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Syracuse University will delay the start of the spring semester until Feb. 8 as COVID-19 cases remain prevalent in Onondaga County and across the country, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Monday.

The semester, which was initially set to begin Jan. 25, will now begin two weeks later. Students living in campus residence halls will move in the week of Feb. 1. Classes will now end on May 14, with finals taking place between May 18 and May 21.

SU’s decision to push the semester was made in consultation with the Onondaga County Health Department and was based on a number of factors, Syverud said in an SU News release.

The new schedule will provide distance between students’ return to campus and the post-holiday surge of COVID-19 cases predicted by health experts. The delayed start will also increase the possibility that campus employees will be vaccinated prior to the start of the semester and will move the semester closer to the time when vaccines will be more available, Syverud said.

“Starting our semester two weeks later best positions us to resume residential instruction in a manner that safeguards the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and the Central New York community,” Syverud said.

The university will provide additional updates about move-in logistics, testing and quarantine requirements before students return to campus, he said.

Published on January 4, 2021 at 12:06 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3