UM opens more than 400 disciplinary cases — mainly due to students breaking COVID rules
The University of Miami began its fall semester Aug. 17 and already the Dean of Students has opened more than 400 disciplinary cases — most of them centered on misconduct related to the school’s new public health rules due to COVID-19.
According to an email obtained by the Herald that summarized a Wednesday Faculty Senate meeting, the private university based in Coral Gables has closed 395 disciplinary cases, issued 22 fines and rolled out seven suspensions. It’s investigating another 70 open cases.
In an interview Thursday afternoon, Ryan Holmes, the associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said he couldn’t confirm specific figures. “Numbers can change quickly,” he said.
However, he said the number of disciplinary cases represents a “significant increase” over the same period last year.
“If I had to guess, maybe a good 20% increase. But that’s to be expected during a pandemic as students learn,” he said. “I’m not necessarily shocked.”
UM has about 17,000 students, with between a quarter and a third taking their classes remotely.
“Under the circumstances, we’re doing really, really well,” Holmes said. “And I’m hopeful we’ll keep improving.”
The UM dashboard, which provides information on a rolling seven-day basis and is updated daily, showed the university had 190 confirmed COVID-19 cases from Aug. 20 to Thursday. UM does not post cumulative case data on the dashboard.
‘Slim to none’ disciplinary cases related to partying
Holmes could not comment on consequences for faculty, staff, vendors or subcontractors who haven’t complied with the new security protocols, which include mandatory masks on campus and social distancing.
For students, depending on how “egregious” the offense, the sanction can vary from a warning to probation or even expulsion, he said. Although he didn’t provide specific amounts for fines, he said, “We don’t have a fine that’s a $1,000.”
Most of the infractions for students are related to people not wearing masks nor keeping 6 feet apart, Holmes said. The number of complaints his office has received related to partying on or off campus has been “slim to none,” but acknowledged Housing and Residence Life sometimes contends with those issues.
According to the Miami Hurricane, UM’s student newspaper, at least one video had been trending on social media last week about students partying in dorms.
Regarding Greek gatherings, Holmes said fraternities and sororities have called off recruitment this semester.
“There’s been rumors, but we haven’t had an issue so far,” he said. “I think that was a very mature decision on their part.”
Anyone can report student misbehavior either on or off campus. Once they contact the Dean of Students Office, the staff decides whether to investigate. Depending on the circumstances, each case can remain open anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Students can appeal a punishment.
Holmes said his team takes into consideration the alleged misdeed, such as whether the action involved not wearing a mask or hanging out with a group in a small room. They also factored in whether a student complied or not.
His office also compares each case to previous ones with similar situations because they “don’t want to be making arbitrary or capricious decisions.”
Ambassadors hired to call out misconduct
As part of its efforts to contain community spread, the university hired and trained 75 students as public health ambassadors this summer to call out anyone on campus who’s not following the safety measures. Each student earns $10.15 per hour.
Ashley Phillips, a nursing sophomore from Georgia, said she works 2- to 3-hour shifts every day except for Tuesday and enjoys the work.
“It can get kind of uncomfortable because sometimes people see us as mask cops, and we’re really just peers trying to help the community,” the 19-year-old said. “But most people comply. I’ve gotten straight up denied sometimes, so I have to repeat myself, but then they do it.”
Wearing a green shirt and a mask that reads “help slow the spread,” Phillips said she and her colleagues patrol campus at assigned areas, which are mostly outdoors and considered “hot zones” for high foot traffic. They mainly ask others to wear their masks, use hand sanitizer, respect the 6-foot distance rule and, whenever more than four people are hanging out at a table, to split up.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 6:30 AM.
