a g u y a
THE
CCollegian
The Voice of Cayuga Community College Students for more than 50 years
Vol. 54 Issue 11 February 13, 2006
Local College Takes Global Stage Ithaca College’s CellFlix makes CNN, ABC, NPR and more
By Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-chief If you happened to be flipping through the multitudinous 24-hour news networks recently, chances are you spotted a piece on the CellFlix Festival sponsored by Ithaca College. The New York Times, Cable News Network’s (CNN) Paula Zahn Now, Newsday, National Public Radio and ABC’s Good Morning America were just some of the many programs and publications to cover the recent Cellflix festival, a contest based on the creation of 30-second movies made on cellphones. With the contest gaining so much exposure, Ithaca College is publicizing the rapidly engaging swing towards innovative content and mobile delivery on devices that seem to get smaller every day. In fact, Ithaca College’s Roy Park School Dean Dianne Lynch insists the festival isn’t all about cell phones. “[The festival] is about being ready to engage with the next new platform, technology, and creative opportunity,” she said in her blog. According to an article recently published in Technology Review, Dean Lynch had the idea while attending a conference on the future of cellphones and mobile delivery of content. The subject of cellphone development has been heavily discussed in many school’s communication programs across the country, including Cayuga Community College. According to many telecommunication students, interminable discussions on the future of cellphones in the world of mass media have taken place recently in Professor Steve Keeler’s Broadcasting classes. Dean Lynch reports in her school blog that Cellflix has been mentioned
INSIDE:
in close to 300 media sources across the country and around the globe. “So far, we’ve made television, radio and/or newspapers in 276 different cities -- including in Spain, India, Canada and Nigeria. We’ve made every major newspaper, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, the Indianapolis Star, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Kansas City Star....And I’ve been on the radio in LA and San Francisco,” she said. Ithaca College junior Mike Potter won the $5,000 grand prize in the first annual festival. Potter’s piece was entitled “Cheat.” In it, his grandfather plays a game with his grandmother while reading a newspaper. He reads a headline and gives her a kiss if she guesses correctly whether it’s actually a legitimate headline or not. “I’ve got to tell you something. Sometimes I cheat,” the grandfather says with a smirk. Potter’s film was chosen from 10 finalists. The contest was open to high school and college students across the world. The college received 178 submissions, Lynch said. To qualify, there must be a story, a narrative and sound, and the film must be shot on a cell phone. Editing could be done digitally on a computer or on a cell phone with editing capability. Plans are in the making for another festival next year. Not surprisingly, organizations are already eager to put their name on the Cellflix Festival. “At this point, we have a list of potential sponsors that have expressed interest in partnering with us on the project; while we didn’t accept sponsors this year -- we wanted to brand the event in the college -- we will consider such partnerships for 2006,” Lynch said.
Slow Down! Reckless Driving on Campus a Cause for Concern By Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-chief The highly-dreaded habitual of driving around Central New York in January can be quite dangerous. That’s why the college public safety department has two words for students and staff that drive around the Cayuga Community College campus: slow down. The Campus Public Safety Committee has reportedly received several complaints about cars speeding through the parking lots and failing to adhere to stop signs. Those who get caught speeding usually get off with a warning from a campus officer. However, William Marventano, Director of Campus Public Safety, says that drivers can expect stiffer discipline if problems persist. “[Officers] do have the option of writing regular uniform traffic tickets answerable to the Auburn City Court. These tickets may result in you receiving a fine, points on your license and your insurance rates going up,” says Marventano.
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, 3 points will be assigned to your license for disobeying traffic control mechanisms, such as stop signs. Going 1 to 10 miles over the speed limit will result in 3 points being tacked on. The speed limit on campus is 15 mph. According to Marventano, the surroundings of the campus make driving with caution even more important, as the college is situated next to a middle school. “Committing these violations on a college campus which is situated next to the middle school where there are young children darting across our main roadway and numerous pedestrians walking into traffic lanes from between vehicles, creates an even more dangerous situation and the possibility of someone getting severely injured,” he stressed in an e-mail sent to campus faculty. “If you hurt somebody, you’re going to have to live with that for the rest of your life – and that’s not a good thing.”