Reported By: Deirdra O’Boyle

OSWEGO, NY — The Zonta Club of Oswego has taken their celebration of Halloween to the next level with their second annual Witches Ball at the Lake Ontario Conference Center. According to the Witches Ball chairperson, Tammy Elowsky, the Zonta Club of Oswego serves as a service and advocacy group for women.

“Our friends of ours do a Witches’ Night Out, and they told me about their event. And I thought it was fantastic,” Elowsky said. “And so we decided to do a different spin on it and call it a Witches’ ball, some of the wizards are allowed to come. But we have all kinds of vendors and dancing and fun but it’s all for a great cause.”

The event had supported the Oswego County Opportunities’ Safe Services program to provide aid to survivors of domestic violence. Chairperson Elowsky strives for the Witches Ball to improve and evolve into a bigger and better event than ever before.

“So last year we had about 300 people that attended at our first year. We were absolutely amazed at that. We’ve outgrew our venue and we’ve come to the convention center this year,” Eloswky said. “And we’ve had more people, I don’t know what the final count is now. We’re obviously hoping to grow, looking for more vendors, whatever we can do to raise more money for this awesome cause.”

[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]

BY: TOMAS RODRIGUEZ

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Oswego will be transitioning all summer courses to distance learning, with some facing possible cancellations. A full updated schedule was made available to students May 1.

As a New York state institution and a member of the SUNY system, Oswego’s campus will have to comply with any mandates issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

 “While there are still many unknowns at this time, the leadership team and I are hard at work and vetting several possible plans for SUNY Oswego for the Fall 2020 semester, including face-to-face should government and health guidelines allow,” SUNY Oswego president Deborah Stanley said. “We will also institute all necessary health and safety measures.”

Due to the constant changing nature of the virus, Mary Walker Health Center will maintain its current appointment-only policy until the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close, allowing for proper screening of students and added safety for both students and personnel. 

Telehealth will also remain available until the current threat is no longer existent.

Students will still be required to complete COVID-19 questionnaires and will be screened by a nurse prior to their appointment.

“There will be a separation of sick and healthy students in the waiting area for those students that are seen face-to-face,” Director of Student Health Services Angie Brown said.

Additional precautions will include requiring students to wear a mask or covering while present at Health Services.

Currently, Oswego Health has made a mobile testing site available, although Health Services may have the ability to test under some circumstances should test kits become more readily available.

Penfield Library has been impacted by the epidemic as well, providing about 95 percent of its services online.

“As we plan for the fall, we will continue to provide all appropriate services to our students, faculty and staff, and adapt library operations and use of the facilities in concert with the guidelines from the Governor on social distancing and limiting human density in our academic buildings,” Provost Scott Furlong said. “As an example, we may need to limit the number of students sitting at individual tables or in small group study rooms.”

Orientation for both first-year and transfer students, which were scheduled to stretch between the months of June and August, will become available online, still requiring incoming students to activate their email and complete their academic and health history information.

Summer orientation has been broken into two different steps. A portion of the information made available during the orientation programs will be moved to the online world, while the remaining information will be delivered face-to-face during the Fall Opening.

“In addition to online summer modules we are building, we are in the process of developing ways to engage new students with Laker Leaders through videoconferencing, social media and other platforms,” college Vice President Jerri Howland said.  

While aiming to build a quality first-year class this fall, the safety and health of the campus community remains the top priority, college officials say.

“Residence Life and Housing will adapt based on how many students are allowed back on campus following future guidelines received from the Governor on social distancing and limiting human density in our residential buildings,” Howland said.

In terms of sanitizing, SUNY Oswego has custodial coverage seven days a week that routinely disinfects residence halls, all rooms, offices and any spaces utilized.

Daily cleaning protocols also include door handles, light switches, faucets and door knobs, among others.

Dining halls will remain take-out or delivery only, pursuant to Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Orders.

Concerning study abroad programs, SUNY has canceled student study abroad for the summer session.

“SUNY Oswego and SUNY leadership are closely monitoring the evolving situation and have not yet made a determination about the Fall,” Furlong said.

When it comes to the Fall semester, SUNY Oswego plans on welcoming new and returning international students.

“We are proceeding as we normally would to recruit, enroll and retain our international student population and will continue to work within any new guidelines received from the state and SUNY,” Associate Provost for International Education and Programs Josh McKeown said. “It’s an uncertain time but staff in the Office of International Education and Programs is prepared, like the rest of the Oswego campus, to be flexible and adjust as the situation demands.”

In the event that SUNY Oswego returns to normalcy in the Fall, the college will have to adhere to CDC guidelines and in some cases those applying to the state of New York to ensure students’ safety.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]