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Friday, Sept. 13, 2013
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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF OSWEGO STATE UNIVERSITY • www.oswegonian.com
VOLUME LXXIX ISSUE II
CHASING THE TWISTER
Luke Parsnow Asst. News Editor lparsnow@oswegonian.com
This past summer, meteorology students in the Storm Forecasting and Observation class traveled to several states in the Great Plains to conduct research and observation on the extreme seasonal weather there. The storm-chasers’ two-week program took the students to parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Nebraska, the locations determined by the probability of extreme weather that would provide the best research and observation. “Growing up, I had always had a fascination with severe weather,” senior Jake Mulholland said. “My life-long dream was to go storm chasing like I used to see on TV and on the movie ‘Twister.’ To get the chance to go out chasing for two weeks on the Plains was a dream come true.” According to Mulholland, the stormchasers were organized into three different teams. The logistics team took care of the travel vans and updated the group’s Facebook and Twitter accounts on where it was and its plans for that day. The forecast team selected the areas where severe weather was imminent for the day to travel to and the equipment team was in charge of preparing weather balloons to launch and set up antennae and other instruments.
Photo provided by Patrick Cavlin
See CHASERS, A4
Cancelled Martial Arts classes cause protest Massive open online courses create opportunities Seamus Lyman News Editor slyman@oswegonian.com
CONTENT
Two levels of martial arts, PED 237 and 238, have been canceled from the Health Promotion and Wellness department for the Fall 2013 semester. The cancellation of the classes, both taught by Derek “Bodi” Spadora, has left many students who were registered confused and concerned. Eric Anderson, a junior business administration major, said the class was canceled due to discrepancies in how the classes should be structured and taught to Oswego State students. “They believe it’s too much like MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and not structured enough. Meanwhile, nothing we do in the class is relevantly close to MMA,” Anderson said. “Everything is form, spiritual techniques including meditation that’s been passed down for thousands of years.” Jamie Hasset is a 5th-degree black belt in the Bujinkan and a black belt in over 15 different styles of martial arts. Hasset, a Massachusetts native and a Shidoshi, or licensed instructor,
agrees that martial arts is not the same as MMA. He also says students will benefit in many different ways from martial arts. “They will benefit in multiple ways. One way will be in your health, just in eating better, breathing better, looking at life differently, from a different perspective, seeing things differently, being more humble, walking with their head up instead of head down. Their confidence will grow,” Hasset said. “It’s something that students would really benefit from, studying something depending on the school that goes back hundreds of years.” Bryan Wood, a senior broadcasting major, was registered in Martial Arts I (PED 237). Wood said the class made him feel better than he had felt in a long time. “I was in Martial Arts One Wednesday afternoon. Professor Spadora came in. He was late, which is unusual. We were all sitting down, ready to begin then, doing stretches and stuff. We had only one day of teaching work, then we had Labor Day, and we were going to start learning more on Monday,” Wood said. “We were doing physical stretches, actually working the body,
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working the spirit and everything.” Wood said that Spadora told the class that he didn’t want to teach a course he did not believe in. Spadora spared the class the details because, according to Wood, he didn’t want the students to be involved in the politics. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” Pamela Michel, dean of the School of Education, said. Michel said that from what she knows, Spadora brought in his resignation on Sept. 4. “When I spoke to the department chair there was nothing else she could do,” Michel said. “She called the registrar’s office right away because she knew people only had until [Sept. 6] for the add/drop period.” Michel stressed that the cancellation of the class by Sandra Bargainnier, the Health Promotion and Wellness department chair, was only due to the fact that Spadora resigned, leaving no one to teach the class. She said that several students went to Bargainnier’s office where they were assisted in adding a new class to their schedule.
See MARTIAL ARTS, A5
Corey Sheen Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com When most college students think of massive online communities, online games such as World of Warcraft probably come to mind far sooner than the educational system. But, as the cost of tuition is steadily rising, huge online learning collectives have increasingly been considered as a possible solution. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses that are open to all with an Internet connection. Embodying the connectivity of massive online game communities, MOOCs focus on higher education by utilizing a series of interactive supplements, including online tutorials, assessments and pre-recorded lectures. Sites such as YouTube, TED and iTunes U are the predecessors of MOOCs. On YouTube alone, there are hundreds of thousands of instructional videos ranging from how to tie-dye a shirt, to how to finish your calculus homework.
Most of the popular and betterdeveloped MOOCs are backed by some of the most prestigious colleges in America, such as: · Coursera: A Stanford spinoff that has partnered with the University of Virginia, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania and University of Illinois · edX: Harvard, MIT and Berkeley’s online collaboration to offer the best of all three institutions · Udacity: Founded by an exStanford Professor Sebastian Thrun Working off of the same principles of self-teaching, MOOCs put the tools to learn in the hands of those who are willing to put in the time and effort, and colleges are taking notice. US News ranks the top 25 colleges in the nation every year, and 22 of the schools on the 2013 list offer MOOCs or similar free courses. According to Greg Ketcham, the director of academic programs for the Division of Extended Learning, Oswego State is in the exploratory stage for developing its own MOOCs. “It really has to do with alignment, finding something that fits
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with the mission of the university, as well as something we are good at that we would like to highlight,” Ketcham said. “It’s a way to showcase out to the world what we can do, so whatever it is we offer, it is something that we really want to put a spotlight on that we feel we are particularly good at.” One problem that arises for students of MOOCs, though, is that they generally do not count for credit or toward a degree. While some MOOCs have been approved for credit by the American Council of Education, the only school US News lists that offers course credit is Colorado State University, and that is only after students pay to take a course assessment. Ketcham said that if Oswego State were to consider taking MOOCs for credit, similar course assessments would first need to be taken. Before accepting them as credit, the university would want a way to assess that the student had attained the necessary knowledge.
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SUNY Cortland SUNY Cortland will host a gathering of some of New York state’s top constitutional experts to discuss several proposals for state constitutional amendments that will be on the statewide ballot in November. The proposals include whether or not new gambling casinos should be legalized, if judges should make decisions until they are 80 and if the power to draw political boundaries should be taken away from elected officials. The experts will also discuss whether voters should hold a state convention in the near future to make some changes to the state constitution.
SUNY Albany SUNY Albany is preparing to unveil its new football stadium, which is part of a $24 million multi-sport complex. The stadium and the entire complex is expected to attract more student-athletes to the school. The stadium is state-of-the-art, houses 8,500 seats and a distinct press level, stair tower, main concourse and concessions. The new scoreboard has a 39 feet by 22 feet high-definition video display and a point-source sound system. For the first time, Albany is playing in the Colonial Athletic Association for the 2013 season. This is the first time the stadium has been upgraded since 1960. The new facility will be the home to Great Danes NCAA Division I football and soccer teams, along with the college’s track and field teams.
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SUNY Canton SUNY Canton was ranked 26th on list of 50 colleges in the nation committed that offer innovative academic programs for environmental challenges in the future, which is published by the Online College Database website. Other schools on the list include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State University, Harvard University, Yale University and Dartmouth College. The four-year Alternative and Renewable Energy System program was especially recognized for students training for careers in clean energy. In addition, the campus has been targeting energy conservation and recycling efforts, including a plan to build a wind turbine to provide electricity.
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The heat will subside this weekend, and with it comes a rash of clouds. Look for possible showers on Friday, with things cooling off into the mid-50s during the day. The wind will begin to pick up as well, between 10-20 mph. Saturday looks to be the most pleasant day of the weekend, with a high of 63 and sunshine all throughout the day. For Sunday, the clouds will return but with only a 10 percent chance of precipitation during the day and 30 percent at night. With things cooling off, Oswego State students should be in store for a pleasant weekend. For weather updates throughout the week, check out our newly-redesigned website, Oswegonian.com
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK I’ve learned more from that class than two accounting classes and all my business administration classes.” - Eric Anderson, junior business administration major, on the cancellation of two martial arts classes.
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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Oswego YMCA hosts dragonboat races Second annual event raises almost $50,000 for Strong Kids Campaign
Photo provided by Oswego YMCA Competitors from last years’ event participate in a race off the shores of Lake Ontario. This year marked the second annual holding of the event.
Adam Rupczyk Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com The Oswego community paddled their way to Breitbeck Park on Saturday, Sept. 7 for the second annual Dragon Boat Festival. Packed with over 20 teams and a plethora of community organizations, the festival raised the better end
of $50,000 for YMCA of Oswego’s Strong Kids Campaign. A dragon boat is a long wooden row boat that takes 22 paddlers to race. Teams consisted of community businesses, students from Oswego State and even squads traveling down from Canada. The festival kicked off with a captain’s meeting, followed by the traditional opening ceremonies where each captain walked behind
the ceremonial dragon. The park was full of tents from each team decorated to a theme of the team’s choice. Students and community members enjoyed the atmosphere of the festival. “Everyone had a bunch of energy and good vibes,” Emily Anderson a member of the Lifestyle Center team, said. “It was nice to all be a part of a great cause.” Anderson’s team, along with all the
others, were required to fundraise to enter the festival. The festival fell just short of its $65,000 goal, but the money raised was an increase from the previous year. At 9 a.m., the races began. Three teams were summoned to the on-deck area, where they received the mandatory lifejackets and paddles. Once the teams were equipped, they were ushered down to the water where the dragon boats were entered. Paired with a professional steer captain teams paddled down the bay to the starting line. A starting judge lined the boats up even at the line to send them off. Teams paddled 300 yards to the finish line. The early races were based on time. Each team had two guaranteed heats, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The top 12 teams, depending on their time posted in the heats, advanced to the
final rounds. Races continued all through the morning until a lunch break. When teams were not racing they were enjoying the games and vendors the festival had on deck. The afternoon setup for the second heats, where teams battled for a top 12 spot. The energy kept flowing throughout the day, with the community acting as one. “It was nice students were not treated like they didn’t belong,” said Tommy Seefeld of the campus recreation staff team. “The whole atmosphere of the people running and participating was welcoming.” As the festival came to an end the focus was already to next year ’s event, where the Oswego YMCA hopes to host the next years third annual Dragon Boat Festival.
Falcon App seeks to help new students navigate Oswego State campus with ease, personalization of map Olivia Ugino Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com Every college campus has its little “quirks,” and Oswego State’s is no exception. Between the headache of a parking system and the split levels in Shineman, students, including seniors, need help finding their way around. The Falcon App was made by the UCLA campus to help new students understand the campus during freshman orientation. The app was developed and founded by two UCLA students, Ali Baghshomali and Matt Austin, and was originally used for the UCLA campus, but then spread across California. “We felt like in this day and age, where everybody is walking around with a smartphone in their pocket, people really shouldn’t be getting lost anymore,” Baghshomali said. “Yet everyday on campus we would be approached by students and visitors who would ask us where a certain building was and we had to help them get there. We had a similar experience in places like music festivals and fairs, and we decided to address this problem with a mobile app customized to these types of places.” The app was first launched to the general public at Coachella, a prominent music festival in the Golden State. The founders said in their blog that they hoped the app would help festival-goers “if there’s poor cell service, if they lost their friends or campsite, or if they just wanna make sure they remember where their secret meetup spot is.” And that is not all the app was capable of, as music listeners could find the nearest bathroom between set lists. With the success of Coachella behind them, the co-founders began developing apps for 100 colleges across the country, including Syracuse University, Ithaca College, and Oswego State. “For students who are just visiting overnight, the campus can be confusing, this app would really be helpful in making sure they don’t get lost and so they don’t get separated from their host student,” Logan Macy, an intern for the admissions department, said. Falcon is free to download and first asks users to make an account to message with friends and share their location. After selecting their school, students are brought to a list of locations across the Oswego State campus including residence halls, academic buildings, sports facilities and dining centers. Falcon then directs students to locations using a compass or Google maps. “That’s so cool,” junior Tim Bowman said. “The Oswego campus is divided
into parts, which can be really confusing as a freshman.” The most interesting aspect of the app is its ability to be personalized. Users can make a list of favorite spots, called “My Spots,” around campus. Thanks to its capability of being used off major roadways and paths, a favorite spot may be a bench in the quad or a spot by the lake. A feature that will save many students from headaches and panic attacks is the app’s capability to remember parking spots. On-campus drivers and commuters can mark a pin where they park and then be directed back at a later time. Junior Morgan Gualteri thought this was a great idea. “I get lost a lot,” Gualteri said, “and in a big parking lot, I sometimes can’t remember where I’m parked.” Students can also collaborate to develop the most comprehensive map of the Oswego State campus. The Falcon app will frequently update with locations added by students and lets students browse their friends’ locations and their “My Spots.” Both Bowman and Gualteri believe the one downfall of the app is that it cannot help students navigate inside buildings. “Shineman and the Campus Center are sometimes very confusing,” Gualteri said. “If the app included maps of buildings, I would use it all the time.” Freshmen and transfer students across the country will now be able to feel much more comfortable on their first day, no map required. The Falcon App is available for downloading on the Itunes store for free.
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8/13/13 2:35 PM
NEWS
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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Students take risk seeking knowledge Oswego Mobile application Storm chasing team learns meteorology through firsthand experience City introduces new phone app to report issues Jihyoung Son Contributing Writer news@oswegonian.com
Photos provided by P atrick Cavlin Students followed storms in real time on the road allowing them to get close to the weather phenomenas. They could also track and discover new storms.
CHASERS, from cover The students witnessed action during their first day of chasing. On May 28, they saw an EF-4 (166-200 mph winds) tornado touch down in Bennington, Kan. The students chased the storm and took pictures, some of which were featured on The Weather Channel. “The tornado reached the ground an hour or so after the storm began to grow,” said Brett Rathbun, a member of the storm chasers logistics team. “What was interesting with this storm is that we saw this storm right from the beginning, from a small cumulus cloud to the large tornado that was on the ground for about 60 minutes.” The big event on the trip was the stormchasers’ witnessing of one of the biggest weather events of the summer, the May 31 EF-5 tornado that devastated El Reno, Okla., just outside of Oklahoma City. “That morning we all had this gut feeling that the day was going to be a violent day, the air was so moist and humid that storms were almost a certainty,” Mulholland said. “We began the day outside of Oklahoma City and throughout the afternoon, as the heat baked and the humidity rose, we knew storms were on the way. By 5 p.m. CDT, big storms started to explode just west of Oklahoma City. They quickly became super cells, producing tornadoes just outside of the El Reno vicinity. We were chasing after the El-Reno tornado, about five to eight miles away from it, before we got too close to suburban areas so we called off the chase. However, we got stuck in that mass evacuation that occurred that day out of the city. People were literally packing their bags and leaving their homes, hitting the road, and causing mass panic.” According to the National Weather Service, the El Reno tornado was classified as an EF-5 tornado (winds over 200 mph) and, at 2.6 miles across, was the widest tornado ever recorded in the United States. The tornados in the area killed 20 people and knocked out power for 100,000 homes and businesses. “Many of us were unable to tell if the large tornado over El Reno was on the ground or not,” Rathbun said. “We did hear from Internet sources of a large tornado on the ground but we couldn’t see it. We decided to move to a new location, but found ourselves in the middle of a large evacuation. At that point, our storm chase became a storm escape. Because these storms were back-building behind the El Reno tornado storm and tracking southeast, we kept driving south as far as we could until we felt we were safe. The look of scariness on people’s faces, police sirens and seeing the storm overhead made it a traumatizing experience for everyone.” Of the 20 victims of the tornados, three were professional storm-chasers from a tornado research project called Twistex. Those victims, along with the close encounter of Mike Bettes’s crew from The Weather Channel, in which a tornado lifted and flipped their SUV with only minor injuries, are a reminder that storm-chasing can be as dangerous as it is exciting, especially when college students are involved.
“We have very experienced stormchasers working for the program, including me, who know how to target storms and always have an escape route planned if the storm gets too close,” said Scott Steiger, instructor of the Storm Forecasting and Observation class. “I always have a navigator looking at maps with radar imagery overlaid who can steer me in the right directions. My plan is to be five to 15 miles from the storm.” Steiger also said that the team uses Internet and satellite data reception so
they know where the storm is on radar 99 percent of the time, and that students are well aware of the risks for the educational value of the program, experimenting in a safe manner to keep other people safe. “What I learned most is the importance of communication between us, the meteorologists and the public,” Mulholland said. “The way we carry ourselves and the way that we communicate dangers, such as tornadoes and severe weather, is critical to protecting people’s lives and bettering our science as a whole.”
Photos provided by Patrick Cavlin Students traveled through the Great Plains region of the United States chasing storms alongside professionals.
The city of Oswego has launched an application for residents to report problems or code violations: Oswego Mobile. Oswego Mobile is a real-time civic engagement platform, established to identify civic issues and to enhance public safety, quality of life and environmental issues, according to the iTunes App Store. Users of the app may report any unexpected issues by taking a picture, video or audio recording, after they pin the location of the issue to a map or manually put the address or location in. Issues include abandoned vehicles, animal control, flooding in the street, graffiti, illegal parking, street signs, trash removal and water leaks, to name a few from the drop down list. Users can refer to the reports by arranging them in the ‘list view’ or by spotting pinned locations in the ‘map view’ so they can avoid issues or malfunctions in the city. Reports would be sent straight to the designated office, such as the Oswego Police Department, the Public Works Department, the Oswego Traffic Department or the Engineering/Zoning Office after the app determines the appropriate department. The statuses of reports will be updated and users may keep track of them. “You can select the issue from the drop down list and [the report] will determine where it gets sent,” said Councilor Eric I. Van Buren, 6th Ward of the Oswego Common Council. “You can add comments before it’s sent off if you want to add more info and after, you will be notified it was received by the department it was sent to. After that, as the department beings work on it, you can see the status up until it’s finished. “ The latest version of iOS Oswego Mobile 1.5.10 was updated on Aug. 2, 2013, with the bug affecting base imagery fixed since its first establishment on April 11. “We [Oswego Common Council] spent a lot time testing it internally to make sure we could
work out any kinks the departments might have before releasing it to the public,” Van Buren said. As of Sept. 11, there were 14 reported cases in iOS Oswego Mobile, including one curb cut, two street signs, one furniture on porches, two report property violations, one noxious weeds, one animal services, one abandoned bicycle, one storm drain problem and four others not listed among the options. This app is based upon the application named CitySourced. CitySourced, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-oriented venture company, which officially launched the app to the public as part of TechCrunch 2009. After success in Californian cities, including San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles, it has expanded the range of business nationwide and beyond. The app is currently used in seven countries across four continents, including England (Gravesham), and Australia (Adelaide). As of Sept. 11, 2013, there are over 40 CitySourced-affiliated apps on the iTunes App Store, the Windows Phone Apps+Games Store and the Google Play (Android) Store, and there are 24 on BlackBerry World. Oswego Mobile was the first app to be established in New York State. “Oswego is the first municipality in New York using a CitySourced platform,” said Andrew Kirk, director of sales and marketing at CitySourced. “Oswego was the first site in New York State because we were approached directly by Eric Van Buren from the city. After the successful launch of Oswego, we are interested in further expansion in New York State.” “We wanted a better way to keep track of what we were doing as councilors and a more modern way to reduce our paper use,” Van Buren said. “Also, this allowed us to see trends in what was being reported on regularly with maps and graphs.” The app is currently out for download on iOS, Android and Blackberry markets and can be found searching Oswego Mobile or Oswego, N.Y. in each respective app store, according to Van Buren.
Seamus Lyman | The Oswegonian Oswego Mobile provides a way for issues to be report ed to city government, holding officials responsible.
NEWS
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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nMOOCs possible bargain Laker Life provides new resource to students Courses offer alternative to classroom setting Website introduces novel way for student organizations to inform campus WEBSITE from cover “SUNY as a whole is looking at ways in which you can assess what we call prior learning,” Ketcham said. “So prior learning could be something you have done outside of the university, such as a MOOC or life experience or on the job or military experience. So there’s all these things we are looking at to try to find easier ways for students with experiences and basically transform them into credits.” If they were accepted, MOOCs could potentially become a way for students to save money by obtaining credits cheaper than through the school. “I think it’s valuable if it’s free,” said junior and business major Gee-Gee Jung. “I like things other than my major and I think it would be nice to be able to see different professors..and to be able to take [courses] without having to pay the money.” While students agree it’s something that Oswego State should look into, statistically most of the people who enroll in MOOCs are already in a professional field or international students. For the university level, professors at Oswego State have expressed concern with the ability of MOOCs to provide the same level of education as an oncampus course. “Faculty are rightly concerned with the fact that you want an academic experience that is rich and as rigorous as what happens in the classroom,” Ketcham said. “So those are really important factors to make it an equivalent learning experience.” Oswego State journalism and broadcasting professor Gary Ritzenthaler agrees, saying that the amount of learning that can take place through MOOCs compared to taking an actual course depends on what you want to learn. “Right now there are definitely subjects that I think would work well, and there are some subjects that are going to be harder to offer online,” Ritzenthaler said. “Oswego doesn’t just want to do MOOC’s, they want something that’s going to work with their system.” Oswego State, which primarily offers classes that are taught by a professor, would have to adjust from the face-to-face communication of traditional courses to professors possibly instructing thousands of students that they never get to see.
“People like to know that there’s a real person, a real professor that they can get in touch with when they need to,” Ketcham said. “That’s incredibly difficult when you have 10,000 or 12,000 students in a course and you’ve got one instructor.” While MOOCs offer a lot for the academic community, there is not solidified business model, meaning that so far there is no way to generate any type of revenue. There are a few possibilities, such as: Data Mining: selling student information to employers or advertisers. Cross or Upselling: learning materials are free for students, but more interaction such as peer-reviewing, assignment grading, or discussions are fee-based. Tuition based: students pay the originating institution for credit. With tuition costs already on the rise, most would think schools would shy away from offering courses to students for virtually nothing, and getting nothing in return, but there are still some key advantages to schools incorporating MOOCs in their curriculum. There’s a lot of experimentation that can take place between faculty and students with a very low risk factor, and institutions also have the opportunity to extend their brand internationally. While MOOCs have been viewed in many instances as a possible solution to the high cost of education, Ketcham said they are more likely to serve as a supplement to the higher education system. “It could be a part of it,” Ketcham said.“What is interesting is the fact that you could take a lecture from a really well-known physicist, who students wouldn’t have access to otherwise, and make it a part of your course. You as a professor can look and say ‘Oh, that’s a great set of lectures from MIT’ or, ‘Oh, that a great tutorial from Stanford, and I can make this a part of my class.’” Ketcham cautioned that students should consider more than just price when they register for a MOOC, adding that it takes a certain type of student to be successful in the style of class. “If I’m the type of person who is very selfdirected and I can work through, ‘Here’s a list of directives, now go do it,’ then I’m going to be pretty successful in an online course,” Ketcham said. “So the thing to be careful about is that no one looks at it based on the costs saving basis alone.”
Students rally in attempt to save two levels of martial arts class after professor suddenly resigns MARTIAL ARTS from cover
Bargainnier commented on the class cancellation through email, stating, “Mr. Spadora resigned unexpectedly Wednesday afternoon—that is why the department had to cancel the classes.” Michel understands the problems that came with the cancellation of the class. “The terrible part is it’s so difficult because we had all these students that needed to add a class before Friday.” A Facebook event was created by Andernson, Kayla D’Agostino and Tamara Leigh calling all students to come show their support in favor of saving Spadora’s class. Fiftyone students said they would attend and multiple students and alum showed their support for the cause on the event’s page. Roughly 30 students were in the Academic Quad Friday at 2:30 p.m. to show their support. Spadora, who goes by Bodi, was also in attendance with several members of his team. Fliers were handed out and Spadora made a short speech to the group. “First off, I just want to say I really appreciate all the student support,” Spadora said. “So many students came out. We didn’t ask you to do that, you came out on your own.” Spadora reminded students to not forget what they have learned in his class. He also announced that he and his team, Team Sinanju, will be offering free classes for Oswego State students. “The biggest thing is that change happens and that’s OK, and I have to roll with those punches too just like the students who are in those classes,” Spadora said. “What we try to teach about is adapting to those changes and one thing that my team is going to do to help out is that we’re going to offer for the general public, people that are looking for the training, people that are looking for what we offer, we’re going to hold a public session for free, any Oswego students.” Following the speech, Spadora led a bow out, something traditionally done at the end of a martial arts class. D’Agostino, a junior biology major, took Martial Arts One last year and was excited
for the second level of the course this fall. “Working with Bodi almost every other day, we formed a team. It wasn’t just a class,” D’Agostino said. “We all went into Martial Arts Two thinking it’s going to be the greatest time ever. Everybody was looking forward to it so much, and the second week of school we find out that they’re going to cut it from the course selection, and so in honor of Bode, and in honor of the training we’ve learned so far, we feel it’s only right that we stand up for what we believe in— stand up for the courses we want. This is SUNY Oswego. We’re supposed to have a voice and we should be able to have some say in what we want to learn.” D’Agostino said she knew that Spadora was looking to expand the course beyond the two levels that were already being provided. She is also under the impression that Spadora was asked to change his teaching style. “I mean don’t get me wrong, you could sit there and write a 50-question multiple choice test and, you know, grade it that way, but martial arts is more about technique, more about what you gain from it in the mind,” D’Agostino said. Chad Cook, a senior creative writing major, took Martial Arts One the first semester of his junior year. “It was a fantastic course,” Cook said. “It changed me as a person in a lot of better ways. It helped me control some of my anxieties; it just helped me be a better person.” Cook attended the organized protest on Sept. 6 after seeing a poster in Hewitt Union. Anderson is a member of the Oswego State wrestling team and said that the class helped him in his sport. He also originally enrolled in Martial Arts One, thinking he could get an easy A. “I’ll tell you right now, out of every single class I’ve taken here at SUNY Oswego, I have never walked out of a class every single day and been broken down to the core basic of what I am as a human being and taught to grow and expand,” Anderson said. “I’ve learned more from that class than two accounting classes and all my business administration classes.”
Daniel O’Connor Copy Editor doconnor@oswegonian.com Oswego State has a new communications and community-connecting site called Laker Life that students, faculty and staff can now access. Michael Paestella, director of student involvement at The Point, said students will soon be asking, “How did we ever exist without it?” The website, powered by Collegiatelink, offers students the ability to create individual profiles, connect with school organizations, follow news, create co-curricular transcripts, and manage documents. Laker Life was officially introduced to Oswego State during the last week of Spring 2013. Registered Oswego State students can create a Laker Life profile by logging in with the same username and password they use to access their Angel system or their college e-mail. Once logged in, the student can edit their profile to their liking and have free range of
access to all of Laker Life’s facilities. Michael Paestella said he believes that the new site is going to be beneficial for the college and is an important tool for the future of Oswego State. Paestella also said he believes in the near-future, programs such as the GST and IST courses, which are held in Johnson and Hart residence halls, will be able to utilize Laker Life to help keep record of student attendance at GST and IST events and track community service hours. Paestella also notes that Oswego State clubs registered with The Point will be able to hold their elections via Laker Life. “Knowing how many SUNY schools are moving to it and hearing the stories of success from people who do SAPB-type of programming, to the Greek councils. I think it’s going to have a huge impact on residence life,” Paestella said. But do Oswego State students know of this new campus communications site? For the upperclassmen, this may be a whole new world for them.
“Laker Life? No, I’ve never heard of it,” said senior early childhood education major Shannon Bandinelli. “It’s interesting, but has it taken off? Some of my classmates and I have already decided to just make a Facebook page for our class.” For students apprehensive about Laker Life who question if it will actually be utilized, Paestella explains the site can be integrated with other social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Students with smart phones can create a “badge” for it. “I think that once this site really takes off and people know what it can do and what it’s made for, I think it’s going to take the place of Facebook. Certainly for clubs,” says junior global and international studies major Jacqueline Phaneuf. “Once you do join, it makes a world of difference.” For students interested in learning more about Laker Life, sessions will be held at The Point on Monday, Sept. 16. at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 18. at 3 p.m.
9/11 memorial image draws ire at Cooper Dining Hall Luke Parsnow Asst. News Editor lparsnow@oswegonian.com
A chalk drawing depicting the 2001 attack on the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center appeared on the Cooper Dining Hall lunch menu Wednesday, causing anger for some students on the 12th anniversary of the attacks. The drawing clearly shows flames and smoke billowing out of the towers, along with an American flag and “We will never forget” written underneath the buildings. Last year on Sept. 11, the menu displayed a simple drawing of the two standing towers. The addition of the smoke and flame this year, which were drawn accurately to some footage taken in 2001, takes the message a little too far according to some students. “I don’t think it is appropriate at all,” junior Ali Bickert said. “I was shocked when I walked into Cooper and saw this. This is not the way we should be remembering what happened on 9/11. We should be thinking about and honoring those who lost their lives or risked their lives that day. Besides, we all know what happened, we don’t really need to see a drawing depicting the towers going up in
flames in the dinning hall at school.” The events of 12 years ago can be a sensitive subject to students at Oswego State. With many students coming from New York City, Long Island and surrounding areas, there are many students who were impacted personally by the attacks due to their close promximity. Junior Gabbi Reimann, who lives in Westchester County and lost a lot of friends in the attacks in New York and almost lost her parents, who worked in the World Trade Center. “I feel like it’s a day that you’re supposed to remember what happened,” Reimann said. “You’re not supposed to be reminding people what it is. And they made it look cute. They did it with chalk and put little hearts around it like it was a cartoon in a coloring book.” Some students understand why others would be angered by the drawing, but are sure the artist didn’t mean any harm by it. The message of mourning was still clear, they said. “In my opinion this is a bit over the top and the dining hall should be a little more sensitive to how people feel on this day,” junior Jon Ferguson said. “However, there are plenty pictures online depicting the Twin Towers in flames or in smoke with an American flag saying ‘We will never
forget’ and no one seems to find that over the top.” Tamara Cunningham, building manager of Cooper Dining Hall, said the dining staff did receive complaints about the drawing throughout the day and took down the menu and modified the drawing before students came in for dinner. The Twin Towers and American flags remained on the menu with the absence of flames and smoke and the addition of the emblems of the New York City Fire Department and Police Department, along with a dedication to an individual lost on that day. “We apologize to anyone we may have offended,” Cunningham said. “They were meant to commemorate, they weren’t meant to offend.” Cunningham also said that one of Cooper ’s student employees drew the picture. The menu is usually filled with illustrations during holidays and days of significance. Cooper Dining Hall posted a statement on their comment-card wall that said “the boards we posted were created by an individual that personally lost a dear loved one on 9/11.” Dining Hall staff assured students that the drawings intended no offense toward those affected by 9/11, the victims or the survivors.
Luke Parsnow | The Oswegonian Original chalkboard with the image some found offensive (top), and the sign that replaced it after students complained to dining hall staff (bottom).
NEWS
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
Feeling Left Out?
Come*to*one*of*our*InformaIon*Sessions*or*stop*by*an*InformaIon* Table*to*ďŹ nd*out*how*you*can*see*the*world*and*earn*credit*too!* Date%
Event%
Time%
Thursday,*October*10**
Info*Session*
4pm;5pm*
Campus*Center*133*
Tuesday,*October*15*
Info*Table*
10am;2pm*
Campus*Center*(by*the*Point)*
Tuesday,*October*22*
Info*Session*
3pm;4pm*
Campus*Center*133*
Thursday,*October*24*
Info*Table*
10am;2pm*
Campus*Center*(by*the*Point)*
Wednesday,*November*6*
Info*Table*
10am;*2pm*
Campus*Center*(by*the*Point)*
Thursday,*November*7*
Info*Session*
1pm;2pm*
Campus*Center*133*
Wednesday,*November*13*
Info*Table*
10am;2pm*
Campus*Center*(by*the*Point)*
Wednesday,*November*13*
Info*Session*
4pm;5pm*
Campus*Center*133*
EDUCATION ABROAD
Loca/on%
A6
SPORTS
OPINION REMEMBER
B5
9/11
Photo provided by Wil Blanche
• www.oswegonian.com
VOLUME LXXIX ISSUE II
THE OSWEGONIAN
SPORTS VOLLEYBALL CRUISES
B3
IN THREE SETS
David Armelino | The Oswegonian
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
B1
SCOREBOARD
Oswego State hosts invitational
Volleyball
Men’s, women’s cross country teams each earn 4th-place finish in season’s only home meet
Oswego State
Tuesday, Sept. 10
3 0
Women’s Soccer Saturday, Sept. 7
1 2
Men’s Soccer Saturday, Sept. 7
2 3
Field Hockey Friday, Sept. 6
2 1
Michael Nakoski Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State cross country teams hosted their only home invitational of the season on a rain-soaked Saturday morning in front of a huge crowd. The men’s team hosted the Don Masterson Invitational at 11 a.m., while the women’s team hosted the Pat Peterson Invitational at noon. The Lakers performed well, with both teams finishing fourth in their respective races. The men’s team ran an 8,000-meter race, while the women’s team ran a 5,000-meter course. The Oswego State runners were excited to defend their turf and race in front of the home crowd. “I think being at home, there is a sense of pride about running at their home course,” men’s and women’s coach Stephanie Grimm said. Rain started to fall at the beginning of the men’s race and continued to pick up midway through the race. Despite the popular belief that rain has only a negative impact on a race, junior Steve Denbleyker said that the rain helped cool the runners down during the race. The race started in front of Culkin Hall and went around parts of campus, including the Hidden Fields. Oswego State had a strong performance. The first Laker runner to cross the line was senior Damian Archie. He finished 16th with an impressive time of 26:43:7, earning him the title of Oswego State Athlete of the Week.
See CROSS COUNTRY, B3
Photo provided by Sports Information
Senior Damian Archie runs in the Don Masterson Invitational on Saturday. He was the top Laker runner and finished 16th overall in the men’s race.
Men’s soccer falls despite solid effort
Women’s soccer
Oswego State drops match, record falls to 0-3-1 after loss to Nazareth
has high hopes to
UPCOMING MATCHES
begin 2013 season Torrin Kearns Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com
* green indicates home games
Women’s Soccer Friday, Sept. 13 vs.
Location: Laker Field Time: 4 p.m.
Volleyball Friday, Sept. 13 vs.
Location: Max Ziel Gymnasium Time: 4 p.m.
Men’s Tennis Saturday, Sept. 14 @
Location: Schneeweis Athletic Complex Time: 12 p.m.
Women’s Soccer Sunday, Sept. 15 vs.
Location: Laker Field Time: 1 p.m.
Nicole Sussman | The Oswegonian Junior midfielder Drew Bordash (center) controls the ball in Oswego State’s matchup against Nazareth College. The Lakers lost the close game 3-2.
Andrew Pugliese Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com The only thing that worked better than the Oswego State men’s soccer team’s counter attack on Saturday was the Nazareth College offense, a fact that made all the difference as the Golden Flyers secured a 3-2 victory Saturday at Laker Field. For the first 10 minutes of play, the Golden Flyers showed superiority on the top line by creating multiple chances against Lakers’ freshman keeper Jon Runge. Oswego State’s midfield and defense played aggressively, with timely tackling to stifle Nazareth’s chances. An offsides against the Golden Flyers in the 11th minute came to the host’s aid as well. Just about a minute after Nazareth’s scoring opportunity, Laker captain and senior midfielder Brendan Beisner put the afternoon’s first score in the back of the net. The West Islip native took a pass from freshman Mitch Brickman off the chest and buried it before even letting it hit the pitch, giving the Lakers’ a 1-0 lead. In the minutes following Oswego State’s goal, the sloppy field conditions
started to come into play. At the 16-minute mark, the Lakers were pushing upfield again when senior Brandyn Peters slipped chasing down junior Eric Widanka’s pass. Within seconds, the rain-soaked grass struck again, this time claiming Brickman. Nazareth would quickly take advantage of the Lakers missed opportunities. Almost five minutes following the game’s first score, Nazareth found their equalizer off an Oswego State turnover. The ball bounced around for a short time, but once it was resting on senior Ryan Foley’s boot, he didn’t hesitate to boot it past Runge. The Golden Flyers’ first score mirrored some of the goals conceded by Oswego State earlier in the season. The defense struggled to close on the ball and clear it, leaving the keeper sprawling to no avail. Still, head coach Robert Friske is optimistic about improved play by Runge in the coming matches. “He’s going to have to play a lot more to get a lot more experience to get more comfortable,” Friske said. “I can only imagine his play will get better.” Nazareth kept the pressure on Runge for the remainder of the half and the
freshman netminder responded well. His ability to punch away threatening aerial attacks and get down for low chances showed a versatility which backs Friske’s belief that his young goalie is doing a “hell of a job.” When the two squads switched sides and began play in the second half, the Lakers came out with two solid minutes of offensive play, but a costly foul swung momentum Nazareth’s way. After a whistle was blown on Oswego State for hands to the back on a header, the Golden Flyers wasted little time making the turnover count in their favor. Foley struck again, as the Ireland native took his own rebound off Runge and gave his team a 2-1 lead. From that point on, the Oswego State back four became a vocal force on the pitch. They began yelling such remarks as “don’t play long balls, play the feet!” Friske recognized the message his players were sending about playing the ball up field as a unit, from defense to midfield to forwards. “We’re trying to get them more linked up with the midfielders,” said Friske. “Literally, giving direction out there sort
See SOCCER, B3
The Oswego State women’s soccer team started another season and is preparing for its home opener on Friday against the Utica Pioneers. Hopes are high for the Lakers after they went 1-1 in the Plattsburgh Tournament this past weekend, giving them a 2-2 overall record. The split came against two tough teams in Bard College and St. Lawrence University, the latter which ranked 80th in the country prior to the tournament. “Bard was a very athletic, physical team, which I thought we dealt with really well,” head coach Brian McGrane said. Though he felt the Lakers’ effort against St. Lawrence was lackluster (they lost 2-1 due in part to the strain of playing two games in less than 24 hours), he still saw some positive signs. “For our young kids, I thought [the Plattsburgh Tournament] was great,” McGrane said. “I thought it was good for them to see the speed of play on short rest.” Past experiences of the players will be important for the Lakers this season. For Friday’s game, more than half of the Lakers’ roster is freshmen. “This is the youngest team I’ve had,” McGrane said. “It’s got its positives and its negatives… Sometimes, you don’t really realize how big certain games are.” With such a young team, the Lakers will need their eight upperclassmen, three of them captains, to provide veteran leadership. “We like our returning players,” McGrane said. “Their leadership has been great.” “We don’t have too many upperclassmen,” junior midfielder Amanda Heberger said. “But the ones we do have are motivated to make it far…With everyone on the same page, it’s going to be easy to get the underclassmen pumped up and ready to go.” The Lakers are now two years removed from their ECAC championship
See SOCCER, B2
Blue Line Oswego State
ROAD RECAPS Field Hockey The Oswego State field hockey team earned their first win of the 2013 season last Saturday after defeating Nazareth College 2-1. Rachel Johnston scored both Laker goals en route to being named Oswego State Athlete of the Week. Ashley Fiorille and Lisa O’Callaghan each recorded an assist in the victory.
Women’s Soccer The Oswego State women’s soccer team went 1-1 in the Plattsburgh Cardinal Classic last weekend. The Lakers dropped their only game on Saturday 2-1 after St. Lawrence University grabbed the lead late in the second half. Oswego State defeated Bard College 2-0 on Friday behind goals from senior Nikki Liadka and junior Bri Dolan.
Volleyball The Oswego State volleyball team dropped two games in the University of Rocherster Invitational on Friday. The Lakers dropped their first match against Rochester University in straight sets. Freshman Sarah Meredith played well in the defeat with seven kills, three digs and three aces. Oswego State fell in their second match against Skidmore College in straight sets.
Athletes of the Week
Quote of the Week “It’s always going to stay with me. Having those terrible memories is motivation for this final college season.” -Mike Naab, men’s soccer captain
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
B2
Naab ready for big senior year
Captain looking to lead Oswego State to the postseason for first time in collegiate career Andrew Pugliese Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com Mike Naab and the Oswego State men’s soccer team are looking to end a three-year postseason drought this season. A squad with such ambition needs a captain who loves a challenge and won’t quit until the job is done. The Lakers have that in Naab. Besides being extremely driven, Naab is also Oswego State’s most experienced player. His 44 caps are most on the team and his 28 starts rank second, just behind senior Zach Saccocio. Other career marks among current players which the Lakers’ captain lays claim to are: leading goal scorer (seven), tied for most assists (four) and tied for the most game-winning goals (two), both coming in his sophomore season. After missing the SUNY Athletic Conference tournament in his first three collegiate seasons, Naab is keeping his goals simple for his senior campaign. He wants to end his career on a high note, and making the playoffs is an ideal way to do so. As a high school senior, Naab severely injured his ankle, keeping him from being a part of his team’s run to the sectional semifinals. Those memories still linger in Naab’s mind today. “It’s always going to stay with me,” Nabb said. “Having those terrible memories is motivation for this final college season.” Naab, a Wayne Central native, has enjoyed playing with the seniors during his time on the shores of Lake Ontario. He believes he learned something from each senior that he carries with him every time he steps on the field. As a captain for the 2013 season, Naab hopes to make a similar impact on those he will leave behind. Like any leader, setting a good example is crucial, but more importantly he wants players to feel he’s approachable, someone anyone can talk to, on and off the field. The desire to be there for his teammates can be traced back to a foundation in communication, which Naab has with his coaches.
David Armelino | The Oswegonian
Senior Mike Naab is looking to make the playoffs in his final season with the Oswego State men’s soccer team after missing the postseason the past three seasons.
“They’re very encouraging,” Naab said. “I know whenever I’m having a problem I can go talk to [head coach Robert Friske] and we can sort it out. If something’s not right with the team we can sit down and sort it out. He’s always there for his players.” Naab is trying to pass on his knowledge to the freshmen on this year ’s squad. The main message he has for them is that mistakes are going to be made. It’s part of the game, one just has to sleep it off and come back the next day ready to move on and make sure such things never happen again. The senior admits he still makes mistakes on the field, but he is eager to continue to learn and improve. Naab feels he has grown a lot since his start with Oswego State. He feels he has become a more intelligent player and recognized early in his career that the pace is
much quicker than anything he saw when playing high school soccer outside Rochester. That recognition told Naab talent alone would no longer get him anywhere. He realized that how much work he put in would determine how much he got back. Naab took his offseason training to another level after his freshman season and continues to build on it. He believes the offseason is where most of the hard work is put in. After a very successful sophomore season in which he set career highs in goals (four) and assists (three), Naab’s numbers dipped last year as a junior. As a captain, Oswego State will look to him for his offensive production to return this season, which has put his fitness and offseason preparation to the test. Naab tries to fashion his game after Liverpool star and English national team member, Steven Gerrard, who he thinks is the hardest
worker in the English Premier League. Despite his high level of focus, Naab is still, like any amateur athlete, out there to have fun and be a part of the team. One form of team bonding he’s taken part in this season is sharing the mohawk hairstyle with fellow seniors Eddie Silvestro and Brendan Beisner. Senior year mohawks are a bit of a tradition for Naab. He had one his senior year of high school, so he decided to bring it back for what will be his final collegiate season. No. 16, Naab wears for the Lakers, could be the biggest symbol of his competitive, yet fun personality. The number he has owned since he was 12. Naab originally picked 16 simply because one of his friends was number 15 and he wanted to one up that friend. The number has stuck with him since. While Naab is enjoying a strong start to his final season with Oswego State, it seems that he has found the perfect balance between fun and competitiveness.
Lakers expect to make postseason RACHEL JOHNSTON
Field Hockey Senior, Union Springs, N.Y.
Women’s soccer hoping to make SUNYAC playoffs after not qualifying for tournament last season
Johnston scored a career high two goals against Nazareth College to propel the Lakers to their first win of the 2013 season. The senior opened the scoring 12:47 into the game and gave Oswego State a 2-0 lead with a goal at 46:23 in the second half. Johnston’s second goal proved to be the game winning goal as Oswego State went on to beat Nazareth 2-1.
Jessica Bagdovitz | The Oswegonian The Oswego State women’s soccer team is looking to end a postseason drought and advance to the playoffs this year. The team is off to a good start thus far, with a 2-2 record in their first four games.
SOCCER, from B1 DAMIAN ARCHIE
Men’s Cross Country Senior, Binghamton, N.Y. Archie was the highest finisher among Laker runners in the 8k, placing 16th overall out of 162 runners at the Oswego State Don Masterson Invitational. His efforts helped the Lakers to a 4th place team finish. Archie’s time of 26:43 was a personal record, eclipsing his previous mark of 27:11 which he set during last year’s Oswego State Invitational.
V
and just one year removed from not qualifying for either the ECAC or the SUNYAC tournaments. They finished the season 7-9 last year and missed the ECAC Tournament by a single game. A major goal this season for the Lakers is the improvement of their conference record. They won three of their six conference games with only one of those wins coming at home. McGrane said he believes his team stacks up well against the other SUNYAC teams. “It’s all about being able to play under pressure and playing with effort and energy every single game,” McGrane said. Heberger said she thinks the team will be able to compete at a high level this season.
“I believe we can really go far,” Heberger said. “We have a lot of motivation to get into SUNYACs.” Senior captain Nikki Liadka said the team is off to a good start this year considering the competition. “I think we have a really good chance this year,” Liadka said. “We’ve played some difficult teams already and we have dealt with them.” Liadka led the Lakers in nearly every offensive category, including goals, gamewinning goals and points last season. She is off to a great start this season after logging a career-high four goals in the Lakers’ season opener on Aug. 31, a 6-0 win against SUNYIT. Though Liadka has already notched six goals in just four games this season, the Lakers are hoping to avoid having to
rely solely on her to put the ball in the back of the net. The big talk around the Lakers is an increase in depth from last season. “We lacked depth last year,” McGrane said. “When you play [a Friday and Saturday game] in conference, you need more players in that Saturday game. To not be able to have that, I think we wore our players down. This year we are younger. We are deeper and we are more athletic. So I think we’re better than we were last year. This may be the best team I’ve had in my seven years here.” To avoid wearing out their players, the Lakers are carrying 26 players this year as opposed to the 22 they carried last season. “To have 26 players that are all good, I think it really helps us,” Heberger said. With what they hope is a winning mixture of youth, experience and depth, the
Lakers are looking to make a push to the top of the SUNYAC. “Our goal is to be one of the four or five best teams in the conference,” Heberger said. Liadka said she is confident in her team this year and believes they will surprise some teams. “I think we have a great group of girls this year and we all work extremely well together,” Liadka said. “I think the rest of the teams in the SUNYAC will be surprised with how much we have improved and we will definitely give them some good competition.” Oswego State is back in action again with two home games this weekend. The Lakers will host Utica College on Friday at 4 p.m. before facing Alfred State College at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
SPORTS
Oswego State cruises to victory
Volleyball defeats Morrisville State in three sets, Lakers improve 2013 record to .500
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
B33
Cross country teams finish strong at home CROSS COUNTRY, from B1 Senior Ben Sweet finished in 20th place and rounding off the top three for Oswego State was junior Nick Montesano at 23rd place. Senior Kyle Gilyard and freshman Tyler Morris also came in the top 50 out of 162 runners. The men’s team finished fourth out of 13 teams. After the race, Grimm, who is in her third year as head coach, was happy with the men’s team performance. “This is the strongest I have seen the men’s team in the three years that I have been here,” Grimm said. SUNY Cortland’s men’s team set the tone for the race early, as they stayed in front for the duration of the race, taking the top eight places. Senior Pat Fannon finished in first with a time of 25:49:0. The Pat Peterson 5k race began at noon and, despite the rain, Oswego State runners got off to a quick start. Junior Meghan Murphy crossed the finish line first for Oswego State and earned a 14th-place finish with a time of 19:38:7. Sophomores Emily Yerdon and Katie Laris were not too far behind and finished 20th and 21st, respectively. Meanwhile, sophomores Sarah Popovitch and Marta Tomaszewski also placed in the top 50 out of 162 runners. Ithaca took first place as a team for the women’s race after placing four runners in the top 10. Cortland finished in second, while Rochester finished in third. Oswego State finished fourth overall as a team. After the race, Grimm said she was also happy with the women’s team performance, but that there’s always room for improvement. Both teams have some time off before their next race at the Houghton Highlander Invitational, on Saturday Sept. 21st at 11 a.m.
David Armelino | The Oswegonian The Oswego State volleyball team cruised to a victory in straight sets against Morrisville State College.
Steven Cordero Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com
The Oswego State women’s volleyball team was determined from the start and played well against Morrisville State College en route to a dominating three-set victory Tuesday night. Deciding to start youth over experience, head coach J.J. O’Connell placed four freshmen in his starting lineup, including setter Lauren Edwards, rightside hitter Meaghan Roefs, outside hitter Emma Moriarty and middle hitter Megan Russell. “We have better athletes this year amongst the freshmen,” O’Connell said. “They give us more physicality at the net, which is always important.” Senior outside hitter Sabrina Sutton, junior middle blocker Stephanie Bailey and the Libero, sophomore Rachel Ruggaber, rounded out the starting lineup for Oswego State. After seeing her team fall behind 3-0 in the first set, Sutton gained six consecutive service points to put the Lakers ahead. Morrisville State evened things up, but the Lakers won 17 of the next 20 points to put themselves comfortably ahead 23-9 in a set that resulted in a 2511 win. The first set marked the tone for the rest of the game. Oswego State played nearly mistake-free, while Morrisville State’s constant errors, including double touches, hitting the ball too far out of bounds and lack of communication led to their demise. The second set was similar to the first. After both teams seemed to be even with a score of 6-5, Oswego State gained points quickly and efficiently, winning 19 of the last 22 points to take the set 25-
8.
The Lakers went on a run and won 10 straight points in the set, due in part to utility player, sophomore Emily Wasler, who gained 10 consecutive service points. Wasler also led Oswego State in service aces with five total. Perhaps the player with the biggest impact on the team was freshman Lauren Edwards. The setter had 22 of the teams 35 total assists. Her performance helped set up plays for the outside hitters and led to easy points. Oswego State started to show some fatigue in the third set after gaining a 1910 lead. The Lakers allowed Morrisville State to cut the lead to 20-17, prompting O’Connell to call a timeout and give his players a breather. Following the timeout, they were able close out the set for a 25-17 win in the set, as well as the match. One standout point from the match for the Lakers was the consistency in which their serves went over the net and stayed in play. “We do a lot of drills in practice,” O’Connell said. “We do one that’s called the short serve challenge. The challenge is that at every practice, out of all the girls there, at least ten of them have to serve the ball over the net at 10 feet or less.” Oswego State will begin a four-game stretch at home as part of the Oswego State Tournament this weekend. The Lakers will play two games on both Friday and Saturday at Max Ziel Gymnasium. The team will open Friday with a match at 4 p.m. vs. SUNYIT before playing Marywood University at 8 p.m. The tournament continues on Saturday with the Lakers hosting St. Lawrence University at 10 a.m. before competing against
Lakers’ struggles continue in 2013 SOCCER, from B1
David Armelino | The Oswegonian Senior Sabrina Sutton (bottom) and freshmen Sarah Meredith (top) and Meaghan Roefs (middle) contribute to Oswego State’s victory against Morrisville State College. The Lakers won in three straight sets.
Viscomi eager to make impact New AD brings experience, ambition to athletic department as head of Oswego State athletics Samuel Cino Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com Susan Viscomi is excited to begin a new chapter of her life as the athletic director at Oswego State. Viscomi comes to Oswego State with over 30 years of intercollegiate experience in several coaching fields and positions. But her journey began before that, at SUNY Cortland, where Viscomi earned a bachelor ’s in education in the physical education field. Viscomi continued her education and earned her master ’s degree in counseling from Colgate University. She served as head coach of the Oswego State women’s soccer team for seven years and was twice named State University of New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1996). Her accomplishments in the coaching field helped her land a position in the athletic department at Hamilton College, where she was the associate athletic director and the senior woman administrator for 13 years. In 2006, she was named the interim athletic director at Hamilton, which put
her in a position to be named Hilbert College’s first female athletic director in July 2010. Viscomi was then named the Oswego State director of athletics on June 3. She did not have to think twice before accepting the job. “Oswego is a perfect fit, professionally and personally,” Viscomi said. “I was the soccer coach here from 1990 to 1996. The school was a completely different place then and I’m excited to make positive changes for the athletic program now.” Viscomi is eager to accomplish some new goals she set for the athletic program. “First, I want get acquainted with the school since I left,” Viscomi said. “I want to get acquainted with the ‘new’ Oswego. Another focus is improvement in the facilities, especially the track and field track.” Despite the difficulties that come with her job, Viscomi always maintains a positive attitude and comes ready to work every day. “I can count the days on one hand that I’ve come to work and not wanted
to be there,” Viscomi said. “I’m fortunate enough to be working in a field I have a passion for.” Viscomi not only loves her job but also enjoys the people she works with, especially the students. “I’m very supportive of the student athletes,” Viscomi said. “I pride myself on getting to know the student athletes.” Viscomi sets a high standard for student athletes and expects the best from them. “My goal is a 100 percent graduation rate for all athletes,” Viscomi said. Viscomi complimented all of her athletes for several collegiate awards in community service, as well as performing well on the playing field. The main reason for Viscomi’s involvement with students comes from her past experiences as a student athlete. “My high school gym teacher Ms. Rasbach was my coach for every sport I played in high school,” Viscomi said. “She’s my inspiration for everything I’m doing now in this stage of my career.” Viscomi is ready to make her presence felt at Oswego State. Her experience and expertise should help her make an impact in the athletic
department. With the fall sports season in full swing, Viscomi’s job is only beginning.
Photo provided by Sports Information Susan Viscomi began her tenure as Oswego State’s athletic director on June 3rd, 2013.
of keeps us as one unit. We’re trying to communicate from line to line so we’re more a defending block, not a defending line.” As play continued, both sides were finding their offensive chances, but neither team could finish at the net. The combination of Mike Naab and JJ McLoughlin came up big for Oswego State in the second half. The two upperclassmen were aggressive in their movement of the ball toward the goal, but couldn’t seem to connect with each other or find help. The struggles with clearing the ball continued for the Lakers defensive unit late in the game, as Nazareth scored what would be the game-winning goal off the head of defenseman Jimmy Gaffney. The ball bounced around the box until it bounced off Gaffney’s head and landed just inside the right goal post, sealing the Lakers’ fate. The Golden Flyers continued to pressure, which would eventually cost them a goal. With just under 10 minutes to play, Oswego State’s Eddie Silvestro’s cross found a Nazareth defender ’s head and sailed to the back of the net to cut their lead in half. The own goal caused the visitors to attack more aggressively, however, as Nazareth worked hard to preserve their lead. The final five minutes of action proved exciting, as the Lakers thought they found their equalizer. McLoughlin sent in a free kick, which senior defender Eric Widanka headed past Golden Flyers freshman keeper Nate Ripic, but Widanka was called for lowering his shoulder into Ripic scratching the goal. The clock ran out on their fourth match of the 2013 season with another defeat, but senior captain Naab remains in a positive frame of mind moving forward. “Our record may not show it, but we’re making progress,” Naab said. “I’m sure once conference comes around it’ll be there.” After two consecutive road games, Oswego State will host their next home match on Sept. 27 during Alumni weekend. The Lakers will kick off Alumni weekend by hosting SUNY New Paltz at 4 p.m. on Friday before a Saturday matinee showdown against Oneonta State at 1 p.m.
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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Campus Recreational Sports Report Wizards win season debut
Photo provided by Allison Martin Cayuga Hall residents participate in the basketball event during Project Play. The event was a drew 866 participants from around campus dorms.
Photo provided by Reid Adler The Oswego State club rugby team (right) defeated Le Moyne College in their 2013 season opener.
Ross Bentley Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com
Michael Nakoski Contributing Writer sports@oswegonian.com
Oswego State hosted the 14th annual project play at Lee Hall on Saturday, Aug. 24th. Project Play brought students and teams from the 14 residence halls together and pitted them against each other in events such as kickball, dodgeball, an obstacle course and basketball. The total number of participants who came out for the event to kick off the Oswego State school year was 866.
“I thought it was an amazing event. We got a lot of people to come out and actually participate,” Kadeidra Brown, the special events assistant for campus recreation, said. “It was fun and I would do it again.” Project Play allowed first-year students to gain hall spirit and meet fellow students from across campus. The event also allowed those students to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather and get an early start to staying physically active this upcoming semester. “I definitely think it helps build a com-
munity because you’re playing with your team and your hall and even though you might have friends living in the other halls you want to win for your team, you want to win for your building,” Brown said. “I definitely think that as a building it helps you meet people you otherwise wouldn’t have ever known.” Funnelle Hall took home the trophy for this season, the 4th time they have won in the 14 years Project Play has been held on campus. The combined team of Mackin, Sheldon Hall and The Village placed second.
The Oswego State men’s club rugby team defeated Le Moyne College 30-18 to open the 2013 fall season this past Sunday. It was their first regular season game since their heartbreaking loss in the state championship game last spring. The game began at 1 p.m. at the Hidden Fields. Oswego State was oozing with confidence. Playing in front of the home crowd, the Wizards started the game filled with energy. They seemed to be the quicker and stronger team. The Wizards scored two tries in the first half en route to a 10-3 halftime lead. The talented Oswego State defense was close to dominant in the first half, as it stalled Le Moyne’s offense throughout the half. The second half of the game was a complete turnaround in the second half, both the Oswego State and Le Moyne offenses started to pick up steam. Oswego State got the ball rolling early in the half and scored its third try of the game, eventually increasing its lead to 208. But Le Moyne struck back.
Le Moyne started to pick up the pace offensively toward the end of the game after managing to break through the Wizards’ vaunted defense, but it was not enough, as Oswego State held on to win 30-18. Saturday’s game was a bit closer than last year ’s, which Oswego State won 44-20. After the game, senior captain Tyrell Moore said that the team’s performance was “pretty good” and he thought the game went well. “There’s always room for improvement, but the only things we really need to improve on are support, running and communication,” Moore said. The Wizards are scheduled to compete at home against Hamilton College Saturday at 1 p.m at the Hidden Fields. Last year, Oswego State beat Hamilton in the playoffs, 23-7, to advance to the championship game. After opening the season with a victory, The Wizards look to have another strong season in front of them. It is still early in the season, but the Wizards are primed to make another run at the state championship game.
Photo provided by Allison Martin A student participates in the kickball event outside Lee Hall. Funnelle Hall took home the Project Play trophy this year for the fourth time in 14 years.
Photo provided by Reid Adler Oswego State’s Andrew Auriemma recovers the ball after the scrum and prepares to take off up field.
Photo provided by Allison Martin A student from Waterbury Hall participates in the kickball event during Project Play. The event was hosted at the beginning of the semester on Aug. 24.
Photo provided by Reid Adler Kevin Burke barrels towards a pack of Le Moyne defenders guarding the try zone. The Wizards won 30-18.
OPINION CELEBRITY CHILDREN RULE SUMMER
B?5 Photo provided by Flickr
OPINION
VOLUME LXXIX ISSUE II • www.oswegonian.com
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THE OSWEGONIAN The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935
GUIDELINES
We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything regarding the Oswego State community. E-mail 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). 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.
VOX POP “The Voice of the People”
What do you think of Obama’s decision to not put U.S. troops in Syria?
“I don’t educate myself enough on politics to have a full opinion.” Kaylin Lowther junior, communication and social interaction
“I don’t think we should be in Syria at all.” Cameron Turner junior, journalism
“He has good intentions, he just hasn’t gone about it great.” Brittany Jones freshman, business administration
“I’m not too big on politics but I don’t support war.” Jacqueline Gaul senior, public relations & graphic design
B3
IN THREE SETS
David Armelino | The Oswegonian
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
B6
BEHAVE YOURSELVES KIDS It’s well known that Oswego State students make up a large part of the population in the town of Oswego. It could be argued that we, the student population, are a heavy burden on the town. Over 8,000 students attend Oswego State and, to be frank, there’s no way that we aren’t a burden. Every week when the police blotter is released, it’s riddled with noise complaints, open containers and disorderly conducts. It’s more than common knowledge that some members of the town don’t appreciate the way we college students act Think about it from their perspective. The summer is ending, which is always beautiful in Oswego, and it’s almost fall. This would normally mean bundling up in blankets and comfy clothes and an influx of pumpkin-flavored seasonal treats, but here it means closing your windows on weekends to cut down on the sounds of rowdy, drunken college students. Of course we help the local economy: how could 8,000 people not? It may not
even always be planned, but students do frequent local businesses. For example, what would Franco’s pizza do without the two o’clock rush of students leaving the bars? The town and the students are forced to work together and they are managing, not necessarily cooperating. But does the business students provide to the town make up for their ridiculous antics? A boost to the economy of Oswego is good, but the amount of pointless paperwork caused by students’ tomfoolery is a disgrace. Students need to take into consideration that this isn’t our town. We are seasonal residents. That’s not to say there aren’t some students who spend the entire year in Oswego, but most likely those aren’t the ones we’re talking about. Oswego in the summer is almost picturesque. It’s calm, more often than not there’s a cool breeze and there’s some great places to eat. Imagine, after having such a wonderful summer, you’re greeted with the sounds of rambunctious returning students who are going to turn your fall in Oswego,
which should be lovely, into a nightmare. So, next time you are out on the town, try to keep your voices down. The amount of fun you can have in the night is not directly related to the amount of noise you make. Don’t leave broken bottles and discarded cans behind at the end of your night, either. Littering is also a completely unacceptable way to treat our town. The same goes for public urination. We all need to keep our town clean. Respecting the town also means respecting the other residents, so if you stop somewhere for a late night snack, be courteous to the workers serving you and the other customers. Think about it everyone: you all have had a guest who comes by every so often who gets way too comfortable, way too fast and doesn’t understand why you are frustrated with them and want them to leave. You are that guest, disrespectful students of Oswego. Let’s be frank: we’re all adults here, but some of us aren’t acting like we are. It’s really about time we show the adults of this town that we’re worth being counted among them.
IN THE OFFICE
As seasons change, life does as well
Collin Leadbeater Managing Editor cleadbeater@oswegonian.com How great is this time of year? Everyone is back in the swing of things here, football is back, Major League Baseball playoffs are right around the corner, whatever nonsports fan activities are probably happening and, most importantly, the heat is finally beginning to subside and fall will prevail (at least I hope, as I am currently sitting in 90-degree heat in my bedroom with nothing but a fan blowing more hot air on me). This is by far my favorite time of the year. The weather is nice enough to be able to still go do things outside, but the temperature is not overbearing, I get to hang out with friends more, mostly because I live with them, and it means that the holiday season is not that far off. That’s right, I’m
excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas even though they are months away. Holidays are awesome. But I mention all of this because I have no idea where I’ll be, what I’ll be doing or who I’ll be with come this time next year. This being my senior year, I’ll be saying goodbye to the place I’ve spent a majority of the last three-plus years in just a few months. And though I know some of you might be ready to high-tail it out of here, I sure as hell am not. Of course, I’m anxious and would like to know where I’ll be postcollege, but even if I did, I still would not sprint to get there. So that’s why I’m appreciating simpler things in my final go-around in Oswego. I’ll miss sitting around with my housemates at night discussing some of the dumbest things on the planet. Seriously, we are not intellectuals by any sense. I once had a 20-minute conversation with a housemate about how every player on the Yankees hates Lyle Overbay. We are dumb. I’ll also miss walking out of my room Saturday morning after a rough night and plopping down on the couch with my housemates and retelling the adventures from the night before. I’ll miss heading down to the Flat Rocks and I’ll miss spending a Tuesday
night watching Netflix with my girlfriend. But perhaps most of all, and this is where I go back to all the stuff about fall that I love, I’ll miss sitting around watching football on a Sunday with my friends (sorry Caitlin, but I don’t know if that comes as a real shock). To me, the ultimate relaxation is waking up at noon on an autumn Sunday and watching football for 10 hours. Well, I guess you would have to exclude the three hours when I’m watching my Titans. I’d hate to think that men on TV who could care less about me affect my mood, but the sad reality is that they do. It also does not help that they suck. Side note: I am not a cool person. But what I don’t like is thinking that after this year, I’ll never be able to do that again with my friends here, or back home for that matter, as I am still close with many of them. Who knows where we’ll all be? I’m sure we’ll all still stay in touch, but after this upcoming May, when will we all be together to just sit around and watch sports? Not knowing the answers to any of these questions is what bothers me. But what bothers me more is how depressing that paragraph was. Wow. That was unpleasant. Please excuse me as I now will head downstairs and go make fun of Lyle Overbay with my friends.
Obama decides no troops on Syrian soil
Alain Pierre-Lys Opinion Editor apierre@oswegonian.com “I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria.” As I sat on the couch surrounded by friends Tuesday night, we all knew the gravity of what was just said. President Barack Obama addressed the nation about the crisis in Syria on Sept. 10. The buildup to this moment was hectic to say the least. When it was brought to public light that
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his own people, the international community was outraged. Since then we’ve seen a slew of opinions from the political left and right. Some pushed for action while others pleaded that the President keep us out of it. Wednesday night Obama ended these debates. Obama stressed that taking offensive actions in another country’s civil war would not help the situation. He further asserted that we are not the “world police“ and our main priority as a country is our economy. He explained our role as a world power is to send messages of moral responsibility, when they are low-risk situations. Obama also used this as an opportunity to do what I call “flexing.“ With comments such as, “Let me make something clear: The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks. Even a
Tip of the hat... ◊...to J.K. Rowling for announcing an expansion of the Harry Potter film universe. ◊...to Mark Sanchez for...trying. ◊...to F.A.N.S. for excellent new options.
See web exclusive Opinion articles at www.oswegonian.com/opinion
VOLLEYBALL CRUISES
STAFF EDITORIAL
“I’m with George Washington, we should stay out of foreign affairs.” Dave Thomas junior, undeclared
SPORTS
◊...to new followers on @TheOswegonian on Twitter.
limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver.” Obama made it clear that he knows what we are capable of, but he also knows what must be done. The international community has been working to propose a solution as well. With Russia leading the diplomatic efforts, countries such as France and the United Kingdom have shown support for a plan that doesn’t include violence. Obama acknowledged and announced that we are joining this initiative as well by sending Secretary of State John Kerry to meet his Russian counterpart. We all know what a war can do a country’s economy, but this is different. Like Obama stressed, this is a serious moral issue. We cannot allow a country to do something as heinous as this with little to no consequences. We may not be the “world police,” but we are a world power and this is something worth flexing for.
◊...to Cooper Dining Hall for a drawing in poor taste. ◊...to Miley Cyrus for violating that wrecking ball. ◊...to Miley once again for stealing Bruce Springsteen’s song title. ◊...to Crossroads for not even having a salad.
Wag of the finger...
OPINION
Avoid early semester bug
THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
On-campus eateries lack healthy options
Beginning of semester cold going around; remember to wash hands Imani Cruz Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com The second week of school and my roommate is cuddled under her sheets, coughing and begging for cough drops. If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then it means that you, or someone you know, has probably been hit with the infamous “semester bug.” The lingering question that many have is simply, “Why does this continuously happen at the beginning of the first semester?” Well, to answer that question you must take into account a few factors. Entering college can be an interesting transition for many, whether one is a returning student or a freshman. For one, home-cooked food is a thing of the past. Settling for college food isn’t so bad, but it might have a different effect on each individual depending on what you’re used to. When all of a sudden you’re given the option to have pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner, your body might respond in a negative way.
Another factor to take into consideration is the change in your living situation. Most likely you come from a home where you have your own room and it is probably spacious enough to let you breathe. Well in college, as you’ve probably realized by now, the chances are high that you and your roommate are breathing the same air. While living in such close quarters with someone who you may have never even met before, you become very susceptible to disease. Usually it’s nothing more than a common cold or at the most just a cough. Although, who wants to be bedridden on a Friday night at Oswego? Well, I’m here to help you wonderful students party on and escape catching the deadly “semester bug.” Follow these tips and your immune system will thank you (and it will thank me too because I gave you the tips, but I digress). First, I know this may seem mundane to you, but seriously, wash your hands after using the bathroom. There are too many times I’ve seen people finish using the bathroom and simply walk out. You’re in college now, and unless you’re an RA or your roommate left and is never
coming back, you need to wash your hands. You might have laughed at that last scenario but it’s legit, seriously. Another great tip is to regularly wipe down your desk, bed and drawers. Dust can be deadly and if you let it accumulate too much, you will suffer. Lastly, eat healthy. This might be one of the toughest challenges for a college student. I know I would rather indulge in a chicken quesadilla rather than a salad, but it is essential to both your physical and mental health. Eating healthy has tremendous benefits on your sleep, alertness in class, energy and your overall health. Follow these tips and you are sure to have a both enjoyable and most importantly productive year at Oswego State.
After months of marinating in their mothers, children enter this world. Most are loved and some go unnoticed. Others are immortalized by fame. From the second they were conceived, babies such as North West, Blue Ivy Carter and George Alexander Louis have been the focus of the all-watching media eye. Some people have a hard time understanding why others are obsessed with the lives of these children. For me, it comes down to one simple idea: escape. Escapism is the avoidance of reality through obsession over entertainment or imaginative worlds. People do whatever they can to avoid the pain reality causes them, so they dive deep into the lives of others. This has been seen since the Great Depression. During the darkest time for America’s economy, the movie industry was able to survive. Why? Because “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” helped many ignore the strife poverty caused. Recently, the focus is on babies and for
Alain Pierre-Lys | The Oswegonian
Karly Babcock Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com
its sandwiches and amazing cheap french fries, but what if I don’t want the deep-fried greasy french fries or fried, frozen and reheated chicken patty or burger? I understand that it is a small dining location, but shouldn’t it still have a variety of fresh and nutritious options? Is that only for selected dining areas? Crossroads has a basket of fruit and a variety of yogurt choices, but this is a very limited healthy option. How does that help someone who is lactose intolerant or just doesn’t simply like yogurt, like myself? And one piece of fruit is not going to do the trick. Crossroads has access to a full kitchen, the same kitchen used during the afternoon for the dining areas of Palates, Cutting Board and Laker Express, which, combined, do a marvelous job of providing a variety of healthy options. However, the food/activity court dining areas close at either 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. This leaves Crossroads as the only open dining service, with the exception of F.A.N.S. But F.A.N.S. still closes earlier than Crossroads. I understand there are many factors involved like food storage and campus policies unbeknownst to students, but I do not believe it can be that difficult to provide one or two healthier options on the menu. Move down the bakery case and put in a refrigerator, like the many other dining locations in academic buildings, with fresh salads. Crossroads is one of my favorite dining areas on campus and is the favorite of many other students. It’s easy, it’s convenient, but is it healthy? I don’t want to have to stop and think, “What am I actually eating?” Someday soon I would like to see my favorite dining area on campus become even better for me and everyone else on campus.
“We are dedicated to helping our customers maintain a healthy lifestyle, by providing the information and support needed to make healthy choices,” Auxiliary Services claims on its nutrition information and services website. The same site goes on to say, “Our Registered Dietitian works with our team to ensure a variety of fresh and nutritious options are offered on our residential dining menus.” I beg to differ. Perhaps Auxiliary Services does a wonderful job of providing healthy options in the dining halls, but I am a commuter student who does not visit dining halls and the restaurants Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian on campus that I must eat at are not living up to that decree. I, along with many other commuter students, am a frequent customer of Crossroads. When I am on campus late, doing homework or attending club meetings, I often buy dinner a good reason. Babies are innocence per- own for the time being. We want to see at Crossroads. It’s open until 7:30 p.m. and sonified. They are the one thing that takes the cuteness of a baby we can’t have, or is right in the middle of the Campus Center, people’s minds away from the darkness in the ugliness of a baby that we’re glad we which is perfectly convenient … until I want world around them, no matter the situa- didn’t have. Celebrities and their kids take something healthy. Crossroads is known for tion they face. our mind off the things we don’t want to Seth MacFarlane’s “American Dad” worry about in our daily lives. They someexpressed this idea in the episode “Tear- times can give us hope that there is more jerker.” In this episode, Roger tried to kill to live for. We escape our reality and dive millions with a depressing movie and Stan into their lives because it’s how most of us from afar. was able to save everyone by posting a cope with our issues. It may be unhealthy, The world seemed to suddenly stand video of celebrity babies online. but that’s how society is now. still. Classrooms evacuated, people left When it comes down to it, we pay atwork. Those who knew people working in tention to what we know and what we the area quickly called to check on them. want to know. We also want to know hisMy uncle was supposed to be on one of torical things that are happening right these planes, heading to Los Angeles for now. I feel that the royals are important to business. Something caused him to change pay attention to because they are the fuhis flight to a later one. Seamus Lyman ture of the U.K. Even though we don’t live At that time, no one knew why not just News Editor there, it’s still a part of history that Prince one, but two airplanes would crash into slyman@oswegonian.com William and Princess Kate had a baby boy. the buildings. Three thousand people lost Twelve years ago, time stopped when their lives that day. From Shanksville, Pa., He is the next in line after his father to bethe strongest country in the world was to the Pentagon, to Lower Manhattan we come king, and that’s a pretty big deal. suddenly attacked. However, Kanye West and Kim Karvowed to never forget anyone who was Sept. 11, 2001. A day no one will ever for- lost that day. dashian’s baby isn’t making history, just making us more annoyed with how Karget and a day on which no one can forget On the 12th anniversary of this tragic dashian is even famous in the first place. where they were when they first heard the ter- day, we have seen tasteless advertisements Oh right, she was first seen in a sex tape rible news. The United States of America fell and thoughtless statements. It is important with rapper Ray J. under attack at three locations within a short that we stick to what we said: never forget. Overall we pay attention to other peoamount of time. First responders flocked from all over Steve Radford | The Oswegonian ple’s lives because we want to ignore our In New York City, pandemonium ensued the country to help the world’s largest city when the Twin Towers, known as the tallest recover. Thank a first responder today; buildings in the world when they were built, let them know you appreciate what they were struck by commercial airplanes. First do. Bring up 9/11 with your friends. Talk responders rushed to the scene, while some about what you remember from that fateidea of growing up after all these years. but the music video is completely inappro- fled for safety and others watched in shock ful day and most importantly, never forget. However, there is a line between grow- priate. In this music video, Miley is coming up and completely changing your im- pletely naked and is pretty much dry humpage, and our good friend Miley has crossed ing a wrecking ball and making out with a that line. For example, at this past VMAs, sledge hammer. Sure some people may enMiley performed her newest song “We joy the provocative nature of the video, but that trophy and more importantly, recogniMitchell Petrella Can’t Stop.” I think it’s safe to say that af- is that really the image that Miley wants for tion. Sponsors might pick them as their pitch Staff Writer ter that performance, a majority of America the rest of her singing career? man and over time they can start recovering opinion@oswegonian.com said, “What are you doing?” Miley’s entire This is definitely not the girl that was the money they sacrificed to get a gold medal. performance contained nothing but “twerk- singing “The Best of Both Worlds” to a Tokyo was chosen by the International While it is understandable that wrestling ing” left and right, slapping butts, stripping crowd of fans. Miley is without a doubt tak- Olympic Committee to host the 2020 Summer can be considered “boring,” what about othand, for some reason, there were a lot of gi- ing a turn for the worst at this point and it re- Olympic Games. Tokyo beat out other top con- er events? Some would ask why events like ant teddy bears attached to the background ally seems like she’s slowly losing all of her tenders Istanbul, Turkey and Madrid, Spain. It equestrian and race walking (Olympic speed dancers’ backs. Her singing did not even fans, especially after the VMAs. would be Tokyo’s second Olympics since it last walking) are still a part of the games? Because sound good that night, which is sad because For her sake, I really hope she realizes hosted the 1964 summer games. they cater to a very specific audience and it is she wasn’t that bad way back when she that she is going down a bad road because The IOC also chose to take wrestling off the hard to get a foot in the door for something was sweet. if she keeps this up, she is going to end up 2020 event roster, which caused a major uproar like equestrian, unless you have some money Another example is Miley’s brand new in prison or worse. The girl who was once a in the sporting world. How could a sport that to throw into it. music video for her newly-released song teen idol is now a trashy freak, who doesn’t was part of the first Olympiad be cut? Taking Other events, such as table tennis, should “Wrecking Ball.” The song is surprisingly even realize America is turning away that into consideration, the IOC voted to place have been axed before wrestling. China has enjoyable to listen to and is really catchy, from her. wrestling back into the event roster list with 49 had a monopoly in the event by winning 11 votes. Baseball and softball had 24 votes, while gold medals since 2004. Wrestling caters to a squash had 22 votes. wider variety of people and no country has a Wrestling is an integral part of the Olympics monopoly on the gold medal. because it is the ultimate measure of strength. It The world can rest easy knowing that an white DANGER sign. It reads “PIPES IN THIS is just you and your opponent alone on the mat. original sport from the Olympic Games is ROOM MAY CONTAIN ASBESTOS,” and There are no teammates to help you out. How- back where it belongs. it goes on about how you should stay away ever, they can still support you emotionally just from any pipes that are located throughout like any other sport. the room. The Olympics are the biggest stage in the There is a danger sign on the back of my world when it comes to wrestling. What is the bedroom door and I’m still living here? No highest point of baseball? It certainly is not the thank you. Olympics, it’s the World Series. Wrestlers, afI believe Scales should be on the top of the ter their college career is finished, have very list for construction. If I lived there I would few places to go to expand their career. They be wondering if I would be waking up each could become a coach for a youth league, high morning. And not only do both these dorms school or even another college. They may even clearly lack the sophistication and hype of wrestle in college based on weight class or rosthe beautifully designed Johnson and Riggs, ter spot availability. The Olympics provide an but they lack elevators. Now I’m not a big fan outlet for all of their hard work, and there is no of elevators, but what about people that are Photo provided by oswego.edu bigger stage. handicapped and are unable to live in these Wrestling is good for the Olympics because dorms because they do not have the necessary there are a lot of people vying for the lakeside the athletes do it for the love of the sport. It costs accommodations? It seems pretty unjust that dormitories. With only one option open for money to hire a coach and keep a workout routwo out of the four dorms on lakeside don’t the handicapped, they have a much smaller tine in addition to their individual living expenshave elevators. Johnson houses only freshman chance of being located on lakeside. es. Wrestlers are not making millions of dollars and Waterbury and Scales possess no elevaAt a respectable college, a building like like other athletes. tors, so that leaves only Riggs for those that Scales cannot stand. I believe that we deserve Commitment is also a major part of wresPhoto provided by Chris Hunkeler are handicapped and want to live on lakeside. dormitories that reach a higher standard of tling. Whenever there is a tournament in the Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian This ideology also does not factor in that living than they currently attain. country or overseas, wrestlers focus on getting
Celebrity children create latest obsession Gabrielle Prusak & Morgan Atland Contributing Writers opinion@oswegonian.com
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Nation unites over painful memories
Miley Cyrus’ antics grow more disturbing as time goes by Samantha Fasolino Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com She started out as an idol to little girls and teenagers everywhere. She was someone to look up to and show the world that nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes, but we’re all human. Miley Cyrus started out as a girl with high hopes and a large fanbase with people loving her left and right. Unfortunately, things had to change. When the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana came to an end, Miley took this as an opportunity to branch out and reach to an older crowd. I was never a really big Hannah Montana or a Miley Cyrus fan to begin with, but originally I was fully supportive of her idea because I respect the
Shineman Center done, time to move attention to Lakeside Mikael Pelkey Contributing Writer opinion@oswegonian.com As the construction of the Shineman Center wraps up, I have to wonder what’s next. My attention is immediately drawn to the two oldest lakeside dormitories, Scales and Waterbury halls. The exterior of both buildings is nothing like the glam of Johnson and Riggs, and when you walk in, it’s like you’re in a different time. The atmosphere of these buildings is extremely outdated. The hallways are narrow and cramped and every time I go through those doors I have a strong desire to cover my nose because of the foul stench that fills the air. The buildings are closed-off and dark. There is no light streaming through the windows or flyers on display. It seems more like a prison than a living community. But besides the stench, what really concerns me are the notices that hang on the backs of the doors in Scales. Taped and faded on the back of every bedroom door is a small
Wrestling returns to Olympics in 2020
INSIDE
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‘Riddick’ packs action, lacks solid resolution
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COVER: Arctic Monkeys release ‘AM’
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Rising Student Artist: sophomore comedian
FRIDAY Sept. 13, 2013
Laker Review The Oswegonian
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FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
Events Calendar Friday, Sept. 13 through Friday, Sept. 20
Concert: “Melody of China” Date: Friday, Sept. 13 Time: 7:30-9 p.m. Location: Waterman Theatre, Tyler Hall Tickets: $18 regular admission, $5 Oswego State students Don’t drink the water Date: Friday, Sept. 13 Time: 8 p.m. Location: Francis Marion Brown Theater, Fort Ontario Dave Wolever Acoustic Rock Show Date: Friday, Sept. 13 Time: 9:30 p.m. Location: Thunder Road Bar and Grill Art Class: golden glow Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Location: Lakeside Artisans, 191 W. First St. Fee: $70 Introduction To digital Photography Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 1-3 p.m. Location: Oswego Public Library Learning Center Film screening: “Young Goethe in love” Date: Wednesday, Sept. 18 Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: Auditorium, Campus Center
Laker Review
Same sound, no progress in ‘Hail to the King’ Heather Clark Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com
After three years of waiting, fans of the heavy rock/ metal band Avenged Sevenfold can finally rejoice in the release of the band’s sixth album, “Hail to the King.” Released on Aug. 27, “Hail to the King” is the first album without the band’s late creator and drummer Jimmy “the Rev” Sullivan. The band pays tribute to Sullivan in the bonus track song “St. James,” which remembers his life through powerful guitar riffs and drum solos fit for a saint. The album’s first single is the title track, which offers the same amazing long introductions as the band’s previous albums. The first song on the track list, “Shepherd of Fire,” gives a great introduction to
the entire album. Not only is this the theme of “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,” it is the perfect introduction of new drummer, Arin Ilejay, who shows the same level of talent as the late Sullivan showed in the bands earlier albums. As far as introductions go, “Requiem” definitely has the most interesting of the entire album. The song starts out with a choir and slowly but surely the guitar opens with a powerful melody that will surely grab the audience’s attention. “Planets” has a more heavy metal vibe than the bands hard rock tone throughout the rest of the album. “Crimson Day” and “Acid Rain” are the slower songs on the album. “Crimson Day” has a slow beginning but picks up toward the middle, reminiscent of the bands previous albums. “Acid Rain,” however, contains a softer vibe from the rest of the album. The album sounds very
“it’s only natural” Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Location: 186 W. First St., Oswego, Downtown
“Ebb & Flow” Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Location: Tyler Art Gallery, Tyler Hall “Infuse” Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 2- 5 p.m. Location: Timothy McHenry Gallery at Oswego Civic Arts Center, E. 4th St.
Cover image provided by mstarz.com
similar to Avenged Sevenfold’s previous albums, as the band does not really offer anything new. The introductions are the same minute long introductions found on their previous albums and the songs are
very predictable. The slower songs begin with an acoustic instrument, then head into a hard rock tone that the band usually has in their music before ending on another soft note. If you have heard one of their albums, you have heard this one.
Diesel brings thrill; rushed ending kills vibe
Art Exhibits
“the era of the dust bowl” Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 Time: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Location: Tyler Art Gallery, Tyler Hall
Photo provided by metalmouth.net Tracks such as ”Requiem” and “Hail to the King” feature introductions that fans of Sevenfold are accustomed to.
Photo provided by riddickmovie.com “Riddick” starts off strong with focus on Diesel but falls during second act.
Bryan Wood Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com “Riddick,” the third film in the eponymous series, serves as a decent addition to the action genre. The film opens with Riddick (Vin Diesel, “Fast and Furious 6”) stranded on an unknown desert world. A brief scene explains how Riddick came to be on this planet before he is shown adapting to the environment. There is no human life on
the planet, and the wildlife is aggressive and dangerous. After journeying for a long time, Riddick finds a way station and uses it to announce his presence. Two teams of bounty hunters come to challenge Riddick, one for his bounty, the other for different reasons. Riddick requests a ship to leave in exchange for their lives, which leads to the conflict.
The first half of the movie outshines the second. Riddick is most interesting when he is shown fighting for survival on the unknown planet. In these scenes, the audience is treated to a more human side to a character that has previously been portrayed as a superhuman criminal. He is seen in a weakened and vulnerable state and it is easy for viewers to become sympathetic to his plight. The film uses this time to demonstrate Riddick’s intelligence, willpower and strength. Riddick’s interactions with his pet dog are some of the best in the film. The second half of the film, however, falls short. The focus shifts away from Riddick and on to the bounty hunting teams. The first team, led by Santana (Jordi Molla “88”), is characterized as thuggish and simple minded, while the other, led by Boss Johns (Matthew Nable “Underbelly: Badness”), is characterized to be more professional. Though Riddick appears far less frequently during this half, he remains the most in-
teresting character. The bounty hunters are one note and lack any defining characteristics. Each of them is forgettable. Despite being experienced bounty hunters, Santana’s group constantly makes obvious mistakes that get them killed. The only redeeming factor of the second half is Riddick’s interactions with Boss Johns. Fans of the series will recognize his connection with this character from the first film. The film has a decent story and good action scenes, the Fights are creative, and the scenes of Riddick hunting the bounty hunters in the dark are great. The main drawback of the film is that it suffers from bad acting on the part of the secondary cast and falls victim to a rushed ending. Diesel adds charisma to the film, as it obvious he loves playing the character. The film is at its best when not focusing on the bounty hunters, but is instead developing the rivalry between Riddick and Johns. Viewers looking for a deep story will need to look past the surface to avoid disappointment, but fans of violent action films and cheesy dialogue will feel right at home.
Laker Review
Art gallery rises from beneath dust Shanna Fuld Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com Oswego State students, through the Oswego Reading Initiative and now a gallery, are learning more about the Dust Bowl, an important part of American History. Though the Dust Bowl did not quite affect the East Coast as much as it did the Midwest, the art gallery in Tyler Hall, “The Era of the Dustbowl,” highlights the struggle of people in Oswego. The gallery was inspired by the Reading Initiative, which for this year chose Timothy Egan’s novel, “The Worst Hard Time.” Egan wrote 312 pages of history detailing the life of dust-bowlers, (residents of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas and southeast Colorado) who dealt with years of intense and life-threatening sand storms and poverty. As highlighted by Egan in his book, former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created many jobs for artists throughout the country. FDR created the Farm Security Administration and sent three photographers to Oswego during the 1930s and early 40s. Whether students have read the book or not, the exhibit is entertaining for students and members of the Oswego community, as 36 of the photographs in the gallery were taken of people and places in Oswego by the three FSA photographers: Arthur Rothstein, Marjorie Collins and John Collier. The photographs depict the common family dealing with every day activities, like married couples eating dinner, people having fun during United Nations week or even two young paper boys distributing the Palladium Times. The artwork in the gallery is all work that Oswego State had in its collection in Tyler Hall. There are 22 lithographs, which are limited edition prints made by artists that were kept in the Grant Arnold Collection of Fine Prints, which has over 500 prints from different artists. Lithographs are prints made from inked limestone plates pressed against paper. The prints in the gallery were powerful, and each represented a different struggle during the 1930’s.Along with Flanagan, student intern Marci Zebrowski, a graduate student currently at SUNY Albany, went through the
Eric Muldoon | The Oswegonian “The Era of the Dustbowl” features lithographs of Oswego during the 1930s and early 40s.
prints and found matching documentation from within Egan’s book to match and support the prints. This led to perfect captions for the prints, reflecting the difficult times during the 30s. The prints highlighted everyday events, like a farmer controlling a horse or a hobo running after a train. Some prints highlighted religious aspects of the time, like a print of a church from the Arnold collection. Beneath the print is an excerpt from Egan’s book, depicting a scene where a baby was found near death wrapped in a coat before the church door. For those that read the book, this print draws quite the image of that particular scene, and for those just reading the insert for the first time, it has a similar nostalgic feel. A fantastic addition to the gallery is the authentic horse plow that Michael Flanagan, exhibit director, happened upon. Flanagan saw the top of the plow sticking out above the ground in someone’s front lawn in Granby, a town in Oswego County. He stopped his car and knocked on the door, asking for permission to dig up the plow and haul it to the gallery. Barbara Lyman willingly lent the horse drawn plow out, and it is now
complimenting the gallery with history and relevance. Because the government-funded video “The Plow That Broke the Plains,” from 1936 is in the public domain, Flanagan has the video set up in the exhibit for viewers. This is the video referred to in Egan’s book, which makes it even more exciting, as readers who only read about the production will now be to actually watch the documentary. The posters promoting Egan’s arrival to Oswego State can be seen all throughout campus and were created by Julia Baldovin. Baldovin’s work was chosen from a group of graphic design students who created Oswego Reading Initiative posters. In the gallery, Baldovin’s poster is enlarged and beautifully colored. On display are the three other posters made by other students from the department. The artwork in this gallery is in all black and white, but the images within each piece of art capture the range of color different people have. Some pictures truly capture the struggle, while other pictures capture the simplicity of a family laughing over a meal and a glass of wine. Each person or object represented by the prints and photographs have a story to tell, and, thanks to Mr. Flanagan and his team, these stories can be shared with the community. Egan will be visiting campus Wednesday, Sept. 25.
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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Laker Review
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
Questions, experimentation contribute to Arctic Monkeys’ ‘AM’ from teenage sensations to an exRyan Deffenbaugh perimental indie rock band. “AM” Editor-in-Chief rdeffenbaugh@oswegonian.com manages to mix the fearless swag-
Are the Arctic Monkeys the same band that took the world by storm eight years ago? It seems only natural to lead this review with a question, as the first three singles of the album are also all titled in question form. This is indicative of what the four-piece band from Sheffield is doing on their fifth studio album, “AM:” questioning their sound. The answer to the question is obvious of course the Arctic Monkeys are a different band from their “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” days. Even the suave, up-tempo lead single of “AM,” “R U Mine?”, seems like a slow jog compared to the band’s frantic debut 2005 single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor.” It is only natural for a band as talented as the Arctic Monkeys to progress, and “AM” feels like the culmination of the band’s growth
ger of their first album with the more mature sound they displayed on their previous album, “Suck It and See.” It all comes together in a package that moves the band forward sonically, though perhaps leaves a little bit of the fun from the first two albums behind. Alex Turner, the band’s singerguitarist, described the recording process as sounding “less like four lads playing in a room this time,” citing influences ranging from Dr. Dre and Aaliyah to Black Sabbath and John Lennon. Such proclamations would seem impossible to live up to from a range standpoint, but the band manages to pull off the mix. “No. 1 Party Anthem,” the standout track of the album, has a definite Beatle-like sound to it, with swooning keys that slowly build as the song progresses. Meanwhile, “Arabella” mashes R&B-style falsetto backing with a ’70s guitar riff in about as natural a way as one could expect. The band even pulls off some stomp-rock
with the catchy “Snap Out Of It.” Almost every song on the album features the band singing falsetto background vocals, which mostly works, with the notable exception of “Knee Socks.” The main attraction for Monkeys fans has always been Turner’s lyricism. Few songwriters have the chops to drop literary references between lines about drunken romance the way Turner so effortlessly does. This album, however, shows him more restrained. In “I Want It All,” Turner uses two-word sentences and lets the instrumentation do the heavy lifting. This is a common theme throughout the album, which features some of the most intricately detailed and layered instrumentation the Arctic Monkeys have ever produced. Matt Helders is truly skilled on the drum set, and the slowed-down tempos allow him to shine. This is not to say the show is stolen completely away from Turner’s writing on this album. He is still able to deliver one-liners about drunken hook-ups strong enough to make Drake and The Weeknd
Photo provided by arcticmonkeys.com With songs such as “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” and “No. 1 Party Anthem,” the Arctic Monkeys showcase an evolution in sound and lyrics.
hang their heads in shame. The single “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” is littered with quotables, and the aforementioned “No. 1 Party Anthem” encapsulates the sentiment of the album with the line “It’s not like I’m falling in love/ I just want you to do me no good, and you look like you could.” It’s a moment later in that same song, though, that exemplifies how the Arctic Monkeys have
grown and what makes this album special among their catalog. The line about not falling in love gives way to a brief second of silence followed by Turner crooning “Come on, come on, come on” over soft keys, the most musically beautiful moment on the album. This is the ultimate testament to what the once loud-rock Arctic Monkeys have accomplished: they’ve slowed it down and they’re still holding our attention.
Authentic teenage troubles, no excessive melodrama in ‘Now’
Photo provided by fanpop.com “The Spectacular Now” surprises by avoiding typical stereotypes of teenage films.
Maureen DiCosimo Contributing Writer laker@oswegonian.com “The Spectacular Now,” based on the novel of the same name, by Tim Tharp is a genuine and heartfelt coming of age story. The fact that its protagonist is a senior in high school makes it slightly bizarre, considering most coming-of-age stories center around someone who is just hitting puberty. But Sutter, played by Miles
Teller (“Footloose”), is a bit behind. Sutter is a smooth talking party boy, who at eighteenyears-old, only lives in the now. His whole life revolves around having a good time, with little thought to consequences. While filling out a college essay about challenges in his life, the best he can come up with is his girlfriend Cassidy, played by Brie Larson
(“21 Jump Street”), dumping him. Things start to change when Sutter wakes up on an unfamiliar lawn and meets Aimee, played by Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”). She’s someone who has her whole life figured out and has already gotten into college. While it seems like she’s going to change him for the better, in fact the opposite happens. Slowly you see her start to disappear into Sutter’s world. “The Spectacular Now” is unlike any other teen movie that has come out in recent years. It almost harkens back to the John Hughes era when teen movies dealt with real problems, real emotions and less on slapstick and sexual escapades. It does stick to some conventions of the teen movies, there’s the ugly, pretty girl who is an outcast for no real reason other than the story demands it. There’s the popular pretty girl, the advice-giving best friend and the class clown. But beyond those archetypes of the genre, “The Spectacular Now” defies most of what has come to be standards for the teen movie. The most interesting thing about the film is the cast, which
is mostly unknowns. They look like real teenagers and real people. Everyone’s hair is not always perfect. It defies the Hollywood standard of casting gorgeous 30- year-olds, who look thirty, instead casting actors that look natural and genuine in their teen roles. “The Spectacular Now” begins like it’s going to be another teen comedy about a hard-partying boy getting his life together and going off to college. But slowly, as the movie progresses, you notice that is not the case at all. Everyone around Sutter gets wise to his smooth-talking ways and becomes disillusioned. He stops being the class clown and starts becoming a joke himself. It was very well done. We see the people around him realize that his smiles are hiding deeper insecurities until Sutter himself notices he’s not living the life he thought. He is actually just an 18-year-old who owns a flask and can’t make it through a shift at his easy job without taking a drink. This is a very quiet, slow moving film. The main focus of the movie is trying to capture
real life and human emotions. There were times where it moved a bit too slow and left you wondering if there was any real plot to the movie at all, but then itR would take a turn and pick upA pace. It’s well acted, with Tellerr giving an excellent and very genuine performance as Sutter, a character that at times can be unlikable. It’s also well shot for whatf the director, James PonsoldtC (“Smashed”) was going for. It’st very realistic; no big cinematicd shots or fancy camera work. He kept it simple, which workedr for this kind of film. There wasm nothing flashy or overstated,v just a focus on the story and“ b the characters. “The Spectacular Now” is av very touching film with somet great performances by a mostly-W unknown cast. It has some pacinge issues, but overall was a nice teend dramedy. This isn’t a movie for everybody, but this mostly un-r known film deserves more men-d tion than it seems to be getting.o It’s a funny, heartfelt movie thath is relatable, utterly believableM and never crosses the line intol s melodramatic.
Laker Review
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
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Rising Student Artists: quirky aspiring stand-up comedian
Riley Ackley | The Oswegonian Communications major, Sarah Benson, participates weekly in the Lifestyles Open Mic Night and the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club.
Riley Ackley Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com When Sarah Benson, a sophomore communications major with a theater minor, first did stand-up, she knew that it was something that she could see herself doing for
the rest of her life. The ability to meet new people and interact with them was a driving force in her decision to make comedy her new aspiration. Benson first wanted to do stand up because, as she puts it, she “was always the weird, yet funny kid in high school.”
So weird in fact that, every Christmas, Sarah said, she would hand out Christmas presents to everyone she knew, and didn’t know. Benson said that at one point she gave someone a Britney Spears autobiography, which Benson later found in her room.
There was also a hint at the fact that Benson wanted to do comedy. Sarah said she put funny greetings on the notes. For instance, with the autobiography, Benson wrote, “I hope your Christmas is better than her kid’s will be.” Benson, who is a resident assistant in Cayuga and a lifeguard during the summer, knows that comedy is something that she plans on pursuing after college, unless, she jokingly says, she “finds a real goal.” She said her comedy can be described as “very clean.” “I like to tell jokes that you have to think about a little bit,” Benson said. She also enjoys telling jokes that involve history. Her favorite joke to tell, one about the Cuban Missile Crisis, involves her sitting in a bathroom stall and having a standoff with a person outside of it. “Like “Kennedy,” she says, “I stay in the stall for thirteen days.” This summer has been an exciting one for Benson. Through hard work and determination, Benson has been able to help her future career skyrocket. Drawing inspiration from comedians such as Mitch Hedberg, Chris Farley, Sarah Silverman and Amy Poelher, Benson has opened up for comedians like
Jay Black, Jeremy Essig, and earlier this semester, Michael Dean Ester. Benson has gotten similar advice from each of them. “To watch your back, everyone is only interested in themselves,” Benson said. “Kind of depressing.” Benson participated in the “Funniest Person In Rochester,” and, out of the 140 contestants, Benson made it to the top twelve. While Benson says she “bombed” the final round, her accomplishment is outstanding nonetheless. Benson participates in Lifestyle’s Open Mic Nights, every Thursday. Given that the open mic nights are mostly filled with singers, it can be difficult for a comedian like Benson to participate. Benson said she tries to take it all in stride. “If you have good stage presence, you can get some people to pay attention to you,” she said. “Sometimes.” Benson is also a member of the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club, a comedy troupe on campus that does weekly shows in the Campus Center auditorium at 8 p.m. every Saturday. For more of Sarah’s comedy, follow her on Twitter at @ sarahmbenson or on Youtube at Sarahbenson.
The Weeknd flunks with uninspired lyrics, bloated production
Ronel Puello Asst. A&E Editor rpuello@oswegonian.com
The latest effort from Abel Tesfay, aka The Weeknd, the enigmatic Canadian producer, vocalist and Internet darling, is little more than a disappointment. One could credit Tesfaye for not resting on his laurels and giving us more of what he gave us on his previous mix tapes “Thursday” and “Echoes of Silence.” Instead, this debut studio album takes a radically divergent, though monotonous direction, and somehow still retains The Weeknd’s signature stripped-down, electronically-tinged, emotionallydisaffected brand of R&B music. Unlike his West Coast contemporary Frank Ocean, many in the media hesitated to name The Weeknd one of the new faces of R&B. After his mysterious and highly-lauded March 2011 mix tape “House of Balloons,” few outside of social media sites like Tumblr knew what Tesfaye
looked like in person. It wasn’t until the second chapter in his mix tape trilogy, “Thursday,” that he managed to snag fellow Torontonian Drake for a feature. The two have been continually collaborating ever since, with The Weeknd providing vocals for “Crew Love” on Drake’s Grammy-winning smash album, “Take Care,” and Drake returning the favor by making the only guest appearance on “Kiss Land.” Now The Weeknd is seemingly everywhere, headlining Coachella and wowing Florence Welch and Katy Perry with his rendition of “Dirty Diana” by Michael Jackson. “Kiss Land” seemed like it had everything lined up in its favor, but its defining feature is its primary undoing. By lifting the veil, as it were, on his music and on his persona as The Weeknd, it leaves us with hollow, meandering songs that go nowhere and leave listeners unsatisfied, not unlike the lifestyle Tesfaye tries to chronicle through his music. “House of Balloons” was marked by its lack of ornate production and intimate vocals that often garnered compari-
sons to Prince and R. Kelly, but here Tesfaye’s vocals are almost drowned out by industrial drums and unrelenting synthesizer riffs. Tesfaye tries to put his uncomplicated lyricism in the spotlight, but the overly bleak tone of the lyrics juxtaposed against glittery sonic dissonance comes off as jumbled and tiresome. The tone and feel of the album is markedly different than the sound we grew accustomed to as The Weeknd’s, often attributed to his mix tape producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo. “Live For,” which features Drake as the album’s only feature, is a primary example of this, with possibly one of the most annoying and lazy hooks to an R&B song in recent memory. Drake’s presence also adds next to nothing to the track. “Tears in the Rain,” the album’s closer, is the album’s weakest track and a good example of the cluttered noise that pervades this album. There are no real contenders for a single or even a plain standout song from this album, but that isn’t to say the album didn’t have any bright spots at all. Pharrell Williams’ remix
Photo provided by theweeknd.com “Kiss Land” attempts to provide different sounds but fails to connect with listeners.
of “Wanderlust” is the album’s only ray of sonic sunshine. “The Town” is the closest thing to The Weeknd of old. The synth solos eerily harken back to the music of the films of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, whom Tesfaye credits as influences on the album. A remix of “Odd Look,” produced by French DJ and producer Kavinsky, with Tesfaye providing vo-
cals reminiscent of Michael Jackson is the jewel of the deluxe version of “Kiss Land.” “Belong to the World” shows that Tesfaye isn’t afraid to branch out, even if he sounds like a derivative of Kanye West’s “Yeezus” from earlier this summer. There could have been more of those moments if perhaps Tesfaye invited guest vocalists or producers, but, in the end, “Kiss Land” is what we got.
C6
Laker Review
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
Comics & Games
ON THIS
DATE
1916 – Children’s book author Roald Dahl (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) is born. 1922 – In El Azizia, Libya, the highest shade temperature was recorded at 136.4° Farenheit. 1970 – The first New York City Marathon took place. Fireman Gary Muhrucke won the race. 1996 – Tupac Shakur, rapper and actor, dies of wounds he sustained in a drive-by shooting.
Sudoku
Crossword Puzzle
Difficulty: Moderate
Solution to this week’s Sudoku puzzle
>
Across
1. 6. 9. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 18. 19. 20. 21. 25. 27. 31. 32. 33. 35. 36. 38. 41. 42. 45. 47. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. Puzzle provided by boatloadpuzzles.com 54.
Down
Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains 1-9 exactly once.
By Joel Dodge
1. Pierce 2. Mideast bread 3. Radiates 4. Zilch 5. JFK’s predecessor 6. Framed (2 wds.) 7. Portland’s state 8. JFK’s party
9. 10. 11. 17. 19. 22. 23. 24.
Got it! (2 wds.) Bait Guide Get ready “Leaving ___ Vegas” Reduces Crawl Appointed
25. FBI employee (abbr.) 26. MGM lion 28. Reclines (2 wds.) 29. Printer’s measures 30. Caspian _____ 34. Soundless 35. Apex 37. December visitor
For this week’s crossword answers go to:
Oswegonian.com/lreview
Use money Instant lawn Sick Fearful Before to, Keats Bring to court Start of a Dickens title Type of paint Prohibition Tote Marsh grass “Scarface” gangster Changes Italian seaport Barnyard fowl Down East Flings Calcutta’s Mother Incidents Reach Across Racetrack circuit Small quality Dampen Marry secretly Coffee server Social insect Stitched Fetch School org. Looks after 38. Arrogant 39. Tiny opening 40. Isn’t, slangily 43. Was a copycat 44. River bottoms 46. Spigot 47. CT time zone 48. Grant’s foe
CLASSIFIEDS
c
Cre ati ve Writing Kiss you Over Skype By Hessvacio Hassan Baby I miss you. Wish you were here. But, when we Skype it feels like you are near. I still going crazy in Oswego, being all I can be. It’ll all pay off in 2 years though, when I’m finally free. I really want to see you again, hold you in a warm embrace. Look into your beautiful eyes while I kiss your face. But for now I can only express this to you over letters or the words that I type. So until I see you again, I’ll just kiss you over Skype. Huge Bedrooms 3,4,5,6 Bedrooms and larger to 8 Bedroom. Very close to downtown and campus plenty of parking with or without utilities. Call 591-3077. Exceptional 3 and 4 bedroom homes, enormous rooms, well insulated, Great locations! 591-3077. Nice clean large 5 or 6 bedroom house. All utilities included, lots of parking and snow plowing provided 591-3077. Awesome 7-8 bedroom. 2 full bathrooms, double living room. Lots of parking 591-3077.
Nice, Clean Large Homes. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Bedrooms. Full time Management. Call 591-3077. Snowplowing.
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Horoscopes Aries (Mar. 21 - Apr. 19): ship might be going well, but
going the extra mile never You have been feeling overhurts. Listen to what he or she whelmed this week. Your workhas to say and try to accomload has been piling up and you modate him or her as best as are starting to lose your mind. possible. It might work out for Put down the books and go have you in the long run. some fun this weekend. Your pockets could end up empty, but Cancer (June 22 - July 22): your mind will be clear. The numbers are not adding Taurus (Apr. 20 - May 20): up for you. Try to go back and crunch them again. Break out You have been feeling agyour internal calculator and get gressive, but do not act on it. everything straight. You will Plenty of things and people become much more organized, around you may have you which will lead to success. upset, but it can only get worse by inciting another problem. Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22): Surround yourself with friends An old friend will return into and carve out some time for your life this week. It’s ima relaxing evening. You will portant for you to rekindle the benefit from it. Gemini (May 21 - June 21): connection you once had. You don’t have much time here, so Take time to improve your redon’t leave with any regrets. lationship with your significant You never know where this other this week. Your relationrelationship could lead.
FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2013
C7
lassifieds
Contact:Selena Ferguson
classifieds@oswegonian.com
Phone: 315.312.3600
Housing 2014-2015! Luxury 4 bedroom apartments includes EVERYTHING! Student Discount Card, Wi-Fi, and cable, washer, dryer, dishwasher, free parking, garbage and snow removal, fitness center, movie theater, recreation hall, game room, semester care package, free food, and so much more! Walking distance from campus! Premier Living Suites! Call 315PREMIER or 315-773-6437! E-mail info@plsuites.com Visit www.PLSuites.com! $ave thousands of dollars from the dorms or the village on campus. Spend the savings on a car or spring break. Call 591-3077 for a great selection of houses. Check out our Homes. Many include fireplaces, dishwashers, large decks and large rooms. Close to night life and Campus. Heat, electric & hot water included. Call 591-3077. Massive 8 bedroom. BEST location. 2 full Baths. Fireplace, very nice. 591-3077
EXTRA LARGE HOMES. 2014-2015. 5-11 bedroom models to choose from. Please call (no texting). 315-963-8286 or 315-593-0707 1-5 Bedroom quality college housing available for the 2014-2015 year. Utilities included, off-street parking, garbage and snow removal, flat Screen TVs, discounts at local businesses and lawn care! Call 315-773-6437! Check out furlongproperties.com ! Newly built 1 & 2 bedroom apts. Free lawn care, garbage/snow removal. On premises washer/dryer. Partial or all utilities. 342-6764 www.mbrancatoproperties.com. Large Room in house on west side. Kitchen, laundry and bathroom privileges. Cable, Parking, lawn care, snow removal, utilities, and garbage included. Call for info. Ask for Deborah. 315-343-2776. Affordable off-campus housing. Great locations. 1-8 bedroom houses. Starting At $340/ month pp. Utilities included optional. 315-591-2735. www. oswegostudenthousing.com www.dunsmoorstudenthousing.com
BIG Bright Beautiful 3-4 bedroom-massive bedrooms! Excellent location. ALL utilities included 591-3077. Newly remodeled, spacious 3 & 4 bedroom Houses. Free lawn care, snow/garbage removal. On premises washer/dryer. Partial or all utilities 342-6764 www.mbrancatoproperties.com . Available 2014-15, 4 bedroom houses. West-side. Free washer/dryer, off-street parking, rent includes snow, garbage, lawn care and water. Lease and security. Call 529-1015. FOR RENT: 3-7 bedroom houses. Above average Student housing, very homey. Coinless washer/dryer, garbage service, lawn care & snow removal availible. Nice sized bedrooms. Utilities included in some. Reputable landlord with many references. Call John Luber 315-5292475 BEFORE 9 pm. Eaglesmere Management. Fine student homes. Now booking 2014-2015. 1-11 bedrooms house AND apartments. Starting at $299 p/p. Please call or e-mail (not texting). 315-963-8286 cell. 315593-0707 office. NEWA616@ gmail.com
by Collin Leadbeater Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22): This week does not look good for you. Avoid potential dangerous situations at all costs. Do not put off anything important and keep conflict astray. This week could be a struggle, but you have the strength to manage it.
Libra (Sep. 23 - Oct. 23): You are struggling with things that you cannot control. Take a step back this week and focus on yourself. Do not let frustration boil over and escalate. Worry about things that you can control and good will come from it.
and connect with some new faces along the way.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): This week is a fresh start for you. Any trouble you had is now in the past. Let loose and embrace this welcome change. Crowd yourself with friends and loved ones so they can share your energized spirit.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): Stand strong this week. Whatever challenges you might face you will take on with a full head of steam. No matter the obstacle, you will be able to handle it and prosper moving forward.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21):
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18):
You have been feeling adventurous. Take a chance. Go out and try something you have never done before. You might discover something worthwhile
You will be faced with the chance to make an impulsive purchase this week. Take a moment to think about the repercussions of the action. What seems necessary
right now might not be practical in the future.
Pisces (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20): You will be the one everyone flocks to this week. Everybody will look to you for guidance. Your crafty decision-making skills will lead you and your friends in the perfect direction, and you’ll be the envy of all around you.