75th Anniversary Edition The
TANGERINE
VOL. LXXV, ISSUE 5 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
“Let’s Do the Time Warp Again …”
◊ LINDA VACCARO SCHMIDT, ‘69 Paging through my yellowed, bound copies of Tangerine from 1967-69, I get a bit of a time warp sensation. As my favorite Rocky Horror song goes,“With a bit of a mind flip/You’re into the time slip.” Looking at those old newspapers, I remember instantly what it felt like to be in the Tangerine office, a place where I spent so many happy/weird/miserable/ exhausted hours. That big, semi-trashy room around the corner from the Dean’s office was a zany fishbowl and all-purpose hangout for a motley assortment of people. We were next to the studio of
sculptor-in-residence Henry DiSpirito (a lovely man, who was still creating beautiful pieces at age 70), and the Annales office was nearby. WRNS was down the hall. All the quirky, “creative types” in one big mosh pit on the second floor of Strebel. In a yearbook photo from 1968, I’m painting the TANGERINE masthead on the big picture window, and there’s another pic of my then-editor (and hero), Bill Roots, working at his desk behind it. It was the newsroom of our dreams, at least for those of us who dreamed of such things. Think aromas of newsprint, typewriter ribbons, paste (for the paste-ups, of course!), dirty coffee cups and stale baked goods.
Before computers, email and the Internet, the tools at our disposal hadn’t changed much since the days of “Citizen Kane.” As far as I can tell, it stayed that way into the 1980s. “Putting the paper to bed” could last until midnight or 1 a.m. on Wednesday night, after which the editor would place the final paper hard copy (yes, paper) and the full-sized layout (a paste-up, on a blank paper template) in a large manila envelope. Then, it was time to take it to the printer! By that I mean get in your car and drive to Spadafora Bros. printing on East Dominick Street in Rome. If Al and Mac had closed up shop, which was most likely, you would lean the precious envelope up against the door
Photo: Former Tangerine Editor-in-Chief Linda Vaccaro writes on the window of the Tangerine office. Photo submitted by Linda Vaccaro Schmidt. for their early morning arrival. (In the winter, my little red Karmann Ghia and I made that trip with chains on the tires.) SEE TIME WARP PG. 15
Looking Back On The Years We Shared ◊ MELINDA CAMPITELLI WILLIAMS It seems, in life, some of the best years of your life truly happen when you least expect them. They kind of sneak up on you later in life when you are looking at old photo albums (we did that in the 70s) and waxing poetic about your past. When I think back on life at Utica College in the late 1970s, I hardly think of anything academic, but I’m sure I must have learned something in the classroom. Yet, it seems, everything that I recall was what happened outside of the classroom. In fact, that was the theme of our 1977 freshman orientation. And whomever the lecturer was, he was right. Unlike
the
decade
that
Photo: Roommates Diane Christiano of Gloversville, left, Melinda Campitelli Williams, right, of Havertown, Pennsylvania, displaying Tangerine pride in October 1977. Photo submitted by Melinda Campitelli Williams. preceded us, our college years were truly about us and not the political climate of
the country. The Vietnam War was almost a distant memory, and our major concern was seemingly which rugby shirt to wear to class. Our dorm rooms were not the fiveperson suites that our children experienced (complete with kitchens and gathering spaces), but rather, cinder block cells, with Formicaclad furniture and two single beds. The only “gathering spaces’’ we had were the hallways where we had “floor parties.” You literally walked over drunken bodies to get back to your room if your floor was designated as such on a particular Friday evening. I had to laugh this year when a friend’s son went to “wallpaper” his daughter’s dorm room in Indiana. Wallpaper? Seriously? The only things that adorned our
walls were posters of Bruce Springsteen, Cat Stevens, The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. One especially creative group of construction management majors built a “loft” in their room on the third floor of North. That became quite the “gathering place” for their friends. I haven’t a clue what the meal plan is like now at UC, but in 1978 you either made your way to the cafeteria in Strebel Center, or you didn’t eat. That meant, no matter the weather, you got moving. In 1978, we also had some brutal snowstorms. It was commonplace to walk to and from class in “channels” of snow level with your shoulders. If you didn’t feel like fighting the weather for dinner, you were resigned SEE LOOKING PG. 14
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
PAGE 2 • SPECIAL EDITION •
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this special edition commemorating The Tangerine’s 75th anniversary. This issue took a great deal of time to plan and coordinate and I appreciate the help from other committee and editorial staff members, including Kim Landon, Kyle Riecker, Stephen Clark and Maria Montero Silva. Each one of you has been an invaluable resource to me and I will be forever grateful for your help and friendship. I would also like to thank Anne Flynn from Utica College’s Archives, who has a wealth of institutional knowledge and always provides a helping hand whenever The Tangerine needs assistance. The Raymond Simon Institute for Public Relations and Journalism financially supported this effort and I appreciate how the organization constantly champions for The Tangerine and its students. Thank you, Pat Swann and Frank Maurizio. Of course, I must thank the alumni who took time to write for this edition. It was wonderful to reconnect with many of you and I enjoyed meeting so many former staffers for the first time. The 75th anniversary edition would not have been possible if you did not contribute your story, so thank you for that. Cheers to 75 amazing years! Enjoy, Mary
PAGE 3 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM ‘Tangerine was a gift to newspaper lovers like me’ ◊ YVONNE DENNIS, ‘91
The coach, whose name escapes me, was easy to quote and glad of the coverage. The games were pretty easy to follow and challenged me to write about something I wasn’t naturally drawn to. The Tangerine was a gift to newspaper lovers like me because it required weekly commitment, discipline and skill. The rewards were not only seeing your name in bold print regularly, but seeing yourself improve mostly by trial and error. If you forgot to get the name of the goalkeeper for the opposing team one week you could see that obvious hole in your writing and get it the next time. If you were thin on quotes or detail you could remember to talk to way more people in the future. Every week—Sundays or Mondays, I think—I handed in a printout of my type-written article and went about the rest of my school life. Then, Thursday late afternoons, there was nothing like the thrill of seeing the new issue of the newspaper in hands all across campus, eyes devouring your revelations. The print paper really was the place to break news because there was no social media and the radio station was pretty unknown. People of course might have heard a smidgen about a sporting, news, or arts event, but the newspaper was the only place to get the full account. I also have memories of taking pictures in my
◊ MARY MARCHIO CHRISTOPHER, ‘99 People close to me were always aware that working at Utica College was my career goal. I loved my time at UC as a journalism student during the late 1990s and Kim Landon remained my close friend and mentor throughout my adult life.
My clearest memory around writing for the Tangerine was covering the women’s soccer team my senior year. I think I volunteered to cover women’s soccer because not many other staff members were clamoring to cover a women’s sport, and, to be honest, a few of my friends from softball played for the team.
‘Student media isn’t just a job for most of us’
Photo: Yvonne Dennis, a 1991 graduate, is News Editor for The Wall Street Journal. early years at Utica for the newspaper and developing them in a darkroom. The photos were of poor quality and my interest was halfhearted. I think I remember some being published. I don’t recall ever having issues with how any of the editors handled my copy or what headlines they put on my articles. I remember admiring the time, patience and dedication it took to wrangle everyone’s work into a complete package every week. The summer between my junior and senior years at Utica I interned on the copy desk of the Albany TimesUnion. Kim Landon, my academic adviser, told me that UC grad Frank Maurizio was in charge of the copy desk there and was looking for an intern. Kim told me working on the copy desk that summer would help me excel in the editing class I would be required to take senior year. Kim was right, of course, and that internship was one of the best work experiences I have ever had. It put me on a career path of editing— mostly newspaper work but also some magazine work. I am so grateful to have grown up during a prominent era for print news. When I teach today, it is mostly with printed copies of articles or texts, for all of the welldocumented educational and emotional benefits.
So when I was hired as the Tangerine Adviser, I was thrilled and it really felt like a homecoming of sorts. I knew that filling a position in which many held high esteem would be challenging as the journalism industry continued to evolve and students’ opinions on journalism were changing, too. Never, though, did I expect to see so much change over the past six years at The Tangerine and with that, so many major events to happen at UC and in the world. Together the staff and I have brought the student newspaper into the digital age by building new websites, developing social media platforms and delivering print and online content. While that has been rewarding on so many levels, maintaining camaraderie and keeping the 75-year tradition alive is what is most important to me. Rebuilding after COVID-19 shutdown in-person learning at the college has been challenging and interest in newspaper production isn’t as attractive as radio and television broadcasting. While I have faith that journalism will continue to survive, it has been sad to watch its many traditional aspects pass away. The pandemic has been the “fatal shove” for many local newspapers. Even the Utica Observer-Dispatch building will be up for auction at the end of November. This has been particularly painful for me to watch and makes me feel like a dinosaur. Student media isn’t just a job for most of us. It is ingrained in us. I’m sure my colleagues,
Doug Croft and Laura Lewin, would agree with me. What’s happening at The Tangerine often overrides what is happening in my classes and in my life. A deadline is a deadline, accuracy is imperative and staying on top of what is important are constant demands that don’t fall neatly into a 9 - 5 time frame. It’s normal for me to receive calls and text messages at 1 a.m., before the newspaper is exported to the printer, with a final frantic question before it can be put to bed. It’s not easy having your students’ homework out there for everyone to read and critique, especially during times of crisis and I have navigated through my fair share since I became adviser. Nothing has caused my waistline to expand like events that have occurred during each month of March since I arrived. The dome collapse, campus-wide lockdown, rounds of racial tensions on campus and COVID shutdown all occurred during March since 2017. To put this into perspective, I would classify our hybrid/masked/ socially distant March of 2021 as the most “mellow” March since I became Tangerine adviser. All of this might sound like complaining. However, I really love my job. Yes, it has its challenges, but a student media adviser gets to know their students on a different level compared to a typical instructor or professor. I am a sounding board for students who need help or want to share exciting news. I am honored to receive wedding invitations, “guess what happened to me” texts and coffee dates when someone comes back to town. The connections I’ve made with many Tangerine staff members and students in just six years is something I value and many of these students have given to me just as much as I have given to them.
DEDICATION
PAGE 4 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
An Unlikely Friendship: Dedication to Ray Simon ◊ DORREE GURDAK, ‘92 I arrived at Utica College as a freshman in 1988. I was a journalism major and envisioned my future self as a television reporter. I didn’t know much about public relations, but I kept hearing about Professor Raymond Simon, who was a legend on campus. It was clear that everyone in the Utica College community admired him and spoke of him with words that made him seem larger than life. I also kept hearing he was a tough professor who demanded only the best from his students. He seemed like an intimidating figure. I don’t remember the exact moment I met him, but I found him instead to be approachable and friendly. He was a not-so-tall, older man, by then a Professor Emeritus. We talked about public relations and he asked me genuine questions about my interests. He encouraged me to add public relations to my major, so I did. I was confident in the classroom and with my studies, but he saw someone I didn’t know yet - the future businesswoman in me. He started telling me, “You’re going places.” Professor Simon was a great storyteller and always shared colorful stories about the successes of his students. He made it all seem possible to this young girl. He also talked about his two daughters, Melissa and Brooke, who were close in age to me, and he was equally proud of their accomplishments. Unfortunately, Professor Simon was only a guest lecturer during my college years. The first time he was going to guest lecture during a class, Professor Joe Zappala prepared us to be on our A game. We had to sit up a little straighter, dress a bit neater, study more, and enunciate clearer to impress Professor
Photo: Raymond Simon and his wife Lyn Simon attend the 2007 dedication of the Raymond Simon Convergence Media Center at Utica College. Photo courtesy of the Utica College Archives Department. Photo: Raymond Simon, professor emeritus of Public Relations, from an unknown year. Photo courtesy of the Utica College Archives. Simon. At the end of the class, he gave out his famous “ PR Simonized” buttons to each of us for participating. We felt a high sense of accomplishment. In my junior and senior years, I often sought out Professor Simon for his sage advice and philosophical tidbits about life. I got to know his daily routine so that my day could intersect with his. He swam in the pool on campus every day, so I’d wait near the gym to get a few minutes with him. I would ask him the many questions my 20-year-old self needed answered. Even in his 70s, he walked extremely fast and always had his New York Times under his right arm. I’d catch up with him and we’d talk about various topics, mostly my need for internship and career advice. One day in the spring of my senior year, I saw him across campus and ran to talk to him about a dilemma, “Professor Simon, I may get two job offers now. What am I going to do?” I asked frantically. He looked at me and smiled with that familiar crooked smile. “Would you rather have two guys ask you to the dance and be able to choose, or only have one?” Here was a man in a very different place
in life relating to a college student in a way that was relevant, and his lesson was one I’ve never forgotten. There was no reason to be frantic, his comment showed me. It’s always best to have options. Professor Simon later connected me to Luke Lambert, a fellow UC grad. With his help, I landed my first PR job at an accounting firm in Albany, where I would spend two years learning from one of the best PR graduates at Utica College. Luke has remained a mentor 25 years later and is someone I can call to ask advice at a moment’s notice. After two years of working in Albany, I relocated to Boston to get a master’s degree. When I completed my degree, Susan Craig, another UC grad, and I went to a networking event where I ran into Brooke Simon. I had heard amazing stories about her, but we had never met. When I saw her nametag, I felt as if I were in the presence of a celebrity. She was working at a high-tech PR agency outside of Boston and said they were hiring. I sent her my resume and within a week, I had a job offer. Professor Simon had helped me again. Years later, after working for
a global PR agency for 15 years, I walked into a board room for a competitive new business pitch at a Fortune 500 company in Boston and was greeted by Melissa Simon Berczuk. We won the business and Melissa became my client. Today, I call Brooke and Melissa my professional and personal friends. All those years ago, Professor Simon saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Today, I’m proud to say I’ve been in the PR industry for more than 25 years and I’m proud of my accomplishments. I try to emulate Professor Simon every day - his philosophies, his natural ability to connect with people, and his genuine approach to PR. He was a kind, highly ethical, and witty man, who became a great mentor to me. He and the entire UC network shaped who I am today in ways that an 18-year old bright-eyed girl from Amsterdam, New York couldn’t have imagined. In Raymond Simon, I found a unique friend, role model and advisor. It might have seemed unlikely that a young college student would form a lifelong friendship with a retired professor in his 70s. But anyone who knew Professor Simon knows that his life was full of such friendships, as he lived to help his students succeed. How fortunate I was to be one of them.
DEDICATION
PAGE 5 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
Dedication: Jack Behrens, as I remember him Jack admonished his students to write, write, and then write some more. As the faculty advisor for the Tangerine, he encouraged all of his students to join the UC paper. He stressed the need to prepare for interviews, to pay attention to detail, to seek accuracy, and to ensure balance in all of our work. There was always one more question to ask and Jack was a stickler for honesty and integrity.
Photo: A 1992 yearbook photo of Professor John Behrens. Photo courtesy of Utica College Archives.
Jack had an insatiable curiosity. He believed every person had a story to tell and almost any idea could morph into a feature story or a magazine article.
Over the years he would encourage me to write and publish articles about my career, but I rarely followed up on his suggestions. For most of my career I could not speak about my work and anything I wrote had to be submitted for a time-consuming agency review. Regardless, I was a Jack Behrens trained writer, his student, and his acolyte. Jack lived an extraordinary life. He toured America as a drummer with big bands and later drew upon his experience to publish three books on the big band swing era. Drafted into the U.S. Army, Jack was assigned to
◊ ED NAIDAMAST, ‘75 When Jack Behrens walked into his journalism classes he always brought a broad, infectious smile and an implacable faith that all of his students could develop into writers. Not just writers, but excellent writers.
Jack had many such hopefuls, whose writing skills were subpar, but he had the utmost confidence in all of us and he challenged each of us to be our best. He was demanding, but fair. All of Jack’s classes emphasized the practical over lectures and it was common to bang out a news story on a classroom typewriter coupled with multiple weekly writing assignments.
Across his teaching career, Jack never once lost sight of his objective – to teach the skill of writing to young minds. Some years ago I called Jack to tell him how much he influenced my life. I wanted him to know my success as a U.S. Naval Officer and in the murky world of intelligence gathering and analysis was his success. Jack was far more than my teacher. He was my friend, he was my mentor, and he was among my greatest champions. Across the years we would email each other, occasionally speak on the phone and talk about life, family, faith, character, and integrity As Jack approached the last years of his life he joked that there is a lot of tarnish to the golden years. Jack was still teaching me, this time about life.
Utica College has lost an icon of journalism education and a master of the written word. I have lost a friend of more than four decades. I was hardly a writer and barely could compose a news or feature story when Jack and I met in January 1974. I did my best to complete Jack’s numerous writing assignments – an endless stream of news stories and feature articles from which I became very familiar with Jack’s scribbles across my pages.
from the UC Alumni Council.
Photo: Professor John Behrens takes his Photojournalism class to the site of a car accident in December 1990. In addition to the constant demand of churning out news and feature stories, Jack introduced a steady stream of guest speakers, most often former students who were successful editors, reporters, freelance writers, and authors who shared their experiences in countless specialties. Jack and I lost touch for a few years after I graduated in 1975, but we reconnected when I began a career as a Naval Flight Officer and in national security with the Defense Intelligence Agency. I must have been Jack’s greatest disappointment.
the Army 7th Infantry and then wrote for the Pacific Stars and Stripes in Japan and South Korea. His love for the written word led to his writing more than 20 books and a staggering 25,000 magazine articles. Jack served as the director of the Public Relations and Journalism Programs, he established prominent scholarships to aid students, and was twice elected to serve as chairman of the Raymond Simon Institute for Public Relations. Jack also was honored with the Outstanding Faculty Award
Approximately, two weeks before he died, Jack’s wife, Gert, called and we managed to have a brief video chat. Jack was bedridden, but he could still smile and laugh. We shared some stories and I made sure to let him know again the tremendous impact he had upon my life. Jack’s deep faith in God and his compassion for people, especially his loved ones and his students, was quite possibly his greatest lesson. In his final days, Gert related to me that Jack commented to her, “I can’t even die easy.” Jack had one more lesson. Despite any number of life threatening risks I experienced across almost three and a half decades, Jack was teaching me about courage. I will miss Jack and I am eternally indebted to him for my friend and teacher. May his memory be a blessing for the many lives he touched.
PAGE 6 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
UC’s existence threatened in 1974-75 ◊
JEANNE WICKLINE LABELLA, ‘75
two daily newspapers—the evening Observer Dispatch and the morning Utica Daily Press. There was a sense on campus that Syracuse University would cut UC loose and the small private college we knew would no longer exist.
Utica College’s very existence dominated editorial attention in the Tangerine during the 1974-75 academic year. The State University of New York’s new Upper Division College, less than a decade old, was operating in a former industrial warehouse near downtown Utica.
The drama surrounding discussions of a potential sale of the UC campus to the state grew most intense in late December and early January, during the weeks between the fall and spring semesters when the Tangerine was not published.
The Upper Division College was SUNY’s answer to graduates of the state’s two-year agricultural and technical colleges who wanted to continue their education. Students could earn an associate’s degree at the two-year colleges, then spend their junior and senior years at Upper Division to complete a bachelor’s degree. The new state college naturally had to look at options for a permanent campus and SUNY’s search for a site led to conversations with Syracuse University. At the time, UC was one of 20 colleges of Syracuse University, albeit the only one with a separate campus. But 26% of UC’s assets were
Photo: The March 14, 1975 issue of The Tangerine provided coverage on the college’s decision to remain a private institution. Photo submitted by Jeanne LaBella. owned locally by the Utica College Foundation. In the fall of 1974, discussions on a location for a permanent campus for the Upper Division college focused on a sale of
the Utica College campus to the state, a proposal that met fierce opposition from UC students, faculty and administrators. The issue drew a lot of attention in Utica’s
In the first Tangerine issue published in the spring semester, dated Jan. 31, 1975, Assistant Editor David Waller reported that the Utica College Foundation blocked Syracuse University Chancellor Melvin Eggers’s proposal to sell the Utica College campus to the state. With its 26% ownership interest, the Utica College Foundation had standing to reject the proposal. In March, Waller reported on a new proposal floated by then-Oneida County SEE UC PG. 15
UPD thwarts Landon’s first assignment ◊ KIM LANDON, ‘75
room. Two women greeted us. They were dressed colorfully, wearing scarves and shawls and flowing skirts.
The Utica City Police once raided my Tangerine story. Beginning my second semester at UC, the editors apparently felt I was ready to cover a story in downtown Utica.They sent me to visit a palm reader who had opened a parlor on Genesee Street. Accompanying me were the Tangerine’s photographer, John Winslow ‘72, and another reporter (and my roommate), Ronni Shulman Mallozzi ‘75. We were to have our palms read and I would write an article about the experience. Only the first part happened.
I paid $5 and sat down at a small table covered with a tapestry. My memory tells me there was a crystal ball, but 50 years might have added that detail. Photo: Kim Landon’s senior picture from the 1975 Utica College yearbook. We arrived at the parlor on a sunny winter afternoon. It looked just as I expected —dark, with a thick curtain hanging between the entryway and the reading
The palm reader took my hand and began by telling me that I would live to 82 (so far, so good), that I had a bad temper (Nah!) and that she saw a loved one who had died about five years before. (The only loved one I had lost was my grandfather, 10 years earlier.) That was as far as she got.
Several Utica police officers burst through the curtain and told us to stand up. They hustled the two women out the door and into their car. An officer questioned us. Who were we? Why were we there? Had we paid her? After a stern lecture about the dangers of frequenting illegal businesses, the officer let us go.
Back at the Tangerine office, I had nothing to write, but instead I became the story. The editors wrote what they headlined “ANNOUNCEMENT “ to tell of our adventure. (You can read it in the Tangerine archives, February 25, 1972 issue.)
PAGE 7 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
◊
Absent course offerings provide ‘Woodstein’ moment for alum
LARRY STONE, ’82
Coming of age in the shadow of Watergate, I entered Utica College in 1978 with journalistic ambitions fueled by high ideals. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s groundbreaking reporting at The Washington Post had set a new standard for how journalism could illuminate malfeasance and hold the powerful to account. The world was full of wrongs to right and cheats to expose, and I wanted in. I would later learn that most reporters toil odd hours for low pay and that most aren’t destined for greatness in investigative journalism. The two years I spent as a print reporter were an unremarkable blur of municipal and school board meetings, police and fire reports, and layoffs at a gun factory. But I did enjoy a brief Woodstein moment at the Tangerine in 1981. Selecting my courses for each semester, I would leaf through the UC course catalog and remark that the
Photo: Larry Stone, left, talks to a woman on campus during a pub event in 1982. Photo submitted by Larry Stone. book seemed too thick for such a small college (it was a much smaller institution back then). I took a lot of history electives and wondered why I had never seen many of the courses listed show up among the actual offerings. That sent me to the campus library, where I pored over course catalogs going back two decades or more —then to the registrar’s office, where I discovered what courses had been taught over those years. And I struck investigative gold! A course called Historical Method had last been taught nine years previous, in 1972.
Referring to another longabsent offering with a turn of phrase that still makes me smile, I wrote, “Science and Technology in America Part I (History 428) hasn’t made it to class in seven years.” What’s more, a series of one-credit history courses on the books since 1971 had never been taught. The economics department also ran a serious curriculum deficit. A statistics course, Economics 242, had not been offered since 1963 —an 18year lapse. History and economics department officials defended the continued listing of these courses, to a point. “We don’t like to drop these courses,” history professor and department coordinator Richard Becker told me. “We have left them in the catalog hoping that there was some way we could have them taught.” Even still, just months before I interviewed him, Becker had recommended to the college’s Curriculum Committee that five longabsent history courses be
removed from the catalog. Virgil Crisafulli, emeritus professor of economics, said keeping those courses on the list enabled the college to “expand and contract” according to student demand. And from a practical standpoint, Crisafulli said, discontinuing courses required a time-consuming slog through the Curriculum Committee’s arcane machinations. Still, he conceded, referring to Economics 242, “If it hasn’t been offered in 18 years, it should be dropped. There’s a point beyond which you can no longer say ‘red tape.’ ” I had a lot of fun researching and reporting those stories and was pleased to see that the next edition of the course catalog was noticeably slimmer, omitting most if not all of the listings I had identified, plus others. It wasn’t quite the scoop that made Woodward and Bernstein household names, but it was still invigorating to see my efforts move the administration to action.
How to solve America’s media crisis: A European perspective ◊ LASSE MÄKI-HOKKONEN, ‘13 I have had heart palpitations in recent years following American media and former President Donald Trump’s statements. Some defendants facing criminal charges from the Jan. 6 insurrection blamed conservative cable news and right-wing social media for their actions. I am not surprised yet concerned for America’s future. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism released a study this year where just 29% of Americans said they trust the news, compared to 45% in Canada. Finland - leading the group of 46 surveyed countries - was at 65%. When there is no trust in the
media, the responsibility of knowing what is factual is solely on the viewer. If you lack the needed knowledge to distinguish fact from fiction, who are you supposed to turn to for the baseline? When looking at other Western democracies, the baseline is usually a staterun media. Finland has a relatively balanced media landscape with several media powerhouses and one large state-run media (YLE), and this has come to pass because Finns trust their public institutions. State-run media are quite common in Western democracies. Before Ronald Reagan’s presidency, NPR was fully funded by the federal government. YLE is the Finnish
pre-Reagan NPR equivalent, which has expanded its services. YLE produces content in 12 different languages and is 99.98% funded by taxpayers and does not have any external ads. YLE also must follow general broadcasting standards and there is a complaints mechanism in place. Followers of American political discourse know why trust in the media has collapsed in a certain political group. Statements from a trusted institution matter, and if said institution seemingly holds the same values and beliefs, then you are more inclined to believe them. This is textbook cognitive dissonance: people look to
the media, or specific media outlets, to affirm their beliefs. Unfortunately, in Finland, despite doing well in trusting the media and institutions, we are also seeing far-right tactics of accusing established media organizations such as YLE of leftist views and bias. Having biases is part of the human condition. However, traditional media is being accused of “bias” in stating facts that do not serve a specific agenda. This is straight out of the authoritarianism playbook: creating an alternative truth can be used to misguide people into doing horrid things. Unchecked, this can lead to events such as the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. SEE MEDIA PG. 15
PAGE 8 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
Story of our newspaper ◊ MARIA MONTERO SILVA, ‘20
On Aug. 26, first Tangerine Co-Editor Joe Markason discussed The Tangerine’s past, present and future with former Editor-in-Chief Maria Montero Silva ‘20 and current EIC Matthew Breault ‘22 The Tangerine has seen it all, from new buildings to student protests, a lockdown, racial incidents, a pandemic and so much more. The Utica College student newspaper has been the main source of news for the UC campus since its creation. Both the college and the newspaper celebrate 75 years of existence this year. To celebrate, Utica College had planned to bring the annual Homecoming weekend back after it was canceled last year, but this fall’s events were canceled as well due to the increasing spread of the Delta variant. Homecoming is a time when the UC community experiences the “school spirit,” when students, faculty, staff, families and visitors reunite and spend a weekend remembering and celebrating the memories they had together. That school spirit is something that Joe Markason, the first coeditor of the Utica College News, said the college had a lot of in 1946 when UC was created. “It still kind of amazes me that Utica College has done what it’s done,” he said. “From a place where we had a campus of a few city streets and buildings like Plymouth Church House.” But creating a college is a feat that isn’t fulfilled once the campus is built. Every student, faculty or staff member, parent, friend and visitor has helped shape what Utica College is today. The birth of UC’s school newspaper: A bulletin board notice
Markason, now 96 years old, left a legacy when he graduated. The newspaper that the UC community knows today actually started with a bulletin board notice and a meeting with 20 to 30 people, including Markason. Utica College News, as it was first baptized, was born in the fall of 1946 in a designated room right next to the Dean’s office in the Plymouth Church in Oneida Square, where Utica College held its classes before moving to the Burrstone campus in 1961. “We had nothing to begin with. We had to start a student council, and we did,” Markason said. “Someone said ‘hey, we ought to have a school newspaper’ and so we put up a notice sheet on a bulletin board in the Plymouth Church that we had and we called a meeting, we started a newspaper. And the same thing with the student council, and the drama club, the Gaslighters.”
The people who attended the first meeting made the decisions that would shape the existence of the first and only Utica College newspaper, such as voting for a name, and deciding who was going to become part of the staff or who would act as a volunteer. “I don’t know if it was because some of us were veterans and a little older or more mature, or it was just that we were people in college,” Markason said, “but quite a few people would show up for these things, and wanted to be involved.” The Tangerine’s name: A legendary tale
How the Tangerine received its name is a story that has been told numerous times. And even if someone might not be aware of the tale, with a little imagination, they can kind of imagine where the name comes from. Utica College, which was started out as part of Syracuse University,
Photo: Joseph Markason’s senior photo taken from the Utica College 1950 yearbook. Photo provided by Utica College Archives.
PAGE 9 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM calls its school newspaper the Tangerine in honor of SU’s own Daily Orange. Essentially, the Tangerine is a “smaller orange,” a younger cousin, of the bigger university’s school newspaper. But in Journalism 101, it’s not enough to simply know the what, but also the how, when and who. And so the story of where the Tangerine’s name comes from isn’t complete without those being answered. Actually, the Tangerine wasn’t even the newspaper’s first name in 1946. The paper started out as the Utica College News, and by the second issue, the staff put out a notice asking the UC community for name suggestions, Markason said.
Photo: First Tangerine co-editor Joseph Markason, center, met with former Tangerine editor-in-chief Maria Montero Silva ‘20, left, and current Tangerine editor-in-chief Matthew Breault in August. Photo provided by Mary Christopher
Photo: The Plymouth Bethesda Church, located on Plant Street in Utica, housed Utica College’s first classes and Tangerine office in 1946. Photo provided by Utica College Archives
They didn’t receive many, but the next name picked was Utica College Oracle. Someone wrote an article about its connection to ancient Greece’s Oracle of Delphi. This remained as the official name for about a year, Markason said, but people weren’t too fond of it. So in the fall of 1947, they held another staff meeting where they brainstormed for a new name, and started throwing out some suggestions, but “really nothing seemed to hit,” Markason said. “And I finally said, well, ‘how about the Tangerine?’” he explained. “Here’s my thinking: Syracuse has a Daily Orange, and we’re kind of an off child, so the Tangerine is kind of a small orange so why not the Tangerine?’ Everybody must have been tired by that point.” The staff members took a vote for the best name, and the Tangerine won. It was the birth of the Utica College Tangerine as we know it today. If someone ever wondered why that name lasted for more than 70 years, don’t worry as Markason himself is still amazed that the name survived. “If you had asked me how long it would have lasted, I
would have probably said next year,” he said. “And to have it still 70 years later amazes me. I can’t get over it.” When the school became independent from Syracuse University, Markason explained, “There was no great reason to change it, there was no push, so nothing happened.” First Tangerine stories The college newspaper had three or four staff writers when it started, Markason said. They didn’t have many rules or a story budget, but the reporters were told to go out on campus, “dig something up” and write a story about it. Then, Markason and a couple of other people on the editorial staff would go over the stories, suggest changes and put the paper together. As it happened for many years, someone would then be in charge of driving up to Steffen Publishing in Holland Patent for printing and distributing. “That’s kind of the way we did it,” Markason said. “It was probably pretty slapdash, I’ve gotta admit. But by the same token, it came out.” During UC’s first years, the college newspaper didn’t lack stories and content. From new buildings, a school dance, to the creation of the student council and its first elections with some inclass gossip in between, The Tangerine staff covered many important events that shaped the first years of the new college. The Tangerine’s torch Like a father to all Tangerine members, Markason holds the newspaper close to his heart, and said he is glad that the paper is still in existence. “Well, I hope that it continues. I’m impressed with it,” he said. “I think it’s evolved into a darn good paper and the people that are putting it out have done a great job and I’m just glad to see it. I’m just sort of overall overwhelmed that it’s still in existence. I’m kind of proud of it.”
PAGE 10 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
Beer is Good about killings connected to organized crime and antinuclear protests at Griffiss Air Force Base.
Photo: The 1981 “beer ball” ad provided Tangerine staffers with a free beer ball every two weeks. Photo submitted by Dave Armon. ◊
DAVE ARMON, ’83
The New York Times has a long tradition of filling white space on its pages with a plea for readers to “Remember the Neediest.” The newspaper’s Neediest Cases Fund has raised more than $300 million since 1911. When laying out issues of the Tangerine in 1981, an inch or two of white space was handled in a similar fashion, but without the emphasis on philanthropy. “Beer is Good” was the Tangerine’s mantra under editor Larry Stone, and in the following year when I served as editor. As Stone welcomed his fledgling team of reporters and editors during a September open house at the Tangerine office, I volunteered to handle ad sales. Among our loyal clients were the Uptown movie theater, Chanatry’s supermarket, Chester’s Flowers, Yogi’s Hoagies and a host of bars including Target’s Brass Rail, Spilka’s Hotel and Rome’s Casabogie. Our favorite advertiser was the newly opened Nice N Easy convenience store on Burrstone Road, whose manager agreed to trade a quarter-page ad for a Matt’s Premium “beer ball” every other week. (Note, the drinking age was 18 at the time.) Display ads weren’t the only
source of income. Sales of classified ads were another hallmark of the early 1980s Tangerine experience. Fifteen years prior to the advent of Craigslist and online dating sites, the paid personals functioned as an analog social network of sorts —and the spare change allowed the Tangerine staff to buy snacks alongside our free beer. On the downside, the messages conveyed in the personals occasionally stoked drama, much like the misconduct seen on Twitter and Facebook today. Another source of tension was the Tangerine’s independent streak over the college’s decision to upgrade its basketball program to Division I. Tempers flared after a Tangerine editorial equated the spending on Division I to “flushing a fistful of dollars down the toilet.” Angry basketball players made impromptu visits to the Tangerine office, erasing my previous concern that the campus security office was too close to afford us the necessary separation of church and state. This was the same era when a vacant hotel at the Oneida County Airport in Oriskany was converted into a dorm to accommodate growing enrollment, expanding our news coverage area far from campus. We also wrote
I am forever grateful to Kim Landon and Ray Simon for their support and advice. Some of my Tangerine co-workers are still at work in journalism today, or recently retired. Tangerine sports editor Kevin Mattison was executive editor at the Amsterdam Recorder, from which he retired in 2015. Tangerine reporter Jim Duffy was managing editor of Network World until he retired in 2016. Tim Blydenburgh, who was cartoonist and managing editor at the Tangerine, is assistant city editor at the Albany Times Union. Larry
Platt, who wrote the weekly Platt Chat column while at UC, is editor of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Philadelphia Citizen. Bob Longo, whose byline appeared on numerous stories, is general manager for Hearst Television in Jacksonville. Tangerine music critic Mike Baldwin has been newscast director at KCRA-TV in Sacramento since 1993. Some of our era’s Tangerine colleagues died too young — Peter Callas in 2014, Jackie LaChance in 2015 and Christopher Tobes in 2017. They are sorely missed. Happy 75th anniversary, Tangerine. I’m looking forward to hoisting a frosty mug in your honor. Beer is good.
Cartoon submitted by Michael Scialdone, ‘99
PAGE 11 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
UC Speaks 1983-1984: Man on the street topical questions, interesting answers were happy to answer the questions, but some didn’t want their photo taken. Strike one. Move on to another unsuspecting victim.
◊ LISA PENZOTTI, ‘85 “Go find six random people on campus. Ask them the UC Speaks question for this issue. Be sure to get students from six different majors. Try to get three guys and three gals.Oh, yeah, and take their pictures. You know a three-quarter shot. Watch for contrast so their hair doesn’t blend into the background because when it’s time for publishing on newsprint that will matter.” “You don’t have to take all of the photos,” she said, “because we’ve got a guy named Jay Ward, who’s a Construction Management major and a really good photographer. So you can coordinate taking photos with him,” said Editor Jacqueline LaChance. “Here’s the UC Speaks question for this week’s issue: What do you think of New York state’s recent adoption of the Bottle Bill? Has it affected you in any significant way? Do you think it will be a failure or a success in terms of the goals it
Photo: An example of UC Speaks from the Oct. 7, 1983 issue of The Tangerine. Photo submitted by Lisa Penzotti. is expected to accomplish?” She added, “Just plan on interviewing six people and taking their photos every week for the next 24 weeks. You in?” I say, as a junior transfer student, dual majoring in Public Relations/ Journalism, and also Features Page editor, “Yeah, I’m in.” The first couple of weeks were a breeze. Students on campus were eager to meet each other so everyone walked the halls making eye contact in an effort to meet new friends. Most students
Some students were happy to answer the questions, but were on their way to class and didn’t have time “right at this moment.” Strike two. How to handle that? Hmmm? I could interview eight students instead of six, but then I’d have a few disappointed participants when they didn’t see their photos or quotes in print.I’ll stick with six. Week after week during the fall, winter and spring semesters 1983-84, UC students were speaking, and a half page of The Tangerine was filled and ready to print. After UC, I landed a job as the Communications Specialist at GE Aerospace, on French Road. One of the first new sections I introduced to Aerospace News was— you guessed it — a Man on the Street section in the plant
newsletter for employees eager to share their opinions. It was a smooth transition for me as the new young professional on the block surrounded by 4,000 employees. Man on the Street followed me into my PR Consulting business, too. In 2001, employees at Inter-Lakes Health in Ticonderoga, New York, were eager to share their opinions about big changes at the hospital and nursing home, now under a new health management umbrella. Back to the Tangerine of 1983-84, I fulfilled my task. Go find six random people on campus and ask them a question, get their answer, take their photo and prep for publishing with a Thursday deadline. The reward: Publishing opinions, helping to put The Tangerine to bed every Thursday and wrapping it all up with a Matt’s beer on Pub Night at the UC Pub. I was in.
The Tangerine made me want a professional degree in journalism ◊ KAITLYN TAMBASCO, ‘20 The moment I decided to pursue journalism was when I was a reporter on the staff of the Utica College Tangerine and got the chance to cover a breaking news story about a racial incident that occurred on campus. At the time, I still did not know a lot about journalism, but in a short amount of time I was able to learn about the importance of objectivity, fair reporting and how to deal with anonymous sources. The incident involved four students in the dining hall who separated their tables and put a black student section and a white student section sign on the ends of the tables. Photos surfaced of the incident quickly, making
many students upset and angry. When I volunteered to write a story about this, I had thought that just talking to the students who were hurt by it and the administration would be enough. I learned that wasn’t the case, and found myself getting in contact with two of the students involved, as I realized I had known one of them from a class we had together as freshmen. Out of all the interviews I’ve done in my career as a student journalist, this one was the most unforgettable. The student I knew and his friend both agreed to meet with me under the condition their names would be kept out of the story because they were concerned for their safety. After I told them that could
be done, we met late at night in a classroom in the Faculty Center. From that interview. One of the other things I learned that night was that their side of the story mattered too. It was a side that many students did not agree with, but was one that should be told. After the interview that night, both students told me how much better they felt after speaking with me, which was something that I was grateful for. After speaking with the students, I went on to attend open conversations the school had regarding the incident. With these conversations, I was able to get the other side of the story too. When the story was on the front page that following
week, I had mixed emotions. However, one feeling that outshined any others was pride. I was proud of myself for being strong enough to write a story like that, get both sides, and be able to tell it in an objective way. Apparently, the Syracuse Press Club had the same opinion because it won first place for best print news story that year. Out of all of the stories I wrote for the Tangerine, this one had the most impact on me personally. It showed me to not be afraid of hard questions, be objective when doing reporting, and to always tell both sides of a story, even if it may be hard, and not many people agree with it.
PAGE 12 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
My Tangerine time:
Production process is different but lessons remain the same ◊ KERRI FRENCH WILLIAMS, ‘91 I thought I had long since written my last words for The Tangerine. So when I had the opportunity to write a few more for the newspaper’s 75th Anniversary, I couldn’t resist sitting down at my computer and revisiting some old memories. And the opportunity is even more special since my husband and I - who met working on The Tangerine - have recently moved back to New York state. Mike Williams and I were an editor and managing editor team at The Tangerine during our junior year of college, 30 years ago. I was elected editor-in-chief in my senior year. What strikes me was how
drove the paper to Steffen Publishing in Holland Patent to be typeset and printed. I can remember a few close calls when we forgot an important story back at the office.
Photo: Kerri French Williams, right, and Cindy Bauer Hoffman, left, sit together in their South Hall dorm room. Photo submitted by Kerri French Williams. low-tech the experience was back then. We laid out each edition on graph paper with stories, photos and ads paperclipped to it. Photographs were developed in a dark room. And we
But what hasn’t changed is the camaraderie we felt as journalists putting out a finished product. I can remember photographer Alex Hicks running in at the last minute with a perfect picture. Or sports reporter Cindy Bauer all pumped up after a particularly close basketball win. It was rare back then for sports to be covered by women, so we were extra proud of Cindy’s coverage as a reporter and later as sports editor. We also had our share of late nights when we editors kept each other going with
silly jokes and stories. We even nicknamed one editor Kyle “Stay Til Sunrise Serba” for when he pulled an all-nighter for the sports section. My favorite part of being Tangerine editor was delivering the paper in bundles to certain locations around campus. I loved the look and feel of the Tangerine “hot off the press” and couldn’t wait for other students to check out the latest edition. All in all, it was a time I look back on fondly, and it prepared me for the many deadlines I would later face as a reporter and an editor in “the real world.” I know my role in the Tangerine’s history was a small one, but it was an experience that shaped me and gave me memories to last a lifetime.
Reflections: Tangerine experience made staffer feel at home ◊
FRANK BIANCO ’20
When I think about my time at Utica College, a number of things come to mind. During my first orientation, I was at Pioneer Pub and there was a man singing and playing guitar. He motioned to me and asked if I knew how to play. When I said yes, to my surprise he let me go on stage to play a song. I played “Ventura Highway,” and got a decent applause, (because, after all, who among my generation remembers America, right?) I was published in Ampersand twice. Even won a small award for one of my poems in a contest I didn’t even know I was a part of. To an average person, 75 dollars may not seem like a lot, but to a college student, every bit helps and is appreciated. I remember hosting one episode of Moose Now for UCTV as a last minute replacement, trying to keep from laughing on air
at a poorly written script on the teleprompter. I didn’t think it was possible to say “commencement” ten times in 20 seconds, but it happened.
Joined WPNR. Had a fun time hosting my own show, playing the deep-cut music I always wanted to hear on the radio. I had plans to do much more in my final semester, but much like everyone else’s plans, the pandemic put a stop to them. Of course there were the classes, and all the professors I had the privilege to learn from. I maintain that I never had a bad professor my entire college career, and that was certainly true at UC. From working through sickness as a producer for a mock news show in Professor David Chanatry’s Newscast class, to having deep roundtable discussions with my peers in Professor Wilfredo Alvarez’s Organizational Communication class, to honing my public speaking
skills in Professor Ariel Gratch’s Storytelling class, among many others.
But some of the best memories from my time at UC come from my experience working for the Tangerine. I remember instantly clicking with everyone in the club. They all contributed to a relaxed atmosphere where everything was teamwork driven rather than ego driven. I was primarily the copy editor, but I never felt like just the copy editor. Of course, I did more than just edit everyone’s articles to make them polished and grammatically correct. If a story needed covering and the staff was shorthanded, or if there weren’t enough articles to fill out the week’s issue, I’d step up to the plate without hesitation. The story I had the most fun with was when I covered the musical guests during Homecoming 2019. Over the course of two days, I braved
40 degree October weather to see Broseph give a knockout performance outside Strebel, and saw Madam ZZ and Her Gentleman lay down an intimate soulful performance at Pioneer Pub.
There were also the articles I wrote about music in general. Be it paying tribute to a rock legends like Ginger Baker, spreading awareness to overlooked artists like Stack Waddy and Jim Sullivan, or writing a top five list of jazz albums hoping to inspire the people reading to give the genre a chance, I took advantage of the opportunity the Tangerine gave me and did my best not to squander it. At Utica College I learned a lot, laughed a lot and sacrificed a lot. But I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything, especially not the ones from my time at the Tangerine. Here’s to another 75 years.
PAGE 13 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
Staff Flashbacks
Members of the 1956 Tangerine staff work in their office, located in the Plymouth Bethesda Church in Oneida Square. Photo: Utica College Archives.
Gary Siedsma, former Tangerine editor in chief, works on the newspaper in 1963. Source: Utica College Archives.
Members of the 1984 Tangerine staff pose for a photo. Photo: Utica College Archives.
In 1999, several members of the Tangerine and UC Media Club toured the Philadelphia Inquirer and visited alumnus Yvonne Dennis, who worked there at the time. Photo: Cory and Barbara Lavalette.
Members of the 2010 Tangerine staff pose for a photo. Source: Facebook.
2020-2021 Tangerine Editor in Chief Nick McAdam worked remotely while fellow editors Isabella Hudziak, Stephen Clark and Matthew Breault worked on campus.
Members of the 2021 Tangerine staff pose for a photo. Photo: Alexandria Leland, The Tangerine staff photgrapher.
PAGE 14 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
POV: Editor-in-Chief during 75th anniversary year
◊ MATTHEW BREAULT, ‘22
chief.
Being the editor-in-chief during the 75th anniversary year of The Tangerine has truly been an honor.
Without Mary, I wouldn’t have discovered my love for writing. She has been an incredibly wonderful and helpful professor and advisor to me. I thank her for helping me get to where I am today.
I still remember the phone call that I received from Mary Christopher, who is the current adviser of The Tangerine. When she called me to congratulate me on the position, I was in complete shock. Now looking back at it seven months later, accepting the editor-in-chief position was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My time with The Tangerine has been short, but I’ve enjoyed it. To give a quick background, I started as a staff writer in the practicum, became assistant sports editor a couple weeks later and then interviewed and accepted the editor-in-chief position around six months later. I’d like to give a shoutout to two specific people who have helped me become the writer I am today. My adviser and professor Mary Christopher, and Nick McAdam, who was my predecessor as editor-inLOOKING FROM PG. 1 to a hot plate and a MugA-Lunch (powdered mac & cheese) in your room. If you were really feeling adventurous, you could use the community kitchen in the lounge. A culinary petri dish few wanted to venture into. Delivery was always an option and seemingly each night after studying (1:30 a.m.), we treated ourselves to a hoagie (sub) from the local pizza place. My checkbook reflected this indulgence on quite a regular basis. As did my waistline! Almost none of us had cars on campus unless you befriended someone who did. So, other than the cafeteria at St. Luke’s Hospital across the street (is it still there?) and a place called Bumpers in the Ramada Inn (first time I ever
The time I spent with Nick McAdam, learning how to write and be successful in this position, has truly benefited me. I’m glad that I can still reach out to him at any time for advice, or to just talk for hours on end as a friend. When I initially was hired, my plans were to help revamp the look of The Tangerine. Whether it was the logo, the website or the print edition, I got it done. However, it definitely wasn’t just me. I suggested some changes, Mary Christopher liked them and our Layout Editor, Stephen Clark, got it done. I had envisioned how our logo and website would look, and both Mary and Stephen helped make it happen.
first ever Tangerine co-editor, and the man who came up with “The Tangerine” name. Hearing the man who helped create the legacy of The Tangerine explain the meaning behind the name firsthand was incredible. This job has brought me tons of joy and stress. If I didn’t have the staff I have around me, I really don’t know what I’d do. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone on the staff is back on campus and that makes it much easier for me to do my job. COVID-19 has forced many changes, and because of these changes we started printing biweekly this semester instead of weekly. We still don’t know what the future holds and even though myself and others lean towards staying biweekly, printing weekly again isn’t out of the question. It ultimately depends on future budget allowances.
The most amazing thing that has happened to me as editor-in-chief was getting to meet Joe Markason, the
I typically spend around 1617 hours on campus every other Wednesday, instead of every Wednesday, doing
saw hummus on a pita—the famous “Bumper Sandwich”), your walking options were slim to none. We did have a semi-abandoned shopping center past the cemetery. A store called Stars went out of business years before and the new owners simply removed the “S” from the sign and called themselves “Tars.” They desperately could have used Ray Simon’s marketing magic. And Tars was about as exciting as it sounds. It certainly was no Target. Not even Walmart. Just an old, run-down store with merchandise that was probably holdovers from the 60s. Yet, I still have my set of smoke black cocktail glasses I purchased there.
place. I know my parents cried when they dropped me off there, out of fear mostly. UC wasn’t a Villanova, a Notre Dame and certainly not a Syracuse, her big sister to the west (at that time). It was just a little school, in the middle of the snow and rust belt that somehow turned out some amazing professionals
For all of the snow, the rain, the mud, and the basically long-past-her-prime look of Utica, it was somehow a magical and enchanting
both classwork and Tangerine things. Stephen Clark is with me all night until early morning doing what I consider the most difficult job on the entire staff. Without Stephen keeping me sane all night, I definitely couldn’t do this job effectively. He’s the main reason why the newspaper looks so great every time it’s printed. The hardest part about being editor-in-chief during the 75th anniversary is the pandemic in its entirety. Masks everywhere. Budget cuts. Little to no motivation from seemingly everyone. It’s been tough, but seeing the success we have reminds me of how great we really are. It’s been an honor to be editor-in-chief during the 75th anniversary year of The Tangerine. I know we will continue to do great things as the year goes on. It’s sometimes overwhelming to think that my name will always be associated with the 75th anniversary. Here’s to the rest of the year and to the next 25, 50 and beyond.
with luminous careers. More importantly, the friendships that were created there and the confidence they built in budding young adults were pivotal to our future success. Some lasted and some disappeared. But all had their place on the highway of our lives.
Photo: Public Relations and Journalism faculty members pose for a 1990 yearbook photo. From left to right: John Behrens, Joseph Zappala, Kim Landon and Cecilia Friend. Source: Utica College Archives.
PAGE 15 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM TIME WARP FROM PG. 1 Big Headlines of the Late ‘60s One of the biggest Tangerine stories of 1967-69 was the rumored “state takeover” of Utica College (or UCSUNY merger, depending on what side you were on). Rumors swirled, accusations flew, committees met and politicians weighed in. Upperclassmen were worried about their Syracuse diplomas. It was big news in Upstate New York and we did our best, as a weekly, to keep up with the saga over two years. Tangerine of that era was full of stories covering typical college student pursuits (social weekends, sports, pub entertainment), plus righteous and strident editorials (who, me?), and news of campus unrest (protests, angry disagreements with the college administration). On the plus side, Tangerine added a weekly syndicated column by civil rights activist Dick Gregory; on the questionable side, we sponsored a psychedelic Body Painting Contest with a six pack of beer as the prize. While we as students had one foot in the Fifties and all that the decade represented, we came of age in the turbulent Sixties... With urban riots, civil rights marches, takeovers of campus buildings (at UC, it was the computer center), and anti-war protests. There was also the “Summer of Love,” recreational drugs, free beer at the Utica Club brewery, and the best music of all time. The Way We Were Utica College, Tangerine and its editorial staff were all about the same age in the late 1960s, just about 20 years
MEDIA FROM PG. 7 I regularly browse Politico, CNN and Fox News and there are stark differences on each news site. Analyzing and understanding the reasons for these editorial decisions could
from our beginnings. (BTW, it was just “Tangerine” then, not The Tangerine as it’s called now.) So, what about that little orange fruit, anyway? The name recognized our status as the “country cousin” of the famous Daily Orange of Syracuse University (since UC was part of SU at that time). Working on Tangerine was a rite of passage for all PR majors and the occasional English, philosophy or history major who wandered into the office. Back then, the PR major at UC was still a pretty small fra/rority and there was no journalism degree offered. (However, we were all extremely well prepared by Ray Simon and Jack Behrens for almost any job in communications, and one of us actually became a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Jim Asher, you know who you are.) For me, the special part about being Tangerine editor was the advisor: Ray Simon, professor, mentor and, later, friend of a lifetime. Most weeks, things ran along well, but of course there were those Friday afternoons a dreaded note would appear on my desk, “Ace - See me. – RS.” He called all of us by our last names, except I was “Ace” (a nickname bestowed by my BFF Tom MacMillan). Even if one of my incendiary editorials stirred up a hornet’s nest, Ray managed to make it a coaching moment about the power of the pen. “Time, oh good, good time … where did you go?” That lyric from the 1968 song by the Pozo-Seco Singers was the lead for my final editorial for Tangerine. From the vantage point of my seventh decade, I’m sure the song was written for my future self. Looking back through the time warp, it seems only yesterday... do well for many Americans in creating a baseline for themselves: Who stands to profit from said viewpoint in what I am reading? Private media need ad revenue and private equity
UC FROM PG. 6 Executive William Bryant: to share the UC campus with the new state college. That, too, was rejected by the Utica College Foundation. After a four-hour meeting on March 5, 1975, the Utica College Foundation issued a statement affirming its commitment to keeping Utica College a private institution providing “fouryear liberal arts and career programs.” The foundation’s vote engendered a collective sense of relief on campus. The March 14, 1975, issue of the Tangerine carried a detailed report on the controversy and my frontpage editorial endorsing the foundation board’s decision. The editorial noted that a private college has greater flexibility than a public institution that is part of a large bureaucracy. That flexibility enabled administrators and faculty to shape academic offerings to meet student needs. UC was also in good financial shape—deficits in the preceding three years amounted to less than 1% of the college’s budget, the editorial noted. But the sense that the matter was settled was not shared campus-wide. In the March 21, 1975, issue, Waller reported that 47% of Utica College faculty favored continued talks with the state. Some faculty were interested in exploring a merger of the two schools. However, administrators and a faculty majority put a stop to further discussions, noting that continued negotiations would foster uncertainty about Utica College’s future and harm enrollment and fundraising efforts. to pay the bills, and that is what is making American media untrustworthy. A state media independent from ad revenue and private ownership might seem like a solution in creating a baseline, but it would not work unless
I was editor-in-chief of the Tangerine that year. In this time of a 24/7 news cycle, it is interesting to look back on our coverage of this overwhelming issue 46 years later. The weekly Tangerine appeared on campus every Friday morning. But our editorial deadline was Tuesday. The emotions on campus surrounding the potential sale of our campus ran strong—and those of us most interested in developments followed accounts in Utica’s two daily newspapers. By the time the Tangerine published reports on the matter, facts were well known. This was particularly true following the December 1974 drama that culminated in the UC Foundation Board’s first vote to reject a sale of the campus. As the newspaper of record for Utica College, the Tangerine was obliged to cover the issue. But that Tuesday-deadlineFriday-delivery news cycle presented a challenge. I recall several key foundation meetings that occurred on Wednesdays—timing that was inconvenient for the campus newspaper. Despite the obstacles, we interviewed college administrators and faculty and brought to the Tangerine’s pages an otherwise overlooked perspective on the controversy. Today, UC and the Upper Division College are both vibrant higher education institutions in the Mohawk Valley. UC is now independent of Syracuse University and Upper Division College has evolved into SUNY Polytechnic Institute, with a campus in nearby Marcy.
people trust the state and its institutions. How do you make people trust a staterun media and its governing bodies? Give them a genuine possibility to participate, direct and change it.
PAGE 16 • SPECIAL EDITION • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 • UCTANGERINE.COM
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KYLE RIECKER ‘21
Fitting it all in
I will never forget my first night on the job as layout editor of the Utica College Tangerine. For the first hour or so, I grappled with Adobe InDesign, sweating and keenly aware of the concerned sets of eyes on me, wondering if Kyle Riecker could deliver the first issue of the 2016 Tangerine or if it would be a massive failure. Matt Rogers, the previous editor-in-chief, stopped in to see me and offered some words of advice: “Kyle, you’ve got the toughest job on the Tangerine. Good luck, let me know if you need anything.” I knew it would be a long night. And a long, challenging night it was, despite then Editor-InChief James McClendon and my best efforts, we worked well into the early morning hours on that first issue. It was mainly uphill from there, with every issue sent to print came a little more confidence and a few minutes shaved off the time required to complete the task. I was invited back for another three academic years to layout. While life was dragging me in eight different directions, I enjoyed the work and the Tangerine organization so much that I was happy to contribute and make time for the paper. While pizza kept me fueled, my skill set was limited during the first year. Alex Caldas stopped by one Wednesday evening to watch me in action and provide some feedback. An alumni and close friend who worked for the Observer-Dispatch as a layout editor at the time, I considered Caldas my guru when it came to training in the sacred layout arts. Caldas freed me of the mental prison of InDesign guidelines. She introduced me to a method of placing stories called “bastard
passed along the same hardline advice that Rogers and Caldas did to me, as it was absolutely true of my experience. There is no training to prepare for how to adjust an entire spread because one story is two sentences too long and doesn’t fit on the page. It can only be gained through the act of doing, failing and then eventually with some luck, succeeding.
Photo: The Tangerine is layed out digitally through Adobe InDesign. layout” which provided a lot more flexibility with column spacing and other obstacles that layout designers face. After being taught how to use my eye, my layouts became a lot more creative, fluid and customizable. Thank you, Alex, for sharing your wisdom. 2016 was the year of presidential news, we welcomed President Laura Casamento to her new role and begrudgingly welcomed then-President Donald Trump in January. We managed to join the ranks of inaccurate polls with our presidential election poll which predicted Hillary Clinton would win but with a footnote that undecided voters could swing the election. The rest was history, and Trump-era politics became intertwined with much of the news coverage I witnessed. The following year, Sam Northrup replaced James McClendon as editor-in-chief. While I considered James irreplaceable, I could not have been happier with his successor. Not only were the three of us friends, we were able to commiserate about editor pet peeves and have lively discussions about sports, social happenings and of course the highly controversial Utica staple, tomato pie. Where Sam and I really hit it off was our taste in music. It’s
not such a well-kept secret that I am a huge Deadheadliving, eating and breathing the Grateful Dead’s catalog and using it as a sort of performance-enhancing drug for layout design and other creative ventures. By the time 2017-2018 rolled around, I could lay out a 12-16 page issue in about one and a half Grateful Dead shows. That’s about five hours for the uninitiated. We introduced a comics page and I ran a crossword section. What can I say, I’m an old soul and I know at least some of our readers enjoyed the nostalgia I was bringing to the table. We enjoyed a lot of laughs at the Easter Eggs and subtle comical elements that we left for our readers. Of course, it wasn’t all fluffy design packages, tomato pie and music. The Tangerine reported on some pretty serious topics during my stay, especially during the various months of March. Superstorm Stella and the collapse of the UC Dome, followed by an active shooter scare, followed by the pandemic -all happened in March. And everyone thought Caesar had a rough month. It was nearing time for me to step back as well, after all the layout position is designed to be experiential. It was tough to let go. I ended up training two new layout editors. I
If there’s a major takeaway from my experience at The Tangerine, it’s that success is built upon failure and when there’s a deadline involved, the timeframe for this transformation is compacted into a single night and there’s a lot riding on being on the right side of that equation. When the pandemic hit, I worked remotely from March 2020 to June 2021. I wrote about the shutdown experience for the Tangerine in what I feared would be my last contribution to the paper. I also feared that it was the end of the Tangerine organization as a whole with so much uncertainty, so I was overjoyed to find a May 2021 printed copy of the Tangerine (and well-designed to boot) resting near my desk when I returned to campus this semester. My gratitude is immeasurable for being allowed to have this experience as part of my education and to share a part of a 75-year history with fellow current and former staff, editors and layout designers. I am a proud alumnus of the UC Public Relations program. I want to personally thank Mary Christopher for being the positive light at the end of every Tangerine tunnel, Kim Landon for her sharp wit and incomparable wisdom and to Pat Swann for putting up with me as a student, prankster and advisee. I appreciate and respect you all beyond words.