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Oregon Shooting: Remember the Hero
Chris Mintz.
That is the name of the student at Umpqua Community College who was shot five times in his attempt to save others from a gunman who went on a shooting rampage on the school’s campus. During the aftermath of the horrific shooting at the College, participants on social media have called for the widespread recognition of Mintz while stressing the importance of not popularizing the shooter.
The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer, and the father of one of the victims said that during the shooting, Mercer intentionally targeted Christians. While it is unclear why he targeted the college specifically, it was reported that he went into at least two different classrooms.
A total of ten people were killed during the incident, with seven others reported as injured. The father of one of the victims stated that the gunman went into the classroom, and said (to the professor) “I’ve been waiting to do this for years” and then shot the professor point blank. Other reports say that he ordered “Christians” to stand up and then would shoot them when they emerged.
The gunman was reported dead earlier Thursday.
Chris Mintz is a 30-year-old military veteran and student of Umpqua Community College. According to claims, he attempted to block the door to prevent the gunman from coming into the classroom, and was shot three times. He then looked up at the gunman and stated “It’s my son’s birthday today”, to which he was shot at least two more times. While it is still unknown exactly how many times he was shot, it is reported that both of his legs are broken. He remains in stable condition at Mercy Medical Center.
President Barack Obama released a statement after the incident in which he indirectly pushed for stricter gun control laws, stating, “Somehow this has become routine,” he said. “The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We’ve become numb to this.”
This incident is just one of the many that continue to seem more and more common in the United States.
In situations like this, it is important to publicize not the gunman, but the heroes like Chris Mintz.
*Quotes recorded from CNN.com*
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Student Association Cuts Vocal Effect Budget In Half
Since the beginning of the semester, multiple clubs have had trouble with funding as they were not budgeted capital to support themselves. Vocal Effect, a show choir on campus, is one of those clubs.
“Vocal Effect is a SUNY Oswego’s one and only show choir. We do performances all over campus and in the town of Oswego. We meet every couple of days and just have fun, sing, and dance. It’s a lot of fun,” said President, Thomas Waizenegger.
Vocal Effect meets weekly and are about 30 members strong. This year Vocal Effect has had their funding cut right in half dropping from a $3,000 budget to a $1,500 budget.
“At the start of the year we started with about $1,500, we had about $3,000last year, and now our budget and now our budget was slashed in half over the course of a year,” said Waizenegger.
This is problematic for the club. Much of their funding is used for acquiring new material to perform and the rights to do so, as well as costuming and transportation to the multiple venues that the group performs at.
“It’s not fun, having your funding cut in half in less than a year. I understand that the Student Association had to make these cuts in order to start getting themselves out of the red, but for smaller clubs like Vocal Effect, it’s not fun and it’s not sustainable for us,” said Waizenegger.
As for the group currently, you can catch them on October 26th at 3 PM in The Space, Marano Campus Center free admission for all.
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Two Oswego Women Arrested for Selling Pills
OSWEGO – Two Oswego women have been charged with multiple felonies Tuesday after a police investigation uncovered them selling drugs illegally.
The first woman, Robin L. Holcomb, 26, of 36 Dublin Street, was caught selling oxycodone and alprazolam pills to an undercover officer, with some of the drugs being sold withing 1,000 feet of school grounds.
Holcomb faces charges on two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance on school grounds, fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and fifth-degree criminal possession with intent to sell.
Oswego police also arrested Amy E. Davis, 33, of Byer Road. Davis is charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.
