UW bans students from in-person classes after attending large party

SEATTLE — University of Washington administrators are cracking down on students who attended a large “snow” party at Greek Row last week.

As winter weather swept through the lowlands, dozens of UW fraternity members came together outdoors for a huge, unauthorized gathering, and many did not wear masks.

This news comes as COVID-19 cases still are popping up, with 1,100 students who have tested positive in the last year. Many of those cases originated from Greek Row.

Administrators are banning the partygoers from attending in-person classes through the end of February in hopes of preventing a superspreader event.

The university is recommending those same students quarantine for 14 days.

On Saturday, a KIRO 7 crew spoke to some students who were outraged that the party even happened.

“We’re nearing a year of this pandemic, and it doesn’t seem like much has changed other than the vaccine, so it just seems a little hopeless when you’re trying so hard and other people aren’t,” a student said.

Now there is a petition swirling online to suspend any student who attended the party last week.

Cox Media Group