The Oswegonian 9-13-20

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Look Inside: A3 Oswego State pays respects to Jacob Gardner

Friday, Sept. 13, 2019 VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Dorm access policy changes

New residence hall door ID system creates controversy

SA president to focus on improving textbook accessability Alexander Gault-Plate Editor-in-Chief aplate@oswegonian.com SA President Takeena Strachan is seeking to improve the accessibility of textbooks for students at Oswego State as a part of this year’s legislative agenda. “What we’re trying to do it to get reliable resources to students at a more accessible, affordable price,” Strachan said. Currently, Oswego State and the SUNY system are encouraging the adoption of open-source or digital options for textbooks. There are three initiatives in pursuit of this goal currently at Oswego State. One is called the All-Inclusive Access eTexts Initiatives, another is the open educational resources grant program, and the third is the recent introduction of e-text options at the campus bookstore. Strachan’s goal is to have SA assist where needed to make it easier for students to find the

books they need as quickly as possible, cutting down on the length of time at the start of the semester that students do not have the required course materials. Delayed textbook purchases can leave a gap of a week or longer between the start of a class and when a student receives their materials, depending on where the student orders their books from, between when a class starts and when a student actually has their materials. When the book is popular, some students can find that it is out-ofstock at their preferred retailer, causing further delays and costing the student more money. “The university could tell people how to get their books for cheaper,” said Matt Crary, a senior history major. “Instead of just trying to push us through the bookstore, I feel like the university doesn’t really make it easier to find it cheaper or faster right now.”

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Nsikak Ekong | The Oswegonian Scales Hall, like every other residence hall on campus, will now grant access only to building residents instead of all students during the day.

Dyllan Lawrence Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

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The rules surrounding access to residence halls have changed from the previous policy of allowing all on-campus students access to all residence halls before 11 p.m. Starting this semester, a student ID only grants access to the residence hall that a student resides in. This change has created controversy on campus, as students are upset about the change. Oswego State Residence Life and Housing has not announced any changes to these rules as of yet, leading students to start an online petition over the new rules. The online change.org petition, which has over 1,300 signatures at time of publishing, is titled “Open Access to Residence Halls Before 11 p.m. with SUNY Oswego ID,” and

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was created by Oswego State student Kyle Mazza. He said he created the petition in response to concerns of student safety. “The reasons are plentiful, but we are largely concerned for the safety and well-being of SUNY Oswego students as well as connecting the campus,” Mazza said. “One of the main reasons is the inclement weather that Oswego presents and how the new restrictions take away tunnels and access to other dorms for protection against the weather.” The online petition also lists criticisms of the new access policy such as a hindered sense of student community and difficulty finding shelter in a dangerous situation. The petition additionally said University Police had trouble accessing Riggs Hall during an emergency, due to the new access system. University Police and the Office of Students Af-

fairs have confirmed that University Police have emergency access to residence halls. “We really need to look at the way we secure our campus, and one of those changes was the change in access as it relates to students and their ID,”said Assistant Vice President for Residence Life and Housing, Shaun Crisler. “The change really was related to us increasing and improving the way we secure our campus.” According to Crisler, the online petition was constructive for Residence Life, as the residence hall access policy is not set in stone. “I think [petitions are] important ... Any time you have a petition, it’s just another way for you to hear students,” Crisler said. “When you roll out a change, it’s never the final change. What I’ll be doing is not only talking to students, but

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Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State students start every semester purchasing textbooks, which can cost over to $200.

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