Students staying at Eastern Illinois University over the Thanksgiving break are facing a heat and hot water outage, among other limitations, leaving some concerned about the holiday break housing system. 

In addition to the steam outage, certain restrooms and showers will be closed, kitchens and dining halls will be closed, and students will not be allowed to have guests over. 

Debra Mwawara, a freshman studio art major and an international student from Kenya, is worried about the introduction of multiple limitations for students staying on campus over the holiday break. She is a resident of Lawson Hall. 

“Honestly, it just feels like I’m going to be in prison for 10 days,” she said.  

According to Mwawara, students staying on campus over break received an email from Sarah Jacobs, the assistant director for residential life, which detailed some of the limitations imposed. 

Among these, Mwawara said her biggest concern was the planned steam outage, which is set to happen over break, essentially cutting off heating and hot water in campus residence halls and other university buildings.  

“I have to just basically stay in my room. They don’t really care where I’m going to eat or if we have hot water. Like, it’s cold,” Mwawara said.  

Mwawara said that financial trouble for students could also be introduced due to the holiday break housing fee of $125 and the need to buy alternative food options every day. 

One of the main concerns about financial resources for Mwawara is that international money transfers coming from Kenya usually take four to five days to reach the US. 

“My mom gives me a monthly allowance. So, the fact that I’m going to stay here means I’m going to use more than my normal allowance,” she said. “And when I ask her for more money, it’s outside her budget because she has my other siblings back home and everything.”  

Mwawara said that because of these complications, some international students, including herself, have decided to opt out of the university break housing and have instead left campus to stay in other places. 

“They said that they would rather travel to another state or somewhere else than sit here and suffer, having to pay for everything,” she said. “We’re shoved here and there’s nothing you can really do about it, which kind of hurts because if I was back home, they would have a strategic plan for everything. They wouldn’t just let you be here.” 

EIU offers free housing over holiday breaks to students who may not otherwise have an adequate place to stay.  

According to the housing department’s website, “Students experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness, as verified through EIU’s Financial Aid Office, may qualify for free housing during breaks (Thanksgiving, Semester and Spring breaks).  Students who are unsure of their status or whose situation has changed may contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for verification or assistance.” 

Mark Hudson, the executive director of housing, said that the dates picked for the steam system maintenance were chosen due to the reduced number of students on campus. 

“We’re trying to do it during a period when there’s the least number of people impacted by it. Because obviously if we did it tomorrow, we’d have thousands of people impacted,” he said.  

The steam outage is expected to begin on the first Saturday of Thanksgiving break, and the steam is expected to be turned back on by Wednesday, according to a university newsletter that was last revised on Nov. 20.  

“This repair is critical to the long-term stability of the steam system,” Hudson said. “It is in everyone’s best interest to get this done as soon as possible and impact as few in the campus community as possible.” 

In the meantime, Hudson said that the department has decided to provide accommodations for students who applied for break housing by the deadline, Nov. 19.  

One of these alternatives would be to relocate students into buildings in Greek Court.  

“Primarily, we will use open space in Greek Court, which has its own heating system and hot water service not connected to the campus steam system. There are four chapter houses not currently being used, and that is our focus,” he said. 

Students who applied for break housing after the deadline will also be prioritized for accommodations, but pose the risk of limited housing options.  

“We will try to have additional space available, but if those late to sign up are larger than our available options, we can’t offer what we don’t have,” Hudson wrote in the email. “What facilities will do is prioritize getting buildings back online that have students in them.” 

Hudson said that the need for maintenance on the steam system is due to a fracture in the high-pressure steam pipe. 

When asked about the cause of the issue and the procedures that the university would take to repair the fracture, Eric Wahls, the interim director of facilities planning and management, stated in an email that the situation is evolving and that he did not have a firm plan to communicate. 

Hudson stated that as of right now, there are only seven international students staying on campus over break.  

This does not necessarily include the total number of students that may be staying on campus over the break. EIU allows any student to submit a form requesting to stay on campus over holiday breaks.  

Tyler Custer, the interim director of international students, said that providing meal plans for international students over break is a prospect that the university hopes to see implemented in the future.  

The dean of the graduate school, Angela Jacobs, discussed the possibility in a Monday staff meeting.  

“They are in the early stages of planning, so I really don’t have a set plan right now, but we are working toward that goal,” Custer said. “Some of it relies on funding.” 

Custer stated that with this plan, the university looks forward to being able to be more efficient and serve more students in the future. 

“We want to give our international students the amount of support they need to be successful here. We don’t want anybody to feel neglected or like they don’t have resources while they’re on campus,” he said.

Andrea Jimenez can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].