The Oswegonian 9-20-19

Look Inside: A3 Oswego State alum brings new film to community

Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIII SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

Free fall concert announced

Musical act confirmed for outdoor event during homecoming

Julia Tilley Asst. News Editor jtilley@oswegonian.com

Colin Hawkins News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com

CONTENT

Oswego State will have a free outdoor concert for homecoming this year on Oct. 4, hosted by the Student Association Programming Board.

The concert will feature hiphop artist Young M.A, a nationally renowned rapper from Brooklyn, New York.

Oswego State has hosted fall concerts in the past, but according to Director of Campus Life Daniel Roberts, the fall concert fell to the wayside compared to the spring concert.

“This is sort of a rekindling of a tradition that used to exist at SUNY Oswego,” Roberts said. “Way back when, almost a decade and a half ago at this point, SAPB would sponsor a free outdoor fall concert and a free spring concert the following semester.”

Roberts said that after OzFest, the end-of-year event and concert in spring semester, the fall concert became less of a priority until it eventually faded away.

Young M.A is a rap artist out of Brooklyn recently acclaimed for her freestyle and cool charismatic flow. The abbreviation in Young M.A stands for “Me Always.” One of Young M.A’s top tracks, “OOOUUU,” released in 2016 and has since gone tripleplatinum. “OOOUUU” has been remixed and sampled by hip-hop artists such as Eminem, Nicki Minaj and 50 Cent. While she has been an active artist since 2012, her first full album is scheduled to release on Sept. 27, just ahead of the Oct. 4 concert.

The outdoor homecoming concert is free, but tickets are required due to zoning and consideration for a rain location, according to Roberts. Tickets are limited to about 1,400 and are available starting Sept. 20. The venue, the lawn behind Swetman Gym near the outside entrance to The Space,

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

Club sports budget procedure changes, SA establishes championship fund Club sports teams have a new fund they can use in the event they make it to a championship level, due to a new budgeting system put in place last year.

Last year, Student Association allotted $10,000 for their contingency fund.

This fund serves as almost “extra funds,” in the event that an on-campus organization may need additional funding during the year. In order for an organization to ask for and receive more money, they need to have representatives present what they want and why in front of the senate at a Student Association meeting. Two senators then write a bill for the organization, and senators later vote on whether or not the club will receive the money they asked for.

This year, due in part to the work of Director of Campus Life Dan Roberts and the 2018 - 2019 Director of Finance Miranda Kryskow, this year’s contingency budget has seen a vast change. This year, there is $20,000 in the contingency fund, and a separate $20,000 for club sports, in the event they make it to the championship level of their season. The way the sports budget has been decided in the past was completely revamped, and last year’s Equal Pay for Equal Play move-

ment had a hand in encouraging the change.

“What that really did unveil was that there wasn’t just a large funding discrepancies in overall budget, but price per participant, which is what Title IX kind of really looks at when they look at equity across sports funding and things like that, was way out of whack, too,” said Roberts. “SA agreed that the administrative function of the club sports budget process needed to be contracted with and passed off to an administrative entity like Campus Life.”

According to Roberts, that is a common trend among other universities across the United States. When researching and surveying around 50 other colleges to decide what method to implement during budget planning, almost every other school has their student government allot funds created by the student activity fee to campus sports and organizations, but then contract with an administrative office, such as Campus Life or Campus Recreation, to supervise the disbursement of the rest of the funds.

Starting in January of last year, Kryskow and the club sports graduate assistant held workshops with the club sports teams about the new budget process, which included submitting an online form. The form allowed teams

See CLUB, A5

Image provided by SAPB Brooklyn hip-hop artist Young M.A will headline the free outdoor concert during homecoming.

opens at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8 p.m.

The location, Roberts said, should highlight the beauty of upstate New York and Lake Ontario in autumn.

“We’ll have some opening acts,

we’ll have some music playing, people will be able to come and enjoy what will hopefully be a beautiful upstate New York sunset just before Young M.A hits the stage,” Roberts said.

Sports

Opinion

Laker Review

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FRESHMAN IMPACT

VIOLENT GAMES

LANA STRIKES AGAIN

FORT GALLERY

B1 Casey Stone | The Oswegonian

See HOMECOMING, A6

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Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

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Image from Lana Del Ray via YouTube

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK The augmented reality application uses technology similar to the popular game Pokémon Go.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

-Damian Schofield, from A6

Oswego State alum produces new film

A3

Brings film to Oswego Cinema, stays connected with community Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com Since graduating in 1995, Hollywood producer and Oswego State alumnus Andrew Miano remains connected to the university and community.

This past week, “The Farewell,” an award-winning film produced

by Miano, has been showing for a limited time at the Oswego Cinema 7. Miano pulled a lot of strings to make sure the film could be shown at the cinema, as he wanted to make sure the people of the community had a chance to see the film.

“Basically, I asked our distributor if the movie could be shown in Oswego because we’re getting towards the end of the run where we’re playing [the movie] in a lot of cities where we didn’t get to play it in the beginning,” Miano said.

“It was important to me because I have a lot of friends who are still there as well as a lot of professors and mentors.”

Since graduating Oswego State, Miano has most notably produced films such as “A Single Man,” starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, “Admission,” starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings and “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” starring John C. Reilly and Josh Hutcherson. He

was also an executive producer on popular films such as “Little Fockers,” starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller and “The Golden Compass,” starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

Miano has worked on several other films during his career, but every single one is important to him in its own special way.

“There’s no favorite [film], they’re all my little children. Sometimes you love them and sometimes they drive you a little insane but there’s no favorite,” Miano said. “The experience of making a project goes into the love of it, not just the final result. Even a movie that wasn’t as successful as we set out to make it still has a soft spot in my heart because of the experience of making it.”

Miano, who was a theater major and creative writing minor, has certainly achieved success since his departure from Oswego State.

But, the small school located near Lake Ontario helped lead him in the right direction while filling his mind with wonderful memories in the process.

“I am fortunate that I am doing what I want to do and I consider the time at Oswego is what led me in that direction,” Miano said. “It wasn’t by any means easy I struggled in my science and math classes as every theater major does.

I had a blast in every class in Tyler Hall and my creative writing classes and I’m still in touch with a lot of those teachers, primarily Brad Ko-

rbesmeyer [creative writing professor] and Julie Pretzat [dean of the school of communication, media and the arts].”

Miano had his most memorable moments at Tyler Hall but it was also the community of Oswego that gave him some memories of their own. He enjoyed spending time with friends at “Lil’s Erie Tavern,” which was formerly located on Erie Street. He also enjoyed some food spots in town that appealed to him as a college student.

“As a college kid I was broke so I really enjoyed Pizza Pub and their $3 pizzas and Taco Bell. Those were, sadly, my favorite restaurants,” Miano said.

Miano does not have many regrets that occurred during his time at Oswego State, but there is one regret in particular that is not exactly what most people would expect.

“I regret that I wasn’t in a band sooner. I was only in a band the last six months of my senior year and realized how much fun it would’ve been to be in a band sooner,” Miano said.

Oswego State certainly had a large impact on the life of Miano.

It was there that he discovered what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, much like most college students. Miano definitely did not forget his roots. When asked about his experience at Oswego State, he had nothing but good things to say.

“I had a great time at Oswego. It was a wonderful, wonderful place to go to college,” Miano said.

Climate Strike, 12 p.m., Friday, Sheldon Hall and Marano Campus Center lawn

Funelle Farm Bash, 8 p.m., Friday, Funelle Hall Main Lounge

Stride to SAVE Lives: Suicide Awareness/ Prevention Walk, 9 a.m., Saturday, Marano Campus Center food court Rice Creek Ramble, 11 a.m., Saturday, Rice Creek Field Station

Ontario Orchards Fall Jamboree, 11 a.m., Saturday, Ontario Orchards

ALANA Fashion Show, 7 p.m., Saturday, Hewitt Union Ballroom

ALANA 9th Annual Unity Peace Walk, 12 p.m., Sunday, Oswego City Hall

The Mark Lomax Quartet: 400: An Afrikan Epic, 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sheldon Hall Ballroom

Geothermal Tour of Shineman Center, 5 p.m., Wednesday, Shineman Center Atrium

Photo provided by Andrew Miano Oswego State graduate of the class of 1995, Andrew Miano, managed to keep his connection with the Oswego community.

The Ski and Snowboard Club was the first guest of the senate at the SA meeting.

They called themselves one of the largest clubs on campus, with over 400 members on their email list and Lakerlife page.

The requested $6,500 for transportation, $200 for promotion, and $1,500 for on campus events. They said this was their budget from the last school year, but this year, theyhave absolutely no budget. According to the club, they submitted a budget on time last year, but never head back, and their budget disappeared.

Matthew Poteralski, the president of the Bowling Club, asked senate for fund-

ing for their upcoming season. Bowling Club is considered a non-competitive club sport. Similarly to the Ski and Snowboard Club, the Bowling Club sent in a budget that went missing last year, and as a result, the club has no funding for the year. The former president of the club said he does not know what happened. Poteralski asked for $2,300, but as a minimum, would accept $1,309, which would mean the club could only meet every other week as opposed to their regular weekly meetings.

Junior cinema and screen studies and journalism double major Corey Cesare was elected the Director of Student Life, Health, and Security. This is her third semester in Student Association.

Last year, she served as the chair of the involvement committee. She said she considers herself very involved in and

Banned Books Event, 3 p.m., Thursday, Penfield Library knowledgable about the many different organizations on campus. While in her new role, Cesare aims to host a seperate involvement fair for Greek organizations and club sports, since she said it could be less confusing during involvement fairs, and most students who want to participate in Greek life or club sports know before hand, so having a seperate event could be beneficial. She is also trying to get textbooks for all majors and all classes to be available in Penfield Library.

Junior transfer student Nsikak Ekong was elected as the Director of Media. This is his first semester as a member of Student Association.

This position involves the photography and videography of both SA-sponsored events and certain campus events.

At his previous university, he was a member of the campus newspaper and the stu-

dent government.

In those positions, he photographed a large amount of events, which he said helped him get to know other organizations and gave him the experience needed to carry out this position for SA this year.

Marketing and international business double major Kimberly Solorzano was elected as the Director of Public Relations. Last year, she was the Director of Marketing and Design for SA. Solorzano has held multiple marketing internships, including one abroad with a book publishing company and one with Planned Parenthood, giving her experience is different aspects of the public relations field.

In this position, Solorzano said she wants more students to join SA, and will work to make that a reality.

A4 NEWS SA senate operates under new provision THE OSWEGONIAN

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

Photo Brief Marlon Peterson

Nsikak Ekong | The Oswegonian Guest speaker Marlon Peterson shares his story with Oswego State students and staff.

Oswego State welcomed guest speaker Marlon Peterson on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom.

Peterson presented his justice talk sponsored by the David F. Cutler ‘74 Public Justice Excellence Fund, entitled “What Does Justice Look Like?”

He served time in New York prisons during his 20’s as a result of certain crimes he committed as a teen.

He spent his last five years in prison as the head of the Transitional Services Center.

During his time in prison, he received as associate’s degree in criminal justice, with honors. He has since earned an additional bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior from New York University.

Peterson currently works with

Nskikak Ekong | The Oswegonian

Families for Freedom and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. He is a host of the Decarcerated Podcast.

He is also the founder and coimaginator of the Precidential Group, which aims to improve leadership and services in different organizations and schools, as well as improve social justice in underserved communities.

Peterson has received many awards and honors in his vast career. He was the 2015 recipient of the Soros Justice Fellowship, which provides funding to projects encouraging change and advancement in reform of the U.S. criminal system.

He has his own TEDTalk lecture, “Am I not human? A call for criminal justice reform,” and was honored as one of Ebony Magazine’s 100 most influential and inspiring leaders .

Rule passed last year allows meeting without quorum Colin Hawkins News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com Oswego State Student Association operated without meeting the minimum number of senators at the start of this semester by enacting a new provision for the first time.

SA enacted the Skeleton Crew Provision, which passed late in the spring semester, for the first time at the Sept. 10 senate meeting in order to conduct senate business without meeting the minimum number of senators required by SA bylaws.

SA typically requires 12 senators at meetings in order to reach quorum requirements. The provision is still in effect.

Edward Kelly, chief justice of SA supreme court and SA vice president during the 2018-2019 school year, said quorum is meant to ensure there are enough senators to adequately represent the campus.

“As a student body, as a student government, we want to make sure we’re representing students to the best of our ability,” Kelly said. “If we only have two or three students there, that’s not really representing the student body.”

However, Kelly said quorum requirements are always an issue at the start of semesters, when the shuffle of a new semester meant some senators could no longer participate and recruiting new senators could take weeks.

“The reason why [the provision] was made was because [in] the

beginning of 2019, we didn’t have enough senators because some students had [to leave senate] because of class or other reasons, so we didn’t have the numbers to hold a meeting,” Matthew O’Donnell, SA vice president, said.

Prospective senators, depending on if they are representing a specific residence hall or are at-large, which represents the campus as a whole, must collect and submit signatures from students of their constituency.

Residence hall senators need 50 signatures from residents of that building, while at-large senators require 100 signatures from any student.

Lacking senators at the start of every semester last year led Kelly to pursue a solution to the perennial issue, which resulted in the Skeleton Crew Provision passed at the end of spring semester, when Kelly was vice president.

“At the beginning of every academic year, we get slow,” Kelly said.

“It’s difficult at first for people to get signatures in and recruit senators.

That takes a little bit of time, we’re not going to get that in the first two weeks of classes.”

Without enough senators, SA cannot meet. According to senator Maryjay Ololekan, no senate meetings would lead to disappointing the students and student organizations that make up their constituency.

“If senate is closed or canceled, that’s like SA’s government shutdown,” said Ololekan, who is also the chair of the Rules and Judiciary Committee. “You can’t have a

government shutdown every week.

Nothing is getting done.”

Once quorum is met, the provision must be immediately revoked per the provision rules. Then, according to the provision text, all senate business conducted under the provision is reviewed by the Rules and Judiciary Committee for compliance with SA bylaws with an investigation into any violation being conducted by the judicial branch of the SA government. After the review process, a bill must be submitted to the senate body detailing the Rules and Judiciary findings.

The provision was an effort to keep SA running without interruptions, which were a problem during his time as a senator last year, according to O’Donnell.

“Between me, the last vice president, Edward Kelly, and the Director of Veterans Affairs Rob Davies … we had two decisions, we could either just lower the number of quorum that was required, or we could come up with a provision that allows to hold a meeting no matter what the number is,” O’Donnell said.

Kelly understands the concern that SA could ignore quorum with these rules, but that too few senators is a temporary problem.

“There is that fear, but we have never in the history of senate, since 1960, have not been able to make quorum for an entire year,” Kelly said. “I’m not saying it can’t happen, because obviously crazy things do happen, but I don’t foresee that happening.”

The Oswegonian | File photo from 2018 Student Association currently has their Skeleton Provision in place, allowing them to hold meetings without 12 senators present.

A5 NEWS Club sports now have championship funds THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

Photo Briefs Totally TEAL

Former director of finance, Campus Life worked to better budget CLUB from COVER their budget, between sections including transportation, league dues and equipment. Then, a larger committee looked over the budget proposal, and made sure any discrepancies were “documented and justified,” according to Roberts. Teams could then consult and discuss their budget proposals, and then resubmit their proposal, which was finalized.

“I’m happy to say that, because of the one-on-one time we put in through this new process with the club teams, and their acceptance of the new process, we were able to come in way under the original budgetary allotment, which was fantastic,” Roberts said.

Since club sports teams had multiple chances to propose their budget and specify their priorities, the idea was that they would no longer need to appeal to SA to

get additional funding from the contingency budget. However, the bylaws still state that it is possible for these organizations to ask for additional funding.

In past Student Association budget plans, some years struggled with what Roberts called “legacy funding,” which resulted in discrepancies in funding. Certain years, according to Roberts, administrations were not fully verifying the amounts of money spent by organizations, like equipment, a oneyear only cost. If an organization buys equipment, said Roberts, they are not going to need to buy new equipment every single year. However, some organizations were getting those funds annually, falling into this “legacy funding.” Another example of the old method, according to Roberts, would be providing all teams postseason funds when the reality is, not every team will

make it into championships. Roberts said, by looking more carefully through the budgets and evaluating what was actually needed, SA had more funds to give, providing them with this $20,000 championship fund for the teams that need it.

“The goal of the budget process was to give [club sports], as best as we could, what they needed to be competitive and have that postseason fund to support them if and when they hopefully make postseason play,” Roberts said.

The current SA director of finance, Ryan Green, is pleased with the budget for this school year. He had no hand in planning it, but will be planning the budget for next year.

“I’m really confident in this budget to take care of most people’s needs. President Stanley said it was one of the best budgets she’s seen in a while, so props to Miranda and the budget council,” said Green.

Nsikak Ekong | The Oswegonian

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Oswego State went “Totally TEAL” to raise awareness for ovarian cancer with a walk around the Glimmerglass Lagoon starting from the north side of Culkin Hall.

Members of the Oswego campus community showed up to participate and help the cause, including faculty, staff, administrators and student volunteers like the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority and the men’s hockey team. Those students will get community service hours for volunteering their time to help. Before the walk, everyone gathered for a group photo on the steps of Culkin Hall. Diana Forbes, one of the Totally

TEAL coordinators gave some remarks as well as thanking everyone for coming.

“Our goal is to get a campaign going by students on social media and use the hashtag #TotallyTeal and spread the word,” Forbes said.

This awareness is also in memory of the late Mary Gosek, who was an employee of Oswego State and was very close with the men’s hockey team. This awareness raised funds for the Hope for Heather charity.

Members of the Oswego State community also have been encouraged to wear teal every Tuesday this month in support and to help raise awareness.

Ben Greico | The Oswegonian Oswego State club sports teams, like the men’s club hockey team, now have a shared fund for championship and playoff expenses.

Nsikak Ekong | The Oswegonian

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

A6

Oswego grad student creates virtual tour Homecoming festival to New digital history project completed at Fort Ontario be “signature event” for fall FREE from COVER Roberts said that connecting the campus, the community and the fall season was important to SAPB when planning the fall concert so Oswego State students could create lasting memories of their time at the college.

“What SAPB was committed to trying to do was two things. They wanted to bring back a tradition that campus used to enjoy, and they wanted to tie it to homecoming because homecoming is one of those events that we’ve tried to get up and running on this campus but for a lot of reasons it hasn’t yet resonated with students,” Roberts said. “We don’t have a football team to be the signature event for homecoming, so tailgates are kind of out.

The hockey team hasn’t started yet, so that signature athletic event that draws our campus together doesn’t happen [in fall].”

Despite budget cuts this year, Roberts said SAPB is still committed to bringing events and experiences to campus that students will remember after graduation.

“Having this be the signature event for homecoming is, [SAPB] wants to bring this back annually and build on it. [SAPB] don’t want to necessarily replicate OzFest but they want to do something unique to upstate New York in the fall,” Roberts said. “Be it a fall festival, a fall carnival, something like that they can do around this outdoor concert.”

As for OzFest, which SAPB and Roberts said in May that the new academic year’s budget cuts might threaten, Roberts confirmed the spring event.

“OzFest is still happening,” Roberts said. “It’s going to look a little bit different because the budget was reduced

by Senate last year for OzFest. But that being said, [SAPB] are still commited to putting on all the daytime events and free giveaways that students have enjoyed in the past, and putting on a very high quality evening concert that day too.”

Roberts said SAPB is interested in making the OzFest concert tickets free to students instead of $15 tickets like previous years, but “there’s just some hurdles” SAPB has to cross to make that possible.

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Fort Ontario, a local historical site by the mouth of the Oswego river, will soon receive a tour utilizing augmented reality technology.

Nicole Hube Photo Director nhube@oswegonian.com Thanks to the work of HumanComputer Interaction graduate student Theodore Johnson, those who visit Oswego’s Fort Ontario State Historic Site will soon have the opportunity to step through a visual remaking of the past, thanks to a new augmented reality tour.

In the spring semester, a number of students in professor Damian Schofield’s hypermedia and multimedia class undertook projects in the local community as part of the “Mapping Oswego” project. Students created augmented reality experiences to provide multimedia experiences showcasing local Oswego history.

With the aid of an Impact Scholars program grant, Johnson completed the project with the help of the fort’s site manager, Paul Lear, as well as faculty mentor Schofield.

“Paul provided a wealth of historical knowledge and gave Theo access to archives of photographs and historical data about the fort,” Schofield said.

The augmented reality tour was created on an app called Artivive.

Visitors to the fort can now pick up a flipbook upon arrival, and cart it along as they tour the fort, visiting as many locations and buildings as they desire.

“The augmented reality application uses technology similar to the popular game Pokémon Go,” Schofield said. “Visitors to the fort download an app, point their phone at an object or flipbook image, and then see the history appear before their eyes.”

Johnson’s app creation will then bring up a slideshow of what the location looked like throughout the years, allowing curious tourists to analyze the fort’s appearance and structural foundations throughout time, including photos from back in the mid-to-late 19th century all the way to present day.

Fort Ontario’s primary fortification was constructed by the British in 1755 in order to improve defenses already in place across the river at Fort Oswego. At that time, the fort’s name was the “Fort of the Six Nations,” but fortifications were destroyed by French forces during the Battle of Fort Oswego in 1756 and later rebuilt by the British in 1759. The fort was also subject to reconstruction after the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

During World War II, Fort Ontario was home to almost 1,000 refugees, most of them Jewish, from the summer of 1944 through the winter of 1946. The Emergency Refugee Shelter and Safe Haven museum located at the fort is noted as the only nationally-recognized effort to shelter Jewish Holocaust refugees

during the war.

After the conclusion of the war, the refugees were kept in internment camps because of issues and disputes regarding American citizenship. In January of 1946, the decision was made to allow the refugees to become U.S. citizens, and by the following month, all 982 refugees were allowed to leave Fort Ontario.

Johnson graduated from Oswego with his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in cognitive science. He says future collaboration and user testing will allow for any needed changes to be made to the tour.

“I very much enjoyed working with Paul and Damian over the summer with this project. Aug-

mented reality is a booming technology and is now being implemented in historical tourists sites,” Johnson said. “A lot of the top end museums have virtual reality and augmented reality displays for their visitors. Having this addition will very much peak interest in tourists and locals as it’s a more immersive experience and will engage the visitors in a more enjoyable visiting experience overall.”

Johnson will pursue publishing the results of the augmented reality tour project, with the hopes that museums and other historical sites will begin to recognize the benefits of implementing augmented reality technology to further educate interested visitors.

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Overlooking the port of Oswego, New York, Fort Ontario was built by the British in 1755.

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

OPINION BOOKER

B5

AGRESSIVE

Mobilusin Mobili via Flickr

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS NEW RUGBY

B3

CHALLENGE

Photo provided by Shayna Benskie

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIII • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

B1

Cross country welcomes new head coach with loads of experience Jacob Smith enters Lakers program with conference, national championships, unique background Brian Rudman Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com With less than a month before their first meet of the new season, both the Oswego State men’s and women’s cross country teams were without a head coach. Now, two meets into the season, both teams are off to a strong start behind the leadership of their new head coach Jacob Smith.

In August, Smith was named head coach of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams.

Smith not only brings a lot of experience to his new office, but also great excitement about the role.

“Well it was a great opportunity to coach both a men’s and women’s cross country team at a state, or public school, which I really liked,” Smith said. “I have a history of coaching at public schools.

I’ve coached at SUNY Cortland and at Christopher Newport University before. So, to me, it seemed like it was a good fit, because I have a pretty good understanding of how public schools work.”

Smith found great success in his time as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland. Coaching there from 2007 through 2009, Smith led his teams and athletes to multiple NCAA Championship appearances. Smith even coached the 2009 men’s squad to the school’s only

NCAA Championship in men’s cross country.

Even if his success from 10 years ago may not help him in his coaching today, it still has an effect on the athletes.

“Having that credibility [is huge],” Smith said. “Having that sort of experience and being able to tell people, ‘look, this is what you’re capable of’ and helping people understand what they are able to do.”

With a new coach, some difficult changes can arise for the athletes. Despite this, they seem to be taking the changes in stride and are enjoying their new coach.

“I’m liking it so far,” sophomore Emily Gustafson said. “I like how he controls not just what our workouts are, what our running is, but more the things outside of that like our nutrition, our health, our recovery.”

Smith also has an interesting

background beyond his years of coaching. Smith served in the U.S. Air Force for six years, including two tours of duty. To the surprise of some, this has had an impact on him as a coach.

“If you ask the athletes, I’m really not much of a drill sergeant,” Smith said. “That’s not my style at all. I’m really not like that and part of that might be because of my experience in the military. Because I experienced that first hand, I know that that wasn’t very motivating.”

Smith’s military experience has also taught him things beyond coaching. According to Smith, being in the military taught him many lessons, especially during his deployment in Iraq.

“I hope that breath of experience gives me more empathy,” Smith said. “[It] makes it easier for me to understand that people are

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

dealing with things beyond, you know just training and competing.

[Trying] to take into account the whole person.”

This is something that the players have noticed in their new coach. The mentality of being more than just a coach on the course but also in life is something that the players appreciate.

“He’s more focused [than past coaches] on our lives outside of running,” senior Eric Perez said.

“How we sleep, how we eat, he’s always around. He’s trying to get to know us instead of being a coach from a distance.”

Smith is also open to talking with his athletes. Runners have noticed that their coach is concerned with their well being as well as their running.

“He’s very open minded,” junior Matthew Barbookles said. “If I got any issues, he’s very open. He’s not hard to talk to.”

This focus on the little things may have come from his time with the U.S. Olympic team. Smith both interned at the U.S. Olympic facility and worked as a coach for triathletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center later in his career.

During his time as an intern, Smith had the opportunity to talk to many world-class coaches during the Altitude Training Symposium, who taught him a lot.

“They brought together a lot of the top coaches from a lot of dif-

ferent sports especially in terms of distance running, to this symposium,” Smith said. “So, I got to spend a lot of time with those coaches. I got to really talk with them and learn a lot about how they did things and what made them successful.”

When Smith returned to the U.S. Olympic Center as a coach for triathletes, he had another great opportunity. Smith said he got to work with some Olympians and World Champions during his time as a coach for USA Triathlon. Through working with these athletes, Smith learned valuable lessons.

“How their mindset is critically important to their [Olympic athletes] success,” Smith said.

“They’re super talented from a physical standpoint, but there are lots of people that are super talented physically who never make it to that level or don’t achieve as much at that level because they’re just not as good at doing all the other little things that go into recovering from training or maximizing training.”

All of these great experiences have contributed to Smith’s journey that has led him to Oswego State, a place where he hopes to continue his success and what he is passionate about.

“Coaching is what I love to do,” Smith said. “Being at practice everyday, just the day-to-day grind is for me kind of enjoyable.”

Field hockey uses recruiting, Lakers rely on strong freshman class creates high scoring offense Women’s soccer battles injuries, uncertainty in early games Aaron Valentino Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com To start the 2019 season, the Lakers field hockey team looks to use an even and spread attack.

Last season Oswego State finished fifth in the SUNYAC with a 6-10 record. They scored a subpar 2.06 goals per game and finished dead last in the conference with 33 goals total. Their leading scorer in 2018 was Katie Reynolds, who scored almost half of the teams goals with 15. Only three other players on the roster had more than two goals. The only player remaining in a Lakers uniform is sophomore Alyssa DeMichael, who was the second leading scorer with eight goals. In total, Reynolds and DeMichael accounted for 70% of the Lakers’ goals last season. However, the first four games of the season have shown that this year is going to be quite different.

“We are going to be able to have a lot more high scoring games,” Ri-

ley Mallett said. “A lot of our girls are offensive and are capable of scoring multiple goals per game.”

It is only a small sample size, but through the first four games the Lakers already have four players who have two or more goals, matching their total number from last year. The Lakers are averaging 3.00 goals per game and have moved the ball around nicely. Nine players on the roster have scored this season, while only eight Lakers scored all of last season. The majority of these goals came in a 12-0 win against Wells College, a team they beat 6-0 last season. The offense appears to have a different feel to it this year, and the team definitely made offense a point of emphasis when looking towards the future.

“It just goes back to recruiting,” said coach Heather Moore. “We recruited a lot of forwards and midfielders, so I think that just naturally adds to the fact that we are having more people shooting more frequently.”

See FRESHMAN, B3

Will Rogers | The Oswegonian Freshman Annie O’Neill leads Oswego State in scoring with four goals in five games played.

Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com It has not been the ideal start for the Oswego State women’s soccer team. The Lakers are off to a 2-6 start in 2019, after a 6-8-3 record in 2018 which saw them miss the SUNYAC playoffs. One of the positives for the team has been the contributions from their freshmen. Oswego State and head coach Brian McGrane brought in a freshman class of 10 players, two more than the previous season. Eight of these freshmen have seen minutes during the team’s non-league games.

“Typically, we have a few freshmen that play,” McGrane said. “This year, more of them are getting opportunities to play because we have some uncertainty at some positions. They’re inexperienced in the physical part of the game, but they have held their own soccer wise.

There’s always a struggle when you play top 25 or regionally ranked teams every game.”

Leading the way for the Lakers freshman group is defenseman Fallon Lewis-Ellison from Rexville, New York. She has logged a full 90 minutes of action in five of the last six games and has played a major role following senior Rachel DiCoco’s torn ACL, which will sideline her for the entire season.

“Fallon has been fantastic since the start of preseason,” McGrane said. “She’s a very hard, tough-nosed player and it’s evident when you watch her play. She’ll win balls in the air, she fights in on tackles.”

Lewis-Ellison’s tough mentality is something that has been noticed by her fellow teammates. “[She] is a great addition to our team,” senior Grace Mueller said.

“She’s really strong, she goes in for a lot of balls that most girls wouldn’t go for. She uses her head a lot. She has really stepped up as a freshman.”

After being thrown into the fire game one against University of Rochester, Lewis-Ellison has come into her own. The increased vote of confidence from her coach has added another level to her game.

“It’s rewarding,” Lewis-Ellison said. “When I came on, I was nervous because it’s a big change from high school to college and I wasn’t sure how I’d adapt to the change. But realizing that I have adapted and I’m capable of doing it is rewarding.”

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Fallon Lewis-Ellison (right) has stepped up after Rachel DiCocco injury earlier this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Lakers added freshmen Katharine Balog and Phyllis Reed. Balog has played in every game this season for Oswego State, starting one.

She recorded a goal and two points in the team’s 2-1 win over Houghton College on Aug. 31. It has been her ability to create that has caught the eye of McGrane.

“Kat is a little bit more athletic, has a lot of pace,” McGrane said.

“She’s a left-footed player so her ability to serve the ball with her left foot has been great.”

As for Reed, she has gotten playing time more recently. After sitting the first four games, Reed has logged 54, 59, 44 and 45 minutes off the bench.

“I was kind of discouraged at first but, I think I’ve been proving myself in practice and in games,” Reed said.

“The fact he’s put me in the past few games has been really great.”

Coming off the bench is a change that several student-athletes have to make. Most were star players at their respective high schools. But for Reed, this has not changed her mindset.

“You’ve got to be ready, no matter what,” Reed said. “Even though I’m used to being a starter, the mentality is the same. You have to give 110% because you never know when you’ll get in. You have to be up to par with the pace of the game and everything.”

Jackie Vigliotti, Julia Gregorio, Emily Applegate and Andrea Hernandez round out the freshmen class that has seen playing time thus far. The tough part for any freshman is adjusting to the changes from high school to collegiate soccer.

“I feel pretty strong about [this class], that’s why we brought them in,” McGrane said. “It’s been an up and down rollercoaster because they’ve got to mentally be on for 180 minutes when you’re playing games back to back. I think fatigue, the pace of the game and the physicality of the game are a few things you can’t train for.”

The on-field presence of the young Lakers core has been impressive. But it is off the field where they have formed a bond.

“It’s been great,” Reed said. “We’re all really close to each other. We hang out every day, even when we don’t have practice or a game, we’re always with each other. It’s been great coming into college together and knowing what each of us is going through. I love the experience with them so far.”

Entering college can often be a daunting task. But it is nice for the Lakers freshmen group to know they always have each other to lean on.

“It’s been pretty cool,” Lewis-Ellison said. “We all come from different backgrounds. I’m from a very small school, so this is a huge change for me. Learning where they came from, why they play the way they do, it’s been a neat experience.”

Although the results have not quite been there thus far for Oswego State, the team feels they are headed in the right direction as SUNYAC play approaches.

“We’re working hard to get better each and every day,” Mueller said.

“It’s been about figuring out who to put where on the field and hopefully, we’ll just keep getting better as time goes on.”

SPORTS B2 Senior striker used soccer to adapt to life in U.S., build relationships THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept 20, 2019

Caleb Asamoah, born in Ghana, leads Oswego State in scoring, works tirelessly off the field

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian Lakers players Anthony Paris (10) and Michael Gualtieri (11) celebrate with Caleb Asamoah (23) following Asamoah’s game-winning goal against RIT last Sat, Sept. 21. The goal gave the Lakers a 2-1 lead with 94:53 on the clock.

Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com Just as many of us were getting ready for a new school and all the changes that go with middle school, Caleb Asamoah of the men’s soccer team had that experience and much more. Asamoah’s family left his birthplace of Ghana when he was in middle school, to eventually settle in a small town by the name of Briarcliff Manor.

At the time, he knew nobody in the town but was able to use his love of the game of soccer as an outlet.

“Soccer has been a huge part of my life from a very young age,” Asamoah said. “Coming to the states, it helped me build relationships with friends and I cherish every moment I made through soccer.”

Using athletics as a way to build relationships and strong bonds is very common for those who do not necessarily know that many people. There are endless stories of kids spending hours at the field or rink, practicing and

making friends. The hard work paid off for Asamoah, who played for the Briarcliff High School varsity team. Through hours of practice, Asamoah became one of the best players in program history. He set the record for most goals in a career at Briarcliff, leading the team to two league titles.

Asamoah’s humble nature came to life when reminiscing over his high school years. Despite being an all-state nominee, he does not dwell on this.

“When I went there, we had a great group of guys,” Asamoah said. “Just hard work. Us putting in the work everyday to be the best we can.”

Rather than focusing on himself, Asamoah always seems to defer to his teammates, at any level of the sport. For someone of Asamoah’s talent level, that is a bit of a surprise. He has been one of the better players on Oswego State since head coach Dan Kane became his coach as a sophomore.

“When coach Kane came, everyone here tried out for the team again,” Asamoah said. “He selected a few guys to move on, and it’s an honor to be playing for him.”

Asamoah led the team in goals last season with three, while scoring eight as a sophomore. Kane recognized Asamoah’s talent as a sophomore and rewarded him with significant playing time. Despite the talent, Kane knew Asamoah could be even better.

“I saw a really talented player, but he was also kind of out of shape,” Kane said. “We got on him right [from the] get go and [said], ‘Hey, you have the potential to do some great things, but you’ve got to increase your fitness level.’”

It appears as if Asamoah has taken that focus on fitness to heart.

Kane described him more recently as someone who “spends a lot of time in the weight room.” Even Asamoah always seems to speak on maintaining a level of fitness and constantly growing game after game. Asamoah compliments Kane for bringing that out of him and the rest of this Lakers team.

“Kane [does] a lot for us,” Asamoah said. “He challenged us to be the best we can and just keep helping each and everyone on the team.”

When it comes to helping the team, Asamoah is a leader in a dif-

ferent manner. He is a quiet and mildly-spoken person, who happens to be extremely genuine. Because of this, the senior is not the loud mouth who pumps up the entire team as they race out of the locker room. Asamoah brings his soccer intelligence to the forefront during scrimmages, games and practices, imparting his wisdom on the rest of the team.

“He’s an extremely insightful player,” Kane said. “He does have really good individual communciation with the other forwards and with the midfielders.”

With eight freshmen on the roster, including two forwards, Asamoah has been integral in teaching them on and off the field. While freshman striker Steven Rojas has a slightly different style of play, he has gravitated towards Asamoah.

In just seven games, the duo have built a strong relationship. Of the six goals Asamoah has scored, Rojas has recorded assists on three of them. This type of relationship is critical for offensive success. The two need to understand where the other will be on the field at all times in order to pass the ball effectively.

“He’s linked up a lot with Steven Rojas,” Kane said. “And Kieran Gilroy has started to find him, as well. It’s kind of like a wide receiver in football. You’re reliant on that quarterback to get you the ball, so that relationship is an important relationship. As a forward, you’re reliant upon the guys around you.”

Dating back to freshman year, it was clear that Asamoah was the real deal. He was very noticeable in practices early on, something that is a good thing for offensive players.

“I was like ‘wow, he’s a really good player,’” senior midfielder Anthony Paris said. “Strong forward, can hold up the ball [well].

He’s got good tactical skills and can drive at defenders.”

While he is all-business on the field, Asamoah knows how to have fun. For him, the soccer field has been almost like a safe place, dating back to his first few years in America. That fun that he had is something he wishes to pass onto the underclassmen on the roster.

“Just keep having fun,” Asamoah said. “We work hard, we play hard.”

Oswego State volleyball player finds her home 2,640 miles away

Sophomore libero, California native chose Oswego State based on volleyball, zoology program Bechard and her mother.

“When I was making the decision, my mom and I had to sit down for a really hard heart-to-heart talk about it,” Bechard said. “It was scary and nerve wracking, but exciting. It’s a different experience.”

Luckily, Oswego State volleyball head coach J.J. O’Connell had experience recruiting national players.

While he was at the Stevens Institute of Technology during the 2007 season, he had numerous players from outside of SIT’s home-state of New Jersey. His team included players from Tennessee, Louisiana, California and even one from Honolulu, Hawaii.

During his tenure at Oswego State, he has also had out-of-state players, like senior Sarah Massie who hails from Connecticut, who also came in as a zoology major. But this time it was a little bit different, O’Connell said.

“She’s close to her family. She has pets and that’s always a challenge,” O’Connell said. “All the things you want to be cognitive of, like trips to and from the airport … you really have to make sure you’re on top of the planning a little bit, more so with an out of state player coming from that far.”

Senior Shauna O’Flaherty, Bechard and O’Connell said the school was a good fit for Bechard, fitting in with the high-energy program that O’Connell Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Lakers sophomore Skylar Bechard (4) prepares to serve in the Oswego State Invitational last weekend.

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com When Skylard Bechard chose where to go to college, she had two things on her mind: zoology and volleyball.

The next step was deciding to make the move from Rialto, California, to play volleyball in Oswego 一2,640 miles away from home. The weather made no difference in her

decision, going from sunny southern California, which is two hours away from the Mexican border, to Oswego, which is two hours away from the closest crossing point to Canada and right on Lake Ontario. “[It’s cold but] it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Bechard said. “With the San Andreas winds, we get up to 80 miles per hour. So this isn’t really much different.”

The decision eventually came down to a family conversation for

tries to promote.

“Even from her recruitment visit it was just very natural for her to be here,” O’Flaherty said.

O’Connell said that he has always wanted to recruit out of California, to create a pipeline for other studentathletes to look at Oswego State for volleyball. With the ability to play year round, players usually start taking up volleyball at a younger age, O’Connell said, so they have stronger ball control and serving by the time they reach the collegiate level.

Bechard said club volleyball is a lot bigger on the west coast, too.

“With California, it’s a lot more wide and broad,” Bechard said. “There’s a lot more teams actively going.”

In just her sophomore year, Bechard has been able to take a small leadership role within the team. Her role mainly revolves around the energy she brings to practice and her vocal personality, O’Connell said. He called her a “team-first kid” who fills whatever spot is necessary on the team.

“Since day one, even in her recruiting visit, she’s been very energetic and a loud person,” O’Flaherty said. “We expect that from every player, but it’s nice to see that from a sophomore.”

Even though her leadership might have grown since her rookie season with the Lakers, Bechard said her role off the court has not

changed at all. O’Connell said that Bechard has gotten a little more vocal after a year of experience being on the team and knowing the rest of the girls on the roster.

“I just try to keep my energy high and support the girls the best that I can on and off the court,” Bechard said.

On the court, from her freshman to sophomore seasons, O’Connell said that her serving has improved and gotten more aggressive. With her experience in beach volleyball in California and also playing as a libero, she also has solid ball control.

Last season, Bechard had 17 aces in 59 sets played. In the early stages of this season, she already has 21 aces and 21 assists, emphasizing that good ball control that O’Connell looks for.

“She’s worked on her short serve and her deep serve,” O’Connell said.

“She’s become way more consistent with it.”

While she has different team and individual goals for the rest of the season, as well as keeping up on her schooling, there is definitely one thing she is looking forward to most during the entire season. And it all comes back to that hard conversation that happened 2,640 miles away from home.

“My mom will be out in October.

She’ll be able to see three games,” Bechard said. “[We’re both] excited.”

Photo Brief FORMER LAKER MAKES HISTORY

Photo provided by Dave Reginek via Detroit Red Wings

Earlier this week, Kendall Hanley made history. The 2009 Oswego State alumna, along with three other women, became the first female official to work on the physical ice for the National Hockey League.

The women worked the 2019 NHL Prospect Challenge several tournaments that occur across the nation for budding stars in the NHL. The other officials include Kirsten Welsh, Katie Guay and Kelly Cooke.

Hanley spent the week in Traverse City, Michigan, working the tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings. According to the NHL, this was not necessarily surprising because so many women have entered their officiating talent pool via an annual Exposure Combine.

Despite graduating with a degree in zoology, Hanley was not quite ready to leave a sport she spent most of her life playing.

“At that time I was wondering, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’”

Hanley told Emily Kaplan of ESPN. “I had just finished playing at a high level and I didn’t know what to do with myself … I fell in love with [officiating]. It’s kind of like playing. It’s challenging and you want to get better at it everyday.”

Since leaving an internship with the Dallas Zoo back in 2009, Hanley has officiated games at the NCAA and USA Hockey levels. She has spent 11 years at the NCAA Div. III

level and even in International Ice Hockey Federation games, the international body that governs ice hockey, similar to FIFA for soccer.

Hanley’s playing career started at Elmira College, but she transferred to Oswego State as a rising junior. In 34 games played as a Laker, Hanley recorded three points. As a senior, the Lakers reached the ECAC West Championship, where they lost 6-1 to Plattsburgh State.

Now, with the prospects tournament ending, Hanley will go back home to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she works five nights a week as an official. Hanley has not lost her zoology ties as she works at a pet shop and opened her own dog-walking business as a full-time career.

The NHL is not the first professional league to utilize female officials as the NBA and NFL have women refereeing their games.

While this experience has ended for Hanley, she still has high hopes for her officiating career. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her colleague, Cooke, who worked games at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

“For the women’s side, I think one of our main goals is to one day hit the ice for the Olympics,” Hanley told NHL.com. “There’s a lot that’s got to go into that, but we’ve got to dream big … I’m so grateful to be able to do what I do.”

B B33 SPORTS Freshman start to make significant impact THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept.. 20, 2019

First-year players account for 40% of goals on season FIELD from B1

The Lakers have eight freshmen on the roster this year, and six are midfielders or forwards. Three out of the eight freshmen have scored for the Lakers this season. Nobody has come in and made more impact than freshman forward Annie O’Neill from New City. O’Neill has four goals and eight points early on, both of which lead the team.

“I just worked really hard all summer,” O’Neill said. “I really wanted it. I’m really happy with how I’ve been playing.”

O’Neill scored two of her first four goals in the 12-0 game against Wells College, with the other two coming in her previous two games. She was shut out against Marywood College, as were the rest of the Lakers. The team only managed two shots the entire game in the 3-0 loss. Moore has recognized O’Neill’s good play.

“She’s very steady, so she’s in the right spot at the right time and has been getting some really great feeds from her teammates,” Moore said.

“She has really good finesse. When she’s handling the ball, she’s able to get around some defenders so now we’re trying to work on making that even better moving forward.”

There is a different sense among the Oswego State locker room.

Three of the four leading scorers

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

last season graduated. Despite this, the Lakers have grown into a more complete team.

“I feel like as a whole, everybody wants to win a lot,” Mallett said.

“Everybody is willing to work really hard and be able to get some of those wins against those tougher teams. I feel this year everyone has a collective mindset of just wanting to win.”

Black Widows begin new season in Div. II Women’s club rugby up for new challenge after undefeated 2018

Photo provided by Shayne Benskie The Black Widows started their first season in Div. II with a 1-1 record, despite rebuilding with eight new starters on the season.

Neil Boedicker Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State Black Widows women’s rugby team are off to a 1-1 start this season after having an undefeated regular season last year.

After allowing only one tri last year and being ranked 12th in the nation out of 130 teams from the National Small College Rugby Organization, the Black Widows petitioned to move up to Div. II for the opportunity to face tougher competition.

“Last year was just a lot of win, win, win,” senior captain Kerri McGovern said. “This year has definitely been more of a challenge skillwise. The way we played last year and the communication on the field makes this year a big transition for us as a team.”

The Black Widows did not get off to the start that they wanted when they lost to SUNY Cortland 42-17 in their season opener, but the team was able to turn the loss into a positive form of motivation.

“We definitely got cocky off of last year,” senior captain Tylea McCarthy-Walker said. “We needed to get slapped by a team to get back focus and not be the team that just got bumped up a division then get bumped right back down.”

Losing was not something the Black Widows were accustomed to last year and getting blown out by their first opponent was definitely a wake up call to the entire team.

With only eight out of 15 starters from last year returning to the team, many players have had to adjust to new roles.

“They have really been stepping up,” senior Kayla Mazurkiewicz said. “They all are trying really hard at practice and realized what they have to do in order to beat these teams.”

One player who adjusted best to her new role last year was McCarthy-Walker who not only was named to the Upstate NY All Star 7s team, but she was also one of 12 girls to be invited to play for the na-

tional team in the Collegiate Rugby Championship and was named an NSCRO All-American.

“I was ecstatic because I didn’t start taking rugby serious until last year,” McCarthy-Walker said. “I go to practice every day and train for all these opportunities. I knew what I had to do to progress in this sport, but I still have a lot of room to grow.”

Not only is McCarthy-Walker a leader for the Black Widows team, but many of her teammates consider her a player and coach for all that she does with helping her team in practice.

“She is very humble about everything she does,” Mazurkiewicz said.

“Without her we wouldn’t know the new rules, drills and techniques.

I look up to her as a coach even though she is another player on the team. There is no negative thing about her and she always finds positivity in everything.”

This has helped a lot of the new members of the team who have had to endure much bigger roles than last year since the team is so much smaller than they were a year before.

“Compared to other teams we are definitely a lot smaller in terms of our size,” McGovern said. “But everyone on the team has a good attitude.

We always try to keep a positive mindset staying calm and collected on the field.”

Even though some new Black Widows have never played rugby before, they all are committed to learning the sport to help their team as much as possible. Including freshman Brianna Walker who is not the biggest player on the team, but is willing to tackle anyone on the field no matter how big they are.

“She is probably 90 pounds soaking wet with two bricks in her pocket,” said McCarthy-Walker. “She likes to target the biggest girl on the team so they don’t go after her again.”

All the hard work and motivation from the entire team led to a 39-0 victory where rookie MacKenzie Maxam used her track skills to score her first career tri.

“Mackenzie got the ball and had

this beautiful run,” McCarthy-Walker said. “A girl tried to tackle her, but fell then Mackenzie rolled away and just beelined down the field.”

Another person who has greatly helped this team is faculty advisor Toby Malone who has been playing rugby since he was six years old, while growing up in Australia. When he first came to Oswego and found out that the women’s team was in need of a faculty advisor, he jumped at the chance.

“When I first came to Oswego, I heard there were a couple of rugby teams on campus,” Malone said. “I asked one of the guys at The Point where the games were, so I go watch a game. He told me they were looking for a faculty advisor and I was happy to help.”

Since the women’s team does not officially have a coach, Malone’s presence has definitely made a huge improvement to the team.

“Toby Malone is an amazing advisor,” Mazurkiewicz said. “He has been there everyday [at practice] helping us implement new drills. He has been the main pusher towards us becoming better.”

Malone’s passion for rugby has really rubbed off on all of the Black Widows, and his joy and love for rugby keeps him involved with the sport today.

“Working with the women’s team is honestly the best thing at Oswego that I do,” Malone said.

“They are a bunch of women who do this because they love the game and I love passing on my love for the game that I have played my entire life.”

Even though this can be seen as a rebuilding year for the Black Widows, the entire team feels confident in being able to go back to the playoffs and compete for a national title again this year.

“We have to definitely work on our offense and defensively we are coming together as a team,” McCarthy-Walker said. “It all comes down to everyone consistently coming to practice and just trying to get better. We are rebuilding, but we definitely have a chance.”

Shore Report

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Soccer

Overall

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

7-0-0 5-1-0 5-1-0 4-2-0 4-2-0 4-2-0 4-3-0 2-3-2 2-4-0 2-5-1

Women’s Soccer Geneseo Plattsburgh Potsdam Brockport Cortland Buffalo State Fredonia Oneonta New Paltz Oswego State

Field Hockey

Overall

5-2-0 4-2-0 4-4-0 3-3-1 3-3-0 3-4-1 3-3-0

Volleyball

Fredonia Geneseo Potsdam Oswego State New Paltz Plattsburgh Buffalo State Brockport

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0-1 0-1 4-8 3-8 0-1 4-9 0-1 Around the SUNYAC

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Cortland Oneonta

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Oswego Scoreboard

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Cortland Brockport Geneseo New Paltz Oneonta Oswego State Morrisville

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Men’s Soccer 0

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POT: 2-5-1 (0-0-0) UTI: 4-1-1 (0-0-0)

0:

No sets were dropped by the Oswego State Volleyball team last weekend. The Lakers won all three Oswego State Invitational tournament games by a 3-0 score.

The final win came against SUNY Canton to capture the title. This was the first season since 2016 the Lakers won their home tournament and they are 4-1 at home this season.

B4

Field Hockey

Volleyball

Saturday, Sept. 14

Saturday, Sept. 14

3

0

3

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OSW:

DeMichael: 2 SOG Scheblein: 6 saves

CAN:

Houppert: 6 assists Roat: 15 digs

MAR:

Forbes: 3 SOG Drew: 1 goal Mountz: 2 saves

OSW:

O’Flaherty: 9 kills Flohr: 19 assists Costa: 16 digs

Women’s Soccer Saturday, Sept. 14

3

0 OSW: SLU:

Roth: 2 shots Portalatin: 6 saves Mulhern: 3 SOG Daley: 1 goal Allen: 4 saves

Men’s Soccer Tuesday, Sept. 17

2

0 OSW: ITH:

Asamoah: 2 shots Terra: 4 saves Pierce: 1 assist Lichtman: 1 goal Lichtenstein: 6 saves

Upcoming Events Women’s Tennis Friday, Sept. 20

@ 3:00 p.m.

OSW: 1-5 (0-2) NPZ: 1-1 (1-0)

Field Hockey Saturday, Sept. 21

@ 1:00 p.m.

SLU: 2-4 (0-0) OSW: 2-3 (0-0)

Volleyball

Men’s Soccer

@

@

3:00 p.m

4:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21

Saturday, Sept. 21

OSW: 8-4 (0-1) MIS: 12-3 (1-0)

MIS: 2-2-2 (0-0-0) OSW: 4-3-0 (0-0-0)

Erik Schleicher

Lauren Fie

Laker Athletes of the Week

L1 L4 L3 L3

Women’s Soccer 2

0

PLA: 4-2-0 (0-0-0) SKI: 4-1-1 (0-1-0)

3:

Games in a row have been lost by the Oswego State’s field hockey team against Marywood University. The series began in 1997 and resumed in 2018. The Lakers lost last Saturday’s matchup 3-0. The win brought the Pacers to 3-3 on the season. Oswego State was outshot 13-3 and drops to a 2-3 record on this year’s campaign.

Golf Senior | Elma

The senior has been a large factor in Oswego State’s two first-place finishes this season. At the Keuka College Fall Invitational Wed, Sept.

11, Schleicher finished at an evenpar 72. That number was the best of anyone in the outing. His front -nine included two birdies and he finished the back with another birdie and five pars. Schleicher and the golf team return to action this weekend at the Utica Invitational.

94:53

Was the time on the clock when Oswego State men’s soccer player Omar Espinoza found Caleb Asamoah in front of the net for a game-winning goal last Saturday against RIT. The goal was Asamoah’s sixth on the season to lead the team.

Oswego State is now 4-3 on the season ahead of its final non-league game against Misericordia Univ. on Sept. 21.

Volleyball Senior | Corning The Corning native had a big impact on the Lakers’ Oswego State Invitational tournament win this weekend. Fie finished the tournament hitting .304 with 24 kills, 10 blocks and six aces, earning All-Tournament honors.

Oswego State finished 3-0 in the tournament and did not drop a single set. Fie and the Lakers hit the road for the Misericordia Tournament this weekend.

309:

Was the total score for Oswego State’s golf team in their tournament win last Wednesday, Sept. 11. The Lakers placed first out of 10 teams at the Keuka College Fall Invitational. They were led by Erik Schleicher, who shot a 72 to lead all competitors.

Seniors Daniel Mort (78), Ryan Fecco (78) and junior Nathan Aldous (81) rounded out the Lakers’ team score.

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

B5

Improved gun Textbooks to be made more accessible Second legislation SA proposed exciting plans for upcoming semesters Amendment necessary protections Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Josh Markland Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com On Dec. 14, 2012, the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting took place. This event was so shocking that many believed it would lead to the end of the gun control debate and the start of real, impactful gun legislation.

Since that shooting, more than 2,225 mass shootings have happened in the United States.

President Trump believes that video games, not the permissive access to high capacity assault rifles in America, are to blame.

“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society.

This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace ... we must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately,” Trump said after the brutal shootings that took place in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in August.

However, contrary to the rhetoric that Trump uses, researchers have done extensive studies into the correlation between violent video games, the impact they have on the youth that play them and whether they may influence someone to commit a heinous act.

“The idea that violent video games drive real-world aggression is a popular one, but it hasn’t tested very well over time. Despite interest in the topic by parents and policy-makers, the research has not demonstrated that there is cause for concern,” Andrew Przybylski, a professor at Oxford University said.

Przybylski led a study that collected data from 2,008 teenagers, parents and caretakers, while also using the Entertainment Software Rating Board system to quantify the level of violence in video games as opposed to using players opinions.

... the gun death rate in America is far greater than in most other nations.

Since research has concluded that video games play no role in the levels of aggression in youth, why has Trump chosen to ignore these studies and continue under this narrative? A large reason is the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the money they spend on lobbying that helps to prevent impactful legislation from being passed.

According to OpenSecrets.org, the NRA spends $1,690,000 per year on lobbying, a remarkable number for a nonprofit organization.

According to the Pew Research Center, the gun death rate in America is far greater than in most other nations, primarily developed ones such as ours. The U.S. gun death rate was 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2016, and that is a rate far higher than countries with far stricter gun laws such as Canada (2.1 per 100,000) and Australia (1.0 per 100,000).

Both Canada and Australia have violent video games just like we do, and both countries have a fraction of the gun deaths we do. The problem is not the video games; it is the guns, and someone should probably let President Trump know.

The Oswego State Student Association has been in talks about some changes that could come in future years. Two of these are extended library hours and improved accessibility for textbooks.

By making textbooks easier to access and the library being open for more hours, Oswego State could become a place that truly understands that academics come first.

The purpose of schooling is to get an education and often times, a degree. A lot of the time, this idea is lost in the various clubs, sports and partying that happens on and off campus. SA, by wanting the library to be open 24 hours a day, would be making it much easier to continue studies while not being cramped in the 24-hour study room. This room, on school nights and Saturday nights, is usually filled to the brim with students trying to get work done. Having this room available is a great first step into having a place for students to study. When there are no empty tables late at night, a student would need to look elsewhere.

The biggest problem that would arise by increasing hours is finding the necessary staff to run the check-out desk or technology help desk during the new hours.

If a student begins to work, then realize they need to take a book

home with them, someone needs to be there to check it out. If the want for the library to be open 24 hours a day is popular enough, then increased pay for overnight shifts should be offered to those library employees.

The second idea highlighted by SA is the improved accessibility of textbooks. This is, pretty much without question, a great idea.

Textbooks are only one of the many exorbitant costs of attending college, and they are overpriced. Creating a textbook is difficult, of course, but to charge over a hundred dollars on a digital copy of a textbook is just money-grabbing and taking advantage of college students who do not have a choice or, often, a steady income.

SA is proposing expanding a now-available method to get PDFs of textbooks needed for courses and creating a database of sorts for books. This would make college, with the introduction of the Excelsior Scholarship, a much more affordable option for people who are trying to improve their lives. Many students who cannot afford books choose to not purchase them and attempt to do the assignments without the readings to help, or do not do the assignments at all.

By increasing the hours the library is available and making textbooks easier to get, or eliminating textbook costs altogether, Oswego State could become a more inclusive and affordable campus.

Julia Tilley | The Oswegonian The library currently only has one room available for 24 hour use, and it is not spacious.

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

Cory Booker took debating to different level Debate stage for debating, not mindless attacking Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com It is September. Another Democratic primary debate just happened and hostility is in the air. The purpose of the debate is to narrow down who is running for president, but with only a bit more than a year until the general election, it does not make sense to for candidates to be so aggressive towards each other.

That is not to say that candidates should censor their values to avoid conflict. Debates are exactly for that: debating. Disagreements are natural and no one should lie about their values, especially since one of these candidates could be the next president of the United States. Honesty is the best policy and each candidate should say how they truly feel, so potential voters know exactly what they are voting for.

At the end of the day, only one of these candidates are moving onto the general election. If any of them wish to stand a chance of stopping Trump from being re-elected, they should not be mud-slinging their fellow candidates. Any in-fighting done within the debates will only be used as fuel against them later on.

Cory Booker and Joe Biden were having a disagreement at the debate this past week. Joe Biden appeared to misspeak, then backtrack on his previous views. Everyone misspeaks, obviously, but questions of Biden’s age has been called into question when discussing if he would be fit to be president. With this misspeak, Booker claimed that Biden forgot what he had said only two minutes prior.

Upon rereading the transcript, it

Photo from Tech-Crunch via Flickr Cory Booker appeared on the debate stage and decided to attack Joe Biden based on his age.

appeared that Booker misunderstood what Biden meant.

Regardless of the actual discussion, this was a low blow from Booker. No one is denying that Biden is getting older; he’s currently 76. But instead of calling out his policies or his moderate viewpoints, which could have easily stolen some support from Biden, Booker resorted to petty insults.

The debate stage is the time to be aggressive, if there ever is an appropriate time. It is time for candidates to prove that they would be the best choice for president. The way to go about this is through mature conversation and civil disagreements. The debate stage is not the place to roast each other.

Part of this goes hand-in-hand with the want of candidates to be

hip and get more attention. Comedy Central has an entire show about roasting celebrities, and social media loves that sort of thing. Speaking negatively of their opponents only gets them more attention and shows they are not afraid to say it how it is, or so they think. In reality, all that happens is that they look extremely disrespectful towards someone they might end up voting for, should they lose the primaries.

Biden is currently the frontrunner for this election. Booker is much further from the top, and time is running out for him to catch up. Attacking the former vice president, who was traditionally well-liked within the Democratic party, might just push Booker’s run for presidency off the table.

Photo from lifesizepotato via Flickr

Nathan Beers Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com Gun control is one of the most contentious conversations you can have in politics these days, whether conservative or liberal, and even among these groups, the extent to which gun control should be implemented is an issue. However, when gun control is broken down into its constituent parts, it starts to be a lot easier to fall on the side of the Second Amendment.

Most people around the world believe in a right to self-preservation.

It is hard to argue that a person has committed murder if they were attacked first or if their home was broken into; a person has a natural instinct to protect them self and the ones they love and few would argue against that. Although people might disagree on what is needed to defend a home, a .22 rifle is not going to do the job.

The issue comes down to the fact that if you need to stop someone from hurting or killing you or your loved ones, you shoot to kill. There can be no second guessing in scenarios like this. No average Joe can defend themselves with a sword or chair when the invader has a firearm, legally obtained or not. This is perhaps the most obvious need for a firearm and the best argument against the disarming of the general public. Shootings, whether at school or our places of worship, in this country are becoming more and more common and rising at an alarming rate, but that is the point, they are increasing. According to Stanford University’s Mass Shootings in America Data Project, there were only nine mass shootings between 1920 and 1964, a 44-year period, despite the fact that there were not nearly the kinds of restrictions on firearms that there are today.

... when a law like that is passed, it either turns lawabiding citizens into criminals or it grandfathers the owners into the new law ...

The fearmongering of those who would see weapons taken out of the hands of law-abiding citizens projects this problem as being mutable through legislation and fails to see the problems inherent in its follow through. First and foremost, when a law like that is passed, it either turns law-abiding citizens into criminals or it grandfathers the owners into the new law, neither of which solves the problem. Second, it assumes that these laws will be followed and that those who are willing to take lives in a shooting will, for some reason, follow the law. People who have a drive to kill people in a mindless rampage of violence have lost the kind of control and humanity that allows laws to function properly.

Third, if somehow these laws are done in such a way that it actually prevents the potential shooter from acquiring the weapon, would it really stop a determined individual?

Spain would tell you no; in 2015, a 13-year-old student shot and killed a teacher and injured four other students with a crossbow and a machete. Still, even with rather strict laws, Spain has seen a number of terrorist attacks that have seen both firearms, like the one in 2017 which killed 13 and injured over 100, and other means used, like the Madrid metro bombing in 2004, which killed over 200 and injured over 2,000.

Where there is a will, there is a way for sick people to kill others and our laws mean nothing to them or their cause.

NEWS FORT ONTARIO AR

A6 Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

OPINION

VOLUME LXXXIV ISSUE XIII

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

SPORTS B2

SENIOR’S STORY

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL On Friday, Sept. 13, an email was sent to a swath of Oswego State students, purporting to be from a man named Dickey Elliot Douglas, looking for a student to fill an assistant position while they are still at school.

The offer claimed to be authorized by the administration, and the job it was offering up sounded like quite a good gig for a college student. Although it should not have been that hard to catch that the email was a fake, considering it was being sent from the email account “trapremix2015@gmail.com.”

Today the administration sent a campus-wide email, explaining how the job offer was a spam email trying to get students to involve themselves in a

check fraud or wire transfer fraud scheme. Hopefully, no students got involved in the shakedown.

This experience should be a reminder to the Oswego State community that there are plenty of scams out there, and we should be wary of them at all times. Some of them may seem more legitimate than others, and one should always be skeptical of the legitimacy of a job offer that promises more than seems viable.

There are plenty of scams that try to target college students, from online textbook scams, to companies that charge high fees to offer services that students can find for free and of course the good ol’ employment scam. Even legitimate compa-

nies can be roads to financial ruin for people. Multi-level marketing companies, which get people to sign on as salespeople for more-established sellers in pyramid-scheme style approach, offer students the opportunity to make money with minimal effort. What they do not tell you is how hard it can be to make money this way, and how unlikely the average person is to find success in that style of company.

One should always be suspicious of the legitimacy of internet-based job offers, and everyone should stop and think, “Is this too good to be true?” before investing their hard-earned money or offering up their personal information.

IN THE OFFICE

Oswego State students need to vote Majority of students chose to leave their voices unheard

Colin Hawkins News Editor chawkins@oswegonian.com There is no other way to put it, Oswego State students need to vote.

I know, everyone tells young Americans to vote and honestly, most of the reasons are tired. Appealing to civic duty, patriotism and remembering the sacrifice of those that came before simply is not convincing students to vote at Oswego State. And I mean Oswego State specifically, not just the vague American student or “youth today” like some old fogey.

According to a report by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, voting rates among Oswego State students in the 2016 election were well below the average for the over 1,000 academic institutions in the study.

Despite a voter registration rate matching the study’s average for college students by the 2016 election, about 75%, only 54.6% of those registered voters cast a vote, compared to the study’s average of about 68% registered voter rate. Looking at the overall voter rate, which compares votes cast against all eligible voters instead of just those that are registered, only 41.8% The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935 of Oswego State students over age 18 voted in the 2016 election.

The total voting rate for the 2016 presidential election was estiWe want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything mated around 58%. regarding the Oswego State community.

It can be easy to tell yourself your vote will not matter, but

that was never the point. A single vote has almost never mattered in an election, but dutifully voting is not supposed to be a heroic act. Political ideas represent countless individual stories joining together into a movement. Everyone has personal stories and experiences that inform their voice, engaging in politics is letting that voice join a chorus rather than expecting a solo. Instead, 58% of Oswego State students decided to stay silent in 2016.

Voting is the only way you can ensure your voice is heard. No doubt, this can be seen by how hard citizens have had to fight to be counted. The Constitution was ratified in 1788, but poor white men were not included in the voting process until the mid-1800s.

Before then, only the landowners and wealthy elite could vote.

Black men were only included after the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870. Even then, a history of black voter suppression followed.

Women gained suffrage with the 19th Amendment, ratified just under a hundred years ago in 1920.

Teenagers could not vote until the registration age was lowered to 18 after the 26th Amendment was ratified in 1971. If you are under 21, a woman, or anything but a rich white man, the original plan was not to include you in the voting process. Most students

gained the right to vote relatively recently in the history of this country, so why are so many willing to exclude themselves?

To be honest, politics are unexpected these days. Votes that seem like foregone conclusions are surprising experts because the common wisdom of who votes and why is changing.

Now more than ever, there is no wasted vote. Norms are getting shattered because they no longer resemble reality. Previously disenfranchised voters are turning up, except for Oswego State.

Historically, politicians have been able to ignore young voters because they do not vote. Promising to help students earned them nothing, while their opponents won by appealing to older Americans. Money in politics is a definite concern, but the difference is that money cannot directly buy votes. No amount of campaign donations can change a determined voter’s mind. If it feels like money talks, if it feels like nobody cares about youth problems, if it feels like everybody lies, then vote.

Look closer, there are politicians that are taking a risk by appealing to groups that rarely voted. Groups of voters like the youthful, those that care about big money in government and who run on honesty.

If that is the most important thing to you, nothing can stop you from voting for them but you.

THE OSWEGONIAN G UIDELIN ES

Email all letters as Word attachments to opinion@oswegonian.com or mail submissions to 139A Campus Center, Oswego N.Y. 13126 All writers must provide their real name, address, academic year, major and phone number (which will not be published).

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Lilly

Members of organizations should include their title if their letter addresses an issue pertaining to the organization.

For publication, letters should be 250 words or less and submitted by the Tuesday prior to the desired publication date.

The Oswegonian reserves the right to edit and reject letters and cannot guarantee that all letters will be published.

Opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not always reflect those of The Oswegonian.

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

Photo provided by @Nicole_Hube

INSIDE

C2 Streaming service glut C3 Lana Del Rey exposes C5 Banjo, Kazooie enter

about to get ugly for fans

America in new album

Super Smash Bros.

FRIDAY Sept. 20, 2019

video Laker Review

C2

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

Streaming services convenient now, will cost consumers in time

Zakary Haines Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Many people are subscribed to some sort of streaming-service ‘Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, etc. or are able to gain access to one relatively quickly. Since cable is becoming more and more expensive, many are cutting the cord and going to streaming services.

These alternatives are not only cheaper but provide better quality content than most cable channels. But with more networks and companies seeing the market trend, the more everyone wants a piece of this rising market.

For the most part, the big networks have stayed out of the streaming market. They have not seen it as a viable way to make money until recently.

Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video have been able to establish a fan base and been able to keep a hold on their share of the market. Over time, slowly and steadily, other companies have been able to get into the streaming market. More

streaming services like YouTube TV, HBO Now and Sling TV have been able to carve into this market and take away from some of the original and turning a profit.

This is only the beginning of what may be the end of cheap alternatives to entertainment.

In November of this year, Disney is planning on launching their streaming service, Disney +. Disney, who owns a lot of property including Pixar, Lucasfilms, Marvel, ESPN, ABC and National Geographic, is jumping into the market with their brand and shows that may be the apocalypse that all of these streaming services feared: a media giant tapping into another market and may be the end for all streaming platforms. Disney + starts at $6.99 a month across the board while Netflix will cost $9.99 for the basic package and $13.99 for their best package offer. Disney will be able to run Disney + at a loss for years before they lose money in general, which makes the price so low compared to other streaming services. But Disney will have to battle others

Image from Disney via YouTube Upcoming streaming service Disney+ owns not only Disney and Pixar studios, but also Marvel, Star Wars and now Twentieth Century Fox.

to get to the top.

Apple TV is becoming more of a presence between Apple TV + as the company continues to increase their roster of shows available on the platform. Shows including “See,” “Servant,” and an unnamed project with Oprah Winfrey. These shows will feature the talent caliber of Steve Carell (“Welcome to Marwen”), Jason Momoa (“Aquaman”) and M. Night Shyamalan (“Glass”) leading the “Servant” production.

Pricing for Apple TV is way more than Disney + or YouTube TV but

Apple TV + will be starting at $5 a month. Anyone buying new Apple devices this fall will be treated to a free year subscription to Apple TV + and everyone else (including Android users) will be allowed a seven day free trial.

Apple TV + is another streaming service that plans to release in November and will be in direct competition with Disney +.

The two giants will battle it out for the new number one spot for streaming services.

While the 2010’s are coming to an end, we as consumers will

not see the full effect and the end result of big companies jumping into the market until the next decade. The result of saturating a market will hit people who decided to cut the cord but will suffer with too many options to choose from. When this occurs, some may return to pirating shows from multiple platforms and watching what they want. Some may argue that having too much to choose from is a good thing but as some point out, streaming services may be no better than cable in the next decade.

‘The Fall of Hobo Johnson’ successfully fuses different genres

Image from Hobo Johnson via YouTube Hobo Johnson dips into pure punk rock with new hit single “Typical Story.”

Luis Galarza Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: It has been around a year and a half since Frank Lopes Jr., otherwise known as Hobo Johnson, turned into an internet sensation of sorts with his live backyard renditions of his and his bandmates’ original songs.

The most popular and simultaneously, the most unbearably obnoxious of these being the Peach Scone video.

He had an irritating cadence to his

voice and it was just an uncomfortable and albeit unique fusion of rap, pop, rock and folk that just was not appealing in the slightest. However, the release of his first album, titled ‘The Rise of Hobo Johnson’ proved he was much better suited for a studio setting and that maybe Peach Scone was simply just a bad first impression. There is something about the imperfections in Johnson’s voice and delivery, literal mispronunciations and stutters in some of the songs, the juvenile poetic lyrics and the surprisingly fun and rich instrumentals, that finally struck a chord

with the people who did not get it the first time around; “Demarcus Cousins & Ashley,” as well as “Sex in the City,” being among the best songs of the album. Luckily, Johnson’s sophomore effort, ‘The Fall of Hobo Johnson,’ only builds on this formula, for the better, but, also for the worse.

“The Fall of Hobo Johnson” opens fantastically with a straight-up rock song in “Typical Story.” It is insanely fun and features Johnson’s typical cutesy lyrics about being awkward on dates and his usual expressive delivery, but ramped up to 11, where he showcases his effective screaming voice. It sets a nice precedent for what is to be an easy going first chunk of the album. “Mover Awayer” and “Uglykid” have Johnson further rapping about his insecurities about relationships, his image, etc. It is admittedly a bit eye-rolly but in that sort of charming Johnson way. “You & the Cockroach,” serves as a comical interlude that leads right into “Subaru Crosstrek XV,” one of the most charming and playfully produced songs on the album, where Johnson compares himself to that of the mediocre “Subaru Crosstrek XV.” “Moonlight” and “Happiness”

has Johnson further rap/sing about “Ashley,” whom we can clearly gather from these songs as well as songs from his first album, is a flame of his whom he has not seen in quite some time. “Moonlight” incorporates certain lyrical templates from other songs of his, which seems like the point except it ultimately feels a bit like he could not think of anything new. “Happiness,” on the other hand, feels like one of the more passionate and personal songs on the album, with heartfelt lyrics involving how he flubbed his relationship with Ashley and how he hopes she can continue her pursuit of happiness without him; all set against a simple and elegant bare bones piano instrumental.

The album reaches another peak at “All in My Head,” which features a beautiful melody and fantastic instrumental breakdown as Johnson goes through an existential crisis in real time. This is followed by “Ode to Justin Bieber” featuring, Jack Shoot and JMSEY, which feels like another nice interlude before Johnson goes off the wall with “February 15th” and “Sorry, My Dear;” the former being a more typical Johnson rant on

how, as the chorus states, he will be alone forever.

It is a bit melodramatic as Johnson absolutely screams the chorus, but still effective as it is a more passionate live version of the song in which we hear an audience sing along. “Sorry, My Dear” has Johnson scream again but with a completely unnerving and extremely effective filter that makes his voice twist and turn over an insane instrumental that again has Johnson experimenting with rock.

The album finally completes with “I Want a Dog” in which Johnson pleads about wanting to have ambitions but ultimately settles for the easiest of options. It is a pleasing end to what was a pretty great follow up to “The Rise of Hobo Johnson.”

The instrumentals are still fun and rich, the lyrics are still passionate and juvenile and the uniqueness is still very much present. If you understandably were not a fan then, you might warm up to him, but most likely will remain uninterested for now. However, for people wanting more, this album should satisfy that itch until his next one. Maybe more in the “Typical Story” direction?

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

C 3 C 3

Lana Del Rey ends America’s whole career in new album

Kazashi McLaughlin Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Norman Rockwell was America’s greatest propagandist. The majority of his early work was a gauche exercise in the picket fence ideals of white America painted during a time where water fountains were segregated and corporate strong men beat any notion of unionization out of their workers.

His America lived in red and white checkered diner countertops, boyhood baseball games and all the other blue collar idylls of Hometown, USA. Draped in a tattered American flag herself, pop icon Lana Del Rey flips the Rockwellian vision of a rose tinted United States on its head with her latest album, “Norman F****** Rockwell.”

Lana has always embraced the aesthetics of Rockwell’s idealism in her previous albums.

However, her brand of patriotism felt more like a weathered stucco as the underlying depression and substance abuse spilled through its cracks. Lana’s America is populated by binge drinkers and

obsessed ex-boyfriends in dusty desert towns. A land where the American dream slinks through hazy Los Angeles back alleys and is rediscovered at the point of a heroin needle. In this latest album, Lana further develops this world by stripping back the kitsch Americana camp as she shines a spotlight on a more genuine American underworld of the heartbroken, the lost and the aimless.

The self-titled track, “Norman f****** Rockwell,” opens the album as a violin and flute arrangement reminiscent of Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” begins the song. Then the piano pours through. Lana croons, “Goddamn, man-child.” With just the violins, flutes and piano backing her reverb-soaked vocals, she laments her inability to change her boyfriend’s mood and begrudges him for dragging her down with him. “Your poetry’s bad and you blame the news/But I can’t change that, I can’t change your mood,” she sings, “Cause you’re just a man/It’ just what you do/Your head in your hands/As you color me blue.”

“Venice B****” is a sprawling nine minute psych-pop piece, a maze of fuzzed electric guitars

Image from Lana Del Rey via YouTube In her music video for “Doin’ Time,” Lana Del Rey grows to the size of a skyscraper to prance around a city and drive-in theater.

and heavily layered vocals performed by Lana. “Fresh out of f**** forever,” she delivers in a deadpan hopscotch verse. All over the song she references great American artists, a common motif throughout her work. Once again she invokes Rockwell in this line, “Paint me happy in blue/Norman Rockwell” and a reference to poet Robert Frost here, “As the summer fades away/Nothing gold can stay.”

Lana’s vocals very quickly fade to the background as producer Jack Antonoff builds an expansive psychedelic landscape over the final

eight minutes of the track, with Lana dropping in every so often to remind listeners how razor sharp her lyricism is.

The final piece, “Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - and I have it,” is a piano ballad with Lana at her most personal on this album. The line “Hope is a dangerous thing,” repeated multiple times in the song, is a line from “The Shawshank Redemption,” where the full line is, “Hope is a dangerous thing to have. Hope can drive a man insane.” For Lana, her insanity is something that she

seems to have come to terms with, or at least has coped with. “Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not/But at best I can say that I’m not sad,” Lana writes. In the verses there are upsetting references to Sylvia Plath and writing in blood on the walls, but it seems for now that Lana Del Rey is okay.

In this latest album, her sixth full length LP, Lana Del Rey once again proves her songwriting chops as she allows the listener to peek into a broken America she has constructed through her poignant lyricism and unmatched wit.

BROCKHAMPTON’s ‘GINGER’ not as innovative as predecessors

Mary Katherine Moylan Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: BROCKHAMPTON, a San Marcosbased music collective, has been known for the never-ceasing impressive tracks they have been pumping out for the past two to three years, with the likes of GINGER’s predecessor, “iridescence” and the “SATURATION” trilogy. With a diverse sound that can twist and pull at almost anyone’s heartstrings, the most recent release of “GINGER” seems to pale in comparison to those that came before.

Not to undermine the lyrical talent the group possesses. If anything, their lyrics have only been improving but it is just the sheer dullness that the album oozes that has made this review so hard to write. “GINGER” is definitely a step down in the sense of energy and drive that “iridescence” had with energetic songs like “WEIGHT” which immediately come to mind.

“NO HALO,” the first taste one gets of the 12-track album, is quite a mel-

low and catchy sound. Reminiscing on the past and trying to focus on the future ahead, the group takes on a blunt topic. Much like their past songs, members address their struggles with mental health and substance abuse and how it has affected their creative work and craft. In the first lines of the song, Kevin Abstract starts with “I don’t know where I’m goin’ / If I gotta take the high road, I’m rollin,” which references the uncertainty that his future holds, the lines also reference his attempt to stay true to himself and keep a moral high ground, like many artists within the music industry, especially with such a unique group like BROCKHAMPTON which could very easily just become a fad in popularity, leading to a bitterness. “Wash it out of all of me to feel the fire (Maybe I’ll be gone for a minute) / But you know, you know that’s a lie (No one help me when my eyes go).” Bearface has one of the most unique voices within the song.

Referencing the effects of the fame and the adrenaline or fire that comes with it, he makes it clear that these are only temporary things, much as to how the whole song encompasses the fact that this existence as well as

fame is only temporary.

“BOY BYE,” a personal favorite of mine from the album, is one of the most auditorily entertaining pieces from the album. With varying contrasting sounds, the song is a good sum of all of the members of the musical trope. The song is one of the only songs from the album that features all of the artists from the group as well as producers. With a number of topics covered in the song, ranging from the group’s growing success and to each of their own battles with mental health and past traumas, the artists also go to show how they have grown past such hardships. A favorite line in the song, due to its literary reference, “Trauma the price for the patience / Character shift like an arc,” goes to speak on how a character grows and progresses through a story. This line on the other hand, goes to show just how the artist grew because of his past troubles and traumas, making him the person he is today.

“GINGER,” the title track for the fifth album, is one of the most calming and frankly melancholy songs from the album. Falling back on much of their past work and tying

into motifs and themes seen in each album, “GINGER” rings true with this BROCKHAMPTON hallmark as well, featuring a verse that would have been featured in the “SATURATION” trilogy had it not been cut from the song “GEMINI.” The song overall addresses the acceptance and understanding that people have to deal with the things that are going on in their own lives, a concept that should be resonating deeply nowadays.

BROCKHAMPTON’S “GINGER” is a genuinely well-written album, but in itself lacks many of the continuous flares that keeps one wanting to listen like “iridescence” did. With exceptions like “NO HALO,” “BOY BYE,” and “GINGER,” the group displayed some redeeming qualities. Although I suggest checking it out for yourself, audiences should be prepared to add it to a studying playlist because quite frankly, I fell asleep through my first listen.

Image from BROCKHAMPTON via YouTube While not as consistent overall as fans expected, certain tracks such as ”NO HALO” impress.

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

‘The Farewell’ combines humor, tragedy while retaining personality

Ethan Stinson Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: “The Farewell,” an independent film from director Lulu Wang (“Posthumous”), is a truly special viewing occasion because of how it confronts its viewers with a subject as dark as the impending death of a family member, and yet still gives them a way to laugh and be happy.

With its unique take on the family dynamic, an insightful depiction of Eastern culture, and a touching, yet emotionally exhausting story, the film not only stands as a strong solo effort, but also pleads a strong case for independent films to be granted increased exposure to general audiences.

In “The Farewell,” Chinese-American Billi (Awkwafina, “The Angry Birds Movie 2”) faces a moral di-

lemma as her family learns of the deteriorating health of her grandmother, Nai Nai (debuting actress Shuzhen Zhao), but refuse to inform the elder of her condition.

Its grim subject matter may initially seem off-putting, but the film’s heart and thought provoking points go a long way to keep the audience immersed in the story. With a sweet, sometimes unintentionally hilarious performance by Zhao, one may not be able to help themselves, but laugh as they witness Nai Nai lovingly humiliate her family or go about her daily routine as she lives life not knowing of what may come ahead. Through her largerthan-life presence, the character of Nai Nai imparts a great deal of wisdom not only on her family throughout the film, but on the audience as a whole, therefore giving them a way to discover a new appreciation for life and family.

Awkwafina, an actress

Image from A24 via YouTube Goodbyes are never easy for but Nai Nai seems to go out of her way to make it worse.

who has established herself as a comedic powerhouse as of late, delivers a stellar performance as the troubled youth Billi. Throughout the film, her character expresses a wide range of emotions, and the grace and maturity that the actress displays in showing them truly points toward a promising dramatic film career ahead of her, similar to fellow comedic actors who have performed in dramas like Jim Carrey in “Eter-

nal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and Robin Williams in “Good Will Hunting.” The rest of the ensemble cast also showed a similar depth of emotional maturity in their respective roles, thereby allowing for a remarkably accurate depiction of familial interactions and conflicts to be shown.

Lastly, though the film presents relatively common themes such as family and how to cope with death,

it does so in a truly unique way by focusing on the differences in how they are considered in American and Chinese culture. By doing so, the film encourages the audience’s involvement in deliberating upon the main conflict, while also giving them a way to identify with the individual plights of each family member and how none of them are necessarily in the wrong by possessing their respective opinions.

By expressing both the highs and lows that a family may go through together, “The Farewell” shows that there is no such thing as a perfect family, and how the positive moments are what should be focused on and cherished.

As such, the film not only proves its worth as an example of how family films should be made, but it also makes a strong statement as to why independent films should receive more notice.

‘The Goldfinch’ shines, exploring loss, trauma through art Joshua Markland Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: “The Goldfinch” is a film adaptation of the novel by the same name written by Donna Tartt, which is incredibly beautiful and woefully long. A unique comingof-age tale that chronicles the life of a boy named Theodore Decker (Oakes Fegley, “Pete’s Dragon”), who is subjected to a terrorist attack at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that ends up killing his mother. In the aftermath of the attack, Theo is given a ring by a man present at the museum and is delivered a chilling message. Following the attack, Theo lives with a friend from school, whose wealthy family takes him in and whose mother (Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”) forms a bond with him over their shared appreciation for art and antiques.

Soon after, he is invited on vacation with the family,

however, his recently detoxed father (Luke Wilson, “The Royal Tenenbaums”) and his extravagant girlfriend (Sarah Paulson, “Bird Box”) arrive to take Theo away to Nevada where he will live with them. While there Theo begins to experiment with drugs with a new friend (Finn Wolfhard, “Stranger Things”) and the usage becomes a focal point throughout the entirety of the film.

Directed by John Crowley (“True Detective”) with cinematography from Roger Deakins (“Blade Runner 2049”), “The Goldfinch” is truly one of the most beautifully shot movies of 2019, with Deakins delivering yet another masterful performance which brings this movie to heights its story just never could. The color palette used through this film is blended wonderfully with the tone, with every scene being so captivatingly shot that at times audiences just have to sit back and marvel at what Deakins

has done yet again.

With music provided by Trevor Gureckis (“Bloodline”), the elegance of this film was definitely not an afterthought, seeing as though the score will leave you weighed down from the emotion behind every note.

Ansel Elgort (“Billionaire Boys Club”) gave the best possible performance he could with the material provided from the time he is dropped into the film as an older Theodore. Kidman and Wilson also give strong performances with Kidman, as usual, playing wealth like no other actor could ever fantasize. Wolfhard’s accent is quite distracting at first but his overall performance is commendable when taken into account that he is in fact, not a Ukrainian immigrant. Strong performances are also given by Jeffery Wright (“The Laundromat”) and Fegley.

As a whole, “The Goldfinch,” despite its sleek elegance, breathtaking cinematography and enthralling

Image from Warner Bros. Pictures via Youtube Theodore (Oakes Fegley) and Mrs. Barber (Nicole Kidman) handling the loss of a loved one.

editing is still a movie that runs a little too long, yet still leaves a little on the table.

Seeing as it is an adaption of a novel, it becomes a bit more understandable as to why it feels rushed at times, having to fit 784 pages into about two hours. With that being said, the writing is not spared in the matter’s exposition, hasty dialogue and a clunky climax.

The writers capture many of the turning points of Theos life with an experienced touch, gracefully

capturing the struggle of losing a parent to a horrifying tragedy, growing up and rebelling against what you were taught and the complications of being in love with the right person at the wrong time.

Audiences who enjoy art and more so, filmmakers who appreciate art, will enjoy this film; with Oscarworthy work from Roger Deakins and Ansel Elgort dressed in expensive suits, waltzing around New York City in all of its glory.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

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'Dark Pictures Anthology' starts off promising with 'Man of Medan'

Image from Playstation via YouTube Félicité "Fliss" DuBois (Ayisha Issa) and Conrad (Shawn Ashmore) enjoying what might be the last quiet moment in their lives.

Stephen Novak Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Rating: “Choose Your Own Adventure” games seem to have dropped off the face of the Earth.

Enter Supermassive Games (“Until Dawn”), who have pioneered a sub-genre of terrifying stories that revolve around player choice. Their surprise hit, “Until Dawn,” grabbed players with the promise that every choice

meant something. If a character died, that was it. No “Game Over,” restart or second chance, just a funeral to attend.

This spirit lives on in the heart of Supermassive’s newest horror anthology series “The Dark Pictures.” A collection of short horror stories that ask players to make choices for a succession of halfwit horror clichés and hope they survive to the end. With a new story being released every six months, at a reduced price compared to most games. The first of these stories is “Man of Medan,” based around

the myth of the ghost ship, the Ourang Medan.

The story opens with four college students, Brad, Julie, Alex and Conrad, spending their summer vacation searching through old World War II wrecks with the help of their hired help, a French woman named Fliss.

Things quickly go awry when pirates show up and take them hostage, once that happens it is up to the player to decide how things go. Being brave at the wrong time might get someone stabbed, be too cowardly and players might run out of time to

save themselves.

It is this tension that lies at the heart of “Man of Medan,” running down the broken corridors of the ship knowing that one wrong move could get your skull smashed in with a spanner is not something films can easily recreate. This anxiety might be the only thing that can keep players engaged, as the writing and delivery can be disjointed. Which is a likely compromise that comes with all of the alternate pathways the story can take.

In fact, the overall story tends to lead off to a fairly anticlimactic ending, with the mystery of the ship being hidden in collectable notes and documents.

Sometimes finding a clue can change the course of the plot but for all of the games pulse pounding moments, it is fairly easy to get your charges out alive.

The most prized clues are the photos, which provide players with a premonition of the future. This could be anything from showing someone escaping the pirates to watching a favorite character fall to his/her death.

Graphically speaking everything is great, with the ships eerie design and some of the inventive ways characters can meet

their ultimate fate. Sadly, the unwieldly set of static cameras and polio-inspired movement system makes it hard to appreciate.

To improve upon the “Until Dawn” formula, new multiplayer modes have been added. The movie night mode asks you and four friends to split up the cast, which thankfully can be played without needing extra copies of the game. It is good fun and certainly brightens up an otherwise lazy Saturday night.

However, it might quickly turn into a series of “find the plot hole.” As many of the game’s dialogue options become disjointed and nonsensical as time goes on. In order to keep up with the millions of ways the plot can go, it is normal to see characters appear out of nowhere or magically transport across the room or simply talk about something wildly unrelated.

In the end the only thing that keeps “Man of Medan” a worthy purchase is its novelty. As well as living up to the promise of making your choices matter. Hopefully the team at Supermassive can improve upon things for its next entry into the anthology “Little Hope.”

Super Smash Bros. adds oddballs Banjo, Kazooie to stacked roster Nathaniel Ahart Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com With the announcement of a downloadable content (DLC) Fighter’s Pass back in December of 2018, one of the characters Super Smash Bros. fans were clamoring to get into the game was the duo of Banjo and Kazooie. Their appearance in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” marked the characters’ first

appearance on a Nintendo console since “Banjo-Tooie” (2000), bridging the relationship between two rival companies. With all of that being said, how do they stand up as a fighter and what does the new DLC have to offer?

The stage that Banjo and Kazooie come with, Spiral Mountain, is wonderfully crafted and a magnificently detailed ode to the original Nintendo 64 games.

The stage also includes new re-

Image from GameSpot Trailers via YouTube With Banjo and Kazooie joining the roster, anything feels possible in this stacked game.

mixes from the “Banjo-Kazooie” games, the Spiral Mountain remix in particular being composed by the original games’ composer, Grant Kirkhope, but also a couple of tracks taken directly from the original games. The stage itself spins around, shifting the terrain along with it, which is a first for the “Super Smash Bros.” series, but not ideal for competitive play. Luckily, there is always the option to play on the Battlefield or Omega forms of those stages.

As for the fighter, Banjo and Kazooie are nothing too extraordinary. They have decent mobility, an alright grab game and mostly lackluster aerials. However, their recovery options are not lackluster in the slightest, giving them a lot of flexibility on how to get back to the stage. Their side-special, Wonderwing, does massive damage if players do not predict it in time, so one must be careful when throwing out specific moves around Banjo. Their down-special, Rear Egg, can be a very useful

projectile, especially as an edgeguarding tool and also for combos.

If dropped on an opponent’s head at high percentages, it can true combo into their side-special, if spaced properly, usually leading to an automatic K.O. Top players have varying opinions on the fighter, with Gonzalo Barrios (ZeRo) saying that they could possibly be bottom of high tier or top of mid-tier and Juan DeBiedma (Hungrybox) saying the fighter straight-up sucks. Regardless, that will not mean that players will not continuously have fun with this inclusion on the roster, as that is one thing that most players can agree on.

Along with Banjo and Kazooie, Terry Bogard from “Fatal Fury” was announced as the fourth fighter in the first DLC Fighter’s Pass, which came as no surprise to anybody who had been following leaks. Without knowing that information, however, it is a very surprising conclusion, considering that Terry is not a strong fan

favorite in the Smash community.

On the other hand, what surprised everyone was the announcement of more fighters on the way. This has led to even more speculation to what characters could possibly join the roster, from the likes of Crash Bandicoot to Geno from “Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars.”

The one addition to Smash that shocked everyone the most, however, was the inclusion of the “Undertale’s” Sans as a Mii costume for Mii Gunner. The “Super Smash Bros.” series creator Masahiro Sakurai stated that Sans was a heavily requested character, though most of that was meme culture becoming a reality. It is still astounding that Sakurai made “Undertale” representation possible, even including the popular music track “MEGLOVANIA.” With all of these new features and all of the content still on the horizon, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” is shaping up to be what seems the largest crossover in entertainment history.

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FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019

Crossword Puzzle

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

Across

39. Decorator’s advise

1. Wise man

42. Hue

5. Peru’s capital

44. Most immaculate

9. ___-fi

49. Supervisor

12. MGM’s symbol

51. Speak indistinctly

13. Musician ___

52. Car fuel

Clapton

41. Struggle

53. Browns in the sun

14. Pallid

54. She, in Nice

15. False God

55. Capone and Gore

16. Toward the Artic

56. Poker bet

18. Dr

57. Behalf

20. Slithery swimmers 21. Watch 22. Mild expletive 24. Idaho’s state 28. Raised 31. Ram’s mate 32. Mixes 34. Compass direction (abbr.)

35. Forest clearing 37. Tell again

Down 1. Slender 2. Staff member 3. Fine 4. Register 5. Indulgent 6. Laundry appliance 7. Bogged down 8. Drama division

9. Climbing flower (2 wds.)

10. Poet ___ Sandburg 11. Country hotels 17. Mound 19. Discontinued 23. Moscow’s country 24. Actress ___ Ryan 25. Hooting bird 26. Closeness 27. Telecast 29. Boston time zone (abbr.)

30. Low grade 33. Opposite 36. Forest creature 38. Gets uptight 40. Atlantic or Indian 42. Dress for Caesar 43. The ___ Office 45. Fasting period 46. “___ Enchanted” (movie) 47. Pout 48. Sycamore or oak 50. Amtrak stop (abbr.)

For this week’s puzzle answers ...

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

LAKER REVIEW

The Routine

by Lucas Fernandez I think it was midnight, at least it was almost midnight (I’m sure because that’s the most appropriate time for this sort of thing to happen) when I saw the clown. I should say The Clown and not the clown, for propriety, of course.

So it was around midnight when I noticed The Clown standing in my closet at the end of my bed, and he stared at me with these beady red eyes, and he gnashed his teeth, those pointed teeth, and his hair, and his limbs - well, I won’t get caught up with details. The point is, there was a clown peering out from the closet at the end of my bed. And so, of course, I asked him what right he had to be lurking about in my room.

He responded simply by making a jibe at my sexual orientation and blowing a snot-laden raspberry. I tried to sleep but quickly found that I couldn’t with him standing over there in my closet. I asked him if he could, please, perhaps turn in another direction so he at least wasn’t staring at me. He retorted by implying that I make a habit of performing oral sex on strange men at truck stops. Frustrated, I decided that perhaps I should deal with the problem in the morning, so I pulled the blanket over my head and forced myself to sleep.

In the morning, I had hoped that the light of day might banish The Clown back to whatever dark corner he crawled out of, but I was chagrined to discover he was still there. He looked just a little self-satisfied at my disappointment. I told him quite frankly that he wasn’t welcome. He replied (also quite frankly) that it’s a “free country” and that I ought to acquaint myself with the indecent end of a horse. So I decided to get dressed (pushing past him to get my clothes) but just as I grabbed my favorite pastel button-down, he tore it out of my hand and swallowed it like a trick handkerchief, staring into my eyes the whole time. As soon

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as he was done, he went back to standing still and acted as though nothing had happened. I wore my green shirt instead.

So I thought I might go downstairs to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal (to calm my nerves). As soon as I sat down at the table I noticed him in my peripheral vision, peeking from just around the kitchen door.

I hoped I could perhaps eat my cereal anyway, but as I brought my spoon down a large white napkin fell over my bowl. Suddenly, The Clown was next to me, and he pulled the napkin off with a showman’s flourish. In place of my cereal was now a fully-attired circus monkey, which immediately pounced on me with full malicious force and began beating me mercilessly. I decided to just have an apple for breakfast.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same. I tried to do laundry. The Clown contorted himself so that he could fill the entire washing machine, spinning around and shrieking like a banshee. I tried to watch television, The Clown interjected every line of dialogue with racial slurs and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

I tried to weed the front lawn. The Clown somehow began to plant identical weeds in the exact spots I had just scoured. And so on and so forth. From then on, he was my shadow, though from whence he was cast I could not guess. Day after day, The Clown was there, and still is there. I suppose I’m used to it now, though.

Oswego Cinema 7 Fri. Sept. 20 - Sun. Sept. 23 Rambo: Last Blood 11:45 AM

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IT Chapter Two

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11:55 AM

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The Goldfinch

4:55 PM

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Good Boys

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