Dear Seattle University Residential Students:

I write this afternoon to follow up on my March 13 message, in which I informed the community that in an effort to promote social distancing and help stop the spread of COVID-19 we decided to close all residence halls for Spring Quarter 2020.  This message is to provide updated guidance following Governor Jay Inslee’s March 23 “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” , and what it means for (1) residential students who remain physically on campus at this time, and for (2) those residential students who have already departed campus and need to return to move out of the residence hall at a later date.

The Governor’s executive order went into effect at midnight today, Wednesday, March 25. The “stay-at-home” provision, which directs all Washington State residents to stay in their homes with the exception of essential travel, remains in effect through Monday, April 6.  The original move out deadline was Saturday, April 4; because of the stay-at-home restrictions now in place, the university has extended the Winter Quarter move out deadline to Saturday, April 18.

Updated Move Out Guidance

Due to the executive order, students who are, as of today, physically here on campus and occupying their room/apartment should move out after the stay-at-home order ends, starting on Tuesday, April 7, and no later than Saturday, April 18 by 5:00pm.  Students who are not living on campus in Spring Quarter 2020 past April 18 will not be charged room and board for this extended move out period. 

To be clear, the executive order means that if you are here on campus as of today, you should stay in your campus room/apartment/residence hall, with the exception of essential travel for things like food, and that you cannot move out until Tuesday, April 7 at the earliest.  Please note that these deadlines may change if the Governor extends the executive order. 

Residential students who are here on campus during the stay-at-home order should expect limited campus and residence hall services during this time.  Housing & Residence Life will post staff contact information at each residence hall desk and will send an email with this contact information to all residential students following this message. While staff will be available to assist with lockouts and emergencies, they will operate following social distancing recommendations at all times. Residents can also call the Department of Public Safety for assistance at any time by calling (206) 296-5990 (non-emergencies) or (206) 296-5911 (emergencies).

If you have already returned home and you are not physically here on campus occupying your Winter Quarter room/apartment, but you still need to return to campus to move your remaining belongings out, do not return to campus until after the Governor’s stay-at-home order is lifted.  Please make arrangements to return to campus to move your belongings on or after Tuesday, April 7 and no later than Saturday, April 18 by 5:00pm. 

If you are not able to return to Seattle to move out by the Saturday, April 18 deadline due to travel logistics, stay-at-home orders in your local area, or other concerns, we will schedule a move out appointment with you for a later date in Spring Quarter on an individualized basis. If you need to request an extension to retrieve your belongings after Saturday, April 18, please indicate this as soon as possible on the Spring 2020 Closing Form, which is located in the Housing Portal. If you already submitted the Spring 2020 Closing Form and need to update it, please re-submit the form as soon as possible in the Housing Portal. The university will not charge students room or storage fees during this time. Please note that in some cases, items left in rooms after April 18 may be packed and stored (within the residence hall/complex) in order to free up the space for essential use.

Please note that requests for an exception to live on campus through Spring Quarter 2020 were due using this request form no later than Friday, March 20.  Students who will have priority to remain in residence in Spring Quarter include: 

• International students;
• Students who do not have a permanent residence to which they can return;
• Students who have a severe financial hardship preventing a departure from campus;
• Student employees in Housing & Residence Life and other departments with essential services who have chosen to remain on campus for their employment; 

We will review and respond to late exception requests on a case by case basis.  Residents approved to live on campus in Spring Quarter will continue to be responsible for room and meal plan charges and may be required to move to a new room on campus over the coming weeks in order to promote social distancing. If you have been granted an exception to remain on campus in Spring Quarter and have concerns about accessing the hardware and/or software needed to access classes and services online, please contact me directly for assistance as soon as possible. 

As I write to you today, campus is eerily quiet. We are all keeping those impacted by COVID-19 in our thoughts. None of us asked for this global crisis, and I am sure you didn’t think something like this would happen during your college experience. We are all learning about how to deal with this situation together, and I have greatly appreciated the patience and support you and your families have extended to me personally and to my colleagues across the university.  Campus will remain open in Spring Quarter, and we will continue to be here for you, however our classes, services, and resources will be made available to you virtually/remotely until the pandemic subsides and it is safe for us to return to our typical campus life.  You should know that your faculty are working hard to develop a virtual/remote class experience for you that will provide a rich and engaging learning environment, and we are all working to adapt campus services and resources to be able to serve you, no matter where you are.  

If you have any questions about expectations for move out or how to request an exception, please email Housing & Residence Life at housing@seattleu.edu.  For up-to-date information about the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.seattleu.edu/coronavirus.  

Stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

James Willette, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President & Dean of Students

Note: This message was sent via email to all residential students (excluding those in Vi Hilbert & Douglas) on March 25, 2020