For the spring semester, all students who will be living on campus in residence halls and all students taking in-person classes on campus are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result before moving onto campus or attending in-person classes. Please review more information on how to submit COVID-19 test results.
Community bathrooms in residence halls, will be fully cleaned once per day Monday through Friday. Surfaces will be disinfected twice a day Monday through Friday. In addition to custodial efforts, all residence hall rooms in community style halls will be furnished with a spray bottle containing a disinfectant. A new standard procedure will be for residents to take responsibility for disinfecting a bathroom surface they intend to use before use and disinfect and wipe down after use to prepare for the next user. Suite style halls also will be issued one disinfectant spray bottle per suite bathroom. Students are expected to bring their own paper towels to wipe down surfaces. Being respectful of others and taking responsibility for keeping surfaces clean is vital in stopping the spread of viruses.
There will not be as many shared spaces available to residential students; community spaces, lounges, kitchens, etc., will be limited. Outside residence hall rooms, residents are expected to wear masks or face coverings and socially distance. In the world of COVID-19, having a roommate is considered by the CDC like being a part of the same family unit. We are encouraging residents to develop social pods with 4-8 adjacent neighbors so that they have others to socialize with and yet still restrict their exposure to stay safe.
We are taking extra precautions to ensure that our residence halls are as safe as possible for all students living on campus this fall and to mitigate against the spread of COVID-19. Residence hall capacities have been adjusted to allow for some social distancing, availability of more private rooms, and limited quarantine/isolation housing. The housing contract addendum outlines revisions to our guest policy, including restrictions on who has access to the halls, and reduced access to community spaces, lounges, kitchens, laundry rooms, elevators, etc. Residents also are encouraged to restrict their interactions, stay away from crowds, and mask/social distance anywhere on or off campus.
Several modifications have been made to the move-in process for January 2021. A staggered move-in will occur January 13-15 at a central campus location to allow for contact-free curbside check-in and verification of COVID-19 test results. The protocols will be different from past years. Students will schedule a move-in time. Students will be instructed to restrict contact with others for 14 days prior to arriving on campus. There will be COVID-19 test verification and self-screening protocols for the resident and any helpers prior to being issued a key. All information and details will be communicated to residents via Winthrop email and added, as available, to the Residence Life Move-in webpage.
Residence Life programming will use the residential curriculum model, but RAs have been trained on how to maintain strong interactions while engaging with residents virtually in most cases. The Office of Student Engagement & Diversity will work with DSU to promote and connect student organizations to general programming and events throughout the semester. Student organizations looking to host meetings and events on campus will work with OSA staff members to plan and address safety measures before events will be approved. Student organizations will be strongly encouraged to host events using their Zoom accounts and promoting through their social media, OSA social media accounts and the all-student listserv.
There is addendum to the residence hall contract this year that details necessary modifications due to COVID-19. The addendum covers important changes to the Residence Hall Contract/Lease that address health and safety considerations, adjustments in the residence hall experience and additional personal and social responsibilities for students. All students who are living on campus must sign the addendum before on-campus housing is approved.
When dining locations are open, there will be limited seating capacity, updated configurations, physical barrier and floor markers to encourage social distancing. Self-service food options have been eliminated, and menus have been revised to address product availability, speed of transaction and mobility of carryout. There are more pre-packaged options to allow for quick service and carryout convenience. There is also additional outside seating around the Campus Center and Thomson to support expanded carryout service.
Social responsibility is among Winthrop’s core values. Therefore, every member of the Winthrop community is expected to engage in daily health self-monitoring and to stay at your off-campus home or in your residence hall room away from on-campus class, work or activities if you begin exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Every member of the Winthrop community is expected to wear a mask or face covering inside buildings as well as anywhere outdoors where social distancing of 6 feet cannot be ensured. If everyone follows this guidance, the risk of community spread of COVID-19 will be significantly diminished.
All new students are required to register for and participate in Orientation. For students starting at Winthrop in Spring 2021, there are two sessions to choose from in early January. These sessions are live, virtual, half-day events. During Orientation, students will have the opportunity to interact with other new students, their Orientation leader, and Winthrop’s faculty and staff. Orientation is a fun and interactive experience that provides updates and information that you'll need to start the spring semester off on the right foot. For more information, including how to register for Orientation, visit the website for New Student & Family Programs.
The Campus Center is open to support the hours of retail operations in the building, including the bookstore. Recreational spaces are not open (games, lounges, etc.). The West Center hours can be found here. Dacus Library is open with modified hours that can be found here.