The Oswegonian 10-23-20

Look Inside: A3 Study abroad office plans for Spring 2020 trips

Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VIII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

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Planetarium shows continue Despite COVID-19, science department puts on Zoom shows Dylan McGlynn Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

and his fellow professors did not have much difficulty finding alternatives for the fall semester.

“We have software that simulates the night sky, and we have another computer program that takes the images generated by that simulation and projects them on the dome,” Zielinski said. “You can run that type of sky-simulation software on any computer.”

In addition, the virtual shows are very similar to traditional planetarium shows, maintaining the same basic format.

“I project some slides, talk about things and give them some background, and then I show them images of the sky,” Zielinski said. “In the planetarium, it’s on the dome above them.

Here it’s on a flat screen.”

The current show is “The Constellations of Fall: Mars, Jupiter, and Sat-

urn.” The show will portray Autumn constellations such as Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus and Pegasus.

The planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will also be visible.

The autumn season is a great time for skygazing, as it features some of the most popular and well-recognized constellations. Many of the visible constellations, including Pegasus, Cassiopeia and Perseus, are among the 48 constellations recognized by second century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Currently, there are 88 active constellations, according to the International Astronomical Union.

The show will provide context on the constellations themselves and explore some of the mythology behind them. Many of the fall constellations are a major part of Greek mythology, as they are connected to the story of Andromeda. The show goes in depth on this story and how the constellations played a role in it.

In addition, the show will provide tips on how to stargaze locally, both on-campus and in the town of Oswego. Zielinski said the show is also set up in order to allow participants to observe the constellations from wherever they may be located.

“I show them a simplified map of what they would see in the night sky on that Sunday at 8 p.m.,” Zielinski said. “The show is normally over at 8 p.m., so if they walked right out after the show, what would they see?”

Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian This year, those in the Oswego community can watch shows from their own homes.

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Despite the various challenges presented around campus due to COVID-19, the Sunday night planetarium shows have been able to continue this semester.

The sessions, which are typically held inside the Shineman Planetarium, are now being held virtually via Zoom every Sunday at 7 p.m. While it may not be as immersive as sitting inside a 24-foot dome, the SUNY Oswego science department is still working hard to provide a rich and educational experience for all.

“We kind of got caught flat-footed in the spring,” said professor John Zielinski, who is hosting the shows in the month of October. However, he

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CTS promotes safety from dark web during awareness month Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com For the entirety of October, SUNY Oswego’s Campus Technology Services promotes cybersecurity, as the month is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

This year’s theme focuses on the dark web and the dangers that come along with it. The dark web is a “small part of the Internet,” according to CTS’s website, that is off limits to the average person and anonymity is the main focus.

A major concern lies around personal data being for sale — including social security numbers, credit card numbers and passwords to critical accounts.

Information Security Analyst Ursula Wilkinson, who works with CTS at SUNY Oswego, said there were three main parts leading to the choice of the theme this year, two of which were “light-hearted.”

With the timing and Halloween being right around the corner, CTS used a theme that could relate to the “spookiness and spiders,” Wilkinson said. CTS was able to

highlight Tyron Johnson-Neuland, who also works at CTS, and his artwork during the office’s campaign.

One piece is specifically called “Dark Web.” However, the main reason was that a lot of people do not know what the dark web is or why they should be concerned.

“It would probably surprise people to learn how much personal data is for sale in the dark web black market, stolen from breached websites and hacked accounts, and potentially how much of their own data is out there,” Wilkinson said. “People often think they don’t have any accounts or data that are worth anything, so they don’t have to worry about cybersecurity. They couldn’t be more wrong.”

With a lot of people switching to working from home or remotely due to COVID-19, Wilkinson said cybersecurity is more important than it ever has been before. Following an abrupt adjustment to using more technology, it put pressure on everyone.

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If you keep working hard, you will improve and outlast people that couldn’t stand to hear that their work isn’t that good.”

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

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Theater, entertainment panel discusses careers Study abroad hopeful for SUNY Oswego brings back 3 alumni in Zoom presentation spring programs, offers advice

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian Waterman Hall is a marquee location on campus for students interested in theater.

Kylie Annable Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com On Monday, Career Services and The Oswego Alumni Association hosted a Zoom panel called “So, You Want to Work in Theater and Entertainment.”

Three different alumni, Gabriel Almanzer, David Saretsky and Denise Grillo, were panelists on the program, all with varying levels of experience in the entertainment or theater industry.

Almanzer is a 2005 graduate of SUNY Oswego and has been using his bachelor of fine art’s degree in graphic design as a supervising art director for “CBS This Morning,” where he has been working since 2007. Saretsky, a 1995 graduate of SUNY Oswego, is a two-time Emmy-winning technical director and he currently works with “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

Grillo, a 1984 graduate of Oswego State, was a technical theater major and currently works with production props for numerous Broadway shows.

The Director of Career Services, Gary Morris, hosted the event, asking multiple questions to the alumni about their experience and what advice they had for aspiring students. The first question of the session asked the alumni what they enjoyed the most about their job and what the most challenging part of their job is.

“You have to be able to turn on a dime,” Grillo said.

Grillo also mentioned that things are always changing and jobs are always popping up, you have to be prepared for the unexpected.

Saretsky emphasized the joy he had in working with various clients and being able to travel. He said finding the right fit in a given workplace to be a big challenge. Almanzer commented on the sense of pride he feels upon completing a job or project.

All three alumni said how important it was to make and keep connections. Grillo, specifically, spoke heavily on showing that you care while always treating your coworkers and bosses with the utmost respect. Almanzer advised the students not to burn their bridges.

Morris took the alumni on a trip down memory lane when he asked them to describe their favorite memory from their time at SUNY Oswego.

Grillo reminisced on her days building sets late at night with friends. Almanzer recalled all of his memories with friends and recounted on some of those connections he still has.

When asked what advice they would give to students on what to do during the COVID-19 pause, Almanzer promoted the importance of SUNY Oswego’s Career Services.

He also advised students to pick up some projects that were not assigned by their professors that they could add to their portfolio.

The importance of “grunt work” was stressed by all of the alumni. Despite being the least favorite part of the job for them, it is important to get your foot in the door and show that you are worthy and skilled by doing this at the beginning of your career.

Some of the final pieces of advice the alumni gave to the students before the end of the session revolved around how to be successful in a career like theirs. Almanzer advised students to find internships, jobs or projects to put in their portfolio and to keep social media accounts clean.

Grillo promoted building a network immediately and always having a positive and respectful attitude, while Saretzky emphasized getting as much experience as possible.

“Your first job will not be your last,” Saretzky said.

Events to continue despite virtual Shows change nature, including ‘Phishing Derby’ monthly, Roby to host November PLANETARIUM from COVER

Image provided by Tyrone Johnson-Neuland

CTS from COVER “For instance, the number of COVID-19 related phishing scams has increased over the last several months,” Wilkinson said. “Stress can make us more apt to make mistakes.

The bad guys only have to catch us once having an off-day to successfully hack us. But the good guys have to keep defenses 100% solid all the time.”

Throughout the month, CTS is hosting several virtual events to increase awareness about cybersecurity and the dark web. Events include a “Phishing Derby,” where students can forward scam emails to phishing@ oswego.edu by the end of the month for the chance to earn a gift card and a Virtual Cybersecurity Scavenger Hunt. All submissions to these events must be sent in by Oct. 30.

Wilkinson added she was not sure if participation in these events has decreased or increased

yet with them being purely virtual, but she said CTS might see an uptick in participation.

“In terms of how much participation we have seen, it could always improve, and we are always considering different methods to reach people,” Wilkinson said.

There have not been any concerns or incidents with students or faculty at SUNY Oswego in terms of issues with the dark web, according to Wilkinson. During the month, CTS does not want to scare people but rather “educate and empower” them to ensure their safety online.

“The biggest takeaways that I hope people understand are that, yes, you are a target, keeping sensitive information isn’t someone else’s job and there is no technological ‘silver bullet’ that will keep data secure all the time,” Wilkinson said.

“The best practices and tools are already out there for you. It’s up to you to use them.”

The Involvement Committee is continuing to work on a survey to be distributed to the student population. The Committee originally began work on the survey during their meeting on Sept. 21. The survey is intended to increase student involvement and poll students on their opinions of SA and its effectiveness. Senate Advisor Dr. Jerri Howland is also assisting the Committee in their work on the survey.

Zielinski’s diagram makes it easier for the viewer to piece together parts of the night sky, as he provides context on each constellation.

“Once I show them the diagram and identify what’s there, I show them that with the planetarium simulation software,” Zielinski said. “I show them the sky with lots of stars and how they would pick out Jupiter and Saturn from all these stars.”

Zielinski will also provide recommendations for affordable binoculars and telescopes, if “people are interested in going to the next step.”

The themes of the planetarium shows will change each month, with astronomy professor Scott Roby hosting the November shows. His topic is to be announced in the future. September shows were hosted by professor Richard Frieman, and can still be accessed via the Oswego Planetarium page on Facebook.

Questions from the audience are encouraged, per the event’s description. The link to access the show is https://zoom. us/j/95587129577.

According to Director of Finance Trentin Carentz, auditors are currently working on finishing financial statements for SA. They plan to give a presentation in front of SA in the future, regarding their findings.

The SA Senate has proposed a resolution titled ‘The Where We Stand Act’ [RES 56.02].

The motion was written

by Brandon Gonzalez, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

It requests that SUNY Oswego “formally acknowledge and honor the indigenous lands in which it occupies … at the

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Studying abroad is a great way for students to experience foreign culture and is severely missed due to COVID-19.

Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com While all students were pulled from their respective study abroad programs last spring and safely brought home, the Office of International Education and Programs is hopeful that despite COVID-19, students will be able to travel come the spring semester.

The application’s deadline to go abroad was Oct. 15, but the office held a Zoom presentation on the same day discussing different opportunities and how to prepare financially for any sort of study abroad program.

The presentation was led by Jessica Hernandez, a study abroad coordinator for the office, who said a lot of students still want to go abroad to get an international experience. She also mentioned it is a possibility that programs may have to wait until the fall, depending on how COVID-19 plays out.

During the presentation, students were able to learn about different programs that SUNY Oswego offers, between exchange programs, internships and even year-long programs.

Those programs allow a student from those countries to study at SUNY Oswego, while a student from SUNY Oswego can study in those other countries which “cuts down the cost of the program significantly.”

A bulk of Hernandez’s presentation revolved around the finances of studying abroad. Whether it be applying for scholarships through the office or using financial aid that students might already receive, the office has financial aid advisors that can assist the students every step of the way. Students also use loans and savings to pay for costs, Hernandez said.

“You’re going overseas and you’re still paying our office and paying SUNY Oswego to study at Oswego.

Your tuition is still through Oswego,” Hernandez said. “It’s a lot easier than it seems. We do have a long list of people set up and established to help you with that process to make it as

beginning of any public ceremony or gathering.”

The resolution said, “It is the ethical obligation of SUNY Oswego, as an educational institution, to create truthful and factual representations.”

The Senate has proposed a bill that would provide several “updates and clarifications” to current SA bylaws. Proposed by Senator Fei Yang Gu, the bill [SLE 56.01] would alter qualifications for Attorney General and Solicitor General elections. The bylaws currently hold no requirement for experience, and the proposed bill would require candidates to have at least two semesters of experience as a member of the

simple as possible.”

Hernandez said that most of the programs offered have included housing costs, but some allow students to opt out of program-sponsored housing. Hernandez added that the office does not recommend one way or another for specific types of housing.

When it comes to finances, Hernandez recommends creating a weekly budget by either making a spreadsheet or using different finance apps, like Mint. When Hernandez studied abroad, she said she spent “x” amount of Euros every week and then adjusted accordingly throughout the week if she wanted to do different things that might have been more expensive.

For students concerned about traveling overseas during the pandemic, the office has also created new virtual, remote internships with companies based around the world.

While there has not been any decrease in interest from actually leaving the country, Hernandez said the virtual programs are able to tap into a new market of students who initially had no interest in going abroad.

“Internships are tailored to a student’s interests or major and then they can participate in this internship and still get a global engagement component without having to leave, because in a lot of regards you can’t leave. There’s too many restrictions on leaving,” Hernandez said.

“Virtual experiences were born out of necessity.”

Hernandez said that students who participated in a study abroad program or virtual program will stand out to employers.

“What we’re doing is trying to facilitate an option for students where they’re going to be safer, happier and healthier in a new environment,” Hernandez said. “You can sit down and look at your resume in five years and say, ‘There was a global pandemic, I still went overseas, here’s how I made it happen.’ Those students are going to be the movers and the shakers.”

Senate in order to run for either of the positions.

Before the bill could be voted on, a fire drill interrupted the meeting, and it was not resumed.

The co-chairs of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self-Study program, Kristi Eck and Richard Back, met with SA to discuss how their program works. Through the MSCHE program, SUNY Oswego is able to maintain its accreditation. According to Eck, MSCHE will unveil a new strategic plan for the spring 2021 semester with a renewed focus on sustainability.

NEWS

Career Connector Q&A: Allif Karim, Sports at WDVM

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

A4

Panelist Q&A: Michelle Garcia, Editor at NBCBLK

Media Summit to look at 1st amendment, 2020 Major events, COVID-19, Black Lives Matter to be discussed

Allif Karim (‘18) is the Sports Director at WDVM-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland.

At SUNY Oswego, he worked at WTOP-10 TV as an on-air talent, hosting major hockey broadcasts as well as acting as a sports anchor.

For the Media Summit, Karim will be one of the six career connectors who will offer advice to SUNY Oswego students looking to enter various aspects of broadcasting, journalism or other communications fields.

Matt Watling: When you were a student, what was your experience with the media summit like?

Allif Karim: I remember my first Media Summit was the one Al Roker and the Today Show had their segment in the morning, so really, really early in the morning the campus center was filled with students and Al Roker was there with his energy.

For me, my experience has always been to look at [the career connectors and their jobs in the industry] as, “Look, this is where I want to be, how do I get there?”

MW: How did the Media Summit give you the tools to find success in the industry?

AK: The biggest part of the Career Connectors event for me was being able to speak with someone candidly about their career and experiences, things about their personal lives that have helped them with their careers, the challenges you have to overcome to pursue an industry career whether it’s broadcasting, newspaper, radio, anything in comms, media or the arts.

I have a distinct memory of Ben Amey (‘10) who, at the time, was a producer in Albany and he very openly told me things I needed to hear at that time because I had asked him specifically about the kind of look you need for an on-air talent.

MW: How has your job changed because of COVID-19?

AK: March 12, when sports was shut down, our sports department was converted into providing news content. We were turned into news multimedia journalists. And you could see that across the board in local sports.

To me, that isn’t a bad thing because [while] my job is to cover sports and to be a sports journalist, the emphasis is not on sports, the emphasis was on ‘journalist’ word, specifically during the pandemic, proving we can be journalists. Our job isn’t just to shoot games and give you scores. Our job is to tell you stories in the community that matter.

MW: What was your reaction to the treatment of journalists during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests?

AK: When you talk about the traumatic events the nation has gone through, I think what you’ve seen based on the treatment of journalists is a lot of mistrust at points because the media environment itself allows people to build their own world. You can fine tune the algorithm through your social media apps to be able to confirm your world views, but journalism has always been, in my view, to show both sides.

MW: Do you have any advice for some students?

AK: There are different ways to cover sports or tell sports stories, and it’s up to all of us to ask ourselves “How do we want to do that?” And the bigger question is, what kind of storyteller am I? Am I someone that is extremely personality driven or do I simply love the act of conversation?

There’s different ways of approaching the job market, and the [industry] itself is always changing.

I think the biggest question is how can we enter the market while being ourselves, and I really don’t have an answer to that.

Michelle Garcia (‘06) is an editor at NBC News overseeing NBCBLK, its vertical covering Black America. Previously, she covered major social movements such as the #MeToo movement and the fight for marriage equality.

At SUNY Oswego, she studied journalism and was the Editor-InChief at The Oswegonian, For the Media Summit, Garcia will be one of the panelists discussing the First Amendment and the major headlines of 2020 Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian This year will be the first Media Summit that is completely virtual, due to COVID-19, while the panel can be watched via Zoom.

Matt Watling Managing Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com On Friday, Oct. 9, SUNY Oswego’s School of Media, Communication and the Arts announced the theme for the 16th annual Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, which will take place virtually through Zoom on Oct. 28.

This year’s theme is “On the Front Lines with the First Amendment.”

The summit will analyze freedom of the press and speech through the lens of 2020. The three major prongs to the discussion will be the press’ impact or role in Black Lives Matter protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Presidential Election.

These three were selected during the spring 2020 semester, when the committee was unsure what would still be relevant in October.

“We have to choose a theme fairly early on, so we can select the right people on the panel. We thought COVID, and then when Black Lives Matter happened, we thought maybe we should address that … We didn’t want to choose something that would be out of date or old news,” said Julie Pretzat, the Dean of the School of Communications, Media and the Arts. “We figured the overarching theme for a lot of these things, COVID as well as Black Lives Matter, as well as some of the political things, has been the first amendment. It’s freedom of speech. It’s how journalists are being treated.

When Black Lives Matter marches started, there was some violence

and some against journalists.”

In an era of media mistrust, it is critical to inform the American public about the goals of good journalism. These goals, according to the Society of Professional Journalists, include seeking and reporting truth, acting independently and being accountable and transparent, among others.

While some people do not necessarily know this side of the media, the Media Summit can act as a way

People get caught up in the volatility of a specific situation and they forget we have a constitution that tells us about the importance of freedom of the press.”

Julie Pretzat - Dean of the School of Communications, Media and the Arts

to educate the community regarding the importance of good journalism.

“Good journalism is crucial,” Pretzat said. “There’s bad journalism on both sides of the [political] spectrum, but good investigative journalism is crucial to our country remaining a free democracy.”

In a time as complex as 2020,

the constitution brings things back into perspective. During the Black Lives Matter protests, journalists were reporting live in the streets risking their own lives to inform the public. Other people on the scene were not as passive, as there were several incidents where police shot foam bullets or hit journalists on the scene, in cities like Minneapolis, Minnesota; Los Angeles, California; and New York City.

“People get caught up in the volatility of a specific situation and they forget we have a constitution that tells us really good guidelines about the importance of freedom of the press and freedom of speech,” Pretzat said. “If you don’t have a free press, and you don’t have investigative journalism, governments can run amuck. It is really, really crucial that we have checks and balances in our government.”

Good journalism has become exceptionally important in the political world. Good journalism goes beyond what a demographic wants to hear, it is giving them all the information they need to make good decisions. The Media Summit provides broadcasting and journalism students, as well as all students who want to learn about how the major events of 2020 and the First Amendment have interacted, a chance to learn what good journalism truly is.

“It is [important] to remain in the middle,” Pretzat said. “And to hear both sides so the American people can make their own decisions about things.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Matt Watling: What does it mean to come back again as a panelist being a SUNY Oswego graduate?

Michelle Garcia: I remember the first Media Summit and Ben Bradlee came to talk to us, David Folkenflik from NPR. They were at our school to talk to us, and I was a senior and Editor-In-Chief at The Oswegonian.

I was growing into my love of journalism at the time, and for me to see these people and talk to them and listen to them talk about the work they do, I was like, “Oh my goodness, that’s a goal to be up on that stage.” I came back in 2015, I was on the panel and that was really exciting. To come back again, I feel really honored.

MW: Did seeing the panelists inspire you to become a great journalist?

MG: The impact was to see these huge names in journalism and think, “These are my future colleagues.” I could be working at the Washington Post … or The New Yorker. It made these esteemed places feel real to me.

As a student, ... it was like Coachella for nerds. The Oswegonian staff, we used to call each other news nerds and it was all these huge greats in our industry and it was like, “Wow, we get to see these people live on-stage.”

MW: What excites you the most about the panel discussion?

MG: What I have been thinking a lot about lately and not just for the panel is the way people tie together the idea of free speech and expression and how that ties into misinformation. And, of course, misinformation ties into all the major news stories of 2020. I think misinformation has been growing in the American press, especially in the last 30 years, probably with the proliferation of media that is specifically targeted to counter mainstream media.

The discussion over the first amendment and all these news stories is also a story about misinformation in America and how we are going to be able to regain the trust of Americans who flat out do not believe in facts anymore, which is incredibly daunting, incredibly worrisome and scary.

MW: Is there a way for journalists to gain back this trust?

MG: That is a big, big question, and just as there are tons of — I don’t even want to call them news organizations — information organizations trying to disseminate false information, there are many who are trying to counter that. I am going to be honest with you and say I have no clue how we are going to do this as an industry, because this is not just a “let’s pass some laws,” or restrict social media or all these little stop gaps things that could be done. It’s not going to take just the news media, but it is going to take probably some sort of policy, some sort of legislation, it’s going to take the efforts of social media companies to tamp down on misinformation.

MW: What is a small piece of advice you would give to a student?

MG: I have thought about this, especially when it comes to early career, is being aware that you’re going to suck for a little bit. Even if you are at the top of your class, and you have all these amazing college journalism awards, when you get into the real world, you might suck for a bit.

If you keep working hard, you will improve and outlast people that couldn’t stand to hear that their work isn’t that good. It kind of is a battle of Darwinism in some sense.

If you can stick around long enough, you end up good enough at it.

OPINION COVID-19 LITTERS

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OPINION

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VIII

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.”

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Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

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Do you think voting will be more difficult in the upcoming election due to COVID-19?

More voting options Politics, not virus Ballot confusion I think a lot of people will be rightly hesitant to stand in line at the polls, but I am confident that people will find a way. So many have already voted, and there are a lot of options available. I mailed my absentee ballot a few weeks ago.

-Nicole Hube, Creative Director, Photography

There are more options for voting in this election. However there are other factors that may affect who votes. It is hard to imagine people leaving their house to vote when they cannot leave their house for work.

-Steven Novak, Laker Review Editor

From what I have seen, there have been a lot of people participating in early voting all while socially distancing and wearing masks. With the ease of getting an absentee ballot, plus numerous other voting options, I do not think COVID-19 will affect voting all that much. It is the politics that surround COVID-19 that will affect voting.

-Ben Grieco, Editor‑in‑Chief

While I believe that it has been made easier for many people to obtain an absentee ballot or vote early in this Presidential election, there is an overwhelming amount of information and misinformation that could cause confusion for many voters. For many first time voters, the prospect of entering a voting booth during a pandemic may turn them away, and the confusion of obtaining an absentee ballot could have adverse effects on voter turnout as well.

-Abigail Connolly, Opinion Editor

From my seat: The Editor-in-Chief’s column

Expression of gratitude when transparency has been crucial

Ben Grieco Editor‑in‑Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to look into something interesting: where does SUNY’s testing of COVID-19 stand among the country? SUNY has administered more than 200,000 tests, which is no small feat.

SUNY’s number of administered tests has surpassed the states ­­­ — I repeat, entire states — of Wyoming and Vermont. It is also nearing South Dakota’s testing numbers, with a gap of less than 40,000. If that is not impressive, quite honestly, I do not know what is.

My tip of the hat goes to Upstate Medical and its incredible testing, which has the capacity of 120,000 weekly tests through its pooled saliva tests. In a state college and university system where there are over 400,000 students, not all of which are inperson, it is fair to say that the more tests there are, the better students and faculty are well off.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras noted on Twitter Sunday that there are approximately 180,000 students who are on-campus and going to in-person classes.

Knowing these numbers leads to another point: SUNY and Malatras have been incredibly transparent since the beginning of the semester and this is a major asset for them.

SUNY has an entire dashboard for all 64 campuses of the SUNY system, both as a collective unit and individually. One

can look at every campus from SUNY Adirondack to Westchester Community College and see individual COVID-19 data. Malatras has also been very active on his personal Twitter account, stating facts and answering numerous questions and concerns from almost every account, whether it be a parent, media member or just someone who is curious.

In a time and world where it seems like there are more questions than answers, having the leader of the entire SUNY system answering questions cannot be ignored. While former Chancellor Kristina Johnson dealt with the beginning of the pandemic, she resigned and became the president of Ohio State. Malatras has been the driving force behind all of this.

Johnson never had this much of a public outreach. While Malatras has come to SUNY Oswego more because of the in-person classes pause at the end of September, Malatras, as well as President Deborah Stanley, answered numerous questions at every press conference.

While it is required by SUNY that every college or university has a public dashboard and report COVID-19 data everyday,

SUNY Oswego officials have been open and always willing to talk as well. Never did I think I would have the school’s chief communications officer’s, Wayne Westervelt, phone number essentially on speed-dial.

Any time I have called, emailed or found him at a press conference, Westervelt has been right there to answer a question or to clarify something.

Allow this to serve as a giant “thank you,” to the availability and transparency of personnel who typically are not hounded as much. While we definitely are not in the clear from COVID-19, we are all learning together on how to handle different situations. Being transparent helps everyone, including concerned parents, students, media members and even school officials because everyone’s voices are expressed and heard.

Hopefully this will bring forth the idea that being open and being available to the public is a necessity, even when the world is not in the middle of a pandemic.

People want to hear from their officials, whether it be school or government. They want to hear what decisions are being made but more importantly why.

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian Oswego State President Deborah Stanley and SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras during a campus visit.

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OPINION B2 COVID-19, Coronavirus brings environmental hope COVID-19 hypocrisy Decrease in travel, fuel use while increase in litter, other pollution in SUNY prevails schools THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

Gianna Ciccone Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Flickr

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Not even 48 hours after the presidential debate held Oct. 1, a tweet by President Donald Trump revealed he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 – which would quickly grow into a snowball full of positive tests among those in the Trump administration.

Ever since the first cases were reported across the United States in late January and early February, Trump disregarded the danger and threat posed by the pandemic.

“It’s a hoax,” he said from early on. “We will soon beat the China virus.” But it did not stop there.

There were no boundaries to Trump’s mockery, who had a wide array of nicknames for the novel virus at his disposal from the get-go.

Seemingly everything changed when he contracted the virus – something that shocked constituents on both ends of the political spectrum, for better or for worse.

Then, all of the sudden it changed his mind.

“The virus has taken nearly 220,000 souls... this is hypocrisy, again, at its finest.”

“It has been a very interesting journey,” he told the press. “I learned a lot about COVID-19. I learned by really going to school and this is the real school and this isn’t the read the book school.

And I get it and I understand it.”

That was just the tip of the iceberg. One other comment would add more fuel to the fire.

“Don’t be afraid of COVID,” he said, rightfully causing anger and frustration among Americans.

For those who have lost a loved one during this pandemic, that almost sounded like mockery at its finest.

The level of secrecy surrounding Trump’s diagnosis, too, has raised many questions among U.S. citizens.

Since the first minute, doctors involved in Trump’s case have swerved as they avoided answering journalists’ questions and revealing where the outbreak might have actually occurred.

Temperature, heartbeat and oxygen levels all remain unknown. Even confirming whether Trump was already positive when the debate took place was a no-no for the administration.

In fact, during the press conference with the medical staff at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the lead nurse unconsciously contradicted himself, acknowledging Trump had needed treatment for his oxygen levels, shortly thereafter denying it.

Since the virus erupted in the U.S., it has taken nearly 220,000 souls to their graves. Yet this is hypocrisy, again, at its finest.

To an extent, the example with Trump’s diagnosis could relate to that of the checks and balances that have been omitted throughout Trump’s years in office.

The coronavirus has caused a lot of chaos and mass hysteria since March. Unfortunately, there have been many deaths because of this virus. Not only has COVID-19 taken many lives, but it will also leave a massive footprint on Earth. However, COVID-19 has shown us that there is hope in saving our environment.

In the beginning of this scare, people were advised to stay home and social distance from each other. Many businesses and activities were also shut down because of the pandemic. People were traveling less, so carbon emissions were lower than usual. When Italy was shut down, the canals were no longer being used in Venice, and as a result, the water became a lot cleaner and dolphins were seen swimming in the clear water.

Social distancing also played a role in positive environmental impacts. Since there were no crowds of people in public places like beaches, people were able to get rid of trash that accumulated in these places. Another indirect result of the coronavirus was the reduction of environmental noise. This noise is usually generated from cars and the public. High levels of noise causes discomfort for many different species in the surrounding environment. Since noise levels were reduced, more wildlife could be seen and live more comfortably.

On the other hand, COVID-19 has caused plenty of negative impacts on our environment. Plastic bag bans began, but many companies decided to bring plastic bags back to keep customers from bringing in their reusable bags.

Since many restaurants have been closed or have been limited to half their capacity, many people

have started to order food online more frequently, increasing domestic waste. Another example of domestic waste being generated can be seen at SUNY Oswego. Dining halls are no longer open for dine-in services, and because of this, students accumulate plenty of containers and paper bags after each meal they eat. Recycling has also gone down because many of the recycling facilities have been shut down due to COVID-19.

Another environmental issue with coronavirus is littering. Many people use paper masks which are used one to two times before they are considered “bad,” so many people discard these masks onto the ground after exiting a store.

In the very beginning of this pandemic, we witnessed many positive impacts that were pushing us into the right direction toward slowing climate change and saving our planet. This shows us that we can make progress in saving the environment, but we need to follow rules that must be put in place to do so. The coronavirus is leaving a footprint on our Earth, and there needs to be some sort of change to put this to an end.

Things have only gotten worse as many places have started to open again. However, there is hope that we can actually decrease the negative effects impacting the environment, and this was demonstrated from the early actions taken during this pandemic.

Photo from Flickr

Ashley Scott Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Flickr The environmental impacts of COVID-19 encompass the protective equipment required in the U.S.

SPEAK YOUR MIND, TWITTER! POLLS POSTED EVERY WEEK TO @GonianLRO

Voting, responsible thing in election Voters practice basic right, responsibility as U.S. citzens Abigail Connolly Opinion Editor aconnolly@oswegonian.com According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services webpage regarding “Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities,” U.S. citizens have both the right to “vote in elections for public officials” and the responsibility to “participate in the democratic process.”

The upcoming presidential election has caused a great disparity between the desire to uphold these ideals and the desire to vote for a candidate who represents individual principles. If the “Settle for Biden” hashtag had not made this clear enough, this is not the election that many American voters were hoping for. Despite this, it is vital for all eligible voters to perform their right and responsibility to take action in the democratic process and vote.

With the argument that President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden lack the ability to effectively lead this nation through the current political environment, many eligible voters are not registering and those who are already registered have made the decision to abstain from voting. Despite these sentiments toward the candidates, they are the only options that have a real chance of making it into office. Third party candidates perform statistically worse in presidential elections, and with the current two-party political climate, voting third party, or voting with a write-in, will not result in a third party or write-in candidate winning. Abstaining from voting just because you disagree with the candi-

dates will negatively affect the number of citizens truly being represented by the elected official. It is not about agreeing with the candidate entirely, it is about who the voter feels can best lead the nation. One may not want to be governed by either one of these candidates, but this is the reality U.S. voters are facing.

By not voting, Americans will be disregarding years of struggle and sacrifice to create the democracy in which we live today. The U.S. is built on both autonomy from government and direct interaction with it. This means that while American citizens can choose to not involve themselves in politics, they have the responsibility to shape and create the government

that interacts with them, both for themselves and for the people around them. Voting is the greatest expression of freedom that a citizen can make, and by partaking in presidential elections, voters determine the state and quality of their lives and the lives of others for the four years of the presidential term, and even beyond.

While it is clear that this election is not what many American voters wanted, this cannot stop the voters from exercising their rights and upholding their responsibilities. Just because one may not want to do something, that does not mean they should not, especially in the case of a presidential election.

Photo from Flickr

Voting booths might be less populated this Presidential election while more people opt for mail-in voting.

On Friday, Oct. 16, it was reported the president of SUNY Oneonta, Barbara Jean Morris, resigned from her post. Dennis Craig from SUNY Purchase will stand in as the acting president the search has begun to permanently fill the role.

Earlier in this semester SUNY Oneonta sent its students home after reporting 712 student cases.

A spokesperson said that Morris’s resignation did not come about in the middle of the crisis. His comments give the impression that her resignation is not COVID-19 related, but I find that hard to believe.

I have seen on social media that people believe SUNY Oneonta’s administration was in the wrong for how the school dealt with COVID-19. Compared to other SUNY schools, SUNY Oneonta did not have the same requirements at the beginning of the semester such as requiring all students to be tested upon arrival to the campus.

This was a big mistake on SUNY Oneonta’s part. When the virus spread there was no stopping it.

“If school eases up on those restrictions, we could have an outbreak on campus and possibly see numbers like SUNY Oneonta...”

On the SUNY Oswego campus, this semester we have seen only 300 cases, as of Oct. 20.

Across the board when looking at all the SUNY institutions, there have been 1,266 positive cases. The fact that SUNY Oswego only contributes 300 of those cases shows how well SUNY Oswego has handled the situation. SUNY Oswego has done far better than other SUNYs when it comes to the number of tests being conducted, with 13,221 test completed to as of Oct. 20.

This can be compared to SUNY Geneseo’s 2,667 tests and SUNY Plattsburgh’s 5,142 tests. Having students get tested every three weeks is a smart decision that will help prevent an outbreak from happening.

A common question among SUNY Oswego students is what the spring semester will look like. Now that numbers are down and appear to be staying down, we should keep the restrictions and processes that we have now because they are working. If the school eases up on those restrictions, we could have an outbreak on campus and possibly see numbers like SUNY Oneonta had.

Some students on campus, would rather have the restrictions and remain on campus than have the school shut down. I do not mind leaving campus just for essentials, reducing the number of people I come in contact with and getting tested every three weeks if that means I get to stay on campus and attend my hybrid classes. Some students are not comfortable with being on campus and have gone home after the two-week remote period, and SUNY Oswego has done a good job accommodating those students as well.

SPORTS Photo Brief SUNYAC CANCELED

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

What could have been: 2020 field hockey Extended offseason could help Oswego State get back on track

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Alyssa DeMichael (13) had 10 points during the 2019 field hockey season, scoring four goals.

From The Oswegonian file photos 2019

After initially releasing a draft of proposed schedules for men’s and women’s basketball as well as men’s hockey, the SUNYAC changed its gears and announced on Monday that all winter sports are canceled.

The championships canceled include men’s and women’s indoor track and field and men’s and women’s swimming and diving. The status of wrestling is unknown as well as women’s hockey, which runs under the Northeast Women’s Hockey League.

However, the league’s commissioner is Tom DiCamillo, who also runs the SUNYAC. All of the teams in the NEWHL are SUNY schools, and all of the schools, with the exception of SUNY Canton, have men’s teams in the SUNYAC. SUNY Canton’s men’s team plays independently of any Div. III league.

The press release from the SUNYAC said the decision was made out of “an abundance of caution.” The decision was made

by SUNYAC presidents.

“This was not an easy decision and I empathize with all of our student-athletes across the SUNYAC,” said Erik Bitterbaum,

the chairman of the SUNYAC presidents. “However, despite our best efforts to plan for a winter season, our priority must be the health and safety of everyone involved with intercollegiate athletics and our campuses as a whole.”

The league is still internally planning the possibility of a spring sports season but does not mention any return of fall sports in the spring. The decision will be made at a later date, according to the press release.

Oswego State Interim Director of Athletics Eric Summers said that there is hope that there will be some answers over the next few months, so athletics can resume practices and competitions.

Summers also added there are a lot of unknowns with athletics, including safely conducting practices and competitions, plus testing protocols and safely traveling to different campuses.

“This was a very difficult decision, but the right one given the current situation with COVID,” Summers said. “My heart goes out to our athletes, but we will get through this stronger than before.”

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Michael Gross Asst. Sports Editor mgross@oswegonian.com The Oswego State women’s field hockey team has had a rough couple of seasons, something the team looks to correct when it is able take the field next. After going 4-12 in 2019, something needed to change.

One of the leaders on this team and a potential impact player in the future is junior Emily Hunter.

Hunter feels that despite their camaraderie off the field, there were still things that needed some work on the field.

“Overall, we have a lot of talented people with a lot of good stick skills,” Hunter said. “One thing we could work on is the scoring and the offensive part of the game because that is one thing we struggled with for sure.”

The Lakers were not aggressive on the scoring end. Just 33 shots hit the back of the net all season, but the second leading scorer, junior Alyssa DeMichael would like to see communication improve, feeling it is the biggest piece the team was missing.

“We definitely didn’t have enough communication,” DeMi-

chael said. “Just communication and not everyone being on the same page. Not everyone would know the same play as another player if someone came into the game.”

...[If we] stay motivated and go out and do the best that [we] can every practice, that will definitely help.”

Alyssa DeMichael -Oswego State field hockey forward

While the communication was not a strong suit for the team, it really stemmed from a bigger issue.

The lack of leadership, according to junior Jenna Rogers.

“The leadership wasn’t the best because we had a very young team,” Rogers said. “The communication between the upperclassmen and the lower-classmen wasn’t great.

Most of our starters were freshmen or sophomores, so we were just learning how to gel together and play at the collegiate level.”

After their season was canceled due to COVID-19, the upperclassmen on the team made it apparent that they did not want to let the future of the program slip through their fingertips. With incoming freshmen arriving at the strangest time possible, it was hard to make sure they were all acclimated to the team and Oswego State.

“We try to interact with them online,” Rogers said. “We do team workouts with them every Wednesday through Zoom and that is a good way to match a name to a face. We are always asking them questions and assuring them that they can be comfortable talking to us whenever they need to.”

In an effort to improve team chemistry off the field, the team relies on a Google Classroom group with special workouts and challenges to complete. For example, one challenge may be to go on a run and take a picture with a street sign. It is not necessarily a competition, but it keeps the competitive edge alive while keeping things fresh and fun.

Rogers, Hunter and DeMichael are looked at as impact players for next season, and the biggest thing for them to focus on is leadership.

For Hunter, she stresses staying fit and active during the offseason because she feels that that is the best way to prepare for a possible spring season.

“Since we have so much time right now until next season, we should focus on getting in shape and the fitness component,” Hunter said. “When we have the resources to get into the weight room and start lifting, it always helps our team. That and working on our athleticism will be the biggest way we can prepare our team for next year.”

For DeMichael, she wants to help motivate her teammates by making sure everyone has the same drive and will to win that she does.

“We can get everyone motivated to want to be successful and to want to win,” DeMichael said. “I feel like in the past, we were a little separated from the sport. If we get everyone to focus on field hockey and their role on the team, stay motivated and go out and do the best that they can every practice, that will definitely help.”

Lakers’ golf looks to respond to adversity Cameron Ellis looks to future as Coach Howard expects team to succeed on course in 2021

diver wants to regain SUNYAC glory Trina Catterson Staff Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics Ryan Fecco looks to take on a leadership role for the 2021 golf team, despite not competing in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Ben Diamond Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com Although Oswego State sports were put on hold for the fall semester, the golf team is still looking to play in the spring.

Head coach Mike Howard believes his team can compete, even with a roster that has shifted faces the past two seasons.

The team has graduated eight players over a two-year span, and because the team only has 12 members, Howard said that is quite a bit of change. He hopes that the returning players he does have, as well as the freshmen, can step up. Howard had similar expectations for the canceled spring season earlier this year.

“We had a successful fall season a year ago,” Howard said. “So we were looking to continue that success into the spring.”

The team was also looking forward to competing in the Empire 8 Conference Championship. At the time of the suspension of sports, the Lakers were in third place behind Utica College and St. John Fisher College. COVID-19 got in the way of

their tournament aspirations, leaving speculation as to what might happen. Howard wanted his seniors to get one last round as Lakers.

“We had some seniors who didn’t get a chance to play their last college round,” Howard said. “They did get it in the fall, but they didn’t know that that would be it. They didn’t get any closure.”

Oswego State has canceled all sports for the fall semester, leaving Howard, like every other coach, unable to work with their players all fall.

“Individually, if they can get on a golf course … that should work,” Howard said. “We had some guys decide not to enroll physically on campus … so we are going to miss them anyway.”

The pandemic has made preparing for next season very difficult because it is still unclear if there will be one. Howard was planning on getting some practices in this fall so players could get some work in before next year.

Even without organized practices, Howard is not worried about the lack of reps going into the season.

“We already have to come off of a winter break, like other schools in the

Northeast,” Howard said. “We don’t know the situations or what’s going on with other schools and how they are handling COVID precautions.”

Howard explained that there are some Div. III schools in the West and Midwest that are currently playing golf. Howard said that the team is “used to coming out of the box kind of cold,” because the team starts so late in the spring due to cold weather.

Returning junior Ryan Fecco is one of the players on Howard’s roster that he believes can step up this spring. He also brought in some transfers with collegiate experience to fill in the voids.

“The fall was going to be a period of figuring out, ‘What do we have to work with?’” Howard said.

He still feels very confident in his squad nonetheless. A spring season is right around the corner and a chance for the team to rebound after the long stoppage of play.

“It’s adversity and that’s part of life, and we’ll have to deal with that in athletics now too,” Howard said.

“We will have to wait and see what happens to the golf season in the spring. Until then, we have to be patient and prepare.”

Cameron Ellis, a junior at Oswego State, is ready to be the future of the Oswego State men’s and women’s swimming and diving team. The Rockland County native has already won two silver medals at the SUNYAC Diving Championships.

Ellis did not start off diving as a young kid. He was on a competitive gymnastics team from the fifth to seventh grade. He was at his local swimming pool, hanging out with some friends on the diving board and that is when it all began. Ellis was approached by a scout who encouraged him to come down and dive for his club team. After a short talk with his mom, the 14-year-old went and joined the team and the rest is history.

After diving all throughout high school at Clarkstown High School South in West Nyack, Ellis decided to attend Oswego State to continue his athletic career. He said that all of the swimmers and divers seemed like a “really closeknit family” and that it seemed like “a group of friends that were supportive all the time.”

Besides the fact that Ellis has qualified for regional competitions and has even placed second in both 1-meter and 3-meter diving at the SUNYAC Championships, he still battles with nerves be-

fore he competes. His key to overcoming the butterflies in his stomach is breathing and visualizing.

“It’s just the normal thoughts that probably go through people’s head,” Ellis said. “But breathing and visualizing helps me the most.”

Oswego State’s diving coach, Kevin Morgan, has been working with Ellis the last two years and has recognized some of the things that make Ellis so great.

“I think it’s his attention to detail and his consistency that makes him so successful,” Morgan said. “He really grew this last season and wanted to not only get better as an athlete but understand how those processes were going to work.”

Morgan emphasizes that he wants anyone he coaches to find one thing they can do every day to make themselves better as a person and athlete.

“I want to see them take that success from the diving room and carry those lessons learned in the pool and apply them to their academic and their personal lives,” Morgan said.

Oswego State’s swimming coach, Mike Holman also emphasized that Ellis has a lot of natural talent and is very consistent with what he does.

“When it comes to training, Cam comes in and gets what he has to get done, done,” Holman said. “He really isn’t afraid to try out new things which is important for divers.”

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics Cameron Ellis was named an All-American at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.

NEWS MEDIA SUMMIT

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COVERAGE

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VIII • www.oswegonian.com

Randazzo joins Björklöven professional hockey team in Sweden

Former Laker standout begins career in foreign land with quick transition time

Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com Former Oswego State women’s hockey captain Kate Randazzo has started her professional hockey career in Sweden after signing with Björklöven.

Randazzo played in 105 games during her collegiate career, recording 53 points behind 11 goals and 42 assists. But it was not just her skills on the ice that former head coach Diane Dillon saw as a major asset in the fouryear Laker. Dillon said Randazzo became the whole package of an ideal student-athlete.

“She had a tremendous amount of belief in her ability to do well in the classroom because she knew she was going to put the work in. She did that on the hockey side as well,” Dillon said. “By the time she hit her senior year, focused and ready to go, she knew what she wanted to do. It was thoroughly enjoyable to work with her and watch her blossom as a person and a hockey player.”

The growth Randazzo had led her into becoming an alternate captain her sophomore year plus holding the captain role for two years was something that Dillon also noticed. Going from “painfully shy” as a freshman, Randazzo gradually came out of her shell as Dillon put her in more and more situations to see whether or not she would respond to “leadership challenges,” as Dillon called them.

By the time senior year rolled around and now-head coach Mark Digby was brought into the program as the associate head coach, Randazzo had essentially become another coach for the team with her leadership capabilities, Digby said.

After the announcement of Digby’s move from the men’s team to the women’s team, Randazzo was one of the first people he met with. Digby was the as-

OPINION SUNY

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STRUGGLES

Photo via Flickr

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

Editor’s Column

Reaction to canceled season

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Brandon Ladd Sports Editor bladd@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Kate Randazzo (21) was on the Oswego State women’s hockey team’s leadership council for three years, spending two as captain.

sistant coach for the men’s team from 2010 to 2019 and said Randazzo “is as much of a pro hockey player as anyone that [I have] ever worked with.”

“When you talk with Kate, it doesn’t take you long to realize what a special person she is,” Digby said. “Just to have somebody else that was like-minded, and they were always pushing what was best for the team, I don’t want to say it made things easy but it definitely made things easier on the coaching staff last year.”

During her four years at Oswego State, Randazzo said the idea of playing professionally after college never really came up. But after COVID-19 threw most Canadian universities to a remote status for the fall, she was able “to buy herself a year to play hockey, study and get ready for the next chapter,” Digby said.

Both Dillon and Digby said they were not really involved in the process of helping Randazzo get to Sweden. Randazzo

added no one specifically helped her, but everyone was supportive. Digby said the first time he heard about Randazzo’s opportunity was when she got her visa to go to Sweden.

“I’d love to say that I was able to help, but I had nothing to do with it, which I think speaks a lot about her and the way she is willing to advocate for herself,” Digby said. “I’m not sure a day’s gone by that I haven’t talked with her just to see how she’s settling in. Just what a cool opportunity for her to have at this point in her life.”

The transition to Sweden has been going well, Randazzo said. She has two fellow Canadians on the team, one of which played for Lebanon Valley College and graduated last season.

Jillian Moffat was also a twoyear captain as goaltender for the Flying Dutchmen.

“The transition hasn’t been too difficult. My teammates are very supportive and helpful,” Randazzo said. “It was dif-

ferent playing a home game somewhere that wasn’t Oswego.

Making a new game-day routing [and] learning a new warm-up after four years was different.”

Randazzo said there was not any specific reason for playing in Sweden vs. other areas but that is where the opportunity presented itself.

Dillon added there has only been one other player from the program to play professionally and stick with it. Alexa Aramburu, who graduated in 2016, has spent the last couple years in the National Women’s Hockey League. Others have “dabbled a little bit,” according to Dillon but never stuck with it.

“It means a lot to know that Oswego prepared me to continue my hockey career … Oswego taught me to be self-disciplined, dedicated and made me practice in a team-first culture,” Randazzo said. “I hope that me doing this will help future players realize it can be a reality for them.”

Cross country team using 2020 pause to prepare for future

Team has experienced great turnover but looks toward 2021 season

It was a surprise when the SUNYAC announced the cancellation of winter sports on Oct. 19. Seemingly, some higher power had to get involved with the decision making, after just two weeks earlier the SUNYAC announced a proposed schedule for men’s hockey and men’s and women’s basketball. Oswego State winter athletes got their groove back, it was a feeling of normalcy in a time filled with such uncertainty.

Then, the hammer was dropped.

The SUNYAC is arguing the most recent decision was “out of an abundance of caution.” The athletes argue that most of them come to these universities for the chance to play the sports they love, the education that comes with that could have been earned elsewhere.

Both sides have a point. It seemed like the recent increase in surveillance testing by most SUNYAC schools was working. The positivity rate for SUNYAC schools has been much lower than New York State as a whole, with 0.37% of all tests beings positive in the last 14 days, as of Oct. 21. In comparison the state is above 1%. With these low numbers and the commitment of Athletic Directors to test athletes regularly throughout an athletic season, it felt sports would be officially back on these small Div. III campuses.

Now the athletes will go forward with their collegiate lives, knowing it will be 21 months between competition for most by the time they get back.

Some will graduate, some will transfer, and some will just stay put, wondering what could have been and anticipating their next chance to play the sport they love.

I am not the moral police, there are fair points by both sides. This pandemic should have brought us together, instead, it has divided us even more.

From Washington all the way to these small upstate campuses.

Michael Gross Asst. Sports Editor mgross@oswegonian.com

Pat Higgins | The Oswegonian

Brandon Ladd Sports Editor bladd@oswegonian.com Oswego State’s cross country team was in desperate need of a reset following the 2019 season. The SUNYAC Championship results revealed a team in need of change after the men’s team finished in last place out of nine teams and the women’s team finished sixth out of 10 teams.

2020 is the start of that change, with many new athletes joining the team and more expected to join before the 2021 season, according to head coach Jacob Smith. With all the turnover, there is a new excitement around the program due to the younger nucleus of runners and what they could potentially accomplish.

“I’m really excited for what these guys can do,” Smith said.

“Particularly next year, when we

can add another recruiting class on top. Recruiting seems to be going OK right now, so I’m excited to see when we take this group and we add a few more to it. I think it is going to be very good.”

Smith has high expectations for his first two recruiting classes, after a 2019 season that did not deliver team results in the SUNYAC. The SUNYAC Championships were on Nov. 2, and the men’s team saw just three Oswego State runners finish inside the top 80. The women’s team had slightly better results, placing four runners in the top 50.

Defeat is a great catalyst for change and a reason why the program is going in a new direction.

Smith is satisfied with the efforts put in by the runners during the current pause to Oswego State sports due to COVID-19. The advantage of cross country running is the ability to practice at all times

and in many conditions. Runners have been getting practice plans from Smith through group texts and emails, giving an opportunity to individually improve before organized training can begin again.

“The people on the team right now, they are doing a great job with training,” Smith said. “They were doing a great job when we were still able to practice. I know I have seen many of them just by chance. They have been out running and I have been out running, and I have seen them. So, I know they are out there doing it.”

Smith hinted toward the need for time to develop competitive collegiate runners. Many of the stronger runners in the SUNYAC are juniors and seniors. He believes that the young runners coming into the program will be able to stay focused on their development to be able to reach the top of the SUNYAC.

“I am pretty confident with this group,” Smith said. “I think they are really into it, and this is something that is very important to them. The fact that they are committed to doing the training now on their own when we can not have practices, I think it shows how important this is to them and that demonstrates how committed they are.

The biggest factor this program is going to have to overcome is the recent results in the SUNYAC Championships. Neither the men’s or women’s team has been able to place higher than sixth the past two seasons. A new culture was needed to attempt to change that result in 2021.

“I am really excited, I like the direction the team is going,” Smith said. “I appreciate that the culture has changed now with the turnover of the athletes. Eventually, the results will come in a couple of years.”

This week last year, the Oswego State men’s hockey played Carleton Place Canadians in the teal game to open up the 2019-20 campaign. One trip around the sun and things look a whole lot different today.

I was heartbroken to learn that these athletes will not get to play and some of which will miss out on their senior season. I, too, will miss out on covering these teams from the broadcasting and journalism side but that is not the biggest issue.

Despite COVID-19 still surging across the country and hitting other SUNY schools hard such as SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cortland, we are still three months away from when the season was supposed to start under COVID-19 conditions. This begs the question: Was this decision made too early?

Every bone in my body wants to say it was but after seeing the capability of this virus, and how quickly and easily it spreads, I think this was for the best. Besides, we have gone seven months without sports already, a few more should not be a problem in order to safely return to normal.

INSIDE

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‘Hubie Halloween’ C3 makes audiences cringe

Van Halen lead guitarist dead at 65

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‘Remothered’ sequel fails to scare

FRIDAY Oct. 23, 2020

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

‘Genshin Impact’ provides fun free-to-play experience

Stephen Novak Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Rating:

The Gacha-style game has been something the west has denied for a relatively long time, mostly existing as niche mobile games. Gacha games are free-to-play games where the player is presented with a very complicated role-playing game that is heavily dependent on the type of character they’re using. These characters are then raffled off to the player in a lottery, usually requiring real money to spin and giving them very slim odds of getting the one they’re after. Some notable games include “AFK Arena” and the infamous “Raid: Shadow Legends.”

“Genshin Impact” carries this concept but

stretches it out to a tripleA experience and features a much more modern design philosophy. “Genshin Impact” provides a very well-presented story with fully animated cut scenes and colorful characters that seem to go the extra mile, even when it’s not necessary. The player is only able to choose their character’s sex before finding themselves in a strange world with a dragon to slay. The premise is simple yet captivating, as the game chooses to keep its exposition fairly lowkey. This same care can be extended to the visuals.

The game world features a lot of large vistas with a selection of popping colors and calming music, whether the player is in the city of Mondstadt or in the mountains of Liyue.

The combat is simplistic. The player is given

four characters to choose from at any time. Each one has a basic set of attacks, one special ability that recharges after a few seconds and an ultimate attack that needs to be charged up over a lengthy period of time. This is mostly bolstered by an elemental system. Every ability has an element attached to it and these reliably act in any way one can imagine. If an enemy is on fire, using a wind blast will cause the fire to grow and spread onto other nearby foes.

This also factors into the best part of “Genshin Impact,” which are its traversal mechanics.

The best reference one could draw to is “The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild,” where players can glide off of cliffs and climb pretty much every surface. The elemen-

tal system stays just as prominent here, as one can freeze water to act as a bridge or drop rocks to create a step ladder.

This flow stays relevant up until the ending moments of the game, where “Genshin Impacts” starts to weasel its players down to finally spending money.

It limits the dungeons one can explore in a day without spending some

extra cash. There are also some very important story characters that the player must win from the magic slot machine. If one has a good amount of willpower, they’ll find a really solid game that will provide them just enough before monetization comes for their patience.

Though perhaps in some cases “Genshin Impact” is worth your money, even if it doesn’t demand it.

Image from IGN via YouTube The Traveller and their pet Paimon explore a colorful world, full of areas to explore.

‘Hubie Halloween’ adds to long line of bad Sandler Films Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

Although he has occasionally shown that he has the chops to succeed as a dramatic performer, actorcomedian Adam Sandler (“Murder Mystery”) has devoted the majority of his career toward producing and starring in mostly lackluster, occasionally cringe-worthy, comedic films.

As such, it was both a shock and delight in 2019 to recognize that one of the year’s best, and perhaps Oscar-worthy, performances was delivered by Sandler in the Safdie Brothers’ (“Good Time”) crime thriller “Uncut Gems.”

In fact, Sandler’s uncharacteristic performance as reckless jeweler Howard Ratner was so highly praised that, if in the event he were to be denied an Oscar nomination, he said that he would exact revenge on the Academy by making a purposefully terrible film.

Unfortunately, Sandler was snubbed at the Oscars, and

Image from Netflix via YouTube Adam Sandler plays a man child that might remind fans of “The Waterboy.”

it appears he kept true to his word. “Hubie Halloween,” a recent Netflix Original comedy is mind-numbingly painful to sit through. Save for a few chuckle-worthy moments, the film is remarkably unfunny. To make matters worse, rather than provide an original story, it feels as though the film steals left and right from prior Sandler films, all while featuring Sandler’s usual gang of comedic performances, such as Rob Schneider (“The Wrong Missy“) and

Ben Stiller (“Zoolander”), who unshockingly phone-in their respective roles.

In this film, Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, who fans of “The Waterboy” may recognize as a poor man’s Bobby Boucher, given his similar speech-impediment, child-like behaviour and an overbearing mother with whom he still lives. Despite the ridicule he faces from his neighbor, Hubie takes it upon himself to try and save his town when an ominous threat emerges. Plot-wise, the film is rather cut and dry, even

for a Sandler film, and leaves little to spark interest or excitement, given its overall derivative nature.

A major point of concern for this film is where it derives its comedy from. Alarmingly, it seems as though a good chunk of the humor is meant to be derived from certain in-joke and references to past Sandler films, which may easily lose those who have never seen them. For those who have, these references may incite slight smirks, though they ultimately feel out of place, rendering them to be mostly head-scratchers if anything. As for the rest of the comedy, the film resorts to the token potty humor and immature shenanigans of common Sandler films.

Perhaps what is most disappointing about this film is the notion of what Sandler has accomplished as an actor in the past, and how he squanders his talent through partaking in films such as “Hubie Halloween.” Unlike the dramatic films in which he appears giving rather nuanced, grounded performances, Sandler’s definition of “acting” in his comedic

films is doing nothing more than adopting a fake, usually incomprehensible voice, and acting like a child or unintelligent individual.

Overall this film feels like an immense waste of talent, including the likes of heavyweights such as Steve Buscemi (“The King of Staten Island”) and Ray Liotta (“Marriage Story”), who both have proven themselves as legitimate actors in the past. Even actors and comedians who have become mainstays in Sandler films, such as Kevin James (“Becky”) and Maya Rudolph (“The Willoughbys”), have proven themselves to be better than this film, delivering far more hilarious performances in their other works.

Seeing as Sandler and Netflix have a film deal together, one may hope that Sandler’s comedies will eventually improve in quality, perhaps at a level similar to his earlier films, such as “Happy Gilmore.” Otherwise, we may once again be subjected to yet another painful mess, especially if he is denied an Oscar nomination.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

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Eddie Van Halen dead at 65 after bout with cancer

Trina Catterson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Eddie Van Halen, renowned guitarist and lead songwriter of the American rock band Van Halen, passed away after a long battle with cancer. According to TMZ, Van Halen died at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, Tuesday, Oct. 13, with his wife, Janie, son, Wolfgang, his ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli, and Alex, Van Halen’s brother and drummer for the band. Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, confirmed the news on Tuesday.

“I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” he wrote on Twitter.

Van Halen battled cancer for over a decade. Sources connected to the guitarist said a few days before his death, his health went downhill fast. Doctors found out that his throat cancer spread

to his brain and other organs.

Van Halen was a heavy smoker, but he believed the cancer came from a metal guitar pick he used to hold in his mouth over 20 years ago.

“I used metal picks, they’re brass and copper, which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer,” he said. The doctors said this is a possibility even though it is just Van Halen’s theory.

Van Halen was a talented guitarist who gained love and respect from millions for his incredible speed and control. Van Halen also cofounded the American rock band Van Halen in 1972 with drummer Alex Van Halen, bassist Mark Stone, who was later replaced by Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth. The band is known for their energy-filled live performances and are credited with “restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene.” Van Halen had very distinct guitar solos which

helped the band get on the charts in the late 1970s with the band’s debut album. A few years later, Van Halen released its sixth album titled, “1984” which included classics such as “Jump” and “Hot For Teacher” and ended up going five-times platinum a year after its release. The band won the 1992 Grammy for the Best Hard Rock Performance for the album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.”

Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling artists of all time, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Another skill Van Halen brought to the table of rock music was popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique, which allows rapid arpeggios to be played with two hands on the fretboard. The guitarist also took part in many musical collaborations with Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Michael Jackson, Black Sabbath and even LL Cool J. Van Halen was also an inventor on three patents re-

A quick overview of the show for those unfamiliar: it is set in a parodic HannaBarbera-esque world of science, villains, mysteries and monsters, the show follows boy adventurers Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas, “Your Name”) and Hank Venture (Christopher McCulloch, “Harvey Girls Forever”), their cynical, washed-up father Rusty (James Urbaniak, “Star

Wars The Old Republic - Onslaught”), and their cutthroat bodyguard Brock (Patrick Warburton), as they face ridiculous problems such as their butterfly-themed nemesis, The Monarch (Christopher McCulloch). It uses this premise to construct an elaborate world with many moving parts and story beats, as well as to explore the complexities of each character

Image from Inc.Com Eddie Van Halen believed that his cancer came from a metal pick that he held in his mouth.

lated to guitars: a folding prop to support a guitar in a flat position, a tension adjusting tailpiece and an ornamental design for a headstock.

Van Halen is known for making his own guitar, The Frankenstrat, named after the fictional monster Frankenstein, out of several different guitar parts. Van Halen wanted to combine the sound of a classic Gibson guitar with the physical attributes and tremolo bar functionality of a Fender Stratocaster.

Van Halen is widely considered to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time.

At one point in his life, Van Halen actually received a drum set that his brother, Alex desperately wanted. “I never wanted to play guitar,” Eddie said at the National Museum of American History back in 2015. He ended up giving into his brother’s desire for the drums and said, “Go ahead, take my drums. I’ll play your damn guitar.” And the rest was history.

and how they process the insane events around them.

Each season sharpens both the writing and the animation, expanding and elaborating in ways that make it supremely enjoyable to watch and rewatch.

The show was a unique product of a lot of hard work.

The reasons for its cancellation have not been stated, but given that the show took 12 years to complete seven seasons, one could conclude that the network simply didn’t feel that production was worth the time. While this is pragmatic, it’s also a betrayal of the good faith shown by the creators and contributors of the show over the years. They have spent the admittedly lengthy production schedule creating a show that outclasses pretty much everything else the network has to offer. On top of that, the show was already renewed before the cancellation was announced, with the scripts for the eighth season halfway through production. In other words, the network made the

active choice to nullify an effort in progress, forcing all involved to abandon ship.

Though Adult Swim has claimed it would like to find another way to continue the show, it is a statement that feels rather hollow. “The Venture Bros.” was a send-up to the old classics with writing that works in part because of its talented cast of actors.

Without setting the show within a show of its own, it’s very easy to see how it might lose its soul. This whole debacle is a testament to the harsh reality all creatives face in the modern media climate, as their vision is allowed to exist so long as it feeds into the bottom line. Art is not the goal, it is a means to the goal. While this mindset is reasonable, it isn’t honest.

If the people in charge of distributing creative media don’t really care about said media, then are creators ever really safe to be original or truthful in what they make and how they make it? Is there any room for “The Venture Bros.?”

‘Venture Bros.’ unceremoniously canceled after 7th season Lucas Fernandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

If one is a person with a healthy sleep schedule or a sense of humor based in reality, there’s a good chance they haven’t heard of “The Venture Bros.,” one of the Adult Swim network’s most ambitious pieces of original programming. Unlike a lot of Adult Swim, this show wasn’t solely reliant on surrealism and vulgarity, not to say it didn’t have those things. It was a standout for having intelligent writing, iconic characters, complex worldbuilding and stunning animation that all came together for what was very clearly a passion project.

It held a special place in animation for a lot of people, and it came as unfortunate news when it was announced that the network was canceling the show. After seven seasons, “The Venture Bros.” will have to pack up its things and wave goodbye to its airtime.

Image from Adult Swim via YouTube The show’s cancellation casts a depressing forcecast for the future of creative freedom.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

‘Nectar’ perfect example of Joji’s creative growth Mary Kate Moylan Asst. Laker Review Editor mmoylan@oswegonian.com

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Nearly a month ago to date, Joji, otherwise known as George Miller and formerly the Internet personality “Filthy Frank,” released his sophomore album titled “Nectar.” Two years since the release of his first album, “Ballads 1,” “Nectar” has come as a relief after releasing his first single “Sanctuary” from the new album back in June of 2019. Taking a different route from his debut. “Nectar” presents a livelier heart within the subdued music.

Featuring a number of artists such as Diplo (“Lonely”), Lil Yachty (“iSpy”) and BANEE (“Supalonely”), the 18-track album consists of six featured artists and a majority of solo works.

Starting off the album with a beautiful intro, “Ew,” is a lovely ballad exhibiting strings and piano in what would almost seem fitting for his previous album. The most

contrasting feature from “Ballads 1” is simply how well apparent the air of maturity within just the rhythm of this song alone. “Ballads 1,” which focused primarily on the trials of love lost, self-deprecation and disdain for those that are not like-minded, “Nectar” puts its best foot forward in being observant and even introspective at times.

With hints of R&B and Soul, Joji experiments throughout the album with his limitations and possibilities.

Falling into mainstream media, “Daylight” featuring Diplo launched the artist into the public. With his previous songs like “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” trending on TikTok, and his previous YouTube career, Joji is no stranger to fame. Many can comment though that his fan base has expanded drastically since his debut album with his infiltration of featuring artists that tie in several of his musical interest and vocal strengths.

The bright and colorful imagery that plays along with the video for this release is one

Image from 88rising via YouTube “Nectar” shows a staggering amount of growth for Joji since his days as “Filthy Frank.”

that highlights a main component typically seen in Joji’s work: helplessness. Contrasting the likes of depressing lyrics about a personal down spiral, the beats laid out by Diplo make it a song that one can bop to and enjoy.

“Gimme Love,” “Run” and “Sanctuary” were also singles released in anticipation of “Nectar.” Contrasting greatly in styles and overall impact, each song managed to reign in a variety of fans and display different aspects of the artist’s voice than what had

been seen in the distorted and fuzzy sounds of “Ballads 1.” With entertaining music videos that are lighthearted turned tragic and ones that simply capture the likes of melancholy self-denial, these three songs in particular cast a range of emotions when presented right in a row leaving the listener in a tug-ofwar leading one to either get a rush of joy or heartbreak.

“Pretty Boy” with Lil Yachty was surprisingly an interesting song for the pair. Focusing around the topic of public per-

sonas, the duo put forth their best faces and hard exteriors despite failing to cope with a lot of their internal conflicts as individuals. Considered friends, the two get along quite well outside of the studio and their chemistry alone seems to be what makes this song click so well, despite their drastic approaches to music being that Yachty is a rap artist but his subdued voices fits perfectly with Joji’s R&B. Joji’s “Nectar” is an impressive feat and one that many will end up revisiting.

Between the likes of “Afterthought,” “Mr. Hollywood,” “Your Man” and “Tick Tock,” there is bound to be a favorite for everyone on this album. In the spirit of celebrating his sophomore album, Joji will have an online ticked event “The Extravaganza” on Oct. 23, featuring a series of live performances and high intensity entertainment with the likes of dunk booths, cages and fire because if there is anything this artist knows, he knows how to have a chaotic-time.

Sorkin lands slam dunk with ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7’ Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

It feels as though writerdirector Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”) almost never fails to impress with his works. From films such as “The Social Network,” Sorkin has shown time and time again how truly gifted and intelligent he is as a screenwriter; a skill which has also aided him greatly in the director’s chair.

Sorkin’s most recent work, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” shines as it displays an extraordinary true story which heavily plays to the director’s strengths, all while being expertly supported by a well-assembled ensemble cast.

Framed around the era of the Vietnam War, the film depicts the real life events surrounding the titular group of seven anti-war activists as they stand trial for conspiracy and inciting riot. Unlike some

Image from Netflix via YouTube

The film based off real events wonderfully plays into Sorkin’s strengths.

political or legal dramas, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” benefits greatly from not becoming fully immersed in a bleak or serious tone. Instead, it offers a reasonable balance of both drama and humor which both help to highlight the unique and influential personalities of the individuals portrayed, while also keeping in mind the seriousness of their circumstances and the events which pose as the film’s backdrop.

Overall, the film keeps a fast

pace, which does wonders to ensure audience investment while still heavily emphasizing its political and legal themes.

Finally, the film maintains the spirit of the best courtroom genres, such as “A Few Good Men,” which Sorkin wrote the screenplay for as well. Not only does this show that he was in his element by making this film but also that he can elevate a story which, for him, is rather familiar, and ultimately create something even greater.

Aside from its intelligent writing, the film also stands out due to its stellar cast, which contains the likes of Eddie Redmayne (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”), Michael Keaton (“Dumbo”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Project Power”). Perhaps the greatest performance in the film comes from actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (“Alice Through the Looking Glass”) as activist Abbie Hoffman. As Hoffman, Cohen maintains the spirit of his own comedic works through his character’s antics both in and out of the courtroom, while also delivering a rather grounded and captivating dramatic performance which unquestionably stands out as one of his career’s best. Aside from Cohen, other remarkably notable performances in the film include Frank Langella (“Captain Fantastic”) as the perhaps unqualified Judge Julius Hoffman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Aquaman”) as the man standing trial alongside the Chicago 7, Bobby

Seale (“Malcolm X”), and Mark Rylance (“Ready Player One”) as the Chicago 7’s defense lawyer, William Kunstler.

Given Netflix’s tendency to mass release original content on a yearly basis, a great majority of these projects ultimately fade into obscurity rather quickly, with very few being able to really hold their own. However, those which do find a way to succeed usually shine, with films such as “Marriage Story” or “Roma” truly standing out as some of their creator’s best works. Thankfully, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” stands as one of these exceptions, demonstrating the technical prowess of its writer and director, while displaying a sensational story which seems to have practically set itself up for an eventual film adaptation.

Seeing as Sorkin is seemingly still experiencing the prime of his career, a great deal of excitement may be dedicated to whichever directorial project he chooses to pursue next.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

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'Remothered: Broken Porcelain' was never whole to begin with

Horror game sequel spectacularly fails on almost every level possible Stephen Novak Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Rating: “Remothered: Broken Porcelain” sets itself up as a promising return to the horror genre but is fundamentally ruined by a miasma of incompetence. Its predecessor, “Remothered: Tortured Fathers,” was also reasonably messy but fans hoped that its scary D.N.A. could flourish if given some polish.

What was delivered instead was a shorter, glitchier and less entertaining experience than most could be expected to stomach.

Set in the Ashford Mansion, players take on the role of Jennifer Felton, a sarcastic witty juvenile that has been sent to serve as a maid.

This all turns on its head when her bosses begin to transform with moths floating around their heads and their skin turning into a decaying gray. When nightfall comes, these stalkers wander the halls in search of her and their strength greatly overpowers that of their teenage target.

The player is fairly powerless in terms of actually fighting these adults. To escape danger, Jennifer either needs to run away, hide or stab them in the back when they aren’t looking. Even the lethal option only knocks them over for a brief period of time. Players should instead try to hide and navigate the inn to solve various puzzles.

That said, the Ashford Manner lacks a certain

amount of depth. It expressing itself as a very small set of hallways and lobbies, with a myriad of dead ends that can leave the player with the arduous task of trying to run past their attacker without getting stuck in a wall. This might not be all that much of a problem though, as the game is remarkably short, clocking in at five hours for an average playthrough.

Jennifer is the only interesting part of the package. Her constant swearing and bratty demeanor is charming, especially when paired with the authoritarian moans of her stalkers.

This can elicit fun in its own right, but the overarching storyline is a dump of hypnosis, evil conspiracies, betrayals and time skips, which tend to detract from the very few things the plot has going for it.

The game often has no way to transition its cutscenes from gameplay, so it does so by simply cutting to a black screen and jumping into the cutscene before it’s ready to load, making the plot feel like a powerpoint presentation. This leaves a very messy visual smear on the characters, who otherwise look okay when given the time to render. This is evident of “Remothered: Broken Porcelain’s” biggest issues: coding bugs. Every moment of this game harbors some issue. The sounds that aren’t supposed to play will go off, stalkers will get stuck in doorways or most irritatingly of all, an important key to progress forward will simply disappear, re-

Image from PlayStation via YouTube

The previous protagonist, Rosemary Reed, returns but her presence only confuses things.

Image from PlayStation via YouTube The Ashford Manner proves to be full of dead ends and lacks any atmosphere.

quiring the player to restart the game to progress.

Horror games rely on inverting common design, often bending backwards on ideas that set out to inconvenience the player. “Remothered: Broken Porcelain” has a lot of these but never truly repays that with any kind of payoff. For example, the player is beholden to a stamina meter, which can be used to sprint away from enemies or shove them in a pinch but drains from the meter that recharges over time. In order to recharge it to full capacity, Jennifer should expect to spend at least 50 seconds standing still.

There are also tons of crafting materials. One can hunch down to turn certain things into traps, like a music box that explodes when a stalker comes to check it out or a cable to bolt a door shut.

The issue is that chapters are very short and Jennifer loses all of her items when a new one starts. These are also matched with the same buggy reactions that everything else has. Sometimes traps will explode with no one around or simply not do anything when someone comes close.

Very few of the encounters in the game truly let the player use these items anyway. Most of the time the stalker is actually meant to catch Jennifer so that the plot can continue. When that’s not happening, the map is too small for something like a diversion to be useful, usually cramming the player into a dead end with a raving old man toting

a handgun.

The most notable part of the game is at the very beginning, where the player has to sneak up on an insane maid in order to fight back. This requires getting past various yapping birds that can easily reveal one’s presence, meaning that one is very vulnerable to being caught. In the same breath, escaping the threat is fairly easy. Healing up is almost always present, which can easily erode one’s patience when the entire encounter has the exact same droning music.

One could augment these moments with a large selection of character upgrades. Sadly, the buffs that they provide are very incremental for a game of this length. The game also features almost no replay value, so going back to collect them all should be reserved for absolute psychopaths. It’s nice that the player finds the materials to upgrade their character by exploring the nooks and crannies of the inn but the stations to spend them are incredibly rare.

All that remains of “Remothered: Broken Porcelain” is a game that feels like polystyrene: cheap, uninteresting and very easily broken. The gameplay fails to elicit scares and its story lacks fundamental framing techniques to garner the slightest piece of viewer engagement. If one was truly interested in Jennifer’s plight, YouTube has hundreds of playthroughs waiting to be watched.

"The Mandalorian" seaso n three is rumored to begin shooting this year.

"Mar vels Avengers" game fails to keep promise of future updates, pushes back new character "Kate Bishop."

George "Joji" Miller releases online music event to debut Oct. 23.

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FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

Crossword Puzzle

Across

Sudoku Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains 1-9 exactly once.

1. Bread portion 6. Amtrak stop (abbr.)

9. NBC’s rival 12. In the area 13. Ball 14. Pelvic joint 15. Levels 16. Get together again 18. Art ____ 19. Used logic 20. Opposer 22. Wind direction (abbr.)

24. Truman’s monogram 25. Thread 29. Geronimo, e.g.

31. Garment part 33. Papa’s mate 34. Edgar Allan ____ 35. Salesperson, briefly 36. High-mindedness 40. Texas city

43. Ocean current 46. Lasagna cheese 47. Hermit 48. Lodge 49. Little one 50. San Antonio shrine 51. Expire 52. Uno 53. Sandwich shops

Down 1. Sled 2. Cherish 3. Cold treat 4. Birch bark boat 5. City trains 6. Most tender 7. Act toward 8. Mistreat 9. Low jaw

10. Chomp 11. Moved quickly 17. Norwegian 19. Get up 21. Quiet!

22. “Cheers“ bartender 23. Resort 26. Train station 27. Eden lady 28. Zip 30. Nile city 31. Fly alone 32. Hawaiian necklace 34. Roof of the mouth 37. The same 38. Rock star ____ John 39. Mink wrap 40. Waterless 41. Skirt length 42. Pimples 44. Actress ____ Moore 45. Greek Cupid 47. Youth

For this week’s puzzle answers ...

Go to Oswegonian.com and click on the Laker Review tab!

LAKER REVIEW

Photo by Brandon Grant

FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2020

Photo by Alexis Fragapane

Photography by Ben Seligson

Photo by Corey Cesare

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Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat