State Watch

University of Connecticut evicts several students from dorms after party

The University of Connecticut has evicted multiple students from housing on campus after an unapproved dorm party was hosted with no social distancing or masks.

School officials said they saw a video of the gathering and identified the students involved on Tuesday morning, a local NBC affiliate reported.

“In addition to seeing it ourselves, the University also received multiple reports from concerned students and others, and we commend them for sharing the information so we could act quickly on it,” the university said in a statement.

The students involved have been issued interim actions and were removed from housing while university officials investigate.

It was not immediately clear how many students were involved and faced punishment for the unauthorized event.

UConn Dean of Students Eleanor Daugherty and Residential Life Director Pamela Schipani said in a joint statement, “These actions do not represent or speak for the 5,000 residents currently composing our residential community.” 

The statement added that a vast majority of students living in campus residence halls are “doing the right thing” by following pandemic safety measures.

The school confirmed at least seven students have reported cases of COVID-19 on campus this semester.

So far, UConn has placed 25 students in medical quarantine on campus after coming in contact with the infected students.

UConn has said it will move forward with in-person classes for the fall semester despite the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. A number of universities including The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Notre Dame have reverted to online courses for the semester after experiencing their own surges in cases.

“There will undoubtedly be more positive cases as more test results are returning in the coming days, and we will address each the same way as we work to protect the health of individual students and our community,” Daugherty said in a statement.