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Etan Thomas at OzSpeaks Diversity Series
Former NBA player Etan Thomas visited SUNY Oswego last Monday to lead a panel discussion and q&a about activism and media exposure within professional sports. The discussion was held at the Marano Campus Center auditorium as a part of the “I am Oz” Diversity Series.
“There’s this new surge of athletes using their voices and speaking out.” Thomas said.
Since Thomas’ retirement he has become a writer and a commentator, with a life devotion to advocating for social change on and off the court.
“I grew up admiring the athletes of the past,” Thomas said. “like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali. Those were the athletes I have always admired (because of) the way they used their positions and platforms to be able to speak on different issues and create change.”
Several students attended the panel with many questions of discussion including players taking a knee during the national anthem, how athletes present themselves in the media, media criticism, and the evolution of social media use by players.
After the panel, students had an opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of Thomas’ book entitled “We Matter- Athletes and Activism.”
“I want them to read the stories of these different athletes who they admire seeing on the court or the field,” Thomas said, “by seeing the courage that they have and the passion that they speak with, and become inspired themselves to become activists in their own way.”
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Route 104 construction in Oswego continues
By Josh Holfoth
OSWEGO, NY – The construction along route 104 that has been going on since July of 2016 has become an unwelcome visitor to local home owner Frank Palmer.
The traffic congestion along with the loud noises and dust from construction Palmer said has brought him other residents problems for the last two years.
The 4 mile strip of the state road stretching from the SUNY Oswego campus entrance, west, the route 104A intersection in southwest Oswego is getting widened 2 feet on either side. New drainage gutters and culverts are also being built along with the road getting repaved.
Project engineer for the state department of transportation Frank Brosch oversees the project. Brosch says the improvements being made to the road will make it safer as there has been problems with this in the past. One of the main reasons Brosch said for widening the road was because many tractor trailers were going off the road into ditches in that area. Widening the shoulder of the road will create a safer environment for traffic and tractor trailers; despite this Frank Palmer said he is still skeptical about how much safer it will actually be because of the faster speeds the trucks will be more inclined to go.
After more than a year the majority of the work on the $14 million dollar project is done. Despite some weather delays this past spring the better weather now means the roadwork should be done by the end of December.
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Seniors Carry Lakers to Win
The Oswego State men’s basketball team defeated Geneseo by a final score of 65-58 on Saturday. With the win, the Lakers finish the regular season with a 13-2 overall record and 10-8 conference record. The Knights fall to 14-11 on the season.
On his senior day, Josh Ivey gave Oswego the start they were looking for. Ivey scored 11 of the team’s first 14 points and played a pivotal role as the Lakers took a eight point lead into halftime. Geneseo fought back in the second half though as they went on a 15-4 run to erase the deficit. It would be short lived as Jamir Ferebee led Oswego on a 11-0 run of their own to secure the victory.
The seniors were the star performers for the Lakers as Ivey had a career high 22 points and six rebounds. Ian Schupp (13) and Ferebee (10) also reached double-figures in points.
Oswego and Geneseo will meet again on Tuesday in Geneseo at 7 pm. The winner of the contest will move on to the second round of the SUNYAC Championship.
