For many students at the University of La Verne, winter break is essentially a vacation from school. Moving home for two months allows students to visit with family, see old friends and relax after a hard semester filled with research projects, group assignments and classes that never seem to let up.
But what about the students who cannot go home to visit for the holidays?
For these students, ULV is very accepting. Instead of having to move out for the winter break, students can stay in their residential halls throughout the holiday season.
Residential advisers and staff will be on call throughout this time, keeping up services during a time when most people are off campus. Which can be really helpful to some.
Students with jobs that are local to the University do not need to find alternate housing for the holidays, when most businesses are giving employees more hours. Living on campus also allows working students to save up money during a time when they can work more often, instead of trying to pack more work hours into an already busy school schedule.
Students who live far away or are visiting here on a study abroad program and cannot afford the expensive flight costs to travel back home can stay here.
At California public schools, students are required to move out during the winter holiday in order to save money on electricity, water and staffing. Some schools also claim that the winter break allows maintenance to be performed on campus.
In the past years, La Verne has required students to move off of campus for the few weeks before January interterm.
Recently, however, they have allowed these students to stay on campus as long as they need to.
Universities such as UC Santa Cruz and ULCA close their dining halls and residence halls during winter break and do not reopen them until Jan. 1.
For students who can’t go home immediately UC Santa Cruz requires that students complete a request to stay on campus until Dec. 12.
If they do not leave by then they are charged $100 unauthorized stay over fee and are escorted out of the building.
At UCLA student s may request to stay in their buildings throughout the winter season though there is no guarantee.
If students are approved they are required to pay a $500 fee which does not include meals. Also if students live in certain buildings they must relocate to other areas for the remainder of the break, without the ability to return to their rooms until the break is over.
At ULV all the residence halls stay open throughout the break. Although food services are closed there is a Circle K and many restaurants nearby in downtown La Verne.
The Wilson Library is also open until Dec. 23 offering services to students who will be staying over the break.
This helps with students who are traveling over the holiday and may need a place to sleep for a night on their way to a new destination or allow forgetful students who may have left something important in their residence halls to come get it, even on Christmas.
It is great that students have the option of staying in their residence halls throughout the winter holiday.
Not only does it show that the University is adhering to the needs of its students, but also that they are willing to spend money to keep their students happy and safe.
Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.