March 2020

REPORTER MARCH 2020 // REPORTER.RIT.EDU

First and foremost, you have an absolute right to remain silent.

You don’t have to answer a question like “Have you been drinking tonight?” Second, you don’t have to perform the “�eld sobriety tests.” Those tests are like playing high-stakes ‘Simon Says’ on the side of the road at midnight. The results are surprisingly inaccurate, and even a completely sober person will fail. So... don’t take 9 steps, heel to toe, on an imaginary line. Don’t stand on one foot and count out loud. And for the love of God, don’t try reciting the alphabet without singing while you are tired and nervous. You’ll bomb it.

Then, once you fail, the police will arrest you for DWI. Recap: no talking, and no �eld sobriety tests. Lawyer up.

P. Adam Militello, Esq. (585) 485-0025 https://rochesternyDWI.lawyer

Spacious apartment-style rooms, in a park-like, riverside setting only 5 minutes from campus!

Visit

REPORTER EDITOR IN CHIEF Cayla Keiser PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Kasey Mathews ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Sebastian COPY EDITOR Mimi Lee NEWS EDITOR Jessica Sides TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Leland Goodrich LEISURE EDITOR Karina Le FEATURES EDITOR Morgan LaMere WELLNESS EDITOR Brooke Wolfenbarger VIEWS EDITOR Tyler English WRITERS Tyler English, Karina Le, Leland Goodrich, Cayla Keiser, Kasey Mathews, Luke Nearhood, Tommy Delp, Morgan LaMere

ART ART DIRECTOR Lily Garnaat ONLINE ART MANAGER Monica Nguyen-Vo SENIOR DESIGNER Cassy Smithies DESIGNERS Adrianna Petrus, Rachel Tiano, Cassy Smithies, Cristian Maynez, Sabrina McCune, Jiayi Zheng, ILLUSTRATORS Elizabeth Dettmann, Neil Edward Williamson, Corey Hemingway, Maggie Dybas, Michael Smith, Sara Calhoun

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO EDITOR Catherine Rafferty PHOTOGRAPHERS Videet Kumar, Rachel Kogut, Jasmine Lin, Catherine Rafferty, Amelia Hamilton, Diana Spencer

Dear Cliches, I often rely on you to help me get my point across and craft my thoughts in relatable ways. Sometimes, I use you too much. However, while many people think you are overused, I still believe you hold valuable life lessons.

For example, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

You remind me to take the challenges life hands me, learn from them and transform them into something sweet.

Being editor in chief has not been an easy ride. I started off incredibly excited to be in this role, but quickly learned just how complex it can be.

Problems popped up that I didn’t feel equipped to handle and I found that managing an organization is not my forte.

However, as I wrap up my time in this role, I walk away having learned indispensable skills. I learned how to manage a budget, how to tackle tough situations and — more than anything — I learned what I want in a future job. My passions lie in writing and communication. I want to manage and help others directly in those areas, not necessarily manage the people who manage those people.

Cliches, you often guide me in the right direction and have framed my positive outlook on life. You’ve reminded me to keep fighting when I didn’t think I had any fight left. You’ve inspired me to be more openminded and willing to adapt.

But sometimes, I have to go with my gut and make my own judgments about a situation. Such as when I wasn’t happy in a former major. I didn’t make lemonade — I tossed those lemons out and switched into something I am passionate about.

Cliches, you can hurt us, but you can also help us. I’d encourage others to find one of your many sayings that they identify with and use it as a life guide, but not let it completely guide their lives. In other words, we should all take you with a grain of salt.

Sincerely, An optimist

BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Ward Couillard AD / PR MANAGER Ali Johnston ONLINE SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR Will Nilges ONLINE SERVICES MANAGER Efe Ozturkoglu VIDEO EDITOR Trisha Pickelhaupt PODCAST PRODUCER Maximilian Thoburn PODCAST HOST Wyatt Kinsey ADVISOR Rudy Pugliese PRINTING Sutherland Printing CONTACT +1 (585) 475–2212

CAYLA KEISER | EDITOR IN CHIEF Letters to the Editor should be sent to rpteic@rit.edu. No letters will be published unless signed.

RITstay.com

All letters received become the property of REPORTER.

for exclusive RIT rates Staybridge Suites- Rochester University 1000 Genesee Street Rochester, NY 14611 585-527-9110

EDITOR’S NOTE

Two thoughts about tra�c stops.

Please Recycle

Reporter magazine is published monthly during the academic year by a staff comprised of students at Rochester Institute of Technology. Business, Editorial and Design facilities are located in Room A-730, in the lower level of the Campus Center. Our phone number is +1 (585) 475–2212. The Advertising Department can be reached at +1 (585) 475–2213. “Have you heard of crackhead energy?” -T.P. The opinions expressed in Reporter do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. Reporter is not responsible for materials presented in advertising areas. Copyright © 2020 Reporter. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written permission.

March 3

cover and TOC illustration by Elizabeth Dettmann

IN T HI S I S S UE

NEWS 6

CHANGING LIVES OVERSEAS The Peace Corps has provided global volunteering opportunities since 1961

T E C H 8

DRONES: FROM WAR TO PEACETIME Either as tools of war or pioneers in technology, drones have a hard line of pros and cons

L E I S U R E 10

14

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH A look at urban art murals in Rochester

AYL: SPROUTING SPACES Change is inevitable, but home is always with us

F E A T U R E S 16

20

A GUIDE TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION It’s more complicated than you think

ETCHED IN STONE: THE NAMES BEHIND RIT Many names dot RIT’s campus — but who are the people behind them?

W E L L N E S S 22

24

SOCIAL MEDIA: PERSPIRATION & INSPIRATION There’s something to be said for tweeting on the trail

GOING FOR THE GOAL Numerous sports are played across RIT, yet many don’t know much about those who play them

V I E W S 26

28

30

@REPORTERMAG 4 March

MASS MEDIA IN A BIPARTISAN AGE What happens when the mass media stops serving the masses?

WORD ON THE STREET (WOTS) What’s the hardest lesson you learned as a child?

RINGS RIT’s digital confessional.

Text or call (585) 672–4840

R EP ORTER. R IT. EDU March 5

Changing Lives Overseas

by Tyler English photos compiled by Catherine Rafferty design by Adrianna Petrus

“

re a h s d l r o w e h t s s o e acr l p o s. f e e i l p e b st rinciples and p e o m a s M e h t of t o al

T

”

he majority of our lives we are told we have the ability to change the lives of others and help those in need. In high school, we attended assemblies that talked about the importance of volunteering and giving back to others. For some, that led to pursuing a career in which that itch could be scratched, and good could be done.

As a U.S.-based aid agency, the Peace Corps provides volunteer help to countries that request it. The organization provides those with the urge to volunteer a chance to help communities overcome challenges, as well as change the lives of people all over the world.

The Peace Corps has sent volunteers out since 1961, and this March 2020 will celebrate its 59th anniversary. Having sent over 230,000 volunteers to over 140 countries, the Peace Corps has impacted the lives of many.

GETTING INVOLVED

Above: Jeffrey Cox, director of International Student Services, is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served the town of Kisantu, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) from 1990-1991. Provided photos.

6 News

Kristina Owens, associate vice president for RIT Government and Community Relations, is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served two years in southern Bolivia.

“In college, I was thinking, ‘What do I do next? What am I going to do, I have so many interests?’ and constantly brainstorming what can I do after I graduate,” Owens said.

Owens began talking to Peace Corps recruiters at her college, SUNY Geneseo, about possible opportunities. Her program would help her attain her master’s degree and then volunteer in a country where her interests and skills would be most useful.

Before traveling overseas, the Peace Corps trains volunteers for the road ahead and for what it is like to live immersed in a different culture.

Above: Kristina Owens, associate vice president for RIT Government and Community Relations, is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in southern Bolivia from 2000-2002. Provided photos.

“[The Peace Corps] would train you and set you up so that you could serve,” Owens said.

Jeffrey Cox, director of International Student Services, is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer who underwent the Peace Corps training.

Cox grew up in France as a child, so he learned to speak French. Later in his life he developed a love and fascination for tropical fish; he kept them as pets in his middle and high school years. His love for fish fed his desire to visit and see them in their natural habitat.

With most of his fish being from central Africa, his placement in the Peace Corps brought him to a place he had always dreamed of visiting.

“In high school I actually wrote [the Peace Corps] a letter, and they responded back saying, ‘Get your college degree first and then come back and talk to us,’” Cox said.

Toward the end of his college career, Cox applied to the Peace Corps. Once accepted, he began his training; he learned leadership skills and other expertise that would be vital to his position in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

TIME OVERSEAS

Volunteering for the Peace Corps means time spent overseas helping local communities. Not only would you be stationed in a community, but you would also become a member of who community; you would live among the people that you are helping, eat the food they eat and adapt to their culture and lifestyle.

“The Peace Corps provides you a stipend to live off of while you are there, but they provide it at a level so that you are living at the same level as the people you are working with,” Cox said.

“‘what do I do next?’”

In college, I was thinking,

This fully immersive experience can be incredibly eye opening for someone, Cox explained. Think of it as study abroad but dialed up; you live and share your everyday life and activities with the people you’re helping to serve.

For Owens, becoming a welcomed member of the community allowed her to see the issues they were facing. This immersion helped her prioritize the projects that needed her immediate attention. “[The community members and I] ranked four or five different projects that we thought we should be doing,” Owens said. “Number one was a school library.”

Having experience in forestry and environmental science, Owens never imagined that she would be helping build a library. After becoming a part of the community, she was able to identify this project that would not only be attainable, but would also enrich the lives of so many community members.

HOMECOMING

Adjusting back to the way of life in America is the second round of culture shock for Peace Corps volunteers; but for Cox and Ow-

ens, the Peace Corps was a time that they will never forget and gave them memories that they carry with them to this day.

“One culture is definitely not better than another; they are just different,” Cox said. “Most people across the world share a lot of the same principles and beliefs.”

Serving in the Peace Corps fresh out of college is a trend that is for some but not for others. Cox said that the Peace Corps is encouraging more and more people to get their degrees and spend time working in their fields before applying to volunteer. This gives volunteers more time to develop skills they can use while overseas.

Given how STEM-centric RIT is, students graduate with degrees that are needed in the industry right when they graduate. In this case, Owens encourages students to wait to apply to the Peace Corps until they have honed their skills. This is a great way to get sent to volunteer in a region where they may be trying to get their first internet network and their first phone lines up and running.

Dr. Josephine Olsen, the current director of the Peace Corps, will deliver the May 2020 commencement speech.

News 7

DRONES: FROM WAR TO

TECHNOLOGY IS GRAY

PEACE TIME

by Karina Le | illustration by Neil Edward Williamson design by Rachel Tiano

F

rom the time they were drafts on blueprints, drones have been a hot topic in the realm of modern technology. Initially used as tools of war, their programming and usage have expanded into civilian life. But what does it mean for our society to normalize drone technology into our everyday lives?

Drones: An Introduction The first image you might think about when you hear the word drone is the kind the U.S. government uses to drop bombs in other countries, such as when they were used in the Afghan War in 2001. Drones are often used in war zones to also help survey an area’s surroundings as a replacement for soldiers.

“During the Obama administration, they handed off [surveillance of countries at war]

to the CIA, who were not utilizing on the ground intelligence, and were instead using [drones],” Benajmin Banta, an RIT Political Science professor, explained.

Even before the Trump administration initiated a drone strike in Iran, the Obama administration was using drones to direct attacks and help the militia survey the grounds from the air. Yet, drones have become commercialized beyond warfare and can be found in any large electronics store. What other uses do they have outside of being a tool for war?

Carl Salvaggio, professor of Imaging Science and director of the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory, explained some of the ways RIT has been making use of drone technology.

“Tech needs to force us to think in the long term” 8 Technology

“I would say 90 percent of our [drone] usage right now is used for precision agriculture,” Salvaggio said.

Precision agriculture is a type of farming management system in which people observe and record crop data to see where the farm needs management. Drones record images for farmers to see how to improve productivity.

This can include certain areas needing more water to grow or nitrogen for fertilization.

Salvaggio also said that drones have aided in simplifying our everyday lives. Often, you can see drones dropping off packages in lieu of the local postman.

Some innovators of drone technology even go as far as trying to integrate these mechanical aircraft into use for medical emergencies. “[Some drones] are equipped with defibrillators,” Salvaggio explained. “It has a camera and a laptop with a speaker, so somebody on the other end could talk somebody through a defibrillation.”

Though terrifying as the idea is, Salvaggio expressed that by using a drone ahead of an ambulance, it could save lives with the time it takes for a drone to arrive rather than waiting for emergency medical assistance.

“It could save minutes,” said Salvaggio.

“The risk is worth it.”

Drone technology could be one of the many ways technology has eased our lives; however, Banta questions if that’s all there is to it.

“Do [drones] make the decision to go to war too easy?” he asked.

Whether we use drones in war zones, to spy on cities or actively drop bombs at the military’s command, Banta takes a critical stance on how we accept drones as a part of our daily lives and the way we use them in and out of our country.

However, he also cautioned that we should avoid thinking of drones, or any technology, as either good or bad since it takes away from how they interact with us and our world. He explained his cautions through two perspectives: the deterministic and the neutral.

“When you think in a deterministic perspective, you want to think positively because it mandates you to be a certain way because of the technology around you,” he said.

On the other end of this caution, there is the neutral perspective, which accepts technology as simply a tool neutral from a good or bad morality.

Banta argued that this could be equally as harmful.

“To empty technology of any kind of politics and say, ‘It’s just a tool’ and ‘We can use them for good and bad’ is closer to the truth,” he said. “But a nuclear weapon does one thing: it slaughters people.”

Something needs to be done in terms of combating drones, and not just through physical violence. There have been anti-drone technologies in development to assist in times where drones aren’t used in positive ways.

“To disable a drone, you can fly a drone over the offending drone and drop a net to tangle it or even jam the drone’s GPS signal,” Salvaggio explained.

There are a variety of ways right now to combat drone technology from invading our private lives. There will continue to be advancements in this anti-drone technology for as long as drones are a part of the world. However, there is also a need for our legislation to make moves in regulating drones, Banta noted.

“We need to go back to human responsibility,” stated Banta. “We have to avoid these deterministic or neutral ‘as a tool’ perspectives to think critically of [drones].”

In the end, Banta said, we made drones ourselves and and we have to accept the consequences of making new technology. They will remain in our society until a legal ban is announced.

No matter the technology, we have to think of ways to protect ourselves, while also reaping the rewards that come from advanced technology. Banta summarized it best through his critiques of advancing technology.

“Tech needs to force us to think in the long term,” he said.

This would include educating ourselves about obscure topics and understanding the ripples they’ve made in our society. Ultimately, no matter whether you decide you are someone who is pro- or anti-drones, their innovations have become a landmark that shows our advancements in technology.

“DO [DRONES]

MAKE THE DECISION TO

GO TO WAR TOO EASY?”

Technology 9

he art murals that dot much of downtown Rochester are a sight to see for anyone new to town, yet remain unbeknownst to many of the city’s bustling denizens. They project feelings of joy, passion and togetherness on urban landscapes. The murals brighten city spaces that would otherwise go unnoticed.

While art murals themselves are not unique to Rochester, the way the city has used art to connect communities is something that is truly remarkable given today’s turbulent world.

Outside of Rochester, art murals in urban centers can be found all throughout the U.S., from the towering buildings of New York City to the rolling hills of Los Angeles.

However, art murals on city buildings were not always as widely accepted as they are today in places such as Rochester. To fully understand the prominence of city art murals in modern art appreciation, it is necessary to first go back in time and see where art murals trace their roots.

From Vandalism to Modern Art The history of art murals is really based around graffiti art, except graffiti art is illegal and art murals are completely legal,” said Narionna Nunez, a recreation assistant for the city of Rochester’s Roc Paint Division.

I S R E A L LY B A S E D A R O U N D G R A F F I T I A R T, the day’s youth to voice their grievances with a governmental system that they viewed as unsympathetic and oppressive.

This illegal form of artwork, at first, was largely viewed negatively by both the public at large and the cities whose infrastructure sported the fruits of the artistic labor. This was primarily due to the art violating basic property rights.

Eventually, as Nunez pointed out, vandalism laws quickly began to regulate and snuff out many of the works of art that were beginning to fill the urban landscapes of American cities.

As time progressed, many people, especially those in the art world, began to better appreciate the illicit works that had come to be synonymous with city life and as cultural representations of urban Americana.

Yet, the graffiti art that had come to define cities nationwide was still illegal, and the only way new art could be generated was in the shadows, outside the boundaries of law.

Wanting to highlight the works of talented urban artists but needing to do so in a legal and proper way, cities around the U.S. began to set up sanctioned programs that would allow graffiti artists to use city-owned property as their canvas.

T

by Leland Goodrich | photograghy by Rachel Kogut | design by Cassy Smithies

ART MURALS IN AN URBAN COMMUNIT Y

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: 10 Leisure

“ T HE HIS TOR Y OF A R T M UR A L S

According to Nunez, the beginnings of art murals in urban areas go back to the late 1970s, when graffiti art was just starting to take off in the U.S. Graffiti artists in this time period, most prominently in New York City, used the abundance of free canvas space on the city’s subways, alleyways and vehicles to showcase their talent through unsanctioned and illegal works of art.

While doubtlessly a showcase of artistic talent, the graffiti movement was also a way for

E XCE P T GR A F F IT I A R T IS ILLE G A L

A N D A R T M U R A L S A R E C O M P L E T E LY L E G A L .”

Leisure 11

“ E X P L O R E T H E W H O L E C I T Y, S P E N D A D AY,

At the Heart of a City Roc Paint Division, an art mural organization in Rochester, connects youth with local artists to help develop and paint the art murals which beautify many of the structures located within the area.

“We go to the members of the community, sometimes a committee, and we present our designs,” explained Francheska Diaz, another recreation assistant with Roc Paint Division.

Typically, an experienced artist plans out designs that are either personally inspired or reflect something significant within the community.

12 Leisure

After the planning is done, the artist has youth, volunteers and members from RocPaint assist in painting the art murals.

“It’s pretty collaborative between we who create the murals and the people who are involved with whatever space we plan on putting the art on,” Diaz said.

Founded in late 2015, Roc Paint has commissioned numerous art murals all over the city with the help of the community, ensuring that the spirit of public art murals continue as an important part of life in the city.

The art murals in Rochester draw onlookers from all over the state, and even the country.

They have their own tours that map out various mural locations. It has become a popular attraction for many visitors to the area in recent years.

In addition to the popularization of urban art murals, the Roc Paint Division itself has been constantly growing over the past few years.

“Right now, we have the biggest group of Roc Paint Division that we have ever had. I believe that this is something that will continue, allowing more kids to come and embrace themselves as artists,” said Nunez.

For the near future, art murals in Rochester are secured by the dedicated members of the community and the artists who facilitate their creation.

Reflections of a Community Art murals in urban centers have greatly evolved from the illegal graffiti art that spawned a new movement in the modern art scene.

Now serving a different role in community relations, murals unite its members over colorful depictions rather than dividing citizens over questions of legality.

Even though the murals of Rochester, among other cities, are now facilitated and encouraged by the local governments, the purpose behind urban art has not changed much from its predecessor.

The art murals of today, like the graffiti art of old, serve to reflect a city’s character. Simultaneously, inspiring all those who paint, imagine and simply enjoy the view.

In the words of Diaz, “explore the whole city, spend a day, look at all of the art and see all of what Rochester has to offer.”

W H AT R O C H E S T E R H A S T O O F F E R .”

The graffiti movement of the late 1970s would soon evolve from acts of illegal counterculture expression into urban art murals that have come to be widely desired and supported.

Many metropolitan communities around the nation, such as Rochester, began to embrace the art that had already been such an important part of city life.

“Eventually that [art murals] was something that people would like to see, so it developed more as a program … now we see murals more often in a lot of cities,” Nunez said.

With their second act in American culture solidified, today’s urban art muralists seek to do more than simply pay homage to the graffiti art that gave way to the picturesque works that capture the attention of city-goers.

In Rochester, these works of art demand to be a cornerstone of the city’s life and as a device that connects the entire community.

L O O K AT A L L O F T H E A R T A N D S E E A L L O F

Leisure 13

At Your Leisure

Sprouting Spaces It’s been a while since you have been home, Not much has changed, but nothing feels the same.

The biggest change, the tree in the front yard.

Once a tree house, a jungle gym, a safe space to run to, Now just a stump. Take a seat. Think.

Childhood traumas and memories wrestle, Crying. Remembering. Forceful forgetting.

Home has moved, roots have changed, You’ve branched out too far to recognize The soil that birthed your pain.

Perhaps your new home isn’t a place, But a perspective. A lens, Cast in broken glass and smoke.

Fractured to some, but to you, It’s an old friend, a tool.

You hold your lens up to the stump, Seeing all the good, that blossomed in pain.

That safe space, a solace.

That treehouse, a physical dream.

That jungle gym, a daily workout.

You gather your things to leave, Your lens, memories and, A remaining sapling sprouting next to the stump.

This space may never be the same, But now your home is with you.

Ready to grow from through your lens.

14 Leisure

by Tyler English illustration by Corey Hemingway design by Deztiny Di Meo

We Have Issues, Day & Night

News Leisure Features Wellness Views Tech Op-Ed Podcast Videos Catch us at: reporter.rit.edu

A Guide to the

Presidential Election

by Cayla Keiser | photography by Jasmine Lin | design by Cristian Maynez

F

or some of us, the 2020 election cycle may be our first time voting in a presidential election. This can be exciting, terrifying or a little bit of both — especially if you don’t quite understand how the process works.

Dr. Sarah Burns, an associate professor of Political Science, recognizes just how convoluted it can be.

“If [the process] seems confusing, it’s incredibly confusing and we are the only developed democracy that has a selection process this weirdly democratic and complicated,” Burns said.

It’s Au Naturel to Me Before diving into how the president is elected, it’s important to know who can actually run.

“The requirements [to become president] are actually, if you look at the constitution, quite minimal,” Burns said.

Presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old, have been a U.S. resident for 14 years and be a natural-born U.S. citizen. What it means to be a ‘natural-born’ citizen is contested.

According to Harvard Law Review, all of the sources we consistently use to interpret the constitution say a natural-born citizen is “someone who was a U.S. citizen at birth with no need to go through a naturalization proceeding at some later time.” This can apply to a child born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen or on American territories, such as a military base or Puerto Rico.

The requirements also apply to vice-presidential candidates. Should the vice president succeed the president, they must also fulfill the basic constitutional requirements, Burns said.

Time to Debate In case you don’t pay attention to politics (you’re not alone), it’s important to know that there have been multiple Democratic Party debates leading into the primary and caucus season (don’t worry, we’ll get into what those are soon).

“The purpose of the debates is in part to give a public platform where the candidates are all together so the American people can really sit there and say, ‘What’s Joe Biden in comparison with Elizabeth Warren?’ and ‘How do they perform in this sort of pressurized situation?’”

Burns explained.

However, she suggested that debates aren’t the best test of whether a president is a good fit for office.

“This is not a task of the presidency, so it’s not teaching you whether they’re going to be a good commander in chief, a good executive,” Burns said. “It’s just telling you a little bit about how they perform under pressure.”

Only select candidates make it on stage.

Like auditions for a play, candidates must meet certain qualifications to get a callback.

The requirements change for each debate but typically revolve around donor numbers and poll rankings.

For the Feb. 7, 2020 debate, Democratic contenders not only had to have 225,000 unique donor contributions to show broad support, Burns said, but also meet one of two polling requirements. Candidates either had to be polling at least seven percent in two polls in New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada, or at least five percent in the three states or national surveys, the New York Times reported.

Primaries and Caucuses You might’ve heard of the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary but don’t know what they are. Essentially, this is where the election process really kicks off (and gets confusing).

Primaries and caucuses are methods for narrowing down candidates before choosing the official presidential nominee. Let’s dive a bit deeper into each.

Primaries “Primaries are fairly straightforward, it’s what you expect from voting,” Burns explained. “You just walk in [to your polling location], you get a ballot, you go to your little booth, you check your little person and you’re done.”

There are two types of primaries employed for presidential campaigns — open and closed.

In an open primary, voters need not have registered with a party. This means that independent voters — registered voters not committed to either party — and voters from other parties can vote in primaries.

Closed primaries, on the other hand, are restricted to registered Democrat or Republican voters. Independent voters and voters from other parties are not able to participate.

The type of primary varies from state-tostate and started with the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11, 2020. New York’s closed primary will occur on April 28, 2020.

Caucuses “Those [caucuses] are much more fun. What you do is you go to a local church or school or gymnasium or meeting hall and all of the candidates [or their representatives] are there and you go to the corner of your candidate.

You literally stand there with them,” Burns explained. “Then after a certain period of time … they call a vote and you have to have at least 15 percent of the people who are in that room with you as a candidate [to move on to the next round].”

If a candidate doesn’t make it to their state’s threshold, those voters become “up for grabs,” Burns said, and candidates scramble to convince people to support them until all voters are taken.

According to Voice of America, the main difference between Democratic and Republican caucuses is that Democrats physically huddle to show support whereas Republicans vote privately.

The Iowa caucus — the first of the season — is considered a candidate’s chief indicator for potential success. It happened on Feb. 3, 2020.

Issues with the smartphone app for reporting results caused troubles with gathering precinct totals, leading to delays in determining a winner. As of February 9, The New York Times reported that they and other news organizations have refrained from calling the due to possible results errors. See? The process can get complicated.

Divvying up Delegates Once each state’s voters have cast their ballot or stood committed in a corner, all the votes are added up and delegates from each state are assigned to each candidate.

Delegates are divided up proportionally or in a winner-takes-all method, according to HowStuffWorks. Say there are 100 delegates and Candidate A wins 55 percent of the vote, Candidate B wins 25 percent and Candidate C wins 20 percent. In a proportional state or party, each candidate would win the total amount of delegates as the vote denotes. In a winner-

“If [the process] seems confusing, it’s incredibly confusing.”

16 Features

Features 17

A Roadmap to the Presidency

2 1

Let’s Vote After delegates are divided, everyone heads to the national convention. Delegates cast their votes at the convention and voila! New presidential candidates announced. Just kidding, it’s never that simple.

“There is a genuine contest leading up to the convention,” Burns said. “But once one person gets over the limit [of required votes] to be the nominee ... then in order to show party unity, everyone votes for that person.”

18 Features

3

Anyone who meets the constitutional requirements to become president can run.

take-all state or party, Candidate A would receive all 100 delegates.

Delegates can end up at the convention candidate-less if their candidate drops out of the race. If a candidate steps down, they can endorse another party candidate and reassign their delegates. There are also superdelegates — prominent Democratic politicians or members of the Democratic National Committee — who can decide who to vote for regardless of primaries and caucuses.

4

Candidates pitch their cases to the country through a series of preliminary debates.

Back to Debates

Yes, there are more debates. Their purpose is largely the same as the first ones. Televised

6

Delegates from each state vote at the national convention to select the official nominees.

People vote in primaries and rally behind their candidates in caucuses to award delegates.

If all the delegates go to the convention and the majority vote for Candidate A, the delegates who were planning to vote for Candidate B or C vote for candidate A instead. This is to show party unity, even if some delegates go against what their state voted a majority for.

There have been times where delegates have voted in protest, Burns remarked, “But that is, in the party’s eyes, bad for the party.”

However, if no one candidate has the necessary amount of delegates to win the nomination, there is a brokered convention, or contested convention. There is a 15 percent chance of this happening with the Democrats this year, according to FiveThirtyEight.

“In that situation, delegates would, from each state, vote for who their state voted for and it would then be up to the candidates at the convention to sway people to their side and get them to vote for them at the convention,” Burns said.

“The 18–29 demographic is the one that votes the least and the over 65 demographic is the one that votes the most.”

debates started in 1960 with the famous Kennedy and Nixon square-off. Now, there are three presidential and one vice presidential debates. Candidates decide what topics to debate and, based on those, the moderator(s) decide which questions to ask, Burns explained.

In 1987, the Commission on Presidential Debates was created by the Democratic and Republican parties to ensure that only candidates with a sufficient amount of support can debate.

“In order to be part of the debates ... you have to have at least 15 percent of the vote,” Burns said. “Almost no third party has been able to get to that level of recognition which is why we very rarely have seen third parties in presidential debates.”

More Voting The upcoming election day is Nov. 3, 2020.

Election day always happens on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1. To vote, you must register in your state and either vote early, show up to

5

The Electoral College votes and officially elects the new president.

7

On Election Day, voters flood the polls and cast their votes.

your designated polling location on election “You can have unfaithful electors,” Burns said. day or send in an absentee ballot.

“There was ... a lot of talk in 2016 about the posWhile I’d love to provide step-by-step in- sibility of a lot of unfaithful electors just taking structions, the registration process varies by the presidency from Trump and giving it to Hilstate. To learn how it works in your state, visit lary Clinton, and that obviously didn’t happen.” your state’s government website.

Clinton won the popular vote whereas After voting, most people eagerly await the Trump won the electoral vote “due to the staresults to find out who will be our next presi- tistical disparity between vote totals in individdent. But once again, it’s not that simple. Enter ual state elections and the national vote totals,” the electoral college. the National Archives detailed. Some people argue that we should abolish the electoral college, but we won’t get into that here.

After the electoral vote officially decides our After placing the “I voted!” sticker on your next president, they sit tight until inauguration shirt, your vote goes to a statewide tally to de- day on January 20. If the current president is termine who your state’s electors will vote for reelected, they keep doing their job until they in the December electoral college vote, USAGov are inaugurated again. explained. There are 538 electors in total. States get one for each of their senators and representatives and Washington, D.C. gets three.

To win the presidency, a candidate needs 270 “You know how they elect leaders in Britain? electors to vote for them. Generally, electors Everyone who’s in the party says, ‘We want have been faithful to their state’s majority; how- that guy.’ That’s it. End of story,” Burns said. ever, the constitution doesn’t require them to.

While we can’t be like Britain and have less

Electoral College, Apply Today!

The next president is inaugurated in January.

complicated presidential election processes, we can congratulate you on having a basic understanding of what’s going down this year. No matter your political views or party loyalties, Burns said, it’s important to vote come Nov. 3, 2020.

“The 18–29 demographic is the one that votes the least and the over 65 demographic is the one that votes the most,” Burns concluded. “If you think about who is going to be dealing with the problems that are created by whoever gets into office, it’s going to be the 18–29-yearolds, not the 65 plus. It’s very hard to have a say in things and be upset about things if you aren’t actually participating in the process.”

We Made It

Features 19

Etched in Stone:

The Names Behind RIT

by Kasey Mathews | photos compiled by Catherine Rafferty | design by Sabrina McCune

D

otting RIT’s Henrietta campus are buildings, benches, roads and pathways, seemingly each accompanied by a name. Even walking along the path past the bus stop (the path itself called Arthur Stern Lane), one’s eyes cannot help but wander along the bricks, each etched with a name or congratulatory message.

RIT is a campus full of names and faces, consisting of those who now walk its paths and those who have come before. Yet, so many of the people behind these names are unknown to students. These people are responsible for the level of opportunity we experience as Tigers, and their contributions to our education should be appreciated.

“

MARK ELLINGSON Before RIT was RIT, it was known as the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute.

The name change, and many other big changes across the institute, occurred during the presidency of Mark Ellingson. Born in 1905, Ellingson is the longest-serving president in RIT’s history, who was in office from 1936 until 1969. Along with overseeing the official 1944 change to Rochester Institute of Technology, Ellingson also oversaw the Gannett-led merger with the Empire School of Printing in 1937 and the relocation from downtown Rochester to RIT’s current Henrietta campus in 1968. He also led the campaign to bring the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) to RIT. During his tenure, RIT saw an increase in enrollment of over 700 percent, from 2,250 to 16,000 students. Now the tallest building on campus, a dormitory near NTID, is named in Ellingson’s honor.

GRACE WATSON As RIT began outgrowing its space in downtown Rochester in the mid-1960s, coupled with the announcement of the construction of the Inner Loop that would bisect the then-campus and require the demolition of several key buildings, it became clear that a change was desperately needed to keep the university on a growing track. Luckily, Rochester local Grace Watson was able to make that change — a move to Henrietta — possible. An unassuming woman who showed little sign of wealth, according All images courtesy of RIT Archive Collections.

20 Features

to RIT, gifted much of her estate ($3.27 million) to the university after her death in 1961.

dustry — a method now referred to as a co-op, that has since become a staple of RIT.

NATHANIEL ROCHESTER

GEORGE EASTMAN

Colonel Nathaniel Rochester is best known for founding the city of Rochester. However, in 1829 he also founded the Rochester Athenaeum. He served as the first president of the Athenaeum, which began as a literary society before it was merged into the Mechanics Institute. RIT uses this 1829 date as its official date of founding.

George Eastman Hall is named for the founder and, for a time, CEO of Eastman Kodak Company. During his life, Eastman was a notable benefactor of RIT — then called the Mechanics Institute — and even personally campaigned for the institute’s first endowment. He pledged $5,000 to the institute, on the condition that nine others matched his pledge. Eastman served as a trustee for the university from 1890 until 1915. Eastman Kodak Company has long had a close tie with RIT, which also culminated in the dedication of the Eastman Kodak Quad in 2003 to honor this affiliation.

CARLETON GIBSON Born in 1863 in wartorn Alabama, Gibson was chosen in 1910 to be the first president of the recently-merged Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, a position he held until 1916. Within two years, Gibson ensured students would spend half their time in classes and the other half learning from within the in(Left) Kate Gleason, circa 1890-1910, was one of the first US women engineers and an Institute benefactor for whom dormitories on the downtown campus and Henrietta campus have been named.

media holding company. While Gannett owned around 20 papers in his lifetime, the Gannett Company now owns over 1,000 and has become the largest newspaper company in the United States, with ownership including Rochester’s own Democrat and Chronicle. Gannett is responsible for the launch of the printing programs at RIT, which have since evolved into the School of Media Sciences.

KATE GLEASON

Frank Gannett is widely known as the founder of the Gannett Company — a mass

Catherine Anselm Gleason was born in 1865, the elder sister of James E. Gleason. Her father, William Gleason, founded Gleason Works, which became one of the most important gear-cutting machine makers in the world.

After the death of her stepbrother at an early age, she began to work in her father’s company.

Described by one contemporary as “a kind of Madame [Marie] Curie of machine tools,” she would later go on to become the first woman to

(Right) George Eastman, circa 1890-1915, was on the Board of Trustees for RIT from 1890-1915.

(Left) Mark Ellingson, circa 1990s, served as RIT’s president from 1936-1969.

FRANK E. GANNETT

be enrolled in Cornell University’s engineering program, before being beckoned back to Gleason Works before she could finish her degree.

A suffragette and friend of Susan B. Anthony, Gleason continued on with women’s rights efforts following Anthony’s death, including a pledge of $1,500 for the women’s suffrage movement — one of the largest pledges ever received. Upon her death in 1933, much of her estate was gifted to local Rochester institutions, including to the Mechanics Institute. Both the College of Engineering and the central dormitory overlooking the Quarter Mile are named for Gleason, whereas the building housing the majority of the college of engineering is named for her younger brother.

THOMAS HALE GOSNELL Thomas Gosnell was born in 1920 to was to a family with close ties to RIT. His great grandfather, Ezra Andrews, was a founding trustee of

RIT is a campus of names and faces, consisting both of those who walk its paths and those who have come before.

the original Mechanics Institute. He gifted RIT greatly throughout his lifetime, most notably a $3 million challenge grant to further establish the College of Science as it stands today. After the building that houses the College of Science was completed in 1998, it was dedicated in honor of Gosnell. After his recent death in 2009, he has been remembered closely by those at RIT. His wife, Georgia, pledged a further $5 million in 2012 to the establishment of the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences in his honor.

AILEEN OSBORN WEBB A longtime trustee of the Mechanics Institute, Aileen Webb was born in 1892. A large proponent of crafts, she was responsible for introducing the School of American Craftsmen to RIT in 1950. Webb served as a trustee for over 20 years, furthering the crafts programs at the Institute. On the 25th anniversary of the School of American Craftsmen, an auditorium in James Booth Hall was dedicated to Webb.

RIT is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and expansion. It often seems like a new building is erected every year. But, as we expand our campus and the impact our university has, we must keep in mind those who have laid the groundwork for the opportunities we now experience.

(Right) Grace Watson, circa 1959, made a donation that made it possible for the Institute to purchase land in Henrietta, NY and build a new campus.

Features 21

Social Media: Perspiration & Inspiration

“A lot of what I post is probably related to outdoor-type things.”

by Luke Nearhood | illustration by Maggie Dybas | design by Cassy Smithies

T

he public perception of social media seems to have become more negative in these past few years. However, as spring approaches, many of the more outdoors-inclined are preparing their hiking boots and camping gear, some perhaps packing their lenses and tripods to get that perfect mountaintop selfie. It is becoming increasingly apparent that social media is becoming a catalyst for many to get outside and enjoy the world around them.

As a Motivator For some, social media is all about the sharing experiences. Whether in the form of pictures, text, videos or other media, it’s one of the reasons many partake in them to begin with.

“If you were to look at my Facebook, you’d find that a lot of what I post is probably related to outdoor-type things,” said Seann McArdle, assistant director of Wellness Education.

Using social media in this way can provide motivation to get outdoors through sharing those experiences, validation and the satisfaction that comes with it. However, it is also important not to lose sight of the real reasons one is engaging in outdoor activities, so as to maintain intrinsic motivation and not become overly reliant on external rewards.

“They’re a trophy to say, ‘Hey look at how fast I did this’ or ‘Look how much fun I had,’” said

McArdle. “The reality is, you gotta have that fun first, you gotta put that workout in first.

That should hopefully be the driving force.”

Though, if one is using social media as an external motivator, such motivation can be made intrinsic.

“Social media is all about external motivation, it’s about looking at something and thinking, ‘Man I really want to do that,’” McArdle said. “But you have to internalize it and have it become intrinsic. It has to become something that inspires you.”

As a Tool Social media has become a standard part of advertising, with companies and influencers abound, selling clothes, equipment and experiences.

“I think it’s a very strong form of media that influences people for sure,” said Anne Brewer, owner of LOCALadk Magazine. “Advertisers like to know and see that I have a social media presence, and that the magazine has a social media presence … So right there you have advertisers who are interested in being on social media as part of their media mix.”

While some may be uncomfortable with such marketing tactics, they are effective both at selling products and a lifestyle of outdoorsmanship. However, the posts of such outdoorsy influencers can come off as disingenuous to some who consider themselves more deeply involved in the outdoorsing community.

“It seems forced,” said Brewer. “I’ve actually seen it and been … a little disappointed, I’m like ‘oh that’s a cool page to follow, I like that person she’s got really cool posts, got some

good information,’ but then [I see] the product placement.”

Though Brewer and many others may find product placement in social media posts distasteful, there is something to be said for respecting the hustle.

“I respect what she’s doing, and I respect that she’s created a business for herself, that she has good intentions,” said Brewer.

Ultimately though, do the intentions of the poster alter the effect such a post has on those who see it, or the community that said influencer is a part of? Or rather, is it the content of the post that matters?

“As long as they’re just out there in the world doing it, and their messaging is positive,” said McArdle, “I think that’s still a positive.”

As a Community Social media has allowed for the formation of communities both local and global surrounding outdoorsmanship, which were never possible in the pre-internet age.

“As a local example, we have the Rochester Cross Country Ski Foundation, which manages a website and a Facebook page, so people are regularly jumping on there to discuss or post things,” said McArdle.

Feeling like a part of a community is a major reason some share their outdoor experiences and advice on social media. Thus, social media in the sense we think of it now can also provide resources to those seeking to engage in outdoor activities.

“From the responses we get from our social media posts it’s clear people are asking questions about the area, responding that they’ve

gone somewhere based on seeing it on social media,” said Brewer.

While not typically what we’d associate with social media, forums can also provide a centralized hub for such communities. These hubs allow people to ask questions and share knowledge. These resources can be useful when researching potential outings, to avoid issues that may be created by becoming overly reliant on social media as a motivator. Brewer warns this can lead to potential dangers, like getting lost, when one becomes tunnel visioned on getting that perfect picture.

“They’ll see a photo that everybody knows, and they’ll want to be there, and they want that photo. They’ve done zero research on what it takes to get to that spot,” said Brewer.

While it is always advisable to do one’s due diligence, there is something to be said for just getting out there.

“Really the best thing anyone can do to get started is just to go out, check out your local whatever it is — park, or river, or mountain, whatever you got available. There’s all that stuff just out there waiting for you,” said McArdle.

As spring dawns and you’re looking for inspiration to get outside, take that hike you’ve been meaning to take. Go see the Adirondacks or the Finger Lakes. Perhaps opportunities will present themselves to get outside and snap a few photos for social media.

“You have to internalize it and have it become intrinsic.”

22 Wellness

Wellness 23

Going for the GG G oal oal oal

“Telling a professor I can’t complete an assignment because I had too much basketball that week?

I’d get laughed at.”

by Tommy Delp | photography by Amelia Hamilton | design by Jiayi Zheng

S

tudent athletes are used to the limelight, whether they’re a big football star heading to the NFL or a smaller player winning a tournament and becoming an on-campus celebrity. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in sports, you probably have your own general idea of what a student athlete is and what they do. You probably think it’s pretty glamorous.

Most student athletes are just trying to get by though. More often than not, they don’t play for fame, money or the hope of a pro-career. They play because they love the game and are willing to put in the effort to both obtain an academic future and do what they love. It’s the same thing as a student who joins an a capella group or writes for the school magazine.

At a school like RIT, where most of us don’t consider sports very important to begin with, we still have our fair share of student athletes going for their own goals.

“I came to RIT knowing it was a great academic school,” Drackett said. “I didn’t come here just for hockey. I take pride in my schoolwork too.”

Drackett always keeps academics in mind.

Even when on the road, he always looks for time to study and do homework.

Amy Reed, the head coach for the women’s basketball team, also acknowledges this equilibrium and how big of a role it plays. She stated how “RIT is academically rigorous, and we look for students that are going to be able to balance their athletics with their academics as well.”

“You gotta make sure you get good meals and sleep in too. There’s a lot of things other than hockey and school.”

“We have a vibrant community among athletes; our Tiger Den games are a great example of that,” she said.

Reed even works hard to build a relationship with the students she trains.

“They don’t call me by my first name,” she said. “They just call me coach.”

“It’s not special privilege,” he believes. “We need to manage our time well, so we’re in constant communication with our professors, moreso than other students. We build those relationships more.”

It isn’t surprising that student athletes often look toward their coaches and professors for support.

Regular students are not always nearly as supportive and Drackett has seen this discrepancy first hand.

Drackett often notices, “When we do class introductions, and I say I’m on the hockey team, I sometimes get some looks.”

The previously mentioned NCAA study backs this up. It stated that student athletes often see the general student body as less supportive of athletics than school faculty and administrators.

Of course, student athletes are well aware that the student body isn’t actually out to get them. Often, people who aren’t involved in sports help to keep athletes down to earth.

Gillis noted that “a big stress reliever is hanging out with friends who aren’t related to my major or basketball.”

How They Keep Up

ASimple and Common Goal

Third year Business Management student Logan Drackett balances his academic and athletic lives.

ABalancing Act

Most people imagine student athletes splitting their time between two things: academics and sports. Logan Drackett, a third year Business Management major and the men’s hockey starting goaltender, doesn’t believe it’s nearly as simple.

“You gotta make sure you get good meals and sleep in too. There’s a lot of things other than hockey and school,” he said.

Between spending his time in the classroom, in the rink and on the road, Drackett stays very busy. And this isn’t too surprising.

Every four to five years, the National College Athletics Association (NCAA) puts a survey out to their student athletes asking them about everything from academics to finances to mental health and it paints a similar picture of college athletes being spread thin.

The study found that while student athletes spend more time working on academics than athletics on average, it was usually by a narrow amount of one or two hours.

Drackett stresses though that while he loves what he does, it’s not all he’s here for.

24 Wellness

Drackett serves as starting goaltender for RIT’s hockey team.

The Home Advantage

Most people don’t think of RIT as a sports school. Drackett disagrees though.

“Our rink is second to none, and our student section is unbelievable,” he said. “We’re lucky that hockey is super important here. We get really good fans.”

The friendship and camaraderie between Drackett and his teammates is immense. He often answers his questions in terms of the whole team and not just himself.

This reveals another huge aspect to college athletics; it’s very much about teamwork, both on and off the field.

Holland Gillis, a first year Film and Animation major and guard for the women’s basketball team, agrees. She said that “the whole team acts like a family.”

As a coach, Reed has seen how tightly knit RIT’s athletic community is as a whole.

Students often wonder how many, if any, special privileges athletes get. Gillis knows that while sports keep her busy, excuses can only get her so far.

“We’re treated equally as students,” she said.

“Telling a professor I can’t complete an assignment because I had too much basketball that week? I’d get laughed at.”

Drackett doesn’t believe he gets any special privileges. The only academic advantage he sees to being a student athlete has less to do with grades and more to do with circumstances.

Student athletes love what they do. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do it. They put so much time into the activities they love to improve upon their already impressive skills. Hopefully, even a student who has never touched a puck or basketball can understand that underlying commitment.

While the life of a student athlete is complex and interesting, sometimes it really is just about the simple movement of the game.

Drackett put it this best: “As a goalie? I just have to stop the puck really.”

Wellness 25

Mass Media in a Bipartisan Age

by Morgan LaMere | illustration by Michael Smith | design by Sabrina McCune

Opinions expressed are solely of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.

“

The public believing that the bias is there is more problematic than biased media itself.

W

hether we like it or not, Americans live in an age of bipartisanism, where the separation of an aisle is more important than a country, calls of fake news permeate everyday life and trust in public officials has been eroded to nonexistence. The mainstream media, a supposed beacon of free speech and truth amid an ever-shifting political landscape, is frequently called into question by both its viewership and politicians citing claims of bias and twisting the truth to fit a predefined narrative.

Party Lines in News

“Audiences and journalists might define bias differently,” said Andrea Hickerson, the director for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Carolina.

“The general idea is that something isn’t objective … something has a slant, and I think the assumption is it’s on purpose.”

While many popular news sources claim they provide unbiased stories — few actually follow up. Bias is most commonly introduced to a story by the way it’s told in certain phrasing or words that can mislead the audience, but also comes into play when a story is told and then an opinion is given with the intent to sway an audience.

When people think of biased news, it’s most common to point the finger at Fox News and CNN, often viewed as unfiltered mouthpieces for the Republicans and Democrats, respectively.

Similar to politics, followers of each tend to fervently defend their own news station while attacking the other for biased coverage.

“I think that there are biased news sources, I think what may even be a bigger problem is that the public seems to believe there is a lot of bias,” Hickerson said. “The public believing that the bias is there is more problematic than biased media itself.”

The Problem

The media in question is one of the public’s only ways of staying engaged and educated about politics and what’s going on in our country, and the public relies on that media to provide them the unfiltered truth. When that trust begins to erode and individual stations become

26 Views

unreliable to some, a sort of factionalism forms along party lines, only deepening the partisan divide that already existed.

“The big problem is that perceptions of bias erode trust, if you believe the media is biased, you’re less likely to believe what it says,” Hickerson said.

As politicians’ truths veer from one another, the media tends to follow, reporting the beliefs and statements of the few over the story at large. There is no such thing as his truth or her truth: there is only one truth and anything else is subjective opinion.

As perception to news outlets have changed, people shift their attention elsewhere to find their news. This in part has led to the advent of social media as being a legitimate source of news. Social media is comprised of many interpersonal connections, but the ideas and stories shared aren’t just limited to friend groups — they are shared to the world “[Social media] is a huge influence; if we trust someone, we believe them more,” Hickerson said. “It’s not just you sitting with your mom at the dinner table, it’s you telling on Facebook what your mom said to everyone else and saying that must be true.”

This partial replacement of traditional media with social media leads to inaccurate and reactionary news stories that lose important context while spreading like wildfire. In the recent past, inflammatory stories have spread across the internet and are immediately taken as the truth to those that already fit their predefined narrative on both sides, holding to this even when it's proven false.

Traditional media has also shifted to a quick paced environment of reporting, focusing on being the first to an important story instead of being the best. Between a biased media and quick-firing Twitter posts flooding the internet, it’s not hard to see how the average consumer could be swayed, falling unintentionally into the echo chamber of one side or the other.

Can We Fix It?

Unfortunately, many of these issues have stayed prevalent throughout history.

“Press was always very partisan, objectivity didn’t come about till the 1920s,” Hickerson said.

“

There is no such thing as his truth or her truth: there is only one truth and anything else is subjective opinion.

“[When] people talk about the old days of media, We as consumers expect objectivity and facts it’s a nostalgia for something that never existed.” from news outlets, and a lot of that comes from While the television has influenced media, following good practices, interviewing the right there has always been economic and political people and taking the time to do that. According pressure on the media to tell a certain to Hickerson, good media organizations invite narrative. The first mass-produced media was critics and listen to them. Luckily, there are still a commercial enterprise designed to make a many good sources of news, both nationally certain group or thing look more appealing, and regionally, that can be found just under the but in reality, it’s mostly fabricated. Despite surface of the big names. the variety of sources of modern day media, By asking better questions and holding they seem to fall under a few defined ideas. them responsible, the consumer can influence “One paradox is that we have so many the more biased networks into falling in line. different news sources and we think, ‘Oh there “We need the public to be an active member is such a diversity of voices out there,’ and … we need to be better active consumers,” there’s really not. Most people fall around the Hickerson said. “The media, because it’s a mean of ideas,” Hickerson stated. business, will respond to us.”

While holding media to the standards they should already be at is a good step, it’s equally important to be able to share stories and ideas amongst ourselves.

“We need to be able to have conversations with individuals — that can change people's minds much more than reading something online,” Hickerson stated.

While difficult, being open minded and withholding judgement is a core ideal of our political system. Without that joined purpose and good nature, we fall from being the home of freedom and acceptance, to being a den for partisanship and hatred.

Views 27

WOTS What’s the hardest lesson you learned as a child? photography by Diana Spencer illustration by Corey Hemingway design by Rachel Tiano

“Not everybody has the same experiences as me, so what’s best for me isn’t necessarily best for everybody.”

Katherine Varga, captionist since fall 2019.

“Fire burns. I learned that by trying to play with fire.”

Oluwasunkanmi Kyue, fourth year Computer Engineering Technology major.

“The hardest lesson I learned was to not have kids, because as soon as I was old enough, I started babysitting, and my family said it acted as my birth control.”

Kelsey Murphy, fourth year Imaging Science major.

“Discovering the difference between my imagination and reality ... realizing that the imaginary world and the real world were, in fact, not the same thing.”

Laurie O’Brien, associate professor in Visual Media.

“Giving up is easier, but having hope offers more glory.”

Maxwell Harvey-Sampson, 2017 graduate of Fine Art Photography at RIT and fulltime barista at Java Wally’s.

“Have fun in life, but also be responsible.”

Joe Kirklewski, second year Civil Engineering Technology major.

“Not everybody is your friend.”

Angela D’Alessandro, captionist.

Opinions expressed are solely of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER. 28 Views

Views 29

“Make me your chocolate boyfriend and I’ll take you back.”

All calls and texts may be subject to editing and truncation. Statements do not reflect the views of REPORTER.

March 2020

WE

“Why are you so dumb?

I drank too much juice” Saturday, Jan. 18, 12:47 a.m.

“My wife left me for Dril so I'm hoping Rings will take me back”

HAVE

Sunday, Jan. 5, 6:05 p.m.

“Have I told you my plan to start training crows?

They make good disciples.

Loyal.

Trustworthy.

Strong.”

Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, 1:23 a.m.

“Meow” Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, 12:02 a.m.

“Make ME your chocolate boyfriend” Saturday, Feb. 1, 1:19 p.m.

“My retirement plan is to be eaten by bears” Thursday, Jan. 30, 8:00 a.m.

Have a confession? Text or call us at: compiled by Tyler English illustration by Sara Calhoun design by Cristian Maynez 30 Views

(585) 672-4840

ISSUES REPORTER Don’t miss out, pick up your copy today!

REPORTER GENERAL MEETINGS

Meetings are open to the RIT community. We provide free pizza, you provide the story ideas!

WHERE:

CAMPUS CENTER A–730 WHEN:

FRIDAY AT 5 PM

Interpreting services available upon request at myaccess.rit.edu

6 News