As you know, there is much information in the news about the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu and you will continue to receive updates once you arrive on campus. So while you are packing:

Remember to bring a self care kit to campus that includes:

• a thermometer
• acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil)
• cough syrup
• bottled water, sports drinks and soups
• alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• boxes of tissues

Please be sure to reference our section on other required and recommended items you should bring to campus.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is piloting a new program that offers FREE Meningococcal vaccine to all state universities for unvaccinated freshman students, who are living in the dorms, and for unvaccinated international students. Any freshman or international student who requires the meningitis vaccination please contact the Student Health Center (570) 389-4451 to schedule an appointment to receive this FREE vaccination.

Currently residents of all residence halls and campus apartments may have guest(s) visit anytime during a weekday or weekend. (24/7 visitation)

Some of you have also experienced and have shared with us frustration over a roommate who over-extends the visitation privilege to guests. The abuse of our visitation policies has been the most significant contributor to roommate disagreements, often creating conflict and disruption to the roommate relationship and to student’s social and academic well-being. These conflicts involve multiple students, parents and staff in the mediation process often with too little success.

In addition, we anticipate that next fall we will house a larger underclass population in our lower campus residence halls. Many of these students will be new freshmen experiencing the freedoms and corresponding responsibilities that come with living away from home on a university campus.

This larger new freshmen population, and a growing number of roommate disagreements stemming from guest visitation conflicts, has forced us to review our current Residence Hall Visitation Policies.

After much consideration, the following new visitation policy will be in effect beginning with the 2009 fall semester:

Please review the new visitation policy here.

(Please be aware that students who wish to have the option of a 24/7 visitation privilege may choose to move to any of the campus apartment complexes (Montgomery Place, Mount Olympus, Kile and the new apartments) where the extended visitation option will remain in place.)