Some anxious Eastern students began Thanksgiving break early, whether the week’s classes are out or not. Others cram for Friday exams and work to meet project due dates. The university officially begins the break at 8 tonight, and all students who remain in the residence halls must leave by then.

Locks will be changed on all residence hall doors, and special keys will be given to students who signed up to stay in the Lincoln/Stevenson/Douglas complex during the break, according to director of housing and dining Mark Hudson.

“Typically, we have less than 20 students who stay during the Thanksgiving break,” Hudson said. “Consequently, we do not offer any food service during that week because there are not enough students who require or request the service to make it worth while.”

Brittney Fentress, associate resident director at Stevenson Hall, said one resident assistant volunteered to stay and help the few students during the break.

“Usually we get a big rush of students who sign up on Thursday and mainly on Friday, but right now we have about nine students who are signed up,” Fentress said on Wednesday. “We know that will definitely increase.”

Students who stay will have to shop for food at grocery stores or buy from restaurants in Charleston. Students who rent apartments won’t have the on-campus luxuries either.

“University Court and University apartments are open for the whole nine months,” Hudson said. “Residents don’t have to sign up to stay and we don’t really know who stays and who goes in that environment.”

Hudson said keeping the dining halls and dorms closed and free of staffing saves students money on their room and board charges. Temperatures in the buildings will also be lowered to 60 degrees and resident assistants will check all rooms before 8 p.m. to make sure electrical devices are off and windows are sealed shut.

Facility renovations have been scheduled during the break in student friendly areas such as dorms and the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“For example, they’re putting a new chiller on top of the Union, so they have to close the (building) for a couple of days during the break and it becomes a prime time to do that repair,” Hudson said.

The athletic department will not conduct any major repairs to its facilities, but will focus more on department tasks and preparing for a potential football playoff game, said Jason Hall, assistant athletic director for academic compliance. The basketball teams will also have to stay on campus.

“This year, we have practice everyday and have a game in Toledo on Saturday,” said Ellen Canale, junior women’s basketball player. “So we have to practice Thursday morning, we get to go home Thursday night, and then we have to be back Friday morning to get on a bus for Toledo.”

Canale graduated high school in Michigan. Her parents moved to Iowa during her freshman year, moved to Cincinnati during her sophomore year and finally moved to Effingham just a few months ago.

“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it’s such a bummer to have to plan around it in order to go home, but that’s what we have to do (as athletes),” Canale said.

After missing Thanksgiving to play a game in Hawaii during her freshman year, Canale traveled to Ohio for her sophomore Thanksgiving dinner.

“My parents are pretty dedicated and they met me half way,” Canale said. “Lindsey Kluempers, Julie Lipperd and Lauren Sturtevant all live in Indianapolis, so I just got a ride with them to Indy, which is two hours away.”

Canale said the team’s living conditions will not change over break because the juniors on the team live in a house together, The team’s only senior, Brittney Coleman, lives in an apartment and the underclassmen already live in Lincoln Hall. She said the team would spend time at her house during the break to reinforce bonds and focus more on basketball.

“Sometimes you just wish you were a regular student, but I have a wonderful opportunity to play basketball and get my education paid for and that’s an amazing thing,” Canale said. “You take the good with the bad and roll with the punches because you realize that you really are a lucky person.”

While the team prepares for an away game against the University of Illinois at Chicago on Tuesday and travels to Toledo on Nov. 24, the players will have the town to themselves before and after practices.

“It’s definitely different,” Canale said. “If you think Charleston is a small town when your classmates are around you, it’s a whole different world when everyone is gone. It’s so quite and the streets are bare, and you realize ‘Wow, this really is a small town.'”

Other non-athletes and non-employees also stay on campus during the break.

“There’s a good majority of our students who are international students or athletes, however, we do have some students who have a job in Charleston who will stay over break (to work),” Fentress said.