Good as Gold

Alumni Contribute to the Greater Good

SUNY Oswego’s alumni community has revealed their resiliency, generosity and resourcefulness in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. All across New York state and the nation, stories of our alumni stepping up to help others have emerged. From our alumni who are first responders and healthcare workers to our technology education alumni who have retrofitted equipment to develop face shields to protect the frontline in the battle against this virus, our alumni community is serving the greater good. Included below are a few snapshots of some of the alumni who are doing what they can to help during this global crisis.

Caring for the Sick

As a physician assistant in the Emergency Department at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, Siobhan McGee ‘13, a health and wellness alumna, has been caring for some of the sickest patients with COVID-19. Former SAVAC Chief Mike Russo ’20, an EMT in Suffolk County, was often the first on scene in responding to assist people gravely ill with the virus.

Shielding Others from Danger

Several alumni put their technical skills to use to create protective facial shields and masks for healthcare workers and first responders. Among them were the following: SUNY Oswego faculty members Daniel Tryon ‘89 and David Dunn with Tracy Fleming ‘87 M’92 of CiTi BOCES; Dave Christopher ’98, manager of the Cascade Maverik Lacrosse plant in Liverpool, N.Y.; technology education teacher in the West Genesee School District Matthew Makowiec ’10; Joseph Brand ’10 and Joseph Carpinone ’05, technology education teachers at William Floyd High School in Suffolk County on Long Island; Morgan Rumpf ’17, the deputy public information officer at Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Medford, Mass.; and Geri Bosco ’79 of Scriba, N.Y.

Offering Expertise and Perspective

Since March, dozens of alumni have volunteered their time to share their talents and expertise with students, other alumni and the broader college community. Among those alumni were Bob Moritz ’85 (pictured at right), global chair of the professional services powerhouse PwC, and Dr. Joseph Coughlin ’82, founding director of MIT’s AgeLab, whose insights are sought by business, financial and government leaders worldwide.

Read more about alumni contributions at magazine.oswego.edu. Our faculty and staff demonstrated incredible flexibility in their quick response to move in-person classes and work environments into the virtual realm and home offices. They found creative ways to maintain communications and the sense of community. The college initiated programs like Notes from Home and #TogetherOz, which included daily stories of inspiration, videos and bright spots from college community members. Faculty launched podcast series from their basements, introduced their pets to their students, interviewed each other online on a range of topics and shared tips on how to make life in the pandemic more bearable. Of course, the pandemic itself presented a timely subject for research from a wide range of academic disciplines, including the sciences. (See related story on page 30.)

Tenacity over Time

Optimism started to rise in MAY, as the numbers in New York City and Long Island stabilized and warmer weather and outdoor activities were deemed safer.

Following social distancing guidelines and based on the feedback from the graduating class, the college invited members of the Class of 2020 scheduled to graduate in mid-May to a Virtual Torchlight Ceremony and a Virtual Graduation Celebration. “We still hope to be able to have you participate in a traditional commencement ceremony on campus sometime in the next year when it becomes safe to do so,” President Stanley said to graduates in a MAY 5 email. “But for now, we don’t want to miss this moment to make sure you know how incredibly proud we are to welcome you as SUNY Oswego alumni!” On Commencement Eve, the college hosted the traditional candlelight Torchlight Ceremony, the official welcome for graduates into the Oswego Alumni Association. Although it was pre-recorded, the ceremony included the customary fanfare of trumpets, the Lighting of the Torch of Learning, the passing of the flame from faculty to alumni, the singing of the alma mater as well as remarks by Class of 2020 student speaker Tori Kammer ’20 and President Deborah F. Stanley. “We will go down in history for our tenacious spirit and unmatched work ethic,” Tori said. “We will embrace the world with a renewed perspective and make our families, our school and its alumni tremendously proud. Despite every obstacle in our way, we still did it! Unfortunately, we missed a lot of ‘lasts,’ but I want to remind you, we have a lifetime of ‘firsts’ still to come.”

The following day, the college shared a webcast for graduates that featured celebratory remarks by President Stanley, Al Roker ’76, Faculty Assembly Chair Lisa Glidden, Student Association President Takeena Strachan ’20 and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Ahmonique “Mo” Evans ’20 and Asha Bay ’19 M’20 presented the Class of 2020 banner to the college. Faculty and staff also shared congratulatory messages with the graduates. “You decided that giving up wasn’t an option—that the only choice was getting to the finish line,” President Stanley said. “There’s victory in the fact that in a moment of complete uncertainty you chose to find clarity and persevered ... We are all living in a grand challenge, and you have demonstrated amazing strength and resilience.” The college established a Class of 2020 Graduation Celebration website (oswego.edu/class-2020), which featured links to the ceremonies, downloadable signs for graduates to display, congratulatory messages and a slideshow.

Students returning to campus last fall, stand in line socially distant.

As the spring semester wound down, attention focused on the future. What would happen in the fall? Would the college be able to welcome students back to campus? What safeguards could be put in place to enable students’ safe return? Oswego Forward

BY LATE JUNE, the college leadership had developed a carefully made plan, Oswego Forward, to restart residential campus operations in the fall. The plan ensures that the New York State Phase Four Reopening New York Higher Education Guidelines are met and that the health and safety of all students and employees are protected. Among the highlights, the plan required students to be tested immediately upon arrival, which was a week to 10 days before the semester began. All breaks and holidays were suspended to encourage students to remain on campus for a condensed fall semester from AUG. 24 through NOV. 25, with the remainder of the semester and finals being completed after Thanksgiving from students’ homes. SUNY Oswego delivered a full class schedule that was approximately: 1/3 face-to-face; 1/3 online and 1/3 hybrid. Limiting the fully face-to-face classes reduced classroom density and possible exposure. In addition, campus facilities staff implemented new cleaning protocols and social distancing demarcations within all of the buildings. In Sheldon Hall, for example, traffic heading upstairs was routed to one stairwell, and traffic descending was routed to another stairwell.

Large arrows were taped to the floors indicating traffic flow, and soft seating had been taped over to prohibit people from sitting too close to each other. Plastic shields were installed on frontline staff desks to protect staff as well as visitors. Large sandwich boards and posters around campus were displayed to encourage responsible behaviors such as wearing face masks, washing hands regularly and practicing social distancing. Passing the Test

Perhaps one of the most important safeguards the college undertook was extensive testing of all students, faculty and staff.

SUNY Oswego was among the very first colleges to partner with SUNY Upstate Medical University to implement comprehensive saliva testing of all campus members. The test, which was developed by Upstate and Quadrant Biosciences researchers, was recently deemed the most effective COVID-19 saliva test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and ranked No. 6 globally for detecting the virus in its earliest stages. OSWEGO PROVIDED MORE TESTS TO ITS CAMPUS COMMUNITY THAN MOST OTHER SUNY SCHOOLS—even those with much larger populations (see related chart below). A public online dashboard tracked daily the number of cases of COVID-19 among the campus community, as well as the numbers of individuals in isolation or quarantine. The effectiveness of the quarantine/isolation protocols and Oswego Forward plan was put to the test by mid-September when the college community approached the infection rate thresholds of 100 individuals or 5% of the total on-campus population specified by the New York State Department of Health in the “Interim Guidance for Higher Education during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.” (continued on the next page)

Campus Administered COVID-19 Pool/Saliva Tests*

25,000

20,000 21,700

15,000

10,000

5,000 12,920 12,855 11,652 11,021 9,989 9,602 8,191 6,323 5,853

0 Oswego Potsdam CortlandPlattsburghOneonta Fredonia Geneseo New Paltz

PurchaseBuffalo State *Data from SUNY Oswego Tracker is current as of Dec. 9, 2020.