-
ESPN writer Kate Fagan shares inspiration for ‘What Made Maddy Run’
by Kerry Ryan
OSWEGO, N.Y. — On Tuesday, October 10th, the Sheldon Hall Ballroom was filled with members of the oswego community; all waiting to listen to ‘I Am Oz’ speaker and ESPN writer, Kate Fagan. Fagan shared her stories of coming out as a gay woman, working for ESPN, and her inspiration to write the book What Made Maddy Run?. What Made Maddy Run? is the story of University of Pennsylvania freshman track star Madison Holleran, who died by suicide at the age of 19 years old after secretly struggling with anxiety and depression.
Fagan originally wrote Holleran’s story as a piece for ESPN. After receiving numerous emails written by high school and college students, as well as their parents, Fagan said she knew that she needed to dig deeper into the story.
“I realized that we had really only touched on a certain piece of the story in the magazine piece and that there were other roads to travel down to make the story more fleashed out for the rest of the college students and young people who saw themselves in her,” Fagan said.
This isn’t Fagan’s first non-fiction story, however. The Former WNBA player previously released a book retelling the story of her own struggles. The Reappearing Act: Coming Out as Gay on a College Basketball Team Led by Born-Again Christians explains the background of Fagan’s difficulty with her identity and how it would affect her and those around her.
What Made Maddy Run? was an instant New York Times best-seller. This is a first for Fagan, who said she has always wanted to be a writer.
“Basketball was like the pursuit,” Fagan said. “I guess I’ll be a writer when I’m done. And so when i was done playing basketball, that’s when I moved the writing to the front burner.”
Fagan said her next goal is to get some of her fictional work published. She said that, unlike non-fiction, there’s a different way of storytelling in fiction and it allows writers to have more creative freedom.
What Made Maddy Run? by Kate Fagan is available online and in bookstores now.
-
Flash freeze potential grows in Oswego County
By Renee Dunn
OSWEGO, N.Y.– Low temperatures are continuing to sweep the area, putting an end to the mild Fall.
All of Western New York and parts of Central New York were under flood watches and warnings this past week. Flash freezes in Jefferson and Oswego County are a growing concern as snow shows up in the forecast along with dropping temperatures.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service said “a flash freeze is possible, meaning wet road surfaces may quickly turn to black ice,” and potential for snow and ice may result in dangerous travel conditions.
Accuweather.com had issued a Wind Advisory along the Lake Ontario shoreline this past week, and now warns that progressively colder air will unleash rounds of lake-effect snow from the Upper Midwest to the interior Northeast next week. Travel could be difficult for students leaving the Oswego campus to go home for Thanksgiving.
For more information on weather outlooks for Central New York, visit https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/oswego-ny/13126/weather-warnings/334659.
-
Hewitt Hall Set to Become New Communications Building
This spring, Hewitt Hall is expected to shut down in preparation for its renovation to become the new communications department building. This new space is set to give students more access to the tools they need.
The Chair of the Department of Communication Studies, Jessica Reeher, explains what is planned to be included in this new space. “The new building is going to house all of communications studies as a department, and as well as the Dean’s office for SCMA and the graphic design faculty component of the art department.”
The Hewitt building is home to many of SUNY Oswego’s departments, including the Department of Sustainability and the Department of Auxiliary Services. It also currently includes many counseling services, and the health center.
The renovated Hewitt building is expected to be a space for students to utilize 24 hours a day. Once the renovations are finished, this new space is set to include open areas for students to relax and eat.
There are also plans for team rooms where small groups can get together to work on projects or scripts. There will also be more studio spaces, more computer labs, and more opportunities for students to get ahold of the technology they need.
Reeher stated, “We envision this as a 24-hour building. So students can access if you need to get into the editing suite, if you need to get into a studio, you can get access to many of the facilities 24 hours.”
According to Reeher, once the space in Hewitt is up and running for the students, Lanigan hall will then move into a phase of renovation. All of the renovations happening are being done with the students in mind, so they are able to make the most of their time here at Oswego.
The renovation plans were made pre-COVID so the dates for opening the new building are subject to change. But, Reeher seems to have high hopes that the project will be completed and that the building will be open for students by spring 2024.
“It’s just a beautiful space, the renditions are, if it looks half as good as the current computer renditions it’s going to be really amazing.” -Jessica Reeher
ResLife reopens housing applications for the 2023-2024 academic year; reporter Reilly Jones takes us inside Waterman Theatre’s latest production; these stories and more, on WTOP-10 Nightly News. Catch up here.
Anchors: Amani De La Cruz, Seth Appleby
Reporter: Reilly Jones
Weather: Aurora Fitzgerald
Sports Anchor: Matthew Sheremeta
