“We are so excited to welcome students back to campus over the next couple of days. This year, we are doing move-in over Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to allow for social distancing and for students to move in in a safe way,” said Director of Housing Amy Zieziula. “It will be a new year, with our masks on, but we are excited.”
SUNY Broome’s Student Village is home to 240 resident students and eight resident assistants. There are also two residence directors that live in the Student Village, Alexandria Donkor and Pamela Alverez.
Staying safe as we Reopen the Hive
As a part of the campus-wide effort to maintain a safe campus environment, move-in for the residence halls is staggered over four days to help reduce the number of people gathering on campus at one time. Each resident is screened upon arrival.
All residence hall bedrooms will now have one student per bedroom. SUNY Broome’s student living arrangements are “suite-style,” so students will share common spaces within those suites.
Additionally, signage on campus has been placed at entrances and exits to manage traffic flow and anyone on campus is required to maintain social distancing or wear a mask when social distancing is not possible.
Although life may look a little different, on-campus residents say they are looking forward to the start of the new semester.
Meet the residents
John Ryes, a Computer Technology major, says he is looking forward to making new friends and experiencing class online. “It’s kind of a historic moment in time, with the coronavirus,” he said.
“There has been a push for years saying that online classes are the way to go, and it’s kind of cool that we are living in that moment where we are all working together to figure out how to best use technology to learn and stay connected.”
Freshman Julieana Santiago arrives on campus for the first time with her family. “I’m excited to finally see the campus, move in, and start a new chapter in my life,” she says. “I’m looking forward to getting involved with clubs and student organizations.”
A Criminal Justice/Police major from the Bronx, Julieana’s ultimate goal is to become a detective.
Why come to SUNY Broome? “I started looking at colleges and saw SUNY Broome, and everything they had to offer both on and off-campus. I just fell in love,” says Julieana.
Kamilah Grosso, helps students get checked in and welcomes them as they arrive at the Student Village. A student in the EMT/Paramedic program, this will be her first semester as a Resident Assistant in the Student Village. “I am so excited to meet everyone and just have fun!” Kamilah says.
Nakwan Spratley says he’s excited to meet new people and learn from everyone’s different perspectives.
Why did he choose SUNY Broome? “I felt comfortable when I visited. It feels safe here and that’s essential.” Nakwan is in the Homeland Security program, he likes to play basketball in his spare time and he says his ultimate goal is to become an FBI Agent.
Resident Assistant, Christina Thompson is a sophomore at SUNY Broome. She is majoring in Liberal Arts, Individual Studies. She says her goal is to transfer into a four-year political science program after graduating from SUNY Broome. She says she is looking forward to meeting all of the new residents and making new friends. “We’re going to be stuck in side a lot due to on-line classes,” she said. “So, I’m looking forward to making new connections in the Student Village.”
BUZZ Photos: See more photos from Move-In-Days
Reopening the Hive – Stay connected
Students can find all of the latest updates and information on campus operations, student/employee resources, important dates, and procedures our Reopening the Hive website.
Follow SUNY Broome on social media for updates on campus life and student resources.
Tags: Computer Technology AAS, Housing
