Navigating ResLife as a First-Year
Residential Life Team
As a first-year, you will have a Residential Assistant (RA) living on your floor. They are there to help with anything, build community, get to know you, and help connect you with resources, clubs, and new friends once they know your interests. They host fun events and activities for your floor or hall to hang out and get to know each other! They’ve been in your place before and can offer helpful advice about classes, making friends, navigating life at Middlebury, and everything in between! RAs also help educate residents about college policies and Community Standards, and work with your floor to collaboratively set expectations to create communities where everyone feels welcome and respected. To keep everyone safe, RAs also address policy violations and community issues that come up.
In addition to RAs, the Residential Life team also has professional staff members called Residence Directors (RDs) who oversee and support entire residence halls. While your RA might be your first go-to with questions, your RD is also happy to help, especially with bigger issues that pop up. RDs live on campus and have offices right in the res halls. Stop by and say hello – they really do want to get to know you! Their main job is to support students – they’re here to celebrate the highs with you and help you navigate the lows. RDs also work to make sure everyone in the community feels safe and welcome – stepping in to address policy violations and community issues. They also work closely with Public Safety and other staff members to support students after hours when emergencies happen to check in with students in crisis and pull in extra resources to keep folks safe.
FAQ: Navigating issues with your living situation
Maintenance issue?
In the case of emergency (like a burst pipe or no heat in the winter), call Facilities (during business hours) or Public Safety (after hours/late night/weekends). In the case of a less time-sensitive maintenance issue (broken dryer, jammed desk drawer, etc.), tell your RA and they will put in a work order for you. You will not be charged for reporting these issues!
Roommate, floor, or community concern?
Talk to your RA and let them know what’s happening – either they can help, or they know someone who can! Remember, it is always okay to ask or check in if something’s not sitting right! It’s better to seek advice or help sooner rather than waiting until the problem gets bigger.
Pro Tips for being a good neighbor, roommate, and community member
- Treat ResLife, Facilities staffers, and Public Safety officers with kindness and respect––they’re working hard to keep folks safe and spaces comfortable on campus.
- Res halls are your campus home and sharing space means everyone needs to do their part to keep shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and lounges clean––pick up after yourself and encourage your floor and hallmates to do the same!
- Return all dishes and to-go containers to dining halls
- Fire safety is really important––make sure you don’t have things in your room that aren’t allowed and could endanger the community. It’s also really important to be very careful when using the stoves/ovens in shared kitchens to make sure you’re being safe, turning burners/the oven off when you’re done, and keeping the spaces clear to avoid fires. No one wants a fire, or even a false alarm. If you’re not sure how to use them safely, talk to your RA or RD and they can help you out!
- All of our campus waste is hand sorted by staff members, so take the time to properly sort your trash, recyclables, and compost.
- Don’t forget about quiet hours! They are 10pm-7am on weekday nights (Sunday-Thursday) and 1am-7am on weekend nights (Friday-Saturday).
- When doing laundry, set a timer on your phone, so you don’t forget to move or pick up your clothes, since a lot of folks are sharing the machines
- While you want your room to be comfy, don’t feel like you need to bring EVERYTHING––rooms aren’t that big and you’re usually sharing that space with another person.
- A note on storage: If you need to store your belongings over the summer, try to plan far in advance. The college doesn’t offer any on-campus storage, so it’s something you’ll need to secure on your own. There are a few available local options, including a student-run company, a few storage unit companies in town (splitting a storage unit with friends/classmates is a great way to save money!), or trying to find someone in town willing to help (Front Porch Forum is a good place to start!).
Information about housing arrangements and selection
General Housing Information
Most students live on campus for all four years––only a few seniors are released to live off campus each year. Additionally, most students live in double rooms with a roommate, even as upperclassmen (singles are very limited). Housing accommodations for students with disabilities are managed by the Disability Resource Center (DRC)–– find more info at go/ada/.
It is generally rare for room changes to take place, as campus housing spaces are very limited. If roommate or hall concerns pop up, your RA can help you and your roommate(s) work through the issues, but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to move/change rooms. It’s really helpful to have open and honest conversations with your roommate(s) from the very start about how you’re going to live together and share space – working through a Roommate Agreement together makes sure you’re both on the same page and gives you something to circle back to if concerns pop up. Your RA can help you work through these too!
Selecting second-year housing
A good time to start thinking about housing for the next year is the end of fall semester, during J-term, or the beginning of spring semester. Be clear with your current roommate and other friends what your plans are so everyone is on the same page. Remember, your roommate doesn’t have to be (and maybe even shouldn’t be) your best friend. The most important thing is matching with someone you can live well with––meaning maybe you share similar living habits like similar sleep schedules, preferences around the level of cleanliness, and how you want to use your room.
Entering the Room Selection Process with a small group, (like a group of 4, or at least a group of 2), ensures maximum flexibility (as opposed to participating as an individual or large group). Step-by-step instructions and videos are available from ResLife to walk you through how the Room Selection Process works.
Interested in joining ResLife?
Talk to your RD or visit go/joinreslife/ for more information. Applications typically open at the end of the fall semester!
