DRAGON CHRONICLE
Student Gives Insight on Playing SUNY Cortland Club Sport
Wellness Wednesday presents keynote speaker, Cheryl Kerrigan for Body Appreciation Week 2016.
By Erica Kristel, Staff Writer
March 3, 2016
National speaker, Cheryl Kerrigan discussed sturggles with her eating disorder for Body Appreciation week.
On Feb. 24, the event began with a candlelight vigil for those who have been affected by eating disorders, which was presented by sorority Delta Phi Epsilon.
Health educator Lauren Herman raffled off a few copies of Kerrigan’s book to some lucky students, Kerrigan was introduced.
Kerrigan is the author of the book, “Telling Ed No! And Other Practical Tools to Conquer Your Eating Disorder and Find Freedom”.
She is an eating disorder survivor and activist, which is why she was invited to speak at SUNY Cortland’s Body Appreciation Week.
She is also a contributing author to multiple eating disorder recovery books and brings recovery to life by speaking at treatment centers and schools around the country.
Kerrigan is a Clinical Intern at a Boston inpatient eating disorder unit and will be graduating with her masters in social work from Boston University in May.
Kerrigan began her presentation by explaining how her eating disorder had manifested at the young age of five years old, when she refused to take a candy bar after a dance recital because she didn’t want to look “puffy”.
Kerrigan explained how as she grew and experienced puberty, her behaviors and rituals regarding her body and food only got worse.
Finally, her family intervened and told her she needed help, which ultimately led to her recovery.
She explained that since she was able to recover, she found a way to inspire others by writing a book for those going through an eating disorder.
Her book has over 100 practical recovery tools and exercises, such as renaming fears, transforming eating disorder rules, and keeping a gratitude journal.
Filled with Cheryl’s unique perspective, each chapter has prompts for reflection and discussion that bring the recovery process to life for those in need.
Student Gives Insight on Playing SUNY Cortland Club Sport
A women's club rugby plater shares her experience on the team in this Q&A.
By Kaitlyn Schickler, Staff Writer
March 3, 2016
Q: You play for the women’s rugby team, what position?
A: It’s only my second semester playing so I don’t really have a set position. I play on the back line which is composed of six different positions, I’ve played in at least half of them. Where I play will really depend on where we need players since so many seniors will be graduating at the end of this semester.
Q: When did you start playing the sport?
A: I started playing this past fall semester in mid September. I didn’t realize I was joining in season, but I’m thankful I did because I just kind of threw myself into it and learned so much.
Q: Why did you start playing?
A: I really missed being a part of a team. My sister played rugby when she was in college at Sienna so I was only that familiar with the sport, but I saw an interest meeting poster last year and I just decided I wanted to try it out. When I think of rugby I think of strong, intimidating women. It was a kind of test for myself to see if I could keep up and compete. It was one of the best decisions of my time here so far.
Q: Do you enjoy playing? Why?
A: I love playing! There’s this incredible adrenaline rush when you’re playing and it’s super intense. Also, really working together as a team is important, everyone has a role and we’re all playing for eachother. You really have to trust the people you’re running next to.
Q: Is it hard to balance a sport with your academics ?
A: I wouldn’t say that it’s hard to balance the sport with academics, however, it does require some time management and responsibility. Right now as a student my academics are top priority and our coach and captains honor that and are super understanding if we can’t make practice or something because we have to take care of our work.
Q: Do you play other sports, or do any other extra curricular activities?
A: I don’t play any other sports, but I am in the club Spectrum.
Q: What does your season consist of ? Workout regimen?
A: We have practice Monday through Friday for two hours and usually a game every weekend. We don’t have a workout regimen, but it’s important to keep yourself in shape.
Q: Do you continue training in the off-season? If so, what is the training?
A: This is my first semester on the team in the off season and so far we’ve had some practices when we were able to get time in the field house and I’ve just been trying to stay in the gym on a regular basis and stay strong and in shape for when we start playing again. I know we have a couple tournaments and things we will be playing in this spring.
Q: Do you plan on playing after college?
A: I haven’t really thought about that, honestly, I’m not really sure. I guess it would depend on what I was doing with my life and how much extra time I had.
Q: How much of an impact has the sport had on your life?
A: It’s unlike any sport I’ve ever played and it’s definitely brought me out of my shell a lot. It has made me so much healthier just by being more active. Being a part of this team has taught me the real definition of sportsmanship and I’ve made a lot of really great friendsips.
Student Gives Insight on Playing SUNY Cortland Club Sport
New Club Changes The Conversation on Mental Health
Student Government Association (SGA) passes new club for mental health, Active Minds.
By Shannon Toomey, Staff Writer
March 3, 2016
SUNY Cortland recently welcomed a brand new club on campus.
On Wednesday, Feb. 24 the club Active Minds was accepted as a SGA club.
Active Minds is a non profit organization that empowers students to speak openly about mental health to help educate others, and encourage help-seeking. Active Minds has been brought to campuses to change the culture in the community by providing information and advocacy training to the next generation.
By developing and supporting chapters of student-run mental health awareness, education and advocacy group on campuses nationwide, the nonprofit organization works to increase students’ awareness of mental health issues.
Through campus-wide events, Active Minds aims to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues and create a more comfortable environment for open conversation about mental health issues on campuses.
This club does not serve as a support group, but instead they work to increase students awareness of mental health issues and provide information, and recourses regarding mental health.
The goals of the club will be accomplished through campus-wide events and programs open to everyone to participate in.
Bringing Active Minds to the SUNY Cortland campus will increasingly help to promote positive mental health, acording to founder, Victoria Evans.
Cortland senior, Victoria Evans, is the Active Minds club president.
With the help of her advisor, Lauren Herman, and the rest of the club’s executive board they were able to begin this chapter.
“I am so excited to be able to start this chapter on our campus and start opening the conversation about mental health,” said Evans.
Active Minds will be holding interest meetings in the upcoming weeks so look out for information regarding the meeting times and locations.
Contact the club’s president Victoria Evans at victoria.evans@cortland.edu with any questions.
"Love Your Melon"
On Monday Feb. 6, 2016 the SUNY Cortland Love Your Melon Ambassadors announced their first release of products.
By Shannon Cotter, Staff Writer
February 11, 2016
The ambassadors for SUNY Cortland include the Captain Janay Anderson, Vice Captain Nicolette Tortorici, secretary Kelli Liotta and Public Relations Lauren Mettar along with 15 other crew- members. They reported that 15,000 beanies were sold within the hour.
Love Your Melon is a company founded in 2012 by two students in at entrepreneurship class together at University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
The young men had a mission to improve the lives of children battling cancer. The idea of the company was to put a hat on every child battling cancer in America.
Love Your Melon launched their idea nationwide in 2014.
Since this time, the company has networked college students who are referred to as Love Your Melon Ambassadors, whose job it is to advertise and spread the mission of the organization to their school and community.
At this moment there are over 9,000 college students at over 575 different schools nationally that have signed on including SUNY Cortland.
Each child fighting cancer has the opportunity to receive a free Love Your Melon hat specially delivered by a college ambassador dressed as a superhero.
50 percent of net proceeds on all Love Your Melon products are donated to the Pinky Swear Foundation and CureSearch.
Vice Captain of the SUNY Cortland Love Your Melon Ambassadors, Nicolette Tortorici, spoke on her involvement. “I became an ambassador because I want to make a difference” she said. “There is no better feeling than being a part of something bigger than myself.
We are all here to change the lives of children, however I am positive that these children are changing mine. I will always be here for the kids!” Said Tortorici.
Because the beanies are so popular, it is not always easy to purchase Love Your Melon products. The prices of the beanies range from $30-45 a piece and they are released every few weeks.
For every Love Your Melon hat that is sold, one is then donated to a child battling cancer.
Visit Loveyourmelon.com to purchase a beanie through the buy one, give one program. The next release date is coming up on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Movie Review
The much- anticipated romantic comedy “How to Be Single”was released on February 12th, 2016 in movie theatres across the country.
By Mollie Geiger, Staff Writer
February 11, 2016
The film, directed by Christian Ditter, was adapted from the book of the same name by Liz Tuccillo, who is also the co-author of the work that inspired He’s Just Not That Into You.
In “How to Be Single”,recent college grad Alice (played by 50 Shades of Grey’s Dakota Johnson) separates from her long-term boyfriend Josh (Nicholas Braun) in order to work on her independence as she begins a new chapter of her life.
Young and excited for new things to come, Alice moves to New York City to pursue a job as a paralegal.
There she meets her eccentric co-worker Robin (Rebel Wilson), the stereotypical party girl and promoter of all the benefits the single life has to offer.
With Robin as her guide, Alice reenters the dating game, learning techniques on how to get free drinks, meet men, and enjoy her independence.
While Alice’s story is the focal point of the film, “How to Be Single” follows several millennials as they attempt to figure out dating and relationships in today’s society.
For example, Alice’s older sister Meg (Leslie Mann) is an an accomplished medical practitioner who has decided that she wants to have a child on her own, but her plan gets momentarily derailed after she meets Ken (Jake Lacy), a younger man who becomes infatuated with her.
Meanwhile, Tom (Anders Holm), who owns a bar popular amongst young singles, struggles to impress his upstairs neighbor Lucy (Alison Brie), who is trapped in the world of online dating.
Eventually, all the singles find their way, although it may be different from what they initially thought they needed.
“How to Be Single” gives a refreshing twist to the classic rom-com, with an updated story line that gives a more realistic perspective on modern relationships and life goals, making it much more relatable for young adults.
Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson are the perfect shy girl/party girl duo and provide awkward-but-hilarious entertainment throughout the movie.
And although the cast is made up partly of comedians, the actors prove that they can successfully balance moments of quirky comedy with emotional drama.
Overall, “How to Be Single” is a well-written, relatable, and enjoyable film. Many rom-com trends can be noticed throughout the film, but the funny twists put on them by the writers makes them feel much less mundane.
The film came out perfect for a Valentine’s Day weekend movie pick, especially for college students, whether you are perfectly single or happily committed.
Wellness Wednesday
The Corey Union Exhibition Lounge hosted a Wellness Wednesday event on the evening of Feb. 10. The night’s event gave an intro to massage and was free for any to attend.
By Erica Kristel, Staff Writer
February 11, 2016
Jeannine Gettis, a New York State Licensed Therapist, gave free 2-minute massages on any of those who were interested.
Gettis explained that she gives out athlete and relaxation massages, as well as chair massages, which is what the students were able to experience at the event.
She also explained some of the benefits of receiving a therapeutic massage.
She explained some facts on how therapeutic massages can alleviate low back pain, improve range of motion, enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow, increase joint flexibility, and improve circulation by pumping oxygen/nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
As she was giving each student a turn in the massage chair, there were health interns talking to the rest of the crowd about alternative relaxation techniques.
Many were simple, relaxation techniques that the interns would demonstrate for the crowd what to do.
The first relaxation technique the interns explained was to take a tube sock and fill it with dry rice.
After filling the sock halfway full with rice, they tied a knot at the top of the sock and put it in a microwave for about two minutes.
When the sock came out of the microwave and was placed around the neck, it acted as a heating pad that was very relaxing to students.
Another group of interns at a different table had socks with tennis balls placed inside them, which were used to roll out the muscles in the body by rolling the sock over the skin. In another area, health educator, Lauren Herman, worked with students doing relaxing yoga and meditation techniques that are easy for them to do on a daily basis.
Gettis concluded with the announcement that massage sessions can be purchased right there on campus in the Student Life Center by going to the front desk or the recreational sports office in room 201.
Chipotle
Facing recent allegations of contaminated food poisoning, Chipotle’s CEO, Steve Ells called for company-wide meeting between staff to discuss food safety policies.
The store temporarily closed Monday, Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to implement changes. Students on campus share their opinions over the short-lived shutdown.
By Stephanie Carrier, Staff Writer
February 11, 2016
Chipotle live-tweeted the meeting that took place to ensure followers that progress was being made for the future of their food safety quality.
To make up for shutting down facilities for the afternoon, Chipotle offered a promotional deal and encouraged customers to text the word “raincheck” to 888-222 before 6 p.m. on Monday to receive a coupon for a free burrito.
“I thought it was a good idea that they offered the free burrito for having the shutdown and I think by having the meeting, said sophomore, Hannah Elmer. “It showed that Chipotle is making an effort to fix their mistakes and care about their customers.”
At the meeting, staff discussed the new form of food preparation the teams will follow to avoid any risks of food-borne illnesses.
Most of the food prep will now take place and be tested at the central kitchen rather than at the individual restaurants.
In addition, ingredients such as tomatoes, cilantro and lettuce will be shipped separately in plastic bags after being tested at the central kitchen.
The use of local ingredients will most likely thrive due to Ells announcement that a $10 million commitment will be instituted to help local farmers keep up with Chipotle’s new safety standards.
Although there is evidence of a decline in sales since the E.Coli scare, many students continue to go to Chipotle because they can’t resist their favorite meal and are willing to take the risk.
Junior, Meghan Ingram recently went to a Binghamton area Chipotle for dinner for the first time since the E.Coli outbreak.
Thinking she’d beat the dinner rush since it was nearly 7:30 p.m., she and her friends walked through the doors confidently.
To their surprise, the typical ‘wrap-around the building’ line was formed and they claimed their spot near the end.
The service and food exceeded Ingram’s expectations and so far, no sign of any form of food-borne illnesses amongst the group.
Moe’s Southwest Grill Taunts Chipotle
As if Chipotle didn’t have enough on their plate to deal with, their competition Moe’s used Chipotle’s temporary shut down to their advantage.
While they were closed, Moe’s posted a tweet, “We’re open today,” and introduced a special of “Buy one burrito, get one free” and added a kicker statement, “Here’s to moving on.”
Steve Ells tweeted, “Deeply sorry that some people became ill after eating Chipotle,” and continued, “Committed to make sure it won’t happen again.”
One can only hope for the sake of their reputation that Chipotle won’t plunge down the drain again.
For now, Chipotle will continue to focus on improving their food-safety regulations and work on maintaining the trust between customers for years to come.
Study Abroad
College is already said to be the best years of your life. Most people are fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to take some of their class abroad.
By Shannon Toomey, Staff Writer
February 11, 2016
Here at SUNY Cortland, study abroad is definitely a popular program that a lot of students participate in.
Since we are a SUNY school, if you don’t think that Cortland has the exact program you are looking for, its possible to go through another SUNY schools program.
SUNY Cortland alone offers over twenty program for their students and from SUNY all together there are over six-hundred programs available.
A main factor for people deciding to study abroad is price. With all of the scholarships and aid that are available it can cost about the same price as a regular semester at Cortland or even less.
You can also study abroad basically whenever you want.
There are fall,spring, winter and even summer programs offered. Study abroad is not only great for the experience but also for academics.
Study abroad has so much to offer every student and just adds on to your amazing college memories even more.
Senior student, Karly Neuss, said “It was easily the best decision I could have ever made”.
Neuss had studied abroad for a semester at Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
“It opened her eyes to all that is out there and allowed her to really grow as a person and figure out who I am” she said.
The application process is not too hard at all which makes the whole thing seem more accessible.
Besides working on academics when abroad, you are given the opportunity to explore so many places and just overall have an amazing experience.
Many also meet so many friends from around the world which allows them to have more opportunities to travel and see them.
Senior student, Alyssa Breslow, studied for a semester at the University of Cumbria which is located in northern England.
“I was able to learn so many new cultures and how they live and to visit so many countries/cities” Breslow said.
Studying abroad has given Breslow so much knowledge of places that she didn’t even know about beforehand.
SUNY Cortland has the International Programs Office which deals with study abroad programs and internships.
Every Tuesday and Friday “Study Abroad 101” sessions are held on campus which include talking about how study abroad works, how to take courses related to your major, all of the programs offered and funding/scholarships.
Study abroad is an amazing experience and allows you to make new friends and gain knowledge on so much that you never knew before.