Incoming Freshman Housing
First and second year undergraduate students are required to live in university housing. First-year students are placed in one of six residence halls and a roommate is assigned with consideration for the preferences indicated by each student on the roommate questionnaire. We will pair students together based on their responses to the preference questions however we cannot guarantee a perfect match. Most students will reside in double occupancy rooms; please note that there are a limited number of single occupancy rooms available. Second-year students have the opportunity to choose who they wish to live with through an in-person room selection process for our upper class residence halls or our university-owned apartment buildings.
Commuter Exemption
The only exception to the above residency requirement for freshmen is for those students who live with their parent(s) or legal guardian within commuting distance from campus. If this is your situation and you wish to opt for a commuter exemption, you must complete the commuter exemption request located here. This form is due no later than May 13, 2011.
Special Housing Placement
Medical documentation is required to request special housing placement. Special housing placements are granted based only on medically-documented need. No request can be considered for any circumstances beyond documented medical needs. The request will be evaluated and approval or denial will be communicated directly to the student. Please reference the "Medical/Clinical Documentation for Special Housing Placement" form here. All medical documentation must be received by May 13, 2011.
Liability Policy
As stated in your housing contract, the University is not responsible for damage to or disappearance of a student's or their guest's personal possessions unless such damage or disappearance is proven to be the result of the sole negligence of the University. This policy includes, but is not limited to, items in student rooms, bike rooms, trunk rooms, and music rooms. Just as in a private home, sometimes things happen that cannot be foreseen, and items are damaged. The University will do everything possible to expedite clean up of the facility.
Because of the possibility of damage or theft, it is a good idea for students to insure their possessions. In some cases this can be done through the parent's homeowners policy. If this is not possible, we strongly urge you to consider a renter's policy. The University has found a company that specializes in serving the collegiate environment: National Student Services, Inc. Information is available through both housing offices. For more information, please visit https://www.nssi.com/nssi/coverage.
Travel Plans (move-in and breaks)
Before making travel plans (and booking airline/train/bus tickets) for move-in or breaks, please refer to our Housing and Dining Calendar 2011/2012 (will be available July 1st). Residence hall closing and opening dates and times are firm, and for safety and security reasons students will not be permitted to remain in their rooms after the residence halls close.
Freshman move-in dates for Fall 2011 will be Wednesday August 24th and Thursday August 25th. Each building has it's own move-in date. Specific move-in dates are sent out to students with their residence hall room assignment letters. If you need to make travel plans prior to receiving your room assignment letter (mid-July), please plan to arrive and move-in on August 25, 2011.
For Peabody Dual Degree Students:Peabody dual degree students are required to reside on the Peabody campus for their freshman year. For more information, please click HERE to visit their webpage.
Assignment Process
Housing assignments are made according to the results of two computerized random sorts. This allows all students who return all of their housing packet materials (contract & roommate questionnaire confirmation) by the deadline, an equal opportunity to get a low (better) sort number.
Early Decision Students:
Any early admit students' application materials (contract & roommate questionnaire confirmation) received by May 27, 2011, will be included in the freshman lottery. Students will receive a priority number that designates the order they will be assigned their space. The priority numbers are determined through a random computer generated sort of students who meet the above deadline. Early admissions students receive a housing preference priority.
Regular Decision Students:
All regular decision application materials (contract & roommate questionnaire confirmation) that meet the May 27, 2011 deadline will be included in the freshman lottery. Students will receive a priority number that designates the order they will be assigned their space. The priority numbers are determined through a random computer generated sort of students who meet the above deadline. Regular decision students will be placed after the early decision students based on their priority number.
If any student misses the May 27, 2011 deadline, he or she will be placed in any remaining available space after the process.
Placement will be based on your random sort number. The best effort is made to honor your preferences. However, there are times when this is not possible. Contracts received after the May 27, 2011 deadline will be prioritized according to date and the order in which they are delivered to our office. Contracts in this group are the only ones that are assigned on a first come, first serve basis after the lottery process is completed. For example, if the second random sort ends with number 1000, the first contract received after the deadline would receive number 1001, the second 1002, etc.
Triple Rooms and Freshman Overflow
Each year there are a limited number of temporary triple rooms that are used to house incoming freshman. These are double rooms furnished for three residents designated in AMR I or Buildings A and B. Traditional spaces begin to open up within the first few weeks of the semester and students are moved to permanent spaces.
Should traditional space (doubles or singles) become available prior to move-in weekend, you may be contacted with a new room assignment. The Office of Residential Life will handle the de-tripling process as well as any waitlist requests after move-in weekend as traditional spaces become available.
If you are placed in a triple room, you will be billed the triple room rate. In the event we are able to de-triple the room, or move a student to a traditional double space prior to move in weekend, we will adjust your bill accordingly to reflect the double room rate. If you are de-tripled during the school year, your bill will be pro-rated and adjusted based on the date you are de-tripled.
We plan freshman space based on the projected incoming freshman class size. When we have faced the circumstance where the freshman class size exceeds projections, we have housed the students by increasing the number of triple rooms on campus, and also renting space at a nearby small hotel.