Concordiensis T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F U N I O N C O L L E G E S I N C E 1 8 7 7 Volume. CLI, Issue XXII
concordiensis.com
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Union College students gather to support Earth Day Andrew Bassuk Contributing Writer
On the Friday afternoon of April 22, Union College came together to celebrate a sunny and warm Earth Day. This event was organized by U-Sustain, an environmental group run by Union students, and funded by the Environmental Action Club. Held in Schaffer Library’s plaza, a variety of different tables were set up to shine a light on the large range of Union’s environmental clubs and initiatives. One walking through the event would hear chatter of attendees as well as classic rock playing in the background. Organizations present varied from student-run organizations like Octopus’s Garden—a student-run gar-
Trey Everett | Concordiensis Union College students, clubs, and organizations gathered to show support toward Earth Day. Clubs to various communities in the world. Schenectady local farm market vendors also joined to emphasize the value of buying local.
den that produces a variety of vegetables and incorporates them into Ozone Café dishes, to Ozone House, the most environmentally friendly dwelling that Union College has to offer and a prime producer of locally sourced maple syrup, to A More Equitable Union, an organization to challenge disproportionate environmental impacts on different genders. Some of the newer clubs present included Beekeeping Club, whose beehives on campus that not only create honey and help to pollinate loer tables focused on STEM initiatives dealing with different aspects of environmentalism, including the table for Engineers for a Sustainable Future, a collective of engineers who work together to help the Union community to improve its green initiatives. Currently, there are discus-
Rebecca Shrader on abortion, personal and political Daniel Greenman News Editor
On Thursday, April 21, “More than Two Sides: A Conversation on Abortion with Rebecca Shrader,” part of the Constructive Engagement Series’s was held with guest speaker Rebecca Shrader. Shrader spoke about her experience with fertility and abortion, which she has spoken about in her blog, Affec-
Opinions. page 3 A word from the Schenectady Green Market
tions Eclipsed by Glory. The event was held in cooperation with the Williams Legacy Foundation, who sponsored the event. Shrader, introduced as a “Christian with evolving beliefs” and “passionate about the nuances of abortion, fetal development, and adoption,” recalled her Southern Baptist and pro-life activist background, and her career at a low-risk-pregnancy obstetrics clinic followed by work at Duke University. While a vol-
World, page 4 U-Sustain on deforstation in Brazil
unteer at a pregnancy center which gave free obstetric ultrasounds, Shrader hoped to show fetal development and convince people to choose life. While working in obstetrics in 2013. Shrader was carrying stetric sonographer, scanned herself weekly. In one scan of her fetus she saw it had limb-body wall complex, a nongenetic condition that affects one of 50,000 births. In this case, the prognosis was
Sci/Tech. page 5 Two women in STEM present their research
extremely bleak. As Shrader was pro-life, she chose to try delivering it. Shrader named the fetus Cora and held a baby shower. On Monday at work after the shower, she scanned the baby and found it without a heartbeat. She buried it with a memorial at a baby cemetery with family. Shrader’s support network from family and church made it so she was “never alone” at the hospital, and supported her throughout. It was after this that Shrad-
Common Interest
er’s blog gained global attention, and many women with similar experiences reached out. Shrader and her husband also began a process to adopt an Ethiopian child (she would bring Aben home in 2017), and by June 2014 she had her When Lydia was in pre-K, Shrader became pregnant again, scanning weekly and blogging. In the baby’s seventh week, she saw a cranial issue, likely anencephaly, an improper fusion of the top of
Women of the Week:
News
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Concordiensis
EARTH Continued from page 1
Aerogel Lab on “Aerogel Material”, which when applied to a catalytic converter, or a chamber that is attached to the exhaust of cars, captures and converts harmful gasses
Tables run by the Schenectady trading company and The Furies Extra Virgin Olive Oil also brought together a variety of vendors from the Schenectady community,
There were also options available for attendees looking to eat. A food truck provided tacos, including a pineapple-themed vegetarian taco. A Ben and Jerry’s cart also
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any Costello ‘22 highlights that “sustainability and environmentalism are intersectional issues. In order to tackle the climate crisis effectively, you need to include everyone.”
Trey Everett | Concordiensis Trey Everett | Concordiensis Union College Caribbean Student Association (CaribSA) table on Earth Day to in- The Union Geology Club proposed an activity showing actual evidence of climate form students about the colored environmentalists who are not receiving enough change on an ecological level and to make tangible the impacts of the climate criattention. CaribSA points out that “the environmental movement is predominately sis. They said that they appreciate that Union makes Earth Day a “celebration and considered white, so it is important to highlight Caribbean activists who are also working toward this cause.” These activists include Dhara Rivera.
-sions of the club working on improvements to the campus greenhouse. A thesis project was presented by the Union College
instead of releasing them into the atmosphere. This can ining the number of gasses released.
ABORTION Continued from page 1
of the skull. Shrader said that no babies with it have lived more than a few weeks, and treatment is impossible. She and her husband named the baby Layla and decided to deliver it for organ donation, which she learned was possible in an anencephaly Facebook group. However, due to premature death, prohibiting donation After this, Shrader was “triggered daily” in her obstetric work, and feared explaining the death to her children. Shrader shared her political side of the issue, saying both sides of abortion debates “have extremes [she] “can’t support”. Shrader recalled an anonymous friend from her church, whose baby had trisomy 13, a not un-
common syndrome. To enter a Planned Parenthood, she walked through a “gauntlet” of protesters who shouted “horrible things.” Shader’s friend from her church community, where the pastor was attacked for not discipling her. Shrader believes that everyone is entitled to care and compassion in fertility treatment. Speaking about Roe v. Wade, Shader said it “should be the law of the land and that Christians should focus on making abortion unnecessary, not illegal”. Shrader recalled cases in which pharmacies denied miscarriage medications, which are the same two pills as for abortion. If legislation against the pills were to pass, women with life-threatening ectopic preg-
and featured a variety of organic and locally sourced packaged foods as well as environmentally conscious consumer products. nancies might continue to be denied treatment. Shrader also detailed cases in which anti-abortion laws effectively force doctors to call lawmakers to ask if certain medical practices are legal, casusing unsafe wait times. Citing The Atlantic’s article “A Covert Network of Activists Is Preparing for the End of Roe”, Shrader noted that 13 states have laws to ban abortion once Roe v. Wade falls, and that many counties lack abortion access. She also noted Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, to be before the Supreme Court in June, which could ban abortions before 15 weeks, effectively ending Roe v. Wade. She then discussed the return of do-it-yourself abortions, which killed many in the ‘70s. The components for “lunch hour” canula abortions, done with a glass jar, tube and syringe, can be easily ordered online. Shrader said the overall
vors, including vegan Cookies and Creme. U-Sustain Co-President and Vice President of Sustainability for Student Forum Beth-
Costello believes that the completion of a new Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or earlier is something Union College can do right now.
situation is “hard to watch as someone [who would have] been affected by these laws”, and that with her pro-life experience, she hopes to hear “women caught in the middle” of political divisions. Though she stands choosing to deliver her high-risk pregnancies, Shrader said that if she had a third baby with a known lethal condition, she doesn’t know if she’d do the same. “Everyone should have the freedom I had”, she added, saying she can’t imagine where her friend would be now if denied abor-
tion. Union’s President, David Harris, who started the series four years ago, prefaced the talk. Upon hearing Shrader’s This American Life podcast series’s theme: Harris challenged attendees to “feel how someone could feel differently” on abortion even if they “don’t change your mind”. Harris further said he was “really excited” for “suggestions from students in the community to talk in a more open way about ‘X’ as a society.”
Past Concordiensis editions can be viewed at concordiensis.com/virtual-newspapers or by scanning:
Opinions Bianca Ring
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Concordiensis
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ringb@union.edu
Wordle: a source of simplicity in these trying times Emma Phillips Contributing Writer
Is there a game more uniting than this silly little word game that has most of America in its grasp? The New York Times certainly capitalized on this popular venture, having bought the game from Josh Wardle on January 31st of this year. Parents, students, and even professors are addicted. If, by some miraculous chance, anyone is unfamiliar with the game, it can be found
on nytimes.com. The rules are simple: You get 6 guesses for the word of the day, and each guess will show you whether you used any of the correct letters. The website shows correct letters in the correct place in green, and correct letters in the wrong place in yellow. Even when the world seems to be falling apart, Wordle is always there for you. The surety of opening your laptop each day to put makes the world seem right. From strategically picking
words with multiple vowels to random guesses, the thrill of a blank slate is unmatched. Personally, starting with a new word every time seems to work for me, and never fails to be amusing. Others have a practically superstitious belief that of the day. It almost never ends up being “the” word, but the magic is there nonetheless. Days can be ruined by a spoiled Wordle overheard on the way to English class or in the cafeteria. Lots of people play, and most are victorious, but the fun of the game
comes more from the chase with each word being limited until 3 in the morning to complete a word game may seem silly, but getting a leg up on the competition and knowing my day won’t be ruined by an errant spoiler is worth it. Each day is exciting and new, unlike the current college experience of many students, which seems to be a Groundhog’s Day affair of déjà vu, with endless, repetitive days. In contrast to the hard work it takes to excel at Union Col-
little joy in the simplicity of a Wordle. Don’t get me wrong, the game can be a challenge, a brain teaser if you will, but it makes time stop for a while letter words starting with an s-, ending in -e, with a -u- in the middle (guesses anyone?). Stopping time is a power I’m sure we all wish we had, but with a good Wordle, anything is possible.
Schenectady Green Market manager supports buying local Bianca Ring Opinions Editor
The Schenectady Green Market provides an accessible way to shop locally, and is a favorite among Union College students. They recently moved their location from Proctors Theater to their outdoor location, outside City Hall. It’s a 12-minute walk from campus, where vendors from the Capital Region and surrounding areas gather on Sundays from 10AM to 2PM to sell fresh produce, handmade items, and other locally sourced products. I walked to City Hall Sunday morning, stopping by one of my favorite vendors, Slate Valley Farms, to buy maple sugar candies on the way. I had the chance to interview Cheryl Whilby, the market manager and vendor relations chair for the Green Market. In the following paragraphs, she told me why the Green Market plays an important part in supporting our local community. Why is the Schenectady Green Market important to you? So, I’ve been Market Manager for four years now, and it’s really a place for me to, of
course, get to know our local farmers and other types of vendors, you know. We have distilleries, wineries, folks who are selling baked goods, and it’s a place for all of that, the best of the Capital Region, to come together and provide a space for people to get to know the people making those products. Especially when you’re thinking about produce, like, who’s growing your food? That’s also going on your table to feed yourself and your family. It’s really important to me that we have that space here, that we have the option to choose to buy locally. That’s really important to me; I think it’s important that every city has that option available to their community members. Why is shopping local important for the Schenectady community? Shopping locally, again, means knowing the people who are growing your food and making it. And it’s important that we are, you know, putting money back into our community, back into Schenectady. Yes, we have the option to shop at a grocery store, but thinking about where that product is ultimately coming from, a lot of the time it’s not local farmers and producers, so it’s really important that
we support and strengthen our local community, because that ultimately creates a more sustainable and resilient food system and community. And that’s something that’s really important to our overall mission here in Schenectady. We’re right down town, we are essential to this community, to Schenectady, and we want to be able to be that important bridge and connector for our community members to just be able to connect with the folks who are making these amazing prod-
really having folks come further than 70-80 miles from the market, so really, really local. And in terms of other vendors nitely come back here for the prepared foods, like if you’re looking for a quick bite, you can come over to Euro Delicacies and get some different Mediterranean, Thai food. If you’re looking for Caribbean or West Indian food, we now have Vashti’s Kitchen Delights, so there’s something for everyone here, I feel.
Courtesy of SchenectadyGreenMarket.com Photo of Cheryl Whilby
Schenectady Green Market. Can you tell me a bit about the different vendors, and where the produce comes from? Yeah, so, we have over 15 farms here, so folks who are growing fruits and vegetables, folks who are meat producers. And then we also have folks who are, you know, making cheese, and people who are wineries or distilleries, baked goods; almost everything that
here. And it’s all from local folks, so when we’re talking about local, a lot of our vendors are people who are maybe right here in the Capital Region, or they’re in surrounding counties, but we’re not
Concordiensis Vol. CLI, Issue XXII, April 28, 2022 Jing Chen & Michael Rosenbaum Editor-in-Chief Daniel Greenman, News Editor Bianca Ring, Opinions Editor Avanti Khare, Sci/Tech Editor Zahra Khan, World/Business Michael Rosenbaum, 807 Editor Editor Trey Everett, Photo Editor concordiensis.com Email: concordy@gmail.com Office: 406 Reamer Campus Center
Mail: Concordiensis Box 2577 807 Union Street
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Zahra Khan
World / Business
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Concordiensis
khanz4@union.edu
Deforestation in Brazil: U-Sustain weighs in Zahra Khan World/Business Editor
Deforestation, or the intentional clearing of trees from land, has reached a record-high in Brazil. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, 363 square miles of forest were cleared between January and March of this year. Researchers found the percentage of forest cleared went up 64% from the same period of time in 2021, where 221 square miles of forest was cleared. What makes this an even
more pressing issue is the fact that the Amazon holds a great amount of life. According to Vox, the Amazon itself “stores 123 billion tons of carbon. Some 60 percent of the Amazon is located within Brazil, which is home to more than 900,000 Indigenous people today.” Many of the Indigenous people, or land protectors, take it upon themselves to safeguard the
the alarming amount of deforestation occurring. Indigenous groups’ lives are being impacted through deforestation because they rely on the
Courtesy of U-Sustain lowering their ecological footprint and developing an
rainforest to survive. All their food, culture, and way of life is derived from the Amazon rainforest. Now that the forests are being cut down, Christian Poirier, who is a program director at Amazon Watch, told Vox the peril the rainforest faces “open up Indigenous territories to wholesale destruction. According to CNN, ever since President Jair Bolon2019, there has been a limited amount of environmental protections due to “they hinder economic development that could reduce poverty in the Amazon region.” Whatever forest activity has been occurring in Brazil was found to be illegal, and only continued at an increasing rate under Bolonaro’s leadership. It doesn’t matter where it occurs, any amount of deforestation is contributing to climate change, increased greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere, and so on. Here at Union College, U-Sustain has tirelessly worked towards not only coming up with ways to make Union College more sustainable, but have also focused on spreading awareness regarding a plethora of environmental concerns on a local level as well. For instance, to preserve biodiversity, U-Sustain helped Professor Ramasubranian halt pesticide usage on weeds and dandelions surrounding the Nott, and other areas amongst the campus. Additionally, to educate others on sustainability activism, U-Sustain participated in conferences with other colleges as well. Three members of the U-Sustain e-board, Hailey Stoltenberg ‘23, Ashley
Dell’Oso ‘24, and Nima Darafshi ‘24 had kindly agreed to discuss the devastating impacts of deforestation. During the interview, Stoltenberg and Dell’Oso explained how contributors such as fossil fuels, and factory emissions impede towards a constant cycle, consistently fueled by human consumption. Darafshi points out the other alarming contributor of illegal sectoring. As seen in this scenario of deforestation Courtesy of U-Sustain Ashley Dell‘Oso ‘23, President of U-Sustain. Dell’Oso ‘23 can be reached at dellosoa@union.edu.
being done illegally in Brazil, Darfshi adds that there have consistently been cases of areas that are illegally sectioned off for the purposes of deforestation. As a result of these contributors, the consequences that precede are alarming. Stoltenberg explains carbon sequestration, a process in which the amount of carbon dioxide is reduced in the atmosphere, or in other words, carbon storage, is hindered by deforestation. Carbon sequestration is used to combat the effects of climate change. However, since this process is done through plants, deforestation is preventing this process from occurring. Additionally, as seen with the reliance of the forest by the indigenous groups in Brazil, a number of species are being negatively impacted. Dell’Oso explained how deforestation can be thought of as a cycle that includes a “snowball effect.” The more
habitat lost, the more species are affected making predator and prey populations diminish. Since everything is reliant upon one another in the environment, if one part of the cycle is negatively affected, everything becomes negatively affected as well. Stoltenberg, Dell’Oso, Darfshi explained the importance of spreading awareness on issues such as deforestation. They emphasized politicians will commit, but show no concrete form of action. Due to this, any form of progress is hindered. All three members emphasized, “there is always more to be done.”
60-Second News
Elon Musk buys Twitter for $44 billion.
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Sci/Tech Avanti Khare
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Concordiensis
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kharea@union.edu
Steinmetz Spotlight: Madison DiMauro ‘22 Avanti Khare Sci/Tech Editor
This week’s Steinmetz Spotlight is Madison DiMauro, a senior chemistry major from Portland, CT. Her research focuses on organic and inorchemical compounds found in sunscreens. She writes about her project, “There are two different types of active ingredients used in sunscreens: inorganic based compounds), and orters work to protect your skin
absorbing the light. When this happens, the absorbed energy has to go somewhere and oftentimes the compounds will break down into other compounds. My project involves stimulating the photodegradation, the degradation when exposed to light, of an organic isolate its photoproducts in hopes of characterizing them and assessing them for toxicity. I am also looking at the process of the degradation of wet chemistry and instrumentational chemistry methods to do this.” When asked about the most rewarding aspect of the research process, DiMauro nicate my results with other
ences has been a great experience. Presenting my research as a whole complete work and seeing that it really does come together to tell a story is really satisfying.” She does note that the most challenging part of the research process is that “[her] project has a lot of facets as is between the toxicity and kinetics testing both being a big focus for [her]. [She still has] a lot of questions that [she] would love to answer through research, so sometimes it is really challenging to stay focused on just a narrow aspect so much out there that [she] would also love to include.”
Courtesy of Madison DiMauro ‘22 national Americna Chemical Soceity Conference
Alexa Caruso ‘19 speaks at Biology department seminar Avanti Khare Sci/Tech Editor
Caruso ‘19 spoke about the research she is conducting
Union College, Caruso was a biochemistry major and to research the impacts of single nucleotide polymorphisms on depression. Her current research focuses on the types of movement systems and shape changes used by metastatic cancer cells, or cancer cells that form tumors in sites far removed from the initial tumor.
Caruso credits Union College’s emphasis on thinking critically in preparing her for graduate school, emphasizing you choose to be in, you need to be able to analyze probthe best way to solve them.” She also credits the research opportunities and lab courses that she participated in while at Union with her knowledge of a wide variety of research techniques that she has been able to apply to the research she is now conducting. When asked what advice she has for current students who are thinking about what they want to pursue after graduation, Caruso says to, “read job descriptions and
their requirements and see if anything stands out as something you might enjoy. If some of the jobs that interest you require graduate school, then talk to current graduate students about what it’s like and what different job opportunities you might have after graduate school.” She also notes that “it’s important to remember that whatever path you choose right now isn’t what you have to stick with forever. You can always start a job or and then switch to something py with what you’re doing.”
60-Second Sci/Tech
There are over 100 types of cancer, and any part of the body can be affected.
The most common cancers diagnosed in men are prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. For women, the 3 most common cancers are breast, lung, and colorectal.
About 67% of Americans diagnosed with cancer after their diagnoses.
Cancer is the second lead ing cause of death globally -- it accounts for 1 in 6 deaths around the world.
Globally, approximately 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries.
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Courtesy of Tam Vu Chi ‘24 (L-L and R) and Trey Everett (U-L) | Concordiensis Union College’s U-Sustain e-board and organizers of the Earth Day celebration (U-L), Left to Right: Union’s student band Common Interest perform songs related to sustainability to engage the Union community (L-L), and Left to Right: Cray Case ‘25 and Max Taylor ‘23 use their music to support the Earth (R)
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CRIME & FIRE LOG 04/19/22 - 04/26/22
4/19/22 7:40 p.m. Theft of personal property - occurred on 04/18/22 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Open Investigation. College Park Hall. 4/24/22 12:58 a.m. Assault - student vs. student. Open Investigation. Raymond House.
Jing Chen
Thursday, April 28, 2022 | Concordiensis
Arts
Earth Day at Union culminated with lively cheers from the crowd to Common Interest, a
of the team.” As the band meets and practices more often, Taylor notices that “the chemistry has really improved over time and we’re all growing as musicians together.” Brand responds with a parallel message, noticing that “when we
College students from diverse backgrounds. This recently born band comprises vocalist Olivia Brand ‘23, drummer Cray Case ‘25, guitarists Vu Le ‘23 and Daniel Tyebkhan ‘23, and bassist Max Taylor ‘23. Common Interest kicked for Earth Day, received with astonishment, excitement, and appreciation from the audience. While each member comes from a different part
Case, and Taylor through professors and classes. These casual acquaintances quickly evolved to form a tight-knit, tacit relationship this year. Each member of Common Interest feels the unspoken synergy in the band. When asked what the atmosphere is like in the band, Brand expresses that everyone is “unique” in their own ways. Le adds that “we’re all very different people, but when we come together, everyone has a role.” Taylor describes each person’s energy in the
chenj2@union.edu
band, starting with “Olivia as the pop perk, Cray with the funky beats, me having the punk grifts, Dan giving the wind mellow, and Vu as the person who brought us together.” Brand agrees with Taylor’s feelings, remarking
Jing Chen Co-Editor-in-Chief
community on this very campus. Brand and Case come from the east coast states of Vermont and Connecticut and Tyebkhan from California on the west coast. Le is from Vietnam and Taylor is an exchange student from the United Kingdom. Their academic interests diverge as widely as their hometowns, ranging from humanities to STEM. Taylor admits that “we all have different backgrounds,” and when asked what brings them together, the answer boils down to their commonly shared interest—music. The band initially sprouted in the fall term of this year as normalcy slowly restored. Le has always known Tyebkhan
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Courtesy of Tam Vu Chi ‘24 (From left to right): Daniel Tyebkhan ‘23, Olivia Brand ‘23, Cray Case ‘25 (in the back), Vu deliberately chose songs to that have a substainability-related message.
our own styles... But now we learn how to play together and use nonverbal cues to read each other, and now we are in sync, coming together, and riding the wave.” Besides the musical aspects, each member grasps important skills including teamwork, communication, and leadership. Tyebkhan explains that “everyone’s open to receiving feedback and switching up what they’re doing,” to which Case echoes that this “makes it easy playing to each other.” Vu feels the same way, revealing that “we’ve come a long way. Getting together was hard, but we found out how everyone could listen to each other.” showcase of Common Interest, and as Case indicates, ly open to doing more campus-wide school events.” To support the cause of sustainability and environmentalism, the team “chose songs that
Courtesy of Tam Vu Chi ‘24 Union College students and visitors gather in front of Nott Memorial to enjoy Common
as a “powerful tool” that can “be used in so many ways” for “good purpose and cause.” They also show their appreciation toward WRUC’s Managing Director Maya Gempler ‘23, thanking her for “letting us use the equipment and being very supportive about it.” For musical inquiries, Common Interest can be reached on Instagram @common_interest_band.
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Daniel Greenman
807 Union St.
Thursday, April 28. 2021 | Concordiensis
greenmad@union.edu
Women of the Week (WoW): Union’s dining ladies Jackson Giamattei Staff Writer
WoW: The women who are members of the Union College dining staff Nominated Union
By:
Women’s
Nomination: So many individual women who work in the dining halls, at Dutch, at 807, and at Starbucks have been nominated for Women of the Week that we wanted to give a shoutout to all of the women who work in dining services at Union. We, as well as the entire campus community, are extremely grateful for all of the hard work you ladies put in! Thank you for everything!
Courtesy of UC Hospitality Serogeni at College Park Hall (U-R), Joyce at The Market (U-R), Dawn at The Garlic Nott (L-L), Brianna at Wold Starbucks (L-C), and Debbie at Upper Dining (L-R).
Do you have something you want to say? The Concordiensis is now accepting Letters to the Editor. Share your thoughts about campus, news, trends or anything you want to write about! All letters should be sent to chenj2@union.edu and rosenbam@union.edu. They should be less than 250 words in length and must include the writers full name and email address. Any letters longer than 250 words may be edited for length, word choice and accuracy.