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2012 Winter Break Information

November 29, 2012

The Residence Halls close for Winter Break on Sunday, December 16th at 10 a.m. and reopen on Thursday, January 10th at 10 a.m.  If you need housing during Winter Break, please read below.

Information

Winter Break 2012 Informational Handout
Winter Break 2012 Power Point Presentation

If you are leaving for Winter Break, we ask that you complete the items on the checklist that applies to you:

 

What are your Winter Break plans?

If you are moving to a different room for the spring semester into Douglas B or Neptune West or New Hall West and want to stay over Winter Break, the on-line room retention option you will be offered is your Spring 2013 room assignment. Remember that you will need to move to your new room no later than Sunday, December 16, 2012. 

 

If you are leaving campus for the break and returning for Spring semester:

  •  If you are returning to your same room for Spring semester, keep your room key. You do not need to move out of your room over the break, just be sure to take any personal possessions you will need during that time or valuables you want to secure. Hall staff are not available to escort you to your room over the break period to pick-up things you may have forgotten.
  • Be sure to secure your room for the break – close and lock your windows (an open window can cause pipes to freeze and break, flooding your room and costing you a lot of money!), empty your trash, defrost your freezer (leave your Microfridge plugged in and set at “2”), unplug other electric appliances (Be sure your alarm clock is turned off to keep your neighbors from going crazy while you are away!), take home valuable possessions, turn off your lights, and lock your room door.
  • You may want to have any important mail forwarded home over the break.  Mail is not sorted over the break and students cannot access their mail.
  • If you have requested a room change that will begin at hall opening for spring semester, remember to remove all of your belongings from your current room and make an appointment to check out of your room with your CA.  Work with your hall staff if you need to make arrangements to store your possessions in your new room before you leave; there is no guarantee that a storage option will be available.  You will check in at the Main Desk and get your new room key when you return in January.
  • If you are returning to your same room, you will need to stop in at the Main Desk by the end of the first week of classes (1/18) so that the desk staff can swipe your OneCard into the system, which activates your spring semester room assignment and door access. This only takes a minute.

 

If you are leaving the university at the end of Fall semester:

Remember that your Housing & Dining contract is for the full academic year (August – May). If you are graduating and/or withdrawing from the university you need to submit a Contract Release Request form no later than December 14, 2012, to avoid any additional financial charges for the year. You can obtain the release request form on our website (http://www.niu.edu/housing/), or get a printed copy from the Residential Administration office in East Neptune Hall, Room 101.

 

If you live in Neptune West, Douglas B or New Hall West and want to stay on campus during Winter Break:

Winter Break is Sunday, December 16, 2012 – Thursday, January 10, 2013  

Winter Break is not available in any other residence halls.

To submit a Winter Break contract, go http://www.niu.edu/housing/room_signup/signup.shtml.  You can submit your contract on-line from November 26 10 a.m. through November 27 4 p.m. 2012.  When you reach the site, choose “Select room and meal plan” then choose “Room Retention. “ All four weeks of break are set as a default, click on the boxes to uncheck any weeks you do not want as part of your contract. If you are moving to a different room for the spring semester and want to stay over Winter Break, the on-line room retention option you will be offered is your Spring 2013 room assignment. Remember that you will need to move to your new room no later than Sunday, December 16, 2012.

Students who do not request Winter Break contracts will need to vacate their rooms 24 hours after their last final exam or by 10 a.m. Sunday, December 16th whichever comes first. Don’t forget to pack your toothbrush, favorite CD, any meds you take, and everything else you want with you over the break – hall staff will not be available to take you to your room over the break to get items you forgot. Only residents with Winter Break contracts may enter the residence halls during this time. The OneCards of residents without contracts will not activate the outside door locks while the buildings are closed for break.

If you decide after November 27th that you want a Winter Break contract, you can come to the Residential Administration Office in East Neptune Hall, Room 101 to complete the process.

 

Winter Break Contract Rates: Available only in Neptune West, Douglas B and New Hall West

Entire Break: Sunday December 16, 2012 to Thursday January 10, 2013     $214.29

Or by individual weeks:

Sunday December 16, 2012 to Sunday December 23, 2012                   $60.00

Sunday December 23, 2012 to Sunday December 30, 2012                   $60.00

Sunday December 30, 2012 to Sunday January 6, 2013                        $60.00

Sunday January 6, 2013 to Thursday January 10, 2013 (4 nights)          $34.29

 

The Winter Break contract can be found at http://www.niu.edu/housing/faq/Forms.shtml.

2012-2013 Winter Break Contract (PDF)

All university administrative offices are closed December 21, 2012 – January 2, 2013.

The Residence Halls reopen for Spring Semester 2013 on Thursday, January 10th at 10 a.m.

Revised 10/15/2012