All Boston University on-campus residences remained open during Thanksgiving break for the first time last week. Approximately 3,000 students took advantage of their available residences, BU Housing Director Nishmin Kashyap said.
Kashyap announced Feb. 12 in an email to the student body that the dormitories would remain open during Thanksgiving and spring breaks beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, The Daily Free Press reported.
Previously, BU students who had been living on-campus and wished to remain in their designated on-campus residence during Thanksgiving and spring breaks were provided hotel accommodations. The Feb. 12 email stated this change was made “to address the needs of students who find it impossible to travel home during break periods and for those students who have commitments in the Boston area.”
Kashyap said BU Housing chose to keep the dorms open to accommodate the needs of an growing international student population.
“The student body was no longer local,” Kashyap said. “It just made sense to be open for the two breaks, which are Thanksgiving and spring break, because there is a very short period of time for students to go back home.”
The dining hall in Warren Towers was the only dining hall open to students during Thanksgiving break, operating on a limited schedule, Kashyap said. There were approximately 400 students who ate at Warren during each meal period, he added.
Scott Rosario, marketing director for BU Dining Services, said students responded “very graciously” to the availability of Warren’s dining hall during Thanksgiving recess.
“Most of the feedback [students gave] was just thankfulness for being open and having that option,” Rosario said. “We saw on Twitter a lot of folks tweeting about enjoying Thanksgiving dinner and being thankful that they have some dining options open.”
Rosario also said BU Dining successfully organized the work schedules of dining hall employees during the four-day period they have had off in the past. Opening the dining hall gave both the students and the workers a place to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, Rosario said.
“The way we approached [scheduling] was asking folks if they were interested in volunteering to work to come in that day on Thanksgiving or during the [four-day] period,” Rosario said. “We actually had all of our staff volunteer to fill all of the shifts.”
Workers who had families who lived far from Boston and weren’t able to come to the city for Thanksgiving were “happy to have the opportunity to come in and have some sort of Thanksgiving experience” and “excited for the change in service,” Rosario said.
Several students said having on-campus housing open throughout Thanksgiving break was convenient for them even though campus was significantly less lively.
Ana Amatuzzi, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and an international student from Sao Paulo said she felt like the majority of students she saw in the dining hall were international.
“On Thursday, during Thanksgiving Day, I saw a lot of Brazilian people so I feel like most of the people were international,” Amatuzzi said. “The food was good. I thought it would be more do-it-yourself but they had people serving actual hot food and stuff like that so it was good.”
Amatuzzi said her only complaint was that the Fitness and Recreation Center was not open.
Sarah Stipanowich, a freshman in the College of Communication, said the food served was limited because the rear of the Warren Dining Hall was “cut off” and “not as good as usual.” The environment around campus was also very quiet and at times even eerie, she said.
“West Campus was empty,” Stipanowich said. “Warren was the only place where there was actual life. Even walking on Commonwealth Avenue there were barely any cars.”
Matthew Topoozian, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said the atmosphere on campus felt “silent” even on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but his neighborhood in South Campus felt livelier than usual.
“On the streets outside there was a little more activity because it’s more residential. People who live in Warren or West would probably say different things but because I live in South Campus it was pretty much the same.”
