UMASS Students Must Get COVID Tested Twice A Week

About 200 students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are now suspended after being caught partying this past weekend. This came as the university is also taking strict action to make sure students get tested for the coronavirus twice a week.

According to a news report from Western Mass News, besides facing suspension, students at UMass Amherst learned if they do not keep up with their testing their online school portal will be shut down.

A huge party off-campus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst caused concern for many students during the coronavirus pandemic.

UMass Amherst senior Lucie Poulin said, "It’s easy for everyone to talk about doing the right thing, but then when a big party comes around everyone’s morals kind of fly out the door."

Poulin said she wasn’t shocked when she heard about the large gathering over the weekend, which led to 200 students getting suspended.

The suspensions are proof that the university has put strict consequences in place for breaking pandemic protocols.

Another consequence for students is if they fail to get tested twice a week for the coronavirus, their online classrooms will be shut down. Those students also won’t have access to campus facilities and dining.

“It definitely adds the incentive we had a lot less people here in the fall so, I know a lot of people were getting tested as it was convenient,” Poulin explained.

The university said it takes a couple of days for a student's access to be revoked.

And, as of right now, the university said about 1,000 students have violated their coronavirus policies.

For more on the story, including more thoughts from different UMASS students, please visit Western Mass News' website here.