On March 19, the university confirmed that in-person experiences would continue after spring break, contrary to the original plan of moving fully online.
This new proposal was a topic of interest for students who already had plans to sublease their apartments and move home after spring break.
“I think this will negatively affect those that planned ahead and have already subleased their apartments to move home, as they can’t physically be on campus without getting into another lease and paying more money,” UW student Calvin Farrow said.
Although Farrow said that he is not being personally affected by the new decision because he returned to Laramie after spring break, he said that the change could impact others.
“This could cause a huge shift in everyone’s plans, costing more time and money than it should,” Farrow said.
As the March 19 announcement clarified, students still have the option to attend classes virtually and their professors are required to accommodate them. This is a viable option for students who had previous arrangements to return home.
Robert Beaudett, an Experienced Team Member at the Alight Laramie apartments, said that the switch to in-person could actually have a positive outcome for students who planned to sublease. He said that this is because students returning to campus might be looking for places to live.
“I don’t think people would be as successful finding subleasers if the university wasn’t going back [in person], so I think it gives them more of a chance to do that if they were planning to go back home,” Beaudett said.
Karen Valentine-Pond, a real estate broker and owner of Valentine Real Estate, said that some of her tenants moved home due to the pandemic but still have a place to live if they come back for in-person classes.
“I have some tenants that are back in their apartments that haven’t been there for the past three or four months, but they still have their apartments to move into,” Valentine-Pond said.
Valentine-Pond said she has been very flexible with her tenants during the pandemic and has allowed them to advertise their apartments if they need to sublease.
