With Miami University students comprising over half of Oxford's population, local businesses expect a downturn in traffic over the upcoming J-Term, Jan. 2 to 25.
While a number of students said they will stay on campus for classes, many plan to simply extend their winter break at home or while studying abroad.
According to senior assistant registrar for technology Tim Kuykendoll, of the 17,035 total students on campus, 2,709 have signed up to take classes in January.
Bagel and Deli, 119 E. High St., said they expect the significantly decreased student population will effect revenue.
However, the Oxford staple has been in business since 1975, and bagel maker Jordan Kuhn said a little decrease in customers is an annoyance, not a problem.
"We cut back on the number of employees and our hours," Kuhn said. "We still get pretty busy, but we are definitely affected with fewer students on campus."
Although most local businesses are prepared for a lower number of customers, cook and bartender at Skipper's Pub Thomas Herrick said he believes students who remain on campus will be more likely to go Uptown at night due to a lighter course-load.
"I feel [business] will be a little busier than usual," Herrick said. "Breaks don't normally bring in a lot of business, but I still expect a decent number of people in our bar."
Miami sophomore Heather Cunningham compared J-Term to the summer term. She said in the summer, Oxford is a virtual ghost town.
"I didn't feel like I was in Oxford anymore," Cunningham said. "The restaurants weren't nearly as crowded and parking spots were always available, but it seemed as if no one was here. It was amazing how everything changed. I expect it to be the same way over J-term."
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