What it’s like to live in a University of Idaho dorm during COVID-19

Incoming University of Idaho students who are planning on living in one of the on-campus residence halls can expect a different experience from the normal college move-in process. While the freshman class of 2024 was the first to start their college experience in this completely changed way, with residence halls and campus buildings operating under UI’s COVID-19 guidelines, the class of 2025 can expect these same changes, along with new guidelines that are sure to follow with increased state and national vaccination rates and the possibility of herd immunity by the beginning of the fall semester.   

The first experience someone usually has when getting settled on campus is the move-in process into a residence hall. This is usually a bustling time where students, parents, staff and resident assistants, commonly known as RAs, are moving belongings around campus while juggling parking spaces, luggage carts, elevators and a flurry of announcements and tips.  

However, students moving in this last semester experienced something very different.  

This year’s movers were required to sign up for specific move-in periods with only certain people allowed in the residence halls to help unpack, resulting in a much less crowded and hectic experience.  

“It was a very clear process, I parked and found my room key pretty easily,” Charis Peever, a first-year geology major living in Theophilus Tower, said. “I was able to get everything in and out, no sweat, in the time.” 

Normally, after moving in  and personalizing the dorm room to their liking, residents will then go through the process of acquainting themselves with other residents, their RA’s and academic peers.  

However, due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions and social guidelines, this has been done differently. RA’s and other building staff will still organize building meetings and activities, but these are done with masks and social distancing required, often involving  quick in-person activities, announcements and icebreakers as well as grab-and-go items for residents.  

Close friendships and connections with hallmates often depend on which residence hall a student lives in. The close quarters of Theophilus Tower, with community bathrooms and middle-split rooms, often creates a very social environment while the mixed single-room and double-room dorms in the Living and Learning Communities, often shortened to LLCs, create a more independent and isolated environment for residents.  

“It’s friendly, there’s not a lot of suites interacting with each other, it’s more-so roommates, but it’s friendly enough to say hello in passing,” Kaleigh Martinez, a second-year student majoring in business management and human resources who lives in the Engineering LLC, said.  

Students shouldn’t worry about feeling uncomfortable in their rooms or not being able to focus on their academics or extracurricular activities under COVID-19 guidelines when living on campus.  

Rooms are spacious, quiet and comfortable to allow students to relax, socialize or work on schoolwork remotely to accommodate for online or Hy-Flex classes. No matter what you study, where you’re from or where you live on campus, UI has made the effort to create an environment for success in these ever-changing times.  

“I think I do have a really great environment,” Kendall Smith, a second-year student studying psychology with a minor in justice studies and living in the Stevenson wing of the Wallace Residence Center, said. “As far as my degree, the housing policies have not affected (remote learning) too much.”  

No matter where a student is living, they are encouraged to get involved with activities and organizations, making connections as soon as they are on campus to truly get in the Vandal spirit and truly cherish their living arrangement in the residence halls.  

“I know some people see their dorm as just a room where they stay, but it’s kind of your home for nine months,” Martinez said. “Make it comfortable, make those connections … know what’s going on with events and programs, and get involved.”  

Katarina Hockema can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kat_hockema