All in a Day's Work - Guest Blogger

Vol 2. No. 29

All in a Day’s Work

Our Guest Blogger this week is FLCC’s Assistant Director of Marketing and Creative Services. She’s introducing the new Honors Studies online presence and giving insight into the “how and why” behind flcc.edu/honors

If you’re a current or future FLCC student, you probably don’t know me, but you’ve likely read A LOT of my words and seen A LOT of my work. I’m generally pretty anonymous around here, and yet, you and I have had something of a conversation going as you’ve read the different things I’ve written for the College. I have a long title, but it won’t really describe what I do or why it matters to you, so here’s a quick overview of my work instead:

• I created the printed publications that were mailed to your home to introduce you to FLCC when you first started making your college plans. From blank sheets of paper to what you held in your hand, I created those pieces. Same goes for a lot of the posters and handouts around campus, not to mention those fancy driveway banners you passed on your way onto campus.
• I played a major role in the FLCC commercials that you’ve seen on TV or on YouTube. (Shameless plugs: Find Your Fit , Find Your Path , and Find Your Future. Can you believe that we did all that with just a handful of FLCC employees, and we featured our actual faculty and students!? And I’m sure you noticed that Honors was highlighted, of course!).  
• I’ve played a pretty big role in the photos and written words on many of FLCC’s webpages, which you have certainly visited many times as you’ve navigated your college experience. From homepage banners to the nitty gritty about academic programs, I’ve crafted many of the words you’ve read on the FLCC website.

That last bullet is the one that matters the most to Honors fans today as we announce the launch of a completely revamped web presence for FLCC’s Honors Studies. In addition to unveiling the new webpages (and, honestly, bragging just a little bit), I’d like to give you a glimpse behind the curtain. It’s not everyday that I get to share our behind-the-scenes process with our web visitors!

Everything you see at flcc.edu/honors was the result of collaborative work between Trista Merrill (Director of Honors Studies), Chuck Woods (Web Services Coordinator), and me. As a trio, our individual workload ebbed and flowed as the project shifted from one phase to another, giving each of us the chance to really hone in on our unique contributions from our separate areas of expertise.

We kicked off the project with a fact-finding mission to collect as much information as possible about Honors. As we culled through the information, we organized data and created a roadmap for the webpages. Once we had a skeleton in place, we got to work fleshing it out with written content and photography. For me, this is really the fun part, especially with an area like Honors Studies. We know that intellectual exploration and self-reflection are at the heart of Honors Studies, so every word and every photo were intentionally selected; together, they illustrate the uniqueness of Honors Studies. Once the pages were created, our team of three reviewed and approved, made minor modifications, and launched the live pages.

Typically, that’s where web projects resolve. However, Honors Studies has always maintained a great social media presence, so we decided to incorporate the Honors Twitter, Facebook, Blogspot, and Flickr pages into our project, giving each of them the same look and feel as the new webpages for a cohesive web experience from the FLCC site to the various social media platforms. These makeovers were important in this project because we know that the Honors community is tightknit, and engagement isn’t limited to seminars; we know that Honors students and faculty continue their conversations online after the class adjourns, and social media is an important part of that connection.

The overarching goal of our project was to showcase the Honors experience, both through words and visuals. This meant not only describing the experience, but describing it in a specific way: it’s a conversation that we’ve started with the reader, tapping into their curiosity and desire to do more, learn more, and explore more. I hope that as you interact with these new webpages, you’ll agree that we’re reflecting the Honors values and paying homage to the Honors experience that we’ve heard about from so many different perspectives.

You already know that Honors Studies provides an unbelievable opportunity to engage with other learners, expand your learning, and explore both new and familiar topics in unexpected ways. Believe me, this isn’t an experience that you’ll find everywhere, so I hope that you’ll take full advantage of Honors during your time at FLCC, and I hope our new online presence will encourage other learners to delve into Honors Studies, too!

My Honors Journey - Student Words

Vol 2 No 28

Below is the transcript of the speech given by graduating Honors Studies Scholar Tyler Deskins, class of 2018.  A graduate of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Mathematics track, Tyler is heading on to SUNY Potsdam in the fall to study math with the hopes of getting into their BA/MA concurrent program in the spring.  We wish Tyler all the best as he moves on.  Also, student guest bloggers are  my favorite posts to make and I hope that you enjoy it as well...

My name is Tyler Deskins and I am a mathematics major here at FLCC. (I hope that doesn’t scare anyone away) Today I’ve been asked to reflect a little on what the honors program has meant to me in my journey at FLCC.  I honestly don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that without my involvement in this honors program, I would not be the type of learner that I am today.  At the very least, I would not be striving for academics in the way I am right now, nor would I have that drive that keeps me going.  A great deal of my development as a learner has occurred in these honors classes.  I’ve experienced some of my greatest challenges in them, I’ve celebrated some of my greatest triumphs in them with my fellow students, and perhaps most importantly, my college career started in the honors program as well.

My first semester attending FLCC was in the spring of 2015.  I was 16 years old at the time and this was meant to be an introductory semester for me.  Since the fourth grade up until that point in my life, I was homeschooled, and I had been away from a classroom for such a long period that I was just trying to get myself acclimated to the academic environment again.  I started by taking two classes that semester.  Loving mathematics, it was natural for me to take an introductory statistics class.  Not so natural, however, was my decision to enroll in an honors English 101 course.  At the time (I apologize Dr. Merrill) I detested English. * Dr. Merrill interjects “We’ve been doing this back and forth forever.” *  In part because I didn’t really know what the subject was.  I thought that English was learning information just to regurgitate it back to the professors.  Merely paraphrasing information, not the critical thinking I now know it to be.  Additionally, at the time I was quite nervous about my competency.  Without a high school education, I believed I would not be able to excel at the English course.  However, despite my anxiety over the subject (and with a bit of prodding from my parents), I enrolled.

The peak of my anxiety in that class occurred during our third class meeting.  I don’t recall why the subject was introduced, but we were having a class discussion about what we’ve learned in high school about English.  Part way though, Professor Margaret Gillio began her side of the discussion by saying “So we all know these ‘rules of English’ that we learned in high school…” and she began listing things such as paragraph structure, how to format a sentence properly, etc.  My heart sank.  Never had I formally learnd those rules.  I could understand them – after all, I had passed the placement exam to get into English 101 – but I was terrified that I would now be failing this class because I did not have these rules memorized.  And then I heard her say (I’m paraphrasing a little, but not much) “Now you know that list of rules you learned in high school?  Take it, crumple it up, throw it out the window.  It does not belong in a collegiate level English classroom. Part of what you will be doing in this class, and what may be a great challenge for some of you, is unlearning these supposed ‘rules.’”  That little speech gave me a great deal of encouragement because, for what seemed like the first time, I realized I was ahead of the curb because I didn’t have a high school education; which was awesome!!  As a result, I attacked the rest of the work in that semester.  Instead of just trying to pass the class I actively engaged with the material and gave it thought.  It was still very challenging for me, but I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was such an amazing learning experience for me. 

            My next semester – again, I was attending part time so I only took two classes that semester as well – I didn’t enroll in any honors classes.  In part because I didn’t know what the difference between honors and non-honors classes were.  The two classes I took were Interpersonal Communications and another English class; Composition II.  Surprisingly, that Composition II class is probably one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken, largely because the instructor ran it much like an honors class.  The Interpersonal Communications class felt very… different; and not in a good way.  I disliked the class’s lecture style as well as the expectation of just assimilating information – like what I thought English was the year before – just to regurgitate it on an exam or paper.  I didn’t at the time, but I now understand what sets the Honors Classes apart.  In an Honors Class, the goal is to foster and develop critical thought.  They use the course curriculum as an opportunity to practice critical thinking in a supportive environment.  In traditional classes, you get the most out of them if you have that ability to think critically but a lot can be missed without it.  In them, critical thought is a prerequisite for true understanding but not a learning outcome.

            The following semester I relapsed and found myself taking three honors classes; a Psychology class, an Introduction to Literature class, and a chemistry class (while not typically an Honors Class it was made one through an honors contract).  The first two subjects I never expected to engage in, much less enjoy.  But to my surprise I loved both of them and became really immersed in the material.  The chemistry class was much more challenging.  What an honors contract means is that I am essentially the only one in my class doing the critical thought that is the hallmark of an Honors Class.  It was very difficult without the community of Honors Students to help support my inquiry and development.  But I found this to be a very helpful learning experience as well.  This Semester I did an independent study– not an honors independent study but one in advanced mathematics – and the chemistry course from that semester helped prepare me for the inquiry that I would have to do on my own in order to understand the material.  This was my first step in doing such major inquiry on my own; something that I will certainly need to do again if I choose to pursue a graduate degree down the line.

            The following semester I took two of the hardest class I’ve ever taken; both Honors Classes.  One was Dr. Merrill’s perspectives on J. R. R. Tolkien – the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – and the other was a Philosophy of Ethics class by Dr. Worrell.  While I already enjoyed both subjects, these two classes forced me to engage with the material far deeper than I ever intended to.  To merely create work considered passable for both, I needed to sink a great deal of effort into each thought I put on paper.  They pushed the limits of my writing ability; they shattered the preconceived notion that I would never have to nor be able to write at such a level.  I struggled in each assignment but never gave up.  They make the education ahead of me look easy, and I am grateful for that.

            Unfortunately, that was my last semester taking an Honors Class.  For the past three semesters I’ve desperately tried to work some into my schedule but have had no success.  Regardless, I am thankful for just how well my Honors Classes have prepared me for traditional classes as I now have a firm grasp on the critical thought that is required to get the most I can out of them.  For instance, History was another subject I absolutely dreaded at the age of 16.  Similar to English, I thought it was simply repeating back to your professor the material that both you and they already knew.  I now know that assumption was completely false.  The two History classes I took at this college were amazing because I could look at them through a critical lens.  I could interact with the people in these classes who were also looking to critically engage with the material.  We tried to learn as much as we could about the causes and influences of major events and we didn’t just do that by passively listening to lectures.  We asked the professors, we challenged each other’s ideas, we found information on our own, and we had a blast doing it.

            Perhaps the most important thing my Honors Classes have taught me is to look at the interdisciplinary nature of subjects; that no subject exists in isolation.  This is especially true, believe it or not, for different topics in mathematics.  Mathematical topics are typically taught segregated.  Calculus I-III and Differential Equations are treated separate from Linear and Abstract Algebra, which in turn are treated separate from Geometry and Topology, etc.  If you’re just trying to take these classes and assimilate as much information as you can, you are certain to miss the big picture.  But when you start looking for and seeing all the connections between topics, in my opinion, that’s where the true beauty of mathematics can be found.  I mean, for goodness sake, I did a mathematics presentation this semester on forms of non-standard mathematical logic and their connections to Buddhist philosophy!  Treating the subjects as separate entities, such a natural connection may never have been made.  And this certainly isn’t a property exclusive to mathematics.

This constant curiosity is how I have developed myself as a learner and how I will continue to develop myself as a learner as I move on from FLCC.  Without this foundation that my Honors Classes have provided me with, I would not be the learner I am today.  Looking at my journey up ahead, it is very important to me that I have such a foundation.  For all the Honors instructors and students I’ve met in and out of Honors Classes –and for all people who have supported me throughout my journey as a student – I really want to thank you for creating such an amazing environment.  One where people who truly want to learn, to engage more with the material and dig deeper, can find this community and help each other grow in meaningful ways.  I hope that one day all of us accepting our honors diplomas will make you proud to have been the people who helped make us who we are.  Thank you.

Torchbearers

Vol 2 No. 27

I missed last week...so we are going to do two this week.  One today...and then one in a couple of days.  The following is a transcript of the remarks I made last night at the 2018 Honors Graduation and Awards Ceremony, followed by a list of our graduates and award winners.  I hope that you feel some resonance in these words and in the message they have for us all...

This is my third time presiding over this very special event and I’ve already established a tradition, or at least an approach to this speech that helps get me started in its writing at a time when things are, in a word, frenetic.  I see smiles and nods from some of you who are still in the throes of writing the papers and studying for the tests that will close out the Spring 2018 semester for you.  Having a hook already in place to hang my hat on lets me more quickly roll up my sleeves and get to work on writing something that will hopefully resonate with all of you.

I want to talk about two things tonight that have been a niggling voice in my head all during the course of this semester.  I’ve heard them in presentations, I’ve seen them on social media,  I’ve observed them in the interactions I’ve seen between students both in and out of the classroom.  In short, they’ve consistently come up during the course of the semester and even in the beginning stages of my thinking about next semester.  But then there was that tradition.

I began it as a way to make the starting of speech writing easier, but I ran into an even worse snag this year than I did last year when I tried to link it to Development of Modern Horror.  Even worse was that I couldn’t seem to figure out which hook to hang that hat on – Women Who Kill or The Lord of the Rings?  The first seemed daunting and the latter threatened to take over because it is rife with powerful content.  And, honestly, other than Eowyn’s rallying cry of “I am no man” on the fields of Pellenor, the two really don’t have a lot in common.  Except, they do.  Which leads me to those two things I want to talk about. 

The first is the power of fellowship.  As we read the stories of women who made horrific and heart-wrenching stories, we so often read, also, about how they had no support from those around them.  They struggled with trauma, tragedy, and tribulations that speak volumes about the choices they made.  These stories do not make what they did okay, but they remind us of the importance of having a tribe, or people, or a support network, or whatever personal phrase you want to use to describe the amazing communities we build around us.  I’ve sometimes joked that Honors Studies often attracts students who have not yet found a home anywhere and, jokes aside, it is powerful to watch what happens when their Honors courses become their home at FLCC.  They – no, you – have found a place where you are not just tolerated – but welcomed and accepted.  At the least you found a fellowship of like-minded learners in your Honors classes and experiences.  But more than that, many of you found friendship and community beyond what you expected.  As Gildor tells Frodo, “courage is found in unlikely places” and so who would have thought that in a class about fear and horror, you would find safety and encouragement?  Or that in a course about women who poison and smother, you would find comfort and affirmation?  But you have – and not just in my Honors courses, but in others as well.  You have leaned on and supported one another and offered compassion and encouragement.  And you have been given the same by those who sit with you tonight, along with others who could not be here.  You have a support network that many do not and that leads me to my next thought.

The second thing I want to talk about is the need we have in the world for compassion and understanding of others to the extent that it is possible.  Hard work, determination, passion, creativity, and intellectual rigor are all amazing things to have and to hone and to habituate.  But these things alone should not and cannot exist in a vacuum.  I often lay upon my students the daunting reminder that it is they who will change the world and you, our Honors Studies students, are at the forefront carrying the torch.  And so, I lay on you another reminder – that you please do all the remarkable work of which you are capable with your heart engaged and open.  Strive to understand those who come from different places and have made choices that run counter to your beliefs and your realm of experience.   Do not compromise your principles without reason or surrender conviction in the name of understanding, but remember that old adage about walking in another’s shoes.  Sometimes we have to stand up and fight, it is true, but choose those times wisely and remember, as Galadriel tells Frodo that “even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”  Use your sphere of influence to spread positivity, compassion, understanding and, dare I say it, love.

2018 Graduates and Award Winners

Honors Studies Scholar Graduates

Brandon Bailey - AS Business Administration

Christian Case - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences Literature, December 2017

Tyler Deskins - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences Mathematics

W. Henry Livingston - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences

Honors Studies Distinction Awards:
Jill Bond
McKenna Guarasce
Onni Adams
Will Maskrey
Elijah Lorah
Brianna Smith
Blinne Krieger
Vicki Ilyssa

Honors Studies Student Leadership Awards
Jill Bond and Blinne Krieger

Dr. Barbara A. Etzel Spirit Award
Lucas Holmes 

Congratulations to all our winners and all of YOU.  Without you, Honors could not be what it is.

S18 Honors Convocation (Student Words)

Vol 2 No 27

It is rapidly becoming a tradition to have a member of the audience writer their perspective of the Honors Convocation.  Last semester, it was Emily White.  This semester, the reflection on the convocation comes to us from Jill Bond, dual major in Writing and Graphic Design, class of 2019.

The end of the spring semester is often equated with stress, finals, and upcoming graduation, but it is also the time for sharing the amazing work that is completed by Honors Studies students at Finger Lakes Community College. The First Annual Spring Honors Studies Convocation was held on Friday, May 4th, with the goal of sharing the work of Honors students with rest of the student body, staff, and faculty. Fact of the matter is Honors classes prompt the creation of fabulous work, whether it be psychological, artistic, or literary, but often times only the students and faculty that are involved in the class get to see what is researched, written, and created – but the convocation is here to help show off what happens in that cozy house across the street.


The Honors Convocation has two parts, both of which are student driven. The first is the creation of posters based upon the work that students are doing in their classes, whether it be a final research project, creative endeavor, or reflection. Six posters were created this year, five of which revolved around the Women Who Kill class and one that was crafted out of work completed in Introduction to Literature. These posters were then displayed outside Stage 14 between 10:00am and 5:30pm, where anyone and everyone had the ability to see them. At 3:00pm, several of the poster creators returned to the hallway in order to answer questions regarding their posters and the work that inspired their creation.

The second part of the convocation started at 4:00pm in Stage 14, where four students presented work from their respective Honors class. The first to present was Eli Lorah, who spoke of his experience in Women Who Kill, a class co-taught by Dr. Trista Merrill and Dr. Linda Ross. During his strong and beautifully constructed presentation, he explained that while he has really enjoyed the group dynamics and psychological aspect of the course, he has also learned so much about how to handle the complexities of our everyday lives – showing how Honors can teach students so much more than just course content, which resonated with everyone in the room.

The next student to present was Brianna Smith, who read her raw and well-written literacy narrative from her Introduction to Literature class. Working her way through a lifelong relationship with books and the worlds she escapes into, from when she couldn’t get enough of Harry Potter at the age of five, despite the fact she didn’t understand it, up through her college days where the worn spines of books feel like home, Brianna communicated a passion for writing and reading that struck the audience.

Blinne Kreiger followed suit, who also presented her work for Women Who Kill, but took it in a completely different direction. Starting with a short presentation on the Night Witches, who were the 588th Night Bomber Regiment in World War II, she discussed the history of these women and their influence on a variety of different artists. Next, she read and discussed two striking poems that she wrote based upon her research, the first written from the perspective of the Germans and the second from the perspective of the Night Witches themselves – both of which left the audience inspired and fascinated by her writing and topic at hand.

The final presenter was Vicki Ilyssa, who read a beautifully written memoir crafted for her Composition I course. With an emphasis on atmosphere, naturalistic descriptions, and metaphor, she highlighted different struggles and events in her life, all while revolving the literary piece around her relationship with a shrine near her childhood home, which is now a symbol of peace – ultimately leaving everyone in awe, and some in tears, at the eloquence and exquisiteness of the writing.

Looking back upon this event it is easy to say that it was a success because it allowed students to share what they were curious and passionate about with other students and faculty who are also passionate and curious. And what I found to be incredibly fascinating about the presentations and posters this year, was the sheer amount of breadth in ideology and content that was covered, despite the fact only three classes were represented. From poems, short stories, memories, narratives, and comic book covers, to reflections and research that mixes mythology, psychology, and literature, this years’ convocation truly shows how open Honors is when it comes to exploring what you are curious about.

So, thank you so much to the students who presented and created posters for The First Annual Spring Honors Studies Convocation, you have inspired us all! And thank you to everyone who came to support these students and their amazing work. Make sure to stop by next semester for the fall convocation, so you can be inspired too.