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, April 29. 2021
Volume. CXLIV, Issue XIV
concordiensis.com
Union participates in national sexual assault survey By Alex Appel Emeritus Editor-in-Chief
Earlier this month, the Office of Title IX emailed a Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey to the campus, which 371 students responded to, according to Interim Title IX Coordinator Mary Simeoli. This survey questioned if students feel safe at the College, how prevalent they think sexual
misconduct is, what they believe the school’s response to a reported sexual assault will be and if they have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault during the time they spent at Union, among other things. The findings of the survey will be taken into consideration during the annual Title IX policy review that will happen this summer, and in planning training and educational programming, Simeoli stated in an email. “We also use the open
comments to better understand the needs of students, what changes can be made to improve the experience of working with the Office of Title IX as well as our on and off-campus partners who support responses to gender-based misconduct,” Simeoli wrote. The data collected from the Survey will be analyzed by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). HEDS is an association of nonprofit colleges and univer-
sities that are “committed to sharing data, knowledge, and expertise to advance undergraduate liberal arts education, inclusive excellence, and student success at member institutions,” according to the organization’s website. “One of the benefits of the HEDS tool is we are also given comparison data to similar institutions which means all the surveys have to be closed and data assessed before the reports are circulated,” Simeoli explained.
Results from the survey will be posted on Union College’s Title IX website before the end of the calendar year, according to Simeoli. This survey is conducted every two years. 284 Union students took the Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey in 2019. In that survey, 12 students reported that they were subjected to “unwanted sexual contact” from either faculty, staff or administrators at Union See NINE on page 2
Alumni Eric Dyer ’13 shares recovery story with Union By Sydney Lewis co-News Editor
On April 26, 2021 the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council co-hosted the second event of the Chabad Resiliency Series which centered on Addiction and Recovery. Eric Dyer, a Union College alumni who graduated in 2013, joined over 100 participants through Zoom to share his story. Dyer has been in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction since 2011. Dyer was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. This is where he began the evening as he recounted his childhood and early adolescent years when marijuana and alcohol began to infiltrate his social life despite warnings from his father who has also struggled with addiction in the past. After experimentOpinions, page 3 College life at home: a year of turmoil
ing with drugs at a young age he remembers thinking to himself, “I could get used to feeling like this all the time,” and he did not want to wait until the weekend as his friends did to smoke or drink. This feeling would only escalate and continue once Dyer arrived at Union College where he would eventually join the fraternity, Theta Delta Chi, a chapter that can still be found at Union today. Fortunately Dyer was never hospitalized or experienced an overdose as he battled his addiction with opitates, but at the end of his junior year, on the night of his 21st birthday, his (then) current girlfriend flushed his drugs down the toilet. At the time, Dyer had been promising her that he would be receiving help soon, but his mother had already been called and was there to pick him up in the morning. This began in June of 2011 and Sci Tech, page 5 Apple event reveals a slew of new products
continued until November of 2011 as he was in and out of various detox hospitals which included Gosnold Treatment Center in Cape Cod. The biggest disturbance for Dyer was feeling alone amongst groups of people including his friends and teammates at Union. He felt incapable of stopping the use of drugs even when he desired it most. Dyer said, “If I woke up in the morning and did not have the prescription painkillers I was using [at the time] I would get violently ill very quickly.” Eventually, he would find himself being introduced to people who showed him that a spiritual way of living can be found through religion and other ways of life outside of drug abuse. Through his spirituality he was able to find solace away from substance abuse. Dyer is now sober and
We’re beautiful on the inside, too
World, page 4 Over a century of genocide
Sydney Lewis | Concordiensis Eric Dyer ’13 shares his struggle with addiction with the Union community through Chabad Resiliency Series.
working as an attorney at a mid-sized Boston law firm. He is the co-founder of New Harbor at Hingham, a men’s sober living home in Massachusetts, and is actively involved in Friends of Recovery New York. His wife, Union alumni Dr. Stacey Burns ’12, is the same woman who called his mother on the night of his 21st birthday. 807 Union St., page 7 Union College observes Denim Day 2021
Dyer stressed the importance of seeking help and using support networks if you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse.
Sports, page 8 Women’s lacrosse team secures playoffs spot
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Sydney Lewis
NINE Continued from page 1
and one student claimed that a member of the faculty, staff or administration tried to sexually assault them. In 2017, 6 students claimed that a member of the faculty, staff or administration gave them unwanted sexual contact and
Thursday, April 29. 2021 | Concordiensis
zero individuals reported any attempts by someone in the faculty, staff or administration attempting to sexually assault them. When asked about these alleged incidents, Simeoli responded, “The College does not comment on specific claims involving any member of our campus community in order to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all involved.” The HEDS definition of sexual assault differs from the Colleges’s. In their survey, HEDS considers sexual assault as unwanted or non-consentu-
al sexual contact. According to HEDS, sexual contact encompasses oral sex, vaginal or anal penetration, as well as various forms of touching that include kissing, groping and fondling. In the Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity that Simeoli emailed to the campus in August 2020, sexual assault is defined as “physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will without the person’s affirmative consent, by force or threat of force, or where the person is incapable of giving affirmative consent due to the his/her use of drugs
or alcohol.” The College will be participating in the 2023 Survey, which New York State law mandates, according to Simeoli. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In addition to sending out the Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey, the Office of Title IX is running a speaker series. On Thursday, April 29th at 6 p.m. the Chief Executive Officer of A Call to Men Tony Porter talk will give a talk about how men can help prevent sexual violence. A Call to Men is an organization that offers edu-
lewiss4@union.edu cational and training programming to schools, government offices, companies and community organizations about “healthy manhood,” according to the organization’s website. In 2010, Porter gave a TED Talk titled “A call to men,” which GQ Magazine included on their list, “Top 10 TED Talks Every Man Should See.” This event is co-hosted by the Interfraternity Council and the Department of Athletics.
Economics professor releases new report on endowment By Akriti Dhasmana Emeritus Editor-in-Chief
On Thursday, March 11, 2021, Concordiensis reported about an analysis of the endowment investment by Professor Eshragh Mothar, an Economics professor of Union College. Now, a new report by Motahar suggests that Union College paid 14.6 million dollars in investment management fees in the Fiscal Year 2020 which is a 38 percent increase from last year. The college had introduced several budget cuts and retirement contributions for staff and faculty for the same fiscal year citing the financial crunch due to the pandemic as the reason. This payment has followed years of what Motahar calls “underperformance of the endowment investments compared to the S&P.” The endowment currently stands at around 470 million U.S. dollars according to the IRS 990 tax form filed by Union College for the fiscal year 2020. The investment management fees have been reported on the yearly financial audit conducted by KPMG. However, this year, the same was not reported in the audit. According to college spokesperson Phil Wajda, “footnote for management and incentive fees” was only an estimated figure. He mentioned that the decision to remove the same was based
on “guidance from our auditors, and in accordance with new rules from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)” which doesn’t require the college to declare netted expenses. When asked about the reasoning behind this decision Wajda said that this was done to reduce “some of the complexities of our reporting process while making it easier for financial statement users to understand our financial position” and that “incentive fees are estimated due to the differences in calendar year (12/31) and fiscal year (6/30), which makes them less infor-
mative and difficult to compare.” “This is categorically untrue” Motahar told Concordiensis. According to Motahar, the college had been reporting the fees not as a “footnote” but rather as an essential part of the KPMG report for the past few years as illustrated in figure 2 and figure 3. According to Wajda, the endowment investments have been managed by a firm called Gerber Taylor since 2011. “Since 2011 Union has paid a total (simple sum) of $82.1 million in fees,” Motahar told Concordiensis via email. In a
Courtesy of Eshragh Motahar Figures 2 & 3: 2018 financial audit report with the investment management fees in the bottom lines (top) and 2019 financial audit report with the investment management fees in the bottom lines (bottom).
Courtesy of Eshragh Motahar and Union College Professor Motahar’s simulation (top) as compared to Union College’s data from the Endowment Basics Presentation on the Union website (bottom).
report published on the Union website prepared by Gerber Taylor, a simulation with a 100 million dollar investment since 2002 that was actively managed seemed to outperform the S&P. However, when the same simulation using Gerber & Taylor’s own data and methodology was done for the time period from 2011 by Professor Motahar, S&P 500 performs significantly better than Union.
Past Concordiensis editions can be viewed at concordiensis. com/virtual-newspapers or by scanning:
Sarah Davenport
OPINIONS C
Thursday, April 29, 2021 | Concordiensis
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davenpos@union.edu
The differences of a Ramadan celebrated at Union College By Abdul Rafay Shoukat Contributibuting Writer
For a typical Dutchman of our esteemed school, spring term signals the escape from the dreary moments of winter and a promise of more outdoor activities, as we cannot bear to spend another moment suffering from cabin fever. The snow starts to melt away, as the flowers bloom telling the college’s inhabitants that it is now warm enough to smile again and free ourselves from the clutches of seasonal depression. However, for the handful of Muslims that reside on this campus, and the billions all over the world, it also signals to us the start of the month of
Ramadan, which is thirty days of peaceful fasting, praying, and meditation in the way of Allah (SWT). It is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam which is necessary for a Muslim to perform. The routine of a person fasting is that they wake up before the sun rises and have food and water till the call to pray is called which is the cue to stop eating and then pray their (Fajr) morning prayers. We are allowed to break our fast when the sun goes down which is gestured by the call for (Maghreb) evening prayers. A Muslim, while they are in a state of fasting cannot eat, drink, fight, have sexual relations, or smoke. It is a month of intense worship and reclusion, serving as a reminder of how completely indebted we are to the Creator
as He has asked this small sacrifice of us, which we willfully give. The ‘why’ of Ramadan is answered in the context of belief in the Hereafter and the reminder that we all have to answer to the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. In my home country of Pakistan, Ramadan is celebrated on the nation-state level. The general economic activity as a whole slows down, with the workdays starting later and consisting of shorter hours. It is almost as though the roles of the night and day switch, as fewer people come out during the day but at the night the public come out in swelling proportions filling the market places, restaurants, cafes with vendors of every type catering to the public till the morning call to prayer indicates another day of fasting and people
recluse to their abodes. The mosques are filled to the brim with everyone imploring the Exalted to forgive their sins so that they may be shown mercy when the time of Accountability arrives. After the month of Ramadan, we celebrate our festivals of ‘Eidul-Fitr’ which is translated as ‘The Festival of Breaking the Fast’. This is where we congregate with our families and close friends to have a big feast and celebrate the entire month of fasting that we just accomplished. Eid-ul-Fitr lasts for three days, as we dress up in our nicest clothes and the young children and teens in the family are given money as a reward for the fasts they kept. Carrying this culture into Union College is very different as I have to do all of these fun-
damentals on a small scale to be responsible for all the cooking and cleaning and waking up which is done by all the members of my family when the month comes around. I miss the environment that is set up when living in a Muslim majority country and the strong feeling of community that is rendered when doing this on such a large level. Dsepite this, I take comfort in the fact that there are so many Muslims like me who are also doing this on a micro-level and miss the larger community they are from but are connected when we stand in prayer all facing towards Makkah and prostrating to the One and Only.
College life at home: a year of frustration and turmoil By Mia Antonucci Contributing Writer
Thirteen months ago, Union College suspended all in-person learning for an indefinite amount of time. Although we thought this break would last two or three weeks at most, since then I have been taking classes remotely from my childhood bedroom. This is not the ideal college experience many of us envisioned when we enrolled at Union, however the pandemic has forced me to take a new approach to my learning. I have found better ways to study and have a better appreciation of the education I am receiving. As much as the pandemic has allowed me to
grow as a person, the negatives vastly outweigh the negligible positives. At the end of the winter term of 2021, I decided not to return to campus and take the spring off. While the pandemic is one of the main reasons behind my decision not to return, another deciding factor was the extreme burnout I experienced. Remote classes, in my opinion, are much harder than in-person classes. My experience with them has made me have to study much harder and do more work to maintain high grades, which is something I did not worry about as much when I attended in-person classes. External factors played a large role in my decision as well. Constantly being bombarded with a steadily increasing death toll from the
pandemic while maintaining a good GPA was very mentally taxing. The overwhelming anxiety and agoraphobia I experienced only worsened while I was attending classes. I decided to take a break for my mental health and through this, will be able to return to campus in the fall having taken the time to care for myself. The isolation that comes with being responsible during the pandemic is hard to overcome. I spent a large portion of quarantine burying my head in my books to pass the time spent at home. It has been a very weird experience staying indoors while witnessing my peers on social media posting about traveling and attending parties. It seems as though a large percentage of the population chooses to pretend like we aren’t currently enduring a
pandemic that, at its height, claimed the lives of thousands of people across the country, daily. Trying to obtain a college degree during a global pandemic has been egre-
giously difficult, but with the increase in vaccination rates, I have hope that life will soon return to some kind of normalcy.
Concordiensis Vol. CXLIV, Issue XIV, April 29, 2021 Dante Sasso Jr. Editor-in-Chief Megan Brown, News Editor Sydney Lewis, News Editor Ariel Cooper, 807 Editor Isabelle Yee, Sports Editor Kari Kimball, Sci/Tech Editor concordiensis.com Email: concordiensis@union.edu Office: 406 Reamer Campus Center
Sarah Davenport, Opinions Editor Chris Doyle, World/Business Editor Trey Everett, 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 sassod@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, April 29, 2021 | Concordiensis
doylec@union.edu
Over a century of genocide: the slaughter of innocent lives By Chris Doyle World and Business Editor
April 24 was Armenian Genocide Rememberance Day, and President Joe Biden marked the occassion by officially recognizing the the massacre of roughly 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottomons from 1915-1917 as genocide. In his speech released by the White House, the President declared “we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occuring.” The US has refrained from officially classifying the murders that took place as “Genocide” in order to avoid
offending Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman Empire. It was the slaughter of the Armenians that inspired the Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin to coin the term “Genocide”. Lemkin argued that sovereignty alone did not give states the right to commit mass murder unchecked. The Jewish Lemkin’s word would be used to describe the deaths of 49 of his relatives—and six million others—in the Holocaust. He fled to America to escape Hitler’s Germany, and dedicated the rest of his life to atrocity prevention. He advised Robert Jackson—a Supreme Court Justice and Prosecutor during the Nuremberg Trials—on his cross-examinations of Nazi war criminals. Nurembug was the first time the international community asserted itself to judge
the citizens of a country for crimes against humanity, and the UN Genocide Convention went into effect in 1951. Nevertheless, the arms race of the Cold War flooded countries across the world with weapons. The US and USSR hoped they would be aimed at the other, but that wasn’t the case in Cambodia, Guatemala, Zanzibar, Iraq, Biafra, Equatorial Guinea, Bangladesh, Laos, Uganda, and many other states. The post-Cold War efforts to prevent mass killings were mixed. NATO stepped in to prevent the Serbs in Yugoslavia from continuing the slaughter of minorities in the ‘90s, and the UN established a Nuremberg-style court to punish war criminals. On the other hand, the Rwandan Genocide left close to a million
Tutsis and Hutu allies dead in 100 days. The same week that Biden reecognized the Armenian Genocide, the New York Times reported that a study commissioned by Rwanda accused France of “playing a significant role” in the arming and training of Hutu perpetrators of the massacres. Another report by the French in March concluded that France bore “overwhelming responsibility.” In his memoir, General Romeo Dallaire—commander of UN peacekeeping in Rwanda from 1993-94—wrote of French arms arriving for the Hutu armies in the preamble of the full-scale atrocities. France is a permanent member of the UNSC. Dallaire’s narrow mandate—and a lack of will from his superiors—prevented him from taking more assertive action to protect civilians. In
an April 23 lecture at Leiden University, Dallaire discussed the role of racial preference in the intervention in the European Yugoslavia, versus the abandonment of Rwanda. The threat of Genocide has persisted into the 21st Century. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken used the term to reference Chinese actions against the Uighur Muslims during his confirmation hearings. Despite a greater will to use the term by the global community, substantive action has been minimal, and Dallaire has warned of advancements in digital media and artificial intelligence becoming fuel for the extremism that leads to atrocities, similar to how propaganda radio in Rwanda abetted the progress of the genocide.
Terrorist group claims responsibility for hotel bombing By Jing Chen Staff Writer
On April 21, 2021, a car blasted outside the Serena Hotel parking lot in Quetta, Pakistan. CNN states that the Serena Hotel is regarded as one of the safest and most secured hotels in Quetta, which usually host diplomats and international ambassadors from around the world. According to Yahoo News, Chinese ambassador Nong Rong is allegedly staying at the hotel, but was not present at the time of the attack. He
was supposed to return there from a dinner meeting outside the hotel, Pakistani officials said. While the explosion did not hurt the Chinese ambassadors, it killed five people and heavily injured 12, mostly police and other officials. Later in the day, a spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—the largest armed terrorist group in Pakistan—claimed that “the suicide bomber hit the security officials exactly as it was planned,” and assumed responsibility for this bombing. According to the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation, the TPP is the largest and the most vi-
cious terrorist organization in Pakistan that operates under the larger Pakistani Taliban wing. Its goal is to overthrow the Pakistani government and establish an Islamic caliphate by specifically targeting the Pakistani government and security forces. The TPP began its insurgency in 2007. In 2009, suicide bombers exploded a car in Peshawar market that killed 125 and wounded 100. In 2014, suicide bombers killed 74 and injured 300. In recent years, the TPP has targeted Chinese businesses and ambassadors as well because Pakistan and China are close allies both po-
litically and financially. China is one of the largest foreign investors in the Pakistani economy and provided support to building infrastructures under the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. For instance, in 2019, CNN reported that gunmen have stormed the Pearl Continental Hotel situated on the Gwadar port, a centerpiece project built by the Chinese. Like the Serena Hotel, the Pearl Continental is a luxury hotel that accommodates delegations and ambassadors; this attack killed five hotel workers and other officials. On April 22, the Chinese ministry spokesman Wang
Wenbing said that they grieve innocent lives lost and that they “trust that Pakistan will ascertain the truth, bring the perpetrators to justice and guarantee the safety of Chinese individuals and organizations in Pakistan.” According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pakistan interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that “Our agencies will fight the efforts which are being made in the neighboring country to reorganize the TTP.”
60-Second News
Cities in India face crisis over lack of oxygen as the new wave of COVID-19 claims more death and infections
Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer who murdered George Floyd, has been found guilty on all charges for a possible sentencing of 75 years in prison
53 crewmembers of a lost Indonesian submarine declared dead with discovered wreckage
Kari Kimball
Sci/Tech
Thursday, April 29, 2021 | Concordiensis
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kimballk@union.edu
Apple event reveals tech giant’s slew of new products By Kari Kimball Sce/Tech Editor
At the Apple event that took place on April 20, the tech giant announced a slew of new products. These new products include an iMac, iPad Pro, AirTag and a new generation of Apple TV 4K. Apple also revealed that the iPhone 12 will be available in a new color, purple. The new iMac that will become available in May has a much more compact design at just 11.5 millimeters thin and comes in a variety of colors: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver. This new computer is able to be so compact because of the new M1 chip. The iMac has a 24 inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels and over a billion colors. The new iMac features the best camera and audio ever in a Mac with a FaceTime HD camera at
1080p resolution, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system. This new computer also features Touch ID making it easier to use Apple Pay, switch users and ensure a secure log in. The new iMac starts at $1,299. The new iPad Pro that will be released later this year highlights the new M1 chip and features 5G speeds. The iPad will be 12.9 inches and a new Liquid Retina XDR screen, allowing for more true-to-life details. The new iPad Pro will feature a new Ultra Wide front camera that enables Center Stage which is a new feature that automatically keeps users in frame during video calls. The Wi-Fi model of the new iPad Pro will be available starting at $1,099 and the Cellular model will be available starting at $1,299. AirTag is part of the FindMy family and is an accessory that can be attached to any valuable item. Using the FindMy app on an iPhone
will allow people to get location details about where the AirTag is located. The AirTag is small and lightweight polished stainless steel and is water and dust resistant. There is a built-in speaker that plays sound to help locate the product. This product will become available Friday, April 30 and will be sold for $29 for one or a pack of four for $99. There are many new features in the next generation of Apple TV 4K. there is a new Siri Remote to make it even easier to watch shows and movies on Apple TV. The new Siri Remote will be available for purchase separately at $59 whereas the system with the remote will be available starting at $179. Apple TV 4K works with tvOS to seamlessly carry over to other Apple devices and services to transform a room. The new generation will be delivering high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision to allow for the highest quality viewing. This
Courtesy of Apple The advertisement for the Apple Event held on April 20, 2021
is all made possible by the new A12 Bionic chip that provides the system with significant improvements in graphic performance, video decoding and audio processing.
The reach of humanity and its massive impact on Earth By Olivia Egan Staff Writer
Humanity occupies a large portion of our earth. According to Science News, a concerning 97% of the planet is no longer seen as ecologically intact. To be ecologically intact, an environment must have little to no signs of human activity or impact and be large enough to house a fully functional ecosystem. Construction, fishing, and hunting damage these envi-
ronments and compromise the integrity of these ecosystems. This damage then causes the extinction of hundreds of species. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, 10,000 species go extinct each year, which amount to about 27 species a day. This is significantly higher than the natural extinction rate. There are very few places on our planet that can be classified as ecologically intact, one of them being the Serengeti National Park. Covering more than 5,500 square miles, this park is home to over a million
wildebeest, as well as lions, hyenas, and other predators, all existing with very little interference from humans, almost as if humans did not exist. Other areas like this are rainforests in the Amazon and Indonesia, as well as the boreal forests in Canada. Only eleven percent of these fully intact ecosystems are protected, making it extremely likely that these spaces will continue to get smaller. Some conservation scientists have made efforts to figure out how much of the planet has yet to be touched by humans
using satellites, and found that 20 to 40 percent of the earth didn’t have any obvious human impact. But this information can’t always be trusted. A luscious, intact forest can still have a barely functioning ecosystem below it due to hunting or other effects of humanity. These satellites also can’t show the density of animals, such as a smaller number of hyenas in the Serengeti. While efforts are being made to repair damaged ecosystems, such as the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, there are still many ar-
eas that we must work to save. Our actions over the course of the next decade will have incredible impacts on the species that we share our home with, and it is up to humanity to decide whether those impacts will be positive or negative.
About 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.
Deforestation threatens the survival of over half of all living species.
60-Second Sci/Tech
Calculations show within 100 years there will be no rainforests.
Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation.
In 2019, the world lost an entire soccer field worth of rainforest every six seconds.
PICTURES OF THE WEEK
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Trey Everett ‘22 | Concordiensis A photo of The Nott on a cloudy day (U-L), West College in the evening (U-R), A student wearing a denim jacket for Denim Day 2021 (L-L), Roger Hull Place (L-R)
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NOTICES
Reappointment Review Committee A reappointment review committee has been formed for Lindsay Bush, Instructional Services Librarian, Schaffer Library. Members of the campus community are invited to offer written or oral testimony to committee members. Lindsay Bush, Instructional Services Librarian, Schaffer Library — Members of the Review Committee: Robyn Reed, chair, Schaffer Library (reedr@union.edu); Sarah Schmidt (Library); Raik Zaghloul (Library); Kara Doyle (English Department)
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Ariel Cooper
Thursday, April 29. 2021 | Concordiensis
coopera2@union.edu
Union College observes Denim Day with Women’s Union By Dante Sasso Jr. Editor-in-Chief
On Wednesday, April 28th, Women’s Union hosted the annual observance of Denim Day for the purpose of raising awareness for sexual assault. The event consisted of students wearing outfits consisting of denim jackets, shorts, and jeans as they marched through Union’s campus with signs showing their solidarity with sexual assault victims. The march began outside of the Schaffer Library, with students lining up at the steps while attempting to preserve social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At around 6:00 PM, the students began to march past the Reamer Campus Center and down the road until
turning left at the rugby field. They then marched past the flagpole and back up to the library, passing Hale House on the way. After students had marched through the pouring rain, Women’s Union’s president Marcy Forti ’22 gave a speech thanking the students for their attendance at the event. Forti then explained the significance of Denim Day and how it came to be; in 1998, the Italian Supreme Court overturned a sexual assault case between an 18 year old girl and her 45 year old driving instructor, claiming that due to the girl wearing “very, very tight jeans,” she had to help remove them in order for anything sexual to occur, therefore ruling it as consensual. After the overturned verdict became public, members of the Italian Parliament wore
jeans in solidarity with the victim and to protest the verdict. With the Italian Parliament, the California Senate and Assembly also wore denim to show solidarity. In 1999, the first official Denim Day in the United States was established by Patricia Giggans in Los Angeles. After Forti explained the origins and importance of Denim Day, she invited up professor Rosemary Patterson from Union College’s sociology department. Patterson is a visiting assistant professor at Union College and has been with the college since the fall of 2020. Patterson explained how harmful sexual assault can be to victims and listed off statistics about how often men and women experience sexual assault, not just on college campuses but also during their entire liftime. In addition to the march
Dante Sasso Jr. | Concordiensis Denim Day banner outside of Schaffer Library around campus, students also observed Denim Day by wearing jeans and other denim clothing while posting to social media to raise awareness. Many students created posts to Instagram in particular, explaining why they chose to wear denim on that day. Others on social media
were critical of the college in their handling of Denim Day, with one tweeting out “denim day at Union College is just a performative photo-op that does nothing to address actual assault claims on campus on any level other than trigger survivors.”
Union College’s Woman of the Week: Mary Beth Rudolf By Jackson Giammattei Contributing Writer
Mary Beth Rudolf Senior Student, Economics Major Nominated by: Emersyn Alberici Nomination: Mary Beth is involved in multiple organizations on campus, attends every zoom meeting, and takes on extra tasks to help improve the organization for the new and returning members. Aside from being a great student(economics major who is going on her third German course!), she’s my best friend. She’s been trying to figure out a medical issue, and while dealing with this she has time to finish her school work, take exams and quizzes, travel back and forth from home and school, and take the time to check in on every-
one in our house (especially listen to my rants haha!). Like that movie “I just don’t know how she does it’’ - that’s how I feel about Mary Beth! I’m so proud and impressed with her transition from Freshman to Senior year! Not to mention she already has a job lined up in Charlotte! I am full with so much gratitude for you and other union students should feel the same. My proudest accomplishments: Coming into my true self at Union. Coming into college I was shy and not outgoing. I would not have seen myself as someone eager to take on leadership roles, but throughout college I have had the opportunity to take on numerous leadership roles. I am also proud of myself for establishing myself in a field, economics and finance, that is largely male dominated. Lastly, completing my Senior Thesis! It was a long and stressful process but very rewarding.
What are you passionate about: Movement! I love moving my body whether it is through pilates, yoga, walking, etc. It is so vital to keeping myself centered and I love the community and connections it can create. Who do you look up to: I am always inspired by female CEOs and business owners. One woman I have looked up to in the past few months has been Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder and CEO of Bumble. Herd had previously worked at Tinder but left in 2014, due to a sexual harassment lawsuit. She then went on to found Bumble, which is a dating app that empowers women to make the first move. Bumble recently went public and was valued at over $8 million. I think it shows the strength and determination women have. What does being a woman at Union mean to you:
Mary Beth Rudolf ’21
Making your voice heard! There are often many times where you are the only female in the room/conversation, but speaking up is so important. Being a woman at Union is a unique experience, but one
Courtesy of Women’s Union
for growth, pushing us to be confident and use our voices to share our experiences!
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Isabelle Yee
Thursday, April 29. 2021 | Concordiensis
yeei@union.edu
Men’s and women’s tennis team celebrates Senior Day By Isabelle Yee Sports Editor
Over the weekend, the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams faced Vassar College. Despite the 8-1 and 6-3 lost, they both celebrated their seniors. On the men’s side, Cameron Klepper ‘22 had a 6-2, 6-1 win over RPI’s Nicolas Demaria at sixth singles. Ioannis Binopoulos ‘22 fell short in both sets in the singles match against David Gandham. He fell by a pair of 7-5. Aidan O’Brien ‘23 and Thomas McGuire also came short in their matches. They fell by a score of 6-4, 6-3 at second and fourth singles. On the women’s side, Cathy Xing ‘21 had two wins for Union. She won at third doubles with Gracie Nicol ‘24 with a score of 8-1. She also won sixth singles against Vassar’s Nicol Pihlstrom with a score of
6-3 in both sets. Dana D’Onofrio ‘22 won at fifth singles by 6-2 and 6-3. The graduating class is composed of six seniors David Bond ‘21, Austin Egna ‘21, Max Egna ‘21, Megan Brown ‘21, Sam Siegel ‘21, and Cathy Xing ‘21. David Bond is a mechanical engineer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was named All-Liberty League Doubles Honorable Mention during the 2018-2019 season and was named Liberty League Doubles Team of the week in the 2016-2017 season with his doubles partner Max McGeown ‘19. Austin Egna is a Managerial Economics major from Port Washington, New York. He is a two-time member of the Liberty League All-Academic Team, named an ITA Scholar-Athlete during the 20192020 season, and was named Liberty League Doubles Team
of the Week twice during the month of March in the 20182019 season. On-campus, he is the real estate co-leader for the Garnet Group. Max Egna is the twin brother to Max Egna. Max is also a managerial economics major. He is a onetime member of the Liberty League All-Academic Team, named an ITA Scholar-Athlete during the 2019-2020 season and named to the Liberty League Doubles Team of the Week with his brother. On campus, he is a member of the Garnet Group and the Ski and Snowboard Club . Megan Brown is an English and Political Science major from Westport, Connecticut. On campus she is the News Editor of the school newspaper, Concordiensis. During her sophomore year, she was ranked second on the team with 16 victories and was the team leader with an 11-12 re-
cord in singles play. She also won the Female Sophomore Athletic Prize, received the ECAC Medal of Merit during the 2019-2020 season, and was named All-Liberty League Doubles Honorable Mention in the 2017-2018 season. Sam Siegel ‘21 is a Studio Fine Arts major from New Vernon, New Jersey. At Union, she is a digital media and content marketing intern with the Communications and Marketing department, Men’s Hockey digital media intern with the Athletic Communications office, and a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also an ITA Scholar Athlete during the 2019-2020 academic year and a one-time member of the Liberty League All-Academic Team. Cathy Xing is a Mechanical Engineer from Delta, British Columbia. During her time at Union, she has completed re-
search focusing on the Electrical Characterization of Nano-Materials. She is a two-time member of the Liberty League All-Academic team and an ITA Scholar-Athlete during the 2017-2018 academic year. The men’s and women’s tennis teams return to action next Saturday with a matchup against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Women’s lacrosse team secures playoffs spot on Senior Day By Tyler Mar Staff Writer
On Saturday, 24 April, the Union College Women’s Lacrosse team secured its first postseason berth since 2016 with a stunning 19-13 win over Clarkson University on Senior Day at Frank Bailey Field Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium. The women of Union College scored the first goals of the day, posting up three goals in the first four minutes of play. Led off by senior Isabel Bush ‘21, who scored three of her career-high six goals. Bush had a huge game for Union, scoring six goals with just eight shots to double her previous career-record on her Senior Day. Clarkson picked up a handful of goals and tied the game at three after five minutes. Sophomore Sydney McPartlon ‘23 resonded with two goals as part
of a 7-1 run that gave Union a comfortable 10-4 lead heading into halftime. McPartlon came up huge for the Dutchwomen and scored a career-high seven points, scoring four goals with three assists. Junior Grace Heiting ‘22 also added two goals and two assists and senior Lindsay Gerrato ‘21 handled 13 draws. The intensity of play by the Dutchwomen contrasted sharply with the previous day’s game. Union came out of the gates strong and kept up the heat to the very end. Bush secured the game’s first goal on the opening possession and set the intensity. Union maintained their lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half, leading 13-7. But Clarkson responded with a matched intensity and scored a string of six goals to tie the score at 13 a-piece with 11:02 on the clock. The Dutchwomen seeking their first postseason berth since 2016 refused to be de-
terred and regained control of the game. Junior Kit Christian ‘22, McPartlon, and Heiting each scored goals to re-establish Union’s lead. Bush took control hereafter and scored three more times in less than two minutes to clinch Saturday’s shootout with the Clarkson Golden Knights. The Dutchwomen gave an outstanding performance on Senior Day. They maintained an intense course of play and kept up the heat to secure a win. Saturday’s match against Clarkson was the last regular season game for seniors Caroline Hirt ‘21, Emma Driscoll ‘21, Courtney Cronin ‘21, Erika Bonnist ‘21, Isabel Bush, Kat Heaney ‘21, Lindsay Gerrato, Ava Hultgren ‘21, and Olivia Leong ‘21. Union will resume play and begin their postseason run on Wednesday, 28 April, as they face off against second-seeded William Smith College.
Courtesy of Union Athletics The graduating seniors on the women’s lacrosse team.