Residence Halls

As if a bunch of new classes and a complete change in your home and social life weren't enough to make you anxious, there's this whole matter of residence halls -- and roommates. If you're like most first-year students, you probably have a steady stream of questions running through your mind. "What's my roommate going to be like? What if we don't get along? When will I find out where I'm living? What should I do to get ready?" And so on. But worry not. We've prepared a list of answers to the most common questions about residence-hall life to ease your mind and streamline your preparations. Choose from the list below or visit the Community Living website for more information:

How do you assign roommates?

Roommate assignments are made based on the preference cards you filled out and returned with your deposit. We divide them up based on gender first (no, there are no co-ed rooms), and then we match them up by hand according to other interests and personal issues (neat vs. messy, morning person vs. evening person, and so on).

When will I find out who I'm living with?

You'll get your room and roommate assignment in late July, along with information about Microfridge rentals, computer specifications, and the residence hall calendar. We encourage you to get in touch with your new roommate(s) as soon as possible to coordinate furniture and amenity issues and begin negotiating your expectations about your living experience and the use of the room. The more you can work out at the beginning of your relationship, the better you'll get along down the line.

I hope I get along with my roommate, but what if I don't?

First of all, make sure you give this new living arrangement a chance. It's never easy adjusting to the habits of a new roommate, but give it time and don't come into it expecting the worst. We work hard to assign roommates who we think will make a good match, and most times it works out just fine. If you do run into problems, try to work it out between the two of you first. If that doesn't work, you should go first to your CA, and, if necessary, to the professional staff in the Community Living Office. Because we want to make sure everyone has an ample opportunity to get to know one another, we freeze the room assignments for the first three weeks of the fall semester. If things don't end up working out satisfactorily after that, you may request to be moved to another room on campus.

Where am I going to live?

You will be assigned to one of the following six buildings. Five of the six halls are divided into smaller houses. Here's a little bit of information about each:

Stimson Hall includes Conner, Lewis, Probst, Wagner, and Winslow Houses. This is the largest hall and houses the Stimson Dining Hall, Kosher Dining Hall, and Bon Appetit Dining Services Office.

Froelicher Hall includes Alcock, Gallagher, and Tuttle Houses. Froelicher houses the Thormann International Techology and Media Center, the Academic Center for Excellence, and the Writing Center.

Mary Fisher Hall includes Bacon, Dulaney, and Hooper Houses. It also houses the Pearlstone Student Center, which includes the Pearlstone Café, Gopher Hole Coffee House, Student Activities Office, student government and club office areas, Bookstore, Commuter Lounge, Post Office, and game room.

Heubeck Hall includes Bennett, Robinson, Gamble, and Jeffrey Houses. The Office of Public Safety and the Office of Community Living are both located on the ground floor of Heubeck.

The Healthy Living House, Sondheim Hall, is a substance-free community, offering programs that celebrate healthy lifestyle choices. All students living in the house must sign a statement agreeing to abide by the substance-free rules (no alcohol, smoking, or illicit drug use). This house is an all-suite community. While the house is co-ed, the suites are single-sex.

The New Residence Hall combines apartments, suite-style accommodations, and the Language House. Apartments will be reserved for upper-class students who will be admitted through an application process. Suites are two double-occupancy rooms connected by a shared bathroom space. This building will have several common areas, as well as a classroom space and apartments for staff and faculty.

What's the deal with these "houses," anyway?

We want you to develop a sense of community among the people with whom you live, so we divide our larger residence halls into houses that each govern themselves under the leadership of House Presidents (HPs). Elected by the residents each spring, HPs lead house meetings, help the house develop a living agreement, and organize social and recreational activities. HPs assist with house elections and serve as liaisons to Residence Life.

What can I expect to find in my room when I get to Goucher?

Each student room comes furnished with a dresser, bed, desk, chair, Venetian blinds, and overhead lighting. You should get together with your roommate to discuss the other items you think you'll want or need (see "What should I bring?").

Every room is wired for a single cable television connection. Each room is also wired for access to Goucher's data network that provides one 10MB Ethernet port for every student.

Each room also includes a separate telephone line for each resident (but you have to bring your own phone). The college provides voice-mail service for free, and there is no monthly fee or service charge for local service. Long-distance service is provided by PaeTech Communications for no service charge, and you will be billed directly for the each call you make.

What else is there in the residence halls?

There is a commons room or lounge in each house, which can be a great place to hang out with friends, study, or watch TV. Commons rooms are generally equipped with sofas, chairs, tables, and televisions.

Most houses have a kitchen area for light food preparation. Kitchens generally have a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Some houses have microwave ovens purchased by the house members. It is your responsibility to clean up after you use the kitchen.

All halls also include study areas, vending machines, and card-operated laundry facilities. Mary Fisher and Heubeck Halls also include music practice rooms.

The bulletin boards in each residence hall lobby are usually filled with posters about events on and off campus, notices from the various student-life areas, and other information. Each individual floor has a bulletin board that resident assistants and house presidents use to keep students informed of current events, housing issues, and Baltimore and community agency resources.

What should I bring?

You’re about to move into your new home! You’ll need to bring necessities such as clothing and toiletries, but you probably will want to bring a few items to personalize your space and make it comfortable. We hope the lists below will help you decide what to bring and what to leave at home. As you’re making these decisions, please keep in mind that you’ll have a roommate who will be bringing a carload of belongings as well. Rarely does a student regret bringing too little to school, but come May you (and possibly your family) may regret bringing too much! Make sure you communicate with your roommate about large items (such as televisions and stereos) to decide what each individual can contribute to the room. Also, if you aren’t sure if an item is allowed in the residence halls, please feel free to call us at 410-337-6424 for more information. Happy packing!

Important items to bring to Check-In:

  • alarm clock
  • calendar/organizer
  • desk lamp
  • flashlight
  • FunTack (white only please!) or other adhesive that will not damage walls
  • hangers
  • laundry basket & supplies
  • linens/blankets (extra long twin)
  • pillows
  • seasonal clothing & shoes
  • surge protector
  • telephone (one phone line is provided per person)
  • toilet paper (if living in the New House)
  • toiletries
  • towels
  • umbrella

Optional items to bring to Check-In

  • bike and lock
  • can opener
  • cleaning supplies
  • computer
  • hair dryer/curling iron
  • kitchen utensils & dishes
  • message board (for inside room -- dry erase/bulletin boards provided on each door)
  • office supplies (pens, paper, scissors, etc.)
  • plants
  • posters (no nails please!)
  • reading glasses/contacts
  • small sewing kit
  • snacks
  • sports equipment
  • storage containers (for food, clothes, etc.)
  • iPods/headphones

Items to discuss with your roommate:

  • area rug, approx. 9 ft. X 12 ft. (all room floors are tile)
  • games or game systems
  • hot pot/coffee pot (automatic shut-off only!)
  • iron (automatic shut-off only!)
  • small ironing board
  • small fan
  • small refrigerator (4 cubic ft. or less) or Microfridge unit (available through King Rental for purchase or rent)
  • stereo
  • television
  • trash can (small)
  • vacuum
  • VCR/DVD

Items to leave at home:

  • air conditioner
  • candles
  • cinder blocks (plastic risers available for purchase on campus)
  • cooking appliances (without auto shut-off)
  • electric blankets
  • electric heaters
  • halogen lamps
  • heat/sun lamps
  • hot plates
  • hot pots
  • immersion heaters
  • incense
  • kerosene heaters
  • microwave ovens
  • pets (fish and small birds are permitted)
  • toasters/toaster ovens
  • wall nails
  • weapons/knives

Who can I go to with questions and concerns?

There are a number of staff members and systems in place to help you find the answers to your questions and address your concerns. Your first and closest resource in the residence halls is your Community Assistant (CA), a student who lives on the hall and serves as a peer advisor and primary contact point between students and the Community Living staff. CA's organize educational programming in the halls, work with roommates who experience conflicts, provide documentation of policy violations, and serve as liaisons to Facilities Management Services and academic channels.

The Office of Community Living is also available to assist you and discuss any concerns you have. All staff take part in conflict mediation and the adjudication of alleged policy violations, serve as short-term counselors, and can offer on- and off-campus referrals when necessary. If you need to talk to anyone on the Community Living staff, you're welcome to drop by the office on the first floor of Heubeck Hall or call 410-337-6424 (x6424 on campus).

In addition to the Community Living staff and CA's, House Council (consisting of the presidents of each house) provides leadership on residential issues and social programming, and the Student Judicial Board (a panel of students, faculty, and staff members) resolves alleged policy violations. Both House Council and the Student Judicial Board are coordinated through the Office of Community Living.

Visit the Community Living website for more information.