Syracuse University suspends 23 students after ‘incredibly reckless’ gathering

An “incredibly reckless” gathering has brought the suspensions of 23 Syracuse University students, school officials say in a letter.

The gathering was Wednesday night about 10 p.m., wrote the dean of students, Marianne Thomson, and the head of public safety, chief Bobby Maldonado, on Thursday.

The two called the gathering “incredibly reckless behavior.”

Syracuse University is investigating and reviewing security footage, interviewing witnesses and “processing a number of tips,” according to the letter.

In a separate campus-wide letter Thursday, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation J. Michael Haynie said the gathering of first-year students “may have done damage enough to shut down campus, including residence halls and in-person learning, before the academic semester even begins.”

The university is set to begin classes this Monday.

All returning students who do not opt for online-only learning must show proof of a negative virus test before retuning to campus, according to a campus letter on testing. New first-year and transfer students coming from states on New York’s travel advisory list were allowed to arrive August 2 to complete their self-quarantine requirement on campus.

There are currently seven active Covid-19 cases across students, staff, and faculty, according to the university’s Covid-19 dashboard.

This comes after other universities across the country have had to suspend students who gathered in large groups and cancel in-person classes.