Campus to Remain Open for Break

All residence halls will remain open, and so will other amenities like the dining halls, libraries, Student Health Service and the Student Recreation Center.

Dean Bresciani, interim vice chancellor for student affairs, said that the research aspect of the University will not be closing down for Fall Break and that the University has "a responsibility to the safety of the people who are working here."

Bresciani also said the residence halls would remain open due to concern that some students might not be able to find a way home.

Last year at least 1,000 students stayed in residence halls on any given night, said Christopher Payne, director of housing and residential education. Just as last year, Payne's department intends to keep things running at full force.

Although officials said they think it is necessary to keep residence halls open in case students can't find somewhere to go, even students in high-risk areas say they'd rather head home.

Laura Norton, a freshman from North Potomac, Md., said she will return home and ignore concerns about the recent sniper shootings in her area

"Someone was shot on my best friend's street, but I figure there's millions of people there," Norton said. "If it happens it happens, but probably not."

But others might not be able to get home because of distance or cost.

Bresciani said keeping the campus running is worth the extra cost for students who aren't able to leave.

Payne said the only additional cost from the residence halls comes in the form of keeping the community offices open because all other staffers work during the break period anyway.

Housing department officials ask that students staying on campus register early so the dining halls will know how much food to prepare and the housing department can know how many people should be accounted for.

"Over that period of time, since there are fewer students who live in the residence halls, we need to know how many students are in each building so we can work with (the Department of Public Safety) and our staff so we can be proactive," Payne said.

Although the majority of facilities will remain running, some schedules will be altered to account for the inevitable decrease in student traffic.

The Student Union will be closing for maintenance, said Don Luse, director of the Student Union. Officials are using the break to strip the finish on the floors and do some painting. Union Station will be closed as well. Libraries and the SRC also will be decreasing their hours.

But for the students who remain on campus, it's convenient to have things continue running.

"Some people do stay; it would be helpful to have access to facilities," said junior Laurie Hull. "It is still the heart of the semester."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.