Siena Heights University presented the inaugural Scholarship Symposium April 8. The morning started with keynote speaker Dr. Ann Larabee. Dr. Larabee discussed the ¨Dissent and the First Amendment in the Twenty-First Century.” After the keynote speech, audience members separated and ventured off to hear seniors speak in different panel sessions.

The panel session on “Gender and Sexuality” consisted of three seniors: Dayna Crumback, Carie Sanford and Sydney Gossett. Spectra got the scoop on Dayna and Carie’s projects.

Crumback, a communications major, presented her project: “Subtweets: The New Online Harassment.” She explored the way social media today has changed how people interpret online harassment. Crumback spent almost a full year researching and reviewing Twitter accounts.

“It allows users to not share the other individual’s name they are harassing, giving the subtweet more power to hurt others,” Crumback said.

She has “unfollowed” accounts because they Tweet something inappropriate. She also said reporting accounts that harass a certain group would not be enough. She thinks a political figure or famous icon needs to make it known to the world.

Sanford also spent a year working on her project entitled, “Let’s Talk About Sex Baby: Dracula and Victorian Sexuality.” She chose her topic because she loves Gothic literature, and the audience could feel her enthusiasm when she spoke about the book.

“I’m going to have to say my favorite character is Dracula,” said Sanford. “It’s not to say that I agree with what he does or that I think he does good things. I just find him, his behavior, mannerisms, and appearance all very interesting.”

She went on to explain each character, his/her presentation of sexuality, and how he/she is punished for it.

“I relate this back to how it is a warning against homosexual expression in men and any sexual expression in women,” she said.

All three projects were intriguing and the audience had so many questions, the presenters ran out of time. The Scholarship Symposium was a success, and only has high hopes for the future.