BU president: Students who attend gatherings of over 25 people will be suspended for semester

Students at Boston University who violate a new policy banning social gatherings of more than 25 people will risk suspension for the remainder of fall semester, and won’t be eligible for refunds on tuition or other expenses.

A letter sent to students Wednesday and first reported by BU’s student newspaper, The Daily Free Press, informed students that those who violated the order would also be forced to live off-campus for the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year, even if they return for in-person classes in the spring.

“I hope that I will not have to suspend anyone, and I know if we all work together, and remain committed to our goal of maintaining a healthy living and learning environment, we can and will do this,” wrote the university’s dean of students, Kenneth Elmore.

#NEW Boston University #COVID19 rules: Dean of Student Kenneth Elmore wrote in an email that anyone who hosts or attends a party with 25+ people will be suspended for the semester — unable to attend classes and must move out of on-campus housing for the year. @dailyfreepress pic.twitter.com/eGOSX8rz11

— Haley Lerner (@haleylerner) August 26, 2020

The university’s COVID-19 dashboard, launched earlier this year to provide information on cases of the virus at the school, indicated Wednesday that a total of 28 cases have been confirmed at the university and 22 students currently remain in isolation due to exposure to the virus.

Universities around the country have struggled with student adherence to guidelines put in place by administrators to control the spread of the virus; in North Carolina, students at UNC-Chapel Hill saw in-person classes canceled for the fall semester after several clusters of COVID-19 erupted in student housing areas on campus as well as an off-campus fraternity house shortly after the school opened campus for fall semester.