BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For students who have already graduated from Indiana University, the living arrangements are no big deal. But for the students coming in this fall, it's another question.
With the onslaught of COVID-19, many schools are scrambling to make sure they have enough housing to make the switch to single room occupancy.
"The good news is, we will be able to house everybody and that is close to 12,000 people. A little under this year, but everyone will have a place to stay," Dr Chuck Carney the director of IU Communications said.
Completed remodeling at two residence halls and half the rooms in a third is making a big difference for the university.
It is also exploring a partnership with the Biddle Hotel in student union.
"We are doing mostly single occupancy with some exceptions," Carney said. "You can have a roommate if you have selected one who has been thoroughly checked to make sure everyone is healthy and the roommates will take care of one another."
The market is trying to step in to provide students differing options. The Bloomington Hilton Garden Inn is positioning itself as a potential option. As a leaflet for the inn says, it has a Fall Semester Housing option starting at $8,277 for a single room.
"That is not something being done with IU or through IU," Carney said.
He said while the university is not discouraging competition it just wants to make sure parents know it has a room for everyone.
“Most of our residents in residence halls will be single occupancy per recommendation of the restart committee at IU. Fortunately we are able to do that and house everybody and that is thanks to the residence halls that are reopening," Carney said. "We are going to be able to house everybody even with single occupancy for most of those."