Outside of the University housing office. (Kai Kanzer/Emerald)
UO students who requested to remain in their dorm rooms from Dec. 9, 2023, to Jan. 5 were charged $35 a day, or a total price of $980, to room over winter break.
Many residents have expressed their frustrations over the substantial fees.
“It’s completely a rip off,” UO student Ava Coppola said. “The school tries to suck out a lot of money from us in any way they possibly can.”
Coppola emphasized how the winter break fees were just another tactic for the university to bill students.
According to Michael Griffel, director for university housing, the fees were “a prorated version of the overall cost for room and board.”
Additionally, Griffel said the costs helped to pay for the maintenance of each residence hall and for staff.
“A facility still needs to be maintained while [residents are] there and the staff still needs to be here to be able to provide a level of safety and support. We have staff that are on call and on duty when there are folks who are here,” Griffel said.
Residents did not receive any boarding amenities, as the $980 fee only covered rooming.
“We [UO Housing] take what the most modest room and board rates are for the year and prorate that on a daily basis,” Griffel said.
Regardless of the fees, the dining halls were closed over winter break, forcing residents who were living in the dorms to seek off-campus food options.
“If the dining halls are not open, and nobody’s staying in the dorms, are you paying to wash the toilet and turn the light on,” Coppola said.
Similarly, UO student Mia Gaviglio believes that the fees were too extensive to not have any access to the dining halls. Gaviglio paid a fee of $105 to stay in her dorm, located in Hamilton Hall, for three nights.
“We are going to have to go and get food anyways because the dining halls will be closed, so on top of paying $105, I also have to pay for food,” Gaviglio said. “$105, come on. [UO Housing is] devious for that.”
The Basic Needs Program provided a limited list of food resources available to residents during the break, including two Produce Drops by the Student Sustainability Center and LGBTESS.
“The bottom line is that the parameters are that the dining halls are closed for that entire time,” UO spokesperson Angela Seydel said. “There’s other food options around town.”
In addition, residents who live in the New Apartment-Style Residence Hall were exempted from paying the $980 fee.
“Those who are in the New Apartment-Style Residence Hall, winter break is included because they’re apartment style, very similar to apartments,” Griffel said. “The Apartment-Style Residence Hall building includes winter break as part of the contract fee.”
Griffel said the reason why those residents were exempted from the winter fee was because the costs are included in the contract beforehand. Residents in the Apartment-Style rooms also don’t have access to the dining halls.
Like Gaviglio, many residents stayed behind because they had no other form of transportation.
“The reason why I’m staying here extra is because there were no flights that we could take, so I have to stay,” Gaviglio said.
“When winter break comes around, finals week, especially when you’re already stressing about everything else, you have to either already pay for a flight or be prepared to pay to live in the dorms, which is ridiculous,” Coppola said.
Gaviglio and Coppola both agreed that residents should not have paid a high fee because of transportation issues.
Simultaneously, Gaviglio and Coppola called on the university to better inform residents about the winter break fees before the start of the fall term.
Upon signing the Residence Hall Contract, residents are agreeing to the terms and conditions of the contract; if residents requested to room during winter break, there was a room fee.
According to Griffel, “The contract doesn’t include any costs. All fees and costs are listed on the website.” However, the room and board fees are “communicated pretty clearly. There’s the page related to holidays and breaks in general and then the web page for each of the breaks individually.”
Residents who are experiencing financial difficulties may pay their winter break fees in installments.
Less than 2% of UO residents requested to room during the winter break. Following the winter break, some residents left the UO indefinitely due to housing and tuition costs.
Elliah D’Souza was ineligible to register for the winter term as she’s in $10,000 of debt, and therefore was forced to leave the UO.
According to D’Souza, a staff member from the Office of Veterans’ Affairs failed to inform her about proposed monthly stipends and failed to handle D’Souza’s paperwork correctly.
“I’m supposed to get monthly stipends from the [Office of Veterans Affairs], but those weren’t coming because [Fendelander] also forgot that she messed up my paperwork and put the wrong effective date,” D’Souza said.
Regarding the winter break fees, D’Souza hopes that the university understands “how detrimental it is and how much more debt they’re [the university] putting people into.”
“It’s a little ridiculous. Tuition is already expensive. Why do we have to pay for [winter break fees?]” D’Souza said.
Residents who are leaving UO indefinitely had the opportunity to request to room until Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. If they chose not to request a room, those former UO students were charged $35 a day for the extra days passed.
ASUO president Chloé Webster addressed the burden of UO tuition amongst students at the UO Board of Trustees meeting.
“Many students today take on the burden themselves because they are told from a young age that a college education is the gateway to success,” Webster said. “Students take out loans not knowing exactly what payment that will look like. Students sign onto housing leases with inflated prices because those apartment complex companies know students will pay.”
Webster said that the burden of tuition led her roommate to drop out of UO because of a similar situation D’Souza experienced: the lack of communication from administration and issues with loans.
“It’s sad,” Gaviglio said. “Just [do] not charge us.”
