As students return to get their stuff out of dorms, colleges enact special safety rules
Thousands of North Carolina college students haven’t been living in their dorms for more than a month because of the coronavirus pandemic. But now the semester is over and many of them need to go get their stuff.
Some universities are allowing students and their parents to schedule a time to retrieve their belongings from their rooms. Is it safe for people to be traveling to campuses? State and county health officials say yes, as long as people follow the university’s strict procedures and social distancing rules.
UNC-Chapel Hill opened its residence halls for the move-out process after receiving guidance from the UNC System that it’s allowed under Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order. Students can make staggered appointments between April 24 and May 17. UNC said it is monitoring the process and has not had any issues to this point.
Moving out of dorms while social distancing
Students and their families must follow specific procedures to ensure a “responsible move out process that promotes social distancing,” Carolina Housing announced:
The checkout appointments will be three hours long and scheduled in a way that limits the people on each floor during that window.
The common area “high touch” places like elevator buttons and door handles will be cleaned “as often as possible each day.”
The public restrooms on main floors will be open so that people can wash their hands. Hand sanitizer will be provided in the lobby.
Carolina Housing is also asking people to coordinate separate move out times from roommates and suitemates, to bring as few people as possible to assist, to wear masks and gloves, to wash hands frequently and to limit the people in the elevator to one person or group at a time.
Students and families should not come to campus if they have been or are sick.
Those who do not comply with these rules may be asked to leave, according to UNC.
This move-out process is necessary now so that the university can accommodate a request from UNC Hospitals to provide residence hall space for staff working to provide essential and life-saving services to the community, according to the university. And other dorms need to be vacated because they are scheduled for routine maintenance and repairs over the summer.
“UNC’s thoughtful plan incorporates social distancing guidelines from both state and county orders,” Orange County spokesman Todd Adams said. “UNC has been an excellent partner from the beginning in fighting the spread of this pandemic.”
Options for students who can’t return to campus
N.C. State University students who left campus and their belongings in residence halls after the university moved to online classes can start retrieving their things this weekend. Residents can sign up for a specific checkout time between May 1 and May 10. The university set up safety procedures similar to UNC-CH and will be enforcing physical distancing guidelines.
If students don’t feel safe or can’t travel back to campus to move out of their rooms, they can pay for packing, shipping or storage services from vendors approved by N.C. State.
East Carolina University has established similar guidelines for the move-out process, and students can sign up for a checkout window between May 7 and May 14. Students need to make those plans through the university by May 1.
Appalachian State University extended its checkout deadline to May 17, and students must make an appointment through the university housing portal by May 8. The university is also offering campus storage options.
UNC Charlotte assigned dates to specific dorms for students to complete the move-out process by May 8.
Several universities have said that if students have already moved out or don’t collect their things in that window, then any remaining items in their rooms will be donated.
And the universities are allowing students to mail their keys back, which finalizes their check out and ensures they don’t get charged.
Duke University is not allowing students to return to campus to move out as it prioritizes the “broader public health interests” of the Duke community.
“Any scenario of possibly allowing students to return from various locations in the US to access their residential assignment carries risk to you and also to others at Duke,” the university says on its housing website. “Given these conditions, traditional move out operations will not be possible.”
Duke is making arrangements with two professional moving and storage companies to have them pack, ship and store students’ personal belongings. Students will get more information about that process via email.
Students and parents should check the campus housing websites for more details about the spring 2020 move-out process at individual universities.
