Residence Halls / Apartments

Residence Halls at Skidmore College are divided into two Quads:

• Northwoods Village
• Howe-Rounds Hall
• Jonsson Tower
• Wait Hall

• Scribner Village
  
• Kimball Hall
  
• McClellan Hall
• Penfield Hall
• Wiecking Hall
• Wilmarth Hall

Bathrooms
Traditional residence halls: (Howe-Rounds, Jonsson Tower, Kimball, McClellan, Penfield, Wait and Wilmarth,) have suite-style bathrooms.  This means that approximately four to six rooms share one bathroom, which includes:  two sinks, a toilet, and a shower with a door. Bathrooms are cleaned on a regular basis.  Toilet paper and hand soap are stocked in these facilities.

Wiecking Hall has communal single-sex bathrooms.  Each facility has sinks, toilets, and showers with doors.  Bathrooms are cleaned on a regular basis.  Toilet paper and hand soap are stocked in these facilities.  The Gender Neutral area has private bathrooms that are not gender specific.

Scribner Village and Northwoods Village have private bathrooms.  It is the student’s responsibility to clean their bathrooms.  Toilet paper can be picked up from a Unit Assistant apartment.

Scattered across campus are ADA compliant bathrooms that include a sink, shower and toilet.  Bathrooms are cleaned on a regular basis. Toilet paper and hand soap are stocked in these facilities. 

Cable
All residence hall rooms are wired and ready for cable, which is included in your bill.  Basic Cable is provided by Time Warner Cable, and students may upgrade their cable service if they choose.

Time Warner has set up a special Skidmore College support line. Contact them at (518) 640-8621 or by visiting their website. Please have the cable modem's MAC address ready. The MAC address is printed on the label on the top of the modem.

Cooking
Cooking is prohibited in student rooms. Each residence hall floor has a kitchen area with a refrigerator and microwave for preparing light snacks.  Wiecking Hall kitchens are equipped with stoves.  Appliances may be used in kitchen areas only; not in student rooms.  The student residents of each floor are responsible for keeping kitchenette areas in order.

Each apartment in Scribner Village and Northwoods Village is equipped with a stove and refrigerator (Northwoods also includes a microwave).  The student residents of each apartment are responsible for keeping their kitchen areas in order.

First Year Student Housing
Our goal is to house as many first year students as possible with their Scribner Seminar as part of the First Year Experience.  First year students are housed in double and triple rooms.  Seminars are posted on the Office of the First Year Experience website when they are finalized.

Incoming first year students will receive a housing questionnaire link via email in late May/early June.  Housing assignments are sent to your Skidmore email account in mid August.

Fire Safety
As in any other living situation, there is always the risk of fire.  You will find that Skidmore takes this issue very seriously.  Residence halls have periodic fire drills during the year, usually late at night.  You should always treat a fire alarm as if it were a real fire.  For safety reasons, cooking of any kind is not permitted in your room.  This includes hot plates, hot pots, microwaves, toaster ovens or any other cooking device.  Students may not light candles or burn incense in their rooms.  Tapestries or other decorations must not cover smoke and heat detectors.  In addition, halogen lamps are prohibited in residence halls due to the fire hazard they pose.  Smoking is not allowed in buildings.

Residence halls are outfitted with fire doors, and have clearly marked exits.  Student rooms have smoke detectors and/or heat detectors.

Jonsson Tower, McClellan Hall, Wilmarth Hall, Wiecking Hall and Northwoods Village are equipped with sprinklers.

In order to provide you further information regarding fire safety, there will be a "fire safety meeting" in your Residence Hall during the first weeks of classes.  All residents must attend these meetings.  Residence hall staff will provide you with the date, time, and location of this mandatory meeting.

Gender Neutral Housing
Is is the policy of Skidmore College to assign housing to students in our residence halls based on their legal sex.  As the majority of our halls are comprised of suite-style living arrangements, our policy dictates that each suite will be made up of, on average, seven students of the same legal sex who share a common bathroom amongst them.

In offering a Gender Neutral housing option, we have opened up 12 spaces for students whose needs are not met through our housing policy.  Within this space, we will house students based on the gender with which they identify and not by their legal sex.  Private, non-gender specific bathrooms are located in this space.

This option is available through the regular Room Selection process on a first come, first serve basis or by requesting it on the Housing Questionnaire.

Guest Policy
Residents are allowed to invite guests to campus.  Guests are limited to a stay of three nights, providing that the rights of others are not infringed upon.  This means that you must clear your guest's stay with your roommate and suitemates/apartment mates.

Guests who drive to campus should also register their vehicles with Campus Safety.

Hall Council
The Hall Council plans social events for your residence hall and works to address campus issues and concerns.  Members include a President ans Vice-President.  The Vice President for Residential Affairs oversees Hall Councils as an executive officer of the Student Government Association.

Issues you might bring to Hall Council:

• Ideas for residence hall or campus wide activities
• Campus quality concerns, safety issues, smoking policies, religious issues, etc.

Housekeeping
Each residence hall has a housekeeping staff.  While housekeepers do not pick up after individual students, they do maintain all common areas (hallways, bathrooms, etc.).  It is important to keep your floor lounge and bathroom free from clutter, especially the counter tops and showers.

The housekeepers do not clean individual rooms; that is your responsibility!  A vacuum cleaner is available from your residence hall staff member.

Internet
Students will need to bring an Ethernet Cat 5E or Cat 6 cable to be able to use the provided Time Warner Road Runner Internet service.  These cables can be purchased at the Skidmore Shop and most national retailers.  If you have any questions about connecting your computer to the service, please contact the Help Desk at ext 5900, or by dialing (518) 580-5900.  For more information, please visit their website.

If you are experiencing a problem with your Time Warner Cable Modem, please call them directly at (518) 640-8621.  Please identify yourself as a Skidmore student and have your modem's MAC address ready. The MAC address is printed on the label on the top of the modem. 

Keys / ID Cards
When students first arrive on campus, check-in locations will be set up in all residence halls.  Students will pick up their key to their room or have their Skidmore ID card activated for their room.  

Scribner Village, Howe-Rounds Hall, Kimball Hall, Penfield Hall, Wiecking Hall, and Wait Hall use keys to access student rooms. 

Students living in Northwoods Village, Jonsson Tower, McClellan Hall, and Wilmarth Hall will use their Skidmore ID Card to gain access into their room or apartment.  Their ID Card can be activated at the Office of Residential Life or the Skidmore Card Office (located on the lower level of Starbuck Center).  If a student loses their ID Card they should go to the Skidmore Card Office to obtain a new card. These cards can then be encoded for their room by visiting the Office of Residential Life.

Students may obtain a room key from a residence hall staff member.  If it is believed that a key is lost or stolen, contact the residence hall staff member and/or Campus Safety immediately.  If you should lose your key or if it is stolen, you will be charged a lock change fee.

In order to insure the safety of possessions and personal safety, it is imperative that doors are locked at all times when the student is out or sleeping.

If you are locked out of your room, a residence hall staff member in your building will be able to assist you.  Remember, you are responsible to carry your room key when you leave the room.  This includes going to the bathroom, gym, or class.  This lockout service is not to be used in place of carrying your key.

Laundry
Washers and Dryers:  Washers and dryers are in the basement of each residence hall and cost $1.25 to wash and $1.25 to dry.  Machines are not coin operated; students need to put money on their Skidmore ID card and swipe to use (a coin operated washer/dryer can be found in the first floor kitchenettes of Kimball and Wait Halls).  Laundry rooms are located throughout Northwoods and Scribner Villages as well.

Most students do their laundry on the weekend, and the laundry room can get crowded.  Washers and dryers are usually available during the day (before dinner) or late at night (1 a.m. and beyond).

For environmental purposes, all of our washes are set for a cold wash.  A word of advice:  do not leave your clothes sitting around in the laundry room.  When your laundry is done, come and get it.  Otherwise, it may end up in a heap somewhere because someone else wanted to use your machine.

E&R Laundry Service: Those who would like some help with their laundry may want to use E&R Laundry Service to wash or dry clean clothes and linens. E&R's toll free number is 1-800-890-7273. Visit their website for more information.

Losses and Damage
The College does not accept responsibility for any theft or losses in student rooms, storage closets, storage areas, or anywhere in College buildings or on campus at any time, either during terms or during one of the recesses.  This applies to any damage from water, steam, soot, smoke, fire, or any other destruction.  It is advised that all students be certain that they are protected by family homeowner's insurance.

Lounges
All residence halls have lounges throughout the buildings.  Most lounges feature sofas and end tables.  In the main lounge of the building, there is a big screen TV with a VCR or DVD Player and cable. 

In the basements or main lounges of some buildings, you can find a pool, ping pong, or foosball table.

Lounge furniture and furnishings are to remain in the lounge for everyone’s use.  If you are found in possession of lounge furniture, you may be charged the moving fee to have it replaced to the common space.

Noise
Within every residence hall, there are designated quiet hours, during which residents must keep noise to a minimum.

In addition, "courtesy hours," which call for general consideration regardless of time, are always in effect.  If someone asks you to quiet down, please comply.

During final exams, quiet hours are in effect 24 hours a day.  The enforcement of quiet hours is everyone's responsibility.  If your neighbor is being too loud, you are encouraged to ask him or her to please quiet down.  If this proves ineffective, see your residence hall staff member or call Campus Safety.

Quiet hours are:
Sunday – Wednesday:  9 pm – 9 am
Thursday - Saturday:  10 pm - 9 am

Packing List:  What to Bring and What Not to Bring
Many national retailers offer "what to bring" lists for a college room.  However, these lists often include prohibited items at Skidmore.  Please download the appropriate list and print it out:

• Residence Hall Packing List
• Apartments

Parking
It is absolutely essential if you have a vehicle on campus that you are aware of the parking rules and regulations.  Students are required to pay for a parking pass and register their cars with Campus Safety.

Guests who drive to campus should also register their vehicles with Campus Safety.

Pets
Pets, except for fish are not allowed in the residence hall  or apartments.  Tanks must be no larger than 10 gallons and no more than 1 tank per room.  Students found in violation of this policy may be held responsible for any damage caused by their pet.  (Seeing eye dogs are permitted in residences and other campus facilities).

Painting
Painting in residence hall rooms is prohibited.

Programming
Programming in halls is abundant at Skidmore College:

• Res-Life All-Hall events:  Activities that unite residents within one hall against other halls.  These events include:  Big Green Scream and Skidmore Unplugged.
  
• Inter Hall Board (IHB) Residence wide events:  Throughout the year, IHB plans huge events for all residents to intermingle.  These events include:  Ice Cream Social, Moorbid Ball, and Fun Day.
  
• All Hall:  The first Wednesday of every month, each building has an IHB President and Vice President who host the event in your building.  Often times, these events feature performances, contests and prizes.
  
• Hall Programs:  Staff members work to create and host programs for each hall!  Be on the look out for posters, emails, and your HC/RA spreading the word.
  
• Floor Programs:  Staff members work to create programs to meet the needs of residents living on a particular floor.  Be sure to talk to your staff members about what kind of programs you would like to see.
  

Prohibited Items
Below is a brief summary of prohibited items in the residence halls.  Please refer to the Room and Board Agreement for more detailed information:

• Halogen Lamp
• Tri-Color Octopus Lamp
• Bed Risers
• Cinder Blocks
• Microwaves (except for Northwoods and Scribner Village)
  
• Extension cords
  
• Pets other than fish (10 gallon tank maximum)
  
• Candles (Even if they are just for decoration)
• Incense
• Large Tapestries that block exits and fire safety equipment
• Illegal Drugs
• Alcohol (If living in one of the traditional residence halls)
• Weapons of all kinds
• Motorized vehicles other than wheel chairs
  

Residence Hall Staff
The Residence Hall Staff consists of 72 student and professional staff members who are selected during the spring semester for the following academic year.  Some are also appointed to positions during the fall and spring semesters.  The Residence Hall Staff includes two Community Coordinators (CCs), four Residence Hall Directors (RHDs), four Head Residents (HRs), 9 Unit Assistants (UAs), 29 Resident Assistants (RAs), and 24 House Counselors (HCs).

Staff members will serve as your primary resource in your residence hall.  Staff members are communicators, paraprofessional counselors, facilitators, and policy educators for the hall.  As you join the community, for information regarding the rights and responsibilities of a community member, please refer to the Skidmore College Student Handbook.