“We are a diverse group of college students from SUNY New Paltz dedicated to giving to and learning from the local community,” reads the mission statement of Alternative Spring Break, as written by its 2012 participants. “We will provide our community with compassionate service and a positive image of college students during our spring break.” The group consisted of 14 students, selected from a pool of applicants, who volunteered to work with five community organizations for a total of 700 hours. The students held a donation drive at Shoprite of New Paltz to collect donations for the Queen’s Galley...

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New Paltz is among the 605 colleges and universities participating in the 2012 Recyclemania Tournament, a friendly competition that promotes waste reduction on campus and also acts as a benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs. The program, which ran from Feb. 5 – March 31, involved the collection and measurement of campus recycling from each of the residence halls. Final results for Recyclemania 2012 will be posted online at www.recyclemania.org after April 13. For more information about campus recycling, visit the greenthinking.newpaltz.edu.

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Taking the stand in court can be very intimidating.  Imagine how terrifying it can be for a young girl who has to face her alleged abuser. In May of 2011, history was made in the New York State Court System when Dutchess County Court Judge Stephen Greller ruled that Rosie, an eleven-year-old golden retriever, could be with an adolescent girl, who was placed in foster care at the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, as she gave testimony in a case of abuse by a family member.  Rosie, who is specially trained to comfort traumatized children by Educated Canines Assisting with...

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