By Brandon Ladd
A scene of chaos ensued on the SUNY Oswego campus on Feb. 15 as reports began to circulate that a student was potentially on the dangerous ice of Lake Ontario.
This prompted the response of almost two dozen emergency vehicles to line Rudolph Road between Bev’s Dairy Treat and Seneca Hall to see if this report was actually true at around 6:00 p.m. The last of the vehicles left the scene at approximately 8:00 p.m., after concluding no one was on the ice. School officials verified to the Oswegonian that no signs of a person ever being on the coast were found.
“[School Administration] can confirm that there is no such report of a person being identified as being on the ice. This reported incident should serve as a timely reminder to students and others in the community to stay away from the lakeshore during the winter and off the ice given the dangerous conditions they present,” SUNY Oswego said via email in response to the event.
The incident that could have been if there was actually a person near the Great Lake is what the school warns annually in a campus-wide email. Vice President for student affairs, Dr. Kathleen Kerr warned of the lake being unpredictable and putting students in a potentially deadly situation on Feb. 8.
“Regardless of the weather conditions, please admire Lake Ontario from a distance,” Kerr said. “ Do not walk out onto the ice floes or break walls where the ice can be unpredictably thin, where footing is treacherous, the wind is strong, the waves are overpowering, and the water is freezing. Should someone venture too close to the lake when these conditions prevail, the results could be unfortunate and perhaps fatal.”
Kerr shared a similar sentiment in a Feb. 15 message to students at 8:03 p.m., following the scene on Rudolph Road.
“We received a report this evening of a person being out on the ice, along the shoreline of Lake Ontario,” Kerr said. “Emergency responders immediately responded to the scene and found no evidence to indicate that a person was on the ice or near the lakefront. While we are grateful that this incident appears to be resolved, if you have any additional information regarding anyone being on or near the ice, please reach out to University Police immediately.”
Drastic changes in temperatures and wind patterns have caused Lake Ontario to change ice density several times. The National Weather Service estimates the thickest of ice on the east shore of the lake this winter is two inches or less and changes by the day. A reminder to students that the coast and ice should be viewed from a distance or could result in death.
Kailee Montross | The Oswegonian
