Only 37 per cent of Nottingham Trent University (NTU) students believe students found guilty of breaking coronavirus rules should be expelled, a poll on Platform Magazine’s Instagram account revealed.
It comes a couple of days after the Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable called on Nottingham universities to expel rule breakers.
Over the weekend, the police handed out over £26,000 in party fines as people continued to bend the law.
The organiser of a party in Plumptre Street, Nottingham, received a £10,000 fine for hosting an indoor gathering of more than 30 people, while 38 of his guests received £200 penalty notices.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday evening plans to put England into a second national lockdown, but students continued to defy the rules by hosting parties.
Nottinghamshire Police gave out a total of 83 fines across the weekend following a series of parties and gatherings on Friday and Saturday.
Further incidents included one in Arthur Street, the Arboretum, where 14 people were found gathering with a DJ setup in the basement.
Students also tried to escape from police through a window at an incident in Forest Road East, the Arboretum, when officers shut down a gathering of 18 people.
With the majority of fines being handed out to students, Chief Constable Craig Guildford appealed for Nottingham’s universities to begin expelling rule breakers.
He said: “It is only by working together to follow the legislation that we will be able to control the spread of the virus.
“I would like to thank everyone who is taking their personal responsibility seriously and assure them that we will increasingly take action against those who needlessly put others at risk.”
On Monday, November 2, an NTU spokesperson said the most serious incidents are heard by a misconduct panel – with expulsion a possible punishment for rulebreakers.
They said: “The University takes all allegations of student misconduct extremely seriously, and we work closely with Nottinghamshire Police to investigate any incidents reported to us as a matter of urgency.
“We have made clear to our students that they – like everyone – have a crucial role to play in complying with the rules and limiting the spread of this virus.
“While the vast majority of our students always follow the rules, our code of behaviour was updated to reflect the fact that students need to comply with the restrictions, and where we have evidence of them not doing so there will be consequences under our disciplinary processes.
“We have deployed extra security patrols across our halls of residence and in the community to ensure compliance.
“We have already issued warnings and fines to students, and we have referred some cases to serious misconduct panels which could result in more serious outcomes, up to and including exclusion.
“We will not hesitate to do so again.”
By Matt Lee
Lead Image: Matt Lee