Invasion of Privacy: Sanu Mallisetty on the necessity of Upstate Escapes
Photo provided by Clifton Harcum
Sanu Mallisetty pictured with other SUNY Geneseo students on the most recent Upstate Escapes trip, which provided them with the unique opportunity to travel outside of Geneseo.
As the semester progresses at a snail’s pace while work seems to pile higher than ever, it is important to remember students’ outlets on campus that allow them to garner community and be among like-minded individuals. Fortunately, for students of the SUNY Geneseo campus, some outlets have the potential to continue to do just that for those willing and eager enough to try them out— one being Upstate Escapes.
According to the Geneseo website, Upstate Escapes is a “program [that] provides Geneseo students with opportunities to expand on their classroom learning through cultural, recreational, and educational trips…also provid[ing] grants to faculty and student organizations to organize and implement trips…[and] is also a collaborative effort of the Department of Student Life and Intercollegiate Athletics and recreation. It is supported in part by the Undergraduate Student Association and the Division of Student and Campus Life.”
I was fortunate enough to sit down with Sanu Mallisetty, a sophomore international student majoring in Data Science and minoring in Business Administration, who participated in this semester’s most recent —and final— Upstate Escape trips. During this conversation, Sanu talked about the two Upstate Escapes trips they took part in, one to Stony Brook, NY, and the other to the Adirondack Mountains. During this, they stressed the importance of continuing these trips and the many roadblocks it took to finalize their most recent trip to the Adirondack Mountains.
The Adirondack Mountains Upstate Escapes trip was organized by Multicultural Affairs and sponsored by the Student Association and the Adirondack Diversity Initiative. This trip took place on the weekend of Feb. 15, 2025, and allowed 12 students to venture into the beauty of the nearby mountain range while enjoying the company of their peers and those who chaperoned.
One of these chaperones was Clifton Harcum, the Director of the Office for Multicultural Affairs, whose effort and determination to see this trip become a reality is why Sanu believes the trip occurred at all. During our conversation, they continuously praised Harcum’s commitment to ensuring positive experiences for those he interacts with— and said that through his aid, they have felt more comfortable and welcomed on the Geneseo campus.
Sanu continued talking more broadly about the importance of these trips to them, stating, “I don’t know what I’d be doing without these trips. I don’t have a car here, and it’s so bad. There’s no transportation…” before delving into the friendships they have garnered through the most recent trip they went on.
When asked if more trips/events should be planned like this, Sanu said, “Yes, there’s no way for people of color to get off this campus. Many individuals don’t have access to transportation, and these trips really serve as their only way of escaping Geneseo— and it’s very important for people to escape Geneseo…” After this, Sanu followed it up with a possible remedy. “I feel like there should be more funding for trips, especially for those who can’t afford it, and especially those without transportation availability…There should be a reservation system or something like that available to those who need it.”
While it may not seem like much, these Upstate Escapes trips stand to be a keystone to a healthy campus community. By offering these experiences and opportunities to those who have never experienced them, this grant field program allows students to experience an environment that is community-specific and curated for them— a community not based solely on the college community but on shared life experiences that they want to share in.
After this, Sanu continued, saying, “To escape depression, trips are the only way. So, if you want to protect your mental peace and your peace, you have to go on these trips…” and I truly feel that is a great way to think about these trips: they are an outlet for all students to use; all student’s need to escape the woes of college life and find community outside of the classroom.
While the next year of programs for Upstate Escapes is not currently accessible, this does not mean you should not show your engagement or interest in this program. Show your support for the program and voice your wants for the future of it. This program has been an essential backbone to many students’ college experience, and we must ensure that future classes have the same opportunities!
Sanu left our conversation with a final note about opportunities like these: “Live now. If not today, then when?”