Important Reminder from Syracuse University for Parents and Families

Dear Parents and Families:

I am writing this afternoon to share the below message with you, which was sent to your students a short time ago. As noted below, we’ve been working hard to create safe alternatives to the typical weekend behavior to ensure your students and their classmates remain healthy.

Additionally, we continue to communicate regularly with our students about the simple steps they can take to reduce their likelihood of contracting COVID-19. Chief among those recommendations is avoiding travel outside Central New York and discouraging families and friends from outside the area from visiting.

As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to not see your child for an extended period. Given this semester’s unique circumstances, I appreciate that you want to visit more now than ever. But respectfully, we implore you to avoid traveling to campus or the greater Central New York region this semester. We also ask that you continue to remind your student to avoid from engaging in any unnecessary travel away from campus.

In recent weeks, we have seen a small uptick in cases, many of which are directly linked to travel outside Central New York. So your students avoiding travel and you avoiding visiting them are the two best things your families can do to keep your student, our faculty and staff, and the broader Syracuse community safe.

Thank you for your continued support of our efforts to protect our community.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Hradsky, Ed.D.
Vice President for the Student Experience

Dear Students:

The last weekend of September is here. Together, our campus community has made it through five weeks of classes; we have just over eight weeks to go. It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a lot of hard work. And, there have been some bumps along the way. But overall, everyone is doing their very best to remain on campus.

Keep Up the Great Work!

The vast majority of you continue to do the right things. Thank you! You are wearing your mask. You’re keeping your distance. You’re taking advantage of all the events and activities the team in the Office of Student Activities (and so many others) has planned for you. We ask that you stay focused, keep up the great work and continue rising to the occasion.

Weekend Activities

As another weekend gets underway, we want to remind you to regularly visit the University’s events calendar to learn about events and activities available to you. There’s a lot going on this weekend; some highlights include:

Thursday, Sept. 24

• Orange Night Live in the Esports Room: FIFA
• Glow Skate at Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion

Friday, Sept. 25

• University Union Outdoor Movie Screening: “Bad Boys for Life”
• Fire Pits and S’mores Night
• Orange After Dark: Mini Golf and Outdoor Laser Tag
• “The Office” Screening Party on the Mount
• Glow Skate at Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion
• Orange After Dark Late Night Movie: “Like a Boss”

Saturday, Sept. 26

• Football Game Watch Party (Syracuse University v. Georgia Tech)
• Curling at Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion
• Orange After Dark: Comedy Night Featuring Mickey Housley (Virtual)
• Orange After Dark: Comedy Night Watch Party (In-Person)
• Orange After Dark Late Night Movie: “Like a Boss”

Sunday, Sept. 27

• Orange After Dark Bonus Screening: “Like a Boss”
• Orange After Dark Outdoor Movie: “Avengers Endgame”

Staying Safe Is Simple

The first home football game of the season is this weekend, and, although we will not have fans in the stands, I want to remind you that tailgating of any kind is prohibited due to social distancing guidelines. You can still cheer on the team by watching the game in small groups with your masks on. It’s easy to stay safe while having fun and socializing with your friends. Please continue to do the following:

1. Stay in Central New York!
2. Do not invite family or friends from outside Central New York to visit.
3. Wear your mask or face covering, always!
4. Maintain 6 feet of distance.
5. Limit the size of social gatherings.
6. Wash your hands often.

Your commitment to the health and safety of fellow students, faculty and staff, as well as the broader Syracuse community, makes a difference. It means our community can still be on campus, distanced, but together.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Hradsky, Ed.D.
Vice President for the Student Experience