Housing F.A.Q.
For most students the decision to attend Susquehanna University is also a decision to live on campus. This brochure was prepared to answer questions frequently asked about our methods for assigning rooms to first year and transfer students. This summer, when you attend the summer placement testing day, you will receive more specific information about each hall (i.e., average size of rooms, basic furnishings, etc.) as well as what to bring, in the publication A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.
THE ROOM ASSIGNMENT
PROCESS BEGINS WITH YOU
Once you become an accepted student at Susquehanna, you will receive instructions on how to access the Freshman Roommate Preferences Web Form. We will house you based on the information provided on this form, so failure to provide accurate information may affect your placement in desirable housing.
While a deposit is not required until May 1, it is not unusual to receive deposits much earlier. The biggest factor in determining where you will be placed is the date we receive your $400 enrollment deposit. The sooner we receive your deposit, the more likely we will be able to meet your specific housing requests.
How do we use the information you provide?
We prioritize the information you provide as follows:
Whether or not you are a smoker. If you indicate you are not a smoker and would be bothered by a roommate who smokes, we will place you with someone who also indicates s/he is not a smoker. If you indicate you are a smoker you will be placed with a fellow smoker or with someone who indicated they would not be bothered by a roommate who smokes.
Your sleeping patterns (i.e., naps, bedtime, etc).
The neatness of your room. On occasion we do place a "very neat" person with an "average" person, or a "messy" person with an "average" person, but we will not place a "very neat" with a "messy".
If you request a specific roommate we assume that the two of you have discussed study habits, smoking, room neatness, and sleeping patterns, as well as other lifestyle issues. Therefore, we do not consider these issues in meeting your request to live together. Roommate preference requests do not guarantee a double occupancy. In other words, if your deposit date is too late, it may require being placed in a tripled room. In this case we will make every effort to assign a compatible roommate based on the information you provide. Also, if you request a roommate, your housing assignment could be based on your roommate's deposit date if there is a significant difference between when you paid your enrollment deposit and when your roommate paid. Reminder: the date you paid your deposit affects the priorities listed above.
Where do first year students live?
There are three residence halls designated for first year students (Hassinger, Reed, and Smith Halls). These halls cannot house all first year students, so some are placed in available spaces in other halls on campus.
Transfer students are usually placed in rooms in upper-class halls with returning Susquehanna University students. Occasionally we have open spaces in the Volunteer Project Houses located on University Avenue and in Seibert Hall. Before placing a new student in a Volunteer Project Group the student is contacted to see if s/he is interested in this type of housing.
Are there any other factors that affect my placement?
The first students assigned to rooms are Early Decision students (who also have an early deposit date), followed by those with certain medical needs. Once these students are placed, we fill our double spaces in Hassinger (coed), then Smith (coed), then Reed (coed). Any remaining students may be placed in triples in Smith Hall and elsewhere on campus. In an average year, the halls open at 102% of design occupancy with most first year students being offered the opportunity to detriple sometime during the Fall semester. First year students are not the only individuals living in triples. About 1/3 of the triples are upperclass students who voluntarily choose this option. Students who are placed in triples receive up to a $400 reduction in room charges for the duration of each semester they remain in a triple.
If we receive your contract and deposit after the date that assignments are made, you are placed in spaces as they become available in any of the halls.
When do we make room assignments?
Assignments to rooms are made after the last placement testing day in mid-July. This affords students the opportunity to request roommates who they meet during their placement testing day activities.
How will I know who my roommate is and where I will be living?
In late July or early August you will receive an email that will give you directions on how to access the Room Assignment Web Form. After logging in, you will receive information regarding your placement and roommate(s) assignment, home address(es), SU email address(es), and home phone number(s) (if authorized) of your roommate(s). We encourage you to contact your roommate(s) before arriving on campus to discuss interests, lifestyle issues, as well as what items to bring to campus.
How well does the assignment process work?
Each year the Residence Life Office has the task of assigning about 550 new students to rooms and roommates. The vast majority of students remain together through their first year on campus. While this task is done by hand, matching roommates one at a time, we are unable to meet every request of every student. A crucial part of living in a residence hall and getting along with your new classmates depends on how much of an effort you make to get to know your roommate(s) and adjust to each others' habits and lifestyles. Doing this will help you make the most of your residential experience at Susquehanna University. Should you find things are not working out we ask that you wait until two weeks into the semester before requesting a room change. We have found that many issues between roommates can be resolved given some time and conversation with each other or with assistance from the Resident Assistant.
