Alfred Skunks

When you visit Alfred or Alfred University, your tour guide may tell you about the Ceramics department, the Green Monster, even the dreaded food at the Dining halls. However, they always fail to mention the Skunks. It seems that there is a large amount of skunks that have made their home around campus. If you are a student living on or around campus the likeliness that you have had an encounter with a skunk or its smell is almost 100%. Coming back from breaks is especially pleasant because i am usually greeted with the odor of a skunk.

Skunks vary in size, but most are about the size of a house cat, they also appear in a variety of striped, swirled and spotted patterns. They are all black-and-white which makes them easily visible to predators. Skunks usually nest in burrows constructed by other animals. During the coldest winter months they sleep in their burrows for several weeks. Each female gives birth to between 2 and 10 young each year!!! Which explains the large population in Alfred. They are opportunistic eaters (so don't leave your trash around). The good news is skunk spray causes no real damage to its victims, just a lingering smell that can last for days.

In my experience most skunks in Alfred are a little desensitized to humans, i have walked a foot away from one without it even noticing me. Although when provoked, I have seen them spray a kid throwing rocks. There are many skunks around the Pine Hill suites, even an all white one. There are also some around main street including one that lives under the deck of 21. Besides their smell, skunks are harmless and are usually victims of speeding cars. Without the skunks around Alfred, it may be much more relaxing to walk near dumpsters or down a flight of stairs at night, but, it also wouldn't smell like the middle of nowhere which we all know and love!

Graffiti Wall

The graffiti wall in the courtyard of Harder Hall is a place for a little freedom of expression. To discourage graffiti on public property a section of the wall has been designated for this exact purpose. It allows students to indulge in their graffiti love in a less destructive way. This wall has been around for quite some time and every so often it gets painted over. However until this clean slate is created, layers upon layers of art build up. A very interesting mixture of styles, colors, and subjects combine to create a unique collage. While it is a form of self expression it also creates a venue for students to display their work. It is an ever changing wall, constantly being covered and restructured into something new. While some students take it more seriously than others, it creates an interesting mash of abstract patterns, recognizable objects, and text.

Right now there are many remnants of individuals work. The background is covered with pinks and blues creating a patterned tube structure. The tube is divided up into small sections each one with its own unique pattern. At the top are the initials “JB,”” JW”, “OL” and the year ’09, we can assume that these are the initials of the artist or perhaps somehow related to the piece. Parallel lines serve to divide up the space up even further. Some parts of it seem to be spray painted while others are clearly hand-painted. While some parts are very angular, others are much more organic and freeform. One part that particularly interests me is the figure that occupies the bottom portion of the wall. She doesn’t have much detail, and is made up of solid shapes. We can tell it’s a girl because she has a yellow dress on and a bow in her hair. However all of her features are completely obliterated. The wall seems to be dripping from her face and hair into the rest of her body. The red of her hair seems to give the feeling of blood running down her white skin. Her lack of identity gives her a rather disturbing presence as well. She is outlined in blue and it is difficult to tell whether this was done by the original artist or added later by someone else. It does serve to separate her from the background, giving definition to her arms and hands. A portion of her bottom half is recently covered up by a gold square. This square has a match about two feet away from it which is identical in form. An interesting green and red pattern resides in the space next to the figure. It is an organic form radiating from the center to form a pattern similar to a mandala. Harsh black lines divide the colors and are also used to create dots within the shapes.

Another fascinating notion regarding the wall is the anonymity of it. Many times you never see the artist in action and it seems as though a new piece has just magically appeared. There is no title card or description of the artist’s intentions. This relates back to a long standing debate in the art world of the individuals v. the collective. It is essentially a collective work of art that has contributions from many different sources. However this collaboration is not organized in any specific manner. It is up to the individual to take the wall in a new direction even though it will be viewed as a whole. A certain amount of discrimination takes place in the choices of what to cover up with one’s own work. This community work adds individuality to Alfred’s campus that cannot be seen anywhere else.

Christian Influence in Alfred

Mapping Christian Influence in Alfred

The town of Alfred, as well as the institutions developed therein, was originally founded on the morals of the Seventh Day Baptist church. Though this foundation has been replaced by other values, traces of Christianity have been maintained through much of Alfred University’s history. In 1807 the first settlers, Nathan Green, Clark Crandall and Edward Green, traveled from Newport, Rhode Island to establish the sixth Baptist church in America at this time (Minard). Differing from their mother church, this church recognized the Sabbath as the seventh day, or Saturday, instead of the traditional Sunday worship day. As more people settled in the area, a school was developed and which held the weekly Sabbath meeting that became part of the settler’s everyday lives. In 1836 the church founded the Select School, created to educate qualified teachers for the sparse areas surrounding the region (A Tradition of Distinction). That soon became the Alfred Academy which opened more opportunities for higher learning, while still maintaining its original foundational values: protestant Christianity.
Chapel Hall, or what is now known as Alumni Hall, the office of financial aid and admissions, is the oldest original building on the Alfred University campus and was a center point in student’s lives. Chapel Hall was built in 1851 in the Greek revival style, which was a very popular in America and Europe for businesses, wealthy residential homes, and churches. The Greek Revival was important to this time period not only because it was believed to be beautiful aesthetically, but because of the associations it had with religion and democracy, and the strong ties citizens held to these values. Though the Greeks were not Christian, their daily use of religion as well as their devotion to democracy, was idealized at this time.
As evident in a diary recovered from a past student, Vernon Marion Babbit, students would attend chapel before classes in the morning and a prayer meeting at night (Babbit). The chapel was a non-denominational Christian church that held services of Protestant origins. Attending chapel was not required by the school, nor did it have any academic advantages other than self fulfillment. Students wanted to improve themselves, and one way they believed that could be accomplished was by going to church services. Many faculty members also participated in church lectures, including then University president Jonathan Allen (Babbit). Christianity had strong influences on this community, partially because the town was founded by Seventh Day Baptist settlers, but also because most of America was still strongly religious at this period.
Those students who were local or of Seventh Day Baptist faith, most likely worshiped at the Seventh Day Baptist Church located in the town of Alfred. The original church was destroyed in 1929 by a devastating fire, but was quickly rebuilt as it is now (Clarke). This church, rebuilt in a similar fashion, also demonstrates the Greek revival style, and when compared with Alumni Hall, similarities can be seen in the tall white steeple. It is evident that Alumni Hall was modeled similarly, and perhaps in response to, the Seventh Day Baptist Church.
As the University got bigger, and Alfred State was established, more people traveled to the area, bringing various religions with them. Many other churches are located in Alfred, providing options for diverse Christian back grounds. In 1922, the Union University Church began worshiping in the same chapel, catering to non-denomination worship for those used to worshiping on Sunday. Due in part to the need of people from many different areas to learn and teach at the school, this was needed to accommodate their needs. On State campus St. Judes provides catholic worship services as well.
As time when on, findings in science and anthropology, as well as the spread of different ethnicities to the United States competed with religion as a source of knowledge. These findings started out in urban areas and eventually spread to more destitute areas of population. To think about religion in terms of most American's everyday lives, it has stark differences to that of Babbits account, especially when speaking of college age Americans. More than once a week did he write in his journal something like, "I pray god give me the strength to follow him more closely" or “God please bless help me think in your image”. As a current student, I can say that I, nor do many of my friends, have this same state of mine. I've grown up in a Christian family but I would never attend church every day before my classes, especially if it meant getting up earlier. Though my account is personal and does not reflect all those who live in America, studies have shown that this is a trend that significantly affected American culture and politics (Meacham).
As religion decreased in importance at the university the chapel was used as a lecture hall, library, gymnasium, movie theatre, and laboratory, and in 1927 it was renamed Alumni Hall (Herrick). In 1901 the Gothic Chapel opened for the study of theology. It contented classrooms and a chapel. This building is now the university chapel which caters to non-denominational Christian worship as did Alumni Hall; however, it is clearly much smaller and has less room for students to attend. In the 1970's Alumni Hall was declared a fire hazard and closed. However, it was also placed on the National and State Historic Register a few years after. In 1986 it was re-opened after being gutted and restored with a steel structure replacing the old wood frame and by adding the offices as we know them today.
There are several Christian groups available to students at Alfred University such as, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Brothers and Sisters in Christ, but they are not nearly as large a part of life as religion used to be. Their meetings are located in Susan Howell hall, and Powell Campus Center. They do not have their own chapel as they formerly did.
Through the structure of Alumni Hall, we can see the change in values that occurred over time at Alfred University as well as throughout America. At its opening it was a highly regarded religious building. Though the exterior structure has maintained the Greek Revival style, the building no longer resonates the cultural significance of that style. This is a commonality that occurs in a lot of antiquated architecture. Buildings with historical significance are preserved for their beauty, but as the ideals of society change, the building purposes change with them.



Babbit, Vernon Marion. Vernon Marion Babbit's Diary. New York: Alfred University. Alfred University Archives. 2009. Alfred University. 11 February 2010.

Clark, Douglas. “An Historical Perspective” The First Seventh Day Baptist Church. 15 Mar. 2010.

Herrick Memorial Library. "A Tradition of Distinction: University History" Alfred University Archives. 10 Feb. 2010.

Meacham, Jon. The End of Christian America. Newsweek. 4 April 2009.

Minard, John S. History of Alfred. New York A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany County, Fergusson & Co., Alfred, N. Y. 1896, p. 624.

The Fasano House and Legacy

71 North Main Street, otherwise known as Alfred University Welcome Center at the Fasano House, has gone through many changes in its structure, use, and meaning. It was first constructed for William C. Burdick, a well-known Alumni, member of the Board of Trustees, and significant member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church, making him a prominent figure in his time in Alfred (Campus Map). He married Amanda Crandall Prescott in 1885, and together they brought many community members through their house through the operation of the Allegany Cheese Company and the Amandine reading club for women. After both owners passed away, their daughter sold the residence to Alfred University to be used by the well known fraternity Delta Sigma Phi.
Throughout its years as a fraternity it underwent many changes in appearance partially because it was damaged by a fire twice, in 1931 and 1981, both times destroying most of the third floor and attic (Campus Map). It also went through many minor changes as a fraternity house, including the addition of a third floor, and accommodations made to suit the Greek life. It was used by the fraternity until 2002, when the university abolished the recognition and funding of Greek organizations, except for a brief time during World War Two. At this point the women’s dormitory, the Brick, was needed for Student Army Training Corps; as a result, the women were housed at 71 North Main.
Once the Delta Sigma Phi house could no longer be recognized as a fraternity house, it was turned over to the university. Though many alumni members of the organization were at first furious, later findings in the reasons for fraternity abolition swayed them to understand (Fasano). Given that many of the prominent members of the frat owned the house for eighty some years, many former Delta Sigma Phi and alumni led efforts to raise more than half the funding needed to restore the house. A former fraternity brother and friend of Joe Fasano, Jon Tabor class of 1955, matched dollar-for-dollar all contributions made to the renovation fund (Campus Map). The house would soon become an Alumni Welcome Center, home of University Relations, and dedicated to the Fasano family.
The Fasanos have attended Alfred University for many generations; it is because of this and their contributions to the University that the house was dedicated to them. Joe Fasano, class of 1954, was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi and lived in the house. After graduating and serving in the Marine Corps, he came back to serve as alumni director, on the alumni board, and other various boards involved in the university for 56 years (Fasano). He was also inducted into the hall of fame for football. His wife, Ann Saunders Fasano, class of 1953, was also an Alfred University graduate and worked in Herrick Library until she retired. Her parents also attended Alfred University. Because the couple was so involved with the university, and their house was right down the road from the campus, they welcomed many visitors to the university into their home. They developed many personal relationships with prominent university affiliates as well as visitors. Their son, Patrick Fasano, grew up in Alfred, graduated in 1980 from the University for ceramic engineering, and lived in the Delta Sigma Phi house as well. He passed away in 1994 leaving behind a wife two children, one of which, Elizabeth Fasano, is currently a junior at Alfred University. The front room of the house, the Patrick Allen Fasano Room, is dedicated to him and his family. A stained glass window and plaque stand for his wife and each of his children in the room.
The reconstruction of the Fasano House was based on the original Burdick residence. Initially, the house was created in the Eastlake style, complete with geometric cross gabled roof and dormers (Campus Map). This style was similar to the Queen Ann style of the Victorian era. Well known restoration architect, Elizabeth Corbin Murphy, worked with interior designer Vivian Hyde of Alfred “to uncover and recreate the original architectural details, including intricately carved woodwork, stained glass and raised plaster decorations on the wall” (Campus Map). They removed layers of paint and wallpaper to determine original color schemes to restore the exterior of the building and the first floor restored to their original Victorian fashion. Many community members helped with the efforts, including Joe Fasano himself who laved much of the woodwork, carving from photographs and existing reliefs (Fasano).

Campus Map. Alfred University Welcome Center at the Fasano House. 2007. Alfred University. March 19, 2010

Fasano, Elizabeth. Personal Interview. March 19, 2010.

Alfred State Labyrinth

In Greek mythology the labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the Daedalus, a skilled craftsman and artisan known as the creator of the dancing ground. He built the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete, who after his death became the judge of the dead in Hades. The function of the labyrinths was to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull. Daedalus had made the labyrinth so cunningly that he himself could barely escape it after he built it. The mythology continues that, Daedalus was aided by Ariadne, King Minos' daughter, who provided him with clues, so he could find his way out again.

Later revised to become synonymous with mazes, colloquial English standards defined the labyrinth as an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit, but many contemporary scholars observe a distinction between the labyrinth and maze. In America, the term "maze craze" was coined in 1970. About this time, numerous books, and some magazines, were commercially available in nationwide outlets and devoted exclusively to mazes of a complexity that was able to challenge adults as well as children.Conversely, a labyrinth is a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route is not designed to be difficult to navigate.

The labyrinth mysticism was recently perpetuated by Guillermo del Toro's film "Pan's Labyrinth", aka. El laberinto del fauno. This graphic account of danger and fantasy brings modern viewers back to the Labyrinth's origin. The film is set "in 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again." The visual inspiration of this film invites all cultures into the wonder of myth.

Nearer labyrinth's can be found in Wellsville, Canandaigua, Honeoye Falls, and West Valley New York. In these instances, most of the labyrinths are used for relaxation and meditation purposes. Based on the labyrinth society and Veriditas' World-Wide Labyrinth Locator, there are around 3300 labyrinths in over 70 countries. By an unexpected turn of events the labyrinth has taken on Judea-Christian significance by serving as a symbol for pilgramage; the physical act of walking the labyrinth's path represents ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later, the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment. However, as indicated before the significance of their spiritual aspects have seen a resurgence in postmodern culture.

Other cultural significance comes from the prehistoric labyrinths which are believed to trap malevolent spirits, or define paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center and one entrance.

Outside sources say that many newly made labyrinths exist in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets the mind.

As SUNY Alfred built their own labyrinth, unique intentions were brought forth through a press release entitled "Ancient World Comes to Alfred State". Released 05/02/2007

Volunteers began work on the labyrinth Thursday, April 26, 2007, with 106 tons of gravel was brought to the Alfred State College campus to create a labyrinth, a unicursal path that provides a walker with a quiet, contemplative space where thinking can subside so that imagination and spirit can arise. A labyrinth's path circles slowly to the center and then flows back again to its beginning.

The Alfred State labyrinth is located in a quiet grassy space opposite TA Parish Hall and the MacKenzie residential complex. Once completed, it will be available for the use of anyone in the Alfred community.

Students, community members, and faculty/staff participated in moving and raking gravel to create the pathways. Additionally, many Alfred State students had already been involved in the early phases of its planning and construction. A surveying technology curriculum student first checked the property lines; an architecture class worked together to create the labyrinth design; and the surveyor translated it to the grassy surface. A landscaping class removed sod from the pathways in preparation for the gravel.

Funds for this project were provided by a college donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The labyrinth is intended to grow in beauty as contributions for small gardens, benches, pathways, and flowering plants arrive in the years to come.

Labyrinths are located in cultures around the world. In the book, Labyrinths: Ancient Myths & Modern Uses, (2001) Sig Lonegren states: "Labyrinths are amazing tools. They can work real magic--moments that bring worlds together. Invented in the mists of prehistory by a culture that functioned on quite different levels of consciousness than we do today, these magical single-path mazes can enhance the possibility of bringing together our analytical or rational mode of consciousness with our intuitive or spiritual levels of consciousness."

Suny Alfred's Labyrinth Project designs were made by Michael Chisamore, Assistant Professor. Volunteer efforts were contributed by the SUNY Alfred architecture club.

Yoga Club

Yoga club meets Thursdays at 4:45 to 5:45 at Miller in the dance studio. This club was started spring semester 2009 and is open to all levels. Students, faculty and community members are welcome to join. Yoga means to join and when you participate in yoga your mind and body join together.

No one person is noted for inventing yoga. Yoga can be traced back more then 5,000 years ago because of stone carvings found in the Indus Valley. Yoga first started appearing in the United States around the 1800's but became popular in the 1960's because of a growing interest in middle east. Because of the growing population of yoga, more is known about the benefits of stress relief and yoga became a respectable exercise.

Yoga can be practiced by any adult but is not recommended for children. The poses in yoga can be altered for people with disabilities. Meditation, breathing, and exercising are the three areas that are focused on in yoga. People with back pain, arthritis, and depression may be prompted by their physician to participate in yoga because of the benefits. If you are interested in yoga the club meets every thursday.

Work Cited:

"General Yoga Information." American Yoga Association. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .

The Black Knight

According to popular legend, in the early 1900's, within the confines of the old classrooms in the Brick, sat an old iron stove with a small statue of a black knight affixed to the top. This knight stood proudly atop his perch, with sword and shield, two iron arms with which to hold them, and two sturdy legs with which to stand. Around this stove huddled a group of students, whispering and conniving amongst themselves. Not many days later, the old stove was seen making its way along the Kanakadea, drifting quietly away from it's former home. The Iron Knight, however, made its way into the possession of two students, one of an even class number, and one of an odd. Somehow, the knight was commandeered by the even classes, and declared "the Iron Knight of the Even Numbers", a mascot for the classes.

The odd classes fought fiercely, through attacks and trickery, to capture the Even's mascot, but were unsuccessful for many years. However, in 1922, the class of 1924 made the foolhardy decision to take the Iron Knight out into the bright of day, to pose for the class photo. At 10:15 AM the class of 1924 stood, posed and smiling with their mascot, in front of Kanakadea Hall-but the peace of the moment did not last. The odd class men, hearing of the knight's exposure, attacked, and began an epic battle, capturing the knight, and bringing the battle to the banks of Kanakadea creek. There, the knight was lost in the fray, and found again by a member of the odd, who brought the battle back to Main street. Meanwhile, the class of 1924 had enlisted the help of the freshman class of 1926, who loyally threw themselves into the battle raging along Main Street. In a stroke of brilliance, Junior Edward "Soupy" Campbell gained possession of the Iron Knight, and slipped him into his trousers. Feigning injury, Campbell was escorted off the battlefield (by two of the enemy, nonetheless!), and brought to the Delta Sigma Phi house, which had been converted into a makeshift hospital for the wounded. Soon afterwards, the battle was called to a truce, because of the concern for the welfare of the football players. The Iron Knight was in the possession of the even classes- but he did not escape unharmed. An arm was lost on the battlefield, and the odds had gained possession of the other, along with the base, legs and shield.
There is a fantastic poem that appeared, along with a photo of the missing limbs, in the 1931 yearbook, that went as follows:
The Black Knight,
The Even classes proudly boast,
Of a mascot, brave,
a relic of an old black stove,
Long since in its grave.

The evens still are prone to laugh
At our oddity
But we retain the part which means
Supportability.

This duel ownership was caused
(Some perchance know not)
Some years ago by a class fight-
Each a portion got.

Each Junior Class receives in stealth
Trophy treasured.
One a legless knight now guards:
One a knightless leg.

This skirmish was only the beginning of the Iron Knight's travels. Soon after this fight, the knight was hidden, only to be found in 1935 in an old bank in Hornell. The finders quickly hid it once again, after photographing their find, and it was not found again until 1938. Over and over, the tradition of its finding and hiding was continued. It is possible that some of the documented cases of the Iron Knight may be impostors: sometime during the thirtys, the odd classes produced their own mascot, a similar statue of King Alfred, which has continually been confused with the Black Knight of the Evens. The real Iron Knight was missing for about 38 years, but was returned to campus in 1977, during the reunion. For about 27 years, the knight resided first in Herrick Memorial Library, and then in Powell Campus Center. However, in 2005, the campus center was broken into during the night, and the Knight was stolen. Let us hope that with luck, the knight may make an appearance in the near future, and once again take its place as the mascot it once was.


Works Cited
Alfred University in the 1890's: Honors Seminar, Fall 1996. Herrick Memorial Library.

McCord, Jean."Black Knight Returns". Herrick Memorial Library, 2005.