Cecilie Nag
The Thanksgiving holiday leaves C.W. Post a ghost town. Most facilities close, and almost all students leave to go home to celebrate with families and friends, to visit relatives, or to simply take advantage of the days off as time for a vacation. For those students who do stay on campus, however, there are opportunities to celebrate the holiday and have fun.
“I really wish that domestic students would invite friends who are not able to go home for the break to celebrate Thanksgiving at their house,” said Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Director of Religious Life Jeanette Murray. She explained that mostly international students and athletes stay on campus over the break.
“I feel it’s great how people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving,” said international graduate student Nisha Yadav. She was invited to celebrate the holiday at a friend’s house last year. “Being from a different culture, I understood what this day means for them. It’s really good to spend a day with your family, relatives and thank each other, and God, for everything that we have been provided,” she said.
The student shuttle stops running from November 23rd to November 26th. The Winnick Student Center closes on Thanksgiving Day, the Library closes early at 5 p.m. on November 23rd. The Library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Friday November 25th. However, as one of a few facilities to remain open over the break, the Chapel is available as a gathering place for students who stay on campus. But Yadav, who plans to spend Thanksgiving on campus this year. does not mind if the campus remains quiet. “I don’t mind staying on campus on Thanksgiving because to me this is the best time to catch up with my pending work.No one is here; there’s no distraction,” said Yadav.
For hungry students, ISS (International Student Sevices), Residence Life, Student Life and Leadership Development, the Pratt Center, Dining Services, and the Office of Religious Life team up to provide a free Continental Breakfast in the Interfaith Centre on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24th. From 6:30 a.m. until noon, food will be served. Later, starting at 1 p.m., a free Thanksgiving dinner will be provided in the Long Island Room of The Winnick Student Center, followed by a boxed sandwich to be brought back to the campus dorm room for the evening.
“We are serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, jams, potatoes, pie…yes, basically a lot of food,” said Murray. Traditionally, mostly international students come to the dinner, but everyone is welcome to join. All other dining services locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. To make a reservation for the Thanksgiving meal, students must call (516) 299-2416 by 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 18th.
On Wednesday, November 24th, Friday, November 26th, and Saturday, November 27th, the Hillwood Commons Cafe will be the only campus dining service location open, with hours between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. On Sunday, November 28th, The Winnick Student Center will operate by its regular schedule.
On Thanksgiving Day, for $10, students can jump on the bus outside the Chapel and go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The bus leaves for the city at 6:45 in the morning. Spots are limited, so to secure a seat, sign up early, either online at www.tinyurl.com/thanksgivingfest, or by filling out a form at the Interfaith Chapel by Friday, November 18th. Murray said that the bus trip has been a tradition for years and that the seats will fill up. Students can choose whether they want to stay in the city or take the bus back to campus at the end of the day.
As the Free Shuttle bus stops running during the break, students without cars can make use of the N20 bus from outside the library. The bus will run by a Sunday schedule during the break, which can be found at http://www.mta.info/libus/routes/n2021/n2021_new.pdf.
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