Socials, Student Events With More Than 50 Individuals Cancelled Per Guidance from Dean of Students

Brendan W. Clark ’21

Editor-in-Chief

Vice President for Student Affairs Joseph DiChristina announced Thursday afternoon that all College socials with more than 50 students will be cancelled and no new student events will be approved.

DiChristina indicated that this decision is in response to the COVID-19 guidance issued by the College yesterday afternoon and as a response to “too much disruptive behavior by some (not all) of our students” that had occurred over the past several nights.

DiChristina called for an end to this behavior and added that all “students are expected to live up to the social code as put forth in the Integrity Contract.” The email further stipulated that “students exhibiting behaviors that may violate our college policies will be held responsible.”

Further, any event “cannot become a social gathering that is an unregistered party with significant alcohol consumption or noise levels that disrupt the community.” Moreover, the policy mandates that “if any unregistered events are held during this time, students or organizations will be held responsible.”

Students were encouraged “not to downplay the significance of this global issue by setting aside academic responsibilities and socializing at an excessive level.” Students were also reminded that “it is still midterms and students will still have exams today and tomorrow.”

The email also added that “members of the faculty, staff, and administration continue to prioritize our response to students” and emphasized that “by being good citizens of the College, students can help us in this endeavor.”

As the Tripod has previously reported, DiChristina had previously made remarks to the faculty regarding excessive student parties on Tuesday, indicating that “partying cannot continue to go on” and added that he had informed students they were “being rude.” DiChristina had also indicated that he may rely on provisions in the Student Handbook to enforce “disciplinary action” in the event of non-compliance.

The College’s Wednesday afternoon guidance from President Joanne Berger-Sweeney, which also announced a shift to remote learning, indicated that social gatherings would be limited to fifty in an attempt to “employ the principles of social distancing” following “new guidance from the State of Connecticut and the CDC.”