Jessica Marello

During closing health and safety inspections in March, Residence Life staff discovered significant vandalism in two Ford Street apartments. Damage included several large holes in the walls of both apartments and graffiti. Debris was then placed inside the walls through the holes. As a result, the residents of the two apartments have been evicted and reassigned to alternate living spaces for the remainder of the semester.

“I can assure you that each individual has been offered alternate housing arrangements on campus,” said Director of Residence Life Brenda Porter.

The Alfred University Honors Program hosted a gathering for the Mansfield University Honors Program on March 20.

Ben Moritz, director of the Mansfield Honors program and professor of music, came to Alfred with a group of honors students to experience the unique qualities of the university. Last fall, AU honors students were invited to Mansfield University to hike in Leonard Harrison State Park and compare the Honors programs.

At the annual Honors Convocation, winners of the Bergren Student Innovation Award are formally presented, as well as recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting in May. This year, there were a record high of twelve nominations, with half of them involving sustainability or green efforts. From twelve, winners Ian Cramer and Ana Devlin-Gauthier were selected.

“I am pleased that so many students are creating innovations that will move AU forward,” stated Vice President for Student Affairs Kathy Woughter.

On March 4, junior English major Elizabeth Wager will be presenting a Bergren Forum on her entry for the Wit and Wisdom competition. Phi Beta Kappa first hosted the competition last fall in lieu of the annual spring guest speaker. Out of three finalists, Wager was named winner by a judging committee. She was awarded the forum, two hundred and fifty dollars and a dinner in her honor.

“We considered the quality of writing, the academic excellence, originality of the work, and other factors,” said Dr. Juliana Gray of Phi Beta Kappa.

A frozen pipe burst in the WALF radio station on Jan. 11, and though half of the ceiling fell and toolboxes were filled to the rim with water, none of the station’s electronic equipment was damaged in the flood.

“We cut off the power to the equipment rack in the room, but we were still able to broadcast,” said General Manager Thomas Fleming.

The water pipe was not close enough to the equipment to cause damage. However, the station did lose some documents and some tools were rusted from the overflow.

“College communities are a venue of free expression and ideas,” stated Dean of Students Norm Pollard. And what’s more expressive than the Senate’s newest fundraiser, an implied nudity calendar?

Ana Gauthier got the idea from the University of Vermont’s “Prudent Student” calendar of 2009, which sought to make more money than a simple bake sale. The AU calendar features members from 12 clubs posing behind club props. The props were there to censor the nudity in the photos in a clean and fun manner.

The Alfred Archery Club received a grant for over $2000 worth of equipment this semester, consisting of bows, targets, arrows and gadgets for professional shooting. The money will also be used to build more wooden stands for the targets themselves.

Sophomore Catherine Sahi obtained the grant from Easton Sports, which has recently been promoting college archery. By working with Jeff Porter, Director of Alfred’s Sponsored Research Department, Catherine was able to complete an application for the grant.

From Aug. 27 to August 30, the World Atl-Atl Association met alongside the annual Stone Tool Show at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County.

An atl-atl is a tool that aids in the quicker and more powerful throwing of long, feathered spears called darts. With a spur at the back end, an atl-atl allows the dart to rest comfortably on the shaft for more leverage and distance. The thrower holds the atl-atl by the far end, and flings the dart with their arm, wrist, and torso.