Laurier students asked to move out of school-operated residences as soon as possible

Wilfrid Laurier University announced in a news release posted today that students are required to be moved out of all school-operated residences by Wednesday, March 18 at 11:59 pm.

 

This mandatory move-out decision was made in response to the growing concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and was released only a few days after Laurier cancelled in-person classes and moved all instruction online for the remainder of the academic semester.

Laurier listed “exceptional” circumstances as the only way for people to remain in residences beyond the listed deadline, stating that “Students should consider all options, including staying with relatives or friends.”

Students who have the option of potentially receiving extra time to leave or remain in residence are listed as: “International students, out-of-province students who need extra time to move out, students who live more than five hours away from campus and students who are currently self-isolating.”

The University of Waterloo and The University of Guelph are also following suit, with UW students having until Friday at noon to leave their residences and Guelph asking students to “leave as soon as possible” but not providing a hard deadline to move at the time of the release.

Students have since voiced their frustrations over the perceived last-minute decision over social media, with some worried that they won’t have the proper means or assistance to do so in time.

According to Laurier’s statement, the university is working towards issuing partial refunds for residence and meal plan fees and urges people to “Please treat each other with kindness and respect during this stressful time. We understand that this is a difficult and disruptive experience and we appreciate your patience and cooperation. We will do our best to support you in this transition.”

Questions can be sent to coronavirusquestions@wlu.ca.

Leave a Reply