/10.13.2011

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The Ithacan Thursday, October 13, 20 11

Volume 79 , Is s u e 7

From left, Ithaca College freshman Catherine Mailloux, Caitlin Niederhofer from Tompkins Cortland Community College and Chris Martin, a SUNY-Buffalo alumnus, march Saturday through Greenwich Village in New York City.

emily park/the ithacan

Ithacans occupy Wall Street By patrick feeney staff writer

Kelly Dietz, assistant professor of politics at the college, holds a copy of the Occupied Wall Street Journal on Saturday in Zuccotti Park. emily park/the ithacan

Ithacans are moving beyond the local level to join the national Occupy Wall Street protest. Last weekend, more than two dozen students, professors and residents from To see a slidethe Ithaca area show and video joined the bur- of the protests geoning move- Saturday, visit ment in New theithacan.org. York City. Across the country, citizens who are upset with the current state of the government are coming

together in major cities to protest "the greed and corruption of the 1 percent." The protest has been gaining ground in cities such as Austin, Texas, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Boston and even in Ithaca. Last week, more than 250 locals protested on the Commons. New York City protesters on Saturday held signs and marched through the streets shouting “People’s Needs, Not Corporate Greed!” and “We are the 99 percent!" As the protest entered its fourth week, more than 20,000 supporters have flocked to Zuccotti Park and

LGBT center celebrates decade of growth by gerald doherty staff writer

Nicole Blum ’06 celebrated her third anniversary with her wife on Tuesday in Wisconsin. Blum entered Ithaca College focused on field hockey and softball and spent much of her freshman and sophomore years believing she was straight. “I didn’t even realize I had the potential to be interested in the same sex,” Blum said. During her sophomore year, Blum was introduced to a crew member who was involved in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community on campus. “It opened my eyes to a completely different lifestyle,” Blum said. “Ithaca was very progressive in the LGBT aspect.” Blum was involved with the student group Created Equal, an LGBT organization, for two years and said

the LGBT center changed her outlook for the better. “The LGBT center had a very significant role in my life and changed who I am as a person,” Blum said. “You have the ability to be comfortable in who you are and the understanding that it is okay to be out and proud in the community.” The LGBT center will celebrate its 10th anniversary during Fall Splash this year with a lineup of events. Over the last decade, the center's staff has experienced improvements in resources and organization. Lis Maurer, program director of the LGBT center since its founding, said the center started as a proposal by mostly straight students who supported gay rights to address the needs of the LGBT community that were not being met and to improve the environment for

LGBT students on campus. “It seemed that LGBT students were dropping out at a very high rate,” Maurer said. “They felt that if students had a

place where they could air their concerns, worries and successes with someone in the role of a

See lgbt, page 4

Lis Maurer, program director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center on campus, stands in the LGBT center in May.

Fired up News Editor Kelsey O'Connor participates in the ancient art of firewalking, page 13

file photo/the ithacan

Royal Couple

Seniors Tim Lewis and Amanda Pulver start their reign as Mr. and Miss Ithaca, page 15 f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org

other areas of the financial district in New York City. The movement has been strengthened through social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Kelly Dietz, assistant professor of politics at the college, lent her support at the protest Saturday. “In some ways the protests are similar to the early tea party actions a couple of years ago,” Dietz said. “Both reflect deep frustrations about current circumstances and about not being heard and a lack of trust in political parties and

See occupy, page 4

IC aims to add China to abroad programs by patrick duprey online editor

Replicating a growing trend among postsecondary schools nationwide, Ithaca College has unveiled plans to expand its study abroad options with a new satellite campus in China as part of its IC 20/20 initiative. As part of the IC 20/20 final vision document released this summer, the college hopes to increase the number of students studying abroad. The China Center will join the London Program as the second overseas satellite campus operated by the college. Marisa Kelly, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the proposed China Center must still be planned and established, so she could not offer a definitive timetable for its opening. Given the importance of U.S.-China relations, Kelly said, China is an ideal study abroad location. “Of course we want IC students to study abroad in locations all over the globe,” she said. “But we have chosen to establish a new Ithaca College center in China because of the increasing importance of understanding China if you are going to understand the world.”

See abroad, page 4

side by side College's coaching couples balance work and personal lives, page 23


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