Editor’s note: The Daily Emerald changed the names of the Resident Advisors interviewed for this story in order to protect their jobs, as RAs are required to obtain permission before speaking to members of the media.
When the University of Oregon announced that spring term would be delivered remotely, many UO students went back home. But some remained on campus, living in their original dorm assignments. Now, the remaining 220 students still living on the UO campus, as well as the remaining Resident Advisors, will relocate into two dorms, according to a UO email sent to RAs on April 9.
UO calls the relocation “consolidation,” according to the UO email sent to RAs. All residents and student leaders will move into either Kalapuya Ilihi or the Global Scholars Hall, according to the email.
“This will allow every student to have a single room and a private bathroom and it will help them practice social distancing, consistent with recommendations from state and local authorities,” UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said via email.
During winter term, 549 students occupied KI, Hubbard said, and GSH held 484 students.
For students in Riley Hall, Hubbard said, transportation is provided to help with the moving process. The carts provided to help students relocate are sanitized after every use, he said. Students are provided “significant flexibility on the time of day they can move,” Hubbard said.
Discussions about consolidation began shortly after March 19, according to Hubbard, just before spring break. More focused conversations occurred between week one and week two, he said. The decision came after University Housing confirmed residence numbers for spring term, he said.
RAs first heard about a possible residence hall reassignment on March 23 via email, Hubbard said. A virtual meeting with RAs on March 25 informed the student leaders that “consolidation was possible but that a final decision had not been made,” he said.
Formal notification about consolidation came on April 9, Hubbard said.
“As additional rounds of consolidation occur, RAs received an e-mail regarding the date of their particular consolidation process,” Hubbard said.
Consolidations depend on room availability after cleaning, he said, with the process “happening in a staggered manner to adhere to social distancing guidelines.”
Some RAs feel unsure about the decision.
“We were kind of hoping that, if they were going to move us, that they would at least keep us together in our teams, but now that’s not going to happen,” said Rachel, an RA. “Or, at least in our same communities, but that won’t happen, either.”
Hana, an RA already living in KI, felt concerned about social distancing and student safety, by having everyone in two buildings. In Hana’s original housing assignment, she said, “I didn’t really see residents interact. Most of my residents just stay in their room.”
Moving into KI, Hana said she saw more residents hanging out and cooking in the downstairs kitchen.
“This is a crisis that I have to pick up and move,” Rachel said. “And I don’t know how I’m going to continue my online classes, I don’t know how I’m going to support other residents during the move. I’m losing my home, you know? I don’t know what to do.”
For residents, Rachel said, things will be difficult. “I think it’s really gonna suck,” she said. “A lot of people don’t think about this — moving from a car to a dorm room is a lot different from moving from a dorm room to another dorm room.”
“We are asking for student leaders who would like to resign, to strongly consider doing so at this time if consolidation will trigger unhealthy levels of stress, irritability, or worry,” the UO email to RAs stated. Deciding to resign does not impact an RA’s job status for fall term, the email stated, “nor does it reflect on your performance as an RA.”
According to Hubbard, approximately 80 RAs remain on campus, out of 148 that originally started in fall 2019.
Rachel said that she wouldn’t be quitting over consolidation. However, she said she knew a lot of RAs who did. “If I were to quit, I would lose my housing,” she said. “And while I have a home to go to, that would stress me out even more to go back there, than to just move to another room on campus. So, it’s like the lesser of two evils.”
“While this is not an insignificant inconvenience, it is a decision that provides residents with the greatest ability to keep social distancing guidelines as well as be connected to others on campus,” Hubbard said.
