After a temporary closure of two years, weary University of Guelph students and faculty can once again rely on the commuter residence for an overnight stay.
Closed in March of 2020 when the pandemic began, the commuter residence has reopened for the Winter 2022 semester.
Slight modifications have been undertaken by the U of G, with the overnight rooms now located within the East Village Townhouses.
“We had some spaces set aside for various reasons, to manage outbreaks and those kinds of things as well, so we did have additional space,” said Pat Kelly, associate director of residence life at the U of G.
Some additional space was also cleared up due to a lower attendance of international students, many of whom would have stayed in the townhouses which are dedicated to housing them.
In total, there are currently 16 single occupancy rooms available for a flat rate fee per night of $60 with a shared living room, dining room and kitchen, and a 2:1 washroom ratio.
This nightly fee includes accommodation, linens and ResNet WiFi access.
Students looking to use the accommodation can be paid for a night in the same way as other student fees, with charges posted to the student accounts following the stay.
“It’s run kind of like a hostel I guess you could say in terms of one night stay we try to come in at a cost-recovery to keep it clean,” said Kelly.
Applications are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis and a maximum of three consecutive nights in a one-week period is permitted.
“We don’t have a tonne of rooms dedicated to it, but this year we are trying to make sure we have enough to meet any kind of needs for students who may be can't find a place to stay or are coming down for a class, said kelly. “It seems pretty positive in terms of the stay, it seems the individuals who use it appreciate the service.”
As of now, guests are not permitted in the commuter residence.
