Many different accommodations have been made to allow for a socially-distanced semester at IU, which include new rules for moving thousands of students and their belongings into IU residence halls.
IU broke down move in to smaller groups by working with students to establish move-in dates that work for both the university and the families. In the past, between 5,000 and 7,000 students have moved in over the course of two days. This year, move in happened over several days, with about 1,000 students moving in each day, Leftwich said. Less day-to-day density allowed for more services to help students, such as movers.
“We loved that somebody came and met us at the door,” Tammy Mosely, mother of freshman Amber Mosely said.
Leftwich said IU partnered with Soft Touch Moving & Storage Co. and used staff members in golf carts to help students move in swiftly.
“Having that extra staff available to help move in is something that our parents are really appreciative of,” Leftwich said.
While this move-in method can be effective, there were some drawbacks.
Leftwich said finding times that are available for families during the week can be challenging due to families having jobs and other responsibilities outside of the weekend.
Residential Programs and Services has allowed students to cancel their housing contracts without a fee if they decide not to attend college. The deadline for this choice has been moved twice, causing many more students to reconsider where they are living and if they wish to go to school this year at all. The final deadline was August 8.
Many students requested the deadline to change so they could know how many classes had moved online, and as students dropped roommates and re-evaluated what costs they could and couldn’t shoulder, it led to a shifting puzzle that RPS had to solve, causing delays in assignments, Leftwich said.
Students who chose to live on campus found certain spaces shuttered and many communal areas closed.
RPS decided to close parts of areas in the residence halls including kitchenettes, common rooms and libraries to account for social distancing, Leftwich said.
With many other colleges moving online, some freshmen are packing lighter, expecting to have to move out again soon.
“I didn’t pack a lot of clothes for the winter,” freshman Amber Mosley said.
Not every student can easily move out, such as Sanchita Ahuja, a junior from New Delhi, India. IU is working to make an appeals process for those who cannot move home if campus shuts down.
Ahuja has tested positive for COVID-19and is unsure where she will be this semester. She may have to move back to India when the campus closes after Thanksgiving.
“It’s really scary not knowing where I’ll be in three months,” Ahuja said.
