1
September 2021
The Lost Year
With this 2021-22 school year on track to be a significantly more normal year for students, a lot of sophomores (and those who arrived last year) are starting to realize that their idea of Alfred University is far from the usual.
It’s become a meme, and something a lot of the freshman find simultaneously annoying and comforting. Sure, the upperclassman that lives next door and talks to you while you cook dinner is nice, but as it turns out? They have no idea where half the classrooms are, and if you’re thinking about asking them about events? Good luck.
Spring 2021 was as close as we got to normalcy, last year, with Hot Dog Day (Not Dog Day) showing us what a campus is supposed to look like. We’d gotten so used to the ghost town vibe of Academic Alley, of quickly snatching our food from Powell and lighting out of there, of never making eye contact or saying hello because of the chance of Alfred’s trademarked quarantine experience.
With the arrival of the class of ’25, and other transfers, a lot of us are having to get over that 2020-21 was a special kind of year. People want to talk again, stay over in the dorm for a day. Everybody and their mother want to order Starbucks again, so that line is something you’ll have to get used to. We had it relatively easy last year, despite it all. And now we’re getting the full experience.
It’ll stay strange for a while. Seeing people’s faces, walking through crowds on your way to class, and (the best part) less Zoom classes.
I know that quite a few of my ’24 classmates are not used to this. We lost a year, 2021-22 might as well be our freshman year. But there’s a buzz around campus now. We can socialize, have fun, party! People are licking the pole at GJ’s again, and although that remains a disgusting tradition, it signals that the mood on campus is changing.
There are so many events planned for this semester, and no doubt more around the corner, so go out there. Don’t be afraid to take advantage (responsibly) of the uncertain-yet-excited feeling around campus.
By Sam Sage
2
Not Your Trend
What is cultural appropriation? Google defines it was “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adaptation of the customs, practices, ideas etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society." In other words, cultural appropriation is when people outside of a cultural group steal ideas and customs and claim it as their own.
People have been appropriating cultures from different communities for centuries but in the past
decade there has been an uproar in appropriation of black
culture. A lot of the latest trends have been some
variation of black culture. A lot of the reasons for these
trends starting is because of celebrities. Kim
Kardashian has been caught wearing Fulani braids and
cornrows on a multitude of occasions even though she is
not black. Bhad Bhabie has appropriated black hairstyles and has not credited black women for creating them. Justin Bieber has said the “N word”
multiple times and even recently wore Locs.
Most people's initial reaction is that “It’s just hair” which is what it seems like surface level, but it goes so much deeper than just the hair itself. During slavery, African slaves would braid rice into their hair when they were about to put onto slave ships headed to the U.S because they weren't sure when they would eat again. Then once they got to the plantations, they would use their hair as a map and copy the trails in the plantation to help them escape. Locs have a similar history, some slaves did not have time to do their hair so their hair would naturally start to lock up. Since the white slave owners had a different hair texture they did not understand how or why their hair would lock the way it did, so they called the
“Dreadful N*gger Locs” or Dreadlocks for short.
A lot of celebrities have also normalized the appropriation of AAVE. AAVE stands for African American Vernacular English also known as Ebonics. This is referring to the way that black people speak, like a dialect. This also dates to slavery when African slaves were first brought to the United States. No one ever taught them how to speak English so the way they learned was by listening to their owners speak. But since they weren’t actually being taught how to speak English, there are some mispronunciations in how they spoke. Generations passed and we now have what we call AAVE but because of how it has been popularized on social media a lot of non-black people like to call it “Gen Z language” when it is just black culture becoming a part of mainstream media.
Things like hairstyles and dialects are very sacred to black culture because this is our history. When non- black people normalize these things is makes our culture seem less special. Culture is meant to be gatekept. Cultural appreciation is a far cry from cultural appropriation.
No Justice, No Peace By Jeanni Floyd
3
Accessing the Baseline
Alfred University is well known for its steep climbs. The hills are featured prominently in every brochure and tour and is a shared joke between faculty and students once classes begin. For freshmen, this is an extremely annoying realization. Where once students were able to leisurely walk, classes demand a little more pep in their step. While for many of the individuals on campus this is more of an irritating
compromise, it’s a detriment to the university’s disabled population.
The university isn’t completely blind to this problem, with the state- issued handicap buttons, parking spaces, and elevators. However, there’s a slight problem—those are only bandages on top of a much bigger issue.
Take the Science Center, for example. To access the elevator in that building, students must request a copy of the key. While the faculty are good at looking at a student with crutches and accepting their request, it gets harder when a student is still disabled—but less visibly.
It’s even more of an issue when one considers that some residence halls fail to have an elevator installed. For example, look at the Moskowitz-Tefft buildings. The Link, when it was created, was allegedly supposed to have an elevator. However, that amenity did not make it. Disabled students, who live on the first floors, must go outside of the building and enter from the back to get to their rooms.
Even so, those on the upper floors still have to take the stairs.
Another instance of inaccessibility comes from Ade. The dining hall notoriously has one-way back doors, with the only interior way of getting to the dining services being the stairs inside.
“Ramps exist on campus, but [hell] if there is any way for us to use our damn wheelchairs,” says a second-year student who wishes to remain anonymous. “The hills are too steep, it’s a safety issue. And the crutches and walking sticks get to be a problem after a while.”
During the first two weeks of this fall semester, a few students noticed that the handicap buttons wouldn’t work. Though there aren’t many of these buttons across campus, the ones that do exist are placed for ease. It wasn’t until the FOBs were turned on that the ones for Moskowitz and the Link seemed to work, for one student.
“Even the ones that do work are janky as hell,” says a student, “They’re not reliable.”
Alfred University has made attempts to make campus as accessible as possible, but there is still far to go. Many disabled students have thoughts and ideas for implementations or alternative accesses, and the idea of having a more action-heavy disability advocacy group on campus is one of those.
“Finding mental and physical help in the Wellness Center is tough. The walk is extremely far from many of the dorms, and after a whole day of nothing but walking, it’s exhausting,” says Echo Castine, a first-
4 year Environmental Science major.
Ultimately, there is not much that can be done overnight. However, genuine attempts to listen to what the disabled population of AU has to say, as well as making plans for accessibility would be a strong move forward.
By Sam Sage
Art Section
Here Now: Tokimeki Blue
The atmosphere was electric. Voices over voices while we waited for the guests of honor to open the doors. Fosdick-Nelson Gallery is now home to Tokimeki Blue, a filmed dance exhibition created by dancer Cameron McKinney and filmmaker Cayla Mae Simpson.
The showcase was curated by Alfred University’s very own D. Chase Angier, who was dressed in a black dress and silver shawl. Chase looked as if she was attending a red-carpet event and, for all intents and purposes, she was.
On the outside, the initial turn-out wasn’t as large as one might expect, but what it lacked in numbers it made up for in attention. Walking into the gallery, where the film played, all eyes were locked on the protagonist as he moved from wall to wall,
sometimes seemingly teleporting from left to right.
The film’s color, lighting, and repetition over the fantastical electronic drone or emotional beats were masterfully used. Without going into much detail, as Tokimeki Blue is a must-see exhibition, the
cinematography, movement, and soundtrack created an experience that won’t be easily forgotten.
The exhibition is open from September 10th to October 14th, 2021. Tokimeki Blue may be short, but it’s created with levels of dedication and passion similar to that of a feature-length film.
By Sam Sage
5
Literature Section
Title I. Close Your Eyes
It’s a hot, swelteringly humid Thursday night and Genieve wants nothing more than to fall into bed.
Preferably face first. She’s running on Monster and four hours of sleep, feeling sweaty and disgusting, but she needs this job.
So here she is—nearing midnight, too exhausted to concentrate on any homework and staring blankly at the aisles in front of her.
Just one more hour. One more hour and then she can go home.
The door swings open and Genieve flicks dull eyes over to her new customers. It lasts only a split second, but it goes like this:
Two strangers enter. Genieve locks eyes with the girl, and it’s like an electric shock running down her spine. The girl’s eyes are sharp and cutting and silver, and Genieve swears she can hear her heartbeat in her ears.
But there’s a wrongness there—a terrible, terrible wrongness. Suddenly, her legs feel shaky.
By the time Genieve shakes off her trance, the two have already brushed past her. She shifts to get a better view, still trying to remain obtrusive.
The first thing she notices is that the girl is tall—at least a head taller than her male companion. She has to be over six foot, and Genieve doesn’t know any woman other than her aunt who’s that tall.
It’s oddly intimidating.
Then they’re out of sight, slipping between the aisles, but Genieve can still catch snatches of conversation. She tries not to listen. She feels enough of a creep as it is.
Genieve drums her fingers on the counter. What was that? What the hell was that? She glances nervously at the aisles. She can’t see them. Does she want to?
After a few agonizing minutes, they finally start heading towards the register and Genieve hurriedly busies herself with doing nothing, trying to remember how to act natural.
“Hello,” the boy says, smiling at her as he places their purchases on the counter one by one. Genieve smiles back as she starts to scan. It’s mostly just snacks and desserts, as expected from any college kid in the vicinity.
His companion is looking away from them, head tilted to the side like she’s listening to something. “Oh, skittles!” she suddenly says, eyes lighting up.
Hide. The word snaps into her mind and Genieve’s hands falter. There’s a buzzing noise in her ears and her head feels fuzzy.
6
“Everything okay?” the boy asks. Genieve blinks rapidly, glancing up. It’s just the boy there now, brow furrowed slightly and looking at her with clear concern. She hadn’t got a good look at him before, but he looks soft. Gentle eyes and wavy blond hair.
It’s like if a golden retriever was a person.
“No, no, I’m fine,” Genieve says quickly, realizing she’s been staring at him. “Just tired, you know the drill.” She laughs, but it sounds strained even to her own ears. She’s hot and freezing all at once, a cold sweat clinging to her skin. It feels like she’s about to pass out.
“Alright,” Alex says slowly. “If you’re sure.”
Genieve knows he doesn’t believe her. It’s okay, she wouldn’t either.
The girl returns in a blur of motion, slamming the bag down on the counter and looking far too pleased with herself. “Alex, I got the skittles.”
“I can see that,” he says dryly. “Great job. I’m glad you didn’t get lost.” “Oh, like you would?” The girl crosses her arms, cocking an eyebrow. “Poor, poor Alex, can’t even see over the shelves to find his way to the register.”
“That’s basic,” Alex shoots back. “What are you, five?”
“Please.” The girl sniffs haughtily. “I’d at least be a seven-year-old.”
He rolls his eyes. “Okay, well, you’re acting like a little kid who just walked into a candy shop for the first time.”
She smirks. “Takes one to know one.”
“I’m not—” Alex casts Genieve a pleading look.
“Nah, you give off a dad vibe,” she says honestly, shoving the last of their purchases into the bag.
Maybe she shouldn’t be throwing gasoline on the fire, but this is entertaining. “Dad?” the girl gasps, staring at Alex with wide eyes. “Is that really you? You left to get milk like—”
Alex rolls his eyes again and clamps a hand over her mouth. “Okay, you're done.” He starts dragging her towards the door, snagging their bag with his other hand, and—wow, he really does remind her of a single dad with a hyperactive toddler.
“Thank you!” Alex calls over his shoulder, flashing a smile.
Genieve waves at them, bemused. “Bye.”
The second they get outside, the girl tosses off his grip and tries to put him into a headlock. They tussle for a while, their laughter muffled by the glass. Genieve cranes her neck, but she’s still not sure who’s winning.
She thinks wistfully of her younger brothers. Even if they were annoying at times, she’ll admit—
7 Genieve stops. Blinks. Then she pinches herself. “Ow.”
The girl glances back as if she heard her, eyes unerringly locking on to hers. Genieve freezes and for a moment her vision tunnels until those eyes are all she can see. Those eyes, burning—
But then the girl simply grins and raises a hand goodbye, turning away.
Shaking off her trance, Genieve smiles politely at her retreating back, vaguely registering the fine tremor running through her hands.
Hide.
By Samantha Batt
Reasons Why Un-Air-Conditioned Classrooms During a Heat Wave Are Awesome
1. The roar of seventeen box fans blocks out the professor’s boring lecture.
2. Your frizzy hair creates nesting habitats for birds and small woodland creatures.
3. Excessive heat increases the chances that your 83-year-old astronomy professor will pass out.
Woo hoo, class is cancelled!
4. Walking around the room to avoid the kid with oniony B.O. creates a cool breeze.
5. Great excuse to wear muscle shirts to show off your guns.
6. Sweat stains on the shirt of the guy in front of you create a Rorschach test. Bonus points in Psych!
7. You avoid carpal tunnel flare-ups, since your pen is too slippery with sweat to use for taking notes.
8. The reek of hot garbage covers the smell of pot.
9. You save money on trips to the sauna.
10. You learn about abstract art by studying the ass crack sweat stains on everyone’s desk.
11. Getting up every three minutes for a drink of water is great exercise.
12. Your mind is clear, while your poor dog back in your air-conditioned apartment is probably having nightmares about the North Pole.
13. Those bone-chilling dorm showers actually feel refreshing!
14. You walk out of the building and look like you just got a good pump in. So swole.
15. Nothing beats a lecture about climate change while living through climate change!
By Kathryn Harrick, So-so Jackson, Gia Muto, and Juliana Gray
8
Entertainment Section
Album Review: Solar Power
Lorde's newest album Solar Power might be my favorite work of hers. A lot say it isn’t as enjoyable but personally, I am in love with the album.
The music is slower than her previous work, but it gives a completely different vibe than the others. Her emotions come from a more sun-filled area in her mind. Picture this: you are laying on the grass during a perfectly sunny day and the trees are blowing in the wind while you are at peace. It is such a serene sounding album that I couldn’t understand how anyone could possibly call it boring.
“I think the album is really beautiful and her best and most honest
songwriting yet. Lorde’s career thus far has involved critiquing the culture that she’s inevitably found herself in and I think she’s really upfront about that on Solar Power,” says Twitter user @desaf1o.
Lorde’s albums progress with her while she grows in age, starting at an angsty teenager writing Pure Heroine, I feel as though people expected her to stay in the same mindset her whole career. Although her first two albums had a darker theme and usual listeners would expect the next album to keep the vibe, I'm happy she changed it. We all know people hate change, especially when it comes to musical artists, but it represents her growth as a human being.
Article by Isa Hamilton Illustrations by Leo Bonaccio
Top 5 Films I Watched This Summer
I had one goal this summer besides getting a job: widening my film horizons. To do that, I had to go beyond movies I usually watch. I never planned on seeing any of these films. I just randomly scrolled through Letterboxd and picked them out. Sometimes it came down to the poster. It’s given me a newfound appreciation for film and I hope to share that with you through this list.
9 1917: Words like “visual masterpiece,” have been used to describe this film and that's pretty accurate. The story is pretty tame compared to other war films. 1917 is about two British soldiers during WWI carrying a very
important message to a British regiment across enemy lines. If the two soldiers don't reach them in time and call off a planned offensive attack, the entire regiment faced annihilation. It’s the cinematography that reels you in. Roger Deakins, the cinematographer behind 1917 captured the distinctive look of the film with long takes, and elaborate camerawork. This was to achieve what looks like one continuous shot. (it’s actually a series of continuous shots cleverly melded together). It’s an immersive experience that very few films can boast of.
No Country For Old Men: Llewelyn Moss, a hunter in rural Texas discovers a grisly scene of dead drug runners. He does the smartest thing in the world and takes a $2 million filled briefcase off of one of the corpses. This puts him on the radar of Chigurh, a deadly killer. Chigurh is the embodiment of chaos.
He kills without remorse, looming over anyone that gets in between him and his prey. Like the angel of death, Chigurh will end you no matter how far you run. The suspense he brings to No Country For Old Men is unmatched. If nothing else, witnessing Javier Bardem's performance of this horrifying character will surely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Waltz With Bashir: This is an animated documentary film by Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman's and his quest to remember his experiences during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Waltz With Bashir deals with memories and war. Specifically, how traumatic experiences are suppressed in the face of war atrocities. Throughout the film, Folman interviews various friends that fought in the war. The unique animation style evokes a feeling of illusion;
nightmares and memories intertwined with reality. It’s wholly unique. In the end, Folman recalls witnessing and indirectly aiding the Christian Phalange militia carrying out the Sabra and Shatila massacre. It’s deeply disturbing and invokes all kinds of questions about the nature of such conflicts. There is no mistaking Folmans thesis: wars are useless.
10 Fantastic Planet: This is the closest thing to a psychedelic trip you’ll ever experience while watching an animated film. Fantastic Planet is a French surrealist Sci-fi film about humans living on a strange planet of gargantuan aliens. In this world, humans are treated like animals that are either kept as pets or killed in the wild. Terr as an infant is captured by one of the giant blue aliens, but eventually escapes into the wild. This film can be viewed as an allegory for animal rights, racism, and certain historical events. The animation is the draw, however. It’s colorful, strange, and borderline disturbing at times.
Fantastic Planet speaks to the boundless imagination that goes into filmmaking.
A Night at the Opera: This critically acclaimed 1935 comedy by the Marx Brothers was a bit of a surprise. Black and white films are much harder for modern audiences to adjust to and comedy has changed significantly since the 1930s. However, while there is a romance plot in this film about two opera singers trying to get together, it’s just an excuse for the Marx brothers to just lather it up with slapstick comedy. What can I say, it holds up 86 years later.
By Alpha Bah
Sports Section
Football Loses to Hobart College
Saxons lost to Hobart College on September 3, 35-3
11 By Piper Lilley
Volleyball Defeats SUNY Canton
September 3
Saxons defeated SUNY Canton 3 sets to 1.
(25-18, 25-16, 25-21)
12 Fiat Lux Staff
Editor-in-chief: Talulla Torthe Managing Editor: Andrew Wiechert Staff Writer and Editor: Isa Hamilton Staff Writer: Sam Sage
Staff Writer and Editor: Dale Mott Slater Photographer: Aurelia Liles
Staff Writer: Alpha Bah
(this issue was originally created as webpage; information extracted and artificially created as a PDF for archival purposes)
