College students around the world have been significantly affected by the recent COVID-19 outbreak that caused an early end to their on-campus life.
This pandemic has made it difficult for many students to retrieve their items from their residence halls, and in a few extreme cases, such as at Virginia Commonwealth University, some students at other colleges actually had their items moved out of their rooms and put into storage without permission.
According to ABC 8 News, “Students’ belongings are being inventoried, boxed, labeled and relocated to storage at no cost to the student. Many students expressed their outrage on Twitter after VCU failed to notify students that their belongings would be packaged up and sent to storage. The university apologized to students, saying that using the dorms for a potential hospital was an emergency decision.” NOTE: WE NEED THIS LINK
This decision that some other colleges have made to remove students’ belongings from their rooms without permission and put them into storage can cause a lot of problems. Belongings may go missing, so to address the problem of returning to college next semester without some necessary room accessories, here’s a list of essential needs in a college residence hall room:
Author Tyron Schritter offers the following list:
- comforter and/or quilts (consider sturdy, easy-to-wash items)
- throw blanket
- Bed sheets (suggested size: twin xl)
- pillows, pillowcases, mattress pad, and reading pillow
- extra pillow(s) if you will lounge or study on the bed
- alarm clock
- tissues
- paper towels
- under-bed storage
- towels: bath, washcloths and hand towels
- shower shoes
- shower bucket/basket/caddy to carry items
Along with this list of basic essential college residence hall room needs, here’s a list of some other needs that some students might not have considered. According to Mara Leighton from the Insider Picks, students could also include these items:
- noise cancelling headphones
- foldable drying rack
- portable chargers
- extension cords
- HDMI cord
- iron and ironing board
- bed organizer
- comfortable house shoes
- ethernet cable cord
- reusable food containers
Other items to bring might include some of the following:
- a desk lamp and/or floor lamp
- a mirror
- a rug
- a portable fan
- laundry hamper or bag
- a mattress topper
- plates, cups and silverware
- a bathrobe (just in case)
- “Command” hooks and poster stickies
- stacking, portable, plastic drawers
- a trash can
- a power strip/surge protector
These lists of college residence hall room needs are appropriate for many college students.