The Crier Thursday, January 17,2008 Issue 15 Spring 2008 A New Semester Brings Curiosity By Anthony Popkin As the spring semester begins, we welcome new and returning students to the CCC campus. For many it is an exciting step in becoming independent. To maximize students experiences in college it is imperative that all students have a chance to know about the important resources available to them. In the coming months, many students will find themselves becoming familiar with the Commons building, as it provides a plethora events, activities, and resources that many students will utilize. The Commons includes a cafeteria and dining room, two lounges, the Spencer Pub, and various clubs and organizations that are useful, but there are also many services located in the Commons building which provide help to students. These include: Student Life (Upper Level, Rm. 204) Upon entering the Commons building, taking a left will lead students to the Student Life office. A major coordinator of events on and off campus, Student Life plays a major role in shaping the image of CCC students. Consisting of a group of dedicated staff and student workers, this is the place to get discount tickets for movies, bowling, ice-skating, hockey, and more. In addition to discount tickets, Student Life is the hub for Student Association, clubs, and events to meet everyone’s needs. Many opportunities are provided, so stop by and don't forget your I.D. card. Public Safety (Upper Level, Rm. 204C) Also located inside of the Student Life office is Public Safety. Students can get their ID s and parking permits at this office. Parking permits cost ten dollars but are good for an entire school year. Students should ensure that they get parking permits as tickets are given by Public Safety for failure to register vehicles on campus, among other things. Public Safety also assists students with minor vehicle problems, including jumpstarts and unlocking doors. Public Safety also deals with lost and found on campus. All items found should be brought to Public Safety. To contact the Public Safety office call 607-962-9000. Story continues on page 3... 1957-2007 Inside: Primary coverage The youth vote is starting to mean something in the 2008 elections. Check out some primary updates. Page 2 Safety Synopsis Find out what the Department of Public Safety is up to. Page 4 Weekly column Flashback Take a trip down memory lane with a reprint from a past issue of The Crier on page 5. Weekly column Textbooks Paying for textbooks can be stressful. Read some ideas for how to work around it. Page 7 Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 2 Primary Elections Proves Hopeful Participation in By Michael Coates We’ve all heard that the mythical youth vote can be a deciding factor in an election, but for the most part, it’s always been just that - a myth. This year, however, the youth vote has already amounted to something: no one can be credited more than the state’s college students with Senator Barack Obama’s primary victory in Iowa. While Obama’s campaign appeared to lose ground in New Hampshire, his victory in Iowa is still significant, coming in answer to questions of the Senator’s viability as a candidate despite his lack of long-term political experience. The significance of Obama’s victory in Iowa has a deeper meaning for our nation’s youth: we actually do make a difference. For the first time in a long, long time, the fabled youth vote has actually amounted to something. In the second Presidential election in the New Millennium, it may well be the youth vote that decides who will be sitting in the Oval Office next year. Of course, that will only happen if young people (and especially college students) actually vote. With so many firsts in the race- the first African American, the first woman, the first Mormon - this promises to be a high tension primary followed by an even more charged race for the White House. There are bound to be many surprises, and even more bitter and divisive infighting than usual, before this thing is lost and won. But after the crushing and monotonous incompetence of the Bush administration and the controversy of President Bush’s victories in 2000 and 2004, this election is already a breath of fresh air. After eight years under the leadership of a consistently unpopular President, the people seem ready for some kind of change - even if it’s only the inevitable change to a new administration. What does that mean for us at this early stage? Well, unless you’re a registered member of one of the parties, it doesn’t mean much. New York’s primary election, held on Tuesday, February 5th, is closed - meaning that only party members can vote on who will appear on their party’s ballot. While the buzz in New Hampshire was all about independent voters, in New York, we have no say. Sadly, it is too late to register and vote in a primary if you’re not registered already (the deadline was last week), but it’s not too late to register to vote for a President next November. If you're not registered yet, voter registration forms are available in the lobby of the Commons, at your local post office, the offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and a number of other public buildings. You can also request a registration form from the New York State Board of Elections by calling 1-800-for-vote, or directly from the Steuben County Board of Elections at 607-664-2260. For citizens of other counties and out-of-state students, information on where to vote and how to register is available at the New York Board of Elections website at www. elections, state.ny.us Opinion: Who Do YOU Think Will Be Next? By Amanda Morse School is back. Yippee. I can’t tell you how unexcited I am about that fact. Right now I am in the middle of deciding which classes to add to my schedule. It is a stressful time. But despite these irritating facts of life, or rather school facts of life...I was thinking of the upcoming presidential elections. Now, I’m not a very political person. And I tend to stray from anything that has to do with politics. The very idea -I’m sorry for those who love it - it bores me to tears. But I can’t help but be drawn to this particular election that will take place in the fall of 2008, because for the first time a woman is running for president. Now in a perfect world, this fact wouldn't be very important at all, but this is the Presidential election! But what surprises me more is that I seem to be drawn into the political hullabaloo more than ever before. It could be because this will be the first time I’ll be able to vote. This never used to interest me before, but the presidential contenders never were as diverse, either. Story continues on page 4... Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 3 A New Semester Brings Curiosity Continued from front page... Success Center (Upper Level, Rm. 206) The Success Center is located just past the Kelley Lounge and offers various services to include, making appointments for assessments, registration, tutoring, counseling, and advising. The Success Center also assigns academic advisors, tracks students’ progress, and assists students with study skills techniques, time management and dealing with test anxiety. Besides that, they also provide academic and emotional support for all students. To contact this office, email successcenter@corning-cc.edu or call 607-962-9228. Career Development (Upper Level) Career Development helps students who plan on continuing their education or going to work directly after college. For a full list of service provided through Career Development, look on page 6 of the student handbook. The center includes a computer career planning lab and a mini-resource library. To contact this center, email careers@corning-cc.edu or call 607-962-9228. Academic Coordination Team (A.C.T., Lower Level, Rm.148) For students that may struggle with college, there is a dedicated team of staff and tutors that will help eligible students reach their educational goals with services such as one-on-one tutoring A.C.T is here for the students. To see if you are eligible visit the A.C.T. offices or call 607-962-9358. Student Disability Services (S.D.S., Lower Level) For students with disabilities, S.D.S. facilities to specific needs. To see if you are eligible for S.D.S., contact Kathy Pettet at 607-962-9459 or email kpettet@corning-cc.edu. Health Office (Upper Level, Rm. 229) Want to donate blood or just turn in your shot records? Candace Rosing can help. If you’re feeling sick or just need information, the health office doors are open. Stop by or call 607-962-9257 to discuss any issues or concerns you may have. Campus Ministry (Upper Level, Rm. 211) On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 10a.m. until 2p.m., Chaplain Peter G. Ladley is in the Commons to serve students, faculty, and staff. Campus Ministry is open to all students of any faith providing a place to talk and relax. To contact call 607-962-9413. Video Store (Upper Level) Located next to Campus Ministry is the campus Video Store. Movies can be rented and students can take a break and play Playstation 2 or Xbox for a low hourly fee. Just don’t forget to bring those movies back. Again, welcome to CCC, take advantage of the resources while you can, and enjoy your experiences the best you can. Good luck. Upcoming Events Thursday, January 17th - Campus Life Fair 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Main Dining Room, Commons Learn about Student Life at CCC while you enjoy a free lunch! - Intramurals 8c Recreation 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Gymnasium - Women’s and Men’s Basketball vs. Onondaga 6:00 p.m. 8c 8:00 p.m. Gymnasium Saturday, January 19th - Women’s and Men’s Basketball vs. Mohawk Valley 2:00 p.m. 8c 4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 20th - Intramurals 8c Recreation Open Volleyball 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m, Open Indoor Soccer 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Free to CCC students and employees $2 fee per person, per session for comunity participants Monday, January 21st - Martin Luther King Jr. Day College closed! Tuesday, January 22nd - Intramurals 8c Recreation 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Gymnasium Thursday, January 17,2008 Safety Synopsis: Department of Public Safety Campus Beat 01/07/2008 9:52am Miscellaneous Complaint Public Safety Officers received several phone calls that there was a C.E.A.T.S. Bus that had broken down on Spencer Hill Rd. Officers responded and did traffic control until the bus could be removed. 01/07/2008 11:04am Phone Box Alarm Public Safety Officers responded to a Phone Box Alarm in the Mail Room. Upon arrival Officers discovered it was an accidental misdial. 01/09/2008 3:21pm Criminal Complaint Public Safety Officers took a report of a Corning Community College owned VCR stolen from the Science Building. Public Safety Officers took a report and scene was cleared. 01/10/2008 2:33pm Criminal Complaint Public Safety Officers received a walk in complaint from a student who has been receiving harassing emails. Officers took a report from the student and cleared the scene. 01/11/2008 11:42am Fire Alarm Public Safety Officers responded to a Fire Alarm in the Gymnasium. Upon arrival it was discovered that the alarm was accidentally activated due to testing. Cleared scene 01/14/2008 1:16pm Medical Emergency Public Safety Officers responded to a Medical Emergency involving a student in the Classroom Building. Rural Metro Ambulance was notified, and Public Safety stayed on the scene until the ambulance was prepared to transport the student to the Corning Hospital Emergency Room. Page 4 Who Do You Think Will Be Next? Continued from page 2... I also seem to be drawn more to the Democratic side. I wonder why that is... lets see...um...that one whitish haired guy is running for the Republican vote. What was his name again? The other reason that the Democratic contenders draw my attention is because I know them better. A sad fact, but people who have no idea who to vote for tend to vote for the people they simply know. Not because he or she may be worthy of a vote. As of now, I am among those people. I wonder what possible changes Barack Obama could bring to the U.S of A. We know that Oprah supports him and everyone knows that what Oprah says is always important, but that might be also because she has the money to back up such opinions. I also have been thinking about the possibility of a woman president. Will the American public will be able to Do you have an opinion? Share it with The Crier! Email our editors at criernewspaper@yahoo.com forgive Clintons husband’s infidelity enough to elect her for president? A woman president...what would that be like? Then Bill Clinton would then be what? The First Man? Wonder what he’d do while she’s in office. Now that’s an interesting thought. The Elmira Star Gazette says that Clinton does not support gay marriage, but in her own words, "prefers to think of it as being very positive about civil unions.” But Clinton has been on the Ellen Degeneres show, and in my opinion, that is more of a political statement than anything. At any rate, the presidential election proves to be interesting at the end of this new year. I definitely think a Democrat will be elected for president. It seems to me, that as the United States picks and chooses among the contenders who may or may not run in the presidential election, in the end, the person who turns out to be the exact opposite of Bush will be the likely result. Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 5 Flashback In honor of Corning Community College's 50th Anniversary, we will be featuring one or more reprints each week from past issues of The Crier. This can be a photograph, article, letter, advertisement, factoid - anything that we can dig up in the archives! Articles are chosen each week with the assistance of Cindy Maier in the Library. These materials have not _____________been edited or otherwise altered from their originalform._ NORML chapter formed at September 30 meeting By Gene Mullen October 9, 1975 The first organizational meeting of the CCC chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, opened September 30 with the adoption of a constitution and the unanimous election of David Mikel as the organization’s first chairperson. Mikel, who is also coordinator for NORML for Steuben and Chemung counties, was unopposed. He was nominated for the post by Dana Keeler, who pointed out Mikel’s past experience with NORML and his awareness of the functions and purposes of the organization. The membership agreed, and the voting indicated complete support of Mikel for the office. Janny Paquette was nominated for the post of vice chairperson and was also elected unanimously. Mrs. Paquette will take over the duties of the chair in the absence of Mikel. The office of secretary was filled by Pan Harkness, who holds a similar position in the Activities office. Sue Per-sichilli was voted in as treasurer. A motion from the floor brought forth the need for a public relations and publicity person for the organization to prepare information about the club for possible publication and take care of publicity concerning the club’s functions. This position was filled by Judi Sparks, a former member of the Crier Staff. Mikel, in stating the aims and functions of NORML stressed the fact that NORML does not advocate the use of marijuana, nor do they claim that it is unharmful. The primary function of the organization is to effect the "decriminalization” of our present unrealistic marijuana laws. Mikel went on to say that the criminal laws punishing marijuana users are unreasonably harsh, and there is a wide difference in enforcement between different jurisdictions within the state. The present laws are ineffective as a deterrent to use and that they engender disrespect for all laws in their selective enforcement. He added that these laws overload our courts with the processing of thousands of minor arrests, and that they divert costly law enforcement resources away from the control of serious crime. Criminal laws punishing marijuana users destroy the credibility of drug education programs which seek to inform youth of the very real dangers of hard drug use. Mikel stated that NORML is primarily a non-profit public interest lobby organization and that the purpose of the CCC chapter is to provide a vehicle for the students to help change those laws. The CCC organization will give the student a voice in contacting legislators, and in helping make the public aware of the problems created by the present criminal laws against the use of marijuana. Story continues on next page... Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 6 Flashback: NORML chapter formed at September 30 meeting Continuedfrom page 5... Another function of the organization would be to help provide legal counsel to persons arrested for the use and possession of marijuana. He added that since the organization would not be able to afford legal assistance, this service would be confined to an advisory function, with the possibility of the organization setting up a bail fund. The question of the organizations policy towards the helping of users and other drugs was raised and Mikel said that NORML policy has been to confine its attentions strictly to helping those arrested for the use of marijuana. Getting involved with other matters would only cloud the issue, he added. When asked whether the organization would help or support the marijuana suppliers, Mikel said that there is no set policy on this. He said that while the suppliers were usually people out to make a profit, there is always the matter of circumstance to be considered. We are not here to condemn anyone, he went on, but our primary purpose is to change the laws on primary possession and use. The matter of fund-raising for the new chapter brought out the announcement that a rummage sale had already been scheduled for the weekend of October 10 and 11. The rummage sale is to be held at 1004 Walnut Street in Elmira, and members were asked to donate or solicit donations of articles for this sale. Other ideas for fund-raising included a keg party open to the public. Dana Keeler volunteered as temporary committeeman to look into the possibilities. Mikel stated that membership would be open to all students at CCC, with the possibility of forming an auxiliary organization for non-student, including faculty members and people from local communities who might be interested in NORML activities. He said that there is at present no other chapter of NORML in this area. Mikel said that anyone interested should contact him at the NORML office in the Commons, or should contact the organizations advisor, Father Murphy, at his office in the Commons. Regular meetings are for CCC NORML chapter are scheduled for Mondays at one RM. in the Small Lounge of the Commons. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings, and are urged to bring a friend. Interested in joining The Crier? Come to a meeting on Tuesdays at 12:40 in The Crier office or submit articles to criernewspaper@yahoo.com We pay $10 per published article and $5 per published photo Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 7 Textbook Turmoil? number will not work. If you don’t like the prices you see at the bookstore, be sure to check the bulletin boards around campus, espe daily the one by the bookstore. Many students decide to sell their used books independently for less than the bookstore charges for used books, making it a win-win for both buyer and seller. Also, ask your friends! They might have some of the books that you might need laying around and visa versa. You can do a nice trade off where money is not an issue. The bookstore, located in the lower level of the Commons building, is open this week Monday - Thursday from 7:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. By Elise Eberhardt Welcome to or welcome back to campus. I’m sure you’re excited about your new classes and what they have to offer, but along with those classes comes textbooks, and that can be a problem. Textbooks are almost always an issue for any budget, but you might not know that you have options. Of course, the college bookstore has every book you'll ever need and is convenient. They offer brand new books along with used books that cost a little cheaper. They also have a very convenient labeling system that tells you the price for new and used textbooks, the name of the course, the instructor’s name and whether the text is required. All of this information your teachers will or should provide you with on your syllabus. The college store is located in the lower level of the Commons building and the hours are Monday 1/14/08 - Thursday 1/17/08: 7:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., and Friday 1/18/08: 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Also, if you have leftover financial aid for this semester you can buy your books from the college store with that money as long as you have your new college ID number when you are purchasing your books. Your social security Another option to you are websites. Some popular sites that sell new and used textbooks are www.half. com/textbooks, www.amazon.com/textbooks and www.cheapesttextbooks.com, but there are many more where that came from. Usually you can bid on the textbooks that you want, saving you money; however, you’ll have to deal with shipping fees and delivery. Of course, you'll need a credit card and some patience. Finally, if you do not have money to purchase the textbooks that you need, stop by the library. Most instructors have reserved at least one copy of the text required for you to use. You must sign out the book at the front desk with your college identification card, stay within the library and there is a time limit of one hour. Library hours are Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Have fun with your classes this semester and good luck in your textbook search. Thursday, January 17,2008 Page 8 The Crier Editor er Staff Lindsay Woodruff Reporters Assistant Editor Michael Coates Amanda Morse Elise Eberhardt Treasurer Elise Eberhardt Amanda Morse Advisor Anthony Popkin Paul McNaney From the Editor I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new students and a welcome back to those who are returning for the Spring 2008 semester. Last fall, The Crier staff worked hard to provide the student body with a weekly publication, and we will continue to strive for excellence this spring. We made some changes to our publication last semester, the most obvious being a new layout design with new fonts. In honor of the 50th Anniversary celebration, we added a column called “Flashback” which features reprints from past issues of The Crier, and we also added the Safety Synopsis, a weekly report from the Department of Public Safety. We have big plans for this semester as well, including colored pages, more photographs, and overall, a more organized paper that will include coverage of some stories that would be of interest to the college community. Though we have some ideas to better the newspaper, nothing is as important to us as feedback from our readers. Our goal is to increase readership by becoming more involved in the issues, events, and stories that the students, staff, and faculty would like to see covered. I am often reminded that not everybody is as interested in the news, or in reading in general, as I am. While that may be true, it still does not change the fact that since the invention of the printing press by Johann Guttenberg in the 1440s, the beauty of widespread literature has been active in such phases of history as the Enlightenment Era, various wars, and the development of democracy. Our first amendment right as United States citizens is something that we often take for granted. I would like to see more people walking around campus with a copy of The Crier in hand, and I truly believe that the best way to accomplish this goal would be to have the input of our readers. Any ideas can be emailed to our editors at criernewspaper@yahoo.com. Representatives from The Crier will be present at the Campus Life Fair today in the Main Dining Room of the Commons from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. While there are several clubs, organizations, and services to check out, we hope that you will take the time to stop by our table and learn more about our newspaper. Lindsay Woodruff Editor-in-Chief