Oswego State will be transitioning all summer courses to distance learning, and continues to adapt to social distancing regulations from the state as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect New York.

As a New York state institution and a member of the SUNY system, Oswego’s campus will have to comply with any mandates issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

 “While there are still many unknowns at this time, the leadership team and I are hard at work and vetting several possible plans for SUNY Oswego for the Fall 2020 semester, including face-to-face should government and health guidelines allow,” Oswego State president Deborah Stanley said. “We will also institute all necessary health and safety measures.”

Mary Walker Health Center will maintain its current appointment-only policy until further notice, allowing for proper screening of patients and to ensure staff and student safety. Telehealth appointments will also remain as an alternative option. 

Students will still be required to complete Covid-19 questionnaires and will be screened by a nurse prior to their appointment.

“There will be a separation of sick and healthy students in the waiting area for those students that are seen face-to-face,” director of student health services Angie Brown said.

Additional precautions will include requiring students to wear a mask or covering while in the Mary Walker offices.

Currently, Oswego Health has made a mobile testing site available, although Oswego’s health services may have the ability to test in the future, should test kits become more readily available.

Penfield Library remains closed as well, providing about 95% of regular services online, through their website at oswego.edu/library.

“As we plan for the fall, we will continue to provide all appropriate services to our students, faculty and staff, and adapt library operations and use of the facilities in concert with the guidelines from the governor on social distancing and limiting human density in our academic buildings,” Provost Scott Furlong said. “As an example, we may need to limit the number of students sitting at individual tables or in small group study rooms.”

Orientation for both first-year and transfer students, which were scheduled to stretch between the months of June and August, will be done online.

Summer orientation has been broken into two different steps. A portion of the information normally made available during the orientation programs will be moved to the online world, while the remaining information will be delivered face-to-face during the first weekend the campus is open for the fall semester, in August. 

“In addition to online summer modules we are building, we are in the process of developing ways to engage new students with Laker Leaders through videoconferencing, social media and other platforms,” said Dean of Students Jerri Howland.  

While aiming to build a quality first-year class this fall, the safety and health of the campus community remains the top priority, college officials said.

“Residence Life and Housing will adapt based on how many students are allowed back on campus following future guidelines received from the governor on social distancing and limiting human density in our residential buildings,” Howland said.

In terms of sanitizing and cleaning its buildings, Oswego State has custodial coverage seven days a week that routinely disinfects residence halls, all active rooms, offices and any other spaces used during the day.

Daily cleaning protocols also include sanitizing door handles, light switches and faucets among others.

Dining halls will continue take-out or delivery only operations, pursuant to state regulations on the matter.

Study abroad programs for the entire SUNY system have been canceled as well. A decision on the status of fall programs will be made at a later date.

College administration said that Oswego State still plans to accept students from outside the U.S. for the fall semester. 

“We are proceeding as we normally would to recruit, enroll and retain our international student population and will continue to work within any new guidelines received from the state and SUNY,” associate provost for international education Josh McKeown said. “It’s an uncertain time but the staff in the office of international education and programs are prepared, like the rest of the Oswego campus, to be flexible and adjust as the situation demands.”

In the event that SUNY Oswego returns to normalcy in August, the college will have to adhere to CDC and New York state guidelines to ensure students’ safety, which will be set further into the summer.