By Alyson St. Amand

Residence halls have been fitted with linens, shampoos and soaps in preparation for the arrival of the Montana delegates who will be staying on campus during the Democratic National Convention.

Approximately 600 DNC guests will begin arriving this weekend and will remain on campus for the duration of the convention that will take place in the FleetCenter from July 26 to 29.

The 38 delegates from Montana will be staying on the 10th through 13th floors of West Village A North, said Sonya Mariotti, conference coordinator for Northeastern.

Other DNC staff and various media groups will be staying in West Village A South as well as Davenport A and B, said Marina Iannalfo, dean of housing services.

But rules for students on campus during Summer Session II will not change in any way while the delegates reside on campus, Iannalfo said.

“I think it’s nice of us to offer our services in helping the DNC run smoothly,” said Amanda Czaja, a middler music industry major. “I think the students should be priority for the dorms in the summer but since it wouldn’t be appropriate to offer 337 Huntington to John Kerry, I think offering the nice [residence halls] to members of the DNC is a great way to show support and make money.”

Iannalfo said providing housing to the delegates and other summer conference guests is not limiting to students looking for the best summer housing accommodations.

Based upon the number of students who need summer housing, both “enhanced” accommodations, such as West Village B, C, and E are offered as well as lower rate options such as 319 and 337 Huntington Ave., which are also in demand, Iannalfo said. Conference groups are provided accommodations from the already-closed housing, she said.

Northeastern’s involvement with the convention started in September when Northeastern submitted a bid to the DNC Committee offering to host some of its guests on campus. The bid was accepted and Montana chose Northeastern from a list of possible accommodations, Iannalfo said.

“I think it is boosting our morale and a lot of the students are really excited about getting a chance to meet the delegates,” said Heidi Buchanan, president of NU Students for Kerry.

Iannalfo said Northeastern was notified this spring it would be hosting Montana, as well as the possibility of hosting a small number of the New York delegation that had requested additional space. That space is no longer needed for New York, she said.

In June, Montana delegates sent representatives to stay in their prospective housing sites at Northeastern and said they were pleased with the facility and the campus in general, Iannalfo said.

“We have made preliminary contact with all the groups and all of them are excited to be staying with us,” she said.

All DNC guests will receive a “Welcome to Northeastern” information packet and information about area restaurants and services, Iannalfo said. Room rates range from $155 to $230 per night depending on the number of people staying in each apartment, she said. All summer conference rooms are equipped with basic hotel amenities and a local phone line installed in each apartment.

The delegates have negotiated to rent out cable televisions in the rooms, Mariotti said.

The amount of revenue the university will make is unknown until after all disbursements have been paid, but any money made will go back into the university’s overall budget, said Ed Klotzbier, vice president for student affairs.

Chartwells will be serving breakfast in the multi-purpose room of West Village A North where the delegation will have daily morning video conferences, Mariotti said.

A DNC sponsored shuttle will transport the delegates and guests from the residence halls to the convention.

Guests include the Young Democrats, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, the New York State Democratic Committee, Scripps Howard, Slate Magazine, Talk Radio and the Nation.

“I think it is a real opportunity for the university to gain national exposure with delegates from around the world,” Klotzbier said.

Northeastern students will be working an information booth in each of the conference residence halls from July 22-30 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. to answer any questions the delegates may have and assist with check-in and check-outs.

Guests will be required to have a summer conference ID which is programmed to allow access into their assigned residence halls during the duration of their stay.

“I hope that the DNC guests completely enjoy our campus and their stay with us, and I anticipate that the NU community will welcome them,” Iannalfo said.

Guests will have access to any public areas on campus but the desires of the individual groups are not known yet, Iannalfo said.

Although they have the opportunity to eat in the dining hall, none have requested to do so at this time. Students do not need to expect or anticipate anything different in this regard, Iannalfo said.

The student center will remain open on a regular schedule, but the food court will close at 3 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. due to transportation issues for many of the food court workers.

Bob Grier, director of operations for the student center, does not expect crowds in the student center.

“I would expect that [the DNC guests] would see the great city of Boston,” Grier said.

Boston University is also hosting DNC guests on their campus. The Virginia delegation is staying at the Hotel Commonwealth in which BU is a shared partner, said Colin Riley, spokesperson for Boston University. In apartment-style residence halls, the university is hosting members of the DNC staff, DNC Committee staff, Democratic Campaign Committee Staff, U.S. Senate staff and a large contingency of DNC security staff, Riley said.

BU is also hosting staff from Comedy Central who will be broadcasting the “Daily Show” from the university’s Tsai Center, Riley said.

Boston College is hosting several hundred government employees in their campus residence halls, said Jack Dunn, spokesperson for Boston College.

Klotzbier said he thinks this is a really exciting event for the college population. Iannalfo agreed.

“The city of Boston is fortunate to have the opportunity to host a great event like this and Northeastern is happy to be able to participate as part of the Boston community in this regard,” Iannalfo said.