First day reveals new campus norms

Syracuse University’s first days of classes confirmed what had been sensed for month: this school year will be like no other.

Students arrived on campus Monday to revamped classrooms, hand sanitizer dispensers at nearly every turn and signs — lots of them — on how to stay socially distant and hopefully COVID-free.

With some students opting to take classes remotely from home and hybrid classes cutting in-person class sizes in half, SU’s campus seemed barely half full compared to an ordinary fall day.

The humid 90-degree temperatures had many looking for a spot outside for fresh air and sunshine. On the quad, which would be packed during any other late August school day, there were a smattering of students who plopped down in the white circles spray painted on the lawn to designed socially distant spaces.

Some will feel the pandemic rules and precautions such as nixing snacks and water bottles from classrooms are extreme. But, it’s all in the hopes that SU will be one university that may miraculously make it through the semester without having to go fully online.

SU Chancellor Kent Syverud echoed this sentiment in his school year-opening welcome video: “The Orange family has in the past risen to challenges and succeeded together. Let’s all show the world that the Orange can do that now and defeat this virus.”

So while we monitor SU’s COVID-19 dashboard and until we truly know if the freshmen’s pre-semester quad party put the school year at risk, students will be asked to keep their masks firmly over their mouth and nose, and stay six feet away from everyone and everything.