The Oswegonian 2-22-19

Look Inside: A5 Rogue flyers confront hate

Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE III SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Proposed flag resolution tabled until next week Kassadee Paulo News Editor kpaulo@oswegonian.com Sixteen members of the Oswego State community spoke their beliefs and opinions on Feb. 19 at the public comment portion of the first Student Association meeting of the spring semester.

The topic of the debate is rooted from the proposed resolution, “Amandla, Awethu!: Power to the People.” This resolution proposes to add five new flags to the collection that has been hung in the Marano Campus Center since 2007 but has been removed for cleaning and review.

The proposed flags include the Philadelphia pride flag, transgender pride flag, Black Lives Matter flag, Pan-African flag, Palestinian flag and the Iroquois Native American Tribal flag.

While a majority of the people speaking at public comment agreed

with the resolution, some spoke on the reasons of why they oppose it, specifically the Palestinian flag.

Some Jewish students, such as Jewish Life Treasurer Nathaniel Goldstein, spoke on why flying this flag would make him feel uncomfortable.

“I fully support Pan-Arabian heritage and welcome those students with open arms,” Goldstein said.

“However, I do not believe the proposed flag is the best one to represent Pan-Arabian people nor it should be hung in Marano Campus Center.”

Also representing those opposing the resolution was a former senator-at-large, Connor Douglass, who spoke for students who do not want the resolution to pass but did not feel comfortable standing in front of a room of people who for the most part are in strong support of it. Douglass said the Black Lives Matter flag has political values and could cause controversy.

See STUDENT, A6

SA passes, signs in Period Act Free menstrual products to be available in bathrooms Colin Hawkins Asst. News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com Student Association passed a resolution Feb. 19 to provide free tampons and menstrual pads to all women’s restrooms, genderneutral restrooms and one third of men’s restrooms on campus.

The Women’s Center Period Act: Free and Equal Access to Menstrual Products was passed unanimously Tuesday night. The bill was written by SA President Omar van Reenen and Lizbeth Ortega-Ramirez, SA director of gender equality and women’s affairs.

The resolution will provide $500 drawn equally from the SA president’s executive civic engagement fund and the SA contingency fund. These funds will go toward the products as well as the installation of menstrual dispensary waste bins in genderneutral restrooms and the men’s

Photo provided by Omar van Reenen SA President Omar van Reenen (middle) signs in The Women’s Center Period Act resolution.

restrooms that will supply menstrual products.

“The point is to make [menstru-

al products] largely available,” van Reenen said at the SA meeting.

See PERIOD, A4

Pizza Villa plans to move locations

City of Oswego grants funding for pizzeria expansion Samantha Flavell Editor-in-Chief sflavell@oswegonian.com

Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian

CONTENT

Members of the Oswego State community attend Student Association to debate the resolution.

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

On Feb. 12, Mayor Billy Barlow announced Pizza Villa, the oldest pizzeria in the county, will be receiving a $25,000 grant to help it move to its new location on 145 W. Bridge St. Pizza Villa, established 53 years ago in 1966, will be moving into the vacant red-and-white Stone’s Candy Shop building on Oswego’s main strip. The grant will be used to initiate the start of Pizza Villa’s expansion project, which will include the purchasing of the new building and the remodeling of a new façade, along with plans to offer dining room seating, patio seating, a parking lot and equipment upgrades.

The grant that Pizza Villa is receiving is part of a discretionary

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Pizza Villa, located at 101 1/2 W. Bridge St., will be moving down the road to a bigger building.

fund and was afforded to it by the city, according to Victoria Usherwood Gailinas, the project manager

for Pizza Villa’s expansion project.

See GRANT, A6

Sports

Opinion

Laker Review

Oswegonian.com

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

CHECKS AND BALANCES

OSCARS SUCK

STUDENTS DEBATE FLAGS

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Kyle Hurley | The Oswegonian

B5

Image from Pixabay

C4

Image from Oscars via Youtube

Web

Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian

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Potsdam 32°/17°

FRIDAY, FEB. 22

Oswego 34°/21° Buffalo 35°/23°

Stephen M. Conzone, 39, was arrested at 10:49 p.m. on Feb. 15 for second-degree menacing, third-degree

Syracuse 35°/17°

Albany 40°/19°

possession of a weapon and aggravated family offense where he threatened the victim with a hammer.

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conducted by the Oswego Police Department into an

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incident that occurred at the Oswego Wal-Mart.

Jeremy J. Reynolds, 31, was arrested at 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 14 for first-degree posession of a forged

Extended Forecast Monday

Tuesday

MONDAY, FEB. 25 THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 1

Wednesday

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instrument, petit larceny, possession of a hypodermic instrument and sale/possession of synthetic drugs following a complaint where he passed forged instruments to the victim.

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The Oswegonian

Editor-in-Chief | Samantha Flavell Managing Editor | Alexander Gault-Plate News Editor | Kassadee Paulo Opinion Editor | Francesca Miesner Sports Editor | Ben Grieco Laker Review Editor | Dominic Rizzi Photo Director | Maria Pericozzi Creative Director | Shea McCarthy Multimedia Director | Joey Lioto Chief Copy Editor | Jessica Wickham Copy Editor | John Christopher Copy Editor | Evelyn Sokolowski Asst. News Editor | Colin Hawkins Asst. Sports Editor | Matt Watling Asst. Laker Review Editor | Brandon Fallat Events & Promotions Coordinator | Beatriz Pascual Fernandez Ad Manager | Alexis Acevedo Sales Associate | Nyezee Go Business Manager | Alexandra Candela Asst. Business Manager | Margaret Ragotskie Social Media Coordinator | Dominick Lioto Social Media Coordinator | Cole Parzych Faculty Advisor | Brian Moritz

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Taylor M. Murphy, 27, turned herself in and was arrested at 12:34 p.m. on Feb. 16 for petit larceny after stealing merchandise by failing to render payment and

20%

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NEWS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK I’m speaking on behalf of people who aren’t able to be represented, and we should think about all the students when making judgements.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

- Connor Douglass, from A6

Oswego State students enter competition

A3

National campaign works to increase financial literacy Kassadee Paulo News Editor kpaulo@oswegonian.com Nayancie Matthews, a freshman business administration major at Oswego State, spearheaded the introduction of the nonpartisan campaign and competition, Up to Us, to campus this year.

“Up to Us is a program that empowers students to educate peers on our long-term national debt, how it could affect their economic opportunities and what our generation can do to have a voice in raising awareness of our fiscal challenges,” according to its website.

The team at Oswego State consists of Matthews, Baldwin Lawson, Elizabeth Akeloko, Jalen Frierson and Shamone Williams.

Since they are not an organization recognized by Student Association, they plan to collaborate with other organizations to table and organize events, such as Wildcard Day. This outdoor event will take place in March and will involve giant versions of board games and a dunk tank filled with cash.

“The Oswego team is helping to inspire collaborative dialogue and galvanize the campus around this issue by doing a combination of various events with other organizations here at Oswego,” Matthews said.

The Up to Us competition, located in California, gives participating college teams $1,000 to fund the groups to “run tailored campus campaigns to educate their peers and inspire collective action,” according to the cam-

paign’s website.

Each school is judged by media coverage, student involvement and number of pledges to be sent to students’ local legislator to let them know students are interested in changing fiscal policies. The winning team for the competition receives $10,000 and national recognition.

The pledge states: “As a young adult, I recognize that my generation has an essential role to play in helping to build a strong fiscal and economic future for our nation.

Today, I am raising awareness of the country’s fiscal challenges as part of Up to Us, a nonpartisan campaign that empowers millennials across the nation to make their voices heard on the issue of our long-term national debt.”

Matthews’ campaign specifically focuses on financial literacy and educating both students and the surrounding Oswego community.

In collaboration with their faculty advisor, Elizabeth Schmidt, a professor from the macroeconomics department, they plan to teach financial literacy and hold panels of economics and political science professors about the national debt, which exceeds $13 trillion, and discussions about the impact of it on education, healthcare and the average family income.

“We want it to be very impactful to everyone in the Oswego community, not just the students at the school because many students are from the Oswego community, so we think it’s going to be really influential if other students and their parents can actually be

part of this campaign and help us by recognizing the national debt,” Matthews said.

Matthews got involved with Up to Us as a result of her involvement in Seeds of Fortune, a program that helps minority girls obtain scholarships and various nationwide opportunities. She was encouraged to apply by the founder Seeds of Fortune when they attended an Up to Us panel discussion.

“I’m looking at all of the financial sectors and wealth management and how it can impact my career, so I’m just looking to do different things in finance to understand how fiscal policy can affect different people from different communities,” Matthews said.

“Specifically, I want to focus on immigrant communities.”

Matthews said she became interested in financial literacy because, when she came to the U.S. from Saint Christopher and Nevis, a nation in the Caribbean, she got involved in different programs that dealt with money.

“When I was younger and I first came to New York, I really didn’t understand the importance of financial literacy,” Matthews said. “I didn’t realize how complex money was and how it can impact different generations of people, so I think being an immigrant and growing up in an immigrant community made me realize the impact of financial literacy on immigrant communities.”

She said she plans to go to law school after graduating and hopes to open her own nonprofit immigration services center.

Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Plattsburgh, 7 p.m., Saturday in Marano Campus Center Ice Arena

Planetarium Show: “The Polymer Paradox”, 7 p.m., Sunday in Shineman Center, Room 223

#LoveBetter Escalation Workshop, 3 p.m., Monday in Marano Campus Center, Room 133

Science Today: “Commemorating First Lunar Landing”, 4 p.m., Tuesday in Shineman Center, Room 176

Study Abroad Internships Panel, 6 p.m., Tuesday in Marano Campus Center, Room 201

Workshop: Balancing Priorities 7 p.m., Tuesday in Penfield Library, Room 215

Off-Campus Housing Fair, 12 p.m., Wednesday at Marano Campus Center, Upper Concourse

Women’s Lacrosse vs. St. Lawrence, 4 p.m., Wednesday at Laker Turf Stadium

Photo provided by Nayancie Matthews Baldwin Lawson (left to right), Nayancie Matthews, Elizabeth Akeloko and Jalen Frierson are the members of Oswego State’s Up to Us team.

The Amandla Awetheu!

Power to the People bill, had sixteen public comments over the proposal to add certain flags to the national flags displayed along Marano Campus Center.

Students lined up to passionately voice both support and concern for the addition of flags which represent identities rather than nations.

The SA meeting went over time, causing the proposal to be tabled without vote. The resolution will be reintroduced next meeting.

There were several changes in SA committee membership.

Senator Matthew O’Donnell is now committee chair of

Rules and Judiciary.

O’Donnell said he would be a good fit because he worked closely with the bylaws as chair of Elections subcommittee.

Senator Shareese Worrell is now chair of the Involvement committee.

Worrell said her extensive experience with clubs on campus would well-equip her for the task of involving students.

O’Donnell’s new appointment leaves the Election subcommittee chair and Attorney General positions vacant. Worrell leaves the vice chair position of Involvement committee.

RES 54.11 or the Women’s Center Period Act: Free and Equal Access to Menstrual Products bill, was voted on and unanimously passed by Student Association.

The resolution will provide funds for free feminine products, such as tampons and

Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in Sheldon Hall Ballroom menstrual pads, to be placed in all women’s bathrooms, gender-neutral bathrooms, and one-third of men’s bathrooms in every academic building across campus.

Money for the resolution will be drawn equally from the president’s executive civic engagement fund and Student Association contingency fund.

In addition, the resolution includes placing menstrual products in vending machines at all 13 residence halls at “a cost-effective price.”

The resolution is expected to roll out during March, which is Women’s History Month.

Two new senators were sworn in. Sabrina Shortall and Anna Constantini joined Student Association as senators at-large, bringing the total number of SA senators to 14, which is two more than the required 12 to meet quorum.

Meteorology club, Habitat for Humanity club, American Sign Language club and Future Business Leaders of America Phi Beta Lambda, requested funds from the contingency fund to facilitate club activities.

Meteorology club requested funds to attend the Northeastern Storm Conference on March 9 in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Habitat for Humanity club requested funds for hosting an Oxfam Hunger Banquet, where participants experience differences in socioeconomic class.

ASL club requested supplemental funds to host a deaf storyteller and entertainer for the Oswego community.

Phi Beta Lambda asked for funding to help reduce the cost for their members to attend a national leadership conference over the summer in San Antonio, Texas.

A4 NEWS Period Act provides menstrual products Bikes lanes to connect city Residential buildings to include products in vending machines with Oswego State campus THE OSWEGONIAN

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

SA from COVER By drawing funding for the resolution from both funds, there will be a precedent for both SA and future presidents to continue supporting the program, van Reenen said.

“In the case of the future, because you never know,” van Reenen said. “If SA says, ‘Oh, we only fund clubs with the contingency [fund]. We do not want to sustain this project,’ then this resolution could ensure it is continued.”

This resolution follows a New

York state law passed in July providing free feminine hygiene products in restrooms across New York public schools, the resolution said. “[The resolution] would be a big help to girls and menstruating people on campus,” said Amanda Gydesen, a creative writing student at Oswego State who made a public comment at the meeting in support of the resolution. “It’s like a proposal to put toilet paper in the bathrooms. That’d be a big deal.”

Gydesen said she has never seen menstrual product dispens-

ers on campus before.

“Having them available at all would really resolve some emergencies,” Gydesen said.

By passing the resolution, Oswego State will help set an example for more campuses to make similar changes, van Reenen said.

“It’s the kind of change that I think is probably going to occur all over the place, but I think campuses are leading the charge,” Gydesen said.

The resolution is expected to take effect during March, which is Women’s History Month.

Peter Humpfreys Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

Under the guidance of a $250,000 grant from New York state, the West Seneca Street Bikeway project in the city of Oswego has been set in motion.

The bicycle lanes are planned to stretch from West Sixth Street to West Second Street. This is ultimately going to not only connect the west-end neighborhoods and downtown Oswego, but also bring a direct pathway from the SUNY Oswego Campus into the business district.

The proposed plan from local firm Barton & Loguidice is set to include multiple bump-outs at each intersection, spacious lanes for cyclists and welcoming landscaping surrounding the lanes.

All ideas are aligned with the previous riverside walk and bikeway revitalization plan that was completed this past summer.

“We are working hard to revitalize our neighborhood, specifically in these historic areas, and highspeed vehicle traffic is not conducive to neighborhood growth,” said City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow.

“This project will reduce and slow traffic, which in turn should make these neighborhoods in this area more pleasant and livable.”

Barlow said among other goals for the proposed project is a major focus to reshape how residents of Oswego see their personal transportation methods in the city. Barlow said he believes that the project will facilitate a movement for a healthy lifestyle and beautiful rejuvenation of surrounding neighborhoods and encourage residents to see their city in a new way through safe recreation.

“I believe that it will impact the connection between the SUNY Oswego campus and the city in a positive way,” Oswego State student Peter Wendler said.

Wendler, a longtime cyclist, said he “often felt cramped” on sidewalks biking around other residents and felt unsafe on the open city streets.

The West Seneca Bikeway is just one project on a growing agenda for the City of Oswego as we see it launch into longevity, sustainability and relevance. Barlow said that his goal is to make sure the neighborhoods within the city are safe, pleasant and livable.

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Some women’s bathrooms on campus have coin-operated dispensers installed, but few are consistently stocked with menstrual products.

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Bike lanes will connect Oswego on both the east and west sides of the Oswego River.

Ice sheets cover campus buildings, city of Oswego Over the past few weeks, Oswego has been hit by major winter storms. One storm in particular, on Feb. 13, left many buildings and cars across the city covered in a thick layer of ice.

On the Oswego State campus, these ice sheets began flying off of the buildings when winds from the lake picked up. Mary DePentu, director of Facilities Services for Oswego State, said that she saw ice flying off of Sheldon Hall, and that is what prompted her to have

warnings posted across campus.

“I personally observed ice coming off the roof of Sheldon as I walked from Park Hall,” DePentu said.

DePentu said that the ice sheets left on campus were about 1/4 inch thick. While Sheldon was the only building DePentu confirmed she saw sheets coming off of, she said all buildings were at risk of having their icy shrouds ripped off by the winds.

DePentu said nobody was injured by the flying ice sheets.

Francesca Meisner | The Oswegonian The recent major winter storms left Oswego and the campus covered with thick layers of ice.

NEWS Rogue flyers condemn xenophobia, hate

Students respond to Young Americans for Freedom table Colin Hawkins Asst. News Editor news@oswegonian.com Students entered the campus discussion on politics and free speech last week by posting flyers on several campus bulletin boards, prompting questions on student political expression and appropriate venues of expression.

The flyers, posted to bulletin boards in at least Marano Campus Center, Shineman Center and Rich Hall, depict the Kool-Aid Man bursting through a brick wall with a speech bubble exclaiming “OH YEAH!!!.” The image was accompanied by a quote from 19th-century poet and revolutionary, Eugene Pottier.

“Let no one build walls to divide us, walls of hatred or walls of stone,” the flyer quoted.

The words come from Pottier’s, “The Internationale,” an anthem associated with the socialist movement from 1864.

“Resist racism. Resist xenophobia.

Resist division: a message from students against bigotry,” the flyer said.

Students Against Bigotry is not an official student organization at this time.

“We wanted it to be eye-catching, right off the bat,” said Max Mozes, a senior cognitive sciences major at Oswego State. “We do have a serious message. We know that the border wall is not for security because everyone that is an actual authority agrees that this is not effective.”

Mozes said the flyers were a response to the tabling effort by the Young Americans for Freedom club on Feb. 12.

“I actually had a conversation with one of those guys recently,” Mozes said. “I don’t think I was going to change his mind.”

Instead, Mozes said speaking on behalf of the group of students who posted the flyers, was meant to reach out to people who have not decided their stance on the issue.

“We’re aiming more at people that are on the fence, that could go either way,” Mozes said. “We want to show them that there is some opposition.”

Mozes said he hopes to continue discussions on campus and perhaps

Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian The flyer Max Mozes and other students created can be found spread across campus.

have a debate on the topic.

Tyler Toomey, president of YAF and a junior in the business administration program at Oswego State, said he welcomes student discussion on campus.

“I think it’s great that students are getting more politically involved as time passes,” Toomey said. “I think the 2016 election really brought that out. I think that’s great.”

Toomey said he is glad to see the growth of political clubs on campus.

“I hope students that aren’t even in a club for [politics] are comfortable if they want to post flyers, if they want to have discussions, I hope they do that,” Toomey said.

According to the Oswego State student handbook, most of campus policy concerning bulletin boards focus on recognized student organizations posting promotional flyers for events and activities. There are policies for which flyers and purposes qualify for a protected place on campus bulletin boards.

“In a very strict interpretation of our student handbook, [the flyer] does not qualify,” said Barbara St. Michel, associate director of Campus Life. “It does not indicate the source.”

Student organizations have been allowed to voice their opinions, when the flyers are sponsored by a particular organization, St. Michel said.

The office of Campus Life will need to address how students can express themselves on campus bulletin boards soon, St. Michel said.

“I think we’re entering a new era in expression,” St Michel said. “Do we need to review what’s in the code of conduct? And if our code [of conduct] of is not in sync with the realites of today, does it need to be rewritten?”

Both Toomey and Mozes agree the flyers have a place in campus discussion and civil discourse.

“It’s a pretty good way to get your word out pretty quick and all over the place,” Mozes said.

Campus policy focuses on prioritizing student organizations to promote their events, while still allowing individuals some degree of promoting services like tutoring without plastering school surfaces with outside advertisements.

“I think postering is smart,” Toomey said. “Our campus is bad at allowing it. Obviously having posters anywhere and everywhere is a bad idea, but I think there needs to be some kind of better medium.”

Mozes said he has noticed students talking about the flyers.

“I’ve definitely heard a lot of people mention it,” Mozes said. “Even if they just say, ‘Oh yeah!,’ that is enough of a reference to know that they’ve seen this poster.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

A5

NEWS A6 Student Association proposes new flags Grant provides funding Students debate appropriateness, connotation of additions to expand local business THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

PROPOSED from COVER

Douglass said the Black Lives Matter flag has political values and could cause controversy.

According to the resolution, “by supporting and advocating for these flags to be flown, we do not endorse any political agenda or platform of any off-campus organization or the hateful rhetoric that have been formulated upon these flags to oppose their message of love and solidarity.”

He suggested making an amendment to add the flag for the Blue Lives Matter movement in addition to the proposed Black Lives Matter flag, which was met with opposition from much of the room.

Douglas urged senators to keep all of their constituents in mind when they vote on the resolution.

“Not all of these beliefs are personally mine,” Douglas said. “I’m speaking on behalf of people who aren’t able to be represented, and we should think about all the students when making judgements.”

According to the resolution, “the Palestinian flag ... represents Pan-Arabian heritage and is a symbol of hope for a people’s group whom in a modern society face second-class citizenship status and are subject to brutal Apartheid oppression based on religious affiliation.”

Tylissa Ortiz, proudly wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt, spoke about how hanging the proposed flags would make the statement that the student body does not tolerate hate. Ortiz said while she supports hanging the Palestinian flag, she would urge senators to fully research to make sure they are proposing the correct flag for the body of people they want to represent.

“Black Lives Matter, it is not a debatable topic for me,” Ortiz said.

“I believe that in this country, black people are regularly oppressed.

They are regularly mistreated, and this organization focuses on bringing that to light, on aiding black citizens in this country and making their lives better and as

PIZZA from COVER

Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian Omar van Reenen, Student Association president, collaborated with two students to write the resolution.

equal as possible.”

Ortiz said upon reading that the resolution proposed to add the Black Lives Matter flag, she felt happy because she attends a “diverse and forward-thinking school.”

Devon Ruckdeschel, social media coordinator of Pride Alliance, spoke about not possessing the fear of walking into a bathroom and not coming back out and how many people do face that fear and have to think about their safety all the time, everywhere they go.

“I think that the hanging of these flags is a step in the right direction to making this campus safe for other people, welcome to other people,” Ruckdeschel said.

“They are signs of hope, of pride, of acknowledgement, [of] repre-

sentation. I have seen the way the smallest representation can do for a person, and it’s a huge thing that we see you, we acknowledge you, and we know that you are here.”

Written by SA President Omar van Reenen, SA Director of Diversity and Inclusion Marquel Jeffries and Black Student Union Executive Director Tenaja SmithButler, the resolution was sponsored by more than 150 students, faculty and staff.

SA meetings must end by 9 p.m., and the senate made the decision to table the resolution until next Tuesday at 6 p.m. when they will meet again to further discuss it and vote on any proposed amendments and the resolution as a whole.

“When we approached the community development agency to work with them on getting our loans and working on what they could do to help us, they brought up that there is an opportunity [where] you could qualify for a grant from the city under the discretionary fund,” Gailinas said.

“They are all about jobs, the city is, so we had to prove how many jobs it is going to bring here, and we were able to do that.”

The funding for this grant will be coming from the commitment of program income through the NYS Community Development Block Grant Program, a federally funded program authorized by Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, according to nyshcr.org. The program is managed and administered by the city’s Office of Economic Development.

Gailinas said the expansion will result in the creation of six new full-time jobs and another six part-time jobs for the surrounding area. More jobs are possible in the future if a wait staff is added further down the road to accommodate the new dining areas.

“At some point in the future, we will have table-side service once we get that up and running,” Gailinas said.

Barlow has been a big proponent for the expansion and renovating of Oswego businesses, a movement he largely began due to the $525,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which was one of 12 projects granted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016.

“As we work to bring new businesses into the city, we must also assist existing business as well,” Barlow said. “Pizza Villa is an iconic Oswego establishment, surviving 53 years and still going

strong. It is an honor to be able to assist such a thriving business that has become such a staple in this community.”

Oswego State students, like senior education major Arianna Wright, frequent Pizza Villa’s current location and look forward to the opportunities the expansion will provide.

“I love [Pizza Villa]. My class had to order from there when we were learning how to make rubrics for our students,” Wright said. “If you like gooey, cheesy pizza, then Pizza Villa is definitely the place to order from.”

Wright said the relocation will help bring a larger student patronship to Pizza Villa.

“Them relocating closer to campus is great,” Wright said. “I feel like it’s so underrated in its [current location] in a really small and easyto-miss worn-down building.”

Susette Berlin is the owner of Pizza Villa and, according to Gailinas, has been working toward this project for four years. Gailinas said one of the main reasons Berlin chose to work toward this expansion’s because they are receiving so many orders that they do not have the oven space currently to keep up with them.

“Susette and Pizza Villa, they are exactly what cities hope will happen,” Gailinas said. “This kind of an expansion, that you will take a long-term business that has always been there and that you know have the opportunity to grow it out like you’ve never been able to do and everybody can get behind that kind of enhancement.”

Pizza Villa is set to reopen for business Aug. 1.

“Everyone is getting on board with what Pizza Villa is doing,” Gailinas said. “It is great for the city and not many businesses of her scale get to do this even … We are super, super excited about it.”

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Stone’s Candies, opened in 1973, is currently located at 145 W. Bridge St. in Oswego.

Image provided by Victoria Gailinas Pizza Villa plans to include a seating area when it moves to the Stone’s Candies building.

OPINION MENTAL HEALTH

B5 Photo from Pixabay

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE III

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS TOUNAMENT HOST B3 Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian

• www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

B1

Men’s hockey looks for revenge on Plattsburgh Zal’s Thoughts: comparing Team wants to take advantage of home-ice advantage last season to this season

Kyle Hurley | The Oswegonian Oswego State and Plattsburgh State will meet for the third time this season on Feb. 23.

Ben Grieco Sports Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com At the end of the 2017-2018 regular season, the Oswego State men’s hockey team fell to Plattsburgh State.

Just a week later, the Lakers lost to SUNY Fredonia during the SUNYAC semifinals, ending their season on Feb. 24, 2018.

Oswego State ended its season with an 18-6-2 record, leaving its fate to the NCAA to potentially be an at-large bid for the NCAA Div. III national tournament. When the Lakers were not selected, they were done for the season.

This season, Oswego State enters the playoffs with the same exact record, 18-5-2, after suffering a loss to the same team as last season. In this season’s second meeting between the Lakers and the Cardinals, Oswego State avoided a shutout, losing 2-1.

“It’s always going to be in the back of your head,” assistant captain Josh Zizek said. “I’m confident that the team in the room is going to be ready to play Saturday, doesn’t matter who it is.”

The Lakers will look to avenge their loss to Plattsburgh State, as they host the Cardinals for the semifinals.

“To us, it doesn’t matter who we play because, at the end of the day, you’ve got

to beat them,” Zizek said. “But it would be nice to get the revenge. We had their number at home, and they had us this past weekend.”

At the end of the game, there was a scrum following the last whistle of the game. Mitch Emerson was a centerpiece of the shoving. There were no penalties or suspensions given by the SUNYAC. “I’m sure [there is] some bad blood.

It will probably pick up right where it left off…,” head coach ed Gosek said.

“When you have heated rivalries, hotly contested and you’re battling for every loose puck right until the end, emotions are going to get high.”

Oswego State had to wait until Wednesday to find out that Plattsburgh State would be traveling to the Marano Campus Center for the second time this season. But the team’s mindset was to focus on itself in preparation for the weekend.

“We certainly know that they have confidence, having knocked us off this past weekend,” Gosek said. “It will be another great Oswego-Plattsburgh rivalry.”

Gosek said the coaching staff showed the team video, talked with individual players and did drills during practice to address issues from the game against Plattsburgh State this past weekend.

But the only thing that Gosek said his team focuses on, in terms of op-

position, is how it will prepare for special teams, both on the power play and on the penalty kill. Oswego State is 26.3 percent on the power play, while its penalty kill is performing at 84.7 percent.

“You’re as good as your last game, and our last game wasn’t good enough,” Gosek said. “In special teams, there are adjustments and different things we look to do to try to be our best with power play and penalty kill.”

Now, Gosek will be meeting Plattsburgh State’s head coach Bob Emery for the 48th time since the 2003-2004 season. In that same amount of time in the playoffs, Emery boasts a 12-3-0 record over Gosek. The last time Gosek beat Emery in the playoffs was in the 20132014 season, where the Lakers were victorious 2-1 in the semifinals.

“I mean, obviously [Emery’s] a friend, most importantly,” Gosek said. “He’s a hell of a coach. He’s got a hell of a record. [He’s got] the consistency of playing well at the right time.”

And, for the fourth straight season, Oswego State will host a semifinal matchup. Having home-ice advantage in the playoffs is always one of the team goals Gosek presents at the beginning of each season in October.

With the home-ice advantage, the Lakers play in one of the nicer rinks of the SUNYAC, one they have played and practiced in all season, as well as having 3,000 fans in attendance in playoff mode.

“It’s your rink that you’ve played on hundreds of times. It’s kind of like a safe place,” Zizek said. “You’re used to everything about it. It’s home for you. Just to be at home, it’s a huge advantage, and we’re happy we have it.”

With such a large roster, one that has 31 players, there is a lot of variety.

The Lakers have 13 underclassmen, eight of which are freshmen. While all 31 have played at the Marano Campus Center all season, Zizek said the experience of home-ice advantage is huge for the freshmen.

“For the younger guys, it’s going to be a treat for them to come into our building and have the fans,” Zizek said.

“They’ve been through it for the regular season, but it’s a whole new level come playoffs.”

No matter what, even though the Lakers have never not made the SUNYAC playoffs in their recorded history, Gosek still appreciates every opportunity his team gets in the playoffs.

“It’s that time of the year. You work all season long for now and it goes quick,” Gosek said. “We’re into bonus time. Never take it for granted.”

Kyle Hurley | The Oswegonian Josh Zizek (center, white jersey) protects the puck against SUNY Geneseo on Feb. 9 at the MCC Ice Arena.

Ryan Zalduondo Staff Writer sports@oswegonian.com It is sometimes unbelievable how much change can happen over the course of a year, but as is the case with just about everything, some things stay the same. For the Oswego State men’s hockey program, all it will take for everything to be the same as exactly a year ago is to commit one more fatal mistake.

So many things have changed for Ed Gosek’s program since this time last year.

Gone is the courageous leadership of former captain Mitch Herlihey, swapped out for a new class of players that must hold a record for the amount of Div. I transfers it contains.

Gone is the hopefulness of a magical season, substituted by the aura of hard work and adversity. Things are different.

But, with that said, to an outsider, nothing has changed. Heading into the SUNYAC semi-final last season, the Lakers held an 185-2 record, which is identical to the one garnered by this seasons team to this point. The journey to reach the same place could not have been more opposite for the two teams.

The 2017-18 campaign started with a lot of questions, frustrations and skeptics. Following the devastating passing of Mary Gosek, the loss of both primary goaltenders from the year prior and the graduation of one of the best classes in the program’s history, things started off bleak. But the team pulled itself together through all the adversity and managed to go on an incredible run for nearly the entire regular season – until it ended.

Whiteout Weekend 2018 was one of the most deflating experiences in terms of sports that I, and likely many others, have ever been a part of. With the first seed locked up, maybe it got in the heads of the players who must have been feeling untouchable at

the time. Everything was going right: the incredible narrative of playing for Gosek, the dominance over what was a super competitive SUNYAC and an aura surrounding them that felt like they could not be stopped. All that was left was to exorcise the Whiteout demons and erase the one final barrier between themselves and a clean conscience.

They got blanked 1-0 by both SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State. So much for getting rid of the demons.

Then they followed it up with a 3-1 dud against SUNY Fredonia in the conference semis, and that effectively forced the hand of the NCAA selection committee to leave the Lakers on the outside looking in, ending what could have been the most perfect hockey season ever played.

This year, there was no magic narrative, but there were also way fewer questions about the team Gosek was icing. Sans the small graduating class, the same team was essentially coming back, only a year older and with a lot of new reinforcements.

Bringing in a three-year Div. I player like Josh Nenadal strikes a much different chord than Gosek not knowing where any of his scoring is going to come from before the season. There were no doubts that this team was going to be good.

But the biggest difference between these two teams comes in how they took their losses. This 2018-19 team has had periodic letdowns, following up each of their first four losses with a win. Last season’s team faced a ton more adversity off the ice than they ever did on it, until it was far too late to learn how to correct it. With that experience in the back of their minds now, this team has a chance to follow up last weekend’s loss in Plattsburgh like they have with every other loss this season: they can win, maybe make up for the bumps they took this time last year and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Round three of Oswego-Plattsburgh begs question, which Cardinals team shows up

Cardinals’ suffocating defense shows up in second matchup, makes it easy for goaltender

Matt Watling Asst. Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com With a middling record of just two games above .500, some may be surprised that the Plattsburgh State Cardinals hold the No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC tournament. Despite a subpar overall record, the one that matters, conference play, is very strong at 10-5-1. A big reason for their 3-6-1 out-of-conference record is whom they have played. At the time of their contests, the Cardinals have played three ranked non-conference teams. Regardless of conference play, the Lakers have seen two different Plattsburgh State teams.

In the first contest in December, the Cardinals did not play their brand of hockey, and it showed. Plattsburgh State allowed fewer shots than in the second game, but they were higher quality. There were several odd-man rushes and two-on-ones in tight. This made Jimmy Poreda, a typically stellar goaltender, look mediocre. He gave up three goals in the first game, but his defense did not make it easy on him. In the first goal he allowed, his stout defense fell apart and was caught puckwatching. Because of this, they did not

protect the slot or crease and left Anthony Passero alone in tight. Ian Wallgren went below the goal line to defend Michael Gillespie, and his defensive partner Phillip Middleton did not slide back to the front of the net. Instead, Middleton cheated down toward Gillespie and left Passero wide open on the back door. Gillespie found Passero for the game-winning goal.

Of the four goals the Lakers have scored on Poreda, two have been in tight, including the Passero goal, and the other two were on odd-man rushes.

“You have to try to score on the line rush,” head coach Ed Gosek said. “Any broken play, it’s important to try to get some pucks by their goalie … good puck movement, good shot selection, outnumbering them on loose pucks.”

While Gosek wants his team to jump on loose pucks, it will be a tough task for the Lakers. At their best, the Cardinals defense is extremely suffocating. They make it difficult to enter their zone with strong neutral zone play; however, when teams do enter the zone, they are not afraid to collapse in on their goalie. The Cardinals do a great job clogging the slot and crease area, resulting in lower quality shots for their opponents, even if they allow a lot

of shots. Gosek believes his team has to take care of the puck more in the offensive zone and keep it on their sticks rather than firing shots from unlikely scoring areas.

“As far as packing it in five-on-five, there’s no sense to throw pucks to the net,” Gosek said. “They’re going to get control of them on the majority. They’re going to pack five guys in and around the net. You [need to have] patience and shot selection with the puck.”

Shot selection is very important against the Cardinals, as Oswego State took more shots in their loss. The big difference is the Lakers could not get traffic in front of Poreda, and there was not enough movement. There were several cases in which the Lakers took a shot from the point. With this, Poreda was already set in his goaltending stance and had an easy time tracking the puck. When a goaltender is set in his stance, making a save is exponentially easier.

Another key to beating Poreda would be the five-hole. Half the goals he allowed to the Lakers went between his legs when he was sliding from post to post. Using speed and forcing the puck cross the slot makes it much harder on Poreda, especially if the defense is

caught puck-watching. Passing the puck through the slot is rather difficult at full strength, so the Lakers need to take advantage when they are on the power play.

When playoffs roll around, winning the special teams battle usually coincides with winning the game. This will be tough for the Lakers, as Plattsburgh State boasts the best penalty kill in all of Div. III at a clip of 91.7 percent. While Oswego State’s penalty kill is based on constant aggressive play in the neutral zone, the Cardinals are a bit more passive and wait for teams at their blue line.

“They’re all willing to block shots.

They’re good off the defensive zone draws. They get possession and get clears,” Gosek said. “I don’t think they take unnecessary chances. They are not looking to score short-handed goals, [but] if it’s there, they’ll [take a chance].”

The Cardinals take their chances but score by committee. They have scoring depth all throughout their lineup while other teams may be top heavy.

For example, Rich McCartney plays on the third line and has seven points in 15 conference games. The Cardinals have several other players that fit this arche-

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian type, such as Christian DeFelice and Ryan Kuhn. With a scoring threat on all four lines, the Lakers cannot afford to take shifts off. Fortunately for Oswego State, it can use home-ice advantage in its favor via the last change.

“We get the last change at home, so some defensive pairing decisions on who to get out against their top lines [will be made],” Gosek said. “For the most part, [our forwards] have been pretty consistent defensively, have good awareness when they’re on the ice.”

With the Plattsburgh State Cardinals, their stats and numbers are skewed due to their intense non-conference schedule. They do not play like a 13-11-2 team.

Instead, they are a team that slows the pace of play down and use the counter attack to perfection with the help of shifty defensemen like Matt Araujo.

Regardless of how the Cardinals are playing, when they face Oswego State, one can throw the records out of the equation. The game will be extremely tight checking, closely contested and very chippy.

“It was an intense game, and both teams competed hard and played on the edge,” Gosek said. “Semifinal playoff game, Oswego, Plattsburgh rivalry, I can’t think of any way you’d rather have it.”

SPORTS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

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Tall task ahead of Lakers as they take on dominant Cardinals in NEWHL

No. 4-seed in NEWHL, women’s hockey, travels to Plattsburgh State, undefeated in conference play

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian Jean-marie Padden angles off an opposing defensman in the offensive zone and looks to generate a scoring chance in front of her home crowd.

Luke Owens Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com After dropping the second of two games against SUNY Potsdam, Oswego State finds itself in a tough position in the NEWHL playoffs. It now sits at the No. 4 seed and has a tough task ahead against the No. 1-seeded Plattsburgh State Cardinals in the semifinals. The Cardinals are 16-0 in NEWHL play this season and have outscored their league opponents by a whopping 96-6. Head coach Diane Dillon un-

derstands the task ahead but knows the Lakers need to first focus within themselves. Going on the road is never an easy task, especially in the playoffs.

“First, we have to look at us what we did well, what we didn’t do well in our last couple games and really over the month of February,” Dillon said. “It’s been a lot of games in a short amount of time, so there’s not a lot of recovery time and practice time.”

Plattsburgh State is 23-2 overall and is ranked No. 2/3 in the national polls and No. 1 in terms of the

Campus Rec Report: spring competitions yield champions Morgan Meaney Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com I t w a s a n e xc i t i n g w e e k i n the intramural world, as many of the spor ts were heating up.

The CoRec single-elimination basketball tournament was the first to conclude as Othmaro Service 2.0 took home the gold.

In the championship game, they ran away from the competition in a final score of 88-53 against PLS Gang.

In the men’s rec tournament, the Greeks got out to an early head star t, taking home a win over 1926ers (48-43). Not to be forgotten is another team that defeated Free Agents in a domi n a t i n g f a s h i o n , Tu n e S q u a d , who captured their first win in a final score of 70-43. A week later, the two early victors found themselves head to head in the championship game. In the championship game, the Greeks narrowly edged Tune Squad in a final score of 57-52.

I n t h e m e n ’s c o m p e t i t i v e tournament, Who Want Smoke? asserted dominance over Team Deadeye in an early week victo r y i n a f i n a l s c o re o f 3 7 - 3 1 .

However, later in the week, Who Wa n t S m oke ? w a s e l i m i n a t e d by 2 Eazy in a final score of 504 0 , s e c u r i ng t he i r s p o t i n t he championship game. Oodles O’ Noodles Babies proved to be a force to be reckoned with with a close victory over We Shoot 3s (57-52) and found themselves in the championship game against 2 Eazy. Oodles O’ Noodles Babies won the championship game, taking down 2 Eazy in a final score of 55-43.

In the indoor soccer league, the leaders are starting to show themselves in some impressive games. In the men’s rec league, 5-star took down Los Pollos Lokos in a final score of 6-3. Los Pol lo s L ok o s d i d no t q u i t a nd were able to capture a victory over Tuesdays are for Jon (6-2).

Tuesdays are for Jon started off the week strong before their loss to Los Pollos Lokos and nabbed

a win over Oswego’s Finest (5-3).

In their only game of the week, Halls & Balls impressively defeated These Guys (15-0). In the CoRec rec league, About to Get Messi had a high scoring game a g a i n s t Tr a s h R a t s i n a f i n a l score of 14-0. In the final game of the week, Church Group (remastered) defeated team game canceled with a final score of 5-3. The only game in the CoRec competitive league pitted Netkicks and chill and We Destroy Audrey against each other, and in one of the closest games of the week, Netkicks and chill won in a final score of 7-6.

I n t h e m e n’s c o m p e t i t i v e league, Oxford United took down the real Caholics (5-4). The Gentlemen of West Virginia continu e d to i m p re s s w i t h a v i c to r y over real Caholics (7-6). In the final game of the week, 1926ers defeated FC Deportivo Oswego in a final score of 10-5.

The handball tournament continued into this week, as the favorites continued to domin a t e t he l e a g u e . I n t he C o R e c tournament, Thin Ice captured another win over Chubby Dogs in a final s core of 11-5 . In the men’s tournament, 5th year and Sheeeeeeeesh. took home their second victories of the season with wins over Rec’s Most Wanted (11-5) and Kappa Sigma (5-3).

The final tournament is the b ro o m b a l l to u r n a m e n t . I n t h e CoRec competitive tournament, Ram Ranch really Rocks defeated Special Cay in a closely fought final score of 2-1. Broom, Roasted also proved to be a force with a win over Hots N Yachts in a final score of 2-0. In the CoRec rec tournament, the only game contested found Church group 5th time and Team Popper going head to head and saw Church group going home with the win in a final score of 1-0.

B e s u re to ke e p a n e y e o u t for future events at Campus Recreation. Coming up soon is the Crafty No Sew Fleece Blankets event, the NCAA Final Four challenge and sign-ups for the dodgeball league.

PairWise Rankings. Its 122 goals rank second in the nation, led by sophomore Annie Katonka who has 26 goals in 25 games.

“We’ve been watching a lot of film, and they don’t do anything crazy. They just do what they do very well,” Dillon said. “They’re a well-oiled machine, and they have several players that operate their system well.”

Plattsburgh State is particularly strong with its power-play unit. It ranks third in the country in both power-play goals (29) and percentage (26.9). Seven of those 29 pow-

er-play goals have come against Oswego State, including three power-play goals a game in two meetings this season. Lakers alternate captain Natalie Giglio expressed the importance of the team avoiding those big penalty minutes.

“We’ve got to stay out of the box.

That’s our biggest thing,” Giglio said.

“Plattsburgh functions at around a 30 percent success level on their power play. We play well with them five on five, and when we do get opportunities, we’ve got to bury them.”

Dillon stressed the importance of executing the fundamentals of the Oswego State penalty kill, something they have not done as well in the previous meetings with Plattsburgh State.

“We have to know where that attack is going to come from and how we can best thwart second and third chances,” Dillon said. “We have to rely on our goaltender to be our best penalty killer. We want to let her see the puck, and that’s where we’ve struggled a bit with the traffic in front. We didn’t tie up well. We didn’t eliminate sticks. You rely on your goaltender to make the first save, but it’s up to the rest of the players on the ice to get rid of the second chances.”

One advantage for Oswego State has been playing these must-wintype games all month. Dillon has told the team to treat every game like a playoff game, and that has helped them prepare for the tough task this weekend.

“I think playing Williams gave us a big advantage,” Giglio said.

“They’re a fast team, and that pace of hockey really got us a taste of what playoffs are about because everyone really does elevate their

game. Our efforts against Potsdam were there on Friday night with the energy levels. We scored four goals, which were the most we’ve scored in a while, and that was good for the playoff push.”

The good news for the Lakers is that they have done it before. Oswego State handed the Cardinals their only loss during their 28-1-1 campaign in 2016-17 that ended in a Plattsburgh State national championship win. And it did it on the Cardinals’ home ice.

“We’re definitely the underdog, so let’s embrace it,” Dillon said.

“Let’s go in there and be the spoiler. Let’s go after it. We did it before on their own ice. We can certainly do it again.”

Dillon asked the upperclassmen that were there for that 2016 upset win to describe that feeling when the final horn sounded to their younger teammates.

“We had the upperclassmen talking today about what did that feel like, what did it look like, all those things, trying to get the younger players a little excited about it instead of just being back of their heels,” Dillon said.

Plattsburgh State has owned this season’s series 4-0, outscoring the Lakers 20-2 overall. But, in a one-game elimination bracket, crazy things can happen.

“We’re excited for the opportunity because we’ve got nothing to lose,” Dillon said. “The pressure is on Plattsburgh. I’m sure they’re pretty confident going into this game as they should be, but at the same time, it’s a one-game playoff. Anything can happen.”

Puck drops at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.

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

SPORTS Men’s basketball host conference tournament Lakers to face SUNY Oneonta after Red Dragons dominated board battle last game

Men’s hockey vs. Plattsburgh State

Matt Watling Asst. Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com As the Lakers prepare themselves for round three against Plattsburgh State, they have a full 120 minutes of film to look at. The first matchup came back at the end of the fall semester as the Lakers defeated the Cardinals at the Marano Campus Ice Arena. For the first time in seven years, the Lakers won their Whiteout matchup, this time by a score of 4-0.

Oswego State won in a dominating effort as it peppered Jimmy Poreda with 31 shots.

Although Poreda is typically an upper-echelon goalie, he did not have the best game. He allowed three goals on the night, one of which was on the power play. For the Lakers, their defense was suffocating. They did not allow Plattsburgh State to enter the offensive zone, and when they did get shots on net, they were lower quality. This was arguably Oswego State’s best all-around game of the season. The Lakers dominated puck possession, scored on the power-play and won the battles to loose pucks in the slot. Their effort limited the Cardinals to just 21 shots.

Last weekend, Plattsburgh State flipped the script on the Lakers. At the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena, the Cardinals defeated the Lakers in a gritty 2-1 game. The Cardinals played their style to perfection as they clogged the neutral zone with ease. Because of this, neither side was able to enter the offensive zone cleanly.

The only time the Lakers were able to score was off a neutral zone faceoff. Cameron Berry entered the zone on a two-on-one, and Tyson Kirkby put home the rebound. Plattsburgh State slowed the game down and collapsed in to protect Poreda. As a result, Poreda was able to make easy first saves, with little traffic in front of him. When he did not cover up the initial shot, his defense was there to clear the rebound. Poreda made 32 saves, which was seven off of his season high.

With the final round of this heated rivalry heading to the Marano Campus Center, the Lakers need to use their aggressive forecheck to make it hard on the Cardinals to generate speed through the neutral zone.

B B33

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

Women’s hockey at Plattsburgh State

Ben Grieco Sports Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com It is the third installment of the Oswego State and Plattsburgh State rivalry for the 2018-2019 season. After how the game ended in Plattsburgh on Feb. 16, some bad blood might be found in the matchup on Feb. 23.

This is not the first time the Lakers and Cardinals have met in the playoffs, with Plattsburgh State winning the last three times the two have met in the playoffs.

Oswego State fell to No. 5/5 this past week following its loss to Plattsburgh State on Feb. 16 and are now No. 4 in the NCAA Div. III PairWise. The Cardinals have still not cracked the national ranks but are No. 25 in the PairWise.

Special teams will be crucial for either side. Plattsburgh State holds the advantage on the penalty kill at 91.7 percent, while Oswego State’s power play stands at 26.3 percent. Both are in the top five in the nation for Div. III men’s hockey.

However, the Lakers could be missing two valuable parts to their lineup in Michael Gillespie and Josh LeBlanc. Gillespie was hurt against The College at Brockport on Feb. 8, while LeBlanc was injured at SUNY Potsdam on Feb. 15. Head coach Ed Gosek said both players are dayto-day but are cleared to practice. However, Gillespie did say Saturday is probably “going to be a go.”

The Lakers are coming off more rest than the Cardinals. Oswego State has had a week, compared to Plattsburgh State’s last game being on Wednesday. But the Lakers’ last game was against the Cardinals, perhaps fueling the flame just a little bit more.

In the regular season meetings, the teams split the series, but Oswego State did win at home. With the game at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena, the Lakers might have the slightest advantage in the game for its first playoff win against the Cardinals since the 2013-2014 season.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

Luke Owens Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Oswego State will host the SUNYAC tournament for the second time in three years as the No. 1 seed following the end of the regular season.

Mamadou Tall Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State Lakers will be playing their first game of the SUNYAC championship on Friday Feb. 22 against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons.

The Lakers and the Red Dragons have split their two games in the regular season. The first meeting saw the Lakers win 72-69 at SUNY Oneonta in mid-January, while their last game saw the Red Dragons win 70-55 at Oswego State just a week before their upcoming meeting. The last meeting between the two teams saw the Lakers get outplayed on the rebounding end. Red Dragons’ forward Joseph Bull gave the Lakers problems on the defensive end, scoring 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Head coach Jason Leone called the aftermath of that loss a “tough 24 hours.”

With that being said, Leone has geared the team’s focus toward avoiding a repeat of that performance.

“In practice, we really focused on boxing out, getting up on shooters. We are definitely prepared for the game Friday night,” Lakers senior center Tyler Pierre said.

The Lakers finished at the top of their conference with an overall record of 20-5.

Notching the top seed in the conference has awarded the Lakers home-court advantage and has given them the chance to win the SUNYAC championship on their home court. The chance to host the SUNYAC championship at Max Ziel Gym has served as the end result of all the hard work the Lakers basketball program, from players to coaching staff, has put into this season.

“I think it is an incredible accomplishment. It’s a tribute to our play-

ers,” Leone said.

Seniors Pierre, Quinn Carey and Allen Durutovic all have a chance to end their college basketball careers as SUNYAC champions on their home court.

“As seniors, you want to go out winning your last game, and particularly in the conference, you want to go out with your last year winning the conference championship,” senior guard Quinn Carey said.

“We always play for our seniors, so I think it’s always a point to send them out on a high note and to give our seniors something to remember,” Leone said.

The long yet successful season the Lakers experienced has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Through it all, the two things that have been a staple in their success are the resilience and growth from all the players. From November until now, Leone and the players have consistently spoken about the atmosphere around the team and their locker room. The team’s unity has brought about great leadership from the seniors of the team.

“I have seen major growth in our point guard Liam Sanborn, and Tyler Pierre is playing at an MVP caliber level right now,” Leone said. “The confidence that he has gained in just these last three weeks, he has put the team on his back, and I’m proud of Tyler. He is somebody that can dominate a game in ways that’s other than just scoring, which speaks to his character.”

Players Pierre, Brandan Gartland, Durutovic and Tim Marshall all have the opportunity to win their SUNYAC championship in three years. Those players know what it takes to get win the conference championship and will be an integral part in the Lakers’ efforts to capture the conference title.

“It feels good,” Pierre said. “Nothing really changes, though. You just have

to come out and play hard, and we can definitely come out with the win in both games.”

Leone said he sees similarities between this year’s team and the 20162017 team.

“We have great play from the point guard and we have a center that has a presence on both sides,” he said. “We have a very together group of guys.”

With the chance of winning the conference within their grasps, the Lakers and Leone both are aware that they have to come out, play and earn it.

“A new season starts this week, where everyone is zero and zero and anything can happen,” Leone said.

Leone said their success is not guaranteed and has been stressing this sentiment to his players.

“We have had years where we played out of the lower seed and won it, and there have been times where we were the higher seed and lost, so we have to approach this thing with a mentality that we are going to have to earn wins, play with discipline, and we have to play well to win,” Leone said.

In their last game, the Lakers ended the night celebrating being the top seed. They enter the SUNYAC championship hoping to have one more celebration and addition to their trophy cabinet. With a win against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons on Friday night, they will be one step closer.

Oswego State knows the challenge that lies ahead this weekend against Plattsburgh State. The Lakers will look to go on the road and knock off the No. 1 seeded Cardinals in the first round of the NEWHL playoffs. A loss would mean the end of an up-and-down season for the Lakers that began 5-0-1 before finishing 10-12-3 in the regular season.

But first, let us take a step back and look at last weekend’s games, in particular, senior night. Oswego State graduates two players this year in goalie Mikaela Ditonto and forward Victoria Rankin. Ditonto logged five career games in net for the Lakers and was honored by getting the start last Friday against SUNY Potsdam. She was taken out after the first whistle to loud applause from both Oswego State fans and her teammates. Rankin is an interesting case, graduating and receiving her degree from Oswego State in just three years. During those three years on the ice, Rankin appeared in 68 games and notched seven career points.

The Lakers’ underclassmen outnumber the upperclassmen, so it was a light graduating class this year after losing seven seniors the previous season, including leading goal scorer Olivia Ellis and starting goaltender Mariah Madrigal. Next year, the Lakers will graduate five players, including captain Kate Randazzo and alternates Madison Byrne and Natalie Giglio.

The best part of senior night for Lakers fans was the dominant 4-1 victory they came away with against NEWHL foe SUNY Potsdam. It was the way the seniors wanted to go out in front of their home fans for their final game at the Marano Campus Center.

Shore Report SUNYAC

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

Playoffs

B4

Oswego Scoreboard

Men’s Hockey

Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 16

Friday, Feb. 15

85

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian

Women’s Hockey (NEWHL)

69

OSW:

Pierre: 18 pts, 12 rebs Sanborn: 16 pts, 1 block Carey: 13 pts, 1 steal

OSW:

Sy: 18 pts, 18 rebs Zimmerman: 9 pts, 2 steals

BPT:

Ashley: 12 pts, 2 steals Summers: 11 pts, 4 rebs

GEN:

Alfieri: 17 pts, 7 rebs Halpin: 14 pts, 6 rebs Brooks: 6 pts, 2 steals

Men’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 16

2

1 OSW:

Men's Basketball

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian

56

53

PLA:

Women’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 16

1

0

Kirkby: 1 goal, 3 SOG Richer: 18 saves, 2 GA

OSW:

Padden: 6 saves Farmer: 29 saves, 1 GA

DiFelice: 1 goal, 2 SOG Kuhn: 1 goal, 2 SOG Poreda: 32 saves, 1 GA

POT:

Leonard: 1 goal, 6 SOG Wasielewski: 1 assist, 6 SOG Pfeiffer: 34 saves, 1 shutout

Upcoming Events Mne’s Basketball Friday, Feb. 22

@

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m

Men’s Hockey

Women's Basketball

Saturday, Feb. 23

@

ONE: 16-10 (11-8) OSW: 20-5 (15-3)

Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian

Women’s Hockey

Saturday, Feb. 23

OSW: 10-12-3 (5-9-2) PLA: 22-2 (16-0)

Men’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 23 SUNYAC Finals

@ 7:00 p.m.

PLA: 13-11-2 (10-5-1) OSW: 18-5-2 (11-4-1)

4:00 p.m.

Laker Athletes of the Week Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian

Around the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball

Men’s Hockey

Women’s Basketball Shaniece Gregory

88

94

84

71

POT: 13-13 (9-9) BPT: 16-10 (12-7)

ONE: 16-10 (11-8) COR: 16-10 (10-9)

3

1

BPT: 15-9-2 (7-8-2) PLA: 13-11-2 (11-5-1)

3

F/OT

2

FRE: 16-7-4 (9-6-2) BUF: 11-13-2 (8-7-2)

3:

The women’s basketball team ended the season with three players averaging double digits in terms of points. Perhaps the most impressive is from a freshman, Ramatoulaye Sy. She averaged a double-double with 10.5 points per game alongside 10 rebounds. Sy heated up late with 14.75 points per game in her last four games.

Tyler Pierre

Track and Field Junior | Laurelton

Men’s Basketball Senior | Deer Park

FRE: 12-14 (8-10) ONE: 20-6 (14-4)

The sprinter out of Laurelton had a great weekend at the Marc Deneault Invitational at Cornell University. She had a pair of top10 finishes on Saturday, placing third in the 400-meter dash and sixth in the 200-meter. Those were her seventh and eighth top-10 finishes of the season, not counting her effort in the 4X400 meter relay where Oswego State finished fifth at Cornell University.

The Deer Park native ended the regular season with a trio of strong performances. In his final three games, he recorded three double-doubles, averaging 17.6 points and 11 rebounds per game.

With that, he helped the team to a 2-1 record. All season long, he has been excellent with a field goal percentage of 70.5 percent, which ranks first in the SUNYAC and second in all of Div. III.

Eryn Stewart of the women’s hockey team led the team in points in the regular season with 15. That set a new career high and nearly doubled her total from last season (8). Her six goals is tied for the most on the team with freshman Sara Cruise, but Stewart led the team in assists with nine.

The Oswego state men’s hockey team won 18 regular-season games this season and is pushing to make nationals for the first time since the 2016-17 season. According to a previous interview with senior captain, Devin Campbell, teams need 20 wins to guarantee a spot in the national tournament.

Tyler Pierre leads the SUNYAC with a field goal percentage of 70.5 percent with 134 field goals made. The senior is second in all of Div. III in field goal percentage.

The next best Oswego State shooter is Brandan Gartland, who shoots 24.9 percent worse with a field goal percentage of 45.6 percent.

55

53

59

51

BPT: 11-15 (8-10) COR: 12-14 (8-10)

15:

18:

70.5:

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

B5

One issue, Border wall inherently xenophobic One issue, two two Death threats unacceptable, ideologies disrespectful perspectives perspectives Useful activities aid mental health

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian

Peter Wendler Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com A recent study from JAMA Pediatrics showed 1 in 6 American children have a mental health disorder, such as anxiety, depression or ADHD. Often, children diagnosed with mental health disorders are prescribed medication to treat their condition. These medications can have side effects on the children using them. Pills, such as Adderall, which is used to treat ADHD, can cause sleeplessness, nervousness and weight loss. As people become more aware of mental health problems and medication becomes a common treatment for children, people must pause and ask themselves, “Is medication really the answer?”

The best way for a parent to help a child who may be suffering from a mental health disorder is to introduce them to a new hobby. In many instances, a child dealing with a mental health issue can benefit from learning a new skill. Activities, such as playing an instrument, learning how to draw, reading or any other productive activity they have a genuine interest in, have the potential to focus their energy positively and show them the world has good things to offer. Not all mental health issues can be cured with a hobby, but a positive outlet can only help. People must consider, with children spending more of their free time online, a child still has a natural need for real world interactions.

People should ask themselves about their child’s hobbies and if they could be causing the problem.

If someone has been prescribed medication for a mental health issue, they should take their medication.

Medication is necessary for some kids.

Anyone who completely disavows modern medicine is doing more harm than good. The advances of medication aside, there are such things as over medication and unnecessary medication. Before someone places their child on a prescription for mental health, they should strongly consider taking the extra time to help their children discover an interest and should figure out if their child is actually engaged with the physical world in a positive way. People should ask themselves about their child’s hobbies and if they could be causing the problem.

In some cases, a child’s anxiety, depression or ADHD is not a lifelong struggle but the result of a young person with the wrong creative outlets. If such a child can find the proper paths to follow, the symptoms that led to their mental health diagnosis may subside. A new passion can shape a child’s interests for years and give them the proper tools to enjoy life.

It is important to remember that life is not simple and easy. Adjusting to new environments, new social expectations and the physical changes children all experience cause many of the symptoms associated with common mental health disorders. In a busy, tech-driven world, people forget the benefits of positive real-world interactions. Medication is a great thing and should be used, but as a last resort. Parents should consider the benefits of positive interactions with the real world, the benefits of hobbies and the side effects of prescription medication before putting their kids on medication.

Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com

This past week in Marano Campus Center, the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) were tabling in the concourse. Their sign included information on why building the border wall that Trump proposed is a good idea, and those at the table said they were open to discussion and debate.

Following the tabling, a picture of the YAF members circulated on social media. People, Oswego State students and others, responded to their signs with disagreements and other comments.

Some people on social media, however, made threats of violence against the tablers, including saying they wanted to shoot them. President Deborah Stanley and Student Association President Omar van Reenen both sent emails that essentially captured the same message: the students should be able to say what they want and threatening people who disagree is not very nice.

This, on the surface, is the truth.

People should not threaten other people, and violence is almost never the answer. The people who made the threats online are not currently enrolled at Oswego State, and YAF has decided not to press charges against those who made the threats. Not to undermine the seriousness of threatening to shoot someone, especially in a climate where gun violence is a serious issue, but these threats seemed relatively thinly veiled.

Does the fact that they did not plan a shooting take away from the threat? No, probably not, but people on social media often take things too far. Usually, they

do not understand the things they say are being directed toward actual people and not just a computer screen. Threats made on the internet are usually disconnected from the fact that these are real people.

Another thing van Reenen and Stanley pointed out in their emails is that this campus is a place for diversity and understanding each other. This is rather ironic, seeing as though those who were tabling were supporting a policy that is often aligned with racism and xenophobia. Of course, having differing political beliefs is part of what makes us Americans. When someone is making a stance that often leads to discrimination against people of color, naturally those who disagree have a tendency to get heated. The need to “build a wall” and

keep out groups from certain countries is, in itself, not accepting of diversity.

Therefore, your political beliefs will be respected only if you respect others.

Having an open dialogue with people of disagreeing values is difficult lately, as so many people believe that there is not any room for disagreement, meaning someone is right and someone is wrong. As long as beliefs are based in actual facts and those who hold the beliefs are being respectful of basic human rights, then they deserve to be treated with respect. Part of the problem we as a nation are facing is that some politicians, often our president included, are straight up lying to our faces. In order to have an open and healthy dialogue, we need to learn to differentiate between what is true and what is false.

Photo from @YAF_Oswego via Twitter The Young Americans for Freedom table in the Marano Campus Center and promote the border wall.

SPEAK YOUR MIND, TWITTER! POLLS POSTED EVERY FRIDAY TO @gonianOPN

Body mass index not accurate measurement Some doctors give false advice based on dated calculation Samantha Flavell Editor-In-Chief sflavell@oswegonian.com BMI, or body mass index, is a commonly used measurement by doctors. It takes height and weight to calculate a patient’s risk of illness. The problem with BMI is that it does not calculate what percentage of that weight is from fat.

Yes, it is a helpful indicator, but for many, it has become so easy to check online with a “BMI calculator” that people are using it as a replacement for proper medical care. Having a healthy weight does not mean that one’s diet and fat percentage is where it should be. BMI may seem like an easy way to assess yourself, but it leaves too many questions unanswered.

Illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, certain cancers, sleep apnea, kidney disease and more, can occur if your body has a high fat percentage.

Judging from BMI alone can be very misleading. Without taking muscle mass into account, a person who judges their health based on their weight could end up making unhealthy decisions.

When I was a young student athlete, I was lean with a significant amount of muscle weight.

I was told by my doctor that I weighed a little more than normal for my height. One pound of fat and one pound of lean muscle weigh the same. My practitioner was asking me to watch

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian Body mass index (BMI) is not an accurate way to measure healthiness or body fat.

what I eat when I was a perfectly healthy adolescent eating balanced and proportionate meals and exercising regularly.

While BMI may be an indicator for someone to use at home, it can never be used as a replacement to asking your doctors about weight-related questions. In an age of Fitbits and self-health, too many people are susceptible to tracking their own calories, sleep patterns and BMIs and thinking they are qualified to watch their own health based off what an app tells them.

In a time of ever-improving technology, it is important to remember that your watch or your phone cannot take the place of

a trained medical professional.

BMIs, Fitbits and phone apps are meant to be used as indicators and resources to better understand your health and meet personal goals, not as a replacement for regular check-ups and advice from your doctor.

As for the doctors and health professionals who take BMI as the end-all, maybe you should reevaluate your career. The human body is far too complex for all weigh-related health concern risks to be determined by an online calculator. Patients should feel comfortable getting a second opinion and, if necessary, a new doctor.

Medication stigma prevalent

Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian

Jessica Wickham Chief Copy Editor jwickham@oswegonian.com When it comes to mental health, one narrative seems to persist – solve your own problems; otherwise, you are a failure. This means that external sources, especially medication, are often stigmatized, including by those suffering from mental illness, which is disheartening.

Living with or recovering from a mental illness typically requires work and progress in many areas, done by both the sufferer and those around them. Unfortunately, the glorified path to better mental health consists of being active, getting involved in activities and trying to think positive at every turn. Medication, psychiatry and, sometimes, even counselors are frowned-upon solutions for living with and being happier despite mental illness.

The truth of the matter is that medication can work wonders for some people. In a six-year-long study published in early 2018, it was shown that around 60 percent of mental health patients report about a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms after two months of taking antidepressants, according to The Guardian.

Antidepressants were proven to work better than placebos across the board in a study that was supposed to put the whole debate to rest. Yet the stigma persists, telling patients who take antidepressants that pills are not a real solution or – even worse – that even if they feel better on medication, it is not real success.

People suffering from a mental illness who have found success all have their own unique recipe they followed to get them there. For some, medication did not work, but therapy and lifestyle changes did.

For others, they could not get better until some medication lifted off the huge weight keeping them eternally isolated. Unfortunately, the former is often praised, while the latter is said to be wrong.

What is even worse is when people who suffer from a mental illness have this mentality. The stigma from the outside works its way to the inside, and now, some in the mental illness community are perpetuating it. They isolate themselves and push themselves to “feel happy” or “get better on their own,” convinced that using medication to help is not an option. As destructive as that opinion is for themselves, it gets more damaging when those same people apply that opinion to other sufferers, frowning on other people’s path to a healthier life.

It is one thing for a person suffering from, say, depression to hear from those who do not understand the feeling that medication will turn them into some kind of emotionless zombie or stop them from being who they genuinely are, but it hurts more when that sentiment is expressed by those who should understand how oppressive depression and similar illnesses can be.

There is also the idea that medication is altering one’s identity, as if this damaging, detrimental mental condition is how they were meant to be. Some even channel that idea into fields like art and creative writing, insisting they could never create great works if they took medication or stopped feeling depressed on a regular basis or that their work is well worth the mental turmoil it took to create it.

Bottom line: you are worth it. Everyone is worth it, and no one has a right to tell you that one path to success is not actually the right one. To those who do not suffer, please try to help those who do by not shaming whatever efforts they choose to make themselves better. To those who do suffer, know that you are worth being mentally healthier, and whatever path gets you there should be celebrated.

OPINION BODY MASS INDEX

B5 Photo from Pixabay

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE III • www.oswegonian.com

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

SPORTS B2

CHALLENGE AHEAD

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL

On Feb. 15, President Donald Trump announced a national emergency to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Since that announcement, many law enforcement officials, politicians and experts on immigration and border crime have spoken out against the declaration. They have said that the emergency declaration will take important money out of other government programs, is an overstep of the president’s authority and will not do enough to stop border crime.

These experts are the people we should be consulting for any important government expenditure on border security, and the fact that they are being ignored is another testament to the deafness and bullish pig-headedness of the current administration.

Trump says he plans to pull a large chunk of the funding for his wall from a military construction fund. That fund has already been allocated to other military projects, things that have been vet-

ted by military experts and Congress.

Now, with over $3 billion coming from that fund, plenty of military projects meant to actually protect American citizens are being squandered on a project that could not even make it through the Republican-controlled government from 2016 to 2018.

In an interview with Military.com, Mark Cancian, an advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the wall will likely take years, and the lawsuits coming from the declaration of the national emergency are only going to stretch that timeframe out further.

One of the most impactful parts of this entire political melodrama is the implication of what the president has actually tried to do. With his declaration of a national emergency, Trump attempted to do exactly what news pundits have been saying for weeks and make an “end-run around Congress.” This not only

violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution, but it has the potential to make that legal, and even the norm, for future American presidents.

The only bright light at the end of this tunnel is that even the president’s own party, all the way up to Sen. Mitch McConnell, have seemed to declare that this move is not the correct one. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, and Trump will head right back to the start, with no wall, no money for a wall and a firm rebuke from both sides of the political sphere that trampling on the Constitution will not be allowed.

With a presidential election coming in 2020, and Trump’s position on the wall already weakened by his own admission on the campaign trail to a stadium filled with people and press that he “didn’t need to do this,” even with this dramatic move, the government will end up working on common-sense, fact-based border security measures.

IN THE OFFICE

Imagination, human brain unlimited

Humans can imagine anything they want into semi-reality The human brain has been building its own identity for hundreds of thousands of years, going so far as to name itself and give meaning to life around us.

When you think about it, your brain controls everything. From unconsciously telling you to breathe, to gathering reflections of waves of light bouncing off objects into your eye and translating them into pictures, the brain is an incredible thing, but it is nothing compared to human thought.

If you have ever seen the movie “Lucy,” then you might believe that the human brain only works at about 10 percent of its capacity at any given time. This is not true, as we use 100 percent of our brain every day. What movies like “Lucy” and others like it should be questioning is the extent of human thought and imagination. The brain

John Christopher Copy Editor jchristopher@oswegonian.com is powerful, but imagination is what makes us human.

Take a moment to think of the most imaginable thing you can. What did you come up with? Was it an entire new discipline of mathematics solely to describe how gravity works, like Isaac Newton did in the 1670s? How about creating whole new worlds full of starcrossed lovers named Romeo and Juliet,

like William Shakespeare did in 1597?

What about being able to communicate with your mind with another person, having telepathic powers or being able to will things into existence? The extent of human imagination knows no bounds. The brain is restricted in what it can do, yet it allows humans to create and imagine without limitations.

The power of thought and consciousness is a gift. Being able to imagine soaring through the air, diving to the deepest ocean or answering life’s toughest questions is a reality that you do not think about often. When you realize that, though, you can have deep thoughts, amazing dreams and who knows what else. So next time you find yourself feeling small, think of the possibilities that your imagination is capable of.

Trump ignoring checks, balances President of the United States thinks he can disregard constitution Athena Lamicela Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com On Friday, Feb. 15, President Trump ordered a national emergency to direct more funding toward his border wall. Soon after his announcement, 16 states filed a lawsuit against the president, claiming his administration’s declaration was unconstitutional. They say the emergency was a loophole to access funds he would otherwise have no jurisdiction over. At the moment, a known $8.1 billion has been allocated, with $3.6 billion taken from the Department of Defense.

National emergencies have been utilized frequently in American politics, with 32 still in effect today. They allow the executive branch additional powers to respond immediately to a The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 volatile situation and have generally been used to boost a failing economy or cut off trade to locations with suspected terror activity. While some We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything situations do require action more quickly than standard procedure can regarding the Oswego State community. accommodate, calling a state of emer-

THE OSWEGONIAN G UIDELIN ES

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).

gency raises some concerns over potential abuse.

Checks and balances are essential to a functioning democracy. By giving each branch of government ways to control the others, the nation as a whole can be more secure because no single person or group holds absolute power. National emergencies break this trust, with an implication that sometimes a more drastic approach is essential and will be utilized for the greater good. When one is enacted in response to political dispute, this expectation of goodwill is much harder to cling to. Some major powers granted by a state of emergency are notably questionable with regards to human rights, allowing for the imprisonment of individuals without trial, seizure of property and the ability to instate martial law. Left unchecked, these powers could have terrible consequences for targeted groups, notably Mexican-Americans near the border.

Trump’s border emergency was issued just after a bill was passed which granted him $1.6 billion for the wall: far less than the $5.7 billion he was re-

questing. He has long held a platform against illegal immigration, but only now officially referred to this everpresent issue as a sudden emergency.

This sparked outrage, as many felt he was abusing the powers of the executive branch to override the power held by congress. This is evidently the case. After his announcement, Trump said, “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster,” admitting it was inessential and therefore not truly an emergency.

By issuing this lawsuit, these states hope to make clear that this situation does not warrant an emergency and, even if it did, the president would still be overstepping his reach. They say the money he hopes to repurpose is already set aside for use by Congress, and he has no power to strong-arm the national budget. With an open admission from the president that the situation is not technically urgent, and the context of multiple failed attempts to gain funding, there is more than enough evidence for him to lose in court.

Petty

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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x

INSIDE

C2 Hollywood’s big night C3 ‘Vice’ mixes politics C4 ‘Far Cry’ expansion

fast approaches

with comedy

pack underwhelms

FRIDAY

Laker Review

Feb. 22, 2019

Pre- Oscar Edition

C2

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

LAKER REVIEW

Academy Awards set to be disappointing fanfare Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com The Academy that hosts the Oscars is known for pandering to its audience and fans. From letting films win that do not deserve the victory to ignoring brilliant and unpopular works of cinema, the judges are hardly impartial. Is it any real surprise why more people watch the MTV movie awards?

More recently, the Academy announced that to reduce its run-time, it would be moving four categories to commercial breaks: Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short and Makeup and Hairstyling. The claim here was supposedly to attempt a ratings increase.

The information gained immediate outrage from film fans and makers alike, specifically toward the cinematography and editing categories, arguably the two most important aspects of feature-filmmaking. People who spoke out against this included

current Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuaron, whose film, “Roma,” is currently up for 10 Oscars, as well as his fellow director and last year’s winner for the award, Guillermo del Toro.

A film is nothing without makeup, cinematography and editing. If there were a stationary camera in a room with the actors moving around the space, it may as well be a play. Part of what makes cinema a separate medium to the stage is the presence of camera direction, placement and operation. Both have talented actors, but what makes a film is the editing and cinematography, which happen to also be two of the most difficult fields to master.

The Live Action Short category may not be too popular, as many viewers of the Oscars have never watched the shorts nominated. It is rather lucky, then, that the awards show is not meant for them. The point of the Oscars is to praise filmmakers for their hard work, not to have people who know noth-

ing about cinema complain that their favorite actor did not win their award.

Certain people spend their entire lives dedicated to the craft of filmmaking. Whether it be a live-action short or a feature-length film, the people highlighted at the Oscars, usually, are the best at what they do. It is a huge honor to even be nominated for one of these awards.

To move the category that an expert was nominated for to “reduce runtime” is appalling.

Of course, the Oscars need to somewhat pander to uneducated audiences so they get views. However, moving categories that are the literal basis of films to commercial breaks is disrespectful not only to those nominated, but also to those who are interested in the particular category.

Due to the outrage, the Academy reversed its decision and said that all categories are important and will be aired on Sunday, Feb. 24. While this was clearly a test for fans to see

if they cared, it is another example of pandering to its audience. The Academy has, so far, only made decisions based on ratings. It makes sense in the grand scheme of money, but as far as rewarding the films that actually deserve it, the Academy is still unreliable.

Instead of moving the categories that are deemed less

popular to the commercial breaks, the Oscars could just as easily educate the viewer on what constitutes cinematography or editing. Then, instead of movie-lovers thinking that all there is to a good film is a well-written script or an A-list actor, they can understand there is a lot of moving parts in filmmaking.

Image from Oscars via YouTube “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz (left) and Warren Beatty at the infamous “Moonlight” scandal.

Robert Rodriguez returns with risky new sci-fi adventure Garrick Groover Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: “Alita: Battle Angel” is the newest film from director Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”) and is without question his most ambitious film yet. Not only does this feature carry a staggering $170 million budget, but it is also an adaptation of a Japanese manga, a genre that does not fare well in Western markets. Regardless, the film’s source material does have its fair share of passionate fans. “Alita: Battle Angel” would never have been made if not for the determination of James Cameron (“Avatar”). After being introduced to the manga, “Gunnm” (or “Battle Angel Alita” in the West), by fellow filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), Cameron became enamored with the manga’s concept and spent decades trying to

Image from 20th Century Fox UK via YouTube Rose Salazar as the titular Alita in Robert Rodriguez’s “Alita: Battle Angel.”

make “Alita” come to fruition. After Cameron became engulfed in development for his “Avatar” sequels, Cameron passed the reins to Rodriguez, and the results are nothing short of exciting.

In the distant future, society has split after a catastrophic war ravages the Earth. The rich and powerful live on the floating city of Zalem while the lower classes fight for survival in the broken metropolis of Iron City. It is a setting that

sounds cliché, but the environments of Iron City are absolutely mesmerizing and showcase a living, breathing world that feels distinct and lived in. Unlike the stock cyberpunk city found in 2017’s “Ghost in the Shell,” Iron City has a personality and pulse that makes everything feel energetic and organic.

Our main protagonist is the female cyborg Alita (Rosa Salazar, “Bird Box”).

After being found in a junkyard by Dr. Dyson Ido (Chris-

toph Waltz, “Downsizing”), our mechanic heroine is rebuilt but is unable to recollect her past life. Alita is a great character. She is curious, strong and kind but also a fierce warrior who is prone to many mistakes. She is the kind of heroine audience’s want to root for during the 122-minute runtime.

She is the heart and soul of the movie.

The rest of the impressive cast leaves much to be desired. Alita’s love interest, Hugo (Keean Johnson, “Heritage Falls”), feels like a wasted character, and his chemistry with our metal maiden is not only rushed but also just not believable. Academy Award winners Mahershala Ali (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”) and Jennifer Connelly (“Only the Brave”) are also underutilized as the film’s antagonists. Their motivations are acceptable, but they appear more like pawns in a game than actual threats toward our gang of heroes.

The impressiveness of the

visuals and action sequences found in “Alita: Battle Angel” cannot be overstated. This is one of the best-looking films in recent memory. Cybernetic enhancements emit illustrious sheens, suits of armor gleam with bursts of electricity, and a sports stadium explodes with the radiance of shimmering lights. Action scenes are visceral and well choreographed with the collision of bullets and fists carrying certain degrees of impact and rawness.

Enjoyment of “Alita: Battle Angel” will come down to this one question: Does one value story over action or action over story? The film’s strengths lie in its title character, insane visuals and white-knuckle action sequences. Everything else is either OK or vastly underwhelming. Needless to say, “Alita: Battle Angel” is pure fun, and if you hunger for something different from the standard Marvel superhero fare, this cyborg romp may be for you.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

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‘The Favourite’ favorite amongst film audiences, Academy Alex Kent Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: In a shaky year of filmmaking, “The Favourite” finished with a home run. Greek visionary Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Killing of a Sacred Deer”) directs this unique story about a royal power struggle in 18thcentury England. The small cast is led wonderfully by the female trio of Olivia Colman (“The Night Manager”), Rachel Weisz (“Disobedience”) and Emma Stone (“Maniac”).

As is typical of Lanthimos, this movie is an extremely original yet bizarre tale. His first success was with the quirky and dark 2016 sci-fi romance “The Lobster.” The unique style he uses might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as it is openly vulgar and widely expressive, but Lanthimos’ potential is limitless due his glorified understanding of the art of cinema.

“The Favourite” is a black comedy depicting a frail, oblivious Queen (Colman),

Image from Continuum Films via YouTube Emma Stone portrays Abigail, a servant attempting to gain favor with the Queen in Yorgos Lanthimos’ black comedy “The Favourite.”

her adviser Sarah (Weisz), and a hard-headed servant named Abigail (Stone). Colman beautifully transforms into her role. She effortlessly portrays the qualities of a delusional old monarch who seems to be more concerned with eating, her feet and rabbits than ruling. Similarly, Weisz and Stone play off each other like instruments, stealing every scene from each other respectively. All three women received welldeserved Oscar nominations for their performances.

The script by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara is witty and fast paced. The characters feel organic to the story, and the cast has more freedom with their roles. Davis and McNamara have a full grasp on the art of satire, with subtle humor frequently being used and many quotable lines that exaggerate the ridiculousness of the situations at hand. The strong script allows Lanthimos to take more creative risks, which helps further his directorial development.

Robbie Ryan (“The Meyerowitz Stories: New and Untold”) does an astonishing job with the cinematography.

The extreme close-ups show the emotional range of the leads, causing deeply uncomfortable feelings for the viewer. The camera angles used in the film are highly unorthodox and make viewers feel like flies on the wall. The use of advanced rigs, varied lenses and fluid camera movements felt smooth and elaborate. Ryan’s contributions brought out new elements to

the turbulent story by using advanced technology.

The score is highly effective at setting the tone of treachery and deception that occurs in the film. It is filled with numerous dissonant, eerie pieces of music ranging from Bach to Vivaldi. These compositions further the tension during the climactic scenes.

Sandy Powell (“Mary Poppins Returns”) turns back time with her diverse costume design. The wigs, dresses and other outfits seamlessly fit the period.

The extravagant dresses of Queen Anne clashed with her inner tumultuous feelings.

Class represented power in that time, and Powell’s work establishes a framework for who was in control.

This film represents everything wrong with hierarchies. The collective crew of the movie effectively recreated a historical tale of deceit. Tying “Roma” with 10 Oscar nominations, it might be “The Favourite” to win some Academy Awards.

Bale’s latest terrifying transformation provides black look into politics Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com

Rating: Dick Cheney was one of the most powerful vice presidents in the history of our country. With a passive George W. Bush as president, he was able to manipulate him as he saw appropriate, and depending on who watches the film, this is a scary notion.

Christian Bale (“Hostiles”) was cast to play the former vice president in the film “Vice.” With a lot of makeup, he was miraculously transformed to look exactly like Cheney in this dramatic biography. Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”), with a little bit less makeup than Bale, was transformed into Cheney’s wife. The production design and makeup department was by far one of the most impressive aspects of the film.

No description or trailer will prepare viewers for “Vice.” The

genre, according to IMDB, is a combination of a biography, drama and comedy. It is a narrative film, meaning there is a main character with a goal the story follows. The editing style and voice-over, however, makes it feel more experimental than anything else. The narrator (Jesse Plemons, “Game Night”), a man whose identity is kept secret until the end of the film, is often shown addressing the audience and explaining words that characters used on screen. This was a corny way of exhibition, but for creativity purposes and the identity of the narrator, it was not a horrible choice.

The comedy came in the most unexpected and deadpan ways. A lot of the film is spent cringing at the blatant disregard for the constitution and the decisions that he and other politicians made. Every few minutes, however, there would be an extremely unexpected joke that would rip a laugh from the viewer. Moments later, as though they did not know they

Image from Zero Media via YouTube Christian Bale’s latest transformation is into former Vice President Dick Cheney for Adam McKay’s “Vice.”

made a joke, the topic would be switched to something more serious, like the sexual orientation of his daughter and how that would affect his political career.

The film, as a whole, was very well thought out and executed.

The implementing of the narrator in the film was brilliant and tied everything into a perfect metaphorical bow. It was un-

expected and interesting, but it was not something that one would see from the average Hollywood film. Being addressed by the characters multiple times, for an audience member, could be a little unnerving, but for the most part, it was well executed enough to be interesting. The ending monologue delivered by Bale was a little cringe-worthy.

The acting was good, but something about being directly spoken to by Cheney was a little too much to make a perfect ending.

The brightest spot of the film was the editing. It was edited almost as a documentary, with images of what they were talking about illustrated to enhance understanding. Each of the images were expertly selected to outline whatever topic the narrator was teaching viewers about. It felt a little disjointed at first, but once the viewer realizes it was not a traditional narrative film, it will flow more naturally.

As a whole, the film was very well executed, shot and edited.

Some of the transitions between a passive versus a manipulative Cheney felt rushed, but for the most part, the script expertly captured how much of a traditional Slytherin Cheney was. At the end of the film, viewers may try to sleep and imagine Bale as Dick Cheney hovering over their beds to scare them some more.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

‘Happy Death Day 2U’ living proof that money talks, sequels suck Dominic Rizzi Laker Review Editor drizzi@oswegonian.com

Rating: The horror genre is one which has gone through many trials and tribulations over the years, from its original inception with the classic universal monsters in the ‘30s and ‘40s, to the rise of the slasher genre in the late ‘70s with the original “Halloween,” to the heavy emphasis on found footage starting with “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999, which would continue for a majority of the 2000s. Particularly with that last decade, the horror genre has devolved into merely an excuse to have a bunch of bad actors together in a small location, with a bunch of jump scares thrown in to simulate fear without actually possessing any substance.

The 2010s have jump-started a new wave in the horror genre, however, as there seems to be a new movement spearheaded by Blumhouse Pictures: using small budgets to actually tell some really interest-

ing, unique stories that do not rely on the tropes and cliches associated with the genre. 2017 alone saw the release of three such examples: M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split,” Jordan Peele’s revolutionary “Get Out” and Christopher Landon’s “Happy Death Day,” a fun, weird little film that revolved around a self-centered college girl who repeated the same day over and over again, ending each day with getting killed by a serial killer wearing a baby mask. Despite following a very familiar formula, the film ended up being another success for Blumhouse as well as a surprisingly fun little romp. It was nothing special but unique enough to be memorable.

Money talks, low budgets usually churn out better profits, and fast forward two years later to the sequel, “Happy Death Day 2U.” Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe, “Forever my Girl”) is back, and just when she thought everything was back to normal, all of a sudden the time loop is now affecting her new boyfriend, Carter’s (Israel Broussard, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) roommate, Ryan (Phi Vu). Determined to help

Image from Universal Pictures via YouTube Jessica Rothe returns, picking up right where her character left off in “Happy Death Day.”

him get out of this time loop, Tree finds herself dealing with all sorts of crazy new shenanigans that come with expanded-upon time travel sequels, including doppelgangers, parallel dimensions and having to deal with seeing dead relatives again.

What is described above may come off as sounding cool in concept, but in execution, audiences are unfortunately in for yet another

jumbled, overly complicated mess of a movie. Landon takes over the writing duties this time from previous scribe Scott Lobdell, and it shows in all the wrong ways. The dialogue is much more corny, the time travel aspects do not make any sense, even when they are explained to the audience, and the subject matter feels a lot more disingenuous. The first film had an incredible sense of self-

awareness that allowed for the audience and the characters to not take it too seriously, which made for a lot of the comedic moments. Here, a lot of those moments try to actually act like they matter, as well as try to intentionally force humor into a lot of situations that do not call for it. That and the fact that this film expects its audience members to believe that college students in 2019 are capable of inventing time travel devices are inherently ridiculous.

In 2017, around the same time as the first film, there was another sequel released to a surprisingly good film, that being “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” and there is no better comparison. Both films followed up impressively good first entries with good premises, engaging characters and surprisingly engaging subject matters. Both films ended up trading genuine emotion for cheap gags, proving far inferior to their predecessors and overall, just feeling like large wastes of time. “Happy Death Day 2U” is the definition of a disappointing sequel and one that does not deserve to make a profit, despite its remarkably low budget.

‘Into The Spiderverse’ breathes new life to superhero genre Stephen Novak Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

Spider-Man has been one of the more polarizing superheroes to date. At first, he seems to be a somewhat simple product of a genetic accident and bad jokes, then he is fighting with the Avengers, and then he is splitting atoms and fighting in alternate dimensions. So, to say that it is a surprise that something like “Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse” exists is a bit of an understatement. It would also be an understatement to say that it is one of the best movies to come out last year.

To people who are not familiar with Spider-Man, the premise might seem a bit weird. Spider-Man has been broken into separate universes and continuities, so when series antagonist Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber, “Isle of Dogs”) drags a handful of them together into an experiment, up-

Image from Sony Entertainment via YouTube Miles Morales and Peter Parker team up in most heartfelt superhero film in years.

and-coming Spider-Man Miles Morales (Shameik Moore, “The Get Down”) finds his world literally turned upside down.

The one thing audiences will notice right off the bat is the art style, which mixes computer-generated animation with a retro comic-book aesthetic. Making various POWs and BANGs flair across the screen and having various borders give off the impression that the viewer is literally watching a comic book come

to life; it experiments with dropping motion blur in favor of a more hands-on approach to its animation. The movie would be a spectacle even if the writing were not amazing (though it is). Hopefully, we get to see more of this style in the near future, with the amount of sequels and spin-offs that have already been announced.

Spider-Man also seems to flip a coin when it comes to humor. Sometimes it is witty and clever, while other times

it is grindy and obnoxious. In this instance, the coin landed heads up then opened the register and flipped all of those coins too. Very rarely do any of the jokes miss, so both newcomers and fans will find something to laugh at. Sometimes it does slapstick action, and other times, it has an almost stand-up vibe to it.

All of this is helped along by great writing that shows each of the various SpiderMen (and Women) having their own hang-ups to deal with, largely the thing that has made the character so universally beloved. Miles and Peter Parker (Jake Johnson, “Tag”) definitely steal the show, while some of the others like Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn, “Duck Tales”) fall by the wayside, almost to the point where the movie could have done without them. But watching a jaded and older Peter Parker who has been weathered by many different series deal with an anxious and wideeyed Miles Morales is the core of the story. Miles’ ascent into Spider-Man is the main grab

of the film.

This is not to say that the film is strictly comedic. It is very much a coming-of-age story that is not afraid to make the most of its extremely large and very talented cast, which also includes the likes of Hailee Steinfeld (“Bumblebee”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Widows”), Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”), Nicolas Cage (“Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”), Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”) and John Mulaney (“Big Mouth”). Even when the story slows down a bit, audiences will find a lot of tender moments and even some that will make them cry.

They even manage to fit that one Post Malone song in there and still make it work.

This truly is a film for everyone. Veteran Spider-Man fans will find a humorous blast that showcases all of the rich history, while even small children can empathize with the characters on screen without needing an extensive lecture. It is an adventure that is sure to captivate people from all backgrounds without feeling stretched.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

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'Far Cry 5' DLC proves wasted potential, mediocre at best

Image from Play4Games via YouTube While overall not worthy of standing on its own, "Far Cry: New Dawn" proves to be an enjoyable addition to the series.

Zakary Haines Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: The end of “Far Cry 5” had many people shaking their heads. The 2018 game had some of the greatest gameplay of the series and offered a great story to go with it until the end. The narrative successor, “Far Cry: New Dawn,” could have been a great way to expand on the narrative aspect of Hope County, Eden’s Gate and the rest of the people in the game. Although this game offers quite a few hours of content, it should have been added onto the original.

The beginning of the game is similar to “Far Cry 5” in a couple of ways. The first involved a simple trip turned wrong by the enemy and a chase scene only to be thrown into water and narrowly escaping the leaders.

In “Far Cry: New Dawn,” one is able to see how the world has changed without being thrown into the narrative too early on. There is a beauty in this apocalyptic setting.

The bright, vibrant purple and green colors may annoy some gamers, but they give this world a unique taste that will be seen throughout the rest of the game.

The story is very strong and rich despite its short time. Set 17 years in the future after a nuclear catastrophe in the U.S., the cast of new and returning characters brings Hope County back to life. Kim Rye has a much stronger role in this game, playing as the guiding hand of the player and having to help build up the new settlement’s prosperity. But the main story feels repetitive at some points, as the main missions are easily completed and do not have the same kind of emotional impact as the previous game.

The main villains, twins named Mickey and Lou, lead the highway men and their mission to survive by pillaging and looting for anything they want. They fall into the trope of apocalypse villains being bad for survival. Unlike Joseph Seed, the main villain of the previous title, they are bland and try too hard at being tough. What separates the other villains in the series are their personalities. Mickey and Lou feel forced and have moments to have great monologues and give players a deeper look into the world of the present-day U.S. Unfortunately, these opportunities are missed and leave players void of at least a decent villain.

Before talking about the gameplay mechanics, one big gameplay change is the new RPG system implemented in this addition. All enemies have a rank that shows players how tough they will be to beat. Enemies with a ranking of one will be easily displaced with a powerful weapon or a wellplaced shot. Enemies with a four, five or even a legendary crown symbol are the toughest to take down and will require the player to have advanced in the story to the point that these enemies are common enough to beat easily. Enemies are different from the previous entry and surprisingly feel tougher than the cultists of “Far Cry 5.” The group play of these enemies can make going solo tougher than one would think.

Another big change is having a home base to operate and maintain as well as handling settlements. The main base, Prosperity, can offer a lot of resources to fight the highway men. Upgrading this base is essential to not only move the story forward but also to be able to upgrade certain weapons. Recruiting specialists and collecting ethanol is exciting at first, but after a couple of missions and settlement liberations, it repeats itself terribly. The bases start to feel familiar, and prosperity can only grow so much.

Gameplay mechanics are generally the same compared to its predecessor. Minor improvements are made, like aiming a throwable weapon, driving and shooting a gun, and using items are easier than before. One major improvement to the system is the crafting system. Since this is a post-apocalyptic world, players need supplies. The crafting menu was another button click away from the weapons menu, but in “New Dawn,” this is easily fixed, which makes crafting weapons and items on the fly much easier.

Gun play in this game works the same minus one small detail: guns take longer to reload and are not as powerful. Given the setting of the apocalypse, many of these weapons appear to be patched up with bungee cords and duct tape. It adds a nice, well-used vibe to the appearance of guns, but reloading takes seconds longer than usual. This can affect some players, as reloading can make the difference between winning the battle or respawning soon enough to try again. Players will be treated to better guns and have their own ranking system as well. This helps decide the load out of which gun is best.

In conclusion, this is a fun, small title. It does not do well as a stand-alone game. Despite Ubisoft’s attempts to make this game an independent title, it falls short in almost every other aspect. The story is a breeze to get through, the gameplay is very similar to “Far Cry 5,” and the graphics are slightly better than before but do not offer much besides a few postcards from the wastelands. The villains fall short of being memorable, and the new RPG trend in Ubisoft culture has affected another title. “Far Cry: New Dawn” is a wasted opportunity for an expansion pack but is not a total miss. It is still a good story and can offer fans a setting that has been dreamt of for some time: post-apocalypse, “Far Cry” style.

An Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series reportedly being developed for Disney Plus.

Producer of show 'Empire' stan ds by actor Jussie Smollett amid attack investigation shifting focus to him.

Actor Chris Hemsworth set to play WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan in a biopic for Netflix.

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FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

Crossword Puzzle

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

Down 1. Lead 2. Impulse 3. Motherly 4. “___ Got You Under My Skin” 5. Metal container 6. Scoffs 7. Sheriff’s helpers 8. Yearn 9. Actor ___ Connery 10. Bath powder 11. Poker skate 19. Relaxes 21. Planter 23. Golf prop 24. Shoe part 25. Not pos.

26. Bullring cheer 27. Slalom participant 28. Native of England’s capital 29. Chowed down 30. Conflict 33. Model Carol ___ 36. Singer Willie ___ 37. Televised 38. Glance at 39. Marco ___ 40. Many (2 wds.)

41. Not any 43. Create 44. Gazed upon 47. Bard’s “before” 48. Presidential nickname

Across 1. Drone 4. ___ a girl!

7. Spaghetti, e.g.

12. Pitching stat 13. Wine (Fr.) 14. Atlantic or Pacific 15. CIA employee 16. Compass reading (abbr.)

17. Bible verb 18. Stag 20. Perfume 22. Person on a pension 25. Absurdity 27. Cabbage salad 31. Pleases greatly 32. North ___ (state) 34. Solidifies 35. Brief joke (hyph.)

37. Warned 38. Kind of dog 42. Caesar’s city 45. Use crayons 46. Watery expanse 49. Aye’s opposite 50. Without company 51. Ball 52. Get by 53. Recorded 54. Born as 55. Primary color

For this week’s puzzle answers...

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019

Creative Writing

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Training Wheels By: Kenny Burnham

It’s embarrassing that I never learned to ride a bicycle.

When I was a kid I never got past training wheels.

Life has training wheels too.

And sometimes going without them feels like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

But I’ve come to realize that doing nothing is a choice, and often it’s the worst one.

Living life means taking risks.

So here goes…

Flashback Friday On Feb. 22, 1934, the film classic “It Happened One Night” opened at NY’s Radio City Music Hall. The film was helmed by legendary director Frank Capra and starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay, and currently sits at a 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Image from YouTube Movies via YouTube

Oswego Cinema 7 Fri. Feb. 22 - Sun. Feb. 24

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden 11:30 a.m. 2:00 p.m.

World Fighting with my 11:50 a.m. 2:20 p.m.

Family

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Alita: Battle Angel 11:05 a.m. 1:50 p.m.

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Isn’t It Romantic

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Happy Death Day 2U

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