Office of Residence Life and Conference Services

Residence Life Staff

The Director of Residence Life & Conference Services is responsible for the overall management of residence hall activities and administrative processes. The Director supports a staff consisting of an Assistant Director of Residence Life & Conferences Services, three Residence Directors (RDs), an Office and Events Coordinator, three Assistant Resident Directors (ARDs), and as many as thirty Resident Advisors (RAs). RDs are professional staff members who have received specialized training in Student Affairs and oversee the daily operation of our residence halls. In order to be fully engaged in the community and to best support students, RDs also live in the residence hall that they oversee. ARDs are graduate students who also live in a residence hall and support the RDs in the overall management of the building. RAs, are trained student leaders who serve as an advisor, role model, confidant and liaison to the Manhattanville community. Together, the ARD, and RAs work with their building RD to develop a cohesive community. If an issue or question arises which is outside the scope of the RDs, ARDs, or RAs purview, the staff member will refer the matter in question to the appropriate person or campus resource.

Residence Hall Offices

Central Office

The Central Office is located in Spellman 111 and is staffed from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. The Director, Assistant Director, Office and Events Coordinator; as well as all 3 Resident Directors have offices in this space. Please stop in, as staff are happy to assist students with any Residence Life matter. The office phone number is 914-323-5217. 

Residence Hall Offices

Each residential community has a staff office which offers many services to its students. These spaces are where the ARD and RAs hold their office hours. ARDs hours will be posted so residents know when the ARD is available to assist them. Resident Advisors hold office hours Monday-Friday from 8-11 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8pm-12am. Students are encouraged to stop by their residence hall office and get to know their Residence Life staff.

•   Spellman Office, Spellman Hall, room G-3, 914-323-5163

•   Founder’s Hall & Non-traditional Housing Office, Founder’s Hall, room 195, 914-323- 5164

•   Dammann & Tenney Office, 914-323-5166

Staff Duty Coverage

A Resident Director (RD) is “on call” 24 hours each day to respond to emergencies and act as a resource for the Resident Advisors (RAs) in each building. Resident Advisors are “on duty” in each hall from 7:00pm to 8:00am each weekday and 24 hours on the weekend. Problems of any kind should be reported to the RA on duty. The name, room number and photo of the “RA on duty” is posted every evening at the front entrance to each hall. The RA on duty will contact the RD on call when needed.

Housing Agreement

Manhattanville College requires all residential students to sign a Housing Agreement for the entire academic year. In addition to highlighting certain rules and regulations of the Residence Halls, this agreement also establishes the financial obligations of the student. All students intending to reside on campus for any portion of the academic year are required to sign a housing agreement. All residential students are responsible for knowing and understanding the contents of the housing agreement.

Liability

The College shall not be liable for any failure, delay or interruption in performing its obligations herein stated due to causes or conditions beyond its control. Under no circumstances shall the College be liable for any loss, theft, or damage to a Student’s personal property or effects or for the personal property or effects of the Student’s guests and/or visitors. All resident Students are encouraged to secure Renters Insurance in order to protect their valuables. Students may also want to review their parent/guardian’s Home Owners insurance policy to obtain coverage.

Room Condition Report

Room Condition Reports (RCRs) are used by Residence Life staff and give a snapshot of the condition of the room upon check-in. All residents review and sign a Room Condition Report (RCR) when they check in. Students should make every effort to return the room to the condition in which they found it upon check-in to avoid damage charges. Damage charges are based on changes in the condition of the room and applicable common areas from the time a student checks into his or her assigned room to when the student checks-out.

Residents living in Founder’s Hall, Dammann Hall, Tenney Hall, and Graduate Housing are responsible for the cleaning and upkeep of their bathroom (as well as their rooms) during the academic year. Many residents find it helpful to rotate this responsibility with their bath mate/suitemates.

Roommates and Roommate Concerns

Every aspect of living in the residence halls is an extension of the educational services that the College offers. In addition to programming, the personal growth that can be gained from living with other people can be enormously enriching and is a realistic learning experience for the future.

The key to having a successful relationship with your roommate(s) is communication. Unless you are able to articulate your wants and needs appropriately, your roommate may easily overlook them. Be sure to tell your roommate(s) about yourself – your habits, preferences, and the kind of lifestyle you are accustomed to leading. It will be easier to reach a workable compromise when differences arise if you understand what is important to each other.

Living with roommates isn’t always easy. Sharing a living space may be stressful, and concerns may arise. Sometimes situations that work at the beginning of the year become more difficult as the year goes on; remember that college is a time when students grow and change which can certainly impact even the healthiest of roommate relationships. It is perfectly normal to have roommate concerns.

Many concerns can be resolved easily with mature and respectful conversation between roommates. Other concerns may be more difficult to resolve and may require assistance through a formal mediation process. In extreme cases, concerns may not be able to be resolved resulting in a room change for one or both roommates. The College will never force students to live in a space with tension and frustration or where concerns cannot be resolved. The College does, however, expect students to make a sincere and collaborative effort to work through the concerns, clearly communicate the concerns, and develop strong conflict management or coping skills in the process.

Residence Life offers a number of resources to students facing roommate concerns. Roommate concerns are initially handled by the student’s Resident Advisor and may rise to the level of a professional staff member. It is important to note that the College expects students, not parents, to work through roommate concerns.

Students may not allow anyone to occupy a room who is not assigned to that space. Switching room assignments without administrative approval is prohibited. Subletting in the residence halls is strictly prohibited.

Room assignments may not be changed without first consulting Residence Life Staff and there is a “room freeze” during the first and last two weeks of each semester to allow staff to ascertain an accurate occupancy report.

Vacant Space and Room Consolidation

The Office of Residence Life and Conference Services reserves the right to consolidate rooms to full capacity when there is a vacancy. Although Consolidation typically takes place immediately after the room freeze period is lifted, it may take place several times throughout each semester. Room Consolidation affects students who live alone in a double or triple occupancy room, which occurs when a roommate does not arrive or a roommate moves out of the room. Consolidation may also become necessary due to disciplinary situations or irreconcilable differences. When a vacancy occurs, the remaining roommate, at the discretion of the Office Residence Life and Conference Services, has the following options:

•   Retain their current housing with a new roommate of their choice who is involved in the consolidation process;

•   Be assigned a new roommate by the Office of Residence Life and Conference Services;

•   Be assigned to another living space by the Office of Residence Life and Conference Services;

•   When available, buyout the empty bed space at an additional fee.

Residential Occupancy Limits

Residential Occupancy Limitations

With the exception of single rooms, which can have three occupants, the maximum number of people permitted to occupy any residential until may not exceed twice the number of residents of that living unit at any one time. Note that occupancy limits include the resident and their guest(s)/visitor(s). Occupancy limits for each room type is provided below:

For more information about policies related to guests and visitors, please visit the Code of Conduct: Rules of Conduct and review the Guest & Visitor Policy

Building Meetings

Keys

Residents are issued keys for their living area. Students should carry their keys with them at all times. If, for any reason, a student is locked out, the student should attempt to find their roommate to gain entrance. If this is impossible, the student should contact a staff member from the Office of Residence Life and Conference Services who will be able to unlock the student’s door. The student should keep in mind that it may take up to 15 minutes for a Residence Life staff member to arrive at their room. After 3 lock outs, the student will be charged $10.00 per lock out, which will be charged to their student account.

Students should report lost or stolen keys to the Residence Life and Conference Services  immediately. Because the room lock(s) will need to be changed after a key is lost or stolen, the student will be charged $75.00 for each lost key. This charge will cover the cost of a new lock set for each door, new keys for each lock, and the labor involved in changing the locks and cutting new keys. Residential students who live in a suite style room, would be charged $75.00 lock fee for both the bedroom door and the front door, resulting in a total $150.00 lock change fee, if both keys are lost. 

Residents may not duplicate their key(s) for any reason, and may not lend their keys to anyone. Because of the security risks associated, students found duplicating keys and/or lending their keys to another person will face judicial action which may include removal from College housing. Additionally, students found with possession of College keys to any room outside of their assigned space will face judicial action which may include suspension from the College.

Common Areas

With the exception of Dammann Hall, each residence hall is equipped with a kitchen. All residence halls have common lounge spaces, a laundry room, and vending machines. Please stop by the RA Office for more information.

The College furnishes common areas and lounges for use by all students. It is intended that these areas be respected, kept clean, and used for cultural, educational, and social functions. Removal of furniture and/or décor that is College property is prohibited. Should damages to common building areas and/or removal of College property occur, judicial action will be taken that may include common damage fees being assessed to each resident of the building.

Furnishings

The College furnishes each room with a single bed, a desk, a chair, and either a dresser or a closet organizer for each occupant. Bed lofts, waterbeads, hot tubs, and ceiling tapestries are prohibited in the Residence Halls. A full list of prohibited items is available for review in the Residence Life Policies section of the Student Handbook, under "Prohibited Items".

Storage

There is no available storage space on campus. The Office of Residence Life and Conference Services can direct students to local storage facilities but does not endorse any company.

Laundry

Washers and dryers in residence halls do not accept cash. All resident students pay a $60.00 laundry fee per semester charged to their student account for their use of unlimited on campus washers and dryers. Students need to supply their own laundry products. Laundry is available to current residential students. 

Maintenance and Maintenance Requests

All maintenance concerns should be reported to the Physical Plant at 914-323-5415. Work orders may also be placed on-line through the Manhattanville College website at http://facilities.mville.edu/.

If a maintenance concern occurs outside of normal business hours, students should contact the “RA on duty”. After assessing the concern, the RA may contact the Physical Plant staff member on-call to respond. Students should take the time to report any maintenance concern during normal business hours as Physical Plant staff members will only respond to emergency issues after hours.

Physical Plant staff members may enter the student’s assigned space without the student being present.

Internet and Television Connections

Internet Connections

Each Residence Hall is equipped with an open wireless network. In addition, each room is equipped with Ethernet ports should a student wish to use a physical connection for a device. Students are prohibited from installing their own wireless routers.

Television Connections

Digital Television cable service is provided by the College. Analog (non-digital) TVs will need a box to convert the digital signal to an analog signal that your TV can use; Manhattanville College has a limited number of converter boxes available. To obtain one, call the IT Help Desk at (914) 323-7230

Residence Hall Programming

Hall programs are meant to enrich the quality of residential life and programming events/activities provide educational and recreational opportunities to the residential student population at Manhattanville College. 

•   Provide learning experiences in the residence halls

•   Allow students and staff to share interests, skills and ideas

•   Relate academic, educational and recreational resources of the College to out-of-classroom experiences

•   Allow residents the opportunity to socialize and build community

Winter Break Access

There is a separate application process for those students who need to remain on campus during winter break. This application is available in the Office of Residence Life and Conference Services.

Check Out Procedures

Students leaving one room assignment for another, or moving out of the residence hall, must check-out properly. Students are to arrange a mutually agreeable check-out time with their Resident Advisor to review the Room Condition Report (RCR) and turn in their keys. Appointments for check-out times should be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the actual time the student needs to check-out to ensure staff availability. If the student’s RA is not available at that time, an appointment should be made with the Resident Director.

Students also have the option to checkout via our Express Checkout Process, which does not require an appointment. Simply pick up an Express Checkout Envelope from the RA Office, complete the form and place the key inside. Note that students who choose this option waive their right to appeal damage fees assessed when staff complete the RCR for the room.

Students will be charged a $75.00 improper check-out fee for failing to properly check out of a room, either by appointment or via the Express Checkout Process.

Fines

Damage Billing

Administrative Fines