CORTLAND, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Four SUNY Cortland students are charged with a noise complaint after a large house party on Tompkins Street early Saturday morning, and they could face disciplinary charges from the SUNY Office of Student Conduct.
Members of the Cortland Police Department responded to a noise complaint early Saturday morning, and as they approached the home, an occupant of the home noticed police, and could be heard telling people to get upstairs and turn the music off.
A female who was leaving the residence allowed police inside the home, where they found evidence of alcohol consumption, as well as an estimated 75 people who had locked themselves in rooms upstairs in the home, none of who were wearing masks.
After interviewing people, police were able to identify four residents of the home, who were uncooperative in removing the party’s attendees. They have been charged with a noise complaint and could face more charges from SUNY Cortland.
Below is the email sent to students:
Students,
This weekend, despite the serious threat that COVID-19 poses to us all, dozens of SUNY Cortland students attended an illegal off-campus house party. The party’s hosts were charged by the Cortland Police Department and have been placed on interim suspension. All identified students will face disciplinary action under the SUNY system’s uniform sanctioning policy that could include dismissal or suspension.
To say that I am disappointed and frustrated would be an understatement. The party was held just hours after I reached out to give you an update on the rising number of COVID-19 cases at SUNY Cortland. The selfishness and lack of judgment illustrated by Saturday’s party is appalling.
All students who attended the party should be aware that, given the widespread presence of COVID-19 in the community, it is likely they were exposed to the virus and may be unintentionally spreading it to others. It is imperative that these students participate in campus surveillance testing this week and I urge all of them to voluntarily quarantine until they have a result.
The Cortland Police and University Police departments will continue working together to locate and stop reckless and dangerous parties. Any resident of a home hosting such a party will be suspended. Students and parents should also note that suspension means the loss of tuition payment, room, board and fees for the semester. All students are aware of what is required to protect the health and safety of themselves and their community. The only plausible explanation for violating guidelines is that you simply cared more about your own fleeting fun than the harm you might cause by spreading a potentially fatal disease.
When I praised the majority of SUNY Cortland students for consistently wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding groups larger than 10 people, I meant it. And I still believe it is true: most students are doing what is needed to get us through the pandemic safely and prevent the campus from moving into a study-in-place model.
We are in the middle of a devastating pandemic that has killed nearly half a million Americans in just one year. Life simply cannot go on as though this danger does not exist. All of us are sacrificing today to have a better tomorrow. I understand that your college experience this year is different than what you might have imagined it would be. Still, I cannot stress enough how much we need each of you to follow all health and safety guidelines so that we can stop the spread of the virus, safeguard our community and preserve our semester.
All the best,
Erik J. Bitterbaum
President
On Monday afternoon, Chancellor Malatras responded with the statement below:
“I have received a report from the City of Cortland Police Department about large unauthorized parties held by SUNY Cortland students in recent weeks. At least one of the parties had up to 100 people packed into a house. As a result, there have been several arrests of SUNY Cortland Students. I thank the City of Cortland and Cortland University Police Departments for their joint effort and tireless work.
While I understand the fatigue and frustration of dealing with COVID, this is reckless and unacceptable behavior. Let us not forget that SUNY Cortland ended its fall semester on a state-mandated pause. If the actions of a small minority of students aren’t reversed immediately, the college will be put on a path toward a similar fate for the spring semester. Although low, SUNY Cortland’s COVID positivity rate is the highest of all SUNY campuses in the Central New York region.
Source: SUNY COVID Tracker
These unauthorized large parties could result in a significant increase in COVID cases. SUNY Cortland’s Administration must take control of this situation and they have begun taking disciplinary actions. To monitor any potential issues arising from these parties, I’ve asked SUNY Cortland to implement twice weekly testing of all students—on or off campus—for at least the next two weeks.
As a system SUNY has done extraordinarily well, with nearly one million tests and a statewide COVID positivity rate of just 0.52%. However, we cannot let a handful of selfish individuals ruin the semester and shutdown in-person learning for everyone else. We’ve come too far and we cannot go back. There is light at the end of the tunnel only if we stick together and respect the rules and one another.”
