Tulane University threatens expulsion of party goers as schools struggle to bring students back safely


The beads hang from tree branches on the campus of Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Tulane University, which has long been ranked as one of the nation’s best party schools, is threatening the expulsion of students attending big parties after the “truly embarrassing” party drew negative attention. to campus on July 4th.

“Do you really want to be the reason why Tulane and New Orleans have closed again?” Dean of Students Erica Woodley asked students in an email on July 7 that she scolded the students who partied over the holiday weekend.

Tulane is banning all parties or gatherings of more than 15 people as the private university of New Orleans tries to protect students and staff against the spread of the coronavirus. Violators will risk suspension or expulsion, Woodley said.

“These events were damaging to our neighbors and drew a lot of very negative attention to Tulane,” said Woodley. “The behavior of the host students and those who chose to attend these parties was disrespectful, selfish and dangerous, and was not in line with Tulane’s values. This type of behavior is indefensible and truly embarrassing.”

Woodley reminded students of the risk associated with restarting in-person instruction at the university, where the tuition for a freshman next year is $ 58,850. The private school, while boasting an 11% acceptance rate for the incoming freshman class, is the fifth-best party school in the US, according to Princeton Review.

She said the compliance plan is still in progress, but there is already an online form for students to report “problem” behavior. All meetings must comply with social distancing and attendees must wear masks, he said.

On Saturday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a mandatory mask requirement for anyone in public places and ordered the closing of bars after cases skyrocketed.

“Cases in Louisiana continue to rise, including setting a record number of new cases reported in one day, today and yesterday,” Edwards said. “We continue to go in the wrong direction in our work to control COVID-19 in our state,” he said after the state confirmed more than 2,000 new Covid-19 infections each of those days and hospitalizations increased.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell also announced restrictions after the July 4 weekend, including a ban on sitting at the bar and placing a 25-person limit for indoor events.

Tulane’s announcement comes as universities try to balance holding face-to-face classes in the fall with public health risks. Cornell University leadership, in particular, cited school researchers who found that the virus would be more likely to spread with online-only classes than a hybrid model, since students living off-campus would return to campus and not have than taking the required tests required to learn about campus if you only take online courses.

The university’s reopening plan requires students to start class on August 19, five days earlier than originally planned, and end the semester on November 24, with most exams online after Thanksgiving Day. Thank you. Tulane plans to screen all students upon arrival, provide frequent screenings throughout the semester, and place fewer people than normal in homes and classrooms.

While Woodley said the pandemic will require students to think and approach life differently, he is confident that students are mature enough to follow the expectations set by the school and the city of New Orleans. And if the school leadership didn’t believe the students were mature enough, he said, Tulane would not reopen.

“There is no room for error here,” Woodley said. “People’s lives depend on their adherence to these rules. They are not just nameless, faceless people, they are our people.”

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