Two steps forward, one step back. That’s the situation on the SUNY Oneonta campus.  This as administrators re-imposed a campus wide mask mandate following a sharp rise in COVID 19 cases. There have been 26 positive cases out of 846 COVID tests administered by health professionals  on campus.  During the past two weeks the positivity rate is above 3%. That’s the highest rate since last January. There has also been an increase in cases of flu and strep throat.

“We are experiencing an uptick in both the student and employee populations,” Alberto Cardelle, SUNY Oneonta president, said in a public letter provided to CNY News.

The mandate requires students, faculty and staff to wear masks indoors. Exceptions include while eating, drinking, working at a cubical, or in one’s dorm room. Eating and drinking is prohibited in classrooms.  Students and staff are being encouraged to take advantage of the Spring weather to eat and hold meetings outside.  The mask requirement runs through May 20th. SUNY Oneonta Commencement ceremonies are set for May 21st. Administrators said they will decide by the week of May 16th if masking will be required at commencement.

Hartwick College does not have a mask requirement at this time nor does the Oneonta City School District. However, OCSD has had a surge of 38 newly reported cases of COVID from May 5th through May 9th.

“The school district has a plan in place in which any positive cases will be tracked through established contact tracing protocols and in coordination with the local health department,” according to a statement from the district.

The 12 Most Stunning College Campuses in Upstate NY

Throughout New York State, our college campuses run from the urban blocks-long, wooden and brick ones in New York City, to the sprawling college campuses which dot Upstate New York from the Hudson Valley to Buffalo. We list here the dozen most stunning campuses in Upstate.

These Seven College Students Vanished In New York State

When each of these young people vanished, they were college students in the state of New York. If you have any information on the whereabouts of any of these individuals, please reach out to the New York Missing Persons Clearinghouse by calling 1-800-346-3543.

Read More! Belly Up To The Bar at Upstate New York's Best College Bars

With college campuses spread from one end of Upstate New York to the other, well, you just know there are going to be many college bars to keep everybody happy. If you are a student, a parent of a student, or a visiting graduate from the Class of 1985, here is the place to sit and sip and enjoy your memories of college days.

Bennett College, Millbrook, NY

The last piece to fall at Bennett College was Halcyon Hall and now that grand building is rubble on the ground.

These Ten Smallest Upstate New York Schools Keep Teaching Their Kids The "3 R's"

These are the ten smallest school districts in New York (by enrollment). Notice they are almost exclusively located in the rural parts of Northern New York. Still, credit must be given for the historic nature of these special schools.

More From Mix 103.9