Students discuss changes on SU campus ahead of 2022 school year

Students discuss changes ahead of 2022 school year

The first day of classes for the fall 2022 semester comes with a plethora of emotions among students.

Story by Toluwanimi Fajolu, Sydney Gold and Kyle Henderson / Photos by Ryan Griffith

Published: August 29, 2022

Students walk past Carnegie Library on their way to class on the first school day of the year on Monday, August 29th, 2022.

The first day of school at SU came with a mix of emotions for students. Whether it’s excitement about additions on Marshall street or concerns about housing, Syracuse students are facing several changes on campus this school year.

Lots of Freshmen – and Not Enough Housing

With a large number of admitted first-year students, returning students are worried about how crowding will impact their campus experience.

“I think the over-admittance is my biggest pet peeve at the moment because everything on campus is overcrowded… it’s going to be really difficult to have a genuine experience because this is already a full campus,” Minetsa Cotto, a sophomore political science and international relations major, said.

Sophomore Annie Conners noted that the over-enrollment of freshmen led to anxiety among some sophomores concerned about on-campus housing. She had one friend who was planning to live in Watson Hall but had his housing assignment changed to accommodate the freshmen. He’s now living on South Campus.

“I feel like it was maybe a little mismanaged and kind of chaotic coming back on campus and having people find out where they’re living,” said Conners. “One of my friends showed up on campus and had to work it all out with housing when he got here with his family.”

Syracuse Officially Runs The Marshall

In July 2021, the university announced that they had acquired The Marshall, an apartment building located just off campus by Marshall street. Advertising Senior Russell Tom Sun is a new resident of the complex. So far, he’s been fascinated by the subtle changes around the building and wondering what else could come from the university acquisition.

“As of right now, I’m kind of more curious what they plan on doing because I’m in The Marshall, and they just bought The Marshall,” he said. “So seeing all the SU emblems just around the building is just interesting.”

While Tom Sun says there hasn’t been anything major that’s changed at The Marshall, he detailed some of the changes he’s heard occurring around The Marshall, including an increase in rent prices for tenants and new rules about what’s allowed inside apartments.

“There’s a bunch of rules around the building that kind of give the same rules as if you were in a dormitory,” he said. “So no lava lamps, and other miscellaneous items that you can’t really own in the building that I guess you could have owned before they bought it.”

Tom Sun remains optimistic about the ownership change, and hopes the university’s growth won’t come at the detriment of the surrounding community.

“I hope it brings more opportunities to the local life and to the students and is more positive than it is negative,” he said.

(From left to right) Bridget Sides, Mia Paynton, and Aidan McCarthy sit on a bench together in front of Link Hall on the Quad on .

Students walk up from Schine towards the campus quad on the first day of school.

Changes on Marshall Street

Marshall Street continues to evolve with the closure of Syracuse’s classic pizza spot Acropolis, making way for Popeyes. While the fast food restaurant is still under construction, students seem supportive of the swap. Conners is excited to see the chain joining the Marshall lineup.

“I never went to Acropolis, but I would say that the addition of Popeyes, if it’s open late hours, will probably do some good,” said Conners.

Sophomore Max Kaufman agrees, noting that while other students and alumni may feel nostalgic for the former Syracuse staple, he feels Popeye’s is a better option.

“I guess people have a lot of sentimental value attached to it, but the food wasn’t that good,” said Kaufman. “We need a Chick-fil-a, but Popeyes is the second best thing.”

Popeyes’ addition to Marshall is just one of several changes to the beloved street over the last couple of years. Just last week, Hungry Chucks, a former Syracuse bar which closed five years ago, reopened on Marshall. Last year several new restaurants, including Five Guys and Winnie’s Soul Delicious, opened their own Marshall Street storefronts. Yet with openings have come closures – Starbucks closed their Marshall locations, though the popular coffee chain is still available on west campus.