ANN ARBOR, MI - For the first time in two years, first-year University of Michigan students are experiencing a (mostly) normal move-in day at their new dorms.
Students and their families arrived at their residence halls on Wednesday, Aug. 25, for the first day of the main onslaught of new students for the 2021-22 school year. And while it looked like any other move-in day, there are some new COVID-19 protocols in place this year making it just a little different.
Even with these protocols and 2,500 students and their families converging on campus at once, Wednesday was as easy as you could expect, said incoming freshman Michael Spinelli.
Students living in university housing are subject to vaccine and mask mandates, submitting proof of vaccination prior to arrival and a health screening check. It may sound like a lot, but it was “super easy,” Spinelli said.
That left room for him to be excited about the normal things that excite freshman, such as choosing his classes.
“I’m excited to actually start studying stuff that I’m interested in,” he said. “I did a lot of the STEM stuff in high school -- bored me to tears. I’m mostly into history and politics.”
Wednesday will see 2,500 first-time students moving into their rooms, said Amir Baghdadchi, UM Housing Administration senior associate director. Some athletes, marching band members, ROTC students and more moved in over the summer, he said.
Moving in also was easy from a parent’s perspective, said Michael’s mother, Kris Spinelli. UM’s vaccine mandate set it apart from their Toledo high school, she said.
“It’s safer here that it is at home,” she said. “So that’s a big relief.”
Others, such as Shrey Pandya’s family from Philadelphia actually visited Ann Arbor this summer to get a lay of the land. His father Manish said this prepared the family for Wednesday’s move-in.
“This has been as easy as possible,” he said.
University officials have been pushing students all summer to comply with new COVID-19 protocols, Baghdadchi said. University officials have sent multiple emails and text messages reminding students of the requirements.
With 18-year-olds, though, it can be an exhaustive process, Baghdadchi joked.
“Eighteen-year-olds are always incredibly difficult,” he joked. “With email, you might as well have written a scroll that they unearth while at the beach.”
After move-in day, students living in university housing are not required to wear masks, though masks are required for indoor classes.
This year’s process also requires all visitors, including parents and other family members, to screen for any COVID-19 symptoms using the ResponsiBLUE Screening Check.
“We’re calling, we’re texting, we’re using third-party contacts,” Baghdadchi said. “Making sure that they have followed all these steps.”
In the last few years, UM has also implemented an appointment process that gives students a specific time to move into their rooms. When they arrive, campus staff and residential advisers are ready to go with M-Cards, room keys and all the student needs, Baghdadchi said. They also have the spreadsheet that tracks if everyone’s COVID-19 information is up to date, he said.
“Almost like at a busy international airport, you want people to have done everything as upfront as they possibly can,” he said. “Right up to the moment they step foot on campus, we want to give everyone that TSA pre-clearance feeling that it’s all working as it should.”
About 91% of students on campus are fully vaccinated, as well as 88% of faculty and 73% of staff per the UM COVID-19 database.
UM has set aside quarantine housing at Northwood III housing on North Campus for students who are not vaccinated upon arrival in Ann Arbor. In order for those students to move into their assigned dorms, they have to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccine, Baghdadchi said.
Students in quarantine housing include international students from countries with poor vaccine access or vaccines not approved by the World Health Organization. They will stay in this housing until their vaccination is complete, Baghdadchi said.
Fall classes begin on Monday, Aug. 30, and move-in lasts until the Sunday before. The 2021-22 freshman class is currently listed at 7,529 students, according to the UM class profile.
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Weekly COVID testing required for non-vaccinated at Eastern Michigan University
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