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Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization Senate created a committee to identify and help resolve issues facing graduate students as a result of the pandemic. 

Vito Iaia, the Graduate Pandemic Committee chairperson and a member of the Senate, said at a Senate meeting Wednesday that the committee will provide resources and manage outreach regarding graduate students’ coronavirus-related concerns. The committee currently has 14 members and is now the largest of Senate’s campus committees. 

“When it was brought up at the first meeting. I thought it was something that was much needed,” Iaia said. “I took initiative on something that needed to be done.”  

The committee will advocate on behalf of graduate students and provide updates about COVID-19 statistics on campus, in Syracuse and across the region, Iaia said. 

Graduate School Dean Peter Vanable said SU will be ramping up coronavirus monitoring and mitigation efforts following a steep rise in coronavirus cases among students this week. 

Specific data about trends like this has been hard to come by for some students throughout the pandemic, said George Zenzerovich, co-chairperson of the pandemic committee. Expanding knowledge of how the virus spreads and how quickly it is spreading locally is significant to recovery, Zenzerovich said. 

“We will provide data distribution,” said Zenzerovich. “We will take records of the stock of resources such as the New York state open data that we can access, as well as creating a forum for other students to voice their concerns and create an outlet for advocacy.” 

As graduate students face challenges teaching and redesigning their courses to better accommodate students using a variety of online, in-person and hybrid learning models, the pandemic committee will provide a place for graduate students to voice their concerns, Iaia said. 

SU confirmed 20 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday among students in central New York, one day after confirming that a COVID-19 cluster had emerged on campus. There are now 45 active coronavirus cases among students, faculty and staff in central New York, the highest number of infections since SU began reporting cases on Aug. 2. There are now 134 students in quarantine. 

The university as of Wednesday has reported 47 positive COVID-19 tests within a 14-day period. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s guidance for reopening schools, colleges and universities that report 100 positive tests within a two-week period must transition all classes to an online format and limit on-campus activities for at least 14 days.

The pandemic committee will keep graduate students up to date regarding the status of the virus at SU and address questions and concerns as the number of cases at SU continues to climb.

The Senate is still looking for more graduate students who would like to get involved with the committee, said Mackenzie Ess, Senate internal vice president. 

When dealing with issues stemming from the pandemic, graduate students should know that they have greater strength in numbers, Iaia and Zenzeorovich said. 

“We are strongest when we work together, and this is an opportunistic opportunity that we can take to overcome this situation,” Zenzerovich said. 

Published on October 8, 2020 at 12:24 am

Contact Dominick: dpfister@syr.edu