Northeastern dismisses 11 students

[Summer2018]

My DD is attending school online. She’s shown a great deal of impulse-control and maturity that I have seen lacking in many adults over 40.

She has a couple friends who have engaged in risky behavior, and both of them got Covid, became very ill, and spread it to others with vulnerable immune systems.

Her wiser friends meet with her online to have safe movie and cocktail parties. They dress up and have a good time safely.

She values her life and her parents lives and would never do anything to jeopardize our family’s health and well-being.

 

[JimMIA]

I wonder if these 11 will also lose any scholarships they currently have, for spring semester. Don't most scholarships have contingencies, like they forfeit their future semesters scholarship if they don't attend the previous semester? And that they have to keep their GPA up? (Mine did when I went to NYU.) Hard to do if they aren't even able to attend now.

If any of them have scholarships, I'd be surprised if they don't lose them entirely.

Most scholarships that I've seen, including DD's, all have stipulations for student performance. And it's not only GPA; there are usually stipulations requiring "good standing," compliance with codes of conduct, etc. Any bad behavior can ruin the scholarship, and certainly getting kicked out of school can do it!

I'd bet their scholarships are G-O-N-E.

 

[aprilchem]

Ridiculous overreaction! I thought the story was going to be that they were the organizers of some massive Covid party on campus. Sounds like it was a small group of kids hanging out in their friends hotel “dorm” room. If I was a parent I’d be livid at the school. This is getting out of hand if 11 kids can’t hang out together as friends. I get together and hang out with my friends in larger groups than that at friends homes. I cannot believe we are “criminalizing” this type of behavior. At this point I’m far more concerned with our loss of freedom than this virus! I’m not a Covid denier, I do believe it’s real but the absolute fear and hysteria around it baffles me. The vast majority have absolutely no symptoms or very mild cold like symptoms. I’m not changing my entire life for fear of a virus that I’ll most likely not even know I have!

It was against College policy, so not really out of the ordinary at all - students are disciplined at my institution every year for policy violations, and the ones that result in expulsion are often those where students put themselves or others in harm's way. I don't see this as any different as being on a roof, or starting a trashcan fire in a dorm, or throwing something out a 2nd or 3rd story dorm window, all of which are expellable offenses at my college.

 

[Southernmiss]

Other students at NE reported that students were told the rules and expectations numerous times. They probably had to sign off on a Covid code of conduct. I know my 3 had to do an online course before school started this year.

Immediate expulsion does sound harsh, but the rules seem to have been spelled out beforehand.

Our daughter spent 4 days last week in quarantine while contact tracing was done on 3 students who were positive on her dorm floor.

Not fun to be kept in your dorm room for 4 days due to no fault of her own. But she and we understood and were glad she wasn't being exposed to the virus by casual contact with reckless students.

Colleges have put a lot of thought and effort into making things safe.

Students have to do their part.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ridiculous overreaction! I thought the story was going to be that they were the organizers of some massive Covid party on campus. Sounds like it was a small group of kids hanging out in their friends hotel “dorm” room. If I was a parent I’d be livid at the school. This is getting out of hand if 11 kids can’t hang out together as friends. I get together and hang out with my friends in larger groups than that at friends homes. I cannot believe we are “criminalizing” this type of behavior. At this point I’m far more concerned with our loss of freedom than this virus! I’m not a Covid denier, I do believe it’s real but the absolute fear and hysteria around it baffles me. The vast majority have absolutely no symptoms or very mild cold like symptoms. I’m not changing my entire life for fear of a virus that I’ll most likely not even know I have!

Ordinarily I could see where you were coming from in respects to parties on campus because we commonly do think about these large parties being the more blatant disregard for the rules.

However, according to the article a poster pasted in those students involved were notified of the following "The university said students in this program were notified on multiple occasions over the past week that they must practice social distancing, wear masks, and avoid crowds. They were required to acknowledge that they reviewed the program handbook, which included these rules, the school said. Northeastern has barred guests from student rooms this semester."


"The students were also notified in an Aug. 28 letter from Madeleine Estabrook, senior vice chancellor for student affairs, that informed them that they would be suspended if they host or attend an unsafe gathering."

If you look at it they basically violated 3 out of the 4 things bolded; I excluded crowds because that's iffy in my mind, a small space 11 people could be a crowd but most wouldn't consider 11 people an actual crowd.

1) They didn't social distance
2) They weren't wearing masks
3) They had guests in their rooms (each room was 2 students)

So while this may not have been this grand party complete with social media photos and the like and all the attention we've seen about such gatherings in the past, the transgressions the students did are just as bad as that grand party when you consider the specifics involved.

**The bolding is mine**

 

[Embel]

The students at Northeastern are being tested for Covid every 3 days. I would think the benefit to such dramatic measures would be that students could get together in small groups. I know it's not the policy, it's not what they signed, and not the rules. I'm just saying, I think the rules are oppressive. And, like everything else this year, such oppressive rules are....wait for it....UNPRECEDENTED. (I am so sick of that word) In these unprecedented times, I would have preferred to see more of a slap on the hand for a first offense.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Given the limited scope of the infraction, I suspect the punishment will be reduced on appeal.

Not saying that is right or fair, but I will be very surprised if the parents don’t lawyer up and at the very least get $$ returned. A mutually agreeable settlement will be quietly reached which neither side can disclose... it will be buried out of the headlines since it’s not nearly as sensational.

 

[penn19]

I guess I feel like if they are old enough to sign a pledge or whatever to not gather, then they are old enough to make the choice to gather.
im thinking if I went to a party or whatever as an adult, would I get busted?

 

[Hikergirl]

Seeing how at my ds's school he is living in a campus townhouse with 9 other kids I do think it's kind of crazy to not allow 11 kids to get together and hang out.
Having said that, if the students agreed to those rules when they registered for the semester then it's just how it is. If you don't agree to the rules then don't go to that school, it's pretty simple.

 

[White Cat]

I guess I feel like if they are old enough to sign a pledge or whatever to not gather, then they are old enough to make the choice to gather.
im thinking if I went to a party or whatever as an adult, would I get busted?

They too are adults. So if you were with them I guess so.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I guess I feel like if they are old enough to sign a pledge or whatever to not gather, then they are old enough to make the choice to gather.
im thinking if I went to a party or whatever as an adult, would I get busted?

Well put it this way, they did make the choice to gather no one stopped them as in physically, but when that choice was made it was also subject to whatever penalty the University set forth. If you're old enough to make that choice you're old enough to accept the consequences, right?

 

[wildride]

The students at Northeastern are being tested for Covid every 3 days. I would think the benefit to such dramatic measures would be that students could get together in small groups. I know it's not the policy, it's not what they signed, and not the rules. I'm just saying, I think the rules are oppressive. And, like everything else this year, such oppressive rules are....wait for it....UNPRECEDENTED. (I am so sick of that word) In these unprecedented times, I would have preferred to see more of a slap on the hand for a first offense.

that’s the problem, rules spelled out but they think - no they don’t really mean it. Ill just get slap on the wrist. Nope darn witch they meant it. So sorry.

 

[mjkacmom]

Seeing how at my ds's school he is living in a campus townhouse with 9 other kids I do think it's kind of crazy to not allow 11 kids to get together and hang out.
Having said that, if the students agreed to those rules when they registered for the semester then it's just how it is. If you don't agree to the rules then don't go to that school, it's pretty simple.

Seeing how at my ds's school he is living in a campus townhouse with 9 other kids I do think it's kind of crazy to not allow 11 kids to get together and hang out.
Having said that, if the students agreed to those rules when they registered for the semester then it's just how it is. If you don't agree to the rules then don't go to that school, it's pretty simple.

The rules in dd’s college town is no more than 12 for indoor gatherings, she has 5 roommates but there are 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, much different than one hotel room with a bathroom.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The issue to me is less about age than about voluntarily being part of a community, where there are responsibilities to being part of that community. Here we are seeing that on college campuses, spreading Covid in these types of groups may be responsible for leading to entire campuses shutting down (not to mention spread of disease). It is on our local news tonight there's been a similar issue at UNH (without the suspension of students). It's probably happening on many college campuses.

I work for a hospital. We are asked not to travel beyond certain boundaries. Sure, we have the right to go wherever we want to go. But within our community, we have certain responsibilities. Some will probably go wherever anyway, as will some college students gather how they want to, too. I guess consequences will vary from place to place, as will peoples' sense of accountability to their obligations. Of course the bigger issue on a larger scale is that everyone sees this differently.

It will be interesting to hear what the suspended students have to say about it now, or in the future. Will they say they did something they shouldn't have done? Or will they defend their right to do it?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

 

[JimMIA]

I guess I feel like if they are old enough to sign a pledge or whatever to not gather, then they are old enough to make the choice to gather.

im thinking if I went to a party or whatever as an adult, would I get busted?

Sure, they are old enough to decide whether or not to comply with the pledge they signed. They most likely all ARE adults.

It's kind of like rules at work. We're adults, so we can choose to comply with the rules or not. But there are consequences if we choose NOT to comply.

 

[HashberryOTG]

I think it sounds harsh, but it was spelled out pretty clearly. I respect the school for following their own rules, which is more than a lot of other organizations can be bothered to do. I, too, am tired of everyone thinking they are above the rules. There are too many people that don't comprehend what consequences are until it's too late.

The school has to take these things very seriously. If too many students are breaking the rules, or getting sick, or both, they may have to shut down. Then instead of 11 students being out their tuition money, you have hundreds clamoring for something back for their "reduced experience". One jellybean in a jar is nothing. But eventually that jar fills up. It now has 11 more in it.

The school also has an obligation to the other students. If those are the rules you're advertising, I expect my tuition money back if you can't be bothered to enforce it. Those rules may have been my deciding factor in deciding whether to return or take classes at this University at all. Again, 11 students out the $ for not following the rules, or hundreds because they wouldn't enforce them?

 

[soccerdad72]

You sign a pledge, you suffer the consequences if you break that pledge.

We went to take our son out to dinner for his birthday (he goes to RIT) and my mother wanted to see his apartment, but he was adamant that he could be 'fined or worse' if he had any guest in his apartment right now. They've put the fear of god into their students, but it seems to be working, as they only have had a total of 5 students test positive since school has started in August.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I wouldn’t want to be one of the eleven; my mother would have “killed me dead”for such a disgrace and waste of money.

 

[AustinTink]

My DD is attending school online. She’s shown a great deal of impulse-control and maturity that I have seen lacking in many adults over 40.

She has a couple friends who have engaged in risky behavior, and both of them got Covid, became very ill, and spread it to others with vulnerable immune systems.

Her wiser friends meet with her online to have safe movie and cocktail parties. They dress up and have a good time safely.

She values her life and her parents lives and would never do anything to jeopardize our family’s health and well-being.

Sounds exactly like my son and his (wise) friends. Kudos to them for playing it safe.