228 Off-Campus Students Suspended in 48 Hours: Ohio State's Compliance-First Response to Early Fall Clusters

Dear Buckeye, Yesterday was the first day of autumn semester classes. Today, I write with disappointing news. Over the past several days, we have taken action against students whose behavior has put our community at risk. As of this morning, 228 students have been suspended for violating COVID-19 safety guidelines, primarily by hosting or attending large gatherings off campus. These are not minor infractions. Our public health rules are not optional. The Buckeye Pledge that every student signed is binding. We will not hesitate to take further action against students who fail to follow our community standards. We are also experiencing a rise in positive cases at the Wilce Student Health Center. Effective immediately, all in-person student organization gatherings of more than 10 people are suspended. We need every member of our community to make the right choices in the coming weeks.

Ohio State COVID-19 Update: Effective immediately and continuing through Tuesday, September 8, all in-person undergraduate classes in the off-campus area south of campus will move temporarily to remote delivery. Students residing in the affected ZIP codes (43201, 43202, 43210) are asked to remain in their residences except for essential needs. The Wilce Student Health Center positivity rate has reached 4.5% over the past seven days, with the majority of positives clustered in off-campus housing. The Comprehensive Monitoring Program (CMP) will expand to test approximately 18,000 students per week. Failure to comply with public health directives may result in suspension or removal from university housing.