Winter Break Information
**IMPORTANT: This information was for Winter Break 2012 and is here for reference purposes only. This will be updated again late in the Fall of 2013.**
The following information will help you prepare for winter break closing. More information will be added as it becomes available. If you have questions that are not addressed here, please contact our office.
Dates for closing and opening
All Cornell College residence halls and apartments will close promptly at 11 a.m. Thursday, December 20, 2012, and will not reopen until 7 a.m. on Sunday, January 13, 2013. Please make your travel plans accordingly. The locks will be changed on all exterior doors of the residence halls on Thursday, December 20. Your outside door key or card will not work during the winter break. For safety and security reasons, access to your room is not possible over the entire winter break. Students found trespassing in the residence halls during winter break will be subject to disciplinary action.
Late stay or early arrival requests
The Residence Life office occasionally gets requests for students wanting to stay later than the dates listed above in December or move in earlier than the dates listed above in January. Selected students working with a sponsoring department (for example resident assistant staff or select winter athletes) may stay later or arrive earlier. In each of these cases, the supervising department will cover all housing expenses for the student(s).
Students not with a sponsoring department should expect that the above dates reflect the schedule that they should follow. With very rare exception, staff members from housekeeping, facilities and residence life are preparing for the official closing and opening days and are unable to accommodate late stay or early arrival requests from individuals not with a sponsoring department. If extenuating circumstances exist that the student believes would warrant an exception, then the student should contact their appropriate assistant director. If an exception is made, the student would be charged a daily fee for housing expenses (all charges would be applied directly to the student's account).
Dining Services information
The last meal in the dining room will be breakfast on Thursday, December 20, from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. The dining room will reopen on Sunday, January 13. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Visit Dining Services webpage for menu information.
Preparing your room for break
It is important to take time to prepare your room for the break. Before you leave, please do the following:
- Clear items from the floor (especially electronics)
- Sweep the floor and dispose of all dust and debris in a trash can
- Remove all trash from your room and take it to a common area trash can in your building
- Empty, defrost, and clean your refrigerator; prop the door open to avoid foul smells (medications which need to be refrigerated may be dropped off at the Health Center for safekeeping)
- Unplug all electrical equipment including refrigerators, computers, alarm clocks, telephones, and answering machines (you may leave an aquarium plugged in, but you must clearly label the cord at the wall outlet)
- Close and lock all windows
- Close all blinds
- Turn off all lights
- Lock your door
Health and safety inspections
After the residence halls close, residence life staff will be working in pairs to perform simple safety checks of each room. Staff will be checking specifically for open windows (which could cause pipes to freeze), appliances that have not been unplugged (which could cause an electrical fire that could go unnoticed in an empty hall) and unlocked doors and windows (which could invite theft). Staff will document any policy violations in plain view. As a reminder, the following items are prohibited in residence hall rooms:
- Microwave ovens
- Pets (other than fish)
- More than one refrigerator in a double room
For a complete list of prohibited items, please refer to the policies for residential students.
Repair work
During break periods (including official College holidays), Facility Services staff may be doing necessary maintenance, deep cleaning, and/or renovations to common areas. At times, this work may require altering normal traffic flow (like periodically closing certain entrances or stairwells). At other times, this work may require entering student rooms. Every effort will be made to notify students in advance (through e-mails or through signs posted in the buildings). However, advanced notice may not be possible in every situation. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.
Permanently vacating a room
If you are not returning to Cornell for second semester, you must completely vacate your room, have your RA inspect the condition of your room, and return your key(s) before the halls close. If your room is not inventoried and you fail to turn in your keys, you will forfeit your right to appeal assessed damages and will be charged $40.00 for room key replacement and $10.00 for hall entry key replacement as well as a fine for improper checkout. Failure to comply with the request to vacate your room of personal items may result in fees for hauling and disposal of belongings. Students who are withdrawing from Cornell must complete the withdrawal process; contact Student Affairs for more details.
Students living in a room with an unassigned space (empty bed)
If you are in a room with an unassigned space, you must prepare your room before leaving for winter break for the possibility of a new roommate in January. All belongings must be moved to one half of the room to allow a new roommate to easily move into the space. If you are assigned a roommate over the break, you will be informed by the Residence Life Office prior to returning to campus. If the Residence Life Office is unable to reach a student at home, we will send an e-mail to the student's Cornell College e-mail address. We expect that all students on the floor will welcome our second semester new students as well as our current Cornell students returning from trips.
Student parking over winter break
To help with maintenance and snow removal, certain parking lots are closed during winter break. For complete details, please refer to information on winter break parking, provided by Campus Safety.
Getting to and from the airport
If you will be traveling and don't have a car, you can refer to a list of transportation suggestions compiled by the Thomas Commons Information Desk. You will find the College's electronic need a ride board as well as information on commercial transportation opportunities.