Each year has certain unforgettable moments that represent the changes in a person’s life. Since this time last year, Fisher students have celebrated several events and milestones that represent the growth and change of the campus.

For the Class of 2010, the greatest change this year was arriving on campus and adjusting to life at Fisher. As rain poured down on more than 750 freshmen and transfer students as they moved into their new homes, each was reminded of how much life was about to change.

With freshmen bags barely unpacked, upperclassmen began to return to campus, and for the first time, they were able to lay their eyes on the Wegman School of Pharmacy building, a $5 million gift from Robert Wegman. No Fisher student would forget the generosity of Wegman, as construction of the Wegman School of Nursing began later that fall.

Students With A Vision (SWAV) started off the fall semester strong as well. The group traveled to Binghamton, N.Y., during Columbus Day weekend to aid homeowners recovering from a flood that took place in late July. Once again, SWAV showed determination to help others.

In the meantime, the Fisher football team had its eyes on breaking records and reaching new goals. After meeting with the Norwich University Cadets, the Cardinals walked away with a record of 7-0, the first time for the team to have such a start. Coach Paul Vosburgh had high hopes for his team’s season, and was looking forward to making further history.

Fisher’s administration worked hard throughout the fall semester to keep the students safe. Fisher gained local news coverage as Dean of Students Rick DeJesus worked to end the transportation of underage students to a downtown bar via a free shuttle that visited the off-campus Park & Ride lot. Administrators were concerned with the potential negative effects the shuttle could have on the Fisher community, and within a few months, the shuttle was stopped.

In November, Fisher took a week to examine President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Clubs actively joined in, especially the Women and Gender Studies Club which brought back the Clothesline Project, which featured messages from rape and abuse victims.

The Cardinals were still making strides towards the NCAA finals in football as they earned the title of Empire 8 co-champions. Fisher had a series of wins over Union, Springfield and Rowan Colleges. The victory over Springfield was particularly memorable, because they had handed the Cardinals their only loss earlier in the season. The team began to prepare for a trip to Ohio to face Mount Union College, a team that had eight NCAA championships under its belt at that time. Despite losing 26-14 in the NCAA Division III national semifinals to the Purple Raiders, the Cardinals had the best season in the program’s history with a 12-2 record. Vosburgh was also named the East Region Coach of the Year, further adding to the success of the season.

When students returned to Fisher for the spring semester, Fisher began celebrating a series of tremendous milestones. The Angle, Fisher’s literary magazine, celebrated 50 years in print, Colleges against Cancer (CAC) and Fisher Pride each prepared for the fifth anniversaries of Relay for Life and the Fisher drag show, and Teddi was ‘getting ready’ to celebrate 25 years.

More than 500 people attended the 25th Teddi Dance for Love, which raises money for terminally ill children at Camp Good Days and Special Times. The Teddi Committee considered the 25th its most successful dance ever.  It was held in the Student Life Center and featured theme hours, guest speakers, food and of course, a lot of dancing. This year, $41.118.95 was raised, more than double the amount of funds raised at the 24th Teddi Dance.

The sports teams continued to have success as the men’s basketball team finished as Empire 8 champions in a victory over the RIT Tigers and the Utica College Pioneers. The team went on to win over Wentworth Institute of Technology and SUNY Plattsburgh to gain a spot in the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. Fisher went on to play SUNY Brockport, but lost 105-91. Head coach  Rob Kornaker, along with seniors Dan McSweeney and Dan Mueller, were honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Fisher’s club hockey team also had a successful season, despite last season being cut short due to lack of funding. The team over came those difficulties with a team of 19, including 10 freshmen, to win the Upstate New York Club Hockey League Championship.

In March, 56 volunteers from Fisher gave up their Spring Breaks to travel to New Orleans to help with the recovery process that is still taking place after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. This was the second trip Fisher students have made to Louisiana, the first trip took place in spring 2006.

For the first time ever, Fisher students completed housing selection online, rather than waiting in long lines in Kearney. Students found the process highly successful and much easier than it had been in the past.

Once again, Fisher students came out in huge numbers to CAC’s Relay for Life, which raised $52,415.79. The Relay honored those who have lost their battle with cancer, as well as cancer survivors. All the money raised was donated to the American Cancer Society, for continued research.

Fisher is continually a place of growth, and although it has changed over the past year, the campus still remains a place of value and integrity that continues to attract new classes of students. The energy that each student adds to the campus helps to make Fisher the place it is today.