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 Thursday, March 4, 2021
Volume. CXLVIII, Issue XII
concordiensis.com
College groups organize in-person Winter Carnival event By Sydney Lewis & Sophia Wen co-News Editor & Contributing Writer
On Saturday February 27 Union College hosted the Winter Carnival which consisted of a variety of safe, socially distanced in-person events both indoors and outdoors. The week began last Saturd ay February 20 with Golub and Beuth House hosting the European Winter Festival. This was followed by Student Forum’s “This or That: Astrology Edition” on Monday, BSU & OIA: “Running Against the Odds” and An Evening with Trevor Noah on Tuesday, IFC’s Chili Cook Off on Wednesday, Founder’s Day on Thursday and BSU’s Black Excellence Ball, Pep Band: Trivia Tournament Competition and Film Club’s Winter Theme Movie
Trey Everett | Concordiensis Amber Burt ’22 and Jen Williamson ’23 posing in front of the Snow Maze.
Screening on Friday. Sledding, fire pits, a Panhel lenic clothing drive, winter equipment check-out and a
Greek Life guessing game were all included amongst the activities that were hosted throughout the weekend.
On Saturday the Winter Carnval hosted several in-person events on-campus for students. There was a blow
up Snow Maze, UProgram Bag Giveaway and the Athletic Competition on Ice, Birds of Prey Exhibit hosted by the Minerva Houses and snowshoeing with the International Students Office. The UProgram Giveaway included a free mug, a snowglobe, and a stuffed animal. A snow tubing trip to West Mountain took place on Sunday evening hosted by UProgram. Dining stations were located in Olin Courtyard, Library Plaza, Skellar and West. The menu featured two different kinds of mac and cheese: jackfruit and buffalo chicken, kimchi fried rice, cookies and hot chocolate. One student who attended the event, Camryn Clardy ’24, said that the event “allowed me to become closer to my peers. In Jackson’s Gardens a light display can be found until March 5.
A discussion with Joanna Stern ’06 following her keynote address By Megan Brown co-News Editor
Following the Founder’s Day Keynote Address, journalist Joanna Stern ’06 spoke again with the campus community again at a Dinner and Discussion moderated by Daniel Wilcox ’22 and Sruti Bandlamuri ’21. This discussion was another opportunity for students and faculty to ask Stern ques-
tions and advice that she did not get a chance to share during the Founder’s Day ceremony earlier that afternoon. The discussion began with a series of “rapid fire” questions posed by the moderators where Stern was asking everything from her favorite Union study spot, which she said was in a cubicle on the top floor of the library, accompanied by chocolate covered gummy bears from the bookstore, to her favorite article that she wrote for the Concor-
diensis which she mentioned was about an incident of vandalism on campus. She said that that article allowed her to fulfill one of her visions for the paper where the Concordiensis was more of a mouthpiece for the students as opposed to for the school. She mentioned that it was her first go at an investigative piece and she was proud of the elements of the case she discovered. After the rapid fire questioning was complete, Stern
got into answering some questions in more detail. The first was about making the most of her time at Union and taking full advantage of the resources it has to offer. To this, she noted how the most valuable lessons she learned happened outside of the classroom. This is when she brought up the topic of her senior thesis project which was analyzing the impact of new technologies on journalism. She also believes that if she hadn’t writ-
ten and been editor-in-chief of the Concordiensis, then she likely would not have ended up in journalism. And, along the same lines of her college experience helping her in her career, she mentioned just how tough the transition from student to employee was for her, among other students. “I struggled a lot bw college and my career … it’s a big transition … you don’t have a set path,” Stern emphasized. See STERN on page 2
We’re beautiful on the inside, too
Opinions, page 3 Athena Bo opines about RA pay
Sci Tech, page 5 More than 500,000 deaths reached in US
World, page 4 Tokyo Olympics face uncertain future
807 Union St., page 7 Woman of the Week: Amanda Iverson
Sports, page 8 Sports competitions to resume in the Spring
News
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Aileen Schatz: the college’s new Director of First-Year Experience By Sydney Lewis co-News Editor In February of 2021 Aileen Schatz became Director of the First-Year Experience at Union College. Schatz completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Syracuse University where she also found her passion for working in Student Affairs through her role as an RA. She would continue on to study Higher Education Administration while simultaneously working as a Graduate Assistant in Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Throughout graduate school she also worked and interned at SUNY ESF, Upstate Medical College, and Westfield State University. Previous to starting at Union College, Schatz worked as both the Assistant Director and Director of Student Engagement and Leadership at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Services. In these positions she worked directly with students in many ways which included overseeing
STERN Continued from page 1
She also added that, despite the stress the transition caused, that it taught her a lesson that is particularly important and applicable to today’s climate. “The big thing for me was being okay with
orientation, clubs and organizations, Student Government Association, campus programming and teaching a non-credit Leadership Seminar for First-Year Students. On a daily basis, Schatz is gaining knowledge on what makes Union College unique as she transitions into her new role during the pandemic. Zoom meetings have helped her to “meet” colleagues and students as she attends various virtual events when possible. She has also been working closely alongside Dean Schurick, Dean of First Year Students, as Schurick continues to be an important resource to Union’s first-year students. In her free time, Schatz enjoys cooking, baking cupcakes, reading and traveling when it is safe. She also has been to 18 out of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in an attempt to see a baseball game at every stadium with her husband. Schatz also has an Old English Sheepdog named Motley who she loves
dearly. When asked what she brings to the position as Director of First-Year, Schatz says, “I love orientation and assisting students in their transition to college; it’s where I have found my passion and my motivation to come to work each day. The idea of getting to be one of the first faces to welcome a new student to their college experience and have an impact on that experience from the start is such an exciting opportunity. Through both orientation and students’ first-year experience, I want to help students find their place on campus, help them become part of the Union Community by introducing them to all Union has to offer, and help to set them on a path for both academic and social success during their time at Union and beyond.” Her goal as First-Year Experience Director is to bring Union’s First-Year students’ attention to everything Union College has to offer them. She says, “I think there will be a ton
of opportunities for collaboration in my new role and I am so excited to work with other Union students, staff, and faculty to help create a positive and successful First-Year Ex-
perience for Union students.” Schatz also mentions her passion for working with student leaders and is excited to work directly with the upcoming Orientation Committee and
Courtesy of Aileen Schatz Photo of Aileen Schatz, Director of First-Year Experience.
that uncertainty … being okay with the unknown.” In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the idea of uncertainty is seemingly at its most prevalent for everyone, and Stern expressed that although not having a set path is scary, it’s important to come to terms with that fact and find ways to make the most of what can be controlled.
Later on in the discussion, Stern got into speaking more about what her life is like at her job at the Wall Street Journal. She said that one of the coolest things about working for the WSJ is that she gets to do things that she “dreams up” that she can propose ideas, be encouraged by her team and her bosses, and work to make them come into fruition.
At the end of the Q&A, Stern had the opportunity to ask the students and faculty some questions about what life at Union has been like since she graduated. Much of this final portion was based around the topic of divers ty and inclusion. She asked about campus acceptance of the BIPOC community, as well as the LGBTQ+ community.
In response, President David Harris, who also attended explained that while the school has shown some improvement in this area, there is still much work to be done. Stern was excited to hear that the campus community has improved in these areas and said she is looking forward to visiting campus when the pandemic clears up.
Economics event held discussing the ‘democratization’ of trading By Daniel Wilcox co-Editor-in-Chief A Spill-the-Tea event co-hosted by the Economics Club and the Office of Intercultural Affairs discussed the role of apps like Robinhood in allowing large numbers of people to invest in the stock market, and whether this is a positive platform for non-traditional traders to be getting involved in. One of the topics of discussion was about the lack of education that most everyday
investors have about the opportunities and potential costs to those that make investments in the market. The scandal from the beginning of the year around the removal of stock trading ability for certain stocks, most notably the stock of GameStop, has created much consternation toward Robinhood specifically. Economics professor, Mehmet Sener, who was in attendance of the talk explained that the benefit of apps like
Robinhood were the lowering of the barriers to entry, with those getting involved not needing a certain amount of money in their bank accounts. Professor Sener recommended that those who want to get involved should get advice from those that know the information about trading, as well as by investing in diversified funds. Regarding whether these platforms continue to perpetuate only those who have access to the information and
resources being successful when being involved in the stock market, Aarya Rijal ’21, President of the Economics Club, posited that it can be a “casino for the rich,” but that college students especially should be buying diversified exchange-traded funds, which provide more financial security. Christa Grant, the Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and Director of Intercultural Affairs, commented that financial literacy is import-
ant, and encouraged students to begin learning about how to invest as soon as possible, to provide a cushion for later in life. Throughout the event there were comments about the unequal nature of investing, the ability to accumulate and hold wealth and the stereotype of the majority of stockbrokers as being older, white and from higher class backgrounds. Unglid Paul ’22 asked why Union does not have a financial education class.
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Kelsey Delaney
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | Concordiensis
delaneyk@union.edu
Are our Residential Advisors being compensated enough? ed to be on duty in the office college and Kenyon College (up until this term where pol- respectively, stood out to me icy has changed) from 8-11, in particular. They both had stay up till 2am for rounds, a pay raise after student’s and be on stand-by to han- advocacy. Remaining anonydle any lockouts or incidents mous, an RA from Middlebury until 10am in the morning. A expressed that “There was a duty itself already consists of significant increase the year 6 hours of actual labor and 8 after because numerous RAs, hours of stand-by. If you do many of whom were internaone or two duties per week, tional students, complained it will already exceed the 10 that we were not being fairly hours-mark, not having count- compensated for the work we ed all the paperwork you have had to do.” Middlebury used to complete in addition to du- to pay their RA 3000 U.S. dolties. We work far more than lars in 2018, and there had an regular 8 hours work-study been an increase of 2000 USD student, yet we are only mak- for first-year RAs and 5000 ing 20 dollars per week more USD increase for juniors and than them. seniors since then. They pay While researching for this their Residential Director and article, I reached out to 23 Head Residential Director this Resident Advisors from over current amount. Another RA 18 colleges and universities I interviewed was John Ortiz across the United States. I Vargas from Kenyon College, have collected data on their “Pre-pandemic we were paid pay and benefits in the ac- a rate of ~$9.05 per hour on an companying table. average of 18 hours a week, Out of all the colleges, but in the Fall of 2020 we startmany RAs shared similar ed getting paid ~$11.17 on an sentiments toward feeling average of 18 hours per week. exploited with the amount of We organized through the riswork they are asked to per- ing student workers Union at form while being underpaid. Kenyon and that’s how we got Two RAs, from Middlebury our raise. The rest of this article can be viewed at concordiensis.com
By Athena Bo Contributing Writer
Residential Advisor (RA) is a job position that’s offered to students across all colleges and universities in the United States. It functions as a leadership opportunity as well as financial aid to outstanding student leaders who need monetary assistance for their education. I’ve served Residential life for the past two years in Davidson house, and I will be the Head RA for Richomond in the coming year. I am currently in the committee for RA selection and I also co-run the RA instagram page. Being a student on full scholarship in Union College, I first applied for this position to earn extra money to support myself, and to fulfill the work-study hours that were included as part of my financial aid package. Over my time as an RA, I have come to realise that the duties that the position entails far exceed the compensation that we receive for it. Similar opinions have been expressed by my fellow team members who I have since then interviewed. Currently, Union pays its RAs 200 dollars bi-weekly (1000 U.S. dollars per term) as well as 3999 dollars off the room and board fees which is actually only 27 percent off on the entire sum. This is far less than the compensation to RAs in peer schools. Excluding the 27 percent discount we receive in housing, we are only paid 20 U.S. dollars more than a usual work study student while the scope and hours of our duties far exceeds that number. The normal duty of an RA include the bulletin boards, door decs,
Concordiensis Vol. CXLIX, Issue XII, March 5, 2021 Akriti Dhasmana and Daniel Wilcox Editors-in-Chief
Athena Bo ’22 | Concordiensis Table composed of the pay and benefits of Residential Advisors from 19 colleges across the United States collected by Athena Bo.
one-on-one with resident, weekly report, weekly staff meeting, program planning and evaluation, building-wide event, bi-weekly meeting with Resident Director, in-service meetings, Life Safety Inspections, duties, duty logs,
incident reports, late-night lock-outs, move-ins and hall closing at the beginning and end of the term, as well as handling roommates conflicts and individual concerns with residents. Take one weekend duty for example, an RA need-
Mitchell Famulare, Managing Editor and Arts Editor
Megan Brown, News Editor Sydney Lewis, News Editor Dante Sasso, 807 Editor Isabelle Yee, Sports Editor Kari Kimball, Sci/Tech Editor
concordiensis.com Email: concordiensis@gmail.com Office: 406 Reamer Campus Center
Matt Farr, Managing Editor Kelsey Delaney, Opinions Editor Chris Doyle, World/Business Editor Stephen Nadler, Photo Editor Mail: Concordiensis Box 2577 807 Union Street
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 dhasmana@union.edu or wilcoxd@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.
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Chris Doyle
World / Business
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | Concordiensis
doylec@union.edu
COVID-19 brings continued uncertainty for Tokyo Olympics By Jing Chen Contributing Writer
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted governments and the health of citizens around the world for over a year, and the internationally renowned Olympic Games is facing a similar conundrum this summer. In 2020, the Government of Japan and the International Olympic Committee postponed the global sporting event until 2021, and it remains uncertain as to whether this summer’s Games will occur smoothly. Tokyo won the bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2013, and is expected to facilitate this well-known sporting event with more than 200 participating countries. There are numerous benefits of host-
ing the game, as the influx of tourists and investment from long-term Olympic arena construction usually bring economic benefits for the city. Thus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan at the time was elated to exclaim, “when I heard the name Tokyo, I was so touched, overwhelmed. The joy was even greater than when I won my own election” during the bidding announcement. The cost of constructing the Olympic Village and several large stadiums usually burdens the country’s government and taxpayers, yet it could be offset by the economic gains and sponsorship. However—according to Forbes—the delay of the Olympics added $2.7 billion to Japan’s spending, in addition to the actual cost of the Games, which the Jap-
anese National Audit Board estimates to be around $22.3 billion. Forbes also quoted Yoshiro Mori—Tokyo’s organizing committee president— who claimed that the capital would be “scrapped” if the Games were to be completely canceled, suggesting that Tokyo will try its best to make sure that the opening ceremony happens successfully this July. Tokyo and the IOC are dedicated to making the Olympics happen, and have already started to plan for health and safety measures for the athletes descending on Tokyo. All travelers must submit a negative COVID test result 72 hours prior to their departure, and will be tested upon arrival as well, according to ESPN. While they are not expected to quarantine, athletes and travelers are re-
stricted from visiting restaurants and external facilities for 14 days. During the Games, visitors and athletes are discouraged from singing and chanting and should instead clap when they are cheering. Athletes will also be expected to take several temperature checks throughout the day and practice social distancing as much as possible. Mori and his committee are still determining whether fans will be allowed into the stadium, and will announce their decision in the spring. Moreover, an ESPN report notes that all visitors must submit a detailed itinerary that includes the people they will be in close contact with during the event to Tokyo’s overseeing committee. The IOC is also encouraging athletes to get vaccinated before they arrive, though this is not
a strict requirement for participation. However, Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist with Georgetown University, raised doubts about the IOC’s loose requirement of vaccination. She believed that not mandating vaccination would pose a major threat to the Japanese public as authorities have to manage a large population of participants from all over the world, where the transmission of the virus remains high. This year’s Olympic Games is surely going to look very different from the previous ones, as citizens and governments around the world have to make swift changes and adaptations. The safety of the athletes and civilians is the top priority of both Tokyo and the IOC, and they are collaborating to ensure that this summer’s Games will be able to go ahead.
Nobel Prize Winner perpetuates a genocide in Ethiopia By Chris Doyle World and Business Editor
Since November 4 of 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has ordered military operations in the Tigray region in an attempt to curtail the influence of an ethno-political faction in the region. The war has led to incidents of massacres and war crimes. This took place only 13 months after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic efforts to resolve a 20-year territorial dispute with neighboring
Eritrea. Full-blown hostilities commenced when soldiers of the Ethiopian Army assaulted strategic positions in Tigray to reclaim civil and military control from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The New York Times reported a blackout in communications and internet service as the campaign commenced. The Times reports that the TPLF’s motives include a resistance to the growing desire from the Ahmed Government to de-federalize power, and bring more authority under the national body politic. Eritrea—which borders Tigray—deployed troops to
United States and European Union announced coordinated sanctions on Russian state and security officials over the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny
assist the Ethiopian Army at the request of Ahmed. Eritrean troops had previously been the enemies of the Ehtiopian people for 20 years as stated above. A February 2 joint press release by the political opposition to the TPLF in Tigray claimed that Eritrean troops have killed at least 5200 civilians. These numbers are disputed by the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments. Notices of war crimes in the region have slipped through state-imposed information restrictions. Situation reports since November 2020 by the European External Program with Africa (EEPA) claim 60-Second News
the Eritrean National Defense Force (ENDF) has committed civilian and refugee executions, though there is dispute by witnesses and opposing sides as if this was done by the ENDF or the TPLF in some incidents. In February, the EEPA concluded Ethiopian troops were responsible for a massacre of more than 100 people in the Tigrayan village of Khisrat. Video shows most of the victims were children. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that over 56,000 people have fled Ethiopia since the war began. The UNHCR also estimates there are
259 school girls in Nigeria have been freed after being kidnapped from a northern boarding school by unknown perpetrators
100,000 people in Ethiopia and Eritrea who have been internally displaced by the conflict. In an interview with the Hoover Institute, Rwandan President Paul Kagame—who led the resistance against the perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide before assuming the presidency—urged an immediate and effective response from the West, the UN, and the African Union or else “we shall find the toll has been extremely high.”
Scientists believe a new strain of the coronavirus that originated in Brazil is more infectious and less vulnerable to immunizations
Kari Kimball
Sci/Tech
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | Concordiensis
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kimballk@union.edu
What happened in Texas and its relation to climate change By Kari Kimball Sci/Tech Editor
As I scroll through social media, I see many doubters of climate change and global warming claiming that the freezing over of Texas is proof that it is not real. However, this could not be any farther from the truth. There is so much more effected by climate change than just a rise in global temperature. According to NASA’s website, future effects include temperatures continuing to rise, lengthening of growing season, changes in precipitation patterns, more droughts and heat waves, stronger and more intense hurricanes, the sea level is predicted to rise one to eight feet by 2100 and the arctic is likely to become ice-free by mid-century. The length of growing season has been in-
creasing due to the increased length of the frost-free season. This has been going on since the 1980s and has affected ecosystems and agriculture. It is projected that growing season length will increase by over a month by the end of the century. Furthermore, changes in precipitation patterns will affect different areas of the world, and even different areas of the United States differently. Some areas will experience less precipitation during the fall and winter and an increase in winter and spring, whereas, other areas might experience the opposite effect. Here is some measurable data that proves that climate change is real. Carbon dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650 thousand years at 415 parts per million. Another interesting statistic is that the global average temperature has increased by
2.1 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. Nineteen of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2000, with the warmest being recorded as a tie between 2016 and 2020. Additionally, the arctic sea ice levels have been following a rate of change declining at 13.1 percent per decade, with it currently being under 4 million square kilometers. With the decreasing ice levels, we have also seen sea levels rising at a staggering rate. Sea levels are rising at a rate of 3.3 millimeters per year. This may not seem like a lot but it is enough to raise concern for land to soon be covered by ocean water, especially areas like New Orleans and much of the coast of Florida. Now, you may be wondering, what causes all of these different environmental effects? The first part of this answer is four different gases, water vapor, nitrous oxide,
methane and carbon dioxide, all contribute to the greenhouse effect. Water vapor is an important contributor to greenhouse gases because it is part of the feedback mechanism that involves the creation of clouds and precipitation. The most important long-lived “forcing” of climate change comes from a 47 percent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration since the Industrial Revolution began. While methane is much less abundant in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it is far more active, meaning that it has a greater per-molecule contribution to the greenhouse effect. Nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide levels have increased in the atmosphere thanks to human activity. Therefore, it is important to reduce habits that involve raising these levels. It came as no surprise to scientists that several inches
of snow fell on Texas and left millions without power in the middle of February, according to TIME Magazine. Climate scientists have been sending out cautions that a warming planet would cause climate chaos, driving unusual weather events such as this in addition to raising the average global temperature. Thanks to climate change, extreme weather events in the 21st century will look nothing like the extreme weather events that occurred in the 20th century. This has already proven to be an issue in Texas. Infrastructure has been built to withstand the extreme weather episodes presented during the 20th century, but have not been advanced to accommodate for the increase in extremes that are due in the 21st century.
The United States exceeds 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 By Kartik Nath Staff Writer
I was sitting at my computer just five weeks ago, when the United States hit 400,000 COVID-19 deaths. Now, in the same spot, at 11:10 AM on February 27, 2021, there are currently 510,658 COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems, Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). That is over 100,000 deaths in 5 weeks, how did we get to this somber point?
Is there any hope left or is the pandemic getting worse? There are still many COVID-19 hotspots across the country, but the situation is going to get better as more vaccines become available. According to the JHU COVID-19 Dashboard, the US is at currently at 28,489,599 cases. Along with the wildtype (original) SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that there are three main viral variants known to be circulating in the country: B.1.1.7, the UK variant; B.1.351, the South Africa Variant, and P.1, the Brazilian variant. The B.1.1.7 vari-
ant is poised to become the dominant strain in the United States by mid to late March, which is not surprising because the CDC researchers have found that the mutated virus is more transmissible than the original strain. New reports have shown that new variants being discovered as genomic surveillance increases across the country, as B.1.427 has been identified in California and B.1.526 is in New York City. The variants will continue to challenge the vaccine makers as some variants could escape the protection of the vaccine. Let’s move to the vac-
cines. Currently, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been granted Emergency Use authorizations (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration for their mRNA vaccines. Yesterday, February 26, 2021, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research’s (CBER), Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously voted to support the use of Johnson & Johnson’s Jannsen Inc. single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. According to the CDC tracker, the US has administered 70.5 million doses of the vaccine, but challenges in acceptance, availability, and politics
plague the vaccine distribution. On February 11, 2021, President Joseph R Biden Jr. said that “we’ve purchased enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all Americans” in a visit to the National Institute of Health, so there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel, as we are in a good position in providing vaccines for all U.S. citizens.
189 nations have ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement.
It would cost 140 billion US dollars per year to make changes needed to stop climate change.
60-Second Sci/Tech
Deforestation has caused 11% of greenhouse gas emissions.
800 million people are currently vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Conserving ecosystems is often more cost-effective than human-made interventions.
PICTURES OF THE WEEK
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Trey Everett ’22, Akriti Dhasmana ’22 and Daniel Wilcox ’22 | Concordiensis Students sit in to eat dinner in the Roger Hull Plaza during the winter Carnival (U-L), owl in a tree bark in the Birds of Prey (U-R), Michelle Moina ’22 sporting a winter carnival bag (M-L) , lights in the Jackson’s Garden (M-R), Nott Memorial highlighted in red for Founder’s Day (L-L) and snow dogs at the winter carnival (L-R) .
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Thursday, March 4. 2021 | Concordiensis
Dante Sasso Jr.
sassod@union.edu
Pep band: inspiring musicians during intense sports By Dante Sasso Jr. 807 Editor
Union College is home to several sports teams in addition to the academic studies it provides. From the rugby teams to ice hockey, there are plenty of ways to get involved in sports. When you’re at one of these sporting events, you can feel the energy among the crowd when a huge goal is scored or a massive play goes off. The energy that you feel might be from the atmosphere, but it may also come from the pep band at Union College, bolstering a sports team like war drums as an army heads into battle. “Pep band is a group of students who love to play music together. We play at hockey games and energize the crowd while cheering for Union!” This is the summa-
ry of pep band provided by co-presidents Rebecca Tegiacchi ’23 and Maya Gempler ’23. They can be found at different sports games like the men’s hockey games, or even at events like 2020’s Powering Union event. You may have heard them play songs such as “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, or “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. You might even hear Union’s own Alma Mater being played! Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the pep band has been unable to rehearse. According to Tegiacchi and Gempler, “Wind instruments pose a high risk for spreading COVID, so we decided as a group that we would not have rehearsals this year, but instead we’d increase our repertoire and do some other fun things that would replace the hockey season.” In place of rehearsing, the
pep band has been putting on remote events to keep people involved in the club activities. “In the fall, we had the idea to connect with the RPI pep band and hold a pep band trivia tournament. This quickly turned into a much bigger event, an ECAC pep band trivia tournament, with eight schools from the division participating.” This event began February 26, and ends March 5. Both presidents state “We are hoping to make this an annual event, because we had a great time connecting with the other pep bands in a new way!” For Tegiacchi and Gempler, “the people that we’ve met through pep band are [their] favorite part.” They add that “We’ve both met some of our best friends at Union through joining the band! We also love that some of the members of the band wouldn’t normally interact with
Courtesy of Pep Band Pep Band at their final game before COVID-19 each other outside of the club, but when everyone is together we all have a great time. We love being the people who bring some spirit to the hockey games.” If you would like to join pep band, you can email either Tegiacchi or Gempler. “Students
of all skill levels and experience are welcome to join… We’re always looking for new members, so don’t hesitate to reach out!”
Union College’s Woman of the Week: Amanda Iverson By Marcy Forti Staff Writer
Nomination: Amanda is truly one of the most hardworking people I know on the Union College campus. I think it speaks to her character that while a lot of her work is done behind the scenes her intelligence, kind nature, and drive shines through. She is a constant source of support and laughs and is always there to lift others around her up in times of need. It is shown through her work how much she cares about the well being of students and the Union community as a whole, always putting others before herself. I am so lucky to know her and I’m deeply inspired by how she has gone above and beyond in her position to accommodate the needs of students. She is a true force in her career and I look up to how passionate she is and I think I can speak for everyone when I say
Amanda is a light on this campus.
What are you passionate about?
Jackson
I’m passionate about education and learning - I think it’s important to never stop growing as a human. I’m also passionate about my amazing wife (Rachel), our two goldendoodles (Olivia and Gracie), and our cat (Khloe) - they are my pack! People who know me well also know I’m passionate about Law & Order: SVU and true crime podcasts.
Nominated Giammattei
by:
What are your proudest accomplishments? I am not generally someone to tout my own accomplishments, so this is a challenge! So often in life we sell ourselves short, especially as women. It is easy to think that we haven’t accomplished anything worthwhile if we can’t point to that big award or the fancy title or famous career. But what I have tried to focus on is the little victories that make a difference. So I guess if I had to pick some of my proudest accomplishments, I would say I’m proud of my career and the legacy I’m building as I work with my ever evolving family of colleagues and students. I hope that I have made a difference in someone’s life along the way.
Who do you look up to? I look up to so many incredible people - some famous, some close to my heart. In my current rotation of women I’m in awe of - Sonia Sotomayor (I met her once!), Kamala Harris (because a power suit and sneakers is the best look ever), Michelle Obama (who doesn’t love her??), and Rachel Maddow (she’s soooooo smart). At my core the two people I look up to most are the ones who inspired me to
Courtesy of Women’s Union Amanda Iverson, Director of Residential Life be who I am today, and those people are my parents. They were both incredible role models and I wish I had been able to have more time with them on this earth. I recently got a tattoo of their handwriting on my arm to help remind me of them daily. What does being a woman at Union mean to you?
There are so many incredible women who work at and attend Union. I am proud to work with and for some truly inspiring women, and just work my hardest to be a role model for others on campus.
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Isabelle Yee
Thursday, March 4. 2020 | Concordiensis
yeei@union.edu
Union College to resume sports competitions in the spring By Isabelle Yee Sports Editor
On Monday afternoon, the Liberty League announced that the league’s Presidents Council voted to host athletic competition this spring. Commissioner Tracy King said, “I am grateful for the support and endorsement of our presidents for the league’s return-to-play plan. The Liberty League will move forward with cautious optimism as we look to provide competitive opportunities for our student-athletes. The health and safety of our student-athletes will remain our top priority as we resume competition across
our campuses. We also recognize the autonomy of our institutions to make decisions that are in the best interest of their campus communities, including decisions on spring athletics participation.” Spring competition will mostly be in-conference play. Member schools are allowed to play out of conference games, as long as they follow the league’s COVID-19 policies. Union College also announced its intention to participate in spring sports. This affects the following sports: baseball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s rowing, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s
and women’s outdoor track and field. Union College said they came to the decision to participate “based on the assessment of local and league-wide county data and trends, along with the progress that Union has made over the course of the term.” Athletic Director, Jim McLaughlin ’93, said that “our campus community and our students, in particular, have done a terrific job in responding to the challenge of the pandemic over the past year. We are thrilled our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete in the upcoming season and look forward to our teams taking the field at the end of this month. We must
remain vigilant in our commitment to campus policies to continue to compete throughout the spring and keep our community safe.” News of the school’s intention to participate in the spring competition came as excitement to many. Emma Driscoll ’21, a member of the women’s lacrosse team said, “we’re all so thankful and incredibly excited to have the opportunity to compete this season and get back on the field to finish what we started last year!” Teammate, Sydney McPartlon ’23 voiced how there will be some normalcy in the spring, “we’re all very excited to get back out on the field and to have this opportu-
nity to play since the past year has been so difficult and unknown. It’s awesome to have a small piece of normalcy going into spring term!” At the moment only two schools, Bard College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute indicated that they will not be participating in this season. Game and championship schedules will be posted on UnionAthletics.com. All home events will have live video and live stats coverage for fans to follow. There will also be live updates on Union Athletic’s Twitter account.
Union Faculty speak about their collegiate athletic careers By Annie O’Donnell Staff Writer
Last week, senior Corina Lindsay ’21, hosted a joint Minerva and Union Athletics panel discussion about other Union College faculty and staff members who were former student-athletes. The panelists included six faculty members. Kate Feller, an Assistant Professor Biological Sciences was a swimmer, Chad Orzel an associate professor of physics was a rugby player, Amanda Iverson who is director of Residential Life played softball, Kim Plofker an associate professor of mathematics played soccer, basketball and track, and Michael Moor an associate Dean of Admissions was a basketball player. Corina Lindsay ’21 was available to answer a couple of questions for Concordiensis after the event. Q: How did you organize the event? A: This was a joint Minerva
program and Union Athletics events so I worked closely with Beth Tiffany, the associate director of athletics, and Laura Munkres, the director of Minerva programs, to organize the event. We sent out an email to faculty and staff at Union to see who played collegiate sports and to see if they would be interested in being on the panel. Multiple people expressed interest in the vent and we got really positive responses in terms of the idea of creating unique connections between former collegiate athletes at Union and our current student-athletes. After pour panelists were selected, I organized a time and day for the event and came up with a set of questions for them to answer. Q: Why did you choose these particular participants? A: Beth and Laura were a huge part of selecting our panelists. We aimed to get a diverse panel with people who played different sports in college and those who have different roles on campus since the goal was to create new connections!
Q: Was this part of your senior thesis? A: It was not a part of my senior thesis. It was just something I was interested in doing and I thought it would be really beneficial to those who attended. I know personally I learned a lot from the panelist responses Q: Who has influenced you as an athlete at Union? A: I think so many people have influenced me as an athlete during my four years here at Union. I have learned so much from my coaches and they have helped me grow into the person I am today. My team has also served as a huge influence on me as an athlete. The lessons and leadership I have learned through my captains from freshman year has stayed with me and truly influenced the way I lead as a captain my senior year. Each year I am influenced by every single person on my team and they are what truly makes this experience so great and the panelists at the event really emphasize that point as they had similar experiences.
Courtesy of the Minerva Office and Athletics A flyer advertising the event hosted by Corina Lindsay ’21
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