By Maria Pericozzi
Oswego has become home to around 8,000 students who attend SUNY Oswego each year.
There are lots of things to do around town when students are not doing schoolwork or are attending events on campus.
Oswego has a movie theater, great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, specialty stores, several parks to watch the sunset, the H. Lee White Marine museum and a number of events each semester. In the fall, people from other states come to the Oswego River to fish, which is an experience for people to watch.
Francesca Miesner, a SUNY Oswego junior, spends her weekends playing video games and catching up on sleep, but also goes off campus to the Oswego movie theater, located on West 2nd Street.
“I think the point of college normally starts when you turn 21,” Miesner said. “I’m getting an education and seeing movies with friends on the weekends, so I’m completing my college experience to the best of my ability.”
Miesner suggest students go to the movie theater because hanging out with friends in a low-key environment is important, she said.
In the fall, Miesner goes apple picking, pumpkin picking and holds long movie marathons with her friends in their rooms.
“I think that socializing is more important than going out and getting drunk,” Miesner said.
Sophomore Ben Grieco said he spent the fall semester getting used to being back on campus and participating in activities in the winter. He spends his weekends working for the campus newspaper, radio station or television station covering the Oswego Lakers hockey games.
“It gives me a sense of what I want to do and is something for me to look forward to every weekend,” Grieco said.
Grieco said he feels he isn’t missing out on anything.
“I’m getting the college experience that I want and that helps my career,” Grieco said. “I’ll get the other half of my college experience when I do turn 21.”
Grieco said in his free time he would eventually like to visit all the museums in Oswego. Among the museums available in Oswego are the Safe Haven, Richardson-Bates House and Fort Ontario historic site.
Samantha Flavell, a senior, spends her weekends catching up on work. When she has the time she travels around Oswego going on photography adventures, watches movies at the Oswego movie theater, and even visits some of the nearby museums.
“Honestly, the weekends are when I play catchup,” Flavell said. “Between classes and work most of my weekdays are 12-15 hours. So, on the weekend I get ahead on homework, meal prep and do laundry.”
Flavell tries to make time for friends on the weekends.
“Sometimes its grabbing dinner, going to see a movie, or going on a photo adventure to get outside and have some fun,” Flavell said.
