Homecoming Coronation a Failed Event

Homecoming Coronation a Failed Event

By. Elias Taveras

The Homecoming Coronation pageant ceremony is usually one of the most anticipated events by students but this year’s ceremony failed to impress its crowd.

Chanil Mejia, a sophomore social work major of Buffalo State College from the Bronx, said that she was very excited for this event because this particular campus never has any fun activities.

King and Queen of Homecoming 2012

“Expecting to see a lot of different things because I usually see the same thing out of all the other organizations,” said Mejia. “So today I expect to see something out of the ordinary. We do not have any big events therefore, my expectations are high.”

Sitting close by to me, Mejia later said that the event did not meet her expectations
because she did not see the point. It was too long after the talent competition which was the only thing that was good.

The annual Homecoming Coronation was one event that was part of a chain of events that made up Homecoming week. In this showing, any Buffalo State upper classman was allowed to compete for the honorable title of Homecoming king and queen.

The two winners of the pageant king and queen received $450 of book deferment money in the schools Barnes and Noble. The winners were also given the chance to be featured in the homecoming parade that took place the weekend after their coronation.

The homecoming coronation consisted of three different stages of competition.

Contestants had to past through a talent competition where they had to demonstrate a unique talent. There was a question and answering portions where judges measured the competitor’s public speaking skills. And finally, a jeopardy portion where student’s knowledge of Buffalo State College was tested.

Margarita Castillo, another spectator and junior history major from the Bronx said that the event seemed fun and exciting at first but then it dragged on.

“Do not get me wrong the talent portion of the show was very good, it had some really fun talent,” Castillo said. “For me, where the event went wrong was when they decided to have eight competitors all have individual scenes that made the show super long.”

Romario Gibson, a sophomore Biology major from Queens and contestant said that in other schools like Howard University homecoming king and queen coronation is an anticipated event.

“To tell you the truth I did not really know that Buffalo State had this event until this semester,” said Gibson. “I only joined the pageant to gain experience that I am going to need in making my own pageant for my own organization; The Caribbean Student Organization.”

Gibson then said that the auditorium did not look as full as he thought it was going to look. The performing art center at Rockwell Hall looked almost half empty.  

Andrea Wright, one of the judges of the competition and senior fashion merchandising student from the Bronx, said that she expected the winner to be well rounded.

“I expect them to have good public speaking, I expect them to be enthusiastic, I expect them to have positive attitude, and I expect their talent to be unique,” said Wright. “The winner must be a role model for the Buffalo State College community.”

Wright said that the homecoming Coronation is an event aimed to find someone with enough school spirit to bring the BSC community together. However, according to the student’s replies this segment failed to achieve that.

Fun Learning, Alcohol Awareness Week

Fun Learning, Alcohol Awareness Week

By. Elias Taveras

The United Student Government in honor of Alcohol Awareness Week, manage to create an interactive and educational program about alcohol abuse.

The event called ‘Arrive Alive Tour CarSimulator’ was at the Union Quad in the middle of the student union and E. H. Butler Library. The event was on Thursday between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

When walking into the event, students found tables set up in lines. At the end of the line rested the main attraction, the car simulator. Every table and the car simulator were set as an individual station. Each provided students with different factual information and interactive activities.

The main attraction of the event was at the end of the tables. The driving under the influence simulator consist of a car that student got in to. It gave them a similar experience to that of drunk driving.

The DUI simulator is connected to the computer. When a person is drunk the signals from the brain to their head are slower. The computer simulates these late reactions as if the person was drunk, said Mitchel Vierhage, a representative of Unite International from Wyoming, Michigan.

“I am hoping that everyone that comes through would think twice before drinking and driving and texting and driving because we are trying to help you guys out. We do not want you to die so young,” said Vierhage.

When students got into the DIU simulator. They put their seat belts on and wore a helmet that covered their eyes. What students saw through the helmet was an obstacle course. Since the computer simulated a drunken person’s late reactions, students were most likely to crash.

Effectively, demonstrating how a person feels when driving under the influence.

The table before that had university police officers. They had special goggles that were called beer goggles. Kenneth Kloss, a UPD officer from Angola, described the goggles to be designed to show an impediment level of alcohol. Kloss said that the goggles mimic how an individual’s vision is when drunk.

“We are not trying to scare anyone we are just trying to let everybody see how is it to be drunk,” said Kloss. “Some people have never drank before so this is our way of telling them how they are going to feel.”

Students tried the goggles on and were told by the officer to walk in a straight line. Their feet had to go one in front of the other as if they were being tested by a real police officer. 

The goggles made it difficult to perform such a task because the vision through them made the person feel dizzy.

Students were able to learn from a spinning wheel at the Weigel Health Promotions table. It had factual, innovating, and miscellaneous information about alcohol abuse.

Dixie Hunter, a senior social work student, from Buffalo and intern at Weigel Health Promotions office said that she found it alarming to see that students do not know what they are consuming.

“Most students do not know how much alcohol they are consuming. They do not know what a shot really is or what a beer can is. They might be taking double shots or triple shots and be unaware of it,” said Hunter.

Many of the organizers of the event said that they wanted students to be careful and aware of what they drink.

“Some of the things that we want people to be aware of is that you can be mindful of what you drink and what other people are putting in your drink,” said Hunter.

The first table on the far right had representatives from the Violence Intervention and Victim Advocacy of Buffalo State College. Lindley Beardsley, a VIVA representative from Buffalo said that they were there to help.

“In a situation of domestic violence due to alcohol abuse, there are resources on campus that you can go to,” said Beardsley. “If not provided on campus there are drug treatment places that you can be referred to, ‘you are not alone is what we are trying to get out’.”

Designated Drivers of Buffalo were also there to inform students that they do not have to drive intoxicated. Ellen Page, a representative of Designated Drivers explained that there is no reason for students to drive when drunk.

“If a person is too drunk to drive or has a medical emergency we would pick them up between the hours of 8 pm and 4 am,” said Page. 

 

There is Support in all Directions

There is Support in all Directions
By. Elias Taveras

Buffalo State College's homosexual and allied students hosted the 'Coming out Week: OUT & ALLY photo project,' in order to acknowledge individuals that have came out and to assured them that they live in a save and accepting campus.

The event was hosted on Friday from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm, in celebration of the National Coming Out Week.

In the event students and staff alike came in to the first floor of Bulger Communications to sign a pledge card. The voluntary pledge card encouraged people to never word a gay slur to other students on campus.

Then, individuals proceeded to take a photo holding a sign with the words ally or out on it. The pledge cards were going to be posted on the Pride Alliance office and the photos were to be posted on their Facebook page.

The event had hundreds of visitors and was described a success by Shakora Purks, president of Pride Alliance, and a junior theatre arts major from Buffalo.

“The event was a success, celebrating coming out week and acknowledging every individual that has already came out. As well as celebrating the presence of the allies that help people from the LGBT community,” said Purks.

The event also featured coming out stories from members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and  transgender community to encourage and help people that have yet to come out.

“You have to do it sometime,” said Purks, giving advice to individuals that are still in the closet.

Chantel Wells, a junior public relations student, from the Bronx, and part of Pride Alliance, said that with the pledge card and people like her, the campus is safe from gay discrimination.

“Signing the anti-gay slur-card, will help get the word out that ‘you know we are not going to take this anymore,’” Wells said, “If I see someone being call names I will called them out and then I will contact one of the officials at Pride Alliance.”

The vice president of Pride Alliance, Kiya Simmons, a Sophomore psychology student from Buffalo, said that so far she is happy with the support of the allies of the LGBT community.

“Allies are people that are not part of the LGBT community, so they are not gay, lesbians, bisexual, or transgender. However, they support and accept our community,” said Simmons.

Simmons, later said the event showed that members of the LGBT do not only have friends inside their community.