The Oswegonian

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF OSWEGO STATE UNIVERSITY • www.oswegonian.com

VOLUME LXXXI ISSUE I

Oswego State goes tobacco free

Education faculty only Americans at Brazil conference Lydia Goerner Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com

Policy takes effect 3 years in the making, administration expects culture Photo provided by pixabay.com College adopts policy that bans tobacco and all like products anywhere on the Oswego State campus. This includes Rice Creek, Phoenix Center, Metro Center and at all campus-related events and organizations.

JoAnn DeLauter Asst. News Editor jdelauter@oswegonian.com

Oswego State has joined other colleges across the nation by prohibiting tobacco products on campus as of the first of the year, after years of planning and promotions by a variety of students, faculty and staff members. “We are really talking about a culture change, it is really not going to happen overnight,” said Barbara St. Michel, the associate director of Campus Life and head of

the Clean Air Committee. “It is really everyone’s responsibility to understand that we are not asking you not to smoke, you just can’t smoke on campus.” Last semester, students, faculty and staff were only able to smoke on campus if they were 25 feet away from the nearest building. This new policy is an update to the latest smoking policy. As mentioned in the Oswego State Student Code of Conduct, smoking of any kind along with any kind of tobacco products are prohibited on campus, at the extension of campus, at all indoor and outdoor events, college-sponsored programs and activities on campus, in person-

ally owned vehicles parked on campus and all vehicles and equipment owned, leased or operated by the college and all affiliated organizations. This policy prohibits the use of tobacco products and other smoking apparatus such as pipes, hookas, vapors and e-cigarettes. This policy is in effect on the main campus, Rice Creek, the athletic field, the Phoenix Center, the Metro Center and all property of Oswego State. “I believe that we are building a healthier community we are doing our part to make sure we have an environment that is sustainable,” said Oswego State Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment-

Management Jerald Woolfolk. According to Woolfolk, a tobacco-free campus has been in the works for about three years. In 2012, when SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher started an initiative to make all State University of New York campuses tobacco free, Oswego State started to see how it could be implemented. In 2011 the Clean Air Steering Committee, comprised of smokers and non-smokers, students, University Police, Auxiliary Services, the Mary Walker Health Center and other faculty and staff unions, was created

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Oswego State faculty members Alfred Frederick and Tania Ramalho were the only representatives from the United States to attend the 2014 National Conference of Education in Brazil. The conference took place Nov. 18 through 23 and was held in the nation’s capital, Brasilia. Representatives from the 26 states in Brazil attended to discuss a variety of topics related to education. Frederick and Ramalho were not daunted by being the only U.S. citizens present at the conference. “We both felt it was an honor to be invited,” Frederick said. “It was very exciting. There were over 3,000 people with all the diverse populations of Brazil represented.” Frederick, a distinguished service professor who has taught at Oswego State since 1985, was invited to the conference because he has been a consultant and visiting professor to Piaui since 2013. Frederick teaches there from May to August before continuing his education classes at Oswego State. Frederick first became involved with

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Humanitarian, actor speaks Gov. proposes student loan forgiveness plan to celebrate legacy of MLK, State plan would cover two years of debt for grads earning below $50,000 begin Black History Month Tatyana Bellamy-Walker Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com The Oswego State Division of Student Affairs and the Enrollment Management Committee commemorated the beginning of Black History Month on Jan. 30 with keynote speaker Hill Harper, a humanitarian, best-selling author and actor on “CSI: NY.” “We are gathered together because of Dr.

King, we stand on his shoulders,” Harper said. “We want to celebrate him but also remind all of us that he was [an] agitator. He shook things up to create positive change. The best way to remember his legacy is to live that way as well.” In part of the university’s mission to spread social equity within the college community, the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration has once again led students to a path of civil empowerment and communal inclusion. “We need this now more than ever,” Oswego State President Deborah Stanley said. “We have to remind ourselves of the values and principles of Martin Luther King constantly because our world demands it. We are still at a place where we are moving forward... hopefully we have moved light years ahead [but] the work is not done.” The evening ceremony featured the talents of the Oswego State choir, chanting

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Photo provided by Office of Public Affairs Hill Harper remembers Martin Luther King, Jr.

Calendar...........................C2 Classified..........................C7 Crossword.........................C6 Contact Info......................A2 Laker Review.....................C1 News.................................A1 Opinion............................B5 Sports...............................B1 Sudoku.............................C6

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State. I’m proud to include this item in my 2015 Opportunity Agenda as it represents another step forward in our goal of growing economic opportunity for New Yorkers.” The goal of the program is to assist recent graduates with student loan debt as they seek employment in New York. According to the governor’s office, the program will cost $41.7 million for the state by 2020. Oswego State 2014 graduate, Shannon Sampson, thinks the program is beneficial as she expected to get a job after graduation but currently holds a temporary position, which makes paying back student loans difficult. “I believe many graduates, including myself, expect a decent paying job right out Photo provided by the Governor’s Office of college and for many of us, that doesn’t Gov. Andrew Cuomo discusses New York state college students at his 2015 State of the State Address. happen,” Sampson said. “Any effort to reduce student debt is Michael Medina college graduates, as part of his plan to repositive,” said Oswego State Financial Aid Contributing Writer vitalize New York’s economy. Director Mark Humbert. news@oswegonian.com “Student loans are one of the greatest In 2013, the Institute for College Access challenges that today’s recent college graduand Success reported 60 percent of public and In his State of the State address on Jan. ates face when starting their careers – and we nonprofit college graduates took on debt. 21, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed the “Get must do more to give them a full opportuni“The average debt on federal student on Your Feet Forgiveness Program” for colty to succeed,” Cuomo said. “By alleviating loans for [Oswego State] graduates is about lege students in New York. the weight of student loan debt, we can give $25,000,” Humbert said. Cuomo’s program would relieve the our recent graduates a better shot at estabfirst two years of student loans for qualified lishing themselves right here in the Empire See LOANS, A5

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