Penn State reinforces IFC ban on social activities, calls on ‘true commitment’ to fight COVID-19
Two weeks after Greek-life social activities were indefinitely banned by the Penn State Interfraternity Council, the university’s vice president of student affairs reinforced the ban by saying no socials would be approved until it’s deemed safe.
In an open letter published Friday to fraternities and sororities, university official Damon Sims called for “true commitment” to public health demands in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The parties you may be accustomed to simply can’t happen,” he wrote, “at least not in the early stages of our return, as we work to minimize the virus and keep it at bay.”
Any group gatherings, even those that don’t formally meet the definition of a “social,” he wrote, create undue risk. And he told fraternities and sororities that a violation of any of the below requirements could be subject to disciplinary action:
- No socials of any kind
- Wearing face coverings on campus, in campus buildings and wherever the law requires
- Complying with physical distancing requirements on campus, in the community and in your fraternity or sorority activities
- Fully cooperating with university and other officials responsible for the management of COVID-19 testing, including pre-arrival testing where applicable, contact tracing, and quarantine or isolation
- No gatherings that exceed state or local government directives and compliance with all other relevant government mandates
For green phase counties in Pennsylvania, such as Centre County, indoor gatherings of more than 25 are prohibited — as are outdoor gatherings of more than 250. So, while students could technically legally hold outdoor parties in State College, that might soon not be the case.
The State College Borough Council is considering an ordinance in a special meeting Aug. 4 that could potentially reinforce masking while further limiting gathering size. The specifics of the ordinance are not yet known, but borough spokesperson Douglas Shontz acknowledged limiting outdoor gatherings “is being explored.”
The public can comment at the council meeting by registering to attend online.
“Anything less than true commitment to the public health demands for face coverings, social distancing, symptom tracking, hand hygiene, testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation would be a disservice to our friends, our families, our community, and our University,” Sims wrote.
“We must insist on nothing less from both ourselves and those with whom we are joined in this cause, if we are to be together on our campus and in our community. “
As of noon Monday, there have been 357 positive cases of the coronavirus in Centre County, with a “sudden spike” of a record 43 cases Sunday. (There was just one case Monday.) The university also announced last week that a student-athlete tested positive, becoming the first person infected in the University Park ZIP code (16802).
Penn State has moved about half of its classes to online-only. The first day of class is Aug. 24.
