Fall/Winter Closing Information

Dear Residential Students,

As we approach the end of in-person instruction and head into Thanksgiving and winter closing, we wanted to remind you that residence halls will close at exactly 12:00 pm on Wednesday, November 25. The halls will not reopen until mid-January for the Spring 2021 semester. Please make all travel plans accordingly, since late departures/early arrivals will not be permitted. Note: You will not have access into the residence halls after the halls close at 12:00 pm, Wednesday, November 25. Upon the start of break, Housing and Residential Education and/or Facilities Management will conduct inspections of all rooms and furnishings.  

Before Departing

Before you depart from your residence hall, please make sure you follow the closing procedures outlined below. Failure to follow these procedures could result in a minimum fine of $50.

• Clean your space. 
  • This includes picking up all items from the floor and placing items on bed or desk as needed. 
• Close and secure all windows in your room. 
• Please keep your heating unit on, but at the lowest temperature (if applicable).
• Remove all trash and perishable items from your room/suite.
• Unplug ALL electrical devices in your room and suite common spaces/bathrooms. 
• Unplug, defrost, and clean your refrigerator.
  • We strongly recommend that you unplug your refrigerator a few days before you depart and leave the door ajar with a towel in it to absorb the moisture as it defrosts. Please remove all items from the refrigerator before initiating this process.
• Take home any fish/fish tanks.
• Turn off ALL lights.
• Make sure to take your ID with you.
• Lock your door.
• Turn in your keys via Express Checkout. This is done via the box by the tap desk in the lobby.
• If you are in a room/suite with a bathroom, please remove all belongings from the bathroom (bath mat, toiletries, towels, personal shower curtains, etc). Facilities will come in over the break to clean the bathrooms and put in a new shower curtain liner.  

Express Checkouts

Express Checkout is the contactless way in which you will turn in your keys at the end of the semester. Instructions on how to complete the Express Checkout will be posted on each suite/room door. In the upcoming weeks, one Express Checkout envelope per resident will be slid under each suite/room door. If you forget it or misplace it, there will be additional envelopes at the tap desks. You will drop the completed envelope with key(s) inside into the box located in your residence hall lobby as you depart. Failure to turn in your keys at the end of the semester may result in a fee (up to $150) and a lock change.

Returning for the Spring Semester

As a reminder, students who currently live on the Boston campus and plan to return in the spring will be able to select a move-in time slot that falls between January 14-17, and between the hours of 8:15 am – 4:30 pm. An announcement will be sent out via email when the scheduling system is open. Students who fail to select their desired move-in date and time slot will be assigned a date and time by Housing and Residential Education. Please note that you will once again be required to take a COVID-19 test at the Emerson test site at Tufts Medical Center immediately before moving into your space. More information will be forthcoming.

Thank you for your attention to the closing instructions! Best of luck with the remainder of the semester and enjoy your break!

-Housing Operations Team