Advantages of taking summer classes

By Eddie Valdez

If you have some free time during the summer and feel like you need to fill it with something productive then maybe you might consider taking summer classes.

While the college offers classes during the fall and spring semesters, students also have the option of signing up for classes in the summer. While some might not like to give up any time in their summer to continue taking classes and doing school work one can find many advantages in signing up for them. Some students might sign up for summer classes because they had failed a required course and needed to take it again or if they just want to improve their overall GPA. Taking these classes during the summer term allows one to retake the class in a shorter period of time to try and replace the failing grade while avoiding having to take on a heavy schedule during the fall or spring semester. Another advantage to taking summer classes is the ability to accelerate one’s path to graduation and earn one’s degree in less time than one normally would. “Summer classes helped me get closer to graduation and start transferring to the school I planned to go to” said Kimberly Valdez-Soto, a current student at the college who is scheduled to graduate at the end of this spring semester. Also, with the ever growing population at the college, the fight to get the best classes available during the spring and fall semesters can be a difficult one. Taking these classes during the summer term allows students to sign up without as much competition. While taking summer classes can be advantageous to students at the college, they can also be just as useful to students from other universities who come home for the summer. They have the ability to take classes and earn credits from the college that can transfer over to the college or university they attend.

Now if a student is considering taking summer classes after weighing the advantages and disadvantages, the next concern is about the amount of money needed to pay for taking the classes. “I was thinking of taking summer classes but I am not so sure because I don’t have the money to pay for them” said Jacob Turnil, a student at the college who is currently considering whether or not to take summer classes. Money is a reasonable concern when it comes to college and is always a factor when a student considers the classes they are taking. If one has any financial problems, students have a couple of options available to them in order to lighten the load. As with the fall and spring semesters, eligible students are able to apply for federal financial aid that can help them pay the bill or even completely cover their tuition. Scholarships are also available for students in order to help them pay that can be easily found through a handy scholarship search engine on the college’s website and through booklets that can be found in the Ammerman Building.

So if you find yourself with some extra time during the summer and want to further your education while earning valuable credits towards your degree, consider taking a couple of summer classes. While not every single class that is usually available during the spring and fall semesters are available to take during the summer term, students have a handful of classes that are available and count towards a variety of degrees and programs. If a student has any financial difficulties there are plenty of ways to get the help you need and there are many knowledgeable people who can answer any questions one may have over at the financial aid office in the Ammerman Building. Also, if you is worried that you might lose your whole summer while taking summer classes or if you have any scheduling problems there are three different sessions during the summer course that you can take advantage of to fit your scheduling needs. The summer term is spread over three sessions with a five and eight week session that starts on May 29 and another five week session that starts on July 5. If one is interested in applying for the summer term or has any other questions then head over to the college’s website or visit the Ammerman Building. Summer classes are available at every campus at the college and are available to current students and students who are attending classes at other institutions.

Eliminating the Dangers on Campus

By Corey Sessa

Taking care of her two young children was her main concern, the dangers lurking on the campus were not.

Angela Prevosto prepares to get her children fed and ready for bed, she gives both of them a kiss on their forehead and rushes out the door since she is already 5 minutes late. Angela hops in her car barely able to say goodbye to her fiancé and quickly makes her way to the Ammerman campus where she will be attending her eight o’clock Sociology class on this Tuesday evening late in 2011. Angela was excited to be only two semesters away from achieving her Nursing Degree. Though she is always weary of walking alone through campus in the dark, she is most afraid the falling branches and scurrying animals that make sudden noises as she walks the pathways through campus. “I would always walk as fast as I could to and from my car” said Prevosto. On this particular night there was something worse lurking in the shadows of the campus forest which lines the many pathways.

“I was grabbed from behind, and he man demanded I gave him my purse and cell phone” said Prevosto. As Angela walked from the parking lot to her Sociology class in the Southampton building, she was confronted by an unidentified man who quickly made off with her belongings, and was never caught due to the fact that she could not provide an accurate description of her attacker. It took a few semesters for Angela to return to the campus to finish pursuing her degree due to financial and family reasons. Though Angela escaped the 2011 attack unharmed, “I still look behind me when I pass that exact spot where the attack happened”, said Prevosto.

“We had many reports of suspicious activity and incidents that we could not solve”, said John Williams, former Ammerman Campus security officer. As the incidents were rising the campus decided to look at how other campuses were helping to relieve the fear of and minimize crime. Stony Brook University was one of the first campuses to adopt the “security stations” around their much larger and populated campus. “We would try to cover as much of the campus as possible to deter wrongdoings but there was only so much help that we could provide” said Williams. Within the past few years the Ammerman campus has erected numerous “yellow emergency towers, topped with a blue police-like light”. These towers are placed strategically throughout the campus to help deter future unexpected attacks on students as well as any sort of emergency. One of these towers can be seen within a few feet of Angela Prevosto’s 2011 attack. Once someone depresses the “emergency” button on the tower, the top-mounted blue light will illuminate and an emergency call is sent to the campus security personnel. The personnel can quickly assess the situation and if needed contact the local police or other emergency departments for further assistance. “The number of reported crimes has seemed to be cut in half due to the presents of the towers”, said Williams. Though the security personnel deal with many “false alarms” each semester from immature students, the immaturity is overlooked as safety is the main goal.

“These contraptions are just another way for the college to gouge us students for more taxes and tuition” said Josh Lewis, freshman and Biology Major. Many of the students around campus feel that the towers do not solve or prevent enough crime to justify the extra expenses they pay to keep them up and running. Lewis claims that ‘The small difference they will make is not large enough in the long run’. Lewis who plans to fund his own schooling by working at a local fast food restaurant says, “Every extra amenity is just another shift I need to work, rather than studying to succeed”. Since the recession has hit a few years ago many students find themselves alone to pay their own way through college and helping relieve their parents and guardians of the financial burden. When asked if he anyone he knows has fell victim to campus crime, Lewis said “Actually my brother’s car was broken into and his mp3 player was stolen two years ago by the Islip Arts Building”. Luckily for most of the students around campus they will never be faced with an attack by an unsuspected criminal but if the situation arises then one of “those contraptions” may be the key to help.

Students see the strangest things

By Kevin Pannhurst

Shooting stars, planets and constellations are just some of the matter in space that can be seen by one on a clear dark night. Others have seen beyond the expected views, and claim to have witnessed unidentifiable objects in space.

Scientist’s and people have been able to debunk some of the UFO myths by attributing the lights to a plane or helicopter. However, there is not an explanation for all sightings that have been reported.  It is the unknown occurrences that keep people observing the night sky.

“I saw this ball of light, it was going to the right and suddenly it began moving backwards and zigzagging before it shot off into the darkness,” said Roy Scott accounting and paralegal major. What began as an ordinary night turned into an unexplainable experience.

Similar to Scott other students have had comparable encounters. “There were a bunch of lights, a  strangely shaped ship with a lot of wind, and suddenly it was gone,” said Katelynn Weatherup, linguistics major.

And business administration major, Recebecca Carmela said, “I was looking up at the sky during the summer. I was looking at what I thought was a shooting star until it stopped directly in its tracks and disappeared upwards.” Carmella could not make sense of what she had seen.

How could the unusual lights, shapes and sounds in the sky be explained? Some believe we are seeing spaceships from intelligent life on other planets, or a glimpse of what will come in the future.  After all, one can make their own judgment- just take a look into the dark starry sky.

Success in Our Community Thanks to the Eastern Campus Home Team

 

Here at our college there are over 90 clubs and organizations to get involved in to provide the student with extra-curricular activities that he or she is interested in.   They also add to a list of accomplishments which will eventually look great on a future resume. One club in particular that has certainly made a name for itself through its constant successful projects in our community is the Eastern Campus Home Team, located at our Riverhead campus.

Before renaming itself this year (originally The Strive for Success club) this club was focused in making a difference among our college while also serving the community. With its new name this year and some minor adjustments to the overall mission of the group, the Eastern Campus Home Team now strives to be more of an overall service organization. They primarily focus on helping out the community in which our school is located and do an incredible job representing our college through their various charity events, fundraising, and volunteering.

Source: staff.bbhcsd.org

Theresa Dereme is a coordinator for the college success program at the Eastern Campus as well as the leader of the Eastern Campus Home Team. After coming to the Ammerman campus in 2006, she worked as a professional assistant before she moved to the Eastern Campus working full time at the college success program. Dereme manages the club and has been working with student members to serve, fund raise, and reach out in the community to help those in need. She and the student members are committed to building teams of people who will work together and encourage each other in service projects throughout the community.

“We strive to help those in need, generally the whole community at large. Currently we are at the Riverhead Charter School, where we help those who need additional reading support. “Explains Dereme. “We are very open to helping out with different opportunities dealing with all types of people. We are open to everyone, which is what helping is all about.”

On October 24th 2012, the club held a Walk-a-thon at the Eastern Campus in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Students donated money before walking in and around campus and raised over $300 in donations before the fundraising event even occurred. Past fundraising events also included a coloring book drive for the children’s hospital at Stony Brook University, donating to Toys for Tots, and consecutively helping out at local soup kitchens on weekends.

Along with the various fundraising and charity events, the club members also enjoy going on trips together. These include day trips to New York City in order to educate themselves more, visiting places like museums and shows on Broadway to explore and open their minds in an inspirational atmosphere.

Dereme’s passion shows when talking about the students who are part of the Easten Campus Home Team. Along with having a packed schedule from school and jobs, they always seem to make enough time to focus on the club and helping out their community. They aim to inspire others and it is certain that each member feels a sense of importance in their community as well as a sense of pride from what they have accomplished through their involvement.

“They enjoy the community service, and it also adds as something to put on a resume and transcript for when they eventually transfer out of our 2-year college.” Says Dereme.

Being a club member also involves deciding which charity event to brainstorm and participate in each year. Since the club’s opening in 2007, students have planned and succeeded in fundraisers and walk-a-thons for juvenile diabetes, cancer care, after school programs, and the children’s hospitals at St. Judes and Stony Brook University.

The club’s hard work was noted in 2009, when they raised over $750 at their first walk-a-thon and got awarded a plaque for the most money raised for a new club on campus. A second plaque was awarded to the club after their hard work fundraising for the marines who serve our country.

The Eastern Campus Home Team is without a doubt an inspirational and heartwarming part of our college community. They have succeeded with all of their projects and only continue to keep working towards more and making positive differences in our community each and every year.

Students Choose Sides in Console Wars

by Kevin Pannhurst

Video games used to be a hobby enjoyed by very few, but these days it has become a mainstream hobby. With so many gamers around, companies have a much larger audience to sell their consoles and games to. Several people disagree on others opinions regarding which console to buy. This is called a console war; as each side tries to prove it is the best.

Today, the console war is between Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii. Everyone has their own favorite console, and as time goes on more memories of playing games are made.

Suffolk Student and Psychology Major Marc Astacio commented on his favorite console, “Some may disagree with me, but my favorite system of all time was the N-gage. It was a fantastic handheld with really great games, but didn’t get much support.”

After some discussion, Astacio had told me his favorite game for the N-gage was SonicN, “One of my favorite sonic games, nothing really tops it except for the classic sonic games.”

It really was an amazing handheld, though Nokia had made the mistake of releasing it during the reign of the Gameboy Advance. Not only was Nintendo in control of the handheld industry, but the N-gage cost twice as much as the superior Gameboy Advance.

I had asked Suffolk Student Roberta Feder of her favorite game, and I received an interesting response; “The first Spyro the Dragon game on the PlayStation 1.”

Spyro the Dragon is an action Plat former where you must save the world of the dragons from impending evil. This game was very innovative and had some things that I hadn’t seen before.

“I must have played through that game like, forty times, no joke. That was back when you would try to do things in games like only using the ram attack throughout an entire level just to see if you could do it, not for a bing and 10 achievement points. I miss that.” Feder went on to say.

The good old days, before your “gamer score” told how good of a gamer you are, rather than saving your data. Not many people played through games not only because they were much longer than today’s 6 hour games, but because they were harder to complete. One could say they actually offered a bit of challenge.

Another student, Steve from the Selden Campus, had a discussion with me on consoles; “The Super Nintendo was hands down my favorite console of all time. It had so many great games I couldn’t get enough…. Most of my childhood was spent playing games like Zelda, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Super Mario World; the list goes on and on.”

Many people played all of these games, which have really paved the way for the future. whenever a group of people are talking online about The Legend of Zelda series, everyone always says A Link to the Past was their favorite; A real boost for the Super Nintendo.

Back in the days of the Super Nintendo, Sega had put out an advertisement saying “Genesis does what Nintendon’t.” This was a real blow to Nintendo, saying the Genesis was a better gaming console. However, most people I knew had Super Nintendo’s and only one person had a Sega Genesis.

Personally, my favorite console was the Nintendo 64, I see it as a real golden age for platformers.

One of my favorite games of all time had made its first appearance on the 64, Banjo Kazooie. This game was very humorous, had some great controls and the fact that the antagonist provoked you the entire way was great. The Nintendo 64 was created when creativity was thriving; games were enormous and had such diversity in each level. In Super Mario 64, there were levels with several goals; such as defeating the evil Big Bob-omb King, racing a turtle to the mountain summit, and diving into the ocean depths to a sunken ship.

While I was interviewing people I was expecting some current gen console war’s with the PS3 vs. Xbox 360. I was glad to find out gamers look to the past with fond memories of a lot of great consoles, and games. Gaming is a huge industry pushing forward, making improvements, and becoming better than ever.

Craziness Of Black Friday

By Julia Catalano

The Smith Haven Mall is a close and convenient shopping destination for many Ammerman Campus students. At this mall, many retailers have been preparing for what is known as the biggest shopping day of the year. November 23, also known as “Black Friday” is traditionally the start of shopping for the holiday season.

On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Black Friday is not actually a holiday, but some non-retail employers give their employees the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest day at shopping malls, outlets, and other big retailers.

For some stores, the preparation for Black Friday begins November 24, the year before. Black Friday is what they look forward to and prepare for all year round. This day of the year is so important for some companies because it is the day the store makes the most money and gathers the most people in the entire year.

“Black Friday is crazy here at Victoria’s Secret. We open at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and we have over 150 employees on staff. The line starts outside the store and customers look like they’re about to run a marathon the way they stand outside the gates. Our company provides us with six hundred dollars to fund the store with food, refreshments, and whatever else it is we need for our associates to stay safe and alert throughout the night and day. We make a day plan to ensure everything will run as smoothly as possible. Typically, our store brings in more than double our average Saturday profit (Saturday is the busiest day of the week) and this year we hope to make even more. We prepare our associates for this day all year round with special training and discussion of how to sufficiently help customers while maintaining a clean store that the customers expect in times of chaos. I’m excited for Black Friday this year I think this is going to be a great one, definitely some awesome sales and free giveaways for the customers who do come shop,” said Tara Murphy, store manager at Victoria’s Secret, Smith Haven Mall.

It’s not only the associates at Victoria’s Secret who are prepared for this day of the year, security guards take precautions as well when preparing for the busiest day in the mall.

“Well, Black Friday can become dangerous and it has been dangerous in the past. For us, we think of it as a regular workday, it is just much more chaotic. You never know what you’re going to get on the job. Angry customers, impatient people can become violent, some people could get claustrophobic or even heat exhaustion, and of course we come across those who steal, so it’s important for us as security to be prepared for whatever may or may not happen this year,” said Martin DeTillio, security guard at Smith Haven Mall.

Black Friday is so popular around the United States that some people do consider it a holiday, or at least a day to remember.

“I remember hearing about a person getting trampled at Walmart for Black Friday. That’s just crazy, I feel like people need to chill out. If I didn’t work at the mall I would stay inside. I don’t believe there’s any sale worth the crazy people and long lines, and definelty not worth getting trampled. I’m honestly a little nervous to work Black Friday this year because this is my first Black Friday working at Macy’s. We’ve had a lot of discussion of what it will be like and the biggest sale is when we first open so I’m expecting that is when it will be most crowded,” said Celeste Levy, sales associate at Macy’s, Smith Haven Mall.

The Smith Haven Mall officially opens at midnight on Black Friday, while some doors will be open for shoppers to get an early start. Some stores located in the mall will be open as early as 10 p.m., and while this will indeed be a day of craziness and an overload of people, you have been warned. Black Friday could save you hundreds of dollars but staying home could also save you from hundreds of headaches, which will you chose?

Students can’t resist The Walking Dead.

        By Kevin Pannhurst

October rolls around once again this year and all of its horror themed traditions. To most, October is a month for horror movies, video games, parties and trick or treating. To some of us, it means the return of AMC’s The Walking Dead.If you’ve never seen The Walking Dead you should give it a try if you enjoy anything zombie related. Most of the show is centered on a particular group of survivors just trying to get by in a zombie infested world; moving house to house, camp settlement to camp settlement, making a home out of a store or abandoned building. It really gives a good example of how mentally worn down human morale can be during a tragedy like this.

It’s interesting to see how a zombie apocalypse can effect the lives of people who are still trying to peice their lives back together. Imagine being separated from family and friends, trying months to try to find some trace of them. This is the reality of The Walking Dead, strangers coming together just to survive and get through this.

Typically every Monday you can hear someone in the class discussing the latest episode considering Sunday night was a new episode. Last October in my Biology class, we were always talking about what was going on this season. While walking past the library I overheard a couple of student’s discussing the new season. “I love this season, it’s freaking awesome so far.”

This season is defiantly faster paced; they’re getting a lot done in this short amount of time. I had a discussion with a student about how Rick is starting to act more like Shane did. He’s become more aggressive and isn’t taking shit from anyone; if they endanger his group’s survival you can be sure he’s going to take care of it.

If you haven’t seen any episodes of the walking dead there’s still time, on Netflix the first two seasons are up to watch. As for season 3, if you have cablevision in the free on demand section you can find the new episodes found in the entertainment section on AMC.

Insomnia Strikes Down Students

By Kevin Pannhurst

Many students the college face the problem of falling asleep on a daily basis; sometimes lying in bed for hours on end with sleep far beyond their grasp. This is the horrible world of Insomnia.

It’s easy to spot someone who’s had trouble sleeping; they always have the same tired look on their face. After catering to an inability to sleep, cutting days short to lay in bed earlier to attempt to fall asleep can be very discouraging. These aren’t the people who stay up all night staring at their computer monitors, playing video games, and out late partying.

With personal experience I can say getting to sleep is a tough challenge. I could go to bed at 9:30 pm just to lay in bed until 10am. One would think that I wouldn’t have trouble sleeping the next day if I didn’t fall asleep at all during the day. That’s not the case; I’ll have just as much trouble sleeping later that night despite feeling exhausted.

“Over the summer I had a week where I had slept about 10 hours. It was hard to get to sleep and to stay asleep; I would wake up about after an hour for no damn reason,” said student Marc Astacio.

Insomnia can be caused by a lot of things. One of the main causes is stress from work or classes, which is why it happens to students a lot throughout the semester. Students also drink coffee and energy drinks to help them stay up through the day. However too much can be a bad thing, a crash can occur and cause the person to fall asleep during the day. And the obvious: it can also prevent you from falling asleep.

I’ve found that insomnia is affecting student’s college life by preventing them to going to classes. Many students have had to skip going to class due to lack of sleep and its affecting their grades. While discussing insomnia with a student Katelynn Weatherup she had a pretty bad week as far as sleep goes: “Over the past 3 days I’ve gotten about 3 hours of sleep. I don’t think that I’ll be going to my early class”

From my experience I’ve come up with a couple tips to help you fall asleep at night. About an hour before bed keeping the lights off would be a good idea. If lights are on your body will think it’s still daytime and you’ll have some trouble falling asleep. Another tip is to not take a nap during the day. Though this can be different for everyone, for example if I took an hour long nap I won’t sleep a wink later that night because I just won’t feel tired at all. It also helps to try to get a regular sleep schedule going, though there are outside powers that can throw this off such as work schedules or having classes at various times.

I’ve taken on the responsibility of trying the new sleep-aid called Zzzyquil. Plenty of people have put up reviews of this saying it didn’t work, but it did work for me. Directly after taking it I would lay in bed and feel drowsy and would fall asleep within the hour. Upon waking up I felt great, I wasn’t drowsy and I was alert; ready to start the day. So I would recommend it if you’re having some trouble sleeping.

Do It Yourself Tutu for a Unique Costume this Halloween

By Alyson Feis

A variety of Halloween costumes are available this year, but how can you make sure you won’t match your classmates? One student suggests creating a DIY tutu! A tutu can serve as the base to almost any Halloween costume when you pair it with the right accessories!

Christin Kmetz, a photography major, at the college says there are a few things to consider before purchasing the materials. She suggests visiting stores like Hot Topic, Icing, and Party City before choosing a costume.

“You find all the cool stuff you want to wear with your tutu and then you decide what the tutu will look like,” she said.

Once you’ve gotten an idea of what you want your costume to look like you can decide what colors your tutu will be and begin gathering materials. All materials can be found at a local fabric store like JoAnn’s, in West Babylon.

Materials:

Scissors

Measuring tool

4-6 yards of Tulle

Ribbon

After gathering the materials you can begin crafting your Halloween Tutu by measuring and cutting the materials.

The ribbon will serve as the waist of your tutu, and it will be tied in the back in order to secure the tutu in place. Before cutting make sure the ribbon is long enough to be wrapped around your waist and then tied in a bow.

The length of your tutu (from waist to end) will be determined by the size of the pieces of tulle you cut. Note: Each piece should be twice the length of your desired tutu. For example, if you desire a tutu that will hang eight inches from your waist you should cut your tulle into pieces about 2-4 inches wide by 16 inches long.

Once you have cut all of your materials you are ready to create your tutu.

1. Take a piece of tulle and fold it in half, making a “U” shape.

2. Holding the tulle above the ribbon, grab the ends of the tulle and pull them around the ribbon and through the “U” shape.

3. Pull the ends tight until you notice the tulle is knotted around the ribbon.

4. Continue knotting tulle around the ribbon in the pattern of your choice, always working from the center, outward.

The amount of tulle you use will determine how thick or thin your tutu is. To achieve a fuller, more fluffy look, push the tulle closer together and add as many knots of tulle as possible. If you desire a thinner, lower hanging tutu, leave some space between each knot.

So become a bumble bee by pairing your yellow tutu with a black leotard and adding insect wings. Or borrow your cousins ballerina slipper’s and become a ballerina! Whatever you decide to do with your DIY tutu, you can be confident that this Halloween, your costume will be as unique as you!

College Commuting, Part 2: The Winter Challenge

By Julio Avila

Many students find their way to school through all kinds of road conditions and weather.

In the first part of this segment, “College Commuting: Buses vs. Cars,”  students shared their preferred method of transport and their reasons why. With the winter season approaching and the chances of greater amounts of snowfall, students should plan ahead on how to get to school on time and safely, should there be any snow storms.

According to Paul Pastelok, a meteorologist from AccuWeather, the northeast region will be in for a blast of snow and frigid temperatures.

“The I-95 cities could get hit pretty well. It’s a matter of getting the cold to phase in with the huge systems that we are going to see coming out of the southern branch of the jet stream this year.”

Another factor that plays into this is “El Niño”, a weather pattern that consists of above normal water temperatures in the central and equatorial areas of the Pacific Ocean.

“El Niño winters feature a strong southern branch of the jet stream across the U.S. When the southern jet stream phases with the northern branch of the jet stream, big storms can impact the East,” said Meghan Evans, a meteorologist from AccuWeather.

Local town highway departments are the ones responsible for the removal of snow within their designated towns. Each town has different methods and equipment used in snow removal. The town contracts privately owned snow plowing companies or uses vehicles from their own reserves.

One of the companies that operates under contract in Suffolk County is The Snow-Fighters. The Snow-Fighters have been in business for the last 15 years. Their mission is to remove snow from commercial and residential areas so vehicles can move freely about in harsh winter conditions. According to the Snow Fighters, the equipment used in snow removal consists of trucks with snow plows, salters, back hoes, and skid loaders. They also help in de-icing streets by using a mixture of sand and salt and calcium chloride. In addition, they help in removing snow and de-icing sidewalks and loading dock areas.

The following are steps students should take in order to be ready when driving on the snowy and slippery roads in order to get to school safely:

1) Make sure your car has the needed equipment for the winter. Winter or all-season tires will provide sufficient grip and traction on snowy, slushy and icy roads. Replace worn wiper blades so you will have clear visibility when driving. Cleaning the windshield and windows with a water shedding fluid such as Rain-X will help keep your windows free of ice, but windshield wiper fluid is highly recommended, especially one that will melt ice off the windshield on contact in your car’s windshield cleaning system.

2) Make sure your engine has plenty of fresh motor oil to help keep the parts inside the engine lubricated and running smoothly as well as making sure your coolant system has enough anti-freeze/coolant to help keep your engine from freezing.

3) Check all your headlights, brights and rear lights to make sure they are all working in the event you need them at night or in heavy snowfall. Your lights will also help other motorists see you.

4) Before you begin to drive, turn on your car first for a few minutes as this will allow the engine to become warmed up and all parts in the motor lubricated with oil. Driving a car that is not warmed up can cause internal damage to the motor.

5) Once you start to drive, drive slower than you normally would. Even on the highways, one should not be speeding. Sure, it may be time consuming but it will save you the trouble from slipping and skidding out of control. Also, remember to use the lowest gear as this will help give you more traction on the icy roads.

6) Avoid bridges and overpasses as these tend to freeze quicker than the roads themselves. Planning alternate routes will be beneficial but if you must travel on a bridge or overpass, use caution and do not speed.

7) Chances are you will see snowplows and trucks sanding the roads. They travel slowly trying to rid the road of snow and ice. It is best to NOT pass these trucks as chances are, the road ahead will still be covered with snow and could be slippery since the snow plows and sanders have not reached those stretches of roads yet.

8) It is also best to give yourself ample space to brake so you can come to a complete stop safely. Braking instantly will make your car lose traction.

9) If your front wheels were to skid, release your foot off the gas pedal and shift to neutral. Don’t try to steer immediately. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and you will regain traction. As traction recovers, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently. If your rear wheels are the cause of a skid, release your foot off the accelerator and steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. For example, if your rear wheels are sliding right, steer to the right and vice versa. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side until your car is balanced. You might have to steer left and right a few times to fully get your vehicle under control.

If you are traveling by bus in snowy conditions:
1) It is best to leave your house earlier than you normally would to allow for extra time.

2) Watch each step you take as you make your way to the bus stop as there could be ice and thick snow along the way.

3) Expect buses to be delayed as bus operators try to navigate the roads safely with busloads of passengers.

4) Take a look at the bus schedules and see which bus you can take to get to the college with sufficient time. Perhaps an earlier bus will get you to the school with time to spare compared to the later scheduled bus you normally take which could end up being late in the traffic and snow.

5) At the bus stop, try to wait as close as you can to the stop around a spot that is easily accessible to the street and sidewalk. It will be hard trying to get to the bus when it pulls up to the curb and there happens to be a mound of snow or ice.

It is important to decide if commuting to the college on a snow day would be a good idea but there is peace of mind offered by the college in the event classes would need to be cancelled due to harsh weather conditions. The college offers an Emergency Alert Service that sends you text messages to your cellphone regarding any emergencies or weather related closures and cancellations.

To sign up for this service, log into your “My SCCC” account and on the main page to the right, click on the box that says “Be Prepared……NY Alert Sign-Up”, enter the needed information and you will be enrolled.

It is also beneficial to watch local news reports such as News 12 Long Island for up the minute weather information regarding news and school closures in the respective county you live in, either Nassau or Suffolk. To see Part 1 of this story, click on this link: http://campusreporter.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/college-commuting-buses-vs-cars-3/