Several Oswego State students and faculty gathered in front of the peace memorial for a candlelight vigil last Friday in honor of the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack.

The vigil was held shortly after the suspect of the Pittsburgh attack, Robert Bowers, plead not guilty for the 44 criminal charges held against him in court last Thursday.

“We’re here to send a message of love and hope, and that hate is not welcome here,” Oswego Student Association President Omar van Reenen said. “Anti-semitism, gun violence, racism, and marginalization in all forms are not welcome on our campus, in our communities, or in our states.”

Van Reenen worked with the Student Association on campus to organize the vigil. Students and faculty held candles and signed a poster that read “Stronger than Hate.” Students gathered around the peace memorial for statements read by various members of the campus community including Sarah Nehama, vice president of Jewish Life on campus.

“I just want people to realize that anti-semitism is still a big thing,” Nehama said. “We had a 60 percent spike in anti semitism in 2017 which is crazy and this week we also had a synagogue defaced in California.”

The attacks in Pittsburgh and the defacement of a synagogue in California are just part of the growing problem with violence being expressed in America. The issue of gun violence in America continues to grow.

The Oswego State Swimming team is ready for a new season full of fast swimming and adrenaline. The team comes from accomplishing a 10-0 on the men’s team and an 8-2 on the women’s team last season. The team has experienced an exponential growth this year as a 24-strong class of 2022 has stepped into the game. Led by Coach Holman, Oswego State Swimming is looking forward to an exciting season.“All the international swimmers that we actually have here, you know, have been, you know, pretty serious about what they do,” says swimming coach Michael Holman. Assistant Coach Dragunas is experienced on the national level in Canada.“I think they bring a little bit of diversity and different perspective, you know, from where they come from,” says assistant coach Andrew Dragunas. This year the Oswego State Swimming team has three international swimmers. Luis Perez of Colombia is a sophomore this year. “I was once top 10 in all ages in all the country, so that was like really big for me. My main goal is to break the 100 and 200 backstroke records, school records, and hopefully to get a medal at SUNYACs,” said Luis. Alex Davie was born in Malaysia and is a junior this year. “When I was younger I was really focused on trying to make an Olympic team or make a national team because I have like five different nationalities, but as I’ve gotten older I realized that swimming just takes a lot from your life,” said Alex. Gigi Hon, a New York native, believes this is a great experience.“I learn a lot about everyone else’s culture, even if like you’re from a different state, but especially if you’re from out of the country,” Gigi says.