With Saint Xavier University’s decision to close the campus and transition all classes online, the closure of the residence halls became an integral part of the closing campus process. This decision led to its own complications as residents on spring break were left wondering how to retrieve their belongings from their rooms.
This is not a sudden or brash decision by the University as Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, Katy Thompson, mentions, “[T]he Emergency Management Team [EMT] began meeting weeks ago to engage in scenario-based planning to prepare our campus for any number of situations we might encounter related to the coronavirus pandemic, among which was transitioning fully to remote learning and residence hall closure.”
Thompson further elaborated on that by saying, “The EMT’s primary focus has always been to act in the best interest and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Once the decision was made to vacate the residence halls, the plan was immediately communicated to the entire University community (Monday, March 16). Details of the transition were directly sent to resident students, including information about the logistics for the move-out, scheduled March 18-21. On March 20, when the stay-at-home order was issued, we communicated with those residents who had not yet scheduled a move-out time to ensure they would have access to the buildings prior to the effective date of the order, 5 p.m., March 21. Working to accommodate students through this difficult time, while adhering to best-practice advice and legislative directives, has been an institutional priority.”
When it came to the process of clearing out the residence halls, Thompson was sure to mention how organized the whole process was. She mentions, “The Residence Life team created an online sign-up sheet for each building, allowing a maximum of 10 slots for each 2-hour window, buffered by 15-minute intervals to prevent having more than 10 persons in any residence hall at a given time. During the move, only one person was permitted in the elevator at any given time.”
For a perspective from a resident assistant on clearing out the residence halls, Anthony Saro says, “I also believe that the process of picking up our stuff and checking out was quite a hectic experience, one that I will surely never forget. I do understand however, SXU’s communication with the CDC and other federal agencies couldn’t have been easy. With that said, I believe SXU did everything it could do, with the little that it had.”
As for students who were not able to pick up their belongings, Thompson says, “There [were] only a small number of residents who remained outside of state during the spring break and were unable to reach campus last week. We are keeping their items locked in place until it is safe to return to campus. During the move-out period, residents were instructed to completely move out March 18-21. We provided wheeled crates that we normally rent for a May move-out to help expedite the process. Throughout the process, our Student Affairs team has worked with individuals to accommodate special circumstances in the event that essential personal belongings needed to have been retrieved.”
With the topic of refunds being recently brought up by some SXU students, Thompson mentions, “Residents are billed for the entire semester’s room and board rate at the beginning of the term. Given that students occupied their residence hall rooms for only a portion of the semester and used meal plan funds through the spring break period, a prorated refund for the time they would not be utilizing the residence halls was appropriate.” Thompson has also contacted the Bursar and they have said that there have been no issues and that the refunds will be sent in the middle of April.
Thompson concluded, “We are grateful to our resident students, who were exceptional in complying with social distancing, accommodating the short move-out window and completing their transitions with care. The residents were particularly courteous when clearing out their rooms and removing garbage from the building. Almost every room was as clean as it would be after a typical May move-out. This speaks volumes to how incredible our students are! We will continue to interact with our residents through virtual communities in The Den, via email and through our eRezLife portal. Housing Reassignment for the 2020-21 academic year will take place the week of April 20. We hope that our students stay safe and healthy at home— we miss them on campus, and we are here for them!”
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