The Oswegonian 2-14-20

Look Inside: A3 New art exhibit in Tyler Hall Gallery

Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE II SINCE 1935 www.oswegonian.com

SA President gives annual address Takeena Strachan explains vetoing bill, other timely topics

Hannah Leonard Asst. News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com Glad to see so many new and present senators, Takeena Strachan, president of the Student Association at Oswego State presented her State of the Association Address.

Strachan covered issues ranging from women’s reproductive health, the Food Bill and a trip to the State Capital.

Vice President Matthew O’Donnell explained that due to recent renovations in Mary Walker, the area that formerly hosted women’s reproductive services will be used for something else, leaving SA to decide if they would like to cancel the contract or find

a new place to provide such services. Strachan called upon the senators to express their opinion on this issue.

“We fought tooth and nail to get pads in the bathroom,” Senator Maryjay Olalekan said, “I feel like we have a lot of space on this campus that is not being used.

We can find somewhere where we can set up shop.”

The remaining senators agreed with Olalekan making the decision to find a new place to host women’s reproductive services, unanimously.

Strachan then expressed her reasons for vetoing the Pizza Bill.

The Pizza Bill or Food Bill was a recently passed set of stipulations and consequences a club would face for hosting a failed catered event.

The senators participated in a

Oswego Pizza Hut closes, unable to compete financially

lengthy debate over the past few weeks about the consequences of a club and it’s Executive Boards for failing to hold an effective catered event. Senators Nathaniel Goldstein and Olalekan had contrary views. Goldstein felt that after two failed events the club’s account should be frozen and reopened the next academic year as to not punish a new E-board for the previous E-board’s failures.

Olalekan found that freezing a club’s account would damage the club irreparably. Before the bill passed the senators came to the conclusion that accounts will not be frozen for a club’s failure to hold a successful catered event.

However, the amendments made to the Pizza Bill were not

See STRACHAN, A4

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian The Oswego Pizza Hut is among around 500 other locations across the country to close.

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com

Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian

CONTENT

SA President Takeena Strachan’s cabinet gave their executive orders in front of the senators and any audience members who attended.

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

Opinion STATE OF THE UNION

Sports FINAL STRETCH

B1

B5

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

photo via Flickr

The city of Oswego now carries one less pizza shop, after Pizza Hut closed its doors for good on Monday.

Company officials announced on Friday, Feb. 6, that the restaurant located at 303 West Seneca St. would be closing in just four short days from the announcement via press release.

National pizza chains, such as Domino’s and Little Caesars, are still running. Other local shops like Pizza Villa, Bridge Street Pizza and The Pie Guys are also open.

After 42 years in business, District Manager Randy Kline said in the press release the “growth in sales has not kept pace with the growth in expenses” in recent years, not providing “for a sustainable business.”

Laker Review EMINEM STRIKES AGAIN

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Image from ABC via YouTube

“We are proud to have been a part of the Oswego community as your home town Pizza Hut,” the press release said. “There have been many memories created here.”

The closing of Oswego’s Pizza Hut is also part of a mass shutdown of up to 500 locations of the pizza chain around the nation, which the company announced in August 2019. Other local Pizza Huts in DeWitt, Nedrow and Chittenango were all closed before the announcement in May 2018.

The Fulton Pizza Hut, which has the same operator as the Oswego location, DeLand Corporation, is staying open. A DeLand spokesperson told The Palladium-Times that the company is planning on selling the property just off of Highway 104.

“All team members at the Oswego location have been offered the opportunity to transfer to the

See FULTON, A6

Oswegonian.com ART GALLERY OPENS

Web Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian

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THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

Weekend Forecast

Gonian Social

FRIDAY, FEB. 14 THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 16

Friday

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Sunday

Saturday

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The Oswegonian

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Chance of Precipitation

NEW YORK STATE

WEATHER FRIDAY, FEB. 14

Potsdam 8°/-10°

Oswego 14°/4°

Buffalo 16°/7°

Albany 21°/1°

Syracuse 11°/1°

Juan Rodriguez, 22, was arrested at 1:05 a.m. on Feb. 6 for assault in the third degree after he kicked and punched the victim in her head, causing a concussion.

Brittany A. Soto, 29, was arrested at 12:25 a.m. on Jan. 31 for resisting arrest following a foot pursuit.

NYC 30°/17°

Weather forecast provided by Liam Healy from WTOP-10

Matthew T. Loveall, 29, was arrested at 10:32 p.m. on Jan. 29 for harassment in the second degree, petit larceny and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree dur-

Extended Forecast Monday

Tuesday

ing a domestic incident.

MONDAY, FEB. 17 THROUGH FRIDAY, FEB. 21

Wednesday

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Martin A. Banack, 32, was arrested at 9:52 p.m. on Feb. 9 for reckless endangerment, public intoxication by drugs and possession of a hypodermic instrument.

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Emilie R. Losurado, 36, was arrested at 12:36 p.m. on Feb. 1 for petit larceny after it has been shown she has

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The Oswegonian

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief | Alexander Gault-Plate Managing Editor | Ben Grieco News Editor | Julia Tilley Opinion Editor | Francesca Miesner Sports Editor | Matthew Watling Laker Review Editor | Brandon Fallat Multimedia Editor | William Rogers Photo Director | Nicole Hube Creative Director | Patrick Higgins Chief Copy Editor | Rachel McKenna Copy Editor | John Christopher Copy Editor | Matt Czeitner Asst. News Editor | Hannah Leonard Asst. Sports Editor | Luke Owens Asst. Laker Review Editor | Stephan Novak Events Coordinator | Katelyn Gloade Ad Manager | Didem Demir Sales Associate | Tyler Resche Business Manager | John Contrata Asst. Business Manager | Caydee Blankenship Social Media Coordinator | Megan Sylvester Faculty Advisor | Brian Moritz

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

We try to find any opportunity on campus to reduce our waste.”

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

-Linden Merrill, from A5

A3

Tyler Art Gallery showcases student-made pieces

Awards Ceremony honors exceptional art students

Hannah Leonard Assistant News Editor hleonard@oswegonian.com The 57th Annual Juried Student Exhibition Awards Ceremony hosted by Michael Flanagan, the Tyler Art Gallery director, showcased studentmade art and ended with award givers presenting the honors to deserving artists.

Active faculty in the Oswego State Art Department do not aid in choosing pieces for the exhibition, rather it is juried by a professional artist who has not been associated with the campus for several years to reduce the likelihood that the juror would have a personal bias toward picking certain artist’s pieces, Flanagan said.

This year’s exhibition was juried by Caroline Hayward, a 2003 Oswego State alumna, who received a bachelor of fine arts concentrating in ceramics with a minor in art history. Hayward was unable to attend the Awards Ceremony due to it being rescheduled because of the weather. She sent her regards and “props” to participants and recipients of the awards via the gallery assistant, Joey Sweener.

“We have to recognize that this institution is one that supports the arts and support starts right at the top of the President’s Office,” Flanagan

said. “Each year for over 30 years we have had Presidential Purchase Awards and those are a special honor for a student because those pieces become part of the college’s permanent art collection.”

The first recipient of the Presidential purchase Award, chosen by Oswego State President Deborah Stanley, was senior fine arts major, Edward Arena, for his charcoal self-portrait. The second recipient of the Presidential Purchase Award was Pragya Pahari, Graphics and Media graduate student.

Sofia Perez was awarded the sole Juror Award and was one of five recipients of the Al Bremner Award.

The Al Bremner Award is annually given to five art students in honor of Bremner, a longtime art department faculty member from the 1960s.

The Juror Award is the achievement decided upon by that year’s juror.

Megan Rafferty, an art student and Andrea Rafferty, a zoology major at Oswego State attended the art gallery in order to support fellow student artists, as Megan herself had two pieces displayed proudly at the gallery.

Both of Megan Rafferty’s pieces were black and white photographs, one entitled “Temple” and the other “Loki.”

“Loki” is a photographed de-

piction of her sister’s snake wreathing about Andrea Rafferty’s intricately tattooed arm.

The significance of Megan’s photograph personally lies in the connection it symbolizes.

“This snake was actually special to me because it was the first snake that remembered me, I can handle snakes because [Loki] was so chill,” Megan said.

Megan focuses on monochromatic photography and likes to work with mixed media by painting on top of her black and white photos, sometimes adding color with acrylic.

Megan explained a project she is working on now is another monochromatic photograph of a waterfall.

Megan has begun to add blue paint atop the photo where the waterfall is featured, adding the mixed media element and providing a sense of depth and movement to the photo.

The Tyler Art Gallery director is responsible for keeping a “varied and interesting schedule of exhibits during the academic year, usually, seven to eight exhibits that change every six weeks or so,” Flanagan said. “We have balanced exhibition schedule between student shows, art students getting bachelor degrees are required to participate in a show.”

The subsequent gallery show will be a faculty exhibit featuring a professor on sabbatical.

Valentine’s Day Story Hour & Crafting 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 Rice Creek Field Station

At the Art Studio- Winter Session 10 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 15, Tyler Hall

Undo and Renew Yoga, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 16, Cooper Fitness Center Main Lounge

Achieving Your Goals Workshop, 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, Penfield Library Room 215

Faculty Assembly 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, Lanigan 104

Student focus group: Strategic Plan Refresh 3 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 18 Marano Campus Center 201

Random Acts of Kindness Week Activities, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, Marano Campus Center Tables

Science Today: Addressing the Global Challenge of Access to Clean Water, 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, Shineman 176

Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian Tyler Art Gallery’s 57th Annual Student Juried Art Exhibition hosted at Oswego State from Feb. 4 - 16 displays vast and eclectic student-made pieces.

With $14,070 left in the contingency fund and 23 of 25 senators present the SA meeting began with Michael Flaherty, SA’s Financial Advisor, explaining the financial state of the association as budget season approaches. “Asset rich, but cash poor,” Flaherty said, as he encouraged senators to set priorities when deciding to allocate funds to certain clubs. Flaherty explained that between intramural and club sports SA spends nearly half a million dollars of their $1.7 million budget.

Katherine Wolfe-Lyga, director of the Counseling Services Center at Oswego State

spoke in front of the senate, about a $270,000 grant the center received for suicide awareness. Wolfe-Lyga asked the senators for their opinion on ways the grant may be used most effectively. Many senators expressed that the biggest issue lies within the wait list and students not feeling that their issues are being taken seriously or with enough urgency. Wolfe-Lyga agreed saying that the wait list builds up due to the lack of funds and the extreme cost of having a psychiatrist on campus. Currently the Counseling Services Center can only afford to have a psychiatrist on campus for two days a week.

Wolfe-Lyga also expressed the importance of treating mental health crises on campus rather than having to call Campus Police and end up involuntarily taking a student to the hospital. Wolfe-Lyga said that this method is often more harmful than it is beneficial for the student in need.

To combat these issues the Counseling Services Center is offering P2P which stands for peer to peer education will be coming back as of Fall 2020

Alpha Delta Eta rush event 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 20, Shineman 196 as well as ‘Question Persuade and Refer’ or QPR suicide prevention training available to students to provide them with skills to aid those in need.

Men’s and Women’s Club Volleyball presented a request for funds so they may attend The Nationals Tournament consisting of 5,000 participating teams in Kansas City. The club asked the senate for a total of $8,000 to be split among the Men’s and Women’s teams. Senators Penchuck and Goldstien motioned to write the bill.

President Takeena Strachan vetoed the highly debated Pizza Bill which intended to punish clubs who attempted to host a

catered event and failed.

Vice President Matthew O’Donnell stated that in order for the senate to overturn Strachan’s veto they must have a 2/3 majority.

Ryan Green, SA Director of Finance, stated the progress made in regards to helping clubs get their budgets in on time. Green emailed every officer in each club in efforts to ensure that clubs have a fair chance to submit their budget.

Value-based economics, cost-effectiveness and sustainable growth is what Green would like to accomplish in order to help the SA get out of debt and replenish and maintain a healthy reserve.

Green mentioned that income lines not meeting expectations are a large issue in not retaining funds as Flaherty mentioned earlier, that the SA fund thrives when a club does not use all of their budget.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

A4

Strachan speaks to senators, Oswego State hosts robotics tournament gives update on latest work Students invited to compete, improve their skills Eurokah Sejour Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com

Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian Takeena Strachan discussed why she vetoed certain bills along with tasks she has been working on.

SA from COVER enough for Strachan. She found that though the bill makes sense, it puts a lot of pressure and responsibility on Director of Finance Ryan Green. Strachan expressed a need to find a “healthy balance” in establishing responsibility, better language in the bill and more effective communication with students that SA represents.

“I decided to veto this bill at the end because of the fact that I am kind of disappointed, you as student leaders, although you are supporting the institution by passing this bill, which I highly appreciate and respect,” Strachan said. “I find that you guys are failing to uphold the students and your student leaders and the climate of our campus by providing and restricting the way that students are able to engage with other students.”

Strachan suggested that the senate, specifically the involvement committee, work to find an alternative to the Pizza Bill in order to ensure that clubs at Oswego State do not fail, and at the same rate, secure a plentiful contingency fund.

Aside from the Pizza Bill,

Strachan stated the projects she has been working on, including extending library hours, textbook affordability, institution accountability, food security and adapting commuter parking on campus. Strachan then introduced members of the cabinet to express their achievements, progress and goals.

Lastly, Strachan wanted to “empower students to take a day trip to the state capital to advocate for higher education.”

Higher Education Action Day is Feb. 27, 2020, at the State Capital in Albany. Strachan encouraged the senate to sit down with elected lawmakers to decide how Oswego State along with all other SUNYs will be funded by New York State, by means of how much students will pay for tuition, textbook, housing and food on campus, as well as the quality of classes students have access to.

Transportation to Albany and lunch will be provided.

Students wishing to register for this event may email sa.chiefofstaff@oswego.edu.

Strachan yielded her time to allow the state to adjourn the meeting and continue the State of the Association Address at next week’s meeting.

There were many victories at this year’s Oswego Nor’easter robotics tournament also known as the VEX Robotics Competition as 14 teams of middle-schoolers from around Central New York competed and hoped for a chance to earn a New York State Championship invitation.

According to Mark Hardy, the department chair of technology at Oswego State, “The VEX Robotics Competition is a nationwide and international robotics competition for students who want to get into robotics and the competitions, and there are many, happened across New York State and winners get to compete at the state level and if they win that then move on to the international level.” The students work together corroboratively to build a robot and compete. The fields where the students compete change each year, so as they get older, they have a challenge.

The tournament, which was hosted in Park Hall in room 315 on Sunday by the Oswego State Technology Department, featured many volunteers who worked hard to help prepare for the event.

Edward Catapano, a student here at Oswego State, won volunteer of the year for his dedication to making this event possible.

“We’ve been working pretty much all week. You know a few hours here, a few hours there,” Dan Tryon, the event manager of technology of the tournament, said.

“There’s maybe a couple hundred hours of just printing signs.” They even made sure that every kid was

going home with a T-shirt which they printed themselves.

The competition consisted of three portions. First, all the teams had to demonstrate six skills of their robots. Then, they had to compete against another team during the qualification matches, which were held on two fields.

During the qualification portion of the competition, each team played 10 matches. Due to teams having four or more players, the dynamics within a team would consist of pairing up with a different partner during each round.

The matches are one minute, with teams trying to score as many points as possible. At the 30 second mark they would switch the person driving the robot, explained Tryon. The control software paired the two closest seated teams together for the final and teams tried to do the best they could one last time.

The event was sponsored by National Grid, one of the world’s largest investor-owned energy companies. Gwen Sanders, the community relations manager, is on the customer and community team at National Grid.

“Children are our future and when we start to invest at a young age it can help change their course of life,” Sanders said.

“National Grid does not only provide funding for programs that are from grades K-12.”

Although the competition was to feature 23 teams originally, many canceled due to the unforeseen weather circumstances.

The teams who competed were from North Syracuse, Sandy Creek, Cato, Chittenango and Syracuse.

“This is his crowd. It makes us feel good, we are proud of him,” Suzanne Preston said, as she refers to her son on the Sandy

Creek team.

“It’s great for the kids they really are interested in it,” Jim Maniccia, a technology teacher and coach present at the tournament, said. “It gets them motivated about different types of technology and programming and just sportsmanship. It’s great.”

As for the robots, the one rule was that they were not allowed to be over 15 inches. However, understanding that robots can break, many teams brought extra parts for the occasion and some even had another robot for display.

The final rankings of the competition, which took place after lunch, was a teamwork portion which would test the abilities of the teams to work together.

In this portion, the teams would pair up with a team to work with to compete in the final rankings in the competition. These final rankings alone consisted of seven rounds, each round with a different pair playing and the teams with the highest score would win the teamwork portion.

In the end, the Create Award went to team Northstar Robotics C (1785c), the Design Award to [Co.R.E.] (3432G), the Excellence Award to the CMMS Devils (13033A), the Teamwork Champion Award to Roboquad (92020D) and Robo Bears (13037A), the Teamwork 2nd Place Award went to Northstar Robotics B (1785B) and [Co.R.E.] (3432T). The Robot Skills Champion Award also went to Robo Bears (13037A) and in second place in that category the CMMS Devils (13033A). The Judges Award went to the Robo Bears (13037B), the Sportsmanship Award to [Co.R.E.] (3432Y) and the Teamwork 3rd Place Award to Northstar Robotics A (1785A ) and [Co.R.E.] (3432Y).

Photo provided by Kevin Paris Student teams from all over central New York competed against each other and demonstrated the various skills of their robots to win numerous awards.

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A5 NEWS Oswego State receives SUNY grant Penfield Library hosts annual THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

It’s On Oz program benefits, using money for future events

event for Valentine’s Day

Julia Tilley News Editor news@oswegonian.com On Feb. 10, it was announced that Oswego State won the 2019 SUNY’s Got Your Back Grant contest.

Back on March 5, 2019, the Oswego State Title IX office organized and put on its version of the SUNY’s Got Your Back event, where the Oswego community came together to assemble “comfort kits,” or bags of clothing and supplies for victims of sexual assault and other forms of violence.

After the bags were put together, DJ and activist Zeke Thomas spoke about how he survived rape and the trauma that followed, in order to inspire others. Elizabeth Brady, Director of SUNY’s Got Your Back, brought Thomas in to speak at the event.

SUNY’s Got Your Back announced they would give $2,019 to three SUNY campuses that earned the highest amount of “points” from the events they put on. Schools could earn these points through various activities, such as gaining followers, reposts and likes on social media platforms. “[We are] so excited,” Lisa Evaneski said, Oswego State Title IX coordinator. “We are very proud of the work we are doing around prevention of sexual and interpersonal violence.”

The SUNY’s Got Your Back program scheduled over 30 spring events around SUNY campuses last spring, along with events organized in the fall. Due to a grant of almost $5 million, SUNY’s Got Your Back was able to fund almost all aspects of the programs, including purchasing the materials and bags along with the transportation of the bags to

Photo provided by Lisa Evaneski Oswego State was one of three SUNY schools to win the grant, giving them each $2,019 to use.

their destinations.

Although this is the first year the grant was offered to SUNY campuses, this is the third-time Oswego State has teamed up with SUNY’s Got Your Back, according to Evaneski.

The event began back in 2016, when the SUNY Title IX Coordinators Association, or STIXCA, met and came up with a new program idea.

“Our favorite lawyer in Albany and SUNY Oswego alum (‘02) Joe Storch had this wild idea: could all of the SUNY campuses help us fill 2,016 bags for victims of sexual and interpersonal violence in 2016?” Evaneski said. “I was the inaugural president of STIXCA, and it was really cool because at the meeting the campuses pledged to fill all 2,016 bags.

Now, SUNY’s Got Your Back has filled out and distributed 100,000 bags.”

Although SUNY colleges ran individual programs in the past to make these care packages, SUNY’s Got Your Back has expanded that. Alongside the Office of Victim Services, the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, state police and the New York City Alliance, STIXCA and other partners have helped to put together these bags at each SUNY campus as well as at other events spread throughout New York State, according to their website.

Evaneski is not yet sure what the college will do with the $2,019 grant but will put it toward existing and potentially new programs.

“We will use it for prevention programming. It can be used for presenters, supplies, food, etc.,” she said.

Katie Gaffney l The Oswegonian The Valentine’s Day celebration at Penfield Library featured activities like a photo booth and snacks.

Savannah Norton Staff Writer news@oswegonian.com One of the library’s most popular events, “Penfield Library Loves You Day,” was held on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Penfield Library.

Those who stopped by the library were able to get free snacks and refreshments and had the option of participating in various activities. Students gathered around the Valentine’s Day themed photo booth, taking pictures with the photo props provided. Other activities included Valentine’s Day themed word scrambles and Mad Libs, coloring pages, make your own valentine and make your own button.

Access Services Librarian Erin Kovalsky and Access Services Manager Deidre Devlin helped organize the event. “Penfield Library Loves You Day” has been held for over 10 years, and is one of the ways the library gives back to campus.

“It’s a way for the library to appreciate our patrons and campus community,” Devlin said.

This year’s event was sponsored by Penfield Library, Auxiliary Services, Office of Learning Services, Educational Opportunity Program, Dean of Students Office and Office of Sustainability.

Communication and collaboration between these departments is crucial to the work that goes into the event, according to Devlin.

Organization takes a few weeks, while the set up and decorating in the library takes a couple of hours.

“A couple of things, like the photo booth there, they started that a while ago,” Kovalsky said. “It kind of just depends on how much decoration is required.”

Besides refreshments and activities, attendees also had the opportunity to talk with students from the Office of Sustainability. Graduate student Spencer Johnson and senior Linden Merrill had reusable cups and a bucket for compostable food scraps and paper products at their table. Johnson and Merrill wanted to inform those at the event about the Office of Sustainability and its programs.

“So, our involvement in Penfield Loves You Day was to get them to not use throwaway cups was,” Johnson said. “And then also zero waste, you’ll notice that there’s brown napkins that can be composted, and a lot of the food scraps as well can be composted. So, really not much is going to go into the garbage after today. We’re here to inform people about that, about how composting can kind of help reduce your footprint. And then also just to share our message of sustainability.”

Merrill, a sustainability advocate, feels strongly about pursuing environmentally conscious habits.

“We try to find any opportunity on campus to reduce our waste,” Merrill said. “Every little bit does count, and the more that we do small things like this, the more normal it’ll become and the more it’ll be integrated into people’s day-to-day lives.”

One of Devlin’s favorite things about the event is the traffic it brings into the library.

“I enjoy seeing all of the people come in,” Devlin said. “We get a lot of different people than normal.”

As for Kovalsky, the activities are her favorite part.

“I like the activities, I like the little games that we have and card making, you know, and the coloring pages,” Kovalsky said.

Penfield Library will be holding another event, Maker Madness, next month. It is currently set to be held on March 7 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Photo provided by Lisa Evaneski SUNY’s Got Your Back has been coordinating with campuses to put on events to create comfort kits for victims of assault and other forms of violence since 2016.

Katie Gaffney l The Oswegonian Having a waste-free event was a priority for Penfield, with help from the sustainability office.

NEWS

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

A6

Fulton Pizza Hut providing Trees cut down surrounding Mahar Hall jobs to Oswego employees Dead trees became dangerous, risky for Oswego campus OSWEGO from COVER Fulton location,” Kline said. “If you get a craving for that great Pizza Hut pizza, we’d love to see you at our Fulton location.”

After being reached by phone, a manager at the Fulton location said she was not at liberty to talk about the situation.

One former Oswego employee, Jorge Rivera, chose to find new work instead of transferring to Fulton. He said that some Oswego employees had transferred. He also mentioned that he thought the location was “doing better and getting better” in terms of revenue.

“Some [employees] were frustrated, others were depressed,” Rivera said. “I was more optimistic.”

Other employees also mentioned that they were told on short notice that the store was closing.

Rivera added that he found out through Facebook on Feb. 5, just a day before the press release. Another employee said he found on that

same day, after some friends had asked him if Pizza Hut was closing.

This is the second or third restaurant to be pulled from the Oswego area in recent years, as well. Tim Horton’s was pulled in 2015, while most recently, Friendly’s in April of last year. Oswego Common Council Vice President Kevin Kill told The Palladium-Times last Friday that the location where Pizza Hut was located could be an ideal location for another business. “…This unfortunate situation underscores the importance of supporting the local, independent businesses within our community,” Hill said.

As expected after 42 years, there have been some loyal customers since Oswego’s Pizza Hut opened its doors in 1977. Rivera said there were a lot of customers who did not want the location to close.

“I had people come in who were there from the day it opened in 1977 who came in every Friday,” Rivera said.

“A lot [of others] were disappointed.”

Rachel McKenna Chief Copy Editor rmckenna@oswegonian.com The trees next to Mahar Hall have been cut down, but for good reason. Those trees have died and were becoming dangerous for the campus community.

Next to the doors of Mahar Hall looks empty without the large trees that used to sit there, now they are just trunks. However, if they were left there it would have been a risk for students and staff.

"Those particular trees, they were taken down because they were starting to get brittle,” Scott Stuart, the supervisor of grounds said. “Branches started to fall so it becomes a hazard to the public.”

This is a routine that the facilities services of Oswego State have to do when the trees on campus start to die. They take notice of which trees are dead and which trees “pose a threat to the public,” Stuart said.

After the trees are cut down, they are added to a list of trees to keep track of how many trees have been cut down, and how many more they need to plant.

“The ones that have been cut down have died. We have a campus tree map anytime trees get cut down they get replaced,” Stuart said.

The facilities services take a lot into account when they are planting new trees. They must think

about the sizes of the trees, the cost of the trees and whether it is worth it to replace every tree cut down.

The facilities services does not plan to plant new trees unless they are replacements or part of a bigger initiative.

“Usually when trees get planted it’s because of a design plan,” Stuart said. “When a building or landscape gets redone.”

Oswego State has been working on a plan to renovate Hewitt Hall. In the plan for these renovations there is an intention to add much more green space to that area on campus, including new trees. However, this is a longer project that will not be implemented for a few years.

Amy Enwright is the Project Coordinator for facilities services at Oswego State and is working closely with the ideas for the Hewitt Hall renovations. These renovations will result in 60-70% less pavement in the area around Hewitt Hall, adding grass and trees, according to Enwright.

“Area is going to change from being very heavily paved … it’s going to become a lot more green space,” Enwright said.

Inside the study for these renovations, the staff working on it has specifically marked the new trees that are planned to be planted. They have labeled the new trees a different color than the trees that already exist on campus. If everything goes to plan according to the study, there will be a significant amount of new trees added in the area around

Hewitt Hall.

Gemma McAfee is a biology student at Oswego State with a sustainability minor. She said she wants more trees to be planted around campus in addition to the replacement trees next to Mahar Hall.

“If the trees were dead, then it was right to cut them down. If they didn’t cut down the trees more life couldn’t grow. But they should chop down [dead] trees,” McAfee said. “It’s hard to see in the winter the plant life in Oswego, but when I think about it there aren’t many trees.”

McAfee was in a class called SUS115, Foundations of Sustainability, where one of her assignments was to garden. The garden is called the Permaculture Living Lab, located next to the Shineman Center.

On the Oswego State website, talking about the lab, it says, “This lab will function a lot like a forest, and in fact, permaculture techniques are often used to create ‘edible forest landscapes.’”

This lab is still in progress, and the students go in and garden when they are assigned to, weather permitting. McAfee said during gardening they pull weeds, put down mulch and clear pathways.

The trees that were cut down next to Mahar Hall were for the safety of the campus, according to Stuart. But they will be replaced, in addition to the environmental projects that are in the works from multiple departments to make the campus more green.

William Rogers | The Oswegonian The dead and weak trees removed around Mahar Hall will be replaced, in order to try and help to make the Oswego State campus more green.

OPINION PHOENIX SPEECH

B5 Photo via Flickr

SPORTS THE OSWEGONIAN

SPORTS SENIOR

B3

DAY

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE II • www.oswegonian.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

B1

Lakers face tough stretch, could determine playoff seeding

With games against top SUNYAC foes, men’s basketball tested before SUNYACs

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczeitner@oswegonian.com With just five games remaining in the regular season, the Oswego State men’s basketball team finds itself in a close SUNYAC race in the standings with the first round of the conference tournament less than two weeks away.

Oswego State (15-5, 9-4 SUNYAC) currently sits in fourth place in the league. Ahead of the Lakers in the standings are SUNY Oneonta (15-5, 11-2 SUNYAC) in third place, SUNY Potsdam (17-4, 12-2 SUNYAC) in second place and The College at Brockport (19-3, 14-1 SUNYAC) in first place. Also, just slightly behind the Lakers in fifth place is SUNY Cortland (13-7, 7-6 SUNYAC).

Three of the final five games for the Lakers are against all of the teams they trail in the SUNYAC standings. Although these three games may appear to be more important on paper in terms of the standings, each of the last five games for the Lakers are all of

equal importance.

“All five games are important because typically, in the nine years I’ve coached here, you look at the end of the year and there always seems to be a tiebreaker.

Or there’s one game separating all these teams,” Oswego State head coach Jason Leone said.

The Lakers have treated every single game on their schedule this season the same way: they want to go out and win every night and perform at a high level.

“Each of the 18 [SUNYAC] games play its own individual role in where you end up,” Leone said.

“I know it is very easy to look at these teams that are above us in the standings thinking that is the only way you make up ground, but those three games don’t mean anything if you stub your toe against these schools that happen to be below us in the standings.”

A large reason these final games are looked at as being so important, is that higher seeds have a home-court advantage during their matchups in the conference tournament.

“Clearly you’d rather play at home, but I have always approached this thing with our team in terms of when I talk to them. I say, ‘Our first thing is, we want to clinch and get into the playoffs.’

We technically have not done that yet but it looks like we are in a pretty good spot,” Leone said.

“After you check that box off, you concentrate on getting a home game. If you clinch a home game, the next thing is getting a bye then after that you try and win the whole thing. There’s been years where we’ve gone on the road and won the championship.”

The championship game is definitely where the Lakers want to find themselves, and they are no stranger to it, as they are the defending SUNYAC champions.

Most teams would say there is an added pressure that comes with being the defending champions, but a player like senior Joe Sullivan is no stranger to these games and is calm and locked in at this point of the year.

“I don’t think it adds pressure, but everyone is aggravated from last year because we basically ran through the SUNYAC,” Sullivan said. “It was difficult, don’t get me wrong, but we really controlled our destiny last year and this year is a little different with a lot of younger kids. We just have to get back to having a higher energy.”

Players like Sullivan are expected to be leaders at this time of year, being a senior, and Sullivan has done just that. Leone spoke highly regarding Sullivan and his play of late.

“Joe Sullivan, similar to Tyler [Pierre] last year, has really taken a step forward where he is playing his best basketball at this time of year,” Leone said. “He is playing much better around the basket compared to what he did early in the year and last year.”

Another senior for the Lakers is guard Brandan Gartland, who like Sullivan, was a part of the SUNYAC Championship team last season. Gartland knows the competition is tough and every game

will be difficult, but also believes in the team.

“We are taking it one game at a time obviously, and then we just have to treat every game like it is our last game,” Gartland said. “A lot of those teams are really good ahead of us, but we can compete with anybody.”

Despite playing 20 games so far this season, the final two weeks for the Lakers should still be looked at as a chance to get better and really click as a team heading into the postseason.

“We have two important weeks here where we can really improve,” Leone said. “I have had teams that, one year won the thing [SUNYAC Championship] as a three seed and we also won two road games to win the thing. We were not playing well the last week of the regular season.We just found something that last week during the conference tournament. That improvement can happen at the blink of an eye.”

There are certainly younger players on the Lakers this season who were not on the roster last year, but seniors like Gartland have been out there every day leading them and spreading advice on what to do and not do at this point of the season.

“Stay mentally tough, stay in the game,” Gartland said. “If you make a bad play, there’s always the next play you can go get. So just don’t be set on one play.”

Leone knows of the importance of each game and the competition each matchup brings, but the maturity of this team, just as teams he has coached in the past, has not gone unnoticed.

“One thing about our teams in the past, and this year is no different, is our team really does a good job of maintaining great focus at this time of the year and I think that is a big element of having success at this time of year,” Leone said. “Take this thing and try and get everyone better, be together and cohesive and you have to be able to handle the emotion that goes with this thing.”

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

Women’s hockey vs. Buffalo State

Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The Oswego State women’s hockey team is set for a weekend of back-toback games. The team will first travel to Western New York to take on Buffalo State on Friday and then travel back to Oswego to take on the Bengals in the Marano Campus Center.

The Lakers sit at second place while Buffalo State is in sixth place in NEWHL standings. While the race for second place in the NEWHL is still a tight one between Morrisville State, SUNY Potsdam and Oswego State these two games are very crucial to help the Lakers host a playoff game.

Freshman Megan Teachout put herself back in the scoring column for Oswego State in its last game against Nazareth College, after going scoreless the game before. The Lakers will look for Teachout to have a big weekend to sweep Buffalo State.

Saturday will also be Senior Day for Oswego State, as it will be the team’s last home game for the regular season.

When speaking to senior captain Kate Randazzo, she explained that even though herself and the rest of the seniors would love to end their Lakers’ careers at home with a win, they are still going into Saturday’s game with the same attitude they have every other game.

Freshman wrestler starts Oswego State career strong at 165 weight class Grygas looks to be among best, already wins conference championship, beats ranked opponent Brandon Ladd Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com Oswego State has a lot of elite competitors throughout its Div. III athletic teams. Freshman wrestler Charlie Grygas is one of those elite competitors, carrying a 26-5 individual record and an Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference title at 165 pounds. He is just a freshman and is aspiring to be one of the greatest to take the mat for the Lakers.

A fascinating quirk to Grygas is his switch from just a regular student here at Oswego State to a killer on the mat in an instant.

He does not overthink anything and takes it moment by moment.

When he is a student, he is here to enjoy the atmosphere on campus and hang out with friends. When he is a wrestler, he is going to do everything in his power to defeat you. As soon as the match is over though, he is back to joking around with teammates and friends. Head coach Mike Howard has noticed this quick change in personality from his young wrestler.

“When he takes the mat, he is going out there to win,” Howard said. “And you can see the change in him. When the other guys are wrestling, he’s kind of cool and just hanging out, chilling on the bench, in between matches and tournaments. But when he steps on that mat, the intensity level goes up and the look in his eye, you can see he is out there to win. He is like that in practice. We just finished up some sprints, and he was trying to win every single one of them.”

Grygas is not just an elite com-

petitor, who is looking to win every single match. He has been described as a very technical wrestler, who can outsmart anyone across from him on the mat.

A great technique in wrestling comes from many years on the mat, starting at a very young age.

It seems like most wrestlers who succeed at the high school and college level have an extensive wrestling background and were introduced to the sport as a child.

Grygas is no different.

“My dad got me into it when I was five,” Grygas said. “He just threw me into it and just did ‘pee-wees’ and it just stuck with me.”

Grygas went 48-3 as a senior at Duanesburg High School, in Delanson. The more someone wins, the more tragic a loss becomes. But that is not the pressure that Grygas puts on himself before matches. He goes out and wrestles to the best of his ability, the wins will come. That is the supreme level of confidence he has in himself.

“I don’t feel a lot of pressure,” Grygas said. “I just go in and wrestle.”

Grygas comes from a Class D, section II high school. That is the smallest classification of a high school in athletics, but he does not feel a chip on his shoulder coming from a small high school. It would add to the pressure before matches if he did so, it is just a small fact to him. All these small facts add up to who Grygas is, but he is not going to draw on them for excuses or extra motivation. He has enough motivation to begin with. The small high school which has an enrollment of just over 300 students according to its website, is just a confidence boost to the freshman.

“I learned the more confidence

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

you have [the better],” Grygas said.

“Confidence is a big thing. Being part of it and being part of a small program and being good is definitely a confidence builder. For sure.”

Grygas already has a favorite memory after just 31 career matches here at Oswego State, it came against

Rochester Institute of Technology’s Kaidon Winters. One of the most established wrestlers in the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference, Winters entered this season with a 77-12 individual record. He is currently ranked fifth in the country for Div. III, 157 pound wrestlers. Winters is not some-

one who expected to be taken down by a freshman, but Grygas took care of business against him.

“Beating Winters from RIT,” Grygas said. “He was ranked fourth in the country [at the time], and it was the first tournament of the year. So it was cool. I went right in and beat him. It was pretty sick.”

“Pretty sick” might be the only way to describe a wrestler who can come in to his first major tournament and beat a nationally ranked junior. He then followed that up by being the best wrestler for 165 pounds this year in the ECWC. Grygas has big goals for his three-plus years left here at Oswego State.

“Definitely want to place top three in the region,” Grygas said.

“And All-American. Place top six in the country.”

Oswego State has never had a four-time All-American for its wrestling program. It has had four three-time All-Americans. Dave Parisi 1980-82, Doug Morse 1982-84, Jon Buhner 1987-89 and most recently Tenkoran Agyeman 2003-05.

Grygas has the goal to be the first four-time All-American in Oswego State’s program history. He will not get ahead of himself though or discouraged by bumps along the way.

Grygas is the present and future of Oswego State wrestling, but you would not know it from watching him off the mat. He lives his life and dominates on the wrestling mat, when someone has the misfortune of facing him. He has fun here and that is why he chose Div. III over Div. I. There is so much more to him than just wrestling.

“What made me want to go to Oswego,” Grygas said. “And go Div. III, is just because it is more fun. I didn’t want to just live wrestling.”

SPORTS B2 Oswego State lands 2 icemen in state known for its desert THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

Vance, Brown bring childhood friendship to Lakers, as Arizona hockey grows its roots

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Vance (10) and Brown (8) traveled long distances to play hockey growing up.

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com The ice in Arizona is uncommon.

Outside, it can typically be found in the northern parts of the state, in areas such as Flagstaff or Show Low. But at different ice rinks, such as the Ice Den in Chandler, where NHL greats like Auston Matthews played before stardom, the sport of ice hockey is growing every year. With an NHL, AHL and NCAA Div. I program all in the state, as well as increasing youth programs, more and more hockey players are coming from the state.

In the last few years, Oswego State has boasted three players from Arizona. Derek Brown, who is from Peoria, Carson Vance, who calls Tempe home and Cameron Berry, who graduated last season, but is from Chandler. All three played for the

Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, an AAU program, at the Ice Den in Scottsdale.

With the lack of junior hockey in Arizona, all three players had to travel throughout the country to play in different leagues, such as the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League. Vance played in numerous cities, going as far as Soldotna, Alaska, while Brown went to Odessa, Texas. Berry came the closest to the northeast playing for the Philadelphia Little Flyers in the Eastern Hockey League.

“For them to continue onto college hockey, they typically have to move somewhere far away from home. I think the distance from home is irrelevant,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said. “They’re used to being away from home.”

Growing up, Vance and Brown played together. They were both born in 1996, and since there is a lack of

kids that play hockey in Arizona, with “only five to 10 elite kids,” according to Vance, “that’s who they grew up with and played with.” “[Vance] and I always played together until he left a year early to go play juniors, then I went a year after,” Brown said.

Also in 1996, the Phoenix Coyotes, which are now the Arizona Coyotes, relocated to the state after playing as the Winnipeg Jets from 1972-1996.

Both Vance and Brown went to games when they were younger.

Vance mentioned that their parents “probably watched the inaugural season,” and “then they were on the ice two years later.”

Brown said the Coyotes were the reason he started to play hockey, especially because his dad has season tickets. He told his dad he wanted to play and eventually got to opportunity to.

“My earliest memory was when they were at the [Phoenix] Suns arena in downtown Phoenix,” Vance said.

“You could hear the pucks hit the stick, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool.’”

Both of them played different sports growing up, dabbling in baseball, soccer and football. Brown also enjoys the casual game of golf. “But hockey’s always been No. 1,” Vance added.

“The biggest thing is when I say I’m from Arizona, everyone’s like, ‘They have ice there?’ I’m like, ‘Well, yeah.

The rink’s inside,’” Vance said.

A lot of the two players’ memories come from when they played in younger levels of hockey, like squirt, pee-wee and bantam, anywhere from 10 to 16 years old. Both of them played on the same pee-wee hockey team that went to a tournament in Quebec that lasted two to three weeks. It was the Quebec International PeeWee Hockey Tournament, which can be compared to Quebec’s version of the Little League World Series but for hockey, Vance said. All the games were also televised.

Within the length of the tournament, players live with host families.

Vance and Brown ironically lived together with the same family. The couple they lived with were named Katie and Carl, who, to the 12-year-olds’ dismay, did not speak English.

“Our first night, we were in their Jeep and they kept asking, ‘What do you guys want for dinner?’” Vance said.

“And we were like, ‘Spaghetti! Spaghetti!’ They were so confused.”

Brown added, “That’s basically all we had had for two weeks.”

Growing up, Vance and Brown played with some impressive players, like Matthews, who made it big in the NHL. They also shared the same coaches, such as famed skating coach Boris Dorozhenko.

“You see what they do differently, and whatever they do they’re just working a little bit harder,” Vance said.

Vance played squirt hockey, age eight or nine years old, and Matthews “worked hard just like any other normal player.” But, after playing with Brendan Lemieux, who plays with the New York Rangers, Vance “thought Brendan had the best chance to make it.”

“Auston was a year younger than us but he always played a year up,” Brown said. “I just remember him being on the ice all the time. He was always out there.”

They also played with guys like Alex Tuch, who plays for the Vegas Golden Knights, Daniel Sprong, who is under contract with the Anaheim Ducks and Jake DeBrusk, who is on the second line with the Boston Bruins. Vance played with Kyle Connor from the Winnipeg Jets in the USHL. “Jake was probably the bigger surprise to me than Auston. Watching him, Jake was a weird skater,” Vance said. “It’s cool to see your friends in the NHL.”

“It’s weird how things played out,” Brown mentioned.

For these two Arizona natives, traveling is just normal to them now.

They have been able to help other players from far distances as well, and make connections with them.

Even though they are the same age, they have been able to help guys like Charlie Pelnik from North Carolina or Jeff Solow from Florida.

Though he is not on the team anymore, they assisted younger players like Colton Fletcher who is from Alaska. Vance said one of the biggest comforts is the teammates you have on your new team.

“A lot of these guys can play juniors, but they’re only a couple hours away from home,” Brown said. “Guys like us and Fletcher, they’ve traveled before. It’s an adjustment, but you get used to it.”

But the nicest thing for Brown and Vance—and the coaching staff for Oswego State—is the way hockey is spreading to non-traditional areas of the country. Brown added “everyone now knows about Arizona hockey.”

“Non-traditional areas, whether it’s Arizona, Texas, Florida or even the Carolinas, USA Hockey is doing a great job of getting people involved with the sport,” Gosek said. “We don’t really care where they’re from. East coast, west coast, north of here, south of here, if they can play and they can help us, we’re on them.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Lakers aiming for second, third place in SUNYACs Swimming, diving teams compete next Wednesday at Erie Community College

Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian The dominance of SUNY Geneseo in both men’s and women’s swimming and diving has led to a tight race for second place.

Luke Owens Asst. Sports Editor lowens@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s and women’s diving teams wrapped up their seasons on Saturday, Feb. 1 with a dual-meet against SUNY Potsdam.

It was senior day at the Laker Hall pool and both teams ended their regular seasons with wins.

For the men’s team, it was a 176101 win. The Lakers won 12 of the 16 events, with an all-senior medley relay squad of Ryan Kreuser, Austin Bull, Nick Weber and Alex Davie kicking off the meet with a victory. Weber and Davie also ended their home careers with individual wins in the 1,000-yard freestyle and 50-yard freestyle, respectively.

The women’s team also defeated the Bears with a 166-117 score. Seniors Julia Lamb and Kayla Merrill captured the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200-yard IM. Although swimming is not like any other team sport

in terms of momentum, it was important for both teams to finish their seasons strong.

“It’s always good to have a strong meet at the end of the year,” head coach Mike Holman said. “It doesn’t necessarily matter all that much in swimming, but in any sport, positive momentum is good.”

Next up for both teams is the SUNYAC Championships, which take place from Wednesday, Feb. 19 until Saturday, Feb. 22 at Erie Community College. Unlike most meets which are one or two days long, SUNYAC Championships are a four day grind.

Nonetheless, Holman believes both his teams are ready.

“It’s pretty spread out for each individual,” Holman said. “We train long enough and hard enough where a four-day meet isn’t a big deal. Physically it’s not a big deal, but mentally it can be tough. Our philosophy is you do the work during the season and that should take care of it. You don’t think about day four on day one.”

Last season, both teams fin-

ished in the top three, with the men’s team finishing in second place and the women’s team in third. The men’s team was in a fight for second place down the stretch, finishing with 526 points. Third place SUNY Cortland ended just one point shy, at 525 points.

“I do worry because I’m a coach, I stress out about everything,” Holman said. “But we definitely have strengths in different spots. Last year, we went into the last relay thinking there’s no way we can catch Cortland and our diver ends up jumping up four spots. Sometimes it just plays out that way, and we beat them by one point. It should be a similar meet this year.”

One of the most interesting parts of the SUNYAC Championships is the acceptance of aiming for second place. The SUNY Geneseo men’s team has won six straight SUNYAC titles. Last season, Geneseo finished the weekend with 951.5 points, 425.5 points better than second place Oswego State.

“The battle for second place for the men should be close,” Holman said. “On paper we line up third, but I’m hoping that we put everything together. It was the same thing last year, on paper we were third or fourth and finishing second was great.”

For the women’s team, things become a bit more complicated.

Last season, the Lakers finished third in the SUNYAC championships, their best finish since second place in 2008-09. Oswego State believes it has the talent to capture third place, but has been devastated by injuries and illness. Eleven athletes between the two teams came down with mono this season, with the majority being on the women’s team.

“We’ve been decimated this year by injuries and illnesses, so we’re still not fully healthy on the women’s side,” Holman said. “I really don’t know what we have. Between third and fifth [place] could be determined by fractions of a second.”

SUNY Geneseo women’s swimming and diving has won 27 SUNYAC championships overall, including 12 straight. The dominance of the Knights has led the Lakers to aim for second and third place finishes. This week and a half before SUNYACs could determine how healthy the women’s team is when SUNYACs begin.

“SUNYACs have been our focus since day one,” Holman said. “It’s do or die.”

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

Men’s basketball vs. PLA/POT

Matt Czeitner Copy Editor mczietner@oswegonian.com The Oswego State men’s basketball team (15-5, 9-4 SUNYAC) is back in action this weekend with a pair of home games.

Friday, the Lakers host Plattsburgh State (8-13, 5-9 SUNYAC) at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, SUNY Potsdam (17-4, 12-2 SUNYAC) comes into town, tip-off at 4:00 p.m.

The Lakers are coming off a loss to SUNY Cortland 82-72, snapping their four-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Joe Sullivan continues to play well for the Lakers.

The past two games, Sullivan averaged 22.5 points per game and now leads the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game.

Plattsburgh State has lost three of its last four games and is coming off a loss to Buffalo State 89-82.

Travis Cox currently leads the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 17 points per game.

SUNY Potsdam is currently riding a four-game winning streak, with the most recent win against SUNY Fredonia, winning 76-71. The Bears have also won 12 of their last 13 games.

Sophomore Isaiah Brown has recently earned his third SUNYAC Player of the Week honor and is averaging 22.4 points per game this season.

B B33 SPORTS Women’s hockey to celebrate 4 seniors vs. Buffalo State THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

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

Men’s hockey @ Morrisville State

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com The battle for second place is on for the Oswego State men’s hockey team, after tying against The College at Brockport and losing to SUNY Geneseo last weekend.

While there are many “what ifs” based on what happens in the last two weeks of the regular season, a five-point lead in the standings just might be too much for the Lakers to overcome.

Oswego State only trailed by three points before the game against the Knights. With a game in hand over SUNY Geneseo, if the Lakers won that game and won out the rest of the regular season, the first seed—and home-ice advantage—would have been Oswego State’s.

With only four regular-season games left, the Lakers will need to stay above Buffalo State, one of their last four opponents, to have home ice for the semifinals and to avoid a first round playoff game.

Alex DiCarlo and Travis Broughman have found a lot of recent success, and with the help of upperclassmen such as Michael Gillespie, this team is finally a bit more well-rounded.

Steven Kozikoski had his first “difficult” test, against two teams that always bring a fight against Oswego State. The Golden Eagles have received votes in the USCHO polls, while SUNY Geneseo is No. 3 in the nation.

Expect him to bounce back against Morrisville State, especially since he is the go-to goaltender for the rest of the season.

Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek says every SUNYAC game is crucial, with two points on the line every time.

The next eight points are even bigger now, with the Lakers wanting homeice for at least the semifinals.

On senior day, Lakers look to maintain second seed, home ice for NEWHL playoffs Neil Boedicker Sports Writer sports@oswegonian.com The regular season is coming to an end for the Oswego State women’s hockey team. The team has only three regular season games left before the playoffs with its final home game Saturday against Buffalo State. Saturday will also be Senior Day for the Lakers, who will be celebrating four seniors .

The Lakers that will be honored are captain Kate Randazzo, Eryn Stewart, Rachael Farmer and alternate captain Madison Byrne. All these players have made a significant impact during their time at Oswego State on and off the ice in their own different ways.

This will be head coach Diane Dillon’s 14th senior day at Oswego State, and she cannot help but feel proud of this year’s senior class.

“It’s bittersweet,” Dillon said. “I’m thrilled for them that they have reached the pinnacle of their careers, but I’m sad to see them go. At the same time I’m excited for them to take the next step and start the next chapter of their lives.”

When it comes to Randazzo, she has been at Oswego State for four years. In her career playing for the Lakers, she has tallied 11 goals and 40 assists for a total of 51 points. This makes Randazzo the all-time leading scorer among all defenders in Oswego State history. This year has also been Randazzo’s third year as a captain in some capacity for the Lakers, as she was an alternate captain her sophomore year and captain last season.

Associate head coach Mark Digby cannot think of a better person to lead this team.

“Kate has been a three-year captain for a reason,” Digby said. “Anybody that I have ever met in my life that wouldn’t follow that kid, I wouldn’t want anything to do with them. Every single day her approach to everything is the same. She is so passionate about everything that she does and is the type of person that you hope you can surround yourself with in life.”

When discussing Randazzo, Dillon added in the growth she has seen from the Lakers’ captain as a person since her freshman year at Oswego State.

“Kate is an outstanding young lady,” Dillon said. “Just watching her grow from the day she stepped on this campus as a shy freshman that couldn’t look me in the eye, to now leading her Laker teammates has been fun.”

The second senior out of this group in Stewart has also been at Oswego State for four years. Stewart has tallied 23 goals and 34 assists for a total of 57 points during her time at Oswego

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian Oswego State will graduate four seniors from the women’s hockey team, including two-year captain of the team Kate Randazzo (21).

State. When discussing Stewart, Dillon mentioned that the scoring she brings to the team will definitely be missed.

“Eryn’s leaving some big skates to fill,” Dillon said. “She has worked really hard at the craft of hockey and making her game the best it can be, but her quirkiness and sense of humor certainly brings another element to the bench and locker room.”

Byrne has also been at Oswego State for four years. Byrne is known for her stout defensive play over her 90 games played. She has scored one goal and five assists for a total of six points.

Dillon explained how Byrne has an infectious personality and referred to her as the “mama bear” of the team.

“Madison is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met,” Dillon said. “She is someone who is nice and genuine.

Then goes on the ice and is a big tough hockey player. A lot of people will come to her for advice and that makes her not just a great teammate but an all-around great friend.”

Oswego State’s starting goaltender in Farmer is the only senior that has not been a Laker for her entire college hockey career. Farmer originally attended SUNY Cortland for two years before transferring to Oswego State last season. Farmer has played in 36 games for the Lakers, while earning 16 wins as the Lakers’ starter in net.

Digby appreciated Farmer’s constant work ethic throughout the season, especially when she was the only goalie

Synchronized skating completes season

Ice Effects compete in 2 major events, win Empire State Games Matt Watling Sports Editor mwatling@oswegonian.com At the start of every semester, while Oswego State students are finding where their classrooms are and reading sylabi, the Ice Effects, Oswego State’s synchronized skating team, is doing all that while learning its new moves for the semester.

The synchronized skating club team’s schedule started up in September and this year, it ended with a first place finish at the Empire State Winter Games on Feb. 2 in Lake Placid. The Empire State Winter Games is a slew of winter sporting events including figure skating, bobsled and hockey. In the open collegiate synchronized skating competition, the Ice Effects beat Cornell University and Colgate University.

The Ice Effects began the semester by flying in Heather Paige from Chicago. Paige is the team’s choreographer who creates the moves for the team’s performances. From there, the Ice Effects spend three days a week practicing formations and holds both on the ice and on the floor. The team also has coaches from around the area including Melissa Manwaring, who works at Oswego State in the alumni office, as well as Carolyn Quinn, who is the co-director of the Skating Club of Central New York’s Learn to Skate Program. Occasionally, the team travels to Syracuse to work with Quinn and even received its choreography from Paige in Syracuse.

Like all sports, injuries arise in synchronized skating. It is a difficult problem to resolve because each person is given one spot or space on the ice. If that person is injured or cannot make an event, the

on the team.

“I can’t say enough good things about the way she sets the tone for our team night in and night out,” Digby said. “There’s a lot of people that in her situation, being the only goalie here, would have had more of a laxed attitude. It would’ve been easy for her to not compete, but she competes every day in practice and stays out after practice to work on things. That definitely rubs off on people.”

Both coaches could not help but

smile when talking about how great of a person each senior is. They were very proud when discussing how hard each senior works in the classroom and at the rink. Dillon expressed how greatly each player will be missed next year.

“All four of them are great kids,” Dillon said. “I mean that truly. Sometimes you can’t honestly say that, but these four are all the kind of people we’re thrilled to have representing and playing for the Lakers.”

Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian

Photo Brief

ALL-NEWHL HONORS

Photo provided by The Oswego State Ice Effects The Oswego State Ice Effects ended its season Feb. 2 with a first place finish in Lake Placid.

entire team is affected.

“It is very hard with synchronized skating because if one person misses a practice, it is very hard to practice our performance,” club president, Kaylin Pafumi, said. “If that one person isn’t there doing their job, then the whole routine is messed up … [despite that] I feel like we came out pretty well.”

Aside from the team’s firstplace finish in Lake Placid, it also performed at the Eastern Synchronized Skating Sectionals in Albany. The Ice Effects competed against different colleges along the east coast. While this year’s sectionals were still in the state of New York, the team may travel up and down the coast. Three years ago the team took the trip down to Florida, something members of that team will never forget.

“It is a great opportunity for the girls to explore and see other places, where they might not have it in their school schedule to travel abroad,” Pafumi said. “It is a great opportunity for us to see the world.”

While many of the women on

the Ice Effects have been doing synchronized skating or figure skating for years, they welcome skaters of varying talent levels. With this season ending, the team will prepare for the next recruitment day on March 1. This provides high school students interested in attending Oswego State a chance to see what the team is all about by meeting the team, touring the campus and even hitting the ice. Current Oswego State students are welcome to go to the recruitment, as well.

Beyond the practices and events, the team is like a family. The women on the team spend time in new places and can see what all of them have to offer.

“Florida [is my favorite memory],” team treasurer Nicole Evans said.

“When we saw the manatees.”

And, while the team is focused on performing, it goes beyond skating.

“I feel like [going out to eat is] the memory I remember more than just the skating,” Pafumi said. “Just hanging out with the girls, making jokes. That’s what I remember the most.”

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian

Oswego State’s Megan Teachout and Rachel Farmer both won a NEWHL award for their performances last week. The duo helped the Lakers to a 3-0-0 week, including a win in conference play.

Teachout was named NEWHL Rookie of the Week for the week of Feb. 3. In three games played, she recorded two goals and an assist. In the first game of the week, Teachout led a third-period comeback against Morrisville State with a goal to open the period. In the third game, she scored her second goal of the week against Nazareth College, as she put home a loose puck.

Farmer was named NEWHL Goalie of the Week. She held a record of 3-0-0 in the games and made a combined 57 saves through the contests. Perhaps her best game of the week came against Nazareth College, where she made 22 saves on 24 shots to help upset the Golden Flyers.

Farmer ended the week with a 1.67 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

The team has three games remaining this season, facing Buffalo State twice and SUNY Canton once. The next home game is Saturday against the Bengals with puck drop at 4:00 p.m.

OPINION

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

B5

State of the Oscar speeches should be relevant New York Union party Acceptance speeches meant to be for thanking friends, families Global Entry dramatics program ban Francesca Miesner Opinion Editor fmiesner@oswegonian.com

Photo from Flickr

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com On Tuesday, Feb. 4, President Donald Trump gave his annual State of the Union speech. Marked by what was, at the time, an ongoing impeachment trial, it almost seemed the president was trying to cover up some of the inconsistencies that his administration has been accused of.

Controversy was also present.

While Trump did not shake Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s hand when handing her his speech’s hard copy, the president’s affiliates pretended that nothing was wrong there, but made a huge deal out of the fact that Pelosi tore the speech outline apart during the aftermath of the address.

Focusing on the address itself, some of the topics mentioned during it were education, veterans, immigration—focusing on illegal immigration, of course—and new laws on sanctuary cities and states, such as New York.

However, one of the topics that personally stood out the most was that of medical care. As it relates to the cost itself, the president stated that they will keep working to lower the costs for patients living with pre-existing conditions, which seems very unlikely based on the costs resulting from his administration’s latest policies on healthcare.

Rather than going down, medical costs seem to be going the way of college tuition. They just keep going up.

Sunday was the 92nd Academy Awards that took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Each winner, just like every other year, is allowed to give an acceptance speech. Instead of these speeches being about the actual award, the role they won the Oscar for or even cinema in general, a lot of speeches have been about social justice.

This is not necessarily bad.

The Oscars is one of the most viewed events on television and many award winners wished to draw light to issues they hold dear, especially when in a position to speak for those who cannot. However, in the past few years, it seems that virtually every speech given has to do with social justice. Why? Because social justice is what stirs up attention on social media. That is not to say the issues these people are representing are unimportant or do not need voices, but when every single speech is about a different issue, it sounds more like a high school graduation speech than a speech that is meant to thank the people the winner wishes to thank.

In the case of “Hair Love,” the film that won best animated short, the speech was about representation of black culture and people in films. The director, Matthew A. Cherry, calls for more black hair representation in media. The film is about a young black girl who is insecure about her natural hair, and her parents trying to teach her to love herself. In the case of this speech, talking about loving yourself and your hair is relevant. It was what the movie was about and it is a topic that they, as people of color, hold close to their hearts.

It is an issue that relates to the film industry, meaning there are not enough displays of natural hair in Hollywood.

In the case of Joaquin Phoenix, he read a lyric that his brother, the late River Phoenix, had written. This was admirable, since he was honoring his brother. I am sure his brother was an inspiration to him and someone

he keeps close. He opens the speech by saying that his speech allows for him to have “the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless.” He goes on then to give an impassioned speech about milk cows, and how the dairy and meat industry is corrupt and apathetic.

I am pretty certain that “Joker” had nothing to do with cows.

In fact, his character, Joker, portrays everything in the current political sphere that we, as movie goers, should hate. He is violent and murders multiple people, all while the film highlights his mental illness. This moment, for Phoenix, could have been used to call for a dismantling of hate, unnecessary violence and defending the mentally ill, should he feel that he should use his voice for the voiceless.

Instead, he uses his platform to talk about dairy cows.

USA Today interviewed a dairy farmer, who explained Phoenix’s accusations not only happen, but are helpful to the animal. The calf is removed from her mother to make sure it is healthy. The calf is not fed her mother’s milk, and is instead fed baby formula that has more nutrients to help the calf grow. This is not to say that the industrialized ways of collecting dairy are clean and empathetic toward the cows, but to lump those groups together to promote a vegan agenda is unfair and inaccurate.

Regardless of that, Phoenix should have used his time differently. Not just Phoenix, but every winner who made an impassioned speech about a social justice issue. It becomes disingenuous. After the fifteenth call for representation in media by a white person who is only in the room for starring in a white film, you start to believe they do not care. That does not mean that every person who gives a powerful speech about a political issue does not mean what they say, but it makes the audience feel like they are being smacked in the face with a “who can be the most liberal” contest.

The Academy Award hosts also made multiple “Oscars so white” jokes, meaning the nominees for each category and the

line-up of winners were mostly comprised of white people.

Nothing about this is humorous. The second an organization is aware of mistakes they are making and are actually making jokes about it, all without trying to change what is upsetting people, is problematic. The Academy Awards definitely screen the jokes that will happen on-stage before the event. The fact that they approved these ones goes to show that they do not actually care about improving and being more inclusive, but instead care about whether they appear inclusive or not.

Winners treating the acceptance speeches at the Academy Awards like they are trying to prove to the audience that they love people of color, LGBTQ+ people or even cows is shallow and transparent. We, the viewer, are here to share a love for movies.

Social justice is good and fine, but when it becomes every speech made, it sets a precedent that every film needs to be “groundbreaking.” These are some of the biggest names in film making. When most of them are only there because the industry put them where they are, I cannot believe they are genuine. Obviously, there are a few exceptions, namely those who are minorities or worked on films that showcased people that you do not always see in film. However, when people want a medal or clout for thinking that everyone deserves equal rights, the viewer starts to not care anymore.

Bong Joon-Ho won best director and began to give his speech in Korean. Since the average Academy Awards viewer speaks in English, they had a translator so viewers knew what he was saying. Translation takes time.

When the lights were taken off of Joon-Ho and moved to the person who would read the next award, Tom Hanks and Charlize Theron, who were sitting in the first row, began loudly shouting to turn the lights back onto JoonHo so he could finish his speech.

This is how white people, or anyone in the majority, can show their support for those outside of it, not just reading a dictionary list of minorities and saying they do not hate them.

... a condition should not be responsible for assuming those exorbitant health costs.

Trump’s new health plan intends to abolish the Affordable Care Act, which actually did reduce medical costs for patients with preexisting conditions.

For myself, living with a medical condition called hydrocephalus, which essentially translates to water on the brain, no one ever knows when it will be time for the next brain surgery. Taking this into account, because it was an at-birth diagnosis, a patient impacted by such a condition should not be responsible for assuming those exorbitant health costs.

Not all insurances cover procedures that may save the life of a patient with a pre-existing condition.

For example, if one needs brain surgery, MRI’s and CAT scans they are only somewhat covered. The only option through Excellus, a major insurance provider in the U.S., may be a silver plan, resulting in something that only a few pockets can afford.

Just like hydrocephalus, there are many conditions out there that affect many patients. Patients who should not be held responsible for their progressively worsening health care costs.

Taking into account Trump’s address and stated goals, maybe his administration should consider advocating for the millions of United States citizens impacted by each of these new regulations, rather than furthering the gap between the most privileged and the diminishing middle class.

Photo from ABC via YouTube The winning lead actor, Joaquin Phoenix, gave a speech about cow rights, despite his film being about mental illness.

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

Photo from Flickr

Tomas Rodriguez Staff Writer opinion@oswegonian.com On Feb. 6, the Trump administration announced plans to ban Global Entry for New York state residents. This latest move comes amid growing tensions between both ends of the political spectrum and all it is doing is harming New York state residents.

The Trump administration has long strived to punish sanctuary states and cities. President Donald Trump already announced plans to execute such penalties during his State of the Union address.

While many believe that illegal immigrants are the ones to blame for any and all crimes, it seems as if it is as inaccurate as it can get when looking at the crime statistics.

Per factcheck.com, there is no absolutely accurate information in regards to Trump’s claim. However, some approaches to the research suggest that it is indeed native-born Americans who commit the highest rate of crimes, with a total of 815,689 committing a crime in the year 2015.

Illegal and legal immigrants do not even get close to that number, with 37,776 illegal immigrants and 20,323 legal immigrants committed crimes in 2015, adding up to 58,099 total.

... could and most likely will affect international Oswego State students as they head back home for spring break ...

Not long after, the state of New York filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, Feb. 10.

The current administration argues that this comes as a response to the recently-passed Green Light law, which allows New York residents over the age of 16 to apply for non-commercial driver’s licenses or learner’s permits, regardless of their citizenship or legal status in the United States. The law also prevents the federal government from accessing state DMV records for immigration purposes, which is the reason the administration decided to block New Yorkers from Global Entry programs.

The administration argues that if they cannot access the database for background information on those applying for Global Entry, then they cannot authorize Global Entry for New York residents.

This is where it gets tricky. All federal travel programs require that applicants hold a valid machinereadable United States passport or a lawful permanent resident cards.

The question for Oswego State is how such measures will affect the Syracuse Hancock International Airport. With so many international students taking part at Oswego State’s various exchange programs, the move by Trump’s administration could and most likely will affect international Oswego State students as they head back home for spring break in one month’s time.

The Trump administration should become better aware of the positive impact that immigration, both legal and illegal, has on the economic system, and must be aware that if they hinder state residents from Global Entry programs, it will impact the financial markets in a negative way.

NEWS PENFIELD LOVES YOU DAY

A5

OPINION

Katie Gaffney | The Oswegonian

VOLUME LXXXV ISSUE II

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

SPORTS B2

ARIZONA BOYS

Casey Stone | The Oswegonian

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

OFFICE OPINIONS

Was this year’s Super Bowl halftime show too risque?

Not extremely ...

Not at all!

It was phenomenal!

It is not all that risque, people have certainly seen worse in music videos or movies. While this is the Super Bowl, which is seen by most of the country, young children will not remember the performance. If they are the only group that needs “protecting,” then it is certainly not an issue, as they will not remember the dancing that was perceived as questionable.

- Matt Watling, Sports Editor

The idea of a performance being risque solely because the performers are women is absurd. If anything, Adam Levine’s fully shirtless performance last year was more risque, but he is a man, so it is OK? The only risque thing about this year’s halftime show was the camera angle’s giving Shakira “elevator eyes.”

-John Christopher, Copy Editor

I loved the halftime show. I thought the choreography was amazing, and executed incredibly well. I was in awe of Shakira and JLo, as well as their backup dancers. I do not really understand the controversy. I have done more risque moves in dance recitals to be honest. I am not sure why this performance, out of all Super Bowl performances, stuck out as inappropriate or controversial.

Looking at the whole performance and production, it was phenomenal.

-Julia Tilley, News Editor

IN THE OFFICE

Recent hockey media scrum questioned Relationship between press, athletes must remain healthy

Ben Grieco Managing Editor bgrieco@oswegonian.com On Feb. 6, Sam Reinhart, a forward for the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League was questioned by Mike Harrington, a sports columnist for The Buffalo News, about his effort on a specific play that was made.

In that game, the Detroit Red Wings came away with a twoon-one rush. Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was the lone Buffalo defender, with Reinhart trying to catch up. Toward the end of the play, Detroit got a clean pass off—with Reinhart nowhere near the play—and ended up scoring to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead. Some might even say that he “gave up” on the play,

showing no effort whatsoever.

Sportsnet, a sports media company based out of Canada, had a radio segment about the confrontation and also talked about the actual play. Reinhart had already been on the ice for a minute and 47 seconds. In terms of hockey, that is a very long shift, especially when it was four-onfour hockey, instead of the normal five-on-five. The amount of energy Reinhart had already exerted was too much. One of the hosts said, “he had the piano backpack, and he’s got spaghetti legs,” referring to his exhaustion.

In the post-game press conferences, Harrington questioned Reinhart with the comment, “Do you think you back-checked on that play the way you need to?”

Reinhart responded by saying, “I don’t think I’m going to value that question right now.” Harrington continued to ask the question with different wording and Reinhart continued to refuse to answer the question.

This is not about Reinhart and how he handled the play on defense. The bigger concern is how the media—both initially during the press conference and

how the rest of the media world reacted in the days following— handled the situation.

Being honest, Buffalo’s season has not gone according to plan. The team sits in sixth place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division and are 25th in the entire league out of 31 teams. At this point, fans are looking for answers. To an extent, Harrington’s question was warranted, especially since the final score was 4-3 after an overtime shootout. That one Red Wing goal could have made a big difference in the long run.

When Harrington asked the initial question and Reinhart refused to answer it, that should have been it. Sure, Sabres fans want answers. But the answers need to come from the game in general, not specific plays. Pushing players to answer questions like that can cause relationship problems between the press and players, not allowing for good storylines to happen down the line.

If the player does not “value” the question, let it go. Figure out how to draw up a new question in order to reflect the general game or season, instead of attacking players.

THE OSWEGONIAN

The independent student newspaper of Oswego State since 1935

G UIDELIN ES

We want your thoughts on our coverage, campus and local issues, or anything regarding the Oswego State community.

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

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

Photo from TSN via YouTube Sam Reinhart, a forward for the Buffalo Sabres, was questioned on how much effort he had put into a specific play.

Jackson

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

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

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

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

Photo provided by @mmcsween21 via Twitter

Shore Report

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

SUNYAC Standings

Men’s Hockey Geneseo - x Oswego State - x Buffalo State Brockport Potsdam Morrisville Cortland Plattsburgh Fredonia

Overall 17-3-2 11-9-1 11-8-2 13-7-1 6-15-2 9-11-0 11-9-1 6-13-3 5-9-7

Women’s Hockey* Overall

Points 22 17 15 13 12 10 10 8 7

Conference 10-1-2 8-3-1 7-4-1 6-5-1 5-8-2 5-7-0 5-8-0

3-8-2 2-7-3 Conference

Points

Plattsburgh - 1 Oswego State

21-1-0

16-0-0

32

12-6-4

7-4-4

18

Morrisville

11-10-1

8-6-1

17

Potsdam

7-8-2

10-11-2

16

Cortland

13-7-2

6-7-2

14

Buffalo State - e

5-16-0

3-11-0

6

Canton - e

5-15-1

2-13-1

5

Men's Basketball Brockport - x Potsdam - x Oneonta - x Oswego State Cortland Geneseo Plattsburgh Fredonia Buffalo State New Paltz

Overall

Conference

19-3 17-4

14-1 12-2 11-2 9-4 7-6 6-9 5-9

W12 W4 W2 L1 L1 W1 L1

7-15 4-15

3-12 2-13

L7 L1

5-15

1-12

L5

15-5 15-5 13-7 9-13 8-13

Women's Basketball New Paltz - x Cortland - x Geneseo - x Buffalo State - x Brockport Oneonta Fredonia Potsdam Plattsburgh Oswego State

Streak

Overall

Conference

Streak

17-3 17-3 18-4 14-8 10-12 8-12 9-13 7-13

12-1 11-2 11-4 10-5 7-8 5-8 5-10 4-10

W6 L1 W2 L1 W1 W1 L1 L2

6-15

3-11

L5

6-13

2-11

L9

Around the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball 81

59

BPT: 19-3 (14-1) NPZ: 5-15 (1-12)

Men’s Hockey 1

7

COR: 11-9-1 (5-8-0) GEN: 17-3-2 (10-1-2)

1.5:

The men’s hockey team will travel an hour and a half up the road to take on Morrisville State for two games this weekend.

The Lakers currently sit in second place in the SUNYAC standings, leading Buffalo State by two points and trailing Geneseo by five points for first place.

Women’s Basketball 59

58

BUF: 14-8 (10-5) PLA: 6-15 (3-11)

1.64:

Women’s track and field athlete Catarina Burke set a school record for pole vaulting, clearing 1.64 meters to finish in second place in last weekend’s Brockport Invite. This was an inch and a half better than her previous personal high.

Burke is now inside the top-20 for the event nationally.

THE OSWEGONIAN FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

B4

Oswego Scoreboard Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 8

Saturday, Feb. 8

67

47

82

72

OSW:

Eure: 17 Pts, 15 Reb Torchia: 15 Pts, 2 Reb

OSW:

Sullivan: 25 Pts, 5 Reb Gartland: 20 Pts, 1 assist

COR:

Longford: 15 Pts, 8 Reb Bonin: 9 Pts, 12 Reb McGuire: 7 Pts, 5 assists

COR:

Grunder: 32 Pts, 12 Reb Fitzpatrick: 10 Pts, 8 Reb Edwards: 18 Pts, 5 Blk

Women’s Hockey Sunday, Feb. 9

Men’s Hockey Sunday, Feb. 9

3

2

5

3

NAZ:

Luth: 1 goal, 1 assist Brehm: 27 saves

OSW: Vance: 1 goal, 1 assist

OSW:

Webster: 1 goal, 1 assist Teachout: 1 goal, 6 shots Farmer: 22 saves

GEN:

Kozikoski: 26 saves

Russell: 2 goals, 3 shots Keenan: 1 goal, 2 assists Mackay: 29 saves

Upcoming Events Men’s Hockey Friday, Feb. 14

@ 7:00 p.m.

OSW: 11-9-1 (8-3-1) MOR: 9-11-0 (5-7-0)

Women’s Basketball Saturday, Feb. 15

@ 2:00 p.m.

POT: 7-13 (4-10) OSW: 6-13 (2-11)

Men’s Basketball Friday, Feb. 14

@ 7:30 p.m

PLA: 8-13 (5-9) OSW: 15-5 (9-4)

Women’s Hockey Saturday, Feb. 15

@ 4:00 p.m.

BUF: 5-16-0 (3-11-0) OSW: 12-6-4 (7-4-4)

Laker Athletes of the Week

Sarah Yensan

Women’s Track and Field Senior | Lockport

Michael Gillespie Men’s Hockey Senior | New City

Yensan set a school record for long jump with a mark of 5.80 meters at last weekend’s Brockport Invite. The record defeated h e r p rev i o u s s c h o ol re c o rd o f 5.58 meters that she set on Feb. 1 at the Utica Invitational. The senior is now second in the nation in long jump, just 0.01 meters behind the nation’s best. The Lakers’ next meet will be this Friday at the RIT Midseason Meet.

The senior has recorded a point in his last five games for Oswego State, including four goals and nine assists. The Lakers are 3-1-1 in those games. Gillespie is now tied for third on the team with 20 points and tied for fourth on the team with six goals. He now has 70 career points in three seasons at Oswego State. Gillespie and the Lakers head to Morrisville State for two games this weekend.

The women’s hockey team has won 67.6% of its matchups with NEWHL rival Buffalo State. The Lakers have a 23-10-1 all-time record against the Bengals, including winning five of the last six meetings between the schools. The two teams will have a home-andhome series this weekend.

At last year’s men’s swimming and diving SUNYAC Championships, SUNY Geneseo won the competition with 951.5 points. The next closest finisher was Oswego State with 526 points. The Knights have won six straight SUNYAC titles. The SUNYAC Championships begin next Wednesday, Feb. 19.

67.6:

951.5:

INSIDE

C2 Running down Oscars C4 ‘Birds of Prey’ delivers C5 Popstar Kesha returns

2020 biggest moments

bizarre, fun thrill ride

with ‘High Road’

FRIDAY Feb. 14, 2020

C2

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

LAKER REVIEW

Laker Review is breaking down the night’s biggest surprises and winners. Below are some highlights from the first half of the show. Brad Pitt wins gold, Eminem shows up out of nowhere and “Joker” makes Oscar history.

Brad Pitt finally wins acting Oscar for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.”

While taking home an Oscar in 2014 for producing Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” pop culture icon Brad Pitt has never won an Oscar for acting, until now.

Upon winning one of only two awards the Quentin Tarantino-directed film took home on Oscar night, Pitt used his short time onstage to address the recent Senate Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

“They told me I have 45 seconds this year” Pitt said.

“Which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week.”

Image from ABC via YouTube

Eminem makes surprise appearance to perform “Lose Yourself.”

During a tribute to famous songs used in movies, the Oscars telecast shocked the world by having rap artist Eminem rise from beneath the stage to perform his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself.” The audience bopped their heads and gave Slim Shady a standing ovation, while viewers at home were left confused as to why he showed up in the first place. The reason is that, at the 2003 Oscars, Eminem never showed up to perform the song live. Singing it all these years later was merely meant to serve as a pleasant surprise to make up for the missed opportunity.

Image from ABC via YouTube

Hildur Gudnadóttir becomes first woman to win Best Original Score for “Joker.”

“Joker,” while nominated for 11 Oscars, only managed to take home two. Although, neither were small victories. Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadóttir became the first woman to ever take home the award for Best Original Score.

“To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music bubbling within,” Gudnadóttir said. “Please speak up — we need to hear your voices.”

Image from ABC via YouTube

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

Laker Review is breaking down the night’s biggest surprises and winners. Below are some highlights from the second half of the show. Joaquin Phoenix surprises no one and “Parasite” makes Oscar history.

Bong Joon-ho upsets Sam Mendes to win Best Director for “Parasite.”

Most of the night was pretty by-the-numbers, with each perceived frontrunner winning. However, director Bong Joon-ho became the night’s first major upset when he won Best Director over frontrunner Sam Mendes, the man behind “1917.” Joon-ho became only the second director in Academy history to win Best Director for a non-English language film. It was also his third out of four Oscars won that night, taking home Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay as well.

Image from Entertainment Tonight via YouTube

Joaquin Phoenix takes home Best Actor for “Joker.”

If there was any category that was a lock for “Joker” to win, it was Best Actor. Phoenix had been cleaning up awards season by winning Best Actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild. During his speech, Phoenix called out the dairy indusry, cancel culture and even managed to pay tribute to his late brother, actor River Phoenix.

“When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric,” Phoenix said. “He said, ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’”

Image from Entertainment Tonight via YouTube

“Parasite” cleans house and makes history by winning Best Picture.

Without question, the night’s biggest winner was South Korean film “Parasite.” Going into Oscar night, “1917” was the frontrunner to win not only Best Picture, but also Best Director. However, once Bong Joon-ho surprised everyone by upsetting Sam Mendes, it seemed inevitable that “Parasite” would win the night’s biggest honor. It is now the first international film to ever take home Best Picture, not to mention Joon-ho is now tied with Walt Disney with the most Oscars won in a single night, four.

Image from Entertainment Tonight via YouTube

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LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

‘Birds Of Prey’ provides crazy, fun time despite elementary flaws Garrick Groover Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: In 2016, Warner Brothers released “Suicide Squad,” the third installment of their DC Extended Universe. Despite being panned by critics, the film was a smash hit, grossing over $747 million worldwide. As a result of this success, audiences now have the spin-off, “Birds of Prey,” a film that attempts to recreate the success of “Suicide Squad” while also capitalizing on that film’s notable saving grace: Harley Quinn. Did Warner Brothers succeed in crafting an exhilarant piece of entertainment?

The answer is quite positive.

Following the events of “Suicide Squad,” Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”) has broken up with the Joker and is now attempting to pursue a new life in Gotham City.

Along the way, she becomes entangled with the villainous Black Mask (Ewan McGregor, “Doctor Sleep”) and his sadistic henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris

Messina, “Blame”) who seek an invaluable diamond. In addition to these chaotic villains, Harley is joined by the vigilante Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, “Fargo”), metahuman singer Black Canary (Jurnee SmollettBell, “One Last Thing”), cynical detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez, “The Dead Don’t Die”) and young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco, “Glimpse of Heaven”) in their attempts to rid Gotham City of Black Mask once and for all.

By this set up alone, “Birds of Prey” sounds like a knock-off of better media products such as the 2000 film “Snatch” or video games like “Grand Theft Auto IV.” Nevertheless, “Birds of Prey” distinguishes itself with its style and execution. Opposed to the drab “Suicide Squad,” this Cathy Yan (“Dead Pigs”) directed picture is bursting with color and inspired set pieces.

Whether it be a chase through a Gotham City marketplace or a showdown with Black Mask goons in an abandoned amusement park, “Birds of Prey” definitely has personality.

Robbie is once again excel-

lent as the kooky Quinn. Not only is she given more time to expand her character, but the R-rating allows the film to tackle subjects or sell humor that would have been lost in previous PG-13 outings. “Birds of Prey” is further proof on why people are obsessed with the Quinn character. The rest of the cast is satisfactory, with McGregor, who is having a blast, being the standout. This is a character so deranged and evil that he makes Jared Leto’s (“The Outsider”) Joker look like a Care Bear.

The action in “Birds of Prey” cannot be understated. Think “John Wick” with confetti. Not only is it well choreographed and shot, but the R-rating gives the film more impact and intensity. Bones can snap, blood can be splattered, etc. There are no quick cuts or dark rooms to hide anything here. All the fun is on full display.

The problems with “Birds of Prey” arrive with its narrative structure. For example, take a scene where Quinn raids a police station in a similar matter to “The Terminator.” It’s a fun

ness” would be the first horror film to be seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though this makes perfect sense for Derrickson, whose resume is filled with horror films, it is understandable that Disney would not want the film to take this path, given its family-friendly reputation. As such, the two parties’ differing concepts regarding the film’s tone are more than likely what resulted in Derrickson stepping down as director.

However, Raimi’s past works, such as the “Evil Dead” series have exemplified his ability to find a happy medium in terms of depicting both horror and lightheartedness. As such, he may be able to produce a film which will find the best of both worlds for the concepts envisioned by both Derrickson and Marvel, which may ultimately help it stand out as unique due to its horror-like qualities, while still possess-

Image from Warner Bros. via YouTube Harley’s devil-may-care style can certainely entertain but it fails to break any new ground.

scene with more spectacular action. Unfortunately, the fun is halted for a time jump into the past that goes on for more than 15 minutes. Films have been told out of chronological order before, but the narrative found here is more jumbled and feels less refined. If anything, it proves to be a distraction to the gleeful insanity at hand.

The title of the film is also quite misleading. Despite being called “Birds of Prey,” this is solely a Quinn movie with the actual Birds of Prey team taking the backseat to Quinn’s Dead-

pool-esque antics. Their motives are defined and some of them even work in a decent line here and there, but the spotlight is totally on Quinn. However, due to the character’s popularity, this is not a shock.

“Birds of Prey” is a fun movie. It’s not going to break any new ground or be looked upon as a masterpiece of art, but it’s an enjoyable thrill ride from beginning to end.

If you want some comic book thrills with a little more kick, “Birds of Prey” may be the movie for you.

ing content which will be deemed acceptable to be featured under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner.

Raimi has also had experience in the realm of the comic book film, directing the “Spider-Man” film trilogy featuring Tobey Maguire (“The Boss Baby”) as the eponymous web-slinger. Though many may choose to forget “Spider-Man 3,” the first two films in the series have been recognized as playing significant roles in sparking the interest of superhero films which has led to their immense popularity today.

Though “Doctor Strange” has certainly been a fan favorite film in the MCU, if Raimi can successfully produce its sequel in a manner similar to the first two “Spider-Man” films, he very well may be able to elevate it past its successor, and therefore make it one of the best films made by Marvel.

A smaller, but nonetheless exciting plus of Raimi

directing is the notion that actor Bruce Campbell (“Army of Darkness”) very well may appear in the film. A selfproclaimed B-movie actor and friend of Raimi’s, Campbell has had a role in many of his films, most notably as the hilariously manic Ash Williams in the “Evil Dead” series, and may contribute an extra dose of charm to what may already be a really likable film.

Even if it was not originally intended for the film to be a horror comedy per se, the notion that Sam Raimi is handling it is all the more assuring that it will be made.

Given that it is centering around a character whose stories frequently delve into the dark, zany and weird, the fact that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” might be entrusted to a director whose style is centered around those qualities makes it even more exciting to imagine the possibilities which it may explore.

Former ‘Spider-Man’ director may take on ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel Ethan Stinson Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Citing creative differences, it was announced in January of this year that “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson will no longer helm its sequel, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and will instead assume a role as an executive producer for the film. Though this may disappoint fans of the first film, it may delight some to hear that Sam Raimi (“Ash vs Evil Dead”) has been rumored to be taking over as director.

With prior experience in directing comic book films, in addition to his undeniable passion for the dark and horrific, Raimi appears to be a more than perfect choice to direct a film which will supposedly take a darker route in comparison to its predecessor.

Prior to Derrickson’s departure, it was announced that “In the Multiverse of Mad-

Image from The Cosmic Wonder via YouTube Rumors suggest that Sam Raimi will be behind the next MCU installment of Doctor Strange.

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

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Kesha's 'High Road' impactful story stuck in lame singing Lorreta Golden Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating: Kesha is back and better than ever. Her new song “High Road” is taking her back to the top where she belongs. Her fans have given her the title of “Queen.” This is because she makes her music with a deep meaning to it. She was portrayed as a drunk/ trashy singer by the media multiple times, but she has changed her presentation and still maintained her fanbase. She took her abuser to court and ran out of money, but she has not given up just yet. Her music brings back so many memories for everyone, and she cares a lot for her fans. Even though she has gone through so much in the past, she came back strong, and now her fans want more.

The music video of “High Road” was very flashy and people said it reminded

them of the “old” Kesha she used to be in the early years of her career. Kesha was able to be her old self and new self all at once to put this song and its music video together in the end.

“High Road” is a mix of genres. It shows Kesha’s signature style of dance rap and dream pop. It was originally supposed to be scheduled for release in December 2019, but then was moved to be released on Jan. 10. It kept getting pushed further and further from release and was finally released on Jan. 31. Kesha’s song “High Road” has an opening with a similar energized feeling, which is almost like the chorus that was used in Robin Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines.” It also sounds like the pop/EDM music from the mid-2010s.

A lot of people love the single and album “High Road,” but not everyone gets all positive reviews on their works of art. Critics and others have stated that Kesha’s new song and album of the same name

has a similar sound to her album “Rainbow.” Meaning, the album has similar sounding songs on it as “Rainbow” does with its symbolic songs and reflection of herself. The similarity between the albums might seem to lack creativity to some fans.

The main song was up-

beat as most have said, it’s a great song, but others might think a little different. Even if someone has been a fan of Kesha for some time now, it doesn’t mean they can’t think negative things about her song and album. The song lyrics are all over the place, and it is hard to understand what

she is saying at times. For many listening to music alongside a video with lyrics would make it much better. The rap was unnecessary and the man’s voice in the background was a little much. If there was no rap and the man’s voice wasn’t too upfront, it might have been better.

Image from kesha via YouTube Kesha's return to music is admirable but she brings her story to anti-climax with a fairly mundane album and song.

'Kipo and The Age of The Wonderbeasts' flexes creative muscles Lucas Frenandez Staff Writer laker@oswegonian.com

Rating:

Looking at the current Netlix lineup, one could be forgiven for pining for a better age of animation. With shows like “Avatar the Last Airbender,” “Adventure Time” and "Gravity Falls" in the rearview mirror, it can sometimes be a little miserable looking at the shows which are so obviously trying to copy what made those mentioned above and many others long gone, good. A lot of shows like “She -Ra and the Princesses of Power,” “Amphibia,” “Hazbin Hotel” and “The Owl House” are basically carbon-copying a lot of the dynamics and writing tactics from these older shows without understanding the nuances of their formula. That isn’t to say they’re terrible, but it speaks to a lack of inspiration and heart which is, unfortunately, a reality for most of television.

Imagine the utter surprise one

must feel when they encounter one of Netflix’s newest joint endeavors with Dreamworks, “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.”

The show’s premise is simple enough: in a post-apocalyptic world populated by killer mutants, a girl raised underground, named Kipo, must brave the dangers of the outside world in order to find her missing clan. On her journey, she makes friends with the loner, Wolf, a little girl with a cutthroat attitude, and the duo of Benson, a cheerful, music-loving boy, and his pal Dave, a giant talking beetle. Along the way they are beset by gangs of talking animals and monsters who wish to either eat or enslave them.

The strength of this show is twofold: the first is in its creativity, which pervades every aspect of both its production and world building. The character designs are succinct and distinctive, lending immediate personality to both the protagonists and the many beasts they encounter.

The animation ranges from good

Image from DreamWorksTV via YouTube Kipo and her friends go on a journey that has the makings of a show sure to capture fans for a long time to come.

to downright incredible, with dynamic and fluid action sequences that pretty much top the list of modern animated shows.

The world is alive with musical animal gangs and conceptually unique monsters, all set against a backdrop of society overgrown with nature and desolation.

The second is a strong narrative. The characters are likeable and become fleshed out as the

show goes on, particularly Kipo and Wolf, whose relationship becomes more interesting with each episode. Stereotypical adventure series scenarios often get subverted or played in new and creative ways. There really isn’t any filler. Each episode changes the status quo, moving the characters forward on their journey while also painting a picture of their wider world.

There are some points of contention, such as the lack of deeper arcs for Benson and Dave and the uncertain direction of a certain villainous frog, as well as the fairly linear overarching narrative. But judging by the show’s pacing, it is likely they’re keeping certain things for season two. If you’re looking for the next big animated phenomenon, Kipo might just have you covered.

C6

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

Crossword Puzzle

Across

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

1. Eureka!

4. Distant 7. Rear 12.Pea capsule 13. Baseball stat 14. Blooper 15. Mutton, e.g. (2 wds) 17. Rent 18. Tell again 20. Boil 22. Marked down in price (2 wds.)

27. Classified ____ 28. Dressed 29. Speak imperfectly 31. Masculine pronoun 32. All-male party 33. Pittsburgh footballer 35. “___ Got You Under My Skin” 36. Assault

37. Felt dizzy 40. Attire 42. Out on ___ (2 wds) 46. Consume too much 49. Cindy Crawford, e.g.

50. Time unity (abbr.)

51. Bread choice 52. Make up for 53. High explosive (abbr.)

54. Favorable vote

Down

1. Spring mo.

2. Weeding tool 3. Speaks to 4. Not stale 5. Ease up 6. Pinup ___ Hayworth 7. Give in 8. Common Verb 9. George Gershwin’s brother 10. Distress call 11. Bard’s “before”

16. Got together 19. Toddlers 20. Hot Sauce 21. Rewrites 23. Bro’s sibling 24. Large-caliber weapons 25. Depart 26. Trimmed the border 28. Tire filler 30. Pod inhabitant 31. Aid 34. Legally responsible 37. Black bird 38. Upright 39. Eternally, in poems 41. Mail 42. Doctors’ group (abbr.)

43. Parking area 44. Groom’s response (2 wds) 45. Gents 47. Sailor’s yes 48. Iced ____

For this week’s puzzle answers ...

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

LAKER REVIEW

FRIDAY, Feb. 14, 2020

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“The Thing That’s Still Here”

By Lucas Fernandez It was just sitting there, right on his chest.

“By the grace of God are we delivered.”

Staring at me with those terrible eyes. Those oily, ugly, terrible eyes.

“For he watches us and consoles us in our grief.”

Not making a sound. It didn’t need to. I was watching all the same. It never shifted on its feet, never shrugged or swayed or even blinked. But its lips. Its lips did move.

“The God spoken of all those thousands of years ago stands with us now, at this very moment. He is felt in every tear and every sigh of sorrow.”

I didn’t need to look to know that nobody else could see it. At least, if they could, they were pretending they couldn’t. They all looked ahead, eyes bloody red from overreacting.

“On this day, he brings a new child home to his eternal grace.”

Maybe it was because he was my brother.

“So sorry for what you’re going through.”

I’m sure you are. Sorry enough to trade places?

Let me go to your house? Sleep in your bed? And you’ll stay here with that“He was such a creative boy. He always had ideas.”

You have no idea.

“He was gone too soon.”

When would have been better for you?

Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” was a great movie, and I’m glad that “Birds of Prey” was taking influence from it when it came to not earning any money, but it’s a shame they missed out on the part where they make a good movie too. Despite the stylized nature of the action and dedicated performance from Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”), it’s just not able to achieve what it set out to do.

Harley Quinn feels like an amazing supporting character forced to take the role of an OK main character. The story spends so much time trying to sell her as a kooky-psycho that it forgets to actually give her a story. A story that is miserably filtered through poor Robbie trying to swallow her Australian accent and vomit out a Boston accent.

Overall the plot is a bit of a wash, with five main players and only two that contribute anything. This leaves a lot of weak scenes that

“The father, the son-” That thing kept looking at me. It hated me. I could feel it like you feel the cold eating at the most delicate parts of your hands, like a bug in your shirt trying to tunnel under your skin with its mouth.

“Ashes to ashes and-” I wasn’t able to stomach the thought of putting him under there, under all that dirt. Suffocating and mealy and rife with worms. He wasn’t a bad person.

“He’s in a better place.”

He’s in the ground.

“I remember when he said-” He never did. You’re lying and we both know it.

“It was strange, I-” He would only say something like that to me.

“He loved you all so much.”

Maybe the ground was better. The ground wasn’t here. That thing was here.

“Are you going to be alright?”

What was it saying, when its lips moved so softly?

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

What secret was it sharing?

“Are you sure?”

Why won’t it repeat itself?

“Are you sure?”

Why won’t it leave?

are just floating without any point, like watching Quinn fantasize about a bacon-egg-n-cheese sandwich, written straight from the pen of a Long Island student who believes it to be his entire culture. Though it does appeal to my suspicion that filmmakers believe Gotham to be the cartoon version of New York City.

The actress who gets it the worst has to be Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Fargo”) as Huntress.

Who literally brings up the point that she has no reason to exist in the film, before being brushed off by the other characters as “Crossbow Girl.” The self-awareness would be cute if it wasn’t so smug with itself. Which is even more tragic when you think about the fact that Winstead used to play the role of Ramona Flowers.

This isn’t even to mention the villain Black Mask, who only actually puts on his mask for two minutes and then takes it off for the final fight, making him one of the lamest villains in cinema to be created. He openly employs all the people trying to kill him before spending the entire movie whining about how unfair everything is. Not to mention the fact that the height of his criminal empire is own-

ing a boring nightclub. Leaving the tension between him and Quinn on the level of Francis Buxton trying to buy Pee-Wee Herman’s bike.

This is all wrapped in a style that would be cool if it wasn’t trying so hard and trying turn to all of the characters into your least favorite aunt. Leaving what remains of the story to be scattered and vapid. Leading to a climax that feels like a fast-paced punchline to a longwinded bad joke.

Stephen Novak Image from Anthem Game via YouTube Asst. Laker Review Editor snovak@oswegonian.com

Shea McCarthy

Jacob Fallat