Life at Syracuse University looks different this semester.

The coronavirus pandemic has moved many classes online and has put most social events on hold. Students wear masks whenever they step outside their dorm room. Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipe dispensers stand outside of classrooms. Blue-and-orange signs encouraging social distancing line the sidewalks and walkways on campus. 

As the university approaches its third week of in-person instruction, here are photographs that tell the story of SU in the era of COVID-19.

Photos by Emily Steinberger:

While several colleges in the United States have abandoned plans for in-person instruction due to spikes in on-campus infections, SU has yet to experience a serious outbreak. SU on Monday confirmed 12 active cases of the virus among students and employees in central New York, and 53 students are in quarantine.

Aside from dorm rooms and designated dining spaces, students are required to wear a mask on campus. Here, SU sophomore Alexandra Pollack studies in a common area in Watson Hall. 

Students who are caught without a mask may initially receive a warning, but repeated infractions can result in a referral to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Dining halls at SU have implemented measures to minimize contact between students and staff. Plexiglass separates students from food service workers, and all meals come in takeout boxes.

More recently, some dining halls have opened indoor and outdoor seating at limited capacity.

Residence halls at SU also face tighter restrictions this year. Students can’t enter any dorm other than their own, gather in their building’s common areas or have more than a few people in their dorm room at once. 

Dorms play a key role in SU’s COVID-19 containment strategy. If residents from one floor or building test positive, the entire building may face a mandatory quarantine.

While large social gatherings have become grounds for suspension or expulsion, SU officials have encouraged students to gather safely outside. Spray-painted white rings on the Quad and other grassy spaces mark areas where students can sit to maintain social distancing.

Signs encouraging students to practice social distancing, wash their hands and participate in SU’s testing efforts have appeared everywhere on campus, including on the Quad and along the promenade.

In-person classes this semester abide by strict safety protocols. Many classrooms have stickers to mark locations where students should stand or sit to maintain six feet of distance between one another. 

SU has also adjusted its transportation options this year, shifting bus and trolley schedules to promote social distancing and minimize density.

The university initially planned to close most of Barnes Center at The Arch’s recreation spaces in accordance with a New York state ban on gyms. But when Gov. Andrew Cuomo partially lifted that ban, SU announced it would reopen many of its exercise facilities –– including the weight and cardio spaces at the Barnes Center––under strict social distancing guidelines.

Students who exercise at the Barnes Center must wear masks, remain six feet apart at all times and reserve time slots to use the facility.

To reduce density, many classes also follow a hybrid model, in which half the students in a given class join in person and the other half join virtually.

Here, five students gather in a computer lab in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Hendricks Chapel has also adapted to New York state social distancing guidelines. Religious services on campus take place both in person and virtually, and many worship spaces have been modified to accommodate social distancing. 

Students who come to SU this semester will not be able to venture too far from campus. As part of its guidelines for the fall, the university mandated that students remain within the central New York area for the duration of residential instruction.

As of now, SU intends to continue in-person classes until students return home for Thanksgiving break and administer finals remotely.

Published on September 2, 2020 at 12:10 am

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu