Jericho Shackelford

Approximately 250 members of AU's diverse community attended the Foundry Guild's “Pour for Haiti” fundraiser at the National Casting Center at Alfred University Feb. 6, raising over $5,000 for a student-run Haitian earthquake relief fund.

“I was really impressed with how many people showed up," student Chelsea Bouffard said in response to the success of "Pour for Haiti." "It was really nice to see an idea turn into something so magnificent!”

It begins with cards, cupcakes and quite possibly the most hollow mirth to cascade through elementary school halls the nation over. Two adolescents entwined in puppy love looking doggedly into one another’s gaze walking awkwardly in a daze – they shuffle; pull a card from their back pocket, out of their back pack or somewhere more innovative, exchange, hug and live happily ever after as swooning astronauts and doctors.

On Jan. 24, AU’s own Nancy Banker saw a seven-year quest to work on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” come to fruition.

“I’m gonna be one of those blue shirts one day,” she said, in recalling her awe-inspired endeavor.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" debuted on ABC as a thirteen-episode experiment Nov. 3, 2003. Prior to its official move to the networks Sunday nights, the series originally aired on Monday’s primetime. No doubt it was on one of these fateful weeknights that Nancy Banker first caught a glimpse of her newest dream.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" debuted on ABC as a thirteen-episode experiment Nov. 3, 2003. Prior to its official move to the network's Sunday nights, the series originally aired on Monday’s primetime. No doubt it was on a fateful weeknight that Nancy Banker first caught a glimpse of one of those blue shirts.

“I’m gonna be one of those blue shirts one day,” she said, in recalling her awe-inspired endeavor.

This past Wednesday, Jan. 27, a date denoting the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, marked the UN’s 5th annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This semester a new student organization, Amnesty International at AU, has taken initiative.

In a step toward transparency, AU President Charley Edmondson attended Student Senate Nov. 18 with a grave forecast of events to come: the cutting of multiple University programs.

“Every institution, whether educational or not, must change, must adapt to its environment," Edmondson said.

“Every institution, whether educational or not, must change – must adapt to its environment,” said Charley Edmondson.

From Friday, Oct. 30 to Saturday, Oct. 31, Alfred sported pink in support of breast cancer research.

Setup for the first annual Pink Ball began at about 10 a.m. Oct. 29. Table cloths were laid and napkins debated. Considering the preparation dedicated to the event, it is no surprise that the Pink Ball went off without any hitches.

As the sun set on Alfred’s warmer days, a certain date was claimed not for fall, but for rejuvenation. Oct. 24, 2009 was the realization of the first environmental awareness initiative of its kind. This orchestra of green vibrations across the globe was not conducted by political minds, lawyers or puppeteers serving industrial interests. The event was not a bargain–rather it was a poignant realization. This is where we are and this is where we need to be.

Amidst such conflicting rumors and information about H1N1 (or Swine Flu), it can be hard to sift the fact from the fiction, which makes it difficult for people to know what to do this flu season. Hopefully this article will provide some clarity.