Sept. 25, 2020
Contact: Christian Basi, 573-882-4430, BasiC@missouri.edu
University of Missouri officials announced today that they have taken steps to discipline an additional 20 individuals with suspensions, probation and other sanctions for violating policies related to COVID. Earlier this month, the university announced actions toward expelling or suspending five students for flagrant violations of safety policies and regulations related to COVID.
“We continue to be extremely pleased that the vast majority of our students are complying with the policies and regulations related to COVID safety on the campus,” said Bill Stackman, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “Our Office of Student Accountability and Support has been working diligently, continuing to hold students accountable as we work to prevent the spread of the disease. The discipline announced today is for egregious violations of our rules related to the safety of our campus.”
Most recently, the following disciplinary actions have been taken. All of these violations were related to hosting gatherings of more than 20 people, which is a violation of the Boone County Public Health order:
- Five students have been suspended for the remainder of the academic year (through May 2021).
- 14 students have been placed on probation for two consecutive semesters and given additional sanctions. Should these students violate any COVID safety regulations in the future, they will be suspended for the remainder of the academic year (through May 2021).
- One individual who was previously a student will not be able to enroll until the violations are addressed through the student conduct process.
As stated in university policies, any individual that is disciplined by the university can request that their case is heard by a formal hearing panel and appeal any decision. To date, approximately 540 cases have been referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Support. It is important to note that some cases might involve the same student.
University officials continue to be very pleased in a significant drop in active cases since Sept. 5. Since that time, the active case load among students has dropped 86% to 95 active cases as of today (Sept. 25).
