February 2021

REPORTER REPORTER OCTOBER2021 2020//// REPORTER.RIT.EDU REPORTER.RIT.EDU FEBRUARY

EDITOR IN CHIEF Kasey Mathews PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Tyler English ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Sebastian COPY EDITOR Mimi Lee NEWS EDITOR Morgan LaMere TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Tommy Delp CULTURE EDITOR Kasey Mathews FEATURES EDITOR Karina Le WELLNESS EDITOR Brooke Wolfenbarger VIEWS EDITOR Marilyn Wolbert WRITERS Brooke Wolfenbarger, Karina Le, Kasey Mathews, Miles Hood, Tommy Delp, Morgan LaMere, Marilyn Wolbert, Tyler English

ART

EDITOR’S NOTE

REPORTER

Democracy is fragile.d or just a day we decide we can’t take it anymore and skip classes.

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Are we ready for Round Two?

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February 3

IN T HIS IS SUE 6

NEWS

TECH

THE YEAR OF THE OX

AN OBSOLETE BUSINESS

A look at the traditions and celebrations of Chinese New Year

8

A deep dive on the popular business tactic, planned obsolescence

CULTURE 10

12

14

@ R EP O R T ER M A G 4 February

THE BIGGEST TUESDAY OF THE YEAR Beads, boas and boeuf gras — Mardi Gras is all about over-the-top celebration

MORE THAN JUST LETTERS

Through all its controversy and challenges, Greek Life makes a positive impact

AYL: A SPRING SEMESTER CHECKLIST

As we head into a new semester, be sure to keep a few things in mind!

R E P ORTER.R IT.EDU

cover and TOC photography by Diana Spencer & Evie Linantud

16

18

20

THE FINANCIAL UPS AND DOWNS OF CREDIT Credit is complicated, but it’s an important financial topic to understand

BEHIND THE STANCHIONS A snapshot of Black history in Rochester’s museum exhibits

AVAILABILITY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Finding mental health services has long been a difficult discussion at RIT

VIEWS

WELLNESS

FEATURES 22

SPORTS AND THE PANDEMIC

Are sports still bringing people together?

24

28

30

LOST IN LIFE Finding yourself is a longer journey than you may think

W.O.T.S. What is one thing you love about yourself?

RINGS RIT’s only digital confessional. Text or call (585) 672 - 4840

February 5

THE YEAR OF THE OX

by Brooke Wolfenbarger | illustration by TingYu Chang | design by Nick Bober

F

rom Feb. 12, 2021 to Feb. 26, 2021 is one of the biggest celebrations in the world — Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year begins on the first day of the lunar calendar and this date changes every year as well as the zodiac that is celebrated, making 2021 the Year of the Ox. Each animal has its own characteristics throughout the year such as lucky and unlucky numbers, colors, days, directions, etc.

As one of the biggest celebrations in the world there are lots of traditions, myths and history involved.

6 News 6 News6 News

Traditions Chinese New Year is celebrated not only in China, but around the world. This means there are many ways to celebrate, with some ways being more traditional than others.

For second year Visual Media student Joanna Chung, she was able to experience Chinese New Year not only here in the U.S., but also in Hong Kong where she grew up.

Chung described Chinese New Year in Hong Kong as dinners with extended family — sort of like a Thanksgiving but the New Year’s version.

Her family and others describe this gathering as tuan yuan, meaning reunion.

“That’s basically what they call family gatherings, coming together around a table — and a big part of Chinese New Year is coming together and cooking and eating together,” Chung said.

As for when Chung moved to the United States, her experience with Chinese New Year only changed a little bit, but family was just as important.

“In America, it’s definitely a little toned down for me ... for Chinese New Year we mostly just have dinner with family and see our grandparents,” Chung said.

Lauren Avilla, a fourth year student doing an individualized study with a professional concentration in narratology, grew up in California and had different yet similar experiences with the holiday.

“A big part of Chinese New Year is coming together” “There is a big Chinese community in Oakland [and] San Francisco. We didn’t really go to any festivals, because we are a more tight-knit family,” Avilla said. “We don’t really have a very diverse repertoire of food, so a lot of traditional foods you would find in China during Chinese New Year we most likely don’t have.”

One widely-known Chinese New Year tradition Avilla’s family does partake in, though, is the giving of red envelopes or red pockets.

“We typically get a red pocket (add “a”) pocket, in Cantonese it’s called lai see or in Mandarin it’s called hóng bāo ... it’s good wishes for the children and then my parents will also give it to other children,” Chung said.

MYTHS Along with the many traditions, there are also many myths and stories that are told in relation to the Chinese New Year. One of the most commonly known is the story of the monster Nian.

The myth of Nian says that at the end of every year the monster would come up from the depths of the sea in search of people and that this would lead to the villagers going to the mountains to hide.

“Something they came up with to ward off this evil monster is to make a lot of loud noises so that’s why firecrackers are a big thing and people use a lot of drums,” Chung said.

This is also where the significance of the color red comes “in.

Red decorations are used to decorate people’s homes and the festivals to ward off evil alongside the use of fireworks and firecrackers.

“Not only does it stand for good luck but it’s also supposed to scare off Nian,” Chung said.

The zodiacs are also very heavily involved when it comes to Chinese New Year.

Zodiacs can determine your fortune throughout the year and each year highlights a different sign. Most people would think when it is your zodiac year that you will be very lucky, but this is actually the opposite. It is seen as a challenge to overcome and taking precautions like wearing red can ward off the evil spirits.

CELEBRATIONS With the impact of the pandemic, what does this have in store for one of the biggest celebrations in the world?

There might be smaller gatherings this year with the impact of “COVID-19” still present.

Chung agreed with this because of the importance of good health in many Chinese cultures.

“Even though it’s such a big holiday, Asian people are super concerned about their health. Having good health and living a long life is really important in Chinese culture,” Chung explained. “One of the wishes we say to our grandparents is ‘hope your health is good.’”

With Chinese New Year also falling during the academic semester, how can students partake in this celebration on campus? Many students will be far from home; others may be experiencing the holiday for the first time.

Avilla feels that even though there are some clubs on campus that put things together, there could still be some more recognition.

“I feel like [RIT] is tolerable, but I feel like it’s more of we acknowledge it and that’s it,” Avilla explained.

She continued by saying it does not feel like her community is represented as much as she would like it to be.

RIT has put on events in the past showcasing different cultures. An example of this is during Diwali when Gracie’s put up decorations and served Indian food. This was a big hit with the student body and it would be more popular if they did this to highlight other cultures.

There are so many interesting holidays celebrated in other cultures that many aren’t familiar with. It can be so exciting to participate in these celebrations even if you aren’t a part of that culture.

“Because it’s the lunar calendar, it’s not just China that celebrates it — it’s actually a lotof Asia,” Avilla explained.

So this year do some research, figure out what your zodiac animal is, put on some red for good luck and to ward off the evil spirits and find some new celebrations to partake in.

Chinese New Year is one of the largest celebrations of the year, so we should all find a reason to celebrate!

“Because it’s the lunar calendar, it’s not just China that celebrates it — it’s actually a lot of Asia” News 7

AN OBSOLETE BUSINESS

by Kasey Mathews illustration

by Emily O’Shea Pressley | illustration by Sahana Maheswaran \ design by Neil Williamson

by Karina Le | photography

by Georgia design by Adrianna Petrus

R

ecently, I had to replace my iPhone despite the fact that it was only a year old. It was stuck in something called a ‘bootloop,’ where the phone kept restarting over and over. I took it to all the Apple-related stores I could find, and they only said one thing: we can’t do anything for you, it’s time to replace it.

These conversations made me confused.

My iPhone was, in reality, perfectly fine. The problem was that the solution to my issue was primarily a hardware one and required opening the phone itself up. However, when I took it to third-party technicians, they also told me there was nothing they could do.

Apple had made their phones so that even third parties wouldn’t be able to fix their products.

WHAT IS PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE? Alan Reddig, an adjunct professor in RIT’s Industrial Design program, explained the history of the practice of planned obsolescence.

“It’s a practice of making a product ‘obsolete’ for other than practical purposes,” Reddig explained.

To put it simply, some companies design their products, so that at one point during its lifetime, there will be a pressing need to replace it. Some companies may actively make products with short lifespans. You can see this not only in phones but cars and appliances too.

Alex Lobos is another professor of Industrial Design who was also able to weigh in on the topic.

“The goal is consumers will replace their old goods with new ones and generate new revenue,” Lobos explained.

The practice of planned obsolescence is a bit murky. Reddig noted that though the term didn’t begin circulating until the 1950s, the idea itself has been in action since as early as the 1920s.

The pivotal point where manufacturers really started using the practice was during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Lobos added.

Car manufacturers were concerned that

8 Technology

they were reaching ‘saturation’ — the point where they couldn’t do anything to improve on cars with the technology they had.

So General Motors decided on a new strategy: they would start to release new car models each year. But the catch was that everything internally was about the same, while the car’s style and finish was different. This strategy became the beginning of planned obsolescence.

“It’s ironic since [planned obsolescence] initially sounded sustainable,” Lobos said.

“But now it’s become more of a marketing strategy.”

WHY DO COMPANIES UTILIZE PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE? Thomas Hall, a fifth year Computer Science student, answered this concisely.

“To put simply, it’s money,” Hall said.

Tech companies, for instance, utilize planned obsolescence as a means to sell newer products. Apple is one company that is infamous for its use of planned obsolescence.

“There’s a number of strategies to planned obsolescence. One is to reduce the quality of the product so it’s more likely to break down … or to limit the performance of products. It’s a common strategy with Apple,” Lobos explained.

At times, planned obsolescence in action can cause a disruption in consumers’ daily lives, and legal action is taken against companies.

“Phones break, it happens ... But companies are actively working against people’s ability to use this [product] that they paid for and

"

It’s a practice of making a product

“CHOICE” for other than practical purposes.

"

that they own,” Hall said.

Take the lawsuit against Apple that happened in March 2020. Apple had to pay up to $500 million in settlements for “quietly slowing down older iPhones” to make people buy newer models. Though they denied the purpose put forward in the the lawsuit — that they slowed down older models to get people to buy new ones — it’s undeniable that the direct consequence of what they did led to people ultimately buying another expensive phone.

Planned obsolescence is also popular among other big tech companies, and even with the settlement, it is extremely likely that Apple will continue their practices.

“It’s a proven strategy that [companies] use,” Reddig said. “They can and they do come out with new products that people will buy, simply because [consumers] want to be with the leading edge of technology.”

DOES IT BENEFIT THE CONSUMER?

Depending on how one looks at the situation, possibly. For some people, they naturally have a craving for newer models and potentially newer technology. It continually sets a standard that, to be with the times, you constantly have to upgrade.

“It works both ways … naturally, people have the urge to get something new, and you’ll always have the choice,” Lobos stated.

However, for some people, they find the practice incredulous. Right-to-Repair advocates stand by the idea that they have the right to try and fix their items, regardless of the company they received it from.

The Right-to-Repair community believes that companies are obligated to have parts, tools and information about their products available to the consumer populace from the get-go. This will allow repair shops to be able to fix devices and allow consumers to keep their products even when their items are damaged.

“I believe an individual has a right to get what they paid for fixed whenever they want or improve it in the potential ways you want,” Hall said.

Ultimately, even if there is a choice given to the consumer, there is still something about forcing consumers to replace their products.

Even with older products, companies like Apple could still find ways to continue their services, just like Kodak did with its older film reels.

sd

In the wake of Apple's use of planned obsolescence, other companies have tried to provide alternative products. Take Fairphone, for instance. Fairphone is a brand of mobile cellphones that are specifically designed to be easier to repair. They are also made of greener materials than commercial cellphones, in their goal to provide a 'fairer' product.

“I think there is absolutely no reason companies like Apple could not release patches to their operating systems that would allow older stuff to work … but I guess I’m old school,” Reddig concluded.

"

It works both ways … naturally, people have the urge to get something new, and you’ll always have the

choice.

"

Technology 9

The

Biggest Tuesday of

the Year

M

ardi Gras is well-known for its celebrations. But where did it all come from?

Festivals of this scale don’t just pop up out of the blue. The story of Mardi Gras is more than just a party, though the party is the central theme.

What Is Mardi Gras?

If you’ve spent any time in the Southern U.S., you’re likely familiar with Mardi Gras. Despite getting its American start in Mobile, Ala., the celebration today is most associated with New Orleans, La. The celebration has its roots in Catholicism.

Mardi Gras — or “Fat Tuesday” — marks the final day before Lent, a 40-day season of repentance and fasting that ends at Easter. Thus, Mardi Gras is the last day Catholics are able to eat and drink whatever they please until Easter.

But New Orleans’s Mardi Gras is unique. According to fourth year Industrial Design student Evie Crouch, this is due to the culmination of many different traditions and cultures.

“It’s a combination of the European [influence] and everything else — from Africa; from South America. All that has kind of conglomerated into the history of the city,” Crouch, a New Orleans native, said. “And because you have all the melding of cultures, they all have their own festivals and they all combined to make this festival.”

“ 10 Culture

by Kasey Mathews illustration by Emily O’Shea design by Adrianna Petrus

A Unique Flavor

New Orleans is a rich epicenter of culture in the American South, though parades have been banned from the French Quarter of the city since 1973. The narrow streets and historical buildings don’t lend themselves well to modern parade floats or crowds, so the various parades usually end just short of the French Quarter.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t venture into the Quarter, though! Famous for its Spanish architecture and those iron balconies, New Orleans’ French Quarter is the epicenter of Mardi Gras and the city itself.

Running straight through the center of the Quarter is Bourbon Street, lined with bars and restaurants, some tourist-centric and others rich with decades or even centuries of history.

Be sure to stop by a shop and pick up a king cake with friends or family, too. The brioche braids covered in cinnamon and icing are a staple of the Mardi Gras season. And hidden inside is a small plastic baby. According to Crouch, whoever finds it will have good luck — but they’re also in charge of buying the next king cake.

Finally, the only thing New Orleans may be more famous for than Mardi Gras is its food.

“One of the things that I like most about this city and that I miss most often is the food because it’s so flavorful, it’s so different,” Crouch

And because you have all the melding of cultures … they all combined to make this festival.

”

“

e m w Thro so mething, m

said. “One of my favorite memories is everyone as a family outside with a big tarp laid out … and just a pile of crawfish, potatoes and corn.

It’s delicious.”

A Unique Festivity

As Crouch described before, Mardi Gras is a melding of many different traditions. This can be best seen in the various parades of the season.

Each parade is organized by a krewe. These krewes first developed as secret societies in the mid-1800s, typically for wealthy men.

Nowadays, there are krewes for everyone, with their main purpose being to host a Mardi Gras parade or a ball, sometimes both!

The Mistick Krewe of Comus is largely seen as the krewe at the very top of the Mardi Gras hierarchy. With its first celebration in 1857, Comus was responsible for many mainstays in Mardi Gras tradition, including the parades themselves, as well as the corresponding balls.

While Comus no longer parades, they still host an annual invite-only Mardi Gras ball for its members and esteemed guests.

Another old krewe, the Rex Organization is considered “King of the Carnival.”

Second only in stature to Comus in Mardi Gras tradition, they’ve arguably introduced even more traditions. It was Rex that introduced Mardi Gras’s official colors — green, gold and purple. Watch for Rex’s gold doubloons, as they’re a highly sought after “throw” during parades. Mardi Gras celebrations officially end when the Rex — the king — arrives by invitation to the Comus ball during the “Meeting of the Courts.”

The Krewe of Zulu has had a complicated history, but has become one of the most significant krewes in the city. Local legend states that after seeing a skit entitled “There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me” about the African Zulu tribe in 1909, a group of laborers retreated into their meeting place and came out as Zulus. However, talks with older members of the krewe seem to indicate that it got its

ister!

start first as a Benevolent Aid Society — a sort of local insurance program for Black residents.

Even now, this krewe is often known as the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club. Their signature throw, the Zulu coconut, may be the most coveted throw in all of Mardi Gras.

”

Some Rules To Follow

Mardi Gras has a reputation for being an anything goes-style celebration, but every festival needs some rules.

To start, Mardi Gras is actually a very family-friendly event. While everyone seems to have heard some story or another about a wild Mardi Gras trip, the parades especially are heavily policed, as families gather up and down the parade routes for a fun day.

Although drinking is okay, participants still need to mind their sobriety levels to ensure they are acting lawfully. No saving your spot either! Spots along the route are on a firstcome-first-serve basis.

Moreover, there is quite a bit of etiquette around the parades themselves. Because each parade is so different, and organized by different krewes, certain parades have certain “good throws.” However, you should never steal one of these throws from another. Paraders will make eye contact with you or other gestures to indicate they are throwing their goods to you.

Likewise, if a throw is missed, it’s best to not chase after it. Not only are the streets dirty after several parades and parties, but getting in the way of a parade float can leave you seriously hurt.

To increase your chances of getting a throw, Crouch recommends shouting a phrase you’re likely to hear throughout Mardi Gras: “Throw me something, mister!”

At its core, Mardi Gras is a celebration of celebrations. All you need to remember is “laissez les bon temps rouler” — let the good times roll!

Culture 11

ABΓΔ ΙKΛMN ΡΣTYΦ MORE THAN JUST LETTERS

by Miles A. Hood | photography by Evie Linantud | design by Mikaela Barlow

W

ith their colorful jackets, chants, strolls and rituals, Greek Life can seem exciting and attractive to those who aren’t a part of it. To those in it, Greek Life has opened many doors to a world of connections, leadership development and opportunity post-college. Like most things at RIT, the fraternities and sororities on campus take a different approach to what Greek Life is, what they do and how they go about doing it.

A BIT OF A CRASH COURSE IN RIT GREEK LIFE

RIT recognizes 31 diverse social fraternities and sororities, with 696 total current members.

Each one of these organizations falls under one of three leadership councils.

College Panhellenic Council (CPC) oversees the 5 sororities.

Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) oversees 14 cultural-based fraternities and sororities.

InterFraternity Council (IFC) oversees 12 fraternities.

These governing bodies act as liaisons between the chapters, the university and any national organization or governing body that also oversees the fraternities and sororities.

Within each organization, you will find a range of values such as service, scholarship, leadership and brother/sisterhood.

12 Culture

WHY JOIN?

Kimberly Mac is a third year Film Production student and sister of Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc. She joined her sorority to find a community, and the sisters of Sigma Psi Zeta were there for her during a rough time in her life.

“I joined [Greek Life] for a community.

We are at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution), I joined to find more people of color — people I can relate to,” Mac said.

Through her time in the organization, she has gained skills as a leader, and served as sorority president for the 2019-2020 academic year.

“It was an easy Fall [semester], but once COVID hit I had to change the way we do things and really step up and lead,” she said.

“It was hard because I had to adjust personally and my sisters were relying on me as well.”

Similarly, third year Finance major Grant Franko joined his fraternity, Sigma Chi, because of the connection he felt with the brothers.

“Originally, I wasn’t interested in Greek Life but my Orientation Leader was in Greek Life and hearing everything he was involved in and the connections he made across campus, really got me interested,” Franko said. “After

checking out a few other organizations, I really felt the bond with Sigma Chi. I really believe that brotherhood is what drove me.”

Franko now serves as the president of IFC and treasurer for Sigma Chi.

READY FOR RUSH?

You’ve probably seen flyers for “RUSH WEEK” around campus. Fraternities and sororities conduct either formal or informal forms of recruitment (also known as rush) every semester. These events are for students to get to know the variety of fraternities and sororities that RIT offers.

Exact rush requirements can vary by organization, with IFC typically opting for individual rush and CPC engaging in a Panhellenic rush in the fall and a more informal process in the spring. Multicultural organizations typically recruit through a mix of formal meetings and informal events.

RIT requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 to join a Greek organization. Each fraternity or sorority may also have its own GPA recruitments.

“I JOINED [GREEK LIFE] FOR A COMMUNITY.”

ΔEZHΘ MNΞΟΠ ΦXΨΩ BREAKING STEREOTYPES AND BUILDING LEADERS

Greek Life at RIT is such a small group of students. Because of this, they’re able to defy some of the stereotypes that are usually associated with fraternities and sororities. “Going Greek” at RIT is more than just the initiation and the parties. Philanthropy, scholarship, brother/sisterhood and community service are just a few of the positive impacts that Greek Life has had on the RIT community.

“Greek Life (at RIT) is definitely different.

The students here are hardworking, and being at an academically rigorous school makes us focus on [academics] over anything else,” Mac said.

The commitment to academics by RIT’s fraternities and sororities has been rewarded by winning the Gamma Sigma Alpha GPA Award every semester since 2014 at the Northeast Greek Leadership Association. This is awarded to the school with the highest difference between the overall undergraduate GPA and the Greek Life GPA. Although academics takes importance over social life, RIT Greeks are still very passionate about community service and giving back to the community here on campus and locally.

“Members of MGC generate more community service than any other group on campus,” Mac said. “We try to bring our culture to campus and to the greater community.”

Through collaboration events like with AEPi and Sigma Psi Zeta, volunteering with Roar the Vote, Winter Warrior (Phi Psi and Sigma Chi), Teeter Totter (ASA and AEPi) and even an Asian Cultural festival, RIT Greeks attempt to give back to the community in many ways beyond the typical parties.

While every organization has its own recruitment strategy complicating any universal efforts, Franko maintains a positive outlook.

“I hope we can start having our organizations work together. I think that will help non-affiliated members really understand Greek Life here,” he said.

This sentiment was echoed by Mac as well.

“I think [RIT] tries to hide us sometimes because of those stereotypes, but they know we do good. I want the marketing for MGC to change here on campus,” Mac said. “We would really appreciate it if RIT could promote Greek Life more.”

Greek Life has opened many doors to a world of connections, leadership development and opportunity post-college to those that have joined.

With its roots in service, scholarship and community to there’s more to the story than just the letters.

“PHILANTHROPY, SOCIAL ISSUES, OR COMMUNITY SERVICE WE HAVE AN ORGANIZATION THAT FITS EVERYONE.”

THE FUTURE OF GREEK LIFE

One of the major concerns for Greek Life is engagement and perception. Not enough students know about Greek Life at RIT and those interested in it can find recruitment to be competitive. As President of IFC, Franko wants to focus efforts across all of Greek Life recruitment to help the average student find their organization.

“We have organizations for anything you’re looking at. Philanthropy, social issues or community service — we have an organization that fits everyone,” Franko said.

Culture 13

AYL: A Spring semester ChecKlist Keep an eye on this checklist to ensure you have a productive semester — and that you’re staying sane by the end of it!

DRINK WATER

EAT SOME FRUITS AND VEGGIES DOORSOME COLORING READ A BOOK

FINISH ASSIGNMENTS AHEAD OF THE DEADLINE GET A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP

Scream into anowpillow every and theN

CALL YOUR FAMILY

]

And if all else fails... fake your death, move to Montana, start a goat ranch and sell your yummy yummy goat

cheese to travelers and passersby. Reporter does expect a royalty of one pound of goat cheese every year though.

14 Culture

by Kasey Mathews | illustration by Quamae Newsome | design by Neil Williamson

]

y

We Have Issues, Day & Night

News

Views

Culture

Tech

Features

Op-Ed

Wellness Videos Catch us at: reporter.rit.edu

THE FINANCIAL OF CREDIT UPS

&

DOWNS

C

redit is a rather abstract concept. Many students have credit cards, but the process money goes through after being spent on one is relatively unknown.

The world of credit extends much beyond credit cards, and is a topic worth exploring if you’re interested in having a strong financial future.

What Is Credit?

Elizabeth Ferrari is a second year Accounting student. She previously studied personal financial literacy as a member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America. “[Credit] is referring to the lending or borrowing of money for a consumer to purchase goods and services now but pay for them later,” she described.

“[Credit]

by Tommy Delp illustration by Maeghan McKenzie design by Adrianna Petrus

Basically, credit is a contractual agreement between a borrower and a lender. They give you the money you need now, and at some point — under some agreed upon terms — you pay them back.

Credit comes in a variety of different types.

The two main types are installment and revolving credit.

Installment credit is a loan for a specific sum of money that a borrower agrees to repay, with interest and fees, in the form of monthly payments.

Revolving credit, the other most common form of credit, is also known as the credit card.

Zac Broekhuizen is the Branch Manager of the Advantage Federal Credit Union on campus.

“Credit cards are using a line of credit to make purchases, getting a monthly bill, and then making payments every month,” he said.

These forms of credit make up so much of our day-to-day financial life. This is why it’s important to examine the behind-the-scenes

aspects of credit and how it affects borrowers.

How Is Credit Built?

Before lending money to a borrower, the lender needs some sort of way to determine whether or not they can trust the borrower to pay back the money they are lent.

This is where credit history, credit reports and credit scores come in.

“Credit history is a record of how you’ve managed your credit in the past,” Ferrari said.

A borrower’s credit history is distilled into their credit report, which is more or less a report card of their financial life. Borrowers should check their credit report frequently.

There are three major credit reporting bureaus, and borrowers can pull their credit report from each of them once a year.

Sharon Kompalla-Porter is the chair of the RIT Financial Literacy team under the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Part of her job is helping students understand how they can use given systems to their advantage.

“If you time it right, you can, every four months, get a free report from one of the credit

is referring to the lending or borrowing of money for a consumer to purchase goods and services now but pay for them later.

”

16 Features

It takes a decent amount of time and a lot of “ discipline to get yourself to the point where you have good to excellent credit ”

agencies,” Kompalla-Porter said.

It is important, as a borrower, to make sure all three of the agencies are being checked.

Each agency’s report will look slightly different due to the way they pull information, and if a borrower finds errors within any of them, they are within their rights to get them corrected.

Finally, there are credit scores.

“Your credit score is all of your financial information combined into one three-digit number,” Ferrari said.

Credit scores are what lenders use when determining whether or not to lend money to someone. There are also options for borrowers to check their credit score, but they should be wary of what they use to do so.

“When it comes to tools like Credit Karma, they are only really good for monitoring your general trend, whether your score is increasing or decreasing,” Broekhuizen said.

Various different scoring models are used to determine credit scores, and the app or site you check may not be using the same model as your bank or credit union.

A borrower’s credit score is extremely important though, as it can have both positives and negatives on their life. A good credit score can mean lower interest rates on loans and higher spending limits on credit cards, while a bad credit score can make it difficult to make big purchases, such as cars or houses, that require credit of some sort.

Even more so, a person’s credit score, for

better or worse, is used by many as an indicator of personal responsibility.

“Prospective employers may even look at your credit, and if you have a poor score, they may make a different hiring decision when comparing two candidates,” Kompalla-Porter said.

Building Your Financial Future

Credit is a system that’s here to stay, so how can people — especially students — make the most of it?

First of all, they need to make sure they’ve started building credit. No credit can be just as damaging as bad credit. Just like with bad credit, no credit is an issue of trustworthiness.

Most students have some form of student loans, but it would also be good to think about getting a credit card. Just one should be good to start with, and there are plenty of options specifically tailored for students’ needs, so researching these options is also a good idea.

Getting the card is just the first step though.

Once you have one, you should make sure you are fiscally responsible with it.

“If you charge your credit card, make sure you are paying that off in full, not just the min-

imum. If you’re paying the minimum, it can accumulate much faster than you might think,” Ferrari said.

Really, responsibility is the key word.Having credit complicates a borrower’s financial life. Once a borrower starts using credit, they are no longer handling just their own money.

They are now liable for someone else’s too, and there are long-term consequences to mismanagement.

“It takes a decent amount of time and a lot of discipline to get yourself to the point where you have good to excellent credit, and it only takes one missed payment to set you back,” Broekhuizen said.

And as a student, it can be especially hard to imagine the consequences of financial mismanagement. After all, college is supposed to be a time for making mistakes and improving oneself. Credit just isn’t as forgiving though.

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Behind the tanchions tanchions

S

by Karina Le | photography collected by Daniel Sarch | illustration and design by Neil Williamson

R

ochester is the third most populous city in New York, right under New York City and Buffalo. The culture in the city is rich with historical roots, whether it be from Susan B. Anthony’s influence on the Women’s Rights movement or the Abolition movement with Fredrick Douglass.

However, there is a lot of Rochester’s rich history that goes untold from textbooks. Though they’re kept alive by oral history in some families, museums are generally the space where you can explore and learn more about them.

“ How can we

From the Cracks

A lot of history classes in high school have a framework where it primarily focuses on the Western civilizations: Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and the United States of America to highlight the main figures. If you’re lucky, some high schools might give world history courses that shed some light on cultures like China or Africa.

History is so much more than what is restricted into our textbooks, as described by Howard Eagle, a retired RCSD high school teacher and adjunct

create experiences in a way that’s meaningful?

“ . (m0001415.jpg)

ter Municipal Archives

Collected from Roches

professor for SUNY Brooklyn.

From the Al bert R. Ston e Negative Rochester Collection, Museum & Science Ce nter. Roch ester, N.Y.

“There is only one history — the history of mankind,” Eagle said.

For the stories that fall from the cracks of textbooks, we have to go to people who experienced the events themselves. This is where museums become the epicenters for these stories to exist.

To preserve this history, the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) has worked tirelessly to collect first party evidence to share some light on the lives that didn’t make it onto the pages.

Preserving History

Kathryn Murano Santos is the senior director of collections and exhibitions at the RMSC. “We can learn from the successes and failures of the past. School is told from a singular perspective … but with museums, we can tell a story from multiple 18 Features

points of view — what actually happened versus the story from the people of power,” Murano Santos stated.

Currently, the RMSC is hosting several exhibits highlighting some of these stories. There is the “Flight to Freedom” exhibit, focusing on the paths freedom seekers utilized to build their new lives, and how they ultimately joined with Rochester activists in their fight to end slavery.

Ellis Matthis, who herself contributed to the “Changemakers” exhibit focusing on the global impacts of Rochester women, explained her decision to donate to the museum.

“People have to learn to — whether they want to or not — live together and if this will help more people to understand better, it is fine whatever you decide to do with my things,” Matthis said.

Then there is the “Take It Down!

Organizing Against Racism” exhibit in the wake of the removal of a panel from the Dentzel Carousel from Ontario Beach Park in Rochester, N.Y. and opening a discussion on the ways to detect and to learn from internalized and structural racism. This was in collaboration with Eagle and many other activists who took part in getting the panel taken down.

“Rather than destroy it, we wanted to preserve history and use it as a teaching tool,” Eagle explained.

In addition to being an exhibit in the RMSC, the panel is mobile. Eagle and his colleagues take the panel around the community, and use it as a way to start discussions about racism and the pervasiveness of it. Things we see every day may come from prejudiced intentions.

Many of these exhibits condense the historical information for a younger audience to also join in on the conversation and learn with the adult audience.

On why the museum does this, Murano Santos said, “How can we create expe-

riences in a way that’s meaningful?

We create things for children to do, simultaneously as adults learn through reading in the exhibit.”

With the current news circulating the abuses and murders of innocent people of color, the museum is also hard at work documenting the current events right here in Rochester.

“Guest curator Rachel Deguzman created an installation called ‘Change Now’ that is telling the story of the women who are leading the Black Lives Matter Movement in Rochester as it’s unfolding,” Murano Santos explained.

It’s videographic in nature and constantly updating so that the museum is able to collect the history in real time and preserve it.

“

From the Albert R. Rocheste Stone eg r Museu ative Co m & ScieNnc e Center.llection, Rocheste r, N.Y

.

It’s not a question of what we can do, it’s what we will do.

“

Modern History Unfolding With the widespread organization from the protests coming from the deaths of Breonna Taylor and others, and even to the local death of Daniel Prude, many people of the younger generation have been joining in the discussion and physical activism against racism.

For many of the older generations of activists, their response is mixed.

“It’s bittersweet. We’re elated to see young people taking to the streets and literally putting their lives on the line,” Eagle noted, “but the political activity and consciousness seems to be wheeling down and moving back to the status quo.”

With social media, at the same time that people can get information at an incredibly fast pace, there are patterns of people becoming aware of injustices like trends. It can create an exhausting cycle where activism ends when nothing comes out from the protests. People are left burnt out from it all.

“Activism has to be sustained if it’s going to leave an impact. Nothing has been changed fundamentally,” Eagle remarked.

The trend to becoming active in activism, and then receding back to the status quo, is not unique to this era. It can be found even in the civil rights movement. It brings many to question what exactly we need to ask ourselves — and to act upon — to create the change we want to see in the world.

“It’s not a question of what we can do, it’s what we will do,” Eagle stated.

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M

ental health services have always been difficult discussions on RIT’s campus.

Students have long petitioned for shorter wait times for appointments and more robust systems to assist students. These have included PawPrints petitions to increase funding for mental health on campus, and a Change.org petition aimed at RIT’s administration and also focusing on a lack of funding and counselors.

Since then, numerous initiatives — including a taskforce — have been instated to tackle these issues. While progress has been made, there are still steps to take.

AVAILABILITY

Forrest Ciminelli is a third year student in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences. During the Spring semester, before COVID-19, Ciminelli was having a difficult time and reached out to Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS).

“I reached out to CaPS and set an appointment with them; they replied within a day, but the earliest opening was close to two months from now,” Ciminelli said.

During this time, his situation deteriorated, but he was able to get help by reaching out to friends and family. When the time for his appointment came around, he received an email an hour before the appointed meeting, canceling the session. Ciminelli was offered the next available appointment to reschedule, which was another month away, but decided not to go back.

“The bare minimum [for services] is when I ask for an appointment, I get an appointment; minimum would be in a timely fashion,” he said. “Considering what we pay, they are offering below the bare minimum.”

CAPS

However, David Reetz, the director for CaPS mentioned that the department never got two months out on appointments.

“Students are given the next available appointment, if it’s an emergency we’ll see them right away,” he said. “The cancellation can certainly happen, everyone has lives where things come up.”

CaPS has no waitlist, so that means students who have cancellations are given the next available appointment. However, more immediate crises can be handled by their office, same-day urgent providers and a 24/7 mental health hotline — all of which are relatively new services.

Reetz asserts that the timeframe before a first appointment ranges from the next day to next week, becoming two to four weeks out when the semester gets busier; it is possible Ciminelli’s delay was a front desk error.

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Appointments can be made over the phone, during walk-in or through the health portal based on students’ comfort levels. During initial contact, the best type of service is determined and students undergo depression and anxiety screenings.

“We have a short-term treatment model — otherwise we’d only be able to serve a tiny number of students,” Reetz explained. “I feel proud … we’ve served 2,300 students last year.”

If it’s determined students need more assistance, they are commonly referred to case management.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Dr. Wendy Gelbard is the associate vice president of Wellness within RIT Student Affairs, which the Case Management Department falls under.

Common issues students face with outside therapy include cost and accessibility issues.

Gelbard’s department can assist students in finding insurance. If the student does not have access to a car, they help find providers along common bus lines.

“We try to tailor it for what works for students,” she said. “We don’t make calls and set up appointments, but we assist in doing so; we teach students how to find these systems on their own.”

Gelbard explained that as seeking mental health assistance is becoming more normalized, more students arriving on campus are accustomed to receiving frequent visits. While on-campus services simply don’t have the resources for that, Gelbard helps make sure students’ urgent needs are met while figuring out a long term plan that doesn’t involve months of waiting.

A part of this is providing students with wellness programs and services. The focus is on creating classes to resonate with every single student to lead them on the path of better health and wellbeing.

“Our opportunity is to take that audience and help teach them about good sleep, hygiene, nu-

trition and exercise that makes you more able to cope for things that might otherwise throw you for a loop,” Gelbard explained.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

While difficult before, COVID-19 has only made finding mental health services more difficult for students while the need is greater.

“Living off campus for the first time has been difficult, there’s nowhere to go and nothing to do, so all of this together means that the academic experience has been [detrimental],” Ciminelli said.

While the pass/fail option has existed for students throughout 2020, many students have still suffered and had their future impacted.

In addition, there are only a select few recharge days scheduled into the spring semester of 2021, and spring break is eliminated entirely to protect students. However, this move has seemingly still caused harm.

“We’re planning on skipping classes for two days [March 8th and 9th] … stay home and have recharge days,” Ciminelli said.

During this time, Reetz, Gelbard and their departments have been kept active. The first step for them both was finding training for their counselors to perform secure telehealth services through the American Psychological Association. For students without a secure space to talk, CAPS opened up private rooms on campus.

Reetz has also taken part in implementing different support groups and events shared via the message center. For more urgent issues, the counseling center still has walk-in hours.

The bare minimum [for services] is when I ask for an appointment, I get an appointment; minimum would be in a timely fashion.

by Morgan LaMere illustration by Jess Edwards design by Pallavi Singh

WHAT’S NEXT

know about CaPS or may not have the time.

Other students, he mentioned, didn’t have a Despite these improvements, there are those good experience and share that with other stuwho slip between the cracks, like in Ciminelli’s dents who then don’t want to go themselves. case and students who continue to have neg“About 90 percent of students have a positive ative experiences. Mental health providers on experience, but we can improve on that 10 percampus continue to provide the best services cent, we don’t grow from focusing on what we they can, despite limitations created by their do well,” Reetz stated. budgets.

As for Gelbard, she’s found that students ofCaPS is always looking to improve upon ten aren’t aware of what her department and these cases, and one of the ways is breaking CaPS have to offer. down the barriers that still exist. This includes “If any student has a need or desire that’s unreaching out to those who feel like their situmet, they should reach out to us,” Gelbard said. ation is manageable without therapy, don’t “Chances are we have something that would

meet those needs, and if not, we will look into creating it.”

Appointments and more information can be found through the CaPS and Wellness websites.

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Sports and the Pandemic

by Marilyn Wolbert illustration by Meya Goel design by Nick Bober

S

ports have for so long brought people together, on and off the field. Whether it’s watching Sunday football with your friends, or even your own team’s season — tearing it up yourself on the soccer field, we can all agree sports unite us.

How have we managed to keep this unity within athletics and where does it leave those who rely on it for their jobs, mental health, friends or otherwise?

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AND FANS Large sports associations like the National Football League (NFL) ​and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have established intense COVID-19 safety protocols in order to continue practicing and competing.

The NFL for example, requires masks for all players while traveling or while inside team buildings. They even started a video monitoring system to make sure players are wearing them. Each player is COVID tested every day before practice, and the schedule has been adjusted to avoid playing teams with spikes in cases.

These schedule adjustments may even push back the Superbowl another four weeks as many of the teams have had a spread of the virus among players. While the teams will, hopefully, play as usual with the addition of masks during the game, they most likely will do so without a stadium full of fans cheering them on.

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This means no father-son football games and no Sunday football parties with friends.

Those small gatherings that do occur to cheer on one’s favorite football team must endure the silence in the stadiums on the screen.

The NBA used this as an opportunity to provide virtual tickets and have a virtual fan base similar to that which would be seen in a basketball stadium. This may be one of the reasons the COVID spread in the NBA was virtually nonexistent. To deal with the pandemic, the NBA also created what is called the ‘NBA Bubble’. This, quite literally, is a bubble in Orlando, Florida, that houses all of the NBA players (some could opt out) for those teams that are still in contention for the playoffs.

Only those who have been tested could enter the bubble and once a team was no longer in the running, the players were free to leave.

Major League Soccer (MLS) used the bubble technique as well, which worked just as well as the NBA Bubble. It may then be confusing as to why they decided to move the season to outside the bubble walls and incorporate fans back into the stadiums. Many are worried that this will reverse all of the work put into the health of the athletes and fans and undermine any improvements made by this quarantine. That being said, some fans may be belated to see their favorite soccer team in person.

UNIVERSITY SPORTS AND ATHLETES Colleges and universities saw the same worries and issues, but moved quickly to adapt to these changes as they came.

RIT, for example, cancelled all winter sports competitions for the 2020–21 season due to the rise in COVID cases. Certain fall sports had already been cancelled previously, such as RIT Crew’s entire fall season. For Crew, even when practices are held, they’re extremely different than pre-pandemic.

Brianna Young, a fourth year Graphic Design major, discussed some of the differences she experienced this past semester.

“It’s been a lot of on-our-own practices ... then we got into small teams and did group work over Zoom,” Young said. “And when we did practice in person, we were only allowed to practice outside, so it was rain or shine.”

Young also detailed that there were some extra safety precautions all members had to follow while practices were held in person.

Not every sport is able to take all of these precautions however. Isaiah Barnes, a third year Psychology major and receiver for his football team, discussed the added safety his team experienced throughout their season.

“I keep having this thought like... I don’t know if I am ever going to row again.”

A LOSS OF UNITY The team always wore masks, limited the amount of people in certain areas, did not hold in-person team meetings and pushed for increased cleanliness.

“I never realized how gross we were, until we had to clean up after everything we did,” Barnes said.

But increased cleanliness only helped so much, throughout the season. Multiple COVID cases were found and quarantines throughout the team spread like wildfire.

All the while, there was a greater pandemic occurring in these teams. Due to all of these extra precautions, cancelled practices and moved seasons, athletes were losing that key social component that kept them motivated and united with each other.

Participating in a sport not only keeps you fit physically and socially, it forces you to take it into consideration through most of the choices you make throughout the day.

Young detailed how Crew increased her awareness of her sleeping schedule, the food she puts into her body and her hydration levels. It also helps to keep her on top of her school work so she doesn’t stress over practices.

“It’s definitely helped with my confidence and believing in myself, pushing myself past what I thought I could do,” Young said.

Barnes said similar things, stating that football influences everything he does outside of the sport as well.

And for both of these students, the change to each sporting season has been quite a difficulty and stressor in addition to everything else happening right now. They don’t get to experience the parts of the sport that make all the stress worth it.

“It’s been crazy stressful, training has been so drug out,” Barnes said. “It’s been hard to find motivation.”

Finding motivation is difficult without the help of teammates and many are upset that they haven’t been able to spend their time doing what they enjoy.

“It’s just upsetting because I’m graduating this year,” Young said. “I keep having this thought like… I don’t know if I am ever going to row again.”

Young voices what a lot of fans and athletes are feeling: a fear of going into the unknown, alone.

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LOST LOST IN LIFE LIFE

by Tyler English | photography by Jay Schading illustration by Sara Calhoun | design by Neil Williamson

I

have always been pretty sure I know who I am: what I stand for, what I don’t stand for, my beliefs, you name it — I appeared to have it all figured out.

If someone would ask me what I was planning to do in five years’ time or 10 years’ time, I always had an answer. I was also a liar.

I realize now in my last year of college I still have no solid idea of who I am. Sure, I know my stats: male, gay, college aged, riddled with anxieties and trying to stay

afloat in my classes. However, all the answers I would give people were my attempts at telling them what they wanted to hear as to avoid actually dealing with the real answer.

The honest answer, however ... I don’t fully know yet.

EARLY YEARS I’ve been lost in the lies of labels my whole life. I would hide behind them as if they were shields. In high school people knew me as ‘little English’ because I was so much smaller than my brother. I quickly assumed that as my identity and no one questioned it. They knew who I was from down the hall.

In reality, I was too scared to step out of the shadow to make a name for myself. I had always known myself in school as the younger sibling — my brother always came first. It was always about up keeping his image.

When I got to college, I was lost in the label of being a gay student and fitting into the stigmas of that community. I turned myself into clay and allowed myself to be shaped by those around me, regardless of whether I agreed or not.

“My life was defined by the wants of another.”

During my freshman year of college, I had my first relationship. I finally thought I was going to be able to find who I was, but he was a master sculptor.

He tried to control my every action from what I wore to what I ate — and for the most part, I let him. I became a play thing to him. Not a someone, but a something for him to manipulate and change to fit his needs.

I lived like a puppet and plaything for a year — a constant work in progress. My life was defined by the wants of another.

When I finally got out of that situation I was broken, hurt and scarred. I no longer knew my life the way it was before. I had lost friends, motivation and my own sense of self. I knew it was time for a change and I knew that it would be a difficult one. I transferred schools, changed majors and had formed a new friend group — but that didn’t solve all my problems.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER” 24 Views

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MID-LIFE CRISIS It was slow for me to start finding myself because I was too scared to take the first step. I had no idea what I would discover about myself and how it would change me. I worried what others would think of me. Naturally I threw myself into work. That’s what people do, right?

When your personal life gets tough, throw yourself into your work to distract yourself. And that itself is the issue.

I threw myself into my second year of college determined to make it a better year than the one prior. I had friends, an on-campus job, an off-campus job and was taking five classes. I kept myself busy. Too busy. I left myself no time to actually process what had happened to me the year before.

All the trauma that I went through began to fester and make itself known. I started to engage in behaviors that, for a lack of better words, could have gotten me kidnapped or killed. I began to make decisions simply because I wanted to feel something, anything at all. The trauma I had worked so hard to lock away made me numb to what was going on.

I stopped hanging out with my friends regularly and when I would, I wouldn’t really engage with them. I rarely smiled, rarely laughed — life was pretty bleak.

Soon enough my friends began to notice and they didn’t want to be around that type of energy if I wasn’t going to do something about it.

They smacked me back into my reality.

The idea of losing a friend group I had worked so hard to get terrified me. I knew I needed to change and needed to quit my unhealthy habits and deal with what had happened.

RECENT MEMORIES Writing has always been a way for me to process my thoughts and experiences. When I started writing again, I was surprised to discover how much I had hidden from myself. I truly was hurting.

I had always been the product of someone else and never had the time to find who I was. To this day I still am not fully sure who I am as a human. But what I do know is how to cope and deal with that.

Sometimes you write a draft that you despise so much that you burn it and throw it in the trash, never looking back.

That is okay. It is okay to work on yourself. It is okay to struggle and fail. It is not okay to take others down with you.

My senior year of college has been the biggest roller coaster of my life thus far. I had thought I had it all figured out.

I had a loving and caring partner. My classes were going well and work was great. Then I realized my partner and I were both hurting. I didn’t like my major or my jobs. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I broke.

Looking back, I realize why that happened — I was trying to cram too much in my life at once. I wanted a taste of everything before I lost it all again.

Now here I sit typing this, still lost, but okay with that. I am lost but I am not alone.

I’ve stopped feeling embarrassed for liking the things that I like. I stopped caring about what other people think and I’ve started taking care of my body again. At times, it is enough to make me feel that I know who I am. But I know that I am always going to be a work in progress. Some drafts will be saved, and others will be thrown out.

“I knew I needed to change and needed to quit my unhealthy habits and deal with what had happened.”

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“I love to laugh and share that laughter with others.”

Sarah Jacobs, Interpreter

“As someone raised in the Deaf community, I love that I am bilingual and am a part of two cultures and two communities and two communities that are very diverse.”

Angela Hauser, Manager, Interpreting Team for COLA

“Something I love about myself is my resilience.”

Judy Mermelstein, Alumna, ASL-English Interpretation

by Diana Spencer illustration and design by Pallavi Singh Opinions expressed are solely of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.

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RINGS

“dm’d a girl who posted her p*ssy and she sent back ‘look what the cat dragged in’” Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 @ 9:24 p.m.

compiled by Marilyn Wolbert illustration by Quamae Newsome design by Pallavi Singh

“Okay Google. Is Helen Keller racist?”

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2020 @ 8:01 p.m.

“Are you talking about hellen Keller and how she’s fake?”

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 @ 7:59 p.m.

“The government is my dom” Monday, Nov. 16, 2020 @ 10:51 p.m.

“You had me at choking” Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 @ 9:39 p.m.

“I love the absolute drip of being an atheist but also f*cking god’s shit up” Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 @ 9:54 p.m.

“Sub to no government” All calls and texts may be subject to editing and truncation.

Statements do not reflect views of REPORTER.

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