What’s to Come: Spring 2012

The end of the year is upon us, as are finals. So, we thought we’d put things in perspective and take a moment to look into the future to find out about all of the great stuff coming up next semester and then look back to reminisce on the highlights of this one.

Fusion Market

You can look forward to the all-new Fusion Market which will be opened in the Union next semester. You’ll be able to quench your thirst at Starbucks, fill your stomach with food, socialize and study all at the Union!

Corner Pocket

If you miss the Corner Pocket, rest assured that it will return better than ever so you can get your fix of pool, ping pong, DDR, Wii games and plain old hanging out. (Remember that until construction is finished, the Corner Pocket has relocated to the mailroom.)

Painted Wall

We’ve heard the chattering of your teeth and seen the slight blue tinge your hands take on (which may or may not be paint) as you stand outside braving snow, wind and sleet in an attempt to advertise. Which is why starting in January bed sheets will be the new medium for getting your messages out there. You’ll be able to create your advertisement in a warm comfy spot and hand it in to a manager who will secure it to the wall for all to see. (You will have to provide your own bed sheet and paint or sharpies.)

(Keep an eye out for more details on this improvement.)

Plenty of Events

You can look forward to a whole semesters worth of the Union’s devious plans to entertain you and enhance your Geneseo experience.

Some of the developments from this semester include:

New Publicity Boards

In addition to, the painted wall, lobby tables and the windows we offer a new board with two reservable spaces for all you advertising needs. We also offer chalkboards on the third floor of the Union, paper can be pinned to these as well.

New Furniture

If you haven’t tried out the comfy new chairs and couches we’ve got on the third floor then you’re missing out.

New Logos

We revamped our logos to better show the unity of the Union with Upstate Escapes and Geneseo Late Knight.

The MacVittie College Union wishes everyone the best of luck on finals, a safe trip home and a fantastic winter break!

Escape With Geneseo!

Sometimes, the small town of Geneseo just feels a little too…small. The question is: how do you get away? Well, Upstate Escapes could be just the thing you’re looking for. Haven’t heard of Upstate Escapes? Then listen up, because we have a ton of fun information for you!

Upstate Escapes is a program run as a collaborative effort of College Union and Activities and Intercollegiate Activities and Recreation, and supported in part by the Undergraduate Student Association and the Division of Student and Campus Life. Upstate Escapes takes students to different places all over the surrounding areas and the types of trips vary widely. The trips in the past have including adventures such as Art Gallery visits, Rock Climbing, a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park and to Sabers Games, with a wide variety of different trips in between. There really is something for everyone with Upstate Escapes!

Are you interested in planning your own trip for your organization through Upstate Escapes? There are many different grant options for you! There are two different grant options available to students, Transportation Grants and a Community-Based Service Learning and Volunteer Trips grant. For the Transportation Grant, after filling out Proposal Forms and receiving approval, student organizations can receive up to $300 to fund the Transportation for their specific trip.  In order to get this funding, trips should appeal to the interest of students and connect in some way to their in-classroom learning. The trip must also be available to all Geneseo students, and must have a faculty or staff member as a chaperone.  The second type of funding is  a Community Service based grant,  and has Upstate Escapes partnering with the Office of Student Volunteerism and Service learning, as well as different service and volunteer- based student organizations. These groups work together to plan and implement two day-long service learning and volunteer trips per semester. With this grant, groups can receive up to $500 to help fund the transportation costs for their trip, with any additional costs to be covered by the sponsoring organization.

Want more information on Upstate Escapes and how you can apply for a grant? Visit http://www.geneseo.edu/union/escapes to learn how to plan your own escape.

A New Website

Looking back every once in a while and simply asking yourself,  “ how can I improve what I am doing?” is important to ensure you are successful in what you are doing. The Union has been reflecting on how to improve its electronic communication through revamping its website. The old website was “complicated at times,” Carey Backman, the Associate Director of College Union and Activities, said. Diagnostics on website traffic revealed users would finagle through many links on the website just to find things as simple as the Union’s operating hours.

The new website will be easier on the eye in the sense that all the information on the site is going to be easily accessible using simple navigation and fun fonts. A new addition will be a live newsfeed from Facebook, which will help the Union further integrate itself into social media, and hopefully raise the number of people following the Facebook page. There will also be a good amount of space on the home page dedicated to the Union blog. This should allow more students to follow the blog now that it is more visible and easy to find on the website.

Overall the Union website gets at what students are looking for when accessing a website: ease of use. Hopefully the new site will lead to increased traffic both on the website and in the Union.

Stand Up!

SUNY Geneseo prides itself on an inclusive and respectful community. However, this cooperation and acceptance requires a commitment on behalf of the entire student and staff population. The Stand Up and Take Action Initiative marks the dedication individuals at SUNY Geneseo to strive to build a civil and positive living environment.

The website, www.geneseo.edu/standup, offers students and staff the opportunity to pledge to not be a bystander. The safety of the campus relies on the ability of any individual to have the power to report both positive and negative incidents. On the left hand menu, students have the resources to bias-related incidents, hazing and harassment. In addition, students can find resources about bullying and assault prevention.

Have you ever seen those little yellow cards with the Emergency phone numbers on them? Those are given out each year as part of Geneseo’s Stand Up and Take Action Initiative. In particular, the F2F (Face to Face) Discussions are the kick-off event to ensure the Geneseo Community remains safe every year.

The F2F Discussions are the informal discussions for student leaders and new students to unite and discuss Geneseo’s values of community, diversity, and integrity. Bystander intervention was an important topic, and is extremely relevant in a college environment. Knowing the right thing to do is a great first step, but it means nothing if it is never done.

Are you committed to Stand Up and Take Action? Your name can be displayed, or you can take the pledge anonymously. Take the pledge now!

MacVittie Love

Are you missing your friends and family?  The MacVittie College Union is your home away from home.  As the center of the college campus, the Union serves as a place of socialization, learning, and above all, community.  When you walk through the Union, you will notice students studying, chatting with friends, learning more about clubs and events at the lobby tables, and just simply hanging out.  The sense of community is strong within these walls and students can’t help but be emerged in the “daily buzz” that is going on around them as they walk through.  Although you don’t NEED a specific purpose for entering the union, there are many reasons to stop by:

1.) Starbucks.  As the weather begins to turn colder, who doesn’t love a tall hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte?  It’s a great place to study or socialize with friends in between classes.

2.) GOLD Workshops.  There are a variety of one hour workshops held each day in the College Union.  The opportunities for further leadership development are endless through this program.

3.) Geneseo Bookstore.  Looking for a gift?  Have some extra cash to spend?  Forgot something at home?  Want to rep the latest Geneseo gear?  Look no further than the bookstore.  This is the only place on campus to purchase apparel, supplies, books, and health care items all in one place!

4.) Mailroom.  Stop by to pick up a letter or package from your friends, family or relatives.

5.) Daytime Programming.  The Union serves as a location for clubs and organizations to meet, as well as a location for events to occur during the school day!  Looking for something to do on a Wednesday afternoon? Stop by the GLK lobby table from 2:30-3:30.  You will most likely find yourself participating in a FREE and fun craft, game, or giveaway!

    

Last week, representatives from different offices in the Union participated in a pumpkin carving contest.

6.) Concierge Desk.  Here you can find tons of fun things that can be loaned out with your student ID to occupy your free time.  Laptops, bikes, sports equipment and more!

These are only six of an unlimited number of things to do within the MacVittie College Union.  Students love to be a part of all that is offered here and are welcomed by its feeling of community and involvement.  As the MacVittie logo suggests, we are the heart of the campus–all you need to do is take a step inside to find your place within it!

What’s Mics & Mochas?

You’ve probably heard about Mics and Mochas from your friends, through advertisements, emails, or the College Union’s website. But do you truly understand what Mics and Mochas is all about? Do you love music and theatrical art? Are looking to display your artistic skills live? Mics and Mochas gives you an opportunity to do all of the above. This event is the equivalent of an open Mic night at a musical/theatrical venue.

Mics and Mochas is a performance series hosted by College Union and Activities on Thursday nights starting at 7pm. The program usually runs throughout the year and there are performances held every Thursday at the same time. The goal of Mics and Mochas is to encourage live musical and theatrical performances by students for their fellow students. The performances are held on the Starbucks stage and are not limited to the most talented student performers. Students of all abilities and skill sets can perform at the event. In addition to the musical performances, students can engage in other social and academic activities at the events. If you have homework, exams, and quizzes to study for, you can do it at Mics and Mochas. The performances serve as opportunities to socialize, network, and market products and services. The College Union has also collaborated with Starbucks to take $0.50 off coffee purchased during the show.

Mics and Mochas provide an opportunity for students to get away from their everyday routines of classes and study. At this event, you are given the opportunity to put your artistic talents on display before you fellow students. This is a wonderful event for music lovers who are looking to enhance and improve their skills. Students of all artistic backgrounds and talent sets perform at the events, and you are encouraged to sign up if you want to showcase your talents. Mics and Mochas not only gives you an opportunity to perform for your fellow students, but it also allows you to grow musically or in your respective art form. The performances are recorded, giving performers the ability to critique their performances and make corrections or improvements accordingly.

Although the majority of performances are music related, Mics and Mochas is open to students of all artistic backgrounds. If you love poetry and want to display your talents or entertain your fellow students, you can do that at Mics and Mochas. Students with comedic backgrounds or skills are encouraged to sign up for any of the future events. At Mics and Mochas you can perform as a member of an artistic group or individually.

Some of the students and organizations that have performed at Mics and Mochas this semester include the Mammal is a Mountain, Amelia Lochner, Gabby Formica, Lena Freed, Jacki D’Angelo, Maureen Van Deusen and Ryan Ta, Exit 8, Luke Martin, Steve Geraci, Dante Tufann. In the past the events featured performers from the Guitar Club, Geneseo slam poets, and the Musical theatre. Mics and Mochas is still in need of performers for future events, so if you are interested and want to sign up for a future date, please do not hesitate to contact Rebecca Strumpf at rhs2@geneseo.edu. Come join us at Mics and Mochas on Thursdays at 7pm, the performances are wonderful!

Have You Seen These Logos?

We all know that the Union is a great place!  It  has billiards, ping pong, board games, mail, countless events, advertising opportunities, Starbucks, people, and many other things!  However, there’s no point to all these great things if nobody knows about them.  This is where our new logos come in!  The new logos for the College Union, Geneseo Late Knight, and Upstate Escapes are here to get everybody pumped up!  They’re nice looking logos, if I do say so myself, and will hopefully spread an awareness of all the amazing things across campus that MacVittie College Union & Activities Department is responsible for.

Some of you may look at the College Union and go “Why a heart?  Why not a brain or a lung or something?.”  Well you see, those organs don’t represent the Union quite as accurately as the heart!  We chose a heart because the Union is the heart of the Geneseo community.  So many people from different backgrounds come together at the Union, whether it be for club meetings, events, or just to hang out.  The Union is the center of SUNY Geneseo, both geographically, and through its role in the lives of students.  Our new logo reflects that, and will hopefully make everybody feel welcome to come drop by the Union as often as possible!

As you can see, the Geneseo Late Knight and Upstate Escapes logos are both similar to the College Union logo!  The Late Knight logo is a star, because once the sun goes down it’s time to have a ball with Geneseo Late Knight!  Upstate Escapes is a circular arrow because it’s your guide to explore places you haven’t been before, and they’ll be sure to bring you back to Geneseo rather than leaving you in the mountains or something.  Believe it or not, all these organizations and services are centered in the same place (you guessed it, the Union!).  Not only are these services unified in location, but through a mission and desire to positively contribute to students’ experiences in college. It only makes sense to unify them  in the way that we present them!

So, we have these shiny new logos for all you guys and girls to feast your eyes upon.  Keep an eye out for them and you’ll know who’s behind all of your favorite events and activities!

Knightlink!

Knightlink. You’ve probably seen the advertisements, gotten the emails, noticed the painted wall near the Union and maybe even have been told about it in a group meeting. But what IS Knightlink anyways? We’re about to find out.
Knightlink is Geneseo’s newest way of connecting the campus through its Organizations. College Union and Activities and the Student Association created the site in 2011, so it is a very recent addition to the Geneseo community. Joining Knightlink is rather simple, as all it takes to register is your Geneseo username and password! Every student and staff at Geneseo can, and should join the website for multiple different reasons. As you can see by checking out the website (knightlink.geneseo.edu) Knightlink is more than just a listing of Student Organizations. Here are just a few of Knightlink’s fabulous features:
Events Listings
Once you join Knightlink, you will be shown a large variety of different events held throughout the Geneseo campus, both at the present time and upcoming events as well. All students on the website can see events for all different Student Organizations on the Event Bulletin Board. This is a great too because not only will you be notified of Events coming up for your own organization, but you can also discover fun things happening right at Geneseo that you wouldn’t otherwise have known about.
Personal Recommendations
One of Knightlink’s coolest features is the Recommendation tool. Given that there are over 200 Student Organizations at Geneseo, it can be a bit daunting to search through all of these to discover something that you like. With the Recommendation tool, all the searching is done for you! Simply fill in your interests and preferences, and Knightlink will find Organizations that suit these interests. This tool is located on the left side bar of the page right below where your Profile Picture is located. By using this feature, you can find out about the background of the organization, meeting times, and contact information, and all you had to do was check off a few boxes!
Text Messaging System
Another awesome feature of Knightlink is the Text Message system. Once you log on to Knightlink and create a profile, you have the option of adding your cell phone number to your profile. Your phone number is NOT given out to anyone. This secure feature enables an organization head to message the student through the website directly to the member’s cell phone. This can make planning events, meeting times and other situations much easier and more efficient, and communication can run much more smoothly.
With all of the great things that Knightlink has to offer, it’s hard to imagine someone not wanting to join. Over 1,700 Geneseo students have joined Knightlink…why don’t you give it a try?

The Union—That’s Your CUE!

Lots of patrons in the MacVittie College Union know the employees that work there, known as CUEs, by their most basic job requirements. I’ve often heard people saying “oh yeah, isn’t a manager’s assistant that person that carries the clipboard around?” or telling their friend “the Concierge Desk is that box on the bottom floor of the Union where you can rent out bikes”. But CUEs have a much more important role here that you may think.
CUEs are an integral part of the Union. Believe it or not, people really have stolen or purposely damaged furniture or other items in the building, and it’s the manager assistant’s job to prevent this from happening to this best of his or her ability. The manager assistance does everything from moving furniture to answering phone calls, from designing publicity for the Union to bringing important documents all over campus. The CUE in the corner pocket rents out fun equipment to students, and the CUE in the concierge desk has a similar job. But the role of a CUE goes beyond all of these things. Every CUE has the responsibility of being a positive representation of the MacVittie Union all over campus. CUEs know more than anyone else what is happening in the building, and are always ready to tell their friends and peers more about the activities and events. There is almost always a club selling tickets for their next event, a fun free event, a craft to make or a game to play, and MacVittie employees can help spread the word about all of these!
CUEs have a major impact on Geneseo’s campus. I have heard CUEs telling their friends how to fill out a specific form, when a concert or dinner is taking place in the Union, and even the newest drink at Starbucks, and they gained all of this knowledge simply by working here. CUEs are a positive presence in the Union because they are always willing to help, and they make it a fun and engaging place to be. CUEs bring the Union to the entirety of Geneseo’s campus and student body!
So the next time you see someone working in the Union, remember that they have a big role on campus, and say hello to them! They love it here and they want you to too!

What’s Knightlink All About?

Knightlink. You’ve probably seen the advertisements, gotten the emails, noticed the painted wall near the Union and maybe even have been told about it in a group meeting. But what IS Knightlink anyways? We’re about to find out.

Knightlink is Geneseo’s newest way of connecting the campus through its Organizations. College Union and Activities and the Student Association created the site in 2011, so it is a very recent addition to the Geneseo community. Joining Knightlink is rather simple, as all it takes to register is your Geneseo username and password! Every student and staff at Geneseo can, and should join the website for multiple different reasons.  As you can see by checking out the website (knightlink.geneseo.edu) Knightlink is more than just a listing of Student Organizations. Here are just a few of Knightlink’s fabulous features:

Events Listings

Once you join Knightlink, you will be shown a large variety of different events held throughout the Geneseo campus, both at the present time and upcoming events as well. All students on the website can see events for all different Student Organizations on the Event Bulletin Board. This is a great too because not only will you be notified of Events coming up for your own organization, but you can also discover fun things happening right at Geneseo that you wouldn’t otherwise have known about.

Personal Recommendations

One of Knightlink’s coolest features is the Recommendation tool. Given that there are over 200 Student Organizations at Geneseo, it can be a bit daunting to search through all of these to discover something that you like. With the Recommendation tool, all the searching is done for you! Simply fill in your interests and preferences, and Knightlink will find Organizations that suit these interests. This tool is located on the left side bar of the page right below where your Profile Picture is located. By using this feature, you can find out about the background of the organization, meeting times, and contact information, and all you had to do was check off a few boxes!

Text Messaging System

Another awesome feature of Knightlink is the Text Message system. Once you log on to Knightlink and create a profile, you have the option of adding your cell phone number to your profile. Your phone number is NOT given out to anyone.  This secure feature enables an organization head to message the student through the website directly to the member’s cell phone. This can make planning events, meeting times and other situations much easier and more efficient, and communication can run much more smoothly.

With all of the great things that Knightlink has to offer, it’s hard to imagine someone not wanting to join. Over 1,700 Geneseo students have joined Knightlink…why don’t you give it a try?