Allegheny Bound & Orientation

Hi everyone!

My name is Andrew (or Skelly as most people call me), and I’m a rising junior. I am going to be the Community Advisor (CA) of Schultz Hall this year, and I could not be more excited! I just wanted to talk to you guys about what it’s like living at Allegheny, and give a little bit of advice I’ve picked up through my time here so far.

Let’s talk about Residence Life first. We divide our residence halls into nine separate areas. As incoming first years, you will be placed in either Baldwin, Brooks, Crawford, Edwards, Schultz, Ravine, or Walker. The Sorting Hat determines which dorm is your best fit, and who you will live with….just kidding, we’re not Hogwarts (not yet at least). Each dorm has a number of Resident Advisors (RAs) who live in the halls and make sure everything is safe and comfortable for the residents (that’s you guys). Each building has one CA (that’s me!), and it’s the CA’s job to oversee the RAs, and make sure the building is in good shape. To make an analogy, if our halls were boats, the CAs would be the captains, the RAs would be the main crew, and you guys would be our wonderful guests. The CAs and RAs work directly with the main Office of Residence Life to make sure your living experience is the best it can be! If you want to get a feel for what the buildings are really like, check out Allegheny’s Residence Life Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/AlleghenyResidence

The main Office of Residence Life is found in Reis Hall as part of the Office of Student Life. Here you will find our professional staff members, and they are absolutely fantastic. They all want to help you out as much as they can. Stop on in sometime and say hi!

Skelly Tip #1: get to know your RA and CA, and go to their events!
Your RAs and CA are there to help you, and they are such a great resource for you. These are some of the nicest people on campus, and they can help you so much, whether it be with school related stuff or really just anything. Really, try to get to know them! Throughout the course of the semester, the RAs/CAs will hold different hall bonding activities. They range from movie nights to snowball fights, and all sorts of other things in between. Make an effort to go to these events! First off, you can get a ton of free stuff, and seriously, who doesn’t like free stuff? I guarantee you, you will never have as much free pizza given to you again, take full advantage of it! It’s also a great way to socialize with your hall, and make friends. (more…)

New Gators: If you have submitted your deposit AND received the welcome packet with your student ID and account information, you can now complete your housing information form! The form is available by going to the “Important Forms” page on the menu to the left.

New first year students also have the option of choosing to participate in a Living-Learning Community (LLC) for the 2016-2017 academic year. LLCs are a special type of housing assignment, where students live on the same residence hall floor with the other members of their specially-designated FS 101 course. Visit the LLC page to learn more about this exciting opportunity, and to read course descriptions for this year’s LLCs. You can also access the LLC application on the Important Forms page.

Here are a few things to remember when completing your housing forms:

1. Be honest. It is critical for the roommate assignment process that you be truthful about your habits and preferences. If you have trouble keeping a tidy room, be honest about that. If you rarely go to bed past 11:00pm, and always wake up before 7:30 am, be honest about that too. Represent yourself accurately so we can find the roommate who’s the best fit for you!

2. Complete the forms as soon as possible. The Office of Residence Life considers these forms in the order that they are submitted. The sooner you complete the form, the more likely it is that we will be able to match you with a roommate who is a good fit, and place you in your preferred residence hall. If you have already submitted your deposit and received your welcome packet, you can get submit the form today! Note: You must complete the forms no later than May 31.

3. You will receive your room and roommate assignment information in July. Though you may submit the form as early as today, the Office of Residence Life will not begin reviewing the forms until June, after most incoming students have submitted their deposits. Also, please remember that other incoming students have until May 31 to complete the housing form.

As noted in your summer communication schedule, incoming students will receive their roommate assignment and residence hall room information by email in July. That will give you plenty of time before Orientation begins on Saturday, August 27 to connect with your new roommate, and get to know each other!

If you have any questions about the housing process for incoming students, please contact the Office of Residence Life at (814) 332-3865. You may also contact the orientation staff at (814) 332-2898, or orientation@allegheny.edu.