As President Englert and Provost Epps announced, Temple University has decided to extend the suspension of all but essential in-person academic instruction through the end of the fall 2020 semester. 

While we are still committed to offering a safe residential life opportunity for our students, we recognize there will be some students who may want to return home. All students in university residence halls have the opportunity to vacate by Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, with a full refund of their housing and meal plan charges for the fall semester. Other students may want to remain on campus to access academic, student support and health services, or because of individual or family circumstances. In the days and weeks ahead, all students should be sure to check the Student Services section in TUportal often, to see which services are being offered in a hybrid model or virtual only. 

Student Health Services will be emailing additional information today for students who are choosing to leave campus, but would like to be tested for COVID-19 before returning home. Testing is recommended for anyone leaving campus. Any tests conducted on campus will be by appointment only. 

If you choose to remain in the halls, you will still be expected to move out by Friday, Nov. 20, as previously stated in the university’s return plan and outlined in your housing license. Although residential plans for spring 2021 are undetermined at the present time, residential students will be given as much preference as possible in the spring, as conditions allow.

Additionally, in order to maintain a sense of community, students who remain in the residence halls after Sunday, Sept. 13 may be asked to relocate. For example, no student will be left to reside on a floor alone, and any revised accommodations will be comparable to the student’s original choice.

If you have not yet left campus but plan to do so, please carefully read the following so you are informed and prepared for your move-out. If you have already left campus but have not yet checked out of your room, please contact your hall’s front desk as soon as possible. Contact information is available by selecting your hall on the UHRL website. 

Process for ensuring your proper cancellation submission 

• Submit a Cancellation Request via the MyHousing system on TUportal.
• Following the submission of this request, you will need to check-out at the front desk of your residence hall and/or with your Resident Director and return your room key when you leave to receive a full refund.

Both steps must be completed by Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020 in order to receive a full refund.

Housing refunds 

• We will begin processing housing and meal plan cancellations on Monday, Sept. 14, after confirming students have properly checked out of their residence halls. You will receive housing refunds for both the housing and meal plan charges after Tuesday, Sept. 15.  

Move-out process 

• Please complete this survey indicating the day/time you plan to move out. 
• Completely clear your room of all your belongings and ensure the room is clean prior to check out. Even if you intend to live on campus in the spring, do not leave any belongings behind. 
• Be sure that all dates on checkout forms are accurate.
• All checkouts will be conducted through express checkout. Express checkout instructions and envelopes are available at your front desk.
• Similar to move-in, only one other person may help you move out.  You and your guest must also observe the university’s four public health pillars.
• Front desks will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. During these hours, check out at your front desk. 
  • Residents of Beech International Village, University Village, The View of Montgomery and The Nest should call their respective building representatives using the Staff Duty Phone in order to check out. The number for Beech is 215-360-6596, the number for the View at Montgomery is 215-356-5020, the number for University Village is 215-606-7136, and the number for The Nest is 215-356-5020.
• If you experience challenges with regard to the time allotted to remove your belongings from university housing, please contact your front desk and let them know. We may be able to store or ship items for you. It is preferred that you not leave belongings behind, but we will do our best to accommodate you in this unique situation.

In-hall mail 

• For students remaining in the residence halls, campus and U.S. Mail delivery will continue, but front desk hours may be limited.
• For students who check out of the residence halls, U.S. Mail will be forwarded to the most updated address on file. Packages and campus mail will be returned to the sender. If you have a package that has not arrived prior to your departure, you will need to contact the sender to change the address or arrange to have the package resent to you at your new address. 
  • You can ensure the accuracy of your addresses on file by logging in to TUportal and selecting Manage My Account in the upper right corner, then clicking Manage Addresses and Phones.
• If needed, complete a change of address form for the U.S. Postal Service.

We recognize you may have more questions regarding meal plans, the move-out process and available campus resources. Please continue to monitor the temple.edu/coronavirus for the latest information. As the situation develops and we have more information to share regarding University Housing, we will continue to keep you updated via email. 

We know some of you choosing to go home now may still want to live on campus for the spring 2021 semester, should that be available. UHRL is constructing a process for current housing students that will not require a housing deposit, and allow us to do our best to accommodate your room and roommate of choice. As we get closer, we will share more details about what this selection process looks like. 
 
If you have any questions, concerns, or need further clarification, please contact your Resident Director or the Housing Office at 215-204-7184, option 2. We also encourage students to continue to use our Zoom Customer Service Support, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  
 
Thank you,

Sean P. Killion
Associate Director for Housing Operations 
University Housing and Residential Life