OSWEGO, NY—On Monday, October 27, Mayor Billy Barlow and City Hall officials unanimously voted to ban the use of styrofoam and smoking on public properties. 

A concerned member of the community took the opportunity to speak about the effect of smoking on the community. 

“Discarding cigarette butts constitute the majority of litter on beaches, playgrounds, etc. The reduction of use results in reduced clean up costs for the community,” said the woman. 

Cigarette filters, e-cigarette pods and plastic wrappers all contain toxic chemicals that can leak into water supplies and are non-biodegradable. These products can also pose a major threat to children and small animals. 

“That’s the bottom line for me is quality of life. There will be improvement for us, as current residents as well as the future residents,” said Council Member Robert A. Corridino. 

SUNY Oswego students also expressed their support for the ban, but adding more can and should be done. 

“To have them all be more encompassing and have a more robust ‘Keep Oswego Clean Initiative.’ I feel like besides just banning styrofoam products they should too expand it to ban other single use plastic products as well…” said former Student Association President, Omar van Reenan. “Then we also have to take that responsibility to heart and act on that responsibility to protect not just the people but the environment of the city of Oswego as well.” 

Now that it has been passed, the initiative will go into effect on April 22, 2020, which is also Earth Day.

OSWEGO, NY— Something on everyone’s mind: those cold Oswego winters.

It has been three weeks since the end of summer, and the cold weather is already creeping into Oswego. Many residents have started preparing themselves for the inevitable cold by wearing extra layers, like resident Azrien “Az” Wilson.

“Just a bunch of blankets, socks, sweats, kind of just taking care of myself. I’m not really worried about the room, as long as I’m warm,” said Wilson.

Other residents have been following suit and are starting to stockpile on winter clothes, including Ubong Udofa.

“Stocking up on my jackets, coats, and sweaters, sweatpants, my scarves, and my boots, too,” said Udofa.

With many residents being freshman and transfer students, it’s always good to know what tips and resources are available to help prepare for the winter weather from resident assistants, including Jessa Costa.

“We have heaters behind the desk that they can rent out, you can’t have them for too long but they definitely help temporarily in that moment,” said Costa. “Just make sure you’re bundled up, and hopefully the heating in the building is working well.”

Another good tip, don’t put any furniture in front of the radiator, because it will cause the heat to stay trapped.

For more information on further resources, talk to your resident assistant or hall director.