Dear students,
To protect public health and the safety of the entire Duke community, Duke has taken significant actions related to COVID-19 (coronavirus), including the extension of Spring Break through March 22 and the shift of all undergraduate classes to remote instruction beginning March 23.
Students who are currently out of town for Spring Break should NOT return to the Duke campus. We know there are undergraduate students who are on campus at the moment or who will need access to campus housing this week because of a variety of circumstances; the information below will help us direct you more specifically. Those students who need to return to campus, even briefly, must register with Student Affairs in advance so we can support a very limited on-campus population.
IN THIS STRESSFUL TIME, KNOW THAT WE ARE HERE TO WORK WITH YOU—WHATEVER YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION, WE HAVE A TEAM OF PEOPLE READY TO HELP AND SUPPORT YOU. Please understand that we will prioritize urgent health and safety requests and that all plans are subject to change. The information below will help identify action steps for your specific situation.
Accessing your belongings in a res hall
The majority of students will not be able to move their belongings out of the res halls at this time. We will share additional details on how to retrieve your belongings later this spring. For now, all students may leave their items in their assigned residence hall room through the end of the spring semester. Both the buildings and the rooms will be secured.
We anticipate that a small number of students may be in the area and able to retrieve belongings or move fully out from your on-campus housing between now and March 22. This is an update to our policy on returning to campus—if you plan to retrieve belongings or move out between now and March 22, please register to let us know what day you will do so using the housing registration form by FRIDAY, MARCH 13, AT NOON EDT.
IF YOU ARE RETURNING FROM A CDC LEVEL 2 OR 3 LOCATION
If you are currently traveling or have traveled to a country with a Level 2 or 3 CDC travel warning you may NOT return to campus at this time for any reason, and will be required to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. If you are returning to the U.S. from one of these areas, find more information about what to do here.
To confirm, if you are currently on campus or will be near campus arriving from a NON-LEVEL 2 OR 3 LOCATION between now and March 22, you may move out—we just need to know what day via the housing registration form. The vast majority of students will work with our team to access their belongings at a later time and information will be forthcoming.
DukeCard access
Starting tomorrow, Thursday, March 12, DukeCard access for all students will be restricted to house-only access on East Campus and quad-only access on West Campus. Beginning, Monday, March 23, DukeCard access to all residence halls will be restricted for anyone not pre-approved to remain on campus using the housing registration form.
If you cannot return home
If you are presently on campus and cannot return home, whether due to travel restrictions, costs of travel, or another consideration that may supersede this direction, please fill out the housing registration form, and we will follow up with you directly to learn more. The information provided on this form will be secure and allows us to provide you with more specific direction.
IF YOU NEED TO REMAIN ON CAMPUS BEYOND SUNDAY, MARCH 22, YOU MUST REGISTER USING THE HOUSING REGISTRATION FORM BY FRIDAY, MARCH 13, AT NOON EDT, AND RECEIVE WRITTEN APPROVAL FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS TO REMAIN IN YOUR RESIDENCE HALL.
Ensuring your safety and wellbeing is our top priority. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work to reduce the density of our on-campus community and take needed steps to address the coronavirus’s spread. Please continue to use common sense and refrain from actions that could unintentionally put others at risk. We will continue to stay connected with any additional information as we have it.
Sincerely,
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Gary Bennett
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education