Notre Dame President Asked to Resign After Not Wearing Mask At White House

Notre Dame students are outraged that their university’s president didn’t wear a mask while attending the White House’s Rose Ceremony.

University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the ceremony held for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Students were baffled because he violated Notre Dame’s health policy, which urges masks and social distancing. As a result, they have passed a resolution against his wrongdoing.

“There must be appropriate consequences for all actions in violation of University policy whether the perpetrator is a member of the student body, faculty, staff, or administration…” the resolution states.

Over 200 students at the campus have signed the petition and want the President to suffer the consequences of going to the September 26th ceremony without a mask and shaking hands with other unmasked attendees.

Judge Barrett is a Notre Dame faculty member and former student, Politico reports.

The event has been linked to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. Multiple attendees have tested positive; among those were Donald Trump and his wife.

It’s a possibility that Jenkins will face reprimand from the Faculty Senate. On Tuesday, they voted 21-20 to delay action on a resolution of no confidence for the President, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

In the meantime, Jenkins has apologized for his actions and admits his “error of judgment in not wearing a mask” that he now regrets. He is quarantining in an “abundance of caution.” But I think you’re supposed to quarantine if you test positive—at least for 14 days unless your Trump. But anyhoo.

On October 1, the Student Senate voted down a resolution for Jenkins’ resignation, according to the school newspaper, The Observer.

It was the day after he tested positive. His diagnosis is why some students feel he should resign, including student Ashton Weber, who drafted the resolution.

Weber mentioned that Jenkins was pictured at the ceremony next to Marcus Cole, Dean of the Notre Dame Law school, who was wearing a mask. “This means that Jenkins had an example of how a good leader may behave seated next to him and still concluded that he was beyond the rules he has asked the rest of the campus community to follow,” she wrote.