Good Afternoon -

I hope each of you is doing well and enjoying the beautiful fall weather! We have enjoyed having you back in our residential communities. It has been encouraging that instances of COVID have been so low among Wake Foresters, and we are grateful for your vigilance to make that possible. That said, before we know it we will be wrapping up our time together for the fall semester. 

Our residential communities will close for the fall semester at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24. Only students who petition to stay and are approved will be allowed to remain in their community after this time. 

The petition-to-stay process is now available via our Housing Portal at go.wfu.edu/housingportal under the Winter 2020 section. Petitions are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 1, 2020. As a reminder from the University’s Fall 2020 Updates sent in July:
 
  • If a student petitions and is approved to stay on campus through the Thanksgiving holiday and finishes the semester on campus, they will not be eligible for the 10 percent refund. To protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, students who are approved to remain will be required to demonstrate that they did not leave the immediate Winston-Salem area during the Thanksgiving break.
You will be asked to indicate the following as a part of the petition:
  1. Duration of Need - Please indicate whether you need to remain until the end of the fall semester, with a move-out by noon on Dec. 13 or through the start of the spring semester.
  2. Reason for Request - You must explain whether you are requesting housing based on housing insecurity; significant financial insecurity; identifying as an international student facing immigration, travel, and/or visa restrictions; or other extenuating health or safety circumstances.
  3. Explanation of Request - Please be as thorough as possible: Your narrative is what the committee will use in evaluating your request. The more detail you can provide, the better evaluation the committee can make. Petitions that provide limited details or vague rationale are unlikely to be approved.
Petitions to stay will be reviewed by a committee of staff from Residence Life and Housing, Campus Life, Financial Aid, and International Student and Scholars. The review will take place between Nov. 2 and 6, with decisions being sent out by Monday, Nov. 9. 

As you consider your options for the break, please note that there will be an additional charge for housing and meals beyond Dec. 13. Additionally, break housing (beyond December 13) is likely to be in a consolidated location, so students will not be staying in their academic year housing. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at housing@wfu.edu.

Best -

Zach Blackmon, Ph.D., MBA
Associate Director of Operations
Office of Residence Life and Housing | Wake Forest University
336-758-5185 | housing@wfu.edu | rlh.wfu.edu