Syracuse University says it handed out nearly two dozen suspensions to students who gathered in large groups at the school's Quad on Wednesday.
Videos posted to social media show groups of young students mingling and running away when the school's Department of Public Safety officers arrived to disperse the crowd. The university said 23 students were given interim suspensions and it is working to identify additional people who participated in the "incredibly reckless behavior."
The students were found in violation of the school's Code of Student Conduct and the Stay Safe Pledge which follows the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"This gathering was foolish as it put these individuals, their fellow students and our ability to remain on campus in jeopardy," DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado and Dean of Students Marianne Thomson said in a statement.
The private university in Upstate New York welcomed back students for the first time this week after the coronavirus pandemic started and the first day of classes is set to begin next week.
