By Katy Coakley
After working hard for the past few months, many students were excited to leave campus for spring break, but some resident students like senior Zachary Gamster spent their vacation at Dominican.
According to Dominican’s housing department, 148 residents live in Coughlin Hall, 136 in Murray Hall, 172 in Power Hall, and 32 in Mazzuchelli Hall.
Approximately 100-120 residents make the decision to stay on-campus in their residence life space during a break.
Gamster, who is double-majoring in mechanical engineering and mathematics, remained on-campus to work with Illinois Institute of Technology’s engineering program.
“My experience went well,” he said. “I did not have any problems come up while I was here on-campus.”
Gamster also made sure he provided enough food for himself while working at his program.
“I already had food in my dorm,” he explained. “I was able to eat while also using DU To Go when it was open. [I was also] going out to some of the fast-food areas around the school.”
Debra Kash, director of auxiliary services, said residents frequently use the DU Dining To Go app over break.
“From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., students can order from the app,” she said. “[They can also go to] the retail component, which is by the main dining hall, if they want to order takeout.”
Kash believes it is a good idea for residents to leave the university but wants to offer enough support for them when they stay on-campus.
“We have a number of housing students, so [Dominican] is their home,” she said. “We want to provide options for those students. Whether it is [cleaning] the restrooms or residence halls, we always do more work.”
Sharee L. Myricks, executive director of residence life and student conduct, said there are various reasons why some residents chose to stay on-campus during break.
“Remaining close to their on-campus or off-campus job, remaining close to their internships, in-season athletic activities, changed travel plans, and not desiring to travel during this period are frequent reasons reported to the office,” she said. “For many residents, staying in their on-campus residential space is the ideal decision for their individual situation.”
Myricks explained how residents who choose to stay in their residence life space during break will still have access to their space.
“Email communication from various departments provide information of services during campus break, such as but not limited to university dining and the fitness center,” she said. “The Office of Residence Life is happy to provide residents with the flexibility to make the decision to enjoy their campus break according to the unique needs of the residential student body.”
Sasha Santiago, director of campus safety, believes residents should visit Dominican’s campus safety website to learn more about necessary policies and resources to feel secure.
“Know that campus safety is still here. Not only can dispatch help serve you with campus concerns but can also serve as a resource to connect you with other Operations Division departments such as Custodial Services,” Santiago said. “Take advantage to learn about all the ways campus safety serves its community.”
She stated that Star Cards, Dominican’s identification cards distributed to all faculty, staff, and students, can be used on-campus seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“Although classes are suspended for the break, that does not mean that the university is closed to students,” Santiago said. “Popular areas such as the tech center and library will still be accessible.”
kcoakley1@my.dom.edu
