WACO,Texas – Baylor University students could be suspended or expelled for violating COVID requirements.

“We don’t have ‘If you do X, Y will result’, because you go through an investigation, and learning facts behind the situation and then an appropriate punishment is determined,” said Jason Cook, Baylor University Spokesperson.

Students who fail to comply with Baylor’s policies and/or local and state resolutions and Executive Orders related to COVID-19, which include off-campus social gatherings in excess of ten people, may face significant consequences including suspension or expulsion from the University, as well as interim measures that may include restricting access to the campus.

“We need out students to come along and partner with us in terms of wearing masks, socially distancing, and avoiding large gatherings with groups of people, so essentially these new punishments that go through our student conduct really reflect that partnership,” said Cook.

Baylor University says they have extensively planned and prepared for the arrival of students this fall with the goal of providing a safe and healthy on-campus educational experience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students say they are ready to comply.

“At this age, a lot of people are kind of just like, you know, ‘It’s not going to affect me.’ You know, ‘It doesn’t really matter. We are just kids.’ But a lot of us have underlying things like asthma, severe allergies, and it could affect us in a bad way. Especially if we give it to our families when we go home, so I think it’s a great idea,” said Incoming Freshman Emily Buss.

“I just think everybody should wear their masks and try to be as safe as possible, and I think Baylor is doing what they can to try to keep everybody safe. And I think that’s a good thing,” said Callan Glascock, Sophomore at Baylor University.

In support of this goal, the University has adopted various COVID-19 policies that students must follow, including the wearing of face coverings and complying with periodic COVID-19 testing throughout the semester.

“We want Waco to continue to be a safe place. We want to be good partners. We want to make sure that we are mindful of the community’s health resources, and we all have to come together as a community, Baylor included, to make that happen,” said Cook.