Spring abroad suspended as Onondaga County adopts tighter restrictions

Syracuse University is confirmed as part of the newly designated orange zone of Onondaga County announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation of Syracuse University, sent a university-wide email on Monday afternoon to address the situation.

All restrictions will go into effect in 48 hours.  In this next wave of restrictions, schools must switch to remote learning, certain high-risk businesses will be required to close, and indoor dining will prohibited. While the exact list of neighborhoods in Onondaga County are not announced, residents can check online to see whether their districts are part of the orange zone.

The administration is now working to understand what further implications this change in status will have on SU and will make further update as additional guidance is provided by the New York State Department of Health and Onondaga County Health Department, Haynie wrote in the email.

The new surge of COVID-19 infection — not only within Onondaga County but also for some other countries — leads to more concerns and uncertainty as well. Syracuse Abroad sent a listserv email to all study abroad students Monday saying that along with the university leadership, they have decided to suspend study abroad programs for the spring semester, apart from the architecture program in Florence .

Acknowledging the potential disappointment for students who applied to study abroad, Erika Wilkens, assistant provost and executive director of SU Abroad, wrote in the email that students may choose to defer their applications and receive priority placement for the summer or fall 2021 options without reapplying or paying another application fee or deposit. Students who decide to do so are asked to complete a questionnaire by Dec. 4.

For students who want to comply with the option of deferring to fall, they are welcome to petition to complete up to two courses online from main campus if it helps complete the degree while studying abroad in fall; for those who decide not to defer to either terms, the application fee and any deposits they have paid will be reimbursed, Wilkens wrote in the email.