Welcome to campus, arrival procedures and COVID-19 protocols

As Tulane University students — new and returning — flock to the uptown campus this week for fall Move-in, they will do so under a refreshed process and with updated COVID-19 safety guidelines.

The university has worked diligently to facilitate the safe return of students for the fall 2021 semester on campus.

“With more than 95 percent of students and 92 percent of employees already vaccinated and the rate of vaccinations still rising, we have a nearly fully inoculated campus population – and we will soon welcome a first-year class that has shattered records in academic achievement, diversity and selectivity,” President Michael A. Fitts wrote in a recent campus update outlining fall expectations.

As Outlined by Campus Health, all students are asked to take proper COVID-19 safety precautions and quarantine for five to seven days prior to their arrival to New Orleans. Undergraduate students moving on campus are required to receive and report a COVID-19 test 72 hours before they arrive and must upload their test result to the Campus Health Patient Portal. Undergraduate students living on campus should complete an on-campus test within a week of their move-in day. Students living off-campus must also complete a COVID-19 test before the start of classes. 

Arrival procedures

For fall 2021 Move-in, first-year and new students will arrive and move into their residence halls through Aug. 18, while returning students will move in Aug. 19 - 21.

Students moving on campus are allotted a preselected 30-minute time slot between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check in on their respective move-in day. Time slot confirmation emails with QR codes will be sent to each student.

Students are asked to arrive on campus in cars via South Claiborne Avenue and enter a traffic queue at the intersection of Claiborne Avenue and Versailles Boulevard. They will then proceed to a check-in tent at the intersection of Ben Weiner Drive and Janet Yulman Way.  

At the tent, Housing and Residence Life staff will scan students’ QR codes to check them into their residence halls and confirm that they arrived at their scheduled time slot. Students will receive a packet with a Splash card, room key and a Move-in day parking pass. Students will then proceed to the Diboll Parking Garage, where they must display the parking pass on their dashboard. Students can then unload their belongings and head on foot to their residence hall. Students must remove their car from the parking garage at the end of their respective move-in day.

If students need assistance with moving, Housing and Residence Life staff will be available with golf carts at a tent on Brown Field, adjacent to the parking garage. Staff will also be available at each residence hall for assistance.

Students were encouraged to ship most of their belongings ahead of Move-in. Packages that arrived before Aug. 1 were delivered to students’ rooms. Students can pick up additional items sent to campus from Mail Services. Additionally, emails were sent to students regarding package pick-up locations.

Updated campus mask policy

In accordance with recent guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health, the City of New Orleans, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks are required on campus in indoor settings, including classrooms, regardless of vaccination status. Social distancing is currently not required as long as masks are worn.

With in-person classes starting on Monday, Aug. 23, President Fitts noted that the university was able to successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic last year because of the vigilance and commitment of the Tulane community.  

“We also have the knowledge that the Tulane community faced a host of difficulties last year, from the pandemic to hurricanes, and we met them magnificently through our resilience, grit and commitment to one another. Through our strict adherence to safety protocols and our robust testing, contact tracing and isolation program, we will continue to help limit the spread of COVID on our campuses and hasten our journey to post-pandemic days.”