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Staying in Chapel Hill over break? Here's what you need to know

Lenoir Dining Hall
Lenoir Dining Hall is one of 14 buildings across campus in which students are able to use Meal Swipes, PLUS Swipes, or Dining Flex. Lenoir and Chase dining halls will be closed from Saturday, March 7 through Saturday, March 14 for spring break.

Many students will head home or jet off on vacation next week — but even if you're staying on campus, it's possible to make the most of a week with no classes. Here's everything you need to know about staying in Chapel Hill over spring break: 

Dorms and Dining Halls

As detailed in a recent email from Carolina Housing, all on-campus residence halls and Ram Village apartments will be open at no additional cost for students currently living on campus.

Students are free to stay in their rooms over spring break, the email said.

Residential advisors will be available on-call for students staying on-campus, but RA staff will be smaller during break — meaning students who contact the RA on duty for their residence halls may reach an RA from another community.

And don't count on your daily dose of Chase's pizza or Lenoir's burrito bowls — Lenoir and Chase dining halls will be closed from Saturday, March 7 through Saturday, March 14. 

Chase will re-open Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. for breakfast, Scott Myers, director of auxiliary services, said in an email.

Students staying for break will still have some on-campus options. Alpine Bagel will operate under limited hours. Other eateries across campus will be open during regular hours, including the Chick-fil-A in the Brinkhous-Bullitt building on South Campus, Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and Saladelia at Marsico Hall.

On-campus markets including Blue Ram, Raynor Food Center and Genomic Cafe, will also be open during break, Myers said in the email.

“Students with meal plans can still use Plus Swipes (at select retail locations), Dining Flex, or Carolina Convenience at the markets and on-campus retailers that will remain open,” Myers said in the email. “Carolina Dining Services also partners with Takeout Central to allow students to use Dining Flex to purchase food from over 30 local restaurants and have it delivered to any on-campus location.”

Updated menus and hours of operation can be found on Carolina Dining Services’ website

And Carolina Cupboard Community Food Pantry, a food pantry located in the basement of Avery Residence Hall, is stocked with non-perishable foods free of charge to students who are facing food insecurity, according to an email from Carolina Housing.

Transportation and Other Services

Buses through campus will operate on a schedule with limited routes and reduced availability, according to Carolina Housing. Schedules for bus routes are detailed on the UNC Transportation and Parking website.

Campus Health services will operate under slightly modified schedule during spring break. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Monday, March 9 until Friday, March 13. 

Libraries will also be open to students on a limited schedule. Students staying on campus during spring break should consult the hours page on the UNC libraries website to check each library’s availability. 

Judy Panitch, director of library communications, encourages students who are staying at UNC during spring break to use next week as an opportunity to relax and enjoy the services and exhibits provided by the University’s libraries — activities which they might not have an opportunity to utilize during the school year.

“It’s a wonderful time to stop in and spend at your leisure, check out a book and do anything else they might not have a chance to do when school is in session,” Panitch said. “We would certainly encourage students to come check out our exhibits.”

Rest and Relaxation

Even if your friends are jetting off to Boone or the Bahamas, it's possible to enjoy your spring break on-campus.

Senior Roark Habegger spent last year’s spring break working on research for an astronomical instrumentation project. He spent his off-time doing activities he finds relaxing, including running and reading books. 

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His advice to other students planning to stay on campus for break to take a similar approach.

“What I would recommend is to just get outside — go to the gym if it’s open, or even if it’s just to go to a coffee shop to work,” Roark said. “I would say try and stick with a 9 to 5 for working, and then to really make sure to spend the rest of your time relaxing.”

Select campus recreation facilities, including the Student Recreation Center and Woollen Gym, will be open for limited hours during break, according to the Campus Recreation's website

Junior and Durham native Darith Klibanow agreed with Roark’s advice on spending time outdoors and added her favorite sights to explore on campus and beyond.

“If you are here for spring break, just like, go outside and hang out in all these nice beautiful places, because we got some good ones but they're usually full of people taking up all the good spots," Darith said. "I really like walking around on campus. There's always places to go on campus, and just Carrboro in general — it's just adorable."

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