Friday, February 24, 2023 Print Edition

Rally hosted in response to Academic Program Review

◊ TANGERINE STAFF

Rain, sleet and snow came pouring down on a sea of red, the morning of Feb. 17 as students and faculty gathered at Utica University’s Duffy Plaza, to rally against the Academic Portfolio Review.

This rally was formed in response to the Academic program review which was announced to faculty in early September 2022. After investigations into all majors on the University campus, data was released on Jan. 18

when it was announced that 15 majors were up for sunsetting.

In a previous interview with the Tangerine, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Honors Program Leonore Fleming explained there were three main concerns that faculty have surrounding the process of the review.

A lack of transparency throughout the program review process, including but not limited to the promise of data that has not been fulfilled

An unclear rationale behind the initial Board of Trustees charge and subsequent recommendations

The violation of the collective bargaining agreement pertaining to curriculum decisions.

Despite the dismal weather, the spirit of the crowd was high as they marched down and around Bell Hall, chanting for all of campus to hear.

The crowd chanted stop the cuts, holding signs and standing out in their bright red AAUP-

Student on the Street:

Utica t-shirts.

The weather matched the emotions pouring out of the crowd, a mix of anger and sadness at what was happening at the university as the group recited a variety of phrases and held signs attempting to get the attention of the Board of Trustees on campus.

After the march the group stationed themselves back in Duffy Plaza where faculty and students stood in front of the crowd in the rain Cont. on page 4

What goes through your mind when you hear about another school shooting?

“I honestly think it’s kinda sad that it’s just like one after another and there’s not really anything being done about it. It’s like disappointing kind of.” Who are you disappointed in?

“You know, it’s like the schools, like the school systems, like how they aim to protect us as well as like the government and how do these people get their hands on the different weapons that are available.”

—Lexi Aliasso, sophomore

“It’s sad but it also feels like unfortunately like a normal thing at this point, which it shouldn’t.”

—Christian Betrand, freshman for fall ‘23

“I think I’m lucky that I wasn’t in one. I’m lucky that it wasn’t my school. But I also think it’s unfortunate that it’s still happening. Even after all these things (procedures) that we had in place, I feel like with these things that we do have in place, we’re also informing the shooters of the plans that we have towards this. Let’s say the shooter knows the steps people take to protect themselves, like hiding under a table, etc, now they know where to look. So it’s like I don’t really know how you can stop that from happening but at the same time, you know, I see why people want to help. I see what they want to do with the plans… procedures to follow.”

—Jonatan La O Gonzalez, sophomore

Interviewed by Diana Sidorevich

Spring 2023 STAFF

@UticaTangerine

@Utica_Tangerine

@Utica_Tangerine

Editor-In-Chief - Isa Hudziak

Managing Editor - Hollie David

News Editor - Mickale Thompson

Special Assignments Reporter- Mariami

Kentchadze

Social Media Manager - Nicolas Leonard

Circulation Manager - Briana Ajayi

Adviser - Mary Christopher

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SLCE changes the RA role starting fall 2023

◊ ISA HUDZIAK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Office of Student Living and Campus Engagement announced that changes to the Student Living Staff positions will change for the 2023-24 academic year in a campus wide email.

These changes are forecasted to have a direct impact during the Fall 2023 semester, which will include more events and social opportunities for residential students.

“These changes are aimed to expand our services offered to residential students, provide more opportunities for

employment to more students, and to help place emphasis on student staff well-being and success,” according to the announcement.

The new Resident Assistant model will include new yearlong positions:

Community Advisors who will assist SLCE in creating a sense of community in the residence halls

Student Living Evening Assistants who will work with SLCE to enforce policy, respond to emergencies and resolve conflicts

Student Living Operations Coordinators, which includes

students that will assist SLCE with housing operations such as health and safety inspections

Student Living Marketing Coordinators who will use social media to successfully market the residential program at Utica

Senior Community Advisors, which are returning student staff members who are responsible in evoking a sense of community in the residence halls

The model also supports temporary paid positions, such as Move-In Assistants, MooseMovers and Move-Out Assistants.

According to the announcement, the current Student Living Student Staff model employs around 25 students per semester, which will be doubled with the new model.

“This new model will employ approximately 45-50 students throughout the academic year and employ more than 100 students temporarily during the peak times of August and May,” the announcement said.

More information pertaining to the application process, job descriptions and hiring processes will be released shortly.

Campus safety Blotter

NEWS

Cont. from page 1 and gave speeches in regards to how they felt about the decisions being made on campus.

Jeff Miller, professor of communication and chair of the communication and media department, approached the crowd to speak looking for some specific advice.

“Can we talk,” Miller said. “I need some relationship advice. Listen, I’ve been in this relationship for a very long time, like 25 years.”

The initial reaction of the crowd involved awes and laughter, but when Miller continued, the mood dropped.

“I started to think this could be a relationship that could last for life, then I started to notice that even though we had kind of a shared agreement, this is not an equal relationship,” Miller said.

His speech shared the sentiment of Daniel Tagliarina, associate professor of political science, who read through the charge from late August that spearheaded the Academic Portfolio Review. He pondered the grade that should be given to the board and directed the question to the crowd.

The crowd shouted “F” and he had to talk them down.

“How about a D,” Tagliarina shouted. “How about a D for dismissal of faculty concerns.”

Clemmie Harris, associate professor of history, addressed the crowd with a bullhorn decked with the emblem of the Faculty Union. His speech touched on the need for shared governance by all parties of the university.

“The culture operates off of shared governance,” Harris said. “Not the idea of shared governance, not the theory of shared governance but the practice of shared governance. Everyone must participate equitably in this culture of shared governance [or] else the institution does not work.”

Distinguished Professor of Psychology Steven Specht took to the proverbial stage and spoke about the importance of students at Utica University and how they require the support of the institution to succeed.

“Our students are not butts in seats,” Specht said. “They should not be considered revenue streams. They are voices in our classrooms, tears in our offices, they are promises of a better future. But only if we, as an institution, make the right ethical decisions and take part in making the world a better place instead of simply chasing the money.”

Multiple students gave remarks during the rally, which included remarks written by former Student Government Association president and animal behavior major Kat

Hawley, who touched on the silencing of student voices.

“We must work together to force the conversations needed to challenge the patterns of oppression at our institution,” according to Hawley’s remarks.

After the board meeting, an email was shared with the campus in regard to the review.

“The Board continues to approach these decisions with the utmost thoughtfulness, care, and, most of all, concern for the students and families

we serve,” according to the statement.. “We are grateful for everyone who has added input and perspective to this process through a variety of ways.”

The board continued by giving a deadline for the announcement.

“As previously shared with the University community, the Board will finalize its decisions and communicate those decisions in a detailed report to students, administration, faculty, and staff no later than Friday, February 24,” the Board of Trustees announced in the email.

English professor Elizabeth Threadgill wearing AAUP-Utica red, standing next to a sign.

Photo: Michal Kozub

The Rally: photographed by Michal Kozub

NEWS

Q & A: Utica mayoral candidate Bob Cardillo

◊ HOLLIE DAVID MANAGING EDITOR

Q: What inspired you to run for mayor?

A: I have a passion for our community and I believe I have the knowledge and experience in the passion to be able to continue the progress to be made. The city’s come a long way in the last several years. I think Mayor (Robert) Palmeri has done a really good job of expanding the projects that come through Downtown Utica. I compliment him for the work that he’s done. He’s not able to run again, and I think we need to be able to have somebody who can continue that growth and enthusiasm he’s had for Downtown. And also take a serious look at what we need to do with our neighborhoods. I think I can make that difference based on my background and based around the amount of time I have to put into this. This will be for me, the only thing I do, my full-time job. Also, it’s not just a job, you have to

◊ BRADY BARNARD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

have the passion for it, and the instincts for it. You also need to have the fortitude to recognize you need to be on call 24/7.

Q: What do you plan on doing to help college students?

A: I have a wonderful affection for Utica University. Utica College was developed as a local college years ago for people to come and get an education here when they couldn’t go to Syracuse University.

One of the things we need to be able to do is to take all of our universities and all of our colleges and try to see how we can better retain our young people from a job perspective. We need to be able to do something to try to encourage people. We need to have our colleges tell us what we need, and what programs to do these things. I know the college is going through these changes right now So maybe it’s appropriate for the college and the city to sit down and say, look, we know you’re

going through these changes. What are the things that are most important? I also think relationships between city school districts and the colleges need to be strong because these kids are going to become college students eventually.

Q: Voter turnout for college students is usually fairly low, do you hope to change this in any way?

A: Generally speaking, people

don’t vote in primaries, especially young people, so encouraging people to vote in the primaries is big. What I think people need, young people need, to recognize is that they want to make a difference. They think about a general election, so they go out and vote in a general election but think about how you get to those folks that you really want in office and that is the primaries.

Young kids don’t know how much politicians may affect them. Quite frankly, if you are gonna pay taxes, do you know how it is determined how much in taxes you are going to pay? It’s the politicians who make the budgets. So if you don’t want to care about policy, think about how much the people in the office are going to affect your taxes.

View the full story at Uticatangerine.com

Engage system updated for spring semester

students and faculty,” she said.

Engage is a content management system that most professors at Utica University use to post their assignments and keep their class organized for their students. This year, students who are familiar with Engage will notice that the program looks a bit different.

The Engage learning management system was upgraded prior to the start of Utica’s spring 2023 semester, according to Senior Associate Provost for Online and Extended Studies Polly Smith.

“The redesign improved the functionality of the platform to continue supporting an impactful teaching and learning experience for

The update found ways to make the platform more convenient for students. Knowing students are always on the go, the update made it easier for students to access the site from anywhere.

“Engage is also now more mobile friendly as students increasingly use their devices to access course content,” Smith said. “Moreover, Engage contains the latest software updates to safeguard the privacy and security of data in the platform.”

Various features have been added. This includes individualized settings, which involves students being able to expand or collapse desired content to meet their needs. Additionally,

with the new one-click view feature, students can review the course structure via the course index. With course management quick access, students can prioritize and manage course deadlines under the dashboard feature.

Exercise and Wellness Studies with a concentration in Exercise Science major Eduardo Paez said the new site is easier to navigate.

“Before I got used to the old Engage, I was kind of confused when I tried to find assignments for certain classes, but now I feel like I can easily find the class I’m looking for and what assignments I have to do,” Paez said. “I still haven’t used everything that’s been changed, I’m still finding new stuff that helps with

organizing my assignments and finding what I need to do.”

Along with the updates, there are many returning features that students may find helpful.

The option to view the participants in each class can be useful to students that are looking for help. If you couldn’t make it to a class, you can ask someone on the list for important notes that you missed that day.

Engage also features its own messaging system, making it easy for professors to make announcements to their class.

Students can also find a grade tab, where they can keep track of their grades as well as view any feedback their professors have given them on assignments.

Photo provided by Michael Santiago

Working out: Flex work, one month in

◊ KAYDEN LAMPHERE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Flex Work Program, an initiative that brings fulltime staff members’ work hours from 37.5 to 32, has officially wrapped up its first month trial period of this year. During the test trial, staff members not only had their hours shortened but also had increased opportunities to take time off.

Within the first month, the program has already impacted staff and students in several ways, shaking up what it looks like to be an employee at Utica University.

“I think it’s been really positive for supporting a good work-life balance,”

Greg Caloia, a Success Coach at Utica University said. “For myself and most of my colleagues as well.”

According to Caloia, the program has allowed him to be home more with his young children and wife, a task that was much more difficult before the implementation of Flex Work.

Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Jason Denman noted the positive effect it has had on his office as a whole.

“It’s working terrifically for arts and science staff,” Denman said. “I think they appreciate it very much. Sharon Wise, the Dean of Natural Sciences and Math, and I have not had any trouble coordinating it, so

we are super supportive.”

According to Denman, while he personally has not been able to use the program to its fullest yet, due to the nature of days off accruing if a staff member does not use them, he expects he will be able to in the near future.

Amy Lindner, the Vice President for Advancement at Utica University, said she noticed a major increase in morale in staff members around her.

“People, after three years of feeling like we’re in a pressure cooker after the pandemic, have finally been given a little bit of room to breathe,” Lindner said. “And I think it has allowed staff to feel like they can better manage their personal and professional responsibilities.

According to Lindner, though, there have been some challenges

in implementing the system with concerns over availability.

“A major challenge has been that we’re expected to be available and on call despite the changes to our schedule,” Lindner said. “Carving out personal time that is actually personal has been hard to juggle.”

Lindner also noted the difficulties involved with faculty arrival at different times of the day, making scheduling meetings harder than before. However, she believes these to be part of the “growing pains” involved in implementing a new system and again commented on how positive the reaction has been overall.

Student life has also been changed by the new program, changing the response time of certain faculty members along with their general

receptiveness.

“I didn’t even know there was a new program put in place,” animal behavior major Alexis Chrysler, said. “But the communication has definitely gotten better from previous years.”

According to Chrysler, there has been a drastic increase in the response times of some staff members through email. She expressed thankfulness for the increase, as it allows her to not spend time worrying about when or even if a member will be able to get to her reply in a timely fashion.

For more information about the Flex Work initiative, contact Lisa Green (lcgreen@utica. edu) or stop by the Office of Human Resources at 124 White Hall, open MondayFriday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Utica University campus in the evening

Photo: Alexis Chrysler

Business students frustrated with shuttle reliability, parking insufficiencies

◊ MICKALE THOMPSON NEWS EDITOR

On Feb. 10, the School of Business and Justice Studies sent out a campuswide email informing students that the Oneida County Executive’s Office has notified the school that business students and some suspected faculty have been parking in the courthouse visitor lot.

The email made it clear that the parking lot is for people doing business in the courthouse and not a public parking lot and that there are no designated student parking spots near the business center. The County Executive’s office has issued that it plans to start towing vehicles that are not supposed to be parked there.

“We had gotten that contact as a courtesy heads up from the County Executive’s Office and that’s what prompted us to let people know,” Dean of Business and Justice Studies Stephanie Nesbitt said. “They had taken steps to post signs several weeks ago to say that the parking was for courthouse business only and that it didn’t seem to be curbing the problem. The parking downtown is pretty limited and they had to be sure that when people are going in to do courthouse business that [they] actually can find a place to park.”

The bus shuttle is scheduled to run in 15-minute periods for arrival and drop-off to and from the business center. Increasingly students have resorted to driving downtown for class because some say the shuttle has proven to not be the most consistent form of transportation.

Emily Dygert, a business management major, is one

of the students who stopped taking the shuttle bus and opted to drive instead. She said at times the shuttle was late and inconvenient for her because she had to drive to campus to take the bus as a commuter student.

“It didn’t make sense for me to drive to campus and then get on the bus,” Dygert said. “It actually takes me less time to get to the downtown campus than it does to get to the main campus.”

Damian Bruce, a sports management student, said the shuttle is a great resource for students but its reliability is another question. Bruce said at times he was always late for class or would have to wait long periods for the shuttle after class.

“I remember [one] time I was waiting outside in the freezing cold for 45 minutes for the bus to arrive at the business center,” Bruce said.

“I literally timed it because after 20 minutes [I wanted to see] how long it would take. So from my personal experience, I hated it.”

The university is exploring ways to make the transit from campus to the downtown area more convenient and is close to implementing a campus bus software program by TransLoc used

by other universities such as Colgate University.

The GPS system will have a tracker allowing students to monitor the bus shuttle in real-time on their phones and is currently working with Integrated Information Technology Services (IITS) to install the new software in the main lounge on the business center television.

“The only thing that we’re not sure that the bus can do is alert us,” Vice President of Facilities and Emergency Management Shad Crowe said. “We would like to have a timer that says [the bus] arrived [at a certain time] and some type of alert notice on their phones telling students that the bus is about to leave.”

The contractual agreement between the University and the Cedar Bus Company is up for RFP (Request for Proposal) in the near future.

Sharena White, the bus company’s operations manager, said the company is working to continue to find ways to help students succeed.

“We work collectively to identify and address challenges and possibilities for improvements and have a strong foundation rooted in excellent communication,”

White said. “We take pride in executing in excellence and strive to do so daily with our resources.”

According to Nesbitt, working with the city of Utica to offer students a semesterby-semester parking pass for one of the Downtown Utica parking garages is one idea to help mitigate parking insufficiencies. However, conversations with the city have not started yet.

“All of the garages are not fully repaired but it is a conversation that [Shad Crowe] and I have talked about starting with the city to see if we can move towards that,” Nesbitt said.

Still, Dygert hoped that there would have been more consideration placed into securing parking spots for students closer to the building before deciding to move business classes downtown.

“The shuttle is really not that reliable and it’s really inconvenient for a lot of students, especially upperclassmen that don’t live on campus,” Dygert said. “I don’t feel safe parking in the parking garages and then having to walk that far by myself. I constantly hear about people walking up to students and asking them for money when they’re walking to the building and it isn’t safe.”

Nesbitt said parking in the downtown area has been an issue since day one. However, students can take comfort in knowing that the area of the city is a safe place.

“That area of the city is the safest area of the city by all statistics and measures that the Utica Police Department keeps,” Nesbitt said. “Statistically speaking it’s the safest part of the city that the up can be in.”

The Clark City Center is located in the heart of downtown Utica where business students take classes at the Brvenik Center for Business. /Photo: Alexandria Leland

Utica University goes to Egypt: Gallery

Photos by:

Ashraf Elmarakby: Top left

Emily Joss: Top right, bottom right

Sarah El-Fiky: Middle left

Tom Crist: Bottom left, middle right

◊ EMILY JOSS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The start of this new year also brought the return of Utica’s study abroad programs, kicking off with a facultyled two week excursion to Egypt.

Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies

Daniel Kratochvil took a huge role behind the scenes for this trip and couldn’t have been more excited to see it materialize.

“This trip marked a wonderful restart of this form of international education for Utica University students and faculty members,” Kratochvil said.

Their flight from JFK took off on Jan. 2, and after landing at Cairo International on Jan. 3, the crew had two weeks to explore all of Egypt before returning for the Spring semester.

The short journey gave students the opportunity to finally take the chance to study abroad without missing crucial classes or athletic responsibilities.

Kate Anderson, a student in the graduate OT program, jumped on such a chance.

“The trip was a perfect opportunity to study abroad short term without jeopardizing my academic agenda,” Anderson said. “It inspired me to take the risk and want to travel more.”

Students spent the two weeks living in the dorms and attending lectures inside the American University in Cairo, which is just a short drive away from the heart of Old Cairo and the Nile River.

Students couldn’t help but express the allurement around every turn, and the history that came with every step.

Senior nursing and psychology major Sarah Petronella had nothing but admiration for the country.

“Egypt is a beautiful, wondrous, time machine that holds an unimaginable

Utica University goes to Egypt

amount of unanswered questions and mysteries dating back to the beginning of mankind,” Petronella said.

During their time, all of the major tourist attractions were explored. This included the National Egyptian and mummy museums, a boat ride along The Nile, a trek through the Sahara Desert to examine ancient fossils in situ, and of course, the Pyramids of Giza accompanied with camel rides through Giza.

Physical Therapy Professor Tom Crist reflected on these experiences with awe. Crist, already a globetrotter, said being right on top of these world wonders was nothing like one could ever imagine.

“I realized that photographs and videos cannot capture the magnificence of the ancient Egyptian landmarks and the artifacts that we saw in the museums,” Crist said.

However, the parts that students and faculty seemed to enjoy most were all that Egypt had to offer that you don’t learn about in textbooks.

Trips to non-profit organizations, like Risala, aim to touch every person under the Egyptian sun, whether that be with clothes to put on their back, food on their table, education for young and old or seeking to help the blind and the orphaned and their reach never seems to stop.

On other days, the students explored Sekem, a sustainable farm flourishing in the middle of the Sahara Desert that not only grows herbal medicine, tea, honey, coffee and clothes for cotton, but also started a K-12 school district and opened an urgent care and physiotherapy unit open to anyone who needs.

“The foundation of Egyptian society is built on intangible values, and economic status does not merely compare to the importance of love, social

interaction, sustainability and togetherness,” Petronella recalled.

The Pioneers also visited the largest pediatric oncology hospital in the world. 57357 hospital is a non-profit organization created to embody that of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in the United States, and bring it back to the center of Old Cairo. The hospital is the only one of its kind in all of Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Crist reflected fondly on his time spent at 57357.

“The most memorable part of the trip for me was when groups of patients and visitors gathered around the Utica students to take their pictures together at the children’s cancer hospital,” Crist said. “That made all of the planning and the long flights so worthwhile.”

Again and again, wherever the students traveled, Egyptians were thrilled to share with them, their culture, their joys and their day to day experiences.

“Their excitement to share with me their country was beautiful, and I am so grateful for everything I was taught, shown, and given,” Petronella said.

Although only there for a short time, Crist echoed many of the same feelings.

in Cairo were so friendly and helpful that I really felt at home there even though it

was my first trip to Egypt,” he said.

The University has prepared to expand its faculty-led trips to Ghana and Ecuador as well as back to Egypt in the coming semesters.

“These courses will offer students in several different degree programs an opportunity to study their disciplines in unique cultural and physical contexts,” Kratochvil said.

For those seeking the traditional, semester-long study abroad experiences, Utica has opportunities opening in a wide variety of countries.

Some of these include American University in Cairo (Egypt), Jagiellonian University (Poland), Kansai Gaidai University (Japan), Lingnan University (Hong Kong) and University College Dublin, just to name a few. Wherever the location, seize the opportunity. Take it from students like Petronella who will never regret her decision to study abroad.

“I’m eternally grateful for the paths I crossed, the love I received, the knowledge I gained, the Egyptian sunrises and sunsets, and the warming invitations to return,” Petronella said.

With any sort of interest in expanding your horizons, the doors of the International

Misha Rai reads to campus

◊ ISA HUDZIAK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The seats in MacFarlane Auditorium were filled with more than 40 attendees on Wednesday, Feb. 22 to listen to fiction writer Misha Rai read her work.

Rai, who was raised in India, won the Dogwood Literary Prize in Nonfiction of 2018 for her essay entitled “To Learn About Smoke One Must First Light a Fire.” She is a writer, assistant professor of creative writing and English at Sewanee: The University of the South and an editor for the Kenyon Review

Her readings were part of Utica University’s Harry F. and Mary Ruth Jackson Lunch Hour Series for literature. She read the first half of her award winning essay and a snippet of her prose “Lessons in Loss.”

Ever since she was a child, Rai wanted to be a writer, but was met with concern and criticism. Between sips of water and banter with the audience, she detailed her journey from journalism to being a writer and teacher.

According to Rai, after finishing the tenth grade exams in India, students will decide very quickly what field they will go into. In the throes of uncertainty but wanting to write, she entered a school where she had to choose between a law track or a journalism track and decided to pursue journalism.

“After your first semester [in school], you begin to intern at other newspapers. I went to school, but for ten hours I would work for a paper,” Rai said. “I did that for two and a half years and I loved it, but I realized very quickly that I wasn’t very good at being a hard journalist.”

With a smile, she detailed how she got a master’s degree in the U.K. and

started an internship at the National Human Rights Commission, which then was followed by projects with the Ministry of Women & Child, India, and UNICEF.

The impacts of her journalistic endeavors weighed heavily on Rai, to which she cited nightmares and the slow pace of change as the push to apply for a master’s programs in creative writing and future Ph.D.

“I really wanted to write and slowly the world just seemed harder and harder, and change seemed to be really slow, and there was a lot of corruption,” Rai said. “I was waking up from nightmares from the work I was doing and I started applying for writing programs. It took three tries for me to get in, and then I got in, and now I’m here.”

Her journey into teaching was not one she expected from the start, but the result of an impact a pedagogy professor, Deborah CoxwellTeague from Florida State University, made on her.

“She taught so well that I fell in love with teaching,” Rai said. “And I love teaching my students, they [are] from so many different backgrounds. I was lucky after that, I feel like my hard work and talent met luck at

the same time, and I won a fellowship at Kenyon Review and went to work there, and so I’ve been writing for the past 12 years.”

During her time as a journalist, she learned tactics of investigative journalism that ebb into her creative processes. As a writer, she is interested in literary suspense and collecting pieces of research for her writing.

“You’re trying to figure out whodunnit, howdunnit, but also trying to figure out character,” Rai said. “Like, how people’s characters change and like, the emotion that you’re excavating from someone’s inner life, and there’s like a two-pronged

joy in that.”

Rai’s award winning essay, which was written for a class, touches on her family history, which she cites as a difficult thing to write about.

“I am a vulnerable person, I live with my heart on my shirt-sleeve all the time, and I think one of the prerequisites of being an artist is being vulnerable,” Rai said.

For those who do not have the privilege or opportunity to pursue their dreams, Rai advised that they work towards the things they enjoy however they can.

“Do something in your life that makes you happy. I’m not saying pursue that as a career, I’m saying whatever career you choose, whatever it ends up being, keep a little bit of yourself for yourself,” Rai said. “Keep a little bit of yourself for yourself because the world can be a hard place and you need to find a way to keep [those things that make you happy], and not all of us have the privilege.”

Information about Misha Rai can be found online at her website, misharai.org, as well as on social media. Her work can also be found in the Kenyon Review.

“Do something in your life that makes you happy”

Misha Rai smiling behind a microphone. /Photo: Isa Hudziak

Managing Editor Hollie David, Misha Rai and Editor-in-Chief Isa Hudziak /Photo: Elizabeth Threadgill

COLUMNS

Turn up the heat: Brooklyn Brisket

Cyberbits: ChatGPT – What’s With All the Hype?

◊

DIANA SIDOREVICH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Brooklyn Brisket Brothers is new on Genesee St. in Utica, and after being disappointed by the lack of lunch options in downtown Utica, I decided to try them out. What really convinced me was a man walking from Brooklyn Brisket across the street to his car. There’s nothing like seeing someone with a plastic bag of takeout that makes you a hungry accomplice.

I felt unsure walking in because I saw a salad bar at the counter. Salad bars are undecided meals- they can be anything and hide anything: carrot shaving, raw chickpeas, cranberries. It’s frightening.

But the smell of smoky meats and lively spices on a frigid January day felt right. I came for the brisket. I ordered brisket fries. My husband ordered the Brooklyn Brisket sandwich and a Cherry Coke that I grabbed from a cooler next to an ATM. We sat facing the street view which is a nice way to enjoy lunch. The outside view was also a better alternative to the interior of the place.

You feel like you’re in New York City. There’s hard working men making sandwiches and stocking restaurant supplies, slicing beets, taking orders, making smoothies, brushing off comments on adding green onions to the brisket fries.

There’s an ATM within arms reached and empty boxes stacked for recycling. A friendly young guy brought our steaming meals and a pile of napkins. I shouldn’t have asked for ketchup for my fries because the flavor of the spiced brisket seeped into the fries and left a delicious pool of broth underneath, rendering the ketchup useless.

The sandwich was satiating and hearty. It was simpleseasoned brisket and bell peppers, with a crunchy pickle on the side.

According to a lady at the bus station and confirmed by the employee, their lamb over rice is extremely popular. The guy who served us said one of his favorites was their quesadilla, filled with peppers, onions, jalapenos, and cheese. Everything about the food was delicious.

They’ve got it all- a variety of smoothies, freshly squeezed juices, paninis and wraps, brisket everything, burgers and sandwiches, chicken and lamb over rice and don’t forget about the salads. There’s even an ATM, two coolers full of soda and window seats. Best of all, they’re open when you need them to be and available for delivery on DoorDash when you can’t be bothered.

Bon appetit, cuties.

◊

JAMES HAYES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Over the past several months, there has been a lot of talk about ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool that can do anything from writing a poem, joke, or press release to writing a paper.

ChatGPT is a creation of Open AI, a self-described research and deployment non-profit organization. This week’s article doesn’t tell you if ChatGPT is right or wrong. Nor does it pretend to say if the tool is ethical or unethical. Instead, this is an article about some pros and cons of ChatGPT.

ChatGPT not only can confidently respond to any questions you may ask, but It also possesses the ability to respond to text-to-image challenges. Users can request ChatGPT to create codes that will produce different types of computer graphics and 3-D animation. For example, a YouTube channel named MarbleScience asked ChatGPT to generate code for a bouncing marble. The first attempt was flawed; the ball never bounced but just shot upward. This was corrected - by adding a minus sign and a little bit of assistance from ChatGPT itself, MarbleScience eventually produced the desired effect. If 3-D animation is not your thing, that’s okay - did you know that ChatGPT can also compose music?

One drawback of the popular AI chatbot is that it needs more current information knowledge beyond 2021. Despite being behind the times with current affairs, ChatGPT is an excellent tool for beginners looking to learn music. While it may not be able to produce natural rhythm the way humans do, it does provide detailed

recommendations on how to create chords. It can answer various questions about making music, including instructions on compressing snare drums. ChatGPT also creates innovative elements to a song at fast speeds, so if you don't like a particular sound, you can effortlessly modify your work and avoid spending the next several hours behind writer’s block. This presents more opportunities to nurture creative ideas. If producing music is not your thing, you may be trying to write a book. Yes, ChatGPT can do that, too.

Due to the Chatbot’s limitations on expressing violence and sexual situations, without a little bit of your creativity, your ChatbotGPT fiction novel may come across as a bit boring. Still, its ability to tell a story is nothing short of impressive. It can write a whole book without any objection. For example, a Reddit user requested ChatbotGPT to write them a 16-page textbook about financial literacy. It produced a table of contents which the Chatbot made into chapters and topics which grew into paragraphs. While this cannot be done in just one prompt, the Reddit user was able to produce a 300-page book with a series of creative prompts. The Chatbot has also demonstrated the ability to describe characters and details and expresses the knowledge to build the narrative. So if you write a story and decide to make a change, no worries, ChatbotGPT is your own personal editor and will do a rewrite for you, fast and efficiently.

Finally, before you ask…no, I wrote this myself. This is not a product of ChatGPT. You’e welcome!

Photo : Diana Sidorevich

GALLERY

Men’s basketball senior night:

photographed by Francis Tavino

SPORTS

One V. One: Antwan Kelly surpasses his own program record

◊ JEREMY HOROWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Antwan Kelly set a new Track and Field record on Feb. 13 in the weight throw event with a toss of 17.90-meters at the 2023 Boston University Valentine Invitational. He broke his previous 17.83-meter record.

Kelly has surpassed 17 meters five times this season alone. He is the only Pioneer in history to pass 17 meters and made the feat look relatively easy.

“He has added over a meter to an already impressive school record in the #35 weight throw, and is continuing to improve,” Track and Field Coach James Lemieux said. ”I am excited to see what happens at Empire 8 this weekend, and AARTFC next weekend.”

There were 31 participants in the weight toss event and Kelly finished fourth overall. Kelly was named the Empire 8 Co-Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for his success at the invitational, marking his fourth Empire 8 award.

Kelly is admired by his peers and his coaches.

“Antwan has been a delight to work with over the years, even more so this year,” Lemieux said. “His determination and work ethic have been stellar all year. He has become a true student of the sport, and his performances are showing the results.”

On Feb. 17, Kelly continued his dominance in the Shot Put event. He took first place as he was able to toss 16.86 meters. His toss would be over two meters better than second place.

Kelly works hard to achieve success, which is proven by his performance. However, he is much more than what his numbers show.

“He is also a team first type of athlete, always being one to cheer on his teammates and help out if I am not able to be around,” Lemieux said.

Kelly said his successful season can be attributed to the way he prepares for each track meet.

“I go into every week more prepared and more comfortable every week this year because

of the coaching I started holding myself more accountable in the classroom and in the weight room to make me the student-athlete that I can be every week,” Kelly said. He had high praise for not only himself, but also his coaches and teammates. Pre-game is when many athletes try to get “in the zone” mentally and Kelly also uses that time to prepare himself.

“I try to get into a flow

where I feel good and confident in my ability as an athlete,” he said. Men’s track and field will travel to Nazareth College the weekend of Feb. 25 through to the 26 as part of the Empire 8 Indoor Championships.

Antwan Kelly’s school record for weight throw. Photo courtesy of @uticapioneers Instagram

SPORTS

Justin Allen’s journey to most games played in program history

◊ JACOB PIAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Justin Allen, a graduate student from Hilton, recently broke the men’s hockey program record for most games played, now holding the record at 111 games.

The team entering the post-season currently holds down the no.1 spot in the USCHO polls as Feb. 20. Allen, a sports management major, and team captain, has been a defensive anchor for the Pioneers this season.

“Breaking the record for games played is awesome, I pride myself on consistency and I think that speaks to that,” Allen said. “But it wouldn’t have been possible without the trust of my coaches to have me in the lineup.”

Allen started his career in the 2018-2019 season where he appeared in all 29 games. He finished his freshman season with two goals and 11 assists totalling 13 points, which as a defenseman is impressive for itself.

Not much changed for Allen entering his sophomore season. He played in all 29 games for the team and offensively upped his game..

He finished the season with 4 goals and 19 assists totalling 23 points while averaging almost a point per game as a defenseman. Defensively he also had 24 blocked shots. Allen finished the season with a +31 plus/minus and

was a main factor in the teams 25-2-2 run that season.

Due COVID-19 in his junior year, Allen and the team played only 10 games. As difficult as the situation was, it allowed Allen to play this season and have a fifth year of eligibility.

When senior year began, Allen was a different player. Career wise had his best season offensively racking up eight goals and a team high 32 assists. His 40 points were also fourth on the team and also led the team with a +35 plus/ minus. Allen’s 24 blocked shots was second on the team but in spite of a good year he couldn’t take all the credit.

“I have to give the credit to my teammates because of how good they are, making it easy for me to excel,” Allen

said.

His final season is proving to be a rewarding one with the team ranked no.1 in the nation, Allen is proud to be one of the team’s captains.

“Being named captain is truly an honor, especially on a team of this caliber and prestige,” he said.

So far this season, Allen has three goals and 14 assists, totalling 17 points over 18 games played. He has a +20 plus/minus and leads the team with 18 blocked shots.

Coach Gary Heenan considers Allen one of the premier defensemen in the country.

“His vision, poise and skating ability truly set him apart,” Heenan said. “A great team guy and all around person - we are very lucky to have had him here.”

Allen is keen on his career on a high note as the team currently has a record of 22-2-1 and 20-0 in conference play with the playoffs around the corner.

Justin Allen playing on the ice. Photo courtesy of uticapioneers.com

Women’s basketball senior night: photographed

by Francis Tavino