Welcome Freshmen!

College Presidents Greet Class of ’22

With classes set to begin Monday, freshmen at Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta gathered to take part in traditions old and new. Top left: At Hartwick College, the Class of ’22 all signed the Founders’ Way First Walk banner, carried by President Dr. Margaret Drugovich, center, Emma Dias, Swansea, Mass., left, and Toby Santoro of Calicoon, right. Founders’ Way, a cross-campus pedestrian walkway, was part of last year’s $66 million in campus improvements. The class will graduate on the college’s 225th anniversary and are ushering in this new college tradition.  Top right: Incoming SUNY President Barbara Jean Morris leads incoming freshmen in the traditional “Pass Trough The Pillars” walk with school mascot Red.  Incoming SUNY students have been welcomed by this tradition for over 125 years; the pillar are originally from Old Main, the college’s first building at the top of Maple Street that was demolished in the 1970s. The tradition is brought full circle as the seniors exit through the pillars the opposite way upon graduation, signifying the next chapter of their lives.

(Parker Fish & Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)