Look Inside: A3 School uses Funnelle Hall for quarantine
Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com
Ferris Wheel loses liquor license
*Last updated Sept. 10*
State Liquor Authority cracks down on bar after multiple violations
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Faculty not required to test for COVID-19 before classes Hannah Leonard News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com
Kylie Annable | The Oswegonian Outside of the Ferris Wheel, which was stripped of its liquor license by New York State on Aug. 27 due to several COVID-19 violations.
Kylie Annable Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com
CONTENT
State Liquor Authority investigators revoked The Ferris Wheel’s state liquor license on Aug. 27 for severely violating multiple COVID-19 regulations. The bar is owned by town of Oswego Highway Superintendent Robert Malone Jr., who declined to comment on the revoked liquor license. The bar just had its liquor license issued on July 8. The SLA stated that it had received multiple complaints, all commenting on the same thing:
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Just before this fall semester began at Oswego State, students living on campus or commuting to in-person instruction were required to take a COVID-19 test. Faculty working on campus and instructing in-person classes, however, were not. “Employees were not required to be tested before classes begin as a baseline measure, but all faculty and staff are required to complete the daily health screening and advised to be tested if they develop any symptoms,” said Wayne Westervelt, Chief Communications Officer at Oswego State. According to Westervelt, the campus-wide face-covering policy, coupled with the Oswego Forward Pledge, has been implemented in efforts of keeping faculty, staff and students safe. “The testing protocols approved by the NYS Department of Health for SUNY Upstate Medical University’s pooled saliva testing, that we administered to students, did not allow for indi-
vidual test results for employees of the college,” Westervelt said. “Given this information, we encouraged faculty and staff to be tested independently and assembled a list of resources for how and where employees could be tested.” According to the Human Resources Office at Oswego State, employees have been getting tested independently when symptomatic and have been communicating those results back to Oswego State. Other systems have been put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus. “Our Facilities Services staff have been working throughout the summer and this fall on classroom, office and building preparations – reducing density of office spaces and classrooms to ensure that employees and students will have six feet of distance between them; sanitizing surfaces; preparing our HVAC systems and increasing air circulation/filtration; and installing plexiglass in reception and high-traffic areas to create protective barriers,” Westervelt said.
the overcrowded bar was not maintaining social distancing. On Aug. 17, SLA investigators saw at least 15 people lined up outside the bar, and that number quickly rose to 25 people. No masks were worn nor was social distancing being enforced by the bar. Inside the building, however, was much worse. On the second floor of the bar, the SLA claimed that 40 to 50 people were dancing and drinking with no masks and no social distancing. There was also no food being served in the bar with the alcohol, which is another violation of the COVID-19 regulations put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Establishments, especially bars, should all be following the rules and guidelines set forth by the state,” Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow said. “We know that investigators are regularly going through our community, and we work in full cooperation with them, to ensure social distancing compliance. To ignore the guidelines set forth by the state is disrespectful and ignorant to the rest of our community who have already sacrificed so much, and I encourage and appreciate businesses who follow the guidelines and help protect Oswego residents from COVID-19.”
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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
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On the Opinion Cover!
NEWS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Maybe this an opportunity for us to reimagine how the world works, and how we exist in this space.”
-Katherine Spector, from A3
Funnelle to be used as quarantine housing
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
A3
With baseline testing completed, school finds need for more rooms
The Oswegonian file photo from 2018 Funnelle Hall, shown above, has 208 rooms that will now be used for additional campus-supported quarantine housing as positive cases increase.
Ben Grieco Editor-in-Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com Oswego State President Deborah Stanley announced on Monday, Sept. 7, that Funnelle Hall will now be used to house additional students that need to be quarantined on campus due to COVID-19. The residence hall was recently renovated in the spring 2020 semester and was “slated to be offline this semester,” according to a press release from Wayne Westervelt, Oswego State’s chief communications officer. All 208 rooms in the building will be used as single rooms to provide a substantial increase of quarantine housing. Each floor in Funnelle also has eight “total privacy restrooms” for one person at a time, “making it ideal for students in quarantine,”
Westervelt said. “The college decided over the summer to hold off on placing anyone in Funnelle Hall just in case the renovations were not completed on time,” Westervelt said. “Once the fall semester started, the college made the decision to keep it vacant and use Funnelle for quarantine if necessary.” Lonis Hall, on the east side of campus, was originally the only designated quarantine area for on-campus students in the Oswego Forward Plan that was most recently updated on Sept. 4. In the Mackin Complex, Moreland Hall is also being used for students that need to be in campussupported isolation rooms. Isolation rooms are for those who test positive for COVID-19, while quarantine rooms are for anyone who may have been in close contact with those who have tested positive.
Lonis Hall has 65 rooms, and as of Sept. 10, there were 64 students in on-campus quarantine, which is roughly 98.5% of the rooms. All of the rooms are single-person rooms. The announcement of the additional quarantine housing came after an “aggressive” three weeks of baseline testing, according to Stanley in an email sent on the morning of Sept. 7. As of Thursday, the school reported 78 positive tests for COVID-19 out of 6,290 tests, a 1.2% positive COVID-19 rate. “Despite the rise in cases this weekend, we have a very low infection rate and are faring better than many other campuses across the state and around the nation at this time,” Stanley said. “Testing helps us identify COVID-19 on our campus so that we can begin care for those who test positive, and take swift action to limit the spread to others.”
Sustainability efforts put on pause due to COVID-19 Sanitation takes precedent, students can still help with cause Eurokah Sejour Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com With current efforts to keep the campus at limited rates of COVID-19, and to remain sanitary and healthy, some are questioning the effects this may have on the environment and whether it is possible to be sustainable campus-wide. Since Oswego State welcomed their first-year students and transfers back to campus during the weekend of Aug. 14 to Aug. 16 and its returning on-campus students on Aug. 20 through the 24, the faculty has made their main priority health and sanitation. For the school, one way it chose to do so was through the implementation of single-use items such as to-go containers, disposable masks and gloves as a way to limit contact and surfaces being touched and reduce the spread of the virus. Sustainability “can be a little tricky right now,” said Katherine Spector, the sustainability planning coordinator. This is due to the uncertainty of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Once we get kind of familiar with what we are doing and figure out how to respond to this pandemic, I think that’s when we’ll be in a good position to refocus and get back to the institution’s core values, with sustainability being one of those values,” Spector said. Michael Jean, a resident assistant in Oneida Hall, agrees with Spector, as he partakes in enforcing the measures being taken to
Cuomo sends message to bars to ‘remain vigilant’ in reopening
Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian
keep students on campus safe. “We are trying our best to keep everyone safe,” Jean said. However, there has been an excess of garbage around campus, mainly from students who are not properly disposing their waste. Another reason for this is that the garbage cans have been filling up very quickly. Lensa Romage, a student majoring in wellness and promotion, said there were several times when she went to the dumpsters to throw out trash and bore witness to the soiled area where the dumpsters stand. “They just drop it on the floor,” Romage said. “The school is doing the right thing, it’s just the kids aren’t taking the time.” Spector believes that there are things that all of us can do on an individual level to still promote
certain aspects of sustainability. Some of the basic things include the use of “reusable masks, washing them by hand and taking care of them that way as opposed to using disposable masks.” She also encourages reusable water bottles, as Oswego County’s tap water is notoriously clean. In terms of transportation, Spector recommends the bike share systems as a “safe way to get from point a to point b,” compared to other forms of public transit available on campus. “Instead of saying, ‘this is the way I used to do things and now I’m going to continue to do those old things, now I just need to do them in a different way,’” Spector said. “Maybe this an opportunity for us to reimagine how the world works, and how we exist in this space,” said Spector.
Kylie Annable | The Oswegonian The Ferris Wheel also owns a dance club on its second floor, by the name of Hurricanes.
FERRIS from COVER Cuomo had a message to the bars and restaurants around the state that are failing to uphold COVID-19 regulations and said, “We will not tolerate you putting yourselves, your customers, your employees, your neighbors and our reopening at risk.” The statewide total of liquor licenses revoked during the COVID-19 pandemic is now over 165. All of which have lost their liquor licenses due to egregious violations of pandemic-related executive orders from Cuomo. Businesses that have been found violating COVID-19 regulations can face fines up
to $10,000 per violation. In the case of an “egregious” violation, they can face immediate suspension of their liquor license. Cuomo also stated in the press release, “New Yorkers’ hard work is paying off, with the state maintaining an infection rate of less than 1% over three weeks straight - but we must remain vigilant and continue to follow guidelines that got us here or risk backsliding,” Cuomo added. “Compliance in higher-risk industries like bars and restaurants has been key to achieving this progress, and as today’s suspensions show, the state will hold bad actors who put public health in danger accountable.”
NEWS
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
A4
Oswego State continues daily Campus sees spike in COVID-19 as classes continue health screenings for fall Administration to pivot online if cases grow significantly FACULTY from COVER Beyond barriers and cleaning, Oswego State has looked to a new marketing campaign that concides with the Oswego Forward Plan. “[Facilities Services staff] have also been coordinating efforts with our Communications and Marketing team to design and place appropriate signage throughout campus, promoting the importance of social distancing while traversing about campus and reminding all of the face coverings requirement.” As previously stated, employees are required to complete the daily health screening before beginning in-person instruction, Westervelt said. “For employees, they also have a daily health screening that needs to be completed. Employees are to see their PCP or other provider if they are feeling ill and should not come to campus if they are ill,” said Angie Brown, Director of Student Health Services at Oswego State. Students are also required to complete daily health screenings. Each day, before a student leaves their dorm or comes to campus, they must complete a
health screening. Included in the health screening is the list of COVID-19 symptoms. If a student reports having experienced any of the following symptoms, they are prompted to contact the Mary Walker Health Services. According to Westervelt, employees were required to watch a 12-minute training video called “New York State COVID-19 Response: Return to Work.” “The purpose of this training was to prepare all of us to best support health and safety in the workplace, while remaining committed to student success and academic and creative excellence,” Westervelt said. According to Westervelt, faculty and staff who traveled internationally or out-of-state and are returning from one of the designated restricted states were required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York and before returning to campus. Westervelt also mentioned that any employee that tests positive for COVID-19 and shares their results with the Office of Human Resources can be found on the oswego.edu COVID-19 dashboard under the “Additional Reporting” section.
Photo from Pixabay Oswego State has seen a sharp increase in positive COVID-19 cases since the start of the week, as it tries to avoid going online.
Kylie Annable Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com These past few months have been filled with confusion and fear about what the future of the Oswego State campus and education will look like amid COVID-19. The campus looks a lot different this year, with masks, social distancing and many online classes. Students have had to change and adapt to this new environment. As of Sept. 10, there have been a total of 78 positive cases out of 6,290 tests conducted, with one case recovered. The college’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily to provide up to date information on the health and safety of the Oswego State campus community. Results are being closely monitored so appropriate action can be taken in consultation with the Oswego County Health Department. Residential students who have tested positive are being moved to campus-supported isolation rooms, and residential students who may have been in close contact with those who have tested positive are being moved to campus-supported quarantine rooms.
Oswegonian file photo from 2019 Students, faculty and staff are urged to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.
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In the case that Oswego State reaches 100 cases, or 5% of the general population receives positive test results, whichever is lower, the school will transition to remote learning and instruction for 14 days. In this situation, residential facilities will remain open. Only students who have tested positive, or have been in contact with a positive case, will be ordered into isolation. If Oswego State needs to initiate a pivot to completely remote learning due to an overwhelming numbers of positive COVID-19 cases, the college will work with the county and state health department to ensure that students can safely return home. Students with extenuating circumstances may be allowed to stay on campus even though instruction would be remote. In President Deborah Stanley’s email on Sept. 7, she stated that despite the rise in cases this past weekend, Oswego State has a very low infection rate, and is doing much better than other schools across both the state and nation, including SUNY Oneonta which has a total of 651 cases and University of Buffalo which has 113 total cases as of Sept. 8 “This week we will begin notifying campus generally of the
face-to-face classes that have a student enrolled who has tested positive for COVID-19 (without identifying the student),” Stanley said. “We will provide on-campus tests for faculty and students in those classes. We are also significantly increasing ongoing on-campus testing immediately. I have charged the SUNY Oswego campus to continue administering saliva-based testing for the rest of the semester as we move from baseline testing to aggressive surveillance testing. Such continued testing will support our ongoing efforts to monitor and protect all members of the SUNY Oswego community.” All the stress and fear surrounding COVID-19 can be detrimental to emotional health. The Counseling Services Center has an abundance of services and resources for students to use and take advantage of. Walk-in services have been suspended, but students can call the health center at 315-312-4416 for more information on telecounseling. The Counseling Services Center’s Instagram page, @mindful_oz, is another platform for students to receive updates on mental health help.
OPINION COVID-19 RESPONSES
B2 Photo from Flickr
OPINION
VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VII
“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.”
SPORTS B3
TEAM’S IDENTITY
Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
B1
Is virtual learning on par with face-to-face classes? Get what you put in
Give and take
Same quality
Virtual class learning can be on par with face-to-face learning if both the professor and students engage and are comitted to the process. A big part of online classes is creating a structure for yourself as a student. If you exhibit self-discipline and open communication with professors and other students, you will gain a deeper understanding of the topic. However, this isthe same for in-person classes, you get what you put in. Virtual classes pose extra challenges for students and teachers, but it is worth it to overcome these challenges to keep students and faculty safe. -Hannah Leonard, News Editor
I think they are on-par when students fully take advantage and actually do the work. If they are just sitting on their phone during the Zoom call, obviously they are not getting the same quality of in person class. It is all about give and take, making sure that the student is still living up to the higher standards that an inperon class might expect. -Ben Grieco, Editor‑in‑Chief
In terms of content, virtual classes offer close to, if not the same quality of material. After all, it is the delivery that changed, not the content. That being said, I do believe that there is a disparity between what virtual learning offers and what in person classes present. The more human parts of education are lost, which makes learning a much more difficult thing for many. As long as one is actively engaged, classes will be largely the same, but I also recognize that it may be nessecary to go that extra mile in order to get the same value of education. -Abigail Connolly, Opinion Editor
From my seat: The Editor-in-Chief’s column
Hope, positivity despite drastic changes
With new staff, new ideas, we have joined craziness of 2020
Ben Grieco Editor‑in‑Chief bgrieco@oswegonian.com Let me be honest, when I was a wide-eyed freshman in the fall of 2017, I had no idea what The Oswegonian would be like. If then Editor‑in‑Chief Cole Parzych, who is now a close friend, told me that I would be sitting in his shoes my senior year, I probably would have laughed. Hard. But, on that same token, if someone told me that the end of my junior year and beginning of senior year were going to be ruined by this thing called “COVID-19,” I would have laughed again. So, I guess the moral of that story is to always expect the unexpected. Or at least enter it with some positivity. When I was elected as Editor‑in‑Chief in March, I honestly thought this pandemic would be over by the time August rolled around. Managing Editor Matt Watling and I would have a “normal” semester. We could close out our four-year endeavors with The Oswegonian on top, etching our names into this organization’s long and storied history. The realization that this year would, indeed, not be normal The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 quickly set in around July. Watling and I made numerous changes to how our paper would operate, especially since we do not have We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or any‑ complete access to our newsroom in the Marano Campus Center. thing regarding the Oswego State community. This year has been about major changes in personal Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail lives. From COVID-19, where we submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126
learned that being six feet apart from those you love feels awful and that the way we treat every human being needs to change. It is easy to say this year has not been, what most would think is, “normal.” And this makes us excited to innovate. With what our editors have planned for this semester —new and exciting ideas to revamp our newspaper—our paper will not be normal, continuing the trend of how this year has been going. Different story ideas will be explored; possibly ones that The Oswegonian has not seen printed. In our 86th year of operation, we will be adapting to change, just
like everyone else has these last several months. As we always have, however, we will bring the best possible coverage in print every—for at least this semester—other Friday, and all the time on our website, oswegonian. com. From local news, to sports features, different editorials and reviews of music, movies and TV shows, we strive to be your No. 1 source at Oswego State. British writer Alan Watts once said, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” The Oswegonian has joined the dance of 2020—and we will be with you the entire way.
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Abigail Connolly |The Oswegonian Laker Review Editor Stephen Novak works socially distant while in the newsroom at The Oswegonian.
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OPINION B2 Riots not College football makes questionable plan NBA creates Athletics, greed taking precedence over public safety thing of powerful past, sign of platform THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
Matt Watling Managing Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com
Photo from Flickr
Kazashi McLaughlin Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com After decades of rising racial tensions and growing socioeconomic inequalities, riots broke out in the streets of New York City. Army Pvt. Robert Bandy, a Black man, was non-fatally shot by police officer James Collins. After rumors of Bandy’s death spread through the crowd of 3,000 gathered outside of police headquarters, protesters erupted and destroyed many white owned businesses throughout Harlem. The date was Aug. 1, 1943. In the melee, six people were killed and over 600 arrested. The Harlem riot of 1943 was the sixth largescale violent demonstration to take place in Black communities that year. Now, 77 years later, America once again finds itself embroiled in riots ignited by all the conditions that are too similar and caused mass destruction. These protests, especially in the last few weeks, have resulted in multiple deaths with no end in sight, and the American public is souring to them. Black Lives Matter no longer enjoys the general support that it did in the weeks following George Floyd’s death as opposition rises. The conservative bloc in the United States was always going to use the rioting and looting as a bludgeon to dismiss the political concerns of BLM. While that hostility can be frustrating, it is almost not worth mentioning, as polarized antagonism has just become the background noise to America’s political landscape in the last decade. All of that does not really bother me. What bothers me is the hand wringing and pearl clutching over the rioters and their so-called lack of civility by middle class Americans, some who might even be sympathetic to BLM rather than their usual country club apathy. Here is a simple sociological fact: happy civilians who have their needs met do not riot and loot. It follows then, that if people are rioting, then the structures and institutions that are supposed to meet those needs are failing. So who, in this case, do we hold accountable for the burned buildings, destroyed property and death? If unrest is necessarily caused by specific socioeconomic factors, like 1943 Harlem, then how can the blame be placed on people acting out necessary effects? Should we not be focusing on the institutions that create the conditions which push people to violence? Do we condemn the battered housewife for violently lashing out at her abuser? I think not. When those people who live outside of the struggles that BIPOC face in America call for a return to civility politics, they are not crying out for peace. They are effectively demanding a restoration to an unjust status quo in which a significant portion of our population must suffer in silence. To those who go to bed clutching a handgun in their fist because some Black folk are marching in a city 300 miles from their suburban McMansion, and especially to those who start a post on their Facebook wall with, “I support BLM but…” I say this; if you actually want peace, and you actually want to quell the rioting, then you listen, actually listen, to the righteous indignation of your fellow countrymen and women. You do not dismiss and condemn, you listen. To do otherwise is to perpetuate this centuries old struggle and in 50 years time, people of your disposition will yet again hem and haw over the burned out remains of another Target superstore, while the state continues to execute civilians on the streets and in their homes.
Since the Big Ten athletic conference canceled its fall sports season, the presidents of all teams have been working feverishly to find a way to squeeze a perfunctory, wonky season into the 2020-21 academic year. While there is nothing I want more than to sit at home on a Saturday in November and watch “The Game,” this is not the year it should happen. This year more than ever has shown how much of a money grab college football truly is. How is it safe for the biggest stars in America to play a contact sport, while their fellow classmates and student-athletes at the Div. II and III and junior college level have to sit on the sidelines? Oh that’s right, I forgot that COVID-19 does not apply to multibillion dollar industries—oh wait, it does. There were rumblings that the MLB should cancel its season due to COVID-19, and those are paid athletes and adults. Is it even fair to trust college students to stay on campus without partying? We saw it at SUNY Oneonta, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and countless other schools that have gone online. I am not blaming the collegeathletes, but rather the students and institutions that felt the country was ready to see millions of students travel across the country, bringing their germs and potentially COVID-19 across state lines. Getting back to college athletics, does the Big Ten actually think that the pandemic will be subdued in November or the heart of winter when it wants to start its season? We are expected to get hit by a second wave by then, even though we are still working through the first wave from six months ago. I feel awful for every college
athlete and local business that has been affected by the cancellations. Personally, I was crushed to hear Div. III was suspending play until Jan. 1. As a member of the studentmedia at Oswego State, I was looking forward to calling games across every sport. I had the chance to commentate for the men’s hockey team’s outdoor game against Utica College, a dream come true. I desperately want sports to come back, but the health of student-athletes, coaches and our country as a whole is more important. If the Big Ten brings football back and Penn State’s field hockey or volleyball team is still on a break, how is that fair? The conference would implicitly be telling those athletes that they do not matter or are not as important as football players. Again, it all comes down to money. I understand that some student-athletes feel more comfortable at school than a potentially troubled home life. But, these athletes are still on campus, like most universities. Joe Burrow, formerly
of Louisiana State University, said that he would be a sixth round draft pick if not for his final college season, implying that he would want to play this season. I respectfully disagree with that claim, because the players will receive a COVID-19 redshirt, meaning their eligibility would carry over to next year. In that case, Burrow would still have a shot at an undefeated season, just one year later. The “Tiger King” would receive his crown and become the top pick in the draft, again just one year later. As someone who is looking to enter sports media after graduation, I love sports. Sports are a huge part of my life but so are my family and friends. Sports should never take precedence over human lives. That is why the Big Ten canceled its fall season. But now, as it looks to reschedule its games before a vaccine is widely available, all it shows is that the greed in college athletics is at an all time high. And, the Big Ten ought to be ashamed of itself for its half-hearted attempt to do the right thing.
Photo from Flickr This season’s Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry is set to play as usual, despite the pandemic.
SPEAK YOUR MIND, TWITTER! POLLS POSTED EVERY WEEK TO @GonianLRO
America’s response to COVID falls short
Testing, tracking on Oswego State campus performs well AJ Battista Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com
larizing political debate. It is a shame that happened because in the end both sides want the same thing. Both sides want this to be over. Sure, one side wants it to be over now because it thinks it is some kind of violation of rights and the other side wants it to be over after people wear masks and “flatten the curve.” Wearing a mask should only have to be temporary. It is not ideal and no one really wants to do it, but there should be a certain level of respect for others and a respect for safety that should top your opinion of wearing a mask. Unfortunately, some people just do not see it that way. Oswego State’s response to this pandemic has been great.
They have tested students and there are strict social distancing guidelines in place. Setting up that online symptom tracker form for students to fill out can help the school quarantine students to potentially curb things. However, nothing is guaranteed. There can still be an outbreak, like what happened in SUNY Oneonta, forcing the school to shut down and go fully online. The latest jump in the numbers should be concerning to everyone, but there should not be a panic yet. Stay safe, wear a mask, social distance and maybe we can get through this so we could have the chance for a normal spring semester.
For just about the last six months, everybody all over the world has been dealing with something nobody saw coming, with the exception of Bill Gates, the COVID-19 pandemic. The last six months have been chaotic to say the least. Schools, businesses and companies have all been trying to figure out the best ways to operate in this pandemic. We have seen businesses unfortunately go under, schools go virtual and companies downsize. We have seen record unemployment numbers, we are on the verge of economic collapse and there is still no real end in sight for the global pandemic. I hate when people have a “doom and gloom” outlook on things, but this pandemic has made it really hard to look at things in a positive light. Our country’s response to this pandemic has been abominable. The rest of the world, if they were not already, is laughing at us. New York has gotten on the right track and is doing well, but overall, it has been a dumpster fire. Just the mask versus antimask argument alone is a big enough annoyance. And speaking of that, the amount of people who refuse to wear a mask and think wearing a mask is a violation of their constitutional rights, is astounding. Maybe trying to have a positive outlook on things blindsided me, but I was shocked that being asked to wear a mask when you are Photo from Flickr in a public space became such a po- Masks are still required in most public venues while cases in the United States contiue to rise.
Photo from Flickr
Collin Knapp Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Lately, the NBA has been in the news, both for their successful return to play and the players’ outspoken activism and strong support for the Black Lives Matter movement. This, as with everything related to BLM, has engendered a lot of controversy. Despite the beliefs of some, NBA players are not only well within their rights but are even obliged to use their wide-spread platforms to speak out for what they believe in and to act on those beliefs. The NBA and the sports world at large has a long history of protest and of turning the gears of societal change. The league has stood for societal progress since 1961, when Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics boycotted a game in Lexington, Kentucky due to racial discrimination. It is a travesty that some of these same issues persist nearly 60 years later, and again we see basketball stars leading the charge, sitting games out in solidarity with the Black Americans that are too often killed extrajudicially by police.
“Until Black men and women stop being extrajudicially brutalized or killed, it behooves all those with strong beleifs and stronger voices to speak out and act ...” It is an extremely narrow mindset to suggest that NBA players ought to be entertainers only. It is a mindset that harkens back to that Lexington restaurant that refused to respect Black Celtics the second they stepped off the hardwood. Eighty percent of the NBA is black, and 100% of that group has dealt with the pitfalls of being African-American. They may be rich and privileged now but that does not and never will shield them from being treated as less than by the bigots of America, of which there are far too many. It is only right for the league’s players to take advantage of their position as well-educated, talented and wealthy Black men to make change in society, both in the court of public opinion and in the courtroom. We have seen teams like the Milwaukee Bucks work closely with their local and state legislature to find solutions for the rampant police brutality against Black Americans. Protest has been proven to work, and the larger the stage, the wider the reach it has. Until people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, Daniel Prude and countless other Black men and women stop being extrajudicially brutalized or killed, it behooves all those with strong beliefs and stronger voices to speak out and act on their behalf. It just so happens that the NBA is full of people who have both experienced the perils of being Black in America and have the platform from which to make change. If hearing these men speak and act on their experiences makes one uncomfortable, or if one wishes they would just “shut up and dribble,” they should think deeply about why that is and how that reflects on that person.
SPORTS Photo Brief NYSPHSAA DELAYED
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) released its guidelines on the return of public high school sports for the fall season on Sept. 4. The document contains key information concerning the return of every sport, including a new “Fall Sports Season II,” which includes football. Fall sports were organized by their level of risk for spreading COVID-19 among teammates and opponents. The three levels were ranked as lower, moderate and high risk. The sports that were deemed low or moderate risk are authorized to begin to practice and play effective Sept. 21. High risk sports cannot start practices until March 1. Due to the change, the start date for springs sports is now April 19, compared to the original March 15 date. The sports characterized as lower or moderate risk include tennis, cross-country, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, soccer and girls swimming and diving. These sports are given this level of risk due to their ability to allow athletes to maintain six feet of distance at all times, except for when the “core” action of the sport would require closer interaction. An example of this would be a quick sequence between two athletes during a field hockey game.
High risk sports listed for the fall season include volleyball and football, as well as competitive cheerleading. The two sports are allowed to practice, with the suggestion of individual or small group activities. Even though the “core” action of the sports require intimate interactions teams are still not allowed to practice. Athlete screenings include daily temperature checks of all parties involved in a particular sport, a practice many health officials have deemed ineffective. Still, the plan is based around these daily screenings. Proper distancing and hand washing will be stressed by all schools to their student-athletes, according to the plan. Another oddity is the prohibition of high-fives, fist bumps and hugs among teammates. The spread of COVID-19 is the largest factor in the plan and how it progresses throughout the fall. No NYSPHSAA Regional or State Championships will be conducted this fall season. “We’ve spent two days speaking with nearly 500 athletic directors across the state and it’s clear that administering high-risk fall sports during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge for our member schools,” said Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director.
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
B3
What could have been: 2020 men’s soccer
Finding identity in Kane’s fourth year would have been significant
Tom Pemrick | The Oswegonian The men’s soccer team finished 9-7-2 overall record last season, propelled by a strong defense that allowed an average of one goal per game.
Michael Gross Asst. Sports Editor mgross@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s soccer team has seen improvement in the past few seasons thanks to many different players who have been able to come in and produce. One deciding factor has been the emergence of its head coach and what he has brought to the table. This would have been head coach Dan Kane’s fourth season at the helm, and the Lakers were looking to make the jump above .500 in the SUNYAC for the first time since the 2008 season. Of his first three seasons at Oswego State, Kane felt that the team he assembled last season had the best chance to achieve that feat. “The guys committed to each other and to having a winning season,” Kane said. “Not just the talk of the things that are required to having a winning season, but the real work that is required to make sure you are in a position to win some games.” Kane also mentioned that the team played extremely well at home thanks to the fans, but the Laker faithful were not the only deciding factor in their success at home. Junior defender Caleb Munski played one of the biggest roles on the team last year. Munski anchored a defense that set the record for the best goals-against av-
erage (1.00) in the team’s history. The 18 goals allowed last season was sixth-best in program history. Munski has developed a leadership position on this team, and he holds himself and his team to a high standard of play. “For the team as a whole, we kind of found our swagger,” Munski said. “As a team, you have to have that winning mentality, and I think a lot of us believed in our team. But once you start stringing a few wins together, a few good sequences together, the team kind of gets that winning mentality.” Kane has a lot of confidence in his Second-Team All-Conference centerback and has described him to be a “warrior” on the field, but he was not the only returning leader on this Laker team. Goalkeeper Brian Terra was another big reason for their historic defensive season in 2019, and he looked to make another statement in 2020. Terra was named Third-Team AllConference after a stellar season between the pipes. His goals-against average was 0.96, the best of his career at Oswego State and showed that Terra had blossomed into a leader on this team. “Just seeing that progression and that growth not only [for] me but the whole team,” Terra said. “The defense has come a long way. We looked solid in the back this year, we would have had a great backline same as last year, and we know that we
would have [gone] a long way this year. We are still focused and ready to do whatever is thrown at us from this point forward.” Terra and Kane have been together since 2017, as Terra was part of Kane’s first recruiting class at Oswego State. In their first season, the Lakers were 6-9-1 overall and 1-8 in the conference, finishing 10th. In 2019, the Lakers finished 9-7-2 with a 4-4-1 conference record and ended their season as a SUNYAC quarterfinalist for the first time since 2014. While the defense shined last year, so did the offense which scored 28 goals, led by forward Caleb Asamoah. His eight goals helped power the offense in 2019, but his graduation might have been detrimental to the offense this upcoming season if it were not for the talented young core this team returned. Players like juniors Slater Bushen and Ryan Young, as well as sophomore Kieran Gilroy, have all shown their ability to score when the team needs it most and have helped build the culture that Kane and the Oswego State men’s soccer team hoped to have carried into this season. “The big thing [this year] is finding out our identity,” Kane said. “How do we put these pieces together to give opponents the most trouble possible and provide the most strength for us as possible? That’s the fun part of any season is to figure that out and put those pieces of the puzzle together.”
Oswego Speedway loses out on 2020 season after canceled ‘Classic Weekend’ COVID-19 forces owners’ hands, but promise they will bring ‘big year’ to track next season
Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian The Oswego Speedway, located on the east side of the city, will not host a race for the first time since 1951 after Labor Day weekend’s “Budweiser International Classic Weekend” was canceled due to COVID-19.
Zac Case Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com The typical Labor Day weekend is spent outside with friends and family, enjoying the last few nice weeks before the calendar turns to fall. For some people in the Oswego community, these days are spent at the Oswego Speedway. For the past 63 years, the Oswego Speedway has hosted the Budweiser International Classic Weekend, which has become a Labor Day tradition at the Steel Palace. The speedway welcomes racers and racing fans from across the Northeast to one of the biggest annual open-wheel asphalt racing events in the area. On Aug. 17, the 64th edition of the Classic Weekend was canceled, a common trend that management and drivers have become accustomed to over the course of the 2020 season. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the speedway
has not seen competitive racing at the track since the end of the 2019 season, which finished last October. Camden Proud, who races at the track and is the Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Oswego Speedway, recognized how odd it was to go a full season without races. “It has just been a strange feeling all year,” Proud said. “It is the first time since the place opened in 1951 that there has not been a single Saturday race night. It means a lot to so many people in our community.” Proud has been around the track for most of his life, as his father, Tim Proud, raced in the Supermodified Series. The Budweiser International Classic Weekend has a major impact on the local racing community, along with the City of Oswego as a whole. “To us it means everything,” Proud said. “To lose that race, it is supposed to be Classic Week now, it is hard for me to even be here right now. Oswego Speedway and Classic Week is a tradition, and it just means so much
to so many people.” This weekend would have been Proud’s fourth Budweiser International Classic as the public relations director. Track management spent most of the summer preparing for this event, optimistic that the track would be able to have the races in some sort of capacity. “You [have] got six different divisions coming in,” Proud said. “A ton of fans, campgrounds are full and it’s completely different ticket sales. There is so much that goes into it from the management to the maintenance crew to [the] concessions, just top to bottom. It’s a hustle to get everything in.” Newcomer Noah Ratcliff would have competed in his first career Budweiser International Classic Weekend this year in a Small Block Sportsman in the Pathfinder Bank SBS Division. The 15-year-old graduated from the kart track in 2019 and planned on moving up into the bigger car for 2020. Ratcliff was disappointed after hear-
ing the news of the cancellation. “It was kind of a bummer,” Ratcliff said. “It definitely slowed things down.” Ratcliff and his team still were able to get experience out on the track this summer though. Oswego Speedway held Friday afternoon test sessions to allow drivers to stay competitive for the 2021 season. “It got me a lot more practice, so I will be ready for 2021,” Ratcliff said. “I’ve gotten pretty comfortable in the car.” This experience and seat time has allowed Ratcliff to get the No. 73 car dialed in for the 2021 season. The rookie was fortunate to be at the test session. As a young driver, it gave him the opportunity to soak up as much information as possible while being around the older competitors. “I learn a lot from those types of people,” Ratcliff said. “In a way, it helps.” With these practice sessions, Ratcliff will have some experience heading into his first season next calendar year.
The Oswego Speedway management and ownership group are optimistic about next year, and plan on going beyond what was done in years past. Proud said 2021 will have a lot of changes. “It will be a big year,” Proud said. “Everything we do, our traditions, our Grand Prix, the Memorial Weekend race, the Classic.” Oswego Speedway held its last private test session on Friday, Sept. 4. This will mark the end of their odd season, as the announcement came out that Super DIRT Week will not return to the track this year due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19. Proud explained the urge around the track to get back next year. “The owners especially and our teams really want to go racing,” Proud said. “John and Eric Torrese want to give everybody a place to race, and they were unable to do that this year. I think you will see a little bit of an added effort to have some more track time.”
NEWS SOCIAL
A4
DISTANCING
Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN
VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE VII • www.oswegonian.com
Editor’s Column Introducing 20202021’s sports staff
Brandon Ladd Sports Editor bladd@oswegonian.com I am ecstatic about the opportunity to be the Sports Editor for the 2020-21 school year. This fall will be a challenge but it is a mountain that this group of writers and staff can overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has erased Oswego State sports until 2021. Instead of writing about the games that would occur around campus, now we willhave to be much more creative in story ideas. Still, I know that sports will be back eventually. The only thing that matters right now is the present, so for this semester, this group will always provide the most interesting and accurate sports section possible. The section will be based around features of athletes and how the various sports figures around campus are managing with the new “normal.” To be honest, when I came to campus in fall of 2018, I never pictured being in the spot I am now. As a broadcasting major, print journalism was a distant thought two years ago. It is amazing how quickly life changes. Now I run a sports section and get to interact in a newsroom with the other editors. It is the honor of my college years, I love this job and consider it a privilege.
Michael Gross Asst. Sports Editor mgross@oswegonian.com I am in my junior year at Oswego State, as a broadcasting and mass communications major with a minor in sports studies. This is my second year at The Oswegonian but first as the Asst. Sports Editor. I decided to involve myself in all three media organizations. I began with WTOP-10 as a cameraman and worked my way up to become a regular live sports broadcaster for basketball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball. During my freshman year, I was part of two award-winning broadcasts that won second and third place in the College Broadcasters Inc. for the ‘Best Live Sports Broadcast Video’ category. The second-place production was the 2018-19 Whiteout Weekend and the third-place production was an NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament round of 32 matchup between Oswego State and Baldwin Wallace University. I am currently the Sports Social Media Coordinator for WTOP-10. For WNYO, I co-host a weekly radio show called ‘The Hot Corner’ discussing all things baseball. I am a big baseball fan and an even bigger Yankees fan which has made me want to pursue a career in the world of baseball either as a broadcaster or journalist.
OPINION VIRTUAL
B2
LEARNING
Photo via Flickr
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
Hiatus for Oswego State athletics forces coaches to innovate Cross country, field hockey coaches explain new normal for fall semester Matt Watling Managing Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com On July 20, the lives of hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and community members changed. That was the day when the SUNYAC announced its suspension of all athletic competitions until Jan. 1. Since then, coaches have worked hard to create plans for their individual athletes and teams to train and provide them with an opportunity for growth. Teams will be allowed to practice in some capacity, with restrictions coming from Oswego State’s athletics department. These vary from team-to-team depending on the risk of each sport, but all teams must form “practice pods” as field hockey head coach Heather Moore described. “We have come up with practice pods that have to be a certain size,” Moore said. “I made them so they are between seven and eight. They’ll go at staggered times throughout our practice time.” As for some of the other fall sports, cross country does not need to break up the team as much. The team at Oswego State is small enough to divide into the men’s and women’s teams and treat each one as its own pod. Early in the semester, teams will limit interaction on the practice field, in order to avoid a potential outbreak. “For the first few weeks, it’s going to have to be very individualized,” Moore said. “We are going to monitor who they are practicing with and [it will be] a lot of fitness training in the beginning so we can keep them away from one another.”
By keeping players separated, it will certainly be difficult to futher the strong chemistry and relationships on the respective teams. These teams help build friendships that last a lifetime, and without those overnight road trips and the occasional grueling practice, teams will have to get creative to introduce new players. “It’s been kind of slow [acclimating our five new freshmen,]” Moore said. “They have been on campus for quite a while, so as a group, they are pretty comfortable with one another. Introducing them to the team is going to be a slow process because they won’t be able to have the entire team for a practice. They are going to get to know their pod pretty well initially and hopefully the rest of the team later on.” One of the only silver linings in this dark grey cloud of a semester is the chance for growth on and off the field of play. The field hockey team is expected to practice from Sept. 2 through the second week of October, which gives it roughly a month and a half to build up new skills for the next game the players are a part of whenever that may be. Rather than focusing on systems or game play, these developing athletes can hone in on specific skills, using the hiatus as a way to improve their game overall. “You take the viewpoint that this is a very [great time] to improve,” Moore said. “We were not able to have our spring, which is when a lot of improvement occurs. This is the one time where every field hockey team across the nation is working on improving and making themselves better athletes and better field hockey players.”
u
Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics Head coaches Heather Moore (left) and Jacob Smith (right) have adjusted to unconventional practices.
While many players are looking to get better on the field, others are looking ahead to their futures. While athletes will have another year of eligibility due to the cancellations, some may not utilize it. With a chance to position themselves in a better spot when adulthood inevitably calls, some upperclassmen on the cross country team are taking this time to load up on courses. “[Some of our athletes] are focusing on their academics more and focusing on other things,” Oswego State cross country head coach Jacob Smith said. “We have some people, even some of our juniors, who are taking extra classes to try and graduate at the end of this year as opposed to coming back for a senior year.” For seniors, it is very hard to stay motivated. It seems unfair to expect these young students to grind throughout practice when they may never see com-
petition again. “I think it is hard for them to stay motivated because even though we have indoor track, we can’t compete until at least January. It feels like a long way away,” Smith said. “Personally, I support those things, like the athletes trying to graduate early. Now is the perfect time to do that because we don’t have a cross country season, in terms of competitions to worry about … Many of them are looking at grad school. If they don’t use all their eligibility here at Oswego, they would still have the opportunity to compete in the future.” As for seniors across all sports, this is a very difficult time. They saw their final chances at athletic glory potentially ripped out from under them. “It was heart-breaking,” Moore said. “I was very thankful that we did have the opportunity to at least tell them before they read it. At least for my seniors, I feel for them. That is a terrible end to their season.”
Lakers’ Melissa Lussier wants to compete in 2021
Senior looks to potentially lead team for last season if given opportunity
Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State’s Melissa Lussier (14) celebrates after point during a volleyball game last season.
Brandon Ladd Sports Editor bladd@oswegonian.com The last time Melissa Lussier took the volleyball court for Oswego State was Nov. 5. The Lakers do not know when they will take the court again, but that has not stopped the senior from trying to come back as their leading points scorer for another season. When Lussier took the court for the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs vs. SUNY Cortland that Tuesday night, almost 10 months ago, she brought a performance which was one of the best she has ever had. Even as the lower seed in the No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed matchup, Lussier recorded a season-high 15 kills. When the game was over and SUNY Cortland advanced to the next round in straight sets, Lussier finished with 17.5 points. That was over 10 more than the second-leading scorer for the Lakers that night. A performance leaving high expectations for a senior season that, at the time, was still expected to be business as usual. This volleyball season, just as the case with all other Oswego State sports slated to be played before Jan. 1, is on hiatus. Still, Lussier is training to take the court
again for the Lakers.
“I am hoping and praying we will have a season,” Lussier said. “Whether it is in the spring, in the winter, I will play any time of the year if we can have anything.” Lussier was expected to be dominant this fall after a season where she led the team in points, kills and aces. As a junior, she was able to improve in all three of those categories from her sophomore campaign by a considerable margin. The most impressive jumps were due to increased playing time, and included an increase of 30 serving aces and 78.5 points. Oswego State volleyball head coach J.J. O’Connell believes that the jumps in statistical performance were due to Lussier’s conditioning over the offseason, leading to the ability to get to spots on the court that in the past would not have been scoring opportunities for her. “Her and Shauna [O’Flaherty] worked really hard over the summer,” O’Connell said. “They both killed it, physically. They were so much improved physically that it just opened up so many more options for them.” An interesting wrinkle to Lussier’s volleyball story is the friendship she has with former teammate and now-volunteer assistant
coach O’Flaherty. The two played multiple seasons together at Walter Panas High School in Cortland Manor. Following O’Flaherty’s freshman year at the University of Albany, the pair reunited at Oswego State just in time for Lussier’s freshman season. The two have trained together in the offseason, and it will be different not seeing both of them on the court at the same time. O’Flaherty has high expectations watching Lussier from the sidelines “Just given the circumstance that she is in,” O’Flaherty said. “I cannot imagine not playing a senior year. So, when the opportunity arises, [when] she can step on the court, she always gives her all but I expect her to go above and beyond. Just to have the chance to play.” Lussier has had great success at Oswego State, but she also knows how it feels to be a champion. Her senior season at Walter Panas resulted in an New York State Public High School Athletic Association State Championship, the first state championship at that school for any sport. O’Flaherty was in attendance watching Lussier that
day in the Glens Falls Civic Center, so it might not be so strange for her to watch Lussier on the court again if a season is played during the spring semester. Lussier is a player who has been able to improve her statistics year after year as a Laker. Given the opportunity in 2021, she will take the chance to do just the same on the court again. In her volleyball career, this is the longest stretch she has gone without competitively touching a volleyball. “It always went high school and then club [volleyball] which went all winter. So honestly, I think this is the longest I have ever gone,” Lussier said. “I definitely am nervous for the first time I have to touch a ball again.” Lussier is held in high regard by her coach, who has goals for her to carry the team to success if the opportunity is presented to do so again. After placing Third-team All-SUNYAC last November, there still room for improvement in his opinion. “We always like to make the SUNYAC tournament,” O’Connell said. “For her individually I’d like to see her get first-team All-SUNYAC and be in the mix for All-Regional.”
Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
INSIDE
C2 Unreleased ‘One Direction’ C3 ‘Fall Guys’ proves to be C5 ‘The Last of Us Part II’
song leaks online
wholesome fun
evokes disturbing hate
FRIDAY Sept. 11, 2020
C2
LAKER REVIEW
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ saves 1980s nostalgia spirit Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com
Rating: From “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” to “Top Gun: Maverick,” 2020 seemed to be the year that film-goers, craving for their fix of 1980s nostalgia would be rewarded. However, just like many other films affected by the year’s events, these long awaited offerings have been delayed until 2021. Fortunately, one of these nostalgia films, though slightly less needed or warranted, fell through the cracks, making its way to video-on-demand platforms and limited theaters. The film in question, “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” is the third in a series of films, following “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” which chronicle the various escapades of two time-traveling
metalheads. Defined by their token 80s hallmarks, in addition to the inherent goofiness of its lead characters, the films have certainly held up over the past couple decades, though a sequel never seemed entirely necessary after the events of the second film. This long-awaited sequel holds its own weight, providing for an expectedly funny and bizarre outing. The movie stands as a solid installment in the franchise, and a rewarding experience for longtime fans. Taking place 29 years after the events of “Bogus Journey,” “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” the new film, sees the eponymous duo, played by Alex Winter (“The Lost Boys”) and Keanu Reeves (“John Wick”), as they struggle to find success with their band, the Wyld Stallyns, and experience the deterioration of their marriages. With the fate of the spacetime continuum hanging in the balance, the two must write a song that will bring the universe together, saving it from
Image from Movie Trailers via YouTube Alex Winter (left) and Keanu Reeves (right) reunite for one last excellent adventure.
its ultimate destruction. Just like its predecessors, the film bases the majority of its comedy on the dense natures of its protagonists, as they pursue their ultimate goal. Whereas their actions and mannerisms pass for teenage naivety in the other films, their defining personality traits now allow for the two to be seen as man-children who are individually experiencing their own mid-life crises. In a way, their schtick almost becomes funnier as a result, given
that Reeves, who has been cemented as a serious action icon since his early career, has shed his tough-guy persona to once again play a comedic character. Another positive note is the film’s new characters, and more specifically, the eponymous duo’s teenage daughters, Theadora (Samara Weaving, “Ready or Not”) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine, “Bombshell”). Through their implementation, the film takes the time to bank on nostalgia and pay homage to its
predecessors as the girls’ mission to collect historical figures greatly reflects their fathers’ own adventure in the first film. Their personalities and comedic moments harken back to some of the best moments in the series, thus allowing for many endearing and funny moments to be peppered throughout it as we witness their own fun subplot. As a result of ever-improving digital effects, part of what made the prior films all the more charming and campy due to their bizarre, cheesy nature of their special effects is slightly less present in this sequel. However, this does nothing to hinder its overall quality, as it still maintains the majority of the heart and humor which allowed for the first two films to become so loved by audiences over many decades. Overall, the film is an entertaining crowd-pleaser, and it is certainly a fantastic way to make up for a summer which was lacking in blockbusters.
One Direction leaked 2014 song has fans rejoicing Lorretta Golden Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com
Four years since the popular boyband One Direction announced its hiatus back in 2016, each of the band’s members have gone on to release their own solo albums and break some Billboard records along the way. Having just recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary two months ago on July 23, fans didn’t waste any time to rejoice when an unreleased 2014 song, “Half the World Away,” was leaked on YouTube on Aug. 25. Although the song was recorded around the same time that the band’s fourth album came out, it is clear the song was intended for their sophomore album. The song brought nostalgia to fans back to when they first started, prior to when Zayn left. It brought tears to Directioners eyes to hear a hidden gem from their favorite childhood band.
Fans have also stated that this is the best surprise they have had in years. Nobody knew that the boys of One Direction would ever surprise their fans like this. After “Half the World Away” was leaked, many started to hope for a return or reunion between the band mates. “Half the World Away,” within less than a day, had over 400,000 views and within hours, the new One Direction channel titled “The One Direction Archive” had over 40,000 subscribers. This came before the leaked song was deleted from the channel. Written by Harry Styles in 2013, “Half the World Away” the song appears to sound more like a solo track rather than a song featuring the entire band even though the soft strumming of guitars and wholesome harmonies are reminiscent of their sound. In the description box of the “Half the World Away” video, it says, “the first official unreleased One Direction song
that has ever been leaked, the first. Does that mean more is coming?!?” Although this is the first time fans are getting to hear unreleased music by the band, many are hoping for more. Fans have had some theories since the channel was recently created, and that the only content since posted is the leaked song “Half A World Away,” could mean that it might have been one of the members
of One Direction or someone with connections to them behind it all. If this is true, are they going to leak more? Fans could get Half the World Away to No. 1 on the music charts. Imagine, an unreleased One Direction song topping the charts in 2020. The last song fans thought they would hear from One Direction was “History.” It was released on Nov. 6, 2015, as the third
and final single from their fifth studio album. Even though statistics show that there is a complete list of 109 songs that have been recorded and released by One Direction, this unreleased song will be added to the list. There have been rumors floating around from fans and magazines that One Direction is having a reunion this year on Oct. 11. Let’s see if the rumors are true.
Image from One Direction via YouTube
Harry Styles is taking center stage for what is claimed to be just another One Direction song written six years ago.
LAKER REVIEW
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
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‘Fall Guys’ brings positive vibes to battle royale genre
Loretta Golden Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com
Rating: “Fall Guys” is a 2020 platformer battle royale game developed by a gaming company called Mediatonic and published by Devolver Digital. “Fall Guys” was announced at E3 in June 2019 and was released on Aug. 4 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. It is also now out on Steam. It is a multiplayer game, so players can grab their friends, play together and have ton of fun. It has only been a month since “Fall Guys” came out, and the internet is already filled with all kinds of interesting fan art of those cute and wobbly racing jelly beans. One of the fun things about Mediatonic’s colorful battle royale game, is that players are able to dress their
characters up in different outfits, so this fan art has brought some wonderful ideas for potential skins, including some crossovers with other games. It doesn’t just stop at the fan art, but in the beginning of October, Mediatonic is going to launch new levels, costumes and features that coincide with a new season. There was a contest that Mediatonic held in February, but it still continues. If one missed
out in February, don’t worry, each month a fandeveloped skin will be introduced to the game. Despite all of this, the game is fairly enjoyable. The cheery music and goofy sound effects provide levity. This is made better by the bright and poppy aesthetic that the game has. Accessorizing characters in vibrant yet simple cosmetics that can be bought in it’s online store. Some of the
best items can be bought with “crowns,” a currency awarded for winning games, promoting both a positive atmosphere and challenging edge. If players have not yet followed the “Fall Guys” Twitter account, it is a feed full of self-deprecation, self-awareness and funny memes. It knows its community, meaning gamers, and it made sure to see and hear its fans.” Players do not like to
rely on the opposition some of the team mini games force them to do. Despite this, if one is playing a team game, he or she hopes that they are part of the red or blue team, since the yellow team is notorious for losing. “Fall Guys” is inspired by TV shows like “Takeshi’s Castle” and “Wipeout” and it consists out of five rounds of elimination-type minigames. As of now, there are 24 different mini-games, although some of them are similar to each other, and the developers have promised to add more in the future. The types of minigames are obstacle courses where a player will need to reach the finish line, survival games where they need to outlast the other players and team games like egg collecting or soccer. One can play as a group, which they will be placed on the same team in team games, but in the end, there Image from Gamespot via YouTube The game depicts a gameshow similar to reality TV shows like “Wipeout” with challenges that knock the player off the stage. can only be one winner.
‘Control’s’ latest expansion reintroduces ‘Alan Wake’ story Stephen Novak Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com
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While the Alan Wake series has been on ice for a while now, it seems that fans will get some development in the newest expansion in “Remedies” (Quantum Break) latest game, “Control.” With it’s latest bit of downloadable content, “AWE.” Released in 2010, “Alan Wake” quickly achieved cult status. Channeling Stephen King in a plot that found a tortured author being attacked by a story that he can’t remember writing, the game would set a strong narrative foundation for all of its antecedents. This is why some might be glad to find that “Control’s” newest piece of downloadable content brings back both the character of Alan Wake and the forces of darkness with him. Despite all that, it is worth noting that this is a “Control” story first and an “Alan Wake”
story last. The game places players in the role of Jesse Faden (Courtnee Hope, “The Bold and The Beautiful”), a mentally tormented woman that finds herself in charge of the Federal Bureau of Control, a government agency that handles supernatural anomalies. The expansion opens when Jesse finds herself being written in Wake’s story and taking her down a series of bizarre twists and turns as she attempts to chase down the game’s main foe, Hartman. Along the way, she finds casefiles that document the “Alan Wake” plot through “Control’s” bureaucratic and intricate writing. Unfortunately, this line of events ends up going nowhere, providing no closure to the “Alan Wake” storyline and failing to further Jesse’s journey. While there is some fanservice hidden in optional objectives, a golden opportunity is missed to bring players to Bright Falls. Instead, the game locks Jesse within the
Image from Playstation via YouTube Players will find themselves experiencing more of the same combat from the original “Control.”
familiar set of levels that can be found throughout the normal “Control” campaign. Combat remains fairly untouched. Jesse has access to several supernatural powers like telekinesis, mind control and flight. Certain encounters employ a darkness mechanic, where the darkness becomes a physical force that corrupts objects, requiring light sources to
be burned away. This is something that was core to the original “Alan Wake” but feels very token in this instance. A majority of the enemies act the same, leaving the game feeling very redundant and draining. This forces Jesse to use her abilities to dispatch more bad guys in tight corridors. The only exception is a reoccurring boss monster that turns off the lights to
attack in the dark. A new gun has been added to the player’s arsenal, allowing he or she to fire out several projectiles that can be detonated all at once. This makes for some creative gameplay where bombs are attached to bits of debris that can be launched with telekinesis. However, the new weapon’s large blast radius and high damage might mean that a misplaced shot could end up draining the player’s life in one shot. It is a good edition, but for $15 one might have been hoping for more. The “AWE” expansion for “Control” is unable to shake up the core formula. The story also fails to deliver anything new on either of the franchises it has to contend with, instead remaining lame and muted. “Control” still remains a fun experience, but this downloadable content doesn’t improve it enough to warrant a return. It leaves nothing behind but a small cliffhanger, with the promise of more “Alan Wake” in the future.
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LAKER REVIEW
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
‘Folklore’ brings Taylor Swift, history, fiction together Mary Kate Moylan Asst. Laker Review Editor mmoylan@oswegonian.com
Rating: Since the world seemed to crash to a halt back in March, all everyone is doing with the extra time on their hands is consuming media. Whether it was begging musicians to finally come out with new music or for directors and screenwriters to revise and better their scripts for now-delayed projects, everyone wanted something
to cure their boredom. With concerts and festivals put to rest for the duration of the summer, many artists used this time of standstill as a chance to create. For Taylor Swift, who was initially supposed to spend the summer touring her album “Lover” which she had released last August, she utilized the time stuck at home to bring together her newest album and release it with less than a 24-hour notice to fans on July 2. The “We Are Never Getting Back Together” artist turned on her heel in all senses of style and sound when it comes to “folk-
Image from Taylor Swift via YouTube Taylor Swift and Rebekah Harkness come together to create with little anticipation.
lore.” With the immediate release of the album, many fans were quick to jump in praise and rejoice at such a large name releasing more than just a single, especially so unexpected, but it was the content and air of the album that was really turning heads. Longtime fans of Swift that had turned away from her recent pop saturated sound, have also been reluctant to take a chance and listen to this 16-track album. From the start of the album, anyone can easily say that this is either a new start for Swift or at the very least a step back. “The 1” is the first demonstration that we see of the characters that Swift brings into her songwriting on “Folklore.” Initially meant to be a conglomerate of tales of historical figures and stories from fans, rather than just her own, Swift approaches these songs in a delicate way that is almost underwhelming at times. “The last great american dynasty,” a personal favorite of mine, follows the life of Rebekah Harkness who was a patron of the arts and founder of the Rebekah Harkness Foundation. She was considered one of the wealthiest women in America after her second mar-
riage to Standard Oil heir William Hale Harkness. Harkness was a previous owner of Swift’s Rhode Island house known most famously for her signature Fourth of July parties. Taylor begins to draw the similarities between herself and Rebekahs reputations, more so how headstrong women have typically been looked down upon, especially when not kept in line by a man, as seen throughout the song when it comes to Rebekah. “Who knows, if I never showed up, what could’ve been / There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything” Although referring to Rebekah the entire song, it isn’t until Swift gets to the final verse that she references herself directly, connecting the two in more ways than just sharing an East Coast home. One of the more notable songs on the album, “exile” featuring Justin Vernon, known for his songs as Bon Iver like “Skinny Love” and “Holocene” is a tasteful duet that brings an entirely different depth to “Folklore.” Seeming both an inspirational and strategic move on Swift’s part, enlisting an idol of hers such as Vernon added more
to the folk and soft edges she was aiming for with this track and entire album overall. but the contrast between their two voices also adds multitudes of emotional height to the song. Depicting a story of two ex-lovers each telling just why their relationship ended, Vernon’s rough and robust voice pitted against Swift’s fragile and lark-like tone creates a nearly eerie ending with the overwhelming piano. Fan favorites like “betty” bring back familiar sounds from Swift’s first albums like “Fearless” and her debut self-titled album “Taylor Swift,” whereas “august” ushers the listener to prepare for the cooler air of autumn, change and enjoy another catchy and hearttorn tune. Overall, for fans that were reluctant to listen to folklore, there are definitely songs that remain memorable, but chunks of the album can also pass as just something to have on as white noise. Some of the songs just start to blur together. Although an impressive feat done by Swift in a matter of months solely from just her Los Angeles home, many will simply enjoy folklore from the nostalgia it brings of Taylor Swift songs past.
Live action ‘Mulan’ strays from roots, continues to thrive Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com
Rating:
From 2010 onward, Disney has partaken in a rather questionable trend of readapting its animated classics in a live action format. Though a great deal of these remakes hold the nostalgic presence and visual appeal necessary to help the Mouse House turn a profit, they often fail to recapture the heart and magic displayed by their predecessors, as they mostly turn out to be nothing more than shot-for-shot remakes which only make slight efforts to differentiate from the originals. “Mulan,” the most recent product of the remake trend, shockingly deviates from this formula, instead providing a much more grounded, serious iteration of the classic story in comparison to the 1998 animated version. Those expecting the film to be a hu-
mor-filled musical with glaring similarities to the original may be disheartened by what they will see. Those hoping for something which captures the essence of animated classic, while ultimately presenting a fresh, different take on the story, will be pleased by the results. Though it maintains the basic plot and messages of its predecessor, “Mulan” takes a refreshingly deviant approach toward presenting them. Rather than a musical comedy, the film is a rather serious war film, which sees the title heroine (Liu Yifei, “Hanson and the Beast”) as she takes her father’s place in a war against the Hun army. Though the war was a major plot point in the animated version, it seems to focus more on the lead up, as the last act is devoted to battle scenes. The remake, on the other hand, places a much greater emphasis on the war itself, presenting heavily stylized and well-shot
action scenes which appeal to the eye at a far greater level than the CGI extravaganzas which past Disney remakes have used. A majority of the film gleams with vibrant colors and beautiful landscapes, which sheds the Chinese culture which it is trying to emulate in a positive light. Even in darker scenes, director Niki Caro’s (“The Zookeeper’s Wife”) attention to detail shines frequently, as the elements and weather are used heavily to amplify specific emotions. Overall, the film, from a visual standpoint, is quite beautiful and is remarkably so without being reliant on digital imagery. Though the story ultimately presents itself in an entertaining, unique manner, it still possesses its own flaws. Primarily, the film seems to have been made with the expectation that everyone who sees it has previously seen the original. The first act feels rather rushed, as the film seems eager to dive straight
into its newer elements, rather than rehashing bits from the original. The character of Mulan is slightly altered into that of the stereotypical trope of a “Mary Sue,” or one who possesses exceptional abilities or skills without any discernible source of training. We are given only a slight glimpse into her development as a fighter and soldier which typically had taken up a majority of the animated film. Though some changes may slightly hinder the story’s ca-
pability of being completely thorough, its serious nature and willingness to go further in showing its protagonist in action makes it all the more empowering, as we witness Mulan face adversity on a much greater scale. “Mulan” stands as one of the better Disney remakes, as it encapsulates the spirit and theme of its beloved predecessor, all while providing something new, and perhaps more effective, for audiences to take in.
Image from Walt Disney Studios via YouTube The live action version of the film features much more action and battle.
LAKER REVIEW
'The Last of Us Part II' perfects cruelty, for better or worse
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
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Naughty Dogs sequel, 7 years in making, releases to polarizing reception
Stephen Novak Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com
Rating: While most video games are centered around positive themes, occasionally something comes along that chooses to be the inverse. A title that uses its medium to push something that a consumer might objectively dislike. “The Last of Us Part II” is devoted to the pursuit of misery, very finely crafted misery. It deserves praise for finely hammering the nail on what it intends to do but audiences might find that precision wasted on a message that leaves them angry and upset. The previous game had become an instant classic, showing the story of two people that found each other in a world that threatened to tear them apart at every chance it got. Ultimately, it became a story about familial love and repairing yourself from your past. The leading pair Joel (Troy Baker, “Bioshock Infinite”) and Ellie (Ashley Johnson, “Teen Titans Go”) become icons for the narrative power a video game could have. That legacy is not respected by “The Last of Us Part II,” for better or worse. Set in a world where most of humanity has been corrupted and turned into vile fungal monsters, the pair find themselves humbly resting in a small hamlet away from the madness, five years after the first game took place. In a very strong opening section, player control is passed from Joel to Ellie, thrusting her into the leading role. This peace is interrupted by a tragic event that sets Ellie on a wicked path of hatred and revenge. Those vile emotions are at the heart of every facet in “The Last of Us Part II,” from the pacing of its cut scenes, to its gameplay. Despite the city of Seattle having a variety of infected zombie-like enemies, the real force of that hatred comes when the player needs to face other human beings. From the first game, audiences become familiar with Joel’s approach
to quietly choking out the enemies he would get the drop on. In its sequel Ellie is seen stabbing them in the neck showing a disturbing animation when the victim squirms in a cocktail of emotions. This is compounded by the horror witnessed by their friends, who find the mess later on and mourn them by name, only to be met with a dismissive and smug quote from their assailant as she slinks away. Violence is everything in this world, and the setting reflects that. The majority of the game takes place in Seattle, a city abandoned by the government and gripped in war between those left behind. Despite this the visual quality is superb. Players might find a natural beauty in walking past a coffee shop that has been slowly reclaimed by wildlife. By tactically positioning lighting and framing techniques, the world can be wondered through naturally, without aids like waypoints or map systems. This lends the game a very earnest pacing. Everything Ellie might need on her journey is found in the city. From supplements that give her upgrades to basic household materials she can fashion into a homemade bomb. Many of the better caches can be found in optional areas that feel just as cared for as the required story areas. The game also features a wide array of interesting scenarios. The player might find themselves on horseback or exploring flooded malls, while never feeling out of place in the story at large. Sadly, the game loses this flow in the second half, reducing the number of optional areas and
Image from IGN via YouTube Seattle is crawling with other dangerous survivors that realistically react to the world.
limiting the amount of downtime. Often it drags its feet on seemingly meaningless missions that fail to feed into its narrative strengths. The combat itself is more enjoyable to watch than it is to play at times. The enemies often react in very cinematic ways. Waiting for Ellie to present herself in the most dramatic fashion before sneaking up behind her in an attempt to wrap their hands around her neck. Thankfully, Ellie doesn’t act alone, with a variety of support characters that might stun her attacker at just the right time. While their invulnerability to damage might be a bit bizarre to watch, they tend to make sure that the player does a majority of the work. Guns feel very satisfying to use but their ammo is scarce. This leads players to require delicate and careful thinking before expending any resources. Stealth is a valuable tool and every encounter starts with the player being unnoticed by patrolling goons, allowing them to create silencers from empty plastic bottles or taking an unwitting person hostage. When Ellie is spotted, the best choice can be to run into some
Image from Playstation via YouTube Ashley Johnson holds a stellar performance as the games protagonist, Ellie.
tall grass and lose them, though the artificial intelligence might get a little too real as her trackers can easily find her again. When forced into open combat, movement still feels essential when Ellie is so easily stunned by gunfire. This leads most situations to be solved through more shooting, often accessorized in some gory detail that has persisted throughout. It’s made clear by the screaming that Ellie isn’t just surviving these groups of enemies, she’s actively hurting them. The writing holds up a large portion of the game. As characters often get shown in both introspective and retrospective lights, this provids a surprisingly deep view of what it means to be obsessed with revenge. Despite all of the misery, there are moments of poignancy. Like when Ellie and her girlfriend come across a stray guitar and choose to relax with some old songs. While many accuse the game of being “overly political,” anything that could be seen as divisive exists outside of the games main themes of hatred and perspective. Though in most instances its attention to diversity and inclusivity are appreciated. At the end of it all, the game leaves with a resonating emotional impact that can elicit all sorts of thoughts in its viewer. It is a testament to the rigid power a story can have on someone that chooses to listen which is commendable in its own right. “The Last of Us Part II” is a game with a message that is told exactly as the developers at Naughty Dog wanted it to. Whether that message should be heard in the first place is a question in itself.
The new "The Batman" movie delaye d as Robert Pattinson contracts COVID-19.
Netflix apolo gizes for "Cuties," a film depicting the sexualization of minors.
Lana Del Rey to release her book "Violets Bent Backwards Over The Grass" in audio book form.
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FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
Crossword Puzzle
Across
Sudoku Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains 1-9 exactly once.
1. Oozes 6. Eccentric 9. Globe 12. Monte ____ 13. Large snake 14. Through 15. Korean, e.g. 16. 14-line poems 18. Adolescent 20. Time periods 21. Blunders 22. Atlas chart 23. So long! 26. Adventure 30. Narrate 33. Diminish 34. Musical drama 36. Look at 37. Goose formation 38. Diva’s offering 41. Bank transaction
43. Actress ____ Johansson 47. Toronto’s province 49. Arctic shelter 50. Fighter pilot 51. Graceful tree 52. Beauty parlor 53. Gave lunch to 54. School gp. 55. Feet parts
Down
1. Shoo! 2. Leisure 3. Buffalo’s waterfront 4. Flat surface 5. Radar’s kin 6. Preoccupy 7. Exit 8. Newsman ____ Rather 9. Freeway bridge
10. Actress ____ Hayworth 11. Edible fish 17. Some tides 19. Greet 22. Hollywood’s ____ West 23. Sis’s sib 24. Nope’s opposite 25. Lifted up 27. Santa ____ 29. Wind direction (abbr.) 31. Sports venue 32. Casual shirt 35. Washington seaport 39. ____ setter 40. Water plants 41. Bread unit 42. Previously 43. River deposit 44. ____ Macpherson 45. Implement 46. Heavy weights 48. Dem.’s foe
For this week’s puzzle answers ... Go to Oswegonian.com and click on the Laker Review tab!
LAKER REVIEW
FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2020
Photography by Lilian DePerno
Photography by Ben Seligson
Photography by Lillian DePerno
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Shea McCarthy
Jacob Fallat