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Syracuse University’s decision to reopen campus this fall resulted in an unfortunate but unsurprising campus shutdown amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and after several clusters among students. The university shouldn’t take such a considerable risk again in the spring.

The possibility of switching to remote learning this semester was always at the back of everyone’s minds given the infection rates in central New York. Even with SU administrators and the Department of Public Safety keeping a close watch on students, there wasn’t any guarantee that this semester would have gone smoothly.

Traveling during a pandemic to return to SU this spring will place stress and anxiety on students. COVID-19 spreads very quickly, especially during the winter months. While SU seems to be optimistic that it will host on-campus instruction during the upcoming semester, there are bigger risks associated with returning to the university during the colder months.

“People have so much anxiety about getting COVID through any means of travel,” SU sophomore Ivy Lin said. “There are so many uncontrollable factors that bring stress, especially for young adults who are still learning how to navigate through life.” 

Having students travel all the way back to SU this spring also brings up financial concerns. Quickly switching to remote learning if cases spike again fails to consider those with fixed leases or those who can’t afford to travel home, and it especially puts international students in uncomfortable situations. For them, hasty decisions to return home include booking flights thousands of miles away, canceling pre-booked flights, and stressing over finding a new flight. 

Both international students and those who don’t live in driving distance from campus feel these stresses. While in-person learning sounds good, it’s far from easy. It puts students in financial stress.

SU’s reputation for being one of the top party schools in the nation also impacts the Syracuse community. As in the fall, there’s no guarantee that students won’t throw parties or host large gatherings. If anything, the cold weather will encourage students to be much more discreet about these gatherings than they were this semester. 

Any holiday or event brings celebrations that will lead to a surge in cases. SU needs to consider this, as it’s very draining to control students, especially when parties are familiar on campus.

We are all hopeful for a vaccine, but the distribution of one could also mean that students begin taking risks, holding large gatherings, and failing to follow SU’s COVID-19 guidelines. This is something SU needs to consider while thinking of reopening campus next semester. There have been lots of moments when a large number of cases emerged due to large gatherings of students, and this will most likely reoccur in the spring.

SU has worked incredibly hard to make this fall semester happen. But the semester ended in a campus shutdown. SU should learn its lesson from the fall and reconsider whether opening campus in the upcoming semester would be wise.

Sourov Rayhan is a sophomore English major. Their column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at srayhan@syr.edu.

Published on December 4, 2020 at 9:20 pm