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MONDAY
aug. 24, 2020 high 89°, low 71°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Gyms reopen
After Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted a ban on gyms in New York state, SU announced the Barnes Center recreation spaces would reopen with restrictions in place. Page 3
C • Curtain calls
dailyorange.com
Unsure of when they can reopen due to COVID-19, local theaters such as Redhouse Arts Center and Syracuse Stage have adapted programming and performances. Page 9
S • Balancing both
A select group of Syracuse University students balance the commitment of being ROTC cadets and Division I athletes at the same time. Page 12
coronavirus
SU official predicts no outbreak from Quad gathering
SU students detail quarantine experience By Sarah Alessandrini asst. news editor
illustration by sarah allam illustration editor
Test results from students who attended party ease officials’ concerns By Chris Hippensteel news editor
Four days after at least 100 freshmen gathered on the Quad in violation of public health guidelines, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie said he’s confident that the gathering will not result in an outbreak of coronavirus infections. After videos circulated of the gathering on the Quad, Haynie called the students’ actions “selfish and unsettling” and warned that the event could lead to the closure of campus. But new test results from the students who attended the gathering have led university officials to believe that the event will not cause a COVID-19 outbreak on campus, he told The Daily Orange. “In spite of what happened on the Quad, we’re doing pretty good,” said Haynie, head of SU’s COVID-19 response. “I don’t think we should be so hard on ourselves.” The students living on campus at the time of the gathering, which large-
ly consisted of freshmen, had either already completed an on-campus quarantine or had moved in since Aug. 17, Haynie said. The test results for the students who moved in days before the gathering have all come back negative, he said –– something university officials didn’t know at the time. “When that happened Wednesday night, we didn’t have the results,” Haynie said. “We had no idea on Wednesday night, of the group of students that gathered on the Quad, if there were COVID-positive students in that mix.” The university has continued to see encouraging test results throughout SU’s move-in period, which lasted until Aug 23. As of Saturday, the infection rate among students stood at 0.24%. All cases the university has identified have been isolated, Haynie said. Most of the infections are among students who came to the Syracuse area before receiving negative test results. Despite the promising data, Haynie
said he could not rule out the possibility of a student spreading COVID-19 on the Quad. False negative test results remain a possibility, he said.
What happened on the Quad?
The gathering on the Quad began with a small group of students congregating around 9:45 p.m but had “grown considerably” by 10 p.m, according to Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado. DPS dispatched officers to the Quad at 10:19 p.m., and the area had been cleared by 10:30 p.m. Videos show students on the Quad not practicing social distancing and some not wearing masks. The D.O. spoke with several students who were on the Quad on Wednesday night. Most said that the gathering came together largely informally as smaller groups arrived throughout the night, leading to the large crowd ultimately captured on video. The students agreed that the gathering exceeded 100 people, while see quad page 4
While waiting for the results of his at-home coronavirus testing kit, university personnel transported Mark Nash to the Sheraton Hotel to quarantine. Nash, a freshman public relations major, arrived at Syracuse University on Aug. 2 from his home in Seattle. After spending one day in the Sheraton, Nash’s COVID-19 test came back negative, and an SU trolley transported him to his dorm in Lawrinson Hall. “I’ll give SU credit,” Nash said. “It was a pretty solid quarantine at the Sheraton.” Among its efforts for preventing the spread of COVID-19, SU has restricted access to certain floors of the Sheraton to use as quarantine and isolation housing for students. Students who quarantined inside the hotel told The Daily Orange that they remained in separate rooms, and had meals delivered to their doorstep. The university selected certain floors of the hotel for quarantine and isolation housing because of their direct exterior ventilation system, said Joe Hernon, SU’s director of emergency management and business continuity. The vents on those floors lead directly outside rather than into other rooms, where they could have spread COVID-19 particles. Isolation is meant for students who have contracted COVID-19, while quarantine is for those who may have been exposed to the virus. Students in isolation can live within a common space or “family unit” and share facilities with others who have contracted the virus. Students in quarantine reside in a single room with a non-shared bathroom. After SU identifies a student as having been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID19, the university’s medical transport team will bring them to the Sheraton to quarantine. Nick Luttrell, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major, expected his family to help move him into his SU dorm when he arrived on campus Aug. 2 to complete a two-week quarantine. Instead, he had to relocate to the Sheraton for two days until he received a negative result from his at-home COVID-19 test. Both Nash and Luttrell described their quarantine rooms as “typical hotel rooms.” Luttrell’s room came with two queen-sized beds, a TV, WiFi access and other amenities. “I was able to relax, but I was see quarantine page 4