By Paul Cifonelli / Co-Editor-in-Chief

With the fall semester at Brockport being changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many things students are used to have either not been happening or been altered. One of these things is the on-campus living situation, which has seen many students not return to campus or live in single rooms. That situation took another twist on Friday, Sept. 25, when students living in Harmon Hall moved to create another isolation and quarantine building on campus. Gordon Hall, which is connected to Harmon Hall, is the other. 

Monique Rew-Bigelow, director of Residential Life and Learning Communities at SUNY Brockport, noted that the students who were moving buildings were also tested for COVID-19 this week. 

“To follow the COVID-19 protocols, spaces that Harmon Hall residents were moving into were cleaned and disinfected before they moved in,” Rew-Bigelow wrote. “Also, as noted in President Macpherson’s email on Monday, Sept. 21, students who are moved residence halls participated in pool testing because we wanted to ensure that new student pairs or suitemates are all testing negative prior to the move. It is important to note that this is not due to an outbreak and Harmon Hall residents who are moving are not COVID-19 positive or sick.” 

The affected students and parents were informed of the plan on Friday, Sept. 18, and were allowed to choose whether they wanted to keep a roommate or not. If the student decided to stay with a roommate, they were given a credit on their Spring 2021 bill for a part of their rent. Additionally, students could choose whether they wanted to stay in suite-style rooms or change to corridor-style.  

 Rew-Bigelow made sure everyone who needed to move but wanted to keep their roommates got their wish. 

“We were able to honor 100% of the confirmed roommate requests,” Rew-Bigelow wrote. “We worked diligently to honor the preferences of preferred building selection.” 

The Residence Assistants also had to move out of Harmon Hall, but they are keeping their positions and will be helping on other staffs. 

The students who moved are in a difficult spot. They were separated from the people they met a month ago and will now live with and near people who they may not know. Despite living together for a short period, the students living in Harmon Hall became very close and are disappointed to be leaving the residence hall. 

“I really am upset about [moving out] because all of us in Harmon became a family and now we all have to split up from each other,” resident Ryleigh Houston said. “Since COVID is happening, we really can’t see each other. So now have to forget that friend group and make a new one. It’s sad and angered a lot of us because we all made a big family.”