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Videos show large gathering of SU students on campus, not social distancing

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Large groups of Syracuse University students gathered on campus Wednesday night, videos and pictures circulating on social media show.

At least 100 students, some without masks, are seen on video gathering on the university’s Quad and not social distancing. The videos come less than a week before the official start of classes on Monday.

The gathering began with a small group of students congregating in the Quad around 9:45 p.m. and had “grown considerable” by 10p.m., Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado said in a statement Thursday. DPS dispatched officers to the Quad at 10:19 p.m., and the area had been cleared by 10:30 p.m. DPS is headquartered at Sims Hall, a short walk from the Quad.

“I am disappointed that a group of this size was able to congregate so quickly,” Maldonado said. “I assure you: we have already taken the appropriate steps to ensure this will not happen again.”

DPS has launched an investigation into the gathering. Any individuals identified in security camera footage of the Quad will face disciplinary proceedings, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie said in an SU News release Thursday.

The students who “selfishly” gathered on the Quad could have caused enough damage to shut down on-campus instruction, Haynie said. Over the past week, several universities, including the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame, have transitioned back to online-only classes due to coronavirus outbreaks on campus.

The university has asked students to commit to its Stay Safe Pledge, a set of health guidelines. The pledge bans gatherings of more than 25 people and mandates that all students practice social distancing and wear masks while in public spaces.

Students who violate the guidelines, regardless of whether they have signed the pledge, can be referred to SU’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for violations of the Code of Student Conduct. Penalties range from disciplinary probation to suspension and expulsion. 

“Make no mistake, there was not a single student who gathered on the Quad last night who did not know and understand that it was wrong to do so,” Haynie said. “Instead, those students knowingly ignored New York State public health law and the provisions of the Syracuse University Stay Safe Pledge.”

The university has already suspended a group of students participating in on-campus quarantine for violating guidelines outlined in the pledge.

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