What

is

residential

life?

Residential Life Program

The Residential Life Program at Sewanee involves a very high percentage of the student body. Over 90% of undergraduates live in the dormitories and as a result these facilities have been consistently filled near capacity for the past few years. Housing options for undergraduate students currently include: four coeducational dorms, six all male dorms, seven all female dorms, a women's center, four language houses, two special halls for student emergency personnel (EMTs and firefighters), and two sorority houses. The dorms are configured in a variety of arrangements, ranging from traditional doubles and singles to an assortment of suite setups.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Residential Life Office and the Residential Life Program at the University of the South is "to coordinate and further develop a residential life program which will contribute positively to the overall quality of the undergraduate experience at Sewanee. With dual responsibility in facility management and residential hall staffing and programming, the office seeks to improve continuously the physical conditions in which the undergraduates live and to enhance the social, intellectual, and moral environment of the college dormitory life."

Room Assignments

Students are not assigned to dormitories according to class, fraternity or sorority affiliation, athletics, academics, or other groups or organizations. A mix of classes exists in all residence halls and houses. All undergraduate housing assignments are made through the Residential Life Office. Upperclassmen seeking a dormitory room go through a lottery process, with priority based on seniority and membership to the academic honor society, the Order of Gownsmen. Roommates for incoming first year students and transfer students are carefully chosen and housed based on the responses to the dormitory preference questionnaire. Upperclassmen may choose to remain with their roommates or they may change roommates at the end of the year. Under normal circumstances all assignments are considered to be a year long commitment. Housing assignment changes are made at the discretion of the Director of Residential Life.

Dormitory Staff

To assist the Director of Residential Life in implementing the Residential Life Program, approximately 120 undergraduate student leaders fill positions in the Residential Life Office as dormitory staff members. The Residential Staff, consisting of two Head Proctors and two Head Assistant Proctors, together with the thirty-two Proctors and over eighty Assistant Proctors who staff the dormitories, serve the student residents in a number of specific functions. Coordinating their efforts with the rest of the dorm staff, Proctors are responsible for both the coordination of dorm activities and the enforcement of regulations. The responsibilities of the Assistant Proctors, or APs, include advising a small group of freshmen, facilitating their acclimation to college, as well as helping to enforce dorm rules. To meet the current Dormitory Staff, please follow this link. In addition, many of the dormitories have Head Residents, affectionately known as Matrons, who serve as another member of the dormitory staff. Their presence is intended to help establish a respectful, warm, disciplined, and collegial tone in the dormitory. The fourteen largest residence halls now have a Head Resident on staff. All first year students, except for residents Hoffman, live in facilities which have a Head Resident.

Together, this dormitory staff helps to create a positive tone in the residence halls through dormitory programming. The staffs of each dorm are required to provide a minimum of five programming events per semester. At least two are to be educational or instructional and one is to be a community service project. Many of the activities are developed and presented by the dormitory staff alone or with the assistance of a myriad of campus resources. Several departments such as Health Services, Career Services, the Sewanee Outing Program, and the University Counseling Center have created several different programs that are available to residence halls.

Security

There is also an ongoing effort to ensure the safety of the residents and the security of student and University property. As a result, the dormitories are staffed daily beginning at 7:30 p.m. and dormitory doors are locked at a scheduled times each night. Located on the exteriors of certain dorms, call boxes, providing instant emergency connection to the police, add more security to the dormitories. To better secure the dormitories during closed breaks, a system of interchangeable locks are installed. Damages and Repairs In addition, to maintain and to improve the physical living environment of the residence halls, the Residential Life Office oversees the reporting and follow through of maintenance problems in the dormitory facilities. With the help of Head Residents, the Residential Life Office also participates in thorough inspection at the close and start of the school year. This end of the year inspection permits the University to collect fines for damage to or loss of dormitory furnishings. Furthermore, the Residential Life Office is also involved in ongoing discussions with the University's Physical Plant Office to improve the maintenance services to the dormitories.