(This information is not true. It is part of the Alternate Reality Game.)
Earlier today, SUNY Oswego announced that due to budget shortages the school would close its doors after the class of 2011 graduates.
The school says the closure of the campus is not a reflection of its performance, but a result of very difficult economic times. Although SUNY made it through the state budget process almost unscathed this year, it is expected that next year will not be so kind. SUNY says that increases in state funding will not come fast enough, and raising tuition again is out of the question.
In order to prepare for unavoidable budget cuts in the future, SUNY’s Board of Trustees has decided to close several of its campuses, starting with SUNY Oswego. The college has announced that all students who have filed for graduation before the deadline will be receiving diplomas, including all graduate students. It went on to say that students expecting to graduate after 2011 will have the option to transfer to another SUNY school at a reduced tuition cost. Students have been told that they will be granted admission at other SUNY institutions as long as their overall GPA is 2.5 or higher.
SUNY Oswego, known for several famous alumni such as Al Roker and Steve Levy, said even private donations could not fund the school for more than a year or so, and several programs would have to be cut. The institution believes it would be better shutting their doors earlier so students can begin the transfer process. Student Affairs says transcript fees will be eliminated; and staffing will be increased in order to deal with the rush of students looking to find another educational home.
SUNY Oswego was founded in 1861 and is one of the oldest campuses in the SUNY system.
saveoswego.wordpress.com 
I’m glad this is just a game and not reality.
This is an interesting experiment to show how rumors can get started and how quickly rumors spread.
Well someone sent me this news today! Glad to see it is a GAME!
This is the article on the web I came to when search in google ” SUNY OSWEGO CLOSING”. Your news is still traveling……….
It’s an unfortunate problem. We did not intend this to be disguised as news, but rather, as the ARG we sought it out to be.
While it is, of course, an ARG in reality, there seems to be a disconnect between the readers and the people behind the project that is creating these misconceptions… We apologize for any scares you may have had!
while i currently am enrolled at suny oswego, i don’t care too much about the closing of it. i have never felt any deep connection with the school. i came in as a transfer student and i have always felt like i was a second class citizen in the administrations eyes.
i’ve been left in the dark several times about important dates such as when i can start signing up for classes. i was told i would receive an email telling me when i could start signing up, never to receive one until this semester, my third semester here in oswego.
i understand the implications to teachers and younger students, and i pity them. they will have to soon find new work or a new school. where as i am leaving soon (hopefully).
Considering I’m a second semester sophomore in the process of changing my major to one that would add another year to my education….it looks like I’m going to have to start looking for another suny school to finish my education…
I wish the SUNY system had found a way to save money elsewhere. What else could they have done?
The closing of Oswego will not affect my education directly as I will be graduating before 2011. However, I am concerned and saddened that the place I have learned so much from will no longer be capable of providing higher education opportunities to current and prospective students. I had hoped to one day work professionally for SUNY Oswego, but it seems that my dream of giving back to the institution that has given me so much will be an impossibility. This all seems so sudden.
Where did we go wrong? Was there something more that we could have done?
-author is aware that this is an alternate reality game and NOT A REAL LIFE OCCURRENCE.
NOT funny, the fact that this is part of a game should have been more pronounced on the webpage because I nearly just had a heart attack, thanks!
Hi Anony Mous,
I’m sorry about that. We did everything we could to try to alert folks to the fact that this is an Alternate Reality Game. How did you hear about it? And what suggestions do you have for making sure that this doesn’t become a reality? The point of the game is to come up with solutions…
We have disclaimers around the page. There are disclaimers on the top, as well as in bold print on the right-hand side. This was never intended to be disguised as news, nor is it supposed to be funny. We want people to realize that SUNY is not immune to facing the possibility of shutting schools down. We’re sorry for the confusion!
While nothing is happening now- who is to say if things do not improve, that there will not be schools shut down down the road? We want people to express their opinions on the problem and ways that it can be fixed before it’s too late.
I believe it is time for people to consider that what we are trying to do is shock you into social change and activism. Students must be shaken out of apathy and realize that they are being affected directly by what is happening in the world. I believe often times College students see themselves as inside the metaphorical bubble. The real world can not touch us at school. This game is presenting you with a possible reality, one that should be considered carefully because it could happen. Instead of focusing on how you got duped or side-swiped by the news you should consider how the news made you feel when you first heard it and why you felt that way. How would you act and why. Would you try and fight back, would you let it happen. Stop the complaining and try playing the game. Personally, i know that i would make sure my voice was heard in Albany because even though i am graduating my diploma would essentially be from a non-existent school. Student need to respond, it needs to happen now. So please everyone join me and let me know what you would do to save oswego!
Definitely true. The only we are going to make a difference is in our numbers. Now that people should know its a game they should be trying to help our cause. How will employers feel that we graduated from a school that doesn’t even exist? This effects our educational credibility! So if we are going to make a difference on an issue that effects every person enrolled. It must be now!
I saw this comment on the Facebook page for this project:
Fine. Maybe you heard about this in some way that did not make it clear that it was a simulation. You have a right to be upset. But aren’t you glad you got a chance to panic in response to a game, and not in response to a real event? More importantly, now that the panic is over, are you going to do anything about it? Was part of that initial panic a feeling of helplessness? What steps can you take to avoid that feeling in the future?
Since I will have graduated by the time the school closes, it is sad to see it go. Many of my friends will still be enrolled and won’t have the opportunity to graduate from Oswego like I did. Imagine putting in countless hours of work only to learn that you won’t be able to graduate and will have to find another school. All the friends you made will be scattered around the state or even the country. I think it’s a little unfair for the freshman and sophomores who only got a year or two at Oswego and will now have to continue their education elsewhere.
Still, when you think about it-it’s just as bad for us. We’ll be stuck graduating from a soon-to-be non-existent school. It’s obviously too late to transfer for any Seniors, and if Juniors want to go, they will basically have to retake their Junior year for credit-requirement purposes. For myself, I am due to graduate in May- It’s not going to look good when they find out I graduated from a school that SUNY felt was expendable.
JeremyS I disagree,
Although it is a different view point I do not think it is going to be reflected on alumni because it would still be at one point an accredited college. I do see how being a graduate of a non existent school can be negative such as no college reunions. No way to reference back to the school other then the diploma that we receive.
Just because the state thought Oswego was expendable doesn’t mean that graduates won’t be able to get a job because of it. When you get your degree from Oswego, it is the same as getting it from any other college. The fact that Oswego no longer exists will not take away from the hard work that the student put in. Let’s say a Oswego graduate is the most qualified for a job, do you really think they won’t get it because the school they graduated from closed? I don’t think so.