SUNY Chancellor John King visited SUNY Oneonta to welcome new students to campus on move-in day Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Cars began entering campus in the early morning, with campus staff directing drivers to wait in line near the Alumni Fieldhouse parking lot, as parking spots opened up closer to the dorms. As the morning continued, hundreds of students made their ways into the residence halls to set up their rooms and meet fellow Red Dragons.
Jill Shea Fuery, a SUNY Oneonta spokesperson, said the university welcomed about 1,250 students to their first-year class this semester. The top majors for this year’s class are business administration, psychology and early childhood education, she added.
King arrived at about 10 a.m. and began greeting students in their cars as they drove onto campus. He then made his way to Hulbert and Wilber residence halls, talking to students in the dorms before visiting some other key locations on campus.
“I wanted to be at SUNY Oneonta for their first day because I knew it would be a wonderful, joyful experience,” King said Wednesday. “President (Alberto) Cardelle is doing a great job leading Oneonta, and I want to support him and his team as they welcome students for the new year.”
King said he tries to visit as many campuses as possible, making appearances at seven western New York campuses last week. At SUNY Oneonta, King learned about its move-in recycling program, run through a partnership with the Arc Otsego Reuse Center. It includes nine recycling ambassadors who work with students during move-in to collect plastic film, polystyrene foam and carboard for recycling.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, King said in a message to new students. He added that all new students may face challenges with something, whether it be a relationship with a roommate or a difficult class.
“It’s important for them to not be afraid, to tell someone,” King said. “All of the faculty, all of the staff, are here to support them to ensure their success, so we want student to feel comfortable asking for help.”
After seeing some of the residence halls, King took a look at a new university addition through the school’s Springbrook collaboration. Springbrook is an organization that provides help and support to those in New York with developmental disabilities.
Springbrook is going to start running a satellite day habilitation program, GoZone, that offers adults with developmental disabilities enrichment opportunities.
Shea Fuery said a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facility is scheduled for later this month.
King also visited the school’s community media lab, which according to a fact sheet handed out during the visit, acts as a “central hub” for SUNY Oneonta’s work with the SUNY Institute for Local News. University faculty and administrators are planning to use the space for journalism, media and communications classes, to monitor the news and as a collaborative space for student groups, among many other functions.
After the media lab, King paid a visit to the on-campus thrift store, which reopened in 2024 in the Hunt Union “Living Room” and is overseen by the Office of Sustainability. Proceeds go to a one-time $2,500 scholarship, awarded to a student for their “involvement in campus sustainability initiatives,” the university website stated.
As move-in day continued, more students and families flooded the campus streets. Christie Ghorayeb, a resident assistant and a sophomore at SUNY Oneonta majoring in biology on the pre-med track, said she was looking forward to meeting everyone and being a figure the new residents can learn to depend on.
“Moving into college is hard, and it’s not an easy transition,” Ghorayeb said. “I really valued my RAs when I was in freshman year, so being that pillar for them as well, that’s definitely the most exciting part.”
As her family helped her move into her new dorm in Golding Hall, incoming first-year, Emma Robideau, 17, from Homer, New York, said she was most excited for the “classes and opportunities the school has.”
Madi Goncalves, 18, from Long Island, said she was looking forward to “living away from home and learning how to be on my own.”
“I’m looking forward to making new friends and new memories,” said Goncalves’s roommate, Maisie Gallagher, 18, from Long Island.