Oswego, NY – On Saturday, October 6th United Way of Greater Oswego hosted their second annual chicken BBQ at Woodchuck’s Saloon. From 12-4pm, meal tickets could have been purchased for ten dollars. Meals include chicken, Woodchuck-styled baked beans, salted potatoes, and a roll.

Patrick Dewine, executive director of United Way of Greater Oswego, explains the purpose of last weekend’s event.

“An event that we ran in order to help raise funds for our annual campaign and it also brings awareness about our campaign, which is under full swing right now,” Dewine said.

Dewine explains, that the campaign focuses on trying to motivate the community to give money or volunteer, in order to help fund many different organizations that cover issues such as hunger, addiction, and other issues within the county.

Lexie Wallace, resource development director of United Way of Greater Oswego, shares the importance of bringing awareness to the community.

“There are parts of Oswego county that are a little more rural, so not as visible as a big city like Syracuse, so sometimes that need can be a little hidden,” Wallace said. “I think the power of word of mouth is often overlooked.”

Oswego, NY – Hart Hall, also known as the “Global Living and Learning Community,” houses students from all around the world. Students living in Hart Hall are required to take the IST Course. This course has been in place for over ten years and is currently run by Maggie Rivera and Chelsea Delgiorno. “The IST Course is a course that’s focused on the international cultures and different individuals around the world,” said Chelsea. The IST Course is worth one elective credit for each semester that it is taken. “We have an international focus, which means that we don’t focus on anything inside the U.S., and we brought in people’s horizons to what’s happening around the world,” added Chelsea. Vegard Bergset from Norway is living on his own for the first time.“For instance, this is the first time in my life I’ve ever shared a room with someone.” Exchange student Mercedes Perez of Spain is learning from other cultures as she finds out she does not always have the same perspective as her peers. “Here we meet people from all over the world, you know? From Canada, Nepal, you know. ”On the other hand, for Spaniard Mercedes Perez living away from home is nothing new,  but living in an international environment has changed her perception of life. “I like living in Hart Hall because you have the experience to all the international students, and you get to meet people from different cultures,” says American student Shawn. Hart Hall is not exclusive for the international students. One example is Shawn Mohr, who believes that learning from different cultures makes one become more open-minded. Students from a total of twenty-seven different nationalities live here in Hart Hall. The IST Course is an opportunity for them to learn from each other’s different culture.