SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Syracuse University gave a warning to its students on Monday after hundreds, mostly without masks, gathered Sunday night to celebrate the men’s and women’s basketball teams’ wins in respective NCAA Tournaments.
Syracuse Police confirm to NewsChannel 9 that its officers broke up a party of “hundreds” outside the Castle Court housing complex near Walnut Park around 8:30 p.m. A police spokesperson says students eventually complied with officers’ instructions and no tickets were issued.
In a written statement, a university spokesperson said: “We appreciate our students are excited about our basketball teams’ wins tonight in their respective NCAA tournaments. However, now is not the time to let our guard down nor is it acceptable for our students to willfully disregard public health guidelines and the Stay Safe Pledge. We implore our students to act and celebrate responsibly.”
According to Syracuse University’s coronavirus dashboard, 275 people related to the campus are quarantined. In the last two weeks, 145 people have tested positive but it’s not clear how many are students, faculty or staff.
Both basketball teams, men’s and women’s, played at the same time, creating the double-celebration.
The 11-seed SU men upset 3-seed West Virginia Sunday night, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. They’ll take on 2-seed Houston Saturday night at 9:55 p.m.
The Syracuse women’s team knocked off South Dakota State in its first tournament game. They’ll face top-seeded UConn Tuesday at 9 p.m.
Syracuse Police didn’t have an answer as to if proactive patrols will be deployed to student housing for subsequent games.
NewsChannel 9 has requested interviews with appropriate SU leaders on the issue.
