By: Jack Bilyeu

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- In a campus wide email sent last week, Chancellor Steinmetz encourages students to report their peers in violation of COVID safety protocol. Those who wish to submit a tip can do so via report.uark.edu. A web portal allows users to submit a description of the violation as well as the names of those involved.

Senior Pearce Hungate is so concerned about the virus that he has barely left his apartment since the pandemic began. He said he feels this type of reporting is necessary.

“Some of us are clearly more interested in staying online, staying safe with the regulations than others,” Hungate said. A team of administrators will work with UAPD to investigate any tips. John Thomas with University Relations said reports are already coming in- but he couldn’t share specifics or numbers due to privacy concerns.

The university has received reports of students violating COVID-19 safety guidelines. We look into any report we may receive,” Thomas said. “If they are validated, that is when they can be subject to sanctions.” Students are contacted by phone or email if reported. They are then given the opportunity to explain themselves. As for the sanctions- those vary on a case by case basis.

“There is a progressive series of sanctions that the office of student conduct has in place and will enforce if needed,” Thomas said. Those sanctions can range from education of proper protocol to expulsion. The severity of the punishment is based on the severity of the violation and whether the student in question is a repeat offender.

Violations are considered to be a breach of the student code of conduct. Individuals can even be reported for unsafe behavior off-campus, whether the breach is at their home or in public.