By Amada Caba

OSWEGO, N.Y.–  Family and friends weekend gave a new luxury apartment community the chance to find future residents. Students, their families, and friends enjoyed activities, prizes and food at the Lakeside Commons first open house.

The open house included tours of the clubhouse which will be the 24 hour central hub of the community. The clubhouse includes a fireplace lounge and a fitness center on the first floor. On the second floor students can use the game room with a large screen TV, arcade games, table tennis, and shuffleboard. Directly across from the game room is the genius lab which is a study center with computers, free printing, and private study and conference rooms.

Although the 84 units are not completed, a model unit was available to look at. All apartments will have a fully furnished living room and modern kitchens. Unlike other housing options, students who live in the Lakeside Commons will have their own private bathroom. The apartments feature two, four or six rooms and range between $810-$855 per room depending on size and add-ons. For example, students would have to pay an additional ten dollars a month if they want a bathroom with a tub instead of a stand in shower.

“We should be done with construction by next June or July,” said leasing manager Caulin Price. “I’m very excited, it’s good to get things under way here.”

Their guaranteed move in date is August 25, 2018.
Anyone looking for tours, more information, or interested in leasing can contact their office  at  (315)-947-0095 ​or email lakeside@ndgliving.com.

by Abigail Buttacavoli, WTOP10-TV

Halloween celebrations started early this past weekend on Sunday October, 30. SUNY Oswego held it’s annual Safe Trick-or-Treat day for Oswego families where children from the community dress up and have fun while being in a safe environment.

Vega, the junior senior honor and service society at SUNY Oswego organized this popular event. “Today the purpose is everyone whose coming needs to bring one food donation and then all of the food donations we get we will give them to the Oswego food bank,” said Vice President of Vega Ashley Cianciabella.  

The event started at 11 p.m. and was filled with almost four hours of candy, smiles, and games. The Marano Campus Center had tons of games set up in the lower level by the food shops, while trick or treating activities were located in the east and central campus dorms.

This tradition is one of the many events that promotes safety and involvement for students and residents in the community. Vega president Jennifer Moss says that this year the program raised hundreds of food donations and that it was a success.

by Jamie Aranoff

Oswego, NY- Students in Oswego State’s MBA program volunteered their time to do free income tax reports for both students and members of the Oswego community.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) has been a part of the Oswego State campus for over ten years. The VITA program assists students who are new to doing taxes on their own as well as community members.   

According to a press release, the Oswego VITA program received a score of 100 percent in quality site requirements in its IRS field audit.

VITA on-site program coordinator Kevin Kania says tax forms are sent by the students to the IRS electronically. If there are any questions or concerns about a form, the IRS will contact them.

“Last year we had over a 99 percent approval rating, which means over 99 percent of the returns we prepare were accepted by the IRS which means we did them correctly and there were no issues or questions for us,” he said.

According to City-Data, the median household income in Oswego was $39,632 in 2015. Many residents fit the requirement for VITA’s minimum income, bringing in many tax forms for student volunteers to file.

“Last year we preformed over 400 returns and this year we’re on track to get over 400 returns throughout the whole semester,” Kania said.

The last day to file taxes is Apr. 18.