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FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF

Thanks for reading our December issue!
With the end of the semester around the corner, December is a
stressfull month filled with endless finals, papers and trips to the
library. In this issue the MRC would like to make this stressful
time for our students a little bit easier by providing some of our
best final survial tips. Hear from our very own bearcats on page
8 and find out what they do to make it through the tiring hours of
studying.
If our tips arent enough to get you through December, let us
remind you that December also means the holiday season is upon
us. In addition to the various events being held on campus the
MRC will also be hosting events of our own such as Global Fiesta,
and Home Away from Home (details found on page 4) to bring the
holiday spirit from all cultures to Binghamton Universitys campus.
Lastly, with December must come goodbyes as our Fall Semester
comes to a close. The MRC will host its last Student Leader Meeting,
and Culture at Chenango event. We thank you for supporting
our organization this semester and look forward to continuing to
provide you cultural events, news and more next semester!
As always, please feel free to send your thoughts, opinions and
content suggestions to mrc@binghamton.edu.
Happy Reading,
Culture Connects Editorial Team

Meet the Culture

Connects Team
Samantha Gillette

Graduate Marketing Intern

Jonathan Alvizuri

Undergradute Marketing
Intern

Ye Mary Bai

Undergradute Marketing
Intern

Gabrielle Cruz

Undergraduate Marketing
Intern

Nicole Ochonma

Undergraduate Marketing
Intern

Tanyah Barnes, M.Ed

ODEI Diversity Fellow and

Advising Editor
For questions, comments,
advertising or submitting
content, contact the team
at mrc@binghamton.edu

About Culture Connects

Culture Connects is a newsletter designed to provide the campus with up-to-date information
about cultural events, programs and opportunities available to the Binghamton University
Community.
If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the newsletter every month, please email
the Culture Connects Team with subject subscribe to mrc@binghamton.edu.
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MRC NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

MRC Upcoming Events

MRC would like you to save the date for the following upcoming events:
MRC Student Leaders Meeting
Tuesday, November 3rd,
7:00-8:00pm,
Tuesday, December 1st,
7:00-8:00pm,
All meetings in UU 111
MRC Internship Info Session
Wednesday, November 11th,
5:00pm-6:30pm, UUW 324
Thursday, November 12th,
5:00pm-6:30pm, UUW 325

Culture at Chenango

Tuesday, November 17th,

11:30am-2:30pm
Chenango Room

MRC 7th Annual Global Fiesta

Wednesday, December 9th, 5-7pm,
Mandela Room
Home Away from Home Party
Wednesday, January 6th, 6-8pm,
Mohawk Great Room
#MRCMonday & Diversity Talk
Show
starting October 5th

Subscribe to the MRC Events Calender at mrc.binghamton.edu

to stay up-to-date on all MRC Events throughout the year!
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MRC NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Celebrate Holidays with the MRC!
Global Fiesta
The holidays are just around the corner, and the MRC plans to celebrate accordingly with our

annual Global Fiesta! Join us on December 9th from 5PM-7PM in the Mandela Room for a
holiday celebration unlike any other. Our celebration will bring together holiday festivities from
a variety of different cultures and backgrounds and will allow all attendees to experience each
one. Special performances, activities, and menu options will make this years event one you
do not want to miss. Come join us as we share holiday traditions with one another, and bring
together our diverse campus community.

Home Away From Home

Finding it hard to commute home this holiday season? Have no fear, the MRC will be your home

away from home. On January 6th from 6-8pm in the Mohawk Great Room we will be hosting
A Home Away From Home Party to celebrate the holiday season with those students and faculty
staying in the Binghamton area this season. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet, gather
and enjoy company with others who are around the University at this time. Dinner will be
provided to all attendees, and we can promise you it will feel just like home. Hope to see you
there!

HOLIDAY CONSUMERISM
As the Holidays approach and the smell of eggnog delves into the noses of Americans everywhere,
it is easy to get caught up in the season of giving. American households spend hundreds of
dollars annually in preparation for the upcoming holidays. This spending trend is perhaps no
better represented than by the mobs of people camping outside retailers on this years Black
Friday. While the economic stimulus from such mass consumption is quite impactful in the
short run, the level at which the average person is spending around the holidays could lead to
undesirable consequences.

Consumerism, the belief that it is good for people to spend a

lot of money on goods and services, seems to sprout up often
at around this time of year. Last year alone, Americans spent
over $50 billion in retailers on Black Friday alone, with individual
spending rounding out to $380.95. This total shoots up to nearly
$617 billion for the months of November and December. Is there
something about the Christmas shopping season that makes us
gun for our wallets? Not necessarily, the thing is households are
spending every other month of the year as well. The World Bank
has the level at which we spend money on consumption, as opposed to saving or investing, at
nearly 69% of a households total income. It is readily apparent that the United States houses a
consumption culture. While, it is great that we are not afraid to help fund our business sectors it
is important to remember that moderation is essential for a healthy lifestyle and for living within
ones means. The latter is where we are going wrong.
I am not saying you should stop indulging or splurging on those that you care about. I only wish
to remind people that they should know their limits and to reevaluate their priorities. Is shelling
out that extra half a paycheck on a curved 4k Ultra HD LED TV really going to bring joy into your
life? Or are you better off opting for a cheaper option and saving your money for a few nights out
with family, friends and significant others? You were probably going to wind up binge watching
Netflix on your laptop anyway. Sure this may seem like an extreme example, but see how it
relates to this template. The next time you consider what big
ticket item you will be bringing home, ask yourself these 3
questions: What am I really buying? Are there any alternatives
to buying this? What am I giving up by buying this? Now look
back at the TV example:
1. What am I really buying?

a. An ultra high picture quality TV

b. An incentive to spend more time watching TV

c. The social gratification of owning a modern piece of technology
2. Are there any alternatives to buying this?

a. A cheaper TV with a nearly unperceivable difference in picture quality

b. Higher quality and healthier groceries to live a longer life

c. Spending the money to spend time with loved ones

3. What am I giving up by buying this?

HOLIDAY CONSUMERISM

a. Half a paycheck over your intended budget

b. Hours of labor in order to spend more of your limited free time watching TV

c. The money you could have gained by investing in a savings account or in stocks instead.

Living within your means can be a hard thing to do because it can be hard to measure what your means
really is. A cheap $100 purchase of a clearance item will not mean much when you still have plenty of
money left over from your summer job. Yet, you are always giving more than just the money you are
handing over. You are giving up the time and energy you spent to earn that money and dedicating future
time and effort to enjoy what you just bought. Filling your home with apparel, appliances and posh
furniture is great if you can do it, but is it worth it? We are told that we need these things to be happy,
therefore we need money, and so we need a job to get money. In the end we wind up spending countless
hours of our lives working a job and we forget to take the time to just live life.

By Jonathan Alvizuri, MRC Intern

Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/black-friday-yearly-spending/ and

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PETC.ZS

CULTURE CHATS: HOLIDAY EDITION

Culture Chat with Binghamton University Students

As the Holidays approach, we cant help but become filled with excitement

when daydreaming about the family time, traditions, and delicious meals that
lie ahead of us. Every year people from all walks of life head back to their
families and friends to celebrate and partake in different holiday festivities. At
Binghamton University, we are lucky to have a diverse student body filled with
students from all over the World. Here are several students from Binghamton
University who celebrate different and similar Holidays all in unique ways.
Meet Alexandra Spiridoula Lambadarios:
Me: Where are you/your family from?
Alexandra: I was born in the U.S. but my parents and all my ancestors
were born in Greece. Being first generation, however, had me growing up
with all native Greek traditions, especially around the holidays.
Me: What Holiday do you celebrate?
Alexandra: We celebrate Christmas on the same day Catholics do. Some Greeks who follow
the old calendar, though, celebrate it in early January. Its an old school tradition that my family
phased out.
Me: What are some of your favorite traditions?
Alexandra: There isnt much that we do different on Christmas. One big thing is that we go to
church every Christmas Eve, typically at night. And then the rest of holiday prep is centered on
baking, where seasonal Greek cookies are consistently pumped out of the kitchen. Its the only
time of year we really eat these desserts (baklava, kourambiedes, melomakarena).
Me: What is your favorite meal that you and your family eat on this day, and explain what it is?
Alexandra: There isnt a traditional meal Greeks make, but my family Christmas dinners are
usually centered around pig or lamb meat, and then spanakopita (spinach pie), tiropita (cheese
pie), or any other traditional greek pie. The rest of the dishes are standard, food thats cooked
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CULTURE CHATS: HOLIDAY EDITION

year round. The most exciting part is, of course, the dessert.
Meet Cali Chazan:
Me: Where are you/your family from?
Cali: I am originally from Honduras, but my family and I moved to the
United States when I was about 10 years old.
Me: What Holiday do you celebrate?
Calli: My family and I like many other families celebrate Christmas
but, we do it in a different way than people do in the United States.
Me: What are some of your favorite traditions?
Calli: In Honduras, Christmas Eve fireworks are a huge event, all over the country at night the
sky is completely lit up, and it is absolutely beautiful!
Me: What is your favorite meal that you and your family eat on this day, and explain what it is?
Calli: You cant have a Honduran Christmas without Tamales! Tamales are wrapped in a banana
leaf and are filled with meat, my family usually uses pork or chicken but you can put beef in
there as well.
Meet Juliana Miller:
Me: Where are you/your family from?
Juliana: My family is from the Ukraine but we practice Judaism
Me: What Holiday do you celebrate?
Juliana: We celebrate Hanukkah with Ukrainian flare
Me: What are some of your favorite traditions?
Juliana: Our family celebrates Hanukkah a little different than it is usually
done. I come from an extremely large family and it has become difficult for us to celebrate all
8 nights together, so what my family does is celebrate each of the 8 nights separately and then
on the last day we all get together and have a huge potluck dinner party
Me: What is your favorite meal that you and your family eat on this day, and explain what it is?
Juliana: Kasha varnishkes is one of my favorite meals that we eat, we also have Latkes and Lox.
by Gabrielle Cruz, MRC Intern

Interested in advertising in the MRC Culture

Connects Newsletter?
Increase your business among Binghamton University students, faculty and staff. The
MRC is home for more than 100 cultural student organizations on campus. With more
than 1,700 students subscribed to our Monthly Newsletter, consider us a great marketing
tool for reaching the university community. Binghamton Universitys student of color and
International student populations are increasing. Make your business more visible among
students.
For more information, please contact the Culture Connects Newsletter Team at mrc@
binghamton.edu or 607-777-4472.
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FINALS SURVIVAL GUIDE

UghFinals.
That dreadful week when your whole semester finally gets put into perspective. Your brain boils down like
crazy and for some reason, 2+2 just doesnt equal four anymore! Simple math becomes hard as a rock
and chemistry literally just needs to take a backseat.
So. What do you do in times like this?
I decided to ask around the beautiful green campus of Binghamton
University first to find out what our fellow peers would do when
their life is turmoil during Finals week. No shame in this game.
Welcome to the segment of, What would a Bearcat do?
Kayla Mesmain, a transfer sophomore majoring in Biology, had
some tips to give out: Well, as a fresh bearcat, I would definitely
try to study as much as I can. God only knows how crazy Binghamton can get.
Seems pretty legit. Binghamton can get crazy.
The next bearcat to participate in this segment was Steven Mangra, a Junior majoring in Politics, Philosophy,
and Law, commonly known here as PPL. He states, I think group studying would be beneficial for me.
Reviewing information with other people always seems to work out. I couldnt agree more.
The final bearcat to complete this mini segment was student, Jissel Ledesma. As a senior in the School
of Management, majoring in accounting, Jissel quickly came across as the perfect fit to answer this
question. She had already survived countless finals here at Binghamton, and has probably made some
incredible discoveries on how to exactly survive finals week. So I asked her the question:
Jissel, what would you do during Finals Week?
Honestly, outside of studying of course, I would make sure to get some
rest and find time to eat. Youll need that energy when that final exam rolls
around.
And as simple as that answer was, that is as simple as it gets. Finals week
is something every college student has to go through whether they like it
or not. Its not always about pulling an all-nighter or cramming your brain
with information until your head hurts. It is more so about making sure
you stay healthy and vibrant in time for your finals. Although all of your
finals are indeed crammed into just one week, surviving it is not as hard as it sounds.
Unless youre an engineering major. Now, that might take a little bit more work.
According to an article published by TIME Magazine this year, Finals week should be the time to silence
all of your social media accounts. As much as we would like to get in on the action that others are getting
themselves involved in, social media (during Finals) only leads to distractions, and worse, possible bad
grades on your exam. Now who would want that? Silencing your accounts can help you retain focus as
well as keeping your eye on the prize. Which in this case, is your review sheet. Now, of course, it is not
entirely bad for you to check in for 10 minutes or so on Facebook. Just make sure those 10 minutes dont
turn into you watching endless videos, or worse, online shopping!
Another tip that would be great to practice during Finals week is experimenting with different ways of
studying. Now, I know all of us have a certain way they would like to study or are used to, but there is
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FINALS SURVIVAL GUIDE

nothing wrong with practicing another way. It could possibly be group studying, mentioned by Steven
Mangra, where you and some of the students in your class get together and study, or you could also
practice switching subjects after an hour of studying. Research shows that switching subjects helps your
brain store that fresh knowledge you just gained longer. With this, you do not even have to split your
time equally. You would just alternate between subjects, studying what you believe to be important at
that time.
Oh, food. What a lovely subject. Its also pretty lovely during Finals Week. Jissel Ledesma mentioned this
in her interview and it turns out to be one of the most important things you should remember during this
week. I know many of us forget, especially here in Binghamton, to eat because of all the work that is put
on us. But forgetting to eat during Finals week is a different story. Skipping a meal can definitely drain
your energy, making you more tired than you already would be. It is also important to remember that not
every food choice during finals week is good. Fast food is easy to indulge in, so thinking green (yes, this
is a pun) is best during finals week! Eating foods like carrots, walnuts, bananas, and even chocolate (its
something in the cocoa) has been proven to retain ones focus and help fill ones stomach up. What you
drink is also pretty important. That H2O, otherwise known as water, will definitely be your friend during
Finals Week as it helps you stay hydrated and balance your memory and focus. Drinking caffeine is also
beneficial, but try to drink one cup in the morning. Green tea is another good substitute, and is great to
drink at night if you are thinking about staying up.
Focus is something that can be hard for all of us to retain. It has been mentioned plenty of times already,
so why not give out some examples on how to not only find it, but keep it? One thing that can help,
even though it may seem miniscule, is putting your phone on Do Not Disturb. With all those bells and
rings, its no wonder why most of us are glued to our phone screens! Turning the sound off can eliminate
distractions and help you keep focus. Another important thing to do during this week is GETTING SOME
SLEEP. Some people even say that sleeping triumphs over actual studying. It keeps your immune system
on check, and avoids you from pulling those all-nighters that arent as beneficial as you may think they
are. One last thing to mention would be to reward yourself. Heck, Finals Week is already a challenge
within itself, so why not appreciate the goals we achieve during the week?
Finals Week is something that everyone is definitely capable of surviving. We are all equiped with the
necessary materials, so why not put them to practice? Whether it be biology youre studying for, or that
15-page essay you have to turn in, using these tips during finals will make life seem much easier.

by Nicole Ochonma, MRC Intern

DE-STRESS DECEMBER
Finals got you stressed? Check Out De-Stress December!
Its that time of year again--De-Stress December has officially begun, which means plenty of
opportunities for fun, food, and relaxation during your last few weeks of the semester.
De-Stress December will run from Tuesday, December 1st - Tuesday, December 22nd. Please
refer to this page for a complete list of upcoming events. Good luck to all students with the
remainder of the semester and final exams!
More info at http://binghamton.edu/dean-of-students/programs-services/stress-free-spring.html!
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CULTURAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Its not to late to donate to the fall

annual clothing drive.
Drop Box Locations:

P.U.L.S.E. Office
(UUB007),B.S.U. Office
(UUW317), EOP Tutorial Center,
L.A.S.U. Lounge (UUW310), J.U.M.P.,
Nation Office (UUW326), Delaware Hall
(Newing), Lehman Hall (Hinman)

BUJA: Kouhaku is a traditional

Japanese talent competition held on
New Years eve, in which opposing
teams of women and men
(RED and WHITE) compete to
one up each other on stage.
Show support for your favorite
performers at this years
Kouhaku on December 5 in UU
Undergrounds from 5-7pm. And best
of all, ITS FREE!

The Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity

is very excited to have gained
recognition at SUNY Binghamton,
and are even more thrilled to be
apart of the campus community
next semester. Come to their
informational meeting on December
7th.

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CULTURAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

P.U.L.S.E-Attend the 5th annual

Leadership Conference and practice
articulating your skills, experience,
knowledge, and overall worth in
todays competitive job market
is to create a personal brand that
helps you stand out in the crowd.

SA: Participate in this years Project Santa,

and make sure that every Binghamton
child has something off their wish
list this holiday season. All you
have to do is email projectsanta@
binghamton.org with I want to be a
sponsor as the subject.

Binghamton Men's Club Volleyball

& BAMS are hosting the first
annual Charity Volleyball
tournament at Binghamton
University on December 6th.
The Charity will include 18
teams representing 18 different
countries.

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Contact Us
Location:Library South G 549
Phone:(607) 777-4472
Fax:(607)777-2373
Email:mrc@binghamton.edu

Staff

Nicole Sirju-Johnson - Director

njohnson@binghamton.edu
Mengchen Huang - MRC Assistant Director
mhuang@binghamton.edu
Tanyah Barnes - ODEI Diversity Fellow
tbarnes@binghamton.edu
Michele Hayes - Secretary
mahayes@binghamton.edu

Connect with the Multicultural Resource Center!

facebook.com/MRCBinghamton
@mrcbu
@BinghamtonMRC
Binghamton MRC
@BinghamtonMRC
mrc.binghamton.edu
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