Students spill the tea on new campus eats
By Amit Ben-Bassat
The fall 2024 semester at Stony Brook University has officially begun, commencing yet another semester of students juggling their work and social lives. Questions often arise, such as whether a party the night before an early class is a good idea or which classes can you get an easy A in. Perhaps the biggest question of all is “what should I eat?”
This semester, the University added a Popeyes to Roth Cafe, as well as a Carvel and an Iron Waffles at East Side Dining. The Statesman spoke to students about their thoughts on these additions to campus dining.
A survey of less than 20 students at different dining areas showed that only 17% of students knew of Iron Waffles’ existence, with even fewer students knowing where to find it. A likely reason for this is its tuckedaway location in the back corner of East Side Dining. Its small logo on the exterior side of the building does not aid its visibility.
Carvel did much better with 66% of students knowing about it, likely due to its larger sign in East Side Dining, as well as
students’ excitement due to the ice cream chain’s popularity.
The fan-favorite new addition to Stony Brook’s eateries was Popeyes by a landslide. Except for one student, everyone reported knowing about this addition. This most likely happened because of Roth Cafe’s appeal among residential students and the general acclaim for the fast-food franchise.
The student interviews then went into discussing the quality of these new additions. First, when it comes to Popeyes, the consensus of the students is that the on-campus Popeyes has demonstrated no clear drop in quality or taste from its other establishments.
Grievances with this Popeyes are issues that were guaranteed from the start, such as long lines and a pricey menu. These issues were inevitable due to the popularity of the brand itself, as well as the increased price due to the markup on food franchises on college campuses. Long lines were already a problem at Roth Cafe since they installed kiosks; now, more students will be using the limited
amount of devices to order, which will extend wait times.
Something that could be seen as a major loss for this Carvel location is that it only has soft-serve ice cream.
There is no array of scooped ice cream flavors you can browse and pick from that a typical off-campus Carvel would have. Soft-serve ice cream machines are already offered in campus dining halls, making the new establishment seemingly unnecessary.
Regarding Iron Waffles, students liked that the menu is more diverse than one would assume, with “savory options” that include dishes like fried chicken and waffles and mac and cheese waffles.
Overall, students are satisfied with these new food options; however, some students suggested alternative ideas for what could’ve been added instead.
Oscar Ortiz, a junior business management major, said students on campus “would go feral” for a Chick-fil-A or a Taco Bell. Iris He, a freshman majoring in applied mathematics and statistics, said a bakery akin to Peet’s
The pressure’s on: Stony Brook’s job market
By Amaresh Padala
With the fall semester in full swing at Stony Brook University, there is a widespread feeling of tension among students. It is not only the stress of academics that burdens the minds of scholars, but also a highly-competitive job scene on campus. With very few entrylevel positions and a continuously increasing population of students, finding on-campus employment is difficult for many Seawolves. Historically, on-campus jobs at Stony Brook have been opportunities for students to cover the rising costs of tuition and simultaneously gain invaluable work experience. Everything from assistant positions in libraries to working as a laboratory aid has traditionally acted as a lifeline for students trying to balance their academic pursuits with financial needs. However, the current landscape has painted a stark picture: supply and demand are truly at odds.
While the number of students looking for work grows, the amount of positions have not increased. Added to that imbalance are economic pressures that push more students to seek work opportunities, creating a storm of competition. During the 2015-16 academic year, 31% of the United States undergraduate population lived in poverty — up from 21% 20 years prior. To make matters worse, in 2016, the percentage of middle-income students who took out loans to finance college expenses was similar to that of studenwts living in poverty — 39% compared to 38%, respectively. What does that produce? A job market in which any opening is snatched up quicker than free pizza at a campus event.
The reverberations of this tightened job market are just about endless for so many students. Students who relied on on-campus jobs for their livelihood or to supplement
their financial aid packages are finding themselves in precarious situations. Notably, 78% of full-time freshmen receive some form of financial aid. The desperation to find a job is made even more stressful by the challenge of fitting it into already-packed class schedules and other academic commitments, such as assignments, group projects and extracurricular activities like clubs or community service.
Coffee in the Alan S. deVries Center with different options like brownies or muffins would be a good addition. Hadrian Akren, a junior majoring in biology, said he wished for restaurants with more Eurocentric foods, like Polish or French cuisines. Gaby Gentile, a senior majoring in chemistry, said students should take a trip to any nearby grocery store for ingredients since it would be a good idea to try cooking for themselves in dorm kitchens to avoid burger-only diets.
With all of this in mind, students should see what campus food options work best for them. The most common reason given during interviews, when asked why a student typically goes to a specific dining option, was convenience, whether that be its proximity to their classes or dorm. However, it is important to use these earlier weeks in the semester to see what food options and times work with one’s schedule. Certain locations tend to be more populated depending on days and times, so it’s best to see when is the best time to eat where. So, explore what places work, and most importantly, budget wisely.
to develop professional skills, network within the University and gain relevant experience in their chosen field.
But the implications of this job shortage run far beyond immediate questions of specific financial hardships. On-campus jobs have been one of the founding tenets of career development at Stony Brook. Included with these positions are opportunities for students
As these opportunities become scarcer, we risk slowing the professional growth of our student body. Students who cannot find a job on campus may have to pursue an off-campus option, which often leads to a disconnect between students
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Stony Brook University student picking up food at the new Popeyes location in Roth Cafe. The University added new dining locations: a Carvel, Iron Waffles and Popeyes. SAAMIA HASSAN/THE STATESMAN
The exterior of the Career Center located in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. The Career Center’s mission is to guide students through internship and job processes and prepare them for a career after college. ROBIN METZ/THE STATESMAN
Inside Stony Brook: Students reflect on campus social life
By Amen Ruth Galinato
Caffeine-deprived students with a Dunkin’ fix, curious attendees in line for vibrant cultural events and the camaraderie of friends new and old all contribute to the dynamic social atmosphere at the Student Activities Center (SAC), the heartbeat of campus life.
When upbeat music blasts out of speakers and hundreds of social interactions blend into each other, it can be difficult to give a nuanced answer to what social life is like on campus, but that didn’t stop The Statesman from asking anyway. After all, it’s back to school, and what’s school without a social life?
Of the eight students interviewed, the majority reflected positively on the social scene at Stony Brook University; however, they acknowledged that their personality types and engagement in extracurriculars played significant roles in shaping their opinions.
Kumail Syed, a junior majoring in biochemistry, and a commuter student, expressed that although they believe some colleges outperform Stony Brook in this aspect, Stony Brook does fairly well in terms of social life.
“It’s pretty good; it’s not as involved as other universities, but it’s not as secluded as people make it out to be,” they said.
Stony Brook’s reputation as a “secluded” school has been a years-long subject of discourse on Reddit, where many students have expressed discontent with campus life.
Anjali Jadeja, a commuter senior majoring in computer science with a minor in studio art, said student involvement was absolutely crucial.
“It depends on you. If you’re always gonna be sitting in your room, it’s hard to make friends that way,” she said. “Even if you don’t know anyone, just go. If you go alone, you’ll find what you truly like and you’ll make friends also.”
social lives, some said that they didn’t always feel that way.
Saiteja Kalam, a commuter graduate student getting their master’s degree in data science, supported that sentiment but added that people weren’t particularly hard to come by; rather, good friends were.
“It’s not very difficult to find people. [But] it’s difficult to find people of your liking,” he said.
Though most students interviewed expressed contentment with their current
Progga Dutta, a commuter senior majoring in computer science, reflected on her experience as an international transfer student from Bangladesh. She noted that the campus’s lack of resources for transfer students made it tough for her to adjust, and the school’s generalized groupings of international students didn’t help expand her circle of friends.
Stony Brook University launches new AI Innovation Institute
By Michelle Grisales
Stony Brook University has launched its newest project aimed at advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) research on campus: the AI Innovation Institute (AI3).
According to Carl Lejuez, Executive Vice President and Provost of Stony Brook, AI3 is devoted to advancing and studying AI.
“[AI3] will benefit students by involving students in what it means to be in a new world,” Lejuez said.
Lejuez said that AI3 will cover a broad spectrum of AI studies spanning from how computer scientists use it to the application and ethics of AI as analyzed by philosophers.
Last spring, Lejuez led a group of 40 faculty members across multiple academic disciplines, to brainstorm ways to expand and enhance the University’s AI research efforts. This led to the creation of AI3. Lejuez stressed the importance of collaboration between faculty, administration and students to enrich innovation.
Steven Skiena, a distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Computer Science and the director of the Institute for AI-Driven Discovery and Innovation, is the interim director of AI3. Skiena said one of the
main goals of AI3 is to improve “the research and educational use of AI in Stony Brook.”
“There are questions of what [we should] be teaching in a world where these kinds of models are readily available,” he said.
Stony Brook created a search committee for a permanent director. The co-chairs are Skiena and Robert Harrison, a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics and the director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science.
“We want to get a world leader in AI,” Skiena said. “There is a challenge to hire people these days because AI is in [such] demand and every university is trying to grow in this area.”
Lejuez credits former Stony Brook President Maurie McInnis with securing Presidential Innovation and Excellence fund that will be used for AI3. The fund was a $25 million match to the Simons Foundation’s endowment.
“We were able to benefit from the Stony Brook Foundation fundraising a gift that will allow an endowed professorship for this first director,” Lejuez said.
Lejuez explained that funding is an obstacle for AI3’s expansion, saying that the
University currently has $10 million set aside for AI3. According to him, those funds are used to support salary and programming.
He is also transparent in the fact that AI3 is facing limitations that hinder its ability to compete in the rapidly evolving AI field. Specifically, it has insufficient computational power to do advanced AI research.
“When [new students] come over as freshmen, they get a lot of help. [But] transfer students don’t get a lot of help,” she said. “International students are grouped together.”
However, Dutta said she was able to acclimate once classes kicked off and events became more common.
“It took me one year to understand the nature of the school,” she said. “When I first came here, it seemed pretty dead to me. But right now, it’s
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However, he says that the Empire AI initiative could provide a solution. This project was created by Governor Kathy Hochul and aims to establish a network of AI computing centers through collaboration among public and private universities across New York, including institutions like Cornell University, along with support from organizations like the Simons Foundation.
According to Lejuez, accessing the resources from Empire AI could significantly enhance the University’s research capabilities, enabling it to attract top talent and improve its competitiveness in the AI sector. However, even barring hardware and funding limitations,
Lejuez says that AI3 will open a door for students to be involved in innovative research, internships, and paid opportunities.
“If you do have a focus on equity and access, you have to be aware that there are some students who can’t do an unpaid research opportunity because they have to work,” he said.
To Skiena, AI3 represents a way for Stony Brook to capitalize on a growing technology.
“[AI] is a phenomena that is going to shape a lot of the world that you’re going to be living in,” he said.
Students spending time in the Stony Brook Union chatting with friends or doing work. Based on a survey The Statesman released, a common theme through all the responses were calls for greater inclusivity and a less scattered student body among campus life. IRENE YIMMONGKOL/ STATESMAN FILE
Stony Asian Mart reopens as Zheng’s Asian Market under new ownership
By Jenna Zaza
This summer, the old Stony Asian Mart reopened as Zheng’s Asian Market. Frank Zheng and his wife, Jackie Chen, fulfilled their long-awaited dream of opening a familyowned Asian market when they strung the “Grand Opening” banner across their quaint storefront window nearly two months ago.
“We previously owned a Chinese restaurant [called Ching Hoi Kitchen] for 14 years but we got tired of it — too much work,” Zheng said. “We were always thinking of opening a market and then we found this place and it was the perfect chance, so, boom, we got it.”
Located across the street from the Stony Brook Long Island Rail Road station, the market is in an ideal spot for students, faculty and staff. The small but mighty store carries a diverse range of products, from medicine and cosmetics to beverages and frozen foods.
“There is no Asian market that is easy for students. We [have] food that is easy to cook … that you can microwave for 15 minutes. We are serving Stony Brook,” Chen said.
Their goal to service the Stony Brook University population is clear in their pricing. Dry snacks, such as Korean choco pies, Chinese fruit cakes and PopCorners, are typically priced under $10. Frozen buns, shumai and dumplings average $5.75 and a five-pack of instant noodles — a college staple — averages $7. But price is not compromised for quality, Chen assures.
“I order from the number one big [importer of] Asian food; the quality is good and bigger compan[ies] have guaranteed return policies if there are any issues,” Chen said. “It’s good for me and good for my customer[s], I don’t even worry.”
Zheng’s Asian Market currently offers a 10% discount for Stony Brook students and faculty. They also offer a delivery option for orders above $35 within a three-mile radius of the University’s campus with no extra fees.
“There is all the stuff here you would find in Flushing and it’s cheaper,” Sophia Shi, a freshman political science major, said. “It’s also 100 times cleaner than the stores in Flushing. I can see why a lot of people are liking the mart after the new owners.”
After purchasing the building, it took them a week to fully clean and throw out expired food left by the previous owner. Then they fixed up the mini-mart by repainting. However, the rebuilding process didn’t stop there.
“We have to try to rebuild our reputation. It could take months or a whole year,” Zheng said. “This mart had a bad reputation for a while. The old owner didn’t have the time to really care for [the market]. It’s so easy to destroy a business, but it’s difficult to rebuild it.”
Zheng’s Asian Market proves to be a refreshing and much-needed change from the previous mart, according to students.
“The old one was dark, like the lights weren’t on. I thought it was closed at first,” John Choi, a junior majoring in biology, said. “I think [the new owners] made a lot of new improvements. The selection is pretty good, too, and I like the student discount.”
It’s not only the power couple who are behind this business. Their children are also helping to promote the new and improved market by posting on the Stony Brook Reddit and hanging flyers on campus, according to Chen.
“Stony Brook [University] is like a small city because there are a lot of people working there and living there, [so] hopefully more people know about us,” Zheng said. “We will check it out and see how it goes.”
In the winter, they plan to stock frozen meats and fish in the hopes of appealing to hot-pot fanatics, Zheng said. They are also thinking of expanding their figurine and plushie stock for purchase depending on customer interest.
“When I come in here, I feel like I am back in my hometown,” Susan Sun, a freshman psychology major, said. “The staff are so friendly and they should try to do more promotion. As long as people come to see it for the first time, they’ll keep coming back.”
For the new owners, service is one of their most important business pillars aside from price and quality. Zheng’s Asian Market aims to serve Stony Brook residents high-quality food and high-quality service, welcoming them in like family.
“We are not big money seekers, not a million dollar business,” Zheng said. “We just want to pay the [bills] and have fun with the people. We’ll take care of the community.”
Frank Zheng and his wife Jackie Chen pose for a photo outside the market. They said they are aiming to serve the Stony Brook community with its prices and inventory. JENNA ZAZA/ THE STATESMAN
Stony Brook’s 1974 club team that brought back football
By Alex Streinger
Over its 41-year history as a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) member, the Stony Brook football team has gone through its fair share of ups and downs. Most notably, it has appeared in the NCAA Division l Football Championship Subdivision playoffs four times, won five conference championships, cycled through three head coaches and, last season, suffered a winless season. This led to the firing of longtime coach Chuck Priore and the hiring of the second-youngest Division l head coach in the nation, 32-year-old Billy Cosh.
Despite recent struggles — which have seen the Seawolves win just four of their last 21 games over the past three seasons — the football program remains the cornerstone of Stony Brook Athletics. The enduring popularity of the sport nationwide also ensures that it will likely continue to be a central pillar of the University’s sports culture in the near future; one that, despite it currently lacking, still exists.
However, football, and potentially sports as a whole, might not have any significance at Stony Brook without the foundational efforts of its football club team — then known as the Patriots. The memorable team will be honored at halftime of the Oct. 5 game against Villanova for its 50th anniversary.
To illustrate the influence of the 1974 Patriots, consider that Stony Brook football went from being disbanded in 1973 to being named the top club team in the nation by 1975. That year, the team advanced to the national championship game, where it ultimately fell short of victory. Nonetheless, it paved the way for Stony Brook football to transition from a club team to a Division III program just eight years later.
The Patriots were not part of the NCAA system; they did not compete in Division I, II or III. Instead — even though they did not see themselves as one — they were a club team, much like the Stony Brook hockey team today. Without any formal affiliation
“When we were looking to restart the team, we internally had meetings and said, ‘We have to go to Polity, we have to make a coherent pitch to get them to fund us and then we have to show them a business plan as to why it’s a good investment,’” Schoenberg said.
After a successful first year with new coaching and a refreshed mentality — during which the Patriots finished 6-2 with both losses being closely contested — the players’ hard work culminated in a remarkable 1975 season.
“The [19]75 season was a natural progression of, ‘Let’s go, we’re going to win,’” Quinn said. “You get certain games where it’s a real game, it’s like, fourth quarter, they got the ball, they can win the game, we have to stop them. We would win those games. Then, we had these other games where, traditionally, the opponent would be a regular opponent, but they might be having a down year. We obliterated them; we would win 50-0.”
The players from those teams have such compelling stories and distinctive experiences that they could inspire an entire film series. From the Benedict Saloon — a bar established by the players in the stillactive Benedict Hall — to juggling football, academics and security guard shifts, the uniqueness of the program back then is beyond description.
Despite the array of memories, one constant for everyone involved in the football team’s resurgence was their unwavering passion.
“Every guy on that team was probably the star of their high school and was a really good athlete,” Bruce Schoenberg, a starting cornerback on the 1974 and 1975 squads, said. “Just not Division l material. Nobody was recruiting them to go to their college to play football. And yet, we got out of high school, going to college and we still had that competitive urge to play. We loved the sport, we loved the game.”
to a university athletic program, they managed all aspects of their operations independently.
Following a devastating 69-6 loss to Albany in 1973, a defeat marked by numerous player injuries, Stony Brook football was discontinued. The decision was influenced by the program’s high cost relative to the student government’s — then called the Student Polity Association — budget, which was prone to reallocating funds from clubs.
After dominating Stony Brook’s intramural leagues with their superior talent, the Patriots players decided it was time to regroup. Before moving forward, though, they had to launch a campaign to secure the reinstatement of their program.
The players’ first priority was finding a head coach, a task they entrusted to a committee they had formed. Among two final candidates, Fred Kemp — “the right man at the right time,” according to Schoenberg — was chosen.
Through his ownership of a construction company, Kemp obtained bleachers and other essential equipment from the soon-to-be-defunct Seton Hall Preparatory School football program at no cost. Meanwhile, the players worked to create a field. As John Quinn — a star wide receiver on the 1974 and 1975 teams and former sports editor of The Statesman — put it, “It was [Kemp’s] flatbed truck and our manual labor.”
When Stony Brook took down Norwalk during that campaign, it was ranked number one in the country among club teams.
“We had developed a winning culture,” Quinn said. “We had not only turned it around, but we were looking full speed ahead. We had taken it to the moon, which [is] where it had to be. That leap from club to Division lll, that’s a big leap.”
The following week, the Patriots faced a challenging matchup against St. John’s, a team they had lost to the previous year. Unfortunately for them, a repeat transpired in an even uglier fashion. Stony Brook was defeated 17-0 and its national championship aspirations were surely over. Except they were not.
The National Club Sports Association, the governing body for collegiate club athletics, stamped the number two ranking on the Patriots, meaning they would face the number one ranked Westchester Community College in the national championship game.
“We were 8-1 and St. John’s was 7-2, and they picked us for the championship game,” Quinn said while laughing.
However, a fairy-tale ending was not in the cards for the group, as the Patriots fell 28-8 in the national championship game. Despite not securing a title themselves, the players and coaches from Stony Brook’s 1975 football team can take pride in having cracked the window for the program’s aforementioned future successes. Additionally — to encapsulate the impact the team had on its players — Glenn Dubin and the late Kevin Kehoe, two players from those teams, have donated millions to the program.
“When we brought that team back in [19]74, we weren’t sitting around thinking, ‘Someday we’ll be Division lll,’” Quinn said. “We were fighting to keep the game alive.”
Team photo of the 1974 Stony Brook club football team. The Patriots finished that season with a 6-2 record. PHOTO COURTESY OF STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
Story on Stony Brook football’s 14-6 win over Norwalk in 1975, which made it the number one ranked club team in the nation. The piece was featured in the Monday, Nov. 3, 1975 edition of The Statesman.
Should SBU allow hate speech on campus?
By Rafael Auza
This past April, a preacher stepped onto the Stony Brook University campus. Although he wasn’t a student, that was no concern of his; he came here to preach. He stepped into the Student Activity Center (SAC) plaza, a high-traffic area on campus for students. With a GoPro strapped tightly to his torso, a backpack filled with various belongings and a sign ominously reading “WARNING TO ALL,” Daniel Lee, a radical doomsday campus preacher, held up the sign and began to speak.
He made incredibly hateful remarks about various groups and religions such as Judaism, those who are pro-choice and the LGBTQ+ community. All three communities are on campus and contribute much-needed perspectives to the student body. Suffice it to say, a lot of people weren’t happy about Lee’s presence on campus.
The University Police Department (UPD) allowed Lee to continue his controversial speech and kept him safe from students who were understandably outraged by his remarks. The students surrounded him, yelling and waving pride flags and signs in counter-protest. The more fuel this counter-demonstration got, the clearer it became that Lee was not welcome. At 1:15 p.m., after two hours of preaching, a UPD officer spoke to Lee and promptly escorted him off campus. Members of the Brothers and Sisters in Christ, a religious Stony Brook organization, followed closely behind.
This situation raises the question: is Lee’s speech allowed on campus? I was under the impression that hate speech wasn’t allowed on campus, as University policy states, “Harassment in an educational institution aimed at an individual on the basis of a protected characteristic (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.),” isn’t protected speech. I had no idea that if anyone made statements against Muslim or queer communities on campus, they would be allowed to speak until it became a matter of physical safety, illegal activity or harassment. But was that the case when Lee’s hateful remarks were spoken freely on campus?
This ultimately becomes a discussion about free speech. A free speech absolutist would tell you that Lee was completely within his rights to say whatever he wanted in public
and was exercising his First Amendment rights. However, an absolutist in this regard is nothing more than narrow-minded, as the kind of speech Lee uses should be expressed in times and places where it can be talked about in an equitable manner.
When Lee yells at students and disparages religions in front of campus buildings, does he do so to have a balanced and structured conversation with students? It is important to consider this when we’re talking about controversial speech and the safety of our students, especially when the free speech in question is considered hateful by most. The school doesn’t consider how students simply walking by may feel about Lee’s opinions, especially when they have no intention of interacting with him.
Students shouldn’t be subjected to hateful rhetoric on a random afternoon on their way to class; that is not unreasonable to ask for. However, if Stony Brook has decided that Lee’s speech is allowed on campus, why not have a designated place for it? Lee’s speech should not be prioritized over the safety and comfortability of students. Regardless of how appalling students may find them to be, I cannot disagree with the fact that Lee has the right to express his beliefs. But there is a time and place for it.
Our country has historically used “free speech zones,” a cordoned-off area marked with signs that make it clear to all students that any manner of free speech is allowed within its boundaries. If ensuring campus safety is a priority for the administration and UPD, then individuals like Lee — who are not students but wish to express their beliefs — should be directed to areas where they do not disrupt students’ daily activities. If you want to preach whatever rhetoric you believe in on our campus, go ahead — but do it in a designated free speech zone that would be protected by UPD and regulated by the University.
Free speech policies on campus are specifically talked about in the “‘time, place, and manner’” restrictions section of the University’s web page about Freedom of Speech and Expression. Our University can regulate where and when someone speaks in order to preserve the safety of
and the campus community, and raises complications with academic schedules. A study in 2008 found that students who worked off-campus were less engaged and had lower grades than students working on campus. The researchers suggest that off-campus employment limits students’ opportunities to engage in campus activities. This may impede their academic and social integration into college life.
While all students likely find the job market on campus competitive, there are additional complexities for international students. For many, finding an on-campus job is not only needed to assist with financial support, but it is also a major step toward getting a Social Security Number (SSN), which is required for various aspects of life, including opening telephone and utility accounts or obtaining a credit card.
The only problem is that the SSN itself is required for most on-campus positions for payroll purposes, yet students need a job to get an SSN. This circular problem reduces job opportunities for international students, especially in the beginning of their academic and professional journeys.
students on campus. They have done so when students were considered to have acted in a hostile manner toward other students while occupying a public space on campus. This can feel especially infuriating considering that students who protest on campus are treated in a suppressive manner by the UPD. Students protesting on campus face strict rules that limit how they can protest, especially when the protest is deemed “hateful”. Do these same rules apply to Lee?
The institution of free speech zones could be relegated to those who are campus visitors. These places should be easily accessible for students to view if they choose to, but not in the way of those who don’t. Otherwise, why are UPD and Stony Brook allowing people like Lee to spew such hateful sentiments? UPD should help students feel protected by not allowing people on campus who make them feel unsafe and uncomfortable for simply being who they are.
For this baseline idea, I contacted someone who is knowledgeable about censorship within spaces such as social media. They have a YouTube channel called Streeter Sweeper, where they make videos that discuss the topics of school reform and homelessness in the United States. They pointed me toward a book, “The First” by Stanley Fish, and mentioned a particular quote:
“The argument that the more despicable the speech is, the more it merits protection makes sense only if we can be confident that when abhorrent views are given a place in the conversation, they will be exposed for what they are and rejected in favor of better views,” wrote Fish.
Is the place for such conversations in the SAC plaza? I personally don’t think so. Designated areas for people to express their beliefs would be safer for students and anyone else who may want to express their beliefs. Having a place where their views can be refuted and discussed without impeding the everyday lives of students should be a goal of the administration and UPD in order to prevent negative student-visitor interactions. No student should have to avoid a specific area of campus because they don’t want to hear that they are going to Hell for their beliefs.
The overall process of vetting an international student for employment is burdensome. The extra steps taken for compliance and security reasons often put the international applicants at a disadvantage in the fast world of job placement. These barriers delay the start of employment and potentially deter some employers from hiring international students.
While this situation is challenging, it is not impossible. First, the University should increase the number of job opportunities. This can be achieved by developing new positions to address emerging campus needs through partnerships with local businesses. The University could explore student-run initiatives where space could be allotted for students to run their own campus-based businesses or services.
It would also be beneficial if the Career Center organized more focused workshops and resources to train students in networking, relationship-building and referral-based hiring. These skills are in high demand for both on-campus and offcampus jobs. Currently, platforms such as Handshake seem ineffective due to their impersonal, mass-application approach.
The heavy focus on a high volume of job postings can reduce leads
Daniel Lee — a radical doomsday campus preacher — holding a sign at the Student Activity Center on April 16. Lee’s polarizing opinions created a discussion within the campus community about free speech. CHRISTOPHER YANG/THE STATESMAN
Someone who is queer shouldn’t have to see a sign that says “Hell Awaits” them while they are on their way to Dunkin’. University administration should consider how students feel about being judged by someone who is not even affiliated with Stony Brook.
For many, this campus is our home. Students like myself are here more often than we are not. We have incredible facilities such as the UNITI Cultural Center and the LGBTQ* Center on campus. However, safe spaces for our students should not only be relegated to areas within buildings, but extended to the classrooms we learn in and the places we decide to inhabit.
students to think that applying to as many jobs as possible is the key to success instead of practicing more strategic job searches. By enhancing students’ skills through targeted workshops, they can become more competitive candidates, having already honed the necessary skills for their future careers.
The job market on campus is at a very critical juncture here at Stony Brook. As students, we must raise our concerns and be involved with administration to resolve this issue. Working together will allow both the parties to share their concerns and perspectives on the overall situation, leading to more effective solutions. The University needs to realize that the vital aspect to student success lies in on-campus employment and it should take tangible steps to provide more opportunities.
Together, we can turn this challenge into a chance to build our campus community and effectively prepare our students for life well beyond graduation. Let us ensure that every Seawolf — regardless of their background or country of origin — has the opportunity to dive head-first into substantive on-campus work as a valued and integral member of the campus community. Isn’t this what the Stony Brook experience is all about?
The interior of a student’s hotel room inside the Hilton Garden Inn Stony Brook. With the hotel housing both non-students and Stony Brook students, it became hard to discern who was attending the University, creating a lack of community.
RAFAEL AUZA/THE STATESMAN
Sink or swim: Stony Brook’s move-in mishaps
By Sonia Kinyua
Move-in week at Stony Brook University was expected to be a time of excitement and anticipation for both incoming and returning students. However, instead of students being greeted with the buzz of move-in day, muddy waters plagued the campus. With collapsed roads and flooded dorms, Stony Brook was forced to postpone move-in, causing chaos, uncertainty and frustration. What did the flash flood expose about Stony Brook’s ability to handle crises?
The flood cast a frustrating shadow over move-in week, leaving various students with a range of experiences. Many students expressed feelings of disappointment at the efforts made during the flood crisis. Zixi Feng, a freshman majoring in mathematics, is currently residing in the Hilton Garden Inn Stony Brook rather than a dorm room. She was initially told that she would reside in the hotel after being waitlisted for housing. However, further communication regarding certain conditions of her housing were not clarified until after.
“I wasn’t notified I was going to get a roommate [ in the hotel],” Feng said. “I think it was a Wednesday, and I just saw people moving into my room.”
Living in a hotel does have its array of benefits. Two queen-sized beds, continental breakfast, a private bathroom and maintenance once a week. However, Feng expressed that there is a “lack of community” and that “you can’t tell who is a student here and who is not.” This created a social barrier for many students living in the hotel.
Personally, as an out-of-state student, arriving at Stony Brook brought an abundance of problems. My journey to Stony Brook
was detoured as heavy rains postponed and eventually canceled all flights going to any regional airports. I emailed the Area Office for Mendelsohn Community, explained my situation and requested a later move-in time. Shortly after, a mass email was sent from the University, canceling all move-ins on Aug. 19 and Aug 20.
Forced to find a hotel, I arrived on campus to find other students moving in, despite receiving emails stating the opposite. The following morning, I received contradictory emails from Mendelsohn Community’s Area Office and the Emergency Operations Center about my move-in time. My parents and I decided to drive around campus to see if anyone could provide us with guidance. We were shocked to see students with suitcases in hand moving in. On Aug. 20, I decided to pack up all my things in the hopes the school would let me move in. I explained the situation to the resident assistants in the office and I was finally allowed to move in. My roommate moved in the following day. We were also notified that our room had been reclassified as a triple.
Our third roommate was scheduled to arrive on Aug. 22, leaving us one day to rearrange everything in our room to make adequate space for our new roommate. When I asked how long we could expect to be tripled, I was told between 1 month and the rest of the year.
All personal grievances aside, the situations that many students experienced brings into question the strength of the campus’s emergency preparedness and response. While many students had different stories regarding how they eventually moved in, there is a
common theme of inconsistent communication from the University.
Being a school on the east coast calls for a certain level of flood preparedness due to hurricane season occurring simultaneously with the start of school. On Sept. 2, 2021, a similar conflict of flooding occurred with Hurricane Ida, affecting Mendlesohn Community. Students evacuated to East Side Dining between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to avoid the flooding, waiting between two to three days for their temporary residence assignments.
In both crises, the Mendlesohn Community seems to be the most affected by thunderstorms and flooding. Yet, there have been no visible changes to prevent these scenarios from happening again. While I understand that we cannot alter the path mother nature takes, we can be proactive with the way we handle crises and take steps to prevent such extremities in the future. Otherwise, we will face similar conflicts of confusion and frustration.
“When will we move in?” “Why are there still welcome week activities being advertised?” “What happens if I have nowhere to go?” Many questions were left unanswered. All this panic could have been alleviated with one thing: communication.
One mass email or video could have answered the questions students had and lessened the panic. Not much could be done about the flood or the damages already incurred, but the efforts the University decides to take in regards to conversing with students can allow for better preparedness in future chaotic situations like this one.
Joshua Kim, a freshman biology major, is an international student from South Korea. While he was fortunate enough to have a place to stay, he recognized the struggles many other students were experiencing in finding a solution.
“There are no instructions on what to do besides the basic evacuations. We were never told anything,” Kim said. He suggested that Stony Brook should have an immediate response team ready to send out official information for emergency situations.
“The response should be quick so everyone can deal with it quickly,” Kim said. Alongside this, he proposed informational manuals be provided, allowing students to know what to expect in these events.
Ultimately, the flood at Stony Brook exposed a critical flaw in the University’s response system: the school’s communication efforts during the flood were subpar. While the University was able to mitigate the immediate effects of the flood, the question of reliability remains. The approach that the University took in informing students had inconsistencies and left many with unanswered questions. For many students, trust in emergency communication has wavered, constituting doubt in the safety of the students.
The flood at Stony Brook was a wake-up call. The University’s inadequate communication and support services exposed vulnerabilities critical to the safety of students and faculty. Moving forward, Stony Brook must prioritize improving their communication channels and providing greater support services to ensure that students, parents and faculty are not only prepared for future challenges but also feel valued and supported.
Period culture needs to change, period!
By Sarah Chaudhry
Stony Brook University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) runs the Menstrual Hygiene Program (MHP), which was first implemented in 2022. USG President Nistha Boghra stressed the importance of combating toxic period culture and said that the MHP’s premise is to spread awareness and information about menstruation.
According to Boghra, this program is significant because it impacts every student on and off campus, whether they realize it or not.
“The treasurer [three years ago] was passionate about the program — [they] distribut[ed] free pads and tampons for anyone to be able to use in bathrooms,” Boghra said.
She said that USG decided to lead this initiative because the administration funds the program through their organization.
“This allows us to advocate for the program’s growth,” she said.
The program started with two product dispensers in the downstairs bathrooms of the Student Activity Center (SAC). In its second year, the dispensers spread to the library and the women’s and all-gender bathrooms at East Side Dining. In 2023, its third year, dispensers were installed at the Javits Lecture Center and Roth Cafe.
Boghra said this year, USG aims to expand the dispensers to all women’s bathrooms on
Social life:
more vibrant. … When it went into the fall semester, there were more events and I got to know more people.”
Several students agreed that frequent events and Stony Brook’s vast variety of clubs are the strongest aspects of campus life.
Kate Glenn, a junior majoring in environmental studies, said, “There’s a strong club culture. It’s easy for people to find a place for themselves.”
With over 26,000 students and more than 350 clubs and organizations, Stony Brook has no shortage of social opportunities, but what it does lack is personal connection.
All the students interviewed mentioned the noticeable disconnect
campus, especially in residential areas such as the Alan S. deVries Center and Tabler Community. She added that this program is co-aligned with incorporating more allgender bathrooms across campus, improving accessibility for all individuals.
The director of the Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO), Kerri Mahoney, also works with the MHP and shares this sentiment. She believes the stigma surrounding menstrual health significantly inhibits open discussion.
“There is a curtain holding it back from being discussed … this happens because [menstruation] happens in private, so it doesn’t get as much attention,” said Mahoney. She compared the obvious visibility of a skin cut with the often-hidden experience of menstruation.
Periods have long been stigmatized. This has led to menstrual misinformation, preventing people with uteruses from fully accessing, understanding and being in control of their reproductive health.
Even worse, the lack of accurate knowledge about periods, the female reproductive system and female reproductive health extends to doctors and scientists. The drastic contrast between studies on men’s health and women’s health is highly problematic and well-versed in society.
According to The New Yorker, “There are about four hundred studies on menstrual effluent compared with more than fifteen thousand for semen or sperm.”
To add salt to the wound, a CNN article from this year reported that recent studies have revealed the presence of toxic substances like microplastics, arsenic, and lead in women’s sanitary products.
However, the studies were inconclusive about the health effects and are continuing to run tests. Given the lengthy delay in this research, there is no guarantee that women will be able to use this information meaningfully in the near future.
Boghra said that she hadn’t heard about the reports of toxic metals in period products, but she emphasized that this is an example of why MHP is so important for individuals on campus. She said she believes that students, administrators, faculty and staff deserve to be educated and informed about their own bodies.
According to Boghra, all products the MHP supplies come from the company Aunt Flow. She explained that they are made from “100% organic cotton and are 100% [Bisphenol A] and plastic-free. The wrappers are made of tissue paper and the tampons aren’t wrapped in plastic. The pads are wrapped in cardboard. This makes them completely biodegradable and good for the environment.”
She also explained that when the program first started, USG chose Aunt Flow because of the ingredients used.
“We wouldn’t select any products that had any certain lead or metal in it [if we knew,” Boghra said.
Now aware of the toxins in some products, Boghra said she will make sure the MHP doesn’t utilize those products and that students on campus have access to viable, safe options.
This aligns with Mahoney’s reference to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
“You can’t achieve greatness without your basic needs being met. Anyone who gets a period and doesn’t have access to period products isn’t able to meet their basic needs. USG is doing a fantastic job supplying [period products] and making sure students on campus don’t have to worry about leaking or getting surprised with their period during classes or an exam,” said Mahoney.
This support allows students to focus on their education without the added stress of sourcing menstrual products.
To redefine period culture, Boghra also said that “[USG] aim[s] to hold at least one event per semester, fun activities such as movie nights or jewelry-making and squeeze in messages about menstrual health — who it affects, how it affects people, how to help people, what problems people may face and resources for those problems.”
She emphasized that creating a comfortable space for discussing periods is essential to changing perceptions.
“We hold mug paintings, make heat packs, stuffed animals giveaways and host events with speakers to make sure people know about the program and grow it. This also lets people know what people around the world are facing,” Boghra said. “We want people to think about menstruation; when paired with movie nights and arts and crafts, it gets people in the room without feeling uncomfortable.”
Mahoney noted that creating comfort around these topics is a gradual process.
“We’re continuing to do outreach and education in high traffic areas on campus to let people know about menstrual health, safer sex and emergency contraception. Having them free of charge is super important — we want them to stay free. We’re working with student leaders to hold programs and post bulletin boards with information,” said Mahoney.
She believes that these efforts will help students overcome the stigma surrounding menstrual health. She also added that the CPO aims to inform students about available resources and products. She noted that free product bins are consistently restocked in the LGBTQ* Center, the Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation & Wellness Center,and the Stony Brook Union. Students can even request products to be discreetly wrapped in a brown paper bag via a Google Form and pick them up at the Union.
“We hope students know it’s totally okay to reach out for any help when they need it. We’re so ready and eager to help them,” said Mahoney.
between different groups on campus. Specifically, commuters said inconvenientlytimed events were some of Stony Brook’s weakest aspects.
“Based on the amount of money they take from us for transportation and [the] student activities fee, [events] should be more inclusive and give interest to a lot of people,” Jadeja said.
Kalam said he’d propose “increas[ing] the collaboration between undergrad and grad students.” He suggested that the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Organization could collaborate.
Kaustubh Funde, a graduate student majoring in computer science, also commented
on the lack of contact between undergraduate and graduate students.
“It’s tough for undergrad students and grad students,” he said. “The events are quite separate for both.”
Calls for greater inclusivity and a more cohesive student body resonated throughout all of the interviews, highlighting a desire for a more interconnected campus experience.
Students expressed a desire for events and initiatives that bridge the gap between various groups, fostering relationships that
extend beyond the classroom. As the semester unfolds, it’s clear that while Stony Brook offers many opportunities, fostering deeper connections remains an essential goal to further bolster its vibrant community.
The Aunt Flow dispenser located on the first floor bathroom of the Student Activities Center (SAC). The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) aims to expand the dispensers to all women’s bathrooms on campus, especially in residential areas this year. BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN
Students walking outside East Side Dining (ESD). Based on a survey The Statesman released, a common theme through all the responses were calls for greater inclusivity and a less scattered student body among campus life.
A declining budget and dwindling membership: an inside look at SBVAC’s operations and ‘frat-like’ recruitment process
By Mariam Guirgis
Concerns about the recruitment practices and culture of the Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SBVAC) have come to light following an op-ed published by Katherine Martin, a writer under a pseudonym for their legal name, in The Statesman on April 21. Over the past year, The Statesman has investigated claims of exclusivity and unfair treatment of applicants and members in SBVAC.
According to their website, SBVAC is a New York State certified emergency ambulance agency primarily serving Stony Brook University and its surrounding areas at no cost to patients.
Jayden Reilly, the former president of SBVAC and an alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in biology and applied mathematics and statistics, offered insight last October into how the organization operates.
“We currently have three ambulances and a responder car functional up to the [advanced life support] level,” Reilly said. He noted that SBVAC is credentialed by New York State, allowing them to operate off campus and assist local fire departments like Setauket and Stony Brook Fire when needed.
In addition to providing free Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Reilly also emphasized the corps’ commitment to community engagement. “One of our other priorities is campus outreach, so we’re committed to teaching the campus [community] hands-on CPR and stop the bleed techniques,” he said.
Ray Smith, a former member of SBVAC who joined in 2014 and graduated from Stony Brook in 2021, echoed this sentiment.
“We had this camaraderie and this bond, but it always came down to we need to do what’s right for the community and we need to make sure there are people around at all times,” Smith said.
Reilly also noted the diversity of SBVAC’s membership.
“Every one of SBVAC’s members really comes from a different background. We have a great diversity in our membership and where they come from,” Reilly said.
Despite this, and despite providing EMS services free of charge, SBVAC’s budget, provided by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), has been on the decline. Previous SBVAC funds have totaled $165,000 in 2011, $140,000 in 2012 and $62,000 during the 2022-2023 school year. For this upcoming year, the organization is currently receiving $52,000 with the same operational costs as previous years. SBVAC also receives money from the Stony Brook Athletics Department when their services are required at games.
“Athletics pay SBVAC on a game-bygame basis. We spent more during the 2023-[20]24 season on their services than we ever have in the past,” Jack Clark, assistant director of Athletic Communications, wrote in an email to The Statesman
In addition to financial pressure, maintaining a robust membership base has also proven difficult. SBVAC specifically faced challenges in sustaining membership numbers due to the impacts of COVID-19.
“For a lot of those COVID semesters we took in a lot fewer new members than we usually would have, so that led to us having [much] smaller membership than we usually would,” Reilly said. He is optimistic that as the pandemic years are dying down, membership numbers will grow.
The application process for prospective members of SBVAC involves attending open houses and undergoing an interview process, with about 10 to 15 new members accepted each semester from a pool of around 100 applicants.
Reilly said that every applicant is evaluated fairly and equally. However, this process has been criticized by some former applicants, who claim that personal connections and bias play significant roles in the admission procedure.
One applicant who requested anonymity due to being a medical school applicant reflected on her frustrating experiences when applying to SBVAC in 2018 and 2019.
“At the time, I remember it feeling very discouraging, especially with [Stony Brook] being a big commuter school. It was one of the few things I was really looking forward to getting involved in on campus,” she wrote in an email to The Statesman
She expressed concerns about SBVAC’s reputation for exclusivity and what she felt was an unfair application process.
“It’s like a clique a little bit. If your friends are in it you’re guaranteed in and if they’re not [then] not really and they all sort of think of themselves … really highly when they don’t really do anything,” she said. “They [also] used to take your picture when you applied … and the guys would just then hire the girls they thought were cute. Those were things I heard in my freshman [and] sophomore year[s].”
When she applied during her freshman year, her application was denied because she did not attend one of their open houses, which she said was never stated as a requirement.
“[The president at the time] said that if I had communicated earlier … we could’ve worked something out and I was like well I’m communicating now is there any way to make an exception … so that you guys can consider my application because it never said anywhere that it was mandatory,” she said.
However, her application was denied, and she went on to work for Port Jefferson Emergency Medical Services (PJEMS).
“Ultimately I’m glad that it didn’t work out [because] of what a positive experience I had working at PJEMS,” she said. “[SBVAC] was just sort of negative and toxic to a lot of people.”
SBVAC did not respond to requests for comment about these incidents.
Those who gain entry into SBVAC start the probationary class and must complete a series of requirements, including skill tests, written exams, a mid-semester practical, supervised practice driving an ambulance and a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification class.
While some members of SBVAC come in already certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), the organization does not offer the certification training course for new members. Instead, all new members — regardless of their licensing status — must participate in SBVAC’s own training program. New members who are not licensed can obtain certification through external programs, and SBVAC will reimburse them for the costs once they achieve certification. However, this is not required.
Concerns regarding the culture within SBVAC, particularly for probationary members, have also been raised. Echoing sentiments expressed in Katherine Martin’s op-ed, a former member who requested anonymity due to being a medical school applicant described SBVAC as having a “frat-like” atmosphere, where recruits, or “probies,” face pressure and isolation if they struggle to meet expectations.
“The culture within the department for new members is particularly toxic when I was there and completely unlike anything I ever experienced elsewhere. I can only call it what it is, a fraternity that does EMS on the side,” he wrote to The Statesman
Smith argues that SBVAC should not be compared to a frat.
“I think that the comparison to a frat is kind of silly because just like when you have any group of 18 to 22-year-olds they’re gonna have fun … but that wasn’t a priority, doing what we had to do came first above everything else,” Smith said.
The former member elaborated on the inequality between probies and senior members.
“Probies weren’t allowed to sit on the couches, [and senior members] were obsessed with [probies] having [their] binder on [them] at all times. Like if you stepped away to go to the bathroom they would take your binder, hide it or threaten to start ripping out all the sign offs you worked desperately for,” he wrote to The Statesman
According to him, “sign offs” were a way of keeping track of completing EMT skills and practice sessions.
“Probies would have to stay at base and practice skills[;] we’d show an instructor a skill and if it was not done to complete perfection (variable what perfection was), we had to redo the skill. So, getting these skill sign offs became an enormous effort that took away from our studies,” he wrote to The Statesman
When the former member started noticing his grade point average (GPA) slipping, he tried explaining to the instructors that he was on a partial scholarship that had a specific GPA requirement. He recalled, “there was no support from the instructors.”
Ultimately, he was kicked out of the organization after prioritizing his academics.
The Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SBVAC) vehicles parked outside their emergency relief hub. Concerns have risen over the past year following an op-ed The Statesman released about the practices and culture of SBVAC. BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN
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Exploring the lastest trends in films and franchises
By Sarah Chaudhry
Film is one of American culture’s most iconic mediums of artistic expression. Hollywood has been the world’s film capital since the 1920s, playing a crucial role in shaping American culture. Beloved book series such as “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” have led to some of the most enduring film franchises that continue to be celebrated and discussed today.
Franchises have become a Hollywood staple due to their overwhelming box office successes and die-hard fan bases. This has resulted in a new trend in the movie industry: the creation of sequels, live-action remakes/reboots and spin-offs.
But the perseverance of franchises begs the question: do they breathe new life into the industry, enriching original fans’ love and enticing those unfamiliar to join in on the shared excitement? Or, do reboots, sequels and live actions tarnish the once-beloved franchises’ legacies, disappointing its devotees and deterring new viewers.
Because of how integral cinema is in today’s culture and the fact that art is constantly changing, for better or for worse, The Statesman was curious about what Stony Brook University students thought about the topic.
We had five Stony Brook students participate in a Google Form survey.
Students believe that certain franchises pull off sequels and spinoffs when they have a plotline that is sensible or is in line with previous installments. However, they agreed that several franchises today do a poor job of continuing their storylines, and they wish to see more fresh and inventive movies produced instead.
“All these remakes and sequels are a blatant cash grab,” commented one participant. “The relationship is no longer [between] the artist and the viewer. It’s now the company and the buyer.” She also said that the constant creation and releases of franchises take away the substance of original ideas.
“I definitely have noticed that [the latest releases] tend to be a lot
of sequels and remakes. The movies I grew up watching weren’t sequels, remakes or adaptations,” another participant said. “I feel like you don’t see new movies like that as much anymore. I can’t remember a single sequel that I watched as a kid, yet kids nowadays are watching ‘Cars 3,’ ‘Despicable Me 4’ and ‘Toy Story 4.’ I don’t know if those moves are all necessarily bad, but I [also] don’t know if they’re relevant or necessary.”
This wasn’t the only complaint; students believe that most film productions, whether they are sequels or not, warrant similar criticism.
“They try too hard to either be groundbreaking or appealing for a very specific audience,” another participant said. “They all want to be the next big thing, it’s just not working.” When asked about what franchise films they enjoyed in the last five years, one responder reported only liking “Dune” and the “Spider-Verse” saga.
“I really enjoyed ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ [2022]. It’s a sequel, but the story is original and the art style is unique,” said one of the participants.
For some, this has made avid film watchers feel that film is losing its original spark.
“In a word, [films are now] boring. Not everyone has to be so candid all the time. It’s been done over and over, and now we’re sick of it. Films need new directors, producers and ideas. It’s tiring seeing the same faces and storytelling narratives,” said one of the respondents.
One participant said that in Disney and Pixar movies, “you can easily tell the same person writes it … All the movies have the same plot. They are catering to the younger generations. Before, most movies were for all ages, but now they often only appeal to children ten and under. [It feels like] they’ve stopped caring.”
Students also acknowledged the decrease in 2D animation in the industry within the past five years.
“They’ve completely gotten rid of 2D animation. It’s just sad that [movie companies] don’t want to pay talented artists to create masterpieces [like they did before]. I loved the early Disney and Pixar movies,” said one participant.
Other students who completed the survey expressed how repetitive recent film premises have been and how much of a turn-off they are for viewers. Another critique about current film trends is that the live-action versions aren’t often succewssful or enjoyable.
“I watched the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ [2023] movie as a joke. As an old fan of the games it was adapted from, I wasn’t the biggest fan because it made up its own story,” a participant said. They also said how the movie strayed away from the source material and, despite this, is slated for a sequel.
However, the biggest secondary complaint regarding current film culture is that most movies fail to create complex female characters. Either they’re quirky man-haters who contribute little to the storyline, or they’re used to uplift male characters meaninglessly.
“They saw that movies like ‘Tangled’ [2010] worked and now they have taken it to a whole new level of cringe,” one responder said. “It’s been done over and over and now we’re sick of it. It’s the same girl with a different face every time. I want diversity not only on the outside, but also on the inside — all the personalities of recent female protagonists are the same.”
One of the responses also mentioned changes in Chani’s character arc in “Dune,” who is played by Zendaya.
“It seems that a strong female character either sacrifices everything for the male lead or completely separates herself from everyone else. There’s no middle ground.”
These Stony Brook students shared a general appreciation for the arts and the fact that trends come and go, but in a world with so much creative potential they said that they can’t help but wonder why they keep seeing the same concepts over and over.
A graphic illustrating the Disney franchise’s live-action remakes of their classic films. Many students agreed that live-action counterparts of popular animated movies often aren’t enjoyable. ILLUSTRATED BY TEAGAN O’CONNELL AND BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN
“There was always this warning that once you were dropped from the program as a probie, that was it, [and senior members] were not supposed to associate with that person ever again,” he wrote. “The second I was not part of SBVAC, I was avoided on campus by all of them.”
When asked about these claims, Reilly emphasized the organization’s commitment to being a welcoming community.
In September 2023, SBVAC had about 60 active members and several adjunct members (alumni and staff members who are not active every week but can staff alarms if they choose to). They also have three active Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedics.
In addition to these concerns over SBVAC’s culture and recruitment practices, the organization experienced a significant operational setback in the summer of 2023 when they temporarily lost their ALS certification.
“There was an unannounced, routine inspection from the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services … and, as a result, a handful of administrative deficiencies were identified. As such, an immediate corrective action plan was put into effect and corrected the concerns promptly,” Lawrence Zacarese, the vice president for Enterprise Risk Management and chief security officer at Stony Brook, said in a statement to The Statesman.
According to Ahmed Belazi, SBVAC’s advisor and Executive Director of Strategic Analytics and Technologies at Stony Brook, this did not impact SBVAC’s service to the campus community.
“A handful of administrative deficiencies were identified. As such, an immediate corrective action plan was put into effect and corrected the concerns promptly. There was no impact to campus and EMS service,” Belazi said.
At the time, there was no communication with the campus community about the loss of ALS certification. When an ambulance service loses its ALS certification, they have to return their narcotics to the Department of Health (DOH) and remove ALS equipment from their ambulances. They are not authorized to administer certain medications and are limited to providing BLS services like CPR and transporting patients.
According to Reilly, Stony Brook University Hospital formed a mutual aid agreement last year with SBVAC in order to help dispatch an ALS ambulance to all higher-priority calls they receive.
When The Statesman asked if SBVAC was still under any ongoing investigations during the September 2023 interview, Reilly said that there were no ongoing investigations into the organization.
However, the DOH told The Statesman that SBVAC is under an ongoing investigation in September 2023. Reilly said, “There may be investigations regarding
particular providers but I couldn’t comment on that.”
SBVAC was also under a Title IX investigation on Feb. 2, 2023 after Martin filed a complaint. The claim alleged discriminatory conduct against her by SBVAC, Ishika Patel and Captain Joseph Cline. The allegations were found to be unsubstantiated.
Reilly refused to comment on the investigation.
Martin, who has consistently applied to SBVAC for multiple semesters, explained that her ongoing applications stem from her love for the University. However, she has also had personal experiences that have made her discontent with the organization’s practices.
In particular, she recalls feeling “disgust” at what she perceived as negligence on SBVAC’s behalf when she had to perform CPR on her own family member who experienced cardiac arrest on campus.
“One of my family members went into cardiac arrest on campus. I started CPR immediately. The cops showed up, SBVAC showed up with a male EMT, a female driver and fire marshal Tyler Danowski and I was doing CPR in the back [of the ambulance],” she said. “The male … was [using a bag valve mask to manually ventilate] my family member and I had to tell him at one point, ‘call the hospital, call Stony Brook,’ and so I took over and he called Stony Brook.”
Following the incident, Martin claims that she has faced slander from SBVAC members after they discovered her identity as the author
of the op-ed. She alleges that one member spread false rumors about her, damaging her reputation within the organization.
Despite such allegations, Brian Anderson, a paramedic for Suffolk County who worked with Martin, defended her qualifications.
“I had a very complicated job with her a couple years ago where it was a life or death situation with a young female child and she came on, and she came on kind of like a second set of hands for me to help me out and we had a very positive result where the child survived this nearly catastrophic brain traumatic injury,” he said. “She’s a very good medic.”
Earlier this fall semester, Martin applied to rejoin SBVAC.
“During the interview, the other emergency management person asked me if I … waved or said ‘hi’ to an SBVAC member on campus,” she wrote in an email to The Statesman. “I was asked questions that others were definitely not asked.”
Martin also expressed how unsafe she feels on campus because of SBVAC’s treatment of her.
“I feel very unsafe on campus and try to avoid it at all costs,” she wrote to The Statesman “I don’t know what makes them think that healthcare professionals should be this aggressive.”
The Statesman reached out to Teresa Melfi, the current president of SBVAC for the 2024-25 academic year, but she refused to comment.
