Total Clips: 12

	Date	Outlet
How 8 CNY schools made Newsweeks list	06/08/2007	Post-Standard - East Bureau, The
Honduras Tomb Suggests a Politically and Culturally Diverse City	06/08/2007	Philanthropy News Network Online
Mexican guitarist to perform at Chenango music festival	06/07/2007	Observer-Dispatch, The
Iranian stand unfair	06/04/2007	Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Utica might become home to some Iraqis	06/03/2007	Observer-Dispatch, The
Mayans led a complex life	06/01/2007	Financial Express
Colgate students donate leftovers	05/31/2007	Post-Standard - East Bureau, The
Sweet Chariot	05/31/2007	St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Ancient skeleton, tomb reveal complexity of Mayan life	05/31/2007	Reuters
Oneida treaties at core of debate	05/30/2007	Observer-Dispatch, The
Getting into your college of choice won't get easier	05/27/2007	Observer-Dispatch, The
Many Nation issues unresolved	05/27/2007	Observer-Dispatch, The


How 8 CNY schools made Newsweeks list 06/08/2007 Post-Standard - East Bureau, The Kollali, Sapna	Return to Top
Among the batches of lists and rankings out there of schools, colleges and communities, Newsweek puts out an annual list of the best public high schools in the nation. The list is based on Advanced Placement and other college-level programs. For the past few years, a handful of Central New York schools found their way onto that list. This year, eight local schools were among the group. Here's a guide to reading and understanding what it means to be one of "the best." The schools Last year's list had 1,000 schools. This year, the list originally had 1,200, but there are now more than 1,300 schools on the list, including 160 from New York state. Schools were able to provide data to Newsweek after the article was published and be added retroactively. Author Jay Mathews said he uses the publication of the initial list to encourage schools who believe they were omitted in error to contact him. As schools are added, the rankings change. This year's local schools and their current rankings (updated at least three times since the list was first posted online) are: New Hartford, 167; Ithaca, 440; Skaneateles, 465; Corcoran in Syracuse, 511; Jamesville-DeWitt, 657; West Genesee, 761; Fayetteville-Manlius, 1,077; and Morrisville-Eaton, 1,087. The selection process Mathews created a formula for ranking schools using a ratio of the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests given in a year to the number of graduating seniors in that year. Schools with a ratio of 1.0 or higher were included. At first glance, that means every graduating senior took an AP, IB or Cambridge test, which seems like a lofty goal. But most schools have AP courses offered to juniors, and some open the courses and exams to sophomores. For every non-senior who takes an exam, one more senior can skip the exam without affecting the school's ratio. Schools that offer more AP courses will likely administer more exams and increase their ratio. Some schools may offer AP exams free and, on the flip side, some may limit which students can take the course and exam - both are factors that could affect the ratio. The top school on the list had a ratio of 14.043, meaning, theoretically, that every junior and senior each took seven AP exams in 2006. The formula does not account for the students' performance on these exams but only indicates that they sat for them, according to the Newsweek Web site. In addition, Mathews said he requested data from schools and followed up with phone calls, but some schools did not respond, and so that may be why they are not listed. So what? Sure, the schools on the list are excited for the recognition, and those not on the list can write it off as "just another list." Although AP exams are just one aspect of a good high school, a list like this does have merit, said Karen Giannino, senior associate dean of admissions at Colgate University. Giannino said she was not surprised to see some schools on the list - they are known in college admissions circles as excellent schools with a high-achieving student body and a lot of resources. But some of the schools on the list are inner-city or poor rural schools that don't often find themselves on a positive list, she said. "This list today is certainly a more diverse list of high schools than you might have seen 10 years ago, and I think more schools have made a commitment to enhancing their curriculum and preparing their students for college," she said. "This does recognize a real effort made to provide extraordinary educational experiences for their kids." If a school isn't on the list? First, don't worry. Don Saleh, associate vice president of admissions at Syracuse University, said he was "underwhelmed" by the list. He stressed it is just one way to measure a good school, and there are several others. Admissions counselors tend to know the good schools regardless of their inclusion on a list, he said. He said, too, that a district's socioeconomic factors often determine how many AP courses it can offer. "If I didn't see my school on this list, it wouldn't upset me one iota. What's important is whether a school is meeting the needs of its students through the courses it offers. ... Not every school can afford to run AP courses in every subject for a class of six or eight students," Saleh said. "Everyone has to evaluate how important this list is to them. ... I don't think a ranking like this does anything more than pique our interest." Second, since the list was first released, more than 100 schools have called Newsweek to provide their data and secure a place in the rankings. Information for doing that, along with the complete list and related articles, can be found at www.newsweek.com by going to the bottom of the page and typing America's Best High Schools in the "search" box.

Honduras Tomb Suggests a Politically and Culturally Diverse City 06/08/2007 Philanthropy News Network Online	Return to Top
Colgate University anthropology professor Allan Maca and his team of researchers have found a previously unknown tomb in Copan, Honduras, dating back to the 7th century A.D. that contained the skeleton of an elite member of ancient Maya society in the city. The unusual characteristics of the tomb's construction, the human remains, and the artifacts found near the body, according to Maca, paint a picture of an urban state that was more politically complex and culturally diverse than was previously thought. As reported this month by National Geographic News and the Honduran press, Maca and his group - which includes Kristin Landau, who graduated this May from Colgate - found the tomb in 2005 in Copan, the ancient city near the western edge of Honduras where the country borders Guatemala. Over the past two years, they have excavated and studied the tomb and its contents, with funding support from the National Geographic Society and Colgate. While Copan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well known for grand, carved and inscribed monuments, a hieroglyphic stairway with the longest text in the Americas, and other famed discoveries in the ceremonial center of the city and its Acropolis, Maca's discovery was unexpected because it comes from beyond the administrative heart of Copan, in an area that has not yet been well studied. "Combined with other characteristics, it is becoming clear that this discovery provides unprecedented evidence for political complexity and cultural diversity at Copan during the early part of the Late Classic period [A.D. 600 to 750]," said Maca. Maca explained that the interred individual, for example, was seated in an upright position and surrounded by shells, pottery, vessels, and jade adornments. That positioning, some of the artifacts near the body, and the structure of the tomb itself, he said, seem to indicate that the person was a high elite political and/or priestly figure. The body also sported an elaborate jade necklace with beads of various sizes and a pectoral or carved pendant hanging from the center. The presence of such a quantity of jade always suggests "a level of control over economic resources," said Maca, who also serves as director of the PAPAC (www.papacweb.org), a Spanish acronym for the Copan Urban Planning Project. In addition, "the incised design on the pectoral likely represents a political title or social affiliation that links this individual to other major sites around the city," he added. According to Maca, the tomb is a rare split vault design that was created by interlocking lintels (load-bearing horizontal supports) and was accessed from above by a stuccoed stone chute that descends from the surface of the temple. The chute and the split vault enabled it to be reentered years after the original interment for purposes of ancestor veneration. He said the team has solid evidence that the tomb was reentered at least once and rituals were performed with the bones. "This design is without precedent in the Maya area and is the first elaborate tomb construction to be discovered outside the ceremonial center of Copan," he said. "It is so unusual that we initially imagined it could only be the tomb of a king. We now believe, however, that the picture is much more complicated." Ornate tombs belonging to members of the Copan dynasty, royal court, and royal family are typically found in Copan's Acropolis, he explained, so archaeologists have focused most of their research in the central area since the 1800s. "As we begin to think more broadly about the great extent of the royal city, and about how to protect it against modern looting and population growth, we are coming to understand that the dynasty manifested its power in sectors of the Copan Valley that have never been explored," Maca said. "Previous research in the Acropolis tells us much about vertical dimensions of power at Copan and has largely been focused on the kings and their palace at the head of the hierarchy. Now we are able to begin to look beyond the downtown and to think in more heterarchical terms regarding the nature and expression of power during this critical period in Copan's history." He said the tomb was also marked by the following unusual features: The interred individual was placed in the tomb seated upright with his legs crossed, an uncommon burial position among the Classic period lowland Maya and unknown for the Late Classic period at Copan. Studies by one of Maca's team members, Arizona State University doctoral candidate Katherine Miller, reveal that the person was a male and approximately 50 years old at the time of his death. He had numerous debilitating pathologies, such as mastoiditis (a bacterial infection in the ear), chronic infections and disfigurements, and poor arterial flow in the cervical vertebrae that may have made him both physically challenged and an unusual sight to behold. Dental modifications, such as inlays and designs, are common among the ancient Maya. The interred individual, however, bears combinations of modifications that have never been seen in the Maya area and which may suggest a regional origin in and/or affiliation with areas well beyond the Copan Valley. The painted pottery associated with the body appears to have come from well to the south of the area, probably near the Honduran border with present-day El Salvador. As such, it is unlikely that the pots were made in Copan; they probably signify some sort of cultural affiliation with that region. The seashells near the individual were arranged in such a way to illustrate a cosmological map that marked him as the center of the world. The shells may also represent the waters in Mayan creation mythology and were certainly transported to Copan through commercial exchanges with the coast. The tomb and its associated temple were constructed as a whole unit. These were part of a funerary complex that marks the birth of a new sector of the city after the reclamation of swampland to accommodate a growing population. "This is the first good evidence for both the cultural and environmental elements of Copan's urban expansion during the Late Classic period," said Maca. All in all, the discovery provides "an unusual archaeological context that helps expand our knowledge of the sociopolitical and cultural complexity of the ancient city and of the funerary and ritual landscape of the Copan Valley during the seventh century A.D.," he continued. Dario Euraque, director of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, agreed that Maca's findings were significant for a number of reasons. "Mainly, this is the first tomb to be found outside the principal monuments where all funeral sites are located," he said. "We never thought we would find any in the Bosque, which is along the periphery of Copan." He also believes that the artifacts and tomb characteristics were not representative of the Maya culture. "This goes against theories that all populations in the Copan Valley were uniquely Mayan," he said. "There appears to have been a cultural mix." The 2005 discovery was announced this month in conjunction with the Honduras Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Sports and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History. Due to its location in an area of the National Park with poor security, the tomb will be reburied later this summer once consolidation and preliminary restoration have been completed.

Mexican guitarist to perform at Chenango music festival 06/07/2007 Observer-Dispatch, The	Return to Top
HAMILTON — Guitarist Martin Madrigal will perform as part of Colgate University's 11th annual Chenango Summer MusicFest. Madrigal will talk about Mexico and its music beginning at noon Friday, June 8, at the Hamilton Village Library. He will perform a free program of solo guitar works of Mexico and Latin America at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at St. Mary's Church, Route 12B and Wylie Street, as well as at the festival's opening "Pay-What-You-Want" String and swing concert. Madrigal, known as one of Mexico's best guitarists, says music is his life. "My guitar is everything to me," he said in a statement. "All the time that I'm in concert ... is the best moment for me." The "Pay-What-You-Want" String and Swing concert is a light-hearted program spanning the ages and cultures from Vivaldi, to the Beatles to modern Mexico. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theater Many of the works on Thursday's concert have been arranged by Martin. The second half of the program "Swing" will be a re-enactment of the Miles Davis' "Birth of the Cool" album, performed by the Central NY Jazz Nonet. The festival is Thursday, June 14, through Sunday, June 17. Individual concert tickets are $14 adults; $10 students and seniors; free for age 16 and younger. For information, call 228-7645 or visit http://groups.colgate.edu/ musicfest/.

Iranian stand unfair 06/04/2007 Kitchener-Waterloo Record	Return to Top
Your May 30 editorial, Let The Talks With Iranians Go On, is a most unfair and misinformed assessment of the situation. In a two-hour-long meeting with the representatives of the organizers of this conference on May 23 the protesters, who are the victims of brutality of the Iranian regime, presented their case, showing the physical and psychological scars of prison and torture. They also requested to be allowed to be present during the conference and to register their objections to the terms of this dialogue by silently holding protest signs. This request was denied. They also requested to be allowed to ask questions from the presenters, but they were told they were only welcome outside the building. As an academic teaching Islam, I requested a few months ago to be allowed to present a contesting paper, and that was also denied. Your editorial rightly notes that "An open, fair debate would have been far better." It seems to me that this is precisely what was denied the protesters. As one of the protesters I can tell you that my protest was not to the dialogue itself, but to the terms of this dialogue and previous conferences. Mahdi Tourage Visiting Assistant Professor of Islam Colgate University Hamilton, NY

Utica might become home to some Iraqis 06/03/2007 Observer-Dispatch, The Sinha, Chinky	Return to Top
Utica could see some Iraqi refugees arrive in the coming weeks through the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees. President Bush announced in February the United States would admit up to 7,000 displaced Iraqis living in Syria and Jordan. And given Utica's record of resettling refugees, at least a small percentage of them may be headed this way, said refugee center Executive Director Peter Vogelaar. Traditionally, the center helps resettle about one percent of the total refugees coming into the country each year. By that math, Utica may see around 70 Iraqi refugees, although exact numbers remain unknown. "By reason of extension, we would likely receive some Iraqis," Vogelaar said. The Iraqis would contribute to the increasingly multicultural population in the Mohawk Valley. Since 1979, the refugee center has resettled about 11,000 refugees, including Bosnians, Vietnamese, Cambodians and recent arrivals such as Somalis and people of various ethnicities from Myanmar, formerly Burma. Mayor Timothy Julian said he was excited about the possible new addition to the cultural diversity of Utica. "Utica is a melting pot," he said. "We will be able to prove ourselves as a welcoming community." Colgate University Professor Ellen Percy Kraly, director of the Upstate Institute, said Utica has a better chance than other urban centers of successfully integrating Iraqis into the community. One reason, she said, is that the resource center has long worked with residents to make refugees feel at home. "If ever there is a city, it would be Utica," she said. "It has all the potential. It is not easy, but we do have the expertise and history." Several factors, though, could work against Utica receiving Iraqi refugees: •Unlike Michigan and the West Coast, the region doesn't have a significant existing Iraqi population. Since 1979, 166 Iraqis have been resettled through the refugee center in Utica. Though many of the Iraqis have moved to other cities, there are still around 20 Iraqis in Utica, Vogelaar said. •Some don't expect the federal government to meet its target of admitting 7,000 Iraqis, thanks in part to the more demanding security checks federal officials have put in place. So far, the Department of Homeland Security has approved 59 Iraqi individuals for resettlement in the United States and has completed interviews for more than 300 cases affecting more than 700 Iraqis, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said in a news release. "The new security screening procedures will facilitate our progress while ensuring that terrorists do not enter this country posing as refugees," he said. Kristele Younes of Refugees International said the processing of cases has been slowed down because of the stricter security standards. She predicted not even 3,000 Iraqis will be able to enter the United States this year. Vogelaar is nonetheless optimistic. He said the community's previous involvement with various refugee groups, its successful resettlement of Iraqis, and its strong Arab population in the past could boost the city's chances. In addition, the resource center is affiliated with the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of the 10 refugee resettlement organizations working with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. As the country expects its first batch of arrivals of Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan, aid workers are already thinking of the challenges they will face. If Iraqis come to Utica, Vogelaar said the refugee center would work to educate the community about who these Iraqis are and how the community can help them begin new lives. The center also will seek to have the Iraqis already in the area help the new arrivals, he said. In addition, any help from local religious organizations such as the Muslim Community Association or churches to resettle the Iraqis would be appreciated, he added. Vogelaar said Utica is a welcoming community and would help Iraqis settle into their new home. "We enjoy an amazing constructive relationship with the public services, the political community and the average person," he said. "I am confident that the community's history of resettling will play out in the same way."

Mayans led a complex life 06/01/2007 Financial Express	Return to Top
A 7th century skeleton found in an elaborate tomb in Honduras shows ancient Mayan life in the region was more culturally and socially complex than previously thought, anthropologists said. The tomb’s construction, the human remains and the artifacts found nearby show the person was an elite member of Mayan society who lived in a complex urban state, according to a report published in National Geographic News. The tomb was found about 450 meters west of the Mayan ceremonial center of Acropolis in Copan in Honduras. Copan is known for its Mayan monuments is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.”It's an extraordinary tomb construction,”Allan Maca of Colgate University said.

Colgate students donate leftovers 05/31/2007 Post-Standard - East Bureau, The Coin, Glenn	Return to Top
Last year, it was boxes of Easy Mac. This year, it was a case of commercial-sized cans of gefilte fish. You never know what Colgate University's 2,800 students will leave behind when they move out at year's end. For several years, students and college administrators informally gathered up some of the loot left behind and passed it on to local charities. Last year, the college's volunteer center took a formal role, and recruited students and others to collect and distribute the leftovers. Volunteers this year have donated 200 bags of clothes and shoes, five vans full of food and 70 boxes of books. This year, 17 local charities have benefited from the program. Local food pantries received more than 5,000 items of food, and other agencies received 250 bags of clothes and about 200 lamps. Then there was the oddball stuff. "This year, they got a complete pirate, gladiator and witch's costumes; one gross of chopsticks; a walking cast; a full hockey set - skates, helmets and pads; a disco ball; and a 7-foot inflatable basketball hoop with two basketballs," said college spokeswoman Caroline Jenkins. Oh, and the gefilte fish, a Jewish delicacy of chopped fish and onions. Betsy Busche-Cross, assistant director of the college's volunteer center, said she's not sure where the six gallon-sized cans will end up. "The food pantry doesn't know what to do with them," she said.

Sweet Chariot 05/31/2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch O'Neill, Dan	Return to Top
A Wall Street Journal online story (WSJ.com) spotlights a grass-roots movement in places such as Brazil to restore the sport of chariot racing. The piece chronicles some of the history of the sport and why it faded away. At one point, WSJ.com scribe Matt Moffett, paraphrasing Colgate University classics professor Robert Garland, explains "the ferocity of racing fans eventually hastened the sport's demise." Moffett recounts a gathering of chariot enthusiasts in the year 532 at a hippodrome in Constantinople. The group of slightly overzealous fans rallied to demonstrate against tyrannical emperor Justinian I, and things got a bit out of hand. One thing led to another, bingo, bango, bongo, and before you know it, rioters had burned down half the city. The emperor's troops finally were able to put down the unrest, but only after slaughtering about 30,000 people. Apparently, chariot contests lost some of their appeal after that. That's a shame.

Ancient skeleton, tomb reveal complexity of Mayan life 05/31/2007 Reuters	Return to Top
A 7th century skeleton found in an elaborate tomb in Honduras shows ancient Mayan life in the region was more culturally and socially complex than previously thought, anthropologists said. The tomb's construction, the human remains and the artifacts found nearby show the person was an elite member of Mayan society who lived in a complex urban state, according to a report published in National Geographic News. The tomb was found about 450 meters (yards) west of the Mayan ceremonial center of Acropolis in Copan, western Honduras. Copan is well-known for its grand Mayan monuments and hieroglyphics and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. "It's an extraordinary tomb construction," Professor Allan Maca of Colgate University in New York who headed the research team, said in an interview. "Never have we found anything outside of the area that is so elaborate ... We've never had a full picture of the social and political complexity of the city itself, beyond this kind of ceremonial core where the Acropolis is." The team of researchers spent two years excavating and documenting the find, including digital reconstructions of the tomb, after making the discovery in 2005. Their findings show the skeleton belonged to a man who died when he was about 50 years old. He had suffered several debilitating infections and some deformities. He also had detailed dental work including jade inlays. "The studies of the skeletal bone are indicating pathologies that are really unusual, suggesting this was a very unusual and unique person," said Maca. "The variety and pattern of dental modifications -- they modified their teeth with inlays and different types of stone, including jade -- in this person's teeth have never been seen before anywhere in the Maya area." Unusual ceramic vessels were also found, suggesting cultural affiliations between areas of Mesoamerica far beyond the Copan region. Maca said these clues give researchers a much richer cultural fabric with which to make interpretations of ancient Maya life. "We know that people with deformities or illnesses...were considered special and unusual and were sometimes granted different types of religious and political authority, so that's one of the reasons why we've drawn such attention to the pathologies and to the unique features of skeleton itself," said Maca who has worked in the region for ten years. The researchers are continuing excavations in this area. "We'll be doing that for quite a while. We've already located at least one other tomb, so it appears we have a funerary complex, an area where important people were laid to rest."

Oneida treaties at core of debate 05/30/2007 Observer-Dispatch, The	Return to Top
Editor's note: At the heart of the Oneida Indian Land Claim are two treaties that are more than 200 years old. Those two documents, the 1788 Treaty of Fort Schuyler and the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, have been the foundations of the arguments used by both sides as the Indian Nation seeks the return, or at least financial compensation, for the loss of more than 250,000 acres of their tribal land. Both the Oneida Nation and state and local governments have hired historians to research those and other related treaties, resulting in thousands of pages if information. Though the validity of the treaties has been upheld in court, state and local officials dispute the idea that they show the Nation to be the rightful owner of the land today. The Oneidas, meanwhile, continue to pursue compensation for the land they say was taken from them. Assemblyman David Townsend, R-Sylvan Beach Submitted statement The 1788 Treaty, or the Treaty of Fort Schuyler, between New York state and the Oneida Tribe states, "The Oneidas do cede and grant all their lands to the people of the state of New York forever." Subsequent to that clause, the treaty gave the Oneidas a right to use the land for hunting, fishing and cultivation, so long as they occupy the land. The recent Sherrill decision validates that the state, rather than the U.S., has sovereignty over the ceded Oneida land. In 1794, after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the Treaty of Canandaigua was entered into between the U.S. and the Six Nations of Iroquois. It acknowledged the use right of the 1788 treaty, but did not establish federal land or the sovereignty erroneously alleged by the Oneida Indian Nation. The key language of the treaty's Article 2 states that the Oneidas shall maintain the use right granted to them, "until they choose to sell the same to the people of the United States, who have the right to purchase." In the years following 1794, New York exercised that right by purchasing the remaining lands. Based on these treaties, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that an Indian tribe cannot repurchase the land and unilaterally assert sovereignty over the land. Therefore, Sherrill, which was affirmed by the court in Cayuga, extinguished a claim to land and ruled that the tribe is obligated to comply with state laws, including payment of taxes. Mark Emery, Oneida Indian Nation spokesman Submitted statement The Treaty of Canandaigua was signed by President George Washington in 1794. That document says that "the lands reserved to the Oneida ... to be their property; and the United States will never claim the same nor disturb them ..." The Treaty of Canandaigua is still valid and still recognized by the federal government by annual distribution of treaty cloth from the Department of Interior to the Oneida People. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution — signed seven years before the Treaty of Canandaigua -- says that once approved all treaties "shall be the supreme law of the Land..." When officials from the Department of Interior were at the land-into-trust hearings in Central New York a little over a year ago, they said the Treaty of Canandaigua is the oldest treaty still in effect with the United States. Christopher Vecsey, Colgate University's director of Native American studies Christopher Vecsey said in his view, the treaties of Canandaigua and Fort Schuyler both validated the Oneidas' claims to the land. "The state treaty with the Oneida Indians, 1788, does state in its first article, that 'The Oneidas do cede and grant all their lands to the people of the state of New York forever.'" He wrote in an email to the O-D. "However, the second article outlines in detail the "reserved" lands to which "the Oneidas shall hold to themselves and their posterity forever for their own use and cultivation, but not to be sold, leased or in any other manner aliened or disposed of to others.'" Vecsey said the Treaty of Fort Schuyler went on to define roughly 300,000 acres of reserved Indian land as separate from the roughly 5 million acres being ceded. He said that a federal act, the Non-Intercourse act of 1790, said no entity but the federal government could engage in land purchases with Indian Nations. Therefore, Vecsey said, any sale of land by members of the Oneida Nation to non-Indian Anericans were null and void. John Campanie, Madison County Attorney Campanie said much of the information that's been disseminated about the treaties in the Oneidas' case was compiled by the Oneidas themselves, and is up for debate. When the land claim case first started, the counties and the state did not adequately defend themselves, he said. "The only evidence about what occurred and what it meant came from an Indian-hired expert who had the Indian perspective," he said. But now that's changing. "It has been our position and the state's that the treaty of 1788 was a complete cessation by the Oneidas to the state of New York," he said. "The state and counties, in the preparation for the defense of these claims have gathered significant evidence and have the benefit of knowledgeable experts and are prepared, if necessary, to present a strong case in opposition," he said.

Getting into your college of choice won't get easier 05/27/2007 Observer-Dispatch, The	Return to Top
High school students planning to graduate between now and 2012 may have a harder time finding a spot in the college they want to go to. Studies of college applications nationwide, and patterns at several area schools, are showing dramatic increases in the number of applicants. But most of the schools aren't getting any bigger. Here are some of the statistics at local schools: •Hamilton College fielded 4,962 applications for the 2007-2008 school year, a 24 percent increase over the previous year, Hamilton President Joan Hinde Stewart said. •Colgate saw applications rise 11 percent for next year's class. That's on top of a 22 percent rise the year before, that school's president, Rebecca Chopp said. •At Utica College, applications have risen 20 percent in the past two years, Patrick Quinn, vice president for enrollment management, said. •SUNYIT has seen its applications rise from 1,159 for the 2006 freshman class to 1,537, or 41 percent, spokesman John Swann said. •Mohawk Valley Community College's spokeswoman Joan Andrek said her school is holding steady in its applications, but over the years, the student body has shifted to a higher percentage of students at typical college age. Previously, more students had been returning adults, now, 70 percent are ages 17 to 22, she said. The increasing number of applicants reflect a nationwide trend, and students across the country are scrambling harder and harder to get into schools, experts said. Local patterns vary In some instances, the increased number of applications at local schools has had a strong effect on students' chances of getting in. At Hamilton, for example, just 28 percent of applicants were accepted. "The record lowest percentage of people we've accepted (before 2007) was last year and the year before, that was 33 percent, Stewart said at a recent O-D editorial board meeting. "About 10 years ago, we were probably accepting 57 percent, so you can see it's become much more selective." At Colgate, just 34 percent of applicants were accepted for the fall, Chopp said. At Utica College, however, it's a different story. That school is trying to grow its student body, so despite the growing number of applicants, the acceptance rate is holding steady at 75 percent, Quinn said. In 2006, the Utica College freshman class had 496 students, in fall of this year, there will be 529. The plan is to level off at about 540 students per class, he said. Like Utica College, SUNYIT is expanding the number of students it accepts. Since it only recently started accepting freshmen, its number of applicants has been growing as students become more aware of the programs it offers, spokesman John Swann said. Though the number of applicants has grown, the acceptance rate has held steady at about 40 percent over the past two years. Mohawk Valley Community College has open enrollment and doesn't reject applicants. If there are students who need more preparation before attending, the school will help them get the background they need, Andrek said. High schools cope Jan Klesse, a counselor at New Hartford High School said she'd definitely noticed a difference in the past few years. "I found that some of my students that would have been accepted into certain schools were not accepted," she said. She said she had made a call to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on behalf of a student who wanted to go there, but was told the school had fielded 45 percent more applications this year than last year, and that students who would have gotten in in the past were being rejected. She said over the past three or four years, college admissions had become more unpredictable, and even schools that students had once been able to regard as back-ups weren't as predictable. "There are still good schools students can get into, but they can no longer really put all their eggs in one basket'," she said. Klesse's counterpart at Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica, Roseanne Angelhow, said her seniors had been holding their own in the college admission process. "I haven't seen a downward trend," she said. "The students who apply to four-year schools are getting into the four-year schools they want to go to." But, she added, many Proctor grads stay local when they go to college. "What our students tend to do is they stay local for the first couple of years, even some of our better students," she said, noting Mohawk Valley Community College's scholarship programs. Population bulge The Baby Boomer generation born after World War II stretched schools and colleges when they passed through the system in the 1950s and 1960s, and now their children are doing the same, experts said. Add in the fact that more and more schools are simplifying the process by allowing perspective students to apply on line, and the tightening of college admission is explained, particularly at the more selective schools, they said. "That trend is something that has increased greatly over past two to four years," said Scott Healy, a former director of admissions at Ohio State University who is now living in Clinton and working as an educational consultant. "If you are going to pay a lot for higher education, families want to do it at places known as among the best." He wasn't just talking about the Ivy League and similar schools like Hamilton and Colgate. "Leading public universities have never seen more applications than what we are seeing right now," he said. The children of the Baby Boomers are expected to be mostly through the college application process by 2012. After that, things should calm down, particularly in the Northeast, where population isn't growing like it is in other areas, he said.

Many Nation issues unresolved 05/27/2007 Observer-Dispatch, The	Return to Top
Monday's federal court rejection of the heart of the Oneida Indian Nation's land claim is but one step toward resolving myriad issues swirling around the Nation and its neighbors, experts say. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence E. Kahn dismissed the Nation's attempt to repossess land taken more than 150 years ago. He also said the Oneidas can pursue monetary damages that could result in $500 million for the Nation. In interviews last week, experts and officials gave insight about how the decision could affect major issues surrounding the Nation: •The land claim: Each side is claiming victory in the wake of Kahn's ruling, but experts say more legal action will occur before the land claim is fully resolved, beginning with an appeal from New York state. •Land-into-trust: The Nation's efforts to put its land into federal trust are not necessarily harmed by the ruling. •Turning Stone: The casino resort operated by the Nation still lacks legal authority. •Sales-tax collection: The state has not yet said just how it would pursue Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to collect taxes on sales of items such as gasoline and cigarettes to non-Indians at tribal-owned businesses. While most of these issues are distinct, their resolution may intertwine, particularly as the Oneidas and state government attempt to resolve them and as politics come into play, experts say. For example, Kahn ruled the Oneidas might be eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from the state, which at the same time holds leverage on Turning Stone's status and the sales-tax issue. And the federal government has asked the state and Oneidas to resolve a number of issues on their own. "There are different decision makers that are going to be making those decisions," said Christopher Vecsey, Colgate University's director of Native American Studies. "But politics is about influence and anything can influence anything else." The land claim Kahn's ruling states that giving the Oneidas their former property through the land-claim lawsuit would be unfair because others have lived on and used that land since the early 19th century. However, the possibility that the state could have to pay the Nation hundreds of millions of dollars is still up in the air, Vecsey said. "To me this is a continuing and incomplete story," he said. "All we can do is wait to see what happens on the appeal." However, Kahn's decision was reasonable and not surprising, he said. Madison County Attorney John Campanie said the Oneidas have a very minor claim left. The ruling affirms the Nation's ties to the land, but does not say the Nation has sovereignty, he said. "Ninety-nine percent of their complaint has been completely wiped out," he said. "All that's left is this very narrow possibility for compensation." Cesar Valdez Jr., director of security for the resort, said the ruling is positive and affects the thousands of people who work for the resort and other Nation enterprises. "The position I take is it is an amicable answer for all concerned parties," he said. Verona resident Doug Ready called the ruling a step in the right direction, but said the Nation should start obeying the rules everyone else lives by. "More needs to be done," he said. Land into trust The court ruling has no direct effect on the Oneidas' attempt to put their land into federal trust. A U.S. Department of Interior ruling is expected in June and could determine the status of the casino resort. The Oneidas two years ago sought federal trust status for their land in the wake of the March 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said Sherrill had the authority to tax and regulate non-reservation land owned by the Nation. In essence, the thousands of acres of land bought by the Oneidas since the early 1990s in Madison and Oneida counties could be taxed. Local counties have fought the land-into-trust designation. The Oneidas, however, say failure to put the land into trust could threaten jobs at their enterprises. Turning Stone At the same time, the federal government is reconsidering the 1993 approval of the compact allowing the Nation to open the casino. In June 2004, state Supreme Court Justice James McCarthy ruled the agreement between Turning Stone and then-Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1993 was invalid because it was made without legislative approval. The state and the Nation have subsequently failed to negotiate a gaming compact, so the federal government has taken it upon itself to determine what action should be taken. Although the land-claim ruling has no direct effect on the land-into-trust application, it could have played a part, Campanie said. "If they had won the land claim, the status of the land problem would have been solved," he said, referring to the Oneidas. "But, this does not hurt the chance of getting land into trust, not necessarily." Sales-tax collection The right of the state to collect sales tax from the Oneidas will be determined apart from this case, but could slightly impact it, Campanie said. "The state would have greater access if they choose to enforce sales tax," he said. Assemblyman David Townsend, R-Sylvan Beach, said he wanted Spitzer to act on his plan to collect taxes from the Nation. "It's costing the local government and local businesses millions and million of dollars," he said. A representative from Spitzer's office did not return phone calls. Oneida County officials have said taxing the Oneidas could bring in between $4 million and $8 million annually.