Students take to South Oval for sledding despite COVID guidelines

Sarah Szilagy, Owen Milnes, Ben Blavat
Tue, 02 Feb 2021 15:52:15 +0000
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More than 100 Ohio State students sledded down the South Oval Monday night despite university and state COVID-19 guidelines. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor

With pizza boxes, storage bins, skis, snowboards, move-in carts, park benches and even a dumpster — yes, some climbed into a dumpster for the ride — Ohio State students took to the hills of the South Oval for wintery-night sledding.

The problems: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s statewide curfew had passed and few were wearing masks.

More than 100 Ohio State students — and some University Police — sledded down the South Oval Monday night, despite an 11 p.m. statewide curfew and university policies against all gatherings.

Although several University Police vehicles surrounded the area with lights and sirens, officers did not actively try to disperse the crowd — although they did threaten those who rode down the hills in the red moving carts with tickets. Two officers joined in on the sledding, with a video of one of the officers surfacing on social media.

Monday’s crowd was not the first time this winter students have gathered en masse on campus to sled; more than 100 students gathered Saturday night to sled and throw snowballs. Students jumped inside university-owned moving carts while others pushed them down a snowy slope.

Despite multiple university emails warning students of the repercussions for violating COVID-19 guidelines such as mandatory face mask wearing, many were not wearing masks. The most recent email was Sunday.

“Limiting population density across all campuses is designed to help keep Buckeyes safe and healthy,” the email states. “Accountability measures are in place for those who choose not to abide by required health and safety guidelines.”

In a statement, University Spokesperson Ben Johnson said Ohio State is aware that people are tired of life in the pandemic and want to have fun, but everyone must stick to the public health guidelines that allow students to stay on campus.?

“Wash your hands, wear your mask, stay at least six feet apart, do not gather in large groups, and obey the statewide 11 p.m. curfew,” Johnson said.

Johnson also said it is important for University Police to build relationships with the campus community, but it must be done in a responsible manner.

“We have discussed with our officers how to better handle this type of situation in the future,” Johnson said.

Ohio State’s? COVID-19 seven-day average student positivity rate as of Saturday is 0.77 percent, according to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The state of Ohio had 807 onsets of COVID-19 illness Sunday, according to preliminary data on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard. The total cases for the state since the beginning of the pandemic are just under 900,000.?

Franklin County had 126 onsets of COVID-19 illness Sunday, according to the preliminary data. The 43201 area code — where most off-campus students live — has had 104 confirmed cases since Jan. 18, according to the state’s dashboard.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 1:35 p.m. to include a statement from Ohio State.?