Flyer at SUNY-ESF dorm falsely says students were quarantined

SUNY-ESF officials are investigating a flyer hung on a Centennial Hall door that said students inside were quarantined. 

No one is quarantined in the residence hall or any SUNY-ESF building, said Dave Amberg, interim president, in a statement Tuesday. The University Police Department is investigating the incident as an instance of bias targeting individuals based on race, Amberg said. 

“The college has zero tolerance for incidents of bias, racism and hate to ensure our entire campus community can live, study and work in an inclusive and safe environment,” Amberg said. 

Pictures of the flyer were posted to social media, Amber said. The flyer is one of at least 32 racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents to occur at or near Syracuse University since early November. It’s the second bias incident reported at SUNY-ESF since November.

SU announced Tuesday that it is suspending all on-campus classes until at least March 30 due to the spread of the coronavirus. The university will transfer all academic programs online at the end of the academic day Friday.

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a respiratory disease that has spread to at least 97 countries, infected over 113,700 and killed more than 4,000 worldwide.

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Onondaga County. There were 142 confirmed cases of the virus in New York state as of Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter. Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to the spread of the virus.

Two instances of racist graffiti were found in SUNY-ESF’S Centennial Hall in early February. 

The graffiti was written on whiteboards in the residence hall and posted to social media, the university said. University Police identified an alleged perpetrator and the university immediately suspended the individual while it investigates, the university said.