Boston University rolled out Monday a stricter set of enforcement measures on its COVID-19 guidelines after a spike in positive cases on campus and statewide.
The first time students living on or off campus fail to schedule testing or complete a daily attestation survey on time, they will receive an email or text notification from the Dean of Students Office warning of non-compliance.
These students must then complete a test or attestation within 48 hours of receiving the notification, DOS Kenneth Elmore wrote in a campus-wide email. Those who don’t will find their Terrier Card ID and campus WiFi disabled. They will also be banned from University property and prohibited from participating in class or academic activities, both in person and remote.
If students remain out of compliance with COVID-19 testing and attestation and come to campus or participate in academic activities before being cleared, they face disciplinary action up to suspension or expulsion, according to the email.
Elmore also wrote gathering capacities are being downsized from 25 people to 10, in line with Gov. Charlie Baker’s new guidelines on private indoor gathering capacity effective Friday.
Students who host or attend a social gathering of 10 or more people, on or off campus, will face suspension from the University. This means they will be unable to attend in-person or remote classes and will not receive a refund for tuition or room and board, according to the email.
Students living on campus who violate these gathering guidelines will be asked to move out of their housing and will be prohibited from living on campus for the remainder of the academic year.
In addition, student organizations or sports teams who host a social gathering of more than 10 people will be suspended for the remainder of the academic year, and will lose University recognition.
Previously, a violation of the 25-person gathering cap would have resulted in these consequences for the remainder of Fall semester.
The increase in cases is attributed to a variety of factors, Elmore wrote in the email, including large parties and “many” mask-less small gatherings held for an extended period of time. Students are also traveling out of state and becoming infected, and off-campus students are more frequently falling out of compliance with daily symptom surveys or regular testing.
Since the summer, the University has encouraged students who leave Massachusetts for Thanksgiving break to complete the remainder of the semester remotely.
BU spokesperson Colin Riley said the new updates aim to raise compliance rates among off-campus students in particular, especially those who come to campus for classes.
“We’re all reluctant and don’t look to punishment,” Riley said. “We’re just trying to limit and contain the spread.”
Riley said BU is following state guidance, such as Baker’s stay-in-place advisory, effective Friday, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.
“We are hoping to get the same benefit from increased compliance,” Riley said, “the benefit of keeping people, students, faculty and staff focused on the purpose of these public health precautions and preventive steps.”
These consequences follow the code of student responsibilities, Riley said, and all notifications of disciplinary action will be communicated through the DOS and Judicial Affairs.
“It isn’t done in a vacuum,” Riley said. “There will be no surprises. They will be told. Individuals will have communications with clear explanations.”
Riley said he is “an optimistic person” and sees success demonstrated in BU’s ability to keep campus open the past two months.
“This has been a long slog,” Riley said. “A lot of credit is due to the students, faculty and staff who have gotten us to this point. Not every school has the same level of success, but we want to continue. It’s only as good as we are today.”
