For many students, the end of the semester will be a celebration; however, for students who decide to stay on campus over winter break, there are some important considerations that need to be taken into account. 

With CyRide, residence halls and dining having limited hours, students staying on campus should have a plan for their living accommodations over break.

CyRide

During break, there are modified CyRide routes and hours. On an average weekday, CyRide has 30,000 riders, but that number significantly reduces during break, when they tend to see around 5,000 riders a day. 

Some routes are completely out of service during the break, one of the most popular being the Midnight Express. The best way to check if your preferred route is available during break is on the CyRide website under the semester break schedule. 

Residence halls and on-campus apartments

Iowa State has many residence halls, and each one has its own unique procedures during breaks. For some, the hall desks are closed completely until the end of break, while others have limited hours each day. 

For all students planning to leave campus for the break, there are specific procedures that must be followed before departure. Heat should be set to a certain temperature (different for each residence hall), garbage should be taken out, along with any items in the freezer or fridge and lights should be turned off, among other things. However, if you plan to stay over break, you do not need to follow these rules. 

Another important thing to note is that the residence halls’ exterior doors will be locked starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 and will remain locked until 8 a.m. Jan. 15. This is to ensure the safety of residents, but all residents must carry their student ID with them at all times to access the building. 

Parking

For students who have their cars on campus, parking rules are a little different during break. While general rules regarding parking in staff, reserved and medical permit spots will still be enforced, parking in student parking will not be enforced. 

This can be beneficial to students staying on campus because they will be able to park their car closer to where they live without being penalized for it. Information on ISU Parking Division rules over break can be found here.

Dining 

Meal plans for the fall semester end Dec. 19, with dining dollars transferring over to the spring semester, but during winter break, none of the dining halls will be open. This leaves significantly fewer options for students to get food on campus during break. Spring semester dining plans go into effect Jan. 15. Hours for on-campus dining centers can be found on the ISU Dining website.