Student-athletes part of University-imposed suspensions
Of 14 Purdue students who've been suspended by the University following a Saturday night party In one of campus' residence halls, 13 are student-athletes.
An athletic department statement Monday afternoon that came out in conjunction with the university's announcement of the suspensions did not identify the student-athletes or their sports, but did describe them as "out of season." Due to this year's unique circumstances, football is the only sport in season right now.
The athletic department's statement reads as follows:
"Purdue Athletics is aware of the incident that took place over the weekend involving 13 out-of-season student-athletes. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff remain committed to following the guidelines of the Protect Purdue Pledge, and have been working with the University throughout this process. While this is an unfortunate occurrence, we hope it’s instructive for all Boilermaker students and reinforces the importance of protecting everyone on campus during this time."
Katie Sermersheim, Purdue's associate vice provost and dean of students, announced the 14 individuals' suspensions on Monday afternoon for violating the school's Protect Purdue code of conduct, designed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Students are subject to such punishments for gathering in ways that violate the pledge.
According to the university's release, those impacted by the suspensions must vacate their residence halls by Wednesday and can appeal the punishments.
“On one hand, we are glad to have had only two of this type of incident in six weeks,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels said in a statement, “but we will deal with any such violation with firmness. The fact that this episode involved student-athletes can make no difference. At Purdue, we have one set of rules for everyone.”
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