Fuse Spring 2011 | vol. 5 no. 1

Balancing ActSuper-involved students juggle classes, clubs, jobs, and more

Advice for Aspiring Filmmakers from Never Let Me Go Director Mark Romanek ’81

Short-Term Study Abroad Options

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 1

The Ithaca College Experience | spring 2011

Having done our own college searches, we know how hard it is to make the right choice, especially when all the information you get sounds so similar. That’s why we’ve created Fuse magazine, a publication that gives you a firsthand glimpse of the Ithaca College experience through stories and photography by current IC students. Is Ithaca right for you? It’s your choice—and we hope this makes it easier. —Fuse staff

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2 LOCAL SCENE

3 AFTER IThACA

4 OUTSIDE IThACA

5 SpORTS REpORT

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“Get in a canoe and relax in the middle

of Cayuga Lake.” —Brian Keefe

Volume 5, Issue 1, Spring 2011

Writer/Editors Lauren Barber ’12 Alexandra Evans ’13 Alyssa Figueroa ’12 Conor Harrington ’13 Lauren Hesse ’11 Mia Jackson ’11 Brian Keefe ’11 Nicole Ogrysko ’13 Gillian Smith ’12 Meghan Swope ’11

photo Editor Matt Watkajtys ’11

photographers Colleen Cunha ’13 Deanna Dearo ’13 Lauren DeCicca ’11 Jacob Lifschultz ’13 Michelle Montgomery ’12 Matthew Prokosch ’13 Daniel Sitts ’12 Anika Steppe ’13 Allison Usavage ’11 Contributors to this issue: Alexander Canovas ’12 Devan Johnson ’12 Chris Lisee ’10 Mary Michalow ’10

Director of Admission Gerard Turbide

Executive Editor Bonny Georgia Griffith ’92

Managing Editor Lisa N. Maresca

Web Editor David Cameron ’96

Copy Editor Tommy Dunne

print Manager Peter M. Kilcoyne ’05

“Cinemapolis! It’s a small, local theater showing lesser-known but really great movies. Add din-ner at the Boatyard Grill and dessert at Purity Ice Cream and you have a near-perfect night.”

—Meghan Swope

We asked our staffers: What’s your favorite thing to do or place to go off-campus?

“I like visiting friends at Stella’s in College-town. We meet for cof-fee, talk, and get some work done with good food.”

—Mia Jackson

“One of the many waterfalls around Ithaca to go meditate and unwind after a long week.”

—Matt Watkajtys

“Angry Mom Records. There are so many cool records from all kinds of music genres, plus a listening station for a quick blast from the past.”

—Nicole Ogrysko

“Cass Park—I love skating in the winter and hanging out on the lake in the summer.”

—Gillian Smith

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Never Let Go of Your DreamsFrom MTV to movies, director Mark Romanek ’81 reflects on his career. By Meghan Swope ’11

14 Bite-Sized StudyAbroad ExperiencesBy Lauren Hesse ’11

contents

10 Athletic Training— It’s Not Just for the BoysThree recent grads share their successes. By Gillian Smith ’12

12 Studying Belize . . . in Belize!Hands-on experience in a course on rainforests, reefs, and ruins.By Devan Johnson ’12

18 Taking Bach on the RoadThe Ithaca College Choir performs in D.C. and Philly.By Alexander Canovas ’12

20 Everything I Need to Know I Learned in KindergartenA journalism student finds a new career path in elementary school.By Mary Michalow ’10

22 Accounting Majors Rake in Cash for the CommunityBudding accountants take their training on the road to help low-income families. By Chris Lisee ’10

23 The professor Behind VITA: Alan Cohen

By Chris Lisee ’10

7 Doing It All Five IC students show how they successfully balance classwork, athletics, jobs, clubs, and service. By Conor Harrington ’13


The Ithaca College Experience | spring 2011

Having done our own college searches, we know how hard it is to make the right choice, especially when all the information you get sounds so similar. That’s why we’ve created Fuse magazine, a publication that gives you a firsthand glimpse of the Ithaca College experience through stories and photography by current IC students. Is Ithaca right for you? It’s your choice—and we hope this makes it easier. —Fuse staff

›‹ BY S

TUDE

NTS FOR STUDENTS

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FUSE

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2 LOCAL SCENE

3 AFTER IThACA

4 OUTSIDE IThACA

5 SpORTS REpORT

›

“Get in a canoe and relax in the middle

of Cayuga Lake.” —Brian Keefe

Volume 5, Issue 1, Spring 2011

Writer/Editors Lauren Barber ’12 Alexandra Evans ’13 Alyssa Figueroa ’12 Conor Harrington ’13 Lauren Hesse ’11 Mia Jackson ’11 Brian Keefe ’11 Nicole Ogrysko ’13 Gillian Smith ’12 Meghan Swope ’11

photo Editor Matt Watkajtys ’11

photographers Colleen Cunha ’13 Deanna Dearo ’13 Lauren DeCicca ’11 Jacob Lifschultz ’13 Michelle Montgomery ’12 Matthew Prokosch ’13 Daniel Sitts ’12 Anika Steppe ’13 Allison Usavage ’11 Contributors to this issue: Alexander Canovas ’12 Devan Johnson ’12 Chris Lisee ’10 Mary Michalow ’10

Director of Admission Gerard Turbide

Executive Editor Bonny Georgia Griffith ’92

Managing Editor Lisa N. Maresca

Web Editor David Cameron ’96

Copy Editor Tommy Dunne

print Manager Peter M. Kilcoyne ’05

“Cinemapolis! It’s a small, local theater showing lesser-known but really great movies. Add din-ner at the Boatyard Grill and dessert at Purity Ice Cream and you have a near-perfect night.”

—Meghan Swope

We asked our staffers: What’s your favorite thing to do or place to go off-campus?

“I like visiting friends at Stella’s in College-town. We meet for cof-fee, talk, and get some work done with good food.”

—Mia Jackson

“One of the many waterfalls around Ithaca to go meditate and unwind after a long week.”

—Matt Watkajtys

“Angry Mom Records. There are so many cool records from all kinds of music genres, plus a listening station for a quick blast from the past.”

—Nicole Ogrysko

“Cass Park—I love skating in the winter and hanging out on the lake in the summer.”

—Gillian Smith

16

Never Let Go of Your DreamsFrom MTV to movies, director Mark Romanek ’81 reflects on his career. By Meghan Swope ’11

14 Bite-Sized StudyAbroad ExperiencesBy Lauren Hesse ’11

contents

10 Athletic Training— It’s Not Just for the BoysThree recent grads share their successes. By Gillian Smith ’12

12 Studying Belize . . . in Belize!Hands-on experience in a course on rainforests, reefs, and ruins.By Devan Johnson ’12

18 Taking Bach on the RoadThe Ithaca College Choir performs in D.C. and Philly.By Alexander Canovas ’12

20 Everything I Need to Know I Learned in KindergartenA journalism student finds a new career path in elementary school.By Mary Michalow ’10

22 Accounting Majors Rake in Cash for the CommunityBudding accountants take their training on the road to help low-income families. By Chris Lisee ’10

23 The professor Behind VITA: Alan Cohen

By Chris Lisee ’10

7 Doing It All Five IC students show how they successfully balance classwork, athletics, jobs, clubs, and service. By Conor Harrington ’13

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=4













fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • �

AFTER ITHACAFUSE

It’s not every day you get to save someone’s life, but that’s just what outdoor adventure leadership major Tom Healy ’10 did last

October. Part of the search and rescue team at Yosemite National Park in California, Healy assisted with a helicopter rescue of a woman who’d fallen and injured her leg on Half Dome, an area of dangerous terrain about 8,000 feet in elevation, during an intense thunderstorm. Healy then guided several others down the mountain on foot as lightning repeatedly struck less than 25 yards from him.

“If we hadn’t gone up there and gotten her off the mountain, she definitely would have died,” says Healy, who received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior commending him for his bravery. After all his training, says Healy, “it’s intuitive. It’s just your job. You need to go up there and do what you need to do.”

ALUM’S BrAvery eArnS notice

When Keith Hannon graduated from Ithaca College in 2004, he headed straight for Los Angeles. With a televi-

sion-radio degree under his belt, Hannon began working at Nickelodeon as an assistant to the studio manager. His boss there was not only another IC grad, but also Hannon’s for-mer teaching assistant! Coming from IC, Hannon felt very

prepared to take on the entertainment capital of the world. “Ithaca doesn’t limit your education to the classroom,” he says. “Networking events, internships, and the Los Angeles program bring students face-to-face with people currently working in the industry, which allows students the chance to forge professional relationships before they graduate.” Hannon is currently a senior producer at Six Degrees Games, where he works on actionallstars.com, a sports-themed website for tweens and teens, doing everything from marketing and copywriting to social networking, sports journalism, and public relations.

IC Grad Shares in Lady Antebellum’s Grammy GloryExpert mastering engineer Andrew Mendelson ’98 makes the final technical tweaks to the albums of top acts—projects he worked on, including Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now, were nominated for 16 awards at the Grammys in February. (Those projects won seven.) “He is truly one of the best mastering engineers currently working in the field, and brings great personality, open ability, and fantastic commu-nication,” says Brian Dozoretz, IC’s manager of recording services. Mendelson got his degree at IC in telecommunications management and planned studies, but his coursework helped shape what is now the sound recording technology major. A frequent guest lecturer at the College, Mendelson also hosts IC interns at Georgetown Masters, his studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

pho

to c

ourt

esy

of th

e Te

nnes

sean

LOCAL SCENE

You’ll find IC students, faculty, and alumni at the Hangar Theatre over the summer, both onstage and behind the scenes, as well as in the audience. Major renovations of the space, which used to be part of the

municipal airport, were completed last year.Peter Flynn, art director at the Hangar, describes the season’s main-

stage performances—Rounding Third, Ragtime, Ever So Humble, Gem of the Ocean, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show—as “diverse, intelligent, fun-loving, and friendly. My hope is this season’s shows inspire conversation about our families—both those into which we are born and those we make ourselves with the friends around us.”

Kids’ shows—Alice in Wonderland; If You give a Pig a Pancake; Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type; Willy Wonka Junior; and Good-night Moon—“will provoke laughter and reflection,” Flynn says. “Hopefully, they will also provoke gratitude.”

For more details, go to www.hangartheatre.org.

Summer FuN at the haNgar

ChilifestCommunity Gathers For annual

At the 1�th Annual Great Ithaca Downtown Chili Cook-off and Winterfest, more than �0 vendors competed for bragging rights in such categories as best vegetarian chili, hottest bean chili, and the bean crazy chili. Chilifest judge Dave Cameron ’96 says his favorite chili was from Blue Stone Bar & Grill, which won best overall chili. “It was the perfect balance of meatiness, spicy heat, great aroma, and tasty flavor.” Cold yet sunny weather provided a great day for tasting hot chili, riding a mechanical bull, and trying to score VIp tasting tickets as part of the festival’s second annual moustache competition. “I really like Ithaca’s atmosphere, and seeing different people and all the different booths,” says Erin Irby ’12, who sported a ’stache at Chilifest. “It’s a really neat festival.”

Known for serving up great weekends for Ithaca College students, Delilah’s on

Cayuga, just off the Commons, has plenty of options for students on a budget. We love the burgers and salads, but you can also stop in for a coffee and cupcake (with fun flavors like peanut butter and jelly, vegan snickerdoodle, and citrus cheesecake).

At night, head upstairs to Delilah’s mu-sic lounge. Chances are, there will be other Ithaca students hanging out, and sometimes performing too, as a deejay or part of a band.

DOwNTOwN HOT SpOT:

Delilah’s ON CAYuGA

FUSE

Tackling the Entertainment Industry

http://www.hangartheatre.org


AFTER ITHACAFUSE

It’s not every day you get to save someone’s life, but that’s just what outdoor adventure leadership major Tom Healy ’10 did last

October. Part of the search and rescue team at Yosemite National Park in California, Healy assisted with a helicopter rescue of a woman who’d fallen and injured her leg on Half Dome, an area of dangerous terrain about 8,000 feet in elevation, during an intense thunderstorm. Healy then guided several others down the mountain on foot as lightning repeatedly struck less than 25 yards from him.

“If we hadn’t gone up there and gotten her off the mountain, she definitely would have died,” says Healy, who received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior commending him for his bravery. After all his training, says Healy, “it’s intuitive. It’s just your job. You need to go up there and do what you need to do.”

ALUM’S BrAvery eArnS notice

When Keith Hannon graduated from Ithaca College in 2004, he headed straight for Los Angeles. With a televi-

sion-radio degree under his belt, Hannon began working at Nickelodeon as an assistant to the studio manager. His boss there was not only another IC grad, but also Hannon’s for-mer teaching assistant! Coming from IC, Hannon felt very

prepared to take on the entertainment capital of the world. “Ithaca doesn’t limit your education to the classroom,” he says. “Networking events, internships, and the Los Angeles program bring students face-to-face with people currently working in the industry, which allows students the chance to forge professional relationships before they graduate.” Hannon is currently a senior producer at Six Degrees Games, where he works on actionallstars.com, a sports-themed website for tweens and teens, doing everything from marketing and copywriting to social networking, sports journalism, and public relations.

IC Grad Shares in Lady Antebellum’s Grammy GloryExpert mastering engineer Andrew Mendelson ’98 makes the final technical tweaks to the albums of top acts—projects he worked on, including Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now, were nominated for 16 awards at the Grammys in February. (Those projects won seven.) “He is truly one of the best mastering engineers currently working in the field, and brings great personality, open ability, and fantastic commu-nication,” says Brian Dozoretz, IC’s manager of recording services. Mendelson got his degree at IC in telecommunications management and planned studies, but his coursework helped shape what is now the sound recording technology major. A frequent guest lecturer at the College, Mendelson also hosts IC interns at Georgetown Masters, his studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

pho

to c

ourt

esy

of th

e Te

nnes

sean

LOCAL SCENE

You’ll find IC students, faculty, and alumni at the Hangar Theatre over the summer, both onstage and behind the scenes, as well as in the audience. Major renovations of the space, which used to be part of the

municipal airport, were completed last year.Peter Flynn, art director at the Hangar, describes the season’s main-

stage performances—Rounding Third, Ragtime, Ever So Humble, Gem of the Ocean, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show—as “diverse, intelligent, fun-loving, and friendly. My hope is this season’s shows inspire conversation about our families—both those into which we are born and those we make ourselves with the friends around us.”

Kids’ shows—Alice in Wonderland; If You give a Pig a Pancake; Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type; Willy Wonka Junior; and Good-night Moon—“will provoke laughter and reflection,” Flynn says. “Hopefully, they will also provoke gratitude.”

For more details, go to www.hangartheatre.org.

Summer FuN at the haNgar

ChilifestCommunity Gathers For annual

At the 1�th Annual Great Ithaca Downtown Chili Cook-off and Winterfest, more than �0 vendors competed for bragging rights in such categories as best vegetarian chili, hottest bean chili, and the bean crazy chili. Chilifest judge Dave Cameron ’96 says his favorite chili was from Blue Stone Bar & Grill, which won best overall chili. “It was the perfect balance of meatiness, spicy heat, great aroma, and tasty flavor.” Cold yet sunny weather provided a great day for tasting hot chili, riding a mechanical bull, and trying to score VIp tasting tickets as part of the festival’s second annual moustache competition. “I really like Ithaca’s atmosphere, and seeing different people and all the different booths,” says Erin Irby ’12, who sported a ’stache at Chilifest. “It’s a really neat festival.”

Known for serving up great weekends for Ithaca College students, Delilah’s on

Cayuga, just off the Commons, has plenty of options for students on a budget. We love the burgers and salads, but you can also stop in for a coffee and cupcake (with fun flavors like peanut butter and jelly, vegan snickerdoodle, and citrus cheesecake).

At night, head upstairs to Delilah’s mu-sic lounge. Chances are, there will be other Ithaca students hanging out, and sometimes performing too, as a deejay or part of a band.

DOwNTOwN HOT SpOT:

Delilah’s ON CAYuGA

FUSE

Tackling the Entertainment Industry


FUSE OUTSIDE ITHACA

CLICK ThISFor more information about the Trevor project and the release of “Firework,” visit

fuse.ithaca.edu.

SpRING BREAkERS DO GOODInstead of lathering on sunscreen and hitting the beach, more than 20 Ithaca College students

spent spring break volunteering. Don Austin, assistant director for community service and leadership, organizes the Alternative Spring Break trips each year. “The biggest benefit is being completely immersed in the culture and environment they are serving,” he says. For students on the New Orleans trip, that meant rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. For those who went to Pensacola, Florida, it meant working on an environmental restora-tion project in an area affected by the gulf oil spill. For those who went to Washington, D.C., it meant focusing on homelessness and poverty. They also connected with area alumni, other IC students in the D.C. program, and local nonprofits to get a social justice per-spective of the nation’s capital. Danielle Prizzi ’13 chose to go to New Orleans last year because she was interested in seeing the city post-Katrina in a way the media doesn’t portray. “I wanted to make a difference,” says Prizzi, who returned to New Orleans in March. “My first trip literally changed my life and opened me up to a world where I want to go into social change.”

Ithacappella Takes the Show on the Road

K icking off the New Year in style, Ithacappella traversed eight states along the East Coast to spread the sweet, tantalizing sound of all-male a cappella music. Ithaca College’s all-female a cappella group premium Blend joined them for more than 20 shows, adding a few more

octaves to each performance and helping to spread the word about the Trevor project, an organization that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth. Ithacappella and premium Blend recorded a cover of Katy perry’s hit single “Firework” that’s for sale on iTunes, with proceeds going to the Trevor project. “It has been incredible to watch the single transform into this huge initiative,” says Jimmy Knowles ’11, vice president of Ithacappella. “I know I speak for the entire group when I say that we could not be more ecstatic about the results.”

FUSE

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2011 • �

SPORTS REPORT

After winning the Empire College Wrestling Conference champion-ships, eight Bombers got invitations to the NCAA Division III champion-ships in La Crosse, Wisconsin, more than any school but one. With five wrestlers nationally ranked at the end of the regular season—Derek Brenon ’1� at 1�7 (#1), Blaine Woszczak ’11 (below, who surpassed the 1987 IC record of 129 career wins in February) at 149 (#2), Jeremy Stierly ’11 at 141 (#2), Seth Ecker ’12 at 1�� (#�), and David priest ’12 at 174 (#9), the Bombers have a good shot at the title. See how they

fared at bombers.ithaca.edu.

The Ithaca College swimming and diving teams dominated pools all over New York State in one of the Bombers’ most impressive seasons ever, with both men’s and women’s teams placing first in the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association and Empire 8 championships. With a massive influx of freshman talent this year—Taylor Van Cott ’14 and Connor White ’14 shared Empire 8 Rookie of the Meet honors—the reenergized men’s squad, led by Jeff Rapp ’12

and Antoine Connors ’12, cruised to a spectacular 1�-1 regular-season record. Kevin Markwardt was named Coach of the Year. The unstoppable 12-time All-American Sheila Rhoades ’11 (Swimmer of the Meet), Jodi Costello ’12 (Diver of the Meet), paula Miller (Coach of the Year), and the always-formidable women’s team finished the season undefeated.

CLICK ThISGet the latest scores atbombers.ithaca.edu.

Stellar SeaSon for Men’S and WoMen’S SWiMMing and diving

Wrestlers Head to NCAA Championships


HooP dreaMS Finishing first in the Empire 8 at the end of the

regular season with a 1�-� conference record, the IC men’s basketball team lost to St. John Fisher

in the championship semifinals. But Empire 8 player of the Year phil Barera ’11 and 2009–2010 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Sean Rossi ’1� (above), who led the nation in assists for the second year in a row, helped the team to a number-two regional ranking and an invitation to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

Meanwhile, the women’s team clinched the regular-season Empire 8 title with a 1�-1 record, but lost in the championship finals to Stevens Institute of Technology. Still, starting forward Elissa Klie ’11 feels “the team really stepped up this year” and encourages prospective students to try out “if they like to work hard and they want a pretty serious commitment. We’re also all like best friends.”

Exploring thE FringEBefore the fall semester starts for students studying abroad in London, Ithaca College’s honors program and theater arts department sponsor a four-day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s famous Fringe Festival—the world’s largest arts festival. Among the performers were comedians Eddie Izzard and Greg proops, actress Jennifer Coolidge, and actor Alan Cumming. “There is such high energy,” says Rachel Ciborowski ’12, who attended the Fringe last fall. “And there are tons of people from all over the world.” With an average of more than a thousand performances a day at the Fringe, students immerse themselves in a variety of artistic performances. “It fits all tastes,” says hallie peterson ’12. “You can see comedy, musicals, circus shows, experi-mental theater—anything.”

http://fuse.ithaca.edu


FUSE OUTSIDE ITHACA

CLICK ThISFor more information about the Trevor project and the release of “Firework,” visit

fuse.ithaca.edu.

SpRING BREAkERS DO GOODInstead of lathering on sunscreen and hitting the beach, more than 20 Ithaca College students

spent spring break volunteering. Don Austin, assistant director for community service and leadership, organizes the Alternative Spring Break trips each year. “The biggest benefit is being completely immersed in the culture and environment they are serving,” he says. For students on the New Orleans trip, that meant rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. For those who went to Pensacola, Florida, it meant working on an environmental restora-tion project in an area affected by the gulf oil spill. For those who went to Washington, D.C., it meant focusing on homelessness and poverty. They also connected with area alumni, other IC students in the D.C. program, and local nonprofits to get a social justice per-spective of the nation’s capital. Danielle Prizzi ’13 chose to go to New Orleans last year because she was interested in seeing the city post-Katrina in a way the media doesn’t portray. “I wanted to make a difference,” says Prizzi, who returned to New Orleans in March. “My first trip literally changed my life and opened me up to a world where I want to go into social change.”

Ithacappella Takes the Show on the Road

K icking off the New Year in style, Ithacappella traversed eight states along the East Coast to spread the sweet, tantalizing sound of all-male a cappella music. Ithaca College’s all-female a cappella group premium Blend joined them for more than 20 shows, adding a few more

octaves to each performance and helping to spread the word about the Trevor project, an organization that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth. Ithacappella and premium Blend recorded a cover of Katy perry’s hit single “Firework” that’s for sale on iTunes, with proceeds going to the Trevor project. “It has been incredible to watch the single transform into this huge initiative,” says Jimmy Knowles ’11, vice president of Ithacappella. “I know I speak for the entire group when I say that we could not be more ecstatic about the results.”

FUSE

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | winter 2011 • �

SPORTS REPORT

After winning the Empire College Wrestling Conference champion-ships, eight Bombers got invitations to the NCAA Division III champion-ships in La Crosse, Wisconsin, more than any school but one. With five wrestlers nationally ranked at the end of the regular season—Derek Brenon ’1� at 1�7 (#1), Blaine Woszczak ’11 (below, who surpassed the 1987 IC record of 129 career wins in February) at 149 (#2), Jeremy Stierly ’11 at 141 (#2), Seth Ecker ’12 at 1�� (#�), and David priest ’12 at 174 (#9), the Bombers have a good shot at the title. See how they

fared at bombers.ithaca.edu.

The Ithaca College swimming and diving teams dominated pools all over New York State in one of the Bombers’ most impressive seasons ever, with both men’s and women’s teams placing first in the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association and Empire 8 championships. With a massive influx of freshman talent this year—Taylor Van Cott ’14 and Connor White ’14 shared Empire 8 Rookie of the Meet honors—the reenergized men’s squad, led by Jeff Rapp ’12

and Antoine Connors ’12, cruised to a spectacular 1�-1 regular-season record. Kevin Markwardt was named Coach of the Year. The unstoppable 12-time All-American Sheila Rhoades ’11 (Swimmer of the Meet), Jodi Costello ’12 (Diver of the Meet), paula Miller (Coach of the Year), and the always-formidable women’s team finished the season undefeated.

CLICK ThISGet the latest scores atbombers.ithaca.edu.

Stellar SeaSon for Men’S and WoMen’S SWiMMing and diving

Wrestlers Head to NCAA Championships


HooP dreaMS Finishing first in the Empire 8 at the end of the

regular season with a 1�-� conference record, the IC men’s basketball team lost to St. John Fisher

in the championship semifinals. But Empire 8 player of the Year phil Barera ’11 and 2009–2010 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Sean Rossi ’1� (above), who led the nation in assists for the second year in a row, helped the team to a number-two regional ranking and an invitation to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

Meanwhile, the women’s team clinched the regular-season Empire 8 title with a 1�-1 record, but lost in the championship finals to Stevens Institute of Technology. Still, starting forward Elissa Klie ’11 feels “the team really stepped up this year” and encourages prospective students to try out “if they like to work hard and they want a pretty serious commitment. We’re also all like best friends.”

Exploring thE FringEBefore the fall semester starts for students studying abroad in London, Ithaca College’s honors program and theater arts department sponsor a four-day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland’s famous Fringe Festival—the world’s largest arts festival. Among the performers were comedians Eddie Izzard and Greg proops, actress Jennifer Coolidge, and actor Alan Cumming. “There is such high energy,” says Rachel Ciborowski ’12, who attended the Fringe last fall. “And there are tons of people from all over the world.” With an average of more than a thousand performances a day at the Fringe, students immerse themselves in a variety of artistic performances. “It fits all tastes,” says hallie peterson ’12. “You can see comedy, musicals, circus shows, experi-mental theater—anything.”

http://bombers.ithaca.edu

http://bombers.ithaca.edu


ARTICLE

BLOG

phOTO GALLERY

ARTICLE

What’s online

nanoWrimoWrite a 50,000-word novel in only one month? No big deal—at least not for this group of talented IC students who rose to the challenge.

investment ChallengesStudents in the Real Time Portfolio Management class put their classroom knowledge to the test.

Lightbox Goes Behind the CameraOur photo editors’ blog takes a look at the challenges of telling a story with images.

never too Chilly for ChiliThere’s no better way to warm up from winter’s cold than to try a cup of great local chili—except for trying more than a dozen of them! Check out photos of the 13th Annual Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-off competition and find out who took home the top prize this year.

theater Production and stagecraft: nonmajors WelcomeLooking for a way to embrace your inner artist? Try your hand at sewing costumes, painting scenery, or building sets in one of these theater arts courses.

Did you know that fuse.ithaca.edu is updated with fresh web exclusives every week? Don’t miss these hot new features! Visit fuse.ithaca.edu/tags/web_exclusive for all this and more!

MULTIMEDIA

It’s 5:10 on a Wednesday morning, and morgan ewing is head-ed to crew practice. a few hours later, he eats break-fast, then works in the student Government association (sGa) office

until noon, grabs lunch, heads to class, runs errands, attends his senior seminar, then goes straight to a senior gift committee meeting, ending the day with a two-hour-long sGa meeting.

it seems crazy, but this sort of schedule is typical for many ithaca College students (who also manage to squeeze in sleeping, studying, and socializing with friends!).

although academics are always their main priority, students take advantage of the many clubs, sports teams, and community service organizations that the College offers. here are five examples of all-star ithacans who balance academics with out-of-class activities.

Five IC students show how they successfully

balance class-work, athletics, jobs, clubs, and

service

By Conor harrington ’13Photographs by Colleen Cunha ’13, lauren DeCicca ’11, Jacob lifschultz ’13, anika steppe ’13, and allison usavage ’11

Doing ItStudent Life

http://fuse.ithaca.edu/tags/web_exclusive


ARTICLE

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phOTO GALLERY

ARTICLE

What’s online

nanoWrimoWrite a 50,000-word novel in only one month? No big deal—at least not for this group of talented IC students who rose to the challenge.

investment ChallengesStudents in the Real Time Portfolio Management class put their classroom knowledge to the test.

Lightbox Goes Behind the CameraOur photo editors’ blog takes a look at the challenges of telling a story with images.

never too Chilly for ChiliThere’s no better way to warm up from winter’s cold than to try a cup of great local chili—except for trying more than a dozen of them! Check out photos of the 13th Annual Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-off competition and find out who took home the top prize this year.

theater Production and stagecraft: nonmajors WelcomeLooking for a way to embrace your inner artist? Try your hand at sewing costumes, painting scenery, or building sets in one of these theater arts courses.

Did you know that fuse.ithaca.edu is updated with fresh web exclusives every week? Don’t miss these hot new features! Visit fuse.ithaca.edu/tags/web_exclusive for all this and more!

MULTIMEDIA

It’s 5:10 on a Wednesday morning, and morgan ewing is head-ed to crew practice. a few hours later, he eats break-fast, then works in the student Government association (sGa) office

until noon, grabs lunch, heads to class, runs errands, attends his senior seminar, then goes straight to a senior gift committee meeting, ending the day with a two-hour-long sGa meeting.

it seems crazy, but this sort of schedule is typical for many ithaca College students (who also manage to squeeze in sleeping, studying, and socializing with friends!).

although academics are always their main priority, students take advantage of the many clubs, sports teams, and community service organizations that the College offers. here are five examples of all-star ithacans who balance academics with out-of-class activities.

Five IC students show how they successfully

balance class-work, athletics, jobs, clubs, and

service

By Conor harrington ’13Photographs by Colleen Cunha ’13, lauren DeCicca ’11, Jacob lifschultz ’13, anika steppe ’13, and allison usavage ’11

Doing ItStudent Life

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 9fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 9

Morgan Ewing ’11Majors: History and politics• Crew• Vice President of academics for student Government

association• resident assistant• Climate action Plan Facilities task Force• academic Policies Planning CommitteeEwing does the ultimate balancing act as an intercol-legiate athlete and a fixture on the IC academic scene. Studying is his number-one priority, but he still makes time for his student government position, which he sees as crucial to keeping students informed on the latest aca-demic news that shapes their college careers.

Ewing is incredibly passionate about rowing. And he’d better be—the team has five three-hour practices a week year-round and regattas every weekend in the spring. “It’s a great way to stay focused and relaxed during the day, because you can’t worry about school or anything else when you’re on the water,” he says. Ewing plans to use what he’s learned at IC to enter the Peace Corps after graduation and someday make a name for himself in government.

Rachel Heiss ’13Major: Integrated Marketing Communications Minor: International Communications• student leadership Consultant• sophomore senator for the student Government

association• Park school Dean’s host• student Director to the ithaca College alumni

associationAs the student director of the Alumni Association, Heiss serves as the student liaison between alumni and the Col-lege, attending alumni board meetings, cochairing the Fall Splash Alumni Weekend committee, and writing a column for the alumni e-newsletter. On campus, she uses her role as a student government senator to enact changes pro-posed by her peers, coordinating events, and administer-ing surveys to get feedback from her classmates. She also leads tours as a Dean’s Host for the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

How does she do it all? “The people in all of my activi-ties are so outstanding, and that’s why I do everything,” she says. “I’ve met some of my best friends through my involvement.” Heiss, who wants to work in account man-agement at a large advertising agency after graduation, says time management is the key. “If I lost my planner, you would find me crying in a corner. I literally have four planners, and I don’t know what I would do without them.”

Sudie Ann Robinson ’12Major: BiochemistryMinors: Health and Honors• teaching assistant for anatomy and Physiology

and Chemistry• Vice President of Caribbean student association• amani Gospel singers• Patient advocate at Cayuga medical CenterWhen Robinson was looking at schools to attend, it was IC and its endless opportunities for involvement that drew her from her native Jamaica.

“Ithaca College has opened so many doors for me,” Robinson says.Her activities, such as Amani Gospel Singers, keep her going during a hectic

day. “I will be singing and just forget all the other things that I have to do, and when I am done, I feel energized to do my homework.”

Her major may be a handful at times, but she likes to share her passion for science with other students and her international friends by tutoring them in her spare time.

The aspiring cardiologist credits organization and time management for her success. With her diverse experiences, she really could end up being a doctor without borders.

Sheraz Iqbal ’12Major: Mathematics• President of residence hall association• Diversity Peers educator• resident assistant• member of Brothers for Brothers• intramural soccer, softball, and Volleyball“I was told once that 50 percent of the things you learn in college come from academics and the other 50 percent come from everything else,” says Iqbal. “I can now say that firsthand because of all the things I’m involved in.”

Iqbal is known for his elaborate floor pro-grams and door decorations that bring his floor together and really set him apart from the other RAs on campus. As the president of the Residence Hall Association (RHA), he helps plan large-scale events, like IC’s annual Earth Day celebration.

“RHA is the most fun because there is so much to do,” he says. “It’s very easy to get in-volved, which is a perk of being here. There are so many options, and you can even make your own organization.”

Iqbal is so passionate about residence life that he plans to become a residence director and pursue a graduate degree in student affairs administration.

Morgan Ewing ’11

Rachel Heiss ’13

Jake Tenenbaum ’12

Sheraz Iqbal ’12

Math major Sheraz Iqbal ’12 explains his duties as the president of the

Residence Hall Association on fuse.ithaca.edu.

oSeMa!? Sounds like a foreign

country, right?Well, it actually stands for

Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs and is your one-stop shop for getting

involved, finding leadership opportunities, and even starting your own campus organization.

This is the office that organizes freshman orientation

and all first-year experience (FYE) events. OSEMA also

helps organize the Student Organization Fair, where

campus clubs recruit new members.

Come to Ithaca College. Get involved. It’s that easy!

Sudie Ann Robinson ’12

Jake Tenenbaum ’12Major: Business Administration Concentrations: Marketing and International BusinessMinor: Integrated Marketing Communications• Vice President of american marketing association—

iC Chapter• school of Business senator for student Government

association• school of Business Peer advisor• office of admission President’s hostTenenbaum has been balancing a packed schedule for quite some time now. “I think fourth grade was the point when I stopped being a slacker and got involved,” he jokes.

Since coming to Ithaca College, Tenenbaum has taken full advantage of the many clubs and positions available in and out of the business school. “At no other school can you get this hands-on experience,” he says.

Tenenbaum assists business professor Mark Cor-dano with the Strategic Management senior capstone course, preparing information regarding M.B.A. pro-grams and global business tactics for the students.

With his impressive résumé, Tenenbaum would ultimately like to be an international marketing consul-tant. “My future holds something big and exciting.”

Student Life


emily ambrose ’08Working with the University of Oregon’s gymnastics team as her first job out of college inspired Emily Ambrose to go back to her roots as a ballet dancer and pursue a career with performers.

She landed a position at Disneyland as an athletic trainer, working with actors dressed up in animal cos-tumes, acrobats in the shows, and performers in the Disneyland parade to prevent injuries that might occur

on the job. “Basically,” she explains, “we use correc-tive exercises, movement assessments,

and incorporate Pilates in order to keep cast members healthy.”

Ambrose loves that she has a say in the entire process. “The best part is that performers come to me for consultation in the pre-parade, pre-show

phase,” she says. “I consult with choreographers and costume

designers to develop a safe environ-ment for cast members.” Ambrose

credits IC’s athletic training program for enabling her to follow her dreams and work toward a job she loves. “I have to say, that ultimate confidence and base of knowledge and curiosity definitely spurred from my experience at Ithaca.”

Learn more about IC’s athletic training

program at www.ithaca.edu/hshp/depts/ess/

programs/at.

wHERE HAvE OTHER wOMEN A.T. MAJORS ENDED up? Megan Griffith ’06Griffith is an athletic train-ing consultant at Episcopal high School, a private prep school in Alexandria, Virginia. She has recently taken two trips to Africa to teach public health.

Megan Himes ’09himes is an athletic trainer doing an intensive intern-ship with the renowned Emory Sports Medicine Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.

kelly McAree ’07A physician assistant at Windsor Street health Center in Boston, Massa-chusetts, McAree complet-ed her graduate studies at Northeastern University.

Courtney Gray ’99This alumna is now a clini-cal assistant professor in the exercise and sport sci-ences department at IC. She works with the wom-en’s soccer, men’s basket-ball, and outdoor track and field teams.


“That ultimate

confidence and base of knowledge and curi-osity definitely spurred from my experience at

Ithaca.”

Anyone who watches pro football,

baseball, basketball, or hockey can be

forgiven for thinking athletic training is a

guy’s gig—no woman has yet to land an A.T. job

with a team in the NFL, MLB, NBA,or NHL. But

these young female athletic trainers show girls

can play, too. And who knows? Maybe it will be

a woman from IC who breaks the pro barrier.

By Gillian smith ’12Photographs by allison usavage ’11and courtesy of Emily Ambrose ’08, Jessica Farley ’09, and Nancy patterson ’07

IT’S NOT JuST FOR THE BOYS

hShp: Alumni profile nancy Patterson ’07

For Nancy Patterson, baseball is more about pulled hamstrings and sore muscles than RBIs and ERAs. As an undergrad, Patterson interned with the Seattle Mariners. As an alumna, she interned a full season with the Boston Red Sox. Then, after getting her

master’s degree from IC in exercisein exercise and sport sciences with a concentration in sport psychology, she landed a job, she landed a job as trainer for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the advanced A minor league team for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A promotion last year sent her to Tennessee to be trainer for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers’ AA team, where she runs personal training sessions, develops maximum strength training plans, and creates weight training routines.

“When I first graduated, I felt like I was much more prepared and experienced than recent grads from other programs,” Patterson says. “I attribute this to the way IC’s program is put together and the outstanding pro-fessors who put in the extra time and effort to help the students succeed.”

As an undergrad, Patterson worked at the IC Wellness Clinic for several years as a fitness specialist and says the experience was incred-ibly beneficial to her, both in applying for jobs and assisting with entrance physicals during spring training.

“The most important decisions I made in get-ting to where I am now were the decision to go to Ithaca College and the decision to make the most of every day and all of the resources available to me.”

Jessica Farley ’09 With a diploma in hand, athletic training major Jessica Farley moved to Australia, where she had studied abroad while at IC, and got a job with the Junior Broadbeach Football Club, working with preteens and teenagers. This club plays Australian rules

football (sometimes referred to as footy), a relative of rugby. Farley attends both games and practices, where she provides on- and off-the-field first aid and rehabilitative care.

“Ithaca College provided me with all the necessary building blocks—academically, mentally, and emotion-ally—to be a successful athletic trainer,” she says. Her employer is on the same page, too. “They told me I was hired based on my impressive résumé.”

Farley enjoys teaching the kids about the human body, injury, and recovery. “I like passing along health-related information to others,” she says. “I believe that we all should have some sort of sense of what is happening within our own body, particularly when one is injured.”


emily ambrose ’08Working with the University of Oregon’s gymnastics team as her first job out of college inspired Emily Ambrose to go back to her roots as a ballet dancer and pursue a career with performers.

She landed a position at Disneyland as an athletic trainer, working with actors dressed up in animal cos-tumes, acrobats in the shows, and performers in the Disneyland parade to prevent injuries that might occur

on the job. “Basically,” she explains, “we use correc-tive exercises, movement assessments,

and incorporate Pilates in order to keep cast members healthy.”

Ambrose loves that she has a say in the entire process. “The best part is that performers come to me for consultation in the pre-parade, pre-show

phase,” she says. “I consult with choreographers and costume

designers to develop a safe environ-ment for cast members.” Ambrose

credits IC’s athletic training program for enabling her to follow her dreams and work toward a job she loves. “I have to say, that ultimate confidence and base of knowledge and curiosity definitely spurred from my experience at Ithaca.”

Learn more about IC’s athletic training

program at www.ithaca.edu/hshp/depts/ess/

programs/at.

wHERE HAvE OTHER wOMEN A.T. MAJORS ENDED up? Megan Griffith ’06Griffith is an athletic train-ing consultant at Episcopal high School, a private prep school in Alexandria, Virginia. She has recently taken two trips to Africa to teach public health.

Megan Himes ’09himes is an athletic trainer doing an intensive intern-ship with the renowned Emory Sports Medicine Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.

kelly McAree ’07A physician assistant at Windsor Street health Center in Boston, Massa-chusetts, McAree complet-ed her graduate studies at Northeastern University.

Courtney Gray ’99This alumna is now a clini-cal assistant professor in the exercise and sport sci-ences department at IC. She works with the wom-en’s soccer, men’s basket-ball, and outdoor track and field teams.


“That ultimate

confidence and base of knowledge and curi-osity definitely spurred from my experience at

Ithaca.”

Anyone who watches pro football,

baseball, basketball, or hockey can be

forgiven for thinking athletic training is a

guy’s gig—no woman has yet to land an A.T. job

with a team in the NFL, MLB, NBA,or NHL. But

these young female athletic trainers show girls

can play, too. And who knows? Maybe it will be

a woman from IC who breaks the pro barrier.

By Gillian smith ’12Photographs by allison usavage ’11and courtesy of Emily Ambrose ’08, Jessica Farley ’09, and Nancy patterson ’07

IT’S NOT JuST FOR THE BOYS

hShp: Alumni profile nancy Patterson ’07

For Nancy Patterson, baseball is more about pulled hamstrings and sore muscles than RBIs and ERAs. As an undergrad, Patterson interned with the Seattle Mariners. As an alumna, she interned a full season with the Boston Red Sox. Then, after getting her

master’s degree from IC in exercisein exercise and sport sciences with a concentration in sport psychology, she landed a job, she landed a job as trainer for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the advanced A minor league team for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A promotion last year sent her to Tennessee to be trainer for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers’ AA team, where she runs personal training sessions, develops maximum strength training plans, and creates weight training routines.

“When I first graduated, I felt like I was much more prepared and experienced than recent grads from other programs,” Patterson says. “I attribute this to the way IC’s program is put together and the outstanding pro-fessors who put in the extra time and effort to help the students succeed.”

As an undergrad, Patterson worked at the IC Wellness Clinic for several years as a fitness specialist and says the experience was incred-ibly beneficial to her, both in applying for jobs and assisting with entrance physicals during spring training.

“The most important decisions I made in get-ting to where I am now were the decision to go to Ithaca College and the decision to make the most of every day and all of the resources available to me.”

Jessica Farley ’09 With a diploma in hand, athletic training major Jessica Farley moved to Australia, where she had studied abroad while at IC, and got a job with the Junior Broadbeach Football Club, working with preteens and teenagers. This club plays Australian rules

football (sometimes referred to as footy), a relative of rugby. Farley attends both games and practices, where she provides on- and off-the-field first aid and rehabilitative care.

“Ithaca College provided me with all the necessary building blocks—academically, mentally, and emotion-ally—to be a successful athletic trainer,” she says. Her employer is on the same page, too. “They told me I was hired based on my impressive résumé.”

Farley enjoys teaching the kids about the human body, injury, and recovery. “I like passing along health-related information to others,” she says. “I believe that we all should have some sort of sense of what is happening within our own body, particularly when one is injured.”

http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/depts/ess/programs/at

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 1�

If ever there were a class that epitomized

hands-on, this is it!

different from exploring an ancient cave, I found this expe-rience just as important in gaining an understanding of Belize. I plan to keep in touch with my host mother and her beautiful children, with whom I established a friendship in just two days.

From Cristo Rey, we moved to a much less populous region where we found ourselves sur-rounded by nothing but forest for miles. We went on day and evening hikes, studying animal tracks, plants, and bird species. Polo Romero, a traditional Mayan healer, joined us for three days, teaching us traditional Mayan techniques such as how to make a sling out of a cohune palm frond, or a stretcher out of materials cut from the jungle. He also taught us about the medicinal properties of plants that were found in the immediate area and how to identify them. He is a wealth of knowl-edge and a truly exceptional person, and we were lucky to spend so much time learning from him.

We spent the last weekend on the coast of Belize in Hopkins. Besides having an absolutely beautiful beach, Hopkins boasts a vibrant Garifuna community, descendants of the Carib, Arawak, and West African people. We visited the Gulisi Garifuna Museum, which exhibits the history and culture of the Garifuna. During the day we went snorkeling on Belize’s barrier reef, and at night we drummed and danced with Garifuna musi-cians. Our time in Hopkins was nothing like exploring Mayan ruins or homestays in Cristo Rey, but it demon-strated just how diverse a country Belize is. I feel like I got to experience as much of Belizean culture as is possible in two weeks, and having taken the class prior to the trip really prepared me to get so much out of it. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

By Devan Johnson ’12Photos by Devan Johnson ’12 and allison usavage ’11

Studying in Belize!HANDS-ON ExpERIENCE IN A COuRSE ON RAINFORESTS, REEFS, AND RuINS...................................................................

What did you do over winter break? I studied the culture, economics, biodiversity, and history of a country. Oh, yeah—I should mention this educational experience oc-

curred in the country itself. Let me explain. Last fall, I enrolled in the environmental studies course Belize Rainforests, Reefs, and Ruins, which explores the local ecosystems and human impacts on biodiversity. Then, during winter break, students traveled to Belize to ex-perience it all firsthand. If ever there were a class that epitomized hands-on, this is it!

During the first few days of the trip, we visited Xu-nantunich, Cahal Pech, and Caracol, ancient Mayan ruins. We had studied them extensively during the se-mester, but actually walking up the steep expanses of stairs and through the narrow passageways made ev-erything more real. I drank in everything I could. I found myself clambering, wading, and swimming a third of a mile into Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, which was used by the Maya for rituals and sacrifices (as evidenced by broken ceramic pots and human remains). In class we learned how the geology and climate of Belize had led to the formation of caves like this, and about the cer-emonies performed here as part of the Mayan religion. Spending hours exploring the cave in person brought together all of those concepts, and ended up being one of the most fascinating, educational, and fun experi-ences of my life!

The Mayan ruins and cave expedition made up just three days of the two-week-long expedition. Everyone spent a weekend living with the locals in the small town of Cristo Rey, getting to experience what life is like for a typical Belizean family. We helped (or tried to help) make tortillas, attended church services, and played with the children in our host families. While it was completely

h&S: In the Field

polo Romero, a traditional Mayan healer, taught students about natural remedies and the medicinal power of rainforest plants, as well as how to make a stretcher out of sticks, vines, and palm leaves.

Learn more about environmental studies and sciences at IC at

www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/envstudies.


u.N. CONvENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Since 2005, IC students have got-ten the unique opportunity to be observers in these annual inter-national climate treaty confer-ences, one of only a handful of academic institutions to do so. This past December, students in the International Environmental policy course attended the united Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention’s 16th Con-ference of the parties (COp16) in Cancun, Mexico, accompanied by professor Thomas Shevory. Ithaca sent observer teams to prior uNFCCC conferences in Canada, kenya, Indonesia, poland, and Denmark.

. . .


If ever there were a class that epitomized

hands-on, this is it!

different from exploring an ancient cave, I found this expe-rience just as important in gaining an understanding of Belize. I plan to keep in touch with my host mother and her beautiful children, with whom I established a friendship in just two days.

From Cristo Rey, we moved to a much less populous region where we found ourselves sur-rounded by nothing but forest for miles. We went on day and evening hikes, studying animal tracks, plants, and bird species. Polo Romero, a traditional Mayan healer, joined us for three days, teaching us traditional Mayan techniques such as how to make a sling out of a cohune palm frond, or a stretcher out of materials cut from the jungle. He also taught us about the medicinal properties of plants that were found in the immediate area and how to identify them. He is a wealth of knowl-edge and a truly exceptional person, and we were lucky to spend so much time learning from him.

We spent the last weekend on the coast of Belize in Hopkins. Besides having an absolutely beautiful beach, Hopkins boasts a vibrant Garifuna community, descendants of the Carib, Arawak, and West African people. We visited the Gulisi Garifuna Museum, which exhibits the history and culture of the Garifuna. During the day we went snorkeling on Belize’s barrier reef, and at night we drummed and danced with Garifuna musi-cians. Our time in Hopkins was nothing like exploring Mayan ruins or homestays in Cristo Rey, but it demon-strated just how diverse a country Belize is. I feel like I got to experience as much of Belizean culture as is possible in two weeks, and having taken the class prior to the trip really prepared me to get so much out of it. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

By Devan Johnson ’12Photos by Devan Johnson ’12 and allison usavage ’11

Studying in Belize!HANDS-ON ExpERIENCE IN A COuRSE ON RAINFORESTS, REEFS, AND RuINS...................................................................

What did you do over winter break? I studied the culture, economics, biodiversity, and history of a country. Oh, yeah—I should mention this educational experience oc-

curred in the country itself. Let me explain. Last fall, I enrolled in the environmental studies course Belize Rainforests, Reefs, and Ruins, which explores the local ecosystems and human impacts on biodiversity. Then, during winter break, students traveled to Belize to ex-perience it all firsthand. If ever there were a class that epitomized hands-on, this is it!

During the first few days of the trip, we visited Xu-nantunich, Cahal Pech, and Caracol, ancient Mayan ruins. We had studied them extensively during the se-mester, but actually walking up the steep expanses of stairs and through the narrow passageways made ev-erything more real. I drank in everything I could. I found myself clambering, wading, and swimming a third of a mile into Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, which was used by the Maya for rituals and sacrifices (as evidenced by broken ceramic pots and human remains). In class we learned how the geology and climate of Belize had led to the formation of caves like this, and about the cer-emonies performed here as part of the Mayan religion. Spending hours exploring the cave in person brought together all of those concepts, and ended up being one of the most fascinating, educational, and fun experi-ences of my life!

The Mayan ruins and cave expedition made up just three days of the two-week-long expedition. Everyone spent a weekend living with the locals in the small town of Cristo Rey, getting to experience what life is like for a typical Belizean family. We helped (or tried to help) make tortillas, attended church services, and played with the children in our host families. While it was completely

h&S: In the Field

polo Romero, a traditional Mayan healer, taught students about natural remedies and the medicinal power of rainforest plants, as well as how to make a stretcher out of sticks, vines, and palm leaves.

Learn more about environmental studies and sciences at IC at

www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/envstudies.


u.N. CONvENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Since 2005, IC students have got-ten the unique opportunity to be observers in these annual inter-national climate treaty confer-ences, one of only a handful of academic institutions to do so. This past December, students in the International Environmental policy course attended the united Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention’s 16th Con-ference of the parties (COp16) in Cancun, Mexico, accompanied by professor Thomas Shevory. Ithaca sent observer teams to prior uNFCCC conferences in Canada, kenya, Indonesia, poland, and Denmark.

. . .

http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/envstudies


communications major Sam Dehority ’11. “Our professors had either lived in Italy or studied there extensively, so we were able to get the inside scoop on many local traditions”—like the Sienese Palio, the bareback horse races around the Piazza del Campo every July and August. Over the course of the three-week program, students also explore Florence, Rome, and Venice. “I urge any student to jump at this opportunity, no matter your level of Italian,” says Dehority. “It allows you to study abroad but not give up a whole semester at Ithaca.”

Healthcare and Culture: An International Field Experience in MalawiIn this two-week, one-credit course, nurses from the campus health center, students, and professors head to Africa to examine poverty, beliefs, services, and behaviors within the international healthcare system. “I wanted to travel to a country that I could only under-stand with firsthand experience, and I knew that I wanted to help people,” says speech-language pathology major Caitlin Sears ’11. “This seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

The IC contingent works with the Ministry of Hope, which runs crisis-care nurseries and feeding centers for children orphaned by the AIDS epidem-ic. The team brings over thousands of dollars’ worth of medicines to donate to the cause. Sears was especially moved by a visit to the widows village. “In Malawian culture, if a husband dies,” explains Sears, “it is believed that all of his possessions belong to his parents and siblings, not to his wife or children, leaving the widow with absolutely noth-ing to care for her children.” Sears was grateful for the chance to care for these women and help them move toward a new start in their lives.

Culture, Health, Healing, and Sport in ChinaStudents in professor Hongwei Guan’s course spend two weeks in China exploring both the philosophy and practice of health, prevention, rehabilitation, sport, and physical education from a Chinese perspective. “I believe the program helps prepare our students to be more culturally competitive and become leading global citizens,” says Guan. They learn hands-on skills such as tai chi, Chinese massage, and acupuncture, and also attend cultural events and visit historical sites. For some, the trip is life-changing. “Many of the students who travel with me express their interest in pursuing professional opportunities in China,” says Guan. One IC grad who participated in the 2008

Beijing Olympics program has received a scholarship and is now studying in China.

London Summer SessionThe College’s London Center offers a six-week,

six-credit summer experience that allows students to choose one of two options: a professional intern-

ship and accompanying seminar, or two courses on British studies (subjects change yearly). Rachel

Bondra ’11 loved the freedom of her time in London. “The summer program gave me a great opportunity to

discover London on multiple levels. I interned at a small community-oriented museum and was able to explore the

intricacies of an international city.” Aside from courses or an internship, students enjoy museum visits, trips across the U.K., and tours of outdoor markets.

Language and Culture in Siena, ItalyThis course focuses on conversational Italian and the country’s culture and history. “I ate some of the best food in the world, saw amazing locales, picked up the language, and made some great friends,” says integrated marketing

Check out firsthand experience of study abroad with these Fuse

staff blogs: fuse.ithaca.edu/staffblogs.

5 Reasons to Study AbroadGoing abroad for a semester offers tons of benefits. “Studying abroad will enhance your undergraduate program of study, immerse you in another culture, give you opportunities to improve foreign language

skills, allow you to earn academic credit, and to travel to other countries,”

says Rachel Cullenen, director of study abroad. “Most importantly, it will help to make you a global citizen by opening the doors to intercultural understanding.”

1 Improve learning skills through the challenges of immersion in a dif-ferent educational system.

2 Learn more about yourself, your place in the world, and what you want to do with your life.

3 Develop intercultural communication skills.

4 Become more appreciative of difference and diversity.

5 Gain advantages in competing in the job market or applying to graduate school.

Bite-Sized Study ABroAd experieNCeS


these programs allow you to study abroad but not give up a whole semes-ter at ithaca.

Study Abroad

venice

venice

London

Rome Malawi

MalawiLondon Italyvenice

By lauren hesse ’11 Photos courtesy of sam Debority ’11, lauren hesse ’11, and Caitlin sears ’11

Want to immerse yourself in a foreign country but don’t want to spend an entire semester away? ithaca College offers many valuable short-term

study abroad experiences that take place outside of the academic calendar. some connect international fieldwork to classroom research (see “studying Belize...in Belize!,” page 12). others focus on foreign internships or are service-learning projects led by committed faculty members. more than 500 iC students took advantage of short-term study abroad options last year. new

programs pop up all the time, but here are a few that

have become annual favorites.


communications major Sam Dehority ’11. “Our professors had either lived in Italy or studied there extensively, so we were able to get the inside scoop on many local traditions”—like the Sienese Palio, the bareback horse races around the Piazza del Campo every July and August. Over the course of the three-week program, students also explore Florence, Rome, and Venice. “I urge any student to jump at this opportunity, no matter your level of Italian,” says Dehority. “It allows you to study abroad but not give up a whole semester at Ithaca.”

Healthcare and Culture: An International Field Experience in MalawiIn this two-week, one-credit course, nurses from the campus health center, students, and professors head to Africa to examine poverty, beliefs, services, and behaviors within the international healthcare system. “I wanted to travel to a country that I could only under-stand with firsthand experience, and I knew that I wanted to help people,” says speech-language pathology major Caitlin Sears ’11. “This seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

The IC contingent works with the Ministry of Hope, which runs crisis-care nurseries and feeding centers for children orphaned by the AIDS epidem-ic. The team brings over thousands of dollars’ worth of medicines to donate to the cause. Sears was especially moved by a visit to the widows village. “In Malawian culture, if a husband dies,” explains Sears, “it is believed that all of his possessions belong to his parents and siblings, not to his wife or children, leaving the widow with absolutely noth-ing to care for her children.” Sears was grateful for the chance to care for these women and help them move toward a new start in their lives.

Culture, Health, Healing, and Sport in ChinaStudents in professor Hongwei Guan’s course spend two weeks in China exploring both the philosophy and practice of health, prevention, rehabilitation, sport, and physical education from a Chinese perspective. “I believe the program helps prepare our students to be more culturally competitive and become leading global citizens,” says Guan. They learn hands-on skills such as tai chi, Chinese massage, and acupuncture, and also attend cultural events and visit historical sites. For some, the trip is life-changing. “Many of the students who travel with me express their interest in pursuing professional opportunities in China,” says Guan. One IC grad who participated in the 2008

Beijing Olympics program has received a scholarship and is now studying in China.

London Summer SessionThe College’s London Center offers a six-week,

six-credit summer experience that allows students to choose one of two options: a professional intern-

ship and accompanying seminar, or two courses on British studies (subjects change yearly). Rachel

Bondra ’11 loved the freedom of her time in London. “The summer program gave me a great opportunity to

discover London on multiple levels. I interned at a small community-oriented museum and was able to explore the

intricacies of an international city.” Aside from courses or an internship, students enjoy museum visits, trips across the U.K., and tours of outdoor markets.

Language and Culture in Siena, ItalyThis course focuses on conversational Italian and the country’s culture and history. “I ate some of the best food in the world, saw amazing locales, picked up the language, and made some great friends,” says integrated marketing

Check out firsthand experience of study abroad with these Fuse

staff blogs: fuse.ithaca.edu/staffblogs.

5 Reasons to Study AbroadGoing abroad for a semester offers tons of benefits. “Studying abroad will enhance your undergraduate program of study, immerse you in another culture, give you opportunities to improve foreign language

skills, allow you to earn academic credit, and to travel to other countries,”

says Rachel Cullenen, director of study abroad. “Most importantly, it will help to make you a global citizen by opening the doors to intercultural understanding.”

1 Improve learning skills through the challenges of immersion in a dif-ferent educational system.

2 Learn more about yourself, your place in the world, and what you want to do with your life.

3 Develop intercultural communication skills.

4 Become more appreciative of difference and diversity.

5 Gain advantages in competing in the job market or applying to graduate school.

Bite-Sized Study ABroAd experieNCeS


these programs allow you to study abroad but not give up a whole semes-ter at ithaca.

Study Abroad

venice

venice

London

Rome Malawi

MalawiLondon Italyvenice

By lauren hesse ’11 Photos courtesy of sam Debority ’11, lauren hesse ’11, and Caitlin sears ’11

Want to immerse yourself in a foreign country but don’t want to spend an entire semester away? ithaca College offers many valuable short-term

study abroad experiences that take place outside of the academic calendar. some connect international fieldwork to classroom research (see “studying Belize...in Belize!,” page 12). others focus on foreign internships or are service-learning projects led by committed faculty members. more than 500 iC students took advantage of short-term study abroad options last year. new

programs pop up all the time, but here are a few that

have become annual favorites.

http://fuse.ithaca.edu/staffblogs

fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 17fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | fall 2010 • 11fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | spring 2011 • 1�

Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel about love, loss, and the finite nature of time. The book “brought me to tears,” says Romanek, “and yet I found it intellectually stimulating as well, and very mysterious. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” The movie, starring Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, and Carey Mulligan, made Time’s list of the top 10 films of 2010 (and was named best overlooked film by the Phoenix Film Critics Society).

What advice does Romanek have for film students to-day? “Aim really high with your work, because the world is filled with mediocre things. You have to astonish people to get their attention. So I’d say be daring, but make sure what you’re saying is a sincere expression and that you’re not trying to say something because you think it’s what people want to hear,” he says. He also advises aspiring filmmakers to be prepared for the level of determination that it’s going to take to achieve what they want to achieve be-cause it’s a very difficult job. “If you get a chance to direct, it’s hard enough, but get-ting the chance is even harder.”

For those of us who’ve seen his work, we’re grateful Romanek got that chance.

Never Let Go of Your DreamsFROM MTv TO MOvIES, DIRECTOR MARk ROMANEk ’81 REFLECTS ON HIS CAREERBy Meghan Swope ’11

1

How did the director of last year’s critically acclaimed Never Let Me Go discover his passion for filmmaking? It probably started with the Kodak Instamatic his photography-buff father bought him when he was nine, or perhaps it was

the darkroom his dad built him when he was 12. But one thing’s for certain: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he saw twice as a boy, was hugely influential. “I was really struck by that film; it really overwhelmed me,” says Mark Romanek ’81. “One day it oc-curred to me that maybe if I borrowed my uncle’s Super 8 camera I could make a story movie rather than just a home movie. When I was about 15 years old, I knew that I would be a film director.”

Romanek’s conviction helped him catch the eye of his mentor at Ithaca College, Skip Landen, when Romanek first toured the campus as a prospective student. The (now deceased) cinema professor tended to focus his discus-sion toward parents, emphasizing how career-focused the education would be, Romanek recalls. “Landen said with a certain amount of dismissiveness, ‘Every once in a while we get some kid who thinks he’s going to be the next Spielberg,’ and I said, ‘Well, that would be me, Skip.’ And I think from that moment on he real-ized that I wasn’t one of the kids that was just hoping to get a job in a craft industry.”

After honing his skills in the production studios at Ithaca College and on the set of Brian De Palma’s Home Movies while an un-

dergrad, Romanek cowrote and directed Static, a finalist for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival, just four years after graduating. Perhaps New York Times film critic Janet Maslin was onto something when she commented on the film’s “rock-video style,” as Romanek’s career soon veered into the world of MTV. Originally intended to be “a tangent and training ground,” Romanek’s music video career with such artists as Madonna, Michael and Janet Jackson, David Bowie, R.E.M., and Jay-Z (see below) earned him three Grammys, numerous VMAs, and MTV’s Video Vanguard Award. “Music videos were kind of being in the right place at the right time,” he says. “I always saw it as a very elite kind of graduate school, a way to get paid to make artistic short films, learn the craft, learn how to work with crews, and take some time to develop a personal life that might result in having something worth saying as a feature filmmaker.”

He found something worth saying with 2002’s One Hour Photo, starring Robin Williams, and with last year’s

Directing a film “is a very

collaborative thing,” says romanek. “i feel more like an orchestra conductor than a composer in the

sense that i’m not necessarily playing the instruments, i’m not lighting the set, i’m not acting the scene, and i’m not

choosing the wardrobe, but i’m trying to make those contributions coherent and harmonious.”

Rock ’n

’ Romanek

A look at s

ome of t

he music

videos R

omanek has d

irecte

d

1986 The The’s “S

weet Bird

of Tru

th”

1989 Robyn

hitc

hcock

and the Egyp

tians’

“One Long pair

of Eye

s”

1990 En Vogue’s “Y

ou Don’t h

ave to

Worry”

1991 De La Soul’s

“Ring R

ing Ring

(h

a ha h

ey)”

1992 k.d. lang’s

“Consta

nt Cra

ving”

1993 David

Bowie’s

“Jum

p They Say”

1993 Madonna’s

“Rain” (

VMA winner)

1994 Nine In

ch N

ails’ “

Closer”

1995 R.E

.M.’s

“Stra

nge Curre

ncies”

1995 Mich

ael Jack

son and Ja

net

Jack

son’s

“Scr

eam” (

Gram

my

No. 1 fo

r Rom

anek and, at $

7

mill

ion, likely

the m

ost exp

en-

sive m

usic vi

deo ever p

roduce

d)

1996 Beck

’s “D

evils h

aircut”

(VMA

winner)

1997 Fiona Apple’s

“Crim

inal” (V

MA

winner)

1997 Janet J

ackso

n’s “G

ot ’Til I

t’s

Gone” (Gra

mm

y No. 2

)

1998 Lenny Kra

vitz’s

“If Y

ou Can’t

Say No”

1999 Macy

Gra

y’s “I

Try”

2000 The Wallfl

owers’ “

Sleepwalker”

2001 Mick

Jagger’s

“God G

ave M

e

Every

thing”

2002 Johnny C

ash’s

cove

r of N

ine Inch

Nails’ “

hurt” (G

ram

my N

o. � and

Cash’s

final music

video)

2002 No D

oubt’s “h

ella G

ood”

2003 Red h

ot Chili

peppers’ “

Can’t

Stop”

2004 Jay-

Z’s “9

9 problems”

(VMA

winner)

2005 Cold

play’s “T

he Speed of Sound”

See which current pop star would bring Romanek out of

music video retirement at fuse.ithaca.edu.


Communications: Alumni profile

1

2

3

Official poster for Never Let Me Go.©Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

(from left) Director Mark Romanek, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley on theset of Never Let Me Go. photo by Alex Bailey.©Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Mark Romanek ’81 on the set of Never Let Me Go.©Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

2

3


See video from the performance at Strathmore at

fuse.ithaca.edu.

On Tour with the School of MusicIthaca College ensembles tour nationally and interna-tionally. Here are some recent trips. • Norfolk, virginia, 2011: the wind ensemble per-

formed at the 77th annual Convention of the ameri-can Bandmasters association.

• philadelphia, 2010: the women’s chorale presented a program entitled “We the People” at the First Bap-tist Church as part of the american Choral Directors’ association eastern Division Conference.

• St. petersburg, Russia, 2008: the contemporary ensemble (then called Kulmusik) performed at the 20th international new music Festival, “sound Ways.” the concert took place at Glinka hall of the Philharmonic, one of st. Petersburg’s most beauti-ful and prestigious halls.

• New York City, 2008: students from the choir, cho-rus, women’s chorale, and symphony orchestra per-formed Verdi’s Requiem at lincoln Center’s avery Fisher hall.

• Ireland, 2007: the wind ensemble presented the music of Copland, Bennett, Grantham, lauridsen, and sousa to audiences in Dublin, Cork, limerick, and Clonmel.

• New York City, 2005: the choral union and sympho-ny orchestra performed Carl orff’s Carmina Burana at lincoln Center’s avery Fisher hall.

There was a quiet energy among my

fellow students and the professors, as if

we had passed a major mark in our musical

and professional development.


sing that night at the National League championship series game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants. To say that we were amazed would be an under-statement—the group was simply one of the best choirs we had ever heard. It is moments like these that make music one of the most rewarding occupations I can imagine.

Performing at Holy Trinity felt very different—the church was large but more intimate, making it better acoustically. But because of other events being held there before our concert, we had less than an hour to spot-check the entire piece. This, even by professional standards, is not a lot of time. Still, our performance was even better than the concert at Strathmore. It was the first time that we truly expressed our emotional at-tachment to the music, which may have had something to do with the venue—there’s just something about a mass being performed in a church.

As a vocal performance major, I’ve been on three School of Music tours, including this one, and the bus ride home always reflects what was experienced on the trip. After we took Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem to Atlanta and the Carolinas, the general senti-ment was very introspective. After we performed Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in the Northeast, the energy level was so high that I thought the bus might explode. On this bus ride home, there was a quiet energy among my fellow students and even the professors, as if we had passed a major mark in our musical and professional development. It felt like we had grown up, even slightly, into the musicians we aspire to be.

By Alexander Canovas ’12

THE ITHACA COLLEGE CHOIR pERFORMS IN D.C. AND pHILLY

on the Road

taking

T he moment before a conduc-tor’s downbeat is one of the most exciting in any musician’s day. in that instant, you experience

the synthesis of many hours of rehearsal, new relationships, and untold amounts of knowledge gained. imagine this energy at a performance of one of the most epic pieces of classical music ever written. imagine it taking place in the venue where the Balti-more symphony orchestra regularly performs, or in one of the oldest churches in the united states.

This is how I felt when the Ithaca College Choir, joined by a combined student-faculty orchestra and faculty voice soloists, went on tour to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia to perform J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor this past October.

We arrived at the Strathmore Center for Music in Bethesda, Maryland, eight hours after our departure from Ithaca. The massive and beautiful space im-mediately inspired us. Performing the B minor mass at Strathmore made me feel that we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. From the more active sections to the slower, more intimate sections, the dra-matic arc that we created as an ensemble was incred-ible and unlike anything I had experienced before.

What elevated these performances was the col-laboration between the student musicians and the professors. One such moment came when our concert-master, Professor Susan Waterbury, made the difficult decision to leave the stage during the first half due to illness. Her student, violinist Natalie Brandt ’10, took over for her, right before one of the most difficult movements in the piece for the first violin. Ithaca Col-lege president Thomas Rochon, who was in the audi-ence that night, later remarked that, after a moment of hesitation, Natalie played with the grace and technicality of a professional.

Performing a piece such as the B minor mass takes a tremendous amount of concentration. I, and my fellow musicians, had to keep this intense level of focus for two hours. It’s difficult, but getting through it suc-cessfully is an amazing feeling.

Our next performance took us to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, but not before we made one brief but memorable stop.

The Philadelphia Boys Choir performed an ar-rangement of “America” for us that they were going to

Music: In the Field

pho

tos

by

Trac

ey B

row

n


fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | fall 2010 • 19

TEACHER EDuCATION OpTIONS AT ICIthaca College offers 16 under-graduate programs that lead to New York State initial teacher certification, including programs in biology, chemistry, physics, English, social studies, math-ematics, health education, music education, physical education, and art. Some hands-on oppor-tunities for IC students: • Experiencing urban education

through a partnership with New York City’s Frederick Douglass Academy in harlem

• Tutoring English as a Second Language students

• Teaching health education and physical education to elementary, middle, and high school students

• Teaching music to students with special needs from area head Start programs

• Teaching French, German, or Spanish in middle school and high school under the supervision of a master teacher

For even more teacher education programs, visit

www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/education/certprograms.


The author works with a kindergartner at South Hill Elementary School.

Communications: Internships

full-day kindergarten, students make bar graphs to chart their favorite colors and answer corresponding math questions. They write and illustrate stories in their writ-ing journals. They construct math equations based on dice rolls. They even make homemade applesauce! I was constantly amazed at what Marcie’s students could cog-nitively handle, and when I told her this, she responded, “Kindergarten’s a lot like special ed. They can handle all sorts of things if you break it down and explain it in simple ways.”

Marcie’s background in special education was extremely useful this past year, when she had three students requiring extra attention. A special ed teacher and two aides visited the class for part of the day, giving the classroom a vastly different dynamic than in previ-ous years. At the same time, it’s been invaluable to see Marcie and other educators work with these students to maximize their learning. I’ve learned that a little creativ-ity and a lot of patience go a long way—how putting a math sheet in a clear plastic sleeve can prevent a child from ripping it up in frustration, or how letting a child tell a lengthy personal story means he will listen and participate in a group activity because the other children listened to him.

I graduated last May and am now in Philadelphia, pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania. I hope to combine the teaching skills I learned in Marcie’s classroom with com-munications skills I learned as a journalism major at IC: I want my students to blog and create video projects and work collaboratively on Google Docs, learning media lit-eracy alongside mandated curriculum. With Marcie only an e-mail away, I’m confident that I, too, can become an incredible teacher.

By Mary Michalow ’10photos by Jeff Goodwin ’10

or the past four years, I’ve dragged myself out of bed at 8:00 a.m. twice a week to be body-slammed with hugs by five-year-olds—their way of saying hello. I am now

an expert at washing tables and pouring water into plas-tic cups with zoo animal handles. I’m a pro at zipping up coats and at pulling jacket sleeves over mittens, and snow pants over boots. I cut mouse hats out of felt and draw hearts at the top of every paper, a symbol that re-

minds students to write their name. I started volunteering in Marcie

Kidd’s kindergarten classroom at South Hill Elementary School my first semester freshman year, when I needed to complete fieldwork for my Educational Psychology class. I helped with computer lab, library, and math time, but most often with rotations. When I arrived at South Hill at 9:00, Marcie prepped me for the morning’s activities while the kids snacked on cheese and crackers, Go-Gurt and fruit, or cheese and veggies. Rotations started promptly at 9:30, and for the next hour students went through four activities in small groups. Activities ran the gamut, from learn-ing to write letters to solving addition problems with dominoes, playing a rhyming card game to spelling class-

mates’ names with Scrabble tiles. Marcie would assign me an activity to lead or assist, and I worked one-on-one or in small groups with students during the 15-minute rotations.

A special education teacher for 20 years and a kindergarten teacher for the past five, Marcie is a veteran educator who loves new ideas. She constantly adapts and improves lessons. When she’s absent, she writes meticulous, eight-page lesson plans for the substitute teacher, knowing how important rou-tine is to kindergartners. When a field trip gets canceled at the last minute or it starts to rain two minutes before re-cess, she implements plans B, C, and D.

Kindergarten’s changed a lot since I was five. Back then, kindergarten was a half day, and we did a lot of worksheets that involved circling pictures that started with a certain letter. The hardest thing I remember doing was copying a poem off the board for Mother’s Day. In Marcie’s

South Hill Elementary School teacher Marcie Kidd previews a spell-ing activity students will work on during rotations.

h&S: In the Field


fuse | fuse.ithaca.edu | fall 2010 • 19

TEACHER EDuCATION OpTIONS AT ICIthaca College offers 16 under-graduate programs that lead to New York State initial teacher certification, including programs in biology, chemistry, physics, English, social studies, math-ematics, health education, music education, physical education, and art. Some hands-on oppor-tunities for IC students: • Experiencing urban education

through a partnership with New York City’s Frederick Douglass Academy in harlem

• Tutoring English as a Second Language students

• Teaching health education and physical education to elementary, middle, and high school students

• Teaching music to students with special needs from area head Start programs

• Teaching French, German, or Spanish in middle school and high school under the supervision of a master teacher

For even more teacher education programs, visit

www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/education/certprograms.


The author works with a kindergartner at South Hill Elementary School.

Communications: Internships

full-day kindergarten, students make bar graphs to chart their favorite colors and answer corresponding math questions. They write and illustrate stories in their writ-ing journals. They construct math equations based on dice rolls. They even make homemade applesauce! I was constantly amazed at what Marcie’s students could cog-nitively handle, and when I told her this, she responded, “Kindergarten’s a lot like special ed. They can handle all sorts of things if you break it down and explain it in simple ways.”

Marcie’s background in special education was extremely useful this past year, when she had three students requiring extra attention. A special ed teacher and two aides visited the class for part of the day, giving the classroom a vastly different dynamic than in previ-ous years. At the same time, it’s been invaluable to see Marcie and other educators work with these students to maximize their learning. I’ve learned that a little creativ-ity and a lot of patience go a long way—how putting a math sheet in a clear plastic sleeve can prevent a child from ripping it up in frustration, or how letting a child tell a lengthy personal story means he will listen and participate in a group activity because the other children listened to him.

I graduated last May and am now in Philadelphia, pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania. I hope to combine the teaching skills I learned in Marcie’s classroom with com-munications skills I learned as a journalism major at IC: I want my students to blog and create video projects and work collaboratively on Google Docs, learning media lit-eracy alongside mandated curriculum. With Marcie only an e-mail away, I’m confident that I, too, can become an incredible teacher.

By Mary Michalow ’10photos by Jeff Goodwin ’10

or the past four years, I’ve dragged myself out of bed at 8:00 a.m. twice a week to be body-slammed with hugs by five-year-olds—their way of saying hello. I am now

an expert at washing tables and pouring water into plas-tic cups with zoo animal handles. I’m a pro at zipping up coats and at pulling jacket sleeves over mittens, and snow pants over boots. I cut mouse hats out of felt and draw hearts at the top of every paper, a symbol that re-

minds students to write their name. I started volunteering in Marcie

Kidd’s kindergarten classroom at South Hill Elementary School my first semester freshman year, when I needed to complete fieldwork for my Educational Psychology class. I helped with computer lab, library, and math time, but most often with rotations. When I arrived at South Hill at 9:00, Marcie prepped me for the morning’s activities while the kids snacked on cheese and crackers, Go-Gurt and fruit, or cheese and veggies. Rotations started promptly at 9:30, and for the next hour students went through four activities in small groups. Activities ran the gamut, from learn-ing to write letters to solving addition problems with dominoes, playing a rhyming card game to spelling class-

mates’ names with Scrabble tiles. Marcie would assign me an activity to lead or assist, and I worked one-on-one or in small groups with students during the 15-minute rotations.

A special education teacher for 20 years and a kindergarten teacher for the past five, Marcie is a veteran educator who loves new ideas. She constantly adapts and improves lessons. When she’s absent, she writes meticulous, eight-page lesson plans for the substitute teacher, knowing how important rou-tine is to kindergartners. When a field trip gets canceled at the last minute or it starts to rain two minutes before re-cess, she implements plans B, C, and D.

Kindergarten’s changed a lot since I was five. Back then, kindergarten was a half day, and we did a lot of worksheets that involved circling pictures that started with a certain letter. The hardest thing I remember doing was copying a poem off the board for Mother’s Day. In Marcie’s

South Hill Elementary School teacher Marcie Kidd previews a spell-ing activity students will work on during rotations.

h&S: In the Field

http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/education/certprograms


the irs launched its Volunteer income tax assistance program back in 1969. Chris lisee ’10 sat down with alan Cohen, the school of Business pro-fessor who got ithaca College involved in 1996 and has kept it going strong.

As I’m talking to accounting professor Alan Cohen about VITA, a student pokes his head in the door. “Clark,” Cohen says, “this guy wants to write an article about me.” I introduce myself, then Clark and Cohen start a conversation. Suddenly

Cohen asks me, “Do you know what his name is?” I don’t. “Clark Kent,” Cohen informs me. I chuckle, and tell him that’s too perfect to be true. Then Cohen pulls a small, perfectly round glass bead from his pocket. “Do you know what this is?” I don’t. “Kryptonite.”

Meeting with Cohen in his office is like step-ping into a play I never got a script for. Students and professors pop in for advice and assis-tance. And when we’re alone, Cohen grace-fully feints and thrusts with verbal weapons, while my speech seems heavy and awkward. Yet I want to keep learning. Terence Meade ’10, who’s taken a few courses with Cohen, has observed this effect in the classroom as well. “He definitely gets you excited about what’s going on,” Meade says. “One of the other accounting professors put it: ‘He puts on more of a performance than most.’”

Cohen keeps students on their toes. “You need to make sure you stay alert,” says Mike Boch ’10. “Do not yawn or chew gum, don’t lean back and stretch, and don’t use any words such as ‘um’ or ‘uh.’”

Fifteen years ago, Cohen brought the VITA program to IC as a way for students to apply what they learned in class to help others. “These fami-lies are getting a return of $6,000 on their $8,000, $12,000, or $15,000 yearly income,” Cohen tells me. “That’s the importance of volunteering in your

discipline.” Cohen extends his hands to either side of his face, like he is holding an invisible watermelon. “When families come out of there, they have a smile this big.”

Learn if a major in accounting is right for you at www.ithaca.edu/business/programs/accounting.


TheprofessorBehind ViTA:A L A N C O H E N

“he definitely gets you

excited about what’s going

on.”

Read how accounting students traveled through Alaska to file

tax returns for low-income residents this year at

fuse.ithaca.edu.

“it was very satis-fying to tell them that they would be getting a couple-thousand-dollar return and seeing their face light up.”

Every tax season, Ithaca College account-ing majors head downtown to Alternatives Federal Credit Union, grab a computer, and help low-income families get up to $6,000 in

earned income tax credits.The numbers add up fast.In 2009, 19 accounting majors dedicated 504 hours

to VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program—the equivalent of 21 days of nonstop tax preparation. “Thanks to these students, together with another 64 community volunteers, some of whom are IC staff, the total tax refunds returned to Tompkins County residents through VITA was $3,469,000,” says Brian Zapf, the community tax program director at the bank. IC stu-dents, he says, were responsible for about $950,000.

“I can’t really say I did one type of return through-out the entire experience, which was awesome,” says

Jessica Waddell ’10. “Sometimes you just got those clients who were so personable and so friendly and so excited to be there that it made doing their taxes worthwhile. Some of them were like, ‘Oh, I probably only got like $100 back,’ and you’re like, ‘No, you got $1,500 back!’ And they get so excited about it.”

Of course, there were small problems along the way. Some students found the TaxWise software hard to use, and some tax preparations were difficult because of the sheer number of variables. But Waddell says there was always someone to help if they had questions.

“My favorite part was telling someone that they had a nice refund coming their way,” says VITA partici-pant Mike Bock ’10. “Some of the people we worked with were extremely poor. It was very satisfying to tell them that they would be getting a couple-thousand-dol-lar return and seeing their face light up.”

AccounTing mAjors rAke in cAsh for The communiTyBy Chris Lisee ’10

pho

to b

y Sh

eryl

Sin

kow

Business: In the Field Business: Faculty profile



the irs launched its Volunteer income tax assistance program back in 1969. Chris lisee ’10 sat down with alan Cohen, the school of Business pro-fessor who got ithaca College involved in 1996 and has kept it going strong.

As I’m talking to accounting professor Alan Cohen about VITA, a student pokes his head in the door. “Clark,” Cohen says, “this guy wants to write an article about me.” I introduce myself, then Clark and Cohen start a conversation. Suddenly

Cohen asks me, “Do you know what his name is?” I don’t. “Clark Kent,” Cohen informs me. I chuckle, and tell him that’s too perfect to be true. Then Cohen pulls a small, perfectly round glass bead from his pocket. “Do you know what this is?” I don’t. “Kryptonite.”

Meeting with Cohen in his office is like step-ping into a play I never got a script for. Students and professors pop in for advice and assis-tance. And when we’re alone, Cohen grace-fully feints and thrusts with verbal weapons, while my speech seems heavy and awkward. Yet I want to keep learning. Terence Meade ’10, who’s taken a few courses with Cohen, has observed this effect in the classroom as well. “He definitely gets you excited about what’s going on,” Meade says. “One of the other accounting professors put it: ‘He puts on more of a performance than most.’”

Cohen keeps students on their toes. “You need to make sure you stay alert,” says Mike Boch ’10. “Do not yawn or chew gum, don’t lean back and stretch, and don’t use any words such as ‘um’ or ‘uh.’”

Fifteen years ago, Cohen brought the VITA program to IC as a way for students to apply what they learned in class to help others. “These fami-lies are getting a return of $6,000 on their $8,000, $12,000, or $15,000 yearly income,” Cohen tells me. “That’s the importance of volunteering in your

discipline.” Cohen extends his hands to either side of his face, like he is holding an invisible watermelon. “When families come out of there, they have a smile this big.”

Learn if a major in accounting is right for you at www.ithaca.edu/business/programs/accounting.


TheprofessorBehind ViTA:A L A N C O H E N

“he definitely gets you

excited about what’s going

on.”

Read how accounting students traveled through Alaska to file

tax returns for low-income residents this year at

fuse.ithaca.edu.

“it was very satis-fying to tell them that they would be getting a couple-thousand-dollar return and seeing their face light up.”

Every tax season, Ithaca College account-ing majors head downtown to Alternatives Federal Credit Union, grab a computer, and help low-income families get up to $6,000 in

earned income tax credits.The numbers add up fast.In 2009, 19 accounting majors dedicated 504 hours

to VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program—the equivalent of 21 days of nonstop tax preparation. “Thanks to these students, together with another 64 community volunteers, some of whom are IC staff, the total tax refunds returned to Tompkins County residents through VITA was $3,469,000,” says Brian Zapf, the community tax program director at the bank. IC stu-dents, he says, were responsible for about $950,000.

“I can’t really say I did one type of return through-out the entire experience, which was awesome,” says

Jessica Waddell ’10. “Sometimes you just got those clients who were so personable and so friendly and so excited to be there that it made doing their taxes worthwhile. Some of them were like, ‘Oh, I probably only got like $100 back,’ and you’re like, ‘No, you got $1,500 back!’ And they get so excited about it.”

Of course, there were small problems along the way. Some students found the TaxWise software hard to use, and some tax preparations were difficult because of the sheer number of variables. But Waddell says there was always someone to help if they had questions.

“My favorite part was telling someone that they had a nice refund coming their way,” says VITA partici-pant Mike Bock ’10. “Some of the people we worked with were extremely poor. It was very satisfying to tell them that they would be getting a couple-thousand-dol-lar return and seeing their face light up.”

AccounTing mAjors rAke in cAsh for The communiTyBy Chris Lisee ’10

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Business: In the Field Business: Faculty profile

http://www.ithaca.edu/business/programs/accounting


Ithaca at a GlanceIthaca offers a first-rate education on a first-name basis. Learn what you love from stellar faculty; start a club, intern at your dream job, or spend a semester halfway around the world—whatever course you set, you’ll love what you do. At Ithaca you’ll have lots of choices and plenty of opportunities to find your passion in life.

LOCATIONIn the center of the Finger Lakes region of New York State, our modern campus is 60 miles north of Binghamton and 60 miles south of Syracuse. The city of Ithaca is home to about 47,000 residents and neighboring Cornell University.

STUDENT BODY6,400 undergraduates and 500 graduate students from 49 states, 4 U.S. territories, and 77 countries. Over 70 percent of students live on Ithaca’s hilltop campus, which overlooks Cayuga Lake.

FACULTY473 full-time faculty and 251 part-time faculty

STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO 12 to 1

ACADEMIC pROFILEThe high school average of most admitted students ranges from B+ to A.

AppLICATION DEADLINEFreshman applications for fall admission are due February 1.

pROGRAMS OF STUDYWith more than 100 degree programs to choose from, Ithaca has something for everyone. To learn more about the different schools and the majors they offer, visit the websites below. A complete list of majors can be found on the admission website at www.ithaca.edu/admission/programs.

SCHOOL STUDENT ENROLLMENT SCHOOL HOMEPAGE

School of Business 700 www.ithaca.edu/businessRoy H. Park School of Communications 1,450 www.ithaca.edu/rhpSchool of Health Sciences and Human Performance 1,350 www.ithaca.edu/hshp School of Humanities and Sciences 2,350 www.ithaca.edu/hs School of Music 550 www.ithaca.edu/music

For details about Ithaca’s application process, financial aid, tuition, and more, please visit www.ithaca.edu/admission.

DID YOU KNOW? THE PEGGY RYAN WILLIAMS CENTER HAS ACHIEVED LEED-PLATINUM CERTIFICATION FROM THE U.S. GREEN BUILD-ING COUNCIL, MAKING ITHACA COLLEGE THE ONLY ACADEMIC INSTITUTION IN THE WORLD BESIDES YALE UNIVERSITY TO HAVE TWO NEWLY CONSTRUCT-ED LEED-PLATINUM-RATED BUILDINGS ON THEIR CAMPUS.

OFFICE OF ADMISSIONIthaca College953 Danby RoadIthaca, NY 14850-7002800-429-4274 or 607-274-3124 www.ithaca.edu

IC kICkS BACkRockin’ out at the free concert during the annual end-of-year celebration.

photo by Mike Grippi ’10

featured photo

Office of AdmissionIthaca College9�� Danby RoadIthaca, NY 148�0-7002800-429-4274607-274-�124www.ithaca.edu

Get the inside scoop on Ithaca College.Learn more at my.ithaca.edu.

Fuse is a green publication. Read it and recycle it. Or better yet—share it with a friend! This publication uses 20,1�7 lbs of paper which has a postconsumer recycled percentage of �0 percent: �1 trees preserved for the future • 147 lbs

waterborne waste not created • 21,��6 gallons wastewater flow saved • 2,�8� lbs solid waste not generated • 4,696 lbs net greenhouse gases prevented

• ��,944,�4� BTU’s energy not consumed • 22,1�1 lbs of greenhouse gases not generated • 24,000 miles of automobile travel saved • The equivalent of

1,�07 trees planted.

Fuse Spring 2011 | vol. 5 no. 1

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