In the first two weeks of this semester, many Brandeis students received an email from the Department of Community Living notifying them of winter housing fees costing between $200 and $300. This email was a notice to any students living in housing without kitchens who moved in before 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 11 about the money they owed the school for moving back to campus early. Of these fees, $220 was for using the Brandeis dining services, such as Sherman Dining Hall, before they reopened for the spring semester. DCL only allowed Brandeis students to avoid these fees by returning to their residence halls on Sunday, Jan. 11; the first day of classes was Monday, Jan. 12. Additionally, many students received this dining fine despite there being no record of them swiping into any campus dining hall facilities before they reopened for the spring semester. 

This editorial board questions DCL’s decision to only allow students to move back onto campus less than 24 hours before classes the following day. At the start of every academic year in August, students are allowed to move in days before the semester begins. During those days, they are given the opportunity to settle themselves into their new housing, catch up with friends or meet new ones and prepare calmly for the semester. 

Why are Brandeis students not afforded this same privilege at the beginning of the spring semester? In the 2024-25 school year, students were able to move back into their dorms on Jan. 12 to begin classes on Jan. 14. It’s not the same amount of time students are afforded in the fall, but it is more than students were allowed this spring. This lack of time in between the move-in date and start of classes does not have to do with the midyear program or absence of the midyear program, nor do the dates of the beginning of the semester or the week preceding it interfere with any holidays. 

The majority of Brandeis students do not live close to the school — many are out of state and have long commutes back to campus after every break. Meanwhile international students were allowed a bit more time, meaning the University understands that for those with long travel times, flexibility is a must. Some students may not be able to afford to come back on Jan. 11 and many families are having their time with their child end on a highly stressful note to avoid these fines. These fines are not defined on the DCL’s website; instead the website states that students may be subject to fines if they move in early on the “Move-In” and “Move-Out” tab, which is found under the “Current Students” tab, which is found under the “On-Campus Housing” tab on their website. Many Brandeis families were forced to risk paying fines to get their children back to school safely if the one day possible for their children to move in without fines or missing classes did not work.

Only giving one day to the entire Brandeis student population to move back to campus for the spring semester is unfair to thousands of students and their families. It actively works against student-wellness and preys on families who are forced to ensure their children safely return to campus within a one-day window or they risk undetermined fines or valuable class time. This editorial board would like to suggest that in future semesters, DCL allow students to move back into their dorms at least three days before the start of classes and keep their dining records better organized to ensure they are not sending mass emails to students with fines that do not apply to them, causing financial stress to thousands. 

—Editor’s Note: Justice Copy Editor Nawal Irfani ’28 is a Community Advisor for the Department of Community Living and edited this editorial.