The Housing Services COVID-19 FAQ webpage addresses questions for students.

We know that residential living will look quite different in the year ahead, which will take a shared commitment from all students and staff to ensure we can maintain open facilities to support in-person education. In particular, after careful study, we are de-densifying all of our facilities which, with the addition of some off-campus hotel rooms, will allow us to maintain 50% of our usual occupancy for the coming year.

We are de-densifying all of our facilities so that we will have no more than one student per bedroom; and no more than three students per bathroom in semi-suites, suites and apartments, or bathroom fixture set (shower/toilet/sink) in traditional residence halls and Greek chapter houses. This means that all residents in campus housing for the fall semester will have a single/private bedroom.

We are committed to offering you an opportunity to live on campus for one semester in the year ahead to provide an equitable approach to assigning our limited capacity. All first-year students, and all upperclass students with existing housing assignments, will be provided on-campus housing for only one of the upcoming two semesters, and only a very small number with special circumstances will be provided housing for both semesters. We know this is a disappointment for some students and families. We look forward to the day when we can offer our fulsome residential housing experience to all students. The extraordinary times of living through a pandemic call for our heightened and sincere commitment to your health and well-being, which we believe this approach promotes.

A 14-day modified self-quarantine period will be expected of all residential students upon arrival. While in modified quarantine, students may not attend events or classes on campus, or leave campus. Activities such as picking up food from a campus dining location or exercising outdoors will be permitted so long as physical distancing is maintained and a facial covering is worn. For the purposes of some limited opportunities for social interaction, first-year students will form a “pod” with members of their Orientation group, while upperclass students can form a self-defined “pod” of up to 10 students living in the same residence hall. More information about the self-quarantine is available online. 

Dining plans for first-year and upperclass students living on campus will be activated once students move in. Students will be able to use both blocks and FLEX at a select number of dining locations on campus. Blocks and FLEX used before classes begin will be deducted from the semester allotment of your enrolled meal plan.

It is our plan for the residence halls to remain open for the duration of the fall semester for those students living on campus who elect to stay during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

For students who will seek accommodation over the winter break, we plan to maintain our practice of keeping a small number of buildings open. However, students may be relocated from their assigned space to maintain a smaller residential footprint in support of student safety.

It is our plan to maintain continuity of services throughout the semester. If conditions change, we will communicate with students and families about any changes to our operations.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to get their meals and go back to their residence or office, sit outside or locate a “touch down” space, such as Schatz Dining Hall. Food and drink should stay out of classrooms.

You will be required to maintain a meal plan if you are an upperclass student assigned to suite, semi-suite, traditional or Greek housing, or if you are a first-year student living in any building. This meal plan will not be optional for upperclass students in non-apartments, including those few students who may have their existing assignment changed from an apartment to a non-apartment room type.

For more information on student account adjustments, please see The Hub’s recent news alerts and the following informational page and frequently asked questions from Student Financial Services.

The CMU Pantry is modifying its operations to serve the needs of our community while protecting the health and safety of our shoppers, staff and volunteers. The Pantry will now take orders through an online form and prepare food in bags for pick-up. For the time being, this will completely replace the in-person shopping experience. For more information, including online forms, pickup hours and how to support the Pantry, visit the CMU Pantry website.

The CMU Campus Shuttles are committed to maintaining service but will continue to operate on reduced routes and adjusted schedules due to a decrease in demand. CMU shuttles will remain on a seven-day schedule; however, shuttle pickup times have been adjusted. Please refer to the website and the Ride System GPS app for updates.

We will maintain our relationship with the Port Authority, and access to Pittsburgh PAT buses will continue.