Cayuga Community College Auburn & Fulton, New York
Collegian cayugacollegian@gmail.com
VOL. 68 ISSUE 14
CAYUGABRIEFS
CAYUGA TO HOLD COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY MAY 19
CAYUGA CHANGES MASK PROTOCOLS Thank you for your patience as we evaluated potential changes to our COVID-19 safety protocols following Governor Hochul’s decision to lift the statewide mask mandate for schools. After reviewing guidance from SUNY and our local health departments, we are adjusting our mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals. This change is detailed below. Please remember our COVID-19 measures are subject to further change based on guidance from SUNY and local county health departments. Effective Monday, March 7 For individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19: Wearing a facial covering indoors on-campus is optional. Employees and students in counties deemed “high risk” by their local health department and/or the Centers for Disease Control are strongly encouraged to continue wearing a facial covering indoors. You can check your county’s COVID-19 risk status at this link. Unvaccinated individuals and vaccinated individuals who have not submitted their vaccination information must continue wearing a facial covering indoors. Employees can submit their vaccination at this link. COVID-19 testing will continue in its current format. Vaccinated individuals test once per month, unvaccinated and unverified individuals test once per week. All other current COVID-19 safety measures, including social distancing guidelines, remain in effect. Any further changes will be announced as soon as possible. Thank you for continuing to follow our COVID-19 health and safety measures. —Kathleen Chaykosky, MA COVID-19 Response Administrator
CAYUGA CAMPUS COVID-19 UPDATE Last week we conducted 230 COVID-19 tests and were informed by SUNY Upstate that none of the tests returned a positive result. To see your individual results, visit the Upstate testing website. Vaccinated individuals are required to test once per month. Unvaccinated individuals must participate in weekly testing. Schedule your test by clicking on these links: Auburn or Fulton. You will need your cell phone and College ID to complete your test. Vaccinated individuals who have not received a COVID-19 booster are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. —Kathleen Chaykosky, MA COVID-19 Response Administrator
PHOTO BORROWED FROM CCC FACEBOOK PAGE
STUDENT SENATE MEETING FRIDAY ON Friday, March 11th, at 11 A.M. The Student Government Organization, (SGO), will be hosting a spring senate meeting to bring clubs together to discuss allocation funding available and end of the year campus programming. Please encourage student club members to attend in our efforts to bring back club and campus life at CCC. See zoom link below. Thank you for all you do. Zoom Link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83700795216 —Norman Lee, Director of Student Activities/Professor
MARCH 8, 2022
Cayuga Community College to host 2022 Commencement ceremony, Thursday, May 19th, outdoors at Falcon Park in Auburn. Pictured above: 2019 CCC graduates after the last time Cayuga held an ‘in-person’ celebration since COVID-19 began.
By Caitlyn Major, Editor-in-chief President Brian Durant has announced that this year’s Commencement ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 P.M. It will be the first in person ceremony following the Covid-19 pandemic, and will be held at Falcon Park in Auburn. Students are encouraged to participate. Lauren Murphy, a freshman at CCC said, “It feels somewhat weird going back to normal after the past two years, but I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Caitlyn Major EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Abigail Marinelli scored four runs in the Spartans’ two opening games for the 2022 season, including three times in the team’s 9-8 loss in the second half of a doubleheader against Harford CC.
CLOSE LOSSES FOR SPARTANS TO OPEN SOFTBALL SEASON Cayuga Community College Softball opened its season with two road losses Friday at Harford Community College, including a heartbreaking walk-off after coming back from a five-run deficit. The Spartans dropped the opening contest to the Fighting Owls by a 10-5 final after holding an early lead, and then lost the second half of the doubleheader 9-8 after coming back from a 6-1 deficit. Coach Dave Plish said he was impressed with the team’s play, particularly as this is the first time the Spartans had the chance to play on the field due to the weather. “I thought we played great, especially for not having a chance to even practice outside yet because of the weather. I was very impressed — we were disciplined at the plate, and we made the plays in the field,” said Plish.
INSIDE: • CAYUGA SOFTBALL HAS FIRST WIN • A LOOK BACK ON BASKETBALL SEASON
“We played our hearts out, and I’m excited to see where the season goes from here.” Cayuga kicked off the season with a threerun first inning, with Doray DiLallo, Lexie Cottrill and Brittney Waters driving in runs. With the score knotted at four, Harford took the lead on a two-run triple in the fourth inning and built a 10-4 lead. Cottrill drove in DiLallo in the top of the seventh to close the Spartans’ scoring. DiLallo went two-for-three with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base to lead Cayuga’s lineup in the first game. Kiara Lovejoy finished with a double and two runs scored, and Cottrill had two RBI. The Spartans found themselves trailing 6-1 after two innings in the second contest, but broke free for four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to build an 8-6 lead. Cayuga batted around in the fourth inning, using four singles and two walks to narrow Harford’s lead. Cottrill smashed a two-run double in the fifth to give Cayuga the two-run lead. Harford came back in the sixth to tie the game at eight. The Spartans had runners in scoring position in the seventh but couldn’t push a run across, and the Fighting Owls took the game with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Abigail Marinelli finished three-for-four in the second game with three runs scored, and DiLallo was three for five with two runs and two RBI. Cottrill was two-for-four with four RBI and Taylor Hunter knocked in two.
Media and Public Relations Associate Andrew Poole sent out an email to students on Friday afternoon with information regarding the ceremony. In his email, he stated that students who wish to participate will need to order their cap and gown by Friday, March 18. This can be done by phone or in person. Students can email sm8041@bncollege.com, call (315) 294-8686, or stop in at the Auburn Campus Bookstore. He also stated in his email that students will need to provide the following information upon ordering their cap and gowns: -Full name -Phone number -Approximate height and weight -Cap size (regular or large) -Which campus they would like to pick up their order. He also stated in the email that more information will be released in the weeks to come, including details about arrival time. Any students with questions can review CCC’s Commencement Information Page, or email Poole at apoole4@cayuga-cc.edu.
OPINION MAKING NEWS...
COMMENTS CLASH IN THE COLLEGIAN By Emma Deloff, staff writer
A Cayuga student’s opinions regarding the college’s COVID-19 regulations sparked a small controversy among the Collegian community and its readers.
Emma Deloff STAFF WRITER
After reading the article, Students Weigh In on Masks and Vax Spring Mandates, which contained remarks from three students, one of the Collegian writers submitted an opinion piece in response to one student’s specific views, while addressing her by name, because her opinions were outliers among a total of three interviewees. Emma Sanford has been attending Cayuga Community College for three CONTINUED PAGE TWO
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COMMENTS CLASH IN THE COLLEGIAN... CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
OPINIONS
semesters, enduring the restrictions inflicted by the ever-present Coronavirus for the majority of her CCC career, similarly to everyone else; she’d expressed severe disliking for masks and her reluctance toward the vaccine requirements. She had done nothing but simply answer some questions posed to her by a Collegian staff writer. One of the points Sanford said in the original article was that “Not everyone should have to follow the same rules because some people are scared.”
HOW I SEE IT...
Emma Deloff
Technology’s role in education
Growing up, my teachers always complained about how technology was ruining our generation. They would say that it was making it more difficult for them to teach. While I can see where they’re coming from, I think that technology can actually
Caitlyn Major EDITOR-IN-CHIEF be beneficial for students. It plays a huge role in education, especially now after the Covid-19 pandemic. Having the ability to access online databases is an invaluable resource for students. We have so much knowledge available to us, and all that we have to do is search for it online. I can see why this may be concerning for some. It may seem like students won’t want to put in the work because they can just have the answer in seconds. However, what’s the difference if a student gets the information from their textbook or the Internet? They may even learn more from looking it up because a textbook can only provide so many details about a topic. I think what we need to focus on is teaching students about reliable information and fact checking. It only becomes an issue when the information isn’t correct. We should start teaching kids at a young age what a reliable website looks like, and to always check out other sources to make sure that they say the same thing. Rather than limiting technology in education, we should be embracing it and using it to help us.
HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Send your qualified submission to cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Your submission must include the writer’s full name, college year, area of study, phone number, and hometown. All submissions must have an email domain of ‘cayuga-cc.edu’ to be published. Anonymous letters and letters written under pseudonyms will not be published. For verification purposes, submissions must also include the writer’s home address. The staff of The Cayuga Collegian reserves the right NOT TO PUBLISH without an explanation.
The Cayuga Collegian welcomes letters from its readers. Submissions must be from a ‘cayuga-cc.edu’ email domain. Contact us at cayugacollegian@gmail.com. Submissions must include your name, address and daytime phone number. All letters to the editor do not reflect the viewpoint of the Collegian office, its staff or advisor. All letters are simply the opinions of the writers themselves. All letters may be edited for content or length. We reserve the right NOT to PUBLISH.
STAFF WRITER
Kyle Weisman, the writer of Masks and Mandates… Another View, (the article in response about Sanford’s ideas), and Cayuga’s student trustee, replied with “... we do not have mask, vaccine, and testing mandates because people are scared. This notion has long been an anti-vax and mask argument. It is used to belittle those who want to be vaccinated or masked.” The angle Weisman comes from makes sense, as rules are set in place for a reason and should be followed to keep things running smoothly, but to accuse Sanford and other anti-vax and mask individuals for “belittling” anyone is uncalled for when it’s simply not true. “It’s an argument often made to prove a point, not attack someone else.” While everyone is entitled to their opinions, Weisman refused to address that before Sanford ever commented on the rule, she specifically mentioned, “I think that if someone feels the need to wear a mask or get the vaccine, they can make that decision for themselves.” Weisman took her words out of context and followed up by immediately calling her out and making a false allegation about her intentions. She’d made the point that people could think for themselves, but not everyone should be entitled to follow those beliefs. Kyle Weisman is Cayuga’s Student Trustee and one of the staff writers for the Cayuga Collegian, which makes this situation much worse; Weisman, someone who’s been elected by the student body to be a trusted individual as the voice of Cayuga students at college trustee board meetings, deemed it appropriate to take a student’s simple opinions and mold her to be someone who’d been trying to change the mandates. Sanford was asked the same questions as the two other interviewees, and it’s been made clear that because her insights were vastly different from those of Jacob Fauler and William Bianchi, (who both supported the restrictions and expressed satisfaction with regulations), she was targeted. A student trustee is intended to be the voice of the student community, so to be in this position and directly address a student in such a manner for nothing but her response to some questions can hinder one’s credibility as the trustee.
It is also worrisome that an experienced staff writer ignored the student-run newspaper’s faculty advisor’s warnings. “Administrators are public figures and can be targets of fair comment, students elected as college officers can be targets of fair comment, but average students are not,” specified Mary G. Merritt, instructor of Cayuga’s Journalism Practicum course and faculty advisor to the Collegian. “I advised him not to respond to the student by name and to just write his opinions. He would not listen.” Professor Merritt is also worried that such an attack would discourage students from sharing their opinions on issues in the future. “You can express your dissenting view, but we should strive to deliver it without a direct attack on other student views.” Jacob Fauler, a student quoted in the article, Students Weigh In on Masks and Vax Spring Mandates, was asked to respond to Weisman’s actions, as he’d been a fellow interviewee alongside Sanford and now realizes he was a potential target. He said,
“While such arguments are valid and are in truth much the same as I may make in such a scenario, this forum is an irresponsible outlet for discourse, considering half of the involved parties are utterly incapable of responding in a manner similar to Mr. Weisman. Such a debate should have been held between Mr. Weisman and Ms. Sanford in person and documented by a third party that both individuals could have been granted a level playing field.” Will Bianchi, the other student, was unavailable at the time of question. Julia Allen, another Cayuga student, was asked if writers of the Collegian should be able to propose arguments against interviewees. “I don’t like that,” she answered. “I don’t think you should be able to write an article directly arguing with students.” Every person is entitled to their opinions, no matter the subject, but Cayuga student voices are not to be singled out, especially in college newspapers. Fair comment should be reserved for administrators and public figures.
BE YOURSELF! EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN SOMEONE WHO CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND DOESN’T KNOW IT
Areli Castro STAFF WRITER I honestly can say my child, my daughter, changed my life; my whole purpose of being. You would say the same to yourself of course when you have children and your life changes. However, I would like to say she changed me for the better and brought the best version of me out to my fullest potential, which I didn’t even consider possible at that point in my life. My best version of compassion, patience, and most of all love. There was a point in my life I didn’t know I could love with such a magnitude and have such a little person with such a hold on my heart and my emotions, especially how I react and interact with her. I never thought this was possible once upon a time ago. I would also love to say I’m so proud of being a mother to a child on the autism spectrum. She has speech delay. But she is considered high functioning. Whatever that means? Every one functions on their own level! If you ask me. It’s like a finger print —everyone’s is different; no one is similar or the same. I always say she has autism but autism
doesn’t have her. She is loving, kind, and has so much; will I tell you she has showed me that there is truly nothing impossible with God’s grace in the making. She is perfect in my eyes. She enlightens me in ways she can’t understand yet. Waking up the best version of me — that I never thought possible. Understand that the best part is regardless of what diagnosis or disability your child may
or may not have; they’re yours. They were sent here with an assignment to be yours, and your assignment is to be theirs. It’s to be together and live out your days with the best fulfillment that you can. Being a parent has changed me in ways that I really can’t sum up into words, but I can honestly share such emotions that are true to me. I can say that she’s awakened me to be the best version of me, and I’m truly grateful and honored to be called MAMA by her.
Caitlyn Major EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Natalia Brillati Emma Deloff Areli Castro Lindsey Leuwen Timothy Donovan Stephanie Smithler Mary G. Merritt
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STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER PHOTOGRAPHER ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
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FACULTY ADVISOR
COMMUNITY DONATES TO CAYUGA CUPBOARD The Cayuga Community College food pantry, (Cayuga Cupboard), recently received a generous donation from the Knights of Columbus in Auburn. This donation was instrumental in helping Cayuga Cupboard to continue to provide food access for students along with the new “Grab and Go” service in collaboration with Student Activities Board and Student Government. Knights of Columbus, Assembly 0735 Albert J.M. Shamon, generously offered a check for $100.00 to the pantry which was presented by Mr. Timothy Donovan. Mr. Donovan (right) is not only a Knights of Columbus officer (4th Degree), but a Cayuga Community College student enrolled in the institution’s CASAC (Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) 350 Hour training program. —Dr. Jerimy Blowers, PhD, (pictured left above), Associate Professor, Coordinator of Wellness and Intervention Services
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SPARTANS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER WITH DRAGONS
EDITOR’S NOTE: BORROWED FROM CAYUGA COMMUNITY
EDITOR’S NOTE: BORROWED FROM CAYUGA COMMUNITY
PHOTOS BORROWED FROM CCC WEBSITE
the infield with Marinelli and Hailey Short. Freshmen Lucy Noble and Brittney Waters will start in the outfield, and Doray DiLallo and sophomore Tori Mandel will split time between the infield and outfield. Amoia said some players shifted positions in spring training, and may need several games to adjust to the change. “This team has already battled some adversity. We’ve had some players shift positions to help us put together our most competitive lineup,” said Amoia. “We’ll gain some experience with the early games on our schedule, and hopefully when we start regional games we should be ready to go.” With a strong lineup, Amoia believes the Spartans can be competitive in a difficult Region III. The region includes last year’s national runner-up, Corning Community College, as well as several other traditionally strong teams. “We’ll play some good teams, but if we stay healthy and our lineup hits like I believe it can, we can be a competitive, tough team,” he said. “This team has the heart to compete.” Following the season-opening doubleheader at Harford, the Spartans are on the road for the rest of March with out-of-state doubleheaders at Howard, Northampton and Bucks County community colleges, as well as Region III doubleheaders at SUNY Adirondack and Tompkins Cortland Community College. Their home opener is against Niagara County Community College, scheduled for Saturday, April 2, at Falcon Park in Auburn.
Cayuga Community College Softball came back from a four-run deficit to earn their first win of the season Saturday at Howard Community College. Trailing by scores of 4-1 and 8-4, the Spartans roared back with five runs in the seventh for the 9-8 win. Cayuga dropped the second half of the doubleheader 10-2, and ends the short road trip 1-3 on the season. Coach Dave Plish said it was exciting to see each player on the team contribute, including key defensive plays in the outfield from Lucy Noble and the entire lineup fueling the comeback win. “They don’t show any frustration when we’re down. They just keep playing, keep hitting and keep making the plays in the field,” he said. “We ran out of gas a bit in the second game and made some mistakes in the field, but overall I think we’ve started the season well.” The Spartans trailed 4-1 through five innings of the first game, with their only run coming when Lexie Cottrill scored on a groundout by Hailey Short in the fourth inning. Cayuga’s first comeback of the game started in the sixth, when Doray DiLallo smashed a two-run homer and Short singled home Cottrill to knot the score at four. The Dragons reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a run on an error and then three more on a bases-clearing double to take an 8-4 lead. Cayuga responded with another comeback in the top of the seventh, this time plating five runs to take their first lead of the game. The first seven batters reached base, and DiLallo, Cottrill and Short singled home runs. Tori Mandel doubled to deep center to score Cottrill and Taylor Hunter to give the Spartans the 9-8 lead. The Dragons put two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, but Cottrill struck out the final batter for the win. DiLallo finished the first game two-forthree with two runs and three RBI, and Short and Hunter each had two hits, with Short knocking in three. Cottrill scored three times and picked up the win for Cayuga. In the second game, the Dragons took an early lead and held it throughout, plating one in the first and six in the third. Kiara Lovejoy and Abigail Marinelli each finished one-forthree, and Short and Mandel drove in Cayuga’s runs. Cayuga is back on the road Saturday, March 19, with a doubleheader at Northampton Community College.
SPORTS YOUNG SPARTANS GAIN EXPERIENCE IN 2021-22 With a team comprised entirely of freshmen, Cayuga Community College Men’s Basketball picked up valuable experience while fighting through adversity in a tough 2021-22 season. The young Spartans improved throughout the season, which ended in an overtime road playoff loss to Corning Community College. Coach Tony Borges said the team stayed together despite the challenges, and played better on both ends of the floor as the season progressed. “We definitely didn’t quit. Other teams knew we were going to play them tough, that we weren’t going to stop. In the last few games, we played better defensively and our shot selection on the offensive end improved,” he said. “We took some time to play cohesively, but once we did, we were a tough team for everyone.” The Spartans struggled to open the season, dropping their first eight contests, including a tough three-point road loss to Mohawk Valley Community College, who ended the season as the sixth-ranked team in Region III. Cayuga landed in the win column in January with an eight-point home conference win over SUNY Broome. Cayuga continued playing teams tough in the second half of the season. The high point of the season came at home against Corning, where the Spartans captured a 77-75 win. The teams would meet again in the opening round of the Region III playoffs, where the 12th-seeded Spartans led for most of the game before falling to the 5th-seeded Red Barons in overtime. Cayuga closed the season with a 3-11 MidState Athletic Conference (MSAC) record and a 3-19 record in the regular season. The Spartans featured a varied attack during the season, with guards Khari Odom, Nic Harris, and Jay Baranick combining with forwards Ikechukwu Ezike and Shaheem Sanders to lead the offense. Sanders led Cayuga with 15.5 points per game, and led all Division III players in the National Junior College Athletic Association with 16.2 rebounds per game. Odom, Harris, Ezike and Baranick each averaged more than 10 points per game, with Odom and Baranick also averaging more than three assists per game. Sanders was the only Spartan to earn postseason honors when he was named to MSAC’s All-Conference team. Borges is looking forward to next season and the potential for the veterans from this year’s team working with the incoming freshmen class to push the team forward. “This is a tough region and a tough conference. You look at the final four teams in the Region III playoffs, three of them came from our conference,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get everyone back and the new players can step in and contribute right away.” EDITOR’S NOTE: BORROWED FROM CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S ATHLETIC WEBSITE; THE COLLEGIAN IS LOOKING FOR SPORTS REPORTERS TO WRITE ABOUT CCC ATHLETES.
I WANT TO TALK TO
KYLE!
Catcher Taylor Hunter is one of two Spartans returning from last year for the 2022 season. Hunter led the 2021 team with two home runs, 22 RBI, a .440 average and a .517 on-base percentage.
STRONG LINEUP LEADS SPARTANS INTO 2022 A lineup returning the two top hitters from a season ago will lead Cayuga Community College Softball into the 2022 campaign. With a roster combining talented newcomers and returning leaders from the 2021 team, the Spartans are optimistic they can take another step forward following last season’s 5-12 finish. The Spartans open the 2022 season with a road doubleheader at Harford Community College on Friday, March 4. Coach Chris Amoia said the team should be productive at the plate, and he expects them to gain valuable experience in the field and in the circle this season. “The players at the top of our lineup are disciplined and have tremendous experience, so we’re looking for them to lead us this season,” he said. “Defensively we might need to make some adjustments throughout the season, but we’ll always put the best lineup possible on the field.” The Spartans return their top two hitters from 2021, catcher Taylor Hunter and infielder Abigail Marinelli. Hunter led Cayuga with a .517 on-base percentage, a .440 batting average, 22 RBI and two home runs. Marinelli was second on the team with a .382 average, one home run and 15 RBI to go with a .404 on-base percentage. Marinelli led the team with 20 runs scored. “They’re both strong hitters, and Taylor brings a quiet leadership but is vocal on the field. She leads by example, and I know our other players will look to her this season,” said Amoia. Freshmen pitchers Lexie Cottrill and Kiara Lovejoy will be in the circle for the Spartans. Lovejoy will also play shortstop and will patrol
COLLEGE’S ATHLETIC WEBSITE; THE COLLEGIAN IS LOOKING FOR SPORTS REPORTERS TO WRITE ABOUT CCC ATHLETES.
COLLEGE’S ATHLETIC WEBSITE; THE COLLEGIAN IS LOOKING FOR SPORTS REPORTERS TO WRITE ABOUT CCC ATHLETES.
STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS RESUME MAY 2 By Anna Helhoski, NERDWALLET The Biden administration just hit the snooze button again on the restart of student loan payments. Now, millions of federal student loan borrowers have 90 extra days to figure out how to pay a bill they’ve gone nearly two years without. “We are really relieved that the president changed course and that student loan borrowers don’t have to spend the holidays worried about how to make ends meet because of an unforced decision to send them student loan bills,” says Mike Pierce, executive director and co-founder of the Student Borrower Protection Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization. Payments were supposed to restart beginning Feb. 1. The interest-free pause has been in effect since March 13, 2020, the onset of
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the COVID-19 pandemic. It allowed federal student loan borrowers with an amassed $1.61 trillion in debt to prioritize other financial needs like paying rent or padding emergency savings. Payments now restart beginning May 2. Borrowers should use the additional time to ensure they have a plan to resume payments or arrange a payment plan they can afford. What led to the extension? The pause has been extended four times. If payments restart in May, borrowers will have had a total of 25 payment-free months. Betsy Mayotte, president and founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit student loan help organization, welcomed news of another extension but worries about the potential to create a “cry wolf” phenomenon. “[It] makes me worry a bit about when the repayment does start: Will folks be less likely to be prepared?” says Mayotte. Notably, the Dec. 22 announcement from the Department of Education did not use the word “final” with this extension, as it did in August. In the past few weeks, a long-standing campaign to deal with student debt won new urgency as the omicron coronavirus variant emerged and inflation surged. Survey after survey found many borrowers worried about their ability to pay. “I think the pressure from advocates, borrowers, lawmakers and bipartisan voters was too overwhelming to ignore; I think that speaks to the severity of the crisis,” says Braxton Brewington, press secretary for the Debt Collective.
SERVING THE STUDENTS OF CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR MORE THAN 68 YEARS!
The added time offers borrowers another chance to make a plan for their loans. Barring further extension or en masse forgiveness, borrowers have the following options available. Step 1: Call your servicer Notifications about the restart had been hitting borrowers’ inboxes for weeks before the announcement. Student loan servicers, the private companies that manage student loans, were in the midst of hiring and training staff in preparation, according to Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance. Borrowers can beat the rush. You’re likely to face high call volumes and long wait times with servicers closer to the start date. Before payments restart, find out who your servicer is. Log in to the federal student aid site, contact your servicer about your options and compare any information you receive to the federal student aid site. Your servicer can help you with any of the options below. If you need a lower payment If you expect to have trouble making payments due to your income, consider an income-driven repayment plan. These plans cap your payment at a portion of your income and extend your repayment term; at the end of that period your debt is forgiven. If you have zero income, your monthly payment amount will also be zero. Temporarily, through July 31, you can self-certify your income, which means you won’t have to file the income-driven repayment plan paperwork usually needed to CONTINUED BACK PAGE
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CAMPUS LIFE
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confirm your income until you recertify. Those already enrolled prior to the pause will need to recertify beginning in August 2022. But if your income is lower now than it was before the pause, recertify as soon as possible. It’s unclear if the pause will extend these temporary provisions. If you want to keep paying You can continue paying down your student loans, but you’ll have to contact your servicer to submit payment. Mayotte says the extension will especially benefit those who take advantage of the 0% interest rate to pay down their loans or other debt. If you expect you’ll need an additional break You can apply for an additional pause if you need it: an unemployment deferment for up to 36 months or a hardship forbearance for up to 12 months at a time. But unlike the current pause, interest will accrue and be added to the total you owe when you do start paying again. If your loans are in default If your loans were in default prior to the payment pause, getting back into good standing immediately will require you to pay your entire student loan amount, in full, which is unrealistic for most borrowers. A more practical plan is student loan rehabilitation, which requires making nine consecutive monthly loan payments in 10
PHOTO BY TIMOTHY DONOVAN
CCC student Abby Franchina is tutoring CCC student Andrea Freier at the classroom table in the Aurburn CAS.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO CONVERGENCE GAMING? By Noah Elkin, contributing writer
Do you have an amazing amount of wit and cleverness? Do you think you are the best at a certain kind of game? Then you should come down to Convergence Gaming at 19 E. Cayuga St. in Oswego New York. It’s a local gaming shop where the locals play multiple different kinds of games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, and others. To visit is to experience the different community of gaming and intelligence. Convergence Gaming also hosts other events and prizes you can win by proving your knowledge and succession of these games. Not only are there a vast variety of games, but also different types of people that come to the shop. People from Oswego and from Syracuse come to the shop to spend their free time and enjoy themselves with their
community. It’s a really fun experience says the owners of their consistent customers KJ., who owns Convergence Gaming, opened the shop in the fall of 2018 after working over seven different jobs. He wanted a change of pace. Growing up, he always liked playing games and wanted to work for himself. So owning his own shop was the perfect opportunity for him. But he also uses his shop to give back to his community and his fellow gamers by having different kinds of events almost monthly, along with the availability of free games to play in store. “I’ve been coming to the shop for about four years and I’ve had nothing but good memories and a great time here, but a lot of good people played a lot of really fun games and it has dramatically changed how I live my life,” said Dale Reynolds. He says people go out of their way to come here and spend their free time playing games at this shop. This shop isn’t only for gaming though.
Throughout the store there are multiple types of video games and board games you can buy and sell to the stop. Along with $1 sodas, $1 waters and plenty of protection from COVID19, such as free sanitizer and a reminder every now and then by the owner that everyone should wash their hands. Not only is K.J. responsible by looking out for the health of his customers, he also plays games with his customers including Magic Gathering. KJ also has his own streaming community. Live-streaming on Twitch to expand his company in the hopes of getting more people’s attention. Along with his own on-line store where he sells gaming supplies and convergence-branded clothing. “Throughout the few years that I have been going to Convergence, I’ve gotten to see different kinds of games and people. Who are all amazing in their own right. Not only being clever, but also very energetic and influential with their game play. I would recommend anyone who enjoys playing games or video games in general to come down and spend time at the shop. If there’s nothing there that catches
months equaling 15% of your discretionary income, then entering into an income-driven repayment plan. If you start loan rehabilitation now, which you can do during the pause, you’ll be that much closer to being back in good standing. If you think you might miss future payments When you miss enough payments — 270 days — your loan goes into default, resulting in negative effects including collection activities and damaged credit. To avoid this outcome, enroll in a repayment plan that’s affordable for you, and sign up for autopay so you never miss a payment. If you were enrolled in autopay prior to the payment pause, you must reaffirm you would like to reenter into autopay. As a bonus, autopay will save you 0.25 of a percentage point on your interest. If you’re waiting on loan forgiveness Student debt advocates like Pierce and Brewington say they welcome the pause but are hoping widespread forgiveness is on the way. “This is a major win, but there’s so much to go from here,” says Brewington. “We need full cancellation. Our economy, families and communities need full cancellation.” Biden has not committed to broadly forgiving student debt via executive order; he indicates he would sign any legislation that passes through Congress. Right now, there’s nothing imminent. Targeted debt relief worth $13 billion via existing forgiveness programs has reached more than 640,000 borrowers, the White House says. For those seeking Public Service Loan Forgiveness, the additional three months of nonpayment will count toward the 120 needed for forgiveness so long as you’re still working full time for an eligible employer.
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your interest, I’m sure that there is something that you would like to buy.” said a customer who didn’t want to be identified. Are you willing to test your skills and experiences against the Oswego community? They all wait for the opportunity to play their next game against you.
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