S'mores, nachos and a scavenger hunt: Students return next week

College relies on vaccinations; eases rules for boosters, pre-arrival tests

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No mask, no booster, and no negative test — SUNY Cortland students arriving for the semester starting next week will instead find s'mores, nachos, lawn games, chocolate fountains and a scavenger hunt.

That's a change from last semester, when students needed both a COVID-19 booster and a negative COVID-19 test upon returning to campus.

Though boosters and pre-arrival testing are not required, both are strongly encouraged, shows information from the college. Indoor masking will be required only in healthcare settings, like the Student Health Service, though may be reinstated if recommended by health organizations, according to the college's website.

This year, it seems like the school year will be the old normal. “We do not anticipate a reduction in any activities,” Fred Pierce, director of communications at SUNY Cortland, said in an email.

The residence halls open Aug. 25. That will be followed by 11 days of activities and information, including trips to the New York State Fair and to play miniature golf.

Many more students than last year are vaccinated, Pierce said, and of course no vaccine was available in 2020.

“All but a handful of exempted students will be fully vaccinated when they arrive," Pierce said. "This was not the case last year.”

Campus policies will follow local and state guidelines, Pierce added. “If the situation regarding the pandemic changes, our policies will change accordingly.”

The university continues a monitoring program to identify new cases, according to the website.

Two years ago, students were blamed for a spike in COVID-19 cases, attributed mostly to small gatherings of students off campus, following a spring 2020 semester that saw the campus closed to stem the spread of coronavirus. The rise was worse at other campuses, including SUNY Oswego and SUNY Oneonta, where large parties were reported and students were suspended.

Still, pre-screening remains an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus, a medical expert said.

“Pre-arrival testing is just one of many screening tools that colleges and universities can use to prevent spread of the COVID-19 in the community,” Dr. Paula Brooks, chief medical officer for Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, wrote in an email.

Pre-screening targets asymptomatic individuals, who can be responsible for a significant portion of transmission, said Brooks, adding that a study shows more than 20% of new COVID-19 cases were believed to be attributable to asymptomatic carriers.

Boosters increase immunity, especially immunity to new variants, by as much as 20 times, Brooks said. “This can significantly slow the transmission of COVID-19,” she said, along with decreasing the severity of illness.