What SU’s COVID-19 policies look like compared to other schools

Get the most recent Syracuse information delivered proper to your inbox.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter here.

A lot of Syracuse College’s previous COVID-19 insurance policies won’t be returning this fall, marking the primary time in a number of years that SU is beginning the semester mask-optional and absolutely in-person.

SU discontinued obligatory random surveillance testing, ended the color-coded masking level necessities and shut down the college’s public COVID-19 tracker. Whereas some faculties throughout the nation are taking an analogous strategy, others have chosen to maintain some protections.

“The college’s strategy to public well being planning for the autumn semester is grounded within the premise that—for the foreseeable future—COVID-19 will signify a priority that’s endemic to life on a university campus,” Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie mentioned in a campus-wide e mail. “For that cause, it’s important that our administration of COVID-19 on campus and inside our neighborhood replicate that sensible actuality.”

Each Boston University and Rutgers University are briefly requiring masks in sure buildings. Nevertheless, CUNY Hunter School in New York Metropolis will not be requiring masks in any location this semester. Stephanie Woolhandler, a professor of public well being and well being coverage at Hunter School, disagrees with this step again.

“From a scientific viewpoint, there isn’t a doubt that carrying prime quality masks in public indoor areas akin to lecture rooms would scale back COVID-19 sicknesses and deaths,” she mentioned in an e mail to The Each day Orange.

Philip Alcabes, a professor of neighborhood well being at Hunter School, believes that politics and neighborhood play a vital function in COVID-19 coverage choices.

“Is it price it to be tremendous cautious about COVID versus simply cautious if tremendous cautious implies that extra individuals with melancholy turn into suicidal, extra individuals with nervousness want extra remedy, issues like that?” Alcabes mentioned. “ I don’t know the reply to that. However I would love that to be a part of the neighborhood dialog.”

Collective decision-making is essential for sound COVID-19 insurance policies for faculties and universities in addition to throughout the nation, Alcabes mentioned. He additionally believes professors and college students have to have a say in college COVID-19 insurance policies.

SU continues to be requiring college students to submit proof of vaccination on MySlice. The college can also be persevering with its wastewater surveillance testing program this semester, Haynie mentioned. Isolation housing is out there for college students dwelling in college housing.

“The college will monitor on-campus isolation housing capability and can implement contingency housing plans if needed, guided by present public well being pointers,” Haynie mentioned in an e mail to The Each day Orange.

Nevertheless, SU college students who’ve COVID-19 signs are solely capable of purchase COVID-19 exams on the Barnes Middle at The Arch.

“College management and the Public Well being Group will stay targeted and diligent with regard to monitoring the general public well being state of affairs on campus and in our neighborhood,” Haynie mentioned. “If needed, we are going to take motion to regulate procedures and protocols in response to altering public well being circumstances.”

Whereas a unfavourable COVID-19 check was not required to maneuver in to SU this semester, different increased training establishments akin to Hunter School and New York College are asking college students to add proof of a unfavourable check consequence.

Some establishments are additionally persevering with to observe an infection charges by means of COVID-19 trackers. Columbia College makes use of New York’s citywide tracker together with the app ReopenCU, mentioned Steve Morse, a public well being professor at Columbia. The app grants customers a “Inexperienced Cross” linked to their ID if they’re symptom-free.

SU used a public COVID-19 tracker final 12 months, however the college can’t accumulate dependable knowledge for the dashboard with out obligatory random testing, Haynie mentioned.

Haynie beneficial college students self-report any check outcomes to the Barnes Middle to take care of a document of pupil circumstances. Equally, Haynie mentioned he believes that the SU neighborhood is prepared for the accountability that comes with much less strict well being pointers, so long as the an infection fee is low on the college and surrounding space.

“We’re coming into our third 12 months managing COVID, and at this level it’s the accountability of all members of the campus neighborhood to maintain COVID infections low on campus,” Haynie mentioned. “Meaning adhering to well-understood public well being practices, and making sensible choices given your particular person degree of danger.”

Information Editor Kyle Chouinard contributed to this story.