In a letter addressed with the Provost’s name before the Chief Public Health Officer (always a good sign when receiving health policy updates!), Provost Groves announced the following changes to university spitting-in-each-others-mouths policy:

Based on recent low rates of spit-in-mouth-based illness on campus, the university has decided to adopt a “Spit-Optional Policy.” Students will now, if they so choose, be able to dribble drool into each others’ mouths in University buildings, including classrooms, dorms, recreational facilities, etc. Students, however, will still not be able to hawk a phat loogie into each others’ mouths while in University health care facilities. Individual faculty and departments may not institute alternative public health measures for their classrooms, offices, meetings, or events; to clarify, you cannot tell students not to yell “Kobe!” then spit across the classroom, over other students’ heads, into each others’ mouths and tally points based on who makes their shot from the farthest away.

We understand some members of our community may have personal reasons for not wanting other students to spit in their mouths, and we ask everyone to exercise the Jesuit values of mutual respect and not judge others for keeping their mouths closed while we spit at them. Recent studies have shown that keeping one’s mouth closed provides strong protection even when spit lands on the rest of their face.

The “Spit-Optional Policy” is supposed to take effect next Monday, March 21.