<p>I know that students must move out of their rooms over winter break but have heard conflicting information about whether or not they have to take all their stuff out as well. Anybody know the real story?</p>
<p>So do you have to pack up all your stuff after your last final in December and take it out of your dorm room for winter break, or can you just leave it there and go home for the holidays?</p>
<p>you can leave your stuff there while you go home for the holidays</p>
<p>Thanks. If this is accurate, it’s a relief. Having to fully move out and move back in would be a real pain. Roommate’s parents said that they thought total move-out was required over winter break, so I wanted to verify that that’s NOT the case.</p>
<p>It is 100% accurate. I can guarantee from first hand experience you don’t move your items out during the winter holidays. I’m also fairly sure it’s mentioned in the contract (but I could not tell you where as it has been quite some time since I signed mine).</p>
<p>It would be absolute chaos (and no point) to have everyone move out their items over the winter holidays and then have to move back in January. The only thing not permitted in your room over the winter holidays is yourself.</p>
<p>However, understand that you will not have access to any of your belongings you leave during this time either. So choose carefully what you decide to leave.</p>
<p>No way, that would be crazy! You get to leave all your stuff. Just take what you’ll need at home for the holidays. And hide anything that’s not allowed in the dorm (alcohol, drugs, and associated paraphernalia…also anything that’s a fire hazard such as hot plates and rice cookers) because they usually do a fire safety check, and if you have things that are supposed to be prohibited, you’ll be in trouble. If someone told you that you have to completely move out over break, they’re probably trying to mess with you and get you to freak out. You can’t stay in your dorm over winter break because they turn the power off for some time (you’ll have to unplug all your electronics and appliances before you leave to avoid short-circuiting when the power is turned back on). Oh yeah, don’t forget to take or throw out anything perishable. It would suck to come back to rotting food in your dorm. But anyway, you don’t have to move any of your stuff except for what you need over the holidays.</p>
<p>Thanks JJ. Roommates’ parents were apparently making things up as they went along!
I’ll be sure and tell my son to empty the fridge, unplug everything, and since he’s an angel (ha ha) there will be no contraband to hide! And we’ll all get to enjoy having him home for a few weeks.</p>
<p>You definitely don’t have to move out. Make sure to clean out the fridge, dispose water, remove perishable foods, vacuum, leave slight window cracks to allow cross flow of air, unplug electronics, empty trash cans, turn off the heater, and lower the curtains.</p>
<p>The water is a big deal, my room mate last year got really sick when we came back in January because he got a parasite from drinking the water that was sitting there for the break -___-</p>
<p>A little tid bit that might be of interest, maintenance does quick room inspections during the break to ensure everything is ok in the room. If you’ve flipped your beds over and have been told by maintenance that it isn’t allowed, they may flip the bed back to it’s proper position. Beyond that, you have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Do not leave a window cracked. You are supposed to close it completely and lock it. It is both a safety issue and a protection against the elements (last year, they specifically cited the winter rains as causing potential damage). Most of the theft that has happened on campus have been thefts of opportunity. An open door, an unlocked window… it’s all just temptation.</p>
<p>Something my CA last year was very specific to mention was that they will not search inside things (no doors or drawers opened). They are specifically looking for obvious code violations (such as something hanging from the ceiling), ensuring that all items are unplugged, and making sure windows are closed and locked.</p>
<p>I want to add as well that water that is sealed is fine to leave. The water issue Maninder is addressing is likely one from a pitcher.</p>
<p>Also be careful not to leave out anything that could attract ants. A neighbor of mine did that last year and we fought the ants for weeks before they finally left us alone. One couldn’t leave anything sugared out for more than 20 minutes before a horde of ants was descending upon it. It is a very good suggestion to vacuum before leaving.</p>