October 5, 2020
Dear students who live on campus,
Per the academic calendar, the last day of in-person instruction for fall term is Friday, November 20, followed by Thanksgiving break from November 21–29. All classes will be online starting November 30. This means all Reed housing (residence halls, houses, and apartments) will close on Sunday, November 22. These decisions, previously announced in Reed’s fall 2020 plans, were made to reduce health risks during cold and flu season and to minimize the potential impact of students traveling from and returning to campus following the Thanksgiving break.
How does this impact you? Students are asked to depart their on-campus residences by Sunday, November 22. Once you depart, you cannot return until your spring semester move-in date unless otherwise approved by the college. The college understands that some students have personal circumstances (e.g., travel restrictions) that would cause them to want to stay on campus beyond November 22. As in years past, the college will be implementing an application process where select students will be approved to stay in on-campus residences beyond November 22.
On-campus resources between November 22 and the start of the spring semester: It is important to note that after November 22, on-campus resources will be reduced due to classes not being in person or in session. Therefore, we have limitations on how many students we can accommodate. (More information will be available in the coming weeks regarding on-campus resources during winter break.) Additionally, the college must continue to balance supporting students while minimizing public health risks. Students who are approved to stay on campus will be asked to adhere to the same health and safety guidelines that community members are currently following as well as the housing-specific COVID-19 addendum. On this note, we will continue to provide COVID-19 testing to students and staff who remain on campus between November 22 and January 15.
Application process: Students who need to stay in their current on-campus housing assignment for the remainder of the fall semester (until December 18) or through the winter housing period (until January 15) must complete an application. Access to the application can be found on the Residence Life at Reed website. Applications will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis through November 10. There is no cap on the number of students who will be approved.
Please let us know if you have any questions about the process. We appreciate your fortitude and patience throughout this semester so far and look forward to continuing to support your Reed education, wherever it takes place.
All our best,
ResLife