Syracuse University responded strongly Thursday to the large gathering of freshmen on the school quad Wednesday night, largely without masks and social distancing. SU Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado released a statementsaying 23 students have been suspended as a result of the gathering, and that investigations of who was in attendance remain ongoing.
Maldonado outlined what DPS knows of the event in the statement:
“A small group of students arrived on the Quad around 9:45 p.m. last night. By 10 p.m., the group had grown considerably. At 10:19 p.m., Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers were dispatched to the Quad. Moments later, DPS officers arrived on the scene and the Quad was cleared just after 10:30 p.m. This gathering was foolish as it put these individuals, their fellow students and our ability to remain on campus in jeopardy.”
Additional Information About Last Night's Quad Gathering https://t.co/bIrv93f573
— Syracuse University (@SyracuseU) August 21, 2020
Syracuse University has set the following requirements for gatherings that include people that are not roommates:
Wear a mask or face covering at all times! You must be able to maintain 6 feet of distance between individuals—always, no exceptions. Gather with no more than 25 people in a single space and only if your space allows 6 feet of distance between each person.
Maldonado went on to threaten students who host large gatherings with expulsion, and students who fail to follow the school’s “stay safe pledge” with substantial disciplinary action.
This after Vice Chancellor Michael Haynie released a statementof his own, calling the gatherers selfish and saying they may have done enough to shut down campus, similar to the situations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Notre Dame. SU classes begin in person on Monday.
