By Erica Rachel Sultan, News Editor
On November 30, the Yeshiva University Housing Application for the Spring 2021 semester was released and publicized in an email from the YU Housing department to the YU undergraduate student body. The email includes a housing timeline plan, the Spring 2021 quarantine program, housing rates, the allowed levels of occupancy, student housing priority, meal plan information, extra information for students returning to campus for the first time since Yeshiva University’s March closing, and information for those who are currently living on campus.
The housing application will remain open until Monday, December 14, at 3:00 p.m.. The Spring 2021 housing assignments will be allocated on December 21, a week after the housing application closes. At 3:00 p.m. on December 28, students will be required to accept or decline their housing offer. The last day to do so, without a financial penalty of the $300 housing deposit, is Monday, January 4, 2021.
Students who have lived on campus during the Fall semester, but are not staying for the Spring semester, are to be moved out and must return their keys to the Housing Department by 5:00 p.m. on January 5, 2021. Additionally, for those students who are remaining on campus but moving to another dorm room are to have done so by the latter date and time, as well. From Sunday, January 10 through Monday, January 11, students are meant to check in with the Housing Department as part of the quarantine program. Incoming students are suggested to be moved in by January 17 and for those who are settled in before, a Shabbat (Sabbath) program for the week of January 15 has been scheduled.
The quarantine program for the Spring 2021 semester requires students from a “non-contiguous state (any state other than New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts), US territory or CDC level 2 or level 3 country, must comply with the following guidelines: 1. Students must have a PCR test administered within three days of departure, prior to arrival in New York. 2. The student must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days. 3. On day 4 of quarantine, the student must obtain another PCR test. If both tests come back negative, the student may exit quarantine upon receipt of the results of the second negative test.” These students are permitted to quarantine in spaces provided by the university, meaning students need to arrive by January 10-11, or they are permitted to quarantine off campus, under their own personal arrangements. The Housing Department suggests that regardless of the environment where the quarantine will take place, students are suggested to arrive in NY a week before the semester begins. Students who are leaving for intersession but are returning to campus for the spring semester from a non-contagious state “must comply with these guidelines: 1. Students must have a PCR test administered within three days of departure, prior to arrival in New York. 2. The student must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days. 3. On day 4 of quarantine, the student must obtain another PCR test. If both tests come back negative, the student may exit quarantine upon receipt of the results of the second negative test. 4. Because of the limited quarantine space available, students who live locally who travel during intersession should quarantine at their local homes before moving to campus. 5. For non-local students who need to quarantine in university provided accommodations, you must arrive to the quarantine program on the early move in dates January 10th or January 11th, 2021.”
The current housing rates for the Beren Campus are as follows:
251 Lexington Ave IHP: $4625
30 Park Ave IHP: $4850
35th Street Residence Hall: $6000
36th Street Residence Hall: $4625
Brookdale Standard/Suite: $4625
Brookdale Deluxe: $4850
Schottenstein Residence Hall: $4625
The current housing rates for the Wilf Campus are as follows:
Morgenstern Hall: $4625
Muss Hall: $3375
Rubin Hall: $4625
The occupancy of the YU housings will remain reduced. For the WIlf Campus, there will be one student to a room. For the Beren Campus:
251 Lexington Ave IHP: Either 1 or 2 students per apartment
30 Park Ave IHP: 2 students per apartment
35th Street Residence Hall: Either 2 or 3 students per apartment
36th Street Residence Hall: 1 student per room
Brookdale Residence Hall: 3 students per room, regardless of room type
Schottenstein Residence Hall: 1 student per room
Not every student is guaranteed a housing assignment as there is a priority list:
Students currently in housing on campus
New students who have never lived on campus before
Returning students who live more than 50 miles from campus
Returning students who live within 50 miles from campus
There are three meal plans being offered this upcoming semester. The High Plan, suggested for those who spend $125 a week on food, will total in $2000 for the semester. The Standard Plan, suggested for those who spend $110 a week on food, will total in $1750 for the semester. The Reduced Plan, suggested for those who spend $95 a week on food, will total in $1500 for the semester.
For those students who are to be moving in with friends, they are to make a Roommate Group on the Housing Application. The group must be validated by the application deadline — “this means all requests to join are accepted by the Group Leader and the ‘Validated’ button checked. If these steps are not taken, we cannot guarantee that we can honor your roommate requests.” For those who need to request medical accommodations, they are to include supporting documentation with their Spring 2021 Housing Application so their needs can be met.
All incoming students who will be housing are required to fill out the Code of Behavior document.
Many YU undergraduate students feel relief due to the housing application finally being live, as students have been wondering about what is to come of the Spring 2021 semester. One SCW ‘23 student, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared that she is “extremely excited for the opportunity to return to a learning environment! [She is] looking forward to being around people [her] own age again, and to being in New York City.” Zippy Spanjer, SCW ‘21, is apprehensive, stating, “It was odd that we didn’t get an advance email- it was just like -Boom!- we’re opening applications. And I do wonder if enough people are going to apply for Schott[enstein] to be open again.” Another SCW ‘21 student, who wishes to remain anonymous, has criticized, “there is a lack of transparency of what students should expect next semester and that was reflected in the vague application that was sent out late. It is making students uneasy about next semester and how to plan.”