Coronavirus Update: Urgent Notice to Residents

Dear Students and Families,

Helping you stay safe is our single greatest concern–and Adelphi’s greatest challenge–during this unprecedented epidemic. Adelphi continues to consider your health and well-being as our first priority, and we are working to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

As you know, all classes will be offered in an online format beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020. Additionally, our leadership has determined that we must take an extra step to ensure your safety.

On March 10, we asked our residential students to return home and stay at home following spring break, ending on March 22. We indicated that we would make exceptions for those students who were unable to return home.

As of today, Monday, March 16, all resident students are to move out and return home as soon as possible–for your own safety and for the safety and well-being of our entire community. All residence halls will suspend normal operations on Wednesday, March 25, at 5:00 p.m.

Exceptions are possible for those who can’t return home due to travel restrictions or other extreme circumstances or hardships including:

• Students who live abroad or who live a significant distance from campus
• Students who do not have a safe and secure place to call home for the remainder of the semester
• Students who do not have access to reliable internet for successful completion of online learning

For those individuals, basic housing, health, food and social services will remain available.

To be granted an exception, you must register here by end of day on March 20, 2020. You must apply for an exception by completing the above form, indicating any extreme circumstances or hardships. Please note: You must be logged in to your Adelphi email account to access this form. The Office of Residential Life and Housing will review your request for an extension on a case-by-case basis. You may be required to provide additional information regarding your circumstances.

In order to promote your understanding as to how this difficult decision was made, please note the CDC recommends social distancing for COVID-19, defined as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.”

Even with our best intentions, and with you and your fellow students doing all you can to comply with these recommendations, living in a residence hall makes it difficult to stay within these guidelines. Thus, our residence halls–home away from home for many of you–must close for the well-being of our community.

I realize that this news continues to be unsettling for those of you who have made friends and may rely on the support of your residence hall community, but we are confident this is the best way forward to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Students:

• Please move out of your residence hall room and remove all of your belongings as soon as possible.
• You are asked to complete an Express Check-Out form, found outside of the Resident Assistant (RA) Office of your residence hall. Your hall director will work with you and your family to make arrangements that work best for you to gather your belongings.
• You may apply for an exception by March 20, 2020, if you have extreme circumstances or hardships as outlined previously. The residential life administrative staff will have final approval of exception requests.
• Only those granted an exception may remain in the residence halls past Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

For Your Parents, Guardians and Families:

• Please assist your student to return home before March 25. Your student’s residence hall director can help with logistics or a possible extension.
• Partial residence refunds will be calculated and prorated as of Monday, March 23. We appreciate your patience during this process.
• Once home, help your student comply with CDC guidelines:

1. 1. Avoid large gatherings and close contact with people who are sick.
   2. Avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth.
   3. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
   4. Encourage them to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time. Working together as a close community in a compassionate and caring way can help us all stay safer during the coronavirus crisis.

Please continue to remain updated on campus news and announcements by visiting adelphi.edu/coronavirus.

Sincerely,

R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students