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Th ursday, Septem be r 15, 2011
The I th a c a n 3
Semester series to highlight black culture by noreyana fernando contributing writer
The Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity has launched its annual discussion series with a new focus on black cultures. The first event kicked off last night in Emerson Suites with filmmaker and activist Byron Hurt, who presented his documentary “I Am a Man: Black Masculinity in America.” CSCRE Director and Professor Asma Barlas said this year’s series aims to promote a better understanding of black male society in America. “What we are trying to do with this series is to encourage a more complex understanding of the circumstances in which black men live in this country,” Barlas said. “That is the framework for the activities we have planned around this series.” Barlas said the series initiative will also serve to quell media stereotypes, while addressing ways in which black men are represented. “The point of the discussion series is to complicate the ways in which we think about, talk about, write about and represent AfricanAmerican men,” she said. Barlas said one area of focus is steering away from media stereotypes. “A lot of students, and for that matter, nonstudents, rely a great deal on sound bites, on what they think are reliable statistics,” she said. “We get all kinds of poisonous associations between people of color generally, and the pathology of crime, drugs and so on and so forth.” Sean Eversley Bradwell, assistant professor in the CSCRE, met Hurt when he first visited Ithaca College in 2007. “I think his work is phenomenal. I am excited to have the chance to bring him back on campus,” Bradwell said. “I Am a Man,” which was screened yesterday discussed how racism, sexism, homophobia and the threat of violence negatively shaped black masculine identity in American culture. Hurt said though the film was released in 1997, he is excited to see it remain relevant in black men’s lives. “I wanted to launch conversations to get black men to be able to talk to one another, getting people to think about the world that we all live in and how we can become more attuned to the struggles and complexities of life,” he said. Bradwell said it is essential to have a space to reflect on the social importance of black men. “There is a need for all kinds of education on campus,” he said. “Having a space to have a
by emily francis contributing writer
Filmmaker Byron Hurt kicks off the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity’s annual discussion series with the theme “Black Men” yesterday. The series will continue all semester.
rachel orlow/the ithacan
conversation about the world, history of social importance, and the social importance of black men is absolutely necessary.” In the past, CSCRE has hosted discussion series such as “Race and Immigration” and “Chaos or Community? MLK and the Politics of Resistance.” Senior Ariel Lawrence, who has attended many of CSCRE’s discussion series in the past, said the events offer one of the best places to have an open dialogue about race and culture on campus. “There are a lot of different presentations and events, and it’s probably one of the most successful spaces created on campus where students and professors can come together in a way in which you can openly discuss what’s going on and what the subject matter is about,” she said. Gustavo Licon, assistant professor in the CSCRE, said he attended the first event to support the series and to gain new knowledge and perspectives on the topic. “It’s on a very important topic,” he said. “I don’t think people are kidding when they say ‘black men are an endangered species’ particularly when it comes to higher education, men of color in general.” The series will include two more events on the
theme, titled “Black Men,” this semester. Artist-in-residence David Butler will conduct a discussion titled “Representing Black Men,” from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31 in Emerson Suites. Zaheer Ali, research fellow at Columbia University and Jared Ball, associate professor at Morgan State University, will conduct a panel discussion about Malcolm X from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 15. Juniors Shaunice Phillips and Reisy Veloz said they attended the event to understand the image of black men in society. “I am interested in a lot of the speaker series that are offered by the center,” Veloz said. “I just like to come watch and hear about other people’s experiences.” Lawrence said she met one of her best friends freshmen year by attending the event and always encourages students and professors to attend. “It’s vital for the students in order to be fully engaged with their campus climate, whether it be socially or politically,” she said. “I enjoy that there’s an actual dialogue among the people involved with the series.” News Editor Kelsey O’Connor and Assistant News Editor Elma Gonzalez contributed to this article.
Bookstore appeal sinks by nicole hakimi contributing writer
Students are taking more advantage of innovations in the online marketplace to help ease out-of-pocket educational costs, according to new data from the U.S. Public Research Group. The research group surveyed 1,905 undergraduates and seven out of 10 students reported they had not purchased one or more textbooks because the cost was too high. Rentals, e-books and e-readers are gaining popularity as cost-reducing alternatives to traditional textbooks. Rick Watson, director of the Ithaca College bookstore, said over the past few years textbook prices have been rising by at least 5 percent a year, and textbook sales at the bookstore have been declining consistently for three or four years. “This semester, we’re down about 30 percent textbook sales within the store,” he said. Sophomore Mary Kate Fain said she never purchases brand new print textbooks because they are too expensive. “I like to get them as cheap as I can,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of money, but I mean, we’re college students, who does?”
College tests new Sakai online system
Junior Will Rocheleau used the Kindle version of a textbook for a class freshman year because of the convenience of having a lighter alternative to a heavy book. “I would have [the e-textbook] on the device,” he said. “It was the convenience of having that space so you don’t have to carry it.” But he said that his foremost concern with the Kindle was navigating to his assigned reading. “The Kindle doesn’t necessarily have page numbers because of the way the text cam adjusts,” Rocheleau said. “It was really hard to find what I’m supposed to read.” While the college bookstore does offer digital textbooks, sales have been minimal, Watson said. “Some colleges have experienced big growth in digital, but it all depends,” he said. Last fall, the bookstore started offering textbook rentals through its website and this semester, rentals are up 81 percent since then, Watson said. Watson said the main advantage of renting textbooks is the cheap upfront cost. Freshman Leonard Slutsky rented some of his textbooks from Chegg.com.
Maddie Rimpas hands over books purchased online to junior Christina Kranz. The bookstore is down 30 percent in textbook sales this semester.
kevin campbell/the ithacan
“I was a little worried that the quality wasn’t going to be good, but it was actually pretty good, and I saved a few hundred dollars.” In the public interest group survey, 93 percent of students reported that they’ve purchased at least one book whose price was affected by the textbook publishing industry’s practices. For instance, publishers will release new editions and custom editions and offer “bundling,” the practice
of packaging textbooks with CDs and passcodes. Slutsky said he was upset several of his classes required custom textbooks, which were only available through the college bookstore. “You can’t buy them used or rent them because they change every once in a while,” Slutsky said. “I guess they’re pretty hard to sell back. If the professor doesn’t use the same book the next semester, you’re out of luck.”
Students and professors are adjusting this semester to a new way of keeping track of classes online. Sakai, Ithaca College’s new collaboration and learning program, is set to completely replace Blackboard next fall and has been rolled out to classes this semester. The program TAVES said Sakai manages and or- has garnered a positive response ganizes course- so far. work, provides interaction between students and professors and has blogging and messaging features for quick communication between classmates. To smooth the transitional period between the two programs, both Blackboard and Sakai are being offered for students and professors this year, Michael Taves, executive director of Information Technology Services, said. Currently, there are more than 500 course sections active on Sakai, and sections on Blackboard have dropped from more than 1,000 to around 500, Taves said. “I’ve gotten a lot of anecdotal feedback and it’s been 100 percent positive,” Taves said. However, some professors have been reluctant to make the switch. William Kolberg, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, said it takes time to get used to a new program. “I don’t want to just walk away from something — unless somebody tells me I have to.” The college will pay about $50,000 less annually for Sakai, while Blackboard had a six-digit price tag. More than 150 faculty members have gone through training for the program by ITS, Taves said. Susan Swensen, professor of biology, said she uses Sakai for three of her classes in the School of Humanities and Sciences. “One of the things I really like about Sakai is your ability to email and notify the students when you post something,” she said. Though some professors are sticking to what they know, Taves said he is confident the program’s marketing will help more people make the switch. “There are definitely a lot of people who have experience with it now and are making the move,” he said. While Sakai is in many ways different than Blackboard, the process for setting up courses on HomerConnect remains the same for faculty. Junior Matthew Abrahamson said he thinks highly of Sakai. “It seems to be a little more easy to navigate,” he said. Sophomore Valerie Ridgway said it can be difficult to manage so many systems to stay on top of coursework. “The problem I find with having Sakai, Blackboard and my Webmail is that I’m constantly looking in different places in order to find what assignments are due when,” she said.