With over 150 students in on-campus quarantine and isolation, the care for these students in unprecedented times falls on Oswego State and its faculty and staff. The college is attending to its students, offering daily phone calls, three meals a day and single rooms in Funnelle Hall, Moreland Hall and Lonis Hall.

While nobody wants to be cooped up in a room all by themselves, it is a necessary act to protect those around them. Despite this, the school has done a good job given the circumstances. Oswego State senior Corey Cesare is one of these students in Lonis Hall, serving 10 days of isolation as she tested positive for COVID-19. She explained that it is not ideal or perfect being in isolation, but she has been well attended to.

Cesare entered isolation on Saturday, Sept. 19. She added that it took a bit of waiting to be allowed into Lonis Hall by Shaun Crisler, the assistant vice president of Residence Life and Housing. According to Cesare, the wait was due to the chaos of the situation. Crisler has been running back and forth between the isolation and quarantine dorms in Mackin Complex as well as Funnelle Hall, which is in the middle of campus. Once in isolation, Cesare was pleased with the full-sized fridge and room. 

Some students have not had the smoothest transition to the isolation rooms, like freshman Zach Malamud who entered isolation Sept. 15. Without a car on campus, he felt rushed to exit his dorm in Seneca Hall.

“It was very challenging,” Malamud said. “They did not provide you with much … I had to push a cart across campus to get my stuff here, and there is a good amount of stuff you need to bring.”

Despite the struggles, it is a tough spot to be in. The university is trying to limit exposure to potentially positive cases, and in doing so, it can be difficult to move everything in an emergency-like situation.

Once in isolation, Oswego State has been rather helpful for students. Students receive daily phone calls to check in on their symptoms and what they might need. Auxiliary Services also provides three meals a day for students in isolation and quarantine rooms, allowing them to fill out a PDF form with as much food as they want. 

Cesare mentioned that the food plan would be at a fixed rate. Cesare, who lives in The Village, was concerned about pricing since she does not have a meal plan, but was assured that everything would be figured out. The goal of Auxiliary Services and the school is to make sure students are well-nourished and healthy during such a difficult time.

“They told me [not to worry about price],” Cesare said. “Initially, I was ordering vegetables because you can’t really mess that up … You have to reheat it in the microwave, [but] it is not bad.”

Malamud, who entered isolation five days before Cesare, tried to eat the food but could not do so.

“The first night I had a really bad chicken patty. I called my parents and said, ‘I am not eating the food here,’” Malamud said. “It was wet and slimy and gross … Instacart is what I’ve been doing here. I am getting [groceries] off campus and they are delivering it.”

Professors have also been rather understanding in some cases, particularly for smaller sections. The first thing Cesare heard from her professors was, “are you OK?” Having understanding and compassionate professors put her at ease, even though she was worried about a couple of deadlines. One professor met with Cesare at 8 p.m. one night to go over the classwork and assignments she might have missed. That professor explained to Cesare that she would not fail the course over “a couple of missed assignments,” during such uncertain times. 

Malamud, on the other hand, saw a bit more difficulty over his isolation period. As a freshman in bigger lectures, he had to be prudent in getting work done.

“I am learning a sense of responsibility, staying in a room by myself for a week-and-a-half,” Malamud said. “Trying to get into school mode [is tough]. There is a responsibility on yourself to get your schoolwork done.”

While these are called isolation dorms, students are allowed to have one “visitor.” As Cesare described it, the visitor must be in your specific isolation hall and from that floor as well. While some who test positive may be concerned with interacting with other people who test positive, there are no real medical concerns. 

“If you are positive for COVID, you are not at any risk to another positive COVID student as they are already infected with the virus,” said Angela Brown, the Director of Student Health Services at the Mary Walker Center. “Positive students are a great risk to non-positive students.”

Neither Cesare or Malamud have used this privilege, opting to use social media to stay connected with others.

“I FaceTime and Snapchat people all the time, all day long,” Malamud said. “[I just] try and make myself feel comfortable living like this.”

For 10 days, students must live in isolation. It is a scary time of uncertainty and anxiety, not really knowing what one is dealing with. All in all, the school has done the best it can in a situation that is completely new.

“At the end of the day, yeah it sucks,” Cesare said. “But, I am grateful the school gave me a room, they’re giving me [three meals a day]. Would I rather be in The Village with my friends? Yeah, of course, but that [cannot happen]. The school did a [really good job], considering nobody really knew what was going on.”

Oswego State Residence Life did not respond to comment on the condition of living in isolation or quarantine.

Photo Provided by Corey Cesare