Boise State tells students to move out as classes go online. Some jobs vanish, too
Boise State University has told most of its on-campus students to move out of residence halls by noon Thursday.
This affects approximately 2,375 students who live in on-campus dorms, according to the university’s housing capacity figures.
The request came in an email from Housing and Residence Life Director Luke Jones to all campus residents last Thursday, prior to the announcement of the first COVID-19 case on campus, giving students one week to find alternative housing or return home.
“As the spread of COVID-19 continues to escalate, state and federal officials are suggesting increased measures to attempt to slow the spread of the virus in our community and beyond,” the email said. “As a result, Boise State is scaling down operations to critical services only, staff members have been asked to work remotely and many buildings are closing.”
Like many on-campus residents, Sarah Smith and her seven suite mates did not plan on cutting their time on campus short when they moved into Taylor Hall at Boise State in August.
However, they — along with hundreds of students across the state — are preparing to move back home, uprooting their academics, jobs and social lives.
“Everybody I know is leaving or has already left,” said Smith, who is headed back to Coeur d’Alene. “We didn’t think that we would have our neighbors and roommates move out so suddenly and it has definitely been difficult for everyone. It is my first year at Boise State and this is how it is ending. It’s all so surreal.”
In order to increase measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, colleges and universities across the state have asked students to move out and come back next fall.
Move-out requirement gets stricter
An email sent to students on March 13 by Jones asked students to move out if possible. However, no one was forced to leave. That later changed.
The second email sent to students says exceptions can be made for those who are:
- Facing homelessness.
- Subject to visa restrictions.
- Facing unsafe living situations.
- Facing health concerns that may put them at risk.
- Working in the health care field in a position providing direct patient care.
“Accounts will be prorated and credited based on your move-out date and should be posted to student accounts within 30 days,” the email said.
The College of Idaho in Caldwell hasn’t yet required all of its students to leave, although it is encouraging those who can.
“We are asking all students who can, to move out. Especially since a large majority of our students are from the state of Idaho,” said Joe Hughes, director of marketing and communications at College of Idaho. “We have a good contingent of international students for whom that’s just not an option. And they are welcome to stay, and other students who have some compelling reason. We will be spreading students out around campus and giving them more personal space to practice social distancing.”
The College of Idaho is expecting 200 or fewer students out of their 680 residents to remain on campus.
“We are offering pro-rated credit, based on when they check out, for the fall semester for room and board to underclassmen and refunds to graduating seniors who were on campus, since they will not be returning,” Hughes said.
Officials at the University of Idaho are following a similar approach. In an email to students on Thursday, President Scott Green gave them the option to move out.
“University of Idaho residence halls are open and Vandals Dining will continue to offer safe options for meal services,” Green wrote. “Additional campus support resources such as counseling services, academic advising, career services, etc., will also be available to students.”
If students choose to move out, U of I is also offering pro-rated housing and meal credits to student accounts.
Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa asked all students to move out of the dorms by last Saturday with a few exceptions. Any refund process is still being formalized by university leadership, according to Mark Cork, associate vice president of communication and marketing at NNU.
College employment and financial aid
Boise State freshman Matthew Lorentz explained that he and his five roommates were hoping to move out in the next two weeks, but now he is rescheduling his flight back to California.
Lorentz, who worked at Cafe Zupas and had originally given two weeks’ notice, feels as if this was a sudden change to the policy for campus residents.
“Everything was kind of sudden with people and my friends moving out and back home,” Lorentz said. “The only thing we can do is hope this situation clears so we can come back to school in the fall.”
However, not all students have the ability to leave or adjust as quickly.
Joey Sacino is a junior at Boise State and is feeling the effects of the online switch in his income.
“I work for the Educational Access Center. If there are no classes, like physical classes, I don’t have a job,” Sacino said. “I am an out-of-state student, so it’s definitely not that easy for me to just pack up and go.”
Greg Hahn, associate vice president of communications and marketing, said the quick changes at Boise State and variance in students opting to stay or go means there isn’t a definitive answer for everyone.
“Across campus, it is possible that jobs that could continue had been filled by students who are choosing to leave, so there could be opportunities there to keep folks on who would like to keep working,” Hahn said. “We will have to sort all of that on the fly, as we navigate these uncharted waters.”
On Thursday, students who are members of housing staff were notified that their student employment role will end March 27 due to the decline in residence hall population.
Other students, like senior Thomas Metzger, who works at a local restaurant and used to work at the Record Exchange, have had their hours cut back or have been laid off from their off-campus jobs, impacting their livelihood. Metzger lives at home, so he is not impacted by the residential changes, but says he still has bills.
“I think students are hit harder in some areas for sure,” Metzger said. “When hours are cut, this could lead to worries about rent on top of school.”
Hughes confirmed that federal work-study programs will continue to fully fund students, regardless of employment condition. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Scholarship, which allows out of state students to attend participating institutions in other states for reduced tuition, is also still in effect across campuses.
“The federal government has already communicated increased flexibility for financial aid regarding universities moving to online instruction,” according to the University of Idaho’s COVID-19 information page. “We do not expect any changes.”
Commencement
Each school is handling decisions on spring graduation differently.
Boise State University: No decision.
University of Idaho: Canceled.
College of Idaho: Canceled. A virtual celebration will be held on May 23 at 10 a.m.
Northwest Nazarene University: Postponed. The new date is to be announced.
All four institutions have decided to fully implement an online format for classes through the rest of the spring semester.
