Student Association's response on implications following COVID-19
Memorandum
The Student Association’s Response on Regarding the implications following COVID-19
Fellow Lakers,
On Behalf of the Executive Branch of the Student Association, we as your peers find that you deserve answers and clarification to the announcements that have occurred within the last several days. We met with the administration yesterday and want to assure you that the administration is working the best they can to provide answers to students as frequently and in the most efficient way possible. With that being said, this is a very fluid situation and things are changing by the minute. As your student representatives, we have realized that this has brought copious amounts of stress, confusion, and difficulty to your lives and we would like to diminish this as much as possible. Since all institutions within the SUNY System are working to handle the implications of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), please keep in mind the true novelty of this situation. Administrators within the system are having to make unprecedented decisions at ground-breaking times. These decisions come with many implications for various groups yet, are made with all students, faculty, and staff in mind.
Within this announcement, we have outlined several points that pertain to many of the questions and concerns you have brought to us and faculty on this campus. Let it be noted that due to the fluidity of our current situation, these bullet points are as of March 13th, 2020 and might be subject to change pending further decisions made by our institution’s Administration.
In regards to SA Recognized Organizations Assembly & Finances:
● All travel within SA Recognized Organizations has been suspended until April 13th when another evaluation will be completed.
● All meetings of organizations are to be held electronically with no assemblage to be held on campus until April 13th until further evaluation is conducted. If you have any
questions or would like advice about how to conduct business via telecommunication, please reach out to sa.president@oswego.edu.
● Student Association President Strachan, Chief-of-Staff Techmanski, and SA Attorney Kristen Shanley will be changing their office hours to appointment-only until further notice. If you are seeking to meet with these executive members, please email sa.chiefofstaff@oswego.edu to schedule an appointment.
● Student Association Director of Finance Ryan Green will be changing his office hours to appointment-only.
● To ensure students can still receive cash from checks the Cash Checking window will remain open. Hours will vary and will be posted shortly .
● Any Purchase Orders (PO’s) that have been made that were for an event before April 13 have been voided.
● Equipment or supplies may still be ordered for your club, the process is still the same, however the time in which the requests are completed may be slower than usual.
● Clubs still have use of their budgets, any PO for an event after April 13 will be placed on hold and will not be processed, Any PO for an event on or off campus before April 13 will be denied.
In regards to Student Well-Being:
● Following the announcement from the administration, we are highly encouraging students to practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and stay home if you're feeling ill.
● If you find that you will face difficulty succeeding in your courses with the switch to an online learning model, please remember to stay in contact with your professors to discuss the impacts this might have on your academic achievement and save all course-related communication with professors (Ex. email chains & announcements).
● If at any point within this transition you face difficulty with your assignments due to access to technology, please contact Chief Technology Officer Sean Moriarty at sean.moriarty@oswego.edu .
● The mental and physical health of the student body is the primary concern to all faculty, staff, and student representatives on campus. Please remember to utilize both in-person and online campus resources such as the Counseling Services Center crisis hotline which can be reached at 315.312.4416 24/7 or BetterMynd to speak to a counselor virtually. Both Counseling Services (315-312-4416) and Health Services (315-312-4100), option 1) will shift to appointments only after spring break to ensure the health and safety of all students so call ahead if you are seeking out these resources.
● Please remember to also stay as active and healthy during this time as possible. Beyond washing your hands and other good general hygiene, exercise, take screen breaks, eat well, and still try to practice good sleeping habits.
In regards to General Campus Information:
● All offices on campus will remain open to continue to serve both the Oswego Community and students alike; please reach out to various departments during their normal office hours with questions
● March 14th - March 22nd, Auxiliary Services will have Cooper Dining Center Open for Brunch 9:00am - 2:00pm and Dinner 5:00pm - 7:30pm for students on a meal plan. Auxiliary services will send out further informationr on dining centers and on-campus eateries
● Academic buildings will remain open for use of faculty, staff, and students
● Residence halls will remain open during and after spring break; please contact Residence Life and Housing for request to stay after spring break.
● The administration will notify you about refunds as that information becomes available. The campus is hoping to resume face-to-face classes in the next four weeks; however as you all know it depends on the impact of the COVID-19 in our state and community.
Furthermore,
If there are any issues/questions/concerns that you find have not been addressed in this memo please reach out to sa.president@oswego.edu.
If there are any concerns regarding access to housing, food insecurity, technological resources, or any other student resources usually available when the campus is in full-motion , please reach out to Chief of Staff Justin Techmanski at sa.chiefofstaff@oswego.edu.
Any questions regarding the state of the Student Association Senate body, presidential elections, and the student activity fee referendum, please reach out to Vice President Matthew
O’Donnell at sa.vp@oswego.edu.
Any questions regarding the status of a club or organizations budget and the budget process moving forward, please contact the Director of Finance Ryan Green at sa.finance@oswego.edu.
Our first priority is the success of the student body and we want your livelihood and well-being to be at the forefront. We hope that you remain safe, healthy, and vigilant in your academic and
personal endeavors. In the meantime, feel free to add us on social media to keep up to date on what we are doing as we are still conducting business and look forward to finishing our
legislative session in full.
In times of difficulty, students must come together to defeat the struggles they face. Stay well and we wish you nothing but the absolute best in the upcoming weeks!
Sincerely,
Takeena Strachan, Student Association President
Justin Techmanski, Student Association Chief of Staff
Matthew O’Donnell, Student Association Vice President
Ryan Green, Student Association Director of Finance