Housing for students staying over Thanksgiving break will be limited as the housing department announces residence hall closures.
The Housing Office announced in an email that all residence halls will be closing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 and will not reopen until noon on Sunday, Dec. 1. Any student who wants to stay over the break must fill out an interim housing form and pay a one-time fee of $72.
Hester and Regents Halls will be used to house people staying over the break. Residents of those halls may keep their current rooms if they sign the form and pay the fee. Limited housing options mean students staying over break must submit housing applications soon, as rooms may not be available for long.
Some students interviewed by The News expressed their concern that the housing closure may affect students who are unable to go home over the break, especially exchange students.
In an email to The News the Housing Department said it was working on making arrangements for these students, and students who need housing for the break should refer to the email sent on Nov. 4 for more information on the closure and access to the interim housing form.
“As is our usual practice, the University closes on-campus housing during breaks such as Thanksgiving, spring and winter break,” the statement said. “We recognize that not all students are able to leave campus during breaks, and we continue to make arrangements for students in need of alternate housing.”
Mondserrat Ruiz, an international student studying computer science, is among the students who will be affected by the Thanksgiving closure. Ruiz lives in White College and said she was not aware of the closure until receiving the email.
Ruiz said though she understands why the University is closing for Thanksgiving, the closure will affect her differently than other American students.
“I don’t have family here,” Ruiz said. “Or if I want to stay in someone’s house, like my friends, they’re going to be with their families. At first I was thinking about going to another place, but we know that during the Thanksgiving break, all the prices for hotels or flights or whatever, it’s getting expensive.”
Davis Vessels, senior biology major, said he believed housing should stay open during the break.
“A lot of students don’t really have a place to go during Thanksgiving break, and I feel like the dorm should stay open,” Vessels said.
Emma Brown, junior wildlife conservation major, said she didn’t like the University shutting down for Thanksgiving.
Brown said she had previous experience with a friend who was unable to travel back to her home state of Florida and had to stay with someone else off campus over the break.
“I think it’s pretty ridiculous that we’re already paying like thousands of dollars to live in the dorms and they’re still making you pay extra to stay over holidays,” Brown said. “It’s not even like a long break either. I don’t like it.”
Savannah Cavitt, sophomore Chinese major, said she wished the dorms would stay open. Cavitt said because of being in foster care she had to find an apartment to stay in for two days during the previous Thanksgiving break.
“I personally don’t agree with it,” Cavitt said. “It is kind of like making them pay to stay as well, I feel like it’s just a need for money. Not every student has a home to go to. So, I really don’t agree with it. I wish they would leave the dorms open because it helps it be accessible.”
