Tampa Residential Update (3/26)

April 2, 2020 UPDATE

Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order number 20-19 regarding essential services and activities during the COVID-19 emergency effective 12:01 a.m. April 3, 2020 through April 30, 2020. This order requires all persons in Florida to limit movements and personal interactions outside of one’s home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities. In accordance with this order, USF has suspended the scheduled move-out period of April 8 –May 10 for students away from campus who had planned to return to campus to retrieve their personal belongings. 

Read the message sent to residents currently off campus on April 2, 2020. Students currently on campus, besides those approved to remain on campus, have been sent individualized instructions for move-out.

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Dear USF residents,

USF’s highest priority is the health and safety of our community. As the COVID-19 crisis rapidly evolves, and in accordance with guidance from local, state and federal officials, we have important and timely new instructions to share with our on-campus residents. We deeply appreciate your continued patience, cooperation and understanding as we work together to protect our campus and the surrounding community.

We have developed the following plan to credit housing charges and complete a safe and orderly move out for those students who are able to do so. As always, we will work with any residential student who does not have another suitable option for housing so that the resident can remain in campus housing.

The refunds will initially appear as credits on your Oasis account, and then be refunded to you as described in this plan.

In order for the plan to work smoothly, we divided residential students into two categories: (1) those who are physically present on campus at this time and (2) those who are not physically present on campus at this time. Please see the category below that describes your situation for specific instructions.

RESIDENTS WHO ARE PHYSICALLY PRESENT ON CAMPUS

All residents currently residing (physically present) on-campus must vacate their room by noon on Monday, April 6, UNLESS you fall into one of the categories below and obtain approval via the Housing Portal:

1. International students unable to travel or concerned about not being able to return to USF when in person classes resume
2. Residents without permanent housing or who are unable to return home
3. Residents whose guardians are considered higher risk (compromised immunity, pre-existing conditions, positive COVID-19 test or self-isolating)
4. Residents who will not have online access if they return home
5. Residents with other hardships (to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis)

Requests for exceptions must be received no later than 9 a.m. on Monday, March 30, by completing the ‘exception to remain on campus’ form in the Housing Portal.

You will be notified via email from Housing & Residential Education if you are granted an exception.

At noon on Monday, April 6, all student card access to residential buildings will be deactivated UNLESS a student has been approved to stay for the remainder of the semester. 

The 24-hour desks have adjusted hours to 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. each day. Residents should return their keys during this time period

Besides those approved to stay, USF will end all residents’ current housing agreements and issue a credit to their Oasis account for rent from Monday, March 23, through the remainder of their housing agreement.

Those residents approved to remain on-campus may need to relocate from their current room to another building or area of campus later in the semester, to be determined; however, their current housing rate will remain the same.

RESIDENTS WHO ARE PHYSICALLY OFF CAMPUS AT THIS TIME

All students not physically residing on campus as of the date of this message, may not return to campus until they receive an approved move-out date and time (see below). Our intention is to start to allow residents to return to campus and move-out beginning on Wednesday, April 8. All move-outs will be scheduled to be completed by noon on Friday, May 8. You should not come to campus to move out until your scheduled move-out date and time. Please continue to be flexible as these dates are subject to change based upon changing conditions.

Residents who are physically off campus at this time must schedule, via the Housing Portal, a move-out date and time between Wednesday, April 8 and Friday, May 8 (subject to change). To maintain social distancing practices on campus, residents must move-out during their selected date and time. The move-out scheduling form will be available in the Housing Portal on Monday, March 30, at 10 a.m.

Besides those approved to stay, USF will end all residents’ current housing agreements and issue a credit to their Oasis account for rent from Monday, March 23, through the remainder of their housing agreement. Residents do not need to submit a housing cancellation request.

MOVE-OUT PROCESS

Please follow the steps below for a successful move-out.

Schedule Your Move-Out Time

• Login to the Housing Portal to select your move-out time.
• Select the ‘Move-Out Sign Up’ icon and follow the instructions to select a date and time to move out.
• Move-out times are available from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. each day.

Necessary card access will be granted to residents during their selected move-out date and timeframe.

To minimize crowds, residents can bring no more than two people to assist with their move-out and will have two hours to complete the express checkout.

Check-Out Instructions

Residents will complete an express check-out. The express check-out steps include:

1. Remove all personal items. If you have a bike, you must take it with you or it will be disposed. We recommend bringing your own carts/bins for move-out, however there will be limited carts available for use at Juniper-Poplar Hall and Holly M. Residents are strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidelines, including social distancing and frequent hand washing, when moving out.
2. Properly throw away your trash, especially perishable items.
3. You do not need to complete a Room Condition Report or meet with your RA or CM to move-out. Your Residence Life Coordinator will assess your room for any significant damages later. Take a photo of your room to document its condition for your records.
4. Pick up your express check-out envelope, provided for you at your designated 24-hour desk. Place your keys inside, fill out the required information on the envelope and drop your keys off at your designated 24-hour desk. UPDATE: The 24-hour desks have adjusted hours to 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. each day. Residents should return their keys during this time period.
5. Update your forwarding address in the Housing Portal and contact any pending deliveries with your updated delivery address. This includes updating your default address in Amazon. To access the mail forwarding form in the Housing Portal, choose My Account, My Profile, and choose Mail Forwarding Information.

Elevator Access: Residents are strongly encouraged to follow CDC social distancing guidelines when utilizing elevators. Limiting passengers is ideal. Use a covered hand or elbow to press the buttons.

Parking Instructions to Facilitate your Move-Out

• Please refer to the Residential Maps to help direct you to a parking lot closest to your residence hall.
• Unloading zones on Holly Drive will be in place. Please do not park in the unloading zones longer than 30 minutes.
• Please do not park in any "Disabled Parking" space unless displaying a proper state-issued Disabled Parking placard, hangtag, or license plate.
• Please do not park in Numbered, Reserved, or Labeled parking spaces.
• When parking, please note that the Publix parking lot is not a USF parking lot and non-customers parked in the lot will be subject to Publix parking restrictions. Learn more on the Parking & Transportation Services website

Mail

• Please pick up any mail and or packages from the mail centers before leaving campus. Ensure all of your carriers have an updated address on file for you.
• Update your forwarding address in the Housing Portal and contact any pending deliveries with your updated delivery address. This includes updating your default address in Amazon.
• To access the mail forwarding form in the Housing Portal, choose My Account, My Profile, and choose Mail Forwarding Information.
• As of April 6, mail and package services will be available only to residents who have been approved to remain on-campus. All other packages will be returned to sender.

Residents Who Have Left and/or Cannot Return to Campus

• If you have already moved your items off campus:
  • You will not need to return to campus to check-out. Please mail all keys to the following address and be sure to obtain a tracking number from your shipping carrier and use a padded envelope.

University of South Florida
Housing & Residential Education
Attn: Housing Services
4202 E Fowler Ave, RAR 229
Tampa, FL 33620

• If you cancelled your housing agreement after Friday, March 13, your cancellation fee will re-evaluated based on this new information.
• If you cannot return to campus and/or are sick, please discuss move-out options with USF Housing & Residential Education staff. Please contact housing@usf.edu to coordinate details.

Besides those approved to stay, USF will end all residents’ current housing agreements and issue a credit to their Oasis account for rent from Monday, March 23, through the remainder of their housing agreement. Residents do not need to submit a housing cancellation request.

Housing Payment Refunds

Besides those approved to stay, USF will end all residents’ current housing agreements and issue a credit to their Oasis account for rent from Monday, March 23, through the remainder of their housing agreement. Residents do not need to submit a housing cancellation request.

A resident’s rent credit is calculated by multiplying the nightly rate of their assigned space by 46 nights. The credit will appear on your Oasis account by Friday, April 10. If any institutionally funded financial aid or scholarships were used toward your housing expenses, your account will be reviewed by student financial services to determine if there are any re-payment obligations. We will make every effort to issue any available refund within two weeks following posting. Specific information regarding refunds is on the University Cashier’s website. In order to expedite receipt of any refund owed to you, please set up an electronic deposit (eDeposit) account, if you have not already done so. Follow the instructions below to set up eDeposit in your Oasis account:

1. Go to my.usf.edu 
2. Sign in using your USF NetID & Password
3. Go into the OASIS website
4. Select “Tuition & Fees” on the “Student” tab
5. Select “Subscribe to eDeposit”
6. Follow directions at the subscription site

Click here for more information on eDeposit.

Meal Plans

Additional information regarding meal plans will be sent separately by USF Dining Services by early next week.

INTO USF students

INTO USF students should contact the INTO Housing department in the INTO USF Center at INTOHousing@usf.edu for information about your potential refund and the process to receive your funds.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this unprecedented time. We deeply regret that your on-campus experience has been cut short and the inconvenience that these changes have caused you. USF Housing & Residential Education’s highest priority is the health and safety of our residents, and we are making every effort to support you. We look forward to having you back on campus at USF in the future. Please contact us at housing@usf.edu with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
USF Housing & Residential Education