Residents Encouraged to Return Home

This week, the University successfully implemented remote delivery of instruction. We appreciate your patience and cooperation in this significant process. A decision has been made to continue remote learning courses through the end of the Spring 2020 semester. 

As a result of this decision, you may want to reconsider your decision to remain in the residence hall. Although the University encourages you to return home if you are able to do so, residence halls, apartments and dining services will remain open for those who choose to stay.

Prorations of room and meal plan charges will be refunded to those who formally check out of residential housing.  

Earlier this week, all student residents were asked to fill out an Emergency Notification Form via ULink to indicate whether they planned to stay or leave campus housing. 

If you previously chose to remain on campus, but have since changed your mind, you are asked to update your answers. If you did not fill out the form, please do so now. The deadline to complete it is 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22.

If you choose to formally check out of your residence hall, you must check out by 6 p.m. Sunday, March 22. If you do so:

• You must remove all belongings, trash and perishable items from your rooms or apartments. You will not be allowed to return to your room or apartment.
• You must formally check out with a housing staff member or complete the express checkout process. You will be expected to return your key prior to departing. Failure to check out properly or to remove belongings, trash or perishables from your room will result in $50 penalty. A $300 lock change will be assessed if your key is not returned.
• You are limited to two outside guests to help you move. This limit is to maintain the health and safety of yourselves, your fellow students and the larger University community.  
• Anyone who is helping you move out must check in at the residence hall front desk.

If you plan to maintain your campus housing, please be aware of the following:

• You may be relocated to another on-campus accommodation in order to maintain social distancing.
• Beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday, residence halls will be closed to all non-residents. Only students who reside in a residence hall will be allowed inside. No one – including students who live in other residence halls – will be permitted inside.
• Social events within residential communities, including parties, are prohibited.    
• All regulations outlined in the On-Campus Living Handbook are still in effect.
• Dining services will remain available in Cypress Lake Dining Hall and The Brew; both are carry-out only. The schedule is as follows (Updated April 2, 2020):
  • The Brew open Monday-Friday for:
    • Breakfast from 9-11 a.m.
    • Lunch from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Cypress Lake Dining Hall will be open 7 days a week for:
    • Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
    • Dinner, 4-7 p.m.

Students who chose to leave campus earlier and now wish to permanently check out will be permitted to return to retrieve your personal belongings from March 23 to March 29.

Post Office Box keys: If you are moving off campus and not returning to on-campus housing for the Summer or Fall 2020 semesters, please return your key directly to the Post Office.

If you are returning to campus housing, please keep your key in order to maintain your current P.O. Box address.  If you wish to have your mail forwarded to your home address until you return, please call (337) 482-6113 or stop by the Post Office to have an alternative address put on your file.

FAQs for Students Leaving Campus

Can students who return between March 23-29 still have two outside helpers assist them in moving out?

Yes.

Can I move out this weekend even if I left earlier in the week?

To avoid congestion and help with social distancing, students who have already left campus should wait until Monday, March 23 to move out.

When are guests allowed to start helping move?

Students currently on campus campus can have two guests help them move out starting today until Sunday, March 22 at 6 pm.

I’ve moved the majority of my belongings. Will I still have to check out on Sunday and return between March 23-29 to retrieve the rest of my belongings?

Official check out can’t be done until all belongings are removed from the building.

Will a resident assistant be on site at all times to do official check outs, or only during certain hours?

A residential life staff member and/or a housing staff member will be available to do official check outs at all times.

If a student would prefer to complete an express check out, express check out forms are at the front desk.

Is there an express check out process available online?

There is no online check out process. Students who have already left campus can return next week to remove belongings and complete an official check out.

I live in another state and can’t return. How do I “officially” check out and return my key? I don’t want to miss out on a potential rebate because I was unable to return my key.

If students have removed all belongings from their room, please email oncampusliving@louisiana.edu. The University will work with students to ensure they do not miss out on a possible rebate.

Does the following language included in an email sent to housing residents apply to students who have already returned home? "If you choose to formally check out of your residence hall, you must check out by 6 p.m. Sunday, March 22"?

Students who have already left campus should wait until March 23-29 to return to complete a formal check out. As long as a formal check out is completed students will be considered for possible refunds.

How do students complete the checkout process, express or otherwise?

To check out the student must remove all belongings, take out trash and any other items not wanted, and return their key to staff. Keys may also be placed in an express check out envelope that can be found at the front desk. The envelope should then be placed in the Express Check out black box at the front desk. These actions will complete the process.

I filled out the emergency response form and said I was staying, but now I'm planning to leave. Do I need to edit the form or fill it out again?

No. If you complete an official checkout, you do not need to fill out the form again.

FAQs for Students Staying on Campus

What is the University’s plan if a student who remains housed on campus contracts coronavirus?

If a student becomes ill, the University has prepared accommodations to isolate them, quarantine any roommates and provide medical assistance. We will provide meals, remove any waste and take care of them. As a reminder, students do have the option to return home if they choose to do so.

What happens if the state enacts a shelter in place or a lockdown?

If there is an order to shelter in place or a lockdown, the University is prepared to feed every student on campus, provide health services, including counseling, and continue to provide all basic services. The campus family is working hard to anticipate and plan for all eventualities.