Residence Life Central Office – Founder’s Hall
The Office of Residence Life, located in Founder’s Hall room G-5, directs all aspects of residence hall administration. This includes staffing and operation of all residence options. The Director, Assistant Director, & Administrative Assistant for the Office of Residence Life are located here. The office is open during regular business hours and the staff is happy to assist students with any residence life related concerns. The office extension is 5217.
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 9:00am 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” can contact the “RD on call” if needed.
Residence Hall Programming
Hall programs are meant to enrich the quality of residential life and to provide educational and recreational opportunities to the residential student population at Manhattanville College.
Programming events/activities are designed to:
- 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
Check Out
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 will be charged a $75.00 improper check-out fee for failing to properly check out of a room.
Common Areas
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 building fees being assessed to each resident of the building.
Facilities
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 your building staff office for more information.
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 banned items is available for review in the Housing Contract.
Internet Connections & Emails
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 not permitted to install their own wireless routers.
Every student at Manhattanville College is given an e-mail account on Office365. Included with Office365 is a free download of the Microsoft Office suite including word and excel. Your Manhattanville e-mail account is the official form of communication between students and the College. Helpdesk service is available 24/7 by calling 914-323-7200. Additional resources for setting up your e-mail on your cell phone, downloading MS Office or setting up gaming devices are available in Blackboard, the college's learning management system.
Housing Contracts
Manhattanville College requires all residential students to sign a Housing Contract for the entire academic year. In addition to highlighting certain rules and regulations of the Residence Halls, this contract 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 contract. All residential students are responsible for knowing and understanding the contents of the housing contract.
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 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 and each lockout may cost the student $10.00 which will be charged to their student account.
Students should report lost or stolen keys to their RD immediately. Because the room lock(s) will need to be changed after a key is lost or stolen, the student will be charged $200.00 for each lost or stolen 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.
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 and 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.
Maintenance
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.
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 each other’s value system.
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 the student’s Resident Director. On very rare occasions, the Resident Director may ask the Assistant Director of Residence Life for assistance in handling a roommate concern. 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 not permitted. Subletting in the residence halls is strictly prohibited.
Room assignments may not be changed without first consulting the Residence Life Staff and there is a “room freeze” during the first and last three weeks of each semester to allow staff to ascertain an accurate occupancy report.
Room Condition Reports
Room Condition Reports (RCRs) are used by the 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.
Television Connection
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
Storage
There is no available storage space on campus. The Office of Residence Life can direct students to local storage facilities but does not endorse any company.
Vacant Space/Room Consolidation Policy
The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to consolidate rooms to fill capacity when there is a vacancy. Although Consolidation typically takes place immediately after the room freeze period is lifted, consolidation may take place several times throughout each semester. Room Consolidation affects students who live alone in a double, triple, or quad 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, 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;
- Be assigned to another living space by the Office of Residence Life;
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 starting in November.