Residence Life & Housing
120 Pinecrest Manor
Mansfield, PA 16933
Office Hours: M - F 8 AM - 4:15 PM
Phone: 570-662-4934
Fax: 570-662-4138
Chuck Colby, Associate Vice President
Possession or consumption of any alcoholic beverage or illegal drug in the residence halls or anywhere on campus is strictly prohibited. Possession of drug paraphernalia is also prohibited.
The possessor of this title is a professional employee of the university with a background in counseling. He or she carries much of the responsibility for the operation of the hall you live in. The Assistant Director works with the RA's, hall council and Residence Life Office on programs and improvements in the hall. But mostly he or she is interested in knowing and helping you. The Assistant Director is a full-time professional with a master's degree prepared to help you. Utilize the Assistant Director's skills whenever you have a problem your RA can't solve.
Each residence hall room has its own hook-up for cable television. All you supply is the television and the cable. Premium cable channels are available directly from Blue Ridge Cable Company.
All residence halls are locked 24/7. Your ID card is your "key" to enter the buildings and your key gives you access to your room. Doors are locked to keep you and your possessions safe from intruders, so do yourself a favor and keep rugs and other foreign objects from propping doors open. Any person propping open a door or letting persons in through a locked door will face disciplinary action.
Each semester some of the students find themselves without a roommate. This may be for a variety of reasons such as the failure of an assigned person to come to school. This consolidation policy details the options available to student with no roommate. Mansfield University requires that all students living alone in double rooms pay the double as single room rate or be consolidated with another person in the same situation.
Exceptions to this policy are made when other individuals in a residence hall are alone in a double room and when there are less than 30 days remaining in the semester when a vacancy occurs. Students will not be required to move to another residence hall to consolidate spaces or off their own floor after the first month. If you do not have a roommate, you will be contacted by a Residence Life staff member and given 72 hours to take one of the following steps:
Students who fail to notify their GA prior to the 72 hour deadline will have their housing situation resolved by the Residence Director in consultation with the GA. When two people in a residence hall are both alone in double rooms and fail to reach a decision in the required time frame, they will be moved together. The person with the highest number of credits will remain in the room and the other student will be required to move. Students need to understand that persons who, in the judgment of the RD/GA mistreat their roommate in an attempt to force them out will either be immediately billed for a single room or forced to move in with another student even if they have more credits.
Students are held financially responsible for damages they or their guests cause anywhere on campus.
For reasons of safety and hygiene, the following electrical items may not be used in residence hall rooms: space heaters, air conditioners, irons, cooking devices of any kind (hot plates, immersion coils, George Foreman grills, microwave ovens, toasters, popcorn poppers, coffee makers, etc.)
In addition, any article in poor condition (frayed cords, etc.) may not be used.
Rented microfridges from Residence Life are permissible in student rooms.
The following kinds of items may be used, along with good judgment: table lamps, heating pads, U.L. approved decorative lights, small fans, refrigerators not over 5 cubic feet in size, and electric grooming aids. Sewing machines and electric typewriters are also allowed if they do not disturb others.
Cooking devices may be used in residence hall kitchens.
Extension cords also may be used only on low wattage appliances and then only to increase the length of a cord, and NOT to plug more than one item into an outlet.
All halls have equipment which you may sign out and use. Included are such handy items as vacuum cleaners, games, and pool equipment.
By university policy, it is required to conduct fire drills once a month in all halls. It is a serious violation of university policy not to leave the building when an alarm sounds. It is also very dumb. Do the following when you hear an alarm:
FAILURE TO EVACUATE BUILDING IMMEDIATELY WILL RESULT IN SEVERE DISCIPLINARY ACTION!
Real Fires
Discovering A Fire: Extinguish small fire ONLY if no risk is involved. Pull the nearest fire alarm or call 911, if appropriate. If you attempt to extinguish the fire, maintain an avenue of escape at all times. Aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire, pull the pin, squeeze the handle and sweep from side to side. Evacuate the building via the nearest exit. Report all fires, regardless of the size, to campus police (4900) or residence life personnel.
For more fire safety information, go to http://mansfield.edu/environmental-health-safety/
All firearms/weapons brought to campus for hunting or target purposes must be registered and stored at the University Police Office. At no time are firearms, fireworks, bows/arrows, hunting knives or ammunition allowed in the residence halls or in any other location on campus including stored in trunks of cars. Persons possessing weapons on campus will have the weapon confiscated and face prosecution under criminal or campus codes — or both.
Rooms include the basic furnishings supplied by the university. Students are free, where appropriate, to rearrange furniture and add their own personal touches to their room. You may not remove any contents of your room at any time. The university does not provide storage for student's personal belongings. All furniture must be returned to the original position at the end of the year. Floor dimensions are listed to help you plan for carpets if you so desire. The mattress is twin size 34"x75".
A Graduate Assistant (GA) is a Residence Life employee who facilitates room changes, supervises student workers and works in harmony with the Residence Director. All that, as well as taking a full schedule of graduate level classes!
Activities of a social, cultural or educational nature which take place in the residence halls are called programs. These are initiated by Hall Council, RA's or Residence Directors, and are designed to help make living in the halls fun and interesting. These programs can only be successful, however, if you attend. If you have ideas for programs, speak up. A hall can be more than just a place to sleep and study if you get involved.
Health care is provided to our students in a clinic setting. You are encouraged to call ahead for an appointment but can be seen on a walk-in basis if it is urgent. In addition, both the residence hall staff and campus police are trained to deal with medical emergencies. Our community ambulance service is available on a 24-hour basis to transport serious emergencies to local hospitals, at no charge to the student.
The university employs people to maintain its buildings, but you're responsible for some things too. These are the do's and don'ts:
Do:
Don't:
See other university publications, especially the Mountie Manual for more information on university life.
Things not to bring with you
The following items are either not allowed at all in the residence halls or can only be used in a restricted basis (see Residence Hall Agreement section no. 10), so you should not bring them at all: candles, darts, microwaves, cooking appliances, space heaters, air conditioners, weapons, pets, refrigerators over 5 cu. ft., water beds and gasoline.
Special No-No's
University officials are particularly upset when irresponsible individuals tamper with fire and safety apparatus. Persons found doing so are generally arrested and face rather stiff penalties. Individuals who maliciously damage university property also are frowned upon and students involved in such behavior can expect to make full restitution and face disciplinary action as well.
When students are accused of violations of university policy, their cases can be brought before the University Hearing Board which is composed of students, faculty members and administrators. Evidence is heard by the board and penalties imposed on people found guilty. Details of the judicial system can be found in the Mountie Manual or are available from any residence hall office.
If you lose your room key, your Graduate Assistant can order a new one. This will cost you money though, so think twice before losing a key. If your roommate locks you out or the wind blows your locked door closed while you're standing in the hall, an RA can let you back into your room. This is an emergency service, though, and is not intended to make up for the fact that you can never seem to remember to carry your keys. Many halls (out of desperation) charge real money to let you back into your room.
Each residence hall is equipped with laundry facilities. The fees for laundry services are included in your housing charge, so you don't need to come to campus armed with rolls of quarters! You will want to bring a laundry basket or tote, plus detergent.
The university assumes no liability for losses or thefts of student property (except in the case of negligence on the part of a university employee). It is your responsibility to see that your possessions are insured, should you wish such coverage. In many cases your parent's homeowner policy will cover your possessions while at college. Also, lots of trouble can be avoided if you keep your room locked!
To avoid delays in getting your mail, have mom, friends, fan clubs and other correspondents address letters as follows:
Sadie A. Student
STREET ADDRESS # (See below)
Mansfield, PA 16933-1623
Street addresses for the halls are as follows:
So, if you live in Hickory, and your PO Box number is 25, your address is:
Sadie A. Student
66 Morris Drive #25
Mansfield, PA 16933
The university requires all students to live on campus. Exceptions to this rule are made in cases of student teaching, graduation, withdrawal, or living with parents. Students moving off campus without permission are billed for room and board. Requests for exemption must be in writing and submitted to the Residence Life Office. Your housing and dining charges will not be taken off your account until your exemption has been approved.
We love animals as much as you do, but a residence hall is no place for them. So with the exception of fish in reasonably sized tanks, pets are prohibited.
We all expect that new members of the Mansfield family will have questions (we had them when we were new); don't hesitate to ask even if you think your question isn't anything special. There are people around (RA's, GA's and Residence Directors) who are itching to answer them for you.
The possessor of this title is a professional employee of the university with a background in counseling. He or she carries much of the responsibility for the operation of the hall you live in. The Residence Director works with the RA's, hall council and Residence Life Office on programs and improvements in the hall. But mostly he or she is interested in knowing and helping you. The Residence Director is a full-time professional with a master's degree prepared to help you. Utilize the Residence Director's skills whenever you have a problem your RA can't solve.
At the beginning of each year you will elect representatives to the Residence Hall Association which allocates funds to individual buildings, provides activities for all resident students, suggests changes in residence hall policies and serves as the voice of the resident students. Residence hall government at Mansfield University is very active and needs your interest and support to stay that way.
LAUREL is a 500-bed hall with two wings of four and six floors each. This corridor style building offers standard double rooms, large multi-purpose lounge areas, floor study rooms, recreation areas, and project rooms. In addition, the upper floors of Laurel offer a spectacular view of the beautiful Tioga river valley. Laurel B-side is housing for the Greek community.
MAPLE is a 500-bed twin wing building housing freshmen men and women in a co-ed arrangement with alternating floors. Each wing is comprised of standard double rooms with study and TV lounges on each floor. The one-story common area which joins the two wings together houses the recreation areas, large study carrel area, lobby and offices. It offers a wide variety of programs for both male and female residents.
Coordinating the flurry of activity that is residence life is (you guessed it) the Residence Life Office. The office hires staff, supports physical improvements in the halls, provides assistance with hall programming, handles discipline, counsels students, coordinates maintenance, and otherwise takes responsibility for everything connected with on-campus living. The Housing Operation is an integral part of the RLO that oversees room assignments, changes, and custodial services. The office welcomes suggestions and takes your complaints seriously, so speak up! (We also accept compliments).
A Resident Assistant (RA) is a person who cares about others, and is interested in you. An RA is a student like you who is hired by the Residence Life Office to provide information to campus residents, to see that hall regulations are upheld, to provide and support hall activities, and most of all to help you with problems and questions. Get to know your RA. He or she has been carefully selected as a person who cares about others, and is interested in you.
Room assignments are made in the spring for returning students and over the summer for new students. This is a difficult and time consuming process for the Housing Office, so requests for room changes are not met with cheers from us, (or the computer center, or the phone company, or all the departments on campus who want to know where you live). So, requests for room changes should be based on absolute desperation, not on the color of your room, or the snoring of your roommate. All the harried offices on campus will thank you for it. All room changes are done during the second and third weeks of each semester.
Most all people living in residence halls have roommates. They can be fun, they can teach you things, and they may wind up to be your very best friends. But you have to give the same in return. A roommate is a person too, and needs your understanding. If you have a gripe about your roommate, don't complain to the kid next door; talk to your roommate and try to work it out. Part of your education is learning to get along with others. You don't learn this by asking to change rooms the first time your roommate looks at you cross-eyed. Roommates are one of the most challenging and rewarding college experiences. Think about it!
The following things are not allowed in your room: open flames of any kind including incense and candles, firearms and other weapons, ammunition, darts, explosives or highly combustible materials. Firearms can be kept in the University Police Office if you are a hunter. Due to fire regulations, personal items are not allowed in the hallways or stairways.
Any off-campus organization wishing to sell on campus may do so with the written approval of the Associate V.P. for Residence Life. Beware of any off-campus concern which calls you and asks you to sponsor its selling program on campus. Their offers of free gifts may sound tempting, but many of these outfits are trying to sell at inflated prices that in the end will wipe out the value of your “free gift.”
The university reserves the right to enter and search student rooms, but in all cases, tries to respect the privacy of students. Rooms will be entered only with probable cause, and searches are made (very rarely) in cases relating to health or safety. In the case of entry and searches, we make every effort to have the resident present. The university may also enter rooms for maintenance purposes, or occasionally, on matters relating to the comfort or safety of others, for example, to close a window, turn down a stereo, etc.
The hours of 8 p.m. - 10 a.m. are designated as study/quiet times in all residence halls. During all other hours, however, you are expected to be considerate of others. In a residence hall noise carries easily and so, for the comfort of everyone, keep it down.
Land lines are no longer available in the residence halls due to the overwhelming popularity of cell phones. Should you not have a cell phone, you can request a land line in your room, payable by the semester. Stop in the Residence Life Office and we will get you set up with a land line. You will need to have your own phone if you choose this option.
All students are required to vacate the halls during university vacations. Exact dates and times of hall closings are published before vacations. Before leaving your room, get rid of perishable food (empty out that microfridge, please), unplug everything, close windows, and lock your door.
Visitation by the opposite sex in a residence hall is determined by current residence life policies and the wishes of the people living in the hall. Normally, surveys of the building residents are taken at the beginning of the year by hall councils, and proposals for specific hours and regulations are made by the council to the Residence Life Office. In the case of co-ed buildings (Cedarcrest, Maple, Laurel, and Pinecrest) visitation by residents of that building is allowed at any time.
The following general regulations regarding visitation apply in all buildings:
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