Undergraduate students living in Temple University’s residence halls must wait until Jan. 22 to return to Main Campus, two weeks later than their initial arrival date, wrote Provost Gregory Mandel in an announcement to students Friday afternoon.
Students moving into residence halls must receive a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of their arrival, The Temple News reported. The university also recommends students get tested before returning to campus, Mandel wrote.
Students who want to return to their residence hall early have until Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. to submit a request, wrote Olan Garrett, associate vice president for student affairs and director of residential life, in an announcement to residential students Friday afternoon.
The university will adjust room and board fees for the spring semester to reflect the change in move-in dates after in-person classes resume, Garrett wrote.
Students in the Podiatric Residence Hall should move in on their regular schedule and check in with their school or college, Garrett wrote.
Students living in off-campus housing are encouraged to take a COVID-19 test before returning and immediately after they arrive, Mandel wrote.
Testing will be available at Student Health Services beginning Jan. 3, Mandel wrote.
Temple made the decision to delay students’ arrival to residence halls due to a significant rise in COVID-19 cases citywide, Mandel wrote.
On Dec. 30, Philadelphia recorded 1,588 COVID-19 cases and is averaging more cases per week than at any other point during the pandemic, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The university is encouraging, but not requiring, students to get booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine if they are eligible. Student Health Services will resume vaccine clinics beginning the week of Jan. 10, and people can make appointments through the Patient Health Portal, Mandel wrote.
“I am optimistic for the spring semester as we work together through the challenges brought by the unpredictable circumstances of the pandemic,” Mandel wrote. “We will, of course, continue to assess as information evolves and may need to adjust further based on input and guidance from our medical and health experts.”
Temple has 145 active cases of COVID-19 as of Dec. 30., up substantially from the 27 active cases reported a month ago on Nov. 29, according to Temple’s vaccine and case dashboard.
On Dec. 22, the university announced plans to begin the first two weeks of the Spring 2022 semester with remote learning, The Temple News reported.
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