The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/23825
Casual Chit Chat Each week, we have a casual conversation with a member of the community. This week, Sociology Professor and Criminologist Jenny Schlosser of SUNY Oneonta and Cassandra Miller chit chat, casually. This is an escape issue; tell me about your time in prison. My time in prison was interesting. No one tried to escape while I was there _ thank goodness. Because they would’ve had a lock-down, and I wouldn’t have been able to get out. When I first went to prison, I was told not to wear revealing clothing; to wear my hair in a bun, because if it’s in a ponytail, someone can pull you down by it; and to wear shoes I could easily run in. The inmates treated me 10 times better than the guards did. The guards were the ones that hit on me and were rude. The inmates were gentlemanly. By the time I left, there was a line out the door to do interviews for my research. What does it mean to you to “get schlossed?” Getting schlossed is the intoxicating feeling of learning soci- ology for the first time. From me. Let’s say you have to throw a theme party for one the upcoming holidays: Groundhog Day or Presidents’ Day. Which would you choose, and what would your party include? I’d combine them, and ask people to come as their favorite president or rodent, and then they could just mingle. You’re a young professor in your 20s; how do you differenti- ate yourself from your students? I just act mean. And I wear a pin on my coat lapel. How do you deal with running into students at bars downtown? I alert my friends via sign language that there’s a student in the vicinity, and turn to the opposite direction until my friends tell me they’ve passed. What are some of your non-criminology hobbies? Hanging out with my girlfriends; playing with my dog, Erving Goffman (at right); watching “Jersey Shore.” Jenni JWoww (right, next to Erving) is my favorite. I want to be her. I love her. What’s your favorite brunch food? Eggs Benedict with no ham. Bacon on the side. Extra hol- landaise. And a Coke. That will cure a hangover instantly. First bite. And bacon quilts. How can I forget bacon quilts? (JSchloss is holding a bacon quilt in photo at right.) You’re from Missouri and recently went on your first trip to New York City. What are some of the things you’ll definitely remember about that visit? There are so many things _ bumming a cigarette from a Japanese businessman, the $24 chicken sandwich I bought, the subway, photo ops with my beautiful friends. What were you like in high school? I’ve blocked that from my memory. I went through every possible stage _ the hippie stage: I didn’t shower and braided my hair a lot. The skater phase. Goth. With a spiked collar, I went to a Limp Bizkit show and a Papa Roach con- cert. And then preppy. I went from goth to preppy. All it takes is a summer, and you can completely reinvent yourself. Who are three of your favorite music art- ists? One Republic. Smashing Pumpkins. And I can’t decide between Paul Simon and Queen. What’s the best part about living in One- onta? That everyone knows everything about me before I even meet them, so I don’t have to talk to people. And the great friends and colleagues I’ve met. Jan. 27, 2011 O-Town Scene 7