News

The next scheduled pooled saliva testing is tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in STUAC. All students currently living on campus must participate. All employees who are regularly on campus physically should plan to participate as well. To comply with SUNY system’s recent guidelines and our recently approved COVID plan, everyone must be tested weekly.

We hope you have enjoyed a restful winter break! We have delayed our start of classes until Feb. 8.This delay in the start to the semester will allow cases from the holidays to clear, more people to be vaccinated, and more of the semester’s work to be conducted in (hopefully) warmer weather that allows for more ventilation and outdoor activity.

One large, ongoing art project is how Taylor McDowell describes his life.Why? Because its elements combine to create a portrait of what the 2015 SUNY Morrisville graduate loves: web and game development, drumming, storytelling, art and music. Each has shaped the life of the 28-year-old New Hartford, New York resident, whose palette is a colorful blend of perseverance and will.

Like most first-year students in 2020, Mo the Mustang’s (they/them/their) arrival on campus at SUNY Morrisville was not what they originally had in mind. Wearing a face mask, practicing physical distancing, picking up meals to go and otherwise adjusting to pandemic life were some of the firsts that the college’s mascot experienced at the same time as other students.

As the COVID-19 pandemic caused the physical world to remain distanced, the virtual world of esports has emerged to connect people like never before. SUNY Morrisville students are among those taking a hold of esports (electronic sports), an organized sports competition featuring multiplayer video games where gamers from around the world can compete individually or as a team. They also can tune in as spectators.

It was going to be a memorable spring break in Morocco. As she packed her suitcase, Jessica Miller’s mind drifted to the mountainous country of western North Africa, a March trip she had planned for months to marry her fiancé, Mouaad Essaadi, who lives there.

Shortly after he graduated from SUNY Morrisville, Kyle Clark ’18 returned to his fifth-generation family dairy farm with a four-year degree in dairy management and a plan to resurrect the creamery that once stood on the property, located on Elk Creek Road in Delhi, New York.

Brian Simmons’ aunt offered him a job washing dishes on a Friday night when her restaurant in Nunda, New York, was short-staffed. “The rest is history,” he said. Since that day more than two decades ago, Simmons ’01 has built a successful career out of nourishing patrons as owner and chef of The Yard of Ale Restaurant.

Rebecca Werbela ’04 started an agriculture education program at Morrisville-Eaton Middle-High School in a small room with big plans. As they grew, so did the excitement of her students who are grabbing hold of dynamic lessons — getting their hands dirty building and planting, growing vegetables hydroponically and gaining an understanding about the hundreds of careers available to them in the agriculture industry.

Three pairs of siblings at SUNY Morrisville are bringing more than just their skill and abilities to the game — they bring their chemistry, the anticipation of the next move, the difference in balance that counters the other and the desire to make a difference in Mustang athletics. Despite all spring- and fall-season athletics competitions being canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the siblings shared their thoughts about being teammates.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this week’s final pooled saliva testing effort before the end of in-person instruction on campus. We are as appreciative of all students and employees who gave their samples as we are for the volunteers who helped staff the collection efforts.

I understand the world is full of a lot of uncertainty, and 2020 has perhaps reminded us of that more than any other year in recent memory.

All testing samples collected this week (Nov. 2-6) for both wastewater and pooled saliva testing for COVID-19 have been received. Two pooled saliva tests from student-athlete samples came back positive, and reflex testing is underway to identify individuals with positive tests. Employee samples all came back negative.

As you prepare to leave campus following the end of in-person classes in the coming weeks, all students must first participate in one final round of pooled saliva testing, as required by SUNY System Administration in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 from community to community.

Dear Mustangs, We know that this has been a rough and challenging semester. We know that gathering and socializing is a valued part of the college experience. We know that Halloween is a treasured day of having fun with your friends. And we know that COVID-19 can spread through high-risk activities, such as parties, large gatherings, and when people do not physically distance or wear protective face coverings.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — A photograph by Timothy Gerken, professor of humanities at SUNY Morrisville, is on display in collaboration with Denniston Hill, as part of For Freedoms’ nationwide campaign “2020 Awakening.” The artist-led collective campaign, which launched on Indigenous People’s Day (Columbus Day) Oct. 12, features billboards that appear in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Many touch on pressing issues of the current political campaign process.

If you go to a party, you will no longer go to SUNY Morrisville. This is as direct as I can be. I am aware of some parties, including one as recently as this past weekend, that were incredibly reckless and dangerous in a number of ways. We are identifying those who hosted and attended and taking sanctions against them. We will continue to do so until they stop or everyone is sent home.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — A new minor in agricultural human resources management is preparing SUNY Morrisville graduates to meet the growing demands of the modern farm business. “The diverse nature of the agricultural industry, increased agricultural labor laws and rapid consolidation of the agricultural industry are all factors influencing and creating the demand for this academic minor,” said Sheila Marshman, associate professor of agricultural business at SUNY Morrisville.

All testing samples collected last week (Oct. 12-16) for both wastewater and pooled saliva testing for COVID-19 have been received. A clarification about restricted movement is published online, and the Office of the Provost will soon send an update to faculty as well.

Whenever a residence hall has shown the presence of the virus, we have followed up with a precautionary quarantine or “restricted movement” to limit residential students from potentially spreading the virus until we have had an opportunity to conduct pooled saliva testing and have those results returned.

Dear members of the campus community, Last night, the campus received an update about results from this week’s COVID-19 testing efforts. It is a reminder how quickly a situation can change, and the responsibility each of us has to create and maintain a safer campus environment.

We have some initial results from this week’s wastewater and pooled saliva testing for COVID-19. Thursday afternoon, we received wastewater testing results from samples taken Tuesday, Oct. 13. Quantifiable levels were detected in Commons 1, Commons 2 and West Hall residence halls (the central plant samples showed the same).

We have received the most recent results of wastewater testing in Oneida Hall, samples taken Thursday, Oct. 8, in which COVID-19 has been detected at a significant level.  All residents of Oneida Hall must precautionarily quarantine in their rooms, effective immediately.

As SUNY Morrisville experiences its first increase in positive cases of COVID-19, it is helpful to review how testing, quarantine, isolation and contact tracing are connected, and how local health authorities are involved for everyone’s health and safety. 

With our first known positive cases on campus, as well as pending reflex testing on positive pooled saliva tests and detected virus levels in the wastewater, it is necessary to take the following steps: