O S W E G O ParentsS P R I N G 2 0 0 5

A Publication of the

Office of Alumni and

Parent Relations

Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 317

Oswego, NY

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Office of Alumni and Parent RelationsKing Alumni HallSUNY Oswego Oswego, NY 13126

IN THIS EDITION:• Small Classes Make Big Difference • Yearbook Available• FANs Debuts• Important Dates to Remember

OSWEGOParents

The idea of emphasizing smaller classesfor freshmen is to make a larger impacton learning. So far, the results of an

expanded effort to that effect on campusare promising.

Starting this fall, the college included allfreshmen in the FirstChoice experience ofat least one class with enrollment capped at19 students.

Better interaction is a common themecited by the budding journalism majors in a“History of American Journalism” classtaught by Linda Loomis ’90, M ’97.

“I think it’s a better environment becauseshe doesn’t only lecture to us, she asks ouropinion,” said Gloriel Smith ’08 ofRochester. “We feel like we get to know eachstudent by heart and make new friends.”

Dan Kruse ’08 of North Salem also notedthe increase in individual attention. “It’s alot easier to get help from the teacher,” hesaid. “She knows you and can help youmore specifically. You can find out morewhat you as a person need to work on.”

In history professor Gwen Kay’s class,“The American Experience: 1920s,” fresh-men found the smaller class size allowing

for opportunitiesfor learning tocome alive, such asexploring fads andfashions from theera or discussingtopics of the day.

“It gives us first-hand experience ofwhat the 1920swere like,” saidGreg Zak ’08 ofHampton Bays.“With the smallerclasses, it’s better.”

Tyler Branch ’08of Saranac Lake hasfound that the classoffers better groupinteraction. “It gives a chance for everyoneto be heard,” he said.

From a teaching perspective, Kay findsthe smaller classes rewarding. “With 19 stu-dents, I can assign each person a piece ofthe Leopold-Loeb case, from evidence tonewspaper accounts to court testimony, andwe can piece together what happened. We

can engage in debate — prosecution versusdefense — about the issues in the Scopestrial,” she said. “A class significantly largerwould make these and other activities logis-tically impossible, and impractical.”

— Tim Nekritz M ’05

Smaller Classes Making Big Difference

Freshmen in Gwen Kay’s “The American Experience: 1920s” classdemonstrate some of the fads of the decade.

Contractors work on the walls of the new Campus Center, Oswego’s first newconstruction in over 30 years. This hugeundertaking will connect all aspects ofcampus life — academic, social and athletic — in one integrated central complex. The complex is expected to becompleted by fall 2006. Watch the construction with Oswego’s web cam atwww.oswego.edu.

Photo by Sally Van Buren

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OSWEGO PARENTSPublished each semester by theSUNY Oswego Office of Alumni

and Parent RelationsMichele Reed, EditorJulie Harrison Blissert

Emily King ’05Tim Nekritz M ’05Contributing Writers

Jim Russell ’83, PhotographerSally Van Buren, Contributing

PhotographerMidstate Litho, Production and PrintingOffice of Alumni and Parent Relations

King Alumni Hall, SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY 13126

Betsy Oberst, Executive DirectorPhone: 315-312-2258FAX: 315-312-5570

E-mail: alumni@oswego.eduwww.oswego.edu/alumni/

JOIN US IN READINGThe Speed of Dark byElizabeth Moon sped tothe top of the list tobecome the 2005 OswegoReading Initiative bookselection to be read nextsummer by the SUNYOswego community. The book won the2003 Nebula Award for best novel. TheSpeed of Dark is the first novel in the ORIseries. The Seattle Times called it, “anengaging journey into the dark edges thatdefine the self.”

SUNY Oswego joined suchschools as Brown, Dukeand Stanford universitiesamong the 50 BestColleges for Girls selectedby CosmoGirl! magazine.The October issue featuredthe first of what is expect-

ed to be an annual list for CosmoGirl!, aHearst publication for young teens with acirculation of around 1.3 million. It is theyounger sibling of Cosmopolitan, alsopublished by Hearst Magazines.

The Princeton Reviewnamed Oswego’s Schoolof Business one of the Best143 Business Schools in itsnew graduate schoolguidebook, released in thefall. “Students who enrollin the School of Businessat SUNY Oswego can expect severalthings: excellent value for their money,intimate classes, knowledgeable professors,state-of-the-art facilities, and an excellenthockey team,” the guide’s profile ofOswego begins.

WEAK MARKET SENDS GRADUATESBACK TO SCHOOL According to the latest survey from theOffice of Career Services 83 percent of2003 Oswego graduates are either work-ing in full-time jobs or pursuing graduatedegrees. While a smaller percentage foundwork, those who did earned a higher aver-age salary than the previous class. The per-centage of graduates choosing to attendgraduate school shot up from 12 percentin 2002 to 18 percent for 2003 graduates.See the whole survey online at http://www.oswego.edu/other_campus/student.svcs/career_svcs/alumni/alumnisurvey.html.

Education is important forthe Walton family, and par-ents Brian and Sally Walton

show that importance by sup-porting SUNY Oswego with agenerous donation to theAnnual Fund.

Their son Mark Walton ’06 isan Oswego public justicemajor, whose dream is tobecome a New York StateTrooper. His brother, KurtWalton, is set to graduate thisspring from OnondagaCommunity College.

Although both Sally andBrian support the colleges theyattended, the impetus for theirOswego donation was some-thing as simple as a phone call.“Someone called me on thephone in the end of my son’sfreshman fall semester andasked,” says Brian Walton. Heand his wife had been happywith their son’s experience atOswego, Mark seemed to likethe college and was doing well,and they just wanted to helpout. So they said, “Yes,” to theOswego student calling as partof the annual Telefund.“Hopefully Mark will benefitfrom it and we can help outother kids attending the college as well,” saysBrian.

Underlying their generosity is a firm beliefin education and the desire to pass on thebenefits of a college degree.

“Both my wife and I have benefited fromcollege educations and feel that it is usefulfor many people. We like to return some ofwhat we have received, both for our son andother families,” says Brian.

Sally is a claims representative with theSocial Security Administration in Oswegoand Brian is the assistant district manager

with the Social Security Administration inWatertown for Jefferson, Lewis and St.Lawrence counties.

The couple makes their gift as an unre-stricted donation, leaving it up to the collegeadministration to use it for whatever is mostneeded. “Maybe a department has a need orit could go to capital expenditures or scholar-ships or whatever it might be,” says Brian.“Why put restrictions on something if youdon’t have to?”

The Walton family gathers during winter break: seated,Mark Walton ’06 and mother Sally; standing from left,father Brian and brother Kurt.

Family Supports Oswego

Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley hasreiterated her support for the proposedSUNY Tuition Guarantee. “This proposal

responds to families’ expressed desire for away to predict what their college costs willbe over four years,” Stanley said.

“It provides flat, stable tuition for eachentering freshman for four years. Eachfreshman class would pay more than theclass before, but its own tuition would befrozen for four years. This plan is the bestI’ve seen for serving the interests of fami-lies and their students. They have told usthey want a high quality education at anaffordable price and a dependable price.This proposal has the potential to answertheir needs.”

Stanley spoke before the SUNY board oftrustees finance committee Jan. 5, explain-ing how the 10-year-old Oswego Guaranteehas helped families of Oswego studentsplan to meet college costs by freezing thecost of room and board for each enteringfreshman for four years. Room and boardare the principal college costs that are con-trolled at the campus level in SUNY.

Tuition, the largest piece of the collegecost pie, is determined by the system

trustees, the governor and the legislature.Historically, it has been frozen for severalyears before jumping steeply. One set ofstudents ends up bearing the full brunt of apent-up price increase instead of all stu-dents sharing reasonable increases overtime, Stanley said.

“The proposed SUNY Tuition Guaranteeis an attempt to inject a measure of rationalplanning in tuition decisions,” Stanley said.She pointed out that private colleges raisetuition every year based on rational analy-sis, and said that adopting a similar rationalprice-setting method will help SUNY “gainin stature, quality and stability” whileremaining “an incredible value.”

The proposed $600 increase in tuition fornext fall is a separate issue that remains tobe negotiated among the trustees, governorand legislature. It would be covered for low-income students by the state’s TuitionAssistance Program.

— Julie Harrison Blissert

To read the entire story, click onhttp://www.oswego.edu/news/news_story.html?id=479_0_2_0_C

Proposal Would Maintain Value

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S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ◆ 3FANs to Link Students, Alumni

An exciting new initiative is under way on theSUNY Oswego campus. The Future AlumniNetwork — FANs — began this fall to link current

students with Oswego alumni. “Research has proven that students who are involved

now as students in the alumni association will remaininvolved as alumni: in giving, volunteering and beingleaders,” said Michelle Tackett Spinner ’98, assistantdirector of alumni relations and adviser to FANs.

Oswego had an Undergraduate Alumni Association,which was disbanded in the early 1990s due tochanges in the student population, including fewerstudents living on campus and more non-traditionalstudents.

Spinner looked at 30 campuses that currently have student-alumni programs and gathered ideas from the “best of the best.”During the fall semester, the group held informational meetings and voted on officers. With a full executive board in place, FANs will

begin focusing on setting goals and planning an event for the spring semester. The Senior Class Planning Committee will be a committee of FANs and the Alumni Sharing Knowledge and Alumni-in-Residence pro-

grams will call on FANs members to assist in bringing alumni back to campus to share their experiences with current students. All students are welcome to take part in FANs. For more information, they should contact the Alumni Office in King Alumni Hall or

call 315-312-2258.“It’s exciting to be getting the current students involved,” said Spinner. “They are the link among Oswego’s past, present and future.”

FANs e-board members preparefor a year of activities linkingSUNY Oswego students and theAlumni Association. From leftare: Vice President for FinancesYasmin Castro ’06, PresidentEddy Disla ’06, Coordinator ofMember and Public RelationsKerry Brewer ’05 and VicePresident for ProgrammingJennifer Andrade ’08. Absentfrom the photo is Mary BethBeaton ’05, Alumni Board ofDirectors student representative.

Yearbook Tradition Continues

The Ontarian yearbook is back! After two years in which Oswego students had no yearbook, the traditional rite of passage has beenreinstated.

Student Association President Kevin Sutherland ’05, receiving requests from students who wanted a yearbook, found there was abudget allocation but no adviser. He approached the Alumni Office and got the help he needed. Michelle Tackett Spinner ’98, assistantdirector of alumni relations, is the new adviser to the year-book staff and King Alumni Hall provides office space forthe students to work on their publication.

The 2005 Ontarian is now on sale through Feb. 14.Parents can order a yearbook for $45 with an optionalnameplate for an additional $4. Parent ads are alsoavailable for $15 each or $20 with a photo.

“The Ontarian is a great graduation gift,” said Spinner. For more information, go online to http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/ontarian/ or contact the staff by phone, (315) 312-3630;

Fax, (315) 312-5570; or e-mail: ontarian@oswego.edu.

The senior class willremember the vic-tims of the

September 11 terroristattacks, cheer on theLaker teams and dancethe night away, all inpreparation for theirupcoming graduation.

The Senior ClassPlanning Committeehas been busy makingplans for the Class of2005’s final semester.The senior gift will beto a September 11memorial that willinclude a garden withflowers that bloom inSeptember. The Class of 2005 will join theirdonations with the gifts of the three pre-ceding classes. “These are the four classeswho were at Oswego when 9/11 happened,”said Michelle Tackett Spinner ’98, adviserto the Senior Class Planning Committee.

Students will be asked to contribute$20.05 in honor of their class year towardthe memorial project. The gift will also befunded by the sale of a class T-shirt, avail-able in short-sleeved and long-sleeved ver-sions, as well as a hoodie.

Seniors will cheer on the Laker hockeyteam Feb. 12 and the basketball teams Feb.

15. Those attending will get free spirititems and will be eligible to win prizes.A senior trip to Boston is planned for Apriland seniors will kick off a week of pre-grad-uation activities with a formal ball April 30.

Senior Week, May 2 to 6, will include avariety of activities. Students will also beable to pick up their yearbooks that week.The traditional Torchlight ceremony will beheld Friday, May 13.

For more information on senior classactivities or to order a shirt for your student,click on http://oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/seniorclass/

Drew Jacoby and Prince Credell per-form with Alonzo King’s LINESBallet. The troupe will perform“Before the Blues,” April 6 at 7 p.m.in Waterman Theatre of Tyler Hall,sponsored by Artswego.

Seniors Plan Year-End Activities

Erin Ryan ’04 (third from left), a graphic design graduate, celebrates withher family, including sister Kristin Ryan Overholt ’96 (at right) during thedessert reception and champagne toast on the eve of December gradua-tion. The reception, sponsored by the Oswego Alumni Association, washeld in historic Sheldon Hall.

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Campus ClipsPLAN NOW FOR GRADUATIONIt’s not too early to make reser-

vations for May commencement. Theannual Torchlight dinner and ceremony areslated for Friday evening, May 13. Dinnertickets for graduating seniors will only be$5 each thanks to grants from the OswegoAlumni Association and Auxiliary Services.To make reservations for graduates andtheir families, call the Office of Alumni andParent Relations at 315-312-2258.

FILE TO GRADUATE!The Registrar’s Office sends let-ters in the spring semester toall prospective graduates (all

students with junior standing), withinstructions and information on how andwhen to file online for graduation. Oncethe student has signed into the myoswegoWeb site, the graduation application formis linked to the student’s registration link.The deadline for filing is Feb. 15 for Mayand August 2005 graduation and Sept. 30for December 2005 graduation. Studentsare not automatically placed on a gradua-tion list; it is the student’s responsibility tomake sure he or she files online by theappropriate deadline or contacts theRegistrar’s graduation area for help indoing so. Students must file by the dead-line dates in order to be sure that theirnames will be printed in the commence-ment program. Information regarding thegraduation process and all deadlines arelinked from the Registrar’s Web site athttp://www.oswego.edu/ Anyone withquestions may contact the graduation areaof the Registrar’s Office.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLENow’s the time for students toapply for scholarships for the

2005-2006 academic year. Over 200 areavailable through the Oswego CollegeFoundation. A printed listing of scholar-ships has been sent to all resident stu-

dents. Find the listing of scholarships andawards, along with instructions for apply-ing and application forms online athttp://www.oswegoalumni.oswego.edu/scholarships. For additional information,call 315-312-3003 or e-mailmmanwari@Oswego.EDU.

CAREER HELP? JUST A.S.K.!If your student is looking toexplore a career, the Oswego

Alumni Association has help. Our A.S.K. —Alumni Sharing Knowledge — programlinks current students with alumni mentorswho can answer questions about a career,offer a job-shadowing experience or helpmake connections. Your student can be partof Oswego’s powerful alumni network! Callthe Alumni Office at 315-312-2258.

FINAL EXAM GOODIESRight now the end of the semes-ter may seem ages away, but it

will be upon us soon. And when it is, ourstudents will need all the support they canget. So the Department of Campus Lifeoffers Final Exam Goodies to help you sendyour student moral support – and an energyboost – to finish those papers and cram forexams. Snacker’s Delight and the LighterSnacker are offered along with other choicesto mix and match to meet individual stu-dents’ needs. Ordering information will bemailed to families about a month beforefinals, or contact the Hewitt Union mainoffice at 315-312-2301.

VISIT OSWEGO ONLINE!Oswego’s new Web site has aplace just for you! Go towww.oswego.edu and click on

Information for Parents. It will link you topages about academics, entertainment,sending a treat to your student, campusevents and much more. Sign up for SUNYOswego news and events e-mail lists atwww.oswego.edu/news/mailinglists/subscribe.php

CalendarSpring 2005Jan. 20 Spring semester begins

Jan. 28– Art Department FacultyFeb. 23 Exhibition and Fifteen

Years: A Selection ofStudent Works of Art,Tyler Art Gallery

Feb. 6–8 Career Panel Discussionwith Oswego alumni,

Feb. 16 Contrasts — Juan LaManna, Seung heeYang, Robert Auler,Heather Sweeting, JohnMcNeill, and ElizabethLe Manna, Sheldon HallBallroom, 7 p.m.

Feb. 23 Jazz Harmonica: HendrikMeurkens, Hewitt UnionBallroom, 7 p.m.

Feb. 24–26 “BIG: The Musical,”March 4–6 Waterman Theater,

Tyler Hall.

March 4– 42nd Annual JuriedApril 3 Student Art Exhibition

and Master of ArtsThesis Exhibition, TylerArt Gallery

March 10 “Snapshots,” ElementsString Quartet,Waterman Theater, TylerHall, 7 p.m.

March 14–18 Spring recess

April 2 Jazz Concert with BrentWallarab, WatermanTheatre, Tyler Hall, 7:30p.m.

April 6 “Before the Blues,”Alonzo King’s LINESBallet, WatermanTheatre, Tyler Hall, 7p.m.

April 11 College AdmissionsOpen House

April 15 Honors Convocation3p.m.

April 15– Spring Bachelor of FineMay 13 Arts Exhibition

April 17–19 School of BusinessSymposium, careerdicussions with Oswegoalumni

April 20 Quest ’05, no classes

April 20 Julie Albers, with SUNYOswego music facultySeung hee Yang, DanBarach and RobertAuler, Sheldon Ballroom,7 p.m.

April 21–23 “Measure For Measure”April 30– by William Shakespeare,May1 Waterman Theatre,

Tyler Hall.

May 6 Last day of classes

May 9–13 Final Exams

May 13 Torchlight ceremonyand dinner

May 14 Commencement

Donna Goldsmith ’82 (right) visits withstudents in a communications studies classthis fall. Goldsmith, senior vice president ofconsumer products for World WrestlingEntertainment, shared her experiences withcurrent students through the Alumni-in-Residence program, and also served askeynote speaker at the CommunicationsAlumni Dinner.

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Tyler Hall