DePaul University implemented a new Identity Verification Policy, on May 2, requiring members of the university community to temporarily remove face coverings or masks if asked by a Public Safety officer.

During a May 7 congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., DePaul President Robert Manuel said after the 2024 encampment he wants to cultivate a “culture of accountability” at DePaul, which he hopes will be achieved with the help of this identification policy.

Manuel announced the policy in a university-wide letter, which said this policy builds on existing university policies that require verification of membership in the DePaul community by students, faculty and staff. 

This policy stems from concerns of masked harassment on campus. According to Manuel’s letter, the policy gives Public Safety a way to identify individuals who conceal their faces when participating in illegal or threatening activity. The policy says students, faculty and staff who fail to adhere to the guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action or removal from campus. 

Kimberly Baker, a parent of an incoming freshman, applauds the new policy, saying that being asked to remove facial coverings seems reasonable to protect members of the DePaul community. 

“My goal is for my students to be safe, learning and happy during their time at DePaul,” Baker said. “These new measures will protect everyone who is meant to be on campus and it establishes ways to vet visitors if necessary to make sure that they have good intentions and specific reasons to be on the campus.”

Manuel expressed his dedication in fostering a safe environment on DePaul’s campus for all members of the community in the congress

“Going forward, you have my commitment that we are focused on continuing to make real progress and take action,” Manuel said in the hearing. “As a person of faith, I’m personally committed to confronting antisemitism wherever it appears, in our institutions, in our communities and in ourselves.” 

Faculty council, staff council and the Student Government Association reviewed the policy and gave feedback before its implementation. Manuel’s letter says administrators have met with members of the DePaul community to discuss concerns since December 2024. The feedback given was then taken into account when drafting the policy. 

“The main benefit of this policy — and the reason we needed it — was to protect our university community from those who intend to cause harm, violate university policies or break the law,” President of Staff Council Scott Ozaroski said. “If individuals are engaged in any such actions, the university simply needs to be able to identify them, so that proper next steps can be taken.”

According to student body president Isabella Ali, SGA discussed the initial draft of the policy in April. The Faculty and Staff Councils both endorsed the new Identity Verification Policy, but SGA did not.

“Everyone (in SGA) was unanimously against the policy from the very beginning,” Ali said. “A lot of our members still don’t feel that the main concerns were addressed. Although, this policy is definitely … different than the previous draft.”

SGA representative for first year students Peyton Deck says their feedback was taken into consideration but is not sure if effective solutions to their concerns were reached in the current policy. 

“Just because the DePaul administration added prospective solutions to some of the student feedback, that is not a guarantee that those solutions will be executed faithfully and effectively,” Deck said.  

Ali said SGA feels that the policy is “excessive” and that there is no clear evidence linking mask wearing with increased crime on campus. SGA is working on a Safety Town Hall to support student questions and concerns. 

“It heightens everyone’s awareness and makes them feel as if they’re being watched and surveilled,”Ali said. “It is not the political time to be doing so because already everyone is very stressed about what is taking place outside of campus in terms of our safety and security.”

The policy has the capacity to affect certain groups of community members more than others, achieving the opposite of its goals, according to Ali. 

“The main concern that the student government has is that this policy will open doors for abuse, discrimination, violations of religious freedoms, and it can disproportionally affect students of color and also there are plenty of DePaul community members who wear face masks that may need to do so due to immune compromisation,” Ali said.

Students do not need medical accommodation to request social distancing while removing a face mask, but can request accommodation with the Center for Students with Disabilities if desired. Regardless, Public Safety officers will maintain social distance if requested for medical reasons while the mask is removed and identity is verified.

Additionally, students whose religion prevents them from removing their face covering can email IDverifaccom@depaul.edu to request accommodation. 

Faculty and staff of the university can seek religious or medical accommodation with the Employee Relations & Equal Employment Opportunity Office, according to the policy. 

DePaul Public Safety officers will engage in regular bias-minimizing training and learn how to “verify identity in a way that is respectful and minimally disruptive,” according to Manuel’s letter to the university. 

Director of Public Safety Bob Wachowski will submit all identity verification reports to the Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Diana Matos for review.

“Public Safety officers must treat every member of our community with dignity and respect. In alignment with this and existing university policies, all Public Safety officers are required to complete training to mitigate the likelihood of racial or ethnic profiling,” Wachowski said in a statement to The DePaulia. 

According to Wachowski, the training includes online and in-person modules covering topics like de-escalation tactics, exploring student experiences and building empathy to mitigate bias.

“I think that ‘training on implicit bias’ is vague and not a source of assurance for communities that have already felt targeted on the DePaul campus previously,” SGA representative Deck said. 

Leen Hashlamoun, a sophomore at DePaul studying political science, says she is worried about doxxing and the safety of international students. Hashlamoun questions DePaul’s motives behind the implementation of this policy following the May 7 congressional hearing. 

“I think this was sort of a last-ditch effort. It was only implemented very recently despite the instance of the hate crime that happened a few months back. The encampment was last year,” Hashlamoun said. “Was this really something that DePaul believed in, or was it something that was just put in place so he could say in front of Congress, ‘Hey, I did this?’”

Editors note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect all aspects of the policy. 

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