Spring 2021 Residency Letter and Information

Residence Life & Housing sent the following letter to students. We are posting here as information for faculty, staff and parents. Forms must be filled out by the students by Friday, Nov. 6 at 4 pm.

Hello Maroons!

We hope this email finds you safe and enjoying fall! Few areas of the country are as amazing as the Roanoke Valley during the fall. If you are in the neighborhood, we hope you find time to get out and enjoy the season. 

This is also the season to plan for spring semester. With that in mind, we have information to share with you and will need information from you as well.

We need all currently enrolled students to provide us with your plans for the Spring 2021 semester. Below is a list of the information needed. Please read all of the information carefully to ensure you have everything you need to start the semester.

1. Currently enrolled students must fill out the following form regarding plans for living on campus or at home for Spring 2021 semester: 
   https://roanoke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eOLPnrWGn3qbwbz
    
2. Students currently living on campus and returning to the same room may leave their belongings in their room. We ask that you unplug everything in your room to conserve energy. 
    
3. Please bring home anything you might need to start the spring semester online, just in case. Also, consider ordering your textbooks early and having them sent to your primary residence rather than the campus post office. This will ensure you have them with you. We have every intention of starting classes as planned; but with a six-week pause, we know anything is possible.
    
4. If you are currently living on campus and have an extenuating circumstance that prevents you from leaving campus, please fill out the following form. Members of the College’s Incident Command Team will evaluate your request and be in touch regarding your approval status.
   https://forms.roanoke.edu/stay_on_campus
    
5. For those of you living on campus for Spring 2021, you may choose your arrival appointment at the following link:
   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C44A9AD2AA4FE3-spring

We are following a strict protocol for move-in similar to that in the fall. All students will sign up for an appointment and check-in station. Upon arrival, all students and their helpers will be screened before being allowed in their building. No early arrivals are permitted. Please select your check-in station based on your anticipated housing assignment.

• Sunday, January 10: All Residence Life Student Staff on campus (no need to sign up).
   
• Monday, January 11: Those participating in Sorority Recruitment should move in. Appointments are available for all students.
   
• Wednesday, January 13: The last day to change your Spring Housing Agreement. Appointments are available for all students.
   
• Friday, January 15: Freshmen returning for Extended Orientation and New Students should move in. Appointments are available for all students.
   
• Sunday, January 17: The last day to move in. Appointments are available for all students.

 6. Key dates for the Housing Process:

Friday, November 6, 2020 at 4 p.m.:  All forms close.  Please make sure you have filled out the form by the deadline!

Friday, November 13:  Notification of Spring 2021 room assignments and new roommates.

Monday to Friday, November 16 to November 20:  Final room changes.

Tuesday, November 24th 12 p.m.:  Room changes for spring semester close until January.

• COVID-19 Testing and Quarantine for Spring 2021: Key learnings from this fall semester inform our testing protocols for the spring. Most importantly, we learned that we can be together on campus, safe and avoid the virus if we follow protocols outlined by health professionals.
• Students will need to obtain a test at home five days prior to their campus move in date. Test results can be submitted through the student health portal, faxed to 540-375-2252 or emailed to healthservices@roanoke.edu.  Results may also be presented at the check-in and screening on the move-in day.
• Students should quarantine at home for 14 days prior to move in. This likely means you will be in quarantine for New Year’s Eve. It is important you don’t attend parties and expose yourself, your family and your college community to the virus. 
• Once students move to campus, we are recommending an on-campus quarantine of seven days. This means students must stay on campus for the first week to avoid any virus exposure from the local community. 
• Surveillance testing will be conducted on currently enrolled students living on campus or in the Roanoke Valley throughout the spring semester. Surveillance testing is widespread, random tests of a small percentage of the community, conducted each week. This helps to identify asymptomatic cases and isolate them before too many others are exposed. 
• As with this semester, we will continue to do rapid tests on anyone in the campus community who is symptomatic. Student Health and Counseling Center will again establish weekly hours when tests can be conducted without appointments.

      7.  Finally, if you are still undecided about whether or not you wish to live on campus for Spring 2021, we have a bit of information that may make your decision easier.

• Seniors currently off campus will have priority in room assignments and we have singles available for Spring 2021 in most residence halls.
• Students living on campus for Spring 2021 will have the opportunity to keep their spring room for Fall 2021 and will not have to go through the housing process.  However, you will need to move out completely at the end of the semester so that the room can be thoroughly cleaned.

We realize this is a great deal of information.  Please contact Residence Life & Housing at reslife@roanoke.edu or call 540-375-2308 with any questions.  We look forward to having you all back on campus next semester!!

Be Safe. Be Strong! #MaroonsTogether

Residence Life & Housing