COVID-19 UPDATE – Limited Cleaning In All Rooms

This message was sent to all students on April 2.

Hello –

We hope this message finds you safe and healthy. As the University continues to actively monitor and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to process what it means for our communities to look dramatically different and how we manage them accordingly.

We know that when you left for Spring Break, you planned to be back in a few days. Some of you may have left perishable items in your room, and those items need to be discarded. Therefore, starting on Monday, April 6, our partners in Facilities and Campus Services will begin working through all of our residential communities to address any issues related to hygiene and cleanliness. In doing so, they will use our tips for mold and mildew prevention as their guide.

Staff will observe social distancing by working in small teams and will enter all rooms, suites, apartments, and homes that do not have a student currently approved to live on campus. During their work, the teams will:

• Close any open windows to reduce the opportunity for condensation.
• Shift furniture away from heating and cooling units to ensure proper airflow.
• Move any clothing, bedding, etc. away from heating and cooling units.
• Adjust thermostats to ensure they are not set lower than 70 degrees.
• Bag any loose items, such as clothing, on the floor of your room that could lead to future mold or mildew concerns. Bagged clothing or loose items will be left on the bed closest to where they were found.
• Discard any perishable items in your room, including in your microfridge.
• Empty trash cans in your room and/or discard any obvious food waste.
• Personal belongings in bathrooms and kitchens will be shifted temporarily to allow for cleaning of hard surfaces.
• Dishes will be cleaned when feasible; dishes that already present mold growth may be discarded.

Should you have any items of specific concern (highly perishable items, refrigerated medication, etc.), please contact us at housing@wfu.edu by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 3, so that we can note those items for our Facilities and Campus Services teams.

Any prescription medication found in refrigerators will be turned over to our partners in the Student Health Service. Please note that any expired prescription medication or medication in a prescription bottle without a label will be discarded.

For those with approved service or emotional support animals, any litter boxes with animal waste in them will be discarded. Food and water bowls will be emptied and rinsed.

Please be assured we will only touch items in your room if they are 1) perishable (in microfridge or plain view), 2) in a trash can (or are obvious food waste), 3) need to be set aside for surface cleaning, or 4) if the placement of those items could cause mold or mildew.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused all of us to face difficult decisions and circumstances we would have never wished for. As we navigate these challenges on campus, we thank you for your support and understanding from afar. We look forward to the day that we can welcome you back to Mother So Dear safely!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at housing@wfu.edu or 336-758-5185.

Best –

Zach Blackmon, Ph.D., MBA
Associate Director of Operations