by Reggie Debrah

Oswego, NY- Oswego State had their annual Iron Pour on Apr. 14. Iron Pour is an event that takes place once a semester by students in Oswego State’s Technology 205 (Materials Precision Production) course. The event took place in the pit behind Tyler Hall.

Professors and students collected recycled pieces of metal from around campus and heated it up to 3000 degrees. After the metal has melted, it is poured into plastic molds in order to create iron molds.

The event was organized by professor Benjamin Entner and other Technology 205 professors. Entner says the event is a spectacle.

“Everyone likes fire,” he said. “There’s an element of danger although it’s quite safe. It’s a unique experience not every college campus does.”

Students in the course were excited because of how much they prepared for this event throughout the semester. Those who came to watch were allowed to design plastics molds and have iron poured into it. After waiting for the iron to cool, everyone who carved out a mold was allowed to leave with the iron plate that they designed.

Oswego State student Lawrence Chiappone is currently in the Technology 205 class and says the Iron Pour is a great event for people to get involved with.

“Not many colleges do an Iron Pour,” he said. “You have a chance to make a sculpture. I think the professors in the community are really good about it.”

Oswego State student Michael Gambro took the Technology 205 class last year and was excited to come back to see the work done to this year’s event.
“I think it’s a cool way to get people involved,” he said. “It seems like something a little bit different around campus.”

by Ilyssa Weiner, WTOP10-TV

Moderated speak-out series “Oz Speaks” held the most recent talk in their series on Oct. 25. The topic was on the issue about Blue Lives Matter.

Students, faculty and members of the community were encouraged to speak about their thoughts and feelings about the situation without it being a debate. Some participants shared stories of family members in law enforcement while others discussed the impact of both the Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter movements on their personal lives.

Sophomore Keonna Wren was one of the participants of the event. One of the issues she spoke about was her identity as a black woman and how the two movements, [Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter] shaped her life.

“I absolutely love events like this because it’s not a debate,” said Wren. “I’m happy I got to spoke my truth and that’s what I came here for.”

Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jerri Howland is one of the organizers for “Oz Speaks.” She says this speak out is different from the others because of the structure for how Blue Lives Matter came about and how this movement contrasts to Black Lives Matter.

“It’s not only important for students, but it’s important for everyone in our society to make sure we listen to all points of views,” Howland said. “I think it’s when we don’t listen to others and don’t understand their point of view that we don’t really get to the heart of what diversity is.”

Howland says the goal of the “Oz Speaks” series is to create a space for the SUNY Oswego community to freely speak about their thoughts on issues. She believes the series has successfully done that so far.

The next “Oz Speaks” talk will be Nov. 1 at 6:30 PM in the Campus Center Auditorium.