Students on campus over the summer will have different housing and dining options than during the academic year.
After the spring semester ends, students who stay at Otterbein over the summer will have fewer housing and dining options than during the academic year. Students can take summer classes or take up any available jobs on campus.
Housing
Students enrolled in coursework are eligible to live in the residence halls. There are an estimated 160 to 180 students who live on campus during the summer. Garst Hall is the main residence hall most students. Seventy-five percent of the Commons apartments on Home and Park Street are open to students in summer.
The cost of living on campus for the summer is $800, according to Director of Residence Life Tracy Benner. Students who need only a short stay pay $20 a day.
Summer housing registration is available. Benner said, “First priority goes to fall residents. We will take, basically, reservations for summer housing through space available.”
For many international students, it’s too far to go home so they stay on campus. Benner said the university doesn’t require a reason beyond that the student is going to be enrolled in the fall.
Food on campus
Meal plans are not offered and dining options are limited during the summer.
“In the summer it is all about the summer conferences and summer camps schedules. It is a totally different schedule because normally the camps are usually young children. So it is a limited menu designed more for a younger group,” said Debbie Robinson, general manager of Bon Appetit. “We are only open certain days and if we don’t have camp or conference we don’t open up.”
The Roost Express will be open from 9 a.m to 1:30 p.m Monday through Thursday for students.
Jobs on campus
Director of the Center for Career and Professional Development Ryan Brechbilll said some of the possible on-campus jobs that students can work for over the summer include group fitness instructor, concession stand sales and a student reference service assistant in the library.
“Summer funds are not a part of federal work study,” Brechbill said.
Benner said that there is not a single reason that explains why students stay over the summer, though.
“Some are working, some are taking classes, some are really working for summer theater or they’re doing some kind of summer internship or summer research. It is a grabbag of reasons of why people are here.”
Weighing the cost of being a student
