Many colleges have suspended in-person classes with a hopeful return date in April amid the coronavirus outbreak. There is the growing prospect those schools will follow the list of colleges that have closed campus for the remainder of the spring term in favor of virtual instruction.
When that occurs, students will need immediate storage and shipping solutions for their belongings as they are told to leave campus dorms and apartments sooner than expected.
University officials, student services and campus housing departments: How can Collegeboxes, the No. 1 student storage and shipping provider in the country, serve you and your students during this transition?
Immediate Assistance
Students have access to immediate assistance via Collegeboxes.com at more than 200 schools in the U.S., ranging from the nation’s largest universities to small community colleges. New schools are signing up daily during the COVID-19 crisis.
Since 1999, Collegeboxes has provided fast, easy and affordable options for students moving to and from school. Right now, the U-Haul-managed program has a message for all colleges: We got you.
Bulk orders of boxes and moving supplies can be delivered to colleges overseeing their students’ needs. On Monday, Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., placed and promptly received an order for 1,465 boxes and also 80 rolls of packing tape.
When students at participating colleges sign up and place individual orders, boxes and tape arrive at their dorm or apartment. Boxes are then picked up from the same address at no additional cost and, depending on the student’s preference, shipped home or stored at a secure U-Haul facility until the student returns to campus. Students can call (866) 269-4887 or info@collegeboxes.com to learn when Collegeboxes will be on their campus picking up items for storage or shipping.
Affordable Rates
In addition to welcoming new schools for immediate service, Collegeboxes isn’t raising summer storage rates despite most students needing storage for two more months. The cost of $45 to store a large box for May through August will remain the same when early pickups are in March or April.
Given the need for more help amid the current crisis, Collegeboxes has offered the promo code “EARLYMOVE” for 20% off orders as well.
“When the College of Holy Cross and Clark University recently made the decision to go virtual, we were able to get boxes loaded and delivered immediately,” said Dain Howell, Director of Collegeboxes. “It helped that we’ve been working with these schools for years. Both contacted their Collegeboxes account executive, and we got moving supplies delivered from a local U-Haul location that day.”
“The staff at Collegeboxes was so helpful and accommodating with this extremely challenging situation,” noted Brenda Hounsell Sullivan, Assistant Dean/Director of Student Involvement at Holy Cross. “It is so nice to know that during such a hard time in our community we are supported by the people we do business with. They responded immediately with services and a box delivery so that we were able to relieve some stress for our students and their families. Thank you!”
Essential Service Provider
Collegeboxes is among the many arms of U-Haul that is responding in a time of need. Last week, U-Haul said it will give any student with college ID one month of free self-storage or U-Box container usage while so many are being left in limbo by university schedule changes.
The free storage offer applies to new customers and is subject to availability. Students should go to uhaul.com/storage to find a U-Haul-owned and -operated facility near them. Finally, they can stop by or call to take advantage of the offer.
As an essential services provider, U-Haul will remain open for business to help customers throughout this process.
