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Syracuse University sophomore Jake Skolnick joined Delta Chi last semester shortly before in-person classes were suspended. Going into this fall semester, Greek life at SU will be “flipped upside down,” Skolnick said.

Skolnick and other members of SU fraternities and sororities will return to a semester devoid of large parties and some of the social events that have been characteristic of Greek life. Some events will happen virtually, while others will not happen at all.

Parties, which have been a staple of Greek life in the past, will also be affected. SU has consistently been listed as a top party school by The Princeton Review and was ranked as the No. 1 party school in the 2020 edition. This semester, though, students must limit gatherings to 25 people and practice social distancing, according to SU’s guidelines in the Stay Safe Pledge.

Large gatherings pose two main risk factors: potential increase of coronavirus transmission and overwhelming contact tracers, said David Larsen, an associate professor of public health in Falk College. Reducing both the size and frequency of gatherings can help limit transmission of the virus, he said.

Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor of public health in Falk, said that while small gatherings are feasible, hosting socially-distanced parties becomes more difficult. If there is food at a party, attendees would have to remove their masks to eat. They also may touch the same surfaces as others and consume substances, such as alcohol, that impair judgment.

Adrianne Morales, a senior and member of Delta Delta Delta, said she is worried students will host parties that could potentially lead to an outbreak. She thinks SU’s plan is fair but is concerned that students will not comply with the guidelines, she said.

“I’ve heard that a lot of people are very intent on keeping people safe and keeping to themselves, which is very promising to me,” Morales said. “But at the same time, that doesn’t speak for everyone and ultimately, people’s actions will speak volumes more than their words.”

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The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs sent the Stay Safe Pledge to all chapter members and leadership and encouraged them to sign it, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for communications, in a statement to The Daily Orange.

Students who are found responsible for violating the pledge by hosting large parties will be subject to suspension or expulsion from the university, according to SU’s sanctioning guidelines.

SU suspended its chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity for allegedly violating public health guidelines at a gathering in April.

“It would just be a horrible reflection of Greek life, and it’s not like we have the best reputation either as a curricular,” Kate Carniol, a junior and a member of Alpha Chi Omega, said of Greek organizations hosting parties during the pandemic. “I would really hope that the remaining fraternities on campus are smart and do not throw parties this semester.”

Skolnick, the public relations chair for Delta Chi, said the fraternity will comply with all of SU’s guidelines. He hopes other Greek organizations will learn from the suspension of ZBT and recognize the role they play in continuing a residential fall semester.

FASA will also host a virtual meeting on expectations and policies with governing council leadership and chapter leadership prior to the start of the semester, Scalese said in the statement to The D.O. Also, chapters cannot host registered social events at the chapter houses, and entrance to the chapter houses is restricted to students who reside there or have a meal plan through the chapter, Scalese said in the statement.

While Carniol is disappointed that some events, such as philanthropy events and some sisterhood events, won’t happen this semester, she hopes this will be a temporary sacrifice and that the events will resume in the spring semester.

Skolnick said that students’ main goal should be to remain on campus for the fall semester, which will require making sacrifices. To him, being on campus with some guidelines is better than being stuck in quarantine again.

“The only way we’re going to get through this is with common sense and knowing that these sacrifices are needed in order to be on campus, ” Skolnick said.

Published on August 16, 2020 at 4:03 pm

Contact Mandy: ackrayna@syr.edu | @MandyKraynak