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Frequently Asked Questions

The Office of Residence Life and Housing is always available to answer your questions regarding campus life and housing. Below are questions frequently asked of our staff.

New Students:

All new students will select their housing assignment in mid-July.

First Year students can live in Shea, Durgin, Scott, Pope​, and Woodward halls.  There are occasions​ when first year student could be assigned to another residence hall​ on campus.

Explore our residence halls online.

The Residence Hall License Agreement is second step for student to complete, after submitting a housing deposit.  The Residence Hall License Agreement is found in each students' MyHousing account.  Student should read the entire license agreement because it contains policies and expectations for resident students, by signing the license agreement you are agreeing to these terms.  In the license agreement student will also select their meal plan, more information about meal plans can be found on the Parking and Connect Card site​
Yes, you may request a specific roommate, as long as you are in the same room selection process.  Requests may be submitted on the Personal Preferences section of the Residence Hall License Agreement and must be mutual (All parties involved must make the request). 
Help is available in the Office of Residence Life and Housing via phone 508.531.1277 or email at reslife@bridgew.edu.  The office is open Monday through Friday 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Current resident students who have paid a $250 housing deposit and completed the required Residence Hall License Agreement by the stated deadline.
All eligible students are randomly assigned a selection time by class year and gender.
You may take as long as you like. but be aware that the next numbers will also be activated at regular intervals.
You may select at any time after your selection time.
You may submit an online room change request form during the room change period. If you are assigned to an additional occupancy room, you will receive special instructions regarding the additional occupancy shuffling process in mid-September. Every effort is made to accommodate requests, but there is no guarantee that your request will be honored.
A "permanent" or "design" room is a room that is always intended to house a designated number of students. For example, a permanent triple room is always intended to house three students and has furniture for all three students. In some buildings, larger built-in closets are shared by the residents.
"Additional occupancy"​ is a temporary situation where an additional student is placed in a design double room. An additional bed is placed in each of these rooms to accommodate the additional occupant. For new students assignments into additional occupancy are made according to the date of application to the University (the earlier the application, the less likely you will be placed into additional occupancy).  Students assigned to these spaces receive a 20% rebate on the housing costs for the period of additional occupancy.
Through experience we know that a number of students will not arrive at opening or will leave during the first semester. As design spaces become available, students living in additional occupancy rooms are offered permanent spaces. Assignment into available space from additional occupancy space is made based on date of application to the University. Traditionally all students in additional occupancy rooms have been offered permanent spaces by the beginning of the second semester.
If a student decides not to live on campus, they should notify our office. Students who choose to withdraw​​ from housing before moving in will forfeit their $250 deposit, but will have their housing charges credited to their account according to the refund schedule. Students who wish to leave housing after moving in must check-out of their room and petition to be released from the Residence Hall License Agreement and if granted, will receive a partial refund, the $250 deposit is forfeit. Please refer to the student handbook for specifics.
Every student is responsible for checking out of their room/suite/apartment when they move out.  Student need to check out with a Residence Life and Housing staff member, this includes RAs, RDs, and ACs.  RAs are on duty every night in every building in the RA office from 7pm-12am.  If a student is moving out and needs to check-out outside of the RA duty hours they will need to make arrangements ahead of time with the RD or AC in their building​.  Student also have the option to complete and Express Check Out Form​​ and return it to the Residence Life and Housing office in 100 DiNardo Hall.  If students do not check out there will be a $35 improper check out fee assessed.  

View the residence hall living costs. Students living in the residence halls are required to have a meal plan. Apartments residents are not required to have a meal plan. Residents are also required to pay a ResNet fee and a Resident Student Activity Fee each semester. A complete list of fees and the refund policy are available in the student handbook.

We have collected information for students joining BSU from other countries.  All the information on our website is important to know, but this section is made specifically for International and/or Exchange Students. ​
We have collected some useful tips and resources about living with a roommate and working through shared space use and conflicts when they arise on the Living in Community page. You can also reach our to the RAs, RDs, or ACs when you are on campus, they have all been training in conflict resolution.
We have collected some useful tips and resources​ for parents and families to help their student while living on-campus. You can also reach out to the office for advise 508.531.1277.

Students living in the Inclusive Scholars Theme Community (ISTC) agree to foster a living environment that promotes kindness and acceptance of other’s differences. Students living in the ISTC will live with the exceptional students in BSU's EXCEL Program, which provides students with intellectual/developmental disabilities the opportunity to have a college experience. The ISTC encourages all participants to support each other in growth towards increased independence, social development and academic confidence.

Learn more about the program.

Rooms:

Most rooms in Shea and Durgin Halls are approximately 15 feet by 11 feet. Most rooms in Woodward Hall are approximately 14 feet by 14 feet.  Most rooms in Scott Hall are approximately 15 feet by 13 feet.   If you plan on bringing a rug it should be small enough to not interfere with the sweep of the door. We recommend purchasing a 6' x 9' rug.
We have a suggested packing list for residential students.  You will see we highlight a few of the prohibited items on this list.  For a full list of prohibited items see the Student Handbook.
Each room is furnished with extra-long twin beds, dressers, desks with chairs, closets and bookshelves. Rooms designated as "additional occupancy" have one extra bed.
Unfortunately, this cannot be arranged. There are summer programs that use the residence halls during the summer months.
Each student is required to complete a Room Condition Report (RCR) with an RLH staff member, typically an RA in the building.  The RCR is a form each student has the opportunity to view as they move in, it lists every piece of furniture and the physical room sturctures, and see what conditions/damages are already present in the room/suite/apartment.  The RCR is then used after a student moves out to determine the damages that occured during their stay.  Students are responsible for an damages that occur in the entire space during their stay, damages are assessed after students move-out by an AC or RD.  
All three services are part of the ResNet (Resident Network) program. A fee, separate from a resident student's housing fee, provides unlimited local dialing, call waiting, voice mail, reduced long-distance charges, cable television, premium sports, music, and movie channels, Residence Life Cinema, high speed internet access, and wireless internet access.  Information about ResNet will be provided with your assignment information. Specific questions can be directed to the ResNet Hotline at 508.531.7999 or E-Mail at resnet@bridgew.edu.
All resident students receive​ mail at Mail Services​.  All correspondence sent to resident students must be addressed in this way:

Student Name
45 School Street c/o Mail Services
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA 02325

Student Services:

Each residence hall has laundry facilities in it. These services are made available by an outside contractor, MacGray. A phone number is listed on each machine. Broken machines and refund requests should be reported directly to this number. The number for laundry related problems is 1-800-MAC-GRAY.

LaundryView​ is also available for residents. LaundryView is an online service provided by MacGray where students can track the availability of washers and driers in their building in real time. You can access LaundryView at any time here or using the BSU mobile app.​

As a resident student there are several things you can do to keep the facilities running smoothly in your room. Below are several tips that you can utilize.

Sprinklers and Smoke Detectors

It is very important that you never hang items from sprinklers in the residence halls. Doing so may activate the sprinkler, leading to a flood. Smoke detectors are also very sensitive. Do not hang anything from them or cover them in any way.

Heat

Each residence hall room has its own thermostat control and you and your roommate can control your own room temperature. Make sure that you leave your heating vents clear of any furniture. Placing furniture directly in front of the vents does not allow the air to circulate and your rooms will not heat properly.

Communication between you and your roommate is important in maintaining a comfortable temperature in your room. For example, if one roommate is hot and opens a window, this will only make the heater turn on even stronger.

Electricity

Power outages are rare on campus, but they do happen occasionally. Sometimes, they are due to bad weather or a problem on campus or in the community. When this occurs, just be patient; it will be fixed as soon as possible.

More often however, power outages occur because a fuse is blown. Outlets are overloaded far too often, leading to dangerous situations that place everyone at risk. Electrical problems are one of the leading causes of fires in residence halls.

There are several things you can do to use electricity safely:

  • Use power strips rather than extension cords. Extension cords cannot handle the power needed for most appliances in your room.
  • Give your outlet space! Don't cram furniture or other items against the outlet. Doing so can lead to bend cords and damaged wires.

Bugs

Bugs are a fact of life, but there are things you can do to prevent bugs from making your room their home:

  • Keep your room clean! Bugs will migrate to food, so if you do not clean up your floor and take out your trash, you will likely have a bug problem.
  • Keep your window screens in place.

Connect ​Card

Your Connect Card should be carried with you at all times. Being locked out of your residence hall room is never convenient for you or RLH staff.

If you are locked out, locate a Resident Assistant who will let you into your room upon verifying​ with the roster. If you have lost your Connect Card or it has been stolen, report it immediately to your Resident Director. Residents will be billed for a costs associated with changing room lock.

And a word to the wise... Never  prop your door open especially when you or your roommate are not in your room, even if you just step out for a few minutes.

Each building has a bathroom cleaning schedule. The schedules can be found on the building pages​. Please keep in mind that the maintainers can not touch personal belongings, each bathroom should be cleared of personal belongings before the maintainers enter to clean.
Students can submit a work order through our work order request system of School Dude​. Work orders can be submitted for such things as light bulb burned out, furniture malfunction​, or any problem encountered in a room. If it is an emergency please contact The Office of Residence Life and Housing at 508.531.1277 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, or BUS PD after hours and over the weekend at 508.531.1212.
For student participating in a BSU sponsored study abroad program you will need to follow the steps on the study abroad website to be sure you complete all paperwork and let Residence Life and Housing know you are leaving and when you are coming back to housing.
Twenty-four hour security is provided in Scott, Pope, Woodward, Shea and Durgin Halls as well as the Great Hill Student Apartments. Other halls have student security officers staffing the entrances to the halls from 5 PM - 2 AM daily. Additionally, all residence halls are equipped with a card access system which only allows access to the residence halls by the residents of that hall. Residents will present their ID, known as the Connect Card, upon entering the building, ensuring only authorized persons gain entrance.
Everyone in a residence hall needs to evacuate when the fire alarm sounds. You will find more instructions and meeting locations on the Residence Life and Housing intranet site. Be sure to use all exits when evacuating the residence halls, including emergency exits and the main entrance.​
The Resident Assistant or RA is the first person a student should contact if they are having problems on campus. Resident Assistants are student leaders who live with the resident students and are selected and trained to help establish a healthy residence community. They either assist directly or provide referrals for questions or concerns with academics, safety and security, physical or mental health, and other topics which are a part of living on-campus. The next level of support is the Area Coordinators (AC) and Resident Director (RD). ACs and RDs are full-time, professional staff that work and live in the buildings. They supervise student staff and are responsible for the overall management or the residence hall(s) to which they are assigned. Students having difficulty on campus can also come to the Office of Residence Life and Housing, located in DiNardo​ Hall, Room 100. The telephone number is 508.531.1277.
You will select your meal plan each semester and have the first five days from the official first day of classes of each semester to change your meal plan selection if you choose to do so. Only one change allowed per semester. You can do so in MyHousing​ or by contacting the Parking and Connect Card Office.
Our license agreement states that Bridgwater State University is not responsible for personal property owned by resident students. To assist you in managing the risk of loss of your personal property, we have partnered with CSI Insurance Company to offer information about student property insurance. We urge you to consider this type of coverage for your personal property. Even if you have coverage under your family's homeowners' or tenants' policies, you may want the broader coverage with lower deductibles that is available with student property insurance. For more information about coverage and available policies, see CSI Insurance Company's website​ or call 888.411.4911. In order to effect coverage, you must apply to CSI Insurance Company.

The Office of Residence Life and Housing offers break housing during each semester break for current resident students who meet the application criteria. We also offer summer housing during the two summer sessions.

If you have any questions about Break Housing, please contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing at 508.531.1277 or reslife@bridgew.edu.

Fall Early Arrival

Any BSU student living on campus in the fall with a room assignment and a class schedule is eligible to move in early, starting in late August, at a cost of $35 per day.

Winter Break Housing

Current on-campus residents can request to remain in their room during the winter break, at a cost of $35 per day.

Spring Break Housing

Current on-campus residents can request to remain in their room during the spring break, at a cost of $315 for the week. Please note: Anyone staying for academic reasons will not be charged as long as we can verify it with a BSU faculty or staff member.

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