NC State Tells Students Staying On Campus To Go Home

North Carolina State University told students remaining in university housing to go home Wednesday, acknowledging a rising number of COVID-19 clusters occurring in both on-campus and off-campus housing.To ensure physical distancing, the school is establishing an 11- day window for students to move out, beginning Thursday. Chancellor Randy Woodson said today the approximately 6,00 students left on campus will have until September 6 to move out.

"We've seen far too much evidence of growth and spread of the virus in on-campus residential halls, and it's simply become untenable for us to continue to offer on-campus housing to such a large number of undergraduates," he said.

The university has tallied nearly 300 self-reported positive tests since classes started, and more than 1,000 are in quarantine or isolation. The announcement comes two days after NC State moved all of its undergraduate classes online for the semester. 

"We're not where we want to be today, but we're hopeful that by reducing our on-campus population, we can keep our community safe and slow the spread of this relentless virus," Woodson said.

Students will receive prorated refunds for unused portions of housing and dining for the fall semester, Woodson said. Students currently in on-campus quarantine or isolation must be cleared by Student Health Services before moving out, he said.

Woodson also said current residents can apply for waivers to remain in on-campus housing for a number of reasons, but noted that the school's goal is to reduce the on-campus population significantly. The campus will remain open, and facilities such as libraries, the student union and limited dining options will be open, he said.

Residents of Greek Village will be provided separate information from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Woodson said.