BSU Ranks #4 Nationally in Campus Safety
Bridgewater State University's ongoing commitment to student safety has earned BSU a #4 national ranking. With facilities on-call 24/7 and BSU Residential Safety and Student Security Officers located in residential buildings, you can take solace knowing help is there when you need it, any time of day and night.
Residence Life and Housing Staff
The Office of Residence Life & Housing, comprised of full-time professional and administrative staff in addition to part-time student employees, responds to the needs of the resident population.
Area Coordinators (ACs) and Resident Directors (RDs) are full-time, live-in professional staff members trained to effectively deal with issues of student life and residence hall administration. ACs and RDs are responsible for the quality of life in their assigned hall and supervise a student staff of resident assistants. ACs and RDs participate in a duty rotation, beginning at 5 p.m. when the offices close and remain accessible until the next day at 9 a.m. when the offices reopen.
Resident Assistants (RAs) are students chosen for their leadership and interpersonal skills. RAs live in the halls and provide support on a variety of subjects ranging from personal and academic concerns to conflict mediation and program implementation. At least one RA is on duty in each residence hall every evening beginning at 7 p.m. and remains available until the next day at 7 a.m.
Residence Security
All residence halls are secured at all times. Access is monitored 16 hours a day, 11 a.m.–3 a.m., by full-time Institutional Security Officers (ISOs) at Shea, Durgin, Woodward, Scott Halls and the Great Hill Student Apartments. Student Security Officers (SSOs) work at the entrance of all other halls from 5 p.m.–2 a.m.
Security Staff register guests and ensure community safety. Resident students must present their Connect Card each time they enter. Items brought into the residence halls are subject to inspection.
BSU students who do not live in the building must be signed in and present their Connect Card to enter as guests. Non-students, including family and friends, must be signed in and present a valid photo identification from either a passport, state ID, Military ID, driver’s license, or liquor ID or they may be denied entrance.
All guests must submit a one-time online guest registration form prior to their first visit. Students looking to host a guest(s) can speed up the sign-in process by pre-signing in their guest(s) through their My Housing account.
What do I do and where do I go when the fire alarm sounds in the residence hall?
Everyone in a residence hall needs to evacuate when the fire alarm sounds. Be sure to use all exits when evacuating the residence halls, including emergency exits and the main entrance. No one may re-enter the building until directed to do so by university officials or the police department. Even if an alarm stops sounding students must wait for university officials to allow re-entry into the building.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited on campus, including in the residence halls.
Room Inspections
Rooms will be inspected for health, safety and security reasons on a periodic basis and prior to each break period, by a RLH staff member, with or without notice or the presence of residents. During inspections: The standards for the maintenance of residence hall space and furniture will be evaluated and the resident(s) may be required to remove, correct or make other necessary changes to meet university safety and building maintenance guidelines. Prohibited items may be confiscated, which may result in a referral to the Office of Community Standards.
Occupants of rooms or apartments not found to be in acceptable condition will be charged a fee to cover cleaning costs. The university reserves the right to immediately terminate the residence hall license agreement of any of the occupants whose room or apartment has excessive damage or loss. During inspections, if an unusual situation arises or if there is suspicion of illegal use of the room (i.e. to store stolen goods, alcohol or other drugs) the situation may be reported to university police and may result in a referral to the Office of Community Standards.
When will the bathrooms be cleaned?
Each building has a bathroom cleaning schedule. The schedules can be found on the residence hall info pages. Please keep in mind that the maintainers cannot touch personal belongings, each bathroom should be cleared of personal belongings before the maintainers enter to clean.
What if something breaks in my room during the semester?
Students can submit a work order through our work order request system. Work orders can be submitted for such things as light bulb that has burned out, furniture malfunction, or any problem encountered in a space. Facilities Management may be contacted at 508.531.1296, Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m and Saturday from 8:45 a.m.–5 p.m.
If it is an emergency, please contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing at 508.531.1277, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. After 11 p.m. and on weekends, call the BSU Police Department at 508.531.1212.
Do I need personal property insurance while living on-campus?
Bridgewater State University’s residence hall license agreement states that the 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. Every year, students lose property for a number of reasons, including theft, water damage and fire. Even if you have coverage under your family’s homeowners’ or tenants’ policies, you may want the broader coverage and lower deductibles available with student property insurance. For more information about coverage, available policies and to apply for insurance, see CSI Insurance Company’s website at collegestudentinsurance.com or call 888.411.4911.