA LANDMAN cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
Women’s lax wins home opener BY COLLIN BOLEBRUNCH Staff Writer
After a disappointing first game, the Cardinals Women’s lax team bounced back in their home opener. On Tuesday, Plattsburgh (1-1) beat the Norwich Cadets (1-1) by a score of 17-5. This win comes off the heels of an 8-16 loss to the Canton Kangaroos in the Cardinals season opener. “It’s something we definitely want to learn from,” attack Maddy Garcia said. We wanted to prove ourselves. So with the second game we had, we worked a lot better. Honestly, in Canton, it was really bad. We were having an off day, we weren’t working together.” Plattsburgh’s win saw an outstanding five goals from Caroline Noia, hat-tricks by Emily Caoili and Caitlin Nash, and a pair of goals each from Garcia and Lindsay Guzzetta. Additional scoring came from Davina Gyedu and Fiona Fitzgerald. Caoili also added three assists. For Norwich, Allison Sturgeon scored three points, and multiple other players scored one. The story of the game, though, was the Cardinals’ outstanding defensive effort. The five points are the least amount scored by a Cardinal opponent in a win since March 9, 2019. The Cadets recorded a whopping 30 turnovers and shot just 10 times — five of which were saved by goalie Johanna Malone, who played all
OLGA MUKA/Cardinal Points
Kelly Wall started her Cardinal career with a bang winning her first home game against Norwich 17-5. 60 minutes. “I don’t think my defense could have played any better than they did. They were excellent,” Malone said. Plattsburgh was firing on all cylinders for a vast majority of the game. The first quarter ended with a score of 5-1 and the Cardinals did not look back — there wasn’t a quarter where Norwich outscored Plattsburgh. Going into the half, the Cardinals led 8-1. They held onto that lead, never leading by less than seven for the rest of the game. Malone credited the win to good preparation and
execution. Over the week before the game, the team stressed working together and communication. More specifically that they’d be able to hold themselves and each other accountable. The win against Norwich was the third game against the school all-time, and the second win. The Cadets are the Cardinals’ most prolific non-conference opponent. This was the first career season for Cardinals’ with Kelly Wall as a head coach. WLAX l B2
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CARDINAL SPORTS
Sports Editor Garrett Collins
Baseball Men’s/Women’s Track At SUNY New Paltz March 26 Saints ice Breaker open March Postponed 2.p.m. Men’s Lax At SUNY Cortland March 26 12 3:30 p.m.
Women’s Hockey NCAA Tournement vs Colby Mar 3 p.m.
Women’s Lax At SUNY Cortland March 26 12:30p.m.
Friday, March 25, 2022
Men’s Hockey
School SUNYAC Oswego 11-0-2-1 Plattsburgh 11-2-4-1 Genesseo 10-0-2-1 Cortland 7-1-5-2 Fredonia 7-0-0-0 Brockport 6-7-1-2 Potsdam 3-0-11 Buffalo State 3-1-10 Morrisville 2-1-12
Record 16-5-1 15-7-3 18-3-1 12-9-2 9-9-1 13-9-2 4-16-1 5-16 7-14-12
Women’s Hockey
Men’s Hockey Goals
Bennet Stockdale Joey Mancuso Carson Gallagher
Assists
Women’s Hockey 14 13 9
Bennet Stockdale Joey Mancuso Jacob Modry
14 14 14
Save Percentage Jacob Hearne
.905
Men’s Lax Goals
Sephen Knae Donald Woods John Eisman
Assists DAKOTA GILBERT/Cardinal Points
Senior Taylor Whitney smiles with the NEWHL trophy after a win over Cortland.
Zach Gill Micheal Swift Donald Woods
Goals
Annie katonka Nicole Unsworth Sara Krauseneck
Assists
27 15 14
Sara Krauseneck Ivy Boric Erin McArdle
27 22 20
Save Percentage Lilla Neace
.951
Women’s Lax 9 4 4
9 5 3
Goals
Caroline Noja Caitlin Nash Emily Caoili
Assists
Emimly Caoili Caroline Noja Emma McLaughlin
School NEWHL RecordPlattsburgh 15-0-1 20-2-1 Cortland 11-4-1 16-4-1 Oswego 11-4-1 14-7-1 Potsdam 6-10-1 8-14-1 Canton 6-9-1 12-9-1 Morrisville 4-11-1 6-14-1 Buffalo State 0-15-0 1-20-1
Men’s Lax
School SUNYAC Record Brockport 0-0 2-0 Potsdam 0-0 1-1 Cortland 0-0 1-2 Oswego 0-0 1-2 Plattburgh 0-0 1-2 Oneonta 0-0 1-3 Geneseo 0-0 0-2 New Paltz 0-0 0-2
Women’s Lax
5 5 4
5 2 2
School Record Buffalo State 0-0 Geneseo 0-0 Cortland 0-0 New Paltz 0-0 Plattsburgh 0-0 Oneonta 0-0 Brockport 0-0 Fredonia 0-0 Potsdam 0-0 Oswego 0-0
SUNYAC 2-1 1-1 0-2 2-1 1-1 0-2 1-0 0-2 0-1 0-3
Cardinals knock off Mules BY LIAM SAMPLE Staff Writer
The SUNY Plattsburgh women’s ice hockey team was lifted to the NCAA Division III National semifinals by a heroic overtime goal from graduate student Annie Katonka against the No. 9 ranked Colby College mules March 12 at Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. In the thrilling quarter-final match, Plattsburgh squeezed out a 3-2 victory over its opponent to appear in their ninth-straight semifinals. Colby, in its first national playoff appearance, made an excellent effort and forced overtime. The mules were one of Division III’s premier defensive teams, only allowing an average of 1.2 goals per game coming into this one so it slowed down the Cardinal’s high powered offense, which averages 5.7 goals per game scored. Colby College qualified as one of the three “at-large” bids for the playoffs, finishing its season with a 166-1 record. It was second overall in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) standings, only behind the No.1 team in the country, the Middlebury Panthers. This program has been going upward in recent years. In 2016-2017, the team won a pitiful two games. In only five years, they have gone from the bottom to close to the top of Division III hockey. Plattsburgh’s record is now 25-2-1, extending their winning streak to nine, and unbeaten streak to 20. After a 4-3 overtime win over Cortland in the North Eastern Women’s Hockey League Championship March 5, they persevered to win this one in extra time. They have won five of the last six national championships and enter the final four as reigning champions. After a defensive start to the game from both sides, the Cardinals cashed in first. Colby’s first year forward Lily Wisniewski controlled the puck in her zone, but fell as she attempted to make a pass. Both teams fought for the loose puck until junior forward Ivy Boric passed it to Katonka on the far boards, where she tried a centering pass. The puck bounced off of two different players and found its way to Boric’s stick, who fired it into the net at the 14:01 mark of the period. Initially, it appeared Boric’s shot found its way in on its own, but it turned out Katonka got a piece of it. This gave her credit for the goal and Boric for the primary assist, which was her sole point of the night and 44th of the season for third highest on the team. At the end of the period, Plattsburgh nearly extended their lead. Senior Nicole Unsworth, who scored the game winner against Cortland, found the puck in her own zone with plentiful space in front of her. After tak-
WLAX Continued from page B1 With multiple shortened seasons due to COVID and the coaching turnover, Plattsburgh has had to develop as a group before this season. “There’s been like a huge difference in how we all play together, and I think we’ve also gotten closer with each other off the field, which really helped. Throughout the first semester, we were getting really close to each other… I think that was definitely a huge factor in our chemistry on
the field,” Garcia said. Before cancellation, the Cardinals were scheduled to match up against the Utica Pioneers (1-0) on Wednesday, March 9 and the Union Dutchmen (10) on Saturday, March 12. Now, Plattsburgh’s next matchup comes against the St. Lawrence Saints (3-0) on Tuesday, March 15. This will be Platts’ first game ever against the school in what will be a tough matchup before a week-long hiatus.
Email COLLIN BOLEBRUNCH cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
DAKOTA GILBERT/Cardinal Points
Seniors on the Women’s hockey team poses with their trophy . ing it up the near side and to the front of the net, her shot was saved. She nearly scored on the rebound, but was robbed by diving senior goaltender, Nina Prünster. Prünstee made multiple saves like this one to keep her team in the game, recording a season high 47 saves while allowing three. She finished her regular season with a 1.08 goals allowed average, the lowest of her collegiate career. On the other side of the ice, junior Chloe Beaubien made the start for the Cardinals. She stopped 28 and allowed two, moving to a perfect 12-0-0 record this season. In the second period, Plattsburgh began to show its offensive power, tallying 20 shots compared to Colby’s seven. They were finally able to break Prünster just after the 11 minute mark. When set up in the offensive zone, first year forward Lily Stumm sent a pass to the point for junior Kendall Wasik. Wasik took a long, low wrist shot that senior Sara Krauseneck tipped into the net to put her team up 2-0. This was her 21st of the season and fifth game straight with a goal. While the Mules were feeling the offensive pressure, they found a way to respond. On the power play with
under two minutes left in the period, first year defender Anna Staton passed the puck to sophomore forward Meg Rittenhouse, who took a slap shot from the high slot into the top corner of the net to cut the lead in half. This puts her tied for the most goals on the team with 12. In the third, Colby began to ramp it up and eventually tied the game. With 12:21 remaining, the Mules dumped the puck behind the net. Rittenhouse sent a beautiful pass to senior forward Lexi Cafiero at the doorstep, who put it on net. The puck trickled past Beaubien to make the score even. This goal also tied Cafiero with Rittenhouse for the team lead in goals. The game stayed back and forth for the rest of the third, Making overtime necessary. This was both teams’ second straight overtime game. Back March 5, Colby lost to Amherst 2-1 in extra time during the NESCAC semifinals. A little over three minutes into overtime, Katonka made a steal in the offensive end near the bench. With a defender in her path toward the net, she made a textbook toe drag to leave just her and the goalie. She skated horizontally in front of the crease, cutting back to her forehand to leave the net wide open. After diving to tuck it home to complete a highlight reel goal, she struck a “star” pose while lying faceup on the ice before being swarmed by her teammates. This goal was featured on Sportscenter Top Ten that evening. This was Katonka’s Division III leading 34th goal of the season and 57th point, which is second highest in the country. “We controlled the game for the most part, so it was awesome to come out with the win [it] was such a big game and Annie [Katonka] showed up big for the team in overtime..” graduate student Kaitlin Drew-Mead said . Plattsburgh controlled the shot count, leading 50 to 30. The team travels to Middlebury for this year’s national semi-finals and finals. They take on the No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus College March 18 at 3 p.m. in their ninth-straight semifinal appearance. Gustavus Adolphus is 24-3-2 this season and upset the No. 3 University of Wisconsin River Falls 5-3 in the quarter final round. This team is strong in all aspects of hockey, allowing an average of only 1.1 goals per game while scoring an average four goals per game. They pose a tough matchup for the Cardinals, who attempt to defend their title on the road. However later on March 18 the Cardinals would lose 1-5 to Gustavus College. The Cardinals woulld then compete agienst Elmira College where they would win 3-2 and would place third in the NCAA tournement. Email LIAM SAMPLE cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
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Sports Editor Garrett Collins
CARDINAL SPORTS
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Friday, March 25, 2022
Golino stresses chemistry for success BY GARRETT COLLINS Sports Editor
Many students on campus look forward to this time of the year. The warm weather, the longer days and spring break. For many students, spring break means a time to go home and relax, maybe work, and others use that time to go on vacation with family and friends. However, it is not like that for all students. For some, spring break means the return of Cardinal softball. Junior pitcher Julia Golino was excited to be with her friends and get a gauge as to how the Cardinals compete nationally. “I definitely think Florida was good to see where we stand and what we need to work on,” Golino said. “Our team chemistry grew as well so I think we are going to be really successful this season and we can only grow from here.” The team chemistry is something that Julia and the Cardinals pride themselves on being able to know what her other teammates are doing. “Being a pitcher a lot of it is trusting the defense and trusting your team that you can get runs,” Golino said “[In Florida], we all bonded and learned things about each other that we didn’t know. It’s going to help us on the field so we can support each other.” This chemistry really started for them during the COVID-19 shutdown season. “I do think it helped in a way because our team chemistry got better and we grew as a team,” Golino said.
Last season the Cardinals went 7-9 and with such a young team they feel they can only move up from here. “I definitely see a lot of potential with this team,” Golino said. “ We are a younger team, so a lot of us have been together for the last year or two and a lot of players played together before even coming here.” This team seems to operate on the mentality that there is nobody in charge and they all do things for the betterment of the team. “We don’t have specific captains on the team, we all consider ourselves leaders,” Golino said. “Even the junior and senior class being in charge of the team, being available for the younger classmen if they need anything, we’re modeling things for the underclassmen which I think helps us.” Julia’s teammate Danielle Torres said she is always there for her teammates and making sure they perform at a top level. “I would say as a teammate she is always involved in cheering and picking others up,” Torres said. “She’s definitely loud and uses that to her advantage on the field as well. As a player she’s a good leader and dominant in the circle and 3rd base.She always gets a job done whether it be at the plate, in the circle or the hot corner.” The Cardinals softball season is right around the corner with the Cardinals welcoming the New Paltz Golden Eagles April 1. Photo provided by Julia Golino
Email GARRETT COLLINS cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
After going 7-9 the previous season,pitcher Julia Golino is looking foward to helping a young team move up and compete at the next level.
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FUSE
FUSE Editor Sydney Hakes
Friday, March 25, 2022
Professor discusses LGBT, COVID BY DANIELA RAYMOND Staff Writer
Dr. Timothy Affonso held a seminar over Zoom to highlight the disparities between COVID-19 measures and the LGBT community, Wednesday, March 9. Affonso is an experienced legal scholar and attorney, and currently serves as the deputy dean of student matters at the University of West Indies in Trinidad. He is also an associate tutor at the University of Wooding Law School in constitutional law and completed his master’s in law and public and human rights at London University College. The colloquy discussed how the pandemic has affected the LGBT community and how it faces employment deficits, violence, housing discrimination and unequal health care, resulting from stereotypes and group perceptions that are heavily rooted in heterosexual norms. “This health crisis has worsened treatment by state actors of persons within the LGBT community, and enabled these state actors to miscarry COVID-19 measures,” Dr. Jonathan Slater, director of the Institute for Ethics in Public Life, said. The laws and policies
ZOE NGUYEN/Cardinal Points
states used to control COVID-19 were also used by many countries to discriminate against minority groups. At the international human rights level, there have been treaties developed that address specific disparities within groups, but there has not been one in progress dealing with the LGBT community. This allows for a “cookie-cutter” tactic to be used, where piec-
es from different treaties are used that were never meant to deal with the rights and protection of this particular group. Affonso mentioned multiple different cases where the LGBT community was marginalized during the pandemic. In Uganda, police officers tried to implement quarantine issued by the government and utilized their power to target the homeless LGBT commu-
nity. The United Nations said “because of the extent of the allegations they asked Uganda to limit their use of these public measures to promote only public health, and not to target specific groups.” In the Philippines, where there is an informal mechanism for regional and domestic governance they humiliated the LGBT community in enforcing curfews. Panama imposed a gender-based
quarantine, meaning that on particular days men went out and on opposite days women were able to leave their homes, heavily targeting the transgender, intersex and nonbinary community. They were also given ID cards that identified their gender that they could be arrested for if outside on the day not designated to them. In Poland, their local council implemented LBGT safe zones that
ARTIST Continued from page B6
OLGA MUKA/Cardinal Points
Dr. Emily Rollie speaks to the group in the Angell College Center.
Tuesday reflection BY LUCA GROSS Staff Writer
A reflection forum was held in the Cardinal Lounge at the Angell College Center Tuesday, March 22 . These reflection Tuesdays are an opportunity for various professors of all disciplines to share their focuses with students at SUNY Plattsburgh. Dr. Emily Rollie, an associate professor at Central Washington University, has a PhD in theater and has committed much of her academic work to the study of theater disciplines, directing and intimacy choreography. Her focus is feminist theater and advocating change through the medium of theater. Rollie’s work has been established in several different American and Canadian theater focused publications including, “Theater Journal,” “Theater Survey,” “Canadian Theater Review,” “Theater Annual: A Journal of Theater and Performance of the Americas,” “SDC Journal PeerReviewed Section” and “Theater History Studies.” During the reflection Tuesday, Rollie discussed “Cuts to the Bone: An Ecofeminist Critique of Catherine Banks ‘Bone Cage,’” a reflection of a Nova Scotian play “Bone Cage” by Canadian playwright Catherine Banks. “It’s really hard to point
to one single definition of ecofeminism,” Rollie said. “At its core, ecofeminism examines the ways that the domination of the natural environment reflects and is linked to the domination of women.” Ecofeminism analyzes the connection between women and nature, as well as the systems of oppression that end up dominating women and by extension dominating nature. This play won Banks a Governor’s General Award which is awarded annually for outstanding contributions to the visual or media arts in a volunteer or professional capacity. It centers around the forestry industry in a rural town in the province of Nova Scotia. It looks at how the young people, who see the destruction around them, work for the industry that causes the destruction. The play has been afforded productions across Canada and adapted for other areas that show it. There is also a 2020 film adaptation directed by Taylor Olson. While Banks does not consider herself an activist, according to Rollie, the content of the play is a message publicly implying something about a system, in this case it is the forestry industry of the Nova Scotia area. Rollie’s main focus in the reflection was the intersectionality of men, women and the environment. “I’m also arguing that
a deeper reading of this play reveals the nuanced complicated human relationships with the natural world,” Rollie said. “Banks moves us toward a more complex consideration of the connection.” Rollie has a passion for theater and the platform it offers in advocating for change. “The first sort of larger message or takeaway for me is that art, particularly theater, because of its performative nature, is political,” Rollie said. “Whatever we put on stage, bodies mean something, bodies say something, and particularly for this play, that becomes really apparent.” Caleb Eugley, a member of the audience Tuesday, is a theater major who finds a particular interest in feminist theater as well. “I’m very interested to take what I’ve learned from this and from one of my classes, and just kind of explore how I can connect what I’ve learned about feminist thought to the ecosystem and to see how I can become a better activist,” Eugley said. “I’m very excited to look more into it. And to see what else I can find, looking through that lens and maybe even find more plays with a similar message.” Email LUCA GROSS cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
This semester they were able to secure six artists of varying mediums to give a presentation over Zoom. Two talks are left for the semester, Zoey B. Scheler, April 5 and Rebecca Green, April 12. Drew Goerlitz, a professor and the faculty coordinator for the event, said the series began long before he started at SUNY Plattsburgh, at least 25 years ago. “The intention is for students to interact with all different types of artists and have a more personal setting to get to learn from them,” Goerlitz said. Four artists have given talks so far, Eve K. Tremblay, Jamie Bowman, Eunkang Koh and Craig Usher. Koh, who presented on March 9, is currently a professor at the University of Nevada, and received her B.F.A. from Hong-Ik University in Seoul, Korea and an M.F.A. from California State University, Long Beach. Her work “draws from the human circumstances that flourish between reality and perception.” She spoke to the students about growing up with Korean folktales and how her perception of the world affects her art. “I assume that the world we are living in is not real, but is an illusion that we perceive,” Koh said. “I aim to create my own illusion in my art. My images are my way of seeing the world without pretense.” Her unique insight and art style provide a learning experience for art students that they may not receive reading a book or simply viewing artwork. This can be said about all the artists in the series. The series is funded by the Student
were used for people not a part of the community, because they saw a link between the LGBT community and COVID-19. “This shows the connections between culture, social perceptions of the group and policy and implementation of that policy,” Affonso said. In some countries, community members were able to vocalize the wrongdoings of the law and brought awareness to the issue, but were not able to undo these laws. Research was done by non-profit organizations that are trying to bring information to the public about these disparities because more often these marginalized groups are left voiceless in their suffering. Unfortunately the research that organizations have obtained have not benefited the community from any changed policies during COVID-19. After two years in the pandemic, many of these measures have been rescinded. The issue at hand is the lack of accountability taken by policy makers to take into account “the unique threat faced or challenges by these groups and the development of the policy.” Email DANIELA RAYMOND cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
Association through the Campus Arts Council. Pilar Balader Herrero is the SA coordinator of the arts. She oversees the budget, runs the Instagram account and is the chair of the arts acquisition, among other responsibilities, including helping to run events like the Visual Artist Series. “Art is in everyone’s lives, so students of all majors can benefit from attending these events,” Herrero said. “To hear about the art directly from the artist opens up a door that a student might not have seen by just looking at the art.” Like many events in the art world, the Visual Artist Series suffered from COVID-19. “We’ve only been able to do presentations over zoom the past couple of years,” Goerlitz said. “In the past, the artists would come to campus and spend the days with the students. We’d get pizza and they’d be able to do hands-on work and have more personal conversations with the artists.” Goerlitz and Herrero both believe that students are losing opportunities and educational benefits during this pandemic. Attendance to the series hasn’t been as high as it would have been in person. They can only hope to restore these types of events to what they once were. “I hang up posters and try to advertise it over social media and campus, but there’s only so much we can do,” Herrero said. They hope to see students within and outside of the art department attend the last two talks in the series this semester. The Zoom links for the last two speakers can be found in the student digest emails.
Email SYDNEY HAKES
cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
Photo provided by Eunkang Koh
“We All Carry Our Own Burden,” by Eunkang Koh. Gouache, pen and ink, 2010.
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FUSE
FUSE Editor Sydney Hakes
Friday, March 25, 2022
Students prepare for senior recitals BY MEGAN JAGDE Contributor
As the world slowly welcomes live events again, the spring semester brings many art, music and theater events. One of these events will showcase the talent and hard work of some of the seniors in the music program April 3 at 2 p.m. in the Hartman Theatre. The senior recitals are the culmination of these students’ musical studies. After years of work, their time in the program is coming to an end, and this is their chance to show off all they have worked on. “This performance signifies the ending of my college career,” senior Journey Myricks said. “It also signifies the growth of my voice from freshman year to now.” After years of weekly studio lessons working on breathing techniques, voice control and many other technical aspects of vocal performance, Myricks hopes her performance in the senior recitals will convey the emotions of the wide array of pieces in her program, allowing the audience to connect with the music. Throughout the next few weeks leading up to her performance, Myricks
ZOE NGUYEN/Cardinal Points
will have studio lessons multiple times a week to “help perfect the pieces and create artistry.” Skills like these are abstract and complex and developing them takes years, which is why this recital is the perfect opportunity for Myricks to showcase the talent she has put so much time into throughout her college career. Miranda Velez, also a senior in the music program, took some time to reflect on her experiences leading up to her senior recital. “I feel like it’s a big celebration,” Velez said. “Mu-
sic is my major, voice is my instrument and this is what I’ve been doing with it for the past four years.” She describes the support she has received for both this performance and throughout her years in the program. Her voice coach, Pamela Lavin, gives advice, encouragement and helps her build peer connections. “I’m surrounded by supportive peers and teachers,” Velez said. After her recent performance in the student-run production of “The Cake,” she explained the way she connected
with music through performance. “Putting on the performances, to me, is the most fun I could possibly have,” Velez said. “At the end of the day, no matter how much work I have to put in, it is so worth it in the end.” Performing, to Velez, is a way to connect with those who have supported her in her musical career and showcase her talents in a way that demonstrates the dedication and hard work the musicians put into every show they put together.
For senior Vannessa Kwok, many of these same sentiments ring true. Like the others, she spends a lot of time on practicing the pieces and memorizing them in order to prepare for her performance. However, she said she sometimes experiences some anxiety when she is going to perform. While many can probably relate to this sentiment, Kwok also expressed another reason why performing is a great accomplishment. “Singing pieces that are not my native languages
could also be part of the reason that I am feeling anxious,” Kwok said, pointing out another challenge that many people might not consider. This adds another level of connection that Kwok must make with her music, as understanding the meanings and significance of music in a foreign language is another skill that takes time to develop. When asked what she has had to do to prepare, she explained the way she went about that. “I learn some Italian and German for my pieces,” Kwok said. “I also spend a lot of time on practicing the pieces and memorizing them. I also do research online to listen to how other people would act and the feelings that I need to put into the music.” No matter the challenges these performers have faced throughout their time in the music program here at Plattsburgh, these seniors have put their all into developing their musicianship. The performances will feature all three performers mentioned above, as well as Mason Barber and Karen Becker as accompanist.
Email MEGAN JAGDE
cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
Sydney Hakes
ARIES
March 21 - April 19
TAURUS
April 20 - May 20
GEMINI
May 21 - June 20
CANCER
June 21 - July 22
Your life will soon cross the line from comedy to tragedy, sending an entirely different group of people into gales of laughter.
LEO
July 23 - August 22
You’ve always considered SAGITTARIUS 22 - December yourself a belt-and-suspenders November 21 type, but all everyone else seems to focus on is your lack of pants.
You’ll slowly start to see the VIRGO value of improving communiAugust 23 cation in all your relationships, September 22 if only to better understand what the frantic firemen are trying to tell you.
Someday, people will have healthy, well-adjusted attitudes toward sex, but until then, you can still have it occasionally.
Sometimes there is just no way to say you’re sorry, but the rest of the time you should probably try just walking up to the person and saying “I’m sorry.”
LIBRA
You will fall into a pattern of self-destructive behavior this week when you discover how much fun that sort of thing is.
You’ll finally learn you can’t run away from your problems, but you haven’t given up on escaping by donning a clever disguise and hiding in a crowded restaurant.
SCORPIO
September 23 October 22
October 23 November 21
You’ll get a free beverage refill when ordering a largesized french fries, but really that’s going to be about it for you this week.
After your 17th time around as an underpaid office worker in the late-20th-toearly-21st centuries, you’re really starting to become disenchanted with the whole reincarnation thing.
CAPRICORN
While it’s true there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to make your friends happy, that impulse will soon come into conflict with your willingness to do anything for a decent piece of pie.
AQUARIUS
You’ll provide much-needed insight and deep wisdom when you loudly proclaim that those politicians are just a bunch of crooks in front of the whole bar.
PISCES
You never thought you’d get tired of the endless parade of deep-fried food that is your life, and sure enough, it hasn’t happened yet.
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REFLECTIONS B4
Artists connect with students BY SYDNEY HAKES FUSE Editor
The spring semester has brought with it another round of the Visual Artist Series, an event hosted conjointly by art students and faculty members. Taking place every semester, it welcomes artists from around the world to speak and interact with the art students. ARTIST l B4
ZOE NGUYEN/Cardinal Points