SUNY Oneonta

Twenty-one SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College students faced off in a start-up pitch competition that was as much about passion as it was about business acumen. Held in SUNY Oneonta's Morris Conference Center on May 6 and judged by a panel of local business leaders, the inaugural Oneonta-Hartwick Student Start-up Challenge and Pitch Competition marked the first business pitch competition jointly executed by the two institutions. The event drew inspiration from similar competitions that SUNY Oneonta students have participated in both on and off campus, including a global fashion merchandising competition known as ESRAP and a Business Idea Pitch Competition held by SUNY Oneonta's Entrepreneurship Club. The competition drew budding entrepreneurs from a diverse range of disciplines, including Business Administration, Fashion and Textiles, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Communication Studies and Music Industry. Ideas were presented by both solo entrepreneurs and teams of three to four, bringing 21 students together to present 14 different business pitches. Students from both Hartwick and SUNY Oneonta worked on their pitches with faculty through independent course studies, the Entrepreneurship Club and Adam Chaloeicheep, who was the inaugural entrepreneur-in-residence for both institutions. "Entrepreneurship, in my experience, is a powerful bridge: as you grapple with what to build--riding the emotional highs and lows, pivoting and searching for proof that an idea deserves to exist--the road can feel lonely," said Chaloeicheep. "Sharing that journey with peers fuels motivation and mutual support. A joint competition would tighten the bond between our campuses while showing the rest of the state that bright, innovative minds are thriving here. Watching teams from both schools pitch--side by side and head-to-head--captures exactly the collaborative spirit we want to cultivate." Read the full story: https://suny.oneonta.edu/news-events/oneonta-hartwick-pitch-event-brings-entrepreneurs-together

In the fall 2024 semester, the SUNY Oneonta Investment Management Team, consisting of Alexander Deiters, Justin Gulbin and Matthew Sperling advised by Assistant Professor of Finance Dr. Catalina Hurwitz, participated in the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge. This international competition involved more than 2,400 universities using the Bloomberg Terminal for investment education. Teams received a virtual $1 million and had five weeks to develop investment strategies. The SUNY Oneonta team ranked in the top 16%, finishing 420th globally with an absolute profit of $64,915 and a relative profit of $70,037. Dr. Hurwitz praised the competition for enhancing students' understanding of economic stability, global events and market trends within a short time. Department Chair Dr. Izabella Lokshina highlighted the advantage gained through practical experience using Bloomberg Terminal for real-world market analysis.

Five SUNY Oneonta students created a virtual presentation to advance to the semifinal round this fall for the National College Fed Challenge, a team competition for undergraduate students inspired by the work of the Federal Open Market Committee. The competition encourages students to learn more about the United States macro economy, the Federal Reserve System and the implementation of monetary policy. Teams from 119 colleges and universities across six districts submitted recorded presentations for the Federal Reserve to review. The SUNY Oneonta students were among 18 teams who made it to the semifinal round, and only six teams advanced to the final round. To prepare for the presentation, SUNY Oneonta students worked closely with faculty from the Economics, Education and Political Science departments. They learned how to research economic indicators, create complex graphs using Excel and link economic theory to current economic conditions. Students who participated in the Fed Challenge enrolled in Econ 3216, the College Fed Challenge Preparation course offered each fall semester. This three-credit course is offered on a condensed schedule that concludes in early November. This year's course, taught by Associate Professor of Economics Babatunde Aiyemo, finished on Tuesday, Nov. 12, and the students learned of their placement in the semifinals shortly thereafter. "Dr. Christine Storrie and the late Dr. David Ring are the individuals who set up the infrastructure upon which the current team was able to achieve this milestone," said Aiyemo. "The College Federal Challenge Preparation course provides an experiential learning opportunity unlike any other," said Storrie, an associate professor of economics who has taught the course in past years. "It gives students a hands-on opportunity to work with a team on a common goal in a fast-paced environment against a tight deadline."

Gideon Dean of Berlin, MD, received three International Student Broadcasting Championship (ISBC) awards for his work in radio. The ISBC competition allows students to pursue networking opportunities, talent and brand development, and promising career prospects within the media industry. The competition covers radio broadcasting, video and digital content creation, and e-sports broadcasting, focusing on quality over quantity. Dean is studying Music Industry at SUNY Oneonta, pursuing a career in country music radio. The ISBC awards he won were Rising Star, Best Specialty Show and Best Social Media Execution. Rising Star is given to "outstanding individuals who excel in their chosen field and demonstrate improvement over time." Dean received this award for his portfolio of work in radio. Dean received Best Specialty Show for his WONY (student radio) program, "Equal Play." His show is the station's only country music program, highlighting the women of country music. The award is given to "niche programming judged on creativity, listener interaction, social media content and production values all contributing to quality programming." Best Social Media Execution is awarded to "a social media page that shows the ability to connect with its audience through quality media content and interactions." Dean runs his social media page, US Radio Updater, with a student from San Diego State University. US Radio Updater is tied for this category with the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.

Four SUNY Oneonta Fashion and Textiles students placed third in the 2023 Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Production (ESRAP) Student Merchandising Competition. ESRAP's competition is a global event that challenges undergraduate students to develop sustainable and socially responsible fashion retail business plans. Abigail Julian '24, Oriana Aponte Villazan '24, Elizabeth Hastings '23 and Layla Driscoll-Webster '24 were part of the group that took third place in the 2023 ESRAP Competition. This is the third year SUNY Oneonta students have placed in the top three teams for the undergraduate competition, including the 2022 competition, where three SUNY Oneonta teams ranked among the top 10 competitors. Professors in the sustainable fashion field judged the first round of the ESRAP competition over the summer of 2023. Professionals in the fashion industry who work for VF Corporation, the parent company of prominent brands such as North Face, Levis and more, completed the second round of judging shortly after that. The group submitted a business plan for Ellilusive, a boutique that sells gender-inclusive undergarments and also offers a garment recycling and donation program. The students created their business plan in Dr. Sarah Portway's spring 2023 Fashion Entrepreneurship course using the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and triple-bottom-line framework. In their Fashion Entrepreneurship course, the students developed a marketing strategy and analysis aligning with their sustainability strategy. They also created a customer persona, industry segment, competitive analysis, sourcing structure and financial plan for Ellilusive. The group submitted its business pitch virtually, along with a 90-second video pitch. The full story can be read at https://suny.oneonta.edu/news-events/students-take-third-place-global-fashion-competition.

Three students were recognized at an award ceremony for participating in an online financial investment competition, the SUNY Oneonta Stock Market Game, on May 10, 2023, in Fitzelle Hall. The students invested virtual cash of $100,000 in a live market, buying and selling stocks while using other financial instruments to practice their investment skills. The top three winners received $50, $30, and $20, respectively. The competition was open to all students and was offered through www.wallstreetsurvivor.com, an online stock market simulator.

Owen Hodkinson ('23) was one of four SUNY Oneonta Fashion and Textiles students who placed among the top 10 finalists in the 2022 Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Production (ESRAP) Student Merchandising Competition. The global competition challenges undergraduate students to develop fashion retail business plans that are sustainable and socially responsible. Competitors are judged by a panel of industry professionals and faculty in the sustainable fashion field. Owen and his project partner, Cassidy Napolitano ('23), finished among the top 10 finalists after developing business plans in Dr. Sarah Portway's Spring 2022 Fashion Entrepreneurship course using the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and triple-bottom-line frameworks. "Dr. Portway's Fashion Entrepreneurship course made me realize my creative side when it comes to business planning," said Owen. "Her course pressured me to pay close attention to instructions, while at the same time allowed me to think creatively in order to differentiate myself from others. Being able to stand out in any industry is helpful, as well as being able to complete tasks in a timely manner, which her bi-weekly deadlines trained me to achieve." Owen and Cassidy, who submitted their AquaFeet project as a team, took third place in the undergraduate competition. "AquaFeet is a sock brand specializing in self-repairing socks," said Cassidy. "AquaFeet socks can mend holes and tears easily with a little bit of friction and water, made possible by Squitex technology." The plan prioritized four Sustainable Development Goals: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Responsible Consumption and Production; Good Health and Well-Being; and Life Below Water. "According to the ESRAP guidelines, the business had to be completely ethical across all fronts," said Owen. Originally, the duo faced an ethical dilemma with AquaFeet because the proteins necessary to create the self-healing fibers of the socks were harvested from squids. "Luckily, scientific advancements were made a couple of months before we started working on the brand, and the proteins were able to be mimicked with no harm to squids," said Owen. "Cassidy and Owen's successful teamwork for this competition is a fantastic example of two exceptional Red Dragons growing intellectually, thriving socially, and living purposefully," said Dr. Portway. "Their place among the top three in this highly competitive and international competition is a remarkable and well-deserved achievement. They worked tirelessly and demonstrated a deep commitment to sustainability, professionalism, creativity and achieving a long-term goal."

Cassidy Napolitano ('23) was one of four SUNY Oneonta Fashion and Textiles students who placed among the top 10 finalists in the 2022 Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Production (ESRAP) Student Merchandising Competition. The global competition challenges undergraduate students to develop fashion retail business plans that are sustainable and socially responsible. Competitors are judged by a panel of industry professionals and faculty in the sustainable fashion field. Cassidy and her project partner, Owen Hodkinson ('23), finished among the top 10 finalists after developing business plans in Dr. Sarah Portway's Spring 2022 Fashion Entrepreneurship course using the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and triple-bottom-line frameworks. "Dr. Portway's Fashion Entrepreneurship course has helped in my career goals by giving me a true understanding of what a sustainable business model is," said Cassidy, who is participating in the SUNY Oneonta FIT Visiting Student Program. "Going into the industry next year, I feel more prepared to combat this issue and educate others. I also feel comfortable identifying unsustainable practices within a company's supply chain and taking action against them." Owen and Cassidy, who submitted their AquaFeet project as a team, took third place in the undergraduate competition. "AquaFeet is a sock brand specializing in self-repairing socks," said Cassidy. "AquaFeet socks can mend holes and tears easily with a little bit of friction and water, made possible by Squitex technology." The plan prioritized four Sustainable Development Goals: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Responsible Consumption and Production; Good Health and Well-Being; and Life Below Water. "According to the ESRAP guidelines, the business had to be completely ethical across all fronts," said Owen. Originally, the duo faced an ethical dilemma with AquaFeet because the proteins necessary to create the self-healing fibers of the socks were harvested from squids. "Luckily, scientific advancements were made a couple of months before we started working on the brand, and the proteins were able to be mimicked with no harm to squids," said Owen. "Cassidy and Owen's successful teamwork for this competition is a fantastic example of two exceptional Red Dragons growing intellectually, thriving socially, and living purposefully," said Dr. Portway. "Their place among the top three in this highly competitive and international competition is a remarkable and well-deserved achievement. They worked tirelessly and demonstrated a deep commitment to sustainability, professionalism, creativity and achieving a long-term goal."

Michelangelo Zacchia ('22) was one of four SUNY Oneonta Fashion and Textiles students who placed among the top 10 finalists in the 2022 Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Production (ESRAP) Student Merchandising Competition. The global competition challenges undergraduate students to develop fashion retail business plans that are sustainable and socially responsible. Competitors are judged by a panel of industry professionals and faculty in the sustainable fashion field. Michelangelo finished among the top 10 finalists after developing business plans in Dr. Sarah Portway's Spring 2022 Fashion Entrepreneurship course using the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and triple-bottom-line frameworks. "Dr. Portway's Fashion Entrepreneurship course really helped me establish myself as a self-starter with industry-ready ideas," said Michelangelo. "For the ESRAP competition, I had the choice of working with a team or doing it individually. I wanted to challenge myself to actualize one of my ideas from start to finish, on my own." Michelangelo created a sustainable patchwork denim company called Dehydrated Denim that encourages sustainability through irresistible silhouettes. "In today's industry, one pair of denim jeans requires approximately 1,800 gallons of water to produce," said Michelangelo. "Dehydrated Denim jeans require 80 percent less water and encourage consumers to cultivate relationships with their clothing and planet. Our brand has a take-back system that allows us to actualize a sustainable circular economy." Life Below Water and Clean Water and Sanitation were the Sustainable Development Goals Michelangelo used for Dehydrated Denim. "Kudos to all the Red Dragons who faced the intimidation of a global jury formed by industry leaders and did it anyway," said Dr. Portway.

Samantha Alberts ('22) was one of four SUNY Oneonta Fashion and Textiles students who placed among the top 10 finalists in the 2022 Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Production (ESRAP) Student Merchandising Competition. The global competition challenges undergraduate students to develop fashion retail business plans that are sustainable and socially responsible. Competitors are judged by a panel of industry professionals and faculty in the sustainable fashion field. Samantha finished among the top 10 finalists after developing business plans in Dr. Sarah Portway's Spring 2022 Fashion Entrepreneurship course using the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and triple-bottom-line frameworks. "Learning how to create a business from the very beginning and all the troubles along the way has taught me what it may be really like to be an entrepreneur in the fashion industry," said Samantha. "I think a lot of the information I learned showed me what to look out for in a failing or thriving business, from the budgets, the pricing, the business concept, the target market, and everything else. I loved how this class took me out of my comfort zone and showed me another side to the industry." Samantha's business plan for Fungi Chic focused on a virtual wholesale store that sells leather-alternative products made from Mycelium. "Mycelium is the root-like structure from mushrooms that grows underground and covers our entire planet," said Samantha. "We have discovered that this structure can be grown in sheets to resemble the look, feel and durability of leather. This is a very new and innovative material making its way into the fashion industry." The Sustainable Development Goals that her project incorporated were Life Below Water and Life on Land. "Kudos to all the Red Dragons who faced the intimidation of a global jury formed by industry leaders and did it anyway," said Dr. Portway. In addition to participating in the ESRAP competition, Samantha worked alongside Dr. Portway to give a presentation at the SUNY Digital Learning Conference held earlier this fall on campus. The project topic was "Faculty and Student Perspectives on Cultivating Career Readiness with Online Experiential Project-Based learning." This presentation discussed the semester-long project Samantha and Dr. Portway worked on in the Fashion Promotion class during the Fall 2021 semester, based on creating a promotional event for a fashion brand. Both she and Dr. Portway worked with SUNY Oneonta alumnus and PUMA Select Brand Manager Scott Saltzman ('86) during this project's duration. "Who better to have helped us with this project than an alumnus who works for PUMA," said Samantha. "This project would not have been possible without having Scott as the main contact and joining us most weeks via Microsoft Teams for our classes."

Five SUNY Oneonta students created a virtual presentation this fall for the National College Fed Challenge, a team competition for undergraduate college students inspired by the work of the Federal Open Market Committee. The competition encourages students to learn more about the U.S. macro economy, the Federal Reserve System and the implementation of monetary policy. The Fed Challenge was formerly an in-person event for participating students but has moved to a virtual format to allow schools outside the current Fed Challenge districts to compete in a newly created "at-large" region. About 40 teams across the district submitted recorded presentations in October, for review by the Federal Reserve. To prepare for the presentation, SUNY Oneonta students worked closely with their faculty advisor, Christine Storrie, associate professor of economics, and Logan Conte, the course's TA, both during and outside of class time. They learned how to research economic indicators, create complex graphs using Excel and link economic theory to current economic conditions. Students who participated in the Fed Challenge enrolled in Econ 3216, the College Fed Challenge Preparation course offered each year in the fall semester. This three-credit course is offered on a condensed schedule, concluding in early November. This year's course finished on Monday, Nov. 7, just a few days after hearing that the SUNY Oneonta team had not advanced to the semifinal round. While only a maximum of five representatives formally present to the judges during the recorded presentation, all team members work on it equally. To select the five representatives, all team members present the policy recommendation they have come up with before a panel of economics, business and accounting faculty and field. The criteria for choosing the representatives include presentation skills, the ability to answer questions clearly and knowledge of macroeconomics and monetary policy. The faculty panel scores each team member, and the top five become the team's representatives. This semester, the presenters were Noah Davis, Dasia Harrigan, Joseph Grogan, Ryan Vogel and Justin Almanzar, and Timothy Cronin served as the alternate and was also the emcee at the evening performance. "Additionally, the team prepares a performance on campus in front of faculty and students. Each team member enrolled in the course contributes to this performance. This year, the live performance was on Oct. 11," said Storrie. "The presentation was entirely student-run and included a live version of their competition presentation, an overview of the College Fed Challenge competition and recruitment information for future semesters and a question-and-answer session with the audience. There were more than 85 people in attendance." Current students and alumni alike say the experience of preparing for the Fed Challenge competition is a valuable opportunity to build skills that will serve them well in their careers after graduation. "Alumni who took the course and participated in the Economic Club's Life After Graduation Series all made a point to mention their experience in Fed Challenge," said Storrie. "They've concluded that their Fed Challenge Experience was the most useful and practical course they took while at SUNY Oneonta. It gives students a hands-on experiential learning opportunity, working with a team on a common goal in a fast-paced environment against a tight deadline."

Three students were recognized at an award ceremony for participating in an online financial investment competition, the SUNY Oneonta Stock Market Game, on May 2 in Fitzelle Hall. The students invested virtual cash of $100,000 in a live market, buying and selling stocks while using other financial instruments to practice their investment skills. The top three winners received $50, $30, and $20, respectively. The competition was open to all students and was offered through www.wallstreetsurvivor.com, an online stock market simulator.

SUNY Oneonta's student team earned a silver medal at this year's International Genetically Engineered Machine Giant Jamboree (iGEM) for their project, "SNflaPs." In this multidisciplinary competition, team members work together to create a solution to an everyday problem using the tools of synthetic biology. In addition to engineering, building, testing, and refining their system, teams must also consider the human and environmental aspects of their work and produce a promotional video, a 20-minute presentation, and a wiki documenting their work. SUNY Oneonta's team worked to produce a field-deployable genetic testing system that can be used to support informed breeding on small dairy farms. They competed against 352 teams from over three dozen countries. More details about synthetic biology, iGEM, and the SUNY Oneonta team can be found on the campus iGEM website. The team's project can be viewed on their 2021 iGEM competition wiki page.

SUNY Oneonta's student team has entered the 2020 iGEM competition, a contest that gives students the opportunity to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world. The iGEM competition gives students the opportunity to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world. Made up of primarily university students, multidisciplinary teams work together to design, build, test, and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological parts and standard molecular biology techniques. Every year, nearly 6,000 people dedicate their summer to iGEM and then come together in the fall to present their work and compete at the annual Jamboree. The college's team was questioned by a panel of five judges from all over the world (France, Spain, Brazil and the U.S.) about the different aspects of their project, named Ca2LF (Confirming A2 Alleles using Luminescence in the Field). SUNY Oneonta's iGem team began by giving a short summary of their notable achievements, which included testing protocols for amplifying DNA using RPA - an isothermal DNA amplification system, creating positive control DNA clones, cloning a yeast 5' Flap Endonuclease for detection of SNPs, building a homology model for the yeast Flap Endonuclease (no previously published model exists), and planning and building prototypes for devices that can be used in their system. In addition, the team discussed the three-week virtual CDO-GoSTEM science camp that they organized and led for local middle school students in July. The team was questioned for 20 minutes. "They handled the rigorous questioning session well and represented our campus admirably," said Assistant Professor Jill Fielhaber, who coaches the team with Assistant Professor Kelly Gallagher. "Kelly and I were able to observe the entire session through a live stream, and could not have been more proud of how the team performed." Now the SUNY Oneonta team is waiting for the final judging decisions. Finalists for the high school, undergraduate and over-graduate divisions will be announced Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. during iGem's Community Week - a series of virtual conferences and workshops held as part of the competition. Winners of each division will be announced during the closing virtual ceremony, held Nov. 22 At this time, iGEM will also award special prizes to teams whose work was the best-of-the-best for each of the different competition attributes. Medal awardees will also be announced during the ceremony. The teams has the possibility of being awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals based on their achievements. More information regarding iGEM and the SUNY Oneonta 2020 iGEM team can be found on the college website. On the news page, you can find links to view the team's competition materials: a poster, 20-minute oral presentation, two-minute advertisement, and project wiki.

SUNY Oneonta won the final SUNY Chancellor Esports Challenge in "Rocket League" 3-0 against Binghamton University. They won the top prize of $2,000, which will be donated to the student emergency fund at SUNY Oneonta. The esports tournament was designed to help students with financial need amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about the tournament, visit https://suny.leaguespot.gg/league

Over SUNY Oneonta 20 students are competing in the SUNY Chancellor Esports Challenge, an esports tournament to help support student emergency funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-sponsored by Extreme Networks, the event has invited each college to put forward two teams of students to compete in "Fortnite" by Epic Games, "Super Smash Bros Ultimate" by Nintendo, or "Rocket League" by Psyonix. The top prize for each game is $2,000, which will be donated to the student emergency fund at the winners' respective college. There will also be a $5,000 grand prize given to the SUNY campus with the best overall score. Players will also be eligible for other prizes from Extreme Networks, Mountain Dew Game Fuel, and SUNY Canton. To watch, tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/sunyesports . For more information about the tournament, visit https://suny.leaguespot.gg/league

SUNY Oneonta's Hooked On Tonics a cappella group competed in an International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Northeast Quarterfinal on Feb. 25 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The 14-member ensemble performed a set that included "All Time Low" by John Bellion, "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys and a Michael Jackson medley. "All Time Low" and "I Want it That Way" featured original arrangements by group member Sydney Kurnit, who is a sophomore at SUNY Oneonta.

SUNY Oneonta graduate student Kwasi Agyemang represented the Mohawk Valley in the state finals of the seventh annual New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) on April 29 in Albany. Agyemang, who will graduate May 14 with a Master of Arts degree in History Museum Studies from SUNY Oneonta's Cooperstown Graduate Program, took first place at the regional level in the Informational Technology/Software category for his company, Travelsee.

Seventeen SUNY Oneonta students participated in the 2017 National Model United Nations Conference in New York City from March 19-23. The Oneonta delegation represented South Africa.

The SUNY Oneonta Poetry Slam Team competed in the 16th annual College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) from April 6-9, 2016, at the University of Texas-Austin. Hosted by the Association of College Unions International, CUPSI is the only licensed poetry slam tournament bringing college students together to showcase their talents in the competitive art of performance poetry.

A team of SUNY Oneonta students won an honorable mention award at the 2015 College Fed Challenge competition on Nov. 16. This was the third consecutive year that SUNY Oneonta has made it to the semifinals of the intercollegiate monetary policy competition, held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Eleven SUNY Oneonta students traveled to New York City in April to participate in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) sponsored by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The goal of this year's competition was to create an advertising campaign that would increase online orders for Pizza Hut, this year's NSAC corporate sponsor.

SUNY Oneonta graduate student Kwasi Agyemang will represent the Mohawk Valley in the state finals of the sixth annual New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) on Friday, April 24, in Albany. Agyemang took second place at the regional level in the Informational Technology/Software category for his company, Travelsee. Travelsee is an app that helps users find and share cultural experiences based on GPS location and keywords.

SUNY Oneonta's Big O Poetry Slam team made it to the semifinals at the 15th annual College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University from March 25-28. The annual event is sponsored by the Association of College Unions International. This year, 68 teams competed during the four-day event, which included educational workshops, haiku and nerd slams. Oneonta finished 12th in the nation, ahead of last year's national champions, the University of Texas-Austin.

Twenty-one students represented SUNY Oneonta at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City from March 22-26. SUNY Oneonta students represented two countries: Oman and Turkey. The Turkey delegation was recognized by conference organizers as an Outstanding Delegation, the highest honor of the conference. The Oman delegation was recognized as a Distinguished Delegation, the second-highest honor.

Forty-two members of SUNY Oneonta's Terpsichorean Dance Company represented the college at the annual Collegiate Dance Invitational in Cortland, NY, on Feb 21. At the competition, Terps members choreographed and performed in six group numbers, two duets and four solos. Three dances received first-place awards and another seven numbers brought home second- and third-place prizes.

A team of 13 economics and business economics students from SUNY Oneonta won an Honorable Mention Award in the 2014 College Fed Challenge, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in November.

Fifteen SUNY Oneonta students spent part of their spring break at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City from March 30-April 3. This year's delegation, representing C?te d'Ivoire, was one of 28 groups from around the world selected to receive the Distinguished Delegation award at the end of the five-day conference. This is a high honor, placing the Oneonta delegation in the top 10 percent of participants.

Anthony Castoria of Lake Ronkonkoma, NY, is the winner of a video contest organized by the SUNY Oneonta Office of Sustainability to promote the college's new single-stream recycling program. Castoria, a senior majoring in mass communications, won a $100 gift card to the college's bookstore for his video, which offered a light-hearted take on which items can -- and cannot -- be tossed into the new blue recycling bins on campus.

A team of students from SUNY Oneonta will compete in the semifinal round of the 2013 College Fed Challenge at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday, Nov. 18. Teams from 36 schools in the Second District competed in the first round of the competition at John Jay College on Nov. 5, and the SUNY Oneonta contingent bested teams from the five other schools in its bracket to advance to the semifinals.