Winter Break Housing Information for Undergraduates

Please note that over Winter Break (Thursday, December 22, 2011 at Noon through Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 9:00am) all Brandeis University residence halls will be closed, EXCEPT for the following locations:

* Charles River Apartments

* The Mods

* 567 South Street

* Ridgewood Apartments

If you are in one of the residence halls or apartments that are closing, you must be out of your room no later than NOON on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011. You may not return to your room until 9:00am on SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2012.

The residence hall locks for buildings designated as closed will be changed for this period, and students will NOT be able to access their room over the break for security reasons. Given this, it is important that students plan ahead. If you live in one of the halls that will be closing, but need to remain in the U.S. for any part of the break period, and will need housing, we recommend the following:

OPTION #1:

If you have a friend or family member who lives off-campus, you could make arrangements to stay with them for this period.

OPTION #2:

If you have a friend who lives in one of the Brandeis Residence Halls/Apartments that will be open over the Winter Break (Charles River, Mods, 567 South Street, Ridgewood), you could make arrangements to stay with them for this period. Should you plan to stay on campus, for security reasons, the University needs to have a written record of where you will be staying.  Please contact the Department of Community Living at dcl@brandeis.edu or 781-736-5060 with the name of the person with whom you are staying, the building and room number, and the time you will be staying there.

OPTION #3:

If you do not know someone who lives off-campus or in one of the Brandeis residences open over the Winter Break, but need to stay in the U.S. and on-campus, you must notify Community Living who will have a listing of available spaces in one of the residences that will remain open (Charles River, Mods, 567 South Street, Ridgewood). You will be responsible for notifying Community Living of your need by TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011.  Space is limited, and we may not be able to offer space to all students.  Priority will be given to first-year and sophomore students.  To request a space on-campus for winter break, please email Greg Jones at gjones@brandeis.edu with the following information: Name, class year, phone number, current housing (building and room), dates you request on-campus housing, and the reason you are making the request.  There are no additional housing charges for staying on-campus over winter break.

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN STAYING ON-CAMPUS OVER BREAK

(a) Food Services/Cafeteria/Dining Halls will NOT be open during break. This is why only Charles River, the Mods, Ridgewood, and 567 South Street stay open -as they have kitchens so students can cook their own meals.

(b) Campus shuttle busses will be very limited, and at times will not be running over the Winter Break.

(c) If you are planning to use the library or other campus facilities, you will want to check their hours of operation as many have limited operation times, or may be closed, over the Winter Break.

(d) Residence Halls that are closed over the break will close by NOON on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 and will not reopen until 9:00am on SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2012.

Please consider carefully your options.

 IF YOU HAVE A ROOM AVAILABLE OVER THE BREAK FOR AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TO STAY:

Please contact Community Living via email (

dcl@brandeis.edu) and provide the following information:

Name:

Current Campus Residence:

Phone Number:

Email:

Number of Rooms/Couch/Sofa/Beds Available:

Dates the Rooms are Available:

If you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact Community Living (x6-5060) or Emily Stewart at the ISSO (x6-3480).

Please be sure to make your plans as soon as possible (including airline reservations, housing plans, etc.) to avoid any last minute difficulties. Keep in mind that if your residence hall is closing over the break that you MUST be out of your room by NOON on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards,

Greg Jones

Assistant Director for Operations and Off-Campus Housing

Jeremy Leiferman

Senior Director of Community Living

David Elwell

Director, International Students and Scholars Office