Housing > COVID-19 Campus Housing Information

COVID-19 Campus Housing Information

​​​​​​Last Updated: July 15, 2021

Students in Masks

For Current On-Campus Residents

In keeping with the city's public health guidelines, members of the DePaul community who are vaccinated for COVID-19 are not required to social distance or wear a face covering while living on campus. However, if a student is vaccinated and would still like to wear a face covering, they are welcome to continue this practice.

Unvaccinated residents will be expected to maintain physical distancing and to keep their nose and mouth covered at all times on both campuses. This includes but is not limited to DePaul owned or operated facilities, on DePaul property, and at all university functions or activities. For example, all individuals will maintain face coverings when walking to and from various locations on campus, in the quad and other outdoor locations, and in the residence halls (except for individual residents within their own rooms).

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health: “A face covering is a mask or cloth face-covering that is well secured and covers your nose and mouth. The face-covering should allow for breathing without restriction. There is no requirement to wear a hospital grade mask or other specific type or brand of face-covering. You may wear a homemade face-covering, provided that it fits closely and covers your nose and mouth." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers information on how to make or care for face coverings on its website. 

We understand that living in a safe, clean environment is important to everyone—especially our on-campus residents. DePaul promises to do its part by routinely cleaning common areas. However, we need your participation to maintain cleanliness.

Please help by keeping your assigned unit clean, as well as cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in shared spaces (i.e., bathrooms, lounges, kitchens, laundry rooms, and computer rooms). Cleaning/disinfecting spray or wipes are stationed inside all common areas for residents to use before leaving the space.

In addition, residents were each given a spray bottle with cleaning/disinfecting solution to clean their room. If you run low on cleaning/disinfecting solution, please visit your Area Office to refill. 

DePaul cannot disclose the identity of individuals who test positive for or are confirmed to have COVID-19. All DePaul community members have an obligation to protect the privacy of people who test positive for or are confirmed to have COVID-19, as well as the people identified as close contacts.

DePaul’s contact tracing team will call those who have been identified as having been in prolonged close contact with an infected individual. As a reminder, prolonged close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or more. Those who had brief, casual contact with an infected individual are considered low risk. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay at home if they develop symptoms. Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately.

No, you may not request to switch residence halls. It is not necessary to switch halls, as students in quarantine/isolation may not leave their rooms. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has stated that those who had brief, casual contact with an infected individual are considered low risk. In addition, every positive case occurring on-campus (including in our residence halls) is reported to the CDPH. This allows a member of DePaul’s contact tracing team to consult with CDPH to ensure proper procedures are followed. In the unlikely event that CDPH recommends a floor or building be temporarily closed, Housing will work with each student to move them.

At this time, visitors are welcome to a limited degree. Residents and visitors must follow the directions outlined on our Visitor Policies webpage. If changes occur, we will update our guidelines and notify residents. 

Starting Monday, June 14, 2021, it will no longer be used around campus to enter DePaul buildings.  

Yes, for Lincoln Park residents, the 2020-21 Guide to Student Housing outlines policies and procedures all students must follow while living on campus. Please note that some details in this guide have changed from the previous year due to the pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, DePaul Housing and residents must be flexible and expect information to be updated in the guide throughout the course of the academic year (when necessary).

After June 10 on-campus COVID-19 testing will be put on pause, but will return for Fall Quarter 2021. DePaul will continue with mail-in test kits for the summer, if needed. Click here for more information about the mail-in test kit option.

You must fill out the  COVID-19 report about myself form and a staff member will reach out and prepare you to isolate on campus. 

For Future On-C​ampus Residents

DePaul students, including on-campus residents, are expected be vaccinated for COVID-19 at the start of Fall Quarter 2021. For more information regarding on-campus housing and Fall Move-In, please visit our Fall Quarter 2021 FAQ webpage​.​

We are excited to welcome students back to our residential buildings for the 2021-22 academic year. While we anticipate a return to normal housing practices, we do not know which COVID-related guidelines will be in place come Fall Quarter.

Right now, we are planning to continue to comply with all guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), State of Illinois, and City of Chicago. This may include, but not limited to continued face covering requirements especially in public areas, frequent hand washing, hand sanitizing placed throughout our halls, social distancing, and extra cleaning of all of our buildings on campus. Moreover, we are a mask-friendly campus. If you are vaccinated and still want to wear a mask, not only should you wear a mask, you are encouraged to continue doing so.

For more information, visit the DePaul University COVID-19 Updates and Guidance webpage.

DePaul is committed to the health and safety of all of our students and those living in close quarters on campus are potentially at a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure or contraction. As a result, all students living on campus, both in Lincoln Park and University Center downtown, are expected to be vaccinated.

DePaul Housing and Residential Education work directly with the Office of the University Registrar regarding COVID-19 vaccination records for on-campus residents. Students who intend to live on campus this fall must submit their COVID-19 vaccination record no later than Friday, July 30, 2021, via Campus Connect.

If you have questions regarding this deadline or require an extension, please contact us. For questions about the process to submit your immunization documentation, please watch this step-by-step tutorial or contact DePaul Central.

As with all immunizations, DePaul will consider requests for medical and religious exemptions on a case-by-case basis, but students living on campus should understand the importance being vaccinated for COVID-19. Residential facilities are different than any other on-campus buildings as students are living in close quarters sharing their bedrooms, bathrooms, apartment units, and other communal spaces. 

Please refer to the June 28 email distributed to students regarding the COVID-19 vaccination and exemptions. 

We do understand that at the current time, there may be some geographical locations where it is harder or even not possible to get vaccinated. While we anticipate that it will get easier to get an approved vaccine across the globe before Fall Move-In, we ask that students having issues of vaccine access contact the Registrar’s Office during the summer to discuss options and receive additional resources. This conversation needs to happen well in advance of your scheduled move-in date. 

Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of all, we are conducting a mandatory mask move-in process. Therefore, we are asking all residents and move-in helpers to wear face masks during their move-in appointment from start to finish. If anyone is without a face mask, we can provide one via the front desk of your residence hall.

Yes, COVID-19 testing will be available on campus come Fall Quarter. Staff will email on-campus residents once a schedule and location are confirmed. 

Any student who tests positive will be placed into isolation housing and meals will be delivered to the student during this time. More information and instructions will be put in the Quarantine & Isolation Guide, which will be published on this webpage prior the start of Fall Quarter.

Our plan is to allow visitors inside our residence halls as we did before with some modifications to the visitor policy, including only allowing other vaccinated guests into the residence halls.

Yes, staff in Facility Operations have set up dining areas on both campuses for students to eat, study, and socialize. 

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