With winter-term classes finishing up and the spring semester’s start on the horizon, students in all grades will be returning to campus within the next few weeks. There will be a staggered move-in schedule to avoid interfering with classes, which begin virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 2, and the check-in process, including the required antigen test upon arrival to campus.
Some student-athletes have already returned to campus. The remainder of campus will move in on the dates that follow as outlined in an email to students from Vice President for Student Academic Life Alan Hill:
- Tuesday - Thursday, Jan. 26-28: Students arriving from international locations
- Sunday, Jan. 30: New first-year or transfer students who will participate in New Student Orientation
- Sunday, Feb. 14: All juniors and seniors. Also, any sophomores living in privately-owned chapter facilities not already on campus
- Sunday, Feb. 21: Remaining first year and sophomore students not already on campus
Before arrival on campus, students are expected to have submitted documentation of their influenza vaccination. Results from a COVID-19 test are also required from either the at-home test provided by DePauw or one taken independently. These should be uploaded no less than two days before their scheduled move-in date. Julia Proctor, Associate Dean of Students and Student Leader on the COVID-19 Operations Task Force, said these steps are essential to ensuring the move-in process runs smoothly and safely.
“We learned a lot from the fall move-in process,” Proctor said, “so we were able to include some of those tips in the instructions sent to students.”
According to Proctor, the Feb. 14 move-in group, including all juniors, seniors, and some sophomores, will be the largest. To accommodate the large number of students arriving on campus that day, the check-in process will occur at the Indoor Track and Tennis Center. Move-in helpers are to wait outside while students complete the screening and test.
Sophomore Bria Randolph, a student-athlete who moved in on Sunday, Jan. 24, volunteered to assist with the check-in process. While she said her move-in process went smoothly as she was one of the last people to check-in, she added that she is worried about how it will go for the larger groups.
“There were people who received positive results after the rapid test,” Randolph said. “There wasn’t proper social distancing while others waited for their results.”
According to Proctor, there are things students can do to help this process run smoothly. Students who opted to have a test sent to them by DePauw should make sure they are entering the barcode and tracking information noted in the instructions, as a negative result is needed to return. Proctor said move-in can be delayed if a student arrives on campus without knowing their results.
Students must arrive in their scheduled time frame, especially for the Feb. 14 group, Proctor said.
“We understand that we've never had students moving back to campus in this fashion in the middle of winter, and there is a potential for weather to impact travel,” Proctor said, “so students should keep in touch with housing should they experience delays.”
As with everything on campus this year, students should continue to use the health and safety behaviors that DePauw has outlined. These can be found on DePauw’s website under COVID-19 resources, policies and FAQ. These are vital to reducing the spread of COVID-19 on DePauw’s campus.