ONE COLLEGE CIRCLE
CAMPUS NEWS Spotlight on service
Students are global leaders in fight against cancer. Bridget Beermann ’17 leads campus Relay for Life efforts. This spring, Bridget is t’s 2 A.M. on a cold organizing the 12th campus April night on the Relay for Life. Over 11 years, Geneseo campus. Geneseo students have Yet the cheers, laughraised a total of nearly $1 ter, and early-morning million. Geneseo has dance parties are just earned the rank of the ongoing at the ice rink. number 11 college in the Close to 2,500 stuworld for Relay For Life dents — about half of fundraising, and is number the entire student one per capita among body — are up all colleges in the United night for the annual States. Relay for Life event, “Geneseo is a very spewalking the track to cial community and the raise money for the event is an integral part to American Cancer the college, and it really Society. stands out among other The crowd watched Bridget Beermann ’17 reacts as her head is colleges in the region,” says as event organizer Jordan Cimilluca ’15, a past Bridget Beermann ’17 shaved at the campus Relay for Life in 2016. Geneseo event organizer takes her place next to who is now a Relay for Life staff partner at the her classmates, who are shaving their heads to American Cancer Society. raise money for the cause. For Bridget, cancer is personal. Her mother is When her first locks fell, her fear of the a survivor and her aunt recently died of the unknown was lost to the cheers of support. disease. She hopes Geneseo can become a “Once it was all finished and I touched my global role model to show that small, individual head, I couldn't help but feel overwhelming joy efforts can provide a substantial impact. and excitement,” she says. “It was definitely a — By Kitrick McCoy ’19 whirlwind, but by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”
ecent graduate Dillon Federici ’16 is Geneseo’s new coordinator of LGBTQ Programs and Services. Federici is a liaison to students and the institution, a resource, and an advocate for LGBTQ students, creating an atmosphere in which students feel safe to ask questions, seek support or express FEDERICI concerns. As a student, Federici was a Pathways peer advocate, assistant resident director and student representative on the college’s LGBTQ work group. In his role, he will build on current programs and services such as the Preferred Name policy, which allows students to use names they are comfortable with on records and IDs, and Safe Zones, which help students identify staff and faculty who are an ally of LGBTQ students. Geneseo recently affirmed inclusivity as a core institutional value, says President Denise A. Battles. Federici’s position “facilitates our campus’ efforts to realize this mission and value,” she says. — By Kris Dreessen
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geneseo scene
PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11
I LGBTQ coordinator advances Geneseo inclusivity
Scholarship in memory of Matthew Hutchinson ’16 assists new students his fall, an international student at Geneseo will begin their goal of earning a college degree with a scholarship created in memory of Matthew Hutchinson ’16. The chosen incoming freshman student will exemplify the characteristics of Hutchinson; the scholarship will be renewable for their entire four years at the college. The Matthew G. Hutchinson ’16 Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide HUTCHINSON a scholarship to a student or students from diverse backgrounds, who fully engage in the breadth of opportunities available at Geneseo and who will be committed to community service. Family and friends say Hutchinson was a remarkable person — a quintessential Geneseo student, a standout member of the Ice Knights,
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and a hero and mentor for youth hockey. He was a committed member of the Geneseo Volunteer Fire Department and in summers, he was a firefighter in his native Canada. Everyone who knew him, they say, respected him and considered him a friend. His father, Keith, mother, Susan, and sister Katelynn said: “It’s hard to believe that it has been almost one year since the sudden loss of Matthew. The shock and grief of his passing has pierced the hearts of so many people it has been difficult for us to comprehend. The impact Matthew made in his short life has had ripple effects all across North America. The Matthew G. Hutchinson ’16 Memorial Endowed Scholarship from Geneseo College will honor the dedication, spirit and genuine good heart Matthew possessed.” For more information on the scholarship or to donate, visit go.geneseo.edu/hutchinson. — By Kris Dreessen