Think outside the ‘blocks’ – finding alternatives when dorms close

When residence halls shut down over break, students have a decision to make: they can pay a fee to temporarily move into another dorm, or they can make other arrangements.

Subleasing is an option for students looking to stay near Bloomington, according to the IU Statehouse Report. Subleasing lets students rent an apartment or house from a Bloomington resident for a predetermined price and amount of time.  

Hospitality exchange Web sites like www.airbnb.com and www.couchsurfing.com can help students locate a suitable place to stay.

Sophomore Lynae Sowinski used the Internet to find an apartment near campus to sublease last summer.  

“The best part about it was we didn’t have to sign a lease," Sowinski said. "We got to just be in someone else’s place and help someone else out, and we got to stay in town with friends all summer.”

IU Study Abroad Programs offer alternative summer living as well. This summer,
students can study abroad in more than 30 different countries, including Spain, Greece, Australia, Egypt, Chile and the Dominican Republic.  

Junior Rebecca Baumgartner studied in St. Petersburg, Russia, last year and had the opportunity to teach English to Russian students.

She said her experience overseas helped her become more independent and cultured.  
“I think it is just a really great experience to be completely separated from everything that you are comfortable with and everything that you have gotten accustomed to throughout your entire lifetime,” Baumgartner said. “It did teach me to be a lot more self-confident and self-reliant and persistent.”

Many student-run organizations also offer the opportunity to travel within the country.

The IU chapter of Habitat for Humanity will build houses in Alabama and Florida this spring break, and the IU Ski and Snowboard and Wakeboarding Club will travel to Big Bear Mountain Ski Resort in Big Bear Lake, Calif.

This year the IU Outdoor Adventures Program is offering five different spring break trips. The trips include backpacking, mountain biking, canoeing and hiking experiences in different areas of the United States.

Trip leader Jack Brumbaugh is going to Big South Fork, Tenn., where the John Muir Trail and Lake Sea, one of the nation’s largest underground lakes, are located.

“I know that freshmen have very restricted access to their housing (during spring break),” Brumbaugh said, “and we’re more than happy to be perfectly accommodating.”

What To do when the dorms shut down

When the dorms close, people who are unable to go home are faced with a choice: move into another dorm temporarily or find somewhere else to live. Here are some tips from about.com to avoid the hassle of playing musical dorm rooms.

HOUSE-SIT FOR A FRIEND OR PROFESSOR Volunteer to get the mail, water the plants, feed the pets or make the house look lived in. Your friends are likely to be on vacation, and many professors go on sabbatical, leave for research, or are otherwise out of their homes when the campus is on break.

CHECK WITH FRIENDS WHO NEED TO SUBLEASE Chances are you don’t want a 12-month lease and your friend doesn’t want to lose his or her apartment.

WORK AT A PLACE THAT PROVIDES HOUSING Summer camps and retreat locations are always looking for workers. You can often get free housing while making some extra cash and learning something new.