Boston University students moving into on-campus residences are being offered two 50-piece packs of alcohol wipes for sanitization, as well as a snack box and recycling bag, according to multiple students.
Students are also required to show proof of their scheduled BU COVID-19 test appointment — whether it be scheduled or already administered — and fill out an emergency contact form before they receive their keys.
Tests can be scheduled up to six days prior to the intended test date using the Patient Connect portal within the Healthway site. Students should schedule their appointments at any of the four testing sites as close to their actual arrival on BU’s physical campus as possible.
BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said packages of sanitizing wipes were distributed to all residences including traditional dormitories like Warren Towers, West Campus buildings and The Towers on Bay State Road.
“It was the safest product that we can provide to students,” Riley said, “and to use without requiring gloves and eye protection by the user.”
Students can use the wipes for bathroom sanitization or other room cleaning purposes, Riley said. He added that Facilities Management and Operations had taken the time to clean all residences prior to each student’s scheduled move-in.
Thuy Le, a senior in the Questrom School of Business who moved into her Bay State residence Saturday, said that when she went to the Towers check-in location to ask for wipes to clean her room, the station workers appeared to be out.
Riley said that five boxes of wipes were reportedly delivered to the particular check-in facility and should account for the students moving in. He added in a follow-up email that the University is reaching out to the students who did not receive wipes to ensure they get them.
Students should clean their bathrooms after each use, Riley said, and try to maintain as much of a clean living space as possible.
“[Sanitization is] one of the key cogs in the public health precautions to ensure there’s no spread of the virus,” Riley said. “When I go grocery shopping, the first thing I do is take the cart and then take one of those wipes and wipe it, wipe it down and toss it in the trash.”
Riley said that keeping campus clean and safe this semester is going to be a group effort.
“I think we all want to make sure that everyone on campus is able to stay healthy and be well,” Riley said. “A lot of effort and thought has gone into this, and we look forward to a safe beginning and a safe semester.”
Le said that while she did not receive cleaning products from the University, she did receive a snack box that was provided at the check-in station, which had an allergen notice taped on. The box contained fruits, a breakfast bar and other snacks.
The yellow carts provided for student use during move-in are to be sanitized after each student’s use, according to the BU website. Le said, however, that it did not look as though the carts were being cleaned.
Overall, Le said she felt the distribution of sanitization products could have been more organized.
“I was just really hoping that they could provide, if they don’t have the wipes, maybe provide gloves or something,” Le said.
Annie Jonas, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she cleaned her South Campus apartment upon entry with her own purchased supplies. She said she was not aware BU was planning to provide cleaning supplies.
“Not that the cleaning process was super exhaustive because the apartment was pretty quick to begin with,” Jonas said, “but if I had the option of not using my own supplies, given the fact that we are in a pandemic and cleaning supplies are being bought and quite frequently are not as often stocked, it would have definitely made the process a lot easier and a lot less worrisome.”
When Questrom freshman Sukitha Gunasena moved into Kilachand Hall Sunday morning, he saw plexiglass around the check-in station. He said people were wearing masks and everyone stood physically distanced.
Gunasena said he thinks the University planned well for move-in.
“I can definitely tell that they’re working really hard to maintain the regulations and try to keep everyone safe,” Gunasena said.
Gunasena said his first meal at Warren Dining Hall went smoothly and that while it seems Dining Services is still working out the kinks in its new arrangement, he was pleased with the experience.
The Back2BU website states communal bathrooms in traditional dormitories will receive more frequent cleanings and maintain a supply of disinfecting products. Students are expected to wipe down surfaces prior to and after each use.
On-campus apartments and suites should also expect to receive cleaning kits at the start of the Fall semester. After the supplies — the specifics of which are not detailed on the webpage — run out, students are to begin purchasing their own replacements.
The University is working on posting in all shared bathrooms physical copies of guidelines that students should follow for bathroom usage.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated students can schedule tests up to 14 days prior to the test date. It is six days. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.
