By MARTY LEVINE
Last spring’s student move-out went so well, even with the sudden changes due to COVID-19 cautions, that nearly the same procedures will work for this year’s campus exodus, said Julie Bannister, assistant vice chancellor for auxiliary services. Students are once again being asked to clean up their rooms and exit within 24 hours of their last final exam; the move-out period begins April 24 and will conclude by noon May 2.
Students were originally asked to shelter in place starting April 16, through the end of the term, but the COVID-19 Medical Response Office instituted University-wide shelter-in-place rules on March 31 due to increased positive COVD-19 cases.
As usual, Pitt Police will be reserving stretches of on-street parking meters to accommodate students leaving their residences. Each student will be allowed one helper, and physical distancing markers and other directional signs in the residence halls will be in place, alongside the other safety protocols we’ve long been asked to practice, such as masking.
Although this is the first time students will be moving out of hotels alongside the usual dorms, Bannister said that process will be no different. The only overall change this year is the addition of an emailed check-out form through which students will confirm that they have left campus. “This will help us track the number of students on campus throughout the move-out process,” Bannister says.
You might assume that this unique move-out drew a spate of student or parent apprehension, but Bannister said that this hasn’t been the case. “Because of the measures we have implemented, including limiting the number of guests and physical distancing, we haven't received additional questions or concerns” this year compared to last spring or spring 2019, she said.
Although Clutter for a Cause stations have been on campus prior to this year, the program has been revamped to capture reusable discarded items from the move-out process. The collection sites will be open from April 22 to 30. Find location details and a list what can be donated here.
You never know what will end up in those bins — “The most unusual item we received in the past was a hot dog costume,” Bannister says — but due to COVID-19, students are being asked to avoid including mattresses or mattress pads, upholstered furniture and rugs. The stations will be run by the “EcoReps” group within Business and Auxiliary Services and the Student Office of Sustainability within Student Affairs.
Marty Levine is a staff writer for the University Times. Reach him at martyl@pitt.edu or 412-758-4859.
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