Living Life In a Fish Bowl

A profile piece on a SUNY Brockport Resident Assistant Shaquan Harris.

Do You Love The Sport?

Photo credit to http://www.gobrockport.com/roster.aspx?path=football&

Many incoming students come to college with the goal of playing sports.

That was the case for wide receiver Daniel Crawford, a 20 year old football player at SUNY Brockport.

Crawford said, “Coming here, I emailed the coach and sent him my highlight tape and he invited me. But if you come in fresh prospect, they have walk-ons and try out dates for people who come to the school and don’t know. They are then put through the same drills as current players.”

“If you have the ability and show some type of athleticism in the sport, you have the best possibility to make it,” said Crawford

It can be hard to come into a new environment. Crawford said competing with people who have been here for years has definitely been a challenge. “It’s very competitive because there are people who are taller and faster than you.”

On a team with give or take 90 players it can be hard to shine. Crawford said that it’s always good to keep practicing, improving, and not messing up because the coaches will overlook you, and move on to the next player.

Speaking of obstacles within the game, Crawford said it can be hard. It’s always good to stay together and stay positive. “One of the most challenging things within the game is staying mentally together. When you get knocked down, you got to get back up. You always have the next play to make something happen.”

As someone who always looks forward to practice and plans on going all the way to the NFL, Crawford said, “Football is what I eat and what I breathe. I love football. Hard work beats talent. While you’re sleeping at 4 a.m. I am working. I am out running routes and lifting weights.”

In terms of preparation, Crawford said, “I pray, hydrate, eat, watch film on the other team, and the players who play the same position as I do.”

Crawford said don’t come onto the team and think it’s all about the game. Your education matters too. You can be a great player but if your grades are falling under a 2.0, you have to get tutoring time for at least 4 hours a week. This would add to an already intense schedule. In addition, the players are randomly drug tested for marijuana, cocaine, molly, and more.

Crawford suggests incoming students who plan on playing a sport here to ask themselves, “Do you really love the sport? If you don’t love the sport why waste your time when you can use that time on your school work, and figuring out what you want to do with your life. So do you really love the sport?”

Dorm Tour

The video “Dorm Tour” gives incoming students a “little” inside look of what one of the nicest dorms (Bramley Hall) on the campus of SUNY Brockport looks like. I hope you enjoy it.

Living the Dorm Life!

Dymani Poyser Photo Taken by me

Many high school students love the idea of being away from home.

Dymani Poyser, a SUNY Brockport student agrees.

“I’ve lived in the worst dorms on campus since my freshman year,” said Poyser.

Poyser said, “Dobson and Mortimer Halls, I think, are the worst dorms on campus. Maintenance never fixes anything on time and the place is very small compared to what people make it out to be.”

Poyser hates the dorms he has chosen but he blames his friends for that because they were the ones who suggested he live with them.

“I would change a lot about the living arrangement. There are bunk beds and the closet door is hanging on by its thread. I’ve had it fixed twice but it’s in shambles. The desks are big which takes a lot of space in such a small room,” said Poyser.

Poyser said, “It would be nice for everyone to have singles, maintenance that works on time, and good heating.”

“Residential Life got me away from being at home, I will always be happy about that, but it’s a crappy living arrangement. But it’s also fun sometimes to see drunk people acting silly and all the shenanigans that takes place in the dorms,” said Poyser.

Poyser does not plan on living on campus next year because, “I have to pay $3,700 a semester and I could pay less off campus. Also, it would be nice not to have somebody looking over my shoulder.”

Poyser believes that incoming freshmen should be aware that the room that they were showed during orientation is not the type of room some students will be living in. 

Being Muslim In College

Diversity is a big topic on college campuses. Everything from racial equality to sensitive language. College campuses are experiencing it all. Omar Agag, a SUNY Brockport student, is Muslim. He gave insight on what It is like to be Muslim in college.

Get It Write.

Photo Taken from http://www.memecenter.com/fun/494279/grammar-nazi-so-what

Students go to the Student Learning Center (SLC) when they need additional support in areas such as math, writing, science, history, psychology, and many more courses.

The SLC is the campus wide centralized tutoring hub.

Elisabeth Meyer Gonzalez, the Assistant Director of the SLC at SUNY Brockport, said, “Sometimes students should expect one on one individual appointments, other times it will be small group tutoring where they can expect other students from their classes.”

Gonzalez said that the SLC helps students with strategies such as study skills, time management, how to be a better note taker, and how to read their textbooks effectively.

“When students come to the SLC, they don’t only find grownups. They will mostly find student tutors who were hired based on faculty recommendation,” said Gonzalez. “Tutors also work with each other. Graduate students make appointments with each other for their writing. It’s the smart kids who know when they need help. Everyone needs help sometimes.”

The faculty at the SLC is always there to help students when they are feeling stressed about doing badly. “Someone is always on hand to lend support,” said Gonzalez.

Tutors make sure that the students make progress. They are thought to do a little teaching, and then have students teach something back to them so the students get the chance to demonstrate what they learned. Tutors test the students and help them make flash cards.

In terms of professionalism, the SLC has a very strict cancellation policy. Habitually missing appointments is not acceptable. (To learn more about the cancellation policy, click on the following: SLC Appointment Policy)

Students get the opportunity to work with really amazing students who are good influences.

Gonzalez advises incoming students, “As soon as they began to struggle in a class, check on their own behaviors, and come in and get help before the problem snowballs. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to get help because the students who do come in are actually very conscientious and very smart.”

If you ever find your way to Cooper Hall, where the SLC at SUNY Brockport is located, be sure to stop in as Director Michael Dentino, Program Secretary Diana Pask, or Gonzalez will be more than happy to help you.

Diversity on College Campuses

Photo taken from http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/how-close-college-graduation-gap/

Diversity is a big topic for college campuses.

Diversity on a college campus means that campuses are open to people of all persuasions, races and ethnicities, including people with disabilities.

A college official at The State University of New York at Brockport explained, “Diversity means different opinions and a wider portal to the world of ideas. If you have diversity on campus that means that you have diverse opinions and diverse ways of seeing the world.”

“Diversity on campuses is preparing students to be part of an increasingly diverse society and a global society. Meaning that we have people of different races, gender persuasions, religious and spiritual beliefs and people with disabilities,” said the same college official. They implied that these people should not feel that they will be discriminated against.

They also said, “We feel that it’s important as a college to prepare students to be citizens of the world, citizens of not only the campus community but of their surroundings.”

The message of diversity is promoted in a variety of ways at SUNY Brockport. They said, “We have several programs on this campus. One is called LAUNCH. It helps new incoming underrepresented students get acclimated to this campus because as a freshman, it can be overwhelming.”

As a student, college officials do everything to make sure that we are comfortable. And if you’re having bad experiences, they also said, “There’s a counseling department and faculty on campus who do want to help students.”

They advise incoming freshmen to get involved because some students will have negative experiences. However, there are students who do succeed on campuses and they find friends and they make sure they’re part of the activities.

They said, “Some students have to take responsibilities for their own attitudes.”

As the student populations become more diverse, the college official said we still have a long way to go in terms of getting a more diverse faculty.

“This campus is working hard on diversity. We still have work to do in terms of getting more diverse faculty. There are some departments that still need people of color. We’re working very hard on that.”

Regardless of one's position at a school, be it student or teacher, diversity will be a major issue that will impact their experience.