by Owen Marchand, WTOP10-TV

The November Town Hall meeting with President Stanley in the Campus Center’s auditorium attracted a group of students who were eager to ask SUNY Oswego’s president questions on different topics.

These monthly meetings are a great way for students to address any concerns or questions around campus with both President Stanley and fellow faculty members who attend the meetings.

Freshman Ethan Magram, Senator of the Student Association talked about how different campuses have insight on different demographics such as student involvement and asked, “how can we collect better data on students to figure out how they like things on campus, living here, and how they feel about activities such as clubs, etc.” Stanley and other faculty members chimed in by stating how last school year a committee was created to see what students think about. Jerald Woolfolk, Vice President of student affairs and enrollment, mentioned how auxiliary services and residential life do surveys.

Another student brought up the revival of the campus common hour and this was heavily talked about as it took a large point of interest. The common hour is an hour across campus where there are no classes or essentially any activities held. SUNY Oswego used to participate in the common hour, but it was later ended, brought back, and again taken away. The campus held the common hour between 12:45 and 1:00 however, it was voted to be suspended due to conflicts according to President Stanley. Many students and faculty appeared to be interested in bringing it back, however one graduate student at the meeting mentioned remembering how due to the common hour being during lunch time it made the lines at each dining hall very long.

One student simply wanted to thank President Stanley on her email sent regarding the recent presidential election as it brought out many mixed emotions among the Oswego community. President Stanley stated “No matter what happens, we stand together.” She was also amazed at the speak out regarding “The strength, depth of solidarity, humor, and hope for the future.”

One of the last questions for President Stanley was, “I chose this school because I have seen so many advances in the facilities, resident halls, Shineman, etc. How do you and the rest of administration see the future of this?” Stanley talked about how the school’s core values are how the student learns, and having a 24 environment on a campus where students live is also important. This is why many renovations have been made and there are still more to come. She also mentioned how important upkeep is.

The November Town Hall meeting was another success as each student who attended was able to get their questions and concerns addressed and get clarification on anything they were wondering.

Students, faculty and campus officials gathered in Marano Campus Center Auditorium, Thursday September 29th, for the first town hall meeting with Deborah Stanley of the semester. The town hall meetings act as a platform where students can bring their questions and concerns about the campus to President Stanley to be addressed. Many students came prepared with questions and concerns for President Stanley and officials pertaining to both on and off campus issues. After Student Association President Emily Nassir, introduced President Stanley, Stanley opened the floor to student concerns.

Plans to build a new staircase that leads to the lake on the west side of campus were brought forward by a student. The student expressed their and other students’ desire to have a proper staircase that leads down to the lake on west side of campus, so residents on west side can also enjoy walking down to the lake. President Stanley and officials confirmed that the plans have gone into effect. President Stanley said that her main concern for building the staircase was safety and she is working with campus environmentalists and professionals to make sure the new staircase meets accessibility concerns and respects the environment. Safety was also the concern of other students who questioned why Desk Attendants were no longer required to check student ids from 11pm until 3am. The new rule went into effect in the beginning of the semester as per request of Residence Life and Housing. Students feel taking away Desk Attendants’ ability to check ids during the late hours, decreases overall safety for students on and off campus. President Deborah Stanley expressed that she did not agree with the decision and wanted Desk Attendants to continue to check ids effective immediately until further notice.

Students also came forward on Thursday evening expressing their concerns over the banking change from Higher One Account to Vibe Account. Because there was a change in companies, the ATM for Higher One Account was taken out of the campus center and as a result, students can no longer take out money without being charged a fee. The university is currently negotiating with the new company to have them install a new ATM for customers to use. Not only did students have concerns over their bank accounts, but they also brought up concerns over their email accounts, as many SUNY Oswego emails have been susceptible to phishing and email scams. Students wanted to know what was going to be done about the problem as email is the primary source of communication on campus between students and faculty. Before addressing the student’s concern, President Stanley jokingly said, “I think it’s Russia. Don’t you think it’s Russia?” After getting a laugh out of those in attendance the Technology Department said they were aware of the problem and we addressing ways to fix the issue. They have been trying to cut down on the amount of LakerNet emails that are in the system by contacting alumni, recent graduates and past faculty members to verify they still want their account activated. In addition to verifying email activations, the Technology Department is also encouraging students to change their email passwords to decrease the chances of having one’s email account hacked.

Many concerns were brought forward at Thursday’s meeting. All concerns were addressed by President Stanley and/or campus officials. The town hall meetings are the time and place for students to bring their concerns forward to be addressed and solved. All students are encouraged to attend the meetings to voice their opinions and make an impact on campus. Town Hall Meetings are held every Thursday evening at 6pm, in the Marano Campus Center Auditorium. The meetings open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

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.