SUNY Institutes System-Wide Sanctions for Non-Compliance with COVID-19 Guidelines

Student wearing a mask on campus — New SUNY sanctions include penalties for students who intentionally violate COVID-19 safety guidelines, ranging from suspensions to permanent campus bans.(Photo by Patrick Dodson)

On Friday, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced SUNY-wide standards for violators of COVID-19 safety protocols, effective Thursday, Oct. 1. This policy is part of SUNY’s three-pronged approach to address the COVID-19 crisis to keep campuses open including: SUNY-wide testing, uniform data transparency and uniform enforcement.

"I have spoken with our SUNY campus leadership and they know both what is at risk as well as their role in preventing new COVID-19 cases by enforcing health and safety protocols," said Chancellor Malatras. "Intentional or otherwise, there continues to be some individuals violating these critical measures on campuses, increasing the chances of spreading the coronavirus and shutting down on-campus activity. We want all of our students to have fun and enjoy campus life, but we must do so safely. While a vast majority of our students are complying with the rules, we cannot let a few people ruin it for everyone.”

The violations include:

Intentional violations by COVID-positive students
Failure to self-isolate
Failure to quarantine
Prohibited on-campus or off-campus gathering (Hosts)
Prohibited on-campus or off-campus gathering (Attendees)
Violations of face mask and physical distancing requirements
Failure to comply with contact tracing
Failure to comply with campus health protocols

Student violators now face immediate academic and housing suspension, as well as possible dismissal, and student organizations in non-compliance face a permanent campus ban.

Updates on this issue will be communicated to via email and UAlbany’s COVID-19 website. Read the full SUNY policy here.