SUNY Oswego Experiences Mass Student Exodus
Hundreds of students left SUNY Oswego today just days after the announcement of the future foreclosure of the school due to under funding.
Last week the institution announced the closing of its doors permanently as of 2011. Within hours of the announcement, students began to protest, begging state governments and SUNY officials to find ways to keep the school open. However, their cries of help seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Two days later, SUNY Oswego announced a series of drastic cuts to programs and operating expenses. This included various educational programs, energy costs, and staffing. This morning it seems students had had enough when the administration announced the closure of all sports programs at the school. Just weeks before finals, students began to package up their things and move out of their dorms and away from their institution.
When asked about the decision to leave SUNY Oswego before classes had ended one student responded with “what do finals matter, I have already filed for a transfer to SUNY Albany. There is nothing here for me now.” Other students stated, “I will not stay in a place where they have taken everything but the light bulbs from us.” The majority of students have decided to take a transfer to another SUNY institution at a reduced price for next semester, adding to the feeling of why should we stay.
Currently, the only people left at the campus are seniors, who will be graduating in May regardless of cuts and closings, and the majority of juniors who say they might as well stick around since they have been here this long. When asked about what should have been done to prevent this situation, many of the students said they did not expect it and had no clue as to why it happened. Perhaps if students had been more involved they would have been able to save their campus.
Would you have seen this coming? How knowledgeable do you think you are when it comes to the financing of Higher Education in New York? Would you leave SUNY Oswego before finals if you knew it would be closing? What could have been done to prevent this?
-Garry W. Herbert Jr.
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It sucks that we all have to leave just when the weather was getting nice…
Oh I have been through this situation before it’s so sad. The company I worked at for 5 years went out of business and threw us out on our cans just like oswego is doing now. Nothing we tried to do then made any difference. It doesn’t surprise me that our cries and pleas are being ignored now. It would take a pardon from the president to save us now.
So sad to see the place go. Our hospitals and schools should be the last places to close. Education must always be a priority for our society to prosper and grow and survive!!