ALLEGANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. Bonaventure University has suspended 21 students after it was discovered two large parties were held off-campus, which violates the university's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
According to information on the university's website, two large parties were held at off-campus houses in the village of Allegany Friday night.
St. Bonaventure suspended 28 students in September for violating COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” says Dr. Dennis DePerro, university president. “I know, because I see it with my eyes as I walk around campus every day, that the vast majority of our students are complying with the safety standards we need to abide by to allow us to finish the in-person portion of the semester on Nov. 24. After we had to suspend more than two dozen students in early September, I thought that would be enough of a cautionary tale for the entire student body to realize that we were taking this very seriously. Cattaraugus County has had its most significant uptick in positive COVID cases over the last couple weeks and incidents like this only exacerbate the potential for further spread of the virus. These students need to realize they are jeopardizing not only the completion of our semester on campus, but more importantly, the health of our campus community.”
During the suspension, students are denied access to the entire campus and any school-sponsored functions. The students are expected to face judicial hearings this week.
According to the university, the St. Bonaventure community has had eight positive COVID-19 tests to date.
