The Oswegonian 11-8-19

Look Inside: A3 Dr. Mary Walker’s texts examined, put in context

Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIV SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Campus receives first snowy day, some unprepared for flurries

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State experienced a snowfall on Thursday, with the weather catching some off guard.

Colin Hawkins News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com

CONTENT

While many students dreaded the first significant snowfall of the season on the Oswego State campus, some were excited to start the winter season.

On Thursday, a rainy morning at Oswego State turned to frozen precipitation and by afternoon, large snowflakes drifted onto the campus.

Student reactions were as mixed as the freezing precipitation, though most focused on the relatively cold temperatures and snow that seemingly marked the end of warm weather for the year.

While most students seemed prepared with winter coats and boots, some students wore only light jackets or wrapped themselves in blankets to brave the cold temperatures and gusting wind as they made their way across campus.

“This is the only coat I own, and I’m already cold,” Adrianna Dio-

Calendar...................... A3 Crossword................... C6 Contact Info................ A2 Laker Review.............. C1 News............................. A1 Opinion........................ B5 Sports........................... B1 Sudoku........................ C7

dato, an Oswego State freshman said outside Marano Campus Center. “Now it’s snowing, and I wasn’t prepared for this because it doesn’t snow where I live.”

Diodato was with two other freshmen, Hallie Rapisarda and Jess Silver, as they walked from Marano Campus Center to “someplace warm.”

“I just had my mom send my jacket up. It’s getting too cold, I need it already, thank God,” Rapisarda said.

The three students are from Long Island and this is their first winter in Oswego.

“This is just really early and it never snows at home,” Silver said.

“I feel like [the snow] has gotten considerably harder since we’ve gotten outside.”

The snow was cause for excitement, however, for students in the meteorology program at the Shineman Center.

See SNOW, A5

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Oswego adds counselors

Counseling Center hires additional staff to meet demand Rachel McKenna Chief Copy Editor rmckenna@oswegonian.com

The Counseling Services Center of Oswego State has recently added four new temporary counselors to its team to accommodate students who are on a long waiting list to be seen.

The waitlist for a student to get an appointment with a counselor has been stacking up since September, and has once gone over 70 students waiting on it, Director of Counseling Services Center Katherine Wolfe-Lyga said.

See STUDENTS, A4

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Sports

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Laker Review

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DUAL PERSPECTIVES

TIPPING BURDEN

ROBOTS STRIKE AGAIN

WIND DAMAGE GALLERY

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The Oswegonian | File Photo from 2018

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Erin Blank | The Oswegonian

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

Weekend Forecast

Gonian Social

FRIDAY, NOV. 8 THROUGH SUNDAY, NOV. 10

Friday

H: 35 °

Sunday

Saturday

L: 27 °

H: 40 °

60%

L: 34 °

H: 46 °

L: 32 °

The Oswegonian

60%

10%

@TheOswegonian

@the_oswegonian

@GonianSports

@GonianLRO

Chance of Precipitation

NEW YORK STATE

WEATHER FRIDAY, NOV. 8

Potsdam 32°/17°

Oswego 35°/27°

Buffalo 33°/22°

Syracuse 34°/25°

Jarl L. Brennan, 25, was arrested at 9:28 a.m. on Oct. 27

Albany 35°/22°

for petit larceny after stealing items from a victim in the City of Oswego.

Joshua K. Colon, 21, was arrested at 2:01 a.m. on Oct. 27 for disorderly conduct after an incident in the City of

NYC 40°/29°

Weather forecast provided by Walker Snowden from WTOP-10

Oswego.

Dallas P. Bennett, 21, was arrested at 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 29 for petit larceny for stealing merchandise from Paul’s

Extended Forecast Monday

Tuesday

Big M.

MONDAY, NOV. 11 THROUGH FRIDAY, NOV. 15

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Matthew C. Victory, 23, was arrested at 9:20 a.m. on Oct. 31 after an investigation revealed he had sexual intercourse with a victim under the age of 15.

H: 35 °

L: 23 °

H: 32°

L: 18 °

H: 32°

L: 25 °

H: 36°

L: 29 °

H: 40 °

L: 30 °

Sierra L. Adams, 25, was arrested at 3:06 a.m. on Nov. 3 for DWI following a traffic stop for no taillights.

50%

30%

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30%

Chance of Precipitation

The Oswegonian

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief | Alexander Gault-Plate Managing Editor | Ben Grieco News Editor | Colin Hawkins Opinion Editor | Francesca Miesner Sports Editor | Matthew Watling Laker Review Editor | Brandon Fallat Multimedia Editor | William Rogers Photo Director | Nicole Hube Creative Director | Patrick Higgins Web Director | Thatcher Dickason Chief Copy Editor | Rachel McKenna Copy Editor | John Christopher Copy Editor | Matt Czeitner Asst. News Editor | Julia Tilley Asst. Sports Editor | Luke Owens Asst. Laker Review Editor | Stephen Novak Events Coordinator | Katelyn Gloade Ad Manager | Nyezee Goe Sales Associate | Luigi Villani Business Manager | John Contrata Asst. Business Manager | Caydee Blankenship Social Media Coordinator | Megan Sylvester Faculty Director | Brian Moritz

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On the Opinion Cover!

NEWS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK This is the only coat I own, and I’m already cold.”

-Adrianna Diodato, from COVER

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

A3

Dr. Mary Walker’s writings revisited 100 years after death Professors, Title IX coordinator, historian investigate historic woman

Julia Tilley Asst. News Editor jtilley@oswegonian.com On Monday, Nov. 4, Oswego State hosted a discussion honoring Dr. Mary Walker and her writings on interpersonal violence, sexual discrimination and harassment.

The meeting began with Mary McCune from the Oswego State history department. She spoke about the history of women’s rights as well as topics including violence against children and wives. Her role was to give context to Walker’s texts.

She mentioned that by the 1830s, the idea of “family privacy” became existent.

“We start to develop this notion of the private and public sphere, so men belong in the public sphere, with law, government, etc. Women belong in the private sphere, women and children,” McCune said.

McCune then dove into the 1870s, where the temperance movements really picked up. Walker was very vocal about temperance, as well. The thought process at the time was if men stopped drinking, they would stop acting violently towards their wives and children.

In about 1850, according to McCune, 19 states granted divorce for cruelty, which was not extremely defined. Another reason a woman could file for divorce was “habitual drunkness,” which ties into the focus on the temperance movement.

McCune said New York state had some of the most restrictive divorce laws in the country at the time.

“In order to get a divorce in New York state in the early 19th century, you had to prove that there was adultery, and [to prove] that there was adultery, you usually needed

two witnesses,” McCune said.

In 1852, the movement to expand reasons for divorce started, as well as the beginnings of social purity reforms, including raising the age of consent.

After McClune provided context about the societal environment, Oswego town historian George DeMass gave more insight on Walker herself, as well as her written works.

“She was a visionary, and there are very few visionaries around,” he said, reflecting on her work.

The second book Walker wrote, entitled “Unmasked,” described her thoughts on how society affected men. In the book, she said, “Men will be better when true principles of social life are truly unmasked.” Other ideas and concepts she discussed in her book was that men needed to better understand women, and that women needed to feel free to make their own decisions and initiate sexual relationships, which strongly differed from the typical thoughts of the time.

Although it was eventually published in 1878, Walker originally struggled to publish the book, due to how controversial it was. She did not even put her name on the book, due to the controversial topics. DeMass brought a copy of her book for attendees to look at.

To finish out the presentation, Title IX coordinator Lisa Evaneski spoke about more present-day interpersonal violence and sexual discrimination and harassment. In 1972, the Title IX act was put into words to prevent sex-based discrimination in programs. In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act was enacted.

“That’s when the federally recognized definitions of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, things like that come about,” Evaneski said.

“Back then, they were really hoping that all of the numbers they were seeing, all of the things going on would be reduced, and then in 2011, they found out, no, that in fact didn’t happen, there would be more cases.”

Evaneski walked through the various Dear Colleague Letters, or DCLs, from 2001, 2011, 2014 and 2015. 2001’s DCL expressed that more had to be done in regard to sport discrimination. 2011’s DCL asked for a better job to be done with regards to dealing with students and colleagues affected by sexual discrimination and harassment. 2014’s DCL clarified certain terms, and 2015’s DCL brought about article 129B, which provided strict regulations on sexual harassment, discrimination and violence.

Evaneski also discussed the dangers of victim blaming, an issue that was prevalent during Walker’s time as well as in the present day.

“I feel it’s really irresponsible for us to put things out there that are like, ‘here are your safety tips.’ I feel like we’re still seeing that a lot. We don’t have those things on our page, but what I was shocked at was how many things like this are still current,” Evaneski said.

In order to combat that, there are campaigns such as the “the way I dress is not a yes” movement, trying to end victim blaming in circumstances of sexual assault or harassment. Evaneski said this was this generation’s campaign, meaning what they are focusing on in comparison to other generations’ campaigns to fix other societal issues, which this presentation showed sometimes are not too far off from the past. “[Walker] would be very happy that, 100 years later, people would be realizing what she wrote on interpersonal relationships,” DeMass said.

“I’m First Day” Celebration, 9 a.m., Friday, Marano Campus Center concourse

Safe Zone Training for Faculty and Staff, 10 a.m., Friday, Marano Campus Center 133

College Council meeting, 1 p.m., Friday, Marano Campus Center 114

Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, 3 p.m., Friday, Poucher Wing

Whiteout Game, 7 p.m., Friday, Marano Campus Center Hockey Arena

Two and a Half’s Skate Four a Victim, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Hewitt Hall Ballroom

CNY Internship Showcase, 11 a.m., Saturday, Oswego State Syracuse Campus

Planetarium Show: “Laying Eyes on the Unseen,” 7 p.m., Sunday, Shineman Center Planetarium

Julia Tilley | The Oswegonian

Grad-itude Project, 12 p.m., Monday, Marano Campus Center Concourse

Oswego State professor Dr. Joanna Goplen (left) speaking alongside presenters Lisa Evaneski, Mary McCune and George DeMass.

was donated by David Cutler to support the Oswego State public justice department.

Nonetheless, two senators will write the bill.

The criminal justice club, formerly known as the public justice club, requested $1,000 for future events.

The club meets biweekly and likes to host guests or hold discussions for any student interested in the various fields of criminal justice.

Some events the club would like to host include trips to Eastern State Penitentiary, as well as on-campus hands-on activities.

Some ideas that Vice President Carly Estep and Director of Programming Kiara Wade mentioned included setting up a murder mystery for students to solve or a fingerprint workshop, where students put their fingerprint on a balloon and blow up the balloon to see it easier.

However, Dr. Allison Rank, who attended the meeting, told the organization to look into the Cutler Fund, which

The bill SLE.55.09: Power to the People was passed.

The original bill would give the NAACP $1,060 to pay for certain events they wanted to put on. However, this amount was amended down to $900, since a representative from the organization said they could fundraise for at least one of the events they had planned.

The bill passed by general consent, awarding the club $900. The other bills that were supposed to be voted on were all tabled, due to the organizations not attending the required finance committee meetings. All of the bills are tabled for next week, or until the organizations meet with the committee.

Major Mondays, 3 p.m., Monday, Marano Campus Center room 141

American Marketing Association bowling fundraiser, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Lighthouse Lanes

Bingo Night!, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Lake Effect Cafe

3-Minute Faculty: You Are the Judge!, 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Marano Campus Center 132

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

A4

Students waitlisted for counseling, “Cash Mob” of students hits downtown Oswego more staff hired to meet demand River’s End Bookstore flooded with business from campus OSWEGO from COVER “The four part-time temporary counselors were added to help us to see more students who are requesting services. The existing counseling staff have been working diligently to accommodate students seeking services,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “As a staff team, we continue to explore service delivery options that can accommodate seeing more students without compromising the integrity of the services provided.”

This waitlist is only for one of the resources that are offered by the CSC, a scheduled meeting with a counselor. However, there are many other resources and options that students are encouraged to explore through Oswego State and CSC. These options include a program called “Let’s Talk!” offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“Lets Talk!” is a counseling center outreach program designed to engage students by providing informal walk-in consultations with a counselor one-on-one,” the Oswego State CSC website states.

Students on the waitlist are encouraged to seek out help through these other resources in addition to or instead of the scheduled appointments they are waiting for.

“Please consider using ‘Let’s Talk,’ or any of our workshops/programs. Students are often surprised that one appointment may be all they need to gain clarity on how to move forward from whatever is disrupting their well-being,” WolfeLyga said. “Additionally, it is critical that students who are experiencing crisis remember to use our walk-in crisis hours or afterhours phone service. If someone is experiencing a life-threatening emergency then 911 or University Police should be called.”

Other programs for students to take advantage of are listed on their website.

The Counseling Services Center is continually working toward expanding these resources and making sure that the mental health of students is the top priority on campus. The high demand for scheduled appointments with counselors and

the limit of those counselors is an issue that is happening all over the country, according to Wolfe-Lyga.

Any Oswego State student is eligible for these counseling services if they have paid the student health fee on their tuition bill. To schedule an appointment, a student has to call the counseling office before coming in to see their next available time.

“When I called to make an appointment, the earliest available appointment they had was in two weeks, they can’t get you in that week,” junior Talia Pittiluga said.

The wait time can vary, but is usually around two weeks for most students. Some students schedule many appointments in advance, so they can have a session every two weeks. Human development major Alessandra Stark schedules biweekly sessions with the Counseling Services Center.

“I personally didn’t have a problem waiting, but I know some people would,” Stark said.

Although there are long waiting times to book a session with a counselor, this does not mean that they are unavailable to students. They host walk-ins during specific times over the week, and have a phone number students can call if it is after hours. All of these times are listed on their website.

Hiring these four new counselors will help the Counseling Services Center tend to students needs when it comes to mental health and well-being. There were other options to solve the issue of the waitlist, but those included cutting session times short, which they felt would compromise the effectiveness of their services, according to Wolfe-Lyga.

“They’re obviously really booked, so I think they needed these new counselors,” Stark said.

This new change brings hope to the students on the waitlist in need of counseling sessions. Four new counselors coupled with the other offered programs give students opportunities to get the help they need.

However, if a student is in an emergency they should not call Counseling Service but call University Police or 911.

Brandon Fallat Laker Review Editor bfallat@oswegonian.com On Monday, Nov. 4, students of Oswego State gave back to the community by bringing an influx of customers to The River’s End Bookstore in downtown Oswego for a local cash mob. The event was held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and over 100 patrons were in attendance.

A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business during a brief period of time to make purchases and show support.

The event was sponsored by the creative writing program’s literary citizenship class, which is taught by professor Donna Steiner, the faculty advisor to the cash mob. Steiner spoke to why it was so important for the school’s creative writing students to give back to River’s End in such a large-scale way.

“The bookstore has supported us in many ways over the years,” Steiner said. “So, we just want to get as many people into the store as we can to spend a couple of dollars and just show them that we appreciate them.”

The cash mob has been going on for about five years, according to Steiner, and, apart from giving back to local businesses, it gives her students a platform to develop skills that will help them deal with book sellers post-graduation. For example, this semester the students in her literary citizenship class have learned how to market upcoming novels with promotional plans, writer events, book giveaways and professional writer’s resumes. The cash mob furthered these teachings by allowing for direct contact between writers and sellers.

“Writers and booksellers go hand-in-hand, you can’t have one without the other,” Steiner said.

“These are our future writers who are going to have to know how to speak to booksellers and bookstores and set up their events and have readings. And without the writers, the bookstores have nothing to sell.”

It was not just the students in the class who gained something from this experience. For the students attending the event, they were able to get exposed to the downtown area of Oswego, as opposed to simply being stuck on campus.

Creative writing major Lucas Fernandez spoke to how important it is for students to show their support for local businesses such as River’s End. “Even though we have very different lives, all of us form one big community within Oswego, and it

Brandon Fallat | The Oswegonian This cash mob was sponsored by the creative writing program’s literary citizenship class.

becomes very symbiotic,” Fernandez said. “It’s important because we make up such a large part of the population, we do our part to keep the community thriving.”

Fernandez also spoke to the benefits of cash mobs for getting students to step outside their comfort zone. By attending an event with a group of friends, students are more willing to go explore parts of the city that they never would have thought of before.

“This familiarizes business owners with the students and the students with everywhere else,” Fernandez said.

With the store already half full before 5:00 p.m. and packed with customers by 5:30 p.m., it is safe to say that this year’s cash mob was a success for River’s End Bookstore.

However, according to store manager Emil Christmann, apart from the obvious monetary benefits, the store also gets introduced to a whole new group of students each time the cash mob comes around.

“It’s great. It gets the students into the store. Sometimes it is their first time here,” Christmann said.

“It’s nice to encourage that earlier on. To get freshman, sophomores, juniors in here before they’re seniors and they’re on their way out and this is the first time that they’ve

ventured in here.”

Christmann echoed statements from the students as to the power of a cash mob as opposed to other forms of marketing, saying that it generates more excitement and that other businesses would benefit from it as well. He also went on to discuss how the store manages to survive despite a growing market for Kindles and e-readers, emphasizing how important it is for small communities to have local bookstores.

“We hear this all the time from our customers, that they love to have a physical book in their hand,” Christmann said. “But it is important to note that we don’t shy away from that sort of thing.”

River’s End Bookstore uses Hummingbird e-Books as well as partnering with Libro.fm, an audiobook service that allows readers to buy audiobooks directly from their local bookstore. Christmann knows it is a tough fight for hard copy books to stay relevant in today’s digital age, however, the store has been open for business for 21 years and counting, with events like the cash mob doing nothing but help the store continue to thrive.

“This isn’t the first time that we participated in it,” Christmann said.

“We certainly appreciate every time it comes around.”

Brandon Fallat | The Oswegonian The point of the cash mob was to support local businesses, especially one that has been such a prevalent part of many students’ lives.

315-343-6429 176 East 9th street

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian The counseling services have temporarily moved to Hewitt Hall during the health center’s renovations.

A5 NEWS Campus community engages in dialogue Snow important feature of THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

Administrators meet with students, discuss Oswego experience Colin Hawkins News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com On Friday, Nov. 1, Oswego State administrators met with students in work groups and focused on building a dialogue for improving the college community. This is the third such event, with prior events occurring in the previous fall and spring semesters.

The event was introduced by Oswego State President Deborah Stanley, who said she hoped “if you talked directly to people who could make change,” that could be the best way to bring that change into the world.

“You can discuss what is really happening, what your feelings are about things that you are concerned about and what is the path forward you can take to get where you want to go,” Stanley said at the beginning of the event. “You can look around the room. We have a lot of staff here today. A lot of people really interested in hearing what you’re thinking and trying to be helpful and telling you how this place works now.”

According to Stanley, students participating in the work groups would not only get insight into current policies at Oswego State, but get immediate answers on why those policies are in place as well as how those policies could be changed to address student concerns or frustrations.

Students could participate in one of six tables over the course of two rounds of dialogues during the event. Focus groups had relevant administrators, with topics including University Police and campus relations; classroom and academic relations; on-campus student life; off-campus student life and campus-community relations; communicating issues and concerns with the campus and finally, a sixth table where students could address a concern not covered by other topics.

Participating students drove the discussions by asking the school officials about topics impacting the Oswego State experience that administrators may not have otherwise had an opportunity to touch on directly with students. After each round of discussions, a student from each table was handed a microphone to report to the room what their table talked about.

The UP and campus relations table discussed building a relationship between students and law enforcement. The second round had the UP table explore clearing up campus conduct rules and helping law enforcement find the best way to approach students that may be anxious around police officers.

The second focus group discussed classroom issues, with topics including late notifications of campus-wide class cancellation, security deadbolts on classroom doors to keep intruders out during a lockdown and helping students afford textbooks.

On-campus relations spoke

Oswego science program CAMPUS from COVER

Colin Hawkins l The Oswegonian College officials discuss classroom and academic relations during this work group.

about dark spots on campus, where a lack of streetlights or exterior lighting caused some students to feel unsafe traveling the campus at night, expanding the community involvement program in place in residence halls like Johnson Hall, increasing inclusivity in dorms and finding more spaces for clubs to meet and organize.

The table for off-campus issues discussed helping students navigate renting apartments in Oswego and increasing public transit to between downtown and campus.

Table five focused on campus communication, with students concerned by a lack of a clear explanation of student rights, biased-based issues on campus and emergency alerts.

The table reserved for other concerns was used in the second round only, with students asking for a pocket student handbook explaining school policies and expanded healthcare access so students living far from the health center can have nearby options. Further, this focus group expressed frustration with the health center’s policy to not provide doctor’s notes for illness. The office of Student Affairs clarified that students can verify their illness with their professors through the college without an official doctor’s note, but agreed that policy may not be widely-known.

“I really like working groups because it allows for deeper dives into certain topics, [students] discuss and really hash out issues,” Takeena Strachan, the president of the Oswego State Student Association, said at the event. “As a student, we’re all busy and we all have priorities in our lives, and classes are always our main priority but it’s definitely a good time for us because you’ll think of something or something will bother you, then you’ll get distracted.

So having a time to be guided throught that, it’s nice.”

Justin Techmanski, the president of the Oswego State Residence Hall Association and a junior biology student said the event was a great opportunity for students to be heard by the college.

“As a student leader here on campus, I have many opportunities to hear and speak with

the administration, but something about this event specifically, having them be such a captive audience, it was great,” Techmanski said.

Matthew O’Donnell, the vice president of SA, said this work group event was more successful than the one he attended last spring, despite the latest event having less turnout. O’Donnell said the weather, which had severe winds throughout the day, may have contributed to the lower attendance.

“I feel like the issues pressed at this one were a little more solvable,” O’Donnell said. “Not to say the last one wasn’t effective, but this one is going to be a lot better. If these problems get solved, that were addressed today, it’s going to be a lot better for the campus.”

The event was helpful for administrators too, who do not always get the opportunity to talk to students directly about issues affecting the campus.

“I like it, it’s pretty enlightening to me and I like hearing from the students directly,” Mitch Fields, the associate vice president for Facilities Services at Oswego State, said.

Fields said he appreciates the feedback from students, as the insight gained from speaking with them helps him evaluate the decisions made as an administrator.

Scott Furlong, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs for Oswego State, said he appreciated the opportunity to explain some of the decisionmaking or considerations behind the college’s policies. According to Furlong, sometimes policies have to work within constraints and providing that background through dialogue can help everyone better understand an issue.

“When we first started doing these last year, it was really clear that not everybody understood the real dynamics of what happens [on campus],” Furlong said. “When you explain it, it makes sure everyone has the same context, it makes the solution development that much easier.”

Oswego State administrators are expecting to hold another work group event next semester to keep the dialogue going and continue to improve the campus community.

Colin Hawkins l The Oswegonian The dialogue at table one had an emphasis on public safety, law enforcement on campus and around the Oswego community.

Kayla Mazurkiewicz, a senior meteorology student at Oswego State, said she was in a class for her program when she first noticed the snowfall.

“Right when we saw it, we were all like ‘it’s snowing right now’ and we all took a minute and looked,” Mazurkiewicz said.

“Everyone was very excited to see, I wanted to go on the roof but I couldn’t find anyone to take me up there.”

According to Kaitlyn Lardeo and Joespeh Houck, two juniors in the meteorology program, Oswego’s famously snowy winters are a major draw for students looking to study meteorology.

“We’re watching this from the very beginning, and then the other students walking around are just begging for [snow] not to happen,” Lardeo said.

The coming winter is being closely watched by students in the program, as they monitor it for part of their course work. Meteorology students even have classroom games and assignments surrounding winter weather systems and forecasting when they will hit Oswego.

“We kind of bet when we’ll get lake-effect snow,” Houck said. “We’ve been watching the GFS, it’s a global numerical [weather] model, watching the cold spells come through and it’s starting to happen.”

After a few winters at Oswego State, the three meteorology students said they have seen a good deal of surprising things when the

weather turns cold, from fierce wintry weather, the high winds and deep snow and also some of the unpreparedness of Oswego students.

Mazurkiewicz saw one student wearing flip-flops in 34 degree Fahrenheit weather, with 11 mile-perhour winds at 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to the student’s data.

“I was telling all my housemates, I was just like ‘get ready, it’s coming and you’re not going to be ready for it,’” Houck said. “I think people were really caught off guard too, because we kind of had an abnormally warm fall, for a while it was just warm, and all of a sudden the pattern changed and now it’s snowing and I don’t think people were ready for that.”

Lake Ontario heavily contributes to Oswego’s wintry weather.

The lake takes longer to cool in winter than the surrounding land, so as cold air moves across the relatively warm lake early in the winter, it creates an atmospheric setting that can lead to a unique type of snow. This lake-effect snow causes heavy snowfall in areas around the lakeshore, from Buffalo and Rochester to Syracuse and Watertown.

“We have something here that other programs don’t have, we have the lake-enhanced snow, lake effect snow,” Mazurkiewicz said.

“It gets heavy at times and it’s a good thing to be a student here and studying that because it gives us advantages over students studying elsewhere. As a freshman I was prepared for it, I was excited for it, I wanted it to happen. This is what I came here for, this is something no one else has.”

Colin Hawkins l The Oswegonian While many students complained about the snow, others were anticipating its arrival.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

A6

Oswego State students spend Suicide rates rising among college students extra money on marijuana R e a s o n c u r r e n t l y n o t k n o w n , n o w b e i n g r e s e a r c h e d Diana Velayos Lopez Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

Photo provided by Pixabay Although the cost of marijuana varies, students on average spend about $35 for 3.5 grams.

Olivia Bailey Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com Spending from $25 to $200, college students are willing to use their spare cash to splurge on weed. The prices depend on the amount and type, but on average $35 per eighth of an ounce, 3.5 grams, is most common in upstate New York.

A national study by the University of Michigan states that 38% of full-time college students ages 19-22 have used marijuana within 2017.

One Oswego State student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he buys an eighth of an ounce of marijuana at least two times a month. This costs the student about $60 a month, or $30 for each transaction. The student said he buys from the same dealer each time, a person back in his home town, but is aware of the several dealers on campus. He also said he finds himself buying more when school gets stressful, saying he can sometimes last two months before needing to buy again.

Other students said the cost is somewhat the same across the board. One said an eighth ranges from $35 to $45. Another said the most she’s paid is $65.

An Oswego Police Department official said the most that is ever caught on a college student is a gram, costing about $10. Lt. Damian Waters said the city is always dealing with substance problems.

“The department deals with it regularly,” Waters said, and in today’s world with vapes, edibles and other forms of marijuana, there are a lot of weed encounters.

Waters had no comment on legalizing the drug for recreational use, but said he will “enforce the law.”

According to students, the average cost of a gram of weed for recreational use bought off the street in Oswego is about $10 - $15,

which will allow for one joint or marijuana cigarette.

While unable to find students who use marijuana for certified medical purposes, New York state allows the use of medical marijuana, a growing industry that is affecting a lot of people. Kevin Harbison, who is the district manager for Verilife, a medical marijuana provider in upstate New York and Pennsylvania, said he sees the average customer from age 55 to 57.

He has seen the occasional college student, but that is rare because of the certification process needed to be prescribed medical marijuana. Harbison, a former pharmacist, said that it costs “$150 in supplies per patient,” and that will be for a month.

Harbison retold the story of a 20-year-old man who fractured his back. The man was on 12 different medications, in a brace and used a walking cane. Harbison said after the man spent a few months using marijuana, he no longer was on medications or using a cane. Harbison said that example is one of the reasons he enjoys what he does, promoting medical marijuana. He said it promotes a “better quality of life.”

The Oxford Treatment Center, an American addiction facility with multiple locations, estimates that the average cost of one ounce, or 28 grams of medium quality marijuana in New York state is about $271. A joint typically costs $6.30. According to the center’s website, marijuana is a common substance used in the United States.

The website states, “22.2 million Americans have used it in the past month and many start using it in their adolescent years.” With marijuana being legal in some states for recreational or medical use. Prices and accessibility vary from state to state. Costing more per ounce in the eastern states, the national average per ounce is $326, according to the Oxford Treatment Center.

U.S. suicides have risen over 30% in most of the states over the past two decades, according to a story released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018.

There is no known reason for the rise, but experts including Deborah Stone, the main investigator of the study, believe that financial problems have been determined for this increase in the country.

“It is known that economic difficulties contribute to worse mental health. Studies have shown an increase in suicide as a result of job-related concerns, specifically among men,” Cristopher Battles, an Oswego psychologist and mood disorder specialist said. “I believe American culture plays an important role on this rise, as for most U.S. male citizens work and having a good position determines meaning.”

Among the findings from the CDC, the average increase across the country is around 25%. This means that about 16 out of every 100,000 Americans will take their lives. It was also found that suicide increased among people of any gender, age, race or ethnic group. 54% of victims of suicide in the U.S. were not previously diagnosed with mental illness.

The findings suggest that even if there is an actual relationship that links suicidal behavior to mental illness, suicidal thoughts are not only a challenge for mental health. Almost all of the states with a significant increase in suicide rates are in the western and midwestern regions of the United States.

Western states have historically one of the highest suicide rates, which could be related to the fact that they tend to be more rural in nature. People tend to be more isolated in rural states, as it is more difficult to access adequate care. These states have also been strongly impacted by

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Many universities, like Oswego State, provide programs to help improve student mental health.

the opioid epidemic.

In addition, even if suicide rates increased among people of all ages, genders, races or ethnicities, there is an alarming increase in the past years between young adults and teenagers. Teens have become more depressed and suffered higher levels of anxiety problems during the last decade. Researchers have found evidence that suggests digitalization and social media interaction has played a major role in this increase. However, suicide rates among teenagers and young adults reached its peak in 2017. In that year, suicide claimed the lives of 5,016 men and 1,225 women between the ages of 15 and 24 in the United States, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. As a result, over the past three years, Netflix was responsible for it too, as they included a graphic three-minute suicide scene of a teenage in the viral show “13 Reasons Why.” Studies found that explicit suicide images may lead to a suicide contagion effect among young people who sometimes have difficulty separating fiction from reality.

Experts agree that teaching people how to process loss and how to deal with difficult emotions is essential to prevent suicide.

“Talking face to face with the person about what they are feeling, what leads them to think about suicide, what they can focus on to continue living, that relieves suffering and lowers the risk,” Dr. Battles said. “When we are children, we are taught

how to interact, read, write, speak ... In the same way we also have to teach people how to get along and overcome problems, we cannot suppose everyone can do this alone.”

Suicide is the second major cause of death among university students. Recent research has shown that changing the culture and responses in a university community around the topics of suicide can save lives, as students feel more comfortable, secure and willing to look for help when they are stressed or overwhelmed. In this way, some universities, such as Oswego State, have programs and strategies to handle these situations, such as “Let’s Talk!,” an informal consultation program run by the Counseling Service Center in order to engage people to seek individual support every time they need it.

Evelyn Zevallos, a mental health counselor that works on campus says that they have reached diverse strategies to confront suicidal cases between scholars, such as cuddling puppies and kittens.

“It can seem insignificant but spending time with animals can calm people and provide a way to de-stress themselves and leave all those harmful thoughts apart for a moment,’’ Zevallos said. “This cannot directly save a life but it is definitely a start for a future therapeutic coping strategies. Zevallos also emphasized that the ultimate goal is to encourage people to go to therapy and have mental health professionals to help “change dysfunctional thinking.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Some of Oswego State’s programs to combat suicidal thoughts include the Mental Health and Wellness Fair and various forms of counseling.

OPINION NEW YORK

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VOTERS

Photo from Pixabay

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS STORIED

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RIVALRY

The Oswegonian file photo from 2018

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIV • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

B1

Inside biggest Old, new players prepare for Whiteout Young Cards

rivalry within Div. III hockey

How first-time Lakers’, seniors’ Whiteout experience varies

look for first SUNYAC win

Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com

Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com

Bagels, tennis balls and Herb Hammond. Three terms that mean nothing to the average person, but inside the Plattsburgh State-Oswego State men’s hockey rivalry, they are staples. Hammond was the head coach at Oswego State from 1968-1979, leading the Lakers to a 175-123-5 record over that span.

In his final season at the helm, Hammond led Oswego State to an ECAC Div. II West Championship. But after the program refused to put adequate funds into the men’s hockey program, Hammond left to become the head coach at Plattsburgh State.

“The rivalry was already going,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said.

“Plattsburgh came onto the scene with a new facility, their location and they got it going in a hurry. When coach Hammond left Oswego for Plattsburgh, it added fuel to the fire. He didn’t want to leave, but Plattsburgh had a different commitment to hockey at the time. It definitely left some of our fans bitter.”

In his first two seasons with the Cardinals, Hammond led the team to the NCAA Div. II championship game, falling both times to UMass Lowell. In 1980, the Lakers and Cardinals met in the ECAC championship game. Oswego State lost a heartbreaking 7-6 game at home. Hammond would leave the Plattsburgh State program after just two seasons to coach at Brown University, but the rivalry between the Lakers and Cardinals continued to pick up speed.

Despite starting their conference season 0-2 for the first time in program history, Plattsburgh State is not a pushover like their record may make them out to be. Aside from the typical cliche, “throw out the records when these [rivals] play,” the Cardinals are a team that has played well.

“We’ve played some good hockey, probably good enough to win both games,” head coach Steve Moffat said.

“We didn’t have a lot of puck luck … but I thought we played pretty well, especially Saturday night. We showed signs of improvement and what it took to win in the SUNYAC.” Bounces are a big part of hockey, and for Plattsburgh State, it is only a matter of time until the puck lands in their favor. Facing the reigning conference champions is never an easy task, but this became magnified by the situation Plattsburgh State is in. With a new head coach for the first time in 30 years and a freshmen-dependent lineup, it was an unfavorable matchup for the Cardinals against SUNY Geneseo last Saturday, Nov. 2.

Even with their struggles, Plattsburgh State was able to play its game, one that is very conducive for success, especially come crunch time. Much like last season, the Cardinals are a passive, defensive team that is willing to sit back and wait for their chances.

Defensively, they allow the opposition to hold the puck in their own zone.

See FAN, B3

Moffat works up ranks to head coach Brandon Ladd Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com It might be an eye-opener that long-time Plattsburgh State head coach Bob Emery is not coaching the action this weekend. He had been on the bench as head coach since 1989, until his retirement this past March, following the 2018-19 season. To put it in context of how long Emery was coach, just look at the Cleveland Browns. The Browns changed head coaches a total of 13 times during the time Emery was intently watching over Plattsburgh State.

When Emery said goodbye to the Cardinals, they did not have to look far for his replacement. Steve Moffat was there for 16 years as an assistant coach under Emery.

While Moffat will look to replicate the successes of Emery, he is not the same person. Despite that, some things will remain consistent for the Cardinals.

“I’ve got the utmost respect for [Moffat],” Gosek said. “He’s a class act. He’ll do and represent Plattsburgh hockey the same way that Bobby did. He shouldn’t be judged by comparison. He’s a different person.

He’s a different personality. But he’s a hard worker. You see him at every showcase … beating the bushes for recruits. He’ll do what it takes to keep their standards of excellence where it’s at.”

See FORMER, B2

Photos from The Oswegonian photo department

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com “Nothing quite matches this,” senior Jody Sullivan said.

“If you’re lucky enough to be a part of it, it’s a great atmosphere,” senior Josh Zizek said.

“This game means a little more than the average two [league] points,” senior Anthony Passero said.

“I’ve heard it’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing,” junior Jeff Solow said.

The Oswego State men’s hockey team’s rivalry with Plattsburgh State brings many different feelings and reactions. From veterans, like Zizek and Sullivan, who will be playing in their third and fourth Whiteout games, respectively, to guys like Passero, who played against the Cardinals while at Buffalo State but also experienced a Whiteout with the Lakers.

There is an emotion, especially with the seniors, who will be playing in their last Whiteout game, compared to the newcomers who have excitement, such as Solow or Carson Vance, who will be playing in their first Whiteout game.

“It’s crazy emotional knowing that it’s the last one,” Zizek said. “It’s such a crazy crowd and atmosphere.”

Oswego State had not beaten Plattsburgh State in a Whiteout game since 2012, until last season, when the Lakers won 4-0. In 2012, assistant coach Jon Whitelaw was a senior on the team, and Oswego State eventually fell to St. Norbert College in the NCAA

Div. III Championship.

Prior to last year’s seniors, Devin Campbell, Kristoffer Brun, Josh Nenadal and Cameron Berry, the last active player to win a Whiteout game was Justin Gilbert, who graduated in 2016. He was a freshman during that 2012 matchup.

Now, 16 players have a Whiteout win under their belts. Two players, Chris MacMillan and Joey Scorpio, have played in previous Whiteouts, but did not play in last season’s victory. “[The win] was incredible. It was a great feeling,” Sullivan said. “I was just happy to be a part of it and get the win for the town and the school.”

But this rivalry is something special. Other schools do not have what Oswego State and Plattsburgh State have. Solow, who played at Div. I Merrimack College for a year and a half before transferring to the Lakers, said there was no rivalry like this.

Vance mentioned, while at Div. I Western Michigan University, there was no consistent rival, but whenever big-name schools, like the University of Michigan or Michigan State came to town, “students would flock to those games and it’d be intense.”

“Michigan State, when we played them, it was kind of a Whiteout. [The students] had those [thunderstick] things,” Vance said. “The student section was from blue line to blue line. I’m expecting something like that.”

For Passero, who played at fellow SUNYAC school Buffalo State for two years before coming to Oswego State, when Plattsburgh State traveled to

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Buffalo, it was not that big of a deal.

For the Bengals, it was merely a league game and there were two points on the line. The biggest rivalry Buffalo State had was with SUNY Fredonia, in a game called the “Battle of the Lake,” referring to Lake Erie.

While he was a freshman, Passero said when Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam traveled to Buffalo State, the Bengals completed the “north country sweep,” and it was “something that Buffalo State just didn’t do at the time.”

After he transferred to Oswego State, he mentioned that Whiteout was one of the first things he heard about.

“Eventually, you think it’s a little bit far-fetched. Then, once you play, you realize it’s everything everyone says and maybe a little bit more,” Passero said. “It sucks that I’m only going to get two of them, but at the end of the day, as long as they’re two good ones, that’s all that matters.”

With the help of social media, it is easy to see what Whiteout really looks like, instead of relying on wordof-mouth communication between veterans and newcomers. Passero said he is able to show friends at home what the game is all about, compared to “back in the day when [Whitelaw] was playing, when there were no cell phones,” Passero joked.

“I’ve seen some videos. It just seems like the crowd’s in it the whole game,” Vance said. “As a player, that’s something we always look forward to.”

Vance also said he is not trying to get caught up in the “hype” of Whiteout, with any potential “undue pressure,” as head coach Ed Gosek called it, worrying about playing well in front of friends and family. Since Vance has already played his first game with Oswego State, after playing on Nov. 1 against SUNY Cortland, he said it helps him going into this weekend.

“If this was my first game, I’d be a lot more jittery and anxious,” Vance said. “[I just have to] control what I can control. Every shift I’m going to help the team the best I can.”

Solow said he is expecting a game similar to last season’s SUNYAC championship at Geneseo, where it “was one of the most electric games that [he has] been a part of.”

“We’re both going to be playing a little more chippy,” Solow said. “People should expect to see more hitting and just a good game overall.”

See PLATTSBURGH, B3

Lakers look to build off 2018 victory Alexandra Showers Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com With tension ongoing for years, the Oswego State men’s hockey team is looking to take home its second Whiteout victory against its rival, Plattsburgh State.

The Lakers defeated Plattsburgh State 4-0 last season. Being their first Whiteout win in six years, the Lakers are aware of what changes they installed as a team to be able to pull off that strong of a win.

“I think we played more as a team, everyone just buying into their role and doing what they need to do to make others succeed and make the overall team succeed,” senior forward Jody Sullivan said.

With adrenaline and emotions running high, the Lakers know that they must keep their poise going into the heavily hyped game. Despite previous years being very close battles, the 2018-19 season was the first season in which the Lakers were able to pull off a victory in their classic Whiteout game against Plattsburgh State.

“You just have to look at the bigger picture,” captain Josh Zizek said. “We just want to win no matter who were playing. No matter if its Plattsburgh or anyone else.”

Regardless of the extra hype surrounding the game, the Lakers are managing emotions early on and looking to transition their style of play that helped generate last seasons’ Whiteout win, in order to defeat the Cardinals again.

See DISCIPLINE, B3

SPORTS Women’s hockey faces off with No. 1 Plattsburgh State Cardinals won national championship last season, have 7 total titles

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

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

Women’s hockey vs. Plattsburgh

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Oswego State has struggled historically against Plattsburgh State, playing to a 1-34-1 overall record, with its only win coming 3-2 at home in 2016-17.

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State women’s hockey team is off to a 2-0 start to the season after traveling to Vermont and defeating Castleton University twice this past weekend. The Lakers will hit the road once again this weekend to take on their known rivals at Plattsburgh State.

Last year, Oswego State only managed to score two goals during the four games it faced Plattsburgh State. Plus, the Cardinals are coming off a season where they have won their seventh Div. III National Championship, so they will be looking to continue their success against the Lakers. The Cardinals beat Oswego State in their last matchup by a score of 7-1 in the NEWHL semifinal game.

“In the second half of last year, we started to tail off and we really struggled,” head coach Diane Dillon said.

“It was a frustrating experience.”

Plattsburgh State has been beating Oswego State in a very dominating way for quite some time. Since 2007, the Lakers have a record of 1-34-1 against the Cardinals. Howev-

er, with the team off to a strong start, Oswego State will look to change things up this weekend.

“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Dillon said. “It’s fun to play them, Plattsburgh, early. Gives an early measurement of where we are and then we get another whack at them later in the season.”

This will definitely be a challenge for Oswego State this early in the season. The only recent success the Lakers have had against the Cardinals is two seasons ago when they finished a game in a tie. Three years ago, Oswego State beat Plattsburgh State 3-2. Dillon thinks they can take away some of their style of play from those games and turn it into a win this weekend.

“We have to take advantage of the opportunities we get,” Dillon said.

“I think where we have struggled against them is we had chances to put the puck in the net and missed.”

As a team, Oswego State is not looking at this game any different than another game. Even though it is Whiteout Weekend at Oswego State, and Plattsburgh State is their biggest rival, the team is not trying to make this game bigger than it is. The Lakers are still excited to be playing hockey, no matter who they

are facing.

“Every game is exciting, especially at the beginning of the season,” senior captain Kate Randazzo said. “We are all excited to play every game.”

As a team last season, Plattsburgh State was almost unstoppable, especially at home. The Cardinals finished last season with a home record of 16-0 and an overall record of 19-2. To add to that already impressive accomplishment, they have not lost a game since last Jan. 7. They are a team that knows how to take advantage of every opportunity given to them and it shows, converting 24.6% of power play opportunities last season.

“They are very disciplined,” Dillon said. “They organize what they do and execute it very well. They are not particularly fancy, but they move the puck very efficiently. They are smart with the things they do and do not do, which is staying out of the penalty box.”

This season, Oswego State has racked up a total of 34 penalty minutes. Even though the Lakers power play has been strong so far, they will not want to give the Cardinals any type of advantage that will help them get easier scoring opportunities. If the Lakers can be disciplined

against Plattsburgh State, they feel like they have a good shot to win this weekend.

“We had way too many penalties this past weekend,” Dillon said.

“Against a team of that caliber with their kind of speed and ability to execute, you have to make sure that you are defensively sound.”

One area that has shown improvement for Oswego State is the power play. During their first two exhibition games, the Lakers were not able to find the back of the net and convert on the power play. That changed this past weekend as Oswego State was able to convert on the power play three times against Castleton University. If Oswego State can continue to show improvement on the power play and take advantage of their opportunities like Dillon emphasizes, then it will definitely help the team walk away this weekend with a win.

The Lakers head to Plattsburgh this Saturday with the hopes of achieving their first win against the Cardinals in three years. With an emphasis on taking advantage of their opportunities, this weekend presents the biggest opportunity for this team to make a mark in the NEWHL this season.

Former player takes over Plattsburgh State program

Steve Moffat previously coached under longtime head coach Bob Emery

Photo provided by Mark Vasey, Plattsburgh State athletics Moffat tallied 106 goals while a player at Plattsburgh State, good for third in program history.

most in program history. Moffat would add on another 99 assists in his career, bringing his point total to 205, the sixth most in Plattsburgh State history. His excellent play yielded him the honor of becoming a member of the Plattsburgh State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Moffat’s path to the Plattsburgh job is very similar to what Oswego State’s Ed Gosek went through. Gosek played for Oswego State in the 1980s and returned as an assistant coach in 1990. Both coaches spent 13 seasons as assistants until they got their first crack at being the head coach, the only difference is that Gosek’s came with Oswego State.

In 2003, Gosek took over for head coach George Roll who helped build the Lakers into the steady force it is today.

Gosek has great respect for Moffat taking over as the successor to Emery and even more for the Cardinals. Being an assistant himself, Gosek was happy to see the program reward their hardworking assistant.

“Steve sees that side of it, he gets that part of it, the humanis-

tic part,” Gosek said. “I’m sure he will maintain a very successful program, and when it is someone who follows the same path being a so-called career assistant for so long, then getting the opportunity, for me those people have a special place in my heart. You want to see them succeed and given an opportunity … I know he will do a great job.”

It has not been the start to the season that Plattsburgh State wanted, two losses to conference teams in The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo. This Oswego State team has been good, is highly ranked and would want nothing more than to bring Plattsburgh State to three losses to start the season. Moffat is still optimistic and following a path of progression. Not feeling pressure for taking over for Emery.

“I’m sure at some point I may feel it,” Moffat said. “I have not yet. We are having a blast with our guys in our group. We are having fun with it. We are trying to get ourselves better in February than we are in November. We are trying to peak for playoffs and get into the playoffs.”

MOFFAT from B1 Moffat joined the coaching staff in 2000 and was a part of the national championship in his first season as an assistant coach. His first stint as assistant coach for Plattsburgh State lasted 13 years, as he left to become the head coach at Castleton University from 2013 to 2016, where his team failed to make it past the semifinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference East Tournament. His team was two wins away from an NCAA tournament berth twice. He took his time at Castleton University as a lesson learned.

“I tried to do too much really,”

Moffat said. “I tried to have my thumb on everything and didn’t delegate the way I should have. It wore me out a bit, and I think I’m more comfortable in my own skin just as a coach. I was an assistant for 13 years before I got that job and you try so hard to make everything perfect and it’s just not a perfect world. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches and relax a little bit.”

After his stint with the Spartans, Moffat returned to his alma mater, where he was an AllAmerican hockey player back in the late 1990s. He recorded 106 goals in four seasons, the third

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

The Oswego State women’s hockey team will hit the road again as they travel to Plattsburgh, New York to face its rival Plattsburgh State. So far, the Lakers are 2-0 to start the season and will look to go 4-0 like they did last season at the expense of the Cardinals.

The Lakers have not had much success against Plattsburgh State in program history, but it is a new year for the Lakers. Playing against the defending national champions on the road is the biggest challenge Oswego State could possibly have to start this season.

During Oswego State’s first two exhibition games, the power play was not very effective as it went a combined 0-6 as a team. Last weekend against Castleton University, the Lakers showed some improvement on the power play going 3-12 as a team. This will definitely be a key factor if the Lakers want to stay in both games this weekend against Plattsburgh State.

Oswego State found themselves in the penalty box a total of 17 times against Castleton University. It cannot afford to commit this many penalties this weekend. The penalty kill has looked like a strength for this team, but you cannot take any chances when going against Plattsburgh State. Especially being on the road in the Cardinals building where they have had a tremendous amount of success.

Plattsburgh State is coming off of a year where it went undefeated at home and have already started the season at 3-0. With the Cardinals’ known success against Oswego State, they should be the heavy favorites to have a successful weekend.

Men’s hockey vs. Plattsburgh

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com The discipline was better, special teams improved but the defensive zone was lacking in the last 10 minutes of the game for the No. 5 Oswego State men’s hockey team vs. SUNY Cortland on Friday.

Missed assignments and not transitioning the puck to the offensive zone well, not only allowed SUNY Cortland to score two goals in the last half of the regulation period, but gave it a lot more opportunities in general.

Against teams like SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State, who can take advantage of longer possession in its own offensive zone, the Lakers have to push the puck up the ice much better. Head coach Ed Gosek has mentioned it, but Oswego State has to move into the offensive zone as units of five players, and not just one or two players with the three other players slowly making their way up the ice. Once that one player loses the puck in the offensive zone, the other three players get stuck in the defensive zone, and the cycle repeats – usually resulting in an icing.

Expect goaltenders David Richer and Cedric Hansen to split time this weekend, giving both of them time to be named the “main guy” for the rest of the season. Richer “didn’t do anything to hurt his chances” after playing SUNY Cortland, but Hansen will by vying for that starting job, as well.

B B33 SPORTS Fan traditions delayed games with thousands of bagels THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

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

Over decades, sustained excellence, championships have kept rivalry alive

Men’s hockey vs. Plattsburgh

Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com While the game will be at Oswego State, the Cardinals have more pressure to perform than the Lakers. They enter the game 0-2 in SUNYAC play for the first time in program history.

Even with a loss, Plattsburgh State could easily make the playoffs. Early in the season, weird things occur.

Take Morrisville State for example.

The Mustangs were the consensus ninth-ranked team in the SUNYAC. After one weekend, they sit atop the conference with four points. The point is, the Mustangs are expected to fall off, while Plattsburgh State could get on a roll. After its game against Oswego State, it will travel to SUNY Cortland, a winnable game.

Head coach Steve Moffat is still confident in his team, as he has seen his 12 freshmen “improve with each game.” Despite their youth, the players on the roster are quite talented. Adam Tretowicz was an elite producer with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. His 149 points are the most in program history. His style of play really fits in well with the system the Cardinals’ run as he plays a great defensive game, but can also score in tight on rebounds.

Despite the early struggles for the Cardinals and the new coach, Moffat, it will not be an issue for them to get up for this game. There is not much desperation just yet, as it is so early in the season. Still, the team understands the importance of a win on Friday.

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

INSIDE from B1 The tradition of throwing tennis balls on the ice after goals at Plattsburgh State started soon after Oswego State head coach Don Unger took over the program in 1980, as Unger was the tennis coach for the Lakers. To counter, Oswego State fans celebrated home goals against the Cardinals by throwing bagels on the ice to “feed the birds.”

“We’re not talking a couple of dozen bagels here,” Gosek said.

“We’re talking a couple thousand.

We’re not talking a few cans of tennis balls, we’re talking the ice covered. It was 15-20 minute cleanups in both arenas.”

The rivalry reached a fevered pitch in 1987, where the two teams battled for the Div. III National Championship. It was the sixth meeting between the two teams that season, as the Cardinals had taken the first five. In the national championship, Plattsburgh State took the game by a commanding score of 8-3. However, that 1987 national championship would later be vacated because Plattsburgh State had violated NCAA rules. Even so, the win would start a period of dominance for the Cardinals in the rivalry.

From 1988 to 1992, Plattsburgh State won 11 straight games over

When Plattsburgh State travels to Oswego State this weekend, the team will look almost entirely different from last season. The Cardinals lost five of their top six scorers from last season to graduation. This includes top scorers Pat Egan and Cam Owens, who tied with 15 points last season. Plattsburgh State also lost senior defenseman Jakob Engvall as well as freshman Ian Wallgren, who went home to Sweden.

To replace this loss of scoring production, the Cardinals added 12 freshmen to the roster this season. Nine of these incoming freshmen are forwards, with the remaining three being defensemen. Eleven of these freshmen saw ice time in the team’s first two games, both of which were losses.

Brendan Young and Adam Tretowicz are the lone freshmen to record a point thus far, each tallying an assist.

Both of the Cardinals losses came at home inside the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. This weekend will be the first regular-season road experience for the 12 freshmen. Facing No. 4 SUNY Geneseo last Saturday was tough enough, but walking into an arena full of 3,000 fans decked out in all white is not the ideal first road game for any team, let alone one with so many new faces.

As the freshmen continue to adjust to the speed of Div. III hockey, Oswego State is another tough team that will skate fast. The Lakers are filled with veteran players. The mixture of a tough first road environment, the speed of Oswego State and its veteran leadership could create a long night for the Cardinals.

SUNYAC championship the most times, playing against each other.

Plattsburgh and Oswego have both won national championships, the only SUNYAC schools to accomplish that. And they’re both great hockey schools.”

Gosek makes sure his players know the history of the two programs and the history of the rivalry. When a player begins at either school, they know the magnitude of playing in the Plattsburgh State-Oswego State rivalry.

“You can get a feeling from the guys that have been there and played in it before,” senior Jody Sullivan said. “Coach Eddie has told us quite a few things about the history of the rivalry, dating all the way back to Romney. We

know how heated it has been and can be.”

Plattsburgh State owns the alltime series with a 79-41-8 record.

But the Lakers have managed to get some revenge of late, taking two of the three meetings last season, including a 3-2 SUNYAC semifinal victory that sent the Cardinals home for the season. As the rivalry enters its 129th chapter this Friday night, both teams know that when they take the ice, this game is a whole different animal.

“It’s not about the coaches,” Gosek said. “It’s about the schools. It’s awesome for both teams and both schools to have something like this. You talk to people about Div. III sports in general and they’ll bring up the Oswego-Plattsburgh rivalry.”

Photo provided by the SUNY Oswego Office of Communications and Marketing Oswego State hockey played in the Romney Field House until the Marano Campus Center opened.

Plattsburgh State focuses on Discipline will be critical defense, use counter attack for Lakers this Whiteout YOUNG from B1

Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com

Oswego State. The dominance would continue into the late 1990s, with the Cardinals winning 10 of 11 games from 1997 to 2001. At the turn of the century, the Lakers began to keep the series close. Then, in 2006, the Cardinals and Lakers met in the SUNYAC semifinals in the Romney Field House. Oswego State trailed 3-1 entering the third period but pulled within one goal with 11:22 remaining. After the Lakers’ goal, an Oswego State fan threw a bagel on the ice, drawing a delay of game penalty. That penalty resulted in a power play goal for Plattsburgh State, sealing the game and adding an empty netter to close Romney Field House with a 5-2 Lakers loss.

“It just went over the line,” Gosek said. “Fans started throwing them for a second goal or a third goal. The referees had to call a delay of game penalty for throwing things. There were power play goals that determined the outcome of games.”

The Lakers began playing games inside the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena the following season. Since the move in 2007, Oswego State is 14-17-2 against Plattsburgh State. And even with over 170 miles separating the two schools, the rivalry continues.

“It takes two competitive teams in a rivalry,” Gosek said. “It takes two teams that have been in the

What is so impressive with this system is that in the defensive zone, the Cardinals are able to collapse toward their net and clog up the middle of the ice. This results in fewer passes across the crease. Most of the scoring chances are diminished to low danger chances from odd angles.

For Oswego State, it is imperative to move the puck quickly but stay patient. Throwing pucks on net results in a blocked shot and could start a rush the other way for the Cardinals.

“Quick puck movement, especially on the powerplay,” Josh Zizek said. “We’ve been working on it all week, it’s just moving that puck side to side, quick ... They don’t move much but any movement is going to open up a lane.”

These defensive schematics were put on full display during the Cardinals’ penalty kill. While they are only 6-9 on the man disadvantage, they sit back, making it difficult to generate scoring chances.

Against SUNY Geneseo, the forwards on the ice did not attack the point man, instead they stayed within three or five feet of the top of the faceoff circles. With this, the Knights could not find shooting lanes from the back end.

As of now, the Cardinals cannot afford to press on the penalty kill like the Lakers do. Their skaters lack the speed of teams like Oswego State and SUNY Geneseo. This is mostly due to the slew of freshmen who are playing impact roles on Plattsburgh State. Eleven of its 12 freshmen have played in at least one game this season. With so many new faces, the team has not been able to gel quite yet, nor have the freshmen adjusted to the speed of college hockey.

“Some adjust quicker than others, it’s just a matter of when will they all adjust and get to that next level,” Moffat said. “[We] have seen improvement [in each] game from the younger guys.”

The lack of speed hurts the Cardinals immensely against Oswego State. Plattsburgh State typically likes to cycle the puck down low and

in the corners in order to generate offense, something the Lakers do very well. The Lakers speed will be able to neutralize this attacking strategy by getting to the pucks and boards before a Cardinal can retrieve the puck. A similar fate occured against SUNY Geneseo, resulting in one and done opportunities for Plattsburgh State. When the Cardinals did escape their zone, it led to a single line rush.

Plattsburgh State failed to pick up the rebounds and generate a second wave of attack.

One thing Plattsburgh State did extremely well in their first weekend of games was activating their defense when they did have extended offensive zone time. Once the Cardinals were able to enter and establish control of the puck in the zone, they were able to pass it back to their defensemen, many of whom have heavy shots or strong skating abilities. The Cardinals’ two goals have been scored by sophomore defenseman, Matt Araujo. The Cardinals do a great job finding open passing lanes and shooting lanes once they get it back to their defenders, something that is so vital in today’s game.

“How we like to play, is have our [defense] activated,” Moffat said. “It’s just so hard to score goals now, everybody plays such tight defense.

You have to get five guys involved to try and help you score some goals.”

Aside from activating the defense, Plattsburgh State does a great job scoring off of faceoffs. Last season in Plattsburgh against the Lakers, Ryan Kuhn was able to score on a one-timer directly off of a faceoff.

These types of plays neutralize the Lakers’ aggressive forwards, as they do not have time to attack the defense. When the Cardinals get the puck back to their defense in the offensive zone, they have to move the puck quickly or else Oswego State could force a turnover and odd man rush the other way.

While the Cardinals lost a veteran head coach, Moffat will continue the style of play that Emery preached for decades. The team is defensively responsible, physical and seems to score when they need a goal.

The Oswegonian file photo from 2018 Tanner Spink (7) has recorded one assist in his last five games against Plattsburgh State.

LAKERS from B1 “I think the habits you have against good teams are those I would hope to carry over from last year, how you manage the distractions is the key for our guys to maintain focus on the game,” head coach Ed Gosek said.

“We played strong defensively in that game, we controlled our emotions and the pace of the game.”

Despite Oswego State’s strong defense, goaltender David Richer made 21 key saves. Giving up four of those shots short-handed, the Lakers are looking to stay out of the box in their upcoming contest.

“We have to focus on staying out of the box, keeping our discipline and staying away from whatever they are trying to get us into,” Zizek said.

Scoring four of their 28 shots, the Lakers were very consistent with the puck on the offensive end. The team plans on transitioning that style of play into the upcoming contest.

“Our puck management was good and would limit the amount of unforced turnovers,” Gosek said. “They have to be savvy with the puck in the offensive end, get intelligent pucks to the net where we have a chance to get rebounds, last year we were good in those scenarios.”

A game waited for all season has come early this year. The guys have fresh legs and have been practicing to ensure that they are ready to go.

“More goes into this game and we want to be ready any way that we can,” Sullivan said.

Focusing on the contest itself, rath-

er than the Whiteout classic, the Lakers know what circumstances they are under in regards to this game. Plattsburgh State is a top competitor, making the stakes even higher.

“At the end of the day, it is us who is either going to win or lose the game,” Zizek said. “I think with this team, we have a really good chance of winning but if we are not ready or prepared to play they can also come up on top.”

Although Plattsburgh State did lose to the Lakers last year, it did have chances. Having a total of 6:49 power play time, the Cardinals just could not put the puck in the back of the Oswego State net.

“They had opportunities last year, but our special teams were key and last year we were good in those scenarios,” Gosek said.

Out-shooting the Cardinals in the past four Whiteout matchups, Oswego State is planning on doing what it did last year, establishing a net front presence and creating chances for itself in the crease.

“You can’t start to breakup by throwing pucks to the net hoping you’re going to get a rebound and hoping you are going to get lucky,” Gosek said.

The Lakers are focused going into the matchup against Plattsburgh State.

Looking to accomplish what they did last season, the emotions remain high but are balanced throughout the Laker locker room with the shared thought of winning.

“If you’re not on your A-game anybody can upset anybody at any given time,” Zizek said.

Shore Report

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Hockey

Overall 2-0-0 2-0-0 2-0-1 1-0-0 0-1-1 1-1-0 0-2-0 0-2-0 0-2-0

Brockport Morrisville Geneseo Oswego State Potsdam Buffalo State Cortland Fredonia Plattsburgh

Conference

2-0-0 2-0-0 1-0-1 1-0-0 0-1-1 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-2-0

Whiteout History

Points 4 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 0

2018-19

2017-18

Saturday, Dec. 8

Saturday, Feb. 17

McCartney: 3 shots Poreda: 28 saves

OSW:

Gillespie: 8 shots Richer: 9 saves

OSW:

Passero: 1 goal Zizek: 2 assists Richer: 21 saves

PLA:

Lawson: 1 goal Pizzo: 1 shot Poreda: 35 saves

2016-17

1

Points

3-0-0

2-0-0

4

2-0-0

2-0-0

4

1-1-0

1-1-0

2

Canton

0-1-1

0-1-1

1

Morrisville

0-2-1

0-1-1

1

Oswego State

2-0-0

0-0-0

0

Buffalo State

0-2-0

0-2-0 Around the SUNYAC

Men’s Hockey 4

3

MOR: 2-0-0 (2-0-0) FRE: 0-2-0 (0-2-0)

Men’s Hockey

Herlihey: 1 goal Zawadzki: 20 saves

Middleton: 1 goal Owens: 2 assists Rouleau: 36 saves

PLA:

Egan: 1 goal Botting: 3 assists Finney: 26 saves

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

2

2

GEN: 2-0-1 (1-0-1) POT: 0-1-1 (0-1-1)

1:

Three of the past four meetings between Oswego State and Plattsburgh State have ended in a one-goal differential, including a 3-2 Lakers win in the SUNYAC semifinals last season. The largest margin of victory in the past four meetings came on Whiteout Weekend last season, where the Lakers won 4-0.

3

1

BPT: 2-0-0 (2-0-0) PLA: 0-2-0 (0-2-0)

54:

Whiteout Players to Watch

Matt Araujo

Men’s Hockey

Oswego State has outshot Plattsburgh State 134-80 over the past four Whiteout meetings. That is good for a difference of 54 shots. Despite this advantage for the Lakers, the Cardinals have won three of the last four meetings on Whiteout Weekend. Most notably, in 2017-18, Oswego State won the shot battle 35-10 but still fell on the scoreboard 1-0.

4

OSW:

Plattsburgh State Sophomore | Brookhaven

0

5

Neil: 1 goal Jacobson: 22 saves

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Conference

2015-16

Friday, Nov. 13

Saturday, Feb. 4

PLA:

Overall

0

PLA:

OSW:

(NEWHL) Plattsburgh Cortland Potsdam

1

4

0

2

Women’s Hockey

B4

Araujo led the Cardinals in points last season with 15 as a freshman. So far this season, he has both Plattsburgh State goals, scoring off a wrist shot from the point against SUNY Geneseo. Against The College at Brockport, he picked up his own rebound off the back wall and put it past the diving goalie. The Cardinals offense is contingent on getting their defense active and that starts with Araujo.

61.7:

Plattsburgh State has won 61.7% of the meetings all-time between the two teams, with a 79-41-8 overall record. This included an 11-game win streak for the Cardinals from 1989 to 1993. Oswego State has countered by winning two of the last three meetings. The 129th meeting will come this Friday night.

Max Novick

Oswego State Junior | Thornhill, Ontario The junior scored two goals and added an assist in the Lakers 6-3 opening win over SUNY Cortland. One of those goals came shorthanded to give Oswego State a 5-1 lead. Novick tallied 21 points in 28 games last season, good for sixth on the team. Although he did not score in three meetings with Plattsburgh State last season, he did record nine total shots in those games.

1987:

The lone time Plattsburgh State and Oswego State met in the NCAA Championship game was in 1987, where the Cardinals won a commanding 8-3 game.

However, that title would eventually be stripped from Plattsburgh State due to NCAA rules violations. The Cardinals would capture titles in 1992 and 2001.

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

B5

California Tasteless marketing trivializes violence New Yorkers bill misses Massacres bad idea for selling ice cream, businesses should reconsider choose not mark to vote early Annika Wickham Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Pixabay

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com The state of California has recently passed several controversial bills targeting part-time employees and their companies, generating a huge amount of noise on social media platforms.

Last September, California legislators approved a landmark bill requiring companies such as Uber or Lyft to treat contract workers as employees.

Such a bill would make it obligatory for employees to work a minimum number of hours per week, which makes no sense given that many contract workers have other obligations to take care of in their daily lives.

Some even have a full-time job and may just use Uber or Lyft to earn some extra dimes.

Following the success of that bill, legislators took yet another step and passed a bill now aimed at freelance writers. This bill would make freelancers and contributors have to meet a monthly requirement in terms of a minimum number of articles or news pieces in order to remain clean.

The bill tied to freelancers, known as Assembly Bill 5, allows publishers to hire freelance writers, editors, photographers and editorial cartoonists under the condition that they meet the 35 submission yearly requirement imposed by the state of California.

Just like with Uber or Lyft, many freelance writers or media personalities may have worries of their own outside of their commitment to their journalistic employer. Many, for instance, may have bylines with several news outlets, impeding them from reaching such a yearly goal.

[The bill is] meant to help freelancers reach an affordable lifestyle.

The bill derives from the so-called Dynamex decision, which took place back in 2018 as Dynamex Operations West, Inc. was obligated to recognize its freelancers as actual workers.

In light of all the noise and controversy that such passage is creating, the legislator behind it, Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, claims that it is meant to help freelancers reach an affordable lifestyle. In contrast, many who will soon be affected rather view this as a danger to the future of journalism in the state of California. Gonzalez argues that under the current system many do not have a prosperous lifestyle when it comes to expenses and bills.

While legislators in the Golden State took one step forward in making the right choice by allowing NCAA student-athletes to receive benefits from their image and name under the Fair Pay For Play Act, the recent moves taken into action by the state are a major setback in moving forward toward a prosperous future where the workplace can allow a balance between business and being able to satisfy one’s personal goals.

Assembly Bill 5 is set to become effective Jan. 1, 2020, leaving many contractors unsatisfied. Maybe the state of California should think twice about this passage before the new year arrives and put themselves in these journalists’ shoes, as not all jobs allow meeting the family’s needs while holding an nine-to-five office job.

Last week, McDonald’s Portugal publicly apologized for using the tagline “sundae bloody sundae” to promote their Halloween ice cream desserts. The phrase is typically used when describing Bloody Sunday, or the Bogside Massacre, in Northern Ireland in 1972 when British Soldiers fired on a group of unarmed Irish protesters and killed 14 people.

This is not the first time corporations have had to recall products and promotions because of references to Bloody Sunday, and a company as large and expansive as McDonald’s probably knew this. According to The Guardian, both Ben & Jerry’s and Nike had to formally apologize for offensive Bloody Sunday related advertisements.

McDonald’s issued a formal statement apologizing for the ad and any offense it may have caused, even though their campaign was not meant to reference the actual

Bloody Sunday.

Instead, the promotion was meant to reference the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2, an Irish rock band, in 1983. As of November 2019, the song had over 40 million views on YouTube and remains in Rolling Stone’s top-five most popular U2 songs.

Even though the ads made a reference to Bloody Sunday, it makes more sense that McDonald’s was trying to capitalize off of an immensely popular song rather than a horrific, deadly event in Northern Ireland’s history.

Any promotion of a product that is based around the murder of any number of people is inexcusable, even if it was not the original goal of the company. In the case of McDonald’s, they should have done more research before releasing this advertising.

It is one thing to try to draw customers’ attention by using popular song lyrics or artists, but the choice of song by McDonald’s was insensitive towards a dark time in Northern Ireland’s history. Yes, the song of choice was, and still

is, very popular, but that does not make it a reasonable option for an ice cream campaign.

This question has to be raised: if McDonald’s really was referencing the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2, why did they pick this particular song and not another? There are plenty of songs not only by this artist but by others that are just as or more popular than this one that use the word Sunday in the title.

The choice of song to use in these ads does not make sense due to the fact that there are millions of songs recorded that could have been used in its place, and they would not have caused controversy. It seems unlikely that the entire advertising campaign of this product relied on the use of that one particular lyric.

McDonald’s Portugal was wrong in its use of the “sundae bloody sundae” slogan and cannot make up for the damage it caused by simply apologizing. The promotion could have succeeded simply if the company had chosen to use a popular song that was not about a terrible event in European history.

Photo from Pixabay McDonald’s, among other major companies, have been using inappropriate advertising campaigns, which can undermine human suffering.

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

Livable wages should not fall onto customers Restaurants should be held accountable for paying their employees Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com In the United States, going out to eat at restaurants is something that, culturally, is almost unavoidable. Whether it be going to lunch with coworkers or classmates, getting dinner to catch up with friends or stopping for brunch on a Saturday morning, having someone else cook for us is something we have all grown to rely on. This sort of thing, obviously, is not cheap. However, something that the average consumer should not be concerned with is tipping.

Servers, as we know, do not earn livable wages. In the United States, food service workers can legally be paid substantially below the minimum wage. Because of this, many of them rely on tips from customers to be able to make ends meet.

Most of the time, regardless of how good the service is, customers are expected to tip anywhere between 15-20%. This is how servers make their living, feeling hopeful that their customers will be generous that day. If they are not, or simply do not have the money to tip, that could cause employees to not be able to make ends meet for that week. Money has to come from somewhere and budgeting, when being paid in a very whimsical and hit-or-miss way, can make it hard for these workers to keep track of their funds.

As long as this system is in

place, everyone should be tipping at least 15%. Except, why is the burden of servers having a livable wage dependent on customers? The money should not be coming from the customers, who are already paying the restaurant to be there. The money should be coming from the restaurant itself. The minimum wage should not be different for servers simply because they can get tips.

Tips should be a reward of exemplary service, not something to be expected. The minimum wage for servers has to be raised because while the customers that are going to these restaurants and paying their servers, the money that should be going to the wages of the servers is lining the pockets of the restaurant owners.

These wages being provided, of course, relies on people actually

tipping. Often times, especially when the service is not incredible or the food is not up to standards, customers will not want to give the mediocre establishment any more of their money. In a perfect world, not tipping would be acceptable when the service is not up to par. However, unless the server does something unforgivable, not tipping is unacceptable.

No customer knows what is going on in the servers’ life that is causing them to act a certain way. The server did not make the mediocre spaghetti that makes someone not want to tip.

The higher wages, optional tipping plan has been happening all around the globe for a very long time. America needs to get with the program and stop lining the pockets of big businesses.

Photo from Pixabay Waiters and waitresses should not have to rely on the kindness of customers to make a living.

Photo from Pixabay

Alexander Gault-Plate Editor-In-Chief aplate@oswegonian.com Across New York state, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3, voters could cast their ballots early in the regional elections that occurred this year. This was the first year that New York has offered early voting. It is a critical change in the fight to keep voting accessible and hopefully drive up turnout for the critical local elections. Unfortunately, voters did not show much interest.

New York voted to pass early voting in January, giving local boards of elections the ability to set up polling places as they saw fit for their municipalities. In almost every county in New York State, excluding New York County, some downstate counties with large populations and Albany, voters could go to their local board of elections office to vote. Early voting was almost exactly the same as normal voting, although with a lower expected turnout and all precincts in a county kept in one room. However, some poll workers remarked how underprepared they felt for the task.

In a story in the New York Times released on Oct. 24, Erie County Democratic elections commissioner Jeremy Zellner said that the state “just kind of dumped this on us.” For the state to have had no plan in place for implementing the measure is a sad example of what New York so often falls victim to: attempting to be a progressive “city on a hill,” but not planning that city before construction starts.

That lack of preparation may have contributed to the abysmal turnout for the early voting this year. Considering the ardent cries by progressives for New York to make the voting process, from registering in a party to actual voting, easier, one would expect that at least progressives would take advantage of that newfound ease. That does not appear to be the case. Statewide, 2% of the registered voting population took advantage of early voting. In New York City, 1.3% of those registered voted early.

Maybe it is the fact that this year was a year of local elections.

Local elections oftentimes get ignored by a majority of voters because they usually are less flashy, get less TV time and appear less important. That is a poor position to take, as local offices are perhaps some of the most influential in the average American’s day-today life.

Local offices decide what taxes to charge homeowners and even what sales taxes to collect.

They set water and sewer bills, choose the age at which a person can buy cigarettes, where they can smoke those cigarettes and what time the bars and liquor stores close. Local offices choose how to police a municipality and they oftentimes have a hand in running local healthcare and schooling. Local government is the government that almost every person will engage with on some level every day.

The leaders of a city can make or break it, and it is incredibly important to get involved in those elections as well.

Local elections should see more voters than they do now and should ideally see as many voters as presidential elections.

This year, New York made voting easier than it has ever been before in the state. Unfortunately, it appears that the voters of the state have chosen to ignore it, and their own interests, by not taking advantage of the opportunity.

NEWS CASH MOB

A6 Brandon Fallat | The Oswegonian

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIV

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

SPORTS B2

NEWHL FOE

The Oswegonian File Photo from 2018

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL

It is that time of year again; darkness comes in the middle of the afternoon, most days are overcast, the temperature is dropping and for so many people, something called that many call “seasonal depression” kicks in. The season may be doing its best to make you feel down, so finding ways to combat the effects of the dark, cold and wet weather can be crucial.

Seasonal depression is actually properly termed as Seasonal Affective Disorder and is a legitimate mental health concern, affecting about 10 million Americans according to Psychology Today. That is about 3% of the population.

There is a huge difference between Seasonal Affective Disorder and the common effects of the seasonal shift, and it is unlikely that the oncoming fatigue and feeling of discomfort or unhappiness for most people is the effect of a disorder. However, it is almost inevitable that the lack of sun, which is made worse by the ending of daylight savings time in early November, coupled with the cooling weather and overcast days would lead to a change in mood for the aver-

age person.

In college, classes are often wrapping up and assigning the more demanding work to students by the first snowfall. Alongside that, many students are preparing for final exams, and are also concerned about traveling home or abroad for the upcoming break and securing a job for the two months between semesters.

Pairing the holidays with these relatively dreary winter months may have been some attempt by the people who established the calendar to make the season slightly cheerier, but in modern times those holidays can be an added stressor to an already busy time. Not only do you have to deal with the emotional affects of the season change, but you have to shop for gifts, cook for family, arrange travel plans and earn enough money for all the spending you will be doing.

With all this being thrown at the average person in the winter months, self care and mindfulness about personal health are key. Even the smallest adjustment to your everyday schedule can help keep you engaged, feeling

your best and thinking clearly. Many experts suggest the use of vitamin D supplements or even light therapy to account for the lack of sunlight. As sleep cycles can get confused in the winter, some doctors will suggest a sun lamp for their patients who complain of depressive feelings or poor sleep, which can help reset their circadian rhythm.

Exercise is a great way for the average person to help boost their mood.

Exercise stimulates the brain to release serotonin, the neurotransmitter associated with happiness and pleasure, and it can help make someone feel accomplished when finishing a workout.

Even if you do not have access to a gym, working out at home with jumping jacks, pushups, crunches or even just walking up and down the stairs a number of times can work just as well.

If you feel like you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or any other mental health issue, do not hesitate to talk to a doctor. No tips or tricks can substitute real healthcare advice. But if you just feel a little under the weather this winter, practicing some mindful self care can help a lot.

IN THE OFFICE

Studying abroad incredible experience All Oswego State students should try to take class abroad

Nicole Hube Photography Director nhube@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 anything regarding the Oswego State community.

This past May, after enrolling in a fourth quarter English and political science Study Abroad course, I flew from New York City to London Heathrow Airport to spend eight and a half days overseas in the United Kingdom with 12 other Oswego State students.

For many students, traveling to a foreign country for an affordable rate as part of a university program may be the only opportunity we get to explore abroad for many years. The opportunity may turn out to be a once in a lifetime opportunity due to work and home responsibilities, or we may choose to wait until we are of retirement age to tap into our savings and head overseas. Financial aid and scholarships to travel abroad are available to eligible Oswego State students upon application, so there is no time like the present.

When an opportunity presented itself to me in the form of an affordable Oswego State course overseas, I knew I had to take it.

Traveling in a group with university professors and faculty members acting as chaperones and day-to-day planners proved to

be an added benefit that relieved pressure of booking tickets for airfare, hotels and sightseeing attractions on my own.

When traveling abroad, you develop a new sort of financial independence and begin to budget wisely and perhaps more meticulously than you would in American dollars. You are forced to keep exchange rates in mind as you learn to recognize what is truly affordable and what falls within your price range for food expenses and leisurely activities.

Perhaps you discover that an urban landmark you have been craving to visit is completely free to admire from the outside.

Depending on how far you go from the United States, you may find that a significant time zone shift of five hours or more benefits your natural “body clock.” Your stamina and drive to stay out later in the evening is increased, possi-

bly due to a change in the amount of daylight you receive because of your new geographic location.

You may find that your independent nature is heightened, and that being in a new place taps into your curiosity and desire to explore nighttime culture. When I traveled to London, my classmates and I made time to ensure we explored pubs and evening market culture. We found navigating the London Tube system to be incredibly simple and convenient, as opposed to the subway system back home in Manhattan. There are also apps such as CityMapper that greatly aid in navigating from place to place.

I would highly recommend taking advantage of a Study Abroad program while you are a student. What is better than earning academic credit while visiting your favorite place in the world?

Photo from Pixabay Studying abroad through Oswego State is both relatively affordable and an accessible experience.

Dixie

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).

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

Photo provided by @Jae_GB via Twitter

INSIDE

C2 ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ C3 My Chemical Romance C4 Eddie Murphy shines in

terminates franchise

to play reunion show

‘Dolemite Is My Name’

THE LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY Nov. 8, 2019

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ travels back in time to kill franchise Garrick Groover Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: This franchise needs to be terminated. Directed by Tim Miller (“Deadpool”), “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the newest installment in the long-running “Terminator” franchise. The brainchild of James Cameron (“Avatar”), “Terminator,” has been a staple of action cinema since the 1980s. 1984’s “The Terminator” serves as a wonderful blend of science fiction and neo-noir, while 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” is often regarded as the best action film of all time.

However, the franchise floundered in the 21st century. “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” while enjoyable, undid the closure brought forth in “Terminator 2.”

It got even worse with the most recent installments, “Terminator Salvation” and “Terminator Genisys,” which reinvigorated the franchise the same way a pop quiz reinvigorates a class of college students. Needless to say, the “Terminator” franchise needed help

Image from Paramount Pictures via YouTube Following two failed attempts at rebooting the iconic series, original star Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor in the new film.

in getting its spark back and with Cameron returning in a producer role, hopes were high in a return to quality. Unfortunately, “Terminator: Dark Fate” is another bland, bythe-numbers blockbuster which leaves the franchise in another creative dead-end.

The film serves as a direct sequel to the first two “Terminator” films, ignoring everything past “Judgement Day.” Mackenzie Davis (“Tully”) is Grace, an augmented

soldier from the future who is sent back in time to protect Daniella “Dani” Ramos, (Natalia Reyes, “Birds of Passage”), a young woman from Mexico City. After a run-in with the advanced Rev-9 Terminator (Gabriel Luna, “Transpecos”), the duo come across a battle-hardened Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, “Curvature”) and must work together to ensure Dani’s survival from the unstoppable killing machine.

The plot to “Dark Fate” is noth-

ing special. It is a retread of the “Terminator” movies we have seen in the past with very little twists.

The characters are also composites of those we have seen before. Dani is obviously the new John Connor while Grace is the Kyle Reese figure. Unfortunately, neither are compelling or interesting to care for. Davis’ character in particular is underwhelming in execution as her character arc mirrors not only Reese’s but Marcus Wright (Sam

Worthington, “Fractured”) from “Terminator Salvation.” Even the return of Sarah Connor, who is still a complete badass, is not enough to fully redeem this picture.

The deadly Rev-9 Terminator is also underwhelming. Although the effects are decent enough, the Rev-9 lacks the intrigue of past Terminator models. The T-1000 was made of liquid metal. The T-X was able to control vehicles at will.

This Terminator model? It can create two versions of itself. How creative. On a good note, Luna’s performance includes a few decent one-liners that act as the comedic highlights of the film.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” is not a terrible movie but a creatively bankrupt one. There is nothing here unique or exciting that has not been done in past “Terminator” movies. The only hope for this franchise is for Cameron to return and hopefully let the series rest. The first two movies worked because they had a premise that while simple, had excellent execution in both style and substance.

This movie has none of those things. Let us hope this franchise will not be back.

Nautical nightmare ‘The Lighthouse’ explores descent to madness Luis Galarza Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Robert Eggers (“The Witch”) is one of many young American filmmakers, along with Ari Aster (“Midsommar”), Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) and Trey Edward Shults (“Waves”), in this fairly new wave of A24-produced, critically acclaimed and visionary independent films.

Like Aster, Eggers is an incredibly meticulous and calculated horror/drama director whose vision is so clearly translated onto screen that it is almost annoying there are not any objective flaws. In other words, “The Lighthouse” is the newest addition to A24’s long catalog of praised “masterpieces” and it is almost predictable because of this; although it absolutely deserves its place in said catalog.

“The Lighthouse” stars

now indie darling Robert Pattinson (“Good Time”) and the legendary Willem Dafoe (“Motherless Brooklyn”) as two lighthouse keepers, Dafoe being the older and more experienced keeper and Pattinson being the rookie.

It is the usual descent into madness that we see from these types of films, although this one is accompanied by a killer nautical aesthetic and beautiful black-and-white photography. In addition to this, the aspect ratio is set at 1.19:1 and older lenses were used to mimic the look and feel of early cinema, and it absolutely works. The score by Mark Korven (“The Witch”) is atmospheric. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschke (“Fray”) is slow and steady.

The editing by Louise Ford (“Thoroughbreds”) is patient when it needs to be and fast when it has to be. The performances by Pattinson and Dafoe compliment all these aspects perfectly, especially

accompanied by stellar period-accurate dialogue that makes audiences wonder why they have not seen Dafoe play a pirate before. On a side note, cinema needs more nautical pirate stuff at the moment. The film is both a psychological horror film about the loneliness, horniness and rivalry of two men who have nothing but each other and their alcohol, as well as a comedy about the loneliness, horniness and rivalry of two men who have nothing but each other and their alcohol.

However, with all this being said, the film more or less ends up going according to plan. Not to say that it is predictable, but more so unsurprising. It goes to places that one would not necessarily expect but, once having gotten there, audiences are not necessarily shocked either. This may be a bit harsh, but it is almost as if, when people equate the making of Marvel films

Image from A24 via YouTube Robert Pattinson stars as a lonely sailor who goes crazy while being stuck on an island.

to a conveyor belt, this is the equivalent to that, but if the conveyor belt’s mode was set to “visionary psychological horror film by acclaimed indie director.” Eggers’ contemporary directing colleagues such as Jenkins, Shults or the Safdie Brothers (“Good Time”) have a sense of spontaneity and an almost charming imperfec-

tion to their directing that Aster and Eggers do not quite possess. It is not that this spontaneity should be required of all filmmakers, It is just that it feels more aggressively absent with these two filmmakers in particular. It is unquestionably great, but the fact that it is “unquestionable” is the one problem.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

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Punk rock band My Chemical Romance announces reunion show Loretta Golden Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com Fans might have come out of their emo phase when the band My Chemical Romance broke up in 2013, but they can now step back into the light and enjoy this music once again. Rumors were floating around that My Chemical Romance is back in action and, those rumors are true. Grab those headphones and Bluetooth speakers, download some music and get ready to rock out with everyone’s favorite teenage rock band.

My Chemical Romance has been rehearsing in studios in Hollywood for an upcoming reunion show on Dec. 20 in Los Angeles, California at 8:30 p.m., but tickets sold out in minutes. Fans are thrilled to death that their all-time favorite band from when they were teens, is now back in action after being broken up for almost six years. If fans were not as

excited, the tickets would not have sold out that quickly.

Once fans found the rumors of the reunion to be true, they all cried tears of joy, probably while listing to “Welcome to the Black Parade” and getting back into their old clothes and dark, bold makeup. The image is part of the fun.

Fans might remember some

of their most popular songs like “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Teenagers,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” and “The Ghost of You.” There are so many more songs that fans might remember and they can find more like these on iTunes, YouTube, Pandora and Spotify. Fans are hoping that more songs and tour dates

will be released in 2020. Tons of memes rolled out when the reunion was announced. For example, how the fans reacted to the reunion, what a time traveler would say to someone listening to My Chemical Romance after they broke up and much more.

For those who might not know who they are, My Chem-

Image from My Chemical Romance via YouTube After splitting nearly six years ago, the band behind such alternative rock classics such as “Teenagers” are finally back.

ical Romance, better known as MCR, was formed back in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. They talked about that depressing day in history and turned it into a motivation to make a difference. They are an American alternative rock band, who wanted to make the emo style of music popular. They have a little bit of punk rock style as well. The band consists of Gerard Way (lead singer), Mikey Way (guitar), Frank Lero (rhythm guitar), Ray Toro (lead guitar), Bob Bryar (percussion), Matt Pelissier (percussion) and James Dewees (percussion.) A few band members had left before the break up in 2013. The ones fans will mostly remember, who are all back in the action of performing together are Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Toro and Lero. Fans are all hoping that this reunion will last so they do not have to go through getting into their emo phase and then backing out once again.

‘Outer Worlds’ provides fun gameplay despite annoying flaws Kenneth Burnham Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: When “The Outer Worlds” was announced, the developers, Obsidian Entertainment, leaned heavily on the fact that some of their members created the original “Fallout” games and later developed the side-entry “Fallout: New Vegas,” which is thought by some to be the best “Fallout” game. “The Outer Worlds” definitely has a similar feel to that of “New Vegas.” But going into the game expecting “New Vegas 2,” could lead to disappointment.

That does not mean it is a bad game, however, there are many differences that add up to a different experience.

The world or worlds, are not “open” in the sense of a modern “Fallout” game, but at the same time, the game is definitely not linear. Perhaps it is best to describe it as a “semi-open” role playing game. Each world has medium-sized spaces to explore.

Players can fly from one world to another, but do not have to go in

any particular order, with some exceptions.

The story, dialogue and characters are easily the best part of the game. It has similar charm like “New Vegas” has, with its dark humor and thoughtful undertones. There are many important, and at times difficult decisions players need to make. The politics of the game are much more overt than other “Fallout” games, which is frankly impressive. However, this ends up serving to elevate the tone of the game; satire, after all, is best overt. The various companions are easily some of the best characters one will run into. Even if players typically like going solo in these games, going with companions and doing their quests will be some of the most enjoyable aspects of the game.

The characters, in general, are good and usually nuanced.

The quests are very well made. In typical Obsidian fashion, there are many ways to end most quests, usually with some dialogue option if the player has the relevant skill. It should be noted that some quests are disappointingly simplistic, but even those typically have more than

one ending.

The character system is mostly good. Like “New Vegas,” the character has attributes they set at the start, and those determine the characters skills. Where it diverges, is when you level up, you raise the relevant “skill groups,” until a skill reaches 50, then you raise it separately. The only bad part of the character system are the perks, which are largely uninteresting. Unfortunately, this harms the flaw system, wherein the player can accept a permanent debuff in order

to get one more perk point.

Like “New Vegas,” there is a hardcore mode, dubbed “Supernova.” Unlike “New Vegas,” it is an entirely separate mode, rather than a separate toggle. Supernova requires eating, drinking and sleeping, while also enforcing limited saving. There are three problems with this mode: the limited saving feature can be frustrating, as you can only save on your ship. Companion can be permanently killed in Supernova and since they are incredibly fragile, it takes a lot of manage-

ment to make them last and even then, they are often in danger. Everything else about the mode is good, but one probably should not try it on a first playthrough, but if the player does, one can change it at any time, but they cannot go back afterwards.

There is so much to this game and most of it is great, though there are some flaws. While it sounds like a contradiction, if one enjoyed “New Vegas” then they will probably like “The Outer Worlds,” just do not expect it to be a complete spiritual successor.

Image from Obsidian Entertainment via YouTube While similar in tone to “Fallout: New Vegas,” “The Outer Worlds” separates itself enough with unique game modes.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

Eddie Murphy returns to film with ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: After voicing the fanfavorite character Donkey for a fourth time in 2010’s “Shrek Forever After,” actor and comedian Eddie Murphy seemed to have hit a slump in his almost 40 year career, appearing in only three lackluster, unmemorable films since then. With the release of “Dolemite Is My Name” a recent Netflix original film, the opportunity for Murphy to become relevant once more was presented, while some predicted that his performance could warrant award nominations in the near future.

Though the film itself was not necessarily Oscar-worthy, it still succeeded in skillfully reintroducing Murphy into the public eye with a strong performance as the real life comedian Rudy Ray Moore.

The film depicts Moore as he and a group of friends attempt to produce a film based around his stage character “Dolemite,” a profane pimp. Also starring in the film are Wesley Snipes (“The Expendables 3”) as director D’Urville Martin, Keegan-Michael Key (“The Lion King”) as writer Jerry Jones, and Mike Epps (Uncle Drew),

Craig Robinson (“Sausage Party”) and Tituss Burgess (“The Addams Family”) as friends of Moore. As a whole, the film’s ensemble cast certainly impresses, but as it should, it pales in comparison to Murphy who shines in the role of Moore and helps to elevate the film past a seemingly basic premise.

“Dolemite Is My Name”

Image via Netflix via YouTube Eddie Murphy, a ‘stand up’ comedian turned actor, plays a similar role in his new film.

does have moments in which it submits to the tropes established by other biographical films. However, it also deviates itself from these films due to its heavy use of comedy, which is masterfully delivered by Murphy, a man who has been long known for his superior comedic talent.

Also, given the contrasting personalities between Rudy Ray Moore and “Dolemite,” Murphy is also given a way to show off his skills as a dramatic actor in the process, thereby allowing for the audience to get a taste of Murphy’s range as an actor.

Though its premise certainly bears a resemblance to that of films such as “The Disaster Artist” and “Ed Wood,” it embraces these similarities and basks in its eccentricity as a result. Like these films, “Dolemite” depicts an unqualified hopeful as he attempts to create a film of his own. With this notion in mind, it may be recognized that some of

the film’s comedic elements are derived purely from the situation of the characters as opposed to intentionally written humor. As such, the film has more of an authentic feel which supplements its biographical elements, thereby making the story as a whole feel more believable.

With the news that Eddie Murphy will continue to rise back into the mainstream through the release of the upcoming film “Coming 2 America” in mind, it is even more exciting to know that his return will follow his appearance in “Dolemite Is My Name.” Not only does Murphy have the potential to step back into the spotlight, but this time he can emerge as an even greater force to be reckoned with. He has now established himself as a double threat who can generate laughs just as easily as he may deliver a convincing, powerful performance in a dramatic role.

Cigarettes After Sex’s new album ‘Cry’ reflects modern love Abigail Connolly Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Few artists have the ability to create a blatantly erotic album and somehow play it off as a sweet message about lost love and heartbreak, and yet the indie band, Cigarettes After Sex, does this yet again with the recent release of their second studio album, “Cry.” Emerging out of El Paso, Texas in 2008, Cigarettes After Sex, is best known for their ethereal and dream-like musical stylings and gained popularity on YouTube following the release of the self-made EP, “I.” They quickly performed shows across the United States and Europe and gained more popularity before releasing their first, self-titled studio album in early June of 2017. Described as having an “androgenous voice,” lead singer and founding member, Greg Gonzalaz has been credited with making music reminiscent of lying in bed,

hazy and romantic. Listening to their music seems to open the doors of nostalgia, making you forget that the name, Cigarettes After Sex may have a bit of influence on the overall theme of the album and the lyrics.

While a majority of the songs do take on a rather risque theme, songs like “Don’t Let Me Go,” an anthem about lost love and by contrast, “Falling In Love,” use romantic lyrics like “and my heart/ goes out to you/wherever you are” and “with you, baby/I feel I’m falling in love with all my heart” in the innocent manner that the instrumental music would suggest. This sense of innocence is what draws listeners in and keeps them coming back for more.

However, perhaps the most striking feature, the new album is the fact that it masks some pretty heavy sexual undertones in a way that takes listeners by surprise. From the songs “Kiss It Off Me” to “Hentai,” one should expect the lyrics to be a little obscene yet the band has the ability to mask

Image from KEXP via YouTube Greg Gonzalez is known for his epicene method of singing that is both mesmerizing and relaxing, often invoking happier memories.

this with the overall melody and the ethereal undertones, an ability that should not be overlooked. Part of the reason Cigarettes After Sex gained such a quick cult following is due to the fact that they have the ability to take beautifully written lyrics regarding sex, drugs and other explicit content and create something so entirely new yet so incredibly nostalgic.

In many ways Cigarettes After Sex is contradicting what many people associate with over-sexualized songs.

Yes, the lyrics are obscene but not in a way that seems to attack or criminalise the subject. Raw and unapologetic, the lyrics do not scream the message of modern love but seem to whisper the message like a distant memory.

“Cry” is pushing the boundaries that Cigarettes

After Sex already set for themselves.

The album combines the sounds we already know and love with the powerful lyrics we did not yet realize we needed.

At times, the sound comes across as a bit too much, and this is not an album to play at family events but it somehow holds the feelings everyone who loves experienced, whether they would like to admit it or not.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

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'Hazbin Hotel' debuts with masterful animation, strong writing Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com When audiences first take note of the jumpy, vibrant animation of “Hazbin Hotel,” they might fall into memories of shows like “Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends” and “The Powerpuff Girls.” The shows friendly and inviting character designs set a welcoming scene for some looking to rest in nostalgia. It is clear that animator/ director Vivienne “Vivziepop” Medrano (“Too Loud”) is not only incredibly talented, but also has a very specific vision for the show.

Five minutes into its first episode, a city-slicker spiderdemon solicits sexual favors in exchange for cocaine before attempting to murder random demons out of habit. Then audiences found what was truly at the heart of “Hazbin Hotel.”

Its pilot was released on Oct. 28 and is currently sitting at over 5.8 million views at the

time of writing.

The show concerns Charlie (Jill Harris, “Fairy Gone”) the princess of Hell, who plans to open her own version of demon rehab, the “Happy Hotel,” which would redeem the souls of sinners and let them pass onto Heaven. Predictably, she is immediately made into a laughing stock. Until she is offered a deal by a radio-headed demon named Alastor (Edward Bosco, “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”).

The craftsmanship of the

show is present from the outset. With vivid and imaginative visuals, alongside snappy, witty back-and-forth from all of its characters, even including musical numbers that toe the line between endearing and annoying.

However, many have found themselves repulsed by its offputting, raunchy and aggressive writing style. While not toilet humor, it is rare to see more than five seconds go by without someone swearing or

Image from Vivziepop via YouTube 'Hazbin Hotel' is the product of passion that has been three years in the making.

hurting someone else. With the aforementioned spider-demon Angel Dust (Michael Kovachs, “Death Battle”) being noteworthy for his constant sexual language. That is not to say that they are not exciting or even funny, but it is understandable why some might find its constant dive into pure depravity to be a major turn-off.

The show does have an essential charm to it. Each demon moves with an earnest flashy style that reflects their personality. Even with their violent tendencies it is refreshing to see that the show does not turn them into one note tropes.

Despite Charlie’s happy, upbeat and optimistic behavior she is clearly just as aggressive as her peers. But in a very reserved way, with little eye twitches here or there, snide remarks under her breath and the odd thrown punch all add extra dimensions to her character.

Hands down the best moments of the pilot center around Alastor, whose

warped, crackling and radiofiltered cadence is both terrifying and somewhat alluring.

His intentions are purposely vague but he acts as a mysterious benefactor. That is not to say he is not happy making the lives of everyone else miserable in the process.

“Hazbin Hotel’s” next episode is up in the air. With the show being entirely funded by Madrano’s patreon account, “Hazbin Hotel” seems to lack the reliable funding of more commercial projects. It is worth noting that this pilot was fully finished a week before being published.

Meaning that it’s second episode might not have even entered production yet.

While “Hazbin Hotel” will certainly not appeal to everyone, those who can appreciate good animation and fun characters will certainly find themselves tortured by what is likely to be a long wait until the next episode. The pilot is available on Madrano’s YouTube channel “Vivziepop.” Just skip the musical numbers. They are not good.

'Bojack Horseman' does not lose edge as series finale approaches Lucas Fernandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com Netflix is having a bit of a hard time right now and with this hard time has come the end of one of its most ambitious projects: “Bojack Horseman.” Now, if you have not seen this show, here is a recommendation.

It starts as a basic animated sitcom full of cheap gags and whatnot, starring five main characters: Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) as the titular Bojack Horseman, a horse and former sitcom star with alcoholism and depressive self-loathing; Amy Sedaris (“Strangers With Candy”) as Princess Carolyn, a workaholic cat and Bojack’s agent; Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) as Todd, Bojack’s layabout roommate; Allison Brie (“Community”) as Diane Nguyen, a ghostwriter with many strong opinions; and Paul F. Tompkins (“No, You Shut Up!”) as Mr. Peanutbutter, a yellow lab and Diane’s partner with whom Bojack shares

a love-hate relationship.

By the end of the first season, however, it pieces itself together and as a whole becomes worthy of a watch.

From there, the show takes off as a layered portrait of mental illness, discontent, flawed interpersonal relationships and how people who love each other may never understand one another. Though it is not the first show to cover these admittedly complicated topics, it is one of the only ones that does not lose the wonder of its environment. The animation is rich with expression, character and color, getting more complex with each season. The world is absurdist, allowing for off-the-wall storylines and layers of in-jokes that highlight the reality of the problems the characters face. The show stands with The Simpsons as one of the animated greats in adult television. Now it is coming to an end, but it has not lost the things that make it great.

The first half of the final season has been released and

what a release it is. The storylines built up over the past seasons have slowly, surely, crept along in the background, pushing our main character in his quest for happiness and understanding. Now these storylines, having made Bojack and his friends who they are, come to a head, meeting at the top of the mountain for a terrible, unprecedented clash that has been left to conclude in the next batch of

episodes. All of the characters are at points in their lives where the thing they have always been looking for is right in front of them, sometimes physically. Now, as these conflicts boil over, the characters must figure out how to take what they have worked for before it gets destroyed.

It can confidently be said that everything has led up to this. This is the time where the loose ends braid

together into the rope that will either hoist or hang the heroes. Nothing feels rushed; the writers know their characters, and as a result the season bursts with new visual and narrative creativity that push the best qualities of the show to its extremes. The aplomb with which this first half takes off gives real hope that the ending will be every bit as Bojack as it can be.

Image from Netflix via YouTube Bojack (Will Arnett) has been around since 2014 but has never lost his cynical and realistic sting that brings his humor to life.

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FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. Guess 5. Verse maker 9. Goof 12. Fling 13. Imitator 14. Fifth month 15. Wise about 16. Representative 18. Oriental 20. Still, poetically 21. Horn’s sound 23. Wine-producing valley 26. Telegraph inventor 30. Removed 32. All ____!

34. Worship 35. Hen’s mate 37. Sail supports 38. Movie backdrops 39. Japanese wrestling 41. River bottom

43. Spanish women 48. Most destitute 51. Drive out 52. Fury 53. Met solo 54. Appeal 55. Pub 56. Enthusiasm 57. _____ belt

Down 1. Slipper 2. Salad fish 3. Crafts 4. Blemish 5. San Diego ballplayer 6. Unwrapped 7. Wriggly fish 8. Family diagram 9. Radiates 10. Lab animal

11. Kind of bread 17. Swiss city 19. Reviewer Roger _____ 22. ____ capita 24. Jaunty 25. Citrus drinks 26. Disfigures 27. Band instruments 28. Ale-like soft drink (2 wds) 29. Talked back 31. Sour fruit 33. ____ Moines 36. Moscow’s country 40. Iron or lead 42. Actress Cameron ___ 44. Klutz’s cry 45. Govern 46. Yachting 47. Right now!

48. Pen point 49. Epoch 50. Before, to Browning

For this week’s puzzle answers ...

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019

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Photography by Ben Seligson

Fallout 1st is the Fallout Worst On Oct. 23, Bethesda Game Studios unveiled a premium subscription for “Fallout 76.” That is the joke. You can go now.

For those out of the loop, “Fallout 76” is an online multiplayer game set in the world of “Fallout” where players can explore both a bombed-out wasteland and a Metacritic score.

The service is known as “Fallout 1st,” priced at $12.99 a month or $99 a year, which is a pretty greedy upsell to the point where even Adobe is getting nervous. The service teased a number of features like the ability to have a private server, an extra base, a special outfit and a couple of ingame emotions and currency. Mind you, this is also a game that was priced at $60 upon release and pinky-promised that nothing like this would happen, until they revoked that promise a week before announcing Fallout 1st in a “Gotcha!” moment.

Predictably, this attempt has made everyone

really angry, and the fallout from this was nothing short of spectacular to watch. The first strike back fans made was an attempt to purchase the domain name of “Fallout 1st.” Meaning that anyone who Googles the subscription service is met with a mock website that uses a lot of colorful language to dissuade anyone from purchasing the service. The attempt was a success and you can probably find it right now if you went looking.

The next pitfall was something many people know Bethesda Game Studios for, glitches. Many of the game’s features did not work as intended upon release. With some Fallout 1st members taking advantage of the services special storage chest, which could store an unlimited amount of crafting components, only to find that all of their plunder had been deleted. Also, some players reported constantly getting kicked out of their private servers and flung from their mansions and into the wastes of the proletariat to be mocked.

Finally, there is a form of class warfare that has been engaged on the streets of “Fallout 76.” Every Fallout 1st member is given an icon above their heads to helpfully identify those with disposable

income. Other players have grown bitter towards Fallout 1st members for their indifference toward Bethesda’s greed and it has become socially acceptable to attack those players.

In all honesty, Bethesda has truly and certainly forfeited a lot of the goodwill that they have earned over the years within the span of 11 months. Obviously, I have only dug my teeth into this latest controversy but it would not take much more than a YouTube search to find all of the other ones.

Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor

Image from Bethesda snovak@oswegonian.com

Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat