OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — This weekend, around 1,800 students will be moving into the dorms at UNO. The university has set up a system to lower crowd sizes during the move in process and has a plan in place for possible quarantining.
Students first sign up for a move in time, with the university only allowing around 35 students per hour. Once they arrive on campus, they are given their move in information and dorm keys without leaving their cars.
Students are then allowed two guests into the dorm to help with the move in process and masks must be worn.
“It's gone really smooth so far," said Trent Fredericksen, director of housing and residential life. "The time slots have worked out really well, so we haven’t gotten large congestions of people; so everybody is staying pretty distant pretty well.”
The university is hoping that students having their own rooms in the apartment-style dorms will limit any spread of COVID-19. But they have set aside 300 beds for possible quarantining.
“If they chose to quarantine on campus, we’ll provide that space," Fredericksen explained. "So we’ll provide food service, some linens in the room. So really the intention is the student goes to that space, stays there for the duration of the quarantine so we know that they’re well, and they can return to their normal apartment."
Trinity Weers, a freshman who is moving in said she is not nervous about safety, but is a little nervous about how the pandemic will affect her college experience socially.
“I’m excited to get started," Weers said. "I was a little nervous about what it would look like with all the masks. Not that I’m opposed to masks or anything- I think they’re important- just about meeting people and all that.”
Luckily, resident advisers are working on ways to welcome new and returning students through online gatherings.
“We’re all really adaptive people," said Caitlin Gerdes. "So even though it can be scary, I think we’re going to do a really good job to do our best this year.”
