News
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November 5, 2015
The Colgate Maroon-News
ENST Brown Bags Continue to Focus on Northeastern Acid Rain
Acid in the Adirondacks: Professor Kraft explained the threat posed by acid rain on the trout population in the region.
Jazmin Pavon
By Josh Anyasi and Megan Leo Maroon-News Staff
The Environmental Studies department continued its brown bag series with the lecture “Fisheries in an Ecosystem Perspective: Acid Rain in the Adirondacks” at the Africana, Latin American, Asian American and Native American (ALANA) Cultural Center on Friday, October 30. Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University Clifford Kraft presented the lecture. The brown bag primarily discussed the effect of acid precipitation on the brook trout population, which can be found in over 500 lakes and ponds throughout the Adirondack region. Kraft delved into the history of the brook trout population, focusing specifically on the population in Honnedaga Lake. From 1890 to 1930, fisheries’ management added lake trout, creek chub, round whitefish and white sucker to Honnedaga Lake, in addition to the native brook trout population. In the following time period from 1930 to 1950, fish populations started declining in the lake, with brook trout declining rapidly. At the time, no one measured the acidity (pH) of the lake, which was the main cause of the decrease in the respective fish populations. Today, tributaries and groundwater basins in Honnedaga Lake provide a pH refuge and thermal refuge habitat in terms of water acidity and temperature, which is
suitable for brook trout survival. New research studies have been conducted within the past fifteen years which reveal that brook trout can be found in tributaries with low aluminum concentrations. Kraft predicts a positive future for the Adirondack brook trout, even though this coldwater fish could potentially be threatened by warm water temperatures caused by climate change. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 have brought about effective government regulation and have helped improve the plight of the brook trout population in the Adirondack region. This was the fourth in a sub-series of brown bags held by the Environmental Studies department. Director of the Environmental Studies program and Professor of Geography Ellen Kraly explained the goal of the seminar sub-series. “We have a whole seminar series, but we also within the brown bag this year had kind of a subtheme of trends in acid deposition in the Adirondacks. So this was one of several talks that were devoted to the patterns of change, which have, in large part, been positive in our region of upstate New York,” Kraly said. The Environmental Studies department chose to emphasize acid deposition in the Adirondacks in its brown bag series after professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Randall Fuller was awarded the Burke Chair in Regional Studies at the Upstate Institute. The scholars who presented the brown bag sub-series lectures are Fuller’s colleagues in the Northeast, where Fuller researches how geology in the Adirondacks affects the water chemistry of precipitation, groundwater and surface water. The sub-series on acid deposition also connects with the Environmental Studies fall senior seminar, taught by Kraly and Professor of Geology Bruce Selleck. Kraly explained how senior seminar topics are chosen. “Usually, the composition of the [Environmental Studies] seminar reflects faculty interests, colleagues that they’d like to bring and share with their particular classes. So this actually has worked out quite nicely, because it connects to the Upstate Institute and the theme connected to the senior seminar,” Kraly said. Through the brown bags, Environmental Studies students are invited to examine the issue of climate change. “When you think about climate change and global warming, I think so often students and all of us are looking for ways to see progress happening and some needles pointing in a positive direction, rather than in a negative direction. We, in fact, are asking our students in our senior seminar to find other examples of environmental problems for which we have witnessed some positive directions in some cases, and to reflect upon, either in the Adirondacks or their particular case studies, how this can inform producing positive change in terms of climate change,” Kraly said. Contact Josh Anyasi at janyasi@colgate.edu and Megan Leo at mleo@colgate.edu.
Ireland’s Recession and Recovery By Caitlin Gilligan Maroon-News Staff
Associate Professor of Economics at Smith College, Dr. Roisin O’Sullivan came to Colgate to give a lecture titled “The Irish Debt Crisis: Origins and Lessons for the Future” on Wednesday, October 28. O’Sullivan completed her undergraduate studies at University of Galway, Ireland and continued her education at the Ohio State University, where she earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. Her lecture concerned the causes of the 2008 Irish debt crisis and how Ireland currently deals with its repercussions. O’Sullivan is a contributing member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, an independent panel of economists chartered to monitor the Irish economy in its recovery. O’Sullivan began her lecture with photographs of the Irish landscape, explaining how it played a role in the debt crisis. According to O’Sullivan, the rise in the price of property fundamentally influenced the economic downturn. “These things make for great landscape but [are] not so great for macroeconomic performance,” O’Sullivan said, referring to the photographs of cliffs dropping off into the sea. She then went on to describe the stages of Ireland’s economy before the crisis, when it was known as the “Celtic Tiger.” With Ireland’s integration into both the European Union (EU) and the European Monetary Union (EMU), the country found itself sharing a monetary policy and currency with 18 other countries in the EMU. This transition was conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB), in which Ireland played, and still plays, only a small role. With its entrance into the EU, Ireland was able to freely move labor, capital and services with 27 other countries, which opened up more opportunities for economic growth. According to O’Sullivan, Ireland grew substantially during the Celtic Tiger period, in part because of foreign direct investments (FDI), especially from the United States. During the period from 1991 to 1993, FDI from the U.S. into Ireland tripled and was six times higher than United States investments into France and Germany. O’Sullivan cited Ireland’s primary language being English as one of the causes for the U.S. choosing to invest in Ireland over other European countries.
This led to an increased demand for property, causing prices to rise. Although, up until this point, Ireland’s growth was natural and based on sound principals, O’Sullivan discussed how Ireland’s current growth was now fueled by a bubble in the property market. In what O’Sullivan claims was a crucial mistake by the Irish government, Ireland increased interest relief for investment properties and cut various taxes, along with other measures to increase the growth of the economy. Banks then started loosening their lending standards. All of this eventually led to the economic downturn in 2008. “The wheels came off the bus when Lehman Brothers crashed,” O’Sullivan said. Ireland faced a complete property market crash, and since, as O’Sullivan pointed out, a crisis is never an isolated occurrence, this led to a banking crisis as well. In an attempt to mediate these problems, the Irish government announced that they would cover all of their bank’s loans. Eventually Ireland got to a point where it was no longer able to access finance borrowing and needed a bailout. “We’re back in a much safer and much more sustainable way,” O’Sullivan said of the current economic status of the country. The government responded by strengthening Ireland’s fiscal framework, which included creating the Fiscal Advisory Council. Ireland is now the fastest growing country in Europe with low interest rates, and it looks like it is heading toward recovery. For the economically savvy audience members, O’Sullivan included the macroeconomic policies and jargon related to both the crash and its recovery. “The overarching theme here that is important…is the fact that policy mistakes, made in the earlier days – especially when the economy was doing well – was what put it in [this] situation,” Dr. O’Sullivan said. Senior Jamie Gaglioni was one of the students in attendance at the lecture. “When we do not incorporate a variety of narratives, and a variety of reasons for joining the EMU, we begin to lose sight of why the Eurozone was created in the first place. Dr. O’Sullivan reminded us of the importance of understanding a multiplicity of impacts,” Gaglioni said. Contact Caitlin Gilligan at cgilligan@colgate.edu.
Do you eat food? Do you think about it all the time? Look out for the Special Edition on food inside the MaroonNews next week.
The Colgate Maroon-News
November 5, 2015
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THE BLOTTER COLGATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SAFETY REPORT Monday, 10/26 7:49 p.m.: Campus Safety was assisted by the Hamilton Fire Department for a grease fire at the O’Connor Campus Center (COOP). 10:21 p.m.: Fire alarm activation at Spear House; cause unknown.
Tuesday, 10/27 3:50 a.m.: Received a report of an underage intoxicated student at Gate House who passed an alcohol assessment. Case referred for disciplinary process. 7:44 a.m.: Fire alarm activation at Dana Arts Center caused by dust.
Wednesday, 10/28 2:35 p.m.: Received a report of an ill staff member at Lawrence Hall who was transported to Community Memorial Hospital
by SOMAC ambulance. 5:52 p.m.: Fire alarm activation at University Court Apartments was caused by cooking.
8:20 p.m.: Fire alarm activation at 49 Broad Street (Class of 1934 House) was caused by smoke from a fog machine.
Thursday, 10/29
Saturday, 10/31
7:54 p.m.: Fire alarm activation at 110 Broad Street (PAC House) was caused by cooking. 8:25 p.m.: Fire alarm activation at Curtis Hall was caused by a hair dryer.
2:00 a.m.: A resident of Parker Apartments was injured after being burnt by cooking oil and transported to Community Memorial Hospital by Campus Safety. 2:53 a.m.: Received a report of concern for welfare. 3:51 a.m.: Hamilton Police reported and underage intoxicated student on Utica Street who was transported to Community Memorial Hospital by Campus Safety. Case referred for disciplinary process. 3:59 a.m.: A resident of 92 Broad Street (Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity) was found in possession of marijuana and had been smoking in a residence hall. Case referred for disciplinary process.
Friday, 10/30 3:47 p.m.: A student was injured while playing squash at Huntington Gym and was transported to Community Memorial Hospital by Campus Safety. 7:36 p.m.: A visitor to Reid Athletic Center was injured after being hit by a hockey puck and signed off with Campus Safety.
SGA Addresses Campus Issues By HOLLY MASCOLO Maroon-News Editor
On Sunday, November 1, members of the Student Government Association (SGA) met to discuss events that have occurred in the past few weeks and initiatives that will be put into action this month. Members of the executive board discussed events coming up within the next week or two. This week, from Monday, November 2 to Thursday, November 5, members of the first-year class were required to go to the “Dear Class of 2019 Dinners” that were prepared by the SGA. In addition to this, one of the Elections Commissioners, sophomore Alison Sheehan, is working to arrange this semester’s fireside chat for Tuesday, November 9. Another important initiative that members of the executive board are working on, including Positive Sexuality Liaison sophomore Collin McCarty and Parliamentarian senior Sydney Liggett, is improving the effectiveness of the blue light system on Colgate’s campus. McCarty and Liggett met with Campus Safety to try to increase their responsiveness when someone presses one of the blue lights. This action was taken in response to students noting that they pressed the blue light in the past and nobody showed up, despite the fact that these lights are supposed to be one way to try to ensure the safety of students on campus. The SGA encourages students to share their experiences with the blue light system at Colgate with members of the SGA to make sure that all students’ voices are being expressed. At the executive board meeting, chairs of some of the legislative committees discussed the initiatives that they are currently working on. Sophomore Senator Woohee Kim, the head of the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC), spoke about the group’s plans to work on several aspects related to student academics at Colgate. These plans include creating a resolution to increase the GPA required to be on the Dean’s List at Colgate from a GPA of 3.3 or greater to one of 3.6 or higher. Other projects that the AAC is working on are trying to have students’ grades displayed on the Moodle site, encouraging professors to put their syllabi online before the start of the semester so that students can view them and increasing awareness of the program “Degree Works,” which all students have access to through the Colgate portal.
In addition to hearing about the work of the AAC, sophomore Senators Andrew DeFrank and Ryan Stahlin discussed the plans for their respective committees. DeFrank spoke about the Governance Affairs Committee (GAC), which is working to pass a bill that will hold members of the SGA accountable to be certified in specific required trainings, such as Green Certification, Safe Zone and Bystander Intervention. Stahlin, committee chair for the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), talked about the SAC’s plans to try to get approval for an ATM at the library, as well as a “Cider on the Quad” event to try increase student conversations with members of the SGA. At the Senate meeting on Tuesday, October 27, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Scott Brown came to speak to all of the members of the SGA from the different branches about the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) survey results, which Vice President and Dean of the College Suzy Nelson shared with the rest of campus in an email sent out on Monday, November 2. The data presents statistics on reports of sexual assault on campus and compares the responses of Colgate students who took the survey to those of students at schools of a similar size. Due to the seriousness of such a topic, and the emotional implications of discussing such an important issue affecting this campus, three brown bags have been arranged for this week. There will be two brown bags held in the chapel basement, one on Thursday, November 5 and another on Wednesday, November 11, as a means for students to discuss the data that was sent out. First-year senator Wil Stowers also discussed the HEDS data and the need for Colgate to have important discussions about this data on the SGA’s weekly WRCU radio show. Stowers noted the importance of recognizing that statistics are more than just numbers and that these percentages are linked to the experiences of individual students on this campus, which he felt like students are doing a good job of conveying. At this week’s Senate meeting, on Tuesday, November 3, DeFrank and the GAC hoped to pass the bill on repercussions for SGA members who do not comply to the training requirements. In addition, a group of students interested in having a history club recognized by Colgate went before Senate to have their constitution approved. Contact Holly Mascolo at hmascolo@colgate.edu.
10:07 a.m.: Received a report of trespass (hunting) on Colgate property off of Randallsville Road. 2:42 p.m.: A visitor at the Andy Kerr Stadium was injured after falling and initial care was provided by Campus Safety. 9:00 p.m.: A visitor to Reid Athletic Center was injured after being hit by a hockey puck and signed off with campus safety. 9:03 p.m.: A student reported hitting her head earlier in the day and requested to be transported to Community Memorial Hospital.
Sunday, 11/1 12:38 a.m.: Received a report of an underage intoxicated student at Newell Apartments who was transported to Community Memorial Hospital by Eaton ambulance. Case referred for disciplinary process.
1:08 a.m.: Campus Safety observed an underage intoxicated student on West Pleasant Street and transported him to Community Memorial Hospital. Case referred for disciplinary process. 1:08 a.m.: Campus Safety observed an underage intoxicated student on West Pleasant Street and transported him to Community Memorial Hospital. Case referred for disciplinary process. 1:15 a.m.: A student reported a window of a university vehicle was broken after a speaker fell into it. 2:53 a.m.: A resident of 88 Broad Street (Beta Theta Pi Fraternity) was found in possession of marijuana and had been smoking in a residence hall. Case referred for disciplinary process. 1:24 p.m.: A student was injured while playing Ruby on Academy Field and transported to Community Memorial Hospital by Campus Safety.