Banner titled "COFFEE BREAK" in white text on a green background, featuring a blue coffee cup graphic. Below, a blue section reads "YOUR RUSSELL SAGE COLLEGE EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER" in white text.

October 5, 2026


Please send items for the Coffee Break (employee) or Solutions (student) newsletters to newsletter@sage.edu by the end-of-day Wednesday.


🟩🟦Please share a success or shout out a colleague on the Wall of Wins 🟩🟦

☕ Join Coffee Hour, Wednesday, 9 a.m. for updates from the Title IX Office. Access the Zoom link and other Coffee Hour resources.


💬 A Spanish-speaking volunteer is needed at the Aphasia Center on the Albany campus on October 8 and 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. If you can help, please email Emily Mooney at moonee3@sage.edu.


📬 More Newsletters: While there’s no newsletter quite like Coffee Break, if you’re looking for more higher-ed reads, check out College Town by The Boston Globe and Extra Credit, by The New York Times. Don’t forget about the college’s free online access to The New York Times.


💡Do you have a recommendation to share? Whether work-related or just for fun, send it to newsletter@sage.edu to be included in an upcoming issue.


🛑 Financial Aid Alert: If a student tells you they are thinking about dropping a class, encourage them to contact solutions@sage.edu or finaid@sage.edu first. Dropping a class could have financial aid consequences. For information, see the Federal Loan Disbursements & Withdrawals Guide (PDF).


🚍 Transition to the CDTA Navigator App: Full-time faculty and staff who use CDTA should transition to CDTA’s Navigator App before October 9.

 

What’s New

 
TIAA logo with a multicolored geometric emblem and dark blue lettering.

TIAA Financial Consultant Sessions


Albany: October 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., West Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room


Troy: November 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Cowee, 2nd Floor Conference Room


Meet with TIAA Financial Consultant Radha Moffitt for guidance on your investment mix, retirement strategies, and financial goals —available at no additional cost as part of your TIAA plan. Schedule your appointment online or reserve by phone at 800-842-2252.

Green square with words Thrive at Russell Sage

Employee Wellness Day


You’re invited to Employee Wellness Day on Tuesday, October 13, with activities all day across the campuses: a Meditation Bus, the Capital Roots Veggie Mobile (with vouchers for the first 50 participants), fitness sessions, lunch, and more.


View the schedule of events and sign up today!

Promotional graphic announcing that “the Rev” is open for submissions, with a deadline of November 20th.

Employees Invited to Publish Creative Work


The Rev literary and creative arts magazine is accepting submissions for its 2027 edition.


Art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, photography

and more accepted through November 20.


Submit up to five pieces or email Professor Angie Smith at smitha37@sage.edu with questions.

Purple graphic reading “with survivors. ALWAYS” with a white outlined heart.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month


Join the Title IX Office and campus and community partners for activities, giveaways, and resources for #DVAM2026:


💜 Monday, October 19, 3-5 p.m., Buchman Pavilion, Troy


💜Thursday, October 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., ACPHS Gozzo Student Center Atrium, Albany


Thursday, October 22, is #PurpleThursday (wear purple and post your pictures to social media with the following tags: #DVAM2026 #NYSOPDV @RSC_TitleIX)


This year’s theme is: “With Survivors, Always.” Look for purple lights on the campuses throughout October to raise awareness and show support for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.


Find resources at the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Domestic Violence Awareness Project, and The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

In the News and Around the Web


Faculty members Haidy Brown, John Dion, and David DeBonis, Aphasia Center Director Julie Hart, Russell Sage President Matthew Shaftel, and student Samir Filho are quoted in a report on the higher education debt crisis and the closure of the College of Saint Rose. The report, from the financial news and intelligence platform 9fin, acknowledges how Russell Sage welcomed former Saint Rose students, employees, and vital programs after closure was announced.


Nutrition Professor Theresa DeLorenzo spoke to AOL.com about nutritional considerations when choosing a peanut butter. 


A photo gallery from ACPHS’s White Coat Ceremony was in the Times Union.


The Troy Record and The Saratogian noted strong placements for ACPHS and Russell Sage College on U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges list.


The Times Union reported that Nursing graduate student John A. Kelly received a scholarship from the Rev. Francis A. Kelley Military Honor Society of the Capital District.


Emma Curry (Women’s Volleyball); Catherine Newkirk (Field Hockey) and Luke Finlan (Men’s Golf) were all selected as Empire 8 Athletes of the Week for their sport, for the week ending September 27. 

Smiling woman with auburn hair in a black blazer and white shirt, standing with her arms crossed.

Ed.D. Grad Wins National Award


Nicole Marschilok, Ed.D., used her Educational Leadership doctoral research to win the national Henry H. Hill Laureate Scholarship from Kappa Delta Pi in May. Marschilok — an associate in instructional services for science at NYSED and new Alumni Association board member — called completing her Ed.D. a “full circle moment” that prepared her to step into executive leadership while continuing her cherished connection to Russell Sage.

A Conversation with Michelle Horton,

author of Dear Sister

Thursday, October 22, 9:30 a.m.

Opalka Gallery, Albany campus 


Michelle Horton will discuss her memoir detailing the case of her sister, Nikki Addimando, who was incarcerated for killing her abuser, and Horton’s fight to raise Nikki’s children in the fallout.


Presented by the Hoffman Lecture in Sociology and Social Policy, co-sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies Department, Sociology and Forensic Mental Health Programs. Questions? Contact braytk@sage.edu.

TECH CHECK FROM IT: The Papercraft Kingdom — Secure the Cyber-Citadel


October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this year we’re entering The Papercraft Kingdom, where every member of the campus community has a role in defending the Cyber-Citadel.


Our accounts, devices, systems, and data are the gates, roads, and treasures of our digital kingdom. And just like any kingdom, keeping them protected takes more than strong walls—it takes the people inside them.


⚔️ YOUR OCTOBER QUEST

Throughout the month, watch for challenges and tips to help you:


🔐 Protect the Gates — Strengthen your passwords and accounts.

🔎 Spot the Impostors — Recognize phishing and suspicious requests.

🛡️ Guard the Treasure — Protect institutional and personal information.

🚩 Raise the Alarm — Know when and how to report something

suspicious.


No armor required. Just a few good cybersecurity habits.


HALT. VERIFY. TELL SOMEONE.


Before you click, respond, approve, or send: Halt. Verify. Tell someone if something doesn't look right.


Welcome to the Kingdom. Let’s keep the Cyber-Citadel secure.

 

Things to Do

 

Looking for something to do? New events are added to The Chomp online calendar every day. Check it often to see what is going on!


Have an event to promote? Add your event to The Chomp, then email the details to newsletter@sage.edu.

Red-brick campus building with a white cupola, surrounded by trees, lampposts, and purple banners.

Campus Tours for Employees

Wednesdays, 3:05 p.m., rotating campuses


Russell Sage, Troy: October 7 and 28

(Meet at Admissions House)


ACPHS: October 14 and November 4

(Meet at O’Brien Building)


Russell Sage, Albany: October 21 and November 11 (Meet at Admissions Building)

Book cover titled “The Color Wheel,” showing ten colorful crumpled paper balls arranged around the word “poems.”

This Week at Opalka Gallery


Thursday, October 8, 6:30 p.m., Poetry Reading by Susan Comninos, Janet Bowdan, and Shira Dentz, contributors to The Color Wheel: Poems (Terrapin Books, 2026).


This event is funded in part by Poets & Writers with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.


Gallery open until 8 p.m., so stay and see the current exhibition, Light and Transient Causes.

Go Gators, Go! Home Games This Week


Wednesday, October 7

⚽ Women’s Soccer vs. SUNY Poly, 4 p.m. (at ACPHS)


Saturday, October 10

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. SUNY Brockport, 1 p.m. (court at Myers Middle School)

⚽ Men’s Soccer vs. SUNY Geneseo, 5:30 p.m. (at ACPHS)


Streaming matches all week:

🕹️ Esports: See the full esports schedule and watch at twitch.tv/sagegators.

NYS Assembly District 108 Candidate Forum


Join the League of Women Voters on Wednesday, October 7, at 7 p.m. in Hudson Valley Community College’s Bulmer Telecommunication Center Auditorium (80 Vandenburgh Ave, Troy) for a Q&A with candidates John McDonald III and Joseph Adamo III. Free parking in campus lots. For details, email lindaallen@alumni.iu.edu.

Russell Sage College logo with the letter R in blue and S in green followed by the text RUSSELL SAGE COLLEGE and BE KNOW DO in gray

The Russell Sage Thread: More Than a General Education Curriculum

October 15, 12:30 p.m.


At the next Proudly Sage webinar, hear students talk about signature general education classes like Innovating to Impact and how these classes use service learning to bring Be. Know. Do. to life.


Register for this Proudly Sage webinar.

Previously Announced and Recurring Events


💬 Tuesdays: Open Discussion with College Chaplain Darren Gundrum, noon, Buchman, Troy:  Bring thoughts, interests, concerns, or listen and enjoy the company.


🩸 Give blood on Monday, October 19, noon-5 p.m., in the Armory (Albany campus). Sign up for your donor slot.


🧠 Register for a program on dementia care and brain health on Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m. in Bush Memorial (Troy). Program includes a presentation by geriatrician Rebecca Stetzer, M.D., followed by a panel of speech-language pathologists.

Fitness Classes


Troy:


Sign up for Dance Fitness: Mondays, 5 p.m., Robison Gym

Sign up for Flexibility and Mobility: Tuesdays, 5 p.m., McKinstry 206

Sign up for Mat Pilates: Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., McKinstry 206

Sign up for Zumba: Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., Robison Gym


Albany:


Sign up for Yoga: Mondays, noon, Science 101

 

Keep in Mind

 

Library Resources:


  • The Russell Sage College Library has a subscription to the Scite AI research tool. To learn more, see the library’s guide to AI research tools.


  • The library’s Kanopy subscription offers free access to tens of thousands of streaming films and documentaries. Sign up at https://www.kanopy.com/en/sage.


Access past issues of IT’s newsletter in the Sage Guard Newsletter repository.


Campus Dining: Find employee meal plan info, menus, and more on the Dine On Campus website or explore catering options at acphs.catertrax.com.


Tuition Exchange: If you have a child entering college in fall 2027, now is the time to sign up for Tuition Exchange. Visit www.tuitionexchange.org for information. Email hr@sage.edu with questions.


Free CDPHP Cycle! Membership: Download the app at www.cdphpcycle.org and use promo code RussellSage.


Find past issues of Coffee Break in the newsletter archive.


Access the student newsletter at Sage.edu/solutions.


For reference:


 

Have a Great Week!

 

Send announcements for the Coffee Break employee newsletter and Solutions student newsletter to newsletter@sage.edu.

 

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