In 2019, the international flags that adorned Marano Campus Center (MCC) were removed for cleaning. Unfortunately, they were in such disrepair, that they could not be rehung. Then the COVID pandemic arrived, impacting all our priorities and timelines. Upon students’ return to campus for the fall 2021 semester, Takayla Beckon, the 2021-2022 Student Association president, asked the administration to replace the flags. She recognized the value they hold for our campus in acknowledging the diversity of students who attend SUNY Oswego.

At her urging, a campus-wide working group was created in fall 2021 to determine what flags should be hung and where. The culmination of that group's work was the installation in summer 2022 of a “Flags of Nations” display in MCC with the following description:

SUNY Oswego’s Flags of Nations represent the international and Indigenous connections of the SUNY Oswego community. Each flag displayed represents an enrolled SUNY Oswego student. We display these flags to acknowledge, celebrate, and honor the history, places and experiences of our diverse community.

SUNY Oswego plans to celebrate this installation with a campus reception on Friday, September 30, from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at the Flags of Nations, adjacent to the Auditorium (MCC 132) entrance. Mark your calendars and join us at this event as we kick off Founder's Weekend: Sept. 30 - Oct. 1. In the meantime, we encourage you to enjoy the beauty of the flags, and to visit the Flags of Nations webpage to learn more about the guidelines developed, the ongoing work of the flag committee, and to explore a flag resource guide developed by the Penfield Library staff.