Students’ move into UConn far different than in years past

More than a thousand UConn students moved into their dorms Friday, as the Storrs campus appeared much emptier than in past years. Students began the day with a COVID-19 test outside, before heading to the residence halls to begin a two-week quarantine.

Welcome to college during the pandemic.

Eleanor Daugherty, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said the campus’s calm environment was an intentional result of UConn’s health and safety regulations. Daugherty said she had a lot of confidence in the university’s preparedness for testing and checking-in students, but she was surprised and happy to see “how much of a partnership we had with families and students.”

About 5,500 students total are expected to move into Storrs through Monday. In a typical year, more than 12,300 students live at Storrs. To avoid crowding, UConn has scheduled specific arrival times for students. Only one other person is allowed to accompany each student inside the dorms to help with unpacking. If other family members are present, they must remain outside. All individuals must wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines, the university said.

Once students arrived, they began a mandatory, two-week quarantine period, during which they are instructed not to leave campus. Results of the tests administered Friday are expected to be processed within several days, during which students will be limited to their residence halls, said Daugherty.

Of the 1,720 employees and 380 students tested earlier in the summer, all had negative test results, said the university. All students, whether they live on or off campus, will also be required to be tested for COVID-19 before they attend classes.

Avon Johnson, who attended UConn in the 1980s, rested for a few minutes by her car in the John Buckley Residence Hall parking lot Friday morning where she was dropping her daughter off.

While Johnson said she appreciated the university’s precautions, she recalled the “hustle and bustle” of moving in her son Michael Johnson II, a UConn junior, at the end of last summer.

“There’s nobody out here cheering you on, there’s no Husky Helpers. They asked us to bring our own carts,” said the North Haven resident. “It’s quieter ... It’s all different.”

While her daughter, Jasmine

Johnson, 17, will be living on campus in the fall to study mechanical engineering, her son will continue his studies in sociology at home.

“I was looking forward to them being together on campus,” said Avon Johnson.

Michael Johnson said he had been excited to show his younger sister the best dining halls and introduce her to his intramural sports teams, but then he learned all his classes would be online and his campus job was canceled. He felt it did not make sense to try and secure housing.

Like many students at UConn, Jasmine Johnson will not have a roommate this fall. However, she was able to meet a few friends in an online group chat before the start of the semester.

“I do think (the quarantine) is a good idea, also just to know everyone has tested negative,” she said.