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Residential Services Frequently Asked Questions

General

Housing Assignment

Room Basics

Tripling

Cable TV, E-Mail, Network Connectivity, Voicemail, and Long Distance

General

Does SUNY Cortland have an on-campus housing requirement?

All new freshmen are required to live in on-campus housing for their freshman and sophomore years (or four semesters). Sophomore and junior transfers arriving in the fall have a one-year (or two-semester) housing requirement. On-campus housing is not guaranteed for juniors and seniors, however, we have been able to provide housing for juniors and seniors who request it.

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Are there any exceptions to the on-campus housing requirement?
Yes, the following students are excepted from the SUNY Cortland on campus housing requirement:

    1. Students commuting from home who live within a 60-mile radius of SUNY Cortland.
      * Please note that students who choose to move on campus instead of commuting, have a full one-year or two semester on campus requirement.
    2. Students 21 years of age by September 1 for Fall semesters, or January 1 for Spring semesters.
      * Please note that students who are 21 and choose to live on campus, have a full one-year or two semester on campus requirement.
    3. Married students, or students with children.
    4. Students who are veterans.

Please contact the Residential Services Office if you fall into any of these categories.

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Are freshmen allowed to have cars on campus?

Freshmen can have cars on campus and are required to park in the Route 281 lot. All cars must be registered with University Police and must display a parking permit sticker. Visit the University Police Parking Web site for additional information.

What is the smoking policy in the residence halls?

All residence halls on campus are smoke-free. This means that no one is permitted to smoke anywhere within the residence halls, immediately outside, or in the entranceways to the building, and within 20 feet of the residence halls.

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What does restricted visitation mean?

When you sign up for restricted visitation, you must have all visitors and guests leave your room by midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and by 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Am I required to purchase a meal plan?

Yes, all students who sign up for on-campus housing (inclusive of the Leadership House) are required to purchase a meal plan. Students assigned to the West Campus apartments do not receive a meal plan unless they request one. Meal plan information is available at the ASC Web site.

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Housing Assignment

Are the residence halls co-ed?

At SUNY Cortland, all of the residence halls are co-ed. Most low rises are co-ed by floor, which means that usually half of a floor is male and the other half is female. Double rooms are occupied by two students of the same gender (sex). Co-ed floors have a female-designated and male-designated bathroom.

What if I want a single room?

The Residential Services Office uses the information on the new student housing form to create a waiting list for the designed singles on campus. Students must agree to pay the higher cost for a single. Spaces are filled using seniority and date of deposit and date of submittal of the housing preference form.

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How can I request medical or disability accommodations?

SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Student Disability Services Office located in Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-1 at (607) 753-2066. Information regarding your disability will remain confidential and will only be divulged with your knowledge/permission. If you require housing accommodations, you must put your request in to the Student Disability Services Office and they will contact the Residential Services Office with a recommendation.

Can I arrive early?

Students must follow the opening arrival schedule. Any variations from this schedule will require you to fill out the online early arrival request for advance approval to arrive early. Please note that the early arrival fee is $50 per night for the 2005-2006 academic year.

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Can I get my room deposit back?

New students have until May 1 to request their deposit back. New students accepted after May 1 have 30 days from the payment date to request their deposit back.

Will I be placed with a freshman?

In general, freshmen are assigned in a room with freshmen, and transfers are assigned in a room with other transfers, or with returning students.

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When will I find out my housing information?

You will be receiving roommate, hall and room assignment information the first week in August.

What information will I receive about my housing assignment before I arrive on campus?

Students will receive their hall assignment and room number before they arrive on campus. Additionally, students will receive the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email address (if possible) no later than the first week of August. Once the information is distributed, students will also be able to obtain this information on the Banner Web Housing Page For Students. Please note: The housing and roommate assignments are subject to change up until Opening Day.

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Can I change halls or roommates?

Most hall or roommate changes will have to wait until the beginning of the following semester. Any room change requests should be discussed with your hall director. Requests to move to special interest housing, Shea Wellness, Shea Substance-free, Over-21 floors and Quiet floor can be made as space becomes available.

Can I choose my own roommate after the May 31st deadline?

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate roommate requests received after the May 31 deadline. The deadline enables us to finalize the housing assignment process in order to get roommate information out to all students.

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Room Basics

What comes with my room?

Provided: Bed, mattress (33" x 80"), dresser, desk, desk chair, closet space, mirror, floor lamp, window blinds, recycling bucket.

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What you should bring?

Sheets (extra long)/ except for West Campus, mattress pad, blankets, pillow, towels, study lamp, metal wastebasket, telephone, UL-approved multi-plug outlet with built-in circuit breaker.

Can I bring my own furniture?
Due to fire safety concerns and very minimal storage space on campus, students are not permitted to bring their own furniture into the residence halls. This includes bed frames, mattresses, waterbeds, stuffed furniture, or other items. Exceptions include bean bag chairs, papa'san chairs and inflatable furniture.

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What is the size of my room for carpets/drapes?
The window sizes vary in each hall. Blinds are provided in all student rooms. A standard carpet size for all double rooms is 9'x12'.

Can a loft be built before I arrive?
A loft request form must be on file, and the loft must be approved by the Residential Services Office prior to construction. Students must follow the specific SUNY regulations for construction.

Loft Request Form (PDF)

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Are bed-risers available? Bed-risers, which are extenders that attach to the bed frame and which provide more storage space under the bed, are available on all beds in the residence halls. Many of the residence halls have adjustable frames that permit the placement of dressers under the bed. Note: Use of cinder blocks or store purchased bed risers is not permitted in residence halls.

Am I permitted to bring a refrigerator?

If you are bringing your own refrigerator, each room is allowed one refrigerator that is UL-approved with three-pronged plug, tight-fitting door gasket and unfrayed feeder line. The maximum size for student refrigerators is 5.0 cubic feet. Refrigerators must be inspected by staff at check-in. Microfridges, a microwave-refrigerator-freezer combination, the only approved microwave for student rooms, are available to rent from ASC.

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Tripling at SUNY Cortland

SUNY Cortland provides two types of triples. 

Designed Triple:

Cheney and DeGroat Halls have some rooms that are larger than a standard double room and are designed to accommodate three students.  Students who reside in these “designed triple” rooms will not receive a triple refund. 

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Mandated Triple in a Double:

Mandated triples have three students assigned to share a standard size double room. Students in mandated triples will receive a triple refund for the number of days tripled.

Will I be Tripled?

It will be necessary to triple many new freshman students this fall due to an increase in the number of freshmen choosing to attend Cortland, as well as an increase in the number of returning students choosing to remain on campus for their junior and senior years. 

How is tripling determined?

The date your housing deposit is received, submission date of your housing preference form, the specific housing preferences you requested, and housing availability are the determining factors for tripling.

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How long will I be in a Triple?

The housing staff begins de-tripling during the summer, and will continue to do so until all tripled students have been offered the opportunity to de-triple. 

Around half of the tripled rooms were offered the opportunity to de-triple within the first two months of the semester. 

In the past, a number of tripled students chose to remain tripled for a second semester because they enjoyed living with their two new friends!

What is De-tripling based on?

All de-tripling is based on the date you paid the housing deposit.  The students who paid first are the first students offered the chance to de-triple!

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Where will I be moved?

We will make every effort to keep students in the same residence hall they are living in, but tripled students are also informed of openings in other buildings.

Do I get a Triple Refund?

Students in a tripled room receive a 20% refund of the room charge for the number of days they are tripled.  If you choose to remain in a triple after you are offered the chance to move out, you will sign a voluntary triple form and will not receive the 20% refund after the date you are offered to move out of your triple.  The Triple refund is issued after the student has been de-tripled. 

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Cable TV, E-Mail, Network Connectivity, Voicemail, and Long Distance

Do the rooms have cable TV?

Every residence hall room is equipped with two cable TV outlets. Because this service is includedd as part of the room chard, no extra charges are accessed. TVs and cable cords are not provided in the residence hall rooms. Each residence hall has a TV in a lounge for community use.

Do I get an email account?

Every SUNY Cortland student is given a SUNY Cortland e-mail account which all campus offices use to send students important information regarding billing, refunds, registration, housing, etc. For information on computer services for students, visit the Technology Help Center.

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Is there a computer hook-up?
Each residence hall room is equipped with two outlets for computer network connection and access to the Internet. In the event that you are tripled, a mini-hub will be provided by Residential Services so that all three residents may access the network simultaneously. Students will need to purchase an ethernet card and cable (available in the bookstore) to be able to hook up on-line, except in Glass Tower, which has wireless access.

For network connectivity from your residence hall room, visit HallNet.

Will I have voicemail?
Every residential student is given a five-digit voice mail box to receive incoming calls. This service also is included as part of the regular semester room charge. For more information, visit HallNet.

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