The Oswegonian 11-5-21 by The Oswegonian

Look Inside: A3 SUNY Oswego hosts musicians

Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 VOLUME LXXXXVI ISSUE VII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

SUNY Oswego opens forum for Chancellors

Nominations for award of exellence due Friday

Sydney Havens News Editor shavens@oswegonian.com SUNY schools are recognizing students for their professional achievements with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. The deadline for nominations is 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 via the online nomination form. According to the SUNY Administration, nominees must be “individuals of superior achievement, committed to the State University and its students, respected by the campus community and worthy of emulation by colleagues and students on campus and across the entire system”. Additionally, candidates must have completed three academic years of full-time professional service in the position for which

they are nominated immediately prior to the year of nomination. The awards provide SUNY-wide recognition in five categories: Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship and Creative Activities and Teaching. One SUNY Oswego student received this award last year. Nominators will remain anonymous throughout the process. The nomination letter should address in detail how the nominee performed in fulfilling the job description for the position held. As well as how they demonstrated excellence in professional activities beyond the parameters of the job description. Also, how the nominee displayed creativity, innovation and demonstrated adaptability to institutional needs. Nominees will be informed of the nomination in mid-November. Those wishing to accept the

recommendation must submit a nominee acceptance form providing names and contact information for five reference writers by 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. All letters of support should be addressed to Dr. Kathleen Evans, Chair of the Chancellor’s Award Committee for Professional Service, and emailed as a PDF to Ms. Michele May at michele.may@oswego.edu by Dec. 10. Nominees will also be required to email their as well as their current performance program to Ms. Michele May at michele.may@ oswego.edu by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2021. For further information regarding the nomination and selection process, contact Dr. Kathleen Evans, Selection Committee Chair, at kathleen.evans@oswego.edu. Detailed information on this award is available on the SUNY website.

Image via Oswegonian file photos

CONTENT

The deadline to nominate a student for the Chancellors award is fast approaching and SUNY Oswego urges people to get their submissions in.

Calendar...................... A3 Crossword................... C6 Contact Info................ A2 Laker Review.............. C1 News............................. A1 Opinion........................ B1 Sports........................... B3 Sudoku........................ C6

Revisting vaccine mandate from students’ view

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian It has been over a month since the vaccine mandate went into effect, on-campus cases have fallen since.

Brandon Ladd & Abigail Conpropst Editor-in-Chief/Copy Editor bladd@oswegonian.com It has been more than a month since the SUNY Oswego vaccine mandate went into effect on Sept. 27. The campus was able to reach 98% compliance shortly after that date, according to an email from SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley. An update has not been provided since but the numbers were expected to increase further according to Stanley. This would put SUNY Oswego hand in hand with the compliance rate of all SUNY schools of 99.5% according to an Oct. 13 SUNY press release. This has put SUNY Oswego, and all SUNY schools in general, at an advantage to combat the pandemic, with a vaccination rate far higher than the national average of college age students, 18-24 years old, with at least one vaccine. That rate sits around 65% currently. The vaccine mandate has put SUNY schools in position to potentially drop their current mask mandates. However, the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance of masking indoors while in counties of substantial or high levels of COVID-19 transmissions has prevented this from happening.

SUNY chancellor Jim Malatras has credited the return to normal activities at SUNY schools to the high vaccine numbers. “There is a new energy on our campuses this semester because we have fully reopened,” Malatras said. “The main reason we’ve been able to is because our students have stepped up and have gotten vaccinated. Our students have told us they wanted to get back on campus, return to the classrooms, reconnect with their friends, and participate in live, on-campus events, like athletics and the arts.” This energy has been seen on the SUNY Oswego campus as athletic events have seen full stands throughout the fall, the theatre department was able to return to Waterman theatre and the “Green and Gold” photo on Founders Weekend returned with smiling faces embracing closely outside of the Marano Campus Center. The attitude of students varies on the semester and how the vaccine mandate has helped the return to normal. The chief complaint being the mask-wearing still being required, even as COVID-19 cases amongst SUNY Oswego residential students have dwindled down throughout the semester.

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HOLIDAY TRAVEL

William Rogers | The Oswegonian

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Weekend Forecast

Gonian Social

FRIDAY, NOV. 5 THROUGH SUNDAY, NOV 7

Friday

H: 47 °

Sunday

Saturday

L: 34 °

H: 51 °

L: 36 °

H: 52°

20%

30%

L: 40 °

The Oswegonian

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20%

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Chance of Precipitation

NEW YORK STATE

WEATHER FRIDAY, NOV. 5

Potsdam 45°/31°

Oswego 47°/34° Albany 51°/29°

Syracuse 49°/32°

Buffalo 47°/35°

Brandon Gopplet, 21, was arrested on Oct. 31 at 1:21 a.m. for disorderly conduct and violent behavior after he was seen publicly engaging in a fight. NYC 52°/39°

Weather forecast provided by Brittney Sparceno from WTOP-10

Extended Forecast Monday

H: 54 °

L: 42 °

Tuesday

H: 54 °

20%

Keisha Stoutenger, 25, was arrested on Oct. 30 at 11:08 p.m. for reckless endangerment in the second degree and reckless driving after an investigation was conducted by the Oswego City Police Department.

MONDAY, NOV. 1 THROUGH FRIDAY, NOV. 5

Wednesday

L: 41 °

30%

H: 56°

L: 49 °

Thursday

H: 58 °

20%

L: 51 °

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Friday

H: 58 °

L: 47 °

40%

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On the Opinion Cover!

NEWS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK We can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with compassion, imagination and grit.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

-NY State Gov, Kathy Hochel, from A5

Music back at SUNY Oswego after year Artswego concert Nick and Julia entertains campus Kaitlyn Kowalski News Writer news@oswegonian.com This article was originally published in the Oct. 22 issue of the Oswegonian with the wrong attribution. In order to give correct credit, it is being published

“Nick and Julia: The Start of Something Big,” SUNY Oswego’s live event marked the first in-person music series of the season on Oct. 13 in Sheldon Ballroom during the ongoing pandemic. In terms of performing during COVID-19, Ziobro said, “Virtual concerts became the norm for a while.” For over a year, Central New York natives Nick Ziobro and Julia Goodwin had been unable to work in theaters and clubs. Ziobro spent time during COVID-19 “working as an elementary school substitute teacher.” This is something Ziobro never thought he would be able to do, and found it enjoyable. Robert Ackerman, usher of the concert and senior music major at SUNY Oswego, said that this concert was one of the first in-person ARTSwego concerts since spring 2020. Last year “all of the concerts were online” and the quality of those concerts could be subpar, Ackerman said. “Some of those performances had terrible audio quality or bad design for an online concert,” Ackerman said. In addition, the ushering was impacted by the pandemic. Ackerman, as well as the other ushers, were “tasked with scanning tickets and helping attendees scan the virtual program instead of handing out programs.” The tickets were scannable QR codes, audience members got bracelets to prove they were safe from COVID-19, and those at the

Sheldon Ballroom wore masks as another safety precaution. Although ushering was very different, it was not much more difficult, Ackerman said. He said older generations were not as fond of or as well-versed in the change to a digital program. While programs with the explanations of the performers are not necessarily needed for the audience to enjoy the show. Ackerman said he ultimately thinks that people will conform to the new technology, or “learn to live without the advantages that the [advancements in technology] bring.” “It was only a small number of attendees who had any sort of adverse reaction to the use of QR codes,” Ackerman said. Ziobro and Goodwin’s performance at SUNY Oswego was the first SUNY school they performed at together. They have performed together, and previously all over the world. “We’ve performed in various clubs and theaters in NYC, such as Birdland, Feinstein’s at 54 Below, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center,” Ziobro said. “We’ve also worked with different symphonies across the country, like Symphoria, the Naples Philharmonic, the Pasadena Pops and so much more.” Due to the ongoing pandemic, more opportunities to perform will be available. Ziobro and Goodwin worked with Rob Auler, SUNY Oswego’s piano and music professor, with Symphoria, (Central New York’s Professional Orchestra) earlier this year. At Symphoria, Ziobro and Goodwin performed. Since the regular conductor was unable to make the show due to quarantine, Auler served as the music director, conducting and playing from the piano as Ziobro and Goodwin sang with orchestral accompaniment. “It was a true highlight to work with such talented and incredible people,” Auler said and asked Goodwin and Ziobro to perform here at SUNY Oswego.

While Goodwin and Ziobro perform all over the country and all over the world, they are “from CNY [Central New York] and have roots here,” Auler said. Although Ziobro is currently living in NYC, he was still excited to “return home to CNY” and Goodwin, according to Auler, still lives in the area. “With COVID and travel difficulties, one huge focus was finding artists with local ties to make COVID logistics much easier,” Auler said. Goodwin and Ziobro “met doing community theater in Syracuse” when they were about 11 and 13 years old. It was a few years later when they decided to put together their own show. They both toured and performed with Michael Feinstein, Ziobro said. In fact, Ziobro’s biggest inspiration is Feinstein himself. “His passion for preserving the Great American Songbook for future generations is so admirable,” Ziobro said. “I would love to continue to work as a performer and preserve this music and style for generations to come,” explained Ziobro. “I love everything from jazz, rock, pop, Indie and R&B,” Ziobro said. Ziobro and Goodwin performed a majority of songs from the Great American Songbook at the concert, some of which include: “It’s Too Late,” a Sammy Davis Jr. Medley, “Feeling Good,” “I Won’t Dance,” “The Start of Something Big” and many more classic and jazzy songs. Moreover, Ziobro came up with an album seven years ago called “A Lot of Livin To Do” featuring many Great American Songbook standards. Overall, the concert had “far more attendees than a typical pre-COVID concert,” according to Ackerman. “The fact that they had to bring out more chairs is a hopeful sign that people are still very much interested in seeing live musical performances,” Ackerman said.

Potterwatch Meeting Sunday, Nov. 7 2:30 p.m. MCC 306

Super Smash Bros Tournament Tuesday, Nov. 9 7 p.m. Hart Hall Basement Let’s Talk: Walk-in Brief Counseling Monday, Nov. 8 12:00- 2:30 p.m. Penfield 211 Diversity Tea Time Tuesday Nov. 9 5 p.m. Hart Hall Basement

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Image via Artswego‘s Instagram Page

Performers Julia Goodwin and Nick Ziobro both have been featured on the popular television show America’s

Student Association meets at 6 p.m. every Tuesday in Lanigan Hall, Room 103

Two guests of Senate were present and Tuesday’s meeting, Maria Manon of the Latin Student Organization and Jaylin Sutherland from Fashion at Oswego. Manon acts as the treasurer for LSU and presented a contingency fund request of $1,500 for the annual LSU dinner that recognizes and acknoledges important students on campus with awards and scholarships. Manon indicated that while the club engages in fudraising activ-

ities, it is still necessary to request additional funds for the event. Sutherland, the president of FAO presented teh Senate with a contingency fund request of $3000 for the year in order to revitalize the organization and put on fashion shows in the winter and spring as well as for fashion week.

suggested that more combined efforts be made between those who are interested in running a successful DEI team. Beckon also made the suggestion that student leaders go through an organized training in upcoming years to ensure that students understand how to run an orgnization. Lastly, Beckon reiterated the need for organizations to utilize the LakerLife website to update students on organization events and activites. A discussion followed with senators suggesting solutions and deciding that a gap mus tbe bridged between SA and other student organizations. Beckon promoted collaboration between organi-

During her executive report, SA President Takayla Beckon highlighted that the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team has a number of people interested in running it but is in need of more support. Beckon zations.

The senate reviewd new legislation regarding Oswego County Opportunities. SLE 57.02 “Putting It On Credit” dealt with Oswego County Opportunities not being budgeted for the current year, this issue was cited as being the fault of a negligent director of finance. The legislation will allow an account number to be created to allow Oswego County Opportunites charges to be taken from SA funds. The money will not impact students in any way and will charge SA directly. The legislation has been backed by office staff who work for SA and passed with a 10-0-0 vote.

VACCINE MANDATE from COVER

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Oct. 29, 2021

Study launched on SUNY Oswego bird impact

Project is result of two semesters of building it for Faulkner

Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian

Brandon Ladd/Abigail Conpropst Editor-in-Chief/Copy Editor bladd@oswegonian.com

“I don’t like [the mask mandate]. Not one bit. We’re all vaccinated. I get why we have them, but I just think it’s a little overblown,” Noah Moore, senior journalism major said. In regards to the vaccine mandate, however, Moore said he agrees with it. “I think it’s useful for everybody. I’m a bit worried about people who are immunocompromised.” For SUNY Oswego junior Lily Clark, she was delighted with the mandate when it occurred. “I am very happy with the vaccine mandate,” Clark said. “It makes me feel so much safer that I am with students who value the health of our community, and I feel comfortable in public knowing that my peers are vaccinated.” A large reason for the content with the policy for Clark was the ability this allowed for her to be involved in the student media organizations again. Clark, who is the vice president of Human Resources for WTOP-10 and the Director of Public Relations for WNYO 88.9 FM, is now able to do these jobs in-person and be involved in the social aspects of these clubs. Something that was completely missing her sophomore year on campus during the height of COVID-19 before a vaccine was available. The next part of the equation for SUNY Oswego will be eventually reevaluating the mask mandate in place. Even though the CDC guidelines were not particularly cited in Stanley’s email from late September on why masking would remain in place, the language of the memo

was based around the threat of spread in the general city of Oswego community being high. There is still no clear metric on when it would be appropriate for SUNY Oswego to reconsider the policy. Clark believes the masks help but a time will come to ditch them. “I think masks certainly help keep our cases down,” Clark said. “But eventually there will be a time where we should reevaluate.” SUNY Oswego student Jacob Johnson, a senior who is also an active member of the student media organizations, does not see the need for the masks as of now. “Now I feel that if we are vaccinated the mask mandate should be gone,” Johnson said. “But unfortunately I do not see that happening for a while. If we have the mandate, masks should be gone.” Johnson goes further in attacking the mandate, citing it as an infringement on the individual rights of students. He believes that students would have come to that decision on their own. The safety of a campus being fully vaccinated has made Johnson feel indifferent to his safety compared to before the vaccine mandate, but acknowledges that other students do feel safer. Without a date to reevaluate the mask mandate or a specific update provided on the vaccine compliance, it has left the State University in a state of limbo regarding the next step. The decision has also drifted into the lame duck days of the presidency of Stanley, as her successor will be named before Dec. 31 of this year. The decision could potentially be one of the first important decisions of the soon to be named school president if it drifts into the spring semester.

Image via Flickr An image of Shineman Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus, research has been launched on the campus impact on birds.

Abigail Conpropst Copy Editor aconpropst@oswegonian.com Talyn Faulkner, a zoology major at SUNY Oswego, has begun a research project to study how the campus’ buildings and windows impact birds. Windows can appear safe to birds because they reflect trees or the sky, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, but in reality, they are extremely dangerous for the animals. Window strikes kill anywhere between 365 and 988 million birds annually, according to a 2014 BioOne Complete study. Faulkner said the goal of their project is to determine if there are significant numbers of birds striking windows on campus. A former research student noticed many birds hitting windows on campus and began some personal research, Faulkner said. The student brought up the idea of studying the events to Dr. Daniel Baldassarre, assistant professor in the biological sciences department at SUNY Oswego, to determine if there was evidence of a problem or find a solution. Faulkner was then offered the project, with the assistance of Baldassarre as principal investigator,

and began the process a little over a year ago. Faulkner spent the last two semesters building the project. This included fine details like how to survey bird strikes and what buildings to focus on. More key components included figuring out how to collect data and what data to collect, getting blueprints of buildings on campus, planning out routes and gathering volunteers to survey the campus. The project specifically set out to see how different circumstances would affect the possibility a bird would strike a window, Faulkner said. For example, how the size, material, thickness and reflectivity of a window, as well as the sun, treecover and on-campus location, could potentially be a factor in the likelihood of bird strikes. “If you have one window that is heavily reflective and no birds are striking it, that tells us something,” Faulkner said. “If we can figure out what the problem is, we can possibly find a solution to that problem and decrease the amount of strikes on campus.” Official data collection began this semester, Faulkner said. Each week, volunteers go around campus on specific routes searching for evidence of bird strikes. Volunteers look for things such as bodies, skeletons or large amounts of feathers

within three meters of the buildings on their route. Window prints also serve as evidence of a strike. They take pictures, record their location and other details, and finally, the data is gathered on a Google form. There have been no conclusions yet as data is still being collected, Faulkner said. There are some actions individuals can take to make windows more bird-friendly, such as screens, netting, decals, bird tape and one-way transparent film, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website. If you ever find a bird after it has collided with a window, “examine it for external injuries,” Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website said. “If the wings are both held properly, neither dangling, and the eyes seem normal, see if it can perch in a branch unassisted. If so, leave it to recover on its own.” If the bird is injured, bring them to a wildlife rehabilitator near you. Faulkner said that the project has enough volunteers for this semester, and data collection will continue for another couple of weeks. Faulkner said they are still discussing if data collection will proceed next semester as well, but they hope to continue the project. Anyone interested in joining future research can contact them via email at cfaulkne@oswego.edu.

Image Via Flickr

Photo Brief

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

College offers Thanksgiving transportation

Michael Gross | The Oswegonian Students can get transportation home over Thanksgiving break by riding one of the Centro busses or by using a rideshare service.

Sydney Havens News Editor shavens@oswegonian.com Thanksgiving break is nearly two weeks away and SUNY Oswego is helping students prepare for transportation plans. The campus dorms will close on Nov. 24 at 8 a.m. and will reopen on Nov. 28 at noon. The Village will remain open, but guests will not be allowed. Students who intend on staying at The Village over the break should contact Wayne Chapman at wayne.chapman@oswego.edu. The college suggests that students who need to get to Syracuse use the Centro bus. Centro buses run from Oswego to Syracuse making stops along the way in Fulton, Phoenix and Liverpool. Popular stops on this route include the shopping area in Clay, Destiny USA in Syracuse and the Regional Transportation Center where students can connect to other bus and train services.

The reduced fair cost for a Centro bus ticket is $2, cash only, each way. Reduced fare requires a valid Oswego student ID and SA sticker. For students travelling long distances without a car, the college suggests connecting through Syracuse and then traveling via bus, train or plane. Hancock International is the closest airport, while the Regional Transportation Center (RTC) is the major departure point for trains and buses. Both hubs are about an hour’s distance from SUNY Oswego. Students can travel to the RTC through the Centro bus system or ridesharing options. Hancock International can be reached through ridesharing or a combination of bus and ridesharing. Prior to leaving the residence halls for break, students are reminded to close and lock the windows, empty their wastebaskets, turn off all lights and alarm clocks, generally clean the room and lock the door. Stu-

dents will be billed for trash left in the room. Residence hall staff members will check all rooms after the building has been locked to make certain that rooms are secured and that there are no obvious hazards. Once this inspection has been completed, student rooms will not be entered unless there is a special reason to do so. In such cases, a note will be left informing the residents of the time, date, and reason for entry. Also, the residence halls are patrolled regularly by University Police during the recess period and any unauthorized persons entering, attempting to enter, or found in the building will be subject to arrest. The discovery of the possession of any materials which violate State laws or college regulations may be confiscated and may lead to disciplinary action. Resident students in need of housing over Thanksgiving recess can make arrangements by contacting the Office of Residence Life & Housing, 303 Culkin Hall, 315.312.2246.

Photo Brief SUNY places Afghan refugees, none in Oswego

WILL IS MAKING ME GRAPHIC FOR THIS B OX

Images courtesy of Jackie Orchard

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras applauded the efforts by schools in the SUNY system to help those displaced by the conflict in Afghanistan.

Tomas Rodriguez Assistant News Editor trodriguez@oswegonian.com SUNY is joining other colleges nationwide in welcoming Afghan refugees following the Taliban’s rise to power. SUNY’s campus at Buffalo State College is spearheading the initiative among SUNY schools. Here, an estimated 100 evacuees are slated to be placed in transitional housing. “SUNY is currently working with resettlement agencies across New York state, particularly in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany in order to connect incoming Afghan evacuees with free educational opportunities,” Jackie Orchard, SUNY Spokesperson said. “SUNY looks forward to welcoming Afghan evacuees with opportunity and dignity.” In order to move the initiative forward, SUNY is partnering with organizations such as the Catholic Charities of Buffalo, the International Institute

of Buffalo, Jericho Road Community Health Center, Jewish Family Services and Journey’s End Refugee Services. As of now, SUNY Oswego has not placed any Afghan refugee students on campus, said Wayne Westervelt, SUNY Oswego’s cheif communication officer. “We can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with compassion, imagination and grit, and there are vast resources across the state to give the Afghan evacuees a solid start here in the United States,” said NY Gov. Kathy Hochul during a press conference Oct. 14. “The arduous journey that thousands of Afghans have taken over the last few weeks is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new chapter that we can help them write.” According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there is a total of 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees worldwide. SUNY would provide assistance for refugees aged 12 and above. That assistance would include access to laptops and other equipment they

may need for educational purposes, officials said. “Public higher education empowers social mobility and social progress,” said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras during the Oct. 14 press briefing. “We are made stronger by their stories and their heritage, and we welcome them with safety and opportunity.” Aside from Buffalo, other areas statewide that will see an influx of Afghan refugees arrive as part of the partnership with SUNY include Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan Aug. 14 shortly after President Joe Biden ordered American troops there to repatriate putting an end to the 20-year war there. The Oswegonian has reached out to the International Institute of Buffalo for further comment, although they declined further comment citing clients’ privacy and safety. The State Department has also been contacted for comment, but has yet sent a response.

NEWS A6 Global Awareness Conference kicks off THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Photo Brief

Diversity Speaker Series

Kairos Blanket Exercise celebrates indigenous peoples

Image via Laker Life The global awareness conference feautres various events throughout the month of November that celebrate indigenous peoples

Image via Laker Life

Brandon Ladd Editor-in-Chief bladd@oswegonian.com The I Am Oz: Diversity Speaker Series continues Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Marano Campus Center Auditorium with Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., a New York Times bestselling author and Chair of Princeton’s Department of African American studies. Glaude Jr. is a frequent guest on MSNBC shows including Morning Joes, Deadline Whitehouse with Nicole Wallace and Meet the Press. His field of expertise includes race relations in America and has a style similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Baldwin when it comes to confronting history and bringing America’s complexities, vulnerabilities and hope into full view. Glaude Jr. went to HBCU Morehouse State at 16 years old, leaving his home of Moss Point, Mississippi to begin studies at the former alma mater of Martin Luther King Jr. He then proceeded to receive a master’s of African American studies from Temple University and a PhD in religion from Princeton University. A highly accomplished and respected scholar of religion, Glaude is a former president of the American Academy of Religion. His

books on religion and philosophy include "An Uncommon Faith: A Pragmatic Approach to the Study of African American Religion," "African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction" and "Exodus! Religion, Race and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America, "which was awarded the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Book Prize. According to his bio, “Glaude is known both for his inspiring oratory and ability to convene conversations that engage fellow citizens from all backgrounds, from young activists to corporate audiences looking for a fresh perspective on DEI." In 2011, he delivered Harvard’s DuBois lectures. His 2015 commencement remarks at Colgate University titled, "Turning Our Backs," was recognized by the New York Times as one of the best commencement speeches of the year.” Glaude also hosts Princeton’s AAS podcast, a conversation around the field of African American Studies and the Black experience in the 21st century. His Oswego appearance is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 6 p.m. SUNY Oswego's new spectator policy requires those attending indoor events to be fully vaccinated or to have a recent negative COVID-19 test.

Annika Wickham Cheif Copy Editor awickham@oswegonian.com

As part of the 2021 Global Awareness Conference, SUNY Oswego hosted a Kairos Blanket Exercise on Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The Global Awareness Conference this year is based on Indigenous food sovereignty and features events daily Nov. 1 through Nov. 5. Every event is free and available to students, according to the SUNY Oswego website. The conference is returning to in-person after a year online and ends with a keynote speaker and a show by Haudenosaunee performers in the Sheldon Ballroom. The Blanket Exercise was hosted in part by Kairos, which “is a movement of Indigenous, settler and newcomer peoples committed to ecological justice and human rights,” according to the Kairos Blanket Exercise website. The presentation started with a speech from Awhenjiosta Myers, who was the moderator. “History books rarely tell the difficult and painful truth about the invasion of Native lands,” Myers said. “We all have a responsibility to learn the truth about it if we are to begin to right the wrong done to the original peoples. These truths have gone on for far too long.” The Blanket Exercise was originally created over 15 years ago by the Aboriginal Rights Coalition in Canada who worked directly with Native populations in the region to develop a “way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught,” according to the Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON), an organization that recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the Onondaga Nation in central New York. NOON has since worked with Kairos to adapt the program to tribes in the U.S. The exercise was a mix of history and personal experience from presenters and was meant to educate attendees about the true history of colonization and abuses against Native Americans by Europeans. Those in the Zoom call were asked to keep their cameras on because “we have been separated too much” in the past and the hope of the event is to

educate and bring communities together, according to Myers. Other members leading the presentation included Cindy Squillace, who ran the Zoom, Tony Del Plato, a historian, Samuel George, a “native voice,” Jack Manno, who played a “European voice,” Buffy Curtis, who was the narrator and Curtis Waterman, who played the flute in between sections of the presentation. The event was a scripted presentation that condensed “500 years of history in 60 minutes” and began with Curtis asking everyone to close their eyes and reflect on what they knew about Native Americans and their communities. After a moment, George and Del Plato gave information about the tribes of the area. “One of my favorite things about my culture is how we’re taught that everything on Earth has to be respected,” George said. “It is an important part of our culture [that] covers everything, and includes respecting ourselves.” The presentation continued with information about Christopher Columbus and how his arrival in North America, or “Turtle Island'' as the Native populations called it, shaped how Indiginous people were treated for the rest of history. Manno, who spoke as if he were a European from that time period, shared information about gold mining and how the Native populations were severely abused by their white suppressors and large percentages of them died due to physical wounds, exhaustion or starvation. The next topic discussed was smallpox and other infectious diseases that decimated the Native Americans and a moment of silence was given for all the lives lost. “Imagine losing 90% of your community in the next two months,” Curtis said. “Picture your community with 90% less elders; Elders [who] hold knowledge [and] cannot pass that knowledge to help survive. 90% fewer people to ensure food and clean water.” Curtis continued, saying that the trauma from all the loss travelled “down generation to generation … but so did resilience.” Participants in the events then went into breakout rooms to discuss their thoughts and feelings about what had been discussed so far. Everyone was

encouraged to introduce themselves and share an anecdote about what they had learned. “It’s disturbing,” George said. “Still today hearing about it [smallpox] again, it’s hard to hear.” Waterman, who grew up on a reservation, said there was a portion of land where everyone was forbidden to go because of the fear of catching smallpox. “[There is a] place on the reservation where smallpox blankets are buried and where people infected are buried,” Waterman said. “We were told as kids not to go over there because of the smallpox under the ground.” Other topics discussed included how the creation of the U.S. and Canadian border impacted Native communities and separated families, the history of U.S. presidents and their relationship with Indigenous peoples and boarding schools for Native children. George went to a predominantly white elementary school where “they didn’t like kids off the reservation.” He said they were not allowed to speak Seneca language or would “get beat” by the teachers. “They said I was a ‘bad guy,’” George said. “I [still] don’t know what that means.” The exercise also had information about the history of the Trail of Tears and other forced removal of Indigenous tribes from their land. According to the presenters, 46,000 people were removed from 25 million acres of land east of the Mississippi River. At the end of the presentation, attendees went back into break out sessions to discuss their overall experience and feelings about the information. Myers said she hopes everyone who participated would spread what they learned to others. “We encourage you to set up a time to continue these conversations with colleagues, friends and family,” Myers said. “It is the responsibility of those who have benefited from [colonization] to face this history [and] acknowledge the best contributions of our Indiginous neighbors.” The end to this year’s Global Awareness Conference is an address by Mariaelena Huambachado on Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sheldon Ballroom and will be followed by a Haudenosaunee sing and dance performance.

Brandon Ladd

bladd@oswegonian.com

John Custodio

jcustodio@oswegonian.com

OPINION CANDY CORN

A B52 Photo from Flickr

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXVI ISSUE VIII

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

SPORTS B6

MEN’S SOCCER

Photo from William Rogers

How is spring semester registration going?

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Good luck freshmen

Mad rush

Stressful time

Registration can be a blessing or a curse for a SUNY Oswego student because of the stress of getting into a class or not. One student’s fortune is another student’s misfortune. As far as me this spring semester registration, I was able to get into my last four master’s level classes with no problem. The registration gets easier as you advance up in your program. I feel for the wide-eyed freshmen who are doing this on their own for the first time. It is not easy.

Registration went really well for me this semester, I got into all the classes I wanted with no issues. But I know others are not so lucky and already have a ton of problems trying to fit in their classes. I always feel like registering is a mad rush to get everything in and done, so I am definitely happy I got mine out of the way early.

Registration is always a stressful time. Trying to find classes that fit together while also ensuring you are taking the correct courses is a lot. Plus, you have to worry about your sleep schedule, mental health and extracurriculars months in advance. To add to the stress, I have found that there are not a lot of courses avaialble for the spring semester. So, it is definitely a lot to deal with. But, I know I will get through it just as I have in the past. And you will too!

- Annika Wickham, Chief Copy Editor

- Brandon Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

- Abigail Conpropst, Copy Editor

From the archives: from Oct. 20, 1967 Tony Gero writes about the stigma surrounding beards Gero also comments on new mailboxes, Moses and hippies

Copied by John Custodio Opinion Editor jcustodio@oswegonian.com The following article was written for the Oct. 20, 1967, edition of The Oswegonian. It is a comedic article that I found fitting for this issue after a stressful week in the office. The exact phrasings and style are true to our archives, so they will not be formatted in current AP Style. Tony Gero, a staff writer at the time, wrote the near-satirical article. Greetings Group - About two weeks ago, as I passed near Hart and Funnelle, I was somewhat startled by several co-eds running & screaming. I paused to speculate on what could be the cause of this seemingly spontaneous outburst (definition of a happening). I wonder, from the amount of commotion, if it could possibly be a daylight panty raid (No, Brockport has tried that one). Could it be that alcohol on campus was passed? No, I conjectured neither of these seemed likely. Thus, I went nearer to what seemed to be the center of the outburst. Then, as I pushed my way through the growing crowd, I The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 saw the object which was causing this disturbance. The object was about 3 1/3” high, 2’ wide and was painted red, white & We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or any- blue (No, it wasn’t a midget John Bircher). It was a U.S., regthing regarding the Oswego State community. ular sized mail box 1968 model with thirty eight non-noticeEmail all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail able changes. The sight of this submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 mailbox near Funelle, and another near Seneca, was the

cause of jubilation for the residents of those dorms. However, it was a slight disappointment to me, since I was going to discuss the lack of proper mailing facilities in these areas (curses, foiled again). But that’s life; so now I have another burning issue - segregation. Yes, segregation - pure and simple is the question. For too long we have been segregating against people who grow beards. Every man alive has long had the urge, no, the duty, to grow a beard. Yet, when he does grow a beard, he is labeled immediately, bymany as a radical, a hippie, a nut and so on. It is an appaling situation. But I say, look at all the great people who have had beards like Moses, Marcus Aurelius, Napoleon, Lincoln and Santa Claus. Did a beard hinder them from opening sea land, holding empires, building empires

and getting his picture on a five dollar bill & pioneering air flight? No! It is a natural need for a man to grow a beard and it is not a Red plot of conspiracy (just because Lennin & Marx had beards it doesn’t mean that people with beards are Communist). And for those who fear an economic recession in the economy caused by an increase in beards, need only look at what happened with cigarette sales after the President’s Council report. I’m only asking for the right not to be labeled by scoiety if one does grow a beard. I think Herman Capacino said it better than I when he once said, “To beard or not beard, that is the question. Whether it is nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of society or to conform... But all we have to beard is ourselves, so be not afraid.” Until next time... Pax.

THE OSWEGONIAN G UIDELIN ES

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.

Photo from John Custodio From the 1967-1968 archives book of The Oswegonian, the article is titled “This End Up.”

STEVE

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 Sydney Havens

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Dining halls Candy corn does not deserve hate Restaurant Haters simply do not have the proper tastebuds to appreciate workers must are not that bad be tipped Ariana St. Hilaire Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Flickr

Sarah Skibickyj Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Since COVID-19 has started it seems as if the dining halls have not had many options for food. There are several dining halls on campus including Lakeside, Cooper, Littlepage and Pathfinder and they all provide different food options. It seems like they are on a rotation of the same meals every few weeks and each dining hall following a different rotation. With this schedule it can feel repetitive at times. I personally do not eat in the dining halls often, only once or twice a week but I do often see the same handful of meals as the weeks go by. Some things in the dining halls and food selections have changed in light of COVID-19. Late night is a thing again and people can get their own drinks again and there is no longer takeout options.The food though in the school year of 2019-2020 seemed to have more variety to it and had a lot more to offer to students. The meals are also planned out in advance as there is a calendar online that shows the meals at each dining hall for the next week or so to come. I have always liked this to see what I want to eat that day for each meal. College is a place where we live for months at a time so being an on-campus student means our meals come from our meal plans in the dining hall. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in these places so to have the same meal options every two or three weeks makes it get old and boring. The food still tastes good. Obviously everyone has different tastes in what they do and do not like but nothing I have tried in the dining halls has ever been extremely gross or disgusting. Even with the limited food options though they still almost always have something that would be of interest to eat. They offer salads and sandwiches at all times and there is often pasta and a grill line at lunch time. Even though the main meals may not be great at times it’s not as if students will starve. Compared to the variety though the service is always great from what I have seen. The lines usually aren’t too long and usually move pretty fast. The dining hall workers are ready to ask you what you want and have always been very nice. I also often see dining hall workers cleaning the tables when they are empty so we know things are being cleaned. Especially in 2021 with everything COVID-19 related and even with sicknesses going around campus this fall semester, cleaning surfaces in which many people are touching it is important and it is good that it is being done in the dining halls. It is understandable that it is hard to come up with different meal ideas and also to have to cook the large amounts it takes to feed students on campus but adding a bit more variety in the food rotation might be more beneficial for students. Being a student here on campus I obviously do not know what goes into coming up with meal plans and cooking the food and I imagine that is difficult. It could be interesting though to have new foods or meals introduced here on the SUNY Oswego campus for future semesters to come.

With the holiday of candy and trick or treating having recently passed, it is imperative to address the second best day of celebration in October: National Candy Corn Day. This day of recognition falls on Oct. 30 every year and is the source of brutal controversy with equally passionate lovers and haters of the candy. Many of whom enjoy debating the subject in the comment section of seasonal candy corn themed social media posts. It is clear, however, that these haters lack the cultured palate that the lovers possess. The most common complaint made is that candy corn is ‘too sweet’ but is that not the purpose of candy? This argument is an attack on candy as a whole and should be reevaluated for the sake of good taste. In order to fully grasp the brilliance of this sweet snack its history must be evaluated. The colorful candies stem all the way back to their year of creation in 1880 by Philadelphia candymaker George Renninger. The candy rose to popularity with the help of the modern day Jelly Belly Candy Co. and the company continues to sell the tri-colored candy today. The sweet vanilla, marshmallow flavored candy is produced by the tons year round. The National Confectioners Association found that over 35 million tons of candy corn are produced each year to keep up with demands. Candy corn has been associated with Halloween for decades, but different colored variations of the candy are available year round

for different holidays. Many candy companies, including the popular Brach’s Confections Inc., have expanded their selections introducing candy corn in different flavors and shapes. Yet, another reason why the candy has maintained popularity for so long. There has even been the introduction of candy corn themed baked goods. Grocery stores shelves are lined with cookies frosted with the classic yellow, orange, and white pattern and cupcakes with candy corn sprinkled on top. Oreo released a limited edition candy corn flavored twist on their iconic cookie and The Hershey Company introduced a white chocolate snack that included small candy corn bits. The demand for this candy is undeniable. Candy corn themed merchandise has gained in popularity in recent years as well. This candy has made its way onto shirts, hats, socks and more. There are even Halloween cos-

tumes dedicated to the candy with some extremely dedicated fans making matching costumes for their pets. Plus, candy corn is one of the healthier candy options with only 140 calories for every 19 pieces and around 28 grams of sugar. Of course, no candy could ever really be considered healthy but this fact is too important to disregard. There is a significant amount of artificial coloring and flavoring used, but virtually all candy is made up of sugar, corn syrup and several different kinds of the same color so this serves as a minor detail. Regardless of the debate surrounding this famous candy, the positive demand is too significant to overlook. Taste buds can be hard to change so if the aforementioned information was not enough to encourage a reevaluation of the candy corn itself let it be a reminder that only the most special candies have nationally recognized days of celebration.

Photo from Flickr Candy corn is made of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin and a number of artificial colorations.

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

Photo from Flickr

John Custodio Opinion Editor jcustodio@oswegonian.com This past Saturday morning, on Oct. 30, I crawled my way into Riverwalk Bagels in downtown Oswego knowing the only way to cure my ailment was a bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel and a coffee. It was a decent sandwich, a little overpriced but whatever, and the employees were very nice and walked over to me to hand me my sandwich instead of just tossing it on some counter. Pleasant experience all around. The only downside? No tip jar. I asked if there was one, already knowing the answer from friends of mine, just to see what they would say. The cashiers said they are not allowed to have a tip jar, something that does not hurt the restaurant at all and can only help the college-aged people working there. That is one of the most absurd restaurant policies I have seen in a while. I am not saying I always tip, regardless of how good my server is. In restaurants of course, if the server does a fine job, nothing special, they will get a 20% tip. If they do an excellent job or something special, I will tip more. Only if they go out of their way to be downright horrible I do tip under 20%, if any. Similarly, if I am at a coffee shop, if the cashiers are a little short with me or just not friendly, I will not tip. But most of the time I will throw a dollar or two in their jar.

“Only if they go of their way to Facebook whistleblower courageous, justified out be downright horSocial media outage happened at too-perfect a time rible do I tip under 20%, if any.” lawyer on Earth. This 60 Minutes you? What a crazy timing of the Bradley Wiggins Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

With the recent controversy of the Facebook whistleblower, one must ask, how is Facebook’s algorithm impacting me and people I know. And the other millions of people. When I heard about a woman coming out against Facebook claiming they knowingly decreased people’s quality of life, I felt a sense of justice. A sense of justice that someone was so brave and courageous to go against a multi-billion-dollar company to fight for what is right and for all human beings of the world. At the same time however, it angered me. I did not want it to be true, but I knew deep down that Facebook was more than likely doing these terrible things. People start businesses for many reasons, but the main reason is to make money and that is what Facebook wants to do at all costs. They do not care how you feel, they do not care what you are going through or the damage they have done to you. And that should anger you just as much as it angers me. Frances Haugen, a former data scientist for Facebook, courageously made her stance against Facebook in her 60 Minutes interview. Haugen claims, “Facebook lied to the public about making progress against, hate, violence and misinformation.” But who else is going to hold Facebook accountable other than Haugen. Hopefully more than one person because I am sure Facebook can afford the best

interview by Haugen is very important in the development of mental health effects from social media, and I recommend to each and every one of you reading this to watch this interview for yourself. Keep in mind too that Facebook owns the app Instagram, the app that is designed and based around people’s personal lives and their social life. It was even revealed by Haugen that Instagram makes teenage girls feel worse about themselves and that Facebook is not doing anything to help. Hopefully, through Haugen’s bravery, Facebook will be held accountable for their actions. Shortly after this interview, Facebook crashed and was inaccessible to many users which ironically, many Facebook users are referring to as the Facebook outage of 2021. I am proud and glad to say that I survived the Facebook outage of 2021, did

Facebook outage and coincidence that this occurred directly after the interview was released. Out of any time Facebook could have crashed, the one time it crashes shortly after a former employee comes out against the company with Facebook’s internal documents. According to the New York Times, the last significant outage was in 2019 and Facebook employees who had returned to working in the office were also unable to enter buildings and conference rooms because their digital badges stopped working. I am no conspiracy theorist, but it is rather suspicious that the day after the 60 Minutes interview of Haugen came out, Facebook went offline, and employees had trouble entering buildings. Was Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, covering his tracks in preparation of future accusations? Time will tell.

Photo from Flickr Mark Zuckerberg recently denied that Facebook prioritizes profits over user safety.

I have worked in restaurants for about seven years, from a cafe to a dinner restaurant to a bar/restaurant combo. People that have not worked in a restaurant just cannot fathom how much the job sucks sometimes, and the only reason people still work in restaurants is the money. As much as it is overplayed, “Karens” are a real thing. I am not going to sit and argue with you because you did not know what scallions are, just like I am not going to be busting my behind running food and drinks to a million tables for $12 an hour. No. Restaurant workers need to be tipped. Nobody needs to eat out. I could have made my bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel at home. Maybe not the specific ingredients, but I could have gone to Price Chopper and cooked for myself. Instead, I was lazy. People only go to restaurants because they are lazy, or lack the cooking ability, both of which are solvable. I go out to eat often, because I will admit that I am both lazy and not the best cook. I recognize my place in the system, just as those who do not tip should recognize they are the worst and are actively disliked by many people. To the owners of Riverwalk, put a tip jar out. It hurts nobody and helps the employees that I know have to be there at five in the morning. To those that do not tip in restaurants, know that I actively dislike you, as does every other restaurant employee ever. You never need to eat out, but if you choose to, treat the workers well. Restaurants can really suck to work in.

SPORTS Lakers out to surprise

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

B B33

Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics

Trina Catterson Sports Editor jperdek@oswegonian.com

Graphics provided by Oswego State Athletics

The Oswego State Women’s Ice Hockey team is on a four game win streak so far this season. The team has had some incredible home wins thus far including a 18-0 win over King’s College and a 7-0 win over Neumann University. This past Friday, the Lakers took on the Bulldogs at Adrian College and came home with a 2-1 victory. Adrian College had finished the 2020 season ranked tenth nationally with a 20-0-1 record before the National Championships were cancelled. On Saturday, the Lakers brought home another 2-1 victory against Trine University. The past two game winning goals in the matchups against Adrian College and Trine University have been scored by Megan Teachout. Teachout led the team in goals (13), points scored (29), shots on nets (127) and in assists (16) during the 2019 season. The Oswego sophomore forward was named the Northeast Women’s Hockey League’s Player of the Week. She was also awarded Oswego State’s Athlete of the Week on Nov. 1. This is the first Oswego State women’s hockey season since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020

season. In 2019, the team went 16-7-4 and finished 10-4-4 in their conference. Another player making a name for herself is Oswego sophomore Joanna Hiebert. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, Hiebert was selected as the Northeast Women’s Hockey League’s first Goalie of the Week for the 2021-2022 season. The recognition comes after the two games contested last Friday and Sunday. Hiebert made 31 saves in a 2-1 win at Adrian College on Oct. 30. She also notched a .969 save percentage as the Lakers defeated the Bulldogs bringing them to 4-0. This upcoming Saturday, the Lakers will face off against Buffalo State in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Center. The Bengals currently sit at an 0-2 record taking big losses against Nazareth college. The last matchup between these two teams was on Feb. 15, 2020 and resulted in a 3-2 Oswego victory. On Sunday, Oswego will welcome SUNY Potsdam for a 3PM matchup. The Potsdam Bears are 1-1 after splitting a series of games against William Smith college. In their last matchup in February of 2020, the Lakers and Bears tied 3-3. In this matchup, the Lakers took the lead immediately with Philomena Teggart scoring just 28 seconds into the contest. Following the goal, the Lakers were able to generate numerous scoring opportunities and fire 19 shots on SUNY Pots-

Rollercoaster season for young field hockey Lakers Oswego State’s first full season post 2020, has positives and negatives

Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics Team photo of the 2021 Oswego State women’s field hockey team. Laker squad that finished the season 8-9 overall with a 2-4 SUNYAC confrence record for 2021.

Ben Diamond Asst. Sports Editor bdiamond@oswegonian.com A season that had the Oswego State field hockey team get off to a hot start, ended in underwhelming fashion. After starting the season going 6-2 through eight games, in the Lakers last nine games they were 2-7 ending with a mediocre 8-9 record. Even with the losing record, the Lakers were still able to break the program’s record for total goals in a season with 59. It is even more surprising that the Lakers ended under .500 as they outscored their opponents 59-30, as well as holding opponents to only 1.76 goals per game compared to the Lakers 3.47. The reason for this large difference in goals and goals per game is due to the fact that when the Lakers scored, they scored in bunches. The Lakers also had seven shutouts throughout the season, and when they did lose, the game was either high scoring and close like their 4-3 loss to Utica or one goal that decides the game like the 1-0

loss to SUNY Geneseo. Against SUNYAC opponents, the Lakers had a hard time winning close games which is another reason for their 8-9 record. The reason this year’s Oswego State roster was able to complete seven shutouts during the season was due to junior goaltender Erica Scheblein. Scheblein was a force in goal for the Lakers totaling 119 saves and a 1.70 goals allowed average. She was able to keep the Lakers in every game they played. The most impressive game Scheblein played all season was the 27 save performance against SUNY Brockport where the Lakers were able to come out on top 4-3 in a shootout. Even when Scheblein gave up goals in this game, her teammates were able to pick her up with goals of their own and keep them in the game. The Lakers were led by a trio of players this season, junior Kaitlyn Mastracco, junior Kacie Simzer and senior Alyssa DeMichael. All three of them have had experience playing with the team in the past and they brought their veteran expertise and playstyle to the new players this season. Being veterans was more

important than ever for this team as they had to bring everyone together after not being able to play during the hiatus. Mastracco had the most dominant season of the three, racking up a total of 35 points throughout the season on 15 goals and five assists. She also played the most minutes out of the entire team with 1,012 minutes through the entire 17 game season. If you add up the amount of minutes there are in 17, 60 minute games, you would get a total of 1,020 minutes, which means that over the course of the entire season, Mastracco sat a total of 8 minutes. That goes to show how important she was to this Lakers team that head coach Heather Moore felt she was too important of a player to take out. Simzer also had a productive season for the Lakers with 17 total points on eight goals and one assist. Simzer was not only important on the field but off the field as well acting as a strong veteran presence for the younger players. DeMichael was in a similar position as a senior on the team. She finished the season with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Both

players were a mainstay in the starting lineup as both started every game during the season. Another player that played a big role during the season was freshman Nancy Pagliaroli. Although she did not start a game for the Lakers, Pagliaroli was able to accrue 14 points on seven goals coming off the bench. If she can put up numbers like those coming off the bench and only playing a total of 113 minutes, Moore should be excited to see what she can do in the starting rotation. Moore also has Kaitlyn Ahle on the roster who, just like Pagliaroli, did not play as much as their top three players, but did have an impact when they were on the field. Ahle played in 15 games totaling 10 points with three goals and four assists. A big downfall of the Lakers this season was their inability to win close games down the stretch versus SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Oneonta, two SUNYAC rivals, as well as other games throughout the season. With the season at its end, the Lakers are going to get back to work and make the necessary changes for next season.

dam goalie, Kayla McCabe. The Bears took advantage of their first power play at 9:00 and scored. Both teams scored an additional two more goals throughout the game sending it into overtime. In overtime, the Bears outshot the Lakers 4-3, but the two teams were forced to split the two points. With the 2020 season being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few young players on the team who are making their college debut. One of these athletes is Simone Bednarik, freshman from Elmhurst, Illinois. The forward has had three shots on goals in the last two games played as well as one block and one assist in the matchup against Trine University. Another player looking to step up this season is sophomore Mia Conboy. The forward from Queensbury, New York competed in all 27 contests for the Lakers in the 2019-2020 season and recorded her firstcollegiate goal which was also the game winning goal against SUNY Canton. As the Lakers look forward to the rest of their games this season, it seems they should stick with the formula that has helped them win their last four games. Star of the team Megan Teachout, incredible goalie Joanna Hiebert, and the young offensive players are key to this team’s success thus far. The 2021-2022 season for the Lakers is off to a strong start.

Shore Report

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

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Soccer Overall Cortland-1 15-2-1 Oswego State-6 6-6-5 12-4-0 New Paltz-e 10-3-1 Oneonta-e Buffalo State-e Geneseo-e

Plattsburgh-e

Brockport-e Fredonia-e Potsdam-e

Men’s Hockey Geneseo Brockport

Buffalo State

Cortland Fredonia Plattsburgh

Morrisville Oswego State Potsdam

Points 24 13 21 19 16 15 13 9 3 0

Points 3 0 0 0 0

1-1-0

0-0-0

0-2-0

0-1-0

Upcoming Events

0-2-0 0-0-0

0-0-0 0-0-0

0 0

Men’s Hockey

Conference

2-0

0-0

Canton Plattsburgh

2-0

0-0

Buffalo State Potsdam

0-1

0-0

1-0

0-0

Morrisville

1-1

0-0

Conference

16-9 12-13 14-13 11-13 6-18

W1 L1 W1 L2 W2

10-15

6-3 6-3 6-3 3-6 3-6 2-7

12-14 8-14

1-8 1-8

W1 W2

9-0 8-1

Streak W6 L3

Field Hockey

Men’s Soccer

2 1

50:

OSW: HOB:

PAL:

Alexander: 1 goal, 1 assist Sliney: 1 goal Bell: 1 goal

OSW:

Friday, Oct. 29

1-2

OSW:

0-1

Robillard: 1 goal Broughman: 1 assist Arcan: 1 assist

Women’s Hockey

ADR:

Wednesday, Nov. 3

Anderson: 1 goal Corbett: 1 assist Roy: 4 shots Teachout: 2 goals Chyne: 1 assist Corbett: 3 shotsw

Friday, Nov. 5

Konate: 1 SOG Varner: 1 SOG DiPreta: 1 SOG Gilroy: 1 goal Lee: 1 assist Gehnrich: 1 SOG

Women’s Hockey Saturday, Oct. 30

TRI: OSW:

2-1 Wilson: 1 goal Hans: 1 assist Vandenheuvel: 1 assist Teachout: 1 goal Zenstein: 1 goal Bednarik: 1 assist

Men’s Hockey Saturday, Nov. 6

7:00 p.m.

OSW: 0-2 (0-0) POT: 0-0 (0-0)

Women’s Hockey Saturday, Nov. 6

7:00 p.m

OSW: 0-2 (0-0) PLA: 1-1 (0-0)

Men’s Soccer

(SUNYAC Championship) Saturday, Nov. 6 @

@ 3:00 p.m.

BUF: 0-2 (0-0) OSW: 2-0 (0-0)

1:00 p.m.

#1 COR: 15-2-1 (8-1-0) #6 OSW: 6-6-5 (4-4-1)

Laker Athletes of the Week

Around the SUNYAC

At the 50th minute of the SUNYAC playoff game versus SUNY New Paltz, Kieran Gilroy of the Oswego State men’s soccer team scored the game deciding goal that allowed the Lakers to move onto the SUNYAC championship. That goal was Gilroy’s second of the season and it was assisted by HaJoon Lee, his third assist of the season. In the SUNYAC championship, the Lakers will

1-3

Overall 24-3 13-11

ONE: 3-13 (2-4) NEW: 15-2 (6-0)

Friday, Oct. 29

Streak

Cortland

GEN: 3-0-0 (1-0-0) MOR: 0-2-0 (0-1-0)

Men’s Soccer

Conference 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0

0-0

4 1

Men’s Hockey

Overall 3-0-0 2-0-0 1-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0

2-0

Men’s Hockey

Oswego Scoreboard

12-5-1 10-6-2 8-7-1 7-7-1 6-11-0 2-12-2

Oswego State

Cortland-1 Geneseo-2 Brockport-3 Fredonia-e New Paltz-5 Buffalo State-e Oneonta-e Plattsburgh-e Oswego State-e Potsdam-e

Conference 8-1-0 4-4-1 7-2-0 6-2-1 5-3-1 5-4-0 4-4-1 3-6-0 1-8-0 0-9-0

Women’s Hockey (NEWHL) Overall

Women's Volleyball

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

BUF: 13-6-1 (5-3-1) COR: 15-2-1 (8-1-0)

In the two regular season games played by Oswego State women’s ice hockey, Megan Teachout has scored three goals. In between the two games they have scored four goals total on two 2-1 victories over Adrian and Trine University. Teachout has put the team on her back to start the season and hopes to continue her goal scoring onslaught.

HaJoon Lee

Megan Teachout

Men’s Soccer Freshman | Pittsford, N.Y.

Women’s Ice Hockey Sophomore | Auburn, N.Y.

Lee scored the equalizing goal on an assist from Kieran Gilroy in the second half of the men’s soccer team’s 1-1 tie with Oneonta in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals on the road. After two scoreless overtime periods, the teams went to penalty kicks to deciwde which team would advance. Down 4-3, Lee converted his attempted to keep the Lakers apace of the Red Dragons. A miss by Oneonta and a conversion by Brendan Murphy

Teachout scored three goals, including the game-winners in both contests, as Oswego defeated both Adrian and Trine by matching 2-1 scores in road games in Michigan and Indiana. Adrian had finished 2020 ranked tenth nationally with a 20-0-1 record before Covid led to the National Championship being cancelled.

75:

In their final two games of the season in the Skidmore Invitational, the Oswego State women’s volleyball team got a combined 75 total kills. They totaled more than their opponents, Bard and Skidmore who combined for 73 kills, although they did drop the match against Skidmore 3-0 before beating Bard 3-1 in game two.

20:

In his first game with the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team, Eric Green made 20 saves in the 3-1 loss to Hobart. Hobart is a team that has the chance to be nationally ranked among the top division three teams. Green’s 20 saves is more than what other Goalies, Richie Parent and Steven Kosikoski got in their split effort versus Elmira College. The two of them combined

SPORTS Sports Writer’s Column Coming soon to the Ziel

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

On the road to Nova

Alexis Fragapane | The Oswegonian

Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics (#40) Jeremiah Sparks ascending for a dunk against SUNY Potsdam in a SUNYAC battle at the Max Ziel Gymnasium Feb. 15., 2019.

Alexander Abramovich Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s basketball team is less than two weeks away from stepping on the court for the first time in 631 days. After a 2019-2020 season that showed lots of promise and strides of dominance, the Lakers look for similar results in 2021. The Lakers had a very successful season in 2019-2020, they went 19-8 and went 12-6 in conference play. The Lakers do come into this season looking for revenge after a crushing 82-67 against The College at Brockport, and especially since they weren’t able to take the court last year. The Lakers do bring back two of their top scorers from their previous campaign in Jeremiah Sparks and Julien Crittendon, along with other key contributors like forward Jamal Achille and Jordan Brown, who led the team in blocks with 15. This team will definitely be playing like there is a chip on their shoulder. This team is also in very good hands when it comes to coaching with head coach Jason Leone returning for his tenth season with the Lakers. In his nine seasons here at Oswego State, Leone is a very impressive 181-75 and looks to improve that impressive record and also take home a SUNYAC

championship this year. The men’s basketball team opens up their season at home as they will play in the 2021 Men’s Basketball Max Ziel Tournament, a four-team tournament in Max Zile gym where they will take on Elmira College, a team that went 1-10 in a shortened season last year due to COVID-19. Elmira College is a team that I believe the Lakers will be able to win against, even though they may have lost some of their stars from 2019-2020, they still have the skill and willpower to beat a team that had a very poor season just a year ago. If the Lakers take down Elmira College on Nov. 12, they will face the winner of the SUNY Poly and Hobart College matchup. SUNY Poly went 16-10 two seasons ago, they had their season cancelled last year just like the Lakers. Hobart College also did not play last year, but they are a very strong team that went 23-5 two seasons ago. They made it into the Division three tournament and won their first two games until their season was abruptly ended due to the pandemic. I believe that this Lakers team is in for a big season, especially after losing out on their previous season. This team did lose three of their top five leading scorers from that team but I believe guys like Sparks, Crittendon, and Achille will be able to step up and make a big impact on the offensive side of the

ball. This team is full of size, so defensively they should be set up to lock their opponents down. In the second half of their 2019-2020 season, they played a much more defensive style of play and limited opponents like SUNY Fredonia and Plattsburgh State to just 44 points and SUNY Geneseo to just 42 points. A game that the Lakers will certainly have circled on their calendars will be their Dec. 4 matchup against SUNY Brockport. The Lakers were not only eliminated by them in the SUNYAC semi-falls, they also were defeated by a score of 85-80 in overtime on senior night that same season, so one could only imagine how badly they wanted revenge. The Lakers will also play The College at Brockport on Feb. 18, which is the second-to-last game of the season and could have playoff implications, so expect that to be a huge matchup as well. The tournament to start off the year should give the Lakers a real test, but is something that I do not think will bother them. They should be able to take care of business in the first game which would set them up in a heavyweight battle against the winner of SUNY Poly and Hobart College. There is a lot to like about this Oswego State men’s basketball team, they have a talented roster with a fantastic coach in Jason Leone, who will have his players ready for battle night-in and night-out.

Jack Perdek Sports Editor jperdek@oswegonian.com Oswego State ACHA club hockey sits in the middle of the pack at 6-5 in the NECHL conference going into their road trip at Villanova University. The Lakers, who were supposed to play Rutgers University last week, were rescheduled to Syracuse University where they bested in a tight game 4-3. Head coach of the Lakers Travis Hyde and his team have been on an up and down ride thus far this Fall, but he and his team have one job to accomplish on the road, steal two victories. This will be the first time these two teams have ever met in their programs history and will be a strength test for both teams. Villanova University is coming off a commanding 5-1 victory against Western Michigan University in which they were able to produce on the powerplay with several man advantages. For the Lakers against the Orange they fought for three periods and an overtime before Syracuse University won in the shootout. One of the major statistical differences between these two interstate foe’s is their penalty management. So far in 2021, Oswego State has 86.54% overall penalty kill and a 91.67% efficiency in that category on the road. This will be an advantage for the incoming road team as Villinova’s powerplay has been

Volleyball team finishes up season focused on growth O’Connell finishes last season as Lakers’ head coach, team looks to 2022

William Rogers | The Oswegonian (#17) Grace Taylor rising for the kill against the Potsdam Bears in a 3-1 SUNYAC victory on Oct. 22. at Max Ziel gymnasium.

Jarrad Wakefield Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com It was quite the up and down season for the Oswego State Lakers volleyball team. A 12-14 record seems solid, but eight of those losses came to SUNYAC opponents, and only one of their wins came in SUNYAC play, coming against SUNY Potsdam. Despite their woes in conference play, there’s a lot for the Lakers to look to and build upon in preparation for the 2022 season. When the 2022 season rolls around, JJ O’Connell will only be down three players from his 2021 squad. The team’s star libero in Skylar Bechard is the biggest loss, with Dana Carey and Madelyn Smith making strong contributions all year. Carey’s average of 2.93 assists per set was only bested by McKenna Corbin, who averaged 4.66 assists per set. A majority of the Laker’s offensive core remains in place for the 2022 season. Cara Simplicio, Emma Fioren-

tine, Sydney Chiffriller, Grace Taylor, Emily Zeisler, McKenna Corbin and Georgia Farry will all be back for the 2022 season. Out of this list of players, only Fiorentine and Corbin will be seniors. Farry, a sophomore, was named SUNYAC offensive player of the week this past week and will likely be the star of what is expected to be a potent offense in 2022. Despite their struggles in conference play, out of conference, the Lakers were lethal. The Lakers went 11-6 out of conference, beating quite a few teams that are currently on playoff runs in their own conferences. A big win for the team came over Elmira College, who will play in the Empire 8 semi-finals against St. John Fisher. Fisher is one of the powerhouse teams that Oswego lost to in those out of conference matchups. Out of the 6 teams Oswego State lost to out of conference, only Skidmore College had a losing record. The other five teams all had at least 16 wins, with St. John Fisher College being the strongest team out of the bunch,

with a 24-4 record. Clarkson University, another team that Oswego State lost to in the 2021 season, was on the verge of being ranked in the AVCA national poll early in the season. Otherwise, the Lakers were strong against their opponents, winning many 3-0 and 3-1 matches against those opponents. That being said, the SUNYAC was a still a fairly strong conference this year. The College at Brockport got votes in the AVCA poll this year, and it was a surprise for many that SUNY Cortland did not after a 24-3 season. SUNY Geneseo had a strong schedule and struggled out of conference to a 13-11 record, but playing tough teams allowed the Knights to ride to an 8-1 record, putting them second in the SUNYAC standings behind SUNY Cortland. It was a similar story for SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Fredonia, who both went 6-3 in conference despite their overall records hovering just above or below .500. Statistics on the season make a good case for Oswego continuing to improve and get better through

the years. They practically matched their opponents in kills, errors, attempts, and shot percentage. The trend found in those offensive stats continues down the sheet, as the Lakers were right on par with their competition on average. Their statistics in conference were a bit of a different story, however. SUNYAC opponents averaged about two more points per set than the Lakers. The team did struggle in a few other categories in conference as well. They averaged about 1.3 less kills than their opponents in conference games, and their opponents had an 80% higher hitting percentage than the Lakers in conference games. However, the average statistics are not the whole story. Looking at game by game statistics, the reasons why Oswego State struggled in conference became fairly clear. Against SUNY Geneseo, their hitting percentage was a rather low .068 for the set. SUNY Geneseo’s hitting percentage was .260 for the match, towering well above Oswego State’s mark. It was a similar story against SUNY Brockport. SUNY Brockport put up a .212 hitting percentage, while Oswego State only mustered a .043. It will be interesting to see what the 2022 season holds for Oswego State volleyball. The Lakers enters 2022 with a team that is now more experienced than the 2021 squad, where more than half the team played their first collegiate season this year. With some off-season practice and more time to develop chemistry, this Lakers team could be very fun to watch in 2022.

inconsistent in four games played sitting at 20.7%. Another thing Oswego State has going for them in this weekend’s series against the Wildcats is their experience in playing more games. The ACHA Lakers have already tallied nine total games on the season to Villinova’s four, making their experience strong at their midseason point. Oswego State has built a strong cast of weapons so far this season to back their championship aspirations in junior forward Trevor Jruban, seniors Andrew Cardi and captain of the Lakers Chase Nies. Jruban, Nies and Cardi have a combined 40 points, 18 goals and 22 assists. This first line for the Lakers is carrying the load offensively and are a heavy source of production game in and game out. Looking at the Wildcats in their first four games, Matt and Tim Arena are both off to a great start with a total of 17 total points between the brothers. There will be some explosive weapons on both sides of the ice in this matchup and a pivotal game for both clubs heading into this weekend. Following up this weekend’s results, Oswego State will hit the road against Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the team they lost 5-3 in their season home opener. This will be a crucial stretch in their schedule with four of their next seven season games consisting of conference opponents.

Perdek’s Corner

Jack Perdek Sports Editor jperdek@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s soccer team has made history once again reaching their second SUNYAC Championship game in program history. As an editor covering Oswego State sports this fall, I had not anticipated this roster to break expectations and go on a Cinderella playoff run. Despite a 1-2-3 record to start the season, this Lakers squad is the hottest team in this SUNYAC bracket going on the road defeating number three seed SUNY Oneonta and second seed SUNY New Paltz. They would not be in the position they are right now without a stellar defensive gameplan and persistent offensive pressure. The Lakers can thank sophomore mid Kieran Gilroy from Wellington C. Mepham, N.Y. for heading in the lone goal of this electric playoff matchup at the 49:45 mark. They can also commemorate senior goaltender Brian Terra saved the penalty kick to keep the Lakers in the lead. Terra was superb in the victory considering the Hawks out shot them nine to five. This save was a huge turning point in the game and gave Oswego State the defensive momentum. Finding that same energy amongst key players on this team will be huge when they face first seed SUNY Cortland on the road tomorrow in the championship. With SUNY Oneonta crossed off the calendar in the first round, the Lakers will have to slay their second Red Dragon team in the 2021 playoffs. In their last outing on Oct. 16., SUNY Cortland beat the Lakers in a 3-0 domination coming off their second loss of their dominant season. This will be a tough task for the Lakers going up against a team that beat out of conference teams like Rutgers Camden, Hobart College and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Sports 2-0 START

B3 Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

NEWS AWARENESS

CONFERENCE

Image via SUNY Oswego

VOLUME LXXXVI ISSUE VIII • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Oswego State men’s soccer in position to win first SUNYAC title since 1965

Lakers on track for season of destiny after beating New Paltz in SUNYAC semis, history yet to be written

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics Oswego State men’s soccer’s Kieran Gilroy (#19) scoring his first collegiant goal Nov. 3., sending the Lakers past SUNY New Paltz in the SUNYAC Semifinal round.

Michael Gross Sports Writer mgross@oswegonian.com For the first time in program history, the Oswego State men’s soccer team will play in the SUNYAC Championship. This Saturday the Lakers will play for a chance at SUNYAC glory and a bid to the Division III Men’s Soccer NCAA Tournament, but the road first goes through the place where their 2019 campaign came to a screeching halt, SUNY Cortland. Their road to the final is unique, full of magic and unlike any other. Of their first seven games this season, just one game resulted in a Laker win. Yes, just one. But not all six of the others were losses. Infact, only two, and the other four were all ties. The final game of this stretch was against Plattsburgh State on the road, tying their first SUNYAC game of the season. That left the Lakers with a 1-2-4 record almost halfway

Around the Diamond

Ben Diamond Asst. Sports Editor bdiamond@oswegonian.com

The season for the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team has not started the way they wanted, but there is a lot of time for them to turn it around. They lost their first two games of the season, the first to Hobart College, a team that is now ranked fifth in Division III, and Elmira College. In the Hobart game, they were plagued with missed opportunities, being unable to score on any of their power play chances going 0-5. This is a part of their game that they need to be better on because if they do not score when they have the man advantage, how are they going to score at even strength. They also had trouble stopping the other team on the penalty kill. Too many mistakes were made which is why they looked sluggish throughout the game. This led to an ugly 3-1 loss in which their only goal came late in the third period. Eric Green started in goal for the first time for the Lakers and made a couple little mistakes. But, for the most part Green played a very strong game in goal despite not helped by the offense. The same could be said for the game versus Elmira College. They were able to capitalize on one of their three power plays but it was not enough as they lost to the Soaring Eagles 5-4. This game also contrasted from the Hobart College game as the Lakers were much better at limiting the penalties they gave up. But their defense was not there early which set the tone for the game. The offensive pressure did show up in this game and kept the game close but the Lakers still fell. Richie Parent started the game versus Elmira College and gave up the three early goals before being replaced by Steven Kosikoski in the second period. It is still very early in the season and the team is coming off the long hiatus so their early rust was to be expected. So I think the Lakers will be fine as the season rolls along. Their next game is at SUNY Potsdam on Nov. 5.

into the season. Without a doubt, not the start they were looking for. Then, the script flipped. The next four for Oswego State were all wins, each coming within the SUNYAC, meaning their first five conference games were without a loss. The Lakers looked like early favorites to host a tournament game and maybe even earn a bye when all is said and done. But just as things began to look up, the doors began to close. Four straight losses kept the Lakers at 13 points in the conference dropping them all the way down from third place, awaiting a sixth seed to travel to Oswego, to fighting for a spot in the tournament. Not ideal to say the least. Those four losses rounded out the season. Their fate came down to the final game of the SUNYAC season between the Buffalo State Bengals and the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles. A win for either team would put them through, into the tournament, but a tie would give Plattsburgh State the

final seed. Although, magic always seems to gravitate to the port city. Buffalo State edged out the Golden Eagles sending the Lakers dancing into the SUNYAC tournament. After beating SUNY Oneonta in the quarterfinal, a team that was ranked within the top five in the country at one point this season, Oswego State took on the SUNY New Paltz Hawks in a Wednesday afternoon bout between two teams who are, historically, very evenly matched. The Lakers were 19-18-3 against the Hawks entering the SUNYAC semifinal game, SUNY New Paltz was ranked among the top 20 in the country during this season and had beaten Oswego State just two weeks prior. But all of that seemed to fly right out the window when both teams stepped on the field. Shot after shot, save after save, neither side would budge as these two teams have never really had much of an edge on each other in their history, but the magic never faded. Just minutes after the break, freshman

Ha Joon Lee dribbled towards the left side of the 18-yard box, flicked in a left-footed cross finding the head of junior Kieran Gilroy giving the Lakers a 1-0 lead. All they needed to do now was defend for 40 minutes and their ticket would be punched. Easy? No. With less than 19 minutes on the clock, a foul on the Oswego State end occurred inside the box, awarding the Hawks a penalty kick and a chance to tie it up. Freshman Joseph DiPrieta stood over the ball and struck it low but the mastery of senior Brian Terra kept the ball out of the net with a kick save and a beauty. Time winded down and the Lakers eventually secured a victory, leaving them for a date with destiny on Saturday afternoon with SUNY Cortland. But the same question is to be asked when Oswego State took on Oneonta State just a week ago and even prior to facing the SUNY New Paltz, can they win? Simple answer, yes. But who likes simplicity? In 2019, the Lakers had fought

their way into a fifth seed for the SUNYAC tournament and had to play the Red Dragons on the road in the quarterfinals. 82 minutes of radio silence went by until Ivan Dam netted a shell-shocking goal, leaving Oswego State hanging by a thread. Just three minutes later the Lakers were awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box and Omar Espinoza stepped up to the challenge. He curled in a howler that sent the Lakers into a frenzy and forced an overtime. After two full overtime periods and eight rounds of the penalty shootout, SUNY Cortland defeated Oswego State 6-5 on penalties to send the Lakers home packing. But in what was still the infancy of a new coaching era, head coach Dan Kane had helped give his team a taste of what the SUNYAC tournament was like. It was only apropos that he and the Oswego State men’s soccer team would return the following season. No stats or analytics can prove that this Oswego State team has the edge come Saturday afternoon. Sure, the Lakers are 4-1-2 on the road this season and just beat two of the best three teams in the SUNYAC. But the Red Dragons are 7-1-1 at home and have not lost a game to Oswego State since 2006. SUNY Cortland is, and has always been a very good soccer team. That is indisputable. But something this year’s Laker team has that many in the past had not is adversity. The Oswego State men’s soccer program has come a long way but never before have they fought for a title in the SUNYAC tournament. In 1966, head coach Ed Luongo led his Lakers team to a SUNYAC title based on regular season record within the conference. No play-ins, no quarterfinals, no overtime thrillers that end with a penalty kick shootout, nothing. But now, 55 years later, Oswego State has a chance to rewrite history. The script is written, the last page just waiting to be etched into history. Saturday at 1 p.m. in Cortland, NY, the Oswego State Lakers will take on the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in the 2021 SUNYAC championship. Will the magic continue?

Men’s hockey shifts focus to SUNYAC play after 0-2 start North country roadtrip comes at right time versus Plattsburgh State, SUNY Potsdam Brandon Ladd Editor-In-Chief bladd@oswegonian.com Despite overcoming the physical play of Hobart College and a 3-0 first period start by Elmira College, the scoreboard still did not go the Lakers way this past weekend. The Oswego State men’s hockey team sits at 0-2 after challenging games against Hobart College and Elmira College. The two teams the Lakers faced are now ranked fifth and 13th respectively in the NCAA Div. III men’s hockey rankings this week and Oswego State is treated with unranked opponents on the schedule this upcoming week. The Lakers are on the road for Nov. 5 and Nov. 6 at SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State respectively. Two teams that the men’s hockey team have had a field day with in recent memory. The Lakers have won seven of their past eight matchups against the Bears and six of their past eight against the Cardinals. Oswego State will have to overcome poor special teams play if they want these results of the past few seasons to hold up. This past weekend, the Lakers went on the power play eight times but were only able to net one goal from these opportunities, translating to an early season power play percentage of 12.5 percent. Compared to the 2019-20 season, Oswego State is already down 9.2 percent on converting man-up chances, as the Lakers posted a 21.7 percent conversion rate the last season they took the ice. To go deeper into the numbers and why this matters for the team’s success going forward, if they continue to average four power play opportunities per affair, the Lakers would only score a special teams goal every two games. This is a worrisome number as the team’s success in SUNYAC play in 2019-20 was linked to scoring on these chances, scoring a power play

William Rogers| The Oswegonian Oswego State captain Travis Broughman (#28) assisting Troy Robillard (#4) on Oswego State’s first season goal against Hobart College Oct. 29.

goal in 12 of 16 conference games. Also, stirring the pot for the team’s success is the netminding situation, as all three of the Lakers goalies saw action in the first two games of the season. Leaving the door open going into the first two SUNYAC games of who will be in net for the team. Junior Eric Green started against Hobart College and went the full length of the game, allowing three goals. The first goal of the night was an unlucky bounce off of an Oswego State defender and past Green. The following night in Elmira, saw the Lakers start freshmen Richie Parent, who only made it through the first period after allowing three goals. The rest of the game featured returning 2019-20 second half of the season starter, Steven Kozikoski. Kozikoski allowed two goals including the game winner with three minutes remaining. A stagnant offense was revitalized over the last two periods against Elmira College, as the team scored four of its five goals on the weekend in a stretch of play just over 21 minutes. The Lakers go into the week-

end’s matches with leading point scorers on the season being Travis Broughman, Alex DiCarlo and Jared Nash. The three are the only skaters on the team with multiple points. Broughman sits at three points and is poised to try to match his 2019-20 total of 27 points, which was tied for the team lead with now-graduated Anthony Passero. To make the SUNY Potsdam matchup even more favorable for Oswego State outside of the recent success on the scoreboard against the Bears is the fantastic play of DiCarlo and Broughman in separate games against them in 2019-20. In the first matchup against Potsdam State, Broughman netted two goals and added two assists in an 8-1 avalanche effect rout. The Feb. 1, 2020 matchup up in SUNY Potsdam, saw DiCarlo score two goals in a 5-1 victory. Interestingly enough, the two did not play in the game against the Bears opposite of their offensive explosion, meaning this will be the first time SUNY Potsdam will see the two at the same time.

The team will have to not overlook the Bears on Friday night as the most coveted game of the “North Country” road trip will be against Plattsburgh State, the Lakers fiercest rival on the ice. The last time Oswego State went to Plattsburgh, resulted in a 4-2 win on Jan. 31, 2020. This game featured two goals from DiCarlo, as he scored four in total during the 2020 version of the road trip north of Oswego. This road trip marked the start of Kozikoski’s run of success as the Lakers goalie in 2019-20, as the weekend served as the then-sophomore’s first SUNYAC starts. A start in net by the now-junior, would serve as his first start of the 2021-22 campaign, who has only lost to SUNY Geneseo in his nine start career; 6-2-1 overall. Improved special teams play, relying on positive trends in recent matchup history and continuing to ride DiCarlo and Broughman will all be on the Lakers agenda this weekend seemingly. The trip serves as the start of SUNYAC play, as the Lakers will return to the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena, next on Nov. 12 to face Cortland State.

INSIDE

C2 "Last Night in Soho:" C3

ambitious to a fault

New "Mario Party" C5 "What We Do in the honors series' past titles Shadows" shines

FRIDAY Nov. 5, 2021

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

‘Last Night in Soho’ flirts with several genres, picks none Connor LaLone Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: The latest Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead”) film, “Last Night in Soho” is a psychological thriller featuring Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit,”) Thomasin McKenzie (“Jojo Rabbit,) and Matt Smith (“The Crown”). The film sees Wright attempt another serious and thought provoking title, departing from the comedic “Cornetto Trilogy” and continuing where “Baby Driver” left off. “Last Night in Soho” focuses on an aspiring fashion designer, Ellie Turner (McKenzie), who moves from rural Cornwall to North London to attend the London College of Fashion. When Ellie does not get along with her roommate, the snobbish partier Jocasta, (Synnøve Karlsen, “Medici”) she moves to an apartment owned by an elderly woman, Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg, “Game of Thrones”). When Ellie

falls asleep, she experiences vivid dreams of the life of a young woman in the late 1960s, Sandie (TaylorJoy.) The film follows the concept of Ellie experiencing this seemingly exciting life that quickly turns sour. The cinematography of “Last Night in Soho” is the main strength of the film. Ellie’s dreams utilize mirrors heavily, with Sandie participating in the scene while Ellie is reflected. These scenes perfectly symbolize and exaggerate the differences between the life Ellie leads and the one she, at least initially, wished she could have. The film also features blinking red, white and blue lights that shift to exclusively red during particular tense situations in the film, another effective cinematic decision. The film uses ‘60s music, featuring artists like The Kinks (“Lola”), The Who (“Baba O’Riley”) and Barry Ryan (“Eloise”). Ellie grows up on the music of the ‘60s, and her passion for it is echoed in the dream sequences featuring Sandie. “Last Night in Soho” will likely serve as an introduction to an entire era of

Image from Focus Features via YouTube “Last Night in Soho” makes great use of mirrors during dream sequences.

music for younger generations, something the film can certainly pride itself on. Where Wright falls short is with regards to the execution of the premise. The latter half of the film attempts to transition from psychological thriller to supernatural horror à la Stephen King, but seems slightly clumsy. The horror aspect of the film is sudden and slightly rushed, while other plot points

seem to be built up only to lead nowhere, namely the conflict between Ellie and Jocasta. It feels as though Wright was caught between genres, and instead of choosing one, it settles for neither. There are several characters who feel extraneous throughout the film, another issue that leads to several scenes and interactions feeling pointless. What is seemingly a large plot point early in the

More specifically, the film depicts B-Bots as outlets for children to access social media and gaming in order to form personal relationships. This highlights the real-life issue of how kids’ dependence on technology negatively affects their social skills. Other issues, such as data mining, are also addressed, posing surprisingly mature plot points which give the story something for adult filmgoers to latch onto. While not all of it lands, the

film’s humor deserves praise for its freshness. With an unabashed willingness to be silly and weird, laughs are often generated from the sheer absurdity or randomness of characters’ actions or dialogue. Though the film sometimes resorts to common children’s film tropes such as the use of toilet humor, it thankfully keeps most of its comedy original. Featuring spastic, cartoony animation, “Ron’s Gone Wrong”

movie, the fact that Ellie can see her dead mother in mirrors, is essentially a non-factor throughout the entire film, despite the persistent use of reflective surfaces. While Sandie effectively takes the place of Ellie’s mother in the mirrors during the bulk of the film, the transition is poorly defined and never truly explained. While Edgar Wright’s concept and plot are incredibly intriguing, the method in which they are executed in “Last Night in Soho” leaves room for some improvement. The movie never seems to settle on a genre for long enough to be truly effective in it, and at times attempts to do too much. Several plotlines are either left open or closed so abruptly as to cause confusion as to their true meaning. The cinematography and acting keep the film afloat, as well as the sense of suspense and knack for the dramatic. In all, “Last Night in Soho” is a film with an excellent idea that does not quite meet the expectations the greatness of the premise establishes for itself.

‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’ shows promising future for Locksmith Animation Ethan Stinson Laker Review Editor estinson@oswegonian.com

Rating: The feature debut of Locksmith Animation, “Ron’s Gone Wrong” marks a strong start for the budding studio. Despite its familiar story beats and characters, the film provides enough heart and visual flare to make for a sweet, eccentric viewing experience. A story of friendship, “Ron’s Gone Wrong” shows Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer, “Luca”), an 11-yearold loner navigating a society obsessed with “B-bots:” robots designed to help kids make friends. After receiving a defective bot known as Ron (Zach Galifianakis, “Between Two Ferns: The Movie”), Barney is taken on an adventure where he learns the true meaning of friendship, as well as the importance of being yourself. Though the film plays it safe in terms of its story, genuine performances and writing help it overcome its more generic elements. Portraying an introverted child coming out of his shell, Grazer demonstrates great

emotional depth throughout. Galifiankis, whose role is reminiscent of “Big Hero 6’s” Baymax, provides a sweet oddball performance which serves as both the comedic relief and heart of the film. Together, the two show great chemistry, making their story of friendship feel all the more authentic and fun. Through its focus on a world infatuated with technology, “Ron’s Gone Wrong” draws important parallels to today’s society.

Image from 20th Century Studios via YouTube “Ron’s Gone Wrong’s” oddball humor and abundance of heart help it transcend its familiar story beats.

makes good use out of its environments and the B-bots’ designs in order to generate a fun, vibrant world. However certain elements, such as the designs of human characters, come off as simplistic or generic. Overall, the film’s animation is unique enough to create a visual identity for Locksmith Animation. Despite the strength shown through its themes of friendship and technological obsession, there are other concepts which the film fails to deliver on. The most prominent pertains to distant relationship with his overworked father, Graham (Ed Helms, “The Office”), a plot point which is underexplored, despite being frequently alluded to throughout the story. Having the respectable “Ron’s Gone Wrong” under its belt, Locksmith Animation seems to be destined for a bright future. Though the film is far from perfect, it designates a step in the right direction for the studio with its unique identity and brand of humor. With a slew of projects slated for release, the studio will hopefully improve on its first film and maintain its winning-streak for years to come.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

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'Mario Party Superstars' celebrates series' past games William Rogers Creative Director wrogers@oswegonian.com

Rating: "Mario Party Superstars" is a celebration of Nintendo’s Mario-themed party game series. The game features remasters of five game boards from the original three "Mario Party" games, as well as 100 of the best minigames from the series’ 11 other iterations. The main game features three main game modes: “offline play,” for couch co-op up to four players on a single system, “local play,” for up to four players on individual Nintendo Switch consoles and “online play” for the ability to play with players from around the world. The game starts players off in Mushroom Square, formally known as Mushroom Village in the original "Mario Party" game. The village is home to a number of various buildings that serve a variety of functions. The first building players

Image from Nintendo via YouTube "Mario Party Superstars" features boards from past games like Peach's Birthday Cake.

are introduced to is the Data House. In this building, the character Kamek stores all of your gameplay data including records, achievements, and historical information regarding previous games. At Toad’s Shop, players are able to purchase unlockable items including new music tracks, stickers, in-game items, and player card backgrounds. Items are purchased using the in-game currency coins which are earned

through playing the game and unlocking achievements. The square also features the Friend House, an easy way to connect with friends online, the Option House, for changing game settings, and a raft to Mt. Minigames, a way to choose and play minigames directly. The center of the square features a green warp pipe which transports players to the party world. Here you have the option of five game

boards: Peach’s Birthday Cake and Yoshi’s Tropical Island from "Mario Party," Space Land and Horror Land from "Mario Party 2" and Woody Woods from "Mario Party 3." Along with the normal gameboard settings such as number of turns, the inclusion and exclusion of bonus stars and handicap stars, "Superstars" also allows players to choose the type of minigames they wish to play. Players are able to choose between all, skill-based, family and action minigames, in addition to those from specific consoles, such as the Nintendo 64 or Gamecube. Returning minigames include cult classics such as Booksquirm and Trace Race. All the minigames feature button controls allowing the use of a Pro Controller. Players are also given the ability to add more rounds in the middle of the match, allowing them to extend playtime. "Mario Party Superstars" features 10 playable characters. Series mainstays Mario,

Luigi, Peach and Daisy make a reappearance, alongside fan favorites Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Rosalina and Donkey Kong. Birdo also returns, marking the character's first appearance as a playable character in the series since "Mario Party 9." As previously mentioned, stickers have been added to the game. Replacing "Mario Party’s" traditional taunting system, players are now able to choose from 67 stickers to express their opinions during other players' turns and react to various events. Player cards allow players to share their favorite "Mario Party" game, gameboard, and minigames online. Through this card, players are able to view other players' choices and see which games are favored the most. Following the disappointment of "Super Mario Party," "Mario Party Superstars" provides a breath of fresh air for the franchise, and is an absolute blast to play with friends and family of all ages.

Laker Review highlights upcoming November movies Ethan Stinson Laker Review Editor estinson@oswegonian.com From “Dune” to “No Time to Die,” October was chock full of great new films to experience in theaters. With the month of November now upon us, Laker Review would like to highlight some of the month’s most exciting upcoming releases. Ranging from from new holiday films to potential Oscar nominees, there is a great amount of films to anticipate this month. On Nov. 12, 20th Century Studios’ holiday comedy “Home Sweet Home Alone,” a reboot of the “Home Alone” franchise, will exclusively premiere on Disney+. Starring Archie Yates (“Jojo Rabbit”), the film aims to capitalize on the success of its iconic predecessors. After having been screened at multiple film festivals, Jane Campion’s (“The Piano”) “The Power of the Discuss” will be

released through Netflix on Nov. 17. With a star-studded cast featuring Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Electric Life of Louis Wain”), Kirsten Dunst (“Hidden Figures”) and Thomasin McKenzie (“Last Night in Soho”), the film’s early praise renders it a must-watch for the month. Nov. 19 will mark the release of many high-profile films. Such releases include the long-awaited “Ghostbusters” sequel, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” in addition to A24’s “C’mon C’mon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”). While these films will receive an exclusive theatrical release, “King Richard,” a biopic focusing on tennis coach Richard Williams (Will Smith, “Aladdin”), will simultaneously premiere that day in theaters and on HBO Max. Another film, the Lin-Manuel Miranda (“In the Heights”) helmed musical “Tick, Tick… Boom!” will be released on Netflix. One week later, Walt Dis-

Image from MGM via Instagram "House of Gucci" is one of many exciting films set for release this November.

ney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” will hit theaters, featuring music from Miranda. Also releasing is “House of Gucci,” a film based on the real-life murder of Gucci fashion house head Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver, “The Last Duel”), ordered by his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga, “A Star is Born”). Rather than release to theaters as well as stream-

ing, the Christmas comedy film “8-Bit Christmas” will release exclusively to HBO Max on Nov. 25. Featuring Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”), the film’s ‘80s setting and focus on early gaming consoles promises for a fun holiday adventure which may provide a burst of nostalgia to those who grew up during the decade. Finally, the month will

conclude with the first film from director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Phantom Thread”) to be released in almost four years. The film, “Licorice Pizza,” stars Alan Haim and Cooper Hoffman in their feature debuts. It also boasts a stellar supporting cast featuring the likes of Sean Penn (“The Professor and the Madman”), Bradley Cooper ("Avengers: Endgame") and Benny Safdie (“Good Time”). Based on its title and trailer, the movie promises to be a sweet, eccentric coming-of-age story which should hopefully live up to the iconic works of its capable director. Given the array of noteworthy films coming from October, upcoming releases for November aim to live up to a similar standard. With an abundance of big releases and potential successes soon to hit screens both big and small, the month will hopefully not disappoint with what the movies it has to offer.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

New ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ season marks series’ best Ethan Stinson Laker Review Editor estinson@oswegonian.com

Rating: Rating:

Focusing on the daily lives of vampire roommates, the FX series “What We Do in the Shadows” has stood out as a gem of comedic television since its 2019 premiere. The series, which serves as a loving spin-off of Taika Waititi’s (“Jojo Rabbit”) 2014 film of the same name, boasts an abundance of dark, tongue-incheek humor and a stellar cast. In its third season, the series finds its characters exploring bizarre situations and concepts which greatly expand the series’ comedic potential. By also placing a greater focus on story and character development, the season stands out as the show’s best to date. Though the season does not contain a clear overarching story, there are various recurring plotlines which help give it a more defined structure compared to past seasons. The most prominent narrative features

Nandor (Kayvan Novak, “Cruella”) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”) butting heads as the new co-leaders of the Supreme Vampiric Council. One of the season’s greatest strengths is its willingness to explore new character dynamics. The most entertaining of these relationships is that between Laszlo (Matt Berry, “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run”) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch, “The Office”). The characters, who are shown to have clashing personalities, find themselves going on various excursions as a duo, developing a strong “bromance” along the way. The clashing Najda and Nandors’ relationship is also explored, with hilarity ensuing as they struggle for power over one another. Individual character development is another strong suit of the season. This is especially the case for Laszlo, whose sensitive side begins to show through his stoic, lady’s man persona. Though his character does not really change, Robinson also stands out because of

Image from FX Networks via YouTube The third season of “What We Do in the Shadows” shows a more sensitive side to the character Laszlo.

how the series dives deeper into the origins of his species: the “energy vampires.” As with past seasons, the series’ third season breaks new ground regarding what vampires are, as well as the types of situations they may be portrayed in. A majority of these ideas are posed in episodes focusing on Nandor, whose depressive state causes him to resort to varying extremes to find happiness, such as attempting to become a human again.

The season’s only major flaw is its abandonment of a season two cliffhanger. Though the first episode heavily focuses on it, servant Guillermo’s (Harvey Guillén, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) status as a vampire hunter is only briefly addressed throughout the rest of the season. While this is of little concern in terms of the story, those hoping for the plot point to persist much past the second season are bound for disappointment.

Possessing an abundance of heart and humor, the third season of “What We Do in the Shadows’” provides much hope for the series’ future. Showcasing an improved focus on relationships and story, the season shows the series has only scratched the surface of the situations and concepts it has to explore. With a fourth season soon to come, it is exciting to consider what fresh ideas and hilarious moments the series will delight fans with next.

HIPPO CAMPUS teases upcoming album with new single Annika Wickham Chief Copy Editor awickham@oswegonian.com

Rating: American rock band HIPPO CAMPUS (“Way It Goes”) released their single “Boys” on Oct. 19 as the first teaser for their album LP3 coming out Feb. 2, 2022. The song has a beautiful and catchy melody and accompanying lyrics about living for the party scene of New York City and navigating that environment and using it to get over a breakup. The lyrics start immediately with slower, more muted tones sung by lead singer Jake Luppon and utilizes strong piano chords that emphasize the words and their emotional weight as he reminisces about a past love singing, “Hated your friends/It was exciting/I miss the fighting.” It then jumps into the first

rendition of the chorus, still slower than the rest of the song, but it builds into a guitar heavy instrumental that picks up the pace and sets the tone for the remaining three and a half minutes. The less intense intro sets the scene for the lyrics as they describe a confusing and crazy time in life while over upbeat and seemingly happy tunes. The chorus lyrics are perfectly written and show the negative sides of going out to forget, as they paint a picture of someone who wants to leave the past behind but struggles to do so. They also add a beautiful queerness to a song that could have easily avoided the topic, which gives it a deeper meaning for members of the LGBTQ+ community who may not often feel represented in music. The words “Kissing boys, missing work/Got hungover from your words/Same New York, it’s the worst/All these

Image from Hippo Campus via YouTube

An ubeat melody and memorable lyrics make “Boys” a worthwhile listen.

nights are a blur,” describe the desperate attempts to forget a relationship, then continuing with “Going broke, make it rain/Ain’t got nobody to blame/All this time down the drain/I’m the best at insane,” showing that in the end they know it is just wasting time and making them more and more unstable. The second verse is repeated twice, adding the

mindset that this person is really out of their mind and cannot get over their lost relationship. Similar to the beginning, the instrumentals build behind the lyrics throughout the two segments that end with Luppen almost yelling, “I’m doing every line/I’m phasing out the humdrum/I do this every time/I’m turning on today/ Ah, turning on today.”

After the explosive end to the verse, identical to the first rendition of the chorus, the song drops off into the muted and simple tone with Luppen’s vocals taking over a very quiet melody behind them. The end of “Boys” is a repeat of the chorus six times, which continues the theme of the person going out of their mind as they continue the cycle, and with each adding more complex and reminiscent themes from earlier parts of the song. It then fades out with the vocals becoming silent before the music, again calling back to Luppen’s quieter tone throughout the song. “Boys” is a great option for those looking to just jam out or who need a breakup song with upbeat melodies and memorable lyrics. It is a great teaser for the rest of their album and their world tour, which kicks off Feb. 1, 2022 in the UK.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Chrisitan Leave breaks into new sound with recent EP Abigail Connolly Managing Editior aconnolly@oswegonian.com

Rating: Indie-pop artist Christian Leave shocks fans with a departure from his traditionally acoustic sounds, trading in for a broader genre mix in his recently released EP, “Days Like Lost Dogs.” Leave initially gained popularity for his presence on the now obsolete social media app “Vine,” at the height of which he boasted over 800,000 followers. After the discontinuation of the app in 2015, Leave began to focus more on his music career, releasing his first EP, “Hope,” in July 2016. Later that same month, the EP debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Independent Albums list. The EP includes the highly popularized “Please Notice,” as well as Leave’s cover of the Elvis Presley classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Leave continued to make a name for himself, consistently posting covers of songs to YouTube which allowed him to gain further attention outside of social media. His first album, “Heartbreak Room” was self-released

Image from Christian Leave via YouTube Chrisitan Leave performs in the music video for the song "10 Steps" which comes from the October 2021 EP "Days Like Lost Dogs."

in January, 2018 and after gaining media attention, Leave was signed on to Warner Records and the label Godmode. Leave’s popularity can be attributed to his unique songwriting ability that combines heartfelt, warm lyrics with cool instrumentals. The format that many Leave fans have grown used to is altered with “Day Like Lost Dogs.” Beginning with a 41 second ambient sound and electric instrumental song, rightfully titled “Intro,” Leave

immediately sets the tone that this EP is going to be different than what listeners are used to. Wasting no time, “Intro” very quickly bleeds into the second, titular track, “Days Like Lost Dogs.” Beginning with echoing vocals and then picking up with a heavy snare beat and electric chords, “Days Like Lost Dogs” clearly demonstrates why it holds the same name as the EP. The song is undoubtedly the strongest on the EP, both instrumentally and

lyrically. Dealing with themes of self-doubt and despair, the chorus reads, “Do you take what you want when you need?/Do you ever check down just to see?/If I've given up myself or I've fallen into hell/Have I met the end and seen the wrath of he?/Answer me.” While avid Leave listeners may be used to similar themes from his other work, this track proves more refreshing through the change in instrumentals. Each song on the 8 track col-

lection is valuable, but some stick out more than others. Just like “Days Like Lost Dogs,” the seventh track, “10 Steps” stands out more than the rest. The most listened to song off the EP, according to Spotify statistics, “10 Steps” is the most upbeat song of the album. Sounding closer to indie-rock, something akin to The Regrettes or Just Friends, “10 Steps” is the perfect song for dancing alone in your room to shake off a bad day. The lyrics describe the journey that many young people go through as they grow up and enter the “real world." Leave’s chorus, “Well, four years is a long time/To see everything you ever wanted to do fade out of light/And four years shouldn't define/Your sense of wonder in the world and if you'll ever make it in time,” demonstrates the imbalance with losing one dream and finding another. Leave gives “Days Like Lost Dogs” as a revival of the confusing ballad. The EP encapsulates feelings of insecurity in a way that makes listeners feel more secure than they have ever been. Leave is still just starting out and audiences should be anxious to see what comes next.

'Halloween Kills' fails to keep storyline moving ahead Brandon Ladd Editor-in-Chief bladd@oswegonian.com

Rating: The "Halloween” series' most recent film, “Halloween Kills,” was way too much murder and not enough storyline in order to push the current trilogy along. This was the second film in the current trilogy and was a continuation of the 2018 “Halloween” night that was shown in the first movie of the trilogy. The film begins with a flashback to 1978, the night that Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney, “Far and Away”) goes on a killing spree after escaping a psychiatric hospital. This has been known in the series and is the plot of the first “Halloween” movie that debuted in 1978. The new revelation of this flashback was the scene of sheriff deputy Frank Hawkins having the opportunity to shoot Myers dead in his childhood home but missing the shot and killing his partner

instead. When Dr. Samuel Loomis (Tom Jones Jr., "The Abyss"), pleads with Hawkins to tell what happened, he freezes and stops the execution of Myers to occur. The film suddenly advances back to 2018 and opens with the scene of main character Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, “Knives Out”) being rushed to the hospital after being stabbed in the stomach during the closing scene scramble

of the previous film. The assumption is that Myers died during the closing scene, after being trapped and burned to death in Strode’s basement. It is soon revealed that this is not the case. Myers survives and kills every single first responder that arrives to put the fire out with a pickaxe. This was the most action that the movie sees, as the night continues to develop but the plot does not.

The introduction of more characters from the 1978 night, now in the present, was novel but pointless. The plot struggles to advance because the chaotic energy that Lee brought as Strode throughout the course of the entire first part of the trilogy, was completely sidelined. The movie only features select scenes with Strode and most of them involve her from a hospital bed. The entire climax of the

Image from Universal Pictures via YouTube "Halloween Kills" finds ruthless serial killer Michael Myers continuing his reign of terror in Haddonfield, Illinois.

movie does not feature her at all. This passes the Strode family role of trying to trick and kill Myers to her daughter, Karen Nelson (Judy Greer, “Jurassic World”). Greer is not able to bring the performance of Lee from the first part of the trilogy. Additionally there was one scene that was supposed to bring reflection but instead brought confusion. A mob breaks out in the hospital in Haddonfield, Illinois as the town tries to put the killing of Myers on their metaphorical backs. Citing the inability of cops to do so. This predictably does not go well and a misidentification of Myers for another escapee of the psychiatric hospital leads to the mob chasing the escapee to a hospital window. Feeling trapped, he jumps and gruesomely dies on the pavement 30-feet below. The scene was pointless in the overall plot. "Halloween Ends," the last film in the trilogy, will be released Oct. 14, 2022. It might as well have just followed the first film after a wild yet pointless second installment.

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. West Virginia product 5. Messy fellow 9. Tofu ingredient 12. Diva’s offering 13. ___ Scotia 14. Wind dir. 15. Sweats 17. Forty winks 18. Diners 20. Pointy 23. Most senior 26. Make lace 27. Not ashore 30. “___ Enchanted” (movie) 31. Choir singer 33. FBI employee 34. Not ever, in verse 35. Ran, as colors 36. Stood up 38. Clique 39. Madrid matron

41. Writing tables 43. Exhibition riding 46. Investigative org. 48. Worried 52. Hastened 53. Idaho neighbor 54. Dubuque’s state 55. Association (abbr.) 56. Craze 57. Flat

Down 1. Baseball hat 2. Lode load 3. Tire filler 4. ___ printer 5. Fit of temper 6. Folk wisdom 7. Ingests too much 8. Aromatic herb 9. Without meaning

10. “___ Clear Day...” (2 wds.) 11. Slangy approval 16. Hemingway’s nickname 19. Genesis location 20. Pierces 21. Oscar winner ___ Berry 22. Being present at 24. Glossy 25. Bakery items 28. Florida city 29. Freudian term 32. Perfume 37. Boundary 40. Happen again 42. Creepy 44. Glitch 45. Pang 46. To’s partner 47. Prevent 49. It follows Oct. 50. Flock member 51. Rather or Aykroyd

For this week’s puzzle answers 46. Seines ... Go to Oswegonian.com and click on the Laker Review tab!

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021

Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat