BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky University will offer students a normal housing experience in the fall.
What You Need To Know
- WKU will offer normal housing experience this fall
- Regular two-person housing will be available
- Resident halls will have reduced seating in common, study areas
- Move-ins will start Aug. 17
Despite mandating other health and safety measures like masks and social distancing, WKU will offer students regular two-person housing come August. Vice President of Student Engagement, Mike Reagle, says this decision came after careful thought and the goal of providing students a holistic college experience.
“We feel like that’s an important part of the college process, we feel like it's an important part of their development and things like that, so we elected to open with double occupancy in our rooms like we’ve done in the past,” said Reagle.
Resident halls will have reduced seating in common and study areas, and custodial staff will clean restrooms on a frequent schedule.
Move-in day for the university will begin Aug. 17, but students in surrounding cities and counties have the option to opt into the Top and Drop program. The new system allows students to sign up for a designated time between Aug. 1 and Aug. 17 to drop off their belongings.
Reagle says this new program will help reduce the spread of the virus and give a safe and efficient alternative to the usual move-in experience.
“What that will do is allow us to have much much fewer people on the campus, Interacting with one another, bumping into one another, you know that sort of thing. We believe that will sort of help us de densify the number of students trying to get into their rooms at a given time,” said Reagle.
Students do not have to get tested before coming to campus or show a negative test result before moving in. If a student tests positive or is exposed to the virus, the university will offer alternative housing to keep students safe. Working with the Graves Gilbert clinic on campus, Reagle says they are prepared for all situations.
“We’ve got a number of beds assigned and spread out that we would put either quarantined or isolated students into. Obviously isolated being students who have tested positive, quarantined being students who have simply been around somebody who has had it,” said Reagle.
Western Kentucky University will begin classes Aug. 24.