The Oswegonian 2-7-20 by The Oswegonian

Look Inside: A3 New planetarium show held in Shineman Center

Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE I SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Marvel actor gives keynote speech Winston Duke addresses campus, speaks about experiences

Julia Tilley News Editor jtilley@oswegonian.com On Feb. 5, Oswego State welcomed “Us” and “Black Panther” actor Winston Duke as the keynote speaker for its 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The evening began with Lauren Robinson, a senior at Oswego State and Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. president, giving audience members a brief overview of the history of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on campus. Robinson credited former residence life and housing employee Tony Henderson as one of the individuals who started the celebration.

After Robinson, another student, Jayvana Perez, introduced the Oswego State Singers and faculty advisor Mihoko Tsutsumi. The State Singers performed the song “Ask the Watchmen.” The next student to the stage was Student Association President Takeena Strachan, who gave a brief address to the audience. “Tonight, we celebrate the visions Dr. King had dreamt of for our nation. Let what you experience here in this room tonight leave you feeling encouraged, empowered, and relentless as we continue to fight against injustice,” Strachan said. Her speech led into student Iyuhna Callands introducing the Oswego State Gospel Choir, who performed for their first song. “It was great to sing and to hon-

or Martin Luther King Jr. because he had fought for civil rights and wanted to make the world a better place,” Jennifer Saint Fleur, an Oswego State sophomore and Gospel Choir member, said. “Winston Duke and I spoke, and I asked him, ‘As a young actor as myself, what advice can you give me for someone who pursues doing both theater and film? What is it like?’ He told me there is so much energy on stage, you are feeding off the energy of the audience and if you believe in success, you are successful.” Following the gospel choir’s performance was a group of five students, who recited Dr. King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” The gospel choir returned after

See DR. KING’s, A5

Nsikak Ekong | The Oswegonian

CONTENT

Oswego State theater professor Mya Brown helped plan the event, as well as hosted the discussion alongside Marvel actor Winston Duke.

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

Campus counseling services center receives accreditation Savannah Norton Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

The efforts made by the Counseling Services Center to support students with mental health and wellness have earned its accreditation by the International Accreditation of Counseling Services. “While I had confidence in our team and our alignment with the IACS standards, I was thrilled to have learned that we can identify ourselves as an accredited program,” Director of Counseling Services Center Katherine Wolfe-Lyga said. The Counseling Services Center not only follows the standards of the IACS, but will be adopting recommendations as well, one being contributing to research. “We have become a contributing member of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, which means that we provide de-identified and aggregated data from an assessment so that we can benchmark against the national data,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “The tangible benefit for us is that we can use that as feedback and learn from peer institutions about what is working for better student mental health outcomes.” There are many resources offered to students by the center. Along with individual counseling, the center has other initiatives to support students, including Lets Talk!, a consultation service developed at Cornell University. “We use Lets Talk, which is a drop-in consultation service, to reach students who may not otherwise be comfortable coming to the Counseling Services Center,” WolfeLyga said. “Our hope is that this type of service will be enough to meet their needs and/or it supports students being more comfortable coming to the center.” Counseling Services Center also runs numerous support groups. Mental Health Counselor Cory Brosch runs Grief and Loss, an open support group. In March she will run The Body Project, a four-week group centered on preventing negative body images and eating disorders. “It’s about body positivity, selfacceptance, empowering you about

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

your body image and yourself worth,” Brosch said. Support groups are typically made up of about eight students, depending on the group, Brosch said. Most open support groups allow students to attend a group without commitment or prior screening from a counselor. To get into a closed group, a student would have to contact Counseling Services Center and would likely meet with a counselor to ensure the group is a right fit, Brosch said. “The support groups just tend to be looser and not so rigid, not so counselor driven, and they really meet the needs of the students on any given day,” Brosch said. Additionally, the center holds

See FOCUS, A6

Sports

Opinion

Laker Review

Oswegonian.com

GENESEO REMATCH

DEATH OF MR. PEANUT

BOJACK STRIKES AGAIN

COMIC STORE CLOSES

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Baby Nut via YouTube

Image from Netflix via YouTube

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

You should never be seen as just one thing.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

-Winston Duke, from A5

Einstein’s theories of relativity illustrated in show

New planetarium exposition showing on campus

Eurokah Sejour Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

On Sunday, the planetarium showcased its first event to kick-start the semester by focusing on Einstein’s Relativity. The show aimed at helping others understand the importance of relativity and how it is applied throughout everyday life. The show dissected Albert Einstein’s theories of General Relativity and Special Relativity while helping the audience understand its contents in a simplified way. Keeping in mind that this event is not strictly held for students majoring in STEM classes, the videos used real world examples and terms that could be understood by everyone, not just by students from those departments. The theories of General Relativity and Special Relativity challenge the understanding of how the universe began and how it continues to evolve by considering empty space as more than just empty space. This opening show was hosted by Richard Frieman, a laboratory and field technician at Oswego State. Being that he has a Masters in geology, Frie-

man hopes that he can offer a broader perspective to students who may have interest in astronomy, physics and other fields pertaining to those subjects. One example used in the show to illustrate gravity and acceleration within Einstein’s relativity was as a person sitting in a stationary car with another car on the same road, and with all the visual cues removed can either perceive the car coming toward them, their car moving toward the other car or both cars moving toward one another, would not be incorrect in neither assumption to understanding gravity and acceleration. “When I create shows I like to challenge not only myself, but also pick topics that a lot of people who don’t necessarily study astronomy or physics may have heard about but don’t really understand,” Frieman said. He hopes to be able to create shows that are appealing to students across the board and spark inspiration for students in places that they may have not originally hoped to find. When proposed with the idea of presenting and preparing a show about quantum mechanics, Frieman was more than happy

to consider the topic as he enjoys catering to the interests of the students. Frieman along with two other colleagues of his, usually host the show. Even just as a pastime activity, the show aims to present education in an interesting way. Jessica Pullen, a student at Oswego State said that “there is not that much to do in the winter,” and decided to take this chance as a learning opportunity. Similarly, Nathan Currier, who was there simply observing the show said he “loved learning about space,” and decided to come and watch the first viewing. With his interest in science, Currier also hopes that the information he is learning will aid him in the field he decides to go into someday. “You can never know everything, you can always keep learning,” Pullen said. For one of his future shows, Frieman plans to shed light on the women in science who did not get the recognition they deserved and will continue to incorporate the students ideas when creating his shows, making the process an interactive experience. Two more planetarium showings are scheduled to take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 and 23 at 7 p.m.

Ke-Nekt’ Series: Hugo Vera, Tenor 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7 Sheldon Hall, Ballroom

At the Art Studio- Winter Session 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, Tyler Hall

No-Limit Texas Hold’ em , 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, Marano Campus Center Food Court

Shaun Cassidy Fan Club Improv, 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 8, Marano Campus Center 132

Safe Zone: An LGBTQ+ Awareness and Ally Workshop 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 11 Marano Campus Center 258

Math in Action: Forensic Accounting, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, Penfield Library 215

Study Abroad Fair, 11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb 12, Marano Campus Center Arena

Cie Hervé KOUBI: What the day owes to the night, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12, Waterman Theater

Photo from The Oswegonian Archive The Richard S. Shineman Center at Oswego State will continue hosting planetarium shows that focus on Einstein’s theories of relativity, Sundays at 7 p.m.

Mateo is the Manager of Social Engagement at Tommy Hilfiger, based in the Netherlands. Senators Hayes and Constantini agreed to write the PRSSA funding bill. At the Student Association’s 55th Legislative Session, seven new senators took their oaths in front of 19 veteran senators. The swearing-in process of new senators consists of all new senators placing their hands on the SA constitution and vowing to uphold its standards and abide by such principles.

The President of the Public Relations Student Society of America or PRSSA club presented a funding request to the SA senators. The PRSSA wanted funds for a club trip to Boston, also in efforts of hosting an event featuring Oswego State alumni George Mateo.

The Muslim Students Association request an increase in their SA budget that is currently $705, and they asked for $2,500 so that they may order and prepare traditional halal throughout Ramadan. Members of the MSA explained that in order for a meal to be halal, the animals have to be slaughtered by the neck so that they do not experience pain and then hung, allowing the blood to not contaminate the meat. The dining halls on campus do not serve halal meat and the bagged meals provided for Muslim students during Ramadan are not sufficient due to the fact that Muslim students will

Splash in Movie. 7 p.m. Friday, Feb 14, Lee Hall, Pool have been fasting for 16-20 hours, without food or water, according to the members of the MSA. SA faculty advisor Lisa Glidden said that she did not feel that this should fall on the back of SA to fund, as most of the members of MSA live on campus and would not be using the meal plans that they pay for throughout the entirety of Ramadan, that the Auxiliary Services should be able to accommodate the dietary needs of the Muslims student population, as they do for other religious holidays, as senator Constantini mentioned.

New senators requested to join committees. The Rules and Judiciary committee accepts senators Acosta, George, Jiminez, and Gu. The Finance committee accepts senators Jones and Wai.

The senators participated in a lengthy debate about the possible consequences of a club and its Executive Board for failing to hold an effective catered event. Senators Goldstein and Maryjay had contrary views. Goldstein felt that after two failed events the club’s account should be frozen however re-opened the next academic year as to not punish a new E-board for the previous E-board’s failures. Maryjay stated that freezing a club’s account would damage the club irreparably, for it would be impossible for them to host any other events. The senators came to the conclusion that accounts will not be frozen for a club’s failure to hold a successful catered event as to not jeopardize the club’s future as a whole.

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Classes added to gyms, gives Local comic store set to close in March variety to workout schedules Owner retiring, spending more time with grandkids Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian New fitness classes, led by student employees, have been added to both campus fitness centers.

Diana Velayos Lopez Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com Cooper and Glimmerglass Fitness Centers on the Oswego State campus have modified their schedules to make group classes more available for students this semester. The most important implementation are the 30-minute classes. There were concerns about students not having enough time to go to the actual classes because of their strict schedules, so shorter classes give those students who only have 30 minutes the opportunity to attend the group classes. “We looked at the times that more people go to the gym and 4:30 p.m. was a big time for that, we also looked at the times that people were not going at all and that was 6:00 p.m., so we removed all of the classes at 6:00 p.m.,” Cooper’s graduate assistant Caitlyn Miller said. Both Fitness Centers have cycling classes, Arms and Abs, BGT (Butts, Guts, and Thighs), Kickboxing, and a variety of different types of yoga. A variety of different classes are offered to cater to the different things students might want to focus on. They specially introduced this variety in yoga. Even if it is becoming a big trend there are still lots of

people that do not give it a try because they do not want to do the difficult poses, so they have added other kinds of mindful yoga to target those people. “Every single person can do yoga. There is this stereotypical misconception about yoga being difficult caused by social media, but that is not real yoga. Yoga is all about breathing,” Dildar Abdurexit, Oswego State’s yoga instructor, said. “Breathing is the key to stress relief and it is fundamental in order to connect with ourselves, not just with our bodies, but with our minds.” According to Miller, Free Utilization Week, which just ended, has been surprisingly popular this semester and that helps both fitness centers promote the “Oswego Fit” concept which includes having a wellness lifestyle every day. “As a student having that time of the day where you just relax and have fun is totally necessary,” senior Rocio Beatriz Bresca said. “I went to Zumba classes the first week and it was so much fun, I just wished they were earlier as it is a really energetic class and it’s scheduled after dinner.” The current hours for both oncampus fitness centers are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Classes were added based on when the largest amount of students checked into both of the gyms.

On Jan. 27, the Facebook page for The Comic Shop in Oswego posted that they would be closing the business. It wrote “However, after serving our community for over 27 years, I’m now making the decision to retire and close my business.” The owner of the store, Arlene Spizman, has been in business since the early 90s and has expanded her store to welcome the Oswego community, often reaching out to various events and interacting with the student base. The store became a centerpiece of the community as a result. This led many old shoppers to revisit searching for rare finds and sales as the store looks to get rid of its stock. Spizman attributed her closing to her newfound grandchildren on the West Coast, whom she would like to spend more time with. “I need to be able to spend time with these little ones so I can teach them about how responsible Wonder Woman is, how cooperative Superman is and what a good citizen Batman is. Yes, there are younger readers on these topics!,” Spizman said in her post on Facebook. She ended the post by saying, “I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all, getting to know you, sharing thoughts, opinions and family stories through the years. I appreciate your loyalty to shopping locally and supporting The Comic Shop in every way that you have.” The store began as an antique store, however, as Spizman began to amass antique comics, the stores reputation grew. Eventually hitting a turning point with the release of “The Death of Superman” in the December of 1992, which had

Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian Arlene Spizman first opened her buisness, The Comic Shop, back in the early 90s.

drawn the interest even further. “There was a lot of hyped interest in comics, and I just decided to take the plunge and switch over gears … and The Comic Shop was invented,” Spizman said. Despite being in the industry for as long as she has, Spizman has not seen a major change in the comic book industry. “People might not be collecting single issues as much as they used to but trade paperbacks are very, very popular,” she said. Trade paperbacks are a series of comic books, bound together in order to better preserve the collection. The store had drawn many casual customers, one of which, Frank Reagan, who came in shopping for an Amazing Spiderman Comic, had been with the company since the start. Starting as their first ever employee, Reagan graded the condition of books to judge their value and physical condition. Joshua Plencner, a political science professor who uses comics to examine race, gender and other social issues was also a frequent-flyer of the shop, often making weekly trips to the shop while also sending students there. Plencner has used The Comic Shop in the past as a part of his curriculum, and would commonly

send students there to study the ethnography, which is the scientific description of traditions within a culture, in this case, actual comic shops. “After I interviewed, one of the first things I did was make sure it was a place I felt comfortable sending students to,” Plencner said. “[Especially] if I had assignments based on how the economy of comics work.” Plencner was also confident about the stores impact on the community and Spizman’s history working there. “She seemed dedicated to fostering the shop for a long time, which was not only really helpful for the community, but also the school,” Plencner said. “Comic shops still have this really strong unique presence in the cultural space of the comics fandom,” Plencner said. Currently the store is liquidating all of its comics and selling them at a reduced price in order to clean out inventory before the spring, while new comics will still appear on their shelves while orders come in. At the time of writing, Spizman is considering selling the store to someone who would likely keep it running after her retirement. As it stands, the store is set to stop receiving comics on March 25.

Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian The Comic Shop has considered selling the store, instead of closing it, but the shop is set to close on March 25, 2020.

315-343-6429 176 East 9th street

A5 NEWS Dr. King’s visions discussed, visited Pop-up thrift shop promotes THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Explored how society has changed since his activism, other work

sustainable fashion options

MARVEL from COVER their performance to sing one last time, before Oswego State student and gospel choir member Kamal Morales sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a solo. At that point in time, Oswego State theater professor and event host Mya Brown began introducing Duke. “With his newfound fame, Duke is using his voice to advocate for inclusion and gender equity,” Brown said. Duke began telling the audience about his childhood. He spoke about being born in Trinidad, and how his childhood was a “place of magic.” Duke dove into how he grew up hearing stories and folklore growing up, and how that caused him to want to tell those stories later in life. Duke credited the start of his acting career to a teacher he has at Brighton High School in Rochester, New York. He said that teacher encouraged him to try acting, since he was shy growing up. It was during a Spanish presentation, according to Duke, that his teacher realized that he “came alive [in] front of people.” However, he chose to seriously study acting his sophomore year of college after changing his major multiple times. “I believed in myself, and I just kept searching,” he said. When reflecting on his career, he mentioned how he realized he was not in control of how others perceived him, due to his looks and race. He discussed being sexualized after being in Black Panther, and how he realized, “You should never be seen as one thing.” After speaking on that topic, Brown asked Duke what he thought about what chaos or community means in today’s global climate, which echoed the event theme. Duke took that opportunity to speak on the internet, which gives individuals a lot of power, and connects people “like nothing else.” He noted that social media gives users an opportunity to define themselves and their own image and voice, and how anybody can get their opinions and

Nsikak Ekong l The Oswegonian Oswego State president Deborah Stanley (left) joined Winston Duke to make her closing remarks.

Hannah Leonard l The Oswegonian The pop-up thrift shop lasted in Hewitt Union for a total of three days, with a $5 sale on the final day.

thoughts out into the world with all of the technology we have now. He said that not taking advantage of all the internet provides could lead to chaos in the community. He then went on to talk about community further, and how it is up to this generation to focus on “self-care” and fixing what is on the inside, rather than focusing on the outside. He added that generations past worked on changing the outsides of community, but never focused on themselves and self-love and self-definition. Brown then asked Duke how he thought Dr. King would react to society today, to which he said he would think a lot has changed. He did say that he thought Dr. King would be disappointed with how his message has been “misappropriated to serve commercial aspects and corporations.” But, he also said how we need to “recognize progress” and “freedoms others didn’t have” while considering whether or not our society has changed. He finished by saying he thought Dr. King would have wanted more, and said he tries to focus on changing narratives and the

Hannah Leonard Asst. News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com

depiction of black masculinity in the films he acts in, as well as selflove and self-definition. “If you’re not the one in control of that definition, you have to take that back,” he said. He said he did not learn selfworth and self-value as a child, but rather, an adult. When he looks at a script now, he asks himself what his personal narrative could bring to it. To give an example, Duke spoke of his upcoming film, “Nine Days,” where he plays Will, who interviews spirits for the opportunity to be born, before picking one. In this case, he asked himself, “What would my body lend to the conversation of this script?” He said that with him in this role, it will look into black mental health and black psychology, and “detail that mental health has no face.” The evening ended with students being able to ask questions to Duke, with him giving answers and advice to students on how to succeed in their endeavors. “You don’t have to be successful tomorrow,” he said. “You’re successful now.”

Oswego State Sustainability Office hosts a three-day “Clozet Sale” in Hewitt Ballroom, selling donated items, included clothes, hats, scarves and bedding. All proceeds acquired from the Clozet Sale will be put toward the effort of planting trees on campus, according to Katherine Spector, a math professor who works with the Office of Learning Services and sustainability advocate. Spector mentioned that much more work goes into planting trees than simply purchasing saplings and putting them into the earth. Due to climate change, grounds workers must be consulted about which species will thrive and where they will last the longest on campus, even preparing for possible climate shifts. “We wanted to have it Thursday and Friday to hit more of the students as they are coming back to campus. A lot of times you get back to campus and you’re like, ‘Oh I forgot this, or I forgot that,’ so instead of having them take that trip out to Walmart to buy something new, to stay on campus and get something a lot cheaper, is really

helpful for the students,” graduate intern for the Office of Sustainability, Spencer Johnson said. In efforts of being convenient and available to residents of the city of Oswego as well, the Clozet Sale continued on into Saturday, Johnson said. Over the course of the three-day event, Spector and Johnson speculated that they have done quite well, however they believe they will likely have clothes leftover. “We’ve done really well, and we are well on our way to getting together enough of the money we need for Arbor Day,” Spector said. On Saturday, Johnson and Taylor Larsen a sustainability advocate, handled the transactions of ‘the bag sale’ in which customers could grab a bag varying in size from grocery bags to garbage bags, and fill them at a flat rate of $5. The clothes for sale were accumulated from the previous semester by means of donation boxes stationed at various residence halls. Johnson said much of the donations came from students, either international or out of state, who had accumulated too much and would not be able to take it all back home. Similarly, other students doing spring cleaning and deciding they do not need these belongings anymore contributed donations rather than to a landfill.

Nsikak Ekong l The Oswegonian After answering audience questions, Winston Duke met with and took photos with some of the student performance groups from earlier in the evening.

Hannah Leonard l The Oswegonian The clothes came from donations from Oswego State students, and were sorted by the Sustainability Office.

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Assistant UP chief steps Focus put on student mental health up in current interim role Well-being helps academic, personal goal achievement CAMPUS from COVER workshops, one being Feel Good Fridays. At these workshops, students participate in therapeutic activities aimed at self-reflection and reducing stress and anxiety. “I’m running the one for this week and it's planting seeds, but I’m also going to have them plant a goal or a wish for the semester too,” Brosch said. “So it's metaphorical. It gets them thinking about what they want to accomplish this semester and hopefully as their seed sprouts they can kind of reflect on how that

goal is going too.” Brosch is excited about the Counseling Services Center receiving accreditation. “It was such a relief and it was just so exciting that we did, and I was really proud of us, especially the directors who put in a lot of work,” Brosch said. “It shows that SUNY Oswego’s counseling center is doing really good things.” Through the numerous resources offered, Counseling Services Center strives to aid and support students with their mental health and wellness. “Often, students are lonely or feel

lost because they do not know where to go with certain issues, and we are sought as a starting place to support students in addressing these concerns,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “We know that students have better personal and academic outcomes when they attend to their mental health needs, even if they do that in ways that do not include counseling, which is why this is such an important service to offer on a college campus.” More information about Counseling Services Center, including schedules for support groups and workshops, are available on its website.

Photo provided by John Rossi Former university chief John Rossi retired last year, while Kevin Velzy is filling in his role as interim chief.

Colin Hawkins Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com Starting this semester, Oswego State has a newly-appointed interim chief of University Police, Kevin Velzy. Velzy was the assistant chief of UP from 2013 until John Rossi, the former chief, retired last year. Velzy will remain as acting chief until senior leadership at the college decides on a candidate to fill the position permanently. “Kevin Velzy has had a distinguished career here at Oswego with over 30 years of service at the college,” Nicholas Lyons, the vice president of administration and finance at Oswego, who oversees UP, said in an email. “We are very fortunate to have a person of his credentials here at Oswego.” Velzy said he remains committed to the mission of UP to provide excellent law enforcement service to the Oswego community, as well as plans to increase diversity at UP, increase outreach to student organizations and increase training to better equip officers for responding to mental health emergencies. “More and more people are struggling with coping and dealing with everyday problems, particularly when you’re going to college. There’s stressors,” Velzy said. “We used to transport maybe one or two people a year to mental health, and now it’s gotten to be almost every week." Some UP officers have already received training for mental health, which Velzy said he would like all officers to receive. The training helps officers learn strategies for handling situations where someone is experiencing issues with mental health and ways to help ensure the situation is resolved safely for everyone involved. Velzy first came to the Oswego State campus as a freshman student in the fall of 1979, where he studied business management and eventually earned both his bachelor’s de-

gree and master’s of business management at Oswego State. “Never thought I’d still be here, to say nothing about being in this position,” Velzy said. “I jokingly tell the students coming into orientation for the first time that I know where all the hiding places are. It’s personal for me. I love Oswego and I chose to make it my home.” Velzy said he would like to continue this connection to the Oswego campus by inviting students and organizations to come to him and talk about concerns or ask questions about campus safety. “Come talk to me, my door’s always open,” Velzy said. “I’m busy, but I’ll make time for everyone and anyone. I’d like to meet with all the student leaders, different organizations, and give them a tour of the department and see what concerns they have.” Velzy said UP wants to work with student groups and collaborate to benefit the campus community. Maintaining the relationship between campus law enforcement and students is important to Velzy, one in which he said is a “two-way street” and that he hoped student organizations would invite UP to their events. “We’re always working with students on events, whether it’s to raise money for a charity or any idea that anybody has to get together. I’d like to see that happen more,” Velzy said. “Drop us an email, say, ‘We’d love to have you at our event,’ and we’ll send somebody.” While Velzy began his professional life in business, he said he long had a passion for law enforcement, leading him to his decades-long career in police work with University Police. Velzy worked for nine years as a UP patrol officer, then worked as a police lieutenant from 1998 until his promotion to assistant chief in 2013. “I’m happy to be here and I encourage people to stop by, tell me what’s on their mind,” Velzy said. “If they have any problems, we can work together to solve them.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Counseling Services gives students a variety of free and accessible resources, including group therapy sessions and one-on-one counseling.

OPINION IOWA

CAUCUS

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SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS SUDDEN

STRUGGLES

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE I • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

How Oswego State’s 9-1 loss to SUNY Geneseo changed season’s course

Coaches, players reflect on infamous game in preparation for second battle against Knights Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com Nov. 16, 2019: the day that the Oswego State men’s hockey team’s season took a turn for the worse. The Lakers entered the game with a 4-0-0 record, both overall and in conference. They just beat The College at Brockport 4-1 at home on Nov. 15, with three assists from Joseph Molinaro. SUNY Geneseo was 4-0-1 going into the game, after dominating SUNY Cortland 7-1 on the road the night before, with Conlan Keenan and Andrew Romano having threepoint nights. It was No. 2 vs. No. 3 at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena in Geneseo. But when 9:30 p.m. rolled around, no one could have guessed what would have happened. “Coming off Europe … the preseason games … we were playing good hockey,” head coach Ed Gosek said. “We had almost 10 games where we hadn’t really had any adversity.” The puck was dropped at 7 p.m., starting the first game of the season against SUNY Geneseo for the Lakers. At 7:04 p.m., the Knights’ goal from Tyson Empey began what would be a 9-1 domination

over Oswego State. Everything seemed fine until Tyler Currie committed the Lakers’ first penalty at 14:24 of the opening period. Sixteen penalties would follow throughout the rest of the game. Those penalties included eight minor penalties, two major penalties, two 10-minute misconducts, three game-misconducts and a match misconduct which forced Molinaro to miss the next game. Oswego State last allowed nine goals in one game against Middlebury College on Jan. 3, 1998. There have been some other big losses in the team’s history, but nothing quite like this one, Gosek said. “It wasn’t really the loss as much as the manner in which the way we lost, which was the undisciplined play and everything else,” Gosek said. “All things happen for a reason. Do we wish that it didn’t occur that way? Absolutely.” Even growing up, playing midget hockey and junior hockey, a game like this had never occurred for Josh Zizek. Anthony Passero mentioned he had been a part of “games that have gotten out of control, but there are none that you want to remember.” “I don’t think it’s ever been like that, where it’s just penalty after

penalty,” Zizek said. “I can’t remember an even-strength shift we had that game, other than the first shift of the game.” The Lakers had nine power play opportunities in the game, only scoring once with 1:19 left in the third period. Mitch Emerson scored a goal, but by that time, the damage had already been done. Oswego State went 5-12 on the penalty kill. “Our penalty kill was brutal that game,” Zizek said. “I don’t think you can take anything positive out of that game other than we’ve got a chance to redeem ourselves this weekend.” Oswego State has waited 83 days for that redemption. Within that time, players have had time to reflect, especially the leadership of the team. It is a game that “humbles you. A loss like that, it definitely brings you down to earth,” Passero said. “Sure, it tells you that you’re not as good as you think,” Passero said. “But, at the end of the day, you still wake up and play the next day. It’s a good learning lesson for us.” For players that have played two or three years of junior hockey before coming to Oswego State, with the team ranging from 20 to 24 years old, Passero said the players are pretty mature, and

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Carter Allen (2) cuts towards the SUNY Geneseo net, looking to create a scoring chance in the 2019 SUNYAC Championship game.

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Oswego State’s last win over the Knights came back on Feb. 9, 2018 by a score of 4-2.

that they would “be naïve to let it happen again.” “We’re all men here. We can admit our faults, and that first game against Geneseo, you can’t blame anybody else other than yourself,” Zizek said. “We’ve definitely learned from it.” Now, all eyes are on Friday’s game, with SUNY Geneseo now taking the reciprocating trip to the Marano Campus Center. Oswego State has gone 7-7-0 since the loss to the Knights, including a 3-2 overtime loss to SUNY Cortland. But, there have been some big changes for the Lakers following the game against the Red Dragons, including Steven Kozikoski taking over the goaltender duties, along with Alex DiCarlo scoring five goals in three games. Most importantly, it is now the players’ team, with them “finally understanding how they have to play to be successful,” according to Gosek. “[The coaching staff] is here to guide, work on the right things, talk with guys, show guys, teach, educate and reinforce good behavior. That’s our job all the time,” Gosek said. “At this point in the season, after the Cortland loss, it became their team. They’re finally taking ownership for where we’re at with our season.” Zizek said everyone is “starting

to play like a genuine team.” “Any guy is willing to do anything for the other guys in that room,” Zizek said. “It’s nice to see.” Friday will be no small task. The last time Oswego State faced SUNY Geneseo at home, the game ended in a 4-4 tie following Empey’s game-tying goal at 10:11 of the third period on the power play. It was also the Lakers’ senior night, where they honored the four seniors they had at the time. Passero mentioned that “alumni definitely check in on games like these,” and those four seniors will likely be watching. “Obviously, it was an unfortunate event that we tied on their senior night,” Zizek said. “I know they’ll all be happy if we can come out with a win this weekend in our own barn.” But this weekend, the team just “has to keep their heads,” according to Passero, and “give them everything they got,” Zizek said. Having the game at home helps, Gosek, Zizek and Passero all said, with Gosek adding, “you play differently than you do on the road.” “If we want to try to play up and down the ice with Geneseo and have some kind of finesse game, it’ll be the same score. Maybe a little less,” Gosek said. “If we play the way we’re capable of, it’ll be a good game.”

Knights ride Oswego State athletes break pair of program records Track, field teams see women’s long jump, men’s pole vault records set in Utica skilled offense into Oswego Brandon Ladd Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com

Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com Since the last time Oswego State faced SUNY Geneseo, the two teams have been polar opposites of one another. The Knights have continued their tear through the Div. III ranks, boasting a 15-3-2 record, while Oswego State fell out of the national rankings for the first time since Oct. 24, 2016. SUNY Geneseo’s high-powered offense continues to lead the nation, scoring 101 goals. The interesting dynamic for the Knights is the different ways that they score. Their defense has combined for 19 goals, including 12 on the power play. For reference, Oswego State has 13 goals from its backend, none of which came on the man-advantage. Aside from the defensive scoring, SUNY Geneseo has blazing speed that is hard to match. While Oswego State is also a quick team, the Knights seem to have an extra gear that few teams have. This speed helps the Knights generate offense in the blink of an eye, especially in transition. A couple plays that stand out come from the first time Oswego State faced the Knights this season. SUNY Geneseo was on the power play and David Szmyd used his quick speed to receive the puck in the netural zone and within seven or eight strides, he blew past two Oswego State

See GENESEO, B3

Despite somewhat underwhelming team finishes at the Utica College Invitational, the Oswego State track and field teams saw two of its own records shattered. Sarah Yensan, a senior long jumper, and Nathan Jennings, a sophomore pole vaulter, made history, claiming the program record in their respective events. This past Saturday, Yensan broke the Oswego State indoor long jump record with a jump of 5.58 meters. Jennings broke the Oswego State indoor pole vault record with a vault of 4.10 meters. The two have no plans of stopping any time soon, they want to keep getting better. Any elite individual competitor can relate to their passion, they keep wanting to raise the ceiling a bit further each meet. Jennings does not think there is an end in sight. “After doing four [personal records] in a row,” Jennings said. “It’s kind of hard to say I want to do a PR, I want to do another PR. But I do. I want to clear 14 feet [4.27 meters]. That’s my goal for this weekend, I want to clear 14 feet.” Jennings’ enthusiasm blossomed with that response, he seems to understand the territory he is getting into. It is just him when it comes to the Oswego State record book, as a sophomore he has many more chances to keep breaking records. He paused before the last sentence though, almost

in disbelief that the 14-foot mark was within his reach going into this weekend. Jennings is an elite competitor, who wants to keep pushing that bar up, quite literally. As for Yensan, she is excited to keep getting better this senior season, smiling in her responses. “I think so yeah,” said Yensan. “I’m feeling ready to break more records.” Head coach Jacob Smith believes that Yensan and Jennings are carrying the units that they work with every day in practice. “Obviously, we are well aware of the potential and ability that Sarah and Nathan have,” Smith said. “Their entire group that they work with, with the sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers have been doing great all season. They have put up some good performances; they are carrying the team. I’m pretty happy with the results they have been getting and that’s a testament to how hard they work.” The constant themes when it comes to Yensan and Jennings is their hard work. They have been training for a very long time to take down these school records. It has not been something that was a given since day one. The hours of practice and intense attention to detail have propelled the two to greater heights. Standing alone above the rest of the team this year so far. As a freshman last year, Jennings pole vaulted 3.45 meters. Almost a year later he has improved that mark by over two feet. Yensan’s change in jumping distance is not as drastic, but she still has improved by almost a half meter

from her personal best long jump from her freshman year in 2017. An interesting thing to note about Yensan is that her jump of 5.58 meters was nothing new for her. It was .16 meters behind her outdoor personal best of 5.74 meters last spring at the AARTFC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. It seems to go against common logic, as a controlled environment indoors should produce the best results. But for her, that is not the case, as she always produces better outdoors.

“For some reason, I always do better in outdoor than indoor,” Yensan said. “I don’t know why it works like that. Which you would think it’s opposite because of the weather outdoors.” Yensan and Jennings have a chance to extend their program records this weekend when the track and field team heads to Brockport for The College at Brockport Invitational. This will be the first of three more meets until the SUNYAC Championship that will be held Feb. 28.

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

SPORTS Oswego State offense sparked by freshman guard

Former Jordan-Elbridge standout finds home with Lakers in first season

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Jeremiah Sparks currently leads the Lakers with 14.9 points per game this season, pouring in a career-high with 32 points against Moravian College on Jan. 5.

Matthew Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com The transition from a high school senior to a college freshman is never an easy one, especially for a student-athlete. But, for Oswego State freshman guard Jeremiah Sparks, the transition could not have gone smoother. Sparks was a star at JordanElbridge High School. In his senior season, he averaged 29.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals per game. He also scored 640 points his senior season, which was the most in a single season in Jordan-Elbridge history. The most notable achievement for Sparks, was that it only took two seasons for him to score 1,000 points. Heading into his freshman

year at Oswego State, Sparks was uncertain of how things would go but knew this was the place he wanted to play college basketball. “Coming from Jordan-Elbridge, we are a really small school playing at Class B, so it wasn’t very good competition,” Sparks said. “Coming here, the competition is better.” Playing time was also a question for Sparks as a freshman, as most first-year players often struggle to see the court. Sparks, however, kept a positive mindset. “[Head] coach [Jason Leone] told me when I decided to come here that I probably would not play much as a freshman, because it is really hard,” Sparks said. “So, you have to have a lot of confidence. I took that as my determination and made it my drive.” It did not take long for Sparks to get going, as he found himself

in the starting lineup in Oswego State’s opening game against Ithaca College. Sparks finished the game with 15 points, shooting 7-12 from the floor. Just three games later, Sparks had his breakout game vs. Nazareth College, where he finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. That game followed another impressive performance vs. St. Lawrence University, where he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. What is most impressive is that these were not even Sparks best games this season. Against Moravian College, Sparks erupted for a season high 32-points, shooting 10-17 from the field, 4-7 from the 3-point line and 8-8 from the freethrow line. Sparks nearly matched that performance 13 days later with a 31-point, 13-rebound per-

formance against SUNY Cortland, a game Oswego State won by just two points. Sparks currently leads the team in points, averaging 14.9 points per game. Some other notable stats from him include 6.2 rebounds per game, a 48.1 field goal percentage and a 81.3 free-throw percentage. The game of Sparks has not gone unnoticed. Leone had nothing but good things to say about the freshman. “By nature, he is an incredibly gifted athlete, so he is able to get to places on the court better than a normal freshman would,” Leone said. “The way that he moves in the game, and the way he is able to get by people is uncharacteristic of a normal freshman.” Sparks knows he has strengths as a player, but like every other person that plays basketball, he

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

knows there is plenty of room for improvement in his game. “My strength is getting to the basket,” Sparks said. “I am more of a driver than a shooter, but this summer I worked on my jump shot a lot, so I can be a double-threat player. I am kind of a liability on defense, so I have been working on that mostly. If I can get my defense up to par with the rest of the team, I think we could make a run for it.” As a freshman, Sparks has looked toward certain players to act as leaders and as most freshman would say, leadership starts with senior class. “Our seniors are great,” Sparks said. “They come to practice with a good attitude, effort and enthusiasm every day. I don’t think I have ever seen them with their heads down or with a bad attitude. They are really a good example to lead off of.” A leader is something Sparks hopes to be one day. As he continues his development through the Oswego State program, every year he will be looked at more and more as a leader of the team. Sparks has had success this year, no doubt, but it has also been a learning experience for him, which is something that will help him out in the long run. “Any time you play early on in your career, you’re getting more of an experience on the court with the ups and downs,” Leone said. “What I am hopeful for is that he will pass those things along to others. Right now, he is leading us in scoring, but on the nights where he doesn’t do certain things well, he is not playing a ton of minutes. So, as he gets older, his mistakes will kind of be magnified, so I am hopeful that he will grow past some of the things he doesn’t get just yet.” The sky is the limit for Sparks as he continues his freshman campaign, and the future of the Oswego State men’s basketball program is very bright. “We are very fortunate to have him,” Leone said. “He’s got a chance to be an incredibly special player here, if he decides to work in the offseason, which I think he will. He is really a gifted young man.”

Women’s hockey prepares for final playoff push

Lakers currently sit in second place in NEWHL, 3 league games remain

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

Men’s hockey vs. Geneseo/Brockport

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State picked up a crucial home win against Morrisville State on Wednesday night, coming away with a 4-2 victory fueled by three goals in the final period of play.

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The season is winding down for the Oswego State women’s hockey team, as it only has three conference games remaining. As of right now, the team is in a four-way race for second place in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League with SUNY Cortland, Morrisville State and SUNY Potsdam. Last season, the Lakers saw themselves in second place for a majority of the season. However, in the months of January and February, the team did not have a strong finish to the year. In those final two months of the season, Oswego State had a record of 4-92 and fell to fourth place. Head coach Diane Dillon knows how important these final games of the season are with the standings so close. “Every game is important,” Dillon said. “When you play only 25 games, every point is crucial. Each game we approach it with the same kind of mentality, that we want to win these games, especially on our own ice.” The Lakers last faced a NEWHL team on Wednesday night against Morrisville State, a team

the Lakers are battling with for the second seed. Oswego State won the game 4-2 in impressive fashion, dominating the third period. This is a very positive sign for the team, as it is in a situation where the Lakers control their own destiny. Associate head coach Mark Digby does not want the team to focus on the standings, but to just focus on playing Laker hockey and keep improving as a team. “First through fourth place, we don’t care,” Digby said. “Just get in. That happens based on how we perform. For us to make a good push at the end of the season, both power play and penalty kill have to be better.” One team that the Lakers would like to avoid in the playoffs is Plattsburgh State. The Lakers’ rival Plattsburgh State has already clinched first place in the NEWHL, after dominating its competition this season. The Cardinals have never lost a NEWHL game in the three years of its existence. Not only do the Cardinals dominate every opponent they face, but they also have not lost a game to Oswego State since 2016. This year alone, the Cardinals have defeated the Lakers by a combined score of 13-2. Dillon knows the benefits of

playing games in the Marano Campus Center, on their home ice. That route is the ideal situation on top of avoiding Plattsburgh State in the first round of the playoffs. “We don’t want to have to face them, [Plattsburgh], in the first round,” Dillon said. “It would be nice to finish strong, but the focus is the same, no matter who the opponent is. There’s no guarantee in making the playoffs. I have always loved playing at home, as a team we have gotten stronger and stronger at home.” Alternate captain Philomena Teggart agreed with Dillon on the importance of playing at home, and how the team can use that to its advantage in the playoffs. “It’s really important to have home ice, because we get to have our own routine here,” Teggart said. “I know a couple of us like to ride the bike before home games, we know everything here and we get to eat meals together. It’s just better than sitting on a bus for hours and gives us more time to relax.” The majority of the upperclassmen on this team are returning players from last season and hope to avoid what happened at the end of last season. Senior captain Kate Randazzo said this

is a goal for the team, to finish this season strong. “We’re noticing how close everyone is [in the standings], and we’re just focused on what we have to do to keep ourselves on top,” Randazzo said. “We talked about at the beginning of this semester, about the importance of finishing strong, so I think everyone is looking to do better this semester.” Teggart understands the importance of this last stretch of games. Despite this, the team has not changed its attitude. “We have the same mindset going into every game and trying to focus on our goals,” Teggart said. “Coming down to the stretch here, we are fighting for a playoff spot with three other teams for second place, so we are a lot more focused.” Oswego State, as of now, has five games remaining on its schedule. Three out of those five games will be against NEWHL opponents, Buffalo State twice and SUNY Canton, who are both at the bottom of the NEWHL standings. If the Lakers can take care of business against their remaining two NEWHL opponents, then that will guarantee them second place in the NEWHL. That home ice advantage could be huge.

Remember when I wrote that story last semester about the Oswego State men’s hockey road trip to SUNY Geneseo and consequently got “banned” from riding the team bus following the Lakers’ 9-1 loss? It is time to reopen that wound for Oswego State as No. 3 SUNY Geneseo comes to town on Friday, along with a road trip to The College at Brockport on Saturday. The Lakers enter the weekend with a three-game win streak after the upset 3-2 overtime loss against SUNY Cortland on Jan. 24. With the sudden bursts from Alex DiCarlo and Michael Gillespie, who both had four and six points last weekend, respectively. The biggest change the Lakers’ bench saw was Steven Kozikoski, who has taken over the netminder duties, earning his first three collegiate wins in his first three collegiate games. The outbreaks of those players are what this team needed, after going 7-7 since that loss against the Knights. This team cannot continually rely on the players that are “expected” to score, such as Travis Broughman and Anthony Passero. The “by committee” scoring that head coach Ed Gosek always talks about is starting to get more and more crucial every day. Gosek said it best for the season at this point: “I wouldn’t say underachieving. That’s the word if you based it upon the win-loss record. More importantly, it’s just them finally understanding how we have to play to try to be successful.”

SPORTS Geneseo squad dominates play with speed Each week, The Oswegonian Sports beat writers give you their thoughts on each team's upcoming week schedule.

Lakers hockey face tough task against best offense in nation

Women’s hockey vs. Utica/Nazareth

B B33

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

Men’s basketball vs. Cortland

Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State women’s hockey team has a big weekend ahead of them. On Saturday, the team will travel to Utica to take on Utica College before traveling back to Oswego to face off against Nazareth College. The Lakers hope to go on a winning streak, after beating Morrisville State 4-2 Wednesday night. In the past couple of games, head coach Diane Dillon separated Amber Thomas, Megan Teachout and Eryn Stewart onto three separate lines. It is unknown how long this will continue, but it seemed to work against Morrisville State, as each skater made her linemates more productive. The team will look to senior goalie Rachael Farmer to have a big weekend, as she is the lone goalie on the roster. It will be interesting to see how Farmer handles playing back-to-back games for her team this weekend. Last season with as many as four goalies on the roster, Farmer did not have to play as many back-to-backs as she did with SUNY Cortland. Utica College is coming off a game where it lost 3-1 to Nazareth College. Oswego State has not played Utica College this year. Expect a big game from Teachout who has been absolutely incredible for Oswego State since coming back from winter break, with six goals and six assists in nine games. On Sunday, Oswego State will host Nazareth College of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference. The Golden Flyers are 15-2-3 on the season and have not lost a game since Jan. 7, when they fell to Hamilton College 3-1.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

KNIGHTS from B1 penalty killers. Smyzd had himself a chance in all alone against Cedric Hansen and slid the puck around him on the backhand. “We have to work extremely hard to stay on top of their guys, so that we have tight gap [control],” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said. “Try to keep their speed outside and take away their strengths, which is getting up and down the ice … by [us] having good positioning, which is going to take extreme effort on our part.” Part of that good positioning is based on not cheating. For the forwards, Oswego State cannot creep out into the neutral zone before the defense clears the zone. When SUNY Geneseo causes turnovers in its offensive zone, it does a great job creating offense in a hurry. The Knights create space so well and make crisp passes that make it hard for the goaltender to get set and make saves. While the Lakers cannot take unnecessary chances in their own end, SUNY Geneseo will give them opportunities to counter. The Knights’ defense is not afraid to jump in on the rush, resulting in potential rushes back the other way. Last game, the Lakers got chances against SUNY Geneseo’s goaltender, Andrew McKay, because of the defense, but could not capitalize. “I don’t want to say they are high risk, high reward. But they’ll take chances,” Gosek said. “Their defense will jump in on the rush. They’ll get four guys low in your zone and you are going to get opportunities … when you are given opportunities. You have to capitalize. You have to be opportunistic.” What makes it so difficult to generate a counter attack is how quick the

SUNY Geneseo skaters are. If one of the four guys in deep manage to lose the puck, they are able to establish a forecheck quickly, resulting in puck retrieval. For Oswego State, using its size will be an important asset. SUNY Geneseo does not have the size or physicality that the Lakers do. “Do I think they are a physical team that’s going to push you around or win all the wall battles like some of the western schools of the past?” Gosek said. “I don’t think they play that way. I don’t think they have to play that way.” On top of that, Oswego State should look to establish its heavy forecheck and cycle, as a way to wear down the SUNY Geneseo skaters and hem them in their own zone. Size and physicality is the best way to mitigate speed. It forces the Knights to the outside and out of high-danger areas. While SUNY Geneseo may not have the size advantage, it has a special teams advantage over most teams it faces. The Knights have the third-best power play percentage in the nation at clip of 31.5%. Unlike Oswego State’s umbrella system, where there is one defender at the blueline, the Knights run a 2-3, where two defenders are at the blue line and three forwards are in deep, closer to the crease. While talent plays a big role in scoring, Gosek attributes SUNY Geneseo’s success to its coaching staff and patience. “[The] difference is that they have guys that have patience, that have confidence in one another, and again, they don’t force things.” Gosek said. “We’ve faced a 2-3 [against] lots of teams, but none of them look like Geneseo … so, they’ve got the talent [and] the system fits the talent.” The SUNY Geneseo power play may

run through Tyson Empey, who leads the team with seven power-play goals, but its defense has been phenomenal. The two at the blue line will pass the puck back and forth, looking for passes to the circle. Rather than fancy crossice passes, they pass along their side of the ice, resulting in safer plays. Quickly moving the puck to the forwards at the faceoff circles helps move the penalty killers out of position. At that point, the power play’s success is in the hands of the forwards, who have several reads to make: shoot, a pass to the back door or a pass back to the point. With the forwards SUNY Geneseo has, keeping a 2-3 system just makes sense. “When you have [Conlan] Keenan, [Andrew] Romano and Empey really comfortable in that situation, they know what the reads are, they know what plays they have to make,” Knight’s head coach Chris Schultz said. “They just know the power play to a tee.” The Knights’ penalty kill is not as good as its power play but still ranks 20th in the nation at a rate of 85.9%. The penalty kill has a unique style, as it can jump out and be aggressive, but at times will sit back below the circles. Both of these styles will make it difficult for opposing power plays, as the speed of SUNY Geneseo makes it hard to slow things down and look deliberately for proper passes. On the other hand, when they sit back in the slot, it makes it impossible for cross-ice passes to connect, a primary way Oswego State generates offense. While both teams have been on different trajectories since the last time they played, both are entering the game fighting for first place in the SUNYAC, demonstrating how critical this contest is for both sides.

The Oswego State men’s basketball team (15-4, 9-3 SUNYAC) extended its winning streak to four games Tuesday night, after defeating the SUNY New Paltz Hawks (5-13, 1-10 SUNYAC) 80-55 at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Next up for the Lakers is a road game Saturday at 4 p.m. against SUNY Cortland (12-6, 6-5 SUNYAC). Last time out, the Lakers defeated the Red Dragons in a nail-biter, winning the game 66-64. Jeremiah Sparks led the way for the Lakers. He finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Brandan Gartland added 18 points of his own. For Cortland, it was Brendan Fitzpatrick leading the way with 17 points. Eric Edwards added 16 points, and Austin Grunder finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds. The Red Dragons are coming off of back-to-back wins against SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo State. SUNY Cortland has been streaky this season, winning against many of the weaker SUNYAC teams and struggling against the stronger ones. The Red Dragons currently sit in fifth place in the SUNYAC standings but have a very comfortable lead in that spot. If they want to gain any ground in terms of their playoff seeding, they will need to win games like these against the Lakers. Grunder has been a doubledouble machine for the Red Dragons this season. He is currently averaging 21.4 points per game, as well as 15.2 rebounds. His best performance came recently against SUNY New Paltz where he finished with 34 points, 17 rebounds and two assists.

Pinkerton’s rebuilding experience on full display as Lakers grow

Women’s basketball triples win total from last season in head coach’s third season at helm Luke Owens Assistant Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com Rebuilding a program at the Div. III level for any sport is difficult. The lack of scholarships makes recruiting tough, and it can take years to take a program from the basement of a conference to the top. But, if any coach is capable of turning a program around, it is Oswego State women’s basketball head coach Sean Pinkerton. Pinkerton has already rebuilt two programs from the ground up. He started by taking over the Morrisville State women’s basketball team in 2009, improving the program to win more games than the last year each and every season until 2012. In 2012, Pinkerton made the move to Minnesota, taking over a St. Catherine’s University team that had won just one game the season prior. The Wildcats posted back-to-back winning seasons before Pinkerton eventually left for Oswego State 2017. “He just goes out and builds strong connections with solid players,” assistant coach Audra Clark said. “His number one thing is putting effort into recruiting, so the talent is there to execute the system.” Clark is in her first season as an assistant coach and comes from the same St. Catherine’s University program that Pinkerton had just led. She was a part of his second recruiting class, playing valuable minutes her freshman year. By her junior year, Clark, Pinkerton and the Wildcats won 15 games in 2016-17, the most wins in program history. Clark led the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game. After graduating from St. Catherine’s University with a psychology and social welfare de-

gree, Clark now sees Pinkerton in a new perspective as a colleague. “He is so resilient,” Clark said. “He will never put blame on anyone else. He will never let anyone outwork him when it comes to recruiting, game planning, stuff like that.” One of the main attractions for Clark in coming to Oswego State was seeing what Pinkerton had done with St. Catherine’s University and wanting to help replicate it with the Lakers. However, one of the biggest adjustments she has had to make with Oswego State is sitting back and coaching as opposed to being able to enter a game and changing it with her play. “I was sweating more on the bench than when I played,” Clark said. “You can make subs and tell them what plays to run, but you have

to trust them to go out and execute.” Although it is her first season with the Lakers, it is Pinkerton’s fourth. Pinkerton still has players from the previous regime, but his system is slowly being put in place. Clark described the Lakers’ head coach as “defensive-minded” and someone that thrives with “X’s” and “O’s.” This can be seen in the 61.1 points the Lakers allow per game, good enough for sixth in the conference. Oswego State has not had a winning season since 2012-13. After a tough 2-23 campaign last season, the Lakers have improved mightily in 2019-20, already posting six wins. The team got off to a hot 4-2 start before slipping a bit, currently sitting at 6-12. The struggles this year have come in SUNYAC play.

“Once you get into conference play and get deeper into the season, it’s harder for everyone,” Clark said. “Other teams have watched film on you, they scout you. We play SUNYAC opponents twice a year. They know your stuff.” Sitting at 6-12 with six games to go, the Lakers cannot finish above .500 this season. They can, however, surpass Pinkerton’s previous high mark of seven wins with the program, as it went 7-18 in 201718. Oswego State has home games with SUNY Potsdam, Plattsburgh State and SUNY Oneonta remaining, three teams in the bottom half of the SUNYAC standings. But before that, the Lakers must go to SUNY Cortland this Saturday, the team that currently sits atop the conference. The Red Dragons are

also the team Oswego State defeated just a season ago for its lone conference win. “The girls get really fired up for those games,” Clark said. “They feel like they have nothing to lose and leave it all on the court. We’ve played well against high-level teams.” As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. Building a program from the ground up takes time. And for Oswego State, Pinkerton and Clark give them a good chance to win moving forward. As for this season, games down the stretch are huge for grabbing momentum going into next season. “They’ve improved a lot last year into this year,” Clark said. “Being able to compete in games gives confidence and gives the people that will be here next year some confidence.”

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Despite starting the season 4-2, the Oswego State Lakers women’s basketball team has struggled as of late, dropping eight straight games and 10 of its last 11.

Shore Report

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

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Hockey Geneseo Oswego State Buffalo State Brockport

Overall 15-3-2 11-8-0 10-7-2 13-7-0 10-8-1 8-11-0 5-15-1 6-11-3 4-9-6

Cortland Morrisville Potsdam Plattsburgh Fredonia

Women’s Hockey* Overall

Points 18 16 13 12 10 10 9 8 4

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

3-6-2 1-7-2 Conference

Points

Plattsburgh - 1 Oswego State

19-1-0

14-0-0

10-6-4

7-4-4

Potsdam

10-9-2

7-6-2

Morrisville

7-6-1

10-10-1

Cortland

12-5-2

6-5-2

Buffalo State

4-15-0

2-10-0

Canton - e

3-14-1

0-12-1

Men's Basketball

Overall

Conference

16-3 13-4

11-1 9-1 10-2 9-3

Brockport Oneonta Potsdam Oswego State Cortland Geneseo Plattsburgh Fredonia New Paltz Buffalo State

Cortland New Paltz Geneseo Buffalo State Brockport Potsdam Oneonta Fredonia Plattsburgh Oswego State

6-5 4-8 4-8 3-9

W9 W5 W2 W4 W2 W1 L2 L4

5-13

1-10

3-13

1-11

L11

Overall

Conference

15-4 15-4 12-6 7-12 7-12 7-12

Women's Basketball

Streak

16-2 15-3 16-3 12-7 9-10 7-11 6-11 7-12

10-1 10-1 9-3 8-4 6-6 4-8 3-7 3-9

L1 W4 W4 L1 W3 W1 L2 L1

6-13

3-9

6-12

2-10

Around the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball 89

POT: 15-4 (10-2) PLA: 7-12 (4-8)

Men’s Hockey 4

BUF: 10-7-2 (6-3-1) FRE: 4-9-6 (1-7-2)

The women’s basketball team is currently on an eight-game losing streak following a 68-42 home loss against SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday. The Lakers started the season 4-2 but now sit at 6-12 overall and 2-10 in the conference. Oswego State travels to SUNY Cortland on Saturday, looking to snap its losing streak.

Women’s Basketball 78

BPT: 9-10 (6-6) FRE: 7-12 (3-9)

13:

The men’s basketball team poured in 13 3-pointers in an 80-55 rout of SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday night. The Lakers shot 10-18 from deep in the first half and hit the remaining three in the second half. Sophomore guard Colby Moultrie led the team with four 3-pointers, missing just one.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Oswego Scoreboard Men’s Hockey

Women’s Basketball Tuesday, Feb. 4

Saturday, Feb. 1

POT:

McArthur: 1 goal, 4 shots Paglucca: 34 saves

OSW:

Encarnacion: 13 Pts, 2 Reb Eure: 8 Pts, 15 Reb

OSW:

Novick: 2 goals, 1 assist DiCarlo: 2 goals, 4 shots Kozikoski: 30 saves

NPZ:

Badura: 30 Pts, 5 Reb Gillis: 10 Pts, 9 assists Van Pelt: 6 Pts, 8 Reb

Men’s Basketball Tuesday, Feb. 4

Women’s Hockey Wednesday, Feb. 5

NPZ:

Frazier: 11 Pts, 6 Blk Scott: 10 Pts, 12 Reb

MOR: Lombardi: 2 goals, 5 shots

OSW:

Sullivan: 20 Pts, 4 Reb Fedullo: 4 Pts, 9 Reb Moultrie: 12 Pts, 2 Reb

OSW:

Friesen: 24 saves

Teachout: 1 goal, 7 shots Teggart: 1 goal, 1 assist Farmer: 16 saves

Upcoming Events Men’s Hockey Friday, Feb. 7

Women’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 8

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m

GEN: 15-3-2 (8-1-2) OSW: 11-8-0 (8-2-0)

OSW: 6-12 (2-10) COR: 16-2 (10-1)

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Hockey

Saturday, Feb. 8

Sunday, Feb. 9

4:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

OSW: 15-4 (9-3) COR: 12-6 (6-5)

NAZ: 15-2-3 (9-1-2) OSW: 10-6-4 (7-4-4)

Laker Athletes of the Week

Kayla Merrill

Nathan Jennings

Women’s Swimming and Diving Senior | Wallingford, Connecticut

Men’s Track and Field Sophomore | Memphis, New York

Merrill made her Senior Day one to remember, winning the 200-yard Individual Medley by five seconds. She was a big reason why the Lakers were able to capture a 166-117 dual meet victory over SUNY Potsdam. Merrill’s win last weekend was her ninth individual or relay victory of the season. Oswego State will compete in the SUNYAC Championships from Feb. 19-22.

The sophomore set the school record for pole vault with a mark of 4.1 meters. He beat the previous record at Oswego State by 1.75 inches, a record that was set in 2016. The Memphis, New York native set the high mark at the Utica College Pioneer Open, the team’s fourth meet of the season. J e n n i n g s a n d t h e L a ke r s w i l l compete in the Brockport Invite this weekend.

Penalties were committed by the men’s hockey team the last time they played SUNY Geneseo last November. The Lakers allowed seven power play goals and lost the game 9-1. The two teams meet again this Friday night with first place in the SUNYAC on the line. Puck drops at 7 p.m. inside the Marano Campus Center.

Women’s hockey defender Avery Webster has recorded 52 blocks in her career with the Lakers. 31 of those came in her freshman year, and Webster has added 21 thus far in her sophomore season. She has been a big reason why the Lakers have only allowed 2.4 goals per game and are sitting in second place in the NEWHL.

17:

52:

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Commercials Medical health accessible on campus Halftime show valued too Coronavirus distant, Oswego State must prepare just in case not overly highly risque Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Baby Nut via YouTube

Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com The Super Bowl this year was a disappointment to many nonsports fans. Despite the halftime show being a hit, the reason a lot of people watch the Super Bowl is for the commercials. This year, they did not seem to be quite as successful at wooing audiences as they normally are. The commercials normally feature a celebrity doing something silly, like Post Malone in the Bud Light Seltzer advertisement. Or they feature a gimmick, no matter how strange, that will attract a lot of social media coverage, like Planters’ killing of Mr. Peanut, only to bring him back as a child with the hashtag, “BabyNut.” The job for each company was to make the audience watch the Super Bowl and, at the end, remember the ad the most. Whoever had the most tweets about their ad or whatever ad had the biggest celebrity was crowned the winner. It did not matter how many increases in sales the company would get for killing their mascot and bringing it back as a baby Yoda rip-off. It mattered more if the audience liked the ad, or at least talked about it. The Super Bowl commercials cost $5.6 million for just 30 seconds of screen time, according to Business Insider. In the case of some companies, who had multiple ads or whose ads ran longer than 30 seconds, they could have spent closer to $11 million for those commercials. Forty-nine Super Bowl commercials aired this year, according to Vulture. If each advertisement cost $5.6 million, then the combined price that each company paid to air the commercial, not to film or pay the actors, but to just air the commercial works out to be around $275 million, on top of filming costs. The price to get Post Malone or Lil Nas X into a commercial would increase the price even more, of course. The money spent on these advertisements alone could have gone to a charity that could help stop climate change, stop homelessness, cure cancer or fix any other of the nearly infinite problems that the world has right now. The same could be said for any money that is spent ever, but when that high of a sum is going toward a 30-second advertisement that no one will think about four days later, it is disturbing to see how little that amount of money means to these corporations. What is even more startling is the viewers’ willingness and eagerness to see these insane displays of wealth. As previously mentioned, some people only go to Super Bowl parties or turn on their television during the game to see the commercials. Most of the people viewing these commercials are not thinking about the amount of money it took to create that ad or how much it cost to air. In fact, the viewer is probably more concerned if there will be enough pizza for how many guests they are having over to watch the game. The viewer is not thinking about how the $5.6 million that some corporations paid for a 30-second moment of fame is more money than the average American will spend in their entire lifetime, according to Reader’s Digest. There are bigger problems in the world, like corrupt politicians, continents on fire and the Ozone layer, but the money spent at the Super Bowl could be put to better use.

These past few days the headlines have mostly been filled with one thing: the deadly spread of the coronavirus, officially named Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it is certain that the virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the exact cause is still not clear. Some point to the possibility that it started in a Chinese market. Earlier last week, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a world health emergency. Since early reports of the contagion began, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of over 300 and infected over 10,000, leading several countries, such as Italy or the United Kingdom to raise red flags within their borders. In the United States, reports indicate that the virus has hit several states already. Just this past Saturday, New York City Health Department officials pointed to a possible case of the contagion in their city. A few hours from the city, Oswego State’s campus community is comprised of students, faculty and staff from all over the globe. We should take extra caution, especially as it relates to the dining halls and the dorm buildings themselves, which could make an on-campus

outbreak a wide-ranging issue. Students should stay alert and take early action against potential illness, especially when it comes to possible spread of other viruses and contagions on college campuses. Some of the symptoms related to coronavirus include, but are not limited to cough, fever and pneumonia, although the extent of these may vary from patient to patient. The question now lies in whether Mary Walker Health Center personnel are ready to brace for the deadly

disease, should coronavirus reach Oswego. And if it does reach Oswego, will special measures be adopted? While Mary Walker is the nearest option for Oswego State students, other options include reaching out to SAVAC. Students, faculty and staff should also keep in mind that they are not obliged to make use of Mary Walker’s services, and can always request to be taken to a hospital, in case of any emergency.

Photo from EntertainmentTonight via YouTube

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com

Photo from Oswegonian File Photos Mary Walker provides health services to students that can help prevent illnesses.

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

Iowa caucus inefficient, needs fixing Disorganization, lack of accessibility have no place in politics Alexander Gault-Plate Editor-in-Chief aplate@oswegonian.com The Iowa caucuses are a symbol of everything wrong with America’s election systems. Regardless of who won, the delays, confusion, concerns over accessibility, apparent conflicts of interest and general lack of organization all exemplify how stuck in the past our democratic systems really are. A caucus works by registered party members meeting in a central location and standing in a delineated area to be counted as voting for a certain candidate. Remember in middle school English class, when the teacher would have the class stand in different corners depending on their opinions about a plot-point in a book? That is basically how it works. The Iowa caucus takes hours to conduct and voters have to remain in the building for the whole time in order for their participation to be counted. There are two rounds of voting. The first establishes baseline support, and any candidate with less than 15% of the vote is knocked out immediately. Unlike a primary, the Iowa caucuses allow, and are actually built around, the idea of electioneering, with a candidate’s supporters being encouraged to convince other people to support their candidate. After the first voting round, a 30-minute window opens for those who support the candidates polling over 15% to convince those who supported the now-removed candidates to move to their candidate. Obviously, an hours-long process that requires a lot of standing, arguing, head-counting and

asking attendees to participate in spirited political engagement the whole time is not going to appeal to a large majority of people, not to mention the difficulties this poses for the disabled. This process makes it nearly impossible for those who do not have hours to spare during their evening to vote in the primaries and it discourages all but the most ardent voters from participating. The caucuses are confusing, disorganized, unrepresentative and inefficient. They are also poorly run. This year, the Iowa Democratic Party attempted to expand access to the caucuses by allowing for satellite caucuses to be held, hosted by volunteers. One satellite caucus was held in a voter’s apartment building, focused specifically on helping the physically disabled engage in the caucus process.

However, the counting methods were poorly drafted and a delay ensured that results were held up, when they are usually reported by the next morning. Not only are the Iowa caucuses archaic, they also exert an undue amount of influence over each presidential election. Being the first test of any primary candidates, the media spends a significant amount of time covering the Iowa caucuses and any candidate walking out of Iowa with a poor performance is then saddled with an uphill battle for the upcoming primary elections. A tiny contingency of mostly white, mostly middle-class Iowans is basically deciding how the whole primary season will go, and they are doing it with a system that encourages a lack of representation for minorities.

Photo from Pete for America via Flickr Pete Buttigeig ended up gaining the most votes during the Iowa caucus.

One of the most watched television broadcasts is the Super Bowl. It brings family and friends together for sports entertainment. Not only that, but the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday consistently experiences a peak in people calling in sick for work. However, this year’s Super Bowl halftime show posed a question: should future broadcasts add a parental advisory graphic for the halftime show in the future? In the past, Janet Jackson and Madonna, faced backlash for halftime performances that were deemed indecent. Nonetheless, as the years have gone by, entertainment consumers have become more accepting of what once raised concerns. In spite of what Jackson and Madonna might have done, Latin pop aces Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s halftime show took it too far, according to some viewers. Before the show, the artists promised a memorable performance for a growing Latino population in the United States.

The lack of clothing, Shakira’s vocal wiggle, and the choreography led many to debate whether such obscenities should be allowed.... As a result, many speculated as to what might happen during the halftime show. The final product became a controversy leading to memes and discussions on various social media platforms. The risque clothing did not turn out to be the sole trending topic, but also a gesture that Shakira performed that rattled through social media. Almost immediately after Shakira made use of a gesture similar to a tongue twist, she became this year’s Super Bowl meme. The so-called tongue-wiggle, known as a zaghrouta, is paired with a wavering, high-pitched vocal sound. Such a sound is used by Arabic women to express joy or happiness. However, many took to sites such as Twitter or Instagram to comment on the zaghrouta, soon after triggering a debate between those who created memes, and those pertaining to Arabic cultures. The lack of clothing, Shakira’s vocal wiggle, and the choreography led many to debate whether such obscenities should be allowed on a halftime show viewed by so many people nationwide. While those who fall into a more conservative ideology may deem this year’s performance as sexually charged and inappropriate for the youngest in the household, they should take into account that the world we live in today is not the one they used to live in twenty years ago. Upcoming halftime shows need not be censored nor display a parental advisory graphic.

NEWS POP-UP THRIFT SHOP

A5 Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE I

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

SPORTS B2

FRESHMAN PHENOM

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

STAFF EDITORIAL It is that time of year again, where the semester begins and we, The Oswegonian, request students’ help. Not just the involvement of journalism or broadcasting students, but the entire campus community as a whole. Every semester, students graduate, including our staff members. While this semester’s staff has been solidified, this is the time for students to get involved if they want to be part of the staff for future semesters, ensuring The Oswegonian—which was established in 1935—can stay on campus for years to come. Editors and numerous other positions start looking for replacements at the beginning of the semester. Those who have shown dedication and commitment to

the paper week-in and week-out are the ones who typically get the highly sought-after positions. Journalism and broadcasting students who get involved with not only The Oswegonian, but the other student media organizations, WNYO 88.9 FM and WTOP10 TV, are more likely to get jobs right out of college. Every media student has to do the same coursework for professors. The media organizations allow those students to stand out. Employers see the extra-curriculars and notice those students’ abilities to balance a social life, class work and participate in media organizations. Now, this is where the rest of the student community comes in: give us something to write about. If you are part of a club or an organization that is doing

something amazing or hosting a certain event, The Oswegonian wants to know about it and give you publicity. Our writers and editors work hard every day to cover events on campus. The more we know, the better we can serve the campus. Student media organizations, not just The Oswegonian, continually want to serve the campus community better. Not only do they rely on new staff every semester to set a new standard of excellence, but they need other students to let them know what is going on. Help us give you the best student-run newspaper we possibly can. Get involved or let us know about certain events. Better yet, help students that are helping other students.

IN THE OFFICE

Renting popular with younger generations Modern changes force different solutions than acceptable

Brandon Fallat Laker Review Editor bfallat@oswegonian.com There are a plethora of differences between older generations, like the baby boomers, and younger ones like millennials. Perhaps the most important contrast between the two is that millennials prefer renting living spaces over actual home ownership. It is this tendency to choose a more flexible, impermanent option that explains several other key differences between generations. According to 2017 data from Pew Research Center, young people prefer renting more than any other age group. For example, the amount of young adults from ages 25 to 35 that chose to live in and purchase rental property increased 13% from 1961 to 2016. Whereas only 61% of young boomers chose to rent in their 20s and 30s, now that number is 74% of young millennials. This is mainly due to external factors such as today’s young adults accruing much more student debt than previous generations, hindering their financial options when choosing to enter the housing market. Another reason is more interesting. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, while marriage and having The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 children are indeed goals that millennials wish to pursue, they are postponing them in order to focus on their own career and to figure We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything out what exactly they want out of life. This statistic may stem from regarding the Oswego State community. taking a look at older generations who got married young and then Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail got divorced quickly after, which submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 led to our country’s staggering divorce rates. Young adults to-

day do not wish to follow in those footsteps or have children before their own lives have even gotten off the ground. According to a study done by the National Center for Health Statistics in 1980, the average age for a woman to have a baby was somewhere between 18 and 23. In 2016, that average is somewhere between 18 and 35. A large percentage of young women still have babies between 18 and 23, but just as many are waiting until their 30s to have kids. This, coupled with student debt, shows how younger generations are not as eager to kickstart a family or slap a $10,000 down payment for a house located in their home town to live in for God knows how long. We are currently living in a transitional time in our country, where old traditions are being questioned with an introspective eye. Technology is making day-today life easier while also limiting the amount of job options available for college graduates in the age of automation. In addition, financial instability due to massive amounts of 18-year-olds taking on over $35,000 in student loan debts do not help the overall economy either. On the plus side, millennials renting can ensure them a bit of flexibility. It allows them to come and go as they please without having to maintain the building themselves, plus it is easy to move out when that time comes.

This simple notion of “let the landlord handle it” can be applied to millennials in several other aspects of life. Whereas older generations preferred building their equity and physically owning things, today’s young adults simply do not see that same value in home ownership or even entertainment ownership. About 15 years ago, people would pay $1.99 to own a song from iTunes. Today, we are all more than willing to pay $10 a month to have access to a digital library that has all the music we can ever dream about, and we are more than willing to keep paying that fee until the day we stop paying, and then all the music blows away like the wind. We used to buy DVDs and Blu-rays but now we just pay for Netflix. We used to buy cars but people are leasing now more than ever. All of this points to a larger difference between the generations in regards to the importance of equity over convenience. Is it wasteful to simply pay for a service, or a rental property or vehicle? Or is it better for the country as a whole? Is it lazy to not simply buy something, and instead rent it? How should we value ownership going forward? These are the questions that millennials and those of Generation Z are asking in the way they choose to live their own lives.

THE OSWEGONIAN G UIDELIN ES

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Photo from Pixabay Apartments are a more affordable and less permanent housing option for young adults.

Orisa

For publication, letters should be 250 words or less and submitted by the Tuesday prior to the desired publication date. The Oswegonian reserves the right to edit and reject letters and cannot guarantee that all letters will be published. Opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not always reflect those of The Oswegonian.

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

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INSIDE

C2 Breaking down Oscars C4 ‘BoJack Horseman’ takes C5 ‘Journey to the Savage

2020 frontrunners

bow with final season

Planet’ disappointing

FRIDAY Feb. 7, 2020

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Oscars Breakdown: Expectations Versus Reality Which categories have strongest potential for upsets or surprises

According to Variety, original “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi is in talks to direct “Doctor Strange 2.”

Image from Variety via YouTube Despite being critically-acclaimed worldwide, “Parasite” seems to be the underdog to win big this year, trailing behind Sam Mendes’ World War I epic “1917.”

Brandon Fallat Laker Review Editor bfallat@oswegonian.com With the Academy Awards airing this Sunday, there has been plenty of speculation as to which actors and which films will take home the major awards on Hollywood’s biggest night. However, following the patterns created by previous award shows such as the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs, it seems like this year’s award ceremony will be void of any upsets or underdog victories. Typically, in any given awards season, there are a few frontrunners that clean house, winning every major award, broadcasting themselves as the Oscar winner before the night even happens. From an acting standpoint, it would be blasphemous to assume that anyone can overtake Renee Zellweger in “Judy” and Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker,” in the Leading Actor categories, or Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and Laura Dern in “Marriage Story,” for the Supporting Actor

categories. All four of these actors have won every major award from the Golden Globes to the BAFTAs, so there appears to be no room for competition or surprises come this Sunday. However, there are a few categories that may lead to some surprises. Let us break down two of the major Oscar categories and assess who is most likely to take home gold. Best Picture Who Will Win: “1917” Sam Mendes’ (“Spectre”) World War I epic has swept every award show thus far. Academy voters love historical films, especially those who bring something new to the table. While the whole “one-shot” gimmick can be perceived as just that, a gimmick, it worked wonders for the film, creating an atmosphere and scale that moviegoers of all tastes were enamored by. It may be the dull, obvious choice, but it is not inherently the wrong one. Who Should Win: “Parasite” What Bong Joon-ho (“Okja”) was able to create with “Parasite” was so powerful that it managed to make waves from South Korea all the way

to the United States. The film is the only contender that can potentially knock “1917” down off of its pedestal and take home the night’s biggest award. It is also the most original film released this year and that may be enough to win over Academy voters. It is also the obvious frontrunner to take home Best Foreign Language Film, which may be the Academy’s idea of a consolation prize. Best Director Who Will Win: Sam Mendes, “1917” When a film is nominated for Best Picture, it can only be assumed that the filmmaker behind it has a shot at winning Best Director. Mendes will take home gold for two reasons. One, he has won all the major awards thus far. Two, what he was able to accomplish from a visual standpoint, crafting a film that looks like it was filmed in one continuous shot while not making it boring or dizzying for an audience, but enthralling and visually dynamic, is a quality very rarely found in a filmmaker. Who Should Win: Bong Joonho, “Parsite”

It is not unheard of for the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Oscars to be split between the two biggest contenders. Just look at 2017 when Damien Chazelle (“First Man”) won best Director while Barry Jenkins’ (”If Beale Street Could Talk”) film “Moonlight” took home Best Picture. This could be the case that allows Joon-ho to take home an Oscar other than Best Foreign Language Film. He created a dark comedy, thriller and satire all in one, maintaining a consistent tone while using the story to flesh out the characters, resulting in a film that has many film critics vying for it to take home every award it is up for. The award will go likely to Mendes, but if anyone can overtake him, it is Joon-ho. Overall, it may appear that this year’s ceremony will be a bore, however, do not underestimate the impact “Parasite” has had on western audiences. Whether it be Best Picture, Best Director or even Best Original Screenplay, “Parasite” may be the dark horse that runs away with all the gold by the end of this Sunday.

A new trailer just droppe d for “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” a spin-off of the popular horror franchise.

New streaming platfor m Disney+ nears 30 millio n subscr ibe rs in un de r three mo nths.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

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War epic ‘1917’ proves to be technical, cinematic masterpiece Alex Kent Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: It has been said before but begs repeating, Roger Deakins is a godlike force who can make one feel like they are in a film. So many of his works have become favorites of many, including movies from acclaimed directors like Denis Villenueve (“Blade Runner 2049,” “Prisoners” and “Sicario”) and the Coen Brothers (“No Country for Old Men,” “Fargo” etc.) The legend also shot “The Shawshank Redemption,” the number one rated all-time film on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Seeing him win his first Oscar in 2017 for “Blade Runner 2049” was beyond satisfying and his second will come this year in the form of “1917” by Sam Mendes. Set during WWI, this story follows two young British soldiers who are tasked with a seemingly impossible mission; delivering a message across enemy lines. This isn’t your standard war flick with tireless action and gore, we are given a story that highlights

bravery, perseverance and humanity during times of peril. The low-key moments are devastatingly emotional as well. Like Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory,” this story hits upon the immoralities of destroying qualities that create a man. The culmination of the style happens in the final 15 minutes alongside Thomas Newman’s powerful score. Many were concerned that the one-shot technique used would be a gimmick or overdone. There’s a part of me that wants to see this again in IMAX because the films biggest strength is placing the viewer alongside Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman, “Game of Thrones”) and Schofield (George MacKay, “Ophelia”). “Birdman,” directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, was another fantastic film that maximized the effectiveness of immersion. Even though this story telling strategy could become a new norm, all that matters is that Mendes and Iñárritu released their movies before the influx. Speaking of MacKay, his performance was outstandingly authentic. Certain expressions and actions demonstrated the vulnerability these men had when

Image from Universal Pictures via YouTube British stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth appear throughout the film in minor roles to help serve the story.

placed in hell-like conditions. In terms of other highlighted roles, its entertaining to recognize the British stars who were cast in minimal parts to let the younger actors shine. In some ways, “1917” is similar to “The Revenant,” also directed by Iñárritu. Both are survival films with technical feats that outshine some aspects of the script. This does not mean the screenplay has severe problems, just not the emphasis of the filmmaker’s effort. Mendes and Co. wanted to focus on a

feel rather than adding clichés of characters’ personal backgrounds. Even though “Dunkirk” (Christopher Nolan, “Tenet”) did the same thing, Mendes did a better job at putting us in their shoes, but Nolan still pulled off an awesome war film. Obviously, this has a lot to do with the fact that “1917” had a simpler storyline. What makes these films so successful is the heightened suspense of every move. The directors understood that seeing the enemy is not a guarantee for the soldiers and

the viewer. By keeping audiences guessing about where the opposing army is and how the protagonists will complete the mission is key. This war happened; even with its unfortunate brutality we must never forget the lives of the people who served like Mendes’ grandfather. If audiences want more content about WWI, watch Peter Jackson’s documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old.” “1917” is not going to be everyone’s personal “thing,” but it captured me from the very beginning.

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ shows power of compassion Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Whether playing heroic pilot Sully Sullenberger in “Sully,” astronaut Jim Lovell in “Apollo 13” or the iconic animator Walt Disney in “Saving Mr. Banks,” actor Tom Hanks (“Toy Story 4”) has demonstrated himself to be the king of the biographical film genre. With his knack for delivering powerful performances, in addition to a resume filled with roles based on real-life individuals, it seemed to be a no-brainer that Hanks would take on the role of television personality Fred Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Though some may be disappointed by the notion that the film does not place a sole focus on Rogers and his illustrious career, it nonetheless stands as an effective

Image from Sony Pictures Entertainment via YouTube Tom Hanks is no stranger to portraying real-life figures such as Mr. Rogers.

drama which puts a unique spin on the biopic genre. One must not deny the cultural impact Rogers has had since the premiere of his show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 1968. By taking into account how influential he was, the film opts to depict how his work has changed the lives of others, rather than focus on his own life. More specifically, the film

depicts Rogers as he aids journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys, “The Report”) as he struggles to reconcile with his long-estranged father, Jerry (Chris Cooper, “Little Women”). Though he is tasked with conducting an interview, Vogel instead finds himself in the position of the interviewee as Rogers takes an interest in his story, thus turning his world upside down as he

struggles with his identity as both a family man and a fatherless son. The film masterfully tackles sensitive issues regarding family in a way which only Mr. Rogers himself could. By utilizing “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” as a backdrop for the film’s events, the film depicts specific segments from the show which subtly connect to the film’s events due to the themes and lessons which they convey. So, just as Rogers would do, the film takes its difficult concepts and handles them in a delicate manner which shall help the audience resonate with and understand them. Even when he is not on screen, Rogers’ presence is still felt in a variety of ways, most notably scene transitions featuring the cities of New York and Pittsburgh as playsets similar to the eponymous “Neighborhood” featured in Rogers’ show. These

transitions not only contribute a sense of childlike wonder akin to Rogers’ to the film, as they also serve as a nice contrast to the dismal appearances of the actual cities as they are shown throughout the film, while also beautifully symbolizing the clashing outlooks of both Rogers and Vogel regarding life and society. Despite his limited screen time, Hanks’ uncanny portrayal of Mr. Rogers is one to admire, as it perfectly encapsulates his gentle demeanor, while also providing depth to his character by placing an emphasis on his more flawed qualities. By portraying him as a mediator rather than a protagonist, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” shows that an in-depth, powerful story may be derived from more than just the life of a real person, and its deviant take on the biopic genre is one which future films may find success in following after.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

‘Surf punk’ band The Frights create memorable indie album Abigail Connolly Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: “Everything Seems Like Yesterday,” the recently released album by The Frights, encapsulates the difficulties of growth and change in a raw, beautiful way. The fourth studio album was released by the San Diego “surf punk” band in late January and initially received mixed listener reviews. The album takes a turn from ‘The Frights’ already established sound to a more indie-folk sound. The release of their most popular album “You Are Going to Hate This” in 2016 gave the band a wider audience and established a new sound amongst the other popular indie bands of the time. This surf punk sound has been popular in Southern California since the 1960s and The Frights were able to develop it into something totally new. The album re-

Image from Epitaph Records via YouTube Following their 2018 album “Hypochondriac,” the indie rock group moves away from punk and into more lyrical songs.

leased in 2018, “Hypochondriac”, like “Everything Seems Like Yesterday,” moved further away from those harder punk vibes in an almost “half-transition” to indie-folk. This was perhaps a glimpse of what was to come with the most recently released album. “Everything Seems Like Yesterday” was originally intended to be a solo act for the band’s vocalist and lead guitarist, Mikey Carnevale, but after receiving feedback from bandmates

and fans alike, the album turned into a self-dubbed “natural evolution” for The Frights. Cataloging a year in Carnevale’s personal life, the album has such a vulnerable and honest sound, something that clearly took a lot of thought, production and effort. The album integrates ambient sounds from household items found around Carnevale’s grandmother’s cabin in Idyllwild, California, where the album was recorded. The bassist Richard Dotson

logical conclusion of all the fantastical and complex nonsense that made the show so amazing. The finale unabashedly confronts the driving questions of the show: “How far can you run from your mistakes?” “Is chasing happiness a one-way path?” “Does working hard make you a better person?” It hurts. Seeing the characters change in ways that are both necessary, wonderful and terrifying. Seeing Diane learn the truth about her own happiness. Seeing Princess Carolyn forge her own future. Seeing BoJack face reality like he is hitting a brick wall. It really hurts, because if you are this far into the show, you have probably started caring about these characters like they are real people. It is made with love. The animation is gorgeous, creative, expressive and massively weird. Not once in its run does this show lose its charm, its quirks or its little

touches. The vivid verbal and visual vocabularies built up over six seasons come out in full force here, tying so many things together in a way that is summarily gratifying. As always, the voice acting is out of this world. Now, are there problems? That depends on what the viewer was looking for in a finale. Since the show was cancelled so hastily, the crew only had one slightly longer season to wrap things up. As a result, there are one or two minor plotlines involving Todd and Princess Carolyn that are perhaps more rushed than they ought to be. However, the way they are handled is still good. Despite time constraints, the writing is still funny, heartfelt and honest, even if it is a bit compressed. The characters never feel lost despite the production limitations. And each character’s major arc is, overall, given an ending worthy of the show. It is the kind of ending that feels like the

and Carnevale recorded the record in sequence over the course of one week, adding to the air of authenticity surrounding the album. So while fans may be disappointed with the less upbeat tempo and themes, it is sufficient to say that The Frights may be paving a new road for a different genre of indie. The seamless yet ambiguous transitions are perhaps the most striking feature of the album. These, paired with lyrics that reflect the

feelings of loss and hope that come with growing up, make listeners feel as if they too have shared the year that occurred between the opening song “24” to the closing song “25.” The use of acoustic guitars and harmonicas call back to the more Bob Dylan and The Beatles songs of the sixties, so audiences are still able to hear that echo of the good old days. While melodically the songs tend to have a repetitive sound, it is the detail behind them that creates complexity that is hard to find in other works. From the played conversation that kicks the album, to that telephone call used in “Simple And Strange” and the laughter of the ending track that creates a sound that feels conversational yet profound which is something the music industry was lacking. Fortunately for us, The Frights have found a way to make us feel like we are coming home, while still leaving us wondering where they have been this entire time.

Final season of ‘BoJack Horseman’ triumphs with its originality Lucas Fernandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: After six years of great television, BoJack Horseman has finally come to a conclusion. There are a lot of feelings going around right now and for good reason. This show has quietly triumphed as one of the best television shows of the decade while somehow managing to avoid the kind of popular interest that ruins the watching experience, looking at you, “Rick and Morty” and “Steven Universe”. The tension was especially high considering the hiatus between the first and second half of the long final season. Now, the fandom has to sit and settle as the reality of the ending sinks in. There is almost too much to say about the second half of the final season, so let us boil it down to a few main points. It is real. The ending is the

Image from Netflix via YouTube Even though it is a cartoon, the show’s final season asks important human questions.

writers were always on their way there. Now that they have made it, the keen viewer will definitely want to give the show a rewatch, because this season featured the culmination of a ton of visual and narrative themes that have linked up over the seasons. Special mention goes to the penultimate episode “The View From Halfway Down,” which, in the show’s classic fashion, races toward the finish line with a

surreal visual majesty that reminds the viewer exactly what they are watching. If one is a longtime fan, get up to speed, but do not rush through it. It is honestly one of the most important shows on television. It is heavy, but it is also sweet and creative. It has got a brand of humor that it seems to have self-cultivated. It is textually rich and yet completely silly. It cares so much. And hopefully you will too.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

'Journey to the Savage Planet' fails to capture magic of space Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Rating: Space games have been making a comeback in a big way. With the success of “The Outer Worlds” in recent memory, other producers have stepped up to create games that allow players to explore the galaxy and see things that don’t need to conform to Earths rules. “Journey to the Savage Planet” is one of these games, drawing heavy inspiration from games like “Dark Souls,” “Doom” and even “Cuphead.” It certainly has a pedigree but lacks some of the finer things that would give it the strength of its predecessors. The game drops the player into the shoes of a space explorer on an unknown planet to the benefit of “Kindred,” a space company seeking to colonize new planets. It has the player and a friend being cast to scan and catalogue every piece of wildlife, explore a mysterious tower and hopefully get enough fuel to come back home. The

story itself has a very bleak tone, often showing the player advertisements of things like playsets that feature miniature living people, where the child with the toy will act as their god. It’s clever, but all of the game’s best ideas are seemingly hidden here and don’t ever bleed into the actual story beats. The comedy is in the vein of other space genre games but lacks subtlety to the point of irritation. Often cramming jokes into every possible situation, none of them being funny. This can be dedicated to the ship’s AI constantly quipping into the players’ ears and trying to be sarcastic rather than helpful. The only real chuckles to be found are in the visual comedy, specifically the main character’s jazz hands. Combat is less than exciting. Players have one weapon that feels wonky and does not grow in options until very late in the game. While the player can manage several upgrades from the planet’s resources, they’re seldom helpful. Most of them simply make the gun do more damage, which is silly when most enemies go down

Image from PlayStation via YouTube The game has a fairly large amount of content, yet feels hollow in its execution.

in one shot, or reduce the reload speed. There are also a variety of gadgets and tricks but they lack anything more than arbitrary uses. Most of the various bombs the player can carry seem to pose a larger threat to the pitcher rather than the receiver, often causing several chain explosions that will end up sending the spaceman straight back to his respawn room. This issue can be tied to the

co-op focus that would probably be the game’s best-selling point. As having a friend along for the action can distract from the obnoxious writing and weaker gameplay sections, leaving only the platforming sections to be enjoyable, often evoking the spirit of older PlayStation 2 games and ancient PC shooters. Enemies lack the exciting or otherworldly traits of more exciting space stories. With most of the threats being little

bird creatures that nibble on the players ankles and flying squids that shoot ink. Even boss type enemies consist of very basic baddies that sit in on specific place and attack with very rudimentary blasts. The world as a whole is a bit of a wash, without any gamechanging creatures and lacking shock value, it feels less like a planet to be discovered and more like a video game level. While that’s not the worst thing, it certainly feels like it lacks the “other-worldly” vibe it was trying to capture. The game also ruins whatever wonder could have been found with a waypoint system that ensures the player will always be following a map rather than their own curiosity. This is a pretty big gash against the intended feel of the gameplay. On the brighter side, the game is only $30. For what it’s worth, players get a fairly large amount of content, unbroken by the allure of microtransactions or live service wizardry. For some the spirit of the game will be larger as a whole than the individual mistakes that bog it down.

Breaking down new international chart-topping music releases Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Every day, millions of tunes spin our planet round. Each Friday, however, we get a taste of all those new musical releases that will make those never-ending weekends of study or work more pleasant and easier to handle. As we start a new decade, it is interesting to see which artists make a comeback, and which ones come out of the blue to conquer our hearts. We here at The Oswegonian are also embarking on new musical beginnings, now expanding our horizons to new international musical releases that the people of Oswego should try out. Starting the journey in the European continent is Spanish DJ and record producer Danny Avila (“End Of The Night”). Avila’s new single, “Beautiful Girls,” is a

remake of Jamaican Sean Kingston’s (“Fire Burning”) groundbreaking hit single of the same name. As readers might recall, the song is an ode to Kingston’s love, whom he persuades to ignore those

who tell her she is not attractive. However, this new version takes a 180-degree turn in terms of the sound and beat. While getting rid of the infamous reggae-influenced beat that brought Kingston’s

Image from DANNY AVILA via YouTube Avila has crafted a remake of the popular Sean Kingston track, "Beautiful Girls."

hit to life, this remake brings a new perspective when it comes to Eurodance, a European dance music style. The track is not electronic to the point where it restricts certain musical likes, and therefore it is suitable for a wide range of preferences. Continuing along in our international journey this week is German singer and songwriter Michael Schulte (“Falling Apart”). Schulte’s new single, “Keep Me Up,” has a mixture of his traditional chill and melodic sound along with a sound that can easily remind listeners of a Caribbean-like beat. When it comes to the lyrics, the singer is trying to convey a new lover, whom the singer just met on a night out, to never forget him. The tune would fit best in a late-night environment, although that is just a question of preference. Rounding out this week’s international trip is the Aus-

tralian breakout star Tones and I (“Dance Monkey”). Her new single, “Never Seen The Rain,” is slowly peaking in her home country’s charts. Unlike the flirtatiousness that engulfs her first hit single, this one seems to be more on the nostalgic end. In terms of the lyrics, the singer appeals to listeners’ fear of failure, inviting them to get out of their comfort zone and try new things in life. This can be exemplified in the track’s verses “You’re just coasting by, coasting by/ ‘Cause nothing seems to mind ya,” where the artist argues that, if it seems easy, it’s because one is not trying hard enough or has to change some things around. Just like that, our first weekly musical journey around the globe comes to an end. It will be interesting to see if any of the international hits that we take a look at here make their way to our domestic music charts.

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. Festive’s occasions 6. Batter’s stat 9. Nest egg letters 12. Banish 13. Bond creator ___ Fleming 14. Cloistered one 15. Paying attention 16. Rained ice 18. Adjust again 19. Female ruler 20. Pub offering 22. Price marker 23. India’s capital (2 wds.) 28. Josh 31. Sure! 32. Male child 33. Mumbai dress 34. Soggy 35. Gave a right to 40. Dollar bill

41. Positive 45. Room design 49. Actor ___ Bloom 50. Musical drama 51. ____ Grande 52. Procured 53. More mature 54. Trinity’s boyfriend 55. Madrid cheer 56. ____ Witherspoon of “Sweet Home Alabama”

Down

1. Transmission part 2. Wheel shaft 3. Reclines 4. By this time 5. Decide 6. Move upward 7. Soothing ointment 8. Awkward 9. Built-in 10. Regrets

11. Ampersands 17. Memorable period 21. More 23. At once 24. Get by 25. Site of Napoleon’s defeat 26. Deary 27. Interested by 29. Intense rage 30. Auction offer 33. Church spire 36. Within a building 38. Amtrak depot (abbr.) 39. Argentine dance 41. Iowa crop 42. Famous canal 43. Golden calf, e.g. 44. Short message 46. Yield 47. Native metals 48. Burger order

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2020

“Sit and Stay” By Lucas Fernandez It was a bad time for me. “You want to say anything nice about him?” I really didn’t want to. They had put Sherlock in a box so I wouldn’t see his guts spilling out. But it didn’t help since I saw him get hit by a car anyway. I told myself I hated dogs now, and I always would. “Harry?” my mom asked. She put a hand on my shoulder. Her fingernails were always too long. I shook my head. My dad huffed through his big, ugly nose and started piling on dirt while my mom said a prayer. I stayed outside for a while after they were gone. I gritted my teeth and walked over to the little headstone. I got on my knees to make it look like I was praying. The headstone said: “HERE LIES SHERLOCK. HE NEVER LEARNED TO SIT.” I had written it myself, because it was true. I tried to teach him. I tried to teach him a lot of things. And I’m a good teacher. But he never listened. Stupid dog. “I hate you,” I whispered. “I hate you, hate you, hate you.” That was that. I got up and ran inside. Dinner tasted like dirt. But if I told my mom that, she’d be furious. So I didn’t. Only there wasn’t any dog for me to feed it to. “You’ll sit at the table for as long as it takes for you to finish your dinner,” my mom said. So I sat there. Even when the lights went off. I sat staring at the meat on my plate, thinking it might start squirming around if I touched it. The kitchen was always cold at night, because of the draft from under the window, and winter was beginning to crawl up from the ground. “I hate you, hate you, hate you.” That’s what I heard from outside. It was so quiet, or far away, or lost in the breeze. I looked to see, but a cloud was over the moon. “Hello,” I said, or tried to say. The silence in the kitchen strangled me. I

squinted. Maybe something was moving out on the grass. “Let me have a bite, Harry!” Closer now. That voice was familiar somehow, though I had never heard it before. I ran to the back door and looked out the window, flicking on the porch light. Nobody in front of the door. “Better come quick, or I’ll hate you, hate you, hate you!” So familiar. Compelled, I flung open the door, careful not to hit the wall. The wind rushed in, scratching me with cold fingers. I stepped out and looked around. “Hello?” I asked in a whisper. But no answer met me. I looked down the stairs of the porch. Muddy splotches, barely visible, led out of my driveway and past the house. “Hate you, hate you, hate you!” chanted the voice, farther away, around that corner. I precariously danced down the stairs, my bare feet on the icy stone. The muddy splotches, like footprints, led me down the driveway. The only light was a far off streetlamp. The concrete bit my feet with cold as I walked to the sidewalk, looking for any sign of movement. Just me and the empty street. And the prints that led into the middle of the road. They stopped there, where something small glinted on the pavement. Looking both ways, I trod carefully forward and knelt down to get a better look. On the pavement, covered in dirt, was a dog collar. I left it dirty, terrified at what it might say. “Sit and stay! Don’t be stupid!” said the voice. I turned, the collar trembling in my hand. On the shadowed driveway just beyond the sidewalk, a fourlegged silhouette stood, something hideous hanging from its belly. I couldn’t move at all. Not even as, for one moment, my vision was bleached by swerving headlights, stopped too late by the shrieking of brakes, and familiar eyes shining red from the dark.

Oswego Cinema 7 Fri. Feb 7- Sun. Feb 10 Birds of Prey

11:55 AM

2:30 PM

5:00 PM

The Gentlemen

11:35 AM

2:10 PM

4:45 PM

The Rhythm Section 11:00 AM

9:45 PM

Gretel & Hansel

11:15 AM

1:25 PM

3:40 PM

5:50 PM

8:00 PM

Dolittle

11:30 AM

2:00 PM

4:25 PM

6:50 PM

9:15 PM

7:30 PM 7:40 PM

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

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Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat