Two University students missing

Two University students -- one in Scipio, N.Y., the other in Philadelphia -- have been reported missing to police.

University junior Nathan O. Swymer, 19, was last seen by neighbors paddling in a rowboat by himself on Owasco Lake in New York on Saturday morning, New York State Police said.

Swymer, who is taking part in a work-study program in Auburn, N.Y. left his rented cottage on the west side of the lake Saturday morning. Residents on the east side of the lake found his 7-foot aluminum rowboat and small paddle unattended a mile away from his cottage.

A junior majoring in electrical engineering from Exton, Pa., Swymer worked at Goulds Pumps in Auburn, N.Y. His supervisor at Goulds Pumps reported him missing when he didn't go to work on Monday morning. Friends and family had not talked to him recently, police said.

Ground and aerial searches by state troopers and Scipio and Fleming Fire Departments have been unsuccessful.

"If he is in fact in the water, finding him will be very, very difficult," said N.Y. state police Capt. Donald Swain.

Owasco, one of the Finger Lakes in central New York, is 177 feet deep, drops off very quickly from the shoreline and is slightly above freezing this time of year, Swain said.

State police divers, who are capable of searching up to 80 feet deep, will continue the search, Swain said. To search any deeper, cameras on towropes will need to be utilized, Swain added.

The other missing person, a University graduate student identified only as a 48-year-old black male by University Police Services, was attending a conference in Philadelphia on Sunday with a group of other graduate students, police said.

Catherine Lyons, director of the University Center for Minority Graduate Opportunities, reported the student missing when he failed to return to the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, University police said.

Philadelphia and University police are not releasing any more information at this time.