05.04.2021 Issue 9 | Volume CXXVII THE EADER SUNY FREDONIA’S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER

Academic Integrity Violations Rise

SUNYFEST: Kesha and AJR

Bryant Estate Has Left Nike

Fredonia Squirrel Club

Open Letter About Communism and the Uyghur Genocide 2 The Leader Issue 9 THE LEADER What’s in this issue? S206 Williams Center Fredonia, NY 14063 www.fredonialeader.org News - 3 Opinion - 14 - This Semester in COVID - FTDO James Mead Email [email protected] - Violations of Academic - FTDO Jessica Meditz Twitter @LeaderFredonia Integrity Policy Rise with - Open Letter About Instagram @leaderfredonia Online Learning Communism and the Uyghur Genocide Life & Arts - 6 - What Fredonia Student - Empathy: The Showpiece Mental Health Looks Like of Resumes Editor in Chief Asst. Design Editor - Kesha and AJR Take on Photography - 20 Jessica Meditz Open SUNYFEST - Derek Raymond: Blue Managing Editor Art Director - Student Art Sale Raises Skies with the Blue Devil James Mead Open Record-High Donation for The Literacy Volunteers Scallion - 28 News Editor Asst. Art Director - Music Industry Club - Catching Up with the Alisa Oppenheimer Lydia Turcios Presents Soulstice Jam Gecko Student - MTG vs. AOC: Asst. News Editor Photo Editor Sports - 12 Smackdown of the Century Chloe Kowalyk Alexis Carney - Fredonia Spring Sports - Fredonia Squirrel Club Season Winds Down - Horoscopes Life & Arts Editor Asst. Photo Editor Alyssa Bump Derek Raymond - Bryant Estate Has Left Nike Asst. Life & Arts Editor Copy Editor Open Anna Gagliano Cover and Back Photo: The Blue Devil smiles as he walks toward his future. Photographs by Derek Raymond. Sports Editor Asst. Copy Editor Anthony Gettino Open Asst. Sports Editor Business Manager Open Kemari Wright Scallion Editor Asst. Business Manager Matthew Baum Brett Hall Asst. Scallion Editor Ad. Sales Manager Open Open Web Editor Social Media Manager Ryan Dunning Hawa Tejan-cole Asst. Web Editor Asst. Social Media Griffin Dombroske Open Design Editor Adviser Jules Hoepting Elmer Ploetz

The Leader is funded through advertising revenue and a portion of the mandatory student activities fee. It is published by the students of SUNY Fredonia. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the editor in chief. All opinion writings in The Leader reflect the opinion of the writer, with the exception of the editorial, which represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. Letters to the editor must be 350 words or less and have a deadline of 4 p.m. on Friday. The Leader is printed by the Post-Journal in Jamestown, New York and is distributed free on campus and in the surrounding community. Press run is 1,000. What’s up? The sky? But the sky is also down.

Proud member of The Associated Collegiate Press. fredonialeader.org The Leader 3 A full look at this semester in COVID MADISON BLASZ Special to The Leader

We all know that the college experience has been transformed by the pandemic, but how did this spring semester go at SUNY Fredonia? Under the circumstances, the whole campus did better than last semester: cases were cut by half. President Dr. Stephen H. Kolison Jr., said, “I think we did a lot better than last semester. We remembered what we had learned from last semester, which is the best practice. It has helped us to have a better semester.” Last semester, Fredonia had over 200 positive cases, Photo illustration. Photograph by Derek Raymond. but this semester that was cut in half all helped Fredonia stay open for the with only 110 positive cases. occasion. You know, it was difficult, I entire semester. Cases would have been lower, but due know that for a fact because I get all the “I have to give credit to students. to the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day, complaints, I hear people. Everything Yes, we had some cases here and there, 54 cases came back positive. comes to me by email, whatever the but for the most part, I think every Fredonia has done a better job with case may be. But I give credit to the fact student played a role in trying to keep the isolation process after that weekend that this campus really came together. COVID-19 under control,” said Koli- and the campus now only has eight Everybody was careful. Everybody kept son. positive cases. in mind that we didn’t want to go too Having most classes virtual this “We’ve done a better job, how to take close,” said Kolison. semester and some on campus played a care of students, faculty and staff. Even As the spring semester starts to wind key role in helping cases stay low. Many when it comes to instruction, our faculty down, what does Fredonia want in the other universities closed their campus is doing this for a second time, com- future? completely. pared to the first semester not knowing Between now and the end of sum- But Fredonia saw there was a sincere what to expect,” said Kolison. mer, the hope is that the majority of desire to go to school without having to Testing provided on campus each the university will be vaccinated and close, and is aggressive in trying to stay week helps the campus keep COVID-19 that students, faculty and staff will take open. under control. Through testing, Fre- advantage of that vaccine. Every Thursday, Kolison sends out donia is able to identify people very “I think that’s one way to be sure that emails to the students and the campus, quickly. we can have a regular fall semester. I reminding everyone when case numbers Kolison said, “If someone tested hope that this coming fall we’ll be back came in and what they were, constantly positive we are able to try to address on campus and we will have more face making sure our campus is sanitized and that much more rapidly, so that it is not to face, extracurricular activities, ath- to remind people to go to weekly testing. spread. Having testing every week keeps letics and musical performances. These The campus works very hard, and people safe.” are the kinds of things that make this with the help of students that makes a Everyone on campus is taking precau- campus really alive,” said Kolison. big difference. tions during this pandemic, whether it Fredonia hopes students will all return “I’m very proud of our students, be going to testing every week, washing back to school in the fall, and have a faculty and staff for really rising to the their hands or getting the vaccine. This fresh start and a great year. 4 The Leader Issue 9 Violations of Fredonia’s Academic Integrity Policy rise as a result of online learning ALISA OPPENHEIMER number of these commercial sites has a lot to do with it, along News Editor with having class virtually. “Students are used to communicating and sharing informa- In a campus-wide email, students were recently reminded tion online and that, combined with the expanding availability of our school’s Academic Integrity Policy and some of the of commercial sites, creates an environment that makes it easy common ways they might be violating this policy without fully to obtain information,” he said. being aware of the consequences. “I suspect the anonymity of the online world contributes to This is because there has been a spike in violations of the the temptation to violate the integrity policy,” he Academic Integrity Policy this year. continued. The email reads: “Unfortunately, there has been an increase Through the recent high numbers of reported violations, in reported violations of the both Kearns and Zevenber- Academic Integrity Policy gen feel as though students this academic year. As a may not be fully aware of result, students have been the integrity policy, and/or required to attend academic may not be fully aware of the integrity hearings for alleged extent of the consequences. violations, and academic “The Academic Integrity sanctions have been given, Policy is included within the including a grade of F for Student Code of Conduct courses in which a violation and is part of the academic to the Academic Integrity catalog, but students may not Policy has occurred.” have read that policy carefully There are a number of or recently,” said Zevenber- ways in which the Academic gen. Integrity Policy could poten- “Sanctions range from tially be violated, but some receiving a grade of zero on of the more common ways the assignment, to receiving a that have been occurring grade of F in the class, all the recently include collusion, or way up to suspension,” she unauthorized collaboration, said. plagiarism and cheating. The Academic Integrity Could this have to do with Policy lists four categories many classes being virtual of academic dishonesty and this year? “Phones R Good 4 Cheats” by Mr_Stein is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. these include cheating, plagia- Professor Andrea Zeven- rizing, colluding and fraud. bergen believes this could be a contributing factor. The two main changes recently made to the policy that will Zevenbergen, Chair of the Academic Integrity Review be in effect by fall have to do with how faculty handles these Board, is fully involved in the student disciplinary process and violations. has recently revised the relevant policies. “First, it has been made easier for faculty members to sub- “Students may feel more anonymous because they haven’t mit Academic Integrity Incident Report Forms as the whole met their professors face-to-face,” she said. process is now electronic, including signatures,” said Zeven- Although not being in a physical classroom may make it bergen. easier for students to cheat or plagiarize, there are certainly “The second change is that if even a single Academic In- other components to these actions. tegrity Incident Report Form is submitted about a student, the “The types of infractions we have been seeing this year student’s advisor will be informed. This is to be able to have nearly all relate to use of websites such as Course Hero and the advisor talk with the student about the violation to the Chegg,” said Zevenbergen. policy, to try to prevent further incidents.” “Students have been posting answers to exam questions and According to Zevenbegen, Fredonia’s ultimate goal for the also plagiarizing answers from such sites.” future is to prevent violations of the integrity policy from hap- Chegg and Course Hero are both websites that operate pening before they ever do. as online learning platforms, that offer services like textbook In order to achieve this, students must do their part and rentals, textbook solutions, study guides and online tutoring. make themselves aware of how the integrity policy can be But more often than not, students are taking advantage of violated and the consequences that come along with it. these services and not for the better — although both sites For a full look at Fredonia’s Academic Integrity Policy, stu- state that they do not condone these types of actions. dents can search for it on fredonia.smartcatalogiq.com. According to Interim Provost, Keavin Kearns, the increased fredonialeader.org The Leader 5 6 The Leader Issue 9 Life & Arts EmpathyEmpathy: The Showpiece of Resumes

MADISON BLASZ Filonova said, “If we’re using em- react to something. Special to The Leader pathy skills it has three components. Filonova said, “What are you going According to researchers the three to do about this, no matter how big or Did you know that empathy is an components are emotional, cognitive small that action is. When we’re show- important skill that will serve you well in and responsiveness.” ing empathy, we hope our action would many areas of your life? When we listen to stories and feel be compassion towards the world and Most people do not know that you emotions, we are using our empathy towards ourselves.” can show empathy within your resume skills. Filonova said, “When I told you We need to make sure we do not con- and even your workplace. about stepping into something slimy, fuse empathy with sympathy. Sometimes When you’re empathetic toward those you probably felt disgust and this is what we do use them interchangeably, but you work with, you may notice a big we’re talking about emotional empathy.” they’re a little bit different. difference in your interactions “Sympathy is the feeling of and overall job success. pity or sorrow for someone else, On Wednesday, April 28 the but empathy is the ability to un- Fredonia Honors Program and derstand and share the feelings Career Development Office spon- of another,” Filonova said. sored a virtual event, with guest She made it clear that sym- speaker Dr. Irina Filonova. pathy creates distance between Helping people from over 40 individuals. Empathy, on the countries find jobs across the other hand, makes people feel globe, Filonova presented Empa- closer to one another. thy: The Showpiece of Resumes. You are probably wondering She is a postdoctoral devel- how does this all relate to the opment specialist and career workplace? coach at the Okinawa Institute Let’s say you wrote your of Science and Technology who beautiful resume, and it has translates the value of empathy shiny bullet points with empa- across multiple disciplines and thy skills in disguise because cross-cultural communication. that’s what employers want. Filonova focuses on how empa- Photograph by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels. Now you need to go network- thy is one of the most sought-out traits The next component, cognitive, is ing, and go to interviews, and this is when it comes to employers searching where we can understand that other where empathy helps you a lot in rela- for new hires. people are different from us, and we can tionship building. Although there are multiple defini- think through our feelings. Filonova said, “In interviews, it’s not tions of the word empathy, Filonova “Cognitive empathy is pretty much about interrogation, it’s about a conver- said, “It is a social and emotional skill perspective talking, and for it to happen, sation. Empathy is social glue, people that helps us feel and understand the we need to be developed, cognitively with higher empathy ratings come up emotions, circumstances, intentions, and behaviorally. We need to under- as trustworthy, kind, good team players thoughts and needs of others so we can stand something that’s called the theory and good leaders because empathy offer sensitive perspective and appropri- of mind that other people are differ- holds us all together.” ate communication and support.” ent from us, and they have different So, whether it’s an interview or We now know that empathy is a skill thoughts, feelings and emotions inten- resume writing, we always want to think that we as individuals can develop. It is tions,” Filonova said. about other people and deliver what not only about emotions, but empathy The last component is responsiveness, they want from us very clearly, and that is outward-looking as well because we which is also called empathetic concern, is what empathy is all about. want to offer something at the end. and it is how quickly and positively we fredonialeader.org The Leader 7

Kesha and AJR take on SUNYFEST

CHLOE KOWALYK band and their favorite songs. Asst. News Editor AJR even had an interac- tive segment in their opening For the first time ever, SUNY featured a system- act. wide virtual music festival on Saturday, April 24. To really engage the audi- A few weeks before the concert, all SUNY stu- ence, they showed how they dents were sent a survey where they could vote for use a soundboard to create the opening and main acts for the event. their songs. The virtual concert began with a message from This set the beat for the SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. next song, and helped the Malatras described his own experiences with band connect with the virtual SUNYFEST, detailing how he always wanted to audience. perform. After AJR finished up their After Malatras’ nostalgic story, the focus shifted performance, Kesha took the to SUNY schools. stage. With over 40 campuses joining in, SUNYFEST With an amazing stage began with student performances from various presence and upbeat attitude, SUNY schools. Kesha put on a great show. Two of Fredonia’s own students performed, Much like AJR, Kesha per- Natalie Marino, who lit up the stage with a fire formed a mix of her older, spinning routine, and Zach Liddick, who put on a classic songs, and a few more musical performance. recent she’s been working on After many other SUNY schools showcased lately. combinations of singing, dancing and other artistic Kesha’s setlist included performances, the scene changed and it was time songs such as “We R Who for the opening act. We R,” “Woman,” “Timber” Opening for the main event was the band AJR, and “TiK ToK.” who recently released their album “OK OR- She was very active with CHESTRA” on March 26 of this year. the audience, and even told The band was set on a stage with dancing lights Top: Kesha. Bottom: AJR. the students to dance along and microphones. Photos from SUNYFEST website. at home. Seeming as if they Kesha’s portion of the virtual concert were right where they was very well-received by the SUNY belong, AJR gave a community. stellar performance. Students in the live chat expressed They performed a their excitement and gratitude for combination of older SUNY setting up such a fun event. and newer songs, such In light of the pandemic, SUNY as “Three-Thirty,” wanted to organize something fun for “Way Less Sad,” “So- the students. ber Up” and “Bang!” Watching Kesha dance around on AJR captivated stage just for us made many students many of the students, feel special. who were able to Although it wasn’t a live concert we communicate with could attend in person, getting to see each other via a live two amazing artists perform for SUNY chat. as well as watching SUNY students Students across perform was a great experience, and it SUNY chatted with made for a fun Saturday night. each other about the 8 The Leader Issue 9

Student art sale raises record-high donation for The Literacy Volunteers

ALYSSA BUMP of their table with their products. Getting a chance to sell their work Life & Arts Editor Manne specializes in using oils on came at a first-come first-serve basis. canvases as well as digital illustration. “We actually had too many people Every semester, Fredonia art students “I do a lot of commissions with dig- [that wanted to sell their work] where organize an art sale in the Multi-Pur- ital because they are more affordable we had to actually make cuts this se- pose Room of the Williams Center. and I can do them faster,” they said. mester,” said Ginsberg. This semester, it took place on April Manne mostly sold prints and some Because the sale raised a bit over 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. “studies,” which are small, practice $1,400 last semester, which broke the Thirteen tables were set up with paintings on paper that they create previous record for how much money products to sell that ranged from ce- before doing a large-scale painting. was donated, Ginsberg believes that ramic pieces, art prints, stickers, t-shirts Manne also sold two original paint- more people were interested in partici- and more. ings. pating this semester. Going from table to table, each one “I definitely find that the cheaper With the high number of sales from had its own theme with unique pieces items are the ones that are selling the last semester, many students also wait of art. most which is totally understandable. in anticipation for this sale. Also, 30 percent of proceeds were It’s mostly students coming in here, and “There are people who literally look donated to The Literacy Volunteers. they can’t really afford a big piece,” forward to this day… they’ll save their Angeline Ginsberg, a junior ceram- said Manne. money up for this specific reason and ics major, helped coordinate the sale Beyond finding a buyer who is willing then spend $50 to $100 on everyone’s with two fellow ceramics majors: Jonah to pay the price for an original piece, stuff,” said Ginsberg. McGrath and Francesca Olivo. it can also be hard for the artist to part Having a chance to get people to The sale is not organized through a ways with their work. appreciate the hours of work put in to club, but rather independently by these “You put part of your heart into create these pieces is extremely special students. your work, you know? Especially the to these artists. “Basically the students that came originals because you’ve spent so many “It’s great to see people who want before us last year passed down the pa- hours on it.” They continued, “My to buy it and are interested in it. The perwork. We just edited it and had a lot painting professor always encourages community comes in and a lot of the of COVID-19 updates,” said Ginsberg. us to sell because we are always going union workers will come in. It’s just Last semester, each table could only to be making more… if it’s in a good great to see the involvement,” said have one person, but for this year’s home, it’ll be more appreciated.” Ginsberg. sale, two people were allowed to be at As for Prigg, she also specializes in oil This semester’s sale broke the previ- a table. paintings. She also had some prints and ous record of $1,400 by raising $2,215 This was the set up for Keri Manne stickers of her self-portraits from her for The Literacy Volunteers. and Kayla Prigg. “FREAK” collection. It is great to see that despite the Manne, an animation and illustra- The original pieces from this col- COVID-19 guidelines, the campus and tion major, and Prigg, a drawing and lection were recently featured in the local community came out to support painting major, each had their own side Emmit Christian Gallery. these talented artists. fredonialeader.org The Leader 9

Photographs by Derek Raymond. 10 The Leader Issue 9

The Weather Might Say Otherwise via Instagram @twmso. Kiddie Pool via Instagram @kiddiepoolband.

Jacob King via Instagram @enteringorbitrecords. Ashford via Instagram @ashfordbflo.

Viewers watching Jacob King. Photograph by Karalyn Hope. fredonialeader.org The Leader 11 Music Industry Club presents spring ‘21

JORDAN BUDD debut. The first song was an indie slow solid touch. They closed their set with a Special to The Leader burner, titled “F*ck You,” whose power cover of the generational, yet seemingly Soulstice came in its deliberate sensitivity. Jam evergreen anthem, “Mr. Brightside,” On April 24, the Music Industry Club The main vocalist, Megan Munro, that incited singing and hums through- hosted their annual Soulstice Jam, which reflects on a relationship on the rocks, out the Williams Center. has been described as a “staple of the but by the end, can’t help admit that The pop punk goofballs from Buffalo, MIC agenda.” she would kiss them back if they made Ashford, took listeners further down the The event is usually held in Dods the first move. They played in a base- event’s fun spiral into emo music and Grove, but considering the pandemic, it ment show setting that many of us miss the scene subculture in general. looked a little different this year. during these troubling times, which was The band featured multiple vocalists Performers turned in videos of their a bittersweet touch that fit the rumina- including brothers Trevor and Tom Bal- show which was projected onto the tive music. bierz, and Nathan Kohler in the mix as screen in the Multi-Purpose Room of Their final song, “Cut Your Bangs,” well. Their harmonization blended well the Williams Center. Here, viewers and had more of an acoustic indie folk feel amidst the band’s edgy sound. club members gathered safely. to it. The polite and mellow trumpet They took the stage — or rather the Kenny Haller, the president of the solo from bassist, Hannah Batsford, was screen — with “Perennial,” a track from Music Industry Club, described how this gentle and pleasing to the ears. their latest project, “Patterns.” The feed- version of the event was certainly not This added instrumentation came to back from this song moodily dragged the first plan of action. a climax just before the band rolled into out for a moment until the drummer Nevertheless, he was excited to get their final chorus. It seems Kiddie Pool’s launched them into the following, high- back to some sense of normalcy as it knack for portraying emotional stories speed tune, “Before.” had been an entire year and a half since will be their key to success. On their terminal song, “Wasn’t the club had the chance to put on an The emo rockers, The Weather Might Worth It,” Trevor’s raw scream lit up event. He mentioned how rewarding it Say Otherwise, were full of personality, their electric set with a bang. It was clear was to see everyone’s hard work pay off, performing in an almost music video that he put everything into this, as he especially his fellow E-board members. like setting that was all decked out with recuperated in the aftermath. The versatile and prolific artist, Jacob art and posters. Looking physically tired, he admitted King, gave the audience a warm entry The band members were witty and “I’m dying,” before praising the college of acoustic tunes. His silky voice and quick to come up with lead jokes that town and its associated venues. melodious falsetto floats throughout his introduced their songs. Their fuzzy A Fredonia favorite, Fernway, was the well-crafted songs. guitar sound and catchy riffs introduced last band to hit the stage. Furthermore, his impressive guitar an edginess to the event. Their blend of alternative, emo, pop, work shines through in extensive instru- Damian Brown, their lead vocalist, rock and some light elements of jazz mental sections. This strumming talent poured his heart out across the ex- culminate into a familiar, but unique was present in his unreleased closer, peditious drums and guitars in “I’LL sound. Their song, “XXIII,” had a nice which he wrote just a week prior to his DRINK TO THAT” while sporting bounce to it and a synth melody that performance. a button up sweater and turtleneck. hung about the pop rock instrumenta- King’s songs often feature eye catchy He came across as a modern-day emo tion. titles like “Stranger Whispers the Name prince with his dark hair draped over his It is clear to me why the band’s warm of My Generation’s Leader.” He ex- face, and a vocal delivery reminiscent of sound characterized by twinkling guitar pressed how naming songs and albums early 2000s alt rock. melodies is near and dear to Fredonia is an important part of his creative pro- I can’t help but associate these images students’ hearts. Each instrument was cess as he often starts with a title as the and sounds with Gerard Way of My given a moment to shine in their song, foundation and then builds off that. Chemical Romance, yet it’s important “I Have to Return Some Video Tapes,” His influences range far and wide as to mention that the Fredonia band isn’t in which the lead singer’s accessible coo he embraces everyone from Neil Young, defined by this MySpace era. was a nice change of pace within the to Frank Zappa, to Ty Segall to Yoko They seem to focus on a more casual, event’s diverse group of artists. Ono. emo revival aesthetic as well. Besides, Fernway closed out the night appro- When entering a new project or song, these are no shots targeted at a lack of priately, and surely continued to grow he said he tries to combine a couple originality, as their authenticity should their audience in Fredonia. influences into his own concoction and have an asterisk next to it as one of their Haller took the screen one last time often dreams about what one person can most relatable and redeeming qualities. to thank everyone for coming out and do with sound as a solo act. Zach Richardson’s drum fills pushed hoped for an exciting return to a live King was quickly followed up by the the songs forward and the bassist, Tanor and in-person Soulstice Jam 2022. all-girl band, Kiddie Pool, for their live Morrison’s, background vocals were a 12 The Leader Issue 9 SPORTS Fredonia spring sports season winds down

ANTHONY GETTINO still qualify for the SUNYAC playoffs. Sports Editor The baseball team also split the week, although they did so in the opposite fashion. Alfred State came to town Monday This past week saw many of our Blue Devil squads finish and was swept by the Blue Devils. out their regular season schedules and begin to prepare for Sam Cestra pitched the complete game in 85 pitches and the SUNYAC Championships. Men’s and women’s track and received run support off of two errors and a sacrifice ground- field, softball, baseball and tennis had er. The team had just three hits in the competitions. game. With their regular season finale The second game had a 6-3 outcome canceled against Geneseo, Fredonia’s in favor of the Blue Devils. The bats tennis team concluded with a 6-3 loss came to life in this one, with 10 hits to SUNY Brockport. total. Three of these were from Tylor Bella Surma was the lone victor of Murphy and two others came from a point for the Blue Devils, sweeping Zach Hemphill. both sets. The team’s other two points On Saturday, the team took two loss- came from no contests. es at the hands of Oswego on the road. The team will know if they will qual- The first game ended in a 17-6 score ify for the SUNYAC Tournament after while the second was 9-2. Sunday’s contest between Oswego and Murphy and Ryan Hann had four Brockport. of the team’s five total hits in the first Softball has kept their playoff hopes game, while five different players each alive this week after a roller coaster recorded one hit in the second game’s weekend set. The team dropped both five hit effort. games of its double header to Buffalo The Blue Devils close out their sea- State on the road before sweeping Gen- son with a Wednesday double header eseo at home Saturday. at Brockport before their senior day In the first loss to Buff State, the Saturday, May 8 versus Cortland State. team couldn’t pull off a last inning rally, Both the men’s and women’s track tallying only one run in a 10-9 loss. and field teams had their regular season Delana Thomas and Marisa Sultana finale at the Brockport Invite this past each had three hits in the game and Saturday. Syd Merkley had three RBI. On the women’s side, Morgan In the second game, the team was Ashton and Ali Dixon took first and only able to get the bat on the ball second in the 400 meter hurdles in three times, with two of those off the 71.74 seconds and 75.64 seconds, while bat of Nicole Kumro. Vanessa Ryhal was able to win her heat On senior night, the team seemed to of the 800 meter race in 2:35.15 sec- find a new level of play. The first game onds. MaryClaire Haseley took second ended in a 3-0 shutout for the Devils in her heat of the 1500 meter in 5:16.4 behind Katie Yudin at the mound. seconds. Eleanor Clarke placed fourth Evelyn Webster, Alyssa Piniewski and Photograph by Derek Raymond. in the javelin with a 30.55 meter throw. Kumro each drove in a run in the fourth On the men’s side, TyeRyan Burke inning. ran a season best 51.22 second 400 to place fourth, Collin The second game showed some swagger, as the team came Barmore ran a season best 800 meter race in 1:56.93 to place back from a 4-0 deficit to win 6-5, with all six runs coming in second and Mark Schneider ran a season best in the 5k of the third inning. 16:24.46 to win the event. Toby Onuoha took a second place Sultana drove in three with a long double, Alyssa Piniewski finish in the high jump with a 1.85 meter jump. had an RBI single, as did Amber Piniewski. Both squads will travel to Cortland for the SUNYAC The softball team has a double header Wednesday and can Championships on Saturday. fredonialeader.org The Leader 13 Bryant estate has left Nike

SOBAN FAISAL with Nike. Rumors are that the Special to The Leader Bryant estate has been annoyed with the decrease of Kobe prod- Tom Brady, Dwayne uct availability after his retire- Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Serena ment, especially after his death. Williams, Drake, Eminem, Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Rihanna, Jay-Z, LeBron Bryant estate reportedly will James and Lionel Messi. What not settle for anything less than do all these people have in a “lifetime” deal, such as with common? Lebron James and Michael Jor- They have all shaped the dan. Nike does not seem to have 21st century and those who the same idea in mind. It looks have grown up in this century. like the Bryant estate will be Now imagine you are at flirting with other companies to home with your mom and reach the deal they want, which siblings watching television includes their branch brand while your dad and younger named “Mamba,” the famous sister are on the way to her nickname bestowed upon the basketball game. Your show late great Kobe Bryant. is interrupted by a piece of Bryant deserves at least that breaking news that your dad much. He has influenced the and younger sister were in a “Kobe Bryant, Nike Kobe 11 Launch Event, Los Angeles” NBA immensely. Kobe Bryant by edtrigger is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. crash with no survivors. introduced the low-top shoes This tragedy is what the in the United States. The same month and soon after he wore them, Bryant family went through on January that he won the NBA championship, he roughly half of the players started 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant was an extreme- created the Kobe Bryant China Fund wearing low tops. Some players such ly influential person who shaped the to raise money for education, sports and as Devin Booker, P.J. Tucker, DeMar lives of millions throughout his lifetime. culture programs for children of both DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Thomas The five-time NBA champion, 2008 China and the United States. and several others have created their Most Valuable Player and future Hall of He took part in the NBA Cares player-exclusive colorway of Kobe shoe Famer has gone above and beyond off initiatives, where he stocked food models, according to ESPN. the court. pantries, supported reading initiatives, Jordan Purvis is a senior and resident Dominick Roman is a junior at built homes and basketball courts. In his assistant at SUNY Fredonia. SUNY Fredonia and perfectly explains MVP year, he became the spokesman In response to whether the Bryant how Kobe Bryant inspired the youth for Aid Still Required, which helps areas estate deserves a ‘lifetime’ deal, Purvis worldwide “by influencing basketball as destroyed by natural disasters such as said, “What? That shouldn’t even be a a sport in general.” Hurricane Katrina. Back in Bryant question. Kobe has done a lot for Nike, He explains, “Growing up, you hear helped raise over $80 million for cancer and his family deserves to see a return kids shooting paper balls into the gar- research, according to The Undefeated. from them.” bage can in class yelling ‘KOBE.’ Just Kobe Bryant does not just make As for whether the Bryant estate the fact that everyone knows that or has changes in a suit and tie starting or- should go to a different company if even done that shows how much he was ganizations. He lived his everyday life Nike doesn’t offer that deal, however, he well known.” to help others. On a cold and foggy said, “No, I’m afraid I have to disagree Bryant loved helping children of all December 13, 2019, Bryant left his car — the reason why is because they don’t races and ethnic backgrounds. Kobe in an intersection. He saw a wreckage, have a connection to Kobe on or off the Bean Bryant has appeared for Make- so as he does, he talked to the victims court.” A-Wish over 100 times through two de- and helped direct traffic until the police Kobe Bryant is a top 100 most influ- cades. Bryant and his family have been came. ential person for our generation. On the very outspoken on youth homelessness, After Kobe Bryant’s retirement from court, players wanted to be him. People which led him and his wife, Vanessa the NBA in 2016, he had signed a five- want to emulate his work ethic. He has Bryant, to team up with My Friend’s year contract extension with Nike that shown the perfect way to balance work Place and Step Up on Second to fight just expired this past Tuesday. Vanessa and family. Bryant has shown us the homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate good in humanity and that our children Kobe Bryant is a superstar on and off decided not to renew their partnership need to be protected. He deserves for the court everywhere globally, not just his legacy to be safe. 14 The Leader Issue 9 Opinion From the desk of James Mead, Managing Editor fredonialeader.org The Leader 15 From the desk of Jessica Meditz, Editor in Chief

Four years ago, if you told me that Being the editor in chief of The Bump, my amazing friend and upcom- my college years would’ve been like this, Leader has been interesting, to say the ing editor in chief (good luck, girl!) and I would’ve looked at you like you had least. of course, Elmer Ploetz, who has acted 10 heads. At times, I felt like I was leading a as a mentor (and a therapist, sometimes) And no, I’m not talking about a watchdog organization; but most times, through it all. certain virus that shall not be named it was blissful knowing that I had such My point is that sure, it’s going to be (entirely). a talented, dedicated team behind me. at least slightly bittersweet to say good- I’m alluding to all of the things that I was able to watch myself grow as bye to Fredonia forever (capstone taco I’ve accomplished and all of the hurdles a communicator, as a journalist, as a Thursday, I’m talking about you). I’ve jumped to become the person I am woman — all through leadership. But I’m ready to move on. today. As messed up as this academic year I’m ready for new opportunities and I came to Fredonia on a whim as a was, the one thing that I learned is to be experiences, new like minded people I confused high school graduate from ready and accepting of change. have yet to meet and new, bigger ways Queens. My grades were subpar at best During my first three years at Fre- to pursue my passion: journalism. I during high school. donia, I watched the upperclassmen I mean, I’m from the greatest city in the I was mentally damaged from at- knew dread leaving college and going world for crying out loud! tending four years of pre conservatory into the “real world.” I was prepared to And this is coming from the same dance training: anxiety, depression, dis- be the exact same way. girl who left in the middle of class to ordered eating, bullying, low self esteem Despite everything, I was optimistic cry on the phone with her mom that and self worth, perfectionism, compar- for my senior year. Things went south her college years were ruined when the ison, unhealthy competition, teachers quickly, however. governor announced schools will close. who didn’t believe in me — you name I didn’t feel safe or valued in the uni- Of course I get sad sometimes that it, I had it going on. versity I once called home, I didn’t have things didn’t go as planned. But in the Coming to Fredonia with nothing but the same craving for knowledge I once grand scheme of things, I am very lucky. my laptop and a new major (journalism) had and I came to the simple realization Dedicated healthcare workers, like my that I hardly knew anything about was that not everyone is going to have as aunt and my cousin, saw the worst of difficult beyond belief. good a heart as me. this virus unfold in front of their faces. I’ll never forget the first news article I As a result of all that, I spent this So many people struggled financially to had to write for Mike Igoe’s foundations spring semester at home in NYC (a debilitating degrees. Some, unfortunate- in journalism class that required an in- remote editor in chief, imagine that) ... ly, did not make it out of this pandemic terview. I freaked out; my social anxiety It’s been hard and I’m still not done alive. got the best of me and I probably got with school at this point in time, but I But I’m here, I’m fully vaccinated and one decent quote out of the guy I talked like to think I got through it. I’m feeling as strong and confident as to. And I certainly didn’t get through ever. Now, I’m graduating with honors it alone; thank you to my parents, my I’m ready to make the world a better and I’m the editor in chief of this very sister, Stephanie, all of my amazing place by helping out little by little, quaint, yet amazing newspaper that will professors and friends old and new, spreading truth through the power of be like my baby forever. Oh, how the James Mead, my managing editor and my words. times have changed. my editorial partner in crime, Alyssa 16 The Leader Issue 9 The Uyghur Genocide: An open letter to the international communist community

JOSHUA HORCH have been several ideas within com- The imam (an individual who leads Special to The Leader munism that I have found convincing prayer in a mosque) of the Sidituwei arguments for, and have, in fact, argued mosque in Hetian prefecture, said: The American/international commu- for them. “Because they are unemployed, Uyghur nist community has equal contempt for Still, there is not enough to embrace women and youngsters have turned into both left and right political parties in the it. prostitutes and vagrants. Pray Allah to U.S. With that being said, there is one save their souls, to give them jobs. Let A typical liberal in the U.S. is consid- particular topic in the international the sound of our tears move Allah. A ered far right by the communist com- community of communism that I fun- crowd of one thousand were thus led to munity. Most communists look to China damentally disagree with: the glorifica- cry loudly.” as an example of how a country should tion of the Chinese Communist Party The Xinjiang’s Party secretary, Wang be run. and the denial of the genocide of the Lequan said in 1991, “The major task Being a serious contender to the U.S. as a global power, while following com- munist principles, the Chinese Commu- nist Party is glorified by the communist community. Due to this, there is a pattern within the community of pushing aside the questionable practices of the CCP to achieve an end of a unified nation under one party, including the current crisis in the province of Xinjiang. This letter is a call-out to the commu- nist community: Leninists, Marxist-Le- ninists, Stalinsts, Ararco, Maoists, etc. to condemn, or at least question, the current practices. About eight months ago, I finished a book called “The Gulag Archipelago” by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn. “urumchi genocide” by Uyghur Turkistan is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. The book painted a picture of the Soviet-forced labor camp system during Uyghur population that is taking place facing the authorities in Xinjiang was to the first half of the 20th century. After in the Xinjiang province of China. manage religion and guide it in being finishing this book, I became fixated on What we are seeing in Xinjiang is subordinate to… the central task of trying to have a better grasp of commu- all too familiar. This is a modern-day economic construction, the unification nism. genocide. of the motherland and the objective of I felt that a lot of what I had been The CCP maintains that religious nation unity.” taught about this ideology was biased. I persecution has no place in China and I ask, what exact means are required don’t think I ever truly had an objective allows individuals to practice freely. for an end of managing religion to be opinion about it. I didn’t like this ideol- However, the slow and methodical subordinate to the motherland? ogy because that’s what I was taught to restriction of practicing Muslims contra- One step at a time, the laws became think growing up, but I never took the dicts this claim. stricter and stricter towards the Uyghur time to truly understand the fundamen- Ramping up in the ‘90s, the CCP jus- population. tals and values of communism. tified these new laws under the shroud This was never known by the inter- I found myself spending quite a bit of of combating religious extremism. national community because the CCP my free time studying this doctrine and What constitutes extremism? The passed a law that classified almost all becoming involved in the communist Human Rights Watch attained a report national religious or minority matters community. So far, I still disagree with from the highest political authority in as “State Secrets.” Hence, the persistent most of the concepts. However, giving Xinjiang that shows an example of lack of information and transparency in the credit where it’s due, I will say there religious extremism. the autonomous region of Xinjiang. fredonialeader.org The Leader 17 A detailed report by The Human defined restrictions gave the CCP the If the rules are slowly and method- Rights Watch carefully tracked the unchecked ability to persecute most ically implemented and followed, no slow and methodical persecution of the religious activities. matter how inhumane, a good-hearted Uyghurs. In 2001, the laws regulating These laws slowly chipped away the individual can justify the inhumanity to what constitutes normal religious prac- rights of the Uyghurs, and were just the themselves, and ultimately obey. tice became more specifically defined: beginnings of the laws limiting Uyghurs. That has been, in my opinion, the all citizens who profess a religion were They became marginalized, dehu- playbook that the CCP has followed. required to declare support for party manized and ultimately made them Fast forward to now: what is happen- leaders, registration of religious orga- more dependent on the government. ing to the Uyghurs? Something that nizations became stricter, control over They have not stopped. should be unthinkable in the enlight- religions publications became tighter Does this sound familiar? It does to ened world that we claim to be living in. and these laws all came with heavier me. The Canadian Human Rights Com- sanctions and penalties: “a 2,000 yuan When Hitler rose to power, his first mission detailed the survivors’ stories in fine (more than the average income of a step was not the gas chambers. No, he an extensive report. Xinjiang resident), cancellation of reg- understood that genocide is a slow, stra- Nearly two million Uyghurs are istration of religious activities, or even a tegic and methodical game of inches. A detained in what the CCP has labeled charge of endangering state security.” game of chess. “Re-education camps” for no other reason than their ethnicity. The lucky ones who have escaped explain that they are not allowed to speak their native language, are forced to praise the Chinese government and are abused physically, sexually and psy- chologically. The Canadian Subcommittee also reports that “The Government of China is collecting DNA information from detainees, without their consent, to determine the compatibility of their organs for later harvesting.” This is something that China has been notorious for in the past. The Australian Police Institute has reported extensively on the forced labor that the Uyghurs are subjected to. “urumchi genocide” by Uyghur Turkistan is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. They estimate that nearly 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred to factories around China for forced labor between Next, came “A Manual of Urumqi In 1933, choosing the slow stroke of a 2017 and 2019. Municipality Ethnic Religious Work” pen over a gun, he cast his first anti-Jew- This was hidden under the CCP pov- (Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang) that ish legislation. It was small, but it was erty reduction initiative. outlines illegal religious activities. Some only to test the waters. According to Vicky Xiuzhong Xu, such activities are: “Compelling people Over the next decade, armed with an some of the factories where Uyghurs to believe, compelling people to par- army of lawyers, he waged a campaign work include Apple, BMW, GAP, Hua- ticipate in religious activities, privately of anti-Jewish legislation. This slowly wei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswa- organizing religious study schools, beau- limited the Jewish community on how to gen. tifying, revamping or enlarging places live and worship. All under the shroud The Canadian Human Rights Com- for religious activities without obtained of legal legitimacy, he pushed Jews away mittee, along with many other agencies, authorization, printing religious propa- from society. have highlighted several alarming and ganda material without authorization, In a civilized world we must have atrocious acts committed against women going abroad to study religion without rules. However, as we have learned, the and young girls throughout this region. authorization, privately setting up a rules don’t need to be embedded with For example, the CCP has used forced religious spot and conducting prosely- moral and ethical justifications for them contraception, such as IUDs, that can tism without registration, slandering the to be implemented. They simply need only be removed through surgery. authorities, stirring up trouble.” to be articulated and legitimized by a “Eighty percent of all new IUD The broad wording and poorly governing body. placements in China took place in 18 The Leader Issue 9

Xinjiang, despite Xinjiang representing Several of Hitler’s top ranking quite fit the criteria to be murdered and less than two percent of the population officials gathered to discuss the final forcing the Uyghurs to work to help in China,’’ the Canadian Subcommittee solution to the Jewish question. There, China to become a powerhouse in the reported. they decided how to systematically kill economic war between the West, as the Additionally, women are forced and millions of Jews. Jews were used in the camps to help the coerced into sterilizations and abor- How did it get to that point? It was an war effort for the nazis making guns, tions and are injected with unknown accumulation of a slow and methodical ammo and supplies. And ultimately, and substances that cause them to lose their plan to turn the Jewish community into most tragically, the rape and killing of menstrual cycles. “others.” Uyghurs, just as the Jewish community In an article for The Jamestown Common statements ranged from: was subjected to. Foundation, Adrian Zenz reported that “There is something wrong with them,” To my communist friends: I know population growth in the two areas of “They need to change,” to “They are most of this information had little value China with the largest Uyghur popula- not fit for the society we want,” “Si- to you. I understand your distrust for tion fell by “84 percent between 2015 to lence.” Western media and your worry of impe- 2018;” one area had a “near-zero birth What’s happening in China is a mod- rialist influence. rate.” I am not here to attack China proudly claims your ideology or demand this is because women a fundamental change. I are being empowered just ask that you consider through education and the possibility that reports contraceptives offered of what is happening by these re-education in Xinjiang might have camps. some truth. The most troubling I would argue the reports are the ones extreme unlikelihood that of widespread system- the thousands of reports atic rape within these of these crimes are all “re-education camps.” false. At the very least, we Personal accounts re- should get some transpar- cite this as being a daily ency. occurrence for women I lived in China. I and young girls. know that transparency is The BBC interviewed “urumchi genocide” by Uyghur Turkistan is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. not something the CCP and reported on several advocates. women who escaped different camps. ern-day genocide — an updated version But these claims are serious, and I One explained how, “Women were of what we saw 70 years ago. think the CCP has an obligation to removed from the cells every night and We aren’t at the point of gas cham- prove unequivocally to the international raped by masked men.” Other victims bers yet, I don’t think, but we are community that they are false. If they who escaped recited countless horren- displaying the symptoms of genocide: are, then we can all sleep comfortably. dous incidents of young women being laws marginalizing the community and However, if these claims are true, I violated by men and objects — stories restricting their religious practices, a challenge you to stand against the CCP. that I will not share in this piece. police state that values secrecy over You cannot claim to be for the people A simple search on the internet will transparency, moving the Uyghurs if you push these allegations aside. No show innumerable testimonies of vic- to “re-education camps” away from one deserves this, regardless of whether tims explaining these tragedies. society, as the Jews were moved to it furthers the ideology or unifies the Going back to Nazi Germany, Janu- ghettos, forced sterilization of Uyghurs, people. ary, 1942 at the Wannsee Conference in as the Nazis forced part-Jewish women Berlin. and men to be sterilized who did not fredonialeader.org The Leader 19 What does student mental health look like at Fredonia?

CHLOE KOWALYK approaches next semester. However, SUNY Fredonia students Asst. News Editor With the constant classes with hardly got a break. no breaks, many students feel over- One student lamented, “We have The past few semesters have not been whelmed. twice the amount of work than ever easy for the majority of college students. Ninety two percent of students and even less days off, it’s not fair to The combined stress of COVID-19, responded to my survey saying they feel anyone.” the fights against racial violence and the unmotivated and burnt out. Another student said that they wished immediate switch to online learning and One SUNY Fredonia student, Hunter SUNY Fredonia would give students isolation have had detrimental effects on Halterman, said he is feeling exhausted “an actual break, not two random men- the mental health of college students. and wishes the university would “not tal health days.” According to a recent survey I con- smush an entire semester into a shorter Many students ended up using these ducted on 94 college students to days as a way to catch up on work, examine student mental health rather than focusing on relax- during the pandemic, 92 percent ing and improving their mental of students rated their stress levels health. as high. The mental health days were Ninety one percent of these held on a Tuesday and a Wednes- students rated their anxiety as day, respectively. high, and 86 percent of students The choice of dates once again said their stress and anxiety levels contributes to student-blaming. are higher this semester com- Choosing days toward the pared to semesters not affected by middle of the week would prevent COVID-19. students from going home on a SUNY Fredonia students are no long weekend. exception to this sharp decline in However, SUNY Fredonia has mental health. instituted another means of im- This semester, Fredonia made proving the mental health of their the decision to have class for 14 students. weeks straight with no breaks. Each Monday, Enrollment and The decision was made to avoid Student Services sends out an students going home or traveling email on behalf of Student Well- in hopes of avoiding spreading the ness and Support. virus. The emails have the subject line Unintentionally or not, SUNY “FSUFREDWELL” and include Fredonia has taken part in the information about how students nationwide blaming of college stu- can manage any stress or anxiety dents for the increase of positive they are feeling. cases. The FREDwell program also An empty FREDwell lounge. Photographs by Jules Hoepting. Rather than acknowledging that offers several destressing events, the rising case numbers may be due time with the same amount of work and including coloring, rock painting and to an increase in positive cases in the no breaks.” KanJam. There is also a FREDwell community or simply as a result of the After a student-created petition lounge in the Williams Center where failure of the campus health plan, many circulated the campus advocating for a students can attend peer-led groups to colleges blame college students for par- break from classes, Fredonia reluctantly manage mental health, stress and coping tying, thus spreading the virus. selected two dates — April 13 and April techniques. Akshay Syal, a reporter for NBC, 21 — which they called “mental health Unfortunately, according to a poll suggests that colleges should employ days” where no classes were held. conducted on The Leader’s Instagram “harm-reduction approaches instead of In a statement regarding the two page, a vast majority of students don’t imposing abstinence-only-type policies, added mental health days, President utilize the FREDwell lounge. teaching students how to safely socialize Kolison said, “Students, I encourage Fredonia’s student body hopes for with friends.” you to use these days to de-stress, and more emotional support services and Many Fredonia students, who feel take a breath.” the recognition of the importance of they are being blamed, hope to see these student mental health next semester. 20 The Leader Issue 9 Blue skies with the Blue Devil Photographs by Derek Raymond fredonialeader.org The Leader 21 22 The Leader Issue 9 fredonialeader.org The Leader 23 24 The Leader Issue 9 fredonialeader.org The Leader 25 26 The Leader Issue 9 fredonialeader.org The Leader 27 28 The Leader Issue 9

Catching up with Geraldine, SUNY Fredonia’s firstgecko student

MATTHEW BAUM relton for young artists to call home, while staying on track to Scallion Editor graduate with the class of 2022. All of this, while trying to stay afloat in a sea of responsibil- It’s been over a year since we’ve had the luxury of meeting ities regarding mental and physical health, familial obligation and talking with Geraldine Wilcox and her former roommate, and the ever-rising price of pygmy shrews, would be a lot for Savannah, and we at the Scallion wanted to hear how this dy- many to take on, but 15-year-old Wilcox says she’s up to the namic duo has been handling the 2020-21 school year, given challenge. all that’s happened. “It’s fascinating to me, the way my whole life has shifted in When we last spoke with the Wilcoxes, Geraldine was a the last year. I used to think I had a future in leading people history major, living in a modified double and going around on museum tours. Museum tours! Could you even imagine? campus in a customized Class Cart. No. This life, the life of creativity and expression, is the life for Since then, Wilcox has changed her major to creative me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” writing, and modified her course load so that she only has to take virtual classes from her apartment in Queens. Savannah, whom she used to share a suite with, is living off-campus with her partner and chose not to respond when we reached out. In response to the world turning upside down when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., Wilcox leaned into her pas- sion for adult fiction and began publishing an ongoing series of historical fiction novels entitled “The Demands of Sir Kipling’s Court,” which has earned her much virtual praise. There are even talks of the first novel being nominated for a Booker Prize for Fiction, a major award in the literary world. In a written statement, Wilcox said that she was “trying to find a tasteful balance between bold and careful, just like everyone else on this balance beam of life.” Apparently, she has made a choice to put a down deposit on an apartment building in Lau- Graphic by Simon Duncan. fredonialeader.org The Leader 29 MTG vs. AOC: The smackdown of the century is coming up

Graphic by Lydia Turcios.

MATTHEW BAUM Greene’s a big fan of MMA? Fine, we’ll give them each God of the Ocean two weeks with a professional UFC fighter after fulfilling the requirements of their dayjob. A little while ago, which feels like centuries thanks to the MTG wants to go for longsword duelling? Fine, we could 24-hour news cycle acting like it’s a fun perk of the capitalist probably find some hobby HEMA experts to give tips and hellscape we live in, representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tricks about the mighty claymore. challenged representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a de- Regardless of the style of combat, after a few weeks of bate about the Green New Deal that Cortez had proposed. prep, the fight is premiered on CSPAN, Instagram Live and I don’t believe that this dishonorable glove-slap debate has Netflix. For three rounds, these two representatives duke it happened, but again, things are so bad all the time that it out. There will be healthcare professionals and referees on might have and I didn’t notice. location, to ensure that there’s no funny business in hurting What I do know, however, is that we are rapidly approach- each other too seriously, and every member of Congress must ing the stage in American politics that lead to immature shout- be in live attendance for moral support. ing matches, petty partisan posturing and eventually fistfights I can hear the complaints now. “Oh, Matthew! Oh, Mat- breaking out on the Congress floor. thew! Violence isn’t going to solve anybody’s problems! We To say that I’m not looking forward to this coming era of need to talk through our differences, not fight over them!” tumultuous squabbling would be a lie, but I propose that we You know what? 2017 me would have agreed with you 100 kick off the all-out two-party slugfest with an official cage percent. The thing is, we’ve had to go through a veritable match between representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Green. sh*tstorm of negligence and futile communication thanks to The way I can see this shaking out is by AOC accepting society’s higher-ups, and talking through each other’s differ- the debate invitation, streaming it on Twitch and Facebook ences has not panned out well for anybody involved. Live, and whoever loses the debate in terms of who was The two-party system is a sham, each member sharing met- donated less to during the stream (which would probably be aphorical sideways winks as they quarrel over questions that MTG, because between you, me and the wall, I don’t see a should have an objective answer to ensure that the empowered lot of fascists having a super-clear understanding of the rules) stay in power and the disenfranchised remain at the mercy of would get to pick the venue for the fight, as well as the form of the patriarchy. combat. So, yes. Cage match it is. 30 The Leader Issue 9 Fredonia student starting squirrel club

JULES HOEPTING Design Editor

Jodee Doe was sipping on coffee on the Starbucks patio when she beheld a sight that inspired her: a squirrel perched on a bicycle while consuming bread. The squirrel’s fascinating behavior reminded Doe of her friend, John Smith, who chose to attend Cornell Univer- sity over SUNY Fredonia because Cornell had a Squirrel Watching Club. It was something Cornell was proud of; the campus tour guides made sure to mention the club because it highlighted the diversity of student interests. As Doe watched the squirrel turn the bread around in its tiny hands, she thought about starting a squirrel watching club on Fredonia’s campus. There were plenty of resident friendly squirrels and they were a diverse bunch: grey squirrels, black squirrels, fat tailed squirrels, stubby tailed squirrels. A club promoting more diversity wouldn’t hurt. She also thought about how the pandemic had put a damper on campus life. Clubs could not host most indoor in-person events. But watching squirrels — no, admiring squirrels; watching is too subjective — admiring squirrels could take place outside. It could be a way for students to socialize on campus in a safe way. Doe began to jitter with excitement. She stood up and walked over to the squirrel nibbling on bread and asked the squirrel what it thought. The squirrel let her get pretty close to its body, then gave her a cautious glance and scurried up a Friendly campus squirrel. Photograph by Jules Hoepting. tree. “I wonder how much humans would have accomplished by To quote Rokosz, “I felt its body beneath my boot.” now if we moved as fast as squirrels,” Doe thought to herself. Luckily, the kicked squirrel left the scene unscathed. Since the squirrel provided no input on forming a club Doe sensed her brilliant idea would come across as nutty to admire — no, that wasn’t right either — to worship the as squirrels’ favorite snack to many people. She sighed loudly squirrels, Doe decided to ask members of the campus what for dramatic effect as she sat down on the Rockefeller patio. they thought about squirrels. To her surprise, the campus was A black squirrel and grey squirrel chased each other up a divided. tree, then stopped out of confusion when they momentarily Several students deemed the campus squirrels “adorable” couldn’t see each other. Doe smiled and snapped a photo to and “cute.” Others reduced them to “rodents with bushy preserve the moment forever. And to post it on the squirrel tails.” One student named Olivia Rokosz even told a tale nook of the cat-crazed internet. about accidentally kicking a squirrel without feeling much guilt afterwards. fredonialeader.org The Leader 31

The signs as stuff in Fredonia HANNAH BLIDY - Staff Scallywag

Sunny’s strawberry lemonade from Uppercrust Starbucks

Reed Library the clock tower Canadaway Street

overpriced sweatshirt at the Muldoon’s Tuscany bookstore

the F in Fredonia that got dog food smell post office stolen that one time