Housing and Meals

Grandparents University Housing

All participants in Grandparents University experience college life by living and dining in an MSU residence hall. Registration includes two nights lodging in Holmes or Akers Hall and meals in MSU's award-winning dining services.

Holmes and Akers Halls are located on the east side of campus and are across the street from the IM East, offering basketball, racquetball, volleyball and soccer. Pillows, bed sheets, blankets and bath towels are provided by the hall.

Holmes Hall is the largest residence hall on campus. The hall opened in 1965 and is named for John C. Holmes, a Detroit horticulturalist. Holmes Hall is home to Lyman Briggs College, a living-learning community.

Akers Hall opened in 1964 and is named for Forest H. Akers, an MSU student from the early 1900s. Forest Akers Golf Courses are also named for him.

The halls feature:

• Holmes Hall has modular furniture in a suite-style setting where one bathroom is shared by two adjoining rooms
• Akers Hall is known by Spartans for its completely unique, apartment-like living experience that features two-bedroom suites, a separate living/study area and a bathroom shared only by suite occupants.
• In-hall dining services located on the second floors
• A fitness room, weight room and music practice room
• Access to a Sparty’s Café Convenience Store on the first floor of Holmes Hall
• Several lounge areas with wireless internet access and plenty of space for board and card games
• High-speed wireless internet service available in residence hall rooms 

Room keys are issued to adults only during registration. Participants are responsible for the safe keeping of their conference meal cards and room keys. All cards and keys must be returned at the conclusion of Grandparents University on Thursday. There is a fee of $20.00 for each unreturned conference card and a $75.00 fee for each unreturned room key.

The adult and child participant from each family will be in one residence hall room. If there are three participants in a family, they will all be housed in one residence hall room. Families with four to six participants will be assigned adjoining rooms. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times, so each room will have both an adult and child from one family.

Holmes Hall is barrier-free and has a limited number of rooms for guests with special accessibility needs. Please be sure to indicate any special requests when you register.

Grandparents University Meals

Meals are included with your registration. All meals are served in campus dining services. If you would like food or drinks outside of regular meal hours, we suggest bringing change for vending machines or to use at the Sparty's Convenience Store.

The menus are prepared with all guests in mind. Our dining services staff has managed every possible dietary restriction — the residence halls at MSU have been hosting events and conferences for more than 100 years, and each summer more than 35,000 guests stay at MSU. Guests with food allergies are encouraged to consult an MSU dining services staff member for meal recommendations.