Slideshows

The 2008 Jazz Fest culminated in a killer performance by the progressive jazz trio, Medeski Martin & Wood to a packed crowd of thousands at the corner of East and Alexander. The trio, known for their tight-knit improvisation and adventurous and experimental approach, have been fortunate enough to remain together while staying fresh for a number of years. It has taken a combination of respect and admiration for one another as well as a little bit of luck. Produced by Aaron McGrath

Halfway into the week, when many of us are longing for the weekend ahead, the folks at the Rochester Yacht Club are hosting their weekly “Wednesday Night” race. More than just a competition, this event is about having a good time. Club members get a group of people in their boats, go out, compete and they have fun. Three sailors tell us what brings them to the water. Produced by Oscar Durand

The Rochester Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championship was held June 14 at the Riverside Convention Center. A multitude of bodybuilding enthusiasts congregated to compete and celebrate health, fitness and muscle. Produced by Oscar Durand

They all met while at Eastman School of Music, and on Monday they all reconvened to perform at the Rochester Jazz Fest. Shirantha Beddage and two members of his band tell us about their experience with music. Produced by Oscar Durand

What is Tango? It is commonly referred to as a musical genre and its associated dance forms, which originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. But the dance that has been called “the dance of love” and “a three-minute love affair” is much more than that. For Barbara Warren, owner of dance co-op Dancencounters in Rochester, Tango is a “very personal form of expression, a way to show music with your body”.
Three dancers share their thoughts.

Four years ago Katsiaryna Peshankova moved to the United States from her native Belarus speaking no English and with only $300 to her name. Last Thursday, she graduated from Monroe Community College with an impressive 4.0 GPA and multiple scholarships to further her education.
Katsia’s plans didn’t always include moving to the United States. Back in Belarus, many of her college friends were advocating for gay and lesbian rights, and she was targeted as a sympathizer. After being beaten up and jailed several times, she was forced to flee Belarus for her safety.

After some time at sea, RIT sailing club member Justin Coplan says that “you really become part of the boat, not just two separate entities.” One of the youngest clubs at RIT, the sailing club makes their way out to Lake Ontario at least twice a week to practice. They travel far distances to compete almost every weekend during the fall and spring seasons.

Students compete for the title of “Mr. RIT” to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Every year, diversity clubs struggle to fill in e-board positions. With students graduating and leaving behind leadership roles, some fail while others succeed. The talk of creating a diversity coalition, which would equally represent all diverse groups, has been ongoing for this school year. Recently, with the teamwork of Iaen Nylund and Nathalia Martinez, the idea of a merged group was finally presented to all the clubs. The clubs invited to join the diversity coalition were Asian Student Union, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union and Fisher Pride.

Each year, thousands of people are drawn to Rochester for higher education. Our western New York city offers dozens of institutions with programs to fill every ambition. With a population of more than 180,000 students, Rochester boasts a substantial college culture, yet many students profess a desire to escape Rochester. Among their top reasons are dislike for the moody weather and a lack of area graduate program choices. So what happens after commencement? RocLoop caught up with a few local students to ask if their post-graduation plans included Rochester.

It’s that time of year again: students are going on spring break, fleeing the stresses and obligations of college life, not to mention the snowy Rochester weather. Or are they? RocLoop asked Nazareth students, “What are you doing for spring break?” You may be surprised to find that not as many as you would expect are going out of town for a holiday in the sun.

During this election season candidates for the presidency are constantly answering questions from news anchors and reporters, but let’s be honest: they’re all basically the same questions, designed for the candidates to reinforce their own talking points. And for all the importance that the media puts on the “youth vote,” there aren’t a whole lot of college students getting their chance to quiz the candidates. So we went out to ask Rochester area students: If you had the chance to ask any of the candidates one question, what would you want to know?

Drowsiness, exhaustion and caffeine crashes; every college student has felt the pain of an all-nighter. But can you imagine staying awake day after day, night after night for weeks on end? This concept is the harsh reality of life for RIT student T.J. Leadens. According to the National Institute of Health, 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia every year, and Leadens is one of them, or so he thinks. After 10 years of sleep problems, Leadens finally decided to participate in a sleep study, to gain a true diagnosis from medical professionals. Produced by Megan Rossman

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks recently made headlines by appealing a state court ruling that same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries be recognized here in New York. She argues that since gay marriages cannot be legally performed in New York State, the state should not recognize these marriages at all, even if they are performed out of state. Court judges say that since New York recognizes heterosexual marriages performed in other jurisdictions, same-sex marriages should receive the same treatment.

SUNY Brockport’s radio station has made its name throughout the years as being one of the most prominent student-runradio stations in the country. Currently the second best student-run radio station in the country, Brockport’s WBSU 89.1 The Point offers 10 different departments in which students can workfor an actual FM radio station to gain valuable field experience.

On Friday, we will have our 29^th day in February. Most students may tend to forget about the day and just pass it along as any other day. RocLoop asked Geneseo students what they would do with their extra day this leap year.

In the age of the internet and fast information, Facebook and Myspace are the dominating forces. But now there is a new player vying for a position in the ranks and it’s already causing quite a stir. Juicycampus.com started fairly recently and has been given more and more media attention because of the controversies it has started online, and also brought the question on the limits of freedom of speech into the spotlight.

The unanimously named “freshman 15” can be a frightening revelation to those that first come to college. Freshman 15 is a notorious term to describe the amount of weight that freshman generally tack on by the end of their first year. But 15 is not the norm.

Here some Rochester students share their thoughts on the “Freshman 15”.

Mike Maciejewski has one thing and onething only on his mind: making the Buffalo Bills football team. He’swilling to risk anything in pursuit of a career with the NFL, evenleaving SUNY Brockport as he did this year after the last game of the football season. As Maciejewski said, “I can always go back toschool, but I won’t always have this opportunity.” So when his trainertold him he had a chance at playing pro-ball, he dedicated his life totraining for a tryout with the Bills team on Feb. 14.