Students who meet certain criteria may request to be considered for an exemption to the residency requirement. It is important to note that requests should be based on a need to live off campus, rather than a preference to live off campus. The request to live off-campus must be based on one of the reasons outlined below.
The university and Office of Student Affairs take seriously our responsibility to ensure safe housing for our students. Before students return to campus, we will provide education about effective procedures for keeping themselves and living spaces clean. Signage will be added to all rooms indicating cleaning schedules and “how tos.” Enforced room checks will ensure cleanliness in living spaces is being maintained. In addition, custodial staff has increased the frequency they clean public areas. Safety and cleanliness are the responsibility of every member of the Baker community and begin with each individual.
If a student has an underlying medical condition that may be impacted or complicated by the COVID-19 virus and there is a medical concern for group living, he or she should apply under the medical exemption reasons. As with all medical exemptions, these will be reviewed by our ADA office using current health and safety thresholds and guidelines.
When requesting an exemption, it is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation sufficient to justify the exemption. Exemption requests will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Requesting an exemption does not guarantee off-campus permission; therefore, students should not enter into a lease or other housing agreement until they receive an emailed response confirming the granted exemption. The university exemption process for approval of off-campus housing does not remove membership housing requirements in place by Greek chapters. Students requesting a university exemption need to review their Greek chapter residency requirements for members before proceeding.
