COVID-19 Campus Housing Information

DePaul University developed a comprehensive plan during the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes wearing mandatory face coverings, social distancing, conducting personal health checks, providing access to testing, and cleaning and disinfecting in our buildings around campus. Part of this plan also included drastically reducing the number of on-campus residents, limiting occupancy to students who met at least one of these criteria:

• Students dependent on campus resources such as housing, dining, and technology in order to successfully and safely navigate college.

• Students with safety and security concerns in their current living environment.

• Students who still have classes/labs that will meet in-person.

• International students who are already in the U.S. or otherwise in need of being in the U.S. for educational Visa requirements.

• Student athletes with a need to be on campus for Fall sports/practices as deemed necessary by the NCAA.

Click here for DePaul's COVID-19 updates, as well as health and safety practices. In addition, please pay attention to emails and signage posted throughout the halls from DePaul Housing and Residential Education—these may contain important information and instructions regarding COVID-19.

DePaul Housing and Residential Education created a Quarantine & Isolation Guide with step-by-step instructions and resources to help you and other residents throughout the quarantine/isolation process. We highly recommend all residents review this guide carefully while living on campus during the pandemic.

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., 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.

Moreover, Facility Operations has readily available options on both campuses for disinfecting spaces of various sizes and configurations. The resources include:

• Hospital-grade disinfectant

• Hospital-quality portable UV-C light machine rated to kill 99.9 percent of all virus material

• Clorox 360 electrostatic chemical application machines

For the traditional residence halls, the above procedure would not be implemented in an individual's room, since all students live alone with their own room and bathroom. Therefore, students who live in traditional halls will be responsible for cleaning their own rooms. If a common area of a residence hall is in question for infection, the above protocols may be enacted.

Because students in apartments are sharing common areas like kitchens and living room, all students will be relocated for their quarantine and isolation time. The room will be cleaned with the UV-C Light machine and surfaces will also get an additional cleaning.

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.

Yes, but only if the student is not in quarantine or isolation. We expect all on-campus residents to protect the health of the DePaul community by taking appropriate precautions while off campus, such as practicing social distancing, wearing a cloth face covering, washing or sanitizing hands often, self-monitoring for symptoms, and reporting to the university if they test positive or have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

For the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year, residents and visitors must follow the directions outlined on our Visitor Policies webpage. If there comes a time when it is safe to allow visitors into our residence halls, we will update our guidelines and notify residents.

Please Note: We will NOT allow any visitors during Spring Break and the first two weeks of Spring Quarter (March 20 - April 10), including parents/guardians. Students who are new residents arriving Spring Quarter may have assistance with their move, 
but nothing beyond their scheduled move-in day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, DePaul will require all on-campus residents to to conduct a daily self-screening of their health using the free #CampusClear app anytime they exit their unit. Based on the answer you provide to the screening question, the app will display a screen with your result:

• A "good to go" result means you may proceed to campus.

• A "you are not cleared for campus access" result means you must stay in your assigned unit, as you are displaying COVID-19 symptoms. In this case, we highly recommend contacting your healthcare provider.

While DePaul will have a more limited on-campus presence this Fall Quarter than originally planned, campus will be slightly more open than it was in Spring Quarter and a limited number of courses will continue to meet on campus. Students may be asked to display their #CampusClear app results to a university official prior to entering a DePaul-owned or operated facility.

Instructions for downloading and using #CampusClear are on the DePaul Health Monitoring webpage.

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).

University Center residents in the Loop may refer to the 2020-21 University Center Resident Handbook, which is maintained by Peak Campus (property management company for University Center).

In keeping with the state's public health guidelines, members of the DePaul community 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.

All DePaul students, including those living on campus during Fall Quarter, have been given the DePaul Community Health and Safety Pledge. This pledge confirms students' commitment to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our campus community.

If you believe a student in your residence hall is not observing or abiding by DePaul safety standards and protocols, please let your resident advisor (RA) or a member of the Residential Education staff know. If you prefer to report anonymously, you may visit: go.depaul.edu/dos (click on the green "Report a Concern" button).

DePaul’s Code of Student Responsibility notes that "students may not disregard a reasonable directive, either verbal or written, from a University official or office acting in their official capacity."

If students intentionally or repeatedly violate the university’s reasonable directives, they will be referred to the Student Conduct Process and may be removed from on-campus housing.