The Oswegonian 2-21-20 by The Oswegonian

Look Inside: A3 Oswego celebrates national small acts of kindness

Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE III SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

SA announces new budget plans Club sports significantly affected, can lose half of funding

Hannah Leonard Asst. News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com After a tense address from Student Association President Takeena Strachan, focusing on fiscal responsibility and positive change, the SA senators were tasked with deciding upon a special order bill resulting in cutting over half of last year’s club sports budget. Senators voted to approve Director of Finance, Ryan Green’s, bill to restrict funding for club sports. After a lengthy debate, the senators passed the final

amendment to cap club sports budgets at $135,000, including championship funds. This newly approved bill is an approximate 54% cut to all club sports, not including intramurals, compared to their budgets last year. The senate was deeply divided on this issue as they debated the bill and all its amendments for upwards of an hour. The starting figure proposed by Green was $115,000 and fluctuated up and down until reaching the final compromise of $135,000. During the debate, Senator Isaiah Borges motioned to cut the budget down to $100,000, Nathaniel Goldstein motioned to amend

SA annual address continues, focuses on limiting spending

the budget to $140,000 and finally, Senator Anna Constantini’s amendment to make the budget a range with a cap set $135,000, including the championship fund, was passed by general consent as was the bill as a whole. “If President Stanely comes and says the exact same thing Ryan says, are you guys going to change the way you felt about it?” Strachan said. Oswego State takes great pride in their variety and vast selection of club sports as it is often a major selling point in recruitment of new, prospective students. Green stated that SA is currently responsible for funding 23

See OSWEGO, A4

Photo provided by Takeena Strachan SA President Takeena Strachan used her address to say how vital it is for SA to cut spending.

Hannah Leonard Asst. News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com

Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian

CONTENT

The SA senators debated and voted on a bill to cut club sports’ budgets by around 54%, with Director of Finance Ryan Green’s guidance.

Calendar...................... A3 Crossword................... C6 Contact Info................ A2 Laker Review.............. C1 News............................. A1 Opinion........................ B5 Sports........................... B1 Sudoku........................ C6

Sports LASTING LEGACY

Opinion POLITICAL TRUTHS

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Photo from West Point via Flickr

Beginning the second part of the State of the Association address, SA President Takeena Strachan reminded the senators that the organization is deeply in debt and urged them to make sustainable, fiscally responsible decisions. “The current state of the Student Association is not doing OK. We are at the point now that if we do not make change we are going to struggle and crumble the governing body,” Strachan said. “Our organizations are going to face severe hardships, and the student body of our school will never be the same again.” Tension rose as the senators feel not only economic pressure from over 150 clubs on the Oswego State campus that they support, but the

Laker Review SONIC STRIKES AGAIN

Image from Paramount Pictures via YouTube

pressure to reduce spending from financial advisors and the president of the organization herself. “Our organization has experienced years of fiscal irresponsibility and administrative neglect,” Strachan said. As a result of multiple meetings with the 63 presidents of the SUNY campuses, Strachan expressed her responsibility to ensure the sustainability of the non-profit organization that is the Student Association. “I am asking for all student associations to understand that lack of transparency on this issue is not from the current administration but dating all the way back to 2014.” Strachan said. “This year’s administration has not done what past administrations have chosen to do which was to ignore the underlying issues. We solved problems, we hit the ground running, expressing that

See STRACHAN, A6

Oswegonian.com KINDNESS CELEBRATED

Web Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

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On the Opinion Cover!

NEWS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Our organization has experienced years of fiscal irresponsibility and administrative neglect.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

-Takeena Strachan, from cover

Oswego celebrates random acts of kindness

Promoting health and wellness through generosity

Savannah Norton Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com The Dean of Students Office and Counseling Services Center are sponsoring various activities for Random Acts of Kindness Week, hosted by student Peer Health Educators in Marano Campus Center. The week-long event kicked off on Monday, which was national Random Acts of Kindness Day. Students were able to send out letters and thank you cards to friends and family, postage being covered by the Dean of Students Office. The Counseling Services Center also offered crafts, such as making bracelets and origami. According to Health Promotion Coordinator Shelly Sloan, it was the Peer Health Educators who decided to extend Random Acts of Kindness from one day to a week. “I kind of gave them free rein of what they wanted to do, and they brainstormed some ideas in training,” Sloan said. “This is all put together by our Peer Health Educators, they’ve organized, reserved the tables and have determined what supplies we need. They’ve given me a shopping list and I’ve secured those things, but the rest of it has come from the students, so I’m really proud of them.”

The Peer Health Educators felt like one day was not enough for random acts of kindness, so they decided to plan activities for every day this week. The planning of the activities required a lot of teamwork, according to Peer Health Educator Nikki Powers. “Honestly, all of us are really creative, and there’s eight or nine of us, so we just thought of things that we would like, or that we definitely knew would attract some people,” Powers said. On Tuesday, the Peer Health Educators set up a kindness tree for students to leave positive notes on. On Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., “bee” kind shirts will be given away for free, and on Thursday a bake sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., where students can get free baked goods and have the option of making a donation to SHOP, our oncampus food pantry. The event concludes on Friday with “Big Ol’ Bear Hugs,” where students can hug a large teddy bear and enter to win it in a raffle from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Counseling Services Center will also be offering crafts on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Powers said that she likes Random Acts of Kindness Week because it reminds students to be kind to others despite their busy lives. “I feel like in college, we get re-

ally wrapped up in our own lives and like discovering ourselves, since we’re all young adults,” Powers said. “I feel like it’s really difficult to show random acts of kindness when you’re so wrapped up in yourself, so I like that we dedicate a week, just to get you out of yourself and realize that other people need kindness too.” For those who are not able to attend the events this week, Sloan has other tips on how to spread kindness on campus. “Kindness is free. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind,” Sloan said. “So, holding a door open for someone, complimenting someone, leaving someone who is or was a positive influence on you a thank you note or a letter, it doesn’t have to cost anything.” The Dean of Students Office and Peer Health Educators have done numerous kindness initiatives on campus, including free carnations for Valentine’s Day, activities for World Kindness Day, and the 12 Days of Kindness social media campaign. Sloan believes that showing kindness to others can be very impactful. “It’s just a way to brighten someone’s day, make their day special, and make them smile,” Sloan said. “I think that’s really what we’re looking for.”

SUNYMathics Competition 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, Marano Campus Center

Nature-themed Board Gaming 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, Rice Creek Field Station

Figure Skating Skill Development 8 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 23, Marano Campus Center Ice Arena

Step Up! Bystander Intervention Training, 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 24, Marano Campus Center 201

Math Department Tea 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25, Maranao Campus Center 174

Info Session: Graduate School for International Students 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, Hart Hall Classroom

Harlan Cohen 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, Sheldon Hall Ballroom

Yoga Tone 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, Cooper Fitness Center

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Random Acts of Kindness Week was celebrated at Oswego State by means of craft making and sending positive letters and thank you notes.

With $14,570 left in the contingency fund and 18 of 26 senators present the student association meeting began with guests of the senate, Dan Roberts, The Campus Life Director, Jillian Soggs on behalf of New Student Orientation, Edward Kelly the Chief Justice for the Student Association Supreme Court and the President of the American Marketing Association.

Roberts informed the senate about budget planning as Oswego State’s clubs and organizations approach the budget season. Soggs invited senators, guests of the senate, and students in the audience to apply to be a Laker Leader

during new student orientation in order to gain skills such as interpersonal communication and leadership experience. Laker Leader applications are due Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Chief Justice Kelly informed the senate about club constitutions and urged them to tell clubs that they may amend their constitutions at any time and some older clubs may consider doing so promptly so that in the event that a club may need to cite their constitution it is an updated, and effective one. The president of the American Marketing Association presented in front of the senate to request funding to so that members may attend a conference in New Orleans.

Student Association President Takeena Strachan gave the second half of her

Open Mic Night 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, Lake Effect Cafe of her annual address. Strachan stressed the importance of positive change within the senate, regarding their policies, and fiscal responsibilities in order to rectify the damage made by administrations of the past, that has propelled the association into its current state.

Senators voted to approve Director of Finance, Ryan Green’s bill to restrict funding for all 23 club sports at Oswego State, by general consent. After a lengthy debate, the senators passed the final amendment to cap club sports budgets at $135,000 including championship funds. This newly approved bill is an approximate 54% cut to the budgets of club sport, which make up a large portion of extracurricular student activities.

The vetoed pizza bill, which intended to penalize a club’s ability to host catered events after failing to do so effectively and a topic of debate in the senate for weeks now, was brought to Strachan’s attention once again as senators, including Nathaniel Goldstein, asked Strachan for feedback on how to improve the bill so it may be approved, and overturned by a 2/3 majority senate vote. Strachan responded by encouraging senators to rewrite the bill so that it may not be misinterpreted by future generations of SA leaders. Strachan also suggested that bill writers and senators at large may work together to come up with an alternative as to not leave struggling clubs irreparably damaged.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Oswego State club sports teams Rodmon King to work with Brockport face major budget cut from SA Advising campus temporarily amidst students protesting Julia Tilley News Editor jtilley@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Matthew O’Donnell, SA Vice President keeps track of the speakers list to organize senate debates.

SA from COVER club sports in their entirety which is more than nearly all other colleges in the nation. Members of such club sports do not feel that they are funded entirely. They are still responsible for paying out-of-pocket for many costly club related expenses. The Thursday after the Tuesday SA meeting, Green told The Oswegonian that club sports are supposed to claim what they “need” and what they “want,” and prioritize the needs when requesting a budget for the next year. “Ohio State funds their clubs 50% of what they claim [the clubs] need. Bigger schools take in much more money than we do, still feel that they fund

club sports too much, and they are only funding 50% of their needs, and we are currently funding 100%, anything these club sports need, they get,” Green said. After being asked by Senator Constantini if the proposed budget is a practical budget for club sports, Green responded by saying that the budget would not be enough for all 23 club sports to survive. However, Green said no matter what number the senate decides on, clubs will die. Green reviewed the budget records after senators inquired about exactly how much specific club sports were being funded. This year the men’s club hockey team received $32,109, and the women’s club hockey received $33,904, Green said.

On Feb. 13, Oswego State students received an email from President Deborah Stanley stating the chief diversity and inclusion officer Rodmon King would be temporarily working at The College at Brockport part time as well as keeping his position at Oswego State. This was after The College at Brockport fired their chief diversity officer, Cephas Archie, on Jan. 27. The university has not disclosed why he was fired at this time. He was fired before another Brockport faculty member, Vicki Elsenheimer, filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to Rochester First. Archie had been reportedly meeting with Elsenheimer prior to being fired. Many students and staff at The College at Brockport found the firing of Archie to be sudden. This sparked protests by students, many of whom felt Archie was an asset to The College at Brockport community, and that his firing was unjust and surprising. “There have been no answers given as to why Dr. Archie was fired and even he doesn’t seem to know. I heard him speak on a radio podcast and he said that he only knows that the firing has to do with his ‘performance,’” Mary Fish, a senior at The College at Brockport, said. “We are still fighting for Dr. Archie. We want answers. We want him reinstated.” Another student from The College at Brockport, Adrianna Thrasher, was able to intern in the office with Archie and Sandra Vasquez, The College at Brockport’s diversity recruitment and retention specialist. “I’ve spoken many times with many people - with Dr. Archie before he left. He was one of those people that had no problem letting people know when there were shortcomings, including himself, including the people he worked with, everybody,” Thrasher said. “But he was also one of those kinds of people that once he said ‘here’s an issue I see,’ he didn’t just say, ‘that’s an issue,’ he said, ‘let’s work together to find a way to fix it.” According to Thrasher, making changes, such as “diversity classes,” which are part of Brockport’s core educational requirements, has proven to be dif-

ficult. She said the diversity classes have not been changed in almost 20 years, despite more research being done into types of diversity. The protests on campus have been occurring intermittently since the end of January, when the university announced the firing of Archie. Since the protests began, students have been discussing ways to improve equity, diversity and inclusion on campus, according to Fish. Fish said this conversation started when students were able to voice their opinions to The College at Brockport president, Heidi Macpherson, during a town hall session she set up. During this meeting, Fish noted the presence of university police officers which she found unsettling. “This was very unnerving considering that we were talking about racial concerns on campus, and there is not a strong relationship with people of color and police on this campus,” she said. “I have several friends who have had problems with university police.” Thrasher had a similar story to Fish. She discussed an event that occurred last semester, where someone called and reported possible fighting occurring in the student union. University Police arrived and began questioning students to see if fighting had happened. Thrasher spoke to officers, and said she was there the entire time, and there was no fighting. “They were questioning people. They didn’t ask me for my ID, but proceeded to ask multiple students of color for their ID and asked people to leave, but there was nothing going on,” she said. According to Thrasher, the police had been investigated for racial bias. Since Archie’s firing, it has been reported that University Police began looking into Archie’s history, and reaching out to previous employers. However, due to the fact that Archie is no longer an employee of the university, and investigation started after he left the university staff, President Macpherson called off all investigations. While all this was occurring, students continued to make their voices heard. The most recent protest, according to Fish, was last Thursday, when students held a sit-in in the building where Macpherson’s office is. She invited students in 15 at a time to hear their concerns, which reportedly took hours. On Feb. 11, Vasquez resigned

from her position, after saying it was “nearly impossible,” according to her resignation letter. “Dr. Vasquez mentioned that the climate over the years has been difficult to work in. But with recent firing of Dr. Archie, it seemed impossible to have the proper help to be successful in her position,” Fish said. SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson has responded to the situation at Brockport, but has not yet gone to the campus, according to Thrasher. “The mayor said something, and then she showed up. She was at the town hall, she keeps showing up on TV, she writes letters, but then she shows up,” Thrasher said. “But kind of like our president, the chancellor said something, and said she was going to be here, but she hasn’t been here. If you really think it’s an unacceptable situation, why aren’t you here?” According to Wayne Westervelt, the chief communications officer at Oswego State, King will be serving in an advising role at Brockport. “Dr. King was asked to serve on a limited special assignment, as a consultant, to advise Brockport President Dr. Heidi Macpherson and her leadership team, as well as mentor and support the interim chief diversity officer at Brockport,” Westervelt said. In an email sent to Brockport students, it was explained that King will have full “decision-making authority” to implement any changes necessary to improve Brockport’s inclusion and diversity on campus. Although many students and staff want to solve the inclusion and diversity issues on campus, some believe King going over will not fix the main issues on the campus at the moment. “We have a diversity officer. Give him back,” Thrasher said. King will begin his temporary role in March of this year, and finish by May. However, he expressed he would still be available to Oswego State students and staff. “The Oswego campus community will remain my priority, and I will still be available to meet and to work with members of the Oswego community,” King said. Brockport currently has an interim replacement for Archie, but according to Fish, both Archie and Vasquez are greatly missed. “These are key people who helped the underrepresented students on campus, and now they are both gone,” Fish said.

Photo provided by Wayne Westervelt Oswego State’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Rodmon King, will begin working part time for The College at Brockport as well as Oswego.

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A5 NEWS Theater department debuts show Smoking considered issue on THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Professor Toby Malone works with authors to adapt novel

campus, partly due to vapes

Dyllan Lawrence Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

Diana Velayos Lopez Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

The play “Kill Shakespeare: The Live Graphic Novel” came to Oswego State this past Thursday, Feb. 20. The play itself is based on the novel “Kill Shakespeare,” in which the protagonists of Shakespeare’s plays are pitted against the antagonists of his plays in a fictional world. The performance at Oswego State was directed by assistant professor of dramaturgy, theatre history and criticism Toby Malone, who was also the dramaturg for the original performance of “Kill Shakespeare: The Live Graphic Novel” in 2011. Projections were done by professor Patrick Mathism, and in charge of the live foley sound was professor T.J. Bandla. According to Malone, a lot of times people do not necessarily understand what is meant when they first hear “live comic book,” but it makes sense when they see the show come to life. “I think it’s really fun,” Malone said. “I think when people hear about the play, they’re not sure what to expect because ‘Kill Shakespeare’ isn’t a mainstream comic book necessarily … so generally when people first hear of it, they think ‘oh, a live comic book, what does that mean?’ But once you see the comic book panels projected on the big screen, then voiced by actors, people get really excited, and it’s really fun.” A unique element of the production would be the use of various multimedia elements to bring the story to life. As an example, the play consists of projections of comic book panels

In 2015 Oswego State decided to join the list of colleges with tobacco-free policies, yet enforcing the policy has become an ongoing issue. With the recent problems involving vaping, major concerns over smoking on campus have arisen. “It has been next to impossible to enforce the current policy because there is no state law prohibiting smoking on campus,” Barbara St. Michel, associate director of campus life at Oswego State, said. “On paper a student who smokes could face judicial charges for violating the student handbook, but not anyone has been brought up on charges. University Police does not get involved.” St. Michel believes that at one point the number of students who smoked cigarettes decreased, but with the advancement of E-cigarettes, it is a whole different situation. There is not enough long term information about them, apart from some deaths they have already caused. The committee with the intention of creating a healthy environment for their students, decided to apply the policy not only to tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco, but also to E-cigarettes and other vaping products. “I believe in the policy.” Oswego State student Jared Perez said. “I am asthmatic, therefore secondhand smoking exposure makes it more difficult to cope with, so it really bothers me when I see someone smoking around campus. Plus, I have recently seen people on campus throwing butts on the drains which eventually ends up polluting Lake Ontario, and becomes a bigger issue.” On the other hand, some avid smokers, both faculty and students, such as international student Mayank Giri, believe this would be a good opportunity to reassess the policy in order to look for more effective solutions. “I have been a smoker for the past seven years, and I need to smoke at least once every hour and a half, I just refuse to walk one mile several times a day

Image from SUNY Oswego Theater Department Antagonists and protagonists are pitted against each other in “Kill Shakespeare: The Live Graphic Novel .”

voiced by actors. The plot follows the storylines of Hamlet, Othello and Juliet facing off against Lady Macbeth, Richard III and Iago. “Myself and Anthony have been working together for a bunch of years in Toronto,” Connor McCreery, co-creator of the graphic novel Kill Shakespeare, said. “Anthony [Del Col] and I were trying to think what can we do that’s an idea we really like, but that we can actually have something tangible rather than just, ‘hey a couple of scripts that never got produced’ kind of thing. So we were talking about the movie ‘Kill Bill’ … and we were brainstorming ideas, [for example], ‘could you do a video game based on ‘Kill Bill?’ McCreery and Del Col continued playing with the idea, with it ultimately evolving into “What if it was Kill Billy Shakespeare?” Both decided it was a fun idea, and then developed the story. “This is where we first met Toby,” McCreery said about the original adaptation of the novel to a play. “Toby was this experienced

dramaturg, and he saw these two guys, you know kids really, who were hopelessly over their heads in terms of trying to figure out how to create a stage play, and he really helped us put it together, so it was a very collaborative piece from the get go.” Malone’s approach to the play is not to try to do anything big and impressive for the sake of doing so, but to simply try to tell and enhance the story. From the imaginations of McCreery and Del Col, the graphic novel “Kill Shakespeare” has entertained thousands of readers. Further adapted to theater, the play has brought the comic to life, and now it has come to Oswego. “I think this performance of ‘Kill Shakespeare’ is going to be unlike any of the performances that have come before,” McCreery said “and that’s not as a swipe at those other performances which were incredible, but I think this is going to put a whole new chapter into what this play could be.”

to respect a policy that doesn’t even take into consideration my opinion,” Giri said. “They are not encouraging people to stop smoking, they are forcing everyone that smokes to quit if they want to respect the policy.” According to the American Cancer Society the rate of smoking in young adults between 18 and 24 was 14.9% in 2014, twice as much as the range found in high school students. This implied that an important number of young adults were starting to smoke while they attended New York colleges. The health of youth in New York is key for future economic success. Therefore, SUNY Board of Trustees approved a resolution supporting all state-operated campuses be tobacco free. However, each SUNY school tackles the issue in a different way, they all have different policies. 50% of SUNY colleges currently have completely tobacco-free policies. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in 2018 a drastic decline in the smoking rate among those young adults. In two years, youth smoking rate decreased from 14.9% to 11.7% in 2016. Other SUNY colleges such as the Alfred State College have implemented designated smoking areas in order to tackle the issue in a way it could be reinforced easier. “I like the Alfred State College smoking policy because it makes people respect the minimum distance from public buildings allowed by law, prevents non-smokers from the exposure to secondhand smoking, but at the same time it also gives a solution which smokers can realistically accept and respect,” Alfred State student Jennifer Lopez said. “Even if we don’t have a complete tobacco-free policy, it still encourages students to quit using conferences, social media and tobacco-free initiatives, as well as providing with necessary services to those who need help during the process.” Despite the law enforcement of some SUNY smokefree policies, the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees remain committed to a tobacco free SUNY. “I don’t think at this point there is any chance of change on the policy itself,” St. Michel said. “We will persist to work with the sponsors of our college legislation to seek its acceptance.”

Image from SUNY Oswego Theater Department One of the unique aspects of the performance was the use of various multimedia elements, such as projection, to convey the story in an unconventional way.

Photo from Klim Kin via Pixabay Despite being a smoke-free campus, Oswego State may struggle with the use of E-cigarettes.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Strachan gives feedback, Improv troop brings laughs to campus revisits vetoed pizza bill Shaun Cassidy Fan Club performs weekly, Marano Campus Center SA from COVER change was on its way.” Strachan went on to stress to senators, guests of the senate and students in attendance that it is necessary to take appropriate steps in order to avoid “the current outcome of the student association; which is either going to be bankruptcy, facing issues of liability or governmental collapse.” Transitioning focus onto the club formation process, Strachan said that the executive branch has reformed the old organization creation process into a multi-step process in efforts of removing implicit bias, club duplication and the possibility of accepting a club that is either economically inept or has the ability to sustain themselves via introducing membership fees. Rather than a club approaching the Rules and Judiciary Committee for approval, prospective organizations would go through a standard application process in addition to submitting a one-page letter of intent. With this new process, Strachan stressed the importance of diversity in efforts of eliminating bias in approving new clubs and organiza-

tions, and ultimately strengthening the organization as a whole. With the address coming to an end, the board of directors gave a brief recap, outlining their accomplishments and goals, as they did in the first half of the address last week. Then, Vice President Matthew O’Donnell opened the senate to ask Strachan questions. Many senators questioned and asked for feedback on revising the recently vetoed pizza bill, which was a largely debated bill within the senate that intended to penalize a club’s ability to host catered events after failing to do so effectively. Strachan said that the largest issue with the bill is the language. The senators, the president and her executive board interpreted the bill differently. Strachan suggested that the senators assemble to discuss exactly what they would like the bill to express and to add an alternative for struggling clubs. Strachan said that the pizza bill in its current state was like dropping a class without adding another as she urged her peers to think critically and find another solution that would be less detrimental to organizations and the student body.

Eurokah Sejour Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com For the Oswego State students who join The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club, it is about bringing laughter to others, being yourself and having a good time. The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club is a comedic improv club that was created in the 1990s by Tim Mollen who had an interest in comedy and wanted to gain experience in the field. “That’s the way to fame for many comedians,” Colin Bateman, a member of the club, said. As it is almost traditional for an improv troupe to have an outlandish name, the name, The Shaun Cassidy Fan club, came from wanting something that could start a conversation. “He hosted a party and one of his friends brought this Shaun Cassidy vinyl album. She was talking about how her and her sister were always arguing about who would marry Shaun when they were older. He thought this obsession with this washed up child star from the 70s was just hilarious,” Bateman said. The president of the club, Kayla Bonasera, is a student studying communication and social interaction and creative writing at Oswego State. Bonasera said for her, having done theater in middle school and elementary school, she wanted something that incorporated performance into college without having to declare a theater major. “I first came to a Shaun Cass practice thinking it was a show, I had no intention to stay in the club,” Bonasera said. “I would not want to be anywhere else.” The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club brings great energy and reinforces that by making sure to incorporate

Photo provided by Ashley Kent Shaun Cassidy Fan Club cast members have weekly rehearsals, in addition to shows.

their audience's ideas and stories into their performances. “I come out there to make them laugh, but at the end of the day I'm laughing at what they say,” Ashley Kent, a performer in The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club, said. Kent also said that it is a relationship between their consistent audience members and the cast where they can build a community. The show carries a hard working cast who is dedicated and is always willing to spend time perfecting their craft, just to be the orchestrators of happiness. The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club truly values comfort among one another. “We are friends, we are friendly, we are performers, comedians,” Chelsea Gualano, vice president of The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club, said. Carl Neff, a fellow Shaun Cassidy member also said that it is a “skill”

and that he encourages anyone of any major to try to participate. But when it comes down to the performance, Bonesera said it takes a lot of work. “People who perform have been in the troop for at least a semester and a half and have been through a point where they have worked with the vice president and the president,” Bonasera said. Gualano and Bonasera are very confident that their fellow Shaun Cassidy members have the fundamentals, tools and experience to put their all into bringing their audience a great show. Whether it is for great laughs, trying to find a community, looking for a place to perform or leaving troubles behind, The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club performs from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday’s at the Marano Campus Center in room 132.

Photo provided by Brian Loomis The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club performs every Saturday, creating characters and skits based off of audience suggestions and requests.

OPINION MLMs DANGEROUS

B5 Photo via Pixabay

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS SENIORS

CELEBRATED

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE III • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Emotions to run high as men’s hockey seniors enter final few games Underclassmen, coaching staff reflect as rollercoaster season comes to its conclusion Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com At the end of Saturday’s contest against SUNY Fredonia, thousands of the Laker faithful will remain standing or sitting in their seats long after the game ends. For Senior Night, it is all about the 13 Lakers who get a chance to soak it all in for one of the last times. While emotions will run high for those 13 players and their families, the underclassmen will feel it too. For the underclassmen, this massive leadership group is all they have known at Oswego State. When next year rolls around, they will look to continue the legacy and lessons they learned from those that came before them. This is something that every Lakers team has dealt with, even going back to the time when assistant coach Jon Whitelaw was a young skater. Whitelaw had impactful senior leaders as an underclassman, like Neil Musselwhite and Tyler Lyon. But seniors who will graduate are able to impart wisdom on the younger skaters to keep the program’s tradition alive. “They’ve done a great job paving the path for our guys to follow,” Whitelaw said. “Passing the torch, setting it up for our incoming class to follow along.” This season is a bit odd for the Lakers, as they brought in just one freshman, Alex DiCarlo. For DiCarlo, it could have been a rough go. His first time playing college hockey and balancing a potentially difficult schedule with no first-timers to share the struggle with. Despite this, DiCarlo has excelled, contributing 16 points in 18 games played. A big hand in his success has been the seniors on the roster. “They brought me in like I’m one of the boys,” DiCarlo said. “[They’ve]

embraced me and I am very thankful for that.” While it took DiCarlo a little while to get acclimate to the tougher competition on the ice, the heavy senior presence allowed him to take his time. The Lakers did not need DiCarlo to make his mark in-game during the early stages of the season. However, now he has shot up to become one of the premiere freshman in the SUNYAC. For DiCarlo, his linemates in Michael Gillespie and Anthony Passero have helped him adjust to the new environment. “I’d say Gillespie, Passero [are] two guys coming in [who] showed me the ropes and took me under their wing,” DiCarlo said. “And I love ‘em for that.”

The way our guys have conducted themselves ... they’ll be a very good example for our incoming group.” Jon Whitelaw -Oswego State men’s hockey assistant coach

Sentiments of being a family run high on this Oswego State team. With little turnover from last season, the chemistry was already established, and the trip to Italy furthered the brotherhood, as players like Josh Zizek have noted. Sophomore Travis Broughman recognized the feelings in the room, and how special the seniors are when reflecting on their Senior Night. “They really mean a lot,” Broughman said. “Us just being a big family;

they’re a great group of guys and I’m sad they’re going to be leaving soon.” Broughman has built an extremely close bond with Passero who was also a first-year Laker in 2018 as he transferred from Buffalo State. The two spent most of their Oswego State careers on the same line, combining for 53 points in 28 games last season. On the ice, the chemistry makes sense. Broughman is a hard-nosed grinder who can work the boards and pick up the puck. Passero has silky hands and can complete passes through tight windows to Broughman who has a wicked shot. Off the ice, Passero has taught the young skater quite a bit. “Anthony’s been a huge guy in my college career,” Broughman said. “We talk a lot on the ice, off the ice … [about] how we can be better. That helps my game overall, and I thank him a lot.” Perhaps the most interesting dynamic on a hockey team is the goaltenders. In this case for the Lakers, it is three competitive goalies battling for one net. Despite this, the two seniors between the pipes, Cedric Hansen and David Richer, have been nothing but supportive for Steven Kozikoski throughout his time at Oswego State. Richer and Kozikoski had similar starts to their time as Lakers. Richer was required to redshirt his freshman season and lose that year of eligibility, after playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Kozikoski, on the other hand, sat out his freshman year with Richer and Hansen playing well as the two goalies ahead of him. For Kozikoski, Richer was a huge help in staying sharp without playing games. “He said just keep working in the gym, make sure you’re out there after practice, getting your reps in,” Kozikoski said. “He did that [when he sat out] and it worked for him, so I was just following.” Now in his sophomore campaign, Kozikoski has taken the starting role

since late January. While he came in with undeniable skills in net, the senior goalies have done so much for him. The goaltending trio has been incredibly tight, as they look to make the unit as a whole better. “It’s one of the best goalie partnerships we’ve had,” Kozikoski said. “We are really close and always talk … figuring out what we can do better as a group.” Improving the group will be very important beyond this year. With Richer and Hansen graduating, Kozikoski will be the lone returner between the pipes. In the final weeks of the season, the goalies will look to share final lessons that Kozikoski may pass on to future netminders. This is something the entire team must deal with, passing on the traits good leaders have. Losing 13 seniors will take its toll on the program, but that is what happens in collegiate athletics. The best way to combat

the losses will be the underclassmen those seniors were able to teach. “We are going to need guys to step into those roles and teach the new guys the ropes and how our program functions,” Whitelaw said. “The way our guys have conducted themselves over their four years, they’ll be a very good example for our incoming group.” Zizek may only be a captain and a Laker for just three more games pending playoffs. The team could lose 12 other leaders in just three more games. But the best way the seniors have helped the underclassmen is by passing down the legacy and what it means to be a Laker. “It will be tough not to see them around the room next year,” DiCarlo said. “But they put in their time. They had a good time. Hopefully I can have a career like theirs … Hopefully I can be like them to the freshmen when I’m a senior.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State’s seniors were able to defeat the Cardinals six times in their careers.

Seniors to be Large senior class similar to previous graduates Track, field Captains honored to be compared to Campbell, Herlihey star breaks celebrated vs. school record SUNYAC-best Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com On Saturday night, the Lakers will honor their three seniors in a game against SUNYAC-leading The College at Brockport. Those three seniors are Joe Sullivan, Brandan Gartland and Tim Marshall. Each player had a different journey before coming and playing for the Lakers, and now the three of them will be honored together for their hard work and commitment as athletes for the Oswego State basketball program. “They have had a great legacy of success here and have been great contributors in the areas of leadership, and obviously their on the court talent,” Oswego State head coach Jason Leone said. “It is always a hard deal to see the end coming soon, but the good thing about our program is usually Senior Day hasn’t been our last home game, so we are very hopeful we play well this weekend so we can have one more home game.” Sullivan attended Notre Dame High School in Utica, then attended Div. I Assumption College before transferring to Oswego State as a junior. Sullivan instantly made an impact for the Lakers, as he started 29 of the 30 games he appeared in as a junior and averaged 9.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. This season as a senior, Sullivan’s numbers have improved as he is averaging 15 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

See MEN’S, B3

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Lakers’ senior captain Josh Zizek (13) celebrates with the top power play unit, after scoring.

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com If someone told Josh Zizek back in 2016 when he first came to Oswego State as a freshman on the men’s hockey team that he would be replacing Chris Raguseo as the team captain three years later, he would have told them “absolutely not.” Or even if that same person told Jody Sullivan he would be wearing an ‘A’ on his jersey as an assistant captain his senior year, replacing the likes of Kenny Neil, he probably would have laughed it off. But now as seniors, Zizek and Sullivan both sit at the end of the locker room with letters on their shoulders, leading the 2019-2020

Oswego State Lakers. “It even goes beyond Raguseo. It’s taking after guys like Devin Campbell or Mitch Herlihey who wore it,” Zizek said. “To be in the same category as those guys, it’s an awesome feeling. It’s truly an honor.” This year’s senior class, which has 13 players, has had to deal with a lot of adversity, assistant coach Jon Whitelaw said. When Whitelaw was playing for the Lakers, from 2009-2013, Oswego State won three SUNYAC titles and made it to the NCAA Frozen Four every year, falling in the championship game twice. The Lakers had a combined 98-12-12 record over those four seasons. Compare that to this year’s senior class, which, so far, has a 7128-6 record heading into the last

weekend of the regular season. These 13 seniors have not won a SUNYAC title in their first three years and have only made it as far as the NCAA Div. III first round twice, in 2017 and 2019. “This season has been a challenging one in terms of what our record shows,” Whitelaw said. “It’s telling of how close they are and what kind of group they are.” The type of leadership this group has is thanks to that senior class from 2017. Not only were they successful on the ice, but they had a sense of leadership that led younger players to work harder. Whitelaw even said with players like Neil, Shawn Hulshof and Matt Galati leading the program that year, “you can see it in the way some of our seniors lead this year.” Four players from the 12-person class had 100-point careers. Hulshof had 130 points, Alex Botten and Galati had 118 points each, while Neil finished his career with 123. That class of 2017 had such a special bond that, “as soon as we got here, you could tell how close they were,” Sullivan said. He also mentioned it was “the decisions they made both on and off the ice,” that made them the great leaders they were. That senior class had a lot of different personalities, which made them fan-favorites both within the Oswego community and fun to cover in terms of media, according to Cole Parzych who was the beat writer for the team during the 2016-2017 season for The Oswegonian. He mentioned that he could see connections between Neil and Zizek, just the way both players kept things light and enjoyed the game of hockey.

See DESPITE, B3

Brandon Ladd Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Sarah Yensan always has a smile on her face, but it is hard not to when you are the best at what you do. Yensan has dominated the long jump competition for the past year in the SUNYAC. Oswego State’s women’s track and field team always knows it is going to get points when Yensan lines up for the long jump. The numbers are staggering, but there is a story behind those numbers. Yensan won the SUNYAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship long jump as a junior, with a jump of 5.56 meters. about 18.2 feet to be exact. To put into context just how long that distance is in, Michael Jordan won the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest over Dominque Wilkins with a dunk from the free-throw line. That dunk was from 15 feet away. Yensan would have gone another 3 feet farther than Jordan’s leap, that is the athletic ability she has. With such talent, it seems like Yensan would always know that she had this amazing ability to jump further than the average athlete, but she did not. It was ironically a skillsassessment in seventh-grade gym class that showed her the ability she possessed even 10 years ago. “Seventh grade we had a shuttle-run test and a broad jump test,” Yensan said. “And I tied with second place for the eighth-grade boys as a seventh-grader. So, my gym teacher told me to join the track team and that is when I started long jump.”

See YENSAN’S, B3

SPORTS Lakers making on-ice impact in first year Each week, The Oswegonian Sports beat writers give you their thoughts on each team's upcoming week schedule.

Women’s hockey freshmen have combined for 58 points

Men’s hockey vs. BUF/FRE

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com We have reached the end. One more regular-season weekend to go for the Oswego State men’s hockey team, as it tries to head into the SUNYACs with as much momentum as possible. While the Lakers have the No. 2 seed clinched, ending the season with two wins never hurts—especially with how this season has gone for Oswego State. Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia still have a lot to fight for in terms of seeding. The Bengals have clinched a playoff berth but have not been seeded. Currently sitting in fourth, Buffalo State is looking to stay at No. 3 or No. 4 to get home-ice advantage for the first-round game. The Blue Devils are in the basement of the SUNYAC but still are not out, only trailing a playoff berth by one point. With it also being Senior Night for the Lakers on Saturday against SUNY Fredonia, all 13 seniors will want to win their night. Their time is also coming to a close and they want to extend their season as much as possible. This team is only guaranteed three more games and these seniors want to—and deserve to, according to assistant coach Jon Whitelaw—go out on top, whether that be in the SUNYAC or NCAA Div. III Tournament.

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Megan Teachout (6) and Mia Conboy (14) are two stellar freshmen for the Lakers.

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com With only one game left in the regular season for the Oswego State women’s hockey team, the Lakers will look to end on one last high note against SUNY Canton. The Lakers are on a five game win streak, and the freshmen class for this team has played a big role in the Lakers’ success. The Oswego State freshmen class consists of Megan Teachout, Kyleigh Grugin, Morgan Shines, Mia Conboy and Maura McKeown who all play forward. As a group, the freshmen Lakers have contributed a combined total of 58 points so far. Head coach Diane Dillon discussed how this freshmen classes scoring has set them apart from previous classes. “We’ve had some pretty successful freshmen classes, but this class in particular has really hit the ground running,” Dillon said. “The freshmen all play and contribute. This freshmen class has certainly been putting up numbers and help-

ing us succeed by popping some pucks in the net.” A lot of the scoring has come from Teachout, who currently leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and 14 assists. Coming into her first season, Teachout did not expect to produce for the Lakers at such a high rate, let alone be the team’s leading scorer. “It’s kind of crazy,” Teachout said. “Honestly, I just wanted to perform well and have good statistics, but I wasn’t expecting a lot. I thought I was going to be on the first or second line and maybe be top three.” Dillon, however, was not surprised by Teachout’s immediate impact on the team and sees huge potential in her. “We certainly knew that Megan is an incredibly talented young lady,” Dillon said. “The transition from high school to college hockey can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but Megan really has responded very, very well. For a skinny kid, she puts a heavy shot on the net. If she continues to develop and work hard, she has a chance to become an All-American.”

When talking about the freshmen class Kate Randazzo spoke about how great Teachout is, and how her scoring has brought the Lakers to another level offensively. “She’s really fun to play with,” Randazzo said. “As a player, she’s super offensive and that’s a really big plus for our team because we were missing that last season.” When discussing the other freshmen, she pointed out how hardworking they all have been this year. Grugin shows that on the ice every game with her toughness, something Dillon sees in Randazzo. “[Grugin] is a real grinder,” Dillon said. “For a kid that is not very big, she is tough as nails. Her speed is deceptive and has helped her be a force on the forecheck by really disrupting things.” This has helped Grugin’s linemate in Shines get plenty of offensive chances, especially last weekend when she scored a goal against Buffalo State. Dillon credits the freshman’s ability to read the play. “Shines has an extremely high hockey IQ and is a very versatile player.” Dillon said. “She’s been on our top lines and has helped us in power play situations. She has a work ethic that mirrors some of the seniors, and as she goes forward in her career here that is only going to intensify.” When discussing McKeown and Conboy, Dillon talked about the leadership they have both brought to the team and how great personalities both players have in the locker room. Dillon sees a strong sophomore season for both players next year as they continue to work hard and develop as freshmen. When discussing the entire freshmen class, Dillon has been greatly impressed by the work ethic they have brought to the team while being team-first players. All the freshmen have bought into the Oswego State culture and brought their own style to the team that has led to their contributions this season. “Nothing phases them,” Dillon said. “They were immediately thrown in the lineup and have responded. They have melded very well into a team that has some very strong senior personalities and brought another dimension to the team.”

Oswego State baseball returns for 2020 season

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Each week, The Oswegonian Sports beat writers give you their thoughts on each team's upcoming week schedule.

Women’s hockey @ CAN

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State women’s hockey team is riding a five game win streak and will look to extend it to six this Saturday against SUNY Potsdam before it gets set for the NEWHL playoffs. Currently, Plattsburgh State sits at first place with 32 points, with the Lakers behind them in second place with 22 points. Morrisville State sits in third place with 19 points. The battle for the last spot in the NEWHL playoffs is between SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Cortland. SUNY Potsdam finished their regular season with a loss to SUNY Canton on Wednesday. SUNY Cortland has two games this weekend against Buffalo State. If the Red Dragons can win one game against the Bengals, they will travel to Plattsburgh to take on the dominant Cardinals. The Lakers will not have to worry about Plattsburgh State until the NEWHL Championship game that will take place on March 7. The Cardinals have not lost a NEWHL game this season. With no possibility for movement, the Lakers will be taking on Morrisville State in the semifinals next weekend. If they defeat SUNY Canton on Saturday, or the Mustangs lose one game to Plattsburgh State, the semifinal game will be played at the Marano Campus Center.

Men’s basketball vs. GEN/BPT

Lakers seek sixth consecutive NCAA Div. III Tournament appearence

The Oswegonian file photo from 2019 Oswego State has captured three straight SUNYAC championships under the direction of head coach Scott Landers.

Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com As winter ever so slowly turns to spring, “America’s Pastime” also makes its return. For the Oswego State men’s baseball team, the change in seasons represents yet another chance to make a run at the NCAA Div. III Tournament. The Lakers have made the tournament each of the past five years, including two NCAA Div. III College World Series appearances in 2017 and 2018. Last season, ended in heartbreak, with the team losing their first two tournament games by one run each. “The world series is tough to get to,” head coach Scott Landers said. “There’s 390 teams in the country or whatever it is. We made the regional. We were young last year, we have a lot of experience on the mound and positionally this year. Hopefully they learned last year, and we can make a run.”

In the final game of the postseason, the Lakers lost 3-2 to No. 1-seeded University of Southern Maine. In that game, Oswego State took a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Nick DeMarco threw a gem, going 8.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs, striking out six. “We’re not looking back on anything,” DeMarco said. “We’re moving forward and trying to get better each and every day.” Despite the tough loss, the Lakers finished the season 29-14, winning their third straight SUNYAC title. In the SUNYAC tournament, they went a perfect 3-0, defeating top-seeded SUNY Cortland 11-7 in the championship game. Looking ahead to this season, DeMarco will get the ball in game one on Saturday against Heidelberg University. The senior finished last season with a 6-3 record and a 2.63 earned run average, striking out 64 batters in 68.1 innings. His efforts led to being named the Co-Don Axtell Pitcher of the Year in the SUNYAC, D3base-

ball.com Third Team All-Region and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team AllRegion. He uses his two-seam fastball to set up a nasty slider as his out pitch. But even after a stellar junior year, DeMarco knows there is work to be done. “For me it’s about developing my pitches this year,” DeMarco said. “Last year, I just kind of worked with what I had and went off of that, but I’m trying to develop all four pitches and be able to throw them consistently for strikes.” DeMarco will be followed in the rotation this weekend by sophomore Kieran Finnegan and fellow senior Jake Terrill. The Lakers lost senior starting pitchers Brian Nolan and Matt Bowman, who combined for 15 starts last season. Even so, Landers believes his pitching staff can go, “10 to 12 deep.” That pitching staff will be tested early, with three games this weekend against teams that made the NCAA Div. III Tournament last season. Saturday’s opponent Heidelberg University is ranked No. 5 in the

nation by NCBWA/D3baseball.com. Sunday’s doubleheader features Baldwin Wallace University and La Roche University, who both received votes in that same poll. Oswego State’s offense hit .284 collectively last season and drove in 7.4 runs per game. There will be big shoes to fill with the graduation of Mike Dellicarri, who did it all at the plate in his four seasons in green and gold. To replace him, big bats Lukas Olsson and Ryan Enos will anchor the middle of the Lakers’ lineup. “[They are] hard workers, hardnosed,” Landers said. “They’re disciplined and hopefully other teams have a fear. With this team, I think we’re deeper than we ever have been.” Olsson hit .329 at the plate last season, reaching base at a .447 clip. He also smashed five home runs and drove in a team-high 41 runs batted in. He enters his senior year as a stellar defensive catcher as well, committing just five errors in 221 chances. As for Enos, he led the Lakers in hits (58), doubles (14), runs (47) and total bases (89). His efforts led to a First Team All-SUNYAC selection and being named the SUNYAC Championship Most Valuable Player. Cold weather early on in the season is always tough for both hitters and pitchers. The ball does not travel as far, and there are stingers galore with the use of metal bats. For pitchers, the ball is a lot tougher to grip. “We’ve got a good setup,” Landers said. “We have the turf indoors and outdoors. It’s been a great winter. It’s been a little cold but that helps us play in cold weather. We’re going to Cleveland this weekend and it’s going to be 44 degrees.” Those early games will be an indicator of just how far the Lakers can go. They return a ton of good pieces, have the depth to make another NCAA Div. III Tournament run and will look to repeat as SUNYAC champions for the fourth consecutive season. “I don’t know if we’re as strong at the top, but we are very solid from top to bottom at every position,” Landers said. “That makes it fun and makes me excited to come to practice every day and watch these guys compete.”

Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com There are only two games remaining for the Oswego State men’s basketball team (17-6, 11-5 SUNYAC) after upsetting SUNY Oneonta (17-6, 13-3 SUNYAC) Tuesday. Next up for the Lakers is a pair of games this weekend vs. SUNY Geneseo (9-14, 6-10 SUNYAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and The College at Brockport (20-3, 13-1 SUNYAC) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Oswego State seniors Joe Sullivan, Brandan Gartland and Tim Marshall will also be honored at the game Saturday for Senior Night. SUNY Geneseo currently sits in sixth place in the SUNYAC standings and is battling for that final spot with Plattsburgh State. Expect the Knights to come out strong Friday as they hope to secure that final playoff spot. Last time out, the Lakers defeated the Knights 70-59. Liam Sanborn scored 21 points and Joe Sullivan added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Michael Gannon is currently the leading scorer for SUNY Geneseo, averaging 15 points per game. The College at Brockport has dominated this season as it currently sits in first place of the SUNYAC. It is led by Justin Summers and Jahidi Wallace. Summers averages 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Wallace averages 13.7 points per game. Last time out, the Golden Eagles defeated the Lakers 68-67. Colby Moultrie finished with 20 points for the Lakers and Jeremiah Sparks finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wallace finished with 27 points for the Golden Eagles and Summers finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

B B33 SPORTS Despite adversity, Lakers Men’s basketball focused on postseason Despite celebratory weekend, Lakers ‘worried’ about much more stick together, still not done THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

SENIORS from B1

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Anthony Passero (4) has become a great leader for the Lakers in his second season on the team.

LARGE from B1 “Raguseo was smart, always held himself accountable and had high standards for himself,” Parzych said. “That was my favorite class to cover, though. All those guys, all four years, it all just came together that season.” But if nothing else, that senior class instilled the culture of Oswego State, so “as freshmen, we got the idea of what Oswego was right away,” Mitch Emerson, also a four-year player, said. “Guys like Raguseo, they lived and breathed for Oswego. You can just tell how much they wanted to win every night,” Emerson said. “Just playing behind them, once you see the top guys going as hard as they are every single day, it becomes contagious.” But the 2016-2017 season did not have some of the same challenges that this year’s roster has faced. Oswego State finished with a 21-6-1 overall record, going 13-2-1 in the SUNYAC. The team won the annual Oswego State Hockey Classic. For the SUNYACs, Oswego State clinched home-ice advantage as the No. 1 seed in the league, though fell to then-No. 2 Plattsburgh State in the championship. The Lakers did not make it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling in the first round to Hamilton College. And for the last three seasons, the seniors have “been blessed with some pretty good teams,” Emerson said. This year, Oswego State enters the last regular-season weekend with a 13-9-1 overall record, not even nationally-ranked. After the 3-2 overtime loss to SUNY Cortland on Jan. 24, head coach Ed Gosek mentioned that the players are now taking ownership of the team with the captains and seniors leading the charge. Zizek added “everybody

is coming to the rink with smiles on their face,” and Sullivan said “with a 13-senior class, you can see leaders emerging from everyone.” “If you look at the last couple weeks, our team is finally playing some actual hockey,” Zizek said. “Once [Gosek] gave us some leeway, everything started to turn around.” This adversity has also pushed another thing: sticking together as a team. “This senior group has maybe been through a little bit more than other groups in terms of different things [that] have occurred off the ice,” Whitelaw said. “At no point have they folded, crumbled or pointed fingers at each other. They’ve certainly stuck together through it all.” As the senior class’s time comes to an end, with two regular-season games left and then the playoffs, where it is win or go home, it is time for the 2020 seniors to make their own legacy. “For this group, with everything they’ve done within the community for our school, a lot of their achievements have come off the ice,” Whitelaw said. “When the freshmen come in next year and they’re asking about Zizek or [Michael] Gillespie or any of the guys that are graduating, it’s always going to come back to that they were good guys, good teammates and in it for the right reason and competed every single day.” For the seniors, they are still writing what that legacy will be. While winning would be nice and is the team’s number one goal, “one of the greatest compliments somebody can say about you is kind things and how good of a person you were off the ice,” Zizek added. “We’ve got some time left. We can still have some fun and make a run,” Zizek said. “It’s not over and we have so much left to give.”

Some of Sullivan’s best performances have come this season, including a great performance against St. Lawrence University where he finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists. He has also had two 25-point performances this season against Clarkson University and SUNY Cortland. Gartland attended Webster Schroeder High School before coming to Oswego State, where he played all four seasons. Gartland brings a consistent threat of his 3-point shot and has contributed in each of his seasons. Over the course of Gartland’s Oswego State career, he has shot 40.2% from the 3-point line and has hit a total of 163 3-pointers in the process. Gartland is averaging 13 points per game in his senior season and has scored in double-figures in 18 of the 23 games this season. His season high in points is 22 on two separate occasions vs. Plattsburgh State and Ithaca College. Marshall is a local product from Baldwinsville. Marshall has dealt with a knee injury which sidelined him for 10 games of his senior season, but that did not stop Marshall. He has found his way back and has played in nine games since returning on Jan. 10 vs. SUNY Fredonia. Marshall is an instant threat from the 3-point line and that is where he does most of his damage. Marshall is a career 38% shooter from the 3-point line during his career at Oswego State, and 121 of his 176 field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. Despite missing games to injury, Marshall is back playing the game he loves and stays ready to contribute at any moment. “It was really cool to get more of an opportunity to play with my guys and have fun and have that love for the game,” Marshall said. “I’ve worked so hard for three years, and it paid off.” With seniors comes many memories for the coach who has been with them every step of the way. Leone spoke about each of the three seniors

Lakers’ senior has ‘mastered technique’ as final meets approach Even then, Yensan did not fully grasp just how good she was at the track and field event. It fully hit her another five years down the road. This time as a senior in high school. She does not give herself the credit she deserves in her response. Yensan attended Lockport High School, where she earned 11 varsity letters and was named a scholar-athlete all four years of high school. She considers her fifth-place and seventh-place finishes for indoor long jump in the state of New York her junior and

senior years, “decent.” “I didn’t realize until senior year of high school that I was decent at it,” Yensan said. Surprisingly she did not receive much track offers out of high school. Oswego State pursued her the hardest, and it ended up being the victor. Ultimately, the Lakers wound up with the athlete who would eventually break the school records for both indoor and outdoor long jump. “The coach kept pushing and pushing me to come here,” Yensan said. “And I did not really have any other coaches looking. I just decid-

Photo provided from Sarah Yensan Sarah Yensan set her career and program-best long jump last Saturday with a 5.80 meter jump.

and the favorite memories he has with each of them. “With Joe Sullivan, my favorite memory is when he committed to come here,” Leone said. “He was a game changer for us. We were coming off my worst year when we were 14-13, and he filled a need that we really had. The day he said ‘yes,’ I’ll never forget it.” Sullivan hopes to pursue a career overseas after graduation and continue playing basketball. “With Brandan, I remember the shot he hit against SUNY Oneonta last year on the road,” Leone said. “It is a place where we don’t typically play well and he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game.” Gartland hopes to stay at Oswego State next year to pursue a Master’s Degree in Accounting. “My favorite moment with Tim was actually last night [Tuesday vs. Oneonta],” Leone said. “He came off the bench in a critical role, where we were down a couple starters and

knocked down two really big 3-pointers that I thought really helped us open up a lead.” Marshall, when asked about his future plans after Oswego State, had a very college-like response, which many could probably relate to. “Looking for a job,” Marshall said. Each player has had great careers and many memorable moments at Oswego State. From Sullivan and Gartland’s 1000th points, to Marshall’s return this year from a knee injury. However, when all three players were asked about their favorite moment as a Laker, they all had the same exact answer: winning a SUNYAC Championship. “It is something you work for over the years, especially when you play and really love the grind,” Sullivan said, in regards to scoring his 1000th point earlier this season. “But the most important thing is a SUNYAC Championship. We want two in two years. That’s really all we are worried about right now.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Yensan’s off-field work yields success TRACK from B1

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Senior Joe Sullivan (5) takes a mid-range jump shot and is shooting 45.9% from the floor.

ed to come here.” Head coach Jacob Smith does not work with the field athletes as much as he works with the runners, but he still has observed the greatness that Yensan has been showcasing every week. This is his first year working with the track and field team at Oswego State. He has worked with the best in the country in previous coaching stops, and he sees those qualities in the senior. “She does a great job taking care of the things she needs to do to be successful,” Smith said. “She works really hard at practice, she does a great job getting enough sleep and making sure she is on top of stuff like that, which makes a huge difference in terms of performance. She has mastered all the things you have to do, both in practice and in terms of technique.” It does not take a magic formula to be great at any activity, it takes all of the things outlined by Smith. The level of mastery in preparation by Yensan added with her natural ability to jump, creates the recordbreaking performances. Her long jump at The College at Brockport meet last Saturday of 5.80 meters is top-five in the country for Div. III indoor long jump this year. As Yensan moves into her final stretch at Oswego State, there are records to be beaten and the future to be written. She does not know what she will do after graduation and shares the same emotions that many seniors feel with little time left and a lot of memories in the rear. “It’s scary,” Yensan said.

Photo Brief

SENIOR DAY STUNNER

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Michael Gross Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com With just 16 seconds remaining, bonus basketball was on the horizon, as the Lakers and Cardinals were deadlocked at 55 points apiece. Plattsburgh State women’s basketball had the possession with a chance to spoil the Senior Night celebration in Laker Hall. The Cardinals did just that with 1.7 seconds remaining when senior Quincey Zimmerman fouled Plattsburgh State’s Hanna Whitney on a last second 3-point attempt. She went one for three from the foul line, but even the one point lead was enough to steal the spotlight from the Lakers. Despite the loss, senior Sydni Eure steered the ship for the Lakers, scoring 20 points and tallying eight boards. Zimmerman and Morgan Wolanin had respectable performances on their Senior Night as well. They both flirted with a double-double, scoring eight points each, but Wolanin out-rebounded Zimmerman by one with 12. Erin Gantley, a graduate student playing in her final campaign as a

Laker, posted nine points, four boards and two assists in a full 40 minutes on the hardwood. Although the last remaining senior on the Oswego State women’s basketball team did not see the floor for more than eight minutes, Tatyana Fish got her chance to produce and did. She cleaned up two defensive rebounds and assisted a transition three made by Zimmerman that extended the lead to 10 for the Lakers in the second quarter. Following the Senior Night loss on Friday, and a pair of losses to SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Oneonta, head coach Sean Pinkerton’s Lakers fell to 6-16 on the year. Considering his team only won two games last season, this shows signs of life in the Oswego State women’s basketball program. Even though they may look like small increments in the win column, this team is improving and building a foundation for years to come. With two games remaining on the season, the Lakers have a chance to end on a high note when they face SUNY Geneseo and The College at Brockport, at home, in their final weekend of the season.

Shore Report

* - Indicates NEWHL Standings #- seed clinched x- playoffs clinched e- eliminated

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Hockey Geneseo - 1 Oswego State - 2 Brockport - x Buffalo State - x Potsdam Morrisville Cortland Plattsburgh Fredonia

Overall 19-3-2 13-9-1 15-8-1 11-10-2 6-16-2 9-14-0 12-10-1 7-13-3 6-10-7

Women’s Hockey* Overall

Points 26 21 17 15 12 10 10 10 9

Conference 12-1-2 10-3-1 8-6-1 7-6-1 5-9-2 5-9-0 5-9-0

4-8-2 3-8-3 Conference

Points

Plattsburgh - 1 Oswego State - x

22-1-0

16-0-0

14-6-4

9-4-4

Morrisville - x

12-10-1

9-6-1

Potsdam

7-9-2

10-12-2

Cortland

13-8-2

6-8-2

Canton - e

8-15-1

3-13-1

Buffalo State - e

5-18-0

3-13-0

Men's Basketball

Overall

Conference

20-3 17-6

15-1 13-3

18-5 17-6 16-7 9-14 8-15

13-3 11-5 10-6 6-10 5-11

W13 L1 W1 W1 W3 L1 L3

8-16 5-16

4-13 3-14

L1 W1

5-18

1-15

Brockport - x Oneonta - x Potsdam - x Oswego State - x Cortland - x Geneseo Plattsburgh Fredonia - e Buffalo State - e New Paltz - e

Women's Basketball New Paltz - x Cortland - x Geneseo - x Buffalo State - x Oneonta - x Brockport - x Potsdam - e Fredonia - e Plattsburgh - e Oswego State - e

Overall

Conference

Streak

20-3 19-4 19-4 14-10 11-12 10-13 8-14 9-15

15-1 13-3 12-4 10-7 8-8 7-9 5-11 5-12

W9 L1 W3 L3 W4 L1 W1 L3

7-16

4-12

6-16

2-14

L12

Around the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball 90

ONE: 17-6 (13-3) FRE: 8-16 (4-13)

Men’s Hockey 3

BPT: 15-8-1 (8-6-1) COR: 12-10-1 (5-9-0)

The baseball team has made the NCAA Div. III tournament the last five seasons, including three straight SUNYAC championships. They return to the diamond this weekend with three games in Ohio. The Lakers went 29-14 last season and have won 20 or more games each of the past eight seasons.

Women’s Basketball 68

COR: 19-4 (13-3) NPZ: 20-3 (15-1)

13:

The men’s hockey team will honor the careers of 13 seniors this Saturday night against SUNY Fredonia. Among them are captain Josh Zizek and leading point-scorer Anthony Passero, along with two goaltenders in David Richer and Cedric Hansen. The Lakers have locked up the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Oswego Scoreboard Women’s Hockey

Men’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 15

Saturday, Feb. 15

BUF:

Steinle: 1 goal, 1 assist Gawronski: 26 saves

OSW:

Currie: 1 goal, 4 shots Scorpio: 1 goal, 1 assist Richer: 17 saves

OSW:

Stewart: 1 goal, 3 shots Shines: 1 goal, 3 shots Farmer: 18 saves

MOR:

DeVito: 4 shots, -3 rating Richer: 17 saves

Women’s Basketball Tuesday, Feb. 18

49 OSW: ONE:

Men’s Basketball Tuesday, Feb. 18

Sparks: 23 Pts, 9 Reb

Zimmerman: 14 Pts, 6 Reb Gantley: 8 Pts, 4 assists

OSW: Gartland: 19 Pts, 3 Reb

Nardelli: 12 Pts, 7 Reb Bernsley: 10 Pts, 3 assists Culeton: 8 Pts, 5 Reb

ONE:

Sullivan: 19 Pts, 10 Reb Rivera: 19 Pts, 10 Reb Mackin: 15 Pts, 4 Reb

Upcoming Events Men’s Basketball Friday, Feb. 21

Women’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 22

7:30 p.m.

2:00 p.m

GEN: 9-14 (6-10) OSW: 17-6 (11-5)

Women’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 22

BPT: 10-13 (7-9) OSW: 6-16 (2-14)

Men’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 22

@ 4:00 p.m.

OSW: 14-6-4 (9-4-4) CAN: 8-15-1 (3-13-1)

7:00 p.m.

FRE: 6-10-7 (3-8-3) OSW: 13-9-1 (10-3-1)

Laker Athletes of the Week

Sydni Eure

William Hardin II

Women’s Basketball Senior | East Syracuse

Wrestling Senior | Sackets Harbor

The senior had two big games last weekend, combining for 50 points against Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam. Her seasonhigh 30 points came on Saturday against the Bears, playing a full 40 minutes. Eure is second on the team with 14.5 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game. She is also just one of four Lakers to appear in all 22 games this season so far.

The Sackets Harbor native made quick work of his opponent on Saturday, earning a pin one minute into the second period against SUNY Cortland’s Pat Owens. The dual match was also Hardin’s Senior Day. Hardin’s win in the 133-pound weight class helped the Lakers defeat the Red Dragons by a final score of 28-18 in their final dual match of the season. The NCAA Mideast Regionals begin Saturday, Feb. 29 in Ithaca.

The freshman class on the women’s hockey team has racked up a combined 58 points this season and have been a big reason why the Lakers are 14-6-4 and have clinched a NEWHL playoff spot. They are led by standout Megan Teachout, who leads the entire team with 12 goals and 26 points.

The men’s basketball team upset SUNY Oneonta on Tuesday night, scoring 81 points in an 81-76 win over the second place team in the SUNYAC. The win came on the road and brought Oswego State’s overall record to 17-6. The Lakers currently sit in fourth place of the conference with two games remaining.

58:

81:

OPINION

MLMs should be illegal

Photo from Pixabay

Alexander Gault-Plate Editor-in-Chief aplate@oswegonian.com “Hey hon, would you like to come to my product party next week?” is a sentence many American’s have heard. It indicates that the person they are speaking with is a “consultant” for a multi-level marketing company, like Young Living, Pure Romance or Herbalife. It indicates that the person they are speaking with has been taken advantage of by one of the worst manifestations of the American corporate world. MLMs are essentially pyramid schemes, the only difference being that MLMs do sell actual physical products, although these products are often low-quality, unpopular or downright dangerous. The organization of an MLM is pyramid-shaped, with one person at the top recruiting people underneath them, known as their “downline.” Those people then recruit more people for their downline, and so on and so forth. Recruiting new sellers is the main way a person in an MLM gains money, because each person receives a percentage of their downline’s revenue. The people in the higher levels of this hierarchy, who are “up line,” eventually make almost all of their money from the people below them. This organization of sellers and recruiters could possibly work, spreading a natural, networking-based sales solution out into the world and getting the products these companies are trying to sell right into the homes of potential buyers, if the products they were selling were useful, safe or in-demand. They are none of those things. According to statistics gathered by the AARP, at least 73% of all MLM contractors make no money from the business, or they lose money from purchasing stock that nobody will purchase. Another study by Jon Taylor of the Consumer Awareness Institute, suggests that the percentage may be even higher, up to 99% of all MLM sales contractors. Financial risks aside, MLMs are also extremely damaging to people’s interpersonal relationships. Because a sales person is being trained by the MLM to sell to their friends and family through “word-of-mouth marketing,” they are incentivized to encourage their close friends and family whenever possible, especially on social media. The internet is rife with tales from close friends, family members and significant others of MLM-involved people, and the stories are never good. Wasted money, emotional distance, endless fights and massive personality changes are some of the hallmark symptoms. The story usually ends with the person cutting off contact with the MLM-obsessed individual. MLMs primarily target women, offering them the chance to “start their own business, work from home, and become a boss babe.” College-aged women, poor women or military wives whose husbands are stationed abroad are targeted with particular focus by these companies, turned into selling machines with little regard for the actual viability of the business they believe they are running. MLMs are incredibly dangerous companies of dubious legality, which use predatory practices to squeeze revenue out of vulnerable people. They should be avoided like the plague and outlawed.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

America deserves consistent president Incarcerated Changes of belief fine, lying about those changes unacceptable people should vote Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com

The primary election in the United States was created to select a candidate who will run against the incumbent president. Typically, this presidential candidate is supposed to be the good against whatever evil may be in office. For example, if the reason a lot of people do not like President Trump is because he is unreliable and lies about his politics, then the person the voters end up electing should represent the opposite of those values. The candidate should be consistent in his or her beliefs, ideally. However, growth is part of the human experience and people should learn from their mistakes. Part of how people learn from their mistakes is by accepting the mistakes they made in the past and trying to learn from them. Joe Biden backtracked on his beliefs on social security. Previously, he stated that he thinks social security needs cuts in funding. He changed his mind recently. This is not necessarily the problem. The problem lies in Biden lying about his record. He stated that he has always supported social security funding which simply is not the case. In the case of Elizabeth Warren, things are different. She was raised as a republican, and after graduating high school realized she was, in fact, a democrat. There is no problem with flipping political parties, es-

pecially if the person was not previously exposed to people of the opposite party. If someone asked her if she had voted republican or identified as a republican in the past and she had answered no, that is when an issue would arise. The American population deserves a candidate who does not lie to the people, especially on something as serious as policies. The primaries have become a popularity contest where politicians manipulate the public into thinking they are the coolest candidate. Biden is most likely hearing that people think Bernie Sanders is consistent and has fought for civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights since day one and feels envious that he cannot say the same. Biden needs to realize that people can grow and change and there is no shame in that.

Switching beliefs in today’s political climate is only a tool used to fit in. Chances are that some candidates might not actually believe what they are saying. If the statement is what is “hip” among liberal voters, they may just be trying to garner votes. This is partially what the problem is with our political system. When the reason candidates are running for president is to win, no matter how their values may be compromised, they do not actually show the future they see for the nation. Becoming president is not like winning a fashion show or being famous on YouTube. It should be about actively making change to the community. Changing beliefs to stay relevant and get votes is immature and unpatriotic. Candidates must tell the American people how they really feel, then if they get

Photo from Pete For America via Flickr Presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg (left) and Joe Biden smile for the camera.

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

Photo from Pixabay

Angelina Diaz Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Both ex-felons and those currently incarcerated deserve the right to vote. Currently, only two states allow prisoners and those released from prison to vote: Maine and Vermont. The majority of states either deny all people with felonies the right to vote — or at the very least, require strict guidelines on who is able to regain this freedom after prison. The United States not only has the highest per-capita incarceration rate, but also the largest prison population internationally. As of 2016, 2.2 million Americans were incarcerated, and that number has surely risen since. Additionally, every 1 in 51 people were on parole or probation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2013. That is an astounding number of individuals who have lost one of their key rights as citizens of this country. In the 1958 Supreme Court case, Trope v. Dulles, Justice Earl Warren wrote, “citizenship is not a right that expires upon misbehavior.” If prisoners do not lose their civic status, then why are they not granted their basic civil rights, such as that to cast a ballot?

Prisoners are still people and they deserve as much of a voice as any other citizen of the United States...

Airplane etiquette requires re-evaluation Passengers do not have manners that they once had Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com During these past few weeks, manners—good or bad—have been a hot topic. The controversy comes after a video went viral on social media just a few days ago, where one passenger could be seen kicking and shoving the reclined seat of the passenger sitting in front of him. A few days later, it was rumored that she might have knocked this passenger’s drink over by reclining her seat. However, just because this went viral, it does not mean it is something new. Such attitudes were not present some years ago. People used to have better manners, not only when reclining their seats. For instance, passengers who had reached their final destination would usually allow those making connecting flights to exit first,

something that rarely happens anymore. Given all these issues, it seems that flight attendants and crew have given up on the fight, also showing a lack of respect toward the rest of the passengers. Above all of these is the socalled “golden rule,” which is to treat others the way you wish to be treated. So, should passengers be allowed to recline their seats? This might have not been an issue years ago when aviation was not as commercialized as it is today. Airplanes used to have fewer seats. The industry demand has increased with airlines adding more seats, thus lowering the price point, allowing them to fill the planes with seats to the point where there is barely any leg-room. Such growth in aviation has led to a decline in travel ethics, where passengers feel entitled to not follow the rules established by the airlines and the flight attendants

themselves. Not only is there a rush to exit the plane upon arrival, but passengers do not listen to the routine pre-flight safety briefing. This is where flight attendants dance the Macarena in order to make passengers aware of the emergency exits. Nowadays, passengers do not even pay attention. They feel that listening to their tunes is more important, even during takeoff and landing. Not only do they put their earbuds in, but they also lower their window shades during these two critical points in flight. This should not be allowed as it could disorient someone in case of an accident where they may not want to exit on a specific side of the plane because of a danger outside. Given all of these circumstances, maybe the aviation industry should take a step back to the time when rules were respected and passengers were not rude to one another.

Photo from Pixabay Airplanes have gotten smaller and more crowded in recent years, making the flying experience more stressful for everyone.

Prisoners are expected to become average citizens after serving their sentences, including duties such as obtaining a job and paying taxes like the rest of society. Prison reform programs have been initiated throughout prisons across the country as a way to aid in the transition from prison to society. These programs include, but are not limited to, programs that provide educational opportunities, employment training, business classes and many more. If these reforms are put into place to help prisoners become like “ordinary people,” why alienate them by stripping them of their right to vote? The most common argument against ex-felon voting is that they should not be allowed the right to have a say in society — but does that not contradict the entire point of these programs? Many are afraid of what ex-convicts might do once they are released, but where is the harm in voting? Where is the harm in caring about the state of politics, in trying to make a difference, one voice at a time? There are endless possibilities of what they can do after prison, both beneficial and harmful, but there is nothing dangerous about giving citizens the right to vote. By refusing to allow the large and growing population that is America’s incarcerated and exconvicted, we are not just diminishing the number of voices heard, but also the diversity in who we believe is worthy of hearing. Felonies do not strip people of their humanity. Prisoners are still people and they deserve as much of a voice as any other citizen of the United States. How can we possibly expect anyone to change for the better if we are constantly scrutinizing and dehumanizing them?

NEWS “KILL SHAKESPEARE”

Image from SUNY Oswego Theatre Dept.

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE III

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

SPORTS B2

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

OFFICE OPINIONS

How do you feel about the commercialization of holidays? It is unavoidable. Repetitive bologna. It is pretty inevitable. There is no reason for companies to not jump at the chance. It is certainly callous, but mostly harmless. Though it would be nice if they extended their “holiday spirit” to give their employees time off from work. -Stephen Novak, Asst. Laker Review Editor

Every card and movie that is based around these Hallmark holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, is the same. The movies can be predicted as soon as the first opening scene is over and cards say the same thing every year, just changing adjectives and verbs. After awhile, the “special feeling” someone gets around these holidays goes away, because they expect it. In relationships, what happened to spontaneity or surprises? Everything is expected now, especially around those Hallmark holidays. -Ben Grieco, Managing Editor

Kind in theory... I think it is important to stay aware of how companies are going to push a commercial side to a holiday and keep that in mind when you celebrate. Communicating with the people you celebrate with about your expectations can help keep things more down-to-earth. At the end of the day, any holiday is always about family and friends, and we should not let anything change that. -Alexander Gault-Plate, Editor-in-Chief

IN THE OFFICE

Rise of citizen journalism poses problems Traditional journalism becoming less popular in recent times

Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com Citizen journalism is the spread of information through social media, usually followed by analysis and further sharing across the web. This can allow ideas to be more sensationalist, as it does not share the same impartiality of traditional journalism. However, it does seem to carry a sense of ambition that can be seen at the peak of traditional journalism, as it falls under less restriction and is created to entertain. Despite being the backbone of several cultural movements, newsstyle journalism has fallen from its position in recent history. This can be attributed to both the regulations found in a regular office and the overwhelming amount of damage that the current political climate has done to its reputation. Journalism has also come under fire multiple times. With the inception of Yellow Journalism back in the late 1890s, more and more regulation has come with the scrutiny of the public, only to be worsened by the decline of physical print at the start of the century. This leads to a The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 rise in smaller websites and individuals starting blogs. Citizen journalism can have a lot in common with non-fiction stories. We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything It is often told with more flair and regarding the Oswego State community. personality in order to make it resonate more emotionally with other Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail people. This tends to leave many citizen journalists in the role of consubmissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 tent creators. Most importantly, content creAll writers must provide their real name, address, academic year,

ation is entertainment, and is reliant on its readers relating to the story, as well as digesting the information. Often, it tries to sway the audience with opinionated dialogue and cinema-inspired commentary. One of the biggest campaigns birthed from user-generated content was the viral sensation known as KONY 2012. The campaign was set up by a Los Angeles filmmaker Jason Russell, who had a run-in with a small militia known as the LRA (Lords Republic Army) while in Uganda. This showed him discovering a man named Joseph Kony and Russell created a video meant to inspire others to protest his various crimes. This film, simply named “KONY 2012” had exploded online, currently sitting at 102 million views. The video itself often relied on emotional setpieces and grasped the viewers’ attention for 30 minutes, allowing for a wider reach and provided stronger support than a simple news story. When the movement was found online, supporting the movement was as simple as logging onto Twitter. People are happier to be part of a movement when the entry fee is simply tweeting about it. Mean-

ing terms like “slacktivism” can get thrown around and we can end up with what is known today as “outrage culture.” Some things are improved by the online sphere and the ease at which it allows people to share information. Some example includes the infamous Eric Garner video, where a man was killed by police in broad daylight. Many people circulated the story via social media before it was officially reported on. This is not to discount blogs or commentary channels, who will often offer opinionated stances on trending events. Despite the fact that these channels cannot be considered journalism, as they do not discover the events they talk about, it is certainly worth looking at the staggering numbers they bring in. With people like Philip Defranco and Joe Rogan amassing millions of viewers, it is easy to assume that most of the people hearing about the things they talk about are hearing about it for the first time. While this is not to say that a YouTuber’s testimony can be seen as more reliable or even more effective for a healthy spread of information, it is clear this is the way that the world intends to move.

THE OSWEGONIAN G UIDELIN ES

major and phone number (which will not be published).

Members of organizations should include their title if their letter addresses an issue pertaining to the organization.

Photo from Pixabay Traditional journalism, when faced with civilian journalism, loses every time.

Marceline

For publication, letters should be 250 words or less and submitted by the Tuesday prior to the desired publication date. The Oswegonian reserves the right to edit and reject letters and cannot guarantee that all letters will be published. Opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not always reflect those of The Oswegonian.

See web exclusive Opinion articles at www.oswegonian.com/opinion

Photo provided by Michael Engleman

INSIDE

C2 ‘Fantasy Island’ results C3 Rick Moranis to return C5 Iconic character ‘Sonic’

in worst vacation ever

to big screen in ‘Shrunk’

hits ground running

FRIDAY Feb. 21, 2020

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Reboot of ‘Fantasy Island’ proves to be trip worth skipping Garrick Groover Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: If your ultimate fantasy is an excellent movie that will captivate your imagination, then “Fantasy Island” will leave you woefully disappointed. The newest film by Jeff Wadlow (“Truth or Dare”), “Fantasy Island,” is a movie with substantial potential but shoddy payoffs. An adaptation of the 1970’s television series of the same name, it also stumbles at revamping its source material for a new generation, succumbing to lazy attempts at emulating tired horror movie trends and The CW network antics. To put it bluntly, this new undertaking by Blumhouse Productions is as scary as the 2002 “ScoobyDoo” movie with enough unintentional laughs to boot. “Fantasy Island’s” biggest strength lies within its premise. Five people win a contest to visit Fantasy Island, a tropical paradise where fantasies apparently

come true. The island is curated by the mysterious Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña, “Jexi”) who warns guests that they must see their fantasies to their proper conclusion or face unforeseen consequences. As expected, twists and turns follow as each guest’s fantasies go haywire. The first act of “Fantasy Island” is an intriguing mix of mystery and suspense in regards to the supernatural presence of the island itself. Comparatively, it shares traits with ABC’s hit drama “Lost,” as well the 1997 thriller film, “The Game.” Unraveling the mystery of Fantasy Island is this film’s greatest asset, but as the 110-minute feature prattles on, that mystery becomes more convoluted and even more ridiculous. The idea of a person’s fantasies coming true and then backfiring is an interesting concept, but “Fantasy Island” squanders this idea with annoying characters and nonsensical conclusions. Take for instance the fantasy of stepbrothers JD (Ryan Hansen, “Like a Boss”) and Brax

Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”) who fantasize of “having it all,” complete with a gaudy mansion and gorgeous super models. The potential is there for an interesting twist for these two to receive their comeuppance, but the twist presented is less supernatural and more akin to a mediocre crime movie. Likewise, the performances of Hansen and Yang come off as nothing more than irritating, pop culture reference spitting, frat brothers than characters to feel enamored with. While they are the comic relief, the only relief that comes is when these two are off screen. The film also has a hard time deciding on what it wants to be. The poster and marketing would make you believe this was a horror movie but that is far from the truth. “Fantasy Island” has horror elements to be sure, but the PG-13 rating assures nothing beyond a few jump scares and creepy imagery. “X-Files” episodes from the 1990s had more intensity. In the end, expect a thriller that’s as

Image from Paramount Pictures via YouTube Lucy Hale joins Maggie Q and Michael Peña in this disposable excuse for a horror film.

thrilling as a traffic jam. Despite it all, “Fantasy Island” is still entertaining, but not in the way the studio probably intended. The film is so ridiculous and nonsensical viewers cannot help but marvel at the complete ineptitude on screen. The screenplay is full of so much exposition that this movie should be renamed “Explanation Island.” The climax is loaded with so many underwhelming twists that give M.

Night Shyamalan (“Glass”) movies a run for their money. The list goes on and on. “Fantasy Island” is a movie that starts off promising but utterly collapses into an entertaining rubble of debris that may entertain or leave you in a state of bewilderment. Needless to say, “Fantasy Island” may be a bad movie, but its sense of terribleness makes it marginally fun for those who do not take it too seriously.

‘To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You’ leaves fans disappointed Abigail Connolly Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: The long awaited sequel to the hit Netflix film, “To All The Boys I Loved Before,” was recently released just in time for Valentine’s Day. Although the name might suggest, “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” audiences were not left feeling the same as that affectionate post-script. Following the same characters as the last film, “P.S. I Still Love You,” follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor, “Summer Night”), a daydreaming introvert, as she tries to balance her new relationship with Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo, “Charlie’s Angels”), the resident high school jock. As the case would be for any teenage romance film, this relationship does not shy away from the drama as old love interests make their appearances to cause jealousy and

Image from Netflix via YouTube Lana Condor returns to her breakout role alongside co-stars Noah Centineo and Jordan Fisher in “P.S. I Still Love You.”

miscommunication. This film was given the unfortunate role of the plot arch, in that as the second installment of a trilogy, it seemed to lend itself mainly to unnecessary drama and circling dialogue. This left audiences feeling a little less than stellar about the entire film, causing “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” to receive only a 46% audience approval, as shown

on Rotten Tomatoes. Falling short of the expectations its predecessor set, and leaving some fans dissatisfied, the overall result did what it had to do in relation to the trilogy. The integrity of the characters remained intact and we again see wonderful performances from Condor and Centineo, with the addition of Jordan Fisher (“Rent: Live”) who plays the critical third point in the

love triangle and the fan favorite Holland Taylor (“Two And A Half Men”) who plays the role of the wise confidant. Despite being both visually appealing and talent-filled, the dialogue and overall storyline were predictable. While the film does a decent job at portraying some of the difficulties of balancing a new relationship while in high school,

handling jealousy, feelings of inferiority, isolation and even touching on the anxieties surrounding new sexual experiences, it fails to really encapsulate them in a meaningful manner, leaving many things open ended. Perhaps this is a lead in to the already scheduled third installment of the series, but for the time being, this lack of a conclusion left audiences confused as to what the purpose of the film was. Some audiences would have always been disappointed with the outcome of the film, especially if they were looking for something like other classic teen dramas. This film by no means is the next “Pretty In Pink,” but ultimately, this film was the middle child of a storyline meant to be taken lightheartedly. Instead of looking at this film as serious and emotional, audiences need to look at it for what it is, a fun movie to watch and eat ice cream to, and sometimes that should be enough.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

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Rick Moranis to make cinematic return to classic film series

Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Following the death of his wife in 1991, actor and comedian Rick Moranis (“Brother Bear”) slowly stepped out of the Hollywood spotlight, choosing life as a stay-at-home father over fame. Despite taking a long hiatus from his career, it was recently reported that Moranis will return to acting in film, reprising his role as Wayne Szalinski in the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” reboot, “Shrunk,” which will be released in theaters, not as a Disney+ exclusive. Though Moranis will not be the film’s leading man, a role instead delegated to Josh Gad (“Frozen 2”), the notion that he will at least appear in the film is still a welcome one, as fans have waited for over 20 years to witness his likeness on screen once again. In his prime, Moranis was known for his comedic roles in which he was frequently typecast as nerdy,

Image from Walt Disney Pictures via YouTube Rick Moranis (right), famous for “Ghostbusters” and “Spaceballs” will return in a new reboot of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”

sitcom “The Goldbergs,” in which he reprised his role as the character “Dark Helmet” from Mel Brooks’ “Star Wars” spoof, “Spaceballs.” As such, it is only fitting that his first film role since his return to acting will be one which he has already played, especially given that eccentric scientist Wayne Szalinski is one of his most recognizable roles. Given his recent track

record, it is more than likely that Moranis’ appearance in “Shrunk” will be nothing more than a cameo or supporting role in the film. This has to do in part with the fact that the film will instead focus on his character’s son, Nick Szalinski, who will be played by the fittingly-cast Gad, who has become notorious for his performances as goofy, eccentric characters, just like Szalinski was characterized. Though he may only make a cameo appearance, this film may be a perfect way for Moranis to revive his career. However, if he opts to remain in retirement after the film’s release, or at least does nothing more than appear as cameos in future films, his appearance in “Shrunk” will pose as a sweet, touching way to treat audiences who have longed to see him work again, while respectfully paying tribute to the works of a man who admirably sacrificed fame and his career in order to care for his family in a time of hardship.

awkward characters, such as Louis Tully in “Ghostbusters” and its sequels, and Seymour Krelborn in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Prior to his film career, Moranis gained recognition for his stint on the Canadian sketch comedy series, “SCTV,” in which he and co-star Dave Thomas (“Rat Race”) notably performed as the Canadian caricatures, Bob and Doug McKenzie, who were later

given their own film, 1983’s “Strange Brew.” Though Moranis officially ceased acting in live-action films following “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves” in 1997, he still occasionally did voice work for animated films such as “Brother Bear,” with its sequel being the last film before his break. Since then, the only appearance Moranis has made in the media was an episode of the

remake to be: a poorly paced, blandly shot, musically corrupt, visually detestable, forgettably acted, hastily written, thematically lazy, needlessly modernized and painfully transparent exercise in personal fortitude. If there is one thing the universe would have been objectively better without, it would have to be Will Smith’s (“Bad Boys For Life”) nightmarish CGI hip-hop remixrendition of “Friend Like Me.” Did anyone in the history of time ever say to themselves, “You know, I’ve always wished half of the scenes in ‘Aladdin’ were in Zack Snyder slo-mo?” Needless to say, it was this author’s hope that it would mark the nadir of this Disney zombie apocalypse and that perhaps the other movies would just quietly shuffle in and out of this mortal coil without ruffling any feathers. However, that was a sore underestimation of both the public and the

Image from Will Smith via YouTube Starring Will Smith (left) and Mena Massoud (right), the 2019 remake grossed over one billion dollars at the box office.

Why no one should support Disney’s in-development ‘Aladdin 2’ Lucas Fernandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com We’ve done it. We have finally reached the event horizon, where the laws of space and time cease to function and only the chaos of the primordial universe reigns supreme. “It’s not that bad,” they argue, “don’t overreact.” What they don’t understand is that anything less would be an underreaction. To pretend the current state of things doesn’t warrant panicked outrage is an entertainment death sentence. The corpulent hive mothers at Disney are already in the process of spawning their most virulent brood: a sequel to the live action Aladdin. If you have seen the live action “Aladdin” remake, you are deserving of sincere reparations. For those who haven’t seen it, it was everything you could expect a late-stage live-action Disney

all-devouring maw of Disney. They found a model that makes money. Since people have come to blindly trust them, they can just make the same thing again, but worse. However, that doesn’t excuse the fact that the content is bad, nor should it encourage audiences to settle for halfbaked shill vomit when we all know perfectly well that the filmmakers could have made a movie that didn’t

feel like a public lobotomy. As the world’s foremost entertainment company, it isn’t out of line for the audience to demand impressive content from them. Nevertheless, here we are, in the biggest entertainment deathtrap since H.H. Holmes set up that murder hotel during the World Fair. There is only one thing to do: whatever you do, however your Disney addiction pleads, please,

for the love of God, don’t see “Aladdin 2.” Destroying this thing’s box office is the only way to make it stop. Nobody has the mental stability to withstand another one of these garbage fires unscathed. If you have any humanity left in you, any sense of self-preservation, do the right thing. Use that $10.50 in ticket money and buy gas station onion rings. Don’t see “Aladdin 2.”

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Louis Tomlinson’s new album breaks barriers by building walls

give the album a strong start. With an almost hollow sound and vacant tones, it’s sad to hear what could be such a big song be carved out with synthetic Britpop beats and left to somewhat rot. It’s almost catchy, and how awful is that. “You kill my mind / Raise my body back to life / And I don’t know what I’d do without you now,” Tomlinson has never had any of the powerhouse vocals within One Direction but this song just does not put his voice in the best light, much less display any talent with lyric writing.

On the other hand, Tomlinson’s “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” leans toward his strengths that always tug at the heart. Being that Tomlinson has gone through quite a lot within the past three years, his hopeful words and lyrics within this tune reach out to anyone who has struggled or endured heartache in whichever form. “Don’t you let it kill you / Even when it hurts like hell / Oh, whatever tears you apart / Don’t let it break your heart,” I believe the best part of the song, and the most im-

portant thing that he preaches is for people to remember that regardless of all the bad things that can happen, don’t let it eclipse progress and the little victories you’ve made despite your trials. It’s quite honestly a throwback to how One Direction sounded from their last album, “Made in the AM.” One of the first songs Tomlinson released, apart from featuring with artists like Steve Aoki, Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, “Two of Us,” is a hopeful melancholy ballad surrounding the grief and passing of his mother in December 2016. “Even when I’m on my own, I know I won’t be alone / Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song / I know you’ll be looking down, swear I’m gonna make you proud / I’ll be living one life for the two of us,” One of the most impactful songs of the album simply due to the context surrounding it. “Always You,” is one of the feel-good breaks within the emotional album. It’s peppy and bouncing plucking of chords only lasts briefly before

fore memes, “proto-meme.” The song was originally played in the second season finale of the hit teen drama, “The OC,” in which a main character was killed off in melodramatic fashion. In turn, the finale was parodied on the classic SNL digital short, “Dear Sister,” featuring a fresh-faced Andy Samberg. Thus, the “proto-meme” was born. Thousands of videos posted during the early days of YouTube paired “Hide and Seek” to other scenes in television and movies, often to comedic effect. However, the song’s impact did not end there. “Hide and Seek,” as well as the meme inspired by it, was given a second wind when it was heavily sampled on Jason Derulo’s 2009 song, “Whatcha Say,” which hit number one on the Billboard Top 100. Even 10 years after “Whatcha Say” debuted, the vocoder of “Hide and Seek” is used by artists ranging from Bon Iver to Kacey Musgraves and “Panic! At The Disco.” Looking back, Heap’s album, “Speak for Yourself,” had always been at least 10 years ahead of its time. The lush maximalist production with glittering synths and

glitched out, buzzing bass lines are immediately recognizable trademarks of Heap’s sound. However, those sounds are also immediately recognizable as trademarks of pop music produced in the past five years. The synth-pop inspired textures of the mid-to-late 2010’s such as The 1975’s debut album and Carly Rae Jepsen’s critically acclaimed “Emotion,” were all being put to wax nearly a decade prior on “Speak for Yourself.” Her influence is also far more direct than the textures she pioneered

on a 15-year-old album. To date, Heap has directly collaborated with both Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, sharing writing and production credits on Swift’s song “Clean” while Heap’s song “Goodnight and Go,” was directly sampled and its chorus interpolated on Grande’s song “goodnight n’ go.” Grande herself claims to be a huge fan and names Heap as a main influence. A search through the annals of the pop-icon’s YouTube channel will reveal a younger and less famous Ariana Grande per-

Mary-Kate Moylan Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Five years since One Direction called their hiatus, each member of the very popular British boyband have gone on to release their own albums, some even going on to release their second solo albums. While some members have been climbing to fame and discovering their own niche apart from their pop-rock branded sound, they claimed from their “X Factor” days, Louis Tomlinson is the last of the bunch to finally have his solo album debut. With many trials that set him back, like the death of his mom and younger sister, Tomlinson has also had triumphs like the birth of his first son. With so many milestones occurring within his days since One Direction, Tomlinson has a lot of raw emotion and life to display within his album “Walls.” “Kill My Mind,” the first song of the 12-track album, doesn’t

Image from Louis Tomlinson via YouTube Despite what he’s gone through, Tomlinson puts his life into his pop and synth tunes.

the chorus gives way toward drawn out and wistful heavy drums. Reminiscing on old times, the lyrics talk of wasting time with other people when he should have always known she was the one. “I’m wastin’ my time when it was always you, always you / Chasin’ a high, but it was always you, always you / Should’ve never let you go / Should’ve never let you go, my baby.” This song in particular was the one I found myself playing again once it ended. Definitely a catchy tune, “Always You” is probably one of the grooviest songs and most reminiscent of his old sound from his boyband days. Tomlinson’s attempt at his debut hits, didn’t necessarily miss the mark, but they aren’t a bullseye either. Stuck in the sound of 90s Britpop, he displays an emotional journey all while concealing himself. With songs like “Defenceless” and “Walls,” the singer’s voice is finely tuned to tug at the heartstrings with some of these ballads but overall, I feel the singer did some of his better work on featured tracks.

forming Imogen Heap covers into a grainy webcam. In the world of music tech, Heap is ever on the cutting edge. Heap, working with a team of engineers and designers, developed the “MiMu Smart Gloves” over the course of eight years. The gloves are a piece of wearable technology that turns the artist’s hands and arms into a DJ’s mixer, allowing its wearer to play and loop drum or vocal tracks and apply vocal effects and layers using hand gestures and movements. Heap used these gloves throughout their development on her own tours and recently used the finished version of the “MiMu Gloves” in the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Oscars. Along with Heap, Grande also used a version of the gloves during her 2015 tour. Despite the decades of innovation and hours of intricate, beautifully produced records, any mention of Imogen Heap is usually met by blank stares. So, this has all been one long winded plea to the Laker Review readership to please listen to this woman’s music. It sometimes gets lonely being Heap fan.

‘Imogen Heap’ may be most underrated artist of past decade Kazashi McLaughlin Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com With four full-length solo albums, two of which were self released, a record certified gold by the RCAA and two Grammy’s under her belt, Imogen Heap is a highly accomplished musical artist by any standard. Yet, despite the accolades and critical acclaim, Heap’s pioneering influence on pop music trends for the past decade have gone largely unnoticed. She is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and the first and only female artist to have won a Grammy for engineering her own album. Her fans include the topselling pop artists and producers working today as well as modestly renowned author J.K. Rowling. A household name in any sane world, Heap, for whatever reason, is mostly just seen amongst those in the know as a cool indie-pop aunt. Nonetheless, the shadow she casts on the landscape of music today is a long one. Heap’s 2005 song “Hide and Seek” was a meme in a land be-

Image from Imogen Heap via YouTube Despite her pedigree, Heap is the most influential musician that you’ve never heard of.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

'Sonic The Hedgehog' provides family-friendly charm, fun Lorreta Golden Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

This Valentine’s Day, Feb, 14, the movie “Sonic the Hedgehog” was finally released. Waiting months for it to be released had fans eagerly anticipating the iconic characters big screen debut. This onehour-and-forty-minute film was rated a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the overall audience rating is a 95%. Critics are hitting it hard but the fans are loving it, but the film was made for the fans. All the action, his charisma and the story behind the film were all amazing. Fans were delighted that the creators listened and changed Sonic’s design for the movie following the controversy after the original design debuted. One thing that the movie has going for it is the crazy energy it receives from Jim Carrey (“Kidding”) as the vil-

lain, Dr. Robotnik, who is basically a mad scientist out to capture or kill Sonic. The entire chase scene between Sonic and Robotnik was very exciting. It was just like the scene from “X-Men: Dawn of Future Past,” where Quicksilver was running around with everything going in slow motion except for him. For those who don’t know, the film is based

off of the iconic Sega video game series “Sonic.” Sonic, who in the movie was voiced by actor Ben Schwartz (“Bojack Horseman”) is on the run in the countryside of Montana from Robotnik, who wants to steal Sonic's supersonic speed powers to take over the world. A local cop of this small town named Tom Wachowski, who Sonic calls "Donut Lord," is played by actor

James Marsden (“Dead to Me”) who helps Sonic get back what he has lost and get away from Robotnik. Sonic gets into plenty of mischief along the way that gives the film a cheerful, kid-friendly energy. There is so much love infused into the character of Sonic and the script is well-developed, causing a few tearjerking moments. The film discusses lone-

Image from Paramount Pictures via YouTube Sonic (Ben Schwartz) carries the film with his off-the-wall style and quirky energy, much to the chagrin of his friends.

liness through Sonic's great characterization. This story aspect was very sad and effective because everyone has felt left out at some point in their lives and can relate. Robotnik says he was bullied as a child, he is probably still bullied behind his back by his coworkers and he just doesn’t know it. He has felt the same way that Sonic felt during a portion of the movie. If he understood Sonic’s past, and how much it related to his own, he probably wouldn’t be after him anymore. This is also how emotionally stirring the film was. Families also have the opportunity to talk about how drinking is portrayed in the movie. What did the drinking have to do with anything else in the storyline? Did it really have to be in there? Despite those quirks, the film still holds up for those invested in the franchise. Make sure to stay tuned at the end of the credits, there is a special surprise that has fans full of excitement.

Breaking down international pop hits from Italy, Norway Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

For the past few weeks, we have, for the most part, focused on European sounds, however, this week’s breakdown will take a slight shift. While music lovers will not leave the European beats behind, the Latino genre will join the repertoire for the first time, although Europe will still remain as the predominant region, at least for this week. Opening this week’s breakdown is Irish ace Gavin James (“Hard To Do”) with his new single “Always,” although he has kicked it up a notch joining forces with Norwegian DJ and record producer Alan Walker (“Sing Me To Sleep”) producing a ground-breaking remix for the smash hit. In terms of

the overall sound beat and melody, it is almost a chill one, making it possible for the tune to fit into multiple musical preferences. When it comes to the lyrics, the song talks about the vocalist suffering a sudden loss of a loved one who he cannot seem to stop thinking about. The verses “What am I supposed to do without you? / Is it too late to pick the pieces up?” are perfect proof that James is feeling lonely without his partner. Although, the duet are no strangers. James and Walker already put their heads together when in 2017 the record producer released his hit single “Tired.” Only time will determine if this trial will see the same success as the aforementioned collaboration, but for now this track will earn an eight in this week’s breakdown. The next stop along

this week’s globetrotting will take listeners to Italy, which topped last week’s selection. There, Italian hip-hop and rap singer and songwriter GionnyScandal (“Ci Si Vede Sulle Stelle”) will make sure that music fans still get a grasp of European tunes with his new single, (“Se ci sei tu”). It essentially translates to “If you are there,” almost following in the footsteps of James. Through a charming chill piano mixed together with dance beats, the Italian wonder will take music aficionados to a state of melancholy. However, this is a recommended tune for those endless nights of study or work. “Se ci sei tu il mondo è un po' meno brutto,” the opening lyrics say, which essentially translates to “If you are here the world is a little less ugly,” hinting at the theme of loneliness

Image from Gavin James via YouTube Gavin James incorporates various beats for a serene rhythm and tone.

and the melancholy that listeners will be drawn to when listening to this track. Overall, this song would earn a nine while also serving as this week’s runner-up. As the trip comes to a close, the last tune of the week will take listeners out of European borders, as they will travel to Puerto Rican grounds where Pedro Capo (“Calma”) awaits. His new single, “Buena Suerte,”

which translates to “Good Luck” in English language, is an ode to Capo finally being able to find the love of his eyes. The theme of the track relates to Capo trying to establish dialogue with the love of his eyes while he enquires what her name is. Through these Caribbean beats, Capo will for sure get listeners on their feet. Hence, this song will earn a 10, therefore topping this week’s musical breakdown.

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. Desert Plants 6. Radio spots 9. That gal 12. Comic Tim ___ 13. Put on 14. Summer shade 15. Implore 16. Most profound 18. Europe’s neighbor 20. Narrate 21. Brooks 24. King, e.g. 25. Perceive 26. Kindest 28. Old West lawman 30. Guy’s partner 31. One time only 35. Make amends 38. Denmark’s cont. 39. Like old bread 42. Royal stagg

44. Bedding 46. Small pie 47. 1930s design style (2 wds.) 49. Mea ___ 52. Victory sign 53. Coal weight 54. Shaquille ___ 56. Terminal (abbr.) 57. Birds’ abodes

Down 1. Baseball hat 2. Entire amount 3. More transparent 4. Tantalize 5. New Delhi native 6. State further 7. Performer 8. Expresses scorn

9. Shoplift 10. Swiftness 11. Register 17. Dwarf planet 19. Friend (Sp.) 21. Compass point (abbr.) 22. Earl Grey, e.g. 23. Skims over 27. Vote into office 29. Turned white 32. Prickly plants 33. Actor’s signal 34. Do the wrong thing 36. Beliefs 37. Church official 39. Unpaid toiler 40. Grows weary 41. Poker stakes 43. Dried plum 45. Aberdeen native 48. Stop ___ dime (2 wds) 50. Butter portion 51. Pacino and Gore

For this week’s puzzle answers ... Go to Oswegonian.com and click on the Laker Review tab!

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020

Quiet efficiency apartment. Available March 9. All utilities included: heat, water, cable, TV. New bathroom. No pets or smoking. Call 315-343-7072 or 315-532-8382.

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Oswego Cinema 7 Fri. Feb. 21 - Sun. Feb. 23

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

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Brahms: The Boy II

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1:10 PM

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The Call of the Wild

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Fantasy Island

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