Boise State announced in a press release on Friday, Aug. 28 that three fraternities have been placed on interim suspension, as well as 18 individual students.
Pi Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Phi, Kappa Sigma and the additional students were notified of their suspension this morning after the university learned about large gatherings that violated university COVID-19 policy, as well as the Student Code of Conduct.
Boise State is currently operating under federal, state and local laws and guidelines regarding public gatherings, facial coverings and physical distancing.
Ada county public health mandate currently prohibits public gatherings of 50 or more people and private social gatherings of 10 or more. All gatherings must be able to maintain six feet or more of distance between each participant.
It is currently not public knowledge of what exact events led to the suspensions, but the Office of Dean of Students is set to investigate these cases over the next several weeks.
“Keeping campus open, safe and healthy has been our top concern, and we have educated our students about the risks associated with large gatherings. This included specific communication with students in our fraternities and sororities,” Dean of Students Chris Wuthrich said in the press statement. “The majority of our students are doing what is required of all of us — wearing facial coverings, practicing physical distancing and not planning or participating in large gatherings. But, in order to remain open, we must have the cooperation of all of our students. Students who do not comply with university policies and orders will face sanctions, including removal from campus.”
The news comes just five days after campus reopened for fall semester classes on Monday, Aug. 25.
As students were preparing to come back to campus, Boise State administration worked through the summer to establish a reintegration plan for students and faculty. The entire university is currently under strict guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, including symptom monitoring, contact tracing and facial covering rules.
