Week of March 24, 2014

Communitas 1

The week of April 14-18 will be “Story Week” at MVCC, to provide an opportunity for the college community to participate actively in the development of a new values statement. The College’s Values Statement Workgroup has been meeting since Feb. 28 to explore and re-establish MVCC’s values—the words and stories that guide our work. The group received nearly 200 responses to its recent Values Statement Survey, which queried employees, students, and other stakeholders about the most important impressions they have of MVCC.

The results are in, and the group has identified excellence, caring, opportunity, and community as core value themes to fur-ther explore. Now, the group is asking members of the MVCC community to contribute brief stories and examples that best illustrate those values. By using stories instead of just short words or phrases, the Workgroup will make the values come alive so that all of us can understand the behaviors and actions that uphold our shared approach to educating MVCC students.

For example, to illustrate opportunity, you might share a story about how a student achieved career success or turned life around as a result of the experience at MVCC.

The workgroup will be inviting feedback in several ways, including a Web form and participation in open forums that will be scheduled the week of April 14. The stories will be used to further develop the values statement, and they will be shared via MVCC’s Facebook page and a special Story Week issue of Communitas. For college community members who would prefer not to wait, you can email your stories (of a paragraph or two in length) to value-statement-survey@mvcc.edu; or contact any member of the workgroup: Ron Labuz (chair), Rosemary Spetka, Bill Dustin, Karin Capuana, Norma Chrisman, Thomas Gleason, Lewis Kahler, James Myers, Norayne Rosero, Claire Rudka, Roman Santos, Susan Smith, Matthew Snyder, or Ran-dall VanWagoner.

Send your stories to values workgroup

Syracuse basketball legend and NBA star Dwayne “The Pearl” Washington was recently on the Utica Campus to pro-vide inspiration and insight by telling how he defeated the odds during his youth.

“I grew up in the projects in Brooklyn and I used to see people in the hallways shooting needles, smoking weed doing, I mean, just a lot of things. I said I never want to be like that,” said Washington. Washington’s dream kept him drug and alco-hol free.

“They called me, and I said I definitely would be here be-cause I think this is more important than anything,” said Wash-ington.

“He is a good humble person and he was excited about com-ing here to talk to the students,” said Dominick Nicotera, Mental Health Practitioner at the College. Nicotera was able to bring Washington to MVCC as part of the Healthy Lifestyle Commit-tee’s anti-drug campaign. Nicotera first met Washington in the 1980s when he was athletic director at Our Lady of Pompei School.

For freshman Jasmine Shirley, his message hit home. She grew up on drug-riddled streets and just like Washington, stays clean for her basketball dream. She hopes her peers were pay-ing attention.

“I hope they actually take this into consideration and if they decide they’re going to do it at least know what they’re getting

themselves into, know what they’re doing to their body physi-cally, emotionally,” said Shirley.

Washington’s personality was a hit with the hundreds of stu-dents in attendance as they asked him questions about his ca-reer. Afterward, the students were treated to an exhibition game with Washington teaming up with MVCC basketball players to take on a group of College employees. The employees lost.

After all the hoops are shot and the fun is done, Washington hopes students go home with this message: “If you can help somebody, get them in a program or do whatever you can do to help this person, it all comes back on you,” he said.

SU legend delivers inspirational talk

2 Communitas

25 percent of Fall 2013 full-time

students were minorities?

Did You Know?

Mo Hawk was flying high into the third round of SUNY Mascot Madness, but MVCC’s beloved mascot came up just shy of knocking off Binghamton University this week.

Our favorite Hawk garnered 14,020 votes over the four days of this round. Mo gave Binghamton’s Baxter the Bobcat a run for its money as they collected 17,937 votes.

“While we did not move on, I see this as a win for Mohawk Valley Community Col-lege,” Mo wrote in a statement.

Mo had a very good run at the title by defeating G. Dub the Cougar from Genesee Community College and Alfred State’s Orvis the Pioneer in the first round and then coming back to hand SUNY Potdam’s Max C. Bear a defeat in the second round. Over the course of the three rounds, Mo earned a total of 20,818 votes.

Moving on to the semifinals will be SUNY Cortland’s Blaze Dragon, Baxter, SUNY Brockport’s Ellsworth Eagle and defending champions Hugo the Hawk from SUNY New Paltz.

Mo brings college community together in Mascot Madness

GOOD JOB MO – Mo Hawk is consoled by a stu-dent after learning of the defeat in this year’s SUNY Mascot Madness.

The Disability Services Office is honoring some exceptional faculty and staff on campus. A recognition event will be held on Thursday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the second floor lobby of the Information Technology Building. This will honor the special members of the college community nominated by a student.

The following faculty and staff have demonstrated excellence in service to students with disabilities:

• Alison Grimshaw, Building Maintenance Worker - Facilities and Operations• Brian Judycki, Assistant Professor - Engineering Technologies Trades• Eileen Bush, Assistant Professor - Life Science• John Sessa, Adjunct - Humanities• Joseph Elacqua, Adjunct - Learning Achievement/Languages• Joyce Baumann, Assistant Professor - Engineering Physical Science• Judith LaTour, Adjunct - Mathematics• Kristen Raab, Learning Center Tutor/Mentor English Writing• Roman Santos, Associate Professor - LanguagesIf you have a few minutes, please stop by to recognize these exemplary individu-

als and gather some knowledge from several community disability information tables. Music and refreshments are also available.

Disability Services Office honorsfaculty/staff who go the extra mile

The College rescheduled its inaugural Portfolio Review/Student Art Exhibit Day for Wednesday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lobby of the Information Technology Building on the Utica Campus.

The event, originally scheduled for March, was canceled due to inclement weather. It is hosted by the Coordinator of MVCC’s Art Programs, Admissions Office, and Of-fice of Transfer Services, and is designed for prospective students interested in Art, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Digital Animation, and Photography. The day will include both scheduled reviews of students’ portfolios and advice on how to build a portfolio paired with an exhibition of current MVCC student and faculty work. At-tendees will also be provided with tours of MVCC’s art facilities and presentations on either studio art or digital programs. Lunch will be included.

To learn more about the event, visit www.mvcc.edu/artsday.

On May 16, math instructor Robert N. Mineo will be participating in his third Ride for Missing Children, to benefit the National Center for Missing & Ex-ploited Children/New York/Mohawk Valley Branch.

He has pledged to raise at least $500. The funds raised by the Ride for Miss-ing Children remain local to provide case assistance and spearhead prevention education services in Central New York, and across New York State.

Please consider supporting this worth-while cause. To donate, please go to the following website: http://www.active.com/donate/RFMCCNY2014/Mineo. MVCC to host event for

prospective art students

Mineo hits road to help exploited kids

Communitas 3

The College Health Center held a campaign in the lobby of the Academic Building on Tuesday, March 25, to promote healthy menu choices. The event was held from noon – 2 p.m. to coincide with students purchasing their lunch from Zebi.

The Health Center prepared a table of goodies for faculty and students to enjoy. The food consisted of some delicious veggies and dip and fruit prepared for Sodexo.

Also, the college nurse had many interesting brochures to hand out to the students and faculty; i.e. Fill Your Plate, What

is a serving, What is a snack. Everyone seemed eager to learn what “MY PLATE” is all about and took the goodies as well as the literature.

“We were surprised at the positive acceptance in offering healthy snacks as opposed to junk food. The students asked many questions as to where they could find more information on Healthy Living and they were told to come to the Health Center and see what we have to give to them to learn more about being healthy,” said Anne Popeo, College Nurse.

March is dedicated to ‘Nutrition’

Dean Lew Kahler, Dean Marianne Buttenschon and advisors Dawson McDermott, Justin Rahn, Tracy Coulson and Carla Zu-pancic attended the NACADA Region 1 Conference in Newport, Rhode Island, last week.

Dean Kahler, Dean Buttenschon, McDermott and Rahn presented a workshop on “Communication, Connection and Collaboration: Learning to Liaise with Academic Affairs.” This workshop showcased the collaborative efforts between advising and the five academic centers and the many ways they support each other throughout the semester.

The workshop was well received by attendees in a standing room only event.

Deans and Advisors attend the NACADA Conference

Submit information for Communitas

to rhaubert@mvcc.edu

Nearly 10 years ago the unthinkable happened to Emeritus Administrator Robert Lacell and his family.

On November 10, 2004, his grandson Daron was taken in an instant through an unbelievable act of violence. The bright future the Lacell family envisioned for him was stolen with his death.

In an effort to overcome tragedy with good, the Lacell family created a schol-arship at MVCC in his memory - Daron Malik Jae Simpson Memorial Scholarship for Single Mothers.

In an effort to expand the endowment for this scholarship, the MVCC Foundation and the Lacell family have organized a concert with Inca Son, “Sound of the Incas” on April 30, at 7 p.m. in the Schafer Theater on the Utica

Campus. This group authentically recreates music of the ancient Incas – visually they are stunning. Tickets for this event are $10 for general public and $5 for MVCC employees.

There is also a raffle for a 40-inch RCA flat screen TV. Tickets are $1 for one, $2 for three and $5 for 10. Raffle tickets are being sold through Deanna L. Ferro-Aurience of the College’s Institutional Advancement (PH220, dferro-aurience@mvcc.edu). Donations to the scholarship can be made through the MVCC Foundation.

This scholarship began helping young single mothers in 2006, and

have helped eight young women move closer to a stable future for themselves and their children. The goal is to help these young families achieve self-sufficiency, leaving the trap of pub-lic assistance behind and reaching their full human potential.

To learn more about this scholarship, visit www.daronscholar-ship.com.

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The MVCC baseball team had a very suc-cessful spring trip through South Carolina due in part to the perfor-mance of Matt Thompson. He played a key role in each of the Hawks’ vic-tory, earning him MVCC Athlete of the Week Honor for the week ending March 23.

During the Hawks’ spring trip to the Cal Rip-ken Experience in Myrtle Beach, the freshman first baseman went to the plate 30 times to earn a .345 batting av-erage. While scoring only two runs, Thomp-son connected for four doubles and seven RBIs to earn a .367 on-base percentage.

Heading into the regular season, the Hawks are 4-4. Thompson is a freshman Liberal Arts major who graduated from Corcoran High School.

Athlete of the Week

Thompson

MVCC baseball standout and cur-rent member of the Arizona Dia-mondbacks Patrick Corbin underwent Tommy John sur-gery Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla.

Corbin had been designated the team’s opening day starter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Australia, but left last Saturday’s game against Cleveland in the seventh inning with forearm stiffness.

He was 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA and made the All-Star team as a rookie last season.

Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery to repair a partial tear of the left-hander’s ulnar collateral ligament. The recovery time for the surgery is typically 12-18 months, though it varies by player.

“It’s a long road back, but I’m sure [Corbin will] do everything he can in his power,” D-backs bench coach Alan Trammell said.

Former MVCC standouthas season-ending surgery

Concert, raffle benefits scholarship for single moms

Health & Wellness TipsTips for healthy teeth for life

You have so many good reasons to keep your family’s teeth and gums healthy. Their sparkling smiles.

1. Start children early. Despite great strides in decay prevention, one in four young children develops signs of tooth decay before they start school.

2. Seal off trouble. Permanent molars come in around age 6. Thin protective coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth can prevent decay in the pits.

3. Use enough - but not too much - fluoride. The single biggest advance in oral health has been fluoride, which strengthens enamel, making it less likely to decay.

4. Brush twice a day and floss daily. Gum disease and tooth decay remain big problems -- and not just for older people.

5. Rinse or chew gum after meals. In addition to brushing and flossing, rinsing your mouth with an antibac-terial rinse can help prevent decay and gum problems.