Sheesley is the owner and master printer of Corridor Press LLC, a lithography studio in Otego, New York. Recently Sheesley retired from the position of gallery director at SUNY Oneonta. He has taught printmaking at many universities, some of which include Temple University, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and SUNY Oneonta.

His career has been fruitful, having had the opportunities to show his work across the country and internationally. He also had the opportunity to collaborate with professional and well-known artists, such as Art Spiegelman, the author of “Maus.”

Sheesley began his artistic studies in abstraction and formalism, which evolved into the simple style he uses today. During his talk, Sheesley debated this line of creation, questioning what makes something “art.”

The exhibition was mostly composed of simple lithographs, created between 1995 and 2022, and many contained a cabinet — in tune with the theme of the exhibition. The works shown included animal paintings and patterns. Sheesley attributed it to how many promises can come from cabinets and other simple objects of everyday life. The intention is to bring focus and reflection to the universality of these simple objects.

In his talk, Sheesley spoke of his inspiration behind the works, and how simplicity is beautiful.

“I kind of see everything as special,” Sheesley said. “It’s not really a cop-out. When you are creating these things, you are taken along. It pulls you in. You quickly learn what you can’t do.”

The process of creation is important to Sheesley, and discovery has led him to continue creating.

“This is all about drawing, [and] there’s drawing in all of these,” Sheesley said. “I just wanted to work on a group of images and make them obstere, simple and clear.”

In a Q&A, Sheesley was asked about what happens when a piece doesn’t come together. Sheesley explained how to move along in the process of creation.

“When [the project] is done, it’s done,” Sheesley said, “When I have to rework it, I just start over, and sometimes you don’t see what you’ve made until you take some time for it.”

Many BU art students came to the exhibition to enjoy Sheesley’s work in printmaking. Some students, like Vincent Wu, a senior majoring in art history, were asked to visit the exhibition for an advanced drawing class.

“Previously I took this class, and we had an exhibition like this,” Wu said. “But for most of the work, we had more figures and sculptures to work with. But this is all painting, which is great too. It’s different. I think it’s really nice. There is a wide variety of things.”

Wu discussed why seeing an exhibition from professional artists is important for an art student.

“I feel like it’s really important for [Sheesley] to show what he has to offer and his perspective,” Wu said. “Maybe he has a different background from other artists that came before him. Overall, every artist has their own take and it’s important that we learn about each artist.”

Emily O’Brien, a senior majoring in drawing, reflected on her own studies at BU.

“Well, I’m taking an etching class as of right now, so this whole medium itself is very inspiring,“ O’Brien said. “As somebody that is new to it, it shows the diversity of what can be done.”

O’Brien said it is meaningful to have professionals come into the University and showcase their work to the students.

“I think the most obvious reason is to be able to diversify the mediums and subject matter,” O’Brien said, “To have multiple [artists] helps diversify the field.”

On Aug. 25, 2022, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that $4 million will be granted to all SUNY and CUNY schools to improve mental health studies and incentivize minorities and multilingual students to pursue degrees in the field. The funds will be split evenly among SUNY and CUNY institutions, with $2 million dollars going toward each. From there, the money will be divided among colleges and universities in each system.

The grant is intended to be used for internships, scholarship opportunities, tuition assistance and stipends for minority and multilingual students dedicated to pursuing a degree in mental health. Hochul believes that this will, in turn, not only strengthen mental health programs in New York state but also will ensure the workforce is diverse and inclusive.

Hochul said the funding will help build reliability in health care services, while eliminating disparities in the deliverance of mental health care to minority and multilingual populations.

“This partnership will provide incentives for underrepresented students to enroll or remain in mental health programs,” Hochul said in a press conference.

The Office of New York State Mental Health (OMH) Commissioner issued a statement in addition to Hochul’s announcement, describing the potential benefits of the project.

“By partnering with SUNY and CUNY, we will be better able to recruit and retain a more diverse and inclusive workforce that will provide insights and experiences we can use to reach out to marginalized and under`served communities,” the OMH Commissioner’s statement read.

According to the press briefing, the OMH is confident that New York state is making “great strides” to improve diversity in the mental health workforce.

“Oftentimes, a barrier to care for our students and others seeking mental health care is not having access to a practitioner that can relate to or intimately understand their struggles,” SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah Stanley said. “We know that our unique backgrounds, cultures and languages only make our workforce stronger.”

Although Hochul and the OMH are optimistic that the $4 million in funding will bring more diversity into mental health studies in the state of New York, Sevda Sarmineva, a senior majoring in English, suggested the money may not bring in more prospective students, even with assistance from universities.

“Giving more money to a certain area is [not] going to attract students if they’re not already interested,” Sarmineva said. “I don’t think just giving money to mental health studies is going to interest people who may not already have a good relationship with the inadequate resources on campus.”

Sarmineva expressed disappointment in the mental health services already in place at Binghamton University. However, she offered a solution to this issue that she hopes the University will look into.

“I think that if they’re going to focus on trying to catch the interest of students of color or multilingual students, that the school has to do more about caring for those students in the first place,” Sarmineva said. “Wanting to attract people to work in mental health care is wonderful, but many people are discouraged when it has not worked for them personally.”

However, other students are optimistic about the change the state could have in its future. Sara Elzourkany, a sophomore majoring in psychology, commented on the many opportunities that could result from the funding.

“The field is already growing in popularity with society’s improving discourse around mental health, especially among [people of color] and first [generation] students within their cultures,” Elzourkany said. “With increased funding, this career path will become even more attractive.”

Elzourkany also called on the University to provide more opportunities for its students majoring in psychology.

“There really isn’t anywhere to get more involved in the psychology field, aside from the Student Psychological Association, whereas there are a slew of resources available for the hard sciences,” Elzourkany said. “On this note, it would be extremely helpful, for psychology majors and lots of other students, if the University used the money to hire more academic advisors for Harpur College.”

More information can be found here.

Last week, a NYS Court of Appeals judge ruled that the state’s new congressional and senate district maps must be redrawn. The maps had been approved by New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul in February, after being passed by state legislature as part of New York state’s recurring redistricting process. Under the maps, Binghamton and other sections of Broome County had entered New York’s 19th Congressional District (NY-19), after formerly being in NY-22.

Every decade, per the New York State Constitution, voting districts must be reevaluated to fit data from the most recent census. This includes boundaries for the U.S. House of Representatives, state assembly and state Senate. The task has been handled by lawmakers in the past, but an amendment made in 2014 gave the power to a commission appointed by state legislature. This was the first year that the committee was put in use, but partisan divisions took hold of the decision-making process, leading to an inconclusive result.

As a result, the Democrat-led state legislature drew lines for the new districts, and the Republican Party filed a lawsuit in response, citing concerns of gerrymandering. Following this, two small courts declared the Democrat-controlled maps unconstitutional. While the state assembly was unaffected, the new lines would change the districts which determine the U.S. House of Representatives and state senate. The court rulings recommended that a “special master,” appointed by individuals outside of the state government, be in charge of drawing the new district lines. A special master was also used in 2012 when Democratic leadership conflicted with Republicans over the district maps.

The newly drawn lines would have potentially allowed Democrats to gain up to three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jonathan Krasno, a professor of political science, commented on the changing political climate within New York state, describing gerrymandering as a potential issue.

“A commission full of well-intentioned people could stumble into a gerrymander without planning to, if the people on it don’t have any idea what they’re trying to do,” Krasno wrote in an email. “I’m in favor of not gerrymandering state and local offices within New York state. But, until other states agree not to gerrymander at the federal level, it’s less clear whether New York state should agree to play it straight.”

The New York state political calendar has also been affected by the indecision. Primaries in districts unaffected by the new political maps are scheduled to be held on June 28. However, congressional and state Senate primaries will now be held Aug. 23, which may affect student voters.

Alison Handy Twang, the associate director of the Center for Civic Engagement, advised affected students to make a plan to vote early in their respective districts.

“Primaries for races impacted by the court ruling, including Congress and state senate, are expected to be held on Aug. 23,” Twang wrote in an email. “Because Aug. 23 is the first day of classes, many students will not have had the opportunity to register to vote or update their voter registration address.”

Krasno also discussed the changing demographic of politics in rural and suburban areas, indicating a shift in political unrest.

“The partisan divide in New York state is very much like it is in other states with the cities being Democratic and the rural areas becoming increasingly Republican,” Krasno wrote. “NY [Democrats] have more than enough urban voters to win statewide elections, but the political divide has become more toxic.”

Alex Umiker, a sophomore majoring in political science, is not confident in the state’s ability to partake in nonpartisan practices.

“I feel that the process will always be biased no matter who is in power,” Umiker said. “I believe that it is hard for any political entity to be truly nonpartisan. I believe it is sadly natural for each party to yearn for more power and that power can be achieved through the redistricting process.”

Umiker ran a campaign in 2020 to become a member of the New York State Assembly as a resident of Tioga County, and has stayed active in politics. Umiker reflected on partisan politics, calling for more focus on other topics within the state.

“I would rather have the New York state government focusing on the most important issues that regularly impact the everyday citizen,” Umiker said. “The state government should be focused on the rising inflation and crime rates in [New York City] rather than who gains one or two seats over the other.”

On March 22, the SA passed a resolution amending the full charter status timeline. The revised policy states clubs must hold a provisional charter for a full calendar year before applying for a full charter from the Internal Affairs Committee. The previous guidelines required a provisional charter to be held for two semesters, only one of which had to be full.

A club is required by the SA to receive a provisional charter before applying for a full charter. When acquiring a provisional charter, a club must first gain 150 signatures from the student body in support of the organization. After this, a constitution must be drafted and meetings must be held to establish authoritative roles within the club. After meeting with the SA Executive Vice President (EVP) and uploading all necessary paperwork, a provisional charter may be granted to the new organization.

The policies will take effect beginning the fall 2022 semester. Sakib Choudhury, the SA EVP and a senior majoring in computer engineering, said the current guidelines are slightly more vague than the revised version.

“This timeline does not fully define the length of which a club must have a provisional charter before applying for a full charter,” Choudhury wrote in an email. “It also gives preference to clubs chartered at the end of a semester because a club provisionally chartered at the end of a semester would become eligible to apply for a full charter at the same time as a club that was provisionally chartered at the beginning of a semester.”

Choudhury said the new policy will not have a large effect on the chartering process for clubs and other organizations at the University.

“I am confident that this new rule for the chartering process will not affect the accessibility of the chartering process,” Choudhury wrote. “The same requirements are still in place with the exception of a minor change to the timeline.”

Nortee Panpinyo, president of the Thai Student Association — a club seeking a full charter — and senior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering, said the change would only have a limited effect on the organization were it to apply.

“As an organization, the charter resolution will not affect our organization since we were provisionally chartered prior to the fall 2022 point made at the end of the resolution,” Panpinyo wrote in an email. “However, if we were getting our provisional charter during fall 2022, we believe the changes would only delay the overall process of getting fully chartered by a few months.”

The Thai Student Association received its provisional charter in March, after a five-month period. According to Panpinyo, this was “relatively quick.”

Panpinyo said a full charter would give the Thai Student Association similar benefits to a provisional charter, although a full charter would further solidify the organization.

“We believe organizations affected by the changes will benefit, as it ensures that [two] full semesters are fulfilled under a provisional charter where you have the same access to organization necessities such as room bookings, finance and ability to market on [BU] platforms,” Panpinyo wrote.

Lila Pomerantz, president of the Art Club — another organization with a provisional charter — and a junior majoring in graphic design, is hopeful for what a full charter would allow the Art Club to do for its members. Pomerantz said that by the end of the fall 2022 semester, the club will be eligible to apply for a full charter.

“A full charter would give us the funding to provide art supplies for all of the students that attend our meetings,” Pomerantz wrote in an email. “We plan to provide a variety of supplies from acrylic, watercolor and oil paint to pens and pencils, allowing for mixed media art pieces and experimentation.”

On March 10, the Broome County Office of Emergency Services announced that the rapid testing site on Front Street in Binghamton, by the Broome County Health Department, will be closing permanently. This comes after the center was temporarily closed following damage from a windstorm on March 7. The site was one of several major testing centers in Broome County.

About 200 tests per day were administered beginning in September 2021 when the Binghamton site was first opened. However, in recent weeks, the tests administered amounted to only 20 to 30 tests per day, according to WBNG. Broome County has also recently been listed as a county at low risk for COVID-19 transmission by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after being listed as high-transmission just weeks prior.

As of March 19, Broome County has seen a 34 percent drop in positive cases in a 14-day period, which set the county’s positivity rate at 4 percent. The number of hospitalizations each day have also dropped, with around 30 COVID-19-related hospitalizations reported.

County officials said they were confident in their decision to close the testing site. Chris Whalen, executive assistant to Broome County Executive Jason Garnar, referenced the low infection rate as evidence that the timing of the closure aligned with the needs of the county.

“This was the appropriate time to close down the site and redeploy the resources being used there for other duties within the county,” Whalen wrote in an email. “The rapid testing site was initially opened at a time when walk-in clinics and emergency rooms were being inundated and there was a high need in the community for additional testing.”

Broome County saw a raise in COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant swept over the population between January and February. In the fight against COVID-19, the county has learned much about how to handle future variants and pandemics, according to Whalen.

“COVID-19 required a response unlike any other in the history of Broome County,” Whalen wrote in an email. “It was coordinated with virtually every department in the county and required constant communication between all county leaders, health care leaders, community partners and the public. We now have a new playbook that can be implemented for any emergency response in the future.”

Broome County will continue to make decisions in accordance with the state and with CDC guidelines, according to Whalen. Whalen encouraged community members to keep up with the safety practices of the past two years — such as to self-isolate, wear a mask when necessary and get tested.

Victoria Stirpe, an off-campus resident and senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, appreciated the steps that the county has taken in the past and looked to other options for future testing. However, Stirpe was concerned about individuals not reporting positive cases.

“Broome County is probably trying their best to combat everything that is going on,” Stirpe wrote. “I have never used the resources at the rapid testing center in Binghamton. At-home tests are more accessible now, the issue there is that some people may not report positive results which is concerning.”

Alex Umiker, an off-campus resident and a sophomore majoring in political science, agreed with the county’s decision to close the center.

“I believe that Broome County made that decision for a reason, that being there are more at-home test kits available and the decline in cases,” Umiker wrote. “I think that we are moving forward and past this pandemic and shutting down the testing site is a step in that direction.”

Umiker said he appreciated efforts taken by Binghamton University in regard to COVID-19 testing and surveillance.

“I think the testing center at the University is a valuable resource that keeps our students safe,” Umiker wrote. “I live off campus but at [U Club Binghamton], which makes the University testing center closer for me to go to. The closing of the Front Street testing site does not affect me like it would students and residents living in the city of Binghamton.”

On Sunday, Feb. 27, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the statewide order requiring students to wear masks while inside school buildings would end on March 2. The decision to impose mandates has now been left to local officials of each respective school district. In a recent press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams introduced a plan to phase out the city’s vaccine requirement for restaurants, bars and other indoor settings by the end of this week. As of Feb. 28, the state’s seven-day positivity rate is under 2 percent, the lowest it has been since last summer. Additionally, over 75 percent of the population in New York are fully vaccinated according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In response, the SUNY website has updated its guidance, allowing individual campuses to lift mask mandates upon consultation with local health partners and CDC guidelines. SUNY Cortland and SUNY Stony Brook have already announced they will do so effective Wednesday, March 2.

In a recent B-Line announcement, BU President Harvey Stenger set late March as a tentative deadline for deciding whether to remove the University’s indoor mask mandate.

“We have decided we will defer a decision on lifting the indoor mask mandate until March 26, five days following the end of spring break,” Stenger wrote in the email. “If, at that time, Broome County and [BU] are in the medium or low transmission categories, masks will no longer be required in indoor spaces on campus.”

Ryan Yarosh, senior director of media and public relations at BU, confirmed that the mask mandate is still in effect for the time being.

“The [CDC] revised its mask guidelines late last week,” Yarosh wrote in an email. “However, based on the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in the county, Broome County remains an area where it is still recommended to wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk.”

While the majority of New York state, including New York City, has a low level of transmission, Broome County is one of a handful of counties that still falls into the high-level category, according to the latest CDC data from the seven-day period ending March 2. As Yarosh wrote, the CDC recommends individuals living in high-risk areas to wear masks indoors, including in school settings.

According to the CDC website, Broome County’s rolling seven-day positivity rate is 5.45 percent as of March 2. Just over two-thirds of Broome County residents are vaccinated, compared to 99 percent of BU’s student population.

According to a press release from the Binghamton City School District’s website, despite this data, masks will not be required much longer in the Binghamton City School District.

“Effective this Wednesday, masks will be optional in all Binghamton City School District buildings and buses,” the press release reads. “Thank you to our students and staff for their diligence and patience as we continue to follow the guidelines and requirements of New York state and our local health department.”

The Binghamton City School District wrote that even without mandatory masks, there are other measures that are still important in being able to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“We will continue to support those who choose to wear masks, along with the other mitigating measures such as testing and social distancing until advised otherwise by the state and local health departments,” the press release reads.

Some students at BU are conflicted by Hochul’s decision and the response it has prompted from the University.

Felicia Fiacco, an undeclared freshman, believes it is important to be patient in easing restrictions.

“You have to get back to normal at some point, but you can’t just flip the switch, you have to gradually ease into it,” Fiacco wrote in an email. “If [the University] doesn’t gradually try to social distance without masks on, they are just going to go back to mask mandates.”

Some students are ready to do away with masks all together. Nicolas Costello, a junior majoring in business administration, said it is time for the mandate to end.

“The University should consider relaxing or even completely removing the mask mandate,” Costello wrote. “There are no longer mask mandates in [New York state], and if masks aren’t required anywhere off campus it does not make sense to require them on campus.”

Aaron Berkowitz, a sophomore majoring in art history, said masks are still important but should not be required in all indoor settings on campus.

“I believe that people should still have their masks indoors for classes as people are really right on top of each other,” Berkowitz wrote in an email. “However, when it comes to possibly being in a more open space like the library and you have distance from other people, I think it would be OK to have your mask down. The same concept holds true in places like the dining hall or Marketplace.”