FAQ about Move-In

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 2012-13 are available on our RLSH Calendar.

FAQ Menu

About Check-in

When Can I Check-in?

  • Saturday, August 18, 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Check in at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center
  • Saturday, August 18, 5:00 p.m. – Midnight Check in at your Area Desk, until midnight
  • Sunday, August 19, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Check-in at Area Desks Deadline to check-in is 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

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 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, 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 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 at their appointment time on Wednesday, August 15th at Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Check-in appointment information is emailed with Hall assignment information on June 26th.

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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 on page 7.

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)
  • Any lamp with paper shades
  • Plug-in air fresheners, vaporizers
  • "Reed" type diffuser/air freshener
  • 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: Mary Hay, McElvaney, Moore, Morrison-McGinnis, Perkins, Shuttles and Virginia-Snider. See the AARO schedule for details. You can also look at pictures of the 2010 Room Design Contest Winners to get an idea of what some rooms look like on campus.

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: Boaz 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

Room Decoration & Hanging Guidelines

Please see page 7 of the Community Connections move-in newsletter for information about hanging up posters and decorating your room. You may also wish to take a look at our Room Design Contest winners from 2010 to see how some SMU students decorated their rooms. Get creative with your storage, and you may just win in 2012!

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.

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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 or because you did not enter any preferences when you completed the application.  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?

The deadline to submit a request was July 31 at 12 Noon. Requests are not guaranteed.

When will I know who my roommate is?

Roommate information will be sent to your SMU email on August 3 after 12 Noon. Roommate letters will include your roommate's name, phone number and SMU e-mail address.

Can I request a roommate now?

The deadline for a new roommate request as July 31 at 12 Noon. Roommate requests made after June 1 are not guaranteed.

How are the hall change and roommate requests processed?

All requests received prior to the deadline will be sorted and processed with the following priority:

  1. New roommate requests
  2. Requests to join a theme or academic-focus community
  3. Requests for single rooms
  4. 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. 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.

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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.  Information on these policies will be distributed at check-in. Fire Safety guidelines are distributed 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 available on-line in pdf format. Just follow the links below.

Fire Safety Guidelines (Traditional Residence Halls)
Fire Safety Guidelines (Daniel House, Moore Hall, Hawk & Martin)

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.

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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. 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 Office of Information Technology (OIT) 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.

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updated 07/31/2012

 

 

 

 
Residence Life and Student Housing is a department of the Division of Student Affairs.