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Syracuse University will consider expanding testing for students in the spring and adding more indoor spaces for academic and nonacademic purposes, Chancellor Kent Syverud said at a University Senate meeting Wednesday.

While it is still unclear how the pandemic will look come the spring semester, the university still plans to hold in-person classes beginning Jan. 25, Syverud said. SU will continue working with local and state health authorities to ensure a return to campus is safe, he said.

SU transitioned to online learning Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 cases at SU and within Onondaga County. The spike was the first time SU saw evidence of transmission of the virus within residence halls all semester, Syverud said.

“As we work to wrap-up the residential part of fall semester as safely as we can, we are learning from that and looking to the spring,” Syverud said.

Six committees that met ahead of the fall semester — including committees focussing on public health, academic strategies and residence life — will reconvene again during winter break to establish updated policies and guidelines for the spring semester, Syverud said.

The university will also develop new policies during the winter break to address challenges posed by cold and snowy weather as well as the rise in cases in the Syracuse area, Syverud said.

“It’s important that we do everything we can to prepare to be here in person in the spring,” Syverud said. “But we all need to be humble to realize there are things outside our control in the world that may make that not prudent.”

Senator Lee McKnight, a professor in the School of Information Studies, said he is concerned that some students living on campus will still prefer to attend class remotely, despite efforts to make an in-person spring semester possible. The university’s reopening plans should accommodate those who prefer remote learning, he said.

Syverud said the university will make it a priority to provide high quality in-person options for students.

The Schine Student Center, which is currently undergoing renovations, will reopen in January and can be used as a safe indoor space suitable for social distancing, Syverud said. The renovated Schine will also house several student resources offices, including SU’s Disability Cultural Center, Office of Multicultural Affairs and LGBT Resource Center, as well as additional dining options.

The university is also considering other well-ventilated, open spaces on campus for student and faculty use, Syverud said.

Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie has said that university officials are working to repurpose the Carrier Dome as a place to host classes and other student activities. The recently renovated stadium features the highest quality air filtration system on campus and can replace the stadium’s entire air volume nearly 10 times an hour, Haynie has said.

Though SU wasn’t able to continue in-person classes until Nov. 24 as planned, Syverud said he is proud of how university employees and students managed the virus.

“As a university, I think we did relatively well compared to our peers in the fall, but the spring semester has to be even better,” Syverud said.

Published on November 18, 2020 at 10:42 pm

Contact Kailey: kmnorusi@syr.edu