SUNY Oneonta

Twenty-seven SUNY Oneonta students volunteered at the annual Adaptive Basketball Clinic on campus, created through a partnership between the Sport and Exercise Sciences department and EDD Adaptive Sports. The event, held in the Alumni Field House on April 12 from 12 to 2 p.m., allowed area residents with varying intellectual and adaptive disabilities to hone their skills in basketball through different technical and shooting drills. SUNY Oneonta's Sport and Exercise Sciences department has developed a relationship with EDD Adaptive Sports, a non-profit organization that offers adaptive sports programs to children and adults with any disability. EDD Adaptive Sports' programs allow people of all ages to participate in a variety of free athletic and sport-related activities, including basketball, biking, kayaking, soccer, swimming, pickleball, rowing and yoga. This was the third year that SUNY Oneonta and EDD Adaptive Sports worked together to make the basketball clinic a successful day for everyone involved. Twenty-one of the student volunteers were from the SUNY Oneonta men's and women's basketball teams. The basketball teams picked the drills they wanted to teach to EDD's athletes, resulting in a rotation through five stations that focused on skills like dribbling, shooting and passing. With participant ages ranging from early childhood to late adolescence, modified basketball hoops and other equipment allowed every athlete to maximize their performance. Among the student volunteers were Exercise Science seniors Emilia Montgomery and Alana Batson, who provided training to the other volunteers on how to interact and work with the EDD athletes. Montgomery is also on SUNY Oneonta's field hockey team, and Batson was one of the volunteers from the women's basketball team. "Emilia and Alana were integral in the training and organization of this event," said Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Katherine Griffes, Ph.D. "Both students have been involved in the development of adaptive sport events in the past, and it was impressive to see them step up into leadership roles for this program. Their academic and professional experiences absolutely prepared them for their new roles, and their roles as student athletes ensured they recognize and value the importance of creating inclusive sport environments." "I want to be an occupational therapist when I grow up. So I took the lead with this because it's something that I'm extremely passionate about," said Montgomery. "Ensuring that everybody has fair access and availability to playing sports and using my role through being a field hockey player here at Oneonta is important to me. I've really tried to make that a part of my time here and just involving myself, involving the community and students with disabilities as much as I can." "There are limited opportunities for people with physical and cognitive disabilities to get out there and be active," said Batson, who is studying to become a physical therapist. "This is just creating more opportunities for them to have fun and be active in a safe environment. So that's pretty much what we've been saying in the training. The primary focus is to have fun, let them have fun, and provide a safe space for them to get active and have a good time."

On Wednesday, April 9, 16 SUNY Oneonta students volunteered at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club (OBGC) during "Work Together Wednesday," a national event that is part of Week of the Young Child. Work Together Wednesday celebrates the value of collaboration and teamwork through activities that encourage children to engage in group projects and puzzles. SUNY Oneonta student volunteers, including NCAA Division III athletes and students from a variety of academic programs, joined in to support the event. This initiative coincided with NCAA Division III Week, a time when the contributions of student-athletes and the broader impact of Division III athletics are recognized and celebrated. Oneonta Public Transit brought nearly 120 children from the Bugbee Children's Center and Oneonta YMCA to the OBGC for the community event. Catholic Charities, the local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency for Bugbee Children's Center, sponsored the event.

Six students from SUNY Oneonta's Marketing Club, OnMark, collected 72 items for a food drive held on Nov. 19 to give back to the community. OnMark collected 103 lbs of food and donated everything to Your Safe Haven Food Pantry in Oneonta. This was the first time the club held a food drive.

Eighteen SUNY Oneonta Dietetics majors conducted outreach, research and nutrition education this semester by partnering with several local groups and organizations as part of a community service project. The students, who are juniors and seniors, were split into five groups and worked with Saturday's Bread, the Community Gospel Church, Greater Plains Elementary School kindergarten classes, Table Rock Fitness and the SUNY Oneonta men's and women's tennis teams. Students worked with their community partners to assess the nutrition needs of members, teams and clientele, researched what had been done with similar groups of people, and then presented the nutrition education at their community partner's location. "At this point, each student has taken many nutrition courses and has a pretty good idea of how to conduct nutrition research and apply that information," said Dr. Marcy Gaston, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics. "This project was a great way for the students to learn how to talk to and educate the public about nutrition outside of using field-related terminology. It gives them the basis of performing this kind of service on a much larger scale."

SUNY Oneonta's Hunt Union Ballroom was transformed into a high-energy assembly line of beans, rice, spices, bags and recipe cards on Saturday, Sept. 7, as more than 50 student volunteers packed 25,602 meals to be donated to 22 Otsego County food banks. The students' efforts are part of a larger goal organized by 9/11 Day, a national nonprofit that founded the federally recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. With grant funding from AmeriCorps, 9/11 Day is supporting service activities for college-age students. SUNY Oneonta is one of 11 college campuses across the country working together to pack nearly 1 million nonperishable meal kits for those in need in their local communities. "It's been an awesome privilege to be a part of this," said Samuel Cox, Operations Manager for the Pack Shack, an organization that partnered with 9/11 Day to work with college students across the country on the meal-packing project. The Pack Shack sent SUNY Oneonta a sampling of the pre-packaged meals ahead of time, and staff from Sodexo (the university's dining service provider) cooked up a tray of the meals so that at the end of the event, the volunteers got to taste the meal they were packing. SUNY Oneonta's service day was led by the university's Center for Volunteerism and Community Engagement, which organizes large community service events and connects students with service learning and volunteer opportunities in the region throughout the year. "By the end of the day, we will have packed 123 boxes of meals to distribute to people in need in our community through the Otsego County Hunger Coalition," said Linda Drake, Executive Director of the CVCE. "This is the first time we have done a project like this, and it's been a wonderful experience seeing so many students having fun while supporting a great cause." Over the past 23 years, the 9/11 Day nonprofit has transformed the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks into the largest annual day of service in American history, now recognized under federal law. The mission of 9/11 Day is to inspire millions of Americans to rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that arose in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and to encourage good deeds and other acts of service in tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, first responders and members of the military who rose in service in response to the attacks.

Twenty-four SUNY Oneonta student volunteers and Sport and Exercise Sciences faculty partnered with EDD Adaptive Sports to host the first Adaptive Field Day on campus this spring. Over the past few years, SUNY Oneonta's Sport and Exercise Sciences department has developed a relationship with EDD Adaptive Sports, a non-profit organization that offers adaptive sports programs to children and adults with any disability. EDD Adaptive Sports' programs allow people of all ages to participate in a variety of free athletic and sport-related activities, including basketball, biking, kayaking, soccer, swimming, pickleball, rowing and yoga. The field day took place May 4 in the Alumni Field House and Red Dragon Field. The event allowed area residents who have varying intellectual and adaptive disabilities, including people from local organizations Springbrook and Pathfinder Village, to participate in a variety of athletic activities. "It's been a really great partnership so far," said Gretchen Owens, executive director at EDD Adaptive Sports. "I appreciate the ideas the Sport and Exercise Sciences department brought to us for things to do and ways to expand what we offer. By building this partnership with SUNY Oneonta, we're building what we can offer our athletes and getting them more engaged in the community and everything SUNY Oneonta and the greater community has to offer." Among the student volunteers were Exercise Science seniors Graham Wooden and Sarah Faulisi, who provided training to the other student volunteers on how to interact and work with the EDD participants. Faulisi and Wooden received a Student Research and Creative Activity (SRCA) grant funded by the SUNY Oneonta Foundation and SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association for their project to develop a national online training program on educating volunteers working with athletes with disabilities. Faulisi and Wooden provided training for volunteers from the SUNY Oneonta basketball, soccer, club rugby, swim and softball teams, students from the Terpsichorean dance club and students from Dr. Katherine Griffes's Ethical Considerations in Exercise Science course. The day's activities included ladder toss, Spikeball, yoga, cornhole, soccer, wiffle ball and golf. "I hope that they can take away recognizing the value of just the intrinsic joy of being an athlete, of playing a sport, and can see the importance that they play in the world around them," said Dr. Griffes of the student volunteers. "I hope they feel a sense of empowerment, that they can do something, that they can make a difference in the world and that their ideas matter." The Adaptive Field Day concluded with EDD Adaptive Sports Board Director Barbara Mackey and Executive Director Owens announcing the awards each athlete won. The event's award ceremony finished with athletes running through a tunnel of encouraging arms created by the student volunteers, reaching Wooden and Faulisi at the end for a fist-bump, hive-five or hug.

Six Adolescence Education: Mathematics majors at SUNY Oneonta collaborated with Exercise Science and Sport Management students to create the Little Red Dragons program in the fall 2023 semester. The program, a staple of the Human Growth and Motor Development (HGMD) since the fall 2022 semester, was held at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club (OBGC) on Dec. 4, 6 and 7. To prepare for the Little Red Dragons program, HGMD students spent several hours in and out of class designing lesson plans based on their interests and backgrounds. Each workshop outline included instructional strategies, plans for giving feedback, safety measures and rules, materials, developmental considerations and potential adaptations. The students worked with children of various age groups in arts and crafts, basketball, throwing exercises, weightlifting, dance and volleyball. This was the first time students from the Adolescence Education: Mathematics program worked with the Human Growth and Motor Development course to design the Little Red Dragons. The interdisciplinary collaboration was kick-started by Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science Katie Griffes and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Elyssa Stoddard. The collaboration allowed students to work together to see how math concepts can be applied to sport and physical activity in an educational setting. The feedback from students from both disciplines will help shape future collaborations between the departments and future Little Red Dragons programs. "Dr. Stoddard's math education students provided insights into teaching pedagogy for situations such as how to help keep the attention of the kids, strategies for time management in a class-style setting and providing feedback," said Dr. Griffes. "They also suggested ways to involve math in sport, like counting percentages for basketball shots or testing heart rates."

Seventeen Exercise Science and Sport Management students at SUNY Oneonta collaborated with Adolescence Education: Mathematics majors to create the Little Red Dragons program in the fall 2023 semester. The program, a staple of the Human Growth and Motor Development (HGMD) course since the fall 2022 semester, was held at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club (OBGC) on Dec. 4, 6 and 7. To prepare for the Little Red Dragons program, HGMD students spent several hours in and out of class designing lesson plans based on their interests and backgrounds. Each workshop outline included instructional strategies, plans for giving feedback, safety measures and rules, materials, developmental considerations and potential adaptations. The students worked with children of various age groups in arts and crafts, basketball, throwing exercises, weightlifting, dance and volleyball. This was the first time students from the Adolescence Education: Mathematics program worked with the Human Growth and Motor Development course to design the Little Red Dragons. The interdisciplinary collaboration was kick-started by Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science Katie Griffes and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Elyssa Stoddard. "The Little Red Dragons program is an experiential learning assignment," said Dr. Griffes, who is also the HGMD course instructor. "It is designed to give students hands-on experiences implementing and observing content they have learned throughout the semester." The collaboration allowed students to work together to see how math concepts can be applied to sport and physical activity in an educational setting. The feedback from students from both disciplines will help shape future collaborations between the departments and future Little Red Dragons programs. "Dr. Stoddard's math education students provided insights into teaching pedagogy for situations such as how to help keep the attention of the kids, strategies for time management in a class-style setting and providing feedback," said Dr. Griffes. "They also suggested ways to involve math in sport, like counting percentages for basketball shots or testing heart rates." Each day of the program featured multiple hour-long fitness workshops, beginning at 4 p.m. and running as late as 7 p.m. Two to three students led each session, with a minimum 2:1 ratio of children to instructor. The Little Red Dragons is a win-win experiential learning opportunity, offering fresh, fun programming for OGBC members and valuable experience for the Oneonta students, many of whom plan to work with children and teens in health and fitness industries as coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists and other movement-based professions.

Nineteen SUNY Oneonta students volunteered at the annual Adaptive Basketball Clinic on campus, created through a partnership between the Sport and Exercise Sciences department and EDD Adaptive Sports. The event, held in the Chase Gym on April 14, from 12 to 1:30 p.m., allowed area residents who have varying intellectual and adaptive disabilities to hone their skills in basketball through different technical and shooting drills. Over the past few years, SUNY Oneonta's Sport and Exercise Sciences department has developed a relationship with EDD Adaptive Sports, a non-profit organization that offers adaptive sports programs to children and adults with any disability. EDD Adaptive Sports' programs allow people of all ages to participate in a variety of free athletic and sport-related activities, including basketball, biking, kayaking, soccer, swimming, pickleball, rowing and yoga. This was the second year that SUNY Oneonta and EDD Adaptive Sports worked together to make the basketball clinic a successful day for everyone involved.

Sixty-two SUNY Oneonta students and the Sport and Exercise Sciences department partnered with Special Olympics to host a regional track and field event at Oneonta High School on Sunday, May 7, 2023. The event allowed area individuals who have varying intellectual and adaptive disabilities, including clients at local organizations Springbrook and Pathfinder Village, to showcase their athletic ability in a competitive setting. Athletes ranged from ages 10 to 53, and the day included an opening ceremony with remarks by City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek and SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle. Lecturer of Sport and Exercise Sciences Andrea Fallon-Korb and her two interns organized the event. The interns were the coordinators for the 60 student volunteers, 28 Special Olympic athletes and three adaptive athletes who participated in the day-long competition. This year was the second time that SUNY Oneonta students and the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences volunteered to coordinate the Special Olympics Track and Field event. To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must be at least eight years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that requires or have required specially designed instruction. Student volunteers fell into three categories for those who: helped run the track meet, organized an obstacle course and outdoor activities through the Exercise Science Club and those from an exercise science course taught by Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science Dr. Katie Griffes. The students from Dr. Griffes's class helped by hosting pre- and post-competition workshops and education sessions. Workshop volunteers were tasked with educating the athletes on the importance of several athletic principles. These included pre-competition stretching, hydration, mobility and agility training, yoga, and mindfulness and breathing exercises. Each workshop combined information with entertainment, allowing athletes and volunteers to join everyone's stations. "Volunteering for the Special Olympics allowed our students to understand and appreciate sport inclusion at a deeper level," said Dr. Griffes. "This event provided students with a chance to give back to their community, to make sure we are creating space for everyone to be included and benefit from sport participation, and see the impact their time, energy and efforts can have on others."

A total of 20 graduating SUNY Oneonta students received 2023 Senior Service Awards recognizing their commitment to volunteerism. Seniors who completed at least 350 hours of service through the university's Center for Social Responsibility and Community (CSRC) were recognized during a reception in May. Depending on the amount of volunteer hours served, students received either a pin, cords or a medal to wear during Spring Commencement, which will take place Saturday, May 20, on campus.

A second Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy is being raised on campus at SUNY Oneonta, thanks to the university's new Guiding Eyes club. "Emoji," a 3-month-old yellow Labrador retriever weighing in at just 16 pounds, arrived on campus Sunday, March 19, and is being raised by Kirstin Kavountzis, a junior Dietetics major from Washingtonville, NY. Kavountzis is the secretary of SUNY Oneonta's new Guiding Eyes for the Blind club. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is a nonprofit organization that provides guide dogs to people experiencing vision loss. SUNY Oneonta's first Guiding Eyes puppy, a black Lab named "Ink," arrived on campus in late January and is being raised by the club's president.

Twelve SUNY Oneonta students got hands-on experience with wetlands restoration during a service-learning trip in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward last week. Working with a nonprofit organization called Common Ground Relief, the students worked to help restore and preserve Louisiana's disappearing coastal wetlands by planting hardy, fast-growing native plants and removing invasive species in coastal areas imperiled by hurricanes, development and engineering projects that have eroded land and endangered wildlife. Using recycled Christmas trees and Tallow trees, the team built berms to help prevent erosion and stabilize newly planted vegetation, worked in a native tree nursery, visited Common Ground's Outdoor Learning Center, helped out with various projects at Docville Farm and learned about cultural complexities, the role of physical landscapes and environmental issues in the region. The New Orleans trip is a component of Disaster Geographies, a course taught by Associate Professor Wendy Lascell, who accompanied the students, along with Linda Drake, executive director of the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community. Lascell has taken several groups of students to New Orleans, including Class of 2020 alumna Amy Shultis, who now works for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Shultis met up with students while they were in town. Service-learning trips such as this one give students an invaluable experience for both academic and personal growth, Lascell said. They are engaged in service, immersed in an unfamiliar culture, and confronted with real-world problems that don't have easy solutions. In conjunction with the service activities, students immersed themselves in New Orleans culture. They saw the Mississippi River and spent time in the French Quarter, heard live jazz and tried popular Cajun cuisine such as alligator, crawfish, raccoon, hog and shrimp. The students returned to New York with photographs to show and stories to tell.

Ink, a 4-month-old black Labrador Retriever puppy, is making history at SUNY Oneonta as the first pup to be raised on campus for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit organization that provides guide dogs to people experiencing vision loss. His puppy raiser, and roommate, is junior Anthropology major Taylor Hendrickson, president of the university's new Guiding Eyes for the Blind club.

More than 40 SUNY Oneonta students provided sports and exercise workshops to local children during a new "Little Red Dragons" program held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club (OBGC). Students from several majors participated in the pilot program as part of their Human Growth and Motor Development course. "The Little Red Dragons program is an experiential learning assignment," said Dr. Katie Griffes, the course's instructor and assistant professor of Sport and Exercise Sciences. "It is designed to give students hands-on experiences implementing and observing content they have learned throughout the semester." Dr. Griffes collaborated with OBGC staff over the summer to come up with a partnership that would serve both the college and the community. This fall, students enrolled in Griffes' Human Growth and Motor Development course came up with a name for the program, which will continue to be a course requirement each semester. Each day of the program featured multiple hour-long fitness workshops, beginning at 4 p.m. and running as late as 8 p.m. Ten to 15 children in various age groups participated in a range of activities, including martial arts fundamentals, soccer ball control and balance, throwing and catching, fine motor skills, tic tac toe and running, proper weight room use and resistance training, softball, and more. Two to three students led each session, with a 5:1 ratio of children to instructor. To prepare for the program, each group of students spent several hours in and out of class designing lesson plans based on their interests and backgrounds. Each workshop outline included instructional strategies, plans for giving feedback, safety measures and rules, materials, developmental considerations and potential adaptations. The pilot program was a win-win, offering fresh, fun programming for OGBC members, and valuable experience for the Oneonta students, many of whom plan to work with children and teens in health and fitness industries as coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists and other movement-based professions. "I'm over the moon about the Little Red Dragons program," said Robert Escher, executive director of the OBGC. "This is such a great win for everyone. We're happy to be here to serve as a vessel for the curriculum, program and students. We're grateful for all this additional great programming to offer our kids, and we're looking forward to future programs."

Thirty-five SUNY Oneonta students recently volunteered their time and efforts to help prepare a holiday initiative that will bring joy and light to the city of Oneonta and its residents this season. On a chilly mid-November morning, the students gathered downtown in Neahwa Park to hang lights and decorations and help set up for the Oneonta Festival of Lights, a free annual drive-through holiday lights display that will kick off Dec. 18. Students worked from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and, despite the cold, were joyful and enthusiastic. Their attention to detail, artistic eye, willingness to help, and especially height were greatly appreciated! The students, who were recruited by the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community, included members of the softball team and several Greek organizations. This is the third annual Oneonta Festival of Lights, sponsored by First Night Oneonta and Five Star Subaru. More than 30 local organizations and businesses take part and create individual light displays, including the college. The event, which runs until Jan. 1, is dedicated to the late John Hayen, the college's assistant men's soccer coach, who was known for his elaborate holiday light displays.

As a student at SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2022 alumna Nicole Bausenwein became interested in international development, learned how to write a grant and conduct research, and participated in the SUNY COIL Global Commons summer program, which allowed her to collaborate with a Non-Government Organization in Nigeria. Now, she's putting these skills and experiences to use as one of the first Peace Corps volunteers to return overseas after the agency's unprecedented suspension of operations in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving as a youth in development volunteer in Guatemala, Nicole is working alongside community members to support urgent development efforts, build critical connections, and engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work. She arrived in Guatemala on Oct. 4 and will be stationed there until December 2024.

Thirty-four students volunteered as part of SUNY Oneonta's Community Clean-Up Day through the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community (CSRC) on Oct. 24.

Over 50 SUNY Oneonta students have joined forces in an effort to spread the word about the availability of COVID vaccinations to communities across Otsego County. The students, recognizing the need for additional outreach in areas where internet access isn't readily available, rallied together to distribute flyers to those who may need assistance with registering for a vaccine. The flyers share contact information that individuals can use to call for assistance when scheduling an appointment, as well as arrange for a ride to the vaccination site at SUNY Oneonta. "These students, along with other volunteers, are doing a very important job," said Acting President Dennis Craig. "They are ensuring that all people throughout Otsego County have the knowledge and access to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19." "We have such a wonderful group of students who did not hesitate to help," said Linda Drake, executive director of SUNY Oneonta's Center for Social Responsibility and Community. "We have over 50 students who want to make a difference in keeping the public safe from COVID." According to Drake, students are distributing flyers at mobile home parks, laundromats, low-income housing developments, discount stores, and senior residences. Currently, the group has covered Unadilla, Wells Bridge, Otego, Sidney, Maryland, Schenevus, Worcester, Richfield Springs, New Berlin, Edmeston, Portlandville, Cooperstown, Laurens, Morris, Hartwick and Oneonta. They plan to continue their efforts until they reach every community in Otsego County. The student's efforts are part of a community initiative including organizations such as Opportunities for Otsego, Otsego County Office for the Aging, Otsego Community Foundation, Bassett Healthcare and Otsego County Health and Wellness.

Twelve members of SUNY Oneonta's Habitat for Humanity club spent their spring break volunteering their time building houses in Vero Beach, Florida. During that week, the students worked closely with the Indian River Habitat for Humanity, helping build and refurbish homes and volunteer in any way they could. Their activities included repainting an elderly couple's home, helping with roofing on new construction as well as on recycle houses, and participating in neighborhood revitalization. The students spent any spare time they had enjoying the beach.

A total of 43 SUNY Oneonta students received 2019 Senior Service Awards recognizing their commitment to volunteerism. Seniors who completed at least 350 hours of service through the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community (CSRC) were recognized during a reception on May 10.

Twelve members of SUNY Oneonta's Habitat for Humanity club spent their spring break building houses in Vero Beach, Florida. The students worked closely with the Indian River Habitat for Humanity, helping build and refurbish homes and volunteer in any way they could. They also spent time at the "ReStore," where they organized, moved and sold at a discount items that had been donated. Habitat for Humanity members took over the SUNY Oneonta Snapchat for a day to give their peers an inside look at their work.

Eight SUNY Oneonta students traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico over spring break to continue Hurricane Maria cleanup efforts through NECHAMA, a volunteer-driven nonprofit. The students cleaned, swept, hammered, painted, worked on roofs and more to help improve the area. They were accompanied by Associate Professor of Biology Sean Robinson and Center for Social Responsibility and Community Director Linda Drake. They stayed in an Airbnb with other NECHAMA volunteers, got to see the lush flora and fauna of the island, went on some very muddy hikes, and did some sightseeing in Old San Juan.

Two students presented at the Annual Conference on Volunteerism and Social Responsibility, held at SUNY Oneonta on Nov. 3. SUNY Oneonta students Samantha Pepe and Skylar Claud presented "Home Restoration and Sun Salutations." In this presentation, they will speak about their one-week volunteer experience with the Jewish disaster relief organization, NECHAMA. They traveled with eleven other students and two professors to help rebuild homes damaged from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

SUNY Oneonta students are making a difference in Puerto Rico this summer, assisting in recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the U.S. territory's lush landscape and many homes. A group of 11 students recently returned from a service-learning trip there with geography faculty members Justin Hartnett and Trevor Fuller. Last September, a Category Four storm known as Hurricane Maria hit the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. With widespread flooding, power outages and hundreds of homes destroyed by the tropical storm, Puerto Rico was stripped of its lush landscape, and the widely popular tourist territory became devoid of its attractions for weeks. Unfortunately, the recovery has been moving along slowly ever since. Eight months after the disaster, there is still an extensive need for assistance in Puerto Rico. Blue tarps serve as shelters for many residents whose homes were destroyed. Working with NECHAMA, a volunteer-driven nonprofit headquartered in Minnesota, 11 SUNY Oneonta students cleaned, swept, hammered, painted, worked on roofs and more last week to help improve the area.

Forty eight seniors were recognized for community service efforts during a ceremony at SUNY Oneonta's Alumni Hall Theater last week. The event, which was held May 11, was hosted by the Center for Social Responsibility and Community and was a celebration of seniors who volunteered 350 hours or more during their time at SUNY Oneonta. This year's senior class had 589 seniors who logged 60,517 hours of service in their four years.

SUNY Oneonta students took part in the 8th annual Canstruction event April 8 at the Southside Mall, where teams made up of local business employees, community members and students used design and problem-solving skills to create canned food structures and give back to the community. Teams built sculptures using thousands of unopened cans of food. Participants had to use cans with original labels, and they couldn't use glue or anything that would affect the cans during construction. The structures will stay up all week so that the community can see them. Canstruction is a national charity committed to ending hunger one can at a time. The drive collected 6,336 cans this year and in eight years has totaled more than 32,000 cans. The donations will be delivered to 15 local food pantries when the displays are taken down Sunday.

A team of 8 SUNY Oneonta athletes won an award for their participation in the college's 8th annual 'Canstruction' event April 8 at the Southside Mall in Oneonta. Teams made up of local business employees, community members and SUNY Oneonta students used design and problem-solving skills to create canned food structures and give back to the community. Participants had to use cans with original labels, and they couldn't use glue or anything that would affect the cans during construction. The team of athletes won the "Best Meal Award" for their donations. Canstruction is a national charity committed to ending hunger one can at a time. The drive collected 6,336 cans this year, according to organizer Linda Drake, and in eight years has totaled more than 32,000 cans. The donations will be delivered to 15 local food pantries when the displays are taken down Sunday.

Six SUNY Oneonta students participated as a team in SUNY Oneonta's 8th annual Canstruction event April 8 at the Southside Mall, where groups used design and problem-solving skills to create canned food structures and give back to the community. Teams built sculptures using thousands of unopened cans of food. Participants had to use cans with original labels, and they couldn't use glue or anything that would affect the cans during construction. The structures will stay up all week so that the community can see them. The "HerCampus" team won the "Juror's Favorite" award for their structure - a giant plate of sushi. Canstruction is a national charity committed to ending hunger one can at a time. The drive collected 6,336 cans this year and in eight years has totaled more than 32,000 cans. The donations will be delivered to 15 local food pantries when the displays are taken down Sunday.

Twelve members of SUNY Oneonta's Habitat for Humanity club spent their spring break building houses in Vero Beach, Florida. The students worked closely with the Indian River Habitat for Humanity, helping build and refurbish homes and volunteer in any way they could. During their stay, the students repainted and beautified the home of a veteran's widow during a neighborhood revitalization project. On a second home, the group built and raised the wooding framing for the interior walls, began roofing work and helped put up the exterior housewrap. They also collected donations from a home that will be resold to raise funds for Habitat.