Syracuse University sent out a campus-wide email early Tuesday informing students and faculty of an emerging cluster of coronavirus cases on campus due to the poor actions of a small group of students. As a result, in-person events and gatherings have been temporarily suspended.

For the majority of students on campus who have been cautious, this will come as a slap in the face. They’ll be suffering the consequences of actions they did not commit. But while the temporary suspension of activities is unfair to these students, it is necessary to keep the community safe.

SU initially confirmed on Tuesday that 13 COVID-19 cases had emerged after a large social gathering took place off-campus late last week. Now, only 24 hours later, SU has confirmed 20 new infections, bringing the total number of active cases to 45.

Almost all of the current active cases can either be directly or indirectly connected to the single off-campus party held this weekend, Vice Chancellor Michael Haynie said in a statement.

The students’ decision to leave central New York to visit what were likely their friends at another college was shortsighted, and it has directly worsened the semester for all other students. COVID-19 should be taken seriously by individuals of all ages, but for some, partying outweighs the risks.

This recent development has taken a bad situation and has made it worse for the responsible students living on campus this semester. But despite how grim the circumstances may look now, as long as students continue to be diligent and smart about COVID-19, this will get better for everyone.

Students have gone far too long without being able to have what most would consider a normal social life, but putting others’ health and lives at risk to enjoy the company of friends is extremely reckless.

Samantha Kolb is an environmental studies major at SUNY-ESF. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at sakolb@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @SamiiKolby.

Published on October 7, 2020 at 10:31 pm