Holidays away from home: the realities of staying on campus during winter break

Donovan Votypka
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 02:57:52 +0000
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About 300 to 450 students stay in dorms over winter break each year, experiencing a nearly vacant campus. Credit: Lantern File Photo

While many students are settling into their winter break routine at home, there’s a group of students adjusting to a completely different environment: a nearly vacant campus.?

Each year, roughly 300 to 450 students stay in dorms over winter break, according to university spokesperson Dave Isaacs. Whether for an on-campus job, the inability to travel home or simply a desire to stay put, students like Alexis Cochran, a fourth-year in health sciences who has previously stayed on campus during winter break, have a completely different campus experience.?

“It felt like a ghost town,” Cochran said.?

Despite this feeling, Cochran said she grew to like the emptiness and created her own routine around the limited hours for on-campus faculties like dining or the gyms.?

Marci Shumaker, senior associate director of Ohio State Recreational Sports, said during winter break, campus gyms operate with restricted hours that are determined based on facility-wide data.

“We are open for those who stay and want them to be able to participate,” Shumaker said. “But we also are realistic about the true population that’s going to use the facilities during that time.”

Dining options are also sparse over winter break, with all three main dining halls closed for the entire duration. Grab-and-go options including Juice 2, EspressOH, Berry Cafe, Terra Byte Cafe, Postle Cafe and the Caffeine Element open with limited hours throughout December and into the beginning of January, according to the Dining Services website.?

Isaacs said the university designates certain residence halls as academic year halls that stay open during winter break, including Bowen House, Drackett Tower, Houck House and Houston House, among several others, according to the Office of Student Life Housing and Residence Education.?

In order to stay for all parts of an academic break, students in an academic year residence hall simply register and inform housing and residents education of their intention to stay, Isaacs said.?

“There is no daily fee, but they pay a $125 for the entire year fee,” Isaacs said.

Isaacs said if a student is living in nonacademic year housing but needs to remain on campus for any portion of a break they can apply for a room in an academic year building for $35 a day, but there is limited space available.?

“We don’t displace any student,” Isaacs said.