OSWEGO, NY — The Marano Campus Center at SUNY Oswego held a recent screening of “Human Again,” a filmed documentation displaying the power of theater on prison inmates. The showing of the film was open to the public, and a discussion panel consisted of professors in various fields of study, such as Criminal Justice, Psychology, Creative Writing and, of course, Theater.
Professor Kristen Eichhorn, the Dean of Graduate Studies at SUNY Oswego, served as the head of the event, and has hopeful feelings on the film’s heartwarming message.
“I think it’s a really interesting topic from a lot of different perspectives, and I hope that students take away a heightened consciousness of prisons and the prison systems,” Professor Eichhorn said.
The discussion panel also included Cornell professor Bruce Levitt, the facilitator of the Phoenix Players Theater Group, which is centered within the Auburn Correctional Facility.
“These people who are incarcerated are human beings and have qualities. They are not a stereotype,” Professor Levitt said. “We start the film with a mug shot, which is the most stereotypical image of someone who’s incarcerated. And then, you get to know them through the course of the film as human beings, and so we’re hoping to push against that stereotype.”
The Phoenix Players Theater Group has continued to operate inside the correctional facility with new members since the film was produced,. For more information, visit www.phoenixplayersatauburn.
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Syracuse Police Receive Funds for Body Cameras
SYRACUSE, NY >> The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a grant for $117,888 to Syracuse. The grant is specifically geared towards the sole purpose of equipping the police with body cameras for a pilot program.
However, the city of Syracuse will only be using half of that grant to buy ten police cameras. Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner held a press conference this morning and said that the city of Syracuse will be working with the Department of Justice on how to implement this batch of cameras.
Miner also talked about how the new equipment in the police department will be apart of a pilot program that could be used to justify more cameras in the future.
Miner compared this pilot program to the use of surveillance cameras in the city back in 2011. Those cameras had started to be implemented on the Near West Side for their pilot program.
“Stationary cameras also started off as a pilot program, and now people want more cameras and feel they’re very effective,” Miner said. “People will want more as long as we do it in a methodical and effective way.”
In the past the city has been denied from being able to equip its police officers with cameras. Rochester and Albany had received more than $700,000 in federal grants to equip their own police with body cameras at the time when Syracuse’s proposal got rejected.
These struggles led Miner to criticize Rep. John Katko last week for not offering more help to the city in its bid for the grant.
But with Syracuse finally accepting $59,000 from the feds they can finally look forward to new police body cameras. Miner says that the police in Syracuse should be wearing cameras by the end of 2016.
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SUNY Oswego’s Campus Technology Services hosts Cyber Awareness Month
By Michael Allchin
OSWEGO, N.Y.– SUNY Oswego’s Campus Technology Services hosts Cyber Awareness Month in the month of October. This Month is dedicated to the security of mobile devices and computers for students and staff on campus. Events have been held for various forms of cyber security and are open to anybody.
The Campus Technology Support urges everyone to be cautious of all your devices to avoid any further cyber-attacks. Some examples of suspicious cyber behavior include phishing emails or scams sent by people who are attempting to hack others on campus.
Campus Technology Services Help Desk Assistant Ian said he wanted to remind students not to open or respond to suspicious emails, and to always check the source.
“One of the ones I thought was pretty convincing was a phishing email where they took our header and all they simply did was give you a link that said please log in here to confirm your account but when you clicked the link, it wouldn’t actually bring you to any of our sites or anywhere in Oswego. It basically brought to a page that looked like a log in and asked you for your username and password,” Lenich said.
To receive more information, you can reach out to the Campus Technology Services Help Desk or you can be reach services at help@oswego.edu or 315-312-3456.
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Student Association Update: April 5th
Tuesday evening marked the tenth Student Association Meeting of the Senate this semester. The meeting was called to order and following the quorum begin met, the approval of the meeting minutes and agenda, the meeting was well underway.
The Outdoor Club and Ecology Club were the first and only guest to the Senate for the evening. Outdoor club is a student run organization focused on outdoor adventures and Ecology club is a student run organization focused on studying and preserving the ecosystem. Both clubs gave a joint presentation requesting funds to help purchase four to six kayaks for next semester. The kayaks will be stored at Rice Creek allowing both clubs to have access to them, which they feel would be very beneficial because the Outdoor and Ecology Clubs spend a lot of time there. After presenting their budget to the Senate, they were informed that the Student Association does not have enough funds in their account to fulfill the funds that the two clubs proposed. The Senate however, encouraged both clubs to request the funds needed through their club budget for next year. Although their demands couldn’t be met this semester, the Senate is willing to work with their budgets for next semester to ensure they have the funds for the fall.
Following the guest to the Senate, Executive Reports were next on the meeting’s agenda. Student Association President Emily Nassir was the first to deliver her report in which she addressed the student concerns on the choices of OzFest Performers for this year. Nassir stated that she is aware that some students are unhappy with the choices for performers which include, Dej Loaf, Rich Homie Quan and Flo Rida. Nassir reminded senators that it is important to present a positive image about OzFest. A negative image, especially when coming from a senator, can discourage students from purchasing tickets and attending the event. Senators should be aware that they are representing SA and should be cautious about projecting their personal opinion surrounding OzFest because it can affect the public opinion and how students view the event. Nassir also announced that Lil’ Duval will no longer be hosting the event and there is no intention of replacing him for the vent.
Shelby Gallaro, SA Vice President was the next to deliver her executive report. Gallaro announced that on April 19th, President Stanley will be attending the SA meeting to address the Senate. Closing her executive report Gallaro announced the starting plans of getting more involved in homecoming weekend. Senators wrote down various ideas on activities or ways the Student Association could participate in homecoming week. Gallaro will review the ideas and discuss them at the next meeting.
Closing out executive reports was SA Director of Finance. Peters discussed the prices for OzFest tickets and announced that student tickets will only cost $15 and tickets for the public will cost $25. If you plan to purchase tickets the day of, students will pay $25 and the public will pay $35. Peters announced that students can only purchase one ticket at the student price, any other tickets purchased after that will be the public price.
The meeting moved on to Committee Reports following the end of Peters’s executive report. Rules and Judiciary Committee announced they will be making folders for senators that will contain important information about the clubs/organizations and contact information for directors and those who would be of use on campus. These folders will be easily and readily available to senators and help new senators transition into their positions. Involvement Committee announced that their Miss-A-Meal beneficiary will be the Oswego Food Pantry. They also revealed that they plan to place SA comment card boxes in the residence halls and academic buildings by the end of next week.
In Hall Council Reports Johnson announced that they will be changing their constitution and the changes will be presented to the residents at their next hall Council meeting. Johnson will also be selecting floor reps for each floor in their building.
Organization Reports was next on the meeting’s agenda. The African Association will be holding their annual fashion show this Friday at 6:30pm. Students from all over the state, aspiring to work in clothing design, will be given the opportunity to showcase their work. Tickets can be purchased for $5 in the Hewitt Union Box Office.
There were no special orders for the evening, therefore the meeting moved onto General Orders. The first and only general order for the evening was the proposal and voting of the African Student Association budget. The organization requested funds to help with the costs of their annual fashion show. The fashion show aims to encourage diversity and allow students to show the pieces they have worked hard on. The funds would be used to help cover the costs for the designers attending showcasing their pieces at the event. The proposed bill passed by general consent.
The meeting came to a close following the general orders for the evening. The Student Association holds their weekly meeting of the Senate Tuesdays in Lanigan 106 and 6pm. All meeting are open to the public and students are encouraged to attend to express any concerns or opinions they may have.
