Dear Members of the SUNY Oswego Community–
I am writing to address an incident that occurred on September 21, 2024 during the Annual ALANA Peace Walk, a cherished SUNY Oswego tradition which began 14 years ago -- an event that brings our community together in celebration of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. Toward the end of the event, as the 60 or so participants were approaching the Marano Campus Center from a peace walk that began at the Oswego City Hall, a driver of a car was reported to have displayed aggressive and frightening behavior toward walk participants, who were primarily students representing our many multicultural organizations and some administrators, faculty, and staff.
The university immediately commenced an investigation of the incident and continues to address the matter in line with our campus policies and procedures. I met and spoke with some of the students and staff who were present during the incident and who felt threatened because of the behavior exhibited by the driver.
I want to reassure our campus community that SUNY Oswego takes incidents of this nature very seriously, and that our campus is a place where we strive to ensure that each member feels safe and welcomed so that they may pursue their educational goals. Our campus can only thrive when we respect our institutional values of inclusivity, responsible dialogue, and respect for each other.
Let me be clear: There is no tolerance for bias or discrimination regarding race, color, and national origin on our campus. Additionally, students who engage in disruptive, menacing, harassing or discriminatory conduct will be held accountable.
I also wish to remind our community of the importance of reporting incidents of bias as well as any suspected violations of the Student Code of Conduct. To learn more about how SUNY Oswego responds to reports of bias, please visit the Bias Prevention and Response Team webpage. If you wish to report any incident, please visit this web page.
If you have been impacted by this incident or another, campus resources are available. Please contact the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling Services, or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for additional support.
I ask that you all join me in your daily actions toward one another, to demonstrate our strong commitment to a culture of civility, kindness, dialogue, and learning – and to reject actions which are counter to those ideals.
Remain well,
Peter O. Nwosu
President