CONTACT US

	Arnold, Joshua Director of Residence Life & Student Conduct 706-233-7233 jarnold@shorter.edu
	Wicker, Jason Assistant Director of Residence Life Office: 706-233-7390 jwicker@shorter.edu

RESIDENCE LIFE

Residence Life at Shorter University is an integral part of your education and university experience. As a university founded in the liberal arts tradition, we believe that every corner of the campus can be educative. The lessons learned through relationships and interactions in the residence halls are of immeasurable value. You are encouraged to take part in programs offered by the Residence Life Staff and to get to know those on your hall.

Click here for information on New Student Housing.

Residence Hall Move-in Dates 2013

Monday, August 12th
Residence halls open for approved athletes and student organizations

Wednesday, August 15th
Residence halls open for all freshmen and transfer students - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, August 17th
Residence halls open for all returning students - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How are housing assignments made?
• How can I guarantee the room that I want?
• How are roommates assigned?
• What do I do if I already know with whom I want to room?
• What if I prefer to live by myself?
• Do I have to live on campus?
• Who should I contact if I want more information on housing issues at Shorter?
• What meals are provided to on campus students?
• What does a room in Alumni Hall look like?
• What does a room in Bass Village look like?
• What does a room in Cooper and Van Hoose look like?
• What does a room in Hazel Hall look like?
• What does a room in Roberts look like?
• What does a room in Townes look like?
• What should I bring to campus?
• May I loft the bed provided in my residence hall room?
• May I remove furniture from my assigned room?
• What is a health and safety inspection?
• How do I set up my residence hall telephone?

How are housing assignments made? Housing assignments are made on a first come, first served basis according to when the housing application and deposit were received. No assignments will be made until both are received.

How can I guarantee the room that I want? We are not able to guarantee any specific room or building to new students, but will make every effort to accommodate preferences of students. Getting your deposit and questionnaire in early increases your chances of getting your top choice. Keep in mind that residence halls that are popular with new students are also popular with returning students. If you're not familiar enough with the residence halls, you may wish to visit the campus. Tours can be arranged through the Admissions office by calling (706)233-7319. Please allow one week advance notice for a tour. Also, you may see below for specifics about the residence halls.

How are roommates assigned? We use the information provided by you on the housing questionnaire to identify pairs of roommates who will be compatible. After initial assignments are made, results are available electronically in the student’s university issued Scholar account. It is important to note that early application for housing may also impact roommate matching. Fewer roommate options are available for late applicants, and it becomes more difficult to match students based on personal preferences at that point.

What do I do if I already know with whom I want to room? The housing questionnaire provides a space for you to request a preferred roommate. The requests will be honored only when both students have requested each other in writing. A room assignment cannot be made until both roommates have paid the deposit and returned their questionnaires. The Office of Residence Life is not always able to honor preferred roommate requests.

What if I prefer to live by myself? There are a limited number of single rooms available on campus. These rooms are assigned on a first come, first served basis. In most cases, all available single rooms are assigned to returning students during the Spring sign-up period. New students should anticipate having a roommate for at least their first year on campus.

Do I have to live on campus? Shorter University requires all full-time students to live in campus residence halls unless married, living with parents, 23 years of age, or having received written authorization from the Vice President for Student Affairs due to special circumstances. Living on campus provides students with more opportunities to interact with faculty and friends, get involved in campus activities, access campus resources, and increase the likelihood of his or her overall success.

Who should I contact if I want more information on housing issues at Shorter? Questions about living on campus should be directed to the Office of Residence Life at (706)233-7233. Completed housing questionnaires should be sent to: The Office of Admissions, 315 Shorter Avenue, Rome, GA 30165. The deposit should be returned to the Admissions Office along with your Intent to Enroll form.

What meals are provided to on campus students? All first year students are required to purchase an unlimited meal plan. The main dining hall on campus will be open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day, and students with the unlimited meal plan may enter the dining hall as many times as they wish during those hours.  After a student completes one full year, he/she may opt for the 15 meal plan option.  Only students in apartment housing (which includes a kitchen inside his/her room) may opt for the 10 meal plan option. There is also a five meal plan available for students assigned to the university-provided off-campus apartments.

May I loft the bed provided in my residence hall room?   The office of residence life permits all second semester freshmen and returning students to loft their beds, as long as they follow specific building guidelines.  First semester students cannot loft their beds until they have lived in the residence halls for one full semester.  A copy of the loft guidelines and contract can be received in the office of residence life.  Beds may be lofted only after a completed loft contract and building plans has been submitted to, and approved by the office of residence life.   

May I remove furniture from my assigned room?   At no time may the furniture provided in the assigned room be removed.  It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the provided furniture remains in the room at all times.  Lost or stolen items are the responsibility of the students assigned to the room. 

What is a health and safety inspection?
Resident assistants will perform a health and safety inspection once per month in all residence hall rooms and off-campus apartments. The first inspection per semester will be announced. All subsequent inspections will not be announced. Residents need not be present for a health and safety inspection to be performed. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that their room meets basic cleanliness and safety requirements.

Health and safety violations include, but are not limited to, the following: prohibited items (such as weapons, drugs or alcohol, drug or alcohol paraphernalia, sexually-explicit materials, pets, candles or appliances with exposed heating elements, etc.), overloaded electrical outlets, unauthorized loft, less than twelve inches clearance between heat pump and furniture, bathroom exhaust vent covered, inflammables (paints, lighter fluids, etc.), smoke detector missing or damaged, furniture missing or damaged, or excessively dirty (trash, inadequate cleaning, etc). Students will be given up to twenty-four hours to correct a violation, at which time a follow-up inspection will be performed. Prohibited items will be removed immediately and may result in disciplinary action. Failure to comply with health and safety regulations may result in loss of housing privileges.

How do I set up my residence hall telephone?

Calls to the Atlanta area (area codes 404,770,678 can be made at no charge.  For Atlanta calls, dial 9+1+area code+number.

Instructions for setting up Residence Hall Voice Mail

Your room number is ______________.

Your Primary telephone extension number is______________.

Your assigned mailbox numbers are #1______, #2______, and (if needed) #3______.  You and your roommate first decide who uses mailbox #1 and #2.  If you are in a private room, use mailbox #1.

There are two main goals in setting up your voicemail:

First, you will set up the greeting for your Primary extension number.  In this greeting you will tell the caller who you, and your roommate, are.  Also tell them to press 1 to leave a message for the person who chose mailbox #1 and press 2 to leave a message for the person who chose mailbox #2.  If you are in a private room, tell them to press 1 to leave a message for you.

Second, you will each, (you and roommate separately), set up your own private mailbox greeting.  Tell the caller what you want them to hear and to leave a message.

Call 7500. When the system answers, press # and enter your primary mailbox number.  It will ask you for your security code.  The first time you enter the system the security code is 1111.

It will ask for a new security code.  You decide a new number that you can easily remember.  The new code must be 4 to 10 digits, and it cannot be your extension number.

Enter the new security code and press #. It will ask you to re-enter the code for verification. Then press #.

The system will then ask you to press 1 to record your name(s).  Simply say your name and your roommate’s name, and then press #.  The system will repeat what you said.  Press # to accept it. (You record your name in order to let people know who left the message when you call other rooms on campus.)

Press 1 to record the main greeting.  In this greeting, you should identify yourself and your roommate and let callers know to press 1 for (owner of box #1) or press 2 (for owner of box #2). Press #. The system will repeat what you recorded. Press # to accept.

Now you and your roommate will separately set up your own private mailboxes.  If you are in a private room, you will still need to complete this next step.

Individual Private Voice Mailboxes

Begin by calling 7500.  When the system answers, enter your personal four-digit mailbox number that matches whether you picked mailbox #1 or mailbox #2.  You will be provided this code for the Office of Residence Life.

The remainder of the steps for setting up your individual private mailbox will be identical to the steps used in setting up your primary number.  The exception will be that you record only your name and only the greeting that you want your callers to hear.

Voicemail Features

To check your messages from your room or from off-campus

Call 7500 or press * 5.  From your cell phone or an off-campus phone call 233-7500.

After you hear the greeting that says you are in the system, press #

Enter your personal mailbox number, not your primary mailbox number

Enter your personal mailbox security code, not your primary mailbox security code.

The system will tell you if you have message.  If you have messages, when the system says “ready,” press 5 to listen to the first message.  After you listen to the message, press 3 to delete or 7 to save.  Press 5 to listen to the next message.  The system will not let you hear the rest of the messages until you press 5.

After you have listened to all messages, and pressed  to delete or 7 to save, you must then press 99 to exit the system.  If you don not press 99 to exit, the system will not delete or save the messages.  If you just hang up, the system will leave everything as a new message.  The system does this as a precaution.  If you are checking messages from your cell phone and lose your signal, you won’t lose messages to which you have not finished listening.

While listening to a message you may press:

2 – to back up

22 – to go back to the beginning of the message

4 – to go forward into the message

8 – to check what time and date the message was left

18 – to adjust the volume of the message

*(star) – to pause or resume

17 – to reply

13 – to forward a copy to another extension

14 – to immediately call the person back

7 – to save the message

3 – to delete the message

# - to return to ready

To change your personal greeting, go to “ready” and press 4 and then 6.

To change your personal security code, go to ready and press 1, then 6, then 2.

Press 99 to properly exit the system.

When leaving a message to another extension on campus press * for sending options.

THE RESIDENCE HALLS

There are a number of different options for housing at Shorter University. All residence halls are located close to the center of campus. Bass village is located at the bottom of the hill.

Residence halls options for female students include: Alumni Hall, Cooper and Van Hoose Halls, Townes Hall, Newman Hall, and Bass Village (building A).

Residence halls options for male students include: Hazel Eubanks Hall, Roberts Hall, Mallary Apartments, Gwaltney Apartments, and Bass Village (buildings B & C).

Incoming freshmen are typically assigned to Hazel and Roberts (men) or Alumni, Cooper, and Van Hoose (women).
All rooms contain standard twin size beds, chairs, desks, and (with the exception of Roberts) dressers. Typically, Alumni third, Hazel, Roberts, and Townes are furnished with stackable bunk beds, and Cooper, Van Hoose, and Alumni second are furnished with standard beds with box springs.

All residence halls are secured with security doors with locks. All rooms have individual heating and air-conditioning units. Local phone service, which includes voice mail and toll-free calling to the Atlanta area, is also included. Basic cable hook-up and internet access are provided in each room.

SAMPLE FLOOR PLANS

Bass Village is made up of three apartment style buildings, each with eight apartments per building and each apartment with 4 students. Bass A houses females and Bass B and C houses males. These buildings are reserved for upper-class students. There is cable in the living room. Rooms are carpeted (except kitchen). Desks are provided and dressers are built in. Bathrooms have sink, shower (and tub in common bathroom), and toilet. Kitchens have full-size refrigerators/freezer, sink, oven, and dishwasher. The floor plan for Newman Hall is very similar to Bass Village.

STANDARD BASS APARTMENT (BELOW)
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY PER ROOM = 4 PEOPLE

WHAT TO BRING

Necessities: Desk Chair, Laundry Bag, Pillow, Sheets (Single Bed, 39" X 80"), Waste Can, Pillow Cases, Blankets, Bed Spread, Wash Cloths, Towels, Soap, Clothes Hangers, Toilettes, Mattress Cover (Single Bed, 39" X 80"), Multi-Outlet extension cord with circuit breaker (other extension cords pose a danger)

Necessities (Apartments Only): Pots & Pans, Silverware, Dishes

Nice To Have: Floor Mop, Broom, Cleaning Products (you are expected to clean your own room. Suite bathrooms are to be cleaned by the suite occupants. Community bathrooms are cleaned daily by custodial staff.

Refrigerators: MUST be under the following specifications: 50 lbs., 2.5 cubic feet, 2.5 amperage draw. Full size refrigerators are provided in Apartments

Microwaves: There are two restrictions: 1. Microwave ovens should not draw more than 750 watts of power. 2. Microwave ovens need to be plugged into a multi-outlet power strip with a circuit breaker, NOT directly into the wall plug.

Computers: Internet jacks are located in rooms; however, students should supply their own network patch cable and network adapter if they want to connect their computer to the internet.

Telephones: Phone jacks are located in rooms; however, students should supply their own telephone instrument. Local telephone service is provided. Voicemail services are provided.

What NOT to Bring: Alcohol, shot glasses, alcohol-related posters, sexually-explicit materials, drugs or drug paraphernalia, firearms or airguns, fireworks, large knives or cutting instruments, extension cords without circuit breakers, halogen lamps, pets (can have fish in less than 10 gallon tank ), toasters, toaster ovens, candles (If it glows – it goes). See student handbook (available online in the campus life section) for more details of prohibited items.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANYTHING THAT HAS TO BE NAILED OR SCREWED INTO BLOCK WALLS OR WOODWORK. Masking tape is recommended in small quantities for posters on block walls.