by Kimberly Strong

Oswego, NY- April is Autism Awareness Month. The Oswego County Autism Task Force hosted their 2nd Annual 5K and fundraiser to kick off the month on Apr. 2.

Over 160 runners, walkers, and supporters lined up on E 1st St., just outside the Press Box Restaurant at 8:30 AM the 5K. The race’s three mile route worked its way through Oswego’s East Side and Fort Ontario area.

In addition to the race, there was a “Breakfast of Autism Champions” buffet provided by the Press Box for anyone making a $10 donation.

All proceeds from the 5K and breakfast benefited the Oswego County Autism Task Force, an organization that supports autism awareness and creates possibilities for those affected by autism. 

The event brought together families and residents of all ages. who have a personal connection with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

““It’s near and dear to my heart,” Special Education Teacher Elisabeth Haight said. “Last year my daughter and I ran, but this year we decided to volunteer and cheer on the racers.”

Race Director Julia Chetney’s son was diagnosed with autism and started the 5K last year.

“There wasn’t a lot of events that support the autism community,” she said. “I was really excited to be a part of this community and this event…People are really excited about it, and grateful.”

For updates on the next 5K and more information, go to the Oswego County Autism Task Force’s website.

by Ilyssa Weiner

Oswego, NY- Fashion at Oswego’s first ever Fashion Week kicked off on Apr. 1.

Imani Cruz created Fashion at Oswego in 2014 after realizing there weren’t any fashion organizations on campus. She was influenced by designers in New York City and Paris.

“I kinda took it upon myself to think ‘You know what? It’d be cool if like we went around campus and took photos of people that were dressed really nice,” she said.

“The week is all about taking pride in how you appear and your appearance,” she said. “By creating Oz Fashion Week, we could light up some fire under students to dress nice just for one week.”

The week started with a pop up shop showcasing outfits created by up-and-coming designers from places such as Syracuse and Ithaca.

Rashaad Holley, a grad student at Buffalo State, is the creator of “Vingt Cinq Rashaad” and one of the designers at the pop up shop. His brand comes from a song lyric about not living past 25 years old.

“I take that and revert it into a positive direction and give people like myself inspiration to ascend as opposed to look at a ceiling and be limited,” Holley said.  

With the success of the pop up shop, Cruz is very positive about Fashion at Oswego’s future.

By Stefanie Sciolaro

Baldwinsville, NY- – Since its founding in 2000, Crossfit has begun to grow in popularity. The sport combines high intensity with low durations. The workouts incorporate endurance, strength, and flexibility in order to exert the most out of participants in a shorter period of time.

Crossfit has grown to over two billion members and 10,000 gyms all around the world. This worldwide epidemic prides itself on the importance of a healthy community atmosphere. However, many individuals feel Crossfit is meant for only those of a specific age and body build.

“The uniqueness of Crossfit lies in how universal it is when it comes to who can do it. I have athletes ranging in ages from 14 to 64 with all different skill levels” Smokey Hollow Crossfit co-owner Tim MacConehey said.  

Members of the Crossfit community have the opportunity to compete year round in a series of competitions, in both team and individual divisions. Every year these competitions stand as the main qualifiers for the Crossfit Games. The Crossfit Games, is this sports equivalent to the Olympics. The best athletes in the world come together to compete for who will be crowned fittest woman and man on earth.

In the past, the Crossfit Games have been held in Carson, California. However, the venue has been moved to Madison, Wisconson. The Games will begin this August.

For more information, visit Crossfit’s website.

by Daniel Manou

Oswego, NY- Today Show TV personality and Oswego State alum Al Roker returned the college on Mar. 31 as part of Rokerthon Three. Oswego State was the last stop on Rokerthon Three, which sent Roker to four other colleges during the week to break a Guinness World Record.

Oswego State’s world record was to have the world’s longest conga line on ice. The original record was held by the Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom with 353 people. Oswego State broke the record with 593 people.

Having Roker’s final stop be Oswego State, the visit had a little more meaning than the rest.

“It’s very exciting to end up having a week in Oswego. It’s very exciting and the school came through” he said.  

In order to officially break the record students had to follow strict rules. The students must step in unison while holding the hips of the person in front of them for five minutes. If at any point the line broke, someone fell or messed up the moves, the attempt would be disqualified.

Organizing such an event took more effort than meets the eye, which Del Sarte President Allison Anthony learned when tasked with choreographing.

“It’s important that we all came together and found one pace and one way to communicate that works for everyone” she said. “Doing that with 500 plus people was challenging but we got it done”.

Before the conga line could even happen, Anthony and the school advertised the recruitment of skaters and held practices to teach them the moves. Making the decision to participate in the record breaking attempt was easy for most people but were based on several different motives.

For students like Ethan Magram, the thrill of being having a world record in his back pocket was enough.

“I can’t wait to look back and say I broke a world record with some of my best friends, met one of the most favorite news personalities, and I’m going to remember this forever” he said.

Others such as freshman Hannah Enigh, had a strong admiration for Roker. She saw him as a role model in her pursuit to become a broadcast meteorologist.

“I was very excited to want to be a part of something Al Roker was a part of because that was one of the main reasons I came to Oswego, to be a meteorologist and broadcasting major” Enigh said.

by Eoin Gallagher

Oswego, NY- Environmentalist and former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke spoke to members of the Oswego State community on Mar. 28. Her talk is part of the “I Am Oz” diversity speaker series.

LaDuke spoke on current political issues Americans and Native Americans are facing as well as the role we have in society. She stressed the idea that college students have the opportunity to think critically.

“As college students you have the full opportunity to be critical thinkers and do good,” LaDuke said.

The biggest issue she discussed was climate change and the steps the government should be taking in order to be more aware of it.  

LaDuke has an extensive background in the environmental field. She has put her knowledge to work by challenging government and taking on big oil companies, including her involvement in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. She is also the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project.

LaDuke says the key to changing the Earth is think about what it will be like seven years from now. At the current rate, she believes it may be inhabitable by then. She challenged her audience at the end of speech to change the Earth.

“Let us be creative,” she said. “Let us do what the great leader Sitting Bull said, and let us put our minds together to see what kind of future we can make for our children.”

by Ilyssa Weiner

Scriba, NY- Exelon Generation, owner of the nation’s largest nuclear energy fleet, has officially taken ownership and management of all operations at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant.

“We look forward to bringing FitzPatrick’s highly skilled team of professionals into

the Exelon Generation nuclear program, and to continue delivering to New York the environmental, economic and grid reliability benefits of this important energy asset,” President and CEO of Exelon Chris Crane said.

According to a press release, Entergy, the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant’s former owner, has transferred the plant’s operating license to Exelon as well as its decommissioning trust fund and liability.

Joseph Pacher has also been named the new site vice president of the plant. Pacher was the former site vice president at R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario.

“Joe knows the Exelon Management Model well and led Ginna during its transition into

the Exelon Generation fleet in 2014,” Exelon’s Chief Nuclear Officer Bryan Hanson said. “We are confident that his leadership will ensure a smooth transition for employees and the community, as FitzPatrick continues to deliver safe, clean and reliable electricity to the regional power grid.”

FitzPatrick’s former site vice president, Brian Sullivan, was retained by Entergy as part of the original transaction agreement.

Entergy and Exelon announced the $110 million transaction back in August 2016 after the Clean Energy Standard (CES) was adopted in New York State. The CES has saved the $3 billion nuclear plants contribute to the state’s economy annually as well as the 25,000 jobs in nuclear plants throughout the state. It has also spent millions of dollars in energy infrastructure investments. Without the CES, the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant would close and other upstate nuclear plants would also be at risk of closure.

Exelon does not have an immediate changes to staffing at the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, which normally employs about 600 people.

The FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant generates carbon-free electricity for more than 800,000 homes and businesses. Exelon Generation operates two other nuclear energy facilities in upstate New York including Nine Mile Point, which is right next to FitzPatrick.

by Samantha Dominique

Oswego, NY- “Perk Up” is a new campaign started by the Office of Sustainability at SUNY Oswego. Their goal is to reduce plastic waste on campus through reusable coffee cups.

The campaign was introduced at the beginning of the spring semester after last year’s “Tap In” campaign helped to reduce plastic water bottle waste on campus

Student Outreach Intern Brielle Jodeit says the campaign has been very effective so far.

“We have saved almost 2,000 coffee cups from entering the landfills,” she said.

Through the app Cupanion, users are able to receive free coffee on Fridays from 10am-1pm at the Office of Sustainability located inside Hewitt Union. All users have to do is bring their reusable cup or pick one up at the office and scan the code. They also have a chance to win other prizes through the Cupanion app itself.   

“Perk Up” will be continuing in the fall with a fresh face ready to further reduce plastic waste on campus.

The Office of Sustainability tables every Wednesday in the Marano Campus Center.

by Michael Allchin

Oswego, NY- The 11th annual St. Baldrick’s Day in Oswego County took place on Mar. 26 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center. Participants of the event shaved their heads and donated their hair to cancer patients.

With the help of various volunteers and supervisors, the event raised a large portion of money for cancer research all over the world. Donations are spread out to various hospitals worldwide and are provided to the world’s top cancer researchers so they can find ways to cure kids with cancer. The event in Oswego raised more than $37,000.

Event Coordinator John Sheffield says he is proud to see the county come together to donate.

“This event restores my faith in humanity,” he said. “I have found that the people who often have the least to give are the ones with the most generous hearts.”

The Oswego State men’s lacrosse team and Oswego Firefighters are some of the organizations who donated money and volunteered their time.

To donate, go to St. Baldrick’s website or call (888) 899-2253.

by Stefanie Sciolaro

by Ilyssa Weiner

Oswego, NY- Today meteorologist Al Roker (‘76) will be returning to his alma mater to break a world record. Oswego State will be the last stop on “Rokerthon 3” and Today’s “Storming Into the Madness” college tour.

Roker will be returning to campus to break the Guinness World Record for the longest conga line on ice.

The current record is 353 skaters, held by the Ice Rink Canary Wharf in the United Kingdom. They have been holding this record since 2013.

Oswego State is looking for more than 400 students to help break this record. It will be broadcasted live on Today on Mar. 31. Participants are asked to arrive at the Marano Campus Center arena by five a.m.

To sign up, fill out this Google form with your Oswego State email. 
If you are not interested in skating but still want to see the record broken, fans will be able to watch from the arena seats in their green and gold gear from seven to nine a.m.

by Ilyssa Weiner

Oswego, NY- Spring is finally here in Oswego State. The first day of the new season was on Monday. However, spring fever isn’t the only thing increasing on campus. There’s also spring allergies.

Mary Walker Health Center Director Angie Brown says cold and allergy complaints are very common this time of year.

“It is a pretty common complaint we see…especially this time of year,” Brown said.

The spring allergy season usually starts in early March. However, the fluctuating weather on campus recently may have caused some people’s allergies to start sooner.

Allergies are usually caused by pollen floating in the air. When it’s breathed in, it will cause a reaction inside your body.

”That’s why your body does the sneezing and the coughing and the runny nose because it’s actually trying to get that outta there. It’s an irritant,” she said.

To prevent allergies from getting worse Brown advises students to keep their windows closed and get rid of any dust they may have in their room. She says that if students are really bothered by allergies, he or she should take medication such as antihistamine to prevent anything severe from happening.

Each student’s allergic reactions are different and Brown says each student’s treatment of the allergy will be different as well.

Mary Walker Health Center is open Mon.-Fri. from 8:30AM-4 PM.

by Daniel Manou

Oswego, NY- As underage drinking and drug use grows around the country, Oswego County is trying to find ways to not only control this epidemic but turn it into a positive trend.

On a daily basis alcohol is in the public’s eyes whether from advertisements, stores or people using it around them regardless of the viewers age. According to a multi-year study by Farnham Family Services alcohol is the most used drug among minors in Oswego County. However, compared to the last survey, this year’s results are showing progress. Prevention Services Director Penny Morley believes the results of this year’s survey is heading in the right direction.

“We did a youth development survey in 2013 and another one in 2016, and our numbers are going down, youth that are reporting underage drinking,” she said.

Although Morley acknowledges the comparison of surveys shows only a small drop in underage drinking, she is still pleased with the numbers.

“Just a few percentage points, but even just a few percentage points is better than having an increase”, said Morley.

According to the survey nearly 70 percent of high school seniors have used alcohol. Most minors reported the easiest access is from their own home.

In an effort lead by Oswego County Undersheriff Gene Sullivan, police have attempted to stop underage parties. Sullivan has been working to shut down these parties and educate minors about the dangers of underage drinking since 2011. However, he has directly seen what consequences arise.

“By the end of the night we would have fights, vandalism would occur and in the worst case scenario people driving away from that party, getting into crashes some of them were fatalities,” Undersheriff Sullivan said.

In 2014, Farnham instituted the Oswego County Prevention Coalition in response to the 2013 survey and has worked alongside schools to educate the youth. According to the 2016 results, ninth grade, the same age period when alcohol is most dangerous to children, was where the usage jumped the highest.

“Anyone that uses before the age of 15 has a much higher likelihood of addiction as an adult, their brains are not fully formed at that point”, said Morley.

With the tactics that have been put in place and continue to be worked on, there have been signs that they have made an impact.

“I think there’s been tremendous progress, but it’s been painfully slow. It’s a difficult message to deliver”, said Undersheriff Sullivan.

Even with the long awaited results showing optimism, both Morley and Sullivan know their job isn’t done.

by Reggie Debrah

Oswego, NY- Summer vacation is not too far away, and with the 3 month break comes large plans. For those who are looking to gain experience from an internship or simply looking for a job after graduation, the Compass is a place to start your summer plans.

The Compass is located on the first floor of the Marano Campus Center, under the Chu Atrium. The Compass is open from Monday through Friday from 10 AM until 4 PM. It provides resources for students such as resume and cover letter building. There are also student interns at the Compass who assist with everything from writing an e-mail to internship searches.

For those graduating and need preparation for the real world, the Compass can also help with that. The Compass offers mock interviews and help to learn about the process of applying for jobs outside of college.

The Compass is a great resource for students at Oswego State to utilize. There are many great opportunities such as internship searches and help to create or update a resume or cover letter. There is always someone there able to help with anything that a student may need. For any students looking to get ahead in their professional career, the Compass is step one.

by Eoin Gallagher

Oswego, NY- Oswego State’s faculty led study abroad courses will have the opportunity to expand.  The school has announced they will be accepting new proposals from faculty who wish to expand the program. Oswego State is already considered to have one of the top study abroad programs in the country.

Director of Global and International Studies Lisa Glidden has taught multiple study abroad courses including “Sustainable Cuba,” a program where students were able to travel to Cuba over winter break.  She says she enjoys teaching these courses and that they can even lead to potential internships.

“I teach another course that goes to Ecuador… I actually have a student going and doing an internship in the fall semester,” Glidden said.
With the efforts of Oswego State’s faculty and administrators, more courses may be available in the future.

by Michael Allchin

Oswego, NY- On March 2 nd and 3 rd , Oswego State welcomed Electroacoustic Composer Mark Snyder, Soprano Paige Naylor, and harpist Becky Brown.

Mark specializes in mixing ambient multimedia works along with rich storytelling. The work he produces contains meaning in many different forms including events from his own life.

Mark performs with various instruments featuring the clarinet, tuba, accordion, piano, and guitar.

“When I have feeling that I want to express, I don’t always express them in words as well as I can in sound and life so that’s what I like to experiment with trying to communicate with people with what I sonically represent of human emotions and characters so I love doing it I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” Snyder said.

Cara Thompson was one of the audience members amazed with Snyder’s performance.

“It’s just amazing the combination of technology and video and the music was just incredibly compelling and powerful,” she said.

Snyder and his crew will continue performing all around while creating new pieces of work for people to enjoy.

by Jihad Yarber

Oswego, NY- Tapestries, curtains, and flags are just a few of the items prohibited from the residence halls in Oswego State. The items are promptly confiscated if they are discovered in any of the dorms. Onondaga Assistant Hall Director Chris Lewand says wall decorations are a risk to fire safety.

“Tapestries, curtains, and flags lead to more fire hazards than your typical poster would,” he said. “However we do have restrictions on posters, they’re only allowed to be on 10 percent of the wall they’re not allowed to be within two feet of the ceilings. So there are restrictions in place, but overall it comes down to what the fire marshall has deemed to be more flammable.”

While posters are considered to be safe for students to have in their possession, some disagree with the claim that one is more hazardous than the other.

“I feel like they take up about the same amount of space on the wall and they’re made of similar flammable materials,” student Cooper Lee said. “I just don’t see how one person can specifically say how a poster is that much more safe than a tapestry,”

Other students are accepting of the rule, but also think a change in policy may lead to a better solution, feeling there needs to be more trust in the on-campus residents.

“I understand why tapestries would be not allowed in rooms,” student Julia Gaudio said. “However I think that there are many flammable things that people don’t focus on and most kids have tapestries anyway,”

“I think there’s a lot of tapestries that are hung up and there hasn’t been a fire started yet,” student Lilia Grucza said. “I feel like they just need to give us a little more credit for knowing to be safe with fire safety instead of just banning anything that could potentially start a fire.”

For more information on what items are prohibited in the dorms, visit Oswego State’s website or contact Residence Life and Housing at 315-312-2246.  

by Jamie Aranoff

Oswego, NY- 11 new lactation rooms are being added to the Oswego State campus this semester, providing nursing mothers a place to comfortably and privately pump breast milk for their children.

“It started with a nursing mother who had no official place to pump for her newborn,” Campus Planning Coordinator Linda Paris said.

The 11 lactation rooms are dispersed throughout campus and are located inside certain academic buildings, residence halls and rooms in the Marano Campus Center. “The rooms have been transformed from storage facilities and offer mothers a quiet environment with at least two different types of chairs and work surfaces,” Paris said.  

According to the New York State Department of Health, employees have the right to pump breast milk in the workspace, and should have a private place to do so. Prior to this year, there were no official spots on campus for mothers to pump their breast milk.

“Before having these dedicated spaces, you might be lucky enough to have an office where you could pump in, but if not, you might be pumping in your car,” Paris said.

The collaboration of working mothers and the Campus Facility Project was one that took over a year and a half. For working mother and professor Dr. Kristen Eichhorn, the project was more than just getting a lactation sign outside of a storage closet. The initiative was about taking the needs of mothers and working together to be part of something larger.

“Working together to create the spaces for women was more than just that, it was about working with a team to better the community,” Eichhorn said.

Scales Hall, Tyler Hall, and Wilbur Hall will be the next three buildings on campus to receive a lactation room in the coming months.

by Jessica Kisluk

Oswego, NY –

Oswego State has a new Women’s Club Basketball team. The team got its start when Brianna Muncy met girls who showed interest in this type of club that did not exist on campus. She soon found a Vice President and Coach.

The club’s Vice President Raven Coffiel says, “I really have to give her all the credit though; it was really all her own.” Coach Chelsea Flores went to school for coaching at Oswego State and thought coaching women’s club basketball would be a great step toward her athletic coaching career.

The team started out small but is looking to improve and have some home games. They have had games in Binghamton and Hamilton so far, and are looking to play against schools such as Cortland and LeMoyne.

The club team gives the players a chance to play on a less competitive level. They are always looking for new players and  for people to cheer them on.

For more information about the team, you can follow them on Twitter @OswegoClubBBall.

by Michael Reilly

Oswego, NY- A former personal aide to President Barack Obama will be visiting Oswego State this Friday. Ferial Govishiri will be the keynote speaker of the Student Leadership Conference. Her speech will center around finding and focusing on one’s passion in life.

Govashiri was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was six months old.

This Friday, a very special event as well as exciting opportunity will be taking place here at SUNY Oswego. Former personal aide to President Barack Obama and active member of the Iranian American Women Foundation Ferial Govashiri will be speaking on campus at the auditorium in Marano Campus Center around 7:30pm. She’ll be holding the position of keynote speaker which is being put on by the division of student affairs and enrollment management. Her talk will be free and opened to the public, in other words a perfect way spend a Friday evening to kick of the weekend.

Now a fact about Govashiri some may not know is that she was actually born in Iran

Of course as most are aware, President Trump has recently issued a temporary travel ban on refugees and citizens from seven Muslim majority countries including Govashiri’s home country of Iran.

by Ilyssa Weiner

Oswego, NY- Writer and Humanitarian Kevin Powell spoke at SUNY Oswego’s Sheldon Hall Ballroom on Feb. 16 as part of the school’s “I Am Oz” Diversity Speaker Series.

Powell stressed the importance of education and history to his audience. His mother, who only had an eighth grade education, pushed him to do well in school.

“She kept saying to me when I was a child ‘You’re going to go to college. You’re going to go to college. You’re going to go to college,” Powell said.

Powell went to Rutgers University. However, his love for reading and writing came at an early age when his mother took him to the library.

“She allowed me to roam around the library,” he said. “That’s how I ended up falling in love with books and eventually decided as a young person I wanted to be a writer.”

After his time at Rutgers, Powell joined the cast of the very first season of MTV’s The Real World. At the time of taping, he and the rest of the cast had no idea how successful the show was going to be. Because of the show’s success, Powell was able to dig deeper into the world of pop culture.

“I love pop culture,” he said. “I think it’s a useful tool for reaching people and talking about serious issues.”

In 2011, Powell co-founded Building Knowledge (BK) Nation, a progressive non-profit organization focused on civil and human rights. The organization has worked on several racial profiling cases, including the Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown cases, and was also a deep supporter for the recent Women’s March.

Despite being the co-founder of the organization, Powell doesn’t believe in titles beyond that.

“We’re all equals and all our voices matter in the organization and that’s how we operate,” he said.

Powell’s most recent book, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey Into Manhood, is available on Amazon.

Powell autographed copies of his latest book after his speech was over.