SUNY OSWEGO – On Tuesday evening, the Student Association called their fourth meeting of the Senate to order. The quorum to start the meeting was met, and following the approval of the meetings agenda and minutes, the meetings was well under way.

Emily Cole, President of PRSSA was the first and only guest to the Senate for the evening. The organization was requesting funds to help with the costs of the tee shirts they will be purchasing from “Zink” for Com Week in April. PRSSA stated that they tie-dying event held that week will be free for students. Although they do have funds in their budget, they do not wish to use all of it as they need to purchase the supplies for the tie-dying. The requested funds from SA to help with the tee shirts. They feel this is a great and fun way for them to promote SUNY Oswego’s School of Communication. Two senators volunteered to write the bill which will be proposed and voted on at a later date.

In Executive Reports, SA President Emily Nassir gave her first official report seeing as she was in a conference last week in Boston. Nassir revealed that the legislation for her first project as President “SA Assembly” has been laid out. SA Assembly will give organizations on campus a better opportunity to effectively communicate with SA, through monthly meeting where concerns and questions can be expressed. The legislation will be looked over and reviewed several times prior to voting by the Senate which will determine whether the bill passes or not. Nassir also stated that she is open to any suggestions or changes. Nassir also shared minor details of a new project she is working on with Auxiliary Services. The plan is to make student food favorites from the dining halls available in the express markets on campus. This project is just in the beginning stages and Nassir will provide more information as the project evolves. Nassir also discussed the use of the discount cards available to students on campus. The cards have expired, but are currently being renewed. Due to expenses, they will not be purchasing the cards, but instead the discount app. There are several store in town that work with the school to provide discounts to students. To finish off her report, Nassir proposed that funds be moved to the contingency account due to the lack of funds currently there. This allows SA to help the organizations on campus with their funds. By majority vote, all senators approved and the funds will be moved to the account.

Vice President Shelby Gallaro gave a short and brief executive report sharing the success of the town hall meeting and workshop that were both held last week. Gallaro said that the town hall meeting was informative and shared that SUNY Oswego is working on creating a common space in Sweatman gym, There is space that is not being used which can be a potential common are including but not limited to pool tables and a dance area. The workshop in which Gallaro and Senators attended was a great leadership and teambuilding experience.

Matthew Peters, Director of Finance concluded the meetings executive reports. Peters reminded senators that the budget for clubs and organizations opens on February 29th. Clubs and organizations can submit their budgets for next year and SA will begin reviewing them shortly after the date budgeting opens. Peters wanted to clarify a previous statement made about the ticket prices of OzFest. In the previous meeting Peters suggested that prices be reduced anywhere from $10 to $20 per ticket, however this was not an official statement revealing the price of the ticket. Peters was merely expressing his opinion, and stated Tuesday night that ticket prices will be determined by the overall cost of the event as well as how much funding they receive from the school. Peters closed his executive report by stating that SA does not currently know who the performer(s) will be, but hopes to know by the end of next week.

Following Executive Reports was Committee Reports. Finance Committee shared that the bill for the ASL Organization on campus has been written. They are currently working with the National Broadcast Society to reduce the amount of funds requested. The Men’s Rugby team is waiting for a response from the Women’s Rugby team to see if they will be willing to help fund the tournament hosted on campus in the spring. The Involvement Committee shared that the “Miss-a-Meal” date for this semester has been chosen. April 14th, students will be able to donate their meal to help veterans in the community. The committee is also working on making posters to be placed on bulletin boards in campus that will encourage students to vote yes for the mandatory student service fee. The poster will include some of the reasons why students are encouraged to vote yes especially since the service fee is what allows student shuttle services to run, fund SAVAC and also funds WNYO and WTOP on campus. These are just a few of the many things that the student service fee fund, which is why it is extremely important that the fee be kept mandatory.

In Hall Council Reports Oneida shared that their night in Hollywood event was a great success. All students who attended really enjoyed the program and had a great time. Johnson hall will be making a constitution committee which will serve to make sure that all rules of the hall’s constitution are being followed during their hall council meetings. Finally, Waterbury is in the process of re electing E-Board Member.

There were no special orders, therefore the meeting moved to the only general order for the evening. The National Association of Black Students Accountants requested funding for promotional materials, travel and lodging and guest speakers. The budget presented at the meeting included funding to help them sustain their new organization through promotions such as flyers to be placed around campus and a new banner to represent their organization. Funding for their events will be voted on at a later date because they are currently finding other ways to help with funding. The budget for the promotional materials was voted on and approved by general consent.

The meeting was adjourned following the passing of the only bill of the evening. SA holds their weekly meetings of the Senate Tuesday nights at 6pm, in Lanigan 106. Each meeting is open to the public. All students and organizations are encouraged to attend to express any concerns they may have.

With the Media Summit just one week away, there are many reasons why students and faculty at SUNY Oswego are anticipating this year’s event. The Media Summit will return to the newly renovated Tyler Hall for its twelfth year. The Summit was founded by alumni Lou Borrelli and Al Roker in 2005, to give students the chance to network with professionals in the media industry.

In years past, there was mainly a focus on connecting students with professionals in broadcasting, but this year, that theme is going to change. This year’s theme is “Digital, Social, Mobile: How Media Trends Impact Theater, Art and Music.”The theme strives to bring the Schools of Communication, Media and the Arts together, to broaden the topics the Media Summit covers. With a more unique and diverse panel than ever before, the Media Summit is now an event that appeals to students not only in the School of Communication interested in media, but also the School of the Arts and the Theater department.

The moderator for this year’s Summit is alumni Sean McAllister, Class of 2001. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Journalism, McAllister joined the Fox5 team in 2005 as News Producer. He quickly moved into his role as Executive Producer in which he launched the Emmy nominated show “MORE.”  He has made a name for himself in Las Vegas as an entertainment reporter. While Sean McAllister serves as role-model for students in journalism, the panelists serve as role-models and mentors to students in the fields of music, theater and the arts.

Panelist George Nick Gianopolous, used his passion for classical music to launch his career as a composer. Now, a multi-award winning artist, Gianopolous travels the world, sharing his love for music with others. His passion for music and the arts is mutually shared with fellow panelist Diana Priesler, the star of the Lifetime Television series “Pitch Slapped”.

After Priesler earned her bachelor’s degree in theatre performance and directing at SUNY Oswego, she used her voice to make an impact in the world of acapella music. Priesler is not only featured on her own television show, but she also is a member of an acapella band Blue Jupiter. When she isn’t using her talent on television or in her band, she hosts “SingStrong,” an international music charity event.

Third panelist Mya Brown also shares a background with Diana Priesler in theater. Brown is an actor, director/playwright and current visiting assistant professor in acting/directing and voice/diction here at SUNY Oswego. She is using her experience and expertise from performing in over 30 regional and national productions to reach the students in theater and music. Her passion for theater and the arts is not the only thing that keeps her going, but her love for technology and incorporating the use of it into theater is something that inspires her to match the advances with technology to theater.

The final panelist for this year’s Summit is former marketing and communications coordinator for SUNY Oswego’s Department of Campus Life, Michael Yoon. During his time at Oswego, Yoon also earned his Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. With the skills he developed, Yoon found his passion for working with print and design. After graduation, Yoon moved on to become the communication manager for University Services at Princeton University.

This year’s Media Summit is devoted to including all schools that make up SCMA. The decision to involve all the schools was suggested by Dean Julie Pretzat, to unite all students from the schools at one of the biggest events on campus, the Media Summit. Co-event director Kalie Hudson describes the panelists for this year’s event as being heavily entertainment based, but is hopeful the discussion is something that will engage everyone in communications, music, theatre and art and will be a discussion all can find interest in.

While inclusion of theater and the arts was essential in choosing this year’s panelists, the goal was to have communication remain at the heart of the event. Although the panelists are from different fields, there are overlapping interests in the fields of communication, media and the arts, so the decision to include all three schools was not a difficult decision at all as Hudson states.

The theme of this year’s event, “Digital, Social, Media”, is something that affects all students whether it is in the School of Communication or the School of the Arts; it is a discussion that can engage all students and a discussion in which all students can take something away from and apply it to their own field.

On October 27 at 3:00pm, all students are invited to gather in the Waterman Theater in Tyler Hall for a discussion with current professionals in the fields of communication, the arts, theater, and music. Each panelist has made a name for his/herself in their chosen fields and are prime examples of what students can achieve beyond graduation from SUNY Oswego.

This past weekend the men’s hockey team started conference play and looked to continue their winning streak.

On Friday night, the team traveled to Brockport to take on the Golden Eagles in the first SUNYAC game of the year. The Lakers would win the game 5-1. Five different goal scorers contributed to the Lakers win. Jody Sullivan led the Lakers with a power play goal and an assist.

On Saturday, the team returned to Oswego for their homecoming game vs. Geneseo. After being down 3-1 at the end of the second period, the Lakers would go on a scoring rally in the third period to win the game 5-3. Leading the third period scoring rally was a power play goal from Kenny Neil followed by goals scored by Jody Sullivan, Stephen Johnson and Alex Botten. With the goal, Botten became the 52nd member of the 100 point club.

After this weekend of play, the Lakers improve to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in the conference. The Lakers will go on the road Friday and continue SUNYAC play at Potsdam.