Freshmen students moving into their college dorm room at Elon University are going to have to go through a different move-in process than past years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Elon is set to begin in person classes on August 19, six days earlier than the university’s original start date. Citing coronavirus concerns, the university also pushed up freshmen move-in and lengthened the time in which students can first come onto campus to help practice social distancing.
When is move-in?
Freshmen student move-in will take place over August 14 and 15. Each freshman has been assigned an individual time to move in over the two-day period. Students and their families are not to arrive on campus until their assigned time.
MarQuita Barker, director of residence life, said students will be moving into the Colonnades, Danieley, East, Global and Historic neighborhood on “both days.” However, up to one-fourth of students on the same floor will be moving in at the same time.
Who can help students move in?
In an email to freshmen student parents on June 30, Jeff Stein, chair of the Ready & Resilient committee and vice president for strategic initiatives, said students can bring as many family members to campus, but are only allowed to bring up to two family members into their dorm to help move in.
Everyone must be wearing a face mask at all times.
What is the Schar Center check-in?
Before stepping foot into their residence hall, all freshmen and their family members must start their day with a required health check in at Schar Center. The check-in stations are set up in Schar Center’s back parking lot.
The check-in stations are all drive up, but students and their families can also walk up to a station if necessary. If driving, families are asked to enter the parking lot by turning right into Schar Center off University Drive.
According to Elon’s Ready & Resilient website, students will have their temperature taken and then receive their Ready & Resilient Kit, which includes an Elon face mask, thermometer, hand sanitizer, tissues, an informational packet and Ready & Resilient lanyard.
Staff at Schar Center will also be checking to make sure each student has completed other university-required tasks to participate in the semester. These tasks are completion of the required PCR COVID-19 test, Elon’s required health training — during which students are asked to sign the Healthy Elon Commitment — and the submitting of immunization records.
Students’ family members must also have their temperature taken.
Students who have not completed all necessary actions or have a high temperature at the time of their check-in will be asked to go inside Schar Center.
Is my assigned time when I should arrive at my residence hall or Schar Center?
The assigned time given to freshmen by residence life is the time “for them to be at Schar” Barker said.
Once a student and their family pass the health check-in and are confirmed to have completed the required tasks above, they can begin the process of moving their belongings into their new residence hall.
Will volunteers be at my residence hall to help me move my belongings?
According to the Ready & Resilient website, the usual high number of student and staff volunteers at each residence hall to help move belongings into rooms is going to be lower to help ensure safe social distancing. Volunteers must ask for permission to touch or transport any item that doesn’t belong to them.
Instead, Residence Life is supplying each student with a large cart to help transport their things from outside the residence hall into their room. Carts will only be available to each individual student for 30 minutes and will be sanitized between uses.
Freshmen do not need to limit their move-in process to 30 minutes. Only the two residents and their up-to-two family members are allowed inside individual rooms, but they can be there for however long they need to get situated.
What about move-in for returning students?
According to the Ready & Resilient Website, returning students who are living in an on-campus residence hall must also check into Schar Center before moving in. These students have also received an assigned time from Residence Life on either August 17 or 18 to complete this process.
Students living in an on-campus apartment or any form of off-campus housing must complete their Schar Center check-in before classes start August 19. These students can move into their residences at any time.
All of these requirements apply to returning students during their move-in. However, returning students do not need to resubmit their immunization records.