Some U of O students under scrutiny after no-mask party

EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR/CNN) – A now-viral photo shows hundreds of University of Oregon students partying with no masks and no social distancing.

Mojo Hill lives nearby. He said, “Got bigger and bigger and I looked out the window and thought, ‘Wow that’s a lot of people. I should take picture of that.’”

Housemates Lucy Stout and Katie Freeman live down the street. Freeman said, “Yeah I’ve seen that photo.”

“Seeing that many houses have all those people, it’s just shocking,” Stout said.

It’s speculated that once that party wrapped up, others traveled toward Hillyard to another house where police ultimately responded.

A keg and empty containers were still visible Monday morning.

Stout said it’s becoming a regular occurrence, whether it’s COVID fatigue or students being overzealous after getting vaccinated.

Freeman said, “Just because you’re fully vaccinated doesn’t necessarily mean you should be having huge parties.”

And yet, Lane County Public Health reports gatherings are the biggest driver of COVID-19 cases in Lane County, especially in 20 to 29 year olds.

UO says it sent an email about the changing county risk level and precautions.

When asked how often they check their emails on a Friday night, Stout replied, “Never!”

UO’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards is investigating.

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