Extra-Va-Ganza

                  There are only a select few people who understand what the Extravaganza event truly means, but on Saturday, April 24, 2010 it was seen again.
                  Africa In Motion (AIM) prepared heavily for the huge audience attending this annual event. The only issue is no one can ever truly be completely prepared. The crowd becomes so big every year. AIM Alumni, Utica College Alumni, friends and family of performers waited impatiently on line. Prior to the event, AIM advertised to the fullest this year. They reserved a showcase in front of the Student Activities Office and left a sign standing there for people coming through Strebel Student Center.

                  There were many plans in advanced for everything. It appeared to be a mini-fashion show as everyone came dressed up with their best outfits. The dancers came more prepared to give their audience a show. Through the disappointments, excitement, happiness, and confusion, AIM and the other groups managed to forget about all the mixed emotion from the audience. People remained in their chairs and others stood on their feet. Regardless, everyone enjoyed some part of the show. This in all you can say is a true accomplishment!

Recap of the show:

Hosts for the show: Monique Sidberry & Keron Alleyne

 AIM opening the show

Phi Beta Sigma Steppers

"No Behavior" from Herkimer Community College

Singer: Danielle Moore...Back-up Singers: Monique Sidberry & Margarita Cruz

Samson the Poet

 AIM in their 2nd section

Angelic Voices of Unity - Gospel Choir

Team Mannequin from SUNY IT

Team F.E.M.

Africa In Motion Closing the show!!!

Let's Create a BOND, While I cater to you

             The most well-known all male campus organization comes up with a bright idea to reach out only towards the females.

             They created an event called "Cater To You." The flyers hung high for days and females continuously stopped and smiled. Days prior to the event, there was talk on the quad, the pathway and in the lounges amongst females. The excitement was overwhelming for them. They would be able to get their hair, nails and eyebrows done. There would be no better day!

             Still, the "Cater To You" day came and the Brothers On A New Direction looked "spiffy", but there were some sad female faces. The specialist for doing nails was not able to attend. Along with this downfall, there was only one hairstylist available to flat iron hair and complete eyebrows. 
             Darven Dodard, who is the dean of membership for BOND, speaks about where the idea came from. He explains it was organized by Keron Alleyne and Jabari Scutchins. Alleyne brought it up because females complained about males never doing anything for them. Also, females were concerned with the lack of gentlemen found. "We expected the event to by a lot faster," Dodard said. Their planning in advance fell threw as the specialists canceled on them one by one.

              The event as a whole was successful for it's last minute changes. Females' hair were flowing after being stuck in a bun. Their eyebrows were arched after almost being connected to one another. This was all possible with the Gianni Lauryn Hair Studio on 3805 Oneida Street in New Hartford. In the end, all the females participated were able to get $5 off if they attend the salon. As the years go by, this event should be a very frequent one with more options for the females.

Females can shop MORE at the bookstore

               The Utica College Bookstore has expanded it's apparel to fit the female students' interest after the usual settlement for the unisex clothing.

               Savannah Hansen, assistant manager of the UC Bookstore, is in charge of the general merchandise. Ever since June 2009, she has been working for the bookstore. Hansen has been able to change the bookstore for the better. Her decisions have allowed the bookstore to sell more women's clothing than every before. 

               As in the past, the bookstore goes through a particular process for orders. Lauren Partyka, manager of the UC Bookstore, is in charge of the school supplies and book orders. According to Hansen, the supplies are chosen from a "Pick List" given to the store by the home office. Partyka and Hansen are being told the amount of each supply to sell to the students by the corporate offices. For the books, it's process differs. 

              For years, it has been the same way of ordering trade and reference books. The books are ordered on demand by students or professors. As for other times, it would be sent automatically to the store from the vendors. If professors had an upcoming exam for their students, they would special order the books through  the bookstore. 

              The clothing has been chosen from the "Assortment Plan" given to each college bookstore of Barnes & Noble. Each brand would tell the bookstore what type of clothing can be sold in the store. Another aspect for the clothing for years has been the GM Newsletter. This is provided to all Barnes & Noble College Booksellers about the different trends and the ways other bookstores are selling their clothing. 

              "The students are our customers and we sell what they want," said Hansen. She felt her motivation for selling the women's clothing came from the students. According to Hansen, her female student workers constantly complained about the lack of women's fitted clothing. 

               Hansen first tested the waters of female clothing with "Fear the Moose - Utica" tees. "These t-shirts were not good at all," she said. "They ran too small and close-fitted." These shirts did not sell well for the bookstore. The Champion vendor sold better for the bookstore displaying "Utica College" on the front. 

               "I realized there has been a lot more women's clothing being sold," said Jamilia Cain. She is a sophomore psychology student. "I love the UC tees and the tie-dye shirts, but I brought some track shorts and a zippered sweatshirt." 

                In December 2009, Jansport sold black and white sweatpants with "Utica" in pink zebra print to the bookstore. According to Hansen, every bookstore in the upstate region carried these pants specifically for their school. "The black ones sold out in a week, but the white ones a lot slower," she said. She constantly speaks with the Hamilton bookstore allowing the region to all sell similar clothing. 

               Women's clothing now makes up between 15 to 20 percent of the stores' general merchandise. The new tie-dye navy sweatshirts for women were sold out in one month. These new trends were especially posted in the GM Newsletter. In February of 2010, the newsletter promotes the "Spring Theme Table" of Pink and Green. As it states, "New product for the spring table should be set up on 3.01.10 and will feature Spring Break travel items continuing with the pink and green trend." There have been many changes not only in the bookstore, but in what they are persuaded to convey from the stores. 

                The bookstore has continued to improve on the intake of female fitted clothing. Their growth of the clothing has allowed it to be sold very quickly. 

Undercover Haters

                 The term "hater" has continuously been used language, but we don't seem to notice the true haters surrounding us. Then again, they are more behind the scenes. They are "undercover".

                   As we think back, everyone remembers "Angela Smith". This was apparently a Utica College student, who made a fake facebook account. They took it upon themselves to expose gossip from campus drama. Everyone was appalled and shocked by these accusations. People stayed near their sidekicks and laptops to see what he or she will post next. Rumor after rumor destroyed relationships, friendships and personal integrity. Students tried as hard as possible to put two and two together trying to figure out who was responsible. Eventually, you saw papers on the front of Strebel Student Center's doors asking about any available information. Of course, there were false assumptions on certain people. In the end, it all died down until another "Angela Smith" account was made. There was more exposure and hurtful statements made about students. Till this day, no one is absolutely positive about who did it or if these statements were true. The rumors floated away and UC students moved on.
                   As much as we hate to admit it, these people can be our very friends. Everyone would become surprised with a huge incident like the facebook account. Still, we don't seem to realize we are surrounded by "haters" on a daily basis. We may be telling our best friend private information, then they tell their other best friend, and the cycle continues. Undercover haters are surrounded by you on this campus constantly. You can not be surprised about huge incidents, because it happens right in front of your face in smaller portions. Rather than accusing others of being "haters", we should think about whether or not we are giving something to talk about. You shouldn't spread your business loosely and expect things to remain a secret. Maybe in actuality the we are our own undercover hater.
                    Still, the most perplexing thing is why do these people have to hide their identity? We wonder to ourselves, what could they possibly be gaining? For a person to create a fake e-mail address, fake facebook account and spend time writing rumors, we wonder are you passing your classes? There are so many questions for the people who hide their identity to expose others. These may be the same people with a bad reputation trying to take the attention off of themselves. We may be giving them something to talk about, but these people have no right to prey into people's business anonymously.
                    As the relieve comes off our shoulders about Angela Smith, we enjoy our twitter accounts on the blackberries and iphones. Then, here comes "YouGotBlownUp". Someone creates a fake twitter account exposing more gossip. He or she has decided to tell everyone to send them a personal message if they would like to tell someone's "dirt". Who in their right mind would send information to them knowing they could possibly tell the public about the message. Obviously, they are coming up with these accusations all on their own. Why should we entertain these people?
                     Now, it goes both ways. Regardless if the information is accurate or not, there is no right for anyone to post information about our private lives. The "Honesty Box" and "Formspring" isn't any different than the fake accounts. People are asking you questions about your life. People are telling you things that they can't say to your face. Yet, everyone goes around calling themselves "trustworthy" and "real". Again, we entertain the gossip. When someone asks you personal questions on formspring, no need to post them on facebook or twitter. We are constantly giving people ideas about us. Your facebook statuses and tweets are a reflection of who you are. People will only know what you tell them.
                       I've heard of other colleges having the same issue. Still, you should be aware Utica College is a very small campus. What you tell one person may actually be telling 3 other people. We don't seem to realize the undercover haters could be the person always next to us. We shouldn't give them something to talk about. Remember your best friend is your worst enemy.

Multi-cultural Greek Forum

              On Wednesday, March 10th, Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. held their annual Multicultural Greek Forum. This was a wonderful event providing the UC campus with information on different Greek organizations. There were "Greeks" who traveled from other schools such as Syracuse University and Hamilton College. Each organization were required to answer specific questions and give background information on their organization. The question grabbing the audience's attention the most was, "If you were the opposite sex, which fraternity or sorority would you have chosen?" The audience remained intrigued through out the entire event. Whether you were interested in an organization or there for support, it was worth the time. Here is a glimpse of the organizations:

  

Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 

                             Chi Upsilon Sigma Sorority, Inc.

                                    Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

                                  Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

                                   Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

                                   Sigma Lambda Upsilon, Inc.

                          Lambda Sigma Upsilon Fraternity, Inc.

If you missed the event, look forward to it next year!
PHOTOS BY: Amber Recio

NEW Leadership & Wellness Center

             The new Leadership and Wellness Center was created to give students a variety of opportunities to develop leadership skills other than at leadership weekend as well as to help students feel better and give them chances to get out and focus on being healthy, says Maureen Murphy, the assistant director of Student Activities. Kelly Adams, assistant vice president for Advertisement/Marketing & Communications for Institutional Advancement, is very excited to have this kind of center available to the students. He believes that students will be able to walk away with a variety of experiences.
              "The role that the center could play is as a very visible and effective bridge between academic and social dimensions of student education and experience here," said Adams. "The programming will provide meaningful opportunities to students." The events the center has in place already range from the Biggest Loser Challenge, a Ski trip, and different kinds of workshops.
                The center is holding a series of leadership workshops. They will be open to students, faculty, and staff; also, private sessions can be scheduled by individual UC organizations for a more one-on-one approach. The workshops will focus mainly on three topics this semester which are body language, officer transition, and basic organization issues such as delegation and pumping up other members to get more involved.
                The body language workshop is designed to make people aware of the different types of body language, how to effectively use body language in situations, that some body language can be taken as negative even though it isn't meant that way, and how to be aware of your own language.
                "Some people use negative body language and they don't even know they are doing it," said Maureen Murphy. "My workshop is designed to educate people how to be aware of this."
                Office transitions are something that happens in every organization at least once a year, sometimes once a semester. It is very important that organizations are aware of how to effectively transition and know that they need sufficient time to do so, said Murphy. Paul Lehmann, director of Student Activities, will be helping put on this workshop. Lehmann describes the workshop as "a course on advancing leaders on strategies and how to transition form one group leader to another." He said organizations sometimes wait too long to start the transition process.
               "Most wait until March or April to pick new officers, leaving no time to work with the present position holder or plan for the next year," said Lehmann. "They end up needing to take at least a month out of the fall semester to teach/transition the new position leader. Sometimes the previous holders are seniors and by the time new ones are picked, seniors may have 'checked out' or they graduate before the transition is done."
               Sometimes organizations have problems with their leaders delegating jobs and tasks to other members for a variety of reasons. There are times that some members may feel that not everyone is as dedicated as the other and this can be a reason why they have problems delegating. This is where "pumping up" other members comes in. The workshop that covers basic organization issues will offer ways for leaders and members to get excited about their organization and what their focus is and what needs to get done. It will also give tips on delegating tasks to other members.
                The dates and times of these workshops are not yet determined. If you are interested in having Maureen Murphy hold a workshop for your organization, you can contact her by e-mail at mrmurphy@utica.edu, by phone at (315) 792-3037, or stop by her office in 105 Strebel Student Center.

                                                SUBMITTED BY: Sarah Lucia

More info: http://www.utica.edu/student/activities/leadershipwellness.cfm

Two UC Juniors Make Women's Basketball History

         For the first time in Utica College women's basketball history, two juniors have reached 1,000 career points during the same season.
         Forward Jessica Berry, Rome, N.Y., became the eighth player in the program's history to reach 1,000 career points during the Pioneers' fourth game of the 2009-2010 season against Hamilton College on Nov. 30.
         Since then, Berry, who sports jersey number 33, has reached a total of 1,507 points, placing her in third place for individual career-high scoring since 1980. She trails the No. 1 spot by only 262 points.
         Berry's teammate, guard Devon Croll, Vernon, N.Y., became the ninth player to join the 1,000 point club during their game against Hartwick College on Feb. 16.
         Four games later, Croll, jersey number 11, is now up to 1,048 points and has taken sixth place in individual career-high scoring.
         According to Utica College's sports information director, Gill Burgmaster, both players are moving up on the record sheets in areas other than shooting, too.
         "Jess has a great shot at becoming the College's all-time leading scorer," Burgmaster said. "And she is on pace to become just the second player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. Devon is on pace to become the programs all-time leader in assists and steals."
          But, breaking records is not all these two players do. Berry, who is pursuing a degree in criminal justice, and psychology major, Croll, have also earned many awards for their hard work.
          This seaon, Berry was named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year and she received Conference Player of the Week five times. She was named the ECAC Division III Upstate Co-Player of the Week and was selected as a member of the Empire 8 All-Conference First-Team for the third consecutive year.
           In 2009, Berry was named to the ECAC Division III Upstate New York All-Star Team for the second straight season and she became the second player in Utica College history to be named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week. She was named Rookie of the Year for both ECAC Upstate and the Empire 8 Conference in 2008.
            Croll joined Berry as a member of the Empire 8 All-Conference First-Team this season.
            In 2009, Croll was named to the Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team for the second consecutive season and she was named Utica College Female Athlete of the Week. During her freshman season, Croll was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Week twice.
            Utica College's women's basketball head coach, Michele Davis, says that Berry and Croll are very valuable to the team, but that both players know it's a team effort that has driven their success.
            "They're both exceptional players and students...Jess, right now, is averaging almost 22 points a game and I believe Devon's averaging 13 to 15 points a game. And we need them to score to be successful," Davis said. "Anytime we get those individual awards, whether it's a player of the week or player of the year or we score a thousand, they both realize the team has helped them reach that potential. Even the other day, Devon left her 1,000 point balloons and flowers up in the locker room because it was a team award...that's a great team player."
              Berry echoed her coach's response on teamwork when asked if she felt any pressure being the team's lead scorer.
              "Not really," Berry said. "We don't need to rely on just one player. We have four other people on the court who are just as capable. I've been so successful because of those 14 other players that we have. Ya know, we come in each day, practice and work hard. They make me better."
               Croll followed suit and credited her team as she recounted the moment when she made the shot that put her on the record boards.
               "Well, I really didn't know, but I guess everybody else knew. So, after I made the shot, I just turned around and I didn't know what was going on," Croll said. "But, I felt good. I mean it's not just me, it's the players, like my team. They pass me the ball, we work together, so it's a great accomplishment overall,"
               Now that their regular season is over and they've grabbed the Empire 8 Championship title with a 21-6 record overall, the Pioneers will play in the NCAA Division III Championship next weekend.
              Burgmaster believes that Berry and Croll's accomplishments will help to put some pressure on their opponents in upcoming games.
              "The competition comes to Utica knowing they are going to have to play against two of the best players in the conference. That's a very intimidating feeling," Burgmaster said. "Jess and Devon have helped lift the program to new heights and hopefully their success on the court will translate into a deep run in post season play."
              As for next season, Coach Davis says that both players have the potential to challenge Lyke's 1, 769 points for the No. 1 spot. Davis even says that Lyke is eager for them to do so.
              "Ya know, the funny thing is, Sharon is very supportive of our program. She comes to a lot of our games," Davis said. "She'll shoot me a text before every game, 'Wish the girls good luck.' She wants it done. She's like, 'I'm waiting for it. I'm excited for next year when they break my record."

                                SUBMITTED BY: Miranda McKee