By JOURNALISM I
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Students and staff signed the graffiti wall, wrote six-word memoirs and recited their reasons for writing at the college’s sixth annual celebration of the National Day on Writing Oct. 20.
The Main Lounge and the EAC were bustling with students using word games and puzzles while both talking about and ‘doing’ writing.
Journalism students interviewed members of the community about how they use writing to connect. The students then ‘performed’ writing by composing this story using a laptop, screen and projector set up for the event.
The numbers of ways folks use writing varied across disciplines, age groups, and position on campus.
“I’m not really a verbal person so when I’m feeling sad or angry writing helps me express what I cannot say,” freshman Meghan Campbell, a childhood education major, told The Chronicle.
Writing is also helps 19-year-old Christina Romeo be understood. “I am not a good person to speak to verbally,” said Romeo, who is an English major from Long Island.
Several students mentioned that they use poetry as a way to develop connections – with themselves.
Poetry writing helps junior Matt Junious connect with his emotions, he said. He also writes frequently in response to academic questions.
“I express my thoughts and feelings through writing,” said sophomore Candace Hart, a biology major from Tennessee. She writes poetry for herself and for her English class and also makes use of Facebook, Twitter, texting and Tumblr.
Like Hart, several other members of the Saint Rose community pointed to social media as a method to connect.
Senior Meghan Kiely writes for the Student Events Board blog, and “uses social media all day, every day for everything.”
When people use grammar the right way, social media is a good tool, said Carolynn Broni, 19, an education major.
Natalie Farrigan, a Starbucks barista, said : “I write for a web site that promotes female nerd culture and feminism.” She also writes music and writes to connect with herself. “I like to write vague stuff so years later I can play it and still relate to myself.”
In the Athletics Department, writing gets deployed in various ways.
Assistant basketball coach James Wilson writes on social media to promote his athletes. “Writing has a little more value because it’s rare now,” Wilson said.
His colleague, Josh Jennings, an assistant athletic director, uses email to connect with people when “scheduling meetings, or running some ideas by somebody for a project.”
He also uses writing “to communicate with coaches to make sure they have the things they need to run their programs.”
Athlete Brodie Munson is far from home in Australia. He writes to stay connected with his friends and family.
“I only get to talk with friends and families on certain days because of the time difference,” said the basketball player. He tells his family about his day, including what is going on in school and with basketball.
Imani Carrasquillo, who works in student affairs, uses Post-it notes to keep herself on task. “During intense periods my computer screen is covered,” she said. She writes neat to-do lists to keep organized.
Business and family were discussed as regular uses for writing connect.
The mother of a 5-year-old, Jessica Marley, an English/Adolescent Education major, uses writing to “hold on to memories that will fly out of my brain,” she said. She keeps a diary for her son, and started writing again with her Creative Writing class.
Josh Johnson, 23, a special ed and early childhood major, uses writing to communicate with his family. “My grandfather is deaf so the only way to communicate when I am not with him is through text.”
Johnson, who is completing his student teaching, uses writing to connect with his fifth and sixth graders.
Snail mail is still in style for at least two students.
“I write letters to my parents every day,” said sophomore Austin Von Herbulis, who is from Washington state and uses the postal service.
“I still send people letters because I think it is a very sentimental way to connect with people,” said Christina Devling, 21, a graduate student at the college.
“The greatest thing about writing is it has an effect on people,” said Ashanti Young, 18, a psychology major from Brooklyn, “writing is an escape from reality. It is powerful and I can exercise my thoughts with words.”
Dan Foster, 43, from Troy, is a collaborative pianist for students at the college. “I am a professional musician, when I write it’s almost always in program notes. I write backgrounds about composers so I connect by educating an audience about composers and specific pieces that will be played in a concert.”
One music education major also has an outlet for his writing:
“I use lyrics to connect to people, like when you are singing a song that you wrote and someone comes up to you afterwards and tells you they can relate to that,” said Brendan O’Brien, of Loudonville.
Writing helps freshman Elizabeth Ajagbe helps her clarify her thinking and it helps her “look at things from a different perspective.”
“I write a lot,” said Victoria Wise, 18, a freshman. “For me it’s not about connecting to others, it’s about connecting to myself. I write to learn about myself. “
Senior Pat Sunday, who majors in business administration, writes in his journal every day.
“It allows me to connect with my future self by setting goals that I hope to accomplish,” said 21-year-old Sunday.
Research, reported and written by: Victoria Addison, Lindsay Atkins, Amy Bishop, Kenya Frazier, Shannon Friel, Totianyu Guadalupe, Conor Kirwan, Katie Klimacek, B.J. Mayer, Jonas Miller, Adriana Rosales, Rachel Salasky, Kevin Walsh, and Molly-Kate Webster
