College closes: Break offers solace to those who stayed on campus

Alexis DeLong

managing editor

The residence halls for Butler CC students closed at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 8, because of Spring Break. Residents were required to leave the halls until they could re-enter at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 17.
“Residence Halls closing over break periods is a common practice,” Assistant Director of Residence Life Alison Trammell said. “We primarily close because the cafeteria is closed for break, so students do not have access to food. Closing for break also allows our custodial crew to get through some cleaning that may not get done on a regular basis due to everyone being here.”

Residents who needed on-campus accommodations during the break had to submit a request for permission to stay. Each resident’s request form had to get approval by the Residence Life directors. Butler CC had about 100 students that stayed in the dorms over break. Any students found remaining in the dorms past the leave time that had not filled out the form would face a $100 fine.

“We have a form on the Student Housing Portal for them to fill out if they are staying with us for break,” Trammell said. “This form is a request to stay and does not guarantee that they will be allowed to stay. If a student has a history of not following the Student or Residence Life Handbook, they can be told that they are not allowed to stay due to the college being at a lower staffing level.”
Many students stayed on campus during breaks because they had jobs, scholarship activities or going home isn’t an option.

“Students who stay over break usually are here because of a scholarship commitment, and they have games or performances during that time,” Resident Assistant Madisen Ciesielski said. “Other reasons could include that it isn’t safe for them to go home, or they live too far away and have no way to get home.”

Meckenzie Irvin is an athletic trainer for the Butler baseball team. Irvin had to attend their practices and games that were held over break, so she had to remain on-campus. “Campus is quieter, and there are less people to hang out with when campus is closed,” Irvin said. “It was hard to stay here because it was boring when baseball wasn’t practicing or playing.”
While being on campus might be challenging and dull due to fewer people around, it does have a few benefits.

“I liked the silence in the dorms and being able to get my laundry done fast,” Irvin said. “It was also fun to watch the boys [baseball team] win both games the day they played.”
As the end of the semester is coming to a close, it is time for students to start considering housing plans for the upcoming school year. The housing application for Fall 2024-Spring 2025 went live March 13.