NYU suspended a student for attending an outdoor, rooftop party. This puts his scholarship and employment in jeopardy. The catch? He was taking all online classes, and had no plans to set foot on campus. reason.com/2020/09/17/nyu…
"I am not a student who will be staying at or near NYU housing, nor will I be entering Campus Grounds or NYU buildings as I am currently enrolled in all online courses," he wrote in his appeal.
It was rejected.
Note that NYU learned of the party because the student appeared in a short video, circulated on social media and then reported to the administration using its hotline for covid snitching. It's an NYU email address, but might as well be 1-800-KAREN. reason.com/2020/09/17/nyu…
The student was given 24 hours to respond, and kicked out the next day. @TheFIREorg's @adamsteinbaugh tells me the punishment seems unfair.: "It's hard to blame students for being surprised that this type of policy is being applied to their off-campus conduct."
This story is just one of many—universities have already suspended hundreds of students for social gatherings. Students aren't especially reckless, though: Like the rest of us, they are weighing their own risks, unwilling to be miserable and alone forever.
If anyone is being reckless, it's universities that expected their reopening plans would work given 100% compliance with extreme social distancing. Not everyone can do this. But the administrators don't seem to care, if you've already paid your tuition.
"School administrators are learning that they can't quite overcome students' natural inclinations—all they can do is process their tuition payments. The faster, the better, probably." reason.com/2020/09/17/nyu…
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