In-Person Classes Begin At SUNY Oswego Following COVID-19 Shutdown

OSWEGO – The iconic Edward Austin Sheldon statue located in front of Sheldon Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus is displaying a face covering, a reminder for all students as they return to campus for the start of the 2020 fall semester, beginning today, August 24.

SUNY Oswego is one of a number of schools across the state that has worked to reopen their doors after a five-month-long, forced COVID-19 shutdown.

In order to reopen safely, the school has created the Oswego Foward Plan – a workable strategy utilizing federal, state and local guidelines to ensure the health and welfare of incoming students, faculty and employees, as well as the city of Oswego.

To reestablish a safe introduction back onto the campus, the school began by implementing staggered arrivals of students seven to ten days before the start of classes, coupled with the early completion of an online health screening.

International students and students from states outside of New York were required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, along with the early completion of an online traveler health form.

The reopening plan covers a large list of items including PPE availabilty, screening/testing, residental living, campus meals and more.

All students, faculty and campus employees are required to fill out and adhere to a pledge form in order to participate in and remain at the college.

The pledge covers completion of daily mandatory online health forms, enforcement of face masks and social distancing, along with proper safety protocols, amongst other items.

SUNY Oswego classes will include a mixture of online, hybrid and face-to-face instruction on campus, with flexibility for change if needed.

Mayor Billy Barlow also added a level of education and enforcement in order to help students living in town  to adhere to Oswego’s rules and regulations regarding health and safety guidelines for the community.

In order to enforce local laws, the Oswego Police Department will participate in an educational outreach to inform off-campus residents of what is expected of them, along with increased patrols to combat mass gatherings and disturbances in city neighborhoods through the month of September.

“As off-campus residents return to Oswego, we want to educate and remind residents that COVID-19 is still very much a concern to our community and we will not tolerate mass gatherings or loud, late night disruptions,” Barlow said. “Our goal is to, first and foremost, educate our residents on our rules and expectations, but we will be increasing patrols and conducting enforcement details during evenings and through weekends to ensure our expectations are being met as it relates to late night disruptions and mass gatherings to maintain the quality of life for our residents and protect our community from the spread of COVID-19.”

The Oswego Police Department Outreach and Enforcement Details include proactive door-to-door outreach, social distancing/mass gathering enforcement and an increase in weekend on-duty officers.

For more information regarding the reopening plan, please visit SUNY Oswego’s website.

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