Reported by: DJ Manou
Reported by: Sameer Kumar
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S2026 E0331 – WTOP-10 TV NIGHTLY PROGRAMMING
9:00pm – Nightly News
9:30pm- The Unofficial Sports Show
10:30pm- Entertainment Breach
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Liverpool man sentenced to 20 years on rape conviction
A man who forcibly raped a woman in the Village of Phoenix in July of 2005 has been convicted. Joseph A. Stefanovich was sentenced to 20 years in state prison by Oswego County Court Judge James Metcalf, for Rape in the First Degree. Stefanovich will also receive five years’ post-release supervision. The conviction pertains to an allegation that Stefanovich grabbed the victim from behind, put her in a chokehold, and dragged her into a wooded area where the offense was committed.
Stefanovich was linked to the case due to a DNA sample from a 2006 case. The DNA was on profile due to a prior sexual offense conviction.
At trial, Stefanovich claimed that his DNA appeared in the rape kit because he had a consensual encounter with the victim on the day of the offense. He told the jury that another person must have raped her later that same day.
The victim testified that she did not know Stefanovich and had never engaged in consensual intercourse with him.
District Attorney Gregory Oakes, the prosecutor of the case, stated that he wanted to commend the victim for having the “strength to come forward and the courage to testify at trial. Our community is now safe from this predator because of her bravery and fortitude. It was an honor to stand up and fight for her in court.”
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Student Association Update: November 10th
On Tuesday evening, the 53rd Student Association met for the ninth official time of the semester. The number of senators to make a quorum were present, and Executive Vice President Emily Nassir called the meeting to order.
The Oswego State Cheerleading Team kicked of the meeting as a guest to the Senate. The Cheer team asked for an increase in their budget this year as a result of the team growing in size. They currently have thirty-six members on the team. To ensure that all get a chance to travel to Nationals in Daytona Beach this April, they’ve turned to the Student Association to help with transportation, hotel, uniform and food costs. In previous years the Cheerleading Team have relied on sponsorships to fund their trip, but after handing out over forty letters, and only receiving three, they felt it would be wise to reach out for funding. Their budget proposal and official budget structuring will be overseen by the finance committee next week.
There was no public comment, so the meeting moved into the next section, executive reports.
Student Association President Christopher Collins-McNeil, shared his experience from the Net Impact Equity Premium Group Conference in Seattle, which he had attended over the weekend. Collins-McNeil briefly described it as “one of the most powerful experiences at a conference.” He stated that he would go further into detail next week about his time spent in Seattle.
Student Association Director of Finance Matthew Peters then took the floor. Peters spoke about a proposal to change the fifty percent rule, regarding the purchasing of items for clubs and organizations on campus. A change in the rule would give each student club or organization control over its own budget, with the advisement and approval of the Director of Finance and the SA President. It is up to the rest of the Senate to vote on whether the fifty percent rule should change or not.
The meeting then progressed into Hall Council reports. Waterbury Hall announced that students are no longer restricted to only using the lounge on their floor. Students now have access to any lounge in the hall. Waterbury Hall also reminded the Senate that their Laker Life program Glow Jam, will be on December 4th. They encouraged all Senate members to attend the event and spread the word. Cayuga Hall spoke on combating the issue of bullying in their residence hall. The hall has organized a program against bullying where students will post index cards and post-its with encouraging words in the hallways of Cayuga Hall.
No new legislation was introduced, therefore the meeting came to a close and the senators dismissed.
Student Association Senate Meetings take place every Tuesday at 6pm, in Lanigan 107. There are only two meetings left in this semester, November 18th, and December 4th. All meetings are open to the public and students are encouraged to attend and present on any issue.
