Italian-Americans still call West Side 'home'

By Marc Lucarelli, Tiffany Monde and Kori Sciandra
BengalNews reporters
Domenic Guercio, a lifelong resident of the West Side, has seen the shift from what was once a largely Italian neighborhood to the much more diverse area that it is now.
“It’s a mixed culture now. I call it the ‘League of Nations’, ” Guercio said.
While Italian is no longer a predominant nationality on the West Side, Domenic has lived in the West Side for 84 years now.
Over the past three decades the West Side has seen a vast change in cultural population. The neighborhood is entering into another transition with new immigrants coming from Africa and Eastern Europe.
Charlie Guercio, owner of Guercio and Son’s, a food market on Grant Street, said it took hard work to raise a family, and earning a low income did not help the new Italians to integrate into American culture.
“The Italians used to help each other. We were all family back then,” Charlie Guercio said.
In the early 1980s the dynamic of the West Side began to change. The feel of the Old Italian neighborhood was vanishing.
“The old neighborhood was fresh. Fresh fish or chicken every two blocks,” Charlie Guercio said.
Over the years Charlie Guercio said that many of the Italians in the neighborhood began to leave the area to the surrounding suburbs where there were smaller houses. Many Italians have sought homes that can accommodate a smaller number of people. Their children are grown and have families of their own so there is no need for a large home.
“The Italians went north, south and east. They didn’t want to stay in the West Side,” Charlie Guercio said.
Although people were moving out, this did not have a negative effect on his business. He said people still drive from their homes in the suburbs to shop in his store.
The Rev. Monsignor David M. Gallivan, of Holy Cross Church on Seventh Street, said that another change to the area has been the shift of the Italian Festival from Connecticut Street to Hertel Avenue.
Demographically, the area is mostly a Hispanic population. The neighborhood has about two to one Hispanics to Italians.
Europeans are starting to reside in the area along with African immigrants. Gallivan said that he has noticed this change not only in the neighborhood but his congregation is becoming more culturally diverse.
“The neighborhood has changed but not for the worst,” Domenic Guercio said.
Domenic and Claudia Guercio, cousins of Charlie Guercio, have been residents of the West Side since 1946 and have mixed feelings about their plans to stay in their home.
“I was born and raised here, I’m not leaving,” Domenic Guercio said.
While Domenic is comfortable staying right where he is, Claudia Guercio said she no longer enjoys spending time on her porch. She is constantly aware of her surroundings and she would rather move into a senior center where safety would be less of a concern.
“It just seems like no one cares about the West Side anymore,” Claudia Guercio. “All the dilapidated homes just go to waste.”
The diverse culture in the neighborhood is welcomed. Charlie Guercio said that over the past two years the area seems to be getting better. More businesses are coming and he said it seems as though the crime was going down.
“I think the neighborhood is coming back,” Charlie Guercio said.

Refugees earn tips on being financially fit

By Stacie Duderwick, Stephanie Ortiz and Jolene Zanghi
BengalNews Reporters
     Rosa Niag sat at a large rectangular table, surrounded by her fellow students, all refugee women, and pressed a few grey buttons on a calculator.
      Niag, who moved to Buffalo seven years ago from Sudan, said taking part in the Financially Fit class that has taught her how to responsibly manage her finances.
      “I know how to pay the bills, but sometimes I (would be) late for a full payment, and the (next bill) would be high,” Niag said. “This confused me. I know (now) when you’re late, they’re going to charge you. Now when I get my bill I go to Tops and pay (it). This is a good thing.”
      Niag is one of several who attend the Arabic session of the program.
      “Financially Fit,” a program created by Jericho Road Ministries, is a series of classes that educate refugees on how the financial system works in the United States.
     Jericho Road, a non-profit organization, began the program around three years ago in an effort to give refugees an opportunity to live a financially healthy lifestyle.
      Each cycle contains eight weeks of classes in which students meet for a few hours, once a week at the Jericho Road building on Barton Street. The program is taught in various languages including Arabic, Burmese, Karen (which is spoken in areas from Burma to Thailand) and Somali. Participants range from age 14 to 65.
      The program’s coordinator, Stephanie Lipnicki, said the structure of the class has been very beneficial for students.
      “We have a lot of handouts and teach them how to use a calculator,” Lipnicki said. “We actually give them a calculator as a gift for participating in the class. Because of the model we’re using, teaching these classes directly in their language by someone who knows their culture and can build those bridges, they keep wanting to come back.”

Instructor Amira Khalil addresses teaching fellow Arabic students:

      Jericho Road also has partnered with nearby community organizations such as The United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, Western New York AmeriCorps and the University at Buffalo Primary Care Research Institute, which provide support in the education effort. The Evans Bank branch on Elmwood Avenue has been working with the Financially Fit program for over a year. Instructors use one of the classes in the cycle to take students to this location to open a checking account.
      Assistant Branch Manager Nicole Van Volkenburg said the bank’s partnership with the program is its way of giving back.
      "We began working with Jericho Road through our compliance department as a part of our community reinvestment in the city of Buffalo,” Van Volkenburg said.
      Each participant in the program gets $10 deposited into his or her checking account for each class session attended, which can total up to $80 if they have perfect attendance, Van Volkenburg said.
      Jinan Al-Badran, who moved into the area from Iraq, said the topics the class covers has helped her to understand the various aspects of the U.S. financial system.
      “I’ve learned how to go to the bank, save my money, write out checks and also deposit them,” Al-Badran said. “I know how to budget my income and this is good for me.”

Khalil translates for refugee student Jinan Al-Badran:

      As the instructor of the Arabic Financially Fit class, Amira Khalil said even though the program officially ends after the eight weeks are finished, Jericho Roads continues to stay in contact with the refugee students.
     “After 6 months, we call them again and meet with them one time and see what the progress has been in the 6 months,” Khalil said. “We see what they’ve been doing and what they’ve learned.”
      Both Khalil and Lipnicki said the feedback from the Financially Fit program has been very positive, and the refugee students involved agreed.
      “I know how to write a check out now,” Niag said. “So I’m very happy.”

Campus construction disrupts student life

By John Fetter and Kyla Goodfellow
BengalNews Reporters
     Students at Buffalo State College have been, and continue to be, subjected to intermittent losses of power and water outages that have made everyday tasks like showering and studying a major dilemma. But as many students agree the biggest disruption to campus life is the continuous noise that interrupts students from their sleep and study.

      Buffalo State is in the midst of a $350 million construction project that is expected to end in 2015. Over the next seven years the college will remodel its student quadrangle and performing arts centre, and build a new science and mathematics complex, student dormitory, technology building and an athletics stadium.


      But at what cost for the students?

     The campus remains home to diesel trucks and machinery, covered in dirt, dust and debris, and lined with high metal fences that surround construction zones and restrict the flow of students.

      “I know that the routes between buildings are different and that the fences are up and it’s not such a proud place to bring your parents when there’s so much construction going on,” said Lisa Krieger, Buffalo State’s assistant vice president of finance and management.

      From 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. students are disrupted by the bellow of pile drivers plunging metal frames deep into the ground, creating the foundation for the framework that will be the new dormitories.

      “The pile driving for student housing is now complete. That ended on Monday, but unfortunately pile driving will begin again around March 1 for the science building which is located even closer to the student dormitories, and that too will start at 7 a.m.,” said Krieger.

      Buffalo State’s Vice President of Finance and Management Stanley Kardonsky recognizes the negative effect of the construction on students but insists that it is ultimately in the best interests of the college and future students.

      “The campus is going to be a mess for a few years but just be patient because the campus that’s going to exist in four or five years from now will be much prettier, more accessible, and more exciting,” said Kardonsky.

      Many students can’t help but feel less optimistic.

      “I understand they want to beautify the campus but it is a major inconvenience with all the noise,” said Tiffany Ali, a 20-year-old Media Production student.

      Many of these projects are within 15 feet of existing dormitories that hold a large percentage of the resident student population. It is these students like Ali that believe they are the most badly affected.

      “It’s very hard to deal with it, to try to sleep through that is impossible sometimes. It’s extremely hard when I am not even sleeping yet and the noise starts. I find myself sleeping with ear plugs and it still doesn’t help,” said Ali.

      Buffalo State’s Finance and Management Office, the key player in the planning of the construction projects, has received many student complaints of this nature and is trying to help students overcome the problems they are encountering.

      “We know people get annoyed, we can’t stop that, but we are doing our best to mitigate that,” said Kardonsky.


Krieger addresses changes in campus parking:


      “We created a publication for students who are looking for some peace and quiet on campus which list about 10 suggestions of where they can go to get away from the noise and dust and it had a picture of a person in a lotus position trying to meditate among all the chaos of the construction,” said Krieger.

      But do Ali and her fellow students agree?

      “I feel as though for us to have power outages and water main breaks and be unable to take showers or use the bathroom is a big inconvenience especially because we pay such a large sum of money as far as tuition and room and board,” said Ali.

      Buffalo State officials are looking forward to what the campus will have to offer students when the construction is completed and is happy with how well the students have handled the ongoing construction.

      “Thank you for your continued resiliency. I’ve said it a lot and I mean it. I think it’s a rare community that we have at Buffalo State. It’s a diverse exciting group… a real slice of life. They’re resilient, they’re understanding, they’re forward thinking and dynamic and I think they see the bigger picture,” said Krieger.

Project helps immigrant mothers-to-be bridge gap

By Shrell Krawczyk and Elizabeth Lewin
BengalNews Reporters

The workshop topic was pregnancy and how the body nourishes a baby. Eileen Stewart, a certified nurse midwife, brought the lecture to life with the opportunity to see a freshly delivered placenta. While most chose to simply observe, Martha Gach reached out and touched.

Gach, a Somali refugee, participated in a doula workshop with women from various cultures. Doulas provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to mothers before, during and just after birth. The workshop was taught by Stewart, who is also president of Life Cycles Center Inc., a non-profit organization that provides educational programs on natural cycles of life.

The workshop is a collaboration between Life Cycles Center and Priscilla Project, a mentoring program for pregnant refugee women located on the west side on 184 Barton St. The two organizations teamed up in effort to help refugee women maintain their cultural norm during childbirth, Stewart said. As a midwife with admitting privileges for Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, Stewart has helped facilitate the relationship between Priscilla Project and the hospital, she said.

While Priscilla Project has trained people to serve as mentors and doulas for pregnant refugee women before, the volunteers are usually American, Roseanne Schuster, birthing coordinator for Priscilla Project, said.

“Looking at the larger picture with transferring community ownership, it would be better to have a sister from your own country to be there with you, especially if family can’t be there or if the woman would like some extra support,” Schuster said.

Women participating in the workshop are all refugees who have interest in learning more about pregnancy, labor and postpartum care, so they can take the information and help other refugees from their native land. Many of these women already have served as interpreters with the Priscilla Project, Nicole Hitchcock, the project coordinator, said.

Nicole Hitchcock talks about language skills and doula training:

“A lot of women in my community are pregnant. I want to share with them,” Lay Lay, a Burmese woman participating in the workshop, said. “Most people don’t speak any English. They’re afraid of the nurses. They don’t know how to fight back.”

Stewart sees this project as benefiting women of all cultures, including Caucasians. Stewart said she’s been working for women’s birthing rights for a long time now, and having Priscilla Project doulas in the hospital will become a part of that mission. By having the cultures mingle, everybody will win, she said.

“Some people may feel negatively about how many refugee people are here and I think what an advantage the women here in our community might have by this interaction of these women in our hospitals,” Stewart said.

Hitchcock said a lot of work has been done to get the program where it is today. She said especially after this doula workshop her team feels like they’re in a comfortable place to serve women holistically throughout their pregnancies. Keeping the momentum going through awareness of the project is something the team continually works on. Two events they have planned geared towards awareness and fundraising are coming up in May, she said.

A Mother’s Day tea is scheduled on May 3 at Sweetness 7 Café, 220 Grant St. and an art festival that focuses on women and motherhood in art is on May 8 at Shakti yoga, 133 Grant St.

Drummers tap into West African culture

By Stephanie Ortiz and Jolene Zanghi
Bengal News Reporters

Seated in chairs arranged in a half circle with oversized goblet-shaped hand drums between their knees, members of The West African Drumming Ensemble prepared to make some music.
As their hands slapped the drumheads cohesively and continuously, the loud beats they created rumbled, and for just a few minutes, the cultural sounds of western Africa were present in Buffalo.
After receiving a grant from the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, the new Buffalo State College drumming ensemble was formed. It is also a product of a class that the music department adopted last semester called Sub-Saharan Music and Cultures, a three credit-hour class that is included in the Intellectual Foundations program.
Dolores Battle, senior advisor to the president for the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, said the two new additions to the music department go hand in hand and explained the decision to award a grant of $1,000 for the ensemble.
“The idea was that through this drumming ensemble, students and other people would be exposed to issues involving Sub-Saharan Africa and its cultures,” Battle said. “The grants are given to faculty, students or staff who are trying to help the campus fulfill one of its core values, which is respect for diversity and individual differences.”
Many members of the ensemble have taken or are now enrolled in the Sub-Saharan Music and Cultures class, which is structured to include lecture and hands-on drumming experience.
Tiffany Nicely, creator and organizer of the group, has studied and played West African music for over a decade. Nicely, who also lectures at Buffalo State in the music department and teaches the Sub-Saharan Music and Cultures class, said she wants the ensemble to gain momentum on campus.
“We’re trying to be a strong group that has a presence and has some continuity,” Nicely said. “We’re trying to get faculty and staff interested in the ensemble.”

A sample of African music from Nicely's drummers:

The hand drums, called djembes, (pronounced JEM-bay) as well as a few bass drums which are played with sticks, called dunduns, were purchased for the ensemble by the music department. A few of the djembes are authentic instruments from Africa, the bases being made out of wood and the drumheads composed of goatskin. The remaining instruments are synthetic products of a company called Remo Inc., which manufactures drums and other percussion equipment.
Most of the songs the drumming ensemble has learned to play are from Mali, which is located in the western part of Africa.
Kim Carmina, a senior music education major, said the ensemble has taught her techniques she applies when she’s out in the field.
“A lot of us that are music majors dabble a little bit with African drums in our methods courses, but I use the drums in my own teaching and the kids love it,” Carmina said. “It’s so easy to teach them rhythm when you have something for them to play on.”
Al Hury and Andy Pappas agreed that the group adds a different element to the Buffalo State community.
“The experience in the course taught me a lot about diversity,” said Hury, a freshman music major. “Learning more about the history of African drumming as a drummer myself, expanded my own knowledge.”
“It adds on to the culture that we already have here on campus,” said Pappas, a senior political science major. “We have so many organizations that are so culturally diverse that it adds on to the vastness of it.”
The West African Drumming Ensemble will be performing at the Hearts for Haiti benefit at 8p.m. on April 8 in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. The ensemble will also perform at Kleinhans Music Hall at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 as part of Drums on the Niagara. They meet from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. every Thursday in Rockwell Hall, room 107.
Nicely said that the ensemble is open to anyone who wants to join, including non-music majors. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to participate.
“It’s an instrument and a culture of music that really welcomes everyone,” Nicely said. “It’s something very approachable and is meant to be played as a large group. It’s a music that is meant to tie people together and we’re hoping it has that effect at Buffalo State.”