More than 50 maskless students went to Friday night gathering, administrators say

At least 50 unmasked students were present at a Friday night gathering that violated Duke’s COVID-19 rules, as well as local and state coronavirus policies, Durham police have told the University.

A police report says the gathering was held at an off-campus location, administrators wrote in an email to undergraduates. Duke will begin contact tracing and surveillance testing attendees.

“As a reminder, hosting large scale social events—on or off-campus—is considered a flagrant violation of university COVID-19 expectations,” wrote Dean of Students John Blackshear; Vice President of Administration Kyle Cavanaugh; and Jeanna McCullers, director of the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. “Hosts, and in most instances, attendees, of events are referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for further resolution.” 

Students who have made similar violations of COVID-19 rules, including hosting large events, have lost campus access or been suspended for two semesters, the administrators wrote. 

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 4, Duke held one administrative hearing for flagrant COVID-19 violations. Last semester, three hearings led to students being suspended for a semester or more. 

This is a developing story and will be updated if new information becomes available.