Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

COVID-19 Update: Monitoring the New Variant, Taking New Action

Monday, November 29, 2021, By News Staff
Share
COVID 19

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff:

As we return from Thanksgiving break and prepare for the final days of the semester, the University’s Public Health Team remains focused on the health and wellness of our campus community and neighbors.

Over the holiday, news spread of a newly identified COVID variant, the impact of which is currently being studied across the globe. Syracuse University continues to closely monitor campus and local public health conditions, including issues and concerns related to this new variant. As we have from the onset of the pandemic, our public health experts are regularly assessing the landscape and recommending new action as appropriate to safeguard the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, visitors and neighbors.

Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, despite the University’s very low level of COVID transmission and infection within our campus community, the Public Health Team considered several scenarios to support a safe return to campus. With that scenario planning in mind, today the University implemented several proactive actions to identify and respond to any changes in COVID transmission levels on campus attributable to the holiday break. Those actions include:

  • Beginning this week, conducting enhanced wastewater testing of our on-campus residence halls and select other buildings.
  • Expanding the percentage of the campus population (in all categories, including students, staff and faculty) selected for random testing. This action, combined with enhanced wastewater testing, will give us increased insight into the level of infection in the University community, and, if necessary, inform the best response.
  • Preparing to expand testing capacity if early data suggests a more aggressive community testing protocol is warranted.
  • Remaining at the RED level of the masking framework, which requires wearing masks indoors at all times and outdoors when in the presence of others or in a group.
  • Encouraging community members who have not done so yet to get a COVID booster vaccine.

We will continue to communicate regularly with our community about what our data is showing and what, if any, new actions need to be taken. And, of course, we encourage our community to visit Syracuse.edu/staysafe regularly for up-to-date information.

Like all of you, I am looking forward to finishing off this semester strong. I wish you the very best of luck as you prepare for finals and as we wrap up 2021.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • First-Year Law Student to First-Year Dean: Lau Combines Law and Business to Continue College of Law’s Upward Trajectory
    Thursday, June 26, 2025, By Robert Conrad
  • Student Innovations Shine at 2025 Invent@SU Presentations
    Thursday, June 26, 2025, By Alex Dunbar
  • Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Retiring University Professor and Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe G’78 Reflects on a Legacy of Service

For most of his time as a public servant, Sean O’Keefe G’78 adhered to a few guiding principles: Step up when someone calls upon you to serve. Be open to anything. Challenge yourself. Those values helped O’Keefe navigate a career…

Jorge Morales ’26 Named a 2025 Beinecke Scholar

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…

Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G

Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…

2 Whitman Students Earn Prestigious AWESOME Scholarship

For the first time in the 12-year history of the program, both nominees from the Whitman School of Management have been selected as recipients of the 2025 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to top-performing undergraduate women…

Whitman’s Johan Wiklund Named a Top Scholar Globally for Business Research Publications

The Whitman School of Management’s Distinguished Professor Johan Wiklund was recently listed as one of the most prolific business and economic research scholars globally, according to “What We Know About the Science of Science in Business and Economics? Insights From…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.