2023-2024 Semester Break- CLOSING NOTICE Hours and Procedures

All residence halls close at 10am on Thursday December 14^th, 2023. Graduating students may request permission to stay for Fall Commencement by contacting the NSO to be added to our late departures list (College Hill NSO 328-4044, Central West NSO 328-4022).  Late departures must depart Friday December 15^th by 2pm.

DINING FACILITIES SCHEDULES 

Campus dining halls close after breakfast at 11am on December 14^th.  The dining hall will reopen at 11am on Thursday, January 4, 2024.  Dining locations are available as study areas during scheduled hours.

Retail and other Dining Hours can be viewed at: www.ecu.edu/dining

NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE OFFICES AND THE BALLARD COMPUTER AREA SCHEDULE

Exam Week thru Commencement

• December 6^th– 8^th                           Normal Hours
• Saturday, December 9^th               9am-12am
• Sunday, December 10^th                9am-10pm
• December 11^th-13^th                        Normal Hours
• Thursday, December 14^th            8am-5pm
• Friday, December 15^th                   8am-5pm

Winter Break

• Saturday, December 16^th                       Closed
• Sunday, December 17^th                  Closed
• Monday, December 18^th – Thursday, December 21^st
  • College Hill NSO: 10am-3pm
  • Central West NSO: Closed

Neighborhood Service Offices will be closed from December 22nd through January 1st. NSO’s will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd, at 8 am.
After hours key return is available starting on December 4^th from 10pm-12am and 6am-8am in the Ballard Sounds and West End Dining Hall.

CAMPUS MAIL SERVICES

Last day of Mail Delivery to the Neighborhood Service Offices for the Residence Halls will be Thursday, December 14, 2023.  Regular mail service will resume on Thursday, January 4, 2024.

FITNESS POINTE in the Jones Hall Galley

Fitness Pointe will be closed for the semester on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 11:00 p.m. Fitness Pointe will reopen and resume normal hours on Monday, January 8, 2024.

RESIDENCE HALLS CLOSING DETAILS

Students are expected to vacate their room 24 hours after their last exam unless they are participating in the fall graduation ceremony or changing rooms for break (see note at the end of the email.) Students must vacate the premises during this period and note that all exterior doors will be closed, and your entry fob/key will not unlock the doors.

Be sure to take all needed possessions, such as medications and valuables, with you when you leave for the break. A $50 fee will be charged for anyone that needs emergency access to their room.  Please make sure to close/latch windows and make sure your room door is secure.  All residence halls close at 10am on Thursday December 14^th, 2023.

BEFORE DEPARTING FOR BREAK: 

• Residents with Suite Bathrooms (CHS, Scott and Ballard), should clear all personal items and trash from the bathrooms. Housekeepers will be cleaning showers over the break.
• Empty all trash receptacles from your room (and bathroom/kitchen in suite rooms) to proper containers
• Remove all perishable foods
• Close and lock windows, make sure the window is fully closed, and latched (Tyler, Scott, Greene, Clement, and White Halls.)
• Open your window blinds, unless you live in a first floor room or a room in Scott Residence Hall with window facing the breezeway, we ask you to keep your blinds closed
• Unplug all electrical appliances such as your TV, printer and computer. Unplug or turn off alarms on alarm clocks
• Check faucets and turn water off completely (Ballard, Scott, CHS, Garrett and Fleming Halls)
• Turn off all lights
• Close and lock your room door and/or suite door
• Take your keys and valuables with you
• You may store your bike in your room over the break, or take it home if you don’t plan to use it in the winter weather

Please be aware that Campus Living staff and/or housekeepers may enter your room to ensure that windows are closed and that no appliances have been left on.

*24-Hour Quiet Hours* Campus Living operates 24-Hour Quiet Hours during the exam period.   Quiet Hours begin on Monday December 4^th at 8pm.

SUITE BATHROOMS

Students with SUITE style bathrooms (Scott, CHS, and some rooms in Ballard) should remove garbage and personal items from the bathroom (including bathmats or rugs) and items from the sink area (Scott and CHS only) – Campus Living will be performing basic cleaning of showers and some bathroom areas over the break.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

For added security and the protection of personal belongings, all residents of first floor rooms and all rooms in Scott Residence Hall that front the balcony walkway, are asked to close their window blinds prior to departing.  Be aware of your surrounding at all times, keep your door locked and take precautions to ensure a safe environment as there are few people on campus during the break. Report any strange or unusual activity to your RA, hall coordinator or ECU Police.

HOLIDAY DECORATION SAFETY

For Safety reasons, decorations of any type are NOT permitted on student room doors, and paper may not be used to cover large sections of walls or any part of doors. Live Christmas trees are not allowed in the residence halls for fire safety reasons. String lights should not be placed on pipes, sprinklers, or be placed outside student rooms.
STUDENTS NOT RETURNING FOR SPRING SEMESTER

Cancelling Your Contract/Graduation/Internships/Not Returning to ECU:

If you plan to cancel your housing contract (please read your contract) or not attend ECU in the spring, please stop by the Neighborhood Service Office in your area to fill out paperwork to indicate your plans not to return to housing in the spring as soon as possible.  When you fill out the paperwork, the NSO staff will go over the check-out process and other important information with you.

** ALL students not returning to the residence halls after the break should turn in their key and fob at the Neighborhood Service Office BEFORE THEY LEAVE CAMPUS to avoid costly lock change fees. **

• If you are moving out you should talk to your roommate about your departure. You will need to turn in your keys 24 hours after your last exam. If you are participating in graduation, please contact your Neighborhood Service Office to be added to a late departures list for December 15^th.

• The cancellation request form should only take a few minutes to complete, and it is very important to indicate your reason for leaving campus for processing. We ask that you do this as soon as possible to ensure the return of your $100.00 advance room fee if your contract cancellation request is approved for those are eligible (graduation, semester abroad).  If approved, your advance room fee should be returned to you by the end of February.  If for any reason your cancellation request is not approved or you do not graduate, transfer, or withdraw as planned, then you will be held to the Campus Living contract for Spring 2024 and housing cancellation charges will be added to your account.  If there is any doubt that you will be graduating or transferring, it is best not to fill out the cancellation form in advance.  Housing charges are only removed from your ECU account, once keys are returned are returned and paperwork is turned in, and your cancellation is processed.  We will work with the cashier to prevent schedule cancellations for students who are cancelling housing if the paperwork is turned in.

After hours key return is available starting on December 4^th from 10pm-12am and 6am-8am in the Ballard Sounds and West End Dining Hall.

 ROOM VACANCY AND OPEN SPACES

In most cases, we do not allow room changes during finals. In addition, we do expect new students moving on campus for spring semester to fill open spaces. If your roommate is leaving at the break, you may get a new roommate for the spring semester.

Active room changes will conclude on December 2^nd and resume will resume around the 10th class day in the spring semester.  We will send an email out about the room change process, once we reopen in the spring.   When room changes are offered, students can pick open spaces at the Neighborhood Service Office for the hall they wish to live, and move into any space there are eligible to live in.  The NSO staff are UNABLE to tell students what spaces may be opening at this time.

If you have a vacancy or your roommate is moving out:

• Students who are in a double room and don’t currently have a roommate or your roommate is leaving, you should be prepared to get a roommate – leaving half the room cleared (closet space, dresser, desk, bed) for a new roommate.  In particular, when students with an opening in their room leave for the break, they need to have their room in acceptable condition for a placement of a new roommate or face significant cleaning or other charges. Students not returning for spring semester for any reason MUST move out before the break and coordinate the cleaning/prep of their room with their current roommate.

• If your roommate is leaving, you may wish to move someone you know into the open space.  The student who is moving in should contact the Neighborhood Service Office, and they will need to stay to move to the new room BEFORE they leave for break- after the other student moves out, OR take their possessions home and turn in the key for their current room. They will then get the key to their new room when they return in the spring.

• In either case, they will need to notify the Neighborhood Service Office of the hall they are MOVING to, to claim an opening space.  If they fail to move out of their current room before leaving for break, the hold on the bed space on the new room will be released.