March 30, 2021
Dear Pitzer Students,
As stated in President Oliver’s email yesterday and in our February 25th email to the community, we are currently planning a return to full occupancy in our residence halls for fall 2021. We aim to send students regular housing updates in the coming months as we get more information from LA County and from the Claremont Colleges on planning for fall semester. Today’s update will cover move-in dates, food services, tentative housing selection timeline, summer housing options, and a reminder about our open off-campus housing application. We welcome your questions and feedback on these updates as we want them to be informed by student input!
(As a reminder, these occupancy plans are in process and will respond accordingly to college-wide planning for fall, LA County guidance, and other health and safety protocols. There may be other COVID-19 related safety measures (i.e. masks, social distancing, Mindful of Each Other community agreement expectations, community health ambassadors, etc.) involved in a return to campus that we cannot fully predict at this time.)
Question: Based on the information below, can I make travel plans back to Pitzer this fall?
Answer: As this time, due to the fluidity of protocols and LA County’s changing COVID-19 situation, students are encouraged to make flexible travel plans based on the dates and information below. We encourage you to review flight change fees, travel insurance, alternative travel options, etc. in case you need to alter your arrival plans.
- Currently LA County requires a 10-day quarantine, even for fully vaccinated individuals. However, we hope that as more data comes in regarding vaccine efficacy, LA County will waive this quarantine restriction for those who are fully vaccinated. We encourage all students to seek COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it is available to them in their local area and to continue monitoring LACDPH guidance. Vaccinated students who are arriving from domestic locations this August should plan to arrive as scheduled.
- Conversely, we encourage students arriving this August from international locations to be in close contact with Pitzer International Programs in regards to their travel planning. Students traveling to the United States will be expected to follow travel guidance and it is unknown what travel restrictions will be in place in August. Students arriving from international locations who are living in the residence halls in the fall semester will have the option to register with International Programs/Residence Life to arrive early and complete their quarantine period in campus housing. More information on this process will be communicated to eligible students soon.
Move-In Information and Dates
- Early Arrivals
- Student Leaders, Student Athletes, and Students Arriving from International Locations
- Some student leaders/athletes may be arriving early according to coordination between supervisors/advisors/coaches and Residence Life. Student Leaders should communicate with their supervisor/advisor/coach for more information.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Access Upon Arrival
- Wherever possible, we HIGHLY encourage students to receive vaccination in their local area PRIOR to arrival at Pitzer this fall. Any questions related to the vaccination can be fielded by Student Health Services (SHS).
- There many benefits to receiving the vaccination prior to arrival. For example, students who are vaccinated will not need to observe the same quarantine periods if identified as a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and will likely to be exempt from regular COVID-19 testing protocols.
- Students arriving to campus who have not had the opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccination yet will be able to coordinate with Student Affairs, Residence Life, and Student Health Services to receive their vaccination upon arrival and enter into our regular COVID-19 testing process.
- Details on this are TBD, but we do know that SHS has been approved as a vaccine distribution site and plans to provide vaccine access to students this fall, subject to vaccine availability and allocation.
- Orientation Move-In Dates and Details
- New Student Orientation Move-In (new students enrolling in Fall 2021)
- Saturday, Aug 21, 2021
- Students will sign-up for individual move-in times this summer after final room selection. Please plan to arrive between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and account for this when coordinating travel details.
- Returning Student Orientation Move-in (current new students that enrolled during Fall 2020 or Spring 2021)
- Returning Student Move-In
- Saturday, August 28 & Sunday, August 29, 2021
- Students will sign up for individual move-in times this summer after final room selection. Please plan to arrive between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and account for this when coordinating travel details.
- First Day of Class
Food Services in Fall 2021
- We wanted to be sure to share some updates to our food service operations as we know them now. These updates are based on current LACDPH requirements, and as the LACDPH food service restrictions lessen, current dining hall and café modifications will be re-evaluated so that we can pivot to provide currently restricted services, such as indoor dining, when deemed safe and allowable to do so.
- Food Service Options
- 5Cs food service venues: Pitzer students will not have access to the other Claremont Colleges’ dining halls/cafes (and conversely, other Claremont Colleges students won’t have access to Pitzer dining hall/cafes, etc.).
- Venues: McConnell Dining Hall, the Pit Stop Cafe and the Shakedown Café will be open for served or grab-and-go food, with options for dietary needs. And, to accommodate social distancing requirements and student schedules, extended hours will be offered. Additionally, minor remodel changes will expedite food service.
- As noted above, only outdoor eating will be available, with additional furniture provided in several locations across campus and near the food service venues.
- Students who choose to live with us through [email protected] will, due to the modifications above, have several options: be completely off the meal plan (for this year only) or be on a 5,12 or 16 meal plan.
- Our Food Services Working Group continues to actively meet and consider community input. Student ongoing input is welcome and can be sent to the Student Senate appointed student reps on the Food Services Working Group:
- Kaila Teague, Milena Passage, Mya Bolden, Z Slade-Bridges, Aman Ahmed, and Becca Zimmerman.
Student Housing Selection Updates The Housing Selection process is facilitated entirely online using our Residence software system. As such, the Housing Selection has three main phases:
- Apply
- Roommate Groups and Explore Rooms
- Select Rooms
Detailed notes and screen shots of each phase, and all prior Housing Selection Updates can be found on our Housing Selection Website. Students are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] with any questions in regards to the Housing Selection process.
Housing Selection Application Timeline
| Application Process | Application Open/Closes | Application Review & Approval | Roommate Group & Explore Rooms | Select Rooms/Room Assignment |
| Off Campus Housing | Feb. 24 – April 22 | Rolling until April 22 | N/A | N/A |
| Room Accommodation due to a Disability (RADA) | April 23 – May 3 | May 6 | N/A | TBD – June/July, after LA County guidance |
| General Returning Student Housing Selection (including Sophomore Community) | April 30 – May 10 | May 17 | TBD – June/July, after LA County guidance | TBD – June/July, after LA County guidance |
- Off Campus Housing – Applications now open
- Apply online using our Residence software system.
- We encourage anyone interested in Off-Campus Housing to review our Off-Campus Guide and consider attending our upcoming Off-Campus Student Forum to hear from other students about their experience living locally in Claremont.
- Off Campus Applications are reviewed before the Campus Housing Selection process begins. If you are interested in living off campus, please review our Off Campus Housing Priority criteria, outlined on the Housing Selection Website.
- Applicants are prioritized according to our Off-Campus priority guide as well as the date/time they applied.
- Students must apply and be approved to live off-campus BEFORE they sign a lease for off-campus housing.
- Housing and Meal Plan Rates
- Storage Items from March 2020 Campus Closure
- Graduates – Recent (since Spring 2020) and upcoming (Spring 2021) graduates, who still have storage items on campus are encouraged to reach out to Residence Life to coordinate a plan for their items.
- Returning Students – Items still on campus will be moved to Fall 2021 room assignments prior to arrival. Students living off-campus in the Fall semester will have the opportunity to pick-up their items on-campus upon arrival. More details on this process will be sent this summer.
- Summer Housing Options
- Next Steps
- Future Housing Selection Update Topics
- Bed Availability – Once all applications have closed and been reviewed, the number of applications will be audited and compared to beds available. If there are more campus housing applications than beds available, excess applications (ex: those who did not apply by the deadline) will be placed into off-campus status or placed on the double deferred housing list to be assigned as space allows.
- NOTE: Some CCA rooms may be converted from single to double occupancy to allow for more occupancy in campus housing.
- WES Availability – Depending on Sophomore Year Experience applications, an update on available beds will be provided so Juniors/Seniors know how many spaces may be available for selection.
- Sophomore Roommate/Suitemate Search Processes
- Since our rising Sophomores have not been able to reside on-campus this academic year, we are increasing our efforts to help these students get to know our residence halls and connect with potential roommates/suitemates.
- April 26-30: Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) & Housing Prep Week
- Some initiatives may include: Tour of WES, meeting roommates/suitemates, “How to” Housing Selection presentations, identity group sessions on the importance of selecting roommates/suitemates, etc.
- July 19 – August: Roommate/Suitemate Conversation Topics
- Room assignments will be posted and ResLife staff will lead opportunities for pre-arrival roommate/suitemate conversation topics.
- Other Fall 2021 Planning
- Much about fall semester remains to be determined including COVID-19 related health and safety measures on-campus (I.e. social distancing, face coverings, guests, gatherings, vaccine guidelines, etc.), Forming Roommate groups, Individual Selection times, and Final Selection timelines. We encourage students to stay tuned to their email for updates as we have them as well as for input and open forum opportunities as we have them.
As always, we look forward to our return to campus and we appreciate everyone’s patience throughout the process. As questions emerge, please reach out!
Our best,
Residence Life
Kirsten and Josh
Josh Scacco, M.Ed. (He/Him/His)
Associate Director of Residence Life
Kirsten Carrier, M.S. (she/her/hers)
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life and Conference Services
