As renovation work wraps up on Abigail Morse Hall, Emporia State’s Residential Life Department is making some adjustments so students can be as safe as possible from coronavirus when the fall semester begins.
On KVOE’s ESU Buzz with President Allison Garrett, department director Cass Coughlin said work is fully underway to make sure all the dorms are clean. Work is also underway to “de-densify” dorms.
Dorm residents will not need to wear masks in their rooms. The goal is to clean and sanitize commons areas at least twice a day with a plan to clean more often if possible.
Coughlin says Abigail Morse Hall, which has been under renovation for most of the past year after the construction of Schallenkamp Hall ended last summer, should be ready to open when students arrive next month. In both cases, the university has set up a “strong nervous system” of high-speed internet capacity. Coughlin noted other focal points that are prevalent at both buildings to help students learn.
And speaking of student arrivals, the annual move-in period will be drastically different from years past. Unlike the traditional setup, where students received assistance from a bevy of Hornet Helpers, incoming students will have to move themselves in to their new spaces. New students can bring a helper or two. The overall process will be spread out over a longer timetable, with new students coming in Aug. 12-14 and continuing students arriving Aug. 15-16.
