The suspensions come just days after both in-person and remote classes began on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The university did not give details on the students' suspensions, which were announced in a Twitter post.
"More than 20 NYU students have been suspended so far," the post read. "Please don't be the next. Avoid parties and bars. Wear a mask. Keep your distance."
The university has launched an email address for members of the NYU community to report "If you see someone who isn't wearing a mask or being safe."
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Toward the end of August, 43 students at SUNY Plattsburgh were suspended for violating COVID guidelines.
"From the University of Notre Dame to SUNY Oneonta (which sent students home), schools are having to pivot away from in-person instruction or close due to COVID-19 outbreaks on campus," NYU Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Marc Wais wrote in a memorandum posted on the university's website. "These outbreaks have been largely attributed to social gatherings off-campus or in crowded bars and clubs; typically, they’ve involved a combination of no masks, a lack of physical distancing, and alcohol.
"Sometimes called 'superspreader' events, they’ve resulted in dozens of people going on to infect many others and shutting down campuses.
"These are the kinds of incidents that most concern us. And New York State’s strict new guidelines for colleges likely reflect the state’s recognition of these incidents’ negative effects: that a single, crowded, careless party could create conditions that put NYU and the larger community at risk, harming not only older community members — faculty and employees — but younger ones, triggering a pivot to remote learning, and changing the course of the fall semester for everyone.
"I don’t believe anyone wants to be responsible for that — to ruin all the effort that thousands of students put into quarantining, to undo the work that’s been done to enhance safety, or to frustrate the wishes of the thousands who want in-person classes."
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