Residence Hall Closing Date

All Ohio University residence halls will officially close on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. We prefer that students vacate their residence hall within 24 hours of their last exam if not, then by the official closing time of 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23rd.   

Housing over Winter Break 

Interim/temporary housing will be available from Tuesday, November 23rd, through 12:00 noon on Saturday, January 1^st for those students needing to stay through the break period.  Interim housing is $25.00 per person, per night for double occupancy. Reservations are required and can be completed on-line at www.ohio.edu/housing.

Pick Up Parking

Beginning Monday, November 15^th at 9:00 a.m. continuing through Tuesday, November 23rd, 30 minute parking will be permitted in paved areas near residence halls to facilitate the loading of students' personal belongings that they wish to take home during the break.

Storage of Items

Students are permitted to leave personal items in their rooms during the break period however, we recommend that any valuable or sentimental items be taken home.  Although exterior doors on the residence halls and individual bedrooms rooms are locked during the break periods, there could be a need to enter a student bedroom for emergency or planned maintenance, or to assess capital projects planned for next summer.  We also house a limited number of students during the break in specific halls.

Please remind your student to follow the closing information materials that will be provided to them by their in-hall staff members.  This list is also available on our web site at www.ohio.edu/housing/halls/closing.cfm.  

Department of Residential Housing

060 Chubb Hall

Athens, OH 45701

740-593-4090

www.ohio.edu/housing

Quarters to Semesters Facts

1. Ohio University will transition in Fall 2012 from a quarter-based academic calendar to a semester-based academic calendar.  OHIO will divide the academic year into fall, spring, and summer terms.
2. An OHIO transition student will not experience a delay to her or his anticipated degree completion, so long as each student follows the transitional degree completion plan (TDCP) she or he develops with an academic advisor and makes acceptable progress towards a degree.
3. Each OHIO student who transitions from quarters to semesters will be expected to meet with an academic advisor to formulate a Transitional Degree Completion Plan.  Creating and following that plan will help the student maintain academic progress toward degree completion as outlined in the Quarter to Semesters Pledge to Students.
4. Financial aid eligibility will not change for financial aid recipients.  The annual amount of financial aid, based on eligibility, will remain the same, but the amount will generally be divided into two semester payments rather than three quarter payments.
5. The conversion is consistent with the University System of Ohio's Strategic Plan for Higher Education.  Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, and Wright State University also are planning to convert to a semesters-based academic calendar in 2012.
   

Being an RA (Resident Assistant) in the residence halls is a great opportunity offered to all full-time students.  The experience gained in an RA position provides knowledge and skills that are applicable to any occupation. Personal characteristics such as leadership, teamwork, creativity, assertiveness, and time management will be easy for your son or daughter to call upon once they have held this position. The position also holds financial benefits! Current RAs have a minimum of 90% of their room rate covered, and an additional minimum stipend of $2140 per year.

We encourage you to invite your son or daughter to explore one of the greatest leadership opportunities at Ohio University - the Resident Assistant. Check out all of the information on the Residential Housing website, www.ohio.edu/housing, to learn about what this position has to offer your child both personally and professionally.

If you think your son or daughter would be interested in becoming a Resident Assistant, please encourage her or him to attend one of our RA Information Sessions below to learn how he or she can become an RA.  

• Jan. 5th, 2011 - Bromley Hall Dining Room @ 7pm
• Jan. 6th, 2011 - Bromley Hall Dining Room @ 7pm
• Jan. 7th, 2011 - Bromley Hall Dining Room @ 7pm

All applications are due January 24, 2011.  If you or your son or daughter has any questions, please contact Residential Housing at 740-593-4090 or housing@ohio.edu!

With the end of the Fall quarter in sight, we would like to remind our Ohio University parents and families to talk with their students to see how their meal plan is working and for those not on a meal plan, to see if this could be a viable option.

Is your student not on a meal plan? Talk with your student to learn more about their eating habits. Did your student make frequent trips to The Front Room or a campus café? Is your student constantly looking for someone to swipe them into a dining hall? If so, consider looking at our Off-Campus Meal Plans. Destination Dining offers $300 in Flex Points for only $275 (a savings of $25/qtr). Other meal plans, such as our Block 20 offer 20 meals for only $152 per quarter.  

Is your student on a Traditional Meal Plan? Check to see if your student missed any meals and if so, how many? How much is your student spending in groceries during a quarter? It may be worth looking into upgrading to a Flex Meal Plan. These plans offer the ability to convert unused meals for items at any Campus Market (our very own grocery stores). Flex Meal Plans also include $125 in Flex Points to be used at any campus café, our Food Court and even our Latitude 39 Casual Dining Restaurant.

Is your student already on Flex Meal Plan? How did this meal plan work for them? Did they convert their unused meals at the Campus Markets? Did they use all their Flex Points? Did they run out mid-way through the quarter?  Those looking for more Flex Points can sign up for a Destination Dining meal plan in addition to their Flex Meal Plan to obtain additional funds. Destination Dining has a cost of $275 per quarter and provides $300 in Flex Points (a savings of $25 per quarter).

For more information please visit www.ohio.edu/food and click on Meal Plan Options, or click http://bit.ly/aKkJtV to be taken there directly.