Monday
May 1st, 2017
Your paper...
The
Spirit
Niagara County
Community College
Issue 4
Spring 2017
...your voice!
Congratulations to the Class of 2017!
Lee Woodruff as Keynote Address
Speaker for 2017 Commencement
Written by: Kathryn Shoop
NCCC is proud to have Lee
Woodruff as the Keynote speaker
at the 53rd annual Commencement Ceremony, as stated from
the press release given to me by
Barbara DeSimone. Woodruff is
a multiple-time bestselling author along with her husband Bob.
They together wrote In an Instant,
a true story about Bob’s recovery
from an injury he acquired in Iraq.
He like many other veterans suffered from PTSD. The book talks
about their family struggle with
Bob’s recovery of PTSD. She frequently speaks at different events
about her inspirational story.
Woodruff and her husband founded the Bob Woodruff foundation to assist wounded service
members and their families. According to leewoodruff.com, the
foundation is a non-profit, that as
of now has raised over $40 million dollars. Both are very active
with veteran affairs. We have a
great veteran services department
here. I’m sure some of our graduates will be veterans who may
have dealt with similar hardships
as her husband. So her story will
not be too far off from their own.
But this is not all Woodruff has
done in the past decade, she has
been a journalist for ABC’s Good
Morning America and still is for
CBS This Morning. She has writ-
ten articles for multiple different
magazines. These as most of her
work have been oriented around
family subjects. Even though her
work is family oriented anyone
can draw inspiration from her
story. She and her husband since
the publication of their book in
2007 speak to numerous different audiences. According to the
speaking engagement schedule
on her website she will be mostly
speaking at mental health events.
This is why I think woodruff is a
great person to speak at our Graduation. The reason we got accepted into NCCC was because of our
minds. Our minds allowed us to
pass classes and graduate, no one
but ourselves. Her husband slightly lost his mind because of PTSD,
and that can be terrifying. College is not easy, and, according
to the National Data on Campus
Suicide and Depression, many
students, one in twelve to be exact, consider suicide. Suicide
and Depression are symptoms of
PTSD so she knows what mental
disorders can do to a person. I’m
not saying we all have mental issues but college takes a mental
toll. We all need to remember that
we are not alone. If you think you
struggle with mental issues or
have trouble in school you can get
help. I think her inspirational story about her husband and family
will be a great keynote address.
Remembering Arthur
Taylor
Written By: Emilee Mongold
Arthur Taylor was one of those
professors that you could never
forget. He was one of the funniest professors you could have.
He would tell the best jokes each
class, and you would never leave
the class not laughing. He was a
caring man. He cared very much
for his students, and his students
cared for him too. He was a lot of
the students’ favorite. Many of the
students even showed up to his
wake and funeral, showing how
much of an impact he had on others around him, how he was important in others lives. He seemed
to care a lot about the success of
students, he would have never
wanted to watch any fail. Even
though his classes were extremely
goofy, and by the end of the class
he would be covered from head
to toe in chalk, you would learn
a lot from him. Arthur Taylor was
a good man and a good professor.
He impacted a lot of the people at
NCCC, even those who already
graduated. He will always be remembered. Family was really
important to the man as well; He
would always talk about his kids,
and how proud of them he was. It
was actually really sweet. Even if
you didn’t really prefer the type
of subject he taught, he would always make it more interesting and
fun to come to class each day. He
may be gone, but Arthur Taylor
will never be forgotten. NCCC,
faculty, and students alike, were
lucky to have a professor like him.
Above: 2017 Keynote Speaker Lee Woodruff
NYS Passes Tuition-Free
SUNY/CUNY Budget Plan
The scholarship, however, does
not come without a hitch. For
each year a student uses the scholOn Saturday, April 9th, the New arship, that student is required to
York State Senate passed a bud- live and work in New York State
get bill that will make under- for that same said period of time.
grad programs at SUNY and Students who use the scholarCUNY schools tuition-free for ship and leave New York State
students whose families make before reaching the required
less than an allotted income cap. number of years will have the
scholarship converted into a loan.
Governor Andrew Cuomo had
introduced the tuition-free plan The budget also includes $19
in January, and lawmakers lat- million to create a new financial
er agreed to include it in the assistance program for students
state budget, which the State under the income cap who atAssembly approved on Satur- tend private schools. Those studay, April 8th. The NYS Sen- dents can receive a max reward
ate later passed it on Sunday. of $3,000. Schools that choose
to participate in the new program
“If you want to offer everybody a would have to match that reward
fair shot, then you have to get up- and agree not to raise the student’s
to-date, and you have to say what tuition during their enrollment.
high school was 75 years ago,
college is today,” Cuomo said in With the passing of the new buda statement on his official website get, New York State will be the
when he first introduced his plan. first state to make tuition free for
“College is a mandatory step if you some residents at public schools.
really want to be a success. And
the way this society said, ‘We’re
going to pay for high school because you need high school,’ this
society should say, ‘We’re going
to pay for college because you
need college to be successful.’”
Written by: Zachary MacKrell
The new program has been coined
“The Excelsior Scholarship” and
it allows for students whose families make less than $100,000 per
year to attend any state university tuition-free starting in the
Fall of 2017. The cap will then
rise from $100,000 to $125,000
by 2019. Students who qualify
are can use the scholarship for
up to four years with a minimum of 30 credit hours per year.
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Bulletin Board
The
Spirit
Page 2
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
News
The
Spirit
Page 3
NCCC Thunderfest
Written By:Jackie Eisenhauer
The Student Senate board along,
with the Student Life Program
has come together with a great
deal of staff to host an end of the
year festival at Niagara Community College. “Thunderfest”,
is an end of the year concert that
will be hosted on the NCCC Sanborn Campus on Friday, May 5th
from 4:00- 10:00pm. And will
include a variety of music, food
trucks, inflatables, face painters, balloon artists, a DJ, and
much more. This event is open
to all NCCC students, faculty,
staff, alumni, friends, and family.
Students and faculty will be selling meal tickets throughout the
majority of the night. Those who
provide student ID are able to receive one complimentary meal
ticket. Where you can enjoy four
food trucks including; Macarollin, a gourmet macaroni & cheese
based food truck which consists
of a variety of cheesy flavors such
the up and coming bands; Lanco, an American Country music
band, and Matt Beilis, a pop artist.
as classic, Buffalo chicken, loaded potato, smoked turkey, caprese, and many more. Additionally,
Buffalo based, The Cheesy Chick
will be offering a variety of specialty grilled cheese sandwiches
using an array of ingredients.
You will be able to create your
own grilled cheese from breads
that range from Italian to Sourdough, Rye to Cinnamon Raisin,
all the way to English Muffins.
You can also sink you teeth into
some gooey cheeses like Cheddar, Mozzarella, Brie, Fontina,
and Havarti, ect. The delicious
NCCC Film and
Animation Festival
Written By: Jessica Zoldowski
NCCC will be holding one of
their own events on May 6, 2017.
Come and enjoy an amazing afternoon with unique individuals
and meet professional film and
animations artists. It is the annual Film and animation Festival.
On Saturday May 6, people will
come together to view animations and short films of students
and people of all ages and expertise. May 1st will be when
finalists are notified. There are
multiple categories that take part
within the festival. Documentary, comedy, drama, music video,
experimental, animation, horror and best high school student
video all take part. Out of the
categories, there will be one winner for each with a $200 prize.
The Festival also have professional judges and two keynote
speakers. The judges include: Liz
Van Verth (Animation & Experimental), Roger Scott (Animation
& Experimental), Scott Sackett
(Documentary & Music Video),
David Kane (Music Video & Drama), Paul Lamont (Documentary
& Drama), Ken Cosentino (Comedy & Horror), Liz Houlihan
(Comedy & Horror). For the film
keynote speaker is Greg Lamberson, an award winning author
with 15 books to credit. “Best
known for his NYC cult horror
film Slime City, and for the recent
horror comedy, Killer Rack, Greg
has directed seven feature films
and produced four others, and
has worked as a production manager, first assistant director and
key P.A. on other films” (NCCC
website). For animation, it is
Signe Baumane, an independent
filmmaker and artist. Signe has
written, directed and animated 15
shorts and one feature film. Collectively, they’ve been accepted in
over 300 film festivals around the
world and received many awards .
possibilities from Macarollin &
The Cheesy Chick are endless!
The first band is set to take the
stage at 7:00pm. Which will be
featuring the Country hit, The
Cadillac Three, an American
southern rock band. The group
has been promoted on the Today
show, and has collabed with a variety of country singers such as;
Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and
Florida Georgia Line. Their debut
single “The South” hit the charts
at number 58 on Country Airplay.
Following their performance are
The NCCC Alumni Association
will also be hosting its annual 5k
run on the same day, in addition
to Thunderfest, that will begin at
6:30pm. The run/walk is sponsored by Orangetheory Fitness/
Interval training center. Their
high-intensity program is specifically designed to keep heart rates
in a target zone that spikes metabolism and increases energy. Participants in the 5k run will receive
passes for a VIP section in front of
the stage for the concert. For more
information on registering for the
race visit www.niagaracc.suny.
edu/alumni/5k.php or contact the
Alumni Office at (716)614-5910.
Questions concerning the event,
or more information can be found
at NCCC Student Life Office
(716) 614- 6255 or email them at
[email protected].
What is PTK?
Written By: Kathryn Shoop
paid, you are a member for life.
As a member you have access to
If you have ever wondered if there unique scholarships, volunteer
was a Honor society at NCCC, opportunities, and other credenthere is, and a good one at that; tials. Members will have access
Phi Theta Kappa (Chapter Alpha to more than $37 million dollars
Pi Beta). Phi Theta Kappa is the worth of transfer scholarships
official honor society for two- to over 700 institutions.- memyear colleges worldwide. If you bership benefits page. I am gethave a 3.5 GPA or higher at the ting $1500 dollars a year from
end of a semester and maintain PTK at the private school I will
that you are eligible. According be transferring to in the fall.
to the membership requirement That scholarship was given to
page, admission to this highly me just because I was a member.
prestigious society is by invitaOther events that are going on tion only, but those with a 3.5 When you join, there is be an inthroughout the afternoon are the GPA or higher should get their in- duction ceremony in April to ofFilmmakers Forum with Ken vitation from Paul Ratka, one of ficially swear you into the sociCosentino, Greg Lamberson, Sig- NCCC’s chapter’s advisors. Phi ety. Attendance isn’t mandatory,
ne Baumane, Jonathan Rogers, Theta Kappa is an elite honor so- but it is a very nice ceremony.
Ken Rowe, Animation Displays, ciety that will open up new doors This year was held on April 22nd,
Sponsor, Vendor & Filmmaker for those who decide to join. and we were fortunate to have
Displays, Continuous Screenings
Senator Robert Ortt as this year’s
of Finalists’ Entries, Food & Re- As a member of Phi Theta Kappa Keynote speaker. New inductees
freshments, Contests & Prizes. I can tell you that it is a great so- where given a certificate from
Students of NCCC have traveled ciety to be in. This semester alone him, congratulating our inducto receive sponsorships. FatBob’s I have met new people and felt I tion. The induction ceremony was
Smokehouse & Barbecue is one belonged more at school. The fac- held at the school’s auditorium.
of the largest sponsorships for this ulty advisors that run the school’s Each inductee is honored and
year. They have been consistently society chapter are so welcoming walks across the stage with their
voted for best barbecue in Buffalo. and wonderful. You are not pres- name and is given a candle and
sured into coming to any of the rose. Family members can attend
The Festival starts at 11:30 am outside school activities and can the ceremony and it is a great way
to 4:15 pm at Niagara County be as active or inactive as you to commend your achievement.
Community College, 3111 Saun- want. This semester we raised
ders Settlement Rd, Sanborn Ny, money for books Abbate Elemen- If you are at NCCC next year
14132. The Schedule for the event tary in Niagara Falls and helped and want to become a member
is on the college website niaga- them at their family fun night. please do. It is a great organizaracc.suny.edu. The awards cere- We also participated in this year’s tion to be a part of. If you have
mony starts at 4. Come and support Relay for Life at NCCC. These any questions PTK has their
the future of film and animation. are great volunteer opportunities own site on the school’s webthat would not have been avail- site. Or contact Paul Ratka his
able to me without the society. room number is E-126and the
There is a one-time membership fee of $70 dollars, and once
email is [email protected].
Photo Courtesy of PTK.org
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Features
The
The Damage Done
Written By: Ben Barnes
For hundreds of thousands of
years the Great Barrier Reef has
housed a variety of different
ocean life and has been the keeper
and supporter of nearly 25 percent
of all known ocean life during it’s
existence. The loss of all the coral
in the reef due to a process called
“Bleaching” has devastated the
vast Eco-system to a stage in which
there is no recovery. The Great
Barrier reef is now “Terminal”.
The coral in the reef is unique, in
which the Algae-like microbes
living on and in it help the coral
live and sustain itself by providing it with food. Bleaching is the
result of warmer water extracting those microbes causing the
once colorful coral to turn white.
Without those microbes the coral
starves to death and rots away.
Though these events are not
new and have happened over the
course of its natural life cycle,
the last 2 years have been brutal.
The last three events have been
consecutive, allowing the reef
no time to recover and as a result
most of the ocean-life nearby will
soon become affected. This is a
major blow to the Great Barrier
Reef, which has been a sanctuary
for marine life for so long, and
most species associated with it,
are likely to become endangered.
This includes many of the types of
fish found in the popular “Finding
Nemo” movie, which premiered a
good portion of the reef’s natives.
All of those species are likely to
go extinct in the next 20 years
without the reef to give them a
home. So the only place left to see
them soon will be in an aquarium.
ways been damage but it has been
escalating in the last 30 years.
Nothing significant has been done
to preserve it because there has
never been enough damage to
warrant attention. Since the announcement of the eventual doom
of the reef, the question as to the
cause of the disaster has been issued. The theories concerning the
cause are mainly from 2 thoughts.
First, that pollution from man
has caused global warming that
raised the water temperature to
cause the bleaching. The second
idea is the presence of El Nino, a
naturally occurring warm current
in the ocean caused the coral to
become too damaged from previous years that its injuries eventually caught up with the reef. This
is also supposedly our doing. To
be clear on the facts both have
very little to support why the
warm waters refuse to cool down
near the reef. Scientist’s just don’t
know why the Barrier Reef in
Australia is so critically ill when
other reefs around the world are
surviving their natural processes.
This event is halfway across the
world and it’s too late to help the
reef, but it’s not too late to learn
from it. The causes of the warming water can be found out and
countered by the advances in
science and engineering. Pollution can be cut down locally and
globally as technology advances.
The surviving reefs in the Florida
Keys and the Caribbean can be
protected as our understanding increases. As students, keep in mind
the memory of the Great Barrier Reef and the beauty it once
held, and it’s death may not be in
vain. The future holds as many
possibilities as we can imagine,
According to CNN and the Wash- and one possibility is that someington Post’s sources, there has al- day another reef might call the
shoals of Australia home again.
Spirit
Page 4
Uber and Lyft Are
Coming to Buffalo
Written By: Emily Berwick
Many college students have to
rely on rides when the car’s in the
garage, when going out and consuming alcohol or just simply not
having an available car. Looking
for a ride can often take a while and
result in headaches or over paying
a friend to be a friend. This can
all change for students once Uber
and Lyft are officially in Buffalo
area. Currently Buffalo is one of
the biggest cities in the United
States that do not have access to
ridesharing driving businesses.
The location based app called
Uber is considered inexpensive,
safe and convenient. Currently
it’s found that its cheaper to ride
with Uber than Lyft. To begin using Uber and Lyft students first
must make an account on the
free app and add individual personal information. This information includes a payment method
along with a current and destination location. When using these
apps, the nearest driver receives
a notification and will typically
be there within minutes. Students can watch the navigation at
their fingertips allowing students
to have an estimated time frame
to arrive to the destination. The
cost of an Uber or Lyft ride varies depending on the demand for
service at that current time. Fee’s
will automatically charge to rider’s payment method through the
app. These companies also offer
a twenty-four-hour support team
that will immediately respond
to any questions or concerns regarding a driving experience.
To be employed by Uber or Lyft
students must be at least 21 and
have access to a four door vehicle
in good condition. Drives must
have at least one year of driving
experience in the United States or
three if under the age for 23. Uber
and Lyft also check to make sure
any potential applicants do not
have a criminal record this insuring safer for riders. Safety is very
important to these companies,
passengers get to rate the driver
and vise versa. Before becoming
an employee, the company is entitled to inspect a vehicle along
with proof of a valid license.
The company could also ask for
potential employees driving history and the confirmation of the
vehicles inspection. Many employees are greatly satisfied with
working when its convenient and
the fact that the more hours put
in, the more money to be made.
Currently it looks like that ridesharing will not be in buffalo until
closer to July, although drivers can
begin applying for Uber and Lyft
now. According to Byron Brown
the Mayor of Buffalo believes that
brining ridesharing to the community could create more than
13 thousand new jobs in the area.
Photo Courtesy from rpost.com
Photo Courtesy from CNN.com
Professor Spotlight:
Mr. Marc Hunt
Written By: Alexander Ulatowski and film industry use Pro Tools
to deal with their audio either for
their music or sound for film”.
Have you ever had a connection You can use Pro Tools in “any
with your favorite professor or field that is related to media, you
gotten to know some of the fac- can use Pro Tools for radio broadulty at NCCC well. Some stu- casting, you can use it as a music
dents at NCCC may not know producer, you can use it in sweetmuch about the faculty and who ening up sound for commercials,
their professors really are. Most video and game audio as well”
professors at the campus have said Mr. Hunt. Most Students
had different occupations that who are in the ARP department
they had before they were teach- plan on becoming a Sound Engiing at NCCC. These professors neer. Mr. Hunt said that a Sound
and faculty members have been Engineer is “a person who sets up
journalist, sound engineers, news the microphones and other equipreporters, voice over artist, pro- ment that is needed to capture the
ducers, camera operators, public sound that is happening in front of
relations figures, as well as pro- them which could be voice over,
fessors and teachers at schools recording for film, a band in front
and campuses. I had the opportu- of you that is playing and you are
nity to sit down and interview two trying to record their music to
professors at NCCC who have release on record or cd, it could
made a big impact on students as also be someone doing sound for
well as an impact on our commu- commercials, live theater, connity as well. The first professor certs, sporting events”. Besides
that I sat down and interviewed teaching Pro Tools at NCCC,
was Mr. Marc Hunt an Audio Mr. Hunt also teaches music inRecording Production professor. dustry classes at Villa Maria
College in Buffalo, and teaches
At NCCC Mr. Hunt teaches “In- Video Production and Recording
troduction to Pro Tools” ARP Art classes to juniors and seniors
101 and “Essentials to Pro Tools” in high school at Erie One BOARP 110. If you aren’t an Audio CES Harkness Career & TechniRecording Production major or a cal Center in Cheektowaga, NY.
Digital Media major, you might
not have heard or know what When Mr. Hunt was young he
Pro Tools is. AVID Pro Tools is use to play in local bands such as
a sound recording software used Bobo and currently plays with the
in many industries on both Apple band The Pillagers. He listened
Macintosh computers as well to older punk, college radio rock
as on Microsoft Windows. Mr. bands such as The Pixies in the
Hunt said “Pro Tools is a digital 90’s, The Replacements back in
audio recording program so a lot the 80’s. Mr. Hunt knows plays
of people in the music industry the bass, piano, and the guitar.
Due to being in these recording
studios Mr. Hunt “was interested
in the whole process when they
were in the studio” said Hunt and
because of that he drew interest in
sound engineering. In high school
Mr. Hunt took a couple of classes at Select Sound but decided
to go to Canisius College in the
city of Buffalo and first major in
Communications then transferred
to Berklee College of Music in
Boston, Massachusetts where he
received a degree in music but
his main focus was on Music
Production and engineering. Mr.
Hunt later returned to Buffalo
and worked as a paid assistant as
well as freelance sound engineer.
In October of 2012 Mr. Hunt was
inducted into the Buffalo Music
Hall of Fame by his good friend
Robby Takac the Bass player of
the group The Goo Goo Dolls.
Mr. Hunt helped Robby Takac
with the organization Music Is
Art. Music Is Art’s website states
that it is a non- for-profit organization “dedicated to exploring
and reshaping music’s cultural,
social, and educational impact on
our community - supported by a
variety of programs and events
(www.musicisart.org/about)”.
reer & Technical Center and be
in his Video Production and Recording Art class for my Junior
and Senior year of high school.
There I had the opportunity to
work with programs such as Apple’s IMovie, Final Cut Pro, Garage band, and AVID’s Pro Tools
10/11. I am very blessed to have
had Mr. Hunt as a teacher because
he helped me to work hard and do
my best in his class and I was able
to receive my AVID Pro Tool’s
User Certificate for 10/11 during
my Senior year of high school.
I asked Mr. Hunt if he had any
advice for students “Whatever career you are going for you have to
have some kind of daily, weekly,
monthly, or yearly goal you have
to work towards what that is that
you want to become, so if you
want to become a teacher what
did you do today to become a
better teacher today and how are
you going to improve on that for
tomorrow or if you are going to
be a filmmaker what are you doing today to actually become that
filmmaker that you see yourself
as in five, 10, 15, 20 years from
now, so really it is that hard work
but it is also if you have an idea
try to push forward with that idea
“Originally we were trying to find and see if you can make it hapa way to showcase local talent pen because if you don’t try you
and musicians or people or art- will never know if it’s going
ist tied into the artistic side of the to be a success or a failure and
city such as paintings and photog- it’s better to try and have it not
raphy, spoken word people, poets workout and learn from it, or do
and dancers” said Hunt. In 2013- it and have it be a success then
2015 I was very fortunate enough wondering what if I were to try.”
to have Mr. Hunt as my teacher at
Erie One BOCES Harkness Ca-
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College, and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Features
The
Spirit
Page 5
New York’s Hiking Trails
Written by: Ariana Coder
New York has some of the best
hiking trails in the country, perfect for photographing gorgeous
scenery, hiking long and winding
trails, and watching beautiful animals. I had the privilege of visiting
many of these amazing trails and
experiencing new heights. I will
be ranking a few of these trails on
a scale of one to five; five being the
highest, and including a difficulty
level of easy, moderate, or hard.
The Eternal Flame Trail (Orchard
Park)
This trail features high ravines
overlooking a shallow river.
You’ll wade through the river, traverse waterfalls and mud puddles
in order to reach the mysterious
eternal flame, a small flame hidden behind a waterfall. When it’s
unlit, patrons can use lighters or
matches to ignite it. It is a great
experience, dogs are allowed as
long as they’re leashed. Unfortunately, the trail is muddy and
extremely slippery, so prepare to
get down and dirty. It’s worth the
trek to witness the flame in person
and stand atop small waterfalls.
Length: .8 Mile
Rank: 4 out of 5 stars
Difficulty: Moderate
ters themselves are dangerous,
but provides beautiful scenery.
Tourists can bounce and splash
through the rapids of the Niagara
Gorge in rugged jetboats, provided at various places near the trail.
Length: 6.8 Miles
Rank: 5 out of 5
Difficulty: Hard
Lockport Nature Trail (Lockport)
I’ve included this trail, as it’s
one normally frequented by
long time Lockport residents,
but it’s charms earned it a spot
on this list. It’s a simple trail of
hills through a forest. A garbling
river makes for beautiful scenery, leading to an alluring waterfall, popular among visitors.
Length: 1.5 Miles
Rank: 3 out of 5
Difficulty: Easy
Watkins Glen State Park (Watkins
Glen)
For those interested in waterfalls,
Watkins Glen is perfect. This trail
features difficult climbs along
massive staircases and through
winding trails behind waterfalls,
entirely descending into a beautiful gorge cut through rock by
a stream. The park provides numerous camping spots and different attractions, including a
Niagara Gorge (Niagara Falls)
park, pool, and picnic tables. This
This popular trail is a 6.8 mile
spot is popular for photographers,
gorge carved by the Niagara River
so don’t be surprised to see a
along the Canadian, US border in
few people posed with cameras.
New York and Ontario. It begins at
Length: 2 miles
the base of Niagara Falls and ends
Rank: 5 out of 5
near Queenston, Ontario. The wa-
an easy walk through a section
of pine trees. Throughout the
trail, you’ll find signs detailing the different wildlife found
Swallow Hollow (Oakfield)
Swallow Hollow is more of a na- there, from warblers to foxes.
ture trail than a hiking trail. It fea- It’s not optimal for those looktures a 1.3 mile roundabout trail ing for a difficult hike, but peroffering unique views of wild- fect and informative for children.
life. The beginning of the trail is Length: 1.3 Miles
a long bridge through swamps, Rank: 3 out of 5
then a smooth path, and finally Difficulty: Easy
Difficulty: Moderate
Photo Courtesy of Ariana Coder
Testing the Waters With Saving
Written By: Erin Nicosia
College students know that money can be hard. Spending, saving,
and making money are three crucial parts of living a balanced life,
as a college student and as an adult.
According to a study by Ohio
State University, 7 out of 10 college students are stressed about
money, and over 50% of students
pay for college with loans, which
they will eventually have to pay
back. Over half of the students in
the study were stressed about paying for living expenses as well.
Money is hard, even for nonstudents. For many, saving money
is the hardest aspect of money,
if you forget the hard-hitting fact
that if minimum wage had kept
up with inflation, it would be
well over $20 an hour by now…
So, let’s talk budgeting; how can
a student budget and not decrease
their standard of living, what are
the best apps for saving money,
what kind of banks should a college student use, how can you save
money without going broke? Me
and two of my friends decided to
try out a few methods for a couple
weeks and see how they worked
out. Mind you, one of my friends
is not a student, but still works
part time at minimum wage.
It is recommended to research
heavily before opening a bank
account, because hidden fees, no
overdraft protection, and monthly dues can become a pain in the
long run. Many students prefer
to use a credit union instead of
a national bank, because most
credit unions work better with
students and can offer better rates.
First thing’s first, budgeting
works, even if it’s awful. Hands
down, if you want to be responsible with your money, budgeting
is the way to go, especially if your
weekly or monthly income is always the same. I spoke with several students who swear by budgeting and they showed me how
it’s done. Each month, you take
a calendar, and on the left hand
side, you write down your necessary expenses for each week, such
as groceries, gas, rent, how much
you want to set aside in savings,
etc. You subtract that amount
from your weekly income, and on
the right hand side you write what
you have left over. Although this
method is useful, it really puts into
perspective how little money you
truly have, and it’s definitely not
for everybody. Neither I nor my
two friends liked this method, but
several college students I spoke
with who use this swear by it!
The next method we tried is the
$40 a week rule. Studies suggest
that millennials put aside 15%
of their weekly income into savings, which for a $150 weekly
paycheck means saving about
$23 every week. This money saving method works well if you are
saving up for vacation or for a
big purchase. You set aside $40 a
week in cash or in the bank and
you do not touch it, unless there’s
an emergency. I’m saving up for
vacation this summer, so I started
this method about a month ago and
I almost have $200 set aside. My
friend and her roommate, who are
both students, each set aside $20 a
week and they’ve saved up $120
in just three weeks. Although $40
can be a lot when living check to
check, there are other variations of
this. Many people save all their $5
bills and you can still make a lasting impact on your savings doing
such. Saving your 5’s was a huge
internet challenge a few years
ago, and one couple saved up
$3,000 using this method. Setting
aside cash in a jar can seem old
fashioned, but for many it works!
If you think that budgeting sucks,
and that old fashioned change
jars don’t work, there is a digital
method out there for you! Last
month, I posted in a forum looking for apps to save money, and
one name kept popping up over
and over again: Qapital. This app
works like a charm if you use your
debit card a lot. With Qapital, you
can set your own rules; for every
$10 you spend at your favorite
store, Qapital will set aside $5
for you, for every purchase, Qapital will round up your change
and set that aside for you, etc.
The useful part of this app is that
it connects directly to your bank
account and your rules can be
literally anything you want them
to be. Plus, Qapital never takes
money out of your account when
there’s less than $100 in there,
and you don’t pay anything to
use the app! They actually make
their money off of interest from
the money they save for you. My
two friends and I all tested this
app, and we love it! Because the
round up rule takes such a small
amount, you never notice it.
Out of three saving methods, over
the course of three weeks, I saved
$120 with the weekly method
and I saved $22.10 with Qapital.
My friend who’s a student used
the $5 method and saved up $45.
My friend who is not a student
used Qapital and saved $40.78.
The thing to remember with saving is that everybody is different,
and their money is different too.
These are just some suggestions
to save money, whether it’s for
vacation, a new car, or you just
need to be more cash-conscious.
Photo From fool.com
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College, and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Features
Page 6
The
Spirit
Presented by the NCCC Departments of Digital Media, Animation, and Public Communication
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College, and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Features
The
Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
Written By: Lauren Schihl
Come one, come all and travel
back in time to explore the 15th
century! The Renaissance Faire
in Sterling, New York has been
around for 41 years and continues to grow every year whether
it be with the crowd or with the
excitement. People are drawn to
Sterling for few various reasons,
whether it be the Medieval Times
feel, the artisans and entertainers, the jousts, or the turkey legs.
There’s something for everyone
at The Renaissance Faire and if
you look hard enough you can
find something extra enticing!
Once a year the town of “Warwick” transforms their common
peasant grounds into festival
grounds grand enough to fit a
Queen. There are plenty of artisans’ booths for the free spirit in
everyone. These artisans come
from all over the country to display their work and show off their
talents for the merry folk of Warwick. These attractions include:
Armour and Weaponry – where
you can witness swords being
made, purchase armour, and be in
awe of high quality bows arrows.
More attractions include facepainting, hair braiding by Faeries,
caricatures, and enchanted images. The town people of Warwick do
their best to keep you in high spirits and keep the excitement going.
so much more than that. There
is something for everyone and if
you are craving something sweet
to beat the heat then look no further – some of Warwick’s tastiest
treats include hot apple dumplings, strawberry shortcakes, and
Sterling’s famous one of a kind
mile-high cake. There are also
townspeople walking around
throughout the grounds trying to
sell you hot pretzels, pickles, and
pastries. These townspeople can
be seen most around the jousting area and sneaking up behind
you or yelling down the gravel
to get you to buy something.
There is a whole alley filled with
food shop after food shop and
each place is different and there
is always a delectable smell coming from each place. The two
most famous foods at Warwick
are the turkey leg and the steakon-a-stake. Both of these are
enjoyed the most and are an alltime Renaissance classic. The
steak-on-a-stake in drenched and
marinated in a top secret Renaissance rub and then grilled to perfection. If the turkey and steak
aren’t really up your alley there
are plenty of other food options.
There are burgers, chicken, seafood – you can’t go wrong with
fish and chips. Wine and ale can
be found on almost any corner
for those of age and hey, what’s
the Middle Ages without ale?
If you really want to get in the Renaissance mode, there are plenty
of costume shops for you to try
out. Royal Rags Rentals is a rental
shop on the fair grounds that rents
out costumes for the day and the
prices are based on class placement. For instance, the lowest is a
beggar, then a wench, then a handmaiden, and up the class pyramid
it goes. You get fitted for a costume and you leave your clothes
in a little cubby for the day while
you enjoy cosplaying. If you want
something more permanent there
are plenty of shops that sell all of
your Renaissance gear. Moresca,
Needle Fairy, Wolfstone Kilt, and
Potomac Leather are some of the
little boutiques where you can purchase all your 15th century gear.
If you’re the type to do a little
bit of eating and walking, then
the shops in Warwick are definitely for you! There are shops
for everyone, you can really find
something that will catch your
eye and draw you close. Whether
it be a game shop full of tricks
and pranks, jewelry shops, home
décor, or lavender. You can never be bored in Warwick because
there is always something new
to see and you could even get a
henna tattoo just for the fun of it.
Now you really cannot forget
about the food, when you think
about Renaissance the first thing
that should pop up are the turkey
legs. But Warwick has so much
more to offer than just their delicious turkey legs, which do pair
perfectly well with watching a
joust or two, but Warwick has
Adult tickets (12 and up)
for a single day are $24.95;
A child ticket is $14.95.
The Renaissance Festival in Sterling, New York is open Saturday
July 1st to Sunday August 13th.
It is only open on the weekends
and it is open from 10:00 am
to 7:00 pm RAIN OR SHINE.
For more information and to purchase tickets in advance, you can
go to
www.sterlingfestival.com/visitus/purchase-tickets.
photos courtesy of Lauren Schihl
Page 7
Spirit
A Real Wild Child
Written By: Ben Barnes
Last January, in the jungles of
India, a group of woodcutters
found themselves under attack.
Their activities had disturbed
the territory of troop of monkeys
who lived nearby. As usual the
monkeys began to complain by
throwing whatever they could at
those cutting down their home.
To their surprise though, midst
the flurry of rocks, twigs, and
screeches they looked up and
saw a familiar shape among the
monkeys in the trees; A little
girl was complaining with them.
Stories of feral children are not
new and in fact they happen to be
popular literature. The story, The
Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling
is still to this day one of the
more popular children’s stories;
Scary Stories, by Alvin Schwartz
gives a similar tale about a wolf
girl; Tarzan was raised by apes;
the list goes on. Feral children
have been a subject of interest
since the introduction of modern
psychology. This being caused
by children having been found
wild all over the world. There
have been similar real-life stories of children being raised by
dogs, wolves, and even leopards.
How these children came to live
the life of an animal varies from
abandonment, becoming lost, or
the death of parents in the wild. A
child is often seen as defenseless,
but mammals have a few unique
characteristics that help them survive in the harshest conditions.
One trait is empathy; mammals
that travel in groups often recognize when another creature is
alone, scared and sad. As long as
hostility isn’t given to the animal,
a human can quickly be accepted
to join their group as long as they
live by their rules. According to
Charles Darwin, “humans are
adaptable by nature” and children
have been proven to be far more
willing to learn than adults. This
is why most find feral children
rather than adults. Another trait
that helps children is that people
are, by nature, social creatures.
The need for communication
forces humans to accept any help
that can be given. In nature, it is
rarely found for other animals to
be raising a different species. But
because humans have the capac-
ity to accept help and attempt
communication, they are more
likely than any other species to
join another group in the wild.
It’s often seen as inhumane to
keep a child in the wild who has
been found. The local community
has taken in the girl found with the
monkeys in India, while they try
to locate her parents. But before
they could take her in, the monkeys surrounded her in an attempt
to protect what they grew to consider “One of their own”. It should
be of no surprise that in turn she’s
made attempts to escape back into
the wild to rejoin her “family”.
This raises the issue, “should she
be forced to live among people?”
They have already learned to survive in their current environment
and they even have an adopted
family to look after them. Some
would argue that taking them
back into society is akin to kidnapping them. Then there’s the
fact that as an adult they would
struggle to survive in the wild as
they are expected to become more
self-sufficient and care for the
next generation. According the
National Geographic, Jill Goldman, an applied animal behaviorist said, “In order for the relationship to be sustained, both parties
need to benefit in some way.”
Adult humans are high maintenance social creatures and cannot live up to the requirements of
other fully-grown animals. In the
long run they would eventually
die unless they are brought back
into society. That’s why, for most
stories, they eventually return of
their own will to human civilization and there are rarely any true
stories of full grown feral men or
women. It’s amazing to see how
strong willed children can be as
well as adaptable, but it’s generally agreed they really shouldn’t
become feral in the first place.
Students are like feral children being taken from their “family” and
tossed among the merciless world
of adults. Though the world is not
as comfortable and safe as their
home in the wild, it’s necessary
to survive. Stay adaptable like
a child, and willing to help each
other as an adult and everyone
has a decent chance at survival.
A Thank You From the Desk of
Cheri Yager MSN, BSN, RN
Supervisor of College Nursing Services
The Annual Spring Health Fair
was held on Tuesday, April 4,
2017. There were twenty six
facilitators from various agencies in attendance with information, handouts, and activities.
The facilitators were pleased
with how engaged the students
were with them and expressed
how much they enjoyed the conversations and experiences they
shared with those in attendance.
Many of our own talented NCCC
students participated in their areas
of expertise. Nursing students
provided blood pressure monitoring for those attending the fair.
Students in our Health Studies
Program, under the direction of
Brenda Simonson, provided information on dietetics and nutrition, with a “sugar quiz”. These
students, with Jeff Hickman, also
provided Visualization software
that reveals what you will look
like in 10-20-30 years. Add the
effects of smoking, weight gain
and obesity or heavy sun exposure and see how these choices
affect appearance. These provided vital information in a fun
way which really “hit home” for
many individuals. Students from
the Massage Therapy program
provided free chair massages
which were enjoyed by many!
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank
many of the people who made the
Health Fair possible through their
hard work and dedication: Arline
Hardy and Sheila Harris from the
Wellness Center, Student Senate,
Facilities staff, Print Shop, Public
Relations, and our students (those
who helped before the event, the
day of the event, and those who
participated in the event). I truly
appreciate all of their efforts in
preparation of this event which resulted in making it a great success!
Congratulations
to
the
following winners of the raffle:
Kirsten
Thomas Barrett
Hartford
Ryan Bauer
Marilyn
Ifraeem Bhatti
Haseley
Kathleen
Zach Huber
Chiarella
Jeromy Jacobs
Dan Cicco
Annette Jordan
Brandon
Megan Mikits
Ciccone
Kristen Miller
Leonard Cole
Michael
Alissa ConPatterson
nolly
Katie Fortman Jessica Rupert
Hannah Guy Anthony Ventry
Thank you very much to everyone who attended and participated in the Health Fair!
We are looking forward to coordinating next year’s event.
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College, and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.
Sports
The
Buffalo Selected for
Frozen Four, 2019
Written by: Zachary MacKrell
The NCAA announced on Tuesday, April 18th, that Buffalo will
be one of four cities to host the
Division 1 college hockey tournament in the upcoming years. Buffalo will host the tournament in
2019, Detroit in 2020, Pittsburgh
in 2021, and Boston in 2022.
2010. The Harbor Center has also
hosted the New York State Public
High Schools Athletic Association final four the past two years.
The development of the Harbor
Center rinks and the hotels surrounding the complex has made
Buffalo a destination for hockey
events. Buffalo has hosted the
NHL Draft Combine the past two
years and will host the IIHF World
Junior Hockey Tournament this
year for the second time since
“This is a very important day for
Buffalo sports, “Russ Brandon,
managing partner and president of
Pegula Sports and Entertainment
said in an interview with The Buffalo News. “It has been our mission,
under the direction of Terry and
Kim Pegula, to continually advance
Buffalo’s standing as a destination
for major sporting events that have
a tremendous effect on our community. The Frozen Four, coming on
the heels of the NHL Draft, NHL
Combine and World Juniors, is another premier event that will showcase our city as the leading hockey
market it has become. The NCAA
has also recognized Buffalo as one
of the best sites for early March
Madness games, which is continually proven by our top attendance
numbers. Our community deserves
opportunities to host events like
these, and we are ready to put
them on in a first-class fashion.”
Photo courtesy of WKBW.com
Buffalo last hosted the tournament in 2003 when Minnesota
defeated New Hampshire for the
championship, with Michigan
and Cornell rounding out the Frozen Four. Future Buffalo Sabers
player Thomas Vanek won MVP
honors for the champion Minnesota Golden Gophers that year.
The most recent tournament was
hosted this year in Chicago from
April 6th through the 8th and was
won by the University of Denver. The 2018 tournament will be
held in St. Paul, Minnesota. Niagara University and Canisius
will be the host schools while
the tournament is in Buffalo.
REGISTRATION & RECORDS CORNER
HERE ARE SOME ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Final Grades – When Are They Available And How Do
I Get Them?
Final grades will be available May 15 after 5:00 p.m. You
must log into Banner Web to obtain your grades. Log
into Banner Web, click on Enter Secure Area, Student &
Financial Aid, Student Records, Final Grades. Select the
Term, click on Submit and scroll down to view your final
grades.
I’m Graduating In May. When Will I Receive My Diploma?
Graduation processing will begin after all final grades have
been submitted. You will receive a postcard in the mail approximately mid-June notifying you that your diploma/
certificate is ready for pick up in the Registration & Records office, A-201. You will also receive an email to your
T-Wolves account. If you do not pick up your diploma, it
will be mailed at the end of June to the address you listed on
your graduation application.
How Do I Obtain An Official Transcript?
Order your official transcript online. Log into Banner
Web, click on Student & Financial Aid, Student Records,
Order Official Transcript. A new window will open up
with instructions. Click on Start My Order. When ordering,
please mark to hold for final grades and/or graduation notation. Official transcripts are $8 each. Transcripts ordered
requesting graduation notation will be sent at end of May.
If you only need an unofficial transcript, these are available
at no charge and can be viewed/printed on Banner Web.
When Is The Last Day To Withdraw From The College?
May 12 is the last day to withdraw from the college with
“X” grades (applies to ALL courses). “X” grades may affect your financial aid and academic standing. Please check
with Financial Aid (A-114) if you have any financial questions. Please speak with a counselor in Student Development (A-131) if you have questions regarding how this may
affect your academic standing. Students can withdraw from
the college online through Banner Web. Click on Student
& Financial Aid, Registration, and Withdraw from College
(All Classes), enter your phone number and select term from
which you are withdrawing, read “Notice to Students Withdrawing from College”, and if you agree, click Submit.
Spirit
Page 8
SUGGESTIONS FOR
STUDENT
SUCCESS
from the Student Success
Committee of NCCC
Hello Students!
The end of the Spring 2017 semester is fast ap-
proaching and with it many important deadlines!
Final Exam time is upon us. Be sure that you
know when your exams are scheduled for each
class (schedule can be found on the marquee of
the NCCC homepage). If there are any conflicting times you should make arrangements prior to
exam time with your individual professors. Also,
make sure you not only know the dates and times,
but also the room numbers of each exam as they
most likely are not in the room in which you took
the course. Lastly, keep in mind that just because
there is such little time left does not mean that
you should not seek out help.
If you are to graduate this May (or even over the
summer), be sure to fill out your paperwork to ensure that you earn your degree. Also, do not forget
to sign up for the Commencement Ceremony to
be held on Saturday May 13, 2017 at the Seneca
Niagara Events Center, Niagara Falls, NY. You have
earned the right to participate in the graduation
ceremony. Your family and friends will be excited
and proud for you. It is a nice way to conclude your
time here at NCCC. Tickets are required for the
ceremony and no admittance will be allowed un-
less a ticket is present for participants and guests.
Good Luck to you all in your final exams and to
those who are moving on from NCCC, Congratulations!
For more information, check out the website at:
http://niagaracc.suny.edu/commencement/
Best Regards Always,
The Student Success
Committee of NCCC
The
Spirit Staff
Spring 2017
Faculty Advisor
Amanda Haseley
Faculty Mentor
Marc Pietrzykowski
Layout Editor
Kathleen Chiarella
The Spirit is written and edited by students of Niagara County Community College, and are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content.