2 PRESIDENTS AT ODDS
At SUNY, It’s Partying;
At Hartwick, Trespassing
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – A photo circulating on social media, purportedly showing a party underway in SUNY Oneonta’s isolation dorm over the weekend, prompted a conversation about the differences in how SUNY and Hartwick colleges are handling the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantines.
“I’m concerned by this photo,” said Council member David Rissberger, Third Ward, during the second of Mayor Gary Herzig’s Oneonta Control Room meetings this evening. “There’s no supervision, and the community needs reassurances that moving forward, something like this is not going to happen again.”
Currently there are 651 total cases of COVID-19 at SUNY Oneonta; 43 students are quarantined on the campus, with 139 in isolation after testing positive for the virus.
“We are looking into a judicial review of the students involved in the photo and videos,” said SUNY Oneonta President Barbara Jean Morris.
In a statement posted on the SUNY website, she also wrote that additional resources would be put in place to monitor the activity in the dorms.
Meanwhile, at Hartwick College, an additional five students were put on academic leave, which forces them to return home and withdraws them from the fall semester. “They violated our rules on guest access,” said Hartwick College President Margaret Drugovich. “It’s hard for us to say, but if you violate our rules, you have to be gone.”
Two such guests were issued tickets for trespassing. “It’s very clear our campus is closed,” she said. “These individuals were not eligible to be on our campus.”
With 11 positive cases at Hartwick, including a cluster of four in the Smith dorm, classes have been moved to online only and the dining hall has switched to take-out, effectively putting the campus on lockdown. Additionally, all residents of Smith Hall are on “precautionary quarantine,” as per a recommendation from the Otsego County Department of Health.
“Our success depends on the good judgment of everyone in the community,” she said. “And we will take swift action against those who do not comply.”
Check out #oneontasmacked
Self centered, self absorbed and no respect for others. Now let them go home and infect their families. Let the parents pay for the college costs because Mommy and Daddy will pay for it. Spoiled. Very sad for the students that were doing the right thing and wanted to learn. That obeyed the requests of being safe and respect others.
Just remember while you are mad at the college students doing college student things, that Andrew Cuomo put covid positive people into elderly nursing homes on purpose.. Imagine all those college kids in your local nursing homes. Be mad at Andrew Cuomo, not college kids doing the same stuff they have ALWAYS done, party, get drunk, and spread diseases/viruses, just instead of HPV its Covid.
Spoke to Margaret couple days ago regarding Hartwick’s dealing with and I was very re- assured, Think the H. family is doing a great job. [class of ‘65]
What did you expect?! They’re not adults and they have very little life experience. Cut them some slack! Why were they allowed back and not tested at the door?!
Oneonta dropped the ball when they didn’t test students as they moved in. Then let it slide further down when they didnt properly guard and discipline those in quarantine. Allowing those kids to leave is going to create an infected trail to those kids home towns including every stop along the way.