Tor Echo Issue 4 2014

Tor Echo Newspaper of the Pioneers

By Lynnette Lockwood

Alfred State’s Voices start-

ed the festivities with prel-

ude music with a special

rendition of New York

New York Alfred style.

Then the clubs and organi-

zations of the college

started the recessional

holding signs that said

what their passions were.

Then the recessional had

faculty/staff, colleges/

universities in the sur-

rounding area, and bag

pipers. The Alfred Men’s

Faculty Quartet sung the national anthem. Skip was

inaugurated as the 12th president. President Sullivan

remarked “This day is not about me it’s about the

students”. Pioneering Passions was the common

theme of the inauguration. Alfred State students have

been involved in helping to build homes in New Orle-ans, disaster relief in Haiti, a new library in Sio, and

orphanage for the Angels of Honduras.

“Just as the pioneers did not know what they

would face when they took their families west, they

knew that opportunities awaited them. Many of our

student’s face that same uncertainty but know that

passion is the vehicle that will drive their success and

education is the GPS that will guide those passions”

Skip remarked. Many students have moved west to

Alfred facing some if the same uncertainties that the

pioneering forefathers and pioneering families once

did. Alfred State faculty and staff are here to make

sure that students reach their destination in their

wagon of life. The president encouraged students not

to lose their pioneering spirit, try something different

and outside of their comfort zone.

“While passion may fade from time to

time, find and invest in those things for

which you have passion. Do the things

that you love” Sullivan said. “As presi-

dent of Alfred State, I view it as my re-

sponsibility to help you grow. It is my

responsibility to create an environment

that is safe and that fosters both the

pioneer and the passion inside of you.

Today, I want to pay tribute to our stu-

dents; our past, present, and future stu-

dents. You are the reason I am here today.

After the inauguration ended the

students were dismissed by the presi-

dent. The students then lined up from

the top of the library steps to the Stu-

dent Leadership Building to cheer and led everyone

to the reception. The reception showcased the stu-

dents and the accomplishments of clubs. There was

lots of food, the band played, and everyone got to

personally congratulate the president if they wanted

to. Alfred State Voices serenated the president with

songs and he liked it so much he even chimed in.

During a brief interview he said that he is excited

with the turnout of the inauguration and looking for-

ward to things happening in Alfred. Students can look

forward to the college expanding more with more

programs, degrees, and dorms.

Alfred State College is proud to welcome Skip

Sullivan to the Alfred family. Since he arrived on cam-

pus he has been involved with student’s right from

the start going to sporting events, going to dinners,

and getting to know them on a personal level. “I am

passionate about being student-centered. I am pas-

sionate about being a pioneer, and I am passionate

about Alfred State.”

History in the Making at the President’s Inauguration

By Lynnette Lockwood-

Editor in Chief;

School spirit is a term that you

often hear at pep rallies, and it is a

concept that has been instilled in

us for generations, but school

spirit is much more. It can be

demonstrated in a variety of ways.

School spirit is having high enthu-

siasm about an institution, ex-

pressing a positive attitude, regu-

lar attendance at school related

activities, supporting their sports,

wearing school colors such as

team clothing and face paint, and

being involved in extracurricular

activities. School spirit is often ongoing even after leaving the in-

stitution.

Recently, Alfred State has

shown a lot of school spirit during

the homecoming events. Alfred’s

Got Talent is an event held on

campus that demonstrates a

strong expression of school spirit.

Alfred State clubs, organizations

and students audition for a talent

show. Once they have performed,

they are shown positive support

through the cheers and screams

of the audience. School spirit for

an event can often be dampened

by the master of ceremony re-

questing the audience to

not cheer or scream during

the performance because it

can be distracting for the

participants. Performing

before a large group of

your peers can be intimi-

dating. I performed in the

talent show with the Japa-

nese Dance Club and the

cheers from the audience

made me want to perform

better, relax, and smile more. Any

kind of positive support should be

encouraged. Another example of school

spirit is the spirit bonfire, hence

the name. The screams, laughter,

and yells at the bonfire and reac-

tion from the fireworks really

demonstrated school spirit.

Watching such a spectacular fire-

works, and sharing the moment

with a group of friends really

made me feel proud of being a

student of Alfred State.

Other events that really get

people into school spirit are the

tailgating party and football game.

At homecoming weekend. Alumni,

family and friends gather for the

excitement. Alfred State’s mascot,

Orvis the Pioneer, shows massive

quantities of spirit and wanders

among the spectators greeting,

leading cheers and offering photo

opportunities. The roars from the

crowd when the home team

scores a touchdown are fascinat-

ing to participate in and to hear.

Even if the football team loses, the

crowd, slightly disappointed, still

loves being there to enjoy the

moment. There was music booths

sponsored by college clubs and

free ice cream.

School spirit does not have to

be shown just during big events

like Homecoming. School spirit

can be anywhere and anytime. Every time I put on my Alfred

State apparel I think about how

much I love Alfred State. This is

my senior year so I am taking ad-

vantage of many opportunities be-

cause I know when the time

comes, I will miss it immensely.

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Editorial: A Look Into School Spirit

Tor Echo

Report, Encourage, Engage

Issue 4, Fall 2014

Editor-in-Chief: Lynnette Lockwood / Associate Editor: Jordyn Riethmiller / Sports Editor: Morgan Franchina

Treasurer / Student Senate Representative: Daniel David

Reporters: Lee Button, Katie Dussing, Grace Franklin, Brianna Freeman, Anthony Grande, Deb Mayes,

MiRonda Piphus, Don Schrader, Breanna Smith, Angel Torres

© Tor Echo, 2014

Alfred State celebrated its new Veterinary Tech-

nology Center with an Open House that was at-

tended by past and present students, President

Skip Sullivan, Dean of the School of Arts and Sci-

ences Dr. Robert Curry, faculty, staff, administra-

tors, and community members. Dr. Philip

Schroeder, chair of the Agriculture and Veterinary

Technology Department, said “the Center is used

to teach almost all of the vet tech classes that in-

volve live animals. It includes animal housing,

teaching labs, a radiography suite, and a surgical

suite. The Vet Tech Center is a top-quality teach-

ing facility that rivals any in the region, and helps

the program continue to be one of the best in the

country. “Before opening during the spring 2013 semester as the Vet Tech Center, the facility was

used for the horticulture and landscape design

program since the 1950s. Renovations to the

roughly 7,500-square-foot building began in the

spring of 2012 and ended this summer, costing

$1.2 million. Kellie Donovan, of Bergen, N.Y.,

who graduated from Alfred State in 2006 with a

degree in veterinary technology, stated “I think

it’s great, it looks amazing.”

Vet Tech Open House

ABOVE: Kathy Bliss, Alfred State instructor in the

Agriculture and Veterinary Technology Department,

holds up “Jose,” a bearded dragon.

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By Angel Torres

Many of us sometimes engage in

relationships even though we are

not sure of the long-term out-

come; some may turn out good,

some may turn out bad. Our igno-

rance is sometimes based upon

the actual relationship we have

with that person. Pastor Roger

and his wife, “Mama Penny,” give

people a chance to see what God

can do in terms of a relationship

they are looking for in today’s

generation. In today’s generation, I

notice that some of us tend to

give up easily; but that may be for

several individuals.

These meetings will be taking

place at the Physical Health and

Science building, room 106 at 7

PM every Wednesday. At the last

meeting, there were a few stu-

dents who spoke about their ex-

periences with Lighthouse Chris-

tian Fellowship and their on-going

gatherings. If one has interest in

attending the meeting, judging

from what others have said, it is

best that you are there a half an

hour early. Seats get filled up

quickly.

One student, whose name is

Manuel, a Business Major, had

gone to these such gatherings dur-

ing a transitional period of his own

life, said, “In the past, these gath-

erings were at Terra Cotta. There

is a lovely transition from having

somewhere to meet off-campus

from having somewhere to meet

on campus. That alone should in-

dicate progression at its best. Stu-

dents sometimes do not believe in

a relationship that goes in accord-

ance to God’s word and way of

life recognition and advertisement

plays a large perspective to that. I

do not have much time on my

hands to go to these meetings, but

had I gotten a more flexi-

ble schedule, I could also

be one to learn what God

has to offer in our lives

about relationship.”

Another student, who

graduated from Alfred

State College, spoke about

his experience. For some

odd reason, this student

wanted to stay anonymous.

“I loved going there with

my girlfriend. It was a place

of recollection for us both.

We both studied what we

should or should not due

during our relationship

while being in college. I still

had my doubts about the

process we were taking.” Many

students who enter the meeting

for the first time sometimes do

not have enough faith, nor do they

have enough confidence to bestow

the amount of information being

brought to them from the Bible.

“Our relationship was going very

well, but then my girlfriend did not

want to continue with the studies

of a better relationship with God.”

He then gave some advice: “Do

not put both feet into a commit-

ment you are not ready for;

whether it may be with God and

his way, or with a person who you

once thought could be your life-

time partner.”

Our society does not agree

with much change, but maybe we

should consider change. Expansion

in our mind should be produced,

by all means. Many of us have

been broken hearted before, so

why not give it a shot?

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As a result of a longstanding and

mutually beneficial relationship

between Alfred State and Dress-

er-Rand, the company has

pledged to pay the Alfred State

Development Fund, Inc. $20,000

a year for the next five years to

fund the Dresser-Rand Endowed

Scholarship.

The scholarship was created

to provide financial assistance to

current and new students. The

scholarship money may only be

applied toward tuition or costs

associated with attending the

college. The first disbursement

of scholarship funds will be in

the fall of the 2016-2017 aca-

demic year.

Dr. Derek Wesley, vice pres-

ident for institutional advance-ment at Alfred State, said,

“Alfred State is beyond delighted

at the tremendous generosity

bestowed by Dresser-Rand in

providing this $100,000 scholar-

ship. It signifies the continuation

of what has been a wonderful

partnership. More than 200 Al-

fred State alumni are currently

employed at Dresser-Rand,

which is a key devolvement in

retaining strong talent in the

Southern Tier region.”

To be eligible for considera-

tion for the endowed scholar-

ship, a student must be: An in-

coming or current student at

Alfred State, from one of the

following counties: Allegany, Cat-

taraugus, Chautauqua, or

Steuben in New York; or

McKean, Potter, or Tioga in

Pennsylvania, in good academic

standing. Colleen Argentieri, Al-

fred State director of alumni re-

lations, said the college is very

grateful to Dresser-Rand for funding an endowed scholarship.

She said she hopes the company

has set a precedent for support

of the community and the col-

lege’s excellent graduates. “We

are elated with the dedication

Dresser-Rand Pledges $100,000 for

Endowed Scholarship at Alfred State

Pictured, from left, ASC’s Dr. Derek Wesley, David Scarr and Doug Martin of Dresser-

Rand, Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan, and Colleen Argentieri, Alfred State Direc-

tor of Alumni Relations.

Alfred State is looking to increase stu-

dents’ democratic participation and

civic engagement efforts by partnering

with Democracy Works to bring Tur-

bo Vote technology to campus. De-

mocracy Works is a non-profit tech

startup, created Turbo Vote, an

online platform that helps college stu-

dents register to vote, request an ab-

sentee ballot, and sign up for text or

email reminders with relevant elec-

tion information. This includes dates

and deadlines for local, state, and na-

tional elections.

According to Jonathan Hilsher, director of the Center of Civic En-

gagement at Alfred State, it’s free for

all students. “Ultimately, the goal is to

promote civic learning and advance

civic action as a life-long practice,

producing graduates committed to

being informed, active citizens in their

communities,” Hilsher said.

Students can register for Turbo

Vote in time for Election Day on No-

vember 4th. “The voter registration

deadline is Oct. 10 and the deadline

to request an absentee ballot is Oct.

28. To sign up for Turbo Vote, visit

alfredstate.turbovote.org. Turbo Vote

is a great tool to make the voting

process less intimidating and enable

greater civic engagement among stu-

dents.

Turbo Vote Enhancing

and support Dresser-Rand has pro-

vided over the years, and we are ex-

tremely excited with the additional

investment in the future of Alfred

State and our students,” Argentieri

said. “It’s a win-win situation for all

involved.”

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Sustainability Club is promoting a Green Week October 12-19

Monday October 13th

Water Taste Test 10:30-2:00 CDH

Horse 101 5:00 pm ASC Farm

Wednesday October 15th

Sustainability Plot Brainstorming Session 4:00 pm SLC 408

Thursday October 16th

Litter Clean Up Day 2:00 - 4:00 Orvis

Friday October 17th

Wear Green Day

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Pictured: Nahillah High, Steven Carpenter, Raevon Wheatley, Alhadj Diallo, Leah Vil-

lagomez, Chevon Philip, Claudia Burko, and Brittney Covington who all volunteered to

help with the All Hands Detroit program .

Detroit Disaster Relief

By Deb Mayes

Alfred State has paired with All Hands Volunteers

that allow our students to participate in civic engage-

ment opportunities all over the United States. For

the past two years we have been very active in Long

Island and Staten Island assisting in rebuilding efforts

from Hurricane Sandy. Our recent minibreak, Octo-

ber 3rd – 6th allowed us to again reconnect with All

Hands in Detroit, Michigan.

On August 11, 2014, a large storm system moved

across parts of southeastern Michigan. The system

produced record rainfall that flooded basements

across the greater Detroit area, closing major road-

ways. The Michigan State Emergency Operations Center was fully activated in response, and the Gov-

ernor issued a disaster declaration for parts of the

Detroit area. The All Hands team was on the ground

within 72 hours and quickly launched Project De-

troit to help those in need recover from

the damaging floods.

Our Alfred State team arrived the evening of

Oct 3rd. Matt, the All Hands Volunteer Coordinator,

instructed us on safety apparel we would be wearing

and appropriate ventilators for specific fumes and

mold. After our safety orientation we inflated our

mattresses in the church next door with 37 other

ambitious volunteers.

The organization bonds people from all parts

of the world. We met volunteers from France, Eng-

land, the west coast, and east coast, with one com-

mon goal, helping out people in need.

The teams assembled at 7:45 am, helped load

our vans with needed equipment for the day, and

headed out to designated job sites. Each team had an

experienced team leader who was assigned homes in

different neighborhoods around Detroit. We met

many homeowners with varying needs at each of our

stops, some of us hitting three homes in one day!

Most of our work involved hauling up water and mold damaged items from basements, cutting sheet-

rock and stripping wet, moldy insulation from base-

ments, and mold treatment. The work was exhaust-

ing but rewarding.

The time we spent traveling around Detroit

with All Hands was gratifying and humbling. We dis-

covered the meaning of hard work and well-earned

sleep. Once again, we were amazed that All Hands

could organized 49 volunteers into a productive op-

eration that dispersed unskilled labor into the city in

a time of disaster.

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SPORTS Women’s Teams Bring Home Victories

The Alfred State women's

soccer team rebounded

from two consecutive

losses with 4-0 victory at

Cazenovia on Saturday.

The Lady Pioneers are

now 9-4-1 on the year.

Kali Muhleisen scored

just over three minutes

into the game to open the

scoring. Kaitlyn Huyler

and Muhleisen scored 34

seconds apart ten minutes

later to put the game out

of reach. Huyler was credited with the assist

on Muhleisen's goal.

The game remained 3-0 until

McKenzie Miller scored with 18:03 re-

maining in the contest.

Muhleisen now has 18 goals on the

season while Huyler now has 10.

Alfred State held a 20 to 14 shot

advantage in the contest. Goalie Alli-

son Danielak made 11 saves to record

the shutout.

The Lady Pioneers return to action

on Thursday when they visit Elmira for

a 4 p.m. contest.

Alfred State goalie Allison Danielak clears an unsuccessful Cazenovia shot from

her territory in the Lady Pioneers shutout victory

The Alfred State volleyball team is ranked #3 for the 4th straight

week in the USCAA poll. The Lady Spikers are 18-3 on the year

and are winners of 15 of their last 16 matches.

The Lady Pioneers trail Rochester (MI) College (297 points)

and Florida College (296 points) in the poll. Alfred State re-

ceived 287 votes followed by Indiana South Bend, SUNY Can-

ton, Marygrove,

Cincinnati-

Clermont, Berea

College, Penn State

Fayette, and Con-

cordia-Alabama.

The announce-

ment of the field

for the 2014 USCAA will be an-

nounced on Mon-

day, October 20th.

The 2014 Champi-

onships will be held

in Canton, NY at

SUNY Canton

Lady Spikers Reach 18-3

Alfred State volleyball team celebrates four-set win over Keuka on Saturday, October 11.