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Syracuse University told 53 students living in Skyhall II on Sept. 9 that they would be moving out of their dorms to make room for isolation housing.

Students were moved across the entirety of the university’s campus. Some moved to apartments on South Campus, while others were asked to move to Main Campus residence halls, students told The Daily Orange. One student was moved off campus, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, in an email statement.

Many of the students who were moved out of Skyhall II expressed frustration over being moved from a single-person room to one with roommates. 

Jordan Steven Beasley, a sophomore majoring in political science, said that some Skyhall II residents went from being in a single room at Skyhall II to sharing a room “with people we never met or matched with.”

“Luckily my roommate is chill, and we get along nicely. But others I know have said otherwise,” Beasley said.

 

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Bella Rossi, a senior chemistry and forensics major, was told she would be relocated to Marion Hall and had to share an open double with the person who lived next door to her in Skyhall II. She and her family decided to find an off-campus apartment instead.

“I was in a position where my parents were OK with me getting an apartment off campus,” Rossi said. “I’m a senior; it’s a little different. I don’t know what underclassmen would have done at all.”

Rossi said she did not get assistance throughout the process of moving to off-campus housing. She moved out by the end of Saturday, and she had to rely on her mother and grandmother, who drove to Syracuse from Boston to help.

Staff from SU’s Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services took the concerns of students who wanted separate bedrooms into consideration by placing them in South Campus apartments, Scalese said. 

Christopher Cabral, a sophomore in the School of Information Studies, said his medical accommodations were not initially taken into account during the moving process. Cabral takes immunosuppressant medication, which can make you more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

At first, SU tried to move Cabral to an open double in Booth Hall. Cabral then explained why an open double would be potentially detrimental to his health. SU proceeded to move him to Haven Hall into a split double, where again he did not receive what he required.

After two relocations, Cabral was finally moved to a South Campus apartment where he has his own room separate from his roommate’s.

“I sent, like, six emails, and I only got one response,” he said.

Scalese said in an email to The D.O. that medical requirements were taken into account during the relocation process. The housing office “worked with students who had medical accommodations to ensure they were placed in a location that met their needs,” she said.

Ahmed AlQubaisi, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that while the move from Skyhall II was initially frustrating, the university shouldn’t necessarily be blamed. Beasley echoed a similar sentiment.

“I understand the reasoning behind it as COVID cases are ramping up at Syracuse,” Beasley said. “They need more space, but I believe it could have been handled better by early notification.”

When it came time to move, Joana Zuluaga, a sophomore in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, described it as “chaotic.” 

“It was really chaotic. It wasn’t really organized or anything like that, so I was freaking out the whole entire process,” Zuluaga said. “I was stressing out and my parents were telling me, ‘We’ll drive up,’ and I’d say ‘No, you shouldn’t drive up,’ because this is something (SU) should be handling.”

Depending on where the student moved, they will pay the lesser of the room charges, Scalese said. Additionally, she said that students who were moved will receive $500 of dining dollars to grant more flexibility with their meal choices this semester.

But Katie Fongvongsa, a sophomore transfer in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that the move felt rushed and unprepared overall.

“They didn’t really think about the situation and how it actually impacted us like we were actual humans,” she said.

Published on September 23, 2021 at 12:14 am

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2