Newswise — “Community” is an oft-cited value at SUNY Geneseo, a college known for its highly engaged student body and active campus life. The College and Village of Geneseo have consistently worked together to stress and reinforce the role of the Village in sustaining a highly integrated, mutually affirming community, and this year is no exception.
For starters, this summer the Mayor of the Village, Margaret Duff, offered tours of the village to the parents of new students as part of the new student and parent orientation. This well-received, long-standing component of the orientation program, originated by Mayor Dick Hatheway, provides an opportunity for parents to learn about the history of the village and what it has to offer to students.
Specifically, to welcome Geneseo students for the new academic year, for the first time in recent memory, Mayor Duff, along with Vice President for Student and Campus Life Robert A.Bonfiglio, sent a letter of welcome to every College student, which included an invitation for students to attend Village Board meetings, and to stay informed about community issues.
In addition, the Village and College-sponsored Healthy Campus and Community Coalition, which has been moving forward with renewed vigor in the past year under the leadership of community Prevention Coordinator Shelly Wolanske, embarked on its first Welcome your neighbor Campaign. As part of the campaign, Coalition members, along with community leaders and landlords, created and distributed welcome bags for 150 Geneseo students living off-campus residences in late August through early September. The bags, which included information on community and College resources, including relevant zoning and ordinance information, are intended to be used as “conversation starters” to help foster a sense of community.
The Healthy Campus and Community Coalition also offered a presentation to 200 of the College’s student-athletes living in the Village of Geneseo on August 27. The workshop covered topics in including renters’ rights and responsibilities, Village laws and codes and what it takes to be a good neighbor. Shelly Wolankse was joined at this presentation by Mayor Duff; Village Chief of Police Eric Osganian; Deputy Mayor and Coalition Co-Chair Matt Cook; andTown of Geneseo Board Member Patti Lavigne. This workshop will be offered to other student groups in the coming months.
On August 30, Geneseo students participated in the second annual Main Street Bash. Designed to introduce incoming SUNY Geneseo students to the Geneseo local business community, the bash featured a scavenger hunt at participating businesses; free tastings at the Geneseo FarmersMarket on Center Street; and informational booths on Main Street. Several hundred students attended this well-received event, which was presented to first-year students as part of SUNYGeneseo’s “Weeks of Welcome” programs.
These efforts culminated at the end of the first week of classes with the annual Knight’s First Day of Service event for first-year and transfer students. September 8 saw 148 individuals volunteering at 13 different sites on campus and throughout the Geneseo community. Some of the service opportunities included: spreading mulch on the trails and removing weeds at the Arboretum; clearing brush from the wall on South Street with APOG; cleaning up fields at the Genesee Valley Farm Discovery Center, an educational farm of East Groveland Road; playing games and talking with residents at the Conesus Nursing Home; painting the playground and clearing brush at the Central Presbyterian church in town; and sorting food collected on campus that will be donated to area schools.
These are just a few of the many, many ways that College and community come together to support each other and promote student success. The core value of community, the high levels of student engagement at the College, and the hospitality of the residents of this nationally recognized historical landmark village creates a rare opportunity Geneseo students to experience both the charms of this small, Western New York village and a vibrant campus life.
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