Here’s to hoping Vanderbilt students really enjoy their time on the Nashville campus, as the school is requesting all students to stay in the area for the months to come.

Vanderbilt recently issued an interesting guideline regarding the return to campus for students this fall including a requirement to stay in Nashville and not leave campus through the end of November — when in-person classes are set to end.

If a student does leave, they must quarantine for 14 days before resuming normal activities on campus.

It’s unclear how Vanderbilt plans to monitor this requirement but here is the official wording per Vanderbilt:

Students are required to stay in the Nashville area and not travel away from campus for weekend trips through the end of in-person classes on Friday, November 20.

  • If an undergraduate student decides that they must leave the Nashville area during the semester because of extenuating circumstances (e.g., to receive medical treatment or to attend a family wedding or funeral), the student must not attend in-person classes or other on-campus activities for 14 days after their return to Nashville and should limit personal contact with other Vanderbilt community members during that time. This is because travel to/from locations outside of Nashville and participating in events with individuals outside the Vanderbilt community can increase the risk of introducing the virus to the campus community. No refunds for tuition, housing costs, or other relevant fees will be issued if a student finishes the semester through online participation in coursework for any reason – including if a student chooses to leave Nashville for personal reasons after being on campus.
  • Graduate and professional students should communicate with their program advisors about any request to leave the Nashville area during the semester because of extenuating circumstances, and to discuss methods to mitigate risk of transmission upon their return to Nashville.

Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any more strange, who could have imagined a guideline like this on an SEC campus?