Celebration of Student Achievement

C E L E B R A T I O N O F S T U D EN T A C H I E V E M E N T
May 10, 2005
The College of New Rochelle

Each year, Women’s Studies sponsors the Celebration of Student Achievement to honor the accomplishments of students in all majors and disciplines in the School of Arts & Sciences at the College of New Rochelle.

Dr. Roblyn Rawlins
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Chair of Women’s Studies

S C H O O L O F A R T S & S C I E N C E S S T U D E N T S

OMEGA DALE
ART THERAPY
FEAR AND REVERENCE: THE REFLECTIONS OF A RED-BLEEDING AMERICAN

Through research and artistic process I have explored a universal recurring event shrouded in mystery and suspicion: women’s capacity to bleed. The corporeal and cyclical quality of menstruation has been both feared and revered in folklore, mythology, and religion through history. The dualistic belief in menstruation’s creative and destructive powers still engenders profound emotions surrounding the monthly occurrence and, thus, the theoretical nature of woman herself. The menstrual rituals and taboos of ancient culture seem a far cry from contemporary practices, yet as a red-bleeding American I question the current ideological climate.

CLAIRE FU & ALANA RUPTAK
COMMUNICATION ARTS/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & ART THERAPY
THE HEIFER PROJECT

This past fall, Claire & Alana initiated, developed, and ran a fund-raising campaign for Heifer International, a nonprofit organizations alleviating hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation through gifts of food and income producing farm animals and training.

SHONDA GAYLORD
BIOLOGY/ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
INVASIVE EARTHWORMS

As a freshman, I was awarded a faculty-research grant through the College of New Rochelle. This is the first year that the award has been given. Dr. Kostel-Hughes and I are working on a project with invasive earthworms in Rye, NY. We are currently trying to discover some of the effects that the worms are having in the marshlands and are possibly going to further our study to involve wild turkeys.

NANCY HICKS & SHAMYKA STATEN
SOCIAL WORK
ORAL HISTORY OF LATINO SENIOR CITIZENS

In Fall 2004, students in Dr. Gordon’s class participated in a semester-long project with senior citizens from the Doyle Center. Each student was assigned to a senior, allowing her to learn and grow through the eyes of someone who has lived through famous events. Through these oral histories, examples of traditions, and emotions of happiness, sadness, and despair, we learned how to become active listeners and actually give more back to the seniors. At the end of the semester the students and seniors took a trip to Grand Central Station to record the oral histories on a C.D. to be placed in the Library of Congress. It was a way for us to celebrate the lives of the uncelebrated.

JEANENE JAMES
HISTORY/POLITICAL SCIENCE
“MOST OF US HERE HAVE VAGINAS, IT SHOULD BE OK TO TALK ABOUT THEM”: CENSORSHIP VERSUS THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

In this paper, I explore the relationship between academic censorship and freedom of speech/expression as they both pertain to students; particularly college students. I researched the major historical student movements and uprisings on various college campuses, then analyzed the effects that they had on the learning environment. I focused on a major incident of student unrest that occurred right here at The College of New Rochelle. In refusing to admit the presentation of a play entitled The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler in December of 2002, a rift was created between the authorities and the student body of the school, leading to media criticism, student disapproval and a sense of resentment toward the administration; all of which were detrimental to the academic community which, in denying the performance, it intended to preserve.

OLAMIDE OKODUWA
MATH
"IT WAS JUST A DREAM, A BAD DREAM...":
THE TRUTH ABOUT ACQUAINTANCE RAPE

Based on an interview with an actual victim, I wrote about the issue of acquaintance rape. The paper was focused on answering the following questions:
1. What is acquaintance rape?
2. Why does it happen?
3. What are the psychological effects?
4. How does life change for the victim?

BLANCA PACCHA
BIOLOGY
"HOW THE CHRISTOPHER PITTMAN STORY POPULARIZES GENETIC DETERMINISM."

The idea that our genes determine our behavior spreads rapidly throughout popular culture. The media is effective in influencing how we think. TV commercials, magazines advertising, movies, and newspaper articles often tell us that our fate is determined our DNA. One means that accelerates this message of genetic determines is the internet. This study shows how a boy’s story, found on the web, can lead a “surfer” to the conclusion that our actions are determined by our genes.

AMY PERRY
ART/ BFA ART EDUCATION
SENIOR EXHIBIT: MAINELY A COMMODITY

ALANA RUPTAK
ART THERAPY
SENIOR ART EXHIBIT: “ON THE INSIDE”

MY WORK, PARTICULARLY THE PIECES EXHIBITED IN MY SENIOR SHOW ON THE INSIDE EXPRESSES WITH VISUAL FORM AND DIALOGUE THE RELATIONSHIP HAD BETWEEN MY PHYSICAL BODY AND MY EMOTIONS. IT IS THROUGH MY BODY, INITIALLY EXPERIENCING AND THEN BEING REPRESENTED THAT I AM ABLE TO RECOGNIZE AND COMPREHEND MY EMOTIONS. THROUGH MY PIECES AND THEIR VISUAL TANGIBILITY I AM ABLE TO EXAMINE AND MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY AND EMOTION, BEING ABLE TO ACCEPT MY EMOTIONS AS COHERENT AND INTRINSIC ASPECTS OF MY BEING, MUCH AS I DO SKIN AND BONE. MY CREATIVE PROCESS STANDS AS HEALING TOOL THROUGH WHICH I AM ABLE TO REALIZE AND CONFRONT, WORK THROUGH, AND ULTIMATELY HEAL. IN HAVING TO CONCEPTUALIZE, VISUALIZE, AND THEN MATERIALIZE MY ART MAKING FOSTERS THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS AND REWARDS. FOR THIS REASON ON THE INSIDE REPRESENTED AN IMPORTANT PROCESS BOTH FOR MY PERSONAL WELL-BEING AND FOR MY FUTURE PLANS AS AN ART THERAPIST.

JENNIFER SMITH
PSYCHOLOGY/ENGLISH
FICTION WRITING: "love is blind"

KATHRYN TYRANSKI
COMMUNICATION ARTS/WOMEN’S STUDIES
THE TROJAN WOMEN

This semester in Honors Greek Tragedy, Dr. Ann Raia asked our class to choose a play by one of the three major tragedians---Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides---and perform their work. The class came to the decision to perform The Trojan Women by Euripides because it is not often that a Greek tragedy is typically full of a predominantly female cast. The role of women in Greek tragedy has fascinated our class throughout the semester. As the director, I assisted in helping my classmates capture the "tragic" aspect of their characters. Our production of The Trojan Women was a collaborative effort and took place on Thursday, April 14. It was very interesting to see how a Greek Tragedy comes to life because it is one thing to read tragedy, but it is an entirely different thing to perform and give voice to the actions.

EMILY WILLIAMS
STUDIO ART/FRENCH
SURFACING

As part of my Studio Art major, I exhibited my art work in a group show entitled ‘Surfacing’ along with two other art students that was on view February 21-March 14 in the Mooney Center Gallery. The process that went into creating the show was an extensive one that grew out of an experience I had living and studying abroad in Paris, France for seven months during my junior year. Drawing from my own experience, I explore through my art work different facets of my own travels and the changes I underwent. The aspect of motion, time, memory and transformation as they relate to the travel experience are central to the body of work.

SAMANTHA YOUNG
ENGLISH
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF THROUGH NOVEL EXPLORATION

I will be discussing the effects of the novel on the development of my consciousness and the potential for intellectual development the novel provides for other students.

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