SUNY Oneonta Mishandles Crisis, Part II
Another student forwarded a new e-mail from SUNY Oneonta’s administration:
From: Students Enrolled in the Current Semester on behalf of BROADCAST
Sent: Mon 3/19/2007 3:12 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Announcement from the President’s OfficeTO: The Campus Community
FROM: Alan B. Donovan
DATE: March 19, 2007
As a follow-up to my earlier communication, it is with deep
regret that I inform you of the loss of [name withheld], who died
today. Kirstylee was a freshman majoring in Childhood Education at the
College.The entire College community extends its concern and sympathy
to Kirstylee’s family and friends. The College flag will be flown at
half mast for three days in her honor.
This message was sent less than 3 hours after the first. A real commitment to “concern and sympathy” would have included waiting to disclose the student’s name until after the family was notified and a general description of the circumstances could be issued. I won’t address the callous language in both e-mails (“found dead,” “died today,” etc.); it speaks for itself.
At this point, the College has put out a name and face that will undoubtedly focus and contribute to the speculation and gossip. Shameful.
The family is dealing with unimaginable grief. They need not be forced to deal with an unnecessary loss of dignity.
oneonta sucks. people die all the time
That seems to be the unfortunate case - the sheer volume of Google searches for “suny oneonta deaths” and similar queries that bring people to my site is troubling.
Wow, it’s been almost a year, but I still remember how disgusted I was with how the college handled that situation, and it has since turned into a little running joke about how you could die in your dorm room over the weekend and no one will notice until there’s a bad smell. You were right on with how the first email sent out encouraged viral talk. Students assumed it must have been alcohol poisoning or a fight and wondered if they even knew the person who had passed away, since rumors were spread about who it was, why, the residence, etc.
There’s been a few emails here or there ever since I started coming here in 2005 that led me to believe that violence is a BIG problem at Oneonta but that the college covers it up - there was an incident on the cow path that students frequently use to walk into the town and the email only said something along the lines of it being ‘an attack’ and to be very careful when using the path. That also led to viral talk, many students thought it was probably a rape since Oneonta is notorious for pretending those don’t happen here and covering up any of the stats regarding rape on this campus.
The incident you mentioned and many, many more over the years have clearly underlined that the administration at Oneonta cares only about making money off of the students and not our welfare. I also have found that I cannot even score a perfect grade on a test without my professors wanting to accuse me of cheating by having somehow acquired old tests (I’m an honest, A-level student all across the board!).
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW OFTEN ARE THIS CRIMES HAPPENING IN OR AROUND CAMPUS OR IN THE TOWN?
Liz,
The University is a public entity, so they have to release security/crime reports to anyone who requests them. The City of Oneonta should have it all on file, too.
There is a vortex in Oneonta that has swallowed up reason, lawfulness, and honesty.
The entire city government is laughable and they continue to take punitive actions toward those who try to invest in the city and make money. What is it about these people that they try to hinder quality minds and entrepreneurs?
There is a real problem here in Oneonta. If I were a sociologist I would find this an interesting place to study, but I’m not, so I find it a small minded town.