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Syracuse University will shift classes online for the remainder of the fall semester starting Nov. 16., university officials announced Monday.

SU made the decision given rising coronavirus cases in the central New York region and to provide greater flexibility for students returning home ahead of Thanksgiving, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie and Interim Provost John Liu said in an SU News release. Students may continue to attend in-person classes, which were originally set to end Nov. 24, until the end of the week.

The university is also immediately suspending all in-person events sponsored by SU or student organizations, as well as all  all Greek life activities. SU is restricting all on-and off-campus gatherings to at most five students who don’t live together.

SU issued the series of restrictions as the university experiences “a troubling increase in new COVID-19 cases,” Haynie and Liu said. The university’s contact tracing efforts suggest that the new cases are linked to community spread and not to any specific event or gathering, the officials said.

Following Monday’s announcement, SU reported 19 cases of COVID-19 among students in central New York and one among employees in the region, bringing the total number of active cases to 88.

The university will suspend in-person dining at SU’s dining centers beginning Tuesday. All meals will be served via grab and go containers, Liu and Haynie said.

Students can continue to schedule health appointments and work out at the Barnes Center at the Arch, and satellite fitness centers will remain in operation. Intercollegiate athletics will continue, and libraries and academic support-related appointments will also be available to students, the officials said.

Published on November 9, 2020 at 1:09 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3