Keeping it Local: Siena Gives to Albany Region Charity

from November 8th issue

By Kelly Peckholdt

Siena’s annual Charity Week was held November 4th-9th. Each year, the Student Events Board chooses a charity that they would like to donate to and sponsors events to raise money for that charity. This year, Charity Week co-chairs Amanda Scott and Gina Fabian fell in love with the Albany County Correctional Facility for Children’s Benefit.
ACCFCB is a non-profit organization that specifically raises money for children in the Albany area. Several corrections officers formed this charity about five years ago to support children in extreme medical need, particularly needs that are financially burdensome. The charity focuses on one child per year, and they cover any costs from hotel bills when children are in hospitals far from home to extensive physical therapy. According to Gina Fabian, “[Amanda and I] were trying to find [a charity] that helps children, because we both have a sensitive spot toward that. We met with John Smith, the founder, and instantly fell in love with the charity. John was so thankful when we let him know that we chose his charity for Charity Week.”
The Charity Week events began on Sunday, November 4th, with a trip to see Mary Poppins on Broadway and a basketball shootout in the MAC. On Monday, November 5th, the “Siena’s Got Talent” finals took place. This event was new for SEB to try, and John Smith, Joe Hanson, and Erin Steffen judged. The Donate-a-Meal event took place on Tuesday the 6th, and soup and bread were offered to everyone who donated. The money went to ACCFCB, and Smith came to campus to speak about his charity. On Wednesday, November 7th, the 15th Annual Service Auction took place. Baskets, gift certificates, and student services were auctioned off. Many students donated dates, laundry services, cleaning, or cooking, and the administration auctioned off the number one lottery number for housing and the number one registration spot. Shannon Zulauf acted as “Vanna White,” and Father Bill and Tim Hannigan hosted. Father Bill even dressed as Justin Timberlake! On Thursday, the Battle of the Sexes competition was held in the Maloney Great Room, and students discovered whether men or women are the “greater” sex. Friday’s Wine Tasting event, held in the Serra West Room, concluded Charity Week. Norm Kvam, director of Dining Services, donated five courses and five wines, and those who are 21 and older were able to relax and enjoy themselves while listening to Kvam speak about the wines. A silent auction was also held.
SEB also held two week-long events: the Kids Entertainment drive and the Penny War. They are asking for used or new children’s DVDs, VHS’, video games, CDs, etc., and these donations will go to a room at Albany Medical specifically for children’s recreation to make their stay at the hospital more fun. The Penny War is a competition among the dorms, and whoever gets the largest amount of money in pennies wins. This money will be donated to ACCFCB.
Fabian and Scott love the charity that they are helping to raise money for, and they want to do the best they can to help children in need. Over the summer they were able to meet Hunter, one of the sick children that ACCFCB is currently helping with medical bills, and the experience reaffirmed their admiration for this charity. For further information on its purposes and children who have been helped, visit www.accfcb.org.

YOU ARE HERE: Welcome Booth Arrives

from November 8th issue

By Kelly Peckholdt

In an attempt to make Siena more like a gated community, the long-awaited Welcome Booth arrived on November 5th.
The security gates and Welcome Booth were a gift from the Class of 2007 and will help to solve security and navigation issues on campus. Two years ago, security issues involving non Siena students reached their peak, which prompted the administration to find ways to better protect the campus. At first, security established checkpoints where students could be asked to show their Siena ID, but administrators quickly saw that this is not the norm of how to secure a college campus and searched for a less intrusive solution. The idea for a welcome booth and gates was presented to and approved by the Student Senate and Board of Trustees, and the Class of 2007 raised money to fund the project.
Dr. Mary Ellen Gilroy assures the student-body that the gates will remain open 99% of the time. Nate Maloney, the Director of Alumni Relations, says, “I understand that gating the community will help to cut down on the security check points we need to establish on specific weekends and free up our security team to patrol campus.” The welcome booth at the main entrance will be staffed by a member of the security team at all times, and students will have to show their Siena ID or guests will have to show their guest registration form.
As of now, the booth will be not be operational until the start of the spring semester. It will be staffed from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM Thursday through Saturday, and the gates will be closed to vehicular traffic when the booth is scheduled to be staffed. Instead, all traffic will enter through the welcome booth and all students will be required to show identification.

New Eco- Friendly Lounge On Its Way

from November 8th issue

By Christine Maccarone

As of right now, the lower level of Hennepin Hall near the Women’s Center has an unusable large space. This room is under the beginning stages of renovations by the determined Dr. Shannon O’Neill, Director of the Thea Bowman Women’s Center, who hopes to transform this dull, impracticable space into a “hip, edgy, and eco-friendly” lounge for Siena Students. The library and other study areas tend to be monotonous, and with O’Neill’s ambitions, this new lounge will take studying to a new comfort-level. The purposes of the renovations are to “incorporate care for creation with the use of eco-friendly design and respect for the individual with fairly traded furnishings.” In keeping with the Franciscan values, the hopes for this unusable space will be made usable, with care and environmentally safe materials.
O’Neill wants to ensure that students are studying in a safe environment, where they do not have to worry about what they are breathing in or sitting on. The sustainable materials, such as the flooring and furnishings, will be made with Marmoleum, an environmentally safe material that is also easy to clean. For the floors, an FSC wood will be used, which is from sustainable harvested forests and tree farms. The fabrics will be made completely from recycled materials, whenever feasibly possible. Also, the materials will be purchased locally. Accent Furniture, a local furniture store, has identified a New York company that follows environmental policies. Gunlocke Furniture Company in Wayland, New York produces furniture that keep to the environmental codes, such as reduced emissions, reduced water use, and recycling wood scrap for fuel. However, this is quite a challenge because the majority of eco-friendly material tends to be the most expensive.
Every aspect of this lounge has been thought out, from the floors to the wall decorations. A Siena alumnus has been working with O’Neill to create this new space. He has come up with logo prints to put on the walls that will emphasis the mission of the campus. These stenciled phrases will create a decorative mural, saying things such as “reverence for all creation,” “service with the poor and marginalized,” and “affirmation of the unique worth of each person.” These statements embody the Franciscan values and will be a decorative reminder to students.
Ultimately, the hopes for the student lounge will force students to look deeper into their moral dimensions and “pursue the common good.” This lounge will be an important part of campus for students, in its creativity, environmentally friendly materials, but more importantly it will offer a comfortable and quiet work space. In addition, the lounge will have wireless, along with tables and couches to enhance learning for groups or the individual. The project is in its beginning stages, but once all of the funding is received and the renovations begin, this lounge will be a highly utilized and convenient space for all students, not just those who live in Hennepin.