Over the Thanksgiving break, while the majority of students left campus, around 150 students. They stayed for a variety of reasons, including high travel costs, ongoing competitions for student-athletes, and different home situations.  

For some students, it is not realistic to go home. “I think it’s less of a decision and more like I have no other choice, I’m not from the U.S.” said Karni Keushgerian ’25. “It’s very unrealistic for me to go back home, and also, going anywhere in the U.S. would cost money that I don’t have or money that I want to save,” said Keushgerian. “So it’s either that I spend my money during Thanksgiving break or I save it and spend it for winter break. And I would rather do that for winter break.” 

An international student who prefers to stay unnamed said that staying and working during the break could help with future spendings, such as textbooks and day-to-day items like toiletries. “I was working. I was trying to, you know, max out the work that I’m allowed to do for 40 hours per week.”  

During the break, there were many events organized by the International Student Services and other departments, such as a pizza party with the Counseling Center and a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by Student Life. “So many of them are revolving around food because we recognize food insecurity is a real thing,”  said Assistant Director of the ISS Megan Putney.“We made sure that there are more meals within the week that also have a social aspect to them,” Putney continued. 

With the dining hall closed, food is a big concern to students staying on campus. “It tends to be expensive, like when you’re just cooking or when you’re ordering food. It’s just an expensive thing,” said Keushgerian. “There should be a program where people can apply to get funding for food, there should be a way that students can have access to get proper food during the breaks.”  

“Definitely, during holiday periods, a stipend would be nice,” said the aforementioned unnamed student. “We’re not fully prepared for the break, the holidays because the money that we make generally is just not enough, and talking about the salary per hour is just not enough. We’re very underpaid. And honestly, for us, it’s a lot harder. Because of the budget that we have. Those would be nice or like an increase in the wages of the work that we do.”  

In addition to events, other resources were still available for students. “We advertise facilities hours, like the pool and fitness center, so that students can also take opportunities on their own to care for their physical and mental health,” said Director of Wellness Education and Student Engagement Laura Lavoie. “A lot of health comes down to having healthy daily routine, and that’s something that students largely control themselves.” 

“The 24/7 counseling and crisis line is always available for students to use, and an SLU counselor is also always on call,” Lavoie said. “Wellness and counseling are also currently looking into more options that would provide support during breaks, particularly over holidays. This is something we’ve been actively working on during the fall semester.”