Upcoming Events & Important Information

Updated: April 2, 2020

As the situation regarding the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus continues to develop in Washington state, Housing and Residence Life and Dining Services wants to assure you that we are well prepared to respond appropriately to mitigate its effects, placing a priority on protecting the health and well-being of our residents.

On Friday, March 20, 2020, a letter was sent to all campus residents:

“Dear Wildcat Residential Students,

As you know, we all are adapting each day to new imperatives designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. CWU already has cancelled all in-person classes and labs; dining services are only providing food-to-go. In-person, university-sponsored events are cancelled. All buildings on the Ellensburg Campus will be closed to the public.

On the night of March 19, 2020, the Kittitas County Public Health Department issued an official Public Health Order directing CWU to strongly encourage students, ”whether they live on or off campus, to stay in place. If students have returned to their permanent residence, they should remain there” while attending spring quarter virtually. It is vital that you respect this Public Health Order and help contain the virus that is spreading so quickly everywhere: https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/press/default.aspx?prID=11358.
We thank you for your patience as we work to clarify the ever-changing information and related details surrounding the University's response to COVID-19.

Per the Kittitas County Health Order, students are strongly encouraged, whether they live on or off campus, to stay in place.

If students are currently living on campus, they should remain staying in on campus housing.

• Our campus housing and dining remain available to students who are currently on campus and continue to reside here. Dining will be available in a food to go style per the health directive. Information specific to dining will be posted on the website: https://www.cwu.edu/dining/
• Early in spring quarter, we may determine the need to relocate students who are continuing to live on campus from their current residence hall room to another building. This is so we can ensure we provide our best service to those students who remain and further the goal of social distancing by providing all residents with a room that has a private bathroom, if possible. If you are relocated, your housing rate will not increase, even if the room you move to is normally charged at a higher rate.
• If students are currently away from the CWU Ellensburg campus, per our Health Directors warning, they should remain where they are currently residing and attend Spring Quarter virtually.
• Because we do not want to penalize you financially based upon circumstances you couldn’t foresee, we will not charge you for early termination and all spring quarter housing and dining will be refunded.
• Your property will stay in place in the current state you left it. We will change the lock to your space to restrict access and until the Health Department releases the current restrictions.
• CWU staff will verify occupancy in each room/apartment and enforce health and safety standards such as removing perishable items.
• We are in the process of turning off access to residence hall entrances*
• Housing and Residence Life will work in the coming days to determine a plan within the Kittitas County Health Order to help residents reclaim personal items. We will send out an email to all residents with this protocol when it is complete.

We have asked all residents to complete a specific form online through their MyHousing account immediately to tell us exactly where they are residing. If you do not indicate your status, we will assume you are no longer on campus and we will secure your space by changing the locks and your entrance access. If your roommate is staying in the room by order of the notice they will not be permitted to allow you access so please do not try to access your property in that manner.

We know you may have other questions about this announcement and what Housing and Residence Life is doing for students who are concerned about their on campus housing. Please contact us at housing@cwu.edu or 509.963.1831 (Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm). As we move forward, please direct questions you may have to housing@cwu.edu. We have established an enhanced response team to keep track of questions and respond to emails in a timely fashion. We will also make this information, and any future changes, easily available online at the website: cwu.edu/housing.

In addition, if you have already finalized this fall’s 2020 plans to live on campus, these plans will not be impacted. We know that you enjoy living on campus and we are looking forward to you returning to CWU. If by chance you have not finalized your fall 2020 (academic year 2020-2021) housing we are here to help you make that happen.

We appreciate your patience during these unprecedented circumstances. We understand this information is difficult for many of you to hear as we know CWU is your home away from home, but we hope you understand that these measures are in the interest of prioritizing the health and safety of our community. We wish you and yours the very best and look forward to your return to CWU.
For all CWU notifications visit: https://www.cwu.edu/emergency/covid-19-updates

Please take care wildcats and stay well.

Tricia Rabel
Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life
*Pending Public Health order and guidelines, subject to change.”

We know there are questions about Spring 2020 Housing and Dining. The following information was developed in order to help make things clear for our residential students.

• What is the Kittitas County Health Order and what does it mean for CWU?
A Kittitas County Health Order was issued March 20, 2020, for Central Washington University. You can read more about that order here.

• Are students required to tell Housing where they are currently residing?
Yes. In order to provide a safe and secure residence for students, we need to know each student's current residence. As we plan for Spring Quarter, we need every student to complete a specific form online through their MyHousing account immediately to tell us exactly where you are residing. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you are no longer on campus and we will secure your space by changing the locks and your entrance access.

• I didn't respond to the Housing request by March 23rd to state where I was residing. Does this mean I am locked out?
Per the Kittitas County Health Orders and Governor Inslee's "stay home, stay healthy" statewide order, we are not permitted to allow students back on campus who did not disclose their status as being in Ellensburg. If you believe you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact housing@cwu.edu.

• What happens to my personal items in my room? What if I need something?
If you have property in your residence hall room or apartment, your property will stay in place in the state you left it. Locks have been changed to restrict access until the county and statewide orders lifts.

Due to the statewide and county order, we are not able to allow individuals to return to campus and pick up personal property. If you believe you have an emergent need for an item in your space—for example, medications you are not able to obtain a replacement prescription—please contact Housing and Residence life at housing@cwu.edu. We will consider requests on a case-by-case basis, and retrieve the item with your written permission. In certain cases, we may be able to ship the item to you.

• My roommate did not indicate their status and would like to return to campus and retrieve items. Can I let them into our space?
If you're staying in your apartment/residence hall room, you are not permitted to grant access to your roommate. Please do not allow access to your roommate in this manner, as it is a violation of Kittitas County Health Department orders.

• I am currently in Ellensburg and I understand I will need to stay in Ellensburg. Will there be campus resources to support me on campus?
Our campus housing and dining services remain available to students who are currently on campus and continue to reside here. Dining service will be available in a food-to-go style, per the health department directive. Information specific to dining will be posted on the website.

• Will I be able to stay in my current space?
Early in the spring quarter, we may determine the need to relocate students who are continuing to live on campus from their current residence hall room to another building. This is so we can ensure we provide our best service to those students who remain, and further the goal of social distancing by providing all residents with a room that has a private bathroom, if possible. If you are relocated, your housing rate will not increase, even if the room you move to is normally charged at a higher rate.

• What can I expect in terms of staffing, events, and programming?
Housing units will be staffed 24/7 the same as other times of the year. Staff will be available to help with lockouts, support you during this uncertain time, and connect with you. Those interactions will be more likely to occur virtually via phone or video chat. Events and in person programs are not able to take place at this time per the Kittitas County Health Order.

• I am a residence hall student on the Ellensburg campus. Will my meal plan be the same?
Yes! As a residence hall student, your meal plan went into effect Monday, March 23, and be available to you throughout Spring Quarter. Students who wish to change their meal plan can do so until April 13 through their MyHousing account. Dining halls may have different hours and options. For more information on Dining Services, please visit the website.

• Remaining Winter Quarter Dining Dollars (for students no longer residing on the CWU campus)
A final decision about students with a remaining winter quarter dining dollars balance has yet to be made. Either extending the availablitiy of funds or transferring funds to a more flexible method of use are both being considered. Please watch for updates via our website notifications, in addition to direct communication to everyone who is affected.

A decision may be somewhat delayed as we work thorugh more immediate challenges to help ensure the health and safety of our remaining students, but we will have an answer in time for you to make informed decisions about your on-campus housing future. As information becomes available, we'll share with all who are impacted.

We know that these are challenging times. If you have any questions, please contact CWU Dining Services at dining@cwu.edu or 509-963-1591. 

March 20, 2020: Kittitas County Public Health Department released a health order involving CWU.

Housing Operations and Residence Life is open
Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm

Call 509.963.1831 or email Housing@cwu.edu

All residence halls continue to be fully staffed 24/7.

Spring Break 2020 
Covid-19 Updates and FAQS