Video shows dozens of students packed together outside Flint Hall on Friday

The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

Dozens of Syracuse University students gathered outside Flint Hall on Friday night in violation of social distancing guidelines, a video obtained by The Daily Orange shows. 

The video shows the students crowding outside the residence hall at around 11:40 p.m. At least four Department of Public Safety cars later arrived at the Mount Olympus dorms to disperse the crowd. 

The gathering at Flint Hall occurred two nights after a over 100 students gathered on the university’s Quad. The university has already placed 23 students on interim suspension in connection with the Quad gathering and other violations.

Dozens of students gathered outside Flint Hall last night without social distancing, as seen in a video obtained by The Daily Orange. pic.twitter.com/wFIkHGfo12

— The Daily Orange (@dailyorange) August 22, 2020

As a part of its COVID-19 response strategy, the university has asked students to commit to a set of health guidelines outlined in its Stay Safe Pledge. The pledge bans gatherings of over 25 people and requires all students to practice social distancing and wear masks in public spaces. 

A university official warned that the students who “selfishly” gathered on the Quad could have caused enough damage to shut down on-campus instruction. Over the past week, several universities have canceled in-person classes due to coronavirus outbreaks on campus. 

The Flint Hall video comes two days before classes officially start on Monday.