A 21-year-old University of Calgary student who pleaded guilty to sexual interference in British Columbia earlier this month will not be expelled from the school.

According to a statement released by Dru Marshall, the University of Calgary’s provost and vice-president, on Thursday afternoon, Connor Neurauter will remain an enrolled student but has been advised not to return to campus for the remainder of the term.

“The matter in British Columbia occurred before Mr. Neurauter was a student at the University of Calgary. This is important, because our policies do not apply to activity that occurred before the person was a member of our campus community. We have no grounds on which to expel him."

Marshall says the fact Neurauter cannot be expelled in connection with his offence is not an indication that the University of Calgary condones sexual violence or harassment nor that the school prioritizes the rights of a convicted individual ahead of the safety of the university community.

Neurauter had pleaded guillty to sexual interference in connection with an offence involving a teenager girl in his hometown of Kamloops, British Columbia. As a condition of a plea bargain offered by the prosecutor, Neurauter's guilty plea included a provision that would allow him to begin his 90-day sentence on May 4, following the completion of the University of Calgary's semester.

An online petition calling for Neurauter's expulsion from the University of Calgary had garnered more than 47,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

According to Marshall's statement, students are unlikely to encounter Neurauter on campus.

"We would like to clarify that Mr. Neurauter has not been on campus since Tuesday, Jan. 9, and we have advised him not to return to campus for the remainder of the term. Management is continuing to assess the situation and is working with Mr. Neurauter to come to a resolution that respects all involved."

According to Neurauter's mother, the 21-year-old was a second year student pursuing his bachelor of sciences in chemistry.