UNC students who live on campus are being asked by the university to cancel their housing contracts in an effort to lower occupancy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carolina Housing shared an email with students Tuesday night, saying those who do not qualify for exceptions must have their residence hall contracts canceled by Tuesday, August 25. The message comes after the university announced it will be moving to a fully remote learning model for the fall semester, caused by dozens of positive cases in campus housing communities. Students will not be charged a fee for their cancellation and will be charged a daily prorated rent from August 8 through the day they move out.

According to the email, exceptions for the housing contract cancellations include:

  • Students who lack access to safe alternative housing
  • Students who lack access to reliable internet
  • Students with high-risk family members at home
  • Students participating in ROTC
  • Students participating in varsity athletics
  • International students
  • Students involved in academic/research programs that cannot be conducted remotely
  • Students with other compelling needs/hardships as approved

These exceptions are more extensive than the system Carolina Housing used in March when the university initially moved to remote learning at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, students had to apply for special circumstance waivers to remain in residence halls.

Four clusters of cases in the Granville Towers, Ehringhaus and Hinton-James residence hall communities, as well as the Sigma Nu fraternity house, were reported last week. On Monday, the university reported 130 students had tested positive for COVID-19 during the first week of classes, leading to the shift to entirely remote learning set to begin Wednesday.

Carolina Housing said students who cancel their housing contract by August 25 will be given priority if they re-apply to return to campus housing for the Spring 2021 semester. UNC leadership said Monday it is unclear whether the university will continue to operate under a fully-remote model by then.

To read the full message from Carolina Housing to UNC students, visit its website.

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