In email after email, Ohio State warned students to keep their contact with others minimal and group sizes fewer than 10. But large off-campus gatherings have continued for weeks without any recently announced penalties for the students who hosted or attended.
Ohio State first announced Aug. 21 that it would patrol the off-campus area and cite students who were not following the university’s student conduct code, which included the Together as Buckeyes Pledge. The university was aggressive, issuing more than 200 interim suspensions and opening “dozens” of student conduct cases as of Aug. 24.
But two months later, Ohio State has not publicly released any new suspensions or student conduct cases. However, Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers said the Office of Student Conduct continues to go through the conduct process and ensure students charged with violations receive due process.
“It’s not as if those activities and that process isn’t still happening,” Shivers said. “As we continue to gather information about the violation and who may be in violation of the code of student conduct, sometimes those processes and investigations don’t particularly lend to an outcome.”
The Lantern documented at least 23 off-campus mass gatherings since Oct. 24, the first game of the delayed Big 10 football season, which saw an increase in students hosting and attending mass off-campus gatherings. This does not include bars.
The Lantern requested the number of student conduct cases pertaining to student violations of university COVID-19 guidelines Sept. 25. A spokesperson said he would look into it. The Lantern followed up on the request two more times.
On Nov. 6, The Lantern filed a public records request for the number of student conduct cases related to COVID-19 guideline violations from Aug. 25 to Nov. 6. The university public records office responded to the request on the same day, saying it received it and will “respond within a reasonable period of time.” The university has yet to respond to the request.
A university spokesperson said Student Conduct was working on the records request Tuesday.
The university in August encouraged students to call the non-emergency numbers for Columbus Police and University Police or notify the Office of Student Conduct to report gatherings that violated university, city and local guidelines. But some who have called Columbus Police’s non-emergency phone number have been directed toward the city’s public health department instead. Columbus Public Health then directed them to the police.
Those who have called University Police have been sent to Columbus Police, who direct callers to file noise complaints.
“We certainly triangulate our data from a student conduct perspective as well as from an OSUPD perspective and the general awareness perspective,” Shivers said. “So, it’s more of us working together to understand what’s happening … I just think there’s a lot of pieces to put together.”
Since Oct. 24, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases has increased from 0.88 percent to 3.38 percent reported Monday for Nov. 14, according to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard.
There have been 4,564 student cases of COVID-19 from Aug. 14 to Nov. 14, according to the dashboard. More than 24 percent of those cases have come since Oct. 24.
Shivers said the university is sending out Student Life vans to reward students with treats for following the guidelines in hopes that other people will see the rewards and comply.
She said the vans also record the addresses of the large gatherings, but it is difficult to figure out who is hosting and attending the gatherings.
In August, the university placed students under interim suspensions for gatherings they did not attend.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said students who were wrongfully suspended had to prove that they were not at the gatherings and did not live there and that the suspensions were on a case-by-case basis.
A Student Life van outside of a house party Aug. 21. Credit: Jack Long | Managing Editor for Digital Content
Shivers said the university hoped to convey “enough messaging that will deter people from making the choices that are being made.”
Despite the rewards, off-campus gatherings that violate the guidelines persist.
In Friday’s email, Shivers said she has authorized student conduct to “utilize disciplinary holds for registration and records” for those who violate the COVID-19 guidelines. Students who violate the guidelines may also be unable to purchase any type of athletic tickets for the next school year.
“The university has been very clear. Columbus Public Health has also been very clear about what the expectations are,” Shivers said. “It’s really unfortunate that we have people who make the conscious decision to choose to violate and ignore, not just the expectation from the university, but these are public health concerns that can directly impact them and their families. I just honestly can’t understand why the decisions are being made in that way. It’s disappointing.”
Gov. Mike DeWine ordered a statewide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Thursday to prevent the spread of the virus. It does not include emergency travel, getting groceries, seeking medical care or picking up carryout food.
Christian Harsa, Mary Kidwell, Jack Long and Mackenzie Shanklin contributed reporting.
