Topline
Notre Dame University President Rev. John Jenkins is facing criticism from students and faculty, including calls for his resignation, after footage showed him maskless and tightly packed alongside attendees at the Rose Garden nomination ceremony for President Trump’s Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett, an action viewed as unsafe and hypocritical given the school’s lengthy battle to contain Covid-19.
University of Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins.
Key Facts
Jenkins and several Notre Dame colleagues attended the Saturday ceremony where Trump officially announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a professor of law at Notre Dame, to take former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat.
Pictures and videos shared to social media by reporters covering the event showed Jenkins sitting maskless among a row of similarly maskless attendees and then shaking hands with a number of individuals.
Students and faculty soon after expressed outrage at an action viewed as hypocritical considering the strict protocols—mandated mask usage, social distancing, daily health checks—implemented on campus
On Monday, Jenkins sent a formal apology to the Notre Dame community, explaining that he received a rapid Covid-19 test upon arrival at the White House and was seated with others who had undergone the same testing, but nonetheless said he “failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so.”
“In an abundance of caution,” Jenkins said he will quarantine in accordance with the university’s coronavirus protocols.
Despite the apology, a petition written by students calling for Jenkins’ resignation “for failure to comply with Covid-19 protocols,” has continued to gain traction on campus.
Crucial Quote
“Students living on and off campus at Notre Dame have been unwaveringly held to the standards set forth by the COVID-19 Response Unit and those who have not adhered to safety guidelines have received disciplinary actions consistent with their indiscretion, including several students being dismissed from the University for gathering in large groups without masks,” reads the petition. Notre Dame did not immediately respond to a request from Forbes to verify that students have been expelled or suspended from the university over coronavirus violations.
Key Background
Notre Dame’s classes resumed at the beginning of this month after a two-week shutdown caused by ballooning coronavirus infection rates. In just two weeks back on campus, 147 students tested positive for the virus, with 102 infections reported in a 24-hour period before the school announced its temporary shift to online-only courses. Like many other colleges trying to mitigate the struggles of welcoming a young, restless student body back to campus, Notre Dame has strict rules for its students, and deems a group of 20 or more people not wearing masks and not adhering to social distancing requirements an “unsafe gathering.”
Update: An earlier version of the story incorrectly reported Amy Coney Barrett’s name.
Further Reading
“Notre Dame’s Coronavirus Outbreak Triples With 80 New Cases In One Day” (Forbes)
“Notre Dame Lifts Coronavirus Shutdown—In-Person Classes Resume Monday” (Forbes)
“Student petition calls for Jenkins’ resignation following apparent breach of University health safety protocols” (The Notre Dame Observer)
