EIU Media Relations

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL EIU STUDENTS

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL EIU STUDENTS –

The current COVID-19 pandemic is escalating rapidly, and the university must make important decisions in response. That said, the health and safety of all our students, our campus, and our community remains our top priority. As such, the following actions are being announced:

• EIU intensely urges every student who can return home for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester to do so.

• Students residing in student housing (Residence Halls, Greek Court, University Court and University Apartments) will receive an email from the Housing and Dining Office on Friday which will include information on the checkout process and a link to a sign-up form to reserve your checkout time. It is important that we spread out checkout times so we can limit the number of people in the building at the same time. Available checkout times will start on Sunday, March 22 at 1pm and continue until Saturday, March 28. You must quickly pack your belongings, check out, and return to your permanent residences. Students are not allowed to reside on campus overnight. All belongings will need to be removed by Saturday, March 28. Students needing additional time to remove belongings, please contact EIU’s Housing and Dining Office.

• The University will provide prorated credits to accounts or prorated refunds to students leaving EIU residences (Residence Halls, Greek Court, University Court, and University Apartments) for the remaining portion of the semester. More information concerning the credits and/or refunds will be sent to students from the EIU Housing and Dining Office. Dining dollars remaining on student accounts will roll over for use in the Fall semester.

• We realize there may be special circumstances for some students that necessitate staying in student housing (including international students, students with no online learning access at home and other extraordinary situations). In these very rare cases, the university will make those accommodations. Students needing this accommodation should not return to campus until March 29, and will need to notify the Housing and Dining Office (housing@eiu.edu) of their intention and reason for their return as soon as possible. EIU’s Housing and Dining Office will communicate details to those who request accommodations. Students who remain in EIU residences may be moved to different locations on campus to ensure appropriate health-related social distancing as guided by CDC recommendations, as well as safety and staffing considerations. Some residential buildings will be closed.

• All graduate assistants and student workers should not return to campus until March 29 unless explicitly communicated by their supervisors between now and March 22 that they are needed next week.

• The decision has been made to cancel May 2020 Commencement Ceremonies and to allow those graduates to participate in the December 2020 ceremony. All eligible May 2020 graduates will receive their EIU diplomas, diploma covers, and graduation programs in the mail at the end of the semester.

The following facilities and events are closed or cancelled for the duration of the Spring 2020 semester:

• Student Recreation Center
• University Pool
• Bowling Alley and Billiards Center
• E-Sports Arena
• Multicultural Center
• Panther Shuttle Service
• Doudna Fine Arts Center Events
• Tarble Arts Center Events
• Intramural Sports Events
• All student campus events, including Greek Week, UB events, the Spring Concert, and others.
• All in-person meetings with more than 10 participants (virtual RSO meetings are still encouraged).
• Booth Library will remain open at reduced hours for EIU students, staff and faculty for the duration of the semester, and will operate under strict CDC distancing guidelines.
• University food services will remain open at Taylor Dining Center with reduced hours of operation. Food will be available on a grab-and-go basis only.

In what has proven to be an escalating and ongoing situation, these measures have been enacted to keep our EIU populations as safe and as supported as possible. While the university remains committed to sharing information reliably and rapidly, these announcements may generate additional questions. Please email those questions to covid19info@eiu.edu, and the university will do its best to answer them within a 24-hour period.

In the interim, I strongly encourage all students to continue checking their EIU emails and the EIU website with increased frequency to stay abreast of the most up-to-date and relevant information as these circumstances, and EIU’s resulting actions, continue to evolve rapidly for everyone.

We appreciate the enduring patience, flexibility, and trust you’ve all demonstrated as the University continues to navigate this unparalleled and evolving global crisis.

With appreciation,

David M. Glassman
President

CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

WHO: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

EIU Health & Counseling Services: www.eiu.edu/health