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Frequent Questions: What Do You Need to Know?
You've probably got lots of questions. If we don't answer something here or in the Community Connection newsletter, let us know! Send an e-mail to housing@smu.edu; we'll answer your question and post the information here. Remember, residence hall dates for 2008-09 are available on our RLSH Calendar page.
About Check-in (When & Where; For Mustang Corral)
About Assignments & Roommates (Requesting a roommate; Requesting a change; When roommate information is sent)
About Your Room (What is provided; What to bring; Bed sizes; Room numbers, Room Tours during AARO)
About Policies (Community Standards, Fire Safety, SMU Student Code of Conduct)
Other Important Business (Post office box, Parking, Dining, Computing/Network)
About Check-in
When Can I Check-in?
- Saturday, August 23, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Check in at Dedman Recreation Center
- Saturday, August 23, 5:00 p.m. – Midnight Check in at your Area Desk
- Sunday, August 24, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Check-in at Area Desks Deadline to check-in is 5:00 p.m.
Please make travel arrangements to arrive on campus during check-in hours. Check-in at other times may not be available.
Which Area Desk should I go to for check-in?
After 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, check-in resumes after 5:00 p.m. at the following locations:
- If assigned to Boaz, Mary Hay, Peyton, Shuttles, Service House or Virginia-Snider: North Area Desk in Virginia-Snider.
- If assigned to McElvaney, Morrison-McGinnis, Cockrell-McIntosh, Moore, Hawk, Martin, Smith or Perkins: South Area Desk in McElvaney.
- If assigned to Multicultural House or Daniel House, report to the North Area Desk at McElvaney.
Can I check-in early?
Individual requests for early arrival are not available. Some residents may be eligible for early arrival due to their University-sponsored involvement in Mustang Corral, varsity athletic practices, or other University business. Early arrival requests are submitted to RLSH by the sponsoring department or on-campus organization.
When is Mustang Corral check-in?
Mustang Corral participants may check-in on Wednesday, August 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or on Thursday, August 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
About Your Room
What is Provided in the room?
The usual things: 80" beds, dressers, closet/wardrobes, desks, chairs, wastebasket. All rooms are carpeted and have window blinds. In addition, a telephone with voicemail, and both wired and wireless data connection to the SMU computing system are provided. Every building also has cable in the hall lounge, microwave oven, computer room, laundry room and vacuum cleaners. All residence halls have air conditioning.
What Should I Bring?
In the Community Connection newsletter you will find a list of What to Bring and What to Leave. A few of the items you should definitely consider are:
- A "U-shape" bike lock if you bring a bike
- A power strip, UL-approved with a surge protector and reset switch
- Stand-alone shelving or prefab storage unit
What should I leave at home?
For Fire Safety, the following things are prohibited in residence halls. Items are subject to immediate confiscation and may result in a fire safety violation and fine. (Complete details are in the Fire Safety Guideline brochure.)
- Candles, incense, open flame devices, fuel of any kind
- Halogen lamps
- Any plastic shade lamp (including "octopus" type lamps)
- Plug-in air fresheners, vaporizers
- Cooking appliances: microwaves, toasters, toaster/broiler ovens, open coil burners, electric fry pans, woks, hot oil cooking appliances, grills (Foreman, Weber, etc.)
- Standard electric extension cords
- Any sort of "multi-plug" electric adapter unit, including appliances with an extra outlet (lamps, vanity mirrors, etc.)
- Fireworks
- Large refrigerators (limit of one 3.1 cubic ft. refrigerator per bedroom)
The following are prohibited under various regulations including the RLSH Community Standards, the SMU Student Code of Conduct, local, state and federal law.
- Cinder blocks, bricks and/or boards
- Excessive additional room furnishings (SMU furniture must remain in the room)
- Alcohol, unless you are 21
- Empty alcohol containers/collections
- Illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia
- Weapons of any sort (including "ornamental" weapons)
- Pets (the only pets allowed are fish, maximum of one 10 gallon tank)
What Size is my Bed?
All residence halls have extra-long twin beds (80").
When can I see a room?
On the 2nd day of AARO, join us for a tour of a room in one of these halls: Shuttles, Mary Hay, Perkins, Morrison-McGinnis, and Virginia-Snider (Snider side only). See the AARO schedule for details.
What if my assigned hall isn't on a tour?
Unfortunately, due to summer activities, not every residence hall is available. Here is a quick run down of what hall to go see if your hall isn't on the tour. (Note: McElvaney is not on a tour because students stay in the hall during AARO.
| If you are assigned to: | Go on this tour |
| Smith | Perkins |
| Cockrell-McIntosh | Morrison-McGinnis |
| Peyton | Shuttles |
| Virginia | Snider |
| Boaz | McElvaney |
When do I get my room number? Can I see my room now?
Room numbers are given to students when they check-in and are not released before then. While you won't be able to see your specific room, you can get an idea of rooms on one of the hall tours. Remember, room size and layout varies within each hall. Examples of floor plans are available in the Explore the Halls section of our website.
About Assignments and Roommates
Why didn't I get assigned to one of the halls I picked?
If you are an incoming first-year or transfer student, your assignment will be based on 1) the date your application was received in our office, 2) your requested theme/academic focus community (if any) 3) your preferred halls, 4) whether or not you requested a single room.
If you are assigned to a hall that you did not request, it is probably because the halls you requested were filled before your assignment was processed. Ideally Residence Life and Student Housing strives to assign students to one of their requested halls. However, some halls receive far more requests than space available in that hall.
Can I get a different Hall assignment?
While you can request a change, we cannot guarantee any change will occur. The request form is available on-line, in our offices, and at the AARO Information Expo. Deadline for requests is July 31 at 5 p.m. Notification of a change will be included in your roommate letter sent August 4.
When will I know who my roommate is?
Roommate information will be sent to your SMU email on August 4. Roommate letters will include your roommate's name, phone number and SMU e-mail address.
Can I request a roommate now?
Yes, but the request isn't guaranteed. You must both request each other as roommates, in writing. Submit your request online or complete a form in our office or at the AARO Information Expo. Deadline for requests is July 31 at 5 p.m. If you are both assigned to the same residence hall, you will be assigned as roommates (if each roommate submits a request.) If you are assigned to different residence halls, one or both roommates may be moved. Clearly state in the request if you do not wish to be moved from your hall, even if it means you will not be with your requested roommate. Notification of a change will be included in your roommate letter in August.
How are the hall change and roommate requests processed?
All requests received prior to the July 31 deadline will be sorted and processed with the following priority:
- New roommate requests
- Requests to join a theme or academic-focus community (find out more about these options)
- Requests for single rooms
- All other requests
All requests are considered together within the priority order, not on a "first-come" basis. There is no advantage to getting the request in early, but the request must be received by 5 p.m. on July 31 to be considered. We try to make as many "happy residents" as possible, but due to the volume of requests, we cannot guarantee that a change will occur.
Why am I Unassigned?
Typically, there are a number of first year students who are unassigned at the beginning of July. This is based on the size of the first-year class and the space available for assignments. Some first-year assignments are still pending and processing will continue at the end of July and throughout August. While it may be unsettling to be "unassigned" at this point, you should know that all first year students are required to live on-campus and are therefore guaranteed housing. Your assignment information will be mailed with your roommate information in early August.
About Policies
What are the Rules & Regulations that I need to know?
There are two important publications that outline policies and regulations on-campus: the SMU Student Handbook and the SMU Fire Safety Guidelines. All residents will be given a copy of the SMU Student Handbook (resident edition) at check-in. Fire Safety guidelines are distributed at AARO, at check-in and mailed to residents with roommate information in August. In addition, we send the Fire Safety guidelines to the parent/guardian of each resident student.
The regulations are also all available on-line in pdf format. Just follow the links below.
SMU Student Handbook (resident edition)
Fire Safety Guidelines (Residence Halls)
Fire Safety Guidelines (Apartment Halls: Hawk, Martin, Moore & Daniel House)
Roommate Agreement
All students will complete this required agreement during the first week of classes. We have found it is helpful to fill out the agreement and talking about possible conflicts early in the semester. Knowing what you expect of each other is an important part of being good roommates.
Other Important Business
Where do I park?
Parking on any college campus can be a challenge. You may wish to consider leaving your car at home. If you do bring a vehicle, you must register and obtain a permit from the Park 'n Pony Office in Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Visit their website or chat with representatives at the AARO Information Expo.
How Do I get my Post Office Box?
You will need to register for a SMU Post office box in order to get mail and packages. Mail service is not available in the residence halls. To register for your PO Box, visit the SMU PO Box Registration website and follow the instructions.
How do I get connected to the Internet?
All resident rooms have both wired and wireless connections. SMU Information Technology Services (ITS) website has detailed information for incoming students, including minimum requirements for both Mac and PCs.. You may also wish to look at SMU Computer Corner for purchasing a desktop or laptop machine.
updated 06/30/2008
