Seven hundred students will be moving in daily from Aug. 8 to Aug. 23, just a day before classes begin. Normally, students would move in over the course of one weekend, said Steve Herndon, assistant vice president for student development and executive director of housing and residence life.
Instead of throngs of people descending upon the university’s dorms, there were a handful of cars quickly unloading and then leaving. Inside, there were arrows on the floor directing traffic so that those moving in could keep their distance.
“This is drastically different,” Herndon said. “Our goal has been to make this as easy and efficient for students, while also preserving the health and safety of the staff.”
Students were asked to check in at the RecPlex and then move into their dorms. After checking in, students either had to show a negative coronavirus test result or get a coronavirus test.
If a student who gets tested during move-in gets a positive result, they will be asked to go home if they live within 400 miles of UD. If they live further than that, Herndon said his staff has set up special isolation quarters.
Herndon said his staff will continue monitoring the coronavirus situation daily to determine if it is in the students’ best interest to go home.
“Students want to be back. Students want to be here, they want the UD experience,” Herndon said. “Students left in March, not expecting the outcome to be that they would not be returning. We have a lot of students who want to come back and be a part of the experience that has been so meaningful and transformative for them.”
Patrick Duskey, who moved into Marycrest Hall on Saturday, said he was worried that all his classes would be online this fall.
“I didn’t want to lose out on the experience,” Duskey said, “and I learn better in person. So I’m happy to be in person.”
Duskey is an incoming freshman who plans to study mechanical engineering. He moved from Avon Lake, Ohio. Duskey has four older siblings and helped them when they moved into college, so he thought he knew what to expect this weekend.
“I was expecting this to be a lot more congested, but it’s nice in a way because you’re not stepping all over people and their stuff,” he said.
Even though his freshman year has started out a little differently than anyone could have imagined, Duskey said he’s excited.
“I’m just excited to meet new people and to have the college experience,” Duskey said.
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