Post written by: Nan Pasquarello

On April 16, 2007, tragedy struck the Virginia Tech community. One of the ways that VT is fostering healing is in promotion of their VT Engage Project, with its mission to encourage everyone, everywhere to do volunteer work as a way to give back to the community. In the spirit of the motto, “Remember, Serve, Learn,” Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff are being asked to perform at least 10 hours of service before the end of the spring semester. SUNY Cortland is joining the effort to give back to the community with a goal of 10 hours of service each from 10 hundred people for a total of 10,000 hours.

Record of service forms are available in the Sociology/Anthropology Dept. and in the Judicial Affairs Office. Completed forms can be submitted to either department, by April 30, 2008. For more information, contact program coordinator, Kathy Gallagher at gallagherk@cortland.edu.

Post written by: Sandra Wohlleber 

March 1st — Court House Park — 10 am to 4 pm

Chill-A-Bration is a great example of how people can come together to achieve a common goal. The 40 Below group had an idea and pitched it to Lloyd Purdy of the Downtown Partnership. Lloyd in turn pitched it to both the Chamber of Commerce and a Leadership Cortland group looking for a project. And thus began an amazing collaborative project with far-reaching implications.

The event will have a terrain park for snowboarders and skiers, an ice rink, snow dogs and sled races, a chili cook-off, an assortment of family games, raffle prizes, concessions to benefit a senior class trip, the launching of a new Cortland beer, etc. And yes, many events will take place even if there is little natural snow.

To actualize this community friendly event, the following groups and offices have each played a significant role: SUNY Cortland, Albany International, Greek Peak, Limehollow Nature Center, OCM BOCES, Builder’s Best, Leadership Cortland, Downtown Partnership Promotions Committee, City of Cortland Mayor’s Office, City of Cortland Fire Department, City of Cortland Common Council, City of Cortland DPW, Cortland County Buildings and Grounds Committee, Cortland Regional Sports Council, Penn Sled Dog Club, Hopko Design, and Sheridan Jewelry just to name a few. And a special thank you to Lloyd Purdy for coordinating all elements of this event.

Please join us this coming weekend and see what can can happen when many minds come together with a common goal. This may be the first ever Chill-A-Bration but we sure hope that this will become an annual event that will continue on for many years. We also hope that it will inspire others to realize that all it takes is one person with one idea and the possibilities are endless!

Post written by: Steve Dangler

Tomorrow is a big day for Cortland basketball. Take a little time and stop by the Park Center Corey Gym and cheer on both the women’s and men’s teams. The women, who are tied for first place in the SUNYAC East, start play at 2:00 pm and the men, who are guaranteed at least a second place finish in the SUNYAC East, start at 4:00 pm. The teams will be playing SUNYIT. Join the fun!

Post written by: Craig Dillaman

A co-worker on campus recently asked me “what is it that we do here?” Initially I was perplexed with the question. Were they referring to the purpose behind the mission of the college? Did they have questions about how a certain department functioned? So I asked for clarification, “what do you mean by ‘what we do here?’” My co-worker explained their question, “what is the purpose behind student affairs and its role on a college campus?” Ahh, I got it, why does a college have professionals working long and odd hours in areas that don’t directly relate to students academic needs? Flashbacks from my graduate school comps came to me and I replied “we are here to educate students in the areas of life that their coursework doesn’t; we are to prepare our students for their “adult” life after college.
Simply put, students can learn just as much outside the classroom about life and societal expectations as they do about their career inside the classroom. How someone deals with a loud or abrasive neighbor in the future can be learned in their residence hall today. Being part of a student club or Greek organization can establish leadership skills that could be used in any career choice. Helping students understand how important their emotional growth is can be detrimental to how they interact with others not only now, but in the future as well. Organization, time management, seeing the big picture, responsibility; these are all skills that can be established and honed during their time in college. These are just a few examples of “what we do here.” The question now is “how do we do this?” Stay tuned for more on that…