‘The most unideal situation’: Off-campus housing in question after semester delay

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A day after Syracuse University announced it would delay the start of the spring semester, some students who live off campus are scrambling to find a place to stay in May, their leases set to end before classes will.

SU announced Monday it would delay spring semester instruction until Feb. 8, two weeks later than planned. 

The decision, which was made in consultation with the Onondaga County Health Department, is meant to provide distance between students’ return to campus and the post-holiday surge of COVID-19 cases predicted by health experts. It also allows university employees more time to get vaccinated, Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a press release Monday. 

Classes will now end on May 14, with finals taking place between May 18 and May 21. Many students’ leases expire days and weeks before that, leaving them without a place to live or facing additional charges from landlords.  

University officials didn’t reach out before making the decision, landlords told The Daily Orange. Still, some said they’re hopeful that they’ll be able to keep most of their tenants in their apartments at a low additional cost. 

“In a pandemic, that is the most unideal situation right now,” said Skyler Hall, a senior systems and information science major. 

Hall rents from University Hill Apartments on South Crouse Ave. Her lease will end before the spring semester does, and she is awaiting word from her landlord about her options, she said. Hall understands why SU decided to delay classes but is disappointed by the university’s lack of consideration for its off campus students, she said. 

“It’s very disrespectful that this is how they came out about it,” Hall said. “The administration continually neglects students, doesn’t consider their financial situation, their home situation.”

SU did not communicate the change to the semester schedule with OPR Developers, said Erica Thomas, property manager for OPR, in an email to The Daily Orange. The housing company heard of the change after receiving numerous phone calls from concerned students and parents, Thomas said. 

OPR is still deciding how it will respond to the change, Thomas said. 

SU is aware that some off-campus residents may have challenges with the timing of their lease agreements, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, in a statement to The D.O. on Tuesday.

“The university has engaged with area landlords and apartment complexes to encourage flexibility with lease holders,” Scalese said. “We are working through additional supports for those affected.”

SU will continue to make decisions that prioritize the health and well-being of the university and central New York communities, she said.

Ben Tupper, who owns Rent From Ben, said that about 55% of his 350 tenants have leases that expire May 20. 

“My situation with my tenants is probably very similar to other landlords and their tenants,” Tupper said. 

Tupper, who is in regular conversation with SU, said he did not receive advance notice of the university’s plans to push back the spring semester. He has asked SU several questions, and the university told him that it will provide information when it is available, he said. 

“There may have been a little bit of a blind spot on the fact that there are literally thousands of Syracuse University students whose leases end (before May 21),” Tupper said. 

Delaying Maymester, an accelerated program where students can complete a course in two weeks, may resolve many of his conflicts, Tupper said. Current tenants will be able to “buy back” days from incoming tenants for $15 to $20 per day, he said. 

SU pushed back Maymester two weeks, with a new start date of May 24, Scalese said.

While Tupper expects most of his tenants to be able to find a solution to their expiring leases, he also noted that his contracts with new tenants are legally binding and they have the right to move in if they choose to do so. 

“Everybody is reasonable. Everybody knows COVID has caused chaos,” Tupper said. “No one should be homeless.”

MORE COVERAGE:

• SU delays start of spring semester until Feb. 8
  
• New York anti-eviction halts most evictions for at least 60 days
  
• SUNY-ESF expects to delay spring semester to Feb. 8
  

Tupper also noted that New York state currently has an eviction moratorium in place. While the moratorium is set to expire on May 1, if renewed, Tupper would not be able to evict tenants for overstaying. Tenants would still have to pay for the additional time, he said. 

While Tupper and his staff usually have two weeks to work on properties between lease periods, he expects the period to be about five days long this year due to SU’s changes. His staff will work overtime — likely around 16 hours per day — to get their work done on time. He will compensate his staff for overtime pay, he said.