To Our Students Living in Campus Housing:
As part of efforts to protect the health and safety of the university community, Case Western Reserve has taken multiple steps to reduce the number of people physically on our campus.
One of those steps involved campus housing, where we said that only those students with no other viable option would be allowed to stay in university residences.
After an exhaustive application and review process, fewer than 450 of you received approval to remain.
Now that the departure deadline for those needing to leave has passed, we are evaluating the need to enact additional measures to protect your collective well-being. Specifically, we soon may need to re-assign many of you to spaces where you will live by yourselves, and where your distance from students living on the same floor or hall is greater than it otherwise would be.
We recognize that this news represents yet another disruption in a semester far too full of them already. We deeply regret all of the changes this public health crisis has required—as well as the disappointments involved.
We are letting you know of this possibility now in the event that we do need to act, even if only in a limited manner. If we do proceed, we will do everything possible to make the process as smooth and safe as possible. For example:
- The timing of relocations would be staggered to restrict the number of people moving at any one time;
- Students would receive at least three days’ advance notice before individual moves; and
- Students would receive packing boxes for their belongings.
You will receive future communications with direction specific to your circumstances; for now, we ask that you continue to practice social distancing (maintaining at least six feet from others), and follow additional federal guidance regarding prevention.
As with other changes, our goal is to lower the likelihood of virus transmission between individuals. The evidence shows that people who have no symptoms can infect others; in that context, we are doing all that we can to limit opportunities for exposure.
To that end, two reminders:
Any individuals staying in university residences without explicit university approval will be removed from that housing. Students living on campus without permission will be subject to the university’s judicial process, while those not affiliated with the university will be referred to university police.
In addition, any on-campus students knowingly housing someone not authorized to remain on campus will face a disciplinary review.
We share this information so that anyone failing to abide by university procedures is fully aware of the consequences. For the sake of everyone now living and working on campus, we must enforce university-wide compliance.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Lou Stark
Vice President for Student Affairs
Sara Lee, MD
Executive Director for University Health and Counseling Services