Coronavirus Update: State Order Will Require Dining Halls and Fitness Centers to Close at 8 p.m. Today

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

A short time ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, all restaurants, gyms and fitness centers in the state must close for the foreseeable future, effective at 8 p.m. today.

We have been informed by New York State that this directive applies to all dining centers and fitness centers at all universities and colleges across the state, including Syracuse University. This directive poses a number of urgent challenges, particularly for our students who are continuing to live in University housing.

We are working quickly to identify alternative options to continue supporting our students who—for a myriad of reasons—must remain in University housing for the foreseeable future. Rest assured that food service, in the form of take-out options from one or more Syracuse University dining centers, will be available to students once the restriction goes in place tonight at 8 o’clock.

In the meantime, given this news, we urge those students remaining in University housing who can depart campus for home to consider doing so as soon as possible.

I recognize and appreciate how this quickly evolving situation is impacting the lives of the members of our community. We will continue to work expeditiously on identifying solutions to this latest challenge and have more to share later today.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation