Virginia university president apologizes for mass snowball fight staged without masks

A seemingly innocent campus snowball fight at Liberty University in Virginia has resulted in an apology from school leaders, after critics noted the event ignored COVID-19 safety protocols on a mass scale.

Hundreds of students participated in the snowball fight Sunday, and photos shared by the university on Facebook showed most did not wear a face mask or practice social distancing.

Among the participants was Liberty University President Jerry Prevo, who was photographed without a mask as he stood in a crowd, talking into a megaphone. The university of 110,000 students is based in Lynchburg, about 120 miles west of Richmond.

“I messed up. We did not think through or communicate the need to wear facial coverings and remain 6 feet apart in compliance with Virginia Governor’s Executive Orders,” Prevo said in a statement issued Tuesday.

“We made a mistake in not enforcing the guidelines that we have followed routinely and sincerely for these many months. ... We want our community to know that Sunday’s snowball event was not done with a heart of defiance. The mistake was one of being caught up in the moment of the day. I and my leadership team apologize for not leading our students to abide by COVID-19 protocols during this event.”

Prevo acknowledges the oversight had put the school and its students “in a negative light.” And he said all social media posts celebrating the event were being removed, because they “undermine a culture of compliance.”

The university’s now deleted Facebook post about the snowball fight had racked up nearly 6,000 reactions and 4,000 comments since Sunday, many from people asking why precautions were ignored for such a large event.

“So when we click over to half a million dead of COVID we can thank you morons,” Clint WG wrote on the university’s Facebook page.

“Congratulations on becoming an international embarrassment L.U.,” Adam J. Barlow of the United Kingdom posted.

“’Snowball fight’ is a weird way to spell ‘super spreader event’,” James Avery wrote.

The event was planned, with a university Facebook post noting students were invited to “meet on the Academic Lawn at 2 p.m. for a snowball fight with President Jerry Prevo.”

Some among the thousands of commenters have come to the university’s defense, including several who identified themselves as students.

“No irresponsible display here. Just some innocent and safe fun. Everyone is layered up from the cold, wearing gloves for the snow, and hanging with the people they already live with,” one woman wrote.

“These are healthy people outdoors in a well ventilated area. Anyone not comfortable didn’t attend,” another wrote.

This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 9:20 AM.