Syracuse University is suspending all on-campus classes until at least March 30 due to the spread of the coronavirus.

The university will transfer all academic programs online at the end of the academic day Friday, said Chancellor Kent Syverud and Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, in an SU News release Tuesday.

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a respiratory disease that has spread to at least 97 countries, infected over 113,700 and killed more than 4,000 worldwide.

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Onondaga County. There were 142 confirmed cases of the virus in New York state as of Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter. Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to reduce the spread of the virus.

“Ultimately we believe that this is the right and prudent decision on behalf of our students, but also our faculty and staff and the central New York community. It’s the right thing to do from a public health perspective,” Haynie said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the National Veterans Resource Center.

The university made the decision after monitoring guidelines from New York state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, Haynie said.

SU is asking students to take all the belongings necessary to continue their studies remotely when they leave for spring break, Haynie said. There’s a possibility that students will be away from campus for a period of time beyond the break, he said.

“We will continue to work over the course of the coming weeks to evaluate the situation related to coronavirus and make subsequent decisions about whether or not we will resume residential instruction or continue in an online learning mode,” Haynie said.

When students leave for spring break, they can’t return to SU dormitories while residential instruction is suspended, Haynie said. Students unable to leave campus for the break are welcome to stay in their dorms, he said.

The online courses may pose challenges for some classes that require technical equipment, Haynie said. Considerations for students who may not have internet access at home had also not come up when discussing issues related to moving classes online, Haynie said.

“That is not (an issue) that’s come up but is now on the list of issues. It has not occurred to me,” Haynie said.

The university will work with faculty over the coming days to support the transition to online learning, Haynie said. SU’s Information Technology Services created a guide for the rapid development of online courses that was shared with faculty, he said.

SU will also implement on-campus social distancing protocols effective immediately, according to the release. Schools, colleges and units will cancel, postpone or conduct online any planned event where attendance exceeds 50 individuals.

Haynie did not have an answer as to how the transition to online classes could affect graduation.

While residential instruction will be suspended at the end of Friday, the university will remain open for normal business operations until further notice, the release said. Some campus and student auxiliary services will also remain open and operational throughout spring break and while residential instruction is suspended.

The spread of COVID-19 is an unprecedented global health situation, Haynie said. He hopes students do not act irresponsibly and put the health of others at risk by returning to campus while residential classes remain suspended. The university would need to take action in the event that students do return early, he said.

“This isn’t a game. This is a very serious situation, and I hope that our students, our staff and our faculty take it very seriously,” Haynie said.

Published on March 10, 2020 at 1:52 pm

Contact Richard: rjchang@syr.edu | @RichardJChang1