ThePlug Vancouver’s Frat Crawl has been cancelled due to rising COVID-19 case counts.
The event, intended to be held on September 8 after the start of phase four of the BC Restart plan, was advertised as a “rager” and “the first of its kind at UBC.” Attendees would have access to eight parties happening at the same time in the Fraternity Village just off of campus. According to the event’s Facebook page, attendees had to prove they had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The announcement came in the form of a statement posted to the group’s Instagram story on Tuesday afternoon. A screenshot of the post circulated on the UBC subreddit as well.
“To the 1,125 of you that confirmed your attendance to the Frat Crawl, it’s with heavy hearts that we announce the cancellation of the event due to the worsening state of the COVID-19 pandemic in our community,” the statement reads.
Before it was cancelled, students expressed concern online that the event would be unsafe, given the current COVID-19 situation in BC. ThePlug’s Instagram post on the event was also flooded with comments from people concerned about the event. The post has since been taken down.
Some concerns were directed at the frats in general, which have been hosting parties ahead of the school year. These complaints ranged from fears over potential superspreader events or how these parties aligned with the Interfraternity Council’s previous commitment to not invite those outside of the Greek community to frat parties.
The Ubyssey has reached out to ThePlug for more information regarding the cancellation — including whether the public concern had anything to do with the cancellation of the event.
Those who bought tickets will receive a full refund and an email with further information regarding the refund process, ThePlug team wrote in their statement.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.”