Brandeis is a school that prides itself on diversity. One major part of this is a wide variety of students from all around the country and the world; 68% of the university’s non-international population this year is made of out-of-state students, and 15.8% of the overall population is international. This represents a large group of people, yet they face many unique issues that locals do not, one of which is intersession campus life.
Winter break is a time for college students everywhere to relax and enjoy precious time with family and friends. For out-of-state and international students, though, the costs and labor may be too much to handle, and they choose to stay on campus during the holidays. What they may not realize is that they may be paying more for staying than leaving, as there are many challenges students face living far from home.
Winter break began on Dec. 23, which was also the first day where students were expected to begin paying additional fees. Beginning with housing, card swipe access to the residence halls cost $50 per day, up to a maximum of $500. Dining cost $32 on the 23rd and 24th of December, granting two meals per day. Between the 25th and the fourth, there were no on-campus dining options. Paying a flat fee of $284 granted three dining hall meals and one meal swipe every day from the fifth to the 10th. That totals up to $848 dollars, not to mention the additional costs of groceries and other necessities when campus services are unavailable.
Another major issue students face during break is transportation, or rather, the lack thereof. The free shuttles are a critical tool for students hoping to navigate the greater Boston area, and no doubt students would want to make the most of their free time to get around. Alas, the shuttles are completely unavailable during the intersession, forcing students to go on foot or use the unreliable commuter rail.
It’s not wholly unreasonable that Brandeis would use these tactics to discourage people from staying on campus. The staff need a break too, and it wouldn’t be fair to keep all of them around while students get to go home. Still, some students don’t have any other options, and offering little to no support for over two weeks can appear contradictory to our university’s goals of supporting students from far and wide.
