Highly Anticipated Coronavirus Update Causes Outpouring of Emotion Across Campus

Eight hours after the University confirmed that it was not planning to force all students to vacate, a new update on Wednesday evening indicating that most undergraduates must move off campus for the remainder of the semester stunned the Princeton community. The 8 p.m. guidance indicated that students with financial concerns, international students with travel or visa restrictions or whose home country was heavily impacted by coronavirus, and students with specific athletic or research purposes, among others, would not be required to return home. “We know you’re heartbroken at the prospect of leaving your friends, professors, and other campus colleagues,” wrote Jill Dolan, Dean of College and Rochelle Calhoun, Vice President for Campus Life in the update. “And we know this is not how you expected to study and participate in campus life at Princeton.”The announcement triggered an outpouring of emotion on campus. Around Frist Campus Center, students embraced each other, preparing for the possibility that they will not be seeing  each other for the next six months. Others were overcome with tears. Still others chugged Whiteclaws and Coronas. Later, a group of students brought a speaker to the late meal area and blasted music to the hundreds of students gathered around. Yang Song ‘20, for whom going home would require multiple trains and flights to his hometown of Sydney, Australia, said that he would rent a living space close to campus if he had to leave. “I think it's unfortunate that people have to leave, but justified given the circumstances,” said Song after receiving the news.The announcement also included the following guidance about travel assistance, academic challenges, facilities and resources. 

• Undergraduate students will receive reimbursements for room and board charges proportional to the time missed. Students remaining on campus will have access to Whitman dining hall for brunch and dinner, and will have the option to take boxed meals back to their room.
• The University is considering P/D/F options for the whole semester, re-weighting midterm examinations, and other policy adjustments. 
• Essential facilities including Dillon Gym, University Health Services, and campus libraries will remain open with revised schedules and social distancing protocols in place. Commencement and Reunions are yet to be canceled.

The announcement comes after days of speculation, which led to a change.org petition with over 3700 signatures asking the university not to evict students without considering their circumstances and a 500+ student GroupMe dedicated to sharing resources and information about dealing with the impacts of coronavirus. “A lot of the information that we had felt like information with an asterisk because we were working on verifying, trying to figure out who our sources are,” said Kiki Gilbert ’21, one of the organizers of the GroupMe.She and another organizer, Anna Macknick ‘21, were both previously concerned about criteria required to remain on campus.  They feared that the U. plans would resemble Harvard’s decision to require students to vacate their dorms. “After seeing what policies were being implemented at peer institutions, I was incredibly nervous the University wouldn't be flexible for students with different situations,” said Macknick. Now, they expressed satisfaction with Princeton’s decisions.“I am grateful to see that the University is showing understanding for students in difficult situations,” said Macknick, despite lingering concerns for students whose circumstances may not qualify for the University’s criteria for an exemption. As students prepare for the unforeseen early return home, they will continue to grapple with unforeseen challenges as the coronavirus spreads. The first is packing up — by 8:30 PM on Wednesday, the University Store was already out of boxes. “We truly do understand how devastating this guidance will be for all of you,” wrote Dolan and Calhoun. “This is not how we expected Spring 2020 would unfold.” Sophia Cai '21 contributed reporting.