The Promethean Student Newspaper

By Kevin Flood

On Friday April 17th Siena College hosted the Fourth Annual Student Conference in Business. The conference, for those who are unaware, is an event held on campus where business students are given the opportunity to showcase the hard work they have put into projects and reports in specific fields. The work on this conference begins in the fall when a call goes out for anyone interested to send in their papers. The papers are reviewed for content and then the students are notified as to whetheror not their papers have made it in.  Dr. Raj Devasagayam and Dr. Cheryl Buff, two marketing professors, are the conference chairs that actually created this conference four years ago. They came up with the idea for this conference because they felt students needed a chance to show and get rewarded for the amount of time and effort they have put into some of their work.  The conference also has a student coordinator and two student co chairs. Seniors  Jenny Falco, Paul Acosta, and Alex Walthers, respectively, held these positions this year and did a great job at putting on this successful conference.

This years conference proved just as successful as in years past. The conference started off with guest speaker William Danko, co-author of the New York Times bestseller “The Millionaire Next Door.” Mr. Danko gave a very interesting and informative speech on how we as Siena students can get rich even with this current state of the economy entitled “America is Still the Land of Opportunity”. After the speaker, the people in attendance were split into four different tracks and given the option to attend which ones interested them the most. The four tracks were Management, Marketing, Management Information Systems (which was new this year) and Economics and Finance. Each student had a certain amount of time to present their topic and then there proceeded to be a question and answer portion. After the students finished their presentations, the audience reconvened in the starting room for the conclusion of the conference. During this time the award for best paper and best presentation is given out to those students by a faculty chair. The faculty chairs are carefully chosen and must be experts in the specific track that they are judging. They must carefully analyze each student’s paper and presentation to decide who will get the awards.

The Student Conference in Business  is one of the most interesting academic events held here on campus. It is in the best interest of all Business students, and maybe even others, to come and see the hard work that many of our p

Congratulations to all those who participated and helped out in the Student conference!

By Craig Osborne

The Siena School of Business will be offering a Masters degree in Accounting starting in the fall 2009 semester.  Siena received state approval and is in the finishing touches in finalizing the program.  A big reason the program was started was the new requirements to sit for the CPA exam.  Starting on August 1, 2009 all accounting students that want to receive New York State CPA certification will need 150 credit hours, which was previously 120 credit hours.  There are certain classes that are required to satisfy the credit hour requirement.  The best thing about this, is Siena has it set up with the state boards so if you have a certain degree from Siena, they know that you have taken the required classes needed to sit for the CPA exam.

The additional 30 credit hours consist of 24 required and 6 elective hours including internships.  The internships will help students gain valuable work experience.  Seniors in May ‘09 will start taking masters classes this semester and graduate in May ‘10.  In the future there will be multiple points of entry.  Some seniors will be able to take classes beginning the spring of their senior year while still completing their bachelor’s degree.  It is the programs hope to have some students finish up the program in December and be able to enter the workforce just in time for busy season.  Everybody’s situation is different and if you are interested in pursuing the program you should make an appointment with Professor Gene Farley.

Siena students get first priority to the masters program.  The program will be opened up to other schools after all possible Siena students are accepted.  Just because you go to Siena doesn’t mean you are in the program though.  A minimum overall GPA of 3.1 is required; you must also have at least four B’s in the core accounting classes, which is currently of ACCT 300, 305, 340, 350 and ACCT 400.  After 2010 ACCT 400 will drop out of the core and be replaced by ACCT 370 Accounting Systems.

The GMAT is waived for Siena students, not for students from other colleges.  There is no application fee for Siena students.  There will be a fee for outside students.  The tuition will be exactly the same as the undergraduate tuition.  Normally graduate programs are funded by loans and not by financial aid.  The Stafford loan is increased when you are pursuing a graduate program to $8,500 subsidized and $12,000 unsubsidized.  Subsidized loans do not incur interest while in school and based on financial need while unsubsidized loans incur interest during school and are not based on financial need.  Everyone’s financial aid situation is different and should discuss this with the financial aid office.  Juniors should be expecting to apply over the summer, this way they will know if they are accepted by the fall semester and will be ready to start some classes in the spring semester.  Graduate student housing is being discussed and it is the hope for this to be available in the future.  This program is a big plus for Siena students and its accounting program.

By Andrew Reilly

On Monday March 9^th The Siena men’s basketball team made history by going to the NCAA March Madness tournament for a second straight year, beating the Niagara Purple Eagles with the score of 77-70.  This is a first in school history.

Siena came into the tournament looking to defend their MAAC title as the favorite to win the tournament again this season, and they didn’t fail.  All three games were played quite well by the Saints in front of a packed house at the Times Union Center.

Siena got off to a slow start in the beginning of the game as the score at the first time out was 15-5 in favor of the Purple Eagles.  That soon changed with an 18-4 run giving the saints the lead.  The rest of the half would go back in forth, with Niagara tying the game up at 33 at the buzzer to end the first half.  At this point the game was up for grabs.  It was going to come down to who simply wanted it more.

In the second half the game would continue to go back and forth until senior and MAAC tournament MVP Kenny Hasbrouck stepped in and scored 11 of the Saints 15 points, marking a 17-4 run giving Siena a 67-54 lead with just 4 minutes left to play.  The game seemed to be over but Niagara led by Tyrone Lewis kept fighting to keep Niagara within reach, in the end however there just wasn’t enough time to finish a comeback.

Kenny Hasbrouck finished the game leading the team with 19 points.  Hasbrouck had a remarkable game after questions of a sore calf he got in the win over Fair Field.  Ryan Rossiter had a double-double, scoring 16 points and adding 14 rebounds.  Alex Franklin also had 16 points, including a monster slam dunk that seemed to be the final blow to the Purple Eagles.  Ronald Moore came close to a triple-double having 7 points, a career high 9 rebounds and 7 of Siena’s 19 assists.  Edwin Ubiles also added 9 points to the Saints already balanced team.  For the game Siena shot 45% while Niagara only shot 33%.

This is the 4^th MAAC title by the Saints and the 21^st straight home win dating back to last season for Siena.  If the Saints keep up their dominate team balance of play, they surly can surprise a team in the big dance, and continue to open eyes.

By Jessica Rupert

On the weekend of March 20^th through the 22^nd, L.U.N.A. is going to SUNY Albany to represent Siena at the 19^th Annual National Latino Conference. Each conference has a theme or title, and this year’s is “La Voz de La Calle…Turn Up the Volume.” La Voz de La Calle means ‘the voice of the streets,’ which is meant to put forth the message that all individuals of a community have a right to be heard. Past conferences have taken on subjects such as “Quinceañera: Celebrating our People, Culture and Heritage,” “Yo Declaro: Latinos claiming their community,” and “Bridging the Gap: Luchando Hacia el Futuro.” Each theme encompasses the message of the Latino community holding an empowering and highly involved position within today’s society.

Fuerza Latina, the organization at SUNY Albany, has been an active club within the SUNY community since 1971. Its mission is to act as a communicator between Latino students and the college community. Through many organized events, Fuerza Latina attempts to inform the community of social, political, and economic issues that affect the Latino community. The first conference was organized in 1991 by Jose Maymi and has since grown in size and reputation. First known as the Northeastern Latino Collegiate Conference, and through the hard work of Fuerza Latina, the conference has evolved in the National Latino Collegiate Conference, inviting college students’ nation wide to attend the event.

This year’s conference will consist of keynote speakers, workshops, banquets and a leadership summit. Some of the workshops offered include: Men & Women, Protests, Horizontal Hostility, Latin American Films, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community in Latin America, Reading Between the Lines: Graffiti Art, and Gentrification.  All of the workshops are held on Saturday the 21^st at different times of day. On Friday, the conference opens with a talent show at 7 in the evening and a Fuerza party in the SUNY Campus Center Ballroom. The weekend ends on Sunday the 22^nd with a brunch and a leadership summit where students come together for a discussion involving the continuation of the conference and the future goals to be achieved by Fuerza Latina and all other organizations involved in the conference, like Siena’s own L.U.N.A.

L.U.N.A. encourages any and all Siena students to attend the conference to further their knowledge of the Latino community. For further information concerning the event and activities being held each day, visit http://www.albany.edu/~nlcc/index.html. Since Siena is so close to SUNY Albany, Siena students will not spend the weekend in Albany. Instead, transportation will be included in the $35 registration price required to attend the event. Franchel Mendoza, the founder and co-chair of L.U.N.A. states, “L.U.N.A. (Latinos Unificando Nuestra America) would like to invite the Siena College community to the 19th Annual National Latino Collegiate Conference at SUNY Albany as we all take a progressive step towards positive change and awareness of diverse cultures.” If you want to experience an eye opening introduction to the Latino community or continue working on expanding your knowledge, contact L.U.N.A for further information.

By Leah Antil

This year was Habitat for Humanity’s fourth annual Mr. Siena Contest where ten strapping

young lads competed for the title Mr. Siena being judged on talent, habitat wear, formal wear and a series of questions. While each of these contestants not only had to come up with a talent, pick out formal wear and creative habitat wear; they were also assigned the task of selling over 200 buttons with their shiny smiling faces upon them and let us not forget the rehearsals where they practicing their choreographed dance numbers. With all the work that went into it, there was certainly no question as to how bad they wanted it… and who

wouldn’t want to be Mr. Siena, after all?

Hosted by the ever beloved college Chaplain Father Bill Beaudin and 2006 Mr. Siena contestant, the sweet-as-pie Sam Ogden; the hosts lightened the mood with a little harmless jabbing before all 10 studs entered with a plucky dance number to kick off the night. The judges, Nick Noblett, Chairperson of SEB, Judy Doherty, the advisor to the Habitat Club and Br. Walter Liss, the Friar in Residence of Padua, certainly had their work cut out for them. Each contestant had their own little dance in the spotlight during the introductory montage that they all worked so hard to synchronize. It certainly got the crowd pumped at any rate.

Habitat Wear was first on the agenda as each contestant demonstrated his ability to look sexy and suave while doing manual labor. Highlights include: Vic Cristiano rocking a cowboy hat like nobody’s business, Dave Olek kicking some serious thug butt as (Jason) the Red Ranger defending a Habitat worker. Who couldn’t fall in love with the Siena Saint Bernard, as played by Adam Myott or the giant hammer chasing a giant nail, as played by Bryan Schroter?

The talent portion was up next and it was no disappointment. Leading off the first of many great ideas, Steve Hannigan invented his own workout regimen to increase testosterone and really get you pumped. A creative slideshow, a great group of cheerleaders and some sweet saxophone really won the crowd. He was followed by Vic Cristiano crooning “New York, New York” looking great (as usual) in a dashing tuxedo.

Dave Olek was next, impressing the crowd with his drumming and accomplices in white lab coats and goggles. Not only did he utilize black lights to their full capacity of awesomeness, no one will ever look at laundry detergent the same again.

Greg Maroux delivered a glass symphony on water glasses filled with various amounts of water which quickly escalated into an Apache “Jump On It” dance fest which everyone enjoyed. Dave Galvis looking positively handsome in a black tux performed a piano piece inspired by his frequent late night practices on the piano in Padua Hall which segued into crooning our favorite tune from “10 Things I hate About You”.

Bryan Schroter combined many popular jams, for full list please see, the Saga Soundtrack and Now 27 to tell the audience about the journey that many college students make in their pursuit of a true companion. He wined and dined a mysterious, but very sexy hot blond and wore what was likely the most uncomfortable electric blue spandex known to man.

Derrell Melton went before his very own panel of “American Idol” judges and sang a little Duffy for everyone to enjoy. It was great to see him go from “American Idol” laughingstock and hamming it up, to dancing it out to win the judges’ hearts.

Four-time Mr. Siena contestant Conor Geary performed an original song t

hat definitely was not “Wind Beneath my Wings” about the joys of being a college student, accompanied by a great slideshow that confirmed the joys of being a college student, Siena style. Dan Racciopo slowed things down at Mr. Siena but amped up his Open Mic Night performance by playing a little acoustic and crooning some very delicate originals to a swooning crowd.

Adam Myott brought the audience to the world of Super Nintendo with a game of Tetris, a convincing game of Duck Hunt and starred as our favorite stereotyped Italian, Mario! There was also a guest appearance by Princess Peach and Dr. Ellard.

Following the talents was a truly spectacular dance number with the three past winners of Mr. Siena, Patrick Farley (2006), Adam Mastroianni (2007) and Kristiam Gonzelez (2008). They combined some amazing dance styles and awesome music in their uniforms of cerulean shirts, white shorts and yellow knee highs to drive the crowd wild. It was something that Habitat’s Mr. Siena had not done in the past, but truly made it special.

Formal wear was the last part of the Mr. Siena contest and the last chance for the contestants to strut their stuff for the audience and the judges. Both contestants and escorts looked amazing in tuxedos and dresses of every cut and color. Highlighting this contest of course, was Conor Geary in his very form fitting evening gown that left little to the imagination but a lot to laughter as he eloquently flounced about on stage.

The time now came for the announcement of the winner of Mr. Siena 2009,

but not before another dance number by the contestants that featured a pretty impressive Can-can line. The judges debated, and the winners were announced amidst cheers and Mr. Siena induced euphoria by the crowd. Winning ‘Best Habitat Wear’ was Dan Racioppo with ‘Best Talent’ going to Conor Geary. ‘Mr. Congeniality’ was given to Vic Cristiano for being oh-so-nice and easy to work with. The first Runner Up to Mr. Siena was Dave Olek having a killer talent and defending Habitat workers everywhere from Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. The coveted title of Mr. Siena was passed to Bryan Schroter from Kristiam Gonzalez and the sophomore who only took second place last year was crowned number one in 2009. Of course, every

contestant did a great job, and the Habitat members who worked hard behind the scenes to make it happen are just as worthy of crowns as well. It just goes to show, like Habitat for Humanity, a little hard work, can go a long way. Congratulations to all the Mr. Siena contestants !

By Lisa Dussault

Each year, commencement and senior week is always an exciting thing to be discussed among the graduating senior class.  This year, arrangements began  last semester between Father Kevin Mullen, the administration, the senior class council and Kelly Burke, who is the President of the Class of 2009.  A big topic of conversation was whether or not to move commencement off campus.  Hard decisions were forced to be made because of all the different options for where it could take place.

According to Kelly, “the ideal situation would be to have commencement outside on the quad on a beautiful day.”  However, it is hard to predict the weather and it very easily could end up raining, which would move the ceremony into the gym;  this happened to the last five ceremonies because rain was in the forecast.  Having commencement in the gym was never a good option for the seniors because it limits the amount of guests each person can have and it is not air conditioned.

So the planning committee decided to get feedback from the seniors to see what their point of view was.  They went around to the doors up at the townhouses with a commencement petition and asked seniors if they would want graduation to be held at the Times Union Center or on campus.  174 students signed the petition in favor of having the location changed and only 6 wanted to keep it on campus. For this reason, the Class of 2009’s commencement ceremony will take place at the Times Union Center in May.  All of those involved are very excited because this decision will allow each student to bring 10 guests.  Also, there will be a much better parking situation, all guests will be in one area watching graduation take place and it will be air-conditioned.

And, as usual, the week before graduation there will be senior geared events around campus.  Further, the first 21 Club will soon be taking place on January 29^th before the men’s home baseball game.  Throughout the semester, seniors will also be encouraged to donate money to the senior gift.  The senior class is hoping to beat the amount of money raised by the Class of 1989, which was $26,624.  Hopefully the Class of 2009 will reach their goal and have a commencement to remember!

By Lisa Dussault

It is almost that time of the year again when finals start creeping up, papers are due and the weather starts getting too cold for comfort.  But it is also that time when winter weekend is on its way!  A weekend filled with fun, dancing, food and games for those of you who are stressed out and just need a break.  It is taking place on the weekend of Friday, December 5^th – Sunday, December 7^th.  The theme this year is “Heatin’ Up the Holidays,” for those of you sick of the cold weather already.  It is a summer take on the traditional winter theme every year, almost like a Christmas in July. The chairperson is Amy McCarthy and the co-chairs are Liz Murphy and Liza Pagano.

This year, there are a lot of different events taking place throughout the whole weekend.  On Friday, December 5^th at 7:30 pm, the Winter Ball will be taking place in the Maloney Great Room.  Like usual, it will be a semi-formal, with beach themed decorations hanging up instead of the usual winter embellishments.  It will definitely be a change from past years!  Tickets will be $10 for students with a meal plan and $20 for students without a meal plan and non-students.  At the dance you can enjoy some good food, good music and a chance to win a free Winter Weekend t-shirt or an iPod touch.

On Saturday, December 6^th, there will be Indoor Ice Skating located in the Student Union, room 241 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm.  Yes, ice skating in the union so you don’t freeze outside!  Ice skates will be provided for those of you who do not have yours handy. Also there will be free food and festivities so you can really get into the upcoming holiday season.

By Craig Osborne

The Certified Public Accounting certification (CPA) is considered one of the highest achievements an accountant can complete. Passing the test is not hard enough; the State has new requirements to sit for the exam for anyone who files an application after August 1, 2009. Until then, a bachelor’s degree or 120 credit hours with specific classes pertaining to accounting and business were all you needed to sit for the exam. The current seniors in the accounting program will be able to sit for the exam as long as they apply before the deadline. As of August 1, 2009, you will need a master’s degree or 150 credit hours with specific classes in accounting and business. This requirement affects the current juniors who are accounting majors and want to pursue a CPA. Other states have the 150 credit hour requirement already and New York is joining the field.

Siena, widely known for its accounting program, will be behind if its graduates will not be able to sit for the CPA. Local rivals such as The College of Saint Rose and SUNY Albany have master programs up and running with graduates who have a master’s degree in accounting already in the workforce. According to Professor Farley, the master degree program is set to start in the fall of 2010, pending state approval which should come through in the next couple of months. The faculty and board of trustees are very excited and eager to get this program started, and have been working diligently to do so. The program would require the hiring of an additional staff member, as well as a 30 credit hour program. The prerequisites for entering the program would include a minimum B average and the amount of students accepted is 25. If there are any questions or concerns about the program please contact Professor Eugene Farley of the Accounting Department.

By Lisa Dussault

One of the most important life lessons a student can learn is the appropriate way to act in professional and social environments. Siena College prides itself on promoting good behavior among students and on preparing us for the future. From November 5^th -7^th, the renowned Dr. Christopher Howard will be coming to Siena as a Visiting Scholar of Leadership to talk with students about what it takes to be an honest, moral leader. Professor Joseph Fitzgerald is the coordinator for the event and he strongly recommends that everyone attend this esteemed occasion regardless of your major!

The companionship of ethics and business practices are so important that Siena is part of the National Consortium for Character-Based Leadership, an association of high schools, universities, graduate schools, and military and civilian leadership programs. There are two goals the Consortium has for the schools involved: to allow all the members to exchange ideas and beliefs with each other, and to provide members access to innovative curriculum that help develop character-based leadership practices in young future leaders. This helps schools integrate the practice of leadership and ethics into everyday living. It seems that these qualities are not always included in the academic curriculum for business classes. According to the beliefs behind the Consortium, integrity, communication and empowerment should all be incorporated within business programs. By being a member of this organization, Siena asserts the necessity of character and good leadership, and seeks to prepare students for the real world by teaching them ways to uphold their good character in times of struggle. In the future, the National Consortium hopes to expand its system by diversifying its curriculum in order to even better prepare students for real life challenges in the world.

Recently, when Professor Fitzgerald went to a leadership conference at Georgetown University conducted by the Consortium, Dr. Howard was a panelist. Professor Fitzgerald instantly recognized his vibrant and fascinating character and said he was “enthralled by his message because he was a very dynamic speaker and seemed like a person of great value and integrity.” In light of that, Dr. Howard was asked to come and spend a few days at Siena to talk to students and faculty about business ethics and theories. Currently, Dr. Howard is the Associate Vice President for Leadership and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma, where he is also the Director of the Honors College Leadership Center and the President’s Vice Presidential Professor. He teaches leadership to the top undergraduates using the “Great Books” method, where he uses works by Plato, Twain and others to help him teach. But that is not all he has accomplished thus far in his life. In 1991, he was a Distinguished Graduate of the US Air Force Academy where he got a degree in Political Science and was the starting running back on the football team. When he graduated, he was awarded the title of Rhode Scholar, and then wrote his dissertation on congressional behavior at Oxford University. He also went to Intelligence Officer School where he was a helicopter pilot and an Intelligence Officer, graduating first in his class. Dr. Howard also serves on many volunteer programs including Secure the Future, which is an HIV/AIDS initiative in southern Africa. He is also the founder of the Impact Young Lives Foundation, an organization that offers scholarships and travel opportunities for South African students.

Dr. Howard has also been given several honorable awards. In 1998, he was named “100 Heroes of Plano Independent School District.” Then in 2003, he was initiated into the Verizon Academic All-American Hall of Fame as the youngest member ever to have been accepted that year. Also in 2003, he served as the Chief Information Officer at General Electric’s Corporate Initiatives Group. All of these achievements only highlight the other great successes of Dr. Howard. He is involved in a wide range of other groups, committees, associations and non-profit organizations. He is a very “fascinating character,” is “well known in leadership circles,” and has “a very impressive, bright future ahead of him,” Professor Fitzgerald stated. Everyone in any kind of field would benefit from hearing Dr. Howard!

He will be around the Siena Campus for a whole three days, attending small group meetings with students and faculty during breakfast and lunch hours. His schedule is filled with talks and meetings that allow him to express his knowledge to those who want to learn. His main event is on November 6^th at 7:00 PM in the MAC where he will give his key note address to all students at Siena and the public with a reception to follow. Students may even get a chance to interview Dr. Howard, which will play on WVCR or on SCTV. Hearing and talking with Dr. Howard is a great way for anyone to be exposed to leadership, find out about opportunities in leadership positions, understand Siena’s mission as a College, and become more informed about ways one can incorporate ethics and morals into business dealings. The faculty finds it very important for all students to go to this event because it is not every day that someone as impressive as Dr. Howard is able to come and talk at our school. No matter what school or subject you are part of, listening to Dr. Howard’s powerful speech can help you in your future endeavors!

By Lisa Dussault

Every year the Student Senate holds elections to decide who will be the upcoming student leaders for the next academic year. Just recently elections were held to decide who would be on the counsel concerning all the residence halls, commuters and for the Poly Tech apartments. This year there were 32 open positions that needed to be taken but only 26 were filled, most of which were not even contested. This lack of student representation is not unusual; it seems that the Senate has this problem almost every year. Conor Geary, the Student Senate president, said that this could happen for several reasons. For one, students might be unable to fit such a position into their schedule because of off-campus jobs, or because of academic reasons. Also, there just might not be enough promotion around campus; it is usually a challenge to get people to pay attention sometimes.

Since elections each year are very important to the success of all different organizations on campus, The Elections and Polling Committee typically organize how elections are done and decide when and how polls should be taken. There are two people who are in charge of this; the Communications Director, Steve Hannigan, and the Senior Class President, Kelly Burke. These two people take care of all the stuff behind the scenes when elections are going on. Voting this year took place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the votes were all tallied up the following Monday. In order to help students decide who will be picked, there generally is a speech night that takes place the Monday before elections begin. Not all candidates are required to give a speech, the only ones that must are the people running for Senate President. This year, about 16 of the candidates gave speeches and 65 people showed up to hear them; it was a great turn out. Overall, there were over 650 votes taken into consideration with Hennepin having 193 of them. This might be because Hennepin’s presidential position was the most contested because there were four people running for president.

According to Conor, there are a lot of new changes that were made this year. For one, Senate decided to go green for this election and have all voting take place online. To encourage voting, since it would not be as convenient as paper voting, there were computers set up in the Student Union and Serra Hall so students would have the opportunity to vote. There was even a new position that was created specifically for the task of going green in the senate and on campus, called the Director of Sustainability. The Senate also voted in a new constitution and created some new committees. For example, they turned the Student Finance Committee into the Budget Allocation Committee, which is where groups go for their funding. The House of Clubs was also introduced, lead by Steve Archer, where clubs can formalize and meet up with each other to share ideas and thoughts. Something else that was changed was the write-in campaign. This is when you can win an election by having your name written into a spot. However, in the past this type of election style has been made into a joke since once Mickey Mouse won. Now things are changed, you have to get at least 10 write-ins for it to be valid. If you get less than 10, but are still the winner, then you have to get 50 signatures on a petition in order to actually win.

Since this election was for hall councils, Senate position elections will be taking place in December so that the winners can take office in the spring semester. So, if you are interested in becoming part of the Student Senate, start getting ready for December. Conor said that we as students “need to take this seriously because these positions are the voices on campus.” If you want to make a difference, this is definitely one of the best places to start!