The Oswegonian 2-12-21

Look Inside: A3 Reopening of Littlepage Dining Hall announced

Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 VOLUME LXXXVI ISSUE I SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Spring 2021 Forward Plan released

President supports ongoing surveillance testing for campus

**Positive rate over a seven-day average**

10,036

*Last updated Feb. 11*

44

0.79% 198

140,646 34,311,547

4.16%

Oswego County offers free transportation to COVID-19 tests The Oswegonian file photo from 2020 The SUNY Oswego Spring 2021 Forward Plan hopes to offer more student interaction with OzSpots and reserved spaces for organizations.

Kaitlyn Goodwin Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

CONTENT

The SUNY Oswego Spring 2021 Forward Plan is a document instructing students on how to stay safe at college during this pandemic. It lays out what needs to happen in order for our campus to remain open and some of our classes to remain in-person: wear a mask on campus, wash your hands, fill out the daily screening form, get tested weekly and avoid group gatherings.

There are many more provisions written in the 53 page plan, but these guidelines in particular are the ones that students are familiar with as they affect their everyday lives.

One of the most glaring components of the plan was the increase in testing from last semester, now

Crossword................... C6 Contact Info................ A2 Laker Review.............. C1 News............................. A1 Opinion........................ B1 Sports........................... B3 Sudoku........................ C6

Dylan McGlynn Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

their inability to get to the respective sites that offer them. Everyone deserves the opportunity and this is one way to help make that happen.”

There are currently seven different testing sites throughout Oswego County. This includes two within the city of Oswego, at WellNow Urgent Care and Oswego Health. A full list of testing sites throughout the county can be found under the “Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” tab on the Oswego County Health website.

The free service was made possible by funding that the county received via the CARES Act, which was passed in March 2020. CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) was created to “provide fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses, and preserve jobs for American industries,” according to the U.S. Treasury website.

Through the CARES Act, the county will be fully reimbursed for all of the costs of providing transportation to residents.

brought up to once a week, compared to once every three weeks in the fall.

“We…learned from the fall semester that transmission did not occur in class or other campus spaces where strict adherence to social distancing and the wearing of masks was monitored and maintained,” President Deborah Stanley said. “Ongoing surveillance testing is one of the best things we can do to maintain the health of our campus community and have a clear sense of infection rates. As a result, it made sense to increase the amount of testing (at least once each week) for those on and coming to campus.”

Provost Scott Furlong said he hopes to help SUNY Oswego’s students by providing a more engaging educational experience.

“Working with our faculty and staff, we plan to continue to provide an engaging education experience this spring,” Furlong said.

“We will strive to increase the engagement our students have with one another this spring and expand the services and support our faculty and staff provide to all members of our campus community in a way that follows health and safety guidelines.”

SUNY Oswego student Caitlin Alicea was pleased with how the college planned to keep students and faculty safe during the Spring 2021 semester.

“With the forward plan, it had me relieved to know that the school knew a better idea of how to protect us from exposure,” Alicea said.

She also said that she appreciates all that has been done by the faculty and staff to keep the students safe. Alicea stayed home during the fall semester, but was happy to be on campus for the spring semester.

Opinion

Sports

Laker Review

News

DINING OPTIONS

LACROSSE LEADERSHIP

BREAKUP ANTHEM

MUSEUM INTERNSHIP

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Photo from Flickr

See STUDENT, A3

B4

The Oswegonian file photo from 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Oswego County has implemented several steps to help its citizens receive testing and vaccines more efficiently.

In a statement released on the Oswego County website, Legislature Chairman Jim Weatherup announced that the county is offering free transportation to anyone who cannot get to a vaccination or testing appointment themselves.

According to the announcement, the service will be provided by the Oswego County Public Transit program. The program is a partnership between the county government and Oswego County Opportunities, a non-profit organization.

“We do not want the lack of transportation to be a barrier for those who need to be tested or are eligible to receive the vaccine,” Weatherup said in the statement. “Our fear is that there are residents who simply won’t seek these services due to

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Image from Olivia Rodrigo via YouTube

See TRANSPORTATION, A4

A4

Photo provided by Geoffrey Starks

PAGE 2

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

Weekend Forecast

Gonian Social

FRIDAY, FEB. 12 THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 14

Friday

H: 16°

Sunday

Saturday

L: 6 °

H: 18 °

L: 15 °

H: 22°

30%

30%

L: 11 °

The Oswegonian

@TheOswegonian

@GonianSports

20% @the_oswegonian

@GonianLRO

Chance of Precipitation

NEW YORK STATE

WEATHER FRIDAY, FEB. 12

Potsdam 10°/-8°

Oswego 16°/6°

Buffalo 22°/12°

Syracuse 18°/4°

Albany 20°/4°

Cori M. Buske, 20, was arrested at 4:12 a.m. on Feb. 3 for operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs and possession of marijuana.

Szakary Somers, 20, was arrested at 12:10 p.m. on Feb. 6 for possession of marijuana.

NYC 28°/21°

Weather forecast provided by Bethany Strong from WTOP-10

Michael Mahalick, 31, was arrested at 10:16 p.m. on Feb. 4 for endangering the welfare of a child, trespassing

Extended Forecast Monday

Tuesday

MONDAY, FEB. 15 THROUGH FRIDAY, FEB. 19

Wednesday

Thursday

in the third degree and assault in the third degree.

Friday

Audra G. Clark, 24, was arrested at 5:41 a.m. on Feb. 6 for driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle after H: 19 °

L: 11 °

H: 25°

20%

L: 22 °

30%

H: 30 °

L: 22 °

H: 29°

30%

L: 22 °

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H: 28 °

found sleeping in her car.

L: 20 °

10%

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Beth L. Nolan, 34, was arrested at 10:41 a.m. on Feb. 2 for possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and resisting arrest.

Chance of Precipitation

Editor-in-Chief | Ben Grieco Managing Editor | Matt Watling

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On the Opinion Cover!

NEWS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

We do not want the lack of transportaion to be a barrier for those who need to be tested or are eligible to recieve the vaccine.”

-Jim Weatherup, from Cover

Stanley announces Littlepage Dining Hall reopening

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

A3

Students sign petition against continued closure of Littlepage

Matt Watling Managing Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com As students returned to SUNY Oswego in a staggered format in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, they came back to disappointing news: Littlepage Dining Hall would be closed for the entire semester. A little over a week later, on Tuesday, Feb. 2, President Deborah Stanley announced the reopening of Littlepage with limited hours.

Students experienced long lines and wait times to get their food the first week back, resulting in many complaints and the creation of a change. org petition. Sophomore Alyssa Scheib started the petition, citing the long lines and walks “across campus in frigid temperatures,” as the reasons behind the request.

“After all the students came back, it was ridiculous the amount of students waiting in line to get a meal,” Scheib said. “[It was] honestly not up to par like Auxiliary Services said it would be.”

Within a week, the petition gained significant traction. Over 835 students signed it. The massive lines were serious concerns for the students who could not maintain adequate social distancing. These lines led to exceptionally long wait times, with students waiting for more than 30 minutes to get their food. Despite the long lines, SUNY Oswego’s Interim General Manager of Auxiliary Services Stephen McAfee said the decision was based on forecasted student demand and data from the fall semester.

“We presented it based upon the expected population and the change of that,” McAfee said. “The numbers dropped precipitously, and we proposed [the closure] to [Stanley]. Her president’s council reviewed it based upon the information we had at the time and collectively it was decided we would close it.”

McAfee mentioned that he saw some “concerning” trends on Thursday, Jan. 28, when most on-campus students returned. Despite these trends, the number of on-campus students is not higher than what was expected, hovering

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian Littlepage Dining Hall, pictured above, reopens following petition signed by over 835 students.

around the normal 3,800 mark.

Prior to the start of the semester, Student Association was unaware of the plan to close Littlepage, according to SA President, Lizeth Ortega-Ramirez, who also released an open letter to Auxiliary Services and Stanley on Sunday, Jan. 31.

“The limited on-campus dining services have caused a lot of students to breach the COVID-19 safety guidelines.

This is a direct result of the very long lines that have been created during the limited dining hall serving hours,” the letter stated. “As representatives of the student body, we would like to ask you and Auxiliary Services to take immediate action to alleviate the safety concerns of the students.”

One day later, Stanley, McAfee, Ortega-Ramirez and SA Vice President Asheem Calixte met to discuss the issues at hand. Ortega-Ramirez described the Zoom meeting as a “productive one.”

By the end of the meeting, Stanley emailed all students, announcing the reopening of Littlepage within one day, on Feb. 2. Littlepage will offer lunch on Monday through Friday from 12-3 p.m.

Dinner will be served from 5-8 p.m. On the weekends, brunch will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The reopening itself was a challenge for Auxiliary Services as they did not have all of the food items available for Littlepage from their supplier.

As a result, McAfee said that his team was driving to suppliers to get items

like bread as snow was falling. While it typically takes five days to fully reopen, McAfee and his team got Littlepage ready in one because “[we] recognized we needed to do something.”

Stanley spoke glowingly of OrtegaRamirez and Calixte as representatives of the student body. As of now, OrtegaRamirez is hopeful that the new hours will “create a better dining experience for students.”

Scheib said she was satisfied with the resolution.

“We set out to open our dining hall for a safer and easier way to eat on campus,” Scheib said. “We are happy with what we got.”

Mackin Dining remains closed like last semester as it is connected to the isolation and quarantine residence halls. Those halls provide students with delivered food options.

While Littlepage did add hours, both McAfee and Ortega-Ramirez welcome students to reach out. McAfee suggested that students email him if they have more concerns regarding dining on-campus, while OrtegaRamires promised to continue to advocate for students.

“Students should know that if they are still finding problems with the current plan our doors are always open to hearing their concerns,” OrtegaRamirez said. “We have not heard of any complaints from students or parents, however we are staying vigilant of any new developments.”

Daily Health Screening used to track students’ health during pandemic Student fears Dot system used to encourage students to fill out their Daily Heath Screening Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com Similar to last semester, SUNY Oswego will use the Daily Health Screening to track students and their potential COVID-19 symptoms or exposures.

In an email to students from Provost Scott Furlong and Vice President Jerri Howland, it is a requirement for students and employees coming to campus throughout the semester to complete the daily health screening.

Students who live on-campus must complete the health screening daily.

Those who live off-campus must fill out the screening every time they plan on coming to campus for any reason. Angie Brown, the director of health services, said it is still recommended that off-campus students fill out the tracker, “especially if a person develops symptoms or feels they have been exposed.”

There are six different colors for the “dot” system with the symptom tracker.

The green dot means there are no symptoms or any contact or exposure. That color is the only dot that expires at midnight every time a student fills out the tracker.

A grey dot means the status of the tracker has expired for the student, and a black dot simply means there is no data.

According to an email from Brown, an orange dot means there was a docu-

ange and yellow dots do not expire daily, Brown said.

“A student’s status is reset when they are no longer at risk for exposing others,” Brown said. “Generally this is 10 days after being positive or exposed but can be more or less.”

Brown mentioned that the health screening for employees is similar to the

students’ tracker. All of the same questions are asked, but employees’ responses are monitored by SUNY Oswego’s Human Resources, according to Brown.

Furlong and Howland said in the first email that faculty members are encouraged to ask students to show the results of the symptom tracker before classes.

Students are also required to show a green dot before entering dining halls or the library. Brown added that decision was not made by health services.

If students do not have a green dot, students can fill out a sick tray form to have a friend pick up their meal. The forms can be found in residence halls or from the link provided in Brown’s email.

Those students must also call the dining hall and provide the friend’s ID number and name to verify they are picking up the meal.

For those that made a mistake on their form and received the incorrect colored dot, students can call health services Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On weekends or after hours, health services may not be able to assist students until those times, according to Brown’s email.

“We are hoping students will be honest when they answer these questions, but I am unsure how this will turn out,” Brown said. “I do not see a way of preventing this other than educating students about the importance of answering these questions honestly.”

Senator Fei Yang Gu was elected as the new chair of the Rules and Judiciary committee. SA also elected a new chairman for the Involvement Committee, as Senator Alexander Jones was elected by a 10-1 vote.

Senator Dylan Dicenzi also was nominated for the position.

Chief of Staff Techmanski also spoke to the Senate in regards to another position. Applications for Director of the Student Association Programming Board will be sent out in the near future, according to Techmanski. Applications for this position come with a deadline of March 12th. Bryan De Los Santos is currently the incumbent Director of SAPB, and plans on running again.

Matt Watling | The Oswegonian The Daily Health Screening (above) is expired, with the dot system showing the student a grey dot.

mented exposure, a red dot means the student has symptoms or they are currently COVID-19 positive and a yellow dot means the student has a pending COVID-19 test that is not saliva-based and is likely in quarantine.

Students are required to quarantine and contact health services if they receive an orange or red dot. The red, or-

TSA Chief of Staff Justin Techmanski spoke to the Senate, detailing an open position for Director of Finance for the Fall 2021 semester. All SUNY Oswego students should have received an email on February 9th, detailing the position. Interested applicants are instructed to send their resume and cover letter to Erin Goldman (erin.goldman@oswego.edu). The deadline to apply is March 5th.

eased by 2021 Forward Plan SPRING from COVER “I knew coming to campus this time around would mean paying more for a semester that wouldn’t be what I’d expect,” Alicea said. “But in a way, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I love my classes, the campus, my friends. I’m appreciative of my new friends who make being here worth it. It’s very comforting being around people who are dealing with the same situation.”

Angie Brown, the director of health services, said the health center focused on what they could do within the plan for students, as well as provided expert input on the health-related aspects of the plan.

She also provided a final message to the students on what our community should be doing to keep each other healthy.

“Wearing a mask, social distancing, [washing] your hands…and being smart,” Brown said. “Not hanging out at parties or going out with friends…We miss our friends and we want to go see everybody…Do the best job you can.”

She also emphasized the importance of alerting the health center if you are beginning to feel sick so they can help slow the spread of the virus.

Senator Nsikak Ekong spoke to SA on behalf of the Black Student Union.

B.S.U will be holding events all throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month.

The organization has already held events such as “Spiritualism in the Black Community”, on February 3rd, and “The N-Word”, on February 10th. The Black Student Union holds programs every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. Links to join the virtual programs can be found on B.S.U’s Instagram page.

s.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb.12, 2021

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Cayuga Museum of Art, History SUNY Oswego professor honors hometown in her work offers storytelling internship After Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, Schildkraut works to improve school safety Kylie Annable News Editor kannable@oswegonian.com The Cayuga Museum of Art & History and Seymour Library in Auburn have announced an open internship for the second year of their “Voices of Cayuga County” oral history collecting project. The museum and library explained that the project’s main focus is to seek out stories of traditionally underrepresented communities in their collections.

These underrepresented communities may include, but are not limited to, African American, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. The hope is that through this project, the community will become more engaged with their personal connection to and their role in history.

Geoffrey Starks, the director of development and outreach at the Cayuga Museum, and Dori Gottschalk-Fielding, the coordinator of the Seymour library’s history discovery center, will be the supervisors of this internship.

“The primary purpose of the internship will involve developing the skills and best practices of oral history, interviewing, transcript preparation, and archival preservation and access while helping to continue this oral history collecting initiative for Auburn and Cayuga County,” Starks said.

Tasks the intern will do for this internship include contacting and setting up online interviews with members of the community, drafting interview abstracts and topics lists, successfully recording and carrying out video interviews, transferring, editing and converting interview video files, and transcribing the interviews.

“We are looking for an applicant with strong time management skills coming from a history, public history, museum studies or library sciences back-

ground,” Starks said. “The ideal applicant will have experience with collecting oral histories or be familiar with interviewing and a basic understanding of recording videos, generating transcripts and editing both.”

Starks said that experience working with diverse communities is ideal for a potential candidate.

Starks also explained that this will be a single internship for one intern. The intern will work for about 8 weeks, 15 hours per week, from June to July. In total, the intern will work 120 hours, and be paid $16 an hour.

“The intern will receive training in oral history interviewing, and coordinate, plan and complete at least ten 30-40 minute interviews,” Starks said. “The intern will work remotely or from the Cayuga Museum, depending on the COVID-19 situation during the summer.”

Applications will be accepted up until Friday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume plus two references and a one-page writing sample to Dori Gottschalk-Fielding at dgfielding@seymourlib.org.

There is more information about the internship available at Cayuga Museum’s website as well as at the Seymour Library’s website. Starks can also be contacted at geoffrey@cayugamuseum.org for any further questions.

Editor’s note: This position is supported by a grant from the South Central Regional Library Council (SCRLC). SCRLC’s Technology and Digitization Grants are funded as part of the Regional Bibliographic Data Bases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing (RBDB) Program. The South Central Regional Library Council is one of nine library councils comprising the Empire State Library Network (ESLN). As a multi-type library consortium, SCRLC reaches over 500 libraries in its service area. For more information about SCRLC, visit www.scrlc.org.

Photo provided by Geoffrey Starks Cayuga Museum of Art & History, pictured above, offers summer internship for project.

Photo provided by Jaclyn Schildkraut Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut, pictured above, is a SUNY Oswego Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and reflects on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting.

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com As the three-year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting approaches, one SUNY Oswego faculty member is reflecting on how the tragedy has shaped her lectures.

On Feb. 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire on the high school perimeters. In a span of six minutes, 17 lives were lost.

A long-time Parkland, Florida, resident, criminology professor Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut first moved to the area when she was 6 and lived there until she went to college.

Not only did Schildkraut reside during much of her childhood in the Parkland area, but she attended college in Orlando, Florida, where the Pulse nightclub shooting unfolded in 2016.

“Three years later, it is still overwhelming to me that something I have known virtually my entire life became so unrecognizable to me in under six minutes, how long the shooting lasted,” Schildkraut said.

“Everything still looks the same, for the most part, but it doesn’t feel the same. Home will never be home again the way it was and that is probably the most significant thing for me.”

While Schildkraut acknowledges she cannot take away what happened, she said she can still work to help ensure other communities do not share a similar fate while honoring those who are no longer a part of her community.

Transportation program to benefit senior citizens Service to help those who cannot drive get their vaccines, tests OSWEGO from COVER “We are pretty rural and we know we have a lot of challenges with transportation for folks, especially this time of year,” David Turner, Oswego County’s director of community development, tourism and planning, said. “[Oswego County] has a lot of poverty in the northeastern part of the county that is very rural, and for them to get someplace is a challenge as well.”

The program is already being utilized by residents throughout the county.

“Many seniors just won’t drive in the winter,” Turner said. “A lot of [seniors] don’t have transportation.”

It is believed that free transportation will specifically prove most beneficial to senior citizens.

“We had a call request to transport anywhere from 60 to 80 individuals from senior housing,” Gary Mashaw, director of transportation for Oswego County Opportunities, said. “And we’re going to do it. [The program] is going to grow… the senior housing really needs this transportation option.”

Offering transportation is not the first step that the county has taken to help out its residents. On Tuesday,

Feb. 2, the county offered free rapid testing to anyone living in Oswego County. There were 100 tests available, and testing took place on the campus of Cayuga Community College in Fulton.

In addition to the testing at CCC, the county also offered 100 more free rapid tests for Oswego County residents at Central Square High School.

These tests took place on the following Tuesday, Feb. 9.

According to the Oswego County Health website, there are currently 379 active cases of COVID-19 in the area, as of the most recent

update, Feb. 4. In addition, there are nearly 900 people currently in isolation or quarantine due to the risk of exposure.

Residents who need transportation to a vaccination or testing appointment can call (315) 598-1514 in order to ensure they can receive assistance. Calls should be made in advance. Transportation will be available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Friday, according to the Oswego County Health website.

Residents over the age of 65 can call (315) 349-3484 should they need help scheduling an appointment.

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Schildkraut said, from a criminology perspective, the biggest challenge she has found is the natural inclination of the media and the public to focus on the shooter.

“There is always this fascination with who did it and why, often in hopes of profiling and stopping the next shooting. But that isn’t realistic,” Schildkraut said. “For me and many in my community, the shooter isn’t who is important. Who is important are Alyssa, Scott, Martin, Nick, Aaron, Jaime, Chris, Luke, Cara, Gina, Joaquin, Alaina, Meadow, Helena, Alex, Carmen and Peter.

That is who we focus on rather than giving attention or notoriety to the person that took them away.”

Following the tragedy, Schildkraut said she has managed to keep in touch with some of the victims’ families.

All have been amazing to get to know and so kind to share their experiences with me ...”

Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut

During this time, Schildkraut, who is the national expert on mass shootings, has been in regular contact with Max Schachter, whose son Alex was killed, and has helped him launch his new school safety data portal. She is involved in other projects with Parkland simultaneously.

“At present, most of my work is focused on lockdown drills, which will help keep students safe,” Schildkraut said. “Broadly, this work honors MSD, which didn’t have emergency response protocols on the day of the shooting.”

Through her various contributions, Schildkraut has been able to connect with Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed, as well as Debbi Hixon, Chris Hixon’s wife, and Nick Dworet’s family.

“All have been amazing to get to know and so kind to share their experiences with me in some shape or form,” Schildkraut said.

Among Schildkraut’s latest contributions to the Parkland community are her yearly “Cards for Kids” campaigns, a project she has carried out every holiday season since 2017 in an effort to give back to families impacted by mass shootings.

“All 17 families received cards,” Schildkraut said. “There were two children who lost their parents, 21 children who lost their siblings, and then two families that received cards–the Beigel and the Duque families.”

Since first launching her campaign, Schildkraut has collected just over 30,000 cards, she said.

In an effort to spread awareness of these events, Schildkraut has one piece of encouragement for anyone in Oswego.

“I would say pick one victim, any of them as they were all amazing humans, and just get to know who they were,” Schildkraut said. “Honor them by doing something in their name; it doesn’t have to cost money. The effort goes a long way and helps to preserve their legacies.”

OPINION NEW HOPE

B2 Photo from Flickr

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXVI ISSUE I

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

SPORTS B3

OSWEGO’S FINEST

The Oswegonian file photo from 2019

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

B1

Do you think the Oswego Spring Forward 2021 plan will be met with greater success?

More confidence The Oswego State Spring Forward plan is in a position to be far more successful than the fall plan. SUNY outlining a policy about weekly testing for all students and staff that will step foot on the SUNY Oswego campus allows for more accurate COVID-19 figures, knowing that most cases will be caught earlier than in the fall. Due to this increased confidence in the testing, SUNY Oswego made the correct move in increasing the number of in-person classes and allowing student clubs to meet on campus, so long as the guidelines are followed. This will improve the mental heath of students and allow several majors to have as normal of a semester as possible during these unprecedented times.

-Brandon Ladd, Sports Editor

No normalcy

Too early to tell

This semester’s plan will successfully achieve its goal of mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The weekly testing will help nip potential spreading in the bud. However, the reopening of public spaces and finding ways to create a real campus environment will not be successful. While the school tried to reopen with “OzSpots” and some meeting places for clubs, these are only for an hour and cannot be on a regular basis. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I wish the school could find a way to let clubs meet again.

-Matt Watling, Managing Editor

Heading into this semester, I had high hopes in regards to how the administration would handle a number of issues students presented last semester. While it is still too early to tell whether the Spring 2021 COVID-19 plan will be met with greater succes than that of the fall plan, I cannot say that my high hopes were met. There seems to be a lack of communication between the administration and student body. After the promise of more dining options, many were taken away. While this issue was quickly remedied, it leaves me wondering if the school is really being proactive.

-Abigail Connolly, Opinion Editor

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

Welcome back; let us do the right thing Help make next semester return to normal for everyone

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

THE OSWEGONIAN

The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935

G UIDELIN ES We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or any‑ thing regarding the Oswego State community.

Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 All writers must provide their real name, address, academic year, major and phone number (which will not be published).

I would like to think that last semester, we, as the student body, learned our lesson. SUNY Oswego, just like a few other schools within the SUNY system, experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 at least once during the semester.

Sure, we did not get as bad as SUNY Cortland or SUNY Oneonta which were forced to go remote for the remainder of the semester; as we only had to go on New York state’s mandatory twoweek pause after crossing the 100-case threshold.

But during that two-week pause, no extra-curricular activities were allowed. Many student clubs on-campus were halted, and students who had labs and other hands-on classes were not allowed to proceed.

Even then, following the pause, there were more restrictions that were appropriately added.

The Oswegonian was no exception to the limitations placed by school officials.

Our staff, like all other students who chose to stay at school, muscled through. As we published our last issue of the semester on Nov. 20, we could only hope that the spring semester would come with less restrictions. All The Oswegonian could have wanted was a weekly issue that was our “normal” size and full access to our newsroom. Our staff handed in our finals, some

graduated and we prepared for the spring semester, looking forward to a well-deserved break from school.

While things did not get better as the winter break went on, we knew we would be limited once again. Once again, The Oswegonian will have a maximum of two staff members at any given time in our office, and we will publish bi-weekly.

My last semester at SUNY Oswego will be anything but normal. Then again, for the last year, has anything truly been normal?

While hope for normalcy has gone out the door for me and my classmates, I believe this semester’s graduating seniors have one primary job, outside of getting ready to graduate of course.

This semester, we have to think about the future. Not only our futures as we prepare to graduate and look for jobs, hopefully in our respective fields, but we also have to think about next year’s senior class. Some will be taking over clubs and organizations that have not seen normalcy since at least March 2020.

Last year, The Oswegonian’s last issue was on March 13. We had a few online articles here and there until Sept. 11, with our first issue of last semester. Our friends at WNYO and WTOP-10

did not have access to their studios last semester. Club sports have been canceled all year long. No clubs were able to host in-person meetings or events.

The list goes on and on.

In general, some students do not know what normal “college life” is: hanging out in friends’ dorms without a mask, eating at the dining hall with several friends or even sitting in front of a professor with others right next to you without masks on.

We need to do everything we can in order to help students get a normal year next year. From a club standpoint, we need to make sure we are training these up-and-coming leaders effectively, teaching them what normal operations look like. From a student body point of view, we need to be smart. Get tested.

Avoid large gatherings. Wear a mask. It is stuff everyone has heard since the beginning of this pandemic.

But now more than ever, we have to make a statement. We have to band together to avoid issues like we faced last semester. Let us not do it for only us who are graduating and looking to get as much enjoyment out of our last semester as possible, but for those students who are returning next year.

Photo from Flickr Marano Campus Center stands empty while many organizations are unable to meet during COVID-19.

Remo

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

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

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OPINION B2 Politics lack- Remaining diligent crucial for future Hope with New year brings new hope for many; we may lose sight of intentions new admining morals, istration core beliefs THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

Abigail Connolly Opinion Editor aconnolly@oswegonian.com

Photo from Flickr

Ashley Scott Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com On Thursday, Feb. 4, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was removed from her committee appointments by the House of Representatives. Greene is a Republican and has made quite the name for herself as a farright conspiracist who believes in Pizzagate, school shootings being staged, among others.

“[Marjorie Taylor Greene] represents the evil of the Republican party, “Vogue” believes there is a deeper issue...”

In an article written by “Vogue,” it is mentioned that Greene herself said she feels “freed.” She commented that her removal means that she now has more time on her hands, which will lead to her reaching out, spreading her message to more people and gathering support from the American people.

Democrats were joined by 11 Republicans who voted for Greene’s removal, and while I believe she represents the evil of the Republican party, “Vogue” believes that there is a deeper issue within the Republican party and Greene is just a symptom.

“It is crucial to remind ourselves what each party’s [Republican and Democratic] founding principles are...”

The Republican party at its core lacks morals and over the years has turned into something completely different, straying farther and farther away from the core of what the Republican party is based on. As a History and Political Science double major, I believe it is crucial to remind ourselves what each party’s founding principles are. The core of the Republican party includes small government and a hands-off approach from the government. The core difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is how much involvement there is from the government. We must not forget these ideals.

A few days ago, I read a Congressman could face the threat of losing his seat because he voted against his Republican party.

I believe ever since Jan. 6, the Capital Hil riots, the party has been in shambles and can barely keep afloat. More Republicans are moving to these extremes in order to guarantee the support of the small minority within the Republican party that support Donald Trump. I think it will be interesting how the impeachment trial will play out in the coming weeks.

There are glimmers of hope beginning to shine through as the new year rings in a new U.S. administration, and vaccines slowly become more widely accessible.

These glimmers offer us only a sight of what could be and still leave many wondering if things will really get better.

One of the attitudes that seems to have been adopted by a majority of people is that 2020 was the lowest point in our lifetime. This attitude is reflected and showcased in the media through countless commercials that mention how the past year was terrible, but this new year will magically fix everything.

This attitude is delusional at best and brings up major concerns regarding what it means to move forward as a local, national and international community.

The year 2020 highlighted numerous social and economic issues. After the tragic and horrific deaths of Black citizens like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement underwent a massive change as the fight to end systemic racism was brought into the limelight. This resulted in serious national divisions and contributed to a number of peaceful protests but also a number of racist displays and unruly riots. While the new U.S. administration offers hope to many, this issue still very much exists and permeates our society. Companies and franchises donating money to the cause to end systemic racism does very little without active fighters for the cause. A new administration means nothing if it is not held accountable for the promises it has preached, and throwing money around does even less if there are

no people to use it.

While it is entirely possible that this new administration will offer solutions and advocate for the social justice issues as it has promised to, having the attitude that 2020 is over and done with will severely damage this cause.

Just because there is less media coverage highlighting an issue, this does not mean that the issue no longer exists.

Similarly, the vaccination for COVID-19 has now reached countries globally, as the first and second doses have already been administered to many healthcare officials and other public servants.

For many Americans, it is not a concern whether or not this vaccine will be accessible to them, but for just as many others, there is a serious concern whether they will have an opportunity to receive the vaccine. The debate between getting the vaccine and not is entirely irrelevant in this scenario,

as this is an issue that highlights how social economic status influences healthcare and the ability for many to receive vital medication. While the U.S. is fortunate to have received and produced some of the vaccinations, there are still many global countries that have not had the resources to vaccinate their citizens.

COVID-19 did not simply cease to exist the minute it became 2021. It will also not cease to exist once every willing American gets vaccinated. It is a privileged attitude to believe that issues do not and will not exist simply because they no longer affect the daily lives of many.

Systemic racism exists, healthcare injustices exist. They have in the past year and will continue to affect the lives of many unless something is actively done to change it. The battle of 2020 is not yet over and will continue well into 2021.

Photo from Flickr A protester stands with a sign invoking the thoughts of the past as the fight for social justice continues.

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

Residential dining halls present new issues Students left with long lines, close quarters as campus reopens Sarah Skibickyj Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Upon returning to SUNY Oswego for the spring 2021 semester, Auxiliary Services decided to only have two dining halls open, Lakeside and Pathfinder. They assumed because of COVID-19 and a lot of students having mostly online classes, there would be less students on campus, but that created stress for those students who did decide to return.

By Jan. 28, all returning students arrived on campus and the lines for meals were crazy. All the students on West Campus were going to one dining hall, and all the students on Lakeside were going to another.

I live on West Campus, so I personally experienced the long lines for Pathfinder. The lines were past the doors and almost reached the tunnel door to Cayuga Residence Hall. There were so many students in line it was impossible to stand exactly six feet apart. I think it was a major health issue to have this many students standing so close to each other for an extended period of time. We were in line for over 30 minutes, which without the health concerns, was also ridiculous. You had students from two 10-floor buildings plus two other smaller buildings coming to eat their meals all around the same time, causing a huge amount of people standing in line.

I think this was a bad decision to only have these two dining halls open because it made receiving

meals more difficult. Something as simple as getting dinner was now taking forever, and people were standing really close to each other.

I was wondering what was going to happen when people were on a time crunch in between classes and just wanted a quick meal. Getting food from a dining hall quickly between classes would not have been possible.

Dine-in was also going to be starting, and I was confused as to how that would work with so many students. Many people seemed annoyed and were complaining.

Luckily this only lasted a few days and the students’ complaints were heard and Littlepage reopened for

lunch on Feb. 2. This was the best decision to make because now there are less people in line, which allows for a healthier and less time consuming way to get a meal.

This allows for anyone living in Onondaga and Oneida Residence Halls to eat at Littlepage instead of making their way to Pathfinder.

Personally when getting lunch and dinner with my friends, it is now easier and less annoying because we are not waiting in line close to other students for a half an hour.

I hope that Littlepage remains open for the rest of the semester so that way we can continue to get our meals in a healthier and faster way.

Photo from Flickr Lakeside Dining Hall was one of the two residential dining halls open for the beginning of the semester.

Photo from Flickr

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Every ending is also a new beginning.

Or perhaps that may only apply to the Hispanic population — a collective that has long suffered the impact of the Trump administration.

On Jan. 20, it was time to turn the page on four years of discrimination toward specific minority groups in the U.S. Over the past four years, Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens have been subject to discrimination, slurs and other types of aggression ­ — something that would seem unimaginable, at least under the U.S. Constitution.

Having lived overseas during my childhood and early teen years, I have always been exposed to multicultural and multilingual communities where no one was singled out for speaking their mother language.

Thus, all that changed for me when I moved back to the U.S. just over four years ago.

“I have learned to accept my new identity within the constraints of a society that greatly fails to accept other ethnic and racial minorities...”

At the time I moved back, the impact of the discriminating slurs was not quite as tangible, however, that surfaced quite quickly and very soon it felt merely unsafe to speak my so-called mother language: Spanish.

Whenever I chose to speak Spanish with my immediate family out on the street, I would be stared at blatantly, as if Spanishspeaking was not allowed on U.S. soil by any means.

But that was not the only habit I had to change.

The situation also forced me to slightly alter the spelling of my name — again, a thought that would have never crossed my mind.

Having lived in Spain, I was used to spelling both my first name and last name with what is known in Spanish grammar as a tilde, or the accent that goes on a vowel to emphasize that respective vowel.

Over the aforementioned span of four years, I have learned to accept my new identity within the constraints of a society that greatly fails to accept other ethnic and racial minorities.

All of that, even taking into account that the Hispanic minority is the largest minority in the U.S. Yes, I said the largest.

Maybe the impact is simply greater in Stuart, Florida, just because there is a greater presence of Hispanics compared to that of Oswego.

Nonetheless, as Joe Biden said in his inaugural speech as the President of the United States, “it is time for us to come together as a nation to heal.”

“What’s past is prologue,” wrote Shakespeare. History truly does repeat itself.

Now, looking ahead, the light is at the end of the tunnel for the Hispanic community under the Biden-Harris administration.

SPORTS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

B3

Softball team looks toward upcoming season Staying organized is crucial for DuBois, Rivers prepare team both physically, mentally to avoid burnout

successful men’s lacrosse season

The Oswegonian file photo from 2020

Trina Catterson Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

The Oswegonian file photo from 2019 The last game the softball team played was on May 4, 2019, in a loss to SUNY Cortland due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling its entire 2020 season.

Michael Gross Asst. Sports Editor mgross@oswegonian.com As athletes return for the second semester of the school year, the biggest question is will they get to play?

Even with the SUNYAC putting out a statement saying there are hopes of a spring season, the future is still up in the air.

For senior infielder Taylor DuBois, she and the Oswego State softball team are ready for any challenge that is thrown their way.

“When COVID started, we knew that we would have to start out in small groups and then work its way up, which gives us time to work on the little aspects of softball that most people take for granted,” DuBois said.

“Honestly, we all know it is going to take a while to get everything back to normal, so we will take whatever we can get. Whether that is a shortened season, whether that is less travel, or whether that is a split conference, we all just want to play.”

The Vestal native has been with the team since the 2018 season and has a .237 batting average in her shortened career. Although her defensive work has been noth-

ing short of excellent, highlighted by a .967 fielding percentage and only 11 errors in 52 games, her leadership has been tremendous, especially when it comes to building team chemistry.

DuBois talked about reading a book as a team during the offseason, meeting every week over video chat to discuss what they liked in it. It was a sportsbook about team chemistry, making sure everyone had a voice and was doing their part to get through the day and each workout.

The readings and journals helped them meet their goals as if they were able to play and meet those goals for practices and games to make the most of the book.

“We are huge on academics,” DuBois said. “We do grade sheets every week because coach Gabrielle Rivers wants to see that we are holding ourselves accountable in the classroom and on the field as well. If you don’t get it done in the classroom then you won’t get it done on the field together.”

DuBois and Rivers have preached mental health throughout their team and their careers at Oswego State.

The biggest thing for the team is making sure everyone is mentally ready to play when the time comes. Rivers

made it clear to her team during the entire extended offseason that there is no written script for the future. “[It is] the same thing I have said all summer long, stay ready and go with the flow,” Rivers said. “Obviously with COVID-19, things change daily so we need to be ready for whatever comes at us. Hopefully, we have a season and that is where our focus is right now.”

While Rivers and the team are focused on the future, it is imperative that they make sure everyone is healthy on and off the field. During the offseason, the team made sure it got its work in but when it comes down to the games itself, the mental aspect severely outweighs the physical.

“Physically, you have to prepare your body to be able to play as much as you do mentally because the mental game is what [can] hurt so many athletes,” DuBois said. “Mentally you just have to remember that we are all starting fresh. We have not been to practice in a year, and we haven’t really done much as a team. So mentally you have to get better as a team.

You have to get 1% better every day, take it slow and relearn the basics to get back to where we were.”

Senior Liam Dollard and junior Weston Gray are eager to bring home a SUNYAC Championship for the Oswego State men’s lacrosse team, that is of course if the season happens. SUNYAC athletes have not been able to play sports since March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dollard has played lacrosse his entire life. Growing up in Albany, he was constantly surrounded by lacrosse. Both of his parents attended Oswego State, with his father on the lacrosse team. His brother, Garrett, also played college lacrosse for Onondaga Community College before transferring to the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

After playing lacrosse at Colonie Central High School, Dollard was in touch with the Oswego State head coach Drew Bezek. Bezek motivated Dollard to come play lacrosse at Oswego State, and he eventually transferred to Oswego State from Mercyhurst University to join the Lakers.

Gray, who grew up in Carthage, played baseball for a majority of his life until he was encouraged to play lacrosse. Since then, he has grown a passion for the sport.

Gray fell in love with Oswego State because it was a perfect fit for him, not too big and not too small.

He also knew Bezek and had a great connection with him.

Unfortunately for both athletes,

their season got cut short last year.

The team was only able to play four games in which it went 3-1. Both athletes still have a strong desire to play the sport.

“It felt great being back, getting to play for the first time in a couple of years, but I still think there is a lot I have to prove,” Dollard said.

With a lot to prove and the heart to do it, Dollard has his eyes on the prize going into next season with the intention of a SUNYAC Championship.

“I want to win a SUNYAC [Championship] more than anything, but our season got cut short unfortunately,” Gray said. “I am just happy to be back, and hopefully we’ll have a full season this year.”

Holding onto hope is one of the key factors of staying motivated during a time like this. Bezek, who has been at Oswego State for six years, emphasized that the hardest part as a coach is trying to manage the uncontrollable.

“This has been so different than anything we have ever dealt with,” Bezek said. “Trying to find the motivation to keep ourselves going, in a circumstance we really have zero control over, is hard.”

Despite these uncontrollable circumstances, Bezek and other staff members have been doing the best they can to keep their athletes involved. The team has had Zoom meetings as well as individual meetings this past week to start getting a game plan for what is to come if a season were to occur.

Bezek gives a lot of credit to his athletes, especially Gray and Dollard, for having a positive mindset even throughout the worst times.

“We talk a lot about consistency. Showing up day in and day out doing what you’re supposed to do,” Bezek said. “They’ve both done a terrific job of buying into what we’re doing.”

The lacrosse team is doing everything they can to stay organized and meet in ways that are acceptable to the COVID-19 protocols. They have outlines that still need to be confirmed with the Oswego State administration in order to get the season up and running.

“It’s been tough, but you know I love the game. Any glimpse of hope for us to have a season will definitely light a fire under me and I’ll be ready to go when it’s time for sure,” Dollard said.

6 Oswego State men’s hockey players named to SUNYAC All-Decade Team Decade in which men’s hockey team went 176-61-21, these players were among SUNYAC’s best

Graphic provided by Oswego State Athletics

Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com Six players from the Oswego State men’s hockey program were named to the All-Decade Team, announced by the SUNYAC on Friday, Feb. 5.

Bobby Gertsakis, Mitch Herlihey, Shawn Hulshof, Stephen Johnson, Max Novick and Paul Rodrigues garnered the honor for the Lakers.

All players named to the All-Decade team were named to the All-SUNYAC teams more than once or won the SUNYAC player of the Year Award.

Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said that all the players were well-deserving of the honors but emphasized the qualities and characteristics that the players had, outside of all the points they scored during their collegiate careers.

“It all goes back to recruiting. You don’t know [what you have] until they start to play and start to develop,” Gosek said. “It’s a great group of

guys that were not only good players, but they had leadership abilities.”

The oldest player from the group, Rodrigues, played forward from 2009-2013. In his four seasons, Rodrigues recorded 133 points. He helped guide the Lakers to four Frozen Four appearances, including second-place finishes at the NCAA Div. III National Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Rodrigues was named to the AllSUNYAC Second Team during his junior year, First Team honors his senior year and was named SUNYAC Player of the Year. In his final year as a Laker. The Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, native was also named First Team All-American, as well as the AHCA Sid Watson Award Winner as the top men’s hockey player in Div. III. He also earned USCHO and D3hockey.com Div. III Player of the Year awards.

Gertsakis played from 2011-2015.

He was named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team during the 2013-2014 season, then first team the follow-

ing year. He recorded 68 points in 91 games played for Oswego State. In 2013, the defenseman was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team as well as the SUNYAC All-Tournament team. During his senior year, the Pickering, Ontario, Canada, native was named captain and an AHCA First Team All-American.

Hailing from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, Hulshof played for the Lakers from 2013-2017. He recorded 130 points in 106 games played. Hulshof was a three-time All-SUNYAC honoree, earning Second Team his junior year, and First Team his sophomore and senior years. He was also named SUNYAC Player of the Year during his sophomore campaign, when he was recognized with First Team All-American honors. Hulshof was also given the Donald Snygg Scholar-Athlete Award following his senior season.

Also from 2013-2017, Johnson, who played on the blueline for the Lakers, recorded 67 points in 109

games, including a 30-point season his senior year. The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, native was named to the All-SUNYAC Third Team his junior year and earned First Team honors his senior year. He was also named the SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year during his senior year. He is the most recent Laker to be named First Team All-American, as well.

Herlihey, who wore the green and gold from 2014-2018, averaged a little more than a point per game, recording 103 points in 102 games played. Most of Herlihey’s accolades came his senior year, taking home First-Team SUNYAC honors while captaining the Lakers. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, native was named SUNYAC Player of the Year that season as well as garnering Second Team All-American honors.

Finally, Novick, who is the only current Laker and the only active player on the entire All-Decade Team, started his playing career during the 2017-2018 season. The offensive-minded defenseman has recorded 24 points in 77 games. In his first three seasons, he earned All-SUNYAC honors, being named third team his freshman year followed by first team honors his sophomore and junior seasons.

The Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, native also became the third player in program history to earn two All-Americans, taking AHCA Division III All-American All-East Third Team honors in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. Before the season was canceled due to COVID-19, Novick was named one of the two assistant captains of the team for his senior year.

While many looked to Novick for his offensive abilities, Gosek him as a reliable defender.

Despite the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility for student-athletes following this season, Gosek said he does not believe Novick will return since he is on track to graduate in May.

“You look for [Novick] to chip in offensively or be able to carry the puck out of our own zone. But he also defends well,” Gosek said. “Had he stayed healthy and performed well to his ability, I think he could have been our first three-time All-American.”

Even though he did not play for Oswego State, Devin McDonald, who is the team’s graduate assistant coach, was also named to the All-Decade Team. He played goalie for four years at SUNYAC rival SUNY Geneseo. In 98 games played, McDonald had a 2.06 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

He recorded 70 wins for the Knights and helped guide the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four years. The Calgary, Alberta, Canada, native was named Third Team All-SUNYAC his freshman and junior years. During his senior year, he was named the AHCA Sid Watson Award Winner and the USCHO Player of the Year.

McDonald’s former coach, Chris Schultz, was named SUNYAC Coach of the Decade, while his former teammate Conlan Keenan was named Athlete of the Decade. “[Geneseo’s] got it going now.

They’ve done a great job recruiting and finding good players. He’s certainly deserving of Coach of the Decade,” Gosek said. “There were definitely many more that deserved the accolades.”

NEWS LITTLEPAGE

A4

REOPENS

Zachary Case | The Oswegonian

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

VOLUME LXXXVI ISSUE I • www.oswegonian.com

OPINION HISTORY

B2

TALKS

Photo via Flickr

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

High-risk winter sports return for Section III Leone wins prestigious award, Oswego high school’s boys hockey team back practicing SUNYAC Coach of the Decade

Photo provided by Oswego High School Athletics Oswego high school boys hockey team celebrates a victory at Marano Campus Center.

Zachary Case Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com With the recent approval for the return of high-risk sports by the New York State Department of Health, basketball, ice hockey and wrestling can now compete across the state in their given sections.

All local health departments passed this approval, bringing the return of Section III hockey, specifically the restart of Oswego Buccaneers hockey at the Crisafulli Ice Rink.

On Feb. 2nd, a special board meeting was held for the Oswego City School District Board of Education approving the beginning of the Oswego Bucs winter sports season. Some of the varsity sports teams began practicing that week, with the players returning to the ice after months in limbo. Long time head coach Kevin Ahern emphasized the importance of following all safety protocols.

“We are going to follow every recommendation from the health department and the New

York Public High School Athletic Association along with our school procedures,” Ahern said. “We are going to have our players arrive 15 minutes before practice, always with a mask, as well as [conducting] daily health screenings and temperature checks.”

An individual was recently appointed to the new position of COVID-19 director. This position will oversee changes regarding the virus and have constant communication with game day officials and upcoming opponents.

Last season, the Bucs finished 11-10 and lost in the opening round of the sectional playoffs against the Cortland-Homer Golden Eagles. Oswego had a five-game win streak during the middle of the season which featured a win against state ranked opponent Spencerport. Nine players from the squad have graduated, but Ahern said that the group can still take care of business this coming season.

“We graduated quite a bit, and I think we have a young team,” Ahern said. “The nice thing is we always have that tradition in

Oswego, and it’s a program that continues to be strong and we have guys that are ready to step in and fill those roles.”

Despite the young roster, the coaching staff has plenty of options in terms of upperclassmen that can step in to lead this team. Adam Michalski was named the new captain along with a young defensive core that will stand in front of senior netminder Brandon Demling.

The netminder saved 345 shots, surrendering 55 goals last season. Demling will oversee three other goaltenders that plan to follow in his footsteps. “[Demling] was really good with the younger guys,” Ahern said. “We got four of them, and sometimes it’s a detriment, but with these guys, they work really well together, and they all know their roles.”

On offense, the coach has plenty of guys that he can turn to for firepower. Frank Winchek and Joe Diblasi both return for the Bucs, each playing a big role in the scoring department.

Winchek secured 14 points last season with seven goals.

Due to COVID-19, the Bucs will face off against some opponents that the team has not faced in over 15 years. With teams like Syracuse, Baldwinsville and West Genesee on the schedule, Oswego will get to play against competitive teams from Division I of Section III. Teams plan on playing one game at home and one on the road against each school, with roughly 16 games on the schedule. Sectionals will not be played this year, but the team is content with only playing a regular season.

“Our coaching staff is really about providing the opportunity to give these guys some mental health and play as much hockey without getting shut down,” Ahern said.

Baseball looks forward to potential season

Tammaro, Enos will be key to teams success in spring

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

The Oswegonian file photo from 2019 Oswego State pitcher Ben Wilcox (41) delivering a pitch during a 2019 home game; Oswego State only played two home games in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Ben Diamond Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com Like many sports over the last year, there is still a lot of uncertainty around whether collegiate spring sports will be played. But, head coach Scott Landers of the Oswego State Baseball team is preparing to get ready for an approaching season.

Landers knows it will be difficult getting everything going, but he said that his team will be ready when the time comes.

“It’s tough being in the right frame of mind,” Landers said. “I haven’t been around these guys since March 13 of last year, but we have to be optimistic, we have to be ready to go.”

Landers believes that being allowed to play baseball will be refreshing, not only for him, but for his players as well, who have had to wait an entire year to get back out on the field with their teammates.

“There’s a lot of external fac-

tors this year,” Landers said “That you know, not just us, everybody in the country has had to deal with. We have to overcome it” Due to COVID-19 messing with the season, as well as the ability for teams to practice together, Landers does not have any expectations going into the season, if it even happens.

Without having seen any of his players play this year, he does not know what to expect out of them when they do get the chance to play.

“I don’t know what my goals are for this year,” Landers said. “I haven’t seen the freshman play one ounce since they’ve gotten on campus.”

Paul Tammaro and Ryan Enos know that they have an elevated leadership role this coming season, especially for the freshmen who have not been around the team as much as they would have under normal circumstances. Tammaro has a goal for bringing the team together if given the opportunity

to play this season.

“One of the main goals for me, is to really just try to be more vocal and really include the freshman into the team,” Tammaro said. “But I’d say the main goal is honestly just to get on the field and have fun.”

During this weird time, they needed to try and stay in contact with everyone to keep them connected.

“Keeping in touch with Zoom and trying to incorporate them as much as we can [is key],” Tammaro said. “Hopefully through practices and games, we will be able to incorporate them into our system.”

While Tammaro is focused on making sure he is involving the underclassmen in every way possible, Enos is setting an example of how to carry themselves as students and athletes.

“Being a leader by making sure they do what they need to do everyday,” Enos said. “Being a role model, so they see what we do and know that’s what they need to be doing.”

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics Head coach Jason Leone has been in charge of the men’s basketball program since 2011.

Brandon Ladd Sports Editor bladd@oswegonian.com When men’s basketball head coach Jason Leone stepped foot on the Oswego State campus in September of 2011, the men’s basketball team had just gone 24-5 and went to the second round of the NCAA Div. III tournament the season before. Expectations were sky high and yet Leone found a way to exceed them.

Oswego State went 26-4 in Leone’s first season. It did not stop there for the new head coach though. After four 20-win seasons, two Sweet 16 appearances and 21 SUNYAC postseason victories, Leone was named the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Decade. Success has been the theme for Leone the past nine seasons he has put on the suit and tie to lead the Lakers.

Under Leone, Oswego State has won a total of 181 games overall, with 114 of those wins coming within the SUNYAC. His winning percentage of 70.7% is the highest of any Oswego State men’s basketball coach, a program that has season by season records dating back to 1921. An even more impressive feat is Leone’s number of winning seasons and 20-win seasons compared to the coaches before him.

As far as winning seasons, he has nine of the programs 20 over the past 30 year in just nine seasons.

Twenty-win seasons are a rare occurrence in the men’s basketball team’s history. There were only five prior to Leone arriving in 2011.

He has almost matched a total from 90 years in just nine.

Leone has been given the opportunity to mold many talented basketball players over the past decade. Players that have stuck out to the coach over the past decade include his former AllAmericans but also captains that did not always have primary scoring roles but provided consistent leadership. It is hard to single out players though when he has coached 30 All-SUNYAC players while at Oswego State.

“One of the things I have noticed over the time I’ve been here is how we won a lot of different ways,” Leone said. “I’m not sure there is one particular player. I would say I have had some really, really good captains over the years. Guys that maybe weren’t the [All-SUNYAC] players. It has really been a program based around teamwork and I’ve had so many great assistant coaches, too.”

Oswego State had not won a SUNYAC Championship since 1965 before Leone won it in his first season. Dr. John V. Glinski

was the head coach that season, and ironically the only men’s basketball coach in the Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame outside of legendary multi-sport head coach Max G. Ziel, the namesake of the gym in which Leone coaches his home games.

It is plausible to consider Leone is going to have his name next to Glinski one day in the Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame in Laker Hall.

That is not Leone’s worry at the moment though, it is not even the next time his Lakers take the basketball court. With COVID-19 taking away the 202021 SUNYAC season, Oswego State will have a full 18 months between their 2020 SUNYAC semifinal loss to SUNY Brockport and a potential November 2021 return to action. The coach’s thoughts and energy at the moment are dedicated to the pandemic and feeling empathy for those who have experienced death and heartache. Leone stressed giving context to the current situation, he said basketball is not important when compared to the overall toll of COVID-19 around the world.

“It will mean a lot to get back but I think it is important that we keep perspective,” Leone said. “[COVID-19] really is the biggest concern. We have a group of guys that really understand that this is a global pandemic and there are more important things than basketball.”

Brandon Ladd | The Oswegonian

INSIDE

C2 ‘drivers license’ single sets C3

online streaming record

‘Sabrina’ series ends after four seasons

C5 ‘FRAME FUMBLE’ work

shows student talent

FRIDAY Feb. 12 , 2021

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

‘drivers license’ tops charts since its new year’s release Mary Kate Moylan Laker Review Editor mmoylan@oswegonian.com

Rating: With the new year bringing a close to the year of 2020, everyone is ready for change and ready to embrace anything 2021 will bring. With a year that brought not one, but two Taylor Swift (“Love Story”) albums, a resurgence in Miley Cyrus’ (“Midnight Sky”) career and range and relevance back to the Disney duo Aly & AJ with “Potential Breakup Song,” many of these artists from the early 2000s were promising new albums and collaboration in the new year. Between the Disney stars of yesterday and Disney+ throwing many back into their youth, it seems Disney can add yet another victory with the release of “drivers license” by Disney+ star, Olivia Rodrigo (“All I Want”) on Jan. 8.

Rodrigo, 17, has much of her

initial fanbase to thank from the Disney+ original, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” The show, which debuted in November 2019, had been renewed for a second season before it even aired on Disney+ with promotion skyrocketing and comparisons to the original “High School Musical,” as well as many actors from Broadway promoting it at shows and even performances from the young cast at Elsie Fest 2019, a “Broadway Coachella” hosted by Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) intended for musical theatre lovers. “drivers license” is a power and indie pop work. It walks the line of being a pop ballad through its usage of piano and such a long and dreamy bridge that swells into the chorus of the song. The incorporation of heavy kick drums and handclaps all contrast when the song hits its harmonious height

Image from Olivia Rodrigo via YouTube Olivia Rodrigo drives an old school car in the music video for ‘drivers licence.’

at the interlude with staggering harmonies that can give goosebumps. Rodrigo has a delicacy and vibrato to her voice throughout the first half of the song, which almost makes her vocals sound strained and unsupported at some points. It isn’t until she gets to the second bridge where the harmonies come in that she really takes hold of her range and the power within her voice.

Having just really started her music career since the

end of the first season of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “drivers license” is the lead single off of her upcoming EP and promises much more success for Rodrigo. With the song debuting at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart just last week and breaking records for most streams within its first week of release, much of this has to do with the social media app, TikTok. Aside from the familiar rite of passage and teenage drama

notes. Though there are moments in the film where it feels like the two are pushed through the motions of a typical buddy comedy, there is a genuineness in the performances which helps to make up for it. This, coupled with a cast of supporting characters that truly feel alive and interesting, makes for a very human experience.

The animation of “Soul” seems to prove the oft-repeated stance that Pixar continues to top itself. Since the movie takes place in two different realms of

existence, the animators were challenged to make them contrast sharply while still retaining beauty in both. The living world is colored in bright sunbeams and distinct shadows that give everything a definite feel, a solidity that is in direct opposition to the dreamlike, cloudy pastels of the Great Before. The designs of the human characters are distinct and interesting, and they feature more black character models than in perhaps any other animated film. The supernatural

that most feel at the tail end of high school, when getting their driver’s license, looking into college, feeling on top of the world, the song for many calls back on innocent days. Between that, a catchy melody, and even tons of gossip that has boiled over and been declared water under the bridge since the song’s debut, TikTok has immortalized the song and blew it up almost immediately. Many creators still use the most intense part of the song, the interlude, as audio for many of the one-minute long videos on the app. So, if you haven’t sought out the song to listen to it yourself, chances are you have probably already heard the most iconic part of it somewhere on social media.

Call it luck, talent or genius marketing, “drivers license” is a great hit by Olivia Rodrigo and promises much more potential this young artist has as she grows as a solo artist and develops her sense of voice and self ever further.

Disney+ steals hearts with Christmas release of ‘Soul’ Lucas Fernandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: With the timely advent of Disney+ and the modern plague which has constrained us all to the comfort of our couches, what better time has there ever been for the consumption of a brand-new Pixar movie? “Soul,” directed by Pete Docter and starring Jamie Foxx (“Project Power”) and Tina Fey (“Wine Country”), sees a welcome addition to the Pixar pantheon and is quite possibly the most introspective film they’ve made to date.

Though not as robust in the narrative department as some classics like “Toy Story” or “The Incredibles,” Pixar’s newest film has three major strengths which help to make it a pleasant and thought-provoking experience: strong and likeable characters, striking and unique animation and an intelligent approach to themes that will draw in audiences across all age groups.

The main characters of

“Soul” are both on journeys of self-discovery. Joe Gardner (Foxx) is a high school band teacher with deferred dreams of being a jazz star, while Twenty-Two (Fey) is an unborn soul who has put off going to Earth for thousands of years by being as unbearable as possible.

After a wacky mix-up where Joe dies, these two characters meet in the Great Before, a realm where souls get their personalities. Their chemistry, like everything else in the movie, is fairly relaxed and pleasant, offering enough conflict to create moments of comedy and cultivate an understanding between them that pushes their characters into new frontiers of growth. In essence, they teach one another what there is to love about life, a simple but very effective lesson. Joe presents a protagonist who is easy to root for, an artist with a dream and a misguided but well-meaning view of what it means to be happy. On the other hand, Twenty-Two embodies the anxieties people may have about life, presented in a mostly comedic fashion while still managing to hit some poignant

Image from Pixar via YouTube Joe Gardner takes in the joys of life while watching helicopter seeds fall.

characters known as “Jerry” and “Terry,” the spirit world’s administrators, are rendered in a surreal two-dimensional style reminiscent of a Picasso painting, giving a unique appeal to this version of the afterlife.

The themes of the film have been lauded by many critics before and for good reason. They explore ideas of having a purpose, how to pursue happiness and what matters when you are alive, framed around Joe’s life experiences. What makes these themes sing is the fact that no easy answers ever really come up, just paths that could be taken if a person wanted to see where they end. The strength of “Soul” is that while it is about life, it doesn’t claim any one kind of absolute view of it. Life simply is.

While plot-wise there is definitely ground that has been tread before, with few narrative surprises and some worldbuilding details that don’t hold up to closer scrutiny, “Soul” is still a masterfully animated and thematically intelligent film.

Relaxed, funny and thoughtful, any fan of animation will be glad they gave it a watch.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

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‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ ends less than lackluster John Custodio Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” from Netflix has come to an end with its fourth and final season released on Dec. 31. A darker, more modern take on the adored 90s classic, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Netflix attempts to cross “Riverdale” with “Supernatural,” two shows on The CW with a cult-like following.

However, poor writing spells the show’s doom, with mediocre plots and a lack of exploration.

“Sabrina” focuses on Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka, “Mad Men”), a half-mortal, half-witch raised by her aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis, “Shaun of the Dead”) and Zelda (Miranda Otto, “Lord of the Rings”), along with her older cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo, “Midsomer Murders”). On her 16th birthday, Sabrina must decide between living in the witch world, being granted fantastic powers or living in the mortal world. Sabrina defies orders from Satan himself, who the witches and warlocks in “Sabrina” get their power from and manages to live in both worlds. In her mortal life, she’s joined by

three friends, including her love interest, Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch, “Austin and Ally”).

With the backing of Netflix and massive potential, “Sabrina” was set to be the next “Stranger Things.” However, it quickly fell to pieces after the first two seasons, with the inclusion of meaningless character arcs and interesting storylines left unexplored or underdeveloped.

As the seasons progress, particular elements of worldbuilding, the show’s process of developing the fictional world which Sabrina resides in, occur only to never be mentioned again. The “dark pope,” the supposed antithesis to the Roman Catholic Pope, is introduced only to be whisked in away that very same episode. The introduction of the dark pope shows that there are other covens and supposedly many more witches, but none are ever seen besides those living in or around Greendale which is Sabrina’s hometown.

Similarly, the villains are built up to be major letdowns. Major religious icons or classic horrors are built up for episodes or entire seasons, just to be beaten by a few people holding hands and chanting.

The power of friendship

Image from Netflix via YouTube The show’s strengths are displayed through a diverse cast that bring together interesting storylines and plots.

trope is used far too often in “Sabrina,” and it wears at the suspension of disbelief quickly.

In a show as supposedly grand as “Sabrina,” it could be expected that some world exploration would take place. Instead, the show takes place almost entirely in the town of Greendale, directly across from Riverdale, yes, the “Riverdale” from The CW. Thankfully there aren’t any appearances from Archie or the rest of the Riverdale crew, but “Sabrina” jumps between three or four locations, with places such as the academy and literal Hell itself being extremely underwhelming. Hell, built up for an entire season and multiple episodes, consists of a throne room smaller than a lecture hall and fields of torment that look more like the

Image from Netflix via YouTube “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina“ season four leaves much to be desired despite high hopes and priase at the series start.

parking lot of Wal-Mart.

Despite what may seem like overwhelming negatives, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” shines with a diverse cast and some relevant character arcs. Out of Sabrina’s mortal friend group, two are women, with one being POC, one is a man and one is a trans man who is transitioning during the show.

Theo (Lachlan Watson, “Nashville”) is played by a nonbinary actor and is never deadnamed nor is their identity ever truly called into question.

There are also openly LGBTQ+ characters, with most of the witch coven being bisexual. This is never questioned, and there aren’t many campy moments or characters who exist solely for the diversity inclusion.

The show also gives a bit of variety from the teenage witch trope, with Sabrina actively using her powers to do basically whatever she wants. This is a good touch of realism, as opposed to “Harry Potter,” where their powers are always hidden, or where they only interact with other powered people. “Sabrina” shows exactly what any person, let alone any teenager, would do if given magic powers by constantly using Sabrina’s mortal life as a foil for her witch side. When a friend is getting bullied at school,

Sabrina simply terrifies the mortals by using her powers. Seen throughout the series, this mesh of witch powers over mortal life provides excellent moments and good character development.

The cast of the show sells the mediocre script, with each character perfectly cast for their role.

Major cast members like Prudence (Tati Gabrielle, “The 100”), although not sporting a conventional cookie-cutter look for the likes of a teen drama, portrays a unique beauty that fits perfectly into the witch world.

The aesthetic of “Sabrina” is also superb, with a blend of dark academia and cottagecore so good it would make TikTok jealous. Set design in some places like the Spellman house is incredible, with just the right mix of fantasy and realism to remind the viewer that while they are witches, they still have normal-ish homes.

“Sabrina” may not have the best plot, but it is an excellent show to watch in October in preparation for Halloween.

Take “Sabrina” with a major grain of salt and don’t expect any plot masterpieces. “Sabrina” has been canceled by Netflix with season four being the finale and any rumor of HBO Max picking it up for a fifth part is denied by Warner Media.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

‘A Night at the Opera’ reigns as essential listen for all music lovers Alex Kent Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: In the middle of a decade filled with renowned rock legends such as Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd, among these musical pantheons is an emerging disco scene that would cement its own place in music, as a driving force for the rest of the decade. Before disco could take the reigns, the already wellestablished band, Queen, released its fourth studio entry, “A Night at the Opera,” on Nov. 21, 1975.

Named after the iconic Marx Brothers film of the same name, Queen seemed to set the bar for musicians to come by furthering the limits of how one can use their creativity in an optimal fashion.

Last year, Rolling Stone magazine listed the 1975 release as the 128th greatest album ever. To get this out of the way now, this is the album that features “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a masterclass in songwriting that has been immortalized for its sheer brilliance that sounds fresh to this day.

Queen is a band that still resonates with many people today due to its unforgettable melodies, glaring personalities and anthemic virtues. The band featured the likes of Freddie Mercury as lead vocals and on piano, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass and piano, and Roger Taylor on drums.

Mercury is now regarded as one of the greatest lead singers and frontmen ever for his dynamic wide range and oozing flamboyance that captured the audience from the first moment they heard him.

This is evident throughout the album, but the first song, “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To…),” shows Freddie in a differ-

Image from Queen via YouTube “A Night at the Opera” features iconic songs such as the popular “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “You’re My Best Friend.”

ent light. The song starts with lengthy dissonance that evolves into May’s signature guitar sound leading the way. Mercury then verbally assaults the unnamed victim in a way that sounds unlike him.

Honestly, it might be the most negatively themed Queen song, and that is a reason to love it. Seeing artists in a new light is an awesome thing, revealing the humanity of the larger than life figures.

To go to the whole other end of the spectrum, later in the album is “Love of My Life,” a track that reveals new beauty to the listener’s ears. It is one of Queen’s most covered songs and remained a live staple with an acoustic arrangement. During live performances, crowd members would sing for Mercury and echo the emotionally vulnerable feelings that he put into the lyrics.

Perhaps one of the more humorous editions to this momumental album is about the love of Taylor’s life, with the hard rocker, “I’m in Love with My Car.” This song is the only time that Taylor wrote a piece by himself and was the subject of some lore as well. The story goes that Taylor was so proud of his song that he requested Mercury to use

it as the B-Side for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” There was some disagreement, which led to Taylor locking Mercury in a closet until they came to an agreement.

Talk about a new way of getting a deal done. This song is arguably the most standard sounding tune on “A Night at the Opera,” but it still has an unbelievable story behind it.

Out of the 12-track album, arguably the second most recoginiazble song, “You’re My Best Friend,“ was written by Deacon for his wife. It is a beautiful testament to those special people in our lives that mean the world to us. Mercury’s vocal performance

is wonderful, although he was not a huge fan of the electric piano that dominates the background of the song.

Other songs on the album that have innovative qualities include “Seaside Rendezvous” that has the band replicate the sound of brass instruments with their voice and “39,” a sci-fi treat sung by May. It is hard not to associate Queen with their magnum opus “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Sure, they have other songs that are instantly recognizable like “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” What the band accomplishes with “Bohe-

mian Rhapsody” is a testament to their brilliance and originality. Telling a captivating story with cultural references ranging from the Italian Astronomer Galileo to mythical figures like Beelzebub is not an easy thing to do.

Somehow, this six-minute epic contains numerous passages that many can recite flawlessly. When Taylor’s falsetto section starts, it is a sound that makes you wonder how it’s even humanly possible to go that high. May’s guitar solos seamlessly weave the story together until we get to the finale that the film “Wayne’s World” brought to the forefront in the 1990s. You must headbang during the coda or else the song is not being given its full respect. This closing track is frequently put on the list of the greatest songs ever, and for good reason or company.

“A Night at the Opera” is an older work, but it is still a must-listen for any lover of music or aspiring musician that would like to experience art in a way that stimulates their ears and mind. Due to the production value’s clean sound, and iconic compositions, it has and will continue to be a timeless representation of four brilliant musicians at the height of their illustrious careers.

Image from Queen via YouTube Queen drummer Roger Taylor proudly sings about his pride and joy in his self-written song “I’m in Love with My Car.”

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

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Student Film Spotlight 'FRAME FUMBLE' Though the film was iniEthan Stinson Asst. Laker Review Editor tially intended for submission estinson@oswegonian.com as a class requirement, GrifThe medium of film is remarkable due to the endless amount of ways in which it may be experimented with and innovated. "Frame Fumble," a student short film, is the perfect example of this cinematic principle.

In the film, writer-director Alex Griffin, who also stars, explores how a film's aspect ratio may be utilized as a character.

The end result is a hilarious short film which pays loving tribute to the rubber-hose cartoons of the 20s and 30s.

"Frame Fumble" showcases the humorous plight of a stressed-out computer worker as he struggles to fend off the playful aspect ratio, or the small black bars on both sides of the frame, which is deadset on closing in on him while he works. Keeping in a spirit similar to the vintage films referenced, the short is presented all in black and white and contains a jazz score.

fin was encouraged by a professor to submit his impressive work to film festivals.

"My professor at the time ... encouraged me to submit it to film festivals," Griffin said.

"I have rarely ever seen any film, short or feature-length, experiment with the aspect ratio, or the black bars surrounding the frame, as a character in the film."

By personifying the aspect ratio, the film offers an innovative look into how framing can be approached in cinema. More accurately, it provides a hilariously cartoonish look into how a frame can be important to the overall narrative or plot, a notion which is taken quite literally for the sake of the film's comedic moments.

Aside from how its innovative nature works on a comedic level, "Frame Fumble" also stands out due to the way in which it encaptures the magic of cinema. From its nostalgic nature to its unique approach to physical comedy, the film proves how experimental efforts often may often come with both entertaining and noteworthy results.

Image from 'FRAME FUMBLE' via YouTube The short film takes inspiration from vintage works of the 20s and 30s.

"The Sound of Music" actor Christopher Plummer dea d at 91 years old.

Image from FRAME FUMBLE via YouTube A computer worker fights off the aspect ratio, which is attempting to close in on him.

Quote from the Director:

"The beauty of this film being told through a nostalgic filter ... using digital technology, that makes Frame Fumble so unique."

Keanu Reeves rumore d to be playing "Kraven the Hunter" in a Spider-Man spinoff film.

Photo via Beyond the Stage Photography

YouTube: 'FRAME FUMBLE' Watch Here:

"Peaky Blinders" set to begin filmin g sixth and final seaso n following COVID-19 delays.

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FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. “The Raven” poet 4. Address abbr.

7. Escape 12. House wing 13. Part of MPH 14. Diva ___ Callas 15. Jewel 16. Advocate 18. Mass ___ (subways, e.g.)

20. Mature 21. Conditional release 23. School assignment 25. Shaquille ___ 26. Manner 27. Tints 28. Decompose 29. Cleopatra’s river 33. Snare 35. Entire 36. Talked back 39. Bother

40. ___ loss for words (2 wds.)

41. Type of football pass 43. Wavering 45. Indignation 48. Musician ___ John 49. Wind dir.

50. Atmosphere 51. Bowler’s button 52. Traitor 53. Neither’s mate

Down

1. Tent stake 2. Bullring cry 3. Shade source (2 wds.)

4. Dismay 5. Author Jules ___ 6. Greek mythology figure 7. Showed feelings 8. Mover’s truck 9. Locales

10. Australian dog 11. Corroded 17. Plane’s captain 19. Uses the oven 21. Pea’s home 22. Some 24. Spanish title 26. Broom’s kin 28. Speed trap device 30. From Rome 31. “Viva ___ Vegas” 32. Overhead railways 34. Give in 35. Shooting rage 36. Less hazardous 37. “___ of Two Cities” (2 wds.)

38. Epsom ___ 39. Hair coloring 42. Row 44. Sock tip 46. ___ Grande 47. Be mistaken

For this week’s puzzle answers ...

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 12, 2021

Chatter

by Lucas Fernandez

I didn’t mean to kill him. Do you think I’m a murderer? I’m not. But Jesus, he just wouldn’t shut up.

“So I say to her that it isn’t my cup. How could it be my cup? I never drank from the small cups in my life. But she doesn’t believe me. So I ask my brother.”

Shut up.

“And he agrees with me. He says that it isn’t my cup, and that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and that she ought to mind her own business, and that she ought—”

Shut up.

“And now she won’t talk to either of us until one of us admits that it was my cup even though if it was my cup I would have used a coaster and there wouldn’t be a problem in the—” Crack.

I don’t remember doing it. One second he was talking, the next he was dead. One good blow to the head and a broken wine bottle, and that was that. No fuss, no struggle, no blood. A clean kill. I looked at his body for a long time. Why had I invited him over?

“You need friends,” my mother had said. “You’re gonna lose it in that house by yourself.”

Thanks mom.

It wasn’t the body that got me. That was just meat, dead and quiet and cold.

What got me were the questions.

“Have you heard from Bert?” No. Shut up.

“Did Bert come in yet?” Nope. Shut UP.

“When is Bert gonna finish those forms?” Shut up! What forms? Who’s Bert?

It went on like this for days. Nobody gives a s*** about Bert for as long as he works here, but I kill him and suddenly everybody wants the inside scoop. What does Bert drive? Where was he last seen? Does he have any next of kin? Who knows, who cares, please God I hope not. Why can’t everybody just mind their own business?

People are starting to talk. People never know when to shut up. That’s their problem. You get it right? I’m not the bad guy here. They’ll understand that. They’ll see my side of things. I put in my eight hours like everyone else. And you can vouch for me? Right? You don’t think I’m a murderer. Be honest. No, no don’t. Don’t talk to me. Just—

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Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat