Housing

Residence halls on campus will be limited to single- and double-occupancy bedrooms to promote responsible physical distancing, eliminating triples and quads. Suites and apartments will allow regular occupancy, with roommates in each being treated as a family unit.

Restrictions will be placed on visitors or guests inside of residence halls.

To avoid the risk of students returning to campus with COVID-19 after Thanksgiving, all classes will be held remotely when classes resume following the break. The residence halls will close through the end of the trimester. 

Students’ housing and meal fees will be discounted by 20 percent to reflect the fewer days they’ll spend on campus.

Governor Charlie Baker recently communicated a new travel order for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Students who have been residing in a state defined as “lower risk” (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, New Jersey or Hawaii) for at least 14 days prior to arriving to campus are exempt from these requirements. With the majority of students moving in the week of August 24, students should begin their own self-quarantine around August 10. This means being more vigilant in avoiding risky situations where one may contract COVID-19.

If you live outside of the “lower risk” states there are several ways to adhere to these Massachusetts requirements in the new travel order:

• You can arrive on campus with verification of a negative PCR test within the past 72 hours as outlined in the Massachusetts policy.
• You can stay with relatives or friends in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, New Jersey or Hawaii for 14 days before your move-in date.
• You may come to campus, have a screening test (which will be assigned to you) and self-quarantine until the test results are returned. Please note that due to the restrictions imposed by the policy, we may not be able to have you self-quarantine on campus and you may need to stay a local hotel until the test results come back (24-48 hours).

Bentley Hotel Partnerships

All residential students received an e-mail in their Bentley e-mail account on Tuesday, August 4 outlining their assigned move-in date and time. The move-in schedule was created to maintain safe physical distancing and to test every student upon arrival. No rooms located right next to each other will move-in at the same time to better facilitate a safe move-in.

New students were assigned a move-in time on either:

• Wednesday, August 26
• Thursday, August 27

Returning students were assigned a move-in time on either:

• Saturday, August 29
• Sunday, August 30

The fact that testing and move-in are connected will make any changes to the assigned testing/move-in time very difficult to accommodate and our resources in creating this process are limited. Please adhere to the assigned time or make alternative arrangements to meet your designated move-in time. 

Upon arrival you’ll be welcomed onto campus by a variety of Residential Center staff, Orientation staff and University Police. Please follow their directions to the testing site. Once testing is complete, you will be directed by staff to your residence hall for move in. Testing will take approximately 10 minutes. You will then have an additional 25 minutes to unload all items into your room and then move your car to pre-selected parking area. 

Students are allowed to bring two (2) people to assist with move in (each of whom must also wear a face covering and maintain proper distancing). Students are only allowed one car at move in. All visitors must apply with the Massachusetts Travel Guidance.

In addition to being tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to campus, all residential students will be required to be tested regularly thereafter. The university will pay for all costs associated with screening for residential students.

In addition to residential students, all students who intend to be on campus at any time, as well as faculty and staff, will be screen tested on a weekly basis.

In order to minimize density on campus during the official move-in dates and to assist with your move back to Bentley, the Residential Center has developed the Early Drop off Program. This program will begin on Wednesday, August 19 and end on Saturday, August 22. The Early Drop Off Program will be available to fall 2020 returning residential students that currently reside in the following states (as per Massachusetts COVID-19 travel guidelines): Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. 

Returning students interested in participating in the program are required to complete the Early Drop-Off form under Forms and Applications in the Housing Student Self-Service Portal. Students will have the ability to select a one-hour shift between 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. from Wednesday, August 19 through Saturday, August 22. The Early Drop-Off form is due by Monday, August 10 at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Students who complete the Early Drop-Off form will receive a conformation email with additional information by Wednesday, August 12. There is no additional housing cost to participate in this program.

Students are allowed only one hour to drop off their items inside their residence hall room and should not be unpacking or setting up their room during this hour. Once the hour has concluded, students will be required to immediately leave campus and return on their assigned move-in day. Students are allowed to have (2) people assist during this time. All participants must wear face coverings at all times. 

It will be important that all members of the community follow campus guidelines to protect ourselves and one another. Residential students are required to comply with health and safety laws, orders, ordinances, regulations and safety guidance adopted by the university. Guidelines for residential students include:  

• Wear a face covering when on campus, including within the residence halls whenever outside of your room, apartment or suite.

• Roommates / suitemates will be treated as a family unit, allowing more than one occupant per room where 6 feet of physical distancing is not required. If a roommate / suitemate develops COVID-19 symptoms or is confirmed positive, the student will be required to follow protocols established to isolate themselves. These protocols require that students participate in classes remotely for the isolation period and move out of their housing assignment to self-isolate, returning home if possible. For those unable to travel home, the university will provide on-campus isolation accommodations. All roommates / suitemates will be required to self-quarantine based on the family unit definition and follow recommendations by the university.

• Adhere to signs posted around campus. 

• Restrictions will be placed on visitors or guests inside of residence halls.

• No outside furniture will be allowed to be moved into the residence halls.

• Students are required to pack lightly for move-in and only bring essentials.

Cleaning schedule
The university will educate residential students about appropriate cleaning protocols within their assigned spaces to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in residence halls. Basic cleaning and sanitation methods will be expected of all residents to maintain an appropriate cleanliness standard in their room, suite or apartment. Residents living in suites or apartments are required to clean their own space including restrooms.

Increased cleaning frequencies in all residence hall buildings are designed to meet or exceed the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The areas of focus include common areas, lounges, restrooms and study areas. Additionally, all high-touch surfaces such as door handles, hand rails, fixtures and sinks will be cleaned more often. To promote cleaning and sanitation, additional wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in all buildings.

Lounges
The capacity of lounges in residence halls has been reduced, and new occupancy signs will be posted in front of lounge spaces. Students are required to follow the new capacity numbers.

Traffic Patterns
Residence halls will have signs indicating which doors are to be used for entry and exit. New hallway and stairwell directions have also been added.

Residence Hall Closure at Thanksgiving
To avoid the risk of students returning to campus with COVID-19 after Thanksgiving, all classes will be held remotely when classes resume following the break. The residence halls will close before Thanksgiving and remain closed through the end of the fall trimester.

All international students will have the choice to attend classes online (from abroad) or study on campus in the U.S. (via hybrid, online or in-person instruction). We understand that many students may have visa and other travel-related challenges that make returning to campus difficult for the fall. Students may opt to study online in the fall from outside the U.S. We will assist you with your immigration status as necessary for your individual situation. We are continuing to issue I-20s for the fall 2020 trimester so that you may plan to join us on campus for classes, which would activate your F1 status. However, if you are unable to secure a student visa in time to begin the fall trimester in the U.S., you can register and begin classes remotely and make arrangements to obtain new immigration documentation that will enable to you to begin your F1 status the following trimester.

The Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS) will work with new and continuing students about your fall plans. 

Some students may wonder whether they will need to quarantine after arriving in the U.S. Please visit the Bentley Health Center's Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for health-specific questions. If needed, Bentley is prepared to provide space for residential students to quarantine on campus.

Please make sure to check your Bentley email for information about how to report your plans to us. Additionally, CISS will send information about how fall plans may affect your visa status and work authorization as we learn more in the coming weeks. As always, we are available to answer questions related to your immigration status via email GA_CISS@bentley.edu.

More information for international students can be found on the CISS web page in the section, "Returning to Campus - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions."

Watch the CISS International Students Webinar

The Residential Center has identified two buildings to be used for isolation housing on North Campus in the event that a residential student contracts COVID-19. This is an apartment building with a private bathroom, kitchen and living space. If a student needs to be moved to isolation housing as they tested positive or have positive-like symptoms, the Residential Center staff and Health & Wellness team will work with the student on all logistical needs. Rooms will be furnished with clean linens, a pillow and a towel, as well as water and snacks. Additionally, Bentley Dining will work with the student to deliver meals as needed. The room will come prepared with toilet paper, disinfectant spray, paper towels, tissues and a thermometer. Once in isolation housing, the student cannot leave until given approval by Health & Wellness staff. University Police has outfitted a vehicle to safely transport the student to North Campus. Students are not allowed to do laundry when in isolation or quarantine.

In these uncertain times, the possibility exists that a student will contract COVID-19 and have to leave their residence hall room for an isolation location. We encourage students to have a pre-packed isolation bag ready to go for 10-14 days for use while in isolation. Isolation is mandatory for a minimum of 10 days and quarantine (if you need to relocate) is for a minimum of 14 days.

Some suggested items for an isolation bag include: 

• Extra cell phone charger
• Laptop and charger
• Clothes to wear and change into during your isolation stay including sweatpants, pajamas, t-shirts, underwear, socks and slippers
• Medicine (cough drops, Tylenol, Mucinex, etc.)
• Body lotion, feminine hygiene, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, a hair brush and hair ties
• Prescription medication
• Multiple face coverings
• Books and other entertainment 

Download the What to Bring to Campus Guidelines