by Rob Lee, WTOP10-TV

In the premiere of ‘Slade Collins In and Out of Time’ at the Capitol Theatre in Rome, New York, 2008 SUNY Oswego graduate Ryan Santiago starred in the title role of ‘Slade Collins’. Santiago spoke about the premiere how acting career began “Wanted to [act] ever since I was a kid, memorizing lines like crazy with movies I enjoyed and things like that but I never took actong seriously,” said Santiago.

Santiago took an acting class at Mohawk Valley Community College in 2006. Santiago said he fell in love with acting and transferred to SUNY Oswego to pursue a degree in Theatre. I asked Ryan how Life as a theatre major at SUNY Oswego prepared him for life after graduation. “I had a lot of good teachers and acting coaches who made him love acting even more,” replied Santiago.

“As advice for future SUNY Oswego graduates, I say go out there and do things, look for audition notices or offer to help with a film or a stage production,” said Santiago.

‘Slade Collins In and Out of Time’ is a production of Mad Angel Films and is one of many independent film companies in Central New York. They are currently in preproduction of their next film ‘Radiant Dark’ which will be a collaborative effort amongst several of those independent companies.

Ryan Santiago will have upcoming projects as an actor and producer.

by Owen Marchand, WTOP10-TV

Each month, the SUNY Oswego Planetarium holds a different theme during its weekly shows. At Sundays at 7pm the Planetarium holds exciting shows hosted by Dr. John Zielinski of the Oswego physics department. The theme for the month of November is “Astronomical subjects in the works of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Mark Twain.”

During these shows Dr. Zielinski will discuss the astronomical topics in Shakespeare’s works such as Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, as well as Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. He states that he will be giving a background on each of these pieces in order to connect them to the show in a way that is both interesting and educational. During this portion of the show, Dr. Zielinski will talk about important characters, and situations of each of the pieces of literature.

Throughout the show, Dr. Zielinski will also show many clips from films based on these novels and plays and incorporate them within the show. He says that a main part of the show is assimilating as many of these events as possible on the planetarium dome. Along with these clips, some other astronomical facts will be noted such as how all the stars seem to rotate the North Star and that all stars return to the same position in the sky every 23 hours and 56 minutes.

In order to witness this month’s show, one must sign up in advanced as the planetarium only has 35 seats but will allow and over-flow of people to sit on the floor. It is important to get there a little early in order to secure a seat! If the weather is good after each show, there will be a telescopic observation held after the presentation.

by Sabina Longo, WTOP10-TV

Port City Co-Op is an antique store that is hidden on West Second Street in downtown Oswego. The store celebrated its two year anniversary on Tuesday, November 1. Linda Demassi had the idea to open up Port City Co-Op and help bring more local businesses to Oswego.

Originally the store opened with ten vendors but now there are 37. With more vendors selling their items, the store needed to be expanded and that is when the owners of Port-City bought out the soap store that is located nextdoor.

Antiques and unique items are not the only reason why people shop here. Mary Waite is a regular at Port City and says she loves all the different items because it brings back nostalgic memories. It reminds her of her childhood.

Linda Demassi encourages people to shop local because, “it’s huge to shop local, for the economy, the city. Shopping local is huge to keep the small businesses”

Port City Co-Op is opened on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11am to 5pm, Thursday to Friday from 11am to 6pm, Saturday from 11am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 3pm.

By Victor Pusateri, WTOP-10 TV

Jacquelin White of the Oswego State Women’s Hockey team has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Women’s West Rookie of the Week for the second time this year. The first time she earned the award was three weeks ago.

White is a big reason the Lakers find themselves at 6-0 on the season and 4-0 in conference play. The freshman has scored a point in every game thus far, giving her a six game point streak to start her college career. This past weekend, White had two goals and one assist against Cortland.

The Lakers will return to the ice this weekend and head to North Country to take on the reigning Division Three National Champions, the Plattsburgh Cardinals. The Lakers and Cardinals face off at 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

By Brittany Carins, WTOP-10 TV

The New York Giants are going to be in the spotlight for tomorrow’s Monday Night Football matchup. After coming off a strong divisional win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants will try to continue their three game win streak against the Cincinnati Bengals. For the Bengals, this is a must win game as they look to keep pace in a competitive AFC north. Expect this game to be a high scoring one as these teams have two of the best passing offenses in all of the league.

This past weekend the women’s hockey team hosted Cortland in ECAC West action on Saturday and Sunday.

There was no scoring from either team until the third period in Saturday’s game. Just 25 seconds into the period, Cortland scored but Oswego was quick to respond. 32 seconds after Cortland scored, Jacquelin White scored to tie the game at one. White would light the lamp again to give the Lakers a 2-1 win.

On Sunday, Alexa Aramburu got the first goal of the game 13 minutes into the first period. Olivia Ellis and Jacquelin White assisted Aramburu’s goal. With the assist, Ellis set a new program record for assists with 36. Andrea Noss scored the Lakers second and final goal of the game.

With the two wins from this past weekend, the Lakers move to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in conference. The Lakers will go on the road Saturday and Sunday and take on the reigning Division III National Champions, the Plattsburgh Cardinals.

Yesterday the Men’s hockey team traveled to Cortland to take on the Red Dragons in SUNYAC action. The Lakers would defeat the Red Dragons 4-1.

Each of the Lakers four goals were all scored by different players. Stephan Johnson would be the first Laker to score. He scored a power play goal to tie the Lakers with the Red Dragons with one minute left in the first period. At the halfway point of the second period, Kenny Neil, got his sixth goal of the year. With three and a half minutes left in the third, Chris Ragueso scored to put the Lakers up 3-1. Mitchell Herlihey would score with just under thirty seconds left in the game.

With the win, the Lakers improve to 5-0 on the year and are #1 in the SUNYAC with a 3-0 record. The Lakers will travel to Potsdam on Friday and to rival Plattsburgh on Saturday.

by Stefanie Sciolaro, WTOP10-TV

Ironically, this week’s Meeting of the Senate, happened to fall on Election Day. Though, the excitement of the close race did not affect proceeding by any means. After talk of the election  subsided, the meeting was called to order at 6:03. With roll call taken, quorum reached, and minutes and agendas approved, the meeting began. Dr. Howland the Advisor of Student Associations, was also present at this week’s meeting.

Two representatives from the Oswego State Crew Team were the Senate’s first guest speakers of the night. The club’s Treasurer, Greg West, and Head Coach, Matthew Stufano, presented the Senate with a powerpoint touching on various subjects. Their presentation gave a brief explanation of who the crew team is, why they need help from SA, and an overview of what the team will need in the future.

The crew team has been around for over three decades, and it is only in recent years they have seen their highest participation and success rates of all time. During the weekend of October 22nd, high winds severely damaged one of the most important boats they own. The two speakers stressed that this boat damage has the ability to affect the stability of the team. Because of this, they came asking the Senate for assistance in helping to pay for its repairs. Invoices from various companies, along with contributions the crew team can afford, were discussed. The guests also asked for the SA’s support and endorsement on future plans to have a boathouse built for the crew team. This would help defer costly damages like such from happening again.

The next guest to the Senate was a representative from the International Student Association, she is the current Treasurer of the organization. This organization helps to better acclimate international students to SUNY Oswego. They hold and participate in multiple events that work towards making these students feel more at home during their time here in the U.S. This organization is open to both international and American students. The Treasurer came before the Senate to discuss her organization’s budget issue: the prior Treasurer had not submitted a budget for this academic year. As a result , she had come to shed light on the issue and gain the proper funding of the International Student Association for the remainder of the year.

After hearing from the International Student Association, Imani Cruz, the Assistant Director of  the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB), came to advertise her need for an events/social coordinator for SAPB. This job entitles various tasks including tabling, poster making, assisting with Ozfest, and more. If you have any questions, want more information, and/or are interested in this position, please contact Imani via email: sapb@oswego.edu or her personal oswego email if given.

Closing up the guest speakers for the evening was the Director of Public Relations, Emily Stasko, with a presentation on the Study Abroad Program. There are over 80 programs in 30 different countries offered, with various programs depending on your major. If a program is not offered through SUNY Oswego, students also have the opportunity to go through another SUNY school that offers the specific program they’re looking for. There are four program options: Quarter Courses, Courses with Optional Travel, Summer, and Semester. Each of the program options offer different durations of travel and are during different times of the year to best fit students’ needs. Stasko emphasized the advantages studying abroad brings: developing global and multicultural skills, a fantastic resume builder, connections and networking internationally.

She also touched on ways to pay for a Study Abroad Program. Financial aid, scholarships, loans, and many other options can be put in place to help students pay for their experience. If you have any other questions, concerns, or interest in studying abroad please visit the International and Educational Program Office in Sheldon, room 100 or call (315) 312-2118.

For the first time ever, this week’s Advisor Reports were held for Dr. Howland, who is the Advisor of Student Associations. One of the many topics she touched upon during the night was upcoming events within the I AM OZ “ Diversity Speaker Series Events”. Three event dates she spoke of are closely approaching: November 9th, November 15th, and November 16th. November 9th in Sheldon Ballroom at 6:00pm there will be three guest speakers presenting for the “ Indignation: Indigenizing Campus Culture” : Taiwentonti Chelsea Sunday, Jonel Beauvais, and Wakerakatste Louise McDonald Herne. On November 15th in Marano room 132 at 6:00pm there will be the “An Ordinary Hero” film screening. November 16th in Sheldon Ballroom at 6:30pm Joan Mulholland, a renowned civil rights activist, with be speaking.

The meeting then proceeded into Executive Reports. President Emily Nassir gave updates and run downs on various organizations and meetings she has been apart of throughout the past week.

The structure of this years Ozfest survey was also discussed. Students can expect an entirely different survey to be sent out this year in regards to the event. The survey will be more structured around what students will want out of the event, ticket prices, food, and preferred times of the show. There will no longer be an emphasis of who exactly students want the artists to be, but there will be a comment section to give suggestions.

Vice President Dalton Bisson then clarified that if a student attends Title IX training for one club, he or she may also use that same training session towards another club.

Post Executive Reports, three new legislations were voted on by the Senate. Bills in regards to needs of the Cheerleading Team and Writing Open Forum of SUNY Oswego were both passed by general consent. The last legislation was in regards to the Student Association’s Organization Liaison, both amendments requested were also passed by general consent.

Roll call was then taken and quorum was reached at 8:30pm. With this, the meeting came to a close, just in time for members of the Senate, both Trump and Clinton supporters alike, to watch the rest of the election.

by Jessica Kisluk, WTOP10-TV

by Lauren Toscano, WTOP10-TV

Wednesday morning, SUNY Oswego students took to the campus grounds to protest issues regarding Tuesday night’s presidential results. The protest began in the quad on campus around 10 a.m. Students held signs and chanted, walked across campus entering dining halls, residence halls, the Marano Campus Center, and ending back in the quad mid day. University Police was not involved and there has been no official email regarding the incident.

Following the protest, students met in a Marano Campus Center classroom to continue their talk on the election results. The meeting was led by SUNY Oswego’s Black Student Union and African Student Organization. During this open forum, many students were outraged with Tuesday night’s results and expressed their concerns for their future. An anonymous protestor commented on Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency stating, “Allowing him into office is policing us not only as people, but as a nation.”

This has been a trend across the United States in the past 24 hours. According to CNN.com, protests have broken out in major cities across the U.S. since the final polls were released Tuesday night. From New York City to Los Angeles, thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest of Donald Trump and in promotion of social movements.

by Jake Vanderbroek, WTOP10-TV

Students have a new program to turn to if they are stressed, anxious, feeling unorganized, or have relationship problems. ‘Let’s Talk’ is a Counseling Center Outreach Program designed to connect students by providing informal walk-in consultations with a counselor. This is considered different from counseling and is not a “clinical service.”

There is no formal intake, no appointments and no fees. People who have issues to talk about should take advantage of this new opportunity said Katherine Wolfe. “Students are encouraged to stop by and talk about what has been making an impact on their behavior. Once a connection is made and the process is exposed, it’s much easier to make a referral for formal counseling,” said Wolfe.

Sessions will be held every Wednesday from 3:30-5:00 PM in Johnson Hall Room 141 and from 6:00-7:30 pm in Oneida Hall (across the elevators on the first floor.) Additional sites, days, and hours may be added on other parts of campus.     

This past weekend the women’s hockey team started conference play and looked to continue their winning streak.

On Friday, the team had their first of two games vs. Chatham. This was the first ECAC West play for both teams. Just a little over two minutes into the game, Brennan Butler scored a short-handed goal and put the Lakers on the board. Chatham would tie the game in the second period. Alexa Aramburu would score the game-winning goal for the Lakers. The Lakers took game one by the score of 2-1.

On Saturday, the team had their second game vs. Chatham. In front of the homecoming crowd, the Lakers would get their first shoutout win of the year by defeating Chatham 6-0. The team combined to have three power play goals with Olivia Ellis providing two of those goals.

After this weekend of play, the Lakers improved to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in the conference. The Lakers will play Cortland at home on Saturday and Sunday.

This past weekend the men’s hockey team started conference play and looked to continue their winning streak.

On Friday night, the team traveled to Brockport to take on the Golden Eagles in the first SUNYAC game of the year. The Lakers would win the game 5-1. Five different goal scorers contributed to the Lakers win. Jody Sullivan led the Lakers with a power play goal and an assist.

On Saturday, the team returned to Oswego for their homecoming game vs. Geneseo. After being down 3-1 at the end of the second period, the Lakers would go on a scoring rally in the third period to win the game 5-3. Leading the third period scoring rally was a power play goal from Kenny Neil followed by goals scored by Jody Sullivan, Stephen Johnson and Alex Botten. With the goal, Botten became the 52nd member of the 100 point club.

After this weekend of play, the Lakers improve to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in the conference. The Lakers will go on the road Friday and continue SUNYAC play at Potsdam.

by Daniel Manou, WTOP10-TV

President Trump or President Clinton, words that not just Americans will have to get used to this November.

With election day less than a week away, international students studying this fall in the U.S. have been able to witness this year’s election from the inside. Watching the political debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, students have been able to compare their prior knowledge and opinions to what they have seen firsthand.

Regardless of how far away the states are from their homeland, Lindsey Martin says the results will be felt even after the semester ends.

“As an Australian, I find it really daunting. I feel a bit helpless because I feel like the eventual outcome will affect not only Australia but most of the world because America is a such a super power,” said Martin.

Martin has followed the debates and empathizes with Americans who are frustrated with the current political landscape. Looking at the two candidates Martin said she doesn’t feel confident in either of them but for completely different reasons.

“He [Trump] lacks any kind of depth in his policy statements and any real contentious factual information,” said Martin. “Hillary Clinton might be a seasoned veteran but she is completely uninspiring in my opinion, especially contrasted against Obama.”

For some Americans, frustration has become too much and have decided not to vote. Beliz Atalay actively follows politics in Turkey and she does not understand how Americans can decide not to vote.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable about it because it’s about my country and even though people may not think one vote will not change anything, it can,” said Atalay.

For Atalay and Martin, voting is mandatory in their country. Australia follows a compulsory vote system which means any resident over the age of 18 is required to register and vote. If someone does not vote and do not have a valid excuse, they can be subjected to a fine and court date, which in some cases has led to jail time.

As the election on November 8 nears, both wish they had a vote but will have to wait to see what the United States Voters decide and how it will affect their countries. Trying to guess what life with either candidate would be like as the next president is something both Martin and Atalay don’t know, but are hoping voters look closely at the policies and personalities before casting their ballot.

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 Erin Meyer, WTOP10-TV

For college students who do not drink, finding a fun way to spend Halloween can be a bit of a challenge. But SUNY Oswego junior Ray Ossino says there’s plenty of options for sober scholars.

“I like to celebrate Halloween by going with a few of my friends to Lake Effect Cafe,” said Ossino. “They have a costume contest every Halloween, and then they have Halloween trivia.” She says campus events like this can be a great way to branch out.

“You get to meet new people, and through the people that I met there I found out that at the ice rink, they have open skate for Halloween too, and the also have a halloween costume contest there too.”

For students who want their Halloween weekend to be a bit scarier, Campus Recreation administrative assistant Jaydee Maldonado has a solution. She’s organized an upgrade for one of the campus’s most popular halloween events: the Scalesbury haunted house. Along with campus recreation, Maldonado has extended the haunted house to Lee Hall.

“This haunted house is actually going to be not only a haunted house,” said Maldonado. “It’s going to be a movie session at Scales Hall and then there is food, drinks and activities of all sorts relating to Halloween in Waterbury, and then Lee hall has the main event.” She says the addition of Lee Hall will elevate the haunted house from a quick event into all-night entertainment.

“I want us to continue to create events where students don’t always feel like they need to go out on weekends and do things off campus”, said Maldonado. She hopes the that these halloween events will inspire similar events in the college’s future.

Regardless of how you plan to spend your Halloween, WTOP wish you a happy one.

Madison Doner, WTOP10-TV

OSWEGO, NY- Thursday October 27, 2016 kicked off a week of celebration for the newly renovated Tyler Hall beginning with the 12th Annual Lewis B O’Donnell Media Summit.

The first phase of the renovations took two-years and cost $22.2 million. Some of the renovations include state-of-the-art performance, rehearsal, recording and gallery spaces.

According to SUNY Oswego’s website, “Tyler Hall is such a public building. It’s where the college really gets to shine and show off its performing arts as well as its visual arts,” said Julie Pretzat, Dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts.

Tyler Hall held a Take Two debut open house on Friday, October 28. They welcomed members of the Oswego community, students, faculty, and alumni at their red carpet event.

Sophomore Communications student, Kelly Smith said “From the outside you would never assume that the inside was so beautiful. The art gallery may be the best part.”

The current exhibition is named ‘Restart’, which is meant to address the concept of new beginnings and fresh starts. The Art Gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This years Media Summit was also held in the newly renovated Waterman Theatre. The new space has a capacity of 450 people with accessibility for those with disabilities.

The current performance to celebrate the grand reopening this past weekend is conducted by SUNY Oswego Theatre and Music departments creating a contemporary twist on the classic musical “The Wizard of Oz”.

This past weekend both the women’s and men’s hockey teams got their first wins of the 2016-17 season.

The women’s team had their first road game of the year on Friday. The team traveled to New Hampshireto take on New England College. The Lakers would go on to win their first game of the season 6-1. Freshman twin sisters Jacquelin and Julieann White showed what they are capable of. Jacquelin had two goals while Julieann had a goal and a assist.

On Saturday, the women would make their way to Vermont to take on Castleton. At the end of the second period, the Lakers were up 3-0 put then the Castleon Cougars scored three goals in the third period to tie it up. Senior Kendall Applebaum would score the game-winning goal for the Lakers.

While the women’s team was away, the men’s team was home and played Elmira on both Friday and
Saturday.

On Friday, the Lakers dominated the Golden Eagles 7-1. The Lakers saw seven different goal scorers. Three of the goals were power play goals while the first goal of the game was a short-handed goal.

On Saturday, the men played Elmira again, but this time they played in Elmira. The Lakers would get their first road win of the year by winning the game 6-3. Senior Kenny Neil had a hat trick while fellow senior Shawn Hulshof assisted each of Neil’s goal.

Both the women’s and men’s team will be home next weekend. The women will play Chatham on Friday and Saturday while the men will travel to Brockport on Friday and come home Saturday and play Geneseo.

by Sabina Longo, WTOP10-TV

With Halloween quickly approaching, Lieutenant Zachary Misztal, from the Oswego Police Department has offered some tips to make your Trick- or- Treating more enjoyable. Lieutenant. Misztal provided a list of ways adults can follow to make their children’s experience much better.

• Children should have reflectors on their Halloween buckets.
• Facial makeup is better than masks so those who are giving out candy can see children’s faces.
• Costumes should be looser fitted children can wear warmer clothing underneath.
• Children should always be accompanied with an adult.
• Know your Trick-or-Treat route.
• Have a safety plan incase you get separated from the group.
• Only go to houses that are well lit.
• Check your child’s candy, if it looks suspicious or unwrapped throw it out.

The Recent trend of people dressed up in clown costumes around the nation has caused panic and fear in communities. “Children can dress up in clown costumes, they just have to be responsible with it,” said Lieutenant Misztal.

by Ilyssa Weiner, WTOP10-TV

Moderated speak-out series “Oz Speaks” held the most recent talk in their series on Oct. 25. The topic was on the issue about Blue Lives Matter.

Students, faculty and members of the community were encouraged to speak about their thoughts and feelings about the situation without it being a debate. Some participants shared stories of family members in law enforcement while others discussed the impact of both the Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter movements on their personal lives.

Sophomore Keonna Wren was one of the participants of the event. One of the issues she spoke about was her identity as a black woman and how the two movements, [Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter] shaped her life.

“I absolutely love events like this because it’s not a debate,” said Wren. “I’m happy I got to spoke my truth and that’s what I came here for.”

Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jerri Howland is one of the organizers for “Oz Speaks.” She says this speak out is different from the others because of the structure for how Blue Lives Matter came about and how this movement contrasts to Black Lives Matter.

“It’s not only important for students, but it’s important for everyone in our society to make sure we listen to all points of views,” Howland said. “I think it’s when we don’t listen to others and don’t understand their point of view that we don’t really get to the heart of what diversity is.”

Howland says the goal of the “Oz Speaks” series is to create a space for the SUNY Oswego community to freely speak about their thoughts on issues. She believes the series has successfully done that so far.

The next “Oz Speaks” talk will be Nov. 1 at 6:30 PM in the Campus Center Auditorium.

by Abby Elbannan, WTOP10-TV

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Wizard of Oz is a classic production known across generations. Many know the story of the little girl from Kansas and the yellow brick road. What if all that is changed? What if instead of the yellow brick road there are train tracks, and instead of the traditional costumes it’s steampunk and edgy teenagers?

That’s exactly what to expect in Oswego State Theatre Department’s production this season. A twist where teenagers just like Dorothy set out on an adventure to rediscover themselves.  

Despite the thematic differences, it will still include the same main idea and plot, including the same songs many know and love from the original.

The theme of hobos and train hopping is incorporated into the production. The train hopping is based on personal experiences had by the director. Her son was injured a few years ago while jumping off of a train. This theme of trying to find where you belong is reflected in both train hopping and Dorothy’s desires. They are trying to find where they belong in life or in other words their very own “magical yellow brick road”.

The show is celebrating the kick-off of the newly renovated Tyler Hall and Waterman Theatre. There is still one weekend left for audiences to follow the journey to Oz and witness the magic redefined.

by Owen Marchand, WTOP10-TV

Fall is an exciting time for the Marching Buccaneers as they approach the Syracuse finals. The Oswego High School Marching Band is gearing up to compete in the state championships held at the Carrier Dome. This is a huge event that is celebrated by both the marching bands, and anyone who loves a good show.

The music program at Oswego High School takes pride in music education and the arts as it is full of opportunities and has something for everyone interested in music. They have multiple bands such as jazz and orchestras, and even an annual “Festival of Winds.”

The months of September and October prove to be challenging yet exciting months for the Marching Buccaneers as they are practicing, performing, and then doing it all over again. On October 15 they competed in New Hartford, followed by the Central Square competition on October 22, and now they prepare for the NYSFBC (New York State Field Band Conference) Championships at the Carrier Dome on October 30.

In last year’s Carrier Dome championships, The Oswego High School Marching Band came in 4th place during show 3 (Small School 1 Class) with a score of 85. Every year thousands of students and dozens of bands perform a show in front of judges where they will be graded based on both their visual and musical performance.

The first Championship was in 1974 and only consisted of eleven bands participating. In the past years there have been around fifty bands participating and has even had participants from outside New York State such as Connecticut and New Jersey.

With the Media Summit just one week away, there are many reasons why students and faculty at SUNY Oswego are anticipating this year’s event. The Media Summit will return to the newly renovated Tyler Hall for its twelfth year. The Summit was founded by alumni Lou Borrelli and Al Roker in 2005, to give students the chance to network with professionals in the media industry.

In years past, there was mainly a focus on connecting students with professionals in broadcasting, but this year, that theme is going to change. This year’s theme is “Digital, Social, Mobile: How Media Trends Impact Theater, Art and Music.”The theme strives to bring the Schools of Communication, Media and the Arts together, to broaden the topics the Media Summit covers. With a more unique and diverse panel than ever before, the Media Summit is now an event that appeals to students not only in the School of Communication interested in media, but also the School of the Arts and the Theater department.

The moderator for this year’s Summit is alumni Sean McAllister, Class of 2001. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Journalism, McAllister joined the Fox5 team in 2005 as News Producer. He quickly moved into his role as Executive Producer in which he launched the Emmy nominated show “MORE.”  He has made a name for himself in Las Vegas as an entertainment reporter. While Sean McAllister serves as role-model for students in journalism, the panelists serve as role-models and mentors to students in the fields of music, theater and the arts.

Panelist George Nick Gianopolous, used his passion for classical music to launch his career as a composer. Now, a multi-award winning artist, Gianopolous travels the world, sharing his love for music with others. His passion for music and the arts is mutually shared with fellow panelist Diana Priesler, the star of the Lifetime Television series “Pitch Slapped”.

After Priesler earned her bachelor’s degree in theatre performance and directing at SUNY Oswego, she used her voice to make an impact in the world of acapella music. Priesler is not only featured on her own television show, but she also is a member of an acapella band Blue Jupiter. When she isn’t using her talent on television or in her band, she hosts “SingStrong,” an international music charity event.

Third panelist Mya Brown also shares a background with Diana Priesler in theater. Brown is an actor, director/playwright and current visiting assistant professor in acting/directing and voice/diction here at SUNY Oswego. She is using her experience and expertise from performing in over 30 regional and national productions to reach the students in theater and music. Her passion for theater and the arts is not the only thing that keeps her going, but her love for technology and incorporating the use of it into theater is something that inspires her to match the advances with technology to theater.

The final panelist for this year’s Summit is former marketing and communications coordinator for SUNY Oswego’s Department of Campus Life, Michael Yoon. During his time at Oswego, Yoon also earned his Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. With the skills he developed, Yoon found his passion for working with print and design. After graduation, Yoon moved on to become the communication manager for University Services at Princeton University.

This year’s Media Summit is devoted to including all schools that make up SCMA. The decision to involve all the schools was suggested by Dean Julie Pretzat, to unite all students from the schools at one of the biggest events on campus, the Media Summit. Co-event director Kalie Hudson describes the panelists for this year’s event as being heavily entertainment based, but is hopeful the discussion is something that will engage everyone in communications, music, theatre and art and will be a discussion all can find interest in.

While inclusion of theater and the arts was essential in choosing this year’s panelists, the goal was to have communication remain at the heart of the event. Although the panelists are from different fields, there are overlapping interests in the fields of communication, media and the arts, so the decision to include all three schools was not a difficult decision at all as Hudson states.

The theme of this year’s event, “Digital, Social, Media”, is something that affects all students whether it is in the School of Communication or the School of the Arts; it is a discussion that can engage all students and a discussion in which all students can take something away from and apply it to their own field.

On October 27 at 3:00pm, all students are invited to gather in the Waterman Theater in Tyler Hall for a discussion with current professionals in the fields of communication, the arts, theater, and music. Each panelist has made a name for his/herself in their chosen fields and are prime examples of what students can achieve beyond graduation from SUNY Oswego.