by Jihad Yarber

Oswego, NY- April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), 11% of college students experience rape or sexual assault on campus. Oswego State educates those on campus about how to assess these situations through Title IX training.

Title IX is a section of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972 that prevents sexual discrimination in colleges.  Discrimination includes sexual harassment, assault, and rape.

Title IX training is required for many clubs, organizations, and employers on campus. It goes through the basics of sexual harassment training and how to avoid being a bystander.

Oswego State student Alyssa Barrett says the Title IX training provided on campus is beneficial.

“I feel like it was beneficial, not just for organizations or jobs. I think the video they show was effective. I think it’s important just to know about it in general,” she said.

Fraternities and sororities on campus must also go through the Title IX training in order to spread awareness about sexual harassment and assault to incoming members.

“Greek life honestly has a bad reputation,” Kappa Sigma president Steven Gerencser said. “People just think that we’re drinking clubs and all we do is take advantage of girls and do all that stuff, but I think it’s good because it shows we don’t just do that, it’s not the stereotypes. We care about people and it’s good we’re teaching our pledges that.”

Both Barrett and Gerencser feel the training is an excellent step to assure their wellbeing.

by Jihad Yarber

Oswego, NY- Tapestries, curtains, and flags are just a few of the items prohibited from the residence halls in Oswego State. The items are promptly confiscated if they are discovered in any of the dorms. Onondaga Assistant Hall Director Chris Lewand says wall decorations are a risk to fire safety.

“Tapestries, curtains, and flags lead to more fire hazards than your typical poster would,” he said. “However we do have restrictions on posters, they’re only allowed to be on 10 percent of the wall they’re not allowed to be within two feet of the ceilings. So there are restrictions in place, but overall it comes down to what the fire marshall has deemed to be more flammable.”

While posters are considered to be safe for students to have in their possession, some disagree with the claim that one is more hazardous than the other.

“I feel like they take up about the same amount of space on the wall and they’re made of similar flammable materials,” student Cooper Lee said. “I just don’t see how one person can specifically say how a poster is that much more safe than a tapestry,”

Other students are accepting of the rule, but also think a change in policy may lead to a better solution, feeling there needs to be more trust in the on-campus residents.

“I understand why tapestries would be not allowed in rooms,” student Julia Gaudio said. “However I think that there are many flammable things that people don’t focus on and most kids have tapestries anyway,”

“I think there’s a lot of tapestries that are hung up and there hasn’t been a fire started yet,” student Lilia Grucza said. “I feel like they just need to give us a little more credit for knowing to be safe with fire safety instead of just banning anything that could potentially start a fire.”

For more information on what items are prohibited in the dorms, visit Oswego State’s website or contact Residence Life and Housing at 315-312-2246.  

by Michael Allchin

Oswego, NY- Angela Russel is a senior music major from Richmond, Massachusetts. She has been very active with Oswego State’s music department by performing in choirs, musicals and acapella.

When she first came to Oswego State, she was passionate about broadcasting and journalism. She eventually switched her major to music because she knew her direction of passion had changed. She specifically had an interest in opera.

“I wasn’t really that great of a singer at first,” Russel said. “I didn’t really know all the technique and all the body you put into it and over the years I’ve learned so much that I just took all the repertoire that I’ve really worked on and shown how much I’ve grown since I started that song all the way up till now”.

On Apr. 8, Russel had her senior concert, where she performed many songs that showcased her opera skills. Russel was also collaborated with Vocal Effect, Oswego State’s acapella club where she is an active member of.

Aside from family and friends, Russel’s biggest supporters were Oswego State music professors Nancy James and Mihoko Tsutsumi. Both professors helped Russel improve her vocal skills and have not only transformed her into a better musician, but also the person she wants to be.

Russel plans to attend a graduate program where she will be able to continue her dream of becoming an opera singer.