On the evening of Friday, Nov. 8, SUNY Geneseo’s South Asian club, Shakti, hosted its annual Diwali dinner in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom. Open to students, faculty, and the public, the event saw a diverse turnout of 125 attendees. From authentic South Asian dishes to mesmerizing performances and colorful decor, all elements combined for a joyous celebration.

The hot news on campus is the soft opening of the Milne Library, occurring on Thursday, Nov. 7. This soft opening has been long awaited, as many current students —if not all— have never been inside the library, and because of the campus’s previous lack of an official library, students had resorted to studying in their apartments and random places on campus.

Rebecca “Becky” Leathersich serves as an associate librarian here on the SUNY Geneseo campus but fills roles as much more than that, becoming an incredibly active and involved member of the campus community since her return to her alma mater as a faculty member in May of 2020. Currently, she takes on the helm of being the Asian Studies Program Coordinator, Korean American Student Association (KASA) Advisor, and a member of both the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community and Library Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism Committee— all while completing her duties as Research Instruction Librarian. 

As the days get shorter and the sun sets earlier, it can become difficult for students to stay afloat and avoid burnout. While The Lamron has gathered information to get you through these tough months academically in “Navigating fall semester slump,” below are some recommended activities to keep you occupied during your much-needed downtime.

As we begin to approach the holiday season, it is imperative to recognize the privilege of being able to celebrate these holidays. Thanksgiving often brings attention to this cause, but the message can get lost as we approach the winter holidays. Volunteering is a fantastic option for helping those around you in the local community. Geneseo provides many opportunities for students and organizations to volunteer, and its Adopt-a-Family event is just one of those opportunities.

Registration is a term that strikes fear into the heart of many college students— especially when you are unsure of what classes you should even take. While everyone is on a different path, there are a few general education classes that you may be overlooking or too stressed to find. Here are a few 100-level courses being offered for the Spring 2025 semester that might be the right fit for you!

Caitlin Schirmer, is a current Geneseo senior studying Biology with a minor in Human Development.  She joined club rugby her freshman year, having never played before, and is now the backs captain for the New York State Division III champion team. Schirmer remembers how “it was really intimidating at first, like not knowing anything about rugby, but then…the environment was so good that I felt really comfortable, like learning and staying.”

Freshmen Dave Dreyer, history and adolescence education major, and Ivan Jesus, biochemistry major, are co-presidents of the Karaoke Club on campus. This is a club where people can sing karaoke-style to their heart’s content and participate in contests to win modest sums of money. It’s hosted at 8 pm almost every Wednesday. The creation story of Karaoke Club is as simple as it is interesting. During this, Jesus recounts, “Basically, we were going to YoBerry Frozen Yogurt and we came to the MCC (Multicultural Center) to play Fortnite on the PS5 until David found a”—Dreyer interrupts to fill in the blank—“Microphone.”

It has been a tradition over the years for Geneseo to host a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) in the MacVittie Union’s ballroom around the end of October, a time famously known as the “spooky season.” Unfortunately, 2023 did not feature a showing, but Inter-Residence Affairs restored this well-loved tradition for the 2024 season. The screening was held at 6 pm on Saturday, Oct. 26. The event was catered by Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS), and attendees were given goodie bags and scripts upon arrival.

I was lucky enough to attend the SUNY Geneseo’s theatre department's rendition of Grease (1979) on opening night, Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Alice Austin Theatre. If you couldn’t attend, no worries; I will share my thoughts on the show.

Professor Hilary Toothe of the art history department has been at SUNY Geneseo for 12 years. She originally started in fine arts, wanting to be a painter, but then found she liked sculpture. She took her first art history course on the Northern Renaissance while in college and was immediately hooked. She quickly realized while in school that she was not the artist she thought she was, so she decided to go into research and history, studying culture and history through the lens of art. She did not know what she wanted to do but found her passion in art history.

On Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, the Geneseo Campus Activities Board (GCAB) held a tarot card reading event in the Kinetic Gallery inside the MacVittie College Union. The board brought Gina, a local tarot reader, to campus, who had been practicing the art for over 40 years. The event was quite the hot commodity, with a lineup quickly forming for her that resulted in a waitlist structure where interested students left their names and phone numbers. Around 10 minutes before their reading, one of the GCAB members tabling the event would reach out to the next student to let them know their time slot was arriving.

The Chinese Cultural Club at Geneseo’s (CCG) “Boba Tea Social” was held on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the multicultural center on campus. This event was open to all students and staff to socialize and have free boba tea!

Have you seen fun upcoming events such as Fright Fest and tarot card reading? These events are all thanks to the Geneseo Campus Activities Board (GCAB), which is funded by mandatory student activity fees. The executive board is currently all female, and among the members is Sophia Sabatino, a senior communication major from Long Island, New York. Sabatino joined GCAB during her junior year as the Concert Coordinator and now serves as the GCAB chair.

As the end of October creeps up slowly, many students are counting down the days until one of the biggest party weekends in the college setting. This weekend is none other than “Halloweekend.” This term refers to the weekend either before or after Halloween when college students and other young people alike decide to celebrate the holiday—typically through wearing the costumes of their choice and taking the town by storm. This year’s celebration will last a shocking three days for many, as Halloween will fall on a Thursday.

Halloween is a favorite holiday for many, with festive aspects such as spending time with friends, candy, and, perhaps most importantly, dressing up. Costumes are a fantastic way to express one’s creativity and find common interests among others. The process of deciding what to dress up as can be a stressful decision if your ideas seem boring or overdone. Do not fret, though, as a few costume ideas are appropriate, fun, and versatile!

This past Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, Geneseo Late Knight (GLK) and the Spine Breakers hosted an event together where they created “To Be Read” (TBR) jars and decorated them. For those unfamiliar, a TBR jar is something that many avid readers utilize to make their book-reading choices easier. The concept involves filling a jar with slips of paper that have the titles of books you would like to read and then randomly selecting a piece of paper when trying to decide what book to read next.

Geneseo has spent the past 30 days celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on campus. Hispanic Heritage Month takes place annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) explains, “While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communities beyond this month…we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more.”

Orquidia Geraldino is a senior political science major who serves as the Student Association President for the 2024-2025 academic year and a College Council member. Throughout Geraldino’s academic career at Geneseo, she has always prioritized staying involved on campus. Her previous roles on campus also include being a Resident Assistant (RA), on search committees, and the Caribbean Student Association president. 

Grayson Alkins is the bright new star of Geneseo’s famed Orchard Street. Stationed between two frats sits his small but mighty food cart, iconically known as “Gman Hots.” It is there where he feeds the hordes of tired college students looking to feast on anything they can get their hands on.