The Oswegonian 11-1-19 by The Oswegonian

Look Inside: A3 Oswego State language lab works to preserve native language

Friday, Nov. 1, 2019 VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XVIII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Taco Bell opens in Oswego

Oswego State students critical of college, SA after campus free speaker

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com

Ericka Solomon Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

After delays, popular fast food restaurant arrives

CONTENT

After being announced more than a year ago, the city of Oswego finally has its own Taco Bell after the grand opening on Wednesday. The new Taco Bell, located on the corner of Route 104 and George St. on the eastern side of Oswego, opened after construction began on May 1. After some setbacks, the fast-food restaurant, which was originally planned to open in late summer, opened at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Hospitality Syracuse, Inc., owns and operates the Taco Bell in Oswego, as well as the Taco Bell located in Fulton, which opened in the middle of January this year. Jessica Woodburn, marketing director for Hospitality Syracuse, Inc., said in an interview earlier this year that there was “a huge want” for the Taco Bell in Oswego. Woodburn mentioned that with the establishment of the Taco Bell, there were at least 60 local jobs created. Woodburn was not sure if any of those jobs were opened to college students, since she does not work at the store-level. “It was a no-brainer to go to Oswego, especially with the college and the high demand for Taco Bell,” Woodburn said. “We’re just excited to be [in Oswego] and be open. The welcome we’ve received by the community has been fantastic.” While the restaurant opened earlier in the day to be able to serve breakfast, Taco Bell’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was not until 10 a.m. The first group of patrons showed up at 6 a.m., which included Oswego State senior Anthony Notaro. Showing up extremely early “started off as a joke,” he said, but during the week the group was actually debating showing up at 6 a.m. “Being able to actually say I was first at Taco Bell sounded too good to pass on,” Notaro said. Notaro said the only negative to showing up so early was that Taco Bell only serves breakfast until 9 a.m, limiting what he could

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

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, traveling preacher Jessie Morrell visited the Oswego State campus leaving many students feeling uncomfortable and confused about who is allowed on the Oswego State campus and what they can say. Morrell upset some students by preaching his beliefs regarding same-sex marriage and confronting a same-sex couple who kissed in front of him. “I felt that his intentions may have been a little bit misguided and that he feels very strongly in something and that he is pushing his opinions on people that he knows don’t care to listen,” sophomore political science major Rylee Collea said. Collea is friends with the couple who was confronted and believes

that more should have been done to stop the harassment. “I think the school should say, ‘Hey you can’t say those kinds of things to students here who are paying for an education,’” Collea said. “It would be nice to have that kind of voice from an institution that we pay to go to.” The Oswego State Student Association drew criticism during public comment at the Oct. 29 meeting, where senior anthropology major Chelsea Scott called on SA to do more to protect Oswego State students from harassment. In an email interview, Scott pointed out that, “the school states on their website that the best way to handle a bias related incident is by filing a police report as this will ensure proper investigation. There is no police report and the police refused to allow any report of harassment to be made.”

See STUDENTS, A5

WIlliam Rogers | The Oswegonian While Oswego had a Taco Bell location in the past, the new restaurant marks an anticipated return.

choose off the menu. “I got a breakfast sausage crunch wrap and a Baja Blast that I mixed with Red Bull because I was exhausted and had school soon,” Notaro said. Even Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow was in attendance for lunch, grabbing his “favorite meal,” which included a box of tacos and a Mountain Dew Baja Blast, a staple drink from Taco Bell. “Between people in the SUNY community and people who just overall love Taco Bell and are tired of driving to Fulton or North Syracuse to get it, I think they’ll do really

well,” Barlow said. Woodburn said there has been a lot of questions whether or not Taco Bell will deliver within Oswego with the chain’s national partner, Grubhub. However, since Grubhub has not established itself in Oswego quite yet, there will be no delivery. Starting next week, both the Taco Bell app and website will allow people to order from their homes and “avoid the line,” Woodburn said.

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Even if one city is the only one banning it, it’s a great thing nonetheless and it’ll still help the ecosystem.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

-Justin Searles, from A6

‘An irreparable loss’: ELL fights to keep native language

Oswego State organization tries to save Kiowa from extinction

Hannah Leonard Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com Pressure rises for Oswego State’s Endangered Languages Lab in their race against time to preserve a Native American language, Kiowa, that is facing extinction. In charge of the lab is Taylor Miller, a visiting assistant professor of linguistics at Oswego State. Miller explained why the Kiowa language is currently taking precedence over the other endangered languages studied in the lab. Kiowa is a Native American language spoken fluently in Oklahoma by only nine Kiowa elders, all of which are nearly 90 years old and one of whom, Juanita Ahtone, recently lost their battle against pancreatic cancer, Miller said. According to the United Nations, two-fifths of the nearly 7,000 indigenous languages spoken globally are at risk of becoming obsolete. Kiowa is a language of verbal exchange with no formal writing system mutually agreed upon within the remaining speakers. The ELL is tasked with transcribing all stories and words into four systems. In no preferential order, they are the Gonzales Phonic System, the Original Parker McKenzie Orthography, the Modified McKenzie Bracket and the Modified McKenzie Strikethrough, according to kiowadictionary.com. Those interested in learning Kiowa can find a story where a student may study the audio files associated with the translations in all

four systems, as well as a full linguistic analysis at the “Kiowa Dictionary” website. Molly Bogart and Gabriel Pirrone-Alers, two students and active members of the Oswego State branch of the ELL, explained their role in preserving and transcribing Kiowa into written, online forms. Group members are continuing their joint efforts this week as Pirrone-Alers mentioned that, each member would be given an individual assignment varying from either transcribing single words in all four systems, or segmenting audio files from a story to correspond to a word. Both Bogart and Pirrone-Alers evoked passion as they stated the pride they feel as a result of being a part of saving this dying language, despite the pressure and stress that it entails. The systematic oppression of Native Americans evolved in 1838. Included was the institution of The Trail of Tears, which brought many Native American tribes who rarely made contact with one another into close quarters. Forcing them to choose languages and leave others behind, thus prompting the decay of Native American cultures and languages, Miller said. In addition, the U.S. government sent young Native Americans to boarding school, in which the indigenous children were forced to cut their hair and were given English names. The teachers at the schools would beat the children for speaking their native language. The school’s philosophy was, “kill the Indian, save the man,” Miller said.

Many Native American children did not survive the American boarding schools, and those who did were unable to reconnect with their families for they were apart for many years and could not speak their native language, or engage in traditional ceremonies. Miller said it was “an irreparable loss.” The impact of this governmentally imposed displacement has been vast and lingers still today. Many Native Americans experience discrimination that stems from stereotypes that often act as a roadblock in Miller’s fieldwork. Miller explained that she does not blame the tribes she works with for being protective and not always welcoming, considering how they have been treated by those in power. Over the course of Miller’s studies with the Kiowa tribe thus far, they have overcome the barrier of language and stereotypes to established strong bonds. Miller showed her progress on the online Kiowa dictionary to Kowa Elders during a trip to Oklahoma in August. “It’s a very powerful trip to show them what could happen and that we were working really hard to make it happen, and that even though they don’t know all the students here … There’s this tiny army of people who are growing to love Kiowa and [the Kiowa elders] and hear their voices all the time and really want to make this thing happen,” Miller said. Miller said she hopes to have the website established enough to be used in the classroom by the end of the year.

At the Art Studio: Fall Session, 10 a.m., Saturday, Tyler Hall

Rice Creek Associates Annual Social and Small Grants Presentation, 2 p.m., Saturday, Rice Creek Field Station

Deepher Dude Scholarship Fundraiser, 4 p.m., Saturday, Hewitt Hall Ballroom

Cash Mob, 5 p.m., Monday, River’s End Bookstore

Ahead of Her Time: Mary Walker Speaks Out on Interpersonal Violence, 6 p.m., Monday, Marano Campus Center 132

Fall 2019 Etiquette Dinner, 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Hewitt Hall Ballroom

Ke-nekt’ Series: Michael James Olson, Electronic Music, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sheldon Hall Ballroom

Math and Stats Grad School Prep Sessions, 4 p.m., Thursday, Shineman Center 178

Photo provided by Taylor Miller

Geoscience Invited Speaker: Dr. Bobby Karimi, 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Shineman Center 174

Oswego professor Taylor Miller (right) met with Kiowa elder Juanita Ahtone, before Ahtone passed away, to discuss the Kiowa language.

The Ski and Snowboard Club spoke as a part of SA’s pubic forum. They began by outlining their process with SA to request a budget, since they began the year with no budget. On Sept. 17, they requested $8,000. Through meeting with the finance committee and attending multiple SA meetings, they decided to lower their request, prioritizing their travel budget. This is so members would be able to attend their annual Mont Tremblant trip. After being amended, SA passed a bill on giving Ski and Snowboard Club $2,500. However, that was considered invalid the next week, as SA did not meet quorum. The senate had to vote on the bill again, but this time, was

not passed. Ski and Snowboard Club has no funding.

They told SA they felt their request was not treated seriously, and SA acted unprofessionally during meetings. They addressed a concern they brought up, where they said senators told them they were not trying to work well with SA, but the club said they did not understand why they felt that, since they said they attended a total of 23 meetings as of late to resolve the issue and met with six people.

She also said the administration did not do enough, and only took action after she met with them. She brought up other SUNY harassment policies and called attention to Oswego State’s student handbook, which she said was “lacking” in harassment and hate speech definitions and policies. She also told SA that University Police would not file a police report for the two tar-

geted by Morrell, because

they did not consider what happened harassment.

Oswego State senior Chelsie Scott spoke after the Ski and Snowboard Club during public forum. She came to discuss the aftermath of preacher Jesse Morrell. Morrell was on campus Oct. 16, and was preaching homophobic and antiwomen rhetoric. Scott said she felt SA did

not do enough after the fact to show Oswego State students they supported them.

The Roller Hockey team requested an additional $2,000 to their $11,000 budget to create a second “b team” to allow more members to participate in matches and tournaments. Senate said the organization was already in debt. The senate voted on the bill, but the bill failed by a

vote by general consent.

The African Student Organization requested $3,500 of additional funding to add to their $14,000 budget. This is to help pay for an upcoming conference-like event. However, the senate voted against the bill. During the debate, it was brought up that ASO already has a large budget and can po tentially cut costs elsewhere.

Dr. Jerri Howland informed senators of changes to the counseling services center. Four part-time counselors have begun working, and two others have been approved to be added as staff.

A4 NEWS Telemundo reporter shares story, advice Newest restaurant brings THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Perseverance, listening, heart keys to success Dyllan Lawrence Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com Zully Ramirez, an investigative reporter for Telemundo Chicago, spoke at Oswego State about her life and career and, shared some advice for students. The event was hosted on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Lanigan Hall by the Oswego State Public Relations Student Society of America, a public relations club at Oswego State. “I really hope that tonight, you can learn something from my story. As I reflected on the steps that helped me throughout my career, three things came up, and they have been a constant throughout my life,” Ramirez said at the beginning of the event. “I like to call them the powerful three: perseverance, listening, and heart. Listen for the powerful three, as I tell you a little about who I am, and where I come from.” She started the beginning of her journey when her family moved from Guatemala to New York City. “I decided to persevere right there, at the age of 11, in Spanish Harlem,” Ramirez said. She then explained that she listened to everyone, including strangers, and advised the audience that, “When you listen to good advice, and you know what good and bad advice is, it’s easier to make better choices in life.” Ramirez graduated from Utica College with a degree in journalism. After college, she bought her own camera with money she earned from waitressing and used it while working as a freelance reporter. At the same time, she applied for positions as a TV news reporter. “For a year, I would apply, and apply and apply and no one would accept me,” Ramirez said. “One day, that big day I had been waiting for arrived, and I landed my first position as a news reporter for Univision in Boston.” Univision is the biggest Spanish-language media company in America. However, Ramirez still faced failure. “My first story never got to air. My boss didn’t like it. It was my first day as a news reporter, and my story didn’t make the air,” Ramirez said. “I felt like a failure. I felt like I wanted to go back to New York City. I cried the night away.” After this brush with failure, she began to feel discouraged, but she kept going.

TACO from COVER “I know that [Grubhub’s] goal, by the end of 2020, is to service 100% of the Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S.,” Woodburn said. There are many other fast-food franchises around the new Taco Bell, including Burger King, Arby’s and Oswego’s second McDonald’s location. Price Chopper, which has a deli, is also nearby. With other Mexican food establishments in Oswego, such as Fajita Grill, which also has a loca-

tion in Fulton right next to Taco Bell, and Azteca Mexican Grill, there is a possibility that it could affect business. Notaro mentioned that he might go to Taco Bell a little more since it is closer and cheaper than Fajita Grill and Azteca, especially “when [he is] feeling too lazy to cook.” “Walmart’s right down the road, the second McDonald’s, new hotels are around there. I think it’s definitely a business district,” Woodburn said. “I think the location is going to work out great.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Zully Ramirez moved from Guatemala, to Spanish Harlem, to a career in broadcast journalism.

“I had two choices: continue trying until I had become a true journalist, or give up, right? So of course I picked the first one,” Ramirez said. “And I did it to prove to my boss, not only to my boss, but to myself, that I could do the job. So that’s when I put my heart into it.” Ramirez said she picked herself back up and kept trying. That was the moment she found courage in herself, and still, she kept aiming for something higher. “I contacted all my colleagues that were in a higher position than I was,” Ramirez said. “I asked them for advice … one of them suggested, ‘you should go to the NAHJ convention,’ which is the National Association of Hispanic Journalists … My colleague told me, ‘the vice president of Telemundo always goes to that convention.’” After meeting the vice president of Telemundo, Ramirez knew that was the job she wanted, and worked hard to earn it. “She criticized my resumé and my demo reel, and she told me that I was still young, and I still need to get more experience … I was disappointed,” Ramirez said. “I went back to Boston so I could continue my journey of preparation, and after several

phone calls, and several emails for over a year … she finally hired me.” “We go through highs and lows. But, if you persevere, you listen to advice, and if you put your heart and soul into everything you do, perhaps you make it out there as well.” Ramirez encouraged the audience to follow the same three words that she had followed: perseverance, listening and heart. Joseph Stabb, an Oswego State professor of public relations, was able to contact Ramirez as he knew her personally, and the event was put together by PRSSA, who had to coordinate with several different branches of Oswego State in order to put it together. “What went into this event was a lot of teamwork and groundwork,” said Alexis Bowering, president of PRSSA. “[Stabb] went to college with her at Utica. So he was able to contact her that way.” “It turned out great,” Ramirez said after her talk. “I feel like people, who were interested in what I had to say, came. I didn’t expect a full crowd … I do think that some of them were not journalism majors, but I feel like even if you’re not a journalism major, this can also apply to other careers.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Touching on her experiences in the news industry, Telemundo reporter Zully Ramirez shared how she broke into the field.

315-343-6429 176 East 9th street

Taco Bell back to Oswego

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian On the first day of opening, the Oswego Taco Bell location received heavy traffic with longer wait times for food.

A5 NEWS Johnson Hall holds family game night Students speak on harassment, THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Level Up event brings video, board games to residence hall Hannah Leonard Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com An energetic and competitive spirit took hold of Johnson Hall on Friday evening, as students and many of their parents took part in the hall sponsored event, “Level Up.” Inspired by the video games of past and present, “Level Up” took on both a literal and figurative meaning, as the students and families who participated could find games such as karaoke, Galaga and life-size Tetris. Also available were snacks and drinks served on both the basement and the higher first floor of Johnson Hall. Shirley temples were handcrafted by staff member Randy Catterson and served with a smile, while other staff dished snack foods including candy, popcorn and pretzels. The Johnson Hall staff created an entertaining, joyful and competitive environment. Gamers were found competing in these games not only for fun, but also for the chance to win prizes including a Nintendo Switch, a Sega Genesis Classic console, a Nintendo DS and a Roku TV. Participants could enter to

responding to counter ideas OSWEGO from COVER

Hannah Leonard l The Oswegonian Attendees Colleen Sewall (right), Emily Yarbrough and Jill Soggs wear their prize tickets.

win the above prizes by first obtaining red tickets from coming in the top three spots in games such as Mario Kart or participating in other activities. Gamers could also choose to redeem their tickets for more coins to play more games. Once participants had won red tickets they could enter the casino for a fee of two red tickets in order to play blackjack for a better chance to win the prizes. Sarah Nehama attended “Level Up” along with both of her parents and she explained she had been having a great time dominating in her games. She wore a slew of red tickets she had already won even though the event had just kicked off.

Available video games, found in the main lounge, included Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In addition to the digital selection, one could find more retro games, such as board games and a casino. This event was not limited to only Johnson Hall residents and their families as Colleen Sewall, Emily Yarbrough and Jill Soggs, residents and RAs of other residence halls attended. Much like Nehama, Yarbrough and other game winners flaunted their skills by parading through the event adorning themselves with sleeves of red tickets, as if they were dazzling jewelry.

Scott believes that the harassment policies need to be addressed and that it was not the administration that handled the situation with the preacher, but instead students. “It took eight days and several meetings with administration for President Deborah Stanley to make a statement. In review of past incidents, I am seeing that both the Student Association and President Deborah Stanley have responded nearly immediately to similar events,” Scott said. “I have been told from both SA and the administration that they are actively working on this. However, unless they are transparent then, to the students, they are doing nothing.” Oswego State President Deborah Stanley released a statement emailed to students on Oct. 24. “I am asking that each of us remember people may use words to hurt us, but as a community response we can reach out with respect and understanding to provide care, comfort, and solace to one another. We can, individually and together, stand for justice and change—actively seeking to create a better world for today and tomorrow,” Stanley wrote in her message. SA President Takeena Strachan said she and SA are working to provide programs for students to help them understand their Free Speech rights and what life will be like once they leave the Oswego State campus. “We are really working on different programs and different practices to really help benefit the student body. Not only in the aspects of their first amendment

rights but also in just life in general, of what’s going to happen when you take that next step off of this campus,” Strachan said. Appendix B of the college free speech policy gives students suggestions on how to effectively respond to controversial speakers with whom they disagree. Associate professor in the school of communication, media and the arts Jason Zenor, who helped write the free speech policy, said he was proud of the way students handled themselves in response to the preacher. “I was there when he was out there and I was quite proud of students who were speaking back, they didn’t turn to violence, they were sharing their opinions and thoughts,” Zenor said. The College Republicans club also took a stance to promote free speech on college campuses. The club was standing outside the Marano Campus Center on Oct. 30 asking people if they would like to exercise their right to free speech by writing anything they please on a giant beach ball. “You can write whatever you feel, so people have been talking about their professors, people have been talking about politics, people are plugging their snapchats and their names, but it gives the opportunity for the campus to come together and rally around a common cause,” said College Republicans vice president and sophomore broadcasting and mass communications major Wyatt Fulton. Zenor explained that he believes free speech is important on college campuses so that “your ideas are shared and you are challenged,” adding, “the best response to this speech is often more speech.”

William Rogers l The Oswegonian Students and their families could play each other in video games, such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch.

Photo provided by Wyatt Fulton The Oswego College Republicans invited students to speak freely on their “speech ball.”

NEWS

Photo Brief

Pumpkin Decorating

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Lake Ontario trash extends beyond Oswego Recently-approved styrofoam ban good start, more needed Alexander Gault-Plate Editor in Chief aplate@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Dean of Students Office hosted a Halloween-inspired pumpkin decorating party. This event was a part of their “It’s Okay Not to Drink” week, which offered various programs to show students safe and fun alternatives to social drinking. They also educate students on how to go out safely. At the pumpkin painting event, students were provided with pumpkins from Oswego’s own Ontario Orchard. However, they ran out of the 30 pumpkins purchased for the event within five minutes of the event starting. Students were able to bring their own pumpkins, if they wanted, as well. Supplies, including the paint and Mod Podge, were also provided. Besides pumpkin painting,

students were given free brownies and apple cider. They were also given the new “It’s Okay Not to Drink” campaign shirts. The new designs all include geese, as a way to tie the campaign into the Oswego State Campus. Students were also able to take other free “It’s Okay Not to Drink” swag, including a variety of stickers. “It’s Okay Not to Drink” is usually held in mid-October to coincide with National College Alcohol Awareness Week. This year, however, it was decided to push back the week in order to have Halloween-inspired events and provide students with alternatives to partying during a holiday where party culture and alcohol consumption is so popular. The week finished out on Halloween, with an Open Mic Night in Lake Effect Café.

The city of Oswego’s “Keep Oswego Clean” initiative banned the use of styrofoam containers, but that may not make a huge difference in the amount of waste along the lakeshore. Justin Searles, a junior biology student, is the captain of the Oswego State Shining Waters initiative, a community service-based organization that focuses on keeping the Lake Ontario shoreline clean. Searles said that one of the most common forms of pollution he sees along the lakeshore is plastic, but it does not all come from the Oswego area. “A lot of styrofoam has traveled here from all over, as far away as Toronto,” Searles said. “Sometimes, you’ll pick up a cup from the lakeshore that’s labeled in French and English because it came from Ontario or Québec. You can even get trash here from Detroit, because the Great Lakes are all connected.” Searles said that all plastics and man-made materials are a threat to the environment, and a lot of the waste can end up along the lake even after being properly disposed of. “Polystyrene and styrofoam, neither are recyclable. They’re just tossed,” Searles said. “Even if it does make it to the landfill, it’s so light sometimes that it can get picked up by the wind and brought to the lake.” In the area, the Oswego State campus has already phased out single-use plastics and styrofoam packaging. Since they cannot be recycled, styrofoam food packaging has been unpopular with the campuses environmentally-focused plans. “We’ve phased out styrofoam products on the Oswego State campus. We’re actually working to-

Colin Hawkins | The Oswegonian Lightweight plastic trash can blow into the lake, even if the plastic is disposed of in a landfill.

wards being a zero-waste campus,” Nicole Barry, an intern for the Sustainability Office, said. In the city, styrofoam was used by restaurants like Fajita Grill for most of their take-away offerings, and styrofoam has seen increased popularity in the last year as food-delivery services like Grubhub and DoorDash have expanded services to Oswego. Searles proposed that an alternative to styrofoam packaging, which is popular in part due to its lightness and relative durability, could be mycelium, which can be formed into packaging. Mycelium is the root system of fungi like mushrooms, and companies like Ecovative Design have offered green, mycelium-based packaging alternatives since 2007. Searles said that the styrofoam ban is definitely a step in the right direction. “Every small step is still a step,” Searles said. “Even if one city is the only one banning it, it’s a great thing

nonetheless and it’ll still help the local ecosystem.” There are other things that Searles said could be steps in the right direction, like banning singleuse plastics and for the city to adjust how their sewage treatment process is handled. The city of Oswego recently spent $4 million on sewage treatment upgrades, after it was discovered that, during the previous mayor’s term, the city wastewater treatment plant dumped raw sewage into Lake Ontario three times in 2015. Former plant superintendent Gary Hallinan was charged with negligently discharging raw sewage into Lake Ontario under New York’s environmental laws, after it was found that he had exceeded the plants permitted allowance for discharge of solid waste by more than 60 times. He was sentenced to probation and a fine in early October this year.

Haunted House

Colin Hawkins The Oswegonian Along with the New York ban on plastic bags, Oswego is banning styrofoam to help keep plastic out of Lake Ontario and the Oswego River.

William Rogers | The Oswegonian

Multiple on-campus organizations hosted a haunted house on Oct. 29 to bring Halloween early to the Oswego State campus. Impromptu, Story Teller’s Guild and Team Mini all worked together to create Mr. Shoemaker’s Mystic Museum, an interactive haunted house in The Space. Students entered the haunted house through Swetman Gym. Impromptu is an acapella group on campus. Story Teller’s Guild is an organization dedicated to a variety of hobbies, including live action role play, playing video games and tabletop role playing games. Team Mini is Oswego State’s robotic team, known for their

mini Zamboni at hockey games. The premise of the haunted house is that Mr. Shoemaker, creator of the museum, decided to bring his collection of “curious and outlandish” items. The museum and objects were rumored to be haunted, tying the museum into the ghostly themes of a haunted house. Alongside him was his assistant, Betty Meryl. Students helped as actors and additional staff to make the haunted museum possible. Impromptu, Story Teller’s Guild, and Team Mini helped buil anticipation and suspense through both their lighting choices and music choices. There were around 100 students that attended the event.

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Will Rogers | The Oswegonian

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XVII • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Men’s soccer travels to Cortland for SUNYAC first round Oswego State has struggled vs. Red Dragons but remain confident in its efforts Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s soccer team finds itself in a position it has not been in since 2014. This Saturday, Nov. 2, the Lakers head to SUNY Cortland for the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs. The last time Oswego State was in a SUNYAC playoff game, it was a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at The College at Brockport. But this time around, it is an entirely new group of players led by a new head coach. “We’re extremely grateful and we know we’ve earned the opportunity,” head coach Dan Kane said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, but we are also excited to be training and working hard for at least one more week together and hopefully, we can get even more time together.” Kane took over the Oswego State program in 2017. The Lakers had not had a winning record since 2006 and were often in the basement of the SUNYAC. But in just three short years, through recruiting and an overall culture change, the Lakers find themselves back in a position to not only play in, but compete in the SUNYAC playoffs. The last time the Lakers and Red Dragons faced off, it was a 1-1 draw at the Laker Turf Stadium. That draw snapped a 12-game losing streak Oswego State had suffered at the hands of men’s soccer powerhouse, SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons have not been as dominant as in years past but finished the season winning two out of their last three games, good enough to host round one of the playoffs. Kane knows it

Women’s hockey vs. Castleton

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian The Oswego State men’s soccer team will face the Red Dragons in the playoffs, dropping to the sixth seed after three straight losses.

will take the same energy the Lakers have had all season to come out on top this weekend. “We have to find some ways to win the ball higher up the field against them,” Kane said. “At times we took a little too much pressure from them. But, there were a lot of positives. Our work rate, intensity and focus were excellent and we were able to create some opportunities on the counter.” For Oswego State, it starts with the seniors but goes all the way down to the freshmen. The Lakers have a good mix of scoring that starts with senior Caleb Asamoah, who tallied eight goals and two assists this season. But the team also relies on

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

freshmen such as Steven Rojas and Kyle Scalzo, who combined for seven goals and five assists in their first season. It will have to be a collective effort this Saturday. “No question, [it starts with] the seniors,” Kane said. “Jack Van Pelt and Anthony Paris in the center of our starting 11. Obviously, there’s Terra who’s a junior but has spent a lot of time back there. Caleb Munski is a sophomore and played in some big games. Asamoah and Rojas as well. But we’re counting on everybody. If one guy has an off day, we’re going to be in trouble.” For those seniors, appearing in a SUNYAC playoff game is something they have worked and strived for in all four seasons with the Lakers. “It feels good,” senior captain Anthony Paris said. “All our hard work as a team has paid off. It started in August and in the preseason, where we worked hard and showed everybody we were ready to come out and impress people this season.” Kane and his senior leaders know what is at stake this Saturday. But even so, the team is still attacking each day with the same excitement and attitude that they have all season long. “This week has just been fun so far,” Paris said. “We want to have fun and be thankful that we have another week to play being seniors. Nothing is really guaranteed so we aren’t taking anything for granted.” Oswego State has struggled historically against the Red Dragons, especially on the road. The Lakers are 2-28-0 all-time at SUNY Cortland. In what promises to be a loud

environment, Oswego State wants to stick to the gameplan while relying on each other. “No. 1 is you’ve got to be yourself,” Kane said. “Don’t try to be more or any less than yourself. No. 2, anytime you go on the road in a big environment, you’ve got to support each other. Find ways to lift each other up and trust each other. No. 3 sounds silly but just run hard. In these big moments, it’s about doing the little things right.” Adding more challenges to the game is the poor performances that Oswego State has had recently. The Lakers have lost three straight games, all on the road. The latest lost came 2-0 against Buffalo State. If Oswego State had won that game, it would have hosted the first round of SUNYACs. Instead, it finds itself on the road, where the Lakers have struggled this season. They are 3-5-0 on the road compared to a strong 5-11 home record. “With every loss we’ve had this season, we try to learn something,” Paris said. “Coming off a three-game losing streak, we have to be stronger in some aspects. But we want to keep doing what we’ve done all year. Winning those 50-50 battles and doing the little things. That will get us back to what we did at the beginning of the season.” Even with their recent struggles, the Lakers know they have earned the opportunity to compete at the highest level of conference play. “The guys will be ready to play,” Kane said. “A lot of guys have wanted this opportunity for a long time and we finally got it. They’re going to make the most of it.”

Exhibition games provide Oswego State with things to fix

Men’s hockey takes too many penalties against Nazareth, Carleton Place Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com Forty penalty minutes, 11 different goal-scorers, one power play goal and two wins sums up the Oswego State men’s hockey team’s two exhibition games. The Lakers’ two exhibitions were a 9-1 win over Carleton Place from the Central Canada Hockey League and then a 4-3 win against Nazareth College on Saturday. Over the course of the two games, 16 players registered at least one point, highlighted by Derek Brown’s hat trick in the game against the Canadians. “He came in the entire next week, and he was smiling ear-to-ear. He’s excited to be there. It’s contagious,” captain Josh Zizek said. “To have it start off in such a good way, I think it’s just going to be positive for him.” Oswego State only had to kill one penalty against Carleton Place, which it killed, but it committed a lot more penalties that were washed out by Carleton Place penalties. Toward the middle of the second period, Travis Broughman got a 10-minute misconduct along with a two-minute minor for roughing. Brown also got a minor roughing call. On the opposite end, the Lakers scored one power-play goal in their six opportunities against Car-

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

leton Place. It was not the same story against Nazareth College, however, where Oswego State committed seven penalties and were forced to kill five of them. The Golden Flyers ended up scoring with two seconds left in the second period on the Joey Scorpio cross-check. “It’s early in the season, guys are taking penalties where they probably shouldn’t,” junior Carter Allen said. “All in all, we want to stay out of the box. If we can avoid that in the future, that’s great. But, we’ll chalk it up for experience and move on.” Michael Gillespie was charged with a 10-minute misconduct and eventually pulled from the game by head coach Ed Gosek, as he did not return in the third period. “Just our behavior in some areas and our body language, it’s not what we expect. It’s not to the standard that we hold ourselves to,” Gosek said. “The discipline, and all those areas, has to improve if we’re going to have any chance.” All three of Oswego State’s goaltenders got opportunities to play in the exhibition games, each getting a period of action in both games. David Richer played in the second period against Carleton Place and the first period against Nazareth College. Cedric Hansen played in the first period and then the second period, and Ste-

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian Mitch Emerson (9) recorded two goals and two assists in the two exhibition games.

ven Kozikoski started the third period in both matchups. Richer was the only goaltender to remain perfect in both games, stopping all 13 shots he faced, including nine against Carleton Place. Hansen and Kozikoski both allowed two goals each, Kozikowski allowing both in the game against Nazareth College. While the obvious might point toward Richer getting the start against

SUNY Cortland, as he did not allow any goals, there are also other things to consider, such as the amount of shots each goaltender saw. In his first-period start, Hansen only saw three shots against Carleton Place, while Richer saw four against the Golden Flyers.

See LAKERS, B3

The Oswego State women’s hockey team is heading to Vermont for its first two regular season games against the Castleton University Spartans. The Lakers will continue to experiment with different line combinations, especially on the power play. The freshmen that played a lot of minutes for the Lakers last week might not get as much ice time against the Spartans. Head coach Diane Dillon definitely used the two exhibition games to her advantage. Especially with the second line that featured all freshmen for the Lakers. One freshmen that should not see a decrease in minutes is forward Megan Teachout who has been one of the most impressive skaters for the Lakers. After scoring two goals against William and Smith College we should expect to possibly see her on the first line if her excellent play on the ice continues. Castleton University has not played a game yet this season so Oswego State will be their first official test. Being the home team in these two games could give the Spartans a slight advantage over the Lakers this weekend.

Men’s hockey vs. Cortland

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com Unnecessary penalties hurt Oswego State against Nazareth College in its second exhibition game, committing seven penalties for 22 minutes. The penalty minutes will not be on each players’ stat sheet in the regular season. But if players are getting this “chippy” early in the season, what will that do with strong teams coming up like Plattsburgh State or SUNY Geneseo, whose powerplay units might make the Lakers pay. Sure, the 10-minute misconduct does not force a penalty kill unit for the Lakers, but the two-minute roughing call does; and all of a sudden that player is gone for 12 minutes. The penalty kill did get five opportunities and killed all but one, allowing a power-play goal at 19:58 of the second period for the Golden Flyers’ first goal of the game. Oswego State’s PK unit also produced a short-handed goal from Joseph Molinaro, which should not be expected every game, but when the opportunity presents itself early in the season, it is a good sign. Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek pointed out the team’s attitude was not what he wanted and it is “not to the standard that we hold ourselves to,” he said following the game. Discipline has to be strong against SUNY Cortland on Friday. While the Red Dragons are not an elite team in the SUNYAC, this could lead to a chippier game toward the end of regulation, resulting in too much time spent on the penalty kill.

SPORTS Swimming, diving teams begin seasons

Both teams come away with big wins at SUNY Oneonta

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Photo Briefs Men’s basketball No. 23

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian The Lakers men’s and women’s teams are both off to 1-1 starts this season and return to action this Saturday at Wells College.

Brandon Ladd Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The start of the 2019-20 Oswego State men’s and women’s swimming and diving season is a mirror image to the way the two teams started off in 2018-19, a meet against Rochester Institute of Technology and SUNY Oneonta. The hope for Oswego State is the end of this season mirrors the end of last season as well, with the men taking home second place and the women taking home third place at the SUNYAC Championships last February in Buffalo when the four day meet concluded. The women’s team is already off to a faster start this season than last, with a 58-point turnaround in just one year against SUNY Oneonta. The team won 133106, compared to a 105-136 loss last season. That major turn-around was anchored by the performance of freshman Keaton Maring, who dominated a pair of freestyle events, winning both the 100-yard and 200-yard. She also led off the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team. The team of Maring, Allegra Neglia, Kelsey Oliverio and Kayla Merrill beat the top-ranked SUNY Oneonta team by two seconds. Diver Meghan Maquet was

the only women’s diver at the event to get over 200-points in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, as she beat out her teammate Laura Bornheimer in each. Kelsey Oliverio was fast off the blocks to earn the win in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 27.15 seconds. Oliverio won the sprint but it was senior Emily Ross who won the marathon this past Saturday, as she took home the first event win for the women in the 1,000-yard freestyle. Her time of 11:53:68 outpaced her teammate Madeleine Crean by three seconds. The women’s team is going to be aided by outstanding depth all season and the instant impact already felt by Maring. Ross believes that another third-place finish at SUNYACs is the expectation and goal of this campaign. “I’d be really happy with third [place at SUNYACs],” Ross said. “That was a very big goal for us and against Geneseo, nobody beats them. So, getting second would be really cool too but third I’d be very excited for.” SUNY Geneseo is the University of Alabama football team of SUNYAC swimming for both men and women, so it seems that the battle for second place this year in the SUNYAC will be the most entertaining. It was last February in Buffalo as it was the Laker’s men’s team inching out SUNY Cortland by a mere point

over the course of four days. An utterly outrageous 526 to 525. The men’s team is looking forward to holding that razor thin edge over SUNY Cortland this season. The meet against SUNY Oneonta was a promising start, as its path to a 9-1 regular season again seems underway. The battle this past Saturday seemed to be between which Oswego State swimmer would get the most wins at the event. It turned out it was a five-way tie between seniors Ryan Kreuser, Alex Davie and Nick Weber, junior Walker Snowden and freshmen Zachary Brown at three wins for the day. Weber was the marathon man in the 500-yard and 1000-yard freestyles, while Kreuser was able to get it done in the 200-yard free and 100-yard backstroke. Each had a relay win also. Adding to Oswego State winning all 13 events offered on Saturday was diver Cameron Ellis, who won both the 1-meter and 3-meter event. He is trying to repeat an appearance in the NCAA diving regional this season. He placed 10th in the 3-meter event last season, where the top eight advance. His motivation will be that this season. Oswego State is ready for a long and successful season, who knew the race for second place could be so exciting.

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

The Oswego State men’s basketball team was ranked No. 23 in all of Div. III by DIII News. DIII News is a monthly newsletter that wrote a 2019-20 preview in which Oswego State was predicted to win the SUNYAC. The Lakers were the only SUNYAC team in the top 25, and the only other New York State team ranked, according to DIII News, were Hamilton College. The newsletter said the Lakers would advance to the Sweet 16, like they did last season. The two schools that followed Oswego State from the SUNYAC was The College at Brockport and Plattsburgh State. Oswego State returns three of its top-five scorers from last season with Brandon Gartland, Liam Sanborn and Joe Sullivan, but will greatly miss its two graduated starters. Tyler Pierre led the team in points per game with 13.4. While he was an excellent scorer, it was Pierre’s defensive effort and rebounding that the team will need to replace. Pierre recorded 113 offensive rebounds,

which helped the Lakers create secondary scoring chances off of missed three pointers or other shots. He also led the team in total rebounds with 274. Quinn Carey also left the team due to graduation and was the leading guard. He led the team in three pointers made with 93. Sanborn is expected to take over as the lead guard for the Lakers this season. After recording 12.6 points per game in 36 minutes a night, Sanborn should be shooting more than last season. Earlier this offseason, Sanborn was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith’s basketball magazine. The Lakers also return Gartland. He led the team in minutes per game with 36.6. Gartland is the leading scorer among all returning Lakers with 390 points in 30 games, good for 13 per game. The Lakers regular sesaon will begin Friday, Nov. 15 when they take on Ithaca College in the Elmira Tip-Off Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Women’s hockey travels to Vermont Men’s hockey USCHO-ranked

For second straight season, Lakers play first 4 games on road

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian The Lakers started last season 4-0 on the road and will begin its season against Castleton University.

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The regular season is officially set to begin for Oswego State as it will hit the road and travel to Vermont to face the Castleton University Spartans for its first two regular season games of the season. After winning their previous exhibition game 4-1 against the William Smith College Herons, the Lakers will look to continue that winning momentum as they will start the season with their first four games on the road. Oswego State’s next two road games, after this weekend, will be against its known rivals, the Plattsburgh State Cardinals Last year, Oswego State found itself in a similar situation by starting off its season with four road games and went 4-0. Oswego State should not be expected to repeat this, since it has only played two exhibition games so far this season and the coaching staff is still trying to decide what the best possible lineup for the team will be. However, it should be a positive sign that Os-

wego State already has experience with starting the season out on the road and should give the team an extra boost of confidence. “We like getting on the road early,” head coach Diane Dillon said. “I think getting off campus gets us focused on the task at hand. It’s a good early way to bring the team together.” Being on the road in an opposing team’s arena is never easy for any team, but one area that will definitely help Oswego State during this road trip is its penalty kill. As a team, Oswego State went 6-6 on the penalty kill against William Smith College and has not allowed a power-play goal so far this season. “We are very happy with how we’ve played on the penalty kill,” senior captain Kate Randazzo said. “We hope to continue to do that and tighten up even a little bit more. Definitely looking to work off of that, but we are still learning.” Starting off a season with four games on the road can seem like a lot for the freshmen on the team who are still adjusting to college, but the only negative that Dillon sees is

that the players will have to miss a day of class. “It’s a good early test,” Dillon said. “It’s always an interesting adjustment. Having to learn a new team with a new dynamic and teammates. They are a good group of young women and they want to win. If anything, it’s been killing them to have had to wait this long to get started playing games.” Oswego State is only looking at the positives of this road trip when it discusses it. The Lakers are looking forward to the team bonding that comes with being on the road so much. “We get to spend a lot of time together on the bus and in the hotels,” sophomore Philomena Teggart said. “We know each other really well already, but it just helps us become closer with each other as a team.” There is a lot of hockey to be played this year and Oswego State cannot wait to get this season officially started. The team looks like it is heading in the right direction after looking impressive in its two exhibition games. Dillon is especially impressed with the teams desire to win. “The momentum is all forward,” Dillon said. “It’s a fresh start. There’s a lot of new energy and they have been able to bring that energy together to head off in the right direction.” It seems that all signs are pointed in the right direction for Oswego State when it comes to the success for this season. The new members of the team have already shown that they are ready to make an impact right away. When adding the veteran presence that the Lakers already have, it seems that they have the right combination from the outside looking in. Oswego State’s first game against Castleton University will be at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Then the puck is scheduled to drop at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, where Oswego State will look to get a win streak going in Vermont.

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian

The 2019-20 USCHO.com Div. III men’s ice hockey rankings were released on Monday, Oct. 28. Oswego State is ranked No. 6 in the nation to begin the season. The Lakers return a strong core of 13 seniors and standout freshman Travis Broughman, who tallied 23 points in 27 games last season. The team also returns goaltenders David Richer and Cedric Hansen but loses two-time SUNYAC Defensemen of the Year Devin Campbell. Campbell is replaced by alternate captain Carter Allen and senior Tyler Currie. The two combined for 26 points last season. Defending national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point ranks No. 1 to begin the season followed by runner-up Norwich University. SUNYAC foe SUNY Geneseo rounds out the top three despite losing goaltender Devin McDonald due to graduation. The Knights return a bulk of their scoring production from last season, a year they made the Div. III Tournament Semifinals. Other noteworthy rankings include Hobart College, which checks in one spot higher than the Lakers at No. 5. The Statesmen eliminated

Oswego State from the national tournament last season with a 3-2 win. The two teams are set to meet again on Friday, Nov. 22, at The Cooler in Hobart. The Lakers will face another nationally-ranked opponent on Friday, Jan. 10, when they take on No. 13 Utica College at home. The Pioneers finished 2018-19 with a 20-7-2 record, losing to Manhattanville College in the UCHC championship, falling one game short of the Div. III Tournament. Utica College and Oswego State have tied the past two matchups with each other. The Lakers own the all-time record with the Pioneers, going 14-6-5 in 25 meetings. Two other potential nationallyranked for the Lakers are Williams College and Plattsburgh State. The Ephs received two votes in the USCHO.com poll, while the Cardinals received one. Although the Lakers and Ephs are not scheduled to play a game this season, both teams will participate in the Pathfinder Bank Hockey Classic and could meet if either both teams win or lose. The two teams split two meetings last season. The Lakers will meet Plattsburgh State twice this season.

B B33 SPORTS Volleyball drops final 2 SUNYAC games, falls to 6 seed for playoffs THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Despite losses to talented Geneseo, Brockport, Oswego State liked what it saw down stretch

Will Rogers | The Oswegonian Oswego State will face SUNY Cortland on Tuesday in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs and would face SUNY Geneseo in the seminfinals.

Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com Last season, the Oswego State volleyball team was able to knock off No. 3 seed The College at Brockport in the SUNYAC quarterfinals. The then six-seeded Lakers upset the Golden Eagles 3-2 and now find themselves in a similar situation. While the opposing team is different, the Lakers enter the 2019 SUNYAC playoffs as the six seed and will travel to SUNY Cortland on Tuesday Nov. 5. Similar to last season’s regular season loss to The College at Brockport, the Lakers also lost to SUNY Cortland earlier

this season. The biggest difference, however, is the fact that the Lakers’ loss to the Red Dragons came over a month ago on Sept. 17, while they dropped their 2018 contest to the Golden Eagles 10 days before the playoffs began. At first glance, the 3-0 shutout loss to the Red Dragons looks troubling for the Lakers, however, the sets themselves were pretty close, with scores of 27-25 and 25-22. As for the Lakers, they remain confident in their abilities after completing their SUNYAC schedule. The team has grown to become even closer, despite a majority of their starting lineup playing together for the last four seasons as seniors. When looking back at that

Lakers to begin season with 5 straight SUNYAC foes EXHIBITION from B1 Following both games, Gosek said the Lakers had the opposition playing on their heels in the first period, resulting in the lack of shots. “[The goalies] all play different styles. But at the end of the day, if they keep pucks out of the net, we’re happy with it,” Allen said. “It’s tough for those guys to step into a game halfway through or at the start of the third period, when everyone else is already going.” For the second straight season, Oswego State, who is ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll for USCHO, will host SUNY Cortland to open its regular season and for its first SUNYAC contest. There is still one in question if they will be available for the game on Friday. Tanner Spink played against Carleton Place, but was out with an undisclosed injury against Nazareth College. Gosek said Spink practiced earlier in the week and hopefully the injury will “stay settled down.” After a lot of paperwork, Div. I transfer Carson Vance from Western Michigan University has also been cleared by the NCAA to play on Friday. He missed both exhibition games. Gosek said. “It’s been a paperwork nightmare, quite frankly. That’s all.” Past SUNY Cortland, Oswego State also has four consecutive league matchups, with Plattsburgh State

and SUNY Potsdam on Nov. 8 and 9, along with The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo on Nov. 15 and 16. More importantly, including the game against SUNY Cortland, the Lakers have four straight home games. “We’ve only got two new guys. But for them, it’s great to get their toes wet right away,” Zizek said. “For [Alex] DiCarlo, he’s a young guy. It’s nice to have him get into those games, get a feel in front of the fans, because we’ve got a couple games coming up at home that are very important to us.” Last season, the Lakers defeated SUNY Cortland 4-2. Broughman scored twice and chipped in an assist in the matchup, with Spink and Brown both adding goals. Allen registered two assists. Richer stopped 16 shots, allowing both goals. Similar to the exhibition games, the Lakers committed five penalties resulting in four power-play opportunities for the Red Dragons. The final two penalties resulted in man-advantage goals for SUNY Cortland; turning a 4-0 game into a 4-2 game. Gosek said the team wants to “get two points in all” of the league games, but they have “to earn it.” “Having a one-game weekend where we can just focus on one team, that’s a pretty good bonus being our first league game of the season,” Allen said. “Hopefully we’re all dialed in and ready to go come Friday. At the end of the day, it’s two points we’re after.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

early season loss, head coach J.J. O’Connell was impressed with how clean the Red Dragons play. “They’re just efficient, they don’t make that many hitting errors. They only had 14 attacking errors in the match,” O’Connell said. “They also have a big block, so they are the tops in the SUNYAC in terms of scoring points at 16.5 per game. They just don’t make a lot of mistakes, so you’ve got to force them into those mistakes.” SUNY Cortland had the fewest errors during SUNYAC play with 158. Of those errors, it recorded 14 against Oswego State, the third most in any conference game this season. This relatively sloppy play for SUNY Cortland’s standards is

due, in part, to it being the first conference game for both teams. This resulted in both teams struggling to find their identities early in the season. “That was our first SUNYAC game, beginning of the year. We were figuring out who we were,” senior Julia Flohr said. “But now it’s the end of the season, we know who we are and we are better than we have been the whole year. I think everyone is playing at their peak level, and we’re just ready to get them on Tuesday.” As excited as Flohr is for her last run in the SUNYAC playoffs, the Lakers still have two more games to use as preparation for the conference battle. This gives the role players a chance to see in-game action in case they are needed to step in and play during the postseason. The Lakers will use their first game of the Alfred University tri-match against the Saxons to reward their bench players. “Our conference schedule doesn’t give us too many opportunities to get deep into our bench,” O’Connell said. “We like to use our end of season stuff to get our bench involved and … get [them] some reps before we get into the playoffs to see if we can get them engaged.” The second contest of the weekend is against SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The Lakers will be able to work on some set plays and strategies they want to implement against SUNY Cortland. “Working on some shots we might need the next weekend against Cortland,” O’Connell said. “We’ve already looked at the video, we know how we want to break them down. It’s just a matter of now getting some practice ingame scenarios.” The Lakers were able to use this past as a bit of a measuring stick to help with their preparation for the SUNYAC playoffs, as they already punched their ticket to the playoffs. This was the first time for the six seniors that the only thing they had to play for was seeding. Both games were

critical for the Lakers, as winning both would have propelled them to second in the conference with a 7-2 record. This was a tough task for Oswego State, as it had to face SUNY Geneseo and The College at Brockport. The Knights have not lost a regular season SUNYAC game in over two years, sitting at 9-0, while the Golden Eagles are in second place in the conference. “[Geneseo is] undefeated in the conference and we were right there with them,” O’Connell said. “I think playing hard this weekend, even though we didn’t get the results we wanted, set us up for a confident run in the playoffs.” The Lakers fell to SUNY Geneseo 3-1, but kept it very close in the first two sets. At one point in both sets, the Lakers were tied with them 18-18. The previous day, Oct. 25, Oswego State lost 3-2 against the Golden Eagles. Looking back to SUNY Cortland, this is a Red Dragons team that ended their season much like the Lakers, with back to back losses to The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo. They will face the Rochester Institute of Technology and New York University on Saturday. When the Lakers travel down to SUNY Cortland on Tuesday, the Red Dragons should not expect the same Lakers team they saw at the Max Ziel Gymnasium earlier this season. “Every game we’ve played, I’ve seen improvements,” senior Shauna O’Flaherty said. “We still have some things to work on, [but] it honestly gives me a lot of confidence knowing we played Cortland over a month ago ... from where we were then to where we are now, I think we improved a lot.” O’Flaherty transferred to Oswego State after a season at the University at Albany where she played club volleyball. The senior has built a strong bond with her fellow seniors who are not ready to say goodbye. “It’s awesome, I get to keep playing for longer,” O’Flaherty said. “I’m not ready to be done, so it’s just awesome to have another game.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Shore Report SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Soccer

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

x- clinched e- eliminated

Oswego Scoreboard Men’s Soccer

Field Hockey

Friday, Oct. 25

Saturday, Oct. 26

OSW:

Sperano: 2 SOG Terra: 5 saves

OSW:

Simzer: 1 goal Scheblein: 20 saves

FRE:

Belardi: 1 goal Retzer: 2 SOG Bentham: 5 saves

GEN:

Phipps: 7 shots Kim: 1 goal Chojnacki: 7 saves

Women’s Soccer Saturday, Oct. 26

Men’s Hockey Saturday, Oct. 26

BUF:

Hetzel: 5 shots Vene: 4 saves

NAZ:

Falso: 1 goal Tilford: 19 saves

OSW:

Roth: 2 goals Balog: 1 assist Portalatin: 8 saves

OSW:

Sullivan: 1 goal Fletcher: 1 assist Hansen: 9 saves

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Volleyball

Upcoming Events Women’s Hockey Friday, Nov. 1

Men’s Hockey Friday, Nov. 1

@ 7:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

OSW: 0-0-0 CAS: 0-0-0

COR: 0-0-0 OSW: 0-0-0

Men’s Soccer

Field Hockey

Overall

Geneseo-x

16-2

6-0

W13

Cortland-x

14-3

5-1

New Paltz-x

10-6

4-2

Oneonta-x

8-9

3-3

Brockport-e

9-8

2-4

Oswego State-e

5-11

1-5

Morrisville-e

Conference

2-16

0-6 Around the SUNYAC

Field Hockey 0

BPT: 9-8 (2-4) ONE: 8-9 (3-3)

Men’s Soccer 2

PLA: 10-7-0 (7-2-0) NPZ: 8-8-1 (2-6-1)

Oswego State women’s soccer forward Lynsey Roth tallied two goals in the teams 2-0 victory over Buffalo State last Saturday, Oct. 26. Roth finished her junior campaign with four goals and one assist, tied for the team lead with nine points. Roth also led the team with 15 points last season. The Lakers finished the season with a 3-14-0 record.

Streak

Saturday, Nov. 2

BUF: 6-11-1 (3-6-0) COR: 10-5-2 (7-0-2)

28:

The Oswego State men’s soccer team clinched its first SUNYAC postseason berth since 2014. But in order to advance, the Lakers must defeat SUNY Cortland on the road, a place they have lost 28 times and only won twice. In the lone meeting between the two teams this season, it was a 1-1 draw that snapped a 12-game Lakers losing streak to the Red Dragons.

12:30 p.m.

OSW: 18-9 (5-4) ALF: 8-18 (2-5)

Laker Athletes of the Week

Walker Snowden

Women’s Soccer 1

OSW: 9-7-1 (4-4-1) COR: 8-6-2 (4-4-1)

Men’s Swimming and Diving Junior | Tallahassee, Florida

Volleyball

Saturday, Nov. 2

1:00 p.m. Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

The junior played a major role in the Lakers’ first victory of the season against SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, Oct. 26. Snowden placed first in the 50-yard free, 100-yard fly and led off the teams 200-yard free relay that was also a firstplace finish. Oswego State won the meet, 148-92. The Tallahassee, Florida native also placed first in three events in Oswego State’s first meet against RIT.

86.8:

The Oswego State men’s hockey team takes on SUNY Cortland at home this weekend to begin its regular season schedule. The Lakers have won 86.8% of the meetings all-time with SUNY Cortland, including seven straight. Last season, Oswego State won both matchups by a combined 11-2 score. Puck drops at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

Sophia Portalatin

Women’s Soccer Junior | Staten Island

Portalatin played a major role in Oswego State’s 2-0 win over Buffalo State last Saturday, Oct. 26. The junior goalkeeper made eight saves en route to her first career shutout. The win would be the Lakers lone conference victory of the season, ending their year on a high note. The junior finished the season with a 1.64 GAA and 0.791 save percentage in seven games played.

169:

The Oswego State women’s hockey team hits the road this weekend for their first two games of the season against Castleton University. The Lakers will travel 169 miles to Castleton this weekend followed by a trip to north country against Plattsburgh State next weekend. Oswego State finished its preseason slate with a 1-1 record.

OPINION

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

qqq qqq Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com

Photo from Pixabay

Nathan Beers Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Impeachment is on the way, that much is clear, but when that will happen seems to be a complete mystery, even to the Democrats fighting for it. Regardless of when it begins, the Democrats have already lost the impeachment battle. According to our own impeachment precedent, the president has been complicit in many clearly impeachable offenses. He regularly disregards his advising staff, as with our recent removal of troops from Syria. He used the power of his office to try and dig up dirt on his political rivals, as with Hunter Biden through Volodymyr Zelenskiy. There was the collusion with Russia, as we saw in the Mueller Report, and many more, too numerous to name individually. The fact that is has taken Democrats, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, this long to even realistically consider impeachment is inexcusably long especially for a party so loud about the president’s misgivings or, indeed, crimes. The Democratic Party’s position of minority in the Senate has made it difficult to be certain that anything will come of the impeachment process, but an impeachment inquiry gives them the ability to bring certain things to light and lets them address testimony and other legal processes which are effectively hearsay until a real investigation is underway. Democrats have cited Trump’s polls, which hover in the low 40% range according to news site FiveThirtyEight, as the reason

If you believe in small government, family values and fiscally conservative policy, it is time to step up to the plate and act like it. for their trepidation in impeaching him. But, according to Gallup polling, Richard Nixon had an approval rating in the mid-60s before the impeachment process began, then sank to the low-20s when the truth came out about Watergate. Democrats need to get the word out and bring these allegations to light, or our democracy will become as flawed as it ever has been. Republicans need to step up, too. This is not a couple of guys at work making fun of your favorite football team. This is about standing up for the ideals you espouse and not letting a corrupt president get away with degrading the office just because he shares the same “R” next to his name as you do. Lifelong Republicans, like Mitt Romney and John Kasich, who have been critical of the President are going to be crucial to the impeachment vote if the Democrats ever begin the formal process. If you believe in small government, family values, and fiscally conservative policy, it is time to step up to the plate and act like it. The Democrats have been equivocating over impeachment for years, but this should have come from the Republicans who have a strong vision for the future in America and not some sort of vague notion of “just block whatever the Democrats are doing and call it communism.” This nonsense has got to end and it is high time for Republicans get on board and Democrats to push forward.

The cellphone is the best and the worst thing to ever happen to college students. Cellphones allow students to freely call or text home whenever they need to – whether it be for money, being homesick or just to say hi to a missed pet. But cellphones also cause major distractions in a classroom setting. It is simple: when a professor’s policy is to keep your phones off and out of sight for a 55-minute or an 80-minute lecture, then you put your phone in your backpack or pocket. It is not that hard to comply and unplug for that long. Instagram, Snapchat, text messages – they can all wait until the end of the class. Maybe the distraction is when the phone chimes or vibrates for a notification, and when you hear it or feel it in your pocket, the immediate reaction is to reach for your phone. The solution to that is even easier: put it on silent. If you cannot hear or

feel it, and it is also out of sight, there should not be a problem. If you really need to use your phone for whatever reason, just leave the classroom and “go to the bathroom” to send that crucial text or see why your Twitter is blowing up. It will help both the professor and other students in the class. Not using a cellphone during class also comes down to respect. In a classroom, it can be distracting to the professor to see two or three heads staring down at their crotch instead of paying attention to the projector screen or whiteboard where there might be crucial notes for the upcoming test. At the same time, it is also distracting to other students who are actually trying to pay attention to that professor or notes. When one student does not pay attention, generally there are three or four other students who are not paying attention, as well. Using a cellphone in a small classroom setting is even worse. A student might be able to get away with using a cellphone in a large classroom, like Lanigan 101, be-

cause it is harder for a professor to individually look at all 100 students in the lecture. But in a small lab classroom, that has a max of 20 students, it is even more disrespectful to be on your phone. Not only is it even harder to hide your phone, but those 20-student classes usually are higher-level classes or more important toward major or minor classes. Those are the classes that also have practical information and teach you more than a 100-level class might ever about a specific topic. As college students prepare to enter the “real world,” which includes longer meetings and other important events, they have to get ready to not be on their cellphones all the time. During an important meeting with a CEO, that person who is on their cellphone scrolling through Facebook is not going to look as good as the person paying attention, taking notes and making strong suggestions. If a student cannot stay off their cellphone for 55 minutes, how are they going to use their cellphone in a limited capacity during a stereotypical nine-to-five job?

Alexander Gault-Plate | The Oswegonian The use of cellphones in classrooms seems to have gotten worse every year since smartphones became popular in the mid-2000s.

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

NCAA to allow players to accept deals Student-athletes can now take money for their image Tomas Rodriquez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com For a long time now, it has been debated whether National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes should or should not receive benefits from advertisements, sponsorships or the use of their image on campaigns. For Californian student-athletes, that debate was ended when their state passed a law giving them the right to collect payment for the use of their image. On Thursday, the NCAA passed an official change to their rules, where they approved the idea of college players collecting money for their roles. The specifics of the NCAA policy are yet to be determined. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law, making student-athletes in that state eligible for financial benefits from using their image in advertisements. Following California’s success, other states such as Florida have proposed similar measures, therefore putting pressure on the NCAA for a reformation of the association’s rules and standards. Although, these other proposals have not been as aggressive as California’s has been. Senate Bill 206, commonly known as the Fair Pay To Play Act, introduced by Democratic Senator Nancy Skinner on Oct. 1 of this

year, prohibits the NCAA from barring universities from competition if its athletes are compensated for the use of their name, image or likeness come Jan. 1, 2023. All of the schools pertaining to the University of California system, California State University schools, Stanford and University of Southern California have all opposed the bill, as fears related to the cost increase have built up, with the schools trying to get Newsom to veto the bill. Of course, their efforts were unsuccessful. This time around, the NCAA was not as harsh in their response to the reform proposal, although they did express that if all states pass such a bill, it could lead each state to create its own set of rules rather than sticking to a national standard. Traditionally, such worry has been present at the passing of many bills. However, if no one takes the initial step, it is unclear whether such ruling could have a negative impact, or indeed, a positive one. The new law could be extremely beneficial to athletes belonging to ethnic minorities, as historically these have been the ones to face the most struggles along the way. A few weeks after the introduction of the bill, more House and Senate members have reacted, and indicated their support toward the start of a new era in the world of intercollegiate athletics.

In response to all of the aforementioned, Republican Senator Mitt Romney indicated that Congress will act in support of these student-athletes. Seeing all of the support the movement has gained in these past few weeks, Michael Drake, Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors said how we must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes. While the older generations, in a great majority, still oppose that the House and Senate pass such a bill, looking at the future of younger student-athletes should provide motivation. Sport has the power to teach athletes skills such as time management or teamwork, which will be crucial in any career setting in their future. For many athletes and their families, the new reform would mean the world, as we all know how costly athletic material, access to a training facility and health components such as nutrition, physiotherapy or transportation to and from practice are. While the new bill would mostly be applicable to Div. I and Div. II schools, Congress and the House should also look at Div. III schools, which have long been forbidden from granting student-athletes athletic scholarships. It will be interesting to see if any of the states try to oppose the recent steps taken by the NCAA Board of Governors.

Franco’s reburial end of dark era for Spain

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Tomas Rodriquez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com In late September, the Spanish Supreme Court unanimously passed a new ruling that would allow for the exhuming of the remains of former dictator Francisco Franco. Franco’s remains were located at a towering monument in Madrid’s outskirts, known as el Valle de los Caídos, or the Valley of the Fallen. After a center-right coalition came to power winning the 1933 election, Franco deployed troops from Morocco to the Northern Spanish region of Asturias, where a leftist revolt broke. That encounter left over 4,000 dead. Once he came to power, Franco adopted the nickname El Caudillo, The Leader under which he persecuted political opponents, literary figures and poets of the time whom opposed his political views and standards. Street violence, political killings and general disorder had become second nature. Some of these managed to flee to countries such as France, where they were off fascist Franco’s radar. Some, unfortunately, were caught and executed. Francisco Franco rose to power during the Spanish Civil War, between 1936 and 1939 with the help of Nazi Germany, ruled by Adolf Hitler and fascist Italy, under Benito Mussolini. On July 18, 1936, military personnel initiated an uprising that allowed them to gain control over Spain’s Western region. During that time, Franco’s duty was to bring the troops located in Morocco back to the Spanish mainland. Such political chain of events allowed Franco to join forces with Italy’s Mussolini and Germany’s Hitler. Hence, the Spanish Civil War began in 1936. The warlike conflict lasted until the year 1939, leaving thousands dead and many others missing. However, Spain remained neutral during World War II. During his time, Franco repressed the Catalan and Basque language and culture, censored the media of the time, and eventually took over the country as a whole. El Valle de los Caídos was built between 1940 and 1958 by thousands of his political prisoners. Although the monument was meant to pay tribute to all the victims of the Spanish Civil War, many see it as a fascist memorial to only the victors of the war. On Oct. 24, 2019, Franco’s remains were finally exhumed, bringing closure to the families of those affected by such a horrendous tragedy. While this has been a controversy for many decades, the families affected by such tragedy can now find some peace. When Interim Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took office, he promised to pass legislation that would to bring the Franco period of Spanish history to an end. After 44 years of suffering by many Spanish families their worries are behind them with Franco now laid to rest in a cemetery in Northern Madrid. While this is a huge step forward, the next step should be to recover and identify the many that were buried in communal graves during the outbreak of the Civil War. After Cambodia, Spain has the second-highest number of mass graves. This should be considered a defeat for fascist Spaniards who are at the point of no return.

NEWS LITTER BAN

A6 Colin Hawkins | The Oswegonian

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XVII

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

SPORTS B2

ROAD TRIP

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL

The House of Representatives passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act on Oct. 22, seeking to make animal cruelty a federal offense. While the bill has yet to pass the Senate, it shines as an example of some of the common-sense legislation that the U.S. should be able to pass, even with such divided leadership in Washington. The PACT Act would revise 2010 laws that outlawed videos of “animal crushing,” from being shared online. That act was met with criticism for not making the actual act illegal, merely the filming and sharing of that film. Under the proposed law, a person could be prosecuted for crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling animals, as well as sexually exploiting an animal. This law would make the issue a federal concern, leaving state or local laws in place in the process.

If the law does pass the Senate, it should be left with the teeth needed to actually ensure that animal abuse is prevented. Hopefully, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will let it through his iron-strong block on the Senate passing any legislation from the Democrat-led House. It is surprising, and shameful, that it took the U.S. this long to draft animal rights laws like this. The law is currently worded in such a way that still permits hunting and farming, with special concern made for the commercial farming industry. What is most interesting about this is that, without specific permissions left in place, a large part of the commercial farming industries practices would be considered animal abuse. The bill was introduced by two congressmen, Democrat Ted Deutch and Republican Vern Buchanan, both from Florida. The penalties

proposed are a fine, a prison term of up to seven years or both. Fortunately, it seems that Deutch and Buchanan drafted the bill in a way that the experts are supportive of. The president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Sara Amundson, applauded the passing of the bill, according to ABC News. It is not questionable in the slightest whether animals deserve the right to not be killed or harmed for the entertainment of humans. Anybody who harms animals intentionally should be treated like a criminal and charged with a crime, something that has not been assured in the U.S. This House bill is not only a shining example of bipartisan achievement, but also an example of how our government can still settle the problems that society has largely come to a conclusion on. It is a much-needed advancement on the path to animal rights.

IN THE OFFICE

College classes, grading system do not work Being unable to take major-specific classes early inconvenient

Patrick Higgins Creative Director phiggins@oswegonian.com

THE OSWEGONIAN

The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935

G UIDELIN ES

We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything regarding the Oswego State community.

College is supposed to be a place where you find out what you want to do for a career by picking a major if you did not already know coming in. On top of having to meet certain requirements to complete your major or minor, the school has you complete other courses to fulfill your general education requirements. These classes can have a huge impact on your grades if not kept up with. These classes, being totally unrelated to the major you are studying, have an impact on your GPA here at Oswego State. It is understandable that when someone becomes a junior they can start to take non-major related classes as pass/fail, but what is not understandable is why they have to wait for that to be so. The first two years of college are when your grades are going to be the worst. It is the time where one is adjusting from high school and turning into a college student. Keep in mind this is about just classes that are not related to your major/minor. Why would someone only be able to do it their junior or senior year? If it cannot all be offered for all years in college, then at the very least make it the first two. This gives one time to adjust with-

out having to worry about grades as much as you already do. It also gives them time to put their main focus on their major so they can feel comfortable and know what to expect with the workload. Then, as they mature as a student and are able to take on more responsibilities it would be appropriate to open up those non-major related classes to formal grading. Another added benefit with taking classes as pass/fail is that students can easily explore a potential major change, or just general interest without having major regret about your decision to take the class, while at the same time earning credits for their graduation. Some people could argue that it would just make students not want to apply themselves as much, and they are right, to a point. Yes, they have the ability to not apply themselves as much but they still need to pass the course to get the credit.

They will be learning something whether they want to or not. They cannot blow off the work. The entire concept behind it is to search for things you love and not worry about things you do not, while still expanding your knowledge. College is about self-discovery and even I can say I have discovered some classes that I did not like and suffered because of it. If you can not put your heart into it, it is not going to be a good outcome no matter how hard you try. The classes you love and have related interests in are a breeze, and almost do not even feel like a burden. The opposite is the case for those you do not. Schools, especially colleges, need to reassess how they grade and look at students based on their intelligence in a more modernized way, rather than use an outdated grading system that does not mix well with our generation and those to come.

Photo from Pixabay College classes are typically structured so the more major-specific classes come in later years.

Jake

Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 All writers must provide their real name, address, academic year, major and phone number (which will not be published). Members of organizations should include their title if their letter addresses an issue pertaining to the organization. For publication, letters should be 250 words or less and submitted by the Tuesday prior to the desired publication date. The Oswegonian reserves the right to edit and reject letters and cannot guarantee that all letters will be published. Opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not always reflect those of The Oswegonian.

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

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INSIDE

C2 ‘Watchmen’ fires on all C3 Kanye West returns with C4 ‘Maleficent’ sequel shows

cylinders except visuals

‘Jesus is King’

downside to Disney

FRIDAY Nov. 1, 2019

The Laker Review

ONLY IN OSWEGO

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

‘Watchmen’ delivers captivating story despite bland filmmaking Luis Galarza Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

Image from HBO via YouTube Following the 2009 film of the same name, “Watchmen” explores topical social issues.

Jared Leto reportedly tried to kill Joaquin Phoenix ‘Joker’ film Zakary Haines Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com The recent “Joker” movie has recently become the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, reaching $849.1 million worldwide. It has managed to define the odds of being outside the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), being an R-rated film, and the fear of anarchy in cities across the world. Coming out of a budget of $62.5 million, this shatters records unlike before. However, no film comes without some incidents, even if they are from the previous actor. The last one to take on “Joker” in cinema was Jared Leto (“The Outsider”) in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” He portrayed what some may consider, the worst version of the character ever seen. Even with the film being a disaster, no one seemed to suffer more than Leto himself. The idea of a Joker solo film was discussed all the way back in 2016. It was rumored at the time that Leto was going to star in the film in order to give his

Image from CBR via YouTube Jared Leto portrayed the iconic villain in 2016’s critically panned “Suicide Squad.”

character more depth verses what fans saw in “Suicide Squad.” But this was not the case, as the Joker film we got was also presented to Warner Bros. executives around the same time, and Todd Phillip’s version won out.

Even though the film is darker and more sinister take on the fan-loved villain, Warner Bros. followed the example of Fox and “Deadpool” and went with a film that ended up working out in the end for everyone except Leto.

When Leto first found out about the film, he reportedly tried everything in his power to stop Phillips’ version from even getting the greenlight. Leto called his agents and even his music manager, Irving Azoff, to talk to the head of Warner Bros. and put an end to the film. Despite his efforts, Leto was not successful in any of his attempts. Leto even denies ever doing this, but it is hard to believe him. During the filming of “Suicide Squad,” Leto sent “gifts” to his fellow cast members including showing the entire cast a video of his character and giving them a dead hog. Warner Bros. was not pleased at Leto for his actions by any means. Even with these issues, Leto is not some musician-gone-actor. Leto has won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “Dallas Buyers Club” and has been in multiple blockbuster films. Even an Oscar winner could not handle the behind the scene issues such as a rushed script, tensions on and off-set and trying to meet deadlines. With Phillips’ adapta-

tion, executives were expecting the film to fail or for Phillips to quit due to budgeting reasons. Even Joaquin Phoenix (“Lou”) was never expected to sign on or quit after being frustrated with decisions being made. The project was left alone to rot and fall apart. But somehow, the duo made one of the best films of the year and possibly one of the best superhero movies of all time. Coming back to Leto, the question is now, was the Joker solo film ever going to be his? The answer was not going to be no but as time went on and Warner Bros. wanting to capitalize on the hype for a Joker solo movie, it became a gamble that paid off big for the company. For Leto, Phoenix was the grim reaper for his time as the Joker. The end of a short and bitter era. Even if Phoenix was not going to star in the film, Leto’s actions on set and his reaction to, at the time, a potential movie without him as the led to a decision between the unknown and what was seen. A tricky decision that may be for the best, including

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

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Kanye compares himself to Jesus in new Christian-inspired album Kazashi McLaughlin Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Kanye West and his relationship with Christianity has always been a central fixture of his discography. His lyrics directly referenced his religion, often finding himself trying to reconcile his own faith with the mythos of braggadocious materialism that he so carefully cultivated within the public eye. But it was that very public who, to West, seemed to turn its back on him after a series of politically unpopular statements and multiple highly publicized bouts of mania throughout 2018. Following a retreat from the limelight late that year, West returned with Sunday Service, a weekly religious sermon customized for the influencer era, featuring a choir clad in Yeezy apparel who sings cleaned up gospel renditions of contemporary pop songs to a crowd

Image from Kanye West via YouTube “Jesus is King” is West’s first album following a break from public life he took last year.

of celebrities and high paying fans. In these Sunday Services, West offered himself as a broken man who gave himself to his faith, the beginning of an attempted redemption arc for an artist infamous for seeking controversy at every turn. This push towards piety culminated to a hard turn towards gospel rap in his latest album, “Jesus is King.”

Now, gospel and soul are not new to West’s music. In fact, samples from those genres served as the foundation from which he built his career as a producer in the late 90s and early 2000s. That is not to say, however, that the complete embrace of gospel rap for the length of an album is not a departure for West, it is. But what West delivers with

this album is, unsurprisingly, a Ye-branded version of gospel music, where the focus is not on God but West himself. Much of the album seems to focus on how West feels constantly under siege from those around him and society at large, using his newfound religiosity as a wagon to hitch this persecution complex onto. This is most clear on the second verse of “Selah” where he draws a direct parallel to himself and Jesus Christ, “With Judas, kiss and make up/Even with the bitter cup/forgave my brothers and drank up.” In this piece, West presents himself as a christ-like figure, comparing his trials and tribulations in the media with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. For a gospel album, this seems awfully blasphemous, but we have to remember, this is a Kanye West album. On Kanye West albums, the topic at hand is usually himself. Aside from the confusing messaging, Christian youth group slang and at times sloppy production in the mix, there

are a handful of great moments on the album, a pretty big handful, in fact. The Kenny G sax solo on the tail end of “Use This Gospel,” the exuberant hallelujah chant on “Selah,” basically all of “Hands On,” and anytime the Sunday Service choir is used, which is often. However, these fantastic moments do not offset a lot of the tone-deaf lyrics that West delivers on this album. At one point, Kanye defends his overpriced merch saying that he does not want his family “the Kardashians” to “starve.” It comes off as delusional and hopelessly out of touch. On paper, a gospel rap album from West piques a lot of interest. He has flirted with the genre before, offering cutting social commentary on the effects of police brutality in relation to cycles of poverty on “Jesus Walks,” and delivering a beautifully desperate devotional in “Ultralight Beam.” An album of songs like those is highly feasible from West, but “Jesus is King” was not that.

Rex Orange County creates his lyrical masterpiece with ‘Pony’ Abigail Connolly Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: There are defining moments for every musical artist, albums from The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” to Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” collect the essence of an artist’s sound while delivering genuine and powerful lyrics. For Rex Orange County, that defining moment is the recently released album, “Pony.” Hailing from Haslemere, Surrey, England, 21-year-old Alexander O’Connor gained internet fame after self-releasing his album “bcos u will never b free” on SoundCloud, an internet music platform, under the name Rex Orange County. Since then, O’Connor has worked alongside artists like Tyler, the Creator and Randy Newman and released a second studio album, “Apricot Princess,” as well as several other singles.

Falling under the indie-pop category, Rex Orange County has grown steadily since his debut in 2016. In the two years since a studio album had been released, Rex fans had been anxiously awaiting the album and after the wait it is safe to say that they were not disappointed. Receiving positive reviews from media outlets “Pony,” released on Oct. 25, showcases both the breadth of lyrical work and music styling Rex Orange County has. With the release of the first single of the album, “10/10,” Rex combines an upbeat tempo with lyrics of lost friendships and feelings of disjointment and discontent creating a raw yet hopeful theme that carries on throughout the rest of the album. The subsequent single releases of “Pluto Projector” and “Face to Face” displayed two totally new sides of Rex Orange County. Building upon the soulful style he had already been known for displaying, “Pluto Projector” incorporates a string ensem-

ble which adds an extra layer of tension bringing a climax to the entire album. In many ways this album is a sort of goodbye to the old. In the final track of the album “It’s Not The Same Anymore,” Rex Orange County acknowledges the passing of time and comes to terms with it, a nod back to the second track of the album “Always” which speaks to the fear of holding on to something that is not there anymore. Despite this new chapter songs like “Never Had The Balls” and “Laser Lights” keep in line with Rex’s already established vibrant tone and endearing lyrics, the stuff that keeps fans coming back for more. Though the overall theme of the album seems to be growth and transitions, the one overall complaint that could be had is the fact that at times the transitions between the songs seem a bit disjointed. While some may find this to be a likeable trait others may find the constant

switch up to be a bit irritating, and yet without it, the entire point Rex seems to try to be making may get lost. Rex Orange County is notorious for being pretty open with his fanbase, through his work and through his social influences. The album “Pony” takes this transparency to a new level, propelling both Rex Orange County’s

music and career forward. As artists grow and evolve it is generally a source of excitement for content and a fear of the change that may come. Time and time again, Rex Orange County has shown that being able to grow and evolve leads to bigger and better things. This is the case for the new found classic, “Pony.”

Image from Rex Orange County via YouTube Starting out on SoundCloud, Rex Orange County has created an enormous music fan base.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ puts fans to sleep with tired premise Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Since the release of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010, Disney has pursued a trend of reimagining its classic films for modern audiences. In 2014, the studio released “Maleficent,” a remake of “Sleeping Beauty” which takes the classic tale and puts a spin on it by telling it from the eponymous villain’s perspective. With a sequel, known as “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” later being announced, the first thing that came to mind was the “Wonderland” sequel, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” a film which proved to be woefully unnecessary and messily written. Like this film, “Mistress of Evil” ultimately turned out the same way and did little to plead a case for its own existence. The film depicts the dark fairy Maleficent (Angelina Jo-

lie, “Kung Fu Panda 3”) as she prepares for a war between humans and fairies waged by the wicked Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer, “Ant-Man and the Wasp”). Characters returning to the film include Maleficent’s adoptive daughter, Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning, “A Rainy Day in New York”) and the raven-turned-human, Diaval (Sam Riley, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”). Some of the new faces in the film, primarily Pfeiffer and Harris Dickinson (“The Darkest Minds”), taking over for Brenton Thwaites (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) as Prince Phillip, fail to impress with their uninspired acting, with Dickinson specifically coming off as wooden and emotionless. Even Jolie herself feels absent in the film, while her character is only minimally altered or improved since the first film. A minor brightspot among the film’s characters is Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor, “The Lion King”), a men-

tor to Maleficent who slightly elevates the film by creating mildly emotional and meaningful moments. Like “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” “Mistress of Evil” has the disadvantage of following a film which was based off of another work. As such, there is little left to cover in a second film, for the story is essentially concluded by the end of the first film, thus rendering a sequel to be unnecessary. As a consequence of this notion, the film simply suffers from a lack of substance, thus resulting in a generic, unmemorable story to be the final product. Despite the efforts of the cast and crew involved, the film felt dead on arrival, though it contained small elements which displayed glimmers of imagination. Though it possesses little in terms of story, the film still triumphs in terms of its special effects and imagery. Like the rest of the Disney remakes, the film impresses with its display of CGI imagery which allows for

beautiful, imaginative scenery and characters to be presented to audiences. For some, the film may also invoke certain feelings of nostalgia for those who grew up on Disney films, with its fairy tale exterior and themes of magic being somewhat reminiscent of them. Though it may not be the best example of how the Mouse House may success-

fully execute a remake, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” certainly raises the question of how good of an idea it is to be creating sequels for its remakes. With films such as “The Jungle Book” already having been greenlit for another installment, one can only wonder how far the studio will go until a fatigue from these sequels eventually sets in.

Image via Walt Disney Studios via YouTube Even Angelina Jolie looks bored portraying the iconic Disney villain once again.

Neil Young’s new album ‘Colorado’ shows he still has spark Nicole Hube Photography Director nhube@oswegonian.com

Rating: Earlier this year, Neil Young and Crazy Horse gathered at Studio in the Clouds in Colorado to record their first album in seven years, following 2012’s “Psychedelic Pill.” In their newest album called “Colorado,” Young and Crazy Horse pay tribute to Young’s ex-wife Pegi, who died in January at the age of 66 after a year-long battle with cancer. Pegi spent many years touring with Young on the road as a back-up singer before releasing five country albums of her own. Alongside Jim Forderer and speech pathologist Dr. Marilyn Buzolich, Pegi also founded The Bridge School in 1986, a non-profit organization that aids children with physical and speech impairments including cerebral palsy after Young and Pegi’s son, Ben, was born with the condition. The 39th studio release for the Canadian singer-songwriter with his Crazy Horse band

is his first with band member Nils Lofgren since 1971. “Colorado” revolves around deeplypersonal ballads, poetic lyrics and personal turmoil. Anyone who has been a life-long fan of Young would agree that he has a tendency to create his most memorable albums amid heavy feelings of loss, grief and anger. “Colorado” was released to audiences last Friday, along with an accompanying 90-minute documentary film entitled “Mountaintop” that could only be viewed by select audiences. In “Mountaintop,” audiences are introduced to some behind-the-scenes clips of recording in-studio with Young and Crazy Horse. Viewers can witness the tensions, humors and love of a band that has been rocking for five decades as they share their passion for music making. However, since Young began filming his musical endeavors in the early 1970s, Young’s low-budget videography suggests that his directing skills have not improved and that he should stick solely to

what he knows best. Creating though-provoking and controversial music. The film includes Young and the Crazy Horse band at the Colorado recording studio, littered with Young complaining about the volume of his amplifier and some less than ideal dark and awkward camera angles. The band dealt with oxygen tanks to counter the studio’s high altitude, as well as faulty equipment and loud PA system feedback. Cameras were rolling all over the studio, capturing each and every technical difficulty and the arguments that followed. After Young’s longtime manager Elliot Roberts suddenly died in late June, plans to launch a “Colorado” album tour came to a halt. As of now, there are no formal plans for touring, Lofgren is hopeful that the tour will take place sometime in 2020. A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Young continues his 50-year journey with Crazy Horse. Most recently, Young performed at Farm Aid in September, which took place at Alpine Valley

Image from neilyoungchannel via YouTube Despite his age, Neil Young is still devoted to his music and the message he shares.

Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. The Farm Aid concert featured a unique lineup of musical artists advocating for awareness about the loss of family farms and keeping family farms on the land. As a nonprofit organization, Farm Aid has raised millions of dollars since the 1980s to promote the resiliency of family farms. “Colorado” shows that, at the age of 73, Young has lost none of his passion and outrage for the declining state of the natural world. Much like in his 2015 album, “The Monsanto Years,” Young is yet again

an outspoken advocate for environmental conversation and preservation, despising the use of agrochemicals for farming. In his new song “Shut It Down,” Young criticizes climate change deniers, noting “All around the planet, there is a blindness that just can’t see.” While “Colorado” does not count as a massive chart-topping resurgence or rebirth for Young, fans cannot deny that Young and Crazy Horse’s return feels natural and brings back a wave of nostalgia while sticking to the traditional mold of Young’s musical advocacy.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Chronicling Yeezy's career-long arc as creative genius Are we really that surprised Kanye West put out gospel album? Anthony Pasquarella Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com The producer, rapper, creative director, CEO and now, devout follower of Christianity. Kanye West has earned himself a lot of titles. However, the titles given to him by the crowds have leaned toward “crazy,” “arrogant,” and “a**hole.” It is hard to solely critique a West album as an individual entity without bringing up who he is, and the current world around us as a whole. He has brought a sense of global awareness to every single one of his albums. Right from the jump, he told us, “... he wasn’t talking ‘bout coke and birds/it was more like spoken word, ‘cept he’s really puttin’ it down.” Ever since his first song as a solo rapper, “Through the Wire,” West has preached not only about the plight of the black community, but also incorporated the very same “soul” that can be felt in gospel music. Beginning in 2001, he became known as a producer by “chopping up” soul tracks and adding modern drums to it. Therefore, his 12th studio album, “Jesus Is King,” is the triumphant conclusion to the creative-genius arc that is West. In the early 2000s, the wide-eyed West was trying to break away from the label as just a producer. A near-tragic car accident in 2003 gave him the rude awakening he needed to release his first project, “The College Dropout.” The hit song “Jesus Walks” resonated through America: “They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus/that means guns, sex, lies, videotape, but if I talk about God my record won’t get played, huh?” In 2005, his second solo album “Late Registration,” felt like jazz collided with early 2000s New York City rap, with the theme of pulling oneself out of a tough situation by following your dreams in order to earn yourself a living. Some notable bars: “here's the conflict/It's in a black person soul to rock that gold/Spend your whole life trying to get that ice/ Bought a Polo rugby, it looks so nice/How can somethin' so wrong make me feel so right?"

Image from BadBoyTV via YouTube West has had a long, turbulent career, yet now claims to find God in his new album.

and "Where I'm from the dope boys is the rock stars/But they can't cop cars without seeing cop cars/I guess they want us all behind bars -- I know it." West built the beginning of his arc with a foundation of viewing the oppression brought upon his community in a different light. He saw what was happening in Chicago and reacted by illustrating that personal accountability will springboard one out of a rough environment, and that nobody will do it for them. And yet, in 2019, America is still confused as to why West is Republican. The middle of his arc is the one he is most known for. The albums “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2010 and “Yeezus” in 2013 not only were considered his magnum opuses, but included his most arrogant, outlandish and secular themes. Coming off his infamous bash of Taylor Swift at the VMA’s, MBDTF’s album cover is literally West fornicating with a demonic-woman, and “Yeezus” packs a track called “I am a God.” This is the turning point into the second act of his career. He has embraced his role as a global figure whose power is immense. At the same time, he has begun to collaborate with designer Louis Vuitton and begin his own brand, Yeezy. He felt he was on top of the rap game, and it made sense why:

he topped 50 Cent’s “Curtis with Graduation” in 2007, the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J.Cole had not yet hit the main scene, and Jay-Z released “The Blueprint 3” in 2009 which meant he was nearing his end. The only other notable name of the early 2010s was Atlanta rapper Lil Wayne. No one was reaching the level of fame that West reached. This “Power” that he felt took a toll on his mental health, which leads us to the third act of West’s career. In 2016, “The Life of Pablo” was West’s most recognizable album, as it was a collection of all his musical styles, and it also was a symbol for the minimalism of the Yeezy brand. During the middle of the “Saint Pablo” tour in 2016, he cancelled the remaining 20 shows due to his mental condition. He was in debt to the IRS and for the first time in his career, he was forced to face his own personality flaws head on. At this time he now has a wife and two kids. “Which/One” graced the cover of “The Life of Pablo,” implying that at this point in his career, he must make the decision of which path he must take in life. The life of a rock star with a sex addiction, mentioned on Beats 1, or the life of a family man? It all came pouring out on his eighth album, “Ye.” The title “Ye” refers to the word “you” as the most used word in the Bible.

“Ye” is the stripped down and raw battle West has had with his diagnosis of Bipolar disorder. On this album he made it clear which path he was taking: the one where his wife and kids were included. He moved his studio to Wyoming and he plans on making clothing and shoes on his 500+ acre land. In 2019, coming full circle in more ways than one, West’s “Sunday Service” brings us back to the beginning of what put him on a pedestal as an innovative producer. He utilizes the human voice and brings his traveling choir along with him across the country singing about Christianity. In his interview with David Letterman, he says how every week his daughter is excited to go to church. West’s family is the most important thing in his life. His mother and grandmother were themes on “The College Dropout” and “808’s and Heartbreaks.” He went from wide-eyed producer and overlooked rapper, to an arrogant, egotistical “maniac,” to a 42-year-old with his priorities where he wants them to be, no matter what the media says. In order to listen to “Jesus is King,” and a lot of West’s work for that matter, you must separate the art from the artist. Whatever grudge or barrier that is holding one back from listening is completely understandable. In my opinion, as his career-arc comes to an end, this project is the current state of West. His main goals seem to be on his business and his “Christian innovation” endeavor, as represented by Sunday Service. “Jesus is King” is not as much a gospel album as it is an interpretation of West’s current stance with his faith. Yes, he made it about himself. Some notable tracks that will make any fan of hip-hop feel inspired: “On God,” “Everything We Need,” “Follow God” and “God Is.” Some tracks that we do not need: “Closed on Sunday,” “Hands on,” “Water.” Overall, “Jesus is King” is an acquired taste for sure. It is intentionally minimalistic, at times it feels like a draft that was submitted too early. West is clearly doing as he pleases without any affirmation from the crowds. But what else would one expect from the creative genius?

HBO's New stream ing ser vice, HBO Max, will finally lau nch in May 2020.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Joker an d Captain Marvel are fans' top 2019 movieinspired Halloween costumes.

John Witherspoon, actor from "Friday" and other films, died at age 77.

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. Pronoun 4. Shredded 8. Roman garb 12. Angeles preceder 13. October birthstone 14. On top of 15. CBS rival 16. Not temporary 18. Feather scarf 19. Indignation 20. Copenhagen natives 21. Artist Pablo 24. Terminals (abbr.) 26. Underwater weapon 31. Certainly 34. Required 35. Pittsburgh player 37. Old 38. Not cognizant 41. Implant 45. Soft metal

46. Sadness 49. Fixed 51. Pen fluid 52. Locks 53. Associate 54. Take to court 55. Individuals 56. River bottoms 57. Hazardous curve

Down 1. Thick slice 2. Tramp 3. Prank 4. Subject 5. Soap ___ 6. Most scarce 7. Shade tree 8. Large food fish 9. Unwrap 10. Absent 11. Colony insects

17. Cherish 22. Words of understanding (2 wds) 23. Male heir 24. Brother’s sib 25. Blasting letters 27. Fleshy fruit 28. Sideways 29. Fourth letter 30. Eccentric 32. Escape 33. TV room 36. Baby’s toy 39. Handle skillfully 40. Warhol and Williams 41. Canyon sound 42. Painted sound 43. Soft cheese 44. Goofs 47. Burden 48. Burden 50. Taxi

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2019

The Body by Lucas Fernandez “Billy Jones’ body is in Morley’s basement,” the other kids would tell me. Every day we had to walk past her house to get to school. The wind was always strong there, providing atmosphere for a story and somebody would always point to the blacked-out basement window and tell one. “She pickled it in a big jar,” said Susan. And then she made a face like she was disgusted, but I knew she loved telling that story. They all loved talking about it. It was the only exciting thing that had ever happened here, and it would probably stay that way for the next 15 years until somebody’s dog died. “I saw her dragging a big bag down into her basement late at night,” said Arnold. “I bet it was Billy,” he continued, and everyone nodded in agreement. What else could it have been? Billy went missing back in August. Nobody had seen him that day, except for his mother, who had packed him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I knew that because that’s what she had told the news lady, crying the whole time. I had watched that clip over and over again. But it was October now, and I was getting worried that the stories were never going to end. Every day, another one. All the graphic detail the other kids would go into overwhelmed me. “I think she fed him to her dog,” said Danny. An im-

age of Billy being chopped into kibble blinked in an out of my daydreams. That was what did it. I would prove once and for all that Morley’s basement was empty, and then all the other kids would have to stop. They would see. I would see. The walk to the Morley house that night was quick, and the wind was strong, pushing me onward. The blacked-out window cut the basement off from the world, but the house was so old that I was able to snap the lock pretty easily. I descended down into the dark, a little flashlight burning in my hand. The basement was dirty, old, filled with shelves and old appliances. I set my feet on what felt like a big bag of gardening tools, instinctively steadying with both hands and letting go of the window. It snapped shut and hit the back of my head. The whole thing happened in a funny way, like a dream. I lost my balance, the weight of my body pulling me into the black, towards the basement where all the corners suddenly looked turned-up, like teeth. The last thing I felt was my head hitting one of them. So there’s no need to wonder if you see the blackedout basement window. Mrs. Morley is really a nice lady. She’s old and nearly blind, and she has a little crucifix above her TV. She doesn’t have it in her to hurt anyone. But don’t try looking in her basement.

Oswego Cinema 7 Fri. Nov 1 - Sun. Nov 3 Terminator: Dark Fate

11:00 AM

1:50 PM

4:40 PM

7:30 PM

10:20 PM

Artic Dogs

11:35 AM

2:00 PM

4:15 PM

6:45 PM

9:00 PM

Maleficent: Mistress 11:15 AM of Evil

1:55 PM

4:35 PM

7:15 PM

9:55 PM

Zombieland: Double Tap

11:55 AM

2:20 PM

5:05 PM

7:50 PM

10:10 PM

Countdown

12:45 PM

3:00 PM

5:15 PM

8:00 PM

10:15 PM

TO SEE ALL SHOWINGS, GO TO OSWEGO CINEMA 7'S WEBSITE

Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat