UPDATE: March 16, 2020

COVID-19 is spreading throughout New York, and the state government is trying to match that spread with dramatic increases in testing and restrictions on the gathering of people.

“We can only maintain public health by STAYING APART,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted on March 15. “The decision each of us makes will impact us all tomorrow. STAY HOME!”

Cuomo has increased the state’s focus on stopping the spread of COVID-19, limiting social gatherings in New York to 50 people or fewer, as well as closing restaurants to dine-in guests, closing casinos and establishing an exclusion zone around New Rochelle.

Restaurants in Oswego, including Canale’s and Press Box will close their dining rooms at the end of service on Monday night. Canale’s will stop taking new diners at 8 p.m., and hour earlier than their normal closing time. Take-out will still be offered, and delivery from those that can offer it.

The state has seen its first deaths in recent days as well. On March 15, the first New York resident died of COVID-19 related causes, and as of 11 a.m. on Monday there are 7 confirmed deaths related to the virus in New York, according to the governor.

Testing in New York has increased dramatically, with a drive-through testing facility opening in New Rochelle on March 13, and more announced for other downstate population centers on Monday. The densest areas of the state are where the virus is expected to spread the fastest.

As of Monday, there are four counties in New York with new cases reported; Allegheny, Onondaga, Ontario and Wyoming counties.

Check back for more as this story develops.

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March 13, 2020 – 4:30 p.m.

At approximately 4 p.m. on Friday, the Student Association’s executive branch sent an email to students, informing them that while changes have been made, SA will continue to operate its finance department and represent the student body.

According to the email, all club meetings and club-related travel have been suspended until April 13. No club meetings will be permitted on campus and must take place electronically.

“Equipment or supplies may still be ordered for your club, the process is still the same,” the email reads. “However the time in which the requests are completed may be slower than usual.”

The message continues, suggesting that students follow prescribed social distancing and hygiene practices.

Also included in a section about general campus information, the message states that information about refunds will come from the administration at a later date.

All Oswego State messages about COVID-19 and the suspension of in-person classes have set April 13 as the intended return date, but leave open the possibility that that date may be pushed back.

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March 13, 2020 – 12:29 p.m.

Oswego State athletics have canceled all spring sports, according to the Oswego State athletics department, in compliance with decisions made by SUNYAC, the league for a majority of Oswego State’s teams.

The move came in a joint decision, announced by President Deborah Stanley on Thursday, confirmed by the athletics department today.

Men’s tennis and golf, which participates in the Empire 8, were both canceled as well by their respective conferences. Neither team had started competitions in the spring semester yet.

Winter championships were also canceled, stopping several athletes from competing this week.

There are talks about student-athlete’s eligibility between NCAA Div. III and the NCAA, “to discuss the impacts.”

Tom DiCamillo, the commissioner of the SUNYAC said the decision to cancel the spring sports was not a light one.

“In fact, the directors of athletics in conjunction with the conference office and support from the presidents did their due diligence and created a contingency plan early Thursday afternoon to potentially continue with the spring season,” DiCamillo said in a statement on the Oswego State athletic’s website. “However, as Thursday’s events unfolded it became clear that the prudent course of action was to do the most responsible thing and cancel the spring season.”

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UPDATE: March 12, 2020 – 11:56 p.m.

At 9:40 p.m., President Deborah Stanley sent an email to Oswego State students and faculty providing some clarification through some key points in an email. The points were as follows:

• Oswego State, while classes are online, will remain open throughout the entirety of the spring semester.
• Official dates of the preliminary online classes are now defined as March 23 (the Monday after spring break) until “at least” April 13. All classes are online or distant learning.
• For students with internships, co-ops or student teaching placements, all of those scenarios will remain as normal “unless other arrangements are made.”
• Residence halls, dining halls and other campus facilities, as well as administrative offices and student services are remaining open.
• In relation to residence halls, students can choose to stay on campus or go home. If they want to remain on campus, students must let Residence Life and Housing know in-person by 3 p.m. on Friday, March 13, or by e-mail after that date.
• Students with employment either on or off campus “should talk with their supervisor as soon as possible regarding their work plans.”
• All events that are sponsored by Oswego State or its clubs and organizations that were scheduled from March 13 until at least April 13 must be canceled or moved to an online format.
• All Oswego State athletics, both practices and competitions, have been canceled for the spring semester.
• The Centro bus services that run throughout campus and the city of Oswego will continue to run as normal.
• Any information regarding commencement for those graduating in May “will be sent at a later date.”

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UPDATE: March 12, 2020 – 1 p.m.

At approximately noon on Thursday, Oswego State residence life and housing Assistant Vice President Shaun Crisler sent an email to residential students, informing them of the current timeline for residence halls on campus.

According to the email, residence halls will close for all students who have not requested to stay at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 14.

“Students that elect to leave for spring break will need to contact residence life via (reslife@oswego.edu) by Thursday, March 19, 2020 to make arrangements to return to their residence hall room if they plan to return immediately after spring break,” Crisler’s email read.

In the email, Crisler wrote that students who wish to stay for spring break must request to do so at the Residence Life and Housing office by 3 p.m. on Friday.

Students who are leaving will be allowed to move their things out now and will be permitted to have family and friends help with the move. Those who cannot move out of their rooms will receive guidance on how to retrieve their items at a later date.

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March 11, 2020 – 9:25 p.m.

At approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, vice president for student affairs Jerri Howland sent an email to the campus community, clarifying some of the questions left from Stanley’s statement.

According to faculty sources, Oswego State Provost Scott Furlong sent an email at approximately the same time as Howland, advising faculty that the administration currently hopes to resume in-person classes in some capacity on April 13.

“Our hope, assuming stability in the public health situation, is that we return to somewhat normal operations on April 13, 2020,” the email said.

Howland said in her email that students should prepare to leave campus for the next four weeks, taking any devices, textbooks, personal items or course materials needed to complete coursework.

“If you would like to remain on campus to complete your coursework remotely, please contact Residence Life & Housing at 315-312-3623,” Howland’s email said.

In the email, Howland said that instructors will contact students individually to update them on the transition to online learning.

On-campus events scheduled through April 13 will be canceled, with updates provided if the cancelations must be extended.

“All offices are open and will be available to you during this period,” Howland’s email read. “Please continue to reach out to them for assistance if needed.”

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March 11, 2020 – 7:25 p.m.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that SUNY and CUNY schools will end in-person class meetings on March 19.

“They will be releasing for the rest of the semester, to do distance learning,” Cuomo said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The move to online classes is expected to last for the remainder of the semester. Beth Garvey, special counsel to the governor, said that students will not be forced out of their residence halls if they cannot find alternative housing.

“They’re not evicting anyone” Cuomo said. “They are not closing the dorms or kicking you out.”

The governor said that campuses will not be closing entirely, like they would in a state of emergency. Buildings will still be open and essential services will still operate likely at reduced capacity. Individual campuses will be given the leeway to decide what programs to continue holding meetings for, like labs, and what to do about residence halls.

At approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oswego State President Deborah Stanley issued a campus-wide email to clarify some of the governor’s statements and contextualize them for the Oswego community specifically.

Stanley’s statement confirms that residence halls will be open for students during the interruption.

Her email said that the campus and auxiliary services, the department in charge of managing Oswego State’s dining halls and cash operation cafes, will remain open and available for use with reduced services. Stanley also asked that any students distance themselves from campus if they leave for break.

“We understand that some students may need or choose to remain on campus,” Stanley said. “Therefore, campus and auxiliary services will still remain open and in operation (with limited or reduced services) during spring break and throughout the period when campus-bases face-to-face instruction is suspended.”

Stanley’s message suggests that students gather any materials they will need for completing coursework remotely, as well as valuables and other “indispensable items.” Guidance on moving out of residence halls will be provided in the future.

This story is developing. Information on the specific impacts it may have on Oswego State is still to be shared. Come back to this page for more information.