The tournament will be taking place on Saturday, May 4 from 8-10 p.m. in Swetman Gym. The event is part of a capstone project for public relations majors at Oswego State.

The tournament is meant to inform the campus community that consuming two less alcoholic beverages in a single night can provide a significant health benefit, according to a press release from Laker PR. Any students and faculty can participate in the event. It looks to provide something to do other than going out to drink.

“We are holding the tournament as an event students can attend prior to or rather than going out,” senior Kelsey Clark from the capstone class said. “The main motto of our campaign is “Singe-the-Binge” and to simply drink two less drinks a night when choosing to go out. We aren’t here to tell students not to drink.”

Clark’s group is competing with two other groups from the class. The groups are trying to get the Lifestyles Center to choose their particular campaign. Clark’s group felt that kickball would be the best sport to appeal to more people on campus.

“We thought it would be more appealing to offer a sport that isn’t already an established intramural league,” Clark said.  “We also think kickball is a fun game people of all athletic abilities can be interested and participate in.”

Registration for the tournament will begin at the door where teams will be made. Students will also have the ability to pledge to consume less alcohol or become involved with more Lifestyles Center activities. The winning team of the tournament will receive a prize. More information can be found at www.lifestylescenter.net

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She wants me,

She wants it,

She wants my lips.

But my shyness & fear freezes me at the tips.

Her soft soothing sweet smell… I move closer,

but something is amiss.

It’s like I get this close to you,

then I’m blocked by a mist.

A metaphorical mist,

that stops us from our bliss.

I’m so close to everything I wanted… you,

and now I’m stopped with this.

But each day I see you,

I fight more & more through this abyss.

Until we reach the day of our first kiss.

Kiss…

The taste of Dominican brown Swiss,

you are bliss,

our warmth breaking through that abyss,

I mean mist,

I don’t know what love is but I do know this.

The magic that starts with her kiss,

her candy kiss,

sweet at the lips,

tingling the world from my tips.

Skid Rock returns with a five-song EP. (Photo provided by metalsucks.net)

The hard rock kings, Skid Row, have returned guns blazing with their newest EP, “United World Rebellion: Chapter One.” The New Jersey-born band, rocking since 1986, had released their previous album in 2006, but their return to music is still as exciting as ever. The EP is only five songs long and stands at 20 minutes and 38 seconds, but it is a fulfilling journey.

The first track, Kings of Demolition, opens up with the lyrics “We’ve got the bullet and the bible we defend it with, you can’t believe what you’ve been told/ No such thing as zombies or an alien apocalypse/ We’ve got the matters in control.” Then the rest of the song is bursting with energy and it is reminiscent of 70s and 80s rock ‘n’ roll music.

The second song keeps up with the same energy and acts as a supplement to “Kings of Demolition,” as they sound quite similar. While this may seem like a con, it works well, as this is only the beginning of the EP, and the rest of it has a large variation in sound. Plus, this song ends with a spectacular guitar solo that will cast your doubts about the EP aside.

The third track, “This Is Killing Me,” is quite the heartfelt power ballad. Acoustic guitar is included into the heavy and hard rock mix. The catchy chorus displays the vocalist singing, “We’ve got the skin to watch ‘em bleed but underneath, this is killing me,” and then proceeds to repeatedly belting out “This is killing me,” throughout the rest of the chorus. This song is the black sheep of the EP, but it stands out well, as it will stay stuck in your head even during the next song, which is called “Get Up.”

The song starts with a grungy guitar riff that is sure to get your head banging. The song will be a crowd pleaser at concerts, as the chorus’ lyrics state, “Get ready to get up! You know you gotta get up! She’s ready to blow! Get up,” and the lyrics “get up” are shouted with gang vocals. This song is a little slower than the others, but still retains a heavy feel and features a slick guitar solo to close out the song.

The last song, “Stitches,” works well as a closer to the EP, as it opens with an epic intro of an interesting drum fill. While it is not too interesting technically, it works well to get a crowd amped up. Strong verses and choruses rule the song, and it ends with a complex guitar solo that continues into the last verse, ending the song with a bang.

The only negative aspect of this EP is its length. It would be interesting to see what else the return of Skid Row has to offer and how they have progressed as musicians, but as the title of the EP states, this is only the first chapter of Skid Row’s return.

Overall, this is a strong EP in the hard rock genre with a lot of variation in sound. Skid Row fans will rejoice and fans of classic rock and grunge will enjoy this hectic release. This impressive EP is one that is sure to be a banger this summer as you are driving on the highway with the windows down.

“Injustice: Gods Among Us” does not try to reinvent the fighting game and allows gamers to play with diverse villains and heroes. (Photo provided by dccomics.com)

In 2009, NetherRealm Studios released “Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe” which saw the characters from the MK universe clashing with the heroes and villains of DC Comics. Then in 2011 the studio rebooted its staple franchise with the game “Mortal Kombat,” providing a take on the franchise that felt both old and new.

Now, NetherRealm turns its attention back to the DC universe with the game “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” finally providing comic and games fans alike a chance to see what would happen if Batman and Superman faced off in a fight, and much like “Mortal Kombat’s” 2011 reboot, there is plenty here that will feel new and familiar to seasoned players.

The premise of “Injustice” is explained completely in its tag line – what happens when our greatest heroes become our greatest threat? The set up of the game sees Metropolis destroyed by a nuclear weapon and the Joker tricking Superman into killing Lois Lane and their unborn child. While being interrogated by Batman, Superman appears and in a fit of rage, kills the Joker and establishes the One Earth government with himself at the head while the rest of the heroes and villains either join him or Batman’s insurgency. It then cuts to a parallel earth where the Joker’s plan fails and several heroes, along with the Joker, get transported to the alternate earth to help the alternate Batman’s insurgency against the alternate Superman’s regime. While this could have easily been overlooked or just rushed through, the story mode turns out to be an entertaining comic book romp through the DC universe, taking inspiration from storylines like “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” where alternate versions of DC’s heroes and villains battled for survival.

The story in “Injustice” plays out across 12 chapters, with players taking control of heroes, like The Flash or Aquaman, along with villains, including Deathstroke and Lex Luthor. This variety provides different perspectives on the crisis, along with the chance to experiment and see what character works best to one’s play-style. The story also provides for some cool moments, such as when Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern, meets his alternate version that is a member of the Sinestro Corps, called Yellow Lantern. Also, with this being a DC game, NetherRealm Studios was given access to several DC-known voice actors who are famous for playing certain characters, such as Kevin Conroy, who has voiced several iterations of Batman going back to the classics ‘90s animated series. The rest of the voice cast does a good job with the slate of characters provided, however, it is a little disappointing to not have Mark Hamill voice the Joker as he has in the past, not to knock his replacement, Richard Epcar, who does do a good job in the role.

All this means nothing, however, if the game is not a competent fighter with a strong and varied system, which it is. With the game being developed by NetherRealm, there are clear similarities to the most recent “Mortal Kombat” game, with “Injustice” sticking to a 2D backdrop and control scheme, along with characters that are provided with power bars similar to the bars in the 2011 “Mortal Kombat.” That being said, there have been some small, but notable changes to the control scheme this time around, mainly the change from a four to a three-button system. This makes for easier attacks and combos to execute for more novice players, but with a combo and ability tree that is deep enough for the most dedicated players. The fourth button has been changed to an ability button that is unique to each character, such as Wonder Woman changing weapons from her lasso to a sword and shield, or Doomsday covering himself in a rock armor that makes him nearly invincible.

This variety also shines through in the super moves that each character can perform with a full power meter, filling the role of the x-ray attacks and fatalities from “Mortal Kombat.” These super moves end up being devastating when hit and visually amazing, whether it’s watching Cyborg fire a massive energy cannon or Aquaman summon the power of the seven seas. The game’s lifespan is also lengthened from a variety of modes, such as standard versus modes and the S.T.A.R. Labs missions that replaces “Mortal Kombat’s” challenge tower. The online also seems to be running without problem, though this remains to be seen as more players start jumping online. Players going through all these modes will net experience points that provide new costumes and rewards.

Without a doubt, “Injustice: Gods Among Us” proves to be one of the best fighting games of this year, and another great game bearing the DC license, along with the recent “Batman: Arkham” games. A well-crafted comic book story is balanced with a system that is both accessible and deep for players of all levels. Whether you choose Shazam, Killer Frost or Nightwing, there is plenty to choose from with modes and characters that all feel unique. Whether you are a fighting game addict or a lover of DC lore, this is a game worth adding to your library.

Devin Nitz | The Oswegonian

With more classes offered online than at the main campus during Oswego State’s 2013 Summer Session, this summer will continue a trend toward more online-based learning.

This summer the school will offer 154 online courses and 114 campus-based courses. The school offers 319 courses total, with 42 offered at off-campus locations such as the Metro and Phoenix Centers and nine offered in “hybrid” locations, such as Watertown and Onondaga Nation.

Yvonne Petrella, the dean of Extended Learning at Oswego State, said that the school tries to weigh the decision of what type of courses to offer based on students’ interests or needs.

“Managing summer classes is both an art and a science,” Petrella said.

Petrella said that, since Summer Session runs on a self-sufficiency model, summer courses are demand-driven.

“It’s based on ‘what do students want to enroll in?’ More or less, you’re voting with your tuition dollars,” Petrella said.

The university began offering summer courses online in 1996 and, according to Petrella, they have increased in population each year since. Petrella said that online summer courses are popular among students for their flexibility.

“Many of our students have part-time jobs in the summer or, if they have a part-time job in the fall or spring, they’re able to work full-time in the summer,” Petrella said. “If they want to do an internship or co-op, it lets them still take a course. I think it lets them live at home or live somewhere else that they want to live and still be close to Oswego.”

Petrella said she has noticed a decrease in the amount of courses offered on-campus in summer as well, but that it is not something the school is intentionally doing.

“I don’t know that we would purposely do less on-campus courses, unless we saw those enrollments drop to the point where no one wanted them,” Petrella said.

As of Thursday, April 25, the course listings for Summer 2013 on MyOswego show that 71 out of 85 main campus summer courses have fewer than 10 students enrolled. For online courses, 74 out 158 possible courses have fewer than 10 students.

Petrella said that the preferred size for summer classes is at least ten and that she will meet with department heads at the beginning of summer to review which courses will need to be cancelled.

“We try to make sure that we cover instructional costs,” Petrella said. “But when we make those decisions, we also make them in consultation with the department chair to make sure there isn’t any special circumstance that would warrant a very low enrollment class continuing.”

Canceling summer courses is not unusual, Petrella said.

Petrella plans to do a small research survey to determine whether students prefer online courses, and the reason for their preferences.

“Each class has a tendency to have its own personality and shift,” Petrella said. “The mix of majors always changes a bit. But I think doing a snapshot and survey periodically helps us stay in line with the students and continue to be mindful of what their program needs are.”

Summer course enrollment could also be being impacted by the switch to GE21, Petrella said, which made some of the more popular courses no longer required.

The school will continue to monitor student enrollment and interests and adjust to their needs and preferences, according to Petrella

“Clearly students are telling us, with their enrollment, that they have a preference for online courses,” Petrella said.

Daniel Oostdyk holds one of his snakes in Grace and Glory Animals, just one of the many reptiles he cares for. (Photo provided by Blaise Hill)

Daniel Oostdyk is not like most 24-year-olds.

“I have a lot of jobs and hobbies,” Oostdyk said. “I’m active with the military, my church, SAVAC and, of course, here.”

“Here” refers to Grace and Glory Animals, where Dan is the head zookeeper and wildlife rehabilitator. “Here” is what Oostdyk feels has led to the most rewarding moments of his young life.

“I just really enjoy it,” Oostdyk said. “I love being relational and it gives me a way to interact with others.”

In a typical week, Oostdyk, known as Danny to his family and friends, comes in contact with local people of all ages and animal backgrounds.

“I enjoy seeing people conquer their fears and to help them go through it,” Oostdyk said. “I’ve enjoyed seeing a lot of people who never go into a room with a snake getting to know and hold a snake. I’ve gone to a lot of schools and given kids opportunities to touch animals they never would have even seen. I try to get everyone to look at the positives of all animals.”

Oostdyk discovered his own love of animals growing up in New Jersey. His family owned 21 acres of land, 10 of which housed a horse barn. Oostdyk said he spent time there almost every day and his love of animals took off from there.

“A green iguana was first,” Oostdyk said. “But what was fascinating quickly became like a Christmas gift: I always wanted more and I was always looking for the thrill.

His parents purchased land in southwest Oswego, where Grace and Glory is today. Oostdyk learned how to rehab animals after working for a New Jersey-based traveling zoo. He moved to Oswego and became the head zookeeper at Grace and Glory. Before long, there were plenty of reptiles.

“We started out with 20 or 30 and slowly it grew to 40 or 50 and so on,” Oostdyk said.

Dan Sr., Oostdyk’s father, knows his son had a reason for selecting reptiles.

“He chose reptiles first because he feels like people don’t like reptiles,” the elder Oostdyk said. “[He] wanted to, kind of, fight their cause.”

Most of the reptiles were purchased from expos around the state, according to Oostdyk. The public also donated several other reptiles without a proper place in a household.

“When a kid gets a pet they love it and care for it,” the younger Oostdyk said. “Well eventually that kid gets bored with it or leaves for college, so the family will bring it to me to be cared for. No matter what, I’m the reptile guy for the area. Anyone with turtles, snakes, whatever, if they’re somewhat in the area they send them to me.”

Because Oostdyk is also a wildlife rehabilitator, he educates and introduces his pets to more than just the community. He takes in injured or abandoned wildlife to heal them back to health in hopes of one day returning them to their natural environment.

According to New York State standards for rehabbed wildlife release, the animal needs to recognize its predators, know how to find food and be able to mate.

Oostdyk said it is easy to get attached to any animal, but ultimately he knows what he has to do.

“I have to always remember what my goal is [when taking in injured or abandoned wildlife],” Oostdyk said. “Once they meet those [NYS standards] it’s time for them to be released.”

Oostdyk plans to continue expanding the current capacities of Grace and Glory Animals. His work with Camp Foundations grows in enrollment every summer and he is hoping to begin rehabbing new animals this summer.

“I want to begin work with foxes and opossums,” Oostdyk said. “I would also love to get it set-up for baby deer for under two weeks.”

“He’s very unique and truly selfless,” the eldest Oostdyk said. “He’s always looking out for others.”

Oostdyk teaches and inspires a community while doing the work he loves. Although, he is a firm believer that ‘work’ can be avoided.

“I try not to look at it like a job,” Oostdyk said. “I don’t run an actual zoo, they’re my pets. You see the fruit and you enjoy the fruit. Seeing people enter the room and just say, ‘Wow,’ is the best feeling there is.”

A prairie dog in its enclosure at Grace and Glory Animals. Oostdyk makes all of the enclosures used. (Photo provided by Blaise Hill)

The talks were a complement of the professor’s arrival set up by the math department and mathematics professor Victor Protsak.

“Howe was my doctoral advisor at Yale back in 2000,” Protsak said. “He is an internationally renowned mathematician and an authority on K-12 education. I’ve been so excited that he responded to my invitation to come (to Oswego) to talk about symmetry to our students and to present his thoughts on the ongoing reform of the K-12 curriculum.”

Howe received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1969. His research topics include representation theory, harmonic analysis, automorphic forms and invariant theory. Howe received the American Mathematical Society Award for Distinguished Public Service in 2006. In addition, Howe is currently a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His first talk delved into the topic of mathematical symmetry. To better illustrate symmetry, Howe projected multiple images of abstract paintings that displayed properties of balanced distribution amongst an axis. Along with these examples, he presented seashell models to illustrate his points.

The main point of symmetry in mathematics is to show a property that proves that something does not change under a set of transformations. Examples that could be found outside of art include the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Taj Mahal.

Howe’s second talk dealt with how the topic of functions are taught in the primary and secondary education levels.

In the second presentation, Howe explains that functions are integrated in a great portion of our daily lives and play a big role in understanding the overall field of mathematics. He mentioned that functions cover a lot of mathematical subjects, from geometry and measurement to basic mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction.

With regards to improving on how to teach functions in a primary and secondary classroom setting, Howe recommended omitting certain techniques. He recommended moving away from general talks about functions outside their specific contexts. He also recommended avoiding references to mathematical variables and putting more emphasis on numerical values early on.

Howe said teachers should follow a principle of example sufficiency: when introducing a concept, use examples of such applications to get a concept’s point across more clearly. He recommended the solving of a few problems that are relative to the topic in order to better illustrate the significance of a taught concept.

Professor Howe said that he hopes the teaching of functions in elementary and secondary education becomes more consistent with a proper mathematics curriculum.

The funds total $320,000 and include scientific equipment which consists of an instrument loaded Mobile Integrated Profiling System, three Doppler-on-Wheels radar-equipped trucks, and an airplane that will be used to fly students right into the middle of storms, according to an Oswego State press release.

“I’m pretty excited,” meteorology professor Scott Steiger said. “Since I was a little kid, growing up in Rochester, I always wanted to study lake effect snow storms. So this is kind of achieving that dream of getting a study of what makes them tick and what kinds of effects they have on people.”

Two years ago, the department received an $89,000 grant from the NSF to study the structure of such storms. Planning for this particular program took about ten years and now includes universities from other parts of the country.

The program, now called OWLeS (Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems), consists of nearly $4 million in three companion NSF grants. A $1 million grant alone includes scientists and equipment from Oswego State, the University of Wyoming, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Alabama-Huntsville, and the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colo.

“Opportunities like this are generally limited to universities with graduate programs in meteorology, such as the other three schools involved in the grant,” said senior meteorology student Patrick Cavlin. “The fact that SUNY Oswego is a part of it means that our students will be given the opportunity to participate in such research while still at the undergraduate level. Even at a major university, grants like this are limited to the graduate students. In this case however, students at all levels, depended upon the number of open spots, will be eligible to participate in this project.”

Students will continue to study the structure of lake-effect storms and pay particular attention to the different particles inside them compared to other types of snow storms.

“To the public, snow is snow, but there are actually a lot of different kinds of crystals and actually liquid water as well in these clouds and that really controls how quickly the snow will pile up on the ground,” Steiger said.

The students will also try to determine whether there are ways to better estimate snowfall rate based on radar data and why lake-effect clouds sometimes produce lightning.

The part of the project that has gotten the most attention and that students are especially looking forward to is the plane that will fly inside storms to study them, most likely at nighttime, when storms are usually more intense. The aircraft is a Beechcraft model 200T twin Turboprop that is specially instrumented for atmospheric research and is owned by the University of Wyoming, according to the university’s atmospheric science department.

“These storms draw their energy from the lake and the temperature difference between the lake and the atmosphere,” said Jeffrey French, senior research scientist and flight center director at the University of Wyoming. “Part of what we want to measure and understand is how much energy, in the form of heat and moisture, the lake transfers to the atmosphere. We also want to understand how that energy gets distributed in the lower atmosphere. In the clouds, we need to understand how development of clouds and precipitation affect the overall evolution and maintenance of the storm.”

Both Steiger and French maintain that the pilots that will fly the plane ensure student safety aboard such aircraft inside storms where there is a potential for danger.

“We have been operating aircraft for atmospheric research for more than 45 years,” French said. “Our safety program is certified through the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operator, part of the International Business Aviation Council. We conduct internal audits of our program every year and submit to external audits every two to three years. Our engineers, maintenance staff, and pilots are all professional aviation staff.”

French also said that two of the pilots used in this program have 40 years of military flight time between them, that all personnel flying on the aircraft must participate in a safety briefing that outlines their duties and responsibilities during flight, and discuss what to do in the event of an on-ground or in-flight emergency.

Steiger said that more advertisements will be posted about the program starting in September. Meteorology students who are interested will have to submit resumes, have background checks done on their Degree Works to meet possible GPA requirements, and be interviewed to be accepted. Up to 30 students may be selected for this exciting opportunity.

The department hopes that this program might increase student interest in meteorology and interest for high school graduates looking for colleges.

“The fact that our undergrad met students will be able to have a part in this is incredible and will hopefully bolster the image of our program and the school,” Cavlin said. “I think between this and the new science building you’re going to see a lot more perspective students considering Oswego.”

Steiger also said that their research may improve forecasting snowfall rates for the Oswego area and makes the program special in that it can affect both students and the public.

“We’re going to visit school districts with this equipment to show them what it’s about and show what kind of data it can collect and I think definitely an important aspect of the project is to let the public see what we’re doing and get them excited about it,” Steiger said.

(Ryan Deffenbaugh | The Oswegonian)

David Benioff, author of “City of Thieves” and showrunner of “Game of Thrones,” shared stories of how his career started and answered questions on his latest projects in two talks given to students and the public when he visited campus on Wednesday.

Benioff’s book “City of Thieves” was the 2012-2013 Oswego Reading Initiative selection.

During the two question and answer sessions, Benioff not only discussed his own career, but also gave advice to aspiring student writers.

“You have to be very willing to change whatever you originally put down and really be flexible,” Benioff said.

He also pointed out that very few people are born great writers, so hard work pays off.

Benioff’s other work includes writing the screenplays for the movies “Troy,” “The Kite Runner” and “The 25th Hour,” the last of which he adapted from his own novel.