As K-12 schools and colleges across the country have shifted to remote online education models to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. decided his institution would do the opposite. The religious conservative and prominent Trump ally downplayed the virus publicly, calling the response to the coronavirus an “overreaction” and saying, “It makes you wonder if there is a political reason.”

Falwell has since called students back from spring break and decided to reopen the university partially. Now, the Daily Beast reports that nearly a dozen Liberty students have coronavirus-like symptoms, with three referred to nearby hospitals and eight others in self-isolation. Classes are being taught remotely, but meanwhile, students have still reportedly been interacting on campus in close proximity for meals, study groups, and even recreational sports.