The Voice

UUPer Dave Iasevoli was surprised to hear Adirondack natives commonly use phrases like “Hebe” and “chocolate people” to describe individuals who are Jewish and of African decent.

As coordinator of the master’s in education program at SUNY Plattsburgh’s branch campus at Adirondack Community College in Queensbury, Iasevoli wondered: What does race mean to white teachers in rural areas, where it is rare to encounter people of different races and ethnicities?

A fair question, considering his firsthand experiences.

“Back when my wife and I took long weekends or vacations in the Adirondacks, our neighbor shared his sentiments about ‘city people’ and ‘Hebes,’” Iasevoli said. “Once, when my wife and I were visiting the apartment he rented from us, one of his friends asked, ‘So, which f^#@$% Hebe owns this place?’ My wife answered, ‘Well, that would be me.’

“That incident, and those comments, drove home the difficulty of bridging cultural differences.”

Nancy Elwess wasn’t convinced—just yet.

Elwess, an associate professor of biological sciences at SUNY Plattsburgh, had just hung up the phone with someone claiming to be calling from the White House. The reason for the call: to inform her that she had been selected as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

“After I hung up, I picked up the phone and called back to verify because it’s not every day you get a call from the White House about an award,” said Elwess, laughing. “It was the number for the officer of science information, not the switchboard and they said ‘Didn’t I just get off the phone with you?’ I just wanted to be sure that someone wasn’t yanking my chain.”

Swick-Duttine