Spring 2017, Issue #2	The Crier Is Sponsored, In Part, By the Corning Community College Student Association
April 5th, 2017
Save The Bees ! by Chelsea Hansen
Scientists first discovered that bee populations were dwindling back in the 1970s. Beekeepers noticed their queen bees developed shorter lifespans and the bees were dying at an unsettling rate-about 10% a year. This continued until 2006 when this jumped to an alarming 30% population decrease. For the eleven years to follow, the pattern would continue and scientists would call for actions to be taken to save the bees.
Despite the yearly decreases, there have been some glimmers of hope. Last year, populations did not decrease nearly as dramatically. However, scientists still agree that the bees are dying, and in a rather mysterious way. Bees are disappearing. In a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, colonies of bumblebees disappear and leave almost nothing behind but the queen bee and a few larvae, not even a body. In the past 10 years alone, the United States lost over 10 millions beehives, causing a $2 billion loss. Though many don't know why, the death of the bumblebee was validated by the announcement this month that the rusty patch bumblebee has
been placed on the endangered species list.
Years ago, this bumblebee called over thirty states in this country home, including Pennsylvania and New York. Studies conducted this year suggest that the population of this bee has been demolished. The bee has been completely eradicated from New York and some scientists argue that over 95% of the population is dead. This species of bee can now only be found in a few small colonies in a measly 12 states now, and their reach is still shrinking. During an interview with Forbes, James Strange, a research entomologist and bumble bee ecologist stated, “There are a few little spots where we know they are, but only a really few spots.”
Placing the rusty patch bumblebee on the endangered species list is a historic moment. This is the first bumblebee in the world to be placed on the list, and the first bee in the United States to be offered the protection. Activists have been fighting for the bee to be officially recognized as endangered since 2015. A petition went viral during the past few months online begging the government to protect the bee under the En-
dangered Species Act. The petition powerfully calls the bee “one of the most significant species listings in decades in terms of scope and impact on human activities.” With bees pollinating over l/3 of the world's food, this could be called an understatement.
Though scientists can agree that bees are dying, they cannot agree on why. Many argue that it's the increased use of pesticides on our foods. As opposed to sprays, ne-onics has become the most popular, effective, and deadly pesticide. Instead of spraying the pesticides on our foods, it's incorporated into the plants seed. The chemical then spreads throughout the plant when it's growing and when ingested by the bees, it causes paralysis and death.
Bumblebees are important for United States agriculture. Studies prove that the bumblebee offer $15 billion more a year in food profits in the United States alone by pollinating the plants. They're essential in upstate New York on farms and wineries, and contribute to the overall economy right here at home. The White House has formed a force to protect all pollinators including bees, bats, birds, butterflies, and more. A detailed report is ex
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Community Health Day
By Ethan Bratti
As the Spring Semester of 2017 approaches its closing weeks, the weight of perhaps countless responsibilities often forces college students to focus solely on their studies, athletics, or clubs as those activities are becoming more cumulative in nature. If this is you, consider if you’ve pushed your health to the back burner. Perhaps your eating habits have come to consist primarily of fast food, or maybe your sleep schedule has fallen out of cycle. Consider if your mental, emotional, or spiritual health have suffered to make room for your academic obligations. If you feel any of these apply to you, the next thing you should consider is attending the Community Health Day here at CCC’s Spencer Hill Campus.
On Thursday, April 27th, CCC Students will have the opportunity to participate in a slew of exciting events designed to improve various aspects of your health. Also, they’re all free!
What a deal!
Kicking off the day at 9 in the morning in the Triangle Lounge, the Speed Career Event will be using a “speed-dating”-esque method of introducing students in Health related careers. If you can see yourself as a future Nurse, Medical Assistant, Social Worker, Masseuse, Personal Trainer, Counselor, or any related field of work, you can possibly benefit from this event. Space is limited for this event, so please RSVP with Elaine Corwin @ corwin@corning-cc.edu, and provide her with your student number and time of attendance.
Following at 11:30, you can compete in the Brown Bag Healthy Lunch Competition! If you already pack your lunch everyday or if you have a history of regularly eating out you have the chance to enter a bagged lunch to win Best “Dressed”, Best for You, Best Buck$, and more!
Have a full class schedule? Feeling unwilling to dedicate too much or your precious free time to your health? Then you might be interested in taking part in one of the many Take20 events that will be taking place from 12-6. These events, designed to teach you ways that you can improve your health in just 20 minutes, encompass a variety of topics ranging from meditation to writing to yoga to music, as well as everything in between.
If you find yourself on campus into the evening, you will be presented with even more opportunities to be healthy. Wow! Tune in at 6:00 in the planetarium for a showing of Disney Pix-ar’s Inside Out, then stick around for night sky meditation in the same spot at 8!
For more information, a full schedule, or answers to any questions you might have, contact Elaine Corwin at corwin@corning-cc.edu.
SPRING 2017, ISSUE #2	THE CRIER	PAGE 3
The Kaepernick Controversy
By Derick Abbey
Colin Kaepernick, just that name these days seems to put some people in a mood. For those of you who do no know Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback in the NFL (National Football League), and this past year when the country was in the middle of a heated presidential election he decided to take a stand. Early in the season, Kap; as he will be called in the remainder of my writing; felt that his position on the national stage was a good place to stand up (or in this case sit down) for something he believed in. During the national anthem when the teams put their hand over their heart and face the flag standing to show their respect for the flag Kap protested first by sitting, and then kneeling for the anthem vowing to do so until things change.
Now from this point on many people took one of two stances in regard to his protest, some saw it as a stand for something he believed in and respected him and his right to protest. While some saw it as a disgrace to the flag and what it stands for and started to voice their opinions about it. In fact, this was one of the two major story lines in the NFL this year the other being Tom "the goat" Brady being suspended for the first four games. Due to the national attention Kap was being scrutinized for many things including his play. For the start of the season Kap, a quarterback who only four years ago led his team to the Superbowl and almost brought his team back to win, was a second stringer. Due to his position on the team some of his detractors thought he shouldn't be free to protest, or that he was just using his platform for attention. For many weeks of the season if you tuned into a San Francisco 49er's game then you were more likely to hear about his protest than you were to hear about the teams good play (because they were terrible last year) this horrible play four weeks into the season led his coach to make a change. From week five on, when Kap was the starter and his team around him under performed, he generally played good football. Not however good enough in most peoples eyes to detract from the spotlight of his protest.
This past year the 49er's ended their season 2-14 which placed them second worst in the league behind only the one win Browns, though his team was weak in most positions he ended the season with 16 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions in the air and 2 more touchdowns rushing making it one of his most productive seasons. While many times in the season he looked bad, he also had great flashes of the former player he was and what many expect him to be. In my opinion which none of you asked for but i will happily give, Kap was painted in a bad light this year. Yes he brought some of the negativity upon himself when he decided to make an unpopular stance, but as many of his detractors stated this is America, and in America someone is able to stand for what they believe.
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4th Annual Mini Maker Faire
By Eugene Brown
Solder was flowing and motors were whirring, the 4th Annual Twin Tiers Mini Maker Faire was hosted on Saturday, April 25. The event was an exposition of many talents in the region’s so called ‘Makers,’ who include hobbyists in a variety of fields such as 3D printing, robotics, and even crafts like wool spinning! Makers were there to show off their projects to the public. They included sponsored groups like Corning Incorporated’s FIRST Tech Challenge Team ‘Gorilla Bots’ to Corning Community College’s numerous courses and an organization.
Included was the CCCTech Guild that had a wide range of projects that spoke of the organization’s involvement in the field of technology and engineering. One project was their virtual reality headset for children and adults alike. The virtual reality headset, otherwise known as a VR headset, took people on a journey inside of a helicopter flying around in a video game’s world. Justin Kendall, who is the lead developer of the project, has noted that he has high hopes for it to be used in interactive or functional purposes. Another project received a wider public spotlight than anticipated, their 3D printer. A reporter from WETM 18 News filmed a cut on the growing popularity of 3D printers in the industry and everyday life as a tool. A member of the Tech Guild, Eugene Brown, was interviewed and said that the 3D printer has many applications in the industry because of the many materials and places for which it could be used.
Complimentary to the Tech Guild’s virtual reality helicopter sightseeing tour, was the more utilitarian, virtual reality welding. The larger piece of equipment was purchased by the College for use in the welding program for students to hone their basic welding technique. Other demonstrations were also put on by college faculty, such as soldering tutorials and Raspberry Pi microcontrollers used in various Computer Science courses.
The Maker Faire was considered a huge success this year considering the coverage and public attention. There are hopes to host a Maker Faire at the same, if not similar venue for next year. The Maker Faire allows hobbyists of many kinds to join and demonstrate their projects. Anyone interested should refer to the ‘Twin Tier Mini Maker Faire’ for more information.
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The Crier Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Hannah Mase
Assistant Editor & SAGA Rep Brandon Hook Social Media Coordinator
David Birks Treasurer
Chelsea Hansen Advisers
Maarit Clay and Christine Atkins
Have an idea for us? Want to see your work published? Submit your article ideas and photos to
ccccrier@gmail.com!
The Rockwell Museum: Urban Arts Crawl
By Joseph Davis
When I started my internship with Mary Guzzy at the Rockwell Museum, there was an endless number of directions it could have gone in. Two days a week, I walked through the halls studying what could be something more visual than the beauty it already throws. After only having some concepts, I was asked to take part in the Day Of The Dead Celebration and had an incredible experience reading poetry about death to rooms full of people in the Mexican tradition, but I knew there were more possibilities. I always returned to the Andy Warhol world that exists in the museum’s educational center up a few sets of stairs, and I knew there would be some way to make a performance through this.
The museum has a series of silk screens with Native American icons along side of American heroes like Annie Oakley (Anita Slater), Theodore Roosevelt (Trevor Brown) and John Wayne is yours truly.
Most importantly, if you get there fast enough you will arrive in time to see Andy (Fish) Warhol give a life-changing introduction to his art which speaks for itself. Come learn the story of these American icons and their perspectives on life this Friday at 6pm and 7pm. See these portraits come to life again on the final Friday in April for the Urban Arts Crawl.
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Saving the Bees (continued from pg. 1)
expected to be released by the end of this month. Placing the rusty patch bumblebee on the endangered species list has the world listening and supporting the efforts of saving the bees.
The White House has convened a task force to make recommendations on how to better protect pollinators — not just honeybees, but also bats, birds, beetles, butterflies and other types of bees. The final report is expected by March. Placing the rusty patch bumblebee on the endangered species list has captured the attention of Americans everywhere as they now rush to listen to and support conservation efforts to save the bees in the hopes that it won't be too late.
April Survival Guide
By David Birks
The month of April is one full of rain, pranks, Easter, and is exactly like all the other months. To endure monsoon season, here are some survival tips to prepare you for the month. The best thing of the month of April is that you get the opportunity to stuff your faces with Reese’s Cup eggs; check one. I may have eaten one or five bags of them within a 24-hour span, eat your heart out Honey Boo Boo! On the first day of April, also known as why does this day exist, make sure you totally forget the relevance of the day till a 12 year old hits you with a water balloon. Then proceed to chase them, until they say “April Fools”, to which you reply with a hand gesture in the form of a bird.
Don’t forget to avoid a man in a bunny costume at all the locations you primarily go to. Also, can we just take a minute to talk about coloring Easter eggs? Like I don’t know why that was made Easter my favorite holiday growing up, but it’s added to the list of things needed to survive. It’s weird to think about, like was someone just like “Becky why’d you put food coloring in my vinegat, it’s ruined!” and then Richard was feeling extra and was like, “let me put a hard-boiled egg in it, because I conveniently have that laying around.” Yes this is what I think about on a daily basis.
Earth Day is the 22nd as a reminder that as the human race we are failing, but everything is okay if we put things out of our minds. On the checklist should be a reminder that we have to not leave such a big footprint on the Earth. For us to survive, and our future generations we have to cut back on buying useless products, and wasting materials. Such as my fire mixtape “Strangely Not Terrible” available on campus for $9.99, limited while supplies last.
But in all honesty, in April on our list should always be to ensure that our own personal happiness is not being diminished. Of course there is going to be stresses and anxieties, it is college. But, in April we should all find a balance between work and play. Lets all ensure that we are all capable of having fun, and differentiating business and play. Let us all treat April like it will be the best month of the year, versus just another month. A new mentality for April is the true number one on the checklist of the April Survival Guide.
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SAEB Elections
By Anita Slater
Do you want to make a difference on campus? Are you looking for a way to both get involved and gain leadership skills? Corning Community College Student Association Executive Board (SAEB) is hosting its annual election which means that every position is available. The SAEB is responsible for promoting all things funded by the Student Activity Fee. That includes how those fund are spent; to what events should they go to, to which performers should perform at the college - all of those decisions and more are made with the help of the Student Association and SAEB.
SAEB is comprised of 8 positions: President, Vice-President, Student Trustee, Treasurer, Auditing Treasurer, Speaker of the Student Senate, Director of Public Relations and Secretary. Each position’s duties are relatively self-explanatory, and additional information can be found in the Student Association Constitution.
So what does all of this mean, and why should it interest students? Well, participating in any kind of Student Government really makes you feel like you’re contributing to the college; like you’re making a difference. Every Student pays the Student Activity Fee, so every student should be aware of the leadership opportunities provided by the college. If you’re looking for an experience that will enhance your college education, a position in the SAEB is for you!
To apply, interested parties need only fill out a simple form found on this QR code or the my-CCC Announcement. Then, applicants need to follow the instructions on the form and get 50 signatures from their peers and give a short speech to students at an Open Forum. Additionally, you can also email the current saeb directly at saeb@corning-cc.edu for questions and additional information. Stop by our office downstair in the Commons anytime to discuss any questions in-person.
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Could You Please Just Focus For Like, Two Seconds?
By Olivia Fryburger
I get it. Studying is hard. Concentrating on studying is harder. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with studying that you rolled yourself into a blanket on the floor, and told your roommate that you were becoming a burrito because burri-tos don’t have to study and focus? I have and, it wasn’t my proudest moment.
Now, there are a lot of study tips out there. I know, I’ve Googled them, and they all basically say the same things: Drink more water! Reward yourself every fifteen minutes with a handful of mixed nuts! Be positive! Set study goals! I’m here to tell you that some almonds and a motivational quote from Pinterest are not going to do much to help you stay focused during your homework sessions. Don’t listen to those generic study blogs, listen to me, a fellow student with the attention span of a goldfish. I’m going to give you two quick ways to study smarter, not just harder.
1.	Unplug. This is really hard for most of us, but guess what? It is one of the most effective study tips I have. Don’t just put your phone or laptop off to the side, shut them off completely and put them somewhere out of site. If you’re working on an assignment where you need your computer, install a website blocker. These will become your best friend (I use StayFocused), they are free, and only take a few minutes to download. Once you’ve installed the website blocker, type in what websites you want the application to block for you, and for how long you want them to stay blocked for. If I have a test coming up, I block Facebook and Instagram for a few hours. Sometimes I’ll block my e-mail. One time I even blocked Google for 72 hours-that was a feat of superhuman strength, and I don’t know if I could do that again.
2.	Stand up! We sit in classes all day in school, and then we go home and sit down and do homework, then sit down to read a book or watch TV. Students in general do a lot of sitting. I don’t know about you, but sometimes all that sitting makes it harder for me to concentrate when I study. It makes me feel kind of lethargic and just, blah. I tend to get in a study slump after dinner when I’m full and tired from a long day. The minute I sit down at my desk, my mind starts to wander. To help me focus, I have started studying standing up. I use the kitchen counters as my desk, and I find that I can usually get a lot more
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(cont.) work done, because I have the freedom to walk around and move my body. One girl I knew used to memorize vocab while walking on a treadmill. Another one of my friends was a musician that would put her textbook on her music stand, adjust it to her standing height, and study THAT way. The physical act of motion sends a wake-up call to your brain and helps you retain information. In the words of Michelle Obama, “let’s move!”
Unplug and stand up are just two of my many study tips I have learned that work for me. The key is to study smarter, right? That means hackig your study time, so that your brain is actively engaging with your homework, and experimenting with methods that work for you specifically. Don’t get frustrated if you are having issues focusing, or find yourself getting distracted, that doesn’t mean you’re smart or not cut out for college.
I know a man who said that when he was in a university, he could only concentrate on his studies for fifteen minutes at a time, so guess what he did? Every fifteen minutes or so, he would get up, get a glass of water, or walk around, and then sit and study for another fifteen minutes. He has the attention span of a squirrel on Red Bull, but he discovered how to hack his brain to study, and now he’s a doctor with a Ph.D.
Start by making small changes like this to your study routine, and build from there. You are young, scrappy and hungry, and not about to throw away your shot! (if you understood that reference we should hang out sometime) Good luck!
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The Power of Animals
By Sabre Short
So, I am an animal person, and I always have been. Altogether, I own two cats, a dog, a tortoise, and a lizard. As I grew up around animals, I realized that there was something magical about them. While I adore all animals, I especially love certain dog breeds, reptiles, and rats. Growing up in a household where I always had a pet, I see that they truly are therapeutic. My Tuxedo cat, Tiger, the eldest of the five, was so good with everything. When I was a child, I would dress her up in baby clothes, and I would rock her to sleep. She would just lay in my arms and let me maul her as much as possible, although she had her angry moments. I remember one time, I was putting a diaper on her (big mistake) and she both scratched at me and bit my hand, although gently. Last year, I got a kitten. He was one of the most playful, loving babies in the world. He is huge now. Boots, the kitten, is a mix between a Tuxedo and a Siamese. He’s absolutely lovely! While I work with him on not being so aggressive when he palys, I still have to be careful with him, for he will bite and scratch in a playful, yet painful, way.
My dog is a different story. He absolutely loves it when he gets a new coat! He wears his winter jacket all year round, except for summer. When we try to take off the coat, he becomes very defensive and snappy, an angry ball of fluff in a red coat and beige fur.
The last two are my tortoise, and green Anole, who I keep together in the same enclosure. They seem to thrive on having contact with one another, both happy as could be. My tortoise is named Oxana Lucile, and my lizard is named Arlo Flynn. I adore them, my sweet babies, and every day, when I return home from a hard day of work, I find my babies waiting for me, patiently, always ready to love me like I love them. I am lucky, because I know the power of animals.
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Artist of the Month
By The Crier Staff
This college holds a lot of great talent, so our staff decided to take to the halls and see who we could find for our new section here at The Crier called Creator of the Month. In the process, we teamed up with the college’s variety TV show, PerspecTV, and we managed to grab an interview with her. Our Creator of the Month is the wonderful Lily Quinones, and we’d love to share more about her.
How long have you been creating art?
Lily: Well, I kind of really got into drawing in about, 6th grade. I was mostly looking at cartoons and things like that like Invader Zim, I would sit and I would draw all the cartoons I was watching. I thought then ‘oh this is pretty fun to fill up my free time’ and then once I started doing it I realized, this is a good outlet, this is a good way to express myself.
What are you trying to convey through your art?
Lily: I think that whenever I’m creating art, I like to center and focus on emotion because as a person, I don’t emote a lot, so in my artwork, that’s how I express myself. So through these pieces, I always try to have some kind of emo-tion-either through color, through subject, through lines, or anything like that.
Which one of your pieces is your favorite?
Lily: I think my favorite out of these is this fish piece done for my Drawing 2 class with Dave Higgins, and he had given us the prompt with just the word ‘fish’ and so, after that prompt, I was kind of stuck with “what am I going to do with the word fish?” And so with the word ‘fish’, I tried to symbolize ‘fish’ in a way with this wire fish and in its basic form.
So what other materials did you use for this piece?
Well, the paint is acrylic paint, and to
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(cont.) get this faint ‘fish’ text in the background, I carved out a stamp out of linoleum, and then ‘fish’ is sewn there into the canvas with red string. I sew into canvas a lot, and it’s something I’ve been doing lately. It kind of brings this new element of a new process other than just putting paint on the canvas but actually breaking through the canvas.
Is sewing into the canvas symbolic for you?
Lily: Yeah, I guess in a way! Sort of stitching and putting things together and trying to figure things out, it can kind of be a metaphor for trying to get everything together and figuring your life out.
You had mentioned before the interview that this was your last semester at CCC, where do you plan on going afterwards?
Lily: Well I’m looking at Fredonia and I think I’m really set on that. With Fre-donia, I’ve heard it has a great art program.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Lily: Well I hope to be animating, 2D animation; making my own short movies because I have all these ideas but I don’t have the set of skills for it yet, so that’s what I plan on doing when I go to Fredonia-to get those skills in 2D animation.
What inspired you to become an artist?
Lily: Well I think just looking at art in general inspired me. Just seeing some of the massive marble sculptures or like the giant Jackson Pollock paintings that are bigger than my body, it’s kind of crazy and I always wondered how they did that, or like the Renaissance masters and how they got all that detail in that oil paint, I started wondering, ‘Can I do that? Can I get that good?’.
What would you tell someone that has never done art before?
Lily: You can do art, even if you aren’t an artist. You can create art out of anything, you can take string and wrap it around something and call it art. It’s just really about the context and the emotion, but not really the work you put into it, you can take ten minutes to make something, but as long as there’s some sort of context behind it or meaning why you did it, then it can be art.
To see the full interview, tune in for the next episode of PerspecTV, which airs through WENY and CW and will be advertised around campus when it releases. Thank you to our lead reporterlead reporter for this piece, Chelsea Hansen for covering the story and a special thanks to Lily Quinones for being CCC’S Creator of the Month.