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The River’s End Bookstore
Reported by: Kristen Beyer
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Travel Ban Response
by Ilyssa Weiner
Oswego, NY – Oswego State President Deborah Stanley sent students and faculty members an email on Sunday morning in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning travel into the United States from seven Muslim majority countries including Iraq, Syria, and Iran for 90 days.
The ban affects both non-immigrants and immigrants as well as those with a student or scholar visa. Green card holders were originally affected by the ban. However, according the New York Times, that decision has been reversed.
“There is considerable uncertainty about its implications,” Stanley wrote. “We advise great caution on the part of our international students, faculty and staff to consider carefully any travel outside the country or consider deferring travel until there is more clarity about how the Executive Order will affect us.”
Oswego State does not have a study abroad or international education program in any of the seven countries. Stanley advises those who are from any of those countries and are either planning to travel or are currently outside of the United States to seek the advice of an immigration lawyer before making travel plans.
“SUNY Oswego has always been a welcome and hospitable home for international students and visitors since our founding over 150 years ago,” she wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to international students, scholars and programs for the creativity, intellectual rigor and cultural diversity you bring to our campus.”
According to the New York Times, a federal judge partially blocked Trump’s ban on refugees and other foreign nationals who were being held at U.S. airports on Saturday night. Protests against the ban continue across the country.
If there are any questions or concerns, contact the Office of International Education and Programs at isss@oswego.edu or by calling 315-312-2118.
Hart Hall is home to many international students and some of the students may be affected by the ban.
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More Police Patrols In Oswego
OSWEGO, NY— City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has proposed a $90,000 grant to increase police patrols within the Port City. The new patrols will be called “quality-of-life patrols” and will be conducted on foot by Oswego City Police Department every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. The proposal for more policing in the city comes after a recent increase in the number of night time disturbances reported to the Oswego City Police.
Some students from the SUNY Oswego fear the new patrols will be specifically targeting students. Julian Martinez, a junior finance major at SUNY Oswego said, “Why now? Why increase the patrols now? After all these years of having the college involved in the community what debauchery is occurring to make them increase the patrols?”
Martinez believed the patrols will be mainly focusing on student activity. He noted many Oswego State students are most active in the city on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The same nights the quality of life patrols will be conducted.
Other students feel the patrols will help make the city a safer place for students. Senior, business-administration major Az Wilson said, “ It’s going to be better. It’s going to make the city a lot safer. I think it would help protect some of our students who go out on those nights as well.”
Mayor Barlow said the quality-of-life patrols are not meant to target students and he feels having police walking the streets at night will benefit the city, as well as university students. Barlow said he wanted “boots on the ground” to make sure city codes were being enforced and to ensure no large disturbances affected the city on its busiest nights.
Mayor Barlow also hopes the quality-of-life patrols will create a stronger relationship between the city police and the residents of the city.
Barlow said, “We know the relationship between police and public can be strained at times and I believe the best way to improve that relationship is to get the police out of the station, out of the cop car, walking in the parks, walking in the neighborhoods, and collecting data, but also forming relationships with our community members.”
Mayor Barlow said the Oswego City Police Department already has a good relationship with the community it serves, but more outreach can always be done.
The quality-of-life patrols have been funded for the rest of 2019 and all of 2020.
