July 2, 2020 

Dear Reed student,

Our records show that you submitted an application to live on campus for the 2020–21 academic year. We know a lot has changed since you initially indicated interest in on-campus housing. Based on Reed’s plans for the coming year, we are reducing occupancy on campus and must reprioritize how students secure housing. A detailed list of housing changes can be found here. On-campus housing will be assigned to students who completed housing applications by the deadline in the following order:

• Incoming first-year and transfer students
• Rising sophomores
• Returning international students
• Returning students who have a disability-related accommodation for on-campus housing
• Returning students who have previously demonstrated a need and been approved for priority housing

Students who do not fall into the categories above will be assigned randomly generated lottery numbers and will be assigned housing in that order based on availability. Students who do not receive housing will be given the option to add themselves to a waitlist, but should also consider off-campus options.

After discussion with the Student Life working group, Res Life made the decision to assign housing for returning students instead of giving them the opportunity to select their own rooms. This decision was reached after taking into account the complexity of the situation, the limited time frame we have to provide answers about students’ housing status, and the fact that returning student financial aid packages cannot be released until housing is finalized.

Next Steps:

Before you make a decision about whether to confirm your interest in on-campus housing, we strongly encourage you to review the 2020–21 housing contract and covid housing addendum. Students should have honest and thoughtful conversations about their personal health and well-being with their families and/or personal support networks in order to decide whether on-campus housing is right for them. Students should also reflect on whether they are able to abide by COVID-19 guidelines as outlined in the housing addendum.

If you are still interested in living on campus this year, you must login to the Housing Portal to complete a few quick steps to confirm your interest and provide us with additional information. This must be completed by 9am PST on Thursday, July 9 in order for your application to still be considered. Students who do not complete this step will not be offered housing. Res Life staff will complete assignments and inform returning students of their housing status by July 20 at the latest. Students will then need to enter the Housing Portal again to sign a housing contract and addendum to confirm their housing.

Residence Life staff will host a virtual info session on Wednesday, July 8 at 12 p.m. This Zoom session will be recorded and later posted on the Reed website. Please RSVP here and a Zoom link will be emailed to you next Wednesday morning.

We know that this is a lot of information to take in and that you will likely have questions and concerns. See our website for more information, attend the virtual info session, or email our office if you need assistance. Please be aware that our response time may be slower than usual due to the increased volume of inquiries we’re receiving currently, but rest assured that we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue to adapt to COVID-19.

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Residence Life