Friday, March 5, 2021 eNewspaper

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TANGERINE

FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

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UC community reacts to recent COVID-19 measures

As Long As We Both Shall Live in Utica

Former UC Women’s Basketball star hopes to spark a change with petition

NEWS | PG. 5

FEATURES | PG. 12

SPORTS | PG. 16

Update: UC sends 18 student-athletes home due to COVID-19 violations

Photo: Utica College Athletics NICK MCADAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF A total of 18 students have been transitioned to remote learning for COVID-19 violating safety protocols, Utica College President Laura Casamento announced in a memo on Feb. 26. All other sports, pending no positive cases or athletes in quarantine, will be permitted to resume all practice and play.

A majority of the studentathletes sent to remote instruction are reported to have come from the women’s basketball team. Two anonymous members of the team confirmed that the season

has been canceled.

“Unfortunately, the women’s team will not be playing this season,” the source said in an email sent to The Tangerine.

A video circulated on the popular social media platform Tik Tok, with one of the players from the team reported having explained the situation, while also confirming that the team had been sent home. However, the video has since been deleted.

The team’s schedule on the Utica College Athletics website has also been removed, now showing the team’s games and results from last season.

The investigation, according to the memo sent from Casamento, is still ongoing with other teams suspected to be involved in an off-campus gathering around or on the day of the Super Bowl.

Athletic Director David Fontaine, the President’s Office and several members of the women’s basketball team declined to comment on the matter at this time.

“I am very confident that the procedures we have followed in response to these incidents enabled us to avert a much larger outbreak that might have threatened the continuance of on-

campus instruction for all or a portion of the Spring semester,” Casamento said. “As it is, the irresponsible actions of a few individuals resulted in more than 20 positive cases and nearly 100 students being placed in quarantine. This is unacceptable.”

interactions. The Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management then launched an investigation into the matter, noting that students found in violation of COVID-19 protocol would be sent to remote learning and could face further sanctions.

On Feb. 24, Casamento announced that all athletic activity had been paused due to a sharp rise in positive COVID-19 cases among the studentathlete population.

Currently, both men’s and women’s ice hockey teams have resumed conference play along with track and field. Men’s basketball started its season against Elmira College on March 1, with spring football and multiple sports to follow shortly after.

The memo indicated that the positive cases did not result from practices or games, but rather from off-campus social

STAFF PAGE 2

FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

SPRING 2021 STAFF

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Editor-In-Chief - Nick McAdam Layout Editor - Stephen Clark Managing Editor - Bailey Hryb Assistant News Editor - Hannah Steyn Features Editor - Rebekah Hedeen Assistant Features Editor - Hope Russo Sports Editor - Abin Boris Assistant Sports Editor - Matt Breault Special Assignments Reporter - Isabella Hudziak General Assignments Reporter - Robert Stevens Photographer - Alexandria Leland Social Media Manager - Alyssa McKenna Cartoonist - Alyssa McKenna YouTube - Brooke Riscica Copy Editor - Gianna Cognetti Tangerine Clerk - Jama Joseph Advisor - Mary Christopher

About The Tangerine is published weekly during the academic year by and for Utica College students. To reach a member of the staff, email tangerine@utica.edu or call 315-792-3065. All material printed in The Tangerine is copyrighted. The Tangerine was first published as the Utica College News on Nov. 6, 1946.

Submission Policy Letters to the editor are welcomed from all members of the Utica College community. Letters must meet fair and accurate publishing standards and contain no libelous material. Anonymous letters to the editor will not be printed. All letters and editorials must meet the print deadline of 5 p.m. on Mondays. Please send all submissions to tangerine@utica.edu. Takeback requests are a form of censorship and therefore not accepted.

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Staff photographer, Alexandria Leland, captured this winter scene showcasing one of the many scultptures that dot the Utica College campus.

CAMPUS SAFETY BLOTTER Date of Incident

Time of Incident

Incident Description

Incident Location

2/24/2021

7:30 AM

Accident Report

No Location

2/26/2021

11:11 PM

Intoxicated Person (nonstudent)

Parking Lot

2/27/2021

3:20 PM

Concerned Parent

Burrstone House

3/1/2021

8:18 PM

Odor of Marijuana

Alumni Hall B

NEWS PAGE 4

FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

UCTANGERINE.COM

Faculty at UC working to understand impacts of COVID-19 through ICIC NICK MCADAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In a project attempting to understand the impacts of COVID-19 in the region, the Intermountain COVID-19 Impact Consortium was formed, consisting of faculty members involved with research organizations such as the Bassett Research Institute, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Oneonta, Zogby Strategics and Utica College.

Methods such as secondary research and surveys are being used to help identify the impacts of the pandemic in a variety of sectors including government entities, the general public, child care, public education, behavioral and sociological impacts, along with measuring and understanding the pathways the epidemic could travel throughout the nine-county region in and around the Mohawk Valley.

Faculty at Utica College working in the consortium include Professor of Education Patrice Hallock, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Laurah Klepinger, Assistant Professor of Data Science Michael McCarthy, Assistant Professor of Wellness and Adventure Education Margaret Hemstrought and Psychology-Child-Life Professor Nicole Scienza.

“Each member of the team brings something different to the table,” Hallock said. “In terms of the consortium, I’d say this collaboration is one of the primary motivations for the team as we try to capture the wider picture.”

The project is split into four interconnected teams such as municipal government impacts, general public experiences, epidemic behavior surveys and regional modeling. Utica College, according to the consortium website provided by SUNY Oneonta, will be directly involved with three of these teams.

Professor of Sociology at SUNY Oneonta, Alexander Thomas, masterminded the idea of the consortium in an attempt to try and measure a major world event that hasn’t been done previously.

“At the start, we reached out to [Michael] McCarthy at Utica College because we had that connection in past research,” Thomas said. “We teamed up with several faculty and research institutes to devise an initial survey measuring the impacts throughout the nine counties, but that wasn’t going anywhere because that’s already been done. We then spent the summer developing a survey called the KABB, or the Knowledge Attitudes Beliefs and Behaviors.”

The idea was to extend the reach of the survey to as much of the area as possible. Through the collaboration between Utica College and SUNY Oneonta, the survey was decided to be sent out 3 times per semester to every student at both schools.

Thomas stressed the importance of completing this survey not only as a primary form of data collection, but to help fulfill the original purpose of the project as a whole.

NEWS

PAGE 5 FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

UCTANGERINE.COM

UC community reacts to recent COVID-19 measures BAILEY HRYB MANAGING EDITOR

there is the risk of distraction, losing track of deadlines and the inability to connect with fellow peers and professors that can hinder their ability to learn virtually.

For educators, there is the difficulty of modifying assignments to work in an online platform, learning how to navigate various online platforms, such as Zoom and Google Hangouts and the risk of students not showing up to class and/or not fully grasping the lessons.

Last week Utica College President Laura Casamento announced her decision to pause all athletic activity for the remainder of the semester due to an increase in COVID-19 cases present on campus. Two days later, she recanted her decision and changed it so that teams/individuals without any positive cases can continue practicing and taking part in games.

Photo: Syracuse.com

“Through sending out the survey this way, two very interesting things happened,” Thomas said.

“There was one of the biggest outbreaks in New York State last semester at SUNY Oneonta while Utica College kept numbers stable. We’re able to measure then, through these surveys, how distressed students were at both campuses and what the overall impacts of the spread were.”

case total went down. So we’re using these surveys in our Meso-level analysis to measure how our region has experienced this because it could be different not too far from where we are.”

Both Thomas and McCarthy believe that this project can extend well into the near future, as the impacts of COVID-19 continue to sting across the country and at Utica College.

The team is also compelled with measuring and capturing results from municipalities, especially since the region is in proximity to New York City; one of the major hotspots in the country near the opening months of the pandemic.

“We were talking about this idea recently of surveying first-year students in their first semester,” McCarthy said.

“We could measure the impacts of the pandemic as time moves on for them, transitioning into different class years at their respective campuses.”

“Here we are, depending on traffic, anywhere from three to 17 hours from the George Washington Bridge,” Thomas said.

“And we comparatively had a very light case total.

Down South in areas such as Delaware County, the positive cases spiked for a bit and then up North, the

For now, the methods and goals of the project are to primarily focus on the impacts at the college and municipality level.

According to McCarthy, surveys were also sent out to businesses at first, but very few responses were received. However, this may be an idea that the

team will experiment with again moving forward, along with the expansion into different sectors such as child care.

At the moment, the data the team is collecting is being shared with the colleges, school districts and municipalities they are studying. According to Hallock, the team will eventually move into sharing its findings through publication.

“It’s one of the many things we’re discussing right now,” she said. “I can only speak to the public education side of things, but we’ve discussed the different ways we can publish our results and who our audience would be.”

The next set of surveys will be sent to all Utica College students around mid-March through the college’s global email.

At the maximum, the survey could take around 15 minutes to complete, depending on the depth and variation of the answers being submitted.

Those who have positive cases within their sports team need to quarantine for a 10-day period before returning to normal activity. While these measures were enacted to protect the UC community from further spreading the virus, this announcement was also, arguably, a punishment for student-athletes, who have been accused of partying off-campus and/or hosting large gatherings.

“As I shared previously, extensive contact tracing indicates that this uptick in positive cases is the result of social interactions away from training, practice and competition,” Casamento said in a statement.

“There continues to be no evidence of transmission occurring as a result of athletic activity. Instead, we have reason to suspect that members of a small number of our teams have hosted or attended off-campus parties in violation of College health and safety protocols as well as local health orders.”

The college’s decision to enact strict guidelines and rules against student-

Photo: Tatyana Nekrasova on Canva athletes has been met with both praise and criticism.

“I think [Casamento] made the right choice with the safety and wellbeing of the college community in mind,” said Rosemary Bonacci, adjunct professor of public relations. “It simply is the best way to stop the spread of the virus on campus. If people are smart with their actions and follow the guidelines that have already been in place since the beginning, they can prevent/slow the spread.”

Bonacci, who also works at the Sitrin Health Care Center, is acutely aware of how fast the virus can spread and follows all CDC guidelines to the best of her ability to ensure that she and those around her remain safe.

“When I first heard about the announcement regarding UC athletics, I immediately thought that [Casamento] did such a great job handling the situation and made the right decision,” Bonacci

said. “I always feel safe on campus and that feeling of safety hasn’t waned at all since the fall semester.

I think she knows what she’s doing and has the community’s wellbeing in mind when making these decisions.”

According to a statement released on Feb. 26, 18 students have been moved to remote learning for violating health and safety protocols set in place by the college. This statement also detailed that 20 students had tested positive and 100 additional students had been placed in a 10-day quarantine due to possible exposure to those who had tested positive.

The Utica College COVID-19 Dashboard indicates that 32 students have tested positive since Jan. 1. While the overall number is low, the College is more strict on placing students into quarantine for possible exposure to those who were sick.

Morgan Kocher, a senior studying business management, was placed

in a 10-day quarantine after her boyfriend’s roommate, whom she had never had contact with, tested positive for the virus.

“I personally think that getting placed in quarantine was kind of excessive just because I hadn’t been in contact with the person who tested positive and the last time I had been in contact with my boyfriend, he had tested negative from the pooled testing,” she said.

“Myself and everyone else I’m quarantining with tested negative as well.

However, we were still placed in quarantine.”

Those who are placed in quarantine must continue their education online, which can pose some difficulties for some students. According to NPR, roughly 460,000 fewer students enrolled in college last fall compared to the fall of 2019, and the pandemic and online learning are largely to blame.

When it comes to online learning, for students

“Being in quarantine has definitely hindered my ability to learn and pay attention in class,” Kocher said. “I learn better in the classroom so when I’m on Zoom, I find myself getting distracted way easier or not even paying attention at all. I have also been more tired every day just because of the fact that I am staying in one room pretty much and not getting much social interaction.”

While the number of new daily infections in Oneida County seems to be decreasing, it is unlikely that UC will return to normalcy anytime soon. UC has asked its community members to keep the safety of others in mind when faced with the opportunity to partake in events that go against campus regulations.

“If nothing else, this incident clearly demonstrates the degree to which each of us is responsible for the health and safety of everyone at UC,” Casamento said in a statement. “Please bear this in mind with every decision you make as a member of this community.”

NEWS PAGE 6

FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

UCTANGERINE.COM

FEATURES

PAGE 7 FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

Dr. Clemmie Harris hosts Zoom talk on History of Race and Racism within American public health and medicine

UCTANGERINE.COM

Op-Ed: The sustainable side of thrifting

Photo: Charles Buckley Photo: Thrifty Shopper

CHARLES BUCKLEY STAFF WRITER On Feb. 23, Dr. Clemmie Harris presented a Zoom talk on the history of race and racism within American public health and medicine. He used examples from both the past and present and to properly help us understand how roles such as class, race and gender help shape the structure of racism in the American public health system, medical science and its practice.

“These Systems have roots that stretch all the way back to the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave system,” Harris said.

Harris began his talk going into the past and talking about Dr. J. Marion Sims and how he

used enslaved women to develop a cure for a defect. Eventually, people began to stop funding his experiments and research so he ended up teaching enslaved people to help him with the operations he was doing to cure the defect.

Harris also spoke about the history of John Brown, a slave who escaped from Georgia and wrote an autobiography in England about his experiences there. Most of his experiences involved being worked on by a physician named Thomas Hamilton who was using Brown to prove there were physiological differences between blacks and whites. However, he also went into detail on how this was justified.

“The

story

of

Ham,

which is from the book of genesis, was racialized during the middle ages which was used to justify why it was ok,” Harris said.

Moving close to the present day, Dr. Harris explains how race and racism are still shown in the American public health system.

One example that he brings to light is the death of Bronx native Amber Issac, who died during an emergency C-section where she gave birth to her son but passed shortly after.

“This specific event began a discussion where people questioned the inequities of the healthcare system for people, specifically for women of color,” said Harris.

Harris

continued

to

explain the event by stating how she had tweeted about issues with doctors just days before her death and emergency C-section. Upon her death, her partner Bruce Macantire talked to the local news station about Issac’s death, which he states was a situation that “could have been prevented” if she had been given more priority at the hospital.

Mancantire went on to say this kind of neglect had been going on since the end of January of 2020 and continued until April when she had her C-section.

After the event, Harris focused on the future, answering the honest question: “Where can we go from here?” To make a point, he went back

into the past to make a reference to Martin Luther King Jr. “Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose,” Harris said. “It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change.”

After his talk people got the chance to ask him questions on the topic.

One question being from a student stated: “What do you suggest allies can do to help combat racism in the medical field, especially from outside the field?”

“The power of allies lies in the education of racism, and how it lowers life for us all,” Harris replied.

HANNAH STEYN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR There has been a shift in recent years by influencers who consider themselves sustainable and environmentally conscious. This shift is away from large corporations and fast fashion, and toward small, sustainable brands.

Fast fashion is cheap, trendy clothing that’s produced very quickly to get the newest fad trends to stores as soon as they’re debuted.

The new light on sustainable options is an important conversation to be having - the fast fashion industry releases about 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually - nearly 10% of annual global emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water. This is excluding

the footprint created by deliveries and returns, other environmental costs of transport and the impact of dumping and burning almost 85% of all textiles that go to waste as newer trends emerge.

Unfortunately, as important as it is to support small businesses, they often come with higher price tags and the people who most commonly buy fast fashion can’t always afford that.

However, there’s a growing “trend” that could be the solution thrifting. Consumerism is undeniably higher than ever - clothing production has almost doubled in the last 20 years alone. But if we start to shop more for pre-loved clothes, the need for companies to keep producing textiles will subside.

Thrifting is an affordable

way to grow your closet on a budget. Stores like Goodwill, Savers and Thrifty Shopper all work on donations, which keeps the price tags low.

And with today’s trends seeing a resurgence in trends from the 2000s and 1990s, where better to shop than the places that have the real deal?

It’s cheaper, it’s more authentic and it’s better for the environment.

There is no downside.

A trip to a thrift store is also an adventure. You never know what hidden gems you will pull out from between two averagelooking Forever 21 graphic tees. It could be a Brooks Brothers sweater in perfect condition for just $5, or it could be a 100% silk blouse with its new tags still attached.

There’s a high in finding an amazing deal, and unlike fast fashion, your thrifted items are actually

worth far more than what you’re paying for them.

You’re paying for genuine vintage style, as well as quality.

There’s been some antithrift sentiment, with people claiming that thrift stores should be a resource left for lowincome families. This is a misguided argument - as previously mentioned, 85% of unwanted clothes end up in landfills, even after a stint in the thrift store. There’s more than enough to go around.

Another branch of second-hand shopping that’s growing is consignment stores.

Consignment stores, such as Plato’s Closet, buy your second-hand designer or brand name clothes and sell them on. These stores have a more intense vetting process than Goodwill, and clothes are generally organized

in a more logical manner, making shopping easier for the customer. Selling clothes that you no longer wear to places like these is a great way to make some extra money, and it’s far more sustainable than simply throwing your old clothes away.

If you’re one of the people who prefer to shop online, there are even options for you. More and more online thrift stores are opening up, even ones that actively save tons of clothing from being sent to landfills.

Apps such as Poshmark and Depop allow you to list your secondhand clothing for sale or buy other peoples’ listings.

Sites like ThreadUp allow you to search by brand, size, color or any other feature. When it comes to thrifting, there’s a way to do it for every preference.

FEATURES PAGE 8

FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

UCTANGERINE.COM

Women-Owned Small Businesses - Certification and Success Small businesses across New York and around the world have struggled to maintain support and flourish during a pandemic where many people cannot spare the extra change. Recently, the Small Business Administration has made changes to their certification process in order to help build and rebuild small, womenowned businesses.

Green started this business to enhance her abilities in marketing and

UCTANGERINE.COM

Exchange from Finland and Poland amidst pandemic

On Monday, March 1, the PioTalk hosted by Executive Director of International Education Deborah Wilson-Allam highlighted three exchange students from Europe that currently attend Utica College.

The talk, aptly titled “Classmates from Across the Atlantic”, opened the exchange of students to community questions and a platform to share their own experiences.

“I am located on 3987 Oneida St. in New Hartford,” Francesca Zumpano, owner of BurnToneSculpt Fitness studio said. “I am not a federally owned small business but I plan to be certified.”

“I received my DBA for my small business so I am certified as The Cozy Chiro,” Junior Brooke Green, Utica college student and owner of The Cozy Chiro said. “The entire process takes just about a week, from filling out some paperwork, getting the money order and bringing everything to the county clerk’s office. I was surprised at how easy it was.”

PAGE 9 FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

ISABELLA HUDZIAK SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS REPORTER

REBEKAH HEDEEN FEATURES EDITOR

Zumpano was featured on WKTV on Jul. 3 about her newly opened business that had barely lifted when the pandemic forced all businesses to close. To reverse some of the dormitory effects of the virus, such as the lack of gym time, Zumpano offers in-person and live online classes as well as on-demand classes available on her website.

FEATURES

PioTalks are open discussion panels hosted by the Committee of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collaborative that spotlight certain topics and individuals within Utica College’s community.

Photos: thecozychiro, burntonesculpt, uticrews entrepreneurship as well as to have some spending money while she attends college. Green is certified to “Do Business Under Assumed Name” (DBA).

This allows her to sell her merchandise without penalty from the state under the assumption that she adheres to the information on the DBA form.

“I started this business as a way to make passive income while also being able to apply what I have learned in college,” Green said.

“I am pursuing minors in entrepreneurship and marketing at Utica College, so I have been learning the skills needed to start and operate a business.”

Green hopes to have her

own chiropractic office in the future but is using her experience selling cozy crocheted items while in college to learn more before advancing her career.

Morgan Mielnicki, the owner of Utica Crews, a small business that sells Utica branded merchandise, like Zumpano, is not certified.

Mielnicki hopes to become certified for her business when life slows down.

“I designed a product for myself, on my own, that I didn’t realize would be so popular until I started wearing it in public,” Mielnicki said. “People would question me left and right where I got the crewneck sweatshirt so from there, I started

selling them. It wasn’t a planned business but I’m happy it is so successful now.”

The Small Business Administration allows for easy application for the Women-Owned Small Business certification.

The following steps summarize the process for eligibility: Be a small business Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens Have women manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions “To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain

contracts to businesses that participate in the WOSB Federal Contracting Program,” a statement from the Small Business Administration read.

The process to become certified in the SBA process is relatively simple and helpful for women-owned businesses because it offers support and more opportunities they may not have come otherwise.

“If you have an idea, just go for it,” Mielnicki said.

“I’ve never learned so much in the past year than I have by having to learn how to run a business, create relationships, run social media and figure out a website. Hands-on experience is the best experience.”

The process for exchange students has been adjusted to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

Exchange students, who may come for a semester or two, come from Utica College’s partner universities or through the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program.

The partner schools interchange information at the beginning of each year including the number of slots available, the additions to applications, and other information which included the Utica College COVID-19 pledge.

“We get nominations for students and we look at credentials, transcripts, levels of English and personal statements,” said Wilson-Allam. “We approve all of that and send back a message to get in contact with the students themselves. We

Photo: Isabella Hudziak work with them overseas with a couple of Zoom meetings to talk about what to expect and what to bring with you. We did a little bit more of that to tell them what they needed to know in terms of quarantine and rules that would be expected on campus.”

At the beginning of the process, exchange students meet with Wilson-Allam for a personal meeting to discuss goals, hopes for the semester, and fears. The Department of International Education hosts several checkin meetings for the exchange students and directs them to services on campus. When the semester comes to a close, students sit down with Wilson-Allam for a lengthier session to reflect and discuss what the experience can bring to their future and provide

feedback on the college’s program.

Senior Sofia Westling is from Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

Swedish is her first language and one of her hobbies is winter swimming and going to a sauna. She is an accounting major who took a criminal justice class online during Utica College’s Fall 2020 semester.

“I think it was very exciting,” said Westling.

“The topic itself was so new to me and it all was like being here. I got to develop my language skills, especially writing in English. It gave me a sneak peek about what my status will be like in the spring.”

Both Anna Kuzmych and Nataliia Chugaievska are on exchange from Jagiellonian University in

Poland but originate from Ukraine. Utica College has sent and received faculty from Jagiellonian University, but this is the first time students are being exchanged.

Kuzmych, who is in her last year of earning a master’s degree, enjoys learning new languages and is taking a Spanish class at Utica College along with her business and finance courses.

Chugaievska studied economics in Poland after already dabbling in management and law in her hometown. She enjoys ice skating and has done work as a photographer.

“I am in the last year of my master’s degree,” said Kuzmych. “It’s my last chance to travel like a student and to participate in an exchange program.

Even the Coronavirus didn’t stop me from

coming to the United States and I am really happy to come here because back in Poland, all classes are remote. But here we have chances to have classes in person and it’s better for me.”

All three students arrived in early January. Before classes were conducted online for the first week of the spring semester and the first day of classes pushed forward, the exchange students were quarantining on UC’s campus. Since there were looser regulations in Finland for testing requirements and the rate of expense, Westling quarantined for ten days while Kuzmych and Chugaievska were only required to quarantine for four.

The trip from Ukraine to New York State was hectic SEE EXCHANGE PG. 10

FEATURES

PAGE 10 FRIDAY, MARCH 05 2021

UCTANGERINE.COM Wilson-Allam, who began working at Utica College in 2014 and became the executive director of international education in 2017, studied abroad in Greece during her college years. She attended graduate school in Cairo, Egypt, and taught there for six years.

Photo: Jagiellonian University Above is Jagiellonian University, which Kuzmych and Chugaievska attend.

EXCHANGE FROM PG. 9

for the exchange students.

In addition to missing their first flight due to document requirements, Chugaievska and Kuzmych required a letter from Wilson-Allam confirming that they were in the exchange program to Utica College.

When asked what the most substantial difference between European schooling and American college life, the exchange students agreed that the amount of homework was peculiar.

“In Poland, we have, for example, one project for one semester and exams.

No midterm exams, no quizzes or homework,” said Kuzmych. “But here, when we come home after classes, we have to set two hours to do all the homework.

C h u g a i e v s k a understands the necessity of homework, especially in terms for understanding course concepts.

“Here

we

also

have

games, different quizzes and group projects,” said Chugaievska. “It’s so different for us, but also we understand that it’s good, because when we have practice we learn about the subject and we have the possibility to know more things. So far, it’s something unusual, but we try to do our best and have good marks!”

In Finland, the cafeterias have fewer options than the cafeteria at Utica College. The exchange students also noted that the demeanor of people in America is much more open than in Europe.

“People are very social here,” said Westling. “It’s easy to find new friends and people to talk to and hang out with. In Finland, people are shyer and reserved before they get to know a person.”

During the PioTalk, Wilson-Allam asked the students if there were any fun facts about their mother countries that they wanted more Americans to know.

Facts

from

Finland

included: that Finland is considered the happiest country in the world, school tuition is free, there is a sauna in the Helsinki Burger King and that an alumnus from Ábo Akademi University helped design the game Angry Birds.

The students from Ukraine clarified that the country is independent of Russia and that tuition fees are free along with Poland. Kuzmych also noted that a majority of Ukrainian dishes are composed of meat products.

Typically, exchange students are able to attend excursions around Utica College to get a taste of American culture. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place, the process has been more difficult.

“We did one excursion with masks and social distancing at the Oneida Nation Cultural Center and Casino,” said WilsonAllam.

“They loved going there. Apparently, gambling is illegal all over Ukraine, so they have never been able to

see something like that before.”

Utica College typically has four to five exchange students per semester.

These students come from partner schools such as Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, Lingnan University in Hong Kong and Ábo Akademi University in Finland. For next fall, there have already been six applications from the Utica College student body to study abroad.

“There was definitely a loss,” said Wilson-Allam on the topic of COVID-19 impacting international student exchange.

“However, I think it’s going to more than bounce back because we’ve already received several applications.”

FEATURES

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UCTANGERINE.COM

Professor Laura Salvaggio: Theater is her sport

“Seeing how people think differently and prioritize differently, there are some things that we are not aware of in our own culture until we go away,” said Wilson-Allam about her experience abroad.

“A lot of Americans I find, and I think I thought this too before I went abroad, really think ‘we don’t have a culture’ but we do, it’s just like a fish swimming in the water that you don’t see because you’re completely surrounded by it.”

Utica College currently does not have any students abroad due to health concerns. March 1 was the deadline for study abroad applications to be eligible for additional scholarships.

Applications will still be accepted and meetings are encouraged.

“Go on the website and contact either Stacy Phelps or me to talk about what would work for you,” said Wilson-Allam.

“Semester abroad doesn’t work for everybody but we have other options as well. I would love to see more UC students doing it.”

Below is Åbo Akademi University, which Westling attends

Photo: Åbo Akademi University

Photo: mwpai.org GIANNA COGNETTI COPY EDITOR The Munson-WilliamsProctor-Arts Institute recently re-opened after being shuttered for 10 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many other museums and similar institutions still remain closed, despite a push by many for athletics to continue.

Professor Laura Salvaggio, chair of the Performing and Fine Arts Department at UC, voiced her disappointment over the college prioritizing athletics over the arts.

“Theatre is my safe place, my community and my job,” she said. “It’s been a very strange 10 months where the thing that is a part of my identity has not

existed.”

Theatre and art is something that keeps Salvaggio physically and mentally active, and when it is taken away she is greatly affected. She also recognized the impact it has on her friends and students who both thrive off sports or theatre in similar ways.

She said many people are hurting and she is excited to see some rejoining the activities that make them happy.

“Sports have suffered, too,” she said. “One problem our society has is finger-pointing at someone who has it just a little better, but who isn’t at all the culprit.”

Art

comes

in

forms,

such as music, visuals, theatre, speech and more. Salvaggio said art is a chance to understand different perspectives and increase one another’s empathy.

“It’s ironic that during this time, where our society could use some increased empathy, the arts have not been prioritized higher than they are,” she said.

Salvaggio is a former MWPAI employee and still enjoys going back to revisit old friends.

“People and art pieces,” she joked.

Although MWPAI is a smaller museum, it is one of the Mohawk Valley’s premiere attractions.

MWPAI is known for showing foreign films

and also live streaming performances such as operas from the Metropolitan Opera House.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a lack of arts in the Utica area, many other local businesses have been affected as a result. Many people would make a trip to the museum and enjoy a meal out afterward.

Without the art exhibits, several restaurant businesses have slowed down.

“For some of those businesses, it’s the difference between surviving and thriving,” Salvaggio said.

“For others, it has been the difference that caused them to close the doors.”

Like sports, the arts can attribute to economic successes.

“We had MWPAI, The Stanley and Players of Utica long before the Comets were a pro team here,” she said.

It is still uncertain why museums did not open sooner, since they usually have better air quality systems and people are not typically allowed to touch any of the art.

Yet, it is in times like these that artists have the space needed to create their best pieces.

“The consumption of art in live venues have stalled during COVID-19,” Salvaggio said. “But the creation of art has thrived.”

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As Long As We Both Shall Live in Utica

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A student’s guide: Everything that happened in Division I college sports over break MATTHEW ROBINSON STAFF WRITER This has been one of the most anticipated college basketball seasons in some time. After coming to a halt last March, players and coaches are ready to be back to showcase their talents to millions of fans around the globe.

Rankings The top 4 teams seem to have separated themselves from the rest, Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan while Iowa, Alabama and Villanova look to push their way through.

Photo: Adam Sherer ALEXANDRIA LELAND STAFF WRITER The city of Utica is set to take the big screen as a romantic thriller “As Long As We Both Shall Live,” premieres on multiple on-demand platforms on Feb. 26. Utica is not just a backdrop for the long-awaited film, but a character in and of itself, Producer Adam Sherer said.

The carefully crafted movie can be watched on platforms like iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play.

The story was initially set to be filmed in Los Angeles, but with CoExecutive Producer, Emily Sinnot-Ramrezs’ input, the set of “As Long As We Both Shall Live,” became her hometown- Utica.

Utica had everything Director Ali Askari and producers of Boom Picture Company asked for. Paul Buckley, Utica’s Media Commissioner

and host of “City Limits,” landed a majority of the locations for the film.

Stars like Paul Sorvino (“Goodfellas,”) Yael Stone (“Orange Is the New Black,”) and Josh Helman (“MadMax: Fury Road,”) are in the same picture as The Green Onion, Tailor and The Cook, Utica Coffee Roasting Co. and The Utica Zoo. Utica welcomed the cast and crew with open arms as they ventured across the city. The police department was a huge help in blocking off streets for filming and Utica Coffee played a big role in the upkeep of caffeine levels.

This film is one that will keep you on your toes and while you’re at it, also make you question what is real.

The story of “As Long As We Both Shall Live,” unfolds as Malcolm (Josh Helman) is thrown into depression after his

wife Sarah (Yael Stone) tragically dies. One year later, he finds himself in love with Nya (Jennifer Allcott, writer of “Kate Can’t Swim,”) but starts seeing terrorizing visions of his dead wife. Malcolm must deal with the past to save his sanity and hold onto his new love.

Worlds collided when Utica culture was embedded into the script.

Well-loved restaurants are mentioned by name and plates are full of chicken riggies.

Community members became laced within the script.

“Call me! Call me!” Dean Nole, the owner of Cafe CaNole, heard from Paul Buckley. “You got a suit?”

Nole was asked.

Nole got the suit and auditioned for a role as a bank teller. Safe to say, watch out for Nole in the film.

Local musicians and former players of the Utica College hockey

team, like Jordan Hobaica, make an appearance as well. Buckley even landed a role for himself as a distinguished gentleman.

a lower price. VOD sales will be the determining factor of whether or not it will become available on streaming services.

Hobaica, Utica College alumni, did not know what to expect when he found out his team was going to be in the film.

Happy to represent UC, Hobaica spent the day filming with the crew and was blown away by the amount of time it takes to perfect the movie-making craft. It left him with a lot of respect for the people in this industry.

Buckley welcomes any movie to the filmfriendly environment of Utica. Buckley says it’s easy to get a hold of anyone you need, and the police department bends over backward to accommodate movie making.

This is not the first time Utica has been used as a filming location. Back in 2016, “We The Animals” was shot here. This movie became one that streamed on Netflix and won a Sundance award.

Currently, “As Long As We Both Shall Live” is available for on-demand viewing at a price of $12.99.

Sometimes there are flash sales so you can get

Sherer said that anything they needed for the movie, Sinnot-Ramrez would reply, “Utica’s got that!”

The quirky characters of “As Long As We Both Shall Live” will tug at your heartstrings, and the city of Utica leaves a lasting impression on anyone that comes through.

From Utica’s welcoming community to the skyline composed of historical and modern architecture, Utica is known for its history and it’s still in the making.

It seems as if the season is flying by with miracle finishes. Michigan came back off a long pause due to COVID and won their game against rival Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown and suddenly the SEC is much deeper than expected.

March Madness The NCAA has announced the Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament is set to tipoff in Indiana. Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 14 with the first tip on March 18.

The tournament will be held in a bubble environment on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle FieldHouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Will fans be allowed?

The NCAA will allow a certain number of fans for

Photo: Saturday Blitz each round that is played.

According to a statement from the NCAA, “Event capacity will include all participants, essential staff and family members of each participating team, student-athletes, coaches and a reduced number of fans. All attendees will be required to wear face coverings and physical distance during the event.”

College Football Season 2020-21 The 2020-2021 college football season will be one to remember for a long time. Heartbreaking finishes were a regular occurrence.

Alabama winning its second championship in two years is something most people have gotten used to with head coach Nick

Saban, who has more national championships than any other college football coach.

top players in college football this past season, but only one was able to take the crown.

In early July, when nobody knew whether there would or should be a college football season, university administrators discussed that exact situation.

Alabama’s DeVonta Smith won by a landslide putting up ridiculous numbers, a 1,641yard season with 105 receptions. He was the first wide receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard from Michigan in 1991.

Six months later Alabama and Ohio State took the field in Miami for the college football championship.

There were a reported 18.7 million people who viewed the game.

Heisman Trophy It was difficult to make a choice for this year’s Heisman Trophy winner.

DeVonta Smith, Kyle Trask, Mac Jones and Najee Harris were all the

A Look Into Next Season The 2021 season will start Aug. 28 with Week 1 kicking off as Miami will play Alabama in Atlanta. Two of the most storied programs in college football history.

Alabama will look to win their second consecutive championship while Miami is searching for

their first since 2001.

At first, it seemed impossible to have a season but knowing what would be lost is even more important to think of. A COVID-19 vaccine brings hope for a season with full schedules, fewer disruptions and more fans in the stands.

“I know that there’s a lot in front of us,” Boston College Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said. “We’re going to get back to having full stadiums and the athletes having their parents come and watch them play.”

Last season there were many game cancellations, but with the help of doctors, vaccines and testing the season could be underway on time.

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Bulgarian Women’s Ice Hockey: How to destroy a team’s dignity in one game NICK MCADAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Step 1: Preview The 2010 Winter Olympics were filled with iconic sports moments from premiere athletes who were arguably in their prime at the time. Shaun White took his secondstraight gold medal in the Men’s Halfpipe, Apolo Ohno became one of the USA’s most achieved winter athletes in the country at the time and Sidney Crosby closed the games with his iconic “Golden Goal” to give the Canadian men’s hockey team the gold medal in an overtime win against the United States.

Yet, in the 2010 games, and in most Olympic processes, a majority of fans choose to tune out the qualification process of getting to the games in the first place.

Sometimes, these events can be just as interesting as the Olympic games.

This happened to be the case for the Bulgarian Women’s National Team in ice hockey, yet, in a way that the hockey world never thought would be imaginable before.

Step 2: Qualification Qualification for the women’s hockey tournament at the Olympics started in 2008. The system of qualification ran through the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and it’s a process that still occurs today.

At the time, there were a total of 34 countries in the world competing in women’s ice hockey at the international

Photo: The Niagara Independent level. Throughout the course of annual world championships, the IIHF ranked all 34 countries based on several performance indicators at each championship. The system then assigned points to teams at each tournament for ranking purposes.

The IIHF totaled these points every four years to determine the top six teams that qualify for the following Olympic games.

Based on performance at the 2005, 2007 and 2008 world championships, along with the 2006 Winter Olympics, Canada (2,950 points), the United States (2,930 points), Finland (2,770 points), Sweden (2,760 points), Switzerland (2,645 points) and Russia (2,575 points) all received automatic qualification to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

To give lower-ranked teams a chance to qualify for the games, the IIHF split every remaining team after the top six into groups. These groups were split into four-tofive teams per group, who played each other once.

The team with the most wins, and thus points in the standings, would

then compete in a playoff format to determine the final two teams that qualify for the Olympics.

For the sake of the article, we’re going to focus on Group A, which consisted of Slovakia, Italy, Latvia, Croatia and Bulgaria.

There were a total of 10 games played in Liepaja, Latvia between these teams over the course of five days in September of 2008. These five days would prove to be a nightmare for the Bulgarian team.

Step 3: Embarrassment Bulgaria opened group play with a game against the Italians on Sept. 2, 2008. A total of 45 people in attendance witnessed the Bulgarians get crushed by a score of 41-0.

To put this in perspective, the Italians scored a goal about once every minute of the game.

Italy totaled 122 shots on goal in the game, while the Bulgarians managed four shots on its opposition.

Four Italian players recorded hat tricks and the team finished with 41 goals and assists in one night of play.

Fast forward to the Bulgarians second game against Croatia the next day on Sept. 3. Bulgaria managed to score a goal late in the third period of the contest from forward player Olga Gospodinova.

This would be the only goal scored from the team in the entire group stage and the team went on to let in 30 goals against the Croatians that night.

In a similar fashion to the team’s first game, multiple Croatian players recorded hat tricks that night.

Diana Posavec Kruselj, a Croatian defenseman, recorded 11 goals in the game.

It didn’t get any better for the Bulgarians in the team’s third game against the host country Latvia.

Bulgaria lost 39-0 and recorded the team’s least amount of shots on goal in a group stage game up to that point, only managing two on the net.

Before recapping the team’s final game against Slovakia, let’s put these numbers into perspective.

Back in the 1980s, it was easier to score a goal in the game of hockey than it

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The size of the net (72” x 48”x 40”) has never changed, nor has the size of the puck (three inches in diameter). But, when the size of the person guarding the net is smaller, there is more net to shoot at.

It’s an accomplishment (maybe not so for the Bulgarians) that the team let in 110 goals in just three games. In 70 NHL games last season, the Detroit Red Wings let in the most goals in the league with 267. The Bulgarians were a little less than halfway to that amount in three contests.

In the 80s, with just 21 teams in 80 games, the two conferences totaled 6,457 goals that season with 3.84 goals per game.

The blog goes on to note that if two extra games were added for each team that season, based on the league’s goals per game SEE HOCKEY PG. 13

Step 4: A World Record The final game for the Bulgarian women’s team in the group stage took place on Sept. 6, 2008, against the Slovakians.

Up to this point, Slovakia had been dominating the group, only letting in one goal combined in the team’s two victories against both Italy and Latvia.

The team, undeniably, were favorites to take the group. They ended up doing just that and a few months later, the team would become the seventh out of eight teams to qualify for the Olympics along with China. The team would then go on to get routed by Canada in the Olympics by a score of 18-0.

That all came after the team scored 82 goals in one game against

UCTANGERINE.COM

competitive games prior to the contest.

average, the total number of goals scored would be 9,446.

Furthermore, nine of the top 10 goalscorers of all time in the NHL played within the 1980 timeframe. Wayne Gretzky leads the list with 894 goals. In 1981, Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season in just 39 games; an amount that will never be recorded again in that amount of time. The only exception to this list is current Washington Capitals forward, Alex Ovechkin, who at age 35 has a total of 712 goals.

The blog tested this hypothesis by comparing goal totals in 1980 and in the 2014-2015 season.

With 30 teams in 82 games, there were a total of 2,460 games of NHL hockey played in the 2014-2015 season. Both conferences scored a total of 6,719 goals that season, averaging 2.73 goals per game.

HOCKEY FROM PG. 12

is today. Goalie size, both in terms of equipment and physical status, is historically cited as the primary reason for this. In the 80s, goalies weren’t given nearly as much protective equipment that we see today. Pads were much smaller in width, shoulder and stomach protection was very thin and the famous masks that audiences see in movies such as Slapshot were being used in the National Hockey League.

The blog, Hockey Wilderness, covered this changing dynamic of the game after former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Mike Babcock, told reporters that goals are simply “much harder to come by these days.”

The chair of the Bulgarian Ice Hockey Federation called Slovakia’s display a “mockery” and “not at all sportsmanlike.”

Photo: Britannica Former United States goalie Jim Craig the Bulgarians.

The Slovakians scored 31 goals in the first period, 24 goals in the second period and 27 goals in the third period. To achieve this in a 60-minute game, the Slovakians had to score a goal every 43.9 seconds.

A total of 16 out of 20 Slovakian players scored goals that night, with a total of 10 players individually scoring more than five goals. The team also managed 139 shots on goal in the game for a conversion rate of 59 percent. Forwards Anna Dzurnakova, Petra Dankova and Maria Herichova scored more than 10 goals in the game, making them the top goal scorers in the entire group up to that point.

The Bulgarians only statistic was penalty minutes with a total of 39.

Forward Tina Lisichkova totaled 25 of those penalty minutes in the game. A wealth of these penalty minutes seem to come from several altercations throughout the game, including shoving and almost fighting between the two teams.

According to blog writer James Mirtle, the Bulgarians substituted the team’s starting goalie after letting in 77 goals with only three minutes left in the game. The backup goaltender then let in five goals on five

shots in one minute and 25 seconds. Despite this, starting goalie Liubomora Shosheva saved 57 shots in the game. Offensively, the Bulgarians did not manage a shot on the net.

This scoreline, according to the Guinness World Records, is the highestscoring ice hockey game of all time.

There was no mercy rule in international women’s hockey at the time, either. Mercy rule allows a team facing potential humiliation in terms of the scoreline to forfeit the game, while also preventing the victorious team satisfaction from inflicting a blowout.

It was only in 2010, two years after the game, that the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, considered the possibility of creating a mercy rule in women’s hockey. Since then, no updates have been provided on the matter, nor has a mercy rule been added to the IIHF rulebook created in 2019, which is valid up until this season.

Oddly enough, this game was the only of the Bulgarians four contests that collected post-game comments that were on record. Slovakian coach Miroslav Karafiat referred to the game as “training” in a post-game interview, despite playing two

Media outlets across the world quickly picked up on this story, ranging from ESPN, Yahoo!

Sports and even the NHL. The Bulgarian national media called the loss “an embarrassment to the entire country” and pointed blame at the Bulgarian government for the devastating loss.

It was a PR-nightmare for the small hockey nation and one that still affects them to this day.

The team’s website and social media profiles are outdated and filled with ridiculing comments.

In 2020, the Bulgarian women’s team was still ranked last in the world according to the IIHF. When all was said and done in both group play and in IIHF standings after the 2010 Olympics, the Bulgarian team finished with zero points in the standings. The team just above the Bulgarians was Turkey, with a total of 840 points.

An Explanation Very few publications have gone into detail about the Bulgarian team during this time, both nationally and across the globe. Yet, national publications immediately after the game pointed fingers to the Bulgarian government to blame, sourcing the very limited access to play in the country.

To help put this into perspective, at the time, Bulgaria had a population of 7.4 million. Within this number, there were only 299 registered hockey players in the country

with three indoor rinks in 42,855 square miles.

Out of the 299 registered players, there were only 37 females likely ranging from very young ages.

In contrast, Canada had 74,000 female players registered in various leagues throughout the country. This gives the nation a lot more to choose from at the national level to fill a team consisting of 20 openings.

Bulgaria also had a professional league for these female players, but the league only consisted of two teams at the time, which wasn’t sustainable to run the operation.

So, the pool of players to select was minimal and the development of homegrown and professional talent wasn’t there. In the end, there wasn’t much invested in women’s hockey in the country, which still remains true to this day. In fact, national registration for female hockey in Bulgaria recently declined from 65 players in 2016 to 53 players in 2020.

Although unconfirmed, some sources indicate that the Bulgarian government simply threw a team together at the last minute, filled with females who could skate.

Though the likeliness of this theory remains slim, there are no filings of international play from the Bulgarian Ice Hockey Federation before 2008, meaning that a rushed federation could’ve put a team together just to qualify for play.

In the end, both statements indicate a lack of priority in the country for the game. From rosterbuilding all the way to the team’s final game against Slovakia, it only took a few moves to tarnish the Bulgarian hockey identity forever.

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Former UC Women’s Basketball star hopes to spark a change with petition MATT BREAULT ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Former Utica College Women’s Basketball star Nicolette Conkin used a heartfelt Instagram post last month to open up about her story as a collegiate athlete with an eating disorder.

In her Instagram post, Conkin went into detail about the various things she struggled with during her time as an NCAA Division III women’s basketball player. As Conkin, a second-year student in the DPT program and in her fifth total year at UC approaches her first winter in 15 years without basketball, she said now is the right time to advocate for mental health in order to eliminate the negative stigma associated with it.

“When I shared my story, I wanted people to realize that it’s okay to seek help because no one is obligated to tell the whole world their issues, but it takes a lot of guts and selflove to realize that you need help,” Conkin said. “I would love to abolish the stereotype of someone that ‘looks like they have an eating disorder.’ You can’t just look at someone and assume/not assume they have an eating disorder based on their appearance.”

Mental health comes in all shapes and sizes and it is an important thing to recognize, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NCAA, the rates of reported mental health concerns experienced during the pandemic were 1.5 to two times higher than have been

Photo: Utica College Athletics historically reported by NCAA student-athletes in pre-pandemic studies.

After taking some time to research, Conkin thought it was in the best interest of all student-athletes to create a petition directed towards Utica College, to improve the mental health and education resources for athletes.

“I started this petition because I wanted to provide something useful to UC student-athletes, being an alum,” Conkin said. “We often hear the stories of athletes struggling with their mental health and it’s vital that our college can provide them with the resources necessary.

I think we lack in that department a bit, so I wanted to start a petition and provide ideas to UC, so they can build off of them.”

Currently, Conkin’s petition has begun to attract attention, as it has reached over 335 signatures in just over a week. A notable person who has seen the petition is Utica College Athletic Director Dave Fontaine.

Fontaine, who is a former student-athlete himself, acknowledged that mental health is

something that should be taken seriously by everyone and the petition could possibly be a step in the right direction for Utica College.

“Nicolette has a very good point because mental health is important for all students and student-athletes alike,” Fontaine said. “As a former student-athlete herself, she sees over 700 student-athletes and a great need in athletics for additional support.

Not only do athletics need access to support, but the entire institution does and I think that at this time, the institution is doing the best they can to provide those resources to everyone.”

Although there are currently no specific counselors for just athletics, Utica College offers counseling services for anyone who is in need of support. These counselors are readily available.

However, making an appointment to see one might be difficult for some.

“I feel that making an appointment with any counselor or therapist is a daunting task because not everyone feels comfortable talking to a stranger that they’ve yet

to converse with,” Conkin said. “In my petition, I suggested a counselor dedicated to UC athletics that offered optional sessions of guided meditation, coping mechanisms, etc., to all teams at least every other week. If athletes begin to build a relationship with a counselor, they may feel more comfortable seeking out help when they need it.”

If someone would like to schedule an appointment with a counselor but does not feel comfortable doing so, there are many different ways they can go about making an appointment.

“If a student is having trouble, they can have me or their coach call over to the counseling center for them to make an appointment if needed,” Fontaine said. “We would most certainly help bridge that gap between the counseling center and the student in need of assistance. Sometimes it is a very difficult first step for people to take and I want to let everyone know that if we can help them and be advocates for them, then we will absolutely do just that.”

Fontaine also added that he understands the difficulties with asking for help, but there is no need to be embarrassed because many people need extra help at times.

“To all of our students and student-athletes, if you need assistance, please step up and say something and we will point you in the right direction and get you the assistance you need,” Fontaine said.

“Sometimes people have

ways of masking things because they don’t want people to know because they’re afraid. I promise there is nothing to be embarrassed about and there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Due to the various hiring processes, it is unlikely that a counselor for just athletics would be implemented immediately. Although the change most likely won’t happen overnight, there is a possibility the studentathletes in the near future can see something like this happen at Utica College.

Even if the change isn’t done instantaneously, that doesn’t change Conkin’s mind about having that change.

“I’m hoping that this petition sparks a change at Utica College with our athletes, and then hopefully it can widen to the rest of our student population because everyone deserves equitable access to mental health resources,” Conkin said. “If I didn’t have an affluent family to pay for my resources, there is little chance that I would be in recovery.

These are changes that should be made not only at Utica College but at every college worldwide.”

When talking about Conkin, Fontaine spoke highly of her and said he was happy to see her advocating for positive change.

“She is one of the pride and joys of Utica College as she built herself into not only a tremendous basketball player but a tremendous individual,” Fontaine said.