Rokerthon Caps Off Tour at Oswego

Did you happen to catch the familiar green and gold while sipping on your morning coffee? No, your 8 a.m. eyes didn’t deceive you, SUNY Oswego was on the Today Show. In fact, we were pretty busy breaking a world record. Rome may not have been built in a day, but we broke a world record in 5 minutes. Okay, that’s only technically true, but it isn’t the whole story…

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We managed to get 593 skaters to show up at the Marano Campus Center Arena at 4:45 a.m. in preparation for the national broadcast. Who knew you could get 593 to conga across ice to Gloria Estefan so early in the morning? The celebration was splendid, but more than what meets the eye went into putting on an event that sometimes felt like the circus- “The Greatest Show on Earth!”

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Aside from mandatory rehearsals for skaters, it was all hands on deck from virtually all departments on campus. If if wasn’t ice skating recruitment calls which took place in the dining and residence halls, it was working on the broadcast itself. The theatre department set up the lights and came up with the idea of snow machines for Al Roker’s zamboni entrance!

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(He rode in on a bigger zamboni. Team Mini still looked great!)

It would be misleading to say the event was easy. The amount of coordination and organization was Hurculean. It was exhausting, but man, if it wasn’t pretty darn cool. Some were there for Al, some were there for the fun of it, some (like me) got to geek out over the process of national TV (live-to-broadcast drones anyone?!?!). Our student media organizations were able to get interviews with Mr. Roker and develop great material. Del Sarte, the student dance club, brought signs that were cleverly themed to incorporate their recital and NBC. Everyone got to have a unique stamp on the day. Al even visited all of his old haunts around Oswego and campus on Friday!

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(If you go back and watch the recording, you can catch me darting through crowds to run the social media beat!)

The effort on behalf of the student body, administration, and community was incredible. Oswego absolutely has its moments and is a unique place. Why would we get selected out of so many large universities across the nation and Al Roker come back if it wasn’t?

Laker Guide: Part 1

This Laker Guide is for all the new, wonderful additions that will be joining the Laker family this fall! I will bestow upon you all the magical senior wisdom I have gained these past years at SUNY Oswego.  This first blog will be about coming to Oswego, dorm life, navigating the campus, stuff like that. Let’s get started!

What to Bring with You

Obviously, this is a very important part of moving into the residence halls. It all depends on a couple of things though, like how close you live to Oswego and if you and your future roomie want to share items. For instance, my first year in a residence hall my roommate was kind enough to share her mini fridge with me so I did not have to buy one. But that is all up to you!

Since my hometown is five hours away, I basically packed my entire wardrobe. So if you’re like me, be sure to bring along some storage containers!200w_d

Luckily, SUNY Oswego put together a Pinterest file of things to bring. You can check it out here:  https://www.pinterest.com/sunyoswego/what-to-bring-to-your-dorm/

There are a few items you should make sure to bring that aren’t on that list: a pair of waterproof shoes and a waterproof jacket. These will come in handy walking to class on rainy days.  Also, your room will be your home for the next year, I definitely recommend bringing along some decorations to personalize it. Things like pictures, posters and other wall decor.

Academic Buildings

So Monday morning arrives and it’s time to go to your first class. But wait…where the heck is Shineman Center room 114?

 

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*Queue freak out*

No need to worry, you have a couple of options here. Incoming freshmen and transfers are required to come the Friday before classes start, so you’ll have all weekend to explore the campus and get familiar with it. Or if you’re like me and waited till the last minute to figure out where your classes are, there is a campus map to help you find your way: http://www.oswego.edu/about/visit/maps/campus/#placemarks//zoom/16/lat/undefined/lon/undefined

Getting #OswegoFit

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There are two fitness centers located on campus. Cooper Fitness Center is located in the middle of campus between Hart and Funnel residence halls. Glimmerglass Fitness Center is located on West campus between Onondaga and Onieda residence halls. And during the first week of classes it’s FREEEE. Both offer group exercise classes like yoga, lifting 101 and zumba!

Most importantly, the food!

There are so many options all over campus to grab a bite to eat so you won’t have to deal with a rumbling tummy.

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There are five dining centers across campus and they all have special quirks. Here are a few;

Cooper Dining Center- Smoothies for breakfast on certain days. Cooper also has an ice cream parlor serving delicious Perry’s Ice cream.

Pathfinder Dining Center- Quesadillas for lunch and ‘Kevin’s Grill’ for dinner where you can order burgers, phillies, grilled chicken, hot dogs and fries! Yum.

Mackin Dining Center-  Mackin is only open for dinner but serves diner style food that really hits the spot.

Whether or not you’re seeking a whole meal or just a snack between classes, there about 10 other cafes around campus. For all you coffee fanatics, Lake Effect Cafe in Penfield Library and F.A.N.S in the Marano Campus Center serve Starbucks coffee!

 

 

Well that’s all for this edition of my Laker Guide, I hope you will find some of this helpful as you begin your adventure here at SUNY Oswego!

Until next time!

-Shanna

 

 

 

Who doesn’t like free stuff?

Hello bloggers!

If you’re a student here on campus, you should obviously know what CTS is. For those of you who don’t, you’ve been missing out on a very helpful group of individuals. CTS, or Campus Technology Services, is the primary source of help when it comes to any technological pitfalls you may be experiencing. If you are having a problem with your computer, the internet, or any other electronics, CTS should be your first phone call. Conveniently located on the ground level of Lanigan Hall, the CTS Help Desk is open Monday through Friday fro 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During this time, walk-ins are available to SUNY Oswego students. You can also email them at help@oswego.edu or call at (315) 312-3456. Along with their expertise, CTS also provides students with a variety of programs that are available for download on their website. They pay for the licenses to the software in order to allow students to download it for no charge. The programs available for download include:

 

Minitab: A program used in most statistics classes in order to provide students with a way to complete problems and create graphs.

 

Sophos Anti-Virus- An anti-virus program that will protect your computer from malware, spyware, trojans, and other threats to your computer’s security.

 

Microsoft Office- All of your run of the mill Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher.

 

Along with these programs, Spyware and Malware removal tools are also available for download. These programs are essential if you believe your computer may have a virus. Be sure to utilize the wonderful service that CTS provides for students on campus!