FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022VOLUME
VOLUME 107 | ISSUE 6
SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper since 1997
Doubt befalls SA work ethic BY OLIVIA BOUSQUET Editor in Chief
ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA/Cardinal Points
SUNY Plattsburgh students, alumni and staff pose together at a networking event in Macomb Hall.
Homecoming makes return BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA
News Editor
Homecoming, a tradition spanning over half a century, was hosted inperson for the first time in three years last weekend. Kerry Chapin-Lavigne and Paul Leduc, the two people working in the Alumni Relations office, faced not only the responsibility of continuing the Homecoming tradition, but also the challenge of educating a generation of students who, due to COVID-19, do not know what a college Homecoming is. Some feedback announced at the Student Association Executive Council Meeting Oct. 17 said students felt that Homecoming weekend “wasn’t very inclusive” and “fo-
cused on alumni.” “The definition is right in the name — coming home,” Associate Director of Alumni Relations Leduc said. “It’s a time when our community gathers to celebrate Plattsburgh but also welcome back alumni and friends and also people that haven’t been back in awhile.” “Simply put, everybody is welcome, but the center focus is welcoming our alumni back to campus,” Chapin-Lavigne added. Chapin-Lavigne said the office of Alumni Relations succeeded in its goal to educate SUNY Plattsburgh students, the majority of whom joined during the pandemic, on Homecoming. “This is in fact probably the first Homecoming for the majority of our stu-
dents that they’ve experienced,” Chapin-Lavigne said. “It’s not common that they have questions, and it’s wonderful that they recognize that we’ve had Homecoming, because to me, we’re making progress on the fact that it exists and that something different is happening on campus. They should know that, they should want to be a part of it, so I love the fact that it’s being talked about at the Student Association because if it’s not, it means they didn’t even know it happened.” Some students have been referring to Homecoming as “alumni weekend,” which, according to Chapin-Lavigne, can help students better understand the purpose of the event. “It used to be called
alumni weekend,” Leduc said. “I think we’ll probably continue hearing people call it alumni weekend, but I don’t think we brand it that way, and we never have.” “We don’t,” Chapin-Lavigne confirmed, “because we love the all-inclusive Homecoming word.” Leduc noted that with the criticism the office received of Homecoming being too alumnicentered, “we’re actually the ones that don’t call it alumni weekend.” SA Coordinator of Activities Marileana Rodriguez said calling Homecoming “alumni weekend” could help clear confusion among students. HOME l A5
The Student Association Senate discussed two large topics at its meeting Oct. 12, the first being work ethic, brought up by SA President Taiba Azeem, and the second on Black Solidarity Day. Azeem’s presentation on SA’s work ethics began with a refresher on the goals of the senate and executive committees. Some of these goals were for increased involvement and visibility, challenging the norm and welcoming students. She noted how the semester has just hit the halfway point, yet the “how” aspect of these goals is not being discussed. The big point of the presentation was to highlight the importance of accountability. Azeem asked the senators to raise their hands if they missed more than two office hours, and a few did. However, she said many more were missing hours. According to their bylaws, senators can be impeached if they miss more than two office hours. Senator Aissatou Lo pointed out that while they are senators, they are also students. Academics can come into play when missing hours for meeting with groups or professors. Vice President Saran Kaba countered with the point that senators were asked for availability at the beginning of the semester to work around their academic schedules. “This was not randomly
assigned,” Kaba said to the senators. “You made a commitment to show up to these office hours, and if you do not show up, you won’t be getting paid.” Azeem pushed the point further by saying that when she can’t continue, she remembers why people voted for her. She wants the “SA to be perceived better.” “If you said you would be there and you’re not, you failed that student,” Coordinator of Activities Marileana Rodriguez said. Michael Casey, vice president of the SUNY Student Assembly and also an SA legislative review board member, echoed Azeem and Kaba by saying “impeachment is something to be taken seriously.” Azeem’s goal to combat the missing hours is through the acronym RACI, which stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. Through this method, senators can communicate better with each other and push toward accomplishing the goals set at the beginning of the semester. The second big topic of discussion was Black Solidarity Day, which will be celebrated Nov. 7. The legislation came forth last year and was celebrated, but it was difficult to do so because of COVID-19. This year, the planning committee has a day filled with activities, workshops and presentations.
SA l A2
Fuerza hosts Mardi Gras celebration BY JESSICA LANDMAN Staff Writer
The Warren Ballrooms at Angell College Center were decked out in green, purple and gold for the Mardi Grasthemed banquet hosted by Fuerza: Black and Latinx Student Union Oct. 13. This is the sixth annual banquet hosted by the club. At the event were performers, speakers and a catered buffet. Fuerza is a club that focuses on unifying African American and Latin American cultures under one network in an effort to abolish the ignorance, prejudice and racism against and between African Americans and Latin Americans within our communities according to the SUNY Plattsburgh website. Leah Sweeney, the director of the event management office, said, “It took about five hours yesterday to do the bulk of it, and then we had to come in today to do a couple more hours.” The lighting and sound systems alone take a lot of practice and training. Jeidy Aloi and Isabella Rodriguez are students who are members of Fuerza and helped organize the event. The club always has a week of events in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This year, some events besides the banquet were Hispanic Heritage Jeopardy and Guerra de los Sexos.
OLIVIA DAVIS/Cardinal Points
BANQUET l A2 Fuerza: Black and Latinx Student Union hosted its sixth annual banquet celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
OPINIONS | A3
IS FALL OVERRATED?
SPORTS | B1
FOUR JOIN HALL OF FAME
ARTS & CULTURE | B4
LOCAL FILM FORUM PREMIERE