Frequently Asked Questions

Effective August 15, 2022, masking is optional in all settings on campus for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, except where masking remains required by the New York State Department of Health (i.e., health care facilities).

Effective May 15, 2023, Syracuse University students, faculty and staff are no longer required to be vaccinated for the virus that causes COVID-19. This includes new students, faculty and staff, who will not be required to demonstrate proof of vaccination as a condition of attendance or employment.

The Barnes Center at The Arch strongly encourages all students to get the flu vaccine.

Vaccination continues to be the best protection against illness and obtaining the flu vaccine helps our community reduce the impact of respiratory illness and make early diagnoses of COVID-19 more likely.

The University will be making flu shots available on campus through a series of flu clinics open to all students. Vaccine clinics at the Barnes Center at The Arch for students will be announced during the fall 2023 semester.

Students must bring their SU I.D., pharmacy benefit card and health insurance card, as the flu shot will be billed to their insurance. Most health insurance companies cover the cost of a flu vaccine in full. Students who have a copay or medical charge applied will be billed accordingly. Please know ability to pay will not impact your access to services. Students actively enrolled in the Syracuse University Student Health Insurance Plan do not need to bring their insurance information.

Students requiring a test are encouraged to use an at-home COVID test. If positive, complete the COVID-19 Positive Test Result Notification Form. If a student needs medical advice or evaluation, call 315.443.8000 to schedule an appointment at the Barnes Center at The Arch. Faculty and staff requiring a COVID test are encouraged to utilize a community provider, your primary care physician or an at-home COVID test.

At-home tests are available at a highly-subsidized cost in the Barnes Center Pharmacy as well as dedicated vending machines located across campus. Visit the COVID Testing page for locations.

Although the test packaging indicates a “use by” date of July 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended their use-by date to January 2023. Specifically, on July 8, 2022, the FDA granted an extension for the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test, which extended the shelf-life of these tests.

You can also check the status of the use-by date of your specific tests by visiting https://ihealthlabs.com/pages/news and entering the lot number found on the test packaging.

To learn more about isolation protocols, please visit the Stay Safe COVID-19 Response Checklists webpage.

Syracuse University students who test positive for COVID will isolate in place in their residence hall, South Campus apartment or off-campus residence. Students may also choose to isolate at home.

All students will be required to isolate for up to 5 full days. If asymptomatic or symptoms are improving, on the morning of day 6 students will follow modified isolation guidelines through day 10. The Barnes Center at The Arch will provide guidelines to the student’s syr.edu email account.

To learn more about isolation protocols, please visit the Stay Safe COVID-19 Response Checklists webpage.

Students with a meal plan can visit the dining hall to pick up food in a to-go container and eat back in their room or, if not feeling well enough to go to the dining hall, can request a Feel Better Food Pack to be delivered to the front desk of your residence hall. Students without a meal plan should plan to use their typical resources, such as having groceries or meals delivered by a delivery service, or asking friends/roommates to pick up food.

The University has already built out the infrastructure to comply with all Centers for Disease Control-mandated cleaning and sanitation protocols, including increased cleaning of public spaces, bathrooms, HVAC systems and other components. Specifically, these include enhanced cleaning and sanitation of classrooms, laboratories, studios and performance venues, libraries, residence halls, dining halls, recreation spaces, gathering spaces and other high-traffic areas. The University utilizes disinfectants that have been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as appropriate to eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus (cause of COVID-19). For information on cleaning and disinfecting efforts in work areas, please visit ehss.syr.edu/about/covid-19-information/work-area-cleaning-and-disinfecting/

Localized cleaning devices may be used, but any localized air cleaning or purification device brought onto campus for individual use must meet the following criteria:

1. Device must be UL or ETL listed and able to be plugged into a standard 115 V outlet.
2. Device must be mechanical filtration device (device with removable/replaceable filters) with an AHAM rating.
3. Devices relying on electrical fields/ions/sorbents/photocatalytic oxidation are not acceptable due to inconsistent data on effectiveness and must not be used.
4. Ozone generating devices are unacceptable due to negative health effects and must not be used.

The individual or department procuring and bringing the device onto campus will be responsible for maintaining the device.

Each classroom and department has been supplied with cleaning products so that students and faculty can sanitize their areas (desk or podium) when they arrive in the classroom. Hand sanitizing stations and disinfectant wipes are available immediately outside the classrooms and technology sanitizing supplies are available near the teaching areas.

Departments, schools and colleges can continue to request these supplies using the COVID-19 Supply Request Form. The requested supplies will be delivered directly to you, generally within 24 hours of the request. The items available include, but are not limited to, cloth and disposable masks, Clorox wipes, sanitizing wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizers. These supplies continue to be provided at no cost to you for use on campus.

For more information on COVID-19 supplies, please contact Environmental Health and Safety Services (EHSS) at EHSS@syr.edu.

We have reviewed the ventilation system for each classroom on campus. Each classroom is unique and we have implemented the most viable strategies to safely manage the ventilation in each building. The ventilation strategies include:

• Installing MERV 13 or higher filters whenever possible in building air handlers using return air from occupied spaces.
• Increasing outdoor air ventilation rates where possible and when outdoor air conditions are favorable.
• Deploying mobile combination UV-C and/or HEPA air cleaning systems in classrooms that have reduced air flow.

If you have specific concerns regarding the operation or maintenance of the HVAC system please contact your Building Supervisor.

Instructors with one or more students who cannot attend class due to COVID-related restrictions are required to assist those students so that they can resume participation in the class when their absence ends. Instructors are not required to provide remote instruction (hybrid participation) to these students, though they can if they want to. Instructors can record their classes if they wish, or they can provide course materials, assignments, etc. via e-mail and periodically check in with the students.

Requirements for isolation have changed. Please review the updated COVID-19 Response Checklists. If you cannot teach due to illness or isolation, you should make arrangements for continuity in your course as you would for any health issue. This may include, but is not limited to, teaching remotely, finding a substitute to meet class, inviting a guest speaker relevant to the course, or arranging alternative activities for students – faculty are best positioned to know what course of action is most appropriate for their courses and students.

Faculty who cannot teach in person because of isolation requirements may teach their courses online if they feel well enough. If they don’t feel well enough to teach, then deans and department chairs should employ the approaches they have always used when faculty become incapacitated.