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.

Reported by: Conor Halton

College students that are also volunteer firefighters have the ability to receive tuition reimbursements in New York State. Assemblyman Will Barclay calls this a “relatively new program” offered through the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY).

The National Fire Prevention Association has estimated that roughly one hundred thirty nine billion dollars annually are saved by volunteer firefighters stepping up.

Barclay hopes that this program will encourage more students to become volunteers. The deadline for this semester’s program was recently extended to Oct. 16.

Volunteer firefighters attending college can apply online at http://www.fasny.com/index.php/resources/fasny-help/ or by emailing HELP@fasny.com, Attn: John D’Alessandro, Deputy Volunteer Programs Coordinator. Students can also call FASNY toll free at (855) 367-6933.