Led by Vice President of Mission Integration Jeff Papia, Hilbert students staff and faculty held a clean-up event at the school’s Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto on Earth Day, April 22
Womens Basketball Looks Toward Next Season
The Hilbert College Women’s basketball team season ended in a 60-68 loss in the conference tournament to Alfred State.
Coming off an abbreviated season last year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Lady Hawks had a lot of turnover from the previous roster. With a first year head coach and a team with many freshman, the Hawks had to find their way as a team.
The Lady Hawks finished the regular season 8-18. They had 2 All conference 3rd team selections in Ashley Schroeder and Macy Kisner. Kisner also won conference defensive player of the year.
Youth and inexperience came up as one of the biggest reasons for the Lady Hawk’s struggles early in the season, players and coaches.
“We had a new coaching staff, we had a lot of freshmen, and we had a lot of people who had never really played in an actual collegiate game, even are sophomores,” Head Coach Nicole Bullock said. “They played scrimmages, but not a game. We had a lot of challenges to overcome just off the cuff.”
“Throughout the whole season, it was a lot of adjustments that need to be made because of a new Coach coming in, majority of the girls hadn’t actually played college basketball,” Schroeder said. “Macy and I were the only two who had played consistently out of everyone on the team. And so there was, like a lot of just like trying to figure each other out, trying to figure the game out like it was just very new for a lot of people. And then once we started figuring things out like we started going on a couple of winning streaks and we started doing a lot better, playing a lot better together as a team.”
Leadership came up as a reason for the second half turnaround, Bullock said, pointing to Alesia Hamm along with Kisner and Schroeder as players who took on leadership roles.
“I think we have a couple different leadership styles for kids on our team,” Bullock said. “Alesia Hamm is probably our best leader by example. Not the most outspoken person but she is consistently our hardest worker and always giving her best effort.”
Bullock said Schroeder excelled as a leader.
“As a point guard, that’s a natural leadership position,” she said. “She does a really good job of trying to be a positive leader. She will put people where they need to be, remind them where they need to be, but then also is the first person to give you a high five, first person to congratulate you on a good move.”
Kisner also showed a lot of spirit during games.
“Macy is probably our sassiest leader and I say that as an endearing term,” Bullock said. “She just has this real competitive edge to her and kind of allows everybody to feed off that energy. So I think leadership wise those three would probably fit where we’re trying to do.“
The Lady Hawks went 7-5 in the second half of the year, good enough to lock up the conference’s No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, and a showdown with Alfred State. Late into the contest the Lady Hawks trailed by 6 with less than half a minute to go in the game and opted to attack the basket instead of attempting a three pointer.
“Whether we got a three or whether we gotta two, it was still gonna be a two possession game. We had not shot well from the floor in general,” Bullock said. “We were not shooting well from the three, so I wanted to get a quick two, possible 3-point play and then get right back into our pressure defense and allow our defensive player of the year and other people do what they do, and if we couldn’t, then we were going to foul and get it back…. Could have gone either way. Could have gone for the three and then allowed to at least get a rebound or facing a rebound and get a quick put back and still would have had it. But I was really trying to get to the free throw line and get the clock stopped as quickly as possible.”
Kisner said they are best when attacking the basket.
“We’re not a great three-point shooting team,” Kisner said. “If you look at our shooting percentages. It’s not great, and one of our strong points is going to basket and getting to the free throw line. So she was going for the ‘And one’ for that three-point play… getting fouled there is a win win situation, the clock stops, and you have a chance to get points.”
With another year of experience under everyone’s belt and with incoming recruiting class the Lady Hawks are optimistic in building on their win total next season, Bullock said.
Advisement Begins
The process of academic advisement is beginning for all Hilbert students as the semester has headed into April.
This is a time in which students must meet with their advisors to discuss which classes they plan on taking for next semester.
During this meeting, it is also a time to ask any questions about certain classes, such as which ones are available and which ones are still needed to be taken for a student’s specific program and the modules within it.
Jin Zhang, professor and advisor, said that the advisement process is very beneficial to students
“Academic advisement can assist you in better understanding the requirement of your major, help to make an appropriate academic schedule, provide relevant information for tutoring sessions, and explain how the registration and course selection process goes,” said Zhang.
If your advisor has not yet emailed you about scheduling a meeting, it is important to reach out to them as soon as possible. This can be said for all future academic advisement periods as well.
Registration will also be starting shortly after the advisement process, and the Hilbert academic calendar provides the registration dates for each class level.
Students can register for their classes on self-service and will only be able to register with their advisor’s approval, which is why this process is essential.
Hilbert student Mckenna Staruch said she takes her meetings with advisors seriously.
“Meeting with my advisor and looking at my program sheet always helps me figure out the classes I should take, and if I am on track with my planning,” said Staruch. “It is overall beneficial to have that kind of help.”
Video: Hilbert Baseball Set to Break In New Fields
Hilbert Baseball will play it’s first conference games on the new Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph fields against LaRoche University in a double header that begins at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Hilbert Hosts Resume Writing Workshop
Last month the Hilbert Office of Career Development held a resume writing workshop lead by Rachel Wozniak.
The Office of Career Development at Hilbert provides many Skillshops as opportunities for students to advance their resume and cover letter writing. They also plan events that consist of learning about interview preparation, and appointments for sophomores to discuss their career plans.
The skillshop provided instruction about the six C’s of resume writing, the formatting of a resume, and what specific information should be included.
Hilbert student Kaylanna Szuniewicz attended the workshop as well and said that it helped her with her resume writing.
“I think the workshop was pretty good, and highly beneficial. I think being only you and I, while also already having a basis of a resume also helped.” Szuniewicz said.
Wozniak works with each student directly to help them improve their resume, and to make them feel more secure in their writing.
The Career Development section in Blackboard also has a variety of information about resume writing, as well as an example provided for students to base theirs on.
There will be many more upcoming Skillshops throughout this semester, which can be viewed in more detail and registered for on Handshake.
Todd Boberg, the Graduate Assistant of Career Development, said these upcoming Skillshops are beneficial to all students.
“All these upcoming Skillshops offer a great opportunity to learn more about resume and cover letter writing, as well as preparing for interviews,” he said. “Students at any class level can benefit from these events, especially those graduating in May.”
Q&A: SGA President Kody Harrison
In early February The Scribe had a sit-down interview with Student Government Association President Kody Harrison. We discussed the challenges he has with being President along with the successes and what he plans to accomplish for the current semester. Already Harrison and SGA have accomplished one of their goals. They eliminated 11 of the organizations 20 positions, bringing the total number of seats in student government to nine.
This is Harrison’s first term as President . He has previous experience being involved in SGA as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative.
The Scribe: What changes do you plan on making in student government during your first semester?
Kody Harrison: We were just restarting SGA and got rid of a lot of positions because we felt as if some people were not doing enough work. We thought consolidating and having fewer positions would be helpful to the association. It’s definitely gotten easier. we built a foundation last semester.
TS: What have been some of the biggest challenges for you so far?
KH: Most of the struggles were the mask. It was a little difficult because there were students who were having problems with those new rules, and they did come to us about it. And so, we did bring them up to administration. But they said that that’s the best policy that they came up with. The most civil, I guess. We also had some social distancing issues with our meetings and events but other than that it was pretty smooth sailing.
TS: How did SGA handle the challenges presented during the height of the pandemic?
KH: Last semester we did welcome week. Most of the events were outside, since we’re able to take off the mask. I don’t think we did too much stuff indoors because we didn’t want students feeling that they were being forced to wear a mask or anything while trying to have fun and engage.
TS: Besides planning Bert Fest, what other goals are you hoping to accomplish this semester?
KH: We’re trying to get clubs more involved, so students know about the clubs because. I feel like the clubs are still kind of low in numbers, so we are trying to get these clubs out there and try to get more clubs engaged with the community because we think some clubs are clubs but they don’t hold any events or anything, so we’re trying to get them to be more out in the open.
More on the administrative side of goals that we’re talking about different majors that we might be wanting to bring on campus or different issues that we see on campus that we’re trying to solve. So that could be like the whole new athletic programs coming out of campus. How is that going to look for Hafner? What are we going to do with Hafner and how are we going to restructure it if we’re going to build off? And then right now currently we are working on upgrading the lower campus center. So, we’re getting new floors for the Campus Center which students voted on which floor they wanted, which was light gray. We’re going to get new furniture in there. We’re gonna get a fridge in there. Microwave. Trying to liven up the place a little bit because it’s a little bland. We want to put in a little fireplace area. Making it warm and cozy so you can come down there and hang out with friends, maybe bring down their food from the dining hall and just chill out between classes.
TS: Election season is right around the corner. Are you planning on running for a second term?
KH: I think so because I feel like a put a lot in a lot of work and I want to see it pay off. If I don’t run for the presidency I may run for a different position.
Hilbert to Host Mental Health Event
Hilbert College will host its first Fresh Check Day on Thursday, March 24, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fresh Check Day is a signature program of the Jordon Porco Foundation. It includes interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, free food, entertainment and prizes and giveaways.
Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health and help to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus and in their community.
Grace Adams, Hilbert’s interim director of residence life, is leading the planning effort for the event.
She said Fresh Check events at other colleges she has worked for have been big successes, and so she wanted to bring the experience to Hilbert students.
“Mental health is one of the largest concerns among college students across the country and Hilbert is no different,” Adams said in an email to The Scribe. “I got to see firsthand how FCD has impacted students and the amazing positive culture and dialogue it can create around mental health awareness and suicide prevention.”
College staff utilizes students to develop and execute an interactive booth that delivers peer-to-peer mental health and resource information in a fun and engaging way. Booth messages reflect a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Booth topics include stigma reduction, specific mental health struggles, coping, and life skills.
Adams said the staff is aiming to offer students an outlet to discuss an learn about the important topic of mental health in a setting that is also fun and inviting.
“I hope students can realize they are not alone in their struggles; there are resources on campus and people that care, and this is all for our students and their well-being,” she said.
Please direct all inquiries to the Interim Director of Residence Life and Community Standards, Grace Adams, at gadams@hilbert.edu.
IT Department Works Out Kinks After Last Month’s Server Crash
Hilbert College experienced a series of internet outages last month, making it difficult for students to access blackboard, email services, self-service and the internet in general for those who live on campus.
This had impacted many students and faculty as it caused many lesson plans and classes to be changed and postponed. Many classes had to come to a standstill or be canceled since nothing was accessible, frustrating some students and faculty.
“This outage made this time a lot more difficult to communicate with any professors or just simply turning in any work,” Angelo DiNizo, a Hilbert student and member of the baseball team, said. “Because I practice six days a week with games in between and it doesn’t give me a huge time window to complete work if I can’t access to internet on my off time.”
Getting assignments turned in became difficult with Blackboard down and slowed grading as professors were not able to enter them into the system. With this, many students and faculty went to email to get the message out to one another about late assignments. However, it turned out that the email servers were down as well.
Those living on campus were also without internet access for a period of time as well. It caused many students to miss zoom meetings and classes. Zoom has become an important part of the classroom for many classes and having this happen proved to be a problem.
The Hilbert College IT department has been working hard to resolve this issue and have created many work arounds and solutions.
Jonathon Heck, a student employee in the IT department, said things have been running smooth again since the department addressed the issues.
“Essentially the core server that had the email and all other services on it failed,” Heck said. “It caused a chain reaction causing everything to crash.”
The importance of the internet has taken over the academic world as most lecture material and assignment are saved on the cloud servers. When these server outages take place, it can be detrimental.
Students Rush to Pack Up For Break
With the semester coming to an end, students are faced with packing up and moving back home. Hilbert College’s Residence Life is working to make this a seemingly easy process.
Residence Halls officially close December 18, 2021, at 12pm. Students are able to keep personal belongings in their assigned rooms. It is encouraged that residents take all necessary items they may need until the start of the Spring 2022 semester.
“This is my fourth time now completing this process” says senior Mia Sanchez. “It just keeps getting easier and easier every time I do it.”
Upon move out for the winter break, students are to clean their living space, unplug all items, lock all doors, and turn in their room key. Keys can be brought to the Trinity Front Desk. If a student accidentally forgets to turn in their keys, they can be mailed in to Residence Life.
Resident halls will reopen for the spring semester Sunday, January 16, 2021, at 12pm. Students can check into housing 12pm-12am on Sunday and 9am-12am during the weekdays.
“It’s so nice to have a system that makes the check-out process so easy for students” says senior Nykeria Brockington. “It just gives me one less thing to worry about as I prepare to do home for the winter break.”
Hilbert Hosts Breast Cancer Walk
On Saturday October 23, Hilbert College hosted its first annual Breast Cancer Walk in honor of Jennifer Czarnecki. Czarnecki battled breast cancer from October 18, 2020 until December 5, 2020 when she passed at the age of 47.
Czarnecki was a New York State Trooper for 20 years. She retired November 3rd of 2020, due to her worsening illness. According to the New York State Police, her illness resulted from her assignment at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
“This walk is a new yearly tradition for breast cancer awareness,” David Roche stated, who was working the event. “We’re walking around Hilbert’s campus four times, which is two miles.”
The event included raffle basket drawings, a presentation about Czarnecki and the walk itself. T-shirts were also available for all participants.
“We are trying to start a foundation in her name,” Justine Chitwood, the organizer of the event explained. “Eventually, Hilbert will have a scholarship in her name for a criminal justice student to receive every year.”
The Scribe 