228 students suspended after violating COVID-19 guidelines at Ohio State University
Ohio State University temporarily suspended 228 students for violating coronavirus guidelines, a representative for the school told McClatchy News.
The suspensions were issued between Aug. 19 and 23. Students who received suspensions are required to stay off campus while their cases move through the school’s student conduct process, the Ohio State said.
Most of the violations were related to social distancing violations and parties held off-campus, Forbes reported.
“All Ohio State students must follow the university’s health and safety requirements, on and off campus,” media relations director Benjamin Johnson told McClatchy in an email. “Students who host or attend a party — or any gathering — with more than 10 people will be immediately referred to Student Conduct and will face an interim suspension.”
Ohio State is in Columbus and had nearly 70,000 students in 2019. The school’s first day of classes was Aug. 25.
When students moved in on Aug. 12, the university sent them a message urging them to wear masks, practice social distancing and to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, CNN reported.
On Aug. 21, Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers made a statement to students explaining that the Student Conduct office was in the process of opening dozens of cases that would likely result in interim suspensions for students and organizations that threw parties.
“Perhaps knowing about the action we are taking will influence your decisions and prompt you to encourage others to take this situation seriously,” the statement said. “And remember that this is all about more than the individual. We have one shot at this — responding to what so many of you asked for: an on campus semester at Ohio State.”
Shivers implored students to wear masks, stay 6 feet away from others and avoid gatherings of 10 people or more both on and off campus.
Ohio State is far from the only university to suspend students due to health concerns.
Drake University, Purdue University, Syracuse University, University of Connecticut and University of Tennessee, Knoxville have all either suspended or banned students in an effort to prevent coronavirus transmission amid reopening, Forbes reported.
