LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO CLOSES ALL DORMS FOR FALL SEMESTER

No Loyola University Chicago students will live in on-campus housing this fall, the university announced Thursday.

Citing COVID-19 health conditions and future uncertainty, the university announced the decision to close all residence halls for the upcoming semester, according to an email sent to the school community. The school had previously planned to put all on-campus students in single dorm rooms, with some living in the nearby Hampton Inn to allow for social distancing.

“We simply cannot put our on-campus residential students in harm’s way and risk further disruption to them and their families if they needed to move home mid-semester because of an outbreak in one of our residence halls or as a result of the state and city reverting back to Phase 3,” Thursday’s email read.

Students who already paid for room and board will receive a refund before the first week of class, which begins Aug. 24. In hopes that students will be able to be on campus in the spring, the university is holding people’s spots in the dorms for the upcoming semester, with tentative plans to move in in January.