Dear Students,

I hope this email finds you well during this most unusual finals week. As other University leaders have mentioned in previous letters, we continue to balance your safety, the well-being of our staff and local community, and your understandable eagerness to retrieve your personal belongings in our planning of move-out. With a staged reopening in the state now beginning, we can share logistics for moving out of your on-campus housing and encourage you to share this information with your parents and loved ones.

The University will begin the move-out period beginning Friday, May 22. Please review the move-out options below, followed by important next steps.

Primary Option: In-Person Move-Out Appointments

As Erin Hoffmann Harding indicated in her March 31 email, students or their family and friend proxies will be able to return to campus only during a scheduled in-person appointment time, in respect of continuing Indiana health guidelines. Our hope is to provide enough flexibility in appointment times for the in-person option to accommodate most families’ needs. Appointment times are not yet available, but Residential Life will contact students in the coming week with further information.

In-person move-out appointments (4 hours in duration) will take place over the course of three weeks, including weekends.

Appointment days for students returning in-person will be followed by appointment days for family/friend proxies.

Based on public health recommendations, move-out appointments will be offered in a way that allows for cleaning of high-touch surfaces each day per building, and avoids students in the same room moving out during the same appointment window.

While we are unable to offer overnight accommodations in the residence halls, we have provided a list of open local hotels as a convenience to students and families. Campus Dining also has a list of available eateries.

Students may employ a local moving service for assistance, but must accompany that service in-person during their scheduled appointment time.

All items left in residence halls after the move-out process ends will be disposed of or donated, and may be subject to additional removal costs. Goodwill donation drop-off points will also be available.

Alternate Option: Packing, Storage, and Shipping

For students who are unable to return to campus in person, the University will permit Handled, a third-party vendor working with some of our peer institutions, to pack, store, or ship items on their behalf. Students may choose this option at their own expense. Handled will begin packing belongings after students return for in-person appointments, and belongings will be returned in the fall to the student’s 2020-21 academic year room or to an off-campus address.

The cost of the packing and storage service starts at $545 per student, which includes four large boxes, three bulk items, and free local storage in a non-climate-controlled container through September 30.

If needed, students may add boxes or bulk items at an additional cost, and storage is available beyond September 30 for $35 per student per month.

Shipping items home will carry an extra cost.

For additional information, please visit students.handled.com and use the How-To Guide.

Note that Handled is a recently-formed national moving logistics planning company that has engaged traditional local and regional moving companies such as United Van Lines and Mayflower to perform packing and storage, and their shipping carrier is FedEx.

Students electing this option are encouraged to check their homeowners insurance coverage or purchase renter’s insurance if they have not already done so.

Additionally, please recall that the Office of Student Enrichment is available to assist students for whom a return trip to campus might present a particular financial hardship.

What are your next steps?

Look out for an email in the next week that provides further information regarding appointment times and the move-out registration process.

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions

Email our office with any additional questions at residentiallife@nd.edu.

Thank you again for your patience. Please know that I am praying for a successful week of final exams, a meaningful conferral of degrees on May 17, and the health of you and your families.

In Notre Dame,

Heather Rakoczy Russell

Associate Vice President for Residential Life