Permission To Play examines the use of Expressive Arts Therapy exercises as a method of staff development and team building, as well as facilitating interpersonal communication styles in a work environment. The project was conducted at a staff development retreat for the non-, Friends of Recovery:Delaware & Otsego Counties (FOR-DO). Staff from four branch locations participated in a two-hour workshop designed to provide education and an interactive experience to connect to build confidence around interpersonal communication. The presentation focused on five workplace communication styles, modeled after Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages. Staff members identified their preferred way to receive appreciation in the workplace The group then participated in an activity in which they made “Communication Creatures” using an art therapy technique that involves all participants in a fast paced, drawing activity. Once their Communication Creature was created, each person presented it to their peers. Utilizing an Expressive Arts Therapy technique of personification, staff were able to introduce their creature with their preferred communication style, as well as a name for their creature. This supported a playful and safe environment to discuss communication preferences in a way that invited laughter and broke down hierarchical formality. An additional art therapy exercise focused on communication and team building through storytelling and drawing. The staff was divided into small groups and were each given the same story to create a poster showing what the story was about. Each group was given a different communication challenge that made the group drawing more difficult. After debriefing about the project, team members shared that communication challenges and strengths that came up in the project mirrored those that came up in their day-to-day work. The group then brainstormed how to shift the challenges. Using Expressive Arts Therapy techniques within a staff development environment is an innovative approach for colleagues to address communication issues in a playful, creative way. This workshop can be duplicated and customized to offer a new approach to staff development within any organization or department.

Ann Traitor and Matthew Hendley from the Department of History, Darren Chase, the Dean of the Library, and Ed Beck, an Instructional Designer from the Faculty Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, present their book, Chronicling a Crisis: SUNY Oneonta’s Pandemic Diaries. Inspired by the UK’s Mass Observation Project from the 1930s, the authors aimed to capture a community’s collective memory through blog entries submitted by students, faculty, and staff. Acting as observation caretakers, they recognized the significance of preserving the immediate words and reflections of living through a historic time. In reflecting on this project, the authors emphasize how memory is shaped over time and how these collected narratives offer an alternative way to understand history. Themes emerging from the blog entries reveal profound changes: the journeys we thought we were taking versus the journeys we find ourselves on now.

Freshmen enrolled in Dr. Doughty's English Composition class had the opportunity throughout the semester to conduct their research and compile their bibliographies in the Alden Room, which serves as the home to Milne Library's Special Collection and Archives. To guide their research, students were presented with a selection of special topics to choose from, including student teaching observations, Greek life and history, and college camp. However, they were also encouraged to explore their own areas of interest if they could establish a meaningful connection to SUNY Oneonta. With the freedom to pursue topics that genuinely intrigued them and were relevant to the campus community, students fostered connections with others across the campus. They not only made these connections but also felt a sense of involvement in effecting positive change within their own campus.

The SUNY Open Access Repository (SOAR) is an online digital repository that makes scholarly works of SUNY campuses widely available. This is an available resource for both faculty and students that should be more used and known about throughout our community. I have worked with our campus’ head of scholarly communications, in the backend of the SOAR website uploading these documents and making the website more readily accessible to our community. After working closely with SOAR while also attending SUNY Oneonta, I have realized how little students know about it along with how rarely faculty members and professors advertise SOAR as a resource for not only getting reliable information but also promoting their scholarly works. My goal for this research is to spread awareness of the benefits of SOAR and Open Access as a whole, along with what qualifications your work must meet in order to be eligible for submission into the repository. Furthermore, I wish to share my knowledge of open access scholarly works and the pros and cons that come with them.

Craine Lake is a 26-acre lake located in Madison County, New York. The Craine Lake Association has been a consistent participant in the Citizen Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) and is entering its 35thyear of participation. This long-term dataset allows us to analyze trends and investigate how water quality parameters may relate to stakeholder concerns such as harmful algal blooms, sedimentation, and nuisance levels of aquatic plants. The lake has a long history of summertime blue-green algae and was used as one of the first lakes in the NYSDEC harmful algal bloom reporting program. The eventual management plan for the lake aims to utilize the long-term dataset along with our own lake profiling and mapping to inform future management strategies.

Duane Lake is a private, artificial lake located in Schenectady County, NY and is classified as a class B lake. The lake is 120 acres, draining a 547-acre watershed composed primarily of pasture and hay fields, open water, and developed land. The lake is mainly used for fishing and for aesthetic purposes. To address concerns about harmful algal blooms, aquatic plants, and nutrients in the lake, we compiled and analyzed historical data from the lake and watershed, collected and analyzed limnological profile data, created a bathymetric map for surface area and volumetrics, and developed a preliminary nutrient budget for the lake. Long-term and seasonal limnological parameters were analyzed to determine mixing regimes, potential from internal loading due to anoxia during summer months, and long-term changes in water quality parameters. Results were used to parameterize a lake loading response model and identify potential sources of nutrients in the lake. The results of this work will provide the Duane Lake Association with much of the information needed to create a 9-Element watershed management plan and will assist with management and decision making moving forward.

Caddisfly larvae are aquatic insects that can be found in eastern North America. Certain species of caddisflies can be used as bioindicators, such as Rhyacophila fuscula (Walker), due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. Populations with high genetic diversity are more likely to persist in a changing environment, so examining the diversity of populations is important for assessing population sustainability. The genetic diversity of Rhyacophila fuscula was examined by sequencing the gene Cytochrome Oxidase I from 240 individuals (20 individuals for all 12 sites). A high number of unique haplotypes were found, many with a frequency at the minimum detection level. This suggests that the actual level of genetic diversity is even higher than sampled.

Callosobruchus maculatus mating behavior has been extensively studied. In this species, females are known to kick their mates during copulation. In this study I use previous experiments as a base to observe if this behavior, referred to as Kicking Latency, is affected by the age of the male she is mating with. I observed virgin males and virgin females mating and timed how long it took for kicking to begin along with recording the ages of the individuals copulating. After using a linear regression to analyze the data, I found that female age had a positive, significant impact on kicking latency while male age has a negative, nonsignificant impact on kicking latency.

As its primary project this Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) class develops and facilitates work each year to create a three-year strategic plan for regional nonprofit organizations. In the fall of 2022, students worked with the newly formed West Lake Art Conservation Center (WLACC) in Skaneateles, NY. Working together and led by CGP students, West Lake Conservators (WLC) staff, WLACC trustees, and WLACC community stakeholders created a plan for achieving the organization’s vision for 2023-2025. The CGP team began by creating planning task forces based on feedback from members of the Board of Trustees. Task forces included: Facilities and Infrastructure Acquisition; Administration and Technology; Fundraising and Marketing; and Programs and Services. CGP students then conducted financial and programmatic research, and conducted and summarized numerous key informant interviews. Students also prepared a situational analysis to better understand the context in which WLACC operates. In addition, students planned and facilitated three virtual retreats with all participants to solicit feedback and discuss the diverse perspectives of all planning team members. Student-led task forces met several times with members from WLC’s staff, WLACC’s Board of Trustees, and stakeholders to refine and develop a consensus on institutional direction. Distilling its research and discussion with all stakeholders, students developed a nearly 30-page document that included new mission, vision and values and identified critical issues, goals and action steps for 2023-2025. The plan will serve as a guide for WLACC as it begins operation as a new nonprofit organization.

Since the 1860s, research has been shown a difference in wages for men and women who are doing the same work which this started the gender wage gap. In 2022, women earned a average of 82 percentage of what men earned which is higher from the 60 percent in the 1950s. This paper examines the difference in jobs for men and women in which there is a gender difference in wage. Using the Consumer Price Index (CPS) data from 2015-2021, I will show what industries have the largest and smallest gender wage gap. I affect that happened in this sample period was Covid in which it is shown that both genders had worked less hours than previous years but also shown that males work more hours than females. With the change in gender roles through history, women have become more educated than men. Things that can affect the wage gap are age, experience, education, Marial status, race, and number of children. The results show which industries/occupations that have a bigger wage gap in gender differences.