SUNY Oneonta

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.

Six SUNY Oneonta students traveled to Cancun, Mexico last week to participate in the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists. The students presented posters on the results of their parasitological research projects on host-parasite systems of Otsego Lake, or of marine stingray tapeworms. Several of the student research projects were supported in part by Student Research Grants from SUNY Oneonta. Student travel to these meetings was supported in part by the Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund.

A total of 1,445 SUNY Oneonta students earned Dean's List honors for the spring 2018 semester. To qualify for the Dean's List, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

A total of 222 SUNY Oneonta students earned Provost's List honors for the spring 2018 semester. To qualify for the Provost's List, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

Junior softball player Dana Del Genio was selected to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 3 First Team this spring.

2018 graduate Kayla Clohessy was selected by the SUNYAC as the recipient of the Dr. Delores Bogard Award.

Sophomores Kevin Mackin and Daniel Ioos were selected this spring as SUNY Scholar Athletes.

17 SUNY Oneonta students recently traveled to Peru to study tropical biology. The group spent one week in the Andes Mountains learning about ecosystems in the highlands, as well as agricultural practices and culture. Students also learned first-hand the effects of high elevation on the human body! A highlight of their time in the mountains was the visit to the ancient Incan town of Machu Picchu, considered to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

From May 14-18, assistant professor of music Dr. Adam Kent led a mini-course on Colombian music in Cartagena, Colombia with three SUNY Oneonta music majors, Misaki Kobayashi, Taylor Stone and Catrin Miskewicz. The program was an outgrowth of a COIL collaboration organized by Dr. Kent with a colleague from the Universidad de Cartagena last fall. With a grant from the O.I.E. and funding provided by the Sociedad de Mejoras Publicas in Cartagena, Dr. Kent partnered with Patricia Ojeda, founder and director of the Escuela de Musica Patricia Ojeda, for a series of presentations on musical nationalism in the South American country. Guest speakers and performers included local percussionists, jazz musicians and experts on Cumbia, the best known indigenous musical form. In addition, the students studied and performed works by such Colombian composers as Jaime Leon, Carlos Luis Figueroa, Adolfo Mejia, Juan Guillermo Villarreal Solar and Guillermo Uribe Holguin. The students plan to offer a concert of the music studied on this trip in the fall semester at SUNY Oneonta. When not busy practicing or attending presentations, the students were able to do some sight-seeing, enjoying an excursion to the Islas del Rosario keys off the Cartagena coast, participating in a workshop on chocolate making, and visiting the local Museo del Oro.

Junior softball catcher Selena Ruiz was selected to the NFCA All-Region Team for her on-field performance during the 2018 season.

When the faded banners on the exterior of SUNY Oneonta's Fine Arts building were removed at the end of the spring semester, they were replaced with brand new ones designed by an art major from Colonie, NY. The college selected Briela Tollisen's banners through a competitive process developed by Facilities and the Art Department. The banner replacement project was an assignment for Tollisen's Advanced Graphic Design class, and the experience mimicked one of a professional artist responding to a call for proposals for a public work. Specifications for the banners were announced to students in October before a half dozen designs were selected for further consideration. The field was then narrowed to three. Finalists presented their work, from vision to production, to the college in November. After thoughtful discussion of the merits of each set of banners, the college settled on Tollisen's designs. ICG believes that each is a well-executed work that could stand on its own. As a series, the banners present a wide range of aesthetics that showcase the creativity that SUNY Oneonta students possess.

Local athletes were members of the 2018 SUNY Oneonta women's lacrosse team.

Local athletes were members of the 2018 SUNY Oneonta softball team.

Local athletes competed on the SUNY Oneonta baseball team this spring.

Sixteen SUNY Oneonta students have received Fellowships for Internship Support, so that they may be paid while completing invaluable immersive learning experiences this summer.

Eight SUNY Oneonta students completed internships and also received payment during the Spring 2018 semester, thanks to a number of Fellowships for Internship Support.

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.

Local athletes competed on the 2018 SUNY Oneonta men's lacrosse team.

More than 200 SUNY Oneonta students were selected to present at the 2018 SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC), hosted by SUNY Oneonta on April 20. Students from 28 SUNY colleges and universities presented 179 research projects in two poster sessions, and another 100 projects in oral presentations throughout the day. Every spring, SURC brings together undergraduate researchers and faculty mentors for two daylong programs of presentations, performances, art displays and poster sessions held on two separate campuses. The second SURC event was April 21, at Monroe Community College in Rochester.

Local athletes competed on the 2017-18 SUNY Oneonta men's tennis team.

Local athletes competed on the 2017-18 SUNY Oneonta women's tennis team.

Twenty four peer tutors through SUNY Oneonta's Center for Academic Development & Enrichment have attained National Tutoring Association Level 1 Certification. In addition to being recommended as a peer tutor by a faculty member in each department for which the tutor provides tutoring, these tutors have completed at least eight hours of training and have completed at least 10 hours of supervised tutoring. Their Level 1 certification is valid for two years.

SUNY Oneonta recognized more than 50 outstanding students during an Academic Achievement Awards reception on May 3. One to three students were chosen from each of the college's academic departments and programs to receive the 2018 Academic Achievement Awards. Each student selected one faculty guest to accompany them to the recognition event. In addition to their excellent work in the classroom, students were honored for distinguishing themselves in many ways, including research, activism, mentoring, athletics, involvement in campus activities and volunteerism.

The SUNY Oneonta athletics department recently held its annual awards ceremony and honored its student athletes for their outstanding accomplishments in and out of the playing arena.

Senior lacrosse player Taylor Casey was selected as the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Nine new members were inducted into SUNY Oneonta's Alpha-Kappa-Iota chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. The students were inducted during the History Department's Awards & Phi Alpha Theta Induction Ceremony last week in Le Cafe at Morris Conference Center. The special guest was Elizabeth Mosher, Daughters of the American Revolution State Chairperson and SUNY Oneonta alumna. Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of history, and is the second oldest such society in the United States. The society has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters. Phi Alpha Theta was established on March 17, 1921 at the University of Arkansas by Professor Nels Cleven. In order to be inducted, undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours (4 courses) in History, achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in History and a GPA of 3.0 or better overall. A maximum of 3 credit hours of online, transfer, or AP credits may be applied to the membership eligibility requirement. Membership is not limited to History majors.

Ten students received awards at SUNY Oneonta's History Department Awards & Phi Alpha Theta Induction Ceremony last week at Morris Conference Center. The special guest was Elizabeth Mosher, Daughters of the American Revolution State Chairperson and SUNY Oneonta alumna.

18 SUNY Oneonta students took part in the ninth annual undergraduate New Critics Literature Conference on Saturday, April 14. Students presented their scholarly work on literature, and the event culminated in a keynote address by one of the nation's preeminent scholars of African American literary history, Prof. Lawrence Jackson, Distinguished Professor of English and History at Johns Hopkins University.

Students from 17 colleges and universities gathered April 13-14 to showcase and discuss their research at the college's Morris Conference Center for the 23rd annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. Organized by SUNY Oneonta students, the conference featured a keynote lecture by Dr. Raymond Angelo Belliotti of SUNY Fredonia titled "Plato & Soul Searing Love." Twenty-one students from across the country were selected to present their scholarly work during the two-day conference. Initiated in 1995, the SUNY Oneonta Philosophy Conference has become one of the most respected events of its kind in the United States, hosting students from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University and from as far away as the University of Hawaii and University of Padua (Italy).

Sophomore Kevin Mackin was selected as the SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in men's basketball.