COVID-19 Questions or Concerns?

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Uncommon Return: Residence Life Plan

This page has been archived to document Concordia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the most up-to-date information, please visit cuaa.edu/COVID

Safe-at-(campus) home

Concordia University is a community. For those of you who live on campus, Concordia is also your home. Our residence life staff are working hard to ensure your home is ready and waiting for you. We are committed to ensuring your physical, mental, and spiritual health and can’t wait to welcome you home to Concordia.

We continue to study best practices for residence life. At this time, we do not anticipate setting occupancy limits. Rather, roommates and suitemates will be considered a “family unit,” while residence hall floors will function as a close network. Smart screening protocols will be implemented to mitigate the risk of spread within residence halls. Cloth facial coverings will be required when in hallways and public spaces within residence halls. We will also implement the following practices:

A staggered move-in process will reduce campus traffic and help us maintain physical distancing during move-in. This protects you and your family members as you settle into your Concordia home. Residential students will receive an email by mid-July with instructions on scheduling a move-in time.
No outside visitors will be permitted in residence halls during the semester.
Housekeeping practices in residence halls will be increased. This includes cleaning and disinfecting communal restrooms, kitchens, and lounges. Housekeeping will continue to focus on disinfecting high-touch areas with an EPA-approved product per CDC guidelines. Disinfectant and disposable toweling will be made available so that students can self-disinfect their personal living areas as needed.
To protect the health and safety of all, students who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will be fully supported with special considerations involving academic, food, social connections, and housing (whether that is an isolated room on campus or returning home if feasible).

Common spaces in the residences halls including kitchens, laundry rooms, hall lounges, and study rooms will have capacity limits and follow scheduled closures for cleaning. Cloth facial coverings will be worn by all individuals while in hallways, lounges, bathrooms, and other public spaces within residence halls.

Halls with common bathrooms will use physical barriers, the removal of service of sinks, toilets and showers to accomplish physicals distancing. In addition, restrooms will follow scheduled closures for cleaning.

No more than one person may enter an elevator at a time, so please use the stairs whenever possible. If you are using the elevator, wear your mask or face covering and avoid touching the elevator buttons with your exposed hand/fingers, if possible. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol upon departing the elevator.

At check-in, each resident student will receive a kit of basic PPEs and health screening items, along with clear instructions on how to best use them and what steps to follow if you feel ill or have a temperature. A cloth face covering will be provided. Students may also wear their own cloth face coverings. We are requiring face coverings be worn by all students, faculty, and staff in public spaces, such as hallways, classrooms, and auditoriums where minimum social distancing (6 feet) cannot be assured.

Students are encouraged to not share personal items that are difficult to clean, which may include electronic devices, books, pens, and other learning aids.

Our partners at Sodexo are planning a safe (and delicious) dining experience for you on campus this fall. Dining services will be up and running and meal plans will be available.

Dining Etiquette

Only students with a university meal plan will be allowed to use the dining hall. Seating will be arranged to allow for necessary social distance. Hours of service will be adjusted to reduce the volume of students dining at any given time.

Buffet and self-service style options will be replaced with pre-plated and pre-packaged delivery. Instead of dining in, students will be able to order their meal and pick up to-go options instead of dining in.

Students will use disposable food service items as possible. Reusable items (plates, cups, etc.) will be properly washed and sanitized after every use.

We’ll incorporate some physical (Plexiglas) barriers in dining halls, and our staff will clean tables, chairs, and high-touch surfaces between uses. We will also expect students to follow social-distancing guidelines when ordering and waiting for food, and when disposing of trays and dishes.

Concordia’s Sodexo staff will wear PPE to ensure your safety.