by Ilyssa Weiner

OSWEGO, NY — Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent Excelsior Scholarship is the first program in the United States to offer free tuition to four year public colleges. The program, however, has its setbacks, critics say.

SUNY Oswego Financial Aid Director Mark Humbert says the hard part for students who receive the scholarship will be keeping it.

“You have to successfully complete 30 credit hours per year and most of our students don’t do that,” he said.

SUNY Oswego currently has a 48% acceptance rate. Humbert says the Excelsior Scholarship will cause the rate of all SUNY schools to decrease.

“It’s going to make SUNY more selective, which in some way goes against our mission which is affordability and access,” he said.

The initial cap for students who qualify will be an annual family income of $100,000. By 2019, the cap will rise to $125,000. Humbert says many students will still need loans despite the qualification.

”The cost of college is more than just tuition,” he said. “The same students that might be eligible for this still are going to need their loans to help pay for room and board.”

Students eligible for the program must stay in New York State for four years after they graduate. If they move out, the free tuition turns into a loan.

SUNY Oswego student Asha Bey is a broadcasting major and is concerned if she ends up with a job outside of New York.

“I know there’s plenty of job opportunities in other states other than New York,” Bey said.

While she is hopeful about the scholarship, Bey believes the kinks need to be worked out.

“I just want a group of people to just go through it so we can see what is there or what we can expect,” she said.

The Excelsior Scholarship program will take effect Fall 2017.

By Seth Prevratil, WTOP-10 TV

The season may be over, but it’s Awards Week in Major League Baseball, where the Baseball Writer’s Association of America recognizes the top performers over the past season.

Both the Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards have already been revealed. Winning Rookie of the Year for the American League is Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulme. For the National League, the winner is Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager. For the Manager of the Year award, Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians won the award for the American League while Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the award for the National League.

Earlier this evening, this years’ Cy Young Award recipients were announced. For the American League, Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox takes home the hardware. Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals takes National League honors.

The Most Valuable Player for each league will be announced tomorrow night on MLB Network.

By Jake Vanderbroek

The Oswego State men’s baseball team defeated New Paltz last Saturday by a score of 6-4. Brian Nolan tossed six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Matt Bowman went an inning and a third to pick up his second save of the season. At the dish, Eli Holton went 2-for-3 including a triple in the first inning that drove in two. The Lakers return to the diamond on Wednesday as they host St. Lawrence. First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm.