THE Issue Number 4 • Oct. 9, 2006 State University of NewBulletin York College at Cortland A publication for the campus community Jami Bistocchi Will Receive College-Community Appreciation Award Oct. 26 The College Council will present its Learning Adventure Child Care Center, of the summer months continue their 2006 College-Community Appreciation eight before-and-after school programs employment at one of three summer Award to Jami Bistocchi, the director of and three summer camps. In 2005, the day camps for children 5-15 years of age. the Cortland YWCA Child Care Program programs served 972 children in a variety Generally, 10 students work in these sum- since 1995, during an invitation-only of settings throughout Cortland County. mer camps. Another 36 students, during banquet on Thursday evening, Oct. 26, in Working under Bistocchi’s supervision, the course of the academic year, work as the Corey Union Caleion Room. SUNY Cortland students receive training substitutes in one of the YWCA’s three Bistocchi becomes the 24th recipient of required within their respective fields and preschool sites. In addition to childhood/ the annual award established in 1985 to have the opportunity to work or volunteer early childhood education, the Cortland formally recognize local residents who have with children in state-licensed “real-life” students major in psychology, recreation significantly assisted SUNY Cortland. settings, said Amy Simrell, executive director and physical education. In her capacity as director for the past of the Cortland YWCA, adding that Bistocchi serves on the Student decade, Bistocchi has provided employment, for those going on to graduate school or Employment Board and the Cortland internship and volunteer opportunities for maintaining teaching certification, their Association for the Education of Young more than 330 SUNY Cortland students, work at the YWCA has helped them to Children with SUNY Cortland faculty. the majority being early childhood, elemen- achieve their goals. The YWCA’s school-aged children take tary education or physical education majors Most SUNY Cortland students are advantage of the College facilities by skating seeking experience in their fields of study. employed in one of eight before/after in the Park Center and swimming in the Bistocchi directs a child care program that school sites, working an average of 15 hours Moffett Center pool. has grown considerably under her supervi- per week. In Spring 2005, 45 students Within the community, Bistocchi serves sion. She currently oversees the Drop-In were employed in this capacity. on the Cortland Area Child Care Council, Child Care Program, Nursery and Day A smaller number of students who Cortland City Schools’ Universal Pre-K School, Here We Grow Child Care Center, remain in Cortland during all or part Committee, and the Cortland County Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council. ‘Fundamentally Speaking’ Series to Feature Tariq Ali, She and her husband, Christopher, Political Commentator, Journalist and Filmmaker who is the City of Cortland Department of Public Works superintendent, and their Tariq Ali, a prolific author whose book the premier journal for the intellectual left two children, Hannah, 12, and Cosmo, 7, The Clash of Fundamentalisms traces the in Europe. reside in Cortland. origins of Islamic fundamentalism and “It would be hard to find someone who See the complete story online offers a controversial assessment of the would be better suited to talking about this at www.cortland.edu/news. Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, will speak on topic,” said Howard Botwinick, economics, Thursday, Oct. 19. who helped organize the lecture series. The writer, journalist and filmmaker In The Clash of Fundamentalisms, Ali Inside This Issue will discuss his book, published by Verso in devotes a chapter, titled “Letter to a Young 2002, as part of the yearlong series of lec- Muslim,” to a critique of radical Islam, 2 SEFA Campaign to Begin Oct. 18 tures and cultural events, “Fundamentally arguing that the use of violence advocated 3 Multicultural Workshop Planned Speaking,” at 7:30 p.m. in Old Main by Osama bin Laden is a “political dead- Brown Auditorium. The lecture is free and end” and adds that it does not “represent 4 Klezmer Jazz Band Will Perform open to the public. the future of Islam.” He also attacks the A native of Pakistan, Ali was selected to repression of women in Islamic society, 5 Tropical Nature Topic of Talk speak because he has addressed the dangers writing, “Everything seems static: our 6 Funding Award Recipients Listed of fundamentalism on both sides of the economy, our politics, our intellectuals war on terrorism. Ali, a self-described and, most of all, our religion.” 7 Faculty-Staff Activities atheist who now lives in London, is an At the same time, the book denounces 8 Coming Events editor of The New Left Review, considered the Bush administration for the way it has Continued on page 2 2 Issue Number 4 SEFA Campaign Fundraising Efforts Will Begin Oct. 18 SUNY Cortland will kick off its 2006-07 The College will offer incentives for Department of Transportation, the Office of State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) employees who donate to the 2006-07 SEFA Court Administration and the State Police. campaign on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The campaign. At the campaign’s end, a drawing Decisions are made locally on which agencies campaign, which relies on state employee for four prizes will be conducted. First prize are included and how funds are distributed. volunteers to canvas co-workers for donations, is a reserved campus parking space located in The community-based SEFA committee is will continue until Wednesday, Nov. 1. the parking lot closest to the winner’s building. composed of representatives from state agencies SEFA is the only authorized fundraising To be eligible, an employee must pledge and managers of human service agencies. campaign among state workers. It is directed at least $104. In addition, three Auxiliary Pledging takes place just once a year. by United Way of Cortland County and Services Corporation (ASC) gift cards worth Participants can choose to have their gifts unites fundraising efforts for a group of $25 each will be awarded as second prize. To shared among different organizations within agencies under a common umbrella. be eligible for one of these, employees must Cortland County, used in another county “SEFA is a convenient and effective way pledge at least $25 to the campaign. of their choice, or designated for individual for those of us who work at SUNY Cortland In addition to the college incentives, the local, state, independent or international to contribute to the betterment of our United Way for Cortland County is holding organizations. Examples of local agencies community, our country, and the world as a “Dollar Challenge” again this year. To include the United Way for Cortland a whole,” said SEFA Campaign Chair Herb be eligible for the grand prize, a cruise to County, Madison-Cortland New York State Haines, sociology/anthropology. “Payroll Hawaii, donors must give just $2 more per ARC (formerly Alternatives Resources and deduction is really an incredibly painless way week than they gave last year or pledge at Choices for Developmentally Disabled to do our part, because there are no checks to least $104 as a first-time donor, and all or a Persons), the American Red Cross, the Boy write and everything is taken care of for us. portion of their SEFA gift must be made to Scouts, Girl Scouts, Catholic Charities, It really can’t get much easier than that. And the United Way for Cortland County and/or Cortland Area Child Care Council, Cortland SEFA also gives us the flexibility to direct our member agencies.” Two air tickets to any County Child Development Center, contributions to the organizations we care destination in the state of Florida are also Family Counseling Services, Lime Hollow about the most if we choose to.” available as a Dollar Challenge prize. Center for Environment and Culture, “Last year, 338 SUNY Cortland employees SEFA campaigns are also being conducted Mental Health Association, Salvation Army, contributed just under $40,000,” Haines at the State Department of Labor, the Depart- Franziska Racker Centers, United Service said. “As tremendous as that is, it represents ment of Environmental Conservation, the Organization, YMCA and YWCA. less than a third of the college’s workforce. And we’re also well behind most four year ‘Fundamentally Speaking’ Series to Feature Tariq Ali SUNY schools in terms of the average Continued from page 1 amount given per employee. We need to get the word out to our colleagues and co-workers dealt with Iraq in the wake of Sept. 11. Ali wrote his first novel, Redemption that their help is needed more than ever.” “To fight tyranny and oppression by using (Chatto & Windus), a political satire set in tyrannical and oppressive means, to combat contemporary Europe and America, in 1990. a single-minded and ruthless fanaticism by His more recent fiction includes a series THE becoming equally fanatical and ruthless, will of historical novels about Islam, including Bulletin not further the cause of justice or bring about Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree (Chatto & a meaningful democracy,” Ali writes in the Windus 1992), an account of Spain (the The Bulletin is published by the Publications and book’s prologue. “It can only prolong the Iberian Peninsula) and the fall of Muslim Electronic Media Office at State University of New cycle of violence.” Ali offers another direct Granada to Christendom; and The Book of York College at Cortland and distributed to faculty, attack on what he calls the “imperialist” U.S. Saladin (Verso 1998), a fictional memoir of staff and students. The Bulletin contains official College announcements, news reports and notices of government in a later book, Bush in Babylon Saladin, the Kurdish liberator of Jerusalem, campus events.