Columbia University temporarily banned 70 students from campus after they violated the college’s coronavirus travel policies. The move comes as New York City faces a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The following written content by Alexandra Garrett via Newsweek via MSN
Columbia University temporarily banned 70 students from campus after they violated the college’s coronavirus travel policies. The move comes as New York City faces a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The ban followed an unauthorized trip to Turks and Caicos by students from Columbia’s Business School.
The trip was in direct violation of Columbia’s COVID-19 public health protocols and the Columbia Community Health Compact—which all students, faculty and staff were required to sign at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year.
The compact and protocols both restricted most domestic and international travel and banned group gatherings.
“An important part of Columbia’s public health protocols is that there are consequences for community members who violate the university’s Health Compact,” a university spokesperson told The Columbia Daily Spectator.
The students in violation of the university’s travel policies will be banned from campus through December 1. However, if the students violate the policy again, they could face harsher charges said the spokesperson.
The Business School offered a hybrid model of instructions for the fall semester. This means that students had the option of “HyFlex” or complete online classes, according to The Columbia Daily Spectator.
In the HyFlex model, students had access to a combination of in-person and remote classes that alternate each day. Business students also had access to facilities in the university, including Warren Hall and Uris Hall, even if they choose to learn remotely.
The students in violation will now only be able to learn remotely without access to the university’s facilities.
Columbia’s COVID-19 positivity rate of students and faculty live both on and off-campus was 0.12 percent for the majority of the semester, according to the university’s website as of Sunday. However, during the week of November 9, the positivity rate rose to 0.22 percent with 24 students in isolation and 39 in quarantine. Read more from MSN.
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