Frequently Asked Questions for Students
- Is campus housing available for freshmen?
- Is campus housing available for transfer students?
- Can I stay inside my room during the holiday breaks?
- Do students have to remove all their belongings from their rooms during breaks?
- Is the Campus Safe?
- Are there any employment opportunities in the residence halls?
- Who can I ask for help in the residence halls?
- What if I lose my keys?
- Can I have overnight guests?
- Can my brother, age 4, come and visit me at my room?
- What is the mailing address for my hall and how can I receive a care package from home?
- What about meal plans?
- Can first year students bring their cars to campus?
- How do I report repairs needed in my room?
- May students choose where they want to live? Can they choose their roommates?
- What happens if I don't like my roommate?
- How long are the beds? What kind of sheets will I need?
- Can I connect my computer to the MSU network?
- Who's going to do my laundry?
- How often are the rooms cleaned?
- Are students allowed to smoke in the residence halls?
- Are there special events for residents during the weekend?
- Is it fun to live inside the residence halls?
- How do I become involved in the RLC?
- What items should a new student bring?
- What items am I not allowed to bring to my room?
- Can I have a pet?
Is
campus housing available for freshmen?
Housing for new first time freshmen enrolling for the 2011-2012 academic year is guaranteed for those who meet the below criteria:
-Have been fully accepted to the University
All items are required in order for your housing application to be considered complete. For specific information on enrollment fees please see http://www.montclair.edu/admissions/accepted/.
Please note that our housing process is done completely on line and there is no paper application to complete or submit; a student must go on line and complete the process as noted above.
For those who do not meet the above criteria, including students who may be accepted to the University after these dates every effort will be made to accommodate students in this category as space becomes available.
-Submit all enrollment confirmation forms and fees by May 1, 2011
-Submit a $300 non refundable housing application fee by May 1, 2011
-Complete the online housing application no later than May 25, 2011
Is
campus housing available for transfer students?
Housing for new first time transfers enrolling for the 2011-2012 academic year is guaranteed for those who meet the below criteria:
-
-Have been fully accepted to the University
-Submit all enrollment confirmation forms and fees by May 1, 2011
-Submit a $300 non refundable housing application fee by May 1, 2011
-Complete the online housing application no later than May 16, 2011
Only Russ Hall, The Village, The Upper Heights, Sinatra Hall and Hawk Crossings remain open during holiday breaks. All other residence halls close for the Winter, and Spring Break recess periods. Unless otherwise noted in your contract, all residents must leave the halls during this time.
Do
students have to remove all their belongings from their rooms during
breaks?
At the end of the fall semester (December), students are required to leave the residence halls, but do not need to remove their belongings. If you are not returning to the residence hall in the spring semester, you must remove all belongings prior to the break. However, students are encouraged to take expensive property home with them. Clothes and other belongings can be left at the student's own risk.
Is the Campus Safe?
The University provides a safe environment for community members. Police Officers patrol the campus parking facilities, academic and residential buildings 24 hours/7 days a week. In addition, there are 150 blue light emergency phones on campus which put callers in direct contact with University Police. Interested community members should refer to crime statistics posted on the MSU website for crimes affecting this community. Community members are encouraged to use the Mobile Guardian feature on their RAVE mobile phone which provides GPS monitoring on campus at the University Police Department. Introduced on campus in September 2005, MSU has made RAVE Guardian available FREE for students in the Campus Connect program. It is to help improve your safety and peace of mind on and off campus. A student can activate the GPS-based tracking feature to allow the University Police to monitor arrival at a destination. When you feel unsafe, RAVE Guardian lets you set a timer on your phone. If the timer expires before you turn it off, your location and vital information are sent to the University Police so they can find you and help you. It can only be turned on or off by you and only notifies the Police in the event the timer expires before you turn it off. The RAVE mobile phone also allows you to receive real-time alerts and information from the University, including broadcast text messages.
Are there any employment opportunities in the
residence halls?
If you are interested in working in the residence halls, there are opportunities to work as a Service Assistant which is an excellent way to learn more about the institution. The student staff is responsible for the distribution of student mail, recreational equipment and enforcement of guest policy. They also assist in making the residence halls a safe and secure place to live. Contact your Community Director for an application. Please contact your Community Director for more information.
Who
can I ask for help in the residence halls?
Our Residence Education staff is available to provide assistance and leadership in the residence halls. In our larger buildings, there is both a Community Director and an Assistant Community Director. In our smaller buildings, a Community Director will be present. Community Directors are full-time staff members, while Assistant Community Directors are specially trained graduate students. Community Directors and/or Assistant Community Directors are on duty in each residence hall area during evening and weekend hours. In addition, there is one live-in Community Assistant for every wing/floor. Community Assistants are trained undergraduate students who are carefully selected and will provide you with assistance during your time at MSU.
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of Page
What if I lose my keys?
If you lose your keys you must report it to your Community Director immediately. You must also complete a Work Order Form to request a lock change and give it to your Community Director. There is a fee associated with a lock change, regardless of the circumstances.
Can
I have overnight guests?
Yes. As long as you follow the guest policy and have your roommate(s) consent.
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Can my brother, age 4, come and visit me at
my room?
Yes. Young children are allowed to visit in the residence halls.
Top of Page Top of Page Can
first year students bring their cars to campus? Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Can
I connect my computer to the MSU network? Top of Page Top of Page Top of Page Are there special events for residents
during the weekend? Top of Page How
do I become involved in the RLC? Top of Page What items am I not allowed to bring
to my room? Can
I have a pet?
What is the mailing address for my
hall and how can I receive a care package from home?
Packages can be shipped through the U.S. Postal Service or commercial delivery service. Packages and letters should be addressed using the following format: Your Name, Residence Hall Name and Room Number, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043. If you live in Hawk Crossings your packages and letters should be addressed using this format: Your name, 65 Clove Road, Your Apartment Number, Little Falls, NJ 07424.
What about meal plans?
All students residing in Bohn, Freemen, Russ, Webster, Sinatra, Stone Halls and The Heights are required to have one of the traditional or Constant Pass meal plans. For information about the various plans, please visit Dining Services. Residence hall dining facilities are located in Blanton Hall and Freeman Hall. Your meal plan may be used at the Student Center food court and the Rathskellar through the Cash Equivalency Program. Any student who requests a change in the meal plan must submit a "Change of Meal Plan" form to the Meal Plan Office located on the 1st floor of the Student Center.
Parking can be very challenging on a campus our size so to assist those who do not live on campus with parking, resident students with less than 60 credits are not permitted to register a car on campus. MSU offers an extensive shuttle service to assist students to get around.
How do I report repairs needed in my room?
Click here for more information about submitting work orders.
May students choose where they want to live?
Can they choose their roommates?
Returning resident students participate in the Web Self-Assignment process during the Spring semester for the following academic year. New incoming students go online to complete their housing preferences. The system will ask students to rank order the buildings they want to live in as well as any roommate and meal plan choices. It is very important that students enter their requested roommate information and MSU ID number correctly in order to be considered. It is also important that all students who wish to live together enter each other as roommates (example: students A, B & C want to live together; each one of them needs to list each other and their MSU ID numbers). Please realize that while we do our best to accommodate the roommate and building requests of our students, it is not always possible to do so due to a number of factors such as gender breakdown of rooms, limited available space, and date that the request was received.
What happens if I don't like my roommate?
A major component of your daily living experience centers around your interaction with your roommate(s). We encourage you to discuss your likes and dislikes in order to set ground rules and reasonable expectations. Your Community Assistant is a great source of mediation for any problems that may arise.
How long are the beds? What kind of sheets
will I need?
All of the beds in The Village and Hawk Crossings, as well as most of the beds in Bohn and Blanton halls, are 80" long twin size. For these beds, you will need extra-long twin sheets, which are available at retail stores. Currently, most of the beds in Webster and Russ Halls are the standard 75" twin-size. The beds in Freeman and Stone Halls are mixed; therefore we recommend bringing the extra-long twin-size sheets. Furthermore, purchasing longer sheets now will serve you well for all four years at MSU.
A computer network connection is available in all residence hall rooms and University apartments, providing 24-hour access to services such as the Internet, MSU library and mainframe. You may also contact our Information Technology Helpline at 973-655-7971.
Who's going to do my laundry?
You are! For your convenience, washing machines and dryers are located in every residence hall. Laundry machines are available to residence hall students, free-of-charge.
How often are the rooms cleaned?
Students are responsible for cleaning their own rooms. Housekeeping staff are responsible for cleaning public areas such as the hallways, lounges, public restrooms, and community bathrooms.
Are students allowed to smoke in the
residence halls?
As of the Summer 2005 all residential facilities are non-smoking. Smoking is not permitted in public areas, stairwells, and elevators.
Staff and campus groups host fun events and programs.
Is it fun to live inside the residence halls?
Absolutely! You will make many friendships that will last a lifetime.
The Residential Leadership Council is a student group that provides opportunities for leadership development as well as personal growth through program creation and event planning. RLC exists to serve, represent, and give voice to the resident student population at MSU. Students can get involved in RLC by attending their weekly meetings, which are on Wednesday evenings. Further information is available at the RLC website.
What items should a new student bring?
Each room within the residence hall is furnished with the basic furniture (bed, desk, and dresser/wardrobe). Students are responsible for their own personal items and will need to bring sheets, pillow, pillowcase, blankets, towels, etc. Other amenities such as a television, computer, and a stereo (if desired) are permitted. Small refrigerators up to three cubic feet and small microwave ovens of approximately 600 watts are allowed in the rooms. Refrigerators can be rented from Microfridge: www.campusspec.com or 1-800-525-7307. Many of our residents also bring an area rug to give the room a personal touch. We encourage each resident to contact their assigned roommate(s) to work out who will bring what to prevent duplication and save space in the room.
Fire hazards, prohibited items such as weapons, halogen lamps, candles, any appliances with an open coil. Please refer to our list of prohibited items.
Only small fish are allowed in the residence halls. No tanks over 10 gallons are permitted.
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