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Tuition rises during economic decline

Campus prepares for swine flu outbreak

Swine flu has been hitting colleges across the country hard, and though Marist has had only two suspected cases, the college has been gearing up for a possible outbreak.

According to Dr. Mary Dunne, director of health services, the office has had two students test positive for Influenza A, presumably the H1N1 strain commonly referred to as swine flu. One was diagnosed last Tuesday, the other during the first week of school. Both students went home to recover.

"In each case, we offered prescription antiviral treatment to the student and preventive treatment to roommates, with the goal of preventing an outbreak," Dunne said.

She said these two cases are suspected to be the H1N1 strain of Influenza A because they occurred outside the normal flu season, but testing for the strain is only done on those ill enough to be hospitalized.

There have also been many non-flu cases of sore throats and viral illnesses on campus.

Health Services has been getting updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and has been coordinating with the Dutchess County Department of Health to decide what protocols to follow in terms of preventing more students from being affected.

Dunne said anyone who is sick should stay home from classes, work, practice and other public activities, and that the college's policy is that faculty should not request excuse notes of students who have missed classes, "as this exposes more people to potential illness and diverts resources from providing care."

She also recommends students get vaccinated against both seasonal influenza and H1N1. As long as the H1N1 vaccine becomes available to the college by mid-October, both vaccines will be available for $10 each during flu clinic in October and November.

CNN reported last Friday that CDC officials expect 3.4 million inhalable doses of the H1N1 vaccine to be available in the first week of October. These will be the first available of a total of 195 million doses that have been purchased by the U.S. government from vaccine manufacturers.

Deborah DiCaprio, vice president and dean for student affairs, said the college, in both administrative and academic areas, has been preparing for the arrival of H1N1 for more than six months.

"We feel as prepared as you can be for these types of things," DiCaprio said. "There is certainly a greater risk of it traveling faster because there are a lot of people living and working in close proximity."

Prepared or not, of the 253 colleges providing information to the American College Health Association, 83 percent reported instances of the H1N1 virus on their campus, with instances highest in the Southeast. These numbers represent the cumulative data of the ACHA Pandemic Influenza Surveillance Project since its inception on August 22.

According to the World Health Organization, there were 364 influenza and pneumonia-related deaths from August 30 to Sept. 12.

Unlike seasonal influenza, where deaths are normally limited to those 65 years of age and older, a CDC study of the records of 268 patients hospitalized with H1N1 in the early period of the outbreak showed the number of deaths was highest among people 25 to 29 years of age, followed by people 50 to 64 years of age.

On Sept. 11, a junior at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., died of complications related to H1N1 influenza. According to The Ithaca Journal, 20-year-old Warren J. Schor was a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and was living in a fraternity house on campus. The university reported that 520 other students had been diagnosed with influenza-like illness in the first three weeks of classes.

If an outbreak occurs, it won't be the first one Marist has had to deal with. The Circle reported on Feb. 12, 2008, that there had been 290 probable flu cases, making it the worst flu season at Marist to date.

Information, including medical phone numbers, hygiene recommendations and ways to differentiate between the flu and the common cold are available online at www.marist.edu/healthservices.

This article originally appeared 9/24/09 in The Circle

Student Center amenities revamped

Marist Health Services got a facelift this summer, and students can now have their physical and mental health needs taken care of in one place.

The expanded and renovated office, taking up both the old Health Services office and the space that was formerly the billiards room, has expanded to include the Counseling Center, and will operate under a new name - the Health and Wellness Center.

"All those people had been scattered throughout campus and now they're all under one roof, which certainly helps in terms of coordination of care for students," said Pat Cordner, acting director of the counseling center and assistant dean for student affairs.

Before renovations, doctors, nurses, nutritionists, clinical social workers, psychologists and counselors were scattered in offices in Donnelly, the Byrne House, and the Student Center.

Two exam rooms have been added to the previous four, as well as a blood draw room and a triage space.

Cordner said the triage space is very large and is staffed with a nurse who will help students with critical issues be attended to quickly. She said it can also be used for urgent counseling or for extra space on busy days.

"Not only is it more exam rooms, but we can get more people in," Cordner said. "Sometimes we had providers ready to see students but there was no place to put them so they were waiting in the waiting area."

Deborah DiCaprio, vice president for student affairs, said with the melding of Health Services and the Counseling Center, a wellness initiative is in the works that will provide outreach and education.

As far as the billiards room is concerned, DiCaprio said a new game room may open when the Hancock Center is finished and there is more space in the student center, but there are no plans set in stone. The pool tables have been spread throughout campus residence areas.

The Cabaret also underwent significant renovations this summer to give it a more "lounge" feel.

DiCaprio said the goal was to provide another option to the library, creating a "warm and friendly" space that is convenient to come to and open for many hours, with a more inviting atmosphere where students can work in small groups without worrying too much about noise.

The space is now fully carpeted, the acoustics have been enhanced, and sliding doors to the commuter lounge are left open, forming one contiguous space.

"We don't want to separate people," DiCaprio said.

However, the doors provide the option of closing off the commuter lounge for events when a more private space is needed.

Other campus improvements completed this summer include a new parking lot near Gartland Commons, additional "smart classrooms," and a paint job in the McCann Center, among other maintenance jobs.

The Health and Wellness Center will be holding tours later this month. Specific dates and times will be announced via campus e-mail and fliers.

Originally appeared 9/10/09 in The Circle.

Details released on assault charge

The Marist student who allegedly stabbed another Marist student last week was arraigned in the Poughkeepsie city court Monday, April 20. Junior Christian Dunnigan, 21, is accused of assault in the first degree.
According to a criminal complaint obtained from the court, Dunnigan allegedly stabbed the victim, Nicholas Ortega, 21, six times with a knife in the torso and other areas of the body, "causing serious physical injury."
The incident took place at 2:24 a.m. on April 14 after an argument in the driveway of 25 South Clover St. in Poughkeepsie.
"Injuries sustained by the victim included puncture wounds and a lacerated liver requiring surgery at St. Francis Hospital," the complaint said.
Ortega declined to comment on the incident.
According to Tim Massie, the college's chief public affairs officer, Dunnigan was given notice that he is temporarily suspended from Marist and is not allowed on campus or at any Marist events. Massie said a judicial proceeding will determine Dunnigan's future status at the college.
Deborah DiCaprio, vice president and dean for student affairs, said that as per the Marist Code of Conduct, any student who is allegedly accused of a serious or violent incident is suspended immediately from the college pending a hearing. She said Dunnigan will meet with the Office of Judicial Affairs later this week to begin the hearing process.
"The decision to suspend or expel a student is made based on the seriousness of the incident," DiCaprio said. "Certainly this event would be considered extremely serious."
Massie said counseling services were made available for students who were in any way affected by the incident. Ortega was released from the hospital on Sunday, according to Massie.
"We continue to pray for a speedy and complete recovery," Massie said. "When I visited him and his parents in the hospital, they all expressed sincere appreciation for everyone's prayers and support."
The assault charge Dunnigan faces is a class B felony. According to the criminal complaint, a person is guilty of assault in the first degree when, with intent to cause serious physical injury to another person, he causes such injury to that person or to a third person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument.
Dunnigan is scheduled to appear again in Poughkeepsie city court on Monday, May 18.

Originally appeared 4/23/2009 in The Circle

Endowment suffers significant financial setback

The effects of the economic downturn have spread from Wall Street to North Road.
The investment pool at Marist has declined 23 percent since the end of June, but administration is confident the college will continue to thrive.
Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer Jeanne Plecenik said Marist's investment pool, which includes the endowment and other reserves set aside over the years, is at $90 million, a sharp decline from $117 million in June 2008.
"That is a huge loss obviously, but not as big as some other schools or the market in general," Plecenik said. "It is still obviously very painful."
Most colleges are dealing with economic problems. One recently released survey on 791 American public and private colleges reported that endowments fell 3 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, and a smaller group estimated a 23 percent drop in the first five months of fiscal year 2009, which began in July.
At Marist, pool funds are invested and five percent of the interest earned each year is used to maintain and improve the campus. Plecenik said schools with endowments in the billions have been hit harder, since they rely on those funds for operation.
Recently, less than five miles away, Vassar College had to eliminate seven staff positions and decided not to renew 16 adjunct faculty contracts that end June 30. Marist has not made any faculty or staff cuts.
Executive Vice President Roy Merolli said the difference between Marist and schools like Harvard, Yale or Vassar is that Marist does not use its endowment to support any operating expenses.
"Marist operates primarily on tuition and fees generated by enrollment," Merolli said. "The more you take from your endowment for the operating budget, the more this is going to hurt you."
Merolli said the goal of administration has been to maintain the same academic and student services despite the economic situation. He said he believes Marist offers a good value for the tuition it charges and that the college tries to keep its price reasonable for a private college. One concern Merolli has is that some students may choose to attend public schools, but he said spring enrollment is strong and fall 2009 applications are up from 2008.
"With the economy being the way it is and with people losing their jobs," Merolli said, "Will families be able to afford a private college education?"

Originally appeared 3/26/2009 in The Circle

Administration plans Route 9 underpass

The familiar herds of commuters and upperclassmen waiting for the chirp of the crossing signals to usher them across Route 9 could be a scene of the past in 2011.
Marist College has been working with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to design an underpass under Route 9 to promote student safety and ease the flow of traffic on the highway.
Executive Vice President Roy Merolli said Marist hired a traffic engineering consulting company called Urbitran to work on the plans for a crossing, and decided an underpass would be better suited for the area than an overpass because of the topography of the land.
Merolli said the underpass would be a safe and secure passage that could be made 30 feet wide and would be well lit. It would be more accessible for disabled students than an overpass because the underpass would be mostly flat. Merolli also said fewer trees would have to be compromised in the construction of an underpass as opposed to an overpass, and there would be no danger of people throwing things onto the street.
When and if the town planning board, county officials and the Fairview Fire District approve the project, the major part of construction would begin in the summer of 2010 and run through the 2010-2011 school year. Since the project is still in the design process, Merolli said it is hard to estimate a cost but that costs would be shared in a public and private partnership.
Justin Butwell, director of the Physical Plant, said the cost would be "certainly in the millions," but it is too soon to make any accurate cost predictions.
Butwell will help guide the design from a Marist perspective, but said the NYSDOT will take the lead role in design because Route 9 is owned by the state.
"The over 1,000 students living on the east campus will be able to walk straight down and cross and have direct access to the north and south campus," Butwell said.
The proposed underpass would line up with the pedestrian bridge on east campus and emerge on the main campus just north of the Kieran Gatehouse.
Student Body President Erik Zeyher said the underpass will save students time walking to and from class and will help with student safety as they will not have to cross a "busy and hectic Route 9."
"[The underpass] is more feasible than the overpass and also fits better with the landscape of the campus," Zeyher said. "After seeing the school's master plan in Student Government's summer session, I think that the administration examined and exhausted many options and this is what is best for the students and Marist."
Junior Megan Kuhn said she wishes there was a faster way to walk to class from her Fulton townhouse.
"When it's really cold you don't want to walk outside or go to class or do anything," Kuhn said. Justin Wadsworth is a junior who commutes to campus and parks in the Beck Place lot. On a day when 20 mph winds dropped temperatures into the teens, Wadsworth said it would be "nice, to say the least" if there was an underpass.
"It would be much more efficient and we wouldn't have to stand in the cold," Wadsworth said.
Current upperclassmen will not experience the convenience of the underpass. The project, if all goes according to plan, is not expected to be in use until fall of 2011.

Originally appeared 2/26/2009 in The Circle

Bracelet project raises eating disorder awareness

In a country where an estimated eight million people struggle with eating disorders, one Marist student is making a difference.
Junior Erika Giannelli makes and sells bracelets of colorful wooden, glass and plastic beads to raise awareness of eating disorders. She calls her bracelets "Freedom Beads" and the proceeds of her project benefit the Renfrew Center, a residential eating disorder treatment facility in Philadelphia. So far, the project has raised almost $1,700.
Having struggled with an eating disorder herself and having attended the Renfrew Center about two years ago, Giannelli said she started the project to bring more attention to eating disorders, what she called "the elephant in the room," that everyone sees but isn't sure how to bring up.
The proceeds will help the Renfrew Foundation start a private fund to support one girl's stay at the center. According to the foundation's Web site, http://www.renfrew.org, the Renfrew Foundation is a "tax-exempt, nonprofit organization advancing the education, prevention, research, and treatment of eating disorders."
The foundation conducts research, provides financial assistance, and educates policy makers to remove barriers to treatment.
Giannelli said she was supposed to spend five weeks at the center, but her insurance dropped her coverage after only two weeks and without notice. She said this happens to patients all the time and that "no one gets their time."
"If I could help one person get extended I'd be happy," Giannelli said.
Debbie Luker, Foundation Coordinator for the Renfrew Center Foundation, said the donations from Freedom Beads will help fund a patient who needs an extended stay. The cost of treatment at the Renfrew Center is about $8,000 per week.
"I'm glad she's able to give something back and help someone else," Luker said. "She's doing very well."
Senior Jilliam McPhail said she bought one Freedom Beads bracelets for herself and one to give as a gift last semester.
"I think it is a wonderful fundraiser that Erika is doing to raise awareness about eating disorders while also raising money for someone who might otherwise not be able to afford treatment," McPhail said.
Sophomore Jen Espina said she bought a bracelet last semester.
"I wear it a lot and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it. It matches every outfit and I knew the money was going toward a really great cause," Espina said.
Senior Alida Elsbree has bought Freedom Beads earrings and said she has helped Giannelli make bracelets.
"I think it's an amazing project she's doing to really make a difference in someone's life," Elsbree said. "She's very dedicated to the scholarship fund and she makes beautiful, stylish jewelry."
Last semester, with the necessary club affiliation from the Dance Club, Giannelli was able to set up shop in the Champagnat Breezeway and Dyson about once a week. The Dance Club also donated $500 to Freedom Beads.
Giannelli also started a Facebook group where she has promoted her project and sold bracelets to people across the country. Giannelli will continue selling bracelets for $10 each this semester.

Originally appeared 2/5/2009 in The Circle

No track means students are forced to run elsewhere

Come spring, the Marist track team won't be found competing on campus. Although it is a school with a Division I athletic program, Marist College has no track. According to Peter Colaizzo, a Marist runner in the 80's and 17-year coach of the men's cross country and track teams, there has never been a track on campus.
With the completion of Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field, this hasn't changed.
"A 6- or 8-lane track takes up a lot of space. Putting a track around Leonidoff Field would have required moving or removing campus access roads and would have greatly disrupted landscaping in the area. Simply put, it was not possible," said Colaizzo.
According to Athletic Director Tim Murray, a track is in the master plan for the campus that was recently completed; however he is unsure when this will be carried out.
"I think they are locating it on the North Field. It is something that we are aware of and we understand that there is a need for it," said Murray. "We definitely want to do that for our student athletes and our community."
Murray said cost and location are the main factors in the decision of whether or not to build a track.
"Tracks aren't overly expensive, but it still would be a fairly significant capital expenditure," said Murray.
During cross country and indoor track seasons, the lack of a track does not pose any inconvenience to the men's and women's teams. During cross country season, the teams use local parks and trails, as well as North Field to train, Colaizzo said. During indoor track season, the indoor track in the McCann Center fieldhouse is used.
Come outdoor track season, however, Colaizzo said, "it is challenging to schedule off-campus practices, but we make it work the best way we can."
As far as performance, Colaizzo said the team is not affected.
"I have a simple message to recruits that are looking at Marist: No track, no problem. We have fielded competitive teams for years without an outdoor track facility. While we would certainly love to have a track facility on campus, it is not productive to whine about what we do not have."
Some members of the track teams disagree with this. Sophomore Justine Colabraro said it is especially hard for athletes participating in field events because the only place they can practice is in the gym.
"We only get to pole vault when the basketball team isn't there," Colabraro said. "We have to work around their schedule."
On top of scheduling issues, Colabraro said not having the proper equipment forces her to go to meets not having practiced her events and feeling unprepared.
Sophomore Greg Masto said Spackenkill High School and Arlington High School, where the teams practice, are 20 to 30 minute trips. With a track on campus the athletes wouldn't have to rush their workouts in order to get to a class on time, Masto said.
Conor Shelley, a sophomore long-distance runner, said the distance program is very strong because it has proper facilities to practice on, such as hills and parks.
"If the sprinters and throwers and jumpers had better facilities they would have better sprints, throws and jumps-and better recruits," Shelley said.
"From a recruiting stand point, not having a track makes it look like your school might not have the money or that the school doesn't care about the team," Masto said.
Colabraro said having a track on campus would give the teams a little more recognition.
"It's sad-some people at our school don't think we have a track team because we don't have a track."

Originally appeared 11/8/2007 in The Circle