Tor Echo Newspaper of the Pioneers

A Look into Lady Valor

By Lynnette Lockwood

Kristin Beck was born in Wells-

ville, NY and graduated from

Alfred University. She served in

the United States military as a

Navy Seal for 20 years. She

completed numerous direct

missions and was deployed a

total of 13 times. She was the

first person to come out as a

transgender woman. It is not

uncommon for transgender people to enlist into the mili-

tary. Approximately 13% of people who serve today are

transgender. Her book, Warrior Princess: A U.S. Navy SEAL's

Journey to Coming out Transgender, highlights her experienc-

es serving with distinction. She retired in 2011. Beck said

that she left the military because “she wanted to live her

life and be happy.” She said that she could have been at-

tacked for coming out

within the ranks. She

has developed a doc-

umentary tiled “Lady

Valor, the Kristin

Beck Story” in 2013.

You can view the

movie on Netflix.

She lives outside of

Tampa, FL and has

two teenage sons

with her former

partner who now

resides in Minnesota.

She said her children

are “fairly open” to

her new gender

identity and expres-

sion. “It makes me

proud of them that

they can look beyond a lot of things and they are accepting

of something,” Beck said.

According to Beck, “There’s a lot of prejudice out

there. There's been a lot of transgender people who are

killed for prejudice, for hatred. When the book came out

there was some amazing support and some amazing praise

but also some pretty amazing bigotry and hatred.” The

“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy does not allow for

transgender people to serve in the U.S. military. She now

travels around the country giving speeches and lectures to

colleges on ending discrimination against transgender peo-

ple. She advocates for civil rights and traveled to Washing-

ton DC to speak to Congress and encourages people to

not judge others before you get to know them; they could

become a really close friend. Beck encourages people to

be a lighthouse, show the light and let go of prejudices.

“There’s a big need, especially for the LGBT community.

We try to break the stigma, discrimination and prejudice.

The transgender community is a beautiful community that

we need to take care of. The person you see today is the

same person you thanked last week,” Kristin said. Kristin’s

latest project is to create a rehabilitation center for mili-

tary veterans called Healing Grounds.

Tor Echo

Report, Encourage, Engage

Issue 6, Spring 2015

Editor-in-Chief: Lynnette Lockwood / Associate Editor: Jordyn Riethmiller / Sports Editor: Morgan Franchina

Treasurer / Student Senate Representative: Daniel David

Reporters: Zach Barbis, Karla Chun, James Cummings, Christy Dodd, Katie Dussing, Grace Franklin, Brianna Freeman,

Anthony Grande, Sarah Jastrzab, Nichole Meehan, Adrian Perry, Shania Ruszlhowski, Don Schrader, Breanna Smith,

Madison Szpaicher, Angel Torres

© Tor Echo, 2015

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This week’s issue really focuses on student involve-

ment on and off of campus, so I really want to take

some time to express just how important it is en-

gage in extracurricular activities during your college

career. As a senior here at Alfred State it has come

time for me to plan my future, and to make deci-

sions that will greatly impact the rest of my life. I

have decided to go forward with my education and

attend Alfred University come next fall. Through

making these arrangements, I was able to discover

that if it weren’t for my involvement here at Alfred

State, it wouldn’t have been easy for me to complete

necessary steps in applying and getting accepted to

another school. During my time on this side of the

street, I made sure that I built relationships with my

professors and peers, and I also made sure that I

joined clubs and got involved with activities that

placed me in the right situations that would benefit

me when it came time to take the next step. Even

when it came to finding a job through work study, I

looked at the best options for me, and with the help

of faculty, I was able to find a job that would give me

experience for my future field of employment. With-

out getting involved and building these relationships,

I know that it would have been extremely difficult to

reach the goals that I have been striving for.

My point is, that it really does benefit the lives of

all college students to get involved with activities,

clubs, and organizations both on and off campus.

College is a time to discover yourself along with

your interests. It is also a time to get serious about

your future. Here and now is extremely important,

and the decisions that you make during your college

years play a huge role in your immediate as well as

your long term future.

As a student leader, I want to encourage my

peers to do their absolute best during their time

spent at Alfred State. Get involved, meet new peo-

ple, take chances, don’t be afraid to make changes,

study hard, and apply yourself. Ask yourself if there

is more that you can be doing. The answer is almost

always yes. You are in control of your future. So,

take hold of the reins and put your time here to

good use.

-Associate Editor/Vice President: Jordyn C.

Riethmiller

Student Engagement

No Sleep Till Brooklyn

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By Zach Barbis

On St. Patrick’s Day, five students and two residence

hall directors took the opportunity with the Office of

Civic Engagement to go on an alternative spring break

trip to Brooklyn to help rebuild damaged homes from

Hurricane Sandy. The students, Lynnette Lockwood,

Larissia Hall, Alhadj Diallo, JonLuc Turk, and Yuki

Isogawa, along with residence directors, Tyler Pundt,

and Zac Barbis, stayed in the basement of the Coney

Island Tabernacle / Assemblies of God church along

with about 15 other young volunteers.

The Alfred State group had the opportunity to split

up and work on three different sites in different

Brooklyn neighborhoods, where a variety of work

was being done. Lynnette, Tyler, and Zac worked in

the basement of a Canarsie home, where the majority

of work consisted of putting up drywall. Yuki and

JonLuc worked in a different Canarsie home where

drywall was also

being put up.

Alhadj and Larissia

worked in a Coney

Island home where

painting was being

done, but they ex-

perienced a major

setback when the

paint began

peeling.

However,

the Alfred State

group had more

on their minds

than just work.

The group had

the evenings off

and took the

opportunity to

spend time to-

gether in the church

and to have adventures around New York City. Zac

and Tyler were able to go to Manhattan to listen to

live jazz from a friend’s band. Lynnette had the chance

to take students to see NYC by visiting Times Square,

Kleinfeld Bridal Shop from the TLC hit show Say Yes

to the Dress, Obscura Shop from the Science Channel

show Oddities, and St. Marks Square to name a few.

The group also had a very fun night in with the other

volunteers. While the Alfred State group was out one

night, Larissia, baked cookies for everyone, and the

other volunteers on site built a massive blanket fort.

After the cookies were done, people got together in

the blanket fort to watch a movie and have some deli-

cious cookies.

The Alfred

State group had

a fantastic expe-

rience in Brook-

lyn, where new

skills were

learned, new

friendships

were made, and

new experienc-

es were had.

Lynnette Lockwood sawing wood.

Tyler Punt measuring drywall.

Yuki Isogawa cutting drywall.

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By Sarah Jastrzab

Last semester, a new organization

began at Alfred State called Solar

Link. Some activities that the club

participated in roosted marshmal-

lows, cooked bacon with solar

power, and an article was pub-

lished in the Tor Echo. Solar Link

is a project organization aimed at

bring students studying different

fields together. Currently stu-

dents from the Biology, Chemis-

try, Information Technology, Elec-

trical Engineering, Digital Media and Animation, Computer Engi-

neering, Mechanical Engineering,

and the Computerized Design and

Manufacturing Department have

come together to create a project

called the Solar Still. The Solar

Still uses a special type of lens

called a Fresnel lens which con-

centrates the sun’s rays more so

then a traditionally shaped lens.

The lens is mounted in a frame

which will use a combination of

sensors and computer programs

to track the sun throughout the

day and optimize energy. This en-

ergy can be used for a variety of

tasks including distilling water,

creating biofuel and, of course,

roasting marshmallows.

Since the beginning of this semes-

ter Solar Link has made excellent

progress. The lens frame was ma-

chined and welded by students at

the Wellsville campus last fall and

it is currently back at the Alfred

campus. Students from the elec-

trical engineering and Mechanical

Engineering departments are be-

ginning to put the highly accurate

light sensors on the frame that will soon by detecting sunlight.

This spring the students in Chem-

istry and Biology will use the Solar

Still to distill water and create

biofuel. Katie Andera, a biology

student on working with Solar

Link commented on her experi-

ences so far stating that “My fa-

vorite part is getting to work with

variety of different majors, got to

learn new laboratory techniques.”

The students in the Digital

Media and Animation department

have been collaborating with a

group of web developers for the

Information technology depart-

ment this semester to create the

Solar Link website. This site will

contain information about upcom-

ing events, the students involved

in the project, and have videos

and images created through the

process of designing and building

the Solar Still.

Frank Schwind, the head web

designer for the site, is looking

forward to seeing the site being

fully operational and has high

hopes for the future of Solar Link.

“It’s nice to be able to work in a

professional environment instead

of just classes,” he commented

and he further went on to state that he’s enjoyed working with

the Information Technology stu-

dents on the project because it

feels like they are all working for a

client. This site will be fully opera-

tional in the very near future and

when it is released, the Solar Link

Team will release an announce-

ment to Tor Echo.

While the students involved in

Solar Link continue to work on

the Solar Still, a new small scale

project is also being worked on

by the organization. A group of

Computer Engineering and Infor-

mation Technology student are

working to develop a Magnetic Levitation train using magnets and

liquid nitrogen. The train will be

surrounded by a diorama de-

signed by students in the Archi-

tecture and Digital Media and Ani-

mation department. This project

is currently still in the early phas-

es of planning and design but will

be completed by the end of the

semester.

Solar Link is also preparing for

next year, where students will

begin a new project. Currently,

any and all project ideas are being

accepted. Students from every

department are encouraged to

give project suggestions and join

the Solar Link team. The team

meets on Mondays at one in the

SET conference room and the

team office is 393 SET. If you are

interested in becoming involved

contact either project president

Lawrence Fink at

FinkLR@alfredstate.edu or myself

at JastrzSA@alfredstate.edu. Re-

member to keep an eye out for

more marshmallow roasting and

other events by Solar Link coming

this spring, we guarantee you won’t want to miss them!

Solar Link: What's Happening Spring 2015

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By Adrian Perry

Are you interested in helping out a

family in need? And you do not have

any plans for Spring break? Then par-

ticipating in the Alternative Spring

Break Habitat for Humanity trip

would be just the event for you. Not

only will you be assisting in building/

renovating a house for a deserving

family, you will also create friendships

that can last a lifetime. This year’s

Habit for Humanity group consisted of

one adult leader; Libby Tsibulsky, and

one student leader Karli Kukula. Of

the participating students, the mem-

bers consisted of Julie Wil-

cox, Ashley Kennedy, Bryan

Guild, Ricci Abbott, Adrian

Perry, Taylor Morono, Jona-

than Cwiklinski, Cassandra

Ryan, Jess Padley, Eric Hul-

bert, and Kenna Lewis. To-

gether, these volunteers

worked diligently on a house

for a woman

named Tonda. Ton-

da and her family

are currently living

in very cramped housing

arrangements. Tonda and

her family applied within the

Habitat for Humanity pro-

gram and were given the

opportunity to become a

participant. As a group, we

all personally met Tonda,

and got to

know her a

little bit better,

and we collectively be-

lieved that she was more

than deserving of this

opportunity. As a group,

we presented her with a

housewarming gift that

was a picture frame

which we col-

lectively signed

from Alfred

State College.

Our contractor

on the site was named

Derek, and he also received

a card from the team, as we

all came to love Derek and

his patient assistance with

working on the house. As a

group, we ate out to multi-

ple restaurants and per-

formed various activities together out-

side of the daily work our team was

assigned from Habitat. These events

allowed all of us to become closer,

and we have all formed friendships

that none of us will forget. In all, this

is an event that is driven by team-

work. So if you are willing to from

new friendships, and perform duties

for a rewarding cause this program

will be for you. This was a rewarding

experience that none of this year’s

members will ever forget, and making

a difference in someone else’s world

makes what you do at Habitat that

much more extraordinary.

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Habitat for Humanity Myrtle Beach Trip

Hometown Hero Becomes

Inspiration

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By Shania Ruszlhowski

“I was in the SEALS for 20 years and did a lot

of operations. Most of the time I was in the

SEALS I was the dude with the beard. I’ve

saved more lives and done more good and

growth for democracy and freedom, but what

our country is really looking for is that hand-

shake, reaching out and touching somebody

and saying ‘hey, this is

who I am,’” said Kristin

Beck.

Kristin Beck is a

strong believer of ac-

cepting people for who

they are, because of the

struggle she has faced

and has overcome. Dur-

ing her entire life some-

thing did not seem right.

She was not comforta-

ble in her own skin. Af-

ter doing her time in

the service, Kristin de-

cided that it was time.

Time to be who she felt

was right by being an

amazing woman. Life for

Kristin wasn’t always all about the glitz and

glam. At one point she was a brave man who

served our country and saved many lives. She

is not ashamed of who she was. Kristin be-

lieves that if it wasn’t for the man she use to

be that she wouldn’t be the women that she is

today.

Today Kristin is the women campaigning

for Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District

seat in the House of Representatives. This seat

is currently head by Steny Hoyer. Hoyer is the

second-highest ranked Democrat of the

House, but yet this does not faze Beck one bit.

“I don’t mind being the underdog. I think un-

derdogs are kind of cool,” Beck said. Beck has

been the underdog for quite some time.

Beck is a transgender female who strug-

gles with not only everyday life, but also the

cruelty that people in the community throw at

her for being different. Beck has made it her

mission to now stand up

and fight for the people of

the transgender community.

Beck is currently trying to

make it possible for

transgender individuals to

be allowed to serve in the

Armed Forces, like she once

did. Beck is trying to reach

out to people and show

them that it doesn’t matter

what you wear or how you

look. She is trying to teach

people that we are all still

humans on the inside. That

we are all equal and that no-

body should be beaten

down in the streets because

they don’t look like you or

me. We come in all shapes, sizes, and colors,

but it doesn’t matter. We are people no mat-

ter what.

In my opinion Beck’s entire point was,

stand for what you believe and what you think

is right. Don’t be afraid to show who you real-

ly are because it might not fit the status quo.

Be different, it’s ok. Be the person you want to

be no matter what you look like. Be the per-

son to make a difference in this world.

BE YOU!

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Little Angles Club

Mission Trip to Honduras

By Ashley Ebel

I and two more Alfred State students

went on a mission trip over spring

break to Honduras with an organiza-

tion called Little Angels of Honduras.

Ashley Ebel (me), Aimee Garcia, and

Katie Monica are active members in a

club on campus called Hope for Hon-

duras to support this organization.

The girls and I did work in rural areas

of Honduras. The first four days

were spent in La Esperanza. The mis-

sion team worked on a medical clinic

doing repairs on the roof, the ceiling,

interior walls, and painting the inside

and outside of the building. The

group got to visit a medical clinic that

houses pregnant women before they

are due in case they have a long way

to travel. Some of the women had to

travel 6 hours by car to get here and

it was the closest clinic to them. Dur-

ing these days we were also able to

work in classrooms at a nearby

school as well as make home visits to

surrounding homes. The girls and I

got to see the conditions the locals

live in as well as how far they have to

travel to get to school, work, or even

to receive medical care. The last few

days of the mission trip were spent in

Gracias, Honduras. We all got to go

to another medical clinic for pregnant

women where we got to hand out

supplies to the

women for them

and their baby. We

also got to work in

the local hospital in

the newborn unit

and the pediatric

unit. The girls and I

got to hand out

candy and toys to

the children in the

pediatric unit and

supplies for the

newborn babies.

The last full day in

Honduras was

spent zip lining and

relaxing in natural

hot springs. The

three of us Alfred State students got

the experience of a lifetime! The con-

ditions of the medical clin-

ics and homes were far

from our standards here in

the United States. The

NICU had 3 or 4 incuba-

tors in each room. There

were 2 rooms. The rooms

were so small that the

mothers had to take turns

going in to see their babies.

Needles were re-sterilized

and used multiple times.

Multiple women in labor

were in one room togeth-

er. There is no medicine to

help with labor pains in Honduras.

There were patients in the hallways.

Homes were made of dirt floors, tin

roofs, and did not have furniture of

any sort, including beds. Children

walked by themselves for hours to

get to and from school. Ranging from

age 5 and up. There were around 45

kids to one classroom and one teach-

er. These people had so little but

whenever we would give them some-

thing they immediately went to their

garden to get us crops or anything

they could and we would have to

insist over and over again to keep

them. Children thought plastic pro-

pellers were the greatest toy they’ve

ever seen and mothers were over

joyed to receive a small package of

diapers or a blanket for their baby.

How can people with so little be

more generous and grateful than

people who have so much? I think I

speak on behalf of the whole mission

team when I say we gained new per-

spectives on life and needs and

wants. We definitely came back more

appreciative of the things we have

and have been constantly thinking of

what we can give.

The Office of Equity, Inclusion and Title IX and the Kaleidoscope Coalition are proud to

present a screening of “It Happened Here” in the Cappadonia Auditorium at 6 PM on April

13th. We are honored to have the producer, Marjorie Schwartz Nielsen and one of the

subjects in the documentary, Sarah O’Brien hosting a Q and A after the film. This is a

unique opportunity, free of charge and open to the public.

It Happened Here

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The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

will host its Human Services Awareness Day April 16

from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 in the Allegany Room in the

Central Dining Hall.

This event gives human services students, and hu-

man services alumni an opportunity to meet with rep-

resentatives from local and regional human services

agencies to gain information about the field and about

opportunities. Agency representatives scheduled to

attend this year’s event include: Accord Corporation,

AIM Independent Living Center, Alfred Montessori,

Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse,

Allegany County ARC, Allegany Department of

Health, Allegany County Office of the Aging, Allegany

County Probation Department, Allegany County

Youth Bureau, ARC of Steuben, Cattaraugus Commu-

nity Action, Chances and Changes, Faith in Action

Steuben County, Fidelis Care, Finger Lakes DDSO,

Hornell Concern for Youth, Hornell Partners for

Growth, Institute for Human Services, Kinship Family

and Youth Services, Literacy West, Pralid, and ProAc-

tion of Steuben and Yates.

Human Service Day

By Lynnette Lockwood

Oscar Joseph Dais

was born in the

Bronx. He currently

lives in Pamona, NY.

He was one of 13

children, raised with-

in the projects, and

had no father figure

in his life. His par-

ents died within two

weeks of each other

when he was young.

He went into selling

drugs and robbery

to survive. He was

not scared about

dealing drugs within

the dangerous

streets because he felt certain that

he was going to die too. Shortly after his parents died, a

lot of his siblings died within the next few years and cur-

rently there are only five of his siblings alive today.

He became more vested to turn his life around after

his parents died because at a young age he had promised

his mother he would go to college. He struggled in col-

lege because he read at a 7th grade reading level but he

graduated and is very successful today. After becoming a

father he realized that he wanted the very best for his

kids and be a dad for them that he never had. He wanted

to do great things with and for his children, hoping for

their future that they would have great accomplishments.

He is proud today to be able to say that one of his boys

attended Harvard.

This talk was a part of his Transform Your Life Speak-

ing Tour traveling to high schools and colleges doing

presentations. He has written a book that is soon to be

released called “Success Doesn’t Come To You: You Go

To It”. He encouraged the audience to enlarge their

minds. Do not lose out because you do not take advantage

of opportunities while in college. He explained that you

need to be careful who your friends are, spend time with

people who encourage you, and want the best for you, and

weed out the ones that are not beneficial to you. Use your

talents, leave a legacy of people you have helped, and be-

lieve you deserve the best. Have a plan B that includes

something or someone to fall back on while making the

right choices.

There are three different types of people in our socie-

ty: the player, the wanderer, and the watcher. The player

gets involved and does amazing things, the wanderer walks

around and never gets satisfied, and the watcher observes

the player but never really does anything. Be a player, get

involved, network, seek people to help you, and do not

miss out on enriching opportunities. Success in life is a

journey, savor it, and take advantage of the amazing ride

remembering that anything is possible.

Get Real with It Oscar Joe Dais

People at the event .

Oscar Joe Davis

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By Jordyn Reithmiller

“To be the best that you can be,

you have to get involved.” A

quote given by Karli Kukula, cre-

ator of the upcoming on campus

event called What does .08 feel

like? Karli is the head resident

assistant (HRA) of both Getman

and Robinson Champlin halls, a

student leader for habitat for

humanity, and University Police’s

student intern this semester. Her

senior year has been extremely

busy and challenging; however, a

challenge is not enough to stop

her from reaching her goals.

During our talk last week, I asked

her why she decided to create

such a controversial event. She

told me that the title .08 was addressed to her, and since

she hopes to work with high school and college aged kids

when she gets out into the working world, she decided to

create an event that would make a difference here on

campus.

As a senior in the Human Services Management pro-

gram, Karli is mandated to complete the Capstone project

and .08 seemed to be a perfect fit to do so. This event will

teach students who are 21 or over exactly what .08 feels

like. It will allow them to figure out precisely what their

personal limit is. The event is a research educational pro-

gram that will be monitored and held in a safe environ-

ment right here on campus. When I asked Karli what she

would like to say to the student body in order to encour-

age them to participate in her program she responded

with this: “I encourage students to participate in this event

because I want them to become self-aware. I also want

them to know their limit, and by participating in my event,

they will be able to do so in a safe and controlled environ-

ment.”

Though I believe that this is an incredible event with a

marvelous cause, I think that Tor Echo along with the rest

of the college should really applaud Karli’s hard work.

During our talk, she explained that the creation of this

event has taken a tremendous

amount of time, but she truly wanted

to accomplish it, so the long hours

and sleepless nights haven’t bothered

her. Just by speaking with her I can

tell that she is extremely passionate

about this subject, and about making

a difference in order to better the

Alfred State’s student community.

She really gave the spotlight to stu-

dent involvement. “Establishment

happens in college. This is where it

all starts. This is the time to stand

out, to inspire, and to make a differ-

ence.” says Karli. With her, I can

agree that involvement during college

years places your feet toward the

direction of success. Karli addition-

ally stated that she hopes to become

a role model for other students

through her success with this event. She encourages her

peers to put themselves out there, and to make a differ-

ence in their own ways through whatever it is that they

may be passionate about.

Karli and I ended our talk by reviewing her mission

statement: “I think it is important for college students to

understand and learn how to drink responsibly on and off

of campus for those who are legal to drink. Every college

student should be aware of not getting behind the wheel

after drinking and to be cautious at all times. I am hoping

to widen this event throughout other campuses to give

their 21+ college students a chance to drink responsibly

for their safety, their future, and their families. Everyone

has a choice!”

Karli personally wanted me to add this quote “Your

life is more important than one more.” With this, I think

we all agree.

What does .08 feel like? will be held on April 11th from

8:00pm until 2:00am in the Allegany Room below CDH.

Sign-ups for this event will be held every day until the

event in SLC across from Evergreen Café from 3:00-

5:00pm. You must be 21 to sign up for this event.

If you have any questions please contact Karli Kukula:

kukulak@alfredstate.edu

What Does .08 Feel Like?

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By Jordyn Reithmiller

Join the Alfred State Dance team on April 4th in Orvis audi-

torium as they present their annual dance showcase. Tick-

ets are on sale for $3.00. There will be an after party as

well! Tickets for the party are sold for $5.00. If you would

like to attend both events, you are able to purchase a com-

bo ticket for only $6.00! Come out and show your sup-

port! We hope to see you there!

Dance Team

Showcase