Break Housing

Residences remain open during the following break periods:

• Fall break (Saturday, October 7–Tuesday, October 10, 2023)
• Thanksgiving break (Wednesday, November 22–Friday, November 24, 2023)
• Spring break (Saturday, March 16–Sunday, March 24, 2024)

Dining Services are open during fall break and Spring break. Thanksgiving break dining hours are as follows for the Dining Commons:

• November 22: Breakfast 7-9 a.m.
• November 23 (Thanksgiving Day): Limited service from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (take-out only — no indoor dining)
• November 24: All dining units are closed.
• November 25: Regular hours will resume.

Residences close during winter break beginning at noon on Wednesday, December 20, through Sunday, January 21, at 10 a.m., when they reopen for continuing students. Dining Services are closed during winter break.

• All students not returning for the spring semester must completely move out and return their room key(s) to Residence Life no later than noon on Wednesday, December 20.
• All students returning for the spring semester must be out of their residence during the entirety of winter break, as all spaces are closed during this period. These students may leave belongings in their residence and must lock their door upon departing campus.
• See below for information regarding limited availability of winter break housing. 

Preparing your room before you depart for winter break

Before departing for the break, prepare your room as follows:

• Empty all trash and remove all opened perishable food (to avoid attracting pests).
• To help safeguard against damage to personal property in case of a maintenance emergency, remove all electronics and other valuables from the floor of your room. As always, ensure your floor is cleared near doorways and windows, with unobstructed pathways for emergency exits.
• Unplug all appliances, clocks, computers, stereos, window air conditioner units, etc. Everything must be unplugged except your refrigerator and mini-fridge.
• Remove batteries from alarm clocks so they do not sound.
• Close all windows and blinds.
• Turn off the lights and lock the room door as you leave.

All residence hall rooms will be visited at the beginning of winter break by resident advisors (RAs) for fire, health, and safety inspections and to ensure the bulleted list above was completed. These are done to ensure compliance with college policy and safety regulations. Hampshire College takes safety very seriously, and students are expected to do the same. During the inspection, two RAs will survey the entire residence to ensure it is safe and ready for the break period. Typically, it takes less than a few minutes. Be sure to review policies in the Student Handbook. Residence Life always has two people conduct these inspections so no one is in your room alone, and a notice is left so you know they were there. The campus and local fire marshals also inspect rooms over some break periods.

Winter Break Housing

Only a small number of students will be permitted to stay in their room assignment during winter break. For example, international students unable to leave campus housing and students taking fall semester classes at other nearby institutions ending a few days after winter break begins or a few days before it ends will be permitted to stay without charge. A few other exceptions may be made, such as those choosing to take a J-term course at a nearby institution, with the student being charged $1,000 for the entire break or $35 per day for portions of the break. Students wishing to stay at any point over winter break must submit a completed winter break housing application form by November 30. There are important terms on the form regarding expectations during this special period of time.

If you are a basketball or track athlete and your coach has asked you to stay on campus over winter break, you do not need to complete the form for those dates. Instead, your coach will provide your name and the dates you are staying on campus, and residence life staff will email you approval for those dates. If you need to stay on campus beyond those dates, you must complete the winter break housing form. If you are a participant on an Outdoor Programs Winter Break trip and need access to your room over the break, you do not need to submit a form. The Outdoor Program Instructors will provide us with the names of these students. Note: those staying with the production of Antigone will not be charged and do not need to complete the form as the organizer will provide all names to Residence Life staff.

Winter Break Housing Application

Students with hardships may reach out to Community Advocacy and Restorative Practices staff for consultation and sponsorship to stay during the break.

International students leaving campus in December and returning in January should plan to arrive to campus on January 21. If this is a hardship and they must make flight arrangements a day or so earlier, they may submit the Winter Break Housing Application to be able to return early.