News and Events

As Thanksgiving Break is coming soon, we want to make sure all students who live on campus understand the housing and dining information for the break period.

Important information for on-campus residents:

• Thanksgiving Break: Residence Halls and Greek Court will close at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025. They will reopen at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
• Students living in the Residence Halls or Greek Court must submit a request to stay on campus during the break. There is a fee of $125 for any part of the break. The fee will be charged to your student account.
• The buildings open for break housing are Lawson, Lincoln, Powell-Norton, Stevenson, and Taylor Halls. If you live in Andrews Hall or in another residential community that is not listed above, you must apply in the Housing Portal. You will stay in one of the open halls.
• If you need to stay on campus during the break, you must complete the request form in the Housing Portal.
• Dining Centers will move to South Quad Dining on Friday, November 21, 2025, and will close at 6 p.m. that day. They will reopen on Monday, December 1, 2025. Dining Services will not be available during the break.
• University Court does not close during the break, but you must still fill out the request form if you plan to stay.

If you plan to stay on campus during Thanksgiving Break, please fill out the request form no later than November 19, 2025.

Latest News

On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would eliminate “Duration of Status (D/S)” for international students and scholars.

What is Duration of Status?

D/S is a unique type of entry available to international students and scholars that allows admission to the United States for the length of an academic program, and critically, allows academic programs to determine that length. D/S has been a policy for more than 30 years. It allows international students and scholars to see their studies or work through to completion without the need to file for an extension of status with the federal government. This means that students and scholars in F and J status can remain in the U.S. as long as they maintain their academic or research program requirements and have a valid I-20 (F-1 visa) or DS-2019 (J-1 visa).

What are the proposed changes?

If the new rule goes into effect, several changes will occur:

• Students and scholars on F-1 or J-1 status will have a fixed expiration date not to exceed four years.
• Students will be required to file an extension request with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for any additional time required using the Extension of Stay Application (Form I-539).
• F-1 grace period will be reduced from 60 days to 30 days.
• There will be restrictions on transfers and changes of educational objectives (with graduate students prohibited from changing programs)
• Students on F-1 status with no longer be able to pursue a program at the same or lower educational level after completing one.

What’s next?

Because this is a proposed rule, there are no immediate changes for F-1 or J-1 students and scholars.

There was a public comment period that ended on October 27, 2025 on the proposed changes. For the proposed rule to take effect, it would need to be published as an “interim” or “final” rule, following the public comment period.

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is monitoring this proposed rule closely and will provide updates to the Eastern Illinois community as more information is available.