On Tuesday morning in Har-ris Hall, three students gave

presentations on different areas of feminism and what it means in our world as part of the annual Julia Reinstein Symposium. Every year, students give tribute to Julia Rein-stein, a local Elmira College alum and feminist, by having a Sympo-sium, and there are always student presentations.

The first of these presentations was given by Dana Lavergne ’16 on Trap Laws. Lavergne stood in front of the rather impressive crowd in Harris 10, and spoke about these laws, which are all about abortion. “Trap Laws have introduced a myriad of ways to dissuade women from seek-ing abortion” said Lavergne. She spoke

on how these laws have influenced the ease of abortion in order to make wom-en a little more hesitant about not see-ing their pregnancy through. Lavergne presented with confidence and had a captivated audience during her entire presentation, making us all think just a little bit harder on abortion.

The second speaker was Matt Hoyt ’17. His presentation focused on Ecofeminism and where the history of that topic has brought us today in feminism. Ecofeminism focuses a lot on how women started movements to help the environment, even coining the term “tree hugger”. According to Hoyt, the movement: “Allowed for women in Western and Non-Western communi-ties to advocate the protection of the environment to better their communi-ties”. These women that Hoyt spoke of were instrumental in furthering our feminist movements, while also saving the planet.

Alli Woodard ‘18 gave the third pre-sentation of the session. She brought in a different element, by focusing on gender influences with ADHD. The

mental health aspect combined with feminism brought in a whole new light to certain situations. Woodard had this to say: “Girls tend to be much less hy-peractive and impulsive, but rather are forgetful, ‘spacey’ and cluttered”. These traits are often misconstrued between genders, and it allows for misdiagno-sis frequently. “Twenty-five percent of women with ADHD are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed,” Woodard stated.

Overall, these three presentations went flawlessly, and it was a beautiful presentation to be at during a week of dedication to our own Alum feminist. Hope Levy ’16 had this to say: “I was impressed with how well the student research presentations went. Well in-vestigated, thorough, and thoughtful, the presentations made those attend-ing think more deeply about multiple intersectional issues in feminism”. All three students should be proud of their work, and should know that they touched many people in that room with their research.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Campus LifeGender-InclusiveGender-inclusive housing has come to EC!

Page 4

Volume 98 Issue 15

EntertainmentThe OscarsLeo finally got one!

Page 21

EntertainmentEC Buzz: StarbucksThe consequences of hav-ing a Starbucks on campus.

Page 20

OpinionFast FoodA student’s perspective on working in fast food.

Page 19

Reinstein Symposium: Students Give Presentations on Feminism

By Haley Brown ’17Campus Life Editor

Photo by Haley Brown ’17

Photo by Haley Brown ’17

Campus LifeMarch 7, 2016 Page 2

Reinstein Symposium: Students Discuss Feminism, Politics

Students perched on stools, benches and bean-bag chairs in the Elmira College Multicultural

Center on February 29, 2016, to discuss gender inequality in politics in the 21st Century. Alli Woodard ’18, President of Women and Gender Studies Club (WAGS), held a presentation shed-ding light on misrepresentation, inequality, and statistics of different aspects of gender inequal-ity’s effect on society.

“I think a lot of people don’t see gender in-equality up front, and it isn’t until you confront it in person that you can begin social change,” said Woodard.

After the presentation, which involved statis-tics and a video of sexism in the media, the seven attending students discussed their own observa-tions on sexism and discrimination in politics and the media.

When they were asked why we need more representation, students responded with frus-tration: specifically to the political climate in America and worldwide today.

“I know from my own experience from wanting to go into politics is that people tend to look down on me. Even if I do go into politics, I’ll either be seen as pretty or a ‘nut-cracker,’” said Woodard.

Those present also discussed ways to increase represen-tation of women in politics, including what is already in place and what could happen in the future.

“We have political organizations like Emily’s List, that tries to attract female candidates to run for congress and fund them to make up for some of the ways women have

been left out of making institutional connections,” said Dr. Martha Easton, professor of Sociology and one of the ad-visors for WAGS.

The “Discussion on Gender Inequality in Politics” kicked off the Reinstein Symposium, which held events ranging from student presentations, movie screenings, and a week-long tampon drive to assist disadvantaged individu-als in the Chemung County area.

“One arm is the political side of feminism, but the other is the cultural,” said Dr. Easton. “You can’t legislate sexism away.”

By Hope Levy ’16Contributing Writer

Photo by fogcityjournal.com

March 7, 2016 Page 3

March 7, 2016 Page 4

Gender Inclusive Housing Now Incorporated at EC

Have you ever wanted to live with someone who wasn’t your same

biological sex? If the answer to that question was “yes”, then Perry 2nd in the 2016-2017 year is the floor for you!

Elmira College has announced that they will be introducing a single floor for gender inclusive housing for next year. Dean of Student Life, Bran-don Dawson, announced this through email on Monday. He announced, “Elmira College is designating Perry Hall second floor as Gender Inclusive Housing option with gender neutral bathrooms. These bathrooms are open to all users, regardless of biological sex or gender identity”. In short, this new style of housing is going to be based on trust and mutual respect for privacy.

Students are (generally) over 18, which classifies them as adults, and they can make their own decisions.

Why should a college refuse a student the right to live with a person of a dif-ferent gender, if they are old enough to make these decisions? Well, Elmira just decided that it shouldn’t refuse that right.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors can all apply to this program, with-out being questioned of their reason-ing. Freshmen can also apply to live in this style of housing, but it must be reviewed through certain administra-tors before being accepted.

This change is due to the voice of the Elmira College community

speaking about what they want to see. Together, we can get the changes we need.

If you’d like to hear more on this issue, there will be two information sessions with Brandon Dawson and Erin Hunter on March 7th at 5:00 in MacKenzies and March 10th and 12:00 PM in MacKenzies. Both Bran-don Dawson and Erin Hunter are willing to set up private meetings as well to answer any questions.

Photo by dce.oregonstate.edu

By Haley Brown ’17Campus Life Editor

March 7, 2016 Page 5

Friday Night Review: Sustainable Dinner, Air Plants and AJ Smith

On Friday a sustainable themed dinner was

held from 5:00 to 8:00pm in the Dining Hall. The din-ner was free for all students. Close to 400 people were in attendance to the din-ner. Dining Services did an amazing job and had various dishes prepared. Pancakes,

beef root vegetable beer stew, chicken with Ries-ling and honey, and oven roasted potatoes were some of the entrees at the din-ner. For dessert there was mixed berry pie, apple crisp, and ice cream. Throughout the Dining Hall there were many different fruit flavored waters, such as cucumber melon, mixed berry, and peach mango. The ingredi-

ents used to make these de-licious dishes were from ar-eas within the state of New York.

Both Circle K and Envi-ronmental Club had a table at the dinner in the cen-ter of the Campus Center under the tents. Circle K asked students about their experiences with natural disasters. In addition, Cir-cle K gave students a little first-aid kit in the case of an emergency. Environmental Club provided information about the food that was pre-pared along with ways to be greener. In order to suc-cessfully give insight about the dishes being served, the club made information sheets to tell students and families about the environ-mental impacts of the meals that they were consuming. They provided this infor-mation based on the ingre-dients that were needed to make the dish. Environ-mental Club also put quiz-zes on the dinner tables and raffled off a chance to sponsor an animal through

the World Wildlife Founda-tion. Besides Circle K and Environmental Club having tables, local vendors such as Ithaca Hummus were in at-tendance.

Campus Activities Board had AJ Smith and his band play during the themed dinner. They start-ed at approximately 5:00pm and performed until about 7:30pm. They performed various types of music like pop-rock, covers, and some of AJ’s very own songs like his new song “Brooklyn Nights”. After the perfor-mance the band socialized and took photos with the au-dience. If you really enjoyed AJ’s performance, check him out here: http://www.aj-smithmusic.com/#welcome

A big appeal was the air plants that CAB also brought to the themed din-ner. Air plants are small glass containers that hold plant life that is fairly sim-ple to take care of. The company that supplied the

Photo by Haley Brown ’17

By Carissa Neary ’19Staff Writer

Photo by Haley Brown ’17 See FRIDAY Page 6

March 7, 2016 Page 6

Top EC Yaks

air plants had an as-sortment of con-tainers, sand, rocks, and mosses available to the students and their families to use. Additionally, seeds and soil were avail-able to the partici-pants at the dinner. Those in attendance were able to plant seeds and take them home to watch them grow. As the theme dinner ended, the air plants were relocated in MacKenzie’s. In MacKenzie’s the du-eling pianos played, airplants were made, and an ice cream bar was had.

CAB has come up with an additional way to get students to know about their events that are taking place on campus. Students can now get weekly remind-ers about CAB’s events by texting “CABFUN” to 76626. Once you text this number you will receive a weekly reminder at 2:20 ev-ery Wednesday about the

events CAB will be hold-ing for the week. CAB will also be having contests and raffles through this texting service. As a way to kick-off the text message event alerts, CAB gave away two gift certificates. The certifi-cates entitle the winners to a whole tray of pizza, two dozen wings, and a six pack of soda from MacKenzie’s. By signing up to receive the

CAB event reminders, you can be entered to win awe-some prizes like this.

This week’s CAB events are ThinkFast Interactive Game Show and the Glow Skate. The Game Show will feature a DJ host who will be running the trivia from top-ics like pop culture to book smarts. This event will be held on Wednesday at five in the dining hall. Secondly,

Glow Skate is similar to ice skating, but the surface is not real ice. There will be a DJ at Glow Skate also, and it will be taking place on March 12th at 8:30pm. This event will be off cam-pus at the Corning Nasser Civic Center Ice Rink. All students are encouraged to attend these events!

FridayFrom Page 5

Photo by Haley Brown ’17

March 7, 2016 Page 7

Chili's FundraiserMarch 10, 2016

11AM-11PM

Proceeds Benefit:Christian Fellowship

Honduras Missions Trip

Show the image on our Facebook page on yourphone or in print when you receive your check!

^Click Above^

March 7, 2016 Page 8

ECDM 2016 PRE-EVENT @ Tifft Lounge Tuesday, March 8th 5-7pm Come help us kick off Elmira College’s inaugural Dance Marathon event!

• Learn about what we do

• Register and be entered to win the raffle basket, filled with an assortment of ECDM goodies

• Enjoy food and games with your friends while supporting a noble cause

SCAN TO REGISTER

Interested in writing for the Octagon? Becoming a staff writer?

Contributing your thoughts on just one event or topic?

Interested in becoming an editor for one of our sections?

Contact octagon@elmira.edu for more information!

March 7, 2016 Page 9

Reinstein Symposium: The Genderational Gap: Keynote Speaker Denise King

“There is a part of me that is politi-cal to the core,” said Denise King, the

keynote speaker for Elmira College’s Annual Julia Reinstein Symposium.

King is a former member of the DNC, has assisted on political cam-paigns with Hillary Clinton, and has served as a member of the electoral college. She addressed over 50 indi-viduals present, ranging from faculty, students, and members of the college administration.

The topic of her speech, the gen-derational gap (a term created by King herself), addressed the varying per-spectives of female voters in America by generation and the distance left to go to shatter the political glass ceiling in society today.

“The glass ceiling metaphor has been around since the 1980’s, so your acknowledgement that it still exists is a perfect example of the absolutely glacial pace of change for women in politics,” said King.

While women are the majority of the population, there is a significant lack of representation in every level of politics. To have a voice in politics and legislation, there must be “critical

mass,” one third of the total number of any group, to have any influence in that group. As of now, only the Supreme Court has achieved critical mass in American government.

“Once you break the glass ceiling and you make it into the leadership, be careful of the shards of glass left behind. There is backlash that always occurs when women enter politics. You must anticipate the backlash, you prepare for the backlash, so you can make your breakthrough successful.”

By Hope Levy ’16Contributing Writer

Photo by Jan Kather

Reinstein Symposium: Student Activities Host Screening of “Suffragette”

On Tuesday, March 1, El-mira College Student

Activities held a screening of the film “Suffragette” to celebrate Women’s History Month. Advertised as an event for the Reinstein Sym-posium as well, the movie starred Carey Mulligan as a British working woman who, through the course of the film, began advocating and fighting for female voting rights in the early 20th century. Afterwards, those in attendance discussed the movie and how far equal rights still have to go.

“The idea of women being equal to men is still so new,” said Dr. Mar-tha Easton, professor of Sociology and the Director of the Women and Gender Studies program at Elmira College. “In 1965 they tried to stop the Civil Rights Act from passing by including women, thinking that no

one in their right minds to vote would give equality to women. It isn’t that long ago that the idea of women hav-ing equal rights in all parts of society was laughable.”

During the Reinstein Symposium, the theme was “breaking the glass ceiling” in politics and beyond. One such act was that of the British Suf-fragette movement, which massively influenced and radicalized the Ameri-can counterpart in the 1920’s. Wom-en were imprisoned, force-fed, and abused in America to the point where

the popular opinion turned their way.“There was no male allies

throughout the film at all,” said Matt Hoyt ’17, Senator of the Women and Gender Studies Club. “That could have had a huge effect on how quickly the right to vote would come. If you don’t have people who are benefit-ting from the privilege on your side it makes it that much harder for you to push your own agenda through.”

By Hope Levy ’16Contributing Writer

Photo by geekycheekyalwayssneaky.word-press.com

March 7, 2016 Page 10

March 7, 2016 Page 11

March 7, 2016 Page 12

Make-A-Friend:CAB Pillow Pets

For Siblings Weekend, Campus Activities

Board sponsored another event Saturday afternoon. At Saturday’s event families and students were able to Make-A-Friend. Addition-ally, Shrek was played. This event took place in Tifft Lounge at 2:00pm.

CAB ordered a lot of

supplies for everyone in attendance of Make-A-Friend. However, towards the end of the event the supplies ran low especially the stuffing. Tifft Lounge looked like a Build-A-Bear Workshop does. There was a bunch of smiling people and stuffing everywhere. Stu-dents and their guest would enter the lounge and pick the animal they wanted to make. The animals includ-

ed ladybugs, monkeys, tie-dyed bears, and camouflage ducks. After the animal was picked they were stuffed with tons of stuffing and, of course, lots of love. Stuffing the animals seemed to take the longest amount of time. Once the animal was stuffed, their new owners were capa-ble of filling out their birth certificate. The stuffed ani-mals were a big hit for stu-dents and their guests. One

student exclaimed, “This is the best thing EC brought.” Not many students stayed to watch Shrek after they made their friend. For those who did stay for the movie, hopefully there was not too much commotion in the background.

Approximately 250 people were in attendance to Saturday’s event. There was often a line of students waiting to Make-A-Friend. This line was normally ex-tended a little bit past the Student Life Suite. I think it is safe to say that due to the amount of student par-ticipation at this weekend’s CAB event there will be more events like this in the future. Although CAB had a major role in this event, so did Abby Waldron ’16. Abby was in charge and helped put together many of the programs and events that were included in Sib-lings Weekend, including this one. Thank you to all involved in hosting such a successful event!

Photos by Carissa Neary ’19

By Carissa Neary ’19Staff Writer

March 7, 2016 Page 13

Announcement:The office of the Title IX Coordinator has moved from McGraw 226 to McGraw 114.

There is no change in phone number.

Roaming ReporterQuestion: Why do you need feminism?

Emily Rosebush ’16: “I need feminism because I want my brain to be appreciated be-

fore anything else.”

Kendra Green ’19: “I believe we need feminism

because everyone is equal, wom-en should not be downgraded

because they are equal. Look at jobs nowadays, men still have higher pay than women. Femi-nism is need so women can be

equal. Completely equal. Here is an example, there is a single dad with a child, a single dad can live off a single income while a single mom has to get two jobs for their

child. Women do not have the same opportunities as men.”

Emily Daigneault ’17: “I need feminism because when-

ever I tell someone I’m single, they give me a sad look with a

reassuring ‘You’ll find someone!’ despite the fact that I enjoy be-ing single and don’t need nor

want to date. Let a girl live her

life in peace.”

Autumn Surratt ’19: “I want an equal paycheck to

men. And a social impact mainly because the field I plan to enter. In police agencies many women

are still looked down upon.”

Sarah Adriance ’16: “ I need feminism because gender roles and stereotyping is oppres-

sive and harmful to everyone. Also very boring.”

Kelly Thomas ’17: “I need feminism because women shouldn’t automatically get paid less even though doing the same

work because of their gender, women should not have to

convince police/courts that they were raped and a crime happened

when for any other crime the perp is automatically assumed guilty, and most importantly

because women deserve the same damn rights on a large and small scale as men. Oh and newsflash,

feminism is for and helps men too. So without it, we have a toxic, oppressive society that

doesn’t help anyone.”

Rachel Schwartzbard ’18: “I need feminism because I

shouldn’t have to be afraid to walk somewhere alone.”

Matt Hoyt ’17: “Because some people on this

campus think the introduction of a gender neutral housing floor next year is scarier than the fact that there is a Title IX investiga-

tion on campus.”

Seth Clark ’16: “Because sexual-bias and pay-ment inequality shouldn’t be a

characteristic of modern Ameri-ca.”

Liz Roosa ’16: “Because Donald Trump exists.”

March 7, 2016 Page 14

Photo by bustle.com

See Roaming Reporter Page 15

March 7, 2016 Page 15

Dana Flanders ’16: “Because I don’t want to be the only woman working in the lab

at my future job.”

Alli Woodard ’18: “I need feminism because

women make up 50.8% of the U.S. population but only 20% of

Congress.”

Hope Levy ’16: “I need feminism like I need air. I need feminism because if femi-nism isn’t an active part of my

life, I’ll never be able to thrive.”

Alum answer:Derek LaBarron ’14:

“I need feminism because young guys who participate in show

choir, band, and theater should not be considered less ‘manly.’”

Roaming ReporterFrom Page 14

Overheard at EC

“I just don’t feel like talking about

Nazis for an hour and a half! Nor-

mally, I would! But not today!”

“Is he handsome?”“Eh.”

“Oh… but he’s cute, like a little Irish boy!”“You can have your

wife. You can also have your hand-

cuffs.”“That must be very

confusing for a cop.”

“Your butt, it’s not

staying in!”

“It wants to be

free!”

“Do you wan-

na carpool on

Saturday?”

“Carb load?”

“Carpool. My

life is a carb load.”

“I’m going to buy myself an engagement ring.”

“Sorry, I was reading about diarrhea while you were singing.”

“I like it because he eats water the whole

time.”

“I’m looking at his Insta-gram and it’s all freaking mac ‘n’ cheese and dogs!”

“I can look at poop or I can

smell poop. But I cannot

look at it and smell it at the

same time!”

“Kids are basically drunk

midgets.”

“I got makeup for my

birthday. You gotta smell

it.”“Ohhh! We’re like sushi! You’re the rice

and I’m the fish!”

“Look! Lucky Charms and bread - my two favorite foods!”

“I think I should major in professional breast caressing.

Don’t you think I’d be good at that?”

“Sorry, I was just

ovulating over the color.”

“Wrong word.”

“I have a scar shaped like a turtle. At least I

used to…”

“I am very dedicated to coffee.”

“I don’t want it in the library. I want it in my

bed.”

“‘Beefos’ sounds

like it should

be another one

of those logos,

ethos, pathos

things.”

“All four of us are

here?!?! Now

we can wear

the Power

Ranger suits

I bought!”“Salt is one of the basic

food groups.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes it is. Fruit, veggies,

grains, salt.”

“She thinks I go around licking people! It’s upsetting! I’m shutting the door and I’m not coming out.”

“Sure you are.”“I am! Wait . . . I have to brush my teeth.”

World NewsMarch 7, 2016 Page 16

Just over a year ago, the world was shaken by yet another act of terrorism. This time, it was on French soil, and a direct

attack on free speech. Of course, this event, along with the horrendous attacks this past November, have sparked specific changes in the country. Something as simple as entering a store has been changed for the people of France. Shops with security guards check your bag while entering rather than exiting; they fear what you may bring in more than what you might leave with. Moreover, heavily armed soldiers are stationed at most places of worships and monuments. Along

with the numerous new security measures implicated by the government and the people of France, around the world, we see the attack’s effects on free speech.

Journalist from all over declared “liberty assassinated” through the shooting. The twitter hashtag #JesuisCharlie pop up as a show of solidarity and support for the right to free speech. Some, like Amos Biderman, a cartoonist for Is-rael’s Haaretz newspaper, took a more pessimistic approach to the state of free expression. He declared, “The bad guys have won – those guys from the Islamic Jihad, al-Qaida, the Islamic State, whatever you want to call them. They’ve beaten us big time in the battle for freedom of expression. Now there is no cartoonist or publisher who would dare start

up with them. They’re all trembling in fear.” Oth-ers, like historian Simon Schama of the Financial Times, proclaimed that fear shall not dictate media. “Though the self-righteous have killed the satirists, they will never annihilate satire itself … From now on, Charlie Hebdo will be the rallying point for all those who cherish life and laughter over the death-cult of sanctimonious gloom.” The targeting of a magazine that made, what some would consider, sacrilegious comments, called into question the fu-ture of uncensorship expression.

A year later, many French journalists are not backing down. Charlie Hebdo has made sure not to cease with its satirical comments regarding Islam. Others have avoided the topic for fear of retribu-tion. These attacks are aimed at sparking that exact fear. Murdering those who speak out will not mur-der the ideas and opinions they carried. Inherently, I believe most individuals will hold out in support of their fellow human beings. Nevertheless, it is when we let that fear take root and prevent us from our right to expression that we kill those opinions and ideals.

A Year After #JeSuisCharlie

By Laura Butts ’18Staff Writer

Photos by MSNBC

March 7, 2016 Page 17

Monarch Butterflies Migrate to Mexico in Great Numbers

This past winter, there was a notable increase in the number of mon-

arch butterflies migrating to Mexico. This large migration is a fascinating vi-sual spectacle, and a great sign of hope. The monarch butterflies migrate 3,400 miles from the U.S. and Canada to the mountains west of Mexico City. Many have appeared this winter after a great decline. In fact there were three and a half times the amount of butterflies counted over last year. The monarch butterflies stick to the great pines that occupy the mountain and are counted by the area they fill rather than the indi-vidual butterfly. This winter the butter-flies covered 10 acres compared to 2.8 acres in 2014 and 1.66 acres in 2013. But the monarch populations have not fully recovered; twenty years ago monarchs once covered 44 acres of land. Omar

Vidal, director of World Wildlife Fund in Mexico, warns we should not let our guard down. Canada, the U.S. and Mex-ico need to improve their conservation efforts to preserve the monarchs. The U.S. has already started; the nation has planted copious amounts of milkweed,

a source of nutrition for the butterflies and the laying ground for their eggs. The U.S. has restored 250,000 acres of milkweed along the butterflies’ migra-tion path and have raised 20 million dollars for the program.

By Rachel Leben ’19Staff Writer

Photo by National Geographic

Iran Plans to Elect More Women into Parliament

In the Iranian parliament, a breaking record of twenty wom-en will be elected, filling twenty seats out of the 290-seat

legislation. This 290-seat legislation is called Majlis. The fifth parliament in Iran (1947) made the first record of women join-ing the parliament, this record was made up of fourteen wom-en. Currently there are nine women holding seats in the Majlis. These women are conservationists, and hold similar views to that of the men leading the country. They believe that women need to care for their men and stay home. However, many of the twenty women being elected are reformists who aspire to see change come to the Iranian government. In fact, eight of the twenty women were on a reformist-backed list of thirty candidates in the Tehran constituency. This list is known as the “List of Hope”. Although women in Iran can vote and drive there are stills laws restraining them from certain civil rights. For example, women must wear a hijab in all public places, and in court their testimony is considered to be worth only half a man’s testimony. All that we can do now is wait and see what changes might be brought about in the nation as a results of so many seats being filled by women.

Upcoming Change in Iranian Government based off Latest

Parliamentary Election

The first parliamentary vote since the nuclear plant deal occurred in Iran on February 26th 2016. With fortunate

news, reformists were elected by the people of Iran. These re-formists were allies to the President Hassan Rouhani, also a reformist, and were on his “list of hope”. Thirty seats are to be taken in the parliament by reformists. These reformists want change, better international relations and more civil freedom for the people of Iran. Mr. Rouhani stated that the election gave the government more credibility and clout. He also said that the economy of Iran will be focused on domestic abilities and international authorities. Officials say the economy should im-prove in Iran because sanctions have lifted and western inves-tors are returning to Iran, thus creating more jobs for young people. During the election the voter turnout was increased by more than 60% from previous elections. Officials reported hav-ing to extend voting up to three times on Friday because of the amount of people. There were an estimated 54.9 million eligible voters, with more than 6,200 candidates approved to stand, 450 which were women.

By Rachel Leben ’19Staff Writer By Rachel Leben ’19

Staff Writer

Photo by cfr.orgPhoto by BBC

It happened one night while working at the job I’ve had for three years: Dunkin’ Donuts. I was cleaning the lobby, as part

of my duties before leaving for the night, when I decided to tell a co-worker of mine something over the headset. In my usual energetic, funny way of talking, I exclaimed, “Yo, Lilly!” and proceeded to tell Lilly whatever I wanted to tell her. That’s when I heard it, the man in the lobby telling his preteen daugh-ter, “That’s why you’re going to college.” It was subtle and qui-et, so most likely he didn’t think I heard him. But I did.

At first, I thought it was funny. Here this man was, using me as an example, like a “What Not to Wear” episode for a ca-

reer path, except that I am exactly what he wants his daughter to be. I go to college full time (on full-tuition scholarship), get Dean’s List every term, work two part-time jobs, and am in-volved in extracurriculars. It was irony in its purest form, and I actually found myself smiling about this tiny joke that only I knew.

But then I thought about it more, and realized that what this man said wasn’t funny. He was judging me for working at a fast food place and for talking in a casual manner. Not only this, but he was passing along his hatred to his daughter by telling her that it is wrong to work in fast food. This is not the case, and his opinion about this is one of the main issues we have in society today - looking down upon those working minimum wage jobs.

Minimum wage workers are not lesser than anyone else. Some of my best friends are ones that I met from working at Dunkin’ Donuts. I have met some incredible, kind, loyal, intelligent, friendly, and respectful people at my job. I have met high school dropouts, people with college degrees, people in col-lege, people with a high school diploma. I have met a father of many kids, a young mother of a toddler, a woman with three young boys, expectant moth-ers, and mothers who have lost children. I have seen compassion, honesty, and integrity flow from the hearts of people that get scoffed at for trying to make a living. I’ve seen my share of bad stuff, too, but even I’ve had a bad day every now and then. Not all of the people that work in fast food are lazy slackers unwilling to advance their lives. Most of them are good people, trying to make an honest living to get better lives for themselves and their children. They have had rough pasts, they have seen troubled times, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to have good lives.

Yet society judges them. Instead of encourag-ing them to continue down the path of working and

OpinionMarch 7, 2016 Page 18

I Am Not Less For Working in Fast Food, and Neither is Anyone Else

By Emily Daigneault ’17Opinion Editor

Photo by ohio.com

Photo by read-online-books.xyz See FAST FOOD Page 19

March 7, 2016 Page 19

earning a living, society tells them that they are lesser people for working such a “degrading” job. Instead of congratu-lating them on their ability to find work in such a tough economy, they question them on their ability to plan for the fu-ture. Instead of helping them when 40+ hours a week does not meet minimum re-quirements of living, they tell them they are unworthy to receive a decent, living wage. These are the thoughts that are

making it more difficult to work in fast food without being fearful of judgement from peers and strangers.

There will always be doctors. There will always be lawyers. There will always be garbagemen, teachers, dry cleaners, and manicurists. And there will always be fast food workers. It doesn’t mat-ter whether the job is being filled by a high school student, a college student, a 40-year-old mom, or a 20-year-old per-

son who didn’t finish high school. The job needs to be filled, and people are fill-ing them. This does not comment on their intelligence or work ethic, but only on their ability to find work and keep a job that pays. Society needs to stop judg-ing minimum wage workers and start questioning why it’s so easy for them to do so.

Fast FoodFrom Page 18

I’m Sorry I’m Never on Facebook...

Dear friends, herein lies my sincerest apolo-

gizes for never being on Facebook. (But you have my number so, you could have just texted me.)

This is not a post to shame constant Facebook users, but an apology and explanation that I don’t get the appeal of Facebook. I guess I should apologize to Facebook, too. Sorry, Face-book, I don’t really like you. I’m terribly sorry that was so blunt.

All dramatics aside, I honestly don’t get why Face-book is so popular. I mean, I’m all about Pinterest, so I’m not scoffing at you, my Facebook-addicted friends. However, while you are on

Facebook 24/7, I’m not even on it once a week. (I can just envision all of you gasp-ing in horror. Go on, get all the fear out of your system. Imagine it - no Facebook for over a week, sometimes even two, at a time.)

Embarrassing as it is to confess, I usually forget I actually have a Facebook. In fact, my roommate (who sadly transferred) didn’t even have one, so really you should be proud of me. Anyway, I got it the sum-mer before I left for college to keep in touch with all of my friends. So, if I do go on it, it’s probably because I re-ceived an email telling me I have a billion messages from people. Or my friend texted me asking why I haven’t re-sponded to her. People often ask me if I’ve seen their post.

Uh… no. Nothing personal. I am just never on Facebook.

I don’t have a profile picture or post things to my timeline. Yes, don’t wor-ry, both Facebook and my friends constantly remind me of the fact. I just don’t see the point in spending time posting what I am eat-ing for lunch when I could be eating my food in peace. Also, what friend of mine honestly cares about what I am doing? If I felt like you ought to know, I would tell you in person. Stories are far more exciting that way.

People have tried time and again to explain Face-book to me and why it’s so fantastic. (I swear my aunt goes on Facebook more than she goes to work. Sorry, Aunt!) I just get tired of people telling me how much

I should enjoy it or how I should be on it more. I’m afraid I don’t care what you had for lunch as long as it didn’t give you food poison-ing. I think it’s great and cool that you went to that concert, but I already knew that you did because you told me last time we were talking. I’m not someone who only communicates by phone calls on my landline, but maybe some of you, my friends, ought to try getting off Facebook and talking to your friends another way. At the very least, you’ll see a different picture than their profile picture.

Thanks for reading! En-joy Facebook! (Or be like me and forget you have it... oops...)

By Victoria McGraw ’19Staff Writer

Photo by medicaldaily.com

EntertainmentMarch 7, 2016 Page 20

EC Buzz: 6 Consequences of Having a Starbucks at School

1. Your meal card is cryingLast year was a struggle to keep money on your meal card long enough to survive finals week. This term? You’re struggling to keep money

on your meal card long enough to survive mid-terms… All of those delicious Frappuccinos,

Refreshers, and teas are too wonderfully caffeine-filled to avoid. You may want to start thinking

of laying off, just long enough for your card to be replenished at least.

2. You’re becoming addict-ed to caffeine

That caffeine high is fabulous...for the first hour. We, as college students, live on caffeine (at least most of us) and going without really isn’t an op-tion, but with Starbucks literally a short walk

away, the caffeine dependence is 3 times as bad. Especially since all of the drinks taste so good!

3. You have to go to the gym a lot more often

Because all of those lovely Starbucks workers conveniently putting as much sugar in your

drink as you want, it’s so much easier to have a super sugared drink! Plus the drinks are fairly sugary to begin with, so adding that extra extra into your coffee may be less necessary. And don’t even start on the yummy pastries and food that

are staring at you while you wait in line. Way too tempting and sugar loaded to resist (that may

just be my sweet tooth talking)!

4. You have to plan your coffee schedule around the

rushBecause Starbucks is delicious and a real thing, lines can become incredibly inconvenient. We’ve all become very good at knowing when everyone

and their brother will decide they want a cof-fee, but there’s really no avoiding a wait time in our fancy, new coffee shop. It’s worth the wait,

though! You can’t go wrong with the shaken iced green tea and lemonade. Totally worth standing

around for a few extra minutes!

5. You’ve discovered unique ways

to spell your nameEver since kindergar-ten, you’ve

been great at spelling your name the way your parents

spelled it. All of a sud-den, you’ve found that

By Alyssa Wilson ’17Entertainment Editor

Photo by thrillist.com

See STARBUCKS Page 21

Photo by Christine Powers ’17

Leonardo DiCaprio! It finally goes to Leo! And it is about time

too! Everyone has been waiting less than patiently for years for Leo to fi-nally win an Oscar. It happened at the 88th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock, for the films of 2015. He was recognized as the best actor for the film The Revenant, a movie about a man who was betrayed and left to die in the wilderness after a brutal bear attack. He had to use his survival skills to live and make his way home.

DiCaprio has a long history of nominations and disappointments when it comes to the Academy Awards. He has been nominated for a total of five Oscars and won for

the first time this year. It has been long standing joke that, once the man finally won an Oscar, that this is the event that will break the In-ternet. His speech encompassed his thanks, the struggle involved with filming The Revenant, and aware-ness to global issues.

Although we are excited that Leo finally won the Oscar (myself in-cluded), let us not forget the awards that he has won in the past. He has been nominated for various awards for a total of 192 nominations and 78 award wins, which include three Golden Globes. He is an amazing actor who has put blood, sweat, and tears into his work (literally) and it finally paid off.

Here are the other winners from the 88th Academy Awards:

Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson (Room)

Actor in a Supporting Role: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Actress in a Supporting Role: Ali-cia Vikander (The Danish Girl)Animated Feature Film: Inside

Out (Peter Docter and Jonas Rivera)Cinematography: The Revenant

(Emmanuel Lubezki)Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury

Road (Jenny Beavan)Directing: The Revenant (Alejan-

dro G. Iñárritu)Documentary (Feature): Amy

(Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees)Documentary (Short Subject): A

Girl in the River: The Price of For-

March 7, 2016 Page 21

nobody else spells your name the way you always thought it was spelled. But hey, who doesn’t

want to have a new identity for the day! If I get to be “Alisa” or “Allysa”, I’m going to embrace that! At least you’re not “the guy in the blue

shirt”.

6. You can say, “I’ll get

the usual” and they know what you want

The beauty of being in a small school and poten-tially visiting Starbucks too often is that you can

use way fewer words to order than you would normally have to. You know you’ve definitely

been in too often when you don’t even have to say a word. If this is the case, please refer to number

1.

StarbucksFrom Page 20

The Oscars: And the Award for Best Actor Goes To...

By Nicole Derosia ’17Staff Writer

See OSCARS Page 22

Photo by wheretowatch.com

March 7, 2016 Page 22

OscarsFrom Page 21

giveness (Sarmeen Obaid-Chinoy)Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury

Road (Margaret Sixel)Foreign Language Film: Son of

Saul (Hungary; Directed by László Nemes)

Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road (Lesley Vander-walt, Elka Wardega and Damian

Martin)Music (Original Score): The Hate-

ful Eight (Ennio Morricone)Music (Original Song): "Writing on the Wall" from Spectre (Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Napes and

Sam SmithProduction Design: Mad Max:

Fury Road (Colin Gibson (Produc-tion Design); Lisa Thompson (Set

Decoration))Short Film (Animation): Bear Sto-ry (Gabrial Osorio an Pato Escala)Short Film (Live Action): Stut-

terer (Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage)

Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury

Road (Mark Mangini and David White)

Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road (Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff,

and Ben Osmo)Visual Effects: Ex Machina (An-

drew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

The Big Short (Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McK-

ay)Writing (Original Screenplay):

Spotlight (Written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy)

Movie Review: The Intern Melts Hearts

Elderly people are often seen as a wise commu-

nity, offering their wisdom and experience to all people younger than them. Well, that ideal is exactly what was captured by the movie The Intern, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. During this movie, Anne Hathaway strays from her typical “sweet, innocent girl” roles that she has had oh-so-often. That isn’t to say she hasn’t had some totally killer girl-power roles as well, but not nearly as often. In this, she portrays a woman who is the creator of a super-successful company online, and her company wants to replace her.

Meanwhile, there is a program that was institut-ed without her knowledge, called the Senior Intern Pro-gram. No, not seniors in high school or college, but rather senior citizens. This brilliant program was installed in the

hopes of bringing the wis-dom and experience of the old-school senior citizens into a heavily technology based office.

Obviously, since this is a movie, this is the best thing to happen to Anne Hatha-way’s character, Jules - espe-cially when Robert De Niro’s character, Ben, is assigned to be her personal intern. Jules is profoundly resistant to Ben because of his keen

observations and quiet “fly on the wall” demeanor that seems to unnerve her state of being.

This movie works in ways that touched my heart-strings (you know, the literal ones that break if you don’t take care of yourself). I will forever rave about this movie in its entirety, because elder-ly people are not respected enough. It made me reflect on my two grandmothers

and my late grandfather, and just how involved they are in the world. We need to accept their wisdom and their expe-rience.

Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro played per-fectly together, and it was a wonderful movie to watch the first time, and I can’t wait for the second time.

By Haley Brown ’17Campus Life Editor

Photo by beliefnet.com

Photo by ew.com

SportsMarch 7, 2016 Page 23

The Elmira College number 11 nationally

ranked men’s volleyball team hosted number seven ranked Stevenson Univer-sity and SUNY Poly on February 27th to sweep the weekend with a perfect 4-0 and extending their streak to eight consecutive match-es.

The first match was a matter of redemption for the purple and gold as they looked to avenge a loss against Stevenson. The Mustangs started the first set strong but the Soaring Eagles quickly climbed back collecting a 19-14 lead. A kill from Andrew Johnson ‘16 helped Elmira keep the advantage and Ryan Mc-Donough ‘18 chipped in with the serve taking the opening set 25-19.

Elmira started strong in the second set, with an early 8-4 advantage. Carlos Faccio ‘16 made an impact on the serve with three aces during a 6-0 run. Defen-sively Elmira was looking good with a huge solo block from Erik Griffin ‘16. Ste-

venson eventually closed the gap and tied the game at 22-all but Griffin landed a kill to break the deadlock. The Mustangs continued to respond but the Soar-ing Eagles refused to back down and held on to take the second set 26-24.

Stevenson pushed hard during the third set, trying to extend the match. They held a 13-10 lead midway through the set but Elmira got back into it with Mc-Donough’s serve. He took four straight points to put Elmira back on top. The teams traded points to an eventual tie of 22-22 when Stevenson managed to put together a three point run to force a fourth set.

The Mustangs jumped into an early lead fuelled by the defence to take the fourth set 25-18 to extend the match to a fifth set. Both teams battled hard for each point in the final set and although it looked as if Stevenson was going to pull off the comeback the Soar-ing Eagles came through winning 15-12 for the set and taking the match 3-2.

Coming into the second

match of the day Elmira appeared to be a bit weary, trailing for much of the first set but battling back to level the score with strong defence and serving from Jeremy Best ‘19. An ace from him tied the score at 22-all and a couple of kills saw the Soaring Eagles come out with a first set win of 25-23.

Once again the Wildcats came out strong with Elmi-ra scrambling to catch up. However, Elmira got back into things with strong de-fence at the net and hitting from Dan Symer ‘19. He tallied three kills as Elmi-ra took a 13-12 lead at the midway point of the frame. Elmira continued to put in the work and took the set 25-21.

The Soaring Eagles came out strong in the third set with a 7-0 run led by Joe Hewes ‘19 on the serve to take an early 13-10 advan-tage. Elmira kept it up to take the third set 25-19 and win their fourth match of the weekend for the sweep.

Head Coach Stephen England spoke about the team’s recent success. “The

last two weeks have been quite the ride. Obviously, getting things going with our California trip and then coming back here and play-ing well, we seem to be hit-ting our stride. I’m really pleased with the guys’ per-formance.” He also spoke specifically on the victory over Stevenson. “I’m really proud of the guys for per-severing through a tough five-set match against an extremely tough Stevenson team. It felt good to get one back on them from earlier this season. We started off serving really strong, did well getting in two-pass situations, and played really good defence in the first two sets. That third set we kind of got away from our game and they took advan-tage, getting their tough serve going, which let them back in it. We made a tacti-cal change in the fifth set to get Erik Griffin serving in the backcourt first, getting him off their block kind of neutralized him in that fourth set. Changing up those match ups I thought helped get him going in the fifth.”

By Liz Roosa ’16Sports Editor

Men’s Volleyball Gets the Weekend SweepPhoto by the Depart-ment of Athletics

March 7, 2016 Page 24

Shinkaruk Signs with Steelheads

Only two days after finishing a suc-cessful career with the Elmira College men’s hockey team Carter Shinkaruk ‘16 played in his first professional game with the Idaho Steel-heads of the ECHL. Shinkaruk signed a Professional Try Out (PTO) contract with the team that sits in first place in the Western Division of the ECHL Western Conference. He has already appeared in two con-

tests and recorded 2 shots as well as at least 1 block.

By Liz Roosa ’16Sports Editor

NHL Report: Current Playoff Picture

Although the playoffs for the NHL are still a ways off close attention is being paid around the league for who

will be making it to the 2016 postseason. It’s a close race but here are the current playoff projections as of midday March 2nd.

Starting with the Western Conference’s Central Division reigning Stanley Cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks sit in first in the division. They have 83 points and a 39-20-5 record. They don’t have a large margin in terms of points however as both the second and third teams in the division also have 83 points. Currently in second is the Dallas Stars with a 38-20-7 record followed by the St. Louis Blues in third with a 37-20-9 record.

In the Pacific Division the LA Kings sit on top with 78

points and a 37-21-4 record. The Anaheim Ducks currently sit in second with 76 points and a 34-19-8 record. The San Jose Sharks round out the top three with 74 points and a record of 34-22-6.

The two cur-rent wild cards for the Western Confer-ence are the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild. The Predators currently have 75 points with a 32-21-11 record. The Wild have 68 points and a record of 29-25-10.

The Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division is led by the Florida Panthers with 80 points and a 36-19-8 record. Tam-pa Bay Lightning holds the second spot with 78 points and a 37-22-4 record. The Boston Bruins sit in third place with 76 points on a 35-23-6 record.

The Metropolitan Division is led by the current League leader, the Washington Capitals. The team has 96 points courtesy of a 46-12-4 record. Sitting in second is the New York Rangers with 80 points and a 37-20-6 record. Third place currently belongs to the New York Islanders with 75 points and a 34-20-7 record.

The two wild card teams for the Eastern Conference are the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Red Wings have 75 points and a 32-20-11 record while the Penguins have 72 points with a 32-22-8 record.

That’s the latest standings for the NHL. Check back next week for updated standings, points, and records.

By Liz Roosa ’16Sports Editor

Photo by the Department of Athletics

Photo by playbuzz.com