July 6, 2020 – Important fall 2020 housing updates for students previously assigned to Chaffin and OHARE at the Village at Vanderbilt
Dear Students,
We write you to share new information about our housing plans for the fall semester, which includes the addition of quarantine and isolation space on campus. We implemented a number of changes to the housing process to protect your health and safety as much as possible this semester. We are thankful for your patience as we have made changes to help provide the best experience for students and are committed to working with you through this process in a way that meets the needs and wishes of as many of our students as we possibly can.
Please read the information below carefully and in its entirety as it directly affects your particular housing assignment.
Last month, we announced that Blakemore House and Scarritt Bennett Center, an off-campus property operated by the university and located in close proximity to campus, would be used as campus resident isolation and quarantine space.
As we have continued to prepare for the fall semester, we completed careful modeling of many campus housing scenarios. In consultation with public health officials, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the School of Nursing, we determined the need to reserve additional locations on campus for isolation and quarantine space to ensure the health and safety of all of our campus residents this semester.
Additional on-campus isolation and quarantine housing has been identified in the Chaffin apartments and the OHARE at the Village at Vanderbilt Townhouses and South Tower to support on-campus residential undergraduates who may await COVID test results or become ill during the fall semester. These two locations will be used because of their location and physical layout are best suited for isolation and quarantine.
As a result, Chaffin apartments and OHARE at the Village at Vanderbilt will be removed from the housing assignment process. We know this change is disruptive for you as you were assigned to live in one of these two locations, and we regret this additional change to your plans during an already incredibly challenging time. Please know that we are committed to working with you to ensure a smooth reassignment to a new residential space on campus. You will hear directly from OHARE staff with next steps shortly—you will have one point of contact during this reassignment process.
If you would like to instead apply for off-campus housing authorization, you can apply in the Student Housing Portal under the “Applications” menu. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. CDT Friday, July 31, 2020.
Please visit the Return to Campus FAQ for more information or contact OHARE directly with questions about your reassignment. We will continue to update this page with new information as soon as we have it. In the coming weeks, we will have detailed information to share with you regarding move-in dates and instructions.
We thank you for your patience, resilience and cooperation as we work to create a healthy and safe experience for all students this fall.