All current residence halls will close over J-Term, and Jewett Hall will be open for on-campus housing. This will be the first time that all residence halls will be closed during J-Term.
The on-campus housing over J-Term will be directed by the Office of Residence Life and the Office of Conference and Events Services, said Randy McMullin, the associate director of residence life.
“The occupancy of Jewett will be the J-Term students, and then any Drake student that needs housing during winter break or J-Term,” McMullin said. “So it’s open to any Drake student at that point in time — basically anyone who needs the housing.”
Jewett will be staffed by three Resident Assistants and a hall coordinator provided by the Office of Residence Life, and the Office of Conference and Events Services will provide desk staff.
This will be the first J-Term that Jewett will be open for on-campus housing since it stopped operating as a residence hall. Before this, Goodwin-Kirk Residence Hall and Herriott Residence Hall were open during all campus breaks.
“The decision to utilize Jewett was made in effort to create a better residential J-Term community experience,” Lorissa Sowden, the assistant dean of students and director of residence life, said in an email interview. “It allows us to concentrate our programming efforts in one building, as well as reduce the resident assistant, front desk, custodial and maintenance staffing needed from multiple buildings to just one hall, which is a better use of campus resources.”
Jewett has been open as a space for housing during conferences and events since the dorm was closed in 2024.
The Office of Conference and Events Services will be leading J-Term housing.
Students living in Jewett over J-Term will have access to Hubbell Dining Hall over the break. Students can either purchase a J-Term meal plan or pay out of pocket for their meals, McMullin said.
There is no application for students seeking J-Term housing. Students who need a place to stay just need to email [email protected], McMullin said. Jewett has the capacity to hold 167 students over J-Term.
