Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
SUNY Unveils COVID Tracker As NYU Suspends Students For Violating "Safety And Health Rules"
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Myrna Suarez/Shutterstock
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In response to a rash of coronavirus cases in Oneonta, New York after dozens of SUNY Oneonta students tested positive following a series of large parties, the state university system released a COVID-19 dashboard to monitor cases throughout SUNY's 64 institutions.
Colleges in New York can permit in-person instruction with physical distancing measures, but if a school reaches 100 coronavirus cases or 5 percent of school's total population, students and staff, whichever is fewer, they must halt in-person learning operations for two weeks. CUNY announced last week that they would be operating in-person instruction, with mandatory (but self-reported) health checks.
Over the weekend, New York University announced that more than 20 students had been suspended, as colleges nationwide continue to grapple with the task of bringing students back to campuses while barring them from congregating in groups. NYU had previously forced students from states with high rates of COVID-19 transmission to quarantine in their dorm rooms for two weeks before classes.
Over the weekend, there appeared to be impromptu gatherings at Washington Square Park, but an NYU spokesperson said the suspensions were unrelated.
An NYU spokesperson, Shonna Keogan, said that while the school could not comment on specific disciplinary matters, "the more than 20 suspensions referred to in the tweet all involve infractions of our safety and health rules, and are actions we had taken prior to last night's gatherings in the park."
"We are keenly aware of the effects of large gatherings at other universities where students did not wear masks or physically distance, and we have been communicating to students very specifically about the perils of such gatherings, and how the unsafe behavior of just a modest amount of students can change the course of the semester for thousands," Keogan wrote in an email. "If we confirm that any of our students were involved in these gatherings and acting in violation with our health and safety protocols, we will take swift action."
Meanwhile, in Boston, Northeastern University suspended 11 first-year students after they were found congregating in a room in violation of the school's social distancing policies. According to BuzzFeed, the students' tuition—roughly $36,543 per semester—will not be refunded.
Additional reporting from Sydney Pereira.
Tagged
COVID-19
college
pandemic
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .