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Syracuse University is working with nearby landlords to enforce social distancing guidelines for students living off campus this semester.

Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie held a meeting in July with off-campus landlords to talk about SU’s public health guidelines and what landlords could do to promote them, said Cydney Johnson, vice president of community engagement and government relations at SU, in a statement to The Daily Orange. 

Under its “Safely Socializing” initiative, SU provided all landlords with signage, including door hangers, to give to tenants to promote “safe behavior,” Johnson said.

“We expect (landlords) to educate their tenants on the public health guidelines in place: wearing masks, social distancing and cleaning protocols to support all of the community to protect against COVID-19,” Johnson said. “We are appreciative of their continued support.”   

SU’s coronavirus guidelines require students to limit social gatherings to 25 people or less, practice social distancing at all times and remain within central New York, among other rules. Onondaga County and New York state also have social distancing and mask mandates in place. 

The university has suspended at least 23 students this semester for violating its health guidelines, including for a large gathering of freshmen on the Quad during move-in week. 

The biggest takeaway from the meeting was that landlords should reiterate the university’s public health guidelines to tenants, said Ben Tupper, owner of RentFromBen, a rental service geared specifically toward SU students. Tupper said he will continue to promote the guidelines, but he won’t report tenants if he sees violations on his property. 

“(Some landlords) tell,” Tupper said. “They’ll tell the police, they’ll tell DPS. I’m not gonna do that. It’s about learning from mistakes and getting it right.”

Tupper, whose sister is immunocompromised, will often explain to tenants that his sister will be at risk of serious complications if he contracts because of a tenant. 

The health and safety of the university neighborhood is dependent on the actions of the SU community, said Maribel Arce, executive director of the University Neighborhood Preservation Association.

“We’re depending on the students and the SU community to keep everybody healthy,” Arce said. “They’re the ones going to school first. Our kids are still not going into a classroom.” 

While the association has not reported any social distancing violations directly, Arce said she knows of community members in the neighborhood who have reported violations that they’ve seen. Community members aren’t trying to punish students by reporting violations, but they are trying to keep themselves and their neighbors safe, Arce said.

“It’s important for students to know if whatever they’re doing is being reported,” Arce said. “It’s not because we are trying to be mean, it’s because we’re trying to keep all of us safe.” 

Tupper said he’s found success in resolving social distancing violations by speaking with residents directly. He’d rather resolve problems than further escalate the situation, he said.

“I did send emails to my students,” Tupper said. “For the sake of people who you know and love who have health issues, for the sake of my staff, some of which have health issues, for the sake of me and my family, please — just for this semester — just hit the pause button.”

Arce hopes students follow public health guidelines both on or off campus. Students have a responsibility to keep the greater Syracuse community — which has seen low transmission of the virus in recent months — safe and healthy, she said.

“We can’t stop being vigilant,” Arce said. “We all look forward to at some point, being able to go to the games at the Dome or enjoying events at the Quad.”

Published on September 23, 2020 at 12:28 am

Contact Mira: mlberenb@syr.edu