In August, a total of 9,708 students moved into Tempe's on-campus housing. One month after classes began, over 600 students have already chosen to move out for the rest of the school year, according to a University spokesperson.
The University approved 654 License Agreement Release forms from students on the Tempe campus that were submitted by Sept. 20, a University spokesperson said.
Between Sept. 15-20, 143 students living on the Tempe campus were approved. Between move in, which began on Aug. 5, and Sept. 15, 511 students had their LAR forms approved, the spokesperson said.
When asked for a comparison to last year’s LAR approvals at the Tempe campus, a spokesperson sent the total number of 1,132 approved for the 2019-20 academic year. The spokesperson did not provide a breakdown showing in what months students were approved or if COVID-19 had any impact on that total.
Students who wish to be released from their University Housing License Agreement before the end of the academic year must submit a LAR to University Housing and provide "approved or extenuating circumstances" for moving out after checking in, according to the University Housing website.
Approval of the forms releases residents from University housing for the entire academic year.
Students who were approved by 5 p.m. on Sept. 20 had to pay a $500 cancellation fee. Approved students will receive a proration of their room and board and not incur any charges next semester for housing or dining, according to the University Housing website.
Students can still have their LAR approved after Sept. 20, but they have to pay the full cost of living in University Housing for the semester. They will not have to pay any housing or dining fees for the spring semester. The deadline to not have to pay for the spring semester is Feb. 11, the website said.
The University began the fall semester with a no-guest policy and lower capacity within the dorms.
On Aug. 31, the University entered housing mode three to limit the spread of COVID-19 on campus, which aims to "de-densify higher risk living configurations with communal bathrooms and communal living situations," according to ASU's COVID-19 Management page. There were 775 active COVID-19 cases within the ASU student body at the time, with 323 of them on the Tempe campus.
ASU is working with fraternity and sorority chapters within the Greek Leadership Village "individually to identify and execute strategies to de-densify these spaces consistent with University Housing Mode 3," the spokesperson said.
According to the spokesperson, the University has not worked to relocate students living in other residence halls.
AZFamily.com reported Monday four Greek chapters are currently serving interim suspensions while ASU investigates possible COVID-19 related violations, which a University spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. None have been fully suspended, according to the spokesperson.
The University reported Monday that active COVID-19 cases within the ASU community had decreased to 215, and 60 student cases are on the Tempe campus.
Reach the reporter at wmyskow@asu.edu and follow @wmyskow on Twitter.
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Wyatt Myskow is the project manager at The State Press, where he oversees enterprise stories for the publication. He also works at The Arizona Republic, where he covers the cities of Peoria and Surprise.
