Tagged as “Features”

It’s the end of my first week of classes at Ithaca College, and I’m sitting in the Park Hall Auditorium as an unsure but hopeful freshman intrigued by the romance of newspaper journalism. And to be honest, I didn’t have an answer as to why. Like so many first-year journalism majors, in high school I had been told my writing was...

You may think that getting good grades is the only key to a successful college career. But it’s not. I’ve learned that getting involved is more important and valuable than just making high marks.

Like every college student, I wanted college to be a learning experience that would prepare me for “the real world.” As...

As a high school student, I knew I wanted to study something in college that combined my passions for sports, health, and caring for others, so the idea of studying athletic training really intrigued me. After completing exhaustive research on athletic training programs on the east coast, Ithaca’s program stood out from all the rest. One of the...

Keen focus, intense concentration -- Janice Levy, associate professor of cinema and photography, calls it her “photography head.”

It is difficult to imagine exactly what is running through Levy’s mind when she’s on a photo shoot, but she says that if you look at her work, you’ll see the world through her eyes. ...

Even students who love hard work need time to relieve stress, wind down after classes, and let loose on the weekends. Whether your idea of fun is going for a hike, visiting a museum, listening to some good music, or enjoying a little retail therapy, there’s something for everyone -- and your piggy bank will love you! Here are 10 ways IC students kick back...

I had always loved dogs, but I thought I’d never be able to have one as a college student. So when I heard about the Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) program my sophomore year, I was eager to get involved. I did a little research, got in touch with the area coordinator, and applied to be a certified puppy raiser.

Before getting a...

As an aspiring screenwriter, I was psyched about the opportunity to spend a semester in Ithaca College’s Los Angeles Program as a television studio intern. In spring 2008, I had the opportunity to intern for CP Productions and for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

The application process for Ellen was very intense. I applied in...

It’s below freezing on the lake at seven o’clock in the morning, but sweat still streams down my face and into my eyes. My breath is short and labored. My legs and arms are screaming for me to stop, and my brain agrees. Still, I push on backward through the mist and cold, heart in overdrive. Why do I do this sport again?

...

Hear Ithaca students perform "Die Irae" from Verdi's "Requiem."

Ever since my first violin lesson in the seventh grade with Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Jonathan Beiler, I have dreamed of playing in a professional orchestra and performing in some of the world’s...

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” ~ William Norris

When figuring out what to pack for college, you have to make a lot of choices. Dorm rooms are small, and easily cluttered. 

You also have to have the accoutrements to every...

For Katie Avery ’10, it’s not just about the ribbons. It’s about the wind on her face, her hands on the reins, and the feeling riding gives her.

Avery has been riding horses most of her life but never competitively. That all changed when she came to IC and joined the Ithaca College Equestrian Team. “I was still trying to...

Next to picking a major, choosing where to live will have the biggest impact on your college life. With 31 residence halls and two apartment complexes right on campus, Ithaca has housing to suit every taste. All rooms are smoke free, and you’ll find singles, doubles, triples, suites, and specialty communities galore. Which home away from home is perfect for...

Admit it: You’ve heard about the ROTC. You’ve seen the commercials. But just what is it, really? ROTC, the Reserve Officers Training Corps, isn’t the most well-known or well-understood group on campus. But Alex Bohn ’09 and James Murray ’10, members of the Army ROTC, can shed some light on the subject.

For...

I have always been infatuated with building things. My interest in building began with Legos at a young age, progressed into building large, modular skateboard ramps with my father, and eventually turned into summer jobs as a carpenter. So when I started looking at colleges, I thought about a future career in the construction industry and what programs would best suit it:...

African treasures gathered from his trips to the continent adorn his office. Authentic xylophones and drums embellish shelves and cabinets, while a colorful, handwoven cloth brightens the room, and an African tapestry hangs on the wall behind his desk. But these souvenirs of Africa do more than simply decorate -- they symbolize the effervescent cultural awareness and the...

A determined athlete overcomes injury to play lacrosse for IC.

Alec Siefert ’09 is a star player for Ithaca’s varsity lacrosse team. He balances the typical schedule of a college athlete, keeping up with the rigors of his business administration major while going to practice every day. To get where he is today, however, he’s had to overcome an ...

The Ithaca Conservatory of Music was founded in 1892 and later expanded into what we now know as Ithaca College. In a city known for grassroots festivals and spontaneous jam band music, the College routinely turns out top-notch musical talent -- and not just from the music school. IC students are also forming their own bands, setting up their own gigs, and burning up the...

Registering for semester courses is never a walk in the park. Choosing electives can be difficult with the overwhelming number of possibilities. When flipping through the course catalog you’re bound to come across some strange course names that will elicit a chuckle -- but don’t be fooled. These offbeat options are often challenging, interesting, and...

Rob Bluey ’01 Makes the News in New Media

“What really sold me about Ithaca was the fact that I could get involved from day one at the Ithacan,” says blogger Rob Bluey ’01. Bluey, who graduated with a degree in journalism, has become a one-man riptide under the wave of the “new media” that is drastically...

With a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the Martin Luther King Jr. scholars relived the march of their ancestors.

More than 40 years earlier, on March 7, 1965, voting rights marchers were violently confronted by law enforcement officers on a day that became known as Bloody Sunday. The law enforcement personnel ...

Professor Jason Hamilton fuses science and sustainability

Amid the bad news about global climate change and energy crises, Ithaca College assistant biology professor and ecologist extraordinaire Jason Hamilton has become a leading collaborator in the field of environmental sustainability in higher education. Spearheading the College’s...

10 Common Misconceptions About College Life

Do students really wear pajamas to class? Is college all work and no play, or is it the other way around? Sure, admissions brochures and websites have lots of good information to help you choose which college to attend. But what’s true and what’s not about college life?...

“Ready, ready, HIT!”

Our flat line of defense steps up as Temple University’s scrum half passes the ball. One of our forwards makes the tackle. The rest of the forwards flock to the site of the tackle and form a ruck. We win the ball. Now our scrum half passes the ball to our fly half. The ball moves down the line of backs ...

Each workday, I stepped into a chilled atrium and instinctively glanced at my watch. Typing a secret code into a keypad, I then slipped my right hand under a laser scanner. The glass door unlocked with a distinctive click and, using my body’s full weight, I pushed myself through and walked down the hall to room 1109.

No, I...

I already felt I was a step behind when I first began looking at colleges. Most everyone I knew had a focus and goals to achieve. In short, they knew what they wanted to major in. I felt blank without a clear aspiration. Even after high school graduation, I still couldn't answer the question we're all asked throughout childhood: what do you want to be when...

Freshmen may be the lifeblood of dining hall staffs, but students with a keen eye and a flexible schedule will find that Ithaca holds many employment secrets -- from jobs that are a breath of fresh air and completely different from what you do in school, to jobs that will help prepare you for your future career. Think you’re too cool to wear a hairnet? Here...

I can’t say that I’ve ever considered myself very glamorous, but the first time I rode up the elevator to the 16th floor at 4 Times Square, I couldn’t help but feel a touch of charm in the air.

It all started four years ago, when I was still in high school. Just like any senior heading to college, I was applying for any...

I have always been fascinated with my Cuban background and the Spanish language. My aunt once told me, “Go to a Spanish-speaking country for a few months and you’ll come back speaking Spanish fluently.”

I never really thought it would ever happen; I didn’t think I’d have that kind of opportunity or the...

It’s hard to describe exactly how I felt when I first learned that I would be going to Harlem for a week to observe classes and teach math. The emotion was somewhere between excitement and panic. How was I going to teach in a school that I had never been to before, much less in Harlem? Recently back from that trip, I am excited to say that my experience at...

It’s funny how things work out. A decade after Danny Green ’85 entered Ithaca College he found himself in Washington D.C., waiting with a crowd of other journalists to get his hands on the public release of evidence in support of the Kenneth Starr report. “I bought a copy, literally ran to Kinko’s, and began making copies and faxing the...

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

In his 1994 inaugural speech, Nelson Mandela spoke...

Pulling all-nighters at college isn’t a rare experience for many students. But try to extend that over an entire weekend, and you end up with an annual tradition -- VIC Internet Radio’s 50-hour marathon.

VIC is the College’s own Internet radio station, and the marathon features two student DJs who stay on the air from...

How the Exploratory Program led me to my major

I remember it clearly. I was standing on the edge of the stage, waiting for my name to be called. My white cap and gown reflected the sunny sky above as I watched my high school principal reach into the box of neatly rolled diplomas. My name echoed across the field and into the...

Have you ever wanted to meet your favorite author and ask him, “How did you do it?” Thanks to the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, directed by writing professor Katharyn Howd Machan and sponsored by Ithaca College’s writing department, I got to do just that and more when author and teacher Scott Russell Sanders visited IC for a...

In Los Angeles, it’s impossible for me not to bump into friends from Ithaca College on a regular basis. It all started when my roommate, Elizabeth Tramontozzi ’03 and I had a party at our house last month that included fellow IC alums. We got to reminiscing about our days at Ithaca, especially our fond memories of performing in the...

While working out at the Ithaca College Fitness Center one night, Kristin Olson ’10 saw a poster that caught her attention. “I saw this amazing picture of people walking up the summit of El Dorado Peak in Washington State,” Olson says. “It looked so incredible, and I thought to myself, I’ve never done anything like that...

Everyone at Ithaca knows about the rivalry.

They’ve heard the comparisons to Yankees–Red Sox, North Carolina–Duke, and Colts–Patriots. Then again, could it be any less than what Sports Illustrated called the “Greatest Little Game in the Nation”?

...

“Wacky idea for Ithacappella,” said Incubus manager Steve Rennie in an e-mail to the-Ithacappella conductor Greg Harris ’07. “How would you guys like to come out to L.A. and help Incubus sing ‘Dig at the KROQ Weenie Roast and Fiesta?”

The unprecedented opportunity materialized after an...

Thanks to its musical roots, Ithaca offers something for all talented singers, no matter what major or course of study. Ithacappella, the College's all-male a cappella group, is just one example.

Founded in 1996 by four members of the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity, Ithacappella was an alternative for male students who...

On Wednesday, June 23, at exactly 7:53 a.m., I took my seat in the second row of a giant lecture hall, anxiously awaiting the start of the human anatomy orientation. At 8:00 a.m., Jeff Houck, associate professor of physical therapy, stood in front of the auditorium with a welcoming smile and a stack of syllabi in his arms.

Thus began my...

As final exams approach and snow begins to melt, students start to ponder their summer plans. For junior writing majors and minors interested in getting an internship, many turn to Barbara Adams. Teaching at Ithaca College since the early 1970s, Adams is an assistant professor of writing and director of the Department of Writing’s...

The top 10 things you should know before setting foot into a new domain.

Make a good first impression and you’ll get hired for the internship. But leaving a memorable mark is just as important to secure a contact and possibly even a future job.

1. Show up 5 minutes early
...

“It’s great,”senior National Geographic researcher Heidi Schultz exclaimed one day as we were walking to lunch. “We’ve turned you into a research snob!”

It was true. I’d spent part of that day with Heidi and another intern moaning and commiserating over frustrations with editors who are more...

It’s 10:45 on a Wednesday night.

Your head droops over your history textbook, and you attract glares and snickers from others sitting around you. The library is lively tonight, but the rumble in your stomach makes you sluggish.

That flimsy turkey wrap you ate five hours ago no longer provides you with...

I think it was the coffee that did it, but on a trip to South America, it might have been many things. The Andean region of Ecuador where we lodged and worked boasts two of the top five most biodiverse regions in the world, and the area surrounding the eco-lodge where we slept is home to more than 350 species of birds. To this day one can still...

What draws an alumnus back to Ithaca College? Assistant professor of chemistry Mike Haaf knows. After graduating with honors from Ithaca College in 1994 and completing his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2000 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Professor Haaf taught at other institutions before returning to his alma mater as professor and chair of...

My maternal grandmother is my hero.

I admire her indomitable, hopeful spirit, which has enabled her to survive three cancers and to find no limitation in her need to use oxygen 24-7. She continues to live life to the fullest, learning something new every day. My passion to pursue a career related to older adults and the reason...

When Paul Fowler ’01 answered his phone one day in the spring of 2006, he was notified that his entry had been selected as the winner of a composition contest for the New York Youth Symphony. He was surprised, to say the least. “I had completely forgotten I had submitted the piece,” says Fowler, who found himself in the sonorous...

Spring break was anything but ordinary for the Ithaca College wind ensemble. One of IC’s many touring musical groups, the wind ensemble had the opportunity to go to Ireland this past March to perform in the Emerald Isle with some of that country’s premier wind bands.

The tour, entitled “An American Tapestry,” featured...

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with film music. I would come home from the movie theater singing the film’s musical themes, and they would become the soundtrack to my own backyard games—at least until the next big movie came out. Even as I grew older this interest remained; while my friends were buying the latest Matchbox 20 CD, I was listening to...

Softball catcher Hannah Shalett ’07 can easily remember her first day at Ithaca College. “You set foot on this campus and you’re part of a family pretty instantly,” she says with that day in mind. As a freshman, Shalett was sitting on her dorm balcony when she was spotted by an older softball team member, who had recognized her from tryouts...

Lauryn Tillery ’07 has a hard time standing still. The drama major’s high energy level sustains her as she goes continuously from one dance practice to another. Tillery is a member of the Ithaca College Dance Team; Rhythm ‘n Shoes, IC’s tap dance club; and IC Breakers, a break dancing group. While the dance team is very competitive and tap...

Video game junkies rejoice! Virtual worlds are not just for after school anymore—now they’re part of it. Second Life has made its way into the classroom at Ithaca, where students in the integrated marketing communications program have been exploring its impact on buyer behavior.

Last semester, I delved into this virtual culture...

When Peter Berg and Mike Wechsler set out to make The Race, they already knew how much effort would be needed to produce ground-breaking collegiate TV. Just one year earlier the pair had created Unicorn Boy, an animated comedy that went on to win several local awards.

A unique production at ICTV (and just about any college TV...

After dreaming of making his own reality TV show, Peter Berg ‘07 finally got his wish with Ithaca College Television.

With college television programming, you can always count on the old reliables: news and sports. Ithaca College Television (ICTV) boasts one of the best news shows in the country—NewsWatch ...

You could call Second Life a computer game, but you’d be mistaken. It’s a “metaverse,” or alternate universe. It exists online, and its population is growing daily. There is no predetermined way to play, and you don’t win or lose; but you do get to enjoy a “virtual life.”

Kim Gregson, associate...

“So, have you won the Pulitzer Prize yet?” my older brother teasingly asked me on the phone two weeks into my first fall semester at Ithaca College.  He knew I had high expectations for the college that I'd taken four years of high school to choose.  After all, piles of admissions literature still cluttered my house, each brochure promising...

When I first heard about an internship opportunity for Ithaca’s Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF), I knew I had to do it. FLEFF is a one-week showcase of independent films and artists from all around the world. Through music, art, and film the festival focuses on the preservation of our environment and also on various issues including war,...

A few years ago, long-time business partners Carol Doroba ’88 and Robin McConaughy were avid sports fans with a reasonable complaint. “There was a complete lack of classy, high-end apparel for women sports fans,” says Doroba.

Ill-fitting football jerseys and baggy basketball tank tops just weren’t cutting it for Doroba ...

Nik Batruch '08 didn't have a typical spring break. Instead of lounging on the beach, Batruch accompanied physics professor Bruce Thompson to Loango National Park in Gabon, West Africa, where the pair set up listening posts to record acoustic and seismic elephant activity for six months. The data collected by these posts will determine how many elephants exist in...

Cold weather and numbers aren’t a factor for three students in the School of Business who spent their spring breaks journeying through Alaska.

Most college students view spring break as a chance to escape to warm vacation spots or spend time at home with family and friends. But many Ithaca College students choose to...

The first time I entered my dorm room freshman year, I couldn’t believe how sparse it looked: the room I’d be living in for a year wasn’t anything like my room at home. I knew I had to jazz it up—I just didn’t know where to begin. We asked the editors of Fuse and current students to share their favorite hints, tips, and must-have gear to...

In a city such as Ithaca and on a campus like Ithaca College, the personalities and people you can encounter cover the entire spectrum of possibilities. In such a free-flowing place of intellectualism and acceptance, it should be no surprise to find a thriving community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at...