During the move-in and check-in process, students, families and guests will be responsible for maintaining public safety and physical distancing requirements.

• All students, family members and guests assisting with move-in are required to wear a facial covering at all times.
• Physical distancing must be maintained at all times during move in. Students, families and guests must physically distance from other groups moving in at the same time. Many buildings only offer stairwells which will be generally marked as either “up” or “down” to avoid people passing in them. Buildings with elevators are to be used by a single move-in group at a time. (If accommodations are needed during move-in due to a physical limitation or special need, please let Housing Services know that prior to your move-in timeslot by calling 412-268-2139 or emailing us.)
• Some buildings will use floor decals to outline paths that promote physical distancing to check-in points or elevators.
• Students are encouraged to keep any boxes used for move-in in their rooms for the semester. Upon move-out, this will be helpful in packing. During move-in, trash will need to be taken to the nearby dumpsters. A map of dumpster locations will be available at move-in. No large items are permitted in the trash receptacles in the building hallways during move-in.
• Only those individuals helping with move in are allowed in the building. Additional guests or friends are not permitted in the building in order to de-densify the move-in process.

The person(s) helping you during move-in are expected to maintain public safety and adhere to physical distancing requirements. We strongly encourage you to limit the number of people helping you move in to no more than two if possible.

• All students, family members and guests assisting with move-in are required to wear a facial covering at all times.
• Because we are assigning residents to specific bathroom fixtures, family and guests should only use the public bathrooms in the building lobbies and not the communal floor bathrooms.
• Family members and guests are expected to stay with their students at all times.
• Family members and guests must leave their student’s housing building by the end of the day on their move-in day. Once a new day’s timeslots start, occupancy of the building is limited to only those students and families/guests moving in on that day.

It is very important that you read everything on this FAQ webpage before you make your decision that you prefer to live in campus housing for one semester. However, below are a few items of critical importance that will be further described in this FAQ.

• If you are an upper-class student who is selected to receive Fall semester housing, it is possible that you will be reassigned to a different room, room type, and building than you originally chose during Room Selection, and it is possible that you will be assigned to a hotel room.
• You are required to maintain a dining plan if you are an upper-class student assigned to suite, semi-suite, traditional or Greek housing, or if you are a first-year student living in any building. This dining plan is not optional for upper-class students in non-apartments, including those who may have their existing assignment changed from an apartment to a non-apartment room type. More information about the required dining plans and meals on campus after moving in is available in the Dining section.
• 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 (except in the case of outdoor exercise) 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 upper-class students can form a self-defined “pod” of up to 10 students living in the same residence hall. Details regarding how the quarantine will be operationalized for both residential and off-campus students will be shared with the entire campus community in early August.
• All residential students will be required to take at least one viral PCR test for COVID-19 during your quarantine period. As our testing strategy evolves, we may require students to test more frequently than during your initial 14 days. This is being required to prevent spread of the virus, especially among asymptomatic individuals.
• Isolation housing will be required for any student who becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19, as well as any residential students who were in close contact with such a student during the previous 14 days. Isolation housing will be required until a student is cleared by University Health Services, a time period that generally will be up to 14 days or longer depending on symptoms. Isolation housing provides a private bedroom/bathroom living space which a student must remain in at all times during the isolation period, meaning all engagement with university coursework will be done via remote learning. Meals will be delivered to the living space, and regular virtual support check-ins will be provided by University Health Services and Student Affairs staff.
• You will be expected to follow all of the community health mitigation strategies put in place by the university (including those outlined in this FAQ).
• Only students who do not travel during Thanksgiving break will be permitted to continue living in on-campus housing after the break and through finals.

Personal belongings should be limited in size and quantity in the case that a mid-semester move out is necessary due to changing conditions. Please only bring essential belongings that you can easily take with you at move-out. 

Please reference the list of acceptable and prohibited items in the residence halls.

A Wellness Kit will be in your room prior to your arrival which will include CMU branded facial coverings, personal size hand sanitizer, and personal size anti-bacterial wipes.

First-year student rooms will also have Orientation materials, including a welcome card, undergraduate parent and family guide, and an Orientation t-shirt and sticker.

To purchase linens in advance of arrival to campus, please visit the University Bookstore. Please note that ordered linens will be available for pick-up by students at the university bookstore.

If you are locked out of your room, there are multiple ways to gain access. For residents in Fairfax, Webster and Shady Oak, please see options 3 and 4. 

1. You can utilize the CBORD Mobile ID app to receive a six-digit temporary lock-out code. You must be near your lock and logged into the CMU-Secure WiFi on your mobile device to activate the app. Make sure you push the hashtag (#) button on the key pad before entering the six-digit code. Follow the instructions to download the app. This app can also be used to unlock the main entrance to your residence hall.
2. If your phone is not available, visit the Access Housing website to acquire the one-time use temporary lock-out code.
3. Call the Housing Services office (412-268-2139) at the Residence on Fifth Monday through Friday during business hours (8:30 am - 5 pm) to receive a temporary access code. For residents in Fairfax, Webster and Shady Oak, please call to make an appointment to come pick up a temporary key if you are locked out or have lost your original key.
4. If no other options are available, contact University Police (412-268-2323) after hours for lock-out assistance.

If your lock does not display any lights when you press the # symbol, the batteries need to be replaced. Please call Housing Services office (412-268-2139) at the Residence on Fifth Monday through Friday during business hours (8:30 am - 5 pm). When the Housing office is closed, call the Service Response Center at 412-268-2910. Please be specific about what the lock pad is displaying when the service technician answers.

For more information on how to operate your lock, please visit the Housing Services access webpage.

Each room is single occupancy for Fall 2020 and no bed lofting or delofting will be approved.

Most lounges in Housing facilities will be available for use during the Fall semester, although the amount of furniture has been de-densified to promote physical distancing. Some of the other shared amenities, such as common kitchens, exercise rooms and makerspaces, will be closed.   

Students who had their belongings stored by the university and who will be living on campus for the fall can expect their boxes of items to be placed in the rooms before arrival. Housing Services is working on moving all boxes from storage for all students with a fall assignment. 

Students who had their belongings stored by the university and who will be living off-campus in Pittsburgh will be notified in early August regarding the procedures to retrieve them.

All mail and packages for campus housing residents must be addressed and sent to the individual's Student Mail Code (SMC) box. Mail and packages include anything sent through the United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon Prime, etc. No mail or packages of any kind should be sent directly to the street address of the residence hall or apartment building. Housing Services bears no responsibility for the damage, theft, or removal of any packages that are sent directly to the building addresses. In order to ensure that your packages and mail are safe and secure, you must send it to your SMC code address. All mail and packages should be addresses as follows:

Your Name
5032 Forbes Avenue
SMC ####
Pittsburgh, PA 15289

Housing works with the FMCS division of Custodial Services to clean the residence halls (excluding Fairfax, Webster and Shady Oak which are leased buildings, cleaned by their respective management teams, and are required to meet CMU's level of cleaning expectations).

• All buildings will be cleaned seven days a week by Custodial Services staff from 9 am until 7:30 pm. Custodial Services staff will also be doing enhanced daily cleaning of common restrooms and disinfecting high touch areas.
• Traditional residence halls and Greek chapter houses will have the communal bathrooms cleaned twice a day. Students in these spaces will be assigned to specific bathroom fixtures (sinks, toilets and showers). Students will be required to only use their assigned fixtures, which will be assigned upon move-in.
• During the semester, the Custodial Services staff will conduct enhanced deep cleaning of common bathrooms and common spaces.

In an effort to mitigate in-person contact and to support physical distancing, Custodial Services will not be cleaning personal spaces after move-in. Students in semi-suites, suites and apartments will be required to clean their own private/semi-private bathrooms. Students should acquire bathroom cleaning supplies prior to arriving on-campus as Housing Services does not supply them for private spaces.  

Dining plans for first-year and upper-class students will be available for use at the time of move-in. Students are able to use both meal blocks and FLEX at a select number of dining locations on campus. Blocks and FLEX used before classes begin will be deducted from the allotment of the regular selected/assigned meal plan, which starts on Sunday, August 30.

Yes, any first-year student living on campus is required to have a dining plan, regardless of whether or not your residential space has a private kitchen.

No, first-year students living off-campus locally within the Pittsburgh area are not required to have a CMU dining plan. You may elect to have one but it is not required.

The available dining plans and associated costs may be found on the Dining Services website. First-year students may select from the Traditional Plans as indicated on the site. Upper-class students may select from any plan that is the value of the “Scotty’s Choice” community plan (which will serve as the default plan if no selection is made) or higher.

More information will be provided by Dining Services to relevant students after housing assignments have been made.

During the move-in and check-in process, students, families and guests will be responsible for maintaining public safety and physical distancing requirements.

• All students, family members and guests assisting with move-in are required to wear a facial covering at all times.
• Physical distancing must be maintained at all times during move in. Students, families and guests must physically distance from other groups moving in at the same time. Many buildings only offer stairwells which will be generally marked as either “up” or “down” to avoid people passing in them. Buildings with elevators are to be used by a single move-in group at a time. (If accommodations are needed during move-in due to a physical limitation or special need, please let Housing Services know that prior to your move-in timeslot by calling 412-268-2139 or emailing us.)
• Some buildings will use floor decals to outline paths that promote physical distancing to check-in points or elevators.
• Students are encouraged to keep any boxes used for move-in in their rooms for the semester. Upon move-out, this will be helpful in packing. During move-in, trash will need to be taken to the nearby dumpsters. A map of dumpster locations will be available at move-in. No large items are permitted in the trash receptacles in the building hallways during move-in.
• Only those individuals helping with move in are allowed in the building. Additional guests or friends are not permitted in the building in order to de-densify the move-in process.

Using the best available science- and research-based evidence, we are finalizing our protocols for mitigation strategies. At present:

• A 14-day self-quarantine period will be enforced for all residential students upon arrival. During this time, students may not attend in-person gatherings or classes. First-year students will self-quarantine with their Orientation group following strict stipulations for physical distancing; details regarding how this will be operationalized will be shared in early August, including how the quarantine period will interface with the start of classes.
• All residential students will be required to take at least one viral PCR test for COVID-19 during your quarantine period. As our testing strategy evolves, we may require students to test more frequently than during your initial 14 days. This is being required to prevent spread of the virus, especially among asymptomatic individuals.
• Isolation housing will be required for any student who becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19, as well as any residential students who were in close contact with such a student during the previous 14 days. Isolation housing will be required until a student is cleared by University Health Services, a time period that generally will be up to 14 days and could be longer depending on symptoms. Isolation housing provides a private bedroom/bathroom living space which a student must remain in at all times during the isolation period, meaning all engagement with university coursework will be done via remote learning. Meals will be delivered to the living space, and regular virtual support check-ins will be provided by University Health Services and Student Affairs staff.

Details regarding these protocols are still being finalized and will be communicated prior to arrival.

It is of key importance you reflect on these mitigation strategies and protocols while you consider whether or not you want to live in university housing this year.

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 (except in the case of outdoor exercise) 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 upper-class students can form a self-defined “pod” of up to 10 students living in the same residence hall.

Details regarding how the quarantine will be operationalized for both residential and off-campus students will be shared with the entire campus community in early August.

We are generally not able to grant exceptions for early arrivals in order to ensure a safe, structured and appropriately-staffed move in process. The hybrid-learning approach allows for residential students to participate fully in classes using remote technology until their quarantine period is completed.

Housing works with the FMCS division of Custodial Services to clean the residence halls (excluding Fairfax, Webster and Shady Oak which are leased buildings, cleaned by their respective management teams, and are required to meet CMU's level of cleaning expectations).

• All buildings will be cleaned seven days a week by Custodial Services staff from 9 am until 7:30 pm. Custodial Services staff will also be doing enhanced daily cleaning of common restrooms and disinfecting high touch areas.
• Traditional residence halls and Greek chapter houses will have the communal bathrooms cleaned twice a day. Students in these spaces will be assigned to specific bathroom fixtures (sinks, toilets and showers). Students will be required to only use their assigned fixtures, which will be assigned upon move-in.
• During the semester, the Custodial Services staff will conduct enhanced deep cleaning of common bathrooms and common spaces.

Residential students will be required to complete daily symptom tracking, be evaluated if symptomatic, and participate in contact tracing and surveillance as required by the university.

Residential students will be required to have the influenza vaccine (once available).

Face coverings must be worn at all times outside private rooms in the residence halls. Residents will be encouraged to limit entering personal spaces of other residents and expected to engage in the recommended practices of self-hygiene and physical distancing in all residential spaces.

All common-area kitchens will be closed.  Some amenity spaces (e.g. makerspaces, fitness rooms, computer labs, recreation rooms) will be closed; we are in consultation with experts to determine which spaces can be safely maintained and which will need to be closed. Furniture in common spaces will be reduced and arranged to support physical distancing.

In general, gatherings (including RA programs) in social spaces will be limited and otherwise moved to remote delivery. The university has empanelled a working group that includes representation from Residential Education and Housing Services to propose guidelines and expectations for student gatherings and programs campus-wide, and our ultimate strategy will comport with these guidelines.

Students who had their belongings stored by the university and who will be living on campus for the fall can expect their boxes of items to be placed in the rooms before arrival. Housing Services is working on moving all boxes from storage for all students with a fall assignment. 

Students who had their belongings stored by the university and who will be living off-campus in Pittsburgh will be notified in early August regarding the procedures to retrieve them