Welcome to Residence Life information and instructions

The following information will assist you in completing MyHousing Self-Service. It explains choosing a roommate, answering personal information questions, and the different meal plan options. Please read it carefully before completing MyHousing Self-Service.

Choosing a roommate

The Residence Life philosophy is that a well-rounded education includes out-of-classroom learning. In our on-campus housing setting, you are encouraged to:

• develop an awareness of and respect for the rights of others;
• understand the responsibilities of community living;
• develop a sense of independence and self-discipline;
• enhance relationships with people of diverse backgrounds;
• encounter new ideas, attitudes, and value systems;
• contribute to our campus and town community;
• and explore opportunities for involvement and leadership

All students will have a roommate(s), unless special housing accommodations are requested and approved. You can either request a specific student or let us match you with someone. The selection of roommates is a critical factor in this learning process and has the potential to enhance your experience and learning. Whether you choose someone you have known for years as a roommate, or opt to have the staff match you based on your personal information responses, age and major, there will be many new things that you will learn about the person as you share living space with them. How will they deal with their new-found freedom? How will you? What will happen when you both begin to meet new people and enjoy their company as well as each other's? We realize that it is difficult to predict the answers to these questions now, but this is what we mean by new learning experiences. On-campus living is all about people, how they live, think, feel, and deal with the day-to-day happenings in their lives. Words to keep in mind: flexibility, tolerance, compromise, appreciation, understanding, communication. It is our goal to help you refine these qualities through your experiences with your roommate(s) and others on your wing, hall, and university community.

Choosing a Roommate: If you wish to request a roommate(s) you will need to log-in to MyHousing Self-Service and enter the correct spelling of their name(s). Please be sure to notify them that you have made a request to be roommates as they must go on and accept/confirm the request. We will only honor mutual roommate requests.

Personal Preference Questions

While some freshmen opt to pick their roommate, many prefer to be assigned roommates based on the personal information questions. Survey results indicate that many students want to be assigned a roommate for a new experience, to meet new people or because they don't know anyone coming to Bloomsburg. The personal information questions are designed to help us match students who have compatible living habits. No assignment system can ever guarantee that all matches will be successful. This includes requesting a specific roommate(s). Realizing this fact, we use this process in the hope of significantly reducing those conflict factors most commonly responsible for roommate disharmony.

The personal information questions are used to make roommate assignments for those students who do not request a roommate (or who lose a roommate prior to arrival). While we recommend that parents/guardians and students discuss these questions, it is important that the student complete MyHousing Self-Service. We base roommate assignments on these answers so honest responses help us make the best possible match. Please answer all Personal Information questions even if you are requesting a specific roommate.

Selecting a Meal Plan

All meal plans provide access to the Scranton Commons for "all-you-care-to-eat" meals and come with cash equivalency, and a starting FLEX balance. The meal plan rates are based on having $250 FLEX as indicated by the number 1 after the letter. Or students may choose a starting flex balance of $300 indicated by the number 2 after the letter. Cost for all meal plans can be found at http://www.bloomu.edu/mealplan.

Note: The Plan D (5 meal per week) and Plan F (75 meal per semester) plans are options for on-campus apartment and off campus students only and include $300 flex. There is no $250 flex option for Plan D or Plan F.

See How Meal Plans Work for complete details on how the dining service program works at Bloomsburg University.

Housing Types

Residence Life's housing initiatives are a response to the needs and changing preferences of our students reflected by surveys, pilot studies and continuing consultation with Residence Hall and Campus Apartment students. Most students are assigned to coed side-by-side housing as this is the most common and preferred type of housing available. Students may be randomly assigned to any of these areas to fill vacancies even though they have not specifically requested placement there.

• Coed Side-by-Side Residence Hall: rooms of different genders next to each other on the same hallway with gender assigned restrooms.
• Coed in Room Residence Hall/Apartment: coed or gender inclusive housing is available on the 2nd floor of Northumberland Hall or in the Montgomery Place, Mt. Olympus, or Jessica S. Kozloff Apartments ONLY. Current on-campus students interested in coed living must complete the HOST process and select housing in one of these areas. Email buhouse@bloomu.edu to request placement in one of these areas. Students will be assigned as space is available.
• Single Gender Wing: students on the floor/wing are of the same gender (limited rooms available). To request placement on a single gender floor or wing email buhouse@bloomu.edu. Students will be assigned as space is available.
• Suite Style Residence Hall: range in size from 1 to 4-person single bedroom, shared bathroom and common space suites; limited availability 4-person/2-bedroom, shared bathroom suites.
• On-Campus Apartments: range in size from 2 to 6-person single bedroom apartments with shared kitchen, living room and bathroom(s).
• 12 Month Housing: this housing is only available to students who submit an advance written request stating why they need housing over semester & holiday breaks. Students must also submit an Interim Housing Agreement to secure housing over breaks (upon notification that the agreement is available). Housing and dining charges will be applied at that time.

There are gender inclusive bathrooms on the 2nd floor of Northumberland Hall. Students will be randomly assigned to all residence halls, however if you prefer placement in this area please email buhouse@bloomu.edu. Gender inclusive means the bathroom is available for people of any gender identity, regardless of biological sex. There is also a female specific bathroom on 2 East and male specific bathroom on 2 West.

Note: All Residence Halls and Campus Apartments are Non-Smoking.

Accommodations

Special Housing Accommodations

Students with special housing accommodation requests, including university provided air conditioning, must submit the Special Housing Accommodations Request Form. Depending on the nature of your request, you may be referred to University Disability Services to provide documentation from your physician stating your specific housing request and reason/need for this request. They will review those materials and make a recommendation to our office of how best to meet your needs. Requests received after the deadline will be accommodated only if there are rooms or spaces available. This means roommate requests, learning community participation or other housing accommodations may be disrupted to fulfill a request.

The University will make room assignments in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the University will make every reasonable effort to provide equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination for all members of the University community and visitors to the University. Consistent with the commitment to maintaining an environment of dignity and respect, also house students that are free from all forms of harassment and discrimination, whether because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, content observed on social media or any other characteristic protected by law. Students can be assured that accommodations will be provided in a non-discriminatory manner, be comparable, convenient, and accessible, and will be at or less than the cost assigned to other students. Students who require an accommodation for a disability will be assessed the lowest room rate available in the hall they are assigned.

Air Conditioned Rooms

Beginning fall 2021, all campus residential rooms, suites, and apartments will have air conditioning (either with central air, or a wall-mounted or window air conditioner). The wall-mounted units will be turned on at the beginning of each semester and will remain on throughout the semester. The window units have been permanently installed to reasonably withstand winter temperatures and will not be removed at any time.

Learning Communities

Learning Communities are all by invitation only. For more information you can visit the Learning Communities website at http://lc.bloomu.edu/.

Computer use in the halls

Information is available for getting connected to the on-campus network at the Residential Computing web site at http://rescomp.bloomu.edu.

All students residing in residence halls/suites/apartments are provided high speed wireless access that is included at no additional charge. All Ethernet connections and network jacks are dormant. The cost to maintain both a wired and wireless network access system is high with less than 10% of students opting for wired connections. As a result, most of the infrastructure that supported the wired network has been deactivated in an effort to keep housing rates as low as practical. A limited number of wired connections are still available, but at an additional charge. Computers that do not have wireless cards in them (i.e. desktop computers) are typically easy to convert with the purchase of a wireless network card or USB adapter that is most often less expensive that the cost to activate deactivated network jacks.

The University requires minimum computer hardware and software specifications prior to granting access to the University's computer network. Refer to the Residential Computing web site for guidelines for getting connected. Computers can usually be configured to meet the University standards prior to moving in which can get you up and running upon arrival to campus.

All questions and concerns can be emailed to rescomp@bloomu.edu. The Residential Computing web site also has a service request form for anyone having problems in getting connected.

Meningitis Vaccine

As of August 2002, Pennsylvania state law requires that all students residing in campus owned facilities must either have received the meningitis vaccine or agree to the online waiver after having received information concerning the benefits of this vaccine. This information must be completed before you move into the residence halls.

Certain college students are at increased risk for meningococcal disease; potentially fatal bacterial infection commonly referred to as meningitis. In fact, students living in dorms are found to have a six-fold increased risk for the disease. The American College Health Association recommends that college students, particularly first-year students living in residence halls, learn more about meningitis and vaccination.

Pennsylvania has passed (Senate Bill 955) stating All Students Residing in a Residence Hall or Housing Unit must have the vaccine or sign a declination statement after having received information concerning the benefits of the meningitis vaccine.

Please remember that when submitting the on-line agreement, you are indicating that you understand the responsibilities that students undertake while they reside on campus.

If you wish to begin your online application, please continue to MyHousing Self Service.