UMass pledges action against students at large off-campus party The University of Massachusetts Amherst campus COURTESY PHOTO Published: 3/8/2021 7:42:59 PM AMHERST — University of Massachusetts students who attended or hosted a large off-campus gathering Saturday will be given interim suspensions, and could face additional discipline under the student code of conduct, according to a letter sent by a UMass official. In the strongly worded communication Monday, Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life, wrote that at least 200 students who attended a party in North Amherst “flagrantly flouted the rules over the weekend.” “It has become clear that a relatively small but highly visible subsection of the student population in the Amherst area feels entitled to break the agreed-upon policies and rules so they can party, with no regard for the health and safety of their peers,” LaBanc wrote. “This selfish and disrespectful attitude contributes to the spread of the virus and puts all of us at risk.”