2018-19 Residence Life
Frequently Asked Questions for Students
Housing Application Process:
Q:How does a student apply for housing?
A:Students may access the housing portal from the Residence Life web page. A student’s university login credentials are used to access the housing application.
Q: When can the student apply for housing?
A:When the housing application portal opens in March, any current student and incoming student who has received login credentials are able to complete the housing application.
Q:What is the application process like?
A:The process is simple. Students advance through a number of steps, including:
- Emergency contact information
- “Profile” questions that assist roommate matching
- Meal plan selection
- Housing preferences (sophomore to senior)
- Housing agreement
A student can stop at any point in the process and log back in at a later point and complete the process.
Q:What kinds of profile questions are asked?
A:The profile questions include a variety of “lifestyle” issues, including sleep and study patterns, level of involvement in campus life, tolerance for in-room guests, etc.
Q: What is the Housing Agreement?
A:The Housing Agreement contains information about rights and responsibilities, expectations, obligations and consequences for cancellation. Students are required to check an “acknowledge box” at several points within the agreement. Once this step of the application process is complete, the student will receive an automated email message which includes the text from the Housing Agreement as verification that the agreement has been completed. Students are advised to read the text of the agreement very carefully.
Q:How does a student know if the housing application has been completed successfully?
A:student must complete all of the steps of the application for it to be considered complete. At that point the student will receive a message validating completion.
Housing Assignments:
Q:How is campus housing designated?
A:Housing communities are designated by gender and class status. These designations limit the communities that students can “see” through the housing application.
- Ondrak Hall (male) – designated for freshmen and above
- Jaeger Hall (female) – designated for freshmen and above
- Neuzil(co-ed) – designated sophomore-senior
- Founders Woods (apartments) – designated junior-senior
Q: How are housing assignments made?
A:Returning students and new transfer students can select their spaces through the application portal. Freshman students are manually placed by the Res Life staff, usually in June. For student athletes, coaches advise on roommate pairings. Otherwise, placements are guided by responses to profile questions that are contained in the housing application.
Q:Can assignments be changed?
A:Yes. Changes can be made prior to the beginning of a semester. Once the semester begins, we ask for students to wait two weeks prior to requesting changes to allow some time to settle in and get accustomed to a roommate.
Q:How are special circumstances handled?
A:Students may qualify for accommodations in housing (e.g. room with private bath, single occupancy, Emotional Support Animal, etc.) based upon documented need. Students must seek such accommodations through the ACE Center.
Facilities and Living Arrangements:
Q:How do students know what they can bring?
A:A list of recommended items is available through the Residence Life web page. Some items are specifically prohibited, such as halogen lights, open coil appliances and pets.
Q:Can students request a single room?
A:Yes, but: 1) there must be availability to grant the request; 2) there is an additional fee for a designated private room.
Q: Can freshmen live somewhere other than Ondrak or Jaeger?
A:Generally no, although there may be unique circumstances that merit a different placement. This would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Can students of legal age drink in the residence halls?
A:No. All three residence halls prohibit alcohol by policy, even for students of legal drinking age. Alcohol is only allowed in Founders Woods and students must apply for an Alcohol Use Permit to exercise that privilege.
Meal Plans:
Q:Where can students use their meal plan?
A:Meal swipes may only be used in the Dining Hall. Munch Money may be used in the Coal Ben, Kindlon Coffee Shop, Starbucks or Ernie’s Market (convenience store).
Q:Are all students required to have a meal plan?
A:Yes, all residents must select one of the meal plans associated with either the halls or theapartments. Meal plan options are presented to students in the housing application.
Q: Can a student be exempt from a meal plan?
A:Yes, but: 1) the exemption must be for a documented medical reason; 2) the student must first
meet with Dining Services to see if accommodations are possible, and; 3) the student must seek the accommodation through the accommodations process in the ACE Center.
Q:What happens if there is a conflict between schedules and meal service hours?
A:Dining Services has accommodated athletic practices by allowing students to use meal swipes in the Coal Ben when practices conflict with dining hall hours.
Q:Can a student change a meal plan?
A: The student can change their meal plan during the first week of the semester or may select a different meal plan prior to the spring semester.
Q: Do meals carry over?
A:No. Meals are re-set each week and do not accumulate. Any meals left at the end of a term are lost and have no cash value. Munch money, however, does carry over between the fall and spring semesters.
Q:Can meals be converted to Munch Money?
A:No, there is no conversion for meals.