ResLife break closing policy is overdue

With Thanksgiving break quickly approaching, most students are packing their bags and planning whether Mom or Dad is coming for pick-up. But for some students, travel plans may be much more difficult, not to mention expensive. Before this semester, students didn't have a choice to remain on campus, causing travel issues for a number of students. However, this year ResLife has arranged to allow students to remain on campus if they want to do so.

This is a great approach for ResLife to further accommodate students who live on campus. With the current economic crisis, many families have a hard enough time just paying for college. Tuition, when added to travel costs, may just be impossible for some students to meet. Since UConn is a state university, about 80 percent of students are in-state residents. Nevertheless, 20 percent of our peers are from out of state - not to mention international students - and deserve consideration during these hard times. The cost of on-campus housing for all students should justify these added benefits.

In addition to economic reasons, it is important that students have the option to stay in their dorms for educational purposes. This year's Thanksgiving break falls at the very end of November. When we all return to campus with leftover turkey and pumpkin pie, it will be painfully obvious that only one week of classes remains before the dreaded exam week. Usually there are two weeks of classes before exams, leaving an ample amount of time to study. For some students, one week will not be enough time to prepare. If anyone's house resembles mine, with four younger siblings running around, home is not exactly conducive to studying. Thanks to this housing change, students can return to campus whenever they please instead of waiting until Sunday.

There are several other practical reasons why this is such a great plan. Students whose work schedules conflict with break may have a hard time getting to work or keeping their jobs. If they work on campus or in the Storrs area but don't have a way to get back to campus every day, staying in the dorms is the perfect answer. Another reason to leave the dorms open is avoiding the ridiculous traffic jam that UConn turns into when everyone's parents come to pick them up at the same time on Fridays before breaks. Everyone has experienced a move-in day, a basketball game or just trying to park when class is in session - all miserable experiences. Students and parents who wish to avoid this finally can by leaving late or returning early.

Students who are planning to remain on campus for some or all of this Thanksgiving break need to remember that this is a trial run based on student behavior. ResLife is giving students a lot of responsibility by letting them remain on campus alone. If students who really need the option to stay on campus behave themselves, it may be instituted for breaks in the future. However, if students use this as a weeklong party, it will likely blow this opportunity for everyone else. Just remember that ResLife knows who is still in the dorms and who is not and they will keep track of it.

If we lose this opportunity, it will affect many students in the future, many of whom choose to remain on campus because of economic reasons out of their control. We need to respect each other and make UConn accommodating to our peers. Every student who will be on campus during break needs to be responsible and properly represent the student body. ResLife is doing us a favor by giving us this opportunity and we owe it to ourselves to use it responsibly.