OBSERVER Photo by Natasha Matteliano Students on campus follow the policies of wearing a face mask.

Dunkirk and Fredonia mayors have an message to the returning campus community: if you’re planning to party, there will be consequences.

The letter, signed by Mayor Douglas Essek of the village and Mayor Wilfred Rosas of the city also offer greetings to the students who arrived on campus last week. But the elected officials also stress that keeping the community safe is a priority.

“Welcome — or welcome back — to our corner of Western New York! For almost 200 years the village of Fredonia and the city of Dunkirk have embraced the arrival of students and staff to campus,” Essek and Rosas wrote. “You have lived, dined, and shopped alongside the permanent residents of our region and enriched our communities, but never before have we endured the uncertain times we are currently living through.”

Already, the university has confirmed one positive case of the coronavirus that has led to a student leaving campus with two others who were in close contact with the person.

Though the campus administration has communicated with students the expectations when they are on campus, the mayors set some expectations of their own for the students when they are off campus.

“Be assured that President (Dr. Stephen) Kolison is in agreement with our communities on these expectations,” the officials said. “The most important guidelines involve wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands often. You should have a mask with you at all times, and you should wear it whenever you cannot maintain a safe social distance, 6 feet, from others. This is especially true when walking in the community in small groups. We encourage you to be a leader among your peers and ask and encourage them to wear a mask.”

Being a college campus, parties will always be popular during night and weekend events, but Rosas and Essek are encouraging students to refrain from those at this time. “Right now large gatherings and/or parties are problematic at best, and potentially disastrous at worst,” they wrote, noting the news from across the nation of universities already forced to move to distance education because of outbreaks attributed to large gatherings.

“For you to stay in Fredonia this semester, and for all the hard work and the planning to pay off, you simply cannot host parties,” reads the letter. “The police departments in both municipalities work closely with Fredonia’s Office of Student Conduct, and violators are subject to appropriate disciplinary action.” It is important to remember that Fredonia’s Student Code of Conduct applies to students off campus as well as on campus.

They closed the letter explaining they want the “rich and vibrant atmosphere” the college community provides, but they do not want the community to see a spike in cases or watch the campus move to all online classes again. Of utmost importance, they do not want to see the health of students or residents endangered.

“Please embrace the social responsibility to do the right thing and protect others,” the mayors said. “We’re all in this together. And together, we can have a full and productive Fall 2020 semester that is as safe as possible for the entire region.”