January 31, 2024
Reporter: Paul Martin
Wednesday’s meeting:Martha E. Pollack, Cornell University President
“Update from the Hill”
COLTIVARE and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube channel!
Heidi Goldstein, presiding member of “Les Six,” called the meeting to order, immediately followed by the Four-Way Test.
Heidi introduced the new Executive Chef of Coltivare, Scott Riesenberger. Scott is on day 8 of his new position (and the chicken was outstanding!). A native of Rochester, he studied at Smith College followed by Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Scott worked as a chef in France and then in New York City, including working for both Madonna and Seinfeld. He is excited to do the work of rebuilding Coltivare and hopes to reopen the restaurant this spring. Riesenberger is personally gluten free and enjoys creating clean and allergen-neutral dishes, of which we should see more, and appreciates the long-term partnership with our Rotary Club.
Heidi then introduced our lone guest: Sarah Mirabile, Finger Lakes ReUse, guest of Gertrude Noden. We also had several Rotarians visiting as a part of our presentation, including Cheryl and Mark Matt from the Dewitt Rotary Club and Lizzy Martin from the Baldwinsville Rotary Club who is our President/District Governor Elect for the new District 7180.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Harlin McEwen brought our Thought for the Day, or in this case because he feels we need more humor, he brought us some classic jokes, including:
- Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
- My email password has been hacked. That’s the third time I’ve had to rename my cat!
- A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a workstation!
- And he wrapped up with the classic one about five men on an airplane who learned that the plane was going to crash, and they only had four parachutes. The businessman said, “I need to jump because my business will not survive without me,” and then jumped. The clergyman said, “I should go next because I am needed by my congregation,” and jumped. The professor said, “I will go next because I am the smartest man in the world,” and jumped. This left the pilot and a student. The pilot said, “you go ahead and take the last parachute—you have your whole life ahead of you.” And the student said, “No need to worry—we still have two parachutes because the smartest man in the world jumped with my backpack!”
In Harlin’s words, “humor should be non-judgmental, non-political and, for the most part, appropriate for all audiences.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Paul Martin gave three announcements for Youth Services:
- The Youth Services committee will meet this month on Zoom on Monday, February 5th at 7 PM. Contact Paul for the link.
- Next week our students will be here, and we will be exchanging club banners.
- We have an opportunity for a Rotarian to host a student for four weeks this spring. Contact Paul for details.
Riffing on Harlin’s humorous Thought for the Day, Jack Roscoe reminded us that LAFF means something special to Ithaca Rotarians. He was happy to announce a re-launching of the Little Apple Fall Follies that gives us another reason to laugh. The kickoff meeting will be at 11 AM on Wednesday morning, before the February 7th Rotary meeting.
LAST WEEK’S PRESENTATION
Ravi Walsh shared the story behind our club’s DEI statements that were on the tables, and then introduced our speakers for the presentation on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Lizzy Martin is the future President/District Governor of our new District 7180 and also the daughter of our own Dale Flinn. She is past President of the Baldwinsville Club. Lizzy is joined by Cheryl Matt, a thirty-year Rotarian, past DG of District 7150, and an area postmaster that helped implement DEI for her region. Their DEI presentation was developed in conjunction with Rotary International and our zone, and has been delivered to many Rotary Clubs and to several non-Rotary groups as well.
Cheryl started with an acknowledgement that we, like most Rotary Clubs in upstate New York, are meeting on the lands of the Haudenosaunee. Then she set the stage for our discussion by sharing
RI’s DEI Statement, reinforcing that DEI is not a one-time thing—it must be an ongoing effort, and for us to create a brave space by being respectful, challenging ideas and not people, being aware of our own biases, and being present.
The constituent parts of DEI can be defined as:
- Diversity: the ways we are different
- Equity: fair treatment, access, and opportunity
- Inclusion: belonging—anyone can feel welcome, respected, and supported
Equity is easy to confuse with equality! For example, you give everyone the same (equal) sized bike, it wouldn’t work for everyone. Equity is giving everyone the bike that fits them and their needs.
As Rotarians, we are fortunate that this is already part of our DNA because of the Four-Way Test! But that doesn’t mean that it comes naturally or that we are always successful.
There are lots of “isms”—common forms of discrimination, such as ageism, sexism, racism, ableism, sizeism, and many more. These are created by society, not by individuals.
We learned in a video that biases come about because of how we have evolved. Our intuitive, unconscious brain reacts automatically and favors the familiar, forming our opinions, categories, and biases often before our rational, conscious brain has had a chance to weigh in. The way to overcome this is to realize that it happens; it is perfectly natural, and we can utilize our conscious brain to change our attitudes and behavior. This requires consistent effort over time!
We learned about the FLEX method to overcome biases:
- Focus within: self-reflect; why did you react the way you did?
- Learn about others: recognize and reflect.
- Engage in dialog: ask and LISTEN; avoid blame and defensiveness.
- Xpand your options: be flexible and grow; connect with more people.
The climate we create for our clubs is important for our growth and our strength.
Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome.
We then had an engaging discussion about sizeism and technologyism, and how to diversify our club. The big takeaways were to focus both on attracting and keeping members by making everyone feel included, expand our experience and reach out by volunteering with other groups, and don’t focus solely on race. We should also consider age, neurodiversity, career diversity, genders, and more!
If you would like to review the slides from their presentation, go to this
link.
HAPPY DOLLARS
- Jeremiah Craig: happy that tomorrow at 8 PM on YouTube (Feb 1) is his first livestream of the year; it will be a live variety show
- Jen Harris: happy that she got a much needed hug from Richard Kops
- Sherrie Negrea: happy for the work of Paul Martin and the Youth Exchange committee; she had a wonderful meal with Margaux, our French exchange student
Loralyn Light: this is her last in-person meeting until May because she is heading out of town in her motorhome (with husband David and cat Lila)- Ravi Walsh: has gratitude for the membership committee and Sherrie Negrea for putting together our DEI statement; it is a great beginning
Heidi wrapped up by thanking the folks that helped with the meeting, and she shared that it is her last day at the podium, giving her an opportunity to relive her youth! And she challenged us to work how we think about DEI, as individuals and as a club. It is big, and it is important.
NEW MEMBER APPLICATION
Name: Sarah Mirabile
Business: ReUse MegaCenter
Position: Location Manager
Sponsor: Diane Cohen, Gertrude Noden
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
02/07 Martha E. Pollack, Cornell University President, “Update from the Hill”
02/14 Celebrating: Presidents’ Day (nationally & locally), Heart Month, and
Valentine’s Day
02/21 Amy Kremenek, TC3 President, “Update on Our Community College”
02/28 LaJerne Terry Cornish, Ithaca College President, “Leading Through a Time
of Change”
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: Paul Martin
Photographer: Mike Brown
Greeter: Ron Van Ormer
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Setup/Teardown: Richard Kops
Cashier/Kettle Watcher: Richard Kops
Audio/Visual Setup: Bez Thomas, Mike Brown
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
