Week of October 26 , 2015

1 Communitas

As a follow up to the College’s effort to better understand-ing the volume of waste generated on a daily basis, members of the Sustainability Counsel on the Rome Campus partnered with the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority to conduct a “Campus Waste Audit” earlier this month.

During the first waste audit held back in September 2013 on the Utica Campus with a focus just on the academic building, it was found that over a two-day period that faculty, staff, and students created 530.5 pounds of garbage and 392.5 pounds of recyclables.

For the Rome Campus audit, the custodial staff collected an entire week’s worth of garbage and recyclables from the Plumley Complex and Academic Building. On the day of the audit, the accumulated waste was separated in two categories – garbage and single stream recyclables.

The category single stream recyclables includes cardboard, paper, plastics, metal, and glass. The category of garbage includes food waste, wrappers, Styrofoam, office supplies, and bathroom waste.

Prior to the sorting of the materials, collected from the waste bins was 194 pounds while the recyclable bins were a total of 73 pounds. This is a recycling rate of 27 percent. During the sorting process, it was observed that there was fair amount of recyclable items tossed in the trash bins. But these items were plastic cups and bottles containing food residue, which belongs in the trash if the containers are not emptied completely.

The one item that was found in the trash that is recyclable was pizza boxes. The top items found in the recycle bins that is not recyclable were the coated wrappings for the reams of paper. In total, 36 pounds of recyclables were sorted out of the trash, accounting for 18 percent of the garbage collected.

The audit found from the initial collection that – in a perfect world – 160 pounds would have been trash while 107 pounds would be recyclables. The overall findings of the Rome Cam-pus audit found that 40 percent of the total waste generated by the campus was recyclables.

“What we accept depends on the market,” said Jamie Tuttle, school recycling coordinator for the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority. “Smaller counties may not accept some items that a larger county can handle. We are able to recycle materi-

Rome Campus completes 2015 waste audit

Spooky times at Sodexo

SPOOKY - Marie Romero and Maria Rebisz get into the spirit of Halloween by dressing as Glenda The Good Witch and the Mighty Supergirl.

als at a higher grade, which is why we offer the single stream process.”

Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority accepts used tires at a charge of $2.50 per tire. The Authority also wants the public to know that drug stores and police departments will accept old medications and that the bottles the medicine comes in are not recyclable. It is also illegal to throw electronic items such as televisions and computers in the trash, as they need to be dropped off at the Authority’s Utica or Rome locations for proper disposal.

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Things have been adding up for Russell Penner over the past 15 years as he has been connecting the numbers for students in some of the College’s advanced mathematic classes.

Penner was recognized for 15 years of service and dedica-tion to the students. This coming spring semester, he will be teaching (MA125) College Algebra and Trigonometry, which prepares students for (MA150) Pre-Calculus. The course will cover linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, rational expressions, trigonometric functions, graphs of linear equa-tions, along with many other aspects. He also teaches (MA151) Calculus 1 and (MA 152) Calculus 2.

As an assistant professor, Penner is the coordinator of math-ematics and a board member of the New York State Mathemat-ics Association of Two-Year Colleges.

When not in class, Penner is a member of the MVCC em-ployees’ basketball team the Slush Ducks. He is also a member of the General Education Committee and coordinator for the Verizon Nextstep Program.

Honoring Employees for Years of Service

MVCC students and employees had an opportunity to learn the difficulties and triumphs faced by members of the LGBTQ community in the Mohawk Valley when they decided to come out as gay to family, friends, and co-workers during a presentation on the Utica Campus this week.

Through the Cultural Series and part of the LGBTQ Series, the College hosted a panel of young professionals who are openly gay, as they talked of the internal and external pressures they face while proclaiming their sexuality to their family and friends. The panel consisted of news anchor Don Shipman; Adam Lawless, an account manager for a local marketing firm; Danny Harrigan, a personnel trainer for a local industrial safety company; Kelly Conroy, a children’s advocate in Herkimer County; and Vartan Poghosian, a local artist who is originally from the Republic of Armenia.

“I knew that I gay when I was 14 years old,” said Lawless. “When I told my mom, it was more difficult on her and it wasn’t until 10 years later that I came to realize that she hadn’t come to terms with it.”

He went on to explain that his mom sought out counseling, and that after bringing him into the conversation, he began to help ease his mother’s fears and concerns.

“I came to realize that she was very afraid for me. She was concerned about

AIDS and the harm others may inflict on me. But now years later and presenting her with the facts, we have a much better relationship.”

All the members of the panel faced different difficulties. For Conroy it was family pressure, especially after getting pregnant on her 21st birthday while out drinking with a very close friend. “I didn’t identify myself as a lesbian, but I knew I was different in that I was attracted to girls. The most difficult things I faced was telling my mother that I was pregnant, that I was gay and that I was going to keep the baby,” said Conroy.

But under pressure from her family and the father’s family – both of whom were very religious – the two married and moved to Albany. Within the next 18 months, the relationship fell apart and

she found herself facing other external challenges.

“After we split up, I found myself in a custody battle. My mother was one of those testifying against me. She told me that I cannot be a lesbian and a mother,” said Conroy. Unlike Lawless, Conroy found herself battling depression along with all the other pressures being put on her. But 17 years later, she and her son have been the pillars of strength for each other.

Shipman and Harrigan both empha-sized to the audience of young people that it became much easier over time as family come to accept your decisions and you find out who your true friends are.

“If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be that there are other people out there just like you,” said Shipman.

LGBTQ panel reflects on coming out

Throughout the month of October, the Healthy Lifestyles Workgroup has been promoting of Domestic Violence Aware-ness Month through a variety of events and activities across campus. Starting on Oct. 1, the group organized “Shine the Light on Domestic Violence” with the exterior lights of the building being swapped with purple, the color symbolic for this cause. Across campus, informational flyers can be seen to shine light on this unfortunate and all too common epidemic.

In addition to the usual bracelet and wristband sales to raise money for the YWCA, the group also hosted the College’s first ever Clothesline Project. The event was held on Oct. 7 and 9 on both the Utica and Rome campuses, respectively, and al-lowed MVCC students the opportunity to speak out as survivors in an anonymous and welcoming setting.

“We’re hoping to build on this event and collect these survival stories to display for years to come,” says Jennifer Rubino, tri-chair of the Healthy Lifestyles Workgroup. The MVCC Clothes-line Project was hung in the Payne Hall Lobby on Oct. 29 shar-ing the spotlight with the “Silent Witness Project,” hosted by Melissa Loiacano the YWCA Mohawk Valley. The same exhibit was on display along with the Clothesline Project in the Rome Campus Atrium on Oct. 27.

The Silent Witness Project is a national initiative memorial-izing those that have died as a result of domestic violence. The YWCA Mohawk Valley began an Oneida County version of the project in 2006 with a silhouette representing Katie Hum-phrey, a niece of a YWCA employee who was murdered by her partner. Unfortunately, this display has grown to include over a dozen victims from the Oneida and Herkimer counties. A unique

component to this memorial was offered by members of the MVCC Drama Club as they gave voice to these victims by shar-ing their individual stories.

The Healthy Lifestyles Workgroup raised $335 for support of the YCWA Mohawk Valley and is looking forward to growing this awareness within the college community with future events.

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Empowering words on domestic violence

There is something new in the offering to MVCC employees this fall as the College has sign an agreement with Colonial Voluntary Benefits to provide additional cover-age in the future.

Throughout the month of November, it will be open enrollment for these services and Colonial Voluntary Benefit representatives will be on campus for one-on-one con-sultation sessions. These products are available for you and your family.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, MVCC employees may purchase additional voluntary ben-efits from Colonial Voluntary Benefits through a payroll deduction. Just of few of these voluntary benefits include term life insurance, whole life insurance, short term disabil-ity, critical care coverage, and accident coverage.

All Benefits are issued to employee and family regardless of health at initial open enrollment only. Here are some details on the products being offered.

Accident Insurance: Helps offset unexpected medical expenses, such as emer-gency room fees, deductibles, co-insurance, and copayments that can result from an accidental Injury at home, work, playing sports, or even on the playground.

Specified Disease Coverage with Cancer Insurance – “No Medical Questions”: Complements your major medical coverage by providing a lump sum benefit that you can use to pay direct and indirect costs related to a covered critical illness, which can be expensive and lengthy. Covered critical illnesses include cancer, heart at-tack, stroke, major organ failure, end stage renal (kidney) failure, and coronary artery disease.

Disability Insurance (Paycheck Protection): Replaces loss income to help make ends meet if you become disabled from a covered accident or covered sickness.

Term Life and Whole Life Insurance Coverage: Enables you to tailor coverage to your individual needs and helps provide financial security for your family members. Guaranteed issue for employees up to $150,000, Spouse $25,000, and dependent children $10,000 at open enrollment only.

College offers new benefits to employees and families

Due to new state laws and SUNY requirements, the College will be provid-ing mandatory training for all full-time employees regarding workplace violence prevention, discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment (Title IX).

It is required by SUNY under this state law that all employees must attend one of these trainings.

Register now for this workshop at http://www2.mvcc.edu/training/core/..

Title IX workshop

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Coming together to end breast cancer

LET IT SNO - Student Nurses Organization (SNO) members participated in the Breast Cancer Aware-ness walk and raised $370 for donation. As SNO members we feel being active in events such as this one is great for morale and showing we care about helping in any way we can. We are grateful that we were able to join in and help.

STAMPING OUT BREAST CANCER - Students from the MVCC Radiology pro-gram hosted a Basket Raffle and 50/50 drawing for Breast Cancer Awareness in the Payne Hall Lobby. The basket raffle was held in three different locations

including MVCC, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, and St. Luke’s Hospital. The winner of the baskets were drawn on Thursday,Oct. 29.