The message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate students.
Friday, October 2, 2020
Dear undergraduate students,
Wherever you are as we reach the halfway point in the fall semester, we hope you are well this Friday. We are writing to share some updates on conduct case volume and outcomes for individual students and organizations.
Over the past week, rates of COVID transmission have increased globally, nationally and here in the Durham area. We are likely to see some additional cases in our own community, but we are collectively working to keep those to a minimum. We appreciate that thousands of Duke students in Durham and around the globe are taking action daily to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We continue to appreciate the dedication and efforts we see in the Blue Devil community. We are proud of your leadership as students, we know you share our gratitude for the efforts of our extraordinary faculty and staff.
At the same time, we have seen a handful of situations where some students are flagrantly violating the Duke Compact and our expectations for health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because this conduct could easily lead to an increase in viral transmission on campus and in the community, these students have lost their opportunity to remain on campus. Some may even lose their chance to graduate from Duke.
We don’t want students to spread the virus to one another, to staff, faculty, or members of our Durham Community. We don’t want you to lose the opportunities for which you’ve worked so hard.
Some important reminders:
- While North Carolina regulations have recently changed, all Duke students are still required to adhere to University requirements limiting informal gatherings indoors or outdoors to 10 persons or fewer.
- We are aware that some students have disrupted local communities by hosting off-campus gatherings in apartments or rented properties. Students may face disciplinary action if they either host, or attend these events.