Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Housing & Residence Life (original) (raw)

ACCOMMODATIONS

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A HOUSING ACCOMMODATION?

All students who believe they may need housing accommodations based on a documented disability will need to complete the process approved by Student Disability Services (SDS). Housing & Residence Life will only provide housing accommodations that have been approved by Student Disability Services.

HOW CAN I RECEIVE A HOUSING ASSIGNMENT THAT IS MORE ACCOMMODATING?

We are committed to providing all students with safe and inclusive on-campus housing. Our office is proud to offer Open Housing, also known as gender-neutral/inclusive housing. All multi-occupancy spaces, except for those that are part of a single-sex floor or wing, may be occupied by students who prefer Open Housing accommodations.

Living with students of the opposite sex is a choice and not all students may be comfortable with such arrangements. No student will be assigned to such a space unless they specifically express interest. We also encourage students interested in Open Housing to discuss their preference with other individuals in their support network, including parents/guardians.

All Residence Halls are co-educational. Room- and suitemate assignments are generally made based on same biological sex; however, gender-inclusive housing options are available for students who would prefer to live within the same room with students of opposite biological sex. Additionally, each Residence Hall offers at least one floor or section dedicated to single-sex housing options.

I AM A GRADUATE STUDENT OR VISITOR AT THE UNIVERSITY. WHAT ARE MY HOUSING OPTIONS?

We only offer on-campus housing to full-time undergraduate students at The University of Chicago. Graduate students should consider Grad Housing Resources for their housing needs. Visitors and individuals seeking short-term rentals can find off-campus housing options on the Maroon Marketplace website.

HOUSING APPLICATION

CAN I CHANGE MY HOUSING APPLICATION RESPONSES?

Students may edit their housing application responses up until the housing application closes. Once the housing application has closed, students will not be permitted to make any further edits.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I FORGET TO COMPLETE MY HOUSING APPLICATION?

Students who do not complete a housing application will be assigned to any available space.

HOUSING ASSIGNMENTS

CAN I CHANGE MY HOUSING ASSIGNMENT IF I DON'T LIKE IT?

Housing assignments are considered final upon determination. Residents are permitted to request a housing assignment change during the designated change period (second week of Autumn Quarter until the start of the returning student Room Selection process) and must be submitted through the myHousing portal. Submission of request does not guarantee a future housing assignment change will occur. Requests are reviewed and processed based on submission date. The ability to offer a housing assignment change is driven by several dynamic factors, including submission date, available spaces, and individual resident housing preferences.

IS THERE A GUARANTEE THAT I WILL GET MY REQUESTED HOUSING ASSIGNMENT CHANGE?

Submission of request does not guarantee a future housing assignment change will occur. Requests are reviewed and processed based on submission date. The ability to offer a housing assignment change is driven by several dynamic factors, including submission date, available spaces, and individual resident housing preferences.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY HOUSING ASSIGNMENT?

New student housing assignment details will be available in the myHousing portal in late August. The following details will be provided to each student:

Please refrain from contacting our office to inquire about the status of your housing assignment.

FURNITURE

WHAT FURNITURE IS ALREADY SUPPLIED IN MY ROOM?

All rooms are furnished with an XL twin bed/mattress, dresser, desk, desk chair, and small recycle container and smaller garbage can. Some rooms may have additional furniture such as bookcase/wall shelves, loveseats, or armoires.

CAN I REMOVE FURNITURE PROVIDED BY UCHICAGO HOUSING & RESIDENCE LIFE?

No, you must keep all furniture provided to you in your room. Students will be held financially responsible for any provided furniture that is missing or damaged after moving out.

HOW CAN I RAISE/LOFT/ADJUST THE HEIGHT OF MY BED?

After you have moved in, you can have your bed raised/lofted/lifted/adjusted in height by filling out a maintenance request here.

MOVE IN

CAN I MOVE IN EARLY?

To ensure we have ample time to prepare the Halls and rooms for occupancy, we are unable to accommodate requests to arrive before the designated move-in period. Students requiring accommodations before their move-in date must make their own arrangements.

CAN I SEE MY ROOM BEFORE MOVING IN?

Many of our Residence Halls are used during the summer months for conference guests or students attending classes. Other Residence Halls may be going through various construction or renovation projects during the summer. For these reasons, we cannot permit students and families access to the interior portions of the Halls before moving in, but you may view panoramic tours of all room types here.

WHAT ARE THE BATHROOM FACILITIES LIKE?

Most Residence Halls have communal floor bathrooms where each floor shares a common area bathroom containing individual toilets and shower stalls cleaned by housekeeping staff. There are three bathroom options available in each House: men, women, and all-gender. Students may use the bathroom that is consistent with their gender identity. Some, but not all, Houses may also have single-user facilities, which do not have a gender designation.

Apartments and rooms in Max Palevsky Residential Commons have semi-private bathrooms that are shared amongst all occupants of the room. In these room types, the bathroom does not have a gender designation.

CAN I SHIP THINGS TO CAMPUS PRIOR TO MOVING IN?

We will begin accepting advance shipments on Monday, September 9. Items arriving prior to this date will be returned to sender. Shipments requiring a signature will be signed for by front desk or mailroom staff. Once a parcel has been processed, the recipient will receive an email to their UChicago account notifying them the parcel is ready for pick-up. During the months of September and October, the volume of parcels arriving to each residence hall is very high. This volume may result in a delay between when a parcel arrives to the residence hall and when it’s been processed and is ready for pick-up. During this period, if 48 hours have passed since a parcel arrived and a pick up email from our office has been yet been received, email housing@uchicago.edu with details about your parcel, including shipper (e.g., UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc.) and tracking number. Items that are not permitted in the residence halls will be returned to sender shortly after they have been processed. A list of these items can be found here.

PACKAGES

WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS FOR SHIPPING PACKAGES TO MY RESIDENCE HALL?

Individual parcels should weigh no more than 50 lbs. Once housing assignments have been released in mid-August, you can find your Residence Hall street address in the myHousing portal, under Current Assignment Details, or by selecting your Residence Hall from the Residential Commons tab.

CAN MY ROOMMATE PICK UP A PACKAGE FOR ME?

Packages can only be retrieved by the person to whom it was addressed. We will not release packages to individuals on behalf of someone else. Please do not give your UChicago ID to another person to retrieve your packages as we will not release it to them.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF A SHIPPING COMPANY STATES THAT MY PACKAGE HAS BEEN DELIVERED, BUT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FROM THE MAILROOM?

We may still be processing packages and have not gotten to yours yet. We ask that you wait at least 48 hours before receiving a notification from the Mailroom to retrieve your package. If you still haven’t received a notification within 48 hours of your package’s delivery, contact us via email at housing@uchicago.edu

I SHIPPED MY ITEMS TO THE RESIDENCE HALL BEFORE MOVING IN. WHERE CAN I PICK PACKAGES UP?

Items may be held at the Front Desk/Mailroom for you to pick-up after you arrive, or delivered directly to your housing assignment by department staff, depending on the overall volume of parcels by Residence Hall.

I NO LONGER LIVE IN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING, BUT MY PACKAGE WAS SHIPPED TO ONE OF THE RESIDENCE HALLS. HOW CAN I RETRIEVE MY PACKAGE?

If you are no longer an on-campus resident, your package will automatically be Returned to Sender. We do not forward packages.

HOW CAN I RETRIEVE MY PACKAGE IF I AM STILL AN ON-CAMPUS RESIDENT LIVING IN A DIFFERENT RESIDENCE HALL FROM THE ONE MY PACKAGE WAS ADDRESSED TO?

Please contact your current and former building’s Assistant Director of Operations to coordinate the retrieval of your package.

STORAGE

CAN I STORE MY BELONGINGS ON CAMPUS OUTSIDE OF MY ROOM?

There is no on-campus storage available. Students seeking storage options during the summer months, while studying abroad, or while they are on a leave of absence or suspension must make their own arrangements with a third-party vendor. We recommend students use our preferred storage vendor, Blue Crates, which offers a convenient, professional, and eco-friendly storage solution. Students are welcome to work with an alternative storage vendor of their choice; however Blue Crates is the only vendor permitted vendor escorts for in-room pick-up and delivery. Students who chose another storage vendor are required to personally meet that vendor to pick up their items prior to their departure, and must also make similar arrangements to meet the vendor to have their items delivered after moving in.

WHERE CAN I STORE MY BICYCLE?

You are not allowed to store bicycles in your own room/apartment. Limited indoor bicycle storage is available in every Residence Hall.

All bicycles left in storage during Residence Hall closings must display a luggage tag (this does not count toward the 5 tags for trunk rooms). Bikes which are left outside or around the building after the Halls close that are not registered or tagged will be considered abandoned and will be removed.

Bicycles which are locked to trees, handrails, fencing, or other inappropriate areas will be cut off and removed.

We STRONGLY encourage students to register their bicycles with the University Police (UCPD) in case of theft.

SUMMER CONFERENCES

WHAT TIME CAN I CHECK IN/OUT?

Check-in is after 2 PM CST and check-out is by 10 AM CST

HOW CAN MY GROUP RESERVE LOUNGE SPACE IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS?

House lounge spaces and common areas in the Residence Halls are able to be used by conference participants on a first come, first served basis and are not able to be reserved. There is no charge to use these spaces.

IS THERE WIRELESS INTERNET IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS, AND IF SO, HOW DOES MY GROUP ACCESS IT?

Yes. Guests can access the UChicago Guest Network. Please contact your Summer Conference Coordinator to obtain your login credential information.

ARE THERE QUIET HOURS IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS?

Yes. Quiet hours begin at 10 PM and end at 7 AM the following morning.

DO CONFERENCE GUESTS GET ACCESS TO THE HOUSE KITCHENS IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS?

Community kitchens can be used by conference participants on a first come, first served basis and are not able to be reserved. There is no charge to use these spaces. Cookware and dishware are not provided.

CAN YOU SIGN GUESTS IN TO THE RESIDENCE HALLS?

Overnight guests are not permitted in the Residence Halls. Guests are permitted from 7 AM to 10 PM. All guests must be escorted by a conference participant and must sign in and out at the Front Desk. All guests must leave by 10 PM.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CANNOT BRING WITH YOU WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HOUSING?

For safety and sanitary reasons, the following items are not allowed in the residence halls:

IS THERE A LAUNDRY FACILITY IN THE DORM?

Laundry rooms are available in each Residence Hall. Laundry machines accept quarters or credit cards (Visa, Mastercard and Discover). Laundry supplies are not provided, or for sale on site.