Your questions answered: The D.O.’s advice to the class of 2027
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Q: What is the absolute cheapest cooked takeout food close to the university?
A: Marshall Street is a popular area for SU students to get fast, affordable meal options near campus. The area offers various fast-food and fast-casual options with takeout available, like Chipotle, Popeyes and Varsity Pizza. Other options on Marshall include Taste of Asia, Purple Banana and Mediterranean Combo. At the corner of Marshall Street and University Avenue, a bagel shop is also set to open where a Starbucks location previously was.
For students living in campus housing, food courts at the Schine Student Center on North Campus and the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus offer options that can be purchased with dining dollars, ‘CUSE Cash or regular payment options.
Q: How do I find information about transportation and how to get around?
A: SU’s Parking and Transportation Services’ website is the main source of information about transportation at and around SU. Information regarding the campus shuttle schedules, safety escort shuttles and real-time tracking of ‘Cuse Trolleys can be found on its website.
Regional transportation resources are also available for Syracuse Hancock International Airport and other off-campus student destinations like the Destiny USA mall and the Syracuse Regional Transportation Center. During school breaks, SU provides further transportation for students, including taking students to the airport and SRTC along with buses to major nearby cities with one-way and round-trip tickets available.
The 2023 Thanksgiving break buses will depart from SU on Friday, Nov. 17 and return Sunday, Nov. 26, with buses heading to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Rockaway and Washington, D.C.
Q: What are the most reliable trolley spots?
A: The ‘Cuse Trolley schedules can be found on SU’s Parking and Transportation Services website. For most freshmen, the on-campus Orange and Blue Loops will be the most accessible. Some of the most reliable trolley spots include Schine Student Center, the Barnes Center at the Arch, Flint Hall, Shaw Hall, Sadler Hall Dellplain Hall as well as Brewster, Boland and Brockway Halls — known to SU students as BBB. SU has also added a Euclid loop late-night shuttle service to its schedule that travels along the Euclid and Westcott corridors with a stop at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse.
Q: Best places to go using SU’s transportation?
A: The shuttle services can take you to locations throughout campus, such as student housing, parking lots and certain academic buildings, but the Connective Corridor makes downtown more accessible. The online bus schedule shows the corridor’s top points of interest, including Syracuse Stage, Onondaga Creek Walk and Armory Square. Transportation is also available to shopping locations like Destiny Mall and Target Fairmount.
SU’s Student Association has occasionally hosted trolley trips to grocery locations such as Target, Walmart and Wegmans.
Q: How late are the libraries open?
A: The main two libraries at Syracuse University are Bird Library and Carnegie Library. Bird Library is open 24 hours a day Monday through Thursday, Fridays 12 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.. Carnegie Library is open Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends.
The King + King Architecture Library, located on the third floor of Slocum Hall, houses resources for students in the School of Architecture. It is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays.
Q: Where do new students (non-freshmen) live around campus?
A: Living options for new non-freshmen students vary depending on class year. Syracuse University requires all first- and second-year students to live in university housing, either on North or South Campus. About 50% of sophomores live on North Campus in residence halls like Watson Hall, Haven Hall, Booth Hall and Washington Arms. A full list of residence halls can be found on SU’s Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card Services website. The other 50% of sophomores live on South Campus in apartments arranged in several neighborhood communities off of Skytop Road, according to SU’s housing website.
For upperclassmen, living options vary, with options in either off-campus or on-campus housing. On-campus opportunities include single, double, triple, quad and six-person accommodations. However, with 45% of SU students living off-campus, many upperclassmen choose to live in the surrounding University Hill neighborhood after completing SU’s two-year housing requirement. Resources for off-campus living are available on SU’s Student Living website. Another option for students after their first year on campus is becoming a Resident Advisor for on-campus dorms.
Q: What are the best things to do when you want to get outdoors?
A: Through SU, the Barnes Center at the Arch provides outdoor “Adventure Trips” throughout the year, such as apple picking and day hiking, that are open to all students. The prices of these range from free to $200, but most are within the free to $45 range. SU also has outdoor tennis and basketball courts at the corner of Comstock and Euclid avenues behind the Women’s Building in addition to Barnes Center resources.
SU also has an Outing Club that hosts opportunities like caving, rock climbing and hiking. Though trips are free, membership is $20. No experience is required to join the club. Green Lakes State Park is located about 10 miles from campus in Fayetteville. Visitors can bike, picnic, fish, golf and hike at Green Lakes.
